I wrote this on Nov 24th, 2016

Sushila..

Shivcharan and Sushila, a shy couple came to Delhi in 1990 or so from a small village in purvanchal ( eastern UP is yet to be named so). Belonging to a poor SC family they had a small house left by his father which went into dispute between him and his Chacha's family. The migration was for the similar reasons for which I migrated back in late seventies to the dream city called Bombay... A better life.

Not sure if they had skills of a Dhobi back home or not but after coming to Delhi they decided to work as " ironwallas ".. Ironing clothes for neighbourhood people. Around the time when we shifted to our home in Mayur Vihar back in early nineties lots of apartments were being built in this part of the city and middle class people who could not afford a place in the elite south Delhi were shifting here among them lots of professionals such as journalists, lawyers, teachers, retired bureaucrats et al .

With a foresight for making a living in the city Shivcharan and Sushila decided to set up their shop in the apartment block we live when there were just a couple of dozen families lived. Since this is an essential service for residents they were interviewed and allowed to work from an area near porch in one of the buildings. They both must have been in later twenties or early thirties at that time, almost "newly married" with one son and a daughter both in arms.

Over the years they survived the grit of such monstrous city by their dedication for work. They earned just enough to support two square meals for the family that added two more children over the years that followed. Our apartment society was generous enough and their children integrated well with other children in the society, that was such a bright side of co- operative living. Some people at have had reservations but by and large all these children used to play together in the lawn and around the complex my children included. The social difference never came on the way for after school play.. Children being children.. They were rather encouraged to integrate whether it was cricket or football or Piththoo/ Sitolia. Their children went to government schools and knowing their levels other children as well as ours used to help them in their homework and teach them spoken English.

The only time their shop would be shut was when they used to visit their ancestral home. Else without fail all days in a week they would start work at 9.00am and finish at 9.00pm. Their children when they were old enough world also help the younger one would often come to our place in arms with his mom and be happy to be here and return with mom who would be carrying the clothes for iron and he having his favourite fruit - banana. Don't remember when the girls got married and boys went to college to study. There too, though bright and deserving the elder boy was dissuaded by a DU college not to take good course on the name " you won't be able to study that hard" and was changed to study for a common course. Any way he graduated and found work. In between before he was placed full time he would often assist Arnav Joshi with logistics for his " At Rise Productions" plays whenever they happened. Diligent and desire to learn the boy would be an asset to organisation.

The younger boy ( banana boy) had a flare for football and became a good player and after his school time would also play with some professional and got interested in studying further that would lead him to some sports management opportunities.

Sushila has been unwell since past few months and used to feel exhausted and found it difficult even to climb stairs ( we have all of 52 of them with no lift). But she would be there assisting her husband Shivcharan. Over last couple of weeks they started some treatment for her with a local doctor ( a qualified gynecologist) but it did not help. She had lot of blood loss and with low haemoglobin, low blood pressure etc.

Last evening after work she was cooking meals and fainted and was taken to the local neighborhood small hospital who on examination suggested she be taken to MAX in Patparganj.

We got a call at 11.00pm last night from her son who seemed concerned and lost with the requirements of these bog corporate hospitals and rushed there. Upon reaching we learnt that she was fighting for her life in the Emergency and all her parameters were alarming. The attending doctor spoken to also mentioned that she had had a cardiac arrest too and they are trying to revive her. In the meanwhile the billing section was insisting that she be taken to some other hospital as the estimated expenses once she is taken to ICU would be over Rs 1.25 L per day. An impossible situation even for us forget about for these people whose monthly family income is between Rs 10000 - Rs 15000. We were told to shift her immediately to some other hospital and we started making enquiries about other hospitals and found none where she could be treated with her condition without "knowing" anyone, we were also told that in her condition she can't even be moved till the ventilator is removed... Thank god for the mercy of the attending doctor.

