Electoral irrelevance of Cabinet reshuffles

The Cabinet reshuffle last week led to profuse but mostly vacuous analysis on TV. Many analysts claimed the reshuffle aimed to influence the 2014 parliamentary elections. Some opined that the coming state election in Uttar Pradesh was a major consideration: three ministers from that state had been given Cabinet rank. Many others expressed dismay that Manmohan Singh had missed an opportunity to put his house in order.

Now, a cabinet reshuffle creates much excitement among the Delhi chatterati. It can matter a lot to individual political factions in the Congress. It can also matter to business houses connected to this politician or that. But for voters as a whole, it is a symbolic exercise bereft of substance.

What matters for voters is government performance, not the list of supporting actors in a film scripted and directed by Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. The notion that Manmohan Singh determines portfolios betrays naivet about the functioning of the Congress Party, which is a fiefdom of the Gandhi family. Manmohan Singh may formally be Prime Minister , but too often he resembles a regent in a feudal dynastic setup, keeping the throne warm until the young prince is ready to occupy it. Meanwhile, almost all key decisions are taken by the Queen Mother. Manmohan can take the lead in one or two proposals like the US nuclear deal, but Sonia has the final say on Cabinet appointments.

The vast majority of Indian voters lives in rural areas and knows very little about central ministries or ministers. Most have never met a central government official: the only government they know is the state government . So, major debates and controversies that shake New Delhi may be ignored almost completely in rural India. Only once in a while (as in the Bofors scandal or Kargil war) do central issues sway all-India elections.

This is dramatically illustrated by the huge controversy in New Delhi over economic reforms introduced in 1991. Many ideologues claimed that t! he 1996 election would be a referendum on economic reforms. But psephologist Yogendra Yadav tested this claim through a survey asking voters if they were aware of any change in economic policy whatsoever. Eighty per cent said they were unaware of any change at all!

Most ideological debates in Delhi (such as the one over civilian nuclear cooperation with the US) have no echo in rural India. Electoral politics is overwhelmingly local. This was demonstrated tellingly in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress won a notable victory and registered unexpected gains in many states, yet won only 9 out of 72 seats in three states where opposition chief ministers had a good record of growth and developmentBihar , Orissa and Chhattisgarh . Local issues in these states dwarfed national ones.

After the latest Cabinet reshuffle, TV analysts hypothesized that Manmohan Singh had penalized non-performers , and this would put voters in a happier mood. Really? If the only penalty for non-performance is to get another portfoliosometimes with a higher Cabinet rankwill voters think their problems are over?

High food prices constitute the most important issue today. But, can simply hiving off the food department from Sharad Pawar to a largely unknown new face mollify disgruntled voters? Such symbolic change is irrelevant : what matters is whether food prices come down or not.

The Commonwealth Games are burned into public consciousness as a major scam and waste of government funds. Will shifting sports minister MS Gill to statistics and programme implementation mollify voters, or create a new brand image for Congress?

The telecom scam has done more than anything else to damage the credibility of the government. Since the main perpetrator was a DMK minister (A Raja), the scam could be clinch defeat for the DMK-Congress combine in the coming Tamil Nadu assembly election. Can this huge image problem be resolved just by entrusting Kapil Sibal with the telecom portfolio? Wh! en Sibal declares that no money was lost at all in the scam, will it convince voters or prove to them that Congress is more intent in covering up corruption than tackling it?

State elections are due in Uttar Pradesh in 2012. The Congress needs a new strategy to challenge Mayawati in the state. But can the promotion of three lightweights to Cabinet rank in New Delhi be called strategy? No, it is one more example of meaningless symbolism parading as policy.

The Congress has plenty of time and opportunity to get re-elected in 2014, and to wrest some state governments from opposition parties. But that requires a record of solid achievement. Victory cannot be based on trying to explain away bad behaviour with Cabinet reshuffles, or on occasional dismissal of a Raja here or an Ashok Chavan there.

Secrets of a happy married life

SANTKABIRDas has very well described the secret of happy married life. He was asimplemanandhe had no formal education, and he even did not knew about his parents, his caste and creed. But he reached the heights of his life. There are very few people, who have done it. He was much against the age-old myths and rituals, and through this he did his best to take the society out of the dark shadows of life.Once a person, who was not happy with his married life, came to Sant Kabir Das. He asked Kabir Das: what is the secret of a happy married life? Sant Kabir Das said: I shall just explain this to you. After saying this he went inside his home. After a while he returned holding a thread in his hand, and tried to untangle the thread. After about two minutes or so, he called his wife and said: It is very dark here, please light a candle. The wife came and after lighting the candle went back inside quietly. The man was really amazed finding that how can the sage not see anything in sunshine, and how is his wife, who , without any comments, brought the candle and lightened it? She came again with two glasses of milk, one for the guest and one for her husband. Both of them started drinking the milk. The wife came once again and asked her husband: Is sugar alright in the milk? Kabir Said: It is alright, it is too sweet, and finished the milk. The man was once again amazed to find that the milk had no sugar and even then the sage said that it was too sweet. In fact the milk had salt that was mistakenly mixed by the wife in the milk. The man got puzzled and asked: May I go, if you can not answer my query. Kabir Das said: I have already answered your question. It is important for a family member to change oneself for the sake others. Love your wife and make your children sober. Mix affection andequality in your life, only then family life beco! mes peac eful and happy.After listening to the Saint, the man returned happily to his home. It is true that that the peace and happiness of family life depends largely on mutual affection and good behaviour.

Question isnt about governor or CM going but about governance

The tamasha in Karnataka continues. The spat between Governor H R Bharadwaj and chief minister BS Yeddyurappa has reached a flashpoint. Each is working overtime to get rid of the other. Who'll go first -- the governor or the CM? Betting is on. The governor has drawn out the dagger first. He has recommended the prosecution of the first BJP CM south of Vindhyas over corruption and nepotism charges. And the CM isbuilding up ammunition to force the President to recall the governor for ``exceeding his brief and acting at the behest of the Congress''.

Several questions and theories are doing the rounds:

* Hasn't the Governor, by recommendingprosecution, unwittingly strengthened the hands of the beleaguered CM? Particularly when the courts are seized of the matter and the Lokayukta has already initiated a probe. Result: The BJP central leadership, which was till yesterday divided over whether or not to sacrifice Yeddyurappa, has now closed ranks and given him a clear mandate to take on the governor. Everyone in the BJP state unit, including his rivals, is now compelled to throw their weight behind Yeddyurappa.

* What if Yeddyurappa retaliates by dissolving the legislative assembly and opting for mid-term elections? Won't he ride on a sympathy wave, similar to the one that helped him and the BJP rise to power after the great betrayal by HD Kumaraswamy three years ago? Which will have a better impact on the voter? Prosecution by the Governor or stern ruling by the judiciary? Definitely the latter. The governor is always seen as a political appointee.

* Hasn't the governor pre-empted, though unwittingly, subtle moves within the BJP to make the CM exit gracefully and shift him to Delhi via the Rajya Sabha route, replace him with a fairly clean and acceptable candidate, silence the opposition ranks, and carry on the campaign against the UPA government without embarrassment?

This doesn't mean that the CM is right and the governor is wrong. The CM will have to face the music over corruption charges. He cannot escape by saying that his predecessors also did it. Or that the governor is toeing the opposition line to dislodge him. The governor is the constitutional head and has powers to prosecute the CM based on valid reasons. And the CM has the option to take to legal course to challenge it.

What is being debated is: Won't the Governor's action strengthen rather than weaken the CM? Won't it generate a wave of sympathy for the CM than a wave of anger against him? Shouldn't such action be best left to the judiciary? The action of the governor, right or wrong, will definitely be seen as politically motivated.The BJP, on the other hand, shouldn'ttry to divert attention by brushing under the carpet charges against Yeddyurappa.

The aam janata is fed up. They aren't interested in somebodys exit or entry. They want the ugly drama to end soon. The need of the hour is political stability, good governance and speedy development.

PARTING SHOT

Crime alert

Delhi may be the crime capital of India. But Bangalore is fast catching up. According to figures for 2009 released by the National Crime Records Bureau, Delhi accounted for 13.2 %, Bangalore 9.4% and Mumbai 9.1% of the total crimes -- over one-third of the crimes totalling 21.21 lakhs reported from 35 cities. The crimes included murder, attempted to murder, rape, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, etc. Bangalore policemen need to pull up their socks.

Gaitonde: Painted Prayers

Rustling

Within unopened

Wombs

The voice

Of Basant

Whispers

Across

The fields

Unseen

Uma Nair (2005)

Fields of colour punctuated by pools of light, Saffronarts debut with a small suite of works by V.S. Gaitonde at The Oberoi in Delhi is the stuff of history and the truth that a rare work is like a gem of purest ray serene.

Gaitonde was Indias greatest abstract master. And the sight of Ram Kumar standing and contemplating quietly at his works is indeed a blessed sight to behold. Gaitonde's intuitive' use of luminous colors and textured surfaces evoke an immediate emotional response. His is art that bridges the gap between the conscious and unconscious mind. Although the works seem to appear spontaneous, the forms and fields of colour are connected by a strong logic born out of a ruminating and reflexive philosophy. According to critics in the past his aim was to resolve the tension in space and dramatize the interplay of light and texture. But each work is evocative of seasons, and the play of light and shade.

