The Jokes related to Anna Hazare movement...

As the Anna Hazare movement is gaining momentum with each passing hour, there are various jokes being made on the people in government and their actions. Here is a collection of all such jokes.

1.

Once there was a big party in a 5 star hotel where all high profile celebrities were invited. Everyone was advised that they have to carry their personalized invitation card for identification and safety reasons. Rahul Gandhi reached there, but he had forgotten his card. He was promptly stopped by the security.
Rahul Said, “I am Rahul Gandhi. Please allow me in.”

The security replied, “Sorry, sir. We have been strictly instructed not to allow anyone without an invitation card or any identification.”

Rahul asked, “How do I prove that I am Rahul Gandhi?”

The security said, “Sir, sometime back Kapil Sibbal had come. He too had forgotten his invitation card. We asked him to explain us the Lokpal bill. He explained it to us clause by clause. So, we let him in. After some time Arvind Kejriwal had come. He too had forgotten his invitation card. We asked him to explain us the Janlokpal bill. He explained it to us clause by clause.”

At this point, Rahul asked,” What is this Lokpal and Janlokpal bill?

The security instantly stepped back, saluted Rahul and said, “Sir, please go in…!”  

2.

In 2031, if Congress government is still there and Kapil Sibbal happens to be the Education Minister, the history books would be changed.

Raja and Kalmadi would be mentioned as the biggest patriots, who were the first ones to be in jail during the ‘Jail Bharo’ andolan by Anna Hazare.

3.

Baba Ramdev had gone to Tihar jail asking Anna Hazare whether he too can join his movement to support him at the Ramlila grounds.

Anna replied, “Yes, but under following condition:

1) Baba Ramdev should not display his fancy dress skills.

2) There shall be no display of high jump / long jump skills.

3) He shall not play Hide and seek there with anyone.

4.

There is one famous slogan going around in all cities, which says, “Mai bhi Anna, Tu bhi Anna.. Ab to sara desh hai Anna...”.

Taking a cue from it, the congress leaders filled up the vacuum created by conspicuous absence of Digvijay Singh, by saying, “Mai bhi Digvijay, Tuy bhi Digvijay.. Ab to sara Congress hai Digvijay…”

That is why we hear some of the most absurd comments from the congress leaders. The most pathetic ones are given below:

Manish Tiwari: Anna Hazare is corrupt from top to bottom.

Renuka Chowdhari: What is currently going on is Peepli Live.

Rashid Alvi: Anna Hazare is backed by USA.

Kapil Sibbal: What Anna Hazare is doing is unconstitutional.

Chidambaram: We released him, because we were told he is going to court, so he was law abiding.

Veer bhadra singh: If you beat a ‘Damroo’ in big cities, you would get 10,000 spectators.

Manmohan Singh: There is a foreign hand behind all this.

5. 

Amitabh Bachchan: Hum jahan khade hote hai, line vahinse shuru hoti hai..!

Anna Hazare: Hum jahan baith jaate hai, Anshan vahinse shuru ho jata hai..!

6.

Why is Dhoni hoping that the government takes a tough stand against Anna Hazare’s demands?

Because he knows that only Anna Hazare’s campaign has the power to divert the attention of Indian cricket lovers from watching their dismal and pathetic performance in England.

7.

Once Amitabh Bachchan, Rajnikant and Anna Hazare were talking.

Amitabh said, “ Don ko pakadna mushkil hi nahi namunkin hai.”

Rajnikant said, “ Even if police catch me, I decide when I will get arrested.”

Anna Hazare said, “ I decide when I will get released from jail..!”

8.

When Anna Hazare was in Tihar jail, during the dinner time, Suresh Kalmadi said to Anna, “Anna ji, well, er… if you are fasting, can I eat your dinner please?

9.

New notices in corporate meeting rooms:

Please keep your cell phone in ‘Manmohan Singh’ mode during the meeting. Once the meeting is over, you may return to the ‘Anna Hazare’ mode.

10.

