My Delhi Manifesto....I love you Dilli.

Delhi, the capital of of India is the  eighth most populated city in the world.  Being the capital of the country, it is the seat of power. The President, Prime Minister, Ministers of the Central Government, live here.  The Embassies of most of the countries are based in Delhi,hence their Ambassadors  and senior officials are also the residents of Delhi.  Besides being the capital, Delhi is also a state. Lt. Governor, Chief Minister and Delhi Government ministers are  also have their  offices and houses here. More over ,several industrialists, business tycoons, Central and State Government officers reside here. Whereas in this great city the richest of the rich stay, on the other hand it is the abode to the poorest of the poor. Besides Delhi has a large  influx of  floating population, people coming from different States coming  in search of jobs.
Due to the multiplicity and amalgamation  of  several cultures, religion and social background of the inhabitants, the problems of this city are diverse,  multifarious and divergent.  The basic needs  of every city is the Roti, Kapada and Makaan' I  have been living in Delhi since birth. I love Delhi. I am witness to innumerable changes taking place in the city. With the progress of Science and Technology many improvements have  been  noticed. Delhi is now comparable to any other Capital city of the World. It looks like a Fairy Land at night.But much more has to be done. Let us analyse the problems faced by the Delhites.
1. Housing:-  This a major issue, which needs to be tackled.There should be a roof   above every head..In cold winter nights  many people are found to be sleeping on footpaths, parks and Railway/Bus stands. This problem is mainly experienced by  very poor dwellers.
2. Food  supply  is another big problem. The food distribution must be such that every individual may have adequate food for two meals a day.
3. Pollution:-Pollution is major problem  faced by  Delhites. It is caused by over population  and wrong  utilization of resources. Smoke emitted by  the use of petrol, diesel and  dusty roads add to the pollution of the environment. Noise pollution  is caused by the increasing  number of vehicles on the road.Water pollution occurs due to sullage in the river Yamuna.
4.Condition of  roads is in Delhi is very miserable, disgraceful and wretchedly poor. Only the VIP areas of New Delhi, the roads are well maintained. Even the Ring Road, which bears the brunt of maximum traffic is not maintained well.
5.Traffic  movement in the capital city, to say the least, is chaotic. Every part of the city is affected by incessant  traffic jams.
6. The whole city is affected  by electricity  shortage. Power cuts are  a regular feature of  for some areas. Whereas some VIP areas are spared, backward areas have to suffer shortages.Theft of electricity is also a gigantic problem.
7.Law and order problem is another major problem which is the cause of concern for Delhites. After dusk the city is not safe for women  travelling alone. Police patrolling is not adequate.
8. Public transport system has somewhat improved with the introduction of Delhi Metro, but it requires to be further improved. Resettlement colonies and far flung areas do not have regular  and sound  transportation  facilities.
9. Multiplicity of authorities  cause great inconvenience to the citizens. There is the Central Government which  controls Law and Order,,The Lt. Governor has under his control  Distribution of food and supplies,Electricity, Roads, Housing, Education  from Middle classes up to Sr Secondary Education and Colleges etc. Municipal Authorities look after Cleanliness, Water Supply, Education up to Primary Education,  etc. There is N.D.M.C. which looks after VIP areas of New Delhi.  Till recently there was one Municipal Office, but now it has been bifurcated into three.This was a retrograde  step.
10. A peculiar problem  pertains to the people of Delhi. Several VVIP's  stay here. Whenever a VIP moves out, the movement of traffic is stopped for hours  before the arrival  of the VIP.This causes  great  inconvenience to the public.
11.When some dignitaries arrive from foreign  countries arrive, the children from several schools are driven like cattle, to  line up on both sides of the roads, through which the visiting  dignitaries drive, to wave their hands, welcoming the guest.  These  children line up many hours before the arrival of the guest. Many children faint due to exhaustion. The VIP crosses the place in a split second. Many times the children have been found to ask whether the VVIP has crossed  the road.
12.Water logging on  many roads  is common after a rain. This happens because the slits are not regularly cleaned .
13.Corruption in Delhi is so deep rooted that  every sphere of life is affected.
14. Begging has become a  sort of profession for some people. Numberless beggars are found on  crossings. It is believed that areas are allocated.  It has been seen that a vehicle drops these so called 'beggars' on different crossings and pick them up in the evening. This is a very organised affair,running under the nose of the authorities, but nothing  is done  to mitigate this activity due to corruption
15.Cleanliness is next to Godliness. We find all sorts of  garbage on the roads. We also have a dearth of Wash Rooms on the roads of Delhi. Men, pissing on roadsides, present an ugly sight..
16. World class medical facilities are available but there is inadequate space in Government Hospitals and dispensaries to cater to the needs of the people.
17.Of late trafficking  of young girls, brought from backward states is on the increase.
 These problems cannot be solved by one individual. It requires a joint effort by the authorities and the  citizens of this great city, who love it. Let us wish and hope for a good future.Long Live Delhi. I Love You, my Delhi.


