EVERYTHING IS BALANCED

One thing that is universal to every human being is that we are never satisfied. our needs are unquenchable. We always look for ways to have 'more', in 'everything'...

Probably thats the reason why we never enjoy the life in its true sense.

We- the people, always try to push the bar, sometimes knowing that to attain cetain things are beyond our  reach..

And in search for that EXTRA, We usually forget that, "Every thing is Balaced"....

I was in my senior secondary at St. Xavier's... I use to live with a freind, who was also in the same school but in a different section... I never was worried about my studies and always thought that - I"ll manage for my exams. But my freind, who not just shared, the rented accomodation with me but share my name as well i.e. his name is Abhishek too... 

HE always said to me, "Every thing is Balanced". At that time, I never took it seriously or You can call it I was a, last minute person...

But today I realize his every word.... Yes Everything is Balanced. 

If, you push your limit against the nature- The nature will in turn push things to balance it..e.g. look at what we have done to our surroundings- global warming is a result of what we"ve offered to the nature.... isnt it? 

Now, coming back to the point...I didnt paid attention to my studies, though I was serious about my future. I, now, have to read more books than I ever wondered..

But thats fair ..... I've no complains...coz  Everything can be balanced provided the one does his work honestly.. 

If i we work hard today, it"ll bear fruits tomorrow.

Thanks, my dear freind for sharing your philosophy with me at a very early satge in my life so that I now understands the worth of it....

"Through the window panes"

 Through the window panes,

When the world falls asleep

and the darkness dispense,

through the pinions of ether.

When the blue umbrella stretches,

and the holy light scatters.

I look upto the zenith

and welcomes the unquenchable,

with the bountiful from her vineyard.

When the brook stops her voyage,

and the sea shrugs off her shackles.

when the sinews comes to rescue the thwarted

and When the woods chant melancholy.

I feel my soul loitering in he tranquility

and my mind sifting the impure.

But in the serenity of the cosmos,

In a corner of my heart

I crave for the twilight and the tither

and then with the dawn, i feel cheated.

when i wake from my cherished dream

to another day of my longing,

i feel guilty for my deeds.

Quiver to the truth of my domains

and of the window panes.

again, through the window panes

I look upto the blue umbrella

and wait for the solitude

when the world falls asleep....

A JOURNEY SO MEMORABLE....

A JOURNEY SO MEMORABLE....

wat can i describe it ... otherwise....

wait.... wait....!!!!

whenever we speak abt journey and it being a memorable one.... generally the first impression which comes to our (ppl like me) mind is of gals... hehe

what a boycan else think of in his youth....

But let me clarify... it has nothing to do with gals in fact its abt a boy, a man, and both of them --- "male"..

but before u jump to any conclusion... lets start frm the beginning....

On my return journey frm my birthplace towards my KARMABHOOMI........ I acquainted with a man.... his name was mr. GYAN.. and he was exactly true to his name..!!!

we both didnt had confirm tickets( u can undrstand the way how indian railways functions) and were looking for some way to get ourselves adjusted with the exodus ofmigrated ppl..

he was frm MP.. and coz of some engagements was coming to delhi.. he was atheletic and well built...

i thought he would be around 27 or 28 and unmarried but he was 38 and a father to his 12 yr daughter...

this attracted my attention coz when something surprises it attracts attention... same happened with me....

so finally after much hulla balooo... we managed to get two births on adjacent compartments, while it should have been alloted to someone according to the priority in the waiting list category.. ( this too a feature of indian railways,,,...) however i was happy to get a place put my butt so that i could go for an interview- the day i reached delhi....

By this time we had become quite familiar..... and started talking abt serious issues -- like global warming, communalism, communism, politics,, international relations....and more.... and he outcast me in every arena on every topic...

i was not surprised becoz he SHADOWED me but bcoz...

we normally expect intellectuals to be not just mature while speaking but in their attire toooo.....

but now onwards i"ll nt stereotype anyone just bcoz of his attire only....

now u must be thinking y i had written--

A journey so memorable --in the beginning ...

thats becoz i enjoyed his company... i found someone to discuss our perception

of social norms, and issues which are binding us and in some cases dividing...

becoz of this man, the more than 24 hr long journey seemed less....

and also becoz he persuaded me to continue with the field of media..... and i dont knw y he thought so..... but i can say that he was very learned and yet very freindly and down to earth.....

Its pay back time.

Day-in Day-out, I think, In the serenity of ether, and In the dark, when the light scatters. My longing stops the fight within and stats flirting with the Life moving places unbound, In this self-restrained world. will i be able to see the twilight ? I think, once, i used to unearth the life and feed my soul.. but now, the river is my neighbour and autumn my destiny. yet, i am thirsty for a drop. I think, When the spring leaves the zenith behind and succumbs to its fortune. When the night sings melancholy and the woods welcome its foe, I think, will the Iron-trees be ever green ! To the world and the nature, which has bestowed me with the boutiful, to decieve my fear. Am i being a tyrant ruler? I think , will i be able to witness the dawn, minus the prostrate. I think , for the people to realize and others to follow . I think, its pay back time..

"United we fight & divided we stand"

Every now and then, one or the other politician, rais his voice and claims himself to be the savior for the rest... do we really need a saviour??? we need a politicians who could champion the cause of India. I am not sure wheather i've to offer apology to proudly call my country, India. I am not sure wheather any one will rise from nowhere and start criticizing me for i've not called my country Bharat or Hindustan ...... i dont think by calling India i've hurt anyone's sentiment... if i have i offer my sincere apology, because i'd continue to call my country by any of the three name i like... Shakepeare said, 'wht's there in a name' ? But he might have not wondered in his wildest imagination that the politics in india will be fought within this domain. if he would have been alive, he must have attempted suicide... Mr. Raj Thackeray, the maharashtra polls are near you are justified in raising your voice as the time is ripe... pocket as many votes as you can... Afterall who knows, if everyone start learning marathi and become 'Mumbaiker'.... what will you do then? don't tell me you want to change 'Mumbai'.........

"Slapped in the face"

History is the documentation of the events that have passed so as to make the generation ahead aware of the errors and triumphs of the humankind. and it's been useful too. Everytime we make a mistake, we turn back to history to find errors. But our resistance to acknowledge it a different thing , altogether. An intelligent makes a mistake once whereas the foolish repeat the same, all over again. For them, the events passed is nothing more trhan the scratch.. Our leaders seems to following the secondary class. Time and again, we have been slapped in face but we ( i have used we coz in some way or the other we endorse their view) are not ready to accept the truth. The truth that our neighbours are decieving us, in the name of friendship, peace & tranquility...... i dont understand what is it that our leaders can't stop 'ROMANCING' their pakistani counterparts. since the very exixtence of pakistan, the leaders their have been more interested in uprooting the Indian democracy.... There was a time when we fought battles at our doors but now it has entered into our homes.... The recent invasion of the Mumbai invasion was only the next chapter.... ther's more to follow if the enemy is not contained.. In the recent observation, it is said that the ISI new about the 26/1 and the LeT is flourishing unhindered... what are we waiting for ? Do we want another 'wake-up' call? The only thing you can trust about our neighbours, both on the eastern and western fronts, is - don't trust them !!! its high time we realized the priority of our security...

The Prophet continues...........

