Know Your Neighbourhood…

21st century woke up with the dawn of extraordinary inventions and also horrendous issues within the society, environment and economy. Where does the right solution lie? INDIA has enough financial resources to empower the poor section! We do not lack infrastructure and arrangements to bring up the problems on the board!

India today, does not seem to be unable to deal with the serious issues we have! Our NGOs, our wealthy industries and businesses, the pool of young, intelligent & talented population and increasing awareness through media and technologies – these are the few of those able sources which can make a difference. Having said that, what can the individuals do?

It is more appropriate to touch upon some questions than answering them right now, because most of us may not think enough about it! Are we Mahatma? I guess, no. Are we Abraham Lincoln? Are we Dalai Lama? No, we are common people with constrained ability, access and power to the resources which does not motivate our intensions and turn our inner zeal into practice. But there is something we all have and that something we do not know. We could be no different than any great personality only if we identify our own ability though limited.

Watering the roots should make the tree grow up and high! Roots have to be very strong to survive a long life. Three major institutions of the society, family, schools-colleges and friends-family (let us call it ‘the neighbourhood’). I have to acknowledge one of my acquaintances who helped me to vocalize this word which was roaming inside of me somewhere! Families pour the substantial values, schools and colleges teach public behaviour and manners whereas what is more important is NEIGHBOURHOOD which remains with us, keeps changing us for the major part of our lives. Hence the first thing is to be aware what is happening around us and then to think of doing something about it!

How can a business/IT professional make a difference? How can an accountant who is just making his/her livelihood, help someone in day-to-day life? Apparently, these people may have least time to spare to conduct a camp, to volunteer in a public service or to join a protest against injustice. As said, there are organisations and nowadays corporate social responsibilities to do that. We all are small time people with our little ability to help others. But often we help a person who meets with an accident on a street, who needs a quick lift to somewhere, who needs a little help with their electric fuse and many other ways.

We apply our hands when we get confronted by our own swoon values or our human responsibilities. We hardly know that what our neighbours are up to! We least know about their profession, their views about others or us, their interests and sort of problems they face in public life. Technically speaking, a piece of information is always helpful! Knowing about your neighbourhood can solve a lot of issues itself. A computer professional can fix someone’s minor problem in minutes! Two neighbours have to travel long to work but their offices are so close to each other, can share a car while going to work every day – which eventually saves money and precious fuel on this earth. There can be so many other major things as well which can be worked out! So again, it is about being aware of neighbourhood and being proactive to know.

Recently, some religious issues got surfaced regarding acquiring a residence in Mumbai and also in Ahmedabad.  Most people do prefer to live in equated communities and we do resist residents from other cast, religion and even language. Again, when we do not know much about our neighbours we know WRONG about them! What do we know about Muslim or Jain religion? Most of us can only give the name of their prophet and their holy book! We wouldn’t know more than this and still we have strong presumptions about their religious practices. Our most opinions are based on incomplete information and our resistive attitude. We are far too busy in blaming government and authorities. One of the recent movies, YEH MERA INDIA (YMI) did try to convey a simple and basic message which is still very deep and worth understanding. There are always good things and bad things; it is up to us what we remember. Resisting the human nature, which is more intolerant about negative things, is the foremost thing we could consider.

Knowing about your surroundings may lead you to be a little helpful to others and there is no university of social services, NGO or public bodies you have to go to. I trust our humane instinct that with some more awareness about the people next door will surely do wonders!

Amen…

Visit  www.snehism.com to view the site.

Online Communities – Trends and Threats!

Facebook is looking very slow these days! It could be a slight downfall as human interests change frequently! If something’s thrown quickly against FB it might click!

One more reason: Compared to Indian visitors (4,063,300) there are far more users in western countries like US (83,558,820) and UK (20,247,300). And all these majority users are busier during August to Pre-December! Approaching deadlines of projects before Christmas… And hence, may get less time for hanky dolly! I have seen significant fall in status updates, useless messages like “I m cleaning my room today!” etc. Facebook is on rank 31 in best 50 sites of 2009! Guess who is on top… Flickr.com.

Facebook is looking very slow these days! It could be a slight downfall as human interests change frequently! If something’s thrown quickly against FB it might click to the users and can go places!

