Maharashtra Elections : An Exercise in Futility or a Serious Chance for Change ?

Well we are welcoming another long weekend after the Pateti and Dussehra weeks. But this time, its slightly different. The 13th of October is election day and not just another festival. It is indeed a festival of democracy but I won't be wrong in assuming that very few people perceive it that way. The general public mood regarding elections was evident in the recent Lok Sabha elections where the voter turnout from a cosmopolitan city like Mumbai was a pathetic 43%. So I have decided that I won't waste anymore time in trying to inspire the disinterested souls to come out and vote. This is meant purely for those who are eagerly waiting to exercise their franchise and elect the candidate and government of their choice.

The marked difference in these elections compared to the 2004 elections is the rise of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena or the MNS. Etched out of its parent party Shiv Sena (SS), the MNS is a by-product of the sibling rivalry between cousins Uddhav Thackeray (Exec. President, SS) and Raj Thackeray (President, MNS). Helped by Raj's powerful oratory laced with sarcasm and satire, the MNS is a one-man army aiming to carve an independent identity for itself.

But this is not what bothers me. Simply put, I am totally confused whom to vote for. I am not someone who would vote for an individual. Its his party and its people policies that matter. In that regard, we have a ready reckoner of the incumbent Congress-NCP government's performance in the last 10 yrs that it has ruled Maharashtra. In my opinion, Maharashtra has seen little or no governance in the last decade. We have no idea who is in-charge. The state has seen 4 chief ministers in 10 years. The Union Agriculture Minister hails from Maharashtra but farmer suicides are the order of the day. Terrorists attacks, more prominently 26/11, have raised serious questions about the state of internal security. The snail-paced development in areas like infrastructure, education, e-governance and police reforms has cast a shadow on the very commitment of this government towards its people. The situation worsens when ambitious ministers are seen washing dirty linen in public. As a result internal squabbles for one-upmanship completely overshadows the business of governance. Yes there have been no major communal out-breaks but that alone can't be a reason to vote this government back to power. The proof of the pudding has to be in the eating.

The Shiv Sena-BJP saffron alliance have struggled to come to power since the last 2 elections. Their urban support base kept eroding due to their street-style politics. The sons-of-the-soil issue further alienated them from non-Maharashtrians who have been living here for a long time. Declaring unilateral bandhs, burning buses, causing immense damage to the social fabric of the city is what defined the Shiv Sena of the 1990s. Their long absence from power has not given us a chance to assess their renewed sense of commitment, if any. But it has to be noted that this alliance was keen to show its mettle in its 4 yrs in government. The completion of the Mumbai-Pune Express Highway, around 50 fly-overs all over the city's clogged arterial roads, the Bandra-Worli Sea Link are accomplishments that have largely proved beneficial to the city's populace. Quite a few ministers were known to be tough administrators and the alliance usually sheds its communal image (on which they seek votes) once they are voted in power. Yes we may have to make do with Chhatrapatization of old and new city landmarks but atleast it will be a welcome change from stumbling across everything that sounds even remotely Gandhi. For your information , the Bandra-Worli Sea Link is officially called 'Rajiv Gandhi Setu'.

Last but not the least, the newly-formed MNS is already a force to reckon with. The party fought the Lok Sabha elections just as a warm-up to the October Assembly election and to check its popularity among youth. But it surprised itself by coveting a major chunk of the urban votes thus seriously under-cutting Shiv Sena's might. Its candidates even came second in some important constituencies. The party has certainly appealed to the first-time voters as well as women and the elderly. It has successfully managed to raise issues of day-to-day concern. It has lambasted both the government and the opposition for failing to take up the cause of the Marathi manoos as well as in tackling civic issues. However, the party cadres resorted to violence and thrashing of North Indian students and workers who have a constitutional right to earn their livelihood anywhere in the country. Their blatant disregard towards law and order and inciting regionalist passion among Maharashtrians acts as a serious threat to civil society. That may still appeal to the psychopants or misdirected youths but it surely holds no good to the Maharashtra of the 21st century. But there is no denying that the party shows promise. Its leaders seem approachable. They are young and raring to go. They have the gumption to take on the spineless government in its own backyard. If they get enough numbers to dictate terms to a future government, they will surely use that opportunity to get things cracking. Never mind the sleepless nights for the government in power.

