26th January 2009, I was sitting at a coffee bar watching the Republic Day parade on a huge LCD television. A board next to the cash counter read, “A lot can happen over a coffee”. However, I saw nothing happening. There were only a few teenagers occupying the tables, but busy in their mobile mania – “Do you have this ringtone”, “I just bought this N96”, “Hey, see this video, real hot yaar”. I was getting irritated with this young India, they probably wouldn’t even that today is 26th January, our Republic Day, forget asking them the significance of this day. The coffee bar too glittered with its usual RED colour; I was hoping to see the tricolors on this day at least. The only people, who were enthused watching the Republic Day parade, were the waiters and the sweepers, and few street children who stuck their noses and bellies to the glass partitions from outside of the coffee shop. There it was, on one side I had the ‘over-privileged’ young India, and the ‘deprived’ younger India on the other side. My exult of 26th January was short-lived.
I continued scribbling some notes in my diary. Suddenly a girl on the adjacent table exclaimed, “So that’s our Vice President, I didn’t know that”. “Poor girl”, I thought. “Chod na, how does it matter, they all are chors only”, said a friend of hers. And then both of them again got busy with their coffee, laughing, cracking jokes etc. I felt sorry for them, that they did not even know the difference between electoral systems for Presidents and Prime Ministers in our country. “So very ignorant”, I said to myself.
I became restless, no matter how much hard I tried to concentrate on my diary. I moved out of that place. Ever since, I have been thinking of that episode, events of the recent past, flashed across my mind rapidly. The Mumbai terror attacks – the hate campaigns thereafter – the political blame game, Satyam scam and the political tussle between Reddy and Naidu, Jayalalita blaming Karunanidhi for something or the others, CPI Leader involved in scam of crores of rupees – everything very despairing. Finally, I sit down to burst out my anger and disappointment.
India’s biggest political broker of today’s time – Amar Singh is ruining the political strata further by introducing Sanjay Dutt and Aishwarya Rai as Samajwadi Party candidates. He is simply exploiting their celebrity status and fan following to achieve success in the next general elections. Playing Munnabhai and winning a Miss World title are not the qualifications for contesting elections. Forget political administration, have they even contributed to any kind of social work and welfare? We don’t want leaders who wear dark sunglasses, roam in limousines, take pallus on their head for namesake, or chant Gandhigiri in films. We want someone who is approachable, who can listen to us, and is ready to work with us. And by the way, we definitely don’t want someone with a criminal record – proven guilty or not. We do not want to nurture any more Gawlis and Yadavs.
The Sena groups (in Maharashtra and Karnataka), assume to themselves the status of moral police and go on a rampage. The Shiv Sainiks cause destruction to the Intercontinental hotel in Mumbai, just because some employees were expelled from services. If you want to fight for the rights, go and talk to the management, and resolve issues. You (Shiv Sainiks) have no right to destroy the hotel premise or beat up the employees and cooks there, it is not your private property. The “sons of the soil”, MNS partymen ask for reservation for Marathi students in Mumbai university. However, the approach is unique – beat up the guard, smash down the gate, destroy properties again, and threaten, threaten, and threaten. You think you will win this way? Sorry Sirrrr! You sainiks flaunt your ideologies being similar to that of the great Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, yes the common cause is fighting for your rights. However, the ways are diverse. While Shivaji protected the helpless, regardless of their caste and creed, you only target the helpless. Shivaji knew for sure who the enemy was and attacked only him/his territory, and ensured no destruction took place. However, you are biased in your approach. If for time being, I assume that you know who your enemy is – North Indians, why are you only targeting the labour class – taxi drivers, milkmen, vegetable vendor, there are North Indians in IT, automobiles, MBA colleges in Maharashtra, why not target them as well. You people will not, for you don’t have the guts, as you know that your state is getting revenue from these sectors so it’s better not to disrupt these areas. The political parties – ruling, opposition, and independents all have an understanding on what to do and how much to do. Why otherwise then, would someone get caught today and released on bail tomorrow.
