Corruption or Co-rupption?

The whole of India is talking about the Lokpal bill.Thanks to Mr. Anna Hazare most of the people who probably were not aware that even the ministers and diplomats of India could be monitored, now know it. The day the hunger strike of Anna Hazare was announced everyone, the college students, writers, press and including a few corporate companies are showing their support by gathering at public places and lighting candles.

I was at one such gatherings today, I heard a guy talking to his buddy on the phone.  He said “Hey dude I did the coolest thing man, I was at the freedom park for the support of that bill thing man. I don know if its some use to us man. But the best thing is I got numbers of two awesome chicks man. We can go to the pub with them today”. I was totally disturbed by what I heard. But it also made me think is this the right way to curb corruption? Seriously are these hunger strikes for passing a bill that gets the right for general public to file charges against a top level govt official, really worth the effort?

I really didn’t see the point of these gatherings then. Lets get practical, in country where the terrorists who have been proved guilty are still kept alive even after 10 years, does it change anything by some random guy filing a petition against a govt employee? Its ridiculous. If we really care to stop corruption we need to stop it, not let something happen and then try to repair it. We have all heard of the saying “PREVENTION is better than CURE”, the same this applies here. If we want to stop corruption then we need to stop supporting corruption first.

How are we supporting corruption?

Most of us are promoting corruption directly or indirectly.

For instance, we pay bribe to the trffic police to get away if we are caught for a offence. This is so common. People go to such an extent to get away from fine that, they even start telling stories and act better than most bollywood superstars. This is the biggest contributor of corruption.

When we are caught by a constable for a violation, we force him to let us off by paying him 10 or 20, instead of a fine of 100. The inspector sees this, even if he stays quite for a few days, after a few days he starts asking for a share in the money. Slowly a word about this extra earning spreads through the department. Now the higher officials instead of stopping it get involved in it and start taking the shares out of it. Slowly these shares becomes targets set by the higher ups. Now all the subordinates are forced to follow, else there the fear of transfer. So, the entire department gets corrupt and they start taking bribes instead of giving us challans for the fine. Sometimes they even go to such an extent that they keep searching for means to get bribes from people. Slowly they start using the power and threaten people to pay bribe else they would book you in some case. The people obviously get scared and now start dancing to the steps of the police and now start complaing that police are corrupt.

A simple bribe of 20 or 30 or max 50/- to get away from a fine is now become a threat for the society. This is not just traffic police, this is the case of any govt run organisation, its corrupt because of the people.

As they say, the quality of the tree is because of the roots, the same way any organisation or govt is corrupt because of the lower level. We are the people who spoilt the root and now we are complaining that the tree is not good. The bills like Lokpal bill, or the corruption monitoring entities like the Lokayukta or the CBI can act as insecticides and keep corruption at the top level under check. But if we have to stop corruption we need to stop injecting corruption at the root.

How to we do it?

Just being like a herd of sheep behind every new found leader who raise their voice against corruption and saying that “we support the cause”, but practically not doing anything does not help.  Because here if the Leader is lost or quits, the battle against corruption is lost. Instead we need stand against corruption in our daily life. This can be done in simple and easy steps. Simplest of things like,

• Accepting the traffic violation and asking for a challan from a traffic police for paying the fine.
• Instead of going through an agent paying bribe at the RTO office, we can take the tests for the driving license ourselves.
• Having the right construction plan and sticking to the plan while constructing a house, will lessen your chance to pay bribe to the approving authorities.

These are just a few examples. If we really need to curb corruption we need to stop it at the root level. But again its not so easy as we say, because everyone is so used to it. Without bribe now there almost no chance of getting the work done in a govt entity.

And then nothing is impossible, isnt it? We can stop corruption if we stay united and fight against. A unity that we show when India wins a cricket match against Pakistan, or wins the cricket worldcup, or even the unity that we show for a couple of hours at a public gathering against corruption is not enough. We need a unity that probably lasts for a few decades atleast, a unity bigger and longer than what we saw during the freedom struggle. We don’t need leaders for this, we ourselves are the leaders here.

A Government in democracy, “Its by the people, for the people and of the people”. A government should bethe way citizen want it, and not the other way. Some did a mistake a few years back by injecting corruption for some feeble reasons and now is the time to correct it. Lets unite and fight corruption, not just by showing support to the leaders who try to get in some check at corruption, but also implementing it in our daily life.

Lets not forget “CITIZEN IS THE KING IN DEMOCRACY”.

 

PS: The instance of the traffic police and corruption, is inspired by a dialogue written for the play “Namma Metro” by my friend and co-founder of WeMove theatre,  Abhishek Iyengar.  I am dedicating this article to him, thanking him for his support and the inspiration.

My Chat with an ಆತ್ಮ

ಸೂಚನೆ: ದೇಹದೊಳಗೆ ಆತ್ಮ ಇದ್ದಾಗ “ಮನುಷ್ಯ” ಅಂತ ಕರ್ದು ಗೌರವ ಕೊಡೋ ನಾವು, ಆತ್ಮ ದೇಹ ಬಿಟ್ ಹೋದ್ ತಕ್ಷಣ ಆದ್ನ “ದೆವ್ವೆ” ಅಂದು, ಅದ್ನ ವಸ್ತು ತರ ಅದು..ಇದು.. ಅಂತೀವಿ. ನಂಗೆ ಅದು ಸರಿ ಅನ್ನಿಸಲ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಒಬ್ಬ ಮನುಷ್ಯನಿಗೆ ನಾವು ಬಳಸುವ ಸಂಭೋಧನೆಗಳನ್ನ ಆತ್ಮಕ್ಕೂ ಬಳಸಿದ್ದೀನಿ. ನಿಮಗೆ ಅದು ತಪ್ಪೆನಿಸಿದಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಷಮಿಸಿ.
ಈ ಕಥೆ ಕೇವಲ ಕಾಲ್ಪನಿಕ ಅಷ್ಟೆ. ಅಕಸ್ಮಾತ್ ನೀವು ಆತ್ಮಗಳನ್ನ ನೋಡಿದ್ರೆ ಅಥವ ಧೈರ್ಯ ಮಾಡಿ ಆತ್ಮಗಳ ಜೊತೆ ಮಾತಾಡಿದ್ರೆ ದಯವಿಟ್ಟು ನಿಮ್ experience ಹೇಗಿತ್ತು ತಿಳಿಸಿ.

