The Union Budget 2009 : Where do we students stand?

With all the hype after the Union Budget of 2009 the question that flashed into my mind was..where do we students stand? Did we gain anything or is the budget bad for us in some way or the other? I decided that I really needed to know this, and so fished out the speech of our Honorable Finance Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee that he delivered while announcing the budget of this year.I know nothing much about Economics (yeah I studied Economics in my XIIth Std, but comeon) and so most of the terms like Fiscal Deficit and MAT etc. were way above my domain of understanding. But I did succeed in finding some things that are surely going to affect the student community.

Well the major things that I came across are :

• Friends ( I mean students of course) from the economically weaker section of the society will be able to get student loans “with a full interest subsidy during the period of moratorium“.  This will cover the loans from Scheduled banks to pursue the approved courses in technical and professional streams.   Now that is a good one !

• The study loans taken or pursuing higher education in all fields of study, including the vocational studies pursued after schooling will be deductable in respect of interest on the loans with the amendment of the Section 80-E of the Income Tax Act.

• This time the government has raised the amount allocated to ‘Mission in Education through ICT‘ to around 900 crore rupees. If this amount is used properly (i.e. without the officers in-charge thinking of filling in their coffers) this sure will lead to good education for the Indian youth who form quite a percentage of the totality of us.

• The government has also allotted Rs. 495 crore for the setting up and up-gradation of Polytechnics throughout the nation. Moreover Rs. 827 crore has also been set aside for the establishment of Central Universities in each of the states that don’t have one till now.

• Rs. 2113 crores have been allotted for the IITs (after all they are the pride of our country !!) and NITs which includes the 450 crores for the establishment of new IITs and NITs.  Overall the planned expenditure on higher education has been proposed to be raised by Rs. 2000 crore (whoops!!).

• Pranab Mukherjee, happy with IGNOU(Indira Gandhi National Open University) has allocated Rs. 50 crore to it. In the words of the minister ” IGNOU which has been the forefront of distance education , has been provided with an allocation of Rs. 900 million that also includes Rs. 400 million for grants to the state open universities”. Well atleast we can expect a little better course material and contacts programme from the IGNOU now that they have the cash that they needed (or  wanted!!) .

• Now since the mobile phones have become almost a necessity for the students these days, government’s decision to fully exempt accessories, parts and components imported for the manufacture of mobile phones from CVD of 4% is sure going to make the mobile phones cheaper than what they are at the present. Thats good news isn’t it?

• Talking of students, how can we forget paper and other paper related articles. Yes they are going to cheaper too after the decision of reducing the excise duty to 4% from 8% on such items! Keep on writing and studying brothers!!

• If there isn’t enough light around how will you study? Governemt has also reduced the excise duty from cheaper electric bulbs and CFLs…now no excuses.

• I know many will be thinking there must be electricity to light the bulbs and CFLs which sadly India lacks on by a huge margin. There is a huge disparity between the amount of power demand the amount supplies. Pranab Da has increased the allocation of funds for the Accelerated Power Develeopment and Reform Programme (APDRP) to Rs. 2080 crore (the hike is a whopping 160%). If this money is utilized well then surely our power problems will lessen, i.e. we wont have to face the frequent power cuts (which curiously rise in frequency during the week before the exams!) that the whole country faces.

• Yes many of the students of today are en-route of getting employed. But at this time of Global Economic Recession jobs are the most hard to find commodity. To help people get proper employment government has announce the establishment of Modern Employment Exchanges where the job seekers can register online and can approach any employment exchange. A national web portal with common software is being developed under this project that will contain all the data regarding the availability of skilled persons on the one hand and the requirements of skilled people by the industries, making the process of job seeking a bit less cumbersome.

• Obviously not every thing can be good always can it? The prices of toothpastes are going to rise after the budget of 2009.  But oral hygeine is a must isn’t it? So nothing can be done…you have to cough up more money while colgate-ing or close-up-ing thats it.

The past few days I have been watching the debates over the budget of 2009. Well I got bored everytime I heard big words like Fiscal Deficit etc. (yeah one may refer to wikipedia for that I know) I know that is important, but for us students I guess these were the highlights of the Union Budget 2009!

