The Daily Pheesh

LPG subsidies - that stench of leaking gas

2011-08-10T11:01:00.000-07:00

It's increasingly looking likely that the government's proposal to withdraw LPG subsidies on a section of the population will be enacted soon, as this report states. According to the proposal,

Category 1- If your income is more than 50,000 a month, you will not be eligible for LPG subsidy

Category 2 - If you own a car/scooter/house/pay income tax, you will be eligible to four subsidised cylinders a year after which you' l have to pay the full rate.

The current subsidy comes upto about Rs. 247 (Delhi).

The situation is reminiscent of that instance in Midnight's Children when Ahmed Sinai says "It's like going to the bathroom.You raise your shirt and lower your trousers. Wife, this government is going to the bathroom all over us" Here too, on the one hand, subsidised LPG became costlier by Rs. 50 just a month-and-a-half ago and on the other, plans are on to cancel subsidies altogether. It's called fiscal prudence, I believe but at the end of the day, its basically going to the bathroom.

Now frankly, Category 1- those with monthly income above Rs. 50,000 is not much of a concern. What seriously concerns me are the following issues.

a) When this proposal was first reported, the idea seemed to be to provide six subsidised cylinders to consumers of category 2 (scooter/house/car owners). Now, the number has come down to four. No clue why(at least till now)

b) The methodology - The decision is based on a study by Oil Marketing Companies (IOC, HPCL and BPCL) which says that 6 cylinders would be approximately enough for a family through the year for at least 65-70% of families. Thus, the same companies who have been arguing for cutting subsidies have conducted this study - a bit like say the Congress conducting a study which concludes that Indian youth want Rahul Gandhi as P.M.

But, let's ignore this for a while. While sample size, extent of rural penetration o f study remain unknown, one wonders whether there has been enough representation of larger families? In such a hue country, where cooking patterns and consumption patters differ, isn't this perhaps a tough call to make at a national level? Would't a state-lever or zone-level study have been far better? And in any case, 35% of families is no small number! How do explain away the greater burden on them?

c) Now families which come under Category 2. Owning a scooter or a house would mean that you are way above the BPL families or just-about-APL families. It might also mean that you probably have a house loan, that you are struggling with the excessive fee tuition classes charge your children, that you might have an aged parent whose rising health bills are causing you endless headaches. It might also mean that often, you will choose to not take your vehicle out because petrol prices are soaring too. To such a family the government says - the fiscal deficit is high, so the subsidy will be withdrawn. While the monetary impact may be say Rs 500-750 a year, one cannot imagine a more insensitive move at this point of time.

d) As pointed out here, despite soaring crude prices, international oil supply is stable with global spare oil capacity high. Also, oil producing companies (as opposed to oil marketing ones) seem to be making substantial profits. And to add to fun, the latest bit of news is that in June, despite cuts in excise and customs duty on petroleum products, collections have actually increased from last year.

The argument for the government's step is that it will prevent commercial establishments from buying cylinders meant for domestic use (basically black marketeering)- a practice which is widely apparently widely prevalent and causes much loss, slightly bridge the oil marketing companies' losses and contribute to deficit reduction.

Now, out of sheer curiousity, I wonder what happens when there all these domestic gas cylinders that used to serve commercials establishments disappear and the latter are forced to buy gas at market price? What about the small-time trader whose margins have already been affected by rising vegetable prices? Now, I am sure she will be punished for the gruesome crime of 'stealing' India's precious LPG resources. But what about her education budget? her health budget? And do note, there is no indication that the revenue gained will be used for mega social welfare projects that can come as a relief during a time when malnutrition stalks India; or for a significantly higher outlay in education or health which will benefit Category 2 families in the long run or contribute towards bridging social gaps.

Ok fine, black marketeering is a menace. But is cutting supply the only way out? Isn't there no localised monitoring scheme which can be implemented, say with the help of the States? In answer to this, one realises it's not really about the black market. It's about the oil marketing company. Government pronouncements in recent times have tended to be dismissive or even defiant on the issue of 'saving' these companies from the burden of subsidies. Now, as a catakyst comes in busines journalism. Every report, every analytical piece tells you of how the government is forcing oil marketing companies to sell oil at subsidised rates as though the government is this evil bandit holding a gun to those poor companies' heads forcing them to subsidise their produce when their prime aim should be simply to make profits.

This brings us to the core question. Why do government-run organisations, which are clearly in the business of supplying Indian citizens with essentials, seem to be so massively preoccupied with the idea of profit and loss. I am not suggesting that they be shoddily managed or let loose or talking about some utopian welfare cooperative. Of course, operation costs are paramount, confidence and credit-worthiness are all key. But one wonders if recent policy is more akin to conserving the bath water while throwing the baby out. What exactly is the relevance of a smoothly-run profit-making firm when large parts of the population are being evicted from its scope?

The answer to this of course lies in the same economic theories which have seen the large-scale withdrawal of the state from public spheres. And, also the obscuring of the idea that the institutions that govern us are functions, theoretically at least, of our consent and willingness to repose faith in them. Their sole purpose lies, to use a cliched term, in the greatest good for the greatest number. Occasionally, one looks at the 'mess' around and thinks "Man, this institution deserves better. This should be excellent" - a most noble idea. But in one's hurry to build such islands of excellence, whether they be IITs or 'navarathnas' or expressways, one is again and again confronted with the issue of the the greater community that finally legitimises the institution. Mostly, those in such positions dismiss the issue, talk darkly of merit and subsidies and efficiency. In this situation, it is imperative that this message be chanted, written down, plastered on walls, made screen savers or whatever - 'excellence/efficiency and the progress of the many based on equitable distribution cannot and should not be mutually exclusive'. If we ignore this simple yet profound message, the outcome will be more explosive than all that LPG one an ever hope to save.

Macaulay's lesson no.. XMXXL??

2011-08-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

As part of the world-wide chorus on the incidents and violence in London, let me add my two shillings worth, especially with regards to what I see as its resonance (yes, I' ve thought about that word) in India.

There seem to be a general acceptance of the fact that most of the rioters, while not exactly starving, form what is being called 'the underclass' of British society. Inhabitants of areas plagued by unemployment, these men (in many cases boys and girls) seem to view looting as a psychological vent and a call for recognition too. As a rioter is quoted as saying to a media-person:

"You wouldn't be talking to me now if we didn't riot, would you?"

There is also agreement (from right-wing papers to liberal ones and leftist bloggers) on the issue of the massive inequality in British society being a major factor in these riots. A small section continues to grow wealthier while the middle class suffers and 'underclass' 'disappears' from the radar. Meanwhile, the government continues to cut expenditure in the name of austerity. Over the past one year, especially in December and March, various organised movements have struggled against such policies and the rising inequality. These incidents too, are yet another sign.

At the same time, it is crucial that we distinguish between the earlier movements which were organised and had progressive aims and this round of violence which has now become an excuse to loot and steal. Any possibility of romanticising these incidents, even if they involved youths breaking open the showrooms of major brands, must be resisted.

That said, economic and social inequality happens to be a burning issue in India too. Once again, we see a minuscule class cornering all the benefits of the India's 'growth' and huge sections of the population 'disappearing'. Struggles have already broken out in many parts of India, some with the aim of preserving our democratic structure, some with the aim of destroying it. To those who seek the former, what Britain teaches us at this moment is the dire need for building solidarity (yes, that much abused word) between classes to resist the dominance of this small group of people. To be honest, it doesn't seem like there is much time.

As an aside, this article eloquently points to how consumerism so forms part of parcel of these riots; something that is fascinating and tragic at the same time. We've seen this before, in Gujarat in 2002 especially - how amidst chaos and violence, humans still seem to have an unerring eye for the best brands. Call it the ultimate victory of marketing or what you choose but it brings me to the second point, the failure of any major political stream in India, including (unfortunately) the left, to combat the culture of consumerism. Of course, we are all guilty and of course, it's no easy task but some sort of moral politics which confronts consumerism is sorely, sorely needed.

Here' s an awesome collection of articles on the issue from the amazing zunguzungu.

Some more reading from Al-Jazeera, here and here. Here's quite a different take on the issue

Ps. Apparently, the Prime Minister of Britain, The Chancellor of Exchequer and the Mayor of London were on holiday abroad. One thing to be said for Dr. Manmohan Singh is that he doesn't take many vacations. But then again, he doesn't do much else either

Jan? Lok?

2011-04-11T06:13:00.000-07:00

Some things that disturb me about the bill Anna Hazare is fighting for:

1) The selection of the Jan Lokpal is by a committee that has only one elected member -the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. All the rest are bureaucrats or judges or retired bureaucrats and judges. So in case there is a problem with the selection of the Jan Lokpal, in case it is someone controversial, where can a voice be raised against it? Definitely not in Parliament! We call ourselves a democracy but we leave the selection of a Lokpal to the hands of a few wise men?

2) One of the members of the Jan Lokpal selection committee is a retired Army general. The army has no responsibility in fighting corruption. Then why should he be a member of the committee? India has so far been free from military intervention in civilian affairs. Now we are inviting the army to intervene in an area where they have no say whatsoever.

3) The Jan Lokpal will also comprise the anti-corruption wing of the CBI and all the staff of the Central Vigilance Commission. The assumption is that all these officers have so far failed to take action against the corrupt only because they had to answer to politicians and now that they are under the control of the Jan Lokpal, everything will become all right. Isn't this a bit simplistic? Even if all these officers are under the control of the Jan Lokpal, would they stop listening to politicians? So on the one hand we are giving the Jan Lokpal massive powers. On the other hand, we are giving it the same machinery which existed till now. Is this safe?

4) It is an established principle all over the world that the same agency should not exercise judicial and police powers. However, the Jan Lokpal can issue warrants and orders for seizing property (which is the function of the judiciary) even as it investigates the case(police powers). Thus, the Lokpal has both judicial and investigative powers. A lawyer friend friend tells me certain agencies such as Revenue Intelligence have such powers. However, it is important to remember the such agencies are under a proper chain of command. The Jan Lok Pal is completely independent of any agency and it even has contempt of court powers. Is this a good outcome?

5) The members of the Jan Lokpal can be dismissed only by a bench of Supreme Court judges. Even Supreme Court judges and the Chief Election Commissioner and the Chief Vigilance Commissioner are all responsible to Parliament. For the first time perhaps, we have an agency with wide ranging powers that is not responsible to Parliament. Some say this is a good thing since politicians are not involved but are we not giving too much of unchecked power in one organisation's hands. One of the key aspects of accountability is ensuring that no one entity has so much power. How do we call this democratic?

I am not a lawyer or a legal expert. From a common man's reading of the Bill , it seems we are creating a super-organisation with great powers and hoping it will be effective because it will be controlled by wise men. In a country where corruption is so wide-spread and efficient, isn't this attitude very dangerous? Thousands of people gathered all over the country over the past many days demanding this BIll. And this gathering is being called a great moment for democracy and a "second freedom struggle". Based on the observations above, are we actually strengthening democracy or weakening it?

Somehow it seems to be, seeking support for this Bill in the name of democracy is like holding a gun to my head and asking for protection money.

My, My!!

2010-07-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

Opinions are often merely worth a dime a dozen(yes, I also write a blog) and those who work for newspapers and write in them ought above all to be conscious of this fact while spouting their infinite wisdom for the benefit of unsuspecting readers. That it does not happen, sadly enough, is yet again proved by an opinion piece that appeared in The Telegraph today which mocks CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat's usage of the term "my party".
Part pop-psychology, part senseless nitpick and all selective citation of history, the article harps on and on about why Karat uses the word my. Now any sane person who has talked to communists from anywhere in India would know that activists from your average SFI enthusiast to hard-core workers use the phrase "my party" without presuming, one hopes, to own the party. But let's take away the personal experience element and refer to the journalist's bible..fact!
A random search on google for 'my party' reveals quite a few uses of the dreaded 'my' with reference to communist parties. There is a John Boyden from Ontario, a candidate for the communist party, who uses the word "my party". An article on socialism in the United States refers to a slogan that went "My Party, right or wrong, my Party!”.
And oops..
"..We have much better historical justification in saying whether it is right or wrong in certain individual concrete cases, it is my party.... And if the Party adopts a decision which one or other of us thinks unjust, he will say, just or unjust, it is my party, and I shall support the consequences of the decision to the end."
That was err...Leon Trotsky and that too at a time when he was losing hold over the organisation. Not Stalin I admit, but still...
But facts aside, what sickens one in the article is the unbelievable smugness that permeates the article which rests on basically..nothing!

For instance:
"Many believe that he forces his own views on the party and often transgresses the party’s injunction to lead a simple life. These are the perceptions, and without access to the secret archives of the CPI(M), I am not even suggesting that they are necessarily true.But Mr Karat’s description of the CPI(M) as “my party” only confirms, in a bizarre way, the general impression about his arrogance and the suspicion that he runs the party according to his own whims and fancies"

"Many believe"? "General impression"? "Secret archives"? And in between, the arrogant "I am not even suggesting.."
There is of course, the typical psycho-analytical babble about illusions of control and so on. I am surprised there was no reference to a Mr. Karat's possible hatred of his father.
Now I am not arguing that Prakash Karat is not an arrogant man or that he is the leader of India's greatest party. All I am wondering is how an individual who gets the opportunity to analyse an issue in a newspaper chooses to do so in such a flimsy, baseless way while trying to give the impression of sounding 'intellectual' and sarcastic(?). I realise opinion journalism(as the name would suggest) ought to give space for opinions but does that mean someone gets to air the journalistic equivalent of a cheap party trick in a nationally respected newspaper? It's something to think about, I guess, while we all(including I myself) whine about the decline of standards of the Indian media.
Funnily enough, the author jeers at Mr. Karat's learning Marxism "at the feet of Victor Kiernan"and his being trained in"the Stalinist school of falsification". Funnily enough, Professor Victor Kiernan left the Communist Party in 1959 apparently disgusted at the 1956 suppression of the riots in Hungary by Soviet Russia, which I think, would qualify in the world of the author, as a Stalinist tactic. But of course, one would have to do a basic fact-check to find that out...Sigh.

P.S. I have deliberately not referred to the identity of the author or his politics or his past record so that I could in an 'anti-postmodern' sort of way, merely focus on the article.

Socialism?? duh

2010-07-15T05:01:00.000-07:00

The Supreme Court recently 'dismissed as withdrawn' a petition by an NGO challenging the insertion of the word 'socialist' in the Preamble of the Constitution of India, terming it a mere academic matter. It seems the court used the term 'academic' in the sense of nobody relevant (read political parties) having raised it at this point of time.
Now all we can do is merely speculate the relevance of the term socialism in the Preamble. Ignore the fact that India's largest company, largest bank, largest steel producer etc etc are all state-owned; one could hope that the word would be retained to at least give students a faint glimpse of the time when our national priorities seemed a bit different. But, says the NGO which filed the petition, market reforms mean that expecting political parties to swear to uphold socialism is a mere dichotomy.
Now this implies that a certain vision that animated the use of the word socialism is bankrupt merely because of 20 years of reforms Would such an approach also imply that there should be no ban on child labour simply because we have failed to eradicate it over 63 years? Obviously not. Thus, the point the petition seeks to make is that socialism no longer occupies any place in the 'national consensus'; that we have reached a stage where socialism is no longer one of those goals which we aspire to, despite our innumerable failures to attain it.
The constitution of a country is not a mere rule book. True, it is a site of contestation. But one would hope the contestation is towards a greater aim, a nobler society. Socialism means a lot of things to a lot of people but no one can deny it seeks greater egalitarianism and a greater role for the collective in deciding the future of their labour. That such an aim, no matter the ways to achieve it, would not be part of a constitution seems a very blinkered way of perceiving the future of a county.
On a related note, there has long been a contention that India has lacked a conservative movement on par with those in the west. Two decades after the economic reforms it would seem that what we call civil society, comprising a variety of(though not all) NGOs have emerged as the torch-bearers of conservative ideology. Products of and truly indebted to the LPG wave, favouring the limited role of the state in economic and administrative affairs and against any radical overhaul of the economic and social foundation, they seem to best embody the limited-government principles of the conservative movement. This petition, while insignificant in its own right, is a small pointer to the solid emergence of this movement.

PS. The crowning irony of course, is that legal eagle Fali. S. Nariman, arguing the case for the NGO, cited Ambedkar's opposition to the introduction of socialism. Yes, ignore the rest of that man's voluminous and often beautifully curt writing about a host of issues including caste and pick up that bit about socialism!

Embedded yet committed?

2010-06-24T05:37:00.000-07:00

The dismissal of Gen Stanley McChrystal after a damning profile in the Rolling Stone magazine is not likely to be big news in India. However, the story does raise an interesting question on journalism in these contentious times when we ponder the wisdom of sending the army to fight our own people.

I am going on a limb here, but the Indian media does not seem to have come up with the kind of access-based reporting of the Indian security forces' operations that the Rolling Stone article perfects. Now, it's an open question whether we need more official versions but I would think that access-based reporting that sticks to the principles of journalism can bring out far more colours than the drab grey of officialese.

Our visualisation of the many conflicts taking place in our country, whether Kashmir or Chattisgarh are crippled by our inability to see them as fights involving people-even if they happen to be in uniform. Reporting of this sort, if it can stay off the tempting jingoistic ride, can perhaps influence public opinion about these silent wars in a subtle yet effective way.

Of course knowing all the practical and professional difficulties associated with such an endeavour, it's too much to ask;still...

What the Jew does today...

2009-08-24T06:52:00.000-07:00

More than a year ago..
Today..

The Super-Villain Club

2009-08-20T06:43:00.000-07:00

Things have come to a grinding halt on this tiny space in the blog-world ever since me returned willy-nilly to student life and shifted base to Chennai. I am beset, these days, with small, lame, insubstantial assignments that should be a walk in the park but take hours and hours. The victims of this atrocity are reading, blogging and other enjoyable pursuits that characterized those tough days as a dedicated corporate employee in Hyderabad.

Now that it's clear that I actually like this place, let me post a forward I recently received(I know-posting a forward is cheap blogging but still..). It's not unique but it seemed a very holistic take on the innumerable 'villains' that plague India.

