"Independent" politics

Watching the discussion on "We the people" on NDTV today has made me finally break the silence on this blog. The main discussion was on the relevance of two independent candidates contesting the general elections in 2009 - Captain Gopinath from South Bangalore and Meera Sanyal from South Mumbai. The crowd participating in the discussion was of course largely the urban middle-class crowd, which is of course the target for these specific candidates. However, I do not wish to get into a discussion on the suitability of their candidature as independents. Even though I am not really hopeful that they will win, I think it is a good sign that they are contesting and want to do something about a cause they believe in.

The discussion itself revolved around corrupt politicians and the need for "change" (isn't that the buzzword everywhere nowadays!) from the current system. However, two points particularly struck me - One was a comment saying that the Indian middle class considers itself as far more important than what they eventually are in the context of elections. And the other interesting point was from an IIT professor who said that in twenty years of his experience, whenever he has gone with a good idea to either bureaucrats or politicians, it is the politicians who always supported him! Incredible uh? I was wondering at the end of the debate whether these debates will really result in something constructive coming out of them. For our country's sake, let's hope they do!

Speaking of elections, I am one of the lakhs of people who will not be voting this year (I am not registered in Mumbai to vote and I am not planning to travel to Bhilai on election date where my name features in the voters' list). I will end up in the category of people who will voice their opinion on the elections, criticize candidates/parties/stars and what not and eventually, do nothing about it! For a sense of self-satisfaction to tell myself that I have done something atleast, let me point the handful of people who may read this post to my friend's blog on shaking people. Alternately, you can also log onto www.jaagore.com to find out more.

Of Democracy and Capitalism..

Sensex hits 20K. Mukesh Ambani becomes the richest person in thw world. At the ET awards ceremony, all the top honchos in the industry meet and decide that they feel proud to be Indian in the midst of such a crowd. If you were reading only the headlines in business newspapers, one could forgive you for assuming that India today is on the verge of becoming a developed nation.

One interesting observation was made by one of my professors who has returned from the US for a brief period. According to him, in 16 years that he has spent abroad, he has seen nothing change in India. And these are the 16 years India is said to have moved from a socialist economy to a more capitalistic model. Have things really improved? Yes, software engineers passing straight out of engineering college get paid 5 times the salary a normal engineer used to get in those days. Business graduates earn high packages and one looks down upon any post-grad student earning less than a certain salary figure. More number of High Net Worth Individuals seem to be surfacing everyday. The financial markets attract a lot of attention, perhaps even more than the government policies nowadays.

Amidst all this euphoria, I found this article by Arun Maira very insightful of how we may be losing sight of how things should actually be. While firms are all aiming at beating shareholder expectations and attracting new customers, the term "inclusive growth" seems to be a word best left for politicans to handle. It is very useful to note how the growth patterns have been different in various stages of economic development in the US. From an economic standpoint, even in the Indian perspective, has the change in government really made a huge difference? The BJP and the NDA tried to harp on the India Shining mantra and was voted out of power. As things stand today, will the UPA fare any better in any poll? I doubt it even though the economy is still growing quite aggressively. While I have heard many views of how democracy doesn't work in the Indian context and it is a hindrance rather than a positive influence, I sincerely believe that our democratic credentials are a constant reminder to the people in power that they need to either deliver or perish. And we as a country definitely need to work out a way to make the India Growth story more effective than simply blame the politicians for the inequalities.

The First Citizen(s)

After an eternity, returning to the blogging world with a slightly changed look for my blog. I suppose I should give my brother due credit for reviving the interest, not that I had lost it but had sort of turned from that direction!

This post is mainly about the biggest news of the day - India has finally elected its first woman president. Ms. Pratibha Patil takes over from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam as the 13th President of India.

It is sad that a historic moment like this has been mired by petty politics which is quite unbecoming for the post of the first citizen of our country. Even though there have been some proclamations in the media about the first woman president, this has largely been overshadowed by the real "motives" behind Ms. Patil's nomination for the post. However, I do not wish to debate on her qualifications and election. What provoked me to write this piece was my brother's post on Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the outgoing president of India.

Even though I am nowhere near as critical of Dr. APJ as my brother, I would say that some of what he has written has substance. No doubt that Dr. Kalam was a favourite with the general people of India but even his election in 2002 was hardly free from issues. Dr. Kalam's simplicity and his "non-political" background have been cited as refreshing changes in the "corrupt political system". The media has as usual gone overboard with their representation of Dr. Kalam as a middle-class superhero. The numerous forwards asking people to sign petitions for Dr. Kalam's re-election are further reflection to the uninformed nature of public opinion.

Personally, I admit I have always had a soft spot for Dr. APJ, mainly because he was a professor in Anna University for a brief period when I was studying there. But that does not really mean that he is the best president that our country can have or has had. In many ways, it is similar to the brief speculation about Mr. NRN of Infosys for the post of president. Mr. NRN may have his own achievements and credentials, especially in building the software giant Infosys, but the proposition of his candidature for the post of president seemed a little naive to me. Similar to Dr. Kalam, the fact that NRN (as he's called in Infosys) does not have a political history appeals to people who are increasingly disillusioned by the current nature of politics in India. However, I feel that the larger picture of having a suitable person with the right credentials and experience for the post was being ignored in these debates and speculations.

