Rampyari

It's been two years, and 25,000 kilometres,
of tarmac, sand, and the occasional waters,
Of deserts and mountains,
and traffic snarls;
The innumerable trips, the joy rides,
the heavy duty lugging around;
Of music so sincere
and party tracks;
Of people so silent
and known cracks;
Of wrong lane driving,
and traffic challans;
Of speeding uncontrolled,
and silent rides;
Through petrol cheap and today
You have been consistent, and lovable.
Happy birthday Rampyari!

 and before honda could come up with the Brio slogan
I already had found a car that loves me back

In quest for a controversy (genuinely)

The internet is a marvellous place. It makes celebrities out of ordinary individuals. It gives people an access power that was once limited to the priviledged. So, a sweet little girl from a small town, who was rejected for Saregama finds 20 lakh fans in a matter of 14 weeks uploading six music videos. Similarly, a girl who could not adjust to her surroundings and started an online rant earned thousands of followers overnight.

I had signed up for Adsense. The wonderful program that makes you earn money for the traffic generated on your site/ blog etc. With this, started my quest for money. The so called marketing specialist in me looked at  all ways to attract people to my site. However, it was not easy. I thought of singing and uploading videos. I soon realised that I would be violating Google's policy of objectionable/ harmful content if I sang. Putting up a solo harmonica show was also considered. This too, was set aside after a few tunes went bust.

I was getting impatient. And then it struck! A controversy was what I needed. It is the easiest way to attract people to you. Start a new rant and the rats follow the piper. So started the genuine search for a controversy.

There were various topics ahead of me. Yes we live in totally controversial times. A critical analysis of all possible topics ensued.

A lot of water has flown from Delhi to Madras in the past one month through various perennial and seasonal rivers.  All the cargo that I wished could reach the exaltic shores of Madras has already reached in good, bad and neutral shapes. Ruled out!

Next was the band of Dr. YumYum Singh (of Twitter fame) and his friends and foes. Of people talking too much and some others remaining tightlipped. Immediately ruled out because of certain other policies that I have to abide by.

How about the historically marginalised and oppressed societies of India? How wronged was the senior IAS official who was surpassed for promotion and then declared himself "historically oppressed". Yes he was! Forced to enter IIT despite a lower rank, then forced to enter IIM, then almost shoved into the IAS and then offered promotions over his peers because he was historically oppressed. I wonder of the quantum of the burden of this history that this person is carrying, to encounter which he had to be offered everything in his life. A mere IIT or an IIM degree do him no good: he needs support throughout. However, had to drop this too as a lot of debate on this has landed us nowhere and some more insights would go unnoticed in the already saturated market.

Moving on to something more interesting, like the cause of women in our society. Similar to the above, they too have been marginalised. So they need a special place everywhere: A coach in the metro where men are beaten up (the oppressors), places in buses and trains, separate queues and yes, guys should pay the bills. We talk of women reservation to the lowest level, but it is not unusual to find a rubberstamp panchayat member who depends on her all powerful husband for all decisions. It almost makes a mockery of the entire representation talk. Here again, women from the elite levels corner almost all sops and leave their oppressed counterparts in the  lurch. They find it worthwhile to fight more for a coach on the metro than the general upliftment across boundaries. But, alas, logic it is and women, those are. Topic dropped!

I thought of IIPM too. However, the prospect of having to defend myself in a faraway court in Assam deterred me. I don't mind travelling to Assam, but the entire legal tangle would wipe away all my Adsense earnings. Dropped!

I moved on to media. Yes, the same media that asks a crying gentleman, "How do you feel?", and act genuinely surprised when he cries even more. The same media which publishes the news of an actress' pregnancy above the strategic dialogue that may change how we live forever. The same media that generates controversies to cash in on them. And then it rang: Was I becoming one of it? Yes, said the mind. The entire idea dropped!

But it did leave me with a striking thought: Have we beaten to death all major issues and yet found no solutions for any of them? If 60 years after independence we are still fighting for reservations, for representation, we have not attained the "Dream Country" our fighters aspired for. We have instead become a mute and meek society that discusses issues and goes to bed thinking we have done a good job. The good job, alas, is not our job, right!

(Views are personal. Image courtesy: Callmistry)

Why JanLokpal will never be a revolution

Looking through the annals of history, we find that there were revolutions ever since humankind came into existence. Wikipedia defines revolutions as, "A revolution (revolutio, "a turn around") is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time."

Three pillars to be identified: Fundamental Change, Power Structure and short period of time.

We have seen, in the recent memory, examples of Revolutions: the Cairo uprising, Qadhafi's debacle in Libya and the others collectively known as the Arab Spring.  The pillars are intact: the countries moved from dictatorships to democracies in a very short period of time.

We might as well consider our own revolutions: the White and the green revolutions turned India from an import dependant nation to one that could feed its millions (later billions) on its own. Liberalizattion in the early 1990's struck down the socialistic pattern of business and made India a player on the global stage. The timeline for these may not be exactly short, but the effect of these had started trickling in in about 1/10 of the time that the country was free. Relatively short!

