MODesty

No one in this country has succeeded by peddling arrogance. Any aspirant to higher position in public life must also learn to be humble, a good listener, knowing that simple etiquette like throwing arms and showing fingers would generally be taken offense of, praising ones own deeds and  repeatedly  making false claims on your own personality would always bring ridicule, unrestrained usage of words would bring hostilities from people of even simple values.

Using jingoistic harangue to subdue opponents may make you appear like a hero within your community,which itself might be living in an illusion of crowd mindset,  but would ultimately lead you to  isolation and humiliation.

TV news: indiscipline as freedom of expression

Evening news watching is increasingly becoming distasteful. Channels unleash arrogant , politically biased, pseudo-journalists as anchors on the viewers , not delivering news but sermonizing distinct political agenda behind , not difficult to make out. It had been most uncomfortable watching recently a Hindi news channel , I happen to tune in which prides in claiming itself the most watched and 'fastest', using language knitted with evidently politically biased commentary in chaste Urdu ( deliberate?) for Pak PM who was on a private visit. I felt ashamed that a personal visit to a religious place was being misused to seek political mileage.
The gross indiscipline prevalent in many private news channels misusing available freedom of expression may one day prompt someone who gains enough despotic power to put curbs on this very right ( and sifting the probable self proclaimed candidates for future rulers, it does seem possible !!). The loss will be for the people . These acts are not that of responsible pillars of democracy and it's time some rational sense prevails.These are not our tradition. People will see through it .
Fortunately on my  satellite News menu starts with DDNews. And lately I have been finding less and less reasons to jump ahead.

Ahoy !! Hyderabad

No effort at individual level is done by majority of us to cleanse the society of evil of schism fracturing the very existence of India as a nation. When blast happens we leave victims aside and start vigorously sieving the ministerial and administrative actions which can satisfy our political inclinations. During other times we forget our responsibilities and go full blast encouraging rogues and criminals posing as politicians masquerading as messiahs of community and some even of development and progress. It's primarily oxygen for appearing popular we provide to them which results in tragedies like this. Facebook and twitter register thousands of encouraging messages applauding rogues when they deliver hate speeches prompting some to contribute their bit by indulging in acts like what happened at Hyderabad. Let's stop even mentioning these thugs next time when they rise to speak. Kill their existence from newspaper columns and stop following them on social media. Let's look within how much we have as individual done to bring harmony in society.

Do all potential criminals know of our plans for them?

Everyday I cross subway connecting Palika Parking to Regal at Connaught Place,New Delhi. Ironically though it is located in busiest district of the Capital, very few dare to walk through it, any time of the day. Having phobia of getting run over by DTC buses over the road , I take this haunting detour which should otherwise be natural choice for all. I come across almost everyday 3-4 frail, dirty men sitting and bending awkwardly with heads joining to make a secure tent like heaven for lighting and smoking ganja . People walk very briskly to avoid them. When I walk past them I look back if some one is behind . Women rarely cross this subway.
I don't think these potential criminal looking guys ever watch Television and know about the protests at Jantar Mantar and India Gate. These roughs must be unaware of anything which can 'teach them a lesson' and scares them that a  new  law could be  in making by parliament's special session.
No law will ever rid us of all the crime if we have people who are uneducated and live at the  fringe of society and remain perpetually unaware of the 'concern' expressed at India Gate , Twitter and Facebook.

Shades of same Delhi...

Delhi is a lawless city. Ironically one can find this manifest worst amongst the protestors at variety of agitations at Jantar Manta or at India Gate every now and then. Happenings near India Gate and Raisina Hill today are similar organized events. It's quite  fashionable here to display gross indiscipline by agitators particularly playing to the gallery (TV cameras ). Whether it's corruption or recent rape case the protestors calling themselves spontaneous peaceful agitators for social cause, end up showcasing lawlessness of  real brute Delhites. Forgetting that this is same basal lawless mentality which  when turns malignant  gets manifested some day  in kind of crimes these protestors appear to be fighting against .  I see every now and then at metro stations, unruly well educated looking youth disregarding queues and pushing people out. Contrast this with Mumbai where same age youth volunteer at bus stops to manage queues and leave Anna alone in Azaad Maidan.

