Plastic bags are found everywhere. Every shop keeper eagerly hands over the goods we purchase in plastic bags. They are manufactured in various sizes and thickness and very convenient to carry being light. We are generally not bothered to know the amount of the damage to the environment these bags cause. Plastic bags are made from non renewable natural source petroleum. These bags are also one of the major reasons for dwindling natural resources. They are called polyethylene or polythene bags. These Polythene bags are agents of air pollution, cancer, skin diseases etc. and have made the world’s clean environment as a pile of garbage on earth. Its use is like a slow poison in daily life and seems more dangerous than an atom bomb. They are not biodegradable. They last 1000 years on land and 450 years in water. The melting point for high density polythene is 120-130 degree centigrade and for low density polythene the melting point is 105-115 degree centigrade. These bags are not degradable unless exposed to ultra violet rays from the Sun.Black colour polythene shopping bags emit chemicals(carcinogens) when burnt.

The plastic bags are available in various sizes and thickness. About 80 million tons of plastic bags are manufactured in the world. Every day, we blissfully carry edible items in attractive polythene bags to home, totally unaware that these have harmful bacteria to find an easy way into the body with routine meals.

We should become aware of the hazards of using polythene. In tea-stalls, restaurants, co-operative societies  and Super markets etc., polythene cups, plates and bags are used in plenty. Have we not become accustomed to use polythene from eating to drinking? Usage of poly cups can be a cause of ulcer. Plastic bags get accumulated in homes. These bags are thrown out in the garbage bin. Polythene bags dumped near household provide a place for mosquitoes to breed, which cause dengue fever, filariasis and malaria. Polythene wrapped fish, meat and vegetables get infected by anaerobic bacteria. They are light as such they get carried away by wind and get entangled in trees. They are strewn in beaches, on roads, on footpaths, in the ponds, rivers, fences etc. They choke up the drainage. It is said that around 100,000 marine mammals die each year in Pacific Ocean alone because of plastic bags. Many birds get entangled in plastic bags on trees and die.

The use of plastic bags is one of the reasons for the havoc caused during Mumbai floods on 26^th July 2005. The drainage system completely failed resulting in the drowning of low lying areas of Mumbai. There was water everywhere. About 5000 people are believed to have died. Property worth hundreds of Crores of Rupees got damaged. Mumbai life came to a stand still for a few days. Bangladesh faced the same situation much earlier in 1988 and 1998 when 2/3 of the country got submerged. Recently the big retailer Old Navy handed over the goods purchased in a cloth bag to the customers. This change in approach is most welcome.

Poly bags are the mother of pollution in every corridor of life. These must be banned in the interest of national health. Instead of poly bags, we must use paper, cloth or jute materials to create a “polythene- free environment”.

Remedial Measures:

1. Bangladesh banned the use of plastic bags in 2002.
2. In Ireland a tax on plastic bags was charged.
3. Like many countries in Asia and Europe India also must eleminate the use of plastic bags.
4. We can carry cloth bags or recycled paper bags from our homes.
5. Paper bags carry more quantity and weight. They are also convenient to carry.
6. All provisional stores and shopping malls should only give recycled paper bags or cloth bags to their customers.

I have seen many Indians not even caring to greet fellow Indians in a far away country like America any number of times leave alone talking as if they are in India. It is quite an embarrassing sight even to watch.  I have seen Indians coming in groups to temples in America talk among themselves and leave the temples without bothering about other fellow Indians.

I would like to share our heavenly experience with a black person, I hate to call him that way, who has a heart of gold. His name is Larry L Lee. This man simply goes out of way to help unknown persons. He must be certainly belonging to some other world quite unknown to Indians. 

In June this year I went to Pittsburgh, America, along with my wife to visit Venkateswara temple. We stayed in Super 8 motel. My wife has driving license but doesn’t have that much confidence in driving due to lack of sufficient experience. I don’t have either driving license or experience. So we went to Pittsburgh by a bus from New York and then took a cab to the motel during night. The bus journey lasted 8 hours. We were fortunate to get a cab within half an hour. The receptionist at the motel warned us that it is literally impossible to get a cab and that we should request some people next day morning who happen to stay in the motel and that they will give us a lift for visiting the temple. It was pretty difficult for us to ask some unknown person a favour. We called the cab at 2 pm the next day and finally Larry, the cab driver, turned up at 5pm.

