सत्य की खोज में (29th December 2010, 2025 Hrs)

सत्य की खोज में
निकला जब दुनिया में
तो चारो ओर बस
झूठ ही झूठ मिला

होश संभाला भी नहीं था
कि माँ ने कहा
मुन्ना राजा खा ले जल्दी
नहीं तो राक्षश आ जायेगा

पाठशाला में भी सबसे पहला सबक
सत्य का ही था
हकीकत मगर दुनिया का कुछ ओर था
असमंजस दिल बस भटकता ही रहा

कुछ बड़ा जब हुआ
तो पिताजी ने नसीहत दी
बेटा दुनिया जीतना है
तो थोडा झूठ बोलना सीखो

सत्य है कहाँ?
सत्य है कौन?
सत्य किसका है?
सत्य की खोज में बस घूमता ही रहा

सत्य असत्य जीवन के दो पहलू
एक के बिना दूसरा है अधूरा
मेरा अस्तित्व है अगर सत्य
तो मेरा जीवन है क्यों असत्य से घिरा हुआ?

-- स्वरचित --

उनके आंसू मोतियों से भी कीमती (28th December 2010, 0025 Hrs)

उनके आंसू मोतियों से भी कीमती

बस हम ही पढ़ सके उन आंसूंओं कि दास्तान...

दुनिया खड़ी  देखती रही उनको रोते

हमने एक कदम तो बढाया उनकी ओर...

पोंछ न पाउँगा मैं सारे आंसू मगर

ये गिला तो न होगा कि मैंने कोशिश भी नहीं की...

उनके आंसू मोतियों से भी कीमती

बस हम ही पढ़ सके उन आंसूंओं कि दास्तान...

कुछ ने साथ दिया और कुछ ने हसीं उड़ाई

हमने मगर दुनिया की परवाह किये बिना

ये जीवन समर्पित कर डाला उन लोगों के नाम

जो पेट भरते रहे सालों साल दुनिया के अपने खून से ...

उनके आंसू मोतियों से भी कीमती

बस हम ही पढ़ सके उन आंसूंओं की दास्तान...

चमकते हैं ये सारे मोती कुछ इस तरह से

मानो कहना चाहतें हैं दुनिया से अपनी दास्तान-ऐ-सिला 

मगर फुर्सत ही कहाँ है दुनिया के पास

जो बस कुछ पल के लिए सुन सके दर्द-ऐ-दिली दास्तान

उनके आंसू मोतियों से भी कीमती

बस हम ही पढ़ सके उन आंसूंओं कि दास्तान...

-- स्वरचित --

TWO WORLDS OF ONE CHRISTMAS (25th December 2010, 0000 Hrs)

Birth, joy, arrival

Celebration, happiness

Festival time across the world

Sweets and gifts aplenty

Enjoying, expectant children

Joy giving Santa Claus everywhere

Decoration, prayers

Making merry old and young

Dressed nicely, dancing the nights

Music surrounding everywhere

Tinkling bells, crowd galore

Chorus singing beautiful maidens

Sitting in a corner

Watching the illuminated world

Life is never a celebration, why?

There are so many

Children like me weeping quietly

Sans love in tattered clothes

Why no one really cares for us?

Where is Jesus?

Where are you my Santa Claus?

Living in one corner of the world

Wishing a little joy in my life

I’m also a little soul of your kingdom

Christmas or no Christmas

My life is never a celebration

Why Jesus? Why Santa Claus?

Johnny D

VIDARBHA 11 DISTRICTS RUN POSTPONED (21st December 2010, 2050 Hrs)

In the month of July, I had announced “Vidarbha 11 Districts Run” for 45 days covering 200 odd villages of Vidarbha Region all across the 11 districts to spread awareness and raise funds for the suicide farmers’ families (http://support4suicidefarmersfamilies.blogspot.com/2010/07/vidarbha-11-districts-run-in-november.html) . As per plan, I had decided the run in the month of November-December 2010 but since the trust registration was taking its own sweet time due to unavoidable reasons, I later declared that the run would start on the 1st of February 2011 and end on the 18th of March... I am sure those who have been following the blog have been anticipating the run as the months are closing in... In fact, many enthusiastic individuals from various countries had even informed me about their participation in the run.