Again FYI, the other parties in the fray are Republican Daavi Lokshahi Samiti, Bahujan Samaj Party and Independents ofcourse. But then they barely stand a chance so why bother. I probably wrote this blog to clear my own notions about these parties. You may agree or disagree with them but I will be glad you will atleast develop an independent opinion. The scenario is interesting yet so confounding. The opinion polls have already forecast a hung Assembly. But thats not our headache. Our sole responsibility is to make intelligent decisions and cast our precious vote seeking change. Personally, its been a hell of a task to arrive at a decision and I may not necessarily select the lesser of the three evils, but select I will. Elections are the heartbeats of democracy and certainly a chance for change but when successive governments fail to deliver irrespective of their stated ideology, they do become an exercise in futility. The choice is yours. What is important is that you make one...

How I Met My F.R.I.E.N.D.S.!!

Seems like a sleazy two-title rip-off of the hugely popular TV series, doesn't it ? But rest assured, the intentions are noble. Nobler are thou friends for whom i write this. Although by God's grace I hav been gifted with a whole bunch of good friends from school , junior college and degree ; I would like to specifically talk about those whom I met in my Engg degree college and am still gung-ho about spending the remaining few months of my Final Year in their pristine company ;)

The first day of the first year in college was a lonely journey. None of my old friends from school, classes or jr. colg were with me. Nor anyone even remotely familiar through friends of friends of friends. Not that I used to sit in one corner of the classroom and interact with no one, that not possible for me. But I certainly was friendless. Striking friendships on the basis of mother tongue was the easy way out of perennial loneliness for many classmates but I didn't specifically wish to bracket myself in a lingual group. I just didn't want this thing to appear as 'thought or planned'. It just had to happen.

And so it did. Conversation is the art of the possible. It helps you know and understand people whom you perceived as strangers just moments ago. A free-flowing conversation with Rahul (the charming guy smack in the centre of the pic) on the most silliest and crappiest topics , bursts of laughter at the drop of a hat, and the slight nudge into knowing more about him personally set the stage for a gold-mine hunt that runs even today. Rahul had befriended a guy called Parashar (the one resting all his colossal weight on me) who was a silent witness to the mutual admiration club opened by myself and Rahul. The selective types, he was probably rubbing his hands in negative excitement at the prospect of being introduced to a challenger ;-)

The introduction was quick and easy. Though reserved, he made me feel more than welcome in the herd. Then Lalit (tall, skinny, red n black guy) was the next entrant. I hated to sit with him during lectures as the slightest accidental elbow nudge from him would cause enormous pain. And he used to sit on the bench like a cheese-spread without a care in the world for his partner. The only saving grace was he was 'straight'.

Soon it was boom time and thus the need for aggressive expansion. God, I'm kidding all along. I mean soon enough we were joined by Dattaram (black leather jacket) , Vinay (white something jacket) and Haris. The best part is that we all became close buddies sitting together for lunch in the college canteen. We used to discuss movies, songs, novels, careers and even politics (thanks to me). Personally I was glad to know that all my friends had very intelligent opinions on the state of affairs in the country. At the same time I also realized that I was a rank novice in matters of English songs, rock bands, movies and fiction novels. Parashar ensures that I keep listening to one new hit track every week and Rahul provides me with dvd-rips of latest as well as old must-watch movies. I switched over from non-fiction to reading fiction novels on their advice. Matter of factly , I am enjoying this exposure.

Vinay is the proverbial hen with the golden eggs. Ohh shitt!! Wat m I sayin...?? sorry vinay ;-) I mean what else do you call a person who introduces you to fantabulous games on PlayStation2 that too on 29" flat screen TV. Ohh shitt sorry again for droppin the secret. We all have enjoyed long, long non-stop hours of gaming at his place with yummy snacks and cold coffee for company. He's an all-nonsense , un-fussy, adorable grown-up KID. We call him the Maggi Kid.