A good poem summing up the sentiments of every single soul out there on streets:

Manmohan Singh ek kaam Karo, Chudi pehenke dance karo

Sonia jiski Mummy hai, who sarkar Nikammi hai

Gali ka kutta kaisa ho, Kapil Sibbal jaisa ho

Manmohan jiska Tau hai, Who sarkar bikau hai

Desh ka yuva jag gaya, Dekho Rahul bhag gaya

Corruption Virus hai, Anna Hazare Anti virus hai

Yeh andar ki baat hai, Police hamare saath hai…

Anna and the Gin called people…

With unprecedented fanfare Anna walked out of the Tihar jail premises, Three days after he was legally released from the prison. The enthusiasm and overwhelming support to Anna was palpable in every soul present there, some of whom were camping there for last three days.

While he starts his second phase of agitation, the people’s expectations are running extremely high on him. He has been successfully striking a chord with every sensible and literate class of the society. Even the Mumbai’s Dabbawalas, who never stayed away from work for last 120 years, have expressed solidarity with Anna by staying away from work for a day. His popularity today is so high that if elections, on the style of electing US President are held today, he would win hands down against any opponent, even Sonia Gandhi.

In these circumstances, a pertinent question arises; can he meet the aspirations of all people who have come out in his support? The fact is that many people who are coming out on roads do not even know the ABC of Jan Lokpal bill. They only know one thing, that if they support Anna, the corruption in society would be minimized. People have been so passionate about the Anna phenomena that there are songs written on him, his T shirts and caps are being extensively distributed across India.

The UPA government has to back down at one point or other in face of rapidly growing Anna phenomena. The only thing UPA government has done extremely good so far is that, it has demonstrated its confusion, absence of any strategy, no coordination among senior leaders and a shameful display of arrogance minced with stupidity.

But the fact on ground is that NO political party is actually willing to introduce a strong Lokpal bill, as it affects all of them directly. So, will any political party support it when it is tabled in the parliament? On the contrary, if they all reach an understanding, introduce the bill and fail it in parliament, what will Anna do? Politicians are the crooks of last order and can go to any extent to safeguard themselves. Because, Anna’s demand so far had only been that his version of bill be tabled in the parliament. He has explicitly mentioned time and again that he believes in the constitution and parliament and will abide by the process.

This is where there is a danger of the public outburst, because a sleeping tiger has been awakened. And the possibilities are wild as to what would happen in such cases. In a pursuit to still achieve the objective, Anna team may think of a long term strategy of contesting elections and sending righteous candidates in parliament. But then, while Anna undoubtedly has the unconditional support of common man, can this translate into electoral victory? Winning elections is a very different ball game, as it essentially requires muscle power and money, which characteristically, Anna and his team do not possess.  

In such a scenario, will the flame lit by Anna wither away? And what happens then of the awakened Tiger? The foundation of democracy is threatened, as the tiger then starts getting violent. If any incidents of violence are reported from any part of the country, then it would spread like a wild fire. The anti social elements would increase it further. And there would be anarchy.

The people of India are at this moment like a Tiger in a circus which obeys the whip of the ring master. The tiger is 100 times mightier that the ring master, but still listens to the directions of ring master. In case any one of them gets cranky, the people in front rows become vulnerable.

Anna has intentionally awakened the giant and he now has to control and guide it properly. If there is some failure, the anger would be vent out in different unimaginable fashion detrimental to the interests of the stability of country.

That is why, coming few days are very crucial for Anna, as the Gin is now fully active and looking at Anna with hope.

The Gin needs to be controlled and guided continuously...

 Or else the Gin will go berserk. 

Gandhi Parivar – the Pied Piper of Congress

We all have heard in our childhood the story of a Pied Piper, who came to a village and promised to eliminate the rats menace in the village, at a cost. When his demands were not met, he momentarily kidnapped the children of the village and later released them.

India has been witnessing a Pied Piper phenomenon in politics since independence. And the Pied Piper in this case is the Nehru Gandhi family. Generation after generation, the Gandhi family members have been playing the flute and the congressmen have been following them blindly. And the flute playing had been very effective all these years. So much so, that every generation prepared the next generation for playing the flute. However, for the first time, the Pied Piper concept is in danger of not continuing further. The rule of Nehru Gandhi dynasty is appearing a bit shaky at this point of time.

