Poor? Hungry? Let's talk about Equality.

My alarm rings at 6am and, like any self-respecting NGO worker who is always on the clock, I snooze for the next 30 minutes planning in the deep recesses of my mind how the day ahead will pan out. Today was the day. The day to head out into the hinterland and deliver out concepts of Gender (definitions/ stereotypes/clichés). Our team assembled, I was joined by Suresh, CSR's driver/entertainer, someone with a deep understanding of the needs of rural Indians who is always willing and ready to share his views. To round out our team was Vikram, our webmaster/gifted Athenian orator, hailing from Haryana, a state infamous for gender-based violence, and a living example of how one can change mindsets.

We were on our way to Moradabad (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moradabad ), a city which retains a proud brass industry heritage as one of the country's largest exporters of brass handicrafts. As reported by the latest census, literacy rates are around 70% in men and 60% in women (rather high compared to the rest of Uttar Pradesh ), the sex ratio is 908 women per 1000 men. Altogether I went into this latest round of gender trainings with a positive and optimistic viewpoint of the city and its people, and assumed that our Gender Trainings would run smoothly. Basic concepts explained to straightforward people.

Upon our arrival in Moradabad we were met by our local partner organization SARD : Society for All Round Development, who piloted us through the city, driving through narrow lanes and what felt like a series of never-ending vegetable markets. We eventually arrived to the point where I had to leave the comforts of our air-conditioned car and face the reality of the blaring summer sun as I meandered through lanes, which just happened to be the exact size of my shoulder span.

The 500 meter walk was surely not intended for anyone with a sensitive olfactory system or with particularly high standards of hygiene. The small distance was dotted with twenty butcher stalls casual about waste disposal to say the least selecting the little drainage canals outside their shops while the heat and humidity ensured the flesh remains were colonized upon arrival. Finally, after ducking and diving my way through the lane I arrived at the training venue. I was relieved and tired. Damping down my sweaty brow, I looked up and realized that I was at the local madrasa. As I shook my head and stepped in, there was a power cut. Ominous you say?

Immediately upon entering the room, I noticed a pile of Qurans stacked high in the corner and a blackboard with sinuous Arabic lettering. The power cut on arrival meant no electricity leaving us in complete darkness in the room with the only source of light and ventilation being the little door through which I entered. Thankfully, the power cut did not seem to dissuade any of our participants and the room slowly filled up with a very diverse group ranging from dewy-eyed ten-year old boys to seventy-year old ‘maulanas' with many years experience as teachers of Islam.  I soon looked up and our little 20 sq meter room was filled to capacity with over seventy people with one door and no electricity.

When preparing to speak in front of large crowds there are only so many variables you can take into consideration. Did I know there was going to be a power cut? No. So I pressed on with my introduction to the group while beads of sweat trickled down my forehead leaving me after 10 minutes of cursory remarks in a pool of my own sweat. Setting the physical difficulties aside, we delved into the topic of 'Gender'.  I must admit that the group was very attentive and participated with great enthusiasm. We conducted a healthy discussion filled with smiles, laughter and agreement that there are different opportunities and expectations which come with being a man or woman and that these parameters are created, established and prolonged by all members of society. However, when the discussion turned to the topic of ‘Equality' the whole group suddenly turned silent craning their necks towards the elders sitting at the back, ‘the community elders', the ones with the final say. I had just been introduced to the judges of Moradabad's very own Kangaroo Court. 

You could have heard a pin drop in those first few minutes. The shock over the concept of gender equality was enough to drive these boys and men stone cold silent. The elders were gracious enough to smile, enquire after my name but then ordered me to continue.  When a trainer loses his authority it’s hard to conduct a training, however I made a light-hearted joke at the elders and did my best to continue. The training atmosphere had surely turned hostile but often one needs to make a point. So I continued on the topic of equality putting a simple question to the group: "What did they think about women having a job". Again a series of hushed conversations, silences and murmurs ensued when finally a young boy aged around sixteen answered, "Sir my Quran says women should always be dressed from head to toe otherwise it is a sin, since most jobs nowadays require them to wear western clothes they can’t do those jobs."  

