Thursday, May 31, 2018

Being Forest by Myself !!









“The steel blue of the fern-fringed pool where the water rests a little before cascading over rock and shingle to draw breath again in another pool more beautiful than the one just left - the flash of the gaily colored kingfisher as he breaks the surface of the water, shedding a shower of diamonds from his wings as he rises with a chirp of delight, a silver minnow held firmly in his vermilion bill - the belling of the sambhar and the clear tuneful call of the chital apprising the jungle folk that the tiger, whose pugmarks show wet on the sand where a few minutes before he crossed the river, is out in search of his dinner”… Jim Corbet, Man-Eaters of Kumaon.

I think whenever I start sharing my experiences about wild then this name i.e. Jim Corbet’s quotes comes to my rescue to give me a startup push, just the way in my childhood the Fiat ( I beg pardon) popularly known as Premier Padmini car used to make its engine start by a push! Indeed there have been other great wild life writers but the way Corbet has explored Indian jungles & penned them down; I haven’t found anybody to match him! It’s not just tigers Corbet writes but he write with equal zest about trees, hills, springs, birds & even the locals around the forests & that’s why it makes him a true wild lifer. Those who recognize Corbet as “man eater’s hunter”, I pity them as Corbet never loved shooting tigers by gun, it’s just to save some human’s life, he said I killed those tigers; in reality the man was a living jungle by himself! And no wonder when I started to pen down my recent trip from the land of Sal i.e. none other than Kanha, once again its Corbet whose words I started with! See the way he describes forest around a tiger, indeed tiger is there but it’s just in last line, the entire paragraph tells us about the world of tiger which we call habitat & every aspect of that habitat is equally interesting as well important for the tiger! Had I not read Corbet in my childhood, I wonder whether I have understood the beauty of jungle the way I do now! And when its jungle nothing beats Kanha, keeping due respect to Tadoba which is now pride of country’s tiger sightings, yet the ever green Sal has fascinated me the day I first saw them . There is something magical about kanha’s Sal forests, the road keeps on taking turns through the Sal trees walls on both sides, suddenly there are huge meadows surrounded by hills. And it’s not just tiger but the barsingas which are equally majestic, roaming on the canvas of grass lands bordered by green walls of Sal trees. Whatever the season may be yet the beauty is ever enchanting of kana forest & that’s why when it was gap of two years it seemed like ages to visit here!

Of-late I wasn’t been in kanha in mid May which indeed is a good season for tiger sightings yet even just to be within the Sal trees is most exciting for me. As my Innova started towards kanha from Nagpur airport, the first thing I noticed is the widening of the road. Its mammoth work which is going on & it will cut the distance by two hours to kanha from Nagpur, which sure is good news for the travelers to kanha. My only concern is the entire patch goes through forest, right from Deolapar which is last Tahasil in Maharashtra to Seoni i.e. first district in MP. Once up on a time this entire land was forest acting like a corridor where tigers must be roaming right from kanha to pench to tadoba, though our so called growth has now cut off this corridor yet there is still lots of wild life left around the road. And knowing our countrymen’s attitude for speed (when get a good patch of road) then all I am worried about road kills on this road! By me the entire road passing through the forest must be barricaded so as not to allow animals on road as there seems to have arrangement of underpass at frequent intervals, yet in a country where grown-up men cross the road from anywhere at their will & wish how can we blame wild animals for doing same! And then there still is issue of safety of reptiles as well smaller animals like jackals & porcupine, which can come through such barriers.

And while I was travelling to kanha, suddenly the dry weather becomes cloudy & black clouds started pouring all way along. This is the last thing you want as a photographer though rains are most essential for any forest yet the selfish photographer in me was upset with the weather, I must admit! I really don’t know about weather effect on tiger sighting but the poor light sure makes photography difficult & then entire wild animal’s body clock moves on sun, so there must be some change with sudden darkness around is what I feel. Though there have been sightings of the tiger in full rains yet the upset photographer within was concerned. But fortunately in kanha, the sky was still clear & it was humid hot outside the park.

