24 hours!

In less than 24 hours from now, India will pass her leash over to her new master. 
Expect an anti-climax because we already know who our new master will be. But let's pretend we didn't know and examine the usual suspects.

Candidate Number 1 - Rahul Gandhi (aka RaGa, The Dim Wit, Women's Empowerment, Scion of the Dynasty) 

Surely, he was the late bloomer but hey, don't pile all the muck on him. He's not as stupid as he puts himself out to be. He's just inherited none of the political sauciness of his dead relatives or his mom. How many of you remember how we showered Sonia G with eloquent praises when she turned down the top seat about 10 years ago? She was the epitome of Sati Savitri.
While we have lost much of that emotion towards her in the decade because of the way she dragged her lame Italian feet, RaGa should have won our hearts with his dimples and village idiot speeches. 

So where did it all go wrong for the C Company?
I think we all know the answers. What excites and worries me is how the Dynasty knew this was coming but chose to live in denial. The government sleepwalked through much of the last 3 years. Our PM was the mute spectator in the back seat of a taxi where the drunk driver is fumbling for the keys. For lack of a better word, let's just say Manmohan was the scapegoat of nearly every frustrated insult and anguished complaint we had toward Sonia and her unique brand of divide and rule. 
RaGa doesn't stand a chance and only a sympathetic wave (if you know what I mean) can bring the Congress back to the seat of power anytime in the foreseeable future. And Rahul, please shave the beard off. It's concealing those cute dimples.

Candidate Number 2 - Arvind Kejriwal (aka The Giant Slayer, The Muffler Man)

Now, be honest and tell me - How many of you thought he would become the Delhi Chief Minister (even if it was for a brief period)? Exactly. 
He came, He Slayed, He Left.
No other party in the history of modern India has captured the imagination of a billion people the way his party of 18 months has. Ofcourse, he must give all credit to Anna Hazare who came like a whirlwind and vanished like a breeze. He struck oil by planting the impossible. The impossible thought that some day we can rout out corruption if only we have a new set of leaders. 
So while we are all celebrating the dawn of a new India, I think its wise to say Arvind has a lot to learn and governing a country is far easier than just writing an essay. 
Will he win any seats? He will. 
Not enough to make a government at the center but enough to nip at the heels of the Dynasty. 
We may be disgruntled enough to throw Sonia G and her bunch of cronies out, but not disillusioned enough to vote for the right ideals.

Candidate Number 3 - The Third Front (made up of the Fat Lady from Tamil Nadu, Fat Man from UP and other assorted misfits)

So these are the folks who didn't get called to play in either of the teams during recess and decided to create their own team. Just to humor ourselves, I would like to see them win. Because the gameplan is interesting - If elected to power, they want to rotate the PM's chair between themselves. I can't think of a bigger nightmare than this. 
But the truth is, and if you'd like to believe the exit polls, they might get enough seats to nip at the other heel of the Dynasty. 

Candidate Number 4 - Saving the best for last, Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present the Knight in Shining Armor, former Mass Murderer of Muslims and the only Indian Politician the US and the UK loved to hate until recently - Narendra Modi (aka NaMo, Former Tea Shop owner).

Reluctant as he was until a year ago, we all knew he always had the top post in the cross-hairs. So yes, like it or not, he is going to be our next Prime Minister and we are hoping he will do to India what he did with Gujarat. No, not the killing part hopefully but make us all prosperous and wealthy and happy and shining. 
Oh, like make India Shining like the Congress promised to do long back, but this time we are hoping he actually does it. 

Lessons the Congress can learn (wishful thinking)

• Communicate. Honestly.
• You screw us. We will screw you back.
• Policy Paralysis. Google it. It will have a picture of the UPA.
• Be consistent. Don't burn the midnight oil 3 months before the polls.
• Go solo. Your alliances with regional parties with absolutely no vision was the last nail in your coffin.
• Don't effing loot and plunder us. We will eventually kick your corrupt ass out so fast so far, your head will spin. 
• Spare no expense in hiring the best spin doctors because you will need them.

Finally, now that the grand exercise of electing our next master is almost over, let's take stock of all the schit that flew, the bullets we dodged, selfies we shot and give ourselves a massive pat on the back. 

This is after all one of the rare instances when we show we can do something as massive and organised as this was with minimal bloodshed or embarrassment (no pun intended) in a peaceful way. I can't think of another democracy that can boast of this.

Happy Birthday Bapu! [276/365]

More than a year ago, when we celebrated Anna's vision of an India without corruption, we cheered him along and our rulers trembled. The strength of our cheering only grew. The ground shook under our feet and we all thought we were witnessing history in the making. We hung onto every word that he spoke. We paid his rejuvenation bills and hospital stays. It was a small gesture for a short man in khadi who'd captured our imagination, again.

Circa October 2nd, 2012, the magic has long gone. In a sad turn of events that lacks any inspiration or direction, the Team is now fighting amongst each other. The man has become a mere shadow of his former self. I won't say why the team broke up but I can say how they could have stayed together.

Decades ago, when Gandhi fought for our independence he faced a lot of setbacks too. The Empire didn't take him seriously and when they did, they either punished him severely to make him an example, or didn't punish him at all so that he does not become a martyr. They paraded him as the small man who dared to take on the might of the Empire. And when the Empire wasn't trying to break our morals, we fought amongst ourselves and behaved in a manner completely unfitting and kept straying from our path of nonviolence and noncooperation. We showed how violent we were. Gandhi came dangerously close to abandoning his movement several times during the struggle and eventually we killed him. 

Predictably I watched the movie 'Gandhi' again today. One of the most endearing quotes that he makes is 'An eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind'. As I let that quote sink in, I thought of the many leaders and beauty pageant winners who quote Gandhi as their role model. While I won't deny how Gandhi is a wonderful person and probably one of the finest human beings to have walked this earth, I question how despotic politicians and tyrants can claim to follow a man who propagated nonviolence and won.
Case in point- Obama. He is a eloquent orator and a charming leader. However, as a man who proudly presided over the execution of another man he does not deserve to quote Gandhi.
Anna does not deserve to claim Gandhi to be his role model either for the way he has given up his movement only because he didn't get the footfall he expected. Gandhi fasted unto death to mourn the fact that he fought for the independence of a country where her people were killing each-other in vengeance. Anna fasted to arm-twist the government to agree to his terms. Gandhi could have fasted to arm-twist Jinnah and the Empire into not dividing India, but he didn't. He could have fasted to get justice for the killers of innocent civilians in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. He could have fasted for vengeance but didn't.

