Got the Courage to Fight ??

The freshness of air, the blossom of the fields and the narrow muddy roads occupied with cattle. This is the picture you get when yo think of any villages. Every frustrated or tired IT professional once in his life time must thought ... earn money for a while and then settle down in their own village or some peaceful place away from the busy city life. Here is one thing to think about it is - do villages still hold its charm, warmth and peacefulness. Does the ignorance of the village people has become a weapon for crime or is been misused for ones own benefits?

Recently i read an article regarding the current issues India is facing i.e. "Taliban of our very own". You may wonder now where does Taliban exists in India and how does it relate to villages. Before you start wondering... let me tell you that it exists in almost all villages of India which are located remotely and no one knows how things can go wrong terribly.

Here, villages have their own Government, Rules and Punishments (soo inhuman that we cant imagine). which is called as 'Khap Panchayat' where Caste plays a major role. They take the Law into their hands and neither Police nor Government dares to get its involvement here.

Marrying/eloping a lower caste with upper caste is a crime and it will cost their lives and also suffering to their entire family. Marrying a person belongs to same Gothram is again a big crime and this too will costs their lives. When i say it costs life ... its not just killing but its torturing worse way and then kill and when it comes to women its becomes more brutal and i cannot describe the crime scenarios i have read.

Just imagine ... watching cricket is a ban and no love marriages are allowed. Of course its a complete sin. Having a baby girl is a sinful and she will be killed immediately after her birth or even before .... which makes the sex ratio so terrible in those areas. And here we feel bad and thinks we don't have enough freedom if our parents asks us to do something which we don't feel like doing it.

After reading the article. i was left with various thoughts and thinking process but remained like many other people who feels bad about the wrong things going around and feels bad ...rather standing up and initiate the fight against it. Hope i can make it one day with enough courage.

When did you write a letter to someone last time ...?

Finally got my brother's new address just a week before rakhi so that i could mail him one atleast this time. Sometimes i make few things worse as i get them done at last moment. Expecting to be as greedy as i could ... that my parcel would reach in time and that too when i already made it too late.

Thought to go for some private couriers ... so i inquiry about $$$$ (don't want to mention the name as they may sue me ;)) as they said it will cost me around 1200 bugs and mind you its just a minimum charge (possibly they assumed me as an NRI or what :P haha). I was surprised that just to send a 60 grms parcel which contained just two feathery weighted rakhi's , a greeting card and 3 bookmarks ...altogether which cost me not even 100 bugs. The shock was so strong that i didn't mind to query about other private couriers. Given up and convinced myself that i would send it with my aunt sometime end of the month. But then thought of our own government post office.

There was a long queue for the speed post. As a part there was no other queue other than that. After like 2 hrs or so i got my turn. Mean while was thinking about how we made letter writing extinct especially after the mobile phones and internet conquered our lives . The feel of getting a letter from someone or receiving a greeting card (not an e-card definitely) is lost somewhere. I remember my last letter was to my grandfather when i was in school. Thats the last one.

I asked the person how much it would charge me to send this parcel. He weighted it and said - it will cost you around 500 bugs to send. Is that fine!! I was more than happy as it was half the rate what the private couriers offered me. Without a second thought i said its perfect. After a pause he said there is one more option which will cost me just Rs 80 but just that it would reach with delay of 2 days. I was so impressed as he was concerned to give options so that a common man would easily afford rather than scaring people and make them feel as its not your cup of coffee. So at last got it done.

Well from all the above ... the point is

- When did you write a letter to someone last time ?
- Have you ever visited a post office ?
- Did you ever received any letter or a greeting card ?

Ok ... don't think much ... just pick up the pen and start writing a letter to your friends, grandparents or make some pen friends ... if you don't have anyone then you can write one to me :)