In the late 1950's, Gaitonde began exploring the possibilities that oil paint as a medium offered, an interest he pursued throughout his career. But his interest was in the creative process; in the formation of texture, the application of pigment, stripping it off, dissolving and overlaying; the evocation of light and balancing the compositional weight of the canvas through the subtle balancing of the image on the canvas, as if it were floating on water. "The painter is at the controls, he decides when the painting has arrived at its capacity to articulate. Like music, I know when it is at an end." (As told to Pria Karunakar, 'V.S. Gaitonde',Lalit Kala Contemporary 19 & 20,April and September 1975, p. 16)

Gaitonde referred to his work as "a play of light and color... Every painting has a seed which germinates in the next painting. A painting is not limited to one canvas. I go on adding an element and that's how it evolves...There is a kind of metamorphosis in every canvas and the metamorphosis never ends." (Meera Menezes, 'The Meditative Brushstroke',Art India, vol. 3, issue 3, July - September 1998, Mumbai, p. 69.)

When you see a work by Gaitonde you must stand in silence and absorb the beauty of a work of art that looks like a painted prayer. This show straddles the duality between density and weightlessness, even as it quivers between abstraction and representation. Using a carefully chronological show of a few works, Dinesh Vazirani and Nishad of Saffronart have given the city of Delhi a show that celebrates the quietude of a few tonal masterpieces.

Images: Courtesy Saffrontart

Section 377 of the IPC and Queer Movement in India

INTERPRETING THE Constitution is not an easy task. It requires deft manoeuvering through its lanes and by lanes, without losing sight of the broad road map laid down by the founding fathers. The Naz Foundation, an NGO filed a public interest petition in 2004 to challenge the constitutional validity of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminally penalises unnatural offences. Section 377 of the IPC is read as follows: Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal shall be punished with imprisonment for life.
Based on the PIL filed by the Foundation, the High Court's judgement lies in the favour of India's transition from a supressed to a more open and diverse nation that accepts human nature as it is triggered by the principle of non-discrimination and equality.
According to a survey, it has been found that the Union of India has the number of men who have sex with men (MSM) at around 25 lakhs and the number of lesbians and transgenders at several lakhs. We can say that the Delhi High Court has given a broader meaning to the expression of sex because one cannot be guaranteed the Right to Equality (Article 15) on one hand and be discriminated under sexual orientation on the other. India can only emerge as a modern democracy when it will be based on the principle of majority rule implicitly recognising the need to protect the fundamental rights of all. In fact, where the society can display inclusiveness and understanding, those perceived by the majority as deviants can be assured of a better living by the policy of non-discrimination. The significance of the judgment, I feel, lies in the fact that it will give an altogether new dimension to the identity politics in the country. The Naz Foundations endeavour should thus be applauded because they, by creating a common note of unity among the people who are termed as queer has ! actually recognised the emergence of new identities. They have also sidestepped the lingering concerns about the elite roots and urban biases of the queers. This is so because homosexuality has always been considered the sex or the fashion of the urban society, a completely metropolitan concern.
When the Delhi High Court struck down the provision of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that criminalises even consensual sex between same sex individuals, it also effectively opened up public space ling inaccessible for the queer movement in India. This historic decision not only permits the queer community to carry out a much more democratic struggle, it also complicates class and gender issues in the country.
The decision, thus has given the queer community basic access to law. Previously one could not be identified as a homosexual because it was a crime. And when there occurred any breach of their civil rights, they could not go to the police station because their identity could not be disclosed. This law was actually during the rule of the British. The British wanted to enter the Indian family space and dictate even our private matters. But after Independence, this law should have been done away with, since it discriminates on the ground of sex, essentially a private concern.
One might argue that in a country like India which is just in the stage of development, the relevance of the queer movement stands obscure, when there are much more pressing issues at hand. However this is not wholly true. A Dalit woman, who is attracted towards the same sex will have existential issues to deal with other than her sexuality. But her sexuality is an integral part of her life like any other individual and it cannot be isolated from her. I feel that the queer movement need not be seen as a minority movement as it is as much a political movement as other democratic struggles. The movement thus cannot be sustained only in the courtrooms. How long would the seek just! ice? The y should thus try to get involved at the legislative level.
There has been a great amount of debate regarding homosexuals and their unnatural sexuality. But the question that bothers me is What is so natural about being a homosexual? The religious groups are out on the streets protesting the decision of the Delhi High Court. Till date they have not bothered much about our choice of food or the clothes we wear and other private matters, then why sexuality? Then there are questions of patriarchy that pop up. Legalisation of homosexuality would mean marriage between such individuals which essentially challenges the fabric of the patriarchal society, destabilising the religious status-quo.
Well, the legal battle has been partly won. But for the movement to flourish, it needs the support of people other than, who belong to the homosexual community. India is their country and they have an equal right to live as they wish. We should try to go beyond the pre-set social norms and structure of the society and concentrate on healthy human existence.

Dismiss Gudlar for insulting Mahatma Gandhi

It is tough for Goans to read about drug cases tarnishing the image of the state in the eyes of the nation, even though, Goa may be far behind Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore or Chennai in terms of the quantity of drugs flowing on the streets. Every year, there are over 1,000 cases in Mumbai alone against drug peddlers, compared to just about 55 to 60 cases in Goa.

Still, the latest to sting the Goans is the David Driham alias Dudu drug case, which has got murkier by the day not because of the seizure alone, but because of video clippings claiming evidence against the cops. This time, it has tarnished the image of the cops beyond repair because PSI Sunil Gudlar is allegedly seen exchanging some packets, ostensibly containing drugs, with foreigners. The allegation is that he was selling drugs and taking bribe. The top brass of the state police took undue time to suspend Gudlar in the case. When the first video clippings came out, they looked morphed, but the second and third video footings almost gave him out and there are alleged conversations which could nail senior police officers including former Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) SP Veenu Bansal.

But to me, what is more striking is that a serving government official has got scot-free for insulting the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi. The video clippings clearly show Gudlar telling a foreign national that his senior will be satisfied only with Mahatma Gandhi, implying the notes carrying the symbol of Mahatma Gandhi. Gudlar was using Mahatma Gandhi as the code word to refer to cash. So why hasnt the state government acted on that and dismissed the cop as yet? Why has the state government swallowed the insult to the father of the nation? What are they waiting for?

Its another matter that he is under investigation for the drug mafia-cop nexus. Even there, what comes out is his inexperience in handling ANC investigations. Gudlar was not fit for the job, for a perusal of investigations into the Dudu case clearly shows several facts misrepresen! ted in t he investigations including the place of arrest of Dudu on February 21, 2010, the car in which he was allegedly travelling versus the car they actually seized, among others.

This shows two things : 1) Gudlur did not know how to take a panchanama, which is the basis of any investigation, and 2) the case could appear to be fake. So what was Gudlur trying? Was he playing a game so that in the future, there are enough loopholes for Dudu to escape if he pays up a hafta? Was Gudlur alone in the whole game?

From the look of it, Gudlur was a mere pawn in the drug mafia-cop nexus, for haftas are said to be passed on to seniors. And video clippings allegedly show that Gudlur was talking of haftas that need to be passed on to his seniors. Gudlur was brought in by Veenu Bansal into ANC, so that he could have greater control of the department. There is reason to believe this allegation because there was a revolt against Bansal by his colleagues in the ANC last year. And Gudlur did exactly what his superiors told him to do, which was so convenient for the top cops.

But today the case has become so complex that many top police officers appear to have washed their hands of Gudlur. The other question is, while there may be evidence against Gudlurs complexity in the cop-drug mafia nexus, is he the only policeman to be involved in the nexus. Who were all sharing the booty? Gudlur is only a probationary officer. So for him to do so much may be next to impossible without support from his superiors is the normal surmise one would make.

While the Dudu case broke out, the police were already dealing with another mess-up in the Atala case after the Israeli drug dealer escaped from police custody last year. Information and general talk is that both Dudu and Atala may not be as serious offenders of law as may be other more dangerous drug dealers. Dudu and Atala are part of a nexus of cops, politicians and drug mafia. If they were serious enough offenders, then investigators think to believe that they co! uld have connections to terror networks and would be very silent operators and operating from behind the scenes. But in this case, clearly there is no such evidence, sources say. But chief minister Digambar Kamat will have to get the police brass to clean up a bigger mess waiting to happen if he is serious about wiping the stains of drugs off Goas coastline. For presence of drug mafia could directly affect tourism to Goa in the long run. Goans already believe that it is the Kerala lobby which is trying to tarnish the image of Goa, since Kerala is a state that could benefit directly from loss of tourists to Goa.

Fast forward

The Suraiya household is no longer a land of milk and honey. Particularly milk, the consumption of which as a whitener for tea has been strictly rationed by Bunny. Neither of us drinks tea with milk. But apparently the seemingly endless stream of workmen, mechanics and plumbers who visit the house to fix something or the other that's stopped working were drinking up a storm, literally in a teacup, of the brew with lots of milk in it along with lashings of sugar.

Having read in the TOI that the price of milk had gone up 24% in the past one year, Bunny put her foot down. From now on it's going to be just one cup of chai per workman. With not more than two spoons of sugar per cup. Like milk, sugar too, had become upwardly mobile in terms of cost.

And it's not just milk and sugar. Suddenly everything seems to have become far more expensive than it was just the other day. Either that, or the contents of my wallet are shrinking in terms of provisioning the household. Bunny sits with her weekly grocery list. Is that a list of things that we have to buy this week, I ask. No, it's a list of things we can't afford to buy this week, says Bunny.