My first safari was in Sarahi zone, for those who are not familiar to kanha, there are four zones in core part of kanha forest, kisli, kanha, mukki & sarahi. This has been made to avoid flow of tourists in one zone as well it’s a huge forest & you can’t cover even one zone in single safari. Then there is buffer zone too, which is in between the villages on fringe & the core forest. As per my information the major tiger sighting was going in kanha, kisli & mukki & I have got sarahi zone for first ride. With so many outings in forest now I know one thing if you are going to hit a jackpot then you hit it (read good sighting of tiger), despite any zone or timing! Yet it’s always advisable to have information of the sightings as well situation of water especially in summer as if there is no water in any particular part of a forest its obvious that there will be no major animals in that part! Sarhai as I have been told wasn’t having much water & tiger sightings are not that common though forest of sarahi is much unexplored & if you see a tiger in sarahi then its best chance that you get to see it for good length of the time. So the safari started & here is what I came across & posted in bits on FB, sharing the same to describe in words my exposure with a male tiger…

Undisputed King!
First ride at kanha after a gap of two years & its mid May, you are all geared up & though guide says Sarahi zone doesn’t have much sighting yet when you get to see a tiger in sarahi you see it in best way; & gypsy start rolling on hilly roads, you cross one up & a huge male tiger is walking leisurely ahead, marking his territory! For a split second it moves away from road & the gypsy goes past him giving you head shots, you can’t believe your luck, its dhamangaon male aka yuvraj, a very less photographed tiger, guide tells you, but you are engrossed in his massive yet graceful strides even the way he sits!! The knaha trip has started with bang, more to follow!..
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One more of the undisputed King!

To get head on snaps of a young male tiger right looking in your eyes is a dream of every wild life photographer & I too am no exception to it! And when the male is Yuvraj aka Dhamnagoan male from Kanha the joy gets multiplied, I really wonder when a tiger looking at you head on in camera, what he must be thinking about us, may be nothing, just a blank stare yet those piercing eyes locks in yours, asking you, "what are you doing in my way?"! At the same time important is your position as if you can position your gypsy a bit lower side & at perfect distance to get eye level with the tiger then that’s best, which happened here with me & the tiger is on walk so you too have to keep in motion not to allow him too close to your gypsy, as no point in cause of anger to such huge tiger :)

Generous Kanha!

Kanha has never sent me back without tiger sighting & indeed kanha Sal’s has a lot more to offer than just tigers yet to see a tiger in kanha is always a special experience! May be just like the water of Himalayas tastes sweeter, so is sighting of tiger in kanha & this time the Dhamangaon male aka Yuvaraj obliged me with probably every angle you can click a tiger, really Sarahi zone rocks when it plays the tune! Here is one more pose or say mood of him.

Sarahi Sighting!

There is something special when you get to see a tiger in sarahi zone & sighting of yuvraj aka dhmangaon male confirmed it! Less numbers of vehicle isn’t the only thing but as this zone is less explored & tiger if comes on road gives you his full time, making you able to observe him at length! Here in this sighting yuvraj gave us every possible pose & he was least concerned about us, in his own mood! Here is one more from series...

Moods of the King!

One more from series of Yuvraj aka dhamnagoan male from Sarahi zone, Kanha! Tiger is ever alert, those ears listens smallest of sound around & those piercing eyes rarely miss anything! Tiered, panting due to May heat & sitting in the shadow from a long walk which was in search of kill as well territory marking, he seems relaxing but even the camera clicks he can hear which were on like a machine -gun fire! This one I liked most.. as so calm & in control he looked!.  ------

Don't angry Me!


The yuvraj aka dhamngaon male series continues; when I first saw him on road he was walking ahead obvious we were eager to get some head shots & for that we needed to go past him which is not allowed by forest law & it’s right as well the road was so narrow that with the size of tiger he is its nearly impossible. So we waited patiently keeping our gypsy at safe distance & watch him mark his territory on trees with jet of spray! He must have walked long so with luck on our side he stopped at a clearing on way & got down from the road, giving us space to go ahead of him & then again we could keep looking at this majestic king which obliged us with every possible pose. Here he is showing his canines as if he is angry at us but no, he was just tiered with May sun & yawning :)

Size does matter!

Many a times with head on shots of a tiger you don’t get to know his size yet if you go by likes on FB you will find every photographer dreams for head on shot of tiger. But to know the real size as well identify the tiger it’s important to get his side profile as it shows the lengths as well the pattern of stripes. Here the yuvaraj aka dhamnagon male gave us his full massive side profile while turning away from the road & he was empty stomach, so imagine what he will look like with full meal in!

My Home!

Off late I have realizes to zoom in on a tiger & get his solo snaps is ok but real pleasure & fun is in understanding its habitat, the forest in which he moves the way we move in our home! The tiger is most at ease in bamboos thickset as well woody terrain. I remember some ten years back the kanha meadows i.e. grass lands were the best sighting place for tiger but somehow recent sightings isn’t that frequent in meadows, may be kanha tigers are no more fond of grass land, just joking! But tigers prefer shaded areas with water body nearby where they can chill themselves out especially in summers of central India! Here is one home shot of yuavraj aka dhamangaon male where finely he is heading for water & possibly a kill around the water!



