Going Cashless

SBI buddy is a mobile wallet that allows the user to transfer amount to his contacts with the click of a button. If the user is a vegetable vendor he can receive cash from his clients without dealing in paper money. At the end of the day be can transfer his earnings to his bank. Money can also be transferred into the bank account of ones child who may be in a hostel. All this happens instantly along with the confirmation received by SMS. Of course one can recharge his phone or DTH TV . Other shopping options are also available. The wallet  can be loaded by one's debt cum ATM card. If the user wants to send the money back to his bank, he can do it instantly.

The application needs an unrooted Android phone. The application should not be shared with anyone via Shareit  or similar apps. It is because the wallet app would consider this as rooting and start crashing after that. Then it would have to be downloaded again through the Play Store. Perhaps, this is because of the security issues.

In nutshell online business has become much easier now. I feel that this virtual wallet is poised to replace the paper money in the near future.

100 km Cycle rally- A telephonic talk with HS Phoolka

HS Phoolka of Aam Admi Party would be cycling from Ludhiana to Chandigarh. The cycle rally is aimed at promoting simplicity. The rally also wants to tell the Punjab Government to shun the VIP culture. The telephonic talk can be heard from the following links
Arrow Podcasts link - http://wp.me/P4JMou-6d
and
Box link https://app.box.com/s/o2i14z3ge69k83d50etdtapzdntefnod

The emerging political scene in Punjab

Analysing the results

A positive change

All about salt

MC polls in Jagraon

This time there are several independent candidates who are giving a tough fight to the Alkali and Congress candidates. Aam Admi Party is not in the political scene officially. However several people who have a soft corner for AAP are contesting from Jagraon as independents. People of the town want transparency in the utilization of funds. Some of them have even agreed to post the expenditure details on the internet. Honesty and dedication are the qualities that the citizens of Jagraon are looking in their leaders this time. The elections are multi-cornered and it is expected that several new  persons would emerge as winners in the municipality elections that are being held on 25 February.

The present political pulse - my two cents

The things that have been quite determinental in the political scene of our country very recently are as follows.

1 A Naulakha suit (A dress costing 9 Lakhs) worn by someone in a nation whose founder father Mahatma Gandhi had gone half naked to meet the King of Great Britain.
2 The theory of manufacturing four kids proposed by some leader.
3 Day and night slander campaign against Arvind Kejriwal by a bunch of traditional politicians that back fired terribly.
4 A candid statement by an actor turned politician from Bihar in favour of AAM Admi Party. His only fault was that he tried to be honest and straight forward whilst being in a party that can ill afford such moral luxuries.
5 The comments of the American President before and after leaving India. The first one is that India is sure to progress if it does not splinter due to bigotry. The second comment is about the perceived deviation from the path shown by Gandhiji. It meant that India could head towards being a non secular state in the future.

Why are the elections in Delhi so important?

The Great Britain developed a mature political set up much before the rest of the world. Their King gave due space to his political advisors. The Judicial system, the Transport system, the Postal system and the Police evolved much faster. Their Army had a superior command and control system that infused unmatched discipline amongst the soldiers. Disciplne lead to better organisational skills. This discipline was copied by the companies and mercenaries that went about doing their business across the globe.

The British found India much too wanting in organalisation skills and unity. The subcontinent had a vast spectrum of cultures, religious beliefs and languages. They conquered the whole of it and developed the Administrative mechanism, the Railway network and the Canals. But to their utter dismay these developments united the bulky land into a huge elephant. They had no option but to leave India as it had become unmanageable for them.

Democracy got newly introduced in India and somehow it worked despite several shortcomings. The language, caste, religion and regional divides  are still major barriers in the path of unity. Independent institutions like the Election Commission have been greatly weakened by the vested interests. One can only hope that the hardcore religious organisations do not have their Cells operating in the Army.

Presently the people see a ray of hope in the AAM Admi Party. It is based on rational thoughts and humanitarian principles. The elections in Delhi could become a milestone towards true democracy. Now, the future course of our country rests upon the Delhi-wasis.

Vote, Note and Cancer

There has been a substantial change in the government policy pertaining to advertisements of socially harmful substances. For the last several years our televisions were free from Ads  that promoted the consumption of cancer causing materials. Have you noted that these Ads have emerged once again?

Do not be surprised if the kids of your house get attracted towards carcinogenic things like Paan Masaalas. Somewhere in the corridors of power there has been a serious compromise with the welfare of the society. Aajtak channel, in particular is full of such Ads during Prime Time.

Your vote in favour of the corrupt politicians can surely affect the health and moral of the next generation. These far reaching consequences must be borne in mind before one goes to the polling booth. It is better to bring forward people who believe in honesty and humanity rather han those who are corrupt and communally biased. They would take VOTES from you and NOTES from the businessmen who popularise POISON and  give two hoots to the victims of CANCER.

E Coaching

A lot of technology is used in the modern day coaching.
First of all, exercises are prepared on plane sheets. All these exercises, along with some from help books, are scanned. A pdf file is made and uploaded to the Cloud storage. The student is provided with the down loading link on Whatsapp. He finishes the work sheets and takes a picture of each page. He sends them through Whatsapp. He sends audio files either through Gmail or Whatsapp. His work is checked by using various applications on the tablet PC. The checked work is sent back to him via Whatsapp. Thus a student who is doing MTech from Patiala is able to learn English from a teacher in Jagraon. A sample of the checked page is posted below.

Lohri Song

Sunder mundriye ho!
Tera kaun vicharaa ho!
Dullah Bhatti walla ho!
Dullhe di dhee vyayae ho!
Ser shakkar payee ho!
Kudi da laal pathaka ho!
Kudi da saalu paata ho!
Salu kaun samete!
Chache choori kutti! zamidara lutti!
Zamindaar sudhaye!
Bade bhole aaye!
Ek bhola reh gaya!
Sipahee far ke lai gaya!
Sipahee ne mari itt!
Bhaanvey ro te bhaanvey pitt!

It appears a bit difficult to comprehend the meaning of this poem written in Punjabi of the olden times. Despite being Punjabi myself only a little can be deciphered out of it. What ever little comes to my mind after reading it is as follows-

The people and their honour was at the mercy of the powerful in the so called 'Good old times'. Beautiful and innocent girls could not count on anyone except someone with a name called 'Abdulla Bhatti' or 'Dulla Bhatti'. A daughter could be married just by giving her a red Shawl even though it is quite a torn one. For sweets one Kg raw sugar was sufficient over the bonfire made in the woods. Still the big landlords find reason enough to summon the poor guys. And then his Sepoys have the cheek to beat these poor things with bricks because one of them could not turn up.
Quite chilly,Isn't it? But a marriage is a marriage and should be celebrated!
May be there is some other better translation. 
HAPPY LOHRI TO ALL

The National Capital Region

The national capital region is essentially the outgrown version of Delhi. Delhi was a predominantly muslim city before 1947. The influx of refugees from Punjab and Bengal changed its demography beyond recognition. The New Delhi designed by the British also changed as the white skinned Sahibs left the country.

