How can I be sad and glad at the same time. If you are wondering at this statement then please be assured that I am in my full senses and I actually mean it. I am SAD because today our democratic process is in serious danger of being eroded, I am GLAD because the Government of the day has finally seen the light of the day and agreed to release Anna Hazare and allow him to protest peacefully.
Our entire democratic process is in conducting free and fair elections, whether it is actually true or not I will ponder later, and electing representatives to represent us at various levels. We prided ourselves and the world supported us, the largest democracy, in our ability to elect representatives to Village Panchayats, Municipal Corporations, State Assemblies and above all the Lok Sabha in Parliament. These institutions were supreme and their diktats were followed by a majority of us without a whimper. Sometimes there were murmurs of dissent over unpopular legislations but by far all of us abide by the laws set by the State.
However the Anna Hazare Movement for fight against corruption has sadly bruised these very institutions of governance which we all believed in. The reasons are many, but primarily the fact that the politicians in their lust for riches are drunk in their belief of unrestrained power. When you see a Kapil Sibal or a Manish Tiwari smirking on the TV screens it strikes a raw nerve in every Indian. These buffoons have eroded whatever little credibility that the Congress party has retained over the years.
When they hurl abuses at the Civil Society, they are abusing all of us. They dare Anna Hazare and his team to win elections and then protest! Let me dare these so called elected representatives to fight the elections as independents and then see for themselves. I can bet that these people will lose even their security deposits. The election process and the mindsets of people is such that we Indians have come to believe in political parties and it is very difficult to win an election as an Independent candidate howsoever good he or she may be, unless backed by a party.
Let me come to the question of Free and Fair elections. Are our elections really free and fair. Can an ordinary citizen dream of fighting an election. We have all heard of how Rahul Gandhi is trying to attract educated people to come forward and fight elections, but in reality the truth is different.
I met an educated business man, who was offered a ticket to fight elections for MP (Member of Parliament) after being interviewed by Rahul Gandhi (as he claimed). After being screened and selected he was told that he would have to spend Rs.10 crores (more than US $ 2 million) on fighting the election, and with no guarantees of being elected.
I do not blame Rahul Gandhi for this because this is the true state of Indian Politics. What I blame Rahul Gandhi for is that his PR machinery is spreading false hopes amongst teeming educated Indian Masses, who think they can fight elections only on the basis of their education.
Also imagine somebody who has spent Rs.10 crores being elected. Has he spent Rs.10 crores to uplift the constituents of his constituency??? Or is he being charitable? I think everyone will agree with me that the answer is a firm NO. Then what will be his priorities? I am sure the uppermost thing on his mind will be to recover his money anyhow. And when anyhow comes in, it brings all things bad in the society, be it dishonesty or corruption. Otherwise how do you expect him to recover his money on a paltry salary of Rs.50,000 per month besides perks. The interest alone on his electoral expenses would be 16 times more than the salary.
This promotion of money culture by our political parties is the root cause of corruption by the political class. The votes in India are garnered by sheer money power. Money is spent on buying media advertising and now disgustedly media editorial space which was fiercely independent earlier. Poor voters are given wads of money. In the Southern part of the country this has become an art. In fact this technique should be patented :)). Our honorable Home Minister who waxes so eloquently and pleads innocence every time police atrocities are committed on innocent protesters, is himself accused of winning his election by fraudulent methods including cash for votes.
So can we really say that elections in India are fair??? I guess not. For a country which by all means is still growing up and whose 70% population lives in rural areas, 26% is still below poverty line the lure of easy money is hard to resist. Elections provide the poor with free liquor, free food, cash which can amount to a years wages, clothes and other freebies. If the poor voter is tempted then we can't really blame him, can we?
Then there are other forms of winning an election - muscle power where the voters are intimidated to vote for a particular candidate or face dire consequences. It is easy now to use muscle power as today the election results are available booth wise ( every booth comprises of around 1000 voters) making it easier for the politicians to identify the precise localities voting for or against him. We have faced this in Delhi also where the Congress party MLAs whenever they win do not want to do any development work in our locality. They point out the election statistics says that we vote against them so what is the use of any work in our area. When we have criminals and people with no education or distinction in civil life being elected, we should only expect the erosion of our democratic institutions.
This is what makes me SAD today. When I see all that our forefathers fought for being eroded, I feel SAD. When I see the Government being shamed I feel SAD, when I see the government being bought to its knees by ordinary citizens I feel SAD. We have all grown up to believe in them and today we see them as destroyers of the political fabric, this makes me feel SAD.I fear anarchy on the streets, I fear when the ordinary citizens will be forced to take law in their hands.
