Gyanbaa-Tukaram

न्यूजपेपर मधून अथवा टीव्ही channels मधून आपला देश प्रगती करतोय हे कळतं. आपली ८ तक्क्यानी growth होतेय, हे समझ्ता. आपल्या देशाची जनरल परिस्थिती पाहता, एकदम आश्चर्य वाटत. या सगळ्या chaos मध्ये आपण economic growth achieve करतोय, ही एक मोठी गोष्ट आहे, especially या दिवसांमध्ये. आपण असे काय करतोय की ही feat आपण manage केली??

असच एक दिवस मला फरीद ज़कारिया, यांचे भाषण ऐकायला मिळाले. ते 'प्रथम' नामक NGOच्या  गाला इव्हेंट मध्ये की-नोट स्पीकर होते व प्रेक्षकाना contribution देण्याचे अवाहान करत होते. तर त्यांच्या भाषणात, एका pointवर त्यांनी China-India comparison केली आहे.ते म्हणतात, India is succeeding despite its government whereas China is succeeding because of its government. ते म्हणतात की कितीही problems (economic or otherwise) असले तरी त्यांना human response असतोच. Problems macro levelचे असले तरी response हा micro levelवर  असतो आणि तो micro response हळू-हळू देशात बदल आणतो. खरच आहे, त्या शिवाय का आपली ग्रोथ झाली असती!

पण आता प्रश्न असा की त्याला उत्तर नाही.
लोकांनी मतदान करायचं.
लोकांनी सहनशीलता दर्शावाय्ची.
लोकांनी पुढाकार घेऊन सरकारला मदतीचा हात द्यायचा.
पण मग सरकारने काय करायचा?
HR च्या भाषेत म्हटले, तर आपल्या सरकारचे KRAs काय आहेत?

लहानपणी आमच्या society च्या मैदानात संत ज्ञानेश्वर उत्सव साजरा होयचा. वारकरी ठेक्यात नाचायचे. ग्यानबा-तुकाराम, ज्ञानोबा-तुकाराम. जसे लोक वाढत जायचे, तसा आवाज मोठा होत जायचा....पण वारकर्यांचा घोळका जागच्या जागीच नाचत असायचा....ग्यानबा-तुकाराम, ज्ञानोबा-तुकाराम.....त्यांचा घोळका कधी पुढे हललाच नाही, अथवा कधी हलला, तरी अगदी हळू-हळू.

ग्यानबा-तुकाराम, ज्ञानोबा-तुकाराम.....

तशी काहीशी आपली परिस्थिती झाली आहे का?
नेत्यांचा आवाज मोठा, आकडाही मोठा......पण जागच्याजागी चालूच आहे ग्यानबा-तुकाराम, ज्ञानोबा-तुकाराम!!
मुंबई ला शंघाई बनवणार
चोवीस तास पाणी आणि वीज मिळणार
मोठे रास्ते, better law and order.
ग्यानबा-तुकाराम, ज्ञानोबा-तुकाराम.........

बेधड़क आणि illegal  constructions पाडणार.
वाढत्या महागयिला रोखणार
Bureaucracy आणि corruptionला लगाम लावणार.
ग्यानबा-तुकाराम, ज्ञानोबा-तुकाराम.....

आणि या सर्व गदारोळात जातीय वाद आहेतच.
ग्यानबा-तुकाराम, ज्ञानोबा-तुकाराम......

काहीच होत नाही असं वाटत. नैराश्य येतं. हो! देशाच्या बाहर राहून, आपली दुर्गति होत आहे आणि ती कशी होत आहे, हे चांगलच नीट दिसतं. जेव्हा इतर देशाचे नागरिक आपल्याला प्रश्न विचारतात की तुमच्या देशात सरकार basic सोयी देत नाही का? तेव्हा बोचतं, लाज वाटते आणि या सर्व politiciansना एक खाडकन भड्कावून द्यावीशी वाटते.
पण मग ज़करियांच आपल्या देशाबद्दलचे वाक्य आठवत. खरं आहे ते. India is succeeding despite its government . पण आता आपण कुठच्या बाजुनी पाहिचा ह्याच्याकड़े?

की वाह! Politiciansना न जुमानता लोकं प्रगति पथावर जात आहेत!!!
की  आपला सरकार ineffective आहे अस आपणच आपलं समजून घेऊन  दुसरीकडे migrate होयचा?
का  आपण डोळे बंद करून आणि माना खाली घालून गप गुमान आपली कामं करत रहायची आणि नेत्यांचा ठेका चालू द्यायचा?
ग्यानबा-तुकाराम, ज्ञानोबा-तुकाराम.........
ग्यानबा-तुकाराम, ज्ञानोबा-तुकाराम.........

PS.
Please do hear Fareed Zakaria speak. Its a 25 mins speech.
http://ishare.rediff.com/video/news-politics/india-is-succeeding-despite-its-government-fareed-zakaria/930384

A time to think

There are times when I think!

I think of how my life would have been, had I been born in some different place, amongst different people altogether. That's when I realize that though our Destiny decides our final destinations, it is the people around us who help us pick the right option to reach there. Our family and friends play an important role in making us the people we are.

All of who I am, all of who I can be,

Wouldn't have been possible if these particular people (my family and friends) wouldn't have been a part of my life.

There are times when I am out and beaten. Its that time, when all those who are close to me have stood by me. gently coaxing me to stand up again and to walk.

My family and friends have always motivated me to go ahead....it started from talking....and ended at reading passages on positive behavior. However, over the years there are two things that have touched my heart, mind and soul, and go back to these two things everytime I am feeling low and lost.

