Its election time and contrary to the popular belief that posters, cut outs, banners, flex boards and mega stages for elections campaigns essentially reflect the mood of times, something else has caught the imagination of the voting crowd in our esteemed democracy. The lack of posters, banners and other advertisement entities are due to the limitations from the Election Commission (while that is debatable! They do mean unnecessary use of money, but a lot of educationally under-privileged people whom I have conversed with do not know their candidates without these).
Oh No! It’s not going to vote that they are excited about, but something else even more powerful with which THEY THINK they can transparently convey their eons of displeasure on the political system and the baseline setup. Well, the title must have given you the theme of my post this time around. For the oblivious, I have named it ‘Elections and Footwear ‘or ’throwing footwear at your leader’! Who better to choose than the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition, the Home Minister and a Chief Minister for the honors?! While its history that George W. Bush was accorded this treatment by an Iraqi journalist protesting the US occupation in Iraq and other atrocities, that has set a bad precedent across the world!
We must have dived to the lowest of ebbs to have concluded that this is the way to remind the politician brethren of difficult times that we have been subjected to. While it is every citizen’s right to express his/her vocal opinion about the state of affairs especially to the elected representative, how can we possibly think throwing your slipper merits better attention? The educated crowd in this country has been quite popular at thrashing the highs and lows of every politician worth his salt and blogosphere is the wall where everything is painted for everybody to see. And now, their educated brains have overworked and out came a retired TEACHER and an ENGINEER who did the honors of insulting the pride (again debatable!) of the whole nation. The whole world is watching the Indian elections and the formation of a new government in the second fastest growing economy with bated breath and this is how we behave? Education is a benefit for the financially fit it’s the moral responsibility for the educated to lead the not-so-privileged from oblivion and this is the way we teach them! SHAME ON US!
Now, do not get me wrong, I have my own share of rants (the idea of the whole blog!) against the whole political setup and policy making that we have been subjected to. But I strongly believe we are headed in the wrong direction. We should be voicing our opinions about job losses, growing disparities between the rich and the poor, a grounded education system and others important issues. Voicing this opinion can be done in a variety of ways! How many of us would vote in the current general elections?! Voting is the means by which you and I can make a statement by electing a capable leader who could be trusted in seeing people’s aspirations become reality! If you do not like a leader do not vote for him. That will have a much bigger impact than churning hideous ideas to be heard.
What were these nutcases thinking? You throw your footwear at them and they will immediately accept defeat and turn a new leaf? Stop giving them the right to manipulate the lives of people. Vote based on merits of the candidate, not on the scale of the goodies that these candidates provide during election times. Development is a long term agenda, you start right and then you can see results. All the wealth and new jobs that we have/ had (recession, you see!) were due to the steps taken in 1991. We will have to make a fresh start at doing this and also ensure that this trickles down to the different layers in the society marginalized due to caste, religion, gender etc. A minute’s mistake in electing a crook can reverberate into inactions for five complete years! We could also take our problems to the extremely energetic news media that will be more than happy to add them to their ‘BREAKING NEWS’. And for a change instead of listening to newsmen discussing if Slumdog Millionaire deserved an Oscar, how heartbroken Shahid would have been after the breakup with Bebo and numerous other discussions that let you cringe the moment you look at it, we could be talking sense!
I have seen the news channels making an impact in a few cases, it is our duty to highlight our plight. It’s for us re-shape our destiny and you simply can’t blame everyone else if it bombs. So what are you waiting for? TIME TO MAKE A STATEMENT!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Chain of Thoughts
It’s good news that I am thinking after being dormant for a while and yesterday all the conditioned parts of my brain were working overtime into a chain of thoughts. And the source of ignition for these thoughts was none other than ‘Mommy Dearest’! Now that my mother and I have decided that we will talk just twice a week on the phone, the two times we talk are nothing but her seasoning my behavior with her endless advice.
‘Endless’ is an understatement; she has a set of worries about yours truly and his life always that I’d be worried if she isn’t worried about anything at all! So usually I call and after the initial pleasantries, she’d zoom in with her talk and that’ll be GAME, SET and MATCH because all you can do is keep listening to it and hope you won’t be questioned in the end! She’d never shout at me but voicing the same information a zillion times in the 15 minute conversation can be a little too tedious for me to listen.
I called her yesterday, after the initial conversation that revolved mostly about my darling niece I mentioned to her that I had spoken to my sister and that she had bought a new phone! She already knew about the new phone and then she mentioned to me that my sister had been using her old phone for 4 years, she was tired of it and so she wanted a new one! While it sounded like a perfectly genuine reason to me it was bothering her a little. Now that my sister had spent close to 20G on the phone, mother then complained that my sister had to be extra careful with it especially with my niece around (7 months is when kids learn stuff the ‘Humpty Dumpty way’ and so you never leave anything pricey nearby)! I casually mentioned to her that we’d never break a phone or for that matter anything just for the sake of spending big bucks on something much fancier. After having failed miserably to reassure her about how responsible my sister and I were, she asked me a plain question. She said “If you drop a two rupee coin accidently when you are busy with something else, would you pick up the coin or would you leave it for later now that you know where the coin is?”
