'ऐरावत'...!

It was six men of Indostan

To learning much inclined,

Who went to see the Elephant

(Though all of them were blind),

That each by observation

Might satisfy his mind...

So oft in theologic wars,

The disputants, I ween,

Rail on in utter ignorance

Of what each other mean,

And prate about an Elephant

Not one of them has seen...!

काल, रविवार दि. २३ ऑगस्ट २०१५ रोजी पुरातत्व व वस्तुसंग्रहालये संचलनालय आणि गड संवर्धन समिती, महाराष्ट्र राज्य यांच्या संयुक्त विद्यमाने आयोजित 'गड संवर्धन एकदिवसीय कार्यशाळेस' पुणे आणि परिसरातील दुर्गप्रेमींनी भरभरून प्रतिसाद दिला. सुमारे ३०० गडप्रेमी या कार्यशाळेचा लाभ घेण्यास जवळपास पूर्णवेळ (सकाळी ९:३० ते सायंकाळी ६:३०) उपस्थित होते. 

गड संवर्धन समितीच्या वतीने श्री. पांडुरंग बलकवडे यांनी प्रास्ताविकात दुर्गप्रेमींची भूमिका, अपेक्षा आणि अडचणी यांचे विस्तृत विवेचन केले. प्रमुख पाहुणे, डेक्कन कॉलेजचे अध्यक्ष, श्री. देगलूरकर सर यांनी आपल्या छोटेखानी, खुमासदार आणि व्यक्रोक्तीपूर्ण भाषणात इतिहासाचे महत्व, शिवाजी महाराजांचे इतिहासातील अलौकिक स्थान, दुर्ग संवर्धन समितीच्या कल्पनेचा आढावा घेत कंबोडिया, इंडोनेशिया अशा देशांमध्ये अत्यंत निगुतीने सांस्कृतिक वारसा जपण्याचा जो स्तुत्य आणि अनुकरणीय प्रयत्न दिसतो त्याची, अगस्ती ऋषीच्या मूर्तीच्या प्रमाणासह, प्रशंसा केली आणि जगाच्या पाठीवर इतरत्र कुठेही आढळून न येणाऱ्या महाराष्ट्रातील निसर्गसंपन्न दुर्गवैभवाची नोंद व जपणूक होण्यास सर्वतोपरी प्रयत्न व्हावे अशी अपेक्षा व्यक्त करतांनाच शासनाने अशा प्रयत्नांना प्रोत्साहन द्यावे असे पोपटाच्या मार्मिक गोष्टीतून सुचवले. तसेच, असे सर्व प्रयत्न हे यथायोग्य माहितीच्या आधारे केले जावे हे सांगतांना 'ज्ञान निर्दोष असावे आणि कर्म ज्ञानाधीष्ठीत असावे' अशी टिपण्णीही केली.

महाराष्ट्र शासनाच्या वतीने पुण्याचे खासदार श्री. अनिल शिरोळे, पुरातत्व विभागाच्या वतीने डॉ. सचिन जोशी, डॉ अभिजीत दांडेकर, डॉ. तेजस गर्गे, डॉ. सिंग, श्री. विलास वाहणे तसेच वन विभागाच्या वतीने मुख्य वन संरक्षक डॉ. सुनील लिमये आणि एम टी डी सी च्या प्रादेशिक व्यवस्थापक श्रीमती वैशाली चव्हाण यांनी या विषयावर आपापले विचार मांडले आणि या सर्वांच्या वक्तव्याचा सारांश असा -

१. पर्यटन विकासाच्या दृष्टीने गडकिल्ल्यांचा विकास व्हावा. त्यासाठी आधुनिक तंत्रज्ञानाची मदत घ्यावी. 

२. दुर्गांचे पावित्र्य व स्वच्छता राखण्यासाठी स्थानिक ग्रामस्थांची मदत घेऊन त्यांना रोजगार मिळवून द्यावा. 

३. संयुक्त वनव्यवस्थापना अंतर्गत वन विभाग, स्थानिक ग्रामस्थ आणि सेवाभावी संस्था यांच्या समन्वयाने स्थानिक वनसंवर्धन समिती स्थापून त्या समितीस त्यांच्या परिसरातील गड किल्ल्यांचे अधिकार आणि जबाबदारी, दोन्ही सोपवावे.