The local population in the countryside villages around Delhi has always remained confused as the city changed faster than anyone could dream. Their natural lifestyle could never blend well with the ever changing styles of the city.

The Muslim population got reduced to minority. The new generation of the Punjabis mixed their mother tongues with Hindi in such a way that it created a kind of new dialect typical of Delhi. Trade and industry have been bringing people from all parts of the country. Also, quite often, the retired people from the armed forces, government and private organisations make it their new home.

What remains unique about the capital is that none of the various types of people claim themself to be true Delhi-wallas. Not even the Gujjars or any other tribe that has been living here for centuries.

Death knell for the newspapers

The newspapers of Punjab have begun to hear their death knell. With the advent of the smart phones very few people buy newspapers. The English newspapers in particular are vanishing into the thin air very fast. The reason being that a person who can read English does not need a newspaper. All he needs is an internet connection to know the latest happenings around him.

Most newspapers of the province have started focussing on their websites to have their presence felt. Ultimately which website becomes the most liked, trusted and visited for Punjab centric news remains yet to be seen.

The potential of the virtual world

Internet is commonly referred to as 'Vitual World'. May be in the initial days a ripple created on the world wide web of computers had little effect on the real life. But that isn't anymore. A minister in the previous government lost his office due to a tweet on a social networking site. A senior official of the cricket association also met the same fate due to similar reasons. It can make a person feel good just as it can cause a heart-break. Now that even money can be exchanged, food, grocery and services be bought, the virtual world has almost merged with the real world.

Internet has immense untapped potential. In India there can be a revolution if the Adharcard number, the bank account number, the telephone number and the passport number get merged into one. Further, if the currency becomes digital in place of the paper money and all the transactions are made to take place through phone, the crime rate could dwindle along with solving all the issues related to black money.

Perhaps, the politicians would be among the first to get effected by the monetary reforms. They may not easily allow such a transformation to take place.

How I auctioned my phone

Today I Posted a message on the Whatsapp group for the auction of my phone Nokia E 63. The minimum bidding price was fixed at Rs 300. The message was posted at 10.47 am. The group was of Aam admi Party Jagraon. Some one in the group asked me to upload the picture of the mobile. That was done. The first bidding took place at 11.32 am. The price quoted was Rs 500. There was no bidding after that. After 5pm the bidder was contacted. We both met at the Easyday Mall and closed the deal.

The worth of Fees

The worth of the money gotten in the form of fees from my students is much more than their apparent value. Perhaps, it is hundred times more. A thousand Rupees given by them is like one lakh. They make me swim in the river of their affection. They make me relive my childhood. They give me a feeling of having a large family. It often appears that there aren't just two sons in the house but a dozen of sons and daughters. The joy of being amidst young giggling faces isn't easy to describe. The respect earned through them is invaluable.
In a school the students may have to go to a teacher by compulsion. But in contrast the students come to a tuition master because they like him, as well as his teaching skills. This feeling of being liked and respected by the boys and girls just cannot be bought by money.
How thankful I am to God for making me a tuition master!

Dummy admissions

Coaching classes are marketing their services in Jagraon quite aggressively. Several institutes of Ludhiana held exams in Jagraon to attract the intelligent students. Their course would be of two years while the students would pursue their 11th and 12th class from some regular school. The coaching would be provided in both medical as well as non medical streams. Till now it seems that Career Academy of Ludhiana has taken a lead over other institutes. Nowadays the students plan to continue the higher secondary education from a school that puts least burden on them so that they may join the coaching classes and should be able to crack the entrance exam of the prestigious institutes of the country. Some students even plan to take a sort of dummy admission in some school so that they can have enough time to prepare for the competitive exams.

Bounties of the Sun

Jagraon-wasis ought to be thankful to the Rabb as they have enough Sunshine to prevent their spirits from sagging despite the cold spell that followed the rain. Yesterday one of my school time friends (Bharat Godra from Toronto) shared that he had been shovelling snow on Sunday afternoon. It must be quite a challenge of the sort to Keep the spirits up and also keep smiling when one is required to deal with the snow and that too on a Sunday. 

In India the sun is quite generous to us. But we realise its bounties only during the winter season. We love the Sun in the cold season just as much as we dread it in the Summers. Pehaps, every North Indian would agree that the joy of basking in the sun in December can hardly be compared in terms of wealth or any salary package.

Koi Chakkar ne - a teenage slang

A question that begins with - Is, Am, Are, Do, Did, Does, Has, Have, Had, Will, Shall, Can, Could etc has two answers. Either it can be answered in 'Yes' or "No'. For example let us consider an interrogative sentence,"Would you reach in time?" The answer to it can, normally, be "Yes' or "No'. But politicians come out with answers like 'No comments' or 'It depends'. Some may answer by saying 'Let us see'.

Once General Parvez of Pakistan was asked by a journalist to answer some question in either 'Yes' or 'No'. The General cleverly evaded the question by saying, "Yes and No". (It was a television interview sometime in Dec 1999 when there was a military coop in their country)

Several teenagers of Jagraon (including my boys) often answer such questions by saying "Koi chakkar ne" (there are no circles). The person at the other end remains perplexed. He does not know what to infer.

The first time that I heard such an answer was in 1999 when we had recently come to Jagraon. There was a teenager at a cement shop. I made him the payment and asked if the material could reach in time. He said, "Koi Chakkar ne Uncleji koooeee Chakkarr ne".

I often wonder what would happen to the army if our soldiers give a similar reply to their officers in the battlefield.

The risks posed by quacks

Dr Balraj Singh repeatedly gets cases where the village quack spoils even a simple case by his treatment. Recently he has shared a necrosis of skin that was ill treated by some unqualified medical practioner. He has taken up the case and has started the treatment. It is in the best interest of the society if the treatments are carried out only by the qualified professionals.

