Hail India!!! Hail Mumbai!!!

Now playing: Jagjit Singh – Jhuki jhuki
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Some people can do just about anything to get their 15 minutes of fame, or rather infamy. Case in the point, Mr Raj Thakrey. Chucked out of his party, he decides to launch a new party. But a party must have an agenda. So he comes up with a novel agenda- Mumbai for Maharashtrians. Which is all fine, except for a small oversight: Mumbai is still a part of the parcel called India, and this India also contains parts like Bihar and UP.

I do not think there is a need to repeat what all unsavoury incidents took place recently in Mumbai. But what I fail to understand is that why these so called leaders fail to realise that India is one country. One. Eine. Un. Uno. But no. They have to divide it into small bits and pieces, just to get their own political mileage. Even which they are not getting anymore. But still they won’t learn. When the world is becoming one smll global village, these people want to create further divisions. I genuinely feel they should be tortured publicly to death for the offence of criminal conspiracy against state, or in other words treason.

I have no more to say on the issue. Opinions are welcome.

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Now playing: Ghulam Ali – Chupke chupke
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Capital Punishment – Aye or Nay

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Now playing: Gulzar – Woh khat ke purze uda raha tha
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Before I start playing my role as advocate for both the sides of the coin, let me get one thing straight. I am a staunch supporter of death penalty, reasons for which I shall subsequently elaborate. Therefore if you find a decided bias for the ayes, you know what to blame.

Capital punishment, or death penalty, has been in vogue ever since the first judicial systems came into being. And it would not be an exaggeration to say that it remains to date one of the topics that cause an animated discussion.

The people who are against capital punishment as a part of the penal code of any civilised society base their arguments around a few common features. First and foremost is the moral issue- what right do we have to take the life of another human being? I would counter it by saying that we have no right to take the life of an innocent person in ordinary circumstances, but then a person who has committed heinous crimes, and shows no signs of regret, should just not be allowed to live. What would the opponents of capital punishment say if one of the persons who gets away from the noose escapes and kills one of their near and dear ones?

Then arises the practical value of capital punishment. I know there are reams and reams of data which indicate that crime rate and death penalty are not linked at all. Argument taken. But all said and done, I would not like to risk my life on having a known cold blooded murderer walking scot free on the streets (which he will eventually do after finishing his sentence). One killer less means the society will be slightly safer for people to live.

And then comes the most valid point- how do you make sure that the person being sent to gallows in indeed guilty, and an innocent does not die in the process. That is indeed a pertinent question. However the capital punishment is awarded only in the rarest of rare cases, where there is some reason compelling enough to make the judge believe that the criminal is incorrigible, in addition to be sure of his/her guilt beyond any reasonable degree of doubt. And the convict has a number of channels for appeal too. Inspite of all this, if an innocent person reaches the gallows, then that is the price we must pay to ensure the relative safety of our society from killers and rapists and terrorists…

I know I would be crying if I, or someone I am associated with, is the unfortunate oddity who is destined to be the innocent person guillotined. But then everyone can just not be kept happy.

All in all, I find the capital punishment a deal with a positive balance of trade. That’s the end of my argument.

Male Bashing

I know it may seem like a very irrelevant topic, but male bashing seems to be the in thing among girls and young women these days. I mean, one moment they would be going along happily with their boyfriend/ brother/ father, and the very next moment they would be baying for the blood of all human males who have the misfortune of existing on the earth. In fact it is a kind of reverse gender bias that is nowadays seen at some work places, where women are given undue advantages over men.

On the surface of it, it seems to be a petty squabble of little or no consequences. But over a period of time, if not checked it can lead to subconscious deep rooted prejudices about the other sex. And the worrisome aspect is that women seem to find in it an expression of their independence.

Whenever there is a crime like rape or molestation, such females find an opportunity in it to vent out their anger on the whole male populace, little realising the effect it may have on the men in their lives. And at times like this it becomes all the more of a fad to bullshit each and every man who has the misfortune to come into the line of sight of these ladies. And the poor guy is left thinking, ok so what was my fault if there is a guy who is a retard and has done something to spoil someone else’s life.

