Once in Germany.....

One day evening, at around 5.30 pm, we went to buy some grocery from the nearby shopping store ‘ALDI’. While we were parking our car outside the store, I saw a young boy running and an elderly man following him. They both were running so fast and carelessly behind each other that they did not even bother while crossing the road to see whether there are vehicles coming across. I saw this scene first time in Germany, the country known for its safety regulations, rules and good planning. In Germany, one tends to follow rules and there is hardly anyone who breaks the rules. One crosses the road only at pedestrian signals. These two men literally jumped over the landscaped road divider and ran across. One more man followed them.

I went inside to buy my stuff and my husband Parag was chatting then with the people who gathered outside ALDI. After finished with my shopping, I came out to ask Parag, " what had happened, why were they running?" The young boy who was running had stolen the valuet of an old person at the billing counter. Inspite of video cameras all over, he had dared to steal something!

In Germany, people wear what they want; they do what they like, but yes, not to forget everything within rules. Even if one is wearing very weird clothes, the person wearing it always has ‘who cares’ attitude’. People do not even look at such people and they are like of not my business attitude. I used to feel one is here literally not bothered about others.

In such a country, looking at such scene was shocking. I could not believe that a person nearly about 50 yr old, had catch hold of this thief who was hardly 20 yrs. Immediately police reached within 1 min and the thief was caught. People here are very alert and ready to help when in need. This was a typical hindi action movie scene so to say.

Getting marks – status symbol!

Eventually I have observed that any profession in Germany is respectable. I sometimes wonder why cant people in India have the same attitude. A student commits suicide because of lower grades! Why? Are marks important than one’s life? I believe majority of the times it may be because of the social pressure and also thoughts imposed by one’s parents. Parents have this common mindset, ‘What will others think or say about you if you get low marks? Your parents are Engineer and Doctor, you must also be one.’ Indirectly imposed on the child, otherwise the impression of the child and parents degrades. In a class of 50, only one can be first and out of the rest 49, majority of them live in guilt and pressure of the surrounding. Why doctor’s son should also be a doctor? Parents tell their children that you want to be doctor. Does the son really think what his liking really is? Or may be it is a preconceived notion by the parents that he has to be a doctor to take forward the family business and to pay back the investment of set up required to run the clinic. I believe no job is white collar job in real sense. Even doctors have their commissions from the hospital. They admit the patients sometimes for more no. of days than required till their monetary targets or deal with hospital is not achieved.

Here in Germany, I could observe the respect of parents towards their child’s decision regarding profession. If anyone wishes to be Hair stylist, one can easily pursue one’s willing career with no social obligation. There is no comparison done by parents in the community. We hear so frequently in our country, “Your parents are lawyers or bla bla bla and you have opted Bachelor of Arts or any profession that does not fit into family status?” Why not? Why should it affect parents and the very helpful relatives who just create social pressure? It is not compulsory here for a child to do complete school education for 13 years. I mean by this, after a certain level, the child can choose the kind of school he or she wants to attend, of course depending upon grades. It is not required that a dumb student or I would like to put it in a different way, one who doesn’t have liking towards any of the subjects, can opt for other school and learn only those required for the profession he has chosen. I appreciate this system. As rightly put in the movie ‘Shikshanacha aaicha gho’. All subjects are taught irrespective of the field one wants to be in and what the child really perceives from it. The choice of subjects and stream of education can be decided after 10^th standard. Yes of course, I agree the kind of rat race we have in India, one has to be well versed and have to make options open for him/her. The rat race makes one learn whatever possible…..I hope we can make things lighter so as to reduce the pressure on students.

The Glamorous Cat!

Royal Bengal Tiger! The most glamorous species I have ever seen in wild.

We have the Royal Bengal Tiger, the subspecies of tiger found only in India and Bangladesh. I happened to visit the kanha National Park in Dec 2003 as a part of the MSc Environment Science Curriculum. It being one of the largest national park in India with rich biodiversity, covering an area of 1945 sq.Km, is located in Madhya Pradesh. One of the scenic and picturesque national park. As soon we reached the ‘Mogli resort’ in the buffer area of the national park, we were divided into group of 5to 6, with each group in one gypsy. Our trails were supposed to start the next day. It was a different experience, a trip with no network to mobile phones, no television, no traffic, no fast food, no pollution, and the most important, no concrete jungle.

