"Contempt", is the only word which sprang to my mind when I heard the statement made by one Congress leader. He claimed that the Anna Hazare movement was a great danger to the democracy and termed it as a tyranny of the unelected and tyranny of unelectible.Tyranny means a form of government controlled by a single person. This got me thinking if the congress leader really knew the meaning of this word or is he one of those who naturally, as politicians, are patients of political rhetorics. The fun with rhetorics is that anyone can claim,after proven wrong,they have been misquoted. But in this case there was no such recantation either from the politician or the party. The obvious conclusion is that there was a complete underestimation of the magnitude of the movement which caught them completely off guard. There was also an allegation made by a congress leader that Anna Himself was a corrupt person. It was not just the ruling coalition but the opposition parties too which shared a feeling of insult by this uprising of the masses againt the political system. The politicains for the first time in independent India history were of one
opinion that the people of India wanted to undermine the authority of the parliament more than creating a system which could be instrumental in weeding out corruption from the political and administrative system of India. How could the MPs be told how to behave in a parliament,this elucidates all but a ruler's mentality. Do the MPs think that the peolple of India are not intelligent or aware enough to draft a bill by themselves or is there a belief among these politicians that they are the chosen one by a divine right and only they are mentally equipped enough to mull over the political problems(if any) and come up with the most accurate solution. When a fellow MP from an opposition party makes an allegation, it does not prompt concerns over the dignity of the parliament by the MP then why do they feel so stung if the peolple of India rise againt corruption."How dare these minions rise against us", surely these are the sentiments simmering in the hearts of most of the "elected" MPs. I believe sitting in the parliament,occasionally, robs the MPs of the knowledge that they themselevs are first the citizens of India and then members of parliament. If the people of India, infected by corruption, do not feel dignified then I fail to understand how the political institutions of India can uphold their dignity. Anyone blind can also perceive the obvious division of masses from these so called rulers. And one thing, if not anything, I achieved from this great Anna Hazare movement was my self esteem as a citizen of India who after rising from a deep slumber by a call from the Great Gandhian flexed his dormant muscles and showed the self proclaimed satraps ensconsed in the parliament who the real boss is. Vande Matram, Bharat Mata ki Jai.
Monday, 29 August 2011
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
One afternoon...
The sun was high in the sky and her feet were bare but she was not deterred by it. The eyes were fixated on the object of her desire. She could taste her own saliva which was sweet but had a taste of desire too. The target was perhaps quicker than
her, realizing this she increased her pace too, every step on the hot road making it more difficult for her to run faster and the pain in the feet urging her to stop and reconsider the decision to chase down the target.The conflict between pain and
desire was quite evident on her face. A speeding car was coming from the opposite direction, the girl was quite unaware of it. It seemed nothing could stop her get what she wanted. The road was quite wide and she was trying to cross which made her
vulnerable to the traffic from both the directions. Children at her age are quite unaware of the perils of the Indian traffic.It was beyond her faintest imagination that anyone could harm her,after all altercations happen at their age only if
there is any object of contention involved and she could contemplate none this time.Concentration perhaps was one other reason which made her oblivious to the traffic. The driver had seen the girl running across the road from a distance and was cautious. He wanted to steer a little towards his right and go past the little girl from her behind but he spotted quickly another car coming from the opposite direction. The driver mulled over 2 options- either to speed past her or wait for the girl cross the road. Apart from the reason of the first option being dangerous, he was intrigued by the true grit which possessed the girl. The girl, he thought, was spellbound. The driver observed that the girl was quite poor, her clothes were
dirty and her face was smeared by something white. He was amused how the little girl wore the dust on her face like a face powder and she was not at all bothered that it made her look disheveled. The driver could easily see the innocence twinkling in her eyes a virtue which he wished he had never lost. Adolescence is that stage of the life which uses innocence as a paint to colour the world around you as if it were a dream world even for those who are not financially blessed. Unaware that he was smiling at the little kid darting across, he slowly applied the brakes. He could see that girl had her arm stretched and her hand was tied in the shape of a fist, the determination and will ostensible in the tightness of her fist. His eyes swept across the road to his left and he saw the target the girl was after. She cried out something, her eyes pleading more than her words. The target was ahead of her, so the eyes were of no help but her words reached the target making it to slow down and stop eventually.Relief flashed on the face of the girl, she paused for a moment to wipe the sweat rolling across her face and started running again. Upon reaching the target, she held out her arms and unfolded her fist to show the coins ensconced in her hand. The target bent down, shuffled inside the basket and took out an ice cream before taking the money. The girl took
a hungry swipe at the ice cream, the driver was not sure if it were the coins or her face which was gleaming.