Topping this don't-buy list are onions. Headlines, editorials, in-depth articles by agri-experts, and, for all I know, monographs, treatises and PhD theses have by now been written about the price of onions. But this libraryful of literature can't explain why the supposedly humble pyaaz - the so-called poor-man's vegetable - should kg for kg rival in cost the price of a B class IPL player. More, if the player in question is suspected of being a match-fixer, a charge that has never been levelled against any onion, even one imported from Pakistan.

With the use of onions severely restricted in the kitchen, we began to subsist largely on soup and toast. Till the price of tomatoes went zooming up like one of those! Isro sa tellites that one hears of from time to time. But while Isro satellites frequently come crashing back to earth, not so with the price of tomatoes, or any other veggie.With tomato soup ruled out - tomatoes, together with onions having been put on the don't-buy list - we're stuck with butterless toast. Maybe we should burn the toast, I suggest. But that'll make it taste even worse than it already does, says Bunny. That's the point; it if tastes bad we'll eat less of it, I point out. We could always ring up friends to cadge a meal at their place. But with the price of petrol what it is, what we'd save by eating at someone else's expense would be more than offset by the transportation cost there and back. And suppose the people we call, also feeling the price pinch, turn the tables and want to come eat with us? Is there enough burnt toast to go round?

What to do about skyrocketing food prices? The finance minister doesn't know. The agriculture minister doesn't know. The prime minister doesn't know. But ancient Indian wisdom knows. Fasting - the voluntary cessation of food intake - has long been a part of our tradition. People of all creeds - Hindu, Jain, Muslim, Christian, devotees of Vandana Luthra's Curls & Curves - all fast regularly to gain spiritual brownie points. Millions more fast because they've never been able to afford to eat, even before food prices rose astronomically. If the country were to go on a collective fast the demand would drastically reduce, creating a supply-side surplus which could be exported, thus wiping out the country's fiscal deficit and putting the brakes on runaway inflation.

Economics apart, fasting would benefit us physically and spiritually. Physically we'd all lose weight and cut the risk of diabetes and heart ailments. Spiritually, we'd all come close to attaining moksha, freedom from the 'surly bonds' of earthly life. But therein lies the rub. Like food - and everything else - suppose moksha too follows the law of dem! and and supply? As more and more of us entered the market for a limited supply of moksha, would stocks threaten to run out, raising the price of spiritual enlightenment?

Om, shanti, shanti, shanti? More like Om, mehngai, mehngai, mehngai.

Slum Kids in Bangalore keep alive the art of kite flying

AS SHE rushed in from school, Kshama had beads of sweat trickling down her cheeks. Her upper lips looked as if adorned with tiny diamonds under the sun. It was the afternoons sun, over the asbestos sheets sheltering her family, glowering at its hottest. Kamalas mother coaxed her not to drink water just after returning from the heat outside. But Kamala hears none of it.
Gulping down the cool water from an earthen pot in the only bedroom in her house, Kamala rushes outside clutching a five-rupee coin in her tiny hands. Joined by Sabu and Rehman who are the tiny tots in the locality, Kamala is headed towards the end of the street where she lives in L R Nagar. She needs to buy a green kite today, before her brother comes in.
Yesterday, Kshamas brother had tried beating her up because she had tangled his kite into a bunch of overhead electric wires while trying to fly it. The young kid doesnt want to invite her brothers wrath today.
A walk in the L R Nagar slums -one of the biggest slums of Bangalore and a home to thousands of migrant and underprivileged labourers apart from others, and one can see numerous mangled remains of multi-coloured kites hanging from electric poles and transmission wires. As reported by a leading newspaper in October last year, the slum stands as one of the highest complaint areas for electric wire disconnection due to kite threads cutting through them.
At the end of the street lies a tiny shop run by Ramesh and his family. Ramesh Galipatta Angadi (meaning Ramesh Kite Shop) sprawls in Kannada over a tiny make shift board above the shop. The shop houses numerous kites in different colours made out of various types of scrap, manja the thread used to fly a kite often covered with a layer of powdered glass to facilitate cutting through threads of other kites in a competition and various other kite making material.
Rameshs family has been selling kites for over two decades now. His dad had a provi! sions st ore on the same place which later gave way to their present occupation. The reason? Demand, says Ramesh. The kites are imported from Maharashtra and Orissa.
Well, sadly the demand that his father saw in kites long ago has depleted to a large extent but Ramesh remains unfazed.
Who says that no one flies these kites? I know of many shops in the city that sell them. In fact, during the months of December and January we specially bring in more kites from Dharavi, Mumbai and Gujarat. If the rich kids dont buy them, it doesnt worry me anymore. The children here still buy from us.
Akshata, a software engineer living in the National Games Village nearby smiles, If a passer-by comes and asks to direct him to L R Nagar, you can safely tell him to follow the kites.
Appropriate, dont you think? After all which other children do any of us see flying kites in the neighbourhood?
It is only in the festival of Sankranthi, a very important festival observed in India for celebrating a good harvest that people remember to engage in kite flying. In earlier days, come mid-January and one could witness drama with music on rooftops, crowds shouting sounding like war cries, the word kaateh (meaning cut in Hindi) sung out loud whenever a kiteis cut. The high pitched kaateh stood as a symbol of the celebration.
People from all religions irrespective of caste and creed, rich or poor enjoy the festival of kites. The ingenuity that involves making kites and flying them is almost a religion in itself, grown to the level of an art form, though it looks deceptively simple.
Not much of it is seen nowadays as many cases of accidental deaths of young boys falling off from terraces while flying kites have been reported.
One can still argue that open grounds could solve the problem, but our modern lifestyle which brings in iPads and PlayStations to childrens life curbs the urge to go out and play to a much larger extent. T! he incre ase in high rises in Indian cities also doesnt help the cause.
Ayush, 8-year-old student at Bangalore International School says, I love playing on my Sony PlayStation after I get back from school. I have never flown a kite so I dont know if I could fly a kite. I have seen National Geographic showing it as a part of our festival. They look nice".
Not to forget, this tremendously popular sport of the yesteryears, patang-bazi (as the art of kite flying is called in Hindi) has its own misgivings.
Rajamani, constable at Audugodi police station says the boys in the slums use Chinese manja and have caused many injuries in the past. The station has booked some culprits under the law for indulging in dangerous acts in the recent past.
Kites those triangular thin objects capable of soaring to the skies while still being tethered to the ground, the mascots of a childs playful heart and his subconscious desire to fly high. It is disheartening to see such a beautiful form of art giving in the hands of consumerism and video / computer games.
While you are reading this Ayush will be munching on a McMaharaja Burger busying his hands on a PlayStation console, feverishly killing a militant appearing on a 70 inch Plasma TV screen in front of him, somewhere in the plush apartments enclosed in an air conditioned room, silently denied of experiences his childhood demands from a playground.
And while you are reading this, Kshama and her brother fix their eyes up in the sky, eagerly following a green kite dancing to tunes of the manja tied to their hands, their dirty, naked feet run through the myriad lanes of L. R. Nagar and their echoing shouts keeping alive the dying art form of kite flying.

Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji

No one can be blamed if they look for a theme when they are out to watch a Madhur Bhandarkar film. So here's the million-dollar question - what do you think is the theme of the Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji, here's a trailer to help with your guesses.



Men ogling at women with plenty of thought bubbles at their disposal. **snicker**

Nastiness aside, there seems to be an office environment but I seriously doubt the setting has anything to do with the three male leads hit by love. It actually will be refreshing to see Madhur Bhandarkar try a rom-com. And if the following snippets from the trailer are anything to go by, it looks like there will be a light and breezy com and the rom won't be a disgusting mush.



What is also highlighted is that the woman don't look like they'll have much to do and whatever they do only highlights that they are awful actors. Which also means the need for crisp dialogues is even stronger. The promos do give a glimpse of decent writing. As in, we sort-of know what the three men are like. Or at least we can take a fair guess on what their ideas about love, sex, marriage and everything that goes along are likely to be.

Just the kind of movie that could be full of clichs and yet has the potential to keep that smile on while it lasts.

Music reviews:
milliblog - "Peppy, enjoyable score from Pritam."
music aloud - "Though the soundtrack lacks a song that matches the class of the song the movie borrowed its title from, Pritam produces an engaging fare for Dil To Bachcha Hai Ji."
Apun Ka Choice - ""
Bollyspice - "2/5"

Sonia, Manmohan differed on Cabinet reshuffle?

Are there now serious differences between Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh? Looking at the latest Cabinet reshuffle it seems so. The rejig in the cabinet seems to be an exercise in futility and the evidence of this comes from none other than the man who effected the changes: Manmohan Singh. Minutes after he did the rejig, the Prime Minister announced that he would reshuffle his team once again after the budget session. The budget session is barely a month away. If he has to rejig his team once again, what was the compulsion for him to play a game of musical chairs now? He could have waited for two months to effect a full scale reshuffle. After all the heavens would not have fallen in the intervening period. The most probable answer is that Manmohan wanted to make radical changes, but Sonia would not allow it. So the result was the deliberate attempt to create an illusion that a lot of changes had been effected, but actually nothing had happened beyond a change in the portfolios of a huge number of ministers. "The ministers are being sent from one building to another," as some body said. Some of the changes are actually quite meaningless. For instance Kamal Nath has been moved from surface transport to urban development. Both are equally important (or unimportant positions), so what is the purpose of swapping of portfolios? I do not know.

