The Silent Activist

In our busy lives, how often do we think of taking up a common cause with enthusiastic zeal, charged enough to see it through to the very end – a culmination resulting in benefits for the public at large and not for personal gain?

When the BEST commenced two new bus routes (Nos 228 and 230) from Dahisar (E) to Borivali (W), the Shiv Sena (Shakha No 5) was quick to announce the new measure prominently in our locality as a feather in their cap! But there was one thing that I knew about this development that not many do. That Shri Yeshavant S Shinde, aged 79, a family friend, had been demanding a bus service to connect Dahisar (E) with Borivali (W) with the BEST management from 2004 and had been the silent force behind this development that would provide relief to several residents of the area.

After having submitted his request letter to the senior officials of the BEST at the Magathane Depot at Borivali East in 2004, Shinde kaka knew that his job had just begun. He continued to personally visit the officers representing the hardships of several students, often belonging to the weaker sections of our society who had to take auto rickshaws in the absence of a better bus network. Having moved into the area in 1984, he had seen this area grow exponentially with the new buildings bringing in several newcomers to this region all around him, who had few options for public transportation. The authorities always agreed for a need, thanked him and appreciated him for his constant pressure for public good – but did not yield to his request for the bus routes, citing limitations of road width, demand, whatever. Perhaps there were other interests or rickshaw lobby at work here, we wonder? This is when political parties do play a role in pushing for civic development. Shinde kaka admits that the political party did help push the matter and without their active support, he would not have been able to single-handedly pull off such successes.

When his grand-daughter cited difficulties faced by all her college mates attending classes for a Science degree at Thakur College, Kandivali (East), due to the congestion at the Mahindra & Mahindra factory signal, he was able to immediately get the bus route changed to provide relief to all these college students, single-handedly! Barring a handful of his grand-daughter’s friends, several young students may not know whom to thank or that a septuagenarian was behind this gesture of public concern.


Shinde kaka with BEST officers during a meet to address citizen's voices

Shinde kaka explains that studying routes and fares had been his hobby ever since
he came to Bombay as it was called in the year 1950. His early days had been of struggle with his job in Kohinoor Mills, threatened due to labour unrest and strikes, he had been working with part-time jobs at a couple of schools and later at an organisation for documentary films, named CAMERA (Cadre of Media Resources and Action) which produced documentary films in public interest.

Even after retirement, he has been keeping himself actively involved with social activities, besides pursuing his hobby of singing Marathi songs at occasions, for which he has joined a music group locally. He has been instrumental in joining a Senior Citizen club called “Jeshta Nagarik Mitra Mandal”, right from its formative years in the late 80s, near his residence at Dahisar (E), and is currently the Vice President of the mandal. In its office within the Ajee-Ajoba Park for senior citizens, the organisation provides members with recreational facilities like carrom, library, reading room and arranges reading sessions and cultural activities like singing, excursions, birthday get-togethers, etc. Needless to say, the organisation of 300 members or so is buzzing with activities, keeping seniors engaged and a close-knit group helping one another. Besides, the organisation also helps members to avail of benefits of lower fares or better interest rates on deposits at banks etc.


Shinde kaka at the Jeshta Nagarik Mitra Mandal office

So what do you think Shinde kaka would be upto now that the bus routes are up and running? He wants to take up the representation of discounted fares for senior citizens with the BEST! If TMT buses can offer 50% discount why cant BEST, he asks. Maybe we will soon hear an announcement – with political parties falling over each other to claim credit for it, while our silent workers, like Shinde kaka, will be at it all along!

I am sure there will be many such people who silently work behind the scenes in getting a better deal in life for ourselves, in your own locality. Let us hope their numbers grow and that we are inspired by their acts of social good and urge us to get into the act! And when you see senior citizens ambling across to a park, dont think what could they be doing for society?


