Why the Food Security Bill has serious implications on our economy.

The recently passed food security bill in Loksabha is been termed as a game changer for UPA in 2014 general elections. The bill aims to provide food grains to eligible households at subsidized prices and it will cater to the 75% of the rural population and 50% of the population residing in the cities. Once implemented, it will cover two thirds of the population.

The bill requires 75 million tonnes of rice and wheat. Our current production stands at 67 million tonnes so a further 8 million tonnes need to be procured to foot the two thirds of the population as envisaged earlier. This presents an interesting picture because for the last 2-3 years the rain gods have been very kind to us and so a figure of 67 million tonnes of rice and wheat was achieved. What if there is a poor monsoon? From where we will get those additional 8 million tonnes? The most shocking aspect of the bill is that it will obtain the supplies from small and marginal farmers and most of the beneficiaries are again those farmers so the government will give those farmers rice and grains at subsidized prices. This is crazy.

Another reservation which I have about this is that it takes back in time because after 1991 reforms this measure is more of a socialist one. The concept of socialism is a flawed one and in these times of slow growth, widening fiscal deficit, free fall of our currency our economy is going to suffer because of this. The bill looks flawed especially looking at its logistical provisions and it was obvious from the fact that 300 amendments were suggested by different parties.  

And the bill will cost our country a whopping Rs 1.23 lakh crore at a time when our economy is in crisis. This populist scheme will add to the fiscal problems which we’ve been facing for the last few years. There would be more administrative problems and the corruption which goes hand in hand with any scheme of this Government. The food subsidies will rise once again and that would pose problems to the economic scene. Sonia Gandhi said during Loksabha that we have to get this done irrespective of whether we can do it or not. This shows only one thing; vote bank politics and the timing of the bill is a testimony to it. The present government is in serious danger of losing the elections and at this moment a scheme of such scale is bound to get messed up, paving the way for leakages and corruption. Such is wrong timing of the bill that our PM has no right to call himself an economist. He remains a rubber stamp of National Advisory Council’s chairperson.

In 2009, the UPA waived 60,000 crore loans from farmers and that compounded our problems and now this food security bill is again a tool to just fool the farmers and the rural people to gain political edge. The much touted MNREGA scheme for the rural youth has been a failure and it costs our country a bomb. The present government has a history of targeting rural population and manipulating them with their unsubstantiated claims but this time the food security bill would also be used to hide their failures.

Why a brother-sister bonding is special for me.

A lot’s been said and written about the importance of parents, friends, better half in life but one bonding which rarely gets the same mention is that of a brother and sister. Traditionally, brotherly and sisterly bonds are known to be very strong. But, on this occasion of Rakshabandhan I’d like to talk and cherish my bonding with my sister who also doubles up as my best friend.

As we grow up, we realize the value of each and every relationship and this has been the case with me throughout the way till date. I might not have been the best of the brother during the childhood days when I used to speak less and was by and large a shy person, but now at this juncture of life I value this bonding as a life changing one for the simple reason that friends, girl friends may come and go but my sister will always remain mine. I have been through my fair share of failures and I know she’s the only one who supported me throughout the journey. In fact she’s the one who pushed me to start a blog and here I am writing this post. I believe she is the true owner of this blog and not me. Always brimming with positive and optimistic thoughts, she brings in a lot of fresh air when we talk.

There have been numerous instances when I was literally down and out in life but her words have been like those soft feathers constantly in touch with the depths of the heart. The camaraderie has been brilliant and I don’t how good a person I am but one thing’s very sure that she’s a gem of a person. I feel blessed to have her around me. She has inspired and motivated me a lot.

A lot of people can relate to this post and I urge all those caring and loving brothers to express their feelings to their sisters because the world looks a nicer place to live in when there is love, support and affection. Expressing oneself is an important trait in life and I know as a shy boy how difficult it is to say all these things to a girl but we seriously need to cross all these boundaries and make our sisters/mothers or for that matter anyone feel loved. We need to treat them with respect, dignity and love because all the time you see them sacrificing their own happiness for others. A woman's world revolves around her family and being a part of it I think we should make them feel special not just on the day of rakshabandhan but for the rest of the days as well. Expressing feelings is one part of the story but backing those feelings through actions will bring a lot of happiness to everyone who's involved.   

It’s been said that love and support cause great miracles in life and I fully agree to the statement.

Searching for the Soul and discovering the Truth

As the day falls over and night begins you start thinking about the various turns’ life has taken; you cannot help but feel frustrated and ask yourself, “Why was I brought into this world?” You meet people who have discovered their passion and true calling. You find your friend celebrating life after been through with a life threatening illness. Sitting quietly you think about a near and dear one who is no more with you. You go deep into the things you possibly could have done better in your life and at the same time remembering those beautiful memories bring a smile on your face. All of a sudden, you decide to begin life afresh and vow not to look back. This is really the story of life; all of us some day or the other go into this soul searching mode. If you are going through all this now then you are not alone for there are millions who have experienced this at some time or the other.

