On an impulse I wrote the last piece about Sri Pawar having been slapped and kept thinking about it afterwards. I had given my own reasons for Mr Harvinder’s actions. How can I attribute reasons for the action of a person I do not know about? I had sort of justified his slapping Mr Pawar. Was I right in doing so? The thought kept bugging me. Of course, it was my view. Only few of my friends read what I write. And none of them take me seriously. So, it was OK. But still.
In the Sunday columns of The Times Of India, I read Shobha De’s ‘The slap that shook India’. Almost same as my post. I feel easy. Right or wrong, it is nice to know that there are many who feel the same.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Friday, November 25, 2011
Mr Pawar got what was meant for all politicians.
All the front pages today are carrying the news of Mr Harvinder Singh slapping the union agriculture minister Sri. Sharad pawar. Everyone whose words find space in the news columns condemned the act outwardly, probably feeling within themselves - “serves him right”.
Congress, as expected, blamed BJP for the incident. These parties can use any incident to blame each other and can talk with equal irresponsibility. I better not put a strain on my keyboard typing about their ways.
I am sure that Mr Harvinder only wanted to demonstrate his anger at the way the politicians are running, ruining rather, the country and did not have any intention of really harming Sri Pawar. He did have a dagger with him which he did not use. I am also sure that there was nothing personal in the act. He was probably angry with the present situation in the country and since it is the politicians who are running the country, he obviously (and correctly)held them responsible for everything bad. He probably wanted to slap one of the clan to demonstrate his feelings. He made an attempt on Sri Sukhram and failed. Since his teachers had taught him to try and try again to succeed, he tried again and succeeded in the second attempt.
I am not justifying slapping a people’s representative but I will be lying if I say that I have never had an urge to do the same. Three things have prevented me from doing it. 1. I do not follow up on my urges seriously. 2. I have some inhibitions (and unfortunately do not have a deranged mind which can overcome them). 3. I do not have enough guts.
The NCP in Maharashtra called for a Maharashtra bundh. Where is the connection? Why bundh in Maharashtra or anywhere else for that matter if someone slaps Pawar? Just because NCP can enforce a bundh there? These political parties act whichever way they want taking the ordinary citizen for granted. One very valid and solid reason to slap a politician.
Anna Hazare on hearing about the slapping is said to have reacted with
‘Was he slapped?’
‘Was he slapped only once?’
Though I do not attribute much to his utterances after he started uttering through his ‘topi’, I would click on ‘like’ for this one.
On hearing about the incident, Mr Pranab mukherjee is said to have exclaimed ‘where the country is going?’
We have no idea Mr Mukherjee. Really. You are the leader and we are going wherever you are taking us.
Congress, as expected, blamed BJP for the incident. These parties can use any incident to blame each other and can talk with equal irresponsibility. I better not put a strain on my keyboard typing about their ways.
I am sure that Mr Harvinder only wanted to demonstrate his anger at the way the politicians are running, ruining rather, the country and did not have any intention of really harming Sri Pawar. He did have a dagger with him which he did not use. I am also sure that there was nothing personal in the act. He was probably angry with the present situation in the country and since it is the politicians who are running the country, he obviously (and correctly)held them responsible for everything bad. He probably wanted to slap one of the clan to demonstrate his feelings. He made an attempt on Sri Sukhram and failed. Since his teachers had taught him to try and try again to succeed, he tried again and succeeded in the second attempt.
I am not justifying slapping a people’s representative but I will be lying if I say that I have never had an urge to do the same. Three things have prevented me from doing it. 1. I do not follow up on my urges seriously. 2. I have some inhibitions (and unfortunately do not have a deranged mind which can overcome them). 3. I do not have enough guts.
The NCP in Maharashtra called for a Maharashtra bundh. Where is the connection? Why bundh in Maharashtra or anywhere else for that matter if someone slaps Pawar? Just because NCP can enforce a bundh there? These political parties act whichever way they want taking the ordinary citizen for granted. One very valid and solid reason to slap a politician.
Anna Hazare on hearing about the slapping is said to have reacted with
‘Was he slapped?’
‘Was he slapped only once?’
Though I do not attribute much to his utterances after he started uttering through his ‘topi’, I would click on ‘like’ for this one.
On hearing about the incident, Mr Pranab mukherjee is said to have exclaimed ‘where the country is going?’
We have no idea Mr Mukherjee. Really. You are the leader and we are going wherever you are taking us.
Monday, November 21, 2011
GMSLS Yatra - Clarification.
Sorry, I made a mistake about the Lok Samruddhi Yatra. The congress’s GMSLS yatra is not over. The congress bigwigs had just travelled from one end of Goa to the other end to begin the yatra from the other end! Now they are walking around in every constituency with the congress tricolor scarves around their neck, supporters at their back, creating road blocks and being a perfect nuisance to public.
Meanwhile one bigwig opened his mouth to make it clear for stupid people like me why the GMSLS yatra is named so. Goa - because it is in Goa, Mukti Suvarna Mahotsav - as it is a tribute to the freedom fighters who laid down their lives for the freedom of Goa (which our leaders are enjoying now). Lok Samruddhi - because the yatra is a tribute to the progress and development brought about by the congress.
