Wednesday, December 18, 2013

The Source Code for Damned if you do, Damned if you dont

Begin (The drama of Indian Politics)

if (Arvind Kejriwal says No to Government Formation)
{
   They say "you dont have guts to Form the government "
}
if (Arvind Kejriwal says Yes to Government Formation)
{
    They say "we told so that you are B team of Congress"
}
if (Arvind Kejriwal asks for clarity on Support)
{
      They say "you are arrogant"
}
if (Arvind Kejriwal says we will ask people via SMS and letters)
{
    They say "you are making it a reality TV"
}
if (Arvind Kejriwal says we will seek people opinion)
{
    They say "you are making a mockery of representative democracy"
}
if (Arvind Kejriwal says Lokpal is weak)
{
    They say "do you even believe in establishment"
}

End

In life, history is witness that new ideas have always been ridiculed, laughed at, called irrational and finally the new ideas triumphed. Big companies which could not keep up became history. People who could not change went into oblivion. Same thing will happen to those political establishments who refuse to accept the new rules of the game.

As none other than Mahatma Gandhi said, "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you and then you win".

So laugh as much as possible those of you who cannot gauge the new age politics as we see unravelling.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Should AAP form the government in Delhi ?

Should AAP form the government in Delhi ?

That has been the million dollar question making rounds and has been the hot topic of discussions amongst people, both those who are interested in politics as well as those who are not interested in politics.

Delhi elections have been very unprecedented in Indian Politics. A brand new party like Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) comes out of nowhere and before anyone could even understand what its capabilities are, what it could do, the party breezes through with 28 of the 70 seats of Delhi assembly, stunning the political analysts, experts and opponents. It took sometime for folks to digest what has just happened. And then the real game started.

Congress, the party that has been ruling Delhi for the last 15 years was decimated to 8 out of 70 seats.
BJP, the party that was in opposition for the last 15 years got 31 out of 70 seats.
AAP, the newbie who experts said may get around 10 to 15 max seats ended up getting 28 out of 70 seats and getting the vote of 1 out of every 3 people.

Remember that BJP and Congress had almost the so called experience of several decades. Whether that experience is good or not is for the Indian society to decide.

The downside of this election process has been the stark fact that Delhi people failed to give a clear majority to any single party. A clear majority means getting more than half of 70 seats which is atleast 36. So, the question is what next ?

AAP was not any traditional party. It was born out of the need for transparency in Indian Politics. It was born out of the need for more participatory democracy. It was born out of the need for people power. It was born out of the need for the eradication of deep rooted corruption in Indian poitics. It was born out of the need for better education, better health, access to utilities to all the sections of society and not just a select privileged few.

AAP, naturally has been strong on its stand that it will neither take support of Congress nor BJP. How can it take support from Congress and BJP when they refuse to divulge their funding sources ? How can it take support from Congress and BJP when they refuse to come under Right to Information Act (RTI) ? How can it take support from Congress and BJP when they refuse to pass a strong Lokpal or Lokayukta ? Fundamentally, AAP is quite different from Congress and BJP. 

The story that has unravelled after the elections has been unprecedented as well. The pressure that has been mounted on AAP has been unbelievable.

Typically, the single largest party is invited first to form the government. In this case, it is BJP. If history is any evidence, then with just 5 seats short of single largest majority, if it was any other state with no AAP with its transparent politics in the role, BJP would have turned all stones to ensure they formed the government at any cost. But, by entering into politics, AAP has not only becomes a serious contender but has also changed the rules of the game in a serious way. So much so that, BJP, inspite of being the single largest party decided to sit in the opposition and would not try to get the extra support by hook or crook. Thats a positive sign. Whether BJP continues to do that in other states or at national level is a guess for everyone. 

Now comes the turn of AAP. What should AAP do ? AAP has already categorically told that they would never align with Congress or BJP as they stand today. This is when, lot of people, several of them with vested interests start playing the dirty game in the politics of pressure tactics. AAP is being blamed that they are shying away from real governance. AAP is being blamed that they cannot fullfil their manifesto promises and are hence nopt willing to form the government. And several such insinuations have been made on AAP.

AAP asked why cant BJP and Congress come together to form the government ? Congress says that they have serious ideological differences with BJP and hence cannot support BJP.
Question is, since when AAP and Congress are idelogically aligned ? Since when AAP and BJP are ideologically aligned ? Never unless Congress and BJP change their ways of doing politics.

Interestingly, congress goes out of its way to say that it gives unconditional support to AAP. History is the witness to the definition of unconditional support from Congress, where Congress has pulled down governments at its whims.

AAP knows that Congress and BJP are trying to play very carefully the responsible card, ahead of Lok Sabha elections and have laid a huge trap for AAP. 

