What an Idea Sirji !!!

This is an entry to "The Idea Caravan" sponsored by Franklin Templeton Investments

What an Idea Sirji

Every time I saw the "Idea" ad on my Idiotbox, I used to think it to be a lame advertisement which doesn't have any credibility in reality. "An idea can change the world". How is that even possible? India is a junkyard of problems ranging from corruption to molestation, poverty to un-education. We, the Indians are in such a state of affairs that we can’t do with just an idea but we need a revolution. Every time you switch on the news channel, there are pre-defined set of depressing events rolling- new corruption seeing the days of light, lower standards of poverty redefined, human morality dropping an inch with every passing hour, disrobing the modesty of women in some part of the country, people in power making money out of children’s meals or charity; the list goes on and on and on...

I was an optimist person with great zeal of energy and enthusiasm as a college lad who had big dreams to change the world and make the country a better place to live for one and all. Then I got out of college and stepped into the big bad world of rat race trying tooth and nail to keep myself ahead in the race. Over a decade I realized that optimism and positive attitude is on a downward trend. I have now become more pessimistic, cynical and negative in my attitude towards the term “India Rising/Shining”? Every time I hear someone say something similar to that I laugh it off. In the race to get higher TRPs, the media has played a spoil sport and probably lost their vision. How many times have we seen any positive news being flashed zillion times to create a positive impact on public? But a feud between 2 khans would get the primetime attention as breaking news and panel discussion. If the media showcases ONLY faults of our politicians, high profile leaders, how can one expect a positive attitude in citizens? No wonder people like me have become cynical which is very well put in the movie “Rang De Basanti”; where they all laugh and say “Is desh ka kuch nahi ho sakta”. Yes, nothing positive can come in India if we continue on our current path.

Thinking of all these things I got through “The Idea Caravan” which had a positive attitude and vision to changing the future of our country. This is an initiative by Franklin Templeton Investments partnered the TEDxGateway Mumbai in December 2012. The attractive prizes were encouraging enough for me to browse through the videos, though with a skeptical mind frame initially. Couple of videos down, I could feel the lost hope and enthusiasm. It made me realize that all is not lost and we are not a completely failed country. There is still hope at the end of the tunnel. There are many unsung heroes, who are the torch bearers of optimism and humility carving the path for our better tomorrow. These are the real heroes who have dedicated their life for something completely beyond materialistic façade.

Every single video was a story in itself to make our lives better. But there is one video which emphasized on “water” really quenched my thirst for selfless deed.

Video 1: Suprio Das

Suprio has proved that- “Even a mile long journey starts with a single step”. He didn't wait for people’s approval of his idea. He followed his instinct and selfless act of materializing Rabindranath Tagore’s “Ekla Chalo Re”.

The issue with water inspired me to search and read about it more and landed up in following link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/datablog/2011/jun/28/water-scarcity-africa-middle-east

The more I read, the more it felt like we are sitting on time bomb which can boom anytime. Even a cosmopolitan city like Bangalore is not spared by the evil of water scarcity. There have been reports of water bed dehydrating. Migration has set the wheel of borewell’s spinning at alarming rate. Apparently, the city is not equipped to support big populations with drinking water and sewage needs. The city’s water-bed is drying up and the water mafia is making people cough for drinking water. A recent study had scared the living daylights of the IT crowd in the Silicon Valley of India.

http://www.firstpost.com/india/will-bangalore-have-to-be-evacuated-by-2023-697649.html

Hopefully this would eventually delay the time bomb which is inevitable unless a miracle happens. We are all familiar with the Cauvery water fiasco or the drastic change in Bangalore’s weather. If no action is taken, the day is not far when the world would probably turn into water world (1995 movie) where there is water everywhere but not a drop to drink.

