Loving Jesus

Many of my Christian friends sometimes advise me to visit a retreat over a weekend for more peace of mind. Earlier it was my dear friend, Avriel, and now another sweet friend, Monisha. I appreciate their concern for me. They keep telling me about the greatness of Jesus. I hear and smile. They know not that being a Muslim, I know more about Jesus than they themselves. I’ve been told how even some Muslims go to a retreat and discover the power of Jesus. I smile and politely acknowledge all that. But keep silent.

Today, I’d like to tell everyone – I need not be a Christian to love Jesus. I love Jesus. In fact, Muslims love Jesus and believe in him. But they definitely love Muhammad S.A.S more than the other Prophets. Muslims who do not believe in Jesus, his birth from a virgin mother and his miracles have not studied or understood Islam well. But many of us (from all faiths) sometimes never really understand the depth and truth of our religion, but just follow it because we were born into it.

We all know Jesus from Christian perspective. I studied in a convent school myself and studied all about Noah, Moses and Jesus. And at the same time, at home, I had a fair knowledge of their importance in Islam as well, thanks to my parents. Now let me tell everyone what Islam says about Jesus.

Muslims accept Jesus as a Prophet of God (just like other Prophets before and after him – Adam, Nuh/Noah, Ibrahim/Abraham, Musa/ Moses to name a few), while Christian over the years have started to call him ‘Son of God’ or Lord himself. Jesus (or Isa Alai Salaam) is a prophet just like Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him). But Muhammed (PBUH) is the last prophet and is also the Messenger of Allah. Another major difference is that though Christians believe that Jesus was crucified, Muslims believe that he was just taken up by God (Allah) and did not die or was ever crucified. According to Islam, Jesus (Isa A.S) was raised to heaven and is there and will descend (come back) at the appointed time (towards the Day of Judgement/ Qayamat), ending all wars and bring peace to the world. He will live on earth for around forty years (Sunan Abu Dawud Book 37, Number 4310)

What the Holy Qur'an says about Jesus:

They slew him not, nor did they crucify him but it was made dubious to them.

(Holy Qur'an, Surah Nisaa, Verse 157)

And surely they slew him not. But Allah (God) raised him unto Himself.

(Holy Qur'an, Surah Nisaa, Verse 157-158)

As such, Muslims believe that Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) was raised to heaven. According to Hadith, he is on the second heaven. Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam=Peace be upon him) mentioned, "During the Meraj (Night of Ascension), I met Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) on the second heaven. I found him of medium stature, reddish white. His body was so clean and clear, that it appeared as though he had just performed ghusal (ablution, cleansing of the entire body) and come." In another Hadith, Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) mentioned to the Jews that, " Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) is not dead, he will most surely return to you before Qiyamat (the Day of Judgement)."

After his ascend, he will live with on earth

Now this piece of information might come as a surprise to many non-Muslims. But considering the Law of Nature and the Life Cycle we study through Science, this definitely makes sense. Every human being (however great or famous or pious) who is born on earth has to die. This is not new to us. And once a person dies in the context of earth, he is never seen back alive again. According to Quran, Jesus never died. He was taken away to the heavens. So in a way, he has not completed the life-cycle. Hence he has to come back or we can say that his coming back makes proper justification.

There are several Hadiths which give a detailed description about how Jesus's coming back on earth will be and also describe his physical attributes.

Sahih Bukhari Volume 3, Book 34, Number 425 ; Sahih Bukhari Volume 3, Book 43, Number 656 ; Sunan Abu Dawud Book 37, Number 4310 to name a few references

Here are some answers to some questions regarding similarities / differences between Christianity in their belief of Jesus :

1. Do Muslims believe he was a Messenger of One God? YES
2. Do Muslims believe he was born of a Virgin Mother? YES
3. Do Muslims believe Jesus had a miraculous birth? YES
4. Do Muslims believe Jesus spoke in the cradle? YES
5. Do Muslims believe he performed miracles? YES
7. Do Muslims believe that Jesus was the son of God? NO
8. Do Muslims believe Jesus was killed on the cross then resurrected? NO

I love Jesus. And I also love our dear Prophet Muhammad S.A.S.

