Seat Reservation

This blog isn't only about cleaning India from the garbage and waste but also cleaning the minds of our citizens with respect to aspects which touch others life in general in day to day life. To make them aware that their one good action of helping others makes a difference.

There is a factor created by our government which affects a huge population of our country, Reservations. You find it everywhere you go, from government offices to institutes, from election to selection and also when it comes to sitting arrangement in a public transport bus. Being in Goa I had noticed there was not much awareness about the "Ladies Only" seats until recently as compared to other states where it has been religiously followed over a long period of time. There are gents who still haven't come to terms with this change among the general public. It's good to see the conductors actually taking initiative in implementing this, as it provides assistance to the ladies incase someone misbehaves with them when asked to vacate the seat. It feels good to see the change where the public is following the reservations which were placed many years back but had not been of any use then.

As I mentioned about gents not having come to terms with this change, there are some girls and ladies too who were used to sit at the back seat but are being asked by the conductor to occupy the ladies seats first which are usually the first 3-4 rows in the bus. This makes sense as if this girls or ladies occupy general seats leaving ladies seats empty then the next passenger being a male cannot occupy a ladies seat and is made to stand. This makes the reservation useless. I have seen ladies fighting with gents who occupy reserved seats but they never give a thought when they occupy a general seat even if a ladies seat is empty. This has to be changed. If you are fighting for the reserved seats then respect it. Follow it first and then expect others to follow.

People usually tend to follow "Ladies Seat" but don't realize there are 2 other categories too i.e. "Senior Citizen" & "Physically Handicapped". Though the later is not used much as I hardly find any physically disabled person boarding buses but the question arises, do the ladies follow this reservation? do they give seat to a senior citizen if they are occupying the seat? the answer is a big NO. There might be few good people who give their seats but my point is, when you can fight for the ladies seat why don't you realize that you are sitting in a reserved seat meant for seniors and not offer it to them when they board the bus? It's not only ladies but gents too don't offer the senior citizen seats to the ones in need. I feel sad when I see young girls and boys who prefer to sit even if an old lady or old man stands next to them in a speeding bus knowing how difficult it is for us to hold on when they break. 

It just requires the intention to help someone in need. You are not losing money for it but will get blessings from them. Yes, some of us might be tired after a days work at office and feel lazy to offer the seat. But imagine how would we feel when we reach their age and no one offers a seat? Will you allow your parents to stand while you sit? If you think you can bring a change in the attitude of others by stepping forward and doing it, just do it. It feels great. It makes you feel great about yourself when an old lady says "God bless you my child" for offering her your seat. Do it and let me know how you felt. Till then Spruce up India.