The cat has nine lives

Yesterday, the Congress-led UPA emerged a clear winner in the '09 Elections and will, in all probability, stake claim to form the new government at the Centre. This victory, in particular, has been associated with the charismatic persona of the Congress' young Prince Rahul Gandhi, as reported by all leading newspapers; and reaffirmed by leading News Channels (which ain't coincidental, considering almost all News Channels pick their reports from newspapers).

The New Age Order, led by, again, Rahul Gandhi is heavily banked upon, by the young masses who voted, probably for the first time in these elections. These young voters, (including yours truly, of course) have pinned their hopes on the emergence of a young, fresh, educated, uncorruptible, open and non-communal legion of men and women to lead India for the next 5 years.

Not so surprising, however, was the impact of the young party, the Raj Thackerey -led MNS in Mumbai & Maharashtra, whch accounted for the heavy division of votes, affecting the Sena-BJP alliance adversely and leading to Congress' victory in both Mumbai & Maharashtra. Honestly speaking, most of the Maharashtrian youth was in favour of the MNS when Raj defected from the Sena, as the charming and energetic persona of Raj and his young brigade of educated candidates was hoped to vouch for Mumbai's much-needed development.

However, the MNS has not shown signs of looking beyond its now-stale "मराठी माणूस" agenda, which has tested the patience of the "sons of the soil" as well. I mean, why do you want to give us these crutches when we can believe much more in our own potential to succeed. Trust me, no मराठी माणूस will be happy if he secures a job merely on the basis of such reservations. He'd rather be happier if he manages to beat others to the position purely on account of his merit and capabilities. The MNS would be much respected if it rather strives to achieve what the youth of Mumbai truly needs. The best way to do so is to ask the youth what they want. Do think about it, Mr. Thackeray...

Mumbai votes today!

Mumbai is voting today, for all of its 6 seats, in the Lok Sabha for the coming tenure. The presence of the media and of the youth is quite evident and promising in this year's polls. What's not satisfying though, is the dismal turnout of voters in general, that is being telecast through the TV. Reportedly, only about 15% of Mumbaikars have cast their vote in the first half of the day. My only sincere hope is that the rest 85% does so, soon.

There's absolutely no point in crying over the decisions and policies of the ruling government, if we don't follow our duty and cast our valuable votes. Every single eligible individual should vote and urge others to follow suit!

There have also been many cases this time as well, of entire residential complexes not getting their voting cards and not finding their names on the Electoral Rolls. These people need to voice their protests heavily, as it may indeed be possible that their votes may be forged by political parties for their own benefit.

Another issue that i felt should be brought forth, is that of the 60-70000 BMC and other state and central govt. workers who have been posted to Election duty today, making it virtually impossible for them to go and cast their own votes. It is high time that the Election Commission took notice of this fact and provisions to amend the situation. Can a provision not be made to allow the poll duty workers to cast their votes in a seperate EVM at their presiding area only, instead of their own constituencies? With the extensive technological support that we possess, i fail to understand why such a measure cannot be undertaken?

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Samajwadi Party's "Na-samaj" ideas!!

Today, in the Sunday edition of the Times, there's a shocker of a news that'll jolt most readers and will indeed form a cause for heavy discussion in the days to come. The Samajwadi Party (Mulayam Singh Yadav, Amar Singh etc.) has come up with the most pathetic and saddest manifesto that could ever be expected for these polls.

The party manifesto promises the following:

"Abolition of expensive edcucation in English!"

"Curb on use of computers and all forms of technology that replaces manual labour!"

"Non-acceptance of all mechanized agricultural equipment"

"Cut in high corporate salaries" and many other wierd promises!

What's more, the party candidates for Mumbai are firmly in support of the above - mentioned manifesto and have their own funny reasons for the same. They believe that since not many Indians can afford to study in expensive English medium schools, the clause for abolition of the language is aptly justified!!! This is as good as saying that because we cannot ensure food for all Indians, it's better they stop eating altogether!

What's pretty ironic though, is the fact that almost all of these hyprocritical Netas have ensured the highest quality of education for their own children, with many of them having studied from the most expensive Convent schools! The party has, amongst others, Mr. Sanjay Dutt in its ranks. Pity even he could not oppose the ridiculous manifesto!

How on earth can these people justify the means for such impoverishing comments is simply beyond my level of understanding! I mean, what then, is the difference between the Taliban and us, as the Times rightly asks? Why do we even need to criticize the Talibanis if our own Netas are hell-bent on driving us back to the Stone Age???

Can someone please explain this to me? Or to them???

Cyclone in Myanmar…We’re busy with IPL!

There was a terrible bit of news for Asia yesterday. India’s closest neighbor, Myanmar, has been struck by a devastating cyclone, Nargis, leading to the death of over 13,500 people and rendering over a million more homeless! The cyclone hit Myanmar’s capital, Yangon on Saturday with winds of over 190 kmph!! Nargis ripped through the country, destroying thousands of houses, bringing down power lines and knocking out the communications network. In all, it has resulted in mass annihilation throughout Myanmar.

What was more shocking though, was the fact that hardly anyone knew of this terrible tragedy here, in India, as our “highly efficient” news channels, who promise to deliver breaking news to our homes almost immediately as it happens, conveniently chose to ignore the tragedy, not bothering to even be gripped by the sheer magnitude of it, and chose rather to telecast hour-long features on IPL and the Great Khali!!!

