17. ...however, there are good people too!

Venue: All across the city of Guwahati
Time: Morning to Evening
Day: Across a couple of days
Judgement: People are changing!

Incident 1: I was driving down Goswami Service Road when I see an empty bottle being thrown out of a moving auto-rickshaw. So, I decided to follow the auto. As I came parallel to the auto, I asked the driver to slow down and questioned him, "Was it you or your passenger who threw the bottle just now?" He answered, "Oho, sorry baidew (sister). It was I who threw the bottle out." I told him that we should be thankful he didn't throw it in the way of a moving bike, which would have proved fatal. "Sorry again, baidew!" He looked apologetic. I mean I was surprised he didn't turn red with anger as is usually the case with anyone in the city who is questioned. Rather, he smiled and drove away! I liked it!

Incident 2: A young boy of 18 years(or so I thought!) sitting on a ledge leading up to the Governor's house, overlooking the river Brahmaputra. He had his cycle parked near him, while his headphones were securely pushed into both his ears. And what does he have between his two fingers; I wasn't surprised! Yes, a cigarette! As I stopped right in front of him, his immediate reaction was to hide his cigarette behind his right palm. I asked him bluntly, "How old are you?" 16 years, he told me. "Since when have you been smoking?" "I started a couple of years ago." I calculated. "Okay, so you started when you were 13?" "Hmm! Yes! But I don't smoke everyday! I am smoking today after a month." Can you stop smoking altogether, I asked. He smiled brightly and said, "I will try, I promise you!" I smiled and trudged up the hill, hoping the little boy would stop smoking soon. I liked his attitude though! At least he didn't come away as someone rude on the face!

Incident 3: The mercury was rising in the city way above the comfort level and I desperately wanted to sip on something to cool me down. I made my way to the Cafe Coffee Day, near Dighalipukhuri. As I swerved into a lane, I caught sight of a young boy, maybe in his early 20s, throwing an empty bottle right across the road. As the bottle flew across from my right and landed on the left of the road, I stopped my car right next to the boy as he was walking past. I requested him smilingly, "Hey, can you pick up the bottle for me you just threw and give it to me please? I will throw it into the dustbin." He walked up to me. He looked dazed, amused, nervous and speechless. As he leaned down, I almost thought he would say something rude. Instead, he smiled apologetically and said, "Please ba (sister), please don't do this! Please don't embarrass me. I will pick up the bottle and throw it into the dustbin." I still held out my right hand and asked him for the empty bottle. He pleaded with me with folded hands, "Please ba, please go. Please let me do this on my own. I promise you I will pick it up and throw it away." I told him I am trusting him to do it. As I drove away, I checked out in my rear mirror only to catch a very pleasant sight; the boy went right across to the opposite side of the road and picked up the bottle. I of course didn't wait to see if he would throw it in the dustbin, which he would. I was confident! I smiled! I was happy!

There are some great people in my Guwahati city! I feel blessed!

16. Of position, language and misuse!


Venue: Rajgarh Road
Time: 8 pm
Day: 27th April, 2014

I got off my car after parking it. Armed with my camera, I marched towards the sedan parked in an oblong manner on the busy but narrow Rajgarh Link Road. I closed in on the car and before I could click my fourth picture, a lady jumped out of the car and starting shouting, "Hey, what are you doing?" and then again in Hindi. I told her "I am clicking pictures of your car 'cause you have parked it beautifully on the road." She started shouting and I asked her why she was shouting. It is their fault that they have parked the car in a way which is proving to be difficult for traffic. The woman simmered down somewhat saying her husband has gone to get ice-creams for her child. I asked her why couldn't they park their car in a proper place and walk to buy the ice-creams. She continued arguing her stand while I continued to ask for reasons why a car from Manipur would show their bureaucratic high-handedness in an extremely busy city like Guwahati, which faces traffic problems everyday. Soon though the husband arrives at the scene and asks, "What happened? What happened?" I told him I have a problem with your car being parked in the way you have done. He told me, "We are going now na! We just parked for 2 seconds!" I said, "Really? Do you know what 2 seconds can do to the traffic jam of the city?" He asked me, "Are you the police?" I said, "Yes, I am!" He said, "Okay, I am also the police!" I told him, "If you are the police, then why are you the one to break the rules." With nothing much to say and looking thunderous, as if I was at fault, he got into the car. While speeding off, the wife starting showing obscene signs at me. Wow! Sir, Madam, you might be moving around in a car allotted to you by the Government of Manipur but you seem to have shown your true colours of where you come from!

