HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF

 

History is repeating itself  and our country is facing  exactly the same  dangerous situation as in  the year 1962

Photo of THE  Tea Estate Sankos  in  ASSAM  in 1962

AUTHOR AT SANKOS TEA ESTATE ASSAM IN 1962

 YEAR 1962/ INDO-CHINESE CONFLICT/ PLACE: ASSAM

CHINESE AGGRESSION  1962

This personal Report of the events of this war will tell how we gullible Indians were fooled by the Chinese then and this Indo-Chinese war was also a glaring example of how  the  political power bungled then. The unfortunate part is our not learning any lessons from the past and repeating the same mistakes.

As Chinese troops continued their action in Assam along the border, the Indian government did not disclose the real threat and slogans of HINDI CHINI BHAI BHAI  were raised by the leadership who allowed the Chinese to roll into the plains of Assam. The public was unaware of the development and conflict that had started on the Borders of Assam. Subsequently the leadership in New Delhi did everything to cover up the debacle. The author of India China war ,Neville Maxwell, clearly puts the responsibility for the disaster and humiliating defeat of our motherland on the leadership  and the military commanders of 1962.

How casually the leadership viewed the situation is depicted in the following cartoon;

OUR PRIME MINISTER IN COLOMBO WHEN CHINESE CONFLICT STARTED

This cartoon depicts the announcement by the prime minister, who was on a visit to Colombo , saying “Chinese have attacked and I have asked the army to throw them out.”

Nobody had any inkling of the setbacks as there was no mention in the newspapers till two Indian army officers , one Major and one Captain suddenly came to our home in Sankos Tea Estate in eastern Doars in tattered clothes, in a very bad shape, having travelled for days through dense forests and  crossing the fast flowing  Sankos river adjacent to our home in a Raft, to our tea estate.

These officers narrated the horrible  tales of  defeats and of  how our  men were butchered in Se La Pass being surrounded from both sides ,leaving no survivors. The Chinese came in hordes and our manpower and equipment were too inadequate for any resistance.

Their narration pressed the panic button and all planters were simply terrorized.  Europeans’ terror was heightened by their belief in the Prophecy “Yellow race will rule the world” and  they just wanted to flee .

Every disaster brings the prevalent corruption in the country to the fore. The money allocated for making roads and bridges had disappeared  and instead of  roads for Indian army  Tanks there were still mule tracks. Even after the conflict when India received  heavy woolen clothing, footwear, blankets and powdered milk for the army stationed in the snowy region ,it never reached the Indian army.

The fact that is  most  perturbing  is that nothing has changed . People will keep waiting for the reforms that are not possible till all departments are ready to change outdated policies and citizens decide not to accept status quo.

YEAR 2020/ SAME FAKE FRIENDSHIP  WITH CHINA/SAME DENIAL MODE(ALL IS WELL)/ SAME DANGEROUS THREAT TO INDIA BY CHINESE INTRUSION IN LADAKH

 

 

 

The interpreted Preamble to Indian Constitution

PREAMBLE  TO INDIAN CONSTITUTION

Preamble to the constitution of India states its objectives as : 

• Justice. social ,economic and political
• Liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship.
• Equality of status and of opportunity, and to promote among them all.
• Fraternity assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the nation

In 70 years though the constitution is supposed to be in existence but the essence has been continuously changed by various governments and finally we have arrived at the NEW INTERPRETED PREAMBLE  to our constitution.

CHANGED PREAMBLE  TO INDIAN CONSTITUTION

If we just substitute the words WE THE  PEOPLE with the words  WE THE VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE(VIP LAWMAKERS)  and  just follow their perceptions of all these  concepts mentioned in the Preamble  the confusion and frustrations of people still believing in the original Preamble will disappear. Are we not supposed to change with the TIME?

AS PER THE INTERPRETED PREAMBLE:

1. Justice is being  done but the Rules can’t be the same for all . Check up the History. Rulers always had different set of rules . Therefore to create ruckus against VIPs for crimes like rapes, accumulation of wealth is not justified .A VIP explained it in simple words “ boys will be boys” and VIP Boys have the special status in our society. To raise issues of rapes and murders is not justified. Similarly  there should  be  no  problem if under  Economic  Justice  wealth  is generated for  not only the VIP  family but the need of  all their extended family is taken care of.
2. The thought, expression, belief , faith  are supposed to be changed with the new VIPs. To resist change and stick to obsolete individualistic ideals will categorize you as the  dangerous intellectuals who need to be eliminated. If a Chief Minister donates 5 KG gold to the Deity it is for the good of the poor. God will ensure good crop and then the poor farmer will have food for the family. See the bigger picture!  History, Cultural activities like literature,  cinema,  dress code, food habits and religious beliefs  need to conform with the perceptions of the Rulers.  If the lawmakers feel it is more important to save the honour of “Padmavat” and everyday  cases of gang rapes and murders are immaterial , accept it. The word treason was rarely used  against citizens for it was supposed to be most heinous crime and we heard very few names in several decades. But the definition has changed and anybody who  has a difference of opinion with any VIP  THOUGHT ,EXPRESSION, BELIEF , faith is covered under it. The problem is the country will be having too many traitors (GADDAR)   Situation is grim  as even a  person accused of a crime is considered to be innocent till proved guilty but here the person is condemned as traitor till he/she prove they  prove their patriotism.
3. Equality of status and opportunity is a dream. The government  schools are  there but VIP children can’t be sent to such educational  institutions. Allahabad High Court passed such an Order that government Servants must send their children to government schools. Not implementable! 
4. Fraternity assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity of the nation is not implementable like so many schemes announced for the welfare of the public daily. These are meant to remain on paper only. In these times of LOCK DOWN due to  Pandemic migrant labourer’s  tragic plight is discussed continuously. Power without accountability is the norm in our country.  The elected MPs and MLAs could  not  visualize the  miserable life of migrants  in cramped  slums without work and money  and remained mute spectators of  migrant labour’s desperate efforts  to reach their homes,  is not a big deal.  Although  this was an opportunity  for  the elected representatives  to show their respect for the dignity of the individual by providing passage for the people of their constituencies who elected them.

So far during the Lock Down WE The People have followed all instructions given, closing down businesses, paying workers without income, clapping and lightening candle for the brave workers engaged in saving lives. I am reminded  of the speech of American President Kennedy who said “Don’t ask what America can do for you, ask what you can do for America?”  For India  the reverse is applicable “ Don’t ask what sacrifices public can make but ask what the government and lawmakers can give to the public, who  are losing lives, jobs and everything including HOPE”

In my earlier  write-up about Corona Virus , being a hopeless optimist, I presumed that this Pandemic will prove a blessing in disguise having proved the futility of power, possessions , wealth, religion and caste. The entire world faced the same challenges and lived in fear. Never  in the  world History such a situation was  ever seen.

But hopes of people like us will be dashed so soon was not anticipated and the disillusioned  public is getting confused  more and more. Since the mindset seems unchangeable and our judiciary, bureaucracy, media and all institutions  have reconciled and accepted the changed Preamble.  Once  WE THE PEOPLE  accept the new interpreted  version of  Preamble to Indian Constitution,  starting with WE THE VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE, everything will be sorted out in the country.

I must confess my confusion about  how to end it – 

Jai Hind, Vande Matram  or Jai Sri Ram ?

After Lock Down - A Rebirth

The World has seen the most unusual happening of a total shut down in the history of mankind and when the LOCK DOWN opens and Normal Activity starts every country should consider it as a REBIRTH.

Every child is born with a clean slate and has to learn all physical and mental activities. It is up to the family , environment and school  to ensure that the child gets proper learning in life and becomes a good  human being.

If we take the Lock Down as an opportunity given by The  Nature to  Mankind  to start learning from scratch in life ,we should  decide  what is essential to learn  and also what are the non-essentials in life to unlearn . This will surely make  the world  a better place to live. The world as a whole has realized the futility of power, possessions and wealth. It has also trashed the concept of countries fighting for being SUPER POWERS when everyone has been forced to remain Locked Down for just survival.  It has also conveyed the message that it is the worker class  who keep the world going. It is not possible to imagine survival of millions of people  without  medical services  and those  people engaged in providing basic needs of food and essential utilities like water, electricity ,security and house keeping.

For the first time the entire  world has realized that  the only precious thing is being alive. I remember in a calendar a young poor girl is being asked “what would you  like to be when  you grow ?” and her reply was “Alive” How true!

There are many aspects of life where all efforts are required to be made but my focus and concern in this blog is only  the desired changes in the system of  our country to bring economic prosperity for all. The task has been made easier by the present abnormal conditions as there is a readiness to change the mindset . In India , if only the people and the departments responsible for formulating policies and implementing them unlearn the practices followed in the past, economic progress will come very fast.

If we go through the history of business in India since Independence it is pathetic. Till seventies there were a  few private  big business houses and  few public sector undertakings. All Rules and Regulations and all government machinery like Banks were meant  for these Enterprises.

 When the concept of Small Scale Sector came into existence it was converted into a License and Quota exercise by the government and the public both. People with political power provided Licenses for various manufacturing activities , scarce raw material quotas were  given  for imports and most of the quota was sold  without any manufacturing . This practice neither generated jobs nor improved Industries in the country.

Then a new breed of entrepreneurs arrived on the scene who came with projects , were successful  in taking advantages of the schemes for Small Scale Sector. Most of these players manipulated the system for taking benefits of land and finance by the financial institutes .The loans  were  invested in more profitable  activities like real estate and commercial properties thus rendering this sector poor.

 In India of seventies having such business climate  to even think of entering   in the field of manufacturing in the unorganized sector of Used Oil Refining   appeared to be suicidal. The genuine entrepreneurs were struggling to survive.

The government formulated many policies for encouragement of Small Scale Sector which remained on paper only. The Banks had no trust in funding this sector and all the government departments of State and Centre followed the policy of obstruction.  This illogical obstructionist attitude is beyond  our comprehension. Why so much time, energy and money is spent in formulating policies and Gazette Notifications if all efforts are made to ensure   non-implementation of those very Policies. This question was raised umpteen times with various ministries and government departments in many Seminars and many written and personal representations  in vain.

My  entrepreneurial  journey  of 4 decades  sounds like some unbelievable story.  I can cite dozens of “Believe it or not “ happenings”  of my  entrepreneurial  life. Let me enumerate a few to illustrate the point.

The foremost  important hard to  Believe  fact is survival without ever resorting to any of the  so called commercial practices.

Believe it or not –  I received 8% of total requirement of working capital from the Bank after commissioning the Unit though my own margin money  available for working capital loan was 25% , which remained  blocked as security with the Bank for the non-working capital provided. The just fight for the Right to have real  Working Capital from a bank continued for almost 25 years.

Believe it or not –For getting the due  Notified Credit Linked   Subsidy of 15%  from Ministry of Small & Medium Enterprises a five year battle was required  because it depends on the discretion of the individual  to give or not  your due .The discretionary powers  given  to various individuals in various fields is the biggest cause of failure of many enterprises.

Believe it or not- The Excise Department discovered  that  In  the whole country my Unit was amassing wealth by  evading Excise Duty therefore on a S.S.I Unit Excise Duty and 100% penalty  of Rs. 5 Crore was levied and it took 5 years for the Excise Department to realize the mistake that our product  was not under Excisable goods and  that by mistake we were SINGLED  out from more than 400 Registered Units engaged in similar activity  and were  not covered in Excise.

Believe it or not- When the Ministry of Environment undertook the task of formulating a policy concerning Used Oil in the year 2000 and took inputs and a Draft Notification was prepared   but the two main clauses  essential  for the existence and development of the Used Oil Refining  sector  were dropped from the Gazette Notification rendering the whole exercise futile.

 Believe it or not- A Ministry can issue a Gazette Notification for opening a sector for private players but will obstruct  the entry of such players.  Five years back the Ministry of Petroleum’s Gazette Notification allowing  Parallel marketeer of Kerosene Oil  was issued but if you believed  in the scheme and  went full swing to be a player , it may end in 5 years of wasted efforts ,money and energy as has happened in our case.