"
The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter.The Grasshopper thinks the Ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering Grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the Ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.

NDTV, AAJTAK, BBC show up to provide pictures of the shivering Grasshopper next to a video of the Ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food..........

The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor Grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the Ant's house.Medha Patkar goes on a fast along with other Grasshoppers demanding that Grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter Mayawati states this as `injustice' done on Minorities........

Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticize the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the Grasshopper..........

The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the Grasshopper (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance)........

Opposition MPs stage a walkout. Left parties call for 'Bengal Bandh' in West Bengal and Kerala demanding a Judicial Enquiry..........CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among Ants and Grasshoppers..........

Lalu Prasad allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian Railway Trains, aptly named as the 'Grasshopper Rath'............

Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the ' Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act' [POTAGA], with effect from the beginning of the winter............. ***

Arjun Singh makes 'Special Reservation ' for Grasshoppers in Educational Institutions & in Government Services.The Ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes,it's home is confiscated by the Government and handed over to the Grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV**.

Arundhati Roy calls it ' A Triumph of Justice'.Lalu calls it 'Socialistic Justice '.CPM calls it the ' Revolutionary Resurgence of the Downtrodden '.Koffi Annan invites the Grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly. Many years later.... *

The Ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi-billion dollar company in Silicon Valley.100s of Grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in India.
......AND
As a result of loosing lot of hard working Ants and feeding the grasshoppers, .
.
.
.
India is still a developing country…!!!
"
I know this is a forward and deserves only so much respect, but the ingenuity here is amazing. NDTV celebrates reservation? I thought this was reality in their studios. And how brilliant is the move which brings Medha Patkar, Arundhati Roy, Mayawati, the CPI(M), Amnesty International, The Indian Government and POTA to support the same cause!!!

Enough said. Stop going over it again and again!
"As a result of losing a lot of hard working Ants...."
No..!!!

SPIN the verdicts

2009-07-03T02:05:00.000-07:00

The Daily Pheesh
Friday July 1 2011

History was forged today as India's major religions buried centuries of acrimony to unite to form a single entity. The newly formed spiritual conglomeration, aptly titled SPIN(an acronym for Spiritual Power India) is the culmination of months of effort on the part of the heads of religious orders in India and has already been accepted as the governing entity by Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Sikh spiritual leaders. The governing body of SPIN shall, in accordance with the glorious heritage of post-Independence India, comprise 3 members from each of India's major religious communities. Swamy Vishweshwarananda, the head of the VHP, and proposed Supreme Leader of SPIN pointed out that the composition of the governing council was a resounding slap to thoe who believed that the VHP scorned other religions. "They are all Hindus anyway", he said.

It is believed that congregations of religious figures of all religions will gather in the near future to formally approve and sanctify SPIN. The Vatican, in a brief statement, greeted the formation of SPIN and termed it yet another step in the progress of the gospel of love and harmony.

SPIN sources categorically denied a rumour that the formation of SPIN is in any way, a response to the landmark Supreme Court Judgement legalizing civil unions between homosexual couples.DP

Image credits 1

Speaker is a crybaby?

2009-06-06T03:46:00.000-07:00

The last couple of days have been extremely newsworthy, what with Obama's speech and Prathibha Patil's speech and the threat of terrorist action and all. But some gems stand out even among the hullabaloo, rather are amplified in effect etcetc.

"Asked whether she gets angry and resorts to crying, she said: “No, I do not cry. But, like all other people, I do get angry sometimes.”
(source)

That was the media's classy query to Meira Kumar following her appointment to the post of Speaker. Somehow, I cannot visualize them asking the same question to Somnath Chatterjee or anyone of a similar persuasion in gender.

10 hours of continuous TV watching and my winner is....

2009-05-19T01:40:00.000-07:00

NDTV24X7

After hours of back-breaking research into comparative election coverage(fine, it was just the first two hours!), I conclude that NDTV 24X7 came out a marginal winner in the contest for the least annoying TV channel covering the election roller-coaster. NDTV's graphics were updated at a faster rate, were more clearer and the analysis was actually a bit more sober than that of its nearest rival CNN-IBN. The latter, which was affected by a keen desire to prove itself in its first general election, ended up being a bit too shrill and the analysis sometimes distracted the viewer from the updates that were coming in. Times Now was unfortunately a poor third as it lagged behind in speed and analysis.

Of course, all was not rosy with NDTV as well. One got to see Barkha Dutt's face contorting in every way possible pretty often as the camera was slow in moving away from her face while she was communicating with her team plus there were quite a few technical glitches. But these were only the superficial(and mildly entertaining) issues that the media exhibited. The real ones perhaps lie much deeper.

It is pretty obvious that while many of the exit polls predicted the direction of the results, they often went completely wrong in the specifics(which is why they failed to get the numbers). This could partly be the result of some genuine nervousness after the debacle in 2004(NDTV psephologist Dorab Sopariwala looked like he would have a heart attack till the results began coming out). Another reason could be the fact that national channels have abandoned the concept of reporting from the ground and often depend on correspondents who are stationed at state capitals and have access to political leaders alone. Thus the failure to see trends in UP and West Bengal, which considering their magnitude, should have been quite a bit obvious.

It is easy to understand why news channels are slowly abandoning the kind of reporting necessary to predict swings like these. Varun's Gandhi's antics are any day more entertaining and 'news-worthy' than shifts in the voting patters in eastern UP and it saves so much man-power when you can attribute the decimation of the CPI(M) to 'rural discontent' without exactly defining what it is. It is important that channels and media watchers keep these issues in mind and frequently remind themselves that getting the trends right is no achievement in itself when significant developments are completely missed out during the course of analysis.

Other mundane points.
1) Everyone seems ready to applaud and bid a warm farewell to L.K.Advani. This is utter crap. However much he 'tried' to modify his stance, India cannot forgive the man who led the march to demolish the Babri Masjid.
2) Karan Thapar is an awesome interviewer. He is also a bad anchor. The drama involved in his exclaiming mundane phrases like 'vote percentage' is seriously off-putting.
3) Barkha Dutt and Vikram Chandra are a very bad pair. They frequently kept tripping up each other. Me thinks there is some serious power struggles on at NDTV.
4) Times Now needs some decent support staff for Arnab Goswami. Poor fellow seems sagging from all that pressure.
5) Why was Lord Meghnad Desai a part of the CNN-IBN coverage? Why not Mandira Bedi the next time then?
6) Amidst Rajdeep Sardesai's brazen attempts to promote CNN-IBN, Prannoy Roy is more balanced any day.

The election season is as good as any to give out a spree of Katrina Awards and there are many who have qualified for the said honor, from the Amma of the South to Comrade Karat. But then, I look back and realize that since the award committee itself was living in quite a deluded world(I was quite sure of a hung parliament), it is perhaps time to forgive and forget in the best traditions of this election season. Chilllll!! :)

PS. A modified version of this post was first published at desicritics
PS2. I just found out that I was not the only person to have the bright idea of comparing the performance of news channels. The media watchdog website, The Hoot has a significantly more comprehensive piece on the coverage. But then, the Hoot is a media watchdog website. This is just the dailypheesh ;)

Dunces of democracy.

2009-05-13T22:47:00.000-07:00

The last lap of the prelude to the 'Dance of Democracy'(the real moves begin on the 16th) ended yesterday and courtesy this last phase, the voting percentages might just about match those of 2004. So that's it then! We live in a happy and fulfilling democracy! Hurrah and three cheers.

Once our hangover subsides, we may also choose to remember that it's been exactly 2 years since Dr. Binayak Sen was imprisoned by the sate of Chattisgarh on the flimsiest of grounds. Over the past two years, the case has crumbled bit by steady bit. And yet, the government or for that matter the judiciary have not only refused to withdraw the case but have even denied a sick man the right to medical treatment of his choice. Nobel laureates and British MPs(a bit rich considering Binyam Mohamed) have appealed for his release. There has been a decent amount of publicity and a lot of protest over the issue(including the now-inescapable facebook group). Despite all this, Dr.Sen is still in jail.

I am not one who would argue that publicity and news outrage should influence the way the government or the judiciary proceeds. However, considering the notoriety the case has earned, doesn't it seem sort of obvious that the government or the judges hearing the case would move in a slightly different manner, like say, with a bit more speed? If the establishment(the only word i can think of now) can allow a sore like this to persist so openly, don't all those words we have been repeating about accountability and the power of the press and other such things ring so hollow? And if this is the case with such a well-known figure, the fate of common-er citizens is well...

I like to believe I am not that naive about the way things happen in India. But I also believe that often, in the midst of the fairly comfortable existence many of us lead, we tend to believe and swallow the lessons we have been taught. We tend to believe it's a free country, a beacon of democracy amidst failed states and that with a lot of effort, anybody can make it good. These beliefs are not articles of faith for us. No one can be that dumb! But sometimes, grudgingly, with a lot of qualifications, we tend to sit back, look at ourselves and think..'You know what? This place isn't that bad after all'.

Perhaps, being 'political' implies taking off the goop that gathers around your eye while you are asleep!

A better way of phrasing it is the way Devina Mehta said it. Devina Mehta, who along with her husband was persecuted only because they were the financiers of Tehelka which had just, then conducted 'Operation West End'. Devina Mehta, who said:

"Now you realize that anybody out there is only there because nobody wants you inside. Any time somebody wants you inside [jail], you can be inside."

A couple of days ago, Iran, as repressive a state as any, released US-Iraninan journalist Roxanna Saberi after she was convicted in a spying case. It could have been due to US pressure or a 100 other reasons. The fact is if Iran can do it, is it really that hard for the Supreme Court of India?? Or do we need a letter from Barack Obama for this as well?

Ps Do read the story of Shankar and Devina Mehta from the excerpts of Madhu Trehan's book 'PRISM ME A LIE TELL ME A TRUTH: TEHELKA AS METAPHOR'. It's one of the most tragic instances of the point I have been trying to make.

Ps 2. Also check out binayaksen.net, a website which is faithfully chronicling the case of Dr. Sen besides emerging as a rallying point for protests and public initiatives in his support.

Ps 3. The previous post I wrote on this issue(in the interests of context)

One week more.

2009-05-08T01:47:00.000-07:00

It's only a week to the declaration of results and to be honest, I feel underwhelmed. On one hand, there is the relentless and suffocating, yet immensely absorbing coverage and on the other, there are the tons of sanctimoniousness thrown around by every 'concerned' celebrity. So it's no wonder that an avid spectator of the political scene like me is into hair-tearing mode by now.

My first brush with election coverage came in 1996 when I began watching the declaration of results because I was terrified after watching the movie Kalapani. Those were the days when Doordarshan ruled the roost and viewers had to do with the sober and controlled narration of news(imagine Arnab Goswami in Doordarshan). While I would never even dream of, or want a return to those times, I sure would love a reduction in the volume of coverage. Random shows with politicians spouting random answers to random questions is not my definition of quality news although most of what we get to see today is just that.
Sample.
Arnab Goswami talks to Sachin Pilot and Rajiv Pratap Rudy on 'which party has gen next'!
Sachin Pilot talks about why the turnout in the fourth phase of the election is not so bad.
Rajiv Rudy goes on an extended rant about the Congress.
WTF!

Instances like these will not, of course, stop me from gazing into the screen with the ardor of a mystic or from bitching, ranting and (hopefully) blogging about news programs but someday, some rare, far, remote day..don't we deserve better stuff?
But then, don't we deserve better politicians as well? :P

On May day again....

2009-05-01T00:26:00.000-07:00

In solidarity with...

...the innumerable men and women who have lost their jobs or are in danger of losing them. In the belief that better times will come.

That said, it really is time there emerged some kind of forum for expressing the concerns of the employees in the software industry. Most managements and many employees consider union to be an unmentionable, vile word which reminds them of strikes and dharnas and sit-ins and so the idea of an organized union is perhaps a mere pipe dream. However, with employees being fired with hardly any notice and in the absence of any forum to help these ex-employees, it is becoming quite obvious that the union-free model of these corporates needs to be modified.

Of course, the question is-- obvious to whom???
(sort of)Happy May Day.

PS.Some info on the origins of May Day. Of course, one of the more interesting pieces I have read in this regard is Eric Hobsbawm's essay(which is referred to in the link) on the early May Day celebrations which appears in his book 'Uncommon People:Resistance, Rebellion and Jazz'. Check it out!
Image credits

Beware all ye shoe throwers..

2009-04-27T00:36:00.000-07:00

The Daily Pheesh
Saturday April 23 2011

The passing out parade of the first batch of the National Shoe Guard was conducted yesterday with much fanfare at the NSG Academy in Kohlapur. Addressing the cadets, the Home Minister reminded them of the urgent need for the services of trained commandos and called upon them to strive to uphold the proud traditions of the security services in India. The first batch of the Shoe Guard will be immediately deployed in the security cover of public figures who require Z+ category protection. These elite commandos have been trained to identify restive figures in a crowd who might be potential show-throwers and have been given the authority to detain them. They have also been issued with high caliber slingshots and 15mm fiber stones to deflect shoes and other projectiles directed at public figures.

It is also rumored that in the event of a politician or public figure forgiving a shoe-thrower, the Shoe Guard Commandos are allowed to 'rough up' the offender in a 'restrained' manner for preventive purposes. Repeat offenders will be prosecuted by a special court and an amendment to the NSA to this effect is being debated in Parliament.

Politicians from across the spectrum hailed the inauguration of the NSG. The Prime Minister, in a statement, reminded the nation of the dark days of 2009 and 2010 when "...every notable public figure had to endure the humiliation of random individuals flinging footwear at him." He urged his fellow citizens to return to those days when shoes occupied their right place at the feet of people and all was good and happy in India.-DP

Image credits 1
and 2

One year down the line......

2009-04-23T00:19:00.000-07:00

74 posts.
a most erratic rate of posting.
an obsessive-compulsive desire to read stuff online and an abhorrence towards responding to it.
Wordpress envy!
How, Mr. Sullivan? How?

It's pertinent, at this juncture, to recollect my first post. Some things never change.

Ps. Thanks. :)

"So let it be written, so let it be done."

2009-04-04T05:18:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or do

Dmitri Medvedev

and Hu Jintao

look like contrite, earnest disciples of The Man who speaks?
These Americans are really desperate!

Image credits 1 & 2

I is Back!

2009-04-02T00:18:00.000-07:00

Phew. That was a long bout of bloggers' bloc. I have been silent even as a new disorder called karimullahphobia was discovered, fears were expressed over a government supported by "two fat women", a Modi besides the BJP butcher got more political coverage and a grandson took to mimicking the antics of his grandfather as though facial and nomenclature-al resemblances were not enough.Sigh. This Is the 'dance of democracy' and my rhythm is all awry!

Anyhow, better late than never, as the saying goes, and so I inaugurate my own chronicle of this election season which will be momentous for many reasons, not the least because I will be casting my vote for the first time. Yes, it took 6.5 years and the Mumbai blasts and Tata Tea to get me to fulfill my duty to Mother India, repay my debts etc etc. After all, it's for my children :P

First of all, Sidin Vadakut, hitherto known to me as a immensely amusing and eminently readable blogger, dispenses some useful gyan on some of the better sources of online information on the elections.

Then, there is the famous interview by Barkha Dutt of Sanjay Dutt and Amar Singh. It's an awesome piece and not just because Amar Singh and Sanjay Dutt are such natural partners(Amar Singh is stupidly eloquent and Sanjay Dutt is eloquently stupid). Those 41 minutes, with all the contradictions, the interruptions and vacillations, provide a fascinating view into some of the engines that run Indian politics. Amar Singh(who definitely was providing the cues for 'Munnabhai') managed to cast aspersions on the Congress, the Communists, Vir Sanghvi, the CBI, the Supreme Court and yet refused to go all out as he had to keep in mind the possibility of "doing business" with them. The only permanent enemy seemed to be Mayawati(with whom the SP has done business before). Most if the innumerable political parties that dominate India's political spectrum are of similar persuasion, negotiating an unending set of political and social permutations. Rank opportunism and greed play a huge part no doubt, yet these phenomena also say something of the inherent flexibility of representative democracy in India and the constant search and failure of organizations to forge the optimum social coalitions. This is why I suppose we 'adore' middlemen and fixers like Amar Singh and the late Pramod Mahajan.

Another interesting fact that struck me was how the Congress is benefiting from a perception shared by many regarding its 'weak' leadership. Manmohan Singh has been pilloried as the weakest PM ever with L.K Advani challenging him to a debate and making much of the lack of response. Sonia Gandhi, on the other hand has built up a reputation of being impossible to get through to. What is fascinating is that Sonia Gandhi's inaccessibility and Manmohan Singh's general good nature/weakness, while providing the impression of a vacuum, also permit ex-allies and potential allies to criticize and ridicule the Congress while exonerating Manmohan and Sonia from most of the blame. Notice how Amar Singh and Dutt make it a point to express the deepest regard for Sonia and Manmohan. The same strategy was recently employed with great distinction by the ever-ingenious Lalu Yadav.

So the regional parties and the Congress get to go all out against each other even as they try to reach adjustments. In the event of their failing to achieve the latter, they fight each other and post-elections, the whole paltan gets back together without any loss of face. Post-poll alliances, as Yogendra Yadav pointed out today, are what will most probably decide the fate of the next government and most of the protagonists of the drama have made sure all doors are open. Just like Amar Singh.

Of course, the downside to all of this is that(to quote Yadav) "sub-optimal alliances are always a sub-optimal option for the people.". Or to summarize, we are most likely screwed, but then, we are most likely screwed anyway!
Cheerful way to begin election analysis no?

PS. The interview is to be specifically noted for Amar Singh's reference to Sanjay Dutt's wife Manyata being "domesticated"(somewhere around the 23rd minute) and for Sanjay's own idea of the role of his wife(the 30th minute). But then, what is a little chauvinism among politicians?

The curious case of Ajit D-2

2009-02-27T05:45:00.000-08:00

Some interesting reading on the case
Lawrence Liang(who has been declared "India's foremost authority on freedom of speech on the Internet", in kafila.org, here and here.(sigh what a bad grammars!)

