Some Birds Don’t Fly

``Without my intrusion you have only 10 posts``

Since when is the # of posts a reflection on the quality of the articvle - I have found it to be quite contrary and more to do with petty idle subcontinental politics.

aicha

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Stuka,Zafar,&Dost Mitter So proud of Delhi take note

We invite you to a

Lok Sunwayi(HEARINGS) of Delhi Cycle Rickshaw



Pullers and Owners

Do you know that:

„« A citizen of Delhi can legally own any number of cars, trucks, buses or even aeroplanes. But owning more than one cycle rickshaw is ¡¥illegal¡¦. And that such an ¡¥illegal¡¦ vehicle can be confiscated and sold as junk by the municipality.

„« A person owning a car or a bus is allowed to hire any number of persons, who have a valid driving license, to drive his/her vehicle. But if a rickshaw owner allows a relative to ply his vehicle, or hires someone else to operate it, the municipal corporation treats it as an offence serious enough to confiscate and destroy his rickshaw.

„« This `rickshaw to the puller` policy may appear pro-poor on paper, but in fact has facilitated a multi crore extortion racket by the municipal employees.

„« If a car owner commits a traffic offence or strays into a `No Entry` zone, he/she pays a relatively small amount of money by way of fine. A rickshaw puller committing a similar offence, invites confiscation and destruction of the vehicle, or in some areas, a minimum fine of Rs. 325 (apart from the grease money) for getting it released.

„« There is no set limit on the number of cars, two-wheelers and other motorised vehicles that can be registered in the city of Delhi. But the municipal authorities have fixed an unrealistic quota of 99,000 for cycle rickshaws „o in actual fact there are 5¡V6 lakhs of them plying in Delhi.

„« The license-quota-raid-raj, as it operates in this sector, has facilitated a vast extortion racket.

„« The loss of income suffered by rickshaw-pullers and owners due to monthly bribes and fines to the police and the corporation employees would amount to no less than 60 crores per year in the city of Delhi alone. In addition, they suffer losses due to confiscation and destruction of thousands of rickshaws every year.

To get a fuller account of how the municipal and police officials use absurd and colonial minded laws to tyrannise and fleece rickshaw-pullers and owners through various legal, illegal and extra-legal means, we invite you to join us for a Lok Sunwayi of the people engaged in this trade.

We solicit your support and urge you to inform other interested people to join us for this Lok Sunwayi.

This was really good.

Chowk is back.

Ms. Hemani,

This is strong, vivid work. Beautiful and disturbing.

regards

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Hamidah - interesting story. But I doubt if women nowadays will take these things lying down. Which brings me to - how did you get started on such a theme - if you dont mind my asking !

aicha

Hi Studebaker,

I would really appreciate it if you would post something related to the topic or the story. I believe there are many other forums that would value your viewpoints.

Thanks,

Hamidah

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Hamidah:

It is rare that a cliched metaphor can be transformed so beautifully, as you have managed to do. Fly, fly...the empty birdcage.

What more can one say? Yes, towards the end I thought of Guru Dutt`s `Sahib, Bibi aur Ghulam`. In fact, the shades of darkness and light come through just as clearly in your story.

Regards,

Farzana

When all the leaves are off the boughs,

And nuts and apples gathered in,

And cornstalks waiting for the cows,

And pumpkins safe in barn and bin,



Then Mother says, ``My children dear,

The fields are brown, and autumn flies;



Thanksgiving Day is very near,

And we must make Thanksgiving Pies!``

Ignoble Nobel

This year’s Nobels for Literature and Peace have gone respectively to VS Naipaul and Kofi Annan-UN. The first earned it through his hateoutpourings against Islam and Muslims and the l

atter for inaction demonstrated in preventing US



aggression against Afghanistan

….a wonderful piece of work, hamidah….hope to see more soon….

You mean it`s not? I thought everything in Chowk was fiction...