A December night that shook India

The night of 16^th December 2012 was a night similar to any other. But fate had something else in store.

That fateful night told us, in the most blatant and brutal manner, what was needed for us to look up and take notice of a lady’s modesty being compromised. It needed one of them to be driven shamelessly through unresponsive streets while being raped, her private parts shredded by an iron rod amid ‘mar saali’ comments, her intestine being ripped with its pieces found in her stomach, and she then being thrown naked on the street to die in the intense Delhi cold.

And the mayhem didn’t end. The responses raged from outrageous to outright stupid.

“Drunken Lumpens”

“What was she doing with a male at that time of the night in that part of the city?”

“Such things happen to those who deserve them”

“She should have called them Bhaiya and pleaded for mercy”

Ironically, the maker of the last statement is in another rape quagmire, but that is another story. Political and Legislative institutions ran for cover, with the CM, PM and President nowhere to be seen. Supposedly oblivious to all this, the girl herself fought doggedly and died 13 days later. Outside, things got worse. Without a leader and without any organization, India teemed on to streets with only one desire, only one demand. Justice. And it seemed as if nobody know how to handle a set of people who wanted nothing more than justice.

We suddenly realized that we are a nation that not only allows rapes to take place, but also sincerely believes that girls get raped because they ‘ask for it’. The face of country that emerged was terrible, ugly and scary. However, it was a face the nation deserved to see in the mirror. What a pity, a girl had to lose her life, and more, to shake us out of denial and apathy and acknowledge that face.

16^th December used to be a proud day in the history of India for 40 long years. In 2012, all this changed forever.

Today, the rusted and supposedly face-lifted institutions have given a limited sense of closure to the horrific face, by proving the accused as guilty beyond doubt. I hope tomorrow brings the only logical end to this saga, by condemning the perpetrators to the harshest punishment permitted by the laws of India.

It has rarely happened in India that her citizens have looked up to the institutions, expecting them to deliver. And they have been let down when a person old enough to rape a girl and batter her privates with a rod was found ‘not old enough to be punished’. I hope the systems do not let us down again. 

Beyond the rapes

The past few days have been particularly traumatic for the psyche of Indians, and particularly females. Tempted as I am to make this blog a medium of venting my anger, which by the way stops at nothing less than wanting the accused to be released among the crowds at India Gate and letting the 'things take their course', I intend to write on some of the other, more subtle but more dangerous facets of this chronology. 

The dastardly acts of the men on a moving bus need no more specific mentions. But let us face the facts. A rape is a rape, irrespective of where, how, when or by whom it happens. So this case, outrageous as it is, was neither the first one nor the last one. It was also not the most condemn-able one. There are rapes happening all over the country. As I type and as you read, for all we know, there might be one happening within walking distance of where we are. And this really scares the shit out of me. 

However, if we manage to look beyond the maddening haze created by the protests and the aftereffects, there are much more frightening things going on, pleading for an answer. Sharing some of those

• Attitudes of the Leadership - In hours of distress, public looks up to leaders. People want to know what the establishment thinks about things. What we have been seeing is a leadership lying low, burying their heads in the sand like a crazy ostrich and just waiting for this phase to pass, so that once again rapes can be delegated to the side column stories that appear on page 4 of the regional newspapers. 
• Silence of the political brass - When I see Obamas of the World striking a chord with the common public, I long for such a figure in my own country. Alas, all we get is a rehearsed recorded message which I feel was better off not being there. It is amusing that whenever the PM talks, news reads 'PM breaks his silence'. The opposition is equally silent. Utterly shameful. 
• Irresponsible Journalism - The less said the better. The drunken lumpens was a real abyss. The publicity stunt of Times of India, even giving a 'sensational' name to the girl, is unwanted and unwarranted.  
• Labels and Responses - Comparing protesters with Maoists, asking why they need to be responded to. Action against VK Singh. Justification of Lathi Charge and tear gas shells. Shutting down of Metro Stations to force people away from protests. How are all these things justified in a civilized society?
• Questions on the basics - Trying to fix the blame on provocative girls rather than the animals who rape them has become a fashion in the name of pragmatism. Focus should be on instilling fear in minds of rapists. Most of the rapists will never even be reprimanded. This must change. And ultimately, the answer is nothing but education. Not degrees, mind you. Education. 

