Blog@GraceJunction

 
I was visiting Australia and was at the home of one of my good friends, who since the time I meet him at the metro station, would keep telling me about his daughter and the pain she’s going thru. As the strong man drove his huge 4 x 4 truck, I could feel that he was vulnerable, all the strength and grit that I admire him for had somehow been weakened. (more…)

The government has floated three town planning schemes for an area called Bopal in Ahmedabad but has not been able to implement any of these as Bopal has witnessed haphazard and unplanned construction activities for the last two decades. The layout and the utilization of the spaces in this area is so bad that the government is wary to start anything. The government wishes that it had shown foresight before approving plans for the area. A regret, that will remain unattended for decades. (more…)

It was sad to read the story of Chitra Parmar in the morning today. Depressed over a failed love affair, this 20-year-old student of National Institute of Fashion Design, committed suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling fan on Sunday evening. In the suicide note she said she was taking the step because she could not get over the fact she had been jilted by her lover Hiren Patel. She also named three more people as responsible for their break-up. Finally she apologised to her parents in the suicide note. (more…)

Pressure was the most talked about issue in Anju Musafir’s workshop on parenting that ended last week. The amount of pressure that kids go through to perform in class, deal with fights and prejudices in class, teacher’s negative comments, peer pressure, course and tuition pressure et cetera are only mounting by the year. Parents are also not helping them in lessening this pressure, on the contrary they are only adding up to it by allowing no play or music or movie! (more…)

I was very excited that morning, the sun was still waking up as I hurriedly changed a few trains and rushed thru the crowd, meticulously following the travel plan in order not to miss the bus from Paramatta Sydney to the Hillsong church. It had been my desire for a long time to attend a worship service at this great church which has blessed nations across the world. My visit had more curiosity and excitement and I was all so much geared and focussed ‘to see’.

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Son,

I was concerned about the news that was reaching my ears and that is exactly why I am writing to you. In the past six months, our village has lost three of its cherished sons in the U.S. and all of them I believe could not live up to the mounting pressures of life and these uncertain days. I hope this letter will reach you in time, because I know you too are not finding it easier to keep your job, especially after the scandals that have broken out here. (more…)

 As we read in the papers, one lady (a britisher by the name Christina) who challenged the Ahmedabadi people to keep the city clean, has brought big shots and like wise common people to hold brooms and sweep the roads (other than of course our reporters who are taking pictures or covering the event!)

The usual mentality is like this …..I had it like this:
Usually, when I go in a car, if I have eaten anything and a wrapper is left, I just roll down the windows and throw it over on the road. It is like who cares anyway - India is a big dustbin. My husband keeps the wrapper near his seat and brings it home and throws it in the dustbin. I always used to think, “Why does he have to carry it all the way home, after all India is a big dustbin?” (more…)