Sadness…

Sometimes you try your level best and then too all that you end up with is sadness. Yeah you do get some thumbs-ups and well-dones but at the end of the day the feeling that remains in the heart of yours is sadness. It eats you alive. It makes you burn in the scorching fire of regret, the what-ifs and the what-if-nots. It drains all your strength if it is allowed to linger, but can well be one of the best teachers if looked upon in the correct manner. No no, its not that I have suffered some recent defeat or something…I felt this when I saw Andy Roddick cry after losing the Wimbledon Finals to Roger Federer.

Yes the Super-Server fought like a bull till the very end of the match and once even seemed to take the match for himself. He was sometimes magnificent and sometimes full of power…but in the end I think the perseverance of Federer was what undid the Roddick Dream! Yes Federer proved to the world that he is best player of Tennis that the world has ever seen. I mean not everyone wins 15 grand slams in one’s carreer and the way Federer has acheived this glory, with all the finesse and grace is something that will make him immortal in the annuls of World Tennis.

But it sure was heartbreaking to see Roddick crestfallen, although he ought to be proud of himself. But thats the point that I am trying to make…regret always makes way into your mind when you fail…even if you fought real hard to win. So, all Roddick needs is perseverance. I know its easy to say than to actually do so, but I know the Super-Server will do it.

Go Roddick Go!

The Missile Man

I was hoping someday I could attend one of his lectures and question answer sessions and finally my hope turned into realtiy and all due to the summer vacations at my college. Bemused?? Well actually Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam, the missile man of India visited our city on a 2 day tour here on the 24th of June 2009, and he was to address a gathering of around 500 students of different schools and colleges of the city. Since we were having the summer vacations so only the Ranchi guys could come and luckily I am one of them!!!

Dr. Kalam , as I had heard and read has a real simple demeanour and way of talking. His interaction with the students with the well timed jokes and several pledges made the address just fly by…I liked the way he objectivized the various ways of achieving what we want in our life and to contribute to the society…the splendid concept of succeeding with integrity was a real food for the thought. The best thing that I remember from the address is, the four things that we need to avhieve anything in life:

• Having an aim in life
• Gathering knowledge to achieve it…making friends with good books
  
• Working Hard to achieve it
• Perseverance…never be defeated by failure

The most important thing that I noticed was…well to be truthful I and so many others in my college lost the will to listen to other people…be it classes or the guest lectures by the imminent guests during our college fests…I just could not bear to listen after the passage of a mere 10 minutes…and today I listened on to Dr. Kalam for over an hour and even repeated some of the things he said and requested all of us to repeat with him (which I am sure I would not have if I were attending some other guest lecture!)…Man he has some charisma…certainly he’s the missile man of India…a real pioneer!

Why RED??

RED is the colour of the day…no its nothing that is pleasurable or even remotely enjoyable rather its terrifyingly repulsive. Yes I am talking about the Naxalites, the Maoists Communist Centre (MCC) and their likes. They are getting increasingly unmanageable and untameable.

India is increasingly becoming volatile, in just the Pakistan way and am really really sad to say that. The recent capture of Lalgarh and then the following Paramilitary action to take the town back is reminiscent of the Swat incident in Pakistan. The immense bloodshed that the naxals are committing is ghastly yes, but also something that is diminishing the faith of people in the government and that is what’s the most dangerous thing. Its not that the people are losing faith in one particular party thats in power, the thing that is disturbing is that the masses are losing faith in the system of government that we have, in the police. They have already started feeling that no government can keep them safe from these bloodthirsty vampires, moreover the continuous attacks on the Police is worsening the situation.

The naxals are calling for 2-day long strikes in the whole of Jharkhand from tomorrow and the government is already gone into the damage control mode…disheartening, very disheartening. If the government itself is scared, where will the common people go? If the protectors are the ones whos are terrified, where will we go?? The worst thing is that the political parties are going all guns against the president’s rule in the state, stating that all these attacks are a result of the mis-rule of Syed Sibte Razi, the governor of Jharkhand. yes, I agree that the crime rates have flown up very high durin his tenure as the chief of the statem but I have a suspicion that the politicans are one of the people who are behind all this. With more and more evdiences of the politcians’ link with the Naxals coming into light, its getting even darker.