End of an Era

There are two types of ODI matches. Ones with Sachin in it, and Ones with Sachin not in it. Alas! There would now be none of the first type. 

There will never be the conviction of things being fine because one short, unassuming genius is still out there on the pitch. There will never be the madness, the euphoria and the craze that accompanied each shot that raced to the boundary, each dive that saved a run, each ball that trumped the batsmen. And of course, there will never be the trademark grin that came to be feared by bowlers all over the world. 

Sometimes it is hard to imagine how one sportsman could inspire such fanfare, close to worship. However, anybody who fell in love with Indian Cricket in 90s will agree that it all started because of one person. He was the one who symbolized not just an escape from defeat, but a surge for victory. With him at crease, Indians believed that all bowling attacks are manageable, all totals are achievable and all series are winnable. There was aggression in his unassuming style. There was steely resolve in his subtle frame. There was an unending desire for dominance in his mild manners. He was the symbol of a resurgent India, looking desperately for symbols of pride in the midst of economic, political and social turmoil. He was the only good news in the gloomy newspapers. He was the stuff dreams were made of. 

What can I say today that has not already been said, as a fitting tribute to the man who gave me millions of little joys, over and over again? Just going through the earlier days when I blogged about him...

I wrote about him when the Wankhede crowd booed him, later holding 'Sorry' placards, when he completed 20 years, when he completed 100 centuries, etc... just wish to recount the same...

http://kpriyank.blogspot.in/2006/03/we-have-seen-god_24.html 

http://kpriyank.blogspot.in/2010/10/another-tribute-to-sachin.html

http://kpriyank.blogspot.in/2012/04/this-is-what-i-commented-on-lakshmi.html

http://kpriyank.blogspot.in/2012/03/respect-sachin-respect.html

http://kpriyank.blogspot.in/2006/03/we-have-seen-god_24.html

To sum up, there was a 'troll' going around on Facebook... Mayans were right... the world did end in December 2012!!

We will miss you in India colours, Sachin! Hope the team finds someone worthy of the No 10 Jersey soon!

O Captain, My Captain

There are players and there are heroes. And then, once in a blue moon, along comes one legend who changes the way a country looks at a sport. I could write endlessly about his classy cover drives and lusty sixes over long on. But what this man gave us was much more than pure cricketing joy.

Indian Cricket in early nineties was a classic case of a mediocre team whose fans preferred to shut down their TV Sets once Sachin Tendulkar was out. Winning was not a realistic expectation. It was a fantasy that we all lived when we won. To make things worse, there was the match fixing scandal in 2000, Hardly a great time for someone to take charge of a team. But this man was different. This man was Sourav Ganguly. Things were about to change.

In 2000 itself, touring down under, at 68/3 with Sachin back in Pavillion, the script seemed familiar. But Ganguly had other plans. There was no retreat into a shell. There was counterattack. Suddenly, Indians looked different. Slowly but surely, a new Indian team was taking shape. The greatest opening combination in ODI history was formed. The best middle order in a long while was taking shape. Our pacers were charged up and spinners were aggressive. Suddenly, Team India was transformed. The surge that started in Natwest Final at Lords went all the way through to 2003 WC finals.

With Dada at helm, India played for a win. India played for pride and glory. Something that refuses to die out even today and, hopefully, will never die out. Thanks, Dada, for giving all this to Indian Cricket.

Captain Courageous. Bengal Tiger. Mercurial. Irrepressible. Fighter. Legendary. Or, in other words, our beloved Sourav Ganguly. Indian Cricket will miss you.

A Suitable Dream

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

As a proud Indian, there are many dreams that I see. I call them ambitious dreams. I dream of India as an economic superpower. I dream of prosperous villages and dazzling cities. I dream of visionary leadership taking India to the crescendo of diplomacy. I dream of Indian culture and way of life being recognized, appreciated and celebrated across the globe. 

