It's that time of the year again. Maharashtra's favorite deity - Lord Ganesha - is here to stay. The festival started on Monday and will go on right till next Wednesday i.e. Anant Chaturdashi. Everywhere in the city, you will be able to see nicely decorated pandals with huge Ganesha idols.The coming weekend hundreds of people will throng these pandals for a glimpse of the God who is known to get rid of sorrows and bring loads of happiness.
I was listening to an FM channel today, where predictably, the RJ had asked people to call in and tell her what wish they expect the God to fulfill this time. Almost everyone said they asked the God to give everyone good sense - what in Sanskrit is called SadBuddhi. Looking at the present state of the country, let alone world, I won't be surprised if the God felt that He is just not up to the task. There is a lot of demand and just not enough supply. Take a look:
- At the top of the list are men who are so far gone down the drain that the moment they see a woman, the only thought that crosses their mind is to rape her. And then we have their moms who instead of denouncing such sons are shameless enough to claim that a person who knows how to rape a woman is juvenile. Yeah, you are right! Mother India was just a stupid movie.
- There is simply no competition for the 2nd place. It has got to be our politicians who don't hesitate to fuel a communal riot just so that they can secure their vote banks before the next elections are upon us. They are corrupt. They don't give a damn about the country and the general population. They are divided when it comes to constructive measures which can benefit the common man. But they are one when it comes to looking out for their own interest.
- The people who could give the politicians a run for their money (!) are those who don't have an ounce of conscience left - they provide rotten grains and pulses for the mid-day meals of children resulting in their deaths, they are practicing medicine despite not being qualified, they are running schools where ragging is causing deaths and they are donning saffron robes to preach religion only to themselves engage in illicit activities.
- And then there is us - you, me and everyone around us. We know that there is so much that is wrong in this country and yet we are sitting as if paralyzed. The sheer effort of leading our daily lives is sapping so much of our energy that we have neither the time nor the enthusiasm to even wonder if things can be set right.
To be sure, there are people who are doing good work. Everyday you read about organizations that are working to improve the quality of life of the poor, teaching under-privileged kids on the weekends, giving shelter to kids who have run away from homes......
But there are days when I feel that somehow somewhere we have gone wrong. And what is being done today is too little too late.
I was listening to an FM channel today, where predictably, the RJ had asked people to call in and tell her what wish they expect the God to fulfill this time. Almost everyone said they asked the God to give everyone good sense - what in Sanskrit is called SadBuddhi. Looking at the present state of the country, let alone world, I won't be surprised if the God felt that He is just not up to the task. There is a lot of demand and just not enough supply. Take a look:
- At the top of the list are men who are so far gone down the drain that the moment they see a woman, the only thought that crosses their mind is to rape her. And then we have their moms who instead of denouncing such sons are shameless enough to claim that a person who knows how to rape a woman is juvenile. Yeah, you are right! Mother India was just a stupid movie.
- There is simply no competition for the 2nd place. It has got to be our politicians who don't hesitate to fuel a communal riot just so that they can secure their vote banks before the next elections are upon us. They are corrupt. They don't give a damn about the country and the general population. They are divided when it comes to constructive measures which can benefit the common man. But they are one when it comes to looking out for their own interest.
- The people who could give the politicians a run for their money (!) are those who don't have an ounce of conscience left - they provide rotten grains and pulses for the mid-day meals of children resulting in their deaths, they are practicing medicine despite not being qualified, they are running schools where ragging is causing deaths and they are donning saffron robes to preach religion only to themselves engage in illicit activities.
- And then there is us - you, me and everyone around us. We know that there is so much that is wrong in this country and yet we are sitting as if paralyzed. The sheer effort of leading our daily lives is sapping so much of our energy that we have neither the time nor the enthusiasm to even wonder if things can be set right.
To be sure, there are people who are doing good work. Everyday you read about organizations that are working to improve the quality of life of the poor, teaching under-privileged kids on the weekends, giving shelter to kids who have run away from homes......
But there are days when I feel that somehow somewhere we have gone wrong. And what is being done today is too little too late.
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