The other day I saw the ad of IDEA Cellular featuring Abhishek Bacchhan....where he changes the way all the people in the village address each other ...from names to numbers...I was just thinking on the possible outcomes if this system was actually implemented....
Might sound funny but it can have interesting implications on the way our society functions.Imagine I were not Rachana Dekhtawala but 997******* and my younger sister was 987*******.Well as usual my thoughts ran helter skelter on this issue...
How nice it would be to live in a society where we were not discriminated by names,caste,religion...Dont we first make conclusions about a persons caste ,religion and so on ,on knowing his name...So if we were addressed by numbers that problem would be solved...We would be forced to judge a person by his qualities and not his roots...
Admissions to schools,colleges would be strictly on merit.If no one knows what caste he was born in,which religion he belongs to,no reservation can take place...right??That would be so nice...A world without names would be a world free from prejudices,a world free from discrimination...judgements would be based on qualities and not background...
No fights among Gurjar community in Rajasthan and no inter-community fights between Sikhs...No terrorism based on religion and no frustration among the student community over quotas...In a nutshell...there would be equal opportunities for all...Life would be simpler....
Is'nt it high time we realise that in a competitive world reservation harms both the beneficiary and the victim?...So in the above mentioned system,even the so-called Backward Classes would make an effort to come Forward because in a world without names and surnames,no-one knows which caste he belongs to...
Anyways there is no point in living in your dream...Life cannot be lived in a dream...Reality is what counts at the end of the day...and the reality is that our country will continue to run on the wheels of reservation...reservations in education,job and reservations in our mind...over caste,religion,colour...
There is little we can do about political reservation but yes... mental reservations can be done without...Lets try!!!!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
ON A HOLIDAY WITH DAD...
PART-III-THE RETURN & MY REFLECTIONS!!!
May 23rd 2008,around 8.15 pm at Amritsar station-we got one of the most shocking news...After the wonderful experience at Wagah border as we moved towards Amritsar station we thought that once we board the Golden Temple Express we shall peacefully start our return journey and after a day and a half finally reach Mumbai-the place where we were longing to be!!!But there was something different instore for us...
Upon reaching Amritsar station we got the news that due to the Gurjar community protests at Rajasthan our train will not move beyond New Delhi..Lol...Sometimes God listens to you when you least expect it...And sometimes you just keep praying and praying...but your prayers are unheard...Whatever the matter...I have learnt one thing from my personal experiences...HE knows your interest better that even you do...So let's continue to have faith on him and let him exercise his discretion...After all we are HIS children and he will not be able to see us in pain for a long time....
So Delhi station at 6.30 am next day was a big centre of chaos and confusion..People running around for getting their tickets cancelled ,crowding at the reservation window to ask for an alternative arrangement and all this gave us a feel of the lack of arrangement and dearth of systematic processes which tha railway station of our capital suffers from..Moreover we wanted to cancel a ticket booked online by a credit card and somehow this simple task seemed like rocket science to our railway officials...
After a lot of confusion and running around we finally managed to complete the cancellation process..I would like to mention here the co-operation of an uncle of mine whom we incidently met in the train both during our start and return journey...We were incidently in the same train in our start journey (Mumbai to Nizamuddin) as well and we never expected that this person was god-sent to us...My belief that god sends the problem and solution in the same package got strengthened that day...He did most of the running around for us ,booked air tickets for us and also went to the extent of accompanying us to the airport and left only after ensuring that we check in...And finally we reached Mumbai on Saturday one day before schedule...That was the end of a holiday..and more than that a memorable journey....
MY REFLECTIONS
In many ways the journey from Banganga to Bhawan and subsequently Bhairavnath is representative of life.Just like our life it is difficult,tiring,exhausting for most of the people...who decide to walk it up there..Lot of conviction and belief in the destination is required...Because climbing up a path is not easy..Yeah for some of us it becomes easier if we hire some mode of transport..But for those who want to tread the path independently....without any help whatsoever...it's no doubt a herculean task...
Adhkuwari has a lot of significance..It represents a place where your patience is tested...And from here you decide the further course of action...This place represents all those junctures of life where you have to take a decision...whatever may be the area...education,career,marriage...It's one place where you have to come,halt,see the situation around you, assess your own strengths and weaknesses and the opportunities and threats of the environment and chalk out a clear path for the way ahead.Should I wait here ,pass through the cave or be satisfied with it's holy sight and move ahead???Doesn't life sometimes ask us similar questions???
It's here that our paths are split from those of the people who were hitherto with us...and new passengers join us...
It represents every time the journey of life takes a major turn and a transition takes place in life..
On the way there are several instances where you have the option of either going the long way by the straight road or take the difficult way of steps which demands more energy but less time.Something similar to this happens when we are faced with a situation of a trade-off between taking the requisite time and achieving the objective with ease or choosing the fast track which requires us to go that extra bit...push a little more....
Bhawan ofcourse represents the goal we all aspire to achieve,the destination we all crave ro reach...It may mean different things for different people...Bhawan represents success...which manifests itself in different forms for different people...money,love,friends,family,success,desire for social good...But what is common is the keen desire within each of us to reach Bhawan..and the happiness which we get on reaching.
Once we achieve the goal we aspire to fulfill the dream...to put a final conclusion to the happiness..What we then crave for is self-actualisation...And that is what the Bhairavnath represents (atleast to me).Since I didnt go there I may not be able to express the actual emoceans attached with that place...But for me Bhairavnath is like self-actalisation on Maslow's hierarchy...Thats why these 2kms beyond Bhawan are the steepest and most difficult and require a lot of courage and determination...But that is what distinguishes a complete journey ( read life) from an incomplete one...