Now that i"ve finished The Prophet.. i wanted to share a lot of it with u all... but i "ll cease to do that..for two reasons... first, that my interpretation may dilute the hard work, the author had put in.. and second i am afraid that despite my repeated attempts... I am unable to decipher few parts.. which i think, i"ll be able to after i develop a larger perspective of the Human Life.... Till then i can only say, that the book is a masterpiece.... do read it... A wonderful use of metaphors and a brilliant poetic composition. Caution: it's binding. once u start try to finish before u start loosing interest..

The Prophet...

hi freins !!!! u must be wondering abt the title.... THE PROPHET..actually its the title of the novel i am reading rght now...i haven't finished it yet i want to share something abt it...THE PROPHET- by KAHLIL GIBRAN, is the best religious book of the 20th century... and it verily throws light on the different aspects of life and its voyage through the sea of joy and sorrow..its been divided into 28 sections each having a indistinguished character... on love, on freinship, on drinking and eating, on work and many more u"ll find as u dive into it....THis piece by kahlil gibran is really a master piece...i"ll go into the details oce i finished it.........till then...watch this space for more...or you can experience the unexperienced by going through it....

celebrating in-dependence day..

The land of a billion- people,
the land of the re-incarnation.
A home to every religion.
I am no longer, the land of superstition.
For more than six-decades,
witnessed generation after generation.
But now i am parched, wounded and stained.
waiting for the rain..... to feed the empty stomach
and heal my grief and pain.
My hands are soaked, in the blood, I own.
I am rich and diverse,
Under the swathes of- poverty and sorrow.
Crying and Mourning, the day and the tomorrow.
I am a paragon of excellence, have conquered the moon.
standing tall, like the Himalayas,
Flowing uninterrupted, like the Ganges.
I transformed from an imbecile,
to a reckoning superpower.
But I am constantly attacked,
by my neighbors and world apart.
My soul is withered, and heart creeps under threat.
I am helpless and probably hapless..
I am sixty-three and going, as old as a new born,
and as innocent as an infant.
But, I still fear the changes,
I am a reflection of yours, if not better than you.
I have nourished you, for long and now,
I am undernourished I am your motherland....
I am sixty-three and still going....

Happy- IN- dependence day

so, India is about to celebrates its 63rd independence day.. A long 63 years have passed since we got independence.... Does it really feel so...? without any second thought the answer would be a emphatic NO.... why? Rather i should i say, why not ? what have we harnessed in this six decades of independence.. what' the achievement..? 80% people below poverty level, world's worst undernourished state. largest number of casualty in the world due to terror-strikes. corruption withering into our soul............... and We call us the largest democracy....... proud to be an indian. It's time correct things.... isn't it? what else can i expect from the youth on the World youth day !!!!!

what's the use of a dialogue so 'composite'?

Many great liaisons have happened and are happening this month. First with the Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari in Yekaterinburg, on the sidelines of G-8, then with Pakistani PM Yousuf Raja Gilani during the NAM summit and now the US secretary of states, Hillary Rodham Clinton's visit to India. It seems as our prime minister is finally busy tackling the 'real' issues. But is it really so? During his meeting with Asif Zardari in Yekaterinburg, he had conveyed the mandate he was provided by the people of India to book the perpetrators of the 26/11 and any repeat of such an incident will land Pakistan in trouble, which was welcomed from every quarter of the society. it was perceived as the Zero tolerance attitude of the Indian government. But recently, when he met the Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raja Gilani, in Sharm-el-sheikh, the two premiers cautioned not to repeat the last mistake this time by having a private conversation followed by a diplomat level meeting away from the reach of the media glare. However, the Indian Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh in a hurry to walk an 'extra mile' or probably to compensate the 'mistake' he made last time, forgot the mandate, he has been provided by the people of India. The Indo-Pak joint statement, in Sharm-al-Sheikh, is a huge compromise that India has made to please its western neighbor. It has been widely criticized as a non- compensate able foreign policy failure. Thus, our foreign policy needs to be chastened in order to avoid any repeat of such an incident. After the Mumbai invasion of 26/11, the Indian government ceased to any dialogue with Pakistan. Was it to douse the popular sentiment and provide a consolation prize to the victims and the rest of the country? The dialogue process resumed within 7 months of Mumbai carnage and just 2 months after congress got re-elected to the office. The immediate put-off of the dialogue process and now the dilution of the Indian stand can be sensed as a political gimmick. Mr. prime minister you have been provided with this mandate to fight terrorism without any compromise and not to please its exporters. For the first time in the history of Indian diplomatic relation with Pakistan, the Indian side has allowed Pakistan to accuse India of the turbulence in Balochistan and its presence in the joint statement strengthens the accusation. Infant, Pakistan has already started to encash this rare opportunity, it has got in 60 years of its existence, with Pm Yousuf Raja Gilani blaming India for 'exporting' terror to Balochistan. The reason given for compromising on the dialogue process with Pakistan is that the tension between the two nuke-powered nations can only be minimized through talks. But a talk like this one is highly unacceptable. What's the use of a dialogue so composite? Our government should acknowledge that we don't need any favour from our neighbour and that it's Pakistan who needs support for running its infrastructure and downtrodden economy. History repeats itself. Probably, this is our second biggest mistake since we took the Kashmir issue to the UN Security Council. And now, with this incident Pakistan is always going to have a upper hand. a nation so opportunist like Pakistan will not leave any chance for an innuendo directed towards India. So it is imperative not to overlook any indication about where we are heading.

MR. NILEKANI, welcome to the big bad worls of indian politics

DEAR MR. NANDAN NILEKANI. ITS HEARTWARMING TO KNOW THAT U"LL BE HEADING THE GOVERMENT'S ENDEAVOUR TO PROVIDE ALL THE INDIAN CITIZEN WITH A -'UNIQUE ID CARD', WHICH CAN BE OF MULTIPLE USES TO ONE AND ALL. AND WITH THE INVOLVEMENT OF AN ENTREPENUER OF UR CALIBER MAKES ME BELIEVE THAT THIS INITIATIVE WILL YIELD AND NOT SUCCUMB TO ANY DELAY AND PESSIMISM... BUT MR. NILEKANI, WHAT I M AFRAID OF IS THE FACT THAT, WILL U BE ABLE TO COPE WITH THE POLITICAL PRESSURE OR LET ME PUT IT LIKE THIS,.. WILL U BE PROVIDED A FREE HAND.... AND UR WAY TO CHUCK OUT PLANS AS EFFECTIVELY AS U WANT....WILL THE GOVT'S INTERVENTION IN THE DAY TO DAY MATTER WILL BE LIMITED ? MY CONCERNS ARE BASED ON THE FACT THAT... IN OUR COUNTRY MOST OF THE PROJECTS AND PROGRAMMES OF MASS WELFARE BECOMES A VICTIM OF THE REPRESENTATIVES ELECTED BY THEMSELVES............ YOUR ELEVATION TO THE CABINET RANK MINISTER IS A WELCOME MOVE BY THE GOVERNMENT... BUT BE SURE YOU DONT GIVE INTO THE DEMANDS OF OUR FLEDGLING DEMOCRACY... THE 'UID' PROGRAMME IS A HUGE 150-CRORE DREAM PROJECT.... WHICH WILL PROVIDE EVERY INDIAN CITIZEN A PROOF OF THEIR EXISTENCE IN THE INDIAN SOCIETY..... I HOPE U DELIVER AS PER THE EXPECTATION...... AT LAST, A VERY WARM WELCOME TO THE BIG BAD WORLD OF INDIAN POLITICS