A reading session at the Jeshta Nagarik Mitra Mandal


Seniors playing carrom at the Jestha Nagarik Mitra Mandal in the Ajee Ajoba Park near Maruti Nagar, Dahisar (E)

From Sci-Fi to Sci-Fact

If there is any work of fiction that has fascinated me, it has been for the imagination that goes into its making, which also perhaps happens to be the primary reason for its success . Writers have often gone beyond the realms of possibilities and challenged limitations of their days to put forth ideas that apparently seem nearly impossible in the age of its creation, but turn out to be indeed possible in time to come. One always wondered whether the ‘Pushpak Vimaan’, which transported Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana, was one such idea and whether the great epic, Ramayana contained such kind of imagination of the creator of the great epic, that would one day became a common mode of transport for every Tom, Dick and Hari. Or whether the ‘Aakashwani’ that one heard about in the epics was really the writer’s imagination of the things that would make life simpler (and which turned out that science and technology advanced to make it a sci-fact some time later), when millions would to listen to All India Radio’s “Aakashwani” or to put it in perspective for today’s youngsters, Radio Jockeys on FM radio today? Or even the Station Master’s announcement of the train you rushed in for is arriving on altogether another platform just for the day?!

One has always been very choosy about picking books to read, often taking the decision after several recommendations and rave reviews. Not surprising then that one decided to read the Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie only after it was awarded the Booker of Bookers – the best in 25 years of Man Booker’s award. Apart from the feeling one gets when treating oneself to an amazing masterpiece of literature, which deals with a setting in history that an Indian would easily connect to, what really caught my attention was the science fiction content it offered. Sci-fi, could I be joking, one may wonder? Perhaps even Salman Rushdie did not intend to pour an ounce of it into this marvelous work of art that deserved such acclaim. Perhaps i was only imagining! But then if any book could make me imagine things, it had succeeded to do what so many institutions did not.
After all, don’t we believe that the need of the hour in educational reform is to have schools that teach children how to think and imagine better? It was in this part of the story, when the protagonist, Salim Sinai, begins to connect to all the other children born at the stroke of the midnight hour or thereabout and can hear their voices, experience their feelings, exchange their thoughts without the use of any technology whatsoever. In what the author calls it “midnight conferences”, several children who share amongst themselves the most wonderful of traits – of having been born at the same moment as the birth of a free India, wherever they are, whatever they do, connect instantly and talk about their hopes, their dreams, their anguish, their frustrations and more. Imagination has been the key ingredient for a success of a book. It has also been the main ingredient of sci-fi. This couldn’t have happened in the ‘60s or ‘70s and like all good sci-fi, which can become a reality some day, this too has almost become a reality now. With the advent of Social Networking websites like Orkut, Facebook and Twitter, all Salim Sinai would need to do is to form a Group on such sites - ‘All those born on 15th August 1947 at the stroke of midnight or thereabout!” Salim Sinai would not need that extraordinary telepathic nose anymore.

While my daughter always wishes she could do with an ‘invisibility cloak’ that the likes of Harry Potter and Hermione wear to move around unnoticed, as the magical kids do. So do I hope and pray that we can apparate as envisioned by JK Rowling, by using their magical powers for performing acts of ‘apparition’, wherein they transport themselves to distant places of their choice with a snap of the fingers! One always hopes that this wonderful imaginative means of transport reserved for magical folks soon becomes available to muggles (non-magical folks) like me, especially when one is caught in an agonizing traffic jam in the Maximum city of Mumbai and is a couple of hours behind on a scheduled important appointment.

No surprise then that a recent report talks about the possibility of an invisibility cloak due to technological breakthroughs make this a distinct possibility some time soon. It may also interest one and all to know about the recent tech breakthrough which will enable computers to read one's minds! So i can now make out what's going on in your mind when you type in those 'nice blogpost' comments -haha!

May be my wish to apparate at my own free will, too will be a reality soon?!
Expect me to pop up with my nonsanz somewhere near you soon!
Hey so you're hoping there's a way to block someone popping up with some anti-pop product fixed at your place? You can count on that to happen too!

Pehchan CON?

Newspapers and television channels are rife with reports about several fraudsters raising money to the tune of crores of rupees from gullible investors, who have done the vanishing trick all to suddenly, leaving them in the lurch. Angry citizens appear on national channels, narrating their harrowing experiences – of how they had put in almost all their hard-earned, life-time savings – just to see it vanish overnight! The scamsters must be brought to book, and they must get back their investment, they demand.