४. संवर्धन कार्य हे पुरातत्व विभागाच्या अधिकाऱ्यांच्या मार्गदर्शनाखाली शास्त्रोक्त पद्धतीने करण्यात यावे. 

५. गड किल्ल्यांची सद्य परिस्थितील द्विमित तथा त्रिमितीय रेखाटने आवश्यक त्या सर्व तपशिलांसह लवकरात लवकर करून घ्यावी आणि या कामासाठी शक्य त्या सर्व अत्याधुनिक सर्वेक्षण साधनांचा यथोचित वापर करावा.

प्रत्येक घटकाने मांडलेली आपापली बाजू स्वतंत्र विचार करता योग्य असली तरी गडकोटांच्या सम्यक, सर्वंकष आणि सार्वभौम विचार करता परस्पर समन्वय आणि विषयाचे समग्र, सर्वसमावेशक आकलन यांच्या अभावात, गड किल्ले सर्वेक्षण, संरक्षण तथा संवर्धन या सर्वच आघाड्यांवर अपेक्षित प्रगती होण्याबद्दल शंका वाटते. त्यातून गड संवर्धनाचा दावा करणाऱ्या काही संघटना राजकीय हेतूने प्रेरित, काही संस्था सर्वाधिकार आपल्या छत्राखाली एकवटण्याच्या उद्देशाने कार्यमग्न तर काही केवळ हौशेने, यातून कुठल्याही प्रकारचा लाभ पदरात पडून घेता येईल का या विवंचनेत; अशा तथाकथित दुर्गप्रेमींच्या गोतावळ्यातून खरोखरीच गडकोट संरक्षण संवर्धन उद्दिष्टांशी प्रामाणिकपणे कटिबद्ध असलेले कार्य-कर्ते हेरून, त्यांच्या कामाचा आढावा घेऊन त्यांचे सबलीकरण करण्यासाठी राज्यव्यापी संघटन, संलग्नता आणि सुसूत्रता हा पहिला सर्वात महत्वाचा टप्पा आहे. याच कारणांसाठी पूर्वी केलेल्या प्रयत्नांचे फलित कार्यसिद्धीस फारसे अनुकूल नसल्याचे आढळते.

सदर कार्यशाळा आणि एकूणातच दुर्ग संरक्षण संवर्धन यांच्या दीर्घकालीन उद्दिष्टपूर्तीसाठी सर्व संबंधितांच्या विचारविर्मषासाठी खालील कार्यक्रम सुचवावासा वाटतो.

१. सर्व गड किल्यांच्या सद्य स्थितीचे सर्वेक्षण करून त्यांचे ऐतिहासिक, भौगोलिक, भूजैविक, पर्यावरणीय, रचनात्मक, मूल्याधिष्ठित तसेच याहून वेगळे शक्य ते सर्व तपशील विनाविलंब नोंद करून संग्रही ठेवणे. 

२. माहितीजालाच्या सुविधांचा सुयोग्य वापर करून काही संकेत स्थळांमार्फत, काही विशिष्ट पूर्वअटींची पूर्तता केल्यास, सदर माहिती उपलब्ध होईल अशी सोय करणे तसेच ही माहिती सतत अद्ययावत राहील हे पाहणे.     

३. पुरातत्व विभाग, वन विभाग तथा इतर संबंधित शासकीय / प्रशासकीय विभाग यांच्या मार्गदर्शनात एका गड संरक्षण संवर्धन प्रमाणपत्र अभ्यासक्रम तयार करणे व दुर्गप्रेमींना सदर प्रमाणपत्र मिळविण्याचे आवाहन करणे. या अभ्यासक्रमातील विषय व इतर तपशील लोक सहभागाने निश्चित करता येऊ शकतील.

४. सर्व गडपायथ्याच्या गावांचा गडाच्या सहाय्याने आणि अन्यथा सुद्धा सर्वतोपरी विकास होऊ शकेल अशी परिस्थिती तयार करणे जेणेकरून सर्व गावकरी हे वेळप्रसंगी गडकरी होऊन गडाचे मूल्यवर्धन, पावित्र्य व स्वायत्तता सदैव अबाधित राखतील. 