And then, suddenly, out of nowhere, there comes this wake up call. A lone girl molested in public. Social systems held at ransom by Maoists and Naxals. Another wave of farmer suicides. 

Then, sometimes I think that we are not destined for the ambitious dreams. Maybe what we need are suitable dreams, that will be restricted to reducing the number of people who sleep hungry by a few hundred, or probably people feeling safe enough around their homes. 

But I still dream. Sometimes it is an ambitious dreams. At other times, a suitable dream.

A Great Sportsman, if there was one

This is what I commented on Lakshmi Priya's post... thanks to her for inspiring my thoughts.

http://flighttoinfinitywithlax.blogspot.in/2012/03/means-matter-too.html

It is indeed amusing to see whole battalions of self proclaimed sports experts worrying more about a batsman’s retirement than their own. It is equally amusing to see comments demeaning the greatness of a humble human coming from much lesser mortals who probably will never touch an iota of greatness. And I find it absolutely outrageous that the man who travelled half way across the globe to play for India on the next day of his father’s demise is accused of playing for himself.

Ironically, though, this is the way world works. The great men (and women) receive more brickbats than they could ever deserve.

For me, Sachin Tenudulkar signifies an endless pursuit of excellence, an epitome of humility and an opportunity to see history being created, one run at a time.

He signifies a joy unknown otherwise, even though I know that a time will come when I will miss the flutter in my heart every time he goes out in the field to bat. I will miss the thrill of seeing him employ his cover drives and paddle sweeps, making us believe that we will win this match, because he is playing. I will miss the feeling of assurance of seeing him at work and no target seeming too high.

But long after he is gone, it will be remembered. “Sachin was at the crease, and all was well for India”

No rape before 8pm. We are a Metro

There are thoughts that are practical and rational. Others are impractical but rational. Then there are some which are so outrageously stupid, they make you want to blow your brains out of your nose.

In Boston, when crime rate went through the roof, the best crimebusters of the US were posted there. Back home, officials are busy blaming the girls' dresses, late shifts, will to live a life, etc for all that happens, or could possibly happen, to them. And then the unthinkable happens. A girl is raped at 8pm, by no means a 'late night' for a city like Gurgaon, and the police issues an advisory to girls. Don't work later than 8pm (or be ready to get raped and then don't blame us).

Probably, for all the hype around it, this might be just a stray remark by an irresponsible top guy (we have an awful lot of them). Probably, the social security system lacks the resources and willpower to develop itself.

But my question is, Where are we as a civilization taking our society? Do the lawmakers want parents to teach their kids to restrict their dreams because of personal safety? Shouldn't the perpetrators of crime be made to hear 'Guys, one of these days u r gonna be sc***ed' rather than 'Guys, keep doing your thing, just make it convenient to time them after 8pm'?

And what happens if a rape takes place at 6pm? Time limit revised?

Respect, Sachin, Respect

As the cricketing world celebrates the towering landmark reached by Sachin Tendulkar, what can I say about the great man that hasn't been said before?

Sachin Tendulkar is a rich man. He has the honor and respect of his teammates as well as opponents, love of the common man, blessings of those whose lives he has touched through philanthropy. I, today, wish to give him something that he probably does not have enough of.

I want to say, Thanks to you for doing your best, all the time. Thanks for making us believe that we can also win. Thanks for literally carrying the Indian batting for long phases. Thanks for giving us innumerable reasons to cheer. And more importantly, thanks for taking the undeserved brickbats that we keep throwing at you and you continue to take them in your stride.

Enjoy the ton of tons. This one is for you more than anyone else who kept demanding it from you. To quote your own role model, "Respect, Sachin, Respect."

A New Day in India

Once in a eternity, a time comes in the history of a country when an entire generation declares that it has had enough of something. The moment that we witness today stands testimony to the  fact that this is the closest India ever got to a revolution that reached a logical conclusion without fizzling out, fading away or being hijacked. Here, I try to touch up some points seemingly missed by the popular coverage. 