 

ನಮ್ ಮನೆ ಅಕ್ ಪಕ್ಕದ್ ಜನ ಸಿಕ್ಕಾಪಟ್ಟೆ ಕೂಗಾಡ್ತಾರ್ರಿ. ಅದ್ರಲ್ಲೂ ರಾತ್ರಿ ಹೊತ್ತು ಎಣ್ಣೆ ಹೊಡದ್ಮೇಲೆ ಕೂಗಾಡೋದ್ ಜಾಸ್ತಿ. ನನ್ ರೂಮ್ನ ಕಿಟ್ಕಿ ಪಕ್ದಲ್ಲೇ ನನ್ ಮಂಚ ಇರೊದ್ರಿಂದ ಅಕ್ ಪಕ್ದ ಮನೇವ್ರು ಯಾರೇ ಏನೇ sound ಮಾಡಿದ್ರು ನನ್ ರೂಮ್ನಲ್ ಕೇಳುತ್ತೆ. ಅಪ್ಪ ಅಮ್ಮನ್ ಜೊತೆ ಇರೋ ನಾನು, ಅವ್ರು ಮಜಾ ಮಾಡೋದನ್ನ ನೋಡಿ ಉರ್ಕೋಂಡು, ನನ್ ರೂಮ್ನ ಕಿಟ್ಕಿ ಮೂಲ್ಕನೇ ಗಲಾಟೆ ಕಮ್ಮಿ ಮಾಡಿ ಅಂತ ಹೇಳೋದೂ ಮಾಮೂಲಿ. ಆದ್ರೆ ನೆನ್ನೆ….. ಆಗಿದ್ದೇ ಬೇರೆ….

ನೆನ್ನೆ ರಾತ್ರಿ routine ಆಗಿ ನಾನು ಒಂದ್ book ಓದ್ತಾ ಕೂತಿದ್ದೆ. ಸುಮಾರು 1 ಗಂಟೆ ಇರ್ಬೋದು, ಯಾರೋ ಅಣ್ಣಾವ್ರ “ಬಾನಿಗೊಂದು ಎಲ್ಲೆ ಎಲ್ಲಿದೆ…..” ಹಾಡ್ನ ಜೋರಾಗ್ ಹಾಡಕ್ ಶುರು ಮಾಡಿದ್ರು.

(ಕಥೆನ conversation style ನಲ್ ಹೇಳ್ತೀನಿ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ adjust ಮಾಡ್ಕೊಳ್ಳಿ)

ನಾನು: ದಿನಾ ಹೇಳ್ಬೇಕಾ ನಿಮ್ಗೆಲ್ಲಾ, ಮೆತ್ತಿಗ್ ಹಾಡ್ರಿ.
ಆತ:  Sorry sir, ನನ್ voice ನಿಮ್ಗೆ ಕೇಳ್ಸುತ್ತೆ ಅನ್ಕೋಳ್ಳಿಲ್ಲ.
ನಾನು: ಅಲ್ರೀ, ಇಷ್ಟ್ ಜೋರಾಗ್ ಹಾಡ್ತಿದೀರ, “ಕೇಳ್ಸುತ್ತೆ ಅನ್ಕೋಳ್ಳಿಲ್ಲ” ಅಂತೀರಲ್ರೀ.
ಆತ: ಅದೂ, ನಮ್ voice ಎಲ್ರಿಗೂ ಕೇಳಲ್ಲ ನೋಡೀ, ಅದ್ಕೇ ಹಾಗಂದೆ.
ನಾನು (ತಮಾಷೆಯಾಗಿ) : ನೀವ್ ಹೇಳೋದ್ ಕೇಳಿದ್ರೆ ಯಾಕೋ ನೀವ್ ಮನುಷ್ಯರಲ್ಲ doubt ಬರ್ತಿದೀಯಲ್ಲ…
ಆತ: ಹೌದ್, ಸಾರ್ ನಾನು ಆತ್ಮ.. ನಿಮ್ಮಂತೋರು generalಆಗ್ ನಮ್ನ “ದೆವ್ಗಳೂ” ಕರೀತಾರೆ.
ಆದ್ರೆ ನೀವೇನು ಹೆದರ್ಬೇಡಿ, ನಿಮ್ಗೇನು ತೊಂದ್ರೆ ಕೋಡಲ್ಲ.
ಸಾರ್, if you don’t mind ನಿಮ್ ಜೊತೆ ಮಾತಾಡ್ಬೋದ? ನಮ್ಗೆ ಮಾತಾಡಕ್ ಜನ ಸಿಗೋದೆ ಕಷ್ಟ ನೋಡಿ ಅದ್ಕೇ ಕೇಳ್ದೆ.

(ನಾನು ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಯೋಚ್ನೆ ಮಾಡ್ದೆ, ದೆವ್ವದ್ ಜೊತೆ ಮಾತಾಡೋದು riskಏ, but experience ಸಖತಾಗಿರುತ್ತೆ ಅಂತೆ decide ಮಾಡ್ದೆ.)
ನಾನು: ಸರಿ, ಮಾತಾಡಣ
ಆತ: ಸಾರ್, ಇನ್ನೋಂದ್ request ನಿಮ್ಗೆ ಕಾಣಿಸ್ಕೋಬೋದ? ಮಾತಾಡಕ್ comfortable ಆಗಿರುತ್ತೆ.

