Sunday, December 30, 2012

The Year That Was!

Every time I sit on the last or the second last day of the year to recollect and pen down how the year was which is about to be over now, I once again realize how fast time flies. If physics says it travels at the speed of light, but in a more layperson's term like mine, it travels faster than my thoughts. The whole year was like any other previous years because I am still living in the same city, working for the same employer and lived alone, solo for almost 9 months of the year. Ofcourse "solo by choice". I always loved it and will keep loving it.
However, in my own way of putting it down, the year was professionally far better than most of the previous years. It was enriching, working on newer and contemporary stuffs, if not anything ground breaking. I could get a publication in one of the IEEE's conference along with my colleagues. Hope to get more in the upcoming years and wish to have it on one of the tier - 1 conferences. People says change is vital for anyone to come out of the carapace and experience new things and I could see how true it is indeed! I felt relieved to come out of the monotonic work which I was doing for past many years, disassociate myself from some people inflicted with extreme illusory superiority attitudes, and some others who have been bestowing just "fundaes" in their whole professional lives and ironically they are still flourishing! Sad but true. Definitely not my type of people with whom I wanna spend 40hrs a week. Wish to experience more changes in the upcoming year.
On the personal front, life did not change much. I have been the same old person, may be little more matured or its just the reflection of my age! We welcomed a new member to our family, my nephew! I read more number of books in the whole year than any of the past many years and letting other people know it here. I think, I also increased my presence in Twitter and Quora. I was totally fascinated by Quora when I started using it and using it more and more. If Wikipedia is about facts, Quora is probably about human thoughts. Many a times its difficult to question our own opinions and viewpoints about something until we know what others think about it from a different perspective. Quora is the right platform for that to happen. Judge things from many angels and increasing our own thinking corpus. I watched 96 movies of different languages in the whole year. 1 movie every 4 days! Not Bad... hmmm? I am very good in housekeeping and I have recorded the name  of the movies I watched in here. I did not go out holidaying or vacation much in the year. Been to a place called Tarkarli in Konkan Maharashtra with my friends. It was a good as well as a disastrous trip. Had written about it before. In search for a greener pasture or a livelihood, been living far from my native place for more than a decade now and in all these years, I have not met many of the close family relatives due to one reason or the others (excuses?). It was very tragic and shocking at the departure of a few of my such close relatives in this year. I should have met them in person atleast once in all these years. An ill feeling which will probably be with me for the many years to come. Most of the whole year was spent just  in the viscous circle of home -> work -> home and even though I/we crib about it, that's what is life, I guess.
2013? As always, no resolution at all. I have a wishlist though; hope to see atleast some of it seeing the light of accomplishments. Above all, I just hope and wish the coming year to be a normal year, if not anything extraordinary! 

Wishing all a very happy, joyous and peaceful New Year  - 2013!

Sunday, December 2, 2012

bravery award winner to daily wage earner

This story appeared in television series Crime Patrol, telecasted in Sony Entertainment Television.

The content has been compiled from various sources given at the end of the post.

It was the start of a seemingly normal working day on May 10, 2004. Two unknown men entered the campus of a local school in Assam's (its a state in the North Eastern part of India) Kamrup district, fired on a teacher at point blank range and fled. Teachers and students of the school chased the miscreants – who were later identified as ULFA (United Liberation From of Assam, a terrorist organization fighting for Assam's sovereignty for 3 decades) members – but the pistols in their hands (and also a potential grenade threat) soon scared them off. However, Ratul Chandra Rabha and Rituparna Boro, then students of Class VIII and X respectively, were not that easily scared. They chased the militants for almost three kilometers and eventually helped nab one of the men who had killed their teacher. The act of courage was acknowledged by the nation and the two had made the headlines by winning the India's National Bravery Awards in 2005.

Today, the youngsters are fighting a grim battle for survival, forgotten by the very government which had turned the two into role-models of people’s fight against terrorism. After being forced to give up their studies due to abject poverty, both are now eking out a living by working as manual workers. “Our financial condition forced us to give up our studies. Now we are daily wage earners,” Ratul said. Ritupurna rued that he could not appear in higher secondary examinations for failing to procure Rs1000 to pay the examination fees. Both youths — now in their 20s — proudly displayed their Bravery Award certificates given to them in 2005 by the then President APJ Abdul Kalam.
All the political heavyweights of the country like then Union ministers Pranab Mukherjee, Arjun Singh and Shivraj Patil had patted them on their backs for their exemplary courage and bravery in the face of grave personal risk. Even chief minister Tarun Gogoi is said to have assured them of jobs. But nothing came their way. After achieving the feat, the two tribal youths have been running from pillar to post for the past many years for a job but to no avail. Both Ritupurna and Ratul still remember the day it all happened and wonder if courage has no value in this country. Strange though may it seem, the fact is that the nationally acclaimed bravehearts now have to toil to feed their poverty-stricken families. “To serve in the Indian Army is our heart’s desire and to make it a reality we are still working hard,” said Rituparna. The two had even made a written plea to prime minister Manmohan Singh to help them.

The duo had been honored by the SOS Children’s Village of India in 2006, Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, New Delhi, in 2005. Despite being selected for scholarship by the Indian Council for Child Welfare, Ratul has not got any benefits. Also a prominent sports personality, Ratul had clinched the first prize in All Assam Martial Arts Championship in 2008, won the 2nd National Chinese Traditional Martial Arts Championship in 2009. But despite all these feats under his belt, Ratul roams villages to earn a living. Same is the case with Ritupurana who toils in rural areas. For Ritupurna Boro and Ratul Chandra Rabha, the two certificates of National Bravery Award have become a mockery of the system which rewards surrendered militant with either jobs or economic packages but has nothing to offer to those who stand up against militants. And that too bare hand.

With the intervention of print media and Crime Patrol, The Assam wing of ICCW (Indian Council for Child Welfare) admitted lapses on their part and has given assurances that both the dare devils will get all their deserved remuneration. A terribly sad but true story, a tight slap on the rotting administration of the country.

Compiled from:
http://crimepatroldastak.blogspot.in/2012/09/From-President-Award-for-bravery-to-Daily-Wages.html
http://thrill-suspense.blogspot.in/2012/09/crime-patrol-two-daredevils-turn-daily.html
http://www.thesundayindian.com/en/story/two-daredevils-turn-daily-wagers/7/38986/
http://sevensisterspost.com/bravehearts-living-under-scourge-of-poverty/