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.

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?

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.

Polling process not fair-Bhai Baldeep Singh

In a telephonic interview Bhai Baldeep Singh, AAP candidate from Khadoor Sahib, alleged that the election process was far from being free and fair. The established parties influenced the electioneering staff in several ways and also there were several other malpractices that went unchecked. Despite that he is hopeful that Aam Admi Party would win 3 to 5 seats in Punjab.

Are secularists sick?

The retired top cop Kiran Bedi readily believes the media regarding the exit polls of Lok Sabha 2014. She calls secular people sick in her tweet. She had been an idol for countless Indian girls. When I went to her residence at 10 Talkatara road N Delhi to see some office equipment of my company some time in ninteen ninties, I found her very down to earth and simple. She called at my residence for some problem with the equipment and had also given her visiting card. These were treasured moments for an ordinary person like me. The nation looked upon her as a leader during Anna Hazare movement. Arvind Kejriwal called her elder sister and offered her to be the CM candidate for Aam Admi Party in 2013 assembly elections. But her inclinations towards a mosque demolishing political party and calling secular as sick does not behove her otherwise awe inspiring image of a wonderful personality respected by people across all religions in India and abroad.

Crime in its various manifestations

It has been more than a decade that any serious dacoity was committed in Jagraon. It is most probably due to the mobile phone technology. Earlier the intruders used to cut the telephone lines. Since mobile phones don't have any wires, this type of crime has almost become extinct. Crime has changed its face. Dacoity is organised nowadays in the form of political parties and the gang of government babus. It is an extraordinary thing if a political leader is not invoved in scams. The nation witnesses one scam after the other. It would stop instantly even if one corrupt leader is hanged. Didn't we see that in Arab counties two years ago? Red tape has become quite an acceptable thing nowadays in the system. It is considered normal even if a civil servant is not in office perpetually. The PA can say 'Sahib round per hain (boss is on round". Hopefully some day the public would call their bluff by attaching a GPS system to their cars and making the information available online under RTI rules. Another popular line during forenoon is 'Sahib meeting per hain (the boss is busy in a meeting)'. But meetings were common only in pre smartphone era. An officer who cannot do a meeting online ought to be demoted. These days matters must be sorted out in no time with applications like whatsapp thereby eliminating the meetings altogether. In the afternoon one can hear 'Sahib lunch kar rahe hai (the boss is having his lunch). Interestingly the boss would not take lunch at the lunchtime when everyone is supposed to take it. How can he, if has had his breakfast at 9.30 and reached the office at 10.30? Lunch time, therefore, gets postponed to anywhere between 2 pm to 4 pm. Shouldn't a boss who eats past 2PM need to be packed home along with his lunch box? Then next excuse is 'Sahib rest kar rahe hain (the boss is taking rest)'. This is a blatant abuse of power. No one is paid for taking rest. This can be tackled if two resting bureaucrats per state are dismissed each year by some independent intelligence agency.The government servants at lower level try to copy their seniors as best as they can. It is quite like a dacoity in a different form. A few years ago an employee of some road related department in Jagraon was talking about his honesty amongst a group of parents in a school compound. He narrated how he did not okay a road made by some contractor. His tone showed as if corruption was his birth right and he had let go his share as a goodwill gesture. As per his narration he said to the contractor, " Ae Sarrak nahi ji pass honi. Ess nu theek karo. Bahutee gall hai assin apni corruption nahin lanndae.(This road cannot be passed unless made better. At most we can help by not demanding our share in corruption)." The lower ring of babus, anyhow,would be set right in no time once the top ones are fixed.