(ದೆವ್ವದ್ ಜೊತೆ ಮಾತಾಡೊ riskಏ ತೊಗೊಂಡಾಯ್ತು, ದೆವ್ವಾನ ನೋಡೇಬಿಡೂಣ ಅಂತ decide ಮಾಡ್ದೆ)
ನಾನು: ಸರಿ, ಅದೂ ಆಗೇ ಬಿಡ್ಲಿ….
ಆತ: Thank you Sir…
(ನನ್ ಕಿಟ್ಕಿ ಮುಂದೆ ಬಂದ್ ಕಾಣಿಸ್ಕೋಂಡ ಆತ. ನೋಡಿದ್ರೆ ಆತ ಚಿಕ್ ವೈಸಿಗೆ ticket ತೊಗೊಂಡಂಗಿತ್ತು)
ನಾನು: ನಿಮ್ನ ನೋಡಿದ್ರೆ ಚಿಕ್ ವೈಸ್ಗೆ ticket ತೊಗೊಂಡಂಗಿದೆ.
ಆತ: ಹೂಂ, ಸ್ವಾಮಿ… ನಾನ್ ಸತ್ತಾಗ ನಂಗ್ ಬರೀ 32.
ನಾನು: ಏನಾಯ್ತು?
ಆತ: ಅದೊಂದ್ ದೋಡ್ ಕಥೆ…
ನಾನು: ಪರ್ವಾಗಿಲ್ಲ ಹೇಳಿ. ದೆವ್ವದ್ sorry ಆತ್ಮದ್ ಜೊತೆ first time ಮಾತಾಡ್ತಿರೋದು, ಇನ್ ನಿದ್ದೆ ಬರೋದ್ doubtಏ…. Hmmm ಹೇಳಿ….
ಆತ: ನನ್ ಹೆಸ್ರು ರಾಮ ಅಂತ, ಮಂಡ್ಯ ಹತ್ರ ನಮ್ಮೂರು. ಚಿಕ್ ವೈಸ್ನಿಂದ ನಮ್ ಅತ್ತೆ ಮಗ್ಳನ್ನ ಪ್ರೀತಿಸ್ತಿದ್ದೆ.
ನಾನು: ಅತ್ತೆ ಮಗ್ಳು ಕೈಕೊಟ್ಟು ಬೇರೆ ಯಾರ್ನೋ ಮದ್ವೆ ಆಗಿರ್ಬೇಕು, ಅದ್ಕೆ ನೇಣ್ ಹಾಕೋಂಡಿರ್ತೀರ.
ಆತ: ಇಲ್ಲ ಸಾರ್ ಹಾಗಲ್ಲ… ಕಥೆ full ಹೇಳೋವರ್ಗೂ please ಕೇಳಿಸ್ಕೋಳಿ ಸಾರ್…
ಇನ್ನೊಂದ್ requestಉ ದಯವಿಟ್ಟು ಇನ್ನೊಂದ್ ಸರಿ, ನಾನ್ ಸತ್ತಿದೀನಿ ಅನ್ನೋದನ್ನ ನೆನಪಿಸ್ ಬೇಡಿ.
ನಾನು: ok…, ಸರಿ…. Continue ಮಾಡಿ.
ಆತ: ನಾವಿಬ್ರೂ degreeವರ್ಗೂ ಒಟ್ಗೇ ಓದಿದ್ವೀ, ಅಮೇಲೆ ನಾನು ತೋಟ ನೋಡ್ಕೋಳಕ್ಕೆ ಊರಿಗ್ ಹೋದೆ. ನನ್ ಗೌರಿ ಮುಂದಕ್ ಓದ್ಬೇಕು ಅಂದ್ಲು ಅಂತ ಮನೇವ್ರನ್ನೆಲ್ಲಾ ಒಪ್ಸಿ ಮೈಸೂರಿಗ್ ಕಳ್ಸ್ದೆ.
ನಾನು: ಅಲ್ರೀ ಏನೋ ಹೋಗ್ಲಿ ಪಾಪಂತ ಕಥೆ ಕೇಳಕ್ ಕೂತ್ರೆ ಇಡೀ life historyನೇ ಹೇಳೋತರ ಇದೀರಲ್ಲ.. Storyನ fast forward ಮಾಡೀ.
ಆತ: Sorry… ಬೇಜಾರ್ ಮಾಡ್ಕೋಬೇಡಿ, ನನ್ ಕಥೆ ಕೇಳಕ್ ಅಪ್ರೂಪಕ್ ಒಬ್ರು ಸಿಕ್ರಲ್ಲಾ ಅನ್ನೋ excitementನಲ್ಲಿ full firstಇಂದ start ಮಾಡ್ಬಿಟ್ಟೆ.
ನಾನು: ಹೋಗ್ಲಿ continue ಮಾಡಿ.
ಆತ: ಗೌರಿ, ಮೈಸೂರಿಗ್ ಹೋಗಿ ಕೆಲವು ತಿಂಗ್ಳು ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಸರಿಯಾಗಿತ್ತು, ಅಮೇಲೆ, ಬರ್ತಾ ಬರ್ತಾ ನಮ್ಮಿಬರ್ ಮಧ್ಯೆ distance ಬೆಳೀತಾ ಹೋಯ್ತು. ಕಡೇಗೆ ಅವ್ಳು ನನ್ calls receive ಮಾಡೋದನ್ನ ನಿಲ್ಸಿದ್ಲು.
ಏನೋ ಆಗಿದೆ ಅಂತ ಗಾಬ್ರಿ ಆಯ್ತು. ಮೈಸೂರಿಗ್ ಬಂದೆ….. Sunday ಅವತ್ತು
(ಪರ್ವಾಗಿಲ್ಲ ದೆವ್ವಕ್ಕೆ ವಾರ ಬೇರೆ ಙಾಪಕ ಇದೇಂತ ಮನಸ್ನಲ್ಲೇ ಅಂಕೊಂಡೆ, ಕಥೆ continue ಮಾಡ್ದ ಆತ…)
ಆ…ಹೇಳೋದನ್ನೇ ಮರ್ತಿದ್ದೆ, ನಾನು ಅವ್ಳಿಗೆ ಒಂದ್ ಮನೆ ಬಾಡ್ಗೆಗ್ ಕೂಡ್ಸಿದ್ದೆ, ಬಾಡ್ಗೆನು ನಾನೆ ಕಟ್ತಿದ್ದೆ. So continuing the story, Sunday ಅಲ್ವೆ ಅವತ್ತು, ಅದ್ಕೆ ಮನೇಗೆ ಹೋದೆ. ಹೋಗ್ ಬಾಗಿಲ್ ತಟ್ದೆ, ಯಾರೋ ನನಗ್ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ದಿರೋನು ಬಾಗಿಲ್ ತೆಗೆದ.
ಆಮೇಲ್ ಒಳ್ಗಿಂದ ಬಂದ್ಲು ನನ್ ಗೌರಿ… Huh…. Sorry…. ನನ್ ಗೌರಿ ಅಲ್ಲ ಅವ್ನ ಗೌರಿ. ಅವ್ಳು ನನ್ನ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಅವ್ನ ಮದ್ವೆ ಆಗುದ್ಲು.
(ಕಥೆ ಹೇಳ್ತಿದ್ದ ಅವ್ನು ಸುಮ್ನಾದ, ನಂಗೂ ಆತನ್ನ disturb ಮಾಡ್ಬೇಕು ಅನ್ನಿಸ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ, ನಾನು ಸುಮ್ನಿದ್ದೆ. ಎರ್ಡು ನಿಮ್ಷ ಆದ್ಮೇಲೆ continue ಮಾಡ್ದ)
ಯಾಕ್ ಹೀಗ್ ಮಾಡಿದ್ಲೂಂತ ಕೇಳ್ದೆ. “ನನ್ ಜೀವ್ನ ನನ್ನಿಷ್ಟ” ಅಂದ್ಲು. ತುಂಬ ಕೋಪ ಬಂತು, ಕೋಪ್ದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಪಾಳಕ್ ಒಂದ್ ಬಿಟ್ಟೆ, ಅವ್ಳು ಅಷ್ಟಕ್ಕೇ ಕುಸಿದ್ ಬಿದ್ಲೂ. ಅವ್ನು ನನ್ ಮೇಲ್ ಜಗಳಕ್ ಬಂದ. ಅವ್ನನ್ನ ಸಾಯೋವರ್ಗು ಹೊಡ್ದೆ.
ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಹೊತ್ತಾದ್ಮೆಲೆ ಕೋಪ ಕಮ್ಮಿಯಾಯ್ತು, ನೋಡ್ದ್ರೇ ಇಬ್ರೂ ಸತ್ತಿದ್ರು…. ನಂಗೆ ಏನ್ಮಾಡ್ಬೇಕೂಂತ ತೋಚ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ. Policeಉ, jailಉ, ಶಿಕ್ಷೆ, ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಯೋಚ್ನೆ ಮಾಡಿ ಭಯ ಆಯ್ತು. ಸಾಯೋದೆ better ಅಂತ decide ಮಾಡಿ ಅಲ್ಲೇ ನೇಣ್ ಹಾಕೊಂಡೆ.
(ಕಥೆ ಹೇಳ್ತಿದ್ ಆತನ ಧ್ವನಿಲಿ ದುಖಃ, ಸಂಕ್ಟ ಇತ್ತು. ನಾನು ಕಥೆ ಕೇಳ್ತಾ ಕಥೇಲೆ ಮುಳ್ಗೋಗಿದ್ದೆ. ಆತ ಕಥೆ ಮದ್ಯದಲ್ ನಿಲ್ಸಿದ್ದೇ ಗೊತ್ತಾಗ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಹೊತ್ತಾದ್ ಮೇಲೆ silence realize ಆಯ್ತು. “An Absolute Awkward Silence”. First time ನಿಷ್ಯಬ್ಧವಾದ ವಾತಾವರ್ಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಭಯ ಆಯ್ತು, ಏನೋ ಹೇಳ್ಬೇಕು ಆನ್ನಸ್ತು. ಆದ್ರೇ ಹೇಳಕ್ಕಾಗಿದ್ದು)
ನಾನು: ಆಮೇಲೆ?
ಆತ: ನಮ್ನ ಮೇಲಿನ್ courtಉ ಅಂದ್ರೇ ದೇವ್ರ ಮುಂದೇ produce ಮಾಡಿದ್ರು.
ದೇವ್ರು… ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಗೊತ್ತಿದ್ದು ನನ್ ಹುಡ್ಗಿನ love ಮಾಡಿದ್ ಅವ್ನ, ನಂಗೆ ಮೋಸ ಮಾಡಿದ್ ನನ್ ಹುಡ್ಗಿನ “ನರಕ”ಕ್ ಹಾಕಿದ್ರು. ನಾನ್ ಮಾಡಿದ್ ತಪ್ಪೇ ಆದ್ರು situation consider ಮಾಡಿ, ನಂಗೆ ದಿನ್ದಲ್ 10 hours ಸ್ವರ್ಗ, 4 hours ಸ್ವರ್ಗ ಹಾಗು ನರಕದ ಮಧ್ಯೆ ಇರೋ waiting areaನಲ್ cleaning duty fix ಮಾಡಿ, ಇನ್ ಮಿಕ್ಕಿದ್ 10 hours ಭೂಮಿ ಸುತ್ತಕ್ಕೆ ಬಿಟ್ಟಿದಾರೆ.
ನಾನೂ first ಖುಷಿ ಪಟ್ಟೆ ನರಕ ತಪ್ತೂಂತ. ಆದ್ರೆ ಇದೂ ಒಂತರ ನರಕನೇ. ನಾವು ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಜನಕ್ಕೆ ಬಿಟ್ರೆ ಯಾರ್ಗೂ ಕಾಣಲ್ಲ , ಯಾರ್ಗೂ ಕೇಳ್ಸಲ್ಲ, ಸುಮ್ನೆ ಜನಾನ್ ನೋಡ್ಕೋಡು ಹಾರಾಡ್ತಿರ ಬೇಕು…….
ಈಗ ಅನ್ಸುತ್ತೆ ಸಾರ್ ಆ ಕ್ಷಣ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಕೋಪ control ಮಾಡಿದ್ರೆ ಎಷ್ಟೋ ಚನಾಗಿರ್ತಿತ್ತು.