Why can’t we live as free people anymore i just can’t understand…no I just can’t. I hate it!

Solutions : Who am I to suggest any but still I do have some things to share…

Well for starters…the age old mantra of sincerity. If the people start doing what they are required to do with all their heart, the people’s displeasure with the rulers will lessen and so will the chances of theirs joining the terror outfits like the MCC and all. I know that this isn’t  a case of ignorance but sheer displeasure and then some brain washing that leads people in to such an abyss a many engineers and well trained professionals are the ones who form the main force of the MCC. If everything is done sincerely, well no displeasure will be there for such brain-washers to feast on…and hence the situation can be much easier .Just read this for the amount of brainwash that’s there.

I no it seems very Utopian for this to happen in an immensely corrupt country that we are…but still I guess this is the only way…no military action or appeasement of the naxals or talks are going to help if the root cause isn’t  removed..nope none.  I hope the next generation of the administrators, officers and even the workers is less corrupt than the present one so that we can achieve some peace..which is absoolutely required if we are to have some development here..or else..even I dont want to think of the future.

Several things….

Yet again loads of time has passed since my last post and i really don’t have any other excuse but sheer laziness for it…and you know what I am not even a little ashamed, why? Well I suppose even I don’t know about that much. Well lets leave it at that…better late than never isn’t it? Several things is the name of my post because I need to share several thing s with you all….and here I go…

Thing 1:

I would like to begin this post with something which I like very much : Books!! Well this summer I have let myself down..how? Well till now, I have read only 3 books (The Story Of Edgar Sawtelle, The Digital Fortress and The Other Hand) in comparison to the massice 31 that I read during my last summer vacation! Even though I bought two others from the New Delhoi airport, I have made no progress towards reaching anywhere near that huge number of 31, as  I havent even read a single one of them! Anyways, on the brighter side, due to coming of my iPod,  I discovered the pleasure of Audiobooks. I listened to the audio version of Twilight by Stephanie Meyer and you know what I simply loved the whole experience…the feeling that the audiobooks impart..as if some one is reading you a story is what is the most appealing thing about them! I am now going to listen to the the remaining parts of the Twilight series too and am quite sure I will like them too!

Thing 2:

Now comes a totally unrelated topic. LeT(Lashkar-e-Taiba) is making its base down here in the jungles of Jharkhand and Bihar…what the hell. Yeah as if the threats posed by the naxals (the MCC, the PWG etc.)  wasn’t enough, now even these bast***s from across the border are trying to establish their say out here. I mean what do these sadistic vampires get out of killing innnocent people for no reason whatsoever. Why have they misplaced their minds so easily in the hands of some mullahs , who have only one thing in theor mind…how to hurt India, and how to hurt the non-Muslims. I mean, if there is God he is only one, Ram or Allah or Jesus what does it matter? I just can’t understand this… Coming back to the Jharkhand LeT, this news simply has sent shivers down in the hearts of the already under-fire police department and the state’s governor Syed Sibte Razi (as the state is currently under the President’s rule, Razi is the all in all of the state). Now it needs to be seen, what do these people do inorder to tackle this sudden and immense problem.

Thing 3:

Any of you who has seen me will be knowing that the most striking feature of me is my girth!! Yeah, bluntlyI am quite fat. Now these summer vacations always bring with them loads of delicious food (with the tongue watering Magoes and Lichis all around) and also accompany very lethargic routine meaning no exercises and hence meaning those very very irritating extra kilos that I very painstakingly manage to lose durin the time college is open!! I have started doing some Yoga but I dont think that’ll work and cutting down on the food isn’t my forte thats for sure, so what to do?? Yes I am going to run…from tomorrow sure shot (but Tomorrow Never Dies…or does it??)

