2014...

Happy New Year....

Planning to get back on this page soon...

Warm Regards....

Another August 15th

Even on days like this, the national mood remains far from jubilant, for there is not much to smile about. The common man is greeted, rather bombarded with grim and gloomy news 24/7. The Prime Minister may choose to paint a rosy picture from the Red Fort, but we know better. One could almost feel sorry or Dr. Manmohan Singh as he kept hopping from ‘mile stones to milestones’ in his address to the nation. If someone is not aware that the general elections are round the corner, the PM’s speech would serve as a timely alert.

It is indeed sad that such days have been reduced to a mere ritual devoid of any real joy...

Happy Independence Day..

The great defence..

A.K.Antony has done it again... Over so many decades, this man has played with half truths, silence which is louder than words, innuendos and omissions. He is definitely the Mr. Clean of Indian politics. But in his current role, he is as ineffective as he has been as the Chief Minister of Kerala.

On the other hand, his party is at its worst phase ever, both in terms of mission and vision. The Government just isn’t functional.  Be it economics, defence, internal security, foreign affair, social welfare or any other aspect of this country, UPA has failed miserably.

God save us…..

Holi Heyyyyy…

Till recently, I was quite content to give a slip to all the festivals and celebrations. My life style allowed me to stay aloof on such occasions and at best I would update the blog, send some sms on those days. But now I am in a completely different situation. But now, all the festivals come to me, pushing me to the midst of colors, sounds, smiles and happiness. Yes, it is a joyful experience, one I wish will continue…

Happy Holi to all….

Thank you, TEAM INDIA…

For we have waited for decades.. We have been dreaming about this, the ultimate humiliation for the Aussies in the hands of our cricket team. In the second half of 90s, we were enthralled by the GOD, Tendulkar, when he gave night mares to the likes of Warne, McGrath, Gillespie etc. We cherish the times when Dada made the Aussies wait for the Indians in the field, when Dravid, Laxman and Bhajji vanquished them at the Eden Gardens. But every time we were routed down under, a billion hearts bled. Now Dhoni’s team has done the unthinkable by white washing the test series for Border-Gavaskar trophy.

Admittedly, this Australian team is the weakest I have ever seen. The pitches were Indian, as you should expect when you come here. The Delhi pitch was a nasty surprise for the batsmen. However, I enjoyed the rare sight of bowlers calling the shots on a cricket pitch, for a change.

Dhoni has put in place a good bunch of youngsters, so much so that we didn’t miss the belligerent Viru and elegant Gambhir. After a dismal start to 2013, Team India has come back on track….

The Three Idiots make India bleed..

The defense minister has today informed the Parliament that the attack on an Indian Army patrol in January, in which one soldier was beheaded, was carried out by Special Services Group of Pakistan Army along with terrorists affiliated to LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammad. Mr. Antony has also said that such ceasefire violations are approximately retaliated through return of fire/protested through established mechanism of hotlines, flag meetings and Director General of Military Operations Talks etc.I wonder what the country has gained through these ‘retaliations’.

In fact, there have been many recurring incidents involving the island neighbor Lanka, which makes one wonder how casual is the Indian government in dealing with grave challenges to the value of Indian citizen’s life.

The manner in which the Italian marines and the Italian government have hoodwinked the Indian government reminds me of the other famous Italian fraudster, Quattroci. The Congress party has allowed them to escape the law of the land.  The nation’s dignity continues to bleed as the ruling UPA, the Congress party and the trio of Sonia, Rahul and Manmohan keeps looking the other way.

On the other hand, as long as we have clowns as our political leaders, who vow to do anything needed to keep BJP out of power, the three Congress idiots need not worry….. 

It is not about the numbers, Mr.PM..

Dear PM, you should realize that the ordinary Indian does not care about your numbers any more. We know that some thing is amiss when:

·         Nasty surprises have greeted us while we go to the vegetable shop, for the last two years and more.

·         We have to shell out more at the petrol pump and are surprised there also, now on a monthly basis.

·         When rupee and our own miserable lives are the only commodities that have got cheaper in recent times.

·         When every time you announce some grand project or package, we can’t but wonder how many millions are pocketed by your colleagues, middle men and corporate fraudsters.

·         When the smaller countries like Myanmar, Bangladesh, Maldives and Srilanka are becoming increasingly hostile while your Government is clueless on the way ahead.

·         When Pakistan and China are engulfing the subcontinent even from the sea.

·         When clerics are to be consulted on anything and everything from censoring the movies to the veracity of NIA’s investigations.

·         When international rating agencies foresee further dip in growth and rank us higher on corruption and inefficiency scale.

·         When internal security is almost non-existent, especially for women.

·         When India is voiceless and powerless in global arena.

We are not interested in your absurd presentations, Manmohan Ji. We deserve better….

The tears that refused to flow for a decade!!!

I am amazed to see many reports/write-ups/opinions coming out voicing concern over the kind of trial that Afzal Guru received and also on his execution process. Without going into the merits and demerits of the arguments, I would only say that it is a bit late for these tears to flow, now that the terrorist is no more. India’s notoriously slow justice system ensures that the accused has more than enough time to present his case elaborately. In this case, the convict was on death row for such a ridiculously long time. Where were all these wise men till now?

Having said that, I would like to see the body of Afzal Guru handed over to his family. When New Delhi can hand over the body of Pakistani soldier with full state honor, why can’t we do it in this case (sans state honor, of course)?

Happy Valentine’s day..

Today has been one of the happiest days of my life. Can you guess why??

