A caricature of Arnab Goswami by Flipkart

The rediscovery of India

An excellent article by Gopal Gandhi, former governor of West Bengal

The rediscovery of India [Source: The Hindu]

The country today needs to reinvent itself through the ideals and dreams that drove the Independence movement

Anniversaries chime, mime.

Repeating the sounds and the sentiments of the original event, they are meant to echo. But, mostly, they parody.

Days red-ringed on calendars are like Rose-ringed Parakeets. They please their “owners” by repeating what they have been drilled into doing.

The phrase signifying tedium — “year in and year out” — must come from the dull annuities of routine. Anniversaries placate routine. Repetition palliates nostalgia, packages and pots it.

Potted speeches, even stirring ones, seem “put on” when replayed to order. Archival photographs, even startling ones, seem to be serving another’s purpose when pulled out from their rest and streamed on today’s screens and surfaces.

August 15, for India, is no exception.

Many emotions

Catharsis surrounded that day in 1947. Joy and pain, triumph and tragedy were both in the air, like grey and silver clouds in astral combat. Ustad Bismillah Khan had played his mesmericshehnai on the Red Fort’s great mound minutes before Prime Minister Nehru, shy of nothing but of the age 60, by two years, sprang to his feet. Chest out, chin up, he freed with unconcealed elation India’s new flag from its furls of subordination. If there is one word that can describe the mood of that day, it is the much-used one about the much-missed spirit — idealism.

What would Jawaharlal Nehru have had to say to the nation today, if he stood on the ramparts of the Red Fort? He would of course be speaking in Hindustani with a sprinkling of Urdu words which today could sound archaic, such as sifat(quality), iman (probity), zamir (conscience). But assuming he were to turn to English, Nehru’s 2013 message to the Indian people might go thus:

“Friends and comrades, I have had the great privilege, for it is no less, and the joy, for that is what it has been, to speak to you from atop these historic walls seventeen times. When I think of the great transactions of time that have taken place here, among these silent stones, such as the stately durbarsof Shah Jehan, the petty machinations of Aurangzeb, the trial and murder of Dara Shikoh, the plunder by Nadir Shah, his loot of the Peacock Throne, the carnage around here during the Great war of Independence, Bahadur Shah Zafar’s pained sacrifice, and in what may be called ‘our’ times, the trial of the INA’s brave soldiers, and of the small men who slayed the Father of the Nation, I rather lose my words in my meandering thoughts. But you have not come here today to see me lose my words but, rather, to find them, to find the right words, the right thoughts, which may give you a sense of the importance of this day, this anniversary.

I speak to you today not as your Prime Minister but, rather, as one among you. I do not mean to or want to justify any action of our government. You who see its functioning day after challenging day can do that better than I who am trapped inside it. I often feel more locked up and caged in government than I did when I was in the jails of the British Raj. And the security guards around me — they of course are only obeying orders — stifle me. I often ask myself ‘What is all this for, this protection, this security, against whom?’ And then when I think of the man, the one man to who we owe our freedom more than to anyone else and how he just walked into three bullets, I feel ashamed of the cordons around me. And when I think of the violence both of the direct kind, and of the invisible, subtle kind that India’s daughters, India’s Dalits and tribals have to endure at the hands of brutes among her sons, I am again ashamed of the security around me. It is of course a fact that certain kinds of men, terrorists, they are often called, want to kill me. I am not afraid of death. I can grapple with any attacker and give him honest blow for blow. But I do not want to oblige some low-time mercenary or idiot wielding a gun!

Money power

We are living amidst terror, hatred, violence, and therefore in fear. There are people who thrive on those, hatred and fear. They have nothing else to them. How did this happen? When, why? I must say to you in all imandari (honesty) that the style of our siyasat (politics) has created this and politicians and political parties must take the zimmedari (responsibility) for this.

I do not intend to explain anything which our Parliament might have done or not done, either. We set it up with great arman (longings), arzu (wishes) and a sense of abru (self-respect). But when I see the way Parliament functions or, perhaps I should say, the way it does not function, it fills me with shame. Parliament is accountable before it is ‘Hon’ble’. It is obsessed by its honour when it should be absorbed in its duties.

And everywhere, money is King. Not the voter, not the Constitution, but money. When something or someone is King, what becomes of the Republic? From the roadside vendor who has to pay a regularmamul in some hundreds of rupees to the giant Corporate that bribes its way to contracts with so many zeroes that I cannot count, we are now become a Jamhuriyat-i-Naqad, a Republic of Cash.