Criminals behind wheels

I feel appalled and anguished to learn that many school bus drivers keep , as I had been told , a big stick to scare away small vehicles coming their way !

Ever since I first visited Delhi , I have been wary of a community of professional drivers ; particularly the ones who man public transport . Be it bus driver or auto driver (that also includes cleaners , conductors and helpers as they invariably interchange roles ), one can find them indulging in fleecing of customers at railway stations , at airport or in markets any day. At nights at bus stands and at metro station even the innocent looking ones turn wolves and with little help from attending cops put you through humiliating surrender .

Hundreds of people have been looted and many even killed by cab drivers plying from airport in Delhi . One can find these drivers happily harassing and even thrashing passengers everyday somewhere in the city for petty demands. In past twelves years I have never come across a single rickshaw driver who would ply by meter and won't argue for fare and destination. Drivers at wheels of bigger vehicles like buses look down upon other road users and have least regard for traffic discipline. Interestingly perhaps cops consider them part of their own 'society ' and hardly venture forward to take any action unlike car owners who go through strict scrutiny for jumping of signals, over speed and drunken driving. It's common to experience a bus honking you out of the way if you happen to be ahead of it on a red signal- traffic lights are not meant for them and you would be obstructing his way !

It may perhaps be their vagabond lifestyle which makes them that ill mannered and fill them with criminal intents. False sense of safety within confines of their vehicles and ease to get away because of the mobility , aid their acts. No doubt, some of the most heinous crimes reported in Delhi get attributed to these drivers . Before they are allowed on the roads, administration must do something very serious to train every professional driver of Delhi in social behavioral practices and sensitize them towards respecting the laws.

2014- Choices we have

In India, it has never been the ablest winning past the electoral mark, it has always been the best among the available lot.

The margins of winning votes has always been unstably thin and could trip either way. Congress despite its compounding problems is better placed any day than the directionless , policy-starved , infighting lead opposition which also has been lately exposing weakness of its leadership by allowing and protecting bad-mouthing unbecoming of aspiring candidates for top posts . Personal attacks and below the belt hits have always boomeranged in elections as these are traits disliked most by general public ( not necessarily social media activists-who appear more visible (but) among themselves !!).

Now if Ruling party has one year to improve its image , the Shadows too have one year to spruce up. If both learn, even now, to behave, public will have better choices available to elect from in 2014.

Retail liberalization

'Great Indian Middlemen' trading in sinful Mundies and having traditional leaning to a particular political class and who had been looting consumers in towns and villages for centuries will be only ones who will feel pinch of retail liberalization.

Notional loss is myth

Todar Mul must be posthumously condemned for giving ownership of all land in individual hands depriving many Govts from Mughals , Britishers to present ones, of huge capital gains we see today on land prices.

Wealth like energy more or less remains same only gets redistributed. I fail to understand if some private entity promises to pay thousands of Crore on royalty/lease to Govt through auction route how will it recover such large sum without squeezing public ?

Very few knew of what a 'spectrum' is ( many still don't know) till Govt harvested thousands of Crore on 3G auction. Skeptics got opportunity to calculate notional losses on 'what-if' for past allocations basing their maths on what was discovered for 3G and now are extending that to coal mines as well.

People must stand warned

It's irony that worst damage to the country since Independence, has been done during past two years by those criminals who are posing as saints trying to protect the society .
Shameful , violent acts by definitely organized gangs near high security zones of Delhi is clear evidence that well oiled and established political machinery is behind such crimes. The participants ,particularly their leaders, can't claim to be fighting war for general public but are playing a dangerous proxy war on behalf of those who see damage to the national values as stepping stone to win next general election . The way todays' protest was conducted , can't be done by innocent general public but was clearly a clandestinely organized and rehearsed act which needs planning and backing of established groupings. People must stand warned . Nation is under ambush from very people who claim to be most patriotic , all for petty political gains.

Bofors really pains so does Chitra

Tales of a lady journalist from Switzerland has single handed kept India on spin for two n' half decades because all her stories lead towards a lady from Italy. She keeps producing pigeons of illusion from single basket for years which so far have all turned air. It's time this 'eminent' journalist is brought to India and grilled thru legal channels to settle all she has been doing once for all. If that means proving her version true let that be so. Bofors really pains so does Chitra. It is absurd to think that every Indian court has been nonsense and a retired obscure white cop from a foreign country is holy cow who has last word.