I am GLAD that the Civil Society representing the ordinary people have won an important victory in being allowed to go ahead with their peaceful protests. I am GLAD when I see the youth of India concerned about corruption. I am GLAD when I see the Glee being wiped off the faces of the politicians who have bought about this situation. I am GLAD that I am perhaps witnessing another defining moment in India's march towards prosperity for all its citizens. I am GLAD that India still has democracy. I am GLAD that we still recognise every Indians right to speech of freedom. I am GLAD to be born in India and not in Syria.
Above all I still think I can be proud to be an Indian. I say I think, because I will not be proud till the Sheila Dixit's of this world are not behind bars, till they do not hang their heads in shame for committing impropriety in office, till the politicians are made accountable, till all Indians can strive to live beyond the dream of earning bread and butter for themselves.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
Downgrade of US - An opportunity for India???
The downgrade of US Sovereign rating from AAA to AA+ with further possibilities of downgrades marks a Titanic shift of equilibrium in the Global Economy. US long a symbol of stability and aspirations for other national economies is today paying for its own misdeeds. The American politicians have spent money assuming that there is an endless supply. Most of it has been spent on fighting costly Wars which have been misadventures. Be it Vietnam, Iran or Afghanistan each war that it has fought has been long drawn with no tangible results. Whatever has been achieved due to these have been too little for the kind of resources that have been spent by the US.
True the world is a lot safer, but the wheeling dealings that go on to retain the so called sphere of American Influence has strained its relations with more than 50% of the mankind. The people of US have also long lived beyond their means. Their spending has been driven by plastic money and easy recourse to funding. The confidence to spend recklessly came from every nation queuing to park their funds in US Treasuries. So much so that China, with whom US at best shares uneasy relationship, having approximately US $1.5 trillion in US treasury holding is its largest creditor.
However the global meltdown of 2008 exposed the cracks in the US Financial Armour and the cracks have only widened. The US leaders appear clueless and they have tried to adopt the only way they know, unbridled spending.
The Global economy for the last quarter of a century has been built around US consumerism. Be it India or China, the growth has come riding the US economy and any negative effect is going to have repercussions through out.
However this also presents India with a huge chance to become a truly global leader economically. The Indian economy is still largely driven by domestic consumption unlike China which has become the manufacturing hub and therefore is hugely dependent on Exports. The exports from India today comprise largely of Services especially IT. These are bound to suffer, but if India can get its act together then this may be the chance that we were waiting for. If we can, in India, reduce corruption and increase equitable distribution of growth, carry out judicial reforms and create an atmosphere of policy stability and practice fiscal prudence, we can become the next big destination for parking of sovereign funds in the next decade or so.
Whatever the end result but one thing is sure: the end of days of US hegemony are in sight. Nobody, least of all me, would want US economy to falter, but this is only possible if there are great sacrifices from the Americans - people as well as their leaders.
In the meanwhile back in India we require only sacrifices from our Politicians, since Indians have always been sacrificing, to reclaim the ancient glory of India. We as a race are tolerant and peace loving, we have a multi cultural, multi religion society. If India were to rise to the Top, it will be beneficial to the entire world which is so fiercely divided on religious and ethnical lines.
True the world is a lot safer, but the wheeling dealings that go on to retain the so called sphere of American Influence has strained its relations with more than 50% of the mankind. The people of US have also long lived beyond their means. Their spending has been driven by plastic money and easy recourse to funding. The confidence to spend recklessly came from every nation queuing to park their funds in US Treasuries. So much so that China, with whom US at best shares uneasy relationship, having approximately US $1.5 trillion in US treasury holding is its largest creditor.
However the global meltdown of 2008 exposed the cracks in the US Financial Armour and the cracks have only widened. The US leaders appear clueless and they have tried to adopt the only way they know, unbridled spending.
The Global economy for the last quarter of a century has been built around US consumerism. Be it India or China, the growth has come riding the US economy and any negative effect is going to have repercussions through out.
However this also presents India with a huge chance to become a truly global leader economically. The Indian economy is still largely driven by domestic consumption unlike China which has become the manufacturing hub and therefore is hugely dependent on Exports. The exports from India today comprise largely of Services especially IT. These are bound to suffer, but if India can get its act together then this may be the chance that we were waiting for. If we can, in India, reduce corruption and increase equitable distribution of growth, carry out judicial reforms and create an atmosphere of policy stability and practice fiscal prudence, we can become the next big destination for parking of sovereign funds in the next decade or so.
Whatever the end result but one thing is sure: the end of days of US hegemony are in sight. Nobody, least of all me, would want US economy to falter, but this is only possible if there are great sacrifices from the Americans - people as well as their leaders.
