What do you do?

By Sandeep Datta, May 6, 2011

The very first question that everyone asks to any man is how does he manage his living. It turns the most uncomfortable question when it is put to a person who is unemployed. The reason may be many and may not serve any purpose of the interviewer, but still it is asked.During college days or when you may have just passed out it gradually turns the most traumatic of all problems of the day.

Almost everyone, daring to survive on his or her own guts, may have faced the similar struggling time in life, but still people turn insensitive to its impact on the person's psyche. At times, it just evokes disgust, as many a times it is asked to make fun of someone's bad phase of life. It is surprising, such a question is most often asked by so called highly educated or successful people and not the uneducated individuals out of ignorance.

Another shade of the question 'what do you do' is when it is asked to those who are into some advance or a bit little known jobs or profession. Or, especially when some one is holding a profile not usually known by common people. One such question was asked to me on the day of first meeting of my sister's would be in-laws. A group of women accompanying by brother-in-law wanted to know what do I do? They were told I was a journalist. Hence, I could understand their curiosity.

It, however, felt a bit challenge to easily make them understand my job profile at the foreign desk of a news agency. After I told the name of my present employing organisation and the nature of work I have to do, I was somehow asked again: 'Basically, what do I do'. I was at pains to make a group of inquisitive housewives in their late 30s to tell them briefly in a drawing room where so many other family members were sitting.

I opted to narrate how a reporter and a desk person do different works. How does a news agency, where I worked, is not any newspaper but a contributor to many newspapers across India and the world. I used the very old formula of stating about organisation's role in common man's language: Our organisation is like a manufacturing factory which supplies its product to retailers. And, why am I in that journalistic job? I said: "Simply, because by mistake or over enthusiasm I studied too much and to vomit it out and satisfy my addiction of learning something new and important, I had no option but to become a journalist.

Every one of the ladies laughed and said OKKK. But did I do the 'two year course' to join journalism was the next question. I said, "Yeah I did two PGs in journaism". But did you do a regular course (as if to mean if I attended a regular college or usually demeaning the correspondence course) was the next question? I said: "I did part-time." Part-time? They looked as I talked of some object unexpected to have taken place on planet earth. I added: "It is usually done by working people side-by-side their regular job by attending evening classes instead of morning to evening classes for something which can be taught in less than two hours of classroom teaching."

And what exactly I do, was the next question? Well, I deal with international politics and other related stories, I replied. "Okss", came the reply.

I felt relieved that finally our conversation reached the "Okss".

The Park

By Ch.Sandeep Datta

Me and my friend Rajesh once felt quite disturbed to notice the condition of our block’s one and only park. It was a place where both of us had once played so many games with children of our age. For us, it was a place which reminded us of our childhood memories.

But it peeved us to see its bizarre condition. It was in ruins with not a single blade of grass left in it besides it had been literally encroached by some grown up boys, who were into gambling. They had turned our park into a venue to bet hundreds to thousands of rupees through cricket match. Whoever played was expected to contribute some money for the total amount of bet, otherwise he was not welcome.

The main thing which used to disappoint us was that the participating players in such matches were those who would be part of bets. Many of the youngsters in their teens would steal money from home or would arrange it by hook or crook whole week for the Sunday matches.

But more precarious was the sight of those little children who would stand outside the grills or railings of this park, just because either they didn’t have money or were not so called as good as the senior boys.

They had mere turned spectators to such gambling in the name of cricket and high decibel use of expletives. They were hardly ever allowed to participate, if at all then as extra or useless players.

The entire social environment of our area had come to ruins. Nobody would come out in the day time, as most of these youngsters involved individuals from slum sectors or strangers from other far away blocks of our colony.

Every family was irritated but always felt helpless to take on such grown up youngsters who were into betting, abusing and aggression to anyone confronting them. It was a helpless stage for everyone, as the families had lost the sense of being united.

Both of us used to have long discussions at times over such a growing problem and its escalating effect. Whenever we discussed with others, people turned away fearing repercussions of even uniting against such a menace.

During one of the games, my friend Rajesh had a tiff with someone over the condition of contributing some money to be eligible to play in one such match. He was told that only those who would put money on the game, could play. He felt agitated after observing that sportsmanship had vanished completely, only money-mindedness or gambling remained in the park.

He smashed the wickets in disgust and declared that henceforth nobody would play in the park. It will not be allowed to become a gambling venue for anyone.

Watching him from my house's balcony, I rushed down and supported his declaration. Being a little senior to rest of the youngsters present there, the announcement was respected.

He told me that these youngsters had stooped so low that there was no cricket or sports left in the park here. It was purely a gamble.

