Monday, May 18, 2009

What I would like to see in my country

In no particular order

Roads - Well laid and as per promise. In all my driving within villages even near Chennai, the claim is to have laid 40 feet road, but only 25 feet road exists and expenditure is shown for the 40 and the remaining money pocketed by those who were part of the exercise.

Clean roads, no garbage, no spitting, no defecating/urinating. Enforce existant laws.

A singular power/decree that cannot be disobeyed. I guess the Supreme court is supposed to be that. But looks like, as far as I know the Chennai corporation and so many other Govt organizations could not care less.

Excellent Public transport. So good that people should prefer to travel by PT. More Eco friendly vehicles. Wish the clean vehicles come soon. People say that the oil countries will not allow the production of such automobiles as that will reduce the dependency on them. Fuel as promised. Lack of adulteration. I hear that Kathmandu in Nepal is extremely polluted because of the adulteration in the fuel that is also Govt. aided (before you jump to frame that comment to say that Nepal is not part of India - I know, but I had to mention it here. I love Nepal for the cultural richness as well)

Absence of Goondagardi and bribery in my state. I do not know how it works in other states, but if all that they show in Tamil movies is true, I want that gone.

No slums. And don't allow them to form as well. If there are people who are coming in from villages to live/work in the city, give them proper, clean settlements. On these lines, I want North Madras cleaned up. In every sense.

Public toilets.

Super education. Wonderful Corporation schools. It will be nice if English and Hindi is made compulsory in schools at least for the sake of national communication. People in almost every other state understand Hindi except in Tamilnadu. Why? I guess it has some political history. I heard of some anti-Hindi campaign for whatever the reason. I think the only place this anti-Hindi campaign can find place or existence is only in history books or better still newspapers dating to that time. Its time such hate politics are part of history. No language or caste or creed or community should be hated.

Absence of reservation on the basis of caste, community and religion in every sector. Actually I know that Government forms in several countries don't want to know your religion. I want that here. I want equal rights for everyone. Selection in educational institutions on the basis of talent and performance alone. Allowances should be made only to those who are economically backward. That's the only backward-forward community that should exist, and only for a short while until poverty is a thing of the past in this country.

Farming. Everything and whatever it takes to improve this sector.

More power to the defense sector. Absence of political influence in the Police force and no bribing there as well.

Super road rules. Fit policemen. Enforce traffic laws. Make laws known to the public.

A Singular ID system for the residents of the country which can be used for voting as well. Allowing NRI's to vote. Even though a lot of them think India can go nowhere or maybe couldn't care less.

Super services in the Government Hospitals. I hear (from listeners) in Aahaa Kaapi Klub that the facilities and medicines are of the best quality. Especially in Tamilnadu and Chennai plus neighbouring areas in particular, whip those who do not offer medical/life-saving services to the man that needs it because he did not pay bribe. In this case, I wish the guys who don't offer medical assistance can be publicly flogged like in the Arab countries.
Make the working hours, facilities and infrastructure good for doctors as well. I would not like to be treated by a doctor who has not slept in 48 hours and neither should anyone else.

Uninterrupted clean water supply, electricity. Is asking for unification of rivers too much?

Track those who release effluents and hazardous waste into the environment. Fine them heavily, get them to install machinery or better still supply it that will prevent the same. I know Japan has some sort of a system in place.

Solid Waste management. Ban burning garbage and cancel contracts of garbage companies that do so.

Clean the Ganga and every holy river. Keep every pilgrimage center squeaky clean. Every Temple, Church, Mosque and every other place of worship super clean. (I wish I could do this. Have a personal attachment to this. I really wish I could. Or rather its magic wand time)
I have heard that the Gurdwaras are brilliant that way. I love the concept of Langars.

Ban plastic covers, plastic cups in every tourist hotspot. Actually avoidance and if possible total ban of plastic wherever possible - Read Stores.

Builders being conscientious and come up with structures that are earthquake proof. If Japan could do it so can we. Even after Bhuj, I wonder how many Indians ask if their apartment is proof a lot of things. Informing people of areas that are seismically faulty. I do not think that something like that is in place.

Planned infrastructure development. At least now!

Conscientious media.

Clean politics. Educated politicians that really want to take this country forward. No politics of hate. No politics of religion. No politics of caste.

No more negative statements that India will never see light by the people of India who live here, breathe this air and eat the food that comes from the Indian soil. More so by the well meaning NRIs. Enough said. The others of course are too awe struck.

P.S.: A real wish that perhaps needs only a miracle is this. I read so many articles reporting crimes on women and children. Sometimes, its crazily based on caste. A lower caste woman is assaulted and killed, a lot of this happens in rural India. Crimes of battery and sexual assault on children goes unpunished in this country. This is when I realized that sometimes it looks like the law makers buried their conscience and joined the force. And in this case, I wish for an Anniyan who would make sure justice is served. If such crimes have to stop, the only thing would be the fear of an unstoppable force. And I sincerely wish that can come to pass and delete crime on women and children, not only in India but all over the world.

I am sure I am missing quite a few important things. Any omissions are not on purpose and I apologize if any sentiments are hurt. Please leave a comment and I shall definitely add those that I have missed.

94 comments:

Anonymous said...

Its everyones dream... but doubt if it will happen... Come to Singapore you can see all these happening right in front of your eyes...

saravanan said...

By reading this it makes me to give a பெருமூச்சு.. It will not happen in a year or two, but sure one day it will happen but have to wait for that with consistent effort.

Anonymous said...

>>Absence of reservation on the basis of caste, community and religion in every sector

On a related note, matrimonial that do not ask for Brahmin girl/boy and Rental classifieds that does not say "BRAHMINS ONLY".

Sathiya said...

Well said...if these things can be achieved India will become superpower soon...

//No politics of hate. No politics of religion. No politics of caste.//
You have listed all 3 categories of the current politics in India;) The only way to change this is by voting...and people have done it this time!

Anonymous said...

>>Come to Singapore you can see all these happening right in front of your eyes...

But you could never have the guts to compile a list similar to the one Chinmayi has prepared.

What the heck this democracy is anyway! Germany under Hitler was way ahead!

Hari said...

Call me radical, but when you say 'A singular power/decree that cannot be disobeyed', I can only think of dictatorship. Democracy in India is so flawed that the administrative cradle is nursed by more hands that ill-treat rather than feed. We need someone Hitler-like (minus all his traits that spawned the Holocaust)at least for some time, so we can clean up the existing mess before we start building.

Anonymous said...

I'm not talking about the politicians anywhere.
Some people are against caste, some against reservation. The day when we see a newspaper classified without mention of a caste, these reservations will go away automatically. It's not just the upper caste mentality. It applies to left, right and side upper, sub upper and all the various upper than "Fill-In-Blank" castes here as well.

Lavs said...

I know this wish list is like asking for too much..but sadly they are our basic rights and needs!! How I wish your list just comes true!!!

sujatha said...

Nice to read. but very difficult to implement because of political influence everywhere. Atleast few things we can try implementing....

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

Anonymous: Yeah all the rules are there, but there country lacks the vibrance and life that I see in my country, even in the state that it is.
Saravanan: If it happens within 5 years it will be great!
To anonymous on the matrimonial listings: How come you dont have much to say on FAIR, Good Looking, Above 50,000/- per month??
And as for rental classifieds, perhaps its their way of saying, vegetarians only. I don't know. I don't know about posting a rental classified.
Sathiya: I really hope so
Anonymous: I am sure everyone has lists and has written it down in the book of their mind. You just need to be perceptive enough to see it :)
Hari: Makes sense. A lot of sense. Thats actually a dream that a lot of people harbour. I have heard that a lot
Anonymous: We dont have to see a Newspaper classified without caste. We need to see a school application that does not ask for caste. Thats the day things will change. Sorry I beg to differ there.
Lavs: Sad that a normal wish list has become too much to ask :)
Karthik: Like what change? What is happening right now in this country is a non cooperation movement gone wrong. Looks like people have learnt all the right things from the Mahatma for the wrong things

Kaushik said...

Good list, I dont expect this to be fulfilled by the new govt even if it rules for the next 100 years. But all of us have to work towards this in our own small way.
Its a pity that even with such intensive voter awareness campaign, we still had a low turnout (or were made to believe it was low). As always, let us hope for the best!

Cheers,
Kaushik

Kothai said...

Adding to all these we need people's consciousness to preserve all the boons we get. We should not waste the listed ones as we lost the real usage of our freedom

Anonymous said...

Chinmayi San...

Nice wish list...I believe this world is for everyone and everyone deep down inside wants this to be better place.

if at all I wished...i wud hav just wished everybody believed on themselves .

hav fun !!!

Doozie said...

Good List. Not to happen in near future.
My wish..
All elederly politicians who were to be carried by gaurds from place to place need to take rest at home.
I heard Arjun Singh saying that he would like to continue in ministry when he could barely walk.
Is there no young people in this 100cr populate country to take that post?
All the high headed politicians should retire from politics on their own like in west.
When a president of western country could walk in such fashion that whole world would admire, our head have to be carried.
I wondered why a sport person didnt retire even though all this agemates put up their papers.
I did know the reason when he said that he was feeling 16 on his 36th birthday.
All grandpas i appreciate your exp and intellect, but do retire in time.
Wish my wish come true in the coming years.

Anonymous said...

I fete your views. Really comprehensive.

Let all our wishes happen at the earliest.

Bye

Shobana said...

Chinmayi! There are public toilets...but I guess the wishlist should say...CLEAN public toilets that don't smell like dried urine and/or strong smelling cleaning agents.

Also it is my wish, that people start treating public property with the same respect that they would show towards their personal property.

Transparency in politics could be something that could be done...then again, it wouldn't be politics if it were that way.

Great list and I wish and pray that it will be granted.

Ram said...