I was about to involve others in the discussion when one of the elders sitting at the back interjected and warned me that "You should watch what you say, you are in a room where we teach our kids about Islam, a word against the Quran and you won’t leave this training on your own two feet". Shocked and dismayed, I thought to myself "Wow, this hundred-year old bloke half my size, actually threatened me". So I used the finest and only weapon available to me, humor, to break the ice quoting the famous Bollywood saying ‘Gabbar singh yeh keh gaya, Jo darr gaya wo maar gaya'  (no guts no glory). The group broke into fits of indulgent laughter and congratulated my defensive move with a round of applause. Realizing we had all reached our boundaries of tolerance both mentally and physically for the day I concluded the training.

Afterwards, our host organization was kind enough to serve us a generous spread of cold drinks and snacks while we exchanged stories of our experiences from a truly challenging day. I decided to take a stroll back to where I had left my normality. Walking back through the narrow path I was overwhelmed by a sense of hypocrisy. The group of men I had just spoken to had never experienced equality, did not know of rights because they had never exercised their own and live in an India where government provisions are a myth.  Their battles are for survival, their worries for how to feed their families and the only glimmer of hope they have in this battle, which they will eventually lose, is religion.

All the big words used in proposals sent to UN agencies are good and great for those who are fortunate enough to live in the comfort of air conditioned conference halls with purified/ ozonified/ reverse osmosis-treated bottled water. But for the majority of my country these so-called 'necessities' bear no meaning as their struggle is for survival not for class not for justice but the basic instinct to stay alive. As a result they will align themselves with anyone who shares, ensures and prioritizes that same basic ambition.

They did not sit in that crowded, hot room because they cared about Gender. They sat there because they knew they would be provided with a meal at the end. Trainings are a valuable exercise but I sometimes think we forget why some people choose to attend. Vast amounts of money is spent inviting trainers from the big cities and on refreshments for a huge gathered crowd, which is often unaware of the topic but is very aware that they will be served a meal if they stay until the end. It is a common practice I have seen across the NGO sector in India and it is a reality we must come to terms with.

Perhaps we ought to entertain the thought that maybe we need to spend more time and money on what people need and want rather than telling them how to behave. Also, if UN bosses spend more time in the field they would realize that it's not a lack of capacity but lack of opportunity that is the main barrier. They should invest this money in hospitals, schools and nutrition. I realize that 'our bosses' sit in their beautiful offices and are chauffeured from one strategy meeting to another while expecting that a new version of social change will automatically take place every year but the reality on the ground is more complex, nuanced and demanding. This reality is certainly worth looking into.

Boobs before breakfast

This Saturday started off like any other day. My alarm clock dutifully rang at 9am, half awake I stumbled out of bed grabbing the newspaper, waiting on my coffee. As I opened the front page and scanned through the staggering manner in which my country was depicted in the headlines my eyes were drawn to an ad for a shirt. But dear reader, do not be fooled, this was no ordinary shirt.

So here I am sitting in the capital of a conservative country and even before I have had a sip of my morning coffee what am I confronted with on the front page? A semi-naked woman exposed with her breast to the reader, hands held suggestively between her legs and an exasperated look on her face. Forgive me, but is an invitation for coitus (apologize for this graphic description, but it’s the truth) the best way to sell a shirt? Undoubtedly, the ad men succeeded in their task by grabbing my attention.  Now the obvious question remains, is SEX the only tool of persuasion available to draw interest to a product's merits? Such an approach may be successful with many young men between the ages of 18-35 (their target demographic) but what is the impact of such an advertising campaign on other readers? Ad men continue to use sexual imagery in advertising as a means of persuading the reader to a product's virtues. Marketers continue to use more sex in advertising for a greater range of products.  The range of merchandise that are traditionally associated with sex appeals are usually designer clothing, alcohol and fragrances which appear to be featuring sexual imagery that is increasingly explicit.

So I'm obviously concerned at what thoughts run through a 13-year old boy's mind when affronted with such graphic ads let alone the reactive thoughts of a 50-year old woman. Leaving those questions open as I triage through my daily dose of so-called 'news', what becomes clear is that the production of our newspapers has become highly dependent on funding generated by advertisements of a sexual nature. Of course one could have a fertile discussion about whether this is good or bad for the future of journalism but my question remains: Is it NEWS? And should it have any place in our newspapers?
   