• A system that works: For all the criticism that the movement faced, including the allegation of being an arm-twisting parallel authority, the fact remains that at the core of the agitation was the acknowledgement and understanding that India has a system that works. All that needs to be done is to force those without willpower to do something that is long overdue. 
• The mass appeal: All those who thronged the streets of Delhi and other parts of the nation were mostly unorganized masses, brought out on the street not by any mobilization campaign but by a realization that time has given them an opportunity to be a part of history in making, a chapter which promises to change the civic fabric of India. 
• MY India, MY Pride: The sea of Tricolour was not inspired by any sporting spectacle or external fervor, but by an intrinsic pride in holding the Tricolour high; a pride that comes from belonging and a sense of attachment to the nation. Also, thanks to Naveen Jindal here. 
• Lack of leadership: This was a flip side. At a time when the movement challenged the executive, judiciary and legislature, declaring openly that the three pillars have collectively failed to give the Indians a corruption free society,   those in seats of responsibility fumbled for answers. Even as the drafting committee was framing the bill, all the political parties without exception shied away from commenting. It is surprising that there was not one man from Parliament (which cleared the bill yesterday, unanimously) who could stand up and say "I support the bill and I will get it through". It needed one man to fast for 12 days to beat some sense of purpose in the Parliament. 
• New Thoughts: A generation that is famously quoted saying that "Is desh ka kuch nahi ho sakta", suddenly woke up to the realization that the country demands change and is receptive and waiting for the change.  The movement convinced the youth that they can stand for change, that they can demand solutions rather than excuses. 

Long way to go even now. It will take  lot of willpower and a lot of efforts to reduce corruption before eventually rooting it out from both public and private sectors. But a great beginning made. Finally, after 8 drafts and 4 decades, it took a Gandhian to teach Gandhi's party some Gandhigiri. 

Hoping for a better tomorrow for my beloved Country. Jai Hind. 

Reply to another "open letter" to Anna Hazare, this time by Rajdeep Sardesai

The entire letter does not deserve a reply. Hence i scanned out the key points and replied in red.

Dear Anna,

In every battle there must come a time when you must call a halt. That time may well be approaching. The halt will surely come. In my opinion, It should come if Jan Lokpal Bill is taken well by the polity

The real danger though now is that a peaceful, non-violent movement runs the risk of being overwhelmed by what Dr Ambedkar, the great constitutionalist, described a fast unto death as, by the "grammar of anarchy." It was his opinion. Not necessarily be bought by others. Instead of acting on the matter, the idea is to have him break his fast. This is the problem with polity.

There have been some signs of this in the last 48 hours that are truly worrying. The gherao of the homes of Members of Parliament may be visually appealing, but it encourages an anti-politician 'sab neta chor hai' rhetoric that could further destroy faith in parliamentary democracy. Enough faith loss has taken place due to scams. Let some be restored with taking up of the Jan Lokpal bill because, clearly, that  is what the nation wants. The increasingly strident language being used by certain members of Team Anna - a term which creates the regrettable impression of you being surrounded by a coterie - is to be best avoided at a time when a rational dialogue is called for. Agree

Only two days ago, a colleague of mine was assaulted in the heart of the capital by a drunk biker gang waving the Tricolour and chanting 'I am Anna' slogans. Not related. Hooligans will be hooligans. Their behaviour should not be considered an indication of public sentiment

The sight of gangster Abu Salem's girlfriend Monica Bedi parading Mumbai's streets with an Anna cap should convince you of the dangers of reducing the fight against corruption to a well-choreographed prime time TV spectacle. Now I am baffled. Simply because someone tries to hike its TRP, the movement is bad?

But to ram through a Bill that has been hanging fire for decades within the space of a few days without a sustained and truly inclusive dialogue with all stakeholders would be self-defeating. There has been enough dialogue over the last two months. See where it got us.

Why not, for example, get the government to commit to a special session of Parliament in six to eight weeks on an amended Lok Pal Bill so that a new, well-considered law becomes a Diwali gift to the nation? Let the Government commit to this. Till now, nobody has. Else, there would not have been a movement on 16th August.

Post-script: I have framed a picture of our meeting earlier this week. The caption reads: "When zero met hero!". India is not Anna, nor is Anna India, but you are now an icon for millions. Please don't allow a personality cult to shadow your ultimate gift of common sense. Asking for removal of corruption amounts to loss of common sense? I see a lack of common sense in the statement.