Great post.
I am a great admirer of all your posts Chinmayi.Keep the great work going.
Wish some party would have at least one of these in their manifestos for the election campaigns,
Few more things to add to the list:
Banning each and very form of Child labor in India and severely punishing those who cultivate Child Labor.
Finding some solution to begging in India, somehow find a solution for all those people so that we can have a beggar free India.
Finally, there is one person who can help us out to achieve some of this, Let's give unprecedented power and authority to him for some period of time, Then we all will truly see that achieving all this is possible in India,that person is none other than the one and only Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam.

Unknown said...

Chinmayi,
Very nice. Its OK to dream. What do we do towards all this?
We write a blog post and get on with work, earn money and feed our children.
Smiles,
Vinayak

Anonymous said...

Chinmayi

Don't know where you are heading. These kind of things cannot change even if another Gandhiji is born. You have been taking these things very seriously and dream that you could bring in a change. You will be wasting your life time. I have some doubt if you are planning to jump in to politics.

Why talk about country, can you try to cleanse the cinema world you are in. No way. Exploitation of labor, woman, cheating, so on and so on. You should start from there.

Ajay Kumar said...

Well well chinmayi... a long list..

me an NRI from singapore and i am seeing all these happening in front of my eyes... but let me tell u i have also thought about this and really felt bad for india. but apart from tat i so like to tell you one thing. here in singapore, there is a place called as Little India and i get angry when people here say that it the dirtiest place in singapore with people not observing any rules. these kind of things really hurt us new generation of peolpe(atleast with the fellow student i study with).

One things by which all these things can be brought about is not by blaming the govt or any other organization, but enabling a change in the minds of the poeple. say like educated people are consious of things around them whereas the not so educated and illetrate people arent.

The spread of education can be achieved clearly by a mindset of the media and it is they who can rule the roost now. they can shift to these kind of things rather than shouting headlines like "Deepika Padukone likes dhoni" or "sonia gandhi travels by non a/c ambassador" and the hell... this would in fact help the govt reach the people and also be the front runner for eradication of poverty and corruption.

this is just an idea which came to me and i apologize if am wrong. and i also take the blame for not realizing the importance of a clean india before coming to singapore. i vow to come back after my studies and help out in changing our india..

Change begins within oneself.

Shan said...

Everybody could only wish at this point of time. If you think deeply, in order to achieve perfectness in the soceity, we should eliminate corruption. but how? Corruption can only be eliminated with the help of law enforcement agencies. Of cource it's police department that has to be condemned. All of us know they are the ones who should be reformed first. But why should they have to beg each and everyone for money? It's the pathetic situation on their part too. They are not well paid. To honestly serve for the oath, the policemen have undertaken they should be given good compensation as their counterparts in other counties. Unless there is no need for them to ask for bribes, they can't be of help. So Government should consider paying them well? But will they?

It's good to see you to write similar posts now and then. It really helps people to think. But what do we guys, the educated do?
We read such blogs and become emotional at that time we read them. But after that we don't really do anything and remain helpless watching the atrocities committed in the name of bribery and corruption.
The change has to come from oneself. We have to be disciplined first in order for the change to be seen in others? But do we do that? For a simple thing, have you ever seen people waiting in a queue in the bus stops in Tamilnadu? Everybody wants to catch a bus though there were others waiting. We are not patient enough to achieve things. We want everything to be done in a fast manner. We are ready to give bribe to get the benefit that can be achieved if we waited for sometime.
We are not ashamed to take or give bribes. We would be ashamed only when we get caught. Then what's the purpose of time spent in schools and colleges?
People living abroad always tend to compare India with the countries
they live in. We all know very well that the system in US,UK, Singapore and all are very good and better than in India. But have we ever thought that telling someone about other counties, would ever help India? Instead of comparing, let us just start appreciate what we have. Yes. We are far behind in infrastructure, governance, industries. We are the worst in the politics. That said, what are we going to do about it?
Let's stop complaining and start living to help India to be built a better place. Remember that a half filled glass is half full and not half empty.
Practise not to give bribe even if you are going to suffer. Will you?

~Shan

Anonymous said...

I wish those that aspire and speak for democracy in administration, equality, betterment of economically or socially backward, in terms of education, etc., truly do the minimal work towards it. It's sad, but much is just statements, then the mentality of, I am just one man, how much will my behaviour help, sets in.

Really, when I look at all the terrible things in South Asia, it gives a headache. Especially because, at least from where I am looking from, all the hate and discrimination based on color, language, religion, sex seem so meaningless and disgusting. Everyone worked hard to get rid of the English, an empire that looked at all South Asians with the same eye. I have read that it was some kind-hearted Englishmen, that gave deprived lands back to economically backward rural people. But after ridding them, the same south asian people created thousands of barriers of hatred between themselves.
-kajan

Anonymous said...

"Chinmayi Sripada said...
Anonymous: Yeah all the rules are there, but there country lacks the vibrance and life that I see in my country, even in the state that it is."

Agreed... but that’s the trade of there... you can’t have a piece of cake and eat it as well. What was meant was qualities like – responsibility, obedience and orderliness is what is lacking (at all levels) in our country to put your wish list to reality and that’s the quality is abundant in Singapore. I’m not supporting, but sharing your helpless feeling as an Indian. We Indians have learnt the habit of finding out an order in our chaotic country.

Narayanan Venkitu said...

India is a free country.

Every Indian citizen - can freely dream !! ( Not sure if freedom of speech is valid ).

Keep dreaming ! God Bless India !

Rag_hav. said...

It sure is encouraging to visualize these in reality. But then, that dream doesn't last long...When even the movies with these kinds of topics as their story traverse to a duet in Australia and a kuthu song as intro, there is very little chance for things to materialize outside the reel.
Sad, but yeah, we can still keep writing things like these and hope for the turn around before we go to bed every night.

NK said...

Chins,

Gr8 going girl! But there are a few more wish lists.... Wud be great if u can edit your blog or add these as post script to get the message across for all the viewers incase if its in sync
with you ;)

1) Corruption free or bribe free Govt Organizations / Officials. I have met people who want to govt jobs just for the sake of job security and bribes they would get!

2) More Greenery in cities and more waste land for cultivation. Cities need more fresh air and I know some NGOs are doing greater service towards society by planting trees and keeping
environment clean.

3) Proper public transport - U have already mentioned it. But you only mentioned about eco friendly aspect. I would like to especially stress on Crowd free buses which allows only passengers sitting and no footboarding which helps women too a lot! Excellent condition of roads and buses to save those poor (but highly talented) drivers who in all these adverse situations still make the best drivers and drive around the city esp. Chennai.

4) Judiciary: A strong and efficient judiciary system to close civil and criminal cases. The main reason people loose faith in judiciary is the time taken for any judgement. May be the process could be more stringent. I know
it is difficult as Democracy and Stern judiciary principles can never go hand in hand.

5) More important:- Proper censorship of movies, televisions etc. I mean current ratings have U or A which is not the best way. I would not want to watch a sizzling song with my children or siblings of very less age though it is an U movie. There could be films made seperately for Children, grown
ups, adults to be, adults etc. The
point is made mainly to create
awareness as what goes in comes around. If the children are not feed with right thoughts even at entertainment, it is difficult to nurture good future citizens of India (which is a prime social responsibility every parent has
towards the society).

Now thats all which I could think of right now. BTW, it is good that you have jotted down all the points on what our state needs. Could you care to write another blog about what could be the contribution of each and every
citizen of TN or India as a whole?

We always talk about what we need,
Fundamental rights but we never talk about Social responsibilities. If at all you write, here are my few pointers:-

1) Keeping roads clean: AS you know it can be easily done by people thru some self introspection, social responsibility. Not even necessary for strict enforcing. Mere promotions thru
advertisements exhaustively can do the trick! Media need to pitch in and make people aware of their responsibilities.

For ex. Aids (Pulliraja) campaign or Vote for India campaign have really worked wonders and our percentages have improved! People just need to be reminded of their responsibilities.

2) There is a new regulation that
people who study MBBS should practice in villages (brought by Anbumani Ramdoss recently when he was at the helm of affairs as Health minister). I wish that service continues. Also, would it not be great if Social service
(like the one NCC do in some colleges) such as adult education, or child education or other forms of social service be made compulsory as part of any Bachelor's degree or say at +2
level. Idea is, we all live for
ourselves upto 65 or 70+ years (average age), Can not we live for the society or state for 6 months? I know this could be considered ridiculous but still given the population, it is always great if we put it into good use for service.

3) Taxes Taxes Taxes!!! Every one
should be paying taxes, whether
working or business. Just like to
rephrase what Arjun said in Mudhalvan.

Hope these are good pointers. We need good intentions and action from people of this generation to be progressive and not keep complaining or fretting over issues which we can solve
ourseleves.

MADHAV said...

Chinmayi

Forcing anything on anyone wouldn't work for a long time. This is say with regard to making Hindi compulsory. (I know Hindi!). Maybe the govt has to highlight the importance of knowing Hindi by creating awareness programs and attract people rather than force them.

"If numerical superiority is the sole criterion, then crow should be the national bird, not the peacock" Forcing hindi will make this true!

Thanks and regards
Madhav

LOGIC said...

In short, u want an utopia. Everyone likes to be in such a place until we have one.Then the definition of utopia will change :P Human mind!!

On a related note, you might check out "The Venus Project" on google AND/OR watch documentary Zeitgeist Addendum (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1332128/) if you have not seen them before.If possible try portraying the thoughts in aahaa kaapi club. Might even be a good challenge to tell common man about these complicated ideas like "Life without money will be better"

Anonymous said...

hi chinmayi...

Colletion of Indian Dreams..

We dream.. we dream of a better future.. bt i feel that we dont take enough steps towards that.. It is not juzt a matter of "I am perfect".. We need to make sure that the imperfect get perfect.. there is a grave need for a leader who make them understand what is right and what is wrng..

How many times the thoughts in ur post are echoed in the tamil weeklies and dailies..??
But why is there no improvement?
Because the ppl choose this.. The people of TN dont know what they want!! This is why they are exploited by the tamil political leaders!!

Anonymous said...

To anonymous who posted this
">>Come to Singapore you can see all these happening right in front of your eyes...