One more reason is that compared to Indian visitors (4,063,300) there are far more users in western countries like US (83,558,820) and UK (20,247,300). And all these majority users are busier during August to Pre-December! Approaching deadlines of projects before Christmas… And hence, may get less time for hanky dolly! I have seen significant fall in status updates, useless messages like “I m cleaning my room today!” etc. Facebook is on rank 31 in best 50 sites of 2009! Guess who is on top?… Flickr.com. Twitter is way on top in this ranking compared to Facebook.

Facebook activities also are more of an imitation of friends or contacts. Well, it is all about following each other and forming a community! But still a thin line is surfacing between imitation and following. Offline (a new word for the “real world”) friends have got new place to meet and share things, Facebook! Friends, people in relation, husband & wife, mom-dad, siblings – all these relations are getting a new dimension through this online world of sharing and caring! Unknowingly, a lot is happening around those tangible comments, pictures and connections! A new sense of jealousy, rivalry, imitation and unhealthy competition is spreading. Some are competing for more friends on the list, some are jealous of their friend’s ability to exploit FB apps to show new creations and there are some who just follow the activities because their friends are doing it!

We still are not aware of the time bomb we are sitting on! These micro and macro level oscillations of emotions, rivalry and imitations are becoming the strength of the online world. The amount of information in various forms they hold, the accumulation will create a dangerous diagram of our lifestyles. Being with Google, they have your emails through GMail, your documents through Google Docs, your location and map activities through Google Maps, your schedules through Google Calendar, your sites through Google Site and many more. A common user may not realize this fact but going ahead with all these community sites and live update of your lives will take a certain level of control on your activities!

It will be a bit early to say anything more, and rather we just keep this thought in mind while embracing anything online!

More on me @ www.snehism.com

Don’t beat our own “Slumdog”!

Criticizing “Slumdog Millionaire” is a new status symbol! If you want to get heard, criticize something which is popular and successful. Perception lying behind this criticism doesn’t have profound arguments, I believe. There are a few remarks I have heard so far (even from those who have not watched the movie), “Is it fair to portray India as a country of poor and criminals?”, “Do these western countries want to display India as a third world country and they always like to see us as Third World?”, “Does the Oscar get attracted to the movies about India, where there is poverty and crime?” and finally my own question, “Is the Oscars a benchmark?”

Plenty of questions for a single British movie by a British Director but well contributed by “excellent” actors from bollywood itself, beautiful music by an award winning music director, an ace lyricist, including Indian origin British in lead role “Jamal”, Dev Patel. I have more than one reasons to feel proud. Apart from that, I think the film has served the purpose of visual media to send a message across and to penetrate some thinking into sleeping minds. I would rather consider this drift as a process for ripening some maturity over such issues. Hollywood makes hundreds of movies regarding crime, mafia, trafficking or even terrorism in North and South America. They have made movies like ‘Blood Diamond’ based on African insane situation, poverty and crime. They are extra violent and sometimes not even watchable! Although, it is not always based on reality, more often it’s a brainchild of a director or a writer. Even while making a film on a true story, film makers do take liberties to inject their imaginations. Hence, I see it as a film recorded by a foreigner when he saw something he doesn’t really know and he is quite interested in! I never missed a chance to take at least a picture in my phone camera if I found a dirty street in London. And I think this is far more artistic representation of Indian slums, the life style and the problems they face, specially in Mumbai.

Rather, I see it as a story of a wonderful kid, who plays around in dirty water where near her mother his washing clothes and who is extremely happy. It is about that sensitive kid who wants to give a roof to a little girl who is orphan and homeless, getting wet in hard rain and still he wanted to obey his elder brother not to invite anyone under their shelter. It is about an innocent kid who was exploited and was forced to beg on streets by a few villains of the society. It is about that loving kid who was discomforted and worried for not being able to take her girl on the train while escaping. It is about a guy who loves that girl for all those years when he couldn’t even see her! It is about that honest “Jamal” who learned a lot of things while serving ‘chai’ to the call center employees. It about a lover, who is ready to run away with his love of life over any odds he would have to face. It is about that ‘chaiwala’ who fortunately get a chance to take part in a game show which co-incidentally bring him all those questions where he visualizes his whole life in front of his eyes over each new question. The film is all about those filmy things, which make us laugh, which make us cry and at the end which make us smile to a happy ending.