५. महाराष्ट्राचे दुर्ग वैभव अशा प्रकारचे एक संकेत स्थळ माहितीजालावर प्रसारित करून त्यावर सर्व गडकिल्ल्यांची साद्यंत, सचित्र व पर्यटन-पूरक माहिती वापरकर्त्यांच्या उपयोगासाठी ठेवल्यास जगभरातून कुणीही या माहितीच्या आधारे गड किल्ल्यांबद्दल जाणून घेऊ शकेल आणि पर्यटनाला चालना मिळू शकेल.

अशा किंवा तत्सम तत्वांवर या उपक्रमाची वाटचाल न झाल्यास पुन्हा 'ये रे माझ्या मागल्या' अशी परिस्थिती दिसते आणि परस्पर सामंजस्य आणि समन्वयाच्या अभावात हत्ती आणि आंधळ्यांच्या गोष्टीप्रमाणे, संबंधित सर्व घटक आंधळेपणाने (किंवा अंधारात) आपल्या उमगला तोच हत्ती समजून सूप, दोरी, भिंत, खांब अशा तुकड्यात विभागून संपूर्ण 'ऐरावत' कधीही बघू शकणार नाही अशी साधार शंका वाटते…!

I am because We are...!

A journalist and philosopher Lia Diskin shared a touching story of a tribe in Africa at the Festival of Peace, in Florianopolis, South Brazil. An anthropologist had been studying the habits and customs of the African tribe and always been surrounded by the children of the tribe. He proposed a game for the children to play.

He'd bought lots of candy and sweets in the city that he put in a basket with a beautiful ribbon attached and placed it under a solitary tree and called all the kids together. He drew a start line on the ground and asked them to wait behind the line for his signal and they should rush over to the basket on his "Go...!"

The first to arrive there could win all the candies. However, when he said "Go...!", they all unexpectedly held each other's hands and ran off towards the tree as a group. Once there, they simply shared the candy with each other and ate it happily.

The anthropologist was very surprised. He asked them ‘why they had all gone together, especially if the first one to arrive at the tree could have won everything in the basket, all the sweets…?’

A young girl simply replied...

"How can one of us be happy if all the others are sad?"

The anthropologist was dumbfounded! For months and months he'd been studying the tribe, yet it was only now that he really understood their true essence...

“Africans have a thing called UBUNTU. It is about the essence of being human; it is part of the gift that Africa will give the world. It embraces hospitality, caring about others, being willing to go the extra mile for the sake of another. We believe that a person is a person through other persons, that my humanity is caught up, bound up, inextricably, with yours. When I dehumanize you, I inexorably dehumanize myself. The solitary human being is a contradiction in terms. Therefore you seek to work for the common good because your humanity comes into its own in community, in belonging.” 

- Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Ubuntu (oo-boon-too, n.) means, "I am because we are." UBUNTU is a Zulu or Xhosa word, and a traditional African concept. It's a term for humaneness, for caring, sharing and being in harmony with all of creation...!

CSR can get a hint from Ubantu, isn’t it…?

Stay tuned and Be Aware! Way to go…

Justice...!

It’s been 2 years the enquiry of Dr. Narendra Dabholkar’s ruthless, coward murder hasn’t progressed a bit towards finding the hands that pulled the trigger or the minds that conceived the hideous idea. Same is the case with Comrade Pansare’s murder. Every voice that doesn’t favor the particular beliefs established by the system or won’t surrender to it would be silenced like this, is the message from this incidences. The blogger fraternity gets a warning of ‘No to cross the limits…!’

Really…? What limits? Who decides it? And if the citizens of the largest ‘Independent’ democracy are forced to, not ‘supposed to’, follow the Code-of-conduct mandated by few dirty, insecure minds instead of the Indian Penal Code regularized by the Constitution accepted by the sovereignty, what type of freedom is this? When a thought cannot be silenced by a superior and sensible argument, a gun is raised? This is absolute, pure and sheer exploitation of politics or political powers and intentions, for that matter! And what is the impression; imposers of these imprudent acts are under… they can stop this (un)favorable activities just like that? How many lives can they take? How many voices could they silence? 1 – 10 – 100 – 1,000 – 10,000 – 1, 00,000 – 10, 00,000…?

A very clear, open and powerful message must be conveyed to the filthy stupid brains (it cannot be called even ‘minds’, so mindless is the act and thought behind it) that it couldn’t be stopped by the bullet because it is not a person in flesh and blood but a 'Rational Thought' that has always transcended the human existence and will continue to do so forever…! When a flame of the torch is forced down, more and more it blazes upwards. A candle of wax could be extinguished but not a candle of thought. It will reborn 100 times if one beholder of it is silenced… loud and clear!