Your contributions are most welcome

Dear reader,
Jagraolive is a blog that was started about five years ago to lay focus on Jagraon in particular and Punjab in general. Now we aspire to spread our influence to the other parts of the country as well as the world. Therefore we seek your contribution in the form of a true report, an essay, a short stories or a memoir. You can send your writings to me. The only criteria is that the reports should be true and the feelings expressed should come from the heart.
Thanking you,
Yours faithfully,
Kamaljit Singh Gill

Political equation in Delhi

Political equation in Delhi depends on three forces namely the Hindu force, the secular force and the Dalit power. The congress no longer represents the secular force in Delhi. Seemingly the Aam Admi Party has replaced it and has emerged as a formidale political power. The Dalit power always play a crucial role as it does not always back the Hindu hardliners. Their tilt would determine the outcome of the forthcoming assembly elections. Rakhi Birla of the Aam Admi Party has become an icon among the Dalits. Unless BJP  ropes in a popular Dalit leader of reasonable standing, the Aam Adnmi party could become a force to reckon with. The Congress Party having been sidelined the contest is being seen mainly between the BJP and the Aam Admi Party.

The BJP would love to scatter the minority vote by encouraging some Muslim Party to contest the elections. It may also try to scatter the Sikh vote by asking the Akali Dal to contest the elections separately.

Arvind Kejriwal would be spearheading the secular forces instead of the Congress Party this time. If the Dalit power tilts towards Rakhi Birla, Aam Admi Party stands a good chance of coming to power.

Untouchability in Punjab

During nineteen forties, before partition, a grandmother and her grandson from a Sikh family go to a neighbouring village to a Muslim household. She wants to know about the well being of her son who lives in Kolkatta with their son. The old lady and her grandson are served water that comes from a neighbouring house of Sikhs. In Kolkatta the two friends could be eating in the same plate but back home even water comes from a neighbouring house.

In the nineteen seventies a farm labour has his plate and glass kept at a particular engraving in the wall. He takes his utensils and sits leaning against the wall. Chappatis are dropped into his hands from nearly a distance of one foot. Dal etc is also given in a similar way. After having food he cleans his uttensils and places them at the same spot. Those utensils are never touched by anyone else.

The caste divide exists in Punjab and the policies of the state government are to be blamed for that. A certain class of people have to declare themselves as backward to avail free electricity and almost free ration. In a way such schemes cause disorientation and cripples their future. They hardly have any need to struggle and work. The stamp of being backward remains on them as clear as ever because they themself declare that. They do that happily as they want free books for their children and several other benefits given by the government. Therefore it is self imposed untouchability.

In the presrnt times there is buffet system at social functions and the old form of untouchability is not visible. But that does not mean that it does not exist anymore. A person can be thoroughly untouchable and face total boycott. The present untouchability, however, is begotten by ones own deeds. It is quite unlikely that such untouchability would ever cease to exist.

.

What is Gut power?

A powerful digestive apparatus or a strong gut power is the key to physical well being. All the energy we need comes from the food we eat and all the food that we eat has to be digested before using its energy. As per the advice of the health experts a few tips for improving the gut power are as follows

1 Maintaining correct PH value of the stomach. In other words one needs to get rid of the  acidity problem. Recently I saw a video of Rajiv Dixit on the Youtube that suggested a simple remedy for that. Drinking water after one and a half hour after the meals and forty eight minutes before it cures acidity. It may appear strange but that works. Water just after the meals does a lot of harm. But a person who does a lot of physical activity can have water one hour after the meals instead of one and a half hour as his metabolic rate is faster.

2 Cutting on tea, coffee and corrosive food improves digestive health.

3 Eating moderately during the meals ensures sound health.

4, Having a balanced, fibre rich and well cooked meal keeps the system smiling and the body flexible.

5 Avoiding a talk during eating improves the digestive health.

When we say that a person has guts, it really means that all his system and particularly his digestive system is in perfect tune. That in turn gives immense courage and power.

The emergence of a Punjabi Saying

In the earlier days a male garment worn above the waist was called a Chagga. A typical chagga was a shirt that had one or two buttons near the chest for changing and it normally reached down to near the knee level. The front part had a fold near the stomach to cover the bulge of the belly and the rear part had folds at the upper back to make it airy. The front part and the rear part of the shirt were separated at the waist level. The front part could also be lifted with both the hands and could accomodate any thing that required urgent storage without affecting the rear part. It was called Jholli.

Punjabi society was basically agranian. In all probability if any person was antagonized he could go and uproot whatever one had sown for himself or his family. But later on the society got diversified and people learned to make a living through several other occupations. Then the person who antagonized the other had no fear of getting anything uprooted and suffer a loss. So he could afford to say say, 'Putt lae jo putt sakdaa-aen' (uproot whatever you can uproot). It got further corrupted with indecency. When a person wasn't left with anything much to lose and wanted to convey to his opponent to try and harm as much as was possible, he would lift his Chagga.

Presently there is a well known and widely used saying in the business circles of Punjab, that is "Chagga chakkna'. If a person cannot be trusted, he is advised by his well wishers by saying not to trust him in money matters as he may lift his Chagga. They would further add that, 'Kal nu ohne Chagga chakk laena. Pher ki karenga?' (Tomorrow what would you do if he denies you your dues?)

Security risk posed by the Easy Day Mall

Today I went to shop at the Easy Day Mall. The girl at the counter started noting down my debt card details on her computer. This is strange as it puts to risk the money in our bank accounts. The matter has been reported to their customer care division. This can also reveal our personal details like email number etc which further could be misused to fill our email in box with advertisements. Easyday must stop this immediately.

Top class Nakhra for poor class service

The Nakhra (airs put on)  by the municipal corporation is top class whereas their services are wanting in efficiency desperately.

Firstly there is no online payment facility for severage bills. Secondly the payment is not received after 1 pm. I went to make the payment on Saturday and the clerks refused as they said cash is not received on Saturdays. But this is not mentioned in the bill. Their noses appeared to be pointing towards the skies. Their Nakhra is surely not proportional to their efficiency.

Some precautions while changing the wheel of a car

Changing the wheel of a car is among the most boring things that a person needs to do. But a few precautions are necessary while doing this work.

If one is on the roadside one must place an L shaped stand a few yards behind the car. This stand comes with the tool kit in Maruti Alto. It needs to be unfolded and the shinning side should face the traffic that is approaching from the rear side. In this way the vehicles coming from the back side come to know that we are busing are mending our car.

Hand brakes ought to be applied before starting the work. After lifting the car on the Jack the wheel tends to move when we try to loosen the nuts. The hand break helps but not much. Therefore the loosening part should always be done before lifting the car. It is sometimes required to stand over nut opening tool to loosen it. It should be done with care lest it injures our ankles. Remember that the nuts get loosened in the anticlockwise direction and tightened in the clockwise direction. The tightening of the nuts should be done little by little for each nut. If one nut is made fully tight the others cannot be tightened without damaging the threads of the bolt.

