Should Public Bus Services also run for Private Companies

Our company provides pickup and drop buses employees to the workplace and the service is contracted to multiple service providers. All of te bus service providers are private except one which is state owned (run by local municipal corporation). The govt owned service provider has a set of buses and staff which runs for our need. A colleague objected to it saying this is same as using public transport for personal use and if we did not use it then the buses would be for general public and hence would be more much more use for society.
 

I thought my colleague’s understanding was not correct. We are not using public buses for private use. We are using buses contracted by the public bus service provider for us and we are paying them their charges which includes all costs + the margin. In fact the profits they are earning by contracting some buses to companies like ours, they would be investing it in improving the quality of their service to the public also. They must be earning better margin here than the loss making routes and hence we are helping the often cash strapped public facilities provider with some business. Also, working with IT companies and competing with other private bus service providers, their employees and their organizations would be benefitting in more ways than one – most importantly being the work culture in a competitive environment (otherwise they are monopolistic and hence suffer from lack of accountability). 

What my friend understood is like saying that our company should never send any employee by trains, because every ticket we book could have been used by the general public. It is not the correct way to look at the scenario. 

In fact the govt owned public bus service operator is under huge financial crisis. It is losing money and is like a loss making concern. In such a scenario if it contracts a few buses and staff to serve IT companies on contract, it will only provide it with a regular and fixed source of income; which will improve its cash flow. The opertor will only benefit from such an arrangement. Also, I am sure our company won’t have invited it but it would have bid along with private operators to run operations here, so no blame can be on our company.
 

I think the wider question from his argument is: Should govt companies enter into fields where private operators are already running? I see many benefits of it. In such cases we should not see pieces of operations as exclusive services one at the cost of another. We should see whole of it. So if govt owned public bus service operator runs 10% of its fleet and staff on contract basis for IT companies and earns a regular income; it is not at the cost of public service. We know that no one stops it to buy more buses or hire more staff for public service. 

Similar to this debate is an old one: Should govt companies hire workers on contract? Each resource hired on the contract can be seen as coming at the cost of a full time employee who could earn pension and job security. But in such case we forget that even govt companies have a balance sheet which is evaluated at the end of every year. It is never “only give and no take” kind of affair. I do not see any harm in govt owned companies competing with private operators; just like govt owned public bus service operator is doing here.

Why Men Marry Younger Women?

I think the data used for the study is only from the USA, but the scenario is so similar to India. It indicates that this trend is a universal one and not specific to our country.
 

“Men tend to marry younger women. The age gap averages 1.74 years, according to a study of U.S. marriages by Javier Díaz-Giménez and Eugenio Giolito of IESE Business School in Spain. The reason is that men are capable of producing children for a longer time than women and thus, when they are older, are more likely than women to marry. Grooms’ median age at first marriage is 26.63 years; brides’ is 24.80.”

IT Returns through Govt website

For last 2 years I was filing income tax returns using Skorydov (myitreturn.com) and it would cost me Rs 199. I know that free filing through govt’s website was available. This time I used https://incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/ for filing IT returns and found it very simple and free :) Even my last 2 years’ e-filing details were saved inside this portal. Highly recommended to you all (if you are not using already)!

Tips: Select the assessment year as 2013-14 if you are filing returns for financial year 2012-13 for the first time; using ITR-1 forum under Original filing category. Also select “Filed under section 139(1)” i.e. before due date. Take a print of ITR-V which we get after e-filing on website, and send to IT dept Bengaluru by normal or SpeedPost.

Sanyas is not Running Away from World but Running Towards Truth

Many times today, Sanyasa is being labeled as an “escapism” and “running away” from this world. Many an enlightened people also say this to their followers; asking them not to renounce this material world but to remain in it and at the same time remaining detached. As a friend said, “The way I take it is in the way of Sri Krishna - he lived in this world (no sanyas), was a king, married, fought, etc. But all the time he was detached from it. In other words, we seek power & success not for its own sake, but that the world follows only such people. So to lead people onto real happiness, one seeks all the fruits of this world, while at the same time is detached from it.” He also maintains that Sanyasa is an escapist’s attitude.

I am not in agreement with this assertion and I think this trend of labeling Sanysa as escapism is a corruption from our ideals.

Hinduism says our life should have four stages or ashramas. Grihastha's ideal is what my friend says above (of remaining unattached even amidst all world games)... But I think 3rd and 4th ashramas are also very important and the world today is forgetting these. We are so attached with everything material that we acquire during grihastha ashram, that we end up dying in grihastha ashram itself... To get rid of attachment during grihastha ashram is as difficult as separating oxygen and hydrogen from air or water for a common man - we end up having attachments. Though great people can attain moksha living in grishtha ashram also, but it is very very difficult for most souls.

I think taking sanyas is not "running away" as it is being tagged often; it is indeed "running towards" true realization. This is why Swami Vivekananda also spoke so highly of it.

For enjoying this world’s beauties, we can see sceneries until we have vision; we can enjoy food until we have digestion; and when we lose all senses we realize that all these were futile. But alas, at that stage this realization does not help us because we are sick and ready to die... So we take next birth and whole story repeats...