It’s the same rational thought of Dr. Dabholkar’s followers – the responsible citizen of ‘Independent India’ – that kept them patient and refrained from taking any steps that could have proved irresponsible. However, now it’s the Government’s responsibility not to test their sanity and to rise to their expectations. The opportunity to prove that ‘Democracy rules here’ and ‘Everybody is equal when it comes to justice’ should not be missed by the protagonists of equality and patriotism and show the world what India stands for and not on…!

May the Justice and Rational Thinking Prevail… Jai Hind!

Deliberation...!

However grateful I remain to all my supporters with 1991 votes to my suggestion of 'Enhancing Education Quality' to prepare a Smart Generation for a Smart City, majority of Punekars turned it down and favored 6 suggestions for Technology and Apps, 2 for Bicycle usage, 1 for Parking spaces while Management of Construction Debris topped the list. I am neither depressed nor excited with this outcome, only concerned, as usual…! Today I attended the conference for ‘Smart City – Need and Challenges’ and felt very content to see 5 out of 8 speakers agreeing with my viewpoint… more or less! The most reciprocal and expressive were Girish Kulkarni (Noted Marathi Film Actor), Ajit Abhyankar (Veteran Communist), Vishwambhar Chaudahri (Environmental Activist), Mahesh Zagade (Commissioner PMRDA) and Prithviraj Chavan (Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra). This encouraged me to publish my suggestion here as promised earlier and also sharing the link to my presentation for my chosen suggestion in PDF format. I would appreciate my reader’s comments, feedback and remarks on it. Thanks.

[Hard Copy of the mail sent to punesmartcity@gmail.com on Thursday, 16 July 2015]

Dear All, Good Morning! 

This is Manish Puranik and this communication has the reference of Proposed Smart City Project for Pune and suggestions invited regarding it by the PMC. I recently have offered my suggestion for reform of the Urban Multi-facility Centers of PMC to an appeal for the same by Maharashtra Times. Following are my proposals for the Smart City as any sensible, responsive and responsible Citizen would envisage it. I have also filled the suggestion form (5 times because of the word limit of 250 which actually allows much lesser than that) on www.punesmartcity.org and with a concern that the pieces might lose the meaning and fail to create the anticipated impact, I am sending the composed version of it through this mail as below for your perual. Thanking you in anticipation, I look forward to some resolute convictions in view of the Smart City by PMC.

1. The abbreviation ‘SMART’ in Management stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound and the same should be applied to all the plans and proposal of making Pune a Smart City. Starting from Education, it should be made sure that every child of 6 to 18 ages is attending some school and/or learning some skill that interests him/her and can provide employability by mastering it. Every school should be adopted by a Corporate under CSR and provided with facilities that the school lacks in and professional help offering holistic personality development in accordance with the findings of the Education Report 2015 by World Economic Forum in collaboration with The Boston Consulting Group. This would first ensure an engaged and SMART Next Generation for the Future SMART city.
2. Secondly, whenever education is mentioned we automatically think of schools and children and students. It is far more necessary and relevant, why, rather imperative to train their parents and adults for the civic sense [e.g. following basic traffic rules] and public conduct [e.g. acting decently in a public place and not to spit, smoke or speak loudly]. A smart-phone can hardly do anything if its user is dumb, a computer however sophisticated it may be would be an idiot box unless the operator is smart enough to exploit its potential; similarly a SMART city, in absence of SMART Citizens would turn into not only dumb but disgusting sooner or later and in turn all the efforts and resources will go down the drain… literally!
3. Public Transport should be the second priority making it efficient enough to reduce the load of private vehicles running under/over capacity (especially four wheelers with a single person and two-wheelers, rickshaws and school vans with more than their respective capacities) almost all the times on the roads. Change in routes, widening roads wherever possible, cap on new vehicle registration per month, encouraging carpool and other such syndicate activities could be some of the measures to counter this.
4. Garbage would be the third priority that should be taken care of by inviting professionals that would undertake the task of educating people to properly segregate their garbage, collect it from their doorstep, process it for disposing, disintegrating, recycling or reuse in the most eco-friendly way. These People would work out a business model and present it to the concerned authorities. Unless there is any lucrative aspect to this otherwise stinking task, nobody is going to do it dutifully.
5. Finally, the entire City Governance should be deployed to a customized GIS application monitored through a network of Urban Facility Centers placed in the grid of 3 KM center-to-center covering all the city limits. A Centralized City Database linked to each of these centers and managed/governed by a Central City Center would not only help understand any civic issues emerging from time to time but would also facilitate the solution in good time.