Well, as by now you must have got the essence, the very first ride has hit the gold for me & again I am not saying it’s all about tiger sighting, yet in a forest as big like kanha a male tiger sighting whose territory can be nearly fifty to seventy sq kms, you get to see him at length is indeed luck! As I have shared earlier also, every time I go to forest with a wish list & to see a full grown male tiger & capture his moods was a long pending agenda & I knew it’s not easy because as I mentioned to see a male tiger in itself is something rare & then to be able to have his time at length only except when sitting at water-hole, is very rare. As a male tiger when not sleeping or relaxing in water is on constant move & to cover as well protect his huge territory is a big job. This kanha trip made me able to watch a young & huge male tiger’s behavior at close & needless to say was a treat to that selfish, greedy photographer in me too!

And then two more things made this trip more memorable as that way every moment I spend in forest I relive again & again yet some of them are more precious! Sighting of sloth bear is one such as it has very erratic nature & you never know where it will head next or what it will do. Those who are veteran wild lifers only knows how rare & lucky one can be to get opportunity to see  sloth bear at leisure & in this kanha trip I got that opportunity four times. Many a people found sloth bear sighting as a very causal thing as they don’t know about the shyness as well it’s being endangered species! Hardly three or four decades back sloth bear was a common sight in most Indian forests even nearby hills of any town but as all other species habitats got demolished by we the human this big animals also is finding hard to get a home & result is now its existence remains mostly only in protected forests. Though at night it’s been seen hanging around near villages in buffers of the protected forests, rarely it gives opportunity to photograph in day light. In my nearly twenty years of visiting to kanha just once I could click a sloth bear in clear & this time I got to click it four times, now you can imagine the luck! This is how I described the scene…

“It has rained heavily last night & the air was damp in the morning as the earth was breathing steam due to absorbed rain water. The Sal trees were silent with no breeze & gypsy started taking turns through the silence around, the sun has yet to come up full & on the damp road ahead we saw a black rock rolling, the guide whispered , "sir bhalu chal raha hai aage"! In my many recent trips to kanha, I have never seen sloth bear in clear & the excitement was more than seeing a tiger! Bears are very unpredictable in behavior & that's why their sighting is always exiting!, though I was eager to click him by side or front, yet the entire frame from back with the bear amidst green wall was mesmerizing! And this trip I saw slot bear in kanha for four times & very clear, another bonus by kanha! Sharing first post of sloth bear…

This time sloth bear also gave every possible pose to us except standing. The best thing was to watch it drinking water as it sucks water & don’t use tongue like most other animals to gulp it. As well it displayed the way it digs the earth mounds for search of termite & making unpredictable moves all the times!

I have taken a full day safari also in kanha as well in tadoba this time. But let me share you it doesn’t necessarily guaranties tiger sighting in full day safari as we could see just one tiger in full day at tadoba but that doesn’t meant there are no tigers in tadoba, it means we were just unlucky as well in hot summer of tadoba as well kanha, the noon times are of no actions with every animal taking shelter in cooler places or shadows. In kanha most of water holes (read, accessible by gypsy) are under open sky i.e. providing no protection from harsh sun, so tiger avoids them only except very thirsty, so waiting is the only thing you can do & for that it needs lots of patience as well persistence to bare the heat! Though you may not be able to sight a tiger yet to get fourteen hours strait inside forest & you can witness many moments which otherwise you would have missed on the run for getting a glimpse of tiger! And these moments not necessary be involving big animals as jungle is always live & happening however silent & dead it may look on surface. On one such harsh hot May noon I saw a jackal under a tree standing upright on a small mound & howling as there was a tiger nearby where its puppies (don’t know what’s called to jackals’ new born), it was so fascinating as I have never witnessed jackal’s alarm call & the entire scene was like from a Disney animation movie! Or even you can stop to see the dance in air the paradise fly catcher does. Trust me you will forget everything watching this snow white long tailed bird in action & then try observing its habitat & click him on the background of those green bamboo leafs!

And then come the best part of full day safari as in summer real action starts late noon i.e. after 4 pm. While we were geared up for some sighting ahead, the weather was real hot & humid, the tigers were bound to hit the water holes soon & suddenly the wind started howling not just blowing, dark clouds covered the sun & tall Sal were started swaying on the tune of the wind! Our driver said, “sir toofan aanewala hai” i.e. there seems a storm coming & soon the wind was blowing at fearful speed, we hurried out of Sal as to avoid any tree falling on us & stood in open patch of ground. For next hour I realized what it must be for the forest guards as well labors who get caught in open in such storm as sitting in an enclosed concrete home, sipping tea & clicking snaps of heavy rains outside is easy but to face that rains with thunderbolt of lightning crashing all around with trees falling with nothing in between you & this wild nature, it’s a nightmare! But then that too was an experience which I won’t forget & it has made me to respect people working in forest more!

