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To put things in perspective, let me set some context. I was deputed by my company to work in Zurich, which is where I`ve been for the last year or so. And from here, have been commenting about the Indian elections, the corruption etc. Now, with my work done, am returning back to India.
For the last year have been fighting with friends and colleagues about how India is improving, and how they should stop comparing India with a country (Switzerland) which has had independence for a long time, which is very very small and hence easy to manage. Have been vehemently stating to them that there will be progress soon. Over the past few months, and especially since 26/11, the idea of doing something on the political canvas of India has taken roots in my mind and flourished. This has brought along hours of discussions about the political situation in India, the need to improve it, fight corruption and so on and so forth. Discussions lasting hours, giving me a sense of satisfaction, a false sense I must say, about my contribution to India´s cause. (Don´t tell me hours of discussions ending in either.."kuch nahi ho sakta" or..."dheeray dheeray hum age badhenge", haven´t at some point of time in your life, made you feel happy about your intellectual contribution to the Indian society).

I am back and as I get settled again in the fast pace merciless life, the question that comes to my mind everyday is "whether i will be able to deliver on all those promises that I made to myself ?". I've been rigoursly following traffic rules since coming back, but just the other day, I noticed that I was honking the horn a bit too often (again !! just like the same old days :( ).

Since coming back, have been talking to my parents almost every other day about doing something for school going kids or war widows (now that i have something in my piggy bank), about the disparity of income.. and just today my Mom shot back saying "put your words in action, start with something".

I am sure there are a many out there who've been in this situation. Its a part of the Indian fabric..we speak speak and speak.. and when it is time to do something.. there is always something holding us back!! ..A new house or car maybe, education etc etc...

I hope that I find some courage and do something meaningful. I hope that my words arent merely waves for empty walls to withstand. Mom's words have come just at the right time. I hope I can deliver on my words, I hope I can live my dream.

Spin Doctors, Bluffs and blindfolds

The elections are here!! The largest but definitely NOT the smartest democracy in the world is voting.
With the elections heating up you will see the spin doctors going out of there way to create a hype around their candidates/parties. These are generally people with great writing skills, and an ability to turn facts on their head with a few words.
There are the intelligent sounding men like Sudheendra Kulkarni calling 'Advani' a karma yogi. Let me remind him that a Karma yogi doesn't think about the fruits, just does his job which in this case is service for the nation. Sudheendra's blog on one of the election famous blog sites makes 'Advani' look like a battle hardened, selfless soldier. PLEASE !!! The man is 82, if he wins elections he may die of heart attack due to happiness.
Then there is Kancha Ilaiah who advocates Mayavati as if she were the goddess durga, as if she were a saint. Its ludicrous. The woman is a criminal. She ought to be behind bars for heaven's sake.
Of course, some politicians can't find anyone to do that talking for them and hence decide to do it themselves. There is YSR, Prakash Karat, Deve Gowda, all making outright ridiculous claims. Deve Gowda calling himself the 'son of the soil'. Sleepy, drowsy son I would say. Prakash Karat babbles about the third alternative. Ask him about Nandigram and he plays dead like a drunken dodo. Sitiaram Yechury, has an amazing ability to yell through his blogs. Ha Ha!!
Mr Ashutosh, actually has the guts (or maybe is dumb enough) to go on and say 'Lalu gave credibility to the constitution'. All I can say to this is that we seriously need to check Ashutosh's credential's as a journalist, political analyst and blogger and a sane person.
And finally comes my favorite. Mr Sanjay Jha. It may sound harsh, but he is like a dog stationed outside the Gandhi's house. If he were to decide the elections the congress would get 550 out of 542 seats. be careful before you read his blogs. You may die of excessive laughter. In fact, these days, when I am a bit sad, I check his blog and I feel refreshed. Its like a 'farce' movie script. It is full of crap. And goes on to talk about J Nehru's (Nothing bout Indo-China)great secularism, Indira the great leader (the dictator!!, god bless us she is no more), Rajiv the innocent victim (no mention of ehm.. Bofors!!)
Now comes the sad part though. Although the working class of India won't buy this bullshit, the fact is most of the India is still not aware of the true picture. The spin doctors paint such an amazing picture, that the masses flow along and with hopes of a bright future for them and their children they vote for these selfish bigots.
These are but a few bluff masters taking advantage of the ignorant masses, blind folding them with dreams and hope never to be fulfilled. And some of these are themselves blindfolded. Its not that all of them have corrupt mindsets, but its more an issue of muddled ideologies and mindsets. Some of these bluff masters really do believe in their cause.
This is where we need to pitch in, we need to educate the masses. By educate I mean we need to tell them why it would be incorrect to vote for XYZ politicians. In a lot of constituencies people are so blinded by the politicians that without a presentation of facts (and in some cases even with such facts) it would be impossible to convince them about the corrupt nature of their beloved politician. But the effort is necessary. Through blogs, word of mouth, articles, debates.
I know a lot of us feel that 'Janata ki takat', 'Awam ki awaz' are 'filmy' words. But lets face it. This is the power we have and this is the power we are going to have to make use of. So it is necessary that we use this power. Voting, is an incredibly powerful right. What we need to do is exercise that right with might, and make sure that others do so too.