We were very much depressed till he came because we were at the mercy of the cab company and were not sure whether we would be in a position to visit the temple since my wife is a staunch devotee of the Deity.Then suddenly our hell turned into paradise. He took us to the temple. We wanted to spend some time at the temple. We were very much scared to let him go since we were not sure whether we would get a cab again for returning back to the motel. We requested Larry to wait for 5 minutes. We spent hardly 5 minutes in the premises of the temple and returned back to the motel after buying some food for our dinner in an Indian restaurant on the way back to the motel.

Larry is a person of varied experience. He is presently working as an Engineer in a firm. He has come up very hard way starting his career as a technician. He works full time during the weekdays in his firm and works part time during weekends as a cab driver. I requested Larry to come to the motel at 9.30 am the next day for our return journey. He told me to call him 40 minutes before leaving the motel. Next day morning I called him at 9 am and requested him to come to the motel at 9.30 am. Larry replied immediately and told me that he was resting outside the motel since 7 am. He further told me not to hurry and take my own time. I went to meet him and asked him why he was waiting for me since 7am. He told me that he worked throughout the night and that he thought it better to sleep in his cab in the parking lot outside our motel rather than sleeping elsewhere. I was stunned and didn’t know what to say. We vacated the motel within half an hour and reached the bus stop one hour before the scheduled departure time.

Larry left and came back after 5 minutes. I asked him whether he forgot something. He told us that he will take us around the city for free and that it was a treat from his side since there was plenty of time left. We were taken aback. Finally we said yes. He did his dual job splendidly as a tourist guide and as a cab driver. This memorable journey lasted 40 minutes. I offered him a meagre amount of $10.00 as a token of gratitude. I didn’t dare to hurt his feelings by paying him full fare. He refused to accept even this amount. We thanked him profusely and told him that it still was a treat by him. This particular trip might have cost him $50.00 at least not to mention the precious time he spent with us especially in this present recession period. His gesture was priceless and his behaviour was ageless.

He is like a messiah for us else this trip to Pittsburgh would have turned topsy-turvy. This is the most memorable experience we have ever had in America.

 Sorry Larry, my friend, for not keeping you informed in advance about this article. I don’t mind hurting you this time. 

There are many people in this world  who are blessed with reasonable wealth. They can always afford to easily part with a major proportion of their wealth for the betterment of the society while safeguarding their economical status and also after taking care of their children. A person has to introspect himself or herself as to how much wealth is really needed.

There are millions and millions of poor people in this world who are struggling to make both their ends meet. They love to provide better education to their children but send their children for work rather helplessly. The children are deprived of education for no fault on their part. The majority of the poor people have blind faith in their religion. They believe that children are God’s gift and God will take care of them. They don’t even worry for the worsening health of their wives and their children. They further think that the more the number of children they have the more family income they get. It is their sheer ignorance. Some of them even sell their children to the childless couples for paltry sum. The agony of the mother is difficult to be imagined however poor the mother may be to part with a child. She may never get an opportunity to see her child in future and her child in turn may never come to know about the biological mother.

We live for our welfare and for the welfare of our family members. There is nothing great about it. Great are those who are dedicated to the betterment of the society at large.

Please ponder for some time. How much luxurious life is needed for us? What is comfortable level and what is affordability. Each and every one of us can help the society in our own way. We can do a lot. Those who can’t afford to part with the limited amount they possess can tutor the poor children for free. They can also help the lower middle class people by charging a nominal tuition  fee. Those people not possessing the necessary educational qualifications can volunteer their services in doing physical labour in good projects for free in their spare time.

We waste most of our time in watching TV programmes and movies in the name of entertainment. The amount of joy we get by serving our society is million times more than what we get in taking care of our physical comforts and that of our children for ensuring a better future for them by providing necessary education to them.

