लेकिन, किसी ने सोचा ही नहीं की हम बीज हैं,

लेकिन किसी ने सोचा ही नहीं की हम बीज हैं ,

उन्होंने हमें चूसी हुइ गुठली समझ फ़ेंका, 

इक आंधी ने धरती पर मिटटी के चादर में लपेटा ,

बादल की बूंदों ने कभी प्यास  मिटाई ,

सूरज ने भी अपनी लाल आँखों से डराया ,

लेकिन, किसी ने सोचा ही नहीं की हम बीज हैं ,

आसमान को चूमने की ख्वाहिश थी हमारी ,

उड़ते परिंदों को आसरा देने की चाहत थी हमारी ,

भटकते मुशाफिरों को इक नींद देनी थी हमेँ ,

भूखे पेट को फलों का सवाद दिलाना था हमेँ ,

लेकिन, किसी ने सोचा ही नहीं की हम बीज हैं ,

आखिर क्यूँ ? आखिर क्यूँ  नहीं ? द्वंद्व अभी भी जारी है
अभी भी क्रमसर जारी  है पेड़ का बढ़ना,

उतरोतर जारी है पत्तीओं का पनपना,

जड़ों का बिखरना भी जारी है, 

लेकिन, किसी ने सोचा ही नहीं की हम बीज हैं ,

कुछ लेने नहीं, कुछ कर दिखाने और कर जाने की ज़िद है ,

सोते तो सभी है लेकिन हमेँ तो खड़े होकर ही सोने की जिद है ,

लेकिन, किसी ने सोचा ही नहीं की हम बीज हैं ,

People join organizations and leave bosses - a paradox revisited

There is general thinking that people leave their jobs because of their bosses and get attracted for organizations and pay packets. However , studying a few case studies has a contrarian result and other prominent reasons were also evident . Some of the case studies are below,

Avinash comes from a background where govt job is considered pinnacle and one employed as class I officer under govt of India is revered like demi god and served as role model for his society. He was bright with strong analytical and logical mind and at the same time having strong ability to understand the abstract matters. With his background and abilities , he easily made to a respectable govt job and everyone including his parents were happy. For first Couple of years, he made long strides in learning. He had a good boss who motivated him to learn and execute. However, the external world was changing much faster and some of those with whom he grew up were taking even bigger steps outside.He thought of taking longer steps in his environment but there was no space available . His boss realized that he is getting restless, tried to support and give him more opportunities but they were far and few for his strong wings. After spending some more time, on the very first opportunity , he spread his wings and said bye bye to socially hugely acceptable position .....

Ranjan has joined a reputed private sector enterprise. It had strong brand presence and also considered as semi government organization because of secure working environment. People crossing over generations were working there. The life was calm with limited pressure , open culture for experimentation and 9-6 work life with plenty of time to spend with family.He was doing exceedingly well and getting constant recognition and had a supportive boss too. The organization thought he can do much more and offered him more responsibility in a newer areas. In the process, he got another boss. The boss wanted to get more from him as he considered him capable. But his style doesn't suit Ranjan who wanted lesser control. The relations become stranded and Ranjan thought he can no longer work with him and in new role. He could do better in his previous role . He started looking out and went to an organization which gave him role akin to his previous role and with which he become more comfortable.

Deepak was an extrovert personality and loved talking and interaction. Since college days, he was always in forefront of activities and leadership was a natural instinct for him. He was doing quite well as leader . However, peer pressure made him to take a decision to get into a completely new dimensional work. The role demanded sitting behind , troubleshooting, resolution and carry one for the next problem. The only person to interact was computer and he found himself in aquarium, where other fishes were also wandering like him. They were colorful , energetic but in close door doing the routines.He had a robotic boss, whose only job was to assign work , take status report with only mission of closing issues. He thought his personality is getting lost and he should not continue . He started looking out for something which is more dynamic and requires more human interaction. Within few months , he was on his way out for his dream .

Akash landed in a organization with a job which many would have dreamt of from a distance. Enviable salary, smart co-workers, swanky office - an atmosphere normally shown in movies. Opportunities to travel abroad and interacting with white skinned made it look even more impressive on first count. He had a boss who on a drop of hat, use to take his team for a beer party with unlimited enjoyment. However, after six month he found himself doing nothing sensible as work doesn't offer him any opportunity to learn, experiment and enhance skills. The hollowness starts creeping in and individuality missing. After first year , there was another big increment , a sponsored holiday and lavish party with boss. He pondered, where this is taking him? Is he acqering skills? What would be he doing next? Perhaps, the system doesn't had any answer and he got frustrated . Finally, one fine morning he was standing in front of his boss with his resignation letter.