Congress must shed apologetic character if it needs to survive

Missile is only scientists' success, right to education becomes SC's idea.If Govt allows CBI to go after corrupt it's CBI doing good job but if CBI investigates in Gujarat, then congress is misusing it. No credit to govt for allowing impartial investigations. Look at tweets of Modi he keeps taking credits for even smallest of local routine performance issues. A party whose national president was caught red handed taking bribe successfully keeps profile of purity but congress lets opponents throw shoes at it. Had Indira been at helms she would have , like Modi and Mamta, gone to rooftop shouting credits for herself on achievements like missile test or right to education. But present leadership either does not know simple politically essential PR or are goaded to suicide. Turning foolish act of allowing enemy to invade our unprotected boarders into opportunity to romp home to power for a caretaker govt was how smart PR machinery could be deployed perhaps. Farmers and consumers both are crying foul for price rise while middlemen , the known support base of RIGHT are not only making huge money on commissions but creating right conditions for their political masters to blame govt. And look at Congress, they are posing apologetic taking all blame on themselves. There are everyday achievements govt must seek to own and take credits but this govt allows itself to be bashed up at streets for something it is not responsible even. This is utter political failure. Congress must wake up and take stand to project it's achievements in positive perspective if it wants to minimize damage at next elections.

Rogue mindes; phoney coup ...

Five hundred odd soldiers made to look like turning over the largest and strongest democracy , is news only rogue and misguided section of society could produce . If that section wears garb of some 'self tagged pillar of democracy' we need to be more vigilant because it is they who find more opportunities to throw tantrums based on self declared emancipation from all social norms and controls, if caught nakedly misguiding.
I remember same newspaper in eighties used to be distributed 'free' at Churchgate to hundreds of commuters crossing over to Asiatic side only to flame trouble with juicy news about tiff between Rajiv and the President. The end of parliamentary democracy was being pictured. For years ( not just days or weeks - 2-3 years ) it featured every day news articles about it's version of corruption at high places (a business house and Rajiv was at center). All news from very 'eminent award winning independent' senior journalist/editor and equally 'respected' finance scribe . The hot news, followed for years, could never be proven however the same journalists (?) officially later revealed themselves to had been a prominent members of a beneficiary political party...!!

So much for independence of media !!

Why do hill people only pay for protecting environment?

Why don't Sadhus who fast for stopping power projects on Ganga and its tributaries, go and fast for stopping all polluting industries in Delhi, Kanpur, Ahmadabad, Mumbai and Kolkata? Rivers flowing there are less holy to these self proclaimed protectors of environment and religious pride? The environmental issues are of concern to hill people only ? Only they should sacrifice development for guarding world environment and Hindu religion?

Natural assets like minerals are always monetized in other parts of the country for bringing prosperity for the people. Water and its strategic flow, as through our hills, is an asset which would yield unparalleled prosperity for people if monetized successfully. There is hardly any other resource worthy of creating such wealth in Himalayan region. If this asset along with our forests are to be kept away from business of development for sake of whole of the country, than other regions must reimburse proportionate wealth to the people of hills. If we are made to stop monetizing rivers and forests of the Himalayas for sake of environment and religion than total potential of the hill regions should be assessed and notional losses and loss of business (development) opportunities must be calculated and paid back as cash to the hill states. Some holy men must come forward to fast unto death on these issues !!!

Till such time State ( and people) must not pay heed to emotional blackmailers. How fast we catch up with rest of the world will determine our fitness to survive in long run and no one is waiting for us to catch up unless we have already decided to surrender ourselves to the backyard of history for sake of religion and false jingoism. Choice is ours.

FIELD journalists of electronic media

Let's wake up. Indian democracy gets its crudest attack from the FIELD journalists of electronic media many of them being juvenile,mediocre and inexperienced. With virtually no editorial control over what they speak LIVE on TV, it is time that some mechanism is put in place to make Channel owners, editors and these 'spoiled children' accountable and strictest jails terms prescribed to deter such delinquency and bring back some order and quality to the journalism as is prevalent in print media. Special courts should be set up for quick trails for such offences if required. Independence of media can't be a tool to black mail and claim absolute impunity