But you could never have the guts to compile a list similar to the one Chinmayi has prepared.

What the heck this democracy is anyway! Germany under Hitler was way ahead!"

Hi..
I am glad to find atleast one person as me who admires the leadership of hitler... gud going buddy..

malavika said...

hey who said all NRI's "couldnt care less"
I totally agree that NRIs should be given the vote.

Madhu said...

I wish we had a home (country) like yours. No matter if there was no electricty, we can live happily with oil lamps with our family.
No matter if there was no tar roads, we can happily walk on the sands and stones but we will have the happiness of holding on to our parents hands.etc.
I'm not jealous but I am sad.I JUST wish we had a life like yours.

Anyhoodle, I pray that your wishes come true, one day if not soon.

Anonymous said...

regarding compulsory education of Hindi and English!!

The reason ppl of the dravidian states had learned hindi is that their language has NOT got a rich wealth of grammar, prose and poetry... But Tamil is an exceptional language..!! "கல் தோன்றி மண் தோன்றா காலத்தில் தோன்றிய மொழி தமிழ் ".. It is not juz a sentence framed to SIMPLY boast of Tamil.. The research by the grp of linguists have now proved that The ancient Indus script is dravidian and it is close to Brahmi Tamil.. So what our forefathers have told is true.. It we who failed to realise the truth in it..

For ease of national communication yes we can learn it.. In TN there are classes that teach Hindi in evening hours.. If one needs it then he can go for it.. But i will not agree to teach hindi compulsorily..

Open to criticism.. :)

-- Arun

Anonymous said...

Chinmayi,

Excellent post.

I would like to add few more in your wish list:

1. Compulsory Army Service atleast for one year. It'll make people united.

2. Fixed tenure for Policitians.

3. Strict rules on population control across the religion.

4. Creating employment in rural areas. (so that migration can be reduced to urban areas)

5. Implementing technology in agricultural sector and support farmers by giving decent price for the products harvested.

Srini
Sharjah

Pavithra Vijay said...

Vaarisu arasiyal shud be eradicated at any cost...Two party system should be the law of the land...Then I think some opportunistic politics may be get rid off.

Viswanath said...

Hello! hope you are going envious :)

i understand this cant be placed in any particular order.. but

let me try to place as far as i knew.

Attitude of people when they deal with public [not only in public].
Gratitude.
Be responsible person, citezen [whatever you call].
Accountable for what you are doing and suppose to do.

hope rest will fall in place.

what say?

Arvind said...

so this is gonna be "chinmayi's vision INDIA 3030"

regards
arvind

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

Kaushik: If it is possible, please dont type out anything negative. That, i think is the least we can do.
I am a strong believer in what Mother Teresa said: She would never be in an anti-war rally, but she would be present in a peace rally.
Anonymous: true
Doozie: To you again, no more negative affirmations on this blog please. thank you very much.
Anonymous: Thanks
Shobana: Totally agree. Absolutely right. And thanks. More power to positivity :) Like they say, if you want something real bad, the Universe grants it to you :)
Ram: Thanks And yes. Begging by itself is quite a mafia on its own. So I guess it boils down to something else. The core of that needs to be rectified:
EnvyRam: Well, I do my bit. There are several others who do too. And excuse me, to earn money and feed your children and give yourself a roof is your birthright. No one need get judgmental about it. Charity definitely does begin at home.
Anonymous: i have my own thoughts about Gandhiji. I do not think I am wasting my lifetime. My lifetime is being spent in a very constructive manner tank you. I am a woman, I have not been exploited and neither have I been cheated. I have met some of the most wonderful people in Cinema. I think people are people no matter where they are or what they do for a living. I think Neeya Naana of Vijay TV has slung enough mud on the IT /BPO industry airing views of the general public, saying that the BPO culture has given rise to unscrupulous behaviour and illicit affairs. Also, by the way, Without people there is no politics. And I think as people we are right in the middle. That makes you and I and everyone else. I am sure you would be part of office politics to like everyone else in the workforce. And writing about change does not make someone a political wannabe. I think every household in India has been ranting about what is best in the Indian Political scene in the past few days.
Ajay Kumar: yes, every Little India in every country is quite messy. And true I really do not think the general public wants to know about who likes whom.
Shan: My mom and I and a few people I know have never bribed to get anything done. In all my mother's lifetime, she is has been a Senior Fellow with the Govt of India and she has never bribed and neither have I. If I have made a mistake, I have paid the fine. I don't litter, do not take plastic covers from departmental stores or malls, do not use plastic cups. Segregate the waste in our house which anyway lands in the same truck with other unsegregated waste. Tell at least 5 people on the road everyday not to spit or litter. I did not go to regular college and decided to follow my own path. I think its a choice people ll have to make to not tread that path. Most of the time I wonder, now, if its the guilt in lots of people that they say that India will never improve, because they themselves have contributed to the state of affairs.
Anonymous: I remember that a Newspaper in a foreign land had criticized Gandhi and his work even then, saying that the Upper classes are tyrants on the lower classes. Yes kind hearted Englishmen have been there too. Some have helped our people, but most remained loyal to the Queen I suppose.
Anonymous: A piece of cake is made for eating. Not to look at. If we need another piece of cake, we bake afresh or cut off another piece. And yes we have learnt the habit of finding order in our chaotic country.
Mr Narayan: Freedom of speech, in reality does not exist. I do not think you would allow your children to say anything they want if they bring in the point of "Freedom of speech".
Rag_hav: I have read in a book that thinking positive thoughts before going to bed makes them come true. I hear its called the power of the subconscious mind.
Narayan: Judiciary - I love the point about Democracy and a stern judiciary not going hand in hand. Yes, censorship has to be sensible here. Everything cannot be U/A I guess. But then I am not the censor board and neither do I want to be.
I love the idea of compulsory social service. But I think people will find a way to wriggle out of that. Produce fake medical certs and make doctors make more money
I think everyone Does pay taxes. Indirectly of course. Every bar of soap has taxes built in ain't it?
Madhav: Interesting. Numerical superiority is what makes a party rule the country. Does that make them crows too? :)
But nevertheless, good point. I guess I wish people agree on one common national language for better communication and people not getting fleeced anywhere
Logic: Will do
Anonymous: There is a grave need for a proper leader all over the world.
Anonymous: Hitler could hold sway over the masses enough to torture human beings while they lived wishing they'd rather be dead. When the negative acts of a person far override his positive attributes, if any, I don't think anyone wants to even consider them.
Malavika: I liked the idea of Americans being able to vote from wherever they are
Madhu: I dont think we want our country without such basic amenities and infrastructure. but yes you can wish for all the happiness.
Anonymous: I have no particular attachment to any language as such, perhaps because I have learnt quite a few and I am able to appreciate the beauty in each. I love Urdu because of its exceptional poetical content and lyricism. I think its magical. but thats me. One language for communication can be English for all i care, but just that I thought it would be better if it were Hindi, as perhaps its only this part of India that does not speak the language.
Anonymous: I thought I could join the Army, but I still wanted to be a singer. All the screaming and shouting would have chucked out my primary dream. Which is why I also chucked Karate midway. Too much screaming there. I don't understand why all that noise has to be made. Population control I think it is happening in a different manner. Lots more people do not want to have children nowadays
Pavitra: I do not know about Vaarisu arasiyal. I think its like anything thats handed down. The offsprings in political families probably know how to work things faster than newbies. Like a the offspring in a musicians family is much better off being a musician than anything else. Just a thought and a different viewpoint.
Vishwanath: Agree :) Accountability and responsibility is missing in most places. Even in homes. I don't think most people want to be accountable if some bills have not been paid on time. Blame games happen even there. You think it won't spillover on to the roads and then the country?

Subramaniam said...

Chinmayi

You are doing the easiest thing. Just complaining. எழுதி / படித்து முடித்து விட்டு மிளகாய் பஜ்ஜி சாப்பிட போகலாம். மீண்டும் பொழுது போகாதபோது வந்து blogஇல் கொஞ்சம் புலம்பலாம். Can you do something in action? Why don't you set an example by going out and sweeping the chennai streets. Other will soon join you.

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

Ah Subramaniam, I did not whine or complain, i did not rant or rave. Those are things I dream of seeing and since this is my space I have the right to publish what I dream of. Of course since this comment is your space, you have the right to be judgmental I suppose and I give it to you. And of course it is not easy is it? To write about what I dream of and someone like you comes along and suggest that writing what I have in my mind about the change I want to see, means that I need to sweep the streets in Chennai. My street is clean, but I am not about to come and clean the street or roads that you perhaps litter or spit freely on, I dare presume here. But yes, I do not litter and do not allow anyone to litter or spit on my street.I have said it before, i say it again, i tell at least 5 people everyday not to spit on the roads. 2 automen at least, if I can catch them , to drive properly. And they say Ok and apologize. People don't fling the garbage bag over a few feet and see if it lands into the bin on my street. Perhaps they also know that I take names easily on my radio show. My mother and I do so many other things as well, which contribute to the society but I don't think is necessary for thee or the people who are not involved to know :)
FYI: I do not like milagai bajji. Or any other bajji.

Sankar Mohan said...

My wishlist is here

What we need?

shylaja said...

Chinmayi,I will be happy if atleast one of your wishes come true.Hoepfully..I live in Canada and everytime I see a rule in order,my mind would long for the same to happen in my own India.

Bharath said...

Give me one good reason why Hindi should be made compulsory in all schools in Tamilnadu.

Give me one good reason why Tamil should not be made compulsory in all schools outside Tamilnadu.

India fundamentally is not a polity suited to have a "National" language. Whoever defined Hindi as a National Language never really understood the India that exists outside of the BIMARU Belt.

We do not have to have a National Language to be called a Nation. Just because the Chinese or the Americans have that system, we do not have to ape them.

suganya said...

Great post! It 'll all come true if we citizens act responsibly.

And I personally think eradicating poverty should be right on top of the list. Most crime,terrorism are due to poverty.

Pavithra Vijay said...

