Pollution Through Celebrations

In the evening I was standing in balcony just trying to get what program was going on in the stadium. It was on since evening. What I got from the loudspeaker was it might be a MLM (Multi Level Marketing) program. Lots of noise and songs like ‘chak de india’ were on and in the middle of all these some person or lady announcing about his…her success in this business.

Well it was nice to hear all this, but around 2130 Hrs. there were lots of crackers being brunt and it all continues for 15 minutes, I came again in the balcony to watched all this…it was wonderful scene to watch in the sky especially for the kids. But when it all stops I saw huge balloons of smoke spread in the sky. Wow!!! What a MLM program…I thought they all are busy in their event but who cares about how much pollution they have spread through these crackers. Was it necessary? If they got any success, this should not be the way to celebrate. Celebration should not harm our environment.

After a rainy season the sky is clear and we want to breath deeply because after rain, you will not get any polluted air, its as fresh as the nature. But what havoc these MLM leaders have created in this beautiful nature they might not know because they are mast in their success. This is success for them and due to this success they are harming our environment, I think its shame and embarrassment on such success. We should not forget that we have to care our surroundings.

Well they all have gone and a sound came from inside me ‘ye tune kya kiya’..chak diya India. Left all this for me... to think… there might be others like me, who think so. Then why don’t we come forward and make our voice, but I know it’s not easy, it’s easy to write all this in words. May be by writing it may have some affect on you, that while doing any function or programs please take care of your surroundings.

Am I right? What you thinking about…go ahead express your feelings through your comments.

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Village Night on the Field

Today I am going to tell you my experience of working at night in village field.

In village there was shortage of electricity, its not like we have electricity in city. There was turn allocated for electricity, a week it was in day shift and the next it was in the night shift. Therefore, for watering crops we have to go to field at night also.
I am telling you about winter nights। The electricity comes at around 10 PM, therefore, I with my uncle (mamaji) packed ourselves with warm clothes, took our tea in thermos and left for the field around 9 PM. our field was 20 minutes away from home.

In village people went to bed around 8 PM, so the night was calm…and dogs have also gone to sleep. The moon was shining in the sky and milkyway was clearly visible. It was marvelous to see full moon in the village; one can see a distant object clearly. I don’t think in cities we get a glimpse of the milkyway. The kids only read in books about milkyway though I have shown my kids in village. In cities we hardly get that beautiful scene.
When the electricity came I switched on the motor and the water starts flowing towards the field, which was approx. 1 km away from the well. So after switching on the motor, we left for the filed. (how we water the crops read my earlier post My Memories with Radio in Village 1). After reaching field we removed our shoes… ouch the sand was very cold but the water was warm so we put our foot in the water. After watering an hour suddenly the electricity was off (it was usual in village). It came after five minutes.
My mamaji told me to go to the well and switch on the motor. I returned back to the well and switched on the motor and started back towards the field….suddenly when I was passing by through another well (which was not ours) something struck in my mind and reminds me of the person to whom this well belongs to. The person to whom this well belongs was died sometimes back and the people’s belief was that this man (soul) was visible at night near his well….oh my God….. in winters I was terribly terrified and got wet. Though it was a moon night and can see distant things visible, b’cos crops were small. Somehow remembering my God I reached on the field and prayed that the light should not go again….otherwise I have to go again near this well. I told my mamaji about that he told me “there is nothing like this, it’s all useless” (“aisa kuchh nahi hota ye sab bakwas hai.”)
Still when I visit village and passed through this well it reminds me of that incident. Though I don’t believe in ghost stories but in village “yes” sometimes I get terrified. Because ‘jiske saath hota hai wohi jaanta hai…’

Do you have any such incidents? Share with me through your comments.

Cricket in Village

If you are reading my earlier posts, this is in continuation with my memories of village. I am trying to write small post in a single day… so that you can read it.