I am sharing these two things with you.

First is an inspirational poem, 'Don't Quit'. This was written many years ago by an unknown author. It was given to me by one of my friends, when I was struggling with all the competitive exams. My Mom too, shares quotes from this poem whenever I feel like giving up.

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
    When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
    When the funds are low and the debts are high,
    And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
    When care is pressing you down a bit,
    Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

    Life is queer with its twists and turns,
    As every one of us sometimes learns,
    And many a failure turns about,
    When he might have won had he stuck it out;
    Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
    You may succeed with another blow.

    Often the goal is nearer than,
    It seems to a faint and faltering man,
    Often the struggler has given up,
    When he might have captured the victor's cup,
    And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
    How close he was to the golden crown.

    Success is failure turned inside out--
    The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
    And you never can tell how close you are,
    It may be near when it seems so far,
    So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
    It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Then there us the story of the velveteen rabbit. It was passed on to me by my bestest friend Katya. Its a long story. It makes me understand that my dreams will realise...but it will take some time. It gives me hope to carry on. Here is a link to the story:

http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/williams/rabbit/rabbit.html

There are many stories that my Dad tells me. Even today. All those that make sense. And that make me wonder.....what would have happened to me, if Dad-Mom, Dada-Bhabhi, my family, Uncles and Aunts and cousins and friends wouldn't have been there to guide me.

True, I would have reached the same place I am today...because maybe I was destined to do so.

But maybe I would have been a different person altogether.

Jar Aatya Baainaa Mishyaa astya tar....

These days, my mind wanders aimlessly. Its just that, its not used to taking a vacation. टॉप गीयर मधून फर्स्ट गीयर मध्ये यायला त्याला फार वेळ लागतोय.
As you see, I was working for past few years in Mumbai. So my mind is conditioned to think 24*7 about the next step, the plan B, the issues that can crop up in a project,  and so on.
So my dear mind does what it is (rather was habituated) supposed to....keep thinking and thinking and thinking….rather…it keeps on running non-stop just like the local trains in Mumbai do.

Some of the excerpts of my endless thinking:

“Hmmm its November...nothing much to do...Aniket's (Husband) at work...let me search for work too....जर मी Monster.com वर log in केल तर? (And I log in, and find a few job listings and I apply.)
Apply तर केलय. जर कॉल आला तर? सही Man!!!! I will crack this interview. म्हणजे माला ही जॉब लागेल. जर माला जॉब लागला तर!!!! सही होईल ना!!  I will earn too and that would mean no dependence on Aniket. जर माझी salary, one-fourth spend केली and three-fourth save केली तर सही रे सही!!!! तर मी पण Kalverstraat (the shopping area of Amsterdam city......its home to some biggest domestic and International brands......the most expensive street to take your girlfriend/wife/daughter/mother too) ला जाईन n shop करीन.
But wait, do they have my size clothes here????Oh Shit Man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Theres no place for mid-women (women who are not thin..but not obese either...and who don't fall in the slim category) in this world. I mean what the F*&# Man!!!!!
Why? why? why?...why? is this world promoting the idiotic size zero....Hah!!! That Kareena Kapoor...shes started looking like a stick after her size zero...Man and she eats everything yet shes so thin!!!!!!....That reminds me, I have made some pulav for lunch today...Okay.the pulav still looks good and smells great....Aniketला पण आवडला aahey...I can make it for his tiffin sometime...Maybe माझ्या tiffin साठी पण बंवेन.....................................जर माला जॉब लागला तर.

Whew!!! That was in a span of 30 seconds!!!!! I need to relax.......

 “ॐओंsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss मॐ".

 “Yeah yeah...I am relaxing, Mom says that we lose weight when we relax.....
ओंsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss म... जर मी 3 kgs a month...या रेटने वजन लूज केल तर probably, in the next six months I can lose 20 kgs (18 kgs plus 2 kgs of bargaining for doing all the hardwork)..Hmmm म्हणजे असा झाला तरच I will be a size that can be easily found in the stores here in Amsterdam and then maybe anywhere else......  छा Man!!! जर मी बारीक असते तर....."

This one took even less of my brain time.

The other day, I was looking at real estate prices for properties…
“Shit….a crore!!!!!That too in Mulund!!!!!!!What nonsense…..property prices have really escalated..आता Amsterdamच घ्या ना. Look at prices here…rentalsअच पहा ना…for that area outside the city….the rent (exclusive utilities) is Eu1500 per month…हट मेल्यान्नो!!!! त्यापेक्षा मी city मध्ये छोटया घरात राहेन. Atleast सगला कही जवळ आहे इथून.आता London आणि Sydney मध्ये पण पहा ना!!!घर घेणा मुश्किलच झाले!!!!!!!कायच्याकाय या किमती!!!! काय चाललय हे?? Middle class माणसानी चांगल घर  घ्यायचाच  नाही  का??
जर माझ्याकड़े पैसे असते  तर मी पण एक छान घर  घेतला असता..….Furniture शोधून-शोधून  त्याला decorate केला असता…..लोकांचा तोंड उघडा राहिला असता इतका झकास घर असता.....जर पैसे असते तर....."

आणखी बरेच विचार माझ्या डोक्यात ये-जा करत आहेत......
जर  माला तीन wishes पूर्ण करणारे Angels भेटले तर.....
जर मी TV serial/Film Director असते तर...
जर माला आजचे कुठलेही नेते भेटले तर...
जर Harry Potterच्या गोष्टी आणि बाकीच्या fairytales पण खर्या असतील तर...

 .......जर आत्याबाईना मिश्या असत्या तर!!!!....