politically incorrect

India On Streets !

2011-08-24T06:32:00.000-07:00

Political corridors are inherently dynamic in nature. Here, things happen; face of the party changes, while someone disappears from the scene leaving no trace, others resurrect from the dead; scams are exposed and forgotten at the same pace, and most common of all, loyalty towards one’s party changes etc. Yet, political opinion of Indians remains surprisingly constant, including the one of yours truly. Maybe each one of us truly is, in the words of Amartya Sen, an Argumentative Indian!

However, the recent events have been so unprecedented, that most of are shocked, to say the least! When I wrote my first post on Anna Hazare (Cricket, Politics and Anna Hazare- April, 7, 2011), I never envisioned myself writing this piece. For once, I found my own arguments and reasons flawed, vision disillusioned and goals hazy.

UPA’s Failure

This government has done all the blunders it could in handling the issue. No amount of trust or loyalty towards Congress and allies could prevent anyone in believing this. What Arun Jaitley said (video) in the Parliament was correct verbatim. The lack of political will and statecraft, as he put it, has made the whole Parliament look draconic. The 542 people sitting there are all elected members. However, they can never outnumber the people outside of the Parliament and the common man would always have the last say in the functioning of the country, either by being a part of the drafting committee or by electing a new government in 2014. The loose tongued leaders of the Congress have made such silly statements and allegations that people are surprised. Every time Digvijay is on screen, you know another blunder is about to be blurted out! No one ever thought that Congress would find itself in such a quagmire. The reactions that followed the arrest of Baba Ramdev should have given them some hint about people’s sentiments, but they have failed utterly in reading the mass pulse. Even if they were right at times, using the words Hijacking or Ransom did no good to them.

Hazare is no Gandhi or Lala Lajpat Rai, but his arrest and his subsequent fast from the jail, could well prove the last nail in UPA’s coffin!

India on Streets

This movement was always going to involve people. The popular belief may be that Indian middle class is not involved in politics and they just sit and curse. The voting percentages in every election are a testimony to that. But this was always going to be different because of its timing and the cause that affects the middle class the most. The inception of the Anna Hazare phenomenon was brilliant. “An old Gandhian fighting the corrupt government single-handedly” could be a one line script for a best-seller novel that also turns out to be a Bollywood potboiler. And we fell in love with this. Finally, someone was doing something! The country had just rediscovered its long lost passion and often-hidden patriotism due to the World Cup victory and Cricket had done its trick. Suddenly, we felt the power to change everything wrong with the nation and what better than corruption to start with. Nothing wrong with any of this, till we got too emotional and a lot less practical!

If 2011 has taught us something, it is that getting an Indian out on streets isn’t that hard. The electronic media, the social media and the suicidal government all contributed to that. But getting out on streets isn’t going to solve anything. Remember, in 2006, there was another mass movement-Anti-Reservation Movement. That was also led primarily by students and youth. The prestigious institutions like AIIMS and IITs were at its forefront. Organizations like “Youth For Equality” mobilized people in large numbers to come on the streets and protest. The protests, then, were also peaceful and there was no bloodshed. There was a lot of social media involved then too. Facebook hadn’t made big in India by then, but we had Orkut! The communities like “Reservation Sucks” and “Youth for Equality” had around 5000 and 8300 followers respectively. The images of doctors in front of water cannons became common and everyone showed solidarity. However what did it lead to? Supreme Court upheld the 27% OBC reservation and the movement fizzed out.

Draw parallels to the current scenario. The social media is much stronger with Facebook at its forefront. There are countless groups supporting Anna and the movement with 5-10 times more members. Now, we have another group “India Against Corruption” which is mobilizing people into peaceful protests all across the globe. Déjà vu? Anyone? The jokes are also the same, previously they were on Arjun Singh and now they are on Sibbal and Digvijay! The PM was called powerless then too and Rahul was also a “baba”!

My point is not that coming out on streets is useless. That is a way to show the government that the most important cog in the wheel of democracy is still the common man. But that’s not going to bring a change. Liking pages, updating statuses and sharing links is not going to make any corrupt official or politician pay for his actions. Take the famous example of Egypt where the power of social media brought a regime down in 18 days. What happened after that? If you read the recent Time issue, you would know that the people of Egypt are clueless now. All the Facebookers, Bloggers (yes ! I am as much guilty as anyone) etc have disintegrated and no one wants to be a part of the government. Even the man who started the social media movement, the famous Google employee, Wael Ghonim, also doesn’t want to be active anymore. The global interest is over and Egypt faces yet another leadership crisis.

In India, we don’t need a Tehreer Square. Elections in India are Tehreer Square like movements every 5 years. If the doctors, who were protesting in 2006, would have voted in 2009, UPA wouldn’t have won with such overwhelming majority! If you want to see a change, think beyond the streets. Political issues would always be dealt in closed rooms in Delhi and not on the streets!

Why did we follow Anna Hazare?

Not all Indians are Idol-Worshippers by religion, but we all are idol worshippers by heart! This trait transcends all religious, state and language barriers in India. The lack of political will in the common man of India forces him to follow anyone who stands up for a cause, sometimes even without understanding the cause in its totality. Till we were determined to root out corruption, it was good and meaningful, but when we started to follow a person, the movement lost its sheen. The initial idea was to have a public say in the drafting of a stronger Anti-Corruption Bill which soon transformed into exposing how the government is preventing a stronger law to be tabled in the Parliament. Then it moved a step ahead and became an anti-UPA movement, primarily around Congress. And now, it has become only and only about Anna Hazare. I criticized how Baba Ramdev took center stage and tried becoming bigger than the movement itself in my last post (Ramdev Fasts Shorter And Runs Faster..!, July 3^rd, 2011). Anna dissociated himself from Baba because he didn’t want to be the part of the Ramdev sham, or at least it looked like that then! What’s happening now is that people have become so fanatic about Anna that any view that is not his, makes you pro-Congress or anti anti-corruption, in public eye. The buzzword has changed from Lokpal to Anna Hazare. Now, it’s either Anna Hazare or Anti Hazare! Bringing government down was never the idea when the movement started but the focus has shifted dangerously.

Politics should be about “Ideal Worship” and not “Idol Worship”!

Comparing Hazare to Gandhi is the evidence of lack of political knowledge and imagination. Gandhi fought in a time of foreign rule for India’s sovereignty. It was not an anti-establishment or anti-government movement by definition, because there was no government. There is a basic difference between ruling and governing a country. This government has been elected in a democratic way and should be thrown out in a democratic way too. Anna Hazare ,in no way, is working in democratic ways. Slogans like “Anna is India and India is Anna” sound awfully like “Indira is India and India is Indira” during emergency. We all know where that took us! Democratic systems are not perfect, they never were. But it still is the best way a country should be governed. If we start giving deadlines to governments, beyond a point, we all are a part of an anti-establishment movement! To give a deadline to draft and table a bill is acceptable. But to say that pass it till August 30^th, is not only unacceptable but a supreme mockery of the whole system. As of now, the movement has been peaceful and it would probably remain this way. But such deadlines can set a wrong precedent for future where there could be an armed movement setting deadlines for government to heed. I know it has been a controversial term, but this is called Hijacking! We live in a country where Maoist movements are strengthening by the date and in such cases it could be a harmful example for people too.

This system may be corrupt, flawed and ineffective but still remains the best option. Just because you don’t like a government, you can’t be undemocratic. Period.

Why Lokpal?

