The Annual trek home

The annual trek back home

The annual migration is on. Like the wildebeest of the Masai Mara they are all coming back in hordes to their homeland. Shiv Pratap ,a lawyer puts it the best and says,' take a long hard look. Just the way salmon must travel to the exact same spot to spawn where it has been born after having stayed away all its life-our NRI's get the same bug to travel back-but its temporary  like a viral fever. The call of the root is strong but by no is it rational , after all they don't want to stay here-life is so much better there ; economic system is far more fertile for a hard worker or a person low on resources. Only now the changes happening here that will transform this part of the world attract them .'

A NRI  is a person resident outside of India who is a citizen of India or who has migrated freely to another country to work and who remits money back to his home country .A 'pravasi bahrati' who lives works abroad but maintains ties with hi shame country. The Indian diaspora is 25 million strong an dis the world's largest 'sending' nation.

Punjab attracts them back like bees to honey . The figures are roughly 2.5 million Punjabis settled in Canada, USA, England and parts of Europe. The famous joke is that you will always find a Punjabi and a potato everywhere on this planet and it so holds true! The NRI after his intensive hard work,diligence and when he feels he has made it big economically , comes back to his home land aka Punjab to leave his mark /presence in his people where he is  recognized . This is in keeping with Maslow's theory of wants where a man first works for food , shelter and then money and when he has reached the top of the pyramid he wants to leave a mark in the society ; a stamp so that his name remains forever. Isn't that consistent with all of us?

They come back flashing their dollars, pounds and proudly wearing the new white designer clothes arms loaded down with gold jewelry and women whose arms hold the newest designer bag announcing their arrival . In fact, they find Punjab very 'nice' going to the pind difficult as everything is dirty but don't worry they are carrying enough supplies of toilet paper, hand sanitizer,and anyway it is a short trip just till the path /haavan/ religious ceremony and little bit shopping is over.

The NRI has a few characteristics , he builds the biggest ,largest ,fanciest kothi in the village to in his colony , a marble mausoleum with the words behind his name proudly saying, ....UK Wale, German, Amrika wale! How can one forget the benevolent NRI and his patronage  to the local sports club, the gurudwara, mandir or the most lucrative the Sarpanch election.

The punjabi Nri lives and breathes elections. His blood, his next breath is when he is thickly in the contest supporting one political person against the other. In fact ,it is said that this invisible patronage has led to a 50% increase in election costs in the villages ; where opponents try to outdo each other by doling out freebies before elections .It all boils down to izzat / honor of the candidate and the parties supporting them .In fact , the sale of liquor shoots up considerably and it is common for the NRI to finance this and they also resort to buying votes in the Malwa region. A sarpanch's election costs Another subtle but the most effective way is to give money to a Dharamshala ( religious place) , so as to woo the voter. A novel idea by a sarpanch in the last held elections (2008) was to distribute salwar-suits thus winning over the fairer sex!!Their pet peeve as seen by the numerous supporters on the next battle field which is the virtual world arena is that they want to bring about change Navi Sidhu, settled in Sacramento ,California says,'My life is here, but still care for my relatives, my motherland, but my pet peeve is to bring about some change so people start thinking again." He wants people to come out of the nonsocial approach to life where they limit themselves to superstition and let it govern and take charge of their lives."

An NRI thinks that after living abroad he or she can conveniently come back and dictate what they want or they want to give back to the society ,their motherland the bhoomi from where they rose and went and conquered the world. Why do they forget that it is not easy to keep one's feet in two boats? One will either sink or swim and that  is so dangerous mortally and figuratively. An NRI  is of two types an old timer who has been gone for decades and a new timer.A new immigrant is one who has political associations back home and they want to stay in touch but as time passes interest wanes.They come to attend the customary wedding commitments or deal with land matters , property details. This is an ongoing problem where due to economic windfall and rise in property prices in Punjab the land and houses which had earlier seen desertion have risen in value mani-fold.As they gain economic standing overnight income cases , their ability dole out cash increases ( the conversion rate helps) . This category looks for recognition back home by sponsoring sarpanch elections , local sports clubs, gyms etc. another way of doing this by sponsoring school blocks , library and other developmental works in the village so as to leave that board/nameplate with the inscription left behind for generations to come. Immortalising in stone , has been done since ages and its practice prevalent now also.

As age catches the NRI , he wants to reconnect with his culture , his values , his age old traditions which were dormant but come to the forefront in the latter years of his life.The desperation sets in, as days to meet the Maker are numbered , the NRI comes back in droves and they get attached to some religious dera( sects following a learned master with spiritual and religious inclination). These deras have a large following as the babaji's regularly visit abroad to hold discourses ;NRI's form a major chunk of their devotees.  An exact figure cannot be pinpointed but they're substantial in numbers along with their financial aids.As age catches up so does the desperation . It is funny that the older generation wants to make the ties strong while the next generation does not even care . They do not want anything to do with it.

In fact , an NRI categorically says , 'Punjab is like butter love to eat, but to stay healthy , eat it once in a while". 

This love-hate relationship is what defines the non reliable Indian . He will poke his head into local politics trying to spoil the applecart but as soon as the call of the siren ( his adopted country ) beckons he leaves us high and  sundry.

It is to be seen that the NRI Sabha has 14000 members currently and they will try to influence the voting patterns in some segments of the state, to primarily safeguard their interests .

Ravneet sangha 

saag and makki di roti

Why saag and makki di roti?

The common man's swag and makki di roti with a dollop of butter on it which melts and makes everyone salivate far and wide. It even finds mention in the newest  controversial wikipedia which states it as a spinach or mustard leaf based dish eaten in South Asia with bread such as makki( roti made of corn flour /maize flour and is yellow in color). This dish is eaten by Punjabis daily , and is tempered with garnishing served with pickles and radish to bring out its flavor served with buttermilk or the common man's lassi!

The combination of saag with makki di roti brings forth memories of mouth watering food, a manna from heaven. It might be loosing out to fancier , quick ,instant food but nothing can match the dish which is slowly cooked best outdoors in a pot on wooden logs. This method of slow cooking brings forth the inherent strong flavors making it a must for every punjabi worth his makhan.

Jugraj Dhillon Sohi , says , 'I can eat it everyday for winters three times a day.This rustic soulful ,nutritious delicious food is Number in everyone's household. No one can pinpoint why , but it is the staple ,and is the trademark of Punjab along with Butter Chicken, rajmah, alu ke paranthe.Sammy Gill says, love to eat it but with bajra or wheat chapatti. 

Saag and makki di roti ,, an unbeatable combination and every Punjabi swears by it ! India andPakistan sarson is entwined with village life. Sarson is a resilient plant that resists infestation an fit is not easily affected by adverse weather. It is therefore immensely suitable to an unsophisticated rural economy. 

Sarson fields also form an important part of Bollywood movies. Since time immemorial the romance na dthe budding love has been immortalized in the fields of blooming yellow mustard fields. Every movie which has a love story angle shows the hero romancing the heroine in the fields of sarson symbolizing love blossoming .

The mustard fields thus prove to be unimportant export , a) for movie locations, b) for producing which is agreeably the soul food of every Punjabi , be it in India or abroad !. Infact , taking a cue from this Markfed started packaging sarson da saag , an fit has cornered the niche where ever there is a considerable Asain Population reaching to Middle East , UK , USA, Canada and other European nations.

As an NRI living in England Dr .Nirmal says, I enjoy it immensely but the flavors which one gets in punjab cannot be matched by England's mustard leaves. Interestingly , on websites to Punjabis can't pinpoint why they love it , they just do .Nothing can explain the weakness , it's in the blood.

Ravneet sangha 

A writer and her diamonds

"I do so want to write",said the forty something looking like an early thirtyish socialite of the northern sectors in one of the thousands metro cities which have sprung up like last nights mushrooms after the much needed rain. She licked her lips , tainted with just the right brown lip color ( earthy and balanced out with the kohl rimmed eyes) and asked him again , in the perfect cultured public school voice. She had to climb this particular ladder as all others had been taken by the elite group. She knew being a politician's wife was passe' and starting an art gallery or dabbling in painting was just so 1980's. She didn't want to get her hands dirty with visiting hospitals, donating money to orphanages or hugging strangers , God knows what viral disease she may catch? Even coming close to the smell , oh that was enough to make her puke. This was one avenue which no one had thought of , the romance of writing ,the lure of the pen and she was pretty proficient.
She had the perfect excuse to go buy some clothes , get some ethnic duppattas , some silken scarves to wear with her black shirts and her straight Tom Ford's. She also needed the right kind of moleskin book let for her to jot down inspirational quotes, thoughts musings and some ramblings like the rabbit which went down the hole.
Looking at the author in front of her , at the pre-literary fest she posed her question knew she would get her answers. He, of the worldwide acclaim and fame and his novel which had been snapped for the next movie by Karan Johar..a romance unparalleled. The author in all his arrogance was standing nursing his drink , clutching on to it as if it was his link to living.She did wonder though looking at him, did all of them have to dress in an unkempt shabbily genteel way and what was with the hair? Looking around she counted at least four politicians , you could tell them by the coterie around them , one who must be the hapless PA holding onto two phones and talking on third eyes which constantly made the sweep so as not to miss any one important . The usual mix of socialites ( her friends ) who had walked in with their husbands and were now were with their "friends' were around . The publishing house heads who strutted around like Emperor Penguins in their circles were holding court with literary agents ,authors discussing the economy, the rise of the pound and yes, the latest 'Find" which was going to storm the world of books , lamenting e-books and the shrinking population who actually bought books v/s the e-book downloading variety.
Turning back to the "find ' she again asked. I have  a burning desire to write to express my creativity to paint the canvas of the world with my words and to lay open the true meaning of a woman .. her anguish her pain ,what she feels and loves and what she sacrifies. He looked at her with an amused expression and thought about shocking her with the bizarrest line," Would you go for a book retreat with me?"