How often have we come across reports of such “sudden disappearances”? How often have we read about the culprits being brought to book? More importantly, how many instances have we come across, wherein these hapless investors have been returned their invested amounts, let alone the promised interest?

Delving deeper into such episodes, one would not be surprised to find that thousands of investors had been lured to these schemes by the high returns – “double your money in 1 year”; “double in 6 months”; “earn interest @10% per month”! Investors must bear in mind that all such investment options, which are too good to be true are just that – too good to be true!

It is commonly observed that retired citizens, who depend on interest income are always under pressure to meet their expenses by taking risks of investing in avenues, where higher returns are promised. However, what gets overlooked, in the process, is that the background of the companies and business people behind the schemes are not even scrutinised or investigated! One is not suggesting that earning members do not fall into these traps. In fact, come to think of it, who does not want higher returns on their investments? Everyone loves such astronomical rates of returns!

What one fails to ask oneself is, “How do these schemes manage to offer such high rate of returns? How could the offering firm afford to shell out such high rates of return on investors and still make a profit for themselves? Which ethical business can give such high rates of returns?” A typical response to this question would be: “Why should I worry about that- isn’t it their problem? It is for them to worry about how to pay me or how they earn to pay me, isn’t it?”

Right? Wrong!

When I was offered such schemes in my younger days, I had tried risking a small sum, which I wouldn’t mind kissing goodbye – just to test the waters, if I may say so.
Sure enough, I lost more than I got by way of interest. Typically, these schemes pay promptly, initially. Their promptness for 3-4 months is enough to tempt one to invest more in that scheme. The agents are offered a hefty cut for bringing in the business – enough to rope in several “potential investors”, who, incidentally, happen to be your own kith and kin or close friends, as such schemes invariably depend on word-of-mouth publicity and it is we, who end up providing them with their next customer!

Often, the amount invested keeps way above the amount drawn, once lured into this high-yielding investment avenue. The lure to earn high returns borders on greed – or should we say transgresses it? Fortunately, (or unfortunately), I burnt my fingers before I could burn a big gaping hole in my bank balance, early in my life. Looking back at that episode, I asked myself, “How could they have ever given me such high returns – unless they were into some illicit businesses or had intended to garner huge sums only to disappear with the booty? Why did I not check the background of the owners of the company? Why didn’t i even check what business they were into and how their products fared in the marketplace?”

Soon, one learnt that these schemes come up once too often and there is no dearth of people who want to make a fast buck through high-yielding investments. It is not difficult to conclude that most of these schemes are designed to wind up leaving investors in the lurch! Even if there may be some with compelling business reasons to offer such high rates of interest to pull out of difficult deals/ phases of business, it is found that pulling out of their debt trap may be their last hope and in case of their failure, they would sink with all their investors – I mean us!

In case any of the readers may have different experiences and have made their riches from such schemes and may differ with my views, I would congratulate them – not for their business acumen or investment genius, but for their extra-ordinary blessings that make them rare (I am sure there are some). There are always exceptions to prove the rule - so one cannot rule out some successful investment avenues though i would avoid them too!

What is amazing is that even today, such schemes flourish and gullible investors place their faith and hard-earned monies into their schemes! Readers are advised to keep away from all kinds of such ‘high-return’ schemes. These schemes are our local Ponzi schemes, wherein money received from new investors are paid to older investors – their tenure is rather short - the moment fresh flows stop coming in, the promoters perform the vanishing act! Don’t invest small sums either – your small sums add up to a large booty for them – they could be involved in terrorism, drug trade, any illicit business that does not merit a lawful loan from a bank.

Pehchan CON!
It is easy to spot the conning offer coming your way – it is that unbelievable return on investment that, one dreams and hopes, was indeed true! You don’t have to experience the loss for yourself – learn from the mistakes of others in the past! You don’t need to know who defaulted or circulate their names and photographs to all your email contacts, once defrauded. You only have to keep in mind that if a high rate of return offer is coming your way, it could well be a CON! If one has a small sum to lose or spare, it is better to donate it for a good cause instead, I guess.

