Indian Railways

I fail to understand how the man who fell on the tracks had such a bad experience. Right in the middle of the cuty, you fall and it takes you 1 hour to get treatment for a severed leg, its just too disturbing.

If Mumbai aims to be a global city, basic amenties like an ambulance at railway stations is a must.

Laloo, are you listening? Or just busy dolling out sops with the elections at hand...

Whats wrong with Maharashtra?

This post comes more out of worry than anything else.

What is with Maharashtra? We are supposed to be one of the more forward states in the country, one of the more industrialized places, somewhere for the rest of India to look up to. Maharashtra has a very rich culture, the people a very strong sense of identity and are very tolerant traditionally.

My watchman left for Bihar frightened by the MNS voilence. Thats when I decided to write this post. He was a nice guy. What is he was from Bihar? What gives anyone the right to generalize rowdyness with Biharis? And so what if they are? Pushing them out of Maharashtra is no way to get back. Its more logical to try and make them more civilized. Improve implementation of law and order so that only the ones not follwing it are punished.

25,000 migrant workers leaving Pune isn't good for the economy. You simply can't let one person hold the state to ransom.

Think about Maharashtrians outside the state. What if Deve Gowda says something similar and pushes all the IT people out of Bangalore?

Its important for Maharashtrians to understand that the so called 'Bhaiyyas' who flock to Bombay, Pune, Nashik come here only because of the opportunities that exist here. They are mostly doing jobs which localities find to be too low-statured. Instead of killing them, its more important that the government makes it mandatory for their employers to better living conditions for them.

The youth of Maharashtra had such great expectations from Raj. Turns out that all politicians are as stupid as the other...

I still believe that the Marathis are a very tolerant breed of people, and the MNS behavior is nothing but a blip on the radar.

Baba Amte

Since decades, people have just been bent and exploited. We have been given hands to lift them up, not to strangle them.

These were the words of the noted social reformer Baba Amte, a man also known as the Messiah of the poor.

Born Murlidhar Devidas Amte, on December 24, 1914, Baba Amte, hailing from a family of Brahmin jagirdars defied rigid caste hierarchy and often shared meals with servants and played with children of lower castes.

A qualified lawyer, Amte's tryst with social activism began early in life. While a lucrative practice at Wardha was ready for him, his heart beat for the poor and the destitute.

His motto "Charity destroys, work builds" finally culminated in the building of Anandwan, a sprawling rehabilitation centre for leprosy patients in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra.

Even in his last days, Baba's thoughts were thought-provoking and challenging.

"One 's hands should be used for help and for reforms. Not for killing others. This is the only message to the present generation," he said.

Although he won several awards - the Padma Shri in 1971, the Padma Vibhushan in 1986 and the Magsaysay Award in 1988 - he continued to rendered service diligently and selflessly.

It is no wonder that even the Prime Minister was touched by this immense loss.

"An era in India comes to an end. He was a great son of our country who devoted all his life to Gandhian values and the service of the poor and the down- trodden," PM Manmohan Singh said.

Baba was also a strong supporter of the Narmada Bachao andolan and fought relentlessly against displacement of the tribals. His constant refrain was that compassion has no party or ideology. His message of love for the poorest of the poor will be forever remembered and worthy to be emulated.

My tribute to the great man. May his tribe increase...