Impact of CSR

Question by Patrick Reindl of Universität Regensburg on ResearchGate

Do corporate responsibility actions have a direct impact on the business of a company?

My Reply -

YES, in more than one way… Environmentally, Socially as well as Economically!

Any business is considered eligible for CSR when it’s making certain profit which means it has established its profit making mechanisms and now it is in the profit maximization phase, i.e. doing well. To maximize the profit, it must utilize more resources including natural resources and not all such usage could be audited directly, monetarily or precisely, still its ‘value’ could be easily understood from the fact that in absence of it no production/service of any kind would be possible… ever. This fact spells the environmental responsibility as no living creature has any right to destroy/use up any ‘consumable’ that belongs to the entirety and which cannot be repaired, reproduced or repaid, classic example being pollution in any form. If the environment is affected, every living being will suffer the consequences and no business or company could exist without human beings, however smart technologies it could have.

The gap between 'Have-it-all' and 'Have-nothing' expands as rich get richer and poor get poorer, studies in economy and sociology suggests. As this difference grows in form of disparity, it inevitably invites trouble. No one could get away with saying ‘If they don’t have bread, let them eat cake…’ anymore. Being indifferent and showing disregard for others for a long time could develop a devastated social unrest and no business can operate in a law and order situation. Inclusive development is neither a buzzword nor any cliché anymore as with a connected, interwoven and globalized world; it is not only impossible to consider any entity independent but would be absolutely imprudent. It has become a 'part to whole' integrated world and (business) class cannot assume to live safe and luxurious in the silos while masses are discomforted and compromising for everything.

Finally, Economy – the sole purpose and power business relies on – could not be kept abreast unless there are buyers for the products/services business has to offer. If the masses are broke and have already indebted for loans that amount to multiple times than their borrowing capacity, how could the economy flourish and run smooth with just one wheel? Any commodity/product/service could not be profitable if the deals are lopsided, basics of economics say.

To sum it up, Environmental Sustainability, Inclusive (Social) Development and Balanced Economy, all under CSR are not only desirable, mandatory or requisite but absolutely inevitable, essential and nonnegotiable for the sheer existence of any Business henceforth. Having a good social image to project for attracting talent as well as customers could be a windfall in the process, not the objective!

Pune Smart City...!

Initiated by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, the mission of developing its first ever 100 smart cities project is on its way. Pune is one of the contestants for the Smart City Project and the Commissioner of Pune Municipal Corporation Kunal Kumar organized an intercity online contest ‘Maza Swapna, Smart Pune’ wherein he invited suggestions for Smart City from Punekars. This appeal got an overwhelming and one of its kinds in the entire nation, response with record 6000+ suggestions!

 

PMC has shortlisted 30 suggestions out of these 6000 and my suggestion (see the images) has made it to this list. Now I need your support and help to make it to the top as the winner would be decided in the most democratic and transparent manner… by public voting. The entire voting process is online and sophisticated enough to handle any malpractice or attempt of falsification. So please read the ‘Terms on conditions’ on the site and follow the instructions below carefully to avoid your vote getting disqualified. Every vote counts… Literally! Thanks a lot and Way to go…!

 

Log on to http://www.punesmartcity.in/ and read through the entire page carefully. 

1. Check out all 30 suggestions and you could find mine by referring to the screenshots.
2.  Please feel free to vote as many suggestions as you like but don’t forget to vote mine.
3.  Once you are done with voting, please scroll to the bottom of the page and click on ‘Submit’.
4.  You will see a ‘Thank You for Voting’ screen. This is the end of the voting process. Thanks.

Note – Please DO NOT HIT ‘Back’, ‘Refresh’, ‘Cancel’ or any other buttons; just close the window once you see the ‘Thank you’ screen.

 

The entire process would not take more than 10 minutes but the rewards would be invaluable…! Do not look at it as just another election, but perceive it as Public Participation in Local Governance as I have mentioned in my PPP post few days back… a true measure of civilized democracy… without politics! If we can generate enough momentum, 10 August could be the day of Celebration and this 15th August we could FEEL THE INDEPENDENCE, who knows!