Reply to 'Open letter' to Anna Hazare

I am too small a person to reply on Anna's behalf, but what who cares... here goes... Replies in Red.


Dear Shri Anna Hazareji,

Gandhiji never resorted to coercion to have his way. Coercion is not used even by ana. Yes, Gandhi employed non-cooperation which is similar to what Anna is using



He never used fasting to blunt his opponent to accept his views and ideals. Gandhi sat on a fast even to solve internal problems of congress, leave aside national issues, for which he fasted repeatedly.



He never abused the British whose rule he fought against (except for one odd remark about a ‘gutter inspector').  But you call the Prime Minister a ‘liar' because he has accepted the Cabinet decision not to include the Prime Minister within the purview of the Lokpal.  Point is, was Anna right when he said this? Yes he was



Dr. Singh is a team leader and does not impose his views on his Cabinet. He hardly has viewpoints. He has only post-activity remarks


This is functioning in the true spirit of democracy where the collective wisdom of the majority is respected as against one's own personal views. He is the Prime Minister, for God’s sake. He needs to have views and opinions for the people to know what he stands for. 


Did Gandhiji ever tell the British: “Come on, jail me,” when he went on fast. No, because he did not want to deny the British government its right to action. Jail Bharo Andolan was used many times by protesters including Mahatama Gandhi
Aren't you whipping up mob hysteria and anger just because the government has not accepted six out of your 40 clauses? Those six are core demands. It is not a fraction. 


Do you mean to say that there can be only your thinking and there shall be no alternative? Says who? Everyone says ‘corruption is bad’. Nobody has ideas on what to do about it. Anna clearly has more than anyone else in the country. 


Your silence about the mining scam in Karnataka is baffling. Why to mix issues?


But you choose to vent your righteous ire on the Prime Minister and his government! Don’t they deserve it?


You say you are not against democracy but against the government. The government, elected by the people can be thrown out at the next hustings. This is democracy. If you are in favour of democracy, why are you against a democratically-elected government that is given a mandate of just five years to govern? So we should be gagged in the time in between those 5 years?

You did a yeoman service, pushing the government to table the Lokpal Bill in this monsoon session. But you cannot say that ‘it should be my team's version and nothing else.' Why not? Does democracy have a compulsion on compromises?
You want to bring all three main pillars of democracy — the legislative, the executive and the judiciary — under the jurisdiction of the Lokpal to function as an effective single pillar for deciding on crime and punishment. Yes
The dance of democracy unleashed by you and your team has every danger of destroying our democracy. The protest is more democratic and, by virtue of signing the agreements, has the mandate of democracy. How, exactly, does it demean democracy?

All is not Lost,,,

I remarked a couple of days back that Anna Hazare has dramatically exposed all that is wrong with the Indian society...


Pessimistic public that cries doom at the drop of a hat, blatant politicians (well, we were not able to trace 5 clean ones for the Lokpal committee... The lesser said the better), opportunistic media which indirectly helped spread the awareness to Pappu Yadav and indifferent icons (read Rahul Gandhi)

However, in such a backdrop, a resolute man (known otherwise to have set up a model sustainable village) has taught everyone a Golden lesson in the language known best to the Father of the Nation. The lesson is, 'All is not lost'.

Hope we never lose this lesson. Ever.

Emotional Atyachaar

It has been quite a while since I wrote about anything controversial... So here goes...

This show hardly needs any introduction... And is so predictable now. Lights, camera, action. Girl is a sweet person, comes to test her boyfriend of seven lives, a hottie sets off to trap him, they flirt around and there is a beep-covered breakup.  Cut. Now, how correct is it?

Assuming it is stage managed, which I feel it is. Then, I say its a masterpiece. Public loves senseless crap and hence deserves it when sm1 makes money by serving crap on national television.

But assuming it is not, many questions arise.

Legally, what is bindaas tv's business what any1 does with his bf or gf? They want to do sting operations to improve the society? Do them on bribe takers and publicity fakers.

