Stranger danger and child safety

Its strange how sometimes a small incident which is totally unimportant stays in your mind forever, or incidents which happened with you when you were small makes you feel that God is there and he saved you from something worse to happen. When I was a little girl, my mom always used to tell me never ever trust a stranger and don’t go to him even if he offers anything which you like. They will abduct you and take you away from your parents. And I used to literally imagine, how my life would be horrible without my parents and I used to think of ways to get rid of that stranger and come back to my parents. It was silly though, but when you are small, as I said earlier, even little things stay forever in your mind. I used to think, I will beat him and shout for help and then someone will come and help me.

And I am so thankful to my mom for she continuously was alert and made us alert about any mishap. I still remember, I was 12 years old, and it was during our summer vacation. I and my neighbour friend were just going to the tailor’s house, to get her mom’s dress stitched, which was just a kilometre away from my house. Because it was summer, afternoon time is all hot and so you can hardly see a single human being outside.

So, we reached the tailor’s place and because she said it’s going to take some time to get the dress done, my friend stayed back and I had to go back because, my mom instructed me to come back soon. So on the way, I saw an ugly old man was standing. He called me and asked me for some direction. I, standing there, directed him to the place. He said, he doesn’t understand and asked me to come along. Suddenly he insisted me and started pulling me towards him. At that point, I realized, something’s wrong and started pulling myself back with all my force. But I couldn’t get rid of his grip. Was trying hard but all my force and my pressure went in vein and then I thought I have to do something. And I just bit him on his hand and ran as fast as I could. He followed me till some distance, but since my house was not too far, I started shouting “Help, help”. And to this he became alert and ran away.  I came home and was in a state of shock and told my mom the whole incident. I was so petrified that even now when I think about it, I feel, what if like a foolish girl, I would have gone along with him. What would have been my condition? And I literally get the Goosebumps.

I really feel, it was because of my mom continuously explaining me and because God was there with me that, I came out of it safely, without being hurt. This incident made me even more alert and brave.

This story is not to show how brave I was and how God have saved me, but to tell everyone that, any danger never tells you before coming. So always keep your child alert and keep teaching them about the danger they can get into if they blindly trust a stranger and try to help them, without thinking, it’s a trap. So as parents, you have to keep your child alert and keep probing them if you find their behaviour unusual. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

The magic touch of a mother

They say God cannot be everywhere and so they created mother. As soon as we are born the first touch of our mother is what we feel and that touch is magical. It can make a crying infant smile, it makes the pain recede, and it gives a soothing feeling. Fortunate are we that we can feel the love and touch of a mother. There are so many orphans who never experienced the love and felt the touch of a mother. And so one should cherish each and every moment and love and respect their mother.

She goes through an immense pain and suffering to bring us into the world. She sacrifices everything to make us happy. She can never see her child sad or upset and she would do anything to bring back the smile on your face. She is a friend, a guide, a well wisher, and an advisor and someone who will espouse us always, fighting against all the odds and she acts as a shield to protect her child…

The power of a mother is inexplicable. When I was a child, I read somewhere this interesting quote which says, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool mom”. And that’s so true. She can easily make out if you are lying or trying to fool her. At the same time, she can go against everyone to protect you from the ruthless world, the evil. For her, a child’s safety is above everything in the world. She sacrifices everything to fulfil your dreams and she always strives for her child’s success and safety in life.

And today, this day, I would like to thank my mom for always being by my side in my kith and kin. When I was going through a bad phase, you stood by me and helped me get over the pang and suffering. I just can’t imagine life without you mom. Always stay by my side and help me take hard decisions in life.

You are my role model and I would like to follow you in every walk of life. Just like you have supported and protected us, I promise to do the same to my child. I am sorry if I have hurt you intentionally or unintentionally, I deeply apologize and would try to keep you happy henceforth. I know, a mother never keeps any feelings or grudges in her heart even if you break her heart into pieces and will still protect her child. For that, I salute you.

Thanks mom for everything, for being there always for me and love you loads.

Crime in the city

It has been declared that all the major cities will have CCTV cameras installed to minimize the crime in the country, but what about small cities? Major felons come from these cities and major crimes are committed there. Who will have a check on those crimes?