Muthalik, whose Ram Sene (again one more Sena! phewwww) created a havoc in Mangalore, was arrested and then released on bail. Why? He has publicly announced that he is preparing a Hindu group suicide squad, I saw the footage on Times Now yesterday. Few men were being taught how to aim, fire using rifles, and so on. What is the government and the law waiting for? It has come from the horse’s mouth; we have the evidence of what that man is upto. Go and dismantle that squad, arrest him. Or are you going to wait till some suicide attacks happen? “Ok, 100 dead, 200 injured, now that’s a proper evidence, now we can arrest Muthalik”, is that what we are waiting for? His workers molested girls in a pub in Mangalore. Why? – For boozing. And what you Sene people would have done that very night? Celebrated your valiant deeds (of pulling down skirts, beating up the young women) with pegs of whiskey and vodka. So you men can do it, but women can’t. Strange! Nobody asked for your interference into charting out rights of an Indian citizen. We don’t need doses of secularism from insane fanatics like you. You are protecting our culture, you say. Damn! India is a secular, sovereign, republic nation. I bet, none of the Sene/Sena men would understand a word of it. Coming to culture, Shree Rama, from which you derive your group’s name(Ram Sene), had the highest respect for women. The next reincarnation after Rama was Krishna. Remember the Draupadi vastraharan? Shree Krishna had protected Draupadi with an endless sari. And look what you have done? Exactly the opposite! Harassed and molested the women. You haven’t understood your ideologies well enough. If you understand the Hindu philosophy and culture so well, you must also be knowing the chant – “Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavantu. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti”, which means “May all the beings in all the worlds be happy. Om Peace, Peace, Peace”. A true Hindu will always profess non violence, “Ahimsa Paramo Dharma” (non violence is the highest duty), which you people are surely not practicing.
All these wrong doers are set free; politics is involved in this. Every accused is roaming out there freely on bail. All this is not possible without a political power behind the guilty and the crimes they commit. It gives a free hand to others also to do wrong, lets do it, we will be out on bail and then the case would continue for 10-15 years – is a general perception. Few months ago, when Ansals (realty giants) were arrested, they proudly announced – when Sanjay Dutt booked under TADA can get bail, why can’t we get it either. Satyam scam, I am sure political leaders, government officials are involved but only poor Raju will be nailed, not that he is innocent, but others, especially political honchos, will get free. We are still no where on Mumbai terror attacks. All we can look upto is a mess of Mayawatis, Lalu Prasads, Amar Singhs, Dutts, Advanis, and so on.
I look back to those teenagers at the coffee shop, and I don’t feel the need to blame them anymore, for that is the kind of picture of India that is being drawn for them. I feel sorry for that girl, but for a different reason now.
I am just waiting for someone like Barack Obama to take the charge of our country, though I have never liked that country US and I still don’t like it today. It is only that man, who makes me feel positive about something; he truly looks kind, composed, transparent, learned, and honest. I wish that our leaders take some lesson from one of his statement – “you are remembered by not what you destroy, but by what you build”. Help us Obama! And well, if I am allowed to dream further, I would even love to see the reins of our country in the hands of likes of Narayana Murthy and Ratan Tata :-)
I continued scribbling some notes in my diary. Suddenly a girl on the adjacent table exclaimed, “So that’s our Vice President, I didn’t know that”. “Poor girl”, I thought. “Chod na, how does it matter, they all are chors only”, said a friend of hers. And then both of them again got busy with their coffee, laughing, cracking jokes etc. I felt sorry for them, that they did not even know the difference between electoral systems for Presidents and Prime Ministers in our country. “So very ignorant”, I said to myself.
I became restless, no matter how much hard I tried to concentrate on my diary. I moved out of that place. Ever since, I have been thinking of that episode, events of the recent past, flashed across my mind rapidly. The Mumbai terror attacks – the hate campaigns thereafter – the political blame game, Satyam scam and the political tussle between Reddy and Naidu, Jayalalita blaming Karunanidhi for something or the others, CPI Leader involved in scam of crores of rupees – everything very despairing. Finally, I sit down to burst out my anger and disappointment.
India’s biggest political broker of today’s time – Amar Singh is ruining the political strata further by introducing Sanjay Dutt and Aishwarya Rai as Samajwadi Party candidates. He is simply exploiting their celebrity status and fan following to achieve success in the next general elections. Playing Munnabhai and winning a Miss World title are not the qualifications for contesting elections. Forget political administration, have they even contributed to any kind of social work and welfare? We don’t want leaders who wear dark sunglasses, roam in limousines, take pallus on their head for namesake, or chant Gandhigiri in films. We want someone who is approachable, who can listen to us, and is ready to work with us. And by the way, we definitely don’t want someone with a criminal record – proven guilty or not. We do not want to nurture any more Gawlis and Yadavs.