Dhananjay Nene asks some questions that occurred to me as well when i heard of the issue.
And here is another legal take on it.

And because in times of crisis and protest, we still must not lose our sense of humor, check this site out. You can freely borrow if you wish to heap scorn on the Shiv Sena, Barkha Dutt(who has become the default target for all freedom of speech arguments) or god forbid, the Supreme Court.

ps. NDTV has reported the issue and what a report!! I wonder if they selected their 'best' reporter for that!

The curious case of Ajit D.

2009-02-25T09:33:00.000-08:00

Sigh! It's been a long time and finally I have something to write about. After all, it's an issue of survival(hope that sounds apocalyptic enough).

The case of Ajit.D has lit up an Olympic Torch-ful of protest as angry bloggers and some elements in the press are howling(or in the case of The Hindu, soberly reporting) in protest and for good reason too. The Supreme Court following its tradition of oscillating between admirable progressiveness and downright stuck-in-the-mudism has delivered a verdict which is amusing and alarming at the same time. Here's a quasi-legal take on it.

There are a couple of things which confuse me though. First of all, is there no difference between a social networking site and a blog in 'legalese'? If there is and even if there isn't, why has the media and presumably the court(based on the reports I have seen) reported it as an issue facing blogs? I agree that these media are related and often overlap but are not the agreements that form the basis of use of these two media different? For that matter, how is it that orkut itself has not been added as a party to this case? There are innumerable issues here which touch not only concepts of freedom but also the working of websites, especially social networking sites.

Of course this does not imply that the main struggle, which is one against sheer stupidity and shoddy(oops i said the 's' word) judicial processes be ignored but let's hope this does not merely subside into yet another instance of the 'Outrage Industrial Complex' having a field day.

ps. Has NDTV24x7 reported the issue yet? Their website does not seem to have a story on the issue! I can imagine Barkha Dutt smirking
ps.2 Katrina Kaif, I believe, is a gracious woman..else I might be in a pickle

Charity begins at..

2009-01-27T04:41:00.000-08:00

The Daily Pheesh
Thursday February 1 2018

The Sree Parasuram Seva Sena(SPSS) is a charitable educational and moral concern which seeks to harness the values of our ancient civilization towards the greater good of our society. Though only 10 years old, the Sena is the inheritor of a tradition that stretches back to the glorious Indus Valley Civilization and seeks to ensure that this unbroken chain runs on for ever and ever. The Sena's primary initiatives are in the field of education and public service and it coordinates with a host of civil society organizations that share its values and principles. The Sena's educational institutions have been praised as models of the education of the future as they combine high academic standards with an ethical touch.

"Sree Parasuram Seva Sena schools and colleges have impressed me deeply with their commitment to the moral uplift of society. I urge all concerned parents to embrace the Sena schools for the sake of the nation and its culture"

Sri Vidhvesharahitananda
M.Litt, D.PHil
Educational expert

The Parasuram Seva Sena is proud to introduce two new courses for its able and dedicated students. They are:

1)B.Mp(Bachelor of Moral Policing)- Duration 1 year
This course seeks to instill the precepts of social activism in students and encourage them to realize the historical and cultural background of intervention in social affairs. The students will be instructed by a distinguished array of experienced faculty and will receive specific instruction from elite guest professors. A great deal of emphasis will be laid on field work. Male and female students will be permitted to attend this course. There will be no fees and students will be required to sign a bond pledging to serve the organization for one year
Eligibility-The applicant must be Hindu and healthy.

2)M.Mp(Master of Moral Policing)-Duration 6 months
This course will impart the philosophical background of social and moral activism to the students and prepare them to take up the mantle of leadership of social organizations in these troubled times. The students shall be granted access to senior functionaries and leaders of friendly social organizations and can learn from them in the best traditions of the guru-shishya tradition. This course is reserved for male students though exceptionally talented female students will be considered. This course will also be free of cost and students will be drafted to the higher levels of the SPSS.
Eligibility-The applicant must have a B.Mp degree and must be healthy and male(except for select cases.see above)

All donations made to the Sree Parasuram Seva Sena will be refunded by the Government of India.

Image credits

The Mask of Saffron Death

2009-01-19T03:00:00.000-08:00

2009
As Gaza burns(again) and a bout of Obamania breaks out(again), an interesting drama has been playing itself out in the corridors of India's own "party with a difference". While the origins of the conflict can be traced to the Gujarat elections or even to some grave comments made many years ago, the past couple of days have added some spice to the protracted trench warfare between the honchos of the BJP.

To summarize, ex-Vice -President Bhairon Singh Shekawat(probably inspired by Al Gore) publicly speculated on the possibility of his contesting the Lok Sabha elections. Now this would be bad enough were it not for the fact that the Hon.exvp made things worse by not very unsubtly pointing out his geriatric credentials and by snubbing the party president. Of course the party, quick to the defense of its crown prince and heir apparent(that's L.K Advani btw), shot Shekawat down only to land right into the midst of another controversy as prominent Indian industrialists(in a sign of times to come) recommended Narendra Modi for the post of the PM. The CEO of Gujarat broke his silence and finally endorsed Advani for the PM in characteristic style(he called it a conspiracy) and the dust has settled, or so it would seem.

The BJP has always claimed to be a "Party with a difference", a very dubious claim since it has its own version of the "foreign hand" that "guides" it. This control however has neither been complete nor harmonious and so the BJP has had to spend considerable time in confronting the issue of factionalism. It has been specifically difficult as the BJP has never really learned the two prominent ways whereby parties encounter factionalism.

1Neuter all middle level associates and concentrate power in "The Hand".(See Gandhi Indira)
2) Expel your opponents/Leave the party/Rejoin(See "The 101 Janata Dals").

The reason neither of these approaches ever worked for the BJP is that they contradicted with the party's image of being this sleek monolith. Of course it was never so and once the party tasted power(and infinite possibilities of patronage), the seams began unraveling at the speed with which one said Deen Dayal Upadhyaya. So in the best traditions of the second option mentioned
above, the BJP had its Uma Bharati,Madan Lal Khurana and most recently Kalyan Singhs. The first option never really took off as no single leader(including A.B Vajpeyee) was ever allowed to reach a position where he or she could effect a culture of complete cronyism. The question is: will things remain the same?

The BJP seems better placed than the Congress from the perspective of the next elections. But it is an indisputable fact that it's leadership is far from inspirational. Atal Behari Vajrayee is almost catatonic. Advani has become the national bore and very few among the younger generation of leaders has a significant base. It is at such a moment, when senior swayamsevaks go about proclaiming their seniority, that the allure of Modi seduces. He has been an "effective" administrator in every sense of the term making special efforts to reach out to the corporate world. It is possible that he senses such efforts are his best way to gain a degree of acceptability in the country.

Now there are a lot of issues at stake here,the two bad words of corporate responsibility among others. The most important one is of course the rise and rise of the Butcher of Baroda. There are been many who argue that Modi should be given another chance and cite his impressive record as a "development politician" over the past couple of years. Such arguments only remind me of an earlier set of arguments flung about in the mid-90's in the midst of Congress fatigue and Deve Gowda about how the BJP should be given a chance at power since it would at least be an improvement over the reigning horse merchants. The utter lameness of those arguments was proved time and again over the following years. It's an instance which must not be forgotten

The rise of Modi and a BJP which over the next couple of years might turn to him as their next saviour is a very chilling possibility. There have been innumerable reports of Modi's intolerance of dissent. One can visualise a BJP 2.0 somewhere in 2020, a triumphant Modi in charge enacting the option 1 to eliminate factionalism in the organization. It will be an endless march of Modi-masks who shall aspire for ghettoized development. A most disturbing thought.

Talk about the Mask of Saffron Death!

Ps.This article by Swapan Dasgupta in The Pioneer is splendid evidence in support of the above argument especially since he mocks arguments of this sort.

Burn bastard burn.!

2008-12-13T10:32:00.000-08:00

Acid attacks in Warnagal as well! And no it's not the naxalites but a 'lover'(I am sure he's a Sallu fan) who sprayed acid on a girl he supposedly loved. The girl,K.Swapnika has been badly hurt and is believed to be in danger of losing her eyesight.

It seems this is not the first instance of our hero indulging in these antics. He had actually been in prison for 5 days for burning Swapnika's father's two-wheeler. This of course raises a lot of questions from the guttural "What the f#$k does that chap think he is?" to "what kind of system let this guy on the loose considering his potential for such acts?". There have been accusations of the police moving slowly on the case although it's gratifying to note that they are charging hero with murder and nothing less.

I hope and expect there will be better analyses of incidents like this one and attempts at institutionalizing ways to prevent them. That said, the response of the 'public'(sigh!) has yet again been a bit disconcerting. For instance we have S Rani of the SFI declaring "Srinivas should be killed in an encounter to send a strong message to other culprits". We also have Warangal District Bar Association declaring its refusal to argue on the behalf of the defendant. I understand the fury and helplessness such an incident provokes in people. I comprehend the pettiness that spawned such inhuman cruelty and how one is compelled to respond to such cruelty and pettiness with what seems like a powerful enough gesture. However it's moments like these call on us to declare our belief in the system and strive, even if with clenched fists and gritted teeth to uphold it and strengthen it. 'Encountering' a guy like that doesn't help! It feels good but it really doesn't help.

Ps Of course it's a different story altogether if the lawyers decided to abstain from defending hero because they know the prosecution cannot convict him properly!
Ps.2 I could not find the articles which carry the responses of Ms. Rani and the lawyers that I have quoted. They are from The Times of India dated12-11-08
Ps.3 I will be away for a week(in Calcutta). So apologies in advance for delays in responses

Eyes wide shut?

2008-12-11T21:30:00.000-08:00

Sonal Shah, a member of President Obama's transition team, has 'renounced' her links to the VHP and it's affiliate in the USA, the VHP-A. Those who have been following this controversy that began immediately after she was appointed to the transition team and picked up steam after Vijay Parshad's powerful article in Counterpunch will be all the more confused with this seemingly contrite statement. Ms Shah has the gall to say :

"Had I been able to foresee the role of the VHP in India in these heinous events, or anticipate that the VHP of America could possibly stand by silently in the face of its Indian counterpart's complicity in the events of Gujarat in 2002 -- thereby undermining the American group's cultural and humanitarian efforts with which I was involved -- I would not have associated with the VHP of America."

meh! duh??

I am still confused as to what/who she is talking to here. Here we have somebody who has worked with the Clinton administration and Goldman Sachs telling is that she did not do even a most simple background check while associating with an organization! So we have the Disney princess-like well-intentioned Sonal Shah lending her name to the VHP-A because they were being charitable? A bit of a stretch isn't it? I mean you cannot really ascend the corporate ladder and actually work with the government if you are so wide-eyed innocent can you?

But of course that's not all to it. Ms Shah conveniently brushes aside the fact that her family ties to the VHP-A precede the work she did with the organization. The association with the VHP-A was a very natural thing for her to do. The key point is that she chose to, conscious or unconscious of the "rich" legacy of the VHP in contributing to India's communal fabric. So she's either a closet fundamentalist or a incompetent moron of the highest order(somehow that seems unlikely).

It's possible of course that Ms. Shah, in the best traditions of American insensitivity, just did not bother. However that's not an excuse. Those who are in the public sphere carry bigger burdens. That's a universal reality. Sonal Shah got caught. She better leave if she wants to save her already battered reputation in the USA.

Ps. Of course the joke in this is that things started heating up for Shah when former Republican senator Rick Santorum wrote an op-ed in the Philadelphia Enquirer criticizing her appointment. What was merely a 'lefty' fad suddenly became a 'bi-partisan' critique. Ms Shah's statement and her email to her 'supporters'(" I need to moblize [sic] people against the leftists and the right wing.") are merely desperate attempts to save her job. For some reason I keep getting reminded of Bill Clinton.

And while enough is enough....

2008-12-05T04:25:00.000-08:00

The Daily Pheesh
saturday 14 may 2016

The 9/11 verification commission, in a special release yesterday, refused to grant the title of Sierra Leonne's 9/11 and Poland' 9/11 to the terrorist attacks that occurred in the first and second weeks of last month. It however officially certified that the attack on the 16th of last month in Baku can henceforth be referred to as Azerbaijan's 9/11. Mr. Wilkinson Blade, chair of the verification commision, while releasing the report in a news conference said that standards for granting the 9/11 title to terror attacks would have to be ramped up as "violent incidents which assault prominent national institutions are increasing both in number and in scope across the globe."
Mr Blade said that suggestions had been invited from governments all over the world on a new charter for 9/11 verification adding that the commission shall consider some of the after effects of the attack during the certification process. "I suppose unnecessary wars or say loss of faith in and abusive rhetoric against politicians could constitute some of the new criteria" said Mr. Blade. Interestingly, a member of the commission, on the condition of anonymity, expressed disgust with the recent proceedings of the commission and bemoaned the "importunate haste in claiming the 9/11 title as though that's the be all and end all of terror".
It is worth recalling that the 9/11 verification commission was set up following the international uproar over the decision of the State of New York to copyright the term 9/11 in January 2009. The members of the commission are appointed by the state of New York in consultation with the United Nations.

Image credits

Gems (almost always overheard)

2008-11-23T03:43:00.000-08:00

(over)Heard on the train to Delhi from a woman reading an article on barack Obama:

"bahut honest admi lagta hain..bilkul fraud nahin..apna abdul kalam jaisa"
/floor

Incredible India!

2008-11-14T05:43:00.000-08:00

I am usually a hesitant recruit to the ranks of the "Oh India is a such a miserable country"-"Things never change here" brigade. Partly because I do not believe in the selective use of information for the airing of what are often hollow/self-righteous arguments. However there are some occasions when information completely overwhelms you and sends you into a sea of despair. A classic example is reading the newspaper(today's TOI for instance) and getting buried in an avalanche of bad news.

The first article is on the death of 5 children in Ranchi because of the "adulteration"(technically poisioning) of the milk they got as a part of the mid-day meal scheme. The report is very matter-of-fact yet tugs you somewhere when you read it, especially the part on the warden thinking it was a prank. But it also points fingers at a larger reality. The Mid-Day meal scheme is one of the government initiatives that has been a roaring success. However it also reveals that the state is incapable of ensuring that children have the ability to come to school irrespective of such offers. It is an admission of a double failure-in the departments of food and education(connected as they are). When a scheme to remedy these failures is botched up and that too with a "phenyl-like substance", it really shakes one's faith in the belief that the state is capable of at least minimal steps for the welfare of the population.

On similar lines, is this article. The Indian government, rather the Mnistry of Health and Family Welfare(Anbumani Ramadoss again!!!), has concluded that an Indian can qualify to be below the poverty line only if he/she earns less than Rs 455.11/388.56(urban areas/rural areas) a month(some quailification eh?). That would imply an average of Rs 14.96/12.77 a day. It's not clear if this statistic is applicable to an individual or a family. What is clear is that our standards remain abysmal. It points to the hollowness of our entire paradigm of growth, stands as a mute witness as our Finance Misister releases statements twice a day to reassure stock markets and stares us right in the face when we argue in panels and school halls that after 61 years, India has finally arrived. 15 rupees a day!!! The poverty line for any country serves many practical purposes(eg distribution of welfare) but like the mid-day meal scheme, it exposes another reality. The poverty line is India's definition of what we consider poor and not-so-poor. It tells us that we can consider someone earning 16 rupees a day to be above the poverty line and it tells us that there are enough poor people in India to actually justify such a demarcation.

And people write books like "Superstar India:From Incredible to Unstoppable"

As I hinted at before, this is not an attempt at vague moralizing or a summons to righteous indignation. It is only a perspective, one that is rapidly vanishing in our world of superstars and incredibles!

The Katrina Awards

2008-11-11T03:55:00.000-08:00

The citation

We are proud to present the Katrina Award to:
There is something very ironic yet fascinating in the fall of a 'chosen One'. That's because 1) the fall of a chosen One is a direct blow to the authority who made the choice and 2)there is often this inconspicuous and bumbling individual who ends up being the chosen One and it's really amusing seeing him/her strutting on a stage he/she does not belong to. That's the long and short of Uddhav Thackeray. Never a keen politico at any point of time, Uddhav has been thrust right into the centre of a controversy which has exposed his incapabilities as never before. There is, on one hand, the vast and tall legacy of the Thackeray Sr. There is, on the other hand, Raj Thackeray(handsomely aided and abetted by the Congress and the NC) who is stealing all the available thunder. One feels sorry as Uddhav is increasingly shut out from all public exposure, his statements(when he makes them ie) hardly provoking any response. Contrast this with Raj who has Maharashtra in flames and the rest of India fuming. On second thoughts, it's a relief. One Thackeray at a time is more than enough for India.

Image Credits

"New era" and all...

2008-11-05T00:42:00.000-08:00

Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States of America. The last 21 months have seen a fascinating campaign, which has even attracted skeptics like me. It has been really interesting seeing a vibrant democracy at work, its structures and institutions churning out the best, the worst and the lot in between. On a personal note, it has been a most illuminating exercise to witness the contradictions within me while trying to reconcile the hypnotic allure of 24x7 media coverage and my passion for electoral politics with my skepticism of the self-righteous hyperbole that seems to characterize a lot of American politics. The coming days will see a bevy of voices and analyses elevate the incidents of the recent past to an iconic status. Hence I shall desist from following such a course and content myself with links to certain perspectives that interpret the Obama phenomenon in their own ways. The diversity of these perspectives is an indication of the challenge the Obama administration faces and perhaps hints at the reasons why it is bound to fail!

Andrew Sullivan in a magnum-opus piece in December 2007 passionately arguing the historical necessity of an Obama candidacy.
Katrina Vanden Heuvel in "The Nation" on the 4th Of November lays down the battle lines.
And last but not the least.....
My own analysis of the situation in April 2007. It's not one of my better written pieces and some of the points are contentious but I still stick with most of what I wrote then.

It will be most instructive re-visiting these opinions 4 years from now.

