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Thursday, July 11, 2013

Walk of Life: Experience of Wari

Legs are aching. Body is tired. Destination is few kilometres away. It starts raining. Mind is in trance. Will power carries you till destination.  You sleep in temples, trucks, homes or in the open.  That ends today. Tomorrow is another walk, another journey and another destination.  You have to manage logistics of food for your group, or rely on kind donors. You have to manage ablutions sans privacy. You have to face hardships for 20 odd days. This is picture of Wari which you will think is negative. But hold on for a moment. Let me complete my word picture of Wari. The physical discomfort is what makes Wari a super devotional and highly emotional experience.  It is the supreme devotion to ‘Vitthal: the almighty’ that carries you through. The eternal and divine rhythm of ‘Gynba- Tukaram’ drives out pain from your body, gives extreme bliss all through your walk.  Mind and soul search for self enlightenment. At the end of the walk many people experience this bliss , get new perspective of own life for whole year.  This experience is what will bring you again next year. That’s why it is called Wari.

Monday, July 8, 2013

Pmp Bus Purchase 500 on Installments & 600 on hire: Whose interests will be served?

Dear Sirs,

1. Purchase of buses on installments is outright bad idea and will keep the Pmp crippled for its life.

Pmpml is not in a position to meet the operational expenses incl salaries,diesel/cng etc, it will never have funds to bear the interest and installment burden. Desperately it will attempt to pass on burden to Commuters with repeated bus fare
Hikes. Recent Last 3 fare hikes had reduced ridership by more than 2 lakhs. Further fare hikes to pay instalments and interest will prove to be death nail of Pmp.

Alternative options available:

The cost of 500 buses at Rs 25 lakhs each will be Rs 125 crores. This should be paid by Pmc Rs 75 cr & Pcmc Rs 50 crores. Which is app 2% of PMC & PCMC's annual budget; moreover Guardian Minister & Hon Dy CM Ajitdada Pawar had already directed both corporations to make 2% provision for Pmpml.