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This was the latest venture of Ms.Rhea not-so-boredwali . She had her eureka moment when she had broken up with her two -timing scoundrel of a guy who had ditched her for a girl with no style but ahem! with bigger ( faker boobs). Crying over endless cups of infusion mint tea and chocolate to keep the endorphins high she had got this brilliant plan while looking at her lab's soulful chocolate brown eyes. Dogs were so much better then men , they were faithful and trustworthy. doggiedate.com was such an instant hit on Face book , all her friends had flooded her notifications ,  clamoring for her to find dates for their lonesome , bored dogs. She knew this was a great start-up. Just a bit of clever designing and even cleverer marketing, they were all going to be sucked into this . She would cleverly price her advertisements and be the next star for twitter . They would follow her , and the PETA would give her the Nobel prize for humanity !! Voila ,.. everyone thought she was a fluff piece , well every girl has her day .

She would show all of them. In a world where people tried to find matches for each othe r, no one had even given a thought to dogs who needed the right kind of match to procreate , to keep the lineage , to keep the vansh going. Why men and women were forever breaking up and for every man there was a woman out there? One need not worry about humans , it was these animals who couldn't express their love , passion ,desires who need to be looked after. I mean they also want all the fine things in life .

This was not a fantasy piece nor did I have a eureka moment , a friend of mine did  in all seriousness post this on Facebook. Why are we replacing real life with these superficial add-ons? Life has so much to offer ,and yes being a pet lover is one of them but think of us poor human beings who need love , recognition and we need to touch base with ground reality.

Singh is king vs Bhenji power..

Singh is King V/s Bhenji power in the Parliament 

Rumor has it that the Pm is tying an early Rakhi to his sister Mamta , Maya and Uma the firebrand on the demands of Madameji.

This has been done to save the aloo piyaaz taamtar whose water is recharging the groundwater which was in severe danger of depletion courtesy a report where millions were spent by the Environment Ministry under the flamboyant Einstein type lookalike hair of Jairam Ramesh who said his last Jai last week before any real damage could be done to flora an fauna .

FDI can change the scenario for the aam aadmi but the  protectors of aam-adami think otherwise. What is better ? Getting a price of the product what ever it is or trying to sell it at  one rupee when the note itself has been withdrawn from circulation? What is better , selling it or flooding the water rivulets of punjab with potatoes which are selling at some places but with the arrival of the fresh crop the previous ones are being thrown out on the roads.

There is however a brain wave , we can start a cottage industry for vodka production . To do kits can be handed out , " nukkad plays ' can be enacted out so that the Punjab farmer can excel in this . The spirit of the Punjabi is unparalleled and he has no match . The Government has also thought of another way to singlehandedly wipe out the debt of Kingfisher aka Vijay Mallaya by giving him pure raw virgin vodka to boost the sales of UB and thereby diverting funds to his airways . The pre requisite being that the politician gets to view the models of Kingfisher calendar for approval and free air travel with an unidentified person .

However the day is not far away ,when instead of maize or corn production we will be producing ethanol by the gallons to save the nation's rising cost . But wait, Uma ji sees a conspiracy by the MNC's selling seed to the farmer and has threatened to immolate herself once again.

Slim look for big weddings

Kate Middleton, went to France to do it, apni punjabi Kudiyan are coming to apna Jalandhar to get them done." Do not get tantalized by the statement but its just about the good ol' Bateese ! You know the whitening procedures, the cappings done, the realignment done to get the perfect smile.Punjabis are known allover the world for there big fat weddings which are ostentatious , OTT but the new trend is a slim bride or groom for the big fat punjabi wedding.Arranged marriages are still the order of the day but physical beauty wins hands down , and 'Sundarta wins over seerat( beauty over brains) . Jalandhar has numerous doctors, hospitals where pre-marriage surgical procedures are performed to improve their chances for marriage.  It should however be known that there are only a few accredited surgeons who can perform plastic surgery ; they are Dr. Chanjeev, Dr. Baath, Dr Pasricha, Dr Sk Chauhan, Dr.Gs Saini, Dr. Jang Bahadur.

There are numerous people who claim to be doctors and have fly-by the night operations where they can miraculously lighten one's skin color, get rid of acne scars by medicinal herbs etc . He warns the readers of these kind of quacks who ruin skin by steroids. Also, these so claimed fraudulent practitioners buy TV time or radio time in western countries to promote and lure  innocent customers . 

One such advert in Radio Humsafar (http://radiohumsafar.com/listen-time) has an ad in chaste Punjabi ,'saying that Aah ji Munda wala aapni peeta nuh aaj bhi reject karge, oohde danda karke' and it gets funnier form here. 

There are claims to 15 minutes to a younger you also.

Punjab ,especially Jalandhar has a sizable population of NRI's and expats who return to the homeland faithfully in large numbers every other year for wedding preparations or to visit and get medical treatment done as it works out cheaper here . Due to a world wide recession and increasing health costs abroad it is dearer to get treatments done there which are nominal here. 

Another interesting thing which has been  highlighted in recent years is partners in pain where mother daughter duos collectively go in for surgeries together to boost each other's morale and share divide and halve the pain. On conditions of anonymity a leading cosmetologist says that bride and groom both  come in together to for correction surgeries,skin lightening procedure, acne scar removals, rhinoplasty, ear correction operations. This is all singularly done to look beautiful in this media conscious society .

Dr. Sujata Goyal, a leading prosthodontist says in keeping with the pressures of media, where the e-world bombards you with photo-shopped celebrities having the perfect skin ,body, hair one is driven subconsciously to emulate them in hope to come close to these celebrity figures by chiseling and getting procedures done on their bodies. It is an open secret that young girls get laser chiseling, breast augmentation, tummy tucks, and nose reshaping as the constant comparison which is never subtle makes them yearn for the perfect face n body.

The ratio for males to females is 90:10 , going to 75:25 in the present decade and will reach 60:40 in the next decade.

Men are opting out for aesthetic surgery as this makes them handsome in the Adonis mould , be it at the cost of a surgeon's knife and liposuction. Hair removal by laser, Hair Transplant surgery and lightening procedures are commonplace. People are increasingly resorting to cosmetic surgery to look young , the eternal elixir being replaced by a surgeon's tools rather than holistic living and proper diet!One wants to look young beautiful wholesome and to achieve this mantra they will do anything .

Cosmetology helps them to achieve this by cutting from the wrong places and adding at the right places ! Breast augmentation and liposuction being the number one. Also, adding to sagging eys, thinning cheek bones, a wrinkled neck and taking away from the sagging bottom ,paunch .

Botox parties in Delhi are commonplace and 15 minutes is all it takes is the selling point, the catch phrase that it 's as quick as a coffee break .So opt out , look the younger you . This is the number one non-surgical cosmetic procedure . This segment is likely to grow by 500% allover the country but in Jalandhar the exponential rate is phenomenal ; NRI 's all ask for this procedure (60%) .It has the best potential to delay wrinkles and the next time you hear about a shot it  is not a vaccine or a drug shot but a Botox shot being referred to.

The lure of a fuller pout aka Angelina Jolie or the bee-stung lips made famous can all be yours thanks to a filler injection, plumper lips , all with a simple cosmetic procedure.Even popular is the fillers , derma based injections which can reverse age and reduce lines of age by making those thin , wrinkled hands younger again . 

In a positive note Dr. Chanjeev,, a plastic surgeon of repute at Civil hospital and head of IPRAS ( International Confederation for Plastic and  Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery ) for the next five years says that they actually discourage prospective bride or grooms to go for plastic surgery where they require it to increase their suitability for marriageable purposes. Plastic surgery is done only to correct disfigurements , or birth defects which are not pleasant to the human eye. Plastic surgery according to him is one super specialization where  the doctors can do a lot of humanitarian work.In the past they had collectively held a lot of free medical camps where they performed surgeries to correct defects like cleft palates etc. In January they are again holding a camp called Woman for Woman .

Ravneet Sangha

main aam aadmi hoon

Main Aam Aadmi hoon ,mai baap!

I am Bittu , Shittu , Tito, Ram Dulari , Sunita Basanti , the nameless , faceless Indian who makes up the great nation.I am the silent, mustachioed old man with a wisp of hair , dressed in a dhoti and jacket, an iconic creation of R.K.Laxman of Times of India fame. I am also the Budhiya Das Manikpuri of the Peepli live fame who is driven to suicidal tendencies due to farming debt which spirals out of control.I am the widow of the countless farmers who commit suicide everyday .  I am also the sweeper, beggar , rickshaw-wala bhaiya, the corner pan walla , the sabzi wallah , the doodh wallah who brings in sustenance without any protest . Of course the price rise by him is met with vehement protests and we always try not to give him the money on time but delay it. We also try to haggle with the rickshaw-wallah with the two rupees extra he demands and we feel so smug in bargaining with him.

Our forefathers when they chartered out the constitution,kept this common man in mind . All the rules and regulations were made for him , keeping him into forefront. The politician brings him in the front when fighting elections, he sits out to fight for the aam-aadmi. Rahul Gandhi says,"aam aadmi in India is that person who does not have a connection to the system. Whether he is rich or poor, hindu , sikh, muslim , christian , educated , uneducated , if he is not connected to the system , he is an aam aadmi. while the BJP, spokesmen Prakash Jadvaker says, "the common man is anybody who has a stake in the  system , but does not have a say in the system,is an aam aadmi."