It is not to say that guys to not do girl bashing. But it is much more in a lighter vein, more often than not. And I am not saying all this just because I am a guy, but because I have been observing people around me for the last two weeks or so. And I have reached the conclusion that though at times both men and women tend to behave irrationally, it is rarer for men to go a bit too far while doing girl bashing. It is generally just good humored leg pulling, which is responded to in kind by the fairer sex too. However when ladies come to male bashing of a serious kind, there are no velvet gloves involved. It is all or nothing. And that does leave a bad taste in the mouth of the guys with those ladies.

However I believe I am not being too coherent or logical, what with me being involved in an incident like this not too long back. So I’d just like to sign off with one question- Why can’t we, as intelligent and logical people, start thinking more reasonably about this childish issue?

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Social Equality, Anyone?

It does not take a Sherlock Holmes to decipher that I am writing about reservation.

When I sat down to write about this contentious issue a few days back, the draft threatened to form a manuscript. So I promptly shelved it. But Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh’s declaration that the government is proposing to make education free for dalits upto doctorate brought him and his policies back into my focus. And make no mistake, it is not only Arjun Singh but all political parties who in the interests of their vote banks are using reservation as a tool for garnering votes.

Reservation system as in vogue in India is doomed to fail spectacularly because it is based on incorrect premises. It advocates caste based reservation in higher education and jobs so as to ostentatiously bring about social equality, in line with India’s socialist policies. However what the policy makers failed to take into account was the fact that the social differences are existing because of economic inequalities. Had the reservation system been based on economic strength of a person rather than caste, it would have stood at least an outside chance of success, provided the government could have devised safeguards to ensure that each and every citizen declares his income correctly.  It would be imperative to add at this point that I understand the mammoth difficulties to be faced to achieve this ear impossible feat, but still it would have been a better option.

Being at the point where we are, it is very easy to tell where the problem lies. What is difficult is to suggest a solution. But I do have a solution in mind. If it is to be implemented, someone in power will have to bite the bullet. What I propose is to have a system in which there is NO repeat No reservation in jobs. Reservation continues for a limited time frame in higher education, including in premier institutes like IITs and IIMs. However the students availing of reservation studay an extra year, take the exam again and if found at par with the students in general category, are taken in in the regular course.

It is a contentious proposal, with a argument against it that why should a student lose out on a precious year and have to appear for a draining exam again, for no fault of his. My answer is that he should do this because the country needs it. The country needs knowledgeable professionals, not persons with a caste certificate in lieu of knowledge.

I rest my case.

PS: The author, yours truly, belongs to the so called OBCs but has never availed of the reservation because he feels he does not need it.

Just not cricket

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Now playing: Sahotas – Heerie
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I knew I had to write a post on this. I knew I just had to. But after the first day of the second cricket test match between Australia and India, I thought I will write it after, maybe the series was over, so as to avoid any bias. But the happenings over the past four days have made me write it right now.

I will not go over yet again all the horrendous decisions made by the on-field umpires as well as the third umpires. As far as the umpiring is concerned, it looks to me as a flashback to the good old Sharjah days when Pakistan used to play against India with 13 men in their ranks. What i find most revolting is the argument that umpires are also human and hence allowed to their share of mistakes.

I mean, how can one accept this argument? Agreed, umpires are human but they are as much professionals as anyone else. If one is being paid to do a job at the very topmost level, one had better be good at it. Else (s)he should just say thanks, but I am not capable of doing this job professionally. Come on, if a surgeon makes a mistake in an operation and kills someone, if a driver makes a mistakes and overruns someone, if a pilot makes a mistake and crashes his plane, do we take such a lenient view?

But this is only one part of the story. The other part lies in the attitude of Aussie cricketers and Indian cricketers and that of the ICC. Led from the front by their captain, the Aussies are all for accepting the word of a fielder in close catch appeals. But as numerous replays suggest, the one who takes the appeal of a cricketer from the present Aussie lot must be a fit case for an asylum. On the other hand, the Indian team management had initially decided not to even protest against the shockers that were handed out to them as decisions. Thankfully better sense prevailed in the end.

I have heard various measures suggested by my colleagues, ranging from abandoning the series to forfeiting the matches umpired by Bucknor to outright killing him. I believe the least the Indian team can do is to ask for him to be stopped from officiating in the next match. If Kumble does that, he will find a place in the list of esteemed leaders of men like Arjuna Ranatunga and Inzamam ul Haq.

