GARBAGE DISPOSAL - MUNICIPALITY vs CITIZENS

Of late there have been quite a few incidents in Bangalore and others major cities, wherein children have been washed off in overflowing open drains and in some cases, unfortunately, died.  Every time, you see a standard response from the public and the TV channels start blaming the municipal authorities about what they have not done and how this could have been avoided.  Almost unanimously, every citizen blames the municipality for virtually any accident of this sort.  I agree with them to some extent but not always.  While viewers are stuck to their TV monitors, TV channels are minting money with sensationalism, SMS polls, and other such activities.  But let us introspect a little bit. Is the Municipality solely responsible for this? Are we to say that the citizens have no role to play in this?  I have my own opinion on this.

Most Municipalities usually has two ways of garbage collection. First is the local garbage collection places, where the municipality builds a small chamber for people to throw garbage into.  Second is the door-to-door collection.

Let us evaluate the first one, local garbage collection.  Ironically, the chamber is  always always empty, not because there is no garbage in the area, but because very few people throw garbage inside the chamber.  Most people just throw garbage around the chamber.  Those who carry garbage in carry bags, try to shoot the bag into the chamber (fans of Michael Jordan of NBA).  Sometimes, it does end up inside but mostly hits the post and falls out.  Now that the garbage is all over the place, some people find it convenient to convert it into an unofficial public toilet.  Every time people pass this area, they spit on the road because "of the stench in the area".  After having done all this, people in the locality complain that the municipality is not doing its job.  Excuse me!!!

Let us evaluate the second method of door-to-door garbage collection.  Many houses, people do not make use of this fantastic facility, because they realize that during festivals they might come asking for some small money (as token of appreciation). Well, talk about cost cutting.  Instead of using this facility, these households find a convenient time-tested garbage disposal method, throw it on the roadside or the open drainage late in the night, so no one would notice them throwing.  Fact is, everyone knows, but nobody cares or dares to stop it.

Why I am telling you all this?  Well, did you notice that every time people complain that the open drains are overflowing and the municipality sends men to clean the drains, they invariably remove tons of GARBAGE.  Firstly, drains are meant for sewage and not garbage.  But who put the garbage in the drain in the first place?  You know the answer.

So, when an accident happens, no matter how tragic, please do not jump the gun and start blaming the municipality for everything.  Realize that citizens are equally or more responsible for such accidents.

Moral of the story: Please do not throw garbage into drains, else when it rains, it can kill.

Disclaimer: As on October 8, 2009, I am not an employee of any Municipal Corporation.  I do not have any friends, relatives, or any near and dear working in any Municipal Corporation anywhere in the world. I do not wish to ignore the responsibilities of the Municipal Corporation, but at the same time I also do appreciate the work that they are doing currently.

GOD HAS PLANS FOR EVERYONE

Once there was a small kid on earth. One fine day she came to know that god is distributing apples to humans in his place at heaven. The kid was so happy to receive that news and she went with lot of enjoyment to heaven to get the apple from god. There was a big queue standing to get apple from god and this kid also joined in that queue. While she was standing, she was fully excited and thrilled for the fact that she is going to receive in person from god's hands. Her turn too came and the kid showed her both the hands to receive apple. God gave the apple but unfortunately the tiny hands couldn't hold that big apple. Apple fell down and got wasted in mud. The kid got so disappointed. The ministers near the god informed that if the kid likes to have an apple from god again then she has to again follow the queue. Having waited for so long the kid didn't want to return back to earth with empty hands so she decided to wait again in the queue.

This time the queue has become even longer than the previous one.  While waiting in queue, the kid could see lot of people who returns back with apple in hands and utmost satisfaction on their faces. The kid was so much disappointed and thought why me alone didn't get the apple in hand when all others were easily able to get it. What is the sin I did that I alone should suffer like this. Now the kid was so scared that she should not miss the apple again.