BJP needs to correct the Basics

The debacle of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2009 general elections has been abit of surprise to many, not because it lagged behind the congress party but because the way it lagged.the difference between their seat share was expected to be around 10-15 seats as the psephologists and the pre-poll surveys had predicted. However, the results were quite in contrast to the prediction of the pundits. The difference was staggering around 40 deciding seats. The resuls proved to be nothing less than a shocker to the BJP top brass but it also was an unexpected victory for the Grand Old Party- which in this election was riding high on the youth factor with its poster boy Rahul Gandhi. Rahul with his innocent but intellectual lectures has led the Party from the front and to the core. While a Gandhi was the reason behind the revival of the party in U.P. to a record victory, after 18 years, since 1991, the other Gandhi scion is the answer to the present state of the BJP in UP and all over the country. The dilly-dallying behaviour of the party in disowning Varun Gandhi, after he allegedly spewed venom in Piliphit cost Mr. Advani his prime ministerial aspirations. Initialy, BJP supported Varun because it could not de-alienate from him on ground that the party itself may ahve master minded the incident but after facing wrath from its own members it tried to distance itself only to be sided in the end. After the UP govt. invoked the NSA upon him, BJ president visited Varun-in Custody which sent the message of the party allying with him in his testing time. Primarily the whole drama was supposed to be working completely in favour of BJP but the truth unearthed on may16, was very different. It questioned the fundamental of the party. the fundamental on which it had thrived since its inception- Hindutva. With voices getting vocal from within the party about the difference between real hindutva and the hindutva the party is propagating, BJP definitely is in a state of loosing its sheen let alone the shining. More and more leaders joining the chorus is leading to the debate, wheather it can take the risk of being percieved as a fundamentalist party or the party of a one dimensional thought. But as far as the post-poll developments are concerned, the party seems to be focussing more on silencing the voices rather than acknowledging the demands.The party needs to be revived with a novel thought and young face to uturn to the Atal age. BJP now needs some hard as well as harsh decisions. Shedding the hindutva face would be one. The hindutva BJP is talking about is alien to the hindutva the people want to acknowledge. The people's hindutva is that which deals with the whole Hindustan and not the one to appease a community and discard the other. They need a hindutva of national culture. Also, the projection of two different people at a time is leading to a confusion. The projection of party chief Rajnath Singh and PM-in waiting Lal Krishna Advani as the power centres is confusing. Also, the intervention of the VHP and RSS at different occasion in the internal matter of the party from a public stage is a non co-operative attitude of the sangh parivar. This is all what it needs to take care and understand to avoid any clash of interest within or outside the party and let the party blossom once again with a national culture. Afterall, a democracy is meaningless in the absence of rival parties of the same strength.

TIME TO DELIVER FOR THE UPA

Politics is always uncertain. The simple philosophy of getting to the bootom of the politics is, expect the unexpected. The credibility of this statement can be seen in the triumphant victory of the congress led UPA in the the recently concluded 2009 election with the support of some new found friends in trinamool congress and kicking the old 'opportunist'. The alienating of the left front has brought cheers to the india inc. but the diminished role of the left front has however synchronized the viability of a prudent thinking on our economic policy. The left front has always provided a healthy debate on financial mater. Now, as the congress has won the mandate hands down, it is important for it to sustain the confidence of the people, till the next round of the democratic exercise. Congress' 'phoenix' performance is widely accredited to the NREGA and probably the high handednss of the hindutva-factor by the BJP. BJP'S negative campaign and ill-focused issues only added to the glory and shining of the party's revival after being duped as anti- incumbent. The dust has now settled down and it's the time to deliver. The grand old party should now indulge itself to some serious work. The foundaton of which can be categorised into 4 sectors. First being the NREGA(National Rural Employment Guarantee Act)- which promises a minimum of 100 days of waged employment to the rural unemployed. The rural sector had put its weight behind the party because of the employment they have been provided. But because of the delayed monsoon and the scanty rainfall, as it is expected, the demans and the number of the daily wagers may soar. Also, the government has promised 25 kg of grains at RS. 2/KG which may become a sour throat for the government. To satisfy these demands will be a marathon task for the office bearers in the Delhi. Second, is the Human Resource development. Providing primary education to the unpreviledged and higher educational opportunities to the underpreviledged will be a challenge. The urban literary ratio to the rural has shown improvemant in the recent past but it needs to be sustained. Also, because of the economic slowdown, retaining and creating employment opportunities is needed, to maintain the youth support- on which the party hugely thrives upon. Third, is the terror menace- both outsourced and homegrown. While the outsourced terror, which is a handiwork of our neighbour should be dealt in a fierce and more decisive manner whereas, the homegrown, local, maoist threat needs to be handled diplomatically. The Indigenous threat is spreading rapidly with the rising unrest among the deprived. Incidentally, India is home to the largest number of local terror outfits spreading from the north-eastern states to deep down the south including the deccan region. A recent study says, of the 34 terror outfits operating in india 27 are home- grown. The government should emulate more flagship programmes like the NREGA, to counter the laal salaam and make sure that the incidents like the Lalgarh is not repeated. A Nation's future is linked to the future of its Gen-X. But what if the Gen-X itself is under threat? Fourth, but not the final, is Healthcare. 'Not the final', because the word final carries a sense of completion with it and a government can never ever take the risk of doing away with its job. The recent economic survey for Delhi alone, shows that the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) has climbed 50% per year between 2005 and 2007, making Delhi the only state in the country outside some hapless regions of central Africa- to have a rising IMR. The pathetic health care system itself needs some medication. Also, the health services should be cheap and affordable to the majority, who are below poverty level. The accessability and awareness campaign by the government is needed to avert any pandemic arising in india.

GET WELL SOON AUSSIE.....

The number of attacks on indian students in Australia is growing by each passing day. According to an estimate, 1 in every 4 indian student in australia is being bashed-up.... however the australian authorities have not done anything so serious that could stop this racial abuse against our fellow countrymen..... The Australians need to understand that bcoz of this on going crisis, they may be branded as a "racist nation". Also, these attacks may land Australia's educational infrastucture into turbulence and jeopardise its tourism industry. Students from india contribute $ 2 billion a year to its educational establishments and Indians are also a major contibutor to their tourism industry. These attacks have exposed australia's claim to be a non- racist nation. The voice againt these attacks are getting vocal day by day... but what the authorities are doing to control this is a matter of concern. They need to have a serious think over the matter. Australia, however may deny, but has a racist past.. After its formation in 1901- when six colonies merged- for the next six decades the WHITE AUSTRALIAN POLICY dominated their politics and it was only in the last quarter of the sixties that it was repealed.... I think the australians need a lesson or two from us. We Indians believe in "Athiti Devo Bhava" i.e. we treat our guests as our god. With punjab university students greeting the foreign students with garlands, and practicing Gandhigiri.... have already sent a great lesson to the racial discriminators.... Hope they learn soon.... otherwise the damage caused will leave a cicatrix that would be very difficult to be healed.... GET WELL SOON AUSSIES...