Gandhi could have been the small man but he wasn't the simple fool that the British thought him to be.
Our mistake was that we put Anna into Gandhi's sandals and expected him to run a marathon. Anna is a simpleton. Surely, his intentions are good but he is no Gandhi.

Advice to Anna: Watch the movie 'Gandhi' pronto.
And oh yeah. Happy Birthday, Bapu

Monkey See, Monkey Do [227/365]

Source: folitics.in

Originality be damned. It pays to copy.
Anna tried to copy Gandhi. Baba tried to copy Anna. 

Gandhi - 1. Others - 0
Sherlyn copied Poonam. Poonam tried to copy Larissa Riquelme. 

Larissa - 1. Others - 0

A year ago, hairy baba molly cuddled with  Anna as he whipped up the crowds into a frenzy and decided to fast as well. Well, good for him. Looking at how well versed he is with yoga, a few days without food shouldn't really be a big deal. The gamble paid off. Anna and the Baba virtually brought the government to its knees. Cut to 2012, I bet neither of them saw how their fortunes could turn.

In several posts last year, I wrote about how Anna could fail in his fight unless they stayed focused on their goals. As Anna tapped out of a fight that started with earnestness, Baba tagged himself him. He made a lot of noise. When none of it really got him any of the attention he hoped he would get, he excused himself a'la Anna.
I'm surprised how the media and millions of his supporters believe he has made any change.

In the meanwhile, neither he nor Anna ever got the government to implement any sweeping changes that could have stemmed the rot. Instead what they have done is to force the corrupt to adopt a better strategy against future revolutions.

While I wont suspect Anna's intent, I believe future defenders of our freedom could take lessons out of misses that he and his team made. He believed that by copying Gandhi's method of non-violence, he could be the savior that modern India needed. And I won't blame him for being ambitious. His strategy did work initially.

Ambition can be a tricky thing.

Take for instance, Sherlyn Chopra.
Seeing how none of her body parts were making the news for a while, Sherlyn did what Poonam would do- get naked and tweet.
This time, however, Sherlyn managed a coup d'état by posing nude for Playboy. Hefner, the luckiest horny man in the world, was happy. While the world will get to see all of Ms Chopra this November, if any of his former playmates are to be believed, Hefner will have surely made paisa vasool of the whole 'opportunity'.

But then, posing in Playboy is no mean feat. PETA darling and global swimsuit sweetheart Pamela Anderson did it. And so did Marlyn Monroe and a bunch of other beauty queens. Playboy is a must for any teenager with raging hormones and any man with supercharged sex drive. For the bodies models it is a wonderful once in a lifetime platform. If she hasn't already got one, she'll surely get a Bollywood movie, couple of sex tapes and a few reality shows post this spread. But I won't hold my breath hoping to see Sherlyn metamorphose into a star of any substance in this lifetime.

Imitation could very well be the sincerest form of flattery.

Hungry [217/365]

Anna Hazare. About a year ago, the name struck fear in the hearts of politicians across India.
Millions of people were awestruck at how a short pudgy man in a gandhi topi could almost singlehandedly re-ignite the fire of patriotism in their hearts.

A quick reality check today reveals that most of the charisma that he had has started to wane off. Much to the delight of our politicians.
Today as Anna fasts, I can imagine his thoughts-
Where did I go wrong? When did I loose the plot? Why am I failing?

Corruption is an exceptional problem and hence requires an exceptional solution. Anna has had his wins against corruption but he missed his window of opportunity to implement his theory. His approach was flawed.
Pressure tactics seldom works. While he succeeded in pinning the government into submission, internal bickering stopped him from taking the countdown. He simply didn't anticipate the forces that ripped apart his movement from within.

So does he still have a chance against corruption?
I think he does. But by calling all politicians corrupt, he has effectively alienated anyone who could have helped his cause. Team Anna must realign to their goals they set for themselves last year - an India without corruption.

What will it take for us to uproot corruption?
Lots of determination and consistency. Team Anna must campaign and work towards removing the incentive for corruption. Millions of civil servants go for many months without pay or benefits while ministers lavish themselves with perks, bonuses  and travel. How can a government official resist the bribe?

The task is uphill and the goals are there for all to see. How long we take to get there is what matters.

Counter views

Loosing the magic touch

Will it work?

Magnum Opus

'He was a man who made humility and simple truth more powerful than empires'

Today as India celebrates how the parliament passed the Jan Lokpal bill as demanded by Anna Hazare and his team.
The month long campaign has proved that complete freedom against corruption is a long way away but the freedom of speech by the people and the media sure found its expression among billions of Indians. Many supporting the cause, many supporting the man and thousands against the man.

One of my favorite biographical movie is 'Gandhi' by Sir Richard Attenborough. This timeless movie still answers the many questions that plagues our society.

Watching it for the millionth time, I'll attempt to dissect the essence of what we need to learn..

Disgraced after being thrown out of a train only because he was traveling on a first class ticket, this sparked the first flames of freedom against discrimination.
Even as a staunch follower of Hinduism, Gandhi respected and followed the essence of Christianity. He often called himself and everyone 'Children of God'.
Even when faced with an seemingly impossible task of bringing equality to Indians in South Africa, he never once was disrespectful. Just polite and stern.
From being called 'Citizens of the Empire' to overthrowing the Empire, Gandhi showed us how we need to 'Fight against their anger. Not provoke it.'