Dear citizen of the world, I am extremely-extremely sorry to inform you that I have no option but to postpone the run because our trust registration has taken many-many months to materialise. In fact, in yesterday’s post I wrote how relieved I was to finally submit our trust forms and papers for registration. I was told at the office that it may take another three more months before we get our registration papers... so a long discussion followed between the three trustees and we all decided we had no option but to postpone the run... since without the trust registration this run would have served no purpose at all.

Also various ground realities have pushed most of our plans further in future... when I arrived in the month of April in Vidarbha, I barely knew the seasonal months and also the working patterns of the farmers and their families throughout the year... it surely has been a learning experience for me to gauge the various acts of villagers as different months make them busy with sowing, removing weeds followed by harvesting season... each of these activities take various months as per seasonal change... currently while harvesting of various crops are taking place, the sowing is also simultaneously taking place... so all the farmers and family members are busy in the fields...

I am a bit content and sad too, to inform one and all that the year 2010 has been good and bad for Vidarbha farmers in many ways:

GOOD:

(i) The number of farmers’ suicide reduced to less than 700 this year as compared to other previous years.

(ii) Rainfall this year had been 25 per cent in excess, as compared to the last three years of drought like situation.

(iii) Farmers got a good rate for cotton this year from private traders to an extent that the range per quintal across the 11 districts of Vidarbha was between Rs. 4000/- to Rs. 5111/-

BAD:

(i) 600 Plus Farmers’ succumbed to suicide due to various reasons this year.

(ii) The excess rain did damaged crops in many parts of Vidarbha and many farmers lost their earnings, savings and hard work and yes, some of them even their lives.

(iii) Government policies seem to do not much with only announcement being made in media.

It is only after our trust will get its registration number, we will be able to chalk out the 11 Districts Vidarbha Run... till then, I have many things to learn on ground to plan our programmes for the year 2011. In the past few months that I have lived as a Vidarbhan, I must confess I have been accepted by various villages as one of their own. The feeling of belonging to my own nation is perhaps the best any individual can ever experience... the spicy thecha (chilly chutney), bhakri (roti made of Jowar – Sorghum, Rice), kanda (raw onions) and dal... wow! The journey from Bollywood’s Five Stars’ Parties to simple food with pure love and warmth in villages has been amazing and an experience that truly cannot be described in mere words...

In my deepest of deepest heart, not even for once I felt that the transformation of my life and destiny had been a mistake... I am glad my destiny brought me to where I belong like a true Indian! A big-big ‘Thank you’ to one and all from all across the globe for encouraging and supporting the movement... you all have made me to become more stronger than I ever was!

Cuidate!

A RELIEVED MAN! (20th December 2010, 2020 Hrs)

What started on the street of Mumbai in March 2010 led me to Vidarbha in April and even before I knew, I bid farewell to the dream city once for all to settle down in Wardha for life. It started as a one-man-crusade but within few months time, I realised that to do good for your country and countrymen, one has to have license from the government of India. So forming a trust was mandatory for me and the movement, which I wanted to be unique in many sense... nevertheless, the difficulty was then to find like-minded people who would form the trust as trustees.

Difficulty to find such genuine people made me approach people I knew... but each one had their own apprehension and unwillingness to be part of the trust... some doubted my capabilities while few were suspicious and so the search went on for couple of months. I realised only after failing initially that Swapnil Barai (the man who helped me settled down in Wardha) was the best bet and so when I asked him, he said – “Why not!” The first hurdle was so easy to cross, I realised why I didn’t approached him earlier. Now I needed one more person so we could float a trust. After a long thought, I called my Ninth Angel Tejal Rajyagor in Mumbai and asked her if she would be interested to be part of the trust... Almost instantaneously she said – “Yes!”

Well, I was so-so happy when these two wonderful people joined me to form the trust because all of us want this movement to do something better for the farmers and farmers’ families in coming years with our devotion and selfless acts. We are all serious to tackle these problems and in many ways we share the same dream with the same zeal and passion. However, while the second hurdle too became easy to cross, the mental trauma that was ready for us to engulf in its arms was waiting like a hungry crocodile... please-please don’t feel it is so horrible as it sounds reading the metaphors...

