Making choices in public

Passengers should refuse to ride in any vehicle driven by someone who has been drinking. Besides, given the perils of passive smoking they should also not let anybody smoke in public transport and any other public places. And there are many such things which people should do but they don’t. Reasons can be aplenty. “What I have to do?”, “I cannot do it alone” and “Look my contribution will hardly make a difference in the situation.” These are some of the common justifications.

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Experiences from a tribal village

I was walking hurriedly towards Ambavi when suddenly a man whose face was familiar, stopped me and made a request. This request was bitter than any of the requests I have ever had. He became so cruel in my eyes that I felt strongly to thrash him, at least with words. I was in a hurry and I kept walking. The man actually said to me to look for if there is somebody sick or in great need of money and willing to sell any livestock. I felt as if, the human has lost its very essence and this is inhumane. Some people say that this is a market economy. Then what actually it is? The question kept ringing my mind for few more days and I arrived at a conclusion that it is shrewd exploitation. Shrewd in a manner because even the victim is not sure if he was exploited?

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Should water be free?

Every other day some prophet or some political leader come calling that the next world war will be over water. True, truths are always bitter. In the recent years, there has been a lot of discussion over sustainable development and to check the over exploitation of natural resources. Climate activists have suddenly sprung up all over the world. Among all the natural resources water stands as the most important. It not only keeps the humans, animals and plants alive but also lubricates our industries. The developing nations have been several times accused of the indiscriminate usage of the natural capital. In such a scenario, should the governments revert to the idea to put greater charges over water use, with an objective to curtail its use or say make the citizens use it judiciously?

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Are all the mothers same?

It has been quite some time that I left my home for studies and work and so did many of my friends. In many of the conversations with friends I realized that I'm not alone who is nostalgic (admitting hereby). We persistently used to miss the home cooked food and everything else. One of the strategies which I followed while in college was to befriend girls who were living with their families and then become a parasite to their lunch boxes! It worked most of the times and I was happy.

Gradually, I started to map the perceptions of the people about families, parents and especially mothers. I was able to identify a pattern, however, not very consistent. It seemed to me that those who have been away from their families and parents for some time after their adolescence have more fonder memories, respect and worries for them. In general, such people miss their home more often and with grace. They are the people who are more attached to their families, in other words (exceptions not denied). On the other hand, those who have never been away from home do not value the family values and a small thing like home cooked food, as much as their "migrated" counterparts. In a family, for the needs of the children, the most important role is played by a mother. I never doubted that mothers anywhere in the world can have differential feelings for their children. In fact, I strongly believe (personal bias not ruled out) that mothers all over the world have more or less the same feelings and concerns for their children - irrespective of social status and other criteria of divisions.

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