Thing 4:

Now that I enter the 4th and final year of my B.E. its finally the time of reckoning. As I have a call for further studies so its essential that I start preparing for the GRE (naah no Ties and Lies for me!) from immediate effect. Yeah I’ve bought all the necessary books and all…what is required now is some peace of mind to start over. I think I will begin it in earnest from tomorrow too. Moreover the coming semester will also bring with it the placements…well its not going to be easy, the next sem even though it has a lot to offer too!

Last Thing but certainly not the Least Thing:

Now speaking so much and yet not mentioning the T-20 World Cup will be something I won’t be excused for. Yeah every one around is leaving no expletives while ostracizing Dhoni, the Indian Captain, yes, I agree he made some mistakes and that his batting form isn’t that purple anymore, but comeon people what else were you expecting? He isn’t some God, after all he is a human too and as the saying gose To err is human, so lets take this loss in the spirit of the game and lets hope Team India wins the next time. Now all my hopes lie with South Africa, Go Proteas Go (and No Pakistan No!!!)

Long Time…

Its been a long time since I last did anthing here…many many reasons are there…better not to go them…just am happy to be able to do some writing finally…feels great!

Presently am in the gate to the gods, Haridwar. Its an ok sort of place but the thing that made me dislike it is the food…:-(. I mean who the hell wants to have nothing but aloo parathas  for breakfast…comeon. THe only option that we have is either we can have curd with it or chhole. Its been like hell…but still I liked the stay as the weather was a bit less harsh than that in Ranchi. The only good part was according to me, the Ganga. I loved the clean waters (for a change) and the religious fervous alothough irritating for me, was a treat to watch to…I mean where else can you find thousands of people struggling just to get a glimpse of the worshipping of a river?? Well its here only!

Hardwar on the brighter side has numerous temples all unique in their own respect. The Bharat Mata temple is a nice concept. It is a 7 storied building with each floor dedicated to some imporant aspect of our nation. The ground floor houses a grand and beautiful idol of Bharat Maata which I am sure is one of a kind, while the other 6 floors house idols of various saints, freedom fighters, gods and goddesses. The top floor has a big temple dedicated to Shiva. All in all its a must watch if you visit this place.

Other temples that I went to are the Vaishno Devi temple, the Paawan Dhaam(here all the idols and images are made up of glass…unique isn’t it??)etc. All you got to pay to visit all thes temple is for the conveyance…if you are going by a rickshaw they will charge you around 150 bucks per person..but all in all its all worth it…al you have to do is enjoy every moment…even if you dont like the things at first…soon you will start to enjoy. The roads, the people, the ride, the temples, the idols, the religious fervour, (in my case the torrential rains), the various semi-automatic scenes from various parts of the huge Hindu mythology, the small amounts of money that you have to cough up for watching those scenes, the thrill (mock) of entering the caves(man made) in the temples….all in all it gives you a sense of a unique religious adventure. If a person like me enjoyd it….i guess any normal person would!

 

 

 

 

On IPL and some more…

IPL

Well the Indian Premier League is all set to become International Premier League and will be held most probably in South Africa this year. Amidst all the protests from players and fans alike, the BCCI is very indifferently moving towards accomplishing this dubious act! I mean its like cheating all the fans out here who were waiting with all their hearts and all the gears to go for an all-out support for their respective favourites! Chennai Super Kings will have their home city as Durban and Kolkata Knight Riders perhaps in Johannesburg…what the heck!

I know, we are going to have the general elections coming at the same time as the IPL, but still…its so unfair! I know, the franchisees have agreed too, and the reason is obviously the money factor. Security isn’t much of a problem as most of the states agreed that they were capable of holding the matches wthout many problems, but the ever money mongering BCCI isn;t gonna listen even a single thing…and the worst thing is that the political parties have already started politicalizing this. The opposition has already started blaming the government and criticising it for it’s inability to provide proper security, saying “its as if we are talking about Pakistan”…comeon guys at least leave sports apart from politics!

For the time, as fans all we can do is wait and watch as the story develops further….

The some more that I wanted to share about is a recent article that I came across in the papers. The one about a fund being started to locate the remnants of the Mughal dynasty and help them survive. This again is so very uncalled for. I mean, why do you need to start a fund for someone just because their ancestors once ruled the nation, and now they are selling tea for their living?

