Cleanse the roots to grow a Saner Tree

Dear Readers,

Wish you all a very happy Holiday Season. Enjoy the season :)

This year 2012 was predicted as dooms year as the Mayan Calendar ended by 21st, 2012. However, that turned out to be false. Many disbelieved, while many believed and many did both. I fear it would end before it was supposed to as it is quite evident how much we abuse our planet. Sharing this heart touching video about our planet. You will get to know where we are heading in the name of development. HOME

*******************************************************

With the series of incidents taking place around us, I often start thinking how we are so stubborn and emotionless to many things that happen around us. We never stand up and question the wrong. Even when of one of us dare to do so, the rest of us hardly support that one voice. Better late than never...After the Delhi issue, there were severe protests to bring out stern laws to punish the culprits. While it is commendable that many women took to streets to voice their support for a girl who has undergone worst torture, I wonder why is that they turn out be violent. Of course, the government's lagged response and no affirmation on any of the protesters' demands is something that triggers violence. But, in my opinion, violence sidelines the main issue rather than doing any good for the actual demand.

There are thousands of crimes happening in the country against women. I don't think capital punishment alone would change everything. Every time something as such happens, and we have take to streets and remind our leaders for assertive action and does that solve the problem. Not really and not completely. Gandhiji said India gets real freedom only when a woman can walk fearlessly in the midnight hour. Forget about the midnight hour, mid-day hour is also not safe currently. Right from the 3yr old child to a 55yr old female, none of the women are exceptional when it comes to abuse. If the laws only were stringent, can we assume that solves everything? If women are not safe in their own homes, one can imagine how it would be outside the abode. This is not just about the laws, rules and regulations. It’s all about the mindset that we have been soaked in for ages.

From centuries ago till today's age many mothers start preaching their daughters do's and dont's more than they do this with their sons. Daughters were always taught to be cautious while sons are allowed to wander at their wish. So, if a women is alone, she is considered not safe as she might encounter any danger most probably by a man. I don't think any mother preaches her son how to behave with a girl. Forget the gender, at least teach your son to respect humanity as a women is also a human. Frankly, this will never be discussed considering it was inherently known to the son by birth or may be considered as a taboo. I don't understand this entire concept of preaching the females only. It’s okay to give cautions to the females but not at all okay to curtail her liberty. But, when a disgusting incident happen, we talk a lot about the capital punishments and castrations within the family with no taboos, but why can't we teach our males to be sensitive towards women. 

Before thinking of the capital punishments and change of rules and laws and going on streets and shouting slogans, all the mothers of young sons, please sit down with your own son and discuss the problem. Not just the mothers but the fathers please do not show your male dominant ego at your wife and portray yourself as a hero because you can control a woman. Beware that your son idealizes you first before he gets out and learns something else from the society. So, please be careful on what you say and what you do before blaming any outsider. And, of course our stereotyped society which have been light years away from a ‘change’ in thought process. Our society keeps blaming /sympathizing the women more than the men who have been responsible for it. The men, no matter whatever nonsense they do, it all fades away in few days and they enjoy all the rights and freedom that they had earlier. But, the women have to hide in burrows, cover their faces, and forget to live. Most of us say it aloud, that woman has no life after rape/abuse but we never say a man has no life. This is the most critical problem why a man tends to show his strength/ego/masculinity on a woman. If it was the reverse, I don't think any male would dare to resort to any abuse. Because, he can get away with it easily, he doesn't care to commit a crime. We talk about imprisoning, castrating, amputating, but we never talk about evicting them from the society and social living. 

Agitations, protests, blame games and any other violence will not do any good unless we first change our mindset. Let women live their lives with as much as liberty that men get to and take the attitude out which is considering women are weak or should be sympathized or can be taken for granted as and when needed. 

At the same time, please exclude the sane men from the list of abuses that we woman folk give. And now don’t ask whose so sane among the men, it might be your own father, brother, husband, acquaintance etc.,

Because the problem has gone too far, I opine the cleansing mission should also start from the roots. Start preaching your sons at home first that before she is a woman she is a human and she deserves every right that you deserve. The next step should be protesting for stringent laws.

Wishing at least the next gen will witness a safer and saner society!!

Cheers

Jyostna

FDI in India - My perspective

Hi All,

It’s been 28years since the tragedy of Bhopal Gas, but the victim families have been fighting for justice till date. They were still agitating for basic needs like safe drinking water...isn't it the least that any government can do to pacify the people for their 2 decade long suffering??? What kind of system are we in?? Wake up Chauhanji as you near the election year.

