When the Mumbai Police, ATS and the govt were busy politicising Malegaon blast case. When the Defence Minister forgot to buck up the coastal security goof-ups. And also when the terror attacks have stopped becoming a big-deal in India – until three days back.
Now, it’s a big deal, as shamelessly asked by the Congress Spokesperson – “where was the media fraternity when North-east and the J&K was burning?” Well, North-east and J&K have not stopped burning, and answer to the media bit is – it chases TRPs, even at the cost of morality. If media didn’t chase TRPs, it won’t have gone bonkers with Bigg Boss, at least the most recent event that I can remember - the TV show that turned a underworld don’s wife into a star. Media routinely entertained people with Monica and Abu Salem's forgotten love-affair. Abu Salem is the man who once set Mumbai on fire, Monica Bedi is his ex-wife, his partner in crime(s) and now seeking our forgiveness! The show that hooked millions of Indians, to celebrate and vote for a wife beater and druggist Rahul Mahajan. Here, we are setting example of creating heroes out of criminals... democracy prevails alongside hypocrisies.
The answer to Congress Spokesperson’s shameless comment leads to another comment – Our politicians have lost it all. Leaders like Raj Thackeray who wakes up at a sneeze of a North Indian, watched his Mumbai being saved by ‘Indian’ commandos. With due respect, both the commandos who laid down their lives for the defence of Mumbai were not Marathis.
But until three days back terror strikes were not a big deal, because it was affecting J&K, North-east, common people, common places, trains, busses and not places that can make India answerable to the global community. In less than 50 hours, multi-national teams have formed to investigate the terror attack, PM Manmohan directed the ISI chief from Pak to report at New Delhi, Prez-elect Obama assured a full-support to combat terrorism. Perhaps, India won't have seen anymore terror attack after December 13, 2003 had that been a successful one.
In the recent Mumbai attacks, NSG commandos took 12 hours to get down on action. When the Maharastra CM called our 'Home' Minister in Delhi who was by all means was sleeping at 'Home', we were late by 3 hours. The 200 NGS men reached Delhi airport only to realise that IL-76 (the aircraft) was not there. It was brought in from Chandigarh, refuelled, took off and touched down Mumbai. Finally? Not yet, commandos then had to wait for buses to bring them to places of attacks, unfortunately those were BEST buses - unlike politicians with luxury coaches and politicians who added more to the havoc. Was there any need of PM and Sonia to be in Mumbai after the attacks? The security taken by them could have saved a few more lives.
The combined Indian forces did a thankless job in the end, they were taken back by the same BEST buses, again unlike politicians, rescued guests in the hotels and of course all that was after 70 hrs of intense gunbattle, sleepless nights, fighting well-trained, Pak-sponsored Islamist terrorist...
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
The Change
Someone said it’s a ‘Bible’ that ‘every adult should read before they die.’ I have read it… much before death was in my mind! And reading it again, to celebrate Obama’s victory from a country, where talking against “Quota” can brand one a “Racist”. I’m reading “To kill a Mockingbird”.
That’s a charisma, that’s Obama who outsmarted a former First Lady first and then a Vietnam War prisoner… even more when he stole the once reliably red state – a state with 19% whites and less than 1% African American, also a state famously known for two major battles of American civil war – battles of Bull Run. Virginia voted Democratic assuring the Black man in the White House!
On his victory speech, he says ‘Tonight is the answer for those who still question the power of our democracy.’ He did it, despite the middle name that trembles many of us - Barack Hussein Obama.
We, the stalwart of democracy, trying to understand the 44th President-elect who just scripted a history - a history of real democracy. In our democracy, when Field Marshall Manekshaw died, not just Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air staffs but also the President, Prime Minister, Vice President and the Defence Minister have failed to make their physical presence. The man, who recently scripted history, also remains only American public figure of note to have condoled the death of the Field Marshal in early July this year.
When this man is all set to enter the power house at 1,600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington DC… his wife is concerned about their daughters’ next school, quite unlike our democracy where education is becoming more expensive for the masses and a cakewalk for leaders’ kith and kin. Like Nehrus-turned-Gandhis enjoyed India’s prestigious St. Stephen’s college without fulfilling even the minimum criteria to enter there.