(ನಾನೂ ಹೌದು ಅನ್ನೋ ರೀತಿಲಿ ತಲೆ ಆಡಿಸ್ದೆ. ಆತನ ಕಥೆ ಕೇಳಿದ್ ನಂಗೆ ಏನ್ ಹೇಳ್ಬೇಕು ಅಂತ ಗೂತ್ತಾಗ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಅಷ್ಟರಲ್ಲಿ ಹಕ್ಕಿಗಳ ಚಿಲಿಪಿಲಿ ನಾದ ಕೇಳಿಸಕ್ ಶುರು ಆಯ್ತು. )

ಆತ: ನಾನ್ ಹೊರ್ಡೊ time ಆಯ್ತು. ನಾನಿನ್ ಹೊರ್ಡ್ತೀನಿ ಸಾರ್. ನನ್ ಕಥೆನ ಪೂರ್ತಿ ಕೇಳಿದ್ದಕ್ಕೆ ತುಂಬ thanks. ನಿಮ್ ನಿದ್ದೆ ಕೆಡಿಸ್ದೆ sorry.

ಅಂತ ಹೇಳಿ ಮಾಯ ಆದ ಆತ.

ನಾನು ಯೋಚ್ನೆ ಮಾಡ್ದೆ, ಅನ್ನಿಸ್ತು ನಾವು ಎಷ್ಟೋ ಸರಿ ಕೋಪದ್ದಲ್ಲಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಗ್ಬೋದಾದ ಒಳ್ಳೇದನ್ನ ಹಾಳ್ ಮಾಡ್ಕೊಂಡಿರ್ತೀವಿ. ಎಲ್ಲೋ ಕೆಲವ್ರು ಅದ್ರುಷ್ಟ ಇದ್ದು ತಪ್ಪುಗಳನ್ನ ಸರಿ ಮಾಡ್ಕೊಂಡು ನೆಮ್ದಿ ಇಂದ ಬದುಕ್ತಿದಾರೆ. ಮಿಕ್ ದೋರಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆಲವರು ಸತ್ ಮೇಲೆ ನರಕ ಅನುಭವಿಸ್ ತಿದ್ರೇ ಇನ್ ಕೆಲವರು ಬದ್ಕಿದ್ದಾಗ್ಲೇ ನರಕ ಅನುಭವಿಸ್ ತಿದಾರೆ.

“ಒಂದ್ ಕ್ಷಣ ಮಾತ್ರದ್ ಕೋಪಕ್ಕೆ ನಮ್ lifeನ ಹಾಳ್ ಮಾಡ್ಕೋ ಬೇಕಾ?” ನೀವೆ ಯೋಚ್ನೆ ಮಾಡಿ……

My definition of karnataka flag

Its been a long time since I wrote this,  I was in two minds whether to post it or not. Finally decided to post it on the blog .

This happened a few months back,

It was a perfect start to a weekend. Even though I got up pretty early and headed for the rehearsals, there nothing much I did there. We just sat and started talking about every topic we could think of. It all started with the ghosts, moved onto the vedas, and later to snakes and hindu mythology and ended up with the conclusion that even though we have so many religions, states and languages the values and core culture is the same everywhere.

I was going on to RV road through corporation signal, and as we passed the corporation signal my friend asked me “Ranga, what is the significance of Karnataka flag”?. This was something even I had not thought of. What do I say was my problem. I couldn’t say I didn’t know because I am a Kannadiga, also couldn’t tell him something bad. I just thought for a moment and then told him “See there are 2 colors in the flag right, with yellow being in top and red at the bottom. That says that We Kannadigas are peace loving people, we always love to live in peace and harmony undisturbed which is signified by yellow and the red at the bottom says that if you disturb our peace and harmony then we will definitely fight back with all the valor and pride for our state”.
I felt proud about my intelligence at that moment. Later I just thought about it, is what I said to him the real meaning? When I recollected what I told, it did really make a great meaning and value. I did say something that came on to my mind but if that would become true, it would be so good.