Ramesh had joined a very successful organisation which has been doing excellent business and within five years of its baptism, it had become red hot stock among the brokers. The "wow" factor was there on everyone's face when they heard of Ramesh joining this firm. But immediately after joining the firm and spending a couple of months, Ramesh had become few years older, fatter and introvert. The pressure of goals and growth was on the face of all employees working there. The bosses talked only numbers, there was no meaning of office time and the employee engagement activities were mechanical.Even with hefty salary cheque and "wow" factor of brand, Ramesh no longer wanted to continue.

Pankaj was a hardworking and ambitious fellow who had risen through the rank and wanted to reach to the last stone in same steady manner. He was a confident individual and got into a good position in a little known organization. An extremely supportive boss, amicable environment, lots of opportunity to experiment and learn and sufficiently well earned bank account in the month end made it a ideal work place. This could have been easily termed as great place to work on these parameters. After spending a few years, Pankaj inner ambition become prominent. He looked for further growth but organization was dwarf. The previous years results doesn't augurs a colorful picture for tomorrow. There was no organic or inorganic growth visible. After a long arduous effort with various placement agencies , one day he said bye to most lovable boss and friends.

If we read all the above cases, the theory of people leaving bosses and joining organisation will simply vanish. There are varieties of reasons other than the organisation (brand and salary ) and boss which influences the exodus , a few of them could be

- work life balance

- career opportunities

- organization growth

- learning or skill enhancement opportunity

- flexibility of working

- internal work environment

- fitness of the job role vis a vis individual interest and capability

The role of organisations are becoming more and more difficult as retention cannot be sole responsibility of the bosses. There are collective reasons and each reason has to be constantly validated against each individual. On the other hand. It cannot be a common fit for all. Each individual has some common and some specific needs which requires attention.

The fallacy of standard pitch for attracting and retaining talent doesn't work. Neither, the theory the people join organisation and leave their bosses.

HR and organisation strategy makers have a lot of food for thought perhaps...

Management lessons by a 4th grade Passout..

Two stories on this Deepawali - Satya Nadela got a whopping 80 million USD salary and a Mr. Dholakia , a little known diamond merchant giving away 50 crore worth of bonus to his 1200 employee in the form of house, jewelry and cars.He calls it "Social Business". Two extremely inspiring  stories but sure the second one is more non conventional and has better TRP. Traditionally, Deepawali is a occasion for gifting to employees but no one would have imagined,it could be beyond the packet of sweet and a petty gift item. Sometimes, generosity could be as much as a month salary to the workers. But this has created a new benchmark. I watched this interview y'day evening and heard better management lessons then perhaps Harvard graduates would have been able to give. ....

Some of the key elements stated by him ...

- the money spent on employees will be recovered sooner or latter. The ulterior motive of money making is not lost in the win win process.

- wife and parents should be taken care more . In fact, his practice of taking the parents on pilgrimage is a unique one.

- The incentive given to employees is directly linked to value he creates. There must have been a strong performance measurement system to attribute the value to individuals. 

- The incentives is for the individual need. One needing a car got a car, needing house have it and those having both got the jewelry for their wife's. I wonder if any where the incentives are so well differentiated and customized for each ones needs.

- he calls his ordinary skilled employees dimond engineers and diamond architect - no better way to motivate than is by acknowledging the skills and attaching prestige.

- he provides apprentice training to fresh ones. A process which has been some how lost in the MNC culture and fast changing turfs. But still an important aspect for building loyalty . The GET system has more performers than the lateral hires.

- He created stadia for employees to play and gel well with managers. This is a well accepted and proven method of creating engagement at work place and cordial atmosphere.

A 4th grade pass out defenetly has a better wisdom than the management pundits.

more importantantly, indirectly he created a brand without spending anything in media. Everyone is talking about it ...wish all of us get a similar employer....HaPpY DeePawali.....

लाल की खोज

लाल तो जूनून था और पीले की प्यास थी ,

भूख तो प्रबल ही थी रक्त भी दौड़ा ही था ,

कहीं मस्तिष्क की तेज थी कहीं शरीर का प्रताप था ,

दूर तो दोनों ही थे रास्ता कठीन ही था ,

एक को तो पा लिया , दूसरा स्वप्न ही है ,

यश को पाने को सफेद भी आकुल ही है ,

आज लाल मिल गया , कल काला भी खोजेंगे ,

फिर सफ़ेद , काले को पीला बनायेगे

लाल के गर्भ में पानी की तलाश थी ,

लाल के यहाँ अपनों की खोज थी ,

लाल के यहाँ नीली धरा का सपना था ,

लाल के सतह पर हरे की तमन्ना थी ,

क्या करेंगे लाल का, 

मानव को बसाएंगे , 

अपनी धरा तो बची नहीं ,

दूसरी जहाँ बसाएंगे !!!

