As a child I used to glue to my TV set. I loved my cricket matches, Tennis matches and like all those typical children love to pamper myself with a heavy dose of funny cartoons. If I am not arguing away to glory with my friends in a field trying to better a Tendulkar, Akram or Bergkamp exploits, I must be up there nurturing my liaison with idiot box, a love which typically starts at a tender age and dear cupid can be kept on hold.
But then watching TV was a great fun, not because you anticipated a great episode or a nail biting one day pot boiler, it was more because you were kept on tenterhooks, will I be able to watch it today? Yeah summer seasons mean power cuts and much dreaded load shedding, and as a child biggest imperative to me for throwing tantrums. I used to be really crazy to miss out on some real eye feast TV was willing to offer but for fickle minded power to snatch it away. And then my father in his typical style used to run his hand through my hair and say “You lucky fella! Do you like smell of rain, bright sunlight , shimmering tree leaves , wind breezing through your hair?” As a child I used to nod my head gleefully. “Come on Papa who doesn’t like it” . Hmm and then came the smart retort “Well, Son because they don’t have to depend on these sarkaari babus , just think of horrible world if these little pleasures too lean on them”. It was difficult for me to understand and I used to shrug my shoulders and start playing some pranks to while away my time.
But last week as Jeff Immelt came calling to India and made light of a seemingly difficult poser from Pranov Roy , I was forced to think the same old story. “What should be strategy of Indian government for next 10 years Mr Immelt? “. “Nothing, Just focus on your infrastructure and let everything else take care of itself “Came Mr Immelt’s Reply. Sounds pretty in your face and casual? Think twice,. This is the truth, the bitter truth.
But then watching TV was a great fun, not because you anticipated a great episode or a nail biting one day pot boiler, it was more because you were kept on tenterhooks, will I be able to watch it today? Yeah summer seasons mean power cuts and much dreaded load shedding, and as a child biggest imperative to me for throwing tantrums. I used to be really crazy to miss out on some real eye feast TV was willing to offer but for fickle minded power to snatch it away. And then my father in his typical style used to run his hand through my hair and say “You lucky fella! Do you like smell of rain, bright sunlight , shimmering tree leaves , wind breezing through your hair?” As a child I used to nod my head gleefully. “Come on Papa who doesn’t like it” . Hmm and then came the smart retort “Well, Son because they don’t have to depend on these sarkaari babus , just think of horrible world if these little pleasures too lean on them”. It was difficult for me to understand and I used to shrug my shoulders and start playing some pranks to while away my time.
But last week as Jeff Immelt came calling to India and made light of a seemingly difficult poser from Pranov Roy , I was forced to think the same old story. “What should be strategy of Indian government for next 10 years Mr Immelt? “. “Nothing, Just focus on your infrastructure and let everything else take care of itself “Came Mr Immelt’s Reply. Sounds pretty in your face and casual? Think twice,. This is the truth, the bitter truth.
So in a murky setting you end up wasting two hours on a Banerghata Road traveling mere 5 kilometers, in a remote town called Chattarpur you end up shelling 60 bucks for a can of drinking water or still leave a god chunk of your younger ones to burn midnight oil literally. Infrastructure woes are here for quite some time and it a problem looming large over whole India in different forms. Time we understood and took comprehensive action to give monster a quick death, we don’t need GE CEO and Chairman too tell this, something we can understand on our own right?
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