In village, we were having buffalos for milking. Sometimes I used to take them for grazing with other friends in the morning and again in the evening. We were out for three to four hours, enjoying and playing some games in-group, climbing on trees. We carry the meal rapped in a cloth. One thing I noted was we enjoyed the meal much more on field rather than at home. The taste of meal at field was really different. Don’t know why?? May be after hard work the meal tastes better or the environment makes it tasty. But it was really great feeling having meal out of home on the field.
While returning in the evening with cattle, you might have read in books the evening scene, how the sun looks like at that time which is called “godhully” in Hindi. It was marvelous scene, which I have seen and was a part of that.
In the evening, we used to play cricket. The Bat was made of plain patta or the wood with which we wash cloths. The ball was made of by tearing cloth and then making the tear cloths rolled over and then stitches it with needle. It was hard one. The wickets were sticks of a neem tree or other tree putting them in the ground with the help of sand. The teams were made depending on the number of players available.
We used to play cricket sometimes in field or in galli or inside house. The courage was so high that sometimes only my brother and me play cricket and it continued for hours in hot. And sometimes I played with small children. Even if no one was at home, I used to hit the ball on the wall (my son does the same at home now and his mamma will say “apne baap par gaya hai”) when it rebounds back I hit it with bat trying to make different shots or was making bowling practice at home trying to swing or spin the ball.
Tournaments were being organized amongst different villages teams. The matches are mostly of 16 overs. We took part in those tournaments. After taking part in one or two tournaments, I became a prominent member of my village team. We participated in big tournaments by making team of combining good players of nearby villages. One thing I noted was they all respect me and called me in all the tournaments and soon I became a very known, familiar player around the villages. The most important point was my batting, bowling and fielding i.e. I was all a rounder. It was always difficult for the opponents to out me and when I bowl they fear of my bowling. Though I was not a very fast bowler.
We won many matches. I remember one incident, after joining my service I was out of village, my friend were playing in some tournament… 50 kms away from village. When I reached village in the night, they came at my home around 10 PM and requested me to play the semifinal match tomorrow. Even at that time my parents could not deny me and in the morning I went with them, and we won that match…..
At that time, for cricket, I could be anywhere; sometimes I have to face parent’s anger. But gone are the days now…..woh deen….

My Memories with Radio in Village -II

In sports I used to listen Cricket commentary and Tennis commentary at that time. In Men’s Tennis Boris Becker, John Mecnero and Stephen Edberg were hot favorite. Superb matches were played among them. In Women Tennis S. Graf, Navratilova and Sabatini were my favorite. I like the game of Graf but as a player I like Sabatini as she was very cute, lovely height, beautiful eyes and nice features. In 1983 when India won Cricket World Cup, I remember some moments. In the village mostly people slept by 8 or 9 PM at that time. After finishing dinner I was lying on the cot, listening commentary and the West Indies were 3 down and I got asleep, when in the morning I got up I was thrilled to know that India have won the World Cup…huuh what a moment it was.. so much crazy.
I also have a sad memory on Radio and it was the death of Rajiv Gandhi. In the morning I came to know that he was killed in a bomb blast. I went on the roof of my house (in the village we have big house and open one) with Radio in my hand waiting for the 8 AM news, when the news was being read I still feel the tears were flowing from my eyes and I wept and wept alone on the roof. I loved that leader so much.
I also used to listen foreign Radio Stations on SW i.e. Short Wave Radio. In most of the countries Hindi Services are being broadcasted through SW. My favorite foreign radio Stations were: BBC ki Hindi Seva, Radio Tashkent, Radio Peking (now Beijing), Radio Deutsche Welle(Germany), Voice of America, Radio Japan, Radio Varitas Asia (Philippines) Radio Masco and Radio Berlin International (it was when the Germany was not united) and some more. I wrote them letters through their embassies in India about their programs, asked questions about those countries and in return they send beautiful badges, calendars, material and postcards of that countries. When I wrote letters to them I used to write in my diary when I wrote a particular letter and was eagerly waited for their reply or their materials. It was something special feelings. This diary is still with me. When I got something from these countries my friends asked me how I got that and I told them then they also started listening these services. Crazy days…. after leaving village all those have been left behind and also the Radio… its so long since I have listened on Radio, even I don’t have radio now. Sometimes I think what I have enjoyed my children will not. They don’t know about the Radio, what they know is FM i.e. Faltu Masala.

My Memories with Radio in Village

I was thinking what to write today. Suddenly I went back in my dreams…...and lost in beautiful memories of my village life. What a life it was!!!! And I decided why not to write about my memories about the village life, the village life which most of you might have not seen or visited.
It was the period of 1980s; at that time the main entertainment or the media through which we get news in village was Radio. Most of the time when I was going to the field, the Radio was in my one hand…listening songs of that time i.e. old songs… beautiful voice of all time favorite and charming singers, which makes the environment pleasant. At that time the Radio was used for listening songs, news and of course for running commentary of cricket and hockey matches. There was a fix time for the news i.e. 8 AM, 2 PM and 9 PM which most of the people in the village prefer to listen and of course BBC Hindi Seva was also very much liked by us.
The courage was so high that we were made requests (through postcards) for a particular song so that we can listen our name on Radio and feel proud. And when our name was going to be announced we make the volume of Radio high …..so charming and thrilling moments they were.
Sorry I forgot to tell you about what we do on the field. We mostly sow crops of wheat, mustard & gram in winter season and bajra, guar in summer. Crops were being watered through well. I still have some memories (when I was of 4-5 years) that for watering the crops bulls, camels and in some places male buffalos were used, they draw water from the well and put the water in a tank (made of sand and chunna) and from there the water flows with the help of dhora from one field to another. The field area was again divided in small blocks, which were called kyari (area of 12x15 ft.), when one kyari filled its mouth was closed and the water goes in the next kyari and so on.
While working or watering the crops on field I put my radio on sand or on towel so that the Radio is dust free and listened sweet songs or commentary and waiting for the kyari to fill.. it was a routine work. After the coming of electricity in the village the work of pulling water from well was being done with the help of motors but the flow of water was same i.e. through dhora. Now in new generation pipes and fountain systems are being used for the same work. Still remembering that environment… fresh and clean air, no pollution whatsoever even at that time we didn’t know what is pollution.
But now I miss that life, that environment, that fresh air and the smell of sand, it was all natural.
My heart, my mind feels….. Kahan gaye woh deen…