The removed wheel must be locked in the dicky with a nut. In Maruti Alto there is a plyboard which fixes over the wheel and then there is a special nut which can be rotated with the thumb and the forefinger. The Jack must also be put in the notch that is designed for it. It is important as during an accident the wheel and the jack can come flying over the passengers who are already in trouble. The tool-kit must also be tucked under the plyboard at its fixed position for the same reason.

Lastly a Chinese hand pump and an air pressure gauge should be placed along with the toolkit. They can fit with them if placed properly. This is important because if the spare wheel is not used for a long time it may not have any air at all.

E Junk - a new menace

What would one do if his electronic devise has no buyers at OLX? I feel that he must try to gift it to someone without any delay..

About a decade ago there was some news that reported that USA gifted a large number of desktop computers to the government schools of Punjab. They were obsolete and it was their way of disposing their e-waste. It is said that in the developed countries it is not worth wasting time in trying to sell old TVs to anyone. So they leave it somewhere at the far end of the street to take care of itself. Some people do the same with their old sofa sets and other bulky furniture.

A few months ago I gifted a Sony ericcson camera phone to some child who happened to visit us. There wasn't anyother way to dispose it of.

Canon MF4412 is a scanner plus printer plus copier. It performs fairly well. The only shortcoming is that it isn't WiFi enabled. Firstly a document has to be transferred from the Tab to a pendrive via OTG cable. Then from that it goes to the laptop and finally the printout is obtained.

One of my old time students bought a device called TP LINK Model No TD-W8968 from flipkart for about Rs 1800. It is a modem that is supposed to convert an ordinary printer into WiFi enabled printer. It was lying idle with him. He wanted to give it to me so that I could do wireless printing with it.

It could not work despite trying with various Android applications. Maybe some compatibility issue hindered its installation. We realised that it isn't worth our efforts. This device can, quite rightly, be termed as e-junk. The old student cum friend left it at my place as he was going to Ludhiana. I am sure that he has not gifted it to me as he said that he would take it back soon.

The need of the times is to evolve a national policy of disposing the e waste in a proper way. One of the methods could be re routing the device to the manufacturer at 10 percent of the original value of the product. Every manufacturer ought to have a recycling or disposing mechanism for the e waste produced by its products.

A precaution while moving onto the GT road to Ludhiana

It has been realised that a U turn is better on Ferozpur road than the T turn which is very sharp and dangerous. Suppose one is coming from Dudhike, and wants to take the GT road to Ludhiana, he should first move towards Moga and then take a U turn with utmost care instead of going from under the flyover that is under construction and then take a sharp turn to the left. Similarly if a person is coming from the New grain market side of Jagraon on Sherpura road and intends to take the road to Ludhiana, he should first turn towards Moga and then take a U turn. It has been resolved by me to always prefer a U turn at such places in order to avoid an accident.

Dinner at Anmol restaurant Jagraon

Anmol restaurant is, perhaps, the only air-conditioned restaurant in the residential area that serves regular meals. It is in the gas wali gali near the flyover. Other good quality restaurants of the town  mainly focus on fast food. There are a couple of good restaurants that serve regular meals but they are along the GT road and far from the Mohallas  of the town.

Anmol has a reasonably big AC hall with sufficient tables to accommodate about a dozen families. The air-conditioners are very effective. This is a newly built hall which is on the first floor. There is a space for a couple of tables on the ground floor as well. The wash basin for both the floors is near the entrance. There is parking space for about eight to ten two wheelers inside the main gate although any number of two wheelers can be parked outside in the street. But if someone has a car, he may park it under the flyover which is quite near.

The food is nice and reasonably priced. We were six people and had a reasonably good dinner for Rs 855. Rs 20 were given to the waiter as a tip. My younger son was made the head boy of his school yesterday and we were celebraing it. Most of his friends are very friendly towards me as they are regular visitors to our house. Had we been to a similar place in Ludhiana, the cost would have been much higher. Our menu consisted of two plates of Dal Makhani, One plate Kadahi Paneer, One plate Chilli cheese and one plate Raita (the name of which I have forgotten). Along with the above there were thirteen Butter Naans. Filter water was in the glass jugs and was free of cost. The onions served along with the meal and the sweetened saunf that is served at the end were, ofcourse, free as in any other restaurant of our country.

Mary kom - a movie review

Mary Kom is a Bollywood movie based on the life and struggle of the legendary women boxer of our country. The movie has exposed the callous attitude of the officials in the sports department. The message it gives is that the sportsmen can perform far better if they are provided with the basic facilities during the games.As per the movie the players have to survive on banana and tea during the games. They are made to stay in the dormitories while the officials enjoy the luxuries of the five star hotels. Often the female players have to tolerate the suggestive overtures of the bosses.

Another noticeable point brought out by the story is that the Manipuries nurse a feeling that there is discrimination against them in the country. The heroine, in the movie, accuses the refrees of partiality when an Haryanvi girl is declared the winner in a very closely contested match.

There was a time when the Bollywood movies used to be packed with songs that one would hum for years or dialogues that would permanently remain etched in ones  mind. Besides a good storyline they delivered a strong social message along with making the audience laugh through the comedians. Nowadays a  movie becomes popular even if one among the above features is good. The story of this movie is very inspiring but one would find it difficult to appreciate its  playback singing and background music.

Only a few movies in Bollywood succeed with a woman in the lead role. Mary Kom is is one of them. One would not regret watching it.

How I befriended a Doctor

In the country side the villagers go to a medical practioner and say, "Doctor ek Teeka laade (give me an injection)." Such doctors are often matriculates or even less. I was once told about a doctor who would give a Teeka on the butt first and then enquire about the ailment. Some among them crush tablets and give to the patients in the form of purriahs (paper packets). Also there are those who are known for providing a Hatholla service (some kind of hand magic done upon the body).

In sharp contrast we have a very highly qualified surgeon in our town. He owns the Kulwant Clinic named after his father. His name is Dr Balraj Singh Gill. He performs skin grafting and cosmetic surgeries in the town in a highly skilled and professional manner. He does his work with passion and does not care much about the fees. Sometimes he charges only one fourth of the fee that any other surgeon could have charged for a similar operation. At times he even pays from his own pocket and does the treatment.