Morally, there are three issues. Firstly, if sm1 distrusts his/her partner so much that he/she has to resort to a tv series rather than real life as an acid test, is there any point in a relationship in the first place? Secondly, I believe that emotions and relations get tested by themselves in life. If u test them artificially they are bound to fail since somewhere, the basic ingredient called trust is missing. Thirdly, every relation in life is just one mistake away from total disaster. Even if the suspect passes the 'loyalty test', the relationship has failed since sm1 felt the need to do the test. Does it really make any sense for anyone to do it?

I will say just one sentence in closing it. I am yet to see a TV series as sick as this. I feel that the only reason this works is because it has smooches and obscenities raining after every third frame.

But as I said, we the people love crap so much... TRPs will never be a problem for this show...

Indian Politics: Matter over Mind

Just as I had begun to believe that Wikileaks is moving towards an 'alternate entertainment' status, it has led to a national shame for India.

When I first read the Rahul Gandhi wikileak, my reaction ranged from 'misquoted' to 'blown out of proportion', since it is no secret that extremist Hindu thought streams have endangered lives in our country and continue to do so. But what transpired afterwards is simply outrageous.

BJP quickly (and in my opinion, rightly) blamed congress for weakening India's arguement against Pakistan sponsored terror. Rahul helped nobody by choosing to hide behind spokespersons clarifying the matter. And then, Congress went overboard by saying that "roots of terrorism" in India lie in BJP leader L K Advani's 1992 Rath Yatra, virtually absolving Pakistan.

In effect, because of the ridiculous and meaningless politics, a matter of national interest and international significance has been made a laughing stock and a political punchbag. And Digvijay's unsubstantiated claims have only added to Pakis' smiles and giggles.

'Skewed perspectives' is the only thing that comes into my mind...

Random thoughts of a fluttering mind

This has been the title for more than one of my recent posts... seems the flutter is much more frequent here than actual thought processes... Anyways... here goes...

The Asian games have yet again thrown up the unbelievable hurdles that our athletes have gone through in order to reach the stage when they can reasonably expect their name to be read in the newspapers by people other than their relatives and friends. Some lived in 'teen-shades', others had rooms without loos, most used two generation old equipments and almost all had to pay for their Visas and passports in order to win glory for their nation. All this happened as the honorable IOC chairman was busy eating away the money meant to be spent on the betterment of Indian sport, and shamelessly declaring his own 'victory over all odds'.

3 days ago was 26/11, yet again. Indian ministers made hollow promises and rhetorical calls to Pakistan to act against its terror setup, knowing fully well that it is going to be forgotten in a day, yet again. Some Indians paid homage to the martyrs and bravehearts of the fateful day, yet again. Headlines of substandard weapons and non-bulletproof boats made the front page, yet again. I remembered that the key perpetrator has been in Indian custody and continues to make a mockery of Indian Judicial system. Yet again.

We expect Pakistan to act against its friends, when we have been unable to act against our enemy. Ironic.
Kasab used to eat off Pakistani plates. Then he attacked India. Now he is borne by India. Again, Ironic

We expect US to act against Pakistan, but fail to find the will to act on elements within India who threaten to tip apart the fabric of Indian integrity. Yet again, Ironic.

Signing off now... will be back with some more flutter or thoughts, as the case may be.

Another tribute to Sachin!

In 1989 at Sialkot, blood falls on the pitch as the toddler in cricket world takes a hit on face from the fearsome Waqar Younis. Asked by the non-striker Siddhu to retire, the kid says "Main Khelega". Next ball is out of the long on boundary for a four. The hostile Pak crowd is stunned. A gritty fifty follows. A legend is born.


That is my earliest memory of the great Sachin Tendulkar. After that, people said his bat is too heavy for a long career. He carried that, along with India's hopes, for 20 long years. They said he can't score when India needs him. He kept on scoring so much that nobody ever felt there was a need for anybody to score. They said he is worn out. He completed 12000 test runs in 2008, 13000 in 09 and now 14000 in 2010.