Haris is the serious types. I dare you to call him Jalaal or Hari Sadu when he's around and I can vouch you will get an earful. Now Dattaram. Dattaram hates his name. He calls himself Aniket and wanted to establish himself by that name in college. Unfortunately, true to our wretched-ness, we didn't let him do that. Afterall how many times out of a million do you get a chance to tease a person with his own name?? Hahahahaha...!! Nahi yaar , achcha naam hain. Sab naam bhagwan ke naam hote hain. Lekin DATTARAAAAAAAM.... Muhuahahahahahahaaha....!!

Coming back to Parashar (still resting his colossal weight on me in the pic) , he is the transformational types. Ever reachable, great listener, sociable and rock-solid companionship are qualities that very few possess. He's there for me whenever I need him. He is special coz he makes us feel special. I still remember how one of our late night phone chats went right till 5 am and that realization dawned only when the milkman rang my door-bell. He's been there to share all my happy as well as sorrowful moments. The best part is, he can actually make me roll with laughter at my own past follies on which i cringed once upon a time. Rare species , hain naa ??

Everyone is. And this is How I Met My Friends in Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology, Andheri West. And its emotionally draining to even think of going our different ways once we graduate into engineers. Of course, we will always be there for each other but can anything really replace the college years ?? I hope so...

INDIA @ 62

India celebrates its 63rd Independence Day on the 15th of August 2009. A vibrant democracy that it is today , it still remains a 'perennially developing' country (a near-synonym for 'underdeveloped'). The Independence Day in itself has become an annual ritual for our leaders to make high decibel speeches and ensure that we remember the contribution of the late Mahatmas, Nehrus and Ambedkars. Remember we will , Gandhi for disintegrating India and showering crores towards Pakistan at our expense thus firmly proving his craze to attain immortality; Nehru for his tactless haste in seeking UN's intervention during India's first war with Pakistan where our army was so close to taste ultimate victory; Ambedkar - possibly the most hurting- for leaving behind an acerbic legacy of 'Reservation in Education' on which our politicians feed and continually add their own versions of Reservation to ensure their political longevity. The Indian Independence Struggle could well be defined as the struggle to achieve 'political independence' and nothing else. Deep within its system , India is still a casteist nation. Economic disparity of the extreme sense further fuels discontent in its people. To add to the poor people's woes, our law-makers spend precious time arguing over feuds among the delectable Ambanis than debating the Education Bill or a permanent solution to the Bihar floods.

Such is the importance attributed to non-issues at the highest level, a taxi-union strike forces the govt. to give in and increase freight charges within 2 days but at the same time it can afford to waste 31 days of indecision over increasing the salaries of teachers in govt. colleges. A former Home Minister is accused of abetting murder of his own former associate. Prosecution of a certain Mulayam (disproportionate assets case) or Mayawati (same yaar) depends on their political affiliations and not on the merit of the case. The good old days of a People's President have been laid to rest with the entry of Mrs. Pratibha Patil who clearly perceives Presidency as Sharad Pawar's rakhi gift to her, something she will enjoy till her tenure ends - or she ends, whichever. Terrorism continues to engulf our country from all sides. Our problems on this front have only multiplied inspite of scoring stunning military wins over Pakistan in the last 5 decades. To compare India's CBI or RAW agencies to US' FBI or Israel's Mossad will be the most nasty joke on the eve of Independence Day.

Information Technology has been India's claim to fame in the 21st century. We keep churning out s/w engineers, coders & now MBAs too; year after year. But is there one weather forecast software or an Agricultural Manager that will help our poor farmers out when the rains fail them every year? Can we really claim that the technology our Armed Forces uses is at par with the best in the world? Do we really have the best Intelligence procurement officials in our Security Agencies? Doesn't it sound dispiriting when 10 Pakis could so easily infiltrate in our country through the sea-route and force their way in some of our prestigious hotels making a mockery of homeland security? We were attacked , fine , but who stopped us from retaliating? What came in the way of employing precision or surgical strikes inside Pakistan where we suspect (we're dead sure) terrorists having set up training camps?

