tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-330053792024-03-05T21:54:47.547+05:30MonologuesMoumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-79816160985796104762013-10-30T19:36:00.000+05:302014-04-15T12:31:18.060+05:30How Builder's Cronies Digress a Housing Project Completion<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s been nearly 10 months that the Confident Group
washed their hands off their incomplete project, Antlia 1. This project was
supposed to be completed (including all the 60 amenities, </span><a href="http://www.confident-group.com/infrastructureproject.aspx?ProjectId=101#contentGuestbook-tab">http://www.confident-group.com/infrastructureproject.aspx?ProjectId=101#contentGuestbook-tab</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">)
by 2010. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">They first threatened to withdraw maintenance of
this complex in October last year and convinced some owner’s representatives to
take financial handover. (Financial
handover, according to them was, the owners manage the complex on their own,
and the Confident Group acts as a prop.) These owners’s representatives came
back convinced and called for a meeting to brain-wash other owners to concede
and increase the maintenance charges. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Few owners
intervened and wrote to Dr. Roy CJ, the CMD of the Confident Group stressing
the unprofessionalism and unethical withdrawal of The Confident Group from
Antlia 1 without completing the project and or giving the due documents,
including the occupancy certificate to all the owners. The CMD invited all the
owners to meet and discuss the issues. A
meeting was organized on a weekday and out of 80 owners only 8 turned up for
the meeting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We thought, since this CMD had an education (which
includes a doctorate) he would be a reasonable person unlike his MD. He turned
out to be as eccentric as an eccentric could be. Being smart at maneuvering
people, he skillfully tried diluting the agenda of the meeting resorting to
excess emotionality and stubbornness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Confident Group’s USP was the 60 amenities, that
among other things include fish pond with angling, telescope nest, mini super
market, and 57 more amenities. In that meeting in December last, he gave us an
assurance that Most of these regular anomalies pertaining to Antlia 1 in
particular would be completed and rectified by March 2013 and the other
amenities that would be housed in the club house and the commercial would be
completed by 2013 December. This he and all the attendees signed and he went a
bit overboard and handed this promise sheet in his chapel that is set up in a
corner in his office.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Why I am writing this piece today is, primarily to
draw your attention and urge you to be cautious about builders and their antics
through their cronies. Most builders give little extras to few owners and buy
their conscience. This could be in the form of a good discount at their next
property or a car or investing in their venture. This comes handy when they
digress from what was advertised to garner sale and that delivered.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We had an election. This election was to choose
representatives who would continue to negotiate with the Confident Group and
monitor the progress of the rectification and completion of the project without
getting sidelined. A group of 10 owners started getting nasty virtually that
compelled the proactive few owners who were instrumental in organizing the
meeting with the CMD of the Confident Group and getting a written assurance
from him and his team,and monitoring every step to completion, to withdraw
their nomination. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If you are reading this article, then do remember
that this is one of the various antics employed by this builder to digress from
their responsibility.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">These elected representatives of the adhoc committee
of owner’s association took financial handover from the builder without intimating
other owners. This was completely unethical and having spoken to many legal
experts is illegal too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The very purpose of having this election was to
ensure that the association gets registered under KAOA so that we continue to
get the builder to deliver. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today, it’s been 8 months and these cronies of the
confident group had set up an account in the corporation bank in the name of an
unregistered association and compelled, to the extent of going overtly nasty,
the owners to pay a maintenance that is way too expensive for a regular
apartment sans amenities. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today, amenities still remains a far off dream that
once lured people like me to buy a home here. Not one shovel of dust have come
up for the commercial construction, the fire safety remains a concern and the
lifts are without ARD.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And like in most housing complexes and elsewhere,
people keep mute to escape harassment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-33368001694905847752013-09-21T11:28:00.001+05:302013-09-21T11:49:10.202+05:30Being Single is NOT Lonely<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My last post, Emotional Violence against Women at Public Offices was picked up by a city evening paper, City Today.<br />
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The slug given in this paper said, Lonely & exploited. The reporter who interviewed me clarified that a desk stringer gave this slug without her knowledge.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4Nop41gqkkBm2FE6CokpVhoBvI76irPD_D-7aHsn0yT3pPZ62X-rQwcpqU_HqChDsN14UB2EDi0sxABZJsCY06S40ly1aBeBrJEXaejSR0KJJaA5fJi_WsYOPLTjoi_wnEeIuA/s1600/Capture+Blog.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4Nop41gqkkBm2FE6CokpVhoBvI76irPD_D-7aHsn0yT3pPZ62X-rQwcpqU_HqChDsN14UB2EDi0sxABZJsCY06S40ly1aBeBrJEXaejSR0KJJaA5fJi_WsYOPLTjoi_wnEeIuA/s320/Capture+Blog.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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How easily others assume that singles are lonely and that all singles are exploited!<br />
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This is so very stereotypical attitude of most.<br />
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How easily people blur the lines between lonely and being alone.<br />
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Loneliness is a state of mind. It is a feeling of disconnectedness from community or society. Being alone or single is a choice and has nothing to do with feeling lonely.<br />
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I have never allowed myself to be exploited either emotionally or physically. We all have a choice - irrespective of our marital status - whether we would like people to exploit us or we have the courage to say No.<br />
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Exploitation takes varied hue. It could be a direct uncivil behavior by another person or could be an indirect uncivil behavior directed at others.<br />
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Singles, preferring ones own company, or introverts are not lonely. Remember loneliness is a state of mind. People in relationships could also be lonely.<br />