Prime-Minister hopeful Mayawati won’t miss the opportunity to play her card – to draw an example between the African American Obama victory and need of a Dalit PM in India. I still remember a much heated face-off between a Dalit leader and an ‘upper caste’ well-known journalist in Ramjas College in 2003, where the journalist polietly asked, why do Dalit leaders ‘galvanise’ Dalits against Hinduism… where Hinduism has nothing to do with being ‘untouchables’.
The man who brought ‘change’ to America, the first black man to rule the White House didn’t play a race card. Not against the Evangelist McCain, not by carrying a Hanuman idol as his lucky mascot – but just by asking “if our children should live to see the next century, what change will they see?” Perhaps, the only thing Dalit Devi Mayawati or others would forget to play in their next race is ‘the change’ – of seeking for popular sympathy on pretext of being ‘less privilege’. ‘The change’ that I read in an OPED quoting the comedian DL Hughley “To all the kids here, you need not grow up only to be a rapper or a basketball player. After today, you can also grow to be the most powerful man in the world.”
While the son of a black father from Kenya and a white mum from Kansas with the middle name Hussein takes charge of world’s most powerful country; the 62-year-old democracy, India sees its countrymen killing each other… for being North Indians, Dravidians or Aryans!
That’s a charisma, that’s Obama who outsmarted a former First Lady first and then a Vietnam War prisoner… even more when he stole the once reliably red state – a state with 19% whites and less than 1% African American, also a state famously known for two major battles of American civil war – battles of Bull Run. Virginia voted Democratic assuring the Black man in the White House!
On his victory speech, he says ‘Tonight is the answer for those who still question the power of our democracy.’ He did it, despite the middle name that trembles many of us - Barack Hussein Obama.
We, the stalwart of democracy, trying to understand the 44th President-elect who just scripted a history - a history of real democracy. In our democracy, when Field Marshall Manekshaw died, not just Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air staffs but also the President, Prime Minister, Vice President and the Defence Minister have failed to make their physical presence. The man, who recently scripted history, also remains only American public figure of note to have condoled the death of the Field Marshal in early July this year.
When this man is all set to enter the power house at 1,600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington DC… his wife is concerned about their daughters’ next school, quite unlike our democracy where education is becoming more expensive for the masses and a cakewalk for leaders’ kith and kin. Like Nehrus-turned-Gandhis enjoyed India’s prestigious St. Stephen’s college without fulfilling even the minimum criteria to enter there.
Prime-Minister hopeful Mayawati won’t miss the opportunity to play her card – to draw an example between the African American Obama victory and need of a Dalit PM in India. I still remember a much heated face-off between a Dalit leader and an ‘upper caste’ well-known journalist in Ramjas College in 2003, where the journalist polietly asked, why do Dalit leaders ‘galvanise’ Dalits against Hinduism… where Hinduism has nothing to do with being ‘untouchables’.
The man who brought ‘change’ to America, the first black man to rule the White House didn’t play a race card. Not against the Evangelist McCain, not by carrying a Hanuman idol as his lucky mascot – but just by asking “if our children should live to see the next century, what change will they see?” Perhaps, the only thing Dalit Devi Mayawati or others would forget to play in their next race is ‘the change’ – of seeking for popular sympathy on pretext of being ‘less privilege’. ‘The change’ that I read in an OPED quoting the comedian DL Hughley “To all the kids here, you need not grow up only to be a rapper or a basketball player. After today, you can also grow to be the most powerful man in the world.”
While the son of a black father from Kenya and a white mum from Kansas with the middle name Hussein takes charge of world’s most powerful country; the 62-year-old democracy, India sees its countrymen killing each other… for being North Indians, Dravidians or Aryans!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
80 kg RDX, 250+ deaths and homegrown terror connections are not enough...
To grab space in any of the national dailies in India. “If this was somewhere else… this would have been quite a news,” says a commercial media worker like me. Yes, last Thursday’s serial blasts in Assam – one of those north-eastern states of India, which fails to stand in the fray of news in less than a week.