Varisu arasiyal....

so easy to inherit all types of crimes, crookedness, easy facilitation of goondagiri dynasty....That only i meant...

Chin, this will be easy for you to understand if you visualize with current Indian/current Tamil Nadu politics :-)

Whom do you think is responsible for your ever-complained topic, north chennai skirmishes? Do you think only the individuals? Not at all....All these dirty politicians who get connected with politicians of all generations...

jishu said...

Hi akka,
This should be taken as a oath by the ministers who are about to govern a district/state.I too have the same desires to be full filled,waiting that it will come true one fine day.And to Mr.Subramaniam,you too are doing the same easiest thing,just complaining.Its her open thought,and she is speaking for our welfare.Only she cant't enforce it,the public all should co-operate.
If you have no desire to appreciate the changes which should happen and which will,just step aside and watch, you will soon bounce into this space and ask sorry for your bajji, sorry' for your comment.

-jishu

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

Shylaja: I hope so too
Bharath: The one good reason - people of Tamilnadu will be able to communicate easily even in rural Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. I know from experience that Hindi is easy as a means of communication for something as siomple as finding directions and a lot of callers on Aahaa FM had expressed regret that they had been misdirected all their life and of course have learnt the language later. I dont understand why should there be so much hatred against learning Hindi when French is a third language in a lot of schools. A language is for communication and that is all there is to it and there is nothing more dynamic than a language. It keeps changing with the times. Every language in India should be nurtured and promoted but I shall stick to saying that there should be one language for communication and why cannot it be HIndi instead of English? You join a company that deals with German clients, then you will HAVE to learn German. But then there you make money out of it so it is OK. Only a small percentage in our state need to learn HIndi as against the entire country learning Tamil. Of course as it has been proven, if someone pays people money to learn the language, believe me in 6 months everyone here will be speaking any language under the world. Because some people say, the people of TN need goodies all the time. Anyway, Why prevent that adjustment and a possible path to progress? of course you ll be able and willing and more than happy to adopt any technology and system from a foreign country but will refuse to take some policies, which will perhaps unite the people more?? How much longer are this linguisitc divisions going to run deep? Not much longer I guess. Because the GenNext is smarter.

Anonymous said...

>> Caste in matrimonial
But that's the point. You want caste for everything that's convenient but hate it for anything that's inconvenient. If castes have to eradicated it should be done in full. Any query on caste should be treated on par with apartheid. Agreed, caste in a matrimonial is more of a preference but is nevertheless a discrimination IMHO.

>> And the Tamil Vs Hindi arguments
Reminds me the arguments by Anna:
i) If we had to accept the principle of numerical superiority while selecting our national bird, the choice would have fallen not on the peacock but on the common crow
ii) Why do Tamils have to study English for communication with the world and Hindi for communications within India? Do we need a big door for the big dog and a small door for the small dog? I say, let the small dog use the big door too!

More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Hindi_agitations

ramya said...

hi chinmayee
i first encourage and congralulate for this idea only if every induvial thinks like this will make our india like what u thought a clean place
but one incident which distrubed me was a girl of 12 to 15 year she came from a normal family i was actually crossing the girl came with me spit the chewing gum on the middle of the road neither her mother or father said that was wrong to spilt on the road
your dreams will be changed only if children and young people like us improve a good habit of not spitting and coughing or sneezing with their handkerchief and not with their hands

Unknown said...

Hi , you've nailed almost all the things which we should basically be experiencing but that we sadly don't.. its really a pity that awareness is just not there with so many people.. even i've seen men especially , who care a damn about anybody advising them to not litter or spit ,or spoil the pubic space.. if i say 'please don't spit' , 'adhukku enna panradhu ' is the reply that i get the next second.. and of the autos i've travelled by every auto-driver had been rash .. again the response is like 'adhu pazhagi poachu..sari paakkalaam' if i ask them to slowly ride or atleast in the normal speed.... but the next minute they seem to forget what was told .. anyway, i still keep warning them and also would continue to be wording to whomever i see spoiling the public places..

And i completely hope that changes can be made if PEOPLE like many of us come forward and create awareness.. to the least , advising people who contribute to a bad society , as and when we see is the beginning of a change that we can see soon..

Of all , nuisance such as sexual abuse , harassment and child abuse , to be abolished is something that i always prioritize in my wish list .. God willing and humans willing , let the society be bettered day by day and finally i sincerely wish that your mentioned things all be called as what our India is .. :)

Regards
Maha

Anonymous said...

hi madhav.. really a funny but true and thought provoking sentence..

"If numerical superiority is the sole criterion, then crow should be the national bird, not the peacock" Forcing hindi will make this true!


:)
arun

Anonymous said...

hi chinamyi..
you speak abt urdu.. itz rich literature.. blah blah blah..

its really great know may languages.. But have you ever tried to probe into the literary richness in Tamil??

Anonymous said...

hi chinmayi..
regarding hitler...Itz juz my personal views..

Hitler is a "fear factor".. the world was afraid him.. the ppl of his nation too were...

Even today when the parents go to school they tell them to be strict to their children and keep them disciplined.. so tat means induce a fear factor in him.. so tatz also "hitler"ian..

The need for a "hitler"ian rule in india is not to fear the Good citizens of the country.. Bt for the others who exploit their freedom and do damage to my nation.... You dream of a annian!! bt u dont want a "hitler like" to be ur leader!!

Comments?
--Arun

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

To anonymous: Caste in matrimonial. I can understand that as well. I guess people want to follow a process of elimination now. eliminate as many things that can possibly bring discord. A caste or a community is basically a group of people following certain norms and certain practises of living. That is about it. That it has become blown into a huge political thing and has become a subject of discrimination is sad. If someone had to go about listing the practises and style of living that they had to expect in the matrimonial column then I think 20 pages + need to be printed for this section alone. In the case of marriage, i do not think it is discrimination. Marriage by itself is a huge gamble these days and you cannot blame people for wanting to be extra cautious. lets not go there yet.

I have not followed what Anna has said, honestly. I am more likely to quote what a musician or an artiste has said. This is not about numerical superiority or a so called aryan dravidian divide. It is about communication. that is all. I reiterate that if you are in a company that has a foreign client, you are asked to learn the client's language, there it is OK as it will immediately reflect on your bank balance. If we know one more language that is spoken by a lot of people in India then it stimulates exchange of knowledge and sharing. Dont you eventually learn to speak Telugu or Kannada if you go to another south state and have to live there for a few years? We need to focus on sharing and making things easier than complicating things. Why not look at it that way?? For God's sake lets not put a crow and a language on the same level. Enough said of crows.
Tamils HAVE to learn English now, how much longer do you want the common man not understand even simple terms and issues in English. So many are fleeced because they do not know this language. I think most of the Indians have travelled abroad without a basic knowledge of English trailing with strangers hoping that they will show them the way until they reach their destination. The very politicians or the line of them that follow Anna or Periyar's teachings are God fearing, speak the Queen's English and brilliant Hindi. Now how much longer are we going to harp about a situation that held true for the 1960-s or whenever it was?
Of course the average Tamil man in the rural areas perhaps does not travel or look around or watch anything except a tamil channel. But its time that people are shown to explore the whole wide world that exists beyond all these divides. I am saying lets teach the children. Whether they want to utilize it or not is their call and their life course will be charted by destiny. learning never goes waste, as far as I am concerned. Why do resist imparting knowledge? That is all I see in it. No politics. No nothing. . Its no use propagating and telling people not to learn something. Someday it will boomerang on you.
All that I am saying is, basic knowledge of Hindi and English is necessary for communication purposes alone.
But then maybe it need not be compulsory, most of the youngsters are way smarter and a lot of them would learn it when the need arises. it will be nice to read these comments and posts a few years down the line when all these divides cease to exist. When people look at a language as a language alone and not a tool of political divide and discrimination. And that day would be the day.

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

Ramya: I agree. I guess we need to reach out to schools and teach the children and the children will have to teach the parents
Maha: change is sometimes slow, but things do happen :)
Anonymous: Just because I said I love the lyrical quality of Urdu it does not mean I have not explored Tamil literature. Or the meter, of Tamil verses which is what I am more interested in than anything else.
Anonymous: An "Anniyan" is perhaps a guy who killed the baddies. A Hitler is a guy who tortured and put innocent people into concentration camps just because they were of a certain faith. An Anniyan will do in India. No Hitler or the like anywhere in the world, No thanks. One Hitler was enough.

Anonymous said...

"Just because I said I love the lyrical quality of Urdu it does not mean I have not explored Tamil literature. Or the meter, of Tamil verses which is what I am more interested in than anything else."

yeah exactly.. you are able to enjoy the verses only because you have learnt tamil and able to understand them... it is very obvious tat songs with enjoyable lines have tamil words that are not mostly used while speaking.. So it is very obvious tat Tamil must be the language that is taught in schools .. :)..

and reg Hitler I juz dream of a "hilter"like who can be ruthless to the traitor of my nation.. I donot want a leader and govt that tries a terrorist in court for more than 3 yrs and hand him over to my enemy after rounds of discussion...

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

Anonymous: You were not there, and you did not know who was a jew and who was not. A man need not be defined on the basis of his faith.

Had it been me? Believe me when I say that I would like to pay back a lot of people for so many things. So do so many others. But my style of Payback is different. I will pay them back by being a better human being than they ever could be and more successful than all of them put together. You might think all this forgiveness and Universal love is bunkum but I have been brought up by mom to look ahead and create new goals and walk on the path of achievement and not on that of revenge. They, after all do not deserve that much of time and energy. The more they chase me the faster I reach my goal. After all if not for the"wrong doers" who are actually do-gooders in disguise, there would probably not be so much impetus to perform well. The thrill of proving someone who said you cannot do it, wrong, is sooo cool :)
For all of Hitler's sway over the people, I think he would have been a brilliant leader if he had just channeled his energies and kept them positive.

Viswanath said...

