सड़क हादसे रोकने में हमारा योगदान

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अभी हाल ही में एक अखबार की हेडलाइन में पढ़ने को मिला कि अकेले भारत में सड़क दुर्घटनाओं में हर 3 मिनट में एक व्यक्ति की मौत हो जाती है। इस समाचार ने सड़क दुर्घटनाओं के कारण अकेले 2022 में हमारे देश में 1,68,000 मौतों का एक चौंका देने वाला आंकड़ा दिया। दैनिक समाचार पत्र पढ़ें और आपको अपने शहर में, या राजमार्गों पर या पहाड़ों में किसी न किसी दुर्घटना की खबर पढ़ने को मिल जाएगी।

यहां तक ​​कि हाल ही में देशों के बीच हुए युद्धों या प्राकृतिक आपदाओं में भी मौत के इतने ऊंचे आंकड़े नहीं देखे गए हैं। सड़कों पर मौतें हमारी वजह से होती हैं और इन्हें टाला जा सकता है।

यह ऐसी चीज़ है जिसके लिए सरकार को दोष नहीं दिया जा सकता। दरअसल, जब हम कुछ साल पहले से तुलना करते हैं तो सड़कें बहुत अच्छी हो गई हैं। राष्ट्रीय राजमार्ग और एक्सप्रेस-वे वास्तव में इतने अच्छे हो गए हैं कि हम निर्धारित सीमा से कहीं अधिक गति पर वाहन चलाने की छूट लेते हैं। बेहतर कारों ने तेज़ गति से गाड़ी चलाने की इस इच्छा को और बढ़ा दिया है।

एक समाज के रूप में हम इस मुद्दे के समाधान के लिए क्या कर सकते हैं। हम सिर्फ लापरवाही के कारण कीमती जिंदगियों को खोने का जोखिम नहीं उठा सकते। कल्पना कीजिए कि परिवार का एकमात्र कमाने वाला व्यक्ति अपने दोपहिया वाहन पर घर वापस जा रहा था, उसे पीछे से एक तेज रफ्तार वाहन ने टक्कर मार दी और वह तुरंत अपनी जान गवां बैठा। उसका तो पूरा परिवार बिखर गया, और कोई भी मुआवजा इस नुकसान की भरपाई नहीं कर सकता।

शराब पीकर गाड़ी चलाना और गाड़ी चलाते समय नींद की कमी के कारण झपकी आना, सड़क दुर्घटनाओं के दो प्रमुख कारण हैं। तेज़ रफ़्तार एक और कारण है। हम और भी कई कारणों के बारे में जानते हैं। हम समस्याओं को जानते हैं। हमें इस बात पर विचार करना चाहिए कि समस्या का समाधान कैसे किया जाए। और केवल सरकारी हस्तक्षेप कभी भी पर्याप्त नहीं होगा।

स्कूल, कॉलेज, सव्यं-सेवी संस्था, सोशल क्लब या कहें कि जहां भी संभव हो, यह चर्चा का विषय होना चाहिए और हममें से प्रत्येक को स्थिति की गंभीरता को समझने के लिए नए नए तरीके ईजाद करने चाहिए। हमें इस मुद्दे का समाधान शुरू करने के लिए अपने परिवार में किसी दुखद घटना के घटित होने का इंतजार नहीं करना चाहिए। हमें आज से ही सक्रिय होना चाहिए और इस जागरूकता को फैलाना चाहिए।

स्कूलों के लिए एक विशेष विषय तैयार किया जा सकता है और एनसीईआरटी बहुत सारे ग्राफिक्स के साथ विशिष्ट किताबें बनाने में प्रमुख भूमिका निभा सकता है। शिक्षा मंत्रालय के ऐसे हस्तक्षेप की प्रतीक्षा न करते हुए, स्कूल अपने तरीके से छात्रों को सुरक्षित ड्राइविंग सिखाना शुरू कर सकते हैं। तेज गति से वाहन चलाने वाले, शराब पीकर वाहन चलाने वाले, यातायात नियमों का पालन न करने वाले आदि अभिभावकों के रवैये को बदलने में छात्र बहुत सक्रिय भूमिका निभा सकते हैं। जागरूकता पैदा करने के लिए चित्रकला प्रतियोगिता, वाद-विवाद, नाटक का आयोजन किया जा सकता है। छात्रों को सड़क दुर्घटनाओं और जीवन हानि पर समाज के बीच अभियान चलाने के लिए भी प्रेरित किया जा सकता है। कुछ स्मार्ट छात्र डिजिटल क़ॉन्टेन्ट भी बना सकते हैं जिन्हें स्कूली छात्रों और उनके अभिभावकों के बीच प्रसारित किया जा सकता है।

