The thirsty mallus...

The nation was anxiously watching the first phase of elections yesterday. We Keralites also had the opportunity to have our say on the future of this nation. But, for us it was also a long holiday from 9^th of April till the 16^th with only two working days in between on 13^th and 15^th. It was festival season.

 This has caused lot of hardships to common man. Personally, I got a taste of the same when we ran out of the cooking gas (Spic) on 15^th morning. The gas agency remained closed on 15^th and 16^th. I got the new cylinder delivered just 10 minutes ago. Since I was alone at home, I had food from outside. But the real challenge was the drinking water. There was no way to get the water boiled, and I had to buy the costly mineral water. I do feel that the Election Commission, the political parties and the other concerned authorities should keep in mind such factors while fixing election dates.

 While I was thirsty for the drinking water, many of my fellow mallus were thirsty for their daily liquor quota. There was a two day holiday for the liquor shops in the state and when the shops re-opened yesterday evening at 5 P: M, there were long queues at all the outlets, much longer than what we had at our polling booths. Through this long holiday, the state beverages corporation managed to do record business.

 The analysis of yesterday’s voting pattern throws up some interesting and disturbing prospects. The comments on the same will follow...

I voted..It feels good...

I voted in the parliament election today. I really feel good about doing so. Irrespective of whether my chosen candidate wins or not, it is the sense of having expressed my opinion that makes the moment so special and unique. Apart from that there are certain factors which I find to be of great interest.

 A polling booth is among the rarest of the government properties where you are not challenged by corrupt and inefficient officials. Here the official cannot ask you to come after one hour, you don’t have to wait for the officials to decide whether they would like to serve you or not, a place where nobody can deny your rights and dignity. It is a place where people actually treat you with respect and eagerness, traits which are so very rare in other government establishments. You don’t have to wait until all sorts of quotas and reservations are doled out, and you are given what is left over. Sadly, there are places where the polling may be rigged or malpractices are rampant. To deny a citizen the right to vote is the worst possible crime in a democracy.

 Really, I felt like a true honourable citizen of this great nation when I was in the polling booth. This would certainly be reason enough for me to exercise my franchise at every available opportunity.

 

The beauty and the beast..

Indian is in the midst of its biggest festival, the General Elections. Two incidents in the last two days have once again demonstrated the intricacies of the world’s largest democracy .They revealed two entirely different facets of the phenomena called the Indian democracy.

 The protests led by the Sikh people against Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar have forced Congress party to deny tickets to them. On one hand, this is a reminder of the power vested in the hands of the common man in a democracy. But the fact that it took such mass protests for the grand old party to rethink its decision demonstrates the sorry state of affairs in this nation. All political parties take people for granted and never seem to learn from their mistakes.

 The people have always exerted their will when they get their opportunity. There are many such examples in the history of modern India, including the severe defeat meted out to the all-powerful Indira Gandhi in 1977 elections. We may express apolitical views and may harp on the corruption and disgusting standards of contemporary politics, but we are capable of taking crucial decision inside the polling booth.

 The second incident is the irresponsible and totally deplorable statements made by MDMK’s Vaiko with respect to the Sri Lankan Tamil problem. He has the audacity to warn the nation that there will be bloodshed if India does not intervene on behalf of the Tamil people and the LTTE in the Sri Lanka. He is also advocating a separate Tamil nation. I regard these statements as treason and of serious consequences to the nation.

 Where are the holy saviours of Indian nationhood and secularism? They had made such a hue and cry about Vaun Gandhi’s statements. Relatively, the response to Vaiko has been muted and far less effective. I must say that our media has got its priorities completely wrong. While the EC has adopted the position that Vaiko’s statements are a law and order problem which is outside its mandate, it is up to the Governments at the centre and TN to take effective action against Vaiko. As for the elite media, I would only say that their standards leave much to be desired.

 The beauty lies in the will power of the people and the beast lies in the minds of the soulless leaders. As I had said in an earlier post, I am still happy and fortunate to be la part of this democratic country.