In the meanwhile back in India we require only sacrifices from our Politicians, since Indians have always been sacrificing, to reclaim the ancient glory of India. We as a race are tolerant and peace loving, we have a multi cultural, multi religion society. If India were to rise to the Top, it will be beneficial to the entire world which is so fiercely divided on religious and ethnical lines.
Slut Walk...
What a name? The image that it conjures up is of skimpily/half dressed/ undressed females with suggestive and provocative body language, walking.
But no such visual presented itself on the walk organised on Sunday the 31st of July 2011, at Janpath, Delhi. There were more males than females and media turnout outnumbered the rallyists.
The Slut walk first originated in Canada over a Police Officer's remark on women not being appropriately dressed and hence being targets of molestation. The Slut walk has since been held in various cities around the world to protest against the "sexual biases" and to promote the "rights" of women. The moot point to consider here is whether the walk has served its purpose or is making any difference to the society at large?
The effort on part of female advocacy groups is laudable so far as it goes to highlight the harassment and atrocities against women. But when it comes to these groups demanding and saying that they are free to be dressed as they think is appropriate then it is a different matter altogether. We are all social animals and have to behave as per societal norms. If we are going against these norms we are risking ourselves.
I am not advocating that all societal norms are good and that no change is required but at the same time not all societal norms are bad. We all have to learn to respect the traditions of the society. When these women objected to the police officers remarks they were ignoring the fact that he was merely mentioning the fact that probably a majority of people across the globe believe in.
I am not for a moment justifying harassment, molestation and other atrocities on women, in fact I am firmly against it whatever the temptation or provocation may be. But yes if you dress inappropriately you are providing provocation.
I will give you a small example: imagine an office where the women employees come dressed in skimpy dresses with plunging necklines that leave nothing to imagination. Would that be considered appropriate? On the other hand a similar dress or a skimpier dress would not probably get a second glance if you were on a beach, where a majority will be dressed similarly.
If you are providing temptation then you have to bear in mind the risks. Not all can withstand temptation and a few amongst thousands will be tempted to taste the temptation.
But let us come to India where the latest walk was organised. I want to ask the organisers and the media which covered it whether they have they bothered to go and ask the mothers if they are willing to see there daughters dressed skimpily? And when I say dressed skimpily, I mean not only outside the home but at home as well. I am sure that the overwhelming response is going to be NO. Then why are we turning a serious issue of women's rights and atrocities against women, into a frivolous one - not giving a damn about the societal norms.
The law keepers including the police can only help us if we help ourselves. Is it fair to cry when a person is injured crossing the road through heavy fast moving traffic without waiting for the traffic to halt? How fair is it to cry when you domestic help robs you and they have not been verified by the police? There are hundreds of such examples when self help/caution could have avoided problems.
I will take another example here, around a month back I was returning at 1.00 a.m. in the night and just a little before our house I saw a Police Gypsy and some police men standing, I slowed and saw that there were two young girls roaming around with one boy in the middle of the night on streets and the Police was telling them to go back to their homes. Now tell me how safe is it for anybody globally roaming around in the middle of the night when nobody else can be seen? If something were to happen then everybody including the media would cry foul. And these so called proponents of women freedom would go hoarse shouting.
I am simply saying that while it is the duty of the law enforcement agencies to maintain law and order, we owe it to ourselves also to be cautious. I see no offence when the police officer in Canada made the statement about avoiding being dressed as sluts to remain safe. He was only advising that we should be concerned about our own safety and not leave everything to the police. Using the word slut might be offensive but doubting the intentions is really stretching things too far.
I also want to ask the so called celebrities like Nafisa Ali, who come to endorse such causes, by lending the glam or celebrity quotient, that have they really bothered to think the cause through. By supporting the Slut Walk called "Besharmi Morcha", what is she trying to achieve? Is she telling our ladies to shed their clothes or what? Is she trying to promote promiscuity in the society in the name of Besharmi Morcha or what? How many times has Nafisa Ali herself been dressed this way?
The argument that the organisers were giving is that it is not the dressing alone which leads to sexual harassment, so why pinpoint dressing. What the police officer was saying that dressing is one of the ingredients that can lead to such acts and we should try and remove this. True, dressing conservatively alone will not put an end to such acts, but it has the potential to reduce the incidence of such acts.
Most men would love girls to be skimpily clad, who wouldn't mind seeing young good looking girls in all their glory :)))). But on a serious note let not these newsmaking walks, deflect us from the real agenda of prevention of all kind of atrocities against women.