However in life unlike at Vaishnodevi,the challenge lies in identifying whether I am at Bhawan or Bhairavnath??...whether whatever I have achieved is accomplishment of my objective of fulfillment of my dream??.If it's only an objective accomplished then there is a further challenge in discovering what is Bhairavnath for me...??And here no one can help!!!Yeah once discovered there is a supreme power which helps...Call it Mataji,God,luck by whatever name you want...But the divine intervention exists...no one can deny it!!!
Think about it...JAIMATADI!!!
May 23rd 2008,around 8.15 pm at Amritsar station-we got one of the most shocking news...After the wonderful experience at Wagah border as we moved towards Amritsar station we thought that once we board the Golden Temple Express we shall peacefully start our return journey and after a day and a half finally reach Mumbai-the place where we were longing to be!!!But there was something different instore for us...
Upon reaching Amritsar station we got the news that due to the Gurjar community protests at Rajasthan our train will not move beyond New Delhi..Lol...Sometimes God listens to you when you least expect it...And sometimes you just keep praying and praying...but your prayers are unheard...Whatever the matter...I have learnt one thing from my personal experiences...HE knows your interest better that even you do...So let's continue to have faith on him and let him exercise his discretion...After all we are HIS children and he will not be able to see us in pain for a long time....
So Delhi station at 6.30 am next day was a big centre of chaos and confusion..People running around for getting their tickets cancelled ,crowding at the reservation window to ask for an alternative arrangement and all this gave us a feel of the lack of arrangement and dearth of systematic processes which tha railway station of our capital suffers from..Moreover we wanted to cancel a ticket booked online by a credit card and somehow this simple task seemed like rocket science to our railway officials...
After a lot of confusion and running around we finally managed to complete the cancellation process..I would like to mention here the co-operation of an uncle of mine whom we incidently met in the train both during our start and return journey...We were incidently in the same train in our start journey (Mumbai to Nizamuddin) as well and we never expected that this person was god-sent to us...My belief that god sends the problem and solution in the same package got strengthened that day...He did most of the running around for us ,booked air tickets for us and also went to the extent of accompanying us to the airport and left only after ensuring that we check in...And finally we reached Mumbai on Saturday one day before schedule...That was the end of a holiday..and more than that a memorable journey....
MY REFLECTIONS
In many ways the journey from Banganga to Bhawan and subsequently Bhairavnath is representative of life.Just like our life it is difficult,tiring,exhausting for most of the people...who decide to walk it up there..Lot of conviction and belief in the destination is required...Because climbing up a path is not easy..Yeah for some of us it becomes easier if we hire some mode of transport..But for those who want to tread the path independently....without any help whatsoever...it's no doubt a herculean task...
Adhkuwari has a lot of significance..It represents a place where your patience is tested...And from here you decide the further course of action...This place represents all those junctures of life where you have to take a decision...whatever may be the area...education,career,marriage...It's one place where you have to come,halt,see the situation around you, assess your own strengths and weaknesses and the opportunities and threats of the environment and chalk out a clear path for the way ahead.Should I wait here ,pass through the cave or be satisfied with it's holy sight and move ahead???Doesn't life sometimes ask us similar questions???
It's here that our paths are split from those of the people who were hitherto with us...and new passengers join us...
It represents every time the journey of life takes a major turn and a transition takes place in life..
On the way there are several instances where you have the option of either going the long way by the straight road or take the difficult way of steps which demands more energy but less time.Something similar to this happens when we are faced with a situation of a trade-off between taking the requisite time and achieving the objective with ease or choosing the fast track which requires us to go that extra bit...push a little more....
Bhawan ofcourse represents the goal we all aspire to achieve,the destination we all crave ro reach...It may mean different things for different people...Bhawan represents success...which manifests itself in different forms for different people...money,love,friends,family,success,desire for social good...But what is common is the keen desire within each of us to reach Bhawan..and the happiness which we get on reaching.
Once we achieve the goal we aspire to fulfill the dream...to put a final conclusion to the happiness..What we then crave for is self-actualisation...And that is what the Bhairavnath represents (atleast to me).Since I didnt go there I may not be able to express the actual emoceans attached with that place...But for me Bhairavnath is like self-actalisation on Maslow's hierarchy...Thats why these 2kms beyond Bhawan are the steepest and most difficult and require a lot of courage and determination...But that is what distinguishes a complete journey ( read life) from an incomplete one...
However in life unlike at Vaishnodevi,the challenge lies in identifying whether I am at Bhawan or Bhairavnath??...whether whatever I have achieved is accomplishment of my objective of fulfillment of my dream??.If it's only an objective accomplished then there is a further challenge in discovering what is Bhairavnath for me...??And here no one can help!!!Yeah once discovered there is a supreme power which helps...Call it Mataji,God,luck by whatever name you want...But the divine intervention exists...no one can deny it!!!
Think about it...JAIMATADI!!!
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About Me
- Rachana
- I AM A STUDENT OF A SCHOOL CALLED LIFE AND EVERYDAY IS AS ENJOYABLE AS A PICNIC AND AS CHALLENGING AS AN EXAM!!!!!! Rachana thats my name..... hey I am a student but dont ask my roll number..hehehe... Someone as unique and as ordinary as anyone else...Poetess in words and at heart...Just completed my MBA and would start working from June...Blogging and cooking are 2 interests which I am recently developing and must say am enjoying every bit of both..coz both give me a great feeling of contentment and satisfaction ...Very close to my family and a few friends who are like family...Have had a few enriching experiences in my life and am looking forward to more as my career takes a headstart in the next month...