The fight against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants is on for the last 30 years in Assam. Now, it’s no more a fight. Politicians, researchers, NGOs have learnt to ‘cash-in’ around it, common people find paisa vasool human labour in them and Bihari leader Ram Vilas Paswan has a say in how Assam govt should behave with Bangladeshi immigrats – ‘must be handled with compassion,’ opines the Bihari leader and obeys the Assamese administration.
The cumulative figure of Bangladeshi arrivals since 1972—most who come never go back—is a whopping 12 lakh. An unofficial figure reports at least 24,000 Bangladeshis have been infiltrating to Assam every year. When Bihar was massively flooded this summer, we heard of International water sharing policies with neighbouring states. In the last 30 years, such policies remained research topics for Assam as well as north-east.
The ‘revolutionary political organisation’ ULFA that seeks to establish a sovereign Assam allegedly helped Bangadeshi militants to kill their ‘loved’ fellow assamese. For, they have already found their safety in their new homes in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Thailand or in Switzerland... they can see their 'dream country and its countrymen' being burnt in the hands of their counterparts. Our leaders can peacefully sleep not only because
Bihari leaders do the 'thinking' for them but also because we're taxed enough for their safety.
That's why don't wonder why it becomes a mass-nameless-death when we die, why no one cares when we die, why media don't find it sexy to cover our death stories. It's simple, we are a lost identity... our govt listens to Bihari leaders and our self-claimed ‘savious’ turn hostile; join hands with our killers.
The fight against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants is on for the last 30 years in Assam. Now, it’s no more a fight. Politicians, researchers, NGOs have learnt to ‘cash-in’ around it, common people find paisa vasool human labour in them and Bihari leader Ram Vilas Paswan has a say in how Assam govt should behave with Bangladeshi immigrats – ‘must be handled with compassion,’ opines the Bihari leader and obeys the Assamese administration.
The cumulative figure of Bangladeshi arrivals since 1972—most who come never go back—is a whopping 12 lakh. An unofficial figure reports at least 24,000 Bangladeshis have been infiltrating to Assam every year. When Bihar was massively flooded this summer, we heard of International water sharing policies with neighbouring states. In the last 30 years, such policies remained research topics for Assam as well as north-east.
The ‘revolutionary political organisation’ ULFA that seeks to establish a sovereign Assam allegedly helped Bangadeshi militants to kill their ‘loved’ fellow assamese. For, they have already found their safety in their new homes in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Thailand or in Switzerland... they can see their 'dream country and its countrymen' being burnt in the hands of their counterparts. Our leaders can peacefully sleep not only because
Bihari leaders do the 'thinking' for them but also because we're taxed enough for their safety.
That's why don't wonder why it becomes a mass-nameless-death when we die, why no one cares when we die, why media don't find it sexy to cover our death stories. It's simple, we are a lost identity... our govt listens to Bihari leaders and our self-claimed ‘savious’ turn hostile; join hands with our killers.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Justify
Nothing that I can justify to myself - at least not love!
When I try to wash my hands off, to throw my dirt to the sky...
It looks back; laughs at me! Am I fake, am I a selfish?
Who could lie to the sky? I guess, I am fake, I am selfish
The mirror screams at me... yeah that's the ugly me
Ugly, for it being controlled by the time
for its wish to hold back the time and sometimes bring back the time
That's the mindless me? Could anyone play with time?
There's a restlessness - to revert the past, to rush to the future
They mock, the angels... it seems no mercy for me. No reason to smile
The past is to remorse and the future is to end soon
Alas! I still can't justify...theirs' and mine; acts and destinies
For, that's been a selfish me, that's been a ugly me
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Am I a classic…?
To be asked to live only by the history and not happiness? Or a classic case to be ignorant about history? Do I only feel that the entire world is my enemy, or I choose to ignore those who tell me, “don’t meet people who always have taunted you; in public or in person, they can’t ever match upto you.” Yet, I make an effort to drop by on a lovely Sunday evening – for the sake of old friendships!
