Sunday 11 October 2009

Mumbai or Bombay

Juliet:
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

This quote or phrase "What is in a name?" has been used in print and in conversation for ‘n’ number of times world over. Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet fell in love with each other in Shakespeare’s world famous lyrical tale of “star-cross’d” lovers. Juliet tells Romeo (The two comes from two warring families) that a name is an artificial and meaningless convention, and that she loves the person not his name (rather surname) and not his family.

Of course, when there love is names become insignificant. But Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) led by Raj Thackrey wants people to stick to using the word Mumbai instead of Bombay while referring to the financial capital of India. Their view is that ‘Bombay’ denotes a legacy of British period whereas Mumbai is swadeshi originating from Deity Mumba Devi’s place.

The political party activists recently threatened that they would not allow screening of Karan Johar’s movie ‘Wake Up Sid’ as it has in it use of word Bombay repeatedly instead of Mumbai. Johar fell in line.

One of very renowned journalists of country Vir Sanghvi in his column in Hindustan Times on October 11, 2009 has very well analysed the entire episode.

A fully agree with him. Why this fuss in Mumbai only? One is free to call Kolkata as Calcutta in Kolkata. One would not face any threat over there. One is free to call Chennai as Madras and one would not face any threat over there. In fact people from the states which see the change of names are still emotionally attached to both the words or more a city is referred to in print or conversation.

Mr Sanghvi’s column reminded me of the fact that in the city of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh where I spent several years of my adolescence the divide between Hindu and Muslim communities was well discernible. I remember there were certain other changes too but I don’t remember exactly the names of the localities.

A drive by right wing activists about three decades back led to rechristening of the name of market Alinagar as Arya Nagar and Urdu Bazar as Hindi Bazar. The new names found mention on the shopkeepers boards too on their shops.

But in all these years (I still go to the place as many of my relations live there and I have to pass through the city to get to my native village) I don’t remember if any of my friends/relatives or myself ever called the localities by their new names.

I have not heard of any such incident when even a member of a particular minority community was ever bashed up or threatened with dire consequences for talking of ‘Ali Nagar’ or ‘Urdu Bazar’ in place of ‘Arya Nagar’ and ‘Hindi Bazar’.

When I moved to Allahabad I found the city full of Colonial era names Clive Road, Thorn Hill Road, Church Lane, Stanley Road, Muir Road etc. Some new names came up like Maharishi Dayanand Marg but hardly anybody hires a rickshaw or auto-rickshaw asking him to take him to Maharishi Dayanand Marg. Leave the city streets apart nobody goes to Prayag (the old name of Allahabad) but he or she goes to Allahabad. If one is to refer to Prayag in Allahabad a particular locality named Prayag crosses the mind.
Mumbai progressed and flourished even if it was known as Bombay and it became financial capital of the country.

If we are going to dump the old name are we going to dump its progress also that the city achieved during the period when it was known as Bombay? Are we going to erase the word from all the film songs in which the city has been referred to as Bombay? Should we not allow people to get used to new name Mumbai in course of time while using the new name repeatedly on documents/ railway reservation forms/ air tickets and in correspondence?

Are we making the city a progressive one by intimidating people to use its new name or else……

Sunday 13 September 2009

Columbus to America via bachelorhood

The following is the SMS received on my cellphone from a friend. Read this and laugh.You are at will to add some more questions to the list.

"If Columbus had been married he might have never discovered America because.....
Where are u going?
With whom?
How are u going?
To discover what?
Why only u?
What do I do when u r not here?
Can I come?
Coming back when?
Dinner ghat per hi khaoge?
Mere liye kya laoge?"