The youngsters, thankfully, obeyed and left the park.

At night, both of us discussed and decided that cricket would no more exist in the park. But it was quite a challenge for us to prevent them from playing. Nobody helped and we were viewed as funny people making stupid attempt to restore the park.

We managed to let it remain closed for two years. But we couldn’t do much to bring a perceivable change in it. We had assured all the youngsters of bringing this park to its old glory and make it worth calling a garden.

But in the meantime, we almost turned laughing stocks. Youngsters will ask for a fixed date or month by which they could check us keeping our word of bringing a real change in it.

We faced threats, mockery, and criticism for becoming a hurdle of those gambling youngsters, who used to come here and had a good time gambling in the disguise of cricket previously.

We persuaded our gardeners, who had stopped visiting that park, fearing for their lives from youngsters. They didn’t wish to come and water the barren land. We assured them of security and our full cooperation. After long persuasion, they started opening the water tap of the park.

The notorious youngsters had spread so much sand on it to make it cricket-friendly that hardly any blade of grass or plant had left in the park. We persisted with the gardeners with request and persuasion despite everything odd. We succeeded in that.

Slowly but steadily, we moved on to a stage where we managed to have grass planted in the park. Due to sand, it had to be planted more than five times. We also continued to request the youngsters to let it develop.

We were made fun of for such a foolish step or dream. It was viewed as a hopeless dream of two stupids. As the park’s boundary touched my home’s boundary wall, any movement in the park directly affected me and my aged mother. Noticing our concern for the park and realizing our objective, she used to take charge of pointing out and objecting to children entering the park to play in the noon. When both of us would be in office, she would confront the foul-mouthed children for our sake on her own on our behalf.

Finally, there was a time when the barren ground developed small green patches of grass. It excited us to carry on with our determination. We pushed for planting some plants in sidelines of the park. The children never wanted us to prepare the park in such a way that cricket could not be played forever. At times they were provoked to play.

Following uncountable rounds of arguments and persuasion, we managed to convince them to not play ever and let us develop it properly.

Without wait, we planted saplings of plants. We would ensure they were watered almost every other day. We always feared return of notorious children and gambling youngsters.

Every new branch of the plant or new green patch of grass was cherished by us as a festive moment. We would share with each other greeting for new success; of covering new barren patch into green.

There came a day when MCD officials came for pruning. Their aim was to cut out the maximum for selfish purposes. Our friends Satish and Deepak adapted aggressive attitude to save peepal trees. We came forward and other friends like Harish Batra and Vijay Malhotra joined in as our support group. We finally won in having our say and not let neighbours fell the trees in the name of pruning. We forced the visiting MCD staff to follow our directions or face the evidence we had collected of them in our mobile cameras.

We made them just prune the unwanted or over grown part instead of following neighbours’ directions to cut it thoroughly for their selfish purposes. It gave us great sense of satisfaction to have saved some trees unitedly.

On the other side, we also reached a stage where there was greenary all around in the park. The once-barren piece of land now had at least grass all around and some plants. We planted some more with the passage of time. Other friends of the neighbourhood joined in later.

People started appreciating our endeavour. It was after a long wait of almost five years, we had marigold flowers blooming around Holi festival.

We organised Holi outside the park’s gate. All heads of the family, joined in to wish each other voluntarily. After colouring each other with deep sense of festivity and coming together on the festival of colours, we allowed all to enter into the park for the first time in years.

Individuals, who had stopped being in talking terms with each other or could not meet each other for so many years met and embraced each other.

Our one-hour scheduled event, envisaged by me, Rajesh and another neighbourhood friend Harish, turned a big success. All men, who had once played together 25-30 years ago in that park were given a place to sit together surrounded by greenary and spend time with each other with long forgotten joy.

We couldn’t believe that they spent five hours together with someone’s wife bringing tea, someone preparing Bread Pakora, someone preparing Chuttni and someone later buying Kulfi for all of them. Overall, it was a day we had worked for all these years.

The event was a grand success with more and more people appreciating our cause. Surely, we accomplished a great success – a green success!!

Writing, my passion

In the last 10 years or so I have lived by writing, enjoyed my life by writing and dreamt big by writing almost every day. Irrespective of what others thought of my deep desire to write more and more about anything and everything happening around me, I have tried to put down the happenings around my world through various write ups.

Whether they were my strong thoughts about any issue of social or political significance or occurrances in my personal world, I used words as my weapons to deal with them.

My latest venture into Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) is an attempt to sharpen my skills and learn more about writers' approach to language. However, there is a catch.

