The eminent jurist Nani Palkhiwala had an annual ritual of giving his comments on the Government budget & while I was in college,I regularly used to attend his speeches with my father.It was in one of these meetings that he dwelt on the "spirit of enterprise."He was of the opinion, that, in our country,the enterpreneurial spirit is hardly encouraged unlike in America wherein many Indians are able to rise fast because of their spirit of enterprise.
I feel that Mumbai is full of such people who are enterpreneurs.Maybe the city with its high spending levels forces all to become enterpreneurs.It becomes a battle for survival & hence, all have to rack their brains & make jugad to have a minimal living.The spirit of enterprise is so very evident all around in this metro.
During Deepavali now,the shops will remain open throughout -even on the weekly off days so that people can shop.This is missing in Pune where the shops remain closed daily in the afternoons as all enjoy power naps ! This is a ritual, which Pune cannot do without-come Deepavali or what have you.I remember, that, once, I had gone to a shop for buying some pattice for breakfast & I was forced to return empty handed as I had not carried change & the shopkeeper wanted the exact change.Maybe, the people living in other places are santust ( satisfied) with whatever they have.They do not crave for a better life for themselves.So obviously,they do not work towards a better life for others as well.
Pune is just another example-Chennai also is like that only.I know, that, many women there also go to work but many give up as there are no proper creches for taking care of kids.There is no professionalism.Some creches start but will close on any day -such attitude can only lead to chaos.Bangalore also is a similar case study- all autowallahs there are ready to make a fast buck.After sunset,they will charge a fortune to take you to the destination.They will take money extra for luggage & so on.
In Mumbai,autowallahs do charge you extra, but after midnight, & all go by metre.It is Pune, wherein, all the auto metres are manufactured but the autiowallahs here have numerous rate cards.One of my friend says ,"Each autowallah in Pune has his own auto rate card."Except in Mumbai,no autorikshaws go by the metre reading while charging fares -Surat,Baroda,Bangalore,Chennai etal.Maybe as one cliched saying in the Reader's Digest went,"It is not that people are not ready to do an honest day's work.It is only that they want a week's pay for it."
I wish, all other towns & cities could take a cue from Mumbai & salute the enterpreneurial attitude-that will work wonders & solve many of our problems.
Showing posts with label Nani Palkhivala. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nani Palkhivala. Show all posts
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Death of a terrorist..
Ishrat Jahan was murdered in cold blood is the verdict of the magisterial enquiry.We all should hang ourselves because some police personnel killed some persons who were innocent just because they wanted promotions ! Really,where is this greed taking us all ? The greed to get richer,to acquire more assets,to go up faster et al.
Earlier, one Shaikh was murdered in another encounter in Gujarat by the same set of police officers.The justification being offered by the Gujarat spokesperson is that all these killed people were associated with crime .But is death in encounters the only punishment for any crime even theft or dacoity or extortion ? The punishment ought to be reasonable as against the crime commited.In the said cases,extortion cases also were punished by death & that too without giving any chance to the accused to put up their case.So, there was no trial-just punishment.There was not even a pretence of a trial.
Now,it has come to light that the home ministry ( Central Government ) had filed an affadavit that Ishrat Jahan was a terrorist.All allegations & counter allegations will fly all over but will Ishrat Jahan's family be able to handle all this ? Moreover,the bitterness against Modi & his brand of politics will reach the peak.What all this has done is vitiate the atmosphere for the minorities all the more . They may never trust us for ages to come & we have only ourselves to blame as we watched dumbly as innocents were butchered in encounter after encounter.Actually,the trouble is that there is a very thin dividing line between terrorism & terror by the State .We should, therefore, learn to separate the two & demand that the State implement the rule of law.As Nani Palkhivala used to say so often,"Justice should not only be done but seen to be done."
Earlier, one Shaikh was murdered in another encounter in Gujarat by the same set of police officers.The justification being offered by the Gujarat spokesperson is that all these killed people were associated with crime .But is death in encounters the only punishment for any crime even theft or dacoity or extortion ? The punishment ought to be reasonable as against the crime commited.In the said cases,extortion cases also were punished by death & that too without giving any chance to the accused to put up their case.So, there was no trial-just punishment.There was not even a pretence of a trial.
Now,it has come to light that the home ministry ( Central Government ) had filed an affadavit that Ishrat Jahan was a terrorist.All allegations & counter allegations will fly all over but will Ishrat Jahan's family be able to handle all this ? Moreover,the bitterness against Modi & his brand of politics will reach the peak.What all this has done is vitiate the atmosphere for the minorities all the more . They may never trust us for ages to come & we have only ourselves to blame as we watched dumbly as innocents were butchered in encounter after encounter.Actually,the trouble is that there is a very thin dividing line between terrorism & terror by the State .We should, therefore, learn to separate the two & demand that the State implement the rule of law.As Nani Palkhivala used to say so often,"Justice should not only be done but seen to be done."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