Ps. Totally useless fact---Obama is the second President after Martin Van Buren whose name, when typed in a Google application(gmail, blogger etc), is shown to possess an incorrect spelling.
Image Credits

A press release

2008-10-16T00:11:00.000-07:00

The Daily Pheesh
saturday 2 October 2151

This is the text of the statement released by the Viva Human Purity(VHP) on the recent incidents in Sector 9* in Area 15091947.

The Viva Human Purity strongly condemns the murder of one of our activists at the hands of members from the Cosmic Human (CH) group. We would like to remind the dear humans of our planet that ever since the first of these dirty worshipers of the "double perpendicular" arrived on our planet in the last decade of the 21st century, there has been no peace for us humans. It must be remembered that we, along with our sister organizations all over the world, had managed to do away with 99% of all impure races by the middle of the last century employing tried and tested methods. Our acts have been driven by the very virtuous motivation of ensuring the triumph of the one-and-only-pure human race on this planet. However the CH, coming from the distant and foreign worlds seek to convert our our humans to their religion which emphasizes the worship of some unknown Cosmic being. All of us also know that these infidels promise our human brothers free trips to space to convert them to CH-ism. We have also seen how these calculating fiends managed to take away the life of our dear brother who was trying to conduct harmless experiments to enhance the purity of our human race. Friends, Brothers, we must wake up to attempts to defile our uniqueness.We must fight back! Down with this comic cosmic-isms we say. The CHs will burn in the fire of our pure anger and will be destroyed by the force of our sheer virtue.

We also request all our brothers to join in the vaporization journey of our beloved deceased brother. We would like to use this occasion to remember his work and perpetrate it further as a mark of respect to him. We urge all participants to maintain restraint. Let the world outside not know the full extent of our technical skill till we are completely ready.-DP

*Orissa is the 9th biggest state in India
Image credits

Terror Terror everywhere....

2008-10-03T03:13:00.000-07:00

The Nanavati-Mehta Commission's report on the Godhra incident was released on the 25 of September. The report disputes the U.C Banerjee Committee's version of the incidents on the 27th of February 2002 and declares the incident to be the culmination of a "conspiracy", the intention of which was to "create terror and destabilize the administration." The report also exonerates Narendra Modi and his cohorts of any any wrong doing during the riots that followed and makes the even more fantastic claim that the Godhra incident and the riots that followed were not necessarily connected.

While the second and third conclusions have, with ample justification, provoked great outrage from most of the sane-minded populace, I would like to focus on the first point. Rather the sub-point of the first point. The part about "create terror" and all that.

(Let us for a second ignore the larger and most important issue of whether it was the Muslims of Godhra who set fire to the train and assume for merely "argumentative" purposes that the act was committed by them.)

Rarely in the recent past has terrorism and its manifold possibilities evoked such a powerful response in India. Even so, the Commission's charge that the Muslims of Godhra actually intended to create terror and destabilize the government is almost inconceivably stupid. The very thought that the extremist government of a state that is 89% Hindu(and very aggressively so) would be in any sense destabilized by a conspiracy by Muslims to burn Hindus(kar sevaks that too) alive in their own locality is to say the least, preposterous.

Come now, you would say, isn't it obvious that terror is nothing but violence inflicted mindlessly to instill fear and undermine the confidence of the people in their legitimately elected governments. By that standard, Godhra was definitely an attack of terror.

The above mentioned definition of terror is one that is gaining increasing acceptance. It is to be expected, for we live in a society where the impression of being under siege is cultivated with great ardor. As a society and a country we find it difficult to understand such bursts of violence. Therefor we attribute it to conspiracies and term the violence 'mindless'. The underlying assumption here is that conspiring and inflicting mindless violence are not traits that belong to our society, that we are victims. So we distance these traits and their perpetrators from our midst. As time passes and things grow more chaotic, the list of groups that fall under the umbrella of terror will increase. The communists, social democrats, trade unionists and all.

In the troubled times ahead, the biggest question will not be whether we will root out terror but what we will turn into in the process of rooting out terror. Will we keep in mind the fact that terrorism is not a disease but a weapon? Will we try to reason that the violence inflicted is never a mindless act but a strategy in a war being fought by sections of our own society against other sections? Will we restrain ourselves from linking every conflict, every issue with the "war against terror" ?

These questions linger on silent and unobtrusive, yet they will perhaps be the ones which determine the nature of the society we shall inhabit. After all how do you think Big Brother came to power?

In Memory of...

2008-10-01T22:30:00.000-07:00

Today is October 2. Let us all rise and observe two minutes of silence in honor of....

Smoking in Public Spaces.
The Ramadoss has finally struck.
But there is the dirty 'I'* word still left as is obvious from this(click on the article "Govt in a spot on smoking ban")
But this is just the first step. "Kyonki battle abhi bhi baki hain."

PS.1 This post was written in a spirit of dispassionate, selfless concern for public welfare. I do not smoke.
PS.2 I can smell someone smoking right now on the floor beneath ours. Viva La resistance!
PS.3 * 'I' is for implementation.

Of quandaries and conundrums!

2008-09-19T23:35:00.000-07:00

This post has been brewing for quite some time(which implies that it's a bit behind its times) but as issues go, this is one of the "immortals", so...

The issue of course, is Kashmir. Now I know that half the world has written on Kashmir and the other half has responded in the past couple of weeks. Amidst this cacophony of (often unbearably sanctimonious) noises, the issues involved, the players concerned and the human tragedy of it as usual, gets merged with the innumerable sound-bytes, the live reports, the dramatization and the studio debates- a truly post-modern condition. An Indian(interested albeit) living in the South of the country, has few options besides trawling through tons of information and making suppositions in the hope of gaining insights most others would not mind missing.

Of the many voices(and noises), two articles fascinated me the most. Both are by writers I avidly follow and sometimes disagree with. The interesting thing about Arundhati Roy' article/essay in "The Outlook" and Praveen Swami' s piece in "The Hindu" was the way in which these two views encapsulated the dilemma of those who follow this country's story yet keep all eyes open for the many crimes that are perpetuated in the name of nation, progress and duty.

It is true that neither of these writers can be compared. Arundhati Roy is a "professional dissenter", an individual who has made a career out of asking questions of the state(often in most eloquent/dramatic terms) and going for the jugular of the state whenever she has perceived it going against a specific moral standard. Praveen Swami is the quintessential establishment journalist, a prolific writer on issues of terrorism and Kashmir and often quoting what Ms Roy contemptuously refers to as "the inevitable "Intelligence" sources". Swami, on most occasions is an "unbiased" journalist-he critiques the state, Hindu/Muslim/Sikh fundamentalists, opportunist political figures, in short everybody. Roy, on the other hand, is at her best when she attacks the very foundation of the state, the very beliefs that a lot of the middle class cherish-in fact a reader often feels that the attack sometimes becomes a theatrical device with a will of its own.

The last paragraph was necessary as an explanation to the very obvious difference that shouts itself out when someone reads the articles. Arundhati Roy sees the protests over the Amarnath Shrine Board as reflective of the overwhelming anti-India sentiment among the populace of Kashmir. As she puts it "The separatist leaders who do appear and speak at rallies are not leaders so much as followers". Swami on the other hand, writing a lead-page article, analyses the whole issue through the angle of two of the prominent separatist leaders of the movement, Syed Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. Roy advocates the separation of Kashmir from India(for the sake of both entities). Swami writes in the tradition of the classical analyst, seeking damage control, solutions short-term and long-term but never for a moment even considering the idea of any radical change to India's territorial integrity.

It is unfair(especially to Swamy who has analyzed many other aspects of the struggle) to compare these two articles. Yet these two, in some senses, embody the split that often characterizes the thinking of an "open-minded" individual. A cursory reading of Roy is enough to feel the intensity of the struggle, her arguments on the stupidity and malice of the "Deep State" are to say the least, spot-on. Yet it is obvious (even to her?) that the Indian state cannot let go of Kashmir. Doing so will endanger the very concept of the country. The fragile glue that holds it together will vanish, leaving acrimony,vengeance and despair in its wake. India will cover Kashmir with a blanket or grip its throat and render it mute but will never let go of Kashmir. To do so will take the lid off similar cans of worms and spark off a million mutinies. We are all complicit in this act of silencing. We who enjoy the facilities of the Indian state, we who choose to disagree with it in the forums provided by it, Ms Roy who accuses the state, I who accuse her of being complicit in it....

This is not an attempt at constructing a Foucalt-ian nightmare. Nor is it a cry in the wild about "who will change the system". What I am wondering about is where to place the appeal to the "moral" that Roy excels in, in the context of our own explicit/implicit involvement and approval of the mechanisms of the Indian state. Or perhaps the question is whether dissent of Arundhati Roy's kind is of any value except as a theatrical prop. Swamy represents a line of argument which enables one to avoid these issues. According to this, Kashmir becomes a multi-player chess board. All players make mistakes, others take advantage of them, our job is to examine our mistakes, redress them and ensure victory. This argument begins and ends with the proposal that Kashmir is ours and we must keep it although we must also treat the Kashmiris as we would want them to treat us.

Swamy's argument seems like the best of two worlds. India gets to keep Kashmir and also keep it on "civilized" terms. It is convenient and enables one to take on the moral aura of being an honest critic. It is classic journalism. Roy' stand is, if I may say, convenient as well. Things have not reached a state where advocating the separation of India and Kashmir will get a writer thrown into a state dungeon. Her stand is that of the ultimate radical. It is pointless to pose, in that context, whether what one suggests is realistic or not. Or even whether radicalism of this sort is, at the end of the day, a way to just wear a bigger moral aura by criticizing the ones who wear them.

The problem is when one realizes that the present and the future are a combination of what the both of these divergent views suggest. The problem is when one sees that what is "morally" obvious is politically impossible and what is politically advisable is "morally" disreputable. It's not a new quandary. In fact it's as old as politics itself. Just that every once in a while it hits you hard leaving you bleeding and worse completely in the dark.

My profound apologies if these sounded like existential moans! That was not the intention.

P.S. A pretty powerful article by a critic(note the Indian-occupied Kashmir at the bottom) also beginning from an analysis by the media and going on to making some effective points(and some disputable ones).

P.S 2- I am generally bad with typos but this post had an unbelievable number of them. Most of them have been sorted out(I hope).

On Failure and its benefits

2008-09-11T00:37:00.000-07:00

J.K Rowling delivers the commencement address at Harvard. Nothing spectacular, nothing dazzlingly new...yet kind of powerful in its own way.

After all it does take some courage to go to Harvard and talk of failure, especially when much of what you write is still derided as children's stuff. Some sections of the audience weren't pleased. One wonders why!

(HT. PHD Comics)

The Indian Century.

2008-08-20T07:26:00.000-07:00

The Daily Pheesh
saturday 20 August 2050
In a shocking development, Sardar Bhumiputra Singh, the President of the Republic of India announced his resignation from all political posts today. In a moving and eloquent speech broadcast on SBS TV, the much respected SBS said “I am bored with running this country and its people. These people don’t deserve me.” This caps a Presidential career of 25 years for the majestic SBS who emerged from total anonymity to power after the communal riots and military coup of 2025. The resignation is especially significant in the context of the 2 houses of Parliament and the assemblies of India’s 32 states passing resolutions urging the noble SBS to continue as President till the end of his life.

Sources have reported that huge crowds have gathered in front of the statues of the picturesque SBS all over the country. An atmosphere of mourning prevails among these crowds with occasional slogans of “SBS Nahin to Kuch Nahin” , “Our path, SBS path” etc rending the air. There have also been rumours of suicides and attempts at self-immolation across the country. Further reports are awaited.

The first pan-Indian President (the ethnicity, religious background and even the name of the humanitarian SBS, Sardar Bhumiputra Singh being a pseudonym, are not known yet), the visionary SBS presided over the golden age of post-independent India as the erstwhile poor nation derided for its “Hindu rate of Growth” achieved new highs. The leadership of the visionary SBS saw the tricolor flying over Islamabad, Dhaka and Colombo, China adopting Hindi as its national language, India winning all the gold medals on offer at the 2032 Olympics in Patna and the landmark Bhopal Treaty on Greenhouse gases (which gave India a clean, unconditional and exceptional waiver from using only renewable energy sources). The multi-talented SBS also won the Nobel Prize for literature for his best-selling classic “LIFE”, the Nobel Prize in Economics for the immortal “SBS Theory of Poverty” and the Nobel Prizes in Physics and Medicine for his “SBS meter” which is the ultimate measure of the possibility of life on a planet in space. The reign of the remarkable SBS also saw Bhumiputra becoming the most popular name for young boys and girls as an entire generation of children was named after the inspirational SBS .

The Indian Government and the Shimla-based United Nations have declared a month’s mourning and have asked all flags(including plastic flags) to be flown at half mast. The legislatures of the 32 states of India conducted emergency sessions and issued identical appeals to the post-partisan SBS to take up residence in their respective states. However it is more likely that the stellar SBS will, as recorded in his will, travel to the space colony on Titan and take over the rule of the International Space Colony Agency. The issue of succession is already irrelevant since the Indian Parliament had, in an extraordinary Bill, declared the feisty SBS the last President and political authority of India.
We salute the gallant SBS who to quote a MP’s poetic description “many long years ago made a tryst with destiny and redeemed that pledge, not wholly or in full measure but substantially”

DP special—On this momentous yet sad occasion, we dedicate a whole month’s issues of the The Daily Pheesh to a detailed biography of the life and times of the historic SBS. We hope this will enable our dear readers to gain a greater perspective on the achievements of the magnificent SBS. --DP

PS-1. A special word of gratitude to the good people of India and Pakistan for providing me some peripheral inspiration.
PS-2 As should be gathered from above, the main source of inspiration is something else. I am 3 pages into Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “The Autumn of the Patriarch” and it seems immensely promising.
Image credits

A Transformational Humanities?

2008-08-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

This article has been in the works for weeks now and so is likely to be a bit of a zig-zag post.Readers Beware! More of meandering and sauntering through links and posts than my usual "sterling/piercing" social commentary ;)

        I start from this post by asmokescreen on English in India in the context of the recent decision by the Government of Andhra Pradesh to make the CBSE syllabus(and English medium) compulsory for 6,500 schools across the state. A bit of digging around gave me these three articles which did not tell me anything about the logistics but did point out the one of the culprits was a World Bank(aha!) aided project called Scheme for Universalisation of Access to and improvement of Quality Education at Secondary Stage (SUCCESS) also known as the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan.

        The press release which accompanied the launch of the program(RMSA) last year clearly stated its objectives as well. A huge increase in funding, emphasis on infrastructure and the very specific aim of enhancing the quality of scientific/technical education in the country. This initiative seems to have been tailor-made to address complaints of lack of investment in education. However the operationalization of this proposal has, as usual, provoked a hornet's nest of what seems to be very valid issues about both implementation and principle. Of course the SUCCESS/RMSA also raises issues about what the government has in mind when it comes to the humanities or the social sciences. I suppose they don't mind at all.

        This issue takes me back to last year when the government of Kerala proposed a radical overhaul of the secondary and higher secondary education systems. Languages were to become optional, vocational courses were to be introduced, schools were to come under the jurisdiction of local self-governing bodies and so on. Unsurprisingly enough, considering the radical nature of the proposals and the utter cluelessness of the of the government regarding possible break-downs in the system, the proposal seems to have been shelved. There were a lot of teachers I knew, who saw a huge threat to their existence and many others who firmly believed in the necessity of the "humanities" subjects for the promotion of a greater cause and for the exercise of a more civilized influence on coming generations of students.

        Now we go this article by Steve Fuller, a professor of Sociology, who takes off from the growing emphasis on science and the decline of the humanities before presenting his own take on the essence of the humanities. While there is a considerable danger when one starts speaking of the humanities as one homogenous unit with homogenous values, I guess there is some relevance to his argument about the the humanities being about getting the "upright ape" to read ,write and think. I also agree that the impact of the humanities is more difficult to assess and is more long term.

        Many of the issues raised in this post have existed since time immemorial and "solutions" are almost impossible. However while moral outrage is spewed out on these issues, it is worth remembering that those who let out all this angst and those cherish and venerate the humanities are often directly responsible for the devaluation of the humanities. There is no doubt today that reading,writing and thinking are essentially "taught" in a very literal sense. These three attributes(in the way they are taught) do not possess, in any sense of the term, the value that is ascribed to them by Prof. Fuller and the innumerable champions of the "humanities as civilization" argument. Thus those who want to fight for the humanities must seek newer paradigms for justifying it or newer paradigms for showcasing it. The New Humanities Initiative seems an interesting way of going about it. But I personally am a bit sceptical of education itself as an suitable medium for social transformation (I know that bucking centuries of educational theory). It is inevitable that the educational systems of the day reflect established notions of society and unless one believes in the effectiveness of certain people and certain times, an overall transformational effect is well-neigh impossible. This has pretty much always been the case. That we have been told otherwise and that we have believed is as much a commentary on our search for engines for transformation.

Here is an article in the Hindu bemoaning the death of the Humanities in Andhra Pradesh.

PS 1. This is not a claim that education is unnecessary or that pursuing academics is a waste. I do not contest that education can have any transformational value. There are always certain people and certain times which make considerable differences. This post is primarily directed at the notion that education as a whole always has or always should have a trasnformational value.

The Katrina Awards

2008-08-08T21:38:00.000-07:00

The citation

We are proud to present the award to:

Uma Bharati was the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, one of the largest states in India. However her true glory days were in the early 1990s as she(along with certain others) rode the crest of a huge wave on the way to power at the centre(they also demolished the Babri Masjid and instigated a huge wave of riots on the way). She had emerged, at that time, as an iconic representative of "female hindutva" and that too at a very young age. However it's the tragedy of youth that unless he/she dies young, a youth icon often fades into oblivion, or worse, infamy. Uma Bharati spent the rest of her life in an increasingly impossible attempt to stay relevant and match up to the role she had carved out for herself during the Babri Masjid movement. There were some bright spots, her chief ministership and the flag raising controversy being some but on the whole, it was a losing battle. She finally gave up in 2004 and was thrown out of the party. Ever since, life has just grown harder. So can you blame her if she did this?