Wednesday 2 September 2009

Mindboggling questions

The following questions came from a reader of my blog. This is mindboggling to me. Pls try, if you can, giving the answers:

1. What goes up and down stairs without moving?
2. Give it food and it will live; give it water and it will die.
3. What can you catch but not throw?
4. I run, yet I have no legs. What am I?
5. Take one out and scratch my head, I am now black but once was red.
6. Remove the outside, cook the inside, eat the outside, throw away the inside.
7. What goes around the world and stays in a corner?
8. What gets wetter the more it dries?
9. The more there is, the less you see.
10. They come at night without being called and are lost in the day without being stolen.
11. What kind of room has no windows or doors?
12. I have holes on the top and bottom. I have holes on my left and on my right. And I have holes in the middle, yet I still hold water. What am I?
13. I look at you, you look at me, I raise my right, you raise your left. What is this object?
14. It has no top or bottom but it can hold flesh, bones, and blood all at the same time. What is this object?
15. The more you take the more you leave behind.
16. Light as a feather, there is nothing in it; the strongest man can't hold it for much more than a minute.
17. As I walked along the path I saw something with four fingers and one thumb, but it was not flesh, fish, bone, or fowl.
18. What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps?
19. I went into the woods and got it, I sat down to seek it, I brought it home with me because I couldn't find it.
20. What can fill a room but takes up no space?
21. It is weightless, you can see it, and if you put it in a barrel it will make the barrel lighter?
22. No sooner spoken than broken. What is it?
23. Only two backbones and thousands of ribs.
24. Four jolly men sat down to play, And played all night till the break of day. They played for cash and not for fun, With a separate score for every one. When it came time to square accounts, They all had made quite fair amounts. Now, not one has lost and all have gained, Tell me, now, this can you explain?
25. Jack and Jill are lying on the floor inside the house, dead. They died from lack of water. There is shattered glass next to them. How did they die?
26. Why don't lobsters share?
27. A barrel of water weighs 20 pounds. What must you add to it to make it weigh 12 pounds?28. Big as a biscuit, deep as a cup, Even a river can't fill it up. What is it?
29. Clara Clatter was born on December 27th, yet her birthday is always in the summer. How is this possible?
30. He has married many women but has never married. Who is he?
31. If a rooster laid a brown egg and a white egg, what kind of chicks would hatch?
32. If you have it, you want to share it. If you share it, you don't have it. What is it?
33. You can't keep this until you have given it.
34. Take off my skin, I won't cry, but you will. What am I?
35. What book was once owned by only the wealthy, but now everyone can have it? You can't buy it in a bookstore or take it from the library.
36. What can go up and come down without moving?
37. What do you fill with empty hands?
38. What do you serve that you can't eat?
39. What do you throw out when you want to use it but take in when you don't want to use it?40. What goes up and never comes down?
41. What has a foot on each side and one in the middle?
42. What has to be broken before it can be used?
43. What kind of coat can be put on only when wet?
44. What question can you never answer "yes" to?
45. What's the greatest worldwide use of cowhide?
46. Which is correct to say, "The yolk of the egg are white?" or "The yolk of the egg is white?"
47. You answer me, although I never ask you questions. What am I?

Saturday 22 August 2009

Jaswant SINGH


Whenever I think of Sardar Patel his caste never comes to my mind. In fact, Sardar Patel or any leader with towering personality ceases to be a member from any caste or community. He or she is simply a great personality, not confined to shackles of caste and creed.

But the recent development in the BJP rather storm over the book on Mohammed Ali Jinnah which has mention of Sardar Patel too in it as responsible for partition of the country has led to some interesting analysis in a section of media. The conclusion drawn is Thakurs influence in the politics is on the wane and also that in the war of Thakur vs Thakur it is the Thakur 'kaum' which is at the receiving end.

Jaswant Singh who wrote the book and Rajnath Singh who took action against him are both are thakurs or Rajput in a more refined expression. Rajnath Singh is said to be under tremendous pressure to show he has some authority in the party. There is little likelihood of his retaining his post after January, 2010 after the organisational elections.

There are other leaders too in politics, as media analysis goes on, who are not enjoying the heyday in Indian politics. In Samajvadi Party, once the blue eyed boy of the SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav Amar Singh is still recovering from his illness. He is already facing a lot of heat from inside the party for his proximity to Yadav. In the Congress, Arjun Singh era is almost gone. Digvijay Singh seemed to be enjoying a comfortable position after the party' recovery of the sort in the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh as he happens to be in charge of the state but there Rita Bahuguna Joshi has now stolen the limelight with her fiery attack against UP Chief Minister Mayawati. Now, Brahmins whose massive support to BSP earned the party clear majority in Vidhan Sahba seem to be rallying behind Joshi or this is what the Congress is planning to see.