Marshall Mcluhan once said “All media exist to invest our lives with artificial perceptions and arbitrary values". How true. In a country where conversations operate under the maxim 'Though Shalt Not Discuss Sex in Public' (your guess is as good as any, looking our rising population it surely is not increasing because of any other reason) how can it be deemed acceptable to have semi-naked women on the front page of national daily newspaper? In addition, as a reader I feel genuinely cheated as my newspaper was purchased in order to read the read the latest news and keep myself well-informed. Instead, I am given page after page of sexually explicit advertising. I am a grown man, such things can be purchased alternatively through Playboy.

I discussed my concerns with , a marketing expert ( who wants to remain anonymous as he represents on of the biggest marketing companies on the globe ) who explained that "Sex is a taboo theme in India, the more one uses it the more people would like to sneak a peek, more interest in the product/brand. The more shocking it is, people will talk about it more, be interested and share it. That is exactly what makes an ad campaign successful." So what happens to our society? Every day from the time we wake up till we go to bed, we are bombarded with advertisements on a variety of different platforms be it newspapers, TV, radio, street hoardings with ads which are sexual in nature. But our social systems are still very closed to these topics with the vast majority of us never having seen our parents kiss and most of us hesitating to demonstrate even the slightest bit of PDA in front of them.

The media conveys camouflaged messages about what is appropriate in society. This message when examined through the lens of gender suggests men to be proactive, aggressive as compared to women (who are objectified as sexual toys for men). The constant reminder of this ‘Barbie Doll' , ‘He – Man' divide with photoshoped images cannot merely be classified as an innocent pastime as it leads to the cultivation of unrealistic aspirations. (For further proof do watch Killing Us Softly ).

The media no longer finds itself on the periphery of society, today it finds itself in the midst of its own cultural revolution. A constant in our lives, and hence having a major effect on how we act and react to daily life situations. Female sexuality is used to sell products (as men usually control the wealth), be it through music videos, advertisements, songs, movies or newspapers. The constant promotion of men as sexual aggressors on women, as sex objects, leads to the normalization and acceptance of violence as a common practice. And in reality it's not! (For further proof do watch Dreamworlds  )

Now begs the obvious question, is this contradiction the reason for so many sex crimes? Does the constant presence of sexual content in our day to day life lead to the creation of an augmented reality? 

Critics will say, but people are smart, they can choose! I agree, that they can. On the one hand we have the best psychologists advising advertising firms on how best to maximize their exposure (and ad revenue) to their key market demographics for their products. On the other hand, individuals are unaware of these tactics, believing what they see on television, hear on the radio and read in the newspaper. And sadly once these readers become consumers, use a product and come to the realization that it has in fact not changed their lives as promised (tragically AXE deodorant will not make girls jump into bed with you: tried and tested) they will cease using it. But what is the collateral damage of this process? Is it acceptable that people get hurt in the process of selling perfume? 

The owners of these big advertising firms (mostly men let's be honest) only care about the potential generated revenue stream of a product rather than any potential effects of the violent sexual nature of their ad campaigns. As a result of losing money by executing alternative ad campaigns that have failed they have returned to the repetitive ad campaigns we know all too well where 'sex is best'.

Let me end of a final note. Dear Advertiser, you want to sell me a pink Oxford shirt with buttons? Try appealing to me through issues other than sex which interest me such as science, sports, social welfare or society. I am an evolved man who can handle being appealed to on a variety of different platforms rather than just sex. Use your creativity, there are other aspects of life which are as important as sex. Tell me about the thread count used in making my desired pink shirt, the man who made it, which social events I can wear it to (cricket perhaps?) or how many employees this company employs in India. There you go, I've done your job. If I can come up with 4 ideas in 4 minutes I am sure the geniuses working in your offices can do a lot more. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Anti-social social workers: whose interests are we really serving ?

The question is a subtle and nuanced one. I have been working in the social change sector for the last three years. It started out quite simply; we would sweat it out in rural villages talking to women of all age groups about their day-to-day lives and gathering valuable field data about the obstacles they faced. The hours were long and the work conditions were often gruelling. Nonetheless, I found the whole experience riveting. These early experiences engaging directly with the women whose issues I fight for on a daily basis not only altered the way in which I see myself, but also how I understand the women around me. I had found my cause.

Consequently, as I discovered more about the amazing work so many of my peers were committing themselves to, I knew that I wanted to dedicate myself to the same cause. Unsatisfied with simply standing by the side lines while law after law, case after case against women went unnoticed I wanted to learn, may be even chip in an idea or two. It’s a true reflection of the social change sector, that despite my lack of formal experience in the area, my ideas and I were welcomed into the team with open arms (if only time stood still).

