The public discourse during & after the deluge in Chennai

Being a Chennaiite, the deluge on December 1 & 2, 2015 is going to stay with me for a while. Enough has been written about the life during and after the deluge but I still feel an urge to pen my thoughts on the disaster and the public debate, later.

Just like the rest of Chennai, we went without power for a few days, managed with inverter /DG set for a day or two and when even that got drained, moved into a hotel! It was unthinkable for me - to stay in a hotel in my own city. Soon, I realized I was one of the more fortunate ones, to be able to get a room when I wanted and also experienced zero loss to personal property. Communication remained erratic for a week and more, which added to the general woes. We suddenly found ourselves living like it was a few decades ago - pretty unconnected digitally, our gadgets seemed to be thoroughly useless toys, and we had real, face to face long conversations with people. We met and spoke to our neighbours often, shared resources, food. This was community living as we knew it! People everywhere seemed so warm, and helpful. 

Usually, during such disasters, when the power goes out, most countries have places like the public library where citizens stay, charge their phones and communicate. But here, the local grocer allowed his customers to charge their phones, I found many charging their phones in the local restaurants and so on. Made me realise the resilience that we all have, very heartening and beautiful to see, all around. So much volunteering happened by each and every Chennaiite that warmed every heart, and this would have pretty much been the story in any part of the country.   

After two weeks, people started getting back to their routine and we had plenty of views on 

rebuilding and rehabilitating Chennai. Political mongering and blame game soon took over and the brief romance Chennai had with people communicating from their heart changed, and things were back to 'business as usual'. We had debates on whether Christmas, Marghazhi fest ought to be celebrated. Many Churches announced cancellations of their celebrations, few artists announced that they wont perform during the December season, some said the proceeds of their show would go towards relief and rehabilitation. The discourse veered around, "can Chennai celebrate when there has been such widespread devastation?"

My personal view is that 'the show must go on'. Most often, it is these festivities that serve to soothe our soul, to use a cliche. These help us overcome our loss and helps uplift the mind. I therefore find it strange when the public discourse draws simple equations and conclusions. Just like the movies run in theatres, people bought their alcohol and cigarettes, festivities need to go on. I often see people succumb to such arguments, very easily. For example, I remember when the treasures at Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple was being discussed and debated, there were groups of people saying that the valuables can be sold and money used to build roads! I so disagree with such shallow arguments; the state of roads in the country are not due to lack of money / resources, surely! Similarly, rehabilitation and rebuilding of Chennai is happening and need not be at the cost of Christmas celebrations or Margazhi Festival or any other Festival. 

In a country that is so diverse in every sense of the word, with multitude of problems, there are many things that need to be done simultaneously. Just like the Mars Mission is as important as getting Indians out of hunger and starvation.

We Indians!

These past few years has exposed the Indian mindset like never before! There is obviously something in us that makes us do what we do! I say this in the background of numerous scams in politics, sports, and industry that seem to make the headlines everyday L And those of us who are not indulging in these, just don’t seem to care, such apathy. Corruption seems very natural in today’s world

This mindset probably comes from complete lack of values. This disease has spread so far and deep into the system today and affects all economic strata of society. It’s not just the deprived and underprivileged who indulge in these activities, there are super rich and moderately rich who seem to be as big a sucker as the poor.

What the reasons could be, I wonder!

While corruption and gambling may have always been there in our society, the systemic rot that has happened in recent times is something we probably cannot ignore. Not anymore! While a Anna Hazare or Arvind Kejriwal kind of Utopian solutions are highly impractical, there needs to be some kind of transformation of Indian mindset. We need to get back to learning from our leaders and heroes of past. A strong dose of our ancient wisdom is the order of the day. Gandhiji put it so well when he said, “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed." Very clearly, our problem is that of greed! Perhaps, this is because of lack of faith in some way. At the risk of appearing to over simplify the cause, and being as utopian as some, in my view, if we can kindle this faith for the Supreme, we may be able reverse the decadence we say in society, today.

Being an eternal optimist I think the time has come for people, other than politicians, perhaps spiritual leaders, to bring about this transformational change in society. As Sri Sri Ravi Shankar often says “Faith is realizing that you always get what you need.” I would like to see this change happening very soonJ

Brains vs Grains!