First time I met him at his clinic a couple of months ago. One of my friends requested me to show the Doctor how internet banking is done. Very few people of his age (born in around 1940) use internet in Punjab. I had gone to help him donate money to the Aam Admi Party. He had a bunch of ATM cards with pin numbers written on them. The transaction could not take place due to some reason but I advised him not to take 'panga' (risk) with ATMs anymore as cards with pin numbers written on them become insecure. Some other person may take away the details of the cards while working on his computer and misuse them. Doctor Sahib agreed readily. Since then we have remained connected with each other via WhatsApp.

I saw him for the second time at the Antim Ardas of my mother when she expired in July this year. He came just for a while, paid obeisance to the Guru Granth Sahib and left.

Yesterday I asked him on WhatsApp if he knew chess and if we could play a match on some Sunday. He informed politely that he played only hockey in his life and thought that he is too old to learn Chess now. May he live a long and meaningful life.

The story of ruins

A dairy plant, worth several crores of Rupees, near Nanaksar on the GT road is a classic example of failure. The sad part of its story is that it did not see any beginning. The project simply failed  to takeoff. Opposite to that is another failed project, the sugar mill of Jagraon. The project had a very sad ending. Its employees went out of job and the whole structure gives a ghostly appearance. There was a Mall that matched the international standards at GT road called Adhar Shopping Mall. It had all the good qualities that any Mall should have. Sufficient parking space was also there. This beautiful project died by inches. A huge complex is standing at Sherpura Chowk near the gate at the beginning of Sherpura road. Other than one or two shops, it is lying vacant. In the vicinity of the new grain market there is a beautiful market with ample parking place. Except the LIC office there is hardly anything notable there. A huge CBSE based school constructed in several acres came up near Kothe Khajooran side. It is said that it was a sister project of Sanmati Vimal Jain School. This project also had to bite the dust. Just behind the Jain temple and very near the Hari Singh Hans hospital, is another huge hospital in the making. Sadly, it is only having the 'under construction' status for the last several years and the whole project seems to have lost direction. Just opposite the new grain market came up a marriage palace which simply did not click. As if due to some superstitious reasons the gate was opened from the rear side facing the gate of the Royal city. Entry from the front side was closed. Interestingly, the scheme worked but only moderately.
Has anyone thought why the Jagraon wasis are a bit more superstitious? Perhaps it is due to the fast collapsing business projects both big and small. When some plan fails people want to rest the responsibility on some super natural power. In this way they can escape  humiliation if any.
In 1999, when we shifted to Jagraon I had in my mind a project of a playway school. It failed miserably. Since the risk was a calculate one, I converted the building into a Kothi. But as per Kothi standards it is pretty big and gives a feeling that I am a very rich guy. Few people know that it was only by chance that the house has become big. Along with mine there were several other playway school projects that were started in the town. All were closed without exception. During those times someone started a business of selling ice cubes near Lal Palace cinema with a lot of advertising. I wondered who on earth would be interested in buying ice cubes. Before I concluded that it must be a drinking bar of the sort, the business got closed. Near Royal city came up a complex named Dashmesh Complex. Someone told me that it failed because it was facing towards the west. Now quite near to that is another newly built complex on Sua road (a road where there was a water channel earlier). May be one or two shops in the entire complex are opened. Better think at Naunihal complex opposite Bikaner sweet shop, The bank of Punjab in Galib complex are among the several business ventures that were shut down. A adventurous gentleman started a business of computer training. He was out of job due to the closure of sugar mill. His scheme was 'Each one teach one'. It was quite like Amway's selling technique where you buy a package and later get share out of the profit when you sell the same package to a few others. Unluckily his business vanished into the thin air.
To turn buildings into ruins seem to be in the blood of Jagraon wasis. There used to be huge community hall near Chungi No 5. Later it was converted into Milan marriage palace. But now it is in a thoroughly dilapidated condition. The science college is built in a huge area of fertile land. The last time I went there it had a ghostly appearance. Fifty percent of its land gives a look of a weeping widow. 
There is WAKF board land near Nau Gazia peer near Sawaddi Khurd. Several projects including some rice shelling plants are abandoned half way through the construction process due to unknown disputes. This place is perfect for a person who might be interested in making a film like Sholay. The ruins look really good in the movies.

Era of branding

When we visit the Easy day Mall we come across several products named great value products. It is obvious that all the things are not manufactured by Great Value. Perhaps they are procured and sold under their name by making handsome profits. Owning a brand is indeed a lucrative business. There is a near 100% value addition when wheat gets branded into Shakti Bhog Atta or Ashirwad Atta. In order to give a boast to their goods the primary producers need to come in contact with the brand companies. But If this contact gets established the small time retailers could face the danger of elimination. In Delhi there is a brand called Aggarwal sweets. The name is franchised after ensuring the quality. Thus several small time sweat shops got ignored. Unless the retailers learn the tricks of branding, they might face the danger of extinction in the future.
In a world where even our body is branded in terms of caste colour and creed, an unbranded thing in the market can only appear like an illegitimate child. When even our souls are not spared and are branded in terms of the religion to which we are born into, how can unbranded items survive in the market.

Will God love us for hating the religious believes of others?

Story - Three old men used to go for a morning walk daily. As they became weak with old age they bought walking sticks for themselves. Once, while walking, they developed differences of opinion regarding the quality of their sticks. Each one claimed his stick to be the best. Soon there was a heated discussion and finally they started hitting one another with their sticks. Now they were unable to walk even with the help of sticks.
Moral-A stick is good only if it is used correctly.
Amidst hopelessness, disease, misery, unemployment, and suffering, a human being finds himself very weak. He needs support to walk through the strange and scary path of life. For making his journey easy, God has given him a walking stick in the form of his divine name. It gives him spiritual support. He can lean against the name of God just like an old man leans upon his walking stick. During the times of grief a person can pray and feel good just as a blind man feels better when he has a walking stick. Fearful of uncertainities, we say our prayers before God and meditate upon his name. But 'My God is better than your God' type of mentality can cause tragedies similar to those of 1947, 1984 and 2002. Recently, the social media is being misused to hurt the religious sentiments of one another. Such hate messages pertaining to religious believes are worse than porn. They should be deleted immediately and never forwarded. Remember, God will never love us for hating the religious believes of others.

Commotion for the sake of motion

It is well known that smokers cannot download their waste easily in the pot early in the morning unless they puff a few times. Other than alcoholics most addicts have a problem with their motions if the morning dose is denied. In Punjabi the pipe that passes the rain water from the terrace is called 'Panalla'. It is said that if a poppy husk(doddae) addict stops his dosage, his motions become as loose as a running 'Pannala'. On the other hand, someone told me that over consumption can harden the shit to such a level that an operation may  be needed to remove it. Once a student jokingly told me that the shit of an opiate is so hard that it would not break even if it is placed on a railway line and a train is made to pass over it.
A couple of years ago I was passing through Sherpur Kalan early in the morning. A shutter of a shop opened and about thirty people rushed towards it. Next day I asked my students about the cause of the commotion. I thought it could be some quarrel or fight between groups. Surprisingly, it was all for fetching the first dose from the shop of a medico for the sake of a comfortable morning motion.