Apart from this, it should make us introspect and look for reasons why others think they can get away with doing such funny stuff with us as a people. I believe the moral values which have been inculcated in us are turning out to be a bit of a hurdle. It is not to be confused with an outright rejection of all moral values. but the value system also needs to adapt with times.

The Indian culture and civilisation have been able to stand the test of time only because of their adaptability. And in today’s cut throat competition, excessive tolerance is a libery we can just not afford to take. We need to ingrain in our people an aggression and a competitiveness which would enable them to pay the other guy in the same coin rather than back off. If we do not wake up to this reality now, we will end up as a economic neo colony. And that would just not be cricket.

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Now playing: Green Day – Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
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Modi Wins!!!

For my second and much delayed post, I choose a controversial topic- the rise of Moditva in Gujarat.

 

Narendra Modi has finally steered the BJP’s boat to a spectacular fourth consecutive victory in Gujarat, and in the process ensured that he will be counted among the most successful chief ministers the country has ever seen, for it will be his third consecutive term.

 

At the outset of the electoral process, the odds were stacked heavily against Modi. There was a feeling that the hardline chauvinist stance he chose to take might not be well received by the electorate. Moreover there were senior BJP leaders in the state who chose to revolt, including the venerable Keshubhai Patel. And last but not the least, there was the problem of a possible anti incumbency wave, which is known to sweep the Indian voters from time to time.

 

However what won the battle for Modi was his own agenda, and his results of the past terms of governance. Even his most butter critics will have to agree to the fact that under Modi, Gujarat is among the most rapidly progressing states in India. He fought the elections on the twin planks of nationalism tinged with communalism and development. These are two issues the public could relate to very easily. That is the basic reason which led him to the landslide victory.

 

However the astute general that Modi is, he would surely have noticed the loss of 10 seats which saw the BJP’s tally dip from 127 in 2002 polls to 117 this time around. But like a seasoned campaigner, he is expected to look into that small matter of detail when he is once again firmly established in the corridors of power and has ample time to delve into the matter.

 

Coming onto the question that is foremost in the minds of almost the full BJP cadre and also, quite a moot point for the students and analysts of Indian politics, will Modi now look beyond Gujarat and seek to expand the scope of his ambitions to the national level? Only time can tell this, though personally I believe it will not be a very wise move as the fiery, aggressive brand of politics that has reaped him rich dividends in his state might cost the BJP dear at the national level. Moreover his charisma, unlike that of say Vajpayee or Advani, does not extend all over the country. The Sangh Parivar and the RSS are also not too keen on him playing a major role at the national level. In order to come onto the national scene, he should now start assuming the role of a statesman rather than a soldier. Instead of trying to burst on to the big stage, which he might well be tempted to do, he should gradually build his position from scratch. Though it will take him maybe five years longer, still it will hold him in good stead in the long run.

 

However one thing that Modi would do well to get to national politics will be his aggressively nationalist ideas, for that will surely tap into the electorate’s heart. In fact it would be as good a platform as any for him to make an entry onto the large screen with. For unlike Gujarat, he does not have results to speak for him here. If he is able to replicate his persona on the national stage as well as he did in Gujarat, we might as well see the rise of a Putin in India too.

Let The Celebrations Begin!!!

Here I am, finding myself blogging yet again. But hopefully after half a decade of decadent existence in the cyber world, i would be doing something meaningful. And to start, I would quote the full page advertisement on the front page of The Times of India. By the way, this is one newspaper i criticise the most for being more of a tabloid than a newspaper.

I AM THE I IN INDIA

The day I was born in this country, this country was also born in me.

I can feel it running through my guts when I’m angry and throbbing through my veins when I’m glad. I am India and India is me.

Starting today, I have decided that I will not point fingers at anyone any more. Instead, those fingers will be pointed at me.

I am the system that does not work. I am the pothole on the road that doesn’t get filled. I am the FIR that doesn’t get filed. I am the bridge that doesn’t get built.

Everything that’s wrong with this country starts with me. And will soon end with me.

I am India and India is me.