Lathi-armed policemen, scamster politicians, sluggish bureaucracy, self-centred citizenry and corrupt 'everyone'; are reasons enough to not celebrate this Independence Day but to sit and ponder whether we can regroup and revitalize our system and its people so that we work towards a much stronger, secular, competent and independent society. Only then will we be able to justify the colourful words thrown at us by Nehru in his first Independence Day speech :
'....At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.....'

Rains Rains Come Again , Go Away Another Day...!!

"Rains wreak havoc in city" , "Milan Subway submerged" , "Mithi river overflows" , "Highest rainfall recorded in city's history....."

Sounds familiar , doesn't it ?? That used to be the front page story of every newspaper since the historic 994 mm rainfall in Mumbai city on 26th July , 2005. The Milans and the Mithis of the city finally got their due attention.

The city witnessed unusually torrential rains lashing it left, right and centre since 2005. Yes we blamed the government and municipal authorities for their laissez-faire. Yes we wrote petitions to sue the authorities for their shoddy preparedness for the monsoons. Yes we got the Municipal Commissioner and Chief Minister to intervene and make Monsoon Management a priority. Yes we forced communal and disruptive political parties to raise issues of civic concern. So much for those rains. But it seems that wasn't enough.
They say nobody prays more devoutly for the rains than the poor farmers of our country. But if at all prayers have been answered, those were of the crooked lazy babus who feared for their jobs in case the rainfall caused a major infrastructural collapse.
We were already witness to one of the most scorching summers of this decade and if there was one reason why we patiently put up with it was the mere thought of the approaching monsoons that would bring a welcome relief. And lo behold ! look what a cruel joke Mother Nature has played with us. Those slight showers seem less as signs that indicate a normal monsoon but more so a reminder that this is all we will get , all that we deserve. Thats the cruel joke I am talking about.


For someone who remembers 26th July floods not for its devastation but for the sheer fun of walking 8 km from college to home totally drenched with friends for company, for seeing spirited young men helping the elderly & complete strangers trapped in difficult situations, for seeing a friend running to save a little kitten taking shelter under a kick-started auto-rickshaw caring less for the books and journals in his bag, for having hot pakodas and coffee after a hot-water bath ; memories that have nothing to do with the intellectual garbage like Disaster management , Brihan Mumbai Storm-water drainage system, Municipal negligence, self-aggrandizing govt. stats & figures on improvements and the lack of it etc.

All I ever want is to hear the thundering clouds in the coziness of my house and then seriously discussing with friends if college were to be closed the next day, we all could go for a movie instead. I still recollect my first heavy rainfall experience almost 10 yrs back when I was in the fourth grade and it was raining cats and dogs while I was already in school. The school authorities announced that school buses won't be able to ferry us back home due to water-logging and we were supposed to stay put till someone from our family came over to pick us up. These developments actually excited me. For some reason I was sure that parents and guardians would find it extremely difficult to find access and pick us up and would prefer letting the school authorities arrange for our one-night stay till the rains subside. I was pretty sure no one from my family would be able to turn up as it was only my mom , granny and grandpa who were present at home. My mom never ventured out much on her own and granny and grandpa were in their early-seventies. I certainly had no issues with that.

The mere thought of spending the remaining day (and night) enjoying with classmates in the security of our classroom and class teachers was enough to ward off any infantile fears that fourth graders are known for.
But that was not to be. Sooner than anyone expected, harried and anxious parents came along one by one to take my friends away from me unknowingly crushing my small little hopes of enjoying the day in a different way. Yes some offered to drop me home too but the teachers won't allow (neither would I). The desolate classroom acted as slow poison. I wished my dad was in the city. I still wasn't angry on my mom though. I understood her problem. Grandparents? Physically impossible!! I reconciled to the fact of staying with the remaining classmates with whom I never talked much. A boring hour or two passed and teachers kept calling names of students whose parents had come to pick them up. It was 5.30pm and I started feeling like an islander. At 6pm another name was called (as if I cared). But to my surprise , it was my name on which my teacher was straining her vocal chords. I sincerely wondered -- 'Who The Hell....?' ;)
Guess Who ???