That was a neat question and I was stumbled with the choices ‘Yes’ or ‘No’! Though the obvious answer should have been ‘Yes’ I really wasn’t sure if I would do that in the first place. To make matters worse I remembered once when I was rushing to work, I was flipping the pockets of my trousers searching for the bike keys and I dropped a 5 rupee coin and I didn’t bother to pick it up until my roommate picked it up later that day to smoke it off! All this thinking was happening while I was on the phone with her and the next few minutes were just me listening to her though I don’t have the slightest clue as to what she was talking!
I put the phone down and then walked into the house, looked around and exclaimed “What a DUMP!” It has been the same ever since my prodigal roomies turned it upside down in the vain search of the elusive rat (just one I was told!). But suddenly the house looked uninhabitable. First the 2 rupee coin, then the house and the enlightenment didn’t halt there. It veered into diverse topics like my expenses rising exponentially and I didn’t have anything left until the end of the month, my time on the TV occupying most of the day (and night!), me going to the gym now history, my guitar to be put on auction at Christie’s and my eating habits turning exactly the way they should not be. I don’t reason out personal stuff like this often but with just one rant my mother decided to put me in order and it worked like a charm (I mean at least the reasoning part).
For my thoughts to see the light of the day I need loads of extra fervor to put them into action but for now I am happy that I have a huge list for the new year’s RESOLUTION (good things start at a good time!). Until then I’d be doing the herculean task of identifying all others aspects of my life that would have to be added to the list. I see a busy year for me!
‘Endless’ is an understatement; she has a set of worries about yours truly and his life always that I’d be worried if she isn’t worried about anything at all! So usually I call and after the initial pleasantries, she’d zoom in with her talk and that’ll be GAME, SET and MATCH because all you can do is keep listening to it and hope you won’t be questioned in the end! She’d never shout at me but voicing the same information a zillion times in the 15 minute conversation can be a little too tedious for me to listen.
I called her yesterday, after the initial conversation that revolved mostly about my darling niece I mentioned to her that I had spoken to my sister and that she had bought a new phone! She already knew about the new phone and then she mentioned to me that my sister had been using her old phone for 4 years, she was tired of it and so she wanted a new one! While it sounded like a perfectly genuine reason to me it was bothering her a little. Now that my sister had spent close to 20G on the phone, mother then complained that my sister had to be extra careful with it especially with my niece around (7 months is when kids learn stuff the ‘Humpty Dumpty way’ and so you never leave anything pricey nearby)! I casually mentioned to her that we’d never break a phone or for that matter anything just for the sake of spending big bucks on something much fancier. After having failed miserably to reassure her about how responsible my sister and I were, she asked me a plain question. She said “If you drop a two rupee coin accidently when you are busy with something else, would you pick up the coin or would you leave it for later now that you know where the coin is?”
That was a neat question and I was stumbled with the choices ‘Yes’ or ‘No’! Though the obvious answer should have been ‘Yes’ I really wasn’t sure if I would do that in the first place. To make matters worse I remembered once when I was rushing to work, I was flipping the pockets of my trousers searching for the bike keys and I dropped a 5 rupee coin and I didn’t bother to pick it up until my roommate picked it up later that day to smoke it off! All this thinking was happening while I was on the phone with her and the next few minutes were just me listening to her though I don’t have the slightest clue as to what she was talking!
I put the phone down and then walked into the house, looked around and exclaimed “What a DUMP!” It has been the same ever since my prodigal roomies turned it upside down in the vain search of the elusive rat (just one I was told!). But suddenly the house looked uninhabitable. First the 2 rupee coin, then the house and the enlightenment didn’t halt there. It veered into diverse topics like my expenses rising exponentially and I didn’t have anything left until the end of the month, my time on the TV occupying most of the day (and night!), me going to the gym now history, my guitar to be put on auction at Christie’s and my eating habits turning exactly the way they should not be. I don’t reason out personal stuff like this often but with just one rant my mother decided to put me in order and it worked like a charm (I mean at least the reasoning part).
For my thoughts to see the light of the day I need loads of extra fervor to put them into action but for now I am happy that I have a huge list for the new year’s RESOLUTION (good things start at a good time!). Until then I’d be doing the herculean task of identifying all others aspects of my life that would have to be added to the list. I see a busy year for me!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Susan Boyle
Now, who is Susan Boyle? A 21+ London bred British woman whose looks have caught the imagination of the whole world through all forms of communication media, can’t do acting for nuts but happens to be Daniel Craig’s next woman in bed, scandalous relationships for a start and who will die to obscurity in a couple of years. Congratulations, you are partly correct and mostly wrong!
