We are many people here in India. Take away a few, makes no difference.
Maybe take away many, still doesn’t make a difference.

I was driving on E.C. Road ( take a look here ) and saw this rather familiar site.
This time around though, I took notice rather differently.

Perched on top this pole holding/relaying electricity cables, were two dare-devils or shall I say lesser life forms .India is great on Twitpic
About 15-20 meters in the air ( could even be more, maybe 25 m ), without safety harnesses or safety belts were two employees of the Uttarakhand Power Corporation. They were fixing something up there.

This I saw from a distance and as I came near to them ,I pulled over in shock.
The rest of the gang stood below with a service vehicle that belonged to the “kabadi bazaar” I guess and looked decades old.India is great #3-the safety committee's ride on Twitpic

There right then, I knew again, Life was so cheap, at least here in India.
Who would give a damn if they fell to their death ?
Did anyone in UPCL ( Uttarakhand Power Corporation ) actually know that this was happening ? And If they did, what made them not care ?
Did anyone care at all ?

Having worked on-board ships, where safety is paramount, this made me very angry.
It is so stupid. It is a shame and is right in India’s face, with all the darn development , what about the value of human life ?

I talked with the gang below, and they said, they had being doing this for about 25 years now.
Can you believe that ? For 25 years no one saw that ? Or saw that and didn’t care .

And this is not the only area of such negligence. All Govt. departments are plagued with such stuff.

But in the end, I guess we could give or take a few, when there are millions to expend.
Somewhere, that it must equate to, that life is cheap and expendable here in India.

Beyond the boundaries of my home and apart from my family, the rest of the world can go to hell.
I am about me and only me.

[ This article was originally posted here ]

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  • Meera

    Hi Sid
    Life really is cheap in India. You just have to look at the news or read the papers to see how many people die in our country on a daily basis due to negligence and apathy. It’s not like there are no rules and laws that govern us. It’s all there – Traffic laws, building codes, fire safety regulations, etc etc but they are all gathering dust in government filing cabinets. Those responsible for implementing these laws are too busy filling their pockets and turning a blind eye to what’s going on.
    But hang on, what about us citizens of India? Are we part of this apathetic system? Just to give you an example – I live on Diversion Rd and everyday I see scores of 2-wheelers (mostly DIT students) riding their bikes, 1 sometimes 2 pillions on board, racing to God knows where, helmets in hand. As they approach the Kishanpur Chowk, they all slow down and the driver quickly puts on his helmet. Why? Because there’s a police check at the chowk. The moment they cross the check, helmets come off and they’re off at a breakneck speed again. So who’s to blame here? The law of wearing a helmet is there for a reason – to protect the rider from a serious head injury in case of an accident.However we seem to be more concerned about are gelled up hairstyles than the sanctity of our own lives.
    Why do we, citizens of India, feel compelled to break rules that are there for our safety? Look at the way we drive, or throw litter everywhere or waste precious resources – the list goes on. Surely we have a responsibility too? We seem to follow rules only because of the threat of punishment rather than because it is the right thing to do.

    • http://siddatwork.com Webmaster

      And immediately I am struck with the word “values”.
      We aren’t value based. When we do, we’ll the fix not just India but the whole world.
      How correctly pointed out Meera. Thanks.

      • Girija

        Hey Sidd,

        I was wondering if someone would come up with something like: “It’s just routine stuff here in India…Who cares? Everybody has to do their own jobs? It is sad but true…”

        We’re fortunate to not have such conditioned responses…such are the responses which summarise our “chalta hai” carefree and complacent attitude. Or should I say careless and callous attitude.

        Progress has to come from the first brick onwards or it can never be true progress.
        VALUES. and HUMAN VALUES. I echo your sentiments.

        Regards.

        • http://siddatwork.com Webmaster

          Hey Girija,

          Great thoughts. I have been wanting to do a post along those lines, which would be mostly pictorial.
          In Delhi now and along the Dehradun-Delhi route missed many a chance to get good pics of our culture fully in action.
          Sigh.
          But why worry [damn just what the doc said - WORRY ]it’s not getting better so , great and many opportunities ahead.

          Thanks for your support young man !

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  • sushant

    great article Sid. you may like to send a copy to local as well as national news paper for publication. though a Nation of great ‘think tanks’, second largest in the world after US (ref Kanti Bajpai’s editorial in TOI today), implementation is incredibly dismal. Bane is our infamous Executive devoid of ethics!