*********************************************************

Amongst the 13 Prime Minister's that our country had throned, Dr.Manmohan Singh is undoubtedly the highly educated politician. He had held the posts of economic advisor, reserve bank governor and finance ministry very effectively and handled the economic crisis in a best possible way for which he had won great accolades throughout the world. But a PM's chair is never a cake walk even for the man who had witnessed decades of political reforms. He has been criticized for the lack of strength in decision making, inability to curb scams and scandals, lack of active & independent strategies etc; But, when he tried to reinvent himself by making a stern decision, perhaps more as an economist rather than a prime minister, we oppose him. When as an economist, his reforms were able to successfully lead us out of economic crisis in 1991, why not now?? His decision to lift the cap on FDI was opposed by all the opposition parties and the parties within the UPA too.

Allowing the FDI in India has turned out to be another reason for the political parties to fight. The argument that says FDI is going to ruin the small scale businesses in India is more of a myth. I have a very valid point to mention here. According to me, FDI will not ruin but improve many sectors of the economy. The first and foremost is the investments that these foreign retailers make in our country, secondly the farmers will be benefited by selling their harvest directly to these foreign retailers unlike the current selling procedures which are of least help. The norms that’s these foreign retailers set for a product to qualify their requirements will give a better quality product to the consumer. This perhaps could create a competition for a better quality item at an appropriate price.

For example, the Walmart which stands top consistently in the Forbes listings because majority of the products sold by Walmart are relative to the quality and pricing. The price in Walmart is comparatively less than other retails, but the quality is never compromised. The fact that Walmart purchases most of its products from China can also be sidelined in our case. Our government can set regulations on purchase & manufacturing policies to curb this practice. Once regulations are set, as per the demand, there is a good possibility of increase in manufacturing units. All of which will contribute to more employment opportunities.

In the USA, where giant retails have been ruling the roost since decades, there are complains that this system is killing small scale farmers. This is fairly true because US market system does not have good no.of corner shops. Even in remote places its unlikely to find corner shops. This is a difficult scenario for both farmers and the customers as well. For every small thing that you need, you have to make a trip to the huge retail stores sparing half a day in buying a small list of stuff that you need without diverting to the things that you don't need. Probably Americans are very much used to these retails that it isn't an issue to not have a corner shop at every street corner. 

But, in the UK there were many corner shops, almost at the end of every street corner just like in India. Many grocery shops, meat shops, fast food shops that co-exist with the big retails in the high streets. Also there are street side veggie grocers who sell small harvests on a day to day basis. And, the retails have set up express shops which are like the corner shops at high streets. But, everybody have their own market. Irony is that, in spite of so many attractive offers the giant retails make, the fresh grocer who sells on a day to day basis gives a tough competition.

Our market system is more or less similar to the UK market. We have many retailers, street side vendors, super markets and we have 1.2 billion people to be catered for. So, the advent of FDI in India will not kill small businesses but will open a new door for those deprived farmers and will serve the middle class better. On the otherhand, space is a big concern for these giant retails, so they cannot set up a store in every street corner. Hence the small business that you see will remain more or less the same and may be better if they compete in quality and price. Bad business strategies will also be knocked off. All this works well, provided proper regulations are set in terms of the purchasing & manufacturing policies. Otherwise, the already declining economy may have to face disasters.  

In my opinion allowing foreign retail will bring revenue, jobs and apparently some good reforms in the country. Our local markets will be cautious regarding the prices and quality will be better. Not the FMCG alone, but clothing and furniture will also face a challenge to enhance their produce and supply at a reasonable pricing. This is almost like a reverse reform strategy...as these business owners crave for quality, the look to buy the best from their sources while demanding for a reasonable pricing and the sources will demand their manufacturers to give a reasonable product for the price paid, thereby the manufacturer gets an alert. This entire process will act like a cycle and goes back hitting the government in due course of time to bring strong reforms in economic policies, price change etc., This may not be an overnight success. Any policy for that matter needs to taste some bitter experiences before shaping up into a model. This is certainly a reform with a vision by the man whoz known as a master mind in economic reforms. It’s just that the political parties are smartly trying to woo the voter against this or too dumbly opposing a great change. 

Cheers

Jyostna