Well, where you are correct are that she is from the UK (Scottish in particular), the most popular woman in the world right now with 25 million YouTube hits and you are wrong by a yard with the rest! She is a 47 year old frumpy ‘never-been-kissed’ (let alone scandalous relationships!) amateur singer and church volunteer who came to public attention on 11 April 2009 when she appeared as a contestant on the third series of “Britain's Got Talent”. Boyle found fame when she sang "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables in the competition's first round. Now the reason why she became so popular is because of her perfect rendition of the song which stumped the judges and audience at the amphitheatre!
I know what you are asking, someone sings well and so she becomes popular? Well there is a history to the whole incident. “Britain's Got Talent” is being judged by three people, Piers Morgan, Amanda Holden and a very hard to please, Sultan of Sarcasm - Simon Cowell. Cowell is notorious as a judge for his unsparingly blunt and often controversial criticisms, insults and wisecracks about contestants and their singing abilities, or lack thereof.
Before she sang, the judges and the audience were skeptical because of the way she was dressed, her unkempt hair and awkward mannerisms! They were cynical by deciding that she would be another joke of the day especially when she said she wanted to be another professional singer to the likes of Elaine Page right from her childhood. Video clippings showed how the audience reacted to replies to the introductory questions from Cowell and I’d be ashamed if I were them.
The stage was set and Boyle starts on the perfect note and seconds later ‘Aaaawh’ went Cowell and Amanda. The next three minutes she enthralled the whole crowd with the song that in the end nothing befitting could be done other than a standing ovation. Morgan mentioned that this was the most exceptional shock that he has received in his life; Amanda said that it was a privilege listening to her sing and Cowell was so bowled over that he is heard to have signed a contract with Boyle for the worldwide release of an album. As for the audience are concerned all the scorn and hostile attitude turned into absolute delight after she was through the auditions to the semi-final.
Don’t judge a book by its cover – this is too popular a saying for me to plagiarize but don’t we all make that mistake almost every day? Even though we have been bred through childhood constantly reminded that every being has a purpose and looks, status etc. do not indicate the character or skills of that person, we never seem to learn. I saw the video and I ain’t a big music buff and this wasn’t just another song but a musical talking about the struggles of 19th century France. But music needs no language and her performance just drew me out that I have watched it close to 15 times! Way to go Susan and I might just be lucky to buy your album soon!
On a side note I’ve got the lyrics of the song that she sang and who better to sing it than the one who chased her dreams to see them soar high – poetic justice indeed!
I dreamed a dream in time gone by, When hope was high
And life worth living, I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving, then I was young and unafraid
When dreams were made and used and wasted, there was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted.
But the tigers come at night, with their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hopes apart, as they turn your dreams to shame
And still I dream he'll come to me, that we will live our lives together
But there are dreams that cannot be, and there are storms we cannot weather
I had a dream my life would be, so different from this hell I'm living
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.
Well, where you are correct are that she is from the UK (Scottish in particular), the most popular woman in the world right now with 25 million YouTube hits and you are wrong by a yard with the rest! She is a 47 year old frumpy ‘never-been-kissed’ (let alone scandalous relationships!) amateur singer and church volunteer who came to public attention on 11 April 2009 when she appeared as a contestant on the third series of “Britain's Got Talent”. Boyle found fame when she sang "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables in the competition's first round. Now the reason why she became so popular is because of her perfect rendition of the song which stumped the judges and audience at the amphitheatre!
I know what you are asking, someone sings well and so she becomes popular? Well there is a history to the whole incident. “Britain's Got Talent” is being judged by three people, Piers Morgan, Amanda Holden and a very hard to please, Sultan of Sarcasm - Simon Cowell. Cowell is notorious as a judge for his unsparingly blunt and often controversial criticisms, insults and wisecracks about contestants and their singing abilities, or lack thereof.
Before she sang, the judges and the audience were skeptical because of the way she was dressed, her unkempt hair and awkward mannerisms! They were cynical by deciding that she would be another joke of the day especially when she said she wanted to be another professional singer to the likes of Elaine Page right from her childhood. Video clippings showed how the audience reacted to replies to the introductory questions from Cowell and I’d be ashamed if I were them.
The stage was set and Boyle starts on the perfect note and seconds later ‘Aaaawh’ went Cowell and Amanda. The next three minutes she enthralled the whole crowd with the song that in the end nothing befitting could be done other than a standing ovation. Morgan mentioned that this was the most exceptional shock that he has received in his life; Amanda said that it was a privilege listening to her sing and Cowell was so bowled over that he is heard to have signed a contract with Boyle for the worldwide release of an album. As for the audience are concerned all the scorn and hostile attitude turned into absolute delight after she was through the auditions to the semi-final.
