Monday, January 28, 2013

Roadside Stalls Cheaper Than Shops?

Here's a post about big brands being ripped off because people buy fakes. To my mind, if fakes are cheaper people will buy them. However morally wrong we might feel (and say) it is, we'll succumb.

The same applies to buying goods from roadside stalls rather than shops. We, the consumers, know those aren't legitimate businesses, but we can't resist the cheaper prices. 

If shopkeepers present us with the facts about their overheads forcing them to make goods more expensive, we might make sympathetic noises but when it comes to shelling out a hundred rupees more for the same item from our tight budget, that's all it will remain - sympathetic noises.

Shops have to factor in the rent of the shop, the electricity, employee wages, (the extras like a cup of tea to beguile the customer, plush seating), tax, a minimum profit margin... BUT, that's their problem. 

How do shops compete with that mindset? How do shopkeepers coax the budget conscious Indian consumer to buy from them and not from illegal stalls? Very difficult, unless they put up their own illegal stalls outside their shops.

Would shopkeepers be able to rely on the police to stop these illegal stalls from stealing legitimate trade from them? They haven't been able to as yet. We see roadside stalls filling every inch of the footpath that isn't occupied by beggars. We, as pedestrians are relegated to the roads.

We, as consumers, love our bargaining prowess - the adrenaline rush from stealing a march over other, "weak" bargainers or over the stall owner by driving a hard bargain, is irresistible. Besides, in India, we happily bargain at shops too. The thought of not being able to bargain is alarming to us.


So, why stop roadside stalls at all? In one word, middle(wo)men. The mafia is definitely part of the scenario now. The roadside stalls pay a hafta to gangs so that their stalls are ‘safe’ and so that they are allowed to operate. And if there are rival gangs trying to gain control of a road, the cost to the original gang to keep the roadside stalls in their own hands increases. Wonder if a cut goes to the police and some shadowy ‘leaders’.


The result? Not only inflated prices but a mafia that gets bolder by the second. They’ve taken over our roads. We are so busy bargaining to save our pennies we don't want to know.





Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Doctor Dilemmas



I read a post by Pattu Raj here, about the way she’d been treated by doctors over decades. She seems to have been especially unfortunate. Here's just a couple of things she faced.

  • Male doctors speaking only to her husband even if she was the patient. Wonder why? After learning all about the human anatomy for at least seven years are we to believe the male doc was overcome by shyness and couldn't address the female patient directly? Or did he think a female brain wouldn't be able to take in what he had to say? Surely he must have sat exams with female doctors, some of whom might have done better than him in the papers. Or perhaps he'd like to blame his rudeness on tradition.
  • Being forced, as a prospective employee of a company, to get health certificates from a barely qualified and rude lady who used influence to land the job.

Of course, there is the other side too. I lived in India till the eighties. My second child was born in 1990. I especially went back to India to deliver the baby because I had full trust in my doctor of many years who had also delivered my first born. My only grouse against him – the waiting often stretched into several hours and was exhausting. As for my experiences with nurses and doctors in Indian hospitals – they were always professional, quite wonderful and very friendly. 

I was obviously disgusted by what Pattu Raj had to say about the treatment meted out to her - there's much more in her post. It gives rise to a whole barrage of questions. The first - who allows half qualified people to get away with practicing medicine? Does some governing body overlook this malpractice as long as its palms are greased? 

We all know what they should do. We also know they don't. It all boils down to what you can do.   How can you stop feeling helpless and cornered? For them to have the temerity to play with your health, your pain and your suffering! Can't you stop going to them and find a better doctor? That would soon make them toe the line.

If, for some reason you can't, why don't you get together with others living close by and start a discussion? Of course this involves donating a very important resource – your time, for a weekly meet up. Only you can decide if it is worth the effort. It might throw up some solutions.

To your health. May you always have the reassurance of a caring medical practitioner who is responsible and well qualified.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Final Thoughts On HC's Short Story Competition

Harper Collins, in conjunction with Indiblogger, held a short story competition. To enter, one had to submit the idea for a story and get people to vote for the idea. I can honestly say I enjoyed the challenge. There were some good discussions in the forum. Here's one - a discussion on "short stories" by the editor of Harper Collins, India.