One of the things which I found a little unpleasant as I was reading on this topic was the way the late Mr. KR Narayanan had been depicted by some constituents of what was the NDA when he stepped down from his office. I managed to dig up a piece written by P. Sainath on the late former president. One of the finest presidents of our country, reading about some of his achievements was quite a revelation to me. A simple search on wikipedia helped me find this info about him. I was simply amazed at the length and details of his achievements and contributions to society whether as a parliamentarian, academician, diplomat or president. Even though internet was not as prevalent back then in India as it is now, I could not help wondering whether we would have sent such forwards and requests for his re-election. It also makes me think whether people would ever rise above politics and appreciate such people's achievements rather than have a narrow-minded view of them because of their political background.

Having said all this, I would like to wind up this post by appreciating the significance of the election of India's first woman president and hope that her tenure is remembered for all the right reasons.

Poet, Writer, Sportsman or Smoker?

Isn't it slightly ironical that in those days, Smoking was not considered to be politically incorrect!! We are supposed to be a much more modern and forward-thinking nation now!

This is an article which gives an insight into Pandit Nehru's not so well known side.

Peace..

Well... its a loooooooooooooooooong time since i wrote anything on my blog.. i feel totally lost right now... it seems as if i am starting all over again..

For people who still visit this blog page, thanks for your patience.. Don't think I deserve it.. However, I shall make a sincere effort to make some time for my blog frm now on..

There's been a lotta talk about war/peace/disarmament, etc in the media recently.. Apparently our ex-Army Chief thinks that the button for nuke weapons should be with our "trusted" politicians.. Interesting, I must say.. I'd hav thought he'd be the last person to say that..

As for the recent nuke-deals, this is an interesting interview.. I still wonder when the world will come to a stage when everyone stops trying to please the United States.. Why, oh why should we care what the US thinks about our policies? Why do they get away with everything that they think, do, etc.. What a pity..

Another interesting piece I read was about Vietnam in The Hindu. The Vietnam war has always fascinated me and I have always wondered what life in such a place would be..

Spin Doctors!!

If you are a BJP supporter, my advice is not to read this post(or should I say the link in this post!!). It is bound to be in stark contrast from the way you have been looking at this party. Although I do not like to take sides from the political point of view, I can't see myself supporting BJP in its present form. Mind you, I am not saying I am a Congress or a Left supporter. Anyway, that's not the issue at hand.

This is a column in The Hindu written by P. Sainath. Anyone who has read this blog regularly would know that I am a great fan of this guy. I have already linked one of his earlier columns here. I am sure any BJP fan will come up with arguments finding faults with the other parties, but my request would be to first look at their own party and then comment on the rest.

Talking of spin doctors, I am wondering why so many writers like to draw parallels with Cricket! Many of my friends also have this habit of using cricketing terms while explaining situations in life.. I guess cricket is so much a part of our(read me and my friends) lives that it'd naturally keep surfacing in our conversations..

It happens NOT only in India..

If you thought it was only in our country that all this "culture" consciousness was present especially at the political level, you might like to read this.

I don't see how it matters to anyone as to who a politician(or his wife) should go and meet.. But then, such is politics..

A woman and a communist..

Although I have seen a lot of Brinda Karat on TV, especially whenever there is anything in the news about feminism or women's rights, I never really understood why she would wish to join the CPI(M)..

She explains here about how she was brought up and what influenced her to join the Marxists.. It is interesting to note that she left a job in London to join the communists in India.. I wonder how many of us would do so even if we were influenced by any new ideology.. Kudos to the lady.. There is more about Brinda Karat in the next part of the rediff interview.. And I am eagerly waiting to hear the full story!!

Left, Right and Neutral..

If anybody asks me about my political view, I usually wonder what I should answer. The main reason for this is the fact that although I am working for an organization which is the epitome of capitalism in our country, I do not think I believe that capitalism is the answer to all the problems in our country.

In fact, I would probably say it is not helping our country any bit at the ground level. Sure, the markets are doing great. Most of the companies register huge profits every quarter. All's well for the business class. And with globalization, things couldn't be better. You have a government, though backed by the left, is pressing for reforms.. What more can we ask for?

However, with all this, what is the change at the ground level in our country? Are we trying to drive out everyone who still survives on agriculture? What happens to all the people still below the poverty line? How much are things changing for them with all the new reforms and god knows what not? What does it mean to them whether the stock markets touch the 6500 mark or 7000 mark?

And it seems there are people in the US who aren't happy with their government and its policies either. These are some of the prominent "leftist" blogs from the US:

Turning the Tide

Words from the Wise

The Killing Train

Thought Dreams

Goodbye Maggie

Empire and Inequality

Rocinante

All these are blogs in ZNet. I would recommend these to people who are/were especially interested in the build up to the previous US election. I am not sure why none of these blogs have been updated since July 2004. Nevertheless, they make very interesting reading.