However, the once-fiery sadhvin found out the hard way that you can't beat common sense!

Saddam Karadzic

2008-07-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

What is with mass-murdering, genocidal, human-rights violating etcetc dictators in hiding and osho-like beards?

Image credits-1, 2 and 3

How to not win friends and not influence people by Public Speaking or Why Rahul Gandhi should hire a ventriquolist!

2008-07-23T03:39:00.000-07:00

         I try to not to be too offensive to specific individuals in my musings in this blog(fine! The Katrina Awards are an exception) but every once in a while there is the occasion that really gets on my nerves and necessitates a "focussed" personal assault :). I refer, of course, to aRahul Gandhi's speech in parliament yesterday. It was a most mortifying experience and to someone who has a had a brief career in public speaker, a speech full of badly missed opportunities and calculations.

        I suppose it is nothing surprising to find a bad speaker in Parliament. However the context is important. Here was a vote most important to India's future, where parties fielded their most experienced speakers to express their views. Mr.Gandhi got a chance solely because he is the son the Congress President(and the son of the former PM and the grandson ...). He was one of the youngest speakers, especially from a major party. Considering the so many hymns sung to the youth of India, there was a brilliant opportunity to speak for this huge demographic of the Indian population. It is not that he lacks education or a skill in language either. His CV lists some of the most prominent educational institutions.

        To begin with, it was a most uninspiring speech, delivered in the most deadpan tone possible. The interval between words was monotonously long. Mr.Gandhi was obviously disconcerted by the interruptions which were not even directed at him and he kept re-starting his sentences every time he was interrupted. His location was most unsuitable for some one whose speech would be so closely examined and worse of all, he looked most baffled. There were occasional flashes of irritation and amusement but most of the time he looked heavily under pressure and so maintained a very grim face.

        Each one of the mentioned points is in itself not a problem but together they badly tilt the scales against any speaker. What finally cooked Rahul Gandhi's goose was his subject and the way he chose to approach it. His limitations would have been bearable if he had chosen a technical approach to the debate. He however chose to personalize it. He declared he was speaking as an Indian and not as a politician. He tried to bring in the pain of other Indians to the debate. He specifically brought in Sasikala and Kalavati, two women whom he had visited. He then tried to appear bi-partisan, continuing his earlier narrative of speaking as an Indian, by praising A.B.Vajpayee. He tried to paint the picture of the new Indian century urging the MPs to think how India could change the world rather than vice versa.

         When a speaker personalizes an issue, he/she takes a considerable risk. The risk is that the gravity of the issue becomes inseparable from the speaker's credibility. The speaker must be credible enough and sound credible enough to convince the audience of the highs and lows of the experience he/she describes. It is not necessary that the audience buy the speaker's message in full, it is enough that the speaker opens up the audience. This requires experience and skill honed by long years of practice. Else the speaker sounds like a bored teacher reading out a story. The tone descends to condescension both for the subjects of the story and the audience. That is exactly what happened yesterday.

        Again, a good speaker's greatest ally is not his/her talent but the context. Even the most insipid speaker can be carried by the wave of the situation. On the other hand even the most well-intentioned speaker will turn out to be a damp squib if he/she mistakes the mood of audience and the context of the speech. Rahul Gandhi's speech would have worked well if he were addressing, say, corporate employees who would have marveled at the initiative displayed by him. But there he was, talking Kalavatis and Sasikalas to people who had spent a lifetime among them, who had worked their way up by working(at least in name) among people like them. No wonder there were snide comments while he was speaking! A confidence vote is a battle-field, platonic appeals won't even be audible. The context requires a specific amount of combativeness, you are defending your own government after all, not delivering a "Distinguished Lecture". Bi-partisanship is not (as Barack Obama would seem to suggest) a magic potion to solve all ills. A skilled politician/manager realizes that and utilizes the odd sectarian message at required intervals to perk up his own people, to enthuse them and to prepare them for the battle ahead.

        The Congress and the UPA did not require much from Rahul Gandhi. A simple but effective speech, delivered in a firm,precise and decisive manner. The emphasis on power was a great idea and it should have been presented as a macro-message, a statement on the behalf of the youth for instance or any other over-arching statements conveying determination and great pride in his government, even his disappointment or confusion on the way things were happening. This speech would have inspired his fellow MPs and even enabled him to claim moral high ground by not attacking anybody. But disappointingly all the Government got from the MP from Amethi was a bland narration of personal anecdotes! What a waste and what a Shame!!

votes notes-4

2008-07-23T01:29:00.000-07:00

The last and not least post of this series.

7:19 The PM rises and so does Md. Salim. He seems to be running for "Most visible MP of session" Award

7:20 The PM cannot be heard at all. Hardly any surprise as there is a very powerful female voice, among others heaping abuse on him

7:21 The PM files his reply. What a shame! The Speaker calls for voting and calls it for the "ayes"(the government). Demands for a division.

7:25 NDTV is running a list of viewer responses to the cash-for-votes scandal. Sample quote-"Today is the darkest day in Indian democracy"-;)

7:26 Another vote. The Speaker calls it for the ayes again. There will still be a division

7:30 The division is on
Ayes-253
Noes-232
Abst-2
Total is 487??? What happened to the others? Mass boycotts?

7:31 Looks like all the MPs who couldn't cast their votes will be filling in slips. This is going to take ages! The UPA is celebrating already though things actually still seems close.

7:48 A lot more of uncertainty. More outrage on the networks..."Can't our MPs press a switch".."In a country so well-known for its achievements, can't we have a proper system in Parliament" are common sentiments.

7:54 Rajdeep Sardesai at CNN-IBN calls the situation a tragedy and a farce and asks everyone's favourite question "Why don't they change the system"...Too many "Singh is King" jokes...

8:23 (by which time even this blogger lost patience)- The Speaker calls it for the Government-275 for and 256 against with 10 abstentions. Seems like some majpr cross-voting has happened.

votes notes-3

2008-07-22T23:55:00.000-07:00

The events from 6:30 pm onwards:
6:30-Power is back...A lot seems to have transpired.The Lok Sabha seems to have been adjourned and a new money for votes scandal has come up-damn!

6:32 Some "small-small parties" have been called to speak. A. Owaisi the MP from Hyderabad from the MIM is speaking. He can hardly be heard though. It seems like some MPs were offered money to abstain. Too much noise. It won't be surprising if even the PM will not be able to speak.

6:40 Mehbooba Mufti freely concedes she hardly knows anything about the deal. Lalu was very accurate when he said that. She concludes as shouts of "Pradhan Mantri Sharam karo" fill the air.

6:43 Maneka Gandhi and Ram Vilas Paswan have declined to speak and Omar Abdullah is in full flow " I am an Indian and a Muslim!" His speech seems to be getting a great reception and he does deserve it too. It is unfortunate that his party has only two MPs. He deserved some more time. He ends with a rousing declaration that the Amarnath yatra will continue as long as Muslims are there in Kashmir.

6:44 M.P. Virendra Kumar M.P, M.P from Calicut is raising technical issues aganist the deal. A bit late in the day one thinks.

6:48 Sansuma Bwismwthiari from Assam can hardly be heard. He brings in the issue of reforms for Bodoland.

6:51 Speaker urges members to listen to MPs from the North-East. It's pretty sad really. Two MPs from Kashmir speak and 2 from the whole of the North-East! Mani Charengemi from Manipur claims that the PM has assured him the revision of the territorial boundaries of the North-Eastern States will be looked into.

6:58 Yerran Naidu has been called and is abusing the government at an amazing volume. Manmohan Singh looks physically hurt. This must be a scene from his worst nightmare-"illegal, immoral, unethical"..sigh!

7:06 Yerran Naidu has been cut down in full flow and Ranjeeta Ranjan from LJSP begins. She seems as vociferous and is a Punjabi for sure. There are frequent shots of Govinda who looks as though he has not recovered from last night's hangover. Aoww..Ms Rajnan goes a bit overboard as she compares Rahul Gandhi's tours across India to that of Mohandas the Gandhi.
7:07 She is now attacking the Akalis. A Punjabi woman MP from Bihar lecturing the hidebound Akalis on Sikh principles. Great fun!

7:14 Hemlal Murmu from the JMM seems to be an amateur yet compulsive shayar while trying to pretend that his party was always an intimate friend of the UPA. What tosh!

7:19 The PM has risen.

votes notes-2

2008-07-22T23:52:00.000-07:00

This is the post-lunch session and was analysed (:) with some more care

2:05-15 The session has begun and Brijesh Pathak claims that BSP MPs have been instructed to vote for the government if they are to save Mayawati from the CBI. A lot of MPs expressing outrage on this issue. Is this, as Beni Prasas Verma from the SP is suggesting a prelude to the opposition losing. Anyway this exchange is better than Rahul Gandhi .!

2:20 The Left also demands a house committee to enquire into the charges as does the NDA. The Speaker has an amazing sense of humour no doubt and seems to be especially good at snubbing MPs from the Left.

2:25 Rahul Gandhi has been called again Horror Horror!!

2:26 This guy is really bad..we can expect an entire self-sustaining round of jokes from his speech. He is trying to praise Vajpayee’s role in the process. What is this- a lame attempt to be Obama-like bipartisan?

2:30 Rahul Gandhi is trying to redefine the debate by bringing in the aspect of a great Indian century with nuclear energy as the key. Problem is-He is not convincing. But still the UPA applauds especially Sonia Gandhi who applauds longer and more fiercely than others.

2:35 He is concluding, having established nothing. Feel sorry for the guy. It seems he believes in what he says. But that is all he has for him.

2:36 Rahul’s Kennedy moment- worry not how the world will impact us but worry how we will impact the world.

2:40 He is done..Hardly any reception. I guess even I over-estimated him

2:40 Ananth Kumar of the BJP begins. He apparently has only 5 minutes.

2:43 He brings in Bofors as a comparison to the deal….interesting!

2:45 He too brings in the moratorium on future testing. Why on earth is the BJP so insistent on future testing. Pokharan II was bad enough. He is out of time and has hardly started..good riddance though. This was a classic bad speech which just consisted of repetition of speech points with no new perspective or even proper examination of already mentioned perspectives.

2:50 Accuses PM of not upholding sovereignty of India and promptly gets chastised by the Speaker. He quotes Chidamabaram who was quoting Keynes to prove that inflation is bad. Why make all that effort!

2:55 Lalu is on. Translating Laalu is impossible. Simply speaking he is hilarious. He is clinically scathing comparing the Left to Kalidas cutting the branch he was sitting on.

2:57 “Chaar Saal Pehle Tumse Hamko Pyaar Tha..Aaj Bhi Hain, Kal Bhi Rahega”…amazing. Specifically brilliant is his ability to mock all players in one single sentence!

3:00 Anand Geete rabble-rousing again. No clue why!

3:08 Cites the refusal of the NDA to condemn the Iraq war. Damn!! I lose elcectricty at home it will come back only at 5 or 6.

Lalu is a great orator. I do not identify one bit with the politics he espouses and I too have often joined in the community Lalu –bashing but I realize for the first time that the guy is a classy speaker. His voice modulation is splendid and he has the very useful ability to muster arguments which fit together perfectly like pieces in a puzzle. Even better he is great at instant repartee and has the gift of delivering a most hilarious comment with a straight face. Rahul Gandhi…are you watching???

votes notes-1

2008-07-22T22:31:00.000-07:00

A freak sporting accident (fine I will be honest –I twisted an ankle on my second day of jogging) resulted in my actually being able to watch the “historic” confidence vote in Parliament. So I shall try to address on my own mourns yesterday attempt some live (well..almost) blogging. Most of the observations were noted/scribbled while watching the debate although the matter for the post itself was recorded during the Lunch break. The post-lunch session is in the next post.

P.Chidambaram speaking... He seems very subdued relying mainly on facts while defending the performance of the government, especially in the field of agriculture. His take on the nuclear deal is from a classic legal perspective trying to bring out the finer points of various aspects of 123, the Hyde Act and Vienna Convention on treaties
He seems to be targeting the NDA so far rather than the Left.

Ooops he uttered the C-word and the Left is up in arms! This strategy always seems to work, mention China and all comrades go red in the face. A lot of mallu MPs including N.N.Krishnadasfrom my district) rising and shouting. The prize however goes to P.Salim who is in full flow. I am pretty curious about Mr.Salim since I haven’t heard much of him. He was the first speaker for the CPI(M) to yesterday. Mr. Chidambaram ends with a exploration of the contradictions between the Left and the NDA

Speaker Somnath Chatterjee seems to be on a roll. After all those issues with his party, he seems to have acquired a greater aura and is on the way to becoming a new media icon.. His conduct of the house seems almost similar to that of a school teacher. How else would you explain-“Silence in the House!!”

Vijay Kumar Malhotra of the BJP seems to have taken up the role of the chief attack dog of the BJP since L.K.Advani has become Prime-Minister-in Waiting and by default elder-statesman. He is bringing in all the dirty linen. Nuclear energy won’t be very useful, it is mainly a corporate ploy, even criminals are being brought into parliament….wow even the speaker got angry on that one…the opposition is getting more agitated……and the house is adjourned. sigh!

Somnath Chatterjee delivers an impassioned request for order and a clear expression of disgust….and then goes on to say “…Power is not everything”!!??

Mr.Malhotra continues. He seems to be on course to taking up all his party’s time. He quotes Mani Shankar Aiyyar declaring in “The Devil’s Advocate” that the UPA needs a course correction. Aiyyar rises to clarify. Why would anything said in that show be considered as a valid statement in the first place..it's like a stress interview anyway. Why isn’t MS Aiyyar one of the speakers? He would really have risen to the occasion.

Sonia Gandhi seems to have a blinking disorder. She blinks furiously every time the camera is focused on her.

Aha! Amarnath has been introduced..and soon is followed by its conjoint twin for the BJP-the Haj subsidies. Renuka Chowdury and an NDA MP are engaging in shout-match where the latter’s sole response seems to be “Hindu hain to zameen lotao”.
Malhotra levels accusations of softness on terrorism, a demand for the return of POTA .Boy! I really hope there are no elections. Malhotra has exceeded his time limit but goes on.
He concludes by calling the Government Dusshasan! ;)

Rahul Gandhi has been called….
This guy is going to get a full post. He is phenomenally bad. The response he is getting seems to be mainly snide remarks.
A huge uproar suddenly..no clue as to what is happening. At least Rahul is not saying anything offensive. A lot of BSP MPs waving documents and the session has been adjourned for lunch with Rahul Gandhi’s speech still incomplete.

Of confidences and nons

2008-07-20T23:07:00.000-07:00

The confidence motion is being tabled by the government. As a corporate employee, it hurts me that I am in no way able to witness this historic occasion. What is sad about this situation is that there are no blogs/sites which can provide frequent updates like the ones which do the same for cricket scores. Speaks volumes about our national priorities. It would be so nice if we had sites which posted details of the stirring debate:

1:03 pm. Rahul Gandhi calls opposition a bunch of uncomprehending nincompoops.
1:03 pm. The UPA benches rise up and applaud the statement
1:04 pm. Rahul Gandhi says the government exists only to serve the nation.
1:04 pm. The UPA benches rise up and applaud the statement
1:05 pm Rahul Gandhi pauses because he has nothing else to say.
1:06 pm ....
You get the drift.

The US primary season saw loads of bloggers covering every single utterance, gesture and non-gesture during the debates between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Considering the importance of this moment in Indian history, it truly is sad that there is no such thing of this sort.

PS.The NDTV website has an article on the responses of Indians settled in America to the crisis. A typical extract:
".. politicians of any party should stay away from national security interests. They can politicise internal issues,''

PS2. People who appreciate the sentiment expressed in this post would surely remember the 1996-98 period as the high-point of No-confidence motion debates. The 13- day government debate and the Gowda and Gujaral debates saw a bevy of distinguished and non-distinguished speakers in a series of slug-fests which were truly exciting. Sigh.. those days!

PS3. Actually I just noticed that both NDTV and CNN-IBN(possibly other media organizations as well) have constant updates on the debate on their websites. However they exist mostly in the realm of reporting with none of the analysis or reflection that blog-reporting would bring to the debate.So...

The Ambani Theory of Conflict Accentuation

2008-07-17T02:27:00.000-07:00

Thomas Friedman has always been such an incurable optimist. I mean which sane person, on observing the world scenario could come up with theories such as this!

Allow me to propose a very valid derivative(at least as valid as the original)-"The Ambani Theory of Conflict Accentuation"

It goes like this:
"Any country whose industry is populated by two sibling corporate moguls will invariably witness rampant corporate influence on government and will descend into political chaos and ultimately civil war!"

Poof!!!

2008-07-12T06:02:00.000-07:00

The Daily Pheesh
Saturday 11 July 2030
The Union Health Minister Ms Chintamani Anbumani Ramadoss (d/o ex-Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss s/o PMK leader late Dr. P.K Ramadoss) has revealed the latest set of proposals designed to "remove the scourge of tobacco from India". The minister revealed this plan in an exclusive interview with the Daily Pheesh yesterday. These steps are part of a larger anti-tobacco drive that has been championed by the Government ever since the Minister's father occupied the position of the Health Minister in the first decade of the century. Some of the proposals include:

1) All male citizens whose annual income is less than Rs 1,80,000 per annum have been prohibited from marrying. According to the Minister "..this will prevent these people from spreading their genetic material among the populace of India".

2) All male citizens whose annual income is between Rs 1,80,000 and Rs 6,00,000 per annum(henceforth referred to as "subject") have been given permission to marry on the fulfillment of the following conditions.
a) The woman who is to marry the subject has to sign a No Objection Certificate(NOC) which shall state that she is responsible for all ill-effects that shall affect the subject,herself and whatever offspring that are emergent from the marriage.
b) The subject shall pay a "Special Tobacco Tax" of Rs.60,000 per annum and shall carry around a sign with a "skull and crossbones" on his neck.

3) All male citizens whose annual income is higher than 6,00,00 per annum are exempted from any restrictions on smoking. This exemption also extends to all employees of ITC which is one of the largest and most successful corporations in India.

