अनजाने मुसाफिर को समर्पित

यादों की गठरी समेटे हुए और अपनी ही धुन में

सड़क के किनारे

अकेला मुसाफ़िर चला जा रहा था

गठरी थी उसकी खुली जा रही ,

यादें संभाले संभलती नहीं थीं

कभी ग़म निकल कर चुभन दे रहे थे,

खुशियाँ कभी थीं उसको

खिझातीं

तभी एक साथी पुराना मिला

बोला कब तक ये गठरी सँवारे रहोगे

इसे फ़ेंक दो, आग इसमें लगा दो

रफ़्तार तुम ज़िन्दगी की बढ़ा दो

नई ज़िन्दगी के सफ़र पर निकल लो

फिर नयी एक गठरी सजा लो

वह रुका, थोडा सोचा और

रफ़्तार अपनी बढा ली.

DREAMS CAN BE TRUE ALSO

Born in a poor family in a remote rural area I do not know how and wherefrom I got big dreams and lofty ideals. Such dreams are easy to fulfill for a resourceful, wealthy person but the god of dreams does not realize that the dreams of a person of meager resources, can be ‘Mungeri Lal ke sapne’. They were about to be so in my case also but the god of resources smiled at me on occasions.

After struggling hard for my education in childhood, I dreamt of a decent school in my village. Strangely the comfortable life in the Oil and Natural Gas Commission or the position of the Head of Department in the Kanya Kubja Degree College in Lucknow or riches of Canada could not deter me from the dream. Even the fame received from the discovery of 565 million years old fossils of animals on earth could not stop me from working on the dream. This was nothing short of a miracle, may be God’s will.

I started the school with mud walls and thatch roofing in a village 12 km from railway station and bus stand, 15 km from the post office and 50 km from the nearest bank. Even for a second I did not miss the luxury of my four years’ stay in Canada or comfortable life in Lucknow, Sibsagar and Baroda where I had lived. My wife Nirmala and I came in contact with a saint Swami Pathik Ji who had a trust to encourage the efforts on rural education. A few rooms and those we thought was a leap forward. Indeed it was.

We undertook many socio-economic-educational programmes. My wife encouraged the village youth to work hard in the fields and in homes, of course in a symbolic manner. Our aim was to make good foundation of education in children, particularly female children.

Then came an organization by name C.T.D. Foundation through the contacts of Swami Chidanand Saraswati of Rishikesh to our help and we could have a decent building.

Things are looking up with great efforts of Karan Dalal from Mumbai and my son Neelesh, the journalist in his own right. How true it is that God helps those who help themselves !!

We are trying to give quality education to the rural poor, imparting computer education to them, giving them exposure to scientists and educationalists. Poor man’s dream is fulfilled to an extent and I should have been contented. But I feel there still are miles to go and I am racing against time.

In the end, I can sense that my dream will come true in totality through the friends and colleagues of Karan and Neelesh who are consistent and thorough. Ham rahen na rahen kaam chalata rahe.

ALL MIGHTY DOLLAR COULD PURCHASE A LOT

I was watching well argued debate on Bhopal Gas Tragedy and the Honourable Home Minister of the govt. of India was replying the questions raised by the opposition. What baffled me the most was the reply to the pointed question who allowed safe passage to Anderson?

It is surprising that the government of the largest democracy of the world has no record of the safe passage to the CEO of a company charged with killing of thousands of people. If the question was asked in 2001 it was possible to reply, the Home Minister says. It means there was some record until 2001 and Anderson was not allowed to go on some body's verbal orders or was he?

Every body's memory has faded in 26 years the Home Minister says. Does the Govt of India base its functioning on memory that naturally goes to heaven along with the people concerned.

One more pointed question could be who had granted licence to the Carbide Company to start poisonous operations in a crowded city like Bhopal? Such a permission is impossible even to a U.S company in the U.S.A.

Is it the way our government preserves vital records? Or is it that any currency weak or strong can purchase anything and everything from our government in our country.

Debate on the Common Wealth Games and associated corruption had similar response. I am shocked to think if evidences against criminals in general are maintained in the same manner, no wonder they have safe passage from the legal punishment.

I am tempted to say,

Corruption Thy Name is Government !!

यह कैसी सर्व शिक्षा

भारत एक ऐसा देश है जहाँ केवल हिन्दुओं से सेकुलर बनने क़ी अपेक्षा क़ी जाती है, बाक़ी लोगों पर सेकुलरवाद लागू नहीं हैं. जब १९५६ में हिन्दू कोड बिल बनाया गया तब भारतीय कोड बिल बनाने की आवश्यकता नहीं समझी गयी. हिन्दू मैरेज एक्ट बनाते समय भी भारतीय मैरेज एक्ट पर ध्यान नहीं गया. शाह बानो प्रकरण में भी तमाम हो हल्ला करने के बाद सेकुलरवाद हार गया . सेकुलर फंड से धार्मिक यात्रायें करना भी एक सीमा तक लंभव कहा जा सकता है. परन्तु अब तो इन्तहा गो गयी जब 'सर्व शिक्षा' के नाम पर सरकारी खर्चे से एक अलग शिक्षा बोर्ड बनाया जा रहा है. यह कैसी सर्व शिक्षा जहाँ सर्वमान्य शिक्षा स्वीकार नहीं. मजहबी संख्या के आधार पर नौकरियां मांगी जा रही हैं और सरकार देने को तैयार भी है. आखिर यही सब तो कायदे आज़म मोहम्मद अली जिन्ना ने १९३७ के लखनऊ अधिवेशन में माँगा था. तब क्या तकलीफ थी. यही न कि तब वल्लभ भाई पटेल जीवित थे. उन्होंने बटवारा तो मजबूरी में माना लेकिन अपने जीवन में बटवारे की मानसिकता के आगे झुके नहीं. यदि यह सब उस समय मान लिया गया होता तो शायद देश नहीं बँटता परन्तु देश में दूसरे प्रकार का शासन होता. आखिर हमारे राजनेता चाहते क्या हैं ?