Registering a trust has its own norms and procedure according to the government law. There are various forms and papers to be submitted along with the application and trust deed and these procedures can take its own sweet time because of various reasons. What started in August 2010 is finally over today in December... yes, all these months there were necessary papers of all the three trustee members that were asked one after another (each time I visited the office)... I am today a relieved man because finally we have managed to submit our trust application to the sanctioning authority in Wardha Office. All these while, the mental trauma that I was facing was in many ways bothering me months after month...

Now in January 2011, we will have to follow up with the officials, so that things move fast and our trust is registered at the earliest. I was told it may take another two months or so before we get the final papers with registration of the trust. One thing is for sure, while these official procedures will take its own course, all three of us are pleased that finally we have managed to submit out trust papers and soon our trust will become a registered one!

Thank you Baba for blessing us!

MAN PROPOSES, GOD DISPOSES (15th December 2010, 2010 Hrs)

When I arrived in Vidarbha in April 2010, I really didn’t have any idea of the ground realities that I would be facing in coming months and many-many years in future. Yes, I was just blogging on the farmers’ suicide in Vidarbha since the last couple of years reading about them in dailies, online and magazines. The only thing I was armed with was my devotion and passion to support the suicide farmers’ families all my life.

I had to learn from scratch by interacting with various individuals, experts and noted figures who have contributed since many years... keen observation and research were the essential part of the whole exercise. While I was interacting with villagers and affected families, I learned a great deal about the complexities of the problems... yet there were many-many things that I was and am to learn in coming months and years with each passing day.

Like anyone from the city, I too believed in planning things according to my perception and ideas... things on ground were just the opposite. It is here when I was reminded of the old saying – Man proposes, God disposes – Whatever said and done, things are never at our hands... the misconception that we humans always tend to interpret of achieving great success... in reality, we are mere puppets at the hands of God, who utilises us whenever we are required to give an action its results.

First of all, the high summer temperature in Vidarbha, then heavy rainfall, then the festive season while farmers continued to succumb to suicide at regular intervals and then the harvesting season followed by the winter season... each month was different from the other and I just had to witness one thing after another like a mute spectator... enthusiasm turned into depression and depression led to a new high with tremendous patience developing with each passing day... each individual that I interacted with, taught me new-new things and the acquired knowledge about the ground problems became more handy... and as destined... I was being played at the hands of God all through my life.

I really don’t know how this journey is going to shape up in the coming months and years but one thing I am glad that God chose me to be in Vidarbha for a reason and the reason is – support 4 suicide farmers’ families!!!

ROLE MODEL: THE NEVER DYING SPIRIT OF THE 75-YEAR-OLD FARMER FROM VIDARBHA (06th December 2010, 1320 Hrs)

His life has been full of struggle but he never gave up unlike other farmers, who succumbed to suicide... he was landless farmer once but today he proudly says –“With my hard work and savings, I finally managed to buy 2 acres. God has been very kind to me and has listened to my prayers. My daughter is married and my son works as a tractor driver and even at this age, I don’t ask a penny from my son... whatever I cultivate in these two acres, me and my buddhi (lovingly he calls his wife ‘buddhi’ - meaning an old woman) are living on that with great contentment!”

Meet the 75-year-old farmer Kisna Shravan Milmile from Naigaon (Bk), Yavatmal district in Vidarbha. He is a proud grandfather now and the pride on his face to show his 2 acre fields with cotton growing made me wonder... why does a 14 or 18 acre farmers succumb to suicide? After all Milmile kaka (as I call him in respect) also has struggled all his life in Vidarbha... for me, he is truly a role model that every Vidarbha farmers should take lessons from. The never dying spirit of this old man, (he still ploughs his own fields) has seen this landless farmer grow from a bonded labour for more than 30 to 40 years in his own village to become a proud owner of 2 acre of farm, build a pakka home, marry off his daughter in a nice manner and give a proper upbringing to his son and take good care of his beloved wife... I truly-truly saluted him from the bottom of my heart and even touched his feet to get his blessings to do something good for Vidarbha farmers and suicide farmers’ families.