ये तुने क्या किया

In the evening I was standing in balcony just trying to get what program was going on in the stadium. It was on since evening. What I got from the loudspeaker was it might be a MLM (Multi Level Marketing) program. Lots of noise and songs like ‘chak de india’ were on and in the middle of all these some person or lady announcing about his…her success in this business.

Well it was nice to hear all this, but around 2130 Hrs. there were lots of crackers being brunt and it all continues for 15 minutes, I came in the balcony watched all this…it may be wonderful scene to watch. But when it all stops I saw huge balloons of smoke spread in the sky. Wow!!! What a MLM program…I thought they all are busy in their event but who cares about how much pollution they have spread through these crackers. Was it necessary? If they got any success, this should not be the way to celebrate. Any celebration should not harm others and in particular not to our environment.

After a rainy season the sky is clear and we want to breath deeply because after rain you will not get any polluted air its as fresh as the nature. But what havoc these MLM leaders have created in this beautiful nature they might not know because they are mast in their success. This is success for them and due to this success they are harming our environment, I think its embarrassment on such success. We should not forget that we have to care our surroundings.

Well they all have gone and a sound came from inside me ‘ye tune kya kiya’..chak diya India. Left all this for me to think… may be like me there might be others who also think like this. Then why don’t we come forward and make our voice, but I know it’s not easy, it’s easy to writ all this in words. May be by writing it may have some affect on you…that while doing any function or programs please take care of your surroundings.

Am I right? What you thinking about…go ahead express your feelings through your comments.

By Champ

Only Indian Team can loose such match, not Uthappa

While watching yesterdays match I decided what the heading of my blog and what I will write, but after watching Uthappa’s batting and Indian win I have to change my mind. A win can wash all your bad decisions. As I wrote in my earlier blog, the captaincy of Dravid is not good enough; he cannot take right decisions. What wrong he has done in this match:

He should know that slog overs are being bowled by main bowlers and not by part time bowlers.
Ajit Agarkar should have been given one spell after 36 overs and again the last over, though he was expensive but you must rely on your main bowlers.
Zahir Khan should have been brought after 45th overs.
In the batting line up, Uthappa should have been sent ahead of Dhoni.
If India lost that match, it was due to Dravid’s wrong decisions and Dhoni’s batting.
Here is little brief on Dhoni’s Batting:

Technically he is not a good batsman. For quite sometime I have been watching him and found that he is not being able to take singles easily. Even if you bowl him on his leg he will play it straight. He does not have many shots, he plays away from his body, and therefore, he was struggling for the singles. When Dhoni came to bat India required less than 7 run per over and then it reaches at 10. How he scored his runs per ball 8(18), 13(22), 15(24), 18(28) and in the end 35(37). It shows that he was not able to pick singles easily; you can take singles without taking risks. But India won, and therefore, Dhoni’s inning was good.

Don’t take it that I am criticizing him, but I have written what he played. Now the finest part.. how we won:

As you know, when a team at 137/5 with run rate of 4.5, can reach upto 250 in 50 overs. But due to bad bowling and bad captaincy they reached 316. Now it was for the Indian openers to provide a solid start and marvelous start given by the openers Sachin and Saurabh. Though I have been criticizing Ganguly, because he was not making runs quickly in power play, but in this match he did well. Watching Sachin’s batting was marvelous, his strokes were amazing. His strokes on leg side were beauty. The bowl on off stump is dispatched for FOUR on square legs, amazing flicks. When the openers got out, India required run a ball and any good team in the world would have made that easily on this wicket, where the ball is coming nicely. You need patience. But as our Indian Team has a tendency of making match exciting, they did the same. They lost wickets on regular intervals.

When Dhoni came instead of Uthappa, I was surprised, b‘cos Uthappa is an opener and can take singles easily and blast whenever he wants. Anyways this young man was having something in his mind and he completed his task in style. When in the 49th over he got two boundaries, I suddenly got exciting by the memories of Net West Trophy final, where Kaif was hitting at the same stage when India required 325 to win. And in that match also the boundaries were coming from behind the wickets. Yesterday was amazing display of batting by Sachin and Uthappa. Congrats goes to the Indian Batsman.


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By Champ