People’s general thinking is that why should we waste our money on others for nothing. They also think that God has made the poor to be born that way on account of their misdeeds in their last birth. This thinking is not correct. Helping the less fortunate people in the society doesn’t mean wasting the hard earned money but contributing to the overall development of a much larger family without restricting the benefits to the limited family. It also brings in developing the positive thinking among poor people about other affordable category in the society including middle class people and helps immensely for the overall progress of the Nation.

Mother Teresa is the best example of what a person can do in serving humanity. I don’t think she ever thought why she was wasting her precious time on the poorest of the poor that too in a foreign country.

” Your life on earth expands exponentially when you can find a way to give it to somebody else. It simply doesn’t matter what that is. ” – Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey has had her worst and best days. She is considered to be the most influential lady on earth. She has undertaken many wonderful projects for the betterment of the society. She is quite capable of doing much more in the years to come.

 I read a fascinating story in Yahoo News. One Mr. T.L.Reddy of CLAP Foundation, a N.G.O,has started a bus called ‘ school on wheels’. He is a teacher with 25 years experience. A teacher travels to the slum areas of Hyderabad in this bus so that the children who can’t afford to go to schools can learn in the bus itself with the help of the teacher and aids.The children are jumping with joy and utilizing the God sent opportunity to the maximum extent. Similarly ”Vibha ” a N.G.O in Milwaukee , U.S.A is also doing such a nice job in Pune  and other places in some wonderful projects undertaken by it for the benefit of poor people in India. My sincere thanks to all such organizations.

Couple of years back I read in NDTV that a doctor couple started a walk- in kitchen in Hyderabad so that poor students can just walk – in and prepare the food of their choice free of cost with the provisions arranged by them and coolly walk out after having a hearty meal. What an excellent idea.

My heartfelt thanks to all those kind hearted people including Bill Gates, Warren Buffets and their group of rich friends who decided to donate 50% of their profits to the noble causes for the benefit of the society. I suppose their intention is genuine and not meant to gain some more publicity because of their social status.

On 9th December 2011, there was a huge fire in AMRI Hospital, Kolkata resulting in the death of 89 Patients due to this tragic incident. A Hospital meant to save lives took lives in wholesale. The blame was put mainly on the insensible behaviour of the Hospital Management and Staff and also on the late response of the Firemen. Out comes the news of two female angels in a flash from nowhere. They are Ramya and Vineeta, Nurses, both aged 24 years. They saved 8 Patients and succumbed to the heat and smoke while saving the ninth Patient. God was so pleased with them, He took them away in no time. Let’s Salute the Real Heroes. Bravo!! 

Saint Vemana observed one day that an old lady’s body was shivering due to cold during winter in front of a Temple. He immediately enters the Sanctum Sanctoram  and takes out a shawl covered on the Deity and covers the old lady with it. The Temple Priests get a shock of their lives and they protest strongly. Vemana told them what was the use of the shawl covered on the Deity if it’s not useful to a shivering old lady.

Pemmaraju Durga Kameswara Rao is a man with a difference. He resigned his Professor job in Boston University, U.S.A, for serving the poor in India.  He toured the entire State of Andhra Pradesh and had discussion with thousands of poor people. He was told that Bank officers exploited their illiteracy and economic condition while sanctioning the loans. He met higher officers, explained their problems and exposed Bank officers. Thus he solved their problems. He further concentrated on the literacy programmes for the poor. He started the night schools for their benefit. He explained about the merits of the Government schemes and helped the villagers to regain the land sanctioned to them by the State Government from the clutches of land lords. He explained about the benefits of small savings and inculcated in them the habit of small savings. He told the Government that the poor will construct their own houses sanctioned to them instead of being exploited by the greedy contractors. He started children’s schools for the benefit of the poor children who couldn’t afford to go to schools. In this process he sold his lands and even a building in Hyderabad whenever there was a short of funds in his selfless mission. He is completely an unknown Hero. Hats off to him. May his tribe increase for ever.