Fatima Sultan ,from Pakistan says, the common man has to worry if he can still make ends meet at the end of the day,week, month as opposed to uncommon man who worries if he can afford the classic Chanel for his wife's birthday . He needs to budget ,plan everything and a slight price hits him the worst.He however does not know or even comprehends what a price rise is, or what the inflation index is ,or what  FDI is. He is worried about providing two square meals , clothing , shelter and also have a little extra to save for a rainy day.He is the one who suffers red-tapism in the government office , he earns barely 100Rs a day to pay the bribe. He is the one who still forms a monthly budget tries to stick to it, he is the one who travels on public transport and uses it to commute.

The primary schools which dot the landscape of India educate him , he has no big expenditures or conspicuous consumption says Komal Randhawa,lecturer at Punjabi university , Patiala. He is in fact the system ,a billion hearts which beat as one. For him the shining India slogan was coined.

Religion ,superstitions , beliefs ,a core belief in them makes them fight adversities head on.Life ,death, misfortune, accident, birth ,marriage are all God's doing ! The mandirs, masjids , gurudwara all sustain me, and my faith . The festivals like Holi, Diwali, Karva chauth , the satsangs, the shivratris are for me and we take happiness in live's simple pleasures.   Flowers, glass bangles, simple mithai, a samosa or a pakora make my day . Nor do I need new clothes, or jewels to make the festival festive. Red glass bangles mingled with green are my ornaments says Dulari , a sweeper working at primary school in the city . She says , who has the money to buy silver bangles? With a large family and prices sky high she can't even afford milk any more just a watered down version .The benefits of the government are unknown to her , she knows about the blue card , the BPL card , the new UID card but to get these made,to fill out the forms , she has to pay Rs 50 , she is illiterate.A shagun scheme for girls gets released only if she promises money to the Sarpanch , and the officer in charge. 

All these schemes are for the aam-admi Mai-baap but whose door does one knock to get what is due to me ?

All the laws , schemes with those long winding  names were made for me, are formulated for me but do they reach me? Did anyone find out ? The common man is lost in the race for globalization and the identity has been lost .  

Of course , globalization has given me a new identity ,I am a stul caste ( scheduled caste ) asking for a lunch ( loan money ) , and I have lot of pratise ( practice) in asking for help .

Meri baat to sun lo, mai baap ji,

Ravneet Sangha

World Aids Day 2011

World Aids Day 2011

Thirty years after the first reported case of AIDS was diagnosed , AIDS has reached 33.3 million people who are living with HIV/AIDS  ; it is not an illness anymore but an epidemic of gigantic proportions , a human rights issue. It is not limited to just wearing the iconic red ribbon o releasing red balloons or going to gala charity events to raise money , yes these are all important but we need to remember this epidemic the other 364 days of the year too. We need to stem the path of this virus . We all need to collectively pitch in and pitch in right now . The year 2011 is of decisive action , it says go on Facebook, Twitter, social media networking sights, download posters , spread the information , play on limes games , show solidarity and join the initiative.

Stage your own 'digital death' highlighted by Time Healthland  in which celebrities like Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Kim Kardashian log off twitter, Facebook another social sites for one day . This hunt is to support Alicia Keys charity,'Keep the Child Alive' which provides antiretroviral drugs another medical treatment to children in developing countries who are living with AIDS.

The group also supports caregivers, and orphanages that raise children whose parents have dies due to AIDS.Keys and friends are going 'digitally dead'-logging off media in honor.The aim is to raise one million dollars and has provocative ads which are made to entice with teasing one-liners and gain support. You and I are nothing but show solidarity . Every vote counts or if you can't survive without tweeting or posting a status, well mr Money bags just donate generously.

We all need to understand the science and technology have advanced rapidly that AIDS is not a deaths entence anymore but a virus which can be dealt with a cocktail of drugs and a focussed will power. Antiretroviral drugs which are now accessed by 50% of people has reduced the fatality rate .The number of deaths is 1.8 million deaths this year , the lowest since its peak in 2005.

AIDS had reached its peak due to injectable drug use, men having sex with men , female sex worker, migrant labor, truck drivers , blood transfusions , and heterosexual people are affected to.

The digital era has an interesting offer too-Play the AIDS challenge,Play online, even tweet your score(#AVERTAIDS CHALLENGE ) .World AIDS day reminds us to raise money , increase awareness, fight prejudice,and improve education awareness. This day is paramount as it reminds us of the significance of the threat and that we should not forget that this virus has gone away but is omnipresent at all times. The UNO,WHO,ILO, all are working hand in hand with countries all around the globe to stop this menace. The ILO has a 'Getting To Zero' poster which should due downloaded and put in industries, factories . The posters highlight that there should be no discrimination,or stigmitization of workers on grounds of real or perceived status .Workplaces, should facilitate access to HIV prevention, treatment , care and support. Privacy should be maintained and screening of workers should not be made mandatory.That is an infringement of privacy of an individual.

Closer home, in Jalandhar City we have a humanitarian Prof Lakhvir Singh who is the President of a NGO , Pahal is working in the Tehsil Nakodar of Jalandhar district specifically where they have set up a 5 member committee ,where they have a TARGET INTENTION  to assess the IMPACT. They are targeting the high risk group and are preventing the by behavior motivation.In  an interview he says, that high risk group are truckers, adolescence, sex workers, and drug users in Punjab. He further retreats that the situations serious and alarming. 

The aim today is to hold widespread rally in the Jalandhar City to highlight and pinpoint the causes which can be prevented by behavior motivation . Prof. Lakhvir Singh , passes on a message that ,"we should stick to Indian values and the family culture and philosophical way of life of elders which was holistic and spiritual."

The vulnerability he says lies in the 15-25 years age group in India where there is maximum proportion of population." 

Do you feel the government is helping out in the AIDS program?

Yes, the government supports the ventures of accredited NGO's. NACO (National Aids Control Agency)  and NGO's all work hand in hand to reach out intensively for reaching the high risk group . This in turn will lead to target intervention. They have a sufficient budget to fund their work and research. 

He has a message for the parents of today , that the present generations vulnerable and susceptible , that the parents of today need to take care of their children not only in school but in colleges to. They are gullible and prone to falling to the trap where they try out or give in to hormones. Parents need to raise their children in holistic manner, holistic means that they should revert back to the Indian values of the yore. They are not even aware of what their children do in colleges , in fact there should be a PTM ( Parent Teachers Meeting ) in colleges to keep alive the interaction .

Educational and religious, social , political parties, should come forward to deal with this problem . His endeavor is honored and we hope that soon we might stem and eradicate this virus completely . 

Ravneet Sangha

A WIZARD WITH WORDS - HARMAN JEET

Harmanjeet - A wizard with words

Harman ,a young poet who is unheard presently but is slowly and slowly making inroads in the literary world of Punjabi literature. What strikes you when you read him is the unique flair, the wizardry of words and the singular ability to create images vividly with his compositions which are grounded in Nature.As he quotes, Frank Wright, 'I believe in God, only I spell it Nature."

Harman in his purity , his innocence writes about Nature as an alter ego. He says the time when he writes about  nature, counts birds flying, gives water to birds, talks to kittens that is the time when he feels happiest . Harman a young lad of 20 from District Mansa, Punjab stumbled into poetry writing since an early age .The dark brooding eyes, give him a romantic look aka a Victorian gentleman but the passion in him is limited to his writing. He is creative , paints as well , again nature playing a big role in his compositions. This young man is different from his peers and age group as he is so grounded and is not swayed by  the superficial and artifice which lures the youth of today. The inherent nature of his sets him poles apart from the Gen-X .

In a telephonic interview Harman airs his views on life, philosophizes about religion , God and gives us a message .

Q1( Ravneet) : How did you discover this talent in yourself , or how did you start this journey?

A1(Harmanjeet) : I have been interested in reading books since childhood,and the environment was always conducive to reading and writing. His father who used to bring a magazine "Nanhe Samrat 'and that started this journey .Initially he used to write , scribble and not show it to any one but in a school debate he won the second prize for his composition and rest is history. Now his four songs have been recorded and mixed, the album being released in Canada, India in a few months by Gagandeep Singh.

Q2 (R): What medium do you use to express yourself ?

A2 (H) :  I write in Punjabi and Hindi . Actually , I find Hindi more comfortable but am conversant in both . Face book has widened my exposure and consequently , a lot of web sites, nationally , internationally use my work. In fact, saanjh  weekly.com features my work.

Carrying on , more philosophically , wise beyond his years, Harman continues,

 " As a sculptor uses his tools on a piece of wood, a poet uses a pen , a painter a brush, but the finished result is not known before. It is all a mystery, a hidden puzzle which unravels by itself.In the same fashion , he does not know how he writes, he just writes. It is God's gift , and he believes all is pre-destined, and everything happens according to a pre-set plan. He does not know how he lives, he just lives."

Q3 (R):Who is your favorite poet, name a few?

 A3(H): Prof. Mohan Singh, Shiv Batalvi,Heer Waris Shah, Sahir Ludhianvi,paash, Sant Ram Udasi, Paash to name a few.

Q4(R): What is your aim? Where do you see yourself in a few years?

A4(H): I want to be a lyricist , a writer like Gulzaar sahib, contributing in my native language to leave a mark in the society. I want to write for meaningful movies, books . Also , I read a lot of scriptures and feel that the compositions of the Guru Granth sahib are perfect . The ragas, the meanings are complete and reading them give me a lot of peace of mind.

Q5(R):What is the message you would like  to give to the readers of TOI?