What we are overlooking in our emotions is that Anna is never going to be a part of a democratic system. He is comfortable rallying people for a cause, which is good, but not beyond a certain extent! Even if we have a stronger Lokpal, the people in-charge of implementing it would still be politicians and bureaucrats. To understand this we must understand the power of the existing laws and the flaws in their implementation. An informative article in Pragati by Amba Salelkar-sheds light on the short comings of the idea of Lokpal. According to the people’s draft, the chairperson and the members of the committee should be people with “unimpeachable integrity and should have demonstrated their resolve to fight corruption in the past.” This leaves out a lot of scope in electing people for this post. Anyone can be recommended for these posts and the names would be put up on internet for people’s feedback. Here is my first question, how many people in India have access to such “hi-tech” technologies? It may seem absurd to the people reading this article, because you are online right now, but the reality is that in India just a little over 8% people have net access! Also, if we have such people willing to make a change, why not have them in the existing agencies and committees and empower them?

Moving on.

Coming back to “unimpeachable”! If anyone is found to be of less than “required honesty” then only the already overburdened SC can remove him/her. However, if someone is dismissed wrongly, there is no appeal system! You can see how half-baked the whole idea is! The experts of Constitution also point out a very basic “unconstitutional” flaw in the Lokpal-it crosses the 3 wings of the Government, the Judiciary, the Executive and the Legislature. The basic idea of separating the 3 is to thwart the power abuse. However, Lokpal goes over this very definition.

I have written enough against Lokpal, to make the “revolutionary youth”, mad at me, call me “Congressi” and stop reading beyond this point! :)

However, if you are still reading, I would still say that I support Lokpal. We do need a change. Though I am a little skeptic and I have my reasons.

The very root of corruption is the complexity and the hierarchy of the system as a whole. To have one person, supremely empowered, sitting over all the existing wings of the government, probably even PM, just make it a lot more complex and still leaves a lot of scope for corruption if that one person is not the right one!

That’s a huge risk!

Where do we go from here?

The enthusiasm the country has been witnessing and the rage the government is facing, from the common men, is not just about the Lokpal. I believe, it is more about losing hope in the elected members. People are confident that the 542 members sitting in the Parliament are unwilling to do anything good. The support for Lokpal and Anna is derived from the loss of faith in Democracy. How much ever sad it may sound, it is true!

But there is one more truth. “Janta” is not going to come out on streets for every cause. Anna says after this he is going to have a movement for police reforms, farmers etc. That is an impractical approach. If you have to reform this nation, you have to be a part of the system. Fasts can only take you this far!

Lokpal or no Lokpal, government’s version or Anna’s version, are the issue that won’t matter once the logjam is cleared. What would matter after that is public memory. Even if government relents now, are we going to forget this phase of rage and impasse? Are we going to repeat the 2006-2009 analogy?

Trust me, 2011 seems important, but the real “struggle for independence” (another holy term grossly misused in this context), would be 2014! We have to come out of the "mobocracy" mode and take some serious decisions!

Ramdev Fasts Shorter And Runs Faster..!

2011-07-03T01:34:00.000-07:00

In my previous post, I mentioned that India’s fight against corruption is new. Corruption is so ingrained in the system that people got used to it and everyone just accepted it as their fate!

So, when Anna Hazare stood up one day to fight corruption, India was stunned. Here was a man in his 70s, barely 5’5’’, wearing a Gandhi cap, declaring a war against corruption-his weapon, a previously unheard and unrealized form of protest, a bill, the Lokpal Bill. People were mesmerized by the simplicity of the whole process. There was awe about Anna that attracted people to Jantar Mantar and protest!

But on second thought, all this was way too simplistic. What were these people protesting against; the government, the Congress party or the inability of the government to draft the bill? Or they were just supporting a guy whom they thought will bring a change, without putting too much thought into what that change might be?

There is something in the history of this country that should teach that a movement, without a clear agenda for the future, can go haywire, despite an active participation of the masses. In 1974, the Gujarat Nav Nirman Movement, was a social movement against corruption. Chimanbhai Patel became the CM of Gujarat in 1973. But his reputation for corruption combined with the general undercurrent of the J.P movement, led to a widespread movement in 1974. This movement was solely led by college students and their teachers. Within a year, they managed to make Indira Gandhi ask Patel to step down, make 95 out of 167 MLAs to resign and finally getting the Assembly dissolved. For a student movement this was a huge success. But in the hindsight, it did not answer the issue of corruption at all. Nav Nirman was the buzzword for students and teachers but their value system was not different from the people they were protesting against. So things were back to square one! Patel became the CM again in 1990 with BJP’s support and the movement also saw the arrival of Narendra Modi to the political scene from the backyards of RSS and ABVP. This movement let reactionary forces to flourish!

In the present scenario, everything looks the same, may be a bit toned down and the new buzzword “Lokpal”! The point being, corruption is not just the failure of governance, it is an ideological failure. While Anna Hazare, like J. P, would have addressed the ideological issues also, but the arrival of “celebrities” is shifting the focus and diverting the attention of people. When every social figure is trying to become a social activist, the message is lost.

To take a vow to make this country corruption free is good, but a directionless pursuit is not going to lead us anywhere. With an over-zealous and politically naïve Baba Ramdev jumping on the bandwagon, the whole movement has lost its mass appeal. Baba Ramdev is a perfect example of how much wrong a person can go if he blindly follows a set path, in this case the path being, Fight by Fasting. He is also an example of how people can be misled if they don’t realize who their leader is and what are his goals. Ramdev, literally, undid whatever Anna had achieved just a month ago.

Ramdev shifted focus from the cause to himself (with the disturbing images of him clad like a woman, he probably scarred some impressionable people for life too!). Anna’s fast was an appeal for people’s support, Baba’s fast was a cry for attention. Baba Ramdev appears to be a man who thinks (??) he can correct everything that is wrong with this society. He thinks he has people’s support and even in his mindless pursuits people will stand by him.

What did the images of him being forced out of Delhi conveyed? Certainly, government’s cruelty (no saving grace there). But it also portrayed that the man, who was supposed to take on the government, was running, hiding and changing into woman’s clothes to save his life. He was in tears in the press conference. That conveyed weakness. Baba looked as if he has put foolishly himself in a whirlpool of political mishaps and now, just after a day, he desperately wanted to leave. This image was so contrary to Anna that it hurt the movement.

Things would not have been this bad had he realized that this is not his cup of tea after that night. But he continued his naïve tongue wagging to the point of making statements of raising an army against corrupt people! He seriously needs a better PR and a political advisor. Based on his embarrassingly short fast, shorter than Anna despite being a master Yoga Guru, he probably needs a physical trainer too! (P.S. Shilpa Shetty! are you listening?) This is not the first time he has made such senseless and childish remarks. Remember, when he wanted to treat Homosexuality "virus" by Yoga !

At the end of the whole drama, he looked no different than a celebrity in a wrong reality show. When the messenger becomes bigger than the message itself the cause takes the backseat. Anna never tried to grab headlines and that’s why even the government had to take him seriously. Finally, Anna had to dissociate himself from Baba to continue his movement.

Corruption is not just moral depravity; it has become a state of mind and a way of living. Corruption has always plagued the growth of developing (read: third world) countries. The choice between one’s nation’s growths vs. one’s personal growth is not an easy one to make, especially for those who are deprived of basic amenities of life. Does that justify corruption? How much ever controversial this statement may be, but this attitude of “me first-country later” does justify corruption at least at the grass root level. Can any government or any P.M. be held responsible for such attitude? No. This is not going to change regardless of the government or the coalition in helm. In our “fight against corruption”, this is the most basic point, we all have conveniently forgotten.

Lokpal Bill is no panacea for corruption. And though, I may be misconstrued at this point, read this post later and you would know that the idea is not wrong. Lokpal Bill gives unreal powers to one particular person or committee, termed the Lokpal to deal with corruption. That may create a Marshall Law sort of situation, if it goes in inept hands! I don’t oppose the bill, but we must see beyond this movement into the right execution of the bill when it becomes a law. Corruption cannot be dealt with a blanket law. We need to look beyond this agitation. Democracies are not about agitations, they are about accomplishments through the agitations.