BLACK MONEY----'$', GREY- MATTER

Congress has won the 15th lok sabha election hands down... and it should have bcoz of the callousness that the BJP showed in handling the real issues... BJP deliberately focussed on the weak PM v/s strong-decisive government, which didnt go well with the electorates they felt it as a personal attack. However, BJP did something good during their election campaign. what? It was the raising of the BLACK MONEY issue. During the election campaigns, all the parties were sincerely handling this issue but as the elections are over none of the parties are paying any heed to our hard earned-money siphoned-off to the exotic locales of foreign countries... by playing down the issue, the grand old party may hamper its future prospects.... "q ki ye public hai sa janti hai ............ andar kya hai bahar kya hai yeh sab pehchanti hai.........." but, IS THE MANMOHAN GOVERNMENT REALLY BOTHERED ABOUT THE 'AAM AADMI' ? I really don't have the answer...... do u have?

First page of a leading daily... as it says.. ????

A day before while i was going through a newspaper ( a leading hindi daily......) I saw a very interesting article on its first page- rght at the bootom generally where the feature articles or the soft stories get their place.. There i found an article saying , Dps has slashed an additional cess of Rs. 100 for hygene and sanitation, (toilet cleaning..) Till now everything was ok. But then i turned the page and ... there came a shocker... another article... " no drinking water available in 3 of DU colleges"... Now i was astonished to see that an article which holds more importance than the DPS one, was on the second page..... i wonder wheather a cess of RS 100 was more important for the readers or the unavailabily of pure drinking water in prominent colleges.... the reasons for my surprise were : 1) the number of people affected would definetely be more in case of the du colleges. 2) RS. 100 surcharge will not affect much to the parents who are willingly, till now, are spending a handsome amt. on their child/ children's future. 3) if in a state's capital, drinking water is not available then where can we expect. 4)the school is relatively in the outer part of the NCR (faridabad), while the DU colleges are situated in the heart of the city. 5) Also, this would have reflect the organisations social obligation in continuosly providing the news in public interests These all reasons and many more came to me as a surprise, abt. the people involved in the newspaper setting... I felt the second story was of a more importance and hence should be on the first page. I also agree that a lot of other stories are there which must be accomodated but due to lack of space they dont find the reckoning ..... However, these two stories were from a comparitively same beat( field) and the second was in more public interest.. isn't it? ?????????????????????

The 15th loksabha belongs to congress

Hmmmmm..,.,. Primarily my best wishesh to congeress. you might be thinking why just congress and not UPA. thats bcoz its a smashaway result in favour of congress. the allies have performed well but the new ones(TMC) and the older ones (SP,RJD,LJP) have performed as expected. It was believed that the RJD $ LJP will be washedout and the results are in sync with that expectations. Do i need say more about the favourites. i hope i dont.... Without any second thought the 15th loksabha belongs to congress. But yes, what needs to be said is that it would be important for the congress and its allies to respect this mandate.. and work towards strengthening the public opinion. nothing more to say today. Just a very best wishes with the hope that congress will, now, be more cautious in choosing their allies. one thing i forget to mention... i hope BJP will sit in the opposition with a more sensibility this time... Mr. Advani... better luck next time ( if u dont retire).... now i would like to say sorry to all of u.. coz i wont be in touch for afew days from now ....coz i"ve to prepare for my papers ( my D-DAY) and i"ll make sure that i dont go the bjp way..

Politicians performs dismal as electorates boycott the elections.

The long awaited span of the democratic exercise is about to end and with it, the fate of many leaders and wannabe’s are going to be sealed in the electronic gadgets (voting machines)- the only thing that prompts us to think that we have developed or grown as a democracy. Earlier we use to hammer out choices with an election commissions seal and now we push a button feeling proud to be called an electronic/ IT giant- ripped apart by the economic slowdown. The voter turnout in this highly humid and unbearably hot weather is far less than expected. It was believed that after the invasion of Mumbai by our neighbours, Mumbai will come out to lodge its protest against the systematic failure of the machinery. But it appears as if they have figure out the other way of protest by boycotting the elections. Leave alone the star studded newspapers and electronic media showing the celebrities, inking their forefinger finger, Mumbai performed much below expectations. With just 44% or a bit less it doesn’t mach up to the never dying spirit of this millennium city. What has happened to those holding candle light vigil during the aftermath of 26/11, is a matter of concern. The 3 passed phases showed lack of enthusiasm among the electorates and the remaining two is not going to offer any surprise as it seems. Is it the lost faith of people in democracy or is it the lost trust in politicians that is hampering the people’s belief? The answer seems to lie in the second part of the question. No matter how low the voting percentages heads none of the political parties nor are the politicians themselves eager to ponder over the issue as far as they have their traditionally copyright, age old agendas to feed the empty stomachs of the electorates. The flag bearers of our democracy must understand that, it’s not the voting that shapes the democracy, it’s the counting. And unfortunately, it’s not even satisfactory. The low voter turn out is not just limited to Mumbai but with the whole country. People don’t want to cast their vote despite many NGOs endeavoring to pull them out to the polling booths. If the data’s are to be believed each and every province performed below their contribution in the 2004 elections. Now this is definitely not the reason why we call ourselves a great democracy. The one who is seating on the heaves of money don’t want to come of their air-conditioned closet to beat the scorching sun-blazing and the poor is apprehensive as they feel cheated after every election at the hand of their representatives. So the biggest question we face today is, what these statesman, who approaches every question with an open mouth have to offer? Are they worth voting or the electorates justified boycotting the elections in their respective capacities? The electorates don’t know who to vote for as they don’t know why they should vote. They have choices but they don’t have the parameters to judge or may be no one fits to their parameters. They might have known the secret that all of the contenders are the same applying different face-packs. The dismal performances of the electorates have put all the speculations on hold. It awaits another genius and another election to get to the bottom of the issue. But what is out in the open is that this election has divided the electorates into two sections of pro and against voting and unfortunately the latter one is in larger number. This will result in close fights not among the candidates but among the electorates. Whoever wins the battle, the truth is that the candidates shared just about 50% of the total electorates and the non participants have out numbered the participants by a huge margin which ultimately is a defeat in itself.

THE SHO(E)T-HING EFFECT

hi folks, u must be aware of the shoe-thing flying all over our politicians. what do u say abt it? is it bad or is it good? let me put in this way, will it help the people become more vocal or will the state of the poor people of this gr8 nation will remain the same as it has long been..... irrespective of the outcome of this new form of protest in vouge, the underlined part is that people have started to lodge their protest, may be sometime in a wrong way or to the wrong person... the new age indian have found a new way to show their anger particularly to the politicians.. lets not regret it rather we should celebrate it....coz for the first time (as far as i can remember...) the politicians have been shown the aaina they deserve, i hope ... the 'sho(e)t-hing' however is going to give some respite to the people striving for the power ( the power of being vocal for their demands) they deserve in this largest democracy...afterall a democracy belongs to the people only, if i m nt wrong..but the philosophy of these politicians show some other story which are in contrast to the already known tale and had put them in a confortzone till now... when i saw these shoe flying throgh the press conferences and missing the culprits(as the people see them).. at some point of time i was wondering abt wats goin on.... but after a while i find it somehow justified... what would u do, if your grivances are not taken seriously and you are taken for granted?..... kisi ne khub kaha hai .... you cant expect decency from whom you never have been decent.. Anyway this would be incorrect on my part to say that whatever these people are doing to lodge their protest can be justified in any circumstances ..... but its more soothing that people chose to lodge their protest however their way of doing may be inappropriate..... this will definetely keep the pressure on the politicians that the people of this country cant be taken as puppets whom they can make dance on their will.. i hope the peoples demand be, now, dealt with more sincerity fearing the outburst.. but in a more meaningful manner.....

