HEAVEN..!

Palampur - Not even many Distt. HQ's can beat this profile...

1	First things First- Distinction of being the only place/town/city in India to boast of two PVC winners- Maj. Somnath Sharma &  Capt. Vikram Batra
2	Tea Capital of North West India with T estates surrounding all over.
3	Airport 35 - km
4	Railway connectivity since 1927 (Meter Gauge)
5	NH-21 passing through the heart of the City
6	An HRTC regional office & depot
7	Agricultural University 2km
8	Vetenary College 2km
9	Medical College & Hospital 30km
10	Ayurvedic College & hospital 12km
11	Institute of Himalayan Bio resource Technology-A Regional Laboratory of CSIR 3km
12	Vivekananda Post Graduate Medical Research Institute &  Hospital (PGI)  (nearing completion) 2km
13	Multispecialty Rotary Eye Hospital maranda 4km
14	A unique Yoga &  Naturopathy rejuvenation & treatment centre- Kaya Kalp 2km
15	University College of Basic Sciences 3km
16	University College of Agriculture 2km
17	University College of Home Sciences 3km
18	Womens' Polytechnic  3km
19	Silkworm Breeding Centre  1km
20	Regional Honeybee Breeding Centre- Nagrota 20km
21	HPMC fruit processing plant Nagrota 20km
22	St. Paul's Sr. Sec. School (early 19th century vintage school) 1km
23	Church of St. John 1km
24	Sri Sai University, Palampur 10km
25	Kendriya Vidyalaya Palampur 1km
26	Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya 12km
27	Distinction of being the only town in India to produce two PVC winners- Maj. Somnath Sharma &  Capt. Vikram Batra
28	Base of A Mountain Division of the Indian army - Holta Camp
29	Base of an Artillery Brigade at Alhilal 10km
30	4 Hydroelectric projects in the vicinity - Utarala(15km), Kandi(10km), Jia(18km) &  Neogal(20km-upcoming)
31	The Palampur Co- operative Tea factory (early 19th century vintage)
32	Taragarh palace Hotel 10km
33	International paragliding centre at Billing 20km
34	World famous Shobha Singh's art gallery at Andretta 11km
35	Zoo cum nature park at Gopalpur 10km
36	Buddhist monastaries at Tashi Jong (10km) & Bir (20km)
37	Famous Trekking Routes through passes- Sanghar pass to Bharmaur via Holi, from Baijnath over the Jalsu pass to Bharmaur & to Holi via Waru La
38	Shaktipeeth Chamunda Devi Temple 18km
39	World Famous Rock Cut Baijnath Temple 16km
40	The only hill station in India where deodar trees are grown between the height of 3000 feet to 4000 feet from Mean Sea Level.

India of My dreams..

I had a dream, a dream for myself, indeed, for only that big was my horizon; then I had dreams, for I was living induced with the charms of a materialistic modern civilization, and now that very boundary that very fence that restricted my dreams started feeding on my bagful of childish dreams, here i am , emptied again…free to dream again for the boundary is no more and now I feel I can, I shall, dream & build a serene Bharat of my people, a vibrant Hindustan for my countrymen & India of our dreams with an indefatigable appetite to make every Indian believe.. Yes he can.. Yes I can.. Yes together We can do it…. realize our dream for this country.

For whatever the GDP meter has to say the Bharat part is lagging behind the not so vibrant India if I may call it.. for we have the largest skilled work force in the world & the largest cattle population in the world too. The prior is showered with tax holidays, fat salaries & what not and the latter still shares his verandah with his cattle.. sinister indeed… India is home to one of the largest no. of billionaires in the world , yet half of the worlds’ poor reside in Bharat..

Take another, we are the largest rail network in the world  but we area also amongst the dirtiest  (due to absence of suction technology in place) & the slowest  (due to rail axle wheels mfg. reserved for SSI’s which cant match the hi-tech rolling stock made elsewhere), so our super fast trains run @ chilling speed of 135 kmph 
Or for that matter take this.. no other country is so much blessed with such vast network of rivers gushing down from the Himalayas as ours  .. but inland navigation system which comes & operates @ minimal costs as exists in France (Rhine-Rhone waterway), Denmark (Kiel canal)- ..remember they also have their super fast trains too which are the fastest in the world… is nowhere seen in the near future in India. may be because we will be ever busy with our poverty eradication programs. Yesterday only bill Gates announced that he will not give any portion of his wealth to his off springs show me any such remote example in India .. …

The pundits predict that by 2025 the Indian economy will be larger than many gargantuans of today.. I wonder what would that give us ??.. Growth or Development??