---- प्रकाश 

लाल - मंगल ,पीला - सोना ,नीला - पानी , काला - कोयला , सफ़ेद - नेता , हरा -पौधा

Travel to Vrindavan-Mathura-Agra

 Somewhere, I had read that  “A man, who travels, learns more than a man who reads from a book”. It's undoubtedly correct to every word. The travelling is such an experience , particularly when you do so in the company of  family and friends. I love to travel especially without a laid out plan, just a sheer excursion, behind the steering wheel ..... Ohhhh, it's so lovely to go through the dusky roads with green farm land, small sleepy villages and exuberant small towns on both sides, in between, a pit stop at a dhaba, tasting some local specials and having a family memoire in the form of photographs..... My wish to god is, pl give me enough energy,time and money to relish these moments and cover every small and remote part of the country through the highways and state roads, a SUV would have been an ideal partner but my friend Fiesta  has been good company so far.

Thankfully, there was a longer weekend with Independence Day and Janamastmi falling on the Friday and Monday with no exams for the children. I asked my mother to come along and decided - this time to cover the  Vrindavan-Mathura-Agra . I enquired to a few friends about the ideal route and places for stay but as usual every one had his own suggestions based on his own personal likings. Finally, I decided to just "let's go .....will find out on the way". Unfortunately, the Thursday was a bad day at office with one of the servers getting crashed, I kept praying till evening for its recovery and lord Krishna perhaps heard and gave enough illumination  to my great team to resurrect everything. I called up my wife at 6 in evening to tell her - "we would be leaving tomorrow morning".  Wow !!!, the children were thrilled...mother was happy and my wife - she was trying to hide  emotions with all excuses but I know, she would be the happiest.

The excitement filled within me didn’t let me sleep the night before. I had a late office party and in spite of all efforts, could sleep for hardly couple of hours . We had to start the journey at 5.30 and as always were on the road by 5.30 am. Sometimes, I feel envious of my punctuality .The morning breeze increased the excitement more and all of us were just enjoying it to the fullest. I decided to take Sohna - Palwal route to hit  Mathura road (NH-2). This was firmed only after sitting behind the wheel.......well, I am like this. Suddenly I realized I don't have the currency in the purse neither my wife had. The tank was full but no free currency. The credit card business has made the money purses starved. Even before my wife would have scremed at me, I stopped at the first ATM and draw whatever was there in the saving account. With all settled, I switched on the FM - my best friend on the road. Switched off the AC, pulled down the window pan to enjoy the lovely morning breeze.It was still a little dark outside with no one visible on the road. Some elders could be seen in their jogging suites but rest seems to be in longer nap on the Independence Day. After all it would a bit longer independence from the office corums . An apt time for bhajans and FM is always ready with the recipie of the moment . With Hari Om sharan and Anoop Jalota in the background , within minutes I was on the Sohna road. The hustle and bustle of the millennium city was behind. The farm views had started.There was not much traffic in the morning but still was not able to push beyond 80 - trying to have the glimpse of every thing what excites and suggest we should have this life only. Do what nature permit us to and in a way that no one else get harmed. Took a turn towards Palwal...a little bit of conglomeration of trucks and bit of bumpy ride , but within few minutes it was again back to smooth stretch. I always wonder, these truck drivers have the best of the world . They cross every part as if it is all theirs, decide to stop where ever they want to and drive their beautiful lady like the female elephant who is on way to entise the male counterpart. 

Travelling through the field of Haryana is always a beautiful site. You wouldn't find a barren land and without greenery. No wonder, why it is the province with best per capita income in the country. There were a lot of speed breakers ,buffaloes & tractors on the way till I hit the NH2, but with no qualms, it gave all of us a better opportunity to mingle with nature and kept the journey safe . In between , both my daughters had a good sleep on the back seat. My mother wanted to have tea and breakfast time was also nearing, so we stopped at a Dhaba to get our bellies filled. When we entered the dhaba, I was bemused to see so many travelers . Seems many family groups had descended from Delhi region and joined us in the same direction.It was now time to ingurgitate on the hot paranthas and tea. I must say that no restaurant can satisfy one better than the highway dhaba. One aloo paratha with a slice of butter and chai in the typical dhaba glass, a joy cannt be hold back. My wife had a long stare on the butter but I just kept looking aside as if I am having green vegetables and fruit . After all, I was on a day out without the bosses and customers !!! Why should I bother? After A few moments of photography session, I was back in the company of fiesta . 80-100 was comfortable while diving and we were cruising on NH2 leaving behind the trees and fields. A few industrial developments on way had killed the panoramic and serene view, but still the travel was awsome .