The competition is almost drawing to a close - just a week to go.  My story idea titled, A Fait Accompli, was well received and I read some amazing ideas from others. Will definitely buy the book when it comes out in the last quarter of 2013. 


Last minute votes for my story idea welcome here




Tuesday, January 8, 2013

United in Action



When Glad2bawoman asked me to write a post for them, I was delighted. I’ve been following their writing regularly and my feelings have resonated with most of what they’ve had to say.

My guestpost on their blog is about the best, most uplifting way to unite in action and why I think it is effective. 

When we united in action seeking justice for Jyoti we were angry, even stunned, shocked and ashamed, at the barbaric and blatant manner in which the six low lives violated and brutally hurt her. We forced our indifferent politicians to sit up and take notice. Everything that is decent in us demanded it and we didn’t care that they tried to muzzle us with water cannons, tear gas and lathi charges. 

Why haven’t we united in action before? For other causes? How can we tap into this glimpse we’ve had of what we (not they – the politicians and their uneducated goons) can achieve together?

Yes, this post talks about the benefits of joining an NGO. Let me spell out some as a precursor to the main article

  • Joining an NGO is uplifting 
  • It is a long term, safe and effective way to counter some of the evils that beleaguer our society. After all, whose voice is heard loud and clear - a billion lone individuals or a billion strong force?
  • It is the perfect win-win. Even as the NGO benfits from our involvement, it improves our time and resource management (and many more outlined in the post) skills.
  • Given a choice between someone who's worked in a charitable organisation and someone who hasn't, more than 50% of employers say they prefer to employ the former.
 
The link again - http://www.glad2bawoman.com/category/rights/united-action 


Friday, January 4, 2013

An Essential Flaw

Guest Post: Please help me welcome Glad2bawoman, a community that believes in celebrating women. All decent men and women are sure to enjoy and appreciate what they have to say. Here's a very valid point they make.

The increasing frequency with which rapes are occurring in our country today, has raised more than a few eyebrows. It has managed to enrage a whole nation and it has lead to widespread speculation about ways in which this problem can be dealt with. A lot of people have been debating upon the nature of punishment which the rapists need to be dealt with, in order to incite fear in the hearts of anyone who would think of attempting such a heinous crime in the future. Quite a few people have been talking about arming women with pepper-sprays, and the more radical opinion which states that arms possession should become legalized for women in our country so as to protect them from rapists. 

While these are the opinions being expressed, by large, every family is warning the women of the household to not step out after nightfall, to not wear sleeveless tops or short skirts, to not walk alone in deserted lanes, and to not do anything to induce the ardour of a strange man on the streets. This is a basic problem which needs to be addressed, which is also a deciding factor for what the nature of the punishment of rapists should be. The whole outlook about women remaining protected during these trying times is, the fact that a man’s libido is volatile, and that he is no better than a predator who should not be tempted. This is the predominant viewpoint which has been circulated all over the country for years now. A woman wearing short clothes was asking to get raped, or a woman walking down the street late at night knew that she would get raped. 

The fact is, the idea of men being powerless in front of their libido is what should be changed. This is a very important aspect which also justifies rape, and let rapists get away with just about anything. This very flawed construct residing in our society is not just parroted by men, but also by women. This form of judgemental justification of rape is something which has been bred into our cultural consciousness so deeply, that even if we would like to change things, deep in our minds, the idea is still very firmly rooted. Very few of us would really dare to step out very late in the night, wearing clothes which might attract “unwanted attention”. This is what reserved seats for women on public vehicles point to, as well. And this form of chauvinism needs to be eliminated in order for anybody to come up with long-term solutions on how to solve the issue of sex crimes in India. 

Men and their ardour should not be made unaccountable. Ultimately, a biological evolution of our species has ensured the growth of both genders, and there is no reason for men to not be able to control their physical urges, if women can do so. The mindset needs to change before the rules do.