How this society will change by a Law needs to be seen.

(Photo Courtesy: Google Images directed to NDTV.COM )

Cricket, Politics and Anna Hazare

2011-04-07T01:07:00.000-07:00

We are the World Champions of Cricket after 28 years and India seems more united than it has in the last 10-12 years. My last memory of seeing India united was during Operation Vijay in Kargil in 1999 when everyone poured in money to support the Jawans at the border. Not that India had faced some serious political meltdown since then, but still the passion for the country and the feeling of “being Indian” was never this evident. The tragedy of Mumbai-26/11 did bring Indians together for a while, but as I have always maintained, we forgot it too soon!

Cricket unites India beyond anything else. It introduces Indians to a trait they very comfortably forget in their day-to-day life, which is, Passion.

The popularity of Cricket in India has always been related to the change in the mindset, earning potential and the general beliefs of the common man.

The first time Indians got a taste of World Cricket at their doorstep was the 1987 Reliance World Cup. India was the co-host with Pakistan and the defending champions. But that’s not the interesting part. India and Pakistan were going through one of their worst political phases. Pakistani President Zia-ul-Haq had made an unannounced uninvited visit to Jaipur in February on the pretext of watching a test match between the two nations as a part of the Cricket Diplomacy. The whole world, including the people of India and Pakistan, were skeptical about the co-organizational skills of both the countries amidst such tension. However, the passion driven countries proved to the world that when it comes to cricket, we are on the same page!

The rise of Sachin Tendulkar, or as he is famously referred to, the God of Cricket, is coincidental with the rise of the middle class in the early 1990s. India had just opened doors for the foreign companies to come into the erstwhile fortress and Indians replaced Campa Cola with Pepsi and Liberty with Adidas in no time. The middle class started to believe in itself and, for the first time since independence, their dreams of a “lifestyle” were being fulfilled. And then there was Sachin Tendulkar. A man who epitomized the Indian middle class and whose stature grew taller than the game in no time. When Sachin said “yeh dil maange more” on the big hoardings across the nation, people could relate that to their own dreams, they wanted more! When his bat ruled the world in 1996 and 1998, every mother saw him in her kid. Not that they wanted all of us, who were growing up then, to be cricketers, but they wanted the same unparalleled success for their kids. If Sachin could dictate his terms, sign a 100 crore deal with Worldtel and haunt Shane Warne in his dreams, so could we.

Cricket re-ignited the patriotism and the passion in Indians by the end of 2008. A shattered nation woke up to a famous victory 15 days after the Mumbai attacks and the world saw a new resilient Indian. The chase of 387 on the last day of the Chennai test reminded Indians that we cannot be bogged down. As always, Life in India always finds a way! And it did find a way. We were neither soft nor brutal, we just got noticed. The whole team dedicated the win to the NSG commandoes. India cheered once again and the pain was subsided.

It has to be fate that this 2011 World Cup win comes at a time when India is in another crisis, this time an internal one. The fight against corruption is a new one. We are so used to corruption that no one ever felt that something could be done. This time India needs Hope and a reason to celebrate. India may be a land of many religions and festivals but seldom do we get a chance to celebrate as a nation. Dhoni and his team have given us a reason. The common man is on the roads with the tricolor in his hands. That’s exactly the spirit we need to support Anna Hazare’s movement. With tough games to come after the league round, Indian team didn’t lose Hope. Similarly, with tough times ahead of us, all we need is Hope. We have the manpower to bring this change and to be the Champions of our own fate.

What’s so special about this team? It is lead by a guy from a small city, has beaten all odds to become numero uno in the arena, has belief in itself and most importantly it has given the Indian masses a reason to cherish. What to do we need for this movement to be a success? People from all towns, cities and metros to join hands, beat the self-congratulatory government, be Gandhian in its ways and rule the arena!

Skeptics would say it is an unfair and unreal comparison. But trust me, for a country of the size of India, we either need a common enemy or a common cause or a common passion to be united. Cricket is the passion, Anna Hazare is the cause. What makes me do such a comparison is the spirit that ruled the streets of India and even other countries with considerable amount of Indians on the night of March 30 and April 2. We are emotional people. All we need is to give those emotions a cause and a direction.

This is our moment. We need to be on the streets once again with tricolor in our hands.

I quote from a note on Facebook by my friend Naveen Kumar Chaudhary that’s adds up all that I intend to say through this post.

“Last night I felt something...

Who is an Indian....

One who is not divided by religion

sex , caste, race, creed or color..

Neither he is rich nor poor

He is just an emotional guy dancing after 6 hours of play

because his country has tasted the sweetness of victory...

IN THE WAR WITHOUT BULLETS

This is INDIA and we are INDIANS”

India Today-the politics of irrelevant issues

2010-02-20T18:25:00.001-08:00

"Defy them, defeat them"

I wanted to write about current issues in India from a long time. But as a general tendency of a graduate student, I procrastinated. And the more I procrastinated, the more "matter" I got to write, sadly.

One point of view is that a lot of things happened in India in the last few months. A state "almost" divided, the leadership in one of the national parties changed to such an extent that not a single face is recognizable now, Naxalites went berserk, a peaceful city like Pune was on the receiving end of hatred and terrorism etc. But another view is that nothing significant happened, except for the death of a few hundred innocents, which on Indian standards, has become a routine, and frankly, no one cares anymore! Now, I may appear very blunt here, may be rude too, but that is a reality. If we cared, Shivsena vs SRK wouldn't be in headlines. Look at the newspapers and websites of the last week, both things had equal media coverage. Saddest part was that while Pune went to page 5 in one day, Bal Thackery was still on Page 1!

Why did Shivsena oppose My Name Is Khan (MNIK)? Is the issue of Pakistani players in IPL so big that it conveniently overshadowed the Pune attack? When Pune was burning, Maharashtra's MLAs (both, those in power and those deprived of it) were busy hogging the limelight by either opposing or supporting MNIK. Well, as they say, where a Khan is, there is news. This was not about Shahrukh Khan; this was about a dying ideology in desperate need of some media exposure to stay alive. Media is the new Oxygen! So, though it appeared as if Shivsena and SRK were at loggerheads and he and his movie were in trouble, he actually was helping Shivsena in the hindsight.

Parties like Shivsena and BJP (except 1998-2004; for BJP) have always used the same tactics to remain in news. The "Maratha-Manoos" or the "sons of soil" issue was one example. There it was a Bachchan, now it is a Khan. Oh wait! there was a Tendulkar in between too. They criticized Tendulkar for doing a Bombay Municipal Corporation (yes, it is still Bombay, probably they forgot!) ad for free, which gave a mesaage to save water by not using showers. The logic (or the lack of it) being, that 75% of Mumbai's population doesn't use showers! Can you be more ridiculous? You can't get bigger brand ambassadors than SRK, Amitabh or Tendulkar. Very clever Shivsena, while companies like Pepsi spend crores of rupees to make these people brand ambassadors, you got all three of them for free! Kudos to your marketing team!

Are they alone? No. BJP is not far behind. While they may garner a lot of bad press due to their internal turmoil, they still manage to stay in news by issues lost in antiquity, like Ayodhya Temple etc. Recently, BJP chief by "urging" the Muslims of India to let them make a temple in the disputed land, tried to kill not 2 but 3 birds by a single stone. Firstly, staying in news, secondly, hurting the Muslims where it hurts the most and thirdly addressing their "target vote bank" of Hindus by making provocative statements. Thanks to SRK, this time he didn't get too much coverage. How can we forget MNS in this competition "hogging the limelight"? They are the ones who started it, and are still doing it.