A5(H):  Laughs, and says, that in today's world there are more writers, and less readers but , if one writes poetry they should respect the meter, rhyme the words, the flow of composition should be there.He further states that as he had a balanced environment where everyone inspired him and gave him confidence to write he did and that is reflected in his writings.

Harman , reflects and then tells the youth of today to do what their heart tells them to do but to do it with maximum passion and to follow it through. Don't  leave it half-way.And to listen o good music but to read good literature which according to him is better. In fact, folk songs of all over the world reflect the same passion , intensity and it is in them the culture of the world exists.

Harman is a master craftsman of words who whips out vivid pictures and weaves a web according to Mannjit Singh from Patiala. Dr. Nirmal Singh Dhallu, an NRI from England, says,"A young poets with his unique flair and rich composition . He has tremendous potential and so much to offer Punjabi language in the future. I wish him all the best and hope that he stays on track ."

Aneet Randhawa, from Punjabi University (SDO)  says," the first thing that comes to my mind is earthiness, it smells like the first raindrops on a parched surface , his strength lies in similizing nature , he successfully captures its essence in the written word often evoking pathos ,it is certainly cathartic.

  

100 crores and eating away

100 crores and still eating.

By Feb 2011 , Ajmal Kasab had eaten 100 crores of the Indian tax payers money and is still enjoying the hospitality of the country. He continues to live his worthless existence in the country , and we ( the government ) keep on extending him the famed hospitality. 26/11 had the highest rate of death casualties 164/11= 14.9 in three days. The country was paralyzed inaction and was standing mute to the dastardly heinous act of terrorism to a handful of zealots. We never thought that at the twilight time commuters would be targeted and simultaneously at different places in the commercial capital  killing innocent people with sophisticated,well planned acts against older obsolete weapons of our policemen. 

The courage , loyalty, strength , courage  would ultimately shine through and would overpower these men who created terror and were ruthless in their act. The common man as always was the one who was hurt.

On the third anniversary we hold vigils, peace marches wearing the white 'Rin ki Safedi " the color of our politicians but does that hide the blood of the Aam Aadmi? Why has justice been denied for so long? More inch space is given in the newspapers to the core committees, to the journalists , high ranking officials, think-tanks who devise ways to save the nation .  Why is effective action delayed, what are we prisoner to? 

The memory of the nation is limited, we move on in our daily lives , prisoner to wants needs to eke out a living, an existence, do we even remember the names of the policemen who died defending the honor of the country? Do we ever recount their stories; the men who had families ,children wives who have been left destitute by the death of a living one? The constable is just not a name on a lapel but a real being, 

I strongly feel to give justice which should be swift we need to be direct , quick ,and not make a mockery of the lives laid down. Justice delayed is justice denied. We also need to clothe our soldiers be it the jawan , the soldier man guarding the borders the right kind of clothes and equipment of the 21st century. It should not be something out of a bad 1920's Bollywood pot-boiler or be so obsolete , out-dated that it is worth auctioning !

We need clothes which are light , not which are gravity based which drag one down, shoes which are light , not huge and heavy which are a relic from the British Raj. 

Where does the heavy , astronomical defense budget go?Is it just for missiles,huge tanks, scams and lining pockets in the upper echelons of power ? What about the person who faces the bullet? He needs protective gear , the latest weaponry and not rations to line his stomach. Think ,reflect for one moment about the human life which is extinguished so easily. This is the most draconian way to reduce population woes. 

This day which has the perfunctory two minute condolence salutation , vigils and marches needs action. Sometimes, we do need to not follow the Mahatama's path of dharma but be ruthless to get the message across.

Ravneet Sangha

Woman on a Mission- Dr. Harshinder Kaur

She has a Facebook page. She has authored 22 books , been felicitated allover the world, for her path-breaking work on giving recognition to the subtle unsaid biggest truth of all -feticide. She started the cause 15 years and gave shape to the cause which recognizes and threatens to wipe out the fairer sex into oblivion in Punjab.

She is the gutsy lady who has single-handedly stormed Punjab's bastion by pointing out the loop-holes ,inefficiencies  and inadequacies of the bureaucratic tangles we all are embroiled in . She is DR. HARSHINDER KAUR, president of Harsh Charitable trust Patiala who works to save the female child .

Dr. Harshinder Kaur is MD , MBBS  and works at Rajindera Hospital, as a pediatrician.

Dr. Harshinder , is a doctor, a humanist too who has adopted over 300 female girls and apart from this is an accomplished author of numerous books and papers internationally singularly winning awards always. In fact , two weeks ago , she won the "Best Children's Book Award" given by the Bhasha Vibhyag  Punjab ,the title begin 'Dr. Massi di Kahaniyaan'. She was conferred this award on Nov. 1st ,2011.

 Dr. Harshinder, is THE lady who raised her voice in an UNO seminar at Switzerland for Punjabi language and for female child. 

Her voice has gained momentum slowly and steadily over the years and has eventually become a movement . She has been recognized by the state and allover the country. Her latest award being, "Dheen Punjab di " award conferred by Chief Minister, S. Prakash Singh Badal and she has also got the Rani Jhansi Award by the Indian government. Her latest accolade is International Woman Rights Activist and she is the only MD to have been given this award. Bhagat Puran Singh award, Baba Farid Virasat Award a few of the other honors . 

Last week ,a Dutch documentary Marnel Breure has come to Punjab to shoot a film on female feticide, drug abuse and domestic violence. This is based on her book 'Female Feticide - A curse" This movie is to highlight the reasons why females are aborted in the womb . The documentary will begin production in 2012.  She also has to her credit a Hollywood movie on her book and is called ROARING SILENCE.

In an interview , which left one inspired to follow and also hoped that she has strength to carry on this work, I found an insight to the strong character which makes her tick and the complete woman she is.

 Q1 (Ravneet) : How did you start this journey?

Dr H:  I was traveling ,outside a village near Pattran where I heard a baby crying violently. When I went close , I saw the most horrifying, inhumane sight which has till date left scars on my psyche. A newborn baby was being eaten alive by rabid dogs . That , made me cry at first but then I decided to change the course of history and devote myself to stopping this blind injustice. I , being a woman had to stand up and be the change to see the change.

Q2(R): Why did you make your speech in Punjabi , why the emphasis?

Dr H:  When I had gone to attend the UNO seminar , in Geneva I saw that the Japanese, French, Germans all came and spoke in their native languages. Then I thought that why should I speak in english ? My own native language , Punjabi is older than English ;Baba Farid spoke it 400 years before the first english poet .I wanted to make my lectures in punjabi and since then have stuck to my stand. If I don't feel any pride in my own self , my identity how will the rest of the world respect me? This led to the transition.

Q3(R) What about an insight to the woman behind the steel she is?

Dr H: Dr Harshinder laughs here, a twinkle in her eyes and she reveals that,' I learnt how to paint under Sobha Singh ji  " and am an accomplished painter. I am also a poet and was adjudged the best poet in medical college.

Q4(R):What message would you like to give to the readers of TOI?

Dr H: I would like to tell the reader that the path to any destination is always full of speed breakers, full of obstacles and hurdles and to reach the end one has to cross them . Do not be afraid , you will surely reach the end , bruised and battered but the fight and the result is worth all the pain . Do not ever give up hope , there is always light at the end of the horizon.

  

Q5(R) What is your legacy to your daughter and son?

Dr H: To my daughter , I say you will have to carry on my work, my flame will be carried forward by you.You are tomorrow's woman , you are the hope so be strong . To my son who is very young right now, I would want him to respect and protect woman when he grows up. 

Q6 (R): And, coming to the last question , what about Dr sahib, your better half?

Dr H: Laughs , her melodious laugh and she says ," Without his 100% support , I could not have made this journey . It is with his unflinching support and stand by my side I have come this far. 

We salute this strong woman who took up the cudgels to fight and stem the rot in Punajb which has a dismal and skewed sex ratio. She is the granddaughter of Prof. Sahib Singh who did the first ever exposition of Guru Granth Sahiband was awarded D.Litt by Punjabi University , the daughter of Prof. Pritam Singh,renowned Punajbi writer and Honorary Professor San Jose university, California who was awarded D.Litt. by Punjabi University, and sister of Dr. Jiarup Singh , former Vice Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University -Amritsar and present Vice Chancellor of the Central University , Bhatinda in Punjab.

We need people like her , the real unsung heroes of the society.

Ravneet Sangha .

