Why Swacch Bharat mission can fail?

Sanitation and cleanliness are surely a society’s greatest priority. These are indeed the things that define a civilization. Even Mahatma Gandhi, father of the nation, averred that sanitation and cleanliness are even more crucial than a society’s independence and its individuals’ privacy.

Keeping all these things in mind and pondering over the current dismal standards of sanitation in the whole nation, Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi launched the “Swacch Bharat Mission” aimed at cleaning the whole nation and spreading awareness among people and stimulating others not to make their nation a filthy place. Swacch Bharat mission till now has garnered a lot of support and galvanized people into action. Many big politicians including our own Prime Minister went to various places cleaning the garbage or filth themselves; many big sports players and film stars came on street to do the same and to create awareness among the campaign.

But still the chances of the success of this campaign remain dramatically low. Though the campaign in itself has become a big name with school children, office employees etc. participating in the same but despite of this fact the program still needs to evolve a lot to fit to Indian standards.

One of the main reasons behind a probable failure of this campaign is encroachment. In today’s era, if you go to grassroot level and visit colonies or districts (even of big metropolitan areas) you could see that more than half of the area of the lane has been encroached by cars parked illegally. This leads to complete malfunction of the traffic there and the encroachment also leads to inefficaciousness in sanitation of the area, thereby making the lives of people there much more difficult.

The other thing is the reluctance of grass root level leaders to effect a change. When the campaign was started, MLAs, MPs rushed to their constituencies to make one or two arrangements in order to impress the government and the people but today, just as the popularity of the program is going down, these people are also shifting back to their previous disposition. These authorities are reluctant to make arrangements in their own area in order to institute complete cleanliness of the area.

One more thing to be noticed is the lax given by sanitation authorities to check the sanitation of the area. Workers here are much more indifferent towards filth and anything, and don’t even come on regular basis, the authorities show an attitude of complete apathy to all things, exaggerating the condition. Recently I visited a park and saw a small garbage bin. Just as I saw it, I also saw some waste dumped just adjacent to it and thought how much stupid are those people who did it, if our own PM can go and clean an area, can’t they people contribute that much; but just as I moved ahead out of the shades of trees, I noticed that the whole bin was replenished in garbage and that’s why those people had put their garbage there so that workers could easily take it out. This surely signifies two things. One that there is remarkable lax in the sanitation department and its workers and second is that people really want to change.

Some people really want to change and through these people the whole nation can be changed, we just need to put in our best efforts.

JAI HIND, JAI BHARAT

JAI MA BHARTI

Greed of power.

Recently photos of Mamta Banerjee with some staunch Left party leaders convulsed Bengal and India too. One of the deadliest rivals in the contemporary Indian politics are meeting each other and that too with no drama and protests. Everyone can smell the rat and moreover the alliance of Nitish Yadav and Lalu Yadav, the ones who never even liked to see each other’s countenance, clearly signals that something is being made to rise in the Indian politics.

Recently, just as BJP smashed all other parties in the elections, Indian National Congress knew it was the termination of its era which would take more than 3 to four Lok Sabha terms for a complete redux while on the other hand, some heavyweight parties like BSP could not even bank on one constituency. Such things shook the political lobby of the nation completely and now with such a wonderful and powerful working style of the Indian prime minister it’s pretty sure that fighting upcoming elections with the BJP could prove to be nightmare. But greed can make a person do anything and hence a complete plan is being made to make a foundation like “Janata Party” comprising of anti-BJP parties.

Janata Party was a great party formed by the efforts of Jayprakash Narayan who asked all the non-Congress parties to team up to fight elections against Congress due to its bad deeds of announcing emergency in the nation but nowadays these political parties are using this name just to satiate their greed of power.

Amusingly the argument on which they base their case is that BJP is unsecular. Such a rubbish and baseless argument is enough and ample to portray the fear in their minds. Since the BJP has come to center, not even a single case of a mishandled riots has come out, and talking about secularism then BJP’s leader Mr. Narendra Modi was acquitted of all the charges and hence no one can blame him today for anything because the apex court of the nation has clearly said that Mr. Narendra Modi had no role in instigating a riot, but the congress leaders in the 1984 riots have still not been acquitted of their charges. Talking about other parties, Lalu Prasad Yadav is himself embroiled in fodder scam and can’t fight elections, Mamata Banerjee government’s malfunctioning, corruption and reluctance to do any good to state has also been revealed. The recent blast cases also clearly signaled the government’s vulnerability in dealing with such matters.