Where there is injustice, I always believe fight. But the question is 'Do you fight to change things or to fight to punish?'
The problem with our supposed fight against corruption is that a majority of us are very comfortable with our every day lives (and I've already discussed why here)

When we spoke about Anna's stubborn refusal to budge, I remembered how Gandhi, referred to himself as a 'stubborn man'.
On my maiden visit to the Golden Temple many many years ago, I visited the Jallianwala Bagh. Now converted to a national monument it is one of those monuments that have been restored and preserved well. I could still see bullet holes and dried blood splatter. And the well, now sealed off is a grim reminder of the many dozens who lost their lives. A monument to mindless cruelty and unapologetic ruthlessness.
The way the empire and her majesty (note the lower case) refused to leave India despite the atrocity it committed, reminds me of how corrupt politicians refuse to step down.

When I read about how college students in Bangalore turned violent, I remembered how misguided protesters killed policemen during Gandhi's freedom struggle. But then violence has always been a much easier option for cowards.

Modern times call for contemporary measures. While most of Gandhi's principles is still proven to work in a world filled with turmoil. Prohibition is a farce in Gujarat where you'll always get the booze for the right price. It's not about looking or talking the part. It's about the being the part.

'Nearly all revolution starts as an idea in the mind of one man'. We won our freedom from the British with one such idea which became the most inspirational civil resistance in all history. In 2011, Anna has helped us win another.
Like Gandhi, he led from the front. Boldly, fearlessly and non violently.

Freedom. While we continue to fight among ourselves over who is more right, our politicians have always followed the colonial rule of 'Divide and Rule'. They have done it then and they continue to do it now.

'In our own sweet time.. In our own sweet way, we'll get there'

Britain, an tyrant Empire that once ruled most of the world and once was called Great Britain now reduced to a shell of its former self wrecked by terrorists from both outside and within. An island nation where an overwhelming majority of its citizens live on welfare and government doles. A nation that is still grappling with itself. What an awful turn of fortune. 

The only devils in the world are those running around in our own hearts. And that is where all our battles ought to be fought - Gandhiji

Now, lets drink to that!

This is an ode to Gandhi: The 'half naked Indian fakir' who became the icon who Albert Einstein remarked is a man who 'generations will come which will scarce believe that such of one of this ever of flesh and blood walked upon this earth'

When I despair I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time, they can seem invincible but in the end, they always fall.

Hey Ram!

Read more:
The government against satyagrahas, then and now

By the way...

Just so you know...
Indian democracy is not the most unique or supreme.
If it were unique, we would have had politicians who had the country's good at heart.
If it were supreme, our elected representatives would have delivered what they were supposed to deliver- Justice, Equality and Freedom.

Strangely, the Anna movement has managed to evoke the most controversial statements/behavior with no real knowledge of what the entire circus is about.
We have common people who are largely unaware of the history of delaying tactics and obfuscation by successive governments in passing the Lokpal bill and then we have the government who admits there is rampant corruption (which is a wonderful departure from denying its existence) but desperately want to sidetrack it with irrelevant comments/suggestions.

Recently talking to a close relative, who was largely skeptical of the movement. I listened to her arguments silently before I set out to convince her.
Why now? When the Congress is ruling? Definitely the BJP is behind this.
Of course now. If not now, when? The Congress has been ruling for quite a while now. Except for a narrow break in the later part of last century, the Congress has always been at the helm of affairs. As for accusations of support from the opposition, it is anybody's guess why they would support. While they have been baying for the ruling party's blood ever since they lost their second chance, they have conveniently piggybacked on Anna. Cauterized by a bitter experience down south, they want to appear as the only party will not take corruption lightly.
After decades of corruption that has eroded the very corpus of our democracy, there is a large part of the middle class that has had enough.

Why not run for election so that Anna can make a change that way?
Appearing as it seems the gargantuan sums of money that goes into bribing million people and considering Anna's financial limitations and his character, it is anybody's guess that Anna will loose an election hands tied down. Suggesting he runs for an election is a simplistic view of people who choose to be ignorant.
The obvious result of such a failure would be an ideal excuse to not pass stricter anti corruption laws.

Do you see Red here?

Why not strengthen existing anti corruption agencies?
Not many people would know that the Lokpal Bill did create all of these agencies. Ineffective as they are with little or no right to investigate, prosecute or punish the guilty, they are but a toothless tiger and a huge drain on the exchequer. That and the fact that many of these agencies are headed by cabinet rank Ministers who will not want to prosecute their peers.
Scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.

Armchair activists like the 'one book wonder' Arundhati Roy would do better than to write an elaborate essay on why Anna is wrong. I wonder how much she got paid to write such ludicrous piece of trash. Why the (Indian) media still refers to her as 'Indian Booker prize winner..' still defies my understanding. She wrote just one book and got really lucky there. (By that measure, I must be referred to as 'English rank holder at high school') She has since decided to not test her luck anymore by staying with pro Maoist activism and random tree hugging.

Why a deadline?
A deadline works best when all you've got is a government that procrastinates, delays and manipulates thoughts, ideas and action to correct an endemic disease like Corruption. Given that the congress and like scum had roughly 45 years to pass the Lokpal bill in its true essence, I believe a deadline is what we need.
This time it's our way or the highway, Mr PM.

Why is Anna being adamant about his demands?
Well, there are only 3, for crying out loud.
The government has sat on the Lokpal bill like a hen on a hard boiled egg for far too long. They've never had the intention to pass it. Not then, not now.
It's time for some tough love.

Why the hell is he so bothered?
Most weren't. Were they?
Almost child like, he's accepted your support but never asked you for your donation. So when an illiterate former soldier and farmer fights for the freedom of a billion plus, the least you can do is support the cause that he is fighting for. After all, as Indians we belong here - In India.

But that's the problem with Indians. After having been ruled over by our colonial masters, we've been conditioned to be subservient.
We'll never give a compliment when its deserved. We'll never give a honest feedback when we have to. We're used to poor service and the tag of 'third world country'.

But just so you know, you should never give up.
Spread the word, folks. Our children will never forgive us if we don't clean up our mess.

More Read:
Arund'hate' Roy
Rather be Anna than Roy!
Messianism versus democracy

While you were gone...

