Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Prices of Sanchi milk have been raised at a time when those of other essential items have gone through the roof. The poor are getting free rations including rice, wheat, pulses, edible oil and houses. Ergo, such people called Labharthis (beneficiaries) are happy. This is the reason that they barely bother about the rising prices of essential commodities. The other day, a school teacher, living in the MP Nagar area in Bhopal, said that the hike in prices of petrol, milk, medicines and various other items rarely pinch the poor, as they get everything free of cost. Nevertheless, those who pay for each item, especially the salaried class and small traders, can only appreciate how the continuous price rise pinches them, as they are the only ones who are hard-pressed. Yet, the situation has come to such a pass that nobody simply bothers about the rising prices of food items, the teacher said. Reacting to his comments, a youngster said that the youth are in real trouble, because unemployment among them has reached its acme, besides as there is hardly any job, freebies given to the poor would only weaken them. Another person joining the discussion said, Only God has the right to relish ambrosia, which is milk in the current situation.
Where's the guard?
The situation arising out of the corona pandemic is under control, so the Bhopalis soaked themselves in colours on Rangpanchami. A few shops were closed for the occasion. Why not? The residents had the opportunity to celebrate the festival after two years. Though the coronavirus seems to have lost its bite, it is yet to die, because its fourth wave has begun to wreak havoc on Hong Kong and on the United States of America. Thinking that the virus is dead, the people celebrating Rangpanchami in Bhopal dropped their guard. They should not be oblivious of the disaster the virus has caused to the world. Many doctors in the city have already warned people against a probable fourth wave of the pandemic which though may not be as fatal as the first wave and the second wave were, but, then, nobody knows how creepy a virus can be! As the people were celebrating Rang Panchami, children aged from 12 to 14 years were being inoculated across the state.
Good habit
Many people living in Bhopal have taken to gardening these days, though the space they have for it is limited. For gardening, they use the corridors, the balconies and the rooftops of the apartments they are living in. They generally put the saplings of Tulsi, Mithi Neem (curry leaf), money plants and rose in pots made of plastic bottles and of old mud pitchers. A south Indian family living in an apartment at Kasturba Nagar in Bhopal has used their corridor to plant the saplings of various trees.† The family members make fertiliser from peels of vegetables, fruits and used tea leaves. The corridor strewn with dust earlier now gives off a soothing air. Many other residents in Kasturba Nagar are following the south Indian family. The other day, a resident of the area said that the Municipal Corporation of Bhopal had done a great job to encourage the residents to plant saplings of various trees and to take care of them.† As well as keeping people away from idling away their time by gossiping, gardening is a good stress buster, a member of that south Indian family said.
Tailpiece
A tortoise tells its female counterpart: Our progeny is very slow. So, Iím planning to live with a rabbit to make my next generation run faster.
The female tortoise replies: You are, perhaps, aware of the tragedy the rabbit has met with.
The male tortoise says: It was the yarn of only a rabbit, but not the one of half-rabbit, half-tortoise.
