સાહિત્ય સર્જક સાથે સંવાદ

તાળાબંધીના અંતિમ દિવસે, "સાહિત્ય સર્જક સાથે સંવાદ" નો કાર્યક્રમ, V.T.V ચેનલ પર જોતા ઘણો જ ઉલ્લાસ થયો.

આપણી ભાષાની મીઠાશ માણતા જાણ્યું કે લેખકોના જ્ઞાનની સીમા નથી. હાલના લેખકો પહેલાના લેખકોનું સ્મરણ કરે, તેમનાથી તો હું અજ્ઞાત છું. હું હાલના લેખકોને સ્ક્રીન પર જોઉં છું એટલે મારા માટે એજ પ્રેરણાસ્ત્રોત છે.

સૌપ્રથમ તોરલબેને સાહિત્ય સર્જકો સાથે દર્શકોનો તાર જોડ્યો. ત્યારબાદ એક પછી એક લેખકના સુંદર અભિપ્રાય સાંભળતા ખુબજ ખુશી થઈ.

અશોકભાઈ ચાવડા- એમનાથી પ્રેરણા મળી સ્વથી સર્વ સુધી જવાની. એમણે પન્નાલાલ પટેલ, ઉમાશંકર જોશી, મરીઝ ને કેટલાય લેખકોની પંક્તિઓ રજૂ કરી દષ્ટાંત આપ્યા. એમણે જણાવ્યું કે સર્જક કર્મનું ક્રમ બદલવાની જરૂર છે. એમના સંવાદનું મનોમંથન તો મનમાં હજુ પણ ચાલે છે.

શૈલેન્દ્રભાઈ વાઘેલા- ફાફડા અને ચટણી તેમજ છાપુ અને લેખક! જેમ ચટણીના સ્વાદથી ફાફડાનો સ્વાદ વધે, તેમજ સારા લેખકથી છાપાનું મૂલ્ય વધે. તેમણે જણાવ્યું કે હવે તો ઓનલાઈનમાં કેટલાંય કાવ્ય મુશાયરા યોજાય છે, તેથી આ ક્ષેત્રે પણ ઘણું પરિવર્તન થઈ રહ્યું છે. તાળાબંધી પહેલા તો એક કાવ્ય મુશાયરા યોજવવા કેટલીયે તૈયારી અને રૂપિયાની બોલબાલા થતી. કટાર લેખકનાં સંવાદોથી ભૂતથી વર્તમાનની લટાર સર્જાઈ.

વિનયભાઈ ગોસાઈ - ખરેખર સોફ્ટ કોપીનો પ્રવાહ આ તાળાબંધીના સમયે વધી ગયો. એમણે ધ્યાન દોર્યું કે હવે આપણે લેખનથી વોઈસ ટાઈપિંગ તરફ જઈ રહ્યા છીએ. હવે તો ટેકનોલોજીના લીધે પુસ્તક લેખકો સ્વયં પુસ્તકને 'રેડી ટૂ પબ્લિશ' કરી શકે છે.

રક્ષાબેન શુક્લ - એમણે જણાવ્યું કે પરિવર્તન તો જીવનનો નિયમ છે અને લૉકડાઉનની કવિતા રજૂ કરી, તે પણ ઘણી રસપ્રદ હતી.

એશાબેન દાદાવાલા- એમણે કહ્યું કે લેખકે પોતાની કલાકૃતિ વાંચકો સુધી પહોંચાડવા પ્રયત્નો કરવા પડશે અને જેમ માસ્ક ફેન્સી મળવા લાગ્યા છે તેમજ સાહિત્યમાં પણ લખાણમાં ફેરફાર થવા લાગ્યા છે.

હરદ્વારભાઈ ગોસ્વામી -  એમણે જણાવ્યું કે સાહિત્ય સર્જકોનો જવાબ એક હોય શકે પણ તેમની અભિવ્યક્તિ જુદી હોય છે. તેમના મુક્તક હૃદયસ્પર્શી હતા.

દર્શકોને સાહિત્યિક ફૂલોનો ગુલદસ્તો આપવા બદલ V.T.V ને આભાર.

- ફોરમ શાહ (કોલકાતા)

Will 20lakh crore bandage heal the economy?

