Give us our due
Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 9:52 am
Religious heads are enormously revered, followed and every word of their's lapped up avidly. They are in a unique position to really make a difference and prove their worth.
Although basic human problems in the olden days were more or less the same as today , the new issues that are of concern now are totally different. There are some problems that are unique to us and most of today's problems could not have been imagined then. I have always wondered why they do not preach things that would be beneficial to the here and now.
In spite of its impossibility I would love to see many changes happen that would be incredibly beneficial to the community -
Inform people about the benefits of sports. How it helps to lead a healthier life (rather than eating away to glory in the jamatkhanas). Promote group sport activities which helps build up a unique friendship and understanding irrespective of age, class, color or money power. It is a sure fire way of weaning people away from tobacco, alcohol and gambling.
Plant more trees and increase the green cover – make this earth a better place to live in for us and our future generations.
Contribute to the prevention of global warming. The scientific community is shouting at the top of its voice to create awareness. Religious forums would be ideal places to reach the message effectively.
Fairness in business – cheating the customer with duplicate goods, submit false bills to eat up the tax, “supplier ka chappal ghisa” for payment even as small as 100/-, pair up with the purchase officer and cheat the company with false bills – the list is endless. These things happen on a day to day basis. To outsiders it certainly appears that “All is Well” with the bohras. The innards are “Khokhla”. Teach them safe and fair business practices.
Some time ago there was a rush for industry “kholo”. Where is the training imparted or expertise for this complex activity? The reasons for almost all bohras opening shops of almost the same type are: hereditary businesses taken over by sons from fathers, bohras who have worked in a shop for a few years will naturally carry on the same work, very few people have the technical knowledge to venture into newer lines of work (and there are many), most of the bohras venture into the safe and known lines rather than risk it especially when their starting capital is very low etc. In this scenario, without sufficient technical knowledge, financial backing, marketing knowhow etc it is difficult to imagine anyone venturing out into manufacturing lines. Simply saying “industry kholo” is not going to start anything.
Set up small self help groups amongst women who are less privileged. There are so many small home / cottage industries that can be started on a small cooperative scale. For effective ideas we need not go far. At every village level there are SHGs operating successfully. Stitching, gustava making, toys making, pickles, agricultural produce marketing, bags making – the list is endless.
Hard work and innovation of the Bohra women could be put to use.
There are many issues like the above that need to be addressed. Simply harping on the same old stories can take us only so far. Lets come out of our imaginary shells of “Abdes” and “Progs” and do something useful. I hope somebody at the top is listening and is not selfish enough to realize that other than collecting huge sums of money and crocodile tears there is so much the Bohras deserve and expect. They have toiled hard to resurrect the Dawat and they deserve better treatment. Give them their due before its too late.
Although basic human problems in the olden days were more or less the same as today , the new issues that are of concern now are totally different. There are some problems that are unique to us and most of today's problems could not have been imagined then. I have always wondered why they do not preach things that would be beneficial to the here and now.
In spite of its impossibility I would love to see many changes happen that would be incredibly beneficial to the community -
Inform people about the benefits of sports. How it helps to lead a healthier life (rather than eating away to glory in the jamatkhanas). Promote group sport activities which helps build up a unique friendship and understanding irrespective of age, class, color or money power. It is a sure fire way of weaning people away from tobacco, alcohol and gambling.
Plant more trees and increase the green cover – make this earth a better place to live in for us and our future generations.
Contribute to the prevention of global warming. The scientific community is shouting at the top of its voice to create awareness. Religious forums would be ideal places to reach the message effectively.
Fairness in business – cheating the customer with duplicate goods, submit false bills to eat up the tax, “supplier ka chappal ghisa” for payment even as small as 100/-, pair up with the purchase officer and cheat the company with false bills – the list is endless. These things happen on a day to day basis. To outsiders it certainly appears that “All is Well” with the bohras. The innards are “Khokhla”. Teach them safe and fair business practices.
Some time ago there was a rush for industry “kholo”. Where is the training imparted or expertise for this complex activity? The reasons for almost all bohras opening shops of almost the same type are: hereditary businesses taken over by sons from fathers, bohras who have worked in a shop for a few years will naturally carry on the same work, very few people have the technical knowledge to venture into newer lines of work (and there are many), most of the bohras venture into the safe and known lines rather than risk it especially when their starting capital is very low etc. In this scenario, without sufficient technical knowledge, financial backing, marketing knowhow etc it is difficult to imagine anyone venturing out into manufacturing lines. Simply saying “industry kholo” is not going to start anything.
Set up small self help groups amongst women who are less privileged. There are so many small home / cottage industries that can be started on a small cooperative scale. For effective ideas we need not go far. At every village level there are SHGs operating successfully. Stitching, gustava making, toys making, pickles, agricultural produce marketing, bags making – the list is endless.
Hard work and innovation of the Bohra women could be put to use.
There are many issues like the above that need to be addressed. Simply harping on the same old stories can take us only so far. Lets come out of our imaginary shells of “Abdes” and “Progs” and do something useful. I hope somebody at the top is listening and is not selfish enough to realize that other than collecting huge sums of money and crocodile tears there is so much the Bohras deserve and expect. They have toiled hard to resurrect the Dawat and they deserve better treatment. Give them their due before its too late.