Delhi and elsewhere in the country too, these large multi speciality corporate hospitals have signed a pledge with the government in return of a near free of cost land given to them that they will treat EWS ( economically weaker section) for free, a certain percentage of their facilities which I suppose is about 10%. That is always avoided at all costs and all kinds of tricks are played to avoid taking these people for treatment.

Upon argued by Abha ( my wife) after producing the BPL (below poverty line) Card the "social executive" ( a mandatory requirement for hospitals to keep one to assist people in distress) facilitated the process so that her treatment would be free of cost.

But early morning we got another call that they want her shifted elsewhere as she can't be kept in Emergency ( a valid point) and that they don't have a room in ICU. A certain trick.. You don't throw patient out because you don't have a room in ICU. Again after speaking the social ( and legal) people, we thought something would be done to keep hopes alive. But a whole ago got another call and her son was calling from a government hospital saying that MAX thew her out and sent to GTB hospital (a government run hospital).

Doctors over there are saying they don't have ventilator and her chances of survival are less than 10%.

In this country of 1.3 billion people life is such a struggle for everyone worst of all people who are poor and lack of knowledge.

I am praying god that Sushila survives.

I wrote this on my FB page on Nov 24th.

I have been watching the opinions and counter opinions on demonetisation. Supporters of the government's decision have been so vocal in criticising the opposition of the idea that they have no time even to go through what people are saying. They also are using foul and filthy language for the former Prime Minister and many other people who command respect in their respective areas of specialisation, especially economics.

Does one keep such people in deference who don't even know what language to use for people including some women in a civilised world?

Let's listen to the well known economist who understands the subject more than any of us. Please understand that he and many other economist have never objected the idea behind demonetisation, it is only the implementation part that they are concerned about.

Those in favour also say that suffering is a " necessary" part of the process.( suffering at this scale for this long?) majority of these people posting their views on FB in favour and feel that suffering is "good" I wonder how many of them have talked to people who are suffering and who have no or little money to even run their day to day chores. Have they ever talked to your maids, cook, Watchman, rikshawwala, driver, painter, Carpenter, Kabadi, dhabawala, Dhobi, tailor or mochi since the morning of Nov 9th? I have, and unequivocally each one of them said s/he is suffering from the process.. They don't even care if the coffers of government are full or empty they are first concerned about their meals for the day. Every citizen is not a freedom fighter, they never were even when the country was struggling with British ouster. So many of them were Raj supporters and sycophants and still they are equal citizens today.. Some having more privileges than many who fought and suffered.

Can and should you ignore all such people who form the majority of our country? Shouldn't you show concern, compassion for them? Shouldn't they be kept in mind first before taking/ making such decisions.

Do you think those who decided the roll out of the current demonetization and their supports have better understanding of economics than the experts and practicing people be them in politics or academia.

For God's sake be respectfu and listen to experts even if they have contradictory views before you maintain your own views, for reasons best known to you.

I wrote this on FB on Nov 26th, 2016

This guy has been so strong that death had kept herself away from him in despite of having declared him dead a number of times. But this time he surrenders.

Someone who dared mightiests of the world and survived, what a persona!!

Alwida Fidel Castro. Revolutionaries of the world have a lot to learn from you. Bon Voyage for your journey to heaven where you may perhaps start another round table with the elites of that world and Gods themselves.

Aug 13, 1926 - Nov 26, 2016.

I wrote this on FB on Nov 14th, 2016

Nation building is not a one day surgical strike. A person or ideology bashing could possibly be.

When an ideology is endorsed by great thinkers and leaders of the world it has to be the best possible path existing in those times.

Homage to the nation builder who was understood in his time and now gets bashing by people who have not read even a paragraph of volumes written by him.

We remember you on this day Chacha Nehru. (Nov 14, 1889 - May 27, 1964)

I wrote this on my FB page on November 18th, 2016.