But still greed is greed and greed can make a person do anything even if it its against his own nation and these people have a sure greed of power and have never done anything good to the nation before. Now, if someone (Mr. Modi) wants to do good for the nation, these people just want to get him obstructed and hindered.

JAI HIND, JAI BHARAT

JAI MA BHARTI

The seeds of distrust :India and China

Recently just 5 days back, as the birthday anniversary of one of the most dynamic political leaders ever born in the nation Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru passed away, this time topic of discussion was, “Who does Nehru belongs to?” Whether the contemporary Prime Minister of the nation Narendra Modi’s efforts to snatch away Indian National Congress’(INC’s) idols from it justified or not. But rather than focusing on that aspect of the 125^th birth anniversary of the first prime minister of India, let’s focus on one of the main dilemma the engulfed him throughout his life and at last most probably also become the most fateful cause of his demise.

One of the most astonishing and intriguing facet of Nehru’s life deals with the People’s Republic of China. Though Nehru was enamored by the Chinese culture and civilizations but he was mainly torn apart between the option of trusting China or snubbing China,

Nehru’s first significant encounter with China took place at the World Congress of Oppressed People held in Brussels in the year 1927. The representatives and diplomats from Chinese side included wife of one of the founding fathers of China and also the first Chinese President Sun Yat-sen, Soong Ching-ling, who greatly impressed Mr. Nehru and attracted his attention towards one of Indian neighbours, China.

Nehru started forming many views in his mind about China and always felt delights in improving the proximity of relations between India and China.  He frequently supported the Chinese combating the Japanese invaders and even started many assistance camps for the Chinese soldiers and even went on to initiate a complete medical mission to China which included famous Indian physician Dwarkanath Shantaram Kotnis.

But in 1947, the relationship which Nehru wanted to see as robust was shattered into pieces and never recovered. During the Asian-Relation conference in Delhi, the differences between the two nations became apparent on matters related to the sovereignty of Tibet. China launched a strong protest of this act of India and Chiang Kai-shek, former President of PRC, only agreed to send his delegation if there would be no discussion of Tibet’s status. Nehru assured the Chinese government that the same would be done but when Chinese delegation found a map depicting Tibet as a separate nation and a Tibetan flag installed with flags of other nations, the Chinese never trusted Nehru again. In 1949 also, when Kuomintang ambassador to New Delhi  told Chiang Kai-shek that Nehru might recognize the communist regime in China if China promulgates the prescription of Simla Agreement, but the Chinese President outrightly denied doing any such thing because of the lack of trust that had matured between the two nations till now.

The “Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai” was in itself based on inauthenticity, lack of trust and falsehood and that’s why could never soar up that the war of 1962 is still a clear proof of the prevalent distress between the two nations at that time. Though time is the greatest healer but still distrust is abundant between the two nations, hope that one day we could say, “Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai”.

JAI HIND, JAI BHARAT

JAI MA BHARTI

India and Australia.

Recently Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to Australia for a high level diplomatic G20 talks but his visit was not just decimated by the ending of G20, Mr. Modi was from the very next day of closing of G-20 was on bilateral talks between the two nation.

Today, Australia and India are mainly connected by two things, cricket and food. In Australia, there is an uncanny craze among people for food. In Sydney only more than 200 Indian cuisine restaurants are there and butter chicken etc. dishes are the most favored ones in the Australian continent; the other thread that binds us with this nation is cricket. Cricket has always been a craze for both the nations and an unusual charm has always been there in the cricket tournaments of Australia and India.

But to scramble up the success ladder, we need to move past the cricket and cuisine to have some serious talks.

Contemporarily, India and Australia are standing on a platform where they need each other humongously. There is hardly any field where the two significant nations of the world can’t cooperation to get the best results out. In importing, exporting, gold, coal, education sector, everywhere both the nations want a partner like each other and that’s why this promising relationship surely holds the potential of reaching beyond cricket and curry.