If you, with your one track mind is wondering if it is the Progress in the quantity of corruption and development in the number of illegal mines, it is not so. This progress and development to which the yatra is a tribute to, is in the master plan for the next 25 years which congress plans to bring into effect if elected to power in the coming elections!
Meanwhile one bigwig opened his mouth to make it clear for stupid people like me why the GMSLS yatra is named so. Goa - because it is in Goa, Mukti Suvarna Mahotsav - as it is a tribute to the freedom fighters who laid down their lives for the freedom of Goa (which our leaders are enjoying now). Lok Samruddhi - because the yatra is a tribute to the progress and development brought about by the congress.
If you, with your one track mind is wondering if it is the Progress in the quantity of corruption and development in the number of illegal mines, it is not so. This progress and development to which the yatra is a tribute to, is in the master plan for the next 25 years which congress plans to bring into effect if elected to power in the coming elections!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
King Of Good Times and Goa Mukti Suvarna Mahotsav Lok Samruddhi Yatra
I had to go to Bangalore for a day to attend a family function. The travel options were,
1. To travel by bus, up and down, two nights, twelve hours each way, to be in Bangalore for twelve hours - very tiring and not worth it.
2. Travel by air, up and down, paying about ten thousand rupees - very expensive. (and the journey from B’lore air port to home - not less tiring)
I had given up the idea till my brother in law very kindly offered his frequent flier miles. If someone else is paying nothing is expensive and I was booked on Kingfisher - King of good times - up and down.
‘Kingfisher cancels fifty flights’ - front page news four days before my departure.
‘Actual cancellations were 169 flights, not fifty as claimed, Kingfisher in trouble, owes huge amount to oil companies and airports’ - three days before my departure.
‘Oil companies refuse to supply fuel and airports refuse landing permits unless the backlog is cleared. 150 pilots resign from kingfisher for non payment of salaries, more flights being cancelled.’ - two days before my departure.
‘Banks refuse to bail out Kingfisher, top management to meet bankers today’ - the day of my departure.
The proverb in kannada, ‘paapi samudra hokkaru monakaludda neeru’ - which can be translated as ‘the sinner finds no more than knee deep water even if he gets into the sea’ - explained my situation adequately. It is difficult to explain a proverb but it means, roughly, If you are not destined to get it you will not.
I was in a dilemma. To go or not to go? Something like ‘to be or not to be’. Shakespeare I think. I am not sure. I could have asked Jeeves but he is not with me. Works for someone called Wooster.
Since the tickets were non refundable we could not cancel the tickets, call off the trip and be peaceful. But what if the flight is cancelled at the last minute? Of course I could simply return home after a futile trip to the airport and I only lose taxi fare. (Cannot be as shameless as to ask my brother in law to pay for the taxi too). What if I reach Bangalore and my return flight is cancelled? Would cause quite a bit of inconvenience. Should i anticipate flight cancellation and book a seat on the bus too? Many such thoughts kept rolling around in the mind. Mind was agitated.
I was checking the Kingfisher site for flight status every hour for three days and it kept saying that the flights were as scheduled.
The flights did take off and I made my trip successfully - even got a very decent vegetable sandwich during the onward flight. Free. Nice taste - Kingfisher class. No sandwich on return flight but it was OK. It was at six in the morning, I would not have eaten one at that time anyway.
Since Kingfisher affected my life considerably for nearly a week I kept watching it. Right now the company is asking the banks to release 800 crores to tide over the crisis and the banks are reluctant. I was happy that our banks are cautious while lending money and are keeping our money safe. The overall loss to Kingfisher till date is about 8000crores. Let Vijay Mallya lose his money. He has plenty.
Today I read that the banks have a 27 percent stake in the company. If that is so, their loss is twenty seven percent of 8000 crores. More than 2000 crores of bank’s, that is MY money. Shock. One report says that the exposure of the banks could be as high as 6000 crores. So, it is WE who are losing the money. Not Mallya. He is running his airline king style with our money and losing it! His money is safe in barrels of Kingfisher beer. And the bankers whom we thought are safeguarding our money have been pouring it freely into Kingfisher. 6000 crores are gone and they are now showing their concern for 800. ‘Saabi ne hodamele gaddakke attarante’. Another proverb in kannada. This is what I understand.
If there are any economists reading this please say I am wrong. The nice vegetable sandwich is giving out a very bad aftertaste after four days.
King of good times is having a bad time.
But it is worse for us.
"G M S M L S Y"
Advani is on a rath yatra again or is it over? The ‘Jan chetana yatra’.
When BJP is running a yatra how can the congress keep quiet? The Goa congress party decided to have its own yatra.