By opposing a movie like MNIK Shivsena exposed its shallow mentality. By questioning the patriotism of SRK they reached, or rather achieved, new levels of vulgarity. MNIK may not be a cinematic masterpiece, but it sure had a strong message. Dialogs "MY NAME IS KHAN AND I AM NOT A TERRORIST!" are the need of the hour. You need to pacify the terrorized masses. I don't blame a 50 year old Hindu hating Muslims because he lost a son in bomb blasts like these (and vice versa) which are definitely a result of religious extremism, quite like the mother (Kajol) in the movie. Circumstances bring out the worst of human nature. Due to the sad coincidence of its release and Pune blasts, this movie, though an ordinary effort, assumes greater importance. Cinema has always been the mirror of the society and a true pacifier too. Cricket and Movies are two things that unite India. Remember the historic victory in Chennai test against England just after 26/11 reminded us that India cannot be bogged down. Life, in India, always finds its way.

Just because the movie stars a man who supported Pakistani players in IPL, you can't oppose it. What right do you have to oppose any movie for that matter which is passed by the Censor Board? Who are you to decide what movie Mumbai will watch? Just by cutting off Mumbai from the rest of the country what good can you do to your beloved city? Why the participation of Pakistani players is an issue anyway? And even if it is, let the government decide, as they did in IPL-2. Don't you realize you are the lone party raising such petty issues? However, you still make an impact.

I don't expect any answers to any of these questions because I know there cannot be a logical explanation of the acts of these fundamentalists. But I definitely expect an answer from the Indian people in form of votes and courage.

Go watch the movie, not for SRK or Kajol, but for you!

Defy them, defeat them.

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Maa da ladla bigad gay (a)..!! And is legal now..!

2009-07-22T14:40:00.001-07:00

"Gay rights" is a sensitive topic and I wanted to write on this from a long time. But I was a little confused. Frankly I didn't know whether I completely support the scrapping of Article 377 or not. I admit that I supported the scrapping of the act because I was among those so-called "Modern People" who consider supporting anything that goes against the existing system. That system could be religion, politics or sexuality for that matter. A 22 year old, well educated and awakened citizen is expected to support everything that makes the society more free and open. Otherwise you are just an orthodox fundamentalist!

However, I was apprehensive about one thing-is homosexuality a mental disorder? Is it just a "state-of-mind" and can be treated? I still don't know the answers to these questions but an article in TOI today has helped me make my final opinion on this issue.

Santosh Desai writes in his article titled "Fear of unnatural lurks in all of us" that-"Cultural institutions seek to modify natural intent in ways that are deemed beneficial to the majority of the human race. To argue for heterosexuality on grounds of naturalness is therefore strange, for culture almost by definition seeks to control what is natural. Culture routinely uses the body in ways not intended by nature. If we were meant to wear ear-rings, we should have been born with pierced earlobes, for instance. And certainly, nature did not mean for us to wear clothes; that is an act of culture alone. All technology, in any case, works single-mindedly towards improving the natural. We do not accept that humans were meant to travel only as fast as their legs can take them simply because that is the nature of our physical equipment, so why should we argue in this case?"

I agree with this gentleman. Those who oppose homosexuality are actually scared of it. They are the ones who are scared of everything that threatens to challenge the age-old practices of the society. They are simply terrified by CHANGE. They oppose the Women Reservation Bill, they attack the girls going to the pub, they oppose Valentine Day, they order the girls not to wear jeans and any western clothes and they question reality TV shows in which the anchor asks embarrassing questions from personal lives of the contestants. They are the self proclaimed flag bearers of the Indian Culture and can create chaos in the name to save it! "They" are not restricted to a particular region, religion or political party. "They" are omnipresent and are in power. If they oppose homosexuality as unnatural then why not oppose artificial insemination, artificial sperms, contraceptives, fertility clinics, cloning etc? Are they natural?

I see a lot of benefits in identifying gays as a part of the society. It will make them come out of the closet. It will end the years of pain, anguish and embarrassment they have faced due to the orthodox laws. Our constitution owes apology to eunuchs already for making them miserable and not recognizing them as normal citizens with equal rights. It should not do the same with the homosexuals. The legal battle of homosexuals is out in open and in full public view. This will help the eunuchs too to wage a battle for their rights. This is an area where homosexuals have advantage over other less privileged people like the eunuchs. Gays have the support of some famous personalities and some famous people are gays too! It helps in getting attention a movement needs to reach the bedrooms of the common man. In the hindsight, a very big advantage of legalizing homosexual relations would be increased number of adoptions. Hundreds of orphans in India need a place which they can call "HOME". Since gays cannot reproduce, they need to adopt. If homosexuality becomes legal then adoption by gay couples will become easier and a lot of orphan babies may get parents, of a little different kind, but I guess they would settle for it!

Gays may win the battle legally but they have a war to win ahead. That is social acceptance. Our society has not accepted disorder of any kind easily and happily, be it mental, physical or sexual. Sex is a taboo topic in most household anyways. There are people who still consider mentally challenged or handicapped people as cursed and outcastes. How many of us use the phrase "Special Children" in place of the R-word? Very few, isn't it!

It's time to make a change-a change in society and a change in our constitution.

For some of us, it's time to be "Gay and Proud of It"!

In fond memory of the Indian cricket team… the alleged world beaters!!! R.I.P.

2009-06-27T14:20:00.001-07:00

Nice to be back to my blog after a forced sabbatical.

So the World T-20 is over and the Indian team is back to ground or rather "Ground Zero". All the predictions by the retired cricketers turned gurus were proved wrong and Indian team's sprit prevailed.

You know its simple. Until and unless they go as the "UNDERDOGS" or "DARKHORSES" they will not win. The moment you make them the favorites, they are clean bowled. That's one F-word that scares the hell out of them! The journos just need to flip through a few pages of history of Indian cricket and they would know the ever eluding secret of Indian team's success!

1983 world cup – underdogs- WON

1987 world cup-host nation, favorites, still termed the best team ever to go in a world cup - LOST

1996 world cup-host nation again, favorites again - LOST again

2001 home test series against the Aussies- no chances of winning against world record holding Steven Waugh's team- HISTORIC VICTORY

2003 world cup- worst form before the world cup – FINALISTS

2007 world cup- won every match before this on every surface against all opponents, so favorites again- KNOCKED OUT in the first round

2007 T-20 world cup- new captain, new controversies, ghost of F-50 world cup still haunting, seniors-junior issue etc - WON miraculously

So instead of bashing the team after a debacle, we should probably deride them ahead of an important series or tournament and we can see miracles! Label the Ireland team stronger in a T-20 match, question the abilities of Dhoni to swing a bat at the beginning and we may actually see them beating South Africa by 10 wickets as the tournament progresses! What we need is a collective effort by the media, fans and most importantly ex-cricketers. These jobless jerks have absolutely no knowledge of contemporary cricket so they can easily be made to speak anything….just pay them well and give them the footage. If cricket is a religion, then this is a very small sacrifice towards attaining glory.

So next time if you see a news channel or a news paper piling heaps of praise for the team, don't bother to subscribe Star Cricket!