Anna, a man of courage and conviction, had successfully ousted a lot of ministers and had become a master at the satyagraha route. The team at IAC was undoubtedly devoted and had the best names to count as friends and the heaviest names to count as foes. The Lokpal, as they earlier called it, would bring unparalleled transparency into the country across the spectrum and will bring the guilty to the gallows. They started out with demanding some sort of representation to draft the bill. The government granted the same, much to the dismay of BJP and others, who wanted the opposition in the parliament to be consulted as well. The government did go the extra mile and included 5 members on a parity level (in terms of numbers). Also, the members were nominated by the team. Probably, the government could have been highhanded and included all NAC members. Yes they are civil society and yes they are the intelligentia who think and work for the betterment of people.

This is where problem started. The moment a sizeable public opinion was with them, the IAC seized the moment and started blackmailing the government. In doing so, they became exactly what they despise: an opaque organization with a few leaders who shall mould public opinion to their interests and leave aside others in their race to fame.

I read an article in Tehelka (http://www.tehelka.com/story_main50.asp?filename=Ws210911IAC.asp) today that informs that the IAC team shall focus on poll bound areas and will campaign against anyone who does not support Jan Lokpal. The team is leaving no room for an informed debate. They seem to be banking on the same adage as dictators of the world- Its my way or the highway.

I admit corruption has surpassed accepable levels, and probably the same has started showing in terms of rising inflation, dipping growth rates, falling investor sentiments and a general sense of being cheated upon. I also agree that we need a sustainable and effective mechanism to deal with the same. However, having the Janlokpal and not the Lokpal or the NCPRI Lokpal will not eradicate corruption overnight. Best case, it will deter people. Worst case, it will end up with 32000 pending cases which then go the courts and end up nowhere. Probably, strengthening of the CBI, CVC and implementation of police reforms will go a longer way in correcting this mess. We need to debate that. If, on the back of unending support from people, the IAC forces legislators to blindly vote for their idea, it will be a defeat of the democracy that we champion.

But, the support is not endless. A characteristic of the modern day media is easy access, which almost translates into easy egress. It grants 15 minutes of fame to everyone. From the sweet little voice from Dehradun to the troubled South Indian in Delhi. The movement banked on social and other media to get going and that is where it will fail.

The movement will not bring about a fundamental change: It will at best add another layer to the already overcomplex Indian bureaucracy. Why I say overcomplex is the way the case for Rajiv Gandhi's killers is handled. From one court to the other, to the higher and highest and then back to square one.
As for the power structure, it will remain with the current batch of legislators for the next three years atleast. Even within the civil society, there are hugely dissenting voices from all corners. Other drafts of the bill have appeared and equally competent ppeople have complained about not being represented in what is seen to be a fight for representation.

Protest marches are a common sight in India. So much so, that places have been marked for it in the various cities and towns. Fasts again, are all too common. And in a country where everybody has fasted once atleast (for religious reasons or poverty reasons), a fast will not mould opinions beyond a point.
Lastly, the time frame. As discussed earlier, the movement thrived on social media, their 15 minutes of fame are over. Never again shall we see the same crowd on the streets.

We honestly thought that the IAC will provide us respite from corruption. Power corrupts, Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Forcing legislations is absolute power. We are supporting what we are fighting against!


(Views expressed are personal)

Nainital

I adore the beauty that mesmerises many
She might be the world's darling,
but when its me, its just me
and her, and the silent bond
that few can understand
of longlost lovers
of separated souls that are but one
This is the place i find solace in
this, the meadow of my birth,
the romance of my youth
and the fantastyland of my dreams.

To Nainital: my muse, my beloved!

Nanda Devi Festival

After many years, I got a chance to visit Nainital during the ongoing Nanda Devi festival.
The festival celebrates the visit of Nanda Devi to her mother’s home.
Nanda Devi is one among the numerous forms of Shakti and there are numerous legends in folklore about her. There is a widespread belief that Nanda Devi is Yoga Maya, the baby girl who replaced Krishna in the prison and escaped from the hands of Kamsa and warned him that Krishna, the son of Devaki, is already born and he will put an end to the terror of Kamsa.
She is also the Goddess of the Kumaon region and is believed to be Shiva's wife whose eyes form the Naini Lake today.
This time of the year also celebrates autumn in Nainital. There are very few tourists and the rains have subsided leaving behind lush greenery. The following photos celebrate the feeling.
Clouds on the lake. Heavenly Feeling


The Bagpipe. The personis part of the Choliya bands that play traditional kumaoni music


Goddesses Nanda and Sunanda


The lights


The fireworks


The glory


The Environmentalists. Prof. Yashpal Rawat teaches youngsters swimming and kayaking and also cleans the lake regularly.