Ashok Chickwala's story. Ashok is a chick maker ( chicks are curtain woven with the combination of cloth and small wood pieces or bamboo sticks used as curtains hung on outer surfaces of the house) this is a special craftsmanship but they earn very low amount their average monthly income would be less than Rs 10000 for a 14-16 hour day most of which goes in hunting for work. Ashok is a pleasant guy but can not read or write beyond the numbers he uses for taking measurement of curtains. With the technology invention his life became a bit simpler when he got his first cellphone some six years back. Now his satisfied customers don't have to wait for him to come to their door steps rather they call him on his phone. Most of his business happens through word of mouth so now almost all his business runs through this and rarely a customer walks into his pavement "thiya" where he waits for customer calls. Over the time his business expanded and now he goes to far off places like greater Noida etc because his neighbourhood customers shifted there.

Recently he also purchased a moped to use his time more efficiently. All this must have increased his monthly income now to may be Rs 15000.

Ashok has a bank account and had some savings for moving into a bigger "house" from his one room set-up. So when the money he was "hoarding" became illegal he decided to deposit the same into his bank account. He had heard about long queues so he decided to reach bank at 4.00am and after loitering for half an hour decided to return as looking at the queue he realised he won't possibly get his chance till evening. So next day he decided to reach the bank at 3.00am but then queue was even longer so returned after a while. On the third day he reached there close to midnight at 1.00am and saw some 40-50 people so decided to stand in the queue. He noticed that closer to the bank opening time 9.00am the people in front multiplied 3 to 4 times and people who were originally in the queue gave way for others ( they took some Rs 100.00 for standing in the queue for them. There were also some who were depositing for others for a small fee, of course.Then the guy who came there in the queue "inserted" three or four of his friends/family and that was the reason for the queue expansion. People behind did not resist or may be could not. Finally after stopping all his physical "needs" for over 13 hours he was lucky to find himself inside the bank at 2.00pm and was out an hour later. The bank staff was quite cooperative, he said.

Ashok was feeling so lucky with his "achievement"that he never felt the need to crib, although he lost his day's wage and the other two days just managed half day of work.

This was Ashok's" contribution" to unearth black money in the country.

PS: Ashok, besides helping us with chicks is also a friend who often comes over for a cup of tea. He has lots of interesting stories from back home a village near Agra as well as related to his work, that he shares. The demonetisation story was told this afternoon when he came for a small job.

साहिर-अमृता से एक मुलाक़ात..

आज फिर किसी खयाल ने झकझोरा है मुझे
क्या खयालों की दुनिया भी सो जाती है?
जिसे जगाने खुद बखुद उसे आना होता है
जिसकी कलम ने कहा हो
"कभी कभी मेरे दिल में खयाल आता है"।
आज अचानक "एक मुलाकात" में
साहिर को अमृता के खयालों में देखा
तो बरबस ही आंसू छलक आए
उस अधूरी सी प्रेम कहानी के लिये
उस अधूरे से देश के लिये
उस अधूरे से समाज के लिये
जो न इसका रहा न उसका
साहिर को तो चैन नहीं मिला
पर साहिर कि रूह को?
इश्क में  जो "अमृत" उसने पाया, उसका सूकूं
जिसे ना पाया उसके गम से कहीं बेहतर था।

प्रदीप/ दिसम्बर १४, २०१५

नववर्ष २०१६

हर नया पल एक नया जोश 

वैसे तो पल एक से होते हैं

पर कल के पल में कुछ खास था

जाने क्यूं घडी की सुइंयां 

और केलेंडर के पन्ने 

पलटते ही एक नयेपन का एह्सास होता है

कुछ सुनहरे पल जो अब अतीत में विलीन 

हो गये हैं, खोये खोये से लगते हैं

कभी उन पलों को सामने लाकर 

अपने आज को भुला देना चाहता हूं  

तो कभी आनेवाले कल की कल्पना में

खुद को डुबो देता हूं 

कुछ असमंजस में होता हूं 

मैं अकसर और यह जानने 

को आतुर

कि क्या और कब मैं अपना

आज और अभी जीता हूं? 

प्रदीप 

नववर्ष के आगमन पर , शुभेच्छाऐं

जनवरी ०१, २०१६ ‎