It’s funny the entire time in jungle as if you ask how was your day in jungle, then most people can replay in two or three sentence, if they haven't seen a tiger then the reply will be, ‘’Kuch dikha nahi yaar, bakwas hai ye forest”. But if they have seen a tiger then they will go on & on, telling how lucky they were & how cleverly they (not guide or driver) located the tiger & followed him. That’s all, but in actual even one ride in forest you can keep speaking or writing about but what is most important for me is like we saw CD’s of some events & rejoice those moments, when I am back in my concrete jungle I review those moments with Sals’ in my mind again & again. As I may be back in this so called modern world of ours but I have left behind a piece of mine which is everywhere in the forest, right at water hole to on the top of a Sal tree to got tagged with a termite house, making me feel yes I too am forest by myself! I think it’s this feel which is why one should go to forest & try to look rather live it by the words of Corbet as then only you realize life is not just being successful but its understanding the meaning of being successful & who better teacher than forest can be there for this self understanding! 

* plz do see  some more kanha/tadoba moments at link below


Sanjay Deshpande 
Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about real estate in Pune at U-Tube link below..



Please do visit my blogs to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani !
 (Click the links below)



http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.in/

Social Side of Sanjeevani ! (Click link below)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/sets/72157627904681345/

For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below

www.punecorporation.org


Think Green, Think Life


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Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Employer, Employee & Increment!



“The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.”… Barack Obama.

Sure no need to introduce this name as it has been USA’S President for eight years & more than that without controversy, which is most important for any power yielding position around the world! And its words from such personalities which helps us in choosing the right path especially when it’s about work! Friends we all work in some or other role & for some reason; most of us, when asked, “Why are you working?” will reply as, “to earn money”! Well I too am not different as yes I also work to make money but very few of us understands money is one of the outcomes of the work! As when we don’t have got money (read as enough money, again this line one has to mark for oneself) it remains prime object of working, whatever philosophy you may be reading or listening. But later on one starts realizing, money is important but it can’t be forever driving force behind our work. Or else there wouldn’t have been things like depression or frustration or fatigue even with the fat salary package people! So the most important question, if you are an employee or an employer is irrelevant & that is why are you working? I think things are easy (I mean on routine part) if you are a employee, though many won’t agree with me, even I myself won’t agree with me but that’s different aspect, what I meant is when you are an employee then you have put fate of yours in reference to money part in the hands of your employer! And that makes employer’s role a shade difficult provided you care for others fate & accepts that responsibility. I think duty of the employer is a bit wider as along with defining his or her work definition, he has to share or explain it to his employees also, rather call it as a team. As an employee is a captain of the team & if you have accepted than position then you can’t deny the responsibilities comes along with it is a bitter truth. And every that organization has doomed where the captain (read employer) has failed to give justice to the responsibilities towards his team mates!

As a captain of my small team I always try to analyze  where I stand on the front of responsibility towards my team & I think every one of us who is working at any position should do this because finally today you may be following orders but some day you will be the one who is giving orders & that day it might be too late to introspect your attitude towards your team. These are difficult times actually, though every generation thinks so about their times yet in present times expectations from everybody from everyone has increased like never before. May it be service, attention, time & yes salary (read as rearwards in money form), everyone wants more & neither employee nor the employer is exception to this rule. Right from management schools where they are supposedly teaching how to manage business, outcome is measured in how many students got how much package! Obviously when your start of career is package oriented no wonder we apply the same yard stick for everything that comes to use & this is what making us blind & deaf about real self development & here my this statement is for everyone around as well want something from other person but what we deserve or what is expected from us we seldom care! That’s why I think these are very difficult times for us as right from customer to vendors to public relations, everywhere expectation levels have gone all time high, so how can be your team members will be exception to this expectation wave? That’s the tricky job as a captain one has to handle & in one such effort I write something to my team at the time of yearly increment, I don’t know how effective it will be, only time will tell that yet sharing here just can be useful for someone who wants to improve himself or herself as increment is one dearest word to all working souls, including me! Here it is…

May 18

“Each position has its corresponding duties.”… George Eliot.