Was fortunate to listen to an intellectual, Prof C. Rangarajan, recently. I was fascinated at the insights and humorous manner in which he dealt such a dry subject as “Indian Economy – the way forward”, till he started to speak on Agriculture! I was amazed how little the so-called experts know about the challenges in Agriculture and the complete lack of understanding the dynamics of Food Security in a populous country such as ours, which also happens to be an agrarian economy.

While he could rattle off figures and rates of growth in different sectors and also talk on how we can improve our present state of affairs, his total corporate style approach blended with a theoretical /academic knowledge of agriculture left me appalled. The rest of the audience, largely Corporate, being an IIM-A alumni meet, seemed to lap up every word he said and gave him a standing ovation too! He categorically mentioned that growth and development at any cost are important, and if that meant building a road in the middle of the forest, we must do it! I was shocked and totally dismayed. Every economist worth his money ought to know that growth needs to be inclusive and sustainable. Here was a policy maker talking like we can print a forest, just as we print currency notes! God help our country! Does he even understand that forests give us our oxygen and rain without which there is no purpose in having any growth! While I am no green activist, far from that category actually, I do think a balance and a sustainable growth is of paramount importance, and is being considered by every other country.

What finally irked me was the utter contempt with which he dealt with the subject. He said things like the actual number of farmers coming down was fine and that we can import foodgrains. He said we can move to increasing  the growth in the manufacturing and services sectors and forget about growing food. Being in this field and working with the likes of Prof. M. S. Swaminathan, I am sure there is no country with enough land to produce food for us! So, even if we do achieve 10% growth rate and all is well with Corporate India, fact remains that food cannot be imported to feed the entire population.

I seriously wish these decision / policy makers take some lessons from Professor Swaminathan. While, we need to improve the productivity, infrastructure, logistics and modernise agriculture, it is important for these intellectuals to realise that money cannot buy us food, anymore. As professor succinctly puts it, “Future belongs to countries with grains, not guns”. In other words, the wealth of a country needs to be measured by the food it produces. 

I came away home thinking how limiting our intellectual capabilities can be! I also realised how fortunate I was to have the opportunity to understand Agriculture from none other than Prof Swaminathan.

Lesson learnt: Its absolutely of no use to be an intellectual or be professorial in thinking, if its at the cost of common sense!

What ails Team Anna in 2012??

Anna Hazare and his team have started their agitation again! I am surprised by the lack lustre response by the media, this time. India’s channel, as claimed by Arnab G has decided to skip their 24/7 live reporting of the fast and even the print media are not interested.  Funny, how the headlines read this time, one paper even calls it as Anna Hazare’s circus in Jantar Mantar!! This same paper went gaga over his earlier fasts and agitations.

So, what’s the reason for the low turnout to Team Anna this time round??

Here is my take:

Anna Hazare is a very nice and well intentioned man but the movement per se lacks the collective focus and intelligence to carry it through to the logical conclusion of an effective Lokpal. Besides, his team members seem to be having divergent agenda and methodology, right from campaigning for state elections, taking an anti- congress stance, transparency within the Team Anna committee meetings and focus. Besides, formulation of Lokpal bill needs some wisdom, maturity and balance, mere sloganeering and social networking skills aren’t obviously enough.

The media did their bit in whipping up passions and emotions ran high with 24/7 reporting on TV in 2011. This helped them grab TRPs and the media barons were happy with Anna and his team. But Team Anna, instead of consolidating the gains and the ‘free’ support from media and youth, frittered away their chances. Many of the members became as brash and annoying as the congress leaders they were fighting! Thus began the beginning of the end. Today, media is quite apathetic to Team Anna as there is probably something better for them, to grab TRPs. They have realised that Indians like armchair activism and the likes of Satyameva Jayate programmes generate more revenue for the media houses and are easier to support (I mean politically correctJ).

The second theory of mine is that Anna Hazare movement was a media creation, in the first place. Media decided to back him and his team, and got the urban youth to rally around them and when the media didn’t back them this time, the same urban youth have gone missingJ

The great Indian Olympian Dream

The recent controversy surrounding Leander and Mahesh is a classic case of tardy and shoddy behaviour of officials heading the various sporting bodies. All of them have one unique common thing, irrespective of the sport they represent - all of them don't give a damn for the sportsmen and/or their careers. The officials’ only concern seems to be to continue being office bearers of various sporting associations. Little do they realise that without the sportsmen, they have no job!

