There was a time when postmen were eagerly awaited and letters by post used to be the main medium of communication. Unlike today, when there is instant connectivity, in my growing up days mobiles were unheard of and even fixed line telephones were rare. Away from home I would be residing in the hostel, for days together my parents had no idea about my wellbeing till the time they received a letter by post. Continue reading “Instant Anxiety”
Dare devils on the roads
“Is the traffic light there just for your entertainment?” asked Oprah Winfrey,the American talk show host icon on her recent visit to India. Quite clearly she was aghast at our utter disregard for the traffic rules.
The missing girl child
Not only are the poor and uneducated neglecting and eliminating the girl child , the rich and the educated also continue to murder their daughters (in the womb). No wonder the girl child is missing! This is the grim picture that emerges from the recent census 2011 data which shows that there are only 919 girls against 1000 boys in the age group of 0-6 years reflecting a huge shortfall of thousands of girls Continue reading “The missing girl child”
Middle class double standards
The Planning Commission affidavit on the poverty criterion led to public outcry. The sensitive and vocal middle class was outraged. How could any one survive on the paltry sum of Rs 32 in the times of sky rocketing prices? Continue reading “Middle class double standards”
The senior citizen dilemma
As the Railway Minister Ms Mamta Bannerjee announced proudly in Rail budget 2011-12 that women will now be eligible for senior citizen ticket concession at the age of 58, memory of an interesting episode flashed across my mind. My paternal uncle and aunt were travelling from Patna to Jalandhar by train. My uncle availed senior citizen concession for himself to which he was duly entitled, but he bought a concessional ticket for my aunt also who must have been in her late 50s but hardly looked her age. Continue reading “The senior citizen dilemma”