ನನ್ನ ವಧು ಅನ್ವೇಶನೆ

“ಸಂಸಾರವೆಂಬುವ ಸಾಗರದಲ್ಲಿ, ಜೀವನ ಎಂಬ ನೌಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ತೇಲುವ ನಾವು, ಸಾಗರದೊಳಗೆ ಜಿಗಿಯುವುದೆ ಮದುವೆ. ನಿನ್ಗೇನ್ ಸಿಗುತ್ತೆ ಅನ್ನೋದು ನಿನ್ ಅದ್ರುಷ್ಟದ್ ಮೇಲೆ depend ಆಗುತ್ತೆ. ನಿನ್ ನಸೀಬ್ ಚನ್ನಗಿದ್ರೆ ಮುತ್ತು (English ನಲ್ pearlಉ ಬೇರೆ ಏನು ಅನ್ಕೋಬೇಡಿ) ಸಿಗುತ್ತೆ ಇಲ್ಲಾಂದ್ರೆ octopus ಒ shark ಒ ಸಿಗುತ್ತೆ” ಇದು ನಾನ್ ಹೇಳಿದಲ್ಲ, just last year ಮದ್ವೆಯಾಗಿದ್ ನನ್ friend ಹೇಳ್ದ. Octopus, shark ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಹೇಳ್ದಾಗ್ ಅವ್ನ್ faceನಲ್ ಇದ್ expression ನೋಡ್ ಅನ್ಕೊಂಡೆ ಅವ್ನಿಗ್ ಮುತ್ ಸಿಗ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ ಅಂತ (ಮತ್ತೆ ತಪ್ ತಿಳ್ಕೋಬೇಡ್ರೀ, ನಾನ್ ಹೇಳಿದ್ದು English Pearlಉ).

ಈಗ್ ಸದ್ಯಕ್ boat ನಲ್ ಹೊಗ್ತಿರೋ ನನ್ನ, ಸಾಗರದಲ್ಲಿ ಯೆಳಿಯೋಕ್ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ್ ಜನ, boat ನಿಂದ್ ತಳ್ಳೋಕ್ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ್ ಜನ ಕಾಯ್ತಿದಾರೆ. ನಾನೂ right moment ಸಿಕ್ರೆ ಎಗ್ರೋಣಾ ಅನ್ಕೋತಿನಿ, ಆದ್ರೆ ಸುತ್ತ ಮುತ್ತಲಿನ ಜನ shark ಜೊತೆ ಹೋರಾಡೋದ್ ನೋಡಿ plan postpone ಮಾಡ್ತಿದೀನಿ.
ಈ already ಮದ್ವೆ ಆಗಿರೋರ್ಗೆ, ಇನ್ನೋಬ್ರಿಗ್ ಮದ್ವೆ ಮಾಡೋದ್ ಅಂದ್ರೆ ಏನ್ ಆನಂದನೋ, ಇವ್ನು ಒಳ್ಗೆಳ್ದ್ ನೋಡೋಣ, ಇವ್ನಿಗೇನ್ ಸಿಗುತ್ತೆ ಅನ್ನೋ curiosity ಅನ್ಸುತ್ತೆ, ಅದ್ಕೆ ತಮ್ ಯೆಲ್ಲಾ mainstream ಕೆಲ್ಸಗಳ್ ಜೊತೆಗೆ ತಮಗ್ ಗೊತ್ತಿರೋ contacts ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಜಾಲಾಡ್ತಾರೆ. So as a result of all the external and in-house factors in the midst of all favorable, unfavorable and neutral circumstances start ಆಯ್ತು “ನನ್ ವಧು ಅನ್ವೇಶಣೆ”.
ನಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿ ಮದ್ವೆ ಅಂದ್ರೆ ಸುಮ್ನೆ ಅಲ್ಲ, ಯಾವ್ದೇ CMM level 5 company ಗಿಂತ ಕಡ್ಮೆ ಇಲ್ಲ process follow ಮಾಡೋದ್ರಲ್ಲಿ.
Step 1: ಜಾತ್ಕ ನೋಡಿ matchmaking
ಇದೆ stepನಲ್ಲೆ ನಮ್ ಹುಡ್ಗರ್ ಆಸೇಗ್ ತಣ್ಣೀರ್ ಬೀಳೋದು, ಜಾತ್ಕ setಆಗ್ದಿರೋ ಹುಡ್ಗೀರೇ ಇಷ್ಟ ಆಗ್ತಾರೆ. ಮನೇವ್ರೋ ಜಾತ್ಕ set ಆಗ್ದೀರೆ ಮದ್ವೆ ಮಾಡೊಲ್ಲ, ಜಾತ್ಕ set ಆಗಿದ್ ಹುಡ್ಗಿ ಇಷ್ಟ ಆಗೋಲ್ಲ.
ಈ ಕನ್ನಡ ಮತ್ತೆ bollywood cinemaಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಈ “Love at first sight” conceptನ ನೋಡಿ ತಲೆ ಕೆಡಸ್ಕೊಂಡಿರೋ ನಾವು, ನಮ್ ಜೀವ್ನದಲ್ಲೂ ಹಾಗೇ ಆಗುತ್ತೆ ಅಂತ ಒಂದ್ level ನಲ್ expectation ಇಟ್ಕೊಂಡಿರ್ತಿವಿ. ನನ್ caseಉ sameಎ, ಜಾತ್ಕದ main criteria satisfy ಆದ್ಮೇಲೆ next step start ಆಯ್ತು.
Step2: Mutual Interview
ನನ್ನ lifeನ most difficult moments ಎದ್ರಾಗಿದ್ದು ಇಲ್ಲೇ. ನನ್ experience ಹೇಳೋಕಿಂತ ಮುಂಚೆ ನನ್ colleagueನ ಕಥೆ ಹೆಳ್ಲೇ ಬೇಕು.
ಕೆಲ್ವು ತಿಂಗ್ಳಿಂದೆ ನಾನ್ US ಹೋಗಿದ್ದಾಗ, ಅಲ್ಲಿದ್ದ ನನ್ colleague ಒಬ್ಬ, ಮದ್ವೆಗಂತ ತಾನು photos ನೋಡೀ shortlist ಮಾಡಿಟ್ಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದ 5 ಹುಡ್ಗೀರ್ನ ನೊಡೋಕೆ ಅಂತ India ಗೆ ಮೊದಲ್ನೆ ದಂಡಯಾತ್ರೆ ಹೊಡ್ದ.
ಅವ್ನು ಅಲ್ಲಿಂದ ಹೊರಟ್ ತಕ್ಷ್ಣ, ನಾವ್ಗಳು betting start ಮಾಡ್ದ್ವಿ, ಅವ್ನು ಆ 5 ಹುಡ್ಗೀರಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾರನ್ನ ಮದ್ವೆ ಆಗ್ತಾನೆ ಅನ್ನೋದೆ topic of bettingಉ. ಹುಡ್ಗೀರ್ ಹೆಸ್ರನ್ನ ಒನ್ದ್ ಪಟ್ಟಿ ಮಾಡಿ ಆ ಹೆಸರುಗಳಿಗೆ ಒಂದ್ numbering ಕೊಟ್ಟು betting ಮಾಡಿದ್ವಿ.
(Honorable Ladies ಯಾರು ಬೈಕೊ ಬೇಡಿ, ನಮ್ betting ಇದ್ದಿದ್ದು ನಮ್ colleagueನ decision ಮೇಲೆ, ಯಾವ್ ಹುಡ್ಗಿ ಮೇಲಲ್ಲ)
ದಂಡಯಾತ್ರೆ ಮುಗಿಸಿ ಬಂದ ವೀರ, ಎಲ್ರೂ “ಏನಯ್ತೋ? ಯಾರನ್ನ ಮದ್ವೆ ಆಗ್ತಿದೀಯ?” ಅಂತ ಕೇಳಕ್ ಷುರು ಮಾಡಿದ್ರು. (ಅವ್ನು ಯಾರನ್ ಮದ್ವೆ ಆದ್ರೆ ನಂಗೇನು, ನಾವ್ಗಳು betting ಗೆದ್ವ ಅನ್ನೋ ಕುತೂಹಲ ಅಷ್ಟೆ) ಪಾಪ ಅವ್ನು silentಆಗಿ ಎಲ್ರನ್ನೂ ಒಂದ್ ಸರಿ ನೋಡಿ, “ಯಾರನ್ನೂ ಇಲ್ಲ” ಅಂದ. ಎಲ್ರೂ betting ಸೊತ ಬೇಜಾರ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾಕೆ ಅಂತ್ಲೂ ಕೇಳ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ. 5ವರಲ್ಲಿ, ಯಾರೂ ಇವ್ನನ್ನ ಮದ್ವೆ ಆಗಲ್ಲ ಅಂದಿದ್ ನಾನು betting ಗೆದ್ ನಾನೂ ಕೂಡ ಅವ್ನ ಪರಿಸ್ತಿತಿ ನೋಡಿ ಸುಮ್ನಾದೆ. ಪಾಪ ಸಿಕ್ಕಾಪಟ್ಟೆ ಆಸೆ ಇಟ್ಕೊಂಡ್ Indiaಗ್ ಹೋಗಿದ್ದ.
ಮುಂದಕ್ ಅವ್ನೇ ಕಥೆ ಷುರು ಮಾಡ್ದ. “5 ಹುಡ್ಗೀರಲ್ಲಿ, ನಂಗೆ ಇಬ್ರು ಇಷ್ಟ ಆದ್ರು, ಆದ್ರೆ ಇಬ್ರು ನನ್ನ ಒಪ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಒಬ್ರು USನಲ್ಲಿರೋ ಹುಡ್ಗರನ್ನ ನಾನ್ ಮದ್ವೆ ಆಗಲ್ಲ, ಅಲ್ ಹೋಗಿ ಏನ್ ಏನ್ ಆಟ ಆಡಿರ್ತಿರೋ ಯಾರಿಗ್ ಗೊತ್ತು ಅಂದ್ರು. ಇನ್ನೊಬ್ರು ನಾನು SAP developer, ನಾನ್ ಮದ್ವೆ ಆಗೋ ಹುಡ್ಗ ಕೂಡ developer ಆಗಿರ್ಬೇಕು ಅಂದ್ರು” ಅಂದ. ಇದ್ನ ಕೇಳಿದ್ ನಾವ್ಗಳು ಉರಿಯೋ ಬೆಂಕಿಗ್ ತುಪ್ಪ ಸುರಿಯೊಂಗೆ ಜೋರಾಗ್ ನಗಕ್ ಶುರು ಮಾಡಿದ್ವಿ.