I didn't realize, how fast I was approaching Vrindaban, till I saw the left turn arrow sign . Originally, I had planned to go to Mathura first, leave the car and take some local taxi to move around but again my instincts made me to turn left and enter Vrindavan . Another 5-6 Kms on the road and we were on the main Vrindavan road. A lot of queries regarding locations on the way from driving seat itself and We were guided to reach the bank of Yamuna . We got down, entered into the narrow lanes where Krishna perhaps would have his early days. The first place we touched was Nidhi van - where Krishna use to have the best of time with 16000 + beautiful ladies. The aloofness of morning had gone and many big groups - rich & poor alike were easily seen roaming around. The chanting of Radhey was in air and seems everyone was only trying his wishes to reach Krishna in a more vociferous way. A few priest also having their business in full swing and happily playing with these mortel's emotion and faith. But the beauty was, none of them were feeling getting cheated and surrendering themselves to Krishna as if whatever they have is courtesy him only and whatever they will have would also be due to him only. I could see in everyone's eyes. We continued walking through the temples, again come back on the main road, parked the car at one place and went to modern temples like ISKON and Prem Mandir . They have  been built with lot of grandeur and have beautiful architecture. A lot more cleaner and well maintained compared to old temples and children were loving it. The little one found empty spaces,beautiful marble structure and depictions of old Vrindavan quite fascinating. Still, she was wondering, where the Krishna and her friends are? She had imagined she would be able to meet all of the Discovery kids characters in live form- unfortunately, I had no options but to tell her some stories, her dream of meeting Krishna remained un quenched.

It was almost 1.00 and tiredness and starvation were creeping in fast. We decided to move towards Mathura. Another few enquiries with window pan getting Up and down and I was on the road to Mathura . Within 10-15 minutes , we were there. I located a small decent hotel and decided to stay there. We all needed proper food, so the first thing after keeping the baggage was to get quickely on the restaurant table. Without much of pondering, we ordered the regular stuff of dal , roti and panner. After, our tank was full, we had an hour rest and in the meantime, I tried to catch up with Modi's first 15th August day speech. The reception staff told that Mandir opens around 4 and it is just 5 minutes from there , so we could leave at around 3.30. We went out at around 330 , had tea on the road side and walked to the Mandir gate. Krishna's birth place was really a jail. I wonder if this much of security personnel would be there even during kansha period!!! We had deposit everything from car key to mobile phones and stand in long queue to enter the temple. But inside was very nice and calm. People were just moving along in the queue, going inside the place where lord was born. My daughter had a interesting question- why his parents were in jail? Only those people who committ sins goes to jail? And the most she was still searching for Krishna and her friends... I don't had the answer. Why his own maternal uncle would have done this. The human relations are such that. The life and preaching of Krishna is so relevant. From here we took hand rickshaws to go to Dwarikadhish temple and had feeling of mathura lanes and life , it was so distinct but at the same time so similar to any of the old towns of northern India. Everyone is busy but seems to be knowing everyone. The smell of lassi and peda were filling up the lanes. No other mode of transport other than rickshaws could have taken us there. We returned to hotel by 8, had our dinner and with everyone extremely tired, it didn't take lot of time to get into the deep sleep at the birth place of Krishna.

Had to get up early so that we can reach our next destination Agra to see the TAJ MAHAL. The highway is really in very good condition and one can drive easily at an avg. speed of 80 kmph. On way, we had a look at sikandra also, but quest of Taj made me go faster.

It took 1 hrs to reach Taj Mahal, just because of Agra city’s traffic and our unawareness of the route.But I think, it makes it even more interesting. We  wanted to have the breakfast so that after getting inside we would worry about filling the stomach. We all had the Puri  in the ITDC restaurant after getting down from the battery operated vehicle . The queue was long particularly for the male. Females could had the easy entry and kept waiting for me till all security check was over. I sometimes wonder, why at such places we have to wait so long in queues? is it to makes us more anxious or dull? But all said than done, I was really thrilled to get inside and capture the beauty .After all the hustle-bustle there, I was standing in front of one of the most beautiful monuments in the world.

The Taj Mahal is really one of the most magnificant craftsmanship in the world. The stunning architectural beauty is beyond description. Different people have different views of the Taj but it would be enough to say that the Taj has a life of its own that leaps out of white marble . Wandered around every corner of it, and it looked the same. Yamuna with heavy rains in the catchment area was flowing like song and love was in air. Awsome view on the riverside along side the monument of love. Wish I could have stayed till late night to see the white lady under the cover of moon light. All chords were moving together and melodies were caressing the ears. Thought to just sit alone in a corner with loud Sufi song in the background ..... but ......

Captured lots of pictures, had a glimpse of Agra Fort and we finally left for Delhi at 1.00. This time I decided change the route and take the express way to enjoy the love of my Fiesta with modern day concrete. We bought the petah of Agra, and stopped after the first toll and had the thali to keep the belly satisfied. I guess, I had the drive of life, easily crossing over 140, the lure of going more and more was there. But Mom dissuaded and kept me pulling back to normal . However,within 1.5 hrs , I hit NOIDA. The drive was as beautiful as the view of Taj. I was really happy thinking that everything went fine wih no issues and suddenly the car had to be stopped. I realized, I am in delhi now and stuck in traffic and this is the reality of daily metro life. TAJ and expressway can't be everywhere.