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Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-54314138348862310282013-09-14T20:21:00.001+05:302013-09-21T09:01:29.861+05:30Emotional Violence against Women at Public Offices<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I went to the Passport Seva Kendra at Outer Ring </span><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Road to submit the application for the reissue of my minor daughter’s passport on tatkal. </span><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The lady at the front desk, Gayathri ( name not changed) told me, “ </span><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>A Single parent cannot apply for the reissue of her daughter’s passport on </i></span><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>tatkal.</i>” </span><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I was asked to get my </span><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">daughter’s father and the reason for the separation, all this in </span><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">full public view. </span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Being informed, I told her candidly that was not a reason for rejecting my daughter’s application for reissue of her passport on tatkal, and that she was not eligible to ask personal questions that violates decency in civil society.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">It was most humiliating! </span></span><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">This behavior from the front desk executive was a deliberate harassment. This sort of </span></span><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 18.181818008423px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">harassment is </span><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">a form of violence against women. What is sad is, it was </span></span><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">perpetrated by a woman.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I could see people standing in other queues getting interested in our discussion and my patience was fast depleting. What I have learnt from my interaction with such people who try to act ‘holy’ is to go nasty the full way. This, from my experience always worked and fuses such unrestrained curiosities about other people’s life. And I did just that. I gave her a biology lesson that left her scarlet and mute.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">It is a good </span><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 21.818181991577px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">practice</span><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> to always do your homework to understand the process and procedure before going to any offices. Before visiting the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK), I scanned </span><span style="border: 0px; color: windowtext; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://passport.gov.in/" rel="nofollow" style="border: 0px; color: #117bb8; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://passport.gov.in/</a></span><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> to get the details. I called up the customer care many times to validate the list of documents required. I then called up Mr Suresh Rana, APO,</span><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">CPV Division, Ministry of External Affairs to validate. I also wrote to the RPO but never received a response.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I was told, since this is a reissue, I need not submit all the documents that I had to attach when I applied for her passport for the first time. Her details are in their database. So, I was asked to submit Annexure H, a copy of my passport and my daughter’s passport, and our new address proof along with the application.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">( Note: Annexure H is just a declaration, yet I went ahead and got it attested by a notary.)</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I thought I was pretty thorough when I went to the PSK. ( My daughter had to miss her school that day.) The humiliation was unexpected and left me fuming.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A single parent faces innumerable challenges to get work done and more so if she happens to have a very distinct sense of what is right and what is wrong.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Not having a partner is not a crime. Raising a child single-handedly is not a sacrifice but a choice and I do not think any self-respecting single parent needs the snide or the sympathy. </span><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But, disrespecting, humiliating, and abusing emotionally an individual just because her marital status is not what your ideal society wants, is a gross violation of human rights and is condemnable.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I could get my work done on that very day because I was informed and insisted that I meet the APO. They allowed me to when I spoke to Mr. Suresh Rana. But, not all can create this sort of stir. So, does that mean such violence, that doesn’t leave visible physical scars but completely stresses out the person involved. would continue in offices? I doubt whether anybody would raise the flag for fear of their paper work getting delayed or rejected.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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</div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Oashe ( my daughter) learnt a valuable lesson that day. On our way back home after the intense drama, she told me that she is determined to remain steadfast on her beliefs, will not accept any sort of injustice meted out to her or her friends, and will protest in accordance with the laws.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">What is required is sensitizing and sanitizing the mindset of the customer facing executives. This lady at the front desk, Gayathri is a TCS employee. She is young, still in her twenties and yet she has unhealthy thoughts. Asking for a total revolution of the mind set is a tall order, but such mindset from Gen Y is not expected. We need to think where we have gone wrong and if we have a young force with stagnated thoughts, it is an indication of a society that have grossly misinterpreted the basic human values that transcends marital status, borders, and color.</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-54674845877853324372013-01-02T20:57:00.000+05:302013-01-03T16:54:04.000+05:30Garrulous Farts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">I am concerned and remain perplexed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Not because of the daily street terrorism that women are subjected
to. But with the attitude of regular, garrulous people who have an opinion
about everything that is happening in our society and have few clear-cut tips
about how our society should behave and the country run.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Free gyaan – loud and clear over stale idlis and sambhar at the
cafeteria. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Today, I decided to test the attitude of these righteous people
who diligently visit places of worship and offers high-sounding
gyaan to anybody and everybody who cares to listen. At lunch, I shared the news
about my campaign to remove the alcohol outlet that has cropped up near my
apartment. I IMed this link,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.change.org/en-IN/petitions/superintendent-of-police-bangalore-rural-start-proactive-policing-on-sh-35-near-confident-antlia">http://www.change.org/en-IN/petitions/superintendent-of-police-bangalore-rural-start-proactive-policing-on-sh-35-near-confident-antlia</a> to few
people and told them to sign if they want to without any compulsion. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">(Refer to <a href="http://newindianexpress.com/cities/bangalore/article1359055.ece">http://newindianexpress.com/cities/bangalore/article1359055.ece</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">It was hilarious. Most of them ignored. (I expected that.) One
lied. And one tried justifying the reason for not signing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">I am concerned because these are the same people who cluck when
they hear about gender terrorism, never missed TV programme like<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.satyamevjayate.in/" target="_blank">Satyameva Jayate</a>, and indulge in
social discourse. But freeze in fear of authority and change. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-82794855297539276172012-12-05T20:03:00.000+05:302012-12-05T20:05:37.051+05:30My Experience at Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
I went to the BESCOM office at Sarjapur on 8th
November, 2012 to apply for name transfer. I carried all the required
documents as listed here <a href="http://bescom.org/en/frequently-asked-questions/consumer/"><span style="color: blue; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">http://bescom.org/en/frequently-asked-questions/consumer/</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br />
The person collecting the bills, excitedly directed me to a BESCOM contractor
for the indemnity bond and the agreement form. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br />
All he asked for was a mere Rs. 1500/ to get everything fixed. When I asked him
to give me a break down of this money that he demanded, he clearly told me that
the legal cost would be about Rs. 400/ and the rest of the money, he very
confidently told me, would be to grease the hands of all the engineers involved
in this area.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Obviously, I refused to pay this amount. Instead, I wrote to
the top brass of BESCOM. <a href="http://www.thesundayindian.com/en/story/p-manivannan-mr-transparent/99/26939/" target="_blank">Mr. PManivannan</a> responded immediately and proactively directed his team to enquire
and suspend the license of the BESCOM contractor.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