her, realizing this she increased her pace too, every step on the hot road making it more difficult for her to run faster and the pain in the feet urging her to stop and reconsider the decision to chase down the target.The conflict between pain and
desire was quite evident on her face. A speeding car was coming from the opposite direction, the girl was quite unaware of it. It seemed nothing could stop her get what she wanted. The road was quite wide and she was trying to cross which made her
vulnerable to the traffic from both the directions. Children at her age are quite unaware of the perils of the Indian traffic.It was beyond her faintest imagination that anyone could harm her,after all altercations happen at their age only if
there is any object of contention involved and she could contemplate none this time.Concentration perhaps was one other reason which made her oblivious to the traffic. The driver had seen the girl running across the road from a distance and was cautious. He wanted to steer a little towards his right and go past the little girl from her behind but he spotted quickly another car coming from the opposite direction. The driver mulled over 2 options- either to speed past her or wait for the girl cross the road. Apart from the reason of the first option being dangerous, he was intrigued by the true grit which possessed the girl. The girl, he thought, was spellbound. The driver observed that the girl was quite poor, her clothes were
dirty and her face was smeared by something white. He was amused how the little girl wore the dust on her face like a face powder and she was not at all bothered that it made her look disheveled. The driver could easily see the innocence twinkling in her eyes a virtue which he wished he had never lost. Adolescence is that stage of the life which uses innocence as a paint to colour the world around you as if it were a dream world even for those who are not financially blessed. Unaware that he was smiling at the little kid darting across, he slowly applied the brakes. He could see that girl had her arm stretched and her hand was tied in the shape of a fist, the determination and will ostensible in the tightness of her fist. His eyes swept across the road to his left and he saw the target the girl was after. She cried out something, her eyes pleading more than her words. The target was ahead of her, so the eyes were of no help but her words reached the target making it to slow down and stop eventually.Relief flashed on the face of the girl, she paused for a moment to wipe the sweat rolling across her face and started running again. Upon reaching the target, she held out her arms and unfolded her fist to show the coins ensconced in her hand. The target bent down, shuffled inside the basket and took out an ice cream before taking the money. The girl took
a hungry swipe at the ice cream, the driver was not sure if it were the coins or her face which was gleaming.
Saturday, 22 January 2011
The story of P,J,B
"Sir, did you hear about the gas leakage incident in Bhopal?" asked B.
"What is so special about it B, gas leakage is so common in gas cylinders. I think it is being used as a murder weapon nowadays by disgruntled mother in laws" said P condescendingly.
"No sir, I am not talking about the cooking gas leakage." Frustration was quite evident in B's voice.
"What else could it be B?" P said nonchalantly, hiding his annoyance.
"Sir, last night there was a gas leakage at Union Carbide limited. The papers say that a deadly gas called methyl isocyanate leaked from the plant and has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people in Bhopal".
"I thought gas was used only for cooking purposes".
"No sir this incident,papers say, could be one of the worst industrial disaster."
"Ah, so there is a chance of India getting to number 1, doesn't matter if it is in the name of disasters". P was looking pleased with himself at concluding such a rarity.
Even B was nodding his heading approvingly.
"I am wondering how this incident happened in the first place?". B was asking himself.
"Someone would have left the valve open" P was mocking B. Even after so much education and training B lacks commonsense,P thought.