The solitary boat


One key feature of NAinital. The Temple, Gurudwara and Mosque are together. The church is also pretty near.

A generation awakens.. but How?

(All views expressed here are personal and cannot be attributed to my employers and/or mentors)


I was back home, sitting in the verandah when I saw my younger cousins, all of 4 and 8 years respectively running around chanting "ek do teen chaar, band karo ye Bastachar". It was then that it struck me,the movement had become bigger than any of us expected. It had taken the nation by storm and the statesmen by surprise.

I went around to find young men and women racing around town in sexy cars and bikes, with candles and flags and the now familiar Gandhi-Anna topi chanting slogans. Some slogans wer pro-country, some were anti-establishment. However, in the heat of the moment, both passed off equally well. My country was getting up from a state of slumber, the nationalist in me was happy. I remembered the lines said by Nehru, "A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance."

I remembered the days of the agitation against reservation. Having been a part of it five years back when the entire nation erupted against reservations, I had some amount of skepticism with the results. The earlier movement had also died an untimely death. The establishment had stuck to its guns and set some grey bearded men to report on it. What happened is anybody's guess.

Despite the fervour, I made out that something was missing. Soon I figured what. The agitation had little to do with Lokpal or anti-corruption. It was a generation venting out its anger against the establishment. The same generation that refuses to count their bit in the mess. Understandably so, they were fed with vague statistics and incorrect news and were fed up of their present situation. I do not wish to poke fingers at anyone so I will take myself as an example.

I am an honest Indian. Last year, I paid almost a month's salary as Income Tax. When the time came, I left a cushy job to participate in the Legislative process of the country, never mind the huge salary cut. But, am I clean? The question may be as hypothetical as the advert asking, "Have I made it Large?" but is important, because we need to introspect.

The answer is no.

• I had my licence when I was 15.
  
• For the one which I currently hold, I haven't given a driving test. It was delivered to my residence.
• My voter ID has a picture of me atop a Gypsy at Corbett. This was because when the police came for verification, I was away. My mom gave them the print of whatever photograph she found. Verified!
  
• I have avoided paying the challan and instead paid in cash (because, I can pay the challan and not the cops, but I really dont want to go to a court to do that)
• Despite paying a huge amount of income- tax, I have cut corners while paying sales-tax by buying things without a bill (buying camera equipment from Chandni Chowk- rings a bell?)
  
• On and off, I have travelled in trains/buses on various VIP and "friends' dad" quota.
• Rarely have I paid for services provided by various government organizations to my family and friends.
• I have a lot of friends who pay minimum tax but have crores of wealth stashed away in a maze of cross holding companies in the names of all known/unknown relatives.
  

This is a representative list. If any of us say yes to one of these, we are corrupt. Then how on earth can we run around town asking for stronger Lokpal. Corruption will not leave this country till it leaves our hearts. The lokpal will have no magic wand to transform everyone's conduct. At a personal level, we need to introspect. At a policy level, we need to identify the reasons for corruption.

Recently, there was an article saying, "PhD's applying for Class four positions". I wasn't surprised. A class four employee (peon/ attendant/ orderly/ driver) hold enormous Access power. A transclucent system ensures that nobody knows what happens in a government office.

The officer concerned may be honest, but he doesn't have the time to look at everything. He will only look at the files on his table. Who puts the files there? The peon. An officer who is managing an entire district/ office/ profit center is always on rollerskates. There is only one person who has his ear. The driver.

Now substantiating the point od PhD's applying for these positions. It lies in this power that almost always translates into money. It is not entirely impossible for someone to earn double his salary due to the power.

Taxation: The business class, from the local grocery owner to the owners of largest oil fields, thrive on corruption. From bribing the ruling class for a licence to creating fictitious companies that almost always run into losses, they do indulge in what they despise.

The circumventing power: I know the MD and the GM won't bow down to me. So I call up my friend and he just puts in a word. Nothing unethical, but this is the consequence of the immense discretionary authority given to bureaucrats and politicians. This ultimately resuly in objections being overruled and/ or the honest persons being forced into accomplice.

Combine all these people in a society. The peon takes the money because he wants a lifestyle suiting his education and atleast matching those traders who he lives with and who have almost entirely been unknown to taxes. The third guy uses his Uncle power to stand in sync with these. It is a vicious circle.

The question arises who takes the lead. Uninformed youth will not take the country anywhere. I saw people celebrating the Victory yesterday. Pray tell me, what was the victory after which the entire country celebrated and downed tonnes of Happiness.

The youth needs to understand that attending a candle march does not improve the society. It is our actions that need to be improved. Till we inculcate a sense of belonging to the nation and an allegiance to the nation's laws, we cannot weed out this devil.

Youth without helmets triple riding on bikes with some happiness gulped down are in no way capable of keeping up a revolution. A revolution requires you to be clean and free of the traits you are fighting against. Not everyone who wears the Gandhi topi is clean, nor is the person who demans a Lokpal.