Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Ravana too had good in him..

Been hearing how terrible Ravana was and how big a war Rama fought to kill this terrible demon king, in the epic Ramayana.

That was the childhood till early 20s version, when we had time and thought bad is BAD and good is all that we need on this Earth. No Ravanas but only Ramas.

Come 30s, didn't have time or any orientation towards good or bad since we been both as per life's circumstances.

But by 40s, one has seen good lot of 'bads' and 'goods' in life to realize not every bad is BAD and not all that looks, feels, smells, tastes, sounds, reads, walks, talks, seen good is indeed GOOD.

It is this U-turn philosophy that made me think... Asura King Ravana was not all that bad for these (few) reasons I picked from the mythology Ramayana, written by Sage Valmiki and many others.
(Glad during those days there were no copyrights! Else Sage Valmiki would have spend his next three births filing and fighting copyrights cases to protect Valmiki Ramayana!)


Coming back to King Ravana, these few points cannot be proved wrong and if Ravana was so evil to be burnt down, he shouldn't have had these (few) in him in the first place:

1) King Ravana did not attack Ayodhya and declare war on King Rama
2) He went to Panchavadi forest based on his sister Surpanakha complaint on how Rama and Lakshmana played pranks on her, humiliated her and later Lakshmana chopped off her nose
(True, Surpanakha went to attack the petite Sita.. yeah, you are right Surpanakha asked for it from Lakshmana... could have very well returned home after the pranks!)

3) He went there not in any intention to kidnap Sita but to avenge his sister's humiliation (like any elder or younger brother does in school, college or even after that... sister's dignity at stake is something no brother can tolerate!)
4) Kidnapping Sita could also have been for the reason to lure the brothers to Lanka, his own kingdom and fight it out with them on his own territory where he is more powerful than in Panchavadi which is the brother's territory
5) He didn't have to give 12 months deciding time to Sita to make her his own. He was a devotee of Lords, devas, had enough powers to force himself on Sita, force marry her than give her time
6) He went to meet Sita every morning to see if her mind has changed and is ready to accept him as her husband, with his wife Mandodari...never alone
7) He did not dump Mandodari till his death in spite having got Sita in Lanka

On the other hand, Rama and Lakshmana could have avoided the prank on Surpanakha, in stead while one of the two brothers were engaged in letting Surpanakha know, they cannot marry her, they could have sent a messenger to Lanka. They could have passed a message to King Ravana to come and fetch his stubborn and unreasonable sister and take her back home.

True, Lakshmana chopped off Surpanakha's nose when his mother-like Sita was being attacked. Had they sent to Ravana to take her back, the chopping, crying, kidnapping, war could have been avoided.

King Rama and the husband Rama would have lived happily with the Queen Sita and wife Sita, after 14 years of exile. Instead, even after 14 years of exile, the King banished the Queen in Sita to prove his Dharma to his citizens, at the same time the husband in Rama made parallel arrangement to take care of his pregnant wife Sita at a sage's ashram. So much chaos and unhappiness!

Which makes me wonder who had more good in him... King Ravana or King Rama?

Friday, June 17, 2016

Migrant Workers are unlike Migratory Birds - Boon to Bane


No. It is not always the Government who does everything for their citizen's safety. In the wake of developments in the gruesome murder case of Jisha, a law student in Kerala, the migrant workers' community is under social and security scanner.
They are here in my state because there is a high demand for manual labor in a hi-tech society. The real estate construction sector, local area cleaning methods, handy-man job sectors are light years away from being technology savvy, spend less on machining, depend on manual labor which is cost effective-long term maintenance free and do not add to immovable investment when not having projects.
Migrant workers are paid less than local skills. They are ready to do digging in any circumstances, they do not say no in entering manholes, they do not ask for equal wages but more than happy to be employed, they too have a family (families!) to send money home. They are physically stronger with more stamina than local skilled or unskilled labor. They do not spend on fancy motorbikes, purchase of land, are not fashion conscious.
All a migrant worker ask for in a room to share with his 10-15 peers in the outskirts of a city, public transport to take him to and from home-workplace, a cooking space inside the room and garbage piled up corners. What he cannot do away with is his mobile phone, the sloppy shoulder bag, full-sleeve tee shirt and contrast color jeans, trousers.   
What makes us like their manual labor is the sincerity with which they focus on their task, get it done as instructed and leave workplace without waiting to be given old clothes, water or food.