A very dear friend of mine remarked 'Anna is such a distraction'.
Not entirely untrue.

As a nation of people who demand to be entertained all our waking hours, I happened to speak to a few people who'd 'been' to support Anna 'over the weekend'
He was excited and satisfied that he was able to have an eventful weekend!
Well, eventful it is. But what troubles me is how many people are treating this protest as a mere carnival.
The Gandhi topi and the Tricolour dealers are doing the briskest business ever.
Auto-rickshaws are making hay while the sun shines by charging patriotic people double and nearly quadruple the fare.
Ice cream vendors and hawkers are laughing all the way to the bank.
Face painting artists haven't seen so much business since the last IPL match this year.

What started off in the right earnest has now been reduced to a farce.
Surely there is a lot of people visiting areas of demonstration.
There is definitely a lot of people who know what the struggle is about. But five year old kids dressed up as Gandhi with their heads shaved off and bapu glasses?
Give me a break!
I saw red when I spotted three college kids on a bike without a helmet carrying the tricolour, the tip of which was trailing the road.
I bet they are bunking their classes but if supporting Anna was not as fashionable as it is, I'm sure they would have been in a mall or a movie theater ogling at girls in skimpy outfits. Anna is just another reason.

We are filled with people who are hypocritical.
We have people who are impatient with traffic stops. We starting honking the nanosecond the light turns green. Yet we don't mind spending hours on the net/in the bed with your boyfriend/girlfriend, or even at a mall.
We refuse to wear the helmet even if it is meant to protect ourselves and the ones we love.
We don't want to give the underprivileged people in our society a chance at a good life, yet the moment we have a stable job we crib and complain that this isn't enough.
We don't want corrupt leaders, yet we don't mind corrupt managers who will lick and dry their bosses unmentionables to climb up the ladder.
We have people who will chain themselves to protect deforestation, but as soon as it comes to supporting a cause that is nonviolent, they launch into a verbal diarrhea of words.
We are a nation filled with fascinating people!

But thank God for Anna because;
Bollywood has got fresh ideas for its next big patriotic flick.
Sheila Dixit can exhale that the spotlight will not be on her for a while now.
Kalmadi/Raja/Kanimozhi and like scum will be at ease that they are not being prosecuted by a nation that can't multi-task.
Mamataji will make sure that by the time you are back, West Bengal will be replaced by Paschimbanga.
...and if all goes well (for us) Salina Wali Khan will can do a poonam pandey. Deja vu!

Whatever it is, be sure to lock your doors before you leave, because thieves and burglars aren't marching.

No Hazare

In what can be described as an epic battle of good v/s evil, the Fight against Corruption has caught the fantasy of a billion people. Whether you are the CEO of a conglomerate or a lowly farmer, Hazare and his million followers have turned the Struggle into television's biggest tamasha.

Now, amidst all the controversy and the mud slung, I still support the cause- That of creating laws that will uphold justice and uproot corruption. Yes I do.
But something incredible has happened. Now, I am not a person who can be easily convinced. As a realist I need facts.
A movement that promised a change in how India is perceived both by its inhabitants and the world in general, the struggle has been subtly hijacked by ideologies and people that are suspect and well, give you that familiar feeling of all is not well.

Couple of reasons why I think Anna needs to pause, think and pull up his socks.

Proof of how 'Role models' have turned this struggle into a free for all fight for 15 minutes of fame

Anna is not India and India is not Anna.
Much like the ominous 'Indira is India. India is Indira' chant that reverberated through the dark years of Emergency, we are focusing on the man and not the purpose.
His well dressed compatriots all who have accomplished a lot in their public lives, are opinionated to a point where there is confusion on what Anna stands for and what the Bill wants to achieve.
This movement and the Bill that it fights for, has become a symbol of rebellion by an resurgent middle class awakened by 'Breaking News' round the clock.
A convenient way of removing the government without the ballot. While the government did miss the train by not reacting swiftly and it floundered badly with poor policies and a weak commander at the top, we should not circumvent existing mechanisms to cover up our weak electoral sense.
How did a guy who introduced sweeping financial reforms in the last decade become the weakest PM the country has ever had?
I am pretty sure Singh would've wanted to quit while the song was still sweet, but his inability to rein in corruption and his obvious submissiveness to Sonia will be a legacy that he will have to live with.

Lokpal is not our magic elixir.
The fact that there are many thousands marching on the streets who do not know what the Bill is nor can lead to, is a dangerous phenomena.
While we are definitely tired of corruption, the Bill is not all that we need.
As a nation of extremely opinionated people, we'd have a million ways to say that corruption cannot be uprooted. Not many can tell us how we can. Naysayers Plenty!
We already have enough institutions that are supposed to fight corruption. The National Advisory Council (NAC), an Institution with powers to veto any bill and monitors the government. Comprised of 14 eminent professionals in their individual fields, our focus should be towards strengthening existing anti corruption institutions like the NAC.
Because, what we need is not yet another Institution. We need a process.

Perhaps Anna can think on this while he is fasting.

What we need is a stronger government. A swifter one. A government that will work for its people while not keeping the good stuff for itself. A government that will treat all its citizens with respect, equality and merit.

'Democracy is where one confused person thinks he can change everything. Eventually we will need to kill him' but again, this is not about one man's fight against another. This is about how we need to change the way we work within the framework of democracy.

We, the people need to exercise better judgement with the electoral process. Resisting the temptation to vote because you were bribed to, we need to show our activism through democracy. After all, we are still the World's largest democracy.

We are not you, Anna. We support your cause though
The Fight is not rocket science nor is it brain surgery.

So, why are we not getting the point?

*RTFM

I hate Anna Hazare!
While there is a clarion call to 'Support Hazare'online, what is upsetting is how many Indians are opposed to the entire movement. (and I'll come to that in a later post..)

Over the past week, Indians (and in some cases, foreigners) have reminded the world how potent non violence is.

Millions of people across the nation marched.
Several hundreds have been fasting..
All in the name of Anna Hazare.
But really?!