"During the night of December 2–3, 1984, water entered a tank containing 42 tons of MIC. The resulting exothermic reaction increased the temperature inside the tank to over 200 °C (392 °F) and raised the pressure. The tank vented releasing toxic
gases into the atmosphere. The gases were blown by northwesterly winds over Bhopal," explained B,reading the newspaper, knowing that P would not have understood any word coming out of his mouth.Whether this was due to P's lack of education or mere indifference to the plight of people, B was not sure about it.
"Tragedy of such a scale presents enormous opportunities to help". P said seriously.
"What is your plan sir?" asked B slyly.
"I suppose there would be a relief fund setup for the people affected by this tragic incident". P said slowly.
P continued:"You will be responsible for managing the fund, if you know what I mean".
Of course I know what you mean thought B.
"Sir, I heard that government is going to import various sophisticated devices to investigate this matter, would you be kind enough to grant this opportunity to one of my relatives," asked B pleadingly.
"I will think about it,". This was another way of saying Yes and B knew that.
"B, I heard that nowadays you are sleeping on mattress made of notes".
"Sir, there is so much cash that I cannot find any other place to stash it", said B sheepishly.
"Sir, can you please arrange a Swiss account for me, it is much easier to manage money this way".
"No B, swiss accounts are not meant for you people, moreover what are you afraid of?"
"Sir, Mr J seems to be a stickler when it comes to breaking law", said B with a worried voice.
"J won't harm you B" said P confidently.
"Why sir?"
"Don't you see, J is blind."
B and P roared with laughter.
Cast(in the order of appearance):
B - Bureaucrat
P - Politician
J- Judiciary
"What is so special about it B, gas leakage is so common in gas cylinders. I think it is being used as a murder weapon nowadays by disgruntled mother in laws" said P condescendingly.
"No sir, I am not talking about the cooking gas leakage." Frustration was quite evident in B's voice.
"What else could it be B?" P said nonchalantly, hiding his annoyance.
"Sir, last night there was a gas leakage at Union Carbide limited. The papers say that a deadly gas called methyl isocyanate leaked from the plant and has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people in Bhopal".
"I thought gas was used only for cooking purposes".
"No sir this incident,papers say, could be one of the worst industrial disaster."
"Ah, so there is a chance of India getting to number 1, doesn't matter if it is in the name of disasters". P was looking pleased with himself at concluding such a rarity.
Even B was nodding his heading approvingly.
"I am wondering how this incident happened in the first place?". B was asking himself.
"Someone would have left the valve open" P was mocking B. Even after so much education and training B lacks commonsense,P thought.
"During the night of December 2–3, 1984, water entered a tank containing 42 tons of MIC. The resulting exothermic reaction increased the temperature inside the tank to over 200 °C (392 °F) and raised the pressure. The tank vented releasing toxic
gases into the atmosphere. The gases were blown by northwesterly winds over Bhopal," explained B,reading the newspaper, knowing that P would not have understood any word coming out of his mouth.Whether this was due to P's lack of education or mere indifference to the plight of people, B was not sure about it.
"Tragedy of such a scale presents enormous opportunities to help". P said seriously.
"What is your plan sir?" asked B slyly.
"I suppose there would be a relief fund setup for the people affected by this tragic incident". P said slowly.
P continued:"You will be responsible for managing the fund, if you know what I mean".
Of course I know what you mean thought B.
"Sir, I heard that government is going to import various sophisticated devices to investigate this matter, would you be kind enough to grant this opportunity to one of my relatives," asked B pleadingly.
"I will think about it,". This was another way of saying Yes and B knew that.
"B, I heard that nowadays you are sleeping on mattress made of notes".
"Sir, there is so much cash that I cannot find any other place to stash it", said B sheepishly.
"Sir, can you please arrange a Swiss account for me, it is much easier to manage money this way".
"No B, swiss accounts are not meant for you people, moreover what are you afraid of?"
"Sir, Mr J seems to be a stickler when it comes to breaking law", said B with a worried voice.
"J won't harm you B" said P confidently.
"Why sir?"
"Don't you see, J is blind."
B and P roared with laughter.
Cast(in the order of appearance):
B - Bureaucrat
P - Politician
J- Judiciary
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