Caste is all about your thinking style and culture.. if you are serious about preserving that, then probably yes we should bet on it. [its my opinion :)]

Languages are meant for communication. As far as you dont have problem or hassle free in communicating with outside world [except where you reside and your surrounding atmosphere]. But my personal exprience Tamilians limping to communicate other than tamil [i live outside TN] and good thing is fastly and brilliantly catching the local language thtz fact :)

swirl back to my topic @chimmayi you rightly said, even at homes we are not dare to take responsibility. So how much dare are we to expect good thing should happen outside our home.:)
Letz learn Moral science before we learn other.

So your next topic could be Moral Science, how well are we following :)

Anonymous said...

hi chinmayi..

Hitler came to power in such a situation when is nation was in complete chaos..

1)Defeat in first world war..
2)complete disarmament of the nation
3)Disintegration of one Germany into yoguslovia etc...

What wld u prefer for a leader to do? have negotiations with oppurtunist politicians and drag away time? or wipe them off and concentrate on developing ur nation??

The first half of his life till world war 2 can not be matched to any other nation or leader..

and reg ur statement "You were not there, and you did not know who was a jew and who was not. A man need not be defined on the basis of his faith." ..
yeah true.. i was not there.. But hitler was there. But forget not.. he was a soldier in the first world war.. :)

Bharath said...

Technically my country somewhat resembles a "free country", so people are still free to learn or speak whatever language they like.

All I am saying is that forcing a language down someone's throat by making it compulsory is ridiculous. That holds good for not just Hindi, but Tamil and English as well. The schools ought to offer these languages as optional so people are free to choose whatever they want for their kids.

Now, the need to learn a language as a means to communicate with outsiders. People are pretty adaptive and WILL learn a language if and when they are in a situation that offers them no other choice. Even if it is broken and basic, so be it.

There have been nations that have progressed superbly by retaining the primacy of their own language and focusing on the basic foundations of human development, instead.

There are also umpteen examples, us included, of nations that have given a lot of primacy to the English and non-native("National??") languages and are in the throes of chaotic identities.

If you look back into history, there have been cultures and peoples destroyed and quelled in a very non-violent way by just destroying their own languages. This is also a sickening trend that is sweeping the current "globalized" sections of India whereby people are even proud to tout their disrespect for local languages. People in Bangalore are proud to not have the neccesity to know or respect Kannada. People in Tamilnadu find it increasingly fashionable to not know Tamil or speak the rotten Pidgin variety spoken by the Cable TV anchors.

What is at stake is the authenticity of a native language when a non-native language is imposed forcibly on the populace. As regards finding a job outside the state, did you know that there are so many jobs inside the state in small towns and villages that require knowledge of Tamil and are lying vacant for years together? Teachers, Local Health Workers, Administrative Jobs etc.

subramaniam said...

Hi Chinmayi

I think there is a communicaton gap. What I wanted to say was 'Dreaming is an easy thing and working towards achieving is always very difficult. I tell this with my own experience.

இளமை வேகத்தில் சில நண்பர்களுடன் சேர்ந்து மயிலையில் நற்பணி குழு ஆரம்பித்து தெருவோரம் அசிங்கம் செய்யும் குழந்தை மற்றும் பெரியவர்களுக்கு ஆரோக்கியத்தின் அவசியத்தை educate செய்திருக்கிறோம். 'அய்ய தோடா வந்துட்டாரு பெரிய இவராட்டம். "ஏஞ்சாமி இதெல்லாம் உனக்கெதுக்கு! வேலையப்பாத்திகிட்டு போயேன்" ரோட்டுல பசங்க போறது பிடிக்கலைன்னா உங்க ஊட்டுக்கு அனுப்ப்ட்டுமா" என்று வாங்கி கட்டிக்கொண்டிருக்கிறோம். அவர்களுக்கு நல்லது செய்தால் கேட்பார்கள் என்று corporation இடம் போராடி தெருவில் இரண்டு 'கை பம்புகள்' Install செய்தோம். தெருவில் மாட்டை கட்டி இடைஞ்சல் செய்யாதீர்கள் என்று மாட்டுக்காரர்களிடம் request செய்தபோது ' எலும்பை எண்ணிடுவேன்' என்கிற மிரட்டலுக்கும் அடிபணியாமல் Gandhigiri styleல் சாணியள்ளி போட்டாலும் 'என்னய்யா சரியா அள்ள மாட்டேங்கிறீங்க! என்றும், அப்படியே வந்து தெனம் பால் கறந்து கொடுத்தா புண்ணியமா போகும்' என்று கேலிக்கு ஆளாகியும் சலிக்காமல் கொஞ்சம் improve செய்து காட்டினோம். ஆனால் திரும்பவும் பழய குருடி கதவ திறடி' கதைதான். கள்ள சாராயம் விற்பவற்களை Police station ல் complaint செய்யப்போய் 'கண்டுக்காம போயிடுங்கப்பா! இல்லைன்னா உங்க உயிருக்கே ஆபத்தாயிடும்! இவனுங்கெல்லாம் ரெளடிங்க' என்று advice செய்யப்பட்டிருக்கிறோம்.

May be we were unable to achieve because we were ordinary students without any power or fame. I am sick and tired of popular personalities trying to make statements without putting any efforts. May be your intentions and dreams or right. But உப்பரிகையில் நின்று கனா காண்பதோடு நின்று விடாதீர்கள். தெருவில் இரங்கி செயல்படுத்த முயற்சி செய்யுங்கள் என்பதே.தெருக்கூட்டுங்கள் என்று ஆவேசத்தில் வந்த வார்த்தைக்கு மன்னியுங்கள். எச்சி துப்பாதேன்னு நாலு பேருகிட்ட சொல்லறேனே! நான் disciplined ஆக இருக்கிறேனே! ஆட்டோ டிரைவர்களிடம் சொல்கிறேனே எங்கிறீகள். அந்த முயற்சிக்கு பாராட்டுக்கள். but don't stop with that. Why don't you provide a leadership to create a society with a civic sense. With your popularity and good will, I think more people will join you and most important of all people will listen to you என்கிற நம்பிக்கை எனக்கு நிறைய இருக்கிறது. நீங்கள் வெற்றி பெற வாழ்த்துக்கள்!

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

Vishwanath: fair enough. Moral science? I think morals and ethics have almost vanished. Most of the time I have disassociated myself with such people and preferred not to work with them. Thankfully I have that choice

Anonymous: You seem to be quite a Hitler supporter and you must have your reasons to do so. I also know that History is what historians collectively agree upon. It need not be the truth as well. But nevertheless I do not support and cannot even identify with the acts that he has done or even come miles near justifying or rationalizing it. What he did with bringing his country together or whatever else may be right, I have not read what he has done. Perhaps its time to read Mein Kampf. Nevertheless, WW1 soldier or not I cant empathize with him

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

Bharath: Fair enough. I think there was a move which prevented making Tamil compulsory in TN. I guess whoever wants to learn will eventually learn. I guess maybe the concept can be introduced in schools on whether they want to learn the language as it already but without being bookish, more on a spoken level. I see your point. But I am not going to remove that statement from my blog. I guess it has been said, so let it be. But nevertheless, I ll probably propagate learning wherever I can. And that would also include soft skills and courtesy.
Also in defense, I am not sure which presenters you are speaking of who speak rotten Tamil. But I daresay that there are people in Tamilnadu who speak rotten Tamil, those who are also public speaker who campaign for the cause of Tamil. When their Tamil has pronunciation mistakes, nothing much can be said.
As for the jobs lying vacant, then its time the people here don't complain about enough job opportunities. The number of complaints that say "Ilaignargalukku vaelai vaayyppu vaenum" is endless. The point is most people in rural areas find it easy to complain. But they wont take up these jobs. I also heard someone say, farmers are free most of the year and during that time they will only choose to be jobless, drink, sit under trees and gamble or indulge in unnecessary rowdyism because they are idle and they wont take up any cause for the betterment of their areas or people either.

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

Subramaniam: I dont there was a communciation gap. What you said was pretty clear, but I guess I can understand why you would speak in that manner. Also, it makes me want to ask, how many public toilets are there in Mylapore? The problem of "Ilamai vaegam" is perhaps lack of perseverance. You could have enlisted the help of the elders in the area. How long did you indulge in this service? Now if you wanted to bring about change and educate the point of cleanliness to people who are used to being otherwise, did you expect them to welcome you with open arms and celebrate you?? If they tied the cows on the road, you needed to file a written complaint or call in people from PETA. If that did not happen you could have called a Newspaper. I think with the dearth of news, anyone would have run your story. There is a rule that you cannot have a cow shed within the city. But if it is supported by the temple there is little you can do
What was the goal of your group? What exactly did you want to change? Did you all sit down and agree that you ll have short term and long term goals? Kalla sarayam is a very serious issue and you could have staved off that perhaps while your organization was still in its nascent stages. You cannot attempt to do everything overnight though as youngsters we want a wand waved and things happening? Perhps you could have focused on a set of things, succeeded there and formed the next set of goals, spoken to the people there and got their support. I think you could have achieved whatever it was, but you yourself believe that you could not because you think Students are powerless or because you are not famous. You, yourself should not believe in these ideas. In this case its your belief that is your enemy. Not anything else. I know of a group in Velachery, he is a regular caller on my show. The amount of things he has done is superb. And he has an uncurable degenerative vision loss which would eventually leave him blind. You could have taken the advice of people like Traffic Ramaswamy. He knew how to bring about change, and he has also been beaten up and has also lost his vision in his left eye, if I remember right. I am doing what I can though my show on radio. And yes people do listen to me. Sometimes after I have discussed something on radio, and the people have spoken, almost by magic I see a related report in the papers talking of rectification. I guess there it is the combined effort of media. My topics are based on what I read in the newspapers. And then If I say anything, someone asks "Do you want to join politics?" I, like everyone else, have my limitations too, albeit different. And in some cases I have gotten down to the street to make some changes. But don't expect me to go and fight people who are into Kalla saaraayam - As long as the demand exists supply will be there - or take the broom and clean the roads. Mom and I are doing some work where we would like to see change the most and we would like to keep it under wraps for quite a long while. As for my dream, only the statesmen can make it come true.