This is My Delhi Manifesto in association with Blogadda.com

Haiku Heights #306 - Rummage

                                                                       


                                                                              Spent all day.
                                                                 rummaging through bushes alone,
                                                                           found her lost doll.




                                                                           
                                                          The  party rummaged
                                                   through  icy  mounds and  breeze,
                                                             none to show way.


                                                                       

Prompted by Haiku Heights #306 - Rummage

 

Old memories.....;;55 on Friday

photo credit  http://www.vidyasury.com

  Seema, old and lonely lives in a huge mansion since  childhood.  Sitting in her library amongst multitudes of books she takes a book, 'Love is a many splendorous thing'.  A faded  red petal  falls in her lap." Oh God." Morning the maid opens the door.  Seema, with the petal in her hand, is no more.







Written , in response  to  Vidya Suri's  prompt on Write Tribe's 55 on Friday.

Nonet

      I read about a nonet poem and felt very excited. It is a nine lines' poem.The lines may be in a descending order ie.9 to 1 words in a line , with the same number of syllables. In the ascending order the poem  has 1 to 9   words. This is just an attempt.

  The first one is a nonet on home. Who does not like ones own house.?                                      

A home of my dreams is no more dream.

Its my   haunt, nest, refuge, lair  den.

Its  very look makes my eyes gleam.
A wish fulfilled,its the best.
Here we lead happy hours,
The lil  ones chirping
Sing, dance, play.
All day.
Home.

The second nonet is a scene from a garden  near our house.

 Garden

 Green grass

 Trees all round.

 Jovial kids playing. 

 Men have brisk walk.

 Women busy in home gossip.

 Saints  on mike talk to crowd.

 Yoga learners raise one voice hahaha.

 Political  leader  busy,address election  rally.

 

 

God's gift of nature.

It said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh,
made dry land, planted a garden, made animals and fish ... all before
making a human.
He made and provided what we needed, before we were born.
They are more powerful when eaten raw.

God left us a great clue as to what foods help what part of our body!
This is God's  Pharmacy! Amazing!
1. A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and
radiating lines look just like the human eye ... and YES, science now
shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

2. A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and
is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine
and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

3. Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape
looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are
also profound heart and blood vitalising food.

4. A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper
cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut
are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more
than three  dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

5. Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes,
they look exactly like the human kidneys.

6. Tapioca, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These
foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and
these foods are 23% sodium. If you dont  have enough sodium in your
diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These
foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

7. Avocado, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb
and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today
research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances
hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers.
And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine  months to grow an
avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000
photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these
foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

8. Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase
the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well
to overcome male sterility.

9. Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the
glycemic index of diabetics.

10. Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries

11. Oranges, Grapefruits , and other Citrus fruits look just like the
mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the
breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

12. Onions look like the body cells. Today research shows onions help
clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They  even produce
tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working
companion, Garlic , also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous
free radicals from the body.