75-Year-Old Farmers Kisna Shravan Milmile

He recalls, “I was never bright in studies, so never went to school to continue my schooling as it is we were very poor. During my younger days, I used to work here and there doing labour jobs to earn a little... and then I used to plough fields and work as a labourer in bigger farmers’ houses for years. For more than 15 years, I worked at the Sarpanch’s house and managed to save a little money. As a healthy young man, I used to do labour jobs to earn extra money... and I must have worked for more than 30 or 40 years for others ploughing their fields and doing all the odd jobs... deep down I always prayed and knew God will ultimately give me peace... and yes, he gave me finally in the shape of these two acres land. I have no complaints from the almighty, in fact, I am thankful because he gave me a life to live in a respectful manner. What more can I ask for?”

 

His life is like pages from a Hindi cinema, full of struggle, hardship and at last the vindication to live a life with respect and dignity. He takes out a pouch of tobacco and offers me sheepishly... I thank him and say, “Me nahin khaat hai kaka (I don’t chew tobacco kaka).” He smiles and then asks me if I would chew some supari (beetlenut)? I shook my head and he takes out some from his pocket. I took some to thank him for allowing me to spend some lovely time in his fields and know about his life’s struggle and success. He seemed very happy and so was I for meeting such an amazing role model in Vidarbha.

Farmer like Kisna Shravan Milmile never makes to the pages of dailies or any glossy pages of magazines but such success stories should be highlighted by one and all, so that other farmers can learn to follow in his footsteps. Hard work, the will to never give up, the devotion to be a proud farmer, the intelligence to save a little for decades to see his dream of owning his own farm and above all his honesty to lead the right way and not the short cut... well Kisna Shravan Milmile opened my eyes in many ways. He concludes, “My son will work for others but he is not ready to work in our own farm, this is the only sadness I have in my life... but then it is his life... I don’t interfere in the way he wants to live his life... My buddhi and me are in total bliss to lead a nice peaceful life now (smiles)!”

I bid him goodbye and became rich by his blessings. I do hope I will meet him again when I will visit Naigaon (Bk) once again!

THE PRIME MINISTER STILL DOESN’T WANT TO CURB CORRUPTION IN THE NATION: A COMMON MAN’S TAKE TO NATION’S SELF CREATED PROBLEMS (3rd December 2010, 2120 Hrs)

Is the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh still in his "Special Kumbakaran Mode of Sleeping" (SKMS)? You bet! He had sleep walked his first term while his group of ministers were making hay under his very own hat looting crores and crores of the nation’s wealth to give birth to some of the biggest shameless scams in the history of Indian Politics. And yes, he is still sleeping...

He woke up just before the election and did blabber (tonnes of lies) to the whole nation that Prices of all the essential food commodities will be brought down within 100 days if the UPA is elected once again (the prices went up and up); PDS system will implemented within 100 days (no sign of implementation of such an act) ; No Indian will die of hunger because of the drought situation which the country was facing (many millions are dying every year though); The nation has enough food stock so we Indians shouldn’t be worried about shortage of food (but obvious the nation has the audacity to allow 58,000 crores of food grains to rot in a year, every year); well... the list is endless...

While the media and the whole nation was worried about the Common Wealth Games preparation, our Prime Minister was in his famous SKMS... after all, all the crores that has been looted by Kalmadis, Gills, Dikshits and the gang were also filling his Swiss Bank Accounts, otherwise as the Prime Minister of the nation why should he keep quiet for so long (7 long years of preparation)... yes, my dear readers of the world, he woke up from his SKMS after the whole world had tarnished India’s pride... only when everything started collapsing for the CWG and there was just SEVEN days left, he said – “Enough is Enough!” Isn’t Manmohan Singh the GREATEST Prime Minister India has had in the last 63 years??? The CWG went well, thankfully but when the skeletons are now been dug out, the whole world will be surprised how 1 Lakh Crores were gulped by the Kalmadis, Gills and Dikshits’ gang to make the country proud with the help of the PM!