 

Looking forward to your love and support as usual, I thank you in anticipation!

 

Stay tuned, Take Care and Be Aware…! Way to go…

The Green Corridor...!

Being restless mentally and intellectually is a sign of a sensitive human being. I used the adjectives on purpose; even dogs are restless physically and so are tigers and lions. A Life Guru told me that the reason for this lies in their being carnivorous, the Dogs and Tigers, he meant! And I wondered how it is different for humans? Anyway, coming to the point of being restless, I used to look at it as some abnormality that should be overcome. Fool was I, why, am! Wait… Not exactly, I guess. That was the mental picture of ‘being restless’ developed in my mind while the negative was provided by external cameras, or should I say 'lenses'…?

Dynamism is a virtue that takes guts to bear for it never helps you settle. The real world examples imply it otherwise. Making progress has a prerequisite of being stagnant or stationery. Ever heard that cliché ‘A rolling stone gathers no moss…’ I really never could understand it. I mean is it an oxymoron or a paradox? Do you want the stone to roll or gather the moss? And in the first place why do you want the stone to do anything that suits your set of beliefs. Unbelievable! Leave the stone alone… it can decide for itself whether to take a roll or a toll. Why would you want even the individuals you know (there’s a trend to call them near-and-dear-ones) to act, react or behave in a certain way or manner. And don’t give me that crap of mannerism and socially acceptable behavior patterns; I have a Post Grad in it!

I am concerned about the entire being of the human race being dependent on the utility value of other human beings or any other being, if I could say. Now, if we are dependent on what others do or not do, does that make us consumerist or carnivorous? Don’t we know any other real ways of being content and feeling happy other than consumption? And if we do, what stops us from following them and refraining from consuming anything and everything that we could find, just like a Tasmanian devil? If reflected religiously it might throw some light on why Noah was instructed by the GOD to take the animals and not humans on his Ark (not the Titanic which was made by humans and sank to the momentary impulses, typical of humans) at the times of Genesis Flood. I know that Noah himself was Human but that was a symbolism of GOD, I believe as HE knew who were the culprits and could foresee what was in store if the mistake is repeated.

The end was close then and it is closer now. How close, nobody knows, not even the Nostradamus, I guess! The only thing that is sure is humans are literally dragging the end closer with what they are up to… blindly and unfailingly! There was this tale about Fate of the Sparrow I heard long back and somehow it always connects whenever I find myself in the meditating mode over ‘Our Common Future!’

This little sparrow was horrified by the creature following her and repeatedly exclaiming to itself ‘How is it possible?’ The poor Sparrow put all her strength to fly higher in the quest of getting rid of the dreadful creature and soon found herself flying in the Eagle’s zone. Although she was more relieved than triumphant of her accomplishment for the obvious reason, the Eagle watching her fly besides him was more concerned than surprised. With its conventional wisdom the Eagle could see the situation the Sparrow has put herself into and with great compassion, offered the sparrow to sit on his back and he will take her to a highest den where she could be safe. Completely believing in Eagle’s presumed wisdom the Sparrow took his advice as well as the free ride he offered.

The moment the Eagle took the Sparrow to the highest safe den, the creature reappeared and killed the Sparrow saying, ‘Now I understand!’ Completely bedazzled and taken aback with what it witnessed, the Eagle asked in astonishment, ‘Who are you? What have you done? And what do you mean by ‘Now I understand?’ To which the creature replied, ‘I am the servant of Death and I have been on the mission to take life of this Sparrow at this place. As the Sparrow was so small and this Den is so high, I was wondering how on earth this little sparrow can reach such a height in so little time. I was beginning to think that there must be some mistake by the Master of Death but you appeared on the scene and solved the mystery by making my job easier. I can’t thank you enough. Please accept my gratitude…!’

The Eagle was dumbfounded and couldn’t believe what has just happened. He was feeling proud and benevolent for what he did to the Sparrow moments before and no he was feeling extremely guilty of his deed with good intention. The situation has turned upside down in a flash. Nobody was wrong still the story didn’t have a sweet end. Helpless… that is how we all are. Or can we help…? Each other? I don’t know. 'The best helping hands are at the end of your arms’, I heard once. And I have decided to help myself. I have stopped flying higher in fear of creatures like Status and Position and Power. Nor do I entertain any Eagle to take me higher in a safe place. I am a Sparrow and I am absolutely content being a Sparrow. I have no intention of being an Eagle someday for I know very well what it takes to soar in the skies.