For the complete story of Isa A.S, the Prophet, refer : http://www.islamawareness.net/Prophets/isa.html

References :
http://www.islam.tc/prophecies/jesus.html
http://www.soundvision.com/Info/jesus/

Soaring temperature

The weather in Mumbai these days is like it’s never been ever! The temperature is soaring higher by the day. Humidity is around 45 pc. Venturing out of the house requires lot of guts. The consequences could be heatstroke, fainting and extreme dehydration. And summer began early too. From beginning of March, it has been extremely hot and it’s only getter hotter and hotter. For someone like me who is extremely sensitive to heat, it’s bad news spelling bad health. I’ve been having chilled water, biting into ice (even ate a flavoured ice-gola in a plate recently after ages!) and staying away from even lukewarm water. I rummage through my clothes for a long time before selecting what to wear to office. Even the normal cotton clothes seem thick ! If only one could wear gowns to office. Even the weather at night is not soothing making it extremely difficult to sleep.

The temperature is around 35 degree Celsius. And it touches 40 degrees also from time to time. And this is a record of sorts for Mumbai. I’ve never seen such weather since my birth here. Mumbai no longer seems to have a moderate climate. Even the house seems like a hot oven. Are we headed towards global-warming?

‘’Why me, Ma’am?’’ - A question on World Kidney Day

‘’Why me, Ma’am?’’ Those words still ring in my ears. I didn’t have a reply though I just managed to fumble out a few words of reassurance.

These words belong to a staff and colleague from Delhi (we interact with other branches through phone as we’re centralised for a number of locations at Mumbai), He’d moved to another Bank in Delhi itself on a good payscale . He was hard-working and kind and good in his work. We were happy for him. He always turned to me for advice on issues and learning things about Trade Finance. When things go right, many envious eyes spoil it. I was not superstituous. But recent experiences have led me to believe that envy does destruct. Immediately, on quitting and before joining the new job, he was afflicted with a stomach infection for which he was admitted to a hospital for a month. He was on heavy antibiotics and requested the new Bank to consider his late joining through a reference. This was a year back.

He finally joined the new job and won accolades for his good work. Again he happily announced it to the world and even scanned across his ‘certificates of appreciation’ to all. I’d warned him earlier and re-warned him again stating that everyone is not a well-wisher and good things should be shared with close family and well-wishing friends and relatives only. This was around 6-8 months back.

Three months back, he called again. ‘Ma’am, I’ve a kidney problem. Doc says both my kidneys have failed. I just have 3 months time. I don’t know what to do. I am scared to start dialysis as docs suggest. Or I need to look for a donor.’ I was shocked as the fellow is just 29 years old. I advised him to go for dialysis soon and not waste time further. He’d started some herbal/ ayurvedic medicine, which had helped him reduce his Creatinine level by 1. I didn’t know much about kidney failure then, so told him to follow his docs advise and not delay anything. Meanwhile I tried to find help in whichever way possible. Knowledge about kidney failure, any medicines available and the likes and informed him. But I was obviously disturbed. After a month, he called back half-upset. He’d done his Creatinine test, and the drop by 1 increased by another 1 and stood at 11. His family members were crying and he’d lost all hopes of survival. Their only hope was a donor, which they were unable to find. That’s when he asked me, ‘Why me, Ma’am? I never smoked, I never drank. I didn’t do any bad things in life. Then why this happened to me?’ I had no words. I wanted to tell him about how life and the thereafter works. About God’s tests and trials for good people. But that was not the right time and would suggest something negative to him. So I just advised him to start dialysis. And keep other options on, side by side. Also advised him to quit job if that was acting as a deterrent and concentrate on his health.

Presently (since a month) he’s doing dialysis twice a week (Sun and Thu) and thankfully his company allows him a weekly off on Thursdays and allows him to leave in decent hours on other days. He’s looking for a donor and some advice on kidney related matters. If anyone can help, please leave a comment . Your prayers will also help.

12th March was World Kidney Day. I want to ask everyone – Why are people falling prey to such diseases so often now? And that too at such young ages? Once upon a time, kidney failure was a rare disease. And scared us all. It’s still scary, but we hear of it more often now. What is going wrong? Are our lifestyles to blame? Are we failing in our diets? Are the junk we eat are to be blamed? Are too many antibiotics the cause? Or are these effects of allopathy medicines? Take the above case for example. The person was under hospitalisation for a month. And a few months later, he was diagonised with kidney failure. Or are we indulging in too much self medication ‘coz we don’t have the time nor inclination to go to the doctor.

Let’s take this case of a girl, who had a severe dental cavity resulting in acute pain in the tooth. The girl was shy to go to the dentist as all the dentists in the locality were males. So she resorted to self medication. Whenever the pain occurred, she took Combiflam tablets to subside the pain. Overdose of the tablets over a period of time had a negative impact on her kidneys. Both her kidneys failed. But by the time her treatment started, it was too late. She expired at a very young age. May God grant her peace.