I got my name transferred in 30 minutes without paying
bribe. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Thank you, <a href="http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2007/11/19/why-p-manivannan-ias-evokes-such-fear-and-awe/" target="_blank">Mr. Manivannan</a>!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br /></div>
Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-83112651050658278852012-09-22T19:54:00.000+05:302012-10-21T12:19:19.049+05:30Getting the Khata of Your Apartment.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well, I do not really enjoy visiting the Government offices. But one has to do what one has to do! So, I popped in at the Sarjapur Panchayat office to find out the details about applying for a Khata for my apartment.<br />
<br />
I entered the Vice-chairman's office. He was with the Panchayat Development Officer. They were evasive and did not clearly spell out the documents that I needed to submit. So, I met the Chairman, Mr. Syed Ahmed Afzal. He explained in detail the process and the documents that I was required to submit. It is very simple. You have to submit:<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>An application ( on plain paper) addressed to the President of the gram panchayat.</li>
<li>A xerox of the sales deed. </li>
</ul>
<br />
It normally takes about a month to get the khata. But Mr. Afzal clearly ( must say very bravely) told me to hand over the application to him directly since the staff might keep delaying on one pretext or the other. He said I would get the Khata in 2 days.<br />
<br />
Fingers crossed!<br />
<br />
<u><b>21st October, 2012</b></u><br />
<br />
I submitted the application for khata transfer certificate on 3rd October to the Bill Collector, Mr. Chinnappa. (No, I didn't hand over the application to the Chairman. I didn't want the yoke of obligation around my neck.) It normally takes a month to get this certificate. This is because, the PDO announces about the application in the gram panchayat area to validate the assertion of the property. The Khata Transfer Certificate is issued to the claimant if no claims are made within 30 days of applying. Fair!<br />
<br />
And I got my Khata in 2 weeks!<br />
<br />
No bribe paid!<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-84170016230926189862012-09-09T21:02:00.001+05:302012-09-15T22:33:38.268+05:30Getting my Apartment Registered in Bangalore<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
I bought an (resale) apartment from an individual who had not
taken possession of the flat from the builder (The Confident Group ) and had a
loan going.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The builder was my point of contact for this purchase and I
had absolutely no interaction with the seller. In fact, the senior executive
from The Confident Group, refused to
share the seller contact details. <br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The builder helped me in getting the housing loan through
Axis bank and ensured that all the documents related to the apartment were handed over to the bank executive for verification.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The builder demanded that I pay Rs.30,000/ in cash. This, I was
told, would be used to grease the palms of the brokers and lawyers attached to
the sub-registrar’s office. I was strictly against giving a bribe to get my work
done. I categorically refused to give any extra money for which I will not get
a receipt. The executive told me to get the registration done on my own and
that The Confident Group would not be able to handle this. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Note, I never received an email about the cash payment information
from The Confident Group. It was only
communicated over the phone. My emails on this topic too were ignored.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I contacted few people who had recently
purchased apartments, and all said that they had to give some hefty amount in
cash to the builder for registration and khata. I also contacted the organization, Ipaidabribe.com. Their
comment was, <b><i>“</i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>It is illegal to undervalue the property, but
because of the Land Mafia in Bangalore, even though you want to be honest, it
is impossible to go with the actual value i.e government value. You will have
to pay the buyer extra. And, the extra cash you have asked to keep is to bribe
the sub-registrar. Friends, we need to come up with something to stop this land
mafia killing our people.</i></span></b><i><b>”</b></i>(<a href="http://ipaidabribe.com/bribe-central/registration-apartment-0">http://ipaidabribe.com/bribe-central/registration-apartment-0</a>
)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A day before the registration, I contacted
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1f497d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Mr. Raghunandan,</span> who was
travelling. He told me not to buckle and get the registration done. His golden words
still reverberate in my ears, “Bribe takers are really cowards”. And, indeed
they are!<br />
<br />
<i>(<span style="background-color: white; color: #646464; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">Mr. T R Raghunandan, IAS, is a member of the State Planning Board – Karnataka and also </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #646464; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">initiated forums to tackle corruption. Sri Raghunandan has served as Secretary of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj for Karnataka and as Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Panchayat Raj, before retiring voluntarily in 2009. He is a consultant on fiscal decentralization and local governance to international development agencies such as the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).)</span></span></span></i>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Raghu linked me to Pritam who, too, had refused to bribe for registering his apartment. Pritam, was very helpful. He diligently
explained the process of registration and motivated me not to give in to
anti-social pressure. He also shared the
“India Against Corruption” badges.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I went to the Sub-Registrar’s office, with my daughter. We
wore the “India Against Corruption” badge.
(The scene is like any other government office – hoards of people some
chewing paan, and many with the “menial” look, ready to drop at the feet of the
unbuttoned paan chewing loafers that acted like their messiah.)<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My daughter and I were looked at with much curiosity. I
guess, that’s because they saw a school girl and a professionally attired lady flaunting
“India Against Corruption” badge barging in directly to the Sub-Registrar’s office
sans a broker or a male companion. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is very easy to get your apartment registered, and you do
not have to part with your hard-earned money either.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is how I acquired a 1244 sq ft of place in my name, and
it did not even take 30 minutes:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I directly contacted the sub-registrar and asked
him the procedure to get the property registered.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">He asked for the sales deed, encumbrance
certificate, tax paid receipts, and the khata. I had the print out of all these
docs. This was the 1</span><sup style="text-indent: -0.25in;">st</sup><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> step.
Getting the papers verified.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The sales deed, and the other forms were signed by me and the seller. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> Witness signature was also acquired.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I gave the bank drafts for the registration and stamp
duty.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I paid Rs.360/ only towards scanning charges.</span></li>
</ul>
No, I did not have to run from one table to another with
folded hands. All I had to run for
before I went to the government office was to:<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 37.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Get the documents in order. Get print-outs and Xerox.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 37.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Get the drafts towards registration and
stampduty.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 37.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Call up people to understand the process.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 37.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What flummoxed me is, The Confident Group is a member of