The Minister, during the course of the interview, spoke out against "special interests and business corporates" who were preventing the proper implementation of the anti-tobacco drive. However she went on the defensive when asked about the ITC exemption and her only response was "Health is very important but business must also go on". When the Pheesh asked the minister about the growing number of women smokers in India, the Minister sported a very pained look and declared in a stern voice "Indian women do not smoke". ---DP

Exaggeration? Paranoia? Over-reaction?? Check this out!!

Sport.

2008-07-06T23:23:00.000-07:00

When it comes to sport, I am on most occasions, a sceptic. Perhaps it is the result of years of being the goal-keeper and wanting to be the wicket-keeper where I could observe the match from a (at least I thought so then) vantage point. Or perhaps it's the result of being told, trained, indoctrinated(all very stupidly of course) from a very young age that 'cranius' was always better than citius, altius and fortius. It must be added though, that the coverage of "sporting glory" didn't help. Sport and sport journalism thrive on the overstatement, the sudden construction of a narrative of brilliance, the constant reinforcement and the establishment of a legend. However, the greater they are made, the harder we feel the fall and as sting operations and drugs brought down one hero after another, I was a part of that generation which could not watch a good game without speculating who had been bought and who was injecting what. Later, age;) and another layer of political socialization prompted me to look at sport as another manifestation of the various phenomena that were causing "harm" all around. While I tried not to be one who would watch a match in nervous anticipation and then pen down a stringent critique of corporatisation and sport, I still did cultivate (and continue to do so) a "healthy" degree of cynicism with regard to sporting "greatness".

However as always there are those days, those moments, those magnificent displays when you cannot help but put aside every bit of various baggages and stand in awe of sheer genius. These are the moments when you forget how exclusive some sports are, how they are a stage for this, a reason for that and what not and feel your your entire soul being carried on a huge wave with those of innumerable others-up, down,up again and again down. Your speech turns guttural, your analysis loses all relevance and turns into a mere parody and the faint of heat and the truly passionate lose all ability to even glance at the contest. These are the briefest of moments, a flash and then, the world is the same again. Yet for that small instant in time, you feel something that is very difficult to describe, something that definitely varies from person to person yet calls on something similar. As Rafael Nadal said while answering a senseless question, “It’s impossible to describe how I feel,...”,. That moment of being at a loss for translation has to be brief, it would be sad otherwise and it is a never-ending pilgrimage in search of such moments that represents sport to me.

We saw a glowing stretch on that pilgrimage yesterday!

Jeevan the What??

2008-07-04T04:26:00.000-07:00

The mallu in me keeps nagging me to write something on the textbook crisis in Kerala. This issue has already spawned hartals,bandhs, marches, strikes and what not besides tons of righteous indignation both online and off. Considering my inclinations and background I too am supposed to write a flaming post and dispatch a lot of forwards but there are times when you feel like you and your "dialogue-partner" are too far apart. You cannot even agree to disagree. So I shall restrain myself to providing links to some of the debates/outbursts. :P

Here's C.Gouridasan Nair at the Hindu. Here is his translation of the controversial chapter. Notice that the lesson is translated as "Jeevan the casteless" instead of "Jeevan the one who does not follow any religion".

Here's an article from "Pragoti" which goes into some detail on the merits of the textbook

An acquaintance who is obviously a strong Party supporter
to
BVN as usual is tongue and cheek.

A very bad attempt at being neutral.

The most intriguing one of them all. The blogger first posits that there is nothing objectionable in the controversial chapter. However in the next post, he studies the rest of the text and comes up with certain objections.

If you have already noticed that I haven't expressed my own view yet, I shall shield myself by emphasizing the fact that I haven't seen the entire book :P. However from what I have seen online..what terrible artwork!!

(HT:Alex for most of these links :)

Dream Team!!

2008-07-03T23:05:00.000-07:00

The Daily Pheesh
friday 4 July 2008
The Daily Pheesh has come into possession of a classified document which reveals the Samajwadi Party's master plan with details of the true demands of the party and its vision of the future, Contrary to popular perception, the master-plan(which was approved at the Parliamentary Board meeting of the party) does not involve the replacements of the Finance and Petroleum Ministers alone. The SP has, in fact, outlined the contours of of a new-look cabinet which they believe, is the need of the hour to solve the multitude of issues the nation faces. Here's a sneak peek into the SP "Dream-Team".

1) Prime Minister-Hon. Sri Mulayam Singh Yadav(purely honorary position)
2) Finance Minister- Sri Subroto Roy Sahara
3) Minister for Home Affairs- Sri Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya
3) Minister for Human Resource Development- Sri Amitabh Bachchan
4) Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas- Mr. Anil Ambani
5) Minister for Law and Justice- Mr.Vikas Yadav
6) Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Women and Child Development- Srimati Jaya Bachchan
7) Minister of State for Environmental Protection- Mrs. Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan
8) Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports- Mr Akhilesh Yadav (son of Hon. Sri Mulayam Singh Yadav)
9) Minister of State for Migration, Immigration and Emigration(MIE)- Sri Abu Azmi
10) Special Government Coordinator on Youth Inspiration and Promotion of Poetry Effort (YIPPE)- Sri. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

i)Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of Governing Coalition, Chief Spokesman, Chief Motivator of the Armed Forces, Minister for External Affairs, Chief Negotiator (to be addressed as Chief)- Sri Amar Singh

Government of India Notifications:
a) The Ministry of Defence has been formally abolished. The three armed services will deal with all necessary details. All defense contracts shall be a part of the mandate of the External Affairs Ministry. All foreign trips for diplomatic/trade/defense purposes shall be undertaken by Chief Amar Singh in his capacity as Chief Negotiator
b) The Revenue Department which deals with taxation, unauthorized wealth etc has been detached from the Ministry of Finance. The HRD Minister Sri. Amitabh Bachchan has kindly consented to take charge of the department
c) President's Rule has been declared in Uttar Pradesh. The Government has issued a special order declaring ex-CM Kumari Mayawati guilty without trial and sentencing her to death by "statuification"(use of human body as mold for a bronze statue.For historical parallels re.Mughal-e-Azam) for her crimes against the nation and its people.
d) "Kya Aap Panchvi Pass Se Tez Hain", hosted by Shah Rukh Khan on Star Plus has been declared an obscene, immoral television program and the the host shall be prosecuted for endangering the moral health of the nation.
e) Mrs. Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan has been appointed the Indian Ambassador to France. She will shoulder this responsibility in addition to her position in the Union Ministry.
f) The Government has decided to confer the Bharat Ratna on Sri Amitabh Bachchan for promoting culture, Mr. Anil Ambani for promoting entrepreneurship, Smt Jaya Bachchan for promoting family values and Chief Amar Singh for promoting Chief Amar Singh.

The Daily Pheesh has also come to know that Mr. Vikas Yadav(guilty in Nitish Katara murder case, co-guilty in Jessica Lal murder case and prospective Law Minister) has resigned from the BSP, the party which he joined recently with his father D.P.Yadav. In an exclusive interview to the Pheesh he said "Kumari Mayawati is power hungry and does not care for the people. I share the vision of Hon. Sri Mulayam Singh Yadav and Chief Amar Singh."---DP

Of Ministers and Governors

2008-07-03T01:59:00.000-07:00

        Rumours soaring in the air on the hit-list of the Samajwadi Party. The Finance Minister, the Petroleum Minister and The Governor of the Reserve Bank!

Never in the field of Indian politics was so much demanded of so many by so few.

        While I do not think that any(or for that matter, all) of these demands will be accepted, it's a fine time to reflect on the Finance Minister, whose position, for the first time, seems a bit shaky(yes..the you don't know what you have till you lose it time ;). Mr. Chidambaram has not done the best possible job as the Finance Minister. His policies have more or less remained on the same track as that of the NDA with certain sweeteners like the NREGA and the loan-waiver scheme added for public satisfaction. The defects of this strategy have come back to haunt the government now. A couple of days ago, Mr.Chidambaram appeared on Karan Thapar's show "The Devil's Advocate" with a one word mantra to salvage the current scenario-"communication". Unfortunately this mantra(we are actually great...why don't people see it?) has become the standard tool employed whenever a government realizes that the people are turning against it. One remembers L.K.Advani, in the waning years of the NDA government, consistently bemoaning the inability of the Government to educate the people about its achievements.

        The elementary answer to the Finance Minister's flawed argument is that there is nothing to communicate. The Government has reached a dead-end. Any substantial development will have to involve a considerable policy-shift by the government and the Congress Party. This is something neither of them can/will do. They are too far gone. So the only option is to sit back,hope/pray(check out the CM of Andhra's solution--"CM relies on rain to save reign") that the various 'crisi' will subside over time and talk about vague,generalized solutions like communication.

        However the removal of the Finance Minister or the RBI Governor is no solution either. Their removal will in no way bring about any change in policy implementation or the framing of policy not to speak of the underlying assumptions that give rise to policy. Mr.Chidambaram will most probably be replaced by another Sonia-bhakt who will walk the very same path. The governor of the RBI will be succeeded by another career office with the same training and approach. This is one case where a symbolic gesture could not only not improve things but possibly make them worse. Better a Chidambaram than an Arjun Singh any day I say!

PS. The real fun will be if this rumour is revealed to be just that ! A rumour.

The Katrina Awards

2008-07-02T23:19:00.000-07:00

The citation

We are proud to present the Katrina Award to:

Despite what chauvinists would say, Kashmir does not comfortably fit the position of the crown jewel of the "Wonder that is India". It is true that Kashmir's accession to India was as valid in legal terms as that of many other princely states, where the wishes of the people were not consulted. But it is also true that few states have been the site of so many controversies and violence as J&K has. J&K has also had the misfortune of possessing and having to interact with leaders who have had no sense of the complexities of the issue.Some members of this glorious group have been almost deliberately blind whereas others have stumbled and bumbled along like bulls in a china shop. Our awardee of the day belongs to the second category. An absolute lack of foresight in managing his own cabinet, a bureaucracy led by a seemingly diabolic-ex-governor, the PR of the government and the protests on the street has ensured that Azad has come out with an egg on his face, communal forces on either sides of the spectrum have got huge breathers and whatever superficial normality that Kashmir seemed to be limping to, is again, a thing of the past. Well since he was the hand-picked by 10 Janpath, I guess it was bound to happen.

The pheesh swims again!(well hopefully)

2008-07-02T22:56:00.000-07:00

After a month's sabbatical(ya ya laugh), I am back. Not very sure what happened. I was blogging pretty prolifically(April-14/6, May-24/31, June-0/30!!!) and suddenly I couldn't gather the critical mass for a post anymore. I guess the PM's latest gamble has had its effect on me as well. As usual this has been a terribly "happening" interval...

I guess I better get down to business before this sounds like one of my diary entries.

The pheesh just keep coming

2008-05-30T05:28:00.000-07:00

Two new additions to the list of "Bigger Pheesh"----Ben Appleyard, a man of many interests who 'writes' :)

Neuroanthropology is a blog maintained by two professors who manage to cram in a lot of engaging stuff in that blog. Their weekly reading lists are special attractions.

Cause the Twain shall never meet?

2008-05-30T00:07:00.000-07:00

The Binghamton University in New York has come up with what seems to be an interesting perspective on the age-old "humanities vs science" issue. Here's a New York Times article on the proposal.

Neuroanthropology, a blog whose authors seem to possess a certain amount of credibility, post on the topic-here and here.The latter post has a link to the projct statement that was referred to in the Times article.

Promises to be interesting reading. I haven't gone through the proposal myself. Something left for the weekend.

HT: 3quarksdaily

Bored beards and bloc-ed bards?

2008-05-28T02:30:00.000-07:00

9 very very dry days. Sigh!!

The least I can do is to post an interesting link and hope that it will spark off another post binge.

Nepotism Notes

2008-05-19T04:47:00.000-07:00

An Outlook cover on dynasties in India. We just can't ignore them can we?

2008-05-19T02:38:00.000-07:00

Finished reading Catch-22 for the second time yesterday(the first time was 4-5 years ago when I still didn't have a gmail account;)

Clevinger's trail in the 9th Chapter in one of the most amazing pieces of writing I have gone through in recent times.

Some other selected gems:

Yes, sir,’ Yossarian agreed carefully. ‘I guess you’re right.’
‘Of course I’m right. You’re immature. You’ve been unable to adjust to the idea of
war.’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘You have a morbid aversion to dying. You probably resent the fact that you’re at war
and might get your head blown off any second.’
‘I more than resent it, sir. I’m absolutely incensed.’
‘You have deep-seated survival anxieties. And you don’t like bigots, bullies, snobs or
hypocrites. Subconsciously there are many people you hate.’
‘Consciously, sir, consciously,’ Yossarian corrected in an effort to help. ‘I hate them
consciously.’
‘You’re antagonistic to the idea of being robbed, exploited, degraded, humiliated or deceived. Misery depresses you. Ignorance depresses you. Persecution depresses you.Violence depresses you. Slums depress you. Greed depresses you. Crime depresses you.Corruption depresses you. You know, it wouldn’t surprise me if you’re a manic-depressive!’
‘Yes, sir. Perhaps I am.’
‘Don’t try to deny it.’
‘I’m not denying it, sir,’ said Yossarian, pleased with the miraculous rapport that finally
existed between them. ‘I agree with all you’ve said.’
‘Then you admit you’re crazy, do you?’
‘Crazy?’ Yossarian was shocked. ‘What are you talking about? Why am I crazy?
You’re the one who’s crazy!’ Major Sanderson turned red with indignation again and crashed both fists down upon his thighs. ‘Calling me crazy,’ he shouted in a sputteringrage, ‘is a typically sadistic and vindictive paranoiac reaction! You really are crazy!’

This is an absolute stunner.

"Morale was deteriorating and it was all Yossarian’s fault. The country was in peril; he was jeopardizing his traditional rights of freedom and independence by daring to exercise them"

Now where have we heard this before??

That’s right,’ Colonel Cathcart cried emphatically. ‘You’re either for us or against us. There’s no two ways about it.’
‘I’m afraid he’s got you,’ added Colonel Korn. ‘You’re either for us or against your country. It’s as simple as that.’

A 1984-ish tang:

‘What sort of things?’ Yossarian interrupted with belligerent misgiving.
‘Oh, tiny, insignificant things. Really, this is a very generous deal we’re making with you. We will issue orders returning you to the States—really, we will—and all you have to do in return is...’
‘What? What must I do?’ Colonel Korn laughed curtly. ‘Like us.’ Yossarian blinked.
‘Like you?’
‘Like us.’
‘Like you?’
‘That’s right,’ said Colonel Korn, nodding, gratified immeasurably by Yossarian’s guileless surprise and bewilderment. ‘Like us. Join us. Be our pal. Say nice things about us here and back in the States. Become one of the boys. Now, that isn’t asking too much, is it?’

Spot me if you can!!

2008-05-17T06:18:00.000-07:00

Some fascinating pictures on the alignment of the blogosphere.

HT:Andrew Sullivan

New look Conservatism

2008-05-17T06:01:00.000-07:00

David Brooks in the New York Times on a new-look conservative party in Britain.

Relevant in the context of a new feature I plan to introduce in this blog. Keep Watching.

A VJ and PJ!

2008-05-16T05:09:00.000-07:00

Karan Thapar on salutations.

Reading the piece unfortunately awakened a devil that I had constantly sought to suppress(in the context of this blog). So apologies for this. I couldn't resist.

Q---What is common to the daughters of Dhoni and former Election Commissioner Gill?
Ans---They are-Ms Dhoni and Ms Gill

POTA and Sons Inc.

2008-05-15T04:58:00.000-07:00

        It's one year since Dr.Binayak Sen was arrested, a full year during the course of which almost every wing of the Indian state combined to put a committed social worker behind bars on the basis of flawed evidence and coerced testimonials. Dr. Sen, who campaigned relentlessly against the extra-constitutional "Salwa Judm" in Chattisgarh, was/is accused of colluding with terror-the one charge that will ensure that institutions/individuals normally accustomed to voicing their opinion keep silent and entrust everything to the Government.

        The strange case of Dr.Sen slithered to the underside of public(you know what I mean) memory, kept alive by a few voices which were generally ignored. In April, The Supreme Court expressed its disapproval of the basic idea behind the
creation of an organization like the Salwa Judm, thus vindicating the stand of Dr. Sen and his comrades.

        The state government however, not only refused to relent on Dr.Sen's case, but carried out another arrest in almost similarly shocking circumstances. The arrest of T.G Ajay under the CPSA (Chattisgarh Public Security Act) on the 5th of May and the conferral of The Jonathan Mann award for Global Health and Human Rights on Dr.Sen have seemingly awakened erstwhile silent sections of civil society to this issue. The demonstrations, petitions and marches have begun and will hopefully intensify. However there is one broader trend that must be isolated and resisted, since it goes beyond these particular cases and contexts.

        I am referring of course, to the CPSA and its brother laws.

        The blog for the "Campaign for Peace and Justice in Chattisgarh" has a link to the copy of the Act as well as a review of the Act by the People's Union for Democratic Rights.

        A very cursory reading of the Act itself indicates the immense potential for the misuse of this act and the severe restrictions on review of decisions made under this Act(The Government is the only agent empowered to call for an Advisory Board). The CPSA is yet another bastard offspring of the "War on Terror" and its true significance can only been understood when studied in the global context. Of course oppressive laws abounded even before, but 9-11 and the incidents that followed proved to be a boon for those believed that tough measures like POTA or CPSA are the solutions to issues of public security. The recent bomb blasts in Jaipur saw a great deal of noise about the need to act tough on terror. There were even calls for POTA to be brought back from the place it was rightly consigned to after the NDA was thrown out in 2004.

        The most important temptation to be resisted is this-the belief that a hastily-crafted law without any of the proper safeguards necessary can, on its own, solve all those issues that give rise to terrorism. Statistical evidence aside, common sense alone is enough to tell one that centralization in law-making is not the strategy to combat terror structures that are getting increasing de-centralized. Centralized(those that effectively end up concentrating power in fewer hands), coercive laws invariably end up affecting those at the margins, alienating them further and stretching the fabric of the state to its breaking point. However this is something that happens over a longer period of time and the myopic comfort provided by harsh and effective sounding laws often trumps considerations about the society of the future.