The criminals should have a fear of the system, the police force and unless that fear is not there, criminals will roam freely in the cities in disguise. The recent incident of The ATM attack in Bangalore, there was a CCTV camera in the ATM and the culprit was clearly visible, but still it’s been over a month and the police could not reach and capture him. Though he was seen many a times post the incident in the CCTV cameras, but he is smarter than the whole police force I guess. Just wear a monkey cap and cover your face and wear gloves and you can commit innumerable crimes and you will not be caught. That is the mindset of the criminals and with the weak system they are getting smarter and powerful day by day.

What happened to the Nirbhaya case, the bus was going round and round in one place and the CCTV Cameras could see it, but no officials even got a slightest doubt about it and a poor soul was tortured to the core. Only after the felony, they got alert and started searching for the proof. So this shows how lax the police and the system is when it comes to crimes. And only when a higher official gets involved, they start the police enquiry. The news channels telecast the news for some time, they rant, they squeal and then they calm down. There has to be a way to thwart the crime in the city and that can be done only when we espouse for each other. The police force is run by the so called “politicians” and that is one reason no action is taken.

The cliché is that the police don’t do its work, but one also has to understand that the criminal can go to any extreme to commit a crime and still go untraceable. I would here again take an example of the ATM attack case. The Government has initiated a biggest manhunt to find this criminal and put him behind bars. They have spread around 2000 police force to peruse every lane, every house and every city in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. This is a great step taken and we appreciate their move, but all their hard work has gone down the drain and there is still no trace of the criminal so far. I wonder what the criminal is up to.

Having said that, we can’t sit back and suggest what is necessary and what is not necessary to curb the crime in the city. We have to stand united to fight against these crimes and bring the culprit behind the bars and bring justice to the victim.

Safety at its core

Earlier in my blogs, I mentioned about Women safety.  But, I guess, at this point in time, safety of every individual is imperative. Danger never informs you before coming. SO we have to be cautious and do whatever possible for our safety. No one is going to take the responsibility of our safety And its idiocy to even depend on the Government. Because, we know how it works and they are more concerned about their safety rather than the public.

Today morning as soon I saw the newspaper, the very first news itself disturbed me. A woman went to the ATM to withdraw cash in a crowded area in Bangalore. And that ATM didn’t have a security guard. As she was about to come out, a man entered the ATM and closed the shutter and forced her to withdraw all the money, when she resisted, the man brutally attacked by a machete on her face and fled. And the woman lied unconscious for 3 hours in the flood of blood. Only when some children saw the blood flowing out from the ATM they alarmed the police. She was rushed to the hospital and is in a critical condition in the hospital in semi paralysed state.

This has really shaken me to the core. I told my husband today, I want a pepper spray, you see. AT least in any such situation, when you are trapped, you can use this as a self defence mechanism. I know, it’s easy to suggest and when it actually happens, you go blank and don’t even get an idea of doing such thing. But, the more we show them that we are scared the more they will take the advantage of the situation. This is not about a woman. Anyone could have been in her place and in her situation. SO every individual should carry some or the other self defence products, which is easily available at every online store.

I really don’t know what has happened to this world. Every other day, we get to hear the news of brutality, rape, bomb blast, etc. There has to be an end to it. And only we can do it. Raise your voice against any crime. Give the severest punishment to the culprit. SO they think twice before committing any crime whatsoever. There has to be a fear of law in them. But that is not there because, it takes years together to give justice to the victim and the cases are piled up for many more years. SO, there has to be a proper jurisdiction, every case has to be looked upon on a fast track basis. You rely upon the law for your safety and for the justice. So, if that’s not met, it is obvious that the fear of law will vanish altogether in the coming years.  And the felons will get the leeway to do whatever they want.

Let’s join hands together and fight for our self, for our safety and for the whole world. United we stand, divided we fall. If we stand together with Unity, no bloody criminal will think of committing any crime. We have to come out of the predicament by our self. Only if we raise our voice and fight for justice, we can assure our future generation to stay safe and fight for their right. And clean the world from all the criminals like a scavenger.

There is a surge of anger running down my veins and I really feel, this, as an individual everyone should feel and fight for the same. SO here I am, requesting everyone, to fight for your safety and justice and request for the severest punishment to the criminals.

Why this indifference

Today, this day, I would like to espouse for all the girls in the world who is and has been surviving in this male chauvinist society. I really don’t understand why people blindly follow the public reverence and not even use their commonsense.

Time and again, girls have been targeted at every phase of life. No girl in this world is safe enough. I would like to ask you, God has sent us for some  purpose, then why does this so called “society “ has to decide, that women and girls does not have the  freedom and right to live or to fulfil the purpose they are here for.