One can see this world as a war ground between good and evil. Rishis saw each individual having the same war between good and evil within his/her self. This is why they preached Sanyas. It is futile to wish good people winning over evil; Hinduism says everything is "cyclic". If we understand that this is not one to one fight but just a "cycle", one can be at peace.

Coming back on Sanyas, theoretically it is possible to remain unattached and get Moska being a Grihasthi. Just like theoretically we can walk over a rope. Theoretically we can live like Krishn lived His life. Earlier Rishis and Gurus inspired people to take Sanyas because they wanted them to get Mokshs. Now a days Gurus are running shops and businesses, which are all supported only by Grihasthas. What can a Sanyasi be of benefit to the Cult leaders? They don't have money to take part in their paid workshops. Sanyasis are of no "benefit" to all of us - people of the material world. So we label them as "escapists" while Hinduism says we are escapists who remain attached to this world and turn blind eye to the Truth on different pretexts. If 50% of India takes Sanyas, shall we not have enough men for army? No, in that case there won't be corruption and bigotry anywhere and Dharma will rule over our land. Ever since we started valuing materialism, which is dharma for a grihasth, we are losing ground. Swami Vivekananda spoke so highly of it... My objection is not in teaching good life to grihasthi; my objection is against the propaganda to label sanyas as "running away" kind of thing.

If we say that no one should take sanyasa, etc, then it is not truth. It has always been in our land, that renunciation and sanyasa are accepted as highest acts of courage. Hindus always remember and honor their lineage which could be traced to some Rishis in ancient India. And in ancient India, our land was the richest in this world even on material parameters. Because if we have our value system intact, it shows in other areas also. Ram Rajya was our ideal; even then Kings used to salute and revere Rishis and men of renunciation. I know that King Janak is the ideal for any grihasthi, but still Sanyasa was never seen with even an iota of negative shade.

Games People Play by Eric Berne

Have read "Games people play" by Eric Berne again after 6 years and found it almost fresh and all lessons yet to be learned :) That is the beauty of books like these. The main motto of this classic book is to make us understand how we play psychological games in our human relationships. The idea is not to teach us to play games better or to teach us some counter-games; but it is to create in us more awareness and understanding of human psychology, which would help us in difficult times. I think all of us should read some books on psychology. No matter how much we think ourselves to be wise, qualified and highly acclaimed psychiatrists always know many things that we don't know.

About passport appointments

Got to know something which may be of help to many, hence sharing:
 

If you are applying for Tatkal passport (fresh/reissue) but you are not getting appointment under tatkal mode/quota, you can book appointment under normal quota for appointment and most probably passport office will allow you to make a visit and submit docs. Normally normal quota appointments are scheduled after around 15 days from the booking-date. Be sure about it before choosing; for example currently it is being followed in Bengaluru and Pune.
 

Also, if you changed address within last one year, you need to carry address proof (1 zerox with original) of all the addresses. Also, it is good idea to take multiple proofs just in case you need it (like power bill, bank a/c statement, etc).
 

Though this is not mentioned clearly on their website, it is something which was found through experience and it can help many seekers.

Let the Power Be with You by Shivi Dua

Finished reading “Let the Power Be with You: Empower your thoughts; Empower your life” (ISBN 978-81-8328-149-2) by Shivi Dua. The authoress who began her career as a computer software professional started practicing and teaching Reiki successfully for many years and then moved into a new powerful form of healing called Theta Healing. Though this self-help book she conveys a very important message: we shape our life by our own thoughts (she calls thoughts as power packets). I think her book is at the next level of “positive thinking” philosophy.

She says that knowingly and unknowingly if we share negative thoughts like fear, anger, doubts, damnations, curse, skepticism, envy etc and say negative things, these negative power pockets actually shape up our life! So we should be observant of what we think and believe in for our own wellness. She also explains how the root of many ailments and disease are again thoughts and beliefs than any physical reasons. There is a need of full acceptance of ourselves and then of others. And often we do not respect others because we do not respect ourselves to begin with. She says, “Love is not something which his given or taken. It is something which is experienced.” And “Pure unconditional love is a powerful positive energy that can slowly dissolve all negative energies like those of blame, guilt and revenge.” On stress, she says, “It is the conflict within our thoughts that creates conflict in our lives that in turn creates stress for us.”

This self-empowering book is really good to be read. I would highly recommend it to all. Back cover of the book mentions that the author can be reached at shividua@hotmail.com

Adi Shankaracharya

Today is Adi Shankaracharya's birthday. He wrote in 'Bhaja Govindam': "Don't show pride on wealth, youth and relatives. They are taken away by time in a moment. All these are illusions. Renounce them. Enter Brahman (the Supreme Self) after knowing him." 

I think whenever we are faced with situations where we are not getting what we want, or things don't happen as we like, then we should realize that these may be God's message for us to do some self-reflection and course correction. All the material achievements of the world and all the pride are illusions if we look in a way... Most of the time we are lost in the chaos of the material world. Whenever we are not happy, we should think of what really happiness is? Whenever we do not get our goals, we should think of what is the real goal of our life? ...