Now coming back to my story, ಹೀಗೆ ನನ್ನ friends ತಮ್ಗಾದ experiences, happy moments and sad momentsನ ಹೇಳಿದ್ರು. ಅದನ್ನೆಲಾ ಕೇಳಿ mutual interview ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಒಂದ್ levelವರೆಗೂ ತಿಳ್ಕೊಂಡಿದ್ ನಾನು, ನಮ್ಮ screening processನ next stageಗೆ ಬಂದ ಒನ್ದೇ ಒಂದ್ ಹುಡ್ಗಿನ meet ಮಾಡೋಕೆ ನಮ್ family ಜೊತೆ ಹೋದೆ, ಅವ್ರ್ ಮನೆಗೆ. ಆಕೆ ಬಂದ್ ಕೂತ್ಲು, ಅವ್ಳು ನಡ್ಕೊಂಡ್ ಬರ್ಬೇಕಾದ್ರೆ ನಂಗೆ ಒನ್ದ್ doubt ಬಂತು. ನಾವಿಬ್ರು personalಆಗ್ ಮಾತಾಡ್ಲಿ ಅಂತ ದೊಡ್ದೋರೆಲ್ಲಾ decide ಮಾಡಿ ನಮ್ಮಿಬ್ರುನ್ನು “ಮಾಹಡಿ ಮೇಲೆ ಹೋಗ್ ಮಾತಾಡಿ, ಪರ್ವಾಗಿಲ್ಲ” ಅಂದ್ರು.
Personal interview round start ಆಯ್ತು. ನನ್ doubt clear ಮಾಡ್ಕೊಂಡ್ ಬಿಡೊಣ ಅಂತ decide ಮಾಡಿ ಕೇಳ್ದೆ “ನಿಮ್ height ಎಷ್ಟು”, “5.9” ಬಂದ answer. “ನೀವು ನಂಗಿಂತ ಉದ್ದ ಇದೀರ” ಅಂತ ನಗ್ತಾ ಹೇಳ್ದೆ. So that was the end of my 1st mutual interview.

ಅದಾದ್ ಮೇಲೆ ಬಂದಿರೋ all proposalಗಳು round 1ನ ದಾಟ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ.
ಇವಾಗ ನಮ್ parents and relatives effort ಜೊತೆಗೆ ನನ್ ಕೆಲವು friends effort ಕೂಡ ಸೇರಕ್ start ಆಗಿದೆ. ನಾನ್ ಸಮುದ್ರಕ್ ಹಾರ್ದಾಗ ಮುತ್ ಸಿಗ್ಲಿ ಆನ್ನೋ hopeನಲ್ಲಿದಿನಿ ನಾನು.
ಈ ಮದ್ವೆ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಜನ ಇಷ್ಟೊಂದ್ care ತೊಗೊಂಡ್ arranged marriage ಆದ್ರೂ ನಾನ್ ನೋಡ್ದಂಗೆ ಎಲ್ರೂ “ಆದರ್ಶ ದಂಪತಿಗಳೇ“ನಲ್ಲ, ಹಾಗೆ love marriage ಆಗಿರೋರು ಅಷ್ಟೆ. ಇದ್ನೆಲ್ಲಾ ನೋಡಿದ್ರೆ ನಂಗೆ ಒಂದ್ ಕನ್ನಡ ನಾಟ್ಕದ dialogue ನೆನಪಾಗುತ್ತೆ “Indian marriages race ಇದ್ದಂಗೆ, ಎಷ್ಟೇ ಲೆಕ್ಕಾಚಾರ ಮಾಡಿ ದುಡ್ ಹಾಕಿದ್ರು, ಗೆಲ್ಲೋದು ಅದ್ರುಷ್ಟ ಇದ್ರೆ ಮಾತ್ರ”

ನನ್ lifeನಲ್ಲಿ ಇಷ್ಟೆಲ್ಲಾ circus ನಡೀತಿರ್ಬೇಕಾದ್ರೆ ಕೆಲ್ವುರು ಸಿಕ್ದಾಗ “ಏನಪ್ಪ ಯಾವಾಗ್ ಮದ್ವೆ?” ಅಂತ ಕೇಳ್ತಾರೆ, ಮೊದ್ಲು ಸುಮ್ನೆ ಒನ್ದ್ smile ಮಾಡಿ ಆ questionನ ignoreಮಾಡ್ತಿದ್ ನಾನು, ಇವಾಗ “ನನ್ನ ಮದ್ವೆ ಆಗಕ್ ready ಇರೊ ಹುಡ್ಗಿ ಸಿಕ್ದಾಗ” ಅಂತ ಹೇಳಿ ಅವ್ರ್ questionಗೆ full stop ಹಾಕ್ತಿನಿ.