So what do we call this? Bureaucratic high-handedness? Bad education? Use of power and position? 

And by the way, what is the child sitting in the rear seat of the car going to learn from his parents? 

No one was bothered as is always the case with people of Guwahati even when they saw this car bearing No.MN 01W 0285 parked 'badly' right under their noses. There were young men standing in groups along the entire strip of the lane. They are either too busy gossiping about nothing, the weather, politics (with no exhaustive study) and the change they so badly need or maybe watching the derriere of young girls clad in their skin tight denims and passing snide remarks. But no one, read that as not one single gentleman noticed the sedan parked in an oblong manner. The feverish summer sweaty heat might have blinded them from seeing anything at all! And all the while that I argued, the 'young men' stood at a safe distance watching the 'fun'. 

And then they talk of a change? What change? 

Instead of going to watch the scenic beauty and places of tourist interest in Europe and England, people should notice a thing or two about the values those countries follow; their behaviour on the streets and otherwise. It would do everyone some good if they implemented it back in India. Why do we keep repeating the same old story of "When in Rome, be a Roman" but when in India, we go back to behaving like a rustic? 

Do we as Indians of any state or closer home, as Guwahatians have anything to lose if we do something meaningful for the society. Why can't we get up and say a wrong is a wrong. Do we need a group or a leader to do that for us? I don't think so. The leader is inside each one of us. We just need to strengthen the leader inside us. 

And Mr. and Mrs. Bureaucrat from Manipur, you could do better with the position you hold. Spewing expletives is so passe. You could have come across as well-mannered people if you could have gracefully said, "Sorry, it was a mistake. We will not park our car like this again." Is it asking too much? The British have left long back. Imperialism is history. Get down to being more humane and get off that age-old concept of 'babugiri' you hold so close to your heart. It's not going to get you anywhere! And by the way, look behind you! Your child is watching you!

Applause for this bureaucrat!

This car is parked right on top of the road!

15. Be the change you want to see, Guwahatians!

So, the new word going doing the rounds is, "We need a change!" Well, frankly speaking that is the only thing which is constant. It's a continuous process that occurs whether we like it or not. But are we looking at a change for the better? If it is, good for all of us. But change, no matter how good or bad needs the participation of every individual who cares about the end result of that change. Until and unless every individual understands that the responsibility of making the change lies with him/her, no man on Earth can make them realise this most potent truth.

Today morning, I was left mortified when I saw the condition of the newly made bus arcade at the Commerce College stoppage. Vandalised with a vehemence! I understand the young people these days have little to do than to spew expletives and go on a rampage of public property. But let me remind you, it's your guardians money, the tax-payers money that you are vandalising. And for what joy, may I ask? Is it to impress someone with your strength? It will be a worthy action if each of those persons who have vandalised the bus arcade actually understands the gargantuan damage they have caused to expensive public property.

If you really want a change, then you yourself have to be the change. You can do it in so many different ways. One could be to become responsible citizens and start taking responsibility of the city, just as you would do your home. You wouldn't break expensive things in your home would you?

And it doesn't take much to keep the city beautiful. It only takes responsible persons who love their city to bring that change they so want to see!

This is your property! Vandalising it will not help in any way!

14. See, think, do!

What do you think happens to these papers after a conference is over? They are probably thrown away not thinking of the huge use they can come to even after they are printed on one side. 

If this is to continue, we will be left with no trees for the future generation. They will probably be appalled at the insensitivity of people like us who had but actually spoken of the one thing that will then make us come across as poker faces; speaking with all the sensitivity of conserving nature and the environment. And what have we done on our part so far? Nothing except for tall talks of how many trees it takes to make paper and being insensitive to small issues like re-using paper. We will have more conferences to raise this issue and then at the end of the three day conference, we will do the exact same thing that will actually make us cut more trees to make more paper; throw away the papers when the blank side could have been used for some rough work or reused at the office to make notes and so much more.

