Ameya Paleja

                             15th August - Our Independence Day. Years of struggle finally bore fruit in 1947 and we were proud that we had earned our freedom. As we remember the sacrifices of our forefathers and salute the valiant for their struggle, we must also not forget the struggle of those living in free India. I am not talking of those who saw wars nor of those who fought society to establish themselves. I am talking of every, you and me, who stays in the country and struggles everyday, with the hope of a better tomorrow.  Our nation stands on the brink of history. The struggle for a stronger Lokpal Bill, will resume again. The ruling party refuses to let the PM be open to questioning. A call for greater transparency in the country's affairs has been thwarted since 1972 and will be neglected every time. People from all walks of life have supported the passing of a strong Bill. Once passed, the Law will prove to everybody that in free India, every individual is accountable

With the election results out, the government has wasted no time to hike the prices of petrol across the country. A commodity that increased once the pace of our life, is now rapidly making a niche for itself in the ' luxury market '. There is no blame game, nor is this a blog to say that the government does not care for the common man. Fuel price hikes are global. I have championed the move of deregulation of prices for quite some time now. Today, when the prices of a litre reaches Rs 71, there is definitely a cause for concern. Common concerns will be the imminent call for a strike from our auto-wallahs, unannounced and unnoticed by the media hike in bus fares, helpless and mandatory deeper holes in your pocket when you fill up your vehicle. But, when I came across the news of the hike today, my immediate concern was the prevalent ignorance of our countrymen and willingness to shell more rather than change habits. No matter how many jokes are cracked about the bicycle bei