Given that the Olympic medal, the ultimate dream for every sportsman, requires some training and preparedness, however accomplished he/she maybe, it is therefore natural for teams or individuals to be formed at least six months in advance, if not earlier. It is therefore shocking that AITA chose to announce the team of their choice, not player's choice, with just a month left for the Games to begin.

I am certainly not privy to the internal squabbles between Mahesh and Leander and/ or the officials at AITA, but anyone with common sense will know that for a team to succeed there needs to be a good understanding and camaraderie between them. Granted that Leander and Mahesh were a great team in the past, but it’s obviously not the case now. From reports in the media, it is clear that Mahesh and Bopanna have communicated to AITA on their plans to team up for the Olympics as early as last year and they were encouraged by the AITA to play together. Therefore, it is extremely baffling to suddenly pull out teams from the hat and shock the players and public. What makes it extremely pathetic is to split the successful mixed doubles team of Mahesh and Sania who recently won a Grand Slam, only to pacify and mollify Leander’s egoJ If I were Leander Paes, I would have retired gracefully than wait for the wild card decision of Sania Mirza!!

What is extremely painful is that such games by officials are being played ever so often and in almost every sport. Often we lament on the reasons for not scoring medals in spite of being a one billion plus nation. The reasons for the poor show are certainly not the sportsmen but the brainless officials controlling the hapless sportsmen! 

NGOs and TRPs

I suddenly had this terrible thought of the possibility of activist NGOs being measured by an equivalent of TRPs that are currently being used for TV channels and programmes. This thought was triggered by the headline hogging news from the Delhi based NGO about the harm caused by fast foods and other brands, today.

If we are discussing paid news and biased media houses today, imagine how the scenario will be like with NGOs joining in too?? Being 1/04/12 tomorrow, lets consider a few likely scenarios to start with! 

These are some of the headlines at this hour / today, says Arnab Goswami with utmost seriousness and outrage, all at the same time!!

CSE and ABC, two environment based NGOs have come out with startling findings of the commonly consumed  milk, from state run dairies. Findings from CSE mention alarming levels of fertilizer derived nitrates, phosphates in milk. Staff at ABC also confirm similar findings but the levels of these salts vary between them. The spokespersons from both these NGOs claimed that they used very exacting standards and followed standard and established protocols. The biggest violators were Mother Dairy, New Delhi, Nandhinee, Bangalore, Aavin, Chennai. Consumers are confused and are left wondering if they must remove dairy products from their menu. NGOs that root for organic farming are seen preening themselves on TV, till Arnab dada dropped his bomb. The maximum levels of these pollutants are from buffaloes that grazed on organic farms, said he with a straight face!! This stumped every guest on his show - from the consumer to the different NGOs and certain omnipresent experts on his show like Suhel Seth, Lord Meghnad Desai, Vinod Mehta, etc., except of course, himself!

Another day....

Team India has offlate, decided to target proponents of organic farming. Arvind K has videos of Ms. Vandana Shiva shopping in Wal-Mart for apples from USA and grapes from Australia. Vandana Shiva, on her part, vehemently denies consuming these tasty fruits but bought them to entertain her guests at her home! Her foes were quick to point out her double standards. Realizing that attack is the best form of defense, Vandana Shiva launched a tirade against Team Anna and Arving K, in particular. She said that Arvind K was a plant set up by Monsanto to malign her and her movement and further blasted him for getting funded by them for his anti-corruption movement!

Kahaani, an outstanding film

Doing a movie review after a real long time. Saw the movie, Kahaani, 12 hours ago and I am still mulling over it and piecing some of the scenes together! A real thriller of a movie. I never thought Indian cinema was interested in any other genre other than the tried and tested commerical formula of action, romance and usual masala (read it as 'crap')

Kahaani is simply amazing in that it manages to keep the movie gripping, all of the 2 hours. And Vidya Balan has come up with a fantastic performance and kudos to her, for she has carried the entire film on her shoulders. Can't think of any of the current actresses who could have done this role. Speaking of the rest of heroines of today, I realised that they are all very similar in the way they dress, look, talk and act and very little differentiators between them. However, Vidya Balan is different in the way she looks, dresses and the roles she chooses to play in her films. Also, I like the way, she carries herself with a certain dignity, in her interviews and promo events. The same can't be said of the rest, the Kareenas, Kaifs, Kapoors, Padukones of the world!