While what he is doing is definitely commendable and can by no means be ridiculed or shrugged off, I think there is a growing resistance in the cause.
And for good reason.

As the nation remains split at the middle on the Fight against Corruption, what I am going to do is help dissect the Lokpal bill here...

-While Indians as a civilization have always resented authority figures that have been repressive, what we as a nation that aspires to be World Power is an institution that will rid our nation of its 'corrupt third world' tag. Lest we become another failed state.

-Autonomous. In a country where the judiciary and law enforcement is often used as tools of political and personal vendetta, there must an Institution which will perform without the fear of getting 'that phone call/fax/email from the top'

-The CBI, having been used as a tool for political vendetta for many decades has failed to secure enough convictions. This leads to a weak trail where the guilty are not arrested nor charged. We definitely need a justice system which will instill fear of the law into the corrupt. The guilty must be punished. Swiftly.

-The fourth point of the bill is perhaps the most contentious. Making sure that the corrupt restore the loss caused to the exchequer will not only rob the corrupt of all his wealth but also reveal the money trail. Simple yet potent.

-In a country where nothing can get done within a reasonable time-frame and where deadlines are nearly always extended, the fifth condition of a lokpal is definitely what the doctor prescribed. When the rest of the world can meet deadlines and finish projects at breakneck speeds, this condition will make sure that India will come up to speed with the 21st Century.

-The sixth condition of the Bill remedies and redresses a myriad of ills that plague our society. We definitely need an institution that will make other parts of the government work in perfect harmony. Indians should not be afraid nor discouraged when report corruption.

-Making sure that the Lokpal is headed by people who are beyond reproach is a no-brainer.
While the public perception of an Indian politician is poor this point in the Lokpal makes sure that imminent people who are beyond reproach is chosen and given the power to function effectively rather than just be a figure head is the need of the hour.

-Assuming that the incorruptible become corrupt, the eight point in the Bill provides for an open investigation where the Officer will be dismissed within two months.

-Naturally, the existing anti-corruption machinery within the country have floundered badly. After decades of inaction, we need a mechanism that will work. Fearlessly. Ruthless. Honest.

-Whistle-blowers must be protected. Because where the people can reveal corruption without fear of reprisal, there lies a progressive nation.

Read more here:

There. The most controversial Bill against corruption in Modern India.

If you support this movement and know the bill. Good job! Now spread the word.
But if you are not supporting this because you don't know what the Bill is about, then Read The Fu*king Manual!

Where age is just a number...

As I write this, at the stroke of 12 on the 15th of August, I hear crackers burst in the distance.
On a midnight not unlike tonight, 65 years ago, when our founding fathers won us independence, little did they realize that this day would loose its significance many decades later.
Tonight when most of India is still sleeping, while the other half of India is preparing for a show of patriotism, we have to tell ourselves to cut the crap and start living the life of true freedom and independence that our nation's forefathers envisioned.
At a time, when almost every politician worth his constituency is neck deep in scams, scandals and other unmentionables, we need to introspect.
Maybe, just maybe corruption is a very Indian concept and is deeply entwined within our culture and society.
Maybe, certain people and newspapers are correct.

Consider this.
A child acquires the habit of lying and then graduates into petty thefts. Before you'd realize you have a delinquent in your hands and trouble at your doorstep.
The child lacks nothing and is otherwise a very blessed with very supportive and honest parents. Unable to accept that their child could be growing up to a thief, they are in denial but are still loving and supportive.
Would you blame the child? His upbringing or his parents? Would you theorize that the child was born to be a thief and a liar? Would you think that child is inheriting his habits from his parents? Would you think that his parents deliberately allowed their child to walk the wrong path?
I could go on, but I think you get the drift now, right?

Doubtless, our nation has gone astray and we've unintentionally allowed it. True.
But its so easy to pick a pen or put fingers to a keyboard and blame the activists. It is very easy to believe that we are fighting corruption because of a strong media that is ruled by corporates. It is very easy to criticize.
'Walk a mile in his shoe and you'll know where it bites'


We have way too many half baked critics who are satisfied with sitting on their desks with a deadline to write a 1000 word article where he/she gets paid for every word that they write passing too much ill informed verdicts instead of fighting it out on the streets.

The interesting thing about our society is that every good effort/work/person will invariably have a bunch of critics who'll have half the knowledge, none of the authority and plenty of words. When they have not spared the Holy Bible, Anna and our fight against corruption will surely have many who'll like to crucify him.

Happy Birthday, India!

Indian Jails: Separating the Boys from the Men

Most Indians are terrified of jails.
A nightmarish place the size of a small room not unlike many Indian 'pucka' houses, where you'll be tortured and have confessions extricated. But you'll still get free healthy food three times a day!
I haven't seen the insides of a Jail and there's a pretty good chance that most Indians haven't either. Indian movies and occasional but steady news of police brutality in custody has ingrained the fear of the bars in every Indian.

India Shining!

Unlike Hollywood jails, Indian jails are not places where 'normal' people go. They are places where the most petty thieves, rapists and burglars and the occasional trouble-maker spends a few nights in.
And hence Tihar was a uneventful place to be. Until recently.
But all that has changed ever since the Indian govt's austerity drive finished. The jails are now packed with former CEOs, the A-rated Politicians and random celebrities and a few of them appear destined to reside here soon
It almost appears that the government did manage to save a lot of money. But almost all of it went directly into the pockets of the few.

Talk about India Shining!

So in a sense, Indian jails are what separates the men from the boys.

It is what separates the wickedly guilty from the truly blessed Statesman.
Unless you've lived in a cave, you'd have read/heard/seen the flurry of politicians who have been dethroned and carted off to jail. Many of them struggling to live in cells that is more luxurious than an average Indian house yet breathing down the necks of their over-paid lawyers to secure a bail and run free.
Some of them have even filed anticipatory bails.
And then we have Anna and his ilk. With the firm understanding that the battle will be long and ardous but the victory is going to be sweet, he and his team have courted arrest. A true Gandhian in word, thought and deed, he has brought a unrepentant and tainted government to its knees.

So, why do you fear the jail, Mr Politician? 

what ails us..