These two nations are today, significant players in the world politics and hence need to be a good partner of each other too in order to improve their horizons in many other fields. If we go according to the current pattern, then you will notice that the bilateral trade which amounted for 4.3 billion Australian dollar reached the limit of 18.7 billion USD in the year 2010 and the trade can be hiked up to $40 billion till the end of the year 2016.

If we talk about the military sector, then too both the nations are helping each other tremendously. In year 2007, both conducted a joint naval exercise in the Indian Ocean termed Malabar 2007, while Australia is also supposed to soon lock a uranium selling agreement with India. Australia’s huge uranium reserved can be used on the Indian soil in order to produce more energy in India to help lighten up the lights of its citizens.

In the year 2009, it was calculated that there are around 3,90,894 person of Indian origin residing in Australia and if we count in them the NRIs etc. the figure would cross the half million mark. Owning to this, Australia is also a huge destination for Indian students. In every top universities of Australia, you can find Indian nationality included in the top three nationalities.

India can benefit much from Australia while on the other hand, Australia can benefit from India through its imports of coal, gold etc. from India and now with programs like Make in India, Australian investors can also come to India to invest and find the best workforce.

This relationship surely holds a lot of potential, what we need to do is to realize the potential and work according to that.

JAI HIND, JAI BHARAT

JAI MA BHARTI

China and the world.

Recently in Brisbane, Australia, G20 summit was concluded amid huge diplomacies and meeting of world’s biggest economies, powers and heavyweights but one thing that was evident all over the summits was “evident animosity” between various nation.

Besides being at cross roads with Russia, after it’s acts against the western nations and the botched up Ukraine voting, United States of America left no stone unturned in demarcating out that Beijing is also not very much behind Russia, in following its ideology of being anti-western and intimidating towards its own neighbor.

During the meeting of the heads of states of United States and China during the 26^th APEC summit, both the leaders appeared somehow reluctant and meeting was termed as “cold” by the international media and as far as I am concerned, United States has vented up their anger in Brisbane.

United States of America’s President Mr. Barack Obama commenting on the incredibly splendid progress that Asian economies have made in the past year quoted, “Yet alongside this dynamism there are genuine dangers that can undermine the progress.” “Disputes over territory-remote islands and rocky shoals – that threaten to spiral into confrontation”, he added.

Obama has correctly nudged the world that security orders must be based on alliance, not intimidation. Just as China started experiencing huge economic gains, it commenced threatening the world around, and this is pretty contrary to what great nations should do. Today China is in confrontations with so many other nations that almost the whole of the Asian continent is somehow dismay and vexed by it.

China is in territorial dispute with India over the line of border between the two nations. Its soldiers, often make intrusions inside the Indian line of control area and threaten the inhabitants near the border. Such techniques to signal its strength are surely outdated. What China wants to portray through all this is that China can do anything, it is omnipotent, but according to the world, these techniques are much more irrelevant in this 21^st century which is being deemed as an epoch demanding complete alliance and no vendetta between nations.

China has also been antagonizing its relationship with Japan by exerting uncanny authority over the latter’s islands. The disputed islands of Senkaku/ Daikokuya have been a heated topic of debate between the Japanese and Chinese side.

Besides this, China’s unusual demand of acquiring complete ownership of South China Sea, one of the biggest sea link connecting various nations and also ameliorating trade around the world. For this too, China has made others its antagonist.

China’s relationship with Vietnam and the Philippines also touched complete nadir when China tried to attack their sovereignty at water thereby these two nations too stood against the threatening policies of China.

There is no denying in the fact that during the previous three to four decades, China has authentically portrayed the story of a rags to riches country. Today China ranks first in GDP (PPP), has world’s largest army, world’s biggest manufacturing hub; but notwithstanding such things, China is supposed to be helpful to the world rather than being an intimidating and threatening figure trying to challenge other nation’s security and integrity. Such practices must be completely banished from a country’s philosophy in this crucial era of cooperation among the nations.

Its good that China is advancing fast but still it has to adhere to some rules and regulations which proscribe intimidating others just because they are less powerful than you.

Today rather than being a thorn for world, China must aim at becoming a good friend to all and help this world out of crises like terrorism, climate change etc. or surely one day this nation too, will observe its downfall pretty early.

JAI HIND, JAI BHARAT

JAI MA BHARTI

The New Cold War.

