Day 336

These days the flood situation in Bihar has flooded my mind too. I’m only watching the news channels and going through the internet version of the daily newspapers. Well, the reports of water level going down are coming from every where but still the flood is there in 20 districts in Bihar. Actually, the forecast of havoc rain which may occur has put everyone on high alert in the Bihar government. The statements are there that Patna city is safe but still all the preparations have been done by taking the forecast in to account. The weather department is saying that the rain in Nepal can make the situation worse in the North Bihar. Gandak, Koshi, Bagmati are few amongst the important rivers flowing in Bihar from Nepal. West Champaran, East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Saharsa, Supaul, Arahia and Kishanganj are the districts which are there on Nepal Bihar border where the situation can get worse due to the rain in Nepal. Already the Koshi River has always created flood in the stated districts. But the main focus is on the forecast. It may happen or it may not happen. So, there is unclear picture now.

Although the water levels are down but still the danger is there. The Soan River is flowing 1 meter down from the danger level but the Ganga River is still 40 cm above the danger level in Buxar. In today’s newspaper, I have read that although the flood water has retreated from the areas where it went, but the situation hasn’t changed much. Now the reconstruction of roads and dams has to be done along with the precaution of stopping any illness in the area. The areas from where the flood water has retreated are now full of bad smell and the probability of getting ill is on high. The state machinery is in full action but still it has to cover some areas where people are still trapped. At many places, people aren’t leaving their homes and going to the relief camps as they fear of thefts. So, the district administrations are having problem in reaching to those people. Although the report of mismanagement has come from couple of relief camps but still the state machinery is doing its best to stop any disease to spread and in the flood relief operations. 

Day 335

I don't know what to say now. The flood situation in Bihar is still critical. Around 59 lakh people have been hit by the flood so far. 20 districts out of 38 districts in Bihar are been affected by the flood. Till yesterday, 176 people were drowned in the flood water. There has been forecast of heavy rain and cloud busting in Patna area by the Indian Metrological Department. An official from the IMD has said that the cloud busting will be like as it happened in Kedarnath in July this year. It will likely to happen in the second of September. It’s suggested that in 24 hours around 300 mm of rain fall is expected to happen. This forecast has increased the tension for the Patna District Administration. The district administration has declared high alert and had deployed more units of NDRF and SDRF. Although the water level in the Ganga River in Patna has gone down by 6 cm and 9 cm at two different Ghats. But still the Ganga is flowing above the danger level. The condition is still not stable. Although, the decrease in the water level in the course of Ganga’s route have been recorded but still the decrement at Patna isn’t still satisfactory. Statistically speaking, then Allahabad had recorded decrease of 112 cm, Varanasi has recorded 92 cm and Buxar has recorded 23 cm down in the water level.

Actually the Ganga has 12 districts of Bihar in its route where it has done destruction on the large scale. Bhagalpur and Katihar are the worst effect districts due to the flood. I don't know what will happen in coming week but I’m having my fingers crossed and praying that no rain should happen. It will only worsen the situation. For the last two days, the weather in Patna city is bright and sunny. Today, as I’m writing this post, the bright sun is there along with cool breeze in Patna. Well, I’m just praying that the water level should decrease to its normal level and the flood should retreat. Thousands of people are now trapped and thousands of agricultural lands are flooded. I just wish that everything should become normal soon. 

Day 334

Well, for the last few days, I was trying to write something on the blog. But unfortunately, there was something which was holding me back. Actually, these days, the holy river Ganga is in furious form. The Ganga is flowing around 129 cm above the danger level from my hometown, Patna. Although the district administration is fully alert and it has made all the necessary precautionary arrangements but it’s a matter of worry for all the Patnaites that the Ganga is flowing at such a high level. For the last one week, the weather was under control. Till Saturday, the water level was constant but since today morning, it’s raining in instalments. It rained about an hour in morning and now in evening, it’s again raining for an hour. That’s adding more worries about the increment in the water level. The Ganga River and its associating rivers like Gandak, Sone is flooding various areas like Ara, Buxar, Bhagalpur etc in Bihar. The water level of the Ganga is still high in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh. I think half of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh has already been flooded by the Ganga.

I don't understand that how Ganga has become so furious. I think it’s all the after affect of the recent catastrophe in Uttrakhand in the Amarnath area. Although there are 8 divisions in Patna district where the flood has done destruction, along with that the Patna district administration is catering the needs of those who have lost their homes in Saran district due to flood. Really, it’s a tough time. The water level of Ganga in Bhagalpur is so high that it’s about to cover the Vikramshilla bridge. Bihar hasn’t got its proper monsoon but its facing the destructive part of the flood. If we talk about the statistics then Central Water Commission has recorded two different water levels of Ganga at the two different banks in Patna. On Sunday morning, that is yesterday morning, Ganga was at 48.98 meters, 129 cm above the danger level at Gandhi Ghat. The water level was 50.89 meters, 40 cm above the danger level. This means that still, the Ganga is in furious form. I’m just praying that sooner the furious form gets over and Ganga retains her normal form so that there shouldn’t be more loss of lives and crops. Till now, mostly the damage has been made to the crops. I hope this shouldn’t happen on large scale. 