The Sena groups (in Maharashtra and Karnataka), assume to themselves the status of moral police and go on a rampage. The Shiv Sainiks cause destruction to the Intercontinental hotel in Mumbai, just because some employees were expelled from services. If you want to fight for the rights, go and talk to the management, and resolve issues. You (Shiv Sainiks) have no right to destroy the hotel premise or beat up the employees and cooks there, it is not your private property. The “sons of the soil”, MNS partymen ask for reservation for Marathi students in Mumbai university. However, the approach is unique – beat up the guard, smash down the gate, destroy properties again, and threaten, threaten, and threaten. You think you will win this way? Sorry Sirrrr! You sainiks flaunt your ideologies being similar to that of the great Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, yes the common cause is fighting for your rights. However, the ways are diverse. While Shivaji protected the helpless, regardless of their caste and creed, you only target the helpless. Shivaji knew for sure who the enemy was and attacked only him/his territory, and ensured no destruction took place. However, you are biased in your approach. If for time being, I assume that you know who your enemy is – North Indians, why are you only targeting the labour class – taxi drivers, milkmen, vegetable vendor, there are North Indians in IT, automobiles, MBA colleges in Maharashtra, why not target them as well. You people will not, for you don’t have the guts, as you know that your state is getting revenue from these sectors so it’s better not to disrupt these areas. The political parties – ruling, opposition, and independents all have an understanding on what to do and how much to do. Why otherwise then, would someone get caught today and released on bail tomorrow.
Muthalik, whose Ram Sene (again one more Sena! phewwww) created a havoc in Mangalore, was arrested and then released on bail. Why? He has publicly announced that he is preparing a Hindu group suicide squad, I saw the footage on Times Now yesterday. Few men were being taught how to aim, fire using rifles, and so on. What is the government and the law waiting for? It has come from the horse’s mouth; we have the evidence of what that man is upto. Go and dismantle that squad, arrest him. Or are you going to wait till some suicide attacks happen? “Ok, 100 dead, 200 injured, now that’s a proper evidence, now we can arrest Muthalik”, is that what we are waiting for? His workers molested girls in a pub in Mangalore. Why? – For boozing. And what you Sene people would have done that very night? Celebrated your valiant deeds (of pulling down skirts, beating up the young women) with pegs of whiskey and vodka. So you men can do it, but women can’t. Strange! Nobody asked for your interference into charting out rights of an Indian citizen. We don’t need doses of secularism from insane fanatics like you. You are protecting our culture, you say. Damn! India is a secular, sovereign, republic nation. I bet, none of the Sene/Sena men would understand a word of it. Coming to culture, Shree Rama, from which you derive your group’s name(Ram Sene), had the highest respect for women. The next reincarnation after Rama was Krishna. Remember the Draupadi vastraharan? Shree Krishna had protected Draupadi with an endless sari. And look what you have done? Exactly the opposite! Harassed and molested the women. You haven’t understood your ideologies well enough. If you understand the Hindu philosophy and culture so well, you must also be knowing the chant – “Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavantu. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti”, which means “May all the beings in all the worlds be happy. Om Peace, Peace, Peace”. A true Hindu will always profess non violence, “Ahimsa Paramo Dharma” (non violence is the highest duty), which you people are surely not practicing.
All these wrong doers are set free; politics is involved in this. Every accused is roaming out there freely on bail. All this is not possible without a political power behind the guilty and the crimes they commit. It gives a free hand to others also to do wrong, lets do it, we will be out on bail and then the case would continue for 10-15 years – is a general perception. Few months ago, when Ansals (realty giants) were arrested, they proudly announced – when Sanjay Dutt booked under TADA can get bail, why can’t we get it either. Satyam scam, I am sure political leaders, government officials are involved but only poor Raju will be nailed, not that he is innocent, but others, especially political honchos, will get free. We are still no where on Mumbai terror attacks. All we can look upto is a mess of Mayawatis, Lalu Prasads, Amar Singhs, Dutts, Advanis, and so on.
I look back to those teenagers at the coffee shop, and I don’t feel the need to blame them anymore, for that is the kind of picture of India that is being drawn for them. I feel sorry for that girl, but for a different reason now.
I am just waiting for someone like Barack Obama to take the charge of our country, though I have never liked that country US and I still don’t like it today. It is only that man, who makes me feel positive about something; he truly looks kind, composed, transparent, learned, and honest. I wish that our leaders take some lesson from one of his statement – “you are remembered by not what you destroy, but by what you build”. Help us Obama! And well, if I am allowed to dream further, I would even love to see the reins of our country in the hands of likes of Narayana Murthy and Ratan Tata :-)
Comments
Todlass mitra, todlass re, chaabook ekdum.
Thanks for the Jan-Jagran...:-))
Lalita