Accept the world as it is, UNLESS YOU CAN CHANGE IT !

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

THE NATIONAL SHAME


After post-Godhara riots, in the year 2002 in Gujarat, the phrase “National Shame” was coined by many politicians. I agree that what was happened in Godhara was wrong. What happened immediately thereafter throughout the state was also totally wrong. And what has been happening thereafter, in relation to post-Godhara riots, is even worse. But I do not want to go into this politically painted/tainted issue.

Today I was waiting at a traffic signal at Ellis bridge crossing. (Ellis bridge square is one of the most busy traffic crossings of Ahmedabad city.) The time was 10.00AM. I saw a young boy of around 8 to 10 years defecating on the footpath. And the once very dear phrase of politicians “national shame” struck my mind. Those politicians who want to see what our real national-shame is, should travel in any train reaching New Delhi railway station between 7.00 to 8.00AM. They have just to wake up at 6.00AM and sit on any of the window seat. They will find uninterrupted line of national-shame on the adjoining railway track itself. After 60 years of independent rule of our own people, we could not provide even toilet, leave alone a home, to more than 40% of the population.

If you look around, you will find, other than politicians, many national-shames like …

  1. You order a tea on a road side tea stall and the national-shame will come to serve the tea with tea-cup in one hand and water-bowl in the other.
  2. Go to any government department and you will require to grease the hands of national-shame for moving your paper from one table to the other. And the other side of the same national-shame will also be there, paying bribes for getting the illegal work done.
  3. Want admission in a good school? National-shame is there asking donation.
  4. Leave alone the young children, you will find many adult national-shames standing on road side releasing water-pressure, i.e. peeing. (Before a few years  a head line was appeared in a leading daily in New Delhi  - “Are Women Bladderless Creature?”.)
  5. Throwing garbage or spitting anywhere is never a shame for us though it is really a national-shame.
  6. Is it not a national-shame that the finance minister of a country declares that he has no magic stick to bring down the inflation? (He had many to let the prices of essential commodities doubled in just few months.)
  7. And latest one, the chief vigilance commissioner (CVC) of the country says that why can’t he be on the post of CVC even though he has been charge-sheeted for malpractices in past, when there are so many charge-sheeted members-of-parliament? (It is CVC’s duty to ensure that such unscrupulous persons do no remain any more in the parliament!)

The list can go on and on.

But, let us, you and me, decide NOT to contribute to the list.

2 comments:

  1. one person just contributed to national shame by commenting in such a vulgar language on such a good article. there is not much difference those who defaecate on the roads and one who defecated on your Blog. in fact former are compelled by their situation and later are compelled by their culture.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I removed the comment.

    I request readers not to use abusive/offensive language while writing comments.
    Thanks.

    ReplyDelete