The more knowledgeable I became, the harder I worked. The more I worked the more my network began to expand to include VIPs. I was interacting with the “names which matter”, The Titans of the social change sector in India as I like to refer to them. These are the women and men who call the shots, organize the big rallies, are called on by the media to comment and who the media in turn listen to. I won’t lie it was an honor just to be in their company. Forgive me for what I am about to say, but it felt like being called up from the minor leagues to play alongside Michael Jordan. At times, sitting at the same round table as The Titans, who have dedicated their lives to the cause, I had to pinch myself to believe that I was actually invite to sit there and contribute (again if only time could stand still).

Undoubtedly, I was just as naïve as the people who believe Rajnikanth is a fictional character. Lost in the romance of activism (I still am), it took around ten meetings before I came to the realization that in the desperate race to prove their own organization was worthier than the others, each of the amazing Titans had somehow forgotten about the “cause”. Spending their days sitting in air-conditioned conference halls, delivering presentations with the aide of management speak with big words to explain basic problems they had all but abandoned the social realities on the ground. They had lost touch with the cause that initially led them to the fight for equal rights.

In my experience, there are only two variables, which will determine the likely success of such meetings/ conferences/ workshops or blue-sky thinking seminars: the venue and the goody bags. So what do you do? You have no choice but to meet in the finest hotels where upon arrival at the registration desk you are greeted with an Italian leather laptop bag containing a notepad made out of recycled paper (an informal rule of the trade is that at least one item in every goody bag has to be eco-friendly), a custom pen with the logo of the host organization (never ever forget the logo, your branding is key). You’ll struggle through the morning speakers and stare at your watch every 20 mins. Once lunch finally arrives, you are treated to an exotic buffet selection, which you’ll wash down at the open bar.  You’ll notice that the single malts are particularly popular. So the careful balance begins. Drink in one hand, platter of continental foods in the other, you’ll sit and discuss how to make India a better place.

What happens next? The scripted dialogue follows and I start to feel like I’m judging an episode of India’s Next Best NGO. Sir, you should hear about the amazing work MY organization does. WE are here to guide you, because WE have been blessed to be the leaders in this field. Got the gist? Yes, in a room full of social workers the only discussions taking place revolve around the merits of each of their organizations vis-à-vis the others who are utterly and completely useless/wrong/fake and should be wiped off the NGO map.  Why? Because we’re the best. To sum it up, it would appear that hosting a pow wow on women in the right venue, with the best goody bags and the most delicious lunch is leading its participants to act in a way that is devoid of any connection to the women in the field, to the struggles they face and the goals they initially set for themselves to make this world a better place. Somewhere along the way, we lost touch with our cause.

We can boast of a country with 1.21 billion people, the majority of which live below the poverty line, are chronically malnourished and wake up every day with the simple goal of surviving. I believe that in order to effect real sustainable change we need to be more inclusive and less skilled in our collecting of goody bags. I see the choice as a simple one, we can choose to distract ourselves with petty discussions stripping each other’s organizations of meaning or we can rally under a single umbrella. We can choose to strengthen and contribute to each other’s efforts under a new mandate for social change and become The Social Heavyweights that our country needs. I for one plan on hanging up my free Italian laptop bag. Will you join me?

Poor NGO Types

I work for social change. When I started in this field I was often the butt of my own jokes and did joke about how I was always broke. Somehow it goes with the image, but the more time I spend in India working on civil society projects relating to women's rights, the more I realize how ridiculous it is. Sure we can all conjure up the traditional image of an Indian social worker,  'Khadi ka Kurta pajama', in our minds with a cheap Jhola bag resting on his shoulder and dusty kolapurri chapals on his tired feet. In addition to being obviously poor and hungry. Well I could not disagree more with that image. Yes, I believe in working tirelessly for the needs of others. Yes I believe that we all owe it to ourselves to make sure that our fellow woman and man is well taken after. But no, I do not need to be hungry and poor to help the ones who are. I do not need to live below the poverty line in order to help people who do. Just like I don’t need to turn into a maple tree in order to save one, or a woman to work for women's rights.

