nothing day

Hustle bustle, rush lunches to be packed before 7 am, deadlines to be met, aren’t we busier and than the beavers? Sometimes I think we are like the ants going hither whither filled with our self importance. It took Harold Pullman an  newsman to rescue the Americans, but there seems no respite for the Indians in India!

In 1973 Harold Pullman coffin decided that Americans needed to have one national day when they could just sit without celebrating, observing or honoring nothing. Various groups claiming calendar days had become a cliché. So a need for a day without formalities and focus on self was essential. In 1972 the day was born and since 1973 it is celebrated.

Habitually activities are listed, but essentially nothing is done. So obviously it has not been passed as an act of the congress.

Intellectuals have condemned it as laziness. But psychiatrists recommend that it should be honored once a month.

Yet doing nothing is a challenge. And to a lot of extent uplifting to the soul, wake up late, watch the birds, laze!

So shut off your computers, turn off the television, do away with your to do lists, and hide your mobiles.

Have a happy nothing day , tomorrow we shall consider having our congress pass an act on this for us in India! The Babu’s will be officially doing their duties then. J

clean your desk day

Mr. Chase who published the annual events a book of special events, had a messy desk.


His daughter who had no place to work would spread a cloth work and then wind up.

It was she and not a card designer or a florist who came up with the national clean your desk day on the second Monday of January. Though the About calendar for fundays lists on Jan.12th.

This is now backed, by the National Association of professional organizers in America.

The steps are simple

Take a toll of your desk, all that does not belong there should be thrown out. The best way to do this is to have your shredder and the refuse bag.

If you are novice then maybe you should opt for a community shredder or host the campfire.

Do it in small instalments so it is not overwhelming.

So file it or junk it.

An Some reactions were

• 85% believe that clean desk says someone is on top of things

• 48% believe messy desks are pilers when it comes to work.

• 38% say they have clean desks as they are filers when it comes ot their work.

• 14% say they are tossers and have a clean desk they toss out things routinely.

• 40% admit loosing paper work because of messy tables

• 57% of men admit eating snacks, meals off a messy or dirty desk

• 43%women admit eating snaks or meals off a messy or dirty desk.

It was as if letting go was more difficult than organizing. For those of us who have decided to turn around we could dedicate January as clean your act month.!

Volunteer fire fighters

The US of A has a list of funday’s that honour various events, thoughts beliefs, and people. Yesterday was also the day to honour the volunteer fire fighters.


The scenario in the states is the same as everywhere, the govt. funds are not enough to have an effective fire fighters department.

So the communities have taken on to ensure their safety by chipping in as fire fighters. This is voluntary, so they do expect to be paid.

What makes these people volunteer?

• A need ensure security.

• In younger kids a thrill

• A give back time to the society.

• Of course youngsters pick up career credits.

These people go through the regular fireman’s training and drill. They are certified too. They accelerate into action when their radio’s buzz, yes, most of them are on citizens radio. Those who cannot actively participate help out in fund raising and first aid care.

In India post Tsunami, and Lathur we have NGO’s who are into disaster management, that deals with earthquakes, tsunami, floods, but no voluntary fire fighting here.

Vajra security services at Delhi offers this service but it is not free, it comes at a cost, still something when the fireman is not accessible.

For despite the rules that every municipality should have fire fighting services this code is not met.

When I say abdicated our responsibilities as citizens, we complain about the lack of service, but would we dare volunteer?

This is an ode written by someone dedicated to the “Brotherhood of dance with the flame”

You fight the fires, you smell of smoke

Your bones are tired your are soaked

You do your job the best you can.



citizen

We are like the blind men we are in any case from Hindustan.


When I wrote the article on media boogie my point was to make us aware that we have abdicated responsibility as citizens. Somehow the point seems to have lost. I have interesting responses to how the media has not:

• Hauled the govt for lack of development activities.

• Ill equipped hospitals

• Bad roads

• Quality TV products—how TV is the outlet for loneliness or a mode of relaxation.

• Corruption

• Crime rates

My point still remains the same; we need to take responsibility as citizens. If you are worried about the development activities. Let’s look at this honestly.

How many of us have exercised our franchise?

Do we really know the manifesto of the candidate who volunteers to represent us? Do we know his antecedents? His capabilities. These information are available if not RTI can be used.

Every locality is assigned a municipality or a grama sabha; these grama sabha’s have 8 meetings. Of which 4 are fixed april-july-sept and the other I am not sure. 4 are announced. These are the meetings of the voters which mean you and me. Have we ever attended this? Do we even know that this exists?

The attendances at these meetings are something like 4 to 8 individual on a very enterprising day it is 10.

These meetings discuss

• Issues related to the Gram

• The Budget,

• The audits are presented.

Every village has to have a health a centre, but most of them get closed for if a facility is not used it gets shut down the budget gets either relocated after a stipulated period or goes missing from action into someone’s kitty.

About Media, the TV there is a panel that has been set for TV broadcast guidelines have we lodged our displeasure there? How many PIL’s are registered against offensive televisions shows?

Think about it Gandhi had to plead the case of India to the Indian!

With great power comes great responsibilities.

pilots

Part of the tourism attraction in Goa is the availability of two wheelers on hire.


This works on the similar lines like the bicycle for hire when we were kids. The stakes are higher though.

Goa has a very unique geographic constrain and it is further handicapped with very poor public transport system. But obstacles as usual are overcome and here the visionary entrepreneur is the local Goan.

Asking and giving lifts were a way of life until the influx of the Konkan Railway immigrants.

Then are the “Pilots” or the two wheeler taxi’s which are very convenient if you are a single passenger.

Then are the owners of two wheelers who give their bikes out on rent.

The charges for tourists are different they also need to submit their license for verification and a photocopy of it is filed with the person who rents the two wheeler out. The bike is given on rent with a litre of petrol and the rest is for the user to top up.

For locals the rate is rs.250/- for 24hrs off season.

If you are regular then concessions with monthly payment facility is also available. The vehicle owner also provides you the helmet if required.

The onus of maintaining the bike is the owners so it really works great.

Just like you have a monthly contract with the cab guy or a bus pass many people have running accounts with the Pilot.

Cribs

It’s like a crescendo being built, from deepavali the festival of lights, advent, Feast of St. Xavier, Christmas and finally New Year.


The tourists have gone back Goa has once again become its normal peaceful self. Thank god for exams we have a little spell of sanity.

One major activity during Christmas which gets eaten by Santa’s bulk and laughter and the sparkle of the Christmas tree is the crib making. The scene of nativity is reconstructed in most houses sometimes it is a community or a society activity.

Crib making contests are held too.