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: To Vote is more IMPORTANT than just holding the Candle marchs.!

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: To Vote is more IMPORTANT than just holding the Candle marchs.!

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: THREE MUSKETEERS FORM THE FOURTH FRONT TO NEGOTIATE THEIR HIDDEN DESIRE.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: THREE MUSKETEERS FORM THE FOURTH FRONT TO NEGOTIATE THEIR HIDDEN DESIRE.

To Vote is more IMPORTANT than just holding the Candle marchs.!

The voting percentage in urban areas ( metros) is relatively low than the voting percentage in the rural areas. This some how depicts that the the people who belong to these rural areas are more educated in terms of exercising their universal adult franchisee i.e. their power to elect the people who they feel about and who should run the country. But why the urban class lack the drive to exercise it.......... The reason behind this not so encouraging outcome is that they dont find it worthy or may be the politicos themselves. But when it comes to a roadshow, one can find a flock of people hovering around the INDIA GATE holding candles in their hands and shouting slogans... I am not saying that its not important to show solidarity with someone but its equally or more important to vote with the same enthusiasm. This largest democracy saw its largest voter turnout in 1984. Apart from that the voter turnout remained a mere 50-52%. we should understand that a democracy needs the involvement of their people and without it the democracy holds no importance. If we dont vote then we dont even have the right to say in the government proceedings. However, this time the election is somehow different in many terms ( you can refer to the other articles in this blog to know how is it different?). Earlier the motive of the various awareness campaigns, regarding elections, were limited to just making people understant thet they need to vote but this time it has beeen followed by the slogan to choose the right people and " no criminals in politics". This shows that earlier campiagns to bring people out to the polling booths have been relatively successful,if not completely, but we have to go a long way to be prudly call us a true democracy. Remember : Change is universal and a slow but constant process. So what we need now is patience and optimism. I hope this time the people in the urban sector too realizes their worth and comeout of their air conditioned havens and show some some involvement because its us who decides the fate of the country by hitting the right button.

THREE MUSKETEERS FORM THE FOURTH FRONT TO NEGOTIATE THEIR HIDDEN DESIRE.

Three musketeers form the fourth front to negotiate their hidden desire. What is politics and who are the politician? Without thinking twice and pondering over the matter it can be said that politics is something described as an opportunist game. And the distinct creature on the earth, which has never missed the chance to capitalize it over their rivals when subjected to such an opportunity, is known as a politician. They may take any path, sometimes unprecedented, to achieve this. Generally, they compel others to follow in but at times they try the easy route of deceiving which is in vogue as the elections are around the corner. In the Indian political context this phenomenon is underlined and can be understandable as every second person thrives to put others behind him and doesn’t endeavor to move ahead himself. They make decisive changes at the last moment so that their rivals don’t get time to plan their strategy. But this habit of last minute hiccups sometimes forces their friends to doubt their intentions. Same is the case with Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Ramvilas Paswan. They joined hands to defeat their rivals in the Hindi belt. They have a common rival in Bharatiya Janata Party whereas; they are fighting with their individual rivals in the form of JD (U) in Bihar and BSP in Uttar Pradesh. Paswan has a rival in both of them. His rivalry with JD (U) is because of home turf while he is against BSP because of loosing ground on the dalit cause. The coming together of the three reminds the days of JP movement. It may be the loyalties of those days that may have prompted them to think about this poll pact. However, their aligning into a fourth front is definitely not be mistaken as their affection for each other. Their loyalty towards each other is just because of the fact that their objective is similar if not same. Things that appear as simple may be exactly the opposite because ye politics hai mere yaar…. In this election its almost clear that a single party, may be a single coalition too, is not going to get the majority i.e. there is a very fair chance for smaller parties to struck a deal on their terms and conditions. Also, this is a festive season for the players who had an embedded fantasy of holding the key ministries or even the top job. Both the two major coalitions NDA and UPA will leave no room to get their numbers corrected but if they fail, will succumb to any demand of the regional players to stop the other from holding the office. This election is a power differentiator as none of the parties is confident of their performance and hence the power will be divided into different blocks. The other end of the ropes will be tied with the regional parties and this very fact is known to the three leaders of the so called fourth front, and they want this once in a lifetime opportunity to yield maximum in their favor. It’s quite clear that Paswan and Lalu Yadav had decided their coming together and leaving congress out of the alignment, long back but accepted it only recently to avoid any misunderstanding with their other partners. These three leaders are smart, outspoken, and don’t hesitate to let their feeling known to their partners. They are well aware that the UPA needs their backing to form the government. This is a give and take world politics and no social service. It’s an industry which needs tremendous expertise which they probably have in them because of their long stint as politicians spread over decades. Once you make a mistake and you have to suffer for the rest of your stint as a politician. Hence, if they support congress there has to be something substantial in return to satisfy their demands. It would be interesting to watch what they offer to UPA after the results are out. However, they have already maintained that Manmohan Singh will be their Prime Minister candidate and their loyalty will always remain with the UPA but have maintained a pin drop silence about the other key ministries like Home, Defense and Railways. No need to say that Lalu Yadav has a hidden desire for ministry of home affairs which he had almost bagged the last time and Paswan lost the railways to Lalu. Also this time individually they are all weak in their respective regions as compared to earlier which may hinder their prospects this time. So they have decided to go as a team for the 134 seats of U.P., Bihar, and Jharkhand and their primary objective is the corner the maximum of it so as to project themselves in a better position for the post poll negotiation.

BJP ONCE AGAIN DANCES TO THE HINDUTVA TUNE..