कॉलेजों के लिए, जहां छात्रों का आयु वर्ग सही लक्ष्य है जिसे छूना है, सेमिनार, चर्चा, नाटक आदि विकसित किए जा सकते हैं। आज के युवा रील और वीडियो बनाने में बहुत अच्छे हैं, उन्हें बहुत दिलचस्प दृश्य बनाने चाहिए जो दर्शकों को आकर्षित करें और सही पाठ तैयार करें। वे अपने तरीके से ऐसे जागरूकता वीडियो को सोशल मीडिया पर वायरल कर लाखों लोगों तक पहुंचा सकते हैं।

गैर सरकारी संगठन और अन्य सामाजिक संगठन भी यहां प्रमुख भूमिका निभा सकते हैं। हमारे पास रोटरी, लायंस, जेसीज़ और बहुत सारे सामुदायिक क्लब हैं, जो समाज के लिए काम करते रहते हैं। मानव जीवन बचाने के लिए इससे बेहतर कार्य क्या हो सकता है। आज, हमारे पास शहरी क्षेत्रों में बड़े आवासीय परिसर हैं और यहां आरडब्ल्यूए इस जागरूकता अभियान का जिम्मा खुद उठा सकते हैं।

इस विषय को जनमानस तक पहूंचाने में एक अन्य महत्वपूर्ण माध्यम धार्मिक प्रवचन हो सकते हैं, विशेष रूप से वे जो युवाओं को आकर्षित करते हैं। हाल के वर्षों में कई अच्छे वक्ता सामने आए हैं जिनके बहुत अच्छी संख्या में अनुयायी हैं। न केवल लोग ऐसे प्रवचनों में शामिल होते हैं, बल्कि तकनीक की मदद से अच्छे लोगों के प्रवचन फेसबुक, यूट्यूब और व्हाट्सएप पर वायरल हो जाते हैं। अगर ये नामचीन लोग सुरक्षित ड्राइविंग की बात करने लगेंगे तो दर्शकों तक संदेश प्रभावी ढंग से पहुंचेगा।

राजमार्ग मंत्रालय को अपनी ओर से संचार के लिए बजट में पर्याप्त वृद्धि करनी चाहिए। संचार के लिए सभी उपलब्ध साधनों का उपयोग किया जाना चाहिए, चाहे वह पारंपरिक प्रिंट मीडिया हो, टीवी हो या सोशल मीडिया हो। यदि युवा लिंक्डइन और इंस्टाग्राम के प्रति अधिक आकर्षित हैं तो हम उनका उपयोग करें, यदि ट्रक व बस के चालक ढाबों का बहुत अधिक उपयोग करते हैं तो हम उन ढाबों का उपयोग करें, हम एफएम पर बजने वाले जिंगल बनाएं जिन्हें ड्राइवर गाड़ी चलाते समय सुनते हैं।

हम सड़क पर हर तीन मिनट में एक व्यक्ति को मरने नहीं दे सकते। और हम इस मुद्दे पर सो नहीं सकते। हमें जागना होगा। यदि और कुछ नहीं, तो कम से कम आप प्राप्त होने वाले किसी भी संदेश को अग्रेषित करें जो सड़क सुरक्षा से संबंधित हो। 

To read this in English click https://vijaymaroo.blogspot.com/2023/10/saving-lives-on-roads.html

Saving Lives On Roads

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Very recently a newspaper headline said that in Bharat alone, one person died every 3 minutes in road accidents. It gave a staggering figure of 1,68,000 deaths in 2022 alone, because of road accidents. Read the daily newspaper and you will find news of some accident or the other in your area, may be in the city itself or on highways or in the hills.

Even the recent wars between countries, or natural calamities have not witnessed such high death figures. Deaths on roads are caused by us and are avoidable.