        A cautionary note must be sounded here in the context of liberal voices associating a preference for these kinds of laws with "communal forces". While it's true that the Sangh Parivar has been in the forefront of advocating such laws, it is also to be remembered that there is as great a mass of the populace, which while distancing itself from the Parivar's agenda, firmly believes that the nation must take a "strong" stand against terror. This group is the "swing group", the one which must be engaged if we are ever to be saved from the indignity of our Democratic state transforming into a complete Police State.

"the end of a child's dream"

2008-05-15T03:48:00.000-07:00

Allez!!
Here's to a legend beyond all the speculations and post-mortems.
For a more powerful and impassioned tribute, here's Anwesha :)

Comedy of Humours.

2008-05-14T03:24:00.000-07:00

In case it isn't very clear, the logos to the left are T-shirt legends too. A more comprehensive list of many more T-shirts carrying messages in the same vein
is available here. Interestingly the site gives the dictionary definition of humour as a part of its welcome message(in case anyone didn't get the point) along with a picture of the Statue of Liberty wearing one of the T-Shirts which talks about neutered cats and Liberals(ignoring, of course, the close etymological links between liberty and liberal). Fundamentalist humour of this sort is a bit of an eye-opener.
On one hand it shows deep and pervasive the influence of such an ideology(I refer to the a fundamentalist brand of conservatism, which these shrits celebrate) and the extent of the struggle required to combat it. On the other hand, it also serves as a reminder to the fact that falling into partisan camps is too easy. It is just too easy to embrace the moral and political certainties that come with certain points of view, whether they be about the looniness of the left or the special rights that Hindus ought to have in India. It is too easy to adopt a world-view where one's opinions are as perfectly and predictably sorted out as groceries in a supermarket. This craving for convenience is no trademark of the "Right". Those who claim to be "leftists" are as guilty of these trends-the inability to question the basic foundations of a world-view being the most common of these trends. Of course I do not suggest moral or political zero-gravity. The essential idea is to ensure that one's keywords do not descend into the realm of cliches and that the supermarket attitude towards analysing issues is resisted with as much vigour as can possible.

Ps. The lady who expresses those most admirable sentiments in the logo at the top-left is Ann Coulter, one of the most venomous voices in American MSM(also author of some seemingly Shiv Khera-like books like "If Democrats had any Brains, they'd be Republicans). For more gems of this sort, do frequent her website. I go there pretty often, just to gain a sense of perspective!!

Ps. 2 Not that Che needed these T-Shirts. The first blow was struck when leftists started wearing similar ones.

Ps.3 In case there are any misunderstandings, "zero gravity" is used here in its "zingy but physically nonsensical" sense and does not in any way literally mean the absence of gravity.

Two tips from Sullivan

2008-05-14T02:11:00.000-07:00

The first presidential(US of course) interview to an online audience. Memorable for more reasons than one(golf!!!!)

And something that is more to my taste:

A Slate special on procrastination! A dream come true. So many stories to read later.

"Stop resisting and embrace your procrastination. Don't agonize in front of a blank computer screen. Don't sit around for hours—intending to start your work any moment now—only to find that in the end you've accomplished zilch, save for ruining your own day."

Bal Leela!

2008-05-13T02:29:00.000-07:00

The Shiv Sena and Bal Thackeray are at it again.

The Hindu on "Shiv Vada Pao"

The Telegraph on the Vada Pao initiative and the perpetual irony that is so symptomatic of many of the Sena's activities

Now that Thackeray and Son have appropriated vada pao, the next steps are relatively easy
1) Bal Nariyal(to be drunk before bullying missionaries)
2) Udhav Hockey Stick(to be used to beat up foreigners from the sovereign states of Bihar and UP.)
3) Joshi Spades(to be used to dig up hockey grounds where Pakistan might play since cricket is out of bounds)
4) SS(Special Sena) Long Knives( to be used to kill people whose religion is spelt with the letter M)
Jai Maharashtra!!

PS. A story about the first vada-pav dealer

More on Ramadoss

2008-05-12T04:24:00.000-07:00

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr.Anbumani Ramadoss(recently awarded the prestigious Katrina Award;) replies to the avalanche of criticism he has been receiving recently.

A very forceful reply indeed to what has been some very fierce criticism(some of which was uncalled for perhaps). I agree with quite a bit of what the minister says, including his analysis of the problems caused by alcohol, tobacco and junk food(henceforth ATJF). My problem is with the approach. Mr.Ramadoss is endorsing the "ATJF as social evil" concept and hence suggesting ideas of ban and boycott. On the other hand, the prime issue is that these 'social evils' are not evil any longer. An emerging group(don't know if it can be called class) of people see many of these 'evils' as common day-to-day utilities. Simple put ATJF has shed much of the taboo once associated with it. Along with seeing their glorification in movies as the reason for the popularity of AJTF, it is also necessary to see such depictions as effects of a particular trend in society, something that cannot be reversed by actors stopping smoking alone. Such bans and boycotts might have a very small impact but focusing on them often blinds one to the larger issue--that of the emergence of a life-style which Mr.Ramadoss's own government promotes and celebrates at every possible opportunity. It is also true that targeting that life-style and its symbols is something few governments can/will do. So much for the moral indignation in the Minister's reply.

At a practical level, the Ministry recently banned public smoking and sales of cigarettes on the HCU campus(my alma matter). This step did(based on observation) cause a decline in the number of cigarettes smoked on campus. The reason for that--lack of availability and nothing else. It is fair enough to believe that many of those who have reduced smoking will resume it full-fledgedly once they are in a location where cigarettes are readily available. There is no long-term policy where addiction itself would be targeted instead of merely cutting down on the supply. Granted it is easier said than done, but steps like courting controversy by clashing with movie stars and then assuming a crusading guise are definitely more credible when they are part of a larger policy initiative rather than being seemingly stray, off-hand remarks.

The Katrina Awards

2008-05-09T00:24:00.000-07:00

The citation

We are proud to present the Katrina Award to:
There might be disagreements on this, but Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss reminds me of Don Quixote. At a time when serious questions are being posed about the ability of existing institutions to face the challenges of the coming years, the doyen of our health policy is busy advising Shah Rukh Khan on why he should not smoke on screen, attacking the movie industry for lionizing alcohol and trying every trick in the book to unseat the Director of AIIMS. I personally, have already started preparing for the day when the HN-51 combines with some human virus strain and bird-flu morphs into the next big epidemic because I sure, when that happens, Mr.Ramadoss will be endorsing Guru Sri Sri Sidhanda Shankar Ganesh Maharaj and his naturopathic treatment.

New lamps and old ones?

2008-05-08T04:27:00.001-07:00

        Mohammed Amir Ahmed Khan in the Tehelka on how things will be the same whoever wins the US presidential elections this November. I agree with him on this(my take). However he extends this to propose that it doesn't make much of difference whoever wins and puts forward the argument that all presidents have continued a common strand of foreign policy.

        I have my issues with that argument. It is true that many of the existing issues that face America and the world will not, in any way, 'change'(as some of the campaign slogans seem to imply). But it is equally true that a lot of new crisis situations can be avoided depending on whoever comes to power. Al Gore becoming the president in 2000 would have meant the continuation of lot of foreign policy high-handedness, but one can safely assume that Gore would not have invaded Iraq.

        John McCain is after all the author of the famous song..."Bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb..Iran". Assuming that a McCain presidency and an Obama presidency will have the same impact worldwide is stretching it a bit too far. In case of the latter, Iraq will still fester, Palestinians will still be ghettoized in their own homeland and the military-industrial complex will still exert great influence, but the least one one can hope for is a better approach to Iran and for all you know Cuba and Venezuela as well.

Optmistic Ravings eh? Let's see.

A more scholarly study on McCain's militaristic credentials.

Admission Agonies.

2008-05-08T02:17:00.000-07:00

        Kerala has always been a bit of a pioneer in terms of educational reforms and innovations. From the Educational Bill during the time of the EMS government to DPEP and the proposal to make languages optional, new approaches (however flawed the execution) have been a obsession for us Mallus;). So its not surprising that a new admission system (for Class XI) has been introduced in state board schools.The details are not clear yet but the rough outlines are as follows:

        Admissions are to be conducted at a district level using a single-window system. Students submit one application form at any school with a list of preferred options in that particular district. When the first list comes out, students can choose to "temporarily" join a school and leave it if their names are on the list of a preferred school when the second list comes out. However if they take a "permanent admission" the first time, they cannot change options. Further details awaited.

        Interesting idea. The plus side is obviously the fact that students(and parents) have to only fill one form and do not have to go through the agonies of wondering which school(waiting list-3 in not-so-good school an waiting list 57 in good school) to choose (most of them used to have their admissions on the same day). The disadvantage is pretty obvious as well. The district level admission procedure could turn out to be one paper mess.Imagine sorting out the marks of all the students in the district onto all the schools based on preferences! An added disadvantage would be the possible lack of compatibility with admissions to CBSE and ICS school especially with temporary and permanent admissions. However these are things that could be gotten over.

        The only issue is that---Next year theres going to be one single window for the entire state!!!! Now that's a pen-pusher's paradise.

        As an aside, its a bit difficult to understand why the LDF government, which has hitherto gone about promoting decentralization of education (eg the recent proposal to bring all schools under the controls of Local Self-governing Bodies) has suddenly turned around and embarked on a major drive to introduce centralization. While I understand the attraction that a single-window system offers, it is to be noted that a single window system of such mammoth proportions may just collapse under its own weight. Proponents of the system have been citing the success of the system in counseling for admission to Engineering and Medical Colleges but we are talking about a much larger number of students and a larger number of seats. I have no idea about the motives behind such a policy shift but it sure has complicated matters for students, teachers and the government. Hope things don't get worse for students who seem to be encountering an innovation almost every year, many of which, one suspects are not carefully planned, especially the implementation part.

You Know What.

2008-05-07T03:31:00.000-07:00

H.L.Mencken on "you-know-what"

"The larger the mob,the harder the test. In small areas, before small electorates, a first-rate man effectively fights his way through, carrying even the mob with him by force of his personality. But when the field is nationwide, and the battle is waged chiefly at second and third hand, and the force of personality cannot so readily make itself felt, then all the odds are on the man who is, intrinsically, the most devious and mediocre--the man who can most easily adeptly disperse the notion that his mind is a virtual vacuum."

“The Presidency tends,year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move towards a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”

Haha.

ie. aside from the pitting of intelligence/forcefulness personality/character against dumbness/moron/devious/mediocre. Doesn't always work that way but what's a little exaggeration in humour!

'Cultural Clashes'?--solution Said

2008-05-07T01:09:00.000-07:00

Two interesting pieces on the American experience in Iraq

The LA Times on "cultural clashes" in Iraq.

I found it yet another amazing instance of how stupidity is such an integral part of every layer of human interaction. Leaving aside the criminal negligence of Blackwater Corp and the pathetic attempts by the US. authorities to buy off the victims and their near and dear, what is infinitely annoying is the "o-so-matter-of fact" and "know-it-all" tone adopted by the newspaper in reporting the issue. Take a look at this:

"But traditional Arab society values honor and decorum above all. If a man kills or badly injures someone in an accident, both families convene a tribal summit. The perpetrator admits responsibility, commiserates with the victim, pays medical expenses and other compensation, all over glasses of tea in a tribal tent."

And this is not a quote but a comment by the authors of this piece. This comment and the rest of the article completely recreate the old, oft-repeated stereotype of the strange, exotic, obscure Arab who just cannot understand plain common sense/logic/reason blinded as he is by a weird set of irrational webs comprising archaic, irrelevant concepts. Of course, it is to be noted that "plain common sense" in this case would be accepting some money and keeping quiet when your loved ones have been killed for no reason whatsoever. And the LA Times is supposedly liberal. So be careful the next time you are asked to proclaim your political affiliation on a social networking site.

A 'response' was posted here.

"If Orientalism had been widely read among the military and foreign affairs folks, perhaps the attitudes of some highly influential people would not have been quite so smug. Perhaps they would have entertained a few more doubts. Perhaps the thought of torturing their fellow human beings might have made them a bit queasy."

A fascinating read, if only for the elevated level of wishful thinking. I mean, unlike "if everyone had money nobody would be poor" and "if men truly respected women there would be no harassment", the author speculates about how reading Orientalism would have made a bit of a difference in Iraq. The major fact being ignored is that while "Ideas have consequences", an idea itself does not stand in isolation. The circumstances under which an idea comes to prominence also ensure that it gains prominence among certain groups at certain times. Speculating beyond those boundaries makes for entertaining reading but..

HT: Matthew Yglesias

eve in Mallu land

2008-05-06T23:21:00.000-07:00

An acerbic take on a prominent aspect of Mallu-land

"In spite of the high level of education, an irritatingly significant proportion of Keralan men seem to think they're God's gift to woman kind - something that seems several light years from the truth - and take the euphemistically named practice of eve teasing (usually referred to as sexual harassment / assault elsewhere) to Olympic standards. Apart from flagging us down in the middle of the road every few metres to ask our "good names", the tedious and seemingly endless squeals of "hey, baby" and "hi sexy", invariably accompanied by a kind of demented cackling or giggling (no doubt at the stunningly original wit) began to grate like nails on a blackboard after the 457th iteration of the morning.

The rest.

I have always been curious about the origin of the word eve-teasing. Sources indicate that the word is primarily used in the Indian sub-continent. Of course there is always the argument that the origin of the word is irrelevant, but as the comments above indicate and as has been testified by innumerable others, the use of a word like eve-teasing is itself symptomatic of a larger tendency to generally tolerate/ignore a lot of incidents. It's teasing after all, not harassment.

A pretty interesting article on the same subject.

And a link to a online project which for the past three years has sought to combat "teasing" through public initiatives.

Phikchure

2008-05-04T23:36:00.000-07:00

A scene near my office.
It's to be noted that a couple of days later these images were transformed into a mini-shrine pretty close by.

On taking up the cello.....again

2008-05-03T01:20:00.000-07:00

Before those who know me throw up, fall down, pass out..(you get the drift):
Please read through the entire post.

        I have always been a bit of a connoisseur (read snob) of pens. High school instances include my firm insistence on using only only my cherished Parker ink pen(despite the fact that the said instrument was like a municipality pipe-leaking precociously and drying up at the most inconvenient intervals) to fill up my diary. An earlier instance was an immense fascination with a "fountain" pen apparently manufactured from a buffalo's skin(I still don't know how I believed that one). A couple of years' stint with the Rs.2 Stik Easy(the ink was very dark and smudgy--I loved it) and some "phoreign" Stadetler and Reynolds pens and I was all ready to meet the love of my life.

        It happened many years ago(somewhere in 2003-4). I was having the worst time of my life in a college everyone loved and I found damn boring. In search of an implement to take down irrelevant notes on lectures(often delivered to empty classrooms by teachers staring at the roof),I chanced upon that divine artcifact-The Cello Maxriter. It always used to annoy me that the pens most comfortable to write with were pretty bland -looking (The Stik Easy) or were murderously expensive(Rs 20). But I had, at last, found the ideal solution. At Rs. 10, the maxriter was a great bargain and had all the looks of genteel solidness that my heart craved for. I associated it with Ashley Wilkes' house in "Gone With the Wind"-grand, elegant and reassuring. We hung together for almost five years-through the dreary and academically unimpressive years in college to Hyderabad with a million new options and possibilities. Then, I got a job.

        My new company, energetic, america-based-indian-founded-software-corporate came up with a pair of T-shirts which were given to all employees. They looked nice and more importantly provided fresh additions to a starved wardrobe. We were also given a pair of executive looking pens.Of course there was the slight inconvenience of being unable to flaunt one's new pens on one's new T-shirts(they didn't have pockets). But I happily and eagerly adopted the new format, especially the pens(they were for free after all). As all of our work was online, it was fitting that the pens were not the most free-flowing ones and instances abounded of friends borrowing them, admiring them and then looking at me with murderous expressions as the handsome ones would stop functioning in the middle of taking down a phone number. But since I was generally a lenient task-master, the pens and I had a very comfortable working relationship.

        But as all know, brands can be a bit heavy on the pocket. Over the past couple of weeks, both my pens slipped out of my shirt and were declared MIA. Attempts to procure clones proved futile. In a fascinating example of history repeating itself, all the pens made in India had been taken to the head office in America(they were too costly to make there). I remembered my 7th standard history lessons.

        So it was with great joy that I realised that I had to buy a pen. Of course Cello had come up with some new brands but they were quickly considered and dismissed as a vision from the past appeared briefly on the horizon. Rs. 10 and it was all over. We were together again. Of course i don't use it at all but anyway.

Write on again Cello..for old times sakes.

(Trivia--The cello maxriter ad in which it was claimed that the pen could write for 4 km. as opposed to certain 'rivals' was stopped after the Monopolies & Restrictive Trade Practices Commission accepted a complaint by the makers of Reynolds that the rival pen in the ad resembled a Reynolds brand. The article)

"If they don't have bread...

2008-05-02T03:46:00.000-07:00

Case Study

Location: Doyen's Colony,a settled (residential) colony on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

Size of family: 3("friends visit often"-orkut)

Income: 40,000 per month(4,80,000 per annum)approx

Food habits: Breakfast is occasionally avoided or skipped.Lunch is usually from middle-level food joints. Dinner invariably consists of Maggi Noodles. Increase in intake of Maggi Noodles occurs over the weekend. Minimal consumption of certain vegetables(1 onion, two green chillies, 2 tomatoes per day).

Analysis: It has been observed that the members of the subject family have not only retained their level of comfortable living over the past couple of months but have actually managed to enhance it. For instance a marked increase has been noted in the frequency of family dinners at slightly more expensive locations.

Conclusion: Inflation has not affected the subjects. The reason for the subjects' admirable condition is the regular consumption of Maggi Noodles.