And yes, that’s what makes me restless, not my own situation; it couldn’t be better and I couldn’t be happier… by choice I mean not by any constraint by any means. What worries me is the life of those sparrows that would be taken higher by the Eagles with a misconception of serving a great cause. But sooner or later it would turn into a nightmare for once and for all, for one and for all. However there is a silver lining to the cloud. There is Light at the end of the tunnel. No defeat is fatal and no calamity is final as long as there is hope. This week started with such 3 incidences that comforted me a little and my restless mind found some solace, if not complete rest in peace…!

In Delhi, the Capital, the Land Bill would be reconsidered with some significant amendments like key clauses calling for consent and social impact assessment (SIA) whenever land is acquired for infrastructure projects, or other uses. This will at least postpone the Land acquisition process by some days at least and the time bought in the process could be utilized to convince the capitalists to consider our agrarian economy as the biggest and principal industry. This might just help to provide that impetus to shift the focus on the farmers and their drudgery.

In Maharashtra, admissions to Agriculture saw overwhelming response and the cut off was 94% for the first round, a historic high in any of the academic branch other than Engineering and Medical. At the same time, there are more than 60,000 seats for Engineering are vacant in the state. Not everybody graduating in Agriculture would become a Farmer but definitely would be a part of Agrarian Economy for one reason or other and that would be sufficient to boost up this extremely fundamental but ruthlessly ignored primitive industry.

Finally at home, in a first in the state, Green Corridors created in Pune and Mumbai helped a 22-year-old patient in Mulund's Fortis hospital received a heart from a brain dead woman in Pune's Jehangir hospital within 60 minutes. A green corridor between the hospital in Pune to the airport and another one from Mumbai's Santacruz airport to Mulund was created at a moment's notice. This is not only reassuring piece of news but extremely proud update for all of us as there could not be a better example of optimum utilization of available resources, technology, infrastructure and Civil Administration. Hats off to all the people involved in this iconic victory including all Medical and Traffic personnel who strived as well as all the sensitive and reciprocating civilians who cooperated to make it happen.

This brings me to the conclusion of an overstretched post that deserves all the length, breadth and depth (if you can gauge it!) and all I want to wish is amidst all those appalling news from all over the world poured on us day in and day out, may our weeks hereafter start with such soothing Monday Morning News! Amen!

Robin...!

"Who killed Cock Robin?"

"I," said the Sparrow,"With my bow and arrow, I killed Cock Robin."

"Who saw him die?"

"I," said the Fly,"With my little eye, I saw him die."

"Who caught his blood?"

"I," said the Fish,"With my little dish, I caught his blood."

"Who'll make the shroud?"

"I," said the Beetle,"With my thread and needle, I'll make the shroud."

"Who'll dig his grave?"

"I," said the Owl,"With my pick and shovel, I'll dig his grave."

"Who'll be the parson?"

"I," said the Rook,"With my little book, I'll be the parson."

"Who'll be the clerk?"

"I," said the Lark,"If it's not in the dark, I'll be the clerk."

"Who'll carry the link?"

"I," said the Linnet,"I'll fetch it in a minute, I'll carry the link."

"Who'll be chief mourner?"

"I," said the Dove,"I mourn for my love, I'll be chief mourner."

"Who'll carry the coffin?"

"I," said the Kite,"If it's not through the night, I'll carry the coffin."

"Who'll bear the pall?

"We," said the Wren,"Both the cock and the hen, we'll bear the pall."

"Who'll sing a psalm?"

"I," said the Thrush,"As she sat on a bush, I'll sing a psalm."

"Who'll toll the bell?"

"I," said the bull,"Because I can pull, I'll toll the bell."

All the birds of the air fell a-sighing and a-sobbing,

When they heard the bell toll for poor Cock Robin...!

A less known 18^th Century Nursery Rhyme that must have been made forgotten strategically for the candid but disquieting questions it asks and receives equally honest responses from the 18^th century birds and animals except humans.

Cut to 21^st Century and there be a twist in the story... Now, we the people, have rephrased the question as we are not likely to get a single honest answer. Our New Age Modern Day Question is... “Who was Cock Robin...?" isn't it...!

Wake up and Get Well Soon before Robin is incarnated in a different form...!