Because books are our best friends

Children are like buds in a garden and should be carefully and lovingly nurtured, as they are the future of the nation and citizens of tomorrow. -  Jawahar Lal Nehru

When I was in school, I remember we would celebrate Nehru’s birthday with pomp and show and had big community lunch. Teachers and headmasters who were strict year round served us our meal and we would feel really special. Even today, we get SMS and messages wishing us Children’s day.

The idea of this celebration is to honor children and the first Prime Minister of India. This is the day to celebrate childhood. Celebrate those who are free spirited, loving, hopeful and the future.

It is extremely sad to know and acknowledge that there is a major group of children which is being pushed in darkness of slavery and child labor, missing their growth years due to poverty or illiteracy.

However, today isn’t the day to be gloomy and sad. There are many organizations, governmental or NGO, registered or non-registered groups that are working to re-kindle the light of education and hope in these children.

 I came across one such small group of volunteers through a Self Help Group, who help children continue their education after they have finished their primary schooling.

In the absence of mid-level schools (1^st to 5^th grade) in the village, these kids, especially girls are forced to discontinue their education because they are unable to go to a school which maybe two-five km away from their homes. These kids are eventually fed into the world of household chores or support parents as labor. Soon, these kids forget their dreams of being educated and start taking independent work as a labor or artisans. Worse case, they are forced into early marriages or become the unemployed uneducated unruly lot.

This is not to sham the government initiatives, but a bitter reality.

“Hands” a Self Help Group formed in the community of adda workers in a village called Faridpur in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, decided to not have their children the same fate as theirs. The members of the group, with support of a local NGO run a community school in villages so that the children can continue their schooling till 5^th grade and then go back to a proper school nearby.

On 12^th November, I got a chance to visit them and interact with the group. What I heard from them was wonderful. There are two schools in the region. They are run by volunteers and paid teachers. Volunteers, on their weekly off day collect funds from local society to purchase books, furniture or pay teacher’s salary. The education in these schools is free of cost and most of the children are ex-child workers.

“There is no friend as loyal as a book.” Ernest Hemingway.

Therefore, a group of Write Tribe members decided to donate books to the school in case we all agree.

We can also look at the possibility of donating some furniture for these children, since winter fast approaching it gets tough for them to sit on floor and study.

I am leaving you with a few pictures and an invitation to come forward and donate a small amount if you may please. Feel free to contact me for suggestion or inquiry. If nothing else, do drop a comment to let me know what your thoughts are

Party - 100 words on Saturday

They had called for a party. All dressed up in best clothes, wore party caps and gathered there at sharp eight.

I looked at each of them and saw how nice they looked. They smiled and nodded when our eyes met. Some of them I saw for the first time, maybe they were new comer, or I had simply not noticed them. There were few who were missing.

I knew it was my last day there. My doctors had given up on me and as per my last wish; the hospital had organized a party for all fellow cancer patients.

This post is written on the prompt "I knew it was my last day there".

I intended to write a happy post, but in the end, dedicated it to young cancer patients. This is a piece of fiction.

Are you denied of your Human rights?

I am taking part in Blog action Day and theme for this year is Human Rights

I thought at length about what exactly I can write on this topic. I have been advocate of human rights at workplace in my career and I choose to work in the same field. Each day we train and educate workers about their basic rights as human being. We actively campaign against any form of slavery, bondage, harassment, torture, child labor, etc.

I wanted to write something about workers, so I started with the same, but could never finish it. There has been so much said and done about what should be done to protect human rights, I had nothing more to add.

As per UN Declaration of human rights there are thirty human rights. These thirty rights are translated into seven fundamental rights of India. You can read more about each right at blogs of my blogger friends - Shilpa and Kajal.

Just in the time when I was giving up, I got into a discussion about why human rights? Do we need them? If no, why we have them? Someone argued that they are so basic that it doesn’t make sense to have them; any free willing society will anyway support such rights of human being, therefore no need to have them declared and built into the constitutions. I argued back that since we have always had these rights, we probably don’t know why each of them needs to be legalized moreover even now many rights are denied to many citizens either by ignorance or by will, which in both cases is an offence.

