Are “Ache Din” Coming?
Ajay Kalra
In one of my articles in the Pediascene, I had written :
“There is also lot of talk of bringing black money from abroad. But we know most of it is within the country. We see it every day around us. Guess the number of houses being purchased by one person not for his need but as investment for quite a number of generations down the line. And then, look at the fleet of high segment cars everywhere. Children are being offered not only gadgets but expensive cars and bikes. The honeymoon is now almost always in a foreign country. Even marriages are being organized in distant islands. We also know that money is aplenty in the lockers of the places of worship. Such huge mansions continue to be built in the name of God while His children remain without food, clothing and medicines, begging or working as labourers at the very site of these places where God supposedly resides. While we need temples of knowledge and service, we are kept in humour with temples of faith. Wish all this money could go to build quality schools, colleges, hospitals and dispensaries. Someone did say so meaningfully, “I want to join a religion – because that is where the money is!” And not to forget – Temples and Mazars built to occupy lands, to save unauthorized properties and to create a communal one upmanship”- We the Nation - some stray thoughts. Pediascene 2015.
The recent demonetization makes me feel that the walk to the ache din has just got started. It is a beginning for which we have waited for a long time.
When the nation gets better with this money, I am sure our development will get a boost. Yet, I would like to reiterate the caution that I had penned in another issue of Pediascene:
“Development ? Really ?
We are all quite keen for development around us. But, sometimes this word scares us as well because everything can happen in its name. For example, we can see some good strong old structure being demolished and replaced with one of poor quality. Fences and grills will get erected at places where they are not needed and will disappear within a few days. And all this may be forced upon us without our needing it only to be told that it is being done for our sake.
We know that everyone needs a house to live in. But we also start buying houses to invest. That increases their demand to much more than they are actually needed. This leads to creating jungles of concrete and eats up the open lands and fields.
The roads are needed too. But we cut trees for this. Also, at the sides of the road we make pucca pavements that cover the soil which used to soak the rain water. We do all this in the name of development and then we make some feeble efforts in the name of “rain harvesting”.
True, everyone deserves to own a car as well. But now we have more of huge fat vehicles that throw up tons of poison.
Besides destroying the ecology, such developments lead to pollution which, in turn, is the cause of so many illnesses. Natural calamities are also not far away.
The word development also worries me because we see our money being spent for buying of worthless or poor quality of machinery and equipment which will not work even for a few days or weeks – again all in the name of development. You ask for one- and you will get two - just like you ask for a pistol and you will get a cannon. It makes our providers so happy”. Pediascene 15(1&2) 2014, page 5.
There is an interesting observation too. It is said that necessity is the mother of invention. It is so delightful to see how quickly the vendor in the corner of the street has learnt to be Tech Savvy and jumped on the new digital pathway. Such an attitude gives everyone the hope that the future would be bright.