We rejoiced with him as he led India through desert storm. We cried for him as he lost a battle to a hurting back and India lost to Pak. We stood in applause and respect as he dedicated his century after 26/11 to the martyrs. We felt our goosebumps as he declared in face of regional politics that "I am Sachin Tendulkar and I play for India".
He was the cutest boy India had ever seen. He became the most loved poster boy. He became the mentor in chief to the teammates. He became GOD to cricket fans.
Close your eyes and think Indian Cricket. Tell me if you don't see Sachin. May the God continue to rule over the followers. We will gleefully give up any sight in the cricket world, just to see one of your drives!

The poster at a test match summed it up as "We have seen God. He bats at No.4 for India."

Ram and Allah

This is going to be my shortest blog. 4 lines in Hindi followed by a closing remark. But I guess it says all that is to be said by me.

मंदिर तो बन जायेगा, पर राम कहाँ से लाओगे? 
उस मस्जिद की दीवारों को, क्या पाक कभी कर पाओगे?
जिस चौखट पर लोग जलें, राम वहां ना जायंगे , 
जिन गलियारों में खून गिरा, मौला क्या रह पायंगे

Ultimately, what we should do? Well, let them fight on what they build... Mandir or Masjid and what they read... Ramayan or Quran. Let us see if we can help the poor build their huts and read ABCD.

Is shame the name of this game?

The hottest topic ever... How could I have not blogged on it? So the games preparation is pretty much as screwed up as practically possible... There are bridges falling, canopies collapsing, false ceiling tiles crashing, beds giving way from under your bums, dogs availing the hospitality of the games village, what all and what not. Crazy. Unbecoming. And frightening. Till now the worst we had heard was the wrong national anthem being played. This has redefined all that was known to go bad. But what I actually intend to address and answer are two basic questions.

First one is moral. As a responsible citizen that I claim myself to be, should I blast open whatever happens that is derogatory to my pride as an Indian? Or should I ignore all that and keep goody goody stuff in the front of my mind and presume that all will be well through the hifi jugaad technology and spread the joy of the games? Well, I think patriotism is tough love. Unless we point out what is wrong in us, how do we go ahead? I would rather face the shame that is very real than indulge in blissful ignorance, 'All iz well' types. If the preparations are bad, so be it. I will hate it and feel ashamed about it.

Which brings me to the second question, which makes more sense to me and my life. Where did we go so wrong that when the pot boiled over, there was no way to plug anything? I feel there are two reasons. Firstly, we are so used to things happening wrongly that we sincerely believe that something or the other WILL be wrong. And we ll fix it at the last moment. Jugaad. We need to learn that the times are gone when it could work. Today's projects are not delivered like that. Second reason is management philosophy. We have all seen that in complex projects, privatization alone works. The public sector machinery is neither agile enough not equipped well to handle them, because the best talent is no longer there.

So far as my blog title goes, no, I don't think that shame is the name of the game. The damage to Indian pride is irreparable but can be compensated if games go well. But the lessons from the debacle are, in my opinion, too valuable to be forgotten. Best of Luck to the games. They need it a lot.

Ye kahaan aa gaye hum

Things I could do better when I was in college
1. Painting / Drawing
2. Slog mentally
3. Play Volleyball
4. Make jokes
5. Manage events
6. Run complex design softwares
7. Write papers
8. Manage people and teams
9. Keep myself updated
10. Have crushes
Most importantly, Enjoy life! College times are best.

Of kidney stones and dear friends

Just came back yesterday after spending two and half eventful days in a nearby hospital for a mini-stone in kidney (if you may) that got easily flushed out without any surgery or even laser.

It was actually a wonderful time spent... idling on weekdays, TV all day, reading to my heart's content, homemade food from frnds' and relatives' homes, calls all day, jolly visits from friends who ran early from office to see me, so on and so forth. The home-made treat continued even a day and a half after I had been officially discharged.

At another level, it made me realize that the real take-away from the last few years of my life is not a degree from one of the best colleges, not my name on the domestic terminal, not the salary that they pay me for it, but the friends that I made in the period.

Love u all... I couldn't have done anything without you. You turned it into a picnic rather than an ordeal. Can't thank you enough.