There started a conversation on denial of human rights. In what form it may exist and where?

When a girl child is treated badly because her brother is more important, it is denying the right of equality.

At workplace, when a boss picks up a colleague and promotes him not on merit but because he belongs to same religion, it is discrimination.

When a female fetus is aborted, it is refusal of life.

When a worker is made to work under worst conditions, against no pay, its slavery.

When women are abused or raped, it is torture.

Murder in name of honor killing is denial of right to recognition.

When an offender can be saved on the basis of bribe, it is inequality and lack of protection by law.

When in name of protocol, when members of a particular faith are detained without proof, it is unfair detainment.

When the same man is charged penalty without a trial, it is denial of his right to fair trial.

When an MMS on a person’s private life is circulated without his knowledge it is denial to his privacy.

When an employer keeps the passport of an employee under custody, it is denial of his right to move.

When citizens of a country cannot seek refuge in another, it is denial to his right to choose a safe place.

When an author is denied citizenship on the basis of his views offensive to a particular community, it is denial of his right to nationality.

When a woman is forced into marriage she is not willing for, it denial of her right to marriage and family.

Theft or robbery is denial of right to own things.

When a journalist is abducted for making an offensive cartoon it is denial of his right to think and express.

When silent protesters are charged with tear gas and baton, it is denial of their right to assemble.

When a ballot is counted unfairly, it is denial of democracy.

When a person is denied is his pension, it is denial of his social security.

When a worker is continuously denied his weekly rest days, it is denial of his right to leisure.

When a man dies of hunger, it is denial of his right to food and shelter.

When a child is made to labor, it is denial of his right to education.

Plagiarism is a denial of right to copyright.

When a person is denied any of his basic rights, it is denial of his right to fair world.

I don’t think these issues are extinct or never heard of. In our world, where most people are aware of our rights, every now and then someone is denied of his/her human rights and when we talk of human right we talk as if we are above them and we no longer need these as laws.

What do you think of human rights?

Blog for a cause - 2

My Dear Blogger Friends,

Blog for a cause is back. I know that many of us are in middle of UBC and other daily challenges, and it might be really tough for you to write a post.
On the other hand, for many of you, it might be an additional prompt to attempt while you are at UBC.

However, the purpose of Blog for a cause is very simple. It is to rise awareness among fellow bloggers about cause that you really feel for.

Be it child education, corruption, adult education, dowry, poverty or any other that is less heard off. Let others know of the cause that you would like to work for. You might educate someone and actually build up a way to support the cause.

Also, feel free to write about a civil society/NGO which you think is doing a good job.

The linky will be open till 8th November, 2013.

Delhi Manifesto - corruption free Delhi

For couple of years, our country and our capital has been in limelight for corruption. Anyone, Indian or non-resident Indian can talk at full length on corruption.

We all uniformly believe that the corruption is a root cause of many problems. Be it mid-day meal case or lack of women security; poor infrastructure or terms with neighboring nations. We believe that somewhere it is because of our politicians who eat up the entire budgeted fund and do not do anything in country’s favor.

We stood in support of Anna Hazare, pledge to vote Aam aadmi party, shared viral information from wiki leaks but we didn’t change ourselves.

When a cop stops us for over-speeding, we give him a hundred rupees note.

When a cop stops us for drunken driving, we give him another hundred rupees note.

When our bills are due for long time, we pay the teller at the department to get it signed off.

When we don’t get permission from department, we pay under the table to get approvals.

When we keep a tenant, we pay to local inspector and don’t pay house tax.

When we are stuck, we ask someone to call someone who knows a minister and get things moving.

From an auto-driver to a businessman, each of us, we do our bit to encourage corruption and then blame it on government.

Sometime for hide our mistakes, something to smoothen the process, sometimes to just show who the boss is. We all are corrupt in our small ways.

This is My Delhi Manifesto in association with BlogAdda.com.

Little (long) note of goals, achievements and awards

A new Ultimate Blogging Challenge begins today. 31 days, 31 post, one post each day… it took me quite a self-motivation to sign up for it. I remembered July and the nightmare of searching through topics, words and many times time and battery in my phone to do so. However, a round of conversation with my blogger friend Richa and I managed to sign up.

