Indifference...

To be indifferent to any problem,suffering or any issue is what makes the human being inhuman.

Indifference, after all, is more dangerous than anger and hatred. Anger can at times be creative. One writes a great poem, a great symphony, one does something special for the sake of humanity because one is angry at the injustice that one witnesses. But indifference is never creative. Even hatred at times may elicit a response. You fight it. You denounce it. You disarm it. Indifference elicits no response.

Indifference is not a response. Indifference is not a beginning, it is an end.

Photo campaign @ Ghatkopar

The Independence Day this year was very different from last many years Independence Day. It gave me a very vivid picture why Indian boast about being super power in coming decade. Why we are being more proactive in addressing the problems like Climate change, social inequality and even economic recession. The only reason is our Young Generation.

When I was first informed on 14th Aug that a group of young college students from Ghatkopar would broaden our Anti Child Labor- Photo Campaign in their area, it gave as much enthusiasm as curiosity. Enthusiasm because experience of working with young college students has been fabulous till now, their vigor is unmatchable. On the other hand it generates curiosity because youngsters have so much to ask and understand, moreover, their interpretation of child labor and our campaign are really interesting.

Those were the days of Swine flu in Mumbai and Pune when first time I experienced that my shoulders didn’t go through stress/strain test in Mumbai local.
I called up their representative once I reached Ghatkopar on 15th Aug noon and asked for their location.

As expected, it was indeed an enthusiastic bunch of 15 young students and all of them were below twenties. After a brief introduction with all of them, we kick off our campaign. Ashutosh, our campaign lead explained them about the aim of our campaign and how their group can help in this phase of campaign.

There were many things which were evident instantly from their response and vigor. Firstly, they were indeed different from all those people and individual who prefer to celebrate the Independence Day and other national holidays in Big Malls and multiplexes being indifferent about the social problem and their responsibilities. Their best weapon is cursing the system and pointing out how things around them are getting worst day by day.

But here was a group which was emitting the wave of vigor and proactiveness to make the things happen which they wanted to see around them. They had a bag full of masks which they were distributing to the local Chaiwala’s and auto Riksa drivers who knew that Swine Flu was killing people but didn’t know how to save themselves from this killer flu.
The group was explaining them the dos and don’ts of flu before handing over the Flu mask.

Once we explained them about Photo campaign aim and how to interact with the local people and seek their support in campaign. It took hardly a jiffy when this group was all around the locality, explaining people and shopkeepers about Child Labor and government’s initiatives to handle this social problem. And also convincing them that they need to come forward and not be indifferent about this problem. They can become the change agent by getting their photo done with the message which says that “Children should be in school not at work.”

The response from people and merchants from Ghatkopar was unprecedented. Everyone came forward to share their experiences on child labor; their views and suggestion to uproot this social problem form our nation and of course to get their photo done with the message that “Children should be in school not at work.”

The group was splited in 3 parts: one, interacting with the shop owners and merchants, other interacting with passing by junta and third making hawkers aware of our campaigns. We touched almost all segments of citizens in mere 4 hours.

Our campaign came to an end when we realized that our fully charged SONY battery can not match the energy of this group and it was time to call it a day.

We appreciated their efforts and initiatives and requested them to split and not work in a group anymore because every individual in that group had capability to make a new highly energetic and responsible group.

We look forward to work with them in Video and Rally phases of our campaign.

Join us ... Be a Change Agent..

“So what do you guys actually do?” He asked with a curiuos but sardonic tone.

We are working for Child Rights to ensure that every child should be in school not at work. And that’s the part of our holistic view/aim that we as a society should ensure that Equal education and childhood for every child in this country.
And since our government is law maker their role is vital. Therefore, we are working with them to move towards our goal that ‘Every Child should be in school not at work.’

"Wow... but don’t you feel that it’s too idealistic?" He replied abruptly. "I mean, it’s just not as simple as you say, you know that right. Everyone knows that this is the problem and our government is working on it. I think what you guys are doing is a good IDEA."

His response didn't dismayed us. He is one among those people who think that their responsibility ends once they fill their ITR form. They move their responsibility for society to government and government has to ensure smooth life and society for them. After all they have paid their income tax, isn't it?

But who makes this society, it that only the government and by the way who governs it, is it only the government?
Think again, because if that is true then train would not have been burnt in our city when some time it comes little late and women and elderly people would have felt safe in our cities specially on new year eves.

Perhaps, it’s right time to remember Gandhi Baba’s word that ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’ After all we make the society, government is just a hired driver.
And as far as our IDEA is concerned... listen up – here’s some really bad news; it’s dangerous not to do what you love and being indifferent about the problems around you.

We know and we love what we are doing, because we know it very well that if we dream to make India Super power and better place to live then it’s difficult to achieve by changing the mind of youth of this nation as their determination is as firm as iron.

But we can shape the future of this country by shaping the mindset of children of this country by ensuring the proper education and a happy childhood for them .
P.S.: It's much easier.

Is that too much to ask? If not, then come and join us in our campaign.

City of Shondesh

Call it a city of revolution, city of literature, city of unions, city of Sweets ...

City of Geetanjali, City of Vivekanand, City Ravindro Sangeet ...

