Category Archives: Government

Power of an IAS vis-a-vis a Commoner!

Posted on by
Reply

It is no hidden truth as to how much importance a guy/girl from the civil services or the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) tends to get in our country. Whether it be a social gathering or whether it be a get-together of sorts, he/she tends to get the highest of treatments that can possibly be awarded to a mortal on this planet Earth.

Some tend to do so because of a need (kaam) that might arise in the near future where they might need a source or recommendation from a person of this stature and some just do it because they are all too bowled over by the kind of glamour and prestige that the services tend to bring along with itself.

No wonder, lakhs of students appear for the coveted exam every year with only a handful finally making it through. It is the very nature of immense competition that we Indians have got so used to, which makes this exam one of the or probably the toughest exam in this country. IAS-Logo

Every year, the IAS streets of Delhi are thronged by thousands of individuals who come there with a dream, a dream to be able to govern the country, a dream to be able to do good for himself/herself, a dream to be amongst the top few individuals in the country and a dream to be able to contribute in his/her own way towards the nation building activities. (although many amongst the lot tend to chose a totally different path which our bureaucracy is so infamous for, as they try to handle the fame, power and prestige that comes along with the job of serving people which in turn plays a second fiddle to the other seemingly important aspects).

A commoner’s life on the other hand is full of struggles and hardships which he/she tends to fight it out on every single day of his life. From being bullied on the road by the power-horns and the big SUVs of the politicians to being harassed at the government offices for want of services that he/she deserves, yet is deprived of the same because of the want of speed-money or bribes that he/she is expected to pay before he/she can put a claim on something that belongs to him/her in the first place.

I know, life is never equal in terms of providing opportunities to people when it comes to pursuing or being able to pursue a dream. Some might argue that the people who weren’t able to do good for themselves, didn’t have it in them to be able to do so. True to some extent, yet one cannot help but argue as to how would it have been possible for a guy or a girl born in a slum to be able to compete with a person who had all the luxuries in the world to be able to grow up into a productive and competent individual.

It is here where the concept of a public service becomes so important. As Spidy says: with great power comes great responsibility, we are living in a system and a society which needs to learn something from our very dear friend Spiderman.

It is not only the politicians or the bureaucrats who should be expected to take a cue from the super-hero, but also the commoners who tend to vote them in power in the first place. If we all were to become responsible for the acts that we tend to do on a daily basis, there won’t arise any need to criticize those in power, which seems to have become one of the most favourite of pass times of the commoners, who find it really convenient to put the blame on the so called powerful people in our society without realizing that the actual power lies with the commoners and not those sitting in the North Block.vote

The elections will hit our country in the coming times. What is expected from all of us is to at least get out of the comforts of our homes and vote for the candidate whom we think would do justice to our country and her citizens. With the NOTA (none of the above) option being incorporated in the election process, one is now empowered to cite his/her concern over the kind of candidates that are being wielded by the political parties.

To all the commoners who are reading this, I would request you all to go and cast your vote in the coming elections because it is only us who have the real power to make a difference in the society that we all happen to be living together in.

Source for Image: http://iastoppersstory.blogspot.in/2012/05/ias-officer.html, http://www.thefuturenigeria.com/voting-for-the-future-awards-has-been-extended/vote/

Advertisement

Era of Flats!

Posted on by
2

Few years back, when I was about to change my branch from Chemical to Civil Engineering, one of the professors of Civil Engineering from IIT Kanpur told me that this would prove to be one of the life changing decisions of my life, considering that India would soon be hit by a construction boon.

Though, I had altogether different reasons for changing my branch, and didn’t really care about the advice that the professor had to offer, yet when I look back at what he said taking into perspective today’s scenario, I wonder how correct he was with his prediction about the industry.

Yesterday, I was taking a tour of my very own city and realized how many societies and projects are coming up in the city with so many different builders ranging from Ansal to Omex taking share of the same pie.

What amazes me more is the holding capacity of the who’s who of my city, who tend to take part in the auctions conducted by the Development Authority. I also wonder how the who’s who of the city are able to get atleast a flat or atleast some piece of the land that is supposed to be auctioned.

Either the God is very kind to them or some other forces have a role to play in the same. Having said that, you will of course find certain genuine cases who happen to get a flat etc., much to their relief, in the auction at a price which is much below the inflated market price of the same.flats

One other factor that plays a big role in the Real Estate business is the amount of black money floating around in our country. With so much black money waiting to be made white, real estate provides that golden opportunity which the hoarders might be waiting for years now.

Not only does their money becomes white, but also they are able to possess the all so precious property whose prices, at least in the current scenario, are bound to increase exponentially, in turn affecting and in fact determining the market price of the land, which is inflated, courtesy the presence of people who are ready to pay large amounts of money in order to get a chunk.

As you know, it is all contigent upon the demand-supply game. At loss are those who neither have black money, nor are rich enough to make the cut and are found wanting. For a common honest man, it is extremely difficult to even think about getting a nice house/flat in a decent locality, leave alone actually possessing it.

