My Language Your Language

During an abstract reading from a learned Professor Dr. A.K Das has given me the idea to pen down my view.

Define language?

A systematic means of communicating, but now a day it has become a means of conflict. And when there is conflict there is violence. The language is as sensitive as religion or caste sounds strange. Language and religion are both sporadic and the net result can detriment our unity. If religion can create Pakistan, then language conflict can create Bangladesh.

When we talk loudly of our nationalism, each person's idea of nationalism is his own brand of nationalism. It may be Assamese nationalism, it may be Bengali, and it may be Gujrati, Uttar Pradesh, Punjabi or Madrasi. Each one has his own particular brand in mind. He may use the word nationalism of India but in his mind, he is thinking of that nationalism in terms of his own brand of it. When two brands of nationalism come into conflict, there is trouble. In India the language conflict is more than that, it is conflict between political parties; social groups; elite groups vs. rest of the population. The heartbreaking thing that I observed in my country is that we respect foreigner’s and their language but we forget to respect the languages of our owns.

The history of language conflict in modern times can be traced back to 1938, when the Madras Government headed by C. Rajgopalachari made Hindi a compulsory language to be learned by the students of the state. Periyar E. V. Ramaswamy, the founder of Dravidian Movement, opposed this tooth and nail and launched an anti-Hindi agitation. The recommendations of the Official Language Commission led to some serious developments in Assam.

Many scholars believe the stubborn nature of Indian towards his or her own language may balkanize India. I strongly believe we should have a pluralistic approach to have a solution to this. The existence of a language or its esteem cannot be detriment by some people. I have lived in a state where the language was an alien to me, for me learning this new language has not only made me more closely to the soil but towards the people too. Embracing a language has never made me inferior nor was it a threat towards my own mother tongue rather it made me strong and gave me new dimensions.

We all should come out of the barrier that we have created for ourselves and stop alienating the beautiful language that we are gifted by virtue of being born in India and try to be called the true son of the soils.

A Freaky Oracle

In the mid of world cup suddenly the world’s attention is drawn to an octopus. This is not an ordinary Octopus the big news channels like BBC and the CNN reports an oracle octopus. In the advancement of technology the superstition among the people has also advanced. The West who looks down to the East and tells us that we are people who are clutched by superstition who worship animals and plants has started to believe a sea monster.

The final match of the FIFA World Cup 2010 will be played today between Spain and Netherlands. Spain and Holland have been left behind and only thing that’s catching media attention is the prediction of the Oracle - Paul the psychic Octopus. This creature has not made a single mistake since the very beginning of the World cup.

Who hell is this octopus from where has he come to predict and destroy the suspense. On the Wikipedia page he is being described as nothing but a common octopus hatched from an egg at the Sea Life Centre in Weymouth, England and then relocated to a tank at a Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany. His name was derived from the title of a poem in a children’s poetry book in Germany, written by Boy Lornsen.

Tell it a psychic or tell it a co-incidence this octopus has predicted almost all the result correctly 11 out of 13 for an animal the success rate is really high I believe. For an instance the octopus has shifted from Germany box to Uruguay box and finally to Germany box in the match between Germany and Uruguay.

According to Sea Life's entertainment director, Daniel Fey, Paul demonstrated intelligence early in life so they decided that they had to find out what his special talents were. The rest, as they say, is history.

Trust me....this Oracle guy is too much for my little head J

Grim days in farmer’s life

A suicide in every 8 hours that was something which was said previous year in India as the farmers started to do suicide around the country. Those who have committed suicide were between 25 to 50 years of age a right age and a wrong decision. Among the many Vidarbha in Maharastra the worst affected one.  All of them were cultivators of cotton. The study organized by the Tata Institute of Social Science on the order of Bombay High Court into the matter for an independent study and research regarding the cause of the suicide has pointed and concluded one broad reason is indebtedness, a major cause for the suicide among the farmers. In that region the farmers takes credit in the traditional way from the money lenders and not from the bank. They were burdened by one credit after another as they were exposed to unbearable price fluctuations. In India farmers are not informed or taught about the modern techniques or the facility they can avail for farming. In simple words agriculture lost its place in India.

The media raised a great hue and cry over the suicide. The oppositions rocked the parliament stopped the proceedings all these made the government to open their deaf ears and listen to the cry of the farmers in Vidarbha and other parts of the region. The immediate thing that Dr. Manmohan Singh government did is the relief package of 3750 core of credit to the farmer from the banks and other financial institution to take the farmers out from their plight. Well the package and relief sounds lucrative and make us believe that Indian government is a caring for the poor government but the truth is different. In ground the relief given was less than a thousand cores was there any roar or any news no. Only few independent study by some of the social organizations has reported it but who cares. The news lost its charm of getting publicity. The truth with the farmer is taking or implementing new technologies for the poor farmers are too risky as they are expensive and farmers are skeptical about them they opt for the tradition way of farming. These poor farmers do not have the capacity to bear another failure by taking loan.