Early in the morning at about 4 am, we got into our respective gypsys; someone mentioned that one has to be lucky to have a glimpse of tigers. We all had crossed our fingers hoping that we see atleast one tiger during our stay of 4 days. Our gypsy driver and guide were with us to accompany for 4 days for our trails. While we were going through the kacha roads in the forest, our driver and guide were telling us stories of when and how many times they have seen tiger. As it is usual to see cows, cats, pigs, dogs on our streets, we could see Chitals (Spotted deer), Egrets, Langurs, Peacocks, Bisons, Sambhar (not the South Indian dish!) while passing by different paths in the jungle. We did also see Barasingha, Barking deer and Nilgai. Suddenly we heard the calls of Langurs and Chitals were different and then the guide said, “yahin kahin pass mein hain woh”. Sooner he spotted the tiger in the grassland and everyone was very excited and all eyes were stuck at the tiger through binoculars. That was the first time when I saw tiger in wild and I could feel the power of tiger in wild. How other animals reacted and gave alarm calls to each other to be aware as the tiger was nearby. There was a behavioural change in wild among all species. He was 8 feet in length, and was approximately 800m away in perpendicular direction from the gypsy. As soon as the tiger was located, all gypsys gathered there within 4-5mins. Some foreigners went crazy and started taking shots of the glamourous cat with their Nikon cameras. Silence was maintained so that the tiger should not be disturbed and leave the place. After few minutes, tiger that was sitting initially, stood up and started a few steps towards us. All the gypsys, about 8-10 of them, all went reverse half km. Wow! Such a terror that species had created. We had seen tiger roaming in Wilderness. It is difficult to describe in words, but it is damm adventurous and thrilling to see tiger in wild.

In 1972, tiger census was conducted and only 1800 odd tigers were left in India. After that, ‘Project Tiger’ is wildlife conservation moment initiated in India in1973 and was launched at Corbett National Park to protect Royal Bengal Tiger. Various Tiger reserves were created and now there are more than 40 tiger reserves in the country.

Number of tigers is reduced. Poaching has to be stopped! But despite of measures taken by officials, poaching remains one of the biggest threats as it is practically difficult to control such big areas. In addition to that, loss of ecosystem, the niche that a tiger needs, is decreasing. Enchroachment, Deforestation, urbanisation and industrialisation has taken away the home of wild species! It is believed that Chinese medicines use tiger bones in their preparation. Because of such beliefs, one gets a high price and poachers tend to kill wild animals. Environmental awareness towards conserving such species is also essential. But to whom? I suppose the environmental officials are very well aware of conserving the biodiversity. They know the repurcations of loss of such species which is at the apex of food pyramid. Then where is the gap? Latest news is that PM announces New Department of Wildlife under The Ministry of Environment and Forest.

We hope people become more aware and also environment officials become more alert, then we have the hope to save the extinction of our National animal. It is not only that the government officials are supposed to do their bit, but we all should as common man be alert and contribute our ways to save our Tiger. I believe Eco tourism is the one of the upcoming stream and has good prospects and our country will be able to earn more revenue by conserving this species as foreigners do pay handsome bucks to see this species in wild. Poaching activities would be at loss then and ecotourisms will be the profit face. Through means of Ecotourism we could generate revenue and thus to save tigers, we will automatically have to conserve our forests.

Only 1411 left! Aircel’s initiative ‘Save our Tigers’ is creating lot of awareness by showcasing sports persons as their brand ambassador of the campaign. I don’t know how this campaign will help at ground level conservation measures, but we can start our bit by supporting such initiatives to save the glamourous cat! http://www.saveourtigers.com/JoinTheRoar.php

Image courtesy: pirun.ku.ac.th/~b4803075/tiger.html

Dedication!

I have seen parents pampering their kids usually and with extra attention during exam periods. Some parents commutate their children from school, tution classes and so on. He or she should not get disturbed while studying and so complete silence and no distracting environment is maintained at home.

When I was small, my grandfather used to take me and my cousins to Taljai, the hills adjoining Parvati, Pune. It was a routine in summer holidays that we used to go to Taljai devi temple and then the surrounding protected forest area. During those days it was a fun to wake up early in morning, climb those hills and then wander around in that forest area looking for Peacocks, Hares, Mynas, Crow Pheasants (Bharadwaj). This forest area is known as ‘Parvati Van Vihar’ and is declared protected forest area. My passion to wander in forest area continues even now. Now having developed the hobby of watching birds, I would love to spend hours at Taljai, but that would not be always possible.

I know this young school boy named ‘Sachin’ who used to sell Herbal juice early in morning from 6 to 9 am and then in the evening from 5 to 7 pm. His mother used to prepare fresh herbal juices at home and this boy used to sell them just outside Parvati Van Vihar protected forest area entry gate, which is just behind Taljai devi temple. With not much investment, this boy used to place all different kinds of herbal juice bottles on a small table with a banner of his stall on the front side of table. Sachin being from a poor family, I used to just always think while I passed by him, whether he must be going to school or not?

Then 3 years back, one day I asked him. To start with the conversation I asked him, “kon karteh hi sarbate?” He said his mother prepares them at home, she does them fresh and so she had to get up early in the morning at 4 am. Then I asked him, “Tu shalet jastos ka?” He said, “Ho, athvit aahe”. He goes to a Pune Municipal Corporation school.

I used to go to Taljai frequently. During these years, I used to just ask him, “bara aahes na?” and he used to reply “ho”.