Some actions are being taken by authorities but we as citizens also have to come together and stand for the cause. At the end of the day its our city, our country, our earth and we are the one responsible for our actions.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-03-27/bangalore/38069188_1_borewells-karnataka-ground-water-authority-bwssb

The study has not just made the authorities but even the citizens responsible to a certain extent. This recent event led many Bangalore apartment complexes to install Rain Water Harvesting system. We went one step ahead and started saving the water discarded from RO water purifiers. This water is used for car wash or gardens. This is not a revolution, but this one step of saving discarded water from our purifiers has shown great results and savings in our complex.

Now the TEDs link has become idea store for me. The app available for smartphone not only gives easy access during commute, but also keeps nurturing the positive attitude in me.

People like Suprio and many others have taken a step towards their passion and Franklin Templeton Investments with this contest is helping create a bigger foot print. Tiny four lettered word “Idea” is peeping through the TEDs window and is about to make a giant leap for humanity. My vocabulary falls short in praise for people like Suprio but to warp-up I would say- What an Idea sirji.

The Chosen One

The room is full, every soul looks dull

The trainer is trying hard to break through our skull

The mobiles are out and laptops switched on

Everyone is looking time to quickly move on

Pretending a seriously “thinking” expression on their faces

They try to show, they understood the project and all the phases

Holding hard the urge to doze or yawn

Phones are being used on and on

Wishing a small unharmed earthquake

Or at least a fire without any life at stake

Anything, to make the training stop

I SMSed the almighty back to back non-stop

Before the SMS reached the Intended Lord

Trainer caught me totally off-guard.

He started bombarding questions

To embarrass me, being his sole intention

Miraculously, answers poured out of me

Everyone was taken aback, including me

The questions woke me up far and wide

While the trainer proceeded to his next slide

I was awake for the rest of the class

And tried to participate with the mass

After 4 long hours the training was done

With little “Gyaan” I got, I felt I am “The Chosen One”

The Hooded Man

It was early evening. But, it seemed like night has unexpectedly descended. The last fragments of sunlight also vanished. Moon, that was shining until now has been eclipsed by the clouds. The temperature dropped suddenly. It was cold. The chill in the air was crawling under the skin. But, the weather department predicted it to be a normal day. I saw through the window. The darkness seems to have engulfed the planet. It was a pitch dark night. The street below seemed deserted. The lone owl was hooting at a distance. Crickets were making their usual noise. I felt uneasy, restless and nervous. I felt a Jitter and got out of the bed.

Slowly I walked towards the door. The door knob was cold as ice. It refused to budge at first. I tried again and the door gave way. It opened with loud creaking noise. I peeked outside my room. The hallway was dark. The kitchen light was glowing. A movement of shadow was visible. I called in low voice- “Mom!!” No response. I called again, louder. Still everything was calm. I turned back to see my deserted room. I came out wondering why mom is not answering. Suddenly the door slammed with a loud bang. I was horrified. I looked around and there was no-one. I called again- “Mom…” Still there was no response.

Slowly I started moving towards the kitchen, with my back to the wall. I was scared. I saw a shadow moving again under the light. “Who is there?” I managed to utter. Then I saw the shadow facing the stove; away from me. I was relieved and walked towards it. I went closer and placed my hand on the shoulders. Suddenly there was silence; an eerie silence. The shadow turned slowly towards me. What I saw, threw me back few paces.

Frozen and paralyzed I tried to recognize any facial features. The hood covering the head was making it difficult to recognize anything. The fiery red eyes were glowing. I kept staring. As if I was hypnotized. The figure started moving towards me. He stretched out his hand. "Come closer," he said in a low voice. I thought my heart was going to come out of my chest, it beat so hard. My legs gave out and I fell to the ground on my knees. I was sweating badly. He continued to come closer; with his hands stretched. I closed my eyes. My tears started rolling. I got my sweaty palms together and began to pray. I prayed and prayed.

He was now standing in front of me. I could feel his presence close to my chest. Suddenly there was silence; an eerie silence. I could hear my heart beating faster and faster. Suddenly I felt the hand on my shoulders. I shrieked loudly and opened my eyes. I was in my bed sweating. The tears were still streaming from my face. I was shaking badly and promised myself again- “I’m not going to watch any horror movies ever!!”