"I make it a point to take the papers I was given for the conference back home, so that my son can practice his Maths on the blank face of the printed papers. I am ofcourse given snide remarks and jeered at but that doesn't stop me from doing my bit to save the trees. Because, years later, I want my son and his friends to enjoy the cool breeze on a hot summer day when they want to go have fun by the river. And also see the colourful birds which might have built their nests atop these trees."

ITC SONAR IS COMING UP WITH A GREEN HOTEL WHICH WILL HAVE NO PAPER. NOW, HOW GOOD IS THAT?

Tinat Atifa Masood

13. Tathastu

A fortnight before the programme, we as a team from Consortium of International Minds (CIM) approached General Cheema and asked him casually if he would be able to help in some way or the other the blind school at Satgaon, which is more appropriately known as Jyoti Niketan School for the blind. And lo and behold, without much as a word called delay,  a day later, the General set his people to task and the rest as they say is history.

In the morning of 16th of November, 2013, in a short and prompt programme at the Army School in Narangi, at the behest of CIM, children from Jyoti Niketan School were presented with 40 bed-rolls, 40 bed-sheets and 40 packets of stuffed toys by General Cheema.

Prior to this ceremony, these specially-abled children gave a performance which kept each and every person in the hall awestruck and wanting for more. They sang and danced like any other person; each dancer maintaining an unbelievable synchronicity in both rhythm and style. General Cheema, 'humbled' by the heart-warming performances by the children, requested everyone for a standing ovation. 

On behalf of CIM, our heartiest salutations to General Cheema for this extremely warm gesture towards the children of Jyoti Niketan.

                                                                                   

12. Is the world going to transform to a desert?

How many of us have seen this scene in a public toilet, at the gym or some other place? All of us have seen it and we are least bothered about it! How many of of us have felt that people rampantly waste a lot of toilet paper even if they don't use it? (The mean thought is; "It's someone else's property, I haven't bought it. So, I can waste it as much as I can!") Come on people, grow up! Make your thoughts more globalised! It doesn't pay to be the mean little frog in your own pond! 

How many of us know that approximately 10 toilet rolls are made out of a single tree. So it takes 1/10th of a tree to make one roll. 

It won't be long before there will be no trees left. Trees which give us the much needed oxygen and keeps temperatures cool. 

Are we responsible for calling on this destruction on ourselves and making plans to wipe out humanity in totality from the face of the Earth? 

It will be amusing to see if the young people can liberate the Earth from the pain it is going through. It is the onus of each and every individual to behave in a cohesive manner towards the Earth because it won't be too long before we will be wiped out from the face of the Milky Way only because we didn't realise it soon enough that trees are the most important catalysts to keep us alive. It has a major role to play in the eco-system and this disruption is already showing how nature is playing havoc all across the globe.

Isn't it time we all started doing our bit to spread the message across to thoughtless people who think their time is now and they have absolutely no responsibility whatsoever for the generations to come? Please stand up and speak to these people if perchance you happen to catch them wasting paper; not toilet paper alone but any other paper which can be recycled for use. 

Give the World a breather and be the change you want to see!

11. GIVE AND YOU WILL BE GIVEN 

Festivities over for the time being! We can now think in peace of what we can do and give away to the man who is deprived of the niceties of life. We have the fortune of almost everything in our lives. Most of us don't have a single thing to worry about, except the worry that they don't have any worries at all!!

Can we think of setting aside something, maybe in the form of cash, kind or eatables for the man who needs it the most? Can we think of maybe adopting a child in a childrens' home and take care of the child's education? Can we think of setting aside some time to teach a poor child the alphabets? Can we think of starting a small library with the books our children don't read anymore, so that some poor child may read and benefit from them?

There are so many things we can do but only if we have the inclination to do so. Let us all hold hands to be a little more caring and passionate for these people of the same God, who are, if we think deeply enough, are our family! Let's give our love this winter, so that someone out there doesn't have to die because of our indifference! 

Photos by: Tinat Atifa Masood