The strange problem infront of AAP is, if AAP refuses support, some people are saying AAP is irresponsible. If AAP takes support, same people will say AAP is the B team of Congress and were always aligned with Congress. So, in such a situation of dirty trap laying politics, what should AAP do ?

AAP has sent a letter to both Congress and BJP asking for clarification on 18 agenda items of AAP. AAP has asked them to respond on whether they will support AAP on those 18 items. Because it is very important to ensure that Congress and BJP do not indulge in betrayal politics. So what happens next ? BJP refuses to respond to the letter. Congress responds but says that it never said unconditional support. So, is the truth really coming out on the real agenda of Congress and BJP ?

In my opinion, AAP has never beeing shying away from responsibility. But being a newbie, it has to be very careful in its actions. The only support it has is people support. AAP has been bringing in new changes to the Indian politics, albeit, to the discomfort of several of those who are used to the traditional isolated politics of India where your role is limited to voting every 5 years and not at all in decision making. In fact, it will take time for people to adapt to the new style because we are not just used to this. We are not used to being asked by politicians for our feedback.

The only option infront of AAP is, to go back to people and ask them for their opinion. And just do what people say.

As of the time of writing of this blog item, AAP has just done that because it is left with no other option. It cannot deviate from it pre-poll stand. At the same time it cannot let itself be branded as irresponsible. AAP is planning to send 25 lakhs (2.5 million) letters to a sample population of Delhi households seeking their opinion. It is also using the latest technologies of seeking people opinion via SMS as well. It has been difficult for some people to digest this and they are quick enough to brand tis effor tas reality TV tactics. But, when a paradigm shift happens in any field, whether it be technology or politics, we have to be open minded enough to welcome new ideas that will eventually turn out to be better for the society and the people.

So, to the people, the question goes : what should AAP do ? What do you want AAP to do ?



Saturday, October 12, 2013

Who will you trust this time ?



Friday, October 11, 2013

Support Aam Aadmi Party :: Support the Revolution against corruption

Dear Friends,

I hope the following note conveys my thoughts through to you.

Throughout our lives we have wondered why is there so much corruption in India ? Why did we have to pay bribes to get work done ? Why dont the government offices just do the work without any hassles ? Why do we have to pay to get a driver's license? Why do we have to pay to get a gas connection ? Why are there so many scams? The questions are endless. And after a while we just accepted the reality as an unchangeable truth and moved on. Because, we felt there is nothing we can do about it since we are powerless as individuals. We just told ourselves that this is how things are and there is nothing that can be done.

Over the last several years, lots of good and bad things have happened in India. Let me first highlight on the bad things. The number of scams and corruption cases have really shocked the nation. Thousands of crores of rupees have been stolen in the form of 2G scam, coalgate, commonwealth games and so on. Investigations keep happening but nothing comes out.
Safety of women has taken a deep dent. What has really frustrated the people of India is that justice has been unusually delayed to such an extent that the culprits pretty much go unpunished. On one side is a population who struggles to have two square meals a day and on the other side is this huge amounts of money siphoned off from the government exchequer. No wonder then that crores of rupees have been allotted to infrastructure yet we see no roads without potholes, we see no drains working properly during rains and no area with proper garbage disposal. These are just a few instances. The actual list is really long to jot down here.

The underlying root cause has been that the political class has really taken the people for granted and the people have let them do that. And hence the saga has continued for decades. They pass laws as per their convenience and the people have just lived with it.

Now, comes the good part. Over the last few years, the citizenry has really woken up with a desire to do something about the sad state of affairs. This might be because there is ultimately a limit to tolerance. They really want to do something about it and have started looking for avenues to channelize their energy to correct the corrupt system. That is why when Anna Hazare started his Jan Lokpal andolan, people found their voice there was a massive support throughout the country, something, the political class never expected and were completely taken by surprise. Thats when they challenged Anna's group to join politics if they dared. But Anna was not very willing and wanted to pressurize the government from outside.

But, Arvind Kejriwal, one of the architects of the Jan Lokpal movement and a core member of Anna's group wanted to take up that challenge. They realized that if something has to be done about corruption, they have to enter politics. Usually getting into politics has been seen with suspicion by the people of India in recent times. This was expected knowing the political class and the corruption cases against many of the leaders. But when Arvind Kejriwal decided that he will take on the political class politically by forming the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), he demonstrated that he will take the bulls by the horn. What happened next was pleasantly surprising. Instead of suspicion, there was a massive outpouring of support to AAP from not only Indians residing in India, but from Indians all over of the world.