Take for example Himachal Pradesh the least industrialized state in the Indian union (Yes, I have the right data ).. Almost nil source of revenue generation till very recently even leaving behind the likes of Arunachals Tripuras & Nagalands.. still ranks among the best states in primary health(rank-3), investment environment(3), primary education(1), macro economy(3), consumer market(2), law & order(5), etc among all states and we still run after economic development & investment…
It teaches us one.. industrialization in not inevitable for good quality of life or development, meeting the basic needs is, and two.. no source of revenue income/generation does not mean poor state of finances always for a state of a union.. The central grants if used properly without corruption can bring development & prosperity (not growth or GDP/Sensex rise) for what use is growth in number terms if there is no development… the model today is pulling us to the growth poles & not the development poles…

Lets take another look.. we would be overtaking China very shortly in nothing else but our numbers.. we would also have the largest vehicle population by that time.. I read about a girl being born without limbs over the internet sometime back.. but we brood over the traffic being very heavy in cities .. .. Are we really sure about our priorities, we hardly know what to worry about…

Well.. this all was not finger pointing.. or blame game being played but we need to work on our strengths.. keeping in mind our disquieting & nefarious handicaps crippling our world and set our priorities right to make a headway so that our own life improves, leave alone the coming generation …

“Kuch to bat rahi hogi .. Jo hasti mit-ti nahi hamari” ever since the decline of the Ashoka empire India has been under the foreign rule until very recently but kudos to our culture ours is still one of the strongest cultures which refuses to fade a pixel even in the face of such menacing adversities…


We are capable.. we are industrious.. we have the resources.. we have the power … then where is the problem??? Well we are too many but too few. Too many to produce many more, too many to talk endlessly, too many to brood and criticize but too less to stand & deliver too less to take a pledge too little to make an impact…

Thank you but no thanks… that is not the end but the beginning of the problem… in fact the beginning .. the tip of the iceberg.. we may not have a housing bubble beginning to burst in our economy but we have our own little Laxmi bombs (read-female infanticide, dowry deaths, rapes etc), the Alu bombs (read-the mass hunger), the fooljharis (read- the developing chain of red naxalism), the Atom bombs (read-social stigmas like.. untouchability, night soil picking etc) also we have the ravanas in each society namely- social & caste classification, religious fundamentalism & most vile of them all the militant extremism..

India of my dreams would be free from mass hunger, free from any kind of untouchability, from religious biasing, free from reservations on caste. It would be the most delicious mix of all communities, religions, castes, classes living in harmony , every citizen a responsible, rational economic man, where every man would realize the small family happy family slogan, where each child realizes the importance of not littering in public, where every parent feels the responsibility & obligation of making his child a responsible citizen of tomorrow, where my country is a super power not in military terms but moral cultural & ethical terms.. Where nobody sleeps hungry, where every body contributes and there would be opportunities in plenty…

Take this: NSG was formed in 1974 as a part of angry reaction specifically against India for making the Buddha smile.. could any one guess that after another set of smiles in 1998 the Uncle Sam’s and affiliates would sit together to appreciate Indias non proliferation history and unanimously give a thumping waiver to enter in the Nuclear club. This is India’s hidden might India’s strength.. So there remains a question.. why cant we attain the utopian targets we very often visualize today..??

But for that to happen we need to explicitly describe the roadmap to be followed rather than to brood over the roadblocks all the time. An immediate shot of a few life infusing changes need to be administered into our system through both an up-down and bottom-up approach..