What we miss while admiring his labor skills are his sharp eyes taking note of the surroundings, his silent watchful presence making a mental note of the layout, people staying around the area and the determined attitude to stay back and get woven into our society. In his sincerity lies the cold selfish intention to get what he wants… whatever it be… gold ornaments, money, trust and our hearts.
When we see an immigrant worker as an assistant to a local skilled labor coming home for a task, we do not spare anything more than a glance towards the immigrant worker since he is here only to “assist”. We speak at length with his immediate senior worker or supervisor on how or what needs to be done for the day or week and we walk away into our daily chores. Here are a few thoughts:
As citizens:
  1. Ask his name and have the immigrant worker answer
  2. Repeat his name and confirm if you got it right
  3. Ask his supervisor if he is a registered immigrant labor
  4. Ask for his registration ID card or proo
  5. Get your local contractor or sub-contractor hand over or email you details of his laborers working in your project with details of their permanent and present address
  6. Keep a tab on if the same migrant labour comes on all days
  7. In large constructions sites, have a team of your men/women to report, record arrival and departure of the migrant laborer
  8. Ensure you pick up basics of the most commonly spoken language by migrant workers
  9. Do not agree to engage any unregistered migrant laborer
  10. Do report to police about any social noise from migrant workers
The Government (Central and every State) on their part please check:
  1. The process followed by mobile network providers in supplying SIM to migrant workers
  2. Do they submit address proof
  3. Are their SIMs activated with verifications
  4. Is the proof of address valid and genuine
  5. In the event of mobile providers not having sufficient proofs, the concerned authorities should disconnect of block the SIM
  6. Have a IVR in Hindi saying why is it blocked and to report to nearest police station to get it activated
  7. There in not a single migrant worker who does not use a mobile phone
  8. Have every contractor report how many migrant laborers they have registered under their name
  9. The Labor Commission officer and Panchayat members have to sign on the permit to have  migrant workers under him
  10. Cap the maximum migrant labor under each contractor to 50
  11. Have migrant workers educated in benefits of reporting to Labor office through Panchayat
  12. Assure them safety, security, an identity, dignity in their existence by legalizing their presence in the State
  13. Have new policies made or the migrant labor card to be valid within India
  14. Ensure all migrant workers have a basic fitness test done at local area health centre (height, weight, blood group, basic blood test and chest x-ray) free of cost (Government to bear this cost)
  15. Alert Health officers to conduct checks in the migrant workers' place of stay or camps every quarter
Have labor squads, Panchayat, anganwadi, kudumbashree, ASHA workers go house-to-house and see if the owner has built additional rooms, renting to migrant workers. If he/she has not reported the earnings to Govt, it’s a violation and loss of tax revenue, book the landlord or owner.
Citizens have to ensure socially these migrant workers are not treated any different than own fellow social beings. Because of the economical imbalance, there is a flow of migrant workers to our state. There is a flow of such and elite workers from our state to US, Far East and Middle East too. :) :)
There needs to be a cultural, social, political and perspective change in our society to ensure migrant workers do not make our society hostage for their low cost labor.

 

 

Friday, March 25, 2016

Why am I faking to being alive?


Jia gave me a call that was laced with an urgency. She was trying to push the urgency by a few minutes into the call, parking it rather.

I went by the flow. Knew she had something to share. Knew it was something which if her folks at home hear, will tag her as 'depressed'! If her friends are told, they may nod and change topic.

It is something Jia knows I will listen to at least, if not buy in. And finally she asked me this: Jia, why am I faking to be alive?

Couple of terms in it... fake to be alive... made me reel for a few seconds... Did I hear fake to be alive? Eh?

I asked Jia... Fake to be alive? How ... how are you faking? If one is alive, its for real.... not fake. She brushed aside my question saying, am not refereeing to the biological 'being alive' but as a person, soul.... I knew, Jia was speaking what many women in her age must be doing, going through. Some of them do not need to and if on can say, they are blessed... so be it. Here is why Jia says she thinks she is faking to life....

I get up every morning on the edge of my cot since my lil ones push me and occupy majority space. It hurts my back, neck and swear tonight I will go and sleep on my own cot. Yet when the little ones say they are scared the night sans me, I fake joy of sleeping with the 11 year olds and go through the pushing, kicking, etc every night. I cannot make them see it hurts me. I fake happiness and joy though am too sad to even wish for sleep.

I hate to drive around in the mornings, noon till evening... doing chores, picking up, hospital drops. I love to drive around in the night which is prohibited at home. I love the peace and quietness of the night rather than the harsh sunlight and smell of the hypermarkets where I go every alternate days. I do ask for a consolidated list to ensure I don't spend money everyday but that has never happened ... ever. I fake eagerness to drive around, pick up, drop, buy stuff since I cannot say no to my family.

I want to watch movies, laze around once in a while sans kids but that's considered as "working-mother-ignoring-child' attitude! thanks to all the preachy stuff in regional women's magazine and sicko talk shows. I have to take my children to every get together with my friends... work or otherwise. I fake joy and eagerness knowing they will bored since no other parent is getting their children. I fake being a great mother.

I am tired of living thus. I wish to tell people on their face, I need 3 days to myself a month... just three days. At least don't ask me to sleep in kids' bed when having my monthly chums, don't give me a list of stuff to buy, dry clean, pick up or allow me space on those three days to be with myself.... Why, Kartz... why do I need to fake in life so much and hope against hope I get my-time if not today tomorrow... if not this month... next one...and been living for 39 years!

I was silent through her narration.... speechless.... she just now told me .. how am living everyday! I didn't know if she wanted a solution or was giving me a nudge to tell me.

I wanted some water but knew putting her on hold is not polite... instead I asked her.... Jia, however ultra-metro be our dressing, attitude... what we are fundamentally... hasn't changed must over time... our gender been adjusting, comprising from time in memorial. We are at least realizing we are not genuinely happy and expressing it... which our previous generation never tried to do.... likewise, we should ensure our girls say No, am not comfortable doing, saying, giving, walking, eating...whatever makes them uneasy. We should teach and support them when they say No,

We should never approve our girls fake to be alive. It should end with you and me.