It is in the hand of government and the concerned authority to take care and educate the farmer to go for some other crop. In the words of MS Swaminathan Chairman, National Commission on Farmers

"In Vidharbha, it is too risky to adopt expensive technologies. Small farmers who take loans for cultivation have no capacity to meet the calamity of crop failure. Traditional crops like jowar should again be revived. The funds allotted under the Prime Minister's package for seed replacement should be used to promote jowar, pulses and legumes. Also, organic farming and crop-livestock integration should be promoted on both ecological and economic grounds. Vidharbha can be declared as the Organic Farming Zone of Maharashtra, so that its oranges, jowar, cotton and other crops become known as organic products and thereby gain in market value."

There is a light in this grim tunnel the only thing we need is a torch bearer.

Breeding Corruption or Healing Disease

Recently, I was able to visit our government hospital for a member of my family. I would like to tell you the truths which are not shown to us by the government or the media.

In fact I visited the biggest government hospital, in the state the state call Tripura. I believe very few of my reader knows about that state, I don’t want to go to describe the topology of my state I believe the reader will Google that.

Well it began from the entrance door, the so call security guard, who are just a show piece put in the place who are totally manner less, shameless in true perfect example of asshole, was not allowing us to enter the hospital, he was asking us only the patient should enter and only one member which was totally absurd. Somehow after begging a lot he settles down with 50 rupees each to allow four of us including the patient to enter the hospital. We were out of breath that time firstly because of the tensions that we had from the beginning secondly, the conversation that we had with the guards. Somehow we took our breath and call a sister to help us, believe me none of the sister was ready to leave their gossip chair circle and come for help. After a number of requests to the entire sisterhood one of them gave a look a mixed look with hatred and disgust came to us and spoke in a harsh manner as if some street dogs came. She said harshly make the patient lie in the floor we don’t have beds, and wait for the doctor to come tomorrow as the doctor left for the day imagine a government hospital and seniors doctor went around 4pm. I was furious from inside by that time but controlling my emotions I asked her where the doctor went in the evening she promptly and proudly replied he went to his private clinic to see patient. I then asked then who will see the patient in place of him, she told 3^rd year medical students will. I was taken by surprise a critical case is seen by a 3^rd year medical student where am I in a hospital or in the hell I believe the hell would be a better place to live then staying in the government hospitals.

As I moved around the corridors, narrow passage in between the patient lying in the hospital, I felt like crying and cursing the almighty why he is so mum why does not he really takes some steps against such a misdoings of humans. There was so much sadness so much pain so much lost look in the patient and there family. People were lying like animals flies were flying all-round them rats were looking out of the hole to get some taste of blood, a unpleasant smell which was making me to vomit.

Nobody to console, take care, to look after them. I remember the days when my father use to tell me doctors are the god, does the god behave like this to their children does he makes money by drinking the blood of humans then why the doctor does.

As I was going through the place I was started to search a medical student for the first check up. Then i found one and asked him to see the patient that we brought as we were moving I told him the details of the patient the student was good and gentle that I need to admit, he came and helped us and said in privately to pay 500 rupees to the sister then they will give a bed, I said if we don’t then he said then the patient will never get a bed and will have to lie down like the others in the floor I got fear on hearing this I immediately rushed to the Head Sister and said I will pay you for a bed. Then she said with a stretching tune asked me to wait. I waited there for one hour then she came and said there is a bed but remember if any VIP or any political persons come then you need to vacate the place imagine I live in a country where the basic necessities are being reserved according to your place in the society. Thanks to the democratic country, where privileges are for the rich and the powerful.

Well at last we got a bed for the patient, by that time it was 7pm, the young doctor after seeing the patient told us that he really get upset and disturbed by seeing the plight of the patient but he cannot do anything as one day after finishing this medical course he will to behave like them and will become a player in this system like his senior doctors and run after money.

No wonder why the private hospitals are favored the most even they take money they charge you more but they don’t add more traumas to the patient and their family who already have. On that very day I understood one thing that money speaks not human.  For a small push of injection to getting water you need to pay the hospital people money. That day I got to see leach in the disguise of human.

The government hospitals are the epicenter for breeding corruption. And doctors they are at their best to breed them.