The soon to be 2009 elections were widely perceived as an election set to be fought on a different note and tune. The issues this time were completely different from the earlier caste based politics. But as it seems the Indian politicians have learnt no lessons from their counterparts in the U.S., the oldest democracy, which came over an age by electing Barack Obama for the top job and belied the myth that a black cant be named and hold the White house whereas the Indians might have just learnt the opposite. The election which could have been fought on the prospects of development, countering the terror threat, limiting the adverse affect of the economic recession, has taken a drastic unwanted turn in pilibhit, the constituency from where Varun the ‘other Gandhi’ and BJP candidate has been nominated. Varun spilt venom while addressing a rally, allegedly against a community and not against a party which was beyond expectation. His alleged remarks has put the election scenario in the country to resemble the situation prevailed during the first quarter of the 90s, that too at a time when e very country is endeavoring hard to maintain their pace with other nation in every respect. However, BJP and Varun Gandhi denied the allegations but the prolonged silence maintained by the party top brass prompts the party’s intentions to doubt and now it is silently trying to capitalize the situation in Uttar Pradesh and in other parts of India. It seems as if Varun Gandhi is being projected as the Narendra Modi of Uttar Pradesh- a state which is yet to heal the cicatrix of the Babri masjid demolition. This incident can’t be ignored as just an act of imbecile’s work but an age old agenda that BJP strives on, since its inception as an incessant party. The BJP has always tried to garner popularity and corner votes while dancing on the hindutva tune. Not long before, the subordinates of this party rugged Kandhamal in Orissa which forced the 12 year old ally BJD to part ways. Also, after it came to power in Karnataka the fundamentalists hold the state for a ransom and ran a parallel government or better we say a fundamentalist government in the name of Sri Ram Sene under the nose of B.S. Yeddurappa. Whatsoever be the motive behind this, BJP has got what it desperately needed from this controversy. It has reminded the voters about the party’s agenda and filled the party workers with enthusiasm and the drive to work with more energy who till now were not doing much but hibernating. Now, BJP rallies will see a much larger audience who echoes the same thoughts as the party does. This incident has given them the much needed push which will last till the polls are over. But for how long we are going to pay the price of being a united, secular nation that too because of a handful of people who believe in a different way. For how long will we become the victim of these politics? The stakes in this election are very high. On one hand we have leaders who are being projected as P.M. probably for the last time and on the other a league of aspirants who are not sure of bagging enough seats but are sure of their capability of bargain a deal. They are leaving no stone unturned to make the most of the opportunity. Also, a few who are not just trying to prove their worth in this election but are viewing it as an opportunity to make the ground for a smooth ride in the next which is not much far as the government this time is expected to be highly unstable. Now the time has passed to bemoan our helplessness and its time to prove our (read as voters) mettle, so that our silence may not be perceived as our weakness that can be put to test every now and then. Also, it’s time to throw them out to taste the water and make them realize that we are no more puppets whose strings are in the hands of these politicians. So it’s time for a smart usage of our universal adult franchise so that the future beacon us as united and not divided.

FRIENDSHIP SUCCUMBS AS POLITICS TAKES THE CENTRESTAGE

ARISTOTLE ONCE said, “Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies”. But when it comes to politics everything takes a U-turn. At least this is what the Indian politicians are all about. There is no room for friendship in politics, as a matter of fact, party leaders or parties which appear as friends today may turn foes in no time. It’s all about the numbers and calculations to secure the future prospects. The latest surprise which the, yet to be, 15th Lok Sabha elections have offered is just the same. The king of ‘make or break’ politics, Lalu Prasad Yadav has done it again. The ruthless hand dealt by Lalu, by announcing a poll-pact with Ramvilas Paswan’s Lok Jana Shakti Party and giving a jolt to the Congress’ expectations of having a larger share in Bihar. The self proclaimed, “friend” of the grand old party has stunned them by offering just 3 seats to fight --- which a less than the previous share and too at a time when the Congress party was considering a greater chances defending its chances. In retaliation Congress has also moved ahead with a pact with Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) without prior notification to Lalu. But this is not all; there are other instances which depict that friendship and loyalty of a party has succumbed to the political pressure and bargain to gain a larger share in the elections and champion their cause of vote share. Recently, Naveen Patnaik of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has done the same by calling-off a 12-year-old alliance with the NDA in Orissa. He has decided to go it alone in the coming elections. The reason behind this face-off is the widely perceived as doubts about the NDA’s prospects in the next general elections. Also, Naveen Patnaik wants to widen his options for post-poll alliance. With the D-day heading nearer, all the political parties have folded up their sleeves to take on others as well as any opportunity coming their way to place themselves on-board. These two are not alone in their quest for a new shelter and make the most of now. They have found a partner in the NCP chief, Sharad Pawar, who is eyeing the prime minister’s seat if the two major alliances fail to secure a considerable number of seats. His hope lies in the dilly-dallying Third Front. The Maratha strongman has already announced that it is Maharashtra’s turn to serve the country and leading the top job. He is one man who has friends in every nook and corner of the political spectrum and he knows how to use them in the best possible manner and at the right time. He has hinted at a possible break-up with the UPA by visiting the Sena chief and withdrawing a case filed against him by his partymen. Apart from these, the Samajawadi Party -- famous for their pendulum like character of switching sides, is another case of friend who can turn foes anytime.With Amar Singh supporting the Maratha for the top job it is quite predictable that the Congress is skeptical about any pre-poll and post-poll alliance with it. However, the Indian polity heaved a sigh of relief as Mayawati refused to join any front. Her declaration to face the elections alone has placed some belief in the principals of politics. She has become the savior of people’s belief in the downtrodden leading the political scenario in India.All these uncalled events have left the parent party in a state of tizzy and dilemma. Now every single party is suspicious of the other members. The result is that none of the parties is willing to disclose their strategy till the last minute, making the situation more difficult and unfriendly for the candidates. This is just the beginning. With less than a month left to go for the biggest democratic exercise on Mother Earth, a lot more drama is about to take place, withering the people’s faith and belief in a democratic set-up.

The era of coalition politics....

Tupsy-turvy era of coalition politics. The era of coalition in Indian politics is now a decade old, but we are yet to see any fruitful benefits out of it. The main reason behind the formation of two blocks in Indian political system has always been a compulsion to prohibit the other from joining the power centre. Both the blocks, namely the NDA and the UPA,which was inspired by the formation and structure of the NDA i.e. one major national party at the helm and several regional parties participating, started allying with regional parties not by choice or because of their similar ideologies but because of the post poll compulsion of 1998 general election. Thus, the basis of coalition has never been the national interest but the self interest the political parties to defeat the other and secure the north block. The dawn of the coalition era dates back to 1998 when after repeated attempts the BJP, led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, failed to offer a stable government. It was then that the political honchos in BJP’s central committee arrived to a conclusion of allying with the regional players to get closer to the magical number required to form the government at the centre. The announcement of the National Democratic Alliance in May 1998 signalled the first step in the building of the coalition, which formed the Government in 1998, but collapsed within a year due to the AIADMK pulling out. But it moved ahead to win the next elections held in 1999, with a greater majority and new alliances. The formation of the NDA-government led to an internal debate in the congressional brass. It was widely felt that on the lines of NDA the congress and the non-allied parties should form another block to counter it, as it was almost impossible to form a government single handedly. After the elections it was quite clear that the ruling NDA is far behind the required number and this opportunity led to the formation of UPA (united progressive alliance) soon after the 2004 general elections. The UPA's policies were initially guided by a common minimum programme that the alliance hammered out with fruitful consultations with Jyoti Basu and Harkishan Singh Surjeet of the 59 member Left front. Hence, government policies were generally perceived as center-left, reflecting the centrist policies of the INC and the Left. Despite having a common minimum programme allied parties always targeted the congress party for some or the other reason. But just after the UPA sealed the Indo-US nuke deal, the left parties withdrew their support and kicked the government on the verge of collapse. However, at that time the Samajwadi Party saved the government during the no-confidence motion moved by the opposition against the UPA resulting in a completetion of the full term of the UPA government. At one point of time both these parties, INC and Samajwadi Party were foes and now they are friends which show the ideological differences among the two parties. However, in a political setup like the one we have its very difficult predict which party will corner itself with which party. In the recent time, after the dates for the 15th Lok Sabha elections were announced, all the major parties started to set up a front to project themselves as the leading contender for the top job, irrespective of their earlier rivalries. This election is quite different from the earlier ones. This time it’s a 3-way fight and not the traditional 2-way. The formation of the third front has led to the sleepless nights for both the major parties. Also, the unclear picture about the voter’s favorite party has increased the risk. Despite the shortcomings of the coalition governments, there is something good which we have sidelined. The more and more participation of the regional parties have put the regional issues on the central table, which otherwise would have been not treated sincerely. In his election, the effort of the parent party is to focus on the regional issues through the regional allies to maximize their gain. So, it would be wrong to say that the coalition era has been an all wrong political era but it has been a mixed bag with some compromises and some challenges. The Third front joining the fray has made the fight more interesting and forces the other parties to have a reality check on their previous work.

