Friday, October 5, 2012

Residential Apartments in Multi-storeyed Buildings

A two-storey building collapsed in Triplicane area of Chennai city on October 3, 2012 resulting in the death of two persons. Despite the complaint of the tenants the owners failed to repair the building. It is reportedly a 50 year-old building. I have the feeling that it is just a starting point and such a calamity is likely to recur routinely in every major city like Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata where such old apartments are in plenty. A drive through those cities will reveal such a possibility in the near future. Unless a serious note is taken of these occurrences and a massive renovation and rebuilding of those old apartments is taken up in a systematic way many more lives are likely to be lost unfortunately. Who is to do this?

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Gandhi Jayanthi

Today is 143rd Birth anniversary of Mohandas.K.Gandhi, the popular and powerful Mahatma of Indian politics. I saw the movie 'Gandhi' today on a local T.V channel in Chennai made on his life by Richard Attenborough. It is certainly a thought-provoking and inspiring life-story of a leader adored and venerated by millions of people not only in India but overseas as well. Two facts of his life were little twisted in the film: One- He sacrificed costly dress material and upper garment altogether near Madurai in South India during his study tour of the country but it was not depicted so in the film: Two- The title 'Mahatma' was given by Poet Rabindranath Tagore but in the film it was shown as given by Jawaharlal Nehru.

The great leader met with a violent death although he was a messiah of non-violence and lived & preached truth and non-violence throughout his life. It is a paradox of human life.

He died a disappointed and broken man with India being partitioned and people put to lot of hardships. He and his followers fought for one and united India accommodating all religions and communities. His social reforms and economic thoughts were not totally approved by his political followers in Congress Party after independence in 1947. Communal harmony and national allegiance are not strictly adhered to and ensured by certain groups of people in India even today.

As an administrator I used to celebrate the Gandhi Jayanthi wherever possible while in service - as Sub Divisional Officer, as Collector, as Divisional Commissioner, as Secretary to the government or Managing Director of a Corporation / Board / Society. Bur after retirement from active service I am finding difficult to repeat the same activity nowadays. For today (October 2, 2012) esp. I tried at four places:- 1) South Venganallur Panchayat in Rajapalayam Panchayat Union in Virudhunagar district, 2) Kisan Vikas Kendra at Krishnagiri district. 3) A village near Avadi in Tiruvallur District. 4) Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai. But the authorities concerned were not very enthusiastic about the idea and naturally some action programme on the occasion.

We are more formal these days in laying wreaths on the Samadhi of Gandhiji at Rajghat in New Delhi.