Dear Team Sanjevani,

Mary Anne Evans, known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. And by now you all know my love for the quotes from great men & women as they say so many things in so less words, an art we all should master! Well, the most difficult times for me are not to face the challenges in business but May salary as you all expect from company in form of increment & many will say what difficult in it as either its there or its not, which most of my fellow businessmen does but not me! I always wanted you all to understand the duty you face & get paid for as unless you know what & why are you doing your job, you will never be able to improve in your job & this is applicable to your personal life too! And for that sharing my feelings with you is important at-least I try for that just the way I do with my sons, & I do consider my role here in Sanjeevani as a father & mother too! As if mother is caring & accepting any fault of her kids then the father has to be strong, some time even rude to make the kids tough enough to stand adversities of the life! And worst part is in the process the kids often grey loving their mother while hating their father for what he was!

Well, while playing both roles I will share frankly I hate father’s role but then for me its duty the way sometimes you might be hating your job yet you have to do it! You must be often wondering how the company rates you at the time of increment, let me tell you strait, it’s in a way balance sheet of what has been happened over the span of last eleven months & ours being single line structured organization, mostly what I have experienced while working with you is the sole aspect in increment! And trust me I try my best to analyze you only by your attitude towards the work at hand & not by its outcome. For eg last three years we are trying to sale Dhruva but from foundation to near finishing we are able to sale just two flats but I don’t blame sales/marketing team for being unable to sale these flats neither considers this as your failure. Same way we struggled to finish the developments of Orchid Ph-1 yet I wont call it as incapability of the respective engineering team at site as in both cases you have tried your best! Yet one thing remains & that is our entire team’s efforts on work front versus market scenario & expectations of our clients from us. As repeatedly I was telling you since last two years the things are changing for real estate & very hard times are ahead. Here after appreciation won’t be there which earlier was & it use to cover our lacunas on financial fronts & when I say lacuna it’s not your incapability but our entire teams draw backs whatever little they may be. Here after we will have to buy land from our money, build it from our money & then wait for the customer just like in any other counter sale business. And in this way we have to be extremely careful about two things, first is our control on budget & expenses & second is sticking to possession targets! And then third aspect will follow that is the way we present our homes to the buyers. And let me tell you on this aspect I am lucky to have you all as team as I never doubt your commitment towards the work, may it be peon serving tea to all of us or may it be marketing team, you all are very much committed to the work at hand.
Now speaking about next aspect of increment which is what should be salary each of you getting? By me we all know our worth & I never expect any of you to work with a feeling that you are underpaid than what the salary you would have been getting in outside world. As if you are doing so then you are doing injustice to your own self & that is bound to reflect in your duty some way or other. So, whenever I decide increments then I always keep in mind about the outer markets trend & yes do mind it’s not just the package but what expectations comes along with that package, that too one has to take in to consideration!

Lastly the hard facts of balance sheet, which no one should ignore as there have been many recent examples around teaching us what happens if you fail to understand how much deep water you are standing in!  Friends, we were lucky on one project this year which made us stay stable in so much turbulent water is all I will share & as your captain my first job is to keep the shim named our company stable as then only the sailors can be comfortable to do their duty & I am trying every possible way that. Here after as I said we will have to work on margins & every rupee saved is profit, mind these words as we will need to recite them often!

As Elliot said no position in our team is less important as in cricket team there are eleven fielders on ground & catch can go to any player on the field, so we all has to be alert as catches wins matches. And catch can be replying back to the customer in time, making work order as per budget provisions before starting any work, maintaining proper record of every rupee spent, keeping company cars in good condition or even making good tea for our visitors, every single act by our every team member is important for deciding our future, is all I want to share! As it’s your individual image which is projected in-front of your colleagues or customers or contractors is what helps them understand our team’s image!  One more thing on a personal note, do think what increment you will be giving to yourself, confused? Well, it can be a good habit you can cultivate as well some hobby or some good initiative which you can start as remember Sanjeevani should not be your end destination rather make it your mid landing as some day you should have your own set up to live or a bigger platform to perform & for that company’s increment should not be your crutches but what you make out of yourself will only decide that!
So once again thanks for being together & sure long way to go for us, get geared up!


Sanjay & Nittein.

Sanjay Deshpande 
Sanjeevani Dev.
Please view my sharing about real estate in Pune at U-Tube link below..



Please do visit my blogs to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani !
 (Click the links below)


http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.in/

Social Side of Sanjeevani ! (Click link below)
 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/sets/72157627904681345/

For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below
www.punecorporation.org

Think Green, Think Life

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Thursday, May 3, 2018

Understanding Three "R" s of Life!

           

                     


                         Happy B’day Rohit!

12th May 2018,

“Sure, in a ninja's world, those who violate the rules and fail to follow orders...are lower than garbage. However...those who do not care for and support their fellows...are even lower than that!"; “Obito Uchiha”… Masashi Kishimoto.