ಮದ್ವೆ ಎಂಬ lifeನ ಒನ್ದ್ important stepನ ಮಿಕ್ಕಿದ್ process ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಇನ್ನೊಂದ್ article ಬರೀತೀನಿ, ಇದು ನಿಮ್ಗೆ ಇಷ್ಟ ಆದ್ರೆ.

ಮುಖ್ಯವಾದ ಸೂಚನೆ: ಮೇಲೆ ಬರೆದಿರುವ articleನಲ್ಲಿ, ಕೆಲವು ಸನ್ನಿವೇಷಗಳು is result of imagination, ಮಿಕ್ಕಿದ್ದು is result of over exaggeration of others ಸಂಕಟ. ನನ್ life experienceನ ಒಂದ್ angleಇಂದ ಬರದಿದ್ದೀನಿ, just for personal touch”

Gold in Thirupati

We all would have heard from our parents and grandparents that, Lord Sri Venkateshwara had taken loan from Kubera for his wedding. It is believed that the lord is still paying back his loan. It is also said that the day lord completely pays back his loan, this kaliyuga will end.
But, still the devotees, have been helping GOD, by contributing their part.
Joking apart,Thirupathi, the place of lord Sri Venkateshwara is probably the India’s richest place.
Few months back there was a news that, Thirupati is the worlds richest sacred place
The reason is, devotees who come here show their devotion towards Lord by contributing either money or gold or both.
The Tirumala Thirupati Trust (TTD) which had never disclosed any details on this Gold, recently announced that there is upto “12 tonns of Gold”.

A glimpse into the history of contributions
The contribution of devotees dates back to days of Kings like Sri Krishna Devaraya and his contemporaries. Not only the hindu kings, but also the Mughals and the British rulers have shown their devotion and respect to the lord, by offering gold and money.

In the recent times, especially after the 1960′s, the inflow of money and gold from devotees to the lord has been increasing at a quick pace.

Some of the major contributions in the recent times.
1. Owner of Penna Cement has offered Gold ornaments worth 7 crores.
2. Former Karnataka tourism minister has offered a 30 Gold crown, that is studded with diamond and other precious stones. The price of this crown is estimated to be well over 7 crores.
3. Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachan, has offered various gold ornaments worth about 11 crores.
4. Andhra chief minister Y.S. Rajashekar Reddy has offered gold pada’s (replica of lords feet) worth 5 crores.

Also, there are many others who have offered various ornaments to the Lord, but never wanted their names to be disclosed.
Not only the riches, but also the middle class people make offerings of Gold and money of lower values.
All these offerings from the devotees, has summed and made Thirupathi the richest sacred place in the world.

But, above all these lies the ultimate truth, BELIEF IN GOD. And this belief is ensured that inspite of all the money and gold coming here its the divinity that holds a very high esteem in Thirupati.
Which is why this place is called as Bhoo Vaikunta, the only place on earth where lord Vishnu is believed to be staying.

No Bribe

No Bribe

As I read this heading on the front page of the news paper this morning. I was delighted and shocked. I thought for a sec that may be the government is planning to have strict actions to curb bribing. But, when I read through the details it was not that, but I was much more a news that made me happy and proud.
The residents of a colony near Surya City (a BDA developed residential area near Electronics City) had refused pay bribe to the authorities to get their Katha, and other norms that are mandatory to pay their property taxes. Instead they forced the authorities to give them information using the RTI ACT.
I feel this is a news to feel proud about. Our fellow Bangaloreans have shown that if we stand united and work in the right direction we can ourselves eliminate the evils in our society.
I had always wondered, why bribing was such a dominant thing in our lives. My dad always says “You cannot get any work done in any government office with out bribing.” and my response was “I will never bribe anyone” and luckily I have been able to stick to my word.
As I read this first thing that I did was showed it to my dad and said “See this” , he said “This is just one, and they are lucky to have got this done…”
I felt bad for a moment, but again this is just a beginning and for all to believe in the strength of unity and truth, it needs a lot of time.
I know this was just one bunch of people achieving what they wanted without bribing and also acting well with in the law. But how many do this? Everyone has their own reasons of not doing it. Some say it takes a lot of time, others say that it requires a lot of effort. But we are failing to understand that we are spreading a wrong culture which is depriving the underprivileged from getting what they are supposed to get. In one way people who bribe are equally responsible as the people who receive bribe.
Have you ever thought, what will they do if all refuse to bribe them? They will have to stick to the rules and do their work without demand bribes.

I hope that more and more people will take this as an example and realize the responsibilities as the “Great Citizens” of India, and will work towards ending such a malpractice.

MY DRIVER IS DRUNK…

“We are sorry, his state is very critical… we cannot say anything until next 48 hours”, was the doctors response after examining Vasu. In no moment his entire family was filled with sorry and there was absolute scilence.
Just a few hours ago, Vasu had finished partying with his friends and insisted on driving back home even though he was drunk. His car crashed on to a tree and he was now fighting for his life.
This could happen to anyone who would drink and drive.

Even though the police and the government is been doing its best to stop people from drinking and driving, all the efforts have gone in vain.
One of the latest things that the Bangalore police did was so creative and fantastic. There was an accident where a drunken driver had crashed his car into a tree. The car was so badly damaged that, when the cop told that the driver survived, I was shocked. Anyone who had seen the car would have thought that the driver and all its passengers would be dead. The car was being towed away on the roads with a hoarding “MY DRIVER IS DRUNK”.

I asked the police officer who was in the tow vehicle, “Sir this is a fantastic thought.. but do you think this will make people think?”
He said “Sir, we have tried our best to curb this down, but its not working. But as they say a picture is better than thousand words, we want to show people first hand how hard it could be if you drink and drive. We will try to tow every damaged vehicle of a drunken driving accident, throughout the city and try our best to make sure people realize”.

I was really happy of this new thought by the cops, wished him good luck and hoped that their new measure would be a success.

But, one thing that haunted my mind for a long time is that, when others take so much pain to make sure that their (people who drink and drive) lives are safe, why are they so ignorant???