With Sonia Gandhi out of action for few weeks due to her health related issues, the mantle is on Rahul. When Sonia left for US last fortnight for a surgery, she was not sure that she could appoint Rahul as her successor. So, she formed a committee of 4 lesser known members of congress party headed by Rahul. This committee was expected to take decisions on governance matters. Now that brings out a very important point. First, why the Prime minister, Home minister or Finance minister are NOT part of this committee? Are they so inexperienced that they cannot be even a part of the committee formed to rule the country for temporary period of few weeks? And secondly, is the only intention of nominating some lesser known faces in the committee is to make Rahul appear stronger in front of them?  That is very much like Ekta Kapoor producing the movie ‘C Company’ with Tushar Kapoor, Rajpal Yadav and Anupam Kher. If the film becomes a hit, the only claimant of ‘hero’s role’ would be Tushar Kapoor. It is another thing that the film flopped miserably at box office, in spite of all out efforts by his sister.

This is the acid test for Rahul to make his mark in Indian politics and show his true caliber. His mother is away and the senior party leaders are currently pretty much confused without the ‘Pied Piper’. All these years, they have only learnt to close their eyes and follow as directed by the ‘high command’. Now that there is no high command, they are feeling lost. They have lost the knack of taking decisions on crucial matters.

So far, they behaved as though ‘Sabka Malik EK’. But now, when the real malik is away, they are looking at one another trying to assess their strengths and weaknesses. They do not trust one another – a fact very well known after the shocking incident in which the finance minister discovered that his office was bugged with 64 microphones and he chose not to complain the home minister about it. Probably he did not do so, as he suspected the home minister himself behind this scheme..! The Congress was at its silliest best by dubbing the adhesives used to hide the microphones as chewing gums. No one approaches the Prime Minister as even a child knows that the only decisions he takes is on matters like where the sun will rise or which day comes after Sunday.

So, there is sort of anarchy at the centre currently, with no senior leader willing to listen to others.

And, as they say, troubles do not come in ones or two.  They come in hordes. The Pune police have needlessly fired at the agitating farmers killing three of them. Rahul went all out to Bhatta Parsaul to appease the farmers on cases of ‘assumed atrocities’ against them. However, he has not bothered to visit Maharashtra to be with the farmers in their protest or to at least enquire about their problems. Rightly, the Shiv sena paper ‘Samna’ gave headlines today that ‘Rahul Gandhi is missing’.

However, more than that the real problem facing the Congress and Rahul is that of Anna Hazare. Rahul would have much liked Anna’s protest to be started after arrival of Sonia on scene. But, the dates for his protest were declared by him long ago and no changes would happen. In absence of any cohesive force within the Congress party, the leaders are taking ad hoc decision and stooping to low levels like leveling corruption charging on Anna Hazare. That is the worst mistake anyone can make, because the common people’s anger will only rise with such gimmicks.

The knee jerk reaction is already visible in the Congress circles and they simply are not prepared to tackle the Anna wave coming like a Tsunami in next one week. If they survive this, they pass. And the ‘Pied Piper’ for new generation would be ready to lead.

Otherwise he will be lost into oblivion very soon.   

Sonia Gandhi's Diary..!

As we all know, Sonia Gandhi is currently undergoing some treatment at a hospital in US. Her illness and location has been a closely guarded secret for various reasons. We look at some of the most memorable moments in her life, as they would appear in her diary, if she was writing one. There is no attempt to praise or criticize anyone in this blog. Apologies, if anyone’s sentiments get hurt by some of the content. 

Some day in 1968

Today I got married to my Indian friend for last 4 years at the Trinity College at the University of Cambridge. We had met while I was working as a waitress at a Greek restaurant and was instantly drawn to his charm. Later I had come to know that he belongs to a very powerful family in India who were into politics for around two decades now. In fact his mother was the Prime minister of India. I was somewhat skeptical whether his family would accept me considering their political profile and my foreign origin. But he has been very supportive of me and gave me enough courage and confidence that his family would accept me as their daughter gladly.

And true to what he said, I was given a very royal reception in India. I am extremely happy to be associated with such a family. Rajiv works as a pilot in an airline company and I take care of the house.

Some day in 1972

Today Priyanka was born. All are very happy to welcome the new member in Gandhi family. Rahul has become two years old and is also the centre of everyone’s attraction. I feel blessed to have complete family now. Occasionally, the thought of my husband’s entering politics crops up and I strongly dissuade him from doing that. Anyway, my younger brother-in-law, Sanjay, is actively into politics and is being mentored by my mother-in-law Indira. I always tell Rajiv that we should continue to do what we are doing currently and let us be happy just doing that.