---> My 73 year old grandpa

Not even in my wildest dreams did I expect him to come for me. To try and explain in words my feelings the moment I saw him would be sheer injustice on the innocence of a fourth grader. His presence felt so reassuring. From that day he was no longer my septuagenarian grand-father but my Superman. The dress wasn't exactly Superman-like but his guts were. It was only when he was walking me back home hand held firmly did I realize the enormity of the rainfall, the floods and the challenges he faced while coming to receive me. The flood water was waist-length for him but for me, at 3 feet 10 inches, it was imminent death due to drowning if not for his firm grip. His coolness about the entire journey made me fearless. I could even see other people trapped in the same situation admiring him for his nerve. My grandpa was a Rockstar. The rains gave me an opportunity to understand the meaning behind words like love, care, concern, guts, innocence, admiration and the futility behind the word Age. This Rockstar lived his last 10 years loving me to the fullest with minimum words and maximum doting actions.

And that is what these rains mean for me. That is why I so eagerly wait for them. That is why I can't tolerate news that says we will have poor rainfall this year. I can't even understand the basic logic behind the song 'Rains Rains Go Away , Come Again Another Day...'. Maybe it suits the land of the poet but not the land of Rockstars. Hence the liberty in conveniently changing it to 'Rains Rains Come Again , Go Away Another Day....!!'

My Grandpa wid my nephew

मी शिवाजीराजे भोसले बोलतोय... !!

Well couldn't have found a better topic for my last blog before exams. The picture and title say it all but I must concede one fact that reviewing a movie that is pretty regionalistic in its content but still all-inclusive in its essence is indeed tricky business. On the personal front, I went to watch this movie only to break the viva jinx that had set in for the past 2-3 weeks. And also to feel good that I finally took my mom out for a marathi movie and malvani dinner. Oh yes, a complete mother-son outing after a long time and I enjoyed it every single bit. And with no commercial bollywood movies releasing due to some producer-multiplex owner spat, this was the only watchable movie.

And back to reviewing :

The movie has overplayed and over-highlighted the plight of the marathi manoos. In a sense that the first quarter of the movie is full of self-demeaning scenes where a certain Dinkarrao Bhosle (played astutely by 'sachin khedekar') is humiliated by every Tom , Dick and Harry that crosses his way simply coz he is a 'ghaati' (read 'marathi manoos') and deserves to be treated like that. And Mr.Bhosle can do nothing but bear this mortification till he can bear no more. He literally becomes crazy and starts whining and ridiculing himself for being a marathi manoos. He curses his great ancestors and marathi legends and blames them for his present condition.

Its now that the story begins to unravel. This ridicule and self-pity reaches the ears of the great Maratha warrior and pride of Maharashtra Shivajiraje Bhosle (an imaginary role played well by Mahesh Manjrekar) who takes it upon himself to inspire and change Dinkarrao Bhosle and make a man out of this miserable soul. Dinkarrao is shown sharing the same old Marathi grouse of outsiders , non-maharashtrians setting up businesses-big and small- and taking away opportunities from the sons of the soil and how they should be taught a lesson etc etc. It is exactly at this point when I was wondering which way the story was going. And I must tell you, its a welcome change to see Shivajiraje vociferously admonishing his complaints and rather urging him to learn and strive to create an identity for himself than blame others for his indolence. And part of this inspiration is provided through trailers of his own historical successes in establishin a Maratha kingdom with an army that was not even quarter of the size of mughals, the amazing depiction of his bloody encounter wid afzalkhan... all this set the goose-bumps rolling. Yea hard to believe I know....!!