Natwar Singh who embraced the SP after his exit from the Congress is nowhere in the scene.

In Madhya Pradesh another Thakur has lost his charm after Lok Sabha elections. The party's poor performance in Lok Sabha elections as compared to 2004 polls has eclipsed the image of Narendra Singh Tomar. He is also not likely to retain his seat the next year. Another Thakur Rampal Singh is also looking for political rehabilitation after defeat in a row in State Assembly election and Lok Sabha elections.

As the media's analysis goes on it remains to be seen how the Thakurs return with the bang to the political centrestage. It also remains to be seen how my friend MP Singh reacts to these developments.

Will the time come when we stop looking at the things without the prism of caste?

Sunday 9 August 2009

Nature and development




A visit to Kolar dam on Saturday filled me with thrill and excitement. The nature's beauty lies in bounty in the forest and reservoir, the lifeline for Bhopal, as Bhopal people get drinking water from the reservoir also apart from the upper lake.

Sometime back, a senior journalist sounded upset on seeing the Mall culture thriving in the cities. He asked why did we talk of concrete structures only when we talked of development. He also asked if we were really following any planned development theory. A building here and a building there. An office here an office there. A shopping complex here and a shopping complex there. So on and so forth.

I could realise his agony. I also believe in a planned development. To me, a civilised society can make a big progress in the lap of nature also.

Destroying the nature means denying ourselves the invaluable shield of nature what the God has gifted to us and what cannot be created artificially.

However, we have to strike a balance between development and the nature or in other words nature and development has to go together.

I cannot imagine a life isolated in forest devoid of roads, power, education institutions, health facilities etc. But I cannot imagine a life either fully soaked in modernity with no nature around.

That Madhya Pradesh's Shivraj Singh Chouhan cabinet chose a 'forest' at Kolar dam to hold its meeting and discuss the state's 'development' with a renewed zeal stemming from the nature's beauty abound at the site corroborates my point that development and nature have to complement each other.

Thursday 30 April 2009

Voting experience


One of my strong desires has been to get my name see in the voters list and be a 'jimmedar' shahari of the nation. Watching the election affairs from across the fence was like, what I thought, tasting the coffee from a table away from the coffee pot placed on another table.

But it appeared to me so cumbersome a process that, frankly speaking, I shuddered in taking a pro-active step in getting myself enrolled till I had a helping hand from senior journalist and politician Ratan Dixit in Allahabad to get the journalists in Allahabad to get their voter ID cards and get their names added to the voters list.

Gleefully, many a journalist including myself lined up to get ourselves photographed at the Public Relations Office, Allahabad, the thing specially arranged for us. Certainly a big smile was on our faces, for we were soon going to be proud owner of voters I Card which was to remind us for long in future of our duties of a 'jimmedar shahri' to the nation. I kept on waiting for the I-card. Months passed and so the years. I inquired about the same but the card never came.

Frankly admitting I was at fault too as I did not take a pro-active step in pursuing the authorities and obtaining the card. The reason being, which may be dubbed as a lame excuse as well, I had to move regularly to rural areas first for coverage of elections at the time of almost every election.

When I came to Bhopal the urge of being a jimmedar shahari in me once again called me upon to get my wife and my name enrolled as voters. One of my office colleagues and myself once even went to the collectorate too to inquire how to get forms and where to be submitted. We got forms from there also which were to be filled at the time of voters lists revision.

Not to let the chance go this time I took two forms from the government perosonnel who came in my colony for survey. My wife and I filled the forms and submitted it to the office concerned by the specified time. We were on the cloud nine when we received our voter ID Cards. Obviously, my joy and excitement had no bounds. But soon the taste of the sweetness turned sour. There were mistakes galore in the cards. I had become 'Rajat Kumar' in place of 'Ranjan Kumar'. Address was wrongly mentioned too.