Vaguely, it can be said that today’s stressful lifestyle, dietery habits (including content of food and time of eating) and self medications contribute to kidney failures. It can also result as side effects of some medicines/ antibiotics. Hope to highlight details through a thorough research soon (working on it), inshallah.

May God keep us away from chronic and life-taking diseases!

I want to be happy

I want to be happy
I want to be alive.
Once upon a time when I lived
I loved music, painting and writing.
Now it’s only banking.
And working day and night
And craving to see daylight.
Else its only tubelights and huge monitors,
And a few minutes to grab a bite!
Today my little moments of joy
Are just seeing daylight on Sundays,
Having a meal on time,
Sitting with family on weekends;
My weekends only mean a Sunday.
My idea of an outing
Means going to office by road instead of train
So that I catch a glimpse of the city;
And once in a while, a movie with siblings!
I use ‘kajal’ not as a cosmetic,
But to keep my eyes cool.
I’ve not seen the South, Central of Mumbai for months
‘Coz I do not have time.
I am just a zombie now.
Just work, office and me!
I want to be alive again.
Just me, love, and things I like.
I used to smile a lot earlier
But want life to smile at me now!

Pic courtesy : www.lovingwhisper.com

Women - Truly Emancipated ?

This International Women's Day, I was wondering - Why do we celebrate Women's Day? If it means 'being independent and career oriented', who has the time to celebrate it anyways!

On a serious note, I've started wondering - What makes a woman of today liberated?

(1) Does it mean 'being a complete woman' by being a good daughter, dutiful and caring wife, wonderful homemaker, loving mother and excelling at it?

(2) Does it mean 'competing with men and struggling as much as, or even more, than men and at the end of it even coming back home to meet expectations at home as stated in Point (1)?'

(3) Does it mean 'to get so involved in making a career and competing with and equating with men that there is no time in being a woman'?

These days I am working 13-14 hours a day in a tough, competitive job with 3 hours of travelling. That means 6-7 hours for myself, including breakfast, dinner and rest! Then prepare for another hectic and tiring day.

When it gets late after a day at work (filled with great responsibilities), as a woman, I still have to worry whether I'll reach home safely! I have to wonder what people around me think when I get late in office. Because, we Indians, taking pleasure in guesswork! On weekends, there are expectations from Mom, who struggles full week in the kitchen and house!

Are women truly emanicipated?

Image take from : http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/international-womens-day

Begger at Andheri (W) Ticket Counter

There was a huge line on a Saturday evening at the ticket counter at Andheri (W) station. A handicapped begger was dragging himself near the queues for alms. From one queue to the other, vying for attention by tugging at trousers or folding hands.

After a while I saw the begger a few meters away, a little restless and still. I wondered what was the cause of his distraction. A few feet away, a girl in a short skirt was racing up and down, talking on her mobile. Her skirt was tight till her knees. But the frill at the edge was flying away in the breeze. Though nothing was showing, the begger sitting on the floor was plain amuzed ! :)

Expert comments/ Views!

We Indians are always good in giving our expert comments on anything whether we qualify to comment on it or not. It also doesn’t matter whether we know the facts behind a subject or not. We sit at home and pass sarcastic comments about players on the field. Whether its cricket or Sania’s skirt. We forgot her game and brought her down with our comments, once going to the extent of blaming Sania Mirza for disrespecting our National Flag. Later we learnt that it was due to photography positioning. Then we forgot to apologize. We are the self appointed commentators on any topic under the sun. Our comments are mostly directed at bringing people down. When we cannot do good things ourselves then we start commenting on people who even attempt or achieve something great. Our strategy instead should be to do something better and letting our actions speak. ‘Coz ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS.

I recently had a argument with a friend on the same topic. The only difference was that I had my friend’s best interest in mind and was kinda joking. But a person who’s been criticized for doing something new by own friends’ obviously didn’t take my jokes / puns too kindly. He said that Indians loved to criticize others and take joy in bringing people down. I was angry at being misunderstood. I was too bogged down with my own problems too that time and didn’t quite understand the depth of that comment. I thought deeply about it later. And slowly in the coming days also I saw so many things around me which made me realize that we like to comment / criticize others till it hurts.

