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Showing posts from July, 2009

Dombivli Fast Monologue

An excellent monologue from Madhav Apte who is anguished by the corruption and decrease in human values. माती त्यावर शेणाने सारवून त्यावर रांगोळी काढायची. चित्र असं होतं. मग तिथे डांबर टाकून सूरू झाले हे सर्व. हव्यास ... हव्यास जडला सर्वांना अधिक जास्तीचा हव्यास. आंगण वावर पूरेना. मग नोकरी धंदे सूरू झाले. नोकरीत पगार पूरेना धंद्यात नफ़ा पूरेना. मग तो मिळवणं सूरू झालं. पगारवाढीसाठी संप .... दमदाट्या .... मोर्चे. नफ़ा वाढवण्यासाठी खोटेपणा, चिरिमिरी, चोरी ... शेवाळं वाढतच गेलं. दलदलीत फसत गेलं सालं. छान लिहायचो चित्र काढायचो पण मग पैसे हवेत. स्थिरता म्हणून बॅंकेत. B.Com पर्यन्त एवढा शिकलो एवढं वाचलं, पण पुढे काय तर Ledger भरा परिपत्रके लिहा. जेवढा न्हायलो आधी तेवढाच कोरडा होत गेलो. थेंब सुद्धा उरला नाही ओलाव्याचा दाखवायला सुद्धा. एका रेशेत उभे रहा, एका रेषेत लिहा, एका दमात पदवी मिळवा, एका वर्षात कायम व्हा एका इच्छेसाठी लग्न करा आणि ती दुहेरी करण्यासाठी मूलं जन्माला घाला. एकेक करून अनेक गोष्टी करा आणि एकदा मरा. म्हणजे एकाकडून एकीकडे एकटं यायचं एकटं जायचं आणि मधे हा साला जीवघेणा प्रवास....

My views on Budget 2009

This year I was following the Finance Ministers budget speech. I thought I understood some of it! Many newspapers have hailed the budget as a good one. I may be wrong at this point of time but I think the FM did not deliver as expected. I am just putting to ink my thoughts based on my experience (however limited it may be). I was hoping for changes in the personal tax slabs and that the limit for home loan benefit would be increased. But he disappointed me. He has also proposed to abolish the Fringe benefit tax. While this is good for companies its bad for the individual tax payer as the onus now rests on the individual. The FM has increased the allocation to infrastructure projects by almost a fourth. This is excellent but what is very worrying is that the fiscal deficit will be increased in a planned way to 6.8%. This is too dangerous. He has planned to reduce it to 4% in three years. Lets hope he is successful. After so many years I think we cannot trust politicians to keep their wo...

Does the Indira Gandhi family own India?

Who owns India? The Indira Gandhi family? Why do people in politics have to stoop to the lowest level when it comes to pleasing their political masters? Indira Gandhi or Rajiv Gandhi do not need such populist things. Indira was a master leader and politician. Jawaharlal was the first prime minister. This in itself is a great deed. But each time the Congress party comes to power it starts naming everything after Indira or Rajiv or Nehru. Have a look at this list- Central Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana; Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission; Rajiv Gandhi National Crèche Scheme for the Children of Working Mothers, Department of Women & Child Development; Rajiv Gandhi Udyami Mitra Yojana; Indira Awas Yojana Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme; Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission Jawaharlal Nehru Rojgar Yojna Rajiv Gandhi Shramik Kalyan Yojna; Indira Gandhi Canal Project, Funded by World Bank Rajiv Gandhi Shilpi Swasthya Bima Yojana State schemes Rajiv Gand...

Just A Thought

Today if anyone wants to travel on the Bandra Worli sea link by bus the toll is a hefty Rs.5000 per bus per month. If some arrangement is made by the government to enable BEST buses to travel without toll would it motivate more people to use public transport in Mumbai? If PMP launches a scheme like pay Rs.5 and travel for 3 hours or pay Rs.15 and travel for 18 hours. Add to it an increased number of buses - Would that motivate people to start using public transport?