Fair sex, unfair ride

It is a narrow alley, dark and dingy, congested with a swarm of people glued on to each other. Everybody is shouting and pushing each other for their selfish motives. Happy are those souls who could manage a small place for themselves. It is all cramped and over crowded. There is just enough space to stand on one leg while the human like hands are tangled like that of a doll. It is utter confusion that exists in the minds of all. Don’t perceive it to be a circus. This is the typical scenario in a ladies compartment of most of the trains anywhere in India – east, west, north or south.

C’est bien! If you have never before traveled in the ladies compartments then it is worth an experience to get a taste of the adventure. Traveling in trains is in itself a feat and it adds on if it is in a ladies compartment. Women of various size and shapes, old and young, literate and illiterate, students and working can be found sneering, smiling, cuddling and even openly at war. It seems like a miniature reality show where each fights to get into an imaginary comfort zone.

“This is a business trip for me” says a flower-seller. When asked her name, she flashes a smile. “I have to carry these jasmine flowers with none of its freshness lost to Ernakulam before dawn.” With no place to even stand, the sixty-something lady literally cloaks her two big baskets of jasmine with her lean frame to save the flowers from being crushed by the cruel Netravati Express crowd.

Before long, the train arrives at a station. There is a huge crowd near the door of the ladies compartment pushing each other to squeeze into the coupe. Lol behold! Among them are the aliens, the male of the humankind. This is an annoyance for the ladies to whom a separate coupe is a big solace. On the other hand, to men, ladies coupe has always been the ‘goods compartment’, translations of which exist in almost all the Indian languages. “Old men getting in is understandable. But young men enter ladies intentionally. If troubled by them, women can call the helpline numbers which are stuck around the trains and lodge a complaint. By the time the train reaches the next station, action will be taken against those men” says Akkamma, the Railway PRO.

Men have a notion that why do women need an exclusive compartment when they no longer call themselves the weaker sex. Roy, a smalltime business man who travels regularly for work, shares this view. His wife, Renee, is the better half in this. “True that women claim to be emancipated but along with it the society should also accept her new status,” she quips. “Men feel insecure seeing her emancipated status and so tackle it by making use of her weakness. Eve-teasing, passing comments, whistling and physical abuse are the mainstay when women travel alone in a general compartment. It is very difficult traveling in the ladies compartment and hence a bigger coach for the ladies should be provided,” she vehemently adds.

“I am comfortable traveling in the ladies coupe. It gives me and my parents at home a sense of security. But it gets so congested. On compartment can hold around 70 people but in around 150 get in and it becomes jam packed.” says Reena a nursing student who travels by Godavari Express.

“We cannot do anything about this. It is the railway board and the ministry who are to decide on it all,” says L. Chinnaraju, the station manager of Coimbatore .

The rear end positioning of the ladies pose a number of problems to the women. This does not enable them to get most of the catering services. Moreover this positioning can cause difficulty and can prove to be dangerous for old women and pregnant ladies while boarding and alighting the train. This has to be brought to the eyes of the authorities and a solution has to be brought to light. Also there is a crying need to increase the number of compartments allotted for women.

26/11 the haunting date

‘26/11’... This haunting date is deeply etched in the hearts and minds of all the Indians especially the Mumbaikars. The tragic terrorist attack on the city has passed one year but the wounds are still fresh. Cold fear runs down the spine when we hear that the people who devised Mumbai terror attack are free and have begun to plot for a fresh one. The whole of Mumbai observed the first anniversary of the horrific incident by lighting candles outside the Gate way of India and at the Taj Hotel, chanting slogans of peace and prayed for harmony and hope for the city that saw around 160 innocent people killed without any reason.

Mumbai is called as the economic backbone and the business hub of the country. It is the home of millions. It welcomes people of different communities and cultures into its lap promising to fulfill all their dreams. It was a city bustling with life and activity.