Discus throw of the Jagraon-wasis

It is mainly India, which is so much averse to an owl. Even a multinational company has started advertising 'India ko no ullu banawing'. Nowbody makes an owl of anybody in the west. Now that the birds are getting extinct owls along with other birds need to be loved. But we people are by default always glued to the tradition and the poor owl is most likely to be abused racially till eternity.
In the west who would run after anybody after washing his hands? Here 'Hath dho ke peeche pardna' (to be after soneone after cleansing the hands) is so very common. If a person is after someone post washing his hands, then there is no escape route left for the victim.
In India an idler always kills flies (Makhi maarna) whereas in the west he does anything except this.
In India displacing one's headgear (cap or turban) is an extremely serious issue. In contrast drop of a hat in the west is a very minor thing. They say, 'He picks up a quarrel at the drop of a hat'.
In North India a male is soberly dressed if the torso is covered. It is absolutely normal if the legs are bare. Howeved in south India, the upper part of the male body can remain nude while it is not acceptable if the legs are bare.
Other than Punjab there is hardly any place where a person would lift piles of wooden blocks if he is over enthusiastic and overflowing with energy. In Punjab the first thing that a healthy and cheerful person might do is lift 'Fatte' (long, flat, wooden benches used at construction sites).
In other parts of the world immigrating to other places might be the last resort but in Jagraon a family is not worth its salt if it is not able to expel its children out of the nation which they call as 'Bahar Kadna'. A father may boastfully say, "Asin apne sare bache bahar kaddtte"(We have secured visa for all our children). Canada is, ofcourse, the most favoured destination.

The educational short circuit

Most of the companies across the globe are downsizing their work force. In contrast the number of degree holders seeking jobs is increasing exponentially. This has led the youth to a very critical pass.
In the earlier times only few people got educated. During those times even those who did matriculation got employed easily. As the jobs ensured fixed income, the whole population got interested in acquiring degrees and diplomas till a saturation point was reached in the nineteen nineties. Fortunately during those times Canadia, Australia, Newzealand, etc started developing new towns and districts in their countries in the areas which were otherwise unfit for human inhabitation. These countries found Punjabis too eager to immigerate even to such wastelands. They exploited the situation by starting scores of educational courses of little value and started providing PR status to the youth. These Punjabis were equally satisfied as they hardly had any chance of employment in their own country. PR status was also granted to skilled workers from Punjab like plumbers, electricians, welders etc. For this reason professional institutes like ITIs, Polytechnics, etc sprouted in all parts of Punjab in large numbers.
Now even the foreign route has got saturated to a great extent. Quite often we see students seeking employment in the same very institute from where they pass out. The skill, if at all, they learn is never put to any practical use. A graduate from a private engineering college starts teaching there itself. Same is the case with several other institutes around Jagraon. It is like getting cheated first and then start cheating others later on, in a round and round circle. This situation can be called as educational short circuit. It surely downgrades the value of degrees.
The young Jagraon-wasis need to start loving their family occupation howsoever humble it might appear rather than getting conned in the name of degrees in India and abroad.

The use and misuse of the railway land

Indian railway possess a vast stretch of land across the length and breadth of the country. In UP criminals dispose of the dead bodies of their victims at the border of two districts, two states, or even  along the Nepal border. In this way there is confusion about the juridiction of the Police station. Thus there is delay in pursuing the case. Similarly the railway tracts are also put to a similar use in order to create confusion amongst the already inefficient police forces of the various regions of the country. Railway police and the local police try to rest the responsibility on each other if there is any dead body found on the railway tracts.
India is a poor nation and a large number of its urban population does not have a toilet. Defecating at any other place in the city can create a trouble for the poor people. The land along the railway tract is a kind of no man's zone and is, therefore,  used as an open toilet by them.
Other than the dark winter days a shed or a roof is sufficient for providing shelter to the homeless. Therefore all the railway stations of the country serve as a 'Raen Basera' (night time shelter) for the homeless destitutes. In winters, if a bonfire is lit on the platform, it gives a snuggly and homely feeling to the poor. About three decades ago the government started charging platform ticket for those who come to receive or see of their near ones at the station. This ticket created a trouble for the homeless. With passage of time the platform ticket is normally bought only at the railway stations of the big cities. Since Jagraon is a small town no one cares for the platform ticket. The railway platform is extensively used by the people for their morning and the evening walks. One straight walk up and down the platform is easily above one kilometer. Where else would one find such neat and fresh environment in the town?
In the country side the land along the tracts is encroached by the farmers for the purpose of cultivation. This of course is not without greasing the palms of the officials just like the way it is allegedly done along the Indo-Pak border. Thus hundreds of acres of fertile land gets converted into illegal wealth. It is said that at Chonkiman village of Jagraon there is a chunk of land to the tune of one hundred acres that belongs to the government of India. It is meant for building a railway station specially for the good trains for porting food grains of the FCI. As per the allegation of the local population this land is cultivated illegally. Presently the special good trains get loaded at Jagraon. The trucks that line up for loading choke the Mandi road which is like a vital artery of the town. The shifting of the loading place from Jagraon to Chonkiman would mean a loss to the illegal beneficieries. Therefore the chances are bleak that the government authorities would ever take an initiative to shift the loading site from Jagraon to Chonkiman. It seems that the people of the town would only have to keep gasping for breath due to this criminal inefficiency of the system.

The sorry state of the Election commission of India

The election comission of India has hardly got any teeth left. It served notices, received complaints, got false affidavits and silently witnessed the candidates spending money much more than their allowed limits. However no concrete action was ever taken. Even its own functioning was far from being satisfactory. My father passed away in 2011. His name was there in the voterlist whereas my mother who wanted to vote earnestly could not vote as her name was removed from the list. Election comission is the backbone of our democracy. Election outcome could have been different had the candidature of the wrong doers been cancelled. We as the citizens of this country demand overhauling and empowerment of this institution on priority basis.