CREDAI, and they also have a registration department that handles the registration
and the khata-related work. However, they
ask for cash payment from their customer. I can’t help but wonder, how eloquently they
are fooling their customers and also indulging and promoting corruption.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I would like to reiterate, we are responsible for the sharks
at government offices - If you are clean and do not have anything to hide, why
be scared!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have another task on hand - to get the khata for my apartment and transferring the electricity meter to my name.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Stay tuned for more updates !</div>
</div>
Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com7Bangalore, Karnataka, India12.9715987 77.594562712.724026199999999 77.2787057 13.2191712 77.910419699999991tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-74584740744264125982011-08-20T09:47:00.007+05:302012-09-13T17:12:23.533+05:30Connecting with Nature<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 13px;">The green countryside was overly alluri<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=33005379&postID=7458474074426412598" name="_GoBack"></a>ng to let the soul remain encased in the dreary city!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 115%;">Tagging along with the <a href="http://www.foliageoutdoors.com/sobi2">foliagers</a>, we rattled on to the obscure village Ajiveli, about 60 kms from Pune.</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55mDR41s8vlfqT2XNix6ds71IeWclpaqTWL9Ha6TPwtoOWn_c3AuaR3VZphAmYClUa7W7FbT-nmi_4uUhDi6CtKDomgrbpZXzzWOU9rofyO-4MO0_v3y65M3xIKTNfqs8iOp1ww/s1600/Ajivali.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55mDR41s8vlfqT2XNix6ds71IeWclpaqTWL9Ha6TPwtoOWn_c3AuaR3VZphAmYClUa7W7FbT-nmi_4uUhDi6CtKDomgrbpZXzzWOU9rofyO-4MO0_v3y65M3xIKTNfqs8iOp1ww/s320/Ajivali.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 13px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px;">This is a place where you literally get down to earth and walk through mud. The meandering unpaved road to the forest is a delight. You will get to see real architectural masterpieces. I saw these amazing ants nest. One on the ground, constructed like a fort and another on a tree, constructed like a </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px;">pagoda. And with </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px;">mud!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Slushy trek led us to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_groves_of_India">Devrai</a> – a dense sacred forest, dedicated to local deities or tree spirits. </span></span><br />
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 13px;">The villagers ensure that not a single leaf or a twig is taken from this forest. It is believed that any sort of violation will offend the local deity and could cause calamities.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">To connect with nature is an humbling experience. Everything that we require is provided by nature. Including the mechanism to fight the much threatening diseases. Yet, we clamor for stuffs to make our life easier.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">There is a strong reason behind every belief and practices. Labeling such beliefs as superstitions, is not completely correct. The villagers believe it is bad karma if, even, a tiny dried leaf is taken from this Devrai. I don't want to analyse this belief. For this belief ensures a balanced ecology, conducive for healthy co-existence of all living creatures.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Sitting in a/c rooms, on cushioned chairs, we forget our very beginnings as we plan to garner more material resources, completely forgetting how we plunder the very earth that has sheltered us. The experience of sitting on a wet, glistening rock, right in a dense jungle (where the sun rays tries to squirms in through the tall trees that forms a canopy of sort, as if protecting the earth from evil spirits), and listening to running water, I tell you, this is the best music I have ever heard! </span></div>
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Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-1416530642057456332011-08-15T10:49:00.002+05:302011-08-15T10:55:45.712+05:3064 and developing...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">At 64, a senior, yet labelled as 'Developing nation'! Grossly violated, repeatedly humiliated, and frequently raped, that's my India.<br />
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</div><div>Leaders who exudes leech like quality - glued to their cushioned chair, holding on the power like an armor, and hoodwinking the very people who got them the chair. If this is not gross violation, then, I wonder what is!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Our rich heritage and culture repeatedly humiliated in the name of religion. Mandir and Masjid getting demolished in this political tug of war. If this is not humiliating our art and culture, then, I wonder what is!</div><div><br />
</div><div> Mines dug, trees cut, hills brutalized... all in the name of globalization. If this is not raping our beautiful landscape, then, I wonder what is!</div><div><br />
</div><div>And our leaders continue to make lofty claims on Independence day. </div><div><br />
</div></div>Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-88142703474343121882011-08-01T20:55:00.004+05:302011-08-15T10:14:52.060+05:30Asia's largest potholes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.maplandia.com/india/maharashtra/ahmadnagar/nighoj/">Nighoj</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is a nondescript village with acres of eye soothing greenery. </span><a href="http://maps.google.co.in/maps?source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=nighoj&sll=18.512819,73.856964&sspn=0.322952,0.64064&ie=UTF8&hq=nighoj&split=1&hnear=&ll=18.737305,74.227753&spn=0.645049,1.281281&z=10">About 90 Kms from Pune</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, off the Pune – Ahmednagar highway, this place is definitely a must visit for those seeking to explore off beat places that leaves one gaping at nature’s</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">craftsmanship. Right on the banks of the river Kukdi!</span></span></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Kukdi river boasts of Asia’s largest potholes. It is indeed an eye treat. Gigantic holes sport the river shore. Kukdi river, a tributary of the Bhima River, meandering through the Deccan Plateau has created this natural masterpiece relentlessly through the ages. The locals call the potholes, Kund.</span></b></span><br />
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</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the sun kissed autumn morning that I chose to travel, I hardly found any excited human on the potholed bank, except the solitary fisherman trying his luck. One local, who escorted us around the village, tried </span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">valiantly to look excited when he told us that no one really knows the depth of this river.</span></b></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p><br />
</o:p></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxXPXeICSqDg4WVspGvcMP7RLxomkbbWMVBgCBZguqfyFQXsM9IJ1Bb4wF4NQ71LX4S7hkVjWbTcawMxfChVptSV68qkQslrjetTe9bcvtDl3VGgiiyrDEC98wrPPEg9o99m3-Q/s1600/DSC02340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxXPXeICSqDg4WVspGvcMP7RLxomkbbWMVBgCBZguqfyFQXsM9IJ1Bb4wF4NQ71LX4S7hkVjWbTcawMxfChVptSV68qkQslrjetTe9bcvtDl3VGgiiyrDEC98wrPPEg9o99m3-Q/s320/DSC02340.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></b></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">Locals believe that on Janmashtmi ( The day Lord Krishna was born.) an earthern pot filled with water emerges from the main well ( barav). Right at midnight! This is displayed in the temple of Malganga for 3 days. On the 3<sup>rd</sup> day, the pot is taken near the well from where it disappears. Goddess malganga’s miracle, local claims and no one questions. </span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></span></span></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></b></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With not a soul around, gentle breeze, happy birds chirping and a relatively sleepy temple of goddess Malganga. I would say this is one place to go and gaze deep into the gorge and drown own stress.<span class="MsoCommentReference"> </span></span></b></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="MsoCommentReference"><br />