Anyways when I reached home, I exclaimed ‘success’ . I felt like a conqueror and traveller together . I travelled a good 480 kms touching the speed of 140 kmph and saw the marvels of love and faith.

So friends bye for now till we go for another ostentatious journey like this.

One language is not enough...

There is a saying in Bihar - when a child starts Montessori, the first alphabet taught  by his parents is UPSC in stead of ABCD . Perhaps, this is the reason quite a few of them find it too demanding to answer the ABCD questions of UPSC . Like most of us, I too had this bug bite while studying in college but sooner than latter realized that this is mammoth and I may not see the light of the day, if I get capitulated. But the love was never lost and three letter word still mesmerizes. The hot debates and discussions on CSAT pattern still made me to wonder , what actually it is ? This was not there while we were dreaming to have the three letters in the end of our name. Tried to do some study around this new introduction, and now I wish, had this would have been there in those days, my dreams would not had the untimely death.

So, why so much of hue and cry? What is making the ministers shiver ? The country which has been at cross fire of reform vs populism for last so many decades has again found a topic which can tilt the balance of power. The politics of language is again taking some shape in Hindi heartland and no political power has the ability to out-rightly reject or accept it. 

The CSAT exam carries questions on comprehension; inter-personal skills; logical reasoning and analytically ability; basic numeracy; decision-making and problem solving; general mental ability; and a bit of English language - This is absolutely fine. All the best exams in the world SAT, GMAT, GRE etc has these as part of their selection process. I imagine , this should have been there much before 2011. A administrator is expected to be analytical , having great comprehending ability and last but not the least - be good at the joining language in this vastly differentiated country. The policy making not only needs a social & political understanding but it also needs sufficient abilities in reading the balance sheet, profitability, disinvestment, economic and technology aspects. The people who are going to frame policies have to show enough abilities and that is only possible by questioning their mind. So, what is wrong in it? 

People are calling it urban biased. I fail to understand- being logically strong cannot be a urban phenomenon. In fact, my personal experience suggest - those coming through a traditional vernacular schooling have a better grasp on matter related with analytical thinking. How can be person from vernacular medium be at disadvantageous position.  As far as English language is concerned, now a days, everyone studies it as second language, so there should not be problem in answering a few basic level English questions. Putting English aside , just because it is symbolic of colonial mindset is too much of exaggeration, when the language has gone into the DNA of the country far too deep. Amusing it may be,but believe it or not, the problem is not in questions but in way it has been represented. English is no doubt essential but it becomes harassing if one starts thinking in English. The thinking and hence the question pattern should be in vernacular way and then it should be converted to English. On the contrary, the Hindi version of the question paper, is being generated using Google translator, which has naturally led to a lot of confusion. The core problem can be resolved very easily with proper translation. But, country which is trying to regain the path of growth with some new building blocks is being misguided with science vs humanities and English vs Hindi debate. In no circumstances, the testing pattern should be dropped, if we wish to have  the bureaucrats who are more appropriate to country needs. My request to those in power is to show some spine and let the apex body take a final decision without tinkering it too much under political compulsion.

एकलव्य

मास्टर साब ने दरवाज़े को धीरे से खोला

तो देखा बाहर एक १०-१२ साल का लड़का खड़ा था .

एकदम साधारण से कपड़ों में , रंग थोड़ा कम 

बाल मेहंदी के रंग के, शायद  कभी तेल नहीं लगाया होगा .

सहमा हुआ लेकिन जिज्ञासा तो चेहरे से टपक रही थी .

आवाज लगायी , कौन है रे ? कहाँ से आया है? 

अभी मैं नए बच्चों को टुशन नहीं दे रहा , भीड़ बहुत है .

धीरे से मन ही मन बोले ,ये प्राइवेट स्कूल वाला नहीं है , पता नहीं पैसे भी दे पायेगा नहीं ..

अच्छा है , स्कूल में टीचर नहीं पढ़ाते और घर पर  माँ बाप के पास टाइम नहीं .

थोड़ी आवाज ऊंची कर बोले - कौन सी जात का है और कहाँ पढता है ?

जी .. धीरे से आवाज आई - मैं सामने वाले बड़े बँगले से आया हूँ,

मालिक ने आपको बुलाया है - छोटे बाबू को आज पार्टी में जाना है ,

आप जल्दी से आकर उनका होमवर्क करा दीजिये .

गुरुपूर्णिमा के दिन , गुरु जी को शिष्य का विशेष काम करना था - बोला जल्दी आतें हैं. 

रुक , मैं तैयार हो कर साथ ही चलता हूँ .

रास्ते मैं चलते हुए , एक बार फिर उससे पूछ बैठे - तुझे पहले कभी देखा नहीं?