Day 333

  Yesterday was our Independence Day. I would like to wish a very happy Independence Day to all my countrymen. 66 years ago, we got independence from the British rule. Many martyrs sacrificed their lives to gain this independence. Independence Day is just an occasion to salute and to pay our homage to those brave martyrs. They are always alive in our memories and will always be there. After ruling our country for 190 years, British gave political independence to us. That was beginning of a new India.

   But there are many problems in present India. We have to fight those problems to make our country free from all the evils. But one problem is being there for the last 66 years. British gave independence to India but created Pakistan out of undivided India. Pakistan has always been waging war for the last 66 years. In 1965 and in 1999, it had frontier war but indirectly through terrorist activities, it’s attacking India. Recently, 5 Indian soldiers were killed by Pakistani army. On 26 November, 2008, Pakistani Inter Service Intelligence sent Kasab and his team to attack Mumbai. Daily there is some news of killing innocent Indians in Kashmir. But we couldn’t do anything to retaliate Pakistani actions. If US can attack Iraq and Afghanistan to eliminate Saddam Hussain and Osama Bin Laden then why can’t we attack Pakistan when we have so many proves against Pakistan? I don't understand that instead of having superior army strength why can’t we have a war against Pakistan? It’s all due to weak political boss controlling the army. In Pakistan, the control is in the hand of Pakistani army. That’s why they can do anything against India anytime. But our army has got its hands tied up and the control is in the hands of politicians who aren’t capable of taking decision. American government sent its marine troops in Pakistan to kill Osama Bin Laden when it got the sure report that Laden was hiding in Pakistan. But Indian government hasn’t done anything yet in spite of know that all its most wanted criminals like Dawood Ibrahim are hiding in Pakistan. Actually, Pakistani administration is giving support to all those who are against India.

    Time has come to bring some changes in the political as well social condition of our country. We are the largest exporters of doctors and engineers to the world but we have many diseases and poor infrastructure in our country. Time has come to throw corruption out of our country. Corruption isn’t just limited to taking or giving bribes. Dishonesty with one’s duty is corruption. We have to bring the social change in our country. Then only we will have freedom from all evils and then only we will have freedom in real sense. 

Day 332

Now the drama in Indian politics has started to show its colours. For the last six to seven months, the brew was popping up. Now it has boiled up completely. The alliance between BJP and JD (U) has ended yesterday in Bihar. The Chief Minister, Mr Nitish Kumar, has submitted the recommendation of removing the eleven ministers of BJP from his cabinet to the Governor of Bihar. It was accepted in late evening. Now a special session has been called of on 19^th June 2012, for the confidence motion. JD (U) has 118 seats and BJP has 91 seats in 243 seated Bihar assembly. For simple majority any party needs 122 seats. This means JD (U) needs just 4 seats to have the simple majority while BJP needs 31 seats. For BJP, it’s a tough job. So they have decided to oppose the confidence motion. There are 4 independent MLAs in the assembly. JD (U) is heavily dependent on them. Congress has 4 seats in the assembly. In my view, they will help JD (U) indirectly by being absent from the assembly on the day of confidence motion. With the split, it has been clear that now the 17 years old alliance has come to its end.

I don't know what to call it. Whether it’s a good thing or bad thing for both the parties. Both of them are saying ideological differences erupted between both of them. The primary reason of this split is the selection of Narendra Modi to the post of chairman of the election committee in BJP. Nitish Kumar has been keeping himself away from Narendra Modi since 2009. This was the reason that he didn’t allow Narendra Modi to attend any election rally in 2009 in Bihar. These days, Nitish Kumar is projecting himself as secular leader who has brought development in Bihar. No doubt that he has brought development in Bihar. Under his leadership, Bihar has achieved more in eight years what it has lost in fifteen years under Laloo-Rabri regime. But people voted him in power in 2005 because he was part of NDA. People looked at him as partner of BJP. But now, the scene has totally changed.

This split is going to harm both the parties. Other parties will try to take undue advantage of this split. The time was to unite to work in favour of NDA. People are fed up with the UPA’s second term. So the time was to show the people that NDA is much better than UPA. That’s why BJP has projected Naredra Modi as their Prime Ministerial candidate. But it failed to hold its greatest ally, JD (U) with it. If Nitish Kumar wouldn’t have gone against Modi then the split would haven’t had happened. In the coming days, the picture will be clearer. Then I’ll be able to express my view on its effect on the national politics. 