But no such visual presented itself on the walk organised on Sunday the 31st of July 2011, at Janpath, Delhi. There were more males than females and media turnout outnumbered the rallyists.
The Slut walk first originated in Canada over a Police Officer's remark on women not being appropriately dressed and hence being targets of molestation. The Slut walk has since been held in various cities around the world to protest against the "sexual biases" and to promote the "rights" of women. The moot point to consider here is whether the walk has served its purpose or is making any difference to the society at large?
The effort on part of female advocacy groups is laudable so far as it goes to highlight the harassment and atrocities against women. But when it comes to these groups demanding and saying that they are free to be dressed as they think is appropriate then it is a different matter altogether. We are all social animals and have to behave as per societal norms. If we are going against these norms we are risking ourselves.
I am not advocating that all societal norms are good and that no change is required but at the same time not all societal norms are bad. We all have to learn to respect the traditions of the society. When these women objected to the police officers remarks they were ignoring the fact that he was merely mentioning the fact that probably a majority of people across the globe believe in.
I am not for a moment justifying harassment, molestation and other atrocities on women, in fact I am firmly against it whatever the temptation or provocation may be. But yes if you dress inappropriately you are providing provocation.
I will give you a small example: imagine an office where the women employees come dressed in skimpy dresses with plunging necklines that leave nothing to imagination. Would that be considered appropriate? On the other hand a similar dress or a skimpier dress would not probably get a second glance if you were on a beach, where a majority will be dressed similarly.
If you are providing temptation then you have to bear in mind the risks. Not all can withstand temptation and a few amongst thousands will be tempted to taste the temptation.
But let us come to India where the latest walk was organised. I want to ask the organisers and the media which covered it whether they have they bothered to go and ask the mothers if they are willing to see there daughters dressed skimpily? And when I say dressed skimpily, I mean not only outside the home but at home as well. I am sure that the overwhelming response is going to be NO. Then why are we turning a serious issue of women's rights and atrocities against women, into a frivolous one - not giving a damn about the societal norms.
The law keepers including the police can only help us if we help ourselves. Is it fair to cry when a person is injured crossing the road through heavy fast moving traffic without waiting for the traffic to halt? How fair is it to cry when you domestic help robs you and they have not been verified by the police? There are hundreds of such examples when self help/caution could have avoided problems.
I will take another example here, around a month back I was returning at 1.00 a.m. in the night and just a little before our house I saw a Police Gypsy and some police men standing, I slowed and saw that there were two young girls roaming around with one boy in the middle of the night on streets and the Police was telling them to go back to their homes. Now tell me how safe is it for anybody globally roaming around in the middle of the night when nobody else can be seen? If something were to happen then everybody including the media would cry foul. And these so called proponents of women freedom would go hoarse shouting.
I am simply saying that while it is the duty of the law enforcement agencies to maintain law and order, we owe it to ourselves also to be cautious. I see no offence when the police officer in Canada made the statement about avoiding being dressed as sluts to remain safe. He was only advising that we should be concerned about our own safety and not leave everything to the police. Using the word slut might be offensive but doubting the intentions is really stretching things too far.
I also want to ask the so called celebrities like Nafisa Ali, who come to endorse such causes, by lending the glam or celebrity quotient, that have they really bothered to think the cause through. By supporting the Slut Walk called "Besharmi Morcha", what is she trying to achieve? Is she telling our ladies to shed their clothes or what? Is she trying to promote promiscuity in the society in the name of Besharmi Morcha or what? How many times has Nafisa Ali herself been dressed this way?
The argument that the organisers were giving is that it is not the dressing alone which leads to sexual harassment, so why pinpoint dressing. What the police officer was saying that dressing is one of the ingredients that can lead to such acts and we should try and remove this. True, dressing conservatively alone will not put an end to such acts, but it has the potential to reduce the incidence of such acts.
Most men would love girls to be skimpily clad, who wouldn't mind seeing young good looking girls in all their glory :)))). But on a serious note let not these newsmaking walks, deflect us from the real agenda of prevention of all kind of atrocities against women.
I hang my head in shame when I see Sheila Dixit giving Thumbs UP after charges of Corruption by CAG:
I am very proud to be an Indian.
I was in Switzerland recently and was waxing eloquent about India. To the horror of one of my friends in Switzerland (an Italian settled there), I remarked that there is not much difference between Geneva and Delhi. I argued that the total Swiss population is 12 million while Delhi's is over 20 million. I told him that if we remove 8 million people from Delhi, we would see a Delhi that is much better than not only Geneva but a whole lot of Europe.
But TODAY, that seems history. Today I am no longer proud to be an Indian. Today I am ashamed! I cringe at the fact that if some of my overseas friends were to ask me about corruption in India, I would have no answer!