The film is soothening to heart, where all these human elements – nature of happiness, sensitivity, innocence, love, brotherhood and most importantly the willing desire to live and accept life as it comes in spite of all odds! I did not see any big dreams in the eyes of Jamal, and neither does he pass any day dreaming hopes to those poor people. At the first point, this movie is made for us, who are having no idea about those lives. I don’t think anyone from those slums would prefer to watch SM if he/she would be having hundred bucks! They would rather watch Chandni Chowk! So there is no harm! Now, it is up to us, if we put our HANDS on noses as it is too stinky or we make them dirty for some social and physical cleaning!!!

I do not deny having need of at least little critical view for every media work, we have a real picture in front of us. Slums like the ones shown in movie, do exist in India. It is hard core reality! And it was definitely a saddening experience to see such poverty but it is making me think about “what can be done?” Otherwise, it is all a glam business that who got nominated in Oscars and who will be winning awards.

As a lady from UK, Christina challenged Ahmedabad people for city’s cleanliness and as an answer hundreds pour on the streets to clean the public roads, let’s think about sustaining these people who live in slums, giving them people a better life, better place to stay, education and employment! I know that sitting here in a chair, posting blogs is easier – but the sensitivity and basic thinking may lead you and may encourage you some day to take a step out of the box.

Urbanization Backfires!

The commercial capital and the city in center, Ahmedabad is getting all the glitters and revamp. Roads, junctions, buildings and public places are rejuvenated over the last few weeks following the Vibrant Gujarat’s international investors’ summit. Would it have happened for the citizens of Ahmedabad in order to provide civil services? I strongly do not think so. I buy the idea that we hide those dirty table and broken shoe rack when we invite guests at our place, but we don’t lose the priorities of our family needs. The areas of the city, which were not likely to be touched by these visitors are still in despair. No one to look at those even! Anyway, this was just to make a way to the following points.

“In the past six months, Modi has spent Rs.750 crore of State money on propaganda – equivalent to the amount Gujarat spends on social welfare and nutrition in a year.” Dionne Bunsha says in his recent article in Frontline, from the publishers of Hindu

Surat, the city of diamonds, sends out 80% of diamonds being used in jewelry in all over the world. Out of 250-300 diamonds factories with more than 2500 grinders, there are only 15 functional. We may just flip a page over a headline of a suicide but there have been 80 in last 2 months and most of them are either diamond workers or their family members. Earning a sufficient living for family is now standing in queue for relief. BECAUSE, perhaps we do not know how to live in a villages and remain in villages. There is no eligibility or courage I might have to say this, but it does at least leave me with a lot questions. The blind migration (URBANIZATION) over easy jobs without having any qualification or any special skills. Thousands left villages, left well settled farming practices and ended up in these “not forever” diamonds. I see it more as the disconnection with the soil, seeds and the dust at the cost of making those artificial beauty objects. I think, no one wants dirty and scruffy hands at the end of the day.

State Government spent 750 crore rupees to provide A-class cars, 5 star accommodations and luxurious services to the investors, and there are queues of diamond workers to get welfare relief. After the discomforting communal divide which has rooted some very downbeat feelings within thousands of hearts (I use ‘thousands’ as out of millions, I doubt that there is much sensitivity in the people of Gujarat regarding these issues.) and the huge distance between the rich and poor, it’s the intensive time of disparity between rural and urban, specially at the time of global melt-down!

“Some get roads to glide and some, a death-ride!”

There is a lot to be heard about villages and victims of our social imbalance, please read on Dionne Bunsha: http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2424/stories/20071221508312900.htm

We Do Not Need GUJCOC!

Although I witness these issues closely around us, in my state Gujarat, in India, I closely relate this to each country, each society and community. The increased violence through out the world is the biggest concern.

Could any law or could any police stop a person who decides to kill himself to kill other people? No. Gujarat government is insisting on implementing GUJCOC, a proposition of an anti-terrorism law. Mr. Modi did not have time to educate people about GUJCOC because he has been very busy in preaching for writing post cards to the Prime Minister to advocate GUJCOC. It seems, only one person would decide what “sada 5 karod ni janta” should do.

