Sometimes small incidents - very small incidents, can cause a deep stir in the otherwise pacific mind. A similar situation overwhelmed me yesterday......
Scene: A private bus, jam-packed with about 70 passengers! Most of them frustrated. Some frustrated over the hike in ticket fare, some frustrated over the over-crowded bus and others frustrated over the unnecessary delay that the bus driver is causing, trying to utilize every inch of the space inside the bus. And the cause of all these frustrations? Just one - a nation wide strike by the trade union. One can witness "unity in diversity" in the bus. There are people of every kind... males-females, rich-poor, young-old, indians-foreigners. Behind this diversity, there is unity - each one of them is frustrated over the poor management. Amongst all this commotion and agitation, a hoarse voice is suddenly heard. I pay attention more keenly!
"arey bhai.... problem to sarkaar se hai na. toh sarkaar se ladai karo. aam aadmi ko kyun pareshaan karte ho?"
For others, this statement might not mean anything much. But for me, it was sufficient to evoke a thought. And the news in today's newspaper justifies my concern.
"The strike called by workers of banks, insurance companies and transport services against the policies of Union government affected normal life in the state on Tuesday...... Medical services were partially affected ....... Since morning, school children and office-goers were clueless and confused due to the non-availability of buses.... nearly 60,000 cheques remained stuck in the banks".
In the far north-east, there lies an island in the pacific ocean. This island has been crowned as the world's third largest economy. This island is also confronted with situations, wherein the governing body fails to acknowledge the problems of some particular group of people. But, the way the people handle such situation is quite mesmerizing. Instead of carrying out strikes and lockouts, the people go to their workplaces as normal. Instead of abandoning their work, they work over-time. They produce in excess. Henceforth, it becomes difficult for the government to manage the inventory properly. The government also becomes handicapped by its resources. However, the comman man is unaffected, because he is not devoid of any day to day services.
Is this the perfect solution? I dont know. I am no one to judge. But its apparently a better solution. It is the solution where the arrow is quite successful in meeting the bull's eye!
Scene: A private bus, jam-packed with about 70 passengers! Most of them frustrated. Some frustrated over the hike in ticket fare, some frustrated over the over-crowded bus and others frustrated over the unnecessary delay that the bus driver is causing, trying to utilize every inch of the space inside the bus. And the cause of all these frustrations? Just one - a nation wide strike by the trade union. One can witness "unity in diversity" in the bus. There are people of every kind... males-females, rich-poor, young-old, indians-foreigners. Behind this diversity, there is unity - each one of them is frustrated over the poor management. Amongst all this commotion and agitation, a hoarse voice is suddenly heard. I pay attention more keenly!
"arey bhai.... problem to sarkaar se hai na. toh sarkaar se ladai karo. aam aadmi ko kyun pareshaan karte ho?"
For others, this statement might not mean anything much. But for me, it was sufficient to evoke a thought. And the news in today's newspaper justifies my concern.
"The strike called by workers of banks, insurance companies and transport services against the policies of Union government affected normal life in the state on Tuesday...... Medical services were partially affected ....... Since morning, school children and office-goers were clueless and confused due to the non-availability of buses.... nearly 60,000 cheques remained stuck in the banks".
It was the government who was targetted, but the common man became the victim. A perfect "kahin pe nigaahein, kahin pe nishaana" situation!
Now, the question arises- Did this strike manage to strike the eardrums of the government? Or do any such strikes really affect the government, let alone this particular strike? I don't think so. And I'm pretty much confident that most of you would agree with me.
But merely raising questions won't be of any use, unless the root cause of the problem is spotted and some solution is suggested. Is it wrong to carry out such agitations against the government? No, its not. Infact, such movements act as watchguards to the proper functioning of the bureaucrats and the politicians. May be the problem lies in the manner, in which such movements are carried out. To be able to have a better understanding of the issue, lets look across the boundaries of our nation for a moment.In the far north-east, there lies an island in the pacific ocean. This island has been crowned as the world's third largest economy. This island is also confronted with situations, wherein the governing body fails to acknowledge the problems of some particular group of people. But, the way the people handle such situation is quite mesmerizing. Instead of carrying out strikes and lockouts, the people go to their workplaces as normal. Instead of abandoning their work, they work over-time. They produce in excess. Henceforth, it becomes difficult for the government to manage the inventory properly. The government also becomes handicapped by its resources. However, the comman man is unaffected, because he is not devoid of any day to day services.
Is this the perfect solution? I dont know. I am no one to judge. But its apparently a better solution. It is the solution where the arrow is quite successful in meeting the bull's eye!
Nice thought to express..
ReplyDeleteI think around similar lines.
Indeed a thought provoking blog post again. i really appreciate your eye for these small things which we all see, but fail to register. The subject that touches a mango man,speaks of the problems we all face..but irony is that a few people among us also contribute in flaring up such strikes..If the autos did not move- it was because a common man- an auto walla agreed to work united with his union, forgetting of his responsibility towards the nation.In a medical strike, if the patients suffer, that's because all of the doctors, who ironically curse the strikes by other unions act against the government.Striking-- or in other words, quitting your work, and naming it as a way to wake up the government is always an easy way to deal with problems..but to stand out alone needs some courage..and the problem of strikes can be resolved only if each one of us among the common man decides to show up the courage- not only a resolve to stand up against the government but also to stand up for the benefit and interest of the society.
ReplyDeleteIndeed a thought provoking post JD! Keep up the good work.