SARKAR RAJ – Pre Release

Ambalal Kausty – an active, experienced and a person with involvement in political activities could not get help for his own family from the authorities. (“BJP can’t protect my family”, 25 March, Ahmedabad Mirror) 

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

A few anti-socials are not just troubling some women or individuals but they are murdering the social dignity in daylight. Any development and technological industrializations are futile when they are ignoring the social security of the citizens, especially of women. No political party or no government had such an extreme dominance over the people and the social system in past, if we talk about Gujarat. We seem to be least secure with our lives, our dignity and our social disposition at present. Human lives have gone cheaper compared to material development. 

It is also not restricted to the individuals only, there are convicts who are pain for the whole locality, or to the organizations and still they roam free despite of getting charged for serious offences. They get out of jail merely within two days with their political powers. For instance, Gandhi Ashram residents suffer including some local innocent families and even some gandhians too. They are humiliated with the indecent activities around; they are abused with their belongings and bearing the damages to their reputation and businesses. Gandhi Ashram itself is being disgraced falsely by some individuals on regular basis. Ashram trustees are inactive and ignorant even about such serious tribulations in this heritage premises. Spiritless local authorities and political backing to such anti-socials work well and social integrity get killed here every other day. An immense amount of pain spills over when such things happen in a place which is the source of inspiration to non-violence, peace and humanity through the whole world. It is the place which gives Gujarat and Ahmedabad an identity through the world to feel proud of. It is up to us how much should we care about it?  

Sneh Bhavsar | 25 March 2008, Ahmedabad

Civic Sense

“CIVIC SENSE” 

Reading the article “Towing men and their double standards” in Sunday Times (2 Feb 2008), Getting more attention from citizens is needed this time. It is essential to penalize the violators and keep practicing the towing of vehicles, as that is the way we have in out country. The possible solutions from traffic department are already been addressed in ‘Draw the lines…’ (21 Jan, AM) But as personnel, what can we do, seems easier and implemental. “Why is it that I am the only one who is caught?” – A thought like a gunshot appears when your vehicle is taken away from amongst other 40, parked wrongly just besides. But have you ever thought that other 40 have parked inappropriately, why shouldn’t I park mine correctly? Can we be proud of being a citizen of a developed (so called ‘metro) city but having zero civic sense!? A lot to think about! Self discipline is the word. It wouldn’t be enough to get a uniformed, well structured traffic and parking system, until we start following simple discipline ourselves. Common sense or say civic sense comes before the law practice, as the latter is an imposition and the previous is a willing exercise. 

Parking vehicles in a row, parking them straight and closer to the next vehicle, keep vehicle a little distance if the destination is already crowded, using main stand while parking your two wheelers, parking cars in sub streets rather than parking them on busy roads – these are very simple things that we can follow despite of having clear indications of parking zones. We can easily manage the space we have by keep it organized. Everything depends on a bit of thinking from you and me. Give it a thought before you do anything in public and it may bring a significant change over all.   

 Sneh B

Ahmedabad, 8 February 2008

Your Development Is Futile!

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

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

Sneh Bhavsar

Ahmedabad, 27 December 2007