THE DISABILITY

Taare Zameen Par  and Barfi!! came across as the two beautiful movies that moved us to tears.I feel happy that Bollywood directors came up with brilliant movies on such sensitive issues such as disability, but what saddens me is that why do we need movies to get sensitized to such issues.

We often ignore the adversities faced by the disabled and turn a blind eye to them in our daily busy lives unless there is some familial responsibility. Our infrastructure,transport facilities, education system etc also does not favour their kind.It has been years since the Br ail has been developed for the blind.Since then,there have been hardly any efforts made by technologists and scientists to develop schemes and technology that favours the disabled. There have been innovations such as automated wheelchairs for the paralysed, printers for the blind etc.But none of these have been made available to the physically disabled on a large scale.

There are minimal schools for special children where they can receive special education that can help them perform better in lives.Parents still refuse to accept autistic children and refuse to put them in schools where they are given special attention and time.They continue to burden them with regular studies due to societal pressure.One must understand and accept the fact that an child cannot grow up to be a scientist but he can be an artist.

If a person cannot hear or speak does not mean that he/she doesn't deserve love and affection.He/She also needs equal,rather greater amount of appreciation and motivation as other people do.And if shown the right direction they can also be very successful in life and a living example would be Stephen Hawking who has stunned us with his scientific research and theories,no other non-disabled scientist has ever been able to match up to.

Let us take a pledge that in future we will not need movies to realize that we need to help that blind man cross the road.Let us make it a habit and work towards making a country where disabled also flourish.

THE FOREIGN BRAND.

India is not in it's 17th century but in the 21st century!!We no longer serve as slaves under landlords wasting our time in war cries and feudalism.We as Indians have made our mark as businessmen,innovators,scientists,technologists,artists etc across the world.Indian women have done us proud as efficient astronauts spending months together in space.

Apart from all this,I'm sure we have more to offer to the world.Why then has FDI become an issue of such widespread debate in our country?

FDI(Foreign Direct Investment)in multi brand retail is a positive move and is not detrimental in any way to our country's growth.Rather it comes as a boon when our country is reeling under inflation and burdened with unemployment. Multi brand retail through international chains like Walmart and Tesco will not only bring these organisations huge profit but also create jobs for the locals,bring down inflation and improve the GDP which has only been dropping since recession has arrived.It would also ensure availability of multiple brands under one roof,thus providing variety and ease of shopping to the consumers.

When food chains like McDonalds and KFC had invested in India years back,people feared that local food chains would suffer.But it has not been so.Instead it has only brought about more competition in the market.Why then FDI in multi brand retail being assumed as the return of the East India Company?

To feel that a positive response by the Government of India towards FDI will make our country an ideal choice for foreign investors who look for a promising market and a wide consumer base.And hence for a country like ours,with its proven diversity in people and culture, FDI comes as a welcome move.