The 2011 Fight against Corruption has split the nation down at the middle.

No, its not the cause that has split the people.
We have on one side, the a vast segment of people who know what the fight is about. Because they have been victims of such corruption. People who've had enough and want no more. Like sheep without a Shepard, they have now been united by a crusader who won't stop nor tire unless justice prevail.
And then on the other hand, a segment of people who believe this is one of those movements that will fizzle out. This segment is made up of people who are prejudiced against a particular religion and those who suspect the motivation of such a movement. People who will rather sit back and watch how things will unfold. The Couch potatoes.
The bad news is the latter segment of people are a majority. The Good news is they are rapidly shrinking.

A dear relative of mine recently remarked that she won't support Anna because he is a 'Muslim' ! Well, arguments against religious discrimination and prejudice aside little did she realize that he was a Hindu but we wouldn't have enjoyed our freedom if we thought the same about Gandhi, would we?
She also suspected why there is a sudden retaliation against a disease that has existed for several decades. Elementary, my dear Watson! There is only so much that a person can endure.
After decades of rampant corruption that has permeated even to the level of janitors and pourakarmikas (trash collectors), where we need to bribe them if we need our garbage cleared, we the common people have had enough.

Take the pledge

I cannot pay you that bribe, Sir/Madam
I cannot give you that incentive in lieu for sexual favors, Maam/Sir
I won't sleep with you for a promotion or a hike.
I cannot promote you just because you slept with me.
I don't want to jump the red light even when I know there isn't anyone looking.
I won't give you 'coffee money' for doing your job.
I can't give you 'luncha' for doing your job.
I won't patronize you because I want to be in your 'good books'

The day when we take our pledge and mean it, that when we will truly be free.
I haven't been to the 'Fight for the Lokpal' march. No, not yet. But its given me the courage and the conviction that 'Yes, we can'.
Change, we need.

We may not get our freedom in a year. No, but its inevitable. The writing is on the wall, Mr PM. You are out of here.

When Giants fall

The Power of One

A sudden spate of revolutions that have rocked seemingly stable countries around the world are but a subtle reminder that Giants can still fall.
The thud is hardly pleasant but the ripples that it makes can be felt across the world.
The Middle Eastern crisis, the Libyan conflict, the British riots and now, Anna Hazare.

What newspapers and sheer word of mouth did 70 years ago, FB and twitter did yesterday.
While the newspapers will eventually move on to fresher headlines of how the over rated Indian cricket team under performed, we must not loose our focus.

In a throwback to the colonial freedom struggle, Anna was jailed. They could only break his body. Not his will or his spirit.
Anna may fall victim to his cause. But what is important that his cause must not fail.
With the government trying to suppress freedom that has been constitutionally guaranteed, what remains to be seen is how Team Manmohan (aka Sonia) can explain its actions to 'We the People'
With senior Ministers questioning how just about any random citizen can decide on the constitution, may we remind him the first few lines of how the Constitution of India starts.
For a government that thrives on fattening the lining on its wallets, we need to reiterate how the constitution reminds us that the government is 'For the People'.
For a generation with a short attention span, our freedom struggle must not flounder nor suffer. We must remember that this country belongs to every one of us - 'By the People'

Imprisoning Anna could have been a knee jerk measure, but surely Team Manmohan should have remembered their history lessons.
The consequence- A billion have awakened.
People across demography, age and profession have woken up to what can be a monumental phenomenon. Millions on the streets and this time, the people have united. In single minded determination. A revolution of such gargantuan proportions that you know you are witnessing something historic.
Yes, just maybe corruption will be thing of the past, a story of how India was that our children will tell their children.

But true awakening and real change will come when ordinary people like you and me sharpen our civic senses.

How many times have you bribed your way out of a traffic violation?
How many times have you jumped the red light at nights or when there wasn't anyone looking?
How many times have you stopped to help a victim of an accident?
How many times have we resisted the urge to spit or chuck that garbage bag into an empty plot near your home?
How many times have we have been prejudiced against a fellow Indian based on his caste, creed or demography?

The need of the hour is freedom. A freedom against corruption. Yes definitely.
But also a freedom where we act with responsibility and honesty. Also integrity.
We need a land where we need to participate and work for the common good.

We need to resist the urge to switch our minds off.
We have to act. And the this is just the beginning.

If any of this has spurred you to act, I encourage you to click here to join the cause. Not just in the virtual world but in the real world too.
We better save India while there's still something left to save.

In the meanwhile, our media is doing something right for the first time:

The Hindu
IBN Live
Deccan Herald
Indian Express 
Express India.com
IBN Live, again
The Hindu, again
DNA

India: When History repeats itself

Unless you've been buried alive, you wouldn't have missed the loud groaning of a billion people against corruption.

For all those who thought Anna Hazare couldn't and wouldn't be able to replicate his fight against corruption nationwide, the events that have unfolded since yesterday has kicked their butt all the way back to 1947.

But the irony does not end there. What the British were 65 years ago, the Congress with their ragtag bunch of political crooks are now.

Surprisingly, the British are having their own litany of trouble with gang violence and such. Looks like the Great Britain is no longer 'Great'.

Coming back to India, where we are suffering from the birth pangs of yet another Freedom struggle, this time not against foreigners but against Indians who have looted us for way too long.
Those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it.
The irony is that we are fighting against a government that is led by the first family of politics - The Gandhi's.
How the family that once symbolized every virtue, pure and free became a concocted mix of greed, corruption, nepotism and oppression is something that we as Indians need to introspect.

Aug 16th, 2011 will forever be the day in Indian history when the second Freedom Struggle started.
A fight against a government that refuses to relinquish absolute power and shed all reason to oppress needs to win. We owe it to our children.
We may not live to see all the changes that this struggle will bring about. But we ought to have started it.
After having threatened, reasoned and cajoled Anna Hazare to abandon his plans of fasting until death, the government erred greatly by arresting him.
The first family of Indian politics should have known better than to stifle a nonviolent protest.