We have become a soulless people, a people without self-confidence, without morale. A nation that does not have any ideals cannot survive. So, is there no hope? Is it all finished? Harghiz nahin, most certainly not. I spoke of the petty machinations of Aurangzeb, of the loot by Nadir Shah. We have modern versions of those amid us. But we also have, amongst us, great souls inspired by Dara Shikoh and Bahadur Shah. If we have men of the kind who killed our Bapu, we also have great and brave soldiers of a united India such as Netaji Subhas Bose would have been proud of.

What we need

And so while I am a disappointed man, as disappointed as you, not just in our politics and in our administration but in the reshe, tar and sut, the very fibre of our nationhood, I also know that the so-called ordinary people of India have an extraordinary core of values in them, plain human values that make them help each other in distress and in dejection. The number of courageous Indians who, unfazed by the wrongdoings of so many, continue to fight for justice, for honesty, for service, is amazing.

With their help, we must reinvent ourselves. We have to go back to where we started, to the roots of our ideals, our dreams. That good man, Kamaraj from Madras, you will remember, gave us a plan that we called the Kamaraj Plan. Ministers resigned office in large numbers to go back to the people, to where they came from. That gave us, then, an ehsas (sense) of idealism, of sacrifice and service for India’s greatness. I will say no more except this that India needs to be governed by men and women, even if they be from outside of Parliament, outside of politics, honest people, idealists, not self-seekers disguised as pragmatists, patriots who are motivated not by power and money but by the ideals of justice and fair-dealing, giving the nation a leadership that can look us — you and me — in the eye. As I leave you, I have a request: You have shown me love as you have shown perhaps to no one. But please do not iconize me, do not idolise me, do not make a cult of me. All cults are wrong, personality cults more than all others. Disagree with me, show me where I err, correct me. I would prefer that you do that than that you follow me unthinkingly. Oxen and sheep do that, not descendants of Asoka and Rajendra Chola, Akbar and Shivaji.

I now exhort you to say, chest out and chin up, not thrice from hollow lungs but just once like a bellow from your hearts — Jai Hind!”

TAILPIECE OF THREE FRIENDS

Three men were pondering where to meet for lunch to celebrate their 20^th birthdays. Finally they settle for the Sea Pebble Restaurant as the atmosphere there is tantalizing.

Ten years later the friends once again talk over where to meet for lunch. They decide to meet at Sea Pebble Restaurant, as the surroundings are opulent.

Ten years later, at age 40, the friends once again decide to meet at the Sea Pebble Restaurant as the ambience over there is excellent.

At the age of 50, the friends again choose to meet at Sea Pebble Restaurant, owing to the fact that the food over there is mouth-watering.

Ten years later, at age 60, the friends once again discuss where they should have lunch and confirm to meet at the Sea Pebble Restaurant because they can dine in solace while looking at the beautiful view in the tranquil environment.

Ten years later, the friends again make up their minds to meet at the Sea Pebble Restaurant. The Sea Pebble is agreed upon as it has wheelchair access and a lift.

After ten years, at age 80, the three friends again discuss where they should meet for lunch. Eventually it’s agreed that they will meet at the Sea Pebble because two of them insist that they never had been there before.

I came across this question on QUORA
Mahendra Singh Dhoni: Why so many Indian people hate MS Dhoni when he as a Captain and an individual player has achieved quite a lot in a short span of time and making Team India one of the most successful teams in recent times?

and my answer to it.....

ANS: In a nutshell: Its plain Jealousy

Long-winded answer: In 1990's India had good players, but as a team we could never perform to the level of being among the top 3 teams in the world. We had sporadic wins but few players like Sachin and Dravid would give exceptional performances even though the team lost and they were hailed as  lone warriors. When Sourav Ganguly took over the captaincy we started performing better than in 1990-2000 but Ganguly hardly got credit for his captaincy skills. We didn't win any major International events but we won many bilateral tour's including the famous Natwest series in England and ODI, test series against Pakistan in 2004. He was just recognized as a captain who taught us to win on foreign countries and the individual players received credit for their performances. Moreover  he was removed as he was not performing as a player in 2005 and we lost in 2003 world cup final and hence even though he had exceptional captaincy skills we never gave much credit to him as the one who was steering us through victories.

Now enters MSD. He steers India to the T20 world cup victory where he didn't give any extraordinary performance as a batsmen but played a crucial role in some innings. When we won the T20 world cup, everybody in the print and electronic media started hailing him as the fulcrum for the victory. From then he was made the ODI captain and we won the CB series in Australia. A plethora of appreciations from many cricketers were thrown at him without any hitch. Even though Sachin, Gambhir scored well and Irfan Pathan took many wickets much of the discussions and accolades were on tactic's used  by him and his ability to maintain his calm composure in any sort of predicament. In 2011 world cup he didn't play any good innings until the final. But in the final he scored 91(78) which was his first fifty in 15 innings. Here Gambhir scored 97 but  there were hardly any praises for his blistering performance.