</span></span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ERoon4JMMRlnF1gCY0QkBJtQCg9o4hqWdKTM79pgI1Zuk2r0-eEWKXkYfyGCPHPfwNpjl4SAGoPUH3F27Z7S_SAfjZ2HFBlzTs6x52dUcNPa1aztTBjMFkEd7dMQh3xp94RfgQ/s1600/DSC02336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ERoon4JMMRlnF1gCY0QkBJtQCg9o4hqWdKTM79pgI1Zuk2r0-eEWKXkYfyGCPHPfwNpjl4SAGoPUH3F27Z7S_SAfjZ2HFBlzTs6x52dUcNPa1aztTBjMFkEd7dMQh3xp94RfgQ/s320/DSC02336.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></b></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="MsoCommentReference"><br />
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<div style="mso-element: comment-list;"><div style="mso-element: comment;"><div class="msocomtxt" id="_com_1" language="JavaScript"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=33005379&postID=8814270347434312188&from=pencil" name="_msocom_1"></a> </span><br />
<div class="MsoCommentText"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></div></div></div></div>Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com1Nighoj, Maharashtra, India18.9575333 74.28101930000002518.953393300000002 74.275923300000031 18.9616733 74.28611530000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-43374509587967473292011-07-06T08:57:00.001+05:302011-07-06T08:58:50.643+05:30On Pat Rot ism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The <span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1.21 billion people erupted in jubilation when the Indian Cricket team won the world cup. Fervid Patriotism was what we witnessed. How a game of cricket drew out the latent patriotic spirit in the 1.21 billion people surprised me immensely. Politicians, bureaucrat, and aam janta sat huddled in their seats, their heart beats synchronized with the ball, bat and the wicket, just like our coalition government.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The night sky lay sprinkled with sparklers while the stochastic night air resonated with a cacophony of the crackers, grossly violating the environmental regulations. Not unlike the garrulous news people on TV. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The scene as I saw it on television is nothing less than a biopic of a nationalist. Political leader, and film stars waving flags and shaking hands with the aam jantas on the pretext of celebrating the world cup victory… or was it to win popularity and votes? I don’t know. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A game is a game. There will be a contestant and there will be another contestant. If one contestant wins, the other loses. At the end both are contestants. So, what is this fuss all about? Let a game remain a game and not a show of nationalism.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">There are more important issues that need our immediate attention. Corruption, scams, bribery, illiteracy, population growth, inflation… and the list goes on. People who indulge in these activities are anti nationalists, no less than a gun trotting terrorist. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We need to do our bit here. We have to show our patriotism now, take a pledge to curb these malice from our society in order to make our country sparkle. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A 70+ year old man plans to sit on indefinite fast to get the Jan lokpal bill passed. He is doing this for us, for our kids, our country. Let us all do our bit for our country. Let us show our true colors. I wonder how a world cup can remove corruption from our country. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">( written on the night of the world cup win)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div>Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-73948663993598660062010-09-25T09:10:00.000+05:302010-09-25T09:10:00.817+05:30What is anxiety playmate?<div style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">What is anxiety playmate? Playmate, what is agony?<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />You all say day and night ‘love, love’-<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />Tell me, playmate, what is love! Is it only torment?<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />It is only shedding tears? Is that only sorrow’s breathing?<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />Why then in what expectation of joy<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />People hopefully embrace such sorrow?</div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">In my eyes all is handsome,<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />All fresh, all spotless, blue sky, darkgreen wood<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />Liberal moonlight, soft flower-every thing like me.<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />They only smile, only sing, wish to die after a sportive game-<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />knows no pain, knows no crying, above all kinds of agony.<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />Flowers laugh while they get shed, moonlight smilingly disappears,<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />In the sea of light the star, all smiles, does his form abandon.</div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Who is happy like me? Come playmate, come near to me-<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />The joyous song of a happy heart will feed your mind with solace.<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />If everyday you cry, why not laugh for a single day-<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />Forget all sadness for at least a day, let all of us sing together.</div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> ~ Rabindranath Tagore</div>Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-46553224105475978582010-01-21T20:23:00.027+05:302010-02-02T07:21:26.299+05:30Appeal for Financial Help for Arijit Sengupta<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1r25hhpTx7eLrE_7BXrGLenFseAafrUZiobhsyg9ntC-5tzTFIYKfC5Q5mqlrrybuAsevtWJWgIFLURiX4oSeEtWEnmK80D4L9Ah-XZlvOuNyPIcRtoy2Uuc7cUrXo2EbDOi57g/s1600-h/sengupta+171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1r25hhpTx7eLrE_7BXrGLenFseAafrUZiobhsyg9ntC-5tzTFIYKfC5Q5mqlrrybuAsevtWJWgIFLURiX4oSeEtWEnmK80D4L9Ah-XZlvOuNyPIcRtoy2Uuc7cUrXo2EbDOi57g/s200/sengupta+171.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arijit is like any regular 16 year old kid with dreams in his eyes and a guitar in his hand. He wants to do a course in Company Secretaryship and then law<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What sets him apart from the crowd is his determination to rise above odds. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This 16 years old body is afflicted with </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nephrotic_syndrome"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nephritic Syndrome</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> since he was a toddler. Dr. M.M.Bahadur, Consultant Nephrologist at Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai diagnosed</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renal_failure"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">chronic renal failure</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and recommended a living related kidney transplant.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arijit's father, Mr.Indrajit Sengupta donated his kidney. A marathon 6 hours long operation on 16th June, 2005 gave Arijit a new kidney.Unfortunately, he lost his graft and is now on hemodialysis. The doctor has advised immediate cadaver kidney transplant.</span><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The family is in dire need of funds. Here is their tentative requirement:</span></div><ul><li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cadaver kidney transplant </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rs. 4 lakhs</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> approximately. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dialysis </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rs.20000/</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- per month</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Injection </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rs 2300/ per week</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Post operative medication expense </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rs.1.5 lakhs approximately</span></li>
</ul><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Family Background</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">: Arijit's father is ailing and is unemployed. His mother is a pre-primary teacher. The family requests you to donate generously to save Arijit. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arijit needs your prayers and also your money to survive.</span><span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Please send your contribution to:</span></span><br />