Fact-file T-20:

The team is blaming Duckworth-Lewis rule for the loss….because they didn't even get a single chance to use it to escape defeat! Now that is bad luck!
Dhoni relied on Mathew Hayden to perform, only forgetting one little thing…..this was not IPL!
Gary Kirsten no longer has hair to lose over the loss.
Question- why did Dhoni fail as a captain?
Answer - because he was busy Facebooking on his Aircel Phone…now whose fault is that? Obviously facebook yar!
Ravindra Jadeja is a pinch hitter- he made people pinch themselves to believe that he is batting in a T-20 match.
Deepkia Padukone came, she saw and…distracted Yuvi!
Dhoni no longer needs a fancy phone to use Facebook…he can do it from the pavilion where he spends most of his time these days!
Sehvag refuses to "Shoulder" any responsibility for this loss!
Question- why did Dhoni cancel training sessions before the India-England tie?
Answer- he thought running with Bipasha on road was enough!
The Indian team has truly hit rock bottom- they let Sidebottom scare them!
Question-why did Indian players perform so well in IPL?
Answer- because they never fail when it comes to catching money!

It’s a beautiful world…..or is it??

2009-06-04T13:40:00.001-07:00

Channels like MTV, VTV, ZOOM etc make you believe that it's a beautiful world out there and nobody in this world is ugly! Or at least if you are not dazzlingly beautiful you can't be on the tube.

The other day I was surfing through channels and I saw a group of "drop-dead-gorgeous" girls, scantily but stylishly dressed and doing some idiotic "task". It was the (in)famous reality show Splitsvilla. Just after it got over, another show started The Fast and the Gorgeous. I have no clue what these shows are about but they both (and a lot many shows on these channels) have one thing in common.. "drop-dead-gorgeous" girls, scantily but stylishly dressed. On an ordinary day, it was a great time pass to see gorgeous girls fighting, back-bitching, plotting, scheming etc. But it was not an ordinary day. It was one of those days when all news channels were swarmed my racial attacks in Australia. Whole country seemed united, all looked offended and all wanted (or pretended) to make a change! Quite unlike India! Comparing both the incidents, a very interesting thought came in my mind which I would like to share.

Why don't you ever see an ordinary looking, little dark or a South Indian girl (or boy) on these REALITY SHOWS?

Why do all the girls and boys who participate or, as they make us think, QUALIFY, for all these shows, are extremely attractive. Why the looks are so important?

I understand if a VJ is good looking because its showbiz and its only the looks that matter. So I can make out a Nikhil Chinnapa or a Malaika Arora being part of these shows, but why only a Palak or a Bani make headlines? I especially feel bad for the people who are a little dark in complexion. You can be brilliant, even great at all the tasks etc but still you wouldn't get a chance to be on these shows and win a fortune. And if you can't wear skimpy clothes, you have absolutely no chance! Your ability to expose may cover for your color a bit, you know!

India is probably one of the most prejudiced and racial country. I am a north Indian who has spent 4 years in probably one of the most cross cultural university of India. I have seen prejudices from close quarters. Indians have an undying fixation for fair skin! India is one of the few countries in the world where Fair and Lovely can claim to make a dark skinned girl "fair and beaming with confidence" in 7 days. In USA you would prosecuted with charges of racism for such a campaign. We all must have felt in our daily lives, at some place or the other, that the goris and firangs are treated specially. Why is such a discrimination so common? It's not the lack of education etc, which by the way is the best excuse for everything in India, because MTV is not for that class of people. Its for a target niche audience which is college going youth. They are all well educated and highly prejudiced.

Is it not a kind of racism? Is a country like this deserves to complain when there are "so called" racial attacks on its Diaspora? (before you raise a finger on my "so called racial attacks ", I must confess one thing, that I don't think these attacks are racially motivated…I believe they are recession motivated ). Why does everything has to be so beautiful and tailored? Why can't we accept simplicity and mediocre looks? You can agitate and condemn attacks Down Under but you still want to see only fair pretty girls on TV!

What a pity….

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A myth broken…a truth realized…an era ended…now turn the page!

2009-05-25T13:57:00.001-07:00

All my friends with strong political opinions, who have visited and commented on my blog regularly, will be disappointed by this one. NOTHING POLITICAL ABOUT THIS ONE. In spite of the emphatic victory of the UPA in the general elections, I choose to write on something personal.

Last fortnight has been rather a strange one for me. I have felt everything…..joy, sadness, nostalgia, boredom etc…and I can quite honestly say that the last 15 days have taught me a lot of lessons…

LESSON 1-A MYTH BROKEN-night of May 9, 2009.

As rest of the VITians, my college life also ended recently. I was very busy with my review and thesis work for the last few weeks. Thanks to my inability to plan my experiments, I was working till Tuesday (May 12) when my review was scheduled on Saturday (May 16). In the meantime, some friends started to leave.

It was May 9, 2009. 2 of our very close friends were leaving in late night. We were a group of 7 from the first day of our college. As the years went by, we all had our shares of fights and fall outs. But still there was a certain sense of bonding that kept us together. Aditya Patel and Arpit Mittal were an integral part of that group and they chose the same day to leave leaving our group with a double void. It was all going great, quite manly, some would say. No tears..no sentiaps… just remembering the good old days , TASMAC, Pondicherry, crushes, Girls, Booze etc... Filling out customary diaries and signing the T-shirts… nothing overwhelming.

You know boys don't cry. The only occasions when boys cry is their sister's wedding (not considering some unfortunate tragedies, of course), that too in the end, hiding and wiping off the tears as fast as possible. We try to be as much macho as we can. I don't know what lead to this practice but crying man (or boys) are not considered manly enough. However, that night was an exception.

It was all good till we were in hostel. Then we started to move out. Arpit felt a little lump in his throat, which I noticed, but thanks to our loud group, it went almost unnoticed. As we started walking we came quieter. There were very few words exchanged..still no tears..men don't cry…

The taxi arrived and we started to arrange the luggage…a strange silence surrounded us…then something happened…arpit hugged Chandan, the two have been the worst companions ever…fighting like animals…back bitching and all that…they had a big bad fight everyday..even on the last day, and Chandan started crying..it was sudden, as if he was unplugged, as if all his emotions were held back by a dam and suddenly someone opened the gates…arpit started soon after…I was still tearless. Quite honestly I was amazed and didn't know how to react. I looked up to Naveen. He is a huge guy and not at all famous for his emotions. He was off, totally. He couldn't hold back and joined a group hug. That's when I realized I had tears too. Honestly, I was crying after 4 years….the last time I cried was my sister's wedding!!!!!! (no guesses there I think!). Strangely, it felt good. Boys don't cry..OK!!! but boys can cry…that's when I realized how much all these , and probably me, were holding back. All that time in hostel , while doing all the customary stuff, we were holding our tears back…just a failed attempt to be , you know…manly!!!!

Some more people left. My best friend Rohit Kalla left on 15, Naveen left on 16 and there were many more. But there was no more crying business. However, I decided not to hold back any more. There were many like me who didn't realize this aspect of their personality in years! College life does teach you strange things, ain't it?

Lesson learnt-don't hold back…show it off…don't overdo it..but definitely don't hide it…IT IS OK…ITS HUMAN NATURE….

LESSON 2-A TRUTH REALIZED-night of May 17, 2009.

It was my second last night in VIT. I was busy like hell. Review was over and screwed. Who cares? We were GRADUATES!!

I went to Udayan's room for some work after dinner. That's one thing we enjoyed in last few days…the free movement in hostels. We were all nostalgic after Rohit and Naveen left. And when 2 emotional fools are in company, it magnifies. We started talking of the past and soon we both became quite vulnerable and called up our mentor-Rishi Bhaiya. Rishi bhai is our senior and a very good friend. I call him our mentor because he introduced us to a club so dear to both of us, taught us a lot of things (many of which can't be revealed!! J) and always behaved like a big brother. We called him and told how tough this time is for us. He was cool as ever. Told us some routine stuff and cheered us. Most importantly he made us realize that not only we would be over this phase, but we ll also learn to be apart from each other. And then, if God is kind to us, we get a chance to catch up again, we can relive the old magic. May be this separation from people we have been with 24x7 for the past 4 years, is necessary for our growth as individuals. Next time we meet we would have a lot to share, some experience and hopefully some equally great work stories! Being apart would mean living more independently and may be in a better way.