This is something which cannot be blamed on the government. In fact, when we compare from a few years earlier, the roads have become very good. The national highways and express ways have in fact become so good that we take the liberty of driving at speeds much more than the prescribed limits. Better cars have added to this desire of driving at high speeds.

What can we, as a society, do to address this issue. We just cannot afford to loose precious lives, just because of carelessness. Imagine the sole bread earner of the family, driving back home on his two-wheeler, is hit by a speeding vehicle from behind and he is instantly killed. His complete family is shattered and no amount of compensation can make up this loss.

Drunken driving and dozing off while driving, because of lack of sleep, are two major causes of road accidents. Speeding is another reason. We know of so many more reasons. We know the problems. However, we should ponder on as to how the problem has to be addressed. And only government intervention will never be enough.

Schools, colleges, NGOs, social clubs, or say wherever possible this should be the subject of discussion and innovative ways to let each one of us understand the gravity of the situation must be devised. We should not wait, for a tragic incident to happen in our family to start addressing the issue. We should be proactive and spread this awareness.

For schools a special subject could be devised and NCERT can play a major role in making of specific books with a lot of graphics. Not waiting for such interventions from the Education Ministry, schools can start teaching the students on safe driving in their own way. Students can play such an active role to change the attitude of the parents who drive at high speeds, who drive after consuming liquor, who do not follow traffic rules etc. Painting competitions, debates, plays can be organized to create awareness. Students can also be motivated to campaign among the society on road accidents and life loss. Some smart students can even create digital campaigns which can be circulated among the school students and their parents.

For colleges, where the age group of students is the right target that has to be touched, may be seminars, discussions, plays etc can be developed. The youth today are so good in making of reels and videos, they should make very interesting visuals which will attract the audience and create the right lesson. In their own way they can make such awareness videos viral on Social Media and reach to millions.

NGOs and other social organisations can also play a major role here. We have the Rotary, the Lions, the Jaycees and community clubs, who keep on doing work for the society. What better work than to save human lives. Today, we have big residential complexes in urban areas and here the RWAs can take upon themselves to create this awareness.

Another important vehicle to communicate could be the religious discourses, specially the ones which attract the youth. In recent years many good speakers have emerged who have a very good following. Not only people physically attend such discourses but with the help of technology the ‘pravachan’ of good ones have become viral on Facebook, YouTube and Whatsapp. If these renowned people start talking of safe driving, the message will reach effectively to the audience.

The Highway ministry on its part must increase the budget substantially for communication. Use of all available vehicles to communicate, be it the traditional print media, TV or Social Media must be used. If the youth are more attracted to Instagram of Linkedin let us use them, if the highway drivers are using the ‘dhabas’ a lot let us use these, let us make jingles to be played on FM which drivers listen to while driving.

We cannot let one person die every three minutes on the road. And we just cannot sleep over the issue. Awake. If nothing else, at least forward any message that you receive which is related to road safety, may be by vehicle manufacturers or by tyre manufacturers, or created by anyone else.

Your handkerchiefs can save cut trees

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I believe most of you carry a handkerchief in your pocket daily. You use it only when you don't find a tissue easily. So, in fact you carry this small napkin in your pocket as a habit. And still this is given for a wash the next morning, though you may not have used it at all.

Some upper income group people spend a lot of money to buy the best handkerchiefs and they must be the ones who must be using this, the least. For them using of paper tissues is a must – be it in the car, in the washroom or drawing room or bedroom. One would find stylish exclusive cases to hold the paper tissue card boxes. And they will have exclusive designer paper napkins.

Last few months a number of videos have become viral on the social media highlighting how the use of paper napkins or tissue as they are commonly called, are a major reason for the felling of trees. On one hand we are propagating to plant trees to save the environment and on the other side we are destroying trees by using more and more of paper napkins.

According to one such viral video it says that globally we are cutting 27,000 trees daily to manufacture the tissue papers, though I believe this figure would be much higher actually. It is also said that on an average out of the total office waste collected daily, 20 percent is that of tissue papers. Making of paper napkins also uses a lot of water and releases greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. According to one report to produce 1000 kg of paper 17 trees have to be cut. Another report says that to manufacture one kg of paper some 10 to 25 litres of water is used by very efficient plants in North America. Also to be noted is an important point that for making of soft tissues only virgin fiber is used which comes from freshly cut trees. These soft tissues can not be made from recycled paper.

At few places it may be essential to use paper napkins but at most places this can be easily avoided. When we wash our hands we can surely use our handkerchiefs or small towels, which can be washed. One can find many such uses where alternatives can be found, if we keep in mind that to leave a better world for our coming generations we have to take all steps to save trees today.

One may argue that washing of cotton napkins would need so much of water which is also scarce. But comparatively speaking this is surely a better option. We must also note that as pointed out very initially, we give our pocket handkerchiefs for a wash every day even if we have not used it at all. Washing of these unused napkins and wasting water and soap is a criminal wastage.

These data of how many trees are cut or how much water is used to manufacture 1000 kgs of napkins may not be exact, or may be very much off the mark, but the fact remains we can avoid the destruction of environment for a better tomorrow.

Make good use of your handkerchief.

Voluntary efforts can help address suicides of youngsters in Kota

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Kota, the coaching capital of Bharat, is becoming infamous now a days with news of suicides of the aspirants of competitive examinations, not being able to cope with the stress associated with their preparations.

As per figures provided by the district administration, in the recent past the suicide rate was
In 2016    17
2017        7
2018        20
2019        18
2022        15 
2023        22 as of now.
In 2020 and 2021 students had left Kota because of Covid.

This issue must be looked at on a macro level. 

Why we are in the mindset that cracking the entrance examinations for Engineering and Medical are the only options for prosperity. Or even if this is a must, are the ways of teaching, the ways of conducting the entrance exams also not responsible for such a tragic scenario, year after year.

One must also look into the living conditions - stay and food availability, in Kota,  the timings of coaching classes, is language barrier also affecting etc.

Besides government taking steps through the education ministry we should also look at the role of voluntary organisations stepping in. We have numerous voluntary organisations giving lessons on de-stressing, on life skills development, on personality development; then why not an exclusive organisation to de-stress the aspirants in Kota.

Such exclusive voluntary organisations can offer free services with live sessions and even online sessions for the youngsters. The speakers will have to be selected in such a way that they are young, they will talk in the language that these youngsters will accept, they will talk of real life instances etc. Like we have sessions for the kids on how to increase their memory power, these youngsters can be offered expert advice to achieve what they are looking for, but without stress.

Young engineers, entrepreneurs, doctors, who are good communicators can very effectively take up this responsibility and join hands with some voluntary organisations.

Retired seniors can play a very active role here. Knowledge and experience of these seniors can be made good use of. This would give these seniors a purpose in life and the satisfaction they will get will help them maintain better physical and mental health.

Health and financial stability most important factors to consider for retirement

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Recently the renowned financial newspaper LiveMint took my interview for it's MintGenie

In a series on retirement planning, MintGenie interviews a retired senior citizen every week to explore how they planned their retirement, the investments that worked for them, the ones that did not, the advice they have for the younger generations and much more.

In this interview, it said, "This week, we've interviewed Vijay Maroo, Founder of neversayretired.com, to know how he planned his retirement and learn some lessons. Neversayretired.com aims to harness the energy of senior citizens in nation building."

"After retirement, the two most important factors that cause concern are one's health and financial stability, says Maroo, adding that one must not sit idle post retirement and instead, must involve actively in some work."

They had asked me the following questions:

How did you plan your retirement and did you follow that plan?
What were the investments you made?
In your view, what works best for retirement and what doesn't?
Did you achieve your retirement goal?
According to you, what are the most important factors to consider when planning retirement?
Any advice for GenZ for early retirement?

To read my answers to the above questions click on the following link

https://mintgenie.livemint.com/news/personal-finance/health-and-financial-stability-most-important-factors-to-consider-for-retirement-says-never-say-retired-founder-maroo-151691382597107

वरिष्ठ जीवन के चार चरण

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 आजकल व्हाट्सएप ग्रुप या अन्य सोशल मीडिया प्लेटफॉर्म्स पर बुजुर्गों के लिए या यूं कहें रिटायरमेंट के बाद जो लोग अपने जीवन को किस तरह बिताएं उस पर काफी सामग्री परोसी जाती है। 

अभी कुछ दिन पहले ऐसा ही एक पोस्ट मिला जो तुरंत ही मेरा ध्यान आकर्षित कर लिया। इस पोस्ट में जिवन के 4 फेजेज को दर्शाया गया है जोकि लेखक के हिसाब से जीवन के उन्मूलन के चार चरण हैं

लेखक ने बहुत ही सुंदर ढंग से इन चार चरणों का विवरण भी दिया है। इस पोस्ट के अनुसार यह चार चरण है - जब व्यक्ति 60 वर्ष की उम्र पार करता है, फिर 70 वर्ष की उम्र पार करता है, फिर 80 वर्ष की उम्र पार करता है और फिर 90 वर्ष की उम्र जब वह पार करता है।

लेखक ने पहले चरण के विषय में लिखा है कि आप जब 60 वर्ष की उम्र में अवकाश प्राप्त करते हैं तो आपको अपनी जिंदगी का यह नया पड़ाव सहजता से स्वीकार करना चाहिए, ना कि उसी भावना से चिपके रहे कि हम तो ऑफिस में उस पद पर थे, क्या ऑथोरिटी थी। उस मानसिकता और श्रेष्ठता की भावना को मन से निकाल दे, तभी आपकी लाइफ अच्छे से बीतेगी। अब यह सोचने का वक्त नहीं है कि आप कितने सफल थे उस समय या कितने शक्तिशाली।

लेखक के हिसाब से दूसरा पड़ाव शुरू होता है जब आप 70 के हो जाते हैं इस पड़ाव में इस पोस्ट में यह कहा गया है कि धीरे-धीरे समाज से भी आप दूर हो जाते हैं। आपके साथी कम हो जाते हैं और अब तो शायद आपके पूर्व कार्यस्थल पर आपको लोग पहचाने भी नहीं। लेखक का यह कहना भी ठीक है कि आप की जगह जो नई युवा पीढ़ी के लोग आ गए हैं वह आपको कैसे पहचानेंगे और आपको भी यह जताने की आवश्यकता नहीं है कि मैं कभी यहां पर था।

अब तीसरे पड़ाव पर आए तो लेखक लिखते हैं कि आप जब 80 वर्ष को पार करते हैं तब तो परिवार भी आपके साथ धीरे-धीरे रिश्ते खत्म कर देता है। हो सकता है आपके परिवार में कई बच्चे और पोते पोतियो हो फिर भी आपका अधिकांश समय तो अकेले ही बीतेगा या भगवान की कृपा रही तो अपने जीवन साथी के साथ। जब भी बच्चे आपके पास आए तो उन्हें आपसे कम मिलने के लिए दोष ना दें। उनको प्रोत्साहित करें और उनके साथ बिताया समय का आनंद भरपूर ले।

आखिरी चरण पर आते हुए लेखक लिखता है कि जब 90 वर्ष के आप हो जाते हैं तब तो यह निश्चित ही है कि अब तो हमें इस दुनिया से ही विदा लेना है। जिन लोगों को हम जानते थे उनमें से कई तो पहले ही हमेशा के लिए छोड़ कर चले गए हैं। और इस बात पर दुखी होने का कोई कारण नहीं है, क्योंकि यह तो जीवन का मार्ग ही है। वह पहले चले गए, हमें अब जाना है। 

पोस्ट के अंत में लेखक ने बहुत ही सुंदर सुझाव दिए हैं कि हम जब तक जीवित हैं, सक्षम हैं, जीवन का भरपूर आनंद लें। लेखक के अनुसार खाने पीने में अपनी इच्छा अनुसार कोई कमी नहीं छोड़े। वही काम करें जो आपको पसंद हो। और यह भी लिखते हैं की एक चीज जो आपको खत्म नहीं करेगी वह है व्हाट्सएप ग्रुप। इसलिए अपने इस समूह में अधिक संवाद करें, नमस्ते कहें, अपनी उपस्थिति बनाए रखें। खुश रहें और कोई पछतावा न करें। लेखक के विषय में तो कोई जानकारी नहीं है लेकिन अच्छा लगा हम उम्र के लोगों के बीच में इसे साझा करने में।

 हमारी वेबसाइट हैं www.neversayretired.in

Police Stations As Junk Yards

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Pass through any Police Station and one would watch the junk yard created by confiscated vehicles or vehicles which must have met with some accident and must be waiting for the Courts to give a final judgement. These vehicles have just created a junk yard at the Police Station. Many vehicles must be lying for years. The tyres, batteries and other saleable parts of most vehicles must have been stolen. On one hand we want to make our Police Stations look beautiful and on the other hand this 'junk yard' gives such a shabby look.

It is informed that legal tangles makes it impossible to even sell them as scrap, and get the area cleaned up. 

This problem is not of one city or one state. May be some states have addressed the issue, but most states are facing the problem, not knowing how to tackle this.

The government authorities must address this issue urgently. All formalities must be completed, proper records kept, photography done and then after a fixed time limit, the sale of these vehicles must be done. Apart from giving a little extra money to the exchequer, this would give much needed breathing space at Police Stations and the area developed to give a look which will please the eyes.

@RoadMinistry

Remembering Kushabhau Thakre ji

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(Read in Hindi also below) 

Sitting in the Kushabhau Thakre International Convention Centre, Bhopal, to attend the Civil 20 Sewa Summit 2023 of G20, I am reminded of our family's association with respected Kushabhau Thakreji.

From the day I remember my life, I have seen Kushabhau as the elder brother of my father. He must have attended all the marriages in our family. I remember my father often talking of how he took me on his shoulders to the foots of Hundru falls in Ranchi, when I was just six months old. Let me tell you it's hundreds of steps down.

I remember that sad day in Dec 1999, when my father's younger brother breathed his last in Bengaluru, where he had gone for treatment of a heart ailment. His body was being brought back to Ranchi. Those days reaching Ranchi was via Delhi only with change of aircrafts. While we were waiting at Delhi Airport, Kushabhau was present at the airport for some two hours consoling my aunt and all of us. Incidentally my aunt is from Neemuch, in MP, which was his work area and Kushabhau treated her as his own sister. Thakreji was President of BJP then.

Kushabhau along with my father started the first RSS sakha in Chittorgarh in late forties. The first RSS sakha of Jharkhand, then South Bihar, was started by my father.

Kushabhau, Atalji, Nanaji and Ashwaniji were instrumental in motivating my father to launch the weekly Ranchi Express in 1963, which later was converted to the first daily of the area. We pursued the media field till 2016. In-between we started a weekly from Patna which was launched by respected Nanaji Deshmukh in presence of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayanji and the then Chief Minister of Bihar Karpoori Thakurji. A number of other publications, dailies, weeklies, monthly and annuals were also published by us.

While Kushabhau was the President of the party, I used to meet him every other day, whenever he was in Delhi.

जी20 के नागरिक 20 सेवा शिखर सम्मेलन 2023 में भाग लेने के लिए भोपाल के कुशाभाऊ ठाकरे इंटरनेशनल कन्वेंशन सेंटर में बैठे हुए, मुझे आदरणीय कुशाभाऊ ठाकरे जी के साथ हमारे परिवार के जुड़ाव की याद आ रही है।

जब से मैं अपने जीवन को याद करता हूं, मैंने कुशाभाऊजी को अपने पिताजी के बड़े भाई के रूप में देखा है। वह हमारे परिवार की सभी शादियों में शामिल हुए। मुझे याद है कि मेरे पिताजी अक्सर इस बारे में बात करते थे कि जब मैं सिर्फ छह महीने का था, तब वह मुझे अपने कंधों पर बैठाकर रांची के हुंडरू झरने की तलहटी में ले गए थे। मैं आपको बता दूं कि यह सैकड़ों सीढ़ियां नीचे है।

मुझे दिसंबर 1999 का वह दुखद दिन याद है, जब मेरे पिताजी के छोटे भाई ने बेंगलुरु में अंतिम सांस ली, जहां वह दिल की बीमारी के इलाज के लिए गए थे। उनके पार्थिव शरीर को वापस रांची लाया जा रहा था। उन दिनों रांची पहुंचना दिल्ली के रास्ते ही होता था, जिसमें विमान बदलना पड़ता था। जब हम दिल्ली हवाई अड्डे पर इंतजार कर रहे थे, कुशाभाऊजी लगभग दो घंटे तक हवाई अड्डे पर मौजूद थे और मेरी चाचीजी और हम सभी को सांत्वना दे रहे थे। संयोग से मेरी चाचीजी मध्य प्रदेश के नीमच शहर से हैं, जो ठाकरेजी का कार्यक्षेत्र था और वो उन्हें अपनी बहन मानते थे। उस समय ठाकरेजी बीजेपी के अध्यक्ष थे।

कुशाभाऊजी ने मेरे पिताजी के साथ चालीस के दशक के अंत में चित्तौड़गढ़ में पहली आरएसएस शाखा शुरू की। झारखंड (उस समय दक्षिण बिहार) की भी पहली आरएसएस शाखा, मेरे पिताजी द्वारा शुरू की गई थी।

कुशाभाऊजी, अटलजी, नानाजी और अश्विनीजी ने मेरे पिता को 1963 में साप्ताहिक रांची एक्सप्रेस शुरू करने के लिए प्रेरित करने में महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभाई, जो बाद में क्षेत्र के पहले दैनिक में परिवर्तित हो गया। हम 2016 तक मीडिया क्षेत्र में सक्रिय रहे। इस क्रम में हमने पटना से एक साप्ताहिक, जय मातृभूमी, का प्रकाशन शुरू किया, जिसे लोक नायक जय प्रकाश नारायणजी और बिहार के तत्कालीन मुख्यमंत्री कर्पूरी ठाकुरजी की उपस्थिति में आदरणीय नानाजी देशमुख ने लॉन्च किया था। हमारे द्वारा, हिन्दी व अंग्रेजी, में कई अन्य प्रकाशन, दैनिक, साप्ताहिक, मासिक और वार्षिक भी प्रकाशित किये गये।

जब कुशाभाऊजी पार्टी के अध्यक्ष थे, और दिल्ली में होते थे, मैं उनसे बराबर मिलता रहता था।

Embracing Retirement: Staying Active and Healthy Thereafter

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 Only last week, I had the opportunity of attending the 82^nd birthday of a friend. Only family and close friends were there. He was greeted in a very traditional manner with a ‘tilak’ and a garland by a 92 year old retiree. Both the persons had retired long back from government organisations. Both were healthy and cheerful and sharing their knowledge and experiences. What emerged was that they had taken the right direction to un-retire themselves.

Retirement is a natural phase in everyone's life. After years of working hard, it's time to take a break and enjoy life's simple pleasures. However, retirement can also bring health challenges and feelings of isolation. In India alone, around 15,000 people cross the age of 60 every day, many of whom have retired from their jobs. Let us explore how seniors can stay active, healthy, and engaged in their retirement years.

The Challenges of Retirement:

Retirement can be a difficult phase for many individuals, especially those who were used to a structured routine for most of their lives. After retirement, it's common to feel lost, bored, and isolated. Moreover, many seniors face health challenges that require constant care and attention. Many retirees, on being asked as to what’s the difference in life now for them, say, they miss doing the work that they loved and how they would have loved to continue. Another fear that constantly haunts them is losing the identity which they had created working all these years.

Staying Active in Retirement:

Physical activity is crucial for seniors to maintain their health, prevent chronic diseases, and improve their overall well-being. According to the World Health Organization, adults aged 65 and over should engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per week. However, research shows that only 1 in 4 seniors meet this recommendation.

Fortunately, there are many low-impact exercises that seniors can do to stay active, such as walking, swimming, cycling, or yoga. Regular exercise can reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, by up to 40% as per one study. Moreover, exercise can also improve cognitive function, reduce depression and anxiety, and enhance social connections.

Finding Purpose in Retirement:

Retirement can be an opportunity for seniors to explore new interests, learn new skills, and give back to the community. It is commonly observed that seniors who engage in social and productive activities tend to have better physical and mental health outcomes than those who are socially isolated.

Few retired people get re-employment. Some get work as consultants. For those retired people who do not have any fixed work, it is necessary to find a direction for themselves as soon as possible. This work may not necessarily be a source of some income. If we do any work that gives us satisfaction, where our time is spent well, we automatically get many benefits from it. We will be happy, our time will be spent among people, our health will be fine. We will avoid going to the doctor often and save a little more.

One way to find purpose in retirement is to volunteer. Volunteering can provide seniors with a sense of purpose, social connections, and opportunities to give back to their community. There are many voluntary organizations which are on the lookout for retired persons, sometimes on remuneration also. And they have a reason for this. These retirees have so much of knowledge and experience which can be put to good use. They can deal with others in a better fashion. And most importantly they don’t look for alternate engagements.