<span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: yellow;">Arijit Sengupta – OPD no. 558783 Jaslok Hospital</span></span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: yellow;">Bank:IDBI, </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: yellow;">Jaslok Extension Counter, Mumbai</span></span></b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: yellow;">A/c. no.: 902102000000019</span></span></b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: yellow;">Swift Code: IBKLINBB004</span></span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: yellow;">IFSC Code: IBKL0000902</span></span></b></span><br />
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<strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial;"><span style="background-color: lime;">Note: When transferring money to the hospital, register the payee as Arijit Sengupta – OPD no. 558783 Jaslok Hospital</span></span></strong><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px;">Or to:</span><br />
<span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: yellow;">Ms. Shikha Sengupta </span></span></span><br />
<span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: yellow;">State Bank of India</span></span></span><br />
<span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: yellow;">A/c. no. 11100609813 Main Branch, Thane</span></span></span><br />
<span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: yellow;">IFSC Code SBIN0000489 </span></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You may contact Arijit's mother, Mrs Shikha Sengupta @ +91 </span><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9819518947 or his aunt, Ms Shoma @ +91 9969227362 for more details.</span></span></span></div><span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333;"></span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Please help! </span></div><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div></div>Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-47414381099727763552010-01-13T21:44:00.006+05:302010-01-18T18:48:09.279+05:30Right to dignified living?<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Monday morning my colleague pinged this: <a href="http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2010/01/12&PageLabel=3&EntityId=Ar00301&ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T" target="_blank">http://epaper.timesofindia.<wbr></wbr>com/Default/Scripting/<wbr></wbr>ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&<wbr></wbr>Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&<wbr></wbr>BaseHref=TOIM/2010/01/12&<wbr></wbr>PageLabel=3&EntityId=Ar00301&<wbr></wbr>ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T.</a></span><br />
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</span><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Apparently, violating the modesty of the lady did not amount to rape.A molester gets away easily just because the lady never had menstural cycle, her sexual organs are deformed and hence she couldn't really have sex. Never heard of such crap.</span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">I cannot help but picturize what the lady must have gone through, standing in the witness box, a cynosure of all eyes,and her intimate details discussed, debated and ridiculed.</span><br />
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</span><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Does rape mean forced sex with a woman with fully formed sexual faculties? The perpetrator gets away because the victim's sexual organ was not developed enough for her to enjoy or understand sex. It did not matter a blink that she was humiliated. Her physical deformity was made public. She was ridiculed and, who knows, may have been branded as someone with questionable morale.</span><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rape is a heinous crime that mars a woman's sexuality and importantly is a gross violation of human rights. A victim is not only sexually manhandled, she is also repeatedly raped by the public attention, her whole self is exposed to public curiosity. The loss is grievous and life long.</span><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">As a woman, I do not differentiate between sexual harassment and rape. Both violates human rights.</span><span style="font-size: small;">Both have the same object- to undermine the integrity of the victim, physically as well as mentally. </span><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Right to live a dignified life is the birth right of every individual. Yet females - adult and child, gets raped around the world every second. And we talk, we frame rules, we spend millions to frame laws only to see them thwarted, we develop workaround (to help the perpetrators get away), we protest (sometimes in candle light), we re examine our existing laws, we also keep mum lest we are humiliated further....</span><br />
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</span><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">In short, we never fail to devise strategies to dignified living.This has not reduced the incidence of rape.</span><br />
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</span><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Strong, very strong, extremely strong punishment should be a part of these laws. A death sentence. No, a week of extreme humiliation before death. Rapists are criminals and worst than a terrorist. The rapist needs just a penis to terrorize.</span><br />
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</div>Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-12180145625025395552010-01-09T21:14:00.004+05:302010-01-09T22:27:36.023+05:30Shocked heart<div style="text-align: left;">A wounded cop left to die on the road and the ministers went on their merry tour. Ironically, it was the health minister with his entourage.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">When grilled by the media, he defended himself by saying that he <a href="http://ibnlive.in.com/news/was-too-shocked-to-help-dying-cop-minister/108475-3.html?from=tn">was numb with shock</a>.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Ministers are "supposedly" leader of the masses. Do they have the privilege of standing numb with shock? Leaders should have a high emotional quotient, should have the ability to think on their feet. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The government spends our hard earned money to protect such nitwits who,ironically, are elected to protect the masses.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">A brave heart died on the road trying to clean our society, without any medical attention, while the pot belied minister in spotless white lungi stood petrified.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">It's time that the political parties implement a strict screening of candidates and act responsibly.<br />
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</div>Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-67734550509308413372009-12-25T08:16:00.000+05:302009-12-25T08:16:56.836+05:30Granpa Santa now a saint<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1nugw4FcbG5vhLYoe9p_voWV-M9W3WEAnsu4wZ8gIdh9zy-TkwYy5URIhoXZkSuSb78UkE12_YZ7VytGgEn9Op8u7XcdF71uiz3hAwxO4tzRSWRAHijpYbrSG8sHi8TmFN_5aw/s1600-h/fb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1nugw4FcbG5vhLYoe9p_voWV-M9W3WEAnsu4wZ8gIdh9zy-TkwYy5URIhoXZkSuSb78UkE12_YZ7VytGgEn9Op8u7XcdF71uiz3hAwxO4tzRSWRAHijpYbrSG8sHi8TmFN_5aw/s400/fb.JPG" /></a><br />
Where art thou, Oh God???<br />
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</div>Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-8104116148632343862009-09-10T22:08:00.002+05:302009-09-10T22:16:12.377+05:30Kurta pajama and austerityDoes wearing starched white kurta pajama defines austerity in a person? <br />
<br />
Our Rahul Baba thinks so. <a href="http://www.ptinews.com/news/274700_Rahul-says-politicians-should-be-austere">"I generally tend to keep myself austere", pointing out to his simple white kurta-pyjama attire with a chuckle.</a><br />
<br />
Well this makes me wonder, does it all boils down to the adage 'clothes defines a man' and not his action.<br />
<br />
Austerity is sacrifice, it is cutting down on comforts to the bare necessity. Wearing kurta pajama is not the parameter to austerity if one travels 1st class, is palisaded by the most elite security force and is carted all over in the best of automobiles.<br />
<br />
Mantrijis, if you want to practice austerity, cut down your spendings, stop building statues to prove a sore point and be independent, let the NSGs do what they are trained to do - protecting our country.Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-9943457832958373162009-09-10T21:19:00.001+05:302009-09-10T21:21:29.203+05:30"I don't speak for the Government, I speak for the Congress.."The Ishrat Jahan isssue is the hottest debate in TV these days. And our clever lawyer, Dr Abhishek Singhvi never fails to clarify that he speaks "only for the congress and not for the government". This makes me wonder how the congress party and the goverment are different. <br />