Dinkarrao has his share of downfalls. He puts his guard down when confronted with real-life goondas only to be persuaded by the warrior to not lose heart but continue his struggle. Its amazing to see his new-found yet earthy confidence. The story does go in high-flying mode later losing track of realism but then you also gotta cater to the ultra-emotional crowd who bring in their colony friends and relatives thus bringing business. For those who understand spoken Marathi, its a treat to listen to the hilarious one-liners. That is something that cannot be replaced by subtitles. The song 'O Raaje...' fits so perfectly to this story.

For all those pushovers out there , Marathi or not , this movie is for you. Its high time you learn to assert yourself and work towards carving out an identity for yourself. Don't take insult lying down for we may not be so lucky to come across His Majesty to show us the right path.

Vision 2020 : Gone for a Six

Our ex-president Dr. Abdul Kalam had a vision for India. He termed it the Vision 2020. He envisages a politically powerful, agriculturally self-reliant India by the year 2020. It is not a dream but a vision. And that involves a functioning plan in place to attain that vision. The vision was shared way back in 2002 when he became our President. Today its 2009 and it becomes very essential for each one of us to try and introspect if we are even a contributor to this process. If yes , how? And has India changed from what it was in 2002 to what it is today? Most important of all, do our leaders even share that vision in the first place? Or has petty politics ensured that we live on a 5-year contract stumbling ahead somehow with no goals in sight. Completely directionless , rudderless under the so-called leadership of our spineless politicians.
One must have a look at the President of India's Republic and Independence Day speeches for the past few years. The speech writers have this amazing quality of portraying the Indian State as a model of democracy , development and pluralism. Don't they watch TV ? Aren't we a flawed democracy where history-sheeters are eligible to stand for elections? Don't we see extreme poverty and farmer suicides in the same states that boast of cosmopolitan cities? Have we really seen the last of those gory communal riots in this country? I know I am painting a very sombre picture of our young nation. I may even balance it out by sprinkling some positive happenings in the country. But will that overshadow the dangerous shortcomings in our society? The country is nowhere near being a superpower or a developed country by the year 2020, a fact that we should humbly accept. It will take the combined might of the Indian polity, the Indian people & the Indian diaspora in other countries to help redeem ourselves on the world stage. A glorious past won't help us secure a glorious future.
As for those immersed in watching 20-20 cricket , there's some news... Your country's Vision 2020 has just been hit for a six...

APNA SAPNA MONEY MONEY...

Hey guys... I'm back
This time with an interesting political subject that has been doing the rounds lately. Hmmm yes... 'Black money stashed in foreign accounts belonging to those filthy-rich , tax-evading Indians...'
It was Advani first who raised the issue of reclaiming and bringing back home this enormous wealth which will solve India's (read BJP's) financial problems. Then came those claims from the BJP think-tank and indpendent surveys that the amount they are talking about could be well over 50 lakh crores.... how much exactly?? I'm sorry I wont try guessing the no. of zeroes after 5 but i suppose there are quite a few and too hot to handle. We could see how every other political party has now started promising that they will bring back the money if they are brought to power. I mean, Money is a great leveller. Look at the thrill and enthusiasm this issue has generated for every Gandhi, Yadav, Paswan, Karat and very soon Mayawati(she's got more).
Jokes apart , what is even more surprising is the timing of this issue. Did it really require the good sense of one Mr.Advani to remind the whole nation of this open secret? What were the others doing all this while? Weren't we serious about claiming such gargantuan amounts earlier? Or is the Indian Government a major stakeholder of sorts in this bounty? ohh its confounding.