AAP has decided that they will start by contesting upcoming elections in Delhi and then spread out to all over India. Delhi elections are going to be held in November 2013 that is, next month.

AAP needs funds but only clean funds and they ensured that each and every detail will be maintained on their website. They have recently crossed Rs. 12 crores. The individual donation amounts ranged from Re. 1 to Re. 1 crore. That shows how much people are willing to stand behind AAP and Arvind Kejriwal in their struggle, passion and dream to build a society free of corruption, a society with accountability and justice, a society with a bright future for the next generations and a society that every Indian will be truly proud of. 

But the task is daunting for a new party like AAP. It doesnt have money power. It doesnt have muscle power. Neither does it depend on these. What it believes in and has is honesty, credibility and passion to achieve the dream. And it heavily depends on grassroots support. It depends truly on Aam Aadmi, the common man. And aam aadmi has strongly come out in support of AAP.

It is our responsibility to lend our support whenever there is a hope for a change for the better. And we can lend our support in several ways. No action is smaller than the other. If we are in Delhi, we can volunteer on the ground. If we are outside, we can publicize the message. If we are financially stable, we can lend our financial support.

Why do I support AAP? To list a few :
1. I as an Indian believe that we are tired of same parties ruling and increasing corruption in all the regimes.
2. AAP is the only party that supported all parties to come under the purview of RTI.
3. AAP is the only party that supported Supreme Court verdict on disqualification of convicted criminal MPs
4. AAP is the only party pushing for Jan Lokpal to prevent corruption
5. AAP supported making Central Beaureau of Investigation (CBI) autonomous
6. AAP supported Right to Reject and Right to Recall which all parties opposed.

So, please lend your support in the way you think is best. Please donate for this once in a moment revolution for a better India.

I hope you are also feeling very optimistic like me and several other Indians throughout the world about this grassroots movement towards achieving the dream of a proud India and a proud Indian.

Please feel free to forward it to your friends.

https://donate.aamaadmiparty.org/

Thank You for your time,

Sunday, October 06, 2013

Are we feeling relevant in our democracy again ?

Young 20s to 60s yr olds going door to door in Delhi to campaign because they feel something special in doing this.

Young 20s to 60s yr olds organizing awareness camps throughout the world for AAP because they are feeling they are contributing their bit and are not feeling any politics in it.

Young 20s to 60s yr olds calling the citizens of Delhi and informing them on how the future of the country lies in their hands.

Young 20s and 60s yr old going to Ferozeshah Kotla ground during a cricket match and holding banners raising awareness about AAP.

Why are they doing this ?
Not because they have political ambitions but because they are feeling blessed that they got a chance to do something for the country that is within their reach.

Because they are feeling like they have got an opportunity to answer that perennial question asked of them whenever they complained about the system : "What are you doing about it?" "Did you vote?"

And the answer : "Yes, beyond voting, I am selflessly trying to do my bit in creating a corruption free India by inspiring people to vote for the new kid named Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and give a chance and break the vicious circle of status quo"

And they are saying : "By doing this, I am feeling relevant in my democracy again".

How ?
 

See this : 

How AAP Made the common man feel relevant in democracy again 

Wednesday, October 02, 2013

One of the Most Shameful Moments in Indian Democracy

You were unanimous in bringing the Ordinance
You were unanimous in withdrawing the ordinance

This, by the way was not the behavior of a group of drunken rogues. This behavior was by the members of the ruling government. And if this is the level of the responsibility and maturity shown by these ministers, then indeed the first class citizens of India are governed by a third class governance.

This is why you, the political parties, should come under RTI exclusively so that the people of the country know who were the people who pushed for the Ordinance and who were the people who pushed for the withdrawal. Because this will enable the people to decide whether to vote you or to kick you out of the office.

Do you really want to know what the people are thinking ? You dont have to do elaborate research. Statistically, just go to the newspapers and read the comments. Every comment clearly corroborates the fact that people know this was your drama. You staged this drama. Not a single comment believes that Rahul Gandhi didnt know. Not a single comment believe Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi didnt know. Not a single person was foolish to believe that the ordinance would have come through if Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were against it.

Who are trying to fool ? The answer is, yourself. 