Dear Dada,

Sure you know this name, Masashi Kishimoto who is creator of Naruto, & what better quote I could have used than him to write you on your 23rd B’day!  Frankly I don’t follow Naruto but from DP’s of yours & chota  I am getting fling of it & that made me to make little research about this comic series which is now video game too as well movies & web series also! No wonder the philosophy matches with what I have read in last many years as well my own favorite, Zen Speaks as Masashi is an artist first & a Zen researcher as well! Success of Masashi is he gave your genre’s touch to Zen & created Naruto, as or else how he could have made you love it; but do mind all far eastern philosophies are connected by same thread & that’s self understanding! Another aspect of it is you understand it perfectly while reading Zen Speaks or watching Naruto’s episodes as every character speaks life’s philosophy in your words & you get connected to the same very easily but real question is how many people can practice it by themselves?

Now it must be ten years I am writing to you on your birthdays & I am happy that finally its time where I can spend a full paragraph on philosophy because what better thing a father can teach or share or leave behind for his son than philosophy! Dada, this year will be the first when you will be all alone, I mean with no family member around you on your b’day & I hope this will make you realize meaning of all the quotes which reflects philosophy in Naruto. If I am not wrong most of them are to make you understand life through three R’s ie relations, responsibility & respect. Dada, in life first comes relations as right from the parents who is your gate-way to surface in this mortal world & who eventually becomes your father & mother to every character which enters in your life as you grow by years, is related to you in some way or other. And then there are many characters which may not be related to you by blood or under name of family but they can be your friends, collogues, fellow or even your neighbors too! But this doesn’t mean they are not related to you, they are very much, it’s just some relations don’t have to be named but they have to be understood. And that way even a enemy also is related to you as while battling with him (or her) you develop a bond with him, & what is a relation after all but a bond, unseen most of the time! Now you must have understood entire your life starts with first “R” i.e. a relation!

And then you meet with second “R’ which is responsibility & let me tell you this word is the life, as to get related with people most a times isn’t in control of yours but whether you are responsible towards that relation is only in your control! Dada, responsibility is very funny thing as it’s either there or its not; you can’t ever be part responsible towards anything is something I myself have started to believe! And then what is responsibility towards a relation, I think Masashi in his above quote has explained in simplest words i.e. if you don’t care & support to your fellows then you are below everything. And who are your fellows but the numbers of relations you created around you under the name of father, mother, teacher, brother, friend & the list goes on. And do mind one thing, a support or care is something you can’t define for others as unless other person feels you are caring for him & supporting him, you may burn your heart out but it has no meaning! So first you will have to understand the other person & what he or she expects from you in a relation & then decide course of your actions that is what being responsible is! And for that you will have to learn to be responsible with your own-self first because the first person you are related with is, you only! I hope you understand what I meant by this most weird statement you might have come across but then that will decide how much you have really read Naruto & understand it! I wish some day when I will grow old you to read me this line about being related to yourself & share what you have understood, that will be my most treasured moment!

And when you have conquered the first two “R”s the third “R” will follow you & that is respect. Dada, I have seen not much life or met big people (read wise or learned people) but one thing I surely have understood by myself & that is a respect which comes to you without responsibility never remains with you for long! You are matured enough to understand what I meant as you will see thousands of examples around who fall from the top just because they were not responsible to the position they were in! As my son, I will never expect you to become rich or wise or having big name in movies (the way you want), sure all these tags of yours will make me happy but if all I want you to become is earn respect in your own eyes first as then later even if not single soul calls you big yet you would earn respect from your father, is I can assure you on this day! And do mind to earn respect in your own eyes for yourself,  you will have to battle maximum enemies which reside in you only under the names like ego, temper, greed, eagerness to succeed & even self pitying too, are just few of them. Beta, once you have been through this battle then what remains of you will decide what you have become & do mind most people in first place never understands this battle within & most usually succumbs to one of the above enemies & then for them respect is money, position, power or praise they get from others!

