The emerging political scene in Punjab

Analysing the results

A positive change

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.