The readers are requested to view the video placed below about the humanitarian work of Shri Baba Amte.

http://youtu.be/zxyPmjtjnnY

                             ‘’ SERVING HUMANITY IS SERVING GOD’’    

Just because a group of people do not accept you as you are, there is no necessity for you to strip yourself of your originality. You need to think good of yourself, for the world takes you at your own estimate. Never stoop down in order to gain recognition. Never let go of your true self to win a relationship. In the long run, you will regret that you traded your greatest glory – your uniqueness, for momentary validation.

There is a world for each one of you, where you shall reign as king / queen by just being yourself. Find that world… in fact, that world will find you. What water can do, gasoline cannot and what copper can, gold cannot. The fragility of the ant enables it to move and the rigidity of the tree enables it to stay rooted. Everything has and everybody have been designed with a proportion of uniqueness to serve a purpose that we can fulfill only by being our unique self. You as you alone can serve your purpose and I as I alone can serve my purpose. You are here to be you… just you.

There was a time in this world when a Krishna was required and he was sent; a time when a Christ was required and he was sent; a time when a Mahatma was required and he was sent; a time when a J.R.D.Tata was required and he was sent. There came a time when you were required on this planet and hence you were sent. Let us be the best we can be. Don’t miss yourself and let the world not miss you.

In the history of the universe, there has been nobody like you and to the infinite of time to come; there will be no one like you. Existence should have loved you so much that it broke the mould after making you, so that another of your kind will never get repeated. You are original. You are rare. You are unique. You are a wonder. You are a masterpiece… your Master’s piece. Celebrate your Uniqueness.

Rave parties are a nuisance to the society. These parties can be organized by anyone right from the students to politicians and other influential people. These parties are organized generally with the unaccounted money available with them. Sometimes contractors, business people, film and TV personalities and even professionals indulge in such parties. In the name of civilization they smoke cigarettes, take hot drinks and even take prohibited drugs, gamble and further take part in illicit sexual activities.

Antisocial elements actively take part in these rave parties and resort to blackmailing the gullible people involved in these parties. Educated girls are also attracted to such parties in the name of modern living. Sometimes these girls and the boys attend these parties just to have some fun only to repent their folly forever. It will be too late by then. There have been instances of a number of suicides committed by the youth out of shame when caught by the police red handed.

Recently NDTV reported an interesting news about the strict instructions given by the rural police of Pune to the resort owners totalling 550 members in this connection. The police gave the following guidelines to keep a track of what is happening in such parties to protect the invitees and also to arrest the antisocial elements including militants attending the parties.

1)    To submit the list of the guests in advance with all the details such as full name, addresses, telephone numbers etc.

2)    To completely video tape the entire party proceedings.

3)    To keep informed concerned college authorities so that they can be present if the party were to be organized by the students.

The rural police of Pune are doing a great job in this regard. They have set a precedent to be followed by all the police officials in entire India. By doing so people will not dare to indulge in such rave parties and the cumulative evil affect on the society at large stands reduced to a larger extent. Similarly some method should be invented to keep a vigil on such parties being held in the private homes and  farm houses as well. These steps will help the people to choose the right path instead of the wrong direction and also contribute to the overall health and happiness of everyone involved including their family members.

 On 25th, 26th and 28th  March 2012, I uploaded three videos in You Tube titled ” Mathematics Made Simple”, ” Message to the Children” and ” Scramble Game at No Cost”. I request everyone to view them. The videos are placed below.

Wandering eyes eager to behold thee
Heart aflutter in anticipation
messages ahoy, but what is its ploy?
Is it going to cause laughter or cry?
Storms and showers common to me!
Like a fool, i await to sail across the waves!
In school the Math i learnt
But i guess i never learnt the art of the heart!
Prodigious over my daily home work
Alas, forgot to take love, how to love…

Media plays an important and constructive role in the society. They help us to know current affairs on the spot. They put their lives in danger during a terrorist attack or a natural disaster, just to inform us about it. It is partly because of the media that there is awareness spreading in the Society. That is how many Countries are able to contribute to the affected areas. Who are the people who tell us about corruption? Who are the people who tell us about the crimes? It is the media that does it.