1. More autonomy to Police & anti corruption agencies.. at the same time checking the almost infinite powers of MP/MLA’s by virtue of defining their roles & responsibilities through a constitutional amendment.
2. Increase the competition in the welfare sector. The best model is the one where the service providers in education , health, public utility services etc would compete to give the best , the cheapest, the fastest and hassle free world class service..
3. Target the individual & not the system or the program as is suggested by Mr. Amartya Sen. Say, introduce the education tokens to children & let them decide the best school for themselves, this would allow the schools to compete for the best standards and quality.
4. Move towards the roll back of the state & introduce competition & co-existance between the public the private sector. So that when the private sector fails , as in the case of financial crisis the public sector can take over and when the private sector performs good the state can lie dormant and focus on other arenas..
5. Planting trees on every inch of suitable piece of land available.. I don’t think I need to elaborate..
6. The Bharat Nirman project should not only be about putting concrete in the country side but to understand where not to put concrete and give priority to more profound human needs.
7. Harnessing the inland navigation potential, tidal power, more wind farms, solar ponds, nuclear plants, should be the focus.
8. RTI in more broader spectrum.. say sharing local knowledge globally and global knowledge/information locally to make a more inclusive civilization..
9. Strengthening the civil society to make it more vocal, more involved, more powerful, more participative in governance & decision making.
10. Though last on the list but equally important... empowerment of the women.. history is witness to the fact that every civilization which gave high position to women has known no boundaries and the others have no history to tell…

Every Indian is united in the time of war.. ready to make sacrifices ..and to show the highest of the gallant to win the war.. but isn’t peace more important than war..? Then why are we not ready to work, commit & sacrifice ourselves for peace and development of the country. India may or may not be the biggest economy by 2025, but if we are ready for strong and bold action in our mind first and then elsewhere.. then there is no doubt that even before 2025 people in Bharat, Hindustan & India would be one & where every Indian would believe that yes he can, Yes I can & Yes together we can realize our dream of a great nation…

Heritage...

insuperable,

An open Letter to Mr. Anna Hazare

Dear Mr. Anna Hazare.

First of all let me congratulate you for what you have done to my country in the past weeks. It would be too little if I say that it is a job too well done… You have become an engine of what a common man always wants to do , see and have in his country.. But unfortunately Mr. Hazare the track on which your engine is plying, is laid down by the government whom you are trying to take head on….

Let me hit the point straightway….

Your crusade is unfortunately misdirected…

You are trying to cure only the infected part of the system by trying to bring about a panacea named the Lokpal…

Your object is to appoint a super specialist doctor to cure the disease of corruption BUT unfortunately doing nothing to ensure that the body itself remains healthy at the first place and no corrupt are bred in the system… you will keep netting the corrupt with the Lokpal while numerous more will keep breeding under your nose…. So all that good u do will be nullified almost constantly… A zero sum game it will become…

You may bargain an all powerful Lokpal with even the PM under his ambit

“BUT”…

As long as the Lokpal himself is appointed by the Govt. Mr. Hazare, your whole exercise is futile…

That Lokpal will again be at the disposal of the whims and fancies of the sarkar… as we see in the case of CBI, ED which otherwise has enough constitutional mandate to take the biggies to task…

As long as all constitutional, statutory & executive appointments are at the Govt’s discretion, the govt. will play the game, make all the rules, be the referee and win hands down…

SO

The constitutional provision where the top appointments as recommended by a collegium of judges in case of higher judiciary, PESB in case of PSU’s, and a committee of ministers, a SC judge and the leader of opposition in case of top appointments in the bureaucracy, is non binding on the Govt. , is the root cause of all the evil i,e.. “The discretion of the Govt .”

All of us remember the case of CVC appointment… the committee had recommended someone else, the govt wanted Thomas, leader of opposition Sushma Swaraj expressed her reservation about appointing Thomas as CVC in her capacity as a member of the appointment committee, still the Govt. made him the CVC…

SO

Mr. Hazare more importantly if you are able to bargain with the Sarkar… to make it binding upon the Govt. to accept the recommendations of the Appointment Committee, I am sure we have no dearth of capable , honest and upright officers in our cadres to take the charge and lead the way to a brighter and a corruption free future… in that case not only Lokpal but majority of the officers of India will be selected on merit and not for toeing the Govt’s line and getting rewarded in return and this in turn will ensure us somewhat better future… though much still remains to be done subsequently in other fields for a progressive march towards a healthy society…

Introduction..

Let me tell u what i am and what I stand for..

I can do anything and I can fail in anything,
Anyone can beat me and I can beat "Just anyone"..
I am a work in progress...
And I shall never be complete..
Bul il fight till the very end and surprise everyone.. Including myself...