I think by now you must have been exhausted with the battle which you are having with my words, so I stop here! Just mind one thing, why I take efforts to write is spoken words rarely remains with us (though that’s one sign of responsibility, to remember what has been said to you) but written words you can preserve & reread & many a times they show you different light. Funny isn’t it, writing in a way is just like the traffic signal which holds all three colors, but sometimes its red asking you to stop, sometimes its green allowing you to move ahead & sometimes its yellow making you cautious about your speed & then sometimes its red asking you to stop, same way the written words guides you differently when read at different times! As your father I will always love to see you speeding towards you goal with green light but with caution as I don’t want you to jump a red signal, if at all sometime life asks you to stop for a while! Just on a passingnote, you also have a "R" in you, so if you master three "R"s then that's what will make your "R" complete! (well, you can take this as PJ i.e. poor joke also)

And as usual above words are mine but feelings behind them is from all i.e. aai, chota, aaji, abbu, aatya, bhikya, ketki & everyone who loves you the way you are!  And yes thanks a ton for introducing me with Naruto which has refined my love for philosophy with younger genre's dimension, by the way you can always share Naruto's new quotes instead making me download your DP’s, which can be my return gift from you! N’joy & stay blessed…Love.


Baba.

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Audits, Auditors & the City!






Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities (and the smallest minority on earth is the individual)”… Ayn Rand.

With just five novels & hundreds of letters still she is one of the most acclaimed writers whose writing has made generations to think about social aspects of life & yes about the government! Unfortunate is even after so many decades her writing about most of the govt’s applies true & our rulers are no exception. When things comes to our beloved Pune city then Iyan Rand’s above words really hit me hard as one look around & you saw that majority is not always right rather majority is worst power which corrupts sanest of the minds! For e.g. the recent news papers are buzzing with the term “audit” of the services or infrastructure of our city. For those who are ignorant (and most citizens are ignorant) about how the term audit which usually is applicable for accounts or balance sheets is used for city infra, will explain with whatever little exposure I have got about the same! And yes there is one more community our civic body is happy with & that’s is consultants & they are being used for everything, right from bridge designing to BRT to river development or may it be 24x7 water supply, nothing in PMC (or PCMC) moves  without having a consultant for it. And being an engineer by myself I can’t deny importance of having a consultant but most of these consultant’s advise has been gone wrong terribly may it be the infamous Z bridge or fly over at University circle or even de-silting of the pashan lake which has been driven away all the migratory birds from the lake, there has been many examples the city has witnessed (rather paid) for wrong planning or advise of the so called consultants. Rather the latest trend is employ a consultant, then get a tender of the work & then after completion of the job employ an auditor to check efficiency of the work done & submit a report & file it. Long back when Hero Honda bikes first came in market, their ad campaign was very popular, “Fill it, Shut it & Forget it”; means emphasizing the importance of mileage of the bike. The same way in Pune city when an auditor has been appointed then the motto is, “Appoint it, File it & Forget it”!

Just to list out the news of audits of various services PMC is getting done, the audit is being done that of road safety, then about the swimming pools, then about the fire audits as well electric consumption audits are to name a few. Let’s take road safety first as approximately more than thousand people (read citizens) lost their lives in road accident every years & nearly thrice the numbers gets severely injured. Now what road safety audits have been carried out since last ten years & what actions have been taken this report I don’t remember ever reading. Because the road safety audit (if being conducted) then how it misses thousands of open man holes on the roads, then there are chamber covers of drainage lines which either are broken or not in level with the road surface causing maximum accidents. Then road dividers either don’t exists or pops up suddenly in some stretch of the road or punctured at the will of residents (read local elected members) causing second most numbers of accidents. Footpaths (as well cycle tracks, though no one ever dared to carry audits of cycle track as that’s biggest joke the city has seen) audits if even a blind man has done then he could have black listed every footpath for poor paving as well width, (barring a few) in the city. As the some footpaths have been paved by ceramic tiles making people walk on road in rainy season such sleeper they gets & some are with the blocks which are so uneven that fittest of the person can fall down while walking on it. Then comes the pedestrian bridges audits; here first the consultants who suggested pedestrian over bridges & then the joke is few has been fitted with lift also. The one bridge near Mayur Colony on karve road, I have never seen a person ever climbing the forty odd steps of this bridge & cross the road as width here is not even 100 ft that of road. As well the lifts have been fitted but they are un-operational since the day they have been fitted! So, now this bridge is best solace for the beggars & ill elements from the society for all twenty four hours of the day! Then the width of the foot path & all sorts of services like telephone junction boxes to MSEB feeder-pillars to MGNL gas valves or pipe lines, everything is on the footpaths. And yes even bus stops also, blocking entire width so a pedestrian has to get down on road especially at bus stops & come directly under the wheels of our beloved PMPML which rarely slows downs even at stops.