Again her turn came and god gave  the apple to the kid's hands and after giving the apple god spoke to the kid. "My dear child, last time after giving you the apple only I noticed the apple I gave to you was a rotten apple and that's why I made that to fell down from your hands. Having given you a rotten apple, I felt bad for you and I wanted to give you the best apple in the farm and that time the best apple in the farm was growing and that's why I made you to wait such a long time in the queue. Here it is. Now the apple that you have in hand is 'The Best' apple in the farm till to date. Enjoy."

MORAL:
Friends, sometimes it so happens, as even after we put our 100% dedication and commitment things may get delayed or things may go wrong. Believe that god has something great for us and that's why this has happened. Always say, 'Gratitude & patience is absolutely the best way to bring more in one's life'.

Source : Email Received from a friend of mine

INDIA - CHINA RELATIONS

General: Sino-Indian relations have always been of uncertainty and suspicion, though not as volatile as that of Indo-Pak relations. The Chinese government does not let go of any opportunity to pull India down, be it in United Nations, ASEAN, ADB, or elsewhere. Every time India tries for a permanent seat in UNSC, China opposes it with its Veto power. Today, except China, all other members are okay with India having a permanent seat in UNSC.

Politically Anti-Indian Actions: China is meanwhile building its relations with all the countries surrounding India. Pakistan was always its ally, as it was against India. Bangladesh does not have a hard political stand against India, but there are forces within Bangladesh that are pro-Pakistan if not against-India. This helps China get closer to these forces. Sri Lanka has been geographically placed in such a place where it sees an advantage being pro-India. However, during the war against LTTE, when India stopped military aid to Sri Lanka, due to the internal politics in India, China saw an opportunity to get closer to Sri Lanka by offering military aid. Nepal was a pro-Indian country until the Maoists took over. Maoists in Nepal have been of late behaving in a way that is more so anti-India than pro-China, but that is not too far in the future.

Militarily Anti-India Actions: China has also been doing certain things that are not very good for the South-East Asian region. It is well known that the so-called nuclear deterrent of Pakistan is a technology transfer from China. China is also providing Pakistani military with guns and other weapons, even though the military aid from US is still several times more in terms of value. China has also been actively training the militant organizations in the North-East region of India. The Maoist factions in Nepal were also funded and trained by China, maybe not as openly as Pakistan is in Kashmir.

India-China Border Activities: I do not believe that China is in a mood to have an all out war with India, at least not at the moment, when its economy is growing and it would want it that way for some time to come. However, I would also have to mention that its military is leaving no stone unturned to prepare itself for such an eventuality. In the last few years the Chinese military has built roads and permanent structures all along the border regions. This will help China, in the eventuality of a war with India, to mobilize forces and weaponry immediately. India on the other hand has not done any major work on this side of the border. In the past one month, there have been several incursions of Chinese army into India territory and even writing "China" in Mandarin on stones and rock faces.

India needs to safeguard its interests in the region. Even though I do not see a Sino-Indian war in the near future, it is better for India to be safe than sorry. India's preparedness will be the biggest deterrent against a Chinese misadventure.

Stop the Illegal Treatment of Indian Cows

Animals used by the leather industry are transported to states where they can legally be killed. Forced to walk through the heat and dust for days without food or water, many of the animals collapse. Handlers pull the cattle by ropes through their noses and twist their necks, horns and tails or rub chilli peppers in their eyes in order to keep them moving.

Cows, buffaloes, goats and sheep are crammed onto lorries to be taken for slaughter in conditions which are so crowded that many are gouged by the horns of others or suffer broken bones from being crushed. Many of them die en route – often from suffocation. Once at the abattoir, it is common for animals to be dragged inside and cut open with dull knives – often in full view of one another, which is illegal. Some animals are skinned and dismembered while still conscious.

Please submit your petition to our Prime Minister to stop this illegal inhuman activity.  Please click on the link below:

http://action.petaindia.com/ea-campaign/clientcampaign.do?ea.client.id=111&ea.campaign.id=2889

Courtesy: Peta India

SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE THE MOON

Humans have always looked at the Moon and admired its beauty.    You would rarely find a person who would not disagree with me on this.  About 3000 years ago, the Egyptians looked at the Moon and made their conclusions about this large object in the sky.  Romans did the same during their golden era.  Indians did the same much before all of them and included it as a part of their science of Astrology.  The Moon has always been a fascinating object in the sky.  People bask in the moonlight.  People want to view it up-close using a telescope. Writers wrote stories about how people settled down on Moon and visited their relatives on Earth.

