- FASTag - Lessons to be learnt
The introduction of FASTag on Indian roads have cut down the wait time at Toll plazas drastically besides making the process of toll collection smooth and efficient.
The process and experience of pass through, Toll Plazas, has since become hugely smooth and painless.
Toll, here, doesn't mean a charge. It's a development cost. It means part funding the cost of developmental work of Govt involved in laying down the roads you are going to travel and experience the joy of smooth hassle-free travel. FASTag is prepaid Toll (sharing a charge) you have marked dedicated to pay Toll as and when you take to roads.
Once I was listening to a Sikh spiritual guru, who was re-emphasizing the virtues of bringing in Charity as a way of life, as preached by their first spiritual guru Sat Shri Guru Nanak Dev jee maharaj.
The Guru I was listening to, to indirectly develop this habit of charity among the community, was saying that either you adopt charity yourself, voluntarily, or you pay to Doctors/Hospitals at the time of your exit from this world. He further went on to say, that if you use the money you are supposed to keep aside for charity, then while the world will never know that, but in your own eyes, you become a thief, who is stealing money to be used for social purposes and for benefit of others; others than yourself.
Toll you have to pay. Pay it beforehand and selflessly, or be prepared to pay at the altar of final Exit. In the later case pain and suffering comes along with Toll.
If you believe in the Guru's teachings, and keep giving some amount to charity, as a way of life, you and your family gets spared of the pain associated with the exit (through hospitals) when it’s your time to say Good Bye to your nears and dears. The spin-off benefits of this practice are enormous, and come very handy in your journey of life.
I have indirectly put Charity as a Toll (of course consciously and willingly; a payment for using the natural resources and God given intellect), and Fastag as a prepaid card, which helps you avoid long queues at Toll Plaza, and makes your pass through Toll (life) smooth and hassle free.
Similarly, I also heard another real life story where a man, having all the name, fame and wealth in the world, had a life threatening ailment and wasn’t getting cured no matter whatever branch of medicine he adopted, and Doctors finally told him that he has limited time left in this world. He goes to some divine Guru and shared his predicament, and sought his advice. The divine Guru asked him, “ Are you willing to spend any amount of money? “, to which the man said , “ Yes”.
Now the divine Guru asked him to visit his native village, and get involved with social and charitable community activities, such as, construct roads, school, hospitals, wells, make young people set-up some kind of shops, which besides earning money for themselves, help create employment, marry daughters of poor people, and give money to needed people, left, right or center, as if there were to be no tomorrows, and stay there and be busy with such social activities for at least a year, and in doing that, sweat as much as feasible, and lose as much vanity (surrender ego) as is he comfortable with.
Lo, a year goes by like a wink of eye, he comes back to city, goes to his Doctor, gets all his tests done once again, and amazed Doctor declares he has no such ailment now in his body, and he is absolutely hale and hearty.
It is said, that man went on to live for many more years happily.
Let's accept, Toll, is not a charge, It's a development cost, we have to pay at every stage in life. Studies, during schooling days, regular workout to have a healthy and proud body, training, and regular toiling in the field/gym if you are associated with any kind of sports, hard and honest work at the work place etc to earn you name, fame and wealth. You look at any success story, and you shall find that they all had pre-paid Toll (sacrificing personal time, sleepless nights, spending lot of personal money) cards, before they hit the jackpot.
CHARITYTag, like FASTag, is a pre-paid Toll charge (hassle-free) card. It's like rent you have to pay for using the natural resources and God given intellect. Pay (contribute regularly), and it entitles you a smooth pass through in the journey of Life we live here (like Toll roads). CHARITYTag, a voluntary adoption of Charity as a way of life, entitles you a painless delivery when it’s your time to exit, sparing your nears and dears the pain associated with running around doctors, pharmacy and hospitals.
You deserve the best. Choose wisely. Go for CHARITYTag
# The writer is celebrating his 70th Birthday today and has chosen to share best of his wisdom.