Closure

Third yrs going to end in a couple of days.

It will be that time when I will pack all my stuff into two boxes. Two boxes..thats all that defines my life. Say goodbye to my room that was the juke box in the wing..the pub on the booze nights..theatre for so many movies..and ya at times a study room..just this piece of 12 ft X 10ft space. Goodbye to the balcony , perched on which Pachva and me whiled away our time listening to "You have got to hide your love away" to more recently "Desecration Smile". To the time we 15 guys toiled day and night through winter and summer..to shadowfax. To the enumber of FIFA matches with Akva..which I almost always lost. To this room where I curled up one day feeling miserable and lonely. To the time when I couldnt get enough of listening to "Everybody hurts".

To the time when I started writing a diary after six years ..to give myself a voice that I dont want anyone else to hear. To when I bared my feelings for someone..somewhere..sometime. To when I heard a friend's problems and felt scared and lucky both. To the walk to Cnot at 12 in the night for that last puff listening to Chandel's rendition of Madhushala. To that impromptu dash to Nutan at 2 in the morn..we just had to go there. To the raw feeling of failure of my biggest endeavor. To the two awesome days in Del with Gads and that amazing chocolate shake in a bylane in Khan Market. To the high time with Bora and Deb when a week back I couldnt imagine wanting to speak with him. To the catching up on the latest gossip with Axle and a bet that I am sure to win.

To all those..

Its closure.

Of broken specks, unshaved beard, biting shoes and changing roads

Am home...after a long time. Some things were bound to change. A little later on that. The day started with a resolve to do purposeful things these seven days at home. Purposeful meant anything other than lying in bed the whole day. The first task was to open a bank account. Yup, it sounds stupid and it is that I dont have a pass book, a licence (either car or kinee), a passport or PAN card. While I could get round the licence part courtesy the Army dependency card ( not entirely but the discounts on the fines were very generous), at the age of 21 the realization to have a document stating that I am indeed Abhimanyu Shirwalkar residing in so and so place in India was desperately needed. And the starting point was a pass book. That done, I decided to head for the much due shopping- am a person with limited necessities but buying Lee in Pilani is still a stuff people talk about doing in their 25th yr reunion. It was at this point that my left shoe started biting exruciatingly. I had surpassed the limit where I could bear it. The result being the 50 yrd walk to the parking lot took an eternity with me doing an amazing mimicry of Gregory House..albeit without a walking stick. It then dawned on me that perhaps Hugh Laurie does indeed were a tight fitting shoe on the "crippled leg" ...if Shilpa Shetty can rue not being able to shave for a role...his scarifice seems trivial..though it begs the question that are they really good actors if they get so close to their roles?..Should ask Amir someday. After strapping on the helmet , legs firmly in place and back straight ( I drive a scooty...know it sucks but well am a perfectionist too..I get as close to the real thing as possible..haha), I realised that I hadnt withdrawn money inspite of having been to the bank. I sat contemplating in the parking lot for a good five minutes with my typical habit of right forefinger on the right cheek to help arrive at the answer to the paradox of walking all the way back in those murderous shoes or drive to an ATM on a nearby road. I followed the law of nature and chose the path of least resistance. Now whoever numbskull arrived at this genius of the path of least resistance conveniently forgot to tell the world that it is also the one with the most difficulties..like potholes..you dont see them till you stumble upon them. The ATM on East Street was jam packed..not an inch to even park the vehicle. So I decided to go to the one on the adjacent street and turned round. It is at this point that the change I referred to at the beginning befell me. The direction of the roads had changed ! I can accept any amount of change in beloved Pune but roads changing directions is just not done. I have driven on them more than any where else ( Pilani ensured that) so when I go straight on the one way street in front of Kayani I want it to go straight. I shouldnt have to look at the direction of the incoming traffic. It is my most natural instinct. The direction of the traffic had been REVERSED. In that moment I felt betrayed and defeated. Here you are driving people out of the state to preserve the roots of the people but you betray and offend them - by changing the direction of a road. Imagine the plight of race horses if one fine day they wake up to being told to race in the opposite direction. It would be revolting. So who wins, one smart ass may question, the one who comes last?.
But am a man with a lot of courage and spirit. I chose to overcome the personal offence on my identity and turned for the alternative road. It was then that I neared total collapse. The cheap bastards had reversed the direction there TOO. Is this all people had been upto ..pointing at a road at a map and pulling draws to see if it deserved being reversed.
Abhimanyu in Mahabharat couldnt find his way out of the chakravuyh. The modern incarnation was stuck in a chakrayuh running against him in the opposite direction. But I didnt need to fall back on recorded tutorials from my mother's womb to be victorious. I parked in the nearest spot vacant and took to walking. Damn these buggers ... I will not bow down to their whims and fancies and follow the flow. I shall walk. Humming the words from the Chumbawamba song ..I get knocked down but I get up again.
It was a slight matter that my feet were screaming...Physical attyaachaar.
I had won.

PS: Shaved my beard and done with the Langada Tyagi look.
Gotten my specks repaired.

The Great Indian Laughter Show

I was reading an article in Outlook(March 9) on the state of the judiciary in India. Here are some stats quoted in the article-

If 5 minutes are given to every pending case it would take the following no of yrs for the following High Courts to resolve them

Allahbad - 60

Madras- 32

Bombay- 27

....... The total for all the high courts is a staggering 297 years.

It will take three centuries to clear all the cases in our courts. Assuming of course that one does get down to clearing them. 

If that should worry our lawyers, then they are showing no signs of it - they work for only 213 days  in a year at an average of 5 hours a day...this system hasnt changed since pre independence.

They are of course bettered only by our eminent Members of Parliament who averaged 46 working days in the 14th Lok Sabha, a third of the MPs never even participated in a debate in the Parliament.

Considering that our country is faced with a constant threat to its national security and battling the worst economic crisis since the second world war, it seems as if only a miracle can save the common man.

The point is that two of the three legs on which the functioning of the country is based, the judiciary and legislative, are crumbling.

It has almost become a joke with non performance becoming acceptable day by day.

The strike called by the lawyers in the Madras HC reeked of their high handedness and the assumption of them being above the law. The core issue of a controversial remark by a lawyer sparked of violent protests with their demands changing to removal of police officers and supporting the cause of the LTTE. It ultimately ended up in a political tangle.

Take the forthcoming elections- while in the US contestants debate over issues concerning the interests of the people and talk about policies and the people they will involve to implement, in India issues are second priority...it is all about forging alliances..and that too not on ideological lines but convenience. The voter is reduced to a non entity.

It is time that the common man, suppressed for so long, voices his protest. By voting intellingently. A silver lining was the appeal by a senior Muslim cleric in Deoband requesting voters to vote not on religious lines but in the interests of the country as a whole for India is after a secular country. We need more people, more leaders like him who can rise above petty politics to guide people in the right direction.

Dasvidanya..

At the sunset of my college life..batch snaps..the time that says- " All right, your times up here. Take good pics ..make way for the younger ones". In first year, when I saw my seniors in their batch snaps, I thought it dreadful...its like counting days till on your deathbed( of course much less terrifying). 

Oddly enough, I dont feel dreadful or terrified. Rather than looking back in retrospection, I am looking forward to tomorrow. I believe that my days ahead can be as enjoyable as those in college.

I dont feel sentimental. If anything, click pics..smile ..laugh..move on.

Posting after a long time. My " reflections" on some of the current issues today.

1. UP elections: Mukthar Ansari with 24 cases ranging from extortion to rape, currently lodged in a jail, gets