I do not like politics, as I heard that it is a dirty game. There are no morals in politics and everything is done to either grab or retain power. Ethics are not given much importance and people live for the day. There is no real trust on one another and there is no long term friendship or enmity with anyone. Someone who suits your convenience for the day is your friend and someone who contradicts you is your enemy.

Some day in 1980

Today Sanjay died in a plane crash. It was a very sad day for all of us to have lost a family member. He was very actively involved in politics and was tipped by many as the extra constitutional power who could do just anything. Some others said that he was actually running the government. I also overheard several allegations that he was not on the right side of law on many occasions and in his dealings. Apparently, his plane crashed while he was attempting some tricks on plane like swooping down and rising, rotating it around its axis etc. May be his calculations went wrong somewhere and his plane crashed. Indira has a mystic sadness at the death of her son. She had so many hopes on him.

Some day in 1982

The pressure on Rajiv was growing by the day to enter politics. We were discussing this issue privately and telling each other about our earlier commitment to each other about not joining politics. However, I was able to see his resolve waning slowly and he was giving in to the demand of his mother to join politics. Finally, I did not want to be a stumbling block in his progress, if that was what he wanted to do. As an ‘Adarsh’ Indian wife, I had to support my husband in all his endeavors, irrespective of my liking. And his entry was announced one day, ending the speculation among the people of India. I could not believe the joy which swept across the congress party workers that they have found a successor to Indira. I started accompanying him sometimes for the rallies, campaigns etc. And while I did not really enjoy it, at least I was not against it now. So, time changes the mindset of people and they look at the same things in a different perspective under revised circumstances.

Some day in 1984

Today, in a shocking incident, Indira was gunned down by two of her own bodyguards, as she was preparing to start from home for the office. It was absolutely unbelievable that her own bodyguards could kill her. We came to know that some of her harsh policies against Sikh people had not gone down well with the community and hence the retaliation. The whole nation was in moment of grief and there were widespread riots against Sikhs in several cities, particularly in New Delhi. We were totally lost to even think about what next. She was a pillar of strength of our family and we had no clue about who shall lead the nation in her absence.

Soon, the party workers openly started demanding that Rajiv becomes Prime minister. Anyway, he was active in politics for close to 2 – 3 years now and they felt it appropriate that the young Gandhi should lead the party and the nation. Once again, we compromised our earlier stand and accepted the demand from party leaders and workers. The whole nation was overjoyed at our decision. We started enjoying our new chapter as the most powerful couple in India.  

Some day in 1991

Today was the saddest day of my life. Rajiv was assassinated by LTTE activists in a place called Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. He was blown into pieces beyond recognition. He was just 46 years old. Why god is doing this to me? We were so happy family all along. I remember now that our initial feeling of not entering politics was indeed correct one. But, as they say, time cannot be rewound. Life is like a stream of water which continues to flow. You won’t get the same water again. Similarly, the history cannot be changed.

Now I want to be away from the politics and take care of my children. My mother-in-law and husband both have died due to political reasons and at don’t want me or my children to be exposed to similar risks in future. The congress party leaders and people of India have been gracious enough to retain our premiere status due to the sacrifices given by our family to the nation. I shall be forever obliged to them for their kind gesture.

 Some day in 1997

For last few months, I am noticing that the congress party is going down steeply in terms of popularity. People seemed to have lost trust in our party and the leaders were bitterly fighting with one another. There is no leader of big stature who could galvanize the masses and win elections for us. People have been requesting me to take the reins of the party for few months now. There is much dissatisfaction across the rank and file about the current party president, Sitaram Kesri.

I think there is no point in living a life of a recluse, when people respect you, they show their genuine desire to be led and have complete faith in you. I think I should join politics. After all, my whole family was in politics and they attained positions of power. I would be rather an exception if I did not join the politics.

Amid much fanfare, I joined the congress party in official capacity and soon was made the party president. I started enjoying my new role. The excitement was written large on faces of people in my rallies. I am not so good at the national language, yet people ignored my communication skills and listened to what I wanted to say. I think I should do this job more seriously and why not. If you have decided to do something, better do it best to your abilities.