I have a socialist mindset.. but I am not a Marxist that way..
And i don’t propagate the hollow state theory or the roll back of the state either..
But a free state and an open economy run by the best minds from IIM's, the Haward, the Yale.. Can lead you tu a dirty mortgage crisis.. so u know a big state has tu exist..got in too deep here...huh.. but remember we get the kind of govt we deserve...

Apart from this i am.. Many things..
I am a very staunch protagonist of an idea I think carries weight..

At times i am ruthless but its good i guess...it's d philosophy of Howard bzness schul...managers have to be ruthless at times..Not administrators remember..so i shud make a better manager..

and then I don’t handle relationships well... ruthless as i am.. bt err.. Mind it.. not emotionless..
i wud die hard yes.. die hard for a few friends .. come what may...

I am not a great learner but judgmental but @ the same time fit universally into almost many things..if not anything.

Then is my passion for sports ..Though i am v v ordinary but as a person involved in games and sports it gives me a healthy mind and a fresh soul to live life much fuller.. evenings is the time i cant b in my room...

Then there comes higher things in life...I think I am Much more utopian than practical... wud go all out to make other person comfortable..like to follow rules, believe in chanakya neeti stuff.. Get fascinated by Bhagvad Gita esp chapter 13 .. wud read the description of Goddess Durga in Durgasaptsati Sachitra. wud cry @ times pray when i need help and energy,, donate wid a big big heart.. but don’t propagate beggary for sure..fight like brats on the road and in the traffic on the hind side.. would not mind fighting a big demon for ascertaining my rights.., i shout like anything.. my friends know about my this quality if it is..
and yes there is this thing.. i like to take big risks ..even when the world equivocally tells me that i am misdirected , over adventurous.. I carry on I do what I want to do.. not what has been good for others and everybody has been doing with best results.. u see good may not be gud if better can certainly be done..And 1 thing.. i wud not mind putting my whole life climbing and may even never reach my destination ..but there is no destination as such i am trying tu make the best journey possible rather than reach the best destination hardly anyone has ever seen..