Testing times

    It was 2007. India was shining on the economic front and shine well it did. The markets soared. Profits were up. Things were looking great. At times; there was talk of India being the new super power. 

    But as it often does, reality bit hard, as 2008 brought with it something close to the 'great economic depression'. Its effects will be felt now; now in 2009. 

    And then there was 26/11. Its become something of a fad to name these brutal days as 7/7, 26/11 so on and so forth. The brutal attacks on our motherland exposed some harsh realities. Our security infrastructure is lackluster. We are not prepared to deal with terrorism. These facts tell the story. India has a single base of its elite NSG at Manesar. The NSG's did not have a craft of their own to get to the situation. When they got to Mumbai after an enormous delay, they travelled to the hostile regions in BEST buses. What does this tell you. A severe lack of basic security infrastructure. Something a 'liberal' country cannot afford these days. Lets face it, terrorism is for real.

   To shore up things the defense budget was increased, a new federal investigation agency was setup and extra NSG base creation was taken up. But until these things are completely implemented and running nothing is for certain.

   Then came another slap in the face. It was a great movie, and take nothing away from Danny Boyle, he did not show India in bad light. He depicted the slums and the high rises. And the movie did India proud what with Resul and Rehman picking up Oscars. But with its glory it also exposed the scam that is the 2nd fastest growing economy in the world. What good is such growth if there are people struggling for basic needs.    

   Our basic infrastructure, pertaining to water supply, housing, health care, electricity supply, public transport etc. remains horribly inadequate even in major cities. A country with hundreds of flowing rivers is seeing its farmers die due to lack of irrigation year after year, so much so that we the middle class have gotten used to it. Slums, although being celebrated these days, are growing and are a breeding ground for numerous diseases. 

   Corruption!! That is something which is fast becoming a part of our culture. Of course its not the police or the politicians that are to take the blame alone. We are part of and as much responsible for this corrupt system as anyone else. All you have to do is observe the traffic at a busy square for a few minutes and you will see our contribution to corruption.

   If you get the feeling that I am trying to merely bash the current central government, well that is not so. We have had two governments running the show for 5 years now. I am not going to hyper emotional and say that nothing was achieved in these terms, but a lot more could have been achieved.

   These are but a few social evils that plague our society today. There is more information to share and more sectors to touch upon. Now, don't get all worked up reading thus far and call me a pessimist. I totally agree that we have come far. We have done well in some sectors. India's recent performance in the Olympics was something to cheer about. And there are signs that in some areas we are moving in the right direction. 

  Why I am bringing these issues up now; is because India goes to elections during April-May 2009. The Indian Lok Sabha Elections. Something that has become bit of a mockery in recent times. I know there are quite a few of you out there who are planning on not voting this time around. In India, we have had the tradition of voting for a party and not the candidate. But seeing the hung parliaments of the last few times we can safely say that it would not be a big harm to reconsider this habit. 

  Its only March 1st. And there is ample time. Find out about the candidates in your region. Things like his/her educational qualification, agenda for development in the region: things like "What are the plans for development of roads, water supply etc". Check if this person has some cases pending against his/her name, if yes do not vote for such a person. Do not vote for anyone above 75 years of age. Such a person does not represent the aspirations of a young country and neither is healthy enough to govern. Do not vote for anyone who has been creating communal disharmony. Do not vote for anyone who hasn't proven his/her political metal and has not done any actual service for the nation. 

    I will be putting up more information about how to actually go about finding out the background of the candidates in one's constituency as soon as I can do so. 

  Most important though, do exercise your right to vote. Your vote is crucial for two reasons, it may reduce the chances of bogus voting and more importantly you may help the right person to come to power in your constituency. 

    These are testing times for our young nation. These are critical elections. Getting the right people to power is in our hands, please please and i reiterate; i implore; please exercise your right to vote.

Thanks. Signing off for the day.