In the run up to the Cabinet reshuffle (word about it had been out for the last few days) there was intense speculation that the team would see the exit of a huge number of non-performing mantris .At the same time there would be the entry of younger faces who would be standard bearers of the party for a long time. But nothing of that kind has happened. In fact after all this talk, not a single minister was dropped. And even M S Gill whose tenure at the sports ministry was marked by controversies and the Commonwealth games fiasco could only be shifted to the ministry of statistics. Even he could not be dropped. The same is the case with aging mini! sters. A good example is Veerbhadra Singh who managed to retain his place in the Cabinet if only as minister for medium and micro industry. Earlier he was the steel and mines minister. There was also a talk of many heavy weight ministers like Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kamal Nath and Veerappa Moily being dispatched to the party for organisational work. These ministers got wind of the possibility of this happening and perhaps lobbied hard to continue in the Cabinet. The lure of a ministership with all its trapping is irresistible. Never mind if the party is in desperate need for strengthening in view of the upcoming assembly elections in many states like West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

Not a single minister who can qualify to be a young blood was inducted into the team. Unless you think that Beni Prasad Verma, a former Mulayam aide and minister for telecom in an earlier United Front regime qualifies to be described so at the age of more than sixty. The portfolios of many ministers of state were also changed. But those who know of the way that things operate in the corridors of power would know that cabinet ministers allocate little or no work to their ministers of state. Most of them are in state of disguised employment. So what was the idea of changing their portfolios? For example what difference does it make whether Dinsha Patel is minister of state for petroleum or minister of state for mines? (Dinsha was earlier in petroleum but has now dispatched to mines. He represents the Nadiad seat in Gujarat.)

Manmohan Singh is not a paragon of political acumen. Therefore he is hell bent on pursuing the agenda of reforms which according to him leads to an improvement in the state of the economy. But while reforms by and large are desirable, the way they have been implemented in the last 20 years, has led to the rich becoming richer and the poor remaining where they were. (This is the reason why 20 years after liberalisation 37 per cent of all Indians are still below the poverty line). So Man! mohan Si ngh, the standard bearer for reforms, wanted non-political persons like Montek Singh Ahluwalia or C Rangarajan as finance minister. If stories doing the round are correct, Sonia would not have any of this. As head of a political party, her ears are closer to the ground and therefore she is more aware of the voices from down below. But at the same time -those have worked with her say that she is generally a person with a conservative approach. Change does not come to her easily. So with Sonia overseeing the Manmohan exercise it was hardly possible to bring in radical changes. But exceptions prove the rule and the only change that was purposive seems to be the allotment of the petroleum ministry to Jaipal Reddy. The earlier minister Murli Deora was close to a particular industrial house which is a player in the petroleum sector.

When Manmohan Singh says that there will be another round of Cabinet changes after the budget session he means that this is what he desires. Probably he himself knows as well as anybody else that it is mere tinkering that he will be able to do in the next round too. A few ministers here and a few ministers there. Did somebody say: The more things change the more they remain the same?

Sonia-Manmohan differed on Cabinet reshuffle?

Are there now serious differences between Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh? Looking at the latest Cabinet reshuffle it seems so. The rejig in the cabinet seems to be an exercise in futility and the evidence of this comes from none other than the man who effected the changes: Manmohan Singh. Minutes after he did the rejig, the Prime Minister announced that he would reshuffle his team once again after the budget session. The budget session is barely a month away. If he has to rejig his team once again, what was the compulsion for him to play a game of musical chairs now? He could have waited for two months to effect a full scale reshuffle. After all the heavens would not have fallen in the intervening period. The most probable answer is that Manmohan wanted to make radical changes, but Sonia would not allow it. So the result was the deliberate attempt to create an illusion that a lot of changes had been effected, but actually nothing had happened beyond a change in the portfolios of a huge number of ministers. "The ministers are being sent from one building to another," as some body said. Some of the changes are actually quite meaningless. For instance Kamal Nath has been moved from surface transport to urban development. Both are equally important (or unimportant positions), so what is the purpose of swapping of portfolios? I do not know.

In the run up to the Cabinet reshuffle (word about it had been out for the last few days) there was intense speculation that the team would see the exit of a huge number of non-performing mantris .At the same time there would be the entry of younger faces who would be standard bearers of the party for a long time. But nothing of that kind has happened. In fact after all this talk, not a single minister was dropped. And even M S Gill whose tenure at the sports ministry was marked by controversies and the Commonwealth games fiasco could only be shifted to the ministry of statistics. Even he could not be dropped. The same is the case with aging mini! sters. A good example is Veerbhadra Singh who managed to retain his place in the Cabinet if only as minister for medium and micro industry. Earlier he was the steel and mines minister. There was also a talk of many heavy weight ministers like Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kamal Nath and Veerappa Moily being dispatched to the party for organisational work. These ministers got wind of the possibility of this happening and perhaps lobbied hard to continue in the Cabinet. The lure of a ministership with all its trapping is irresistible. Never mind if the party is in desperate need for strengthening in view of the upcoming assembly elections in many states like West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

Not a single minister who can qualify to be a young blood was inducted into the team. Unless you think that Beni Prasad Verma, a former Mulayam aide and minister for telecom in an earlier United Front regime qualifies to be described so at the age of more than sixty. The portfolios of many ministers of state were also changed. But those who know of the way that things operate in the corridors of power would know that cabinet ministers allocate little or no work to their ministers of state. Most of them are in state of disguised employment. So what was the idea of changing their portfolios? For example what difference does it make whether Dinsha Patel is minister of state for petroleum or minister of state for mines? (Dinsha was earlier in petroleum but has now dispatched to mines. He represents the Nadiad seat in Gujarat.)

Manmohan Singh is not a paragon of political acumen. Therefore he is hell bent on pursuing the agenda of reforms which according to him leads to an improvement in the state of the economy. But while reforms by and large are desirable, the way they have been implemented in the last 20 years, has led to the rich becoming richer and the poor remaining where they were. (This is the reason why 20 years after liberalisation 37 per cent of all Indians are still below the poverty line). So Man! mohan Si ngh, the standard bearer for reforms, wanted non-political persons like Montek Singh Ahluwalia or C Rangarajan as finance minister. If stories doing the round are correct, Sonia would not have any of this. As head of a political party, her ears are closer to the ground and therefore she is more aware of the voices from down below. But at the same time -those have worked with her say that she is generally a person with a conservative approach. Change does not come to her easily. So with Sonia overseeing the Manmohan exercise it was hardly possible to bring in radical changes. But exceptions prove the rule and the only change that was purposive seems to be the allotment of the petroleum ministry to Jaipal Reddy. The earlier minister Murli Deora was close to a particular industrial house which is a player in the petroleum sector.

When Manmohan Singh says that there will be another round of Cabinet changes after the budget session he means that this is what he desires. Probably he himself knows as well as anybody else that it is mere tinkering that he will be able to do in the next round too. A few ministers here and a few ministers there. Did somebody say: The more things change the more they remain the same?

Lifests and Litpests

Some literary festivals have become the Bombay Times party of the book world. Not surprising, considering that some writers now get more advances than models. With money and fame both at their feet, the literati is no different from the glitterati. This is why even those whose bedtime reading is their credit card statement will elbow their way to the DPC Jaipur Literary Festival opening this Friday. It has evolved into a new genre of Fashion Week. Everyone is turned out in intellectual chic, or the bohemian Dalrumpled look.

Kindles nestling with expectant manuscripts in their Gucci satchels, the Jaipur set is as far removed from the College Street jholawalla as this literary fair is from Kolkatas Boi Mela. In fact, the ambience is closer to the fiefdoms equestrian tradition. The publishers colourful marquees are much the same as those at the hoary JRPCs polo championships. Trophy writers included, and not forgetting goras without the h.

This year, the paisa-vasool for celebrity spotters will be JK Rowling. Her spell may render invisible such heavies as J M Coetzee, Orhan Pamuk and Martin Amis, but thats the price of the mela-fication of literature. The attending philistine may never have heard of these complex writers, and will naturally prefer a sighting of the lady whose film beat Guzarish at the box office on opening day. Just imagine!

The festive crowds, salon readings, candlelit dinners incandescent with the worlds litbabes, the urban balladeers, alternative voices and agitprop of activists -- the Pink Citys new persona may end up holding the fort more effectively than the tax-burdened palaces and haveli hotels. The global allure of Gayatri Devi may well have found a worthy avatar.

Jaipur scripted a big thing, and now every city wants to be on the same page. Kolkata is the acknowledged land of the eentallectual, indeed even of the boi-polloi. So it, rightly pipped Mumbai to the post. Its maiden APJKLF (which sounds like a Kashmir liberation move! ment) to ok off in January 2010, 11 months earlier than the first edition of the Times of India-Lavasa Literature Live.

Last October, the celebrated Haye on Wye festival came to India that is Kerala. This too was fitting since the Malayalis vie with the Bengalis in the claim to intellectual property rights. If the Welsh town boasts of the worlds largest concentration of bookshops, then Kottayam holds the India title. And see how many new frontrunners have surfaced from the backwaters.

Eng Lit, as in (Hons), has given way to Chicklit and Ladlit. To be fair, Indian authors have been getting straight As, with the list not confined to Amitav, Arundhati, Aravind and Anita & Booker Beti. It is this sustained presence on the commanding heights of astronomical advances, and thus of media adulation, which has made literature sexy for many more Indians.

As opposed to being just steamy. Yes, in books as in Bollywood, there is equal place for the divas and the badnam munnis, though arguably, in the former, the line between the two is blurred.