Their are so many other people in the country who need such funds more that them. I mean, what is the point of starting some fund for a group of people just because they turned to paupers from princes? This surely shouldn’t be a criterion for helping people…why single out them to be alleviated when their are so many other people dying hungry and without proper clothing…i just can’t understand…can somebody please make me understand?

In the Terrace in the Night

Just now, feeling so very hot (due to the weather) and so very uneasy I went up to terrace of my hostel to find some relief in the cool night air. Relief, yes I did get some, but along with the coolness of the breeze and the darkness of the sky came suddenly rushing a tumult of gushing difficult questions. Many what-ifs, many whys, many why nots, many whats and many what nots, and when I enquired myself about the answers, well I knew none.

The questions kept on coming and I couldn’t answer a single one satisfactorily if at all! Bored of it, my mind wandered into strange realms of thoughts. like what is a thought? Why do we think? What would be a world without any thoughts? or a life without any feelings and emotions? Thankfully I knew the answer to this one : It won’t be a world worth living in, it won’t be a life worth fighting for or even worth caring about!

It has always been the case with me, whenever I am happy my mind suddenly starts remembering the sad moments and whenever I am sad, it wrenches out all the happy moments of my life infront of my eyes. Its as if life doesn’t want me to be too happy or too sad, jus balanced, just in between!Thats what it has been always like. Thats what it always will be like!

Then suddenly I thought about today and remembered that it was International Women’s Day. Well I for one am strictly against it. I mean if men and women are equals (you bet they are) then why the hell is this kind of day still there? It is these kinds of thnigs that create inequality amongst us. Its the medieval mindset of people that needs to change and merely delaring a day as women’s day isn’t gonna change anything – thats for sure!

So much said and so much thought, the flashback of my life then started in front of my eyes , which troubled me (as I associate this flashback with the end, the full stop), but reliving those moments of joy and laughter, of sorrow and tears, of friendship and love really cheered me up instead of saddening me, as I realised :

Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost! and when the movie upto this point was so damn good, the second half has to be good too!

Top Inviter!

I just opened my Facebook home page today (as I do every other day) and just when I was goin to close the window seeing nothing new, my eyes found something new.

There in the right half of my home page was a tab : TOP INVITER!

It said that “Thanks to you, many of your friends are now on Facebook. Use our simple tools to find and invite more of your friends”. Now that I think of it, I surely have invited a score of my friends on to Facebook, which I consider loads superior to Orkut!

I feel nice! He He!

I Wonder!

Courage is something that cannot be inculcated, but something that comes from within; something that is inherently in one’s character. Standing up for your own rights is courage yes, but standing up for others’ is heroism, a thing that a very select few can ever manage to have, and something that distinguishes great men from ordinary mortals.

I am not saying this because I have suddenly become a fan of some super-hero or something, I am saying this because I suddenly felt this when I was sitting alone in my room staring at the bright light of my monitor, thinking blatantly anything and everything.

Without courage the world wouldn’t have been the same place at all, and without heroism the world wouldn’t have been here at all! People like Bhagat Singh, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Martin Luther King, Harvey Milk and so many more weren’t just courageous, but they felt for others and it was this feeling of theirs that made them Heroes, the real heroes, stronger than any super-hero of a comic strip. This feeling, this urge to alleviate people of their sufferings, this strange inability to see the people accept their sufferings without protest is what makes your life worth living.

As is said “woh khoon nahi woh paaani hai jisme ubaal ka naam nahi” i.e. the blood that doesn’t boil isn’t blood but water. The blood that doesn’t boil when the fellow people squirm with pain and agony isn’t something that a person would be proud of, rather it’s something to be very ashamed of. How can anyone just see the sufferings, and then turn his backs on it as if nothing ever happened.

And yet in this world of ours, this is what we have always seen, and perhaps this is what we will always see. Every time when this has happened, someone or the other has come up, to lift the masses, to show the path to hope. But in the modern world, where the most dominant emotions are perhaps indifference and lust, will the savior arise ever again??

I wonder…