I call this person as a man with the metal chest; Lawyer Anand Yagnik has shown the excellent example how to be in complete senses regarding political happenings and policy making from which normal people are alienated. (Ahmedabad Mirror, 26 September 2008 | “Do we need GUJCOC or a collective will to respond?”) He has tried to bring in this issue in the best possible way that people can understand GUJCOC and decide themselves that is it really needed? In further, it also doesn’t seem to be a law to control terrorists as the definition of organized crime (for which GUJCOC is proposed) is quite contradictory from what terrorists do. As per the Statement of Object given by Gujarat Government, “The organized crime has been for quite some years now come up as a very serious threat boundaries and is fuelled by illegal wealth generation by contract killing, extortion, smuggling in contrabands, illegal trade in narcotics, kidnappings for ransom, collection of protection money and money laundering etc.” Give it a thought; do terrorists want to do these killings for wealth generation? Do they place bombs for extortion or is this contract killing? Poor reasons!

Now let us put some light on provisions of GUJCOC (As Anand Yagnik brought them for us):

·         Every offence punishable under GUJCOC is cognizable

·         No Anticipatory Bail

·         Provision of bail is excessively stringent so as to keep accused behind the bars for a substantial period of time without trial

·         Confession made before Superintendent of Police is admissible evidence irrespective of how much an accused is tortured

·         Valid intercepted communication is also admissible evidence

·         An accused can be kept in the police custody for up to 60 days

·         The failure of police to charge sheet an accused does not create a technical ground for bail

·         Special courts permitted to have summary trials

·         Protection for witnesses

·         Property of the accused on a reasonable ground liable to be forfeited

There are two affecting factors of GUJCOC. First is the Statement of Object from state government. The definition of organized crime and actual terrorist activities are quite different. Let us come back to that core issue after we get to know powers and authorities requested in GUJCOC for the police.

Each of the provisions can easily be abused by the authority and we know how much we can rely on government and police authorities!!! Keeping an accused in custody for uncertain time up to 60 days, no bail, no trial and tortured confession is evidence; it is questionable if these clauses are not violating the human rights. Apparently, they are insisting on more power over society by proposing this law. The initial picture suggests that GUJCOC is needed to target some particular people and community and making them easy targets with the name of law. Well Done! Even if it is not so, then it is an apparent threat to each citizen. Who knows if your son, your brother would be taken to custody without any reason, just on the basis of suspicion!? We may not feel secure in our home, in our own city.

Now go back to the long term concern, as a few brutal minds are spreading terror and targeting innocent lives, anytime anywhere without any glitch. Again, can hard laws stop these people? I don’t think so. This is no more a matter of crime, violence and police. It has gone far out of the reach of law and order. Have we ever realized and related these incidents with naxalism? Although unpopular, it is a modern way to fight for existence and self-respect. The actors of recent incidents claim this as a revenge of Gujarat riots of 2002. Yes, revenge itself is immoral. But how long and how much one can tolerate? Terrorism is not a monopoly of Laden anymore. This is the age of home grown groups who drive these bomb campaigns from one city to other, another characteristic of naxalism! We may not be aware of the complete truth, but we can see what is clearly apparent. We have chosen not to see and not to consider some aspects of it, but in this case ignorance is sinful. We cannot undo what has happen; we also can’t keep blaming and keep moaning about the injustice prevailed and also that how legal authorities applied its stamp on it recently. Let us forget and forgive all those people who wore knives and swords as ornaments and danced over blood of thousands.

Society starts from home and the strongest instincts get developed in a child from its own family. Family is the most important and primary institution of a person in his social life. Parents do have to pour in right values in children from the beginning. Not only skills of singing, dancing and drawing are the parameters of a better person. We have to develop better citizen because after being a student for a few years, a person lives rest of her/his life as a citizen in the social context. How strong and how determined is this citizen who would never involve in such activities? How could a bunch of people preach us and overshadow our learning of life, which we received from our parents, schools and colleges? This is what we need to learn and teach. If they preach for revenge and killings, why can’t we teach to forget and forgive? Why can’t we teach to accept others? There are endless conflicts in diverse communities, from among the countries to families. But we have to live with it, as we live in our own families.

Let us start afresh. Let us concentrate on our own selves and find out, do we contain any bit of such poison within us? If yes, you really need a treatment. Open eyes and open arms, a lot would get better. If we see it real, it is real. We have to support and be with those people and communities who are suffering the most. To blame is easier, to give a hand of courage is what does matter!