One thing is certain , 'puri daal kaali hain'. None can claim innocence in this rot. I'm equally sure this long-drawn debate will meet its natural death shortly after elections are over. This is a mere ploy to keep the intelligent voter on his toes and force him to think. Its like a wild goose chase. You really dont know what to do if you caught it. (that was borrowed and conveniently modified to sound original... hehe)

Even if this issue is kept alive or even better, investigated by the next governement , the businessmen, gangsters, politicos will be given enough time to relocate accounts and the newspapers will read "Not 50 lakh crores , but Rs. 99,999/- (Re.1 service charges) belonging to some Bangaru Laxman traced to hawala account...' And the curtains will fall.
Afterall , who would want to come clean on his/her clandestine activities when the entire system is encouraging them to carry on.
which brings me to another hindi saying , 'iss hamaam mein sab nange hain...' (cheaply translated as 'Everyone's naked in the bathroom')
lols ;)

adios

Ready for Change ??

There are many leaders who arrived on the world stage and mesmerized the common man, the business world and the intelligentsia with their leadership. We could take names of right thinking men and moderates like Winston Churchill , Ronald Reagan , Jawaharlal Nehru , Lal Bahadur Shastri , Mikhail Gorbachev and many more as well as the not-so-right thinking ones (understatement) like Adolf Hitler , Joseph Stalin , Benito Mussolini , Indira Gandhi , Richard Nixon etc.

A common thread that binds them all is that these leaders came to the fore in times of hardship, in times of imminent war or a demand for radical change. Whether it be the World War II era , the Cold War or Indo-Pak war , these men led their people to what they thought was right. However , we really weren't a witness to those times and all we know about them is either through books or the History Channel.
Now look at the following names and tell me if you really ever considered them 'leaders' in the first place :
George W Bush , L K Advani , Asif Ali Zardari , Vladimir Putin , Ahmadinejad etc.
Common thread 1 : our generation leaders
Common thread 2 : HOPELESS MEDIOCRES

However , they say 'Change is the only constant in life'. The US of A was lucky to discover and then elect this 'change' in Barack Obama. A story of an inspiring journey to the top with humble beginnings but lots of determination. A second-rate citizen, to be precise, for the America of the pre-Martin Luther King era assuming the top government office is nothing short of a social phenomenon. The Americans braced themselves up to embrace this change. They grabbed this opportunity with both hands and in one voice. The results are there to see for one and all. The man talks of peace and not war. He talks of sound economics and not mindless politics. He talks of nuclear disarmament and not nuclear warheads. He talks of an increasing role for the developing countries in the new world order and not of preserving the ineffective and stifled G-8 in the scheme of things. Not an armchair theoritician , Obama promises to act and fulfil his promises in his new role as the world's president.

Coming back home, we get to see a completely opposite scenario. Our elections see the emergence of more and more criminals, mass murderers, scamsters, frauds, swindlers occupying the treasury benches in Parliament. Have we really stopped caring?
Today, its upto us if we are willing to follow the example set by the people of America and elect leaders of the stature and promise of Obama in our own elections. It is only then will we be able to say that India, too, is READY FOR CHANGE...

IGNORANCE..

Subhashchandra Bose once said to his fellow Indians, "Tum mujhe khoon do, aur mein tumhe aazaadi doonga..."("You give me your blood and I'll give you freedom...") . These words came during the extremely difficult and do-or-die situations of our Freedom Struggle. That was a time when all of India came together and fought for its independence from the British Rule. It was the sheer grit and determination of the average Indian who came out in large numbers to achieve a common goal ; Independence.
Subhashji's words may seem out-of-context and gory- or even laughable - to the average Indian of today who doesn't even care to cast his vote during elections. He doesn't realize that he's lucky to belong to a country that holds democratic elections to parliament every 5 years unlike most of our neighbours where bullet prevails over the ballot. To feign ignorance in most aspects of nation building is the only despicable commonality I notice in our men today. To celebrate a mere 55-60% voter turnout is akin to celebrating apathy. For a country that boasts of 70% of its population belonging to people aged under 35, there is a lot left to achieve.
A humble start to purge ourselves off this ignorance is to ensure that we all vote and also catalyse our neighbourhood by encouraging all eligible voters to step forward and vote intelligently. As a popular ad running on TV keeps saying "This time, lets not vote FOR .. but VOTE AGAINST.... " - against our IGNORANCE.