But the greatest Myth in our country is the existence of Public Grievance Departments, be it judicial system or any  ministry  or government department like  Police, Taxation  or any department connected to  providing any utility services.  The scope of work for Public Grievance Cell is to register a complaint and then follow No Action Policy. Either the complaint  lies indefinitely in the cold storage of the concerned department or some ambiguous reply is sent and matter is closed in the Files as “Grievance Resolved”. This is true that is why it takes  years for simple settlement of issues. There are many examples where even when the problems had been communicated to the highest authority and the departments are asked to take action but still the ministries and departments refuse to change the work culture acquired  during the last several decades.

 This Locked Down  condition can be a boon if the necessary essential reforms are done at a fast pace. This can be a time when the country can convert this obstacle into opportunity.

The conditions are conducive to accept changes without protests.

This crisis has finished for the time being the religious fanaticism and caste discrimination .

Lines dividing the various  Classes of society  is reduced.

VVIP Culture is losing its relevance . Common men has realized  that powerful political people are as vulnerable as them. I am reminded of a cartoon where the photograph of the  Russian Leader Lenin in a Dustbin is shown receiving the photograph of the Dictator Stalin saying “I was expecting you to join but not so soon”

If we realize that in a very short time of months  the  world Economy has been ruined ,the turn around of Economy is also possible very quickly provided the correct measures are taken.

In India if we change the attitude of putting spokes and  change Rules to remove bottle necks  from the working of Industry the progress  will be swift. The present bureaucratic non action policy and making rules with strings attached need to change.

The wish list of all industries will be that the present crisis removes all hurdles created by departments.

Minimize autocracy  ,maximize assistance and just discard  the big chunk of obsolete Rules and Regulations hampering the growth. Simplification of Rules is the need of the hour but administration is still busy  making harsh Rules to Scare already distressed and scared entrepreneurs  in India .What  wonderful  logic at a time when the world  Economy  is at the brink of economic disaster ?

 There are lakhs of industrial Units abandoned in the country . If these sick Units  are given to competent enthusiastic entrepreneurs to run with least conditions the Indian Economy will revive in no time.

For resolving the problems of the people there should be one Central Agency consisting of various competent OMBUDSMEN where complaints  related to Infrastructure, Finance, Labour, Tax Authorities are taken and solved in a time bound manner  directly between the aggrieved  entrepreneur  and the concerned department.

For every misdeed , atrocity, regressive  incident we are used to hearing  people commenting “ This can only happen in India” Now is the time when by swift action India can be a Super Economic Power so that we can proudly say that  India defeated corona virus and became stronger.  We will be able to proudly proclaim  “This can only happen in India” 

My belief is  that  with right learning and unlearning India  in its REBIRTH after LOCK DOWN can be a great economic  entity. 

Urmila Bhargava

9310023230

md@ifp-petro.com

www.urmilabhargava.com

WORLD AT CROSS ROADS

The entire world is fighting a unique battle where the enemy invader Corona Virus is not only invisible but highly unpredictable and there are no weapons to finish this. This war is not following any rules which the world had been following in the past centuries. The initial starting point of the outbreak was suppressed for days by the country of its origin thus endangering the lives of millions of citizens in many countries.

Wars have been fought for power, wealth, land and religions since time immemorial.

In the medieval  times the invaders like Alexander, Mahmud of Ghazni,  Nadir Shah,  Changhez Khan invaded countries for their wealth and after winning went back to their country with the loot.

After this the trend changed and the wars were fought to expand their empires and the invaders after winning started settling down in the countries defeated. Moghuls, Portuguese, Britain belong to this category. When the victorious countries settled in defeated countries they tried to completely destroy cultures, and annihilated the original tribes as was done to Red Indians in America or in Tibet by China.