You got it wrong!!! It is not about romance or love, this Valentine’s Day. I am over the moon because my best friend has been blessed with a baby boy. It happened yesterday night and I saw the sms this morning. I am eager to see the baby and am planning a Chennai trip next week.

Here is, wishing everyone a delightful Valentine’s Day…

Afzal Guru Hanged…

The Indian Government has done the right thing by hanging Afzal Guru. This would send out right signal to those who are out to attack us. However, the government has to show more consistency and urgency while dealing with such threats which operate from both within and outside the country. It can not be seen as arbitrary and inert.

At the same time, the frequent instances of intolerance from various sections across the country and from the government seeking to control the freedom of expression are a worrying trend. Anyway, Afzal’s hanging was a long pending task. Better late than never…

The Government exclusively for the elite..

The Indian Government has once again made its priorities clear by giving its nod to the oil companies, granting them the permission to hike the diesel price up to 50ps per month. I am at a loss to express my feelings on this brazen disregard for the public welfare. We are supposed to be a socialist state which offers support to the weaker sections of the society. However, UPA government has time and again connived to rob the middle class and the poor of this nation, while giving perks to the corporate and the super rich. The only semblance of socialism on display is the caste and community based reservation which is a part and parcel of vote bank politics. The UPA government’s legacy could be chronicled as follows:

·         The inflation which has been rising for the last two years or more.

·         Corruption and scams which have broken all previous records.

·         Economic slowdown in production, services and even in agriculture.

·         Deteriorating national dignity owing to internal as well as external issues.

·         Lack of constructive public discourse aimed at yielding advancement of the nation’s capabilities.

The commendable works like National Rural Employment scheme, food policy and education policy are of no use when the common man is left poorer day by day.The nation badly needs a phase of creative and positive thinking. 

Kamal’s plight..

One can only sympathize with Kamal Hassan for what he is going through now. Viswaroopam still stays banned even after the poor actor agreed to delete some portions of the film which are deemed to be hurting the fragile sentiments of Muslim community. Now, this sham of ‘hurt sentiments’ has been a recurring issue in India over the past few years. Even the Vijay film Thuppakki was attacked by the same fragile minded community. And the government continues to be arbitrary to say the least. No wonder that India has dropped to 140th rank in press freedom, lowest since 2002

Just the other day I happened to watch some portions of a recent Telugu hit movie starring Naresh. It showed Yamadeva and Chitragupta enjoying imported liquor, goddesses dancing with the hero and more such thrash supposed to pass as comedy. Does our ‘secular’ government have any clarity on the criterion to deal with religious sentiments?

Then again, in ‘secular India’, Hindus are expected to have no sentiments at all..

Republic Day musings..

As we celebrate the 64^th Republic Day, the public mood is grim, to put it mildly. The ultimate optimist that I am, it is becoming increasingly difficult to remain positive. For quite a long time we have been greeted by news that ranged from disappointing to outrageous. The recurring scams, the inefficient and callous governance, politics devoid of morality and vision, economic crisis, ever rising inflation, an unscrupulous and uncivilized neighbor and the list could go on and on…

Add to this the week response from the state whenever it is called upon to take stern action. Now that the elections are on the horizon, we see the religious fundamentalists wielding more power. If every film has to be cleared by the mullas and imams, what is the need of a censor board in this country? Just because of the latest controversy over Viswaroopam, the government decided not to honor Kamalhaasan with a Padma award. How ridiculous!!

India is the land of festivals and celebrations. But we are really finding it hard to keep up the festive spirit….

What a ‘Chinta’ from an enlightend Shinde!!!

The Home Minister of India has played right into the hands of Pakistan with his irresponsible and outrageous remarks during the ‘Chintan shivir’. Accusing RSS and BJP of running ‘terror camps’ in the country marks a new low (or perhaps high) in minority appeasement. Shinde should know that he is the home minister of a great nation and not of a home called 10 Janpath. What the mandarins of the grand old party fail to realize is that such baseless statements are easily exposed in the new era of social networking and internet news gathering. They may keep trying their best to keep a section of the society uneducated and unskilled so that the ‘Family’ can keep thriving on misinformation. However, India is slowly but surely becoming smart enough to see through the total lack of efficiency and honesty which is the hallmark of Congress polity.

India – a soft target…

While Manmohan Singh has been described as the worst performing PM in independent India, A.K Antony is the most defenseless defense minister ever. All breed of terrorists, naxals, Maoists etc have been striking at will against the hapless aam  admi in India. Now, the Pakistan army has shown the audacity to cross the LOC and kill Indian javans, even beheading one. While the UPA jokers are busy arranging cricket matches and all sorts of diplomatic buffoonery, Pakistan is steadily building up its strategic strength with the support of China. The UPA government has failed on all fronts, a rarity for any government. Over the last decade, India has become increasingly sidelined in international arena. Gone are the days when India was seen as a global player. Now even the small neighbors like Myanmar are defying India time and again. China is swiftly establishing itself in the South Asia and even Indian Ocean as the primary player.

I wonder whether any Indian netajis have a clue about these. The opposition parties including the BJP are as myopic and ignorant as the UPA. How long can we keep echoing the ‘theek hai’ policy…

2013....

It has been a good start for the year, especially because I have been standing up for myself in the last few days. It is a new experience for me as I have always been content with playing the second fiddle. Combined with the famed Taurean patience, perseverance and clarity of thought, I hope this newfound love for my own priorities would stand me in good stead. Here is, hoping for a pivotal year….