The sight of Sheila Dixit showing Thumbs Up with the backing of the Congress party despite severe indictment by the Comptroller Auditor General (CAG), the top watch dog over government expenses, is the most disgusting sight in my life span.
This shows the utter lack of moral values amongst our Political class. The Congress Party, of which every Indian was proud during the Independence Fight, has been reduced today to a party of thugs and thieves. This Government is the most corrupt and shameless ever to govern the country and I sincerely hope the last to do so. What a Bunch of jokers: Kapil Sibal, Digvijay Singh, Chidambram...
My God, if proof was ever needed, just read the Home Minister's statement on Home Grown Terrorists. Now this Government, if it has its way, wants to Brand every Indian who does not support Congress ideology of loot and plunder as terrorists. All this just to try and score brownie points over BJP.
Digvijay Singh is at best a mentally sick man. About Kapil Sibal, the lesser said the better. If they had their way, they would crush every right that we have. They would very willingly impose an Emergency like Indira Gandhi did. These people swear an Oath saying that India is their country and their motherland. I do not know what one calls a person who sells his mother? But that is what these leaders deserve to be called!!!
BJP is no saint either: Look at the mess that they have created in Karnataka. Nitin Gadakari, I don't know where RSS found him!!! RSS a great organisation, unfortunately now governed by octarians who have become senile, otherwise how can one explain their decision to impose Gadakari onto BJP as its president. DMK, AIADMK, RJD, RLD, BSP, SP and the others: Look at the political hue of the country. What choices do we have, except to be ashamed.
My friends, we need to introspect and come out and speak our minds on various forums. If we do not do so today, then there might not be a tomorrow for our future generations.
I am not very enamoured by Anna Hazare, but today I feel the need where all Indians needs to step out of their houses and join the movement. If only to send a strong message to the clowns ruling us that the Indian people have had enough, and if they do not mend their ways then they will be served the same fate that is facing Mubaraq in Egypt.
I just hope that I am alive to see the day when each and every corrupt politician is hung by the neck unto death.
I was in Switzerland recently and was waxing eloquent about India. To the horror of one of my friends in Switzerland (an Italian settled there), I remarked that there is not much difference between Geneva and Delhi. I argued that the total Swiss population is 12 million while Delhi's is over 20 million. I told him that if we remove 8 million people from Delhi, we would see a Delhi that is much better than not only Geneva but a whole lot of Europe.
But TODAY, that seems history. Today I am no longer proud to be an Indian. Today I am ashamed! I cringe at the fact that if some of my overseas friends were to ask me about corruption in India, I would have no answer!
The sight of Sheila Dixit showing Thumbs Up with the backing of the Congress party despite severe indictment by the Comptroller Auditor General (CAG), the top watch dog over government expenses, is the most disgusting sight in my life span.
This shows the utter lack of moral values amongst our Political class. The Congress Party, of which every Indian was proud during the Independence Fight, has been reduced today to a party of thugs and thieves. This Government is the most corrupt and shameless ever to govern the country and I sincerely hope the last to do so. What a Bunch of jokers: Kapil Sibal, Digvijay Singh, Chidambram...
My God, if proof was ever needed, just read the Home Minister's statement on Home Grown Terrorists. Now this Government, if it has its way, wants to Brand every Indian who does not support Congress ideology of loot and plunder as terrorists. All this just to try and score brownie points over BJP.
Digvijay Singh is at best a mentally sick man. About Kapil Sibal, the lesser said the better. If they had their way, they would crush every right that we have. They would very willingly impose an Emergency like Indira Gandhi did. These people swear an Oath saying that India is their country and their motherland. I do not know what one calls a person who sells his mother? But that is what these leaders deserve to be called!!!
BJP is no saint either: Look at the mess that they have created in Karnataka. Nitin Gadakari, I don't know where RSS found him!!! RSS a great organisation, unfortunately now governed by octarians who have become senile, otherwise how can one explain their decision to impose Gadakari onto BJP as its president. DMK, AIADMK, RJD, RLD, BSP, SP and the others: Look at the political hue of the country. What choices do we have, except to be ashamed.
My friends, we need to introspect and come out and speak our minds on various forums. If we do not do so today, then there might not be a tomorrow for our future generations.
I am not very enamoured by Anna Hazare, but today I feel the need where all Indians needs to step out of their houses and join the movement. If only to send a strong message to the clowns ruling us that the Indian people have had enough, and if they do not mend their ways then they will be served the same fate that is facing Mubaraq in Egypt.
I just hope that I am alive to see the day when each and every corrupt politician is hung by the neck unto death.
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