Monday, September 30, 2013

Wish the best for AAP



เคตोเคŸ เคนเคฐ เคตोเคน เคต्เคฏเค•्เคคि เคฆेเค—ा เคœो เค‡เคธ เคฆेเคถ เคฎें เคฌเคฆเคฒाเคต เคšाเคนเคคा เคนै !
เคตोเคŸ เคนเคฐ เคตोเคน เคต्เคฏเค•्เคคि เคฆेเค—ा เคœो เคถीเคฒा เคฆीเค•्เคทिเคค เค•े เค•ुเคถाเคถเคจ เคธे เคฆुเค–ी เคนै !
เคตोเคŸ เคนเคฐ เคตोเคน เคต्เคฏเค•्เคคि เคฆेเค—ा เคœो เคญाเคฐเคคीเคฏ เคœเคจเคคा เคชाเคฐ्เคŸी เค•े เค‡เคธ เคชैंเคคเคฐे เคธे เคฆुเค–ी เคนै เค•ी เคœเคฌ เคœเคฌ เคนเคฎ เค‰เคจเคธे เคฌंเค—ाเคฐू เคชे เคฌाเคค เค•เคฐเคคे เคนैं, เคฏेเคฆเคฏुเคฐเคช्เคชा เคชे เคฌाเคค เค•เคฐเคคे เคนैं, เคจिเคถंเค• เคชเคฐ เคฌाเคค เค•เคฐเคคे เคนैं, เคตोเคน เคฐाเคฎ เคฎंเคฆिเคฐ เคฒे เค†เคคे เคนैं, เคฐाเคฎ เคธेเคคु เคฒे เค†เคคे เคนैं, เคนिเคจ्เคฆू เค”เคฐ เคฎुเคธ्เคฒเคฎाเคจ เคฒे เค†เคคे เคนैं !
เคตोเคŸ เคตोเคน เคนเคฐ เค†เคฆเคฎी เคฆेเค—ा เคœो เคฆเคฒिเคคों เค•े เคจाเคฎ เคชเคฐ เคฐाเคœเคจीเคคि เค•เคฐเคจे เคตाเคฒे เค‰เคจ เคฒोเค—ों เค•े เค–िเคฒाเคซ เคนै เคœो เค•เคฐोเฅœों เค”เคฐ เค…เคฐเคฌों เคฎें เค–ेเคฒ เคฐเคนे เคนैं !
เคตोเคŸ เคตोเคน เคนเคฐ เค†เคฆเคฎी เคฆेเค—ा เคœो เคฒोเคนिเคฏा เค•े เคธเคฎाเคœเคตाเคฆ เค•ा เคจाเคฎ เคฒेเค•เคฐ เคชเคฐिเคตाเคฐเคตाเคฆ เคšเคฒाเคจे เคตाเคฒों เค•े เค–िเคฒाเคซ เคนै !
เคตोเคŸ เคนเคฐ เคตोเคน เค†เคฆเคฎी เคฆेเค—ा เคœो RTI เค•े เค˜ेเคฐे เคฎें เค†เคจे เคธे เคฌเคšเคจे เคตाเคฒी เค‡เคจ เคธाเคฐी เคชाเคฐ्เคŸिเคฏों เค•े เคเค• เคนोเคจे เค•े เค–िเคฒाเคซ เคนै!
เคตोเคŸ เคนเคฐ เคตोเคน เค†เคฆเคฎी เคฆेเค—ा เคœो เคธुเคช्เคฐीเคฎ เค•ोเคฐ्เคŸ เค•े เคตเคฐ्เคกिเค•्เคŸ เคฎाเคจเคจे เคธे เค‡เคจเค•ाเคฐ เค•เคฐเคจे เคตाเคฒे เค‡เคจ เคธाเคฐे เคฆเคฒों เค•े เค–िเคฒाเคซ เคนै !

Friday, September 27, 2013

Stop the Ordinance Nonsense

Stop this nonsense drama on the ordinance.  It is terribly confusing the citizens of India. They are not able to understand whats going on inside the Congress and whats going on inside the government. Lots of theories could be formed around Rahul Gandhi's "torn and throw away" comment today on the ordinance to protect the convicted criminals.

Being the Vice President of the party, was he really unaware of the decision ? You want people of the country to believe ?

One striking point is, everyone knows that in the next elections, if congress indeed comes to power, its Rahul Gandhi who is going to be the Prime Minister. So, has Manmohan Singh become politically disposable now for Rahul Gandhi to gain some brownie points ? Was this carefully crafted so that people would think , "oh see the younger generation like Rahul and Milind Deora are against ordinance. Great lets forgive congress, ignore Manmohan and vote for them". I wouldnt be surprised if this was the master plan of Congress. Otherwise, Rahul better answer the questions on why he did not make his stand public even before the ordinance reached the President's office, was he unaware and so on. Replace Rahul with anyone else making that comment in that press meet and he would have been kicked out of the party by now. So much of equality and democracy.

Second striking point is, is there something cooking between Congress and Nitish Kumar now that the latter has officially disassociated himself from BJP ? So, in other words, is this a strategy of congress to dump Lalu and align with Nitish since it is more promising politically ? Note that Nitish immediately welcomed Rahul's statement on the Ordinance.