They may not have increased the reading habit, but celebrity writers have certainly given a never-before aura to publishing. A book launch is now indistinguishable from that of a new single malt (its also sponsored by a Scotch company). The same glamourati is doing the same air-kissing and posing for the frenzied battalion of photographers. So Im beginning to think that the smarter P3P write novels only to get their next installment of fame. By book or by crook.

The trend is getting so seductive that we may soon have a book launch without the bother of a book. Read my lips.

* * *

Alec Smart said: Jairam Rameshs new book: Lavasa In The Time of Choleric Protest. Its griping

HD graphics: Cut the crap

If you follow tech news you must have heard of Sandy Bridge, the latest and greatest Intel processor, and how its graphics performance is uber awesome. I know some folks who swooned in ecstasy when Intel bandied about some super-duper numbers at a press conference recently in Delhi. By evening, I was tired of hearing how good is Sandy Bridge graphics. And not all of it was from Intel marketing guys, who are paid for such talk.

Anyone who understands a thing or two about processors and graphics card can see through the PowerPoint bull. But given how less is known about hardware that powers computers, many are also likely to fall for it. If you happen to be among the crowd that is impressed by Sandy Bridge graphics or planning to buy a computer with Sandy Bridge, read on. I will be quick and to the point.

Any computing device is primarily powered by two chips processor or CPU and graphics card or GPU. For the GPU, there are two types of chips integrated (IGP) and discrete. IGPs lack some vital components like dedicated RAM and are suitable for only light work. Earlier, they used to come embedded in the motherboard. Now, Intel has put them inside the processor. Discrete chips are what we call a graphics card. Its a separate hardware component suitable for heavier graphics workload and you can buy it in the market.

Now, coming back to Sandy Bridge and its HD2000 and HD3000. Both are IGPs. To be fair to Intel, HD2000 and HD3000 are an improvement over its earlier chips. Particularly, HD3000 is a big jump. But if seen in context to what IGPs by AMD and Nvidia can do, which came around a year ago, Sandy Bridge brings nothing new to the table.

Intels IGPs, despite their HD (high definition) tag, were so useless until a year ago that in some cases they could not even play a 1080P or full HD video clip. Thats no longer the case with HD2000 and HD3000. But both still suck with videogames. Marketing slides can claim anything but in real-life tests, neither HD2000 nor HD3000 offer what I call a decent gaming experience. A pity considering so many people had been taken for a ride by the HD moniker in the past and will again fall for it when they buy a Dell, HP, Acer on any other pre-built computer.

Apart from its capabilities, there is a finer print in Sandy Bridge line-up. Something that most people miss. Sandy Bridge will come in three flavours as far as IGPs are concerned. On one hand, you have laptop processors. They all come with HD3000. Very nice. On desktop-side, only two 2600K and 2500K come with HD3000. The rest have HD2000. Both 2600K and 2500K are unlocked CPUs (use comment option below if you need to ask about unlocked CPU) and are primarily meant for people who assemble their own computers. The result: people buying desktop computers mind you, not notebooks from companies like Dell, HP or Lenovo are likely to get HD2000 and not HD3000. And HD2000 is only slighty better than the IGP inside Intels earlier Core i5 processor.

On CPU side Sandy Bridge is as good as you can get with great performance at cheap price. But graphics are still nothing much to write about, HD moniker notwithstanding. If you want to play latest games on a monitor bigger than 15 inches, its still better to spend a few thousand rupees on a discrete graphics card. Unless by gaming all you meant is playing solitaire.

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Jail for petty thieves, small fine for rich criminals

In the early 20th century, a British civil servant, posted in a dustbowl in central India, blew his top one morning when he noticed that his Indian servant hadn't polished his shoes properly. He called the servant, a young lad, and slapped him. Not satisfied with his explanation, the officer kicked him, punched him on the face and then slashed him with his leather belt. He kept beating him till he couldn't do it anymore -- he had begun to sweat and the servant was dead. After the poor Indian's wife and children cried hoarse in front of senior British officers, the family was given Rs 25 in compensation. And the guilty officer was punished: he was made to pay Rs 25 in fine.

When I read this story in a school textbook many years ago, I was filled with anger. For days, I discussed the story with my classmates. We all agreed that the British were a cruel people. That's why the British officer killed the Indian. In our hate-filled discussions, we completely missed the point that the British officer was made to get away by paying a fine of Rs 25 in the day and age when Indians were sent to Kala Paani for raising their voices against the colonial rule. We completely missed the fact that in British India there were two sets of rules one for the ruling class, comprising the British and their Indian collaborators, and another for ordinary Indians. The idea of justice was very simple: if a rich man was caught doing something wrong, he was fined; if a poor man was caught committing a crime, he was dumped into the jail.

More than 60 years after Independence, this colonial practice of letting the rich criminals get away with murder with small fines. Though it's been going on since 1947, from two recent episodes it's clear that we still have two sets of rules: one for the ruling class, another for the aam aadmi. Though the government has a list of 50 Indians who have illegal bank accounts in the Liechtenstein Bank in Germany, no action has been taken against these p! eople. T he government is treating the looting of money as a case of tax evasion and the culprits are being only fined despite the Supreme Court's observation that the government was "wrong in treating black money as a tax issue when it was simple and pure theft of the Indian economy". Criticizing the government for not making public all the names on the list, the apex court said plunder of the nation had taken place.

Even if the Supreme Court didn't raise the issue, the finance ministry should have answered a few obvious questions: Who are these people on the list? How many of them are in public life? What is the source of this money? Was it public money siphoned off by these people? Why the government didn't make any attempt to recover this money?

But, instead of answering these uncomfortable questions, the government is busy shielding these criminals. Their identities have been hidden in a sealed envelope.

The second case which shows how the rich, famous and powerful of this country can get away with anything, particularly the plundering of national resources and public money, is the Lavasa hill station scandal. According to its report submitted to the Bombay high court on Tuesday, the Ministry of Environment and Forests has said that Lavasa Corporation violated environmental laws while building the hill station. But, instead of declaring the city illegal and order its demolition, the MoEF has suggested a "hefty penalty and creation of a fund out of Lavasa's pockets to restore the damage done". By chickening out at the last moment, minister for environment Jairam Ramesh has proved that he is just a paper tiger. Recently, Ramesh had ordered the demolition of the Adarsh tower in Mumbai, but by giving the penalty option to Lavasa, he has unwittingly opened that route for all criminals who are ravaging the country's eco-system in the name of development.

Because all these cases Adarsh, Lavasa and Lichtenstein involve the rich and powerful, till no! w no FIR has been filed in these cases, no one has been arrested, no body has been sent to jail and there are no indications that anyone would be prosecuted. If it was a case of pickpocket or theft in a rich man's house, the police would have picked some poor blokes, slapped cases against them and dumped them into jail. There are more than 10,000 undertrials in Delhi's Tihar jail. Most of them are in prison for petty crimes like pickpocketing or street fights. Most of them have spent more than seven years in prison, not because they have been sentenced by a court but because they don't have money for bail. And that's only one jail in the country. Hundreds of thousands of young men and women are rotting in jails because their families can't bail them out. In prison, many of them get raped or become drug addicts. If they come out after years in the company of hardened criminals, they become criminals too.

Even as this injustice goes on, the government doesn't bother to save these young, innocent lives from going down the drain. But, when it comes to acting against the wealthy, even if they are criminals, the state develops cold feet. Then it proposes the escape route: fine and penalty. That's what the Indian government is doing in Lichtenstein and Lavasa cases. With details about Indians holding illegal bank accounts in Swiss banks likely to emerge soon, no points for guessing what the government would do. It will make sure that the identities of these criminals are protected and they get away by paying a fine. Like everything else, our government is inspired by the US, the cradle of capitalism and its shady crimes. The famous mafia don of 1930s, Al Capone, was not arrested for years despite the fact that he openly ran dens of hooch, gambling and prostitution in the heart of Chicago. Because he bankrolled the politicians and bribed the cops, no one dared to touch him. Finally, when he became too big for his boots, they caught him, but not for his heinous crimes, including m! urder, b ut for tax evasion.

In predatory capitalism, criminals are allowed a free run as long as they pay their taxes. Not paying your taxes is the only crime in this system. And if you don't pay your taxes, you are doomed. That's why the Indian government is offering the tax route to the criminals who have stolen and stashed the country's public wealth abroad. That's why the government is happy with just levying a fine on the Lavasa corporation which has violated every rule in the book. And that's why it doesn't care for the poor people who keep rotting in prisons.

The cynical me...

ONE BRIGHT sunny morning quite difficult to perceive in these chilly times, still I walked through the lanes of my city. I saw the dilapidated footpath. I cribbed about my government. Taking few steps ahead I saw empty tree guards and mocked at futile efforts of government against the CC word, then I walked near the landfill, rather garbage-fill, I rebuked the lethargy of my government.

After this, what I did left me astounded. I crossed a mirror, saw nothing but myself and remorsed what a cynic I have been turned into. On contemplating I deeply wanted to pin it on somebody. I am a good human being; a righteous, even if not right, Indian. Then how come I have come to despise everything around me.

I see my country braving to host a mega sporting event, my fellow citizens make a note of it, the event wasnt named Mr Xs Games, the venue was India. But still I chose to be hostile and turn every stone possible to glamourise my shortcomings. So, it forces me to think that do we require more Kargils or more cricket matches to make us stand united? At this point let me correct myself, it would be too narrow an outlook to limit to the C game only. How can we forget the final match of our badminton ace Saina in Commonwealth Games?