In the 1960s, when the Moon expeditions began people could finally see the Moon up close.  People saw the large craters, scores of them, that have been caused by meteor strikes.  There was no atmosphere to really talk about.  Humans would suffocate to death without the pressure suit and oxygen tank.

People realized that what looked so beautiful and magnificent from a distance, could only be admired from a distance.  You could not stay there.  Once we look at the Moon up close and see the craters, we realize how dangerous it is to live there if at all we decide to do so.

It is amazing to know that this characteristic applies to people too.  How many times has it happened that you are attracted to a person, but once you start knowing that person, they are not as attractive anymore.  How many times has it happened that you found this person very attractive, humorous, sensitive, likeable, lovable, almost perfect.  This is true in almost all the cases where a man and a woman fall in love with each other.  It somehow happens that they never seem to find anything wrong with the other person. Even if they do find something wrong, it just seems such a small thing that it would not hurt anyone. “So what?  No one is perfect”, they say to themselves.  This is the “Admiring the Moon from the Earth” phase.

However, all this changes once they get married.  Those small teeny weenie little things simply blow out of proportion.  All of a sudden they are the worst habits a person can ever have.  The theory of “no one is perfect” goes out of the window.  Fights, arguments, disagreements, …(I need some help with words here).  This is the “Living on the Moon” phase.

This makes me realize that some people after all are like the Moon.  They seem so perfect to others from a distance, however, you just cannot live there.  But then it occurred to me that the Moon never actually changed.  It was as barren as it is today.  It was as cold as it is today.  What really changed the whole scenario is our viewpoint.  Our over-expectation from the Moon led to our disappointment.  Now, would you blame the Moon for your disappointment?  Well, some people do but we cannot change them.

BLACKY BOY - We Will Always Miss You

                       December 1995 to May 14, 2009

You were and will always be a family member to all of us. We hope that you are in heaven right now. You have always loved us unconditionally. Every time you saw us, you waved your tail and expressed your affection towards us. You came to us as a one-week-old puppy and left us as a 13 1/2 year old. Your leaving us has created a vast emptiness in the home that can never be filled. You are an inseparable part of our family. Every part of the house reminds us of you. Everything we do, we remember you. Every time, I come back home from office, I remember you coming towards me waving your tail in affection and trying to play with me.

Forever you will remain in our hearts. One of the things that stands out about you is the fact that you have never even hurt a cat. We have had so many cats in our house, and you have never hurt them, although sometimes you have chased them away just to show them who's the boss. I still remember the image of you and one of our cats having lunch together from the same plate. You were generous enough to share your food with a cat. No one can beat this. You have actually set an example for us human beings. If you can share your dinner with a cat, supposed to be your arch enemy, can we humans be kind enough to share some of our food with other unfortunate stray animals on the streets.

Cricketers Attacked in Pakistan

Terrorists are gaining strength. The ISI and Army of Pakistan are still not waking up to the fact that they are riding a blood-thirsty tiger and they cannot control it beyond a point.  In my opinion, this attack was not to say that they do not like the cricketers from Sri Lanka, but to emphasize the fact that they can strike at will. This attack has happened in spite of that fact that Pakistani establishment provided adequate security to the cricketers.

I sincerely hope that people of Pakistan force the authorities to wake up and wipe out the Taliban and the likes before the terrorists wipe out Pakistan.

First Black President of USA

The day has finally come when a Black President leads the most powerful country in the world, the United States of America. He is the 44th President of USA.  It is a great victory for those who have really suffered the ugly side of racism in USA until the late 1930s and 40s. He definitely seems to be a charismatic leader and the world hopes  that he can bring about a change in the sentiments of the American people and turn things around.  The largest market in the world has got a new Positive President whose mantra is "Yes We Can".  We all hope that he can deliver what he has promised.

We wish him all the best in succeeding in his mission and get the world economy on track once again.