This lust of acquiring land and expanding their empires reminds me of the story by Leo Tolstoy titled” How Much Land Does a Man Need”. The story tells us about a farmer who was obsessed with the idea of possessing large piece of land. When this farmer was offered that he could own as much land as he travels in a day and return by sunset, he took the offer. He was asked to dig holes to demarcate the land covered by him. The man walked without taking rest and suffering inclement weather for ten miles and then started back to reach before sun set. When he reached the starting point, the first hole dug by him, he collapsed and died. People buried him in the hole dug by him  which was six feet long .The moral of the story is that a man only needs six feet of land the rest is to satisfy the  greed.

The mad theory of Hitler  believing that only his superior Race deserved to live and the other inferior human Races needed to be eliminated resulted in two horrid world wars and killing of millions of innocent  people  in  barbaric manner.

But the wars in the name of religions have continued till date. Though all the religions of the world preach the same principles of love, peace, harmony and co-existence but so much bloodshed and acts of hate are perpetuated by their followers. It is most paradoxical that the entire world is in turmoil because of religious fanaticism and terrorist activities which do not allow people to live in peace. People are killing not only innocent citizens of other religions in the name of religion but even those of their own faith belonging to different sect.

THE WORLD IS NOW AT THE CROSS ROADS and has to decide what road it intends taking. 

 Road one traversed up to now by all countries had only focus on development and supremacy over Nature. For being supreme and conquering Nature  mankind had been plundering natural resources, polluting environment, destroying rivers, seas ,forests and recklessly  continued  these activities. Experiments have been done to change the basic structure of animals, plants and human genes.

Time has come to decide whether mankind should take the road to a life in harmony with Nature or continue the reckless destruction of Nature. Nature in no uncertain terms has given the warning for changing our ways or perishes. There have always been warnings in the form of natural disasters like floods, forest fires, droughts, cyclones and pandemics in the past. But this pandemic was beyond the imagination of anyone and almost entire world is affected by it. It has brought the world to a total shut down and mankind living in fear.

Everyone knows that time is all powerful but the good thing about time is it changes. There is a story about it. Moghul Emperor Akbar asked his minister Birbal to tell him a sentence which could make the unhappy person happy and a happy person unhappy. Birbal told him “Yeh Wakta Badal Jayega”( This time will change}

These are difficult times but let us keep our optimism intact that the worst will be over soon. This crisis has obliterated the class consciousness. Most powerful  people , the super-rich as well as the arrogant people who were always showing off  asking “don’t you know who my father is “ are in the same boat  facing the same situation  It is very clear that one needs very little to live in this world.

THE CONCEPT OF FAMILY is also at the CROSS ROADS.

Following in the footsteps of the developed western countries India’s joint family system has been shrinking   but now the younger generation will have to do rethinking. In times like these when you are locked down for days it is easy to spend time in the company of family members. The news of people dying alone and the picture posted on Facebook of bodies being handled crudely send shivers to people like us.

The young will have to decide how to treat their older generation.

EVERYONE FINDS SOMETIME ONESELF AT THE CROSS ROAD

I in my life faced this situation twice.

First time was when from a city life full of family and friends I faced a life on an isolated bungalow where the nearest neighbour was miles away. For once a week social contact one had 70% British and the rest  30% followers of British way of life ,the Desi Sahib and Mem Sahibs. The question was whether to  save my Desi identity, which appeared extremely difficult, or to adopt their way of copying British life style. I had nothing against the British way of life but I loved my way of life more. This decided me to take the difficult road. When other Indian women were cribbing about lack of city life pleasures, I spent happy times with multi tasks of rearing my children, looking after pet animals, sports, stitching, knitting and experimenting with cooking Indian sweets as well as chocolates and toffees.

Next time while facing the adversity in life I had to choose between a traditional road of taking a job to support my family or to take the challenging road of entrepreneurship.   In India where the word business is synonym with corruption ,to try to run an honest business ,in a totally unorganized sector, alone seemed  highly foolish.

But both my decisions were in sync with Nature and surprisingly Natural forces not only allowed me to survive but  rewarded my decisions in life with praise and awards. Honest business is not impossible.

