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 ...

???????? ???????? Another two day bandh called for the separation of Telangana state from Andhra, has crippled life in the city. Buses not plying, MMTS shut down and non-availability of our exotic friend, petrol, has disturbed routines and already cost businesses, big and small, alike. People have paid Rs. 100/- for a litre of petrol or paid more than thrice the usual fare to the auto-driver, who is willing to risk his vehicle and reach passengers to their destinations. As usual, the political leaders we elect to be our representatives have shown no maturity, whatsoever, to handle this situation. Ironically, it is their decision making inability that has brought this day upon us. While MLAs threaten the government with resignation letters, the unelected and self-proclaimed voices of the people of Telangana, threaten rickshaw drivers and the common man from reporting to work and earning their bread for the day. One of the main reasons, why students of the university...

Gambling in India is not uncommon. The rightful of Pandu's sons gambled with their wife and kingdom. Shopkeeper's gamble everyday with what they stock and what should be thrown out. The stock exchanges are sophisticated and to a certain extent calculated gambles, a man makes. Travelling on the footboard of a bus or a train, college youth and even 50 year old uncles, gamble with their lives everyday in India.  Gambling with money, although very common, is a taboo in our country. People, from all strata of the society gamble with money every day. An unverified and therefore inaccurate report states that the ' matka' gambling business in Mumbai has a turnover of about 1000 crores on a monthly basis. This number is inaccurate and the actual figure is very likely to be greater than 1k crores. Indians have gambled on cotton rates in the New York cotton market, then, the-then-called, Bombay cotton exchange, moving to horse-racing (which is legal) and the sport that binds the...

Long before the supermarkets made their way into the our economy, the 'baniya' was the man you would trust. Inspite of his tampered weigh-scale and adulterated chilly powder, women (who continue to be the decision makers of the household, irrespective of the times we live in) had this unshakable belief that the 'baniya' would provide the purest form of the item they had asked for. It took little time for the people to move to the mall culture. Big Bazaars and Megamarts struck at the right time and expanded to all major hubs of business in the country. Goods were sold at unbelievable prices and parking around these 'market-places'(It actually is just a big bazaar... someday I will write a page of criticism for the chain) was impossible to find. Shopping bags were now filled with things you bought either to try or because they were ' on-offer '. The essentials were still being sourced from the local store. Major business houses woke from their slumber an...

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...

Lyrics and Guitar chords for Sona's song.... Abhi Nahi Aana... D A Abhi nahi aana sajana X2, G A Mohe thoda marne de G A Intezar karne de D A Abhi nahin aana sajana Stanza: D G Bhejiyo sandesha A Aap nahin aana D G Thode door rahke A Mohe tarsana E D A Abhi to mein chahun, sari sari raat jagana Abhi nahi anna sajana....... (Chorus) Remaining stanza's go the same way..... Lyrics are below: Ruk ruk aana Dheere dheere chalna Bhoolna dagaria, raste badalna Nahi abhi mohe,garwa nahi hey lagna Abhi na jagaoh Bane raho sapna Abhi san-mukh na lawo mukh apna Abhi to mein chahun, aass lagaye rakhna. Suggestions and comments are welcome.... I will try and reply when I can...

On my way to work this morning, I saw a man, say 30 years old, waiting on the road. He had a back-pack and kept looking at something above usual sight and making notes. While some may think, he was crazy and was counting stars at 10 in the morning, I am guessing he was some sort of telecommunications technician. What was interesting to see, was that he made his notes on a a small, portable computer. From his looks, (probably its inappropriate of me to make these comments but still) he dint look like an advanced programmer or something, but what really caught my attention was the fact that technology has penetrated in our country as a necessity. It is available to the common man and is there to help him in his everyday work. Another example, is the courier delivery person, who came to my house a month ago. Starting early to reach customers before they leave for work, this man must be visiting a good 50-60 houses in his day's work. After handing me my parcel, he pulled out a small ha...