Some day in 2011

For over a decade now I am in politics. I have achieved a lot during these years. I was named several times in the list of most powerful persons in the world.  The party is united and under complete control as it was ever. The leaders who left our party on the issue of my origins have either come back, or have strong alliances with our party across India. There is no one ever challenging my position as party president. I had the chance of becoming the prime minister, but it was foiled for some reasons. I also did not want to force myself on the nation, as it does not go with my principles. I am more than happy that I am more powerful than the prime minister himself.

I have started mentoring Rahul for the top post in congress party. I have trained him, given his enough guidance, made him travel across India to meet the young people and make his mark. I made him the in-charge of election campaign of several state elections, so that he gets exposure. However, he has so far disappointed me. He has so far not delivered a powerful impromptu speech in parliament or anywhere. He has not won any single election decisively through his campaigning. The recently organized Kisan Mahapanchayat was an excellent occasion where he could have earned many points, but it did not go as planned.

Now that I am already 64 years old, I am slowly getting troubled by health issues. I cannot expect to stop ageing; however I may wish it happens. I am a normal human being and have to take care of my health in the old age. I am only worried about tomorrow. What will happen after me?

I do not want Priyanka to enter politics as she is leading a happy family life. People will readily accept Rahul as their leader and give him the top position in party and government.  But, how long can this be sustained? The family advantage has to be soon converted into performance based deserving position.

Overall, I am satisfied with my life so far. Born in Italy in a mason’s family, having worked as a waitress in a restaurant to support my college education, I have come a long way. I am satisfied that I could become the longest serving congress president based on my capability to control the party. I am proud to be the top most decision maker in largest democracy in the world.

I have demonstrated to the world what a woman can achieve.

Jai Hind…

Which type of boss do you have?

Every person has to work under some boss or other during his entire career unless he opts to do his own business, in which case the customers are his boss. The boss plays such an important role in an employees life, that his lifestyle is often influenced by the type of boss he has. And the employee’s image or opinion about the company is determined by the type of boss he works for. If the boss is good the company is good, if the boss is bad the company is bad. However great company you may work for, if you do not get along well with your boss, your life turns into a mini hell.

Let us look at some of the common type of bosses we come across in the corporate sector. Surely, you would have come across some of these personalities at some point of time or other in your career.

Does not trust anyone

These types of bosses do not trust anyone. After they tell you some work, they will ask one of your colleagues whether you have actually started it or what progress has been made. Even when you tell them that something is done, either they want to see the proof or they will confirm with someone. I wonder how they treat their family members. Do they trust them at least?

Does not Delegate

These types of bosses do not delegate works, as they fear that if they delegate, their importance will be lost and their position will be in danger. So, they try to do everything by themselves. It is the same syndrome like mother-in-law does not want to delegate the control over kitchen to the new daughter-in-law. These bosses get over stressed; they become extremely busy while their staff comparatively has a relaxed life style. And these bosses take pride and satisfaction at being busy always. What they do not realize is that unless they delegate effectively and prepare someone to take on their role, they will not be able to rise to the next level.  

Does not believe

These bosses do not believe whatever you say to them. They will always question your source of knowledge as if right facts are their proprietary items. You have to discuss debate and sometimes argue with them to convince them that what you are telling is truth. However their mindset prevents them from believing anyone up front. Sometimes it is because of their superiority complex or underestimation of their staff’s collective intelligence.

Continuous follow up

These bosses keep following up with you after asking you to do something. No sooner you have left his cabin; he will call and ask you how you propose to do it. After another half an hour they will ask you progress. In this category, there are two types. One category listens to you and keeps quite, while the other type listens to you and gives you suggestions on doing the task in a manner exactly opposite of the way you have planned. They will not allow you to work in peace. Their follow up is so strong that when they are on leave, you will be lost and feel as though you are actually not working.

Indecisive

These bosses cannot take a decision. They also look confused most of the time. When you approach them with an issue, they just listen to you and then ask what you would do in this situation. After that, they will ask you to proceed the way you suggested. Whenever you ask them their opinion, they will be so ambiguous that you would regret having asked them this question. Their indecisiveness could be due to low self confidence or low self esteem. The staff working under such bosses will be always confused and unsure of the actions to be taken.   

