Stark realities

One of the most disturbing experiences in my life is witnessing the social divide that has engulfed our community. Even in an old age home I saw that the inmates were not ready to share their room with a woman who was supposedly from a lower class with some even saying that this is for officers and not for sweepers. The same thing I had witnessed while teaching slum children. Even kids under the age of 10 were unwilling to share their seating place with others who came from families of beggars or rag-pickers. With such social prejudices being rampant it is not an easy task to ensure 100% literacy or a just development. Before ensuring the economic development of this country, it is essential that the mindset is changed first.

Privacy in cyber space

The freedom of speech and expression as well as the right to privacy in cyber space is subject to same restrictions as outside it. The gravity of the situation lies on the fact that the data in cyber world is not bound to geographical boundaries but is shared across the globe. The threats of cyber terrorism and incidents of citizens’ protests of their governments on social networking platforms has led to the governments taking the cyber world seriously and also imposed certain surveillance measures as well. However, the fact that one country is using e-surveillance to monitor data from all other countries is outrageous. Privacy and security are both basic rights but which at the cost of the other is the question. And also the question remains, how much privacy should be curtailed to ensure security?

The Earth and earthlings

One of the biggest environmental concerns is the pressure of growing population on the environmental quality. Mahatma Gandhi had said that this Earth has enough for each man's need but not for any man's greed. In this consumeralist society, the earth is paying the price of man's greed. Where on one hand there is need to provide food security, on the other, sustainable modes of agriculture have to be developed to avoid environmental damage. The pressure of providing food to the growing population of men and livestock should not result in degradation of the quality of the environment.

Alone

I feel so lonely
As if there is no tomorrow
As the air stands still
And the song of birds seems distant
The sun casts mellow shadows
No sights no sounds give pleasure
And from a distance your face appears
But I cannot touch you
I cannot go near you
And I feel so lonely
With you gone so far away
I feel all is lost

Haze

It seems not right
When things go out of hand
When nobody is there to listen
And nobody to understand
When friends become strangers
And stars seem astray
When happiness is lost
And love goes away
Oh why, oh why, oh why
Things don't stay as they were
And this world plays its tricks
And nothing looks clear
It seems all hope is gone
It feels nobody is there
And in this gloomy haze
What was mine is nowhere

And trafficking in India

The Indian Express, Pune edition dated 2nd April has published a story of how women and girls from drought hit areas in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu are being pushed into prostitution in Mumbai and Goa. It is another unfortunate scenario that those who are already suffering from natural calamities are being further victimised. It is so easy to lure those who are starving to do any kind of act against their will, and young women and girls have always been vulnerable, being unable to fend for themselves. They can be trafficked on the pretext of finding work or they might be lured into it after they have migrated to other places in search of work, but in either case, they are the victims. And unfortunately, the truth cannot be known till they are rescued.

Syrians selling their daughters

Read a disturbing piece of news some days back about Syrians selling their young teenaged daughters to old Arab men to save their husbands. It is something that made me feel so miserable and angry at the same time. On one hand I felt sad for the poor women of that war torn country that they have no other resource than to sell their children and on the other there was anger that is that all a daughter's life is worth. It further angered me that such things are happening all the time and nobody takes any preventive steps. While on one hand the situation of Syria saddedned me, on the other such blattant violation of human rights angered me. In any case, the pathetic condition of this country like many others needs to be improved with necessary steps to be taken both at the national as well as international levels.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/03/22/syrians-selling-their-daughters-to-saudi-husbands.html