Anonymous said...

hi chinamyi,,
read mein kamph..
u will start admiring him..
i too started only after tat.. :)want a ebook wil try to send u.. :) i have it with me

Viswanath said...

@Chinmayi:rightly said moral is vansihed subject, and so as responsibility and accountability are vanishing subject :)

bye.

Anonymous said...

simple living high thinking

Anonymous said...

chinmayi, good post. however spotted a spelling error and could not help calling out. "I aplogize" thats the spelling error in your post.... u called out tardiness on the part of channels n newspapers n if they cant do a spell check...good calling that one, but we should do wat we call out as well to ensure we do not end up being just preachers. just making this point for ur benefit ...good writing otherwise n enjoy ur post.

G said...

Hey !
Awesome Post! One thing missing that begins from the people is to value life. When some one dies, its just as if one from a billion plus is gone.
Whereas in other countries, that person is not a statistic but a real person...with others depending on him...Everything is analysed on why a person died and how it can be avoided. Be it because of food poisoning, a road accident, or a intentional act of crime.

narayanan embar said...

only when blog followers follow their good principles and try contributing something , our nation will improve.. those ideas , already been showing in films for many decades instead of folowing and commenting blogs etc etc..

Unknown said...

Hi chinmayi
I am really happy to see ur list.
I would like to share my views regarding spitting on the streets.
I tell atleast 3 people daily not to spit on the streets. Some just tell a sorry and spit again after I move away from the place. Some dont even care. They just say "mind your business". I think this sort of cleanliness has to be cultured from the childhood. I feel i had to give up saying that people cannot be changed after some point of time in their lives where spitting on the roads has become a habit and its difficult to stop doing that. I am seriously ready to do whatever is needed to make people stop spitting on the roads. People are loosing a sense of belonging and ownership of the country. I have pondered several times thinking what has to be done to stop this spitting habit. I think strong laws and vigilance have to be enforced. I think advice or suggestion will no more work. I think our country needs someone like "anniyan" or "indian". Punishment is the only way i feel. I am bursting out writing this because when i tell people around me about the unclean roads, people say "just adjust to it". I think this attitude needs a serious change. Something has to be done. I am clueless about the solution. Should I clean the streets? But what is the guarantee that people won't spit again? Should I keep cleaning all the time with the broomsticks in my hand? People have to develop a sense of cleanliness. I just dont know how this can be brought up.I am clueless. :(

Vijai said...

It all starts with personal responsibility and hygenity!!
how many resist from throwing trash on road or stop splitting red color pan beeda on white tiles of railway platforms?
Ofcourse when the garbage is cleaned regular...we may be encouraged to use it!!

Anonymous said...

More power to the defense sector?

why do you wish for this?

RAGAVAN said...

Meenakshi Natarajan has done what no one has done before. The 36-year-old Congress MP from Mandsaur, a Tamil born and brought up in Madhya Pradesh, has returned the unspent money during her electioneering to the party.

And Shashi Tharoor, the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, also did something unique when he removed all posters from the city walls the day before results were announced.

These are excellent examples of civility in life.

More specifically, civility in public life.

These are things unheard of and what we are in dire need of.

WE NEED MORE OF THIS BREED.

As long as we can bring back civility to life, everything else will fall in place.

As long as we lack this most basic and obvious ingredient, whatever else we talk of or try to do, will be of no consequence.

Your entire wishlist, for instance, is based on this basic premise - conscious civility. It ALL starts from here.......

ss said...

Hi Chinmayi,

I am catching up late ...i strongly strongly support on making Hindi the compulsory language ,all states even our neighbours kerala,karnataka and AP they all know at least three languages Hindi(National),English and their state language..i think the issue is been very much politicized..In TN majority of them (includes me) don't know Hindi and if the Prime Minister addresses the Nation during Republic day or Independence day ..we simply change our TV ..channel

B said...

Agree with most of the issues you have raised, hopefully it’ll come true. The next step for this country is focus on health, hygiene, civic amenities, higher education, sports, research, etc. I also differ with you on the below.

1) Reservations - a 5 member bench in 2008 & a 12 member in 1991 has ruled in favour of reservations. And in country were the elites hold SC is such high esteem, its surprising we still are unwilling to accept the realities which necessitate a law like this.

It’s needed for Social (not economic alone) Equity. If we have any other EQUALLY SIMPLE IDEAS to achieve this goal, I can most certainly re-consider(open-minded on this) my view on reservation policy, but I haven’t heard of anything PRACTICAL & SIMPLE...

Since the denial of the fundamental SOCIAL EQUITY in India is based on CASTE, we cant avoid CASTE BASED RESERVATIONS...

Having said this, we need bold leadership to start looking at a phased (starting 2020 maybe) dismantling of reservations especially in southern states where it has been successfully implemented for a few decades now...

2) Conscientious media - too much to ask as long as they are dependent on big businesses for ads…

3) Hindi in Tamil Nadu - no one is against Hindi, anyone can learn it if they so wish to. However, like how India (Nehru & Gandhi especially) argued in favour of Hindi as a national language to preserve it, its the state governments RIGHT & DUTY TO DEFEND THE PRE-EMINENCE OF THE LOCAL LANGUAGE IN THEIR STATE... And TN has all rights to keep out other languages to avoid lazy people deserting Tamil for fanciful outside languages... We cant take this chance... We have seen what has happened in some other states, so our stand is vindicated...

Your comment about how long we can against Hindi is not valid. You are under-estimating the power of languages. In the last 2000 years, relgions, dynasties, political philosophies have come & gone but the language has remained the same. Also note that MOST COUNTRIES IN THIS WORLD BOUNDRIES BASIS LANGUAGE THAN RELGION OR ANY OTHER IDENTITY... This shows how important it it to an individual identity... So, if you can associate yourselves to an identity as an Indian(only 60 years old) & keep the patriotic spirit pure without adulteration & even give your life for that, it much more natural for me to have similar feelings about my language identity...

It’s a lot to do with IDENTITY. There is no space for practical considerations in an emotional issue like this. And no need to feel guilty (being painted as old-fashioned) about that…

4) Educated Politicians - Having educated politicians is always welcome. We cant also deny that the No. of years of education seems directly proportional to The Ability to relate to Real Issues...
In short, field politicians are better than qualified professionals. If someone has both, its the best that can happen…

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

SS: Bingo! I dont think most people in TN understand what our PM is saying. Brilliant point.

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

To (B): I am sure there will come a time when there will no-caste or religion based divisions. Starting from schools. If there has to be any reservations made, it should only be based on economic standards and the talent.. BTW I don't think this whole reservation thing is a simple issue. For (2) Fair enough. (3) I dont think anyone has learnt Hindi in all these years since you yourself say that the people in TN are lazy. And BTW Hindi is not a fanciful "outside" language. Its a language that is spoken in our country and belongs to our land. How did that become "outside" for you??
I am not too sure whether countries in the world draw boundaries based on language alone. I dont think it is THAT simple! A language for me is not a thing of identity. Nor is it something that defines who you are. You are identified for the person that you are, and when we pass on from this world, I do not think you are going to wonder how "Tamil" or "Telugu" or Hindi you were. You are only going to wonder whether you lead a full life, one that you could have loved people more than hated. Its something most people say on their deathbeds.
And of course since you accept that it is an emotional issue, then reason will not come anywhere your POV since its already clouded. And I don't think anyone is painting you as old fashioned. As another commenter says, do you listen to what the PM says ? Or even understand what most people in the LS and RS say when they speak to the media? Nonetheless, fostering the mother tongue and promoting it is the business of the family. Not even the Government. The parents and grandparents need to make sure that the child speaks his/her mother tongue perfectly. I shall stand by what I said. I think Hindi is necessary and people here MUST have a basic knowledge thats all. I am not saying they must be proficient to write poetry, but I am only asking for a basic proficiency that will aid communication. And that can be achieved through schools. Whatever said and done, unless a language is spoken, even after you learn it, you ll forget what it is all about or rather unlearn a language. I do not attach any political semblance to languages or art. Its beyond all that.
4. Agree on that one.

B said...

Comment on Chinmayee’s response – Firstly, I really thank you for reading, posting & responding my message, Its great to see such young, talented, superstars like you take such an active role in trying to define the future…. I’m an ordinary big fan of yours (mayya, mayya- oh god what a singing…). I’m almost addicted to coffee club between 8-9 am.

Now, to the point, good that we agree on point no.2 & 4. Please also note, just because I said its an emotional issue, it doesn’t mean I’m completely closed. I always try to discuss with an open mind…

1) Reservations - I'm wish, hope, pray & willing to join you to do anything in moving towards an era where caste & religion based divisions ceases to exist. But until then(or atleast till we have some SEMBLANCE OF SOCIAL EQUITY), we need some governmental intervention to help achieve this fundamental need of a civil society...

I disagree on the model based on economic criteria as that does not even recognise the reason for the disparity. Please note the ECONOMIC INEQUALITY is INESCAPABLE, it exists even in the most socially & economically advanced countries. However, we cant compromise on EQUAL OPPORTUNITY OR SOCIAL EQUITY which is fundamental to starting a decent society...

To solve this, we need to look at what tools helped creating this filthy SOCIAL INEQUITY in the 1st place. Its 2 things, denial of education & division of labour(based on caste). So, economics has less to do with this. We need props precisely in these two areas 1) Education 2) Jobs. We need to enable all sections of society have equal access to all levels of education & all types of jobs.

I'm still searching for A SIMPLE & PRACTICAL ALTERNATE to reservation…

3) Hindi in TN – I think you got me wrong here. I did not intend to say “IDENTITY” is everything & we shud cling on to it & never progress…
I only said claiming to be Indian (you said “Hindi is spoken in OUR COUNTRY & BELONGS TO OUR LAND”) is an identity too. Why is that not so wrong? So is the case with being a Hindu or a Christian, etc, its all different forms of identity…

I care the least for any of these identities, but if anyone argues its okay to be patriotic about the country but not to your language I would politely say “I’m Tamil & I’ll not give a red carpet welcome for foreign languages in my land”.

