HOPE has a place

I recently came across some stories which shows that there are a few good men/women around us from whom we need to learn a lot in life. These people are not extraordinary. They are just like everyone of us. It's just that they thought and more importantly executed simple plans of theirs which did a whole lot of good to the society/people around them. These people didn't wait for things to happen and took it upon them to give back something to the society unlike most of us who just don't do things even though we know we can do them.

These people are the real role models and are a source of inspiration. Some of the stories i came across were of public servants who accomplished tasks because of their sheer resolve.

The person is Mr Ajai Shankar Pandey, Municipal Commissioner of Ghaziabad who has transformed Ghaziabad by utilising resources which more often than not go waste in our country. He drew his inspiration from Gandhian ideals. He has invested money collected from people of Ghaziabad in the form of taxes/cess etc., into the city's Infrastructure and sanitation and the results is there for everyone to see.
His message is
"When I arrived, I told the people of Ghaziabad, 'There are sixty lakhs (6 million) of us. Imagine how much we could accomplish if we each did just ten minutes of work a day!'"

For more on this individual visit the link below
http://specials.rediff.com/yearend/2007/dec/19yrpandey1.htm

One more person, Vivek Agarwal an IAS officer who is the collector of Indore has transformed the public transport system of Indore just in 2 years. His hobby was to study bus services if various cities around the world and with a capital of 25 Lakhs, he launched a public-private transport system comprising of buses based on the best practices in the world. Indore has one of the best bus transport systems in the country now. Its quoted to as having the best bus service in the world along with Bogota.New Delhi needs to learn a thing or two from this endeavour especially after the deathly Blueline buses .

For more on this story visit
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/G_Das_Blueline_solution_in_Indore/articleshow/2625137.cms

One more story is of a girl Farzana Ahmad all of 15 who showed exceptional courage and bravery by risking her life and saving five people from drowning in the swollen waters of the Panar river in Purnea district in September. On the fateful day she was washing clothes by the river when she saw an over-loaded boat capsize. She immediately jumped into the water and saved 3 children and a woman and a man. She has learnt swimming from a very young age which helped her cause. Her act is an exemplary one and the accolades has kept pouring in for this brave young lady.

For the entire story visit
http://specials.rediff.com/yearend/2007/dec/18yrfarzana1.htm

After reading about these inspiring stories, i felt that HOPE has a place in fact. The way Manjunath's (IIM-A grad who was working with IOC and was a whistle blower) case was handled, left a lot to be desired. The highest office in our country (read PMO) couldn't keep his identity under wraps for which he ended up paying his life. Alas....

We can just hope and get our inspiration from these real life role models.