The Satyagraha as a peaceful, non violent form of public protest became a powerful
The idea was first mooted by the American philosopher Henry David Thoreau and it was Gandhi who effectively demonstrated the enormous impact of various forms of non-violent civil disobedience.

A peaceful gathering by disobeying prohibitory orders and courting arrest was one form. Marching to the seashore to symbolically make your own salt was another.
The most effective form of satyagraha was used occasionally, somewhat rarely, as a last resort — the indefinite hunger strike. One man’s fast would rivet the subcontinent and often deliver quick results, be it quelling communal riots or scoring a compromise with formidable opponents like the British.


Gandhi’s extraordinary capacity to rouse masses did not just bring freedom to India but also brought justice to blacks in the US through Martin Luther King Jr, an avowed follower of the Gandhian doctrine of civil disobedience. In South Africa, it was Nelson Mandela.


When non-violent public protests turn into mass movements, growing bigger by the day, it’s not easy to stop them. The nationwide protests against the Emergency that brought down Indira Gandhi is an instance, with an almost parallel example that originated in Egypt’s Tahrir Square and finally dethroned president Hosni Mubarak.


In India, the issue of the day is corruption. Rather ironically, it is the “clean and incorruptible” prime minister Manmohan Singh’s team that has lost face in the way it has handled the Lokpal Bill issue.


Barely four months ago, Team Manmohan agreed to include civil society members in the drafting of the Lokpal Bill in a frustrated attempt to bring Anna Hazare’s first round of satyagraha to a quick close.


From then on, every attempt was made to discredit the civil society members of the panel — from questioning the inclusion of the father-son legal team of Shanti and Prashant Bhushan and challenging their integrity right down to calling Anna a corrupt man.


Finally, Team Manmohan submitted a diluted version of the bill to parliament and in the intervening period, Baba Ramdev and his supporters were caned out of Delhi. Team Anna was warned that they would suffer a same fate.


This arrogance of the Congress-led UPA government was on display at every turn and as a final roll-out of the plot, the government decided to thwart Anna’s plans for a second satyagraha in Delhi from August 16. Twenty-two pre-conditions were imposed and finally Anna was arrested from his Delhi residence even before he could step out to proceed towards JP Park.


Today’s generation could as well imagine Team Manmohan as part of the British Raj at its wit’s end in trying to deal with Mahatma Gandhi.


If the British police had their Rottweilers, Team Manmohan has its equivalents in Congress spokesman Manish Tewari and senior leader Digvijay Singh who lost no opportunity to try and tear Anna to pieces. Calling Hazare a corrupt man, dismissing his locus standi as he was not elected by the people (unlike our great netas) and telling him how to — and how not to — conduct his protest, were all part of the strategy to scuttle the public crusade against corruption.


It almost seemed that Team Manmohan had won this second round and demonstrated how to effectively puncture a satyagraha. But they erred greatly.
With barely a year to go before the largest democracy in the planet goes into an electoral huddle, history will prove once again that freedom will prevail.

Gandhiji is surely squirming in his grave.

And you have the right to remain silent..

At high school, I've had to write hindi essays on 'Corruption'. Of course, learned by rote, I hardly knew what it was and didn't really understand a word of what I learned or wrote later. Living abroad you hardly experience corruption as blatantly as you do in India.

A decade and a half later, having to experience corruption in close quarters, I have just one question reverberating in my mind : How would you beat Corruption?

The time worn question here is, when did our nation go into a tailspin into destruction?
Like all things nostalgic, I'd like to believe that politicians were noble back then.

Like a child who started with small white lies and petty crimes, our politicians have graduated to trillion dollar grand theft and nepotism on a scale that is beyond belief.
And to make matters uncomfortable, they seem to have woken up the warden. Us.

While we can all make a lot of noise, the buck stops when we are expected to act.
I've had unfortunate friends who tire of all the noise online.
While most of us are indeed keyboard activists and nothing more, we remember to forget that the greatest changes in human history happened when people started revolting. It could have been graffiti on the wall, a march or even a bold move. It was always the power of One.

While many of us rue about being just a drop in the ocean, we forget that many drops make the ocean.

Question of the Day:
Should we be ranting against the corrupt on social networks? I think we must. That is the least we can do. Definitely not enough, because unless you talk, you won't act. So as long as people are going to be complacent and silent about corruption, we are doomed to be silent spectators in the world's largest debacle.

We are looking at a really bleak future where their children (that's right, the corrupt are breeding like much yeast too) rules this country. A nation where we've allowed corruption to breed, into a generation that will be even more awesomely wicked than ones that we have now.

Anna will definitely win. He may not live to see the fruits of his selfless crusade, but we will win because of him. Like the fruits of freedom that we enjoy because our soldiers died for us, we will live with our heads held high. It will take time. Many will pick up the cause. Few will remain.

More than 60 years ago, when Gandhiji announced the Quit India movement, not many even thought we would last. But last we did. We emerged victorious as battle worn veterans, our history continues to inspire.
Are you doing your bit today, tomorrow and the day after? It could be noise to someone else but unless you make it, we are forever doomed to remain silent.

And my response to all those who think this is noise...
'I'm sorry that you were dropped on your head when you were born. Quit India. Go live in Somalia'

You must be kidding me!

I love reading the news. More now than ever before.
After all, whats going on in this Great Shining India of ours beats the living daylights off TRP's off any reality show.

Sample some of the latest platinum rated stuff, fresh off the ass's mouths:

Human resources development minister Kapil Sibal has criticised civil society representatives, led by social activist Anna Hazare, of trying to undermine the role of the elected government in the drafting of the lokpal bill and of attempting to gain control of the country. While speaking
to Congress party workers at the launch of the Jan Jagaran Abhiyaan (‘Awakening of the people’) on Thursday, Sibal said, “We will not allow five to 11 members of the Lokpal to run this country – this will neither be acceptable to the government nor to the countrymen. They [the civil society members] make it sound as if these 11 members will ascend from heaven. It is a good dream but the country cannot be run on dreams.”  

The Jan Jagaran Abhiyaan was launched by the Mumbai Congress in preparation for the 2012 civic polls.