This a fabulous read about the same city from NY times by SOMINI SENGUPTA.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/travel/03calcutta.html?pagewanted=1

An Urban Morning...

Mornings have been hiding from me since long time. But today not only I caught it red handed (red,blue and white precisely :)) but also captured it in my camera.

Don't mistake it for a big star which are generally visible from hill stations. This is our very own Chanda Mama.

Moon has always fascinated me, be its numerous stories or it's everlasting hide and seek game. Oops.. let me correct myself.. it's not only me but perhaps every human under this blue sky.

Being said so, lets accept that no one has ornamented moon more exquisitely than Italo Calvino (remember his masterpiece... Cosmicomics).

Now look at the moon in the picture.. seems, it's ruling the sky.. just won a battle against a troop with uncountable solders of stars. Isn't it marvelous...

Now look at this picture.. If you give this a ear carefully, you will hear millions of yawning :).

The indolent in this world called this as ungodly time but believe me every city is a different city in this time of morning..

No I'm not exaggerating it.. if you don't believe me then try it out yourself. The only challenge is pulling yourself out of blanket and crawling towards the washroom.

The Mendicant of Kumarswamy Layout

It would have been either that 50 paisa or 1 re coin that kept his hope alive. We (My friend and I ) didn’t remember when we dropped the hope in his aluminum bowl, but it was indeed that penny which made his hope intact, to urge for a 50 aana those uncountable times.

In those 3 years we saw him at the same place with same bowl and in similar torn cloths on the same mat which was made by stitching 3 or 4 empty cement bags together.

We did some time wonder that where he goes in evening to sleep. Although we always saw him there sitting at the other end of the police station. And any chance of existence of any relative or family looked quite remote for him. Even the shop keeper around the Kumarswami layout saw him like that for years.

We often laughed about the little ambience which he had created around him. He had his simple little luxuries, that 2 liter Thumbs Up bottle, wrapped up in wet jute cloth piece to keep the water cool in hot days. He always kept that bottle near him. In many ways he was more disciplined and professional at his work than us.

We often passed by him hastily in morning and afternoon, more due to worry about missing our attendance than the missing the lecture. Whenever he saw us he used to utter “Annaaa” (brother) and raise his bowl towards us.

We indeed remember giving him a penny some time, but never after that. We used to look at each other with a slight broaden lips (smile) and move hastily. We had somehow the feeling that he looked too old for his age and if he could have wanted, he could have worked somewhere and made some money. We sometime discussed how the much older people than him pulled rickshaw in our native and old chaps sell cigarettes and tea near our college, and made money. Moreover we didn’t see any visible physical disability in him.

But we perhaps had forgotten that his biggest disability was, he was growing older and older.

Then one day when we woke up in ungodly hours of 5 am with full zeal to enjoy the next 3-4 days trip to Ooty and Bandipur (Which was indeed a different experience, spending 3-4 days seeing those faces which we always saw in lecture rooms), we raced passed the ground zero of our ignorance. Our eyes searched for that talking statue that was always there intact like poverty in India. And then we saw something that was more interesting than Sherlock Holmes’s investigation breakthroughs.

He was coming out of the Matador which was kept beside the Police stations for years. The Matador, which some people called haunted, some called accidental and nobody came claiming it. It was those kind of vehicle whose parts are taken out (by police or thief’s no one knows :)) as day passes and finally police sells it to Kabadiwali in Kg’s.

We couldn’t stop talking about what we saw that morning, throughout our journey.
Many days, months of ignorance passed by, He pleading for a penny and we ignoring and making our way towards college. Sometime we thought “ Are we turning cruel day by day?” But at the same time we knew that it wasn’t true, as we did donate and tossed the coins in bowls of beggars.

May be the beggar of Kumarswamy was lacking something in creating that misery look or plea which most of us examine before tossing the coins. Or perhaps our eyes had become so habitual of seeing him in that place that it ignored him as he ever existed there.

One day, when we were at the verge of losing our attendance and were sprinting towards college, we didn’t heard “Annaa….”. We turned our heads north, looking towards his spot curiously, his bottle and other belonging were there but he was absent. Perhaps he was taking a break or had gone to take breakfast, we wheezed hurriedly.

Next day when we had learnt and realized our laziness to start late to college, we determined to start early. We walked slowly and comfortably that road like a over fed elephant. We looked around and saw that a new fast food restaurant was coming up at round the corner. We looked towards each other and laughed because that meant a lot to us.

It meant a break from Sai Sagar’s Idly Sambhar. Though we were curious about the price. Rs 5 was the budget for our Idly Sambhar breakfast and any stretch on that price meant skipping of our Rs 3 hot coffee.

When we passed by Kumarswamy Police station, we didn’t see him again. His stuff and luxuries were still there but without him. We realized that something wrong with us, looked like we were poking too much in other life, be it a mendicant or EC (Electronic Circuit) lecturer.

The next day when we passed and looked towards his place, his stuff were not there. Our curious eyes rolled towards the Matador. That bottle, white mat and bowl was kept in front of it. It didn’t took much time to realize that what had really happen to him.

In the remaining days of our college whenever passed that place we could not stop looking towards it. We felt that someone whispering something .

When we tried hearing that whisper it sounded like someone saying “I WAS HERE”.