There is a certain depth in Vidya Balan which sets her apart. The only other heroine who has this is Kajol. And Aamir Khan is the only other actor who protrays depth in his roles.

Infact, there was very little pre movie publicity for Kahaani, unlike there is for Agent Vinod, Ek tha Tiger or Dabbang 2! And these movies are still getting ready for release or have just started shooting!!

Nett nett, this is one movie that every cinema buff will enjoy and ask for more!

Reforms in BCCI, atlast

Well, there has been a lot of brainstorming among officials in the cricketing fraternity and there is now a white paper that appears to be leaked which has some amazing changes to the way the game and statistics would be recorded, henceforth. Very surprisingly, Arnab and his team seem quite stumped and do not seem to have access to this paper, judging by the Newshour programme this week. Election results and nation's politics seem top on the agenda on all news/entertainment channels!

According to reliable sources, this white paper is likely to be taken seriously and many of the recommendations are likely to get approved which maybe bad news for many of the present and past cricketers, says an insider on condition of anonymity!!

Rotation policy at all levels, players, selectors, tour schedules, & BCCI spokespersons! 
Apparently, the who's who in BCCI and players approve this policy. It is felt that selectors can also be 'rested' to infuse new thinking and ideas into the team composition (what it actually aims at, is to remove individual and personal bias of selectors). All stakeholders, players, BCCI officials, advertisers, sponsors, commentators, audience representatives feel that schedules must be such that India gets to alternate between 'strong and weak' teams (this is to boost morale and statistics, obviously). The official explanation given is that such schedules are in the larger interest of the game, to get more non cricketing countries to join the game and make cricket the world sport and displace Soccer's supremacy:-)

GenX reforms are to include how statistics are to be recorded. If a player is near a milestone, plus or minus 10, he would be given a super over, much like the penalty shot in Soccer:-). This will allow players to reach their milestone and also save the game from players who are overstaying their presence in the team.

Official sponsors and sponsors of events and companies that own telecast rights are also to be rotated. This is to ensure nobody takes the game for a ride (insiders know the real reason - more money can be made via rotation)

BCCI has requested the Home Ministry to allow citizenship of foreign players on an annual basis to India. This will keep the Indian team on the toes and infuse fresh blood, yet the annual citizenship is to ensure that complacency, the hallmark of every player of Team India, does not creep into foreign origin Indian players (if we can have politicians of foreign origin, why not in cricket is the argument:-))

Lastly but not the least, players will be given a retainership fee to the extent of 50% and the remaining 50% will be variable pay, linked to performance, much like it is in the corporate world. Performance includes team building efforts, off and on the field, leadership qualities and attendance at training camps, apart from match winning performances:-)

Dangerous Trends & Kolaveri

There seems to be alarming trends witnessed across the world - a kind of activism with not much purpose and intent. And in India, I can think of 2 big trends - one, its fashionable to be negative and oppose everything. The second big trend is that anyone and everyone thinks he or she is an expert on everything - from nuclear energy to FDI in retail to Mullaiperiyar dam to genetically modified crops to rupee value against the dollar and the list is really endless.

While it maybe good timepass to have such pseudo experts discuss these grave issues over a cup of tea or cocktails, the sad part is that its taken to the streets and such unconstructive activism is at an alltime high. If the concerns were genuine, there is scope for improvement, but if its to agitate for the sake of agitation, growth and development suffer. I mean, there are more Karan Thapars playing the Devil's Advocate today and setting up imaginary arguments.

I am alarmed at this trend, just this past year has seen many such cases  in the country. We had this absolutely ridiculous controversy over Bt brinjal from those who didn't know the abc of the technology. The ongoing agitation at Kudankulam is a perfect example of people on the street pretending to be nuclear experts. Two days back Shashi Tharoor wrote a column on rediff where he has categorically stated that the Mullaperiyar dam is unsafe!! When did he become an expert to comment on structural safety of dams? His only claim to being an expert is that he hails from Kerala. Then, there have been endless fasts and agitations for Telangana, corruption, Lokpal, etc.