If all this is not enough then the planning of signals & one ways & two ways along with parking arrangements adds further chaos in the road fury. Some roads are one way from 9am to 9 pm & so are some bridges for entry of two wheelers! I rarely wonder how many people can remember such bizarre rules as well what about new comers to the city & tourist vehicles, how the hell they are going to know this road is one way after 9pm & more that that what audit is being done for the proper signage for the use of the roads? Road signs is another joke as either the signs are missing or covered by faces of our popular mananiya’s & their keens or the road signs are put in such a way that even if you go & look for them you won’t find them! And if you miss the road signs & enter in no entry the traffic police are always alert on other end provided you are lucky if you reach the other end safely. One such road safety audit report says there are some 36 black spots (only?) in city where accidents can cause; sure these spots haven’t been come in existence in single day, so what we were doing till now & more than that what we will be doing now about removing them & in how much time? (read as, after how many more life losses). And worst part is even if you ensure the road is one way & you are going in right way yet there is every chance a vehicle (including PMPML bus) can come from opposite side in full speed, so where is safety audit & who is acting on it especially for road safety, is the question I will ask.
Then there is audit of public swimming pools; this is popular joke which happens in every summers! Every year some youngster (mostly) lost his life while swimming in PMC’s pool & as usual the safety audit game starts & mostly the outcome is same i.e. no proper trained life guard in place, less numbers of life guards in compare to numbers of swimmers in pool, no life saving means available, no primary medical treatment in place & the list goes on. Immediately safety audit of all public swimming pools is undertaken via appointing safety auditors & similar formalities are followed. Notices gets issued to even the private societies with swimming pools & news papers carries snaps of swimming pools over flowing with swimmers & just as the water gets calm in the pool without swimmers all the action gets forgotten in few days till the next death happens in some swimming pool, the auditors reports gets stored in some basement room of ward office as with new causality new auditors gets appointed & the show continues!

Then there is something like safety audit in respect to fire, well this is mandatory to ever building may it be govt or private, residential or commercial but I wonder how many knows it in first place & then how many gets audited for fire safety & then how many actually does something about it? First of all fire safety audit of city’s public places & slums, well the lesser we speak the better it is. As the news of one posh restaurant in Mumbai got burnt up in fire came, immediately PMC issued notices to private establishments of getting the safety audit done in respect to fire but what’s burning under their own skin, who cares! As PMC’s fire dept itself needs a fire safety audit such is their condition on the front of infrastructure. Right from the lesser numbers of firemen to not having good fireproof outfits to less numbers of fire engines, so many things are missing from the fire dept itself. And then faire safety manuals to proper fire exits to keeping clear ways for movement of fire engines, hundreds of things can be counted as lacuna in fire safety even by a lay man but we still needs auditors as how else reports can be created if not auditors? I wonder whether the fire water line plans has ever been suggested by any auditor for the slums as well densely populated buildings or areas of the city especially old city! At the same time one should really appoint an auditor to audit how many fire audits has been done as per the required by law, I think soon we will have that kind of auditor too!

Here one more thing to mention, safety audits are a must for the ongoing constructions & time & again PMC has issued notices to the construction sites for safety measures as usual after accident at some site! But one round on any of public works going in & around the city then the same PMC (or any govt authority) turns blind eye towards getting their own ongoing work safety audited! As you will find labors working at heights may it be building or bridge right in-front of PMC main building, working without any safety belts or even helmets. Then if road digging is going on then the open ends of the excavations are seldom guarded neither any read light is put for unfortunate souls travelling on the very road at night. As well you will often found open mouthed man holes of all sorts of lines (drainage, water or rain water) right on the foot paths, so all the safety is in the eyes or mind of the user is what safety auditors of PMC must have told to the authorities! Or else how every public body would have been so casual (read careless) about the safety of the citizens is the thought comes to my mind.

And apart from this safety audits there are few more also like electric power consumption of the PMC by things like street lights. And then audit of PMC’s garbage treatment plants (don’t ask me what it means) along with audit of drainage treatment plants. Well for this just have a look at our rivers (if we can call them rivers) where the so called treated water is let out & then you can understand how difficult auditors work must be as they can see, hear & smell everything. After that all they can do is, follow the Gandhiji’s three monkeys, “Bura Mat Dekho, Bura Mat Bolo, Buro Mat Suno”. Only difference is as an auditor for the city they seem to have modified the three monkeys rule in tune to todays needs i.e. “Bura Mat Dikhao, Bura Mat Sunao, Bura Mat Bulwao”! I think with such type of attitude the term auditor is fast losing its luster as any audit is effective only if the action is taken on its observations but unfortunate that our city rulers are busy in getting the things just audited as or else how the citizens will know that govt is working! Let’s understand as a citizen you are the best auditor for the city & just by calling yourself Punekar you won’t become one but how you audit as an individual the services this city offers you & what you do with what you have audited is what going to make you a proud Punekar!

Sanjay Deshpande 
Sanjeevani Dev.

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