Dangerous

These bosses are very nice in front of you, but cause maximum damage behind your back. When you make a mistake, he will tell you not to worry and immediately pass on this information with special comments to HR or his boss mentioning how you have spoiled the work. It is very difficult to deal with these bosses, since you will not know about their true colors till you are stung by them.

Self-Praising

These bosses do not leave the slightest opportunity in eulogizing their past. Whenever they get an opportunity to boast about their achievements, they will do it in right earnest.  You have no choice but to listen and appreciate at right intervals during the conversation, acting as if you are awestruck with the heroic acts of your boss. For better effects, you also have to sometimes question disbelievingly during the talk on whether he actually did it. And he will affirmatively respond with a big satisfying smile, making you feel that you have been blessed to hear such stories.  

Meeting crazy

These bosses call for a meeting at slightest pretext. They have an urge to call a meeting of a group of people for smallest of work, and keep discussing about something or other. Mostly such bosses do the talk and others have no choice but to listen. These bosses actually reduce the efficiency of their staff, as they are busy in only attending meetings and no time for actual work. After every such meeting, he comes out of the meeting room as though he has conquered a small island off South America. It is a matter of time before the minutes of meeting are sent and the next meetings invite lands in your inbox.

Mail crazy

These bosses have a craze for mails. They do not talk to you over phone; they do not meet you either. Even when you talk to them, they ask you to send a mail on what was discussed, as if you are proposing a multi-crore property deal. These bosses get almost ‘Nirvaana’ while going through their mails every morning. More the mails, better is the start of the day. These people also get hurt if they do not receive mails for a few minutes during the day. They keep looking at the inbox as though the next mail expected is a notification of winning a lottery ticket.

Blaming type

These bosses wait for something to go wrong and immediately say, “I told you earlier...” They will not contribute in a significant way while the job was being carried out, but once something happens, they will be quick to point out that they never liked the way it was happening and even had warned all about the consequences. They have an uncanny ability to fix the responsibility on someone or other for every little fault. You can never expect them to say, “Sorry, I miscalculated it, or I did not know...”  

Management fearing

These bosses are so much afraid of the management that they are very careful while talking anything negative about the company. They lower their tone, close the door of cabin and whisper to you that they do not truly approve of the company’s policies. They get scared whenever they get a call from his boss’s office. Every time they walk to their boss’s office, they walk as though they are soon going to be hanged and there is no chance of escape. Whenever they assign a task to you, they will emphasize that this task is monitored and followed up by so and so, as though without this piece of information, you will show laxity in doing this work and may not do it correctly. Their blood pressure shoots up before every senior management meeting, as though the sole agenda for that meeting is his performance. 

Excessive sense of humor

These bosses have a sense of humor to an irritating degree. During a serious meeting, suddenly he remembers a joke and has a strong urge to share it with all. So, he start telling a joke, when all subordinates keep wondering about the seriousness of the issue. No matter what crisis exists, these people’s mind always tries to correlate it to some comic incident and blurt it out. These people will have normal BP, but those around them are most likely to have high BP.

No sense of humor

These bosses laugh once in a year. They behave as though laughing is a crime. Their face is always serious and worried, as though they have been assigned the sole responsibility of rescuing America from ongoing financial crisis. Whenever you tell them a joke, they look at you as though you told them a profound truth. You have to often tell them that the joke is over and now he may use his discretion whether to laugh or not, based on deemed merit of the joke in his opinion. You do not have the luxury to laugh openly in their presence, as it will be assumed to disrespect and also violation of basic decency norms. Such people live in misery and make other’s lives miserable as well.

Keeps repeating

These bosses tell you a task at least four times. They have a strong feeling that communication is not complete unless repeated three to four times. They assume that you have not paid attention when they told you first time, you did not understand when they told second time, they did not tell properly third time.. And so on. So, till they get satisfied that you have no more doubts left, they keep repeating. Often, you tend to repeat it along with him after third time, just to give him confidence that you have understood what he wanted to say. And when you do so, the pleasure he has on his face to get evidence that you have understood is enormous.

There are as many personalities as there are people. Each one has his own characteristics and way of behavior. There is no attempt made here to define which one is correct or which is wrong. Because, each one is correct in his belief and ideas. Life is adjusting with each type of person you come across. Many times you have to adapt to the other person’s ideas in order to get the work done depending on his position of power in the organization.

The final truth is that…. you may choose everything, but you cannot choose your boss.  