“Goa mukti suvarna mahotsav lok samruddhi yatra”. Oh god, it is surely bigger than ‘Jan chetana yatra’. You can’t even say it in one breath. The yatra started and was over by the time I read the name fully. What did it mean any way? I could make out that it had something to do with the golden jubilee of Goa liberation - hence the ‘mukti suvarna mahotsav’. But what is ‘lok samruddhi’? As far as my knowledge goes samruddhi is ‘plenty’. Is lok samruddhi -‘plenty of people’? Or ‘plenty for the people’?
If it is plenty of people it is not good news and if it is plenty for the people what is plenty? As I see, only two things are plenty in Goa right now. One is illegal iron ore and the other is Garbage. Both not to be shouted about in a political yatra.
So what is this ‘Yatra’ about? If any big mouth politician opens his mouth I will let you know.
1. To travel by bus, up and down, two nights, twelve hours each way, to be in Bangalore for twelve hours - very tiring and not worth it.
2. Travel by air, up and down, paying about ten thousand rupees - very expensive. (and the journey from B’lore air port to home - not less tiring)
I had given up the idea till my brother in law very kindly offered his frequent flier miles. If someone else is paying nothing is expensive and I was booked on Kingfisher - King of good times - up and down.
‘Kingfisher cancels fifty flights’ - front page news four days before my departure.
‘Actual cancellations were 169 flights, not fifty as claimed, Kingfisher in trouble, owes huge amount to oil companies and airports’ - three days before my departure.
‘Oil companies refuse to supply fuel and airports refuse landing permits unless the backlog is cleared. 150 pilots resign from kingfisher for non payment of salaries, more flights being cancelled.’ - two days before my departure.
‘Banks refuse to bail out Kingfisher, top management to meet bankers today’ - the day of my departure.
The proverb in kannada, ‘paapi samudra hokkaru monakaludda neeru’ - which can be translated as ‘the sinner finds no more than knee deep water even if he gets into the sea’ - explained my situation adequately. It is difficult to explain a proverb but it means, roughly, If you are not destined to get it you will not.
I was in a dilemma. To go or not to go? Something like ‘to be or not to be’. Shakespeare I think. I am not sure. I could have asked Jeeves but he is not with me. Works for someone called Wooster.
Since the tickets were non refundable we could not cancel the tickets, call off the trip and be peaceful. But what if the flight is cancelled at the last minute? Of course I could simply return home after a futile trip to the airport and I only lose taxi fare. (Cannot be as shameless as to ask my brother in law to pay for the taxi too). What if I reach Bangalore and my return flight is cancelled? Would cause quite a bit of inconvenience. Should i anticipate flight cancellation and book a seat on the bus too? Many such thoughts kept rolling around in the mind. Mind was agitated.
I was checking the Kingfisher site for flight status every hour for three days and it kept saying that the flights were as scheduled.
The flights did take off and I made my trip successfully - even got a very decent vegetable sandwich during the onward flight. Free. Nice taste - Kingfisher class. No sandwich on return flight but it was OK. It was at six in the morning, I would not have eaten one at that time anyway.
Since Kingfisher affected my life considerably for nearly a week I kept watching it. Right now the company is asking the banks to release 800 crores to tide over the crisis and the banks are reluctant. I was happy that our banks are cautious while lending money and are keeping our money safe. The overall loss to Kingfisher till date is about 8000crores. Let Vijay Mallya lose his money. He has plenty.
Today I read that the banks have a 27 percent stake in the company. If that is so, their loss is twenty seven percent of 8000 crores. More than 2000 crores of bank’s, that is MY money. Shock. One report says that the exposure of the banks could be as high as 6000 crores. So, it is WE who are losing the money. Not Mallya. He is running his airline king style with our money and losing it! His money is safe in barrels of Kingfisher beer. And the bankers whom we thought are safeguarding our money have been pouring it freely into Kingfisher. 6000 crores are gone and they are now showing their concern for 800. ‘Saabi ne hodamele gaddakke attarante’. Another proverb in kannada. This is what I understand.
If there are any economists reading this please say I am wrong. The nice vegetable sandwich is giving out a very bad aftertaste after four days.
King of good times is having a bad time.
But it is worse for us.
"G M S M L S Y"
Advani is on a rath yatra again or is it over? The ‘Jan chetana yatra’.
When BJP is running a yatra how can the congress keep quiet? The Goa congress party decided to have its own yatra.
“Goa mukti suvarna mahotsav lok samruddhi yatra”. Oh god, it is surely bigger than ‘Jan chetana yatra’. You can’t even say it in one breath. The yatra started and was over by the time I read the name fully. What did it mean any way? I could make out that it had something to do with the golden jubilee of Goa liberation - hence the ‘mukti suvarna mahotsav’. But what is ‘lok samruddhi’? As far as my knowledge goes samruddhi is ‘plenty’. Is lok samruddhi -‘plenty of people’? Or ‘plenty for the people’?
If it is plenty of people it is not good news and if it is plenty for the people what is plenty? As I see, only two things are plenty in Goa right now. One is illegal iron ore and the other is Garbage. Both not to be shouted about in a political yatra.
So what is this ‘Yatra’ about? If any big mouth politician opens his mouth I will let you know.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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