Self Responsibility and Self Realization

I guess most of us keep getting forwards on how other countries maintain the cleanliness of their streets and improve the decorum but we as Indians do not do it... Not in our own country and sometimes, not in the country that we visit also. These mails and discussions on the internet actually makes me wonder. How much do we really insist and imbibe this thought of cleanliness in our own lifestyle?

Do we tell our kids not throw litter out of the train window while travelling? Do we consciously make an effort to collect all the garbage that we churn out and put it safely in the dustbins? Most of the times, I have statements, "Naan mattum kuppa podama irundha ooru clean aaiduma?"... meaning, "If I alone do not litter, will the city become a clean place?".

If we are so conscious of keeping our surrounding clean why don't we even tell our closest friends and relatives not to litter? I have been laughed at for collecting all garbage during the travel and get it home for dumping it in the dustbin. But now, there are few around me who also follow the same. This makes me feel happy and my hope that slowly the habit to litter will reduce and we would all become more conscious of our environment increases.

Everytime I get such email fwds talking about keep your surrounding clean, this is what strikes me first. Just thought that I would share what I do with the rest of the world. This habit of littering is not restricted to India or just Indians. Humans all over the world have this lethargy. But we tend not to accept it coz of the rosy picture that we see from what is told to us through media or by people who visit such places. Reality is much different from what is heard or perceived. Let us all take a concious effort to change from within first. This would automatically bring in a change in the entire outlook of the society as a whole. Just my two cents...

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre

Today (April 13) in 1919, the most tragic event of the Jallianwala Bagh masaccre took place. Around 20000 people had gathered on the auspicious day of Baisakhi at Jalianwala Bagh, adjacent to Golden Temple (Amritsar), to lodge their protest peacefully against persecution by the British Indian Government. Just before sunset, General Dyre arrived with this batallion and opened fire indiscriminately at innocent empty handed people leaving hundreds of people dead, including women and children. Around 1650 rounds were fired into the crowd. The crowd was not even warned to disperse nor did they have any other way to exit the grounds other than the one that the General and his batallion were blocking. The only other place they could hide was a well. So people started jumping in the well to save themselves, only to find that the ones that followed suit were crushing them below the water. Many innocent lives were lost in this.

The official report accounts for 379 deaths. But it could quite be possible that the death toll might have been as high as 1000 or more. People who died even included the tourists (men, women, and children) who had come to Amritsar to celebrate the Baishaki festival. Udham Singh, a Sikh teenager who was being raised at Khalsa Orphanage, saw the happening on April 13, 1919 with his own eyes and avenged the killings of 1300+ of his countrymen by killing Michael O'Dwyer in London.

The details on these massacre can be found in detail at
http://www.punjabilok.com/misc/freedom/jallianwala_bagh.htm
http://www.sikh-history.com/sikhhist/events/jbagh.html

How many of us really remember this day from our history? Though there is a historical monument built in Amristar for these martyrs, how many visit that place or even think of them? Do any of us even remember the lives lost in this massacre and pay homage to them? Don't they deserve a nation wide respect and rememberence?

I salute to all those noble and innocent souls that died in the massacre on this day in 1919 and wish and hope that nothing as tragic as that ever happens here after. I pray that their souls rest in peace.

Young Party contesting the assembly elections

I generally do not discuss on political topics. Not because it is controversial but coz, it does not greatly interest me. But I read something that caught my attention and so I thought, I would post it here for others to know also.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/03/03/stories/2006030315510300.htm - an article in Hindu that talks about a party with three young educated people contesting the assembly elections.

http://www.lokparitran.org/ - This is the website of the party.

Reminded me of the movie Yuva. Till date there were lot of them who were just talking about young blood entering the political scenario might bring in change in the political structure of India. Hope this is a start for the change that has been talked about for so long by lots of people.