The last Picnic..!

All of us have watched with horror how the Rathi family got washed away in gushing water of Patalpani waterfalls in Indore few days back. Miraculously, two members out of the five survived this accident and were rescued at some distance from the waterfall. It saddens mind to see someone dying in this fashion. When they had started from their house in the morning, they must have had plans for a very enjoyable picnic. Unfortunately, it turned out to be last picnic for three of them.

(Those of you who have not seen the clipping can type ‘Patalpani accident’ in google or youtube and you will see the clipping of around 4 minutes. However, weak hearted people stay away from this video.)

After every such accident, there is a tendency to find out its root cause. And in this case, it is the overconfidence of this family, which caused it in the first place. There were lots of people around them at the time of incident. When someone noticed unusual increase in water flow he raised an alarm and they all immediately rushed to the shore. This family, however, chose for a few seconds to enjoy the rising waters. These few seconds turned out to be very crucial for them. Soon, the speed and quantity of water was so much that they had to stand where they were, in order to resist being washed away. And then a little imbalance weakened their grip on ground and inevitable happened. They all held on to one another till the end. Every one of them needed a support in that situation while all were equally helpless.

Let us look at some of the lessons to be learnt from this incident.

Overconfidence thrills but kills

What is more surprising is that during last 10 years there have been 45 casualties in same spot and yet people refuse to learn. Everyone feels that nothing will happen to him. We come across several situations in our daily lives, where people with overconfidence try to do some adventures to impress others around them. These include the college students hanging recklessly on footboard of buses, or young boys speeding on motorbikes, or people in Mumbai travelling on local tops or people speeding cars on Mumbai Pune express way. What these people do not realize is that they may get away with it once, twice or even thrice. However, luck does not favor you when you stop taking care of yourselves. No one wants to meet with an accident, yet accidents happen every day.

Respect Nature

More people have been killed due to natural disasters during last decade that the number of people killed due to terrorist activities all over the world in last four decades. Yet, people forget that they should not play around with nature. No person can resist the forces of nature. The mightiest of human being will be helpless, if there is an earthquake, or a lightening, or a flood. A small stream of water in adverse conditions can sweep you off your feet and a small fire can ravage vast jungles in summer.

We have so far not understood the laws of nature fully well. How do we explain that 9 gigantic planets move around the sun at thousands of kilometers per hour speed in their own three dimensional orbits without ever colluding with one another? There are neither traffic policemen nor signals to control them. And we are not able to drive our car smoothly during traffic hours on simple laid out roads.

The fury of Tsunami was witnessed on a massive scale in half the globe in 2004 and very recently in Japan, which made it temporarily economically unstable. The whole world is reviewing its plans of Nuclear power after this incident.

The Rathi family needed to be more careful, as time and tide waits for no one.

Death is certain but timing is not

There is a very interesting anecdote in Mahabharata, in which the 5 Pandava brothers are passing through a forest. They feel thirsty and look around for water. They locate a lake and go one by one to drink water. But there is a Yaksha sitting on a tree nearby who stops them. When resisted, the Yaksha makes 4 of them them unconscious by using his powers. Lastly, Yudhishthira goes there and is stopped by the Yaksha. Yaksha asks him to answer few questions before he can drink water. And one of the questions is ‘What is the biggest surprise in this world?’ Yudhishthira replies, “The biggest surprise in this world is that everyone knows that he is going to die one day, but no one actually thinks about his death. Everyone feels that still there is a lot of time for him to die.”

In movie Muqaddar ka Sikander, Amitabh makes entry in the film through a song sequence, whose one of the stanza starts like this.. “Zindagi to bewafa hai .. ek din thukaraegi.. Maut mehbooba hai apne saath lekar jaaegi..”  While everyone alive has to die at one point or other, no one would prefer to die in this fashion. Rather, no one would like to die in first place.

Because of the uncertainty associated with timing of death, the Hindu scriptures recommend uttering god’s name during every conscious moment, since we do not know which one is the last one. And anyone uttering god’s name at the time of death attains Moksha or salvation. There is a beautiful bhajan by Anup Jalota which says, “Itna to karna swami.. jab pran tanse nikle..” This bhajan depicts the conditions, under which if one dies, will get the salvation.

We pray that the souls of three members who died in this incident REST IN PEACE.