I mean for God’s sake, get some life. Right from the time a girl child is born they are being tortured. Especially in rural India, if they come to know that the foetus is a girl child, they kill her inside the womb itself. If, god forbids, she comes out, she has to suffer hell. And so she does, without uttering a word. Apparently, people support the social stigma to an extent, that they are blinded to see what is right and what is wrong.

A woman doesn’t have the right to study, work, have a social life, or have friends? A woman is compared with Hindu Goddess, but still her self esteem and dignity is torn asunder. All her life she sacrifices and suffers and doesn’t utter a word. Why this indifference?

If she has to work, she faces criticisms in office, at home, from relatives. Every day, her self -respect is torn to snippets, but still she suffers. Every day she faces molestation verbal or physical, still she suffers. She is a target of domestic violence, still she suffers. She is being raped and abused, still she has to keep quiet and suffer. She has to face acid attacks, still she suffers the pain. I mean there has to be a limit to her sufferings.

Why this indifference? Why this predicament only to her?  Why we are we so callous when all this happens right in front of us. Why when a woman comes to you for help, you shrug it off. Don’t you feel for her? Or is it just that, this is some spicy news for you to watch and enjoy and then blame the government for this and then back you are to your own world. Remember this can happen to your child, or your wife or any other family member.

In the Delhi gang rape case, millions of people stood for the justice of Nirbhaya. I would like to ask everyone, only when any such incident happens, you will stand up for it? Take a step forward and stand for every woman. She doesn’t have to be a rape victim or a molestation survivor or an acid attack survivor.

Let us all as an individual get into a pact that no such violence whatsoever will be acceptable. We will raise our voices against injustice and will support each and every woman in this world. So she can live a normal life. She doesn’t have to live her whole life with fear and insecurity. Only when we respect the women in our country, people will respect her. Let us set an example to the whole nation, that we stand for our women and support her.

Smart Suraksha Tips for Women’s safety

When you are travelling alone in your city or any other city for that matter, it’s always important to be extra cautious and careful and keep a track on the roads the driver is following.

With the recent Incident in Hyderabad, where a techie was abducted in the middle of a crowded place and was driven to a lonely place and was gang raped, the safety of girls are at risk. For those who don’t know the incident, let me just put a light on it. Akansha (name changed) was waiting for the auto to her hostel. She stopped many auto rickshaws but, no one was ready to come because her hostel was nearby. After almost an hour of waiting, a cab stopped right in front of her. She thought it was a sharing cab and got into it. Apart from the driver there was another man beside the driver’s seat. Without a slight doubt she boarded the cab and asked them to drop to her place. The driver was pretending, as if he doesn’t know the route and kept on asking the passersby on the way. The girl didn’t get a slightest Idea to keep her GPS on and follow the route. After they reached the outskirts of the city, the girl realized that she has been abducted and it was too late as, they threatened and raped her.

So, you see, even if you are staying in the city for quite some time, you have to be very careful.   I am sharing my Smart Suraksha Tips at BlogAdda.com in association with Smart Suraksha App.

1. Smart suraksha App: Which already mentioned, is an app in Android, where you can send an alert to your contacts, in case you feel you are in danger.
2. GPS tracker: This again is another app in Android, where your family members can always keep a track on where you are and in case of emergency, here also you can send an alert and they will know exactly where you are and can come forward for help.
3. Self tracking: As soon as you board a cab or an auto, follow the route from your mobile, so if you find the driver is going the other way, you get alarmed and ask him to change the route or stop the cab. This way, you can at least get down in a crowded place rather than asking them to stop at an isolated place, giving them more scope to take the advantage of the hour.
4. Keep your relatives and friends informed: when you board the cab, keep your friends or relatives informed about places you have reached frequently, so the driver gets the message loud and clear that, you are being tracked.
5. Keep a pepper spray: This is very important, always keep a pepper spray always with you, so in case of any such trouble, you can get out of the situation.
6.  Never show that you are new to the city:   If you are new to the city, even then don’t pretend that you are. Always be confident and don’t let the fear show up in your face.
7.  Roll down the windows: If you have boarded a cab, roll down the windows and put your hands on it, so the driver doesn’t get a chance to pull up the windows and child locks it. This way you can at least scream if you find yourself in trouble.
8. Avoid travelling alone: One in a hand worth two in the bush, so it’s always advisable not to travel alone. Try to travel with your friends or female colleagues.
9. Don’t trust anyone: If someone offers lift, even if that person is known to you, think twice, before trusting them and accepting the offer.
10.  Public transport is the best:  I would always suggest taking public transport for commutation, but in the worst case scenario, try to take an auto rickshaw, where at least you have the scope to get down, if you smell anything fishy.