Am I a classic...?
Who lived by an assumption that I have a-friends-only-world to fall back on, so much so that my folks often complaints…. Like early this year my sister cried over the phone, “why don’t we get to know anything, why don’t you find comfort in us, how long do you want to live by friends ONLY and etc?”
Am I a classic…?
Who gets insulted by people I have met rarely a couple of times, only to say ‘hi&bye’, don’t even feel they are worth being acquaintances. Is it only I who feel the dearth of words like decency, etiquettes, manners, humanity etc?
They are a bunch of people with foul mouths, shallow success and fake personalities with a few international trips have done them bad to worse. Being nasty is not their only forte; they can hopelessly malign anyone… A compilation of various opinions on those who sometimes make me feel how dirty is the world.
But then, am I a classic case…
To make attempts to maintain my friendships with those whom I have known for years?
To be hopelessly optimistic with people who are certified as ‘filths’.
To be quiet when they made a mockery of my heart and soul, of my work, of my madness, my attitude, my opinion, my political stands and nothing as painful as LIFE.
Am I the unluckiest one to be begging here: “Haven’t we all made mistakes? Then why only I get to hear it – day and day out, and more?”
Am I a classic...?
Who lived by an assumption that I have a-friends-only-world to fall back on, so much so that my folks often complaints…. Like early this year my sister cried over the phone, “why don’t we get to know anything, why don’t you find comfort in us, how long do you want to live by friends ONLY and etc?”
Am I a classic…?
Who gets insulted by people I have met rarely a couple of times, only to say ‘hi&bye’, don’t even feel they are worth being acquaintances. Is it only I who feel the dearth of words like decency, etiquettes, manners, humanity etc?
They are a bunch of people with foul mouths, shallow success and fake personalities with a few international trips have done them bad to worse. Being nasty is not their only forte; they can hopelessly malign anyone… A compilation of various opinions on those who sometimes make me feel how dirty is the world.
But then, am I a classic case…
To make attempts to maintain my friendships with those whom I have known for years?
To be hopelessly optimistic with people who are certified as ‘filths’.
To be quiet when they made a mockery of my heart and soul, of my work, of my madness, my attitude, my opinion, my political stands and nothing as painful as LIFE.
Am I the unluckiest one to be begging here: “Haven’t we all made mistakes? Then why only I get to hear it – day and day out, and more?”
Saturday, October 25, 2008
The graceful me?
No thanks! I would remain disgraceful if it requires me ‘do’ a Rekha, Hema Malini, Aishwarya Rai or Shilpa Shetty etc. Rekha for her bewitching beauty, Hema and Shilpa for breaking their beaus’ previous marriages. In general, it’s like a dwarf trying to touch the moon or me trying to ‘do’ a celeb - same thing!
I would rather ‘do’ a Sushmita, Bipasha or Nandita – again, not their beauties. May be a bit of Sushmita’s class, Bipasha’s confidence and Nandita’s intelligence.
There must be a politics behind one’s ‘grace’… a politics of cynicism? I keep referring to my J-school in almost all my postings, because that was also a place where I lived life to a fullest… for; its royale treatment once you stepped out of the class, not having to see any relative, meeting sweetest friends (and bitter ones who taught lesson for a life-time) and of course for ‘missing-and-catching-that-call’. But that was also a place where I had experienced the cynicism of those believed in an ‘uneven society’ – a strange unevenness that only acknowledged either fair skin or those with a defence background. (It’s a strong statement and I don’t want to lose my dearest friend, you know what I mean.). The cynicism grew, to a level that I had lost my interest in journalism… I had almost packed my bags. Later, the passion withstood cynicism.
I’d spent my early Delhi days as a compulsive-repulsive and last few days in Bangalore as a racist. In my 2nd innings in Delhi, I am also accused of practising communalism under the façade of rational secularism. But I have substantiated all my avatars with facts, reality and my own experiences. On the Dashera Day, I requested my colleagues to maintain Ravana as Ravana and not as Ravan… like Ram Setu gets an ‘H’ added on when I am on shift, to maintain the dignity of their places of origin.