Even as I am feeling a bit comfortable in using language in this short stint at the Foreign Desk of IANS, I am feeling away from writing. I haven't been writing my usual write up on different issues like before.

Besides, the unabated pin-pointing, despite being of its own importance, is affecting the hidden writer in me. At times, it leaves me so scared to write that I avoid to come closer to writing. This is quite strange.

I wish to get into newspaper, which is my dream. I pray that I finish off my stint for a good reason and prospect with a big smile on my face.

My lord , help me in accomplishing that.

Sandeep Datta
April 3, 2011

Isn't Labour Day the need of the hour?

By Chaudhary Sandeep Datta

Another International Labour Day (May 1) is passing on but most of us are working in office as usual, feeling nothing different even on this day! For some people around the world or activists, in particular, the day may be an occasion to celebrate the revolution, which brought in practice the eight-hour schedule for all. But for most of us, it's not any different day. Isn't it?

It's nothing new if one has to say that to the present-day workers it holds barely any meaning. The reason being, nobody bothers.

But it's interesting to notice the day, which belongs to most of us, is never given even a single thought by us!

Despite having joined the service sector for long or just recently, it's likely not many of us may have bothered to learn about the significance of Labour Day.

Before knowing about this May Day through its history, we must realise it's about us. It's about the assertion of office-goers, daily wagers or labourers.

It's about being one voice or a united force to state that we deserve a better and respectful treatment as any human being on earth.

The over-hyped reason of recession and the threat to be made a victim of lay-off any day has created an unprecedented scare among almost every office-goer across India.

Everyone knows but not many can share it with the family. It's been made traumatising in different degrees for the servicemen to lose interest in their work and perform in peace.

There is a hanging sword on everyone's neck to be asked to put in his or her papers and live with the ignominy of being tagged 'incapable' in job.

The companies are making the most of the persisting hullabaloo about recession time, which is widely being stated not going to end very soon. Hence, it's been used as a good reason to push workers to take up more than they can physically or mentally afford.

Be it the fake competitions among the staffers and pushing of everyone to the brink of giving up on medical or any other grounds, is nothing but a fabricated presentation of extra workload.

The bosses, pressed to deliver more and justify their heavy-packaged salaries, have started putting unwanted and unjustifiable workload on their colleagues.

The more the bosses know about the compulsions of workers' reason to work and need of money, the more he or she is exploited today. There is no code of ethics in execution which may prevent such a wide scale injustice.

Everyone wishes but nobody dares to raise one's voice loud n' clear to question what's bugging their peace of mind constantly and pushing them to alcoholism, smoking, irritating mood or other suicidal tendencies.

The courts know it all but nobody is paying attention.

We all know everyone deserves humane treatment at work place. One cannot be treated as stray animals on the street. But, sadly, most of the people in jobs are treated nothing better than that in one way or the other. And, they have to abide by it with a face-saving smile.

After all it's a matter of sustaining one's family, especially the kids.

It's not exaggeration if one has to state that today's workforce is being made to work as educated slaves, who have to abide by anything and everything their immediate bosses' orders.

Even if everyone is supposed to deliver to the organisations' goal, the way workers are being compelled to deliver results is growing harsher with each passing day.

Today, individuals in offices don't work with the kind of justified freedom that workers deserve.

Labour Day is not just a reason to talk secretly about demanding holiday, but it's a day to realise workers' rights and be united and inter-linked. For, united we stand, divided we fall.

Historically, Labour Day Parade in Toronto in the early 1900s---The celebration of Labour Day has its origins in the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest.

On April 21, 1900 Stonemasons and building workers on building sites around Melbourne, Australia, stopped work and marched from the University of Melbourne to Parliament House to achieve an eight-hour day.

Their direct action protest was a success, and they are noted as the first organized workers in the world to achieve an eight-hour day with no loss of pay, which subsequently inspired the celebration of Labour Day and May Day.

Chaudhary Sandeep Datta

Is there actual democracy in India?

By Chaudhary Sandeep Datta

India is known as the largest democracy in the world. People have been accorded fundamental rights to live with happiness while cherishing fruits of living in a free country.

India's eligibility to gain UN General Assembly's permanent membership is being increasingly supported largely due to democratic system of governance and its increasing role in world affairs. But what sort of democracy prevails anywhere is best answered by its republic.

Ask the poor middle class families, the children and the women if it is actually proving useful for them or it is existing only on papers to be used in political speeches, ahead of elections and in parliament.


Right to Live, Right to Equality before law, Freedom of Speech and Expression, Right to practice religion, Right to Livelihood are some of the fundamental rights given under the Indian Constitution to the citizens of the country. Right to Information and Right to Education are two of the most recent added fundamental rights. These are meant to define and show democracy prevailing in this part of the world.