But everything came to a standstill and the people were grief-striken on 26 November 2008 when 10 terrorists entered through the Arabian Sea and attacked the commercial capital of India. It was a very normal day but things took a change for the worse. There were a series of attacks across some of the important parts of the city. The people were caught unaware. Many innocent were shot, significant landmarks of the city were in flames and the people were running hither thither. The sole sound that could be heard was the bullet firing, explosion of the bombs and people crying out of pain. There was total chaos with smoke filled up everywhere. The astounded nation watched it live with shock and disbelief. Mumbai bleed for three long days with Ajmal Qasab being the lone surviver to be captured alive by the police.

This was not the first occasion that the city had to face such attacks. The series of 13 bomb explosions in 1993 and the train bombings on the suburban railway that killed many innocents led the city to face similar situations. Each time they were suppressed the resilient people of the city bounced back to life. Even after the recent devastating attack the city came back to life. This resilient nature of the people has been taken for granted and the tolerance levels of the people are tested. Sure, the police confronted the terrorists bravely and many even laid down their lives. But what are the efforts made after the attack to ensure the people that they are safe? One year after the attack, the sole surviving terrorist is still alive and our country is spending much money for his health and well being.

The city may be back to life but there is an element of apprehension and uncertainty of returning back home in the hearts of most. All evidence points that this attack was sponsored and instructed from sources inside Pakistan. Though the peace talks between both the countries have been stopped, it is still high time the government take preventive actions for the safety of the people in future. Many compare the 26/11 of our country with the 9/11 attack on the twin towers. But there is a major difference of 9/11 followed by a succession of security measures and remedies. The entire community watched these antics with shock and disbelief. When will the civilized world wake up to the immediacy danger posed by the terrorists? Terrorism is no longer an issue of a few countries who have been wounded by it. It has become a global issue which has to be tackled and develop a fail proof action plan against terrorism.

Go ahead with 123 deal

As the examination nears its date, one fear stalks our minds. The fear of power cut dueing the preparation days.

There was a time when people lived without electricity. But today almost everything is operated by electricity. The industrial needs also have increased manifolds with the development. The government has to constantly cater to the needs of an ever-increasing population with limited resources, and ends up on the losing side most of the time.

The question that haunts us is how do we meet the energy requirements of the country? There are a number of conventional methods; nevertheless none are fairly efficient to generate gratifying results.

Energy from the wind, water and sun are limitless but they are not being tapped to the full extent and neither can they suffice. On the other hand, coal and petroleum are efficient but are non-renewable resources and if used to its full extent may last only for the next 40 to 50 years. Subsequently the scientists hit upon the idea of using uranium to meet the energy needs. Once again there was disappointment for the reason that India does not have enough of uranium resources for this purpose.

So we are left with no other choice other than borrowing uranium from other countries to produce electricity. People do argue that why not utilise the large reserves of thorium that we have?

Thorium can be used but it cannot be used directly. It has to go through a three-stage process of conversion. The India-U.S nuclear deal, like any other deal has both the positive and negative sides. It can be looked upon both optimistically or pessimistically.

The 123 bilateral agreement has many pros and cons. But we should take a decision keeping the requirements and benefits in mind. This deal would allow us to proceed unhindered with our own long-term domestic power program. At the same time, the deal allows us access to the nuclear technology from both U.S and others to meet our short-term power needs. Most importantly it would end the nuclear isolation imposed on India and will give us energy security.

Baby steps..

'From small beginnings come great things'..

These are my baby steps into the world of blogging. I've often heard people close to me 'blog-talkin'.. but never took an interest in it. Donno where or who inspired me.. but one day this thought just came to me randomly 'Y dont i?'. Like they say there is always a frist time for everything in life.. ;) This is mine..

M a bit skeptical on how successful this will end out to be.. since i dont know how long will this excitement of blogging stay in me (coz m damn lazy) ;) .. Lets watch and c! .. Let it unfold!! ;) ;)


P.S: Plz bear wit it .. however horrible it turns out to be! Criticisms n comments always accepted n valued..!