ಮದ್ದೂರು ವಡೆ ಹುಟ್ಟಿದ ಕಥೆ

ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಮೈಸೂರು ರೈಲು ಸಂಚಾರ ಆರಂಭಗೊಂಡು 128 (1881) ವರುಷಗಳಾಯಿತು. ಆ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲೇ ಉಡುಪಿ-ಮಂಗಳೂರು ಕಡೆಯ ಆಚಾರರೊಬ್ಬರು ರೈಲ್ವೆ ಕ್ಯಾಂಟೀನಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಇಡ್ಲಿ, ಕಾಫಿ, ಮಂಗಳೂರು ಬೋಂಡಾ ಅಂಗಡಿ ಇಟ್ಟಿದ್ರು. ರೈಲು ನಿಲ್ಲುತ್ತಿದ್ದುದು ಐದು ನಿಮಿಷ. ಡಿಮ್ಯಾಂಡ್ ಇದ್ದದ್ದು ಬೋಂಡ ಹಾಗೂ ಬೈಟು ಬೆಲ್ಲದ ಕಾಫಿಗೆ. ಒಂದು ದಿನ ಕಡಲೆಹಿಟ್ಟು ಮುಗಿದು ಹೋಯಿತು. ಅಂದಿನ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ರೈಲ್ವೇ ನಿಲ್ದಾಣ ಊರಿನಿಂದ ದೂರವಿತ್ತು.
ರೈಲು ಬರುವ ವೇಳೆ, ಹಿಟ್ಟಿಲ್ಲ. ಜನ ಹಸಿದು ಬರುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅದರಲ್ಲೂ ಬೋಂಡ ಕೊಡಿ ಆಚಾರ್ರೆ ಎಂದು ಓಡೋಡಿ ಬರುತ್ತಾರೆ
ಏನು ಮಾಡುವುದು ಎಂದು ಯೋಚನೆಗೀಡಾದ ಆಚಾರರಿಗೆ ಹೊಳೆದದ್ದು ಹೊಸ ರೆಸಿಪಿ.
ಇದ್ದ ರವೆ, ಹಿಟ್ಟು, ಈರುಳ್ಳಿ, ಮೆಣಸಿನಕಾಯಿಗಳ ಮಿಶ್ರಣ ಸೇರಿಸಿ ಕೈಯ್ಯಲ್ಲಿ ಚಪಾತಿಯಂತೆ ತಟ್ಟಿ ಎಣ್ಣೆಗೆ ಇಳಿ ಬಿಟ್ಟರು.
ರೈಲು ಬಂದಾಕ್ಷಣ ‘ಬೋಂಡ ಕೊಡಿ ಆಚಾರ್ರೆ’ ಎಂದುಲಿದ ಪಯಣಿಗರಿಗೆ ‘ಇವತ್ತು ಬೋಂಡ ಅಲ್ಲ ವಡೆಸ್ಪೆಷಲ್’ ಎಂದರು.

‘ಏನ್ ವಡೆ’ಗೆ ಬಂದ ಉತ್ತರ ಮದ್ದೂರು ವಡೆ.

IF FOUND DRIVING RASHLY…

If found driving rashly inform 9*****, is the most common message each of us have seen. We have always have had complaints about the way the cab drivers drive.
But have we ever thought about how we motivate them to drive safely?

Until a few days back I never thought about these things. But listening to a small conversation changed my view.

The Thursday before Good Friday, I was already in holiday mood. The thought of grabbing an ice-cream made me take a long walk (in hot sun) to the canteen,
which I’ll never regret. As I got in, there was a round of applause…..
Well, it wasn’t for me though, it was for the speaker of a small meeting held there.

“Hum is meeting ke liye bahut dino se tayaari kar rahe the, lekin aaj hum log yahan mile hai…” was what he started with. I thought it must be a Hindi samavesh or something. People holding meetings or small events limited to their small group or
is common in my company.

I sat down with my bowl of ice-cream and he continued to speak. I paid little attention until he said,
“Aap me se jo sabse ache driver honge, hum unke bachon ke padaai ka dek baal karenge. Drivers who don’t have kids, will get a cash prize or any other equivalent benefit”
This was really surprising as I had never heard of such a thing before.

He continued “We know that you are not treated good by all. You will be treated good, only if you are good. We have requested the cab owners and ensured that all the cars you drive will be 100% road fit.”

There were a lot of other things said but, this example he gave must have for sure created an impact. This is not just for the cab drivers but for all people who drive.

“A flight was on time to the airport in Mumbai, but due to bad rains, the airport was flooded and the flight was asked to land in Bangalore instead. When the pilot announced
this the passengers were panicked, and a few of them insisted that the flight should land in Mumbai at any cost. But, the pilot convinced the passengers and made sure that the flight did land in Bangalore safely. The thing you all have to notice is that only the pilot knows what is best for the flight and his passengers not the people who travel in it. Had he listened to the few people he would have put everyone’s life in a risk”

“Even you people are no less than a pilot, its you who know how to drive on which road, what speed is safe. No matter how much the employees pressurize you, please drive with in the safety limits and as per the driving rules”.

This is 100% correct, most of us do this. We start late and are in a hurry to reach the destination and take a lot of risk while driving. Probably we need to learn from this and make sure that we give first importance to safety.

We need to understand our responsibility, and help the cab/auto drivers drive as per the traffic rules. In case they don’t drive educate them.

Let’s build a safe world.

Please Sir

Please sir… this was not said to me by any sales representative or some one who was trying to sell me something over the phone, but it was by someone who was begging at the signal in Nagawara.

Everyday when I travel to office, it’s a normal thing for me that a beggar’s comes to me asking for money and most of the time I deny them and they go away either cursing or giving a cold look. But, today it was something different that happened. As soon as I denied her, she politely said “Please Sir”. I was taken by surprise by her politeness because normally people plead for money, but here she was being polite, I could feel the politeness behind her harsh voice. I gave her 2 rupees, expected her to move away and started to look back at the traffic lights expecting it to go green.

She stood there unmoved and seemed to be looking at something inside my car. I looked back at her and she said “Can I see that?” I didn’t understand what she was referring to, I asked her “What?” she said “the book”, and I wondered why she wants to look at the book. I just handed her the book. She looked at it and said “It is a very good book”, my instant reaction was “Have you read it?” I was thinking that someone might have told her. She said “Yes, sir I have read this and also I have read almost all books on Malgudi Days”.

This really surprised me, I was not only amazed at the fact that someone was educated to read and understand a book was begging on the streets but also hurt. I asked my self “Could I do something to change it?”

I was getting more curious to know about her, I asked her “What is your education?”, “I have completed my degree” was her response. I was startled; I told her “Why are you doing this then? You could find a job for your qualification?” She remained quite for a while; there was deep sorrow in her silence. She said “Sir, even though I am educated I can never work anywhere, people told treat me good, they think I am a curse to the society. Not only me sir, most of my friends who beg or do prostitution are educated. We do this not because we like to do, but we have no choice. Even today if we get a job, where we would be respected for what we are, we would definitely quit all these and start working and lead a decent life. I also agree that there are few bad people amongst us who take advantage of their sexuality. But are all normal humans good? Even you have good and bad don’t you?”

That’s when a truth dawned on me. I wondered “Why don’t we treat all as equal? When nature doesn’t discriminate why we should?”

I couldn’t stop myself from telling her “I am sorry for what’s been happening to all”. I was about to say “I promise that I will never disrespect people like you” but I heard the guy behind me honking, the signal had turned green. I started moving. While she stood back on the median looking at the signal waiting for it to go red, so that she can get onto business.

I am writing this because the other person with whom I spoke was not a lady but a eunuch (hijra).

After the conversation I could not refer to her as it, as normally we refer to them as objects and since she was dressed up as a woman, I took the liberty of referring to the eunuch as her.