The quest for the ‘soul’ or the ‘truth’, that little thing inside us catches up at different points of time, at varying ages. The answers often push us towards some more questions probably more complex than the previous ones. And since life is difficult to comprehend, how we interpret and relate to it is extremely significant in becoming the individuals we ultimately become. During the course of exploring and discovering, there may be lots of confusion, hassles and disappointments in dealing with the challenging circumstances. This confusion may have serious implications. But a person who derives a lesson out of his experiences, education, relationships and other such events is likely to more closer to his soul or rather he/she can easily connect with their soul.

Sometimes, I feel life’s truths' lie in small, insignificant events which occur mostly in innocuous settings like the words and actions of a child, putting your head in your mother’s lap after a hard day, reading a nice book when breeze is gently blowing away or helping an old man to cross the road. The beauty of life can be easily felt once we feel all these moments. Also going through the rarely visited memories, talking with long lost friends, getting a hug after a long time from your siblings brings out the magnificence and the essence of life.

But, it is very important to draw reflections from each and every event whether good or bad and in the process there might be some feelings of regret, guilt etc but as a person you need to clear the mind, apologize and leave behind the irrational thoughts. Once you find your true calling your soul searching in all probability will come to an end.

In the end, the ability to draw conclusions and observations coupled with a desire to improve remains the only way for all of us to become more evolved.  

45 Life Lessons written by a 90 year old

This is an article/points which I read somewhere and I found this very stimulating. It is written by a 90 year old. Here it is;

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short not to enjoy it. 

4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family  will.

5. Don’t buy stuff you don’t need.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for things that matter.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye… But don’t worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful.  Clutter weighs you down in many ways.

18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It’s never too late to be happy.  But it’s all up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words, ‘In five years, will this matter?’

27. Always choose Life.

28. Forgive but don’t forget.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give Time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d
grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have, not what you think you need.

42. The best is yet to come…

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

Why the hatred and violence towards women?

As you read this, there might be a woman being beaten mercilessly by her husband for no fault of hers or something more gruesome. There has always been the need for an environment in which women feel safe and secure but there is no stopping to the cases of domestic violence. And not just domestic violence the spike in the cases of rape, acid attacks, wife-beating, harassment for dowry do not present a pleasant commentary to all of us. The statistics generally do not paint a correct picture by the understatement of the figures but those numbers are ridiculously high even and to add to that there are some more untold stories of pain and suppression. Some sadist men also revel in scaring a woman. A friend recounts an incident where she was leaving the parking lot of a multiplex, when two men drove right up to her and all the while leering as well. As she was scared and her hands were shaking; they drove away laughing out loud. Be it urban or rural India there is no respite for the ‘XX chromosome’. Even high profile women like Jiah Khan, Rihanna and Halle Berry among others have endured domestic abuse.

The question arises why is it that men hate women to an extent that they start beating them up? One of the reasons for this cowardly act is that it emerges from ‘Insecurity’. The ‘Insecurity’ of being taken over by a woman who wields power through different ways and is competent enough to hold their own over them. A man’s need and desire brings him towards woman and he is rather afraid of the fact that she might reduce the sense of power of which he is so proud of. Also, a man generally has powers in different verticals of life and that feeling of dominating the opposite gender seeps in rather quickly. They feel that women need to be dominated in order to establish their own swagger.

For generations people have maintained hypocrisy when it comes to virginity. A man’s mere word or even the act is accepted but if a woman does a similar thing then she is being branded as character less. What this has done is that it has made young boys feel as if there is no accountability attached to them and this thinking bereft of any logic has resulted into blaming the rape survivor for acts like rape, harassment rather than the male aggressor. The very act of sex has the male as a driving force while woman is a recipient; this allows many men to falsely believe the myth of his superiority and the woman’s submission.

Another interesting thing to be noted is that men who indulge in activities relating to physicality are termed as ‘studs’ while women in the similar scenario are termed as ‘sluts’, ‘whores’ etc. In this case, the language which we use is also derogatory.                                                                   

And many times some regressive thinking women or rather aunties I should say join this women hating club. They seem to have some bias or envy with their own gender. Don’t understand what triggers them to do that but I have seen that happening.

Religion too has made its contribution in keeping the hatred for woman a continuous activity. According to Ramayana, a woman has to be a devoted wife at any cost and that too after sacrificing her personal happiness for the sake of her husband. A man’s mere word is taken as the truth while a woman has to prove her innocence. This is the feature of the hypocritical society which we live in. Repeated exposures to these theories of a submissive woman shape the behaviour of young boys growing up. We need to accept the problem and then we can work to fix it.

For all the hatred and violence to end we need to consciously respect each and every woman in our life starting from homes to everyone in the society.