so a new day with a new flavour ... i m talking about the HOLY-DAY(NOT HOLIDAY). YES ITS SYNONYMOUS WITH HOLIAY AND SHOULD BE .. BECAUSE THE HOLY DAY IS NO LESS THAN A HOLIDAYY.. OK OK .. NO MORE CONFUSIONS . JUST HOLYDAY. we celebrate this day with alot o energy and mauj-masti... no boundations and no red tape. rght... i m always rght .. hehhehe holi is a festive of colours, different in their appeareance and characters but they come together ultimately to please us by loosing their original features and wearing a new face to give us joy and time to njoy the day... THIS FESTIVE GIVES US TIME TO LEARN AND PEEP INTO OUR LIFE IN A PARTICULAR WAY.. HOW.? we indians are like a happy family constituted by different people having their respective characters same as the colours have ... but at times we fght and quarrel among ourselves... and not to forget the, "English Gift of Division". We live together and share common objectives. we have a common history. then why cant we mix like the colours do........ we can but we lack the self-motivation , same as the colours dont get mix themselves but need an external help ( ours) to do so.....

journalism an illusion for many.......

hi every1 !!!! today i m not going to say anything abt issues today i"ll confine myself to the things related to me only...... seems boring but U have to bear me.... i m not going long back but just around 2 and a half years back.. so dont worry itwill get over soon.. i had paseed my senior secondary and i was just weighing my options to get a good course so that i can excel as well as enjoy reading..but i couidnt get to a conclusion then on the insistence of a few freinds i came to delhi and took admission in b. com through open learning as it gave me time to try some other things as well N as soon as i decide i"ll do the same simultaneously .. but i couldnt... then though afreind of mine i knew abt mass comm and journalis i decided to enroll... for 6-8 months things went smoothely ...and i find mine writing skills to be satisfactory if not good so i decided to move ahead.. i thought i m good and i"ll get a job.. without knowing that for job in media industry u dont need to good but ur contacts should be.... i was abit astonished to see that how a few coaching institutes and colleges are making money out of a childs future which is yet undecided.... i was fortunate that i got internship in a reputed organisation and i talked afew people there who encouraged me... i m thankful to them for their support ... now wat would i do now ..... i m happy now but will my happimess will last longer or ......... anyway i m confident that i"ll find something for me, sooner or later... as its too early for me but wat abt others ........ lets hope for the best ................ someday we will just need merits ant no cantacts ............ so coming to this field was an illusion for me and now when the shades are not more the picture is more khatarnakkkkkkk (extra k for good luck" Thanks for reading ..................

....OF SLUM DOGS AND MILLIONAIRES

Much has been already said and discussed about the west financed and India-born movie slumdogs millionaire. There is not much to talk about except the fact that, none of us really care about them. There are always two sides of any event- the one we agree with and the other we don’t want to. But that doesn’t mean that the other side is false. It’s the self that compel us to believe something, the way we want it. Same is the case with the controversy surrounding this movie. The slums of India can’t be denied and so are the dogs. In this time of recession and downturn, all of us are in search of some feel-good factor which Rahman, Resul, and Gulzaar Saab has provided. The have provided us with some time to forget the economic slowdown and be proud to be called an Indian. If we can celebrate their success and new found glory, which they deserve, its beyond understanding that why cant we celebrate the films success. Bringing home Oscar and taking India to world platform may be the feel-good side but the other side which has been debated since the movie started bagging awards after awards is definitely not the flip-flop side which we don’t want to agree with. Debating a topic is a good but treating it single handedly and making a foul of self is not a healthy practice at all. However, many intellectuals raised eyebrows over portraying India in slums and jhuggis. The movie is said to be a west outsourced slap to the Indians. They have continuously accused the movie of hampering the brand- India image and making a mockery of the upper class Indians. But do they form the real India. India resides in its culture, traditions and nowadays on the outskirts of metro cities in slums. About 25% of the 30 crore people living in cities, live in slums and if that was not enough a recent survey has placed India at the top of the most food starved nation in the world. These data somehow comply with portrayal of the story, if not completely. But by just making foolish statements about the film shows the intolerance of these people in digesting their incapability to make a film for an international audience. Except some filmmakers and script writers, it seems as if the Indian film industry is on a strike for the past 20-25 years. Thanks to the strikers, for not thinking of a script like this one otherwise the Indian Slumdog would have been a complete mess. There is a saying, “if you cannot heal a wound, don’t even rub it”. These people should understand that if they cannot help them and pull them out of their slums then don’t even make a mockery of them by repeatedly realizing them about their birthplace. No one wants to see pimple on their face and if theirs one they try to hide it from others by applying make-up and other vanities so that they appear as beautiful as ever. Same is the story with this movie. Indian film stars are on Hollywood trip and don’t want these slums portrayal to hit their imported connections. What would have happened if it would have been a Madhur Bhandarkar Film? Primarily, it would have never been selected for India’s official entry to the Oscars and secondary there would have been no hue and cry of this kind. Everyone would have been satisfied with this movie as bhandarkar’s flicks are a reality check and no fictions. We are a distinct creature; we love to se the reality on a 70 mm silver screen backed by digital surround sound but are reluctant to accept it in out of the air-conditioned multiplexes. Why blame the west to portray a poverty stricken India if we want to see it. This time around, our government has behaved more maturely by just congratulating the Oscar winners and not uttering a single word against the film. They realize the truth that the slum exists and in a more pathetic state than the film has shown. However, they are yet to take any step to sweep it off. They have announced a poll-stimulus package of 30,000 crore to the tax payers and not a penny for the slum dwellers. Kalavati’s (Vidarbha) life completely changed after Rahul Gandhi mentioned her name in parliament, but what about the hundreds of Kalavati residing in these slums. Our government is yet to see what the west has repeatedly joked about. After all who wants to ponder his head in these slums if just speeches and lectures do the work? This movie should be a learning experience for those who have always basked in their palatial bungalow and king sized life and criticized the film. For many years, in our films, we have showed the western culture a taboo and against our ethics and values. Now it’s pay back time. The only way out to reply to them in a more meaningful manner is to lift the slum dwellers out of their closet and let them lift their pathetic living standard so that no other Slumdog Millionaire is made and we gat a controversy free Oscar.