And then i am all out for social good, equality through opportunity and not reservations, capital punishment for corruption and rape, corrective punishment for littering and the like, social audit in all organizations, complete corporate social responsibility for the private sector, heading all panchayati raj institutions by women (they make better administrators), system of recall & minimum educational standard for politicians, teaching profession to be made most lucrative of all, abolishing Indian police code(we still governed by British era Indian police code 1861 YES.. "1861"), let the higher judiciary have more power of legislation (be it against democratic principles) they really make sense as we guys call it "They Rock ", value oriented public service, exemplary punitive and corrective punishment for ragging, specialist appointment in higher bureaucracy, discourage excessive and to an extent vulgar pay packets to private sector honchos, plant a sapling .. to my mind.. in every acre of land possible, no more zoos and animals in circuses, protect the habitat and the species better know how to survive rather that captive breeding, expand the Indian Forest Service ambit .. make them understand .."They Have the Right & Obligation to Protect”, interlink the rivers, let every citizen understand and know his/her rights and duties, encourage the intellengesia to use the RTI, right to education for all with mandatory schooling up to calss 10, conscription is a good idea it would make and create much better youth, compulsory public service if cant do conscription, no religion and caste based reservations.. we have to start from somewhere (i guess it would take a civil war like in America to get out of this menace of reservations), more IIT's IIM's AIIMS NIT'S IISER'S ITI'S, more SC benches, strengthening and tightening lower judiciary, more regulated and morally responsible and responsive media (v difficult though but ..as it is a force multiplier.. it should propagate good work culture and highlight best practices along with throwing light on achievers rather than on villains which they do through their "sansani culture"),"), let the owners of SUV’S and MUV’s pay 100% duty, no subsidy on LPG for APL families, no subsidy on HSD.. Diesel except for farmers, no administered pricing on fuels, make the youth understand that they have to weed out inefficiency, corruption, iron curtains, red tapism, rigid hierarchical structures and make a difference, make politics a bright career option, crave for Excellency in IT .. we unfortunately are glorified contractors of the west, reorganize Bihar and parts of UP, lateral specialist entry in higher Bureaucracy (Nilekani is a bright example), stock market to be regulated strongly... SEBI to be made more powerful, MRTP/CCI to be like.. eyes and ears of accountability, encourage cultural mixing .. higher edu institutions to have state quotas, moral science and anti corruption lessons mandatory in schools, quota for neighborhood and under privileged in ALL schools throughout India, no of diplomats in India to be at par with other superpowers, Indian Army not to be a panacea for floods, droughts, emergency, law n order problem, internal disturbance etc.. groom NSG , Police, CRPF, SSB, CISF, Coast Guard appropriately, proper management of waste (((ATUL's INDEX: HOW MUCH A SOCIETY IS DEVELOPED CAN BE GAUGED BY THE FACT That HOW FAR AND EFFICIENTLY IT DISPOSES ITS COMMUNITY WASTE)))<<>>, compulsory 1 yr rural stint for medicos, engineers, teachers, and all other public servants, Governors High Commissioners SC & HC judges PSC Members constitutional appointments in Bureaucracy to be through a notified panel, unreserve axle wheel making in SSi's ..small scale ind.. that is y we don’t have supper fast trains in India.. inferior axle wheels, matrix organizations 6sigma and flat type organizations to be encouraged in public sector, navratna PSU's to have more autonomy, more disinvestment in PSU's keeping the inherent controls, delegation of functions to the market keeping the essentials intact, indicative planning rather than directive planning, in house expertise rather than off shoring, outcome budget, frequent appraisals of the economy and its performance, coupling to the world economy only to the extent desired... we saved ourselves in this global crisis only because we were not much coupled to world markets and monetary systems, imbibe the feelings of national pride, discipline, create a disaster management ministry or agency, encourage youth in scientific research, increase research avenues in India, more run of the water schemes rather than dams, tap max HE potential of Himalayas, solar energy of the Thar, wave energy & tidal energy of the coastlands, biomass energy in rural India, harness advanced tech like producing electricity from speed breakers, biofuels from bagasse, bamboo etc, defection in political parties to attract nullification of membership of house, leader of opposition to be consulted and given more say in policy laying down appointments etc., judiciary to be made transparent by making declaration of assets compulsory, right to food to be made a fundamental right, make history and culture lessons compulsory in education, psychological test for recruitment in all kinds of armed forces, emphasis on research in institutions of higher research rather than on teaching, country tours and national tours to be made a part of curriculum, bringing maximum efficiency and accountability in the PDS system.. it is the lifeline of millions, technology to be made cheap and easily accessible, more free trade pacts with the outside world, encourage SEZ culture and expand the ambit to AEZ.. Agricultural export Zones, increase India’s manufacturing prowess, integrate rural economy with urban one to discourage migration, enhance employment facilities @ rural areas through SHG’s, microfinance, microcredit, PPP, NREGA etc.to enable reverse migration and improve living standards there, urban poor to be included in the development juggernaut, planned development of cities, redesigning and restructuring cities on the lines of Shanghai and Beijing, more often delimitation of constituencies, nutrient based subsidy in fertilizers rather than blanket subsidy, implement pond in every farm concept through NREGA, promote local level leadership and entrepreneurship for local policy laying and prioritizing projects to be implemented through NREGA and value additions, include social indicators like happiness index to gauge country’s morale, adopt best practices around the globe in governance, administration, agriculture, policy matters etc., harness social capital of adequate manpower in the country by channelizing them through proper vocational training,
