|
Opinion
|
| TO WHOM SHALL I RECOUNT THE STATE OF MY RESTLESS HEART? Written by Ashok Raina | | | | TO WHOM SHALL I RECOUNT THE STATE OF MY RESTLESS HEART?
Written by Ashok Raina
In my country, I have had to spend most of my life in vain, which has caused me deep sorrow. God had blessed me with beauty, provided me with education, and instilled in me a spirit of talent. I have always preferred to live within the bounds of the law, yet I am still suffering hardship and misfortune.
What pained me the most was being entangled in the complexities of corruption and the discrimination I faced, and each moment felt like being stranded on a sleepy, salient, completely hushed zone in the biting cold – it wasn't easy at all and I really believe it is our soul longing for its creator.
So much is happening in this country. There are many who have come here from abroad and are working, easily securing government jobs. But the community I belong to, they, like me, have had to grow old and crossed all over age limits without getting an employment opportunity. This is the extent of our hardship, and I have much to say about the policies of the government and how they have treated me.
The fact that I have become homeless, and that the whole world, including many well-known political leaders in my own country, is aware of my situation, yet I have been ignored and discriminated against, is a matter of great sorrow.
Even those national leaders in government who had no knowledge about us were informed by the intellectual and accomplished senior artists and filmmakers through several films they produced, including the superhit "The Kashmir Files." But unfortunately, the extent of this neglect became so extreme that we had to and continue to endure even more suffering.
When I see with my own eyes who has been given government jobs, who has been appointed to positions of authority on priority basis without their participation in the selection process and who has been allowed to run their own esteem of business with financial support, it clearly reveals the arrogant nature of the government hidden within the country. I also express my deep sorrow and concern for the many people, like myself, who have been negatively affected by these actions of the all successive government.
As I matured, the feelings and passion I had for doing something for the country and its people were all crushed by the government's vote-bank politics and policies. I also feel pain and sorrow about what is happening to the poor people of the country and how they are being cheated in broad daylight.
The infighting and rivalries among politicians are forcing the people of the entire country to suffer. Even the names of schemes implemented by previous governments are being changed openly. The name of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, is also being removed from employment schemes.
Although there should be no objection to bringing changes to employment schemes, as changes are necessary with the changing times, in a country where even Russian President Mr. Putin offered floral tributes at Mahatma Gandhi's memorial, that too in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and under his government's leadership, and all of it was broadcast live, is it natural to suddenly remove Mahatma Gandhi's name from the employment scheme shortly after Putin's departure? Really expressing the internal conflicts among the politicians is nothing short of a miracle for everyone.
Opposition leaders are protesting on this issue, and we see them taking to the streets, but it is also essential to see how the country's prominent writers and journalists—the fourth pillar of democracy—remember the teachings of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, and how they successfully utilize the power of their pens during the present government.
In my opinion, the poor people of the country should not have to suffer the additional hardship of having the outstanding payments due to them under the MGNREGA scheme.
My biggest problem is that I consider other people's suffering as my own problem. As to whom shall I recount the state of my restless heart?
(The author of this article is Ashok Raina editor of daily Northern Times)
| | | | |
|
|
| |
| |
|
|