Some argument's his haters use are

1. He takes all the praise for the victories.
2. He bats at the end of the innings to maintain his average.
3. He disregard's seniors and removes them mercilessly from the team.
4. He is a mediocre wicketkeeper and a batsmen without any technique but is praised as the best wicketkeeper batsmen in the world.
5. Dada was the best captain India had but MSD is receiving the unnecessary credit

I don't think that he is hated by many people in the country but there are only a few who hate him. He never asked for any credit but it's the media, ex-cricketers and cricket fans who are giving him the compliments for the team victory. There can be no ridiculous statement than saying that he bats at end of the innings to maintain his average. Then why do all the top players like to play as openers or at number 3,4 positions. Without any doubt he is not the best wicketkeeper but the best wicketkeeper batsmen India ever had after Farokh Engineer. We had been dismayed for the lack of a wicketkeeper batsmen from 1990 and no one could keep that position for a long time. Dinesh karthik and Parthiv Patel were good players but were not promising in that 2002-2005 period. He has an orthodox batting style but has been able to  hit long sixes and produce steady innings as well for a long period of time. His innings in 2011 World Cup final was of staggering self-belief, and deadly effectiveness. This innings of brutal savagery could not have come at a better time, or on a bigger stage. Excessive praise he receives is the only reason why few people hate him but how can MSD be responsible for the praises he receives. In an attempt to express their hate they use above reasons as well as saying he is lucky. Nevertheless " Fortune favors the brave with a prepared mind".

There are two kinds of leaders: one, who let the game change them and their decisions; and others who change the game with their decisions. Ganguly and Dhoni both are of the latter part.Comparing MSD and Ganguly is as preposterous as comparing apples and oranges. Though they might have played for the same country and game they captained the team in different situations. Both posses the incredible qualities required to lead a team but their methods are completely different. If you want to decide their greatness by statistics you cant recognize the greatness of these individuals. Both helped the Indian team to climb the top spot in International Cricket. Ganguly laid the perfect foundation and Dhoni has built a beautiful penthouse on it. Hate him or love him you have to respect this man for his ability in steering the Indian cricket team to many victories

"He [Dhoni] is the best captain I have played under.He is very sharp and always alert. He reads the situation well and is open to sharing ideas. He always has discussions with bowlers, batsmen and senior players separately.He is always calm and never shows his frustration. These are some of the human qualities which have made him such a good captain. He is a fantastic captain."- Sachin Tendulkar

His ability to remain calm and maintain humility in either win or loss is difficult to develop and indicates his mature mind. His six of Kulasekara on that electric evening of April 2nd 2011 at Wankhede will remain as the symbol of the world cup victory and these scene will be played over and over in the euphoric memories of the Indian cricket fan.

BETTING,GAMBLING & STOCKS

The great scripture of Mahabharat gives an insight into how a person even if he is the epitome of Truth and Righteousness can lose his frame of mind if he involves in gambling. The game of dice blurred the wisdom of Yudhistir and ensnarled him to put everything at stake including his siblings and also his consort Draupadi. Consequently the Pandavas had to face many catastrophic and exhausting events in the years to follow.

                                                       In India gambling along with alcohol has created havoc in many families for many centuries. Even if one member of the family gets addicted, it results in desolation and ruination of the entire family. Betting in India is illegal except for horse racing which is famous among elite politicians and the corporate world, but this time it’s the turn of the gentleman’s game.

                                                      The Delhi Police have exposed a huge racket of betting and bribing, with its roots in the underworld and revealed that the players had been in agreement with the bookies to underperform in the Indian Premier League matches so that the bets could be won. In fact the bookies had been dictating the players.Once again its the viewers who have ardor towards cricket and faith in the players who have been cheated. The police suspect it to be a tip of the ice-berg. Suspected players S Sreesanth,Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila have been arrested and after a police custody are now out on parole. The Indian Media had been badgering N.Srinivasan, then President of the BCCI until he had resigned from the post, holding him accountable for the misdeeds of his son-in-law who owns a cricket team in the IPL, for his alleged involvement in placing huge bets on his own team through a Bollywood actor.

