Common Wealth Games (CWG) 2010 of India and of Delhi

In the name of the Games (CWG) there are so many Hullabaloos at present. The noise is all about the common wealth that’s being squandered in the name of this Sporting Event.

Even before the track and field and the indoor events have started, it seems a special Relay race is going on. Allegations are running down from one to another. The first shot is fired with cases of bribery, and then it runs into faulty contracts with some contracts being made without written documents. The relay moves on next into unfinished stadiums where the leaky roofs give evidence of the type of finish the places are going to get. Then it heads towards those fitness equipments meant to be there on hire for India does not want to produce athletes in future as fitness equipments are going to go once the games are over.

Delhi looks more like a dug-up city with roads caving in here and there and no respite from traffic congestion. In giving a makeover to this city it has created more mess than anything worth looking at. Most believe Delhi was much better before, and, the changes have not brought about anything worth a word of praise. Money has been simply squandered in the name of the Games.

With the date of the Games coming closer the locals are not at all interested in going to watch the different events. Instead with the closure of the schools during that time many will prefer to stay away from this city for there will be lot of traffic problem.

With the work coming to an end very soon so many labourers will be left without any work. Where will they go and what will they do. The state government will try to evict the shanties of these labourers put up on the roadside. This is going to a huge problem soon after the Games are over. And then the government at the Centre and the State will play a blame game and leave the people to suffer silently.

But the rich and powerful will have a sound sleep in their luxurious rooms having power and some having made lots of money in the name of the Games.

If this topic starts burning, political heads will divulge into another topic to let this die a silent death and see no digging is done to find what lies deep down.

A new burning topic will come up and politics will play its own game but life of the AAM AADMI will move on.

When Dal (Lentils) Makes You Think

Why is it that the whole burden of running the home budget falls mostly on the shoulders of women? To be frank, I’ve used the word mostly, in order not to bring about a debate among men vs. women.

The rise in the price of the different kinds of dal has made most families think about preparing and serving dal in the everyday meal. Most Indian households cannot think of a full meal without dal. Be it roti, be it rice, a bowl of dal goes with it. With soaring prices, dal which is thought as a wholesome food even for the poor is just going out of reach of the common man. The strong words about the Aam Adami (by this present ruling government) now lack the luster it created before the general election votes were cast.

Dals have their own nutrition value being rich in protein and a source of inexpensive protein in a vegetarian diet. A cooked meal of dal and rice is known as khichdi, rich in nutritional value and healthy food for the sick also. There has been a cut down on the monthly purchase of dals, as cost of some varieties has touched the near 100 rupee mark, something difficult in a common man’s chart. Said and done - there was a lot of commotion in the parliament on this issue. Here again we have to think, “Are our parliamentarians really concerned about us when they can have their tummy full?”

“Dal roti khao, prabhu ke gunn gao” for now, is no longer the merry and light-hearted tuned words of many in this country.