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is contemporarily world’s most powerful summit taking place over the planet and undoubtedly most divided too.           

APEC aims to promote the cause for free trade between the Asian countries and those surrounding the pacific region. This summit was beget in 1989, at a time when economies of both the nations Asian and Pacific were experiencing huge upliftments and pinnacles and this was seen as a crucial measure in order to deny any restrictions in trades and to formulate policies for smooth, free and harmonious trade between countries of these two nation.

Today, APEC consists of 21 Pacific Rim members accounting for 40% of the world’s population, 44% of World trade and 54% of the world’s GDP and hence this group comprises of world’s most powerful nations including United States of America, Russia and People’s Republic of China.

But this time this summit meant for more drama than big deals. The growing animosity between the big powers of the nation in this summit was obvious by the countenance of the heads of the states.

Today, world is on the brink of another cold war (but obviously of less significance from the previous one), where one side there is Russia and most probably China and on the other side there are western nation. After the Ukraine voting fiasco and the gunning down of a jet on Ukraine land by rebels (western nations deem Russia as the culpable one), the relations between the Western nations including France, USA, Germany and UK have been deteriorating at a pace faster than ever. The same thing was pretty much evident in the summit too. The cold handshakes between the leaders of the world and the lack of eye contact between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his USA counterpart Barack Obama made it obvious to the whole world that the rivalry between the two nations have not become oblivious till now.

The cold behaviour between the heads of the states of Unites States and China was also lucid to everyone around. During their meetings, Mr. Obama as well as his Chinese counterpart appear much more reluctant to talk more about anything special and hence their talks didn’t resulted in something extraordinary.

While besides this Mr. Obama hardly looked at Putin during his meetings. Both the leaders appeared as if they are sharing a vendetta (which they are really sharing) and as if they both have never known each other. They even didn't look at their eyes.

All this clearly gave the signals of polarization of the world. Once again the same situations are arising but fortunately possibilities of a cold war are pretty much dim but you never know.

Jai Hind, Jai Bharat

Jai Ma Bharati 

Politics of idols.

Out of 67 years of Independence, it would not be wrong to quote here that Indian National Congress (INC) ruled us for around 60 years, and many years out of those sixty year were there for its forefathers like Nehru and Gandhi.

Today, INC has took hold of all the previous forefathers of the nation but Sardar Patel. Today if you listen to the name of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the second thought in your mind would be of INC only (despite of Gandhi’s wish to get the Congress dissolved). Over the period of previous sixty years, the INC congress which has always been spearheaded by member of Nehru-Gandhi family directly or indirectly casted this great net over us all taking away all the freedom fighters of the nation as its own and due to this practice there are misconceptions in India like Mahatma Gandhi was a congressman and many things like that just because of the fables they have been made to hear through the mouth of INC.

This practice also gave a lot of fruition to INC too. In India, soon there was a generation in 60s to 80s who used to vote for this party just because it had these great forefathers of the nation. You could go on and on and count every bad thing this party did to India but at last such people would say, our father always voted for congress and we would do the same, no matter how much bad it is (just an example).  Many of the victories that INC achieved can be attributed to this thing of the party and even till today this is evident in speeches of Rahul Gandhi who continues to talk about his grandmother in order to take the advantage of the same formula.

But this time fortunately for the nation and unfortunately for the party, it got a tough contender whose aim is not defeat Congress in the elections but to decimate the party for forever and hence Modi has started doing for BJP what INC did for itself years back. Modi has chosen Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel as his idol in the politics and has even started making the “Statue for Unity” to epitomize him as a great Indian leader and immortalize him as a great Indian personality. Celebrating 31^st October as the birthday of Sardar Patel rather than as commemoration day of Indira Gandhi was also a shrewd move by Modi. Besides this, he has started taking away congress’ idols from it too. Mr. Modi has also started talking about Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Nehru in his speeches connecting them more with BJP and less with Congress thereby making a transition in the moods of Indians too.

The policy which Mr. Modi is using today is a very ingenious one full of acumen and can land Congress its worst blow ever. What we have to see now is whether Modi becomes successful in his attempt to redux Indian politics or whether Congress strikes again.

JAI HIND, JAI BHARAT

JAI MA BHARTI