A PERFECT PANORAMA

“A PERFECT PANORAMA”

By

J.L. GUPTA

The Indian roads present a perfect panorama. We have the Autos. Bikes, buses.  Bullock & Pony carts. Cars & creaking camel carts.  Cycles & cycle rickshaws. Trucks, Tractors & trolleys.  Anything from an old Ambassador to a Fiat and a Ferrari. So much of vehicular variety on just one road. Also a cacophony of sounds. Smell & stink of all sorts of fumes. Equally irritating to the ears & eyes. Causing respiratory congestion & cough. An avoidable wastage of precious petroleum & time. Traffic jams have become a regular routine on our roads. Sometimes, the pedestrians move faster than the fastest cars on the road. Why? What is the cause? What is the way out?

The wide variety of vehicles on a road.

1.     Reducing congestion on the roads is a national imperative. To achieve this, an efficient, affordable and reliable public transport system is the first requirement. It should be good and be used by all – the Ministers, Senior Officers and the people. Use of Government and private cars should be totally banned or made substantially more expensive by withdrawing the concessions of free petrol etc. available to the Government cars. No caravans with blaring sirens and red beacons (an unmitigated nuisance on the road) should be normally permitted for anyone. Even raising the parking charges can help. The money thus saved or collected can be used for improving the existing public transport system.

The Pony Cart in  Chandigarh

2.     The roads present a pathetic sight. Big potholes. Sudden turns without any warning sign on the National Highway. The G T Road in Haryana.

The condition of the NH speaks for itself

Not fit for even the bullock carts

Incomplete flyovers; poor condition of the road and unsafe inter-sections. All these despite the fact that the State govt. charges substantial sums of money by way of toll. Where is the money going? Why are the fly-overs not being completed? These are a death trap from the beginning to the end, from the berm to the verge. Yet, no one seems to know the answer. Someone has to do something.

3.     In the cities, the young and physically fit should be compulsorily made to use only bicycles. It is already a practice in various countries. To illustrate: In Netherland, most of the people can be seen on cycles. The cycle is picked up from a parking lot, used and dropped at the next stop. It keeps the people fit & healthy; saves on petrol, precious foreign exchange and also helps in reducing the environmental pollution.

4.     The space required for a cycle on the road is much lesser than that for any other kind of vehicle. The number of vehicles per person in Europe may be substantially higher than those in India. But the traffic jams are far fewer. The roads are better.  

5.     It should also help reduce the number of accidents and resultantly, the claims for compensation against the Government or the Insurers.           

Shall we do something? We have to. Otherwise, the traps for which the govt. is charging toll may soon take their own toll of the govt.

GOD! Not GOLD!

GOD! Not GOLD!

By

J.L. Gupta

Sacrifice atones for sins, sanctifies the sinner. It leads to his salvation. The scriptures record the sacrifices made by various kings. On one of the occasions, the golden plates and utensils which were used in the sacrifice were thrown in the dustbin…. The heaps of gold remained unclaimed property for a long time. Even the ordinary mortals were not enchanted by the lust of gold. It was primarily meant to be given in charity. Maya was shunned.

         This is our heritage.

         Today, Mammon has enslaved man. Materialism has come to have its Sway. Just as “moths are captivated by the glaring brightness of light”, the “deluding energy” of Maya has made human being a “prey to the fire of delusion”. Man today talks in “money syllables”. The dialogue devolves around diamonds. Sapphires add a little sparkle. “Fiscal fitness” is more important than physical fitness. Fun is synonymous with “fund”. The love is at “purse sight”. Loving is becoming the means to make a living. Matrimony is a “matter of money”. The motto is “dough or die”. “Stones” are the secret of success. Gold is no longer an instrument. It is an end. Man’s goal is not God but gold. The almighty gold.

         Today, man worships gold. It is the deity. It is worshipped in all countries and in all climes. Man believes that gold is a curtain which can hide all his defects from the world. It is an ornament which can cover all the bodily deformities. It seems like the Alladin’s lamp. Man believes that loaded with the precious metal, he can reach any height, attain every position and enjoy all the pleasures. He will do anything to have it. He will even “marry a puppet or an old trot” for a few pieces of gold. He will divorce his beloved for a similar reason.

         Today, what a man stands for has become irrelevant. That he can fall for gold is the common belief. Having been made into God, the yellow metal has plagued man like the devil. Having got him into the well of wealth, it has drowned his conscience, taken away his happiness, endangered his honour and deprived him of his peace of mind.

         God can help the needy. No one can satisfy the greedy. A tub was large enough for Diogenes. Even the whole world was too small for Alexander. There is nothing in gold that may give lasting happiness. The more one has, the more he wants. Great fortune only ensures great servitude.

         Man labours. He goes through the irksome drudgery of a monotonous routine. He toils. He sweats. He even offends his most faithful friend - the conscience. He acquires wealth by and by, he amasses a fortune. But what does it give him? Can it prevent sickness? Can it postpone the mortal hour? Can it buy the heavenly bliss? No. In fact, the wealth becomes a source of fear. There is a nagging apprehension of losing it. The greater the wealth, the greater the fear. The fortune becomes a misfortune.

         It is true that money is needed to meet the needs. To an extent, it is a necessity. Too little of money is like a tight shoe. It is uncomfortable. It gives pain. But too much would be like a loose shoe. One can stumble and fall. Just the right amount to meet the essential needs would be ideal. Sometimes, a tree laden with too much fruit breaks its own bough. So does too much of wealth. It destroys the virtue of its possessor. Man can meet the perils of wealth by performing good deeds and becoming rich towards the creator.

         The scripture says- “Human life is the opportunity to get free from all the material miseries”. Gold, jewels, pearls and valuable stones are nature’s gifts to man. So are the sun and the stars. We value the sun for its light. Not for its height. Similarly, the other gifts of nature like gold are good only to the extent we use them for the good of others.

         Let us make gold the slave. Not the end or idol. God is Almighty- not Gold.