INCREDIBE INDIA

Today i was sitting in my gallery as i use to sit tere everyday an today was no differerent........ was it so really ........ oh yes ! it was a bit ... as i was sitting there i came to see a banner hanging from both the corners an greeting everyone entering the gully..... "vishal hindu sammelan", this was the sentence which acquired my attention.... in the past i have seen many a banner and hoardings like this bbut never had a thought or better say i never stopped to have a relook at it.. then why today?.. this was the question i was asking to myself.. may be because i now alike others have started thinking or just wanna project myself as an intellectual.. watever may be the reason...... there was something i found really untolerable.... this country despite making its presence in the 21st century world is still struck to its hypocracy if nothing else.. i wonder why just a "vishal hindu sammelan" y not a " maha bhartiya sammelan"... why do we need a communal base/support... i would have been pleased had the sammelan of these kind ever had benefitted any of us..... these are just power game and nothing else... why are we making ourselves a victim of communalism.. these thoughts ran through my mind while i kept looking at the banner with a sadhujee asking to be present at the do in large numbers to make rthe sammelan a success.. i have no doubt that the sammelan would be a success but who is going to win .... the answer is an emphatic, NONE OF US......

state elections set the tone for the general elections

THE MUCH-awaited and anticipated result of the so-called semi-final of the political battle between the two largest national parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress is out. This fight was the penultimate clash between the parties before reaching out to the masses in the next general elections scheduled for early next year. Both the parties left no stone unturned to market themselves and become the popular choice ahead of the major battle. The semi-final has been a mixed bag for both the parties. For some candidates it has been a Christmas gift, where the voters played Santa while for others, it has been an opportunity to take a re-look at their strategies, before going for a political Holi. With a tie in the semis, in the four Hindi-speaking states and with the score level at two each, the Congress has an edge having bagged Mizoram where it won 32 seats out of 40. In the 2003 elections Congress managed only 12. This will really boost the morale of the Congress top brass. The BJP should be happy too because it has overcome the anti-incumbency factor in Madhya- Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP won 143 out of 230 seats, 30 below the 2003 mark. This should be a wake-up call for the BJP as the major gainer here is the Congress with 70 seats - a rise of 32 seats from the 2003 elections. In Chhattisgarh, the BJP managed 50 seats out of 90, the same as in 2003. This shows that the very popular Raman-effect has been a success with the masses. Also, the Rs 3 per Kg of rice under the public distribution scheme (PDS) has been widely appreciated. Before the elections, Dr Raman Singh was accused of being the chief minister of just 665 regions of Chhattisgarh, the rest being Naxal-affected. Also, corruption was a key issue during his tenure, which he promised to look into after his win. On the other hand, Congress was not considered the hot favourite because of the rocketing inflation and back-to-back terror attacks. But their win in Rajasthan and Delhi has been a morale booster and given them some time to plan for the next D-Day. In Rajasthan, the Congress won 96 out of the 200 seats - five short of the majority required to form the government. For the five seats needed, they are optimistic of enrolling the support of independents (14). Here, the fall of Vasundhra Raje and the phoenix-like rise of Congress is popularly credited to caste-based politics and the BJP’s failure to handle the Gujjar-Meena outburst. The BJP has registered a sharp downfall from the 2003 elections. In 2003, the BJP won 120 while in 2008 it managed only 78- a huge difference of 42 seats. However, Delhi was in the spotlight. Both the parties used all the weapons at their disposal to capture Delhi. BJP campaigned with their star campaigner Narendra Modi and the PM-in-waiting, LK Advani while the Congress moved ahead with its youth-led campaign, with Rahul Gandhi leading from the front and showcasing the Congress-led development projects. With the not-so-popular VK Malhotra as their candidate for the top job in Delhi, BJP won a mere 23 out of the 69 seats. Congress bagged 42 and the BSP, 2. It was assumed that the Maya factor could thwart Dixit’s next term but the results ruled out any such possibility. However, BSP has reasons to cheer up. The party bagged 14 per cent of the votes polled, according to estimates. As of now, the political dust has settled but it will be interesting to see how the voters react in the general election. In the state elections, regional factors matter most. But in the Lok Sabha elections, national issues take the centre stage. With both the parties ending on a satisfactory note the preparations for the next battle will definitely involve a lot of brain-storming for all the parties including the BSP, which is widely viewed as the kingmaker. As Winston Churchill said, “Politics is too serious a business to be left to the Generals.” Hence, the political bigwigs need to come out with concrete plans for the next round of clash in the finals before settling down after the recent semis.

THE POLITICS OF TERROR

THE POLITICS OF TERROR As, Terrorism is a continuation of war by other means and war is the continuation of politics by other means, the terror led war by our neighbor is the result of our fledgling political will power. It’s high time we said, “India is a victim of war in form of terrorism”. Now, its time to realize the truth and face it in a true spirit. Yes, we are a victim of a terror led war, but not the way we perceive it. Terrorism is something which we use to cover the reality. The reality which we are yet to come to terms with. The fact lies beneath this all artificial hue and cry. The denied truth is, we are a victim of a dirty politics and a corrupt system. It’s said that, ‘politics is a dirty game’. Now we realize why it is so. Despite the continued terror attacks we have faced and the innumerable casualty this country has witnessed, probably the most in the world, we are unable to trace the breeding ground and book the culprit. Our ‘me/mine first’ politics is to blame for all these terror strikes and related problems we face today. Since, after the independence, more or less none of the political parties, who came to power, showed willingness to eradicate this problem for once and all. They just tried to cash in on this issue by luring the voters, both sentimentally and emotionally. After the independence, for a continuous 30 years the grand old party of India, congress, lead the north block with lack of efficiency, clear mindset and the absence the willingness, which led to the nourishment of this yet to be healed wound. Congress always talked of solving the Kashmir issue through the so-called ‘bilateral talks’ but in their leadership, India always remain a mere spectator and a victim of extremism in the name of jihad. It’s an untold but well understood truth that the ‘secularism’ of this party cost India its peace and fraternity. While after 1977, when the Janata party came into power, it was a popular feeling that they will show some maturity in solving this core issue which prompts our neighbor to destabilize us through various means. But the Janata Party too played a no-different role. With its HINDUTVA agenda and Ram Mandir, it garnered many supporters but compromised India’s integrity and furthered the British cause of divide and rule. They glued to their new found glory and publicity but forgot to defend the external intrusion. And their hard work of divisive politics rubbed salt to the already wounded Indian soil by further fragmenting us into two sections of Hindus and Muslims. The Bharatiya Janata party (after its divide) left no stone unturned in fuelling hatred amongst us in the name of spreading the National culture. As, terrorism is the continuation of war by other means, war is the continuation of politics by other means. Our ill-feted politics is the sole cause to blame for all these. After a few endeavor even a spider learn how to web but our politicians are yet to learn any lesion from it and so are their policies. Our policies have always been defensive and not offensive, which is sometimes good. But it’s just not acceptable to defend after the damage is done. Prevention is better than cure but defending after an attack is meaningless. Our policy should be to safeguard us from any external aggression beforehand and if someone crosses the line he must be replied in the same language. Enough paper work and diplomatic dialogues have been said and done. Now its time to say, if you want it so have it. Its time to say Indians first in place of me/mine first. Apart from the willingness of our politicians, the reason behind the amateur defense mechanism and lack of counter terror doctrine, are the outdated politicos. They might be outdated because of their thinking capacity and will power but definitely not because of their age, at least because as they seem reluctant to give away the throne to the younger generation. They are good at making speeches and show statistics but when it comes to action, they are helpless. They might be no more willing to defend us but always willing to stick to the chair and make larger than life promises same as a bollywood actor does. And thus their greed for the chair has made them the most distinct creature on the earth, which is not going to extinct in the near future.