There was nothing new he told us. It's the same stuff what mothers told you when you didn't want to come back from grandma's house after summer vacation! But it was the timing or the way he told us that it struck the right chord. Me and Udayan just looked at each other, shook hands and I left. On my way back to my hostel, I was thinking about MS in USA, Stony Brook vs Rutgers, Gati courier etc…nothing of the past…every trivial thing of the future…THE RISHI MAGIC WORKED…

Next day, 3 more friends, who have been such an integral part for my college life, Richoo, Pankaj and Ramya, left. The tears were back for a while but the words of Rishi bhaiya rung in my ears…

Lesson learnt-there will be a tomorrow and it would be bigger, better, brighter and full of joy..WE WILL MEET AGAIN!

LESSON 3-AN ERA ENDED- May 19, 2009

All said and done, we were still leaving the place we loved to hate for four years.

Everyone was gone except Udayan, Padhee (no first name required!!), Akshat ,Ram,Shashank and Kamlesh. I was leaving at 12.45 pm. Udayan and Padhee came to my room in morning itself, as every second we spent together was a treasured one now. We had waited for each other a lot of times…in mess, outside H block, at the "juice" shop…10-15 minutes never seemed so important. Had we known that we would die for even a minute together now, we would have been careful before! Anyways there was a lot of nostalgia, a lot of topics never discussed before, a lot of stories and, of course, a lot of photos clicked. We even clicked a photo of the empty corridor, so as to remember these last few crazy days as well!

There were a lot of people leaving that day…so a lot of common friends. Hence, a lot of goodbyes and hugs. As I was about to board the train, Padhee broke lose. This time it was my turn to open the barrage gates…the gates I preferred to remain closed…the gates I never wanted to open..a side I never wanted to unleash…but couldn't resist an ever smiling Padhee crying. We hugged and cried for long…Naveen (yes he came back..good story!) and Udayan joined us…there is no better feeling to be seen off by our best friends at the station…it makes you feel that there are people who care, there are people who miss you and there are people who want to see you again. The train moved and VIT was left behind..a place we loved to hate….

Lesson learnt-
There is no better feeling to be seen off by our best friends at the station…it makes you feel that there are people who care, there are people who miss you and there are people who want to see you again.

LESSON 4-TURN THE PAGE- May 25, 2009

Boredom is one word that describes my stay at home. I was not doing anything…not even blogging.

Today, I decided to go out. After 3 days of absolute boredom and joblessness at home, I decided to catch up with old school friends. We went out, enjoyed and had a great time. There was no guilty of not missing a Rohit or a Udayan or a Padhee…there was a Gaurav, a Aditya and a Sethi…

Prateek Mathur was back!

Lesson learnt-the fun would remain the same, same old jokes, same old PJs, same old everything….characters would change..yesterday was an Udayan…today is an Aditya and there will be someone tomorrow as well..!!!

Looking ahead doesn't mean forgetting the past…05BBT215 would always be treasured…!!

Why Do We Need Stars in Politics?

2009-04-20T13:40:00.001-07:00

Sanjay Dutt is in trouble again, this time for blurting out his famous filmy dialogues in an election rally. Apparently giving a jaadu ki jhappi and a puppy to Ms Mayawati is violation of Model Code of Conduct. A case has been booked against him (may be his 100^th case that includes TADA, Arms Act, Relations with Underworld etc., in a strange way he had been practicing to enter politics from a long time and now he has attained perfection! ). May be in the topsy-turvydom of elections this will be forgotten but it does arise a very important question-why do we need a stars in politics? Or rather, why should someone vote for an actor just because in his heydays he did some movies with a social message and uttered some masala dialogues? Should that be the only reason to vote?

There are many successful actor-turned politicians down south like the legendary MGR who, till date, remains a phenomenon and, even after 22 years of his death, rules the Tamil Nadu political scene in the most spectacular way. Then there is M.Karunanidhi and J.Jayalalitha, the most prominent faces of Tamil Nadu politics, between whom, the power remains alternating. But up North there are hardly any actors who have contributed significantly to nation's politics or carved a place for themselves. It's the manner these actors approach politics that baffles me. For most of them, it's a career after they reach a stage when nobody cares about them in the tinsel-town. It's a place where they can exploit their looks, stardom, utter dialogues from hit movies which obviously are written by others and has nothing to do with ideology or even understanding the nuances of politics. It's a win-win situation for both the party and the actor as the former gets the crowd for its rallies and the latter gets a career. The very essence of politics is lost. They are mostly puppets, and sadly they are famous puppets.

This year we have many new celebrities in the fray, Sanjay Dutt (not as candidate), Shekhar Suman, Md. Azharuddin etc. The most famous and controversial is, obviously, Sanjay Dutt. With all his pending cases and rebel against his father's party and against his sisters, who stood by him in all his testing times, he definitely made it to the headlines. But let's forget about all that and let's assume that SC allowed him to be a valid candidate. Then? Was he a fit candidate? Is he guy with a political opinion? (Ideology would too much asking for!). Isn't he one of those people who could have joined any party which would have guaranteed him a ticket? Recently he was campaigning for a LJP candidate which is SP's ally. In the rally he forgot the name of the candidate he was campaigning
for and asked his name from a SP guy on the mike….guess who was the candidate? Ram Vilas Paswan…the President of LJP!!! What do you expect of these demigods? I have got nothing personal against him, but these are the things you associate with any star in politics. Replace him with Shekhar Suman and you would be asking the same questions again!

One thing that attracts people towards stars, apart from stardom, is that they are expected to be less corrupt and I totally agree with that. No star would normally be involved in a scam or any other criminal activity for sure. J. Jayalalitha being an exception of course, but it was probably politics that made her corrupt! But they are not taken seriously by their parties also. Barring, Shatrughan Sinha as Health Minister in NDA government, no film star has ever been given a significant post. They are just used as poster boys. They are not sincere in their work also. Take examples of 2 superstars who made their political debut in 2004 elections, Dharamendra and Govinda. The former has almost nil attendance in LS and has not visited his constituency Bikaner more than twice in 5 years while the latter has never raised a question in LS and of course his attendance is nil too. So why do we need them? Isn't it wastage of electoral process and an invaluable LS seat?

I normally criticize the politics or politicians, but this post is for all those who are enamoured by the star power of people from film or cricket fraternities. They are wasting a Vote, a Seat, Crores of Tax-Payer's money and , most importantly, they are wasting a chance to make an useful contribution to the nation.

Please think before you vote!

Administratium!!

2009-04-12T06:05:00.001-07:00

I have always maintained the fact that reading The Sunday Times is one of the best things I do in the entire week. It's so full of articles and editorials that you want to read each and every bit of it. One of the most interesting columns is the "Open Space" where people ask questions and then other people, who are not from the Times, reply via email or letters. So today, again on a typically sleepy, lazy and incredibly hot Vellore Sunday afternoon I was reading the Open Space column where I came across a very interesting question " What is Administratium?". Somebody answered it which I want to share with all of you…

It is a spoof on administration. Its official definition: Administratium is the heaviest element known to science and was recently discovered at a major US university. The element has no protons or electrons and thus, has the atomic number 0. However, it does have one neutron, 125 assistant neutrons, 75 vice-neutrons and 111 assistant vice-neutrons, which gives it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by a force that involves the continuous exchange of meson-like particles called morons. Since it has no electrons, administratium is inert. However, it can be detected chemically as it impedes every reaction it comes in contact with.

Politics of the K-word and the magic of “GANDHI”!