उसने धीरे से कहा - मास्टर साब , मैं भी आपका शिष्य हूँ. 

बहुत दिनों से छोटे बाबू  का होमवर्क मैं ही तो करता हूँ , आपके जाने के बाद . 

मास्टरसाब एकलव्य को सामने देख कर सोच में  पड गये - कुछ कह्ते तब तक वो बंगले के अंदर थे .

एकलव्य को बोला - बैठ जा , तुझे भी पढ़ा दूंगा . 

मगर वो तो एकलव्य था, कहाँ गुरु और विद्यालय उसे नसीब थे.

भागते हुए बोला - साब, मालकिन को "पानी और पेट्रोल बचाने" पर एक सभा में बोलने जाना है ,

मुझे जल्दी से उनकी बड़ी गाड़ी धोनी है और सभी गमलों में पानी देना है .

मैं आपको दीक्षा नहीं दे सकता , छोटे साब की काँपीओं  से पढ़ लूँगा - मैं आज का एकलव्य हूँ .

- प्रकाश कुमार 

Education system

IIT results are out, the talking matter in the neighborhood of every small town of India.  The parents who were not even graduates are the who's who of those towns now.  Today's paper had almost half of pages running with ads of most most booming  industry in India, which is not even officially classified as industry by Govt of India - coaching institutes. There was a small article in TOI today about this industry. It's difficult to believe but close to 700 faculty members of these institutes in one of the most happening place in India - Kota, are the ones who are illustrated graduates of these institute. A few of them are drawing even seven figure salaries.  Did they study in these institute with this goal in mind? On the other hand, our new HRD minister is planning to add up one AIIMS, IIT  and IIM in each state of the country. She is not even a graduate , perhaps lack of it  would have given her a better background for some out of the box thinking. But,  unfortunately, she also comes from the same social school, which is happier in  creating another set of such rotten institutions and their alumni . The crisis  will continue to build.The colonial masters introduced education systems in India  to create clerks and civil servants, and we have not deviated much from that  pattern till today. Unfortunate story is - millions of hard earned parents money,  which many a time borrowed money also, going in preparing their kid for such  institutes. It has become a perpetual process. We live in a country where the people see education only as the means of climbing  the social and economic ladder.Millions of students are victim of an  unrealistic, pointless, mindless rat race. If the education system is failing – then it is certainly not due to lack of demand for good education. But one thing is certain - the purpose is not in right place. It is not meant to create entrepreneurs, innovators,  artists, scientists, thinkers and writers who can establish the foundation of a  knowledge based economy rather than the low-quality service provider nation that  we are turning into.we are busy running the call centres of the rest of the world – that is where our engineering skills end.  Can we change it? I believe we can , if we really come out with policy with some of these ideas: - the biggest flaw is incentivizing memorizing above originality. The testing and  marking system needs to be built on method which recognizes creativity, problem  solving and gives highest weight age to innovation and original research. Deviance to  be encouraged, those challenging the basic tenants should be ones who should  get maximum accolades.  - the above can be achieved only if we have entrepreneurs, leaders in education  not the salaried teaching  Clerks. - how to get good teachers - the clue is Kota institutes. The education institutes has to change from non profit making body to profit centers with teachers being the major  stakeholders.  Deregulate it, the education system needs to be extended part of industry . Not only  mechanical and electronics factories, but other facets of life like art, dance , music,  politics, sports should also extend from the system. The making of education  should not remain limited to govt funding or some black money siphoning, but has  to have value attached to it. - change the assembly line setup of education system. One rule doesn't fit to  all. Don't let the cramming and mugging aspect be the core aspect of teaching.  The control on syllabus  and pedagogy has to go away. Regulation kills innovation, swiftness , adeptness and  flexibility. Let the partner and learner decide what is needed. Teach the people how to  catch the fish. Mediocracy will automatically end. There would be no place for sub  par. FYUP or three year, should not be decided by ministers or UGS- let the parties  who are going to be beneficiary decide. - last but not the least, govt role should be on building technological infrastructure.  It could be the biggest facilitator where building skills or scale is requird . 90+ doesn't  need to look at selection list or person from backward state doesn't need to migrate  to big city! the technology has solution in education delivery and would not need  RTE to create reservation. All will have easy access. Do you agree with me?

दो बूंद

सुलग  रही थी धरती,

तीब्र  गूँज थी हाहाकार की,

छुप गया चाँद भी अमावस से ,

आभास नहीं थी शीतलता की ,

चूमा धरती को दो बूंदों ने,

हो गया तभी संतृप्त  जहाँ  ,

गए सज तभी सबके सपने  ,

छा गयी किरण  आशाओं की,

नेपथ्य अभी भी बोल रहा ,

दो बूंदों से होता क्या है ?