My theory is that intolerance has peaked and all of us have streaks of these, in varying degrees! So many incidents of shootouts at toll plazas, tea shops, murders over petty issues, road rage have become common place, across the country.

So, there appears to be a Kolaveri in all of us, probably why the song went viral and every Indian could relate to it!!

Mullaiperiyar or Mullaperiyar??

As the debate rages between Tamil Nadu & Kerala, I wonder why so much hue and cry is being made when there is no case, apparently. From what I read in the papers (I am not an expert / pseudo expert in this matter:-)), there seem to be a couple of issues for which there are ready answers.

Kerala says "the dam is unsafe as its very old" - Fair enough, they have also said they plan to build a new one.. So, let them build.

Kerala says "it will build a new one but with reduced height..." - Totally unfair and against the SC ruling.

Tamil Nadu says "if Kerala will build a new dam but with reduced height, we will rather have status quo" - Fair enough. Point noted..

So, the simple solution is for a new dam with the height as dictated by SC... a win win for all.. Where is the need to fight and build tensions?

But Kerala is flexing their muscles through few Central Ministers from their state, not to mention a number of key Babus who occupy prime positions in North & South Block.

Poor poor Tamil Nadu:-( we have none to represent our case at the Centre, we have only those who are concerned about their personal cases.

So, its Mullaiperiyar or Mullaperiyar, depending on which side you are on!

Sustainability at the individual level

It was a nice interaction with the DG (Dr. Julia Maton-Lefevre) of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and she shared some wonderful insights on the workings in IUCN. Personally, I left the auditorium very happy and satisfied. Although there were many things I had heard before but perhaps, I was in a receptive phase or perhaps she put it so well. Off the many things she shared, she said each of us, in our own ways, can modify our lifestyles and cut down on spending, irrespective of affordability. Right from taking public transport and going vegetarian, she spoke from the heart.

She apparently rides a bicycle to work in Geneva (unheard of, for a DG) and swims across the lake to France occasionally! At first, her colleagues were a little sceptical and even thought she had brought down the distinguished office of a DG! Soon, however, many consider it cool and have followed suit. She said it also keeps her fit and healthy. Something clicked inside me and I have since resolved to cut down on frivolous expenditure that we sometimes indulge in, to start with:-)

I think its the only way - to sustainable development.

24/7 media channels share a common art, in India

It has just struck me how the media houses share one thing in common between them.. they successfully make everybody else so likeable and acceptable!!
 

Let me elaborate. I was never a fan of Vijay Mallya and always thought he was too flamboyant and flashy for my taste. While I agree it takes all kinds to make this world, he was not somebody I was inspired or motivated by. But the recent crises that Kingfisher has landed in, and the media frenzy and reporting has improved my opinion of Mallya. Yes, he continues to be the flashy guy but there was something more to him than just that - this came through during his answers to News channels yesterday. The news channels were shown their place!

 

Another person who I didn't think much of, but has risen in my eyes is Omar Abdullah, CM of J & K. I really enjoyed the way he gave it to Arnab Goswami a month ago over a custodial death. The interview was so good that it had me jumping for joy!

Media houses do one thing well - they make the rest of us very greatJ

LPG subsidy and graft

Couple of months back, I was shocked at a Cabinet proposal to limit subsidy to LPG consumers, to 4 per year and charge Rs 800/cylinder for anything beyond that! While, my consumption is exactly 4 cylinders/year (so, I would remain unaffected), I was aghast at the steep hike. I was very glad the plan was shelved and the government didn't want to beome more unpopular than it is already.

But I am now convinced such a proposal be implemented with immediate effect!! Let me explain my change of mind: a very casual conversation with my cook and maid revealed that both of them booked a cylinder every 21 days and sold it at double their cost! Their consumption was 8 per year. Their argument was that if they didn't do it, the gas agency would pocket the cash anyway, by booking through their accounts! I guess I am doubly shocked that my helpers are indulging in unethical practices and also because it has become so widespread..

