From fire into the frying pan

Switching on an Indian news channels is like watching daily soaps on Star Plus.

The only difference is that the mud-slinging, the telling taunts and the vicious jibes are for real. The froth of deception is so deceitful; you might lose all appetite for dinner.

Then there is the weekly trailer when Mr. Kejriwal comes on with his fresh dossiers of whodunnits. The complex plots and sub-plots unfold as he and Bhushanji go about unveiling the latest Ravanas in our midst and their “Kaala Kartuts” supported ably nowadays with some real-life disshum-disshum.

This is followed by the Anirban Roy, the bespectacled media Robinhood who holds his well coordinated durbar spectacularly every night at 9 pm. On his panel, the daily stars of Congress and the BJP who only make sense to each other. They collude and accuse the media, the Kejriwals and rest of 1.2 billion people that they have no right to be poking their noses in the workings of the parliament.

We the complying idiots soak this all in day after day, to the point that we start believing their lies. It is true; we the people have no say in whatever happens in the Parliament.

But then every five years we are called upon to vote. Why?

In the end, the black ink mark on the voting finger is nothing but a metaphor for burning our fingers. Voting for Congress or BJP is as good as jumping from fire into the frying pan.

So what now Mr. Kejriwal?

Snakes & Ladders

Life is a game of snakes and ladders.

When we were kids, we played the game innocently, without understanding its full implications. But it does offer a very insightful lesson in life.

In the game, it is more of a chance, a roll of the dice that decides whether we win or lose.

But in life, it is the choice we make that decides where we land.

At every corner, life offers us a choice – a ladder that will take us up or a snake that will bring us crashing down.

It is our morals, ethics and conscience that dictate our choice.

A lifetime of hard work, making up all the right ladders, can come to nothing if we can’t avoid the snakes in our path.

Making a wrong choice in the twilight of your years can destroy a lifetime of building reputation.

Sadly, as Rajat Gupta discovers, the snakes are all around us.

Clear weather, wide roads and no trees!

Dashain is finally here and Kathmandu is in full party mode.
 

This is probably the only time in the year you can experience zipping across the empty roads of Kathmandu.

Did just that yesterday. With easy riding and no traffic, had a chance to look around the usually bustling city. With time to pause and reflect, the devastation the widening of roads has caused was now clear as the weather.

People have lost homes and businesses, but the city something more valuable - its greenery.

People and businesses are much more resolute and will find ways and means to recover, but what about nature? It needs our help and protection.

Road widening is a necessity. No one living in Kathmandu can argue against it.

But could this have been achieved sensibly with much better planning. An effort could have been made into saving the trees, rather than unleashing this madness.

Cities across the world are stressing for preserving the ecology, creating green spaces that can survive along with progress.

If we are to create modern cities of tomorrow, green needs to be in. The number of cars on the roads will only but increase, but not at expense of destroying our habitat.

We need to ensure that trees, lakes and mountains remain our landscape.

Not tar roads.

Barking up the wrong tree?

The civil society calls it a systemic failure. A need to overhaul the complete system.

The politicians of today don't give a damn and are busy making hay while the sun shines.

But the rules of the game are same, as they were 50 years ago. Same constitution, same laws, same judiciary... more or less everything is the same.

But we did not of hear of scams then, so why now?

So is it a systemic failure or a moral failure?

Why are we barking up the wrong tree?

Big Fish Vs Small Fish. Something fishy here?

There is a new name-blame-game going on.

Sadly, Kejriwal is now a part of this musical chairs (always about the chair) too.

In playing the Pied Piper of New Delhi, Kejriwal now feels that his honesty flute will sweep us off our feet make us follow him like helpless mice...  so far... so good.

I did follow him for some period of time.

When he took on Robert Vadra, I hailed him the new Robin Hood of India.

When he took on Salman Khurshid, I indeed saluted him.

Simply because, no man in this land with self preservation instincts ever had the guile or the gumption of taking on Sonia’s damaad and her right hand man all in a working week!

But when he went after Gadkari, he faltered.

Something was amiss here. Rather something was missing here.

The whole case here was about agriculture land in Maharashtra.

Kejriwal names Gadkari as beneficiary of illegally acquired agricultural land.

He accused Ajit Pawar as the minister behind this personal favour.

But then, as any political novice will tell you, Mr. Ajit Pawar is nothing but Mr. Sharad Pawar's rubber stamp!

How can something this big happen in Sharad Pawar's own backyard, that too while he is the agriculture minister and he being not named in the whole blame-game?

  

Kejriwal what are you up to? Is there a method in your madness?

Are we stupid people?

We know the truth, we see the truth but we still believe the lies.

Is it because of our own apathy, or is it because it is convenient?

Many a times we believe it simply because we don't want to ruffle feathers. We subject ourselves to cowardice and avoid calling spade a spade.

Is it because it is more easy to live in a world of status quo?

Sounds of Silence... Man Mohan Finally Sings

Sounds of Silence
(Man Mohan Sings to the original tune by Simon & Garfunkel)

Hello Sonia, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Kejriwal’s  vision softly creeping
Media stings while I was sleeping
And the Congress scams planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone
New Delhi’s streets of cobblestone
let your halo save the hand
Or be ready to hear the baaja and the band
With my eyes I see ministers flash the emergency light
Ready to run any night
And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
Kejriwal talking without speaking
Media  hearing without listening
Ramdev writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

"Fools", said I, "You do not know
Scams like a cancer grows
Hear the words people will teach you
Take my arms before they miss you"
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
In the Ministries of silence

And the people howled and brayed
Against the promises we made
And the election flashed out its warning
In votes that we were non-performing
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets are not written in FDI and malls”
But in Parliament halls"
And whispered in the sounds of silence