Search for Silver-lining



My 10 days long journey from Bangalore to my home state (Uttar Pradesh) started on 29th Dec 2014. I was excited and a little bit anxious too because I had to cover 6 places in 5 different districts of U.P. which is apparently facing the biggest infrastructural challenge these days. I guess the lovely province of U.P. never came out of this challenge since I opened my eyes in this illusionist world. The only solution I think for anyone living there for these challenges is philosophy of contentment. I think my state’s Government has two very good options to tell people.

  • “Public infrastructure is an illusion which western countries or these few of our own so called developed states are trying to put in our little brains which we should not be caught up into.” Or

  • Public infrastructure is the luxury which our good people can easily discard for the development of more and more statues, parks and other amenities in the state capital or in the constituencies of specific leaders (Neta ji and family).”

Criticism is something which I want to refrain from because I am already known to be having a cynical attitude. I call myself an Optimist who now seeks a Silver-lining in all present situations. Hence the best way is to appreciate and to look out for positivity in whatever comes your way. So be it.


In accordance to my optimistic approach to life I think my home-state government must be a team of intellectuals who are looking for or maybe waiting for the appropriate time and proper weather conditions and other variables that they could control in order to optimize the output of any input given by them (which is none as of now). That is why currently they are not at all working on any such issue which deserves a big applause. They are thinker and the real researchers under whom I would never want to work because I think the innate capabilities which are required at their intellectual level is certainly not under my purview which is why I have no idea what esteemed scientific approach (or algorithm) they are trying to implement to tackle the juggernaut of problems hovering upon my homeland.
 
There have been several incidents in recent past in my state which gave me a complex about my position as a research scholar. I thought (until I encountered my state leaders’ recent statements and approach), being a research scholar I have the capability to analyze and look at anything objectively. But I find myself in great dilemma when I encounter the acts of leaders from my home state. I fail to analyze objectively and thus directly come face to face with fact that intellectual dignitaries of the ruling party of my state are way ahead of me in their though process. I might not be knowledgeable and experienced enough to get the hidden message.

I think, I am too naive to even try to understand any of those messages but still I am going to try to guess some of those messages hereunder

 a)      India is known to be one of the biggest producers of milk. I guess the act putting policemenin search of buffaloes symbolizes our state governments firm to maintain India’s consolidated position intact.
b)      Celebrationof a grand party with all sorts of entertainers and the movie stars invited just in the time when few other parts of the state were going through grave riot situations, might be the symbolism for being happy in all situations.
c)      Grand birthday bash with a 75 KG cake. I think this heavy cake was there so that those malnourished kids who somehow get the rotten food at mid-day meal, can see the picture of this cake in newspaper and get to know that someday government is going to bring the same on their mid- day meal table and then they won’t get sick after eating that.
d)     Statements related to rape issues really make no sense and I cannot think of any possible explanations for them. Here again I failed even in guessing their great ideas behind their apparently nonsensical statements.     

Sorry for the inevitable digression. I was talking about the journey. When I reached Lucknow the first stop of my journey. I saw big posters announcing that “Lucknow ab metro mein safar karega” (Lucknow will ride on metro). I thought at least for one thing my government is acting. But then I faced the contrast in the same capital city of my state.  Roads- “the basic human (and cattle) need in Lucknow”, “Metro- “Not at all required as of now in Lucknow”. I saw road that were broken and rotten in such a manner and to such an extent which could easily and which would eventually lead to several serious mishaps (and probably had already faced many).

Few days back I read a report in The Hindu newspaper that U.P. government has taken a large sum of loan from World Bank to prepare a highway patrol unit and they are sending policemen from here to New Zealand for training them. I don’t want to judge, I just wanted to mention to point out how thoughtfully my government prioritizes its jobs so that it can make an efficient use of public money.       

So far I have only been able to talk about the first day of my journey i.e. 29th Dec 2014. After reaching Lucknow, I took a bus to a district in U.P. called Bahraich (bordering Nepal). I have a lot to tell what happened next which I shall try to cover in coming articles on this blog.

But before I end this Article I would like to remind you all: - “Every cloud has a silver-lining.”

Comments