After these years, recently I went to Taljai and asked him, “atta kitwit aahes?” having a preconceived notion that he might have failed once or twice. He said, “Mi atta dahavit aahe”. Suddenly it stroked me that he has passed his exams all these years and was now in 10^th. His board exams were just 30 days to start and still he could manage getting up early in morning, selling herbal juices, attending school, coming again in evening to Taljai, and studying as well. I was so surprised to see this little boy’s achievement and dedication.

We have seen students fail even after getting such high end luxuries and protected parenthood always. I have seen parents giving their children some appreciation gifts when every exam passed, after all this I felt great amount of respect for Sachin and his dedication. I wish him all the best for his exams and I hope he does well throughout his life! Hats off to Sachin!!!

Development or uncontrollable situation!!!

It is believed that Pune is one of the fastest growing cities in India and is a huge potential business hub. After Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore are looked upon as IT centres. Pune has changed a lot but definitely not for betterment.

A city having a tag ‘Pune tithe kay Uane’. This city, once favoured for its beautiful climate & good living, is slowly loosing that status). Uncertain situations have made it uncertain that a person leaving home for work, school, college, etc will come back safely. Undisciplined traffic sense and the increasing number and severity of road accidents add on to the panic.

Recently, while visiting Pune after a gap of 8 months, I realised that Pune has changed a lot. Long back Pu La Deshpande, a very famous Marathi writer in his article ‘Tumhala Kon hoycha aahe? Mumbaikar, Punekar ki Nagpurkar’ pointed out that, all Punekars say that Pune has changed a lot. “Atta purvisarkhe rahila nahi”. Be it a 5 year old kid or a 70 yr old grandfather! But, I could feel a change in Pune, a negative change. There is a competition for the worst driving sense! People take pride in not following traffic rules! It is so called ‘bindaas’ attitude developed in all age groups. Rickshaw walas take more money than the meter reading and then shamelessly argue “daha rupaiyach jasta magitle na, kuthe vees thees magitle” It is a routine. BRTS Bus Rapid Transport System bus drivers drive so rapidly, that they forget their responsibility to stop at the bus stop and wait until all the passengers get in safely.

Two wheeler accidents are so common and the riders know that, even if their rash driving kills someone and still they manage to escape, no one can catch them or trap them in a police case. And to top it, even if a hurt victim waits and tries to fight for his case, the culprits know the ways to get rid off such cases very well. The system is so corrupt, that everyone knows the ways & means of escaping from a committed crime. To talk on phone while driving! It’s not a bloody circus demonstrating ways of killing while driving. And mind well, there is no age barrier to this! It is not only the young generation! It’s an add on to one’s personality, to be capable of multitasking by talking on mobile while driving, which looks like more important than pedestrians’ or other commuters’ life.

I wish we citizens could say, “Please wake up politicians!” I wonder if all the politicians vanish one day due to some natural calamity, India would be a safer & organised country. Hour by hour, day by day our news channel, who are interested more in showcasing the gossip and the decorated form of any news keep on flashing news which we wish never didn’t happen.
26/11 attack, still unsolved and not given justice, and now bomb blast in German bakery, Pune, earlier supposed to be a safe city.

One of the major hurdles in India’s development is corruption and friction between politicians, who are never interested in serving to the country or making it a better place to live in, but are on their toes in pointing out the negativities of other politicians or political parties. Poverty and population are of genuine concern but not more than corruption. The politicians simply don’t want to work hard for country's development.

While on my way back from Mumbai to Dusseldorf, I was waiting at Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport after checking in my baggage. As I had to pass time, I bought a cup of coffee and was just watching news channel. News channels were flashing news about whether Shahrukh Khan’s movie, ‘My Name is Khan’, will be released or not. CM of Maharashtra, Ashok Chavan, and a political party leader, Uddhav Thackeray, were fighting over this issue. Is release of Shahrukh Khan’s movie more important than other problems that persist in our country? What Shahrukh Khan said in support of Pakistani players or Pakistan, is a genuine concern. He should have not made such comments or may have made them to gain publicity for his upcoming movie release. On the very next day, Rahul Gandhi, to top it, was very enthusiastic to challenge Balasaheb Thackeray, for other issue of allowing non maharshtrians to stay in Mumbai without speaking Marathi. Our politicians make our news channel a good entertainment for some and a sick show in front of the world. When are we going to stop and start doing some serious genuine work? Every country, be it developed or developing, is corrupt to some extent. If India was less corrupt, then we would have reached such high goals than what we can now.

A gentleman from UK, Steve was sitting besides me in my flight from Mumbai to Istanbul. He was on his way back to UK. He asked me that I saw on news channel at the airport that some political leaders were arguing on release of Shahrukh Khan’s film, “Is that film so important, what the film is about and why the political leaders were fighting”. I told him that it is Indian politics, you will not understand. It’s difficult to explain. But frankly, even I have not understood this and have no words to explain. We are making a fool of ourselves by splashing such news on the news channel and the world is having a good laughter time or sometimes a totally confused state of mind as Steve did!!!!