For last couple of days of September, I have been thinking about writing little achievements and goals.

For starters, somewhere in August I challenged myself to write 30 book reviews in 30 days. Though, the 30 days turned out to be 50 but with help of many fellow bloggers, I completed my last post yesterday.

September also bought me two little awards from my blogger friends.

First was Liebster Award shared by Meera of A Rat’s nibble. While sharing her award she asked certain questions…the answers to which go here –

1. What is the best word to describe you?

Talkative

2. Tell me your wildest fantasy.

To sit at northpole

3. What scares you the most?

Lizards

4. What is the best trick you think you have done to impress your crush but turned the other way?

I tried to draw attention by dropping the pen, but the teacher caught thinking I was cheating. It was a mess.

5. One ingredient for happiness.

Smile and let go.

Second award came from Ashish of My umpteen thoughts which was a Creative Blogger Award. I am frankly humbled to be sharing this, because if I ever have to describe my blog, creative will be the last word out of my vocab.

However, I’d love to share these awards with a few blogger friends.

Liebster Award – Preethi of A bit of this and that

Creative blogger Award – Richa Vikas Agrawal of The philospher’s stone and Nabanita of Random Thoughts

Moving on… I am sort of happy that I achieved my target of writing 30 post a month in September and reaching out to a target number of audience. Also, my first ever attempt on poem was appreciated, which made me really happy. Moreover, I resolved to start blogging for cause and encouraging others to do so. I hope I will get to read more posts on the same soon.

I am taking a little more pledge and moving on to explore the fiction writer in me. Starting today, I will write a story (how long I still don’t know) as part of UBC. I will need all the support for this story, and I hope you like it.

For my friends who share my awards… please take out time to answer my little questionnaire.

1. Describe why you blog in one sentence?

2. One place that you want to visit the most?

3. Which color defines you the best?

4. What is one thing that can cheer you up on a blue day?

P.S. This isn't my UBC post. It is just a mark of another begining. More like talking to myself and my friends here. Do come back to read the first post of UBC later today.

Survival for underprivileged and orphan children

Once again in my life I came across a situation where I met a girl whose future was endangered. An orphan at the age of six, this girl landed at my house seeking job at when she was nine year old through a reference.

Torn between the ideology and the reality, my mother reluctantly agreed to give her a job that fetched her two meals, provided her with a safe housing and in addition an assurance to education.

When I met her, working in my house, which mainly included playing with my niece and ensuring that she is not engaged in chewing something wrong, my first reaction was rage at my mother on hiring a child labor.

However, my mother told me her entire story and calmed me down. I, working in the social responsibility field, could still not allow this till this was a last option.

I did a quick Google search on help that is available for orphans and child labors. There were a few NGOs working in this sector. A small verification told me that they received very little grant and several layers of authorities make it impossible for any government money to reach there. On top of it, general conditions in many such NGOs is pitiable and children often try to escape.

Staying with relatives for orphaned children, often results in no education and especially in case of girls it is more so. In addition, staying in these slums without their parents makes these kids vulnerable to sexual abuse.

I often question that in absence of any social security and government run mass programs for orphans, what does future hold for these children?

Please let me know if you know any remarkable organization which is really doing a commendable job beyond capital cities.

This is my post for my project Blog for a cause.

Blog for a cause

This is my first post inviting everyone to write. When Corinne posted about World suicide day on 10th September, I got a chance to write bout a cause that is close to me. Similarly, I believe that there is a cause that we all want to spread awareness about.

Either a bad experience or a good, it might have motivated you to work upon that cause. But in our daily life, we somewhere lost the inspiration to work upon it.

Today is the day that I request you all to write about the cause that is closest to your heart.

If you havent thought about a cause yet, you may pick one from below -

Child labor

Malnutrition

Education

Young marriage

Humn Trafficking

Suicides and depression

Medical conditions - AIDS/Cancer/Organ Donation/Blood donation/rare diseases.

Write about what you know about the issue, what you want to do, if you know of any inspirational work done about the issue.

Tag/label your post as "Blog for a cause"