States to have representation in Planning commission, cross movement of functionaries from private to public sector and vice-a –versa, subsidy to the economically backward and not on caste and creed lines and on user pay basis to the rest, make the internally disturbed areas like naxallite affected ones as thrust areas for development as their movement is basically against underdevelopment, encourage tourism and especially medical tourism as it give high foreign exchange, encourage delegation of work to the private sector wherever it can be more efficiently and rapidly done, introduce MRTS in all major cities, sewage treatment plants to be absolute mandatory in all cities and towns big or small, rain water harvesting to be mandatory in all water deficit cities, environmental audit along with safety audit to be made statutory, progressive and satellite aided traffic signaling in cities, ACD.. anti collision devices on all railway tracks, dedicated freight corridors between major production centers/areas and markets/shipment terminals/dry ports, states to have more autonomy to invite and encourage FDI directly, lean sizing of public organizations, more comprehensive auditing, promote integrity pacts and MoU’s, minimize politicization of college campuses, check undue and unregulated mushrooming of medical and engineering colleges, AICTE to be more strict in awarding deemed university status to colleges, provide opportunities like best infrastructure , competitive environment, best education, to check brain drain, impose pollution control norms strictly throughout the country and not only in big cities, shift pollution causing industries away from civilizations, ban plastic throughout country and start by imposing ban in all million cities, completely phase out bulbs in a phased manner, reduce transmission losses and theft in the power sector using best practices and vigilance, ensure environmental friendly and coherent construction and planned expansion of cities, more effective policing through collaboration with civil society, informed citizenry, RWA’s… resident welfare associations, CBO’s.. community based organizations etc., encourage national integration , national morale building through cinema, cultural events, sports meets, tourism, national festivals etc., encourage competition through.. outsourcing, world sourcing & competitive sourcing, encourage the concepts of BOO, BOOT, BOT etc., empower local govt to levy taxes, minimum fuel efficiency for automobiles ..say 10kmpl for petrol & 4 kmpl for HSD…u can’t take environment for a ride, deputation to Territorial Army(TA) for imbibing social service ethos in public servants, to private sector to imbibe knowledge of best practices, reuse of paper if possible to be made compulsory in govt. offices and private sector to take it as social responsibility, popularize encourage and make available solar heaters solar lights solar cookers solar lanterns to the masses, installing fly ash capturing units in thermal plants and desulphurization chimneys in refineries, incorporating HC crackers in refineries, enhancing biofuel blending up to 85% as in European markets, make use of euro-3 fuels through the country, phase out more than 15 year old vehicles starting from metros, develop inland navigation system in the rivers as it is the most cheap means of transport available and the potential in certain heavy traffic zones is very high, imbibe in the consumers to ask for a bill for any purchase they make.. it adds to govts. Kitty,
Better integration of ancillary industries; follow Gujral doctrine in dealing with neighbors, enhance nuclear research especially in thorium based reactors…India being largest reserve holder of monazite sands, increase Intellectual Property Rights awareness and encourage Indian cos. to file maximum patent applications, create world class facilities for sports, stop being a big exporter of iron ore to Japan and China and create capacity to utilize maximum iron ore and add to infrastructure juggernaut, link NE India adequately with highways railways airways and waterways, link tier 2 cities with airways on the hub and spoke model, encourage more Greenfield investment through FDI, empower center to absolve any staggered unethical decision by states (Mayawati’s projects), decentralize the IT industry to smaller cities through IT SEZ’s, improve the condition of state highways distt. roads and village roads, don’t stress on reviving the sick units by referring them to BIFR.. Board for Indl & Fin Reconstruction ..on the contrary concentrate energies on building new success structures, rather than encouraging foreign univs to open shop in India make our own Institutes world class, introduce “spoils system” as in the US to introduce specialists with proven credentials to head ministries and top administrative posts, merit based appointments in CBI, ED, IB and RAW through a notified panel and not political appointments,
Insurance and health benefit schemes for unorganized sector workers, at least in public sector couples with 1 and 2 children given priority for promotion, success models like HIMSWAN in HP, LADLI scheme in DELHI, E-Governance schemes in Kerala to be replicated throughout the country, a compulsory games period daily for students in schools, all colleges to have social service clubs like NSS etc. to imbibe service ethos in the youth, at least one India tour to be essentially integrated in college curriculum, at least one dry day a week for govt vehicles where they are used only in very essential need based situations ..as in the army, pollution under control norms for vehicles to be enforced throughout the country, notify more biosphere reserves in the country and proactively strive to make them biodiversity hotspots, preservation of local environment to be the responsibility of the local govt., make yoga and Sanskrit an attractive selling proposition to the west, preserve our rich cultural and monumental heritage and make it attractive for tourism, enhance facilities in states like HP , Uttarakhand and NE to enhance tourism, start more proactive campaigns on the lines of “Atulya Bharat” not only nationally but internationally to remove our image as “snake charmers land” and attract tourism to India,

all in all MERITOCRACY and not MEDIOCRITY in all spheres, all horizons..

I think I have spoken enough.. yes not what i am but what I stand for .. Which is more important....