I ask you this, why on earth are the people who work for the good of others forbidden from enjoying a comfortable lifestyle? No one would ever question my lifestyle if I made millions by marketing the merits of poisonous products such as Coca Cola or tobacco but the second a social worker drives a car or eats in a nice restaurant she/he is considered to be dishonest. 

Had I been a doctor or a lawyer no one would question my fancy German car, or accurate Swiss watch, fine Italian suits or lavish holidays on some luxurious island resort with a hard to pronounce name.

When I asked Dr Anand Kumar a noted sociologist the same question, he answered "Society accepts preachers who are practitioners, be it Vivekanand, Gandhi, Mother Teresa or Anna Hazare. Socially cautious entrepreneurs like Ratan Tata, Narayan Murti and Azim Prem ji are all highly respected by all strata of society. Social entrepreneurs like Sunita Narayan, Aruna Roy and Vindeshwar Pathak are all examples of women and men who have broken away from the cliché of the impoverished individual working towards social change.”

Kuber Sharma, a modern day social activist, argues that "This doesn't exist in my world. I know that this lifestyle is something I don't survive in. Hence while I am not averse to working in the grassroots and have worked in little villages all over India, as a full-time profession I prefer a cushy Delhi office. No I still don't have an air-conditioned office, but at least I can be myself here. If clothes and gadgets will dictate what I am and how I think, then let people judge me."

Devendra Kumar, a development professional and also one of the first people who told me "I want to make money through doing good" (this was about 10 years back ), when I gave him a ring for this blog post explained that "Social work in India is still considered a voluntary action and not a professional one. This is a major downer for the development sector. The salaries of the social sector need to marginally match the ones of the corporate, then only can one expect quality social activists. We need to look into the development sector as a professional one if we want to bring about large scale sustainable development."

Manish Tiwari, a political journalist, argues that "If one was to create two categories of NGO’s the ones using the funds and the ones stealing the funds, the list of thieves would be miles longer (I could not agree more). This extreme disparity has led to the critical take of society. No one as such is against social entrepreneurship, but everyone is against con artists minting money in the name of philanthropy. 

Dr. Rohit Negi, who teaches Development Studies and also the catalyst behind this blog post, explains that “The origins of this notion are in Gandhian practice. Prior to Gandhi's entry on the Indian political scene, the leadership was largely elite, and they had very little pretensions of reaching out to the masses. Gandhi's message was to live and dress like those on whose behalf one claimed to speak, which is what representation--government or non-government--is essentially about.  Even today, civil society and social workers are viewed through that same lens: they must be incorruptible and lead what the larger society considers a simple life. Because, in part, non-profit also means non-well to do. That someone who is in the development sector, broadly defined, also make good money and live a more-than-decent life attracts allegations of impropriety, and undermines his/her credibility.  For better or worse, I believe this is a fact. There are obvious merits of holding civil society to a tough standard, but then it means that anyone who wishes to be in this arena with a degree of honesty needs to choose between the work and a comfortable life.”

So what happens to me? A guy with a technical degree who believes in viable social change . Do I starve to fit into a cliché ? Or do I battle it out , changing professional norms as I progress ? Or do I give up both and jump back into the corporate sector designing micro chips and selling them to the highest bidder?  

Demand for Supply or Supply to Demand

I think in our times there is an enigmatic demand created for the product to be supplied. Yup it’s a jab at the whole Advertising industry , lets look at products like Coca-cola , Marlboro , McDonalds , Fairness creams ,  Products to make one slim. These amazing advertisements which are played and replayed through every broadcasting medium , one cannot go through a day without believing that the only way to quench ones thirst is by sipping on the cancer causing coke. That a drag of Marlboro will some how magically dissaperate us to the Grand Canyons where we will be taming wild horses . A bite of the fake bread , fake chicken , guaranteed to make on obese McDonalds burger will make our mind go ‘ Para pa pa paaaaaaaaaa , I am loving it ‘.  And all the other fairness/fitness/lookgood products which promise that we will turn into Greek Gods and Goddesses ( no idea , how they looked , but the ‘ Hot ‘ men n women of my times are always compared to them so must be right )

Honestly one could let it slide saying that these ads are not physically forcing you to buy them , YOU STILL HAVE A CHOICE , but do we ? , Does my poor brain really stand a chance against an army of psychologists/researchers/public opinion makers . I mean these guys spend their life figuring out how to trick me into wanting useless stuff

( reminds me of a scene from ‘ Fight Club ‘Like so many others, I had become a slave to the IKEA nesting instinct. Uh, yes. I'd like to order the Erica Pekkary dust ruffles.

Operator: Please hold. If I saw something clever like a little coffee table in the shape of a yin-yang,

I had to have it.

The Klipske personal office unit, the Hovetrekke home exer-bike, or theJohannshamn sofa with the Strinne green stripe pattern. Even the Rizlampa wire lamps of environmentally friendly unbleached paper. I'd flip through catalogs and wonder: What kind of dining set defines me as a person?

I had it all.

Even the glass dishes with tiny bubbles and imperfections. Proof that they were crafted by the honest, simple, hard-working indigenous peoples of...

Operator: Please hold.

Narrator: Wherever. I was holding. We used to read pornography. Now it was the Horchow collection. )

Yes I love movies , so what’s my problem with the whole aspect of created demand , through sensationalizing a feeling , commodification of our natural instincts , basic needs , of normality itself.

Smiles need the empowerment of ‘ Colgate ‘, moments have to be saved in memory with the help of ‘ Kodak ‘ ( sadly they went bank corrupt , wonder what happens to my moments now ) , Love is forever ONLY if its sealed with a ‘ Diamond ‘ , Hell they wont even let me kiss if I am not chewing on a ‘ Wrigleys ‘ , My son needs to drink ‘ Horlicks ‘ , and my daughter need to be a ‘ Complan Girl ‘ because then she will turn into a Badminton star like Sania Mirza.

I think I made my point . 

Old is NOT always Gold

28 years on this planet, have been working for the past 10 years, in various fields. Have made a few shifts from hardly paid student jobs, to over paid corporate jobs, and finally to the social sector (let’s not even get into the salary bit of it ) .

When I started working at 17 as a COBOL software developer for a firm which made Income tax calculating software for the ‘rich’ in south Germany. Everyone was highly impressed by the fact that a young Indian boy is helping them out. (For scandal sake I’ll say I was the reason for ‘ Inder statt kinder’ debate which led to MR Jürgen Rüttgers gaining some media mileage )

Now the journey has been amazing since then, and age was always on my side, and the older/wiser/grey hair or totally bald men, did not take me as a threat. Rather I was the rookie they were very happy to give ‘ Gyaan ‘ to. With all honesty I must say I really used to listen in back in the day.

Lately specially when it comes to plan’s of future, methodology to address the youth, what appeals to a nation with the majority of its citizens below the age of 45. I get tsunami’s of arguments always starting with the same tone of “What do you know about this? Back in our day…….” Before I lose my cool, I think to my self, well it’s apparently NOT back in your day, and for sure the ideas applied then were probably NOT good enough.

Now the social sector, like the intelligentsia, has ensure that it is a closed club. Both these club have a code language they speak in, which no body in the ‘real’ world understands. Well here is a BIG middle finger to both these clubs and every one in them, Your knowledge and ideas and work does not matter if it is not known/understood by the common person.

Putting it simply no one gives a fuck about what you did ‘back in the day ‘as its not about you ! & your club ! it’s about how a simple common person steps in for social change , to spread knowledge , in himself , in his environment ,Before global and local , it HAS to be personal .

But then again I have been around for 28 years, whereas you clowns have seen the planet go round for a longer period. Although it’s the quality of time which matter and not quantity !!!          

गंगा ढाबा पे बैठ कर , ६१५ की ओर देखते हुए

गंगा ढाबा पे बैठ कर , ६१५ की ओर देखते हुए .....

चाय अभी आधी ही पी थी , कोई पुराना , आप का ज़िक्र कर गया ,
आप का नाम क्या सूना , हम तोह किसी और ही समय मैं समां गये

आप तीसरे स्टॉप पर मुस्कुराते हुए बस मैं चढ़ती थी ,
हम नज़रे गिरा लेते थे , साला दिल मैं अंग्रेजी गाना सुनाई देता था ,
दिन मन्नो wonderful हो जाता था ,

एक वो दिन है , और आज का दिन है ,
आशिकी मैं भी मिलावट , बेचारी भावनाओ मैं भी बनावट
कुछ रह गया , तोह अपने गंगा ढाबा की चाय

गंगा ढाबा पे बैठ कर , ६१५ की ओर देखते हुए .....
कभी आइयेगा , अप्प को चाय ज़रूर पिलाएँगे