Don’t you think, if such a scenario persists for long, people will tend to become more corrupt and would want to earn more money? Do you think, in this case, people would really worry about the legitimacy of the same, considering that, at stake is one of the basic needs of human kind and that is the makaan or the housing?

What is needed is formulation of a policy which caters to the equitable growth in society and its effective implementation. The question, though is, who will do such a thing and will someone be able to find the grit and determination to overcome all odds in proposing the same and turning it into a reality?

What will happen, no one can tell. But one thing is for sure, time is running out from our hands and the need of the hour is to get going and implement effective and efficient policies on an urgent basis, so as to stop this society from getting more and more corrupt.

Source for Image: http://www.missionbuilds.com/uploads/26/Mission_Flat_1.jpg

Can I help you?

Posted on by
2

In most well to do to families in India and even in developed countries, there is a person who gets up every morning around 5. He/she makes sure that everything is arranged for you on time, as soon as you get up.

There are actually two who fit in the description given above, but I would like to focus on only one today. I am talking about none other than our maid-servants who, in all senses of the word, a hard-working lot.

Let us have a look at what their daily schedule might look like:

5 a.m—>Get up

By 6 a.m. —>complete all the household chores such as washing yesternight’s utensils etc.

7 a.m.—> Serve bed tea to the members in the household

By 8 a.m.—>breakfast should be served on the table

It is only around 9 a.m. in the morning, that he/she gets to eat after everyone finishes their breakfast.

10 a.m.–>back to work “jhadu, pocha etc. etc.”

11:30 a.m.—>preparation for the day’s lunch

12:30 p.m.—>going to the market to buy things which might be needed tonight or the next day

1 p.m.—>cooking lunch

It is only around 2 p.m. that he/she is served lunch after everyone’s done with it.

3 p.m. to 5p.m.—>rest or does any other household chore which might hit his/her memsahab’s evolved mind

5 p.m. to 7 p.m.—>preparation for dinner along with serving the evening tea/meal

It is only around 9 or 10 at night that he/she takes a break from the work, with the thought of next day’s work staring right in his/her face.

Can you ever imagine living such a life? I don’t think so and would wish that none has to go through the same, especially considering the kind of treatment that one is met with and the kind of meagre remuneration that one gets for doing all the above.

On top of that, when UN (United Nations) tries to come up with a resolution aimed at improving the plight of domestic workers the World over, it is really unfortunate to see developed countries like UK opposing the same along with Saudia Arabia joining hands (though it can be expected from her, sheerly because of the immense number of labourers that are imported to do their household work and the infamous nature of the country for handling her labour laws).

But what surprises me the most is as to what’s stopping a democratic country like ours to come up with a national regulatory framework for the same. Why our country seems to be lacking the political and administrative will at all times? Why is it that no one seems to bother about this neglected section in our society?

Is it because the people who might be involved in framing the laws, might themselves be found guilty of propagating the malpractices? In all probabilities, yes!

Seeing the scenario in our country, there is an urgent need for a law aimed at ameliorating the conditions of this neglected section of our population.

But the question that seems to haunt my mind more often than not is: “Is someone listening?”

Source for Image: http://icaruscreative.org/lamarherndon/?p=427, http://www.civitas.org.uk/wordpress/2011/10/27/knowledge-is-power-but-only-if-someone%E2%80%99s-listening/

Bye Bye Bossiiii!

Posted on by
Reply

Its not often that you see the kind of bonhomie between a boss and his subordinates, which I got to witness yesterday in one of the clubs in Bareilly, where my father threw a farewell party for his boss, scheduled to retire this month end.

What you do see today is subordinates feeling extremely pleased seeing their boss depart for one reason or the other and for the kind of jealousy and hatred that they might have developed towards their bosses for reasons known only to them.

So, it really came as a pleasant surprise to see the second on lead to give the first such a pleasant farewell. Credit goes to the boss as well, to have been able to gain the kind of respect from his subordinates, which was very much visible not only in their gestures towards him but also in their eyes.

Else who would have cared to give him such a reception, especially knowing that he would be retiring in a couple of days time. In a World which is guided by nothing other than materialistic fulfillments, it was indeed an exception to the norms and practices followed World over.

The exception was not visible in the very act but in the manner in which the act was conducted, especially considering the fact that we are talking about a farewell being given in a government department.

Somehow, in the past couple of days, I have come close to a reality that a common man is so deprived of, due to the lack of transparency in our country. With the kind of work environment that our government officers work in, my respect for some of them, at least, have increased manifold sheerly because of the committment they demonstrate towards their service without really worrying about any incentives what so ever.

Its not that everyone in government is able to maintain the same kind of integrity and dignity. But those who do, indeed deserve a big applause and appreciation for being the kind of person, who is not ready to give up his morales and values for the hari patti that seem to make everyone run after the same.

All in all, it was an absolute pleasure to share the platform with guys of such integrity and indeed an opportunity to learn so much from their conversations and life.

Source for Image: http://josegeologist.blogspot.in/2010/04/farewll-to-remember.html