While I know that corruption and black market in LPG thrives due to subsidy, I am really shocked at how rampant and widespread the problem is!! I guess knowing it at a theoretical level and coming across it personally has freaked me out completely. I am now convinced that such a move to limit refills to consumers will check this rampant corrupt practice. Those who ought to be buying LPG at commercial rates, but buy in black, better start paying for their business.

Hats off to Dr. Kalam

I have always been an admirer of Dr. Abdul J Kalam, former President of India. He set the standards for living life king-size in Rashtrapathi Bhavan, with simplicity. He had only few of the rooms functional and kept the remaining rooms shut, thereby cutting costs on maintenance of the sprawling campus. He did away with many symbolic protocols and moved around in a simple manner.


He also organized and attended several meetings, on drawing a scientific roadmap for the country. Such things were unheard of, as the President was a decorative position and the people who occupied the post conformed to the 'decorative post', to the hilt.


But Dr. Kalam did none of that and he made the Office of the President, very approachable and accessible. He probably gave many security officers and agencies a nightmare, but as citizens, we loved him. There is something very endearing about him that helps Indians connect with him, easily.


And his recent attempt to assuage the apprehensions of the protesters in Kudankulam is nothing short of inspiring. There are very few people who are brave enough to stick their neck out in such situations. One ought to raise a toast to him for accepting the role of studying the safety precautions at the Kudankulam plant and also considering the development of the local community. Within a few days of his visit and report, the situation has improved and Nuclear Science has been de-mystified, to a large extent. While sharing this with my colleagues at lunch, one of them remarked, "It is certainly 'good of him' to have done this for the country, don't know if its 'good for him', thoughJ


India could do well with more such people!

Where's the halo around Team Anna?

I was expecting this to happen! Very often, people who lead normal lives and don't brandish a 'holier than thou' image are much more principled in life with greater self discipline. The context here is Ms. Kiran Bedi. I had great respect and regard for her while she was in service. She was an inspiration to many of us.

Her conduct since the beginning of the year as part of Team Anna's spokesperson however leaves a lot to be desired. This terrible urge to be on TV everyday and also in print media, is a virus that afflicts and leaves people addicted, I guess. Very often, I would note with amusement, how she would elbow her way to the mic and say something that either Anna or another Anna aide would have just expressed!

But the news item since two days about her charging business class fares to organizers and her defence really takes the cake! I am aghast at the standards employed by Team Anna to fight corruption. Just as Kiran Bedi justifies the inflated bills to donate to her NGO, every other crook from Raja to Kalmadi can claim to have worked on behalf of their party! Why should they be in jail? And with regards to corruption in smaller offices by junior officials, they can say their salary is not enough to pay for their family's needs!! And why not? What a bizarre explanation from Ms. Bedi. What is her new name - Ms. Robinhood??

I think Anna Hazare will do well to be in Silence for a longer time and more importantly, teach his closest aides Arvind Kejrival and Kiran Bedi the joy of being in Silence too!! Maybe with time, these aides can imbibe some of the spirit and values from Anna Hazare, apart from wearing Khadi kurtas and Gandhi topis.

Model Villages and Maharashtra

While India has about 6 lakh villages, with different degrees of development and prosperity, I am very intrigued by the fact that Maharashtra boasts of a number of model villages. While Anna Hazare may have made Ralegan Siddhi very popular, reality is that there are many more examples of model villages in the state although they don't have any iconic leader amongst them.

Its fascinating to read about the development made in these villages; to name just a few I know, check out Hiware bazar, Kathewadi, Kapsi. All of them have a common thread, the villagers took it it upon themselves to better their lot and the results are for all to see. Many neighbouring villagers are now being inspired to replicate the model and the state government has come forward to replicate it many more villages too! (don't know how successful that will be)

Makes me wonder why there are so model villages in Maharashtra? Is it the resourceful, community spirit amongst the villagers here? Is the state government promoting rural development? Are there more NGOs in this state with focus on rural prosperity?? I have no answers.. would love to hear views and comments.

Arvind Kejrival & Diggy Singh

Much as Arvind Kejrival will like to deny it, his recent sound bytes indicate that he ought to be in politics. Or rather, he is already a politician! One of the main qualifications of a standard politician is to contradict oneself and excel in doublespeak. Diggy Singh is a role model for many of his ilk, I am sureJ

Lets see what Arvind Kejrival has been saying in 2011

"Anna is above Parliament"; on hindsight, added, "every citizen is above Parliament".