  

Inner quest - a

A thought which has been rankling in my mind for a few days is finally being penned down or rather typed. Gone are the old- fashioned days when one would write first on a paper , correct it and then have the final result . Well , with all these auto-check facilities, erase , undo copy paste , I wonder where we are stuck.
Coming back to my thoughts , which are few and plenty as always ( depending on the diminishing brain cells) I wanted to write about Inner Quest. In fact, for the first time I would not rant or rave . It is my personal belief that the journey is mine ; cannot be on any shoulders how much ever I want to cry or want to share. It is not even lessened by a book or by constant prayers or by making a pilgrimage to all the holy places I do so want to visit. If someone, says share , lighten the burden that is the biggest con line . No amount of reading or sharing one's woes will make you feel better , till you dont want to.
It is not prisoner to anyone nor is to a moment where one feels temporary euphoria by the possession of a materialistic item .Be it the next phone , the biggest most expensive purse , or the rock which you get. In fact, isn't it ironical ,that what we want so lustily from nature , we abuse rape it  the most . Man is nature's finest creation but we will abuse, kill , slander , stuff it in a caste-ridden box-hole and fight wars.  To posses, stamp is what we aim at. Well back on track , ( sorry ingrained habit of rambling) a quest is a journey with a purpose to achieve something .Please don't be cynical here and say here comes her latent desire of acquisition, and I'm not sugar coating it to sound very spiritual here . Nor am I mincing any words.
My inner quest comes at a moment when I see, sense a growing disquiet , a little sense of something is missing and slowly it becomes bigger .
We all choose religious organisations first , Punjab is famous for it!, bookstores, browse the net , do jaap endlessly, boasting about one's dhyaan, meditation classes ( quite the business) , flower therapy,angel therapy, crystals, magical balls, workshops , retreats to the remotest corners of the world, keeping maunvrat , have endless discussions over HIM ---- the list goes on and on. Many of these are helpful ,but as they say the trail peters out before we find out what we are looking for.
A quick fix, the glimmer of a real answer there, but never quite the feeling that we're making progress.
The spiritual quest is in fact a journey according to me. If I wanted to go from Jalandhar to Chandigarh, can't go to Pathankot and then think that Chandigarh is on the way. Be clear , precise, definite is what I've figured out.  Don't confuse yourself about the path , you should be familiar with the destination the terrain that lies where you are going to cross and have a plan for crossing it . Don't be a dodo.Have an accurate game -plan to reach the point of satisfaction.
I realized that along the way , I wanted a guide to spirituality not religion which is confined to dogma, superstition , practices , customs, cultural activities limited to an area. I did not even want mysticism , which according to me is religion accompanied with difficult , subtle practices which reveal inner realms.
For me, what I wanted, is a philosophy of life, incorporating ethical and moral values that are indispensable to health and well being, and at the same time provided me a workable system of self- training leading to self- transformation ( so need to cut down the caffeine n chocolates).
I felt that till I did not want it, really want it ,it was just a show, a mimic of rituals or parroting till I did not imbibe the first principle . To commit .I needed my mind to be clear and not be confused by exterior distractions.

Part 2 tmrw .

Animal love - Love Conquers all

Animals apparently get more say in the world , rather than humans these days. In fact the gay penguins in Toronto zoo  Buddy and Pedro were going to be split up so that they could be busy with female penguin(sic) .But, with popular reader intervention,  the pair has been reportedly left alone. They show distinct homosexual tendencies and groom , mate with each other taking . They have been separated for a limited time but will re-unite in 2012.
This happened only when there was an open poll where the opinions of 34,000 readers who participated in the poll overwhelmingly said that they should be left alone, they chose so they should be being the popular mandate.
Closer home , in a village next door the sordid tale of humans loving humans is not tolerated . The time old tale of one not being of the same caste is repeated again and again. Just visualise the scenario, where a jat girl has the guts to fall in love with a lower caste boy and then runs away in the fear of the family targeting them. Well that's exactly what happened, they are being hunted for , by the girl's family who has descended in hordes from Malaysia. Their izzat , honor is at stake and they want revenge.
It's all simple, cut clean and dried, there are no two things about it.
Where are we stuck? Why do we not rise above all this?
Humans show streaks of animal behavior which is cruel , sadistic , evil . The value of human life is nil and it is expendable just to satisfy social pride. The women of the village follow are harping the same song of blaming the girl's mother who did not take care and her upbringing! Imagine,  always the woman is the sufferer, the devil who tempts. Beant kaur, one of the older women cackled,'How can we allow this? Peedhi (Genealogy ) kharab ho jaandi hain, Daag lag jaanda hain, in chaste Punjabi.
The village elders, Panches, Sarpanch are divided over the method of justice meted out but the consensus is to punish both of them to set an example.
Boodhi Singh, condemned the act of the youngsters saying that ,the munda- kudi cannot marry as they are from the same village and hence are brothers and sisters. They should respect the lines of traditions. The girl's grandfather has written her off and saying she is a blot to the family honor and is dead to them.
Punjab, Haryana have the highest amount of honor killings followed by Rajasthan. We want development, a square meal , education but the villagers ( majority of 67%) are still stuck in a time warp where castes lines are deeper . It is where bloodlines can make break the feudalism which still is rampant . Inequality to the core .
These deep rooted prejudices which are still existing are there to stay , nothing changes . For the country to move forward , the dis favorable practices need to end . We need to collectively have a social revolution to stem the rot . In fact , considering another aspect the religious books of ours be it Sikhs, Hindus have contributions from all sects of the society . When we can read, follow , worship these why do we question His children? Who puts the mark on the forehead demarcating them ? Is the blood thicker, thinner than the others?
We need to leave a society which is tolerant an dis not prejudiced for our children and then only can the purges of poverty , inequality finish in India.

Punjab, Yatras, Kabaddi , missing birth certificate.

Punjab is in an uproar. What with all the yatras being planned to save her , we have the Congress trying to woo us, the Sanjha Morcha singlehandedly ( troika based alliance) trying to effectively wipe out corruption and clean Punjab, I wonder where these chappies were sleeping before . Strange bedfellows , you see. We also have Advani ji coming in to save us with a Chetna yatra .
Next we , have Bollywood invading us at a so - small cost of roughly Rs 5cr ( declared price) and I thought Shahrukh was intelligent , sorry my mistake. He tries ( fails miserably ) and makes a joke about Don being released in Punjabi ! Shahrukh bhaijaan, when did they release the movies in regional languages ? It must be simultaneously when they did them in Urdu and Marathi? Why , the ignorance?
A sport is introduced which has no future of being recognized in Asian , Commonwealth games as this form is not played anymore. Why this political gimmickry on the day when all Punjabis want is a few jobs, reclamation of the lost pride, basic infrastructure and yes save the girls .. where ever are we going to get them? Can't make tigers sit behind a motorcycle, eh boys? We don't want weird Punjabi songs,tired lewd dancers who don't even look native .
My respected politicians who actually make us dance to their tunes aka Pied Piper style  be it the emotional yellow .Bhagat Singh revisited, the Panth which is in danger of being  swallowed by the Congress or the Congress trying hard to not let the Pm visit Punjab. Isn't the Pm above this petty pullings of strings, last I saw the Indian Map , Punjab was in the boundaries!!
Even more pertinent is the question of an aged marathon runner who gives a new meaning to the word endurance and vitality who stuns the world by his feat. But , we have a company who could actually make it big here ( breweries !!) but they ain't no Sherlock . Just because there isn't a birth certificate .. well they can't certify or give Fauja his due. The joke being on them as this man is not even bothered by his awards, felicitations .
Hmm , that is a story for another day , but Im sure some resource ful chap at the municipal corporation could dig out an antiquated certificate from a time where people in the villages were more worried about the birth of their calves or harvest season than kids. But , how would the gora log ever understand all this? The only they understand money and for that they would embrace us..
Now  what matters to be seen , is whether 20 days hence what will end K- cup , Katrina's Jawaani or  Kareena's Chamak challo..

There was a reported increase in the all over lozenge sale in the chemist shops allover Punjab due to the hoarse shouting by politicians who all ever saving Punjab in their various yatras in the state.

satya

Do we ever say what we want to say or is it cloaked in formality ? Aren't we prisoners to proprietary , the society and what will everyone say? Isn't life dictated by a series of do's and don'ts?Forever as we are growing up we are told to do this , don't do that as heaven knows what will happen if we go astray from the path set by some old social matriarch . Remember the young innocent game we played when we were kids ( yes we were kids too ) " sauna jaa chirrhea , uutth jaa chiirrhea : that is what life and its so called invisible barriers want us to be.

An interesting and at the same time perplexing conversation was being held on FB yesterday where it said that should on tell the truth or lie specifically? Should we sugar-coat the truth so it is gentle or just lie so that it doesn't the person?

I feel that the lies even if they are small ones hurt the person and then you have to embellish them again ,again so that they can be substantiated . It is like sinking into a bog/sink hole and not being able to touch the bottom.Lies even small ones create doubt , suspicion and makes it difficult for one to trust again.When we are young , we want to be lied to shield away the hurt , mask the pain but as we grow older , truth wins hands down. Is it because we get hardened by time ? Do we all get a thick skin ? 

A " honest lie" ( term coined by lawyers!) is what is practiced in the society. How many times have you said ,"Oh you look beautiful" and not meant a single word of it . All the time you probably are thinking in your mind , couldn't she have chosen  a better dress? What about the meaningless, formality sake conversation , where one asks how one is? And, the reply is fine. Do you go around telling one the whole Ram - katha of how your life is , you just answer with a blatant white lie. A white lie the stand-by foundation of the society , its just polite to  tell a false answer without the audience actually believing it .

We have been taught that honesty is a virtue , it is the tenets of the society . We all want to practice but end up lying gently and lie in one form or in a variation which does not hurt the intended . The words are always said in a gentle way, the intent  is what matters. Are your words meant to hurt, educate, love , heal or just undo the person?

This is the real motive.  I feel , stringing of words have the power to hurt , wound, supplicate and to move heavens! Are you speaking to further your own agenda , or to further your ego?  The level to which your ego is involved indicates how much Satya you want to speak. Honesty in some form can be used as a weapon, so use your words with compassion, love , kindness . Do not maim someone with speaking the truth. Honesty is the best policy , but if you use it brutality it actually defeats the purpose. You then are defeating the intent , by speaking the truth for the sake of speaking truth or for furtherance of ego or wants or desires.

 Lines said by William Blake "Auguries of Innocence'

                      'A truth thats told with bad intent,

                      Beats all the lies you can invent'.

Strive to be gentle , to protect , and to keep both tenets of ahimsa and satya together .They both need to be hand in hand to be practiced and only then they complement each other .

What say ?

