Govind Gujar: entomologist's journey to understand the Society we live in

  23 February 2022 Covid19 pandemic affected everyone. Many lost their lives due to it and more so due to lack of medical facilities. But it did not tear apart the social fabric of most that the Indian society has woven around itself. So, after the second wave of this disease during March-April 2021, we accepted an invitation to attend the marriages and receptions of daughters of our three friends in Delhi during May to December 2021 despite reservations of our daughter for our safety. We hosted our relatives in our home in June-July and Nove-December 2021. We also visited Mumbai to see our daughter and her family for a week in October 2021. Then, we (I and my wife) went to visit many tourist and religious places on our route through Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat by road to Mumbai in the last week of December 2021. In January 2022, Covid19 finally caught me up in Mumbai despite my best efforts to keep it away with preventive measures and with two doses of vaccine earlier in Ap

8 February 2022 Yesterday, my wife narrated the incident that the newlyweds travelling in the car decorated with flowers were at the crossroads, waiting for green light to turn on. Immediately, a transgender ( kinnar in Hindi) stood right in front of car and pulled up her sari to show inside. It was a disgusting sight all in public view. At the same time, it was horrible for the newlyweds to see such a scene. Transgender beggars have been asking for alms at the crossings for some years now. Probably Delhi and other metros top in number. Since many cars have to stop for a minute or so at crossings, they approach each car fast and try to make a quick buck. They did not beg at the road crossings in the past. Unfortunately, this trend of begging has caught on for quite some time, as they have realised quick and steady income this way, rather than begging from house to house that they used to do and also keep the track of homes where weddings were taking place and where the babies were b

5 February 2022 A few days back, I had a telephonic talk with my cousin, who is elder to me. He talked about his ancestral property, farm land in a village where he was born and as to how and what he has inherited. His father had willed the property to his children, to his sons (no daughter) and wife some three decades ago. Later, his mother too died setting a stage for carving out the said the farm land with each inheritor going his way. So far, it was so good. Some moments later, my cousin told me excitedly as well as with a hint of agony as to how daughters married off many years ago are now demanding or accepting without hesitation their monetary share of the Government compensation for their fathers’ property, often the farm land. It is a new phenomenon to which Indian men, fathers and brothers are not used to. Farming has been a back-breaking, risky profession that most inherit from their fathers. It is a mainstay of most Indians. Most farmers of old generation are tired of

  2 February 2022 Yesterday, I glued myself to our old smart TV watching the presentation of budget by the finance minister for the year 2022-23. I slowly felt sliding down in my enthusiasm as she dragged on talking monotonously about the new schemes. Unfortunately, there was no or little mention of performance of earlier schemes nor emphatic introduction of the new schemes. As this went on, it became clear that infrastructure is the mainstay of the budget. Infrastructure no doubt helps in accelerating the economic growth. More expenses mean more jobs to the people, she claimed. The Government reduced corporate and cooperative taxes, believing that these are the ones who run the economy. She also talked about expenditure on the procurement of agricultural produce under MSP and promotion of housing for the poor. Some commented that the Government expenditure under MSP did not increase. Moreover, there was no relief to the farmers, despite this being a year when the farmers’ income sho

                          Jan 2022   I will often say “You cannot live life in fear” in the context of Covid-19 pandemic which has ravaged us for the past two years. Just before onset of Covid restrictions in March 2020, we had been to Amritsar to see and pray at Golden temple, pay our respect to those died during partition at Museum nearby, and wear the national pride at the Wagah border. We did not shout against our neighbour country, but certainly raised full throated our love for our country. In doing so, we did not wear any political cap. We identified ourselves as Indians. Later, a visit to Chandigarh was cut short due to rains. And we were back home and for long time to be at stretch. Covid-19 pandemic took its toll. And like us, many remained home-bound, as we witnessed horrors of this viral disease. Many lost their jobs. Others were underpaid. Most devastated were poor and migrants. Many kind hearted people came forward to help and so did the Government. We were amongst first