On Lokpal being part of the constitutional structure; he rubbished it as "reducing Lokpal to a Jokpal".

 "Civil Society has the right to question Parliament".

But after the embarrassing statement of Prashant Bhushan on J&K, he says, "J&K is a complex situation, and decision should be within the constitutional framework".

See, what I mean?? He has come a full circle... suddenly he seems to see value in our constitution. God help us!

Open letters have gone viral:-)

I've caught the bug too!! This is the season of open letters... Anna writes open letter (OL) to PM; Digvijay Singh writes OL to Anna; India Inc writes OL to PM; Narendra Modi writes an OL... I am joining this august bandwagon:-)

I write to every Indian across the globe...

Dear Indians,

I know things have been crazy and chaotic in India, more so in the past year. We have been hit by scams of huge proportions, the ruling party seems lost, opposition is in disarray, civil society has become militant! People have become polarised to extreme cynicism / apathy to complete idealism / utopian ideology. Inflation has hit the common man hard, as prices of all the essentials - food, housing, fuel, healthcare, education are at all time highs. Loans have become dearer and interest rates unattractive. Government appears to be at a standstill with many, many pending decisions relating to mining to power projects to other infrastructure projects, as they are busy firefighting for their scam hit colleagues or negotiating with Team Anna.

But amidst all this, I urge you all to work hard and not be disillusioned by these temporary setbacks. Today, India is a force to reckon with in the world, not because of these politicians and policy makers, but despite them. So, lets get the focus away from these energy sapping news channels and politicians and lets concentrate on work. Lets work towards our dream like there's no tomorrow. Lets look forward to a new set of  industrialists, other than the Tatas, Birlas, Ambanis, Bajajs, Ruias and Mahindras, to name a few. Lets get going and chase our dreams furiously and demonstrate how hard work and innovations can drive India out of poverty!

Jai Hind

Light at the end of the tunnel

After hearing rabid, extreme views on the issue of corruption for the past few months, its such a relief to hear from India Inc, a balanced, sensible and wide ranging reforms that they have asked, in their letter to the PM. I am so glad that we have people who are influential, and yet balanced and centred. I almost thought such people didn't exist anymore.

I was particularly very distraught with the goings on, both by the ruling goverment and Team Anna, with each of them taking a moral high ground and bringing the country to a standstill. I really thought there was no hope and that we would continue to be ruled or misruled by people who have very narrow and rigid views.

This letter has come as a huge hope and silver lining, to use a cliche. I really wish policy makers at all levels, take the views raised by India Inc very seriously, as these suggestions have the potential to take India forward. The views are balanced and does not have rhetoric and jargons that we seem to be fed with. I really wish media can focus on these and invite the signatories of the letter as panelists instead of running behind cheap sensationalism.

I really hope and pray that this marks a turning point of good things to come!

Flip side of having a disastrous tour in England

Most of us in India agree that cricket has hogged away the limelight and overshadowed other sporting events and players. All of us think the players are not worthy of the adulation and cult status they enjoy. But none of us are able to do any further! Neither could other sportspersons, save a Sania (for all the wrong reasons) or a Saina (for the right reasons) could alter the God like status cricketers command.

I guess the cricketers came to our rescue and other sportspersons in our country. They finally decided to play so badly and throw their matches that people lost interest in them and the game. The disastrous tour of England has turned the spectators away and hopefully will wean them away for good. The current CT T20 tournament are witnessing the change among the audience. Eventually, the sponsors will not flock as before and hopefully the game will resemble the sport as it should be, instead of the extravaganza and entertainment show that the game has been reduced to.

Apparently, other sports' bodies and associations are quite thrilled at the development and are secretly celebrating the debacle in England. Some cricketers have received anonymous mails thanking them for their good deed towards Sports in general, in the Indian context. Yours truly was privy to a conversation about Mr. Pawar contesting for the post of President of the Indian Hockey Federation. He has sent feelers to some officials and has promised to bring in money to the cash strapped organization, so they can pay their players, if elected, unopposed!