यह आलेख सुन्दर सिर्फ पन्नों पर ,

नहीं मिटेगी भूख इतने से ,

दो बूंदों ने बिस्वास दिया ,

सपनों में है संसार बसा ,

कर्म वही तो करतें हैं ,

जो सपने देखा करते हैं ,

सूखे वन भी झूमेंगे ,

नदियाँ फिर कल कल होंगी,

खेतों में फसले नाचेंगी  ,

और गीत पुराने गूंजेंगे ,

समय चक्र भी घूमेगा ,

कदम आगे ही जायेंगे ,

विजय अभी तो बाकी है ,

हुंकार हमें तो करने दो . ----- प्रकाश 

The real issue..

The problem with us is ....we believe , Real state & Gold are the only investment options, having son is the only way to moksha, medicine and engineering are the only subjects to study, only those with CGPA 10 are good sons, Being good at sports or art is spoiling the future,only job is govt job, only way of earning is working 9-5 as slave of someone, English speaking is the only sign of intelligence and intellect, no food is possible without rice and chapati, cricket is the only game played by humans, driving zig zag with honks is the only way to reach the destination, alcohol with chicken and madly dancing is only way of liberating the mind, movies & saas bahu operas are only way of time pass, holidays can be saved only for attending relatives marriage, only illiterates can live and survive in villages, vernacular mode of schooling is stale,filth on the roadside and overflowing of drains is part of city's beauty, a job can't be done without creating a crisis situation, process is a stupid way of working, leaders are born only in my caste, corruption is a sacrosanct method of earning money, bribe & connection is the obvious solution for all needs ......a Modi or Kejriwal cannot change this.....don't get overboard with 16th eclipse....it will continue to remain same, because it is .....

BJP manifesto

Today is a significant day not just because the biggest event of the biggest democracy started but also because the long awaited manifesto was released by the party which is likely to be the cup winner if we go by all the TV pundits predictions. I took pain to read the 52 page manifesto as another body pain had made me lay on the bed...yes,biggest democracy but a failed one by some accounts on the basis of economic, health , education and overall development parameters. Whenever, I got a chance to travel offshore, it puzzles me very often.....what make us failed in front of these tiny nations ...and  I always get a inner answer, the intent is missing from our fellow countryman more than anything else. We , particularly those from BIMARU regions are just being happy with what we have and believe everything is "chalta hai" "aisa hi hota hai" " aur koi Tarika nahi hai" . Being ruled and remaining slave is what is our destiny and only way to get anything is through reservation, subsidy or protection. It has ingrained in us so much so that we have forgotten the tradition , values and intellectual power of ours .....

After reading the document, I could say the intent is there. I am not "bhakta" of the rightist group but love anything which brings pride to nation, has a collective wisdom and intend to bring the self belief. The focus is on five Ts in the manifesto - talent, tourism, trade, tradition and technology which encompass everything. This is actually the core of the growth pedal. 

Even the contentious issues of Ram Mandir or Ram Setu has a different flavour as these has been put under the chapter of cultural heritage rather than just a religious issue. I never thought Setu samudram has so much of thorium deposits and how strategic it could be for the country.Similarly, the uniform civil code has been put as as the reason for woman upliftment, a issue no one can counter argue.J&K and NE can be solved only through integration which can be achieved by linking these areas with best in class infrastructure .The manifesto has answers to everything including governance, economy, diplomacy, foreign policy, border safety, etc.

Corruption, the manifesto, said is a manifestation of poor governance. I being an ardent fan of Kejriwal cannot disagree with this."We will establish a system which will eliminate the scope of corruption through public awareness, technology enabled e-governance, system based policy-driven governance, rationalisation and simplification of the tax regime and simplification of the process and procedures at all levels," the manifesto has said. The lines has all the intent and if this really gets translated from intent to action, we would not need a "AAP". Not sure It has been adopted from where, but the thinking is aligned.

Emphasis on economy in the form of tax reforms, banking sector reforms, price stabilization funds, national agriculture market, inflation control, push of infrastructure as vehicle of growth, manufacturing impetus for exports, public investment in farm sector, FDI.....master stroke. Those talking of crony capitalism will have to find an answer to this.There is continued support for food security and right to education....a brain child of great MMS also exist.The importance to high-impact domains like labour-intensive manufacturing and tourism will definitely strengthen the traditional employment basis of agriculture and allied industries , what needed is better micro financing , retail modernization. The manifesto has good read on this.

The best part is that it has not desisted leaving anyone in framing the intent and emphasized on implementation. There are significant stress on center state relation, team India concept - a matter not much of concern for me but looks more a rapprochement towards regional outfits. But definitely can encourage cooperation among states on security-related issues, inter-state disputes and removing inter-regional economic disparities and promoting tourism. 

I love the punch lines of joshiji "We need to create India as a brand because if India innovates, India leads."