Is shoe mightier than a pen?

Jarnail Singh’s act of throwing a shoe at the Union Home Minister P.Chidambaram has evoked strong feelings among many of us. It is true that there is a feeling of deep hurt among the Sikh community. Even after 25 years, the community is still waiting for justice. The woefully tedious judicial process in this country often leaves the common man frustrated and helpless. But since Jarnail Singh was attending the press conference in his capacity as a journalist of one of the leading dailies, I think he should have restrained himself.

 Such incidents will only help the politicians of this country to impose restrictions on the free media. 

Dhoni’s men conquer the Kiwis.......

The much awaited series win for the Indian cricket team in New Zealand has once again made the nation proud. We would have liked to win the last test match also. Dhoni’s men are well in their way to become the best side in the world. The only weakness is the lack of a consistent 4^th bowler.

 There have been numerous delightful performances by the Indians in this series. Dravid, Laxman, Sachin, Sewag, Dhoni, Bhajjie, Zaheer, Ishant have all performed very well. The man of the series, Gautam Gambhir would cherish the memories of this tour for a long time, as would the fans.

 I hope the Indian players would play well in the forthcoming IPL. Playing in South Africa would be a good experience for the upcoming players from India.

 

Time for the Asian countries to forge an alliance??

The situation in many parts of Asia, especially in the subcontinent, is highly volatile. While India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Srilanka are all under increasing stress to counter the rising tide of extremist and terrorist organizations, the scenario in Afghanistan remains as chaotic as ever. The Non-Alignment Movement has lost its relevance with the end of the cold war and the SAARC has increasingly become more and more outdated in the last two decades.

 The carnage in Pakistan is showing no signs of respite. After aiding and abetting terrorists acting against India for more than two decades, Pakistan finds itself at the receiving end. It would be foolish to assume that the forces led by the US will have any greater success in Afghanistan and Pakistan than it had in Iraq, especially since the western powers have never succeeded in winning the trust of the common man in these parts of the world. It is in this scenario that the need to have a military and strategic alliance of the Asian countries becomes evident.

 

The alliance should have shared resources and could be modelled on the NATO. If Russia, China, India, Japan, Pakistan, Srilanka, Bangladesh and other Asian powers could unite in the fight against terrorism, the results could be much better. India could take the lead in forging such an alliance. We have been waiting for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council for such a long time. On the other hand, in spite of being the driving force behind the formation of NAM and SAARC,  India has not made any efforts to keep the these multilateral bodies relevant and effective. Successive governments have been more interested in aligning with the western powers led by the USA. While it is imperative to have the western bloc on our side, I strongly believe the current trends amply demonstrate the need for the Asian countries to take the initiative.

 Sooner or later, the US will have to find an excuse to decrease its involvement in Afghanistan and Pakistan. When it does so, it will trigger an even greater disorder as is happening in Iraq now. The presence of a pan Asian alliance, which has the mandate of the common man and the backing of all the interested parties, could make a huge difference. 

Stale journalism...

Yea...It takes a lot for an eternal optimist like me to get disappointed. As a person who is very much interested in the political arena, I have been looking forward to the upcoming general elections with just the same greed and lust as I look forward to parties and feasts on festive occasions (I love good food as well). I feel let down by the media.

 What have the media come up with so far?

 

·         The never ending debate (which in India is more of a shout contest) on the ever ambiguous issue of ‘secularism’.

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 The blanks are yet to be filled. It is a shame that our media does not have the courage and the vision to focus on anything other than the usual provocative fare. Sadly, this suits the politicians well. In this age of recession and depression, I had looked forward to some meaningful and productive debate on the economic front. The inflation, both positive and negative, could have sparked off a juicy conversation. Issues like unemployment, poverty, falling standards of public health and education, infrastructure or the lack of it etc.

 In the era of 24/7 journalism, issues that have shock value and scope for heated, spirited and fruitless arguments are the ones that get highlighted. The current discourse on the news channels are as unproductive as the manifestos of some of our political parties..