Today some news channels and even some newspapers have become the mouthpiece of some Political parties and political leaders. Their work then limits the media only to spread the ideology of the particular party they represent rather than giving the correct news. People have to judge on their own by surfing different channels for the same news and then arrive at a conclusion. Now a day’s some television channels and newspapers are making fast money by cashing on the news in wrong sense and wrong way. In the race to become more popular and to make more money they have broken all the ethics media must follow while serving to build a healthy and progressive society. They have no respect for the sentiments and ethics of the people and the land whom they serve to. They just make a judgment like a true dictator with their immense power to influence the people rather than give a good advice as a true friend which they previously used to do. We people have to think about the role of media in our life if this type of attitude continues in future.

Media played a key role during the Freedom movement of India. Media helped immensely to make the people aware and spread  the significance of freedom. Recently Anna Hazare is the face of India’s fight against corruption. Media made this 72 years young boy hero in one day by promoting him as extensively as they can in the channels and  news papers. Other incident is that during Japan’s earth quake and tsunami media across the globe had played a vital role and made sure that many organizations and individuals provided relief and emergency services  extensively to the victims.

Folks please post your thoughts about Media role and its Significance as well. 

Why do people put blame on others?  Perhaps it’s the easiest and the most obvious thing we do when things don’t go according to our plan. We have it in our mind by default that mistakes are always made by others and not by us. It’s a dangerous presumption because our conscience knows that blaming others is an act of hiding the insecurity created by our knowledge of having committed something wrong.

Very often we find our politicians blaming each other for the silly reasons. This is the sorry state of affairs in our Country. They assert that if they or any of their kith and kin had been in Power, nothing would have been amiss. They do nothing for the benefit of the common man when they or any of their kith and kin actually get a Position of Authority, they prove to be no different from others. It’s not only our politicians but every one of us find it very simple to state that the people in Power are not doing anything. We are delighted to put forward our views regarding our vision and the change that would be brought about if we were put in their shoes. We hardly ever put forward our views regarding what we can do being in the position we already are. Why do we under estimate ourselves so much even if we are ordinary people. Why can’t  we do anything. Why do we assume that we can’t do anything without being the Prime Minister of India?

Being responsible citizen of India, be it any position/profession, we can make huge contribution by changing our ways and attitude. We all can contribute a lot as responsible citizen for making a better society by realizing that we have to make the best of the  opportunities available to us. We can look for ways by which the system can be changed for better.

WHAT WE CAN DO:

I believe before blaming others we must be sure of having completed our duties properly. We must be true to ourselves and our work and only then we do get the power to blame others. We will become a role model/mentor for people by behaving in a responsible way.

Folks please  share your thoughts as well.

Children in particular are badly affected by poverty.  Problems such as malnutrition, child labour and high mortality rates are very real issues faced in their day to day life in the case of those affected badly by poverty.  More than 40% of the world’s malnourished children are found in India although India contains lesser than 20 % of the World’s child population. Girls are more often affected badly than boys as gender inequality is also a fact of life in India.

Child labour is a significant problem in India where it is estimated that between 75 to 90 million children under 14 are working to earn bread and butter for their families some times and contribute to the family income most of the time. The jobs they perform are often difficult, mean and low-paying. They need their wages to help provide food or shelter for their families. These children are often deprived from Education.They stand no chance to come out of the poverty since they have no choice but to work at a very young age due to family compulsions.

What can  we all do to improve and overcome this serious problem??

This is the place for sharing your thoughts about India, our Motherland. If you feel proud to be an Indian you are welcome to share your feelings here. If you feel ashamed to be an Indian still you are welcome to share your grievances.

We can use this website as a platform to  have a social network among people concerned for India. All our brothers and sisters who live in any corner of the world can participate and share their views and feelings about India.

No country is perfect from the beginning …. We will have to make it perfect. Let’s hope that we can build a perfect India and we at BharatJanani.com believe we can certainly do it provided all of us work together. Jai Hind

Api swarnamayee lanka na me Laxmana rochate

Janani janmabhumischa swargadapi gariyasi.

-Lord Sri Rama