These helpful tips were sent to me by a friend.I am sharing it further  with my friends,so that they may benefit from them

      

Karwa Chauth Festivities

Today is Karwa Chauth. This festival is celebrated in most parts of the country.Through   out Punjab, U.P.,Rajasthan, Bihar,Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir it  is  celebrated with great enthusiasm .This festival  falls on the tenth day after Dusshera and ten days before Diwali. Women  observe fast for the longevity of their husbands.The preparations start several days before the festival. Colorful dresses, bangles, cosmetics are purchased. Decorative mehendi applied. It is almost like a bridal preparation.. Early morning before sunrise, women take a meal, The spread is known as Sargi, consisting of  many sweets, fruits, coconut, and feni( a sort of sevian, which is a must ).All these goodies are sent by the mother  of the  lady.The rest of the day ladies are not supposed drink even water. Before sunset, dressed as brides, the ladies assemble in their best attire, in a temple or  some one house.They exchange plates full of eatables . The plates are passed on in rotation seven times.While plates are circulated  the ladies sing a song associated with Karwa Chauth. Then the temple priest or an elderly lady narrates the  story of the origin of the festival.  In our house, some ladies assemble and I take the role of the story teller. I have observed that many ladies , specially youngsters, either dont know the story or dont even listen to it.They consider it as a part of the ritual.I am writing this folk tale in brief, particularly  for newly married girls.. 
     There was a girl ,named Veera,who was the only sister of  six brothers. After her marriage on the first Karwa Chauth, she went to her parents house. At dusk time she felt thirsty. Her brothers could not see her unhappy. They  burnt some trees and told the sister that moon was visible. She took water and the news came that her husband 's body was full of pinpricks. and he died. She  ran towards her in laws house, when  she heard a voice that she was not at fault.She was directed go home and sprinkle holy water on him.She got the blessings of the goddess.
 In the evening,when the moon rises,women light a diya and see the moon through a sieve and pray for the husband's welfare. The husband gives  the first sip of water,after the fast to his spouse. Of late Bollywood movies show the glamour and festivities  connected with festival. So the people have started  celebrating with great pomp and show Now a days  many husbands have started fasting to give company to their beloved wives and give them gifts.Given below are some pictures of the festivities and  rituals  observed on Karwa Chauth. (pics courtesy google )

Haiku Heights #305 - Grey

                                                                  Dark  grey clouds
                                                            Go back go back,  let my love
                                                             come  back come back.



                                                               My grey cells
                                                       at 78 have sharpened with age,
                                                              still going strong.

Prompted by Haiku Heights #305 - Grey

What to cook

The perennial  problem which every house wife  faces is what to cook?  The dilemma  is perpetual. In our house too, I have no issues pending to be solved, no pending lists of  items to be bought from the grocery,  except  one  great problem 'what to cook'. This question arises thrice every day , for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I pretend to  be sleeping when I  get an inkling that the maid is going to enter my room. She has no emotions,no suggestion and no ideas  except to put  a burden on  my troubled soul. In her typical  dialect,and without any  introduction,she straight away comes to the  point, "Madam ji, ki banbe ga?"It  is a Herculean task to decide what to cook. It is easy to prepare food but thinking of what will  appeal to the palate of every one is......oof! We buy vegetables  for a whole week, but find it difficult to select  what to make..


                          

   The problem arises because every one has different  taste. My husband wants  Curd Rice for lunch every day but the son detests it. He likes Rajmah and Pullau.My daughter in law loves bitter gourd but the grand daughter  does not  look at it.Vegetables like,pumpkin,white gourd, tinda, are a big no,no for every one. Grand children like brinjal bharta, but grand father  hates the very sight of it. Paneer(cottage cheese) is the only blessed  thing which gets 100% votes. But it cannot be made for all the three meals  every day. The other thing which is in great demand  is non vegetarian food.  We all do not eat non- veg  preparations. It is relished by my son and grand children. How do you manage to  keep every ones palate satisfied?