Sibal also accused civil society members of trying to subjugate the constitution. “They want to bring the judiciary under the Lokpal’s purview. This will only deter judges from acting fairly and will instill fear in them,” said Sibal.

Civil society members condemned Sibal, accusing him of trying to mislead people. “Our only intention is to have a strong Lokpal bill to deter corrupt practices, which has reached unprecedented levels,” said Mayank Gandhi, Mumbai coordinator, India against Corruption.

Sibal also expressed displeasure over the manner in which television news channels were highlighting the news of union minister Dayanidhi Maran’s resignation. He said TV channels destroyed the hard-earned reputation of accomplished individuals. “TV channels think they run the country. I request the government to make them accountable,” said Sibal. Television channels boycotted the Jan Jagaran Abhiyaan after Congress cadres allegedly heckled crewmembers. 

 
Now, say it with me, slowly: Yes Ofcourse.

Why would the politicians in this country ever want to give away their golden goose, eh?
You must be kidding me to believe that they will ever relinquish control.

Our Minister of Human Resources (really?!) thinks his kin is beyond the reach of the civil society.
Mr Sibal, we elected you. You represent us, not the other way around. You listen to us, and again, not the other way around.

How daring for a senior minister to even venture such a statement.
We must fire his speech writer.

We desperately need some of those Japanese conscience implanted into our politicians. 

Gosh! The grass is indeed green on the other side.

Ugly Indians! We are.

There's this guy that I know who is powerful, influential and wealthy. Born out of a poor family, he does not have the credentials that he would need to make his billions. However, by virtue of his monies, he is respected and is considered incapable of making a mistake or committing a crime. The boss of a sprawling business empire, he is considered one of the most powerful men in society. Tough on critics and loving towards his followers, he makes sure that he does not have any living enemies. His family members and associates however are of a different pod. In a race to make their billions, some of them have fallen from grace. Publicly and rightly so.

Our protagonist, the rich boss, now has to make the tough decision of doing the right thing by penalizing the guilty or covering up much muck. To make matters worse, true accounts of how the guy's cronies colluded with unscrupulous people, cheating and dishonestly favoring certain other businesses in return for billions of dollars in kickbacks reach the people outside.

The people demand the guilty be punished. Here is where the rich boss's honesty is going to be tested and his integrity proven.
If he were to prove himself to be honest he should punish those who plundered public wealth and trust, in the most severest way permissible by law. He should make an example of them.
But predictably, in a way that reveals where his loyalties really lie and his intentions are, he neither punishes the guilty nor allows for a stricter rule that would prevent future instances.

No moral story this, but if any of this sounded familiar, it should. This is the sorry saga of politics in our great Nation.
Gandhi and Nehru must surely be squirming in their graves. Looking down, they must be wondering 'Where did I go wrong?'
Although there is a surge in people talking about Anna Hazare and Hairy Baba, it's all gas and no inertia.

This is definitely baffling.
When people ask me how we've allowed such unprecedented levels of corruption to seep through, I believe it is mainly because we've chosen it. We are living comfortable lives. As long as you and I get to wake in our beautiful homes, where we are not unreasonably hunted down by the government, as long as we are able to reach our workplaces and back home without too much hassles, as long as we are not unreasonably tormented by our bosses or civic authorities, as long as we have basic amenities and certain luxuries of life and as long as we have money to spend we are not going to revolt.

Egyptians took 30 years before they gathered the political strength and emotional courage to overthrow one of the Middle East's most powerful government. While Yemen, Libya and Tunisia are still burning, it takes more than just peer pressure to win a popular uprising.

Though we are many decades away from an revolution like in Egypt or from any semblance of change, we do share a lot with what the people in Egypt went through.
Even as they do not call themselves dictators, many of our politicians live out their lives as autocratic emperors.
Even though we do not have a secret police, our coppers are conspicuous and equally notorious.
Many of us may not have suffered the ignominy of being imprisoned or tortured in secret chambers, but when I see, hear and read news reports of how the police are used to exact political and personal vendetta, and how protesters are dragged off in an awkward embrace that can only resemble a hunter dragging off his kill, I realize we do share a lot with our Arab cousins.

They say that when the roots are rotten, the fruits will be too. But in a country like India, where we've had one of the most inspiring freedom struggles in human history, where we've fought for the truth and all that is good with such poise how could we go so wrong?
Where did we take the wrong turn to end up in the concocted mess that we can barely recognize?
How could our politicians associate themselves to a family that laid down their lives for truth, when they loot and plunder with so little conscience?
And how could we condone politicians who does not want to be held accountable?

How must we retaliate? Anna's got the right weapon.
Could we possibly start over again? Maybe.
A clean slate? Possible.
Will it stay clean? Depends.

Ugly Indian, a movement that I came across online made a lot of sense.
We are the ugly Indians who will not hesitate to spit out our phlegm and our sweet paan on  streets or government stairways, but come to a mall, we are on our best display. Go abroad. We are the best ambassadors of everything polite and well behaved. And like the founders of the movement rightly pointed out, the ugly Indians are not the illiterate or the village folks. It is us. You and me. The highly educated, well heeled and appropriately wealthy city folks that are to blame. Because we are the ones with double standards.

The ugly Indian is here to stay.

The government knows this too.
The politicians want this.

They know that as long as we live and work in a air-conditioned bubble of comfort, they are safe. They want a class of people who will not revolt against them yet let them milk them for every dollar we are worth. 2G then, 3G now. Flyovers then, Mono Rails now. They are always looking for the next billion dollar project that will ensure that their personal coffers will overflow for a few generations.

It is not Pakistan that we need to fear.
It is not China that we need to hate.
We are feeding a parasite that is slowly eating us from inside out.

If our ranking on the Transparency International is any indication, we will soon be the shining example of what  happens if we delve in past glories.

Candle light vigils just won't do. 

Phony threats of fast won't be enough. 

Taking a lesson out of history, we need to unite. Again. 

This time against our tendency to bribe, against our tendency to be complacent with tiny promises. Without fear, head held high.

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.