<br />
Congress rejoiced when it won the election with the largest majority and decorated the Parliament with its MPs and now when the Home Ministry is questioned about the Ishrat Jahan's murder, it is seperating itself.<br />
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The affidavit was filed in 2006, a year which had a congress man in the home ministry, so I remain flummoxed how the congress and the Government could be different.Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-83626560933920529552009-09-09T22:41:00.002+05:302009-09-09T22:44:17.019+05:30South African IT firm recruits homing pigeons to transfer data<div style="text-align: justify;">A creative work around for perpectual Web snags, pigeons to replace the net.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">With erractic internet connectivity that often slows down business transaction, The Unlimited Group is actually contemplating hiring Winston, a homing pigeon to courier data between its offices 50 miles apart.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They feel that with modern computer hacking, the encrypted data attached to a pigeon is as secure as information sent down a phone line.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I guess this calls for "hawk" busters to ensure easy flow of data.</div>Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-49817790378097112282009-09-08T19:40:00.005+05:302009-09-09T22:49:30.272+05:30Gandhian austerity and our netas.... Tweet Tweet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigq8eeRzHEMGeqPG4obUDuaU38MbYxbCVPh9W9S5tqemiTczkvkH6K7Qik0mYpxuOeslkCmCGILrr2gA_oK6MCnNnvX9MLQFkBa4ImgdDpitlXa5f08zM9JvUIHCZDxid2-n7dSg/s1600-h/tweet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" mq="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigq8eeRzHEMGeqPG4obUDuaU38MbYxbCVPh9W9S5tqemiTczkvkH6K7Qik0mYpxuOeslkCmCGILrr2gA_oK6MCnNnvX9MLQFkBa4ImgdDpitlXa5f08zM9JvUIHCZDxid2-n7dSg/s400/tweet.jpg" /></a></div>Politicians and Gandhian philosophy? This is a joke.<br />
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It is a fact that politicians congregate in five star hotels and resorts to gamble on "who gets what, when and how". And why shouldn't they? They are after all the policy makers, 'deliberating' on policies that are supposedly going to take the sweaty, recession and inflation strained masses to a new degree of economic and social elevation.<br />
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Tough job. Hence the need for the five star luxury. They need to plan all the high sounding, moral promises that they could air (disregarding the environmental laws) to the open mouthed gullible masses who are always ready to believe anything and everything that can make their life a little better.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMVzVd-hyeEG1qQbIuqF-daggx-pTQJtuBVfGDrLcDbpwk3Lr9HAxiM4d0QyxeeQgDfIWCfcvDWzWSu4wsoDnTo_SItQ9Yn4lrnHUlixltoXZQeUmL7_bpgwyP1Y9gQ3MJRyJ1g/s1600-h/Tweeet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" mq="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMVzVd-hyeEG1qQbIuqF-daggx-pTQJtuBVfGDrLcDbpwk3Lr9HAxiM4d0QyxeeQgDfIWCfcvDWzWSu4wsoDnTo_SItQ9Yn4lrnHUlixltoXZQeUmL7_bpgwyP1Y9gQ3MJRyJ1g/s400/Tweeet.JPG" /></a></div><br />
True. Barkha's mulling is not wrong. But, I wonder which 'society' is she talking about here? 'Society' as in For the Richie Rich, By the Richie Rich, Of the Richie Rich? <br />
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Yes, it is contradictory. I believe so. If these Richie Rich could stay in a luxury hotel why not politicians. They are not exactly paupers or jute jhola slung social workers. They are our 'policy jugglers'. They decide our future. <br />
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Gandhian philosophy of simple living, staying content with what one has, simple eating habits,forgiving each other, practising non violence, etc is passée.<br />
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Think about it, if our politicians starts following Gandhian philosophy, what would happen to our fashion industry, our aviation industry, our out of work and over worked film stars, our internal security....(I mean the NSGs commondos would be roped in to protect our nation instead of gussying up our netas). That's a long list. No, never should our politicians compromise on their life style. They are NOT social workers.<br />
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Then what happens to Gandhiji's philosophy?<br />
Never to worry, our politicians would gladly congregate in another luxury hotel to mull over this too.Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-80937056951977874092009-09-06T09:16:00.003+05:302009-09-10T22:20:23.839+05:30Women sold to survive droughtFinancial crisis? Sell your woman, girl child, mother for whatever you get.<br />
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This is what is happening @ Rahul Baba's and Mayawati devi battle ground (still vying), aka Bundelkhand. And our Baba and Deviji are mute. No flutter of cars rushing to the village, no overnight stay at shanties and no pictures of hand holding solace of the sold woman. After all election is not exactly round the corner.<br />
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Cannot blame them either. Bundelkhand.is not exactly at a stone throw distance from either Delhi or Lucknow. Besides, they are not exactly hyperopic. Give them a break!<br />
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(A crude joke: These men atleast considers the Women as assets, else why would they sell them off. I mean when we are stuck, we depend on our investments to pass over the bad time, don't we?)<br />
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So, the women gets sold. The men gets to eat. <br />
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Think about it, during good times, these very men make their women work like donkeys; they work the field, ensures the hearth is laid, dutifully delivers a male child (maybe after the 6th or the 8th girl born), walks miles to get the water.....<br />
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As Baba and Deviji plays kabbadi, vying for this nondescript village, flesh trade will flourish.Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-90123646046872825332009-09-05T16:34:00.003+05:302009-09-09T22:51:14.510+05:30Salute to my special TeachersAnother teacher's day.<br />
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And I realized that I have never publicly paid tribute to my first teachers, my Parents.<br />
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Right from correcting my blabbering and helping me to pronounce my first word correctly to sticking with me right through the most turbulent period of my life, that's my Parents, my teacher. They have rejoiced with me, shed tears for me and patiently tolerated my many follies.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-EqfOQlh38REpVy0SPV8RAVhGNt1F0dw74D7kmiBkkm1oWEGgol8jzQLDpckrHKoqVNgWC7ATa3VE6hxhNLlxSugam5JZP48JhtDwB9zjSmDALYjHAtR8MGzMDpjXv3wM6bL8g/s1600-h/ma1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" lk="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-EqfOQlh38REpVy0SPV8RAVhGNt1F0dw74D7kmiBkkm1oWEGgol8jzQLDpckrHKoqVNgWC7ATa3VE6hxhNLlxSugam5JZP48JhtDwB9zjSmDALYjHAtR8MGzMDpjXv3wM6bL8g/s320/ma1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(@ Jungfrau)</div><br />
Baba and Ma not only taught me (and my siblings) to remain steadfast when things goes haywire, but has also showed, by setting examples, how to resist temptations and be my own best friend. <br />
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I am extremely grateful for the solid grounding that I received from them. This is helping me raise a wonderful child single handedly, translating the various hurdles as challenges and taking them head on without compromising my genetic grounding.<br />
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Love you, Ma and Baba.Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-35509165127929558352009-09-05T14:09:00.024+05:302009-09-09T22:52:05.198+05:30Jonesing Jons<div style="text-align: justify;">Anand Jon gets 59 years for serial sex crimes. That was swift. For crimes that he committed for years. He is in his mid 30s; add 59 years to that, he would be knocking 100 when he walks out ( i.e., if he could still walk. Hopefully, his creative hormonal urges would have vitiated, if not completely deadened.)<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Good enough! <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Coming back to our country, a rapist gets away with easy few years in jail or the punishment waived on account of either "good conduct" or the age factor. (Well, ofcourse the green factor too holds true.) <br />