It is being held by most of the well-read people of our country that rising food prices are fallout of malicious practices of our traders and the long persistent problem of paucity of food storage facilities. Why dont I stand up to these? Please replace I with we. We seldom notice pretty faces with strong voice and harsh opinions bringing into light the names of the hoarders, the black marketers, who act in utter inhumane spirit, penalising those who are already marred by poverty. But we having a 1d view find an easy target in the form of our government. After all they are the bearers of position of responsibility and duty; it is our right to be taken care of. Even if we are the one who is cause of perpetual misery of out fellow cit! izens.
We have been endowed with the power of being as cynical as deemed to be. We can relentlessly pursue to negate any possible positive steps to be taken by my government. We can question the means of ensuring energy security, can blame the government instead of appreciating the geo-climatic diversity of my country, we can opt for hooliganism over humanism and harm my own brethren. After all C word has been far more important in India ... the Cricket, Citizen, Cynicism and Chalta hai.

How come I was cast into this citizenship mould? By my parents while they were having their morning tea... by the idiot box when I switched it on to broaden my knowhow or by my representatives who are far from being sauv.

But fact remains that I am still dependent on someone. Waiting for others to pick up the litter which I have thrown on the road or else I have the option of an easy target, this time the G word. Government.

Presidential speech: Time to stretch the format?

Presidential speeches on Republic Day are generally delivered on the basis of the concerns and proclamations of the Prime Minister and his Council of Ministers, as conveyed to the Presidents office.

In a land where much is routine, most speeches have repeatedly quoted the strengths and provisions of the Constitution, with further mention of new government policies, important bills for social empowerment, and an assessment of natural or security challenges during that particular year.

The Indian Constitution, as an essential part of its virtue, holds the President as Head of State, for all matters of government appointment, inaugurating parliamentary sessions, but in practice, is happy to allow his or her pleasure be expressed along with that of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers. The President can use his or her "emergency powers", which was done during the 1965 and 1971 wars, and lastly in the defamed condition of "internal unrest", in 1975. To most Indians, it is the last one that has become synonymous with "emergency".

The President would be well within his or her constitutional powers to swerve from the given format, comment on the years performance, and set in motion a proactive theme not entirely to the liking of some, but pursuing the overall objective of an "address to the nation" that reflects the concerns of the common man. In the process, the president enthuses a spirit of revival and restoration of the systems of democracy as well as governance. Democracy, and a nation running on principles that are just, is paramount. This cannot be replaced by the promises of a "growing economy". The time for that has come.

The last year was a year of unprecedented scams. They included corporate bungling, an embarrassing financial audit on an international sport event, allegations of massive losses in allotment of telecom licences, unforeseen inflation in food prices, and now an expressed disharmony in the relationships of the coalition partner! s. There is growing internal threat of "Maoism". Finally, the winter session of Parliament went without a single working day!

One would expect an appropriate note on these matters of the running of the state from a president who would soon be inaugurating the budget session of a parliament that is still in a state of stalemate. The need is in fact unalienable and immediate the judiciary, the CAG, other constitutional functionaries and the press having been stretched to the full. The industrial lobby may have its own reservations, but importantly, the common man is not just confused, but is buckling, having stood long enough with his back to the wall.

Presidential speeches of an earlier, poorer and idealistic India, were hued in inherent humility, personal philosophy, even spirituality. Presidents, after "emergency" generally went along the spelt-out achievements of a government. Apart from the speeches, presidential powers were rarely exercised, the few instances being when Prime Minister Charan Singh concealed his minority strength, and was later asked to do so. President Zail Singh, actually delayed his response to the Postal Bill, giving anxious moments to the then government. President Narayanan in the 90s would often release explanations with due reasoning about some decisions he took, showing his willingness to bring about transparency in his office functioning. President APJ Abdul Kalaam returned the bill on expansion of political powers to those holding office of profit. He finally consented when Parliament sent the bill back to him. That was an exercise of discretion within protocol.

A consensus at some point is the crux of all democratic functioning. It is proper for presidents to speak out the policies of the government in a national address, because democratic processes are deemed to have been settled when such reports reach him. In principle, however, the president holds all executive powers of the government. He or she may like to comment when a democratic process in! suspend ed animation may become a likely controversial precedent due to the very ingredient of democracy, which is "the power of numbers". The president may be said to have acted in his or her wisdom, if he or she may like to make observations with a view to thematic correction. He or she may not invite much argument, if a previous democratic qualification is lacking due to a blank parliamentary session, and the next session being that of passing a finance bill!

Such a situation exists now. The executive powers of the president may suggest a wider base to the presidential speech, adding the bit that may put systems and processes on course. If the core spirit of a "Republic Day address" is to encourage the nation forward, it is not mandatory to enumerate the successes alone. If the mention of a natural calamity like the "tsunami", a drought, 26/11, or terrorism is made with a sense of protection for future such events, as yet unsettled contentious issues in Parliament may be addressed with the same spirit of preparedness for future, as well as facilitating constitutional procedural consensus for the present. The Indian Constitution dissuades the President form acting without the consent of Parliament, but when no parliamentary proceedings have taken place, he or she may be the last person standing to put the ball back in court, and whistle the players to continue the game with due restrain, respecting the given rules.

Our spirited first citizen has shown her leaning towards taking a higher path when she sat in a Sukhoi, and recently, gracefully walked at sea -level at a beach in Goa in her national attire.

It may not be considered too much of a departure, if her speech fulfils the dream of the common man, that in this democracy procedures are not set aside. That numbers will not overrule principles. It may be added that a conciliatory and accommodative approach by political parties coalitions and the opposition may be the wisest approach before we get consumed in destructive combative polit! ics. The common man may lose faith in the system. Worse still, he is affected by it. Lastly and fatally, he may become a party to it.

Right words at the right time may or may not change the course of nations, but as it turns out, sparkle in their truth, and are never beyond rules!

Caste and development: The Indian scenario

INDIA IS a land of many religions and numerous castes and is also called unified as a whole as far as the saying unity is diversity goes. Religion is at the basis of the caste system prevalent in the country. Just as we divide ourselves on the basis of religion, in the same manner we do separate on terms of caste. An ongoing debate is whether we should have an enumeration of the castes in the country, but if such an exercise takes place, then this problem is likely to exacerbate.
An article in a leading English daily read Development overrides caste in Bihar battle which primarily is about the emergence of a new mode of campaigning based on assurance of development in the region. This was not the case few years back when the political leaders of Bihar still utilised the caste politics and were dependent on castes to vote for the respective leaders. This massive vote bank on which they used to depend is giving way to, according to the article, development.
I disagree with the above mentioned article because this may only be the case before elections in certain part of India and this will end as soon as the elections are over. The leaders will again come back to their caste biases and thus this will lead nowhere. However, this is a very positive sign of India going beyond the caste borders and concentrating on development to gather votes. Bihar could possibly set an example for the entire country to follow its footsteps. This caste system has gone into the roots of the people and in Bihar, people used to vote for their own caste people only. But reports say that the situation is fast changing, though people cannot be lured only with few development projects undertaken in the country.
Development, in other parts of the country has not disappeared or is not disappearing at a fast rate. The only thing can be that now people are taking initiatives to make it a point to drive it away and this will take! time. T he movie India Untouched throws a flood of light on the issue of caste system and the discriminations practiced accordingly. The documentary begins with a stark example of how innocent young children have somehow got into their heads that if they get into a Dalit house they will get polluted. This is the effect our caste system can have on young minds, which are the easiest to mould. The documentary shows how Dalits in almost all parts of the country suffer the same fate of untouchability and segregation. They are the ones who suffer because of the cruel practices of the society.
The religious minds are not there to ward off this practice but they are the ones who support the system of caste discrimination. We find a Hindu pandit explaining, in India Untouched, how God himself divided the people on the basis of the works they should perform, this is profounded by stating slokas from the Vedas.
At some places in Madurai and Tamil Nadu the Dalits are not even allowed to enter villages dwelled by upper castes with their shoes on. They have to remove it and carry it by their hands. This is the level of humiliation these people are subjected to. Such cases of deprivation are there to stand with others like not letting the Dalits to draw water from the same well where other upper castes do. This may seem to be history to the educated masses, but this is the reality at the grass-root level in Indian villages. Lower caste people are derided and looked down upon and no social status is granted. We forget, at times, that we are all human beings and then only we are divided into castes, creeds and sects. Humanity should be the only factor taken into consideration and nothing else.
The issue of honour killings should also be brought to focus while speaking of caste and untouchability. The case of Tamil Nadu needs to be discussed where in the past two years 1,971 women have killed themselves and many among them could be honou! r deaths , according to a study. The article in shows how a 35-year-old Dalit man was killed by his non-Dalit wifes brothers. Thus, not only untouchability but such brutal practices can also be attributed to the stringent caste system in India.
If development had given way to caste system then there would have never been a rebellion to separate Telengana from the state of Andhra Pradesh. This is the most neglected area in the state and they have been living in such a condition for years. There have been very little amount of development compared to other parts of Andhra Pradesh, mainly the capital, Hyderabad. The people there are aggrieved about the biases in budget allocations, water and jobs available to them. The protests have shaken the roots of the government, till then, sitting cosy in their chairs and counting on them only for votes.
Thus development should override caste in India but this is not the case as presented in the above paragraphs. India then will be an utopia if any day development overpowers caste system and says that it is what matters. However, though I disagree with the article on Bihar, I would like to state that if such a thing is substantial and not only for vote gathering, then India is set to shine in the upcoming years with everyone enjoying the same amount if rights everywhere, irrespective of caste, creed, sect or sex.

