Thursday, October 27, 2011

Kejrival And Kiran Bedi

I said that I am only an observer of ANNA movement without any involvement. I try to ignore the trivia associated with it but the news papers do not allow me to remain quiet.

One important factor associated with the ANNA movement is the TEAM ANNA which I believe was founded by our media. Now the media is trying to smear the faces of the team members with muck and dismantle the team. The team is said to have contained 21 members out of which five were very visible. From that five, three are gone now and two are remaining.

Kejrival and Kiran Bedi.

If I believe the reports in the papers, Kejrival has started talking through his hat and may shortly lose whatever credibility he still has.

That leaves Kiran Bedi who I thought was straight but the media says it is not so. I would not have believed the reports if she had just kept quiet.

She is busy covering herself up with:
“I was entitled to it and it only benefited my NGO. No personal gain.”
“It was my travel agent who managed it”
“I will refund the amount” and the latest
“I did not actually handle cash” - which sounds more like Bill Clinton’s defence in his (in)famous case.

She was SP or IGP or some such thing in Goa when I arrived here nearly thirty years back. The news papers were praising every action of hers. I kept reading good things about her after she went to Delhi as Commissioner and then to Tihar as chief. I had a very good picture of her in my mind. I will have to redraw the picture. Very disappointing.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Anna again.

Remember the epic serial Mahabharat? The story was being told by ‘Time’ and the episodes began with the words “mai samay hoon”. We were seeing Mahabharat as time saw it - without any involvement. I am seeing Anna Hazare’s anti corruption movement as time saw Mahabharat - without involvement. I form my own opinions and put them here sometimes just to get it off my chest. In my opinion Anna is OK, his close associates are getting carried away by the importance and the movement is not likely to make any difference to us. I have been reading about the movement and people involved in it, in many papers and magazines, but the editorial in today’s Navhindtimes is almost what I feel. If interested, please go to www.navhindtimes.in, click on ‘epaper’ below the title, and see the article ‘Lord anna and the presiding priests’ on page eight.

I said my feeling is that the movement is not going to make much difference. That is mainly because of my pessimistic attitude and also because of my belief that all of us are corrupt someway or the other. To fight corruption we need to fight against ourselves and there is little chance of winning when one is fighting against oneself.

The supreme court banned mining activity in Bellary, Karnataka, because of the large scale irregularities involved. Illegal mining in Goa is said to be greater than or equal to Bellary. Justice Shaw commission is going over mining in Goa with a magnifying glass and indications are that it will recommend banning mining activities till things are set right. Last week there was a huge rally in Panaji, arranged by people who are involved in mining activities. Owners, transporters, workers and people involved in associated businesses. The demand was 1. not to stop mining activities and 2. to overlook or abolish some of the rules and guidelines which hinder mining. In other words, allow illegal mining and associated corruption.

I am sure at least fifty percent of those who attended this rally also attended meetings and marches held at the height of Anna movement for Lokpal. Got what I mean?

We are not against corruption if we are the beneficiaries. So, Lokpal, strong Lokpal, weak Lokpal or no Lokpal are all the same.

I rest my case.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Just Saying Hello

Nearly a month since the last post. Did not come across anything worth mentioning except that I was woken up by a patient on three successive nights at 1 am last week, demanding a painkilling injection. My crime was that I had removed a tooth (and incidentally quite a bit of the jaw bone) that was bothering him for months. (Pity the dentist or the patient?). Did not write about it as I did not want to scare people (and cut my own leg).

Was waiting for something pleasant to say hello with, when I came across this rose which had bloomed last night. So, here I am saying hello and still there. Bye till I find something interesting.