the Insanity Called "BANDH"

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Strikes for whatever reasons happen throughout the world.These

strikes do not necessarily paralyze the economy in such a scale as witnessed in India because unless these strikes are accompanied by violence, the country do not close shops. The country has to thrive. Its citizens have to eat.They are by all means, peaceful strikes.

I have been reading and following the news items about India. I find it interesting that a once obscure nation more known for its street beggars is now one of the top countries in the world . I find it interesting because of its political culture.

Bandh. The philosophy of a bandh. I just thought to pen down a thing about the implications of the bandhs that seem to be so commonly happening in India. What do the organizers of such bandhs hope to achieve? Bandhs are not solutions . Bandhs can aggravate an existing problem. Bandhs can stall an act. It cannot stop a decision .

What I read lately is a raise in the price of petrol and cooking gas .To be in tune with the world economy, the government says the decision is inevitable . The common man is intelligent enough to understand that the repercussion of such an increase is an increase in prices of everything. Except the salaries and wages of the workers who are the major taxpayers.

We all have witnessed the steady increase in prices of almost everything. It happens everywhere because 'everywhere' are countries living under the roof of one world. Life goes on. Better for some . Worst for the most. Nothing is inevitable . But nothing can be more worst to the lives of the common man than a decision which would have been taken at stages is now taken as a drastic measure.This can be avoided if those people representing them in the government would have exercised wisdom to take decisions in the interests of the common man rather than the vote banks. In times especially close to elections , decisions were stalled. An increase of Rs 1 in stages won't hurt but an increase of Rs 5 to cover up the deficit will certainly hit.

This government, the Congress, deserves the kudos because it has shown that it has what it takes to run a government although in all probability , this price increase will turn out into a major electoral plank. I read the next general elections is close at hand.The Prime Minister calls for austerity measures and conservation of energy. The government is all out educating the people why a decision was taken. By so doing, it had proven that the interests of the country comes first.

The organizers of such bandhs are a selfish lot whose only concern is to make a loud noise with an intent to keep people's minds that " Hey, here we are. We still exist. Our flag still flies. Our party is in contention for the elections.Listen to us,now." What they do not care is the economic losses the country entails nor the fact that many poor families go hungry during these days. These are dog days but a majority wouldn't even understand what dog days are. They wouldn't understand the need to save for tomorrow because they have to survive today.

That the rights of each citizen for information on government decisions are to be respected and guaranteed becomes the responsibility of their elected representatives. A democracy as large as India is run with a government by its people. It is for the people and not by a few whose major interest is to win an election by fanning on the emotions of a people and mint money under the guise of a man for the masses. Of course the masses is the most important because the masses become the tool for minting money. Don't we know all these tactics? Haven't we learned them?

Politicians, organizers of these bandhs, can you hear? Do you see? I'm sure not because for in these these few moments , they have consciously become deaf and blind. Most are probably counting their fingers inside their pockets dreaming of the fortune they could make in exchange for the hunger of others. Still few are those who belong to their own leagues, decent and sincere. The rule? In a society, the majority rules. Unfortunately.

The people of India is no longer intimidated by outsiders. Its people is no longer intimidated by its own politicians who promise the heavens and the earth but not full stomachs. Its people is its strenght and that is what India is today. A global power to reckon with.

And these bandhs ? Clearly, there are no winners.

CURSE WITHOUT A NURSE

In recent decades, a renewed interest in nursing and its history has brought once again the various roles that women play in society. She is the mother, the wife, the sister, the daughter.She is also the care giver called upon by her family members or her neighbors. Care of the sick was generally related to physical maintenance and comfort. The traditional nursing role has always entailed humanistic caring, nurturing, comforting and supporting.She was also the care giver called upon during the earlier wars. She was then the 'nurse' because she was nursing the sick and the suffering.Those were the times when there were no formal nursing education, when nursing was rendered out as a service in return for freedom from imprisonment. For indeed it was documented that women criminals, thieves and women of low reputes were sent to serve at war zones in exchange for freedom.If the public perception and media portrayal of the 'nurse' negates the virtues and ideals of nursing, it is largely because of its earlier history. That was history but it has made a huge impact during the subsequent years. History was a beginning of what is Nursing today and it was a rich and distinguished history.

Nursing, the profession, has slowly evolved. From Florence Nightingale, known as the founder of modern nursing who integrated scientific principles into the arts of nursing during the Crimean War, trained the untrained 'nurses'with principles of hygienic care; established a nursing school; wrote articles and her famous "Notes on Nursing: What is is, What it is not"; sought public and government support to improve health and hospital conditions and other nursing leaders during her times and after, nursing began to have significant effects on people's lives. Nurses were looked upon as angels of mercy sent down to earth to care as much as heal .And yet, even this had not help improve their image . Society continues to look at nurses as mere 'doctor's handmaiden'. How so? This image evolved when women had yet to obtain the right to vote, when family structures were largely paternalistic and when the medical profession portrayed increasing use of scientific knowledge that at those times, was viewed as a a male domain.

Nurses were also portrayed as sex objects, surrogate mother or tyrannical mother . This negative image of the nurse continues till today. This , in part, has affected the subsequent generations of nurses , the public and other professionals working with nurses.

Nursing organizations throughout the world are consistently battling this image, to give the nurses the respect and gratitude due them by society and to allow them to afford a dignified living. Each professional nurse can recount her ordeals while undergoing the nursing training. It's tough to be a nurse. It's even tougher because you are bound by oath to care for anyone irrespective of their gender, religion, race,color, culture. etc. You are bound by oath to care and touch anyone, known or unknown to you, who comes under your care. This is what the nurses do. To the nurses, it is complete commitment to the care of those under their care that matters. This is nursing, the professio

What does society give them in return?

The nursing community is facing a huge shortfall. It has become a global concern that needs to be addressed by all governments, private as well as public concerns immediately so that nursing will continue to thrive in numbers and quality. It is unimaginable to think of a technologically-advanced world without a nurse. A world without a nurse is a curse to mankind.

The media and society has positive roles to play. They ought to stop portraying the nurses in bad light. They ought to encourage the young generation to opt for nursing as a career. They ought to be active participants in issues relating to nursing. They ought to support nurse's rights. The governments and respective employers need to look after their welfare.

Then there is no curse. There is only the nurse. To care .