Happiness is just a state of mind and those who can pass this trying time happily will come out victorious from this pandemic crisis.

POWER OF INVISIBLE  VIRUS- TOTAL LOCK DOWN OF COUNTRIES

I sincerely hope our sycophant   genius public has comprehended the serious call  given by our Hon’ble Prime  Minister  for nationwide lock down to save  our own self, our family and thus our nation. Last call for Janata  Curfew  was  taken  as an action for pleasing the P.M and  the way the  crowds celebrated  on the road made it clear their  ignorance of the serious message given.

The message for staying home for 21 days to possibly defeat the spread of this virus was given forcefully and repeatedly  but the idea of  staying at home for these many days is like a punishment for the modern generation .

My generation grew up  on different parameters. For us home was synonym of happiness and enjoyment. All activities like festivals, marriages , outings  and even daily routine of meals were enjoyable only with family which did not have the modern day narrow definition of family. How many of the modern day children have experienced  picnics, outings , visits to religious festivals, group games , river boating and  days of marriage celebrations with siblings ,extended family and friends ? Our childhood was full of such activities and the word “ boredom” was not in our dictionary.   Marriages were celebrated with enthusiasm not only by  the family but even  by  the neighbours  it used to be an occasion for excitement  .  The most fascinating  wedding  in my memory is  the wedding of my  friend’s  Doll where all ceremonies  continued for days like real wedding with many guests . The groom came in a “Buggy” drawn by two horses with Police Band. The excitement  level  can not be compared with  any modern day destination marriage. The most amazing coincidence  I discovered later in  life was  that my husband was a Baraati (Groom’s Party) in that doll’s wedding  where  I  was  from the Brides side.

The present grave situation is  giving several serious messages and now it is up to us humans to listen to the warning and survive.

The first clear message is telling us how fragile human race is. We humans , are pretending to be so powerful ,  creating  weapons of mass destruction but an invisible virus could bring the world on its knees in no time. The myth  of being a super Race and  the dream of taking control of  other nations  after this pandemic  should be given up for good.

 Another message is the futility of the modern day commercial  rat race . When we humans are so vulnerable , what  good is our accumulation of  wealth  by any means? The crisis has totally changed the perspective of the rich and the poor as now both are equally  helpless and scared of the corona virus facing similar situation.

Most important message which needs to be followed is that  people should give up the fanaticism of religion and fighting in the name of religion. All places of worship are in lock down . Our homes are the places where we  can  pray  for the safety of our family and the country . Therefore it is essential that  all talks of Mandir, Masjid and fighting over religion should end  for ever. If you can manage for 21 days of your life without these places of worship  surely survival will be more peaceful in future without combating for religion.

This 3 week’s lockout  will also make it clear to the people how  we can simplify our life style going for need based purchases instead of greed based  life style. One actually needs very little for survival and happiness.

Finally the realization should come that continuous abuse of  Nature always results in disaster.  Instead of destruction  and modification of Nature we should learn to live in harmony with Nature for our own good.

CORONA VIRUS, TOPIC OF THE WORLD TODAY

For the last few weeks the whole world is moving towards a total  shut down due to the shocking appearance of  Corona Virus or Covid -19 with its multiple dangers and repercussions on global economy, health, culture and social life.

This is not the first time that the world is facing  a calamity of such proportion and doomsday forecasts in the form of videos and articles are becoming a regular feature. The 21^st century began with the forecast of the World ending on 1^st January 2000 and a huge public believed in its actual happening and seriously waited for the end in India!

The jolt given by Corona Virus may force the people  world over to introspect and find out  why such disasters are taking place so regularly and do we humans need to change to survive or continue following the same path and perish.

The main reason behind such  disasters is human greed and its lust to conquer the world and Nature. The entire History of countries are full of wars fought to capture other countries or to prove their supremacy as a Race . The biggest  blunder is the constant abuse of Nature. Having mastered the land, sea , sky , mountains and even space  with the scientific  inventions human beings are not satisfied and countries are perpetually in a race to be  the most powerful in the world. The natural outcome is fighting Wars directly or helping proxy wars among  various countries.