Dhanu Yatra: The world's biggest open air theatre festival

NOBODYNOWa days dares to disobey Maharaja Kansa. There is no excuse for committing offence in Kansas kingdom which has been virtually created in Dhanu Yatra which is also the world's biggest open air theatre festival. Everyone including government servants, politician, businessmen, spectators irrespective of caste, creed and profession becomes the subjects of Maharaj Kansa for eleven days.
Dhanu Yatra is the worlds biggest open air theatre festival and is held annually in Bargarh in the Western part of Orissa. This festival is based on Lord Krishnas visit to Mathura to witness the fair organised by Uncle Kansa as mentioned in the Bhagwat Puran. Bargarh town transforms into Mathura. While nearby Ambapalli village becomes the Gopapura. River Jeera which flows between Bargarh and Ambapalli changes into River Yamuna during the period of ten days.
Interestingly, the festival not only re-enacts mythology but also provides amusement to the people. Maharaj Kansa visits different areas of the town everyday on an elephant top and gets all the due respect. Public utility services like water supplies, electricity, education, and health service are absolutely in top gear, during the reign of Maharaj Kansa. The district collector and magistrate, superintendent of police, other administrative employees along with the local MLA, MP and minister are projected as his representatives.
During this 11 day festival, we deploy security personnel in every corner of the town and also suspend vehicular traffic inside Bargarh town during the entire period of Yatra, according to Maharaj Kansas order, said Bijaya Kumar Dash, SDPO Bargah.
At Ambapalli, Lord Krishna is the main attention. One can be a part of activities like Nanda Utsav, Bastraharan, Raslila, Navkali etc. In short, the festival starts with the birth of Krishna, then meanders through his childhood and his adolescent mischiefs which are supported by the local people whole! hearted ly.
Faith and support of public helps us to organise such a big event. And this year we tried our level best to make this festival more attractive and people oriented said Bhabghari Mishra , the chairman of organising committee.
People from far away come to Bargarh to be a part of this popular festival. Personally I love this festival relating to Puranas and this is the 7th time I have come to Bargarh Dhanu Yatra, said Amit Kumar , a 56 year old spectator from Sonepur district in Orissa.

Dhobi Ghat

The tagline/alternate name 'Mumbai Diaries' along with what you see in the promos scream - a film set in the city of dreams, which is also the big, bad city. One more film named after another popular location in Mumbai, Bhindi Bazaar - Bhindi Bazaar Inc. is going to be added to this already over-crowded space of Mumbai's underbelly.

Mumbai is cruel yet she can be warm. We know this. Does Kiran Rao & co. have anything new to say, or do they say it in a different way at least? The first promo offers hope. The promos structure itself is intriguing. And the music sticks.


Note how there is absolutely nothing new about the way Mumbai is shot or presented. Nor does it promise to be a 'different' story. It actually clearly indicates that it just might be a boy-meets-girl-meets-boy-meets-girl story. And yet, there is something very engaging about the way it is done. And the hope is that the film will do the same.

The promo was loved by many and did its rounds on Facebook and twitter. And like with any other Aamir Khan product, the expectations are extremely high. With him we have come to expect a sophisticated film. And with every word that he says to belittle our intelligence his own words those expectations only go higher.

You see a glimpse of the smugness in the following video. Only to be completely taken over by how they found one of their main leads.


That's the thing about a film Aamir Khan is associated with, it has that something extra to look forward to despite the 'smarter-than-thou' way in which it is dealt out.

And here's the biggest surprise! of them all. In the day and age where Hindi movies are known to rake in the mullah with sale of music albums, Dhobi Ghat doesn't have a music album at all! Now that's being 'different' even by Aamir standards!

In India bribes are an accepted norm

I was arrested and subsequently released by NOIDA police on Saturday. The whole incident was quite bizarre. We had gathered outside Registrars office in Noida to protest against corruption in that office. Gaurav Bakshi, an NRI had been asked for a bribe in this office about two months back for some work. He refused to pay the bribe and recorded a video of the babus demanding bribe. This enraged the babus. They assaulted him and his father (a retired IAF officer) and their camera was snatched away. Someone present there clicked the pictures of assault. Gaurav filed a police complaint with those pictures (culprits are easily identifiable in those pictures). Gaurav was offered Rs 8000 by the NOIDA police who tried to persuade him not to file a police complaint. However, he persisted. Two months after the complaint was filed, the NOIDA police did not take any action.

Rather than give up, Gaurav collected all his friends and decided to protest. On Saturday, less than 50 people gathered outside Registrars office on the main road. All of us were shouting innocuous slogans Choosna band karo, rishwat lena band karo, etc. We decided to take a round of the parking area and encourage people to stand up against corruption. However, the police stopped us. So, we stayed on the side of the main road. All of us demanded to know from the police, why were they shielding the corrupt, why they had not taken any action against corrupt people on Gauravs complaint? SHO present on the spot refused to reply.

At that time, one person came out of Registrars office and said that he a bribe of Rs 100 had demanded from him. Everyone asked the police officers present on the spot to immediately arrest the staff who had demanded bribe. But the police did not budge.

Suddenly, one of their senior police officers came, and without any provocation, on his orders, the police started assaulting people. We were slapped, thrashed and assaulted with batons. Gaurav was beaten up and put into a police van.! Eight o f us were detained. We were taken to a few police stations for the next few hours without being told why we were being transported around before we were finally presented before the city magistrate. At this point, we realised we had actually been arrested.

The city magistrate arrived and screamed at the police officer Muzrimon ko hathkadi kyon nahin daali? Police officer replied Baahar bahut media wale khade hain. The magistrate informed us that we had been arrested for violating public peace, for interfering with the work of government officials and for creating ruckus inside government building. We protested that we never entered any government building and we never met any government officer. The magistrate replied that it was for the police to investigate the allegations and the court would take a final decision. Some non-bailable sections were slapped against us. He ordered our arrest. We were bundled up in police vans and were sent to Dasna jail.

Midway, the police vans stopped. We were told that the vans had been asked to come back. You will be released on bail, one of the police officers told us, who was taking instructions on phone from his bosses. We said we will not apply for bail as we had not committed any crime. The policeman, perplexed, informed his seniors that these people dont want bail. He was directed to still bring us back whether we wanted bail or not.

Back in magistrates office, we were released without bail. We learnt that the police did not know about our backgrounds when they arrested us. Once arrested, there was flood of enquiries from media and eminent citizens. And so, we were being released.

Isnt it completely bizarre? Either we had done a crime or we had not! How could we be treated as hardened criminals just a few hours back, so much so that the magistrate had to order our handcuffing? And how could we be suddenly released and all charges against us dropped when they come to know who we were?

This means tha! t the po lice can practically arrest anyone and slap any IPC section against him. The magistrate will blindly endorse arrest saying that the charges will be investigated later. How scary is that?

The magistrate met us after our release in his chamber. He warned us not to disrupt public peace in future. We told him in all humility We had not disrupted the peace of the public but had actually disrupted the peace of corrupt people and we will continue to do that even after our release. Dont you find it strange that the police did not arrest those who had demanded bribe from Gaurav and those who had assaulted Gaurav and his father till now but we, who were fighting against corruption were arrested and produced before you immediately? We politely told the magistrate that we will continue with our activities even after release. Still he released us.

Who do we blame for this incident? In my opinion, it is the system that is at fault. The system places so much power in the hands of a few individuals that they simply go mad with arrogance. They lick their seniors and kick the public and they are accountable to none. I wonder whether it was any different during the British times?

Many people say that we have sufficient laws in our country, just that they are not implemented properly. I completely disagree with them. I have studied many of the laws very carefully. We are still being governed by the same colonial laws which existed in British times. They have not been changed. Many of these laws need to be changed.

Economic growth and future superpower status is all very good but that doesnt guarantee dignity for every individual. We need new and contemporary laws for a new India and to push for these, a citizens movement has been initiated.

Thousands of people will assemble at Ramlila grounds at 1 pm on 30 January 2011 for a March Against Corruption not only to protest against corruption, but to demand enactment of a strong anti-corruption law drafted by non! e other than Prashant Bhushan, Justice Santosh Hegde, National Campaign for Peoples Right to Information, Kiran Bedi and others. Please visit www.indiaagainstcorruption.org to read the complete text of this law. Many eminent citizens will be present in this march - Aruna Roy, P V Rajagopal, Harsh Mander, Kiran Bedi, Prashant Bhushan, Shanti Bhushan, Devinder Sharma, Rev. Arch Bishop of Delhi, Anna Hazare, Madhu Kishwar, Sunita Godara etc.

Similar marches will take place simultaneously in many cities and towns across India on the same day. Please join the March Against Corruption wherever you are to demand effective anti-corruption systems! Please visit www.facebook.com/indiacor to know more details.

A peep into Narnaul's past

The Haryana Online website does not make for a good user experience, but it has enough by way of pictures to providean glimpseof some fascinating heritage sites. One example is the town of Narnaul, in Mahendragarh district.

In its prime, Narnaulwas an important mint town and had been graced by Sher Shah Sur, while he ruled from Delhi. However, like many other towns of India,it has been unable to age gracefully. Today, there is no sign of the mint and the one feature that distinguishes the town is its largish state transport bus depot. Cattle squat on the main road as if it belongs to them and look upon any advancing vehicle with an air of disdain. Children on bicycles pedal madly through the town, milkmen on motorcycles roar past and dogs hurl themselves at every bus that passes by, barking ferociously. If Sher Shah were to return from the dead for a moment, he would probably pass out on hearing this cacophony of sound.