Read <a href="http://www.dailytimesindia.com/2009/04/38557.htm">http://www.dailytimesindia.com/2009/04/38557.htm</a>.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ofcourse, the accused will get to breathe the jail air only if the victim sticks to her words, is not paid off by the accused to keep quiet, and remains strong and steady against the gruelling and humiliating cross questioning.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But, one thing should be noted here, our judiciary is no PT Usha or Anju George. (Agility is for the sure-footed.) Remember the Bhanwari Devi case (or better still watch "Bawandar"), it took years for the judiciary to pass a verdict.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Point to be noted: It passed a judgement in her favor after her gruelling, heartwrenching, and humiliating experience.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are exceptions too, where a judge took just few days to pass the verdict. But then, this is rare and for the otthethees (guests).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Check <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7856240.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7856240.stm</a>.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What I fail to understand is, why this disparity? <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It needed the intervention of the NCW to put Shiny Ahuja behind bars. I wonder, had NCW not intervened, then his pativrata personified vociferous wife would have got her way and the poor girl would have been carted off to some obscure corner of the country, never to return to the big city.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What I cannot understand is why can't the lower courts pass a swift sensible judgement after verifying the evidences? Infact, why no fast track court? I once read that rape cases will only be allowed to be heard by a female judge. That would be a good initiative.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Again, what confuses me is the term "Life imprionsonment". I read it as a life long imprisonment. I do not understand why some accused gets away after 12 years or 14 years in prison. Rape is a heinous crime and the perpetrator should be locked away in a dungeon till death (no parole). I still think that this punishment is not adequate enough, he should be continuosly humiliated and tortured in the dark dungeon till his death.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And the girl... she lives a life of perpetual agony, for something that was not her fault.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div>Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-41436028888622472832009-08-28T23:00:00.005+05:302009-09-09T22:53:01.398+05:30A friend indeed!It couldn't have been a more inoppurtune time to bug Arun. It was 5:50 PM and my daughter's flight was about to land in 5 minutes and I was still about 20 minutes away from the airport. Curtsey: traffic jam.<br />
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My heart started a vigorous disco. Thanks to the cellular phone service provider, I just couldn't contact the Kingfisher office. <br />
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A person who would rather do her own task than ask for favor, I hesitatingly called up Arun (after all a CEO and Executive Director is a busy man) to enquire if he could send someone to the airport to wait with her till I arrived.<br />
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He did not disappoint me. <br />
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I felt so humbled and blessed to have a friend like him, a very busy man, who dropped everything to rush to the airport to be with my daughter. He deemed it fit to go there instead of sending one of his executive knowing very well that Guls wouldn't be comfortable with a stranger.He waited there till I reached and completed the hand over formalities.<br />
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Thanks a bunch Arun!<br />
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Not to forget the refreshing tea his wife, Meenakshi served. <br />
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I feel truely blessed!Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33005379.post-72086894437108298822009-08-23T08:53:00.010+05:302009-09-09T22:53:57.503+05:30Filtered swineRecession is surely ebbing. Maybe it’s slow at the IT front, but the pharmaceutical and the surgical manufacturing companies are celebrating early Diwali. What with new viruses being discovered and the spurt in the sale of face masks and hand sanitizer. Not to forget the many immunity booster and the vitamins. Long queues of petrified people are seen outside the chemist shop, who doesn’t want to leave any stone unturned to ward off the swine that’s on loose or the inevitable death.<br />
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Suddenly, the Nokia N95 is seen fencing an unprecedented challenge from the less sung N95 respirator. Instead of marvelling at the technological extravaganga of the Nokia offspring, people are now exchanging notes on the different N 95s (not Nokia) in the market. (After all people need to air their view.) So, the long queues (of people) near the chemist shops.<br />
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I wonder, again an obscure thought, why has the government not called for a week shut down of the chemist shops? Surely, this is the current hot hang out destination.So, I am not surprised to hear of more swine flu cases getting registered. <br />
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People buy the N95 to ward off the swine. After all they get to breathe filtered air for 3 days. That’s what the manufacturing company and the chemist say “use the N 95 for 3 days”. But doctors say not to reuse it. They recommend cotton reusable mask.<br />
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(Talking about filtered air, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone comes up with an idea to manufacture ‘air guard’ or ‘pure air’; a cousin of aquaguard. The look would be something like a scuba diving mask with a small apparatus for 3 way filtration process.)<br />
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Coming back to N95 (again not Nokia), truly a blessing in these baneful times. No laughing matter. After all, it keeps the artiodactyls at bay! It purifies the ‘contaminated’ air. And we contaminate it further by throwing the masks on the road (Yaar, idhaar phek kachra already jamaa hai) and we queue up again to buy more masks and again throw it on the kachrae ka heap. Whoever said that our purchasing power has declined must be choking now. That’s what is keeping the economy on the move.<br />
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Entry of the street children and the rag pickers, non human, roadside pests, menace to the society, doesn’t matter to us if they fall ill. Population decline, less gundaegee (dirt) … the saga continues. We are God; we have the right to label humans. We only need to see that we are secured, secured from financial woes and illness, how these lesser mortal lives is of no concern to us. We get pest control done for our home, but don’t even give it a thought when we throw the small plastic wrapper or the chocolate wrapper from our air-conditioned car on the road, after all, the road is already gunda. And N 95, we throw it the farthest. Never near our home.<br />
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Ok, but there are concerned people too. They throw the used N95, wrapped in a plastic zip pouch, in their dustbin. How empathetic! These are the people who do their 2 bits for the society; gives charity regularly to the “Most” reputable NGO (gets the tax benefit). Wonderful! The garbage disposable van comes and collects the garbage in an open truck. The nicely wrapped used N95 too, finds a place in the open van. A strong wind and on the road (have seen this happening). And, it is the same story all over again.<br />
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To quote a doctor from the esteemed AIIMS, “Most N95 respirators are designed to filter 95% particulates of 0.3µ, while the size of H1N1 virus is about 0.1µ. Hence, dependence on N95 to protect against H1N1 is like protecting against rain with an umbrella made of mosquito net.”<br />
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If at all you need to use a mask, use cloth mask. The best bet is to use a clean handkerchief. You can go home and wash it. I am not even itsy bitsy surprised about the swine flu pandemic. Ye toh hona he tha!Moumita Bhattacharyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04483721864005968089noreply@blogger.com1