I found two Kingfishers together while it was still dark and cloudy in the morning, being together on this cable, overlooking the stream, from where they normally get their first catch of fish in the mornings. I noticed one of them after being together chirping to the other (last photo). Following this one of them flew away while the other was still tarrying to spot fish in the stream.
These two Kingfishers can be found in the field often in the mornings. They wait vigilantly. Today, it was special to watch their presence to each other, to give a sense of how birds too have a friendly disposition towards each other.
Yesterday marked the last day when the Members of the Indian Parliament would meet in the old Parliament House, at New Delhi, which was built during the British days. Today they would occupy the new parliament house, which was built during the last three years. The parliament of India celebrates its 75 the year of independence in the new Parliament House.
I took time to watch the proceedings of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The day was set apart to celebrate by recollections of stories of the last 75 years. I thought it was a celebrant occasion for the ruling party members and the opposition parties to jointly remember the historic journey after independence and present before the people of India a sober and appreciate narration of all people before them for us to cherish.
Instead what I observed from both sides was critical, cynical and reducing messages where the ruling party and the opposition party members were uncharitable to each other. Even on that occasion, what seemed to occupy them was a hostile and critical approach to each other.
In a democratic set up, the ruling party and the opposition parties together constitute the role of governance with dialogue and path finding.
Both the Kingfishers waited together with a joint purpose of finding their feed!
The unemployment is the highest in India currently, when compared to the last forty five years. The economic stress of the lower middle class has multiplied in the recent years. There is a disharmony between people on account of social, economic and religious divide. There are common issues such as these which affect people irrespective of the political ideology they follow! Why is that the Members of the parliament cannot have a joint and collaborative approach to address these issues!
There is a local body near my home, which governs the Panchayat. It is governed by a group of professionals not aligned to any political party. The streets are cleaner; roads are pot hole free; the village market ensures low prices; rations are offered at subsidised price; milk, vegetables, and grocery items are available at lower prices.... in spite of subsiding to all these, there was an annual bank balance of few millions of rupees, with which the local body decided to improve the schooling facilities, local hospital, ambulance services, offer free dialysis for patients needing it; home care of the elderly and those needing palliative care, etc.
When we drive through the villages governed by this local body, one comes across parks, children's play areas, a market which is open for 18 hours a day, green roads with trees on both sides, running water to all homes, waste collection booths, etc.
It is evident from this example that people can have comfortable existence if the local bodies are corruption free and the employees are motivated to serve to make a change in the social ambience of the community. I feel that the leaders in this local body are people who have a mission and resolve to do good.
I am not sure if that was evident in the way the parliamentarians spoke for long hours in the day yesterday!
I come back to the Kingfishers. They communicated a pleasant sight of togetherness.
How can members of a family, community, or a region or a nation have a common purpose in difficult times! It is through working together for what is most important!
If unemployment is highest in forty five years in India, is it not a reason good enough for parliamentarians to jointly resolve to address this issue, leaving behind their partisan purposes! Don't they feel the anguish of millions of youth, who wait for a job after qualifying from schools and colleges!
I notice that some shops in our village were closed recently as they no longer had enough sale. I know of shops running into loss and do not have hope of survival. People have less money to buy.
I wish we have a socially harmonious approach towards common good!
In another four months we would have state elections in five states. The parliament elections are only six months away. The political parties are already devising strategies to impress people with tall claims and promises!
We live in a difficult time, when the union government wants to project India as an emerging third country in the volume of Gross Domestic Product. But the per capita income of millions in the country is only at the substance level or below that!
The health care expense is so high in India that the largest expenditure for a family is for health care. The state run hospitals are still not fully equipped for advanced care that people have to resort to using private facilities, which are run for profit.
The local body that I referred to earlier, is an example of how an improved governance practice and corruption free services make a huge difference to bring wellness to people!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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