Blogger's Post-script:
Just thought i would let you know that there is an increasing number of emails coming in to tell me that my email is the luckiest in the world to have won GBP 1000000 or perhaps more... If i add up the amounts my humble email address has won till date would even belittle and embarass the Sultan of Brunei!!! I am sure with RBI posting messages not to get enticed by such emails and part with your contact details, one is already aware of this phenomenon everyone is experiencing these days!

Conned by Research!

In the last post, we delved into the manner in which the public gets conned by the deft sleight of hand tricks of the FM with tax proposals, which lead you to believe that one has more money in one’s hands, though with one stroke of a roll-back of indirect taxes like Excise duties, the money is back in the Government kitty. Who can match governments, which are empowered by the state to carry out highway robberies, that too lawfully, on unsuspecting members of the public who elected them in the first place?

In this post, my attempt is to highlight the various ways in which “proven research” ushers in newer drugs and treatments without sufficient data to conclude their safety or effective proclaimed actions of the products. One glance at newspaper reports featured in the technology trends sections will tell the story. You will read about how wine is good for the heart and how drinking beer will keep Alzheimer’s at bay!

But nothing whatsoever about the causes of cancer and why the incidence is on the rise and how the medical and scientific community is trying to mitigate the suffering of those affected by it. One wonders whether the Big C that one is afraid of is really the Cancer or the Chemotherapy that one is referring to?

In times, when drug researchers are striving to find “molecules” or substances that treat the ailment with minimal side effects, the announcements of breakthroughs in Cancer treatment are few and far-between. There are some exceptions, though, with a recent news-item of a drug that would treat melanoma. The drug being found effective is undergoing clinical trials. We do not know whether these clinical trials will prove the drug to be safe or will the commercial pressures act to push the drug onto suffering patients waiting with bated breath for new hope to alleviate them of their ailment.

Though we often read in chain mails about food colours, some ingredients of shampoos, some coatings used by manufacturers of noodles, and several such processed food items, prodding us to avoid such products as they are suspected to be carcinogenic, one wonders whether there is enough evidence backed to support the allegation in the first place?

If indeed the suspicions are even remotely true, what efforts are being taken to establish the correctness or otherwise of such claims. Moreover, why is the Foods and Drugs Administrations of several countries not in a position to act and withdraw such products from the shelves of the malls and retail chains in an age where cars are being called back for minor defects?

Isn’t the health and well-being of mankind more important that sufficient research be conducted and official white papers be published to present the public at large with the true position? Activists are being projected as “roadblocks” in the “progress” of technology.

Take the case of the recent opposition to the BT Brinjal crop through the introduction of genetically modified crop (GM) in Madhya Pradesh. The Government of India has drafted the Biotechnology Regulatory Act of India 2010, which is to be tabled in the Parliament in March this year.

Several concerned citizens have objected to a provision in the bill contained in Article 63 of the Bill, which states as follows
“whoever, without any evidence or scientific record misleads the public about the safety of organisms and products…shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months but which may extend to one year and with fine which may extend to two lakh rupees or with both”.

Read the recent news items in the links below:
The Hindu write-up.

The India Today article

So now, anyone who raises doubts about new BT products can be booked for “misleading the public”! God, lead us to light! Doesnt the Government owe it to the general public adequate research carried out by independent scientific research institutes not having any commercial leanings so that the public can depend on it and know that enough care has been taken for their sake?

Readers would be interested to learn that BT Cotton, which was supposed to be resistant to pests and weather the threat without the need of pesticide, has been found to have failed in its very purpose! Read the news report in the Hindu here.

Instead of having sufficient safeguards and clauses in the deal with cash rich multinationals to ensure effective delivery of promises without unwanted harmful, side-effects and sufficient research to demonstrate both effectivity and safety in all respects, the Government seems to be interested in smothering the voices of activists and well-wishers of our brothers and sisters, the citizens of our country!

It is believed that even whatever scientific research and clinical tests are carried out to prove the worthiness of the products being introduced are being carried out by the very same company and independent research is not being insisted upon for providing governmental clearances!

Now isn’t that a dangerous world we are making for ourselves?
Aren’t we allowing ourselves to be fooled by “research”?

So what can we do now, except spread awareness and raise our voices while its still not law to arrest us?

Also read about the tussle between Ministries over GMO implementation in this blogpost:

Also read Greenpeace's stand on the Bill here: