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 

अनावश्यक खर्च से बचे

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पिछले कुछ दिन से सोशल मीडिया पर एक छोटी सी वीडियो वायरल हो रही है जिसका शीर्षक है महंगाई नहीं, खर्च बढ़ गए हैं।

 

इस वीडियो ने हम सबको आईना दिखाया है या दूसरे शब्दों में कहें तो एक विभिन्न दृष्टिकोण से अवगत कराया है। इस वीडियो ने हमारा ध्यान उन अनावश्यक खर्चों की ओर दिलाया है जिनके बिना भी हम सुख पूर्वक जीवन व्यतीत कर सकते हैं।

 

रेस्तरां में भोजन करना कितना मनभावन विचार है लेकिन क्या आपने बिल देते समय ये सोचा कि ये कितना मंहगा व्यवहार है? इसे एक उदाहरण के माध्यम से दर्शाया गया है।

 

बाहर भोजन करने से न सिर्फ अत्यधिक व्यय होता है, आपके स्वास्थ पर भी इसका विपरीत प्रभाव पड़ता है। कई बार बाहर खाने से होने वाले इंफेक्शन हमें डॉक्टर से भेंट का कारण भी दे देते हैं। इस प्रकार ओवर आल कॉस्ट बहुत ज्यादा पड़ जाती है।

 

ऐसा भी होता है कि परिवार मे, किसी न किसी का, बाहर खाने के पश्चात पेट गडबड हो जाता है। बाहर खाना बनाने में किस तेल का और किस क्वालिटी स्टैंडर्ड का उपयोग किया गया है इस पर हमारा कोई नियंत्रण नही होता। हां, हम एक अलग वातावरण में लुफ्त जरूर उठाते हैं जिसका खर्च वहन करते हैं।

 

इस बाहर खाने के कारण कई हो सकते हैं, जैसे कि मूड नहीं है घर पर खाने का या बनाने का, या बनाने वाले का अस्वस्थ होना या दिखावा भी हो सकता हैं। हम यहां इस बात पर ध्यान नहीं देते कि घरेलू बजट के अलावा हमारे स्वास्थ्य पर इसका क्या असर हो रहा है।

 

और भी कुछ उदाहरण दर्शाकर इस वीडियो को बहुत अच्छे ढंग से प्रस्तुत किया गया है जो हमारे आसपास अक्सर दिखता है और रिलेटेबल भी लगता है। यही कारण है कि यह वायरल भी हो रहा है।

 

हम यह भी विचार कर सकते हैं कि आखिर कमा भी तो लाईफ को एन्जॉय करने के लिए कर रहे हैं।

 

अक्सर देखा जा रहा है कि घर पर प्रत्येक व्यक्ति के पास अपना मोबाइल है, और वह भी हर कुछ समयावधि में अपग्रेड किया जाता है। कभी हमने इसका लेखा-जोखा किया है कि केवल मोबाइल पर परिवार में इस वर्ष कितना खर्च किया है? एक बार कर के देखें। आपको शायद तब ध्यान आए कि इस पैसे से तो हम 'यह' भी कर सकते थे।

 

इसी तरह कुछ ज्यादा सम्पन्न वर्ग में परिवार में हर सदस्य के लिए अलग गाड़ी और वह भी नई से नई मॉडल लेने की होड लगी रहती है।

 

आवश्यक खर्च तो जरूरी होता है पर यह निर्णय लेना की इस 'आवश्यक' की सीमा कहां तक स्ट्रेच कर सकते हैं, इसको निश्चित करना ही कठिन काम है।

 

हम विपरीत समय के लिए क्या सेविंग कर रहे हैं इस पर भी ध्यान देना चाहिए।

 

एक और बहुत आवश्यक बात ध्यान देने योग्य है कि अगर हम कमा रहे हैं तो हम अपनी कमाई से उस कमजोर वर्ग, जिन्हें दो वक्त का भोजन मिलने भी कठीनाई हो रही है, या उन बच्चो को जिन्हें पढ़ाई करने के लिए धनराशि चाहिए, वह उपलब्ध कराए। सेवा के और भी बहुत अवसर है, बस मन होना चाहिए।

 

जब हम किसी असहाय की सेवा करते है तब हमारे मन को बहुत सुकून मिलता है। मन प्रसन्न होता है। और यह सब हमारे स्वास्थ्य के लिए किसी स्वास्थप्रद टॉनिक से कम नहीं। विचार किया जाए तो सेवा करने से लाभ हमें ही मिलता है।

 

ऐसे उदाहरण भी हम सबके सामने नजर आते हैं जहां केवल दिखावे के लिए अनाप-शनाप खर्च कर दिया जाता है। कई लोग तो यह दिखावा उधार लेकर करने में भी नहीं संकोच करते हैं। इन सब एक्शन में आसानी से उपलब्ध हो रहे ई. एम. आई. पर लोन मिलने का क्या असर होता है, यह विचारणीय है।

 

महान दार्शनिक चार्वाक का श्लोक मशहूर ही है जिसमें वे कहते हैं:-

 

यावज्जीवेत्सुखं जीवेत् ऋणं कृत्वा घृतं पिबेत् ।

 

(स्रोत: ज्ञानगंगोत्री, संकलन एवं संपादन: लीलाधर शर्मा पांडेय, ओरियंट पेपर मिल्स, अमलाई, म.प्र., पृष्ठ 138)

 

जब तक जीते हो तब तक सुख से जियो।

चाहे ऋण लेकर घी पियो।

 

लेकिन जीवन जीने का ये तरीका भी ठीक नहीं।

 

हम समय पर सचेत हो जाएं तो जीवन में कठिनाईयां कम आएंगी और अपने बच्चो के अच्छे भविष्य के लिए राह आसान कर सकेंगे।

 

तो ये आप तय कीजिये कि आपको अनावश्यक खर्चों में कटौती कर जीवन को सुगम, सरल और सुगंधित बनाना है अथवा चार्वाक सिद्धांत का पालन कर परेशानियों के गर्त में जा पहुंचे विजय माल्या, नीरव मोदी, मेहुल चौकसी की तरह अंधाधुंध खर्च करते जाना है चाहे ऋण लेकर ही सही!!

हम रिटायर हो हीं क्यूँ जबकि Age is Just a Number

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क्या आप जानते हैं कि मानव की सबसे गुणवत्तापूर्ण परिणाम देने वाली आयु कौन सी होती है? किस आयुवर्ग में मनुष्य सर्वाधिक उपयुक्त हो सकता है?

• बीस से तीस?
• पच्चीस से पैंतीस?
• जी नहीं, साठ से सत्तर।

जी, सही पढ़ा आपने। 60 से 70 आयुवर्ग के युवा सबसे बेहतर गुणवत्तापूर्ण परिणाम दे सकते हैं। ये जानकारी कोई और नहीं, न्यू इंग्लैंड जर्नल ऑफ मेडिसिन की रिपोर्ट है जो 2018 में प्रकाशित हुई। एक और ध्यातव्य तथ्य है कि नोबल पुरस्कार पाने वालों की औसत आयु 62 वर्ष है। दुनिया की सर्वाधिक ख्यातिलब्ध फार्च्यून – 500 कंपनियों के मुख्य कार्यकारी अधिकारियों की औसत आयु भी 63 वर्ष है।

मानव को संसाधन यूँ ही नहीं कहा जाता, अंग्रेजी में कहें तो हम सब रिसोर्सेस हैं जिनकी कुछ न कुछ प्रासंगिकता अवश्य है। जिस आयुवय में मानव अपने सर्वोत्तम परिणाम देने की स्थिति में आता है, दुर्भाग्य से सेवाओं से निवृत्त कर दिया जाता है।

सोचिये, जिस व्यक्ति ने अनुभव और ज्ञान अर्जित किया हो, उसकी प्रतिभा रिटायर होकर यूँ ही व्यर्थ हो जाए तो देश और समाज का कितना नुकसान हो? ऐसे मानव संसाधनों के अनुभवी ज्ञान का उपयोग राष्ट्र निर्माण एवं समाज कल्याण में लगे तो भारत देश प्रगति के नित नव सोपान गढ़े।

ये प्रतिभा संपन्न मानवीय संसाधन यदि किसी संस्था के माध्यम से अपने अनुभव एवं ज्ञान का प्रयोग किसी विशेष परियोजना अथवा कार्य में लगाएँ तो विकास की गति को तीव्र करने में क्या ही समय लगे?

एक विश्वसनीय रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, प्रतिदिन 15000 लोग, केवल भारत में, सेवानिवृत्त होते हैं। मान लीजिये कि एक व्यक्ति औसतन 25 वर्ष की आयु में नौकरी/स्व-रोजगार पर नियुक्त होता है और 60 वर्ष तक कार्यरत रहता है तो औसतन प्रतिव्यक्ति 35 वर्षों का अनुभव, ज्ञान, स्किल हम विगत अनेकों वर्षों से खोते चले आ रहे हैं। यदि इस अनुभव का उपयोग किया जाए तो अरबों-खरबों रुपये का लाभ सरकार को हो तथा सेवानिवृत्ति पश्चात् भी लोग अपने अर्थ को सुदृढ़ करते रहें। और देश को भी पेंशनर्स की जगह सेल्फ-एम्प्लॉयड/स्किल्ड वर्कफोर्स मिले जो अर्थव्यवस्था को मजबूत करे, और पारिवारिक एवं सामाजिक रूप से भी सर्वस्वीकार्य एवं सम्मानित हों।

रिटायर होने के बाद घर बैठने वाले बुजुर्ग समाज एवं परिवार में वही सम्मान एवं स्वीकार्यता नहीं पाते जो उनके पहले सहज ही प्राप्य थी। ऐसे में मानसिक तनाव एवं उससे उपजी बीमारियों के इलाज में होने वाले खर्च का बोझ परिवार पर भी पड़ता है, समाज पर भी एवं राष्ट्र पर भी। देश जिस अनुभव से आगे बढ़ सकता है उससे भी वंचित रह जाता है।

इसीलिए, सिर्फ शरीर और मन को ही चलायमान मत रखिये, अपने कौशल एवं अनुभव का उपयोग कीजिये, खुद को किसी संस्था के साथ, सामाजिक संगठनों के साथ अथवा सरकारी/व्यक्तिगत/स्वरोजगार के कार्यों में लगा कर तनाव से भी मुक्त रहा जा सकता है, देश की जीडीपी में भी योगदान दिया जा सकता है एवं समाज में प्रतिष्ठा बनाये रखी जा सकती है।

यदि आप किसी भी प्रकार के रुग्ण(बीमारी) से पीड़ित न हों तो बहुत संभव है कि 75 वर्ष की तरुण आयुवय में भी सहज रूपेण कार्यरत रहा जा सकता है। माननीय उच्चतम न्यायालय के मुख्य न्यायाधीश, न्यायमूर्ति एन वी रमन्ना ने भी कहा कि उच्चतम न्यायालयों के न्यायाधीशों की सेवानिवृत्ति की आयु 65 वर्ष करने पर विमर्श किया जाना चाहिए, उनके पास अभी भी सामाजिक जीवन में कार्यरत रहने योग्य ऊर्जा है।

व्यक्तिगत अनुभवों से एक प्रसंग साझा करना चाहूंगा, कुछ दिन पूर्व ही मुझे एक 94 वर्षीय महानुभाव से मिलने का अनुभव मिला। उनकी ऊर्जा अचंभित कर गई। उनके जीवन दर्शन ने मुझे प्रेरित किया, युवासदृश ऊर्जा का अनुभव हुआ। उनके साथ हुए वार्तालाप के प्रमुख विषय थे – मॉडर्न टेक्नोलॉजी, एस्ट्रोनॉमी, आर्टिफिशियल इंटेलिजेंस। इस भेंटवार्ता को लेखक ने At 94, L N Jhunjhunwala confident of attaining the age of 116 शीर्षक से कलमबद्ध भी किया है।

इसी तरह एक 52 वर्षीय महिला से भेंटवार्ता हुई। आश्चर्य जनक तथ्य यह है कि उन्होंने 48 वर्ष की आयु में पर्वतारोहण के विषय में सीखना आरंभ किया और विश्व की प्रमुख ऊँची चोटियों पर अपने साहस एवं परिश्रम का ध्वज सफलतापूर्वक गाढ़ भी दिया। अभिप्राय यह है कि यदि मानव तय कर ले तो आयु एक अंक ही है, ये मानक स्थापित हो जाता है – “ऐज इज जस्ट अ नंबर।“

जब तक आप स्वस्थ हैं, कार्यरत रहिये। इस पंक्ति का एक दूसरा पहलू ये भी है कि जब तक आप कार्यरत हैं, आप स्वस्थ हैं। गीता में भगवान श्रीकृष्ण ने भी कर्म को ही प्रमुख कहा है। ये विश्व कर्मप्रधान है। हम कर्म करते रहते हैं, स्वस्थ रहते हैं किन्तु जैसे ही रिटायर होकर कर्म त्याग देते हैं, तनाव से दोस्ती हो जाती है, बीमारियाँ बेरोकटोक आती जाती हैं, इसीलिए मानव को कर्म करते रहना चाहिए, रिटायर होने का भाव त्याग कर। वैसे भी योगिराज प्रभु श्री कृष्ण ने कहा है: –

“कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन। मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥”

कर्म के इसी सिद्धांत को दृष्टिगोचर करते हुए, लेखक ने एक सामाजिक प्रयास आरंभ किया है जिसे “नेवर से रिटायर्ड” (website www.neversayretired.in) कहा जाता है। आज देश के प्रबुद्ध जनों में अपने लेखों एवं अभियानों के माध्यम से अपना स्थान बना रही है ये वेबसाइट। देशहित, समाजकल्याण एवं स्वयं की उपस्थिति के लिए आज ही रजिस्टर करें और अपने एक नेरेटिव स्थापित करें कि देश की सबसे कीमती बुजुर्ग हैं। आइये देश निर्माण में एक कदम उठाएँ – संकल्पों का, परिश्रम का, अपने अनुभव और ज्ञान का।

चूँकि साठ के हैं आप इसलिए विशिष्ट हैं आप। 

Saving Environment With Quality Products

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Years back I read a book on marketing which talked of how a toothpaste manufacturing company just increased the diameter of the exit part of the toothpaste tube to increase its consumption. The thought process was very simple. With the increase in diameter of the exit nozzle the consumer will naturally use more toothpaste every time the tube is squeezed. This would increase their sales leading to a greater profit. 

Another example given was that of a gas lighter which we commonly use in our kitchens. The manufacturer purposely made substandard lighters so that the consumer will have to replace it often. This would obviously increase the sales of the lighter giving more profits to the manufacturer.

However we forget to see the damage we cause to the environment by adopting such practices, just to increase our profits. 

When a product is made we use so much of electricity, water, raw material, labour etcetera. The more we consume the product the more we will use the above mentioned raw material. Even transporting of the products have an impact on the environment. And added to this is another very major problem of disposing these used items.

To keep the environment better, to ensure that our children and their children lead a healthier life, we have to start taking some drastic steps today. There are many avenues with a number of options to tackle this issue. 

In this article the emphasis being laid is on producing quality products. This will ensure that replacements will be needed less often. Though sales will come down, but the company which will give quality products will certainly be liked by the consumer and it's brand value will increase considerably. May be, even the profitability issue can be addressed by increasing the selling price to some extent. 

Look at the positive side. 

1. Save energy.

2. Save water. 

3. Save raw materials.

4. Save labour.

5. Avoid creating dump yards for waste. 

6. Less transportation needs.

You can yourself keep on adding to this list.

The suggestion may not be liked by the manufacturers, but we must look to this from a humane angle. We should not be very selfish, but start taking care today, for a better tomorrow.

At 94, LN Jhunjhunwala confident of attaining the age of 116

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Spent a most enlightening 3 hours with respected Shri L N Jhunjhunwala ji (LNJ) on Krishna Janamastami day, 19th August 2022. Can't decide if I introduce him as an extremely successful industrialist or a visionary who dreams of seeing Bharat as the most advanced nation, or a spiritual Guru having such indepth knowledge of Vedas, Geeta and other granths.

Starting more than seven decades ago with a small textiles venture, Shri Jhunjhunwala’s legacy now stands tall as LNJ Bhilwara Group, an INR 5,600 crores plus well-diversified business conglomerate with presence in textiles, power, graphite electrodes, IT, skills and energy storage solutions. To know more about this towering personality just click https://www.lnjbhilwara.com/chairman_message.html (Photo of LNJ has been taken from the website.)

LNJ is just 94 years old and has full confidence that he will live till he is 116 years old. At present, there is a concept of living a hundred years in Bhartiya school of thought. (वर्तमान में भारतीय चिंतन में जीवेत शरद: शतम् की अवधारणा है।). However, the age of 116 years is prescribed by the Chandogyopanishad. (छान्दोग्योपनिषद् के द्वारा 116 वर्ष की आयु का विधान है।). It is this new reading of Chandoyaopanishad which assured him that a human can live 116 years and therefore this belief of his. Seeing his physical and mental health I can vouch that his wish to attain the age of 116 will be fulfilled with the grace of Almighty.

LNJ talked of Space Technolgy, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Quantum Physics, Block Chain etc with such ease. He showed books on astronomy and space which were written for US school kids, and questioned if we don't do similar interventions how we will produce scientists and engineers for tomorrow. LNJ has one dream - to see that a Bhartiya soon gets a Noble prize for mathematics.

LNJ talked a lot of Aurobindo ji and Vivekanand ji  He opined that if Gandhiji had listened to Aurobindo ji, Bharat would not have seen the partition of our motherland. Recently his article titled Sri Aurobindo could have stopped partition was published in The Pioneer in June 2022. (Link to the article: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2022/columnists/sri-aurobindo-could-have-stopped-partition.html ). LNJ is a passionate reader and a writer. He has a very rich library which includes several rare books, and believe me, he has read all of that he has.

LNJ talked very highly of one Shri Raghunandanji, who took charge of his school at Hurda. Raghunandanji took care of the school for 50 years and did not take a single paise for his services. He was surely a monk, with no personal desires. LNJ encouraged Shri Raghunandanji to write the book “Wisdom of Vashistha”, which was released by our former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam on 18th October 2004. While talking of Raghunandanji, LNJ informed that there are some 3,000 monks serving the Ramkrishna Mission, Aurobindo Ashram, Raman Maharishi, who take nothing for their services. He very strongly believes that we have several such selfless people who are available to serve the nation, not expecting anything in return. LNJ is deeply associated with such organisations, specially the Ramakrishna Mission.

During these 3 hours, he spoke of several issues. He showed books on those topics to corroborate his deliberations.

LNJ has also written a number of books and has received several awards and recognitions.

I am sure of getting his blessings soon again. In fact, when I meet him next I will take some personal information from him. And even ask him to give a message for today's youth, as to how they should lead their life.

I pray to the Almighty to shower His choicest blessings on Shri Jhunjhunwala ji.

                                                               - Vijay Maroo

Death on roads, because of roads

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Last three days the newspapers have been talking a lot on the death of a person because a pot hole on the road caused the accident of his two-wheeler.

Such news in the media is not new. The present news will soon die down. And again, when another life is lost, we will read it in the newspapers.

I suggest the newspapers, around the country, should have a fixed column, maybe once a week, where readers can write and send photos of such accident spots. Besides pot holes, other discrepancies on roads may also be a reason for accidents to happen. In this column, a pro active role of the media is needed, of keeping on hammering the point till action is taken. This will go a long way to help the society.

Many a times we don't have to wait for government action. NGOs or volunteering efforts by groups or individuals can also play a very positive role. Sometimes we do read of someone, on his own, trying his best to solve the problem. But why so few come forward to do such work. Let more among us give this a serious thought and help in our neighborhood at least.

The role of the police is also very important here. They know better as to how road accidents happen because of bad roads. If they officially write to the road department officials, the PWD or whoever is incharge, it will have more effect and hopefully action will be faster.

Whoever can help should come forward. The ultimate aim is to reduce deaths on roads caused by roads.

Mission Lakes

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With the vision that the rejuvenation of water bodies and the creation of lakes will help in the enhancement of groundwater recharge and will contribute to fighting the scarcity of water, a campaign must be started to make TEN new lakes and rejuvenate TEN existing lakes in each of the 773 districts (as of April 2022) of the country every year.

We should be able to create roughly 8000 new water bodies every year and rejuvenate an equal number of existing ones. In ten years the complete scenario will change for the better.

Additionally these water bodies can become attractive recreational destinations for the local people. Jobs will be created and add to the economic development of the area. Opportunities from earning through advertising hoardings will add to the kitty of local municipal body.

Fortunately we have had good rains for a number of years. However, much is desired to be done to conserve this water. With a little heavy rains we hear of water logging in so many cities, causing such hardships to the commoner. Though, bad drainage system and other faulty urban planning is a major cause, but still, if we have lakes in cities quite a bit of this extra water can be stored.

Visualize a situation these water bodies can create ‐ 

*storage increases to be used in summers, 

*with recharging ground water level rises,

*water logging avoided considerably,

*better life for commoners, will not face hardships with heavy rains,

*less burden on authorities during flooding,

*creation of new picnic spots,

*more jobs,

*better economy.....

Rains and Smart Cities

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Come rains and it seems all our dreams of smart cities is vanishing. In all our major cities we see that with a little heavy downpour waterlogging takes place. Water even enters the homes and people face a lot of trouble. And if the downpour is heavy, the woes multiply several times and it takes days to return back to normalcy.

On one hand we talk of making our cities smart, and on the other hand when we see all this people only pray that just give us a decent place to stay where we do not have to face such hardships. We have layers and layers of re-pavements on roads, making it to rise often; and this forces our premises to go a level down allowing the water to come in. The better way, may be costly, is to first scrap the layer and then only apply fresh material on the road, so that the final level of the road remains unchanged.

Apart from roads much has to be done in our drainage system. Here, not only the government but we are also to be blamed equally. The drains are covered, but is it full proof? One would watch spaces left in these coverings of drains and it is from these spaces that trash enters the drains. We throw our garbage, mainly plastic, in the drain itself. To a certain extent it is because of lack of proper arrangements to dump the garbage and then sheer no concern for civic sense.

To make our cities smart, we will have to first become smart. Become a little more civilized. Think of others too. 

Teachers Are Nation Builders

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On this Teachers Day I salute all our teachers who have been instrumental in making us what we are today. I firmly believe that it is the teachers who are really the makers of future Bharat and future world.

By teachers, I do not mean only the teachers at school or institutes of higher learning. The initial teachers are at home itself. In fact, according to one theory, the learning starts from the time a child is conceived and the mother is the first teacher.

According to me it is the first few years which really shape the life of an individual. We often hear that it’s the sacraments (sanskars) that has shaped a person in a particular fashion to build character of the individual. Who gives these ‘sanskars’? It’s the parents at home, it’s the environment in which the individual has grown and it’s the teachers in the initial years of schooling, in particular.

The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP) has a new pedagogical and curricular structure in which the most important, according to me, are the Foundational and Preparatory stages. The other two stages being Middle, 3 years in Class 6, 7 and 8 for children in the age group of 11 to 14; and Secondary, 4 years in Class 9 to 12 for the age group of 14 to 18. The new structure is 5+3+3+4.

In the Foundational stage NEP has sub categorized it in 3 years at Anganwadi, pre-school or Bal Vatikas for children in the 3 to 6 age group and 2 years in Class 1 & 2 for children in the age group of 6 to 8 years.

In the Preparatory stage NEP has prescribed 3 years in Class 3, 4 and 5 for children in the 8 to 11 years age group.

It is in these initial years that the ‘sanskars’ are imbibed. In the NEP also this quality of an individual is mentioned. In one of the principles among the several fundamental principles  that will guide both the education system at large, as well as the individual institutions within it includes ethics and human & Constitutional values like empathy, respect for others, cleanliness, courtesy, democratic spirit, spirit of service, respect for public property, scientific temper, liberty, responsibility, pluralism, equality, and justice as one.

In these two stages, Foundational and Preparatory, the teachers here have to be just exclusive. These teachers must be better trained in all spheres. Even the subject that they teach, have to be oriented towards making the child a better human being. Examples for the prescribed curriculum should be so chosen that it gives the right message to the child. Many educationists have done exemplary work in this direction.

Giving here a few examples of how some organizations are working to make the youngsters, the future of Bharat, a better human being. There must be many more such examples.

I know of Ekal Vidyalaya movement which has its presence in more than a lakh villages, where education is given in an informal manner to children upto the age of 14. Some 28 lakh children attend these One Teacher Schools. Their motto is to provide education through games. They call it Khel Khel Mein Siksha (खेल खेल में शिक्षा). Ekal has even gone digital in many areas. Giving ‘sanskar’ or value and ethics based education is their primary belief. For more information visit their website www.ekal.org.

Similarly in around 13,000 formal schools of Vidya Bharati ‘sanskar’ and value/ethics education starts from very initial classes and continues till Class 12. On their rolls are some 32 lakh students. Their academic achievements are also good with many rank holders in different states around the country. It is believed that value/ethics based education acts as catalysts for these good results. For more information visit their website www.vidyabharti.net.

There is a voluntary organization - HEMA Foundation. The foundation looks to enlighten children about the key roles played by parents and society in shaping them into fine individuals. It aims to cultivate better and compassionate understanding of their responsibilities towards Self, Family, Society, the Nation at large, and help them become better human beings. They have produced a number of videos on the subject. HEMA stands for Humane Endeavour For Moral Awakening. For more information visit their website www.hemafoundation.org

The government has announced the NEP. They have set the ball rolling. Now it is the responsibility of the society, each one of us, to see that we provide best of education with values to the coming generation, future of Bharat.

EDUCATION WITHOUT VALUES IS OF NO VALUE.

Indian Toys For Global Children

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In the address of Mann ki Baat on Sunday 30th August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked about how India could become a hub of toy production. Talking of developing new toys for the children, he said that toys not only augment activity, they also give flight to our aspirations. Toys, not only entertain, they also build the mind and foster an intent too, he said.

Prime Minister further said that in the National Education Policy, a lot of attention has been given on the impact of toys on different aspects of children's lives. He said there are several skilled artisans who possess expertise in making good toys and some parts of the country like Channapatna in Ramnagaram in Karnataka, Kondaplli in Krishna in Andhra Pradesh, Thanjavur in Tami Nadu, Dhubari in Assam, Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh are also developing as Toy clusters. 

Talking of business opportunities that the toy industry offers, he said that while Global Toy Industry is worth more than 7 lakh crore rupees, India currently has a very little share in it. He exhorted the entrepreneurs to team up for toys, saying it is the time to get vocal for local toys.

Prime Minister Modi has rightly called for making India a hub for toy manufacturing. China, at the moment, commands the global toy market. With our resolve to be 'atmanirbhar' we should ensure that we do not import toys and, instead, work for exporting toys to the global market.

 

Every village of ours has a game of their own, which are very local. Entrepreneurs can explore possibilities of developing toys based on these exclusive games played in our villages. 

While venturing in the manufacturing of toys, we must ensure good and safe quality standards, not only for global market but also for local use.

Let us work for a good share of the 7 lakh crore global market. Indian toys for global children should by our 'mantra'.

Optical Fibre Connectivity To All 6 Lakh+ Villages Will Be A Game Changer

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In the Independence Day address to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he talked of a number of welfare measures and development programs that will be undertaken. However, I feel the most important of the announcements was that of connecting all the six lakh plus villages with fibre optical cable. The opportunities this move will provide are manifold.

It will uplift the economy, specially of rural India, tremendously. The income of farmers will rise as they will be able to use the eNAM platform provided by the government in a better way and even reach the consumer directly. Imagine the vegetables that a farmer grows can reach his customer directly, fresh every morning, once internet facilities are available.

Retail shops will open in villages which would help in reaching the products that were not available till now to the villagers. Common Service Centres will open in all villages and provide the residents many facilities, for which they had to run to block or district headquarters.

 In the last six months we have seen growth of online education in the cities because of Covid_19 pandemic. Educational institutions have closed and no one knows when they will open. There are reports that the rural children are not getting the full advantage of digital education that the schools are providing. They do not have smart phones and the connectivity issues are there. Some have come out with 2G solutions, but still the connectivity is an issue. The education of rural children is suffering. It is feared that when the schools reopen, maybe we will see a good number of students dropping out. In these six months the parents have engaged the children in some work giving them a little extra income. And when the schools reopen (when?) they will be reluctant to join back. We will have to start another campaign of “Chalo School”.

 in such a scenario the broadband connectivity through optical fibre would become a game changer, even for education.

Jobs will be created in lakhs, not only in the cities but also in rural India. The best outcome will be that the local youth will not have to migrate to cities to look for jobs. This will even help in reducing the burden on urban centres manifold. The amount saved from creating infrastructure in cities can then be diverted to be invested in rural area.

 The Prime Minister has given a deadline of a thousand days for achieving this connectivity to each village. We have so many villages in remote, hilly and other difficult areas. It is a mammoth task, but with the determination and will power of all, we are on our way to create a New Bharat.

Disposal Of Used PPE Kits

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Only last month there was a news of over a crore PPE kits and two crore N95 masks being given to states by the Central Government. (Read this news : http://bharatmahan.in/positive-news/more-2-cr-n95-masks-1-cr-ppes-distributed-free-cost-central). It is also reported that we are making three lakh PPE kits and the same number of N95 masks every day. Add to this the numbers that are imported and also being made in the unorganised sector that are not accounted for.

It is good that we have become 'atmanirbhar' in these two products. We have even started exporting them.

However, it seems we have not given much attention to the disposal of this bio-medical waste which is so hazardous. 

As it is, our records in the disposal of bio-medical waste has nothing to boast about. Now, with the added burden of PPE kits and masks, amidst the COVID_19 crisis, the concerned departments have to immediately swing into super-active mode. All must appreciate the danger we are facing. Number of Covid positive cases are rising every day at great speed. We have been improving in the facilities of its treatment with hundreds of hospitals now taking care. Even testing facilities have shown a dramatic increase. All this has led to more use of PPE kits and masks.

Only two days back it was reported in a Mumbai newspaper how this waste is piling up in hospitals. According to this report, in this city alone, there is an increase of bio-medical waste to the tune of ten thousand kgs a day. Similar is the case all over the country.

Who knows, among the thousands of new positive Covid cases detected daily, some would have been affected by this waste.

The Health Ministry, Environment Ministry and the Prime MInister's Office need a lot to do and address this issue on war footing. Even Niti Aayog could step in. Our IITs, ICMR and the like are developing new techniques to treat and test but they should also look into the aspect of bio-medical waste disposal.

To make 'SwasthaBharat' a reality let us start taking action now.

Acquiring Knowledge

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This is in continuation to my post yesterday - "Knowledge With Communication Skills Is A Sure Winner".

Today I am writing only on knowledge. 