And please don’t assume that I cant understand what the PM says, I may actually know Hindi or I may use a translator… And even assuming I don’t understand, I’m okay being under-privileged along with over 70% of Indians who never see/hear the PM’s address…

Please note I never said anything about Hindi being bad of Tamil being good, etc. Some of my friends who are very proficient in Hindi say that its got great grammar, literature & beauty. I presume the same should be the case with Telugu or Kannada or Marathi or Punjabi, etc. I only say everything has its place, lets please leave it there & not push something on someone else...

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

Interesting that for you Hindi is foreign language.
And not knowing what your leader says or speaks is not "under priveleged" it just means that you choose to be stuck in a quagmire and not come out of it willingly and sadly that is the state of our country, like you said most of the people are in that mould. We keep crying for unity and shouting on rooftops, but cannot really learn just something as simple as a language that could perhaps help in achieving that goal, but yeah we ll crib complain about politicians who bring in "divisions".
And yes every language has its beauty. My mom made me learn Telugu as a second language in school though it was not my personal choice. I knew nothing of the language except what I knew from Geography books. Her idea was that I would know what I am singing, because at that time I was only training to be a Carnatic Classical singer and a lot of the compositions are in Telugu. She said it is necessary to write and read the language that I choose to sing in. As a child I could speak only Marathi because of living in Bombay. Hindi was also part of life. Tamil was taken care of and spoken at home. My grandparents taught me to read and write, Tamil in a manner that it was used at least 70 years ago and we belong to Ramanathapuram and you perhaps would have little idea of the kind of fervour that people of that soil had and continue to, toward Tamil. Once I joined school I realized Tamil had changed and I had to change some scripts, even in Tamil, as "Ja" and "Ha" had become obsolete. Sanskrit was a third language. In Tamilnadu Every name, even something simple like Padma is mispronounced here, as "Bathma". The point and fact remains that Tamilnadu is the only place where we refuse to learn Hindi for whatever reason. If the adults refuse to learn, no problem. I want to make sure that the children are taught, because knowing an extra language is not really a disadvantage nor does it lead to a loss of 'identity'. Actually it makes you have an identity that is broader. Whether they choose to use it or not can be a call taken later. If I had decided that I wont do this, and I wont do that, for the sake of something as transient as an identity, I would not be where I am today, and nor would so many people.
I am a being in the Universe. I will not let boundaries or language define me. Learning is the main goal that I have in my life and everything else is a side effect of that. Or rather I would not be interested in defining myself. Once a definition which is just a set of words followed by a fullstop, I don't attribute any importance to it. I'd rather have comma after comma that, say, 20 years down the line, people will have a tough time trying to define me. That is what I am and intend to be.
Also, looks like you got me wrong. I did not say anything against Tamil. I do not understand why when someone says, learn something new, it means stepmotherly treatment to something existant and is so part of our lives. Are we sooo insecure that Tamil will slip away from our hands if we learn Hindi?? Is it all so cheap and easy??
I would like to reiterate that Hindi can be an additional learning in schools for children. In Schools. That's all. And on a spoken level. Anyone who wants to continue scholarship in that is their call. And I am only asking for spoken proficiency. A few years back people canvassed that we shouldn't learn English. It leaves a set of people in Generations that has brought about a greater divide between people who do and people who don't.
Nevertheless, thanks for the compliment in the first few lines.

B said...

Chinmayee, again I don’t believe in identity as well, I also don’t want to define myself so narrowly. We are all fellow humans who need to work for betterment of the world as a whole.

However, what I dont understand is why is is not getting stuck in a quagmire when we unite as Indians. If that isnt so bad why is it wrong to unite as Tamilians.

Anyways, lets face some more facts. 1) All states in India did not speak Hindi in 1947, we got it compelled on many of them 2) I do travel a bit in interiors of AP, Kerala, etc also only a few know Hindi. Yes, its understood widely in bigger cities of hyderabad, bangalore, mysore, etc but thats not everywhere except TN.

Its great that your mom & grand parents got you into learning so many languages. I have no problem with it. I'm not against Hindi or any language for that matter. I'm okay will all of us knowing Hindi.

I only say its a PERSONAL CHOICE. If its a MUST TO LEARN ANY LANGUAGE, IT SHOULD ONLY BE YOUR MOTEHR TONGUE, LOCAL LANGUAGE & ENGLISH.

In a globalised world like today's, we need more focus on English in schools. North India has realised it & they are moving into English in a big way. Hindi will soon cease to be a bridge language in India, I think your premise itself is wrong.

You comments on "JA", "HA" & "BATHMA" is a bit offensive. If the no. of alphabets in a language which eventually determines your ability to pronounce all sort of pro-nouns is a yardstick for a good language, then ENGLISH IS THE MOST INEPT. Which we both know is not true. If an Englishman decides to pronounce “Tamizh” in English phonetics ONLY its his personal mistake. Its not the deficiency of his language. The same way if someone pronounces “Padma” as “Bathma” its their mistake, you cant fault the language for that.

Kids are smart if they have to learn a language to communicate, they will learn in few weeks or months, its not a rocket science. They learn so many languages(C, JAVA, etc) (with all syntax or grammar) these days with ease.

Consider one more thing, I lived in a place called Kakinada in Andhra for 8 months & I learnt to communicate in broken Telugu quickly. But subsequently lived in Bangalore for 4 years but I never learnt Kannada. Its not my LACK OF EAGERNESS, ITS THE LACK OF NECESSITY. Because Bangalore did not force me to learn Kannada, it has lost atleast one extra person who would have enjoyed the language. I don’t want this to happen in TN, let more people know Tamil, we need to create conditions for them to know this language…

Ajay Kumar said...

Well, there has been a lot of talking in this particular blog due to the sensitivity of the topic. My previous comment was an idea to make things happen. But rather as i earlier stated "change has to be there in the minds of the people". i further stress this after reading comments by few especially "B" and followed up by "chinmayi". i would like to state a personal example(Read experience. I do like to make sure this is not a direct comment or criticism of anybody's ideas.

I had studied in TN until my UG and my perception was that "y is hindi the national language and we still dont learn it and still people are averse to it". i agree with "SS" that i was not able to understand a single word the PM's speech at any time. Then as god/fate decided i was placed in campus and my posting was in Rajasthan!!! my relatives were advising me NOT to go.. Stating reasons like "Diff culture, language.. etc etc.." luckily my parents left the decision to me and i went there.. i tell you frankly, the difficulty i had there for 3-4 months was too much. i couldnt understand any thing of the meetings also(official!! and engineers there were awe-struck with my english!!!) i learnt hindi the hard way and after that when i traversed all over india, i found the very same hindi, which many are averse in TN, was the sole communication tool right from the top of india upto AP... but not at home ground.. even today in singapore both tamil and hindi help me out much more than english!!!

with the experience i strongly take side with chinmayi in making hindi compulsory across the nation. atleast we can stop being isolated from the affairs of the nation...

P.S. i am crazy about cricket. and to other cricket followers.. i had the opportunity to watch an interview with L.Balaji, D. Karthik and some of the tamilnadu players.. this is their statement "We feel like being isolated from the team due to lack of hindi knowledge. but after learning hindi we became a gr8 family... Balaji went to the extent of thankin his best friend I.Pathan for teachin him hindi.."

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

B, I think from the very beginning there is an issue understanding what I am saying. I am not against any language and there is no reason for you to defend Tamil and demean any other language.
But I must say, the Bathma thing gets done in TN and not anywhere else it has to do with the mixing up of Pa and Ba. Because from Pa to Ba we have one letter. And nevertheless, I never said it is because of the number of letters or lack of it. I also know that an MTI happens for everyone when they speak a language that is other than the mothertongue. You ll easily find out who is Italian or French or Spanish by the way they speak English. So there is no issue there.
I guess if you had to work in Bangalore in the pre-IT era you would have HAD to learn Kannada. Since that city I see has become a melting pot of people from anywhere, the city has adapted to a common language of communication. Its just a need of the times. Those who speak Kannada continue to and from me, it is not too tough to read Kannada as the scripts are slightly similar to Telugu. And actually its a very easy language to learn.
As far as Bangalore is concerned, the auto drivers understand every language, Tamil, Telugu Hindi and Kannada and a smattering of Malayalam as some claimed. I was there the past week.
The policemen can communicate in these tongues as well. They welcome the people that come with an open heart or so I think. I know the Sri Ram Sene's of the world are in Karnataka nevertheless I know that those who speak Kannada speak it well.
Its not like in TN that a normal Tamilian is confused where to use Zha and La and do not know whether it is Vaazhaipazham or VaaLapaLam. And that my friend has to be taught at home. No school can teach you. Everything is learned by reinforcement, and if you can reinforce Tamil, our language, at home then why are you worried about what they might learn in school and why are you worried that they will lose the command over the language?? And going back why is it that you need to use a translator to understand what the PM is saying? Maybe its not important to you to know or understand what a leader of the nation is saying but it is to me, and it should be for the future generations as well if the face of politics and India eventually has to change.
Yes Kids are smart. But as they grow older it is very tough to learn, especially a new language if they do not have the basic inclination or a leaning toward languages/accents.. You are not a kid forever are you??
Guess Ajay Kumar's comment will reinforce my point.
And I am an artiste, and when you speak an extra language I learn more than someone who does not. And actually people who know a foreign language in certain MNCs are better paid, if you can look at that as an impetus.

To Ajay: Good you decided to take a call to stick to Rajasthan, I hear its a beautiful place. Have only touched Jaipur before but I intend to look around. And as far as I know I think its a beautiful place, steeped in culture and wonderful history :)

Ajay Kumar said...

well said chinmayi.. not a better example than the vazhapazham thing. in fact i forgot to tell you. the singaporeans here speak some sort of tamil which still has words from the old tamil.

thanks for the rajasthan compliments. true it is an amazing place to visit. had a fun time exploring it. will suggest you some places when u plan to go..