Genealogy makes a difference? I can’t examine, I am no expert… But I strongly maintain my view on caste defining one's characteristics. I wonder why Sarah Palin’s case is different - a woman who could advocate to bear rapists’ child and yet being Princess Diana’s distant cousin. Beauty certainly, brains? Perhaps too much of hockey makes blueblood turn into black!
There are other differences. I have known people who turned down even a god for its North Indian looks. I have known people who defined ‘grace of a woman from her place of birth’. I have known people who restricted ‘ayurveda’ to a specific region.
I have not known anyone who didn't celebrate Booker winning Chennai born writer's ‘The White Tiger’ – the book that portrayed a dark side of North India; does corruption exist only in North India? As much as we celebrated the beauty of a down south Indian state, Kerala in "God of the small thing".
I would rather ‘do’ a Sushmita, Bipasha or Nandita – again, not their beauties. May be a bit of Sushmita’s class, Bipasha’s confidence and Nandita’s intelligence.
There must be a politics behind one’s ‘grace’… a politics of cynicism? I keep referring to my J-school in almost all my postings, because that was also a place where I lived life to a fullest… for; its royale treatment once you stepped out of the class, not having to see any relative, meeting sweetest friends (and bitter ones who taught lesson for a life-time) and of course for ‘missing-and-catching-that-call’. But that was also a place where I had experienced the cynicism of those believed in an ‘uneven society’ – a strange unevenness that only acknowledged either fair skin or those with a defence background. (It’s a strong statement and I don’t want to lose my dearest friend, you know what I mean.). The cynicism grew, to a level that I had lost my interest in journalism… I had almost packed my bags. Later, the passion withstood cynicism.
I’d spent my early Delhi days as a compulsive-repulsive and last few days in Bangalore as a racist. In my 2nd innings in Delhi, I am also accused of practising communalism under the façade of rational secularism. But I have substantiated all my avatars with facts, reality and my own experiences. On the Dashera Day, I requested my colleagues to maintain Ravana as Ravana and not as Ravan… like Ram Setu gets an ‘H’ added on when I am on shift, to maintain the dignity of their places of origin.
Genealogy makes a difference? I can’t examine, I am no expert… But I strongly maintain my view on caste defining one's characteristics. I wonder why Sarah Palin’s case is different - a woman who could advocate to bear rapists’ child and yet being Princess Diana’s distant cousin. Beauty certainly, brains? Perhaps too much of hockey makes blueblood turn into black!
There are other differences. I have known people who turned down even a god for its North Indian looks. I have known people who defined ‘grace of a woman from her place of birth’. I have known people who restricted ‘ayurveda’ to a specific region.
I have not known anyone who didn't celebrate Booker winning Chennai born writer's ‘The White Tiger’ – the book that portrayed a dark side of North India; does corruption exist only in North India? As much as we celebrated the beauty of a down south Indian state, Kerala in "God of the small thing".
Personalise profit, socialise loss!
‘USSR is a place where no one had money’ is how I concluded communist economy as a kid, though the concept of kids have been changing world wide;-) I was as young as 8 then. It was also one of those years when India only dreamt of becoming a world power soon – post ’91, after a few economists held up the magic wands – in this context, magic words, such as globalisation, liberalisation and free trade etc.
Ours is even stranger, communist govt gets Tatas to set its people’s car plant in West Bengal, old Congress (Capitalist) loyalist drives Tatas back – the yet-to-born car got its home in Gujarat. They say, it’s way she’s making communist rulers taste the bitterness of their own medicine – once patented, now popular!
Yesterday, after the market bloodbath where the BSE Sensex crashed below 9K level, I headed straight to a panel discussion – to hear what they have to say. One of the panelists was the advisor to the finance minister.
I don’t understand much about market, my understandings of business journalism remained poor, despite my current craze for it. I find it easier to deal with spicy stories related Sensex than the facts & figures of Dalal St. Stories like hubby seeking divorce as wife loses 30L in market downturn excite me more.
