Law-makers, Law-enforcers and the Common Man

I am a very ordinary citizen, a home maker, who hardly tries to meddle with the law of the land, and have not really asked for many rights from anyone leave alone the government. Have always tried to be as good a citizen as can possibly be while trying to mind my own business, paying my taxes and bills on time.

And surely I'm not the exception. In this vast democracy of usually law-abiding citizens, people as a rule do not actually dare to meddle with anyone's affairs anyway. We are conditioned very early in life to rest assured that no harm can come to us because we are lucky to be born in a democratic country, where the Constitution has promised us some basic fundamental rights.

Those who do not have the first hand knowledge and experience with the working of the system, believe in this sacred sermon, but are surely and sadly indeed, in for a shock at their first brush with the law and judiciary.

There have been numerous instances where law and order has shown itself to be in a state of decay. Here I am not talking of how inefficiently both NDA and UPA governments have been tackling the terrorist menace. With absolute power at their disposal, they let themselves appear as sitting ducks, saying shamelessly that there cannot be a foolproof system to check terrorism. I put on record that I am not satisfied with this lame excuse. But for the moment let that be.

Just days back the nation saw a wailing mother who had lost her son because the child could not get medical aid on time. This was beacuse the road and traffic was blocked for the Prime Minister and his entourage to pass.

I could not bear to see this piece of news on television, but in the evening Sardesai and Vikram, on their respective channels, sat dissecting the unfortunate event, the guests even putting "ifs" n "buts" to the story, saying "...if this is true..." etc etc...
Can there be more cruel heartless rogues than in the bureaucracy and the corporate world?
What happened to IndiraJi or RajivJi inspite of all the security?!!
And Madhavrao Scindia, Rajesh Pilot and some others like them? Are we to believe that they were killed in accidents?

I don't think anyone from among the common people going about their daily routine, has the time or the inclination to see which VIP or V VIP is going in which car. The best security measure for our endangered political class would be to travel silently in an ordinary Maruti 800 without fanfare. And also dress up like normal people.
Let the PM, CM and such other VIPs who call themselves the peoples' representatives also experience traffic snarls and potholes. At least the wait at a signal would perhaps introduce them to the people they represent.

Also let me be a little blunt and ask a question that nags each one of us:
Has a PM, CM or other VIPs come to live eternally on this planet?
And if one day they also have to die why are they so scared? Why do they make others die instead of them?

Rules should be for the smooth running of the system, and to ease the peoples' distress. But usually, under the pretext of following rules and abiding by the law, the common man is thoughtlessly harassed, be it at traffic signals or various government offices, making him distraught and disillusioned.

My younger son's name has been entered wrong in his class XII marksheet. To just get one word corrected my son and I have been running from pillar to post for the last one year, and the officers admit that it is a genuine case, but they cannot help, "rules have tied our hands", says the senior most officer who now has to sign the papers. So I am back to square one and do not know what to do.

It is time we become more practical and instead of asking for new rules and laws, let us ask for the existing ones to become more friendly to the common man. And then let these better laws be implemented too in the right spirit. The basic question that needs an urgent answer is:
Are the laws there to kill and trouble the people or to save their life, property and honour and to help them live in peace?

Hate Love Stories...???

I have joined what they call a mobile library. It works this way: you fill in a form, pay an annual fee in lump sum, and their man comes (at irregualr !!!)intervals to your home with a bagful of novels and magazines, from which you can choose and
keep the books for about a fortnight...or of course till the man shows up again. Suits a slow and relaxed reader like me very well. I was told that I can give my choice in advance also so that on his next round the librarian could cater to my request.

This was a delight. Ever since the children have grown up and my household responsibilities have reinvented themselves, I've started a wonderful journey of rediscovering myself. It is a joyous experience. And a rather unheard-of one in today's fast-paced life, where taking things easy and living each minute of the day as per one's own liking is either considered to be a criminal waste of time or the refuge of the lazy. But I know it is a luxury of which people are regrettably unaware of.
Or simply cannot afford to have due to a demanding lifestyle, that includes work pressure.

As I am on this expedition of rediscovering myself, I often sit back and think what I have missed or had to give up in life because I had more pressing duties. I realised that spending time with myself is wonderful. Sitting in my home or going out all by myself, tending to the plants in my balcony, rearranging the furniture in my house, buying colourful cushion and table covers...listening to old Hindi songs and reading.

Reading reminded me of my collection of Mills and Boon novels, which I had so graciously given away (one by one to anyone who asked for it) years ago when I had found my real-life "tall-dark-and-handsome" life partner. So now I asked this mobile
librarian to get me Mills and Boon books. He looked at me as if I was from Mars (or more appropriately Venus?!!!).
After his long pause and my expectant gaze, he said very slowly,
"Ma'am! You will actually read them?!!"
I wanted to give him a piece of my mind, but don't have much to spare so keeping my cool I said: "Yes"

He looked at me sheepishly and still not sure, he told me that people actually never asked for M&B...even the young girls preferred more "realistic" stories, often based on the writer's own experiences as they were closer to life. The youth today were no day-dreamers.
I should have known. My children had laughed out loudly when I had asked them to present me with Mills and Boons on my birthdays.

I had to think seriously about this.
Was I being ridiculous and out of sync?
Was it some other fantastic world that I was living in ?
Was I trying to run away from realities?

Oh! My God! It was not so serious after all I hoped.
But it kept nagging me and I kept exploring the issue.
And then one evening the picture clicked.

We wanted to go for a family outing. Usually it would mean a film and dining-out or dining-out and film in that order. But it seemed really difficult to decide on the film. Men of the house preferred Hollywood...but I am a complete desi in every sense
of the word. Nothing but "Bollywood and associates" works for me. Disappointingly Bollywood had not come up with even one good film in quite sometime. Violence and sex were the only subjects they were churning out in the name of "realism" and "being different" (which was indeed far from "being different" as they all would turn out to be remakes of this-or-that).

Then "Jab We Met" happened. Some years back "Hum aap ke hain kaun", "Dilwaley Dulhaiya Le jaaengey", "Kuchh Kuchh hota hai", "Dil Chahta Hai" had also worked wonders with the audiance. But somewhere down the line, somehow, tender love and sweetness seemed to be goning out-of-date. We are convinced that films are a reflection of the transition the society is going through. They mirror current situations, and we must face facts.

So I seriously wondered if love had become obsolete. Had it gone out of fashion? Worrisome thought it was.

But thankfully not so worrisome when I thought of the success of "Jab We Met" in most recent times. I am thoroughly convinced now that love and honesty can stand every test. These are the only two things that work for Bollywood... and fortunately for everyone and everthing else too. Time can never fade the magic of love. And the integrity that honesty brings cannot be traded.

It is a huge comfort to know that love is always in fashion. Let it be coupled with honesty. It can then reach new horizons.
Whoever said "I hate love stories" must think it over again...