Don’t judge a book by its cover – this is too popular a saying for me to plagiarize but don’t we all make that mistake almost every day? Even though we have been bred through childhood constantly reminded that every being has a purpose and looks, status etc. do not indicate the character or skills of that person, we never seem to learn. I saw the video and I ain’t a big music buff and this wasn’t just another song but a musical talking about the struggles of 19th century France. But music needs no language and her performance just drew me out that I have watched it close to 15 times! Way to go Susan and I might just be lucky to buy your album soon!
On a side note I’ve got the lyrics of the song that she sang and who better to sing it than the one who chased her dreams to see them soar high – poetic justice indeed!
I dreamed a dream in time gone by, When hope was high
And life worth living, I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving, then I was young and unafraid
When dreams were made and used and wasted, there was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted.
But the tigers come at night, with their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hopes apart, as they turn your dreams to shame
And still I dream he'll come to me, that we will live our lives together
But there are dreams that cannot be, and there are storms we cannot weather
I had a dream my life would be, so different from this hell I'm living
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
The Triumph of Democracy
Why would anybody blog? To express the inner thoughts many would say, some might find this a way to vent their anger. Others would have the smallest of reasons like attract the opposite gender (does that sound like a mating call!) and I might be one of them (not the mating part for now!). But the reason for this post is not remotely close to my sinister ambitions.
Can there anything bigger than the Indian general elections? Masqueraded as the largest democratic exercise in the world, a marathon exercise that spans multiple phases and after a month the next government is sworn in (a coalition of rainbow colours probably)! By far all the elections across the years (14 until now!) have had a plank on which the political parties, both nationwide and regional have based their manifestos, campaign and tirade against the other parties. But elections this time are a tad different that parties still haven’t been able to identify the single most important issue that the people want the next government to take up.
If it’s fighting terrorism at one political rally, corruption in another and personalised attacks the next day. The media both electronic and print haven’t helped things by an inch. When most of the parties where sunk in thoughts to engineer issues that they could capitalise on a certain ‘Gandhi’ sprang in action. He has been the most discussed person over the past few weeks by any measure. But the thing that was annoying much more than anything was the response of the other parties to the hate speech. They have now added the creation of a secular government as part of their manifestos. Duh! Isn’t that the obvious! A country with more than a billion people with a dozen different religions and equally divided caste system and parties surprise you with these absolutely hideous thoughts!
Next has to be stopping terrorism! On one front a set of people has been losing sleep that ‘Mohammed Afzal’ has not been hanged as yet! Now the other goes one step further by asking why the former released terrorists’ aeons ago when a bunch of lunatic men hijacked an IA aircraft. WTF?!?! According to one lady spokesman of the grand old party of the country, Afzal happens to be 23rd on the list of people on the death row (The most likely to be killed list?)! We are in a recession, saving jobs and livelihoods of people has to be one of the pivotal things that the super literate statesman bunch should be talking about and the motley crew has steered the discussions into why, when and where should terrorists be hanged or saved. Now people do not get me wrong! I was one of you pained to see the carnage at Mumbai and felt helpless as things unfolded. Fighting terror has to be one of the principles of every political setup. But that’s like having a fool proof mechanism by which you and I can walk the roads and live our lives as we please.
When an estimated 300 million are living on less than Rs. 20 per day and a huge family to feed aren’t we supposed to change their lives? But accusations and counter-accusations have become the order of the day that expecting a government to do its duties has become too much of an ask! Getting their act right and prioritising issues at hand and seeing them to delivery is what we require! Not if a certain Gandhi’s goof-up graduates him to be booked under the NSA or a blatant comparison to find the most corrupt lot (the latest is the Coffin Scandal VS. Israeli defence Scandal). Though they bring some cheer to you at unusual times with their talk (Yesterday, a big mouthed spokesman of the RED brigade voiced his concerns that corruption a decade or two ago was in the tune of ten of crores involving an elder Gandhi but now the Israeli defence scandal was to the tune of hundreds of crores). Now, who was losing sleep working these figures out!?!?
But in all these disappointments and NAXAL attacks across the country, seeing people energetically going to vote hoping for a new dawn has to be the TRIUMPH OF DEMOCRACY over years of never ending failures. Even though the voting crowd in this country quite clearly understands that the whole political system needs a revamp and nothing close to that is visible in the horizon, their hopes and aspirations of seeing a better tomorrow will churn a revolution never seen before. And that ensures that this argument is never ending and I have something to rant about pretty so on.
So long Folks!
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