These tips can help you save yourself from any troubles whatsoever. Safety always comes first and every woman must feel free to move in her own city without any fear.

The cost cutting

Every time I think of cost cutting, I feel. It is so difficult to cut on your spending and live without shopping or eating out. Little did I know that I soon have to follow the same step? I recently booked a house, and my husband being the only bread earner, we find it very difficult to survive, if we spend too much. SO unanimously we decided that we will follow the cost cutting way.

Apparently the cost cutting started off really well for first 2 months, but post that, we kind of voluntarily or involuntarily stopped saving. Well! That’s too bad. But I think I have to make a list of how to save on hard earned money to avoid any financial crisis. So here are the lists I have thought about:

1. Make a list: I have already started making a list of day to day expenses. Even a small pin we buy, I add that in the list. This way we know every month how much are we spending? Out of that how much is unnecessary expense and we can curb on that later. Try to make an accounting statement kind of sheet, with all your incomes and expenses included in that. This would galvanize you to save more and spend less.

2.      Curb on your travelling expenses:  For me this is a little difficult, as our family stays away from us because of my husband’s job elsewhere. SO, we had to travel quite often to visit them. But still, we have decided, we will curb on these expenses and instead of going once in every 2-3 months, we planned to go twice or thrice in a year. However, in case of any emergency or crunch, we cannot stop our self from going.

3.      Buying the groceries: At the crux of life, it’s imperative to cut on daily expenses. Instead buy your groceries and important items in higher quantity, so you don’t have to go again and again to the super market to buy these items. And buying anything in a glut will also save that extra penny.

4.      Avoid eating outside: With working couple, it’s really difficult to prepare lunch or dinner at home, and they end up spending more on eating outside. When you have a major expense ahead, try to cut on this expense and prepare anything at home. Even salad at home would be healthy and cheap. I am not saying cut on your eating habits. Try to get up a little early and prepare lunch and dinner together, so when you come home from a tiring day in office, you would not have to prepare food and you can avoid eating outside as well.

5.      Unnecessary expenses: Again, buying unnecessary items and clothes, is not important. This is a crucial point in your life. SO try to avoid unnecessary expenses.

 

Just a little caution from your side, will help you save more and that in turn will be helpful in future. This way we will also get a habit of spending less and saving more, which is always helpful. Try to follow this policy forever and you can lead a happy and contented life.

I wish she had a smart suraksha with her

Smart Suraksha is an App in Android which, at the tap of a button can reach to 5 people in your contact and it alerts them that you are in danger.

Crisis never informs you before coming. Same thing happened with one of my friend. Rita works in a Call centre, and working in a BPO means you have to work at night. They had a cab facility. But as per the rules, if a lady employee has to be picked first or dropped last, they have to send a security person or any male co employee to escort till her drop or pickup point.

So, it was early in the morning when her shift got over, around 6.00 am. Her drop point was the last, but no male employee volunteered to escort her and there was no security person in the cab. Everyone was  sleepy and no one thought that anything could happen as it was already day light and her drop was just 1 km away from the 2^nd last drop.

Anyways, taking the advantage of the hour, the cab driver changed the route, when asked, he said “Maam, that route is closed due to some agitations in the city”. She could smell the danger but, her phone was running low on battery, and even if she makes a call her phone will be switched off. She asked the driver to stop the car or follow the normal route, but to her surprise he didn’t listen to her. By that time she was pretty sure that she was in danger but was helpless.

Then the driver cornered her to an isolated place and tried to molest her. She could not even scream because no one could hear her scream in that place. But, with all the courage left she kicked him on his sensitive area and managed to get out of the place, took a taxi and rushed to the police station.

Later she was so horrified that it took her quite some time to get over the incident.

I wish she had a smart suraksha with her. Even if your phone is running low on battery you can just tap a button and the danger alert reaches 5 people from your contact list you choose to be.

SO, I would suggest every woman that “Your safety is of utmost importance”. Only you would know the pang behind any incident that happens to you. People will come and just show some sympathy and go away, we women have to stand for each other.

SO to all the women out there, Please install the smart suraksha APP and be safe.

Seeking Smart Suraksha contest at BlogAdda.com in association with Smart Suraksha App