The MODI controversy..

The denial of a visa to Narendra Modi, the Gujarat Chief Minister has raised a huge debate on whether US is right in taking such a step.. In my honest opinion, I don't think its any business of theirs.. India can deal with erratic leaders and we certainly don't want the United States of all countries to preach us on how to cope with people like Narendra Modi..

At the same time, the BJP has come out with statements that this decision by US is an insult to the whole nation.. I don't think this decision is anywhere near as big an insult as the Gujarat Riots were to our country.. Who cares what the US thinks anyway? But the fact that the riots were condoned in our country is what is the actual concern.. In a way this controversy is a blessing in disguise as people will be forced to think about what happened in Gujarat again..

Mr. Modi himself has said that the denial is an insult to the constitution.. Tell you what Mr. Modi, what happened in Gujarat was the gravest insult to our constitution.. He's countered this saying "If the riots is the reason why I have been denied a visa, on what basis has this decision been taken. America must not forget that my government was elected after the riots in a free and fair election." Excuse me, but why should America be bothered whether he got elected after that? Is he trying to tell us that all the Muslims in Gujarat voted him to power again? Does he think they are all very comfortable with the idea of him being in power? They don't have much of a choice if the majority in the state happen to be Hindus who think on the same lines as their "honourable" Chief Minister, do they? Tell me why would the riots would have happened if the Hindus were more tolerant?

I guess I am now digressing from the main topic of discussion. But the point I wish to make is that The Gujarat Riots Happened.. We all witnessed it.. We still haven't nailed all those behind the riots.. And until we do that, it will keep coming back to us.. Yes it will Mr. Modi, whether you like it or not.. This had to happen some day, and you can expect this issue to be raised again and again!!

Isn't it ironical that it is the US who is pointing it out to us? And all of us sit back and try to please all the people sitting there in the US just because they call the shots.. Do we have the guts to deny a visa to George W. Bush or Donald Rumsfeld, if and when any of them decides to come to India because of what happened in Iraq? I don't think so.. And considering the impact such a decision would have, it'd be wise not to do so as well.. And so we shall do exactly what is politicaly best for our country which is what our government is attempting. Raise the issue with the US embassy.. And hope that they shall relent after some diplomatic dealings.. Yeah, it doesn't help our nation's image, I know.. However, as I said, its they who call the shots, whether we like it or not..

The need for leaders..

This is an article by Harish Khare in The Hindu about the aftermath of the Jharkhand fiasco.. Call me partisan if you want, but I more or less agree with his opinions.. Haven't got much to add to that..

Minorities and the Sangh..

Was reading a report on the Akhil Bharat Pratinidhi Sabha, where I believe it was said that Muslims and Christians are actually not minorities because they are from this country only and that their forefathers were actually Hindus. And so the concept of "minoritysim" should end. Well, makes sense to me.. However, as long as the large Hindu population of this country claims to be a majority and demands a "Hindu Rashtra", I don't blame the "minority communities" to think that they ARE a minority!

As far as I am concerned, I really don't care how many Hindus/Muslims/Christians etc live in this country.. I am not really concerned about which religion my friends follow, whether they think they are a"minority". I really don't see what purpose a statement like this addressed to entire Sangh Parivar solves and how it helps anyone(be it a Hindu or Muslim or Christian). But then, I guess being a majority, one can get away with statements like these. After all, it is easy to say all this when you actually aren't part of any "minority" community!!

Elections, Governors, Democracy ....

Although I am not a huge fan of politics, there are times when it really amuses me to see all our "leaders" carrying a fight over morals through the media. With the conclusion of the latest state assembly elections, there's been complete chaos in two of our country's 'not so popular' states, namely Jharkhand and of course, Bihar! The manner in which the governor of Jharkhand has responded to the election results is outrageous to say the least. The situation in Bihar is no better with another hung assembly.. And then we had the circus in Goa with the governor taking the matter into his own hands again. As I am writing this, I believe that Congress has proved its majority there(atleast for now).

These latest developments have triggered off many debates about our country's democratic setup and structure.. Well, I am someone who will definitely defend our system of electing representatives for the people. In my opinion, people will always find a workaround in any system to get into power. But I guess there are lunatics like me who still have faith in our country's resilience. I know there may be a thousand shortcomings in our country, however showing the spirit of a true Indian, all I have to say is that given the option of living in any country at any point of time, I'd definitely say "Gimme India anyday!!" As the SRK Movie title/song goes "Phir bhi dil hai hindustani!"

Jai Hind!!

Another conspiracy theory!

Could the United States have orchestrated the Tsunami? Well, sounds incredible, doesn't it? Check out this link.

I am not sure whether there is even an element of truth in the whole story. However, I found it pretty thought-provoking and thought it may interest a few people. Well, who doesn't like controversy!!