A lot can be done individually as well. To give an example, a person started giving tuition to poor children around. Another example is of a person who started helping residents in the neighbourhood with their obligations in fulfilling some or the other statutory requirements.

There are many such tasks which can be found and which are doable. One only has to decide to start engaging in some positive work today itself.

Conclusion

Retirement can be a challenging phase in one's life, but it can also be an opportunity to explore new interests, build meaningful connections, and give back to the community. It is well known that seniors who participated in community service reported improved mental health and well-being. Giving back to the community can also have a positive impact on physical health. By staying connected to their community and engaging in meaningful activities, seniors cans enjoy a fulfilling and rewarding retirement experience.

From Google To ChatGPT - What's In It For Senior Citizens?

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 In late December 2022, I stumbled upon ChatGPT, an AI chatbot that promised to be much faster than Google Guru. I was intrigued by the idea of a new tool that could potentially revolutionize the way we access and process information. As someone who had always relied on Google for answers, I was curious to see what ChatGPT had to offer.

I asked around among my group of senior citizen friends, and was surprised to find that only one of them had heard of ChatGPT. But as I continued to follow the news on this AI tool, I noticed a significant change in the way people perceived it. The youth, in particular, seemed to be aware of ChatGPT and its capabilities, and many had even used it for various purposes.

From what I learned through Wikipedia, ChatGPT seemed to be a versatile chatbot that could do much more than just answer questions. It could write programs, compose music, essays, poetry and even simulate an entire chat room. While its uneven factual accuracy was a drawback, its potential seemed limitless.

I was particularly impressed when a content writer suggested me that I use ChatGPT to write blogs for my mission NEVER SAY RETIRED (www.neversayretired.in). It was even possible to get a book written on the mission using this AI tool! However, I wondered if relying too much on AI would kill our thinking capabilities. Would we become incapable idiots if we depended too much on ChatGPT to do our thinking for us?

Some people had already raised concerns that AI would overtake natural stupidity, making us even dumber. Majority of students I spoke to had already used ChatGPT to answer their exam questions. But if all our learning and thinking were done by AI, what would be the use of a teacher? Would we even need to learn anything at all?

Ultimately, I believe that ChatGPT should be used as an aid for convenience, but the best output will always come from our own inputs. It's crucial to maintain our critical thinking skills and not forget how to write grammatically correct sentences, perform research, and develop new ideas. While the memory on phones replaced the need to remember phone numbers, and spell checkers replaced the need to remember correct spellings, it's essential to ensure that ChatGPT does not replace the need to think critically and creatively.

Disposal of Dry Cells

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In his last Mann Ki Baat, which is telecast every last Sunday of the month, Prime Ministry Modi talked of e-waste. Today, with the use of electronic devices increasing many fold, it is high time that a proper strategy is made for its recycling and extracting precious metals from it. Now that the Prime Minister has taken this up personally I am confident its implementation will gather speed.

I would also like to point out that a proper system of disposal of dry cells is also needed. We are disposing off button cells, pencil batteries, mobile batteries so often. And where do we dispose them - in the dustbin along with the other household waste. This trash is then taken to the land fill sites. This is so hazardous.

A system must be developed to collect these batteries and then to dispose them is a manner which will cause least effect to the environment. I am informed there are agencies in some major metros which are doing this collection and disposal. But not many know?

A massive promotion drive is needed to educate citizens of the seriousness of this problem. Government agencies must take this up urgently, allot enough funds for its promotion and engage people to take proper care of these used batteries.

Voluntary organisations or NGOs, Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), other social organisations like the Rotary, Lions, Jaycees etc, community associations should also address this issue. The immediate task is to apprise the commoner of the dangers associated with this. How this would effect the health of the commoner in the long run, is one basic question which must be let known to all.

It must also be noted that the use of batteries is very high in rural areas, because of lack of regular power supply. The efforts needed to educate, to collect these batteries from the rural masses is all the more difficult.

I would request all, who are more interested to know of this hazard, to read one study report released by Toxics Link. The link to this is http://toxicslink.org/docs/Dead%20And%20Buried.pdf