 pics  courtesy google

Office Humour

Working eight hours in an office can be very boring and tiring. One is immersed in loads of file.  At a junior level many employees share a room. They can occasionally converse with each other and  share their experiences and  encounters. If you are the head of  office, you have to sit alone, with piles and piles of files, reports, circulars, office manuals,and what not. Sometimes when you feel like chatting or cracking a joke, you have to curb your desire! After all you are the Boss. People think twice before they enter your room.
                                  Fortunately or unfortunately, I have have been the "boss" for most  of  my career. In the beginning when I used to take my lunch in the common room, I noticed that people would talk about their problems, expecting a solution from me. They never discussed their favourite movies, TV serials,  family affairs, office gossip and many other personal matters. So I decided not to be an obstacle and allow them freedom of  speech and conversation.
                                                              I  used to get a chance to  speak leisurely with  other officers only when we went out  to attend meetings, seminars, workshops or conferences. Some times even inside the office some funny incidents  occur, which I found  not only  foolish but  brought a smile , and also evoked laughter.  I recollect one interesting incident. Every year teachers are given Awards  on the basis of meritorious results, and contribution  in the field of Education. One Teacher came to my office. He sent a slip through my P.A. As I had to leave  for an urgent meeting I told my PA to call  him the next day.My PA also pleaded his case and on his insistence I called the teacher.. He gave me a file.There was one paper in the file. I looked at him,signalling him to speak. He said," Madam , I am retiring this year. I request you to recommend my case for Teacher's Award". I told him to attach  all his achievements  and certificates so that his case could be recommended.  He replied,"I am the only earning member in my family. I have seven daughters. If you recommend my case, I will get  one year's extension."He was aspiring to get an award on the ground that he had to marry off  his  daughters. Though I felt sorry for him I could not resist  my smile.
                                                           I remember another  funny  incident. There was a school, about which the office had received several complaints. I and the Education Officer, of that zone , went on a surprise visit  to the school.  There was pin drop silence. The EO said that all the complaints were  false, as the school was running smoothly. When we entered the Principal's office, the  Security guard was sleeping . With a shock he got up. On enquiry he said that every Thursday the School remained close  after the Break. Those days Doordarshan used to televise Hindi movie  every Thursday at 2 pm. Ha,ha, ha! What a brilliant idea!
                                            On a visit to another school in the first period, it was seen that  not even a single teacher was in the class. I found all the teachers in the staff room,either having lunch or in deep sleep on the benches and the floor.(The school was running in the 2nd shift).It transpired that the teachers leave home early morning to give  private tuition  and were too tired to teach!!  Hey, hey. Every year they give a declaration that they do not undertake any private tuition work. This was happening right under the nose of  the Principal!
                                                       Just one more instance and I will stop.  I was promoted as a Principal and my first posting was in a tented school. I went to the school to join duty.  I found complete chaos in the School. Children were  running  here and there and shouting! I entered the Principal's office. The scene was as noisy as it was outside. One teacher was standing behind the Principal and fanning her.(flattery,what else?) I stood there for five minutes, watching the tamasha. Suddenly one madam noticed  me and asked me the purpose of my visit. I just said,"I have come to join". All of them in unison said  that there was no vacancy in the school. I  kept standing all this while. I said,"I have come to join as Principal". This had an electrifying effect. All the teachers instantly vacated the chairs and within five minutes  there was silence in the school. The officiating principal got up and offered her seat to me. I  sat on the opposite side and told her that I would take her seat after taking charge. The next step took me by surprise. The "fanning" teacher  rushed behind me and started fanning me. Ah, what an example of flattery!!
         There are many more anecdotes of such nature, which I will pen down some other time.

Haiku Heights #304 - Clouds

                                                     
                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Gloomy dark clouds
                                                        Followed by heavy rain fall\                                   
                                                             traffic snail paced.                                                                                     


                                                                                                       
            

Prompted by Haiku Heights #304 - Clouds

    pic  courtesy google                                

The unsent letter # 4

 The prompt for this fortnight is to write a letter to :
 Your current love/ spouse/ crush or Your ex-love/ spouse / crush.  I am writing a letter to my spouse, on the completion  of our 54th marriage anniversary.He is ill these days.I am just pouring out my feelings of pain.