Ravneet  Sangha

Just Chill

Just Chill

Life was so simple when the words " just chill" meant to put something in the refrigerator to be cooled down to a desirable temperature. And now, all that the next generation says is just chill . My son's answer to every query posed is just chill mama! It angers, infuriates me to no end but at the same time I smile . How did the baton of being a worried parent pass on so quickly and smoothly without even a bump or a murmur?

This generation of kids who are growing at a faster pace than genesis and are embracing the change as if it was akin to breathing have an attitude where they are more relaxed. They take less tension , do not get worked up  like the parents and are nonchalant about majority of things. A teenager is moody , maddening, impulsive , and will try the patience of a saint . Parents wonder why they do not listen to them, teenagers think the parents are too strict do not reason out , fret over little things .

The child in this day and age is open to excitement, novelty , risk , is heavily influenced by peers ,the society and the combination of all theses makes him do foolish things to impress or to be cool. The words just chill also stem from this belief. To be cool , with it by wearing the kind of clothes parents think are not right , tight jeans, t-shirts which will not let an extra breath in, hair which is either too wild or is cut so short that it's not even there. The teenager looks towards his peers as they are his future, he is brought into a world by his parents , they shape his formative years ,due to cultural, social influences( geographical limitations) and then he wants to move forward to fit into the future, rather than the past . We live in a world made by our peers not by our parents. Yes, they bring us up , they shape the boundaries, the initial years but it is the peers who define the lines for lives. It is looking at them the teenagers that they shape their lives. It is keeping these in mind that they are the main show, and not to be sidelined.And also being with familiar people, teens offers them more comfort . Family is there , to dish out the requisite pocket money which always falls short but friends offer the zone to them ( as they put it). They do not question, do not scold, do not ask , do not put down in any way which is demeaning or makes them feel small.

Teenagers actually learn to be more adaptive , both as individuals and species when they fend themselves against their own cronies and the peers. Actually , parents constant nagging to perform better , to achieve higher results makes them at first say just chill in a very modern western way. This is not limited to the West only but is a cultural constant all around the world. Teenagers want to be understood , they want to talk , to be heard and not be lectured all the time. They say they are not crazy as they look! According, to them they say that life comes with an expiration date and one should enjoy it rather than live in the past worrying about the future.

Just Chill , is the anthem of the youth .

Ravneet Sangha

My Spiritual Sojourn

I went for a kirtan darbar held in the city last evening . The 'raison d erte' was that all the ragi jathas were playing and strange that it may seem , I think the advancing years , knees knocking have made me partial to the songs of the Maker . It was indeed an eye-opener and the soul got a bit more weary and saddened.

We entered to a lit up podium , flowers mixed and hoodwinking with artificial flowers and there in I should have realized the deception. It was an exercise in convincing the public concerning their devotion to the Granth. As, someone said today morning, it was a pat on the back , and someone's got to do it. In this day and age we do not worry if it is self-promotion ,I mean if one did not look out for one's interest , who will do ? And , money does make the mare go.

Well , there was a congregation of holy saints, true karma yogis who graced the occasion. The kirtan was loud in the beginning and the instruments were played with extra strength and fervor all indicating that the loud pitch and extreme exaggeration would bring HIm closer. I had always believed that hymns  were sung to God as a humble person who had finished, silenced his ego and was quashing all doubts of his existence, but it seems you have to move all the three worlds. There were serious zakhms on me!

Another strange thing which disturbed me was that a lot of the so called preachers who sat on the dais were disturbed, tensed, the 'noor' missing , a few were at peace and radiated inner solitude but the rest were more worried about their cholas and the positioning of the kirpans. The entourage with them were large with menacing weaponry. I wonder when , they stopped smiling? This kind of religious ascending to reach Him is a no-no for me.There were , however a few who sang and the crowds were swayed by their melodious mellifluous voice who indeed were calling Him to earth .May the Gurus be kind to them.

The sangat came in large numbers, attracted by the fireworks , the lavish langar , and a chance to be blessed by the mere presence of wants  by osmosis. A charged atmosphere , you see! Politicians who graced us by their presence took a short route to supplicate in front of the Guru Granth Sahib , they didn't have time to stand in line like us common minions. Actually, it is my fault to think that they would follow the tenets of Sikhism , they just don't have time to be normal or common. Life for them is a fast paced vehicle to amass more and more so that when death comes they might even strike a deal then.Never trust a man with soft hands, is the old saying.

With a pinch of salt , let me say , for an ordinary nobody like me , it took away a few misconceptions. I was looking a forward to an evening of bliss which I did experience for some time but it did get clouded with moments of extreme materialism , crass exploitation of the gullible public as always.We do love being taken for a ride... kya karein aam a dmi hain , na.

Ravneet Sangha 

Punjab ...

Taking Punjab Forward 2020

Punjab in 2020 will have regained its position of being the top state where it matters . Punjab , a state which has bounced back to its position of being a forerunner in the country by political parties deciding to join hands by doing away the bickering and mudslinging which they were previously famous for. This unique co-operation between two diametrically opposite parties ushered in a new revolution whereby they worked for the common man / aam aadmi keeping him supreme. This path-breaking commitment led to a development which was unprecedented in the country. The parties saved the state and it rose again like a Phoenix to reclaim the punjabi pride which had been reduced to botal, sharaab and nasha and had in the last decade lost its valor and contribution to the armed forces. 

I envisage Punjab to be a state where my children would be proud to be Indians and Punjabis second and not sell their lands to gain ticket to a phoren country to earn dollars. I want Punjab, to resurrect , reconstruct itself in a complete manner so that we secure our future by dealing with primary issues which plague the state . 

Punjab , the land of five rivers has the sixth one in place .. drugs and alcohol which flow freely. A complete , strict in action policing on the border areas with states like Rajasthan which are the conduits for free flow of drugs needs to be enforced. The Border Force Police which  guards this porous border with Pakistan needs to be vigilant and energetic with up-to date equipment and weaponry to deter criminals.

Punjab , primarily an agrarian state with the help of a comprehensive agricultural policy which introduces different cropping patterns, rain-water harvesting  techniques,and where capital is provided by state government  to build an infrastructure to promote vegetable and fruit crops . They would allow the farmer to become economically independent after a gestation period of five years. The farmer today in 2011 is under debt , shrinkage of land, no water, and no viable support price. When the inputs are so high and land cost is spiraling out of control it is easier to fall into the vicious trap of selling the land to a builder to make a quick buck. 

I expect politicians of tomorrow and today to cooperate with themselves in matters of development and not pull each other down as prevalent today.

Punjab has a dismal education system today where the rural child stands no chance against the urban one. There is no science or maths basics. Education is the lodestone of a state . Punjab needs an independent policy which will re-build the state's education policy for the next decade. We need to bring all the children under one umbrella. A dedicated independent policy adhering to the country's framework and policies should be implemented and it should comprise of eminent personalities in the field who will work for the greater good and will not squabble or dither from their responsibilities. 

Punjab has the biggest blot on its reputation where once we were prided as being the defenders of women and now are called kudi-maar .This smear needs to be eradicated , not by mere talk but by definite action. We need to stop this genocide by complete , strict effective enforcing from panchayat level. Also ,girls need to be given monetary backing and the society needs to come forward in unison to stop this rot.

In the end , I would like Punjabis to stand up and be proud of being Punjabi and giving back to the state. We need to retune our selves just like the re-boot of a computer to regain the pride lost. If we can't stay here and make this a better place how can we preach .

Ravneet Sangha

Rs 80 or school

Every girl in Punjab whose name gets lost in the dusty brick lanes/ galliyan is known as Nikki . The real name is given with lament at birth to the dai/ midwife and then registered  in the Panchayat Ghar , thanks to the Akali governments tall claims of protecting the girl child and giving money in her name for her education .

Her name was Rani, lovingly called by her mother who was already as old as Father time giving birth consecutively to four girls year after year in the quest for a boy . This wish to sire a son was going to be the death of her . All the pind women whispered about it in groups when they went for there early morning business before anyone woke up. Why Sher Singh! was full of anger at her inability to give him a son and there were rumors of him getting married again . His mother the old chajjo was already sending out feelers to the next village's panch's daughter . She was supposed to be  a beautiful 16 year old ready for marriage and she did bring dowry with her too.

The talk shifted to lewd , dirty and naughty comments and all was dampened with the loud speaker spluttering to life with Bhaiji's voice starting the day with his sonorous voice. The voice of Bhai Tirlok Singh seemed like a direct reprimand from Babaji itself.

Nikki grew up under two different mothers, one who was forever working on the stove , making meals for the family , the extended family and a helper.  Choti ma the new mother was decorative, well she did work but only to be seen when her father was home . She went to the village shop, bought all the stuff which was needed , she went on thursdays to light a chiraag at the holy place , with the rest of the girls. Choti ma had brought a precious buffalo in her dowry , a trunk full of clothes for the winter, bedding which was soft , velvety in feel and clothes for Bapu. And , she had secured her position in the household firmly , by producing the elusive heir , Raja.  Nikki loved him with all her life. He was forever dressed in beautiful clean clothes thanks to her mother who looked after him , bathed him , put him to sleep with all the love , warmth and motherly affection of a mother. Years  flew and Nikki started attending the primary school where she would get a mid-day meal and was also given a stipend by the government . Her older sisters had never been to school, they all worked in the near by fields working in a group under a thekedarni called Baby who was responsible for the girls. Her sisters dressed up , wore kajal ,bangles, had earrings , the latest baliyan with ghungroos in them . She loved the fact that bapu allowed them one day's wage. Eighty rupees .

