IRMAn speaks

I Too Have “Small Dreams”

After being placed in State PSU on so-called “D day”, I called my father and told him about my placement. When I told him that, I have to stay in Baroda, his first reaction was “why”. They were under the impression that I am Joining Amul and should work at Indore or Bhopal as I had told them earlier. I could quickly sense that he is not happy of my decision of joining a PSU. I asked, what happened? To which he gave me a reply that touched my heart. He told me that, “your brothers are working outside home, and if you will also work outside then who will stay with him when he will retire from Govt Job in next few years? I was dumbfounded. After a moment of silence, I asked him to live with me in accommodation provided by my new employer. He is not concerned about my salary; he said, “Salary is for you what you bring for us”.

I would like to relate an experience which is deep-imprinted in my mind. When I look back, I realize that there nothing was special about it. There was no particular incident or event that stood out. It was just the realizations that left me changed for life.

I joined PRADAN on 7^th November 2005 as a Development Executive (DA). I was then given a chance to explore the development field through the field-visits. Under this, I visited Galudih in Jamshedpur district and Hata in East Singhbhumi district. When I was sure I wanted to work in the development sector, I was posted at HATA (East Singhbhumi), which is about 30 km from Jamshedpur. My first assignment was to undergo a village stay for two months, and the village was about 15 km from this sub location.

THE BOTTOM LINE

By G.V.L. NARASIMHA RAO

A POLITICAL BUDGET?

While budget making is a huge media event in India, for the vast masses in the country, it is a bit of a non-event. Successive cuts in both direct and indirect taxes, and galloping urban incomes have robbed the attention that budgets in the `90s used to receive from the urban, salaried middle classes.