I am sure all the news channels are super smart to not see these theories.

Chanakya would have felt stupid to see today's India's politics.

Sunday, September 08, 2013

May Lord Vinayaka give us strength

Every year, this time, we pass on the same statement "Wish you a happy Ganesh Chaturthi".

This time around, I wouldnt say that. I would pray to Lord Vinayaka to
Give us the strength
Give us the courage
Give us the vision
Give us the wisdom
Give us the character
To respect the women
Give us the spine
to punish the monsters
who treat them inhumanly
Give us the memory
Never to Forget Nirbhayas
So that we can bring them justice
Give us the power to
Work tirelessly
So we can see the day
we can truly be proud of
our country, our judiciary, our police, our government. 

Shri Vinayaka is the remover of obstacles. I pray to him to help us remove the obstacles of depravity, corruption and the corrupt individuals so that the country and its people see a brighter tomorrow and their SWARAJ.

There are so many wonderful people working in different segments to make the country a better place to live and to ensure every human being gets his/her right. May all of them be blessed with all the strength to continue their efforts.

One of them is Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its working in the political segment. I ensure to mention their name in every blog I write to do my minisicule bit to propagate the message. May Shri Vinayaka give them the opportunity to bring in the change in the country that people are looking for.

And lastly the coincidence of the day. I have been trying to donate to AAP for the last few weeks and always failing because of one reason or other like the bank website not working, forgot the password and so on.  Finally I managed to make the donation on this auspicious day of Vinayaka Chaturthi. Wow what a coincidence that no obstacles came in the way. Thanks to the God who removes the obstacles.

If you are optimistic about a change, do check out http://aamaadmiparty.org/  and if convinced and if you are an Indian citizen, do donate because they are depending on grassroots and individual small donations for their campaign. If convinced, do spread the message too because they are depending on that too. 

Friday, August 23, 2013

19 Years back and the new journey

It was drizzling. It was a new town. It was a nice cloudy and cool evening. I just got off the bus with a suitcase in hands. My father was accompanying me. He was a bit concerned. He would have to go back leaving his son in the hands of strangers of this new town. He was not used to this. Yet both of us were very proud. Our eyes were bright. There was smile on our faces. And we were eager to get out of the bus station and proceed towards our eagerly awaited destination. The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. Yes, and it was 19 years ago this month. I had just cracked the Joint Entrance Examination and gotten admission to IIT Kharagpur. It was a matter of pride to all of us then. May be it is a matter of pride even today. One rickshaw agreed to take us to the IIT campus. He would charge a premium, one since it was drizlling and two since we were new and excited enough not to mind shelling a five or ten rupees extra. As the rickshaw started moving towards the campus, my eyes started exploring the new town. It was a very sleepy green town and seemed that there are only two things in this town. The IIT and the railway station. I was wondering where am I going to get stuck for the next four years. As I was thinking and exploring, we were in front of the IIT gate after 20 minutes. As I moved into the campus through the main gate, suddenly I felt as if I have moved across two different layer of atmosphere. The difference between the outside and inside was stark. The outside looked like a underdeveloped poor town predominated by slums. Inside was pristine, clean, green and shaded by canopies of the trees.

Rickshaw guy asked : "Kaun sa Hall jaanaa hai "
My father responded in his excitement before I could even open my mouth : Viday Sagar
And started giving directions as if the rickshaw guy did not know the direction. My father felt like he knew everything since he visited once before for my counselling phase.

After 5 minutes we were in front of the Vidya Sagar hall of residence, the place were the first year students would stay for one year. It was an attempt to save the newbies from ragging :-).

Some of the seniors were waiting to help the new comers into hall and guide them to their rooms. These seniors would go on to become some of the great friends of the future.

They were serving samosas and jalebis to the new students and their parents. There were many parents accompanying their kids. I was wondering, wow all these brilliant students. Some of them would be my classmates. And now some of my best friends.

That was the drizzling earth smelling beautiful evening that set out of the course of the next four years and the rest of the life. Some of the best years spent in the middle of brilliant people. In brilliant discussions. In brilliant evenings. In brilliant solitude. In beautiful explorations.

That beautiful drizzling evening. 19 years back this month.

Monday, July 08, 2013

For Hope and for Change : I support AAM Aadmi Party

Very rarely do such moments happen. Very rarely have I seen in my life till now. A moment when a strong challenge is posed to the status quo prevailing in my country. Until then we keep complaining, whining and sulking about everything that is wrong in the country that we grew up in. We complain about the corruption. We complain about the lack of infrastructure. We complain about the traffic. We complain about the pollution. We complain about lack of cleanliness. We complain about the lack of safety. We complain about the crime. We complain about the lack of justice. We complain about the powerful getting away with impunity.