Recommendation: We hereby request the Government of India to supply packets of Maggi Noodles at all Ration and Fair Price shops. It is our belief that Maggi Noodles will not only provide adequate nourishment, but also reduce expenditure on vegetables. It is also believed that the brand value of Maggi Noodles will increase the mental satisfaction quota of the poor and hungry and ensure that they do not indulge in anti-social,anarchist activities.

Precedent: As a possible precedent for our recommendation,we would like to cite this proposal.

(I was a bit miffed to find that other have posted on this issue with the same title. My response----The words "If they have no bread,let them eat cake" were not said by Marie Antoinette. ha! )

The Katrina Award

2008-05-02T00:57:00.000-07:00

The citation.

We are proud to present this week's Katrina Award to:
It seems that Katrina's(the other one) association with the Royal Challengers is rubbing off on the team's skipper. Rahul Dravid is absolutely clueless on the field.His feet aren't moving, the only bat and ball contact is when he is dismissed (fine! I am exaggerating). One feels sorry for this great cricketer who had time and again adapted his game for the team. Now he just looks completely at sea

ALL OUT!!

2008-04-30T23:22:00.000-07:00

Another kind of "universal coverage".

That's the more conventional approach. Now read this.
And more recently this is the strategy being employed.

All of them raise a lot of questions about concepts of disease, prevention and cure. Personally I am diffident about any strategy that involves a large scale modification of the genetic content of an organism. India has seen a huge controversy over GM food with the Supreme Court banning new field trials. But the process has already seemed to have acquired an inevitable flow (as this article would indicate). Any plan of introducing GM organisms to ensure eradication of disease seems fraught with danger.

A more significant issue, worth raising in this context is how these steps are also symptomatic of a larger flaw in our visualisation of society and its problems. GM mosquitoes may be useful or harmful but one cannot deny that their introduction is nothing but a stopgap response to mistakes that were committed much earlier---failures in planning and managing cities, failures in taking health care to rural areas and to the urban poor, failures in managing population..and so on. This is common to a lot of policies, seemingly off-the cuff,painful attempts at correcting systemic errors(the recent loan waiver being another prominent example). These attempts reflect nothing but a complete inability to think ahead and a total unwillingness to look back while making policy. Those who celebrate the vision and foresight of policy makers when they come up with such grand solutions would do well to look back and examine how many of the problems originated in the first place.

On May Day

2008-04-30T22:06:00.000-07:00

        Today is the 1st of May. It's a holiday in most parts of the world. This post is indicative of the fact that that is not the case for yours truly. Ruminating over this I reach the following conclusions.

        The site I work on/in/at (an online collaboration platform) for my rozi-roti has a server based in Seattle. Simply put, it implies that Seattle time is our time. So technically today is still the 30th of April. In a couple of hours the 30th will give way to the 1st. But it will still be the wee hours of the day and of course, no one in Seattle works such outrageous hours. By the time the working day (8:30/9/9:30 am) begins in Seattle, my labour for the day will have been expended. So here I am, on the 1st of May, caught between two time zones feeling as though it's actually the 1st of April.

        Later I find that Seattle(and the rest of the US) does not celebrate May Day. Apparently all such thoughts were put on the back burner when the USSR started celebrating May Day big time. May 1 was declared Loyalty Day(of all things) in the US. Wikipedia says:

"Loyalty Day is a special day for the reaffirmation of loyalty to the United States and for the recognition of the heritage of American freedom."

An interesting response to the threats from behind the mythical/mystical Iron Curtain.

In case any of you readers harbour any misconceptions, I would like to emphatically state that my employer is not a "beehive-monolith" corporate but a small and extremely amiable firm which offers me immense flexibility with respect to my work.

Acknowledgment/Dedication: A friend who has been filling my head with fascinating ideas of/on labour for the past couple of weeks.

The most innovative Potter adaptation of 'em all.

2008-04-30T01:44:00.000-07:00

An article from the TIME magazine. I am still a bit unsure about the tone :)

"That's right. Almost anything you need to know about Jews, you can learn from Harry Potter"

The Chosen people and the Chosen One! It was to be expected I guess.

Picturing Celebrity

2008-04-30T00:50:00.000-07:00

"Shooting Britney Spears"
The endless loop of celebrity goes on. Now the 'captors' of celebrity are celebrity-ised.

Phikchure

2008-04-29T06:23:00.001-07:00

Yep.Thats HCU

Katrina Awards

2008-04-29T05:48:00.000-07:00

Readers(haha!) should know by now that Andrew Sullivan,despite belonging to a completely different political persuasion, has been quite a prominent influence on my blog ,specifically in terms of style. So no surprises as he and the Razzies inspire my latest innovation.

THE KATRINA AWARD

The citation:

Sheer cluelessness in the face of given circumstances and a complete inability to respond to the same. Special mention for those whose (in)action causes irreparable harm to institutions or individuals.

In case people misunderstand, the reference is not to the famed hurricane and the US Govt's complete and utter incapacity but to our very own Katrina Kaif and her "acting"

We are proud to present the first winner of the Katrina Award:

He is out of the picture but the havoc he and his IHF wreaked will haunt Indian and world hockey for some time. The jury is still out on whether he was just incompetent and stubborn or malicious as well but either way he deserves the award.

"She is 22,going on 23..

2008-04-29T03:20:00.000-07:00

Aniket Alam on female foeticide and the "missing women"(although i am not very sure about the "cultural" assumption he makes).

        Dangling as I am on the precipice of 24 years on this planet and having attempted to keep as many options as possible open for the future, it causes me immense chagrin to see girls of my age and less losing a lot of options for no fault except for the fact that they were born women. This fact struck me with immense force about a year and a half ago as I suddenly realised that girls of my age were getting 'married off' in droves. Now many belong to socially and economically "settled" families and this makes the situation(for me at least) even worse. A lifetime of seeing dreams shattered,creativity drying up and social and political attitudes ossifying around me has at least made one thing clear.Marriage closes more doors than it opens.

        Discussions back home always led to frustrating stalemates ."Of course she should study.Who said we are against it? Its just that when a suitable match is found its always safer to get her married off..Who knows what will happen if we wait" was/is the most standard response. The other one was "She can always study after marriage". It's just that as time passes, children are born, houses are built and life goes on, a lot of things just die out slowly and steadily.Talents are drowned, bitterness grows and open mindedness is often replaced by a stubborn unwillingness to consider the other point of view.Of course these features are in no way restricted to women.Men develop most of these 'system features' despite there being so many more opportunities available to them. However one cannot but feel a sense of loss, a complete lack of comprehension as generations collaborate(willingly or unwillingly) to bury the dreams and possibilities of youth

        Of course "marrying off" a girl is not an isolated process. It begins at a tender age and reinforced through a series of gestures over the years ranging from subtle insertions into a conversation about how the girl is to go to another house to an early introduction to housework and cooking. These concepts influence how a girl is educated, what subjects she chooses and what career options she selects.It even influences her personality,the amount of noise she makes and the tone and tenor of her voice. It ensures that her thoughts are often tuned to keeping the family and her parents happy.And in the end this indoctrination prompts her to choose the better over the best, prevents her from holding out until she can decide a proper future for herself. Universities in the West generally encourage students to work a while after their masters and evaluate their interests before they apply for a PhD.We decide our girls' future much earlier.

        I realize that I am painting a "good and evil" picture here. I completely accept the possibility that this is a unidimensional point of view. There are many who do a great job multitasking their families,careers and interests. I also know that there are many who swim against the tide(occasionally with their families' consent)and have the courage and determination to ensure that marriage will not close doors on them .The indoctrination mentioned here is also not a norm.On the other hand there are girls who face graver circumstances and in certain contexts,these musings will be labeled as the self-obsessed ravings of a slightly jobless,upper- middle class man condescending to speak for the subaltern.But Anyway.

Here's to those who fought till the very end and to those are still fighting..
Cheers!

Nepotism Notes

2008-04-28T01:30:00.000-07:00

A really funny one
However nothing surprising for us in India. Visualise:

Tuesday, March 15,2016

Indore: The proceedings at the 84th plenary session of the Indian National Congress turned ugly today as supporters of INC president Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra clashed violently over the future of the beleaguered party. 1 AICC delegate was injured as he tried to immolate himself to express his support for Ms. Gandhi Vadra. Both Mr. Gandhi and Ms. Gandhi Vadra have condemned the violence.
The fracas began when Mr.Ajit Pawar (son of former Minister Sharad Pawar)accused Mr.Gandhi of failing to fulfill his promise of reviving the party's fortune. He called upon Mr.Gandhi to step down and requested Ms Gandhi Vadra to take over the reins of the party "in the tradition of your most noble mother and grandmother".This is the culmination of the on and off power struggle between the siblings that erupted 2 years ago when their mother Ms.Sonia Gandhi retired from politics to pursue what she called 'vanaprastha'.Attempts to contact Ms.Sonia Gandhi at her Rishikesh residence have not yielded any results.

THE DAILY PHEESH
wednesday 14 february 2046

otttapalam:in one of the most emotional reunions in the history of Indian politics, the indian national congress(i-r) and the indian national congress(i-p) effected a merger after 30 years of fierce infighting and rivalry which brought india's oldest party to the verge of destruction. the merger was officially announced at the 85th plenary of the inc (i) at ottapalam by antonia rahul gandhi and reihan priyanka gandhi vadra the presidents of the inc(i-r) and inc(i-p) respectively.It is worth remembering that the party split into two in 2016 after the acrimonious proceedings of the 84th plenary of the party and the famous lok sabha fight between rahul gandhi and priyanka gandhi vadra. antonia(36) and reihan (46) spoke in eloquent terms of the sacrifices of their parents, grandparents ,greatgrandparents, greatgreatgrandparents, greatgreatgreatgrandparents and countless other relatives and family friends including mahatma gandhi who had all given their lives to the nation.it is speculated that the reunited party might be renamed as the inc(jirsorp) after the names of the prominent members of the nehru-gandhi family to celebrate the efforts of the family and inspire the party workers. the new party has two seats in the lok sabha-rae bareilly which is held by antonia rahul gandhi and amethi which is represented by reihan priyanka gandhi vadra.

Invisible Cities

2008-04-28T01:12:00.000-07:00

A conversation between Kublai Khan and Marco Polo from Italo Calvino's "Invisible Cities"

"Why do your travel impressions stop at disappointing appearances never catching this implacable process? Why do you linger over inessential melancholies?Why do you hide from the emperor the grandeur of his destiny?"

And Marco answered "While, at a sign from you sire, the unique and final city raises its stainless walls, I am collecting the ashes of other possible cities that vanish to make room for it, cities that can be never rebuilt or remembered.When you know at last the residue of unhappiness for which no precious stone an compensate, you will be able to calculate the exact number of carats to which that final diamond must strive.Otherwise, your calculations will be mistaken from the very start."

Something to keep in mind while we endlessly discuss the meaning of development!

A Mallu mulls over Malls and Mals

2008-04-25T04:23:00.000-07:00

An interesting piece
I detect certain "The God of Small Things"-ish eddies though.
Sigh! Such a cynical world.

BCCI's New proposal

2008-04-25T04:08:00.000-07:00

Extract from a proposal submitted by Mr.Lalit Modi to the head honchos of the BCCI.
"....In accordance with the "Law of Enhanced Returns"*(Singhania and Mittal 2008), the Special Committee for Amassing More(SCAM) had come up with a series of proposals for enhancing the quality of spectator experience and ensuring greater player satisfaction with upcoming formats of cricket.We are happy to announce the completion of negotiations with interested parties for the next wave of Indian(performed on Indian soil) Cricket—-The IPL2.0-(Indian People's League 2.0)
As of now negotiations have been completed with the following parties:
Election Commission of India, Google, Sony Computer Entertainment,Samsung, Nokia,BSNL,Reliance India Mobile,AIRTEL, Dale Carnegie Foundation, Mattel Inc(producers of Barbie Doll),Mr.Upen Patel and Ms.Rakhi Sawant.

The Details-The team structure will be similar to the DLF Indian Premier League with the franchise format being employed.The schedule and venues shall be decided by the BCCI in consultation with the franchisees.

The success of this format, we believe, lies in its ability to ensure greater spectator participation and promote further team loyalty and interest in team affairs.

To this end we introduce the concept of a "Stakeholder"(ST).A ST is a spectator who will register by paying a specific amount.The ST is free to attatch himself to a team or remain independent. A spectator is also free to become a ST for one or more matches on payment of certain sums. As the name indicates,the ST by virtue of his status obtains the ability to influence key features of the games to be played.For instance the nature of the surface for the match(batting track,speedster-friendly condtions etc) wil be decided by STs(independent STs and those registered as supporters of the teams playing the match) through a voting procedure(see next para)

The matches will be reduced to 10 overs a side. At the end of the 7^th over in the first innings, play will cease and all involved STs(independent STs and those registered as supporters of the teams playing the match) will be given a chance to choose the first innings score from a set of viable options. The poll will be conducted both online and via SMS.The players will then take the field again and together ensure that the score which has won most votes is achieved.At the end of the 7^th over in the second innings, play will cease again and the STs will be given a chance to decide the end of the game. The players will again take the field and take the game to the conclusion that has been decided by popular vote.

Each and every franchisee will get a share of the revenue generated by the registration of STs who decide to be supporters of the particular franchisee.

All voting procedures will be monitored and certified by an elite panel from the Election Commission of India(ECI). Leading mobile service providers have, in principle, signed an agreement to permit ECI monitoring of votes.Google Inc.which has undertaken to run the website www.ipl2.0.com has also agreed to the same.

All players contracted to the IPL2.0 will lend their images to be used in a new generation of simulation games to be designed by Sony Computer Entertainment in collaboration with Nokia and Samsung.Sony shall also highlight the IPL2.0 in Sony PlayStation4. These simulation games shall be based on IPL 2.0 matches with an option for players to download real-time games at various points and play them on their cellphones/PlayStations.

Mattel Inc(The manufacturer of Barbie) has agreed to create life-size, realistic dolls of cheer leaders for interested STs who will be able to purchase them on becoming members of the elite “IPLatinum Club”

The Dale Carnegie Foundation,an authority on details of team cohesion and conflict, has undertaken to construct narratives of intra and inter-team harmony and discord which will be acted out by players.

Ms.Rakhi Sawant and Mr.Upen Patel have consented to host the IPL2.0 “Voice and Noise Show” to be aired on Sony Max.They shall become the media ambassadors of the new format.

Further details are being negotiated.

*Law of Enhanced Returns-"The revenue earned by “Cricket as a phenomenon”(Ghata and Ghosh 2007) is inversely proportional to the duration of individual matches and directly proportional to the quantity and quality of “extra-cricketual”(Bishnoi 2007) factors"---A study of Integrated Revenue Patterns in progressive and evolutionary forms of cricket”-Singhania and Mittal-2008

Nepotism Notes

2008-04-24T22:40:00.000-07:00

Union Minister T.R Baalu responds to accusations of recommending a family controlled firm for a project.

"Yes I put in a word with the Petroleum Minister after
the UPA Government was formed in 2004. What is wrong in it ?”

He said he acted to save his companies from closure on
the request of many of the 40,000 shareholders and employees.

The Andhra Pradesh Assembly and its members seem to have gone much farther. The following incident happpened yesterday.(Context- the coming by-elections, especially the one in Khairatabad necessitated by the death of P.Janardhan Reddy)

Meanwhile, the APCC chief expressed the hope that the TRS
would not field its candidate from Khairatabad. Talking to reporters,
he reminded the TRS president that it was decided in the Assembly
session that all parties should ensure unanimous election of the
kin of P. Janardhan Reddy and T. Jayaprakash (Therlam) as a
humanitarian gesture

So nepotism acquires philanthropic and humanitarian overtones.Way to go!

The King is Dead!Long Live the King

2008-04-24T02:31:00.000-07:00

The Hindu today has an editorial,a leader page article and an opinion page article on the US primaries/elections and the accompanying hullabaloo

While the leading campaigner against the evils of L P & G would like us to believe that this is nothing but a reflection of the importance of these elections to the world at large, methinks The Hindu too has been seduced by the sheer drama that this election has brought with it to the living rooms and offices of a lot of us.

(It's my responsibility at this point to admit that yours truly was seduced a very long time ago by the abovementioned sheer drama)

Its very rarely that one will one find such extensive and intensive coverage of a foreign nation's pre-electoral hungama.If anything, it once again indicates the admirable genius of the American nation in dramatizing and hence commodifying everything under the sun.In fact the very act of conducting primaries for over a year and spending those insane amounts itself indicates a flair for self- absorption and self-obsession and a determination to ensure that others too are caught up in it.

The only parallel I can think of is the arranged marriage where the bride and the groom are excuses for a grand feudal ritual.

The whole world and half of America knows by now that Iraq,Iran,Global warming and host of other issues will still be in the headlines in 2012 when the whole process will be repeated again.It is also to be noted that the powers of the President of The US are actually considerably restricted by Congress.Yet the soundbyte-driven fest just goes on and on(the latest soundbyte is the appeal for an end to soundbyte driven politics).

Of course one can argue that the involvement of so many people in a nation's politics is a sign of a healthy democracy.Hey we are talking about the nation which elected George Bush twice,still esteems Bill Clinton and has established a pretty amazing record of dynasty politics(and what dynasties!)

At the end of the day the politics of a nation is dominated by large scale productions of images and this is why the mere participation of people alone does not a "healthy democracy" make.It's a cyclical process-the people make the images which dupe people to strengthen them and make more of them thus establishing a narrative beyond which the politics of that society will not move irrespective of the quantum of people's participation.At its most literal, we saw an example of this process in the Narendra Modi masks.In the US, it's just that more money is spent and the media used are both more direct and subtle at the same time.

So what do we do? As the educated intelligentsia aren't we supposed to be resisting the imposition of this foreign agenda tooth and claw and nail? Aren't we supposed to focussing on the manifold issues that are haunting our society? The only catch:navigate(with great difficulty) away from the US primaries/elections and th next thing you get to watch is the IPL.So you see-its Catch-1000..crores

Opening Mourns

2008-04-24T00:59:00.001-07:00

Some existential/nomenclatural/epistemological issues:

The blog has to be updated daily.

There has to be some pheesh/beef

sigh!