The administration need to keep pace with the time

What is being observed is that the local administeration is not evolving with the changing times. For example it is not in touch with the public as it ought to be. Jagraon administration needs a twitter handle. Newspapers are a dying lot. Anouncements should be made through the official twitter account by the public relation officer in addition to the conventional methods. Making of an official website may require funds and other resources but opening a twitter account is a simple job. The whatsapp numbers of Muneems of various police stations and other officials must be announced through twitter from time to time. The SHOs, the DSPs and the other officials should not be shy of joining welfare groups of the society on whatsapp. Better co-ordination is the need of the hour. If an FIR cannot be lodged via twitter and whats app, at least there should be a provision for sharing vital information without any time delay. When PMO, Delhi police and the various other corporate giants can be on twitter, then why not the administration of Jagraon?

Unsung hero of the town

Dr Balraj Singh Gill owns the Kulwant Clinic at Lala Lajpat Rai road Jagraon. He is a typical, tall, slim and active Punjabi gentleman. Besides other exercises he does walking for about thirty minutes in the evening regularly. In a place where everyone is crazy to settle abroad, he is a Jagraon-wasi by choice. He is a plastic surgeon. He treats burn cases, hand injuries, facio maxillary injuries, loss of skin besides all type of general and gynae surgery. He did graduation fom Amritsar and post graduation from Patiala Medical College (in General Surgery). After that he did Registrarship in DMC Ludhiana for two years. Later he pursued Post doctoral training in the form of  Registrarship in Plastic surgery in PGI Chandigarh  for three years. Then he went to England for advanced training in Traumatic and Emergency Surgery for 17 months. Due to his love for his country India, he decided to serve his own people since 1979.  Unluckily he did not get any cooperation from his own collegues, due to professional jealousy. So he is quite like an unsung hero carrying on his practice in a small sleepy town like Jagraon. Any other person of his calibre would always love to settle abroad or atleast in some city like Ludhiana. He often encounters interesting, simple cases, spoiled by quacks and unqualified pseudo physicians.Unluckily his practice is scanty as he does not keep indoor patients. As he is basically a plastic Surgeon, his speciality attracts  very few cases. No other doctor refers cases to him as Jagraon being a small town people think that doctors of the town might also be incompetent dwarves. However Dr Balraj Singh is exceptionally tall both physically and professionally. When I called him yesterday he was preparing for Split thickness skin graft for a burn case. His wife Mrs Dr Gunjeet Kaur  is a well established gynaecologist at Jagraon. He has two daughters, one is a doctor (M.D) in Physiology. She is married and settled in America. The younger one is a computer Engineer and a management graduate. She is an administrator at a Hotel in Toranto. Doctor Balraj Singh also had a son, a doctor(MD). It is sad that he died due to lung cancer about seven years ago. Doctor Balraj Singh agrees that sometimes things are hard to digest in life like untimley death of any family member. However he has a very positive and cheerful attitude towards life. He loves to teach and guide budding doctors as he considers himself to be a good and compulsive teacher. His father was a famous physician who practised at Jagraon from 1945 until 2008 when he expired at the age of 89. About the ailment of his son he elaborates,''It was non hodgkin.  Llymppghoma of mediastinum, lymphnodes.'' He says that he remains confined mainly to his surgical practice, jogging, studies, and teaching his assistants. He is not much aware of what is happening outside. He was a hockey player through out his medical carrier, and after wards also. Nevertheless he has a great regard for intelligent and nice people of other feilds. Doctor Sahib is well aware of his draw backs. He says, ''Like all Surgeons, I often lose temper. Some times I am aggresive like any hockey forward''. He desires that those who would seek inspiration from him would ignore this weakness in him. About his schooing Dr Balraj says that he studied from Govt. School Jagraon which was a much different school at that time in terms of quality education. Before going for the education in medicine he did B.sc from Govt. College Ludhiana in 1962. Below is a picture story of a typical patient who was treated by him. In the first picture we can see a patient who is a victim of Dog bite with partial loss of lip tissue. The second picture illustrates the mucosal graft, taken from inside of cheek, applied over exposed muscle of the lip. This grafting was of course under the cover of Anti Rabic Vaccine antibiotics. The third picture shows the Final result. The last picture is of Doctor Sahib himself.

Comparing GT road project with a failed marriage

Marriage is love making with some purpose and planning. Atleast a family is raised at the end. Whereas a Rape is a sort of forced love that ends up being termed as crime. Pain and suffering is all that it results into. It appears that authorities tried to make forced love with the GT road connecting Ludhiana and Ferozpur. The project can also be compared to a failed marriage involving an NRI. All were excited in the beginning. At that time it appeared like a glorious marriage getting solemnised in one of the grand marriage palaces of Jagraon. No one showed any concern over the cutting of thousands of trees just as no one weeps at the departure of a bride who has been wed to an NRI. But some times a Punjabi NRI celebrates honeymoon and impregnates the innocent bride before abandoning her and escaping into the foreign lands. Some thing similar has happened to the GT road project also. No one knows who enjoyed the honeymoon (read corruption money). For several months there is no progress at all. The traffic at the main crossing of Jagraon is chaotic at its best. While driving no one knows where a single way would begin and where there would be a diversion. During night time the whole project seems like a cruel joke played on the people as the chances of accidents increase manifold. Now that we have same political party at the centre and the state level, there should not be any blame game. The project ought to be completed without any further delay. Thus the poor citizens would be able to smile and feel satisfied like the relatives of a newly wed bride who takes a flight to join her NRI hero by completing all the tedious visa formalities.

Jagraon and the call of nature

In many towns of India one can see slogans written on walls like 'Dekho Gadha pishab kar raha hai' (look at the donkey urinating). Or it is in a rhymed form like' Gadhe ke poot yahan mat moot' (O son of a donkey, do not piss here). Due to reasons unknown such slogans are missing in Jagraon. But that does not mean such a problem does not exist here. A few years ago some one narrated an incidence where a lawyer of our town had this problem. A wall of his chamber became a victim of uninterrupted urination. His friend, also a lawyer, suggested him to get some religious slogans written over there. Heeding to his advice he got 'Jai'(victory) written before the name of some deity and got a few posters having pictures of deities pasted on the wall. To his relief the scheme worked.
In several towns there are paid washrooms. At such places urinating is free for men while there are charges for defecating . Jagraon is definitely lagging in this type of civic amenity. A man may manage somehow but it is indeed difficult for the fairer sex to suffer humiliation on this account.
Recently the Dhaba owners have realised the gravity of this inconvenience. The newly built Raja Dhaba has the washroom facility usually seen in five star hotels. Pehlwan da Dhabba also has reasonable quality of washrooms. For this reason these places are popular for  family outings. But both these restaurants are away from the main markets.
In the town there is a public urinal near the water tank at the Rani Jhansi chowk. I used it a few years ago. Apart from the stink and dirt there was a pile of empty cough syrup bottles. It seems that the place is a junction point of addicts who abuse medicines. Fortunately nowadays the Easyday Mall can be of some help near that area. But there one would have to buy something so as to use the toilet. Another urinal for men is in the old grain market. It is maintained, though only moderately. The new bus stop of Jagraon has eased this problem to some extent for distant travellers.
Unlike Arvind Kejriwal who has this problem in his agenda for Delhi, there is hardly anyone in Punjab who thinks on similar lines. Politician's of Punjab are in a habit of putting up their picture in every welfare activity undertaken by them. Certainly they do not want their smiling photographs on the walls of stinking urinals.