No matter how expensive the healing bandage costs, unless the mindset heals, the expense doesn't turn fruitful. Policy makers are trying their best to revive the economy but alertness of beneficiaries decides the success of any policy! Money is infused and channelised to boost the economy. People say that they are running out of money. Where is the money fuming? To other country? In lockers? Or, in gold? Or, somewhere else? Money cycle is continuous. If someone loses, someone gains.
While applying this 20lakh crore bandage, if borrowed money is diverted for productive activities then it could be easily returned with interest. But, if money is to be printed, then consequences have to be faced! Owing to present situation, everyone is trying their best to survive. Yes! to survive only. Nobody is thinking of luxury now. That means savings for survival, consumption of essentials for survival has increased. Hence, portion of the package is clearly getting utilised for consumption purpose. More the investments, the virtuous the economy gets. But, healthier the people, healthier the demography gets. The amount released for productive purposes is the amount that will help in boosting the economy at 'quantam' pace. The amount for survival purpose shall contribute towards health of population that will help in boosting the economy. So, there are two facets, Health and Wealth, that is, Savings and Investments.
Released money faces multiplier effect. Currently, velocity of money will be less. It will take time to heal. Rs 1.74lakh crore relief package under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana for the economically weaker section is either piled up at bank or used/saved for survival. Additionally, free food is provided. All farmers, migrants, labourers are taken care of in paper. Hope, all are benefitted too. Government also announced Emergency Health Response Package. Under these packages, economy might not get healthy but that amount is for healthyfying the workers of economy. After all, health is wealth. No huge multiplier cycle is to be expected here. This is just a healthy virtuous cycle if beneficiaries are actually benefitted.
Other area where this bandage is applied is corporate sector. Refunds against pending income tax refunds of upto Rs 5lakh will just build up a portion of wealth. Productivity is necessary for reviving the economy. So, MSMEs have been benefitted through Funds of Funds, subordinate debt and collateral free automatic loans. Now, we have to keep a watch on them. If the amount granted is well utilised and turnover is multiplied, then it will turn into boon. But, the virus has to perish, safe environment is needed for people to work.
Next, liquidity relief through Employee Provident Fund plus reduced EPF contribution is aimed at benefitting firms. But, Alas! Most firms are unaware while few need to learn to claim the benefit.
NBFCs and Power Distribution companies too gain support. Also, RBI slashed CRR. Special Refinance Facility and Long Term Repo Operation are the other measures taken by RBI. But, they need to be utilised by banks.
The list of beneficiaries is huge, so is the list of survivors! Cost of living is rising. Price of essential food items is going up. Will that relief amount help in covering rising costs?It is just a 'relief' amount!
We consume, we produce. We are the survivors, we are the workers. Until and unless, we use the released amount to boost the economy, it will get difficult to recover. Though, not directly, but all will be benefitted through ripple effect. As money flows and starts exchanging hands slowly and steadily, the economy will recover. But, for boom to occur, money must exchange hands rapidly like it used too. We need to build our immunity and invest in productive activities to build self-reliant economy's immunity.
Hence, the bandage turns effective if we turn active and learn its proper application!

Donater needs help

Lockdown-Economy-Life-Livelihood

Being an Economics Graduate, the most common question I receive is, "Is, actually, lockdown gonna hit the economy really hard? How can we overcome? Like, in this current scenario, how will the world adjust between life and livelihood?"

I tried to answer that in article below-

People run the economy, Money makes people work. It's not a world where everyone would provide selfless service. We need to pay to get something. We need to work to earn the payment we need to make. So, the trip, a monetary value makes, plays a vital role. Under current scenario, velocity of money has slowed down. Only a few sectors are running, rest aren't able to earn income. Individuals are willing to save for their livelihood. More the savings, less the investment. The rate at which money exchanged hands has fallen. So, productive activities don't get the required boost. Most people aren't earning so they don't spend lavishly. So, the GDP number falls. For many it might be just a number but it reflects the slowdown. Economy faces a hard hit from two sides- (1) the number of workers (population) is declining, (2) people aren't willing to spend. If there are less people, it doesn't only mean less burden but also less helping hands. Economy runs by cooperation received from every sector. Secondly, most aren't earning. As their wealth declines, their livelihood faces danger. Initially, people might help. But, for how long? So, another scenario emerges where part of population is becoming slave! The ones who would have enough will try to use such people who seek livelihood during difficult times. All this is happening because money runs livelihood! 

More the individuals get affected, more pressure is created on economy at global level. The people who are dying, both skilled and unskilled played an important part in running the economy. The world doesn't stop by someone's absence, but definitely it could be made a better place by utilising someone's presence! So, economy, livelihood, welfare, health faces a hard hit.

This virus won't go in blink of eye. It will stay with us and we have to work keeping that in mind. It's not easy to overcome. If we think to make the world go digital, we must know that all services couldn't go digital. So, people who need to step out have to take a risk of their life and take necessary precautions. Everyone who has arrived has to go but that doesn't mean 'purposely risking lives'. So, the ones who could do their part staying at home should do and avoid crowding places.  There are people who still think that lockdown isn't meant for their good! We live in a world where everyone (including us) won't understand everything. So, any day when this lockdown has to be lifted up, crowd will be seen on streets and all the efforts made during this period would go useless. So, it's difficult to overcome as everyone doesn't understand. People must voluntarily follow the rules to break the chain. Unless, everyone cooperates, it will be difficult to overcome. We have to live with the mentality that the virus could be anywhere around us! A balance between life and livelihood has to be created voluntarily.

Policy makers do provide the relief tools, but we must help ourselves too.The government may provide subsidized credit, but unless we utilize it properly it would go in vain. Well-targeted instruments would be needed to lift up the economy. In a country where people don't have money to eat, money for treatment but are rich enough to buy liquor at high price, how sharply the targeted instruments could be targeted?

Nevertheless, we must voluntarily follow the rules to avoid counteraction with this invisible creature till the time science and technology doesn't gift us a remedy. But, probably, this gift may require money boost too! Amidst the slowdown, the ones who are working selflessly (or charging meagre amount just for their livelihood) for the welfare of humanity are the ones whom we should be really thankful to. We need such people for a fast recovery! But, they are rare.

Virus Glooms, Economy Blooms