This also came forth in the subsequent SCREEN Awards, where Sajid did his overact at making fun of people to the extent of irritating stars who came to collect their Awards as well. This angered even the generally cool Ashutosh Gowalikar too and they both had a spat on stage and sister Farah had to come to save her brother. Then Ashutosh commented indirectly on ROCK ON after getting Best Film Award for JODHA AKBAR angering Farhan. It started as fun but later got personal and dirty leaving a bad taste. Our problem is that we overdo our ‘fun’ bit at times and sometimes comment on things which do not appeal to us.

We joke about people, giggle on their faces, pass comments without even being discreet. We even try to guess about people's backgrounds and even what some girl or boy are upto. We imagine, we jump to conclusions and finally have the cheek to pass on fake information, which has not been verified. And finally when found untrue, we don't even bother to say sorry. Even the media hangs around police stations and tries to sneak out information on FIRs lodged by individuals and then goes about hunting the people concerned with video cameras. There seems to be no privacy. We have everyone trying to nose into other's matters. People are not aware of their rights nor are defamation cases filed. And everything continues........

We’re too intolerant at times, to the extent of trying to force our thinking on others! We think that individuals cannot even have different opinions under the same roof. If Dads supports a thought/ act / idea about anything, generally they doctor their children/ family to think in the same way. Whenever children try to have an idea/ thought of their own, the parents try to curb / criticize it till child begins to think that it’s not right and gives it up totally. If not, then we resort to beating or punishing them. All those people who’ve tried to be different from their roots / family backgrounds have done it at a huge cost. Thankfully, my Dad had taught us at a young age that when two people do not agree, they should agree to disagree. He gave us freedom to think individually, whether it was his daughters or sons, and supported us always. That’s why we have many parallel schools of thought at home. Sometimes we even have debates over the weekends on many current topics, often confusing my simple Mom. For her we should all think in the same way, for the betterment of the house! But that’s her way of thinking

To the friend who misunderstood me – Peace! Your project on Entrepreneurship rocks! Good luck !

Slumdog Millionaire / Crorepati

It’s become kinda ‘cool’ to comment on anything related to ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. Most of us appreciated and applauded the movie. Then Amitabh made a comment. Then many jumped the bandwagon and said negative things. Most negative comments came from India. Some said – ‘It shows India as a poor country’; ‘It give a negative image of India’. Some said ‘Life in Dharavi Slums is not like that.’ Some said when Indian Films went to the Oscars, they didn’t get awards. Some dumb ones even said ‘If some Indian would’ve made it, it wouldn’t have won the Oscar, leave aside getting nominated’. But of course, yaar! OSCARS is recognition of films made in Hollywood. And Slumdog Millionaire is very much a Hollywood film, made by a Hollywood director about a poor Indian kid with Indian actors. It’s their award and they can give it to whom they deem fit. Maybe it was a good and different film for them. It takes guts to make a movie about a different country with local actors. Take our ‘Chandni Chowk to China’ for example. When some Indian films went to the Oscars earlier, they went in the ‘Best Foreign Film’ category. Only our Shekhar Kapoor actually made a Hollywood Film – ‘Elizabeth’ followed by another sequel to it, with an all Hollywood starcast.

I’ve seen ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and nowhere found it offensive to India. Nor does it talk about life in Dharavi. It is the story of a street kid, Jamal, who gets orphaned in communal riots and comes up in life the hard way. It is about how Jamal, with his personal experiences in life, is able to win the Millionaire contest and becomes rich overnight. We all have our own stories and no two people’s stories are the same. The same applies for people living in Dharavi or any locality, for that matter. Jamal and his brother move from Mumbai as kids and spend their kid-till-teenage years selling stuff in trains. Then Jamal even spends a few years in Agra as a tourist guide, before coming back to Mumbai to search for his childhood sweetheart, Latika. So its not even totally about Mumbai or Dharavi all the time. They had to show slums, they chose Dharavi. Its symbolic. They could’ve shot in some other slum area too. There are plenty of them. Some line the railway tracks too. If the communal riots shown in the movie as well as the ‘begging racket’ hurts us so much and worries us about our image on the globe, we should work towards making India better. Why project our hurt through criticism? We shit alongside railway tracks ‘coz there aren’t enough ‘Public Loos’. And most poor people cannot afford the few Rupees that these loos charge. We fight over trains at rush hours and do not show humanity in our anger. These are hard facts we face daily yet act as if they do not exist. This is the real face of Mumbai life.