We do not implement rule of stick if our child, our brother or sister is being stubborn, violent and out of control. We always keep patience and try to nurture them.

I would like to present this as a petition and want to know and show that we really don’t need GUJCOC! Please leave your name, email address and also your comments in order to sign this petition. Also forward this if you feel it is worth preventing our state from ghost of GUJCOC.

Crying Paragraph From A Novel Called ‘Services’

 

“Apne desh ka kuch nahi ho sakta!” (Nothing would happen to our country). The most popular, most common and proudly pronounced catch up line among almost every street corner debates. Whether they are fresh collegians, newly qualified graduates, highly skilled and established professionals or whitely attired politicians, dissatisfaction from the country comes out loud from every mouth. We certainly need to come over this lousy thought. We certainly need to look out of the window now. We need to know the facts by comparing.

I had this intense thought to address this issue while sitting in an underground train I just initiated at the same time. “I have lived in London for three years. Initially I was a foreigner for this country but now I am a lot into the things. I have earned experiences and learned the jobs. I have used from basic to leisure services in this country. I have enjoyed and I have endured. So this is what I need to address about. SERVICES! I have got mixed experiences with the service sector in United Kingdom.”

Starting with the first and essential basic service, Transport. Train service of London, London Underground as it is better known locally, is famous in all over the world. They have got these iconic red double deckers, splendid black cabs and trams as well running in all over the city. The fares of underground and buses have risen nearly 25% in only two years. But the service is getting worse every other day. Appearance is the only thing which differs from Ahmedabad’s AMTS or Mumbai’s well known BEST or Local trains. The commuters might look decent and clean in their cashmere overcoats and jackets in comparison of our ordinarily clad, smelly commuters. The allover external impression is that it is an organized transport system. Yes, we cannot deny the crystal infrastructure of the transport system. But trains remain in tunnels for minutes, buses get terminated anywhere on your way. Single cab journey can buy a second hand scooter in India which can live your purpose of commuting. Weekend refurbishments, planned engineering works, reduced services, severe delays, track replacement, signal failures, disruptions, faulty trains, unavailability of staff and replacement services are the common news at every single underground station chart. And still what you pay is 20% of your income to the dedicated underground. The rail boss stays an inch higher from the ground than everything else, “Don’t expect a seat while short journeys (30 minutes)”, he suggests. “Get off the train if you fill it is crowded”. These are the advisable answers from the responsible and authorized person of London Transport! Congestion charges soar like never before. The motorists have to pay daily congestion charge (£8 per day) if they enter in the designated area called congestion zone of the Central London. So you don’t drive and you pay for public transport and which is bone-breaking for a normal commuter. It is always frustrating for any routine commuter to be late at work or anywhere just on account of Trains and Buses. God bless Briton’s “Read anything! Read anywhere!” habit!

Let’s see what Mobile & Internet providers do. You will find the best offers, the best gadgets and many goodies when you start your services with mobile or internet. You would even get virtually free starter packs. Everything is contracted so once your contract terms are overshadowed by the wonderful offers and freebies, you would start to realize slowly that what you are into! You will surely end up paying more than you would have ever expected. The promises of relentless services would look blurred. A small or serious problem in service may make you suffer for life. To assist you with your problem, there are hundreds of outlets or so called customer service centers of the provider on streets and malls but in most cases you would get the answer, “you will have to talk with customer service advisor on phone”. A physical person cannot resolve anything in front of you, and security reasons are the explanations. More worse happens when you call to customer services. They now describe themselves as information providers only. They can empathize, they can understand your problems, they can listen to your shouting and swearing but at the end, they say, “There is nothing I really can do about it!” You would never be able to speak to the relevant person who can resolve something in real time. Everything works on automated systems, and you would be queuing up to get answered or responded. Problems do occur, technology has got flaws and it is human to accept the problems and to wait for them to get resolved. But you would be left in dark that what is going on, you will just have to wait. Most of the people get fooled with technical terms and they think there is something really serious happening, as serious as ‘launching a space shuttle’. Sales people do anything to sell a ‘bell’ to anyone and rest becomes an ordeal for the customer. We have to be extra careful to understand the services we are going hire.