 My dear  D,
                   How strange it feels to write a letter, of all people, to you! We are always together.Why this letter? Last week we completed 54 years of  married life. Do you remember our first meeting? Both of us were feeling  quite lost. The only realisation was that we loved each other, but were  perhaps  hesitant to say so in our very first encounter with each other. In fact, during our courtship, neither of us uttered the three words 'I love you', even though we felt our heart pulsating for each other.
 I remember that I was very nervous, when soon after our marriage, Chechi and her family were staying with us. I had absolutely no idea of cooking and it was the first day that we were to have dinner at home. Mummy had sent her cook to  train me in kitchen matters. I told  Bir Singh,the cook to prepare Dinner. I advised him to boil one kg. rice. He told me that it would be too much,I told him  not to argue with me and do as directed.  On the Dinner table every body had a laugh at my foolishness.We were only five of us and  the quantity of rice was for the double the number.I had really felt embarrassed and controlled  my tears with great difficulty. Chehi still recollects that incident and  teases me. I don't think that you remember such incidents. 
                Yesterday, while cleaning the almirah I  found an old photograph of both of us.You remember , we  just walked inside a studio and took this photograph.Both of us look so different then. I found so many other photographs. Can you imagine I even saw our wedding invitation card. It was so nostalgic to come across such old papers!
               

 Today in  a reminiscent frame of mind, also recollected that every evening we went out, and used to return late.Poor Bir Singh, used to wait for Dinner and we very coolly used to tell him to throw away  whatever was prepared. We had no sense of responsibility.We were so much lost in each other. I can never forget when R, your brother came to stay with us during his vacations,both of you finished twenty paranthas and asked for more. It was very amusing.
How happy we were when we became parents!  Today that cute little' baby' is a fifty three old responsible Chartered Accountant and the second 'baby' is a senior Doctor!Both are happily married. How proud we are of our four grandchildren. How time flies. On our golden jubilee anniversary  the children had arranged a surprise party for us. Such love, regard  and affection means so much for us, when both of us are in the evening of our life!
           

                               
 Remember, this photo was taken on our golden jubilee anniversary?  Today, when you are ill, my mind is full of anguish seeing you in pain. I can feel your pain in my heart. I can not  bare my heart and grief in your presence. I know I do not have the heart to post this letter to you.I am only putting my innermost  feelings in this piece of paper.
 Love you always.
  Your own ,
   Begum

ps Sorry for the dim photographs























 

Mistaken identity.

                          Anu was admitted in a hospital  for treatment of Dengue. Her husband went out to purchase medicines.Suddenly two nurses entered the room  with a wheelchair and said,"Madam, please shift to the  wheelchair."They were helping, when her husband entered and said,"Where are you going?"  The nurse said,"We are taking her to the operation theatre  for surgery." Mr. Talwar said,"What surgery?" The sister said ,''Is this not room number two?" He said,"No, this is room number three." The nurse said, "Sorry. Such  things happen every once in a while." and left hurriedly for room two.




Written in response to  100 words on Saturday.


 "

Colorful colors

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<blockquote>
This post has been published by me as a part of the <b>Blog-a-Ton 42</b>; the forty-second edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following <a href="http://blogaton.in/"><b>Blog-a-Ton</b></a>. The theme for the month is "COLOR"
</blockquote>
</div>

 Colorful colors

The  world is colorful. The beauty of nature is due to the colors it adorns. Come spring and the nature is dressed like a newly wedded bride adorned in green, red, blue and yellow colors, all  smiling bright, radiant, picturesque and fascinating. The Autumn comes with a  jolt. Magically the green leaves turn into yellow, spread like a  pale  carpet on mother Earth. Summer arrives in all fury. All green, red, violet and blues parched, crave for water! Winter paints the green leaves  snow white. Dull and dreary grey rules the universe. If Winter comes can spring be far behind.

 (In 100 words)

 
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<blockquote>
The <b>fellow Blog-a-Tonics</b> who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective <b>posts</b> can be checked <a href="http://www.blogaton.in/2013/10/blogaton42.html"><b>here</b></a>. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following <b><a href="http://blogaton.in/">Blog-a-Ton</a></b>. Participation Count: XX </blockquote>
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pic courtesy google