Knowledge is not only what you acquire in the school or college. It is also what you acquire at home from your parents and relatives. It is also what you acquire from friends during your interactions with them. You also acquire knowledge later from the print and electronic media, books, social media, etc. And most importantly knowledge comes from life experiences. However, to acquire all this knowledge you have to keep your antenna wide open to accept all the transmission that is taking place. And once you accept, it is up to you to select what you have to delete and what you have to save.

In school or college it is observed that one accepts only those portions that helps in scoring high in the examinations. In school high score is needed to get admission in the college and in the college high score is needed to get a good job. Must also appreciate that, not necessarily there will be a difference in the knowledge of a student scoring 95% above and one scoring 90% above. May be on the particular exam day the student, though knowing all, could not answer for one reason or the other. Once this is achieved, the admission to higher institute or securing a job, no one asks you as to how much you scored in your final examinations. It is then that overall knowledge is, what gives one a real lead over others in life. 

In this overall knowledge is included what you acquire from your parents, relatives and friends, as mentioned initially. In real life it is your attitude, your behaviour, your empathy towards someone who needs support etc. which will take you to great heights.

One must remember that acquiring knowledge is a continuous process. There is no end to learning. Who knew that an engineering graduate who topped the university twenty years back, will have to relearn the technology offered today. Or take the current example of a teacher, following the pandemic. Did any teacher foresee that instead of teaching in the class with a black board, online teaching will have to be done. Same goes in every field. If one does not update with the current trends there are much chances of such persons becoming redundant. 

Acquiring the right knowledge will be key to success.

Knowledge With Communication Skills Is A Sure Winner

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Was hearing a podcast* in which the host Kartikeyan Khator and Abhimanyu Gupta were in conversation with Kim Kaupe (co-founder of The Superfan Company, New York | Shark Tank Starrer | Forbes 30 under 30). In this Kim Kaupe, in the end, mentioned of 'Knowledge being the new currency'. I fully agree with Kim. However, would like to add that with knowledge one must have good communication skills. 

Neither just knowledge nor just communication skill is enough to take you to great heights. There would be many with so much of knowledge, but they lag behind if they do not have a good knack to take their message across. Be it our 'dharam gurus', our political leaders or management experts, one will see that those with good communication skills and grasp over their subject, are the ones to whom one listens, who become icons. 

On the other side if you see a great orator talking rubbish, talking without knowledge of the subject, you for sure will not listen to him/her again. 

If one has both these traits, there is nothing to stop the person from reaching great heights.

Time we realised the importance and start making special efforts to acquire these qualities. And make sure that the children at home, from early age, are guided through to learn these to be a winner always.

 (*To listen to the full half an hour podcast click https://bit.ly/chunderkhator_ep3 )

Creating Special Category Of 80 Plus Senior Citizens

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Prime Minister Nrendra Modi is requested to create a Special category among #SeniorCitizens who are more than 80 years old. For them :
1. No jail term for any offence. If found guilty they should be home quarantined, and local Police Station person can visit them weekly for keeping a track. This will save lot of government money also and put less burden on jail facilities.
2. Create special health insurance scheme applicable only after attaining age of 80 for free medical treatment without any hassles in any hospital. For people covered under Ayushman Bharat it is already there. This is needed for others too.
3. No Income Tax should be levied on persons in this special category of 80 plus for income up-to 10 lakh with absolutely simple form to file returns. All earlier disputes must be settled at the earliest with least hassles for them.
4. Old age homes for this special category is a must with medical and other facilities. Rich should pay, for others should be free. NGOs can be motivated to help too. Country must facilitate their respectable departure for heavenly abode.

Seeing A Dark Future For Automobile Industry

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Post Corona I see a very dark future for the automobile sector. Sales of new cars and goods transport vehicles will come to a stand still.
Primary reasons for this gloomy forecast
* Priority will be to arrange for the basic needs.
* Expansion activities of all will be the first to be hit resulting in no need of more vehicles.
* Infra projects of government will be badly hit as priorities will shift.
* Replacement market will cease for long.
* Additional vehicles in industry, business and family will not be in priority list.
* Shifting from 2 wheeler to 4 wheeler will halt, once again because of priorities changing.
* Demand for trucks will go down as there will be less transportation of goods.
With this happening we will see
* Closure of few industries.
* Cutting down production to around 10%.
* Closing down of most retail show rooms.
* Tremendous job loss.
* Salary cuts at higher level.
* Cost cutting all over.
What would improve
* Demand for public transport will increase.
* Increase in sales/purchase of used vehicles.
* Increase in vehicle repairing sector.
* Increase in demand of spare parts.