2009-03-24T13:51:00.001-07:00

Before I start, this is going to be my most controversial post so far… I hope to live after that…however, I don't know that I will or I won't!!

This is one of those days when you lose all your faith and all your beliefs are questioned. This is also the time when you feel that a 80 year old politician on death bed is much better than a venomous 29 year old as nature would help you to get rid of the former but you may have to live to see the latter rise to power for the next 50 years (at least…u know they all live a lot more than they deserve!)

What is this time? This is the time of Shri Varun Gandhi's claim to fame…through a tried, tested and safe "Short Cut"!

Political rallies and bhashans (debate is asking for too much from Indian politicians) have always been filled with scathing attacks on others. But there is a difference between a MP aspirant and a fundamentalist demagogue…there is a line…which was not crossed by most of our National politicians till now, till the verbal diarrhea of Varun Gandhi. When the line was crossed there was no stopping, he went on and on. There were promises made to kill the Muslims if elected to power and, quite foolishly, how Muslims names are scary! But the ultimate blow was the use of the K-word…

The K-word is the religionist counterpart of the racist N-word of USA, nobody uses it, even in the most intense and ugly debates. It may be a political obligation or just general courtesy. People, who use it, are effectively ostracized. It is a clear breach of decency, commenting on someone's private part which is related to his religion! Are you kidding me man! But its India folks, nothing happens. NOTHING AT ALL HAPPENS.

WHY??

It's the Gandhi effect. Someone who belongs to the first family of Indian politics, though only by last name, is free to say or do anything. The Gandhi magic works till date. He is above the Election Commission and definitely way beyond the fundamentals of Democracy. This man can be the PM of India some day, just because of his last name. He is the trump card to nullify the effect of another Gandhi who happens to be his cousin. Jai Ho!!

His party didn't even feel to distance itself from him. On the other hand they came out in full support and claimed it was all doctored. It was not doctored; it was indeed what the Doctor ordered. BJP needs these kinds of political dramas to keep itself in news and to remind its vote bank that it's there for them. In the time when Recession or Terrorism or Foreign Policy should be electoral issues, BJP sticks religiously to religion. It is an issue that is always in vogue. They shoot to power in 1998 because they promised a solution to the Temple issue…where is that? It's still controversial and after Godhra -2002, it has become murkier. They are promising the same thing again and I can bet they will not build it this time also. You know why? Apart from the fact that they don't have the guts to do anything real (a trait that transcends all political barriers), they know this is not the last election. If they build it this time than what will they promise next time and all the times after that…???

The politics of the K-word doesn't end here. Hindu fundamentalists argue that they use it, because Muslims use another K-word for them. That word is kafir, which is not as offensive as its Hindu counterpart. What a strange competition, who uses more slangs and who insults the other religion more! Kudos !

However this is not the scariest part of the whole scenario. The scariest part is that it comes from a person who belongs to a well-to-do family, has not suffered anything other than inevitable personal tragedies and who is just 29 years of age. And yes he is literate too. I can't call him educated because this is not what educated people do. If I call him educated, I am happy to be called an illiterate roadside pebble who at least has an opinion of himself and doesn't speak what his party elders ask him to. These youngsters will bring a change? God help India!

And yes, just for the record, I am a Hindu too, but I am ashamed to be called one today just as I was ashamed after 1992 –Ayodhya, 2002- Godhra and 2008- Orissa…I don't know how many times my religion would be ashamed and my beliefs questioned by the people who actually claim to be the flag bearers of Hinduism.

FROST/NIXON….AN INDIAN POLITICAL DREAM..!

2009-03-13T13:08:00.001-07:00

I am not a very big fan of movies that create a stir in the Oscars. They are, well, in general, boring (a term often used by youth like me for MEANINGFUL movies!!). But, this year, Frost/Nixon was an exception. Not that it was a technically superior movie like The Dark Knight, but the fact it showed the most serious political crisis USA has ever faced with so much clarity and aplomb, is exemplary. The movie made me think that can a journalist ever nail a politician like this in India? And more importantly can you ever see regretful expression on an Indian politician?

Search your GK books, Newspapers and of course You Tube videos, and recall one incident when an Indian politician confessed his crime in public and sought redemption. They are always so proud and upbeat about their criminal "Achievements" that a confession seems like a distant dream. Nixon was a big political failure. He, much like George W. Bush, faced a lot of criticism at home and in the rest of the world for imposing the Vietnam War on USA. But the Watergate incident proved the last nail in his political career and he had to resign. After his resignation he was pardoned for all his felonies by his successor. Under normal, or Indian, circumstances this could have been a dream come true for him and before you could realize, he would have been in active politics again! But here was a guy who still stood by of what he did and even though he wanted to make a comeback, he wanted to come off all clean, not judicially but in the eyes of fellow Americans. When Frost made him realize the gravity of his crime he was full of sorrow. He felt that he let his country and the whole political system down. More importantly he realized he let so many young Americans down, who would now not enter politics, thinking it's so corrupt. I am not trying to portray him as a Fallen Hero but it is this ruefulness that I find so missing from Indian Politics. There are 125 MPs in the current Parliament with criminal charges. And what is being done? There are cases from 1992 which are still pending and the accused are running the country. They claim public support. Who are the people supporting them? How many voters are actually aware that the "Neta" from their constituency is accused of grave criminal charges like mass murder, rioting and, worst of all, rape? Nixon's deeds were actually nothing as compared to these people.

When does a person confess? When, in that particular moment, he realizes that he has reached his lowest point. Indian politicians are so abysmal that it would take those a million years to reach their personal lows.

Let's see it from the point of view of journalism. Indian media,(I only refer to the print media as electronic media is just news hungry and meaningless), is quite unbiased. Lately, one can see the urge in the media to prove itself The Fifth Pillar of democracy. There are campaigns to highlight the importance of voting and the participation of youth in politics ("I Swear" campaign by The Times of India shows promise). The other campaigns like "Jago Re", "The Consortium of Pub Going Loose and Forward Women "and the idea of "Negative Voting" is getting a lot more print space then they used to. But does any one journalist or a newspaper or a TV channel has the courage like David Frost to confront a politician in public where you question him only about his wrong doings giving him no respite? Let's bring the worst out of them in full view of people who matter, at least in every five years! But it cannot be done. How long would that journo live or that newspaper would run after that? What happened to "Tehelka.com" is a very good example. A brave attempt reached its grave in no time!

It's rather easy to finish an article with a ray of hope and clichés like silver lining of the cloud or the night is darkest just before the dawn etc. But sadly there isn't any hope, or at least yours truly can't see it. Till then let's just pray that Frost/Nixon's DVDs reach our politicians and media persons before the polls and they decide for themselves.

Amen!

Censor me if u can!

2009-02-26T13:32:00.001-08:00

Well I am hurt today…really badly hurt. The Supreme Court of India feels that bloggers like you and me may face libel, even prosecution for voicing our views online. This was the one thing every Indian felt was on their side…the Judiciary. Sure it was slow and justice was delayed…but still it was not denied. The monumental role of Judiciary in cases like that of Jessica Lal, Sanjay Dutt, Nithari Killings etc gave us hope that at least one pillar of democracy is intact and is unaffected by the rust of time. We learnt how to live with corruption, nepotism, unstable coalitions, shouting and cursing MPs and MLAs and even made our peace with the stagnant state of affairs where nothing changes. The word CHANGE that re-wrote American history brings goose bumps to our "respected" politicians. (I am a scared Blogger now you know) But the SC can't do that to us. How can you take away the fundamental right of speech from a country of billions?