If the Oscars’ nomination for Slumdog Millionaire didn’t appeal to some Indians, why don’t we work at making our own film awards better? In recent times, our Awards are mostly directed at appeasing the ‘film industry’. We try to make everyone happy by giving everyone some award in the name of popularity, sidelining the Real Awards to ‘Critic’s Section’. Categories have been added so that more people are accommodated/ made happy. Even some so called ‘popular’ awards nominations are shockers. No wonder then that Amir Khan keeps himself away from such functions. ‘Ghajini’ (an excellent movie) didn’t bag much awards apart from getting it’s actress the ‘Best Debutante’ award. Our Awards are mostly run by Film Magazines and who would want the Best Actor missing from the front page !?

Luck by Chance

I watched 'Luck by Chance' today, not by chance tho'. Had been hearing good reviews about the movie, so checked it out myself. It's an amazing movie. Realistic, non-typical Hindi movie fare, yet neither dull nor too preachy. The film doesn't have any dull moments, which some non commercial movies have at times. It's purely about Indian Cinema, the people in front of and behind the big screen, their aspirations, their hard work and how finally luck does the trick!

It talks about opportunists in the Film Industry, who do not look back as they move towards fame and glamour and sucess. Success spells 'new friends, newer relations....', all aimed at earning more success in the Industry. It talks about how it is easier for star kids to be launched even with lack of talent, while the more talented keep waiting unless of course, you've luck by your side. It also shows the diplomacy, the manipulations, the glamour, the grime and the two-faces of most people in the Film Industry .

Farhan Akhtar is an amazing actor and has played the opportunist actor who starts from scratch well. He acts effortlessly and ends up charming all. Konkona SenSharma, is definately a good actress and plays her role of a hard-working and hopeful struggler well . The movie moves around these two characters and has nearly half the Industry making an appearance.

The film is excellent and worth a watch. Still haven't watched 'Slumdog Millionaire' (SM). Many people have stated that it's better than SM, tho' I yet to watch the other.

Shahid Vijay Salaskar Udyan

There's a small new park on the Jogeshwari- Vikhroli Link Road. The park was in the making for some time. Recently a few student artists were seen painting away their imagination on the walls. A few days back, the park was seen open for public with the name 'Shahid Vijay Salaskar Udyan'. It has a monument at the entrance depicting the matyrdom.

Could not manage to click a snap as I could just manage a sneek peak twice from the auto on my way to office!

Regional dadagiri at it's height !

People just need a reason for spreading terror/ dadagiri. We have the MNS fighting for rights for the Marathis. That's fine. But to cause harm to others in the bargain is not the way ! Moreover love for own kin does not necessarily have to mean hatred for others. Also, slowly this is also becoming a ground for some people to take advantage of the situation and spreading 'dadagiri' in their own way. Recently, two eunuchs dressed jazzily in tight western attire and bright make-up pushed their way into the First Class Ladies compartment on the Virar local. Generally when eunuchs get in, no one bothers to tell them anything because you can only expect gibberish from them. One woman standing near the door happened to ask them whether they carried a first class ticket. That was it ! One of them started her spat of bad words, curses and what not ! And to top it she started in Marathi and finally declared - 'Mee Marathi Chakka aahe. Maazha janm Mumbai-cha aahe............ Tujhi himmat kashi zhaali amhala kaahihi bolaichi..... ?' (I am a Marathi chakka. I was born in Mumbai..... how dare you tell eunuchs anything....?). This is the most funniest non-political regional declaration I've heard in recent times.

Terror for Religion's Sake - Part 2

After the recent relevations and confirmations that certain terror outfits are operating from Pakistan, no wonder that tho' government knows and wants to do something about it (maybe), it becomes more difficult for a Muslim Government to weed out such organisations because outwardly they wear a religious shawl. And some of the organisations had been groomed and grown by the earlier rules / dictates for parallel support to their existing military against India (mainly) and have some other agenda as well. It is a similar situation wherein certain Hindutva preaching banners/ parties feel embarassed after the Malegaon Blasts revelations. The agenda coming out of the entire of the people involved is truly unbelievable. Some want to support them openly, some secretly, some openly oppose. But everyone wants to keep silent. Religion is truly a sensitive issue for many.

And if that wasn't enough, we now have the 'Ram Sena' imposing religious dictates on people. Religion should be preached peacefully and with love. And one should leave the following part to individuals based on their intelligence. When we force religion down the throats, it amounts to nothing less than terror.

Peace!