We complain because that is the truth. Because at the bottom of our hearts we are deeply anguished at the state of affairs. But we also realize that we do not even feel empowered to do anything about it. We feel we are too insignificant to do anything about the rot prevailing. And that anguish tranforms to surrender and we do surrender to the reality of satus quo. We wish someone else comes forward and does something. Because not all of us do. That is ok because not everyone of us need to. All will be fine if we just did our work well and honestly. May be this is a justification I am giving to myself. May be this is a justification we all are giving to ourselves. And we don't see anything positive in near sight.

Thats when something unbelievable happens. Someone really comes forward and tells us that he will fight it out. He gives us a hope for change. He tells us that he will work towards correcting all that we have been complaining about. He also tells us that it is difficult but possible. And suddenly now we are again confused. Again we are now confronted in our minds with thousand questions. Who is this guy again ? Is he in his senses? Is this really possible ? Is it too good to be true ? Is it some Utopian non sense? And we start doubting him. We start scrutinizing his every movement.

Let me now take this moment to come back into reality from my dramatization of the situation in my country. I am talking about the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). I have not seen in my lifetime till now an alternative challenge given to the status quo in the magnitude given by Aam Aadmi Party.  And thats the change I am looking forward to.

When a challenge is given to status quo, we have no option but to be optimistic. Pessimism will not get us anywhere and it will be like a ship stuck at the shore. Only when we go into the ocean will we realize whether we will sink or will ride on the waves.

Will the Aam Aadmi Party become corrupt in future ?  Who knows ? May be it will. That doesn't stop it from forming today and work towards corruption free and safe India. May be it will form enough checks in place for it to stay incorruptible. Thats my optimism. We must believe and we must be optimistic towards change. For our own sake. We have no other option.

We have seen years and years of behemoths like Congress and BJP forming Governments. What have we achieved ? Have we reduced ourselves so much that we are proud of even miniscule achievements? We only need to compare with some of the developed countries on all these parameters. These days, the government takes forever to finish a project and  we are still very proud. Isnt it a time to introspect ? 

Right then, an alternative political formation is formed on the principles of level playing field and I am very optimistic. Because I do not have any alternative. I cannot afford to be pessimistic. I am optimistic about the people leading that front. I am optimistic about their grassroots experience. I am optimistic about their feelings towards the value of life, rich and poor. I am optimistic about their judgement. I am hopeful about the change they would work towards bringing.

But it is in our hands to make AAP successful. They are being honest. They are being transparent. They are heavily dependent on us, the common man for our support. We can donate our thoughts. We can donate our time. We can donate our ideas. We can donate our suggestions. And finally, we can donate our money. They are ensuring that all the donations they raise will be transaparent.

There are so many ways to contribute to the change. There are so many ways to contribute towards this hope. And this is our decision on what we can do to bring in the change.

I am definitely going to donate my time, my money for promoting this change called AAP without worrying and getting too much stuck into all things that can go wrong. For now, its all about optimism and hope.

To donate : https://donate.aamaadmiparty.org/

I wish all of us donate. A billion people donating a rupee with trust for hope and change makes a huge difference and a huge investment into the future of our country.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