It all started when a blogger named Ajith D ,who is just 19 years of age, created a community on a social networking site which had many anonymous comments about a radical Hindu political party (I know the name…but still scared you know!) and how it is trying to divide the country. Note that it was an online community, not a BLOG. The party's Youth Wing (average age must have been 45 for this wing…that's pretty young in Indian Politics…damn I did it again…I am better off scared!) filed a complaint against Ajith and then SC came up with this point of view. The most astonishing part of this case, according to me, is that the comments were anonymous. How can you blame a person for the comments made on his community/blog by others? He just started a thread and people responded. If the idea was so ridiculous that it would hurt people's sentiments (as the SC described it) then why would people support it? An important point is that a blogger cannot be an uneducated or a person who could be easily molded. He is got to be a well educated, at least a middle class, intelligent guy who knows what he is doing. So instead of shutting him up in name of "Public Sentiments" shouldn't he be heard? Shouldn't he be asked why he has so strong views that he felt a need to form a community for similar-minded people? Or if that's a distant dream in a severely paralyzed democracy, at least let him speak his mind out!

What can we interpret from this? Are we not free to speak anymore? Or do we have to follow a particular code of conduct while expressing your views? Hilariously though, our expression would still be "FREE" and country still a "DEMOCRATIC". Why isn't a code of conduct for our MPs? Why does a 80 year old Mr.Somnath Chatterji has to shout at 500 odd 70 year olds to keep quiet and maintain decorum? Is it not pseudo Talibanisation? Is it not giving up in front of the radical fundamentalist goondas?

There have been landmark cases which change the course of any country's judiciary and people's mentality. Remember the "Kiranjeet Ahluwalia" case in England (on which Provoked was made)? It changed the meaning of the word Provocation in England's law books forever. May be the Ajith case would change the meaning of the phrase "FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION" in India's Constitution forever. For better or for the worse, time would tell. Till then we would be Rebels. We would be "Politically Incorrect" till a law stops us being so!

2009-02-20T07:13:00.001-08:00

26/11…it's still fresh in my mind…THIS TIME I WILL REMEMBER…

It's a general trait of Indian masses…or why differentiate on the basis of class…it's a general trait of Indian people that they have a very weak memory…especially of the events that shook them the worst and the rest of the world. I know it's sounds sarcastic but its true.. a bitter one though. Ask an American about September 11 and he would tell you every single detail of that fateful day. But ask any Indian about such an attack….he would be able to tell you what he was doing at the time of the attack or how his neighbor's uncle's daughter's husband escaped the attack miraculously but he won't be able to tell you the date. ( I could have used son-in law but just for the message to be conveyed you know!). You don't trust me? After you finish this ask anyone whose city has been under such terror attacks, you would be depressed. Not because of the intricate details and the sheer impact that attack had on that person, but because of the lack of knowledge and especially the date of the attack.

Dates are important. It reminds us how heinous that act was and more importantly how our life would have been if that day wouldn't be in our lives. What September 11 did to Americans was that it made a narcissist nation aware of the world happenings. It taught them that even a sleepy Afghanistan can make them lose their Wall Street powered sleep forever. The attack on Mumbai on November 26, 2008 (yes, even year deserves a mention) changed the apathetic Indian scenario a little bit. People are now aware of the NSG and how dirty can Indian politics be. (they touched a new low…but more on that later). The spirit of Mumbai was acclaimed worldwide to stand up to such gruesome attacks and recover in no time. But at some level, I feel we should not recover. Being attacked and recovered is more like being challenged and lose.

Today I want to post a poem by noted Bollywood lyricist Prasoon Joshi (Rang De Basanti fame) after the attacks. This appeared on Times Now channel and literally brought tears in my eyes. I want you all to have a look and vow that we will never forget 26-11-2008 for the rest of our lives.

THIS TIME I WILL REMEMBER

A MOTHER CARESSING HER DEAD SON'S FOREHEAD AND PREPARING HIM PRE-MATURELY FOR HIS FINAL DESTIANTION…

THIS TIME I WILL REMEMBER

INNOCENT DINERS LINED UP AND SHOT AT POINT BLANK,CAUGHT IN SOMEBODY ELSE'S WAR…

THIS TIME I WILL REMEMBER

BLOOD SPLATTERED WALLS WITH GROTESQUE IMAGERY, FRESHLY BURNT FLESH, SHATTERED MIRRORS AND BROKEN LIVES…

THIS TIME I WILL REMEMBER

A MOTHER AND HER TWO YOUNG KIDS CHARRED BEYOND RECOGNITION WHILE THE DAD PUT PUBLIC GOOD AHEAD OF THE PERSONA…

THIS TIME I WILL REMEMBER

GUN TOTTING TERRORISTS CREATING MAYHEM ON THE STREETS, TARGET PRACTICING AT A RAILWAY STATION

THIS TIME I WILL REMEMBER

BACKPACKERS AT A CAFÉ OR RECEPTIONIST AT A HOTEL REDUCED TO PIECES FOR NO REASON

THIS TIME I WILL REMEMBER

Assignments….every engineer’s nightmare…

2009-02-15T11:53:00.001-08:00

I wanna start blogging with something funny…something that is indeed "politically correct"!!. So a general problem all engineers face…ASSIGNMENTS….here are some ways…to escape..!!

Assignments ? Who me? No…..sorry, excuse me, thank you…!!! Whatever works man...!! Just get rid of 'em…

Have you ever read the last line of curriculum of most of the engineering institutions?

It says "Mode of Evaluation: Written Examination, Assignments and Seminar." Looks pretty easy…written examinations are taken care of by relative grading….all is good when everyone does bad!

Seminars are pretty manageable because the class supports you by never cross questioning.

It's the assignments that take a real toll on all of us. And for most of the times we don't meet deadlines and that's where the problems start.

The human race however has a unique ability to anticipate the future, proactively innovate and create an array of options for survival in a changing environment. So then we make excuses which are stupid enough to make us land in trouble.

So I decided to help all the "non-nerds" (if I knew the exact word I would be a nerd!) by suggesting a few ways to escape and a few clichés you should never use!

Here are 5 excuses which may help you to escape the predicament of not meeting the deadline for an assignment…but….remember the disclaimer…."the author bears no responsibility for the ideas and suggestions! Any person caught using them would be entirely responsible for the consequences"!

1)"Sir, I already gave it to you! Please check again"! Anticipated Success Rate-90%

2)"It was today? Oh! Sorry I thought it was next week! Sorry sir!" Anticipated Success Rate- 85% (for our female friends however the sorry sir part could be a bit extended and the success rate shoots up!)

3)"My computer was not working". Anticipated Success Rate-60%

4)"I had my GRE/CAT/TOEFL exams". Anticipated Success Rate-50%

5)"I was sick and was admitted to the health center". Anticipated Success Rate-10% (first of all you are not allowed to be sick at the cost of your work and this lie can backfire very badly as they may ask you to produce some "medical certificate duly signed by the CMO"…though I never understood why a guy would go to the health center in the first place if he is a little sick like fever etc.!

But guys our respected faculty members are much smarter and obviously experienced especially when it comes to students skipping assignments.

So here are some pitfalls you can escape and please don't use these clichés….

1)"There is no material related to this on Wikipedia…library??...are you kidding"!

2)"My girlfriend dumped me…I am too heartbroken…sir you understand…you were 20 once…weren't you"?

3)"Sir its all his fault...he didn't do it…what could I do"?

4)" I didn't have the color pens, A4 sheets, a scale, a pencil etc…you know I wanted to do it either perfectly or not at all…so I picked the latter!"

5)"I didn't sleep properly last night"! (which secretly means that you were busy finishing your daily quota of movies)

The purpose of assignments is not clear to either me or to the rest of the students. So till we truly understand the aim and objectives of assignments let's just finish them off….and for the rest of the times when you cannot do it…keep this article safe!!