Dignity of Labour

About a decade ago the Principal of a CBSE  school asked her students to port a few bricks as some new rooms were being bulit. According to her even if a child ported five bricks it would be a huge work that would be accomplished and the children would learn the value of work. Fun would be an added bonus. But the lady got a very negative respose from the parents and the management. The episode had quite an unpleasant ending. What type of job does a person want in India? A middle class family spends money on a child's education so that he can occupy some chair in some good office. Interestingly no one thinks that if everybody occupies a chair who would be left for doing the physical work. Luckily in Punjab we have Bhaiyas of Bihar and UP to do hard manual work. Some Punjabis also do physical work but only if they are totally uneducated. All educated people want to work either by moving a pen or by pressing the buttons of a key board. All mothers want their children to get educated and become big Sahibs. This mentality is responsible for fifty percent of the unemployment menace in Punjab. There is an equivalent of labour square in Jagraon called 'Labour Adda' near the Raikot Adda. Once I suggested my students to come along with me and stand at the labour square on some Sunday morning to learn the dignity of labour. All took it lightly. One said, "Lo ji Sadde hun anne marhe din aa gaye?? (O, and you think we are going through such bad times !)". Once when I was in my late teens in Delhi, I got fed up of the remarks of my elders calling me worthless. I took a bus and went to the railway station. I asked a gentleman if I could carry his luggage. He got a bit scared and hurried his way to avoid me. Some labourers came to me and asked if they could give me something to eat in case I was hungry. I refused and took another bus to Karol Bagh area where a photographer had advertised for a helper. That gentleman refused me work as according to him it was quite a low grade work for me. Then I took another bus and went to Patel Nagar area where some family wanted a tutor for their child of fourth grade studying in some elite school. To my good luck they employed me. A few years ago I asked my elder son (who is presently pursuing am MBBS course) to try out earning twenty rupees from somewhere. He rode on his cycle to Ajitwal as there could be several known people watching him in Jagraon. As per his narration he was surrounded by a crowd at some Dhabba. Some truck wallas were ready to help him by giving him money without any work. He refused that. Finally he got a chance to work. He broomed the shop of a Tyre walla and earned twenty rupees. He came back happily and wanted to give me his wealth. As I declined to pocket away his earnings, he went to a nearby grocery shop bought some Giri Pakoras and shared with us.

A writing on the wall

When the Octroi got abolished in my town it left scores of young people out of work. With the advent of mobile phones scores of families got affected as all the PCOs of the town were closed. When the ATMs and the computers got introduced in the banks of Jagraon the staff of the banks got reduced to one fourth. This, probably, affected fifty families even if we assume that each bank in the town shunted three clerks. Then came the Mall called Easyday, which hit hard the grocery stores of the town. Roughly this mall must have caused the closure of twelve grocery stores. The construction workers lost work as the construction work slowed down due to the scarcity of sand and gravel. Now let us talk about the watch makers of the town. As the watches eloped from the wrists of the people due to mobile phones, all the shops dealing with watches were pushed to the tight corners. When the personal computers were becoming popular a few people invested their time and money dealing with computers and its accessaries. But when smart phones started doing almost all what a PC could do, it hit these computer dealers on the nose. Now photographers were also pushed to the brink as most phones could shoot professional level pictures and videos. Since last year payment via Debit card has been allowed on the internet. Due to this buying things online has become common. This has affected the shops that deal in readymade clothes, shoes,kithchen ware, electronic items etc. It is obvious that when the trade activities reduce the state revenue also drops. That forces the government to tax its citizens harder in order to pay the salaries to its staff. That is exactly what the Punjab Government did. Property tax and house tax were introduced. Many industrialists fled due to the harsh tax policies introduced by the Akali-BJP government. That further aggravated the problem. Since the energy of the people in general and youth in paticular is not channelised the problems of drug abuse, crime, religious fundamentalism,etc is bound to witness a surge. The positive thing we can embark upon is that the people of my town are capable of adjusting to any type of situation how so ever grim it might be. The migration has increased manifold. The explosive situation is less dangerous due to the IELTS window that gives the youth a chance to sneak out of the country. Nevertheless the thing that the people of the town have started hating bitterly is the corruption and the inefficiency amongst the government employees. It is needless to say that the corrupt leaders would be thrown out of the political arena by the people very soon. It is a writng on the wall.