Not that I have any personal vendetta against either Mr. Lalit Modi or Mr. Dalip Singh (Khali), who I feel, have made people across the world sit up and take notice of India, if not more! However, I feel rather distraught by this so-called Fourth Pillar of the Democracy, when it makes bones about trivial, irrelevant, almost absurdly stupid issues and shows almost nothing about international tragedies like the cyclone!!!

Hope the people who run these news channels read this blog and realize that we, as sovereign citizens of this country, expect something of value and dignity, at par with the media network of the world, rather than sleazy features about item girls or comedians irritating us with jokes that they have been repeating for over 2 years now! Hope they improve for the better and change their outlook towards “News” altogether. News, I believe, has come to mean nothing more than “NEWS- Nonsense, Exanimate, Wasteful Squander!!!!”

Mumbai Helpline - A Commendable Initiative

Just recently, I visited the website of an NGO, based in Mumbai, called the Mumbai Helpline. Trust me, what i saw completely floored me!! I was so impressed by the dedicated and selfless attitude of this organisation, that, almost immediately i decided to be a part of it! Run by excellent team of managers, like Ayesha Khan and Shakti Bhise, the level of dedication at this organisation is nothing less than spectacular! What, to my belief, sets Mumbai Helpline apart from a breed of other NGOs, is the systematization of work that one could see from simply visiting its website. The site allows you to locate your own ward in Mumbai(in case you ain't aware of it) and gives you a list of campaigns currently being initiated in your ward. So, you can actually be a part of such campaigns in your own locality (also get a chance to be the "friendly neighbourhood social worker"!) Also, it is very easy to be a volunteer for Mumbai Helpline, no excess paperwork, no unnecessary formalities. This NGO is a part of a much bigger, global organization, called the United Way, which is based in Denver, USA. Trust me, you simply need to pay only a visit to the United Way Website to believe me! You'll be pleasantly surprised at the efficient manner in which the organisation is run worldwide, not just in the USA.

The Mumbai Helpline is, according to me, one of the best media to have your say in your civic activities and to contribute a great deal to the development and beautification of your surroundings. So, what are you waiting for???

ICL V/s IPL: Who's game is it anyway???

V/s

Long ago, there was simple game in India, with simple rules, meant simply for fun and leisure. It was called Cricket (क्रिकेट), by the way. It was also known to some, as the "Gentleman's game", considering it originated in England, and was played with the highest level of sportsmanship. Now, that sweet ol' game has simply vanished; to be replaced by a race, started by blood-thirsty men (with their corporations, of course) out to "buy" players, for exorbitant prices, to create fancy teams, with fancy names/ logos/ taglines/ songs/ uniforms and what else, with the singular aim of attracting publicity and raking in the moolah! This race, known to many as the IPL, and to others as the ICL has created somewhat of a furore in the cricket-crazy country that's India. They, who lead this race, have only one objective in mind: buy players, form a team, make them play and earns millions of $$s, only to shower some of it on these players(who already are millionaires, by the way!).

Moreover, leagues like the IPL/ICL don't seem to have quite the faith, in any of our budding cricketers. They're interested, rather, in ageing international stalwarts, many of whom may not even feature in their own country's squad when it comes to playing international matches. The ICL even boasts of a long list of players signed by them, who, having retired from the international circuit, play only in these league matches; namely players like Adam Parore(he hasn't even performed to international standards in the ICL), Chris Cairns, Marvan Attapattu, Chris Harris(he's quite fit, though!) et al... No doubt, the ICL hasn't been thoroughly disappointing, as it does have within its ranks, a lot of young talent from within the country itself. The rounds of auctioning at the IPL though, make me laugh, almost pitifully, as a host of players from around the world have been auctioned and bought, for prices that could only be witnessed to believe!! Many of the highly ranked players have fetched packages worth millions!!


May i take the privilege(risk, rather) of asking the head honchos behind the league, as to why they could not have, possibly, thought of spending this money to improve the infrastructure for Cricket in the country??? Why could they have not gone to schools, colleges and clubs instead, picked the genuine talent that grooms there and turned them into players of international worth??? I'm sure they would've found a host of indigenous talent, more than willing, to perform at the bigger scenario. Or did these honchos feel it an utter waste of time, energy and resource to indulge in such activities??? Of course, who'd pay to watch little known faces play the game, however well they do it!! Such a pity!!


The IPL has selected the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, as a prime venue for the league's matches to be held later this month. All this, knowing that the stadium lacks even the most basic amenities, leave alone be compared to international standards!!! Why not spend money first, on bringing the venue up to international standards, so that the spectators who pay huge sums to watch their stars, get the comfort that they're entitled to?? Why not build venues, like the Allianze Arena or the Emirates Stadium, or the Lord's, for that matter, that we, as Indians would be proud of ?? I'm sure, with the huge balances that the BCCI possesses, this would hardly be difficult. Why have such impending issues been conveniently ignored then? Do you not feel the need for them to be addressed, before anything else??


There are many such questions that we, as people of this country and as ardent followers of the game, feel we have the right to ask and get answers to. Who do we go to???