The PM once again woke up only when the Supreme Court ordered the Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar to distribute the food grains which are being allowed to rot (so that ministers’ relatives and kin can buy in cheap rates to turn the rotten grains into fine liquor for the rich & the famous) to the tune of 58,000 crores per year. Instead of asking his minister to explain the nation as to why such a huge wastage was possible, the Prime Minister admonished the Supreme Court saying – “SC have no right to dictate terms in policy making of the nation.” Wow! Tussi great ho praaji!!!

So that means the Agriculture Minister can allow some more food grains to rot year after year, courtesy the great Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. I am really appalled because 2 Lakh farmers have committed suicide because of various reasons in the nation in the past 12 years (1997 to 2009) and here the PM instead of saving the food grains, was furious when SC ordered to distribute the excess food grains to the poor hungry Indians... the hard labour of the farmers are allowed to rot while they are succumbing to suicide, selling wives to moneylenders to feed their children (in Bundelkhand in 2009)... how ironical can it be and how callous it is on the part of the nation’s Prime Minister. Dr. Manmohan Singh you really have many-many questions to be answered and explanation to give to the nation.

The 2 G Scam is like the icing on the cake that Dr. Manmohan Singh has baked ever since he has become the Prime Minister of India. How can an expert economist allow the nation to lose 1.76 lakh crores (or is it even more?) when he is heading the state as Numero Uno? SKMS syndrome... he slept while A Raja became the real Prime Minister of India to be supported by the media reputed editors, top corporate houses, the silent Sonia Gandhi & Rahul Gandhi, the acting PM (oh... he is still in SKMS), Pranab Mukherjee, P Chidambaram, Niira Radia and don’t know how many more are involved to loot the nation’s wealth... imagine if the nation would have made 1.76 lakh crores because of 2 G Licences, A Raja would have been the real RAJA of the nation and Dr. Manmohan Singh would have made the GDP of the nation grow in two-digits...

When the BJP declared one day national bandh for Price Rise, Pranab Mukherjee was quick to invite the opposition leaders for ‘Breakfast Tea’ (how many crores exchanged hands to divert nation’s attention from the real issue?) and since that morning, even the BJP has forgotten the ‘Price Rise Issue’ to provide succour to the common man and poor Indians and not bothered as to how majority of the Indians are fighting tooth and nail to survive another single day. However, the 2 G Scam has opened the eyes of every single political party to unite and demand a JPC, the body that was created to curb corruption during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure. The Congress and the Prime Minister is so-so afraid of the JPC that they are not bothered the nation once again lost near about 100 crores because the Parliament Houses couldn’t run during the Winter Session... so please add another 100 crores in the 1.76 lakh crores...

In fact, in the earlier paragraph I had mentioned how A Raja is actually the Prime Minister, who not only disobey Dr. Manmohan Singh but also immediately opened his mouth to confess (when he was caught first by the media off guard) to save his own skin – “Everything happened with the knowledge of the Prime Minister and P Chidambaram!” Surprisingly everyone has forgotten his confession on television news channels many months ago... and imagine after that the Prime Minister immediately came into his rescue to say – “Raja will continue as the Telecom Minister! He has no reasons to resign...” Now that the Supreme Court has summoned the PM (the first in the history of Indian politics since the Independence)... Dr. Singh should be conferred an award for creating a new record...

The heights of height is that now instead of curbing the corruption under his regime, Dr. Singh has again gone into the SKMS while the Ag is fighting his case in the SC... how a SIMPLE thing is being made COMPLICATED by not only ordering for a JPC so that the Parliament can function and the nation can save another 100 crores (millions of malnutrition children can be fed for years to save their lives) and all the CULPRITS can be brought into books to be sent for life in jail... but then knowing Dr. Manmohan Singh, he can only utter lies – “Guilty will be punished!” – in all the press conferences that he is attending nowadays, that is if he is not sleeping... He should have been an example for the nation and the whole world to see to be punished FIRST as HE IS THE FIRST PERSON WHO IS GUILTY AND UNDER WHOSE LEADERSHIP ALL THE SCAMS HAVE TAKEN PLACE... but does he really want to curb corruption??? I leave that for you all to demand a simple question to our Prime Minister...

Because we all have been silently accepting such things, today the Prime Minister has dared to loot the nation he is leading...