However, I am back in Ahmedabad for good and I have had some interesting occurrences being a social entity, I will have my hands and mouthful for very long to keep bringing the issues in light.

Introducing Nation State of BJP

The rage is spilling over two groups because of the newly produced outrageous comments of our “honorable” (?) chief minister Mr. Narendra Modi. “I am inviting the Congress monarch to charge me with sedition charges and hang me if they have guts! They can’t hang Afzal, how can they hang me?” Although the amount of people, who are applying at least some thinking, is very less; and on the other hand, there are crowds stating Mr. Modi as next to almighty of Gujarat. It isn’t over here, with their skewed and narrowed vision they also see him as the future PM of India. India might have seen corrupted, inefficient or lazy Prime Ministers since the independence. But it will be the day of the biggest ‘SHAME’, if ever Mr. Narendra Modi will stick as a stain on the magnanimity of Indian Prime Ministership. Start getting over this falsely created political image right now if you have a little ‘Hindustani’ (being an Indian rather than a Hindu, or a Muslim or anything else) feeling and heart remained within you.

Hindustan does not belong to Hindus only but Hindustan is formed by Hindus where the Hindus are the citizens who live in India regardless of the religion they follow. India’s culture, religions and people have got enormous strength to get melted within each other and come out as a harmonic nation. Take a step ahead, I would suggest. We are humans and humans are ethical creatures on the earth. Animals sometimes eat their own infants to survive but we do not, as we have memory to remember and brain to think and decide what is right, what is ethical and what really we should do! We better start using it before we loose our state or nation to such self-created samrats. There is one more correction to the phrase ‘Hindu Hradaysamrat’, as there is a lot of doubt that these Modi supporters have hearts and human emotions at all! The person challenging the ruling party for charging him under sedition (Rajdroh) or calling the ruling government as a monarch (“sultanate” as he phrased in his speech), is not a political rhetoric but an incontrollable mouthful. Leading politics is much about diplomacy and leader’s exemplary behavior in public. Provoking emotional harmony and announcing extra personal importance are not the elements of democratic bureaucracy at all. It has been said by many noble personnel, “It is least important what you do, but more important is how you do it!”  Major of our Gujaratis believe that Mr. Modi has established a peaceful state where there has been no communal confrontation has taken place since 2002. Let’s agree for a moment but the question is “How has it been done?” With assassinations, killing, threats and fear. We all know that. And now he is singing the same song, pushing for Afzal’s hanging. It is his prejudice for a particular community which is coming out of him loud. A leader should never be biased, and should never contain any prejudice whatsoever. Again, why someone’s should be that much concerned about killing? He keeps in touch with those business giants regularly and on the other hand he tries to win votes and applauses from the less literate villagers, who can never imagine the twists and turns a politician like Modi can apply. His connectivity with the middle-class seems to be intangible.

It has been more than six years that we had this inhuman act took place in our own Gujarat. We don’t know how much it would be haunting Mr. Modi in his dreams, but the people, who saw the blood bath, people whose injuries are healed but the hearts are not, people who are still humans – they all will always moan about this tragedy. Development cannot exist at the cost of humanity and ethics. Our Gujarat is getting missed somewhere, we are getting missed in these tall buildings and malls. We are disconnecting with each other and we are misrelating with humanity. We must think!
Sneh Bhavsar | Ahmedabad, 17 June 2008

Rude ‘Crude’

Bang! You must be burning with no visible flames because of the recent fuel price hike. Worse, if your ‘Roti’ is cooked on LPG gas stoves, then each one of them is becoming more expensive. Yes, we do have many reasons to criticize the outrageous price hike which has fumed the country all over. But we could also try at least to consider a few reasons for this move from the Government. I strongly recommend reading ‘Government’ as ‘The Government of India – Our Country’ not as the UPA or Congress government. Should we know the whole perception about this dark market of fuel and gases before we really conclude anything? How much is the Government is blamable for the price hike? Think, think and think.

Crude oil is the most ‘wanted’ commodity in the world today. Everyday 7.6 Crore barrel (approx 1200 crore litres) of oil is consumed by the whole world. Let’s see, who the top consumers are!