Leaving the board president resignation and the arrest of the players aside, we need to introspect as how easily and without a hitch has the menace of gambling penetrated into a normal middle-class citizen life. Many educated Indians are placing bets despite knowing the fact that its illegal. Nevertheless its extremely annoying to see many of them taking a sanctimonious position when berating the accused players for their involvement in the despicable acts. Nowadays it has been a vogue to gamble along with friends or it is considered as a blotch to their social status. This plague has spread its contagious effects from employees in various fields to University and high school students. In fact students probably of age 12 are also aware of gambling in their school and local areas. The parents are not aware of these acts by their children as they often go unspotted. Recently an engineering student in Hyderabad had committed suicide as he lost 4 lakhs of his father’s money in gambling during IPL matches. Although the police have been doing a laudable job in sabotaging many of these illegal betting centres strict action against the punters has fallen short of. Also a strict law to punish all those who involve in gambling is imperative in these circumstances.

                                                       People often desire to earn money by dubious means in a short period and gambling fits the description exactly as it entices them to earn twice the amount they have invested in just a day. An effective way to stop young people from gambling is to inculcate a habit of investing in stocks right from childhood. Middle class citizens often spend half of their income for their children's education but never do they acquaint them to the stock market. On the contrary many parents give a discouraging views on the stock market and delude them into a belief that investing in stock market is similar to that of gambling. If the investment are done without any analysis or by the advice of a news channel or by the advice of a friend it would often lead to disastrous results and it would be nothing but gambling. Nonetheless if proper homework is done with some fair analysis good results do follow. Inculcating the habit of investment,thrift and effective utilization of financial resources is necessary to be induced in a child right from the age of 12. Although there has been a change in the past 10 years and the number of people investing in stocks has increased the numbers are still pretty low. "Money can be earned but wealth has to be created."

                                                       To sum up its the choice that we make in our dream of creating wealth. Either we take the option of stocks which with good analysis can give a solid money over a larger period of time or the filthy and dubious option of gambling which can give high sums in shorter period of time with a very high tendency to lead to bankruptcy.

THE CAT IS OUT OF THE BAG

The despicable open secret of the government now from the words of the CBI director 
THE CAT IS OUT OF BAG  [Source: The Hindu/Editorial]

In a fit of candour quite uncharacteristic of those holding high office, CBI Director Ranjit Sinha said on Tuesday afternoon what everyone knows to be the truth about the autonomy and independence of India’s premier investigation agency. “I am a part of the government, I am not an autonomous body,” he blurted out when asked for his reaction to the Supreme Court expressing its disappointment and anger at the fact that the CBI had allowed the political executive to vet its status report in the coal scam probe. As the political, legal and moral significance of Mr. Sinha’s fatal confession slowly became apparent, he sought desperately to press the reset button. In a clarification issued at night, the investigative agency said that what its Director had “wished to express” was that the “CBI does not exist in isolation. We are part of a system and need to consult and take opinion on certain occasions.” So low is the credibility of the CBI today that the authorship of this clarification is itself suspect. Did Mr. Sinha realise he had mis-spoken? Or did the government, of which he is a part, decide his words were highly impolitic and needed erasure?

Of course, the scandal that has enveloped the Manmohan Singh government as a consequence of this shameful episode will not go away with a press release here or a clarification there. At stake now is not just the question of how much money was made by whom in the preferential allocation of coal blocks over a number of years but the integrity of the CBI, the offices of Attorney General and Additional Solicitor General, and, by extension, the very edifice of the rule of law. On the basis of information that is now in the public domain, it is clear that the CBI was happy to have its investigation report vetted and amended by the Union Law Minister and bureaucrats from the PMO and Coal Ministry — the very offices whose decisions were being probed. It is also clear that both the AG and ASG misled the Supreme Court on this issue. And despite being pulled up by the court, the CBI Director still believes he did nothing wrong. The ASG has already resigned and the AG, the Law Minister and now the CBI Director will come under legitimate fire. Mere resignations, however, will not rescue the ship of state from the inner corrosion which has occurred. If the UPA is to have any hope at all of containing the damage, it must agree to think afresh and apace about how to make the CBI genuinely autonomous. Perhaps it is time to revive the proposal to make the agency function under the supervision of an independent Lok Pal. The Supreme Court has declared its intention of liberating the CBI from political interference. It made a start with its Vineet Narain directions 15 years ago. It is now time to finish the job

MISTAKE!!!

Found this on a random site.

This is in Real Life...

If a barber makes a mistake, 
It's a new style... 

If a driver makes a mistake, 
It is an accident... 

If a doctor makes a mistake, 
It's an operation... 

If a engineer makes a mistake, 
It is a new venture... 

If parents makes a mistake, 
It is a new generation... 

If a politician makes a mistake, 
It is a new law... 

If a scientist makes a mistake, 
It is a new invention... 

If a tailor makes a mistake, 
It is a new fashion... 

If a teacher makes a mistake , 
It is a new theory... 

If our boss makes a mistake, 
It is our mistake...... 

If an employee makes a mistake, 
It is a "MISTAKE!!!"