Getting back to last evening’s panel discussion, where all the panelists echoed each other on Indian mass media being “clueless” about everything and follows each others’ competitors. It sounded as if Indian media created the havoc or could have stopped it. We don’t think so.
To go a li’l off-track and why Indian mass media still a world class, I must add an example. We have a few interns joined us a few days back from the Columbia School of Journalism and assigned to cover the Lakme Fashion Week. My collogue who supervises them had commented ‘assholes’, ‘they don’t know who Tarun Tahliani is, and here to cover fashion!’
In India, we know who Paul Krugman is. I’m not trying to compare the two, and even if I did… what’s wrong? At my tiny J-school, ‘Watergate scandal’ was taught as the first lesson. Is the media wrong in carrying Finance Minister's statement saying: ‘RBI will act swiftly when needed’. Or my naïve understanding says… RBI might be following the crowd – what China or Korea is doing with their real rates. Even as famous economist argues, “we are a strange economy; we follow the success tactics of all the countries and land no-where”
India booming stories are still doing the rounds… But the mighty DLF residents get to see a large slum across the road in Gurgaon, as one of examples of booming-dooming ratio. Amidst the global crisis, banks refuse to give home-loans to the commoners but the other day a paan masala king bought a car for Rs 2 cr to gift his daughter on her B’day. Did I hear someone saying, a perfect example of “personalise profit and socialise loss”?
While the RBI and the govt is going ga ga over its latest move on rate cut, surely the giant companies would incur huge credits from the international markets. At the bottom husbands will continue seeking divorce, or the wives – as and when they suffer from the high real cost of credits. So when FM's financial advisor suggests us to be less scholars and more humans... we know why economists should start speaking 'our' language!
Ours is even stranger, communist govt gets Tatas to set its people’s car plant in West Bengal, old Congress (Capitalist) loyalist drives Tatas back – the yet-to-born car got its home in Gujarat. They say, it’s way she’s making communist rulers taste the bitterness of their own medicine – once patented, now popular!
Yesterday, after the market bloodbath where the BSE Sensex crashed below 9K level, I headed straight to a panel discussion – to hear what they have to say. One of the panelists was the advisor to the finance minister.
I don’t understand much about market, my understandings of business journalism remained poor, despite my current craze for it. I find it easier to deal with spicy stories related Sensex than the facts & figures of Dalal St. Stories like hubby seeking divorce as wife loses 30L in market downturn excite me more.
Getting back to last evening’s panel discussion, where all the panelists echoed each other on Indian mass media being “clueless” about everything and follows each others’ competitors. It sounded as if Indian media created the havoc or could have stopped it. We don’t think so.
To go a li’l off-track and why Indian mass media still a world class, I must add an example. We have a few interns joined us a few days back from the Columbia School of Journalism and assigned to cover the Lakme Fashion Week. My collogue who supervises them had commented ‘assholes’, ‘they don’t know who Tarun Tahliani is, and here to cover fashion!’
In India, we know who Paul Krugman is. I’m not trying to compare the two, and even if I did… what’s wrong? At my tiny J-school, ‘Watergate scandal’ was taught as the first lesson. Is the media wrong in carrying Finance Minister's statement saying: ‘RBI will act swiftly when needed’. Or my naïve understanding says… RBI might be following the crowd – what China or Korea is doing with their real rates. Even as famous economist argues, “we are a strange economy; we follow the success tactics of all the countries and land no-where”
India booming stories are still doing the rounds… But the mighty DLF residents get to see a large slum across the road in Gurgaon, as one of examples of booming-dooming ratio. Amidst the global crisis, banks refuse to give home-loans to the commoners but the other day a paan masala king bought a car for Rs 2 cr to gift his daughter on her B’day. Did I hear someone saying, a perfect example of “personalise profit and socialise loss”?
While the RBI and the govt is going ga ga over its latest move on rate cut, surely the giant companies would incur huge credits from the international markets. At the bottom husbands will continue seeking divorce, or the wives – as and when they suffer from the high real cost of credits. So when FM's financial advisor suggests us to be less scholars and more humans... we know why economists should start speaking 'our' language!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