Corruption is bad not the taxes

The AAP wave in Punjab politics is mainly based on slander and hate speeches against the system. Although, to a great extent what was alleged was correct, hate energy seldom yields fruitful results and slander as a rule boomerangs.
Usually the state governments of various states levy taxes on fast moving items like sales tax, toll tax road tax etc. Which means that if tax is not paid the items would not be allowed to move. Now guess what would the government do if people do not pay the house tax next year? Would the government drag the citizens out of their houses. There can be charges for water supply. But what if someone does not pay the severage bill? Would the authority go and cut his severage connection? The house tax and property tax were something like the last straw on the camel's back.
Recently Bhagwant Mann's speeches have made people start hating taxes altogether. Are taxes that bad? In fact taxes are good. Tax money helps us to have better facilities. Only thing that is wrong is the misuse of the tax money. Hating corruption can be valid but not the taxes. Tax money is misused when our police stops serving us and instead start serving the VIPs alone. Our Patwaris, Tasildaars, SDMs, etc should serve us with utmost respect and efficiency. They are paid out of our tax money. Our leaders must draw only reasonable salaries and prevent wastage of public money in any manner. The grants that reach the villages and wards must not be looted midway.
It was only the hatred of the public towards the inefficient system that made four AAP candidates win from Punjab. But how can hatred alone take the society forward? What is needed is a constant struggle for transparency and accountability in the various departments.

The story of 'Baegar' and the Rule Book

Earlier the students never had the facility of internet. They had to struggle for knowing the meaning of the words. In college, I heard the word Baegar for the first time. It is in a shabad of Gurbani on Ang 727 of Shri Guru Granth Sahib (Neeki Terri Biggari Alle tera Nau). This word means doing labour  without getting paid. During those times (1985), I had to refer to several books of translation to know the meaning of this word. We shifted to Jagraon in 1999. We sent our child to DAV school. When I used to reach the school to pick up my son, I had to wait near the school gate for a couple of minutes under the shade of a tree along with the auto rikshaw wallas who commuted these school children back to their houses through the narrow lanes. Once I overheard an autowalla uttering the word 'Baegar'. I came to know that the policemen can catch any rikshaw walla and use his services as much desired and then leave him unpaid. The auto rikshaw wallas have to make a union to keep this exploitation under check. The union pays some fixed amount to the police force per week or  month. In local parlance it is called Hafta and Mahina respectively. This money, probably, travels from low level to the top level in the police department. To make all this run smoothly strict rules are made regarding school transport in the name of safety of the school children. Since there would always be some problem in fulfilling the requirements of the rule book, the hafta culture keep getting encouraged. Anybody can understand that a school bus cannot navigate in the narrow lanes of the town like the auto rikshaws. When the things cannot work in an ideal way they are made to work in the mafia way. It is said that in some places in India, the mafia collects 'hafta' as the protection money from the shopkeepers. In small towns in Punjab there is a union for most of the trade like truck union, tempo union, daily wage labour union, Mason or Rajmistri union, rehriwalla(hawker) union, taxi union, shopkeepers union in every market. All these unions have some trouble in following the rule book. The poor people do not know that the rule book was knowingly made such that it would be extremely difficult to follow It is more for entrapping them than anything else. Due to this the poor guys have to do 'Baegar' for the police. The police wallas who otherwise must be from good families have to act as mafia in disguise. The respective unions have to pay haftas and Mahinas to them. The poor people battling for their bread have to shell money from their pockets which are wet with sweat in order to pay to their union leader. Union leaders often learn the lessons of corruption without any time lag. So there are elections for the union leader. Thus moves the wheel of corruption in the society.
A few year ago I was in the electricity office where a clerk said that he was an honest man but he had to extort money from the customers as he has to submit a fixed monthly 'Baegar' amount from his seat.  This means 'Baegar' rates are there at clerical level also and that too fixed for every seat.
Ultimately a part of the dirty money reaches the politicians who are usually clad in spotless white clothes. These people then ensure that no rule should be plain and easy to follow. More complications in rules result in more dirty money. So the 'Baegar' culture thrives.
Similar is the case in the revenue department. When a person buys property there is a rate list for various types of properties. His property may not fit in any category. He finds it easy to shell out money to the Patwaris and his ilk.
Once I heard from a milkman that he has no fear of the police as he gives 'Mahina' to them. But police is meant to instill confidence not fear. Logic followed is simple. As per the rule book nothing can be sold without sales tax. Moreover his motorcycle is a private vehicle and cannot carry commercial goods. So he should be exploited royally.
A few years ago some innovative guys installed 'Atta Chakki'(wheat grinder) on their tractor trailers. They used to take their equipment to the doorsteps of their customers and offered their services. They were forced to close their work as a tractor trailer is a private carrier and cannot be used commercially. Some villagers used to buy big cars. This served their family as well as a few others of their village. Thus they could earn their livelihood. This continues to happen even now but not without paying bribes.
The main culprit is, therefore, the rule book. The solution is simple. Let there be a card for rehri wallas, auto rikshaw wallas, Doodhwallas, private taxi wallas and all other wallas. They should pay the hafta or Mahina to the government. For that money the rules should be relaxed for them for a certain period of time. The rule book should be simplified to the level that even a primary student should be able to follow it. But before all this one or two officials involved in dirty money in every department must be given exemplary punishment every year. An office or the officer that never punishes anyone must be suspected at once. The main question that should be asked to the top level officers is, 'Apne kitne logon ke khilaaf action liya?'(Against how many officials have you taken action?).

The town shell-shocked

Dual murder has been reported from Railway road Jagraon. It has sent shock waves across the town. The victim was an ex member of municipal committee. The details of the whole episode are awaited. However it can be sensed that the motive must have been very strong as even the wife of the victim was not spared. People living in the suburban areas can only pray for their security as even thickly populated areas are not safe.