Unflinching in my commitment in being the proud owner of the voter I-card I was ready to go extra miles. I obtained the forms for correction of mistakes, filled it up and submitted it. We received our new cards. I cannot explain in words how privileged we felt in standing in the queue for casting our votes at the time of assembly elections in November, 2008. After casting our votes we thought we performed our duties of responsible citizens after a long time. This gave a sense of relief and pride in us.

In the same mood we proceeded again to cast our 'valuable' votes in Lok Sabha elections this year. Exuding confidence I asked the political party workers to give our voters slips, at a party's voters assistance booth. After putting in some effort they succeeded in finding my wife's name along with her blurred photo. But much to my surprise, my name was missing, not to say of my photograph. I was at fault again that I relied too much on the government machinery and got relaxed. I should have checked the voters list to see if my name was still there.

Though I missed the opportunity of casting my vote I still have the sense of satisfaction that my card is there with me. At least my wife could cast her vote. For which party????? Why should I tell you?

Team work


I never had an iota of doubt that a team work can do wonders particularly in a crisis situation. My belief came true and the impact of teamwork was reflected in full measure when a crisis hit my colleague Manish Dixit. He hardly knew and so did we, all his colleagues, that his life was in peril when he was admitted to Parul Hospital in Bhopal in an ailing condition. Soon we found, much to our disbelief, that he was battling for his life.

It was Manish's frantic voice in a timely call to our colleague Sravani Sarkar who immediately got in touch with Dr Padmakar Tripathi seeking his urgent help. It was great of Dr Tripathi to give a ring to Manish and his choked voice on phone conveyed gravity of his condition to a seasoned doctor what Dr Tripathi is.

Instead of giving a tip or two or advising Manish to go to some nearby hospital, what many a doctor would like to do in such a sitution while being preoccupied with their business, Dr Tripathi rushed to his house and took him to the Hospital.

To make matters worse Manish's wife Reena Dixit who rushed to the hospital with her husband to take care of him, found herself afflicted by the same disease what Manish was affected by. She had to be admitted in the same ICU. That was not all. Manish's elder son Yash was also diagonsed to be suffering from similar disease who did not complain much about his sufferings seeing his parents in a bad shape. Rather, he chose to suffer in silence.

Much to our worry Manish condition did not show any sign of improvement. He had a lot of difficulty in breathing. The doctors advice was to shift him to any super speciality hospital in Delhi or Mumbai. Air ambulance was needed. But a seasoned doctor Dr NP Mishra advised against his being shifted to Delhi in such a critical condition. Shifting Manish to a local hospital was the only choice. He was then shifted to National Hospital.

Here came support from many. Besides the HT team members led by Resident Editor NK Singh our ex-bureau chief Abhilash Khandekar rushed to the hospital on knowing about his critical condition.There seemed to be help and prayers for Manish's life pouring in from various quarters.The bylines policy implementation seems to have gone haywire once again. Manish's wife and son looked comparatively better. That was a solace to us in the crisis situation.

With the hard work of doctors who include Dr NP Mishra, Dr Pankaj Agarwal, Dr PK Pandey, Dr Sanjay Tandon, Dr PK Agarwal and above all timely help from Dr Padmakar Tripathi Manish is smiling today and working among us. There are several others including Manish relations who did their best to see that the family did not feel alone in its struggle against odds.

What I intend to convey through this piece is the importance of team work. The team stood by the family like a rock arranging many things in time. Literally, everybody chipped in.

What I realise intensely and I get horrified over the thought that delay of merely a couple of hours at the initial stage would have been proved fatal for Manish as said the doctors. Of course, everything fell in place because the God was with us.

This crisis left many questions unanswered before me. Do we really extend such a helping hand to somebody who falls sick in our neighbourhood? Do we really behave like a team in the society when such a crisis hits anyone in our neighbourhood? What do happen to those from the weaker class who cannot arrange good amount of money in time and don't have access to private hospitals or seasoned doctors?