Day 331

    For the last few days, I was silent. This silence was intentional. I was watching the fast changing Indian political scenario. A lot of things were happening in Indian political front. But the incidences of the past one week are more debatable. Today’s newspapers are filled with the outcome and its effect of the recently concluded general meeting of BJP in Goa. It has totally changed the whole scenario. Being the largest national opposition party, BJP is going through a bad phase. Although the Goa session has initiated the phase change in BJP but still it’s internally divided. Slowly and gradually, Narendra Modi is being projected as the face of BJP on the national level for the past one year and so. He is being projected as the next Prime Ministerial candidate. Till now, the BJP was going under the guidance of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani. In real terms, these two persons are the foundation pillar of BJP.

    But something was wrong with the BJP. The general opinion across the country is fed up with the second term of the UPA government. But BJP hasn’t been successful to harvest this anti UPA sentiment of the people. In my opinion, there was some lack in the coordination between the leaders in BJP would be one of the reasons. It’s true that the change was needed in BJP but it should be done a bit earlier. Now Lal Krishna Advani has spent 55 active years in the Indian politics. I’m not saying that his desire to become the next Prime Minister is wrong. Well, he was the deputy Prime Minister in the late phase of the NDA government. After being so close to the post, one’s desire to be on the post naturally increases. But now, the scene has changed. One decade has passed since that incidence had happened. Now there are some drift in the NDA partners over the increasing popularity of Narendra Modi. Bihar’s Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, has openly stated that his party won’t be the part of NDA if Narendra Modi will be the Prime Ministerial candidate for the general elections due next year.

    After the selection of Narendra Modi as the chairman of the election committee in BJP, Nitish Kumar has said that he has to think about the coalition in Bihar. The Congress party’s problem is now easier. BJP is having drifts with in itself. Everyone knows that the BJP is the only alternative of Congress. Even people are in mood to change the UPA government. But the main opposition alliance itself is weak. The coalition partners are having differences with the BJP. The time has come in BJP for the change in command. Its really tough time for the BJP. It has to change its leadership while keeping the coalition partners happy. But after the election of Narendra Modi as the chairman, Advani has resigned from three important posts he was holding. Now the efforts are being made to make him calm. Personally speaking, then I admire Advani and Modi a lot. India needs strong leaders like them. So, according to me, the time isn’t of having differences with each other. Advani has got more experience than any one else except Vajpayee in the BJP. So, in my view, he should be the mentor now. The next generation leaders like Modi, Arun Jaitely, and Sushma Swaraj need guidance from Advani. This combination will be more fearful for the Congress party.

    If Advani agrees to be mentor and Modi works under his guidance then the BJP can come over this turmoil very easily. It can reduce the tension about the coalition partners and can bring back the drifting partners. 

Day 330

I know I was absent for a long time. But previously I was busy in the final term examinations of my PGDM course. A month has passed since it got over. But still, I was inactive in writing the blogs. Well, there wasn’t any particular reason except one that I was doing various works at home. Being at home, always gives pleasure to one. Actually, some renovation work is going on at my home. So, it kept me engaged for this one month. The work is still going on. I thought to spend few minutes for my blog. Even I wasn’t feeling happy that I wasn’t writing any blog in spite of being free from all the academic works.

Well, today is the first anniversary of my American trip. One year ago, I was on my way to America. But due to different time zones, I was enjoying the mid afternoon time although it was night in India. But that’s the part of international travelling. Jet lag and time zone differences are always there when you are travelling a long distance. My entire one way trip to America took around thirty hours in total. It included the flight time as well as waiting time for the connecting flights. But due to different time zones, it appeared as just twenty one hours to complete my journey. Anyway, that happens.

But one year down the memory lane, today, I’m missing those moments. While going to America, I was feeling lonely. When I reached Heathrow airport in London, then I was feeling alone. I was on international travel and that too alone. There was no one to talk with. There were many faces but all of them were strangers for me. I was going to a place where I knew no one. I wasn’t even having the contact number of the concerned persons who were supposed to be contacted in case of emergency or need. I didn’t know that who will come to receive me. But still I was on my trip. Being far from home and loneliness was making my mood down on a one hand and going to an unknown place and getting experience personally was on the other hand. Finally when I reached Columbia in South Carolina in America it was half past eleven according to their local time but it was 24^th May and it was nine in the morning according to Indian Standard Time.

But today, I can say that I learned while enjoying when I was in America. I got nice support and I came to know a lot of things about their culture and their way of living. It’s not as it’s shown in the Hollywood movies. It’s totally different from that. Every city or state has its own culture and living standard. There are a lot experiences which I’m now with me. Along with that I’m having sweet memories which bring a smile on my face.