Country	Oil Consumption
United States of America	200 lacs barrels per day (not surprised at all!)
China	56 lacs barrels per day
Japan	54 lacs barrel per day
India	22 lacs barrel per day

 

India consumes a fair amount of oil everyday and ranks among top 10 largest consumers of oil in the world. India does not have enough oil produced from within the country itself and hence we import 70% of our consumption. Although, country’s capacity to refine the necessary oil stock is quite adequate.

 

 

 

India has to largely rely on the imports for oil sources as the consumption (approx 35 crore litres per day) is significantly greater than the ability of production (approx 12.7 crore litres).

 

 

Indian government officially dismantled the Administered Pricing Mechanism (APM) in 2002. APM used to regulate the flow and the prices of oil. Oil companies were told how much to sell and at what price. It means there was a less influence of international market on the fuel prices in India. But an insistence for free market pricing and foreign competition made the government to loose APM completely. But they kept an indirect eye on some key fuels to keep regulating their prices. As a result since last few years, crude price is having high correlation with the international market price. 

 

 

India’s price regulation mechanism for crude oil came to an end and it is to encourage the foreign participation in oil exploration. Now the prices are highly correlated with the international market price.

 

 

 

 Let us see the domestic price graph of petrol, diesel and international price of crude oil between the years 2003 and 2008.

 

The graph clearly represents the gradual increase in prices of petrol and diesel since 2003. Of course, it shows the prices getting increased on regular basis since 2003 and that is natural. The most interesting part resides between starting 2007 and mid 2008 (now). In this one and half year crude oil prices have risen from $55.80 per barrel to $138.14 per barrel (as on 7 June 2008). It comes to 150% of hike within just 18 months. As a fact, India is least capable to anything about these prices and hence we have to absorb this increase in price somehow.

 

Let us compare the petrol and diesel prices during these 18 months of time. Petrol has gone up from Rs. 42.85 (Jan 2007) to Rs. 56.52 (June 2008) and Diesel has crossed Rs. 38 (June 2008) mark in compare to Rs. 30.25 (Jan 2007). There is a 33% and 26% of rise in petrol and diesel respectively. Doesn’t it seem that we have reasonably regulated fuel prices despite of the madness running over crude oil price?

 

 

 

The government is bearing a huge financial burden to provide uninterrupted supply of petrol, diesel and LPG to common men. Looking at the unprecedented price hike in international crude oil prices, we have got to bear a fraction of it for our own oil companies and hence for our country.

 

Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has released the figures and they suggest that the government and oil PSUs have been trying to moderate the impact on the common man. At current prices government will bear a financial burden of Rs. 245,000 crore in 2008-09. It would be out of scope to understand crude oil international price market at the moment. We need to be concerned with the solutions we can derive by our own efforts to deal with the increasing prices of fuels. There is not doubt that the increase of Rs. 5 per litre in petrol price is significant for a common man but for now considering this difficult situation and to act accordingly is the only choice left. It could have been worse if we look at the over all growth in crude prices internationally.

 

 

As one of the main reasons is that we have a greater reliance on imports for the oil and that is because we consume more. How can we contribute our bit? It is by trying to optimize our consumption of fuels, whether it’s petrol, diesel or natural gases. Broadly, any kind of energy should be saved to minimize unexpected consequences. And at last, Indian government has put some suggestions in a public advertisement, which may help us controlling our own consumptions and hence the oil situations and prices in future.

 

 

 

Conserver Energy for Brighter Future

 

• Drive at optimum speed of 45-55 kms/hr
• Maintain correct tyre pressure
• Switch off engines at traffic signals
• While driving do not drive the clutch
• Keep your vehicle engine tuned
• Light your stove only after you have all ingredients within your reach
• Pressure cooking saves fuel and time
• Use optimum quantity of water while cooking
• Use higher efficiency ‘ISI’ marked LPG stove

 

    

Sneh Bhavsar

Ahmedabad | 9 June 2008

Your Development Is Futile!