कंधे की तालाश

उम्र एक के बाद दुसरे  पड़ाव की तरफ जाने को आतुर है , कुछ अंग भी वास्तविकता कि तरफ इशारा कर रहे हैं. शायद , जिंदगी भी तम्मनाओ के भंवर से कुछ परेशान  सी हो गयी है .. उफ्फ् कब तक !!! अगर गिरे , तो वो कंधे भी नहीं हैँ सहारा देने के लिए ... वो तो कब से नहीं थे , तालाश की थी लेकिन कहीं नहीं मिले , निःस्वार्थ कोई नहीं था. सीढियां मिलती गयी , कारवाँ बनता गया . लेकिन वो जो बिना किसी अपेक्षा के सिर्फ आशा दे, फिर नहीं मिला . उंचाईया मिलती गयीं लेकिन वो डर हमेशा बना रहा - गिरा तो कौन उठाएगा ? शायद इसी भय ने संभल संभल के चलना सिखा दिया .... नहीं तो ये उन्मुक्त गगन का पंछी पता नहीं कहाँ भटक गया होता. तुम साथ नहीं होकर भी रास्ता दिखा गए , भटकने नहीं दिया . तुम्हारे ना होने का भय ..... आज फिर . कुछ तो तुम्हे दिया नहीं , अपेक्षाए भी सार्थक नहीं कर पाया था की , तुमने अलविदा कह दिया था . शाय़द, तुम्हे जरूरत ही नहीं थी . मगर उस बच्चे को जो सिर्फ आकार में बड़ा हो गया, अभी भी कंधे कि तालाश है . वो रोना चाह्ता है , भयभीत है , निर्णय विहीन है .... कहाँ हो तुम ? मैं तो खुद किसी और का कन्धा बन गया हूँ ....पर मैं कहाँ अपनी होट लगाऊँ , कहाँ अपनी डर छुपावूं ....

तीन नायक..

तीन कहानियाँ एक साथ - एक का नायक , राजेंद्र कुमार, मनोज कुमार, विस्वजित का मिक्सचर है ....बड़ा ही खूबसूरत , बड़े घर का बेटा  ... अंग्रेजी बोलने वाला. पिछली पुश्तो ने इतना रक्खा हुआ कि शायद कुछ करने की जरूरत ही नहीं . सीधा साधा भी है, कुछ अच्छा करना भी चाहे तो ऐसा लगता है .... ओवरएक्टिंग हो रही है . इतने बड़े बृक्ष के नीचे तो गाव के मास्टर साब भी पढ़ा सकते थे , फिर इनकी तो बड़ी सी गुरुकुल है . ..... अर्नब भाई , आपने तो प्रश्न  भी पहले भेज दिया होगा ? अरे , ये छोरा तो परीक्षा ही नहीं देना चाहता . ..माफ़ कर दो भाई ...

दूसरा नायक , एक दम ऋतिक रोशन की तरह. लगता है, पूरी फौज लग गयी है इसे बनाने में ....फिलिप कोटलर भी शायद मार्केटिंग सीखने जल्दी ही इंडिया आने के तैयारी में होंगे. चेहरे , पर जितनी चमक है, उतनी ही चाहत भी है. जितना दम है, उतनी दंभ भी ....सपने तो आपको खुली आँखों से भी दिख जाये ...जिसको सुनते  एक निरीह भी अपने आप को फ्रीस्टाइल रेसलर समझने लगे . .... मान लो मेरी बात ...न मानी तो कल क्या होगा वो तो सिर्फ भगवान ही बता सकते हैं .....लता दीदी ने तो "ऐ मेरे वतन के लोगों" ५० साल पहले देश के वीरों के लिए गाया होगा , आज अम्बानी और नारायण मूर्ति के साथ इनके तराने गा रही हैं. भाई ये सुपर हीरो ही तो है !!!

सबसे अलग हमारे तीसरे नायक - नसीरूदीन  शाह की तरह या फिर फारूख शेख की तरह ...शर्ट बाहर, गले मे मफलर ... चप्पल .. छोटी सी गाड़ी ....
" एक अकेला इस शहर में , भूखे पेट बैठा है , अनशन हमारा पेशा है" . ....
हम आप की तरह हैं  लेकिन अलग हैं . अंदर से एंग्री यंग मैन हैँ . छोडूंगा नहीं , बदल डालूँगा ...चाहे इसके लिए मुझे सौ अनशन क्यूँ न करना पड़े....
पुण्य प्रशून बाजपेयी जी ....आपके सभी प्रश्न का  उत्तर "आप" हैं . राज्य नहीं स्वराज्य होगा . 

तीन चैनल , तीन हीरो , आप किसके साथ हैं ?...जब से याद है , इतना मजेदार चुनाव नहीं देखा ..... आने वाले 3-4 महीने टीवी के प्राइम टाइम के लिए रिज़र्व .....