Countries that created most advanced weapons of destruction prospered by supplying  them to the countries aspiring to become advanced.  In ancient times wars were fought by brave soldiers on the battlefield but now two warring countries are fighting with invisible  support from  weapon supplying countries creating immense suffering to their citizens. Nobody  is trying to change this instead more advanced scientific research is being carried out to find  ways to destroy countries without fighting actual wars . Nano technology and bio warfare are two  examples of this mindset. I had read a novel in which the Nano , almost invisible, weapons created  were so potent it melted  huge number of human bodies , a really scary scenario.  The news of a book published in 1981 describing  China  creating Virus in a laboratory to destroy other cities is  being circulated , seems to prove that the experiment failed and  boomeranged  .

One thing is sure writers anticipated and imagined the future situations quite correctly. The monster Frankenstein was  imagined by Mary Shelley as early as 1818 and it may be a reality someday.   Similarly  English Writer George Orwell’s dystopian novel  1984  could describe very accurately in his book about the life of citizens if the state took over the privacy and freedom of its citizens , people  in several countries behind Iron curtains faced  this situation  in their life .

Panic about pandemic is not going to help. We all know one has to leave this world someday. The way there are various modes of transportation in life to travel there are several ways to leave this world like accidents, disease , old age ,natural disasters and epidemics. Best way to deal  with any difficult situation is to  take recommended precautions and   to have faith in destiny. Spreading fear is the worst kind of overreaction.

One thing is sure , Corona virus will be remembered as the greatest uni-fier of the century for countries are collaborating like never before  and it has obliterated the class distinction .The president of the most powerful country is as  vulnerable as a common man of any poor country.

Let me end this blog on a lighter, optimistic note. The mathematical predictions about the Corona Virus is that 1 person can give the virus to 100 persons easily therefore if  one reader of my blog circulates it to 99 others the blog will go viral.

Quick Solution of Big Issues

In all the ancient Civilizations the THINKER was the most important and most respected figure for his ideas and preaching  were followed by the common people.  India was far ahead  intellectually of other countries .Our History is full of such great minds in the field of religion, science , mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, literature and to enumerate their names in a blog is impossible.

In our modern times thinking and spreading high moral ideas are reduced to mindless forwarding messages on Social Media as if those good ideas are to be followed by others  and the sender is following them .

The most regrettable feature of our times is the disdain for intellect and intellectuals.  There is a story about Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb that he hated music . Once a funeral procession was passing by his palace and he enquired about  who  had died , some one  informed him it  was the Janaaza (cortege) of  music and Aurangzeb ordered  that it should be buried so deep that it may never come out.  Many modern  “intellectuals haters” would like to prescribe the same treatment to “intellect”

Philosopher like Descartes  proved the existence of self by proclaiming Cogito Ergo Sum , I think therefore I am.

This mindset was bound to happen because  when there are minimum qualifications like education ,skill and experience are  in place for the lowest positions in any field  but  for the position of Neta there is no set  of such requirement.

This fact brings  me to another  very interesting  observation. We the public elect people for solving problems of the common men which is a herculean task.  So  our innovative people have mastered the art of playing the game  how to reduce a small line without resorting to erasing any  part? The simple answer is draw a bigger line by the side of it. In Politics our Opposition believes that  their only task is to oppose whatever  action is taken by the Ruling party and this in the long run has created a scenario where one problem is automatically replaced by another like the changing Acts in a Drama.

 Let me illustrate the point after general election there were  lots of  issues  raised,  creating  genuine  tension, like slowdown in economy, lack of jobs  farmers distress , in came Citizen Amendment Bill  and Pro & Anti CAA  protests  spread in various parts of the country  successfully removed the other problems from the scene and Media relentlessly brought  CAA  to the center  stage.  The prolonged national attention from CAA disappeared only when Delhi Riots took place followed by Corona Virus & YES BANK Fiasco . Let us simply wait for something more attention drawing to take place .

Can there be any more simpler  way to deal with  problems ? 

Views expressed by an  ORDINARY WOMAN

www.urmilabhargava.com