 

This take on recent polls, is my take on you and all the Gujaratis. Gujaratis are far far behind from the thought of nationalism where the nationalism is the principal and has to prevail in every member of the democracy. We are very much at the individual level; you ought to rip off that cover. Gujarat is still more of a shame to India than a proud of India in all over the world. Do not ask those money minded gujjus in London or New Jersey how they feel about the Gujarat and Modi, but asks the world. Even you can ask the other states of India. It is not the benchmark to believe that you are the best person if papa, mama and didi believe so, you should ask neighbors, friends, colleagues and even the society. Put the self on the surface – let it be commented it self. People want to look Modi, people
want to dance Modi. I am heart-ripped because of this selfish, stiff and soulless mindset of Gujjus. Modi is a good leader and knows the ways to win the elections. Getting the top rank in the school examination and being a scholar are completely diverse. Being an ideal leader and winning the election to become chief minister are also completely different.

The definition of the development is completely diverse for India in every manner. Centralization does not work for us; Distribution is the must for us. We don’t need to raise 5 malls in every area; we need to raise 5 farmers in every village. There are lots of things that I am and you are (not personally you) not enough sensible to say, but we can at least comprehend the things and not just follow the mass. Also the so called development and economic growth are coming down to Gujarat because of the individual business endeavors, outsourcing and over all India’s product dominance in the market.
India is having intelligence overflow (Giddens: International social science author) and that has resulted in an economic growth and we have gone through this process over more than 40 years not just last 10 years. And the ‘malai’ we professionals and executives are eating now, is the outcome of this stirring process of the Indian global injections. I will say hundred times – it does not coexist with development to filter the growth areas and the growing mass. If you don’t get it, I reiterate in simple words, “It is not possible to talk about hindutva & development together. Any development is futile without the intact harmony and rational environment.” It is not the development of Gujarat what you see. It will not be the Gujarat you may be wanting.

Sneh Bhavsar
Ahmedabad | 27 December 2007

Sarkar Raj – Prerelease

Ambalal Kausty – an active, experienced and a person with involvement in political activities could not get help for his own family from the authorities. (“BJP can’t protect my family”, 25 March, Ahmedabad Mirror) How much assurance ‘Modi Sarkar’ provides that they would protect our families, our daughters
from anti-social elements? Bugle blower of fighting terrorism, Mr. Modi & party appear to be unable of handling the social violence. It is alarming for any of us to be alert and aware of the domestic issues around our neighborhood. It is very usual to find bigheaded individuals in every locality. We ignore such things and our liberal approach towards them is often encouraging for such people, as Ambalal Kausty had their daughter-in-law left harassed by a local garage guy in Kankaria. They were even threatened and attacked with weapons. It’s a shame that even being an active member of a ruling political party Ambalal cannot get justice for his family’s honour. Why should someone even have to use his political connections to protect the women of his family? Are the law system and the police completely handicapped? Does a victim always need a political relation to get protected or to get justice? Common men’s honour and security are at stake, and have no value in this Modi’s hierarchical power planner. You will be served better, how better your relations are! This government is reaching the highest number of rapes, women assaults, child abuses and there are countless little problems around us. “The number of rape offences registered last year in Gujarat jumped from 253 in September to 336, by 2005 end.” (16 Feb 2006, Sourav Mukherjee, TNN). Our faces are still red with the shameful slap of Patan college incident.

A few anti-socials are not just troubling some women or individuals but they are murdering the social dignity in daylight. Any development and technological industrializations are futile when they are ignoring the social security of the citizens, especially of women. No political party or no government had such an extreme dominance over the people and the social system in past, if we talk about Gujarat. We seem to be least secure with our lives, our dignity and our social disposition at present. Human lives have gone cheaper compared to material development. It is also not restricted to the individuals only, there are convicts who are pain for the whole locality, or to the organizations and still they roam free despite of getting charged for serious offences. They get out of jail merely within two days with their political powers. For instance, Gandhi Ashram residents suffer including some local innocent families and even some gandhians too. They are humiliated with the indecent activities around; they are abused with their belongings and bearing the damages to their reputation and businesses. Gandhi Ashram itself is being disgraced falsely by some individuals on regular basis. Ashram trustees are inactive and ignorant even about such serious tribulations in this heritage premises. Spiritless local authorities and political backing to such anti-socials work well and social integrity get killed here every other day. An immense amount of pain spills over when such things happen in a place which is the source of inspiration to non-violence, peace and humanity through the whole world. It is the place which gives Gujarat and Ahmedabad an identity through the world to feel proud of. It is up to us how much should we care about it?

Sneh Bhavsar | 25 March 2008, Ahmedabad