Oh! How much one could do with that much money. She would eat sweets from the shop, the yummy crispy jalebis orange in color twisted and fried similar to her life. She would buy bangles , pink red green and wear them all day along . Nikki wanted to wear baliyan instead of the ordinary threads she wore. Her ears had been pierced in the last mela but nobody bought her a pair , there was never enough money for it all  to go around and then some left for extras.Nikki had spent many hours dreaming , fantasizing about the money where she would be answerable to no one for the amount. It was hers . No one could take it, no one would say give it to Raja , he is small . Clothes are need for him . No one could ask her money to pay the village shop bill which never went down . It was a mystery how the amount never changed , always he had an answer for the bill which was complicated and had a carry forward from last month. She was good in maths , she knew how to add calculate in her mind but his bill was even beyond her.

The day came, she had finished her eight class , she need not go to the senior school. She wanted to work in the fields, be independent, be the master of her desires, she wanted to wear her pretty suits and go work in the fields , laugh play and have fun coming back into trolley which brought them back at dusk.Nikki started working in the same groups with her sisters and it wasn't at all easy . The sun beat fiercely on them , it was hard work standing  ,bending picking , cutting bundles of rice. The sharp rice ears cut into her hands , making them bleed and the sun was merciless. The in charge who had joked, laughed with her was an eagle eyed hawk, she spotted any lax garland was quick in reprimanding them. There was an average which had to be maintained and it was important to fulfill the quota , other wise a straightway cut in the daily wage. Nobody had told her about this side of the picture.

She had thought it was all easy , going to the fields, doing what was told and getting the money and on sunday getting the eighty rupees. Nikki and her friends thought it was easy , they just knew what the eighty rupees symbolized . For them it meant new slippers, bangles, sweets , the hard work, the labor , the aches and pains and the merciless sun which never moved from over them . They were so blinded by the illusion of freedom , that they overlooked the hard work , the labor. It was an exchange from a perceived prison to an actual one.

Sunday finally came, Nikki's hands were all cut , swollen at places bitten by insects which she never knew existed ,feet all cracked , dirty, dark with slipper straps imprinted on them .  Starting to tan , the golden wheatish color Punjab is so famous  ( a variety coined by the match makers and patented by North Indians) , Nikki wore her best suit in anticipation of the evening stop at the shops.

The suit was pink with blue piping with mirrors stitched on by her mother. She worked, counted the hours till 6 pm and , focussed just on getting the day by. It would have been better to study , she thought . Her teacher had told her but she had never paid heed . She wondered though, even if she had studied for the next two years it would not have made a difference ,eventually she would have come to the fields to work as a daily worker. What did math or punjabi or rudimentary science help in cutting wheat? Does it make wheat cutting easier, quicker or faster ? How did education translate into a better life?

The evening came, anticipated with new eyes, even the wind had become cooler , enveloping her giving her a respite from the heat and cooling her down. The evening held so much promise , the day had finally come . She took the wages in the evening and she walked with a cockier step, her posture, demeanor had changed and she felt it was worth it ; the hard work, labor had paid off and she walked the steps in a world of her own.Her friends and she  reached the village back with so many plans, laughter,all the back breaking work, forgotten after the money which was in their hands.

They walked to the shop in a rhythm of their own , feet taking them to their destination . Evening had descended , a twilight hour neither day nor night , they walked quickly to the village shop on the outskirts . She had to buy her jalebis, her baaliyan and then make her way home. Suddenly they were waylaid by a group of young boys a mixed motley of young and not so young boys who were masked . They asked for their money , a couple of girls fled and one of them stood behind Nikki . She was quivering, clutching her money in her fist behind her back and she said , "I don't have any money . It's with Bapu. " She did not want to give her hard-earned money to a group of boys who were teasing them and wanted to take it away just because they were stronger . They did not know what it meant to work in the merciless sun , working hour after hour without stopping and fulfilling the quota . Any less meant that her wage was proportionate.

Her negative stance made one of the boys move towards her , cowering her . The shadows made them look  bigger . One of them whipped out a country knife and started brandishing it . Instead of moving back , she moved forward, fear makes one bolder , stronger . The boy felt as if she was challenging his man hood , shoved the knife in her which made contact with her . She fell , and the money fell from her hand . The boys took it and ran. 

Nikki lay there in  a pool of blood waiting for help which came too late. She died on the way to the hospital.

This is not my imagination playing riot or just writing so that I make a blog entry for today. This happened in a nearby village and money was used by the boys to buy drugs . 50 rupees for capsules which give one a high .A life too cheap, snuffed away . 

shaheed bhagat singh

This day comes and goes today , just the same way  we enjoy another holiday , no work no rush in going to the office where one is time bound to spend another day whiling away time. Shaheed Bhagat Singh 's birthday is today , it gets resurrected feebly again and again to further political fortunes. His birthday is used as a convenient excuse to further political ambitions. The yellow color of his turban is known more than the saraon ( mustard flower ) of Punjab , worn with pride by the youth for a day to flag the morals, bold stance of Bhagat Singh for a day but as the sun sets which is inevitable the ideology is swept away again for the next year.

He is remembered not for his  stand , his fight his courage but for the paper inches he can give the political party and the eulogy given to him is weak and empty . Words are large , heavy and they whip up emotions which die a death before the day ends and the flash bulbs flash.

Todays youth is searching for an icon who will guide them , show them the path but sadly is misled by the politicians whose coffers grow and who lives not for the common man but for himself and percentage votes garnered. The virtual world which pays tribute to him is lost in clever, gimmicky statuses and profile pictures which pay tribute him for a day and is gone when the likes do not substantiate it.In the same line we wish Bhagat singh and in the same breath wish Ranbir Kapoor a long life .

It is the need of the day that the nation keeps its tryst with history for the next generation and for it self to face not the world but to meet its own eye in the mirror.

Ravneet Sangha

32 or 26 not a waist size

Rs 32 is all one needs to have in his or her pocket to be above the poverty  line in the urban areas and Rs 26 a day for the rural areas. One is not classified poor if one has the spending power of Rupees 32, according to the Planning Commission, who informed the Supreme Court of their findings. This magic figure will not let them withdraw any benefit from the central / state pool;i.e. the welfare schemes which are in place for them.

Think for a moment what you can buy with Rs 32 or Rs 26 ( depending whether you are an urban or rural citizen) for your average sized family with two children and aged parents. The index which keeps on rising never coming down, the inflation rate which cases havoc is making it impossible for the ordinary citizen to survive. In today's survey conducted amongst a  sample of the society it was found that the group of teenagers ranging from15 to 19 yrs could not fathom a day where they could survive on this measly amount for a day. Why  ,a pack of chips and a cd ( cold drink ) costs Rs 25! How is one going to survive and then a recharge for a mobile, and then money for a geri route? It was preposterous, says  Hartaaj ,an engineering student. 

Baani , a university going student thinks that it was a joke , the survey being conducted.All the kids thought it was a stunt for a reality Tv show so popular in today's times . None of them thought you could survive on such a pathetic measly amount.

We are entering the next year with our head held high , overtaking Japan, as the third largest economy in the world, one of the only countries not to suffer recession,overtaking the world with the high quotient  intellect pool and exceeding everyone's expectation in being self-sufficient . This figure presented today is a pathetic testament to a country  which is making mockery of its citizens. What can you buy for this ? A few grams of dal, a meagre amount of flour , no vegetables, no milk , no nutritional portion. No clothes, or shoes to wear. Any illness,or unforeseen accident leaves them vulnerable to the age-old money lending system which has broken their back-bone. This never-ending vicious cycle does not let them rise. A migrant worker from UP says, that due to the untimely rains, heavy monsoons they do not get daily work which has left them eating rice with ,watered  down dal . 

How will Rs 26 cover any illness, where the slip to just go beyond the reception area to enter the haloes in front of the doctor's room costs Rs 10?How is he going to afford the course of antibiotics which costs a minimum of Rs 78 for 3 days ( according to Indian Chemists Association) ? This was just illness, how is he going to send his kids to the government school? Yes, we proudly say we have a mid-day meal program, but with infested rice, where the actual good supply of quality rice/porridge is filtered away by the anganwari lady and if made is cooked by the kids in dismal conditions. Oh, the rich person who has Rs 32 in his pocket is also supposed to allocate from this amount his rent, electricity , water bill . These are the basics we are counting, anything over and above this is frivolous. He can only dream of entertainment, or visiting the heritage of this mighty country . The common man is disillusioned , left to fend on his meagre amount, his only defense, his armor of being poor has been snatched from him by the acclaimed economists who have dictated the dictum for the majority of Indians.

We , the Annas of today , the Rang De Basantis will lose our voice not because corruption will break us but just because we never got a proper meal.

Is this figure to hide /manipulate millions for the ever hungry politician who sees this as a plank for votes to line his coffers which have no bottom?

Ravneet Sangha .

the hospital

 My visit to a government hospital was oxymoronic, it was a mausoleum. I joined the ranks of the common public who visit the government hospitals, civil hospitals and the specialized ENT hospital . The monsoons have taken the toll in Punjab and the roads are a ghostly memory. We visited the hospital last week to visit a specialist nearby to the newly constructed Civil Hospital , Jalandhar. 

What can I say? The visit is an eye-opener to the pathetic, deplorable condition of the hospital .This is not an exaggerated version to sell copy, but what I saw there. The walls exist under layers of dust , the paint lost after the elaborate ceremony to declare it to open to the gullible public. There exists no light , dark dismal, dank corridors take you to the room. The air is neglected, a weird smell which creeps into your nose , refuses to leave you even after the visit. No body sits on the reception desk to guide you, water creeps down the stairs welcoming you.  Oh, yes, one is supposed to be well versed in Punjabi to know where which doctor sits or have so much time to keep making rounds and you are lucky if the doctor is still in his room.