But are Indians actually free to live in this country and enjoy democracy? It might sound offending if some fine day a child or an elderly person would ask the President or Prime Minister of the country to explain a layman what does democracy mean in true sense? The prompt reply may leave anyone of that stature embarrassed.


If Sheila Dixit, chief minister of Delhi, the national capital of India, is unable to provide a glass of clean drinking water even after nearly 15 years of rule, what can be expected of governments in other parts of the country? Perhaps, the countrymen need the Right to Accountability which should force officials and political leaders together to explain and pay for their inefficiency in actual terms.

Democracy should define a citizen's power to question the political representatives without fear of backlash or threat of any kind. It should be empowered to carry the power to put the leaders and officials, irrespective of the position, behind bars if they were found guilty of being inefficient or casual in ensure public welfare or causing corruption. The true democracy should offer people the power to question and make the might pay for it personally.

The leaders and the officials must be made to lead an ordinary person's life using the same basic facilities to live, if found guilty of impropriety at any time. They must have fear of public backlash not just after five years after being voted to power but during every day of their life as political representative or being in government office as official for public service.

Democracy does mean availability of facilities and opportunities to all without push and bribes. It does mean that the son of a poor labourer and the son of a rich businessman or politician are treated equally not just before the law but also before after being sent behind the bars.

Democracy does mean answerability and accountability to public of every official and politician. They need to be reminded that they are given certain degree of power to serve instead of ruling the people.

If an uprising is possible in less developed Africa and Middle East, it is very much possible in India anyday, anytime, and anywhere due to corruption and silencing of voices of justice. For, the world is changing and so is the people living in it.

The day is not far away when people in localities, towns, and rural areas will join hands and start punishing the corrupt leaders and officials on their own. They will make the leaders and officials pay for their follies by themselves and decide their rights in democracy on their own.

Perhaps, that will be the saddest day for India as a nation and democracy.

Former Supreme Court Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer in his write up 'The Quality of Justice' (Feb 28, 2011) writes: Every instance of criticism that seeks to expose a government's operation against the people and their liberties is not a bid to overthrow it. That is not sedition but a patriotic mission on account of public commitment.

Pointing out the case of Dr. Binayak Sen, who has been imprionsed for life for allegedly being supporter of Maoists, Justice Iyer writes: "Dr. Binayak Sen has been found guilty of sedition. This charge is an extraordinary one and is based, according to newspaper reports, on his association wih certain Maoists. Dr. Sen has worked extensively in teh rural areas, providing medical assistance to the poor. He has a reputation for having sacrificed much of his time and his skills for the poor. This should be an important factor in considering the sentencing dimension of his guilt.

"....public commitment critical of the state administration should not be confused ith a traitor operation."

The new organisation

It's a difficult and quite demanding world. Trying to swim with my full strength to sail through this highly journalistic life. With eyes on that almighty God existing around my world in different forms and individuals to pray and bless my life, I am determined to make things possible in this new organisation. Thankfully, I am here and realising my wide rooms for improvement for the good.

The busy journalistic life and its pulls and pressures with high level of expectations to deliver have made life quite a hard path to tread on.

Love never dies....it exists in memories and turns eyes moist to reminisence the moments lived together.

This year, my Valentine's Day held a special meaning.

It's a new world...

Trying to explore the new things. Wish to catch up accuracy and speed at the same time. I must say these are highly quality-concious and a bit too deeply involved people of journalism. While I am having my share of tough time learning and imbibing myself of all new things of international arena, there is a bit of joy at the end of the day. That is of having learnt something new with each passing day, despite high-level of nervousness creeping in.

I hope my well-wishers will keep praying for my success, just like they have done for my wedding and new job and particularly my return to journalism. MK

There was never a genius without a tincture of madness.

-- Aristotle

There are many geniuses who were laughed. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers

The new journey

Life has taken a quite interesting turn. I always wanted to write about foreign affairs or foreign politics or siimply what should be as eloquent as anything worth publishable in international newspapers.

By the grace of God and my well wishers' blessings I have moved in that direction after a long and painful wait of so many years.

The brief stroll outside this journalistic world didn't suit me professionally, except for coming across a variety of interesting, kind and affectionate people at Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga. I am feeling quite relieved from running in a wrong direction just for the sake of change of job.

I have realised, journalism, particularly this world of news is that to me what is water for fish. The freedom to write something useful is one of the biggest privilege the God has gifted me again. I am quite grateful to him and the ones who prayed for me.

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Regards

Chaudhary Sandeep Datta