Terror for Religion's Sake

I am always irritated with the fact by how certain people twist the teachings of Quran and Allah (sometimes add their own teachings) and come out with negative potrayal of Islam. Some spread terror with their half knowledge and poisoning youth with twisted facts. These people actually harp on uneducated youth, who've not read much or understood religion in the correct perspective. That is why these organisations discourage education and end up even burning schools. Or at least keeping women away from it. There is never any Hadeeth nor mentioned anywhere in Quran that women should not study nor work. In fact, it states that education is a right of every Muslim man and woman. And killing any innocent person is like killing the entire mankind. Apart from that, Islam preaches tolerance towards people of the other faith. And this our beloved Prophet Muhammed (PBUH*) actually conveyed through his actions. One can go on and on and back it up with actual quotes from Quran and Hadeeth. And end up writing pages and pages on it. But I am just capturing the essence of what's disturbing me in recent times. This was well potrayed in Pakistani movie 'Khuda ke Liye'.

There is a Hadeeth from Tirmizi Sharif which I'd read about recently, which explains today's times very well.

Hazrat Abu Huraira (Radiyallahu Anhu) reported Allah's Messenger (SAWS) as saying, 'In the last times men will come forth who will fraudulently use religion for the wordly ends and wear sheepskins in public to display meekness. Their tongues will be sweeter than sugar, but their hearts will be the hearts of wolves. Allah will say, 'Are they trying to deceive me or are they acting presumptuously (arrogantly) towards me? I swear by myself that I shall send trial upon those people which will leave the intelligent man among them confounded (confused)'."

*PBUH : Peace be upon him

India in Pictures

A few days back on my way to office, I saw this huge half statue of Saibaba being carried away on a vehicle on the Western Express Highway (Mumbai). It was so massive and appeared so life-like, that I decided to capture it on my mobile. The autorickshaw-driver I was going in seemed to be very excited and exclaimed, "Madam dekho. Lagta hai Baba swayam aa gaye hain hamare beech." Minus the vehicle on which it was being carried on, it creates a mysterious aura about it.

This is the essense of India!

Section 49-O....Voting provision only for accounting

Here's some bad news for people who were counting on the Section 49-O provision to voice their unhappiness towards incapable / criminal / corrupt candidates contesting for election in any constituency.

Got to know that the entire provision is only for accounting purpose in case a person doesn't want to vote nor wants any bogus voting to be done on his behalf. So if you opt for this provision, your vote is as good as waste or as not having voted at all!

But can't we have a laws or provisions which the majority of the people in India support? We can have a movement and bring a change. After all we are a democracy and any party elected by the people is actually representing us and our needs. If we were happy to even read about such a law/ provision, can't we all work towards having it in place?

We all blame the government, the political parties and the ministers, but fail to exercise our rights as citizens of the nation. There are so many things we can change ourselves. We can bring changes by working towards it. We elect the government and relax and abuse them till they are in power. Instead, we should make them accountable. Groups / organisations / party offices, which inspect the progress/ change brought about by an MLA / MP should be set up. Citizens of the area should have representives in the group and make a list of demands or changes required in the area and put it up to the MLA and keep ensuring that some action is being taken on the same. This is the way corruption can be fought. It reminds me of Chandrababu Naidu's policy, where he called his party, 'the Company' and himself the CEO. The MLAs were the Managers and the party workers, the staff. And just like every employee is accountable to the company for his actions, the Managers and workers should be made accountable. After all they are getting paid for it.

Even after the 1993 riots in Mumbai, the situation was really bad. People were scared and had started distrusting each other. I remember suddenly having some Hindu friends ignoring or avoiding me then. But immediately afterwards, the police with the help of the locals in highly volatile areas set up the 'Mohalla committees', with members of Hindu-Muslim and other community representatives of a locality affliated to the local police station of the area. These committees started celebrating all festivals of all religions together. Most of the times, the Officer-in-charge of the police station was the chief guest. These Mohalla Committees were a hit and they also brought back faith in the police and trust within the different religions in the area. And to date, in those areas there have not been any major communal violence. The Mohalla committees still function in many 'once' communal violence-prone areas.

Its pathetic when even the youth of the country just sit and voice their concerns and then go casually about their lives. The 26/11 incident was an eye opener for us all. It woke up the nation. People started making themselves aware of the laws, provisions. In short people wanted a change. But just shouting and making speeches and having gatherings and rallies is not the only solution. We should ask for positive changes. And work in groups towards achieving it.

We need new laws wherever old ones are hampering our progress and acting as deterrents towards the country's security, economy and future.