The room is no better, it has furniture , the quintessential computer, the equipment ( in over sterilized calcified implement box) but the air is stagnant and the fan moves in a negative speed as if it has also given up its task. The fight against in giving air is too much . 

The doctors, well qualified, specialists in their fields are par excellence but the environment sucks out the zest for their profession. Yes, they are impeccable in their diagnosis , the medication was perfect , my nephew did get well,but don't we owe it to them to give them humane environments to work in?

Where does the money go in Punjab? Why is the hospital a monument to the dead , instead of the living? Why is the air neglected, stagnant, dank , depressing and  everyone operates on a slow-motion speed.

Punjab boasts of a relatively rich progressive electorate. We , pride ourselves to be a progressive, state where if possible we would start farming on the moon!

Gone are the days that we can discuss, have bureaucratic meetings where all is discussed ,water served with the budgeted flowers and the proper snacks, and swept into files which never see the light till the next so called scheduled meeting where the same agenda is presented with no result. 

Punjab needs action ,simple as that . It needs to flag the dying spirit which is buried under the nonchalant, superficial mask of today donned by its public and the government.

Ravneet Sangha

The Divine Madness

The Divine Madness

This has just been borrowed from the spiritual page but has nothing to do with my godly intentions , for once. I have two friends who will be heaving a sigh over this.

The building is broken down,paint peeling off, there are more plants growing on the parapets and the nooks of the walls than in the so called main garden. The path way to the building doesn't exist and has more sand than the beaches of Bondi. The rooms are cubby holes smeared with a paint which is of the bygone era bleached of life, windows with iron bars as if blocking away any ray of light or sunshine which might dare to creep and spread some warmth. The floor doesn't exist , uneven strewn with excuses of desks and chairs. The black board has no slate on it. The walls have faded painted alphabets ,both in Roman English and Punjabi but lines have disappeared as if the struggle to survive was too much . The entire compound has a dead , neglected feel. 

This is a prominent village in Doaba , a senior secondary school run by the government.

Punjab , a rich state in ruins now fallen  is holding its SGPC elections today. The polling booth was made for the electorate , each siding fighting for the Panth and holding the keys to heaven and salvation . It's  a wonder where the ideology is lost , it is more important and mandatory to have a flowing beard , Yes, I understand that one has to comply with the signs of being a sikh , the 5 symbols which are given to  us by Guru sahib to discipline us . Why has rigidity set in the newest most flexible religion ? Why have we become prisoners to the interpretations of a few hard-core religious extremists? Extremism, excess always positions itself for fall eventually. It digs its own grave .

The scene at the booth was hilarious but sad at the same time ( pun intended) , everyone was proclaiming to vote for the panth, a triangular contest was on cards . One was the true son of the guru -ghar , the second was for the real akali dal and the third one was the hard-core alkali dal ( Amritsar). All of them , were clad in white kurta pajamas, impressive with their blue turbans and respectable lengths of beard. I wonder , which oil works for the long , right colored salt pepper beards ?

There is also a point for wonder...how do all of them get pointy in the end? Even Dumbeldore was shown with the same flowing beard , our one and only export to Holly wood apart from Ms Mallika and her ample bosom.The religious battle is won on only one platform divinity which is guarded by the SGPC which till date does not allow women to do kirtan in the Drabar Hall. Nor is a Hindu or a muslim allowed to do seva , where the basis of Nanak's Bani was sung with the help of Bala and Mardana. Who appointed us as the moral guardians of a faith which is the most modern , is the only one in the world which treats all of us equals is tolerant , and started the unique practice of a communal kitchen where no one is big , small , rich or poor . But , the crusaders have turned sellers of religion where vote is bought on basis of emotion. I saw the common man , woman voting just because it was for the guru-ghar , that effectively seals every question, doubt ever raised by one. No one dare raise a voice of dissent because doing so means questioning  the Supreme. No one ever wants to be caught in that cross-fire , believe me.

We need a reform where we can in corporate the newer generation, intellectuals which will make Sikhism flourish and not be strangulated or die a slow death .This divine madness which will be our downfall needs resurrection , to save it for Punjab which shall rise as a phoenix.

Ravneet Sangha.

raj kumar - two pieces of besan

His round eyes haunt me today , following me around when I walk in the evening. I asked him his name , because I feel by knowing a person's name one wins them over ,chotu comes later to me.

He is Raj Kumar , aged 12 years from Karnal sent to Punjab to eke out a living.He works on my farm , his job as a novice is to fire small pellets of gunpowder to stave off the birds who come and eat the ripening ears of maize. It is done with the use of an indigenous crude gun used by all farmers . Am I guilty of depriving this young child who is weak, thin and should be studying , living his childhood not worried about dihaari/daily wages , and how much money he can send back home to his parents? This debt cycle which engulfs them , passes on from generation to the next and a life time is gone in paying of the interest , forget the principal amount.

Did I appease my guilt by giving him two pieces of besan , thinking that would absolve me of the moral guilt? It pricks the conscious . Is he better off here, where he gets three square meals and as much as he can eat rice with deal from the langar hall or back home with his parents receiving love affection but maybe one square meal a day?

Where does one equalize ? This is one of those rare moments where I want to ask God , why?I don't see the logic , the grandiose plan in this. 

shakti/women

First of all this is contrary to popular perception a very old-fashioned article,with a few of homilies thrown in .I do not have any path - breaking ball - busting feminist views , nor are these modern or utopian , just a bit of common sense .

Women of our age have forgotten their true status in the society.We are all passing through a difficult time in our  civilization, we all want to live in a state with a sense of equality, loving all and excluding  none but in this search modern woman is forgetting her power within and forgetting a very important role that she has to play in the society. If women want to bring about a change in the society only she can because she is the architect of our whole society and the architect of human's destiny. It is the biggest misconception that the country's destiny its path is carved out in the midst of men's clubs or power centers where they demarcate, divide. She builds the home, she established the family life, she brings up the children,and makes them good citizens.

Do you know who first taught meditation in action? We all think that the great saints, sages are the one who learnt give us this wisdom , but actually the founders of this are ordinary women whom meditate daily. In ancient India , each woman would daily get up early ,gather and  go to the well with empty vessels on their head to bring back water. She would carry that vessel on her head , with arms on the side and sometimes carry bundles of firewood in her hands or other stuff. This requires a lot of focus, concentration , control and also along with this cry , weep sing talk the very distance back to her hut. This cannot be done by great yogis. The vessel will never fall . This particular memory has been etched in our minds by various photographers who have captured them in line with their vessels perched on their head , swinging to the rhythm to an internal mantra. This is meditation in action. You can live in this world like the woman who does her duties without any problem without being carried away from her power of concentration. Ask a man to do this and you will hear him complain and be aghast over how why what where and it's impossible.

Women is shakti.

Without woman, man is never complete.Tagore,the greatest Indian poet said,"O woman you are half in reality but half in dream.That dream which all men have, that dream without which humanity will not survive, that dream which is inexplicable is really woman. A Woman is a living temple, shakti a predominant force which is instrumental in making men great . for e.g. Ramakrishna paramhansa became great because of a woman, Krishna had Radha, Buddha because of many woman who played an important role in shaping him to his magnificence.

It is not a question whether man is higher or woman is . A woman is definitely superior . Put a man through a little discomfort and he will start complaining. A woman comfortable lives with a baby inner womb, carries it for nine months , goes through labor which has no equal . She alone has that capacity to endure , to be patient. Woman are psychologically and medically superior to men. There is a scientific fact that lesser women die of heart attacks ( not because we don't have a heart ) but because we are better shock absorbers. Men generally make terrible patients and want to be babied. 

Women have the real strength , carrying on like quiet selfless soldiers . The problem is they are not making creative use of their strength. The world needs their help today. Woman is suffering because of the lack of realization of their own strength. The power of shakti is being dissipated in advertising, clubs television, magazines.The real problem is that we do not exsist for the fun of men and many women have forgotten this .Many of the  women are still poking for someone to appreciate them, they are dependent on them to praise to say , oh! you are looking beautiful ,attractive. This is not helpful for our next generation which is rising. Women of today tomorrow need not these artifices, cudgels .

Women are custodians of civilizations. They are the first teachers. Children receive their first lessons from their mother . If a woman does not impart her lessons properly , they grow wild and grow up unstructured. Woman of today is not secure , with doubts of relationship stability, of changing partners whether she is going to continue with the same man or live in the same house , these doubts affect her self image.

The one thing which is unique to India is that invaders have come , gone left their mark but woman have not been touched . From Mughals , to the Britishers India has withstood various attacks and these foreigners influenced the way of life , left deep impacts in our architecture to an extent in the culture but mainstream India has not been affected . Woman remained apart , the core was not touched and this is the reason the culture remains intact. Today the material wealth is gone ; there is poverty , disparity, malnutrition,and over population -but there remains one thing ....civilization . That ancient stream of civilization lives on , breathing fire to this country because of women.

The West also had the same practice but the deterioration of the basic unit , family culture has left an impact where we see the effects in todays world. We create jails , corrective institutions for our criminals but do we ever ask why they became like this?The highest learning is not imparted in schools, colleges , universities but in childhood.An education starts knee high at a mother's lap . The reconstruction of society , to rebuild is all in the hands of women.

She needs not to question whether she is inferior or superior than a man , she just needs to reestablish her family life balancing it in today's modern times with her career. If , we have been given this unique gift to bear children I guess we should  instead of squabbling over the who and whys, suck it up and balance family and career life in tandem.