B said...

Chinmayee, (incl Ajay & others)
think its time we(me atleast) shud agree to disagee on this.
I understand your POV & where you are coming from & I hope to have done my best to communicate my POV. I dont have an iota of a doubt that "YOU ALSO LOVE TAMIL" even when you are arguing in favour of Hindi being enforced. I have NO misunderstanding on that.(but dont think we shud worry about "pa" & "ba" so much. English did not worry about it, they just focused on how to pronounce "Djokovic" without the "j" & as "Duaokowhich". I think Tamils can also do that with Padma)
My fundamental point is that humans need not be burdened with skills that are not absolutely necessary. When we need special skills, we can acquire it. And personal choices have to be respected to the maximum.
-----------------------------------
-----------------------------------
On a related topic, Bangalore is not as welcoming(they used to be) as you think. Its a great place but fundamentally they are very now vary of outsiders. Its partly because Tamilians (me incl) in Bangalore never bothered to become truly integrated into part of Kannada cultural fabric. The same is happening now with North Indians. I hope the local govt focuses on reducing the alienation of their own folks in Bangalore. Infact, only in the last couple of years they have had some kannada FM channels. Its important that they dont go the Mumbai way...

Jeeves said...

Hi Chinmayee, B and others,
I read this interesting blog. I was born and raised in TN, worked in Bangalore and now living in Los Angeles. Regarding languages, yes you must know your mother tongue but more than that you need to be open about other languages and respect them. Rather than finding short comings in any language, if you see the beauty in each language, you gain more friends and wisdom. I agree with Chinmayee that TN should get over with Anti Hindi stand. Interstingly all these anti hindi leaders dont say, tamil only! Their children have been well educated in Hindi and also in foreign universities. So I feel that all these anti hindi stand is just for political mileage and cheating the local people.
Talking about bangalore, it is a city that has adepted to all other ethnic people but that is not always true. It is a city where I have witnessed anti tamil movements and also banning non kannada movies to promote the kannada movies. I have and still do watch a lot of kannada movies -though i learnt kannada only when i was in bangalore. There are a lot of fantastic movies in kannada but then there are language movies also that are good. In the field of art, if you start restricting anything, then you are actually not promoting anything.
Now living in los angeles, I have a very distinct advantage of knowing tamil, english and a bit of telugu, malayalam and kannada and along with hindi as I have friends from all these languages and their wisdom has helped me at times of need. I wont even restrict by saying I am an Indian but beyond that I am a human and I can communicate much better than other living things. I always feel amidst all these discussions, we forget we are all humans and that we can choose to live better and happily if dont get boggled down by these issues.

Jeeves

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

Jeeves: Brilliant points :)

AV said...

Hi Chinmayi,

What about the increasing population of our country? In this documentary video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU
India is shown as a country that would suffer the most for water in near future, due to its population.

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

to Prasad: You have learnt Hindi but what is your problem, by force whether you liked it or not, and I am sure its paying off now. And the thing wish Hindi being made compulsory then, that there was a rule that was to come saying you had to know Hindi to get a Govt Job, and that would mean a lot of people were going to be rendered jobless. The Anti Hindi thing makes no sense now. The more you know the better off you are and speaking for today, the better money you make. A lot of people in Bangalore speak Hindi or rather can understand it. As you said, I didn't know it before, other than TN, according to you the other South Indian states did not really go with the anti Hindi thing. What difference does it make if a language is 100 years old or 1000 years old. Don't you use smileys? Have you never said LOL or ROTFL or something on those lines? How old is the chat and sms language? Thats a language too, and unfortunately children in schools are using that damn texting language in exams. Does that mean you will be only peruse of anything depending on its antiquity?? And how can You assume that whoever it is wont learn Tamil? All my North Indian friends have speak read and write Tamil, once they have settled here and know that most of their lives are here. You speak to a machine day in and day out. I am assuming here that you are a software engineer, learning for years and constantly updating yourself on how to communicate with the machine better. But you would not make or help other make the slightest effort to speak to another human more?? I am asking for change from our point of view. From where we stand. On how to make ourselves better. I dont care what others do. I don't even want to tell others what to do. I have enough reason in me to not hang on to ideologies that were made to suit something or the other. I know more people that regret not knowing a language spoken by a majority than those who are glad they do not know something. The biggest issue I find with a lot of people is that people want to be stuck and want to not progress and move ahead hanging on to something in history which does not have much importance for the current scenario. Compulsorily or not my path is of progress and learning. FYI, I learnt Telugu, German and Sanskrit because my mom compelled me to. And I am the one who stands to gain. I am happy. I am better off. So ask me to learn anything compulsory or not, I will. At the end of the day, I am at an advantage because I know something that a certain set of people do not. And knowledge is the biggest wealth one can have and if you CHOOSE to be deprived there then what can be said? The smart parents have taught their children Hindi or as many languages as possible, and they can speak it too. And the progressive politicians in TN speak Hindi and very well also.

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

And also I see another issue is that people and you included, from what I infer from your message, is that you want to stay divided and drive divisions deeper if possible. I am for unity. And if I have to learn Basque which is said to be the most difficult language to master or Latin, or whatever else it takes to be a better human being, that would create unity, then I would go learn it. Thats what I am and that is what I am made of. That is my ideology. And also, your last paragraph on the Japanese, German thing, I need a little more clarity on what you are driving at there. I am unable to comprehend anything there from what you have written. I attempted to publish your comment but it does not show up here, I dont know what the issue is.

Krishna said...

Hi Chinmayi,
It is really surprising to find people fighting for reading a indian language while they have no problem in adapting themselves to a foreign language.I strongly it is high time we make hindi and tamil as compulsory in school atleast till 5th std.Hindi is essential as soon as we cross the borders and moreover we cannot expect drivers and commoners in the place to know english.If possible try to learn the local language.We wont feel alienated and they will also be comfortable.As far as learning other language goes even bharathiar knows more than 5 languages .If you know one language you can equate yourself to one person in that language.ie. if you know kannada you will become a kannadiga.
I am bit disappointed because you did not mention about our judicial system."Justice delayed is justice denied".Here , we have 3 crores of cases pending in courts.It is high time we have those fast track courts and make speedy disposal of cases.I also want india to be beggarless country. If one sikh community can do it so can whole of india.
I don't agree totally with your view on national id system and allowing NRIs to vote.Non Returning Indians(NRIs)should have any right to elect a indian leader.They have been provided with PIO cards and if they want these cards they should stay in india for atleast 5 years and surrender their PIO cards and get National Id card.

Interlinking is not too much but it is very much required for country like ours where every alternate year we have floods and droughts.If we interlink all our rivers almost all our problems with respect to agriculture will be solved and may be india might become super agri based economic power too and interlinking also gives ample scope for employment.There was a committee set up during Vajpayee regime under suresh prabhu which gave cost of interlinking as Rs.56 lakh crores.I dont know for what reason UPA is not taking the matter further.
FYI, i heard there is community called "Rabri" who built their house in oval shape in order resist earthquake.There is a saying "Earthquake doesnt kill anybody but buildings does".So, approval should be given to those building which are earth quake resistant.May be we may require building with lot of pillars like in japan.
With respect to crime against women and child rape.It is surprising in a country like our where we treat woman and children as forms of gods and goddess and large number of crime against them is reported.Only God can save them.I will also pray to God for this miracle to happen.

- Krishna.S

Anonymous said...

"Super education. Wonderful Corporation schools. It will be nice if English and Hindi is made compulsory in schools at least for the sake of national communication. People in almost every other state understand Hindi except in Tamilnadu. Why? I guess it has some political history."


YES.YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT CHINMAYEE.THE PERSON WHO WERE AGAINST OF HINDI AT THAT TIME,MADE HIS SONS &DAUGHTERS TO STUDY HINDI.NOW THEY ARE WELL VERSED IN HINDI.BUT I DONT WANT TO INTERFERE POLITICALLY...LEAVE IT...EVEN IN ANDHRA PRADESH(LIKE SOUTH INDIAN STATE) REQUIRES HINDI....OTHER THAN ENGLISH...

Absence of reservation on the basis of caste, community and religion in every sector

THAT ALSO RIGHT....IN FUTURE, THERE SHOULD BE THE RESERVATION ONLY UNDER ECONOMICAL BASIS....

MENTIONING TWO THINGS DOESNT MEAN THAT OTHER THINGS ARE NOT NEEDED.I THING THESE TWO ARE THE MAJOR PROBLEM FOR INDIA,AS PER AS MY VIEWS ARE CONCERNED....

ONE MORE THING IF WE CONSIDER,NOWADAYS LITERACY RATE KEEPS ON RAISING IN INDIA...SO I THING THAT YOUTHS WILL BEHAVE PROPERLY.(NOT SPITTING IN ROADS,SMOKING IN PUBLIC PLACE ETC...)

BUT DUE TO THIS EDUCATION,NOT ONLY INDIA,THE ENTIRE WORLD SHOULD BE READY TO FACE THE ZYBER CRIMES...:-)

ANYWAY IF WE CONSIDER NOW,INDIA IS SHINING.....BUT OUR EXPECTATION IS 'IT SHOULD BE RAPID'..

Barani Krishnan said...

Makes me think the other way... Besides having so many problems, we are still surviving sucessfully and thats probably because of d reason that we got used to it. dont know whether im takin it in a positive way or the -ve.. One simple example that I can quote here is the way Marina beach looks till friday and the way it is on mondays.. Untolerable... People who spend their worthy time n enjoy dont have the basic sense of keeping it clean. I felt so happy when TN govt. purchased machines for cleaning Marina and they were sucessfully working for few months.. I dunno whether they are still in working condition. .. Hmmmm!!!

I still have some hope that if every individual corrects himself, atleast half of those listed by you will work-out in NEAR-future ( I pray god atleast if one person stops doing it be after reading this, that would be AWESOME..!!!) Trust me, I have corrected myself in so many ways.. Long way to go...

Cheers!!!

Anonymous said...

hi gd points!!!