humaaree duvidhaa humaara hak

เค•्เคฏा เค‡เคธ เคฆेเคถ เคฎें, เคจाเคฐी เคนोเคจा เคชाเคช เคนै ?
เค•्เคฏा เค‡เคธ เคฆेเคถ เคฎें, เคจाเคฐी เคนोเคจा เคถाเคช เคนै ?
เคฆिเคจ เคถुเคฐू เคนोเคจे เคธे เคฐाเคค เคคเค• เคฆिเคฒ เคฎें เค›ुเคชा เค•เคนीं เคกเคฐ  เคนै
เค•ोเคˆ เค˜ूเคฐเคคे เคจ เคฐเคนे
เค•ोเคˆ เคชीเค›ा  เคจ เค•เคฐे
เค•ोเคˆ เค›ू เคจ เคฒे
เค•ोเคˆ เคนाเคฅ เคชเค•เคก़ เค•เคนीं เค–ींเคš เคจा เคฒे
เค…เค—เคฐ เค†เคตाเคœ़ เค‰เค ाเคฏे เคคो เค•ोเคˆ เคนเคฎाเคฐी เคœाเคจ เคจ เคฒे เคฒे
เคนเคฎें เค†เคœ़ाเคฆी  เคนै เคฎเค—เคฐ เค•ौเคจ เคธी เค†เคœ़ाเคฆी
เค•เคนเคคा เคนै เค•ोเคˆ เคนเคฎ เคจाเคš เคจเคนीं เคธเค•เคคे
เค•เคนเคคा เคนै เค•ोเคˆ เคนเคฎ เค…เคชเคจी เคšाเคน เค•ी เคœ़िเคจ्เคฆเค—ी เคœी เคจเคนीं เคธเค•เคคे
เค•เคนเคคा เคนै เค•ोเคˆ เคนเคฎ เคœो เคšाเคนे เคชेเคนเคจ เคจเคนीं เคธเค•เคคे
เคคो เค•เคนเคคा เคนै เค•ोเคˆ เคนเคฎ เค˜เคฐ เค•े เคฌाเคนเคฐ เคฆेเคฐ เคคเค• เคฐเคน เคจเคนीं เคธเค•เคคे
เคธเคฌเค•ी  เคนเคฎ เคชे เคฎเคจเคฎाเคจी เคนै เคคो เค•ौเคจ เคธी เค†เคœ़ाเคฆी เคนै เคฏे
เค•ौเคจ เคธी เค†เคœाเคฆी เคนै เคฏे  เคœเคนां เคนเคฎाเคฐी เคธुเคฐเค•्เคทा เคจ เคนो
เค•ौเคจ เคธी เค†เคœ़ाเคฆी เคนै เคฏे  เคœเคนां เคนเคฎाเคฐी เค•ोเคˆ เคšाเคน เคจ เคนो
เค•ौเคจ เคธी เค†เคœ़ाเคฆी เคนै เคฏे  เคœเคนां เค˜ुเคŸ เค˜ुเคŸ เค•े เคœीเคจा เคชเคก़े
เค•ौเคจ เคธी เค†เคœ़ाเคฆी เคนै เคฏे  เคœเคนां เคกเคฐ เคกเคฐ เค•े เคœीเคจा เคชเคก़े
เค˜เคฐ เค•े เค…เคจ्เคฆเคฐ เค˜เคฐ เค•े เคฌाเคนเคฐ
เค…เคจเคœाเคจों เคธे เคชเคนเคšाเคจों เคธे
เคนเคฐ เคฎिเคฒเคจे เคตाเคฒों เคธे เคนเคฎें
เคธाเคตเคงाเคจ เคฐเคนเคจा เคชเคก़เคคा เคนै
เคคो เค•ौเคจ เคธी เค†เคœ़ाเคฆी เคนै เคฏे
เคฏे เค•ौเคจ เคธी เค†เคœाเคฆी เคนै เคœเคนां เคœुเคฐ्เคฎ เค•เคฐे เค•ोเคˆ เค”เคฐ เคŠँเค—เคฒी เค‰เค े เคนเคฎ เคชे
เคฏे  เค•ैเคธा เคธเคฎाเคœ เคนै เคœो  เค…เคชเคจे เคจिเค•्เค•เคฎेเคชเคจ เค•ी เค—เคฒเคคी  เคนเคฎ เคชे  เคฅोเคชे
เคฏे  เค•ैเคธा เคธเคฎाเคœ เคนै เคœเคนां เคนเคฎें เค…เคชเคจे เคนเคฐ เคนเค•़ เค•े เคฒिเค เคฒเคก़เคจा เคชเคก़े  เคœूเคเคจा เคชเคก़े
เคฏे เค•ैเคธा เคธเคฎाเคœ เคนै เคœเคนां เคนเคฐ เคฆिเคจ เคนเคฎें เค…เคชเคจा เค…เคธ्เคคिเคค्เคต เคธ्เคฅाเคชिเคค เค•เคฐเคจा เคชเคก़े

เคจा เคฎंเคœ़ूเคฐ เคนै เคนเคฎें เคเคธी เค†เคœ़ाเคฆी เคเคธा เคธเคฎाเคœ เคเคธे เคฒोเค— เคเคธी เคธोเคš

เค•्เคฏा เคตเค•़्เคค เค† เค—เคฏा เคนै เคœเคนां เคนเคฎाเคฐी เคธुเคฐเค•्เคทा เคนเคฎाเคฐे เคนी เคนाเคฅों เคฎें เค† เค—เคฏी ?
เค•्เคฏा เคตเค•़्เคค เค† เค—เคฏा เคœเคฌ เคฐाเค•्เคทเคธों เค•ो เคธเคฌเค• เคธिเค–ाเคจे เค•े เคฒिเค เคนเคฎें  เคนी เคฎाँ  เคฆुเคฐ्เค—ा เคฌเคจเคจा เคชเคก़े ?





Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Another Scam, and the choice we have

I will not be surprised to know how much sick the citizens of India must be feeling in their stomachs just thinking about their sick, dishonest and immoral policy makers and leaders of their country. Because I am feeling the same too. And yet, there is this huge sense of hopelessness in everyone's hearts. Everyone must be thinking, why is this happening to this country ? What is happening ? Why are scams happening one after another ? Olympic scam, chopper scam, 2G scam, cash for votes and the list goes on.

The most frustrating thing is that the government just sits mum and refuses to respond. Nothing can be more depressing than not getting any response. What a legacy our great prime minister will be leaving. 

We feel so helpless that people have to choose between one hopelessness and the other. Congress comes and we get a set of scams. BJP comes and we get another set of scams. In the great democracy, we don't even have the choice to recall a candidate. We do not even have a choice to choose none of the candidates standing for elections. We are practically without any choices literally when it comes to choosing our policy makers. This needs to change. And the government and the parties who have already developed their muscles will fight tooth and nail in bringing about any change that may give a hint of hurting their turfs. Classic example is the case of Lokpal struggle. 

During these moments, we the people are left with no option but to try new things or otherwise rot in our status-quo. These new choices may or may not turn out to be correct choices but we are left with no other option but to try alternatives. 

We need to just ask, are we going to just choose between one of the corrupt parties for ever? Are we going to just ignore everything and keep cribbing ? 

Or are we going to say, we will do something? It need not be earth shattering. But it can be as small as within our capacity. 

I think it is high time, that we need to try alternatives. One such alternative that is evolving is Aam Admi Party. I do not know whether it will succeed or not. I do not know whether it will stay clean or not. I do not know whether it will be able to bring in even small changes or not. But I do know that I have to try new things. We send a clear message to the establishment that the citizenry of India is nimble and optimistic enough to give a chance to new options. We need to stop being cynical. 

We need to put our weights behind the new party. We can help in several ways. We can be actively participating. If not, we can just attend rallies when possible. We can donate very small amounts of money so that they can sustain their campaign. We need to motivate our friends to consider newer alternative options. We need to inspire them to try out alternatives and not sit doing nothing. Just do something. No action is small. 

In the recent elections in United States, the whole big corporate donors and millionaires with their big amounts of money were lined up to vote out Barack Obama. What sustained Obama's campaign was huge grassroots support where common people were super inspired to support and where individual donors donating very small amounts just stood up like huge pillar against these corporate and other lobbies.  
We need such a grassroot support for the Aam Aadmi Party for it to stand up against the other parties who are heavily financed by huge lobbies. Without the grassroot support, Aam Aadmi Party cannot succeed and we as Indian citizens will continue to be choiceless, frustrated, and without any pride in our democracy. 

I am an optimist and I would like to try new options and I would give a chance to Aam Admi Party. I would support them in every small way I can. And so do I recommend every optimistic Indian who wants to be proud of his nation, not just because he/she was born here but because he/she has every reason to be. 

Friday, February 01, 2013

We are a democracy ? We are secular ?

At the drop of a hat, we keep beating the drums of being the vibrant democracy, 21st century's superpower and with all the decorative phrases. And when people like Arvind Kejriwal question it, folks like Javed Akhtar cite an example of how much better we are as compared to Pakistan (I am referring to Aaj Tak conclave in december).
 So we are a great democracy ? If we want to fool ourselves like a rabbit putting its head in a hole in the earth and thinking no one is seeing it, then sure we can continue to fool ourselves.

We can fool ourselves while young girls get arrested for exercising their freedom of speech and expression on Facebook.

We can fool ourselves while the political jokers of the country can hold the country to ransom by banning movies because they seem to hurt the sentiments of people or they show a community in poor light. Shame on such an administration that cannot even uphold the constitution and ensure the constitutional rights of its citizenry.

The whole circus around Vishwaroopam is so sad and shameful. I am pretty sure that most people would understand a movie and are not childishly emotional to be hurt by anything and everything. Its those so called representatives who need to be really marginalized and ignored because they are the biggest morons holding the whole communities to ransom with their idiotic behavior. What a shame that the world's largest democracy doesn't even have the stability or maturity to sustain or adopt different views. A movie can take a country to ransom ? And we call ourselves a vibrant democracy ?

Its high time we are honest to ourselves and call a spade, spade. That unfortunately we are not a democracy. We are not a democracy where a common man has sound to his/her voice. We are just a liquid taking the shape of whatever is thrust upon us.

We might be doing great if all we can do is compare ourselves with Pakistan or Bangladesh.

But then, is that our benchmark ? We need to ask that. Until then, professors will be arrested for sharing cartoons, young girls will be arrested for posting on facebook and many Kamal Hassans will be harassed because their movies hurt someone's sentiments.

In the world's largest democracy, everyone seems to get offended too soon . Sigh!!