At the northern edge of the town liesthe Chor Gumbad. This huge tomb, a square structure built upon a large rock, is one of the oldest monuments in the town. Built during the reign of Feroz Tughlak by an Afghan noble Jamal Khan as his tomb, it later became a hideout for thieves, thus the unusual name. What thieves could not do, vandals have achieved here with just about every wall of the building having been scratched on.

At the outskirts of the town lies a Jal Mahal, or water palace. Standing in the middle of a now-dry artificial water tank, this palace is connected to a pavilion at the edge of the tank by a stone bridge. Painted in gold colours on the ceiling at every entrance are designs comprising flowers and geometric patterns. Given that the Jal Mahal was built by Narnauls Mughal governor Shah Quli Khan who held sway here during the reign of Akbar, it is amazing that the paintings have retained their brilliant colours.

Quli Khans tomb lies not far from the Jal Mahal. This is an interesting octagonal tomb built of grey stone something not seen among all the Mughal tombs in and around Delhi. The acoustics of the chamber withinare delightful with echoes of any sound made staying for a while. The tomb was once part of a now extinct Mughal garden that was entered into via a ceremonial gateway. The gateway the Tripolia stands close to the tomb and has been converted into a place of residence by a farmer. There are many such structures here that have been converted.

Deep in the heart of the town, amid narrow lanes and haphazardly-built houses is the tomb of Ibrahim Sur, an Afghan horse-trader who was granted Narnaul as his landholding by the Lodi kings. The tombwas built byhis grandson Sher Shah years after the old mans death. Given that Sher Shah did not come from royal stock, this magnificent tomb seems more an attempt to establish his own pedigree than the result of any love for his grandfather. The building itself, built of grey and red stone, is richly decorated with cupolas, turrets and extensive stone lattice-work.

True to the Islamic tradition of building tombs in proximity to religious places, this tomb lies next to the resting place of a saint revered for centuries. Shaikh Muhammad Turk Narnauli popularly called Shah Turkman settled here in the 13th century. His tomb complex, which also includes a madrasa, is in dilapidated condition though here and there one finds traces of elegant decoration. The tomb complex, in many ways, is a symbol of the town itself where nuggets of heritage lie in a sea of neglect.

Getting there: Narnaul is a pleasant 140 km drive away from Delhi. Head southwards on N.H.8 and take the right turn for Rewari. To reach Narnaul, you need to drive through Rewari.

When outlaws run out of luck

A lemon, black strings and dark powder were unusual objects for cops to find in the pocket of a notorious burglar. Later, cops were told by the superstitious culprit that a Godman had given him the objects to ward off evils like police and to bring good luck while stealing! The revelation left cops stupefied.

Seeking divine blessings before coming for duty is a regular practice for most cops who often risk disciplinary action for retaining tika on forehead. It is same for the miscreants too, a situation that might create some dilemmas for the Almighty. With both playing a fraught game, luck plays a big role in the life of guardians of law as well as law-breakers. No wonder, both strive to win divine favour with their devotion.

Recently nabbed by Sitabuldi police, Rahul Makkrelwar, a notorious vehicle thief from Chhindwara, was almost certainly planning something to improve his luck as he landed behind bars. It was sheer ill-luck that saw him fall in police net. He had managed to slip away when the cops visited his Nagpur cops residence in Madhya Pradesh. He returned home after two hours realizing he had forgotten his wallet at home. The cops too returned to his place at the same time. The outcome was obvious.

Same could be said about the teenage girl who was picked up, along with her mother, by the crime branch for a series of alleged thefts at various marriage venues. In one such case, the girl had stolen an expensive mobile belonging to a guest at a marriage party. The girl landed in police net after gifting the stolen cellphone to her boyfriend. With the phone, the girl seemed to have parted with her luck too as cyber crime cell traced the location of device as the boyfriend started to use it.

That led to rounding up of the mother-daughter duo. Sizable amount of stolen properties were recovered from their residence. Here, too, luck let them down. A piece of a stolen jewellery was spotted by the cops under the bed. They lifted the bed to find other stolen prop! erties u nder it.

In another case, a woman constable was able to hoodwink the department for more than a decade until she had a fight with her husband. The upset spouse revealed to the department that the woman had furnished fake documents at the time of recruitment. Along with her husband, her luck also walked out on her.

In similar fashion, an imposter from Nagpur was working as a doctor in Mumbai. He was posing as Dr Meraj Shaikh, who was actually a former classmate of his, for almost a decade. The original Dr Shaikh, employed as an intensivist in Nagpur hospital, was bewildered on learning this from another friend happened to visit the hospital where the imposter worked. The original Dr Shaikh ensured that the duplicate soon landed in jail.

The miscreants seem to realize the importance of keeping Almighty appeased. A notorious burglar would head to religious places to distribute a portion of his stolen booty as alms to beggars. Later, he would travel to a pilgrimage after each successful mission. But apparently his gods were not interested in ill-gotten pieties. After stealing cash from district court premises, the burglar had distributed a portion of it among the poor outside a dargah. Still, police managed to net him.

A smooth-talking trickster, targeting railway passengers, apparently goes on a pilgrimage after having robbed a victim by drugging. He is learnt to be wanted by several state. He seems to be holding on to his luck. This high-flying trickster maintains a girlfriend in Mumbai and is a frequent flier too. Police managed to reach his girlfriend but somehow his luck has prevailed over that of the cops so far.

Nixing the right addictions

Birthdays usually begin with resolutions. The most common resolutions, I have noticed, are to give up some forms of addiction or the other. Over the years I have seen many of my friends resolve to give up smoking, drinking, chocolates, caffeine, speeding, hash, carbs, transfats, going late to work, sleeping with other peoples wives. The list is long but, luckily, most resolutions dont last that long. They are not meant to.

My birthday was on Saturday. I did my usual. I switched off my everyday life, pondered over things that matter to me, none of them of any earth shaking importance to either me or the world at large. I went into what I call a retreat. Its a space I occupy for a couple of days. Yes, there were things I was supposed to do which I didnt, much to the disappointment of my friends and family. But then, this is one day I keep for myself. And no, I have no desire on that day to contemplate any kind of denial. Ergo, I dont make any resolutions. On the contrary, I try on every birthday to acquire some new addictions, live my life richer, fuller, learn something new.

I recommend you do the same. Spend the year being nice to yourself, do stuff you want you. Make Yes your birthday resolution, not No. The world has changed, I admit. But not everything people once did is wrong. Whether it was Audrey Hepburn who made smoking the ultimate fashion statement by sporting that elegant, long, black cigarette holder in Breakfast at Tiffanys or Dylan Thomas who drank all day and most nights writing the best poetry of his generation. If you dont believe me, listen to Richard Burton, another brilliant Welshman and one of the great actors of all time, who also drank far too much, reading Dylans poems. Now, thats life altering.

Nothings as bad as its made out to be if you enjoy it. You dont have to judge it. Why must I judge Jim Morrison for the drugs he took. I would rather judge him by the songs he wrote, the music he made? Aldous Huxley claimed the windows of the mind, the doors of perce! ption wo uld never open without mescaline. He won the Nobel Prize. Ginsberg wrote his best lines smoking up in a samshan ghat beside the Ganga. Grudge him that? Would you grudge Kennedy his many indiscretions, including Marilyn Monroe, when he ran the affairs of the state so well that people still describe his times as Camelot?

Its best to stop worrying about things like smoking, drinking, drugs or adultery. Its time to focus instead on the stuff we can give up to make India the nation it ought to be. What about giving up paying bribes for a year? See the difference it makes to your life if you just follow the traffic lights instead. If it works for you, take the next step. Tell every bribe seeker to go stuff himself. Trust me. You will feel proud of yourself. It may hurt to begin with. Bribe seekers are bad people. They will harass you, intimidate you. But they cant diminish you. And, the best thing is, if you dont take bribes or pay them, you can look every politician or Government officer in the eye and say: Im better than you.

Lets also resolve not to make divisive comments during the year. Criticise terrorism, not Muslims. Abuse Mayavati, not the lower castes. Even though you may hate reservations. Dont crack nasty jokes about other communities. Dont look away from the poor as if they dont exist. Reach out and help them if you can with small things. Old clothes, blankets, books, magazines. No, not everyone poor is illiterate: Change your stereotypical ideas. Pack up the extra food you ordered in the restaurant. Give it to street kids. Feed biscuits to stray dogs. I have done it for years; never been bitten. Put water out on your window for the birds. Fight for every tree in the neighbourhood. They protect you. Not that rascal builder who wants to cut it down, grab every open space in the city he can lay his filthy hands on.

Give up your addiction to vandalism. We may hate to admit it, but most of us are vandals by sheer habit. Some deface historical monuments. Others damage public proper! ty. A ne w train, within days of being introduced, has its seats ripped off, fans stolen, toilets filthy and stinking. There are a hundred better ways to grab headlines than stoning buses or removing fish plates, endangering hundreds of lives. Stop chewing paan and spitting in the lift or staircase. Stop peeing outside the pot in a public toilet. Enjoy the company of beautiful women. Dont grope them in crowded trains or buses.

Its all easy and much more fun than giving up smoking, drinking, drugs or sex with your neighbours wife. And its even more fun to stop blaming others and doing a few right things yourself.