Nano ya na Mano

Please forgive me the crazy title as i too got carried away by the hysteria generated by Ratan's baby. He truly is a 'Ratan' , those of you who don't understand the meaning, It means, Gem. However this post is not for singing peans for Ratan Tata, there are many who have been doing it with far more regularity, this post is for a far more bigger reason than many suspect. I wrote an article for my college magazine in 2004 arguing India's place as a 'Land of Innovation' and I was being laughed and lauded equally . I will reproduce my article at a later part of the blog. Today i want to raise an important issue - issue of middle class housing.

We have a number of real estate companies claiming to build new india( their market capitalisation shocks me sometimes) but i have a question. what India they are talking about? With the average cost of a 1000 sq ft house in the range of Rs40 lacs on  national average, whom are they catering? What about the Bharat? Yesterday i was horrified to see the net profit of DLF it is astounding 2700 crores on a turnover of some 4000 odd crores. This is the most profitable company in terms of profit margins. Unilever and P&G, pls take note.

Why we have no ' Ratan ' who can innovate housing and bring it down to a level where it is more affordable to the rest of 88% Indians? Why there is no body ready to bite the bullet? Again the slimy politician - He is making money through the dubious deals and with his share in real estate companies, he is ensuring there are slums on govt land suddenly and then he proposes a slum redevelopment scheme where his chosen companies make these building and the poor slum dweller gets nothing but moves to new land.

When will we get a Ratan? Can we write a note to him and tell him,' mano ya na nano ' please help 'Jeh's ' beloved India to provide dignified living. Please help the poor lady to have a bathroom so she need not take a bath in open roads of Mumbai, Please provide a roof and a door so that she need to enjoy the companionship on a heap of garbage in the open during the dark nights. If he insists that he needs to retire now as he is already hovering above 70, we must stop him from doing that. Need be, we must bring a law in parliament and make him criminal in case he thinks of retiring. Some of us have already made him so by questioning the right of middle class Indian to drive a car.It has to be the privilege of the 'arrived'.

Give anything to Men except dignity, they may not understand the gift.

Cant find the article i wrote in 2004... will try and find it.. meanwhile please help wrote a petition .... " mano ya na nano "