Paritrana - and Good News India

I came to know yesterday about this new political party, one which can claim at least as of now, to be a party "with a difference". My first reaction, kept to myself, was that it won't work. My second one was that of admiration mixed with jealousy - which is how I typically feel whenever some one else does something that I would love to do, but don't have the guts to.

Now, having gone through the website of the party (http://www.paritrana.org/index.htm) and read the profile of the members, I am less cynical. Not because these people will change the face of India or Indian politics - they may or may not - but because there are some things in life, like love, that I don't ever want to get cynical about. And the good intentions of these guys (most of whom have actually struggled a lot to achieve what they did, and then gave it up for this cause) deserve at least respectful neutrality, if not passive / active support. There are times, I believe, when one should not get bogged down with whether something will work or not - it is better to get going than to brainstorm on 100 reasons why something will not work. After all, as the saying goes, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. May be these guys are taking that first step right now. If we cannot join the march, let us not at least be cynical about it.

P.S. As the site says, "Trana means the act of relieving a conscious entity from the state of distress or pain. However, this relief may not be of permanent nature. Paritrana is the complete relief implying the end of the very cause of distress." I wish they had specified the pronunciation for non-Hindi speaking people - it is Pari-traan, and not Pari-tranaa, as the reporter on CNN-IBN was hell-bent on demonstrating yesterday.

P.P.S. If interested, please check out http://goodnewsindia.com/index.php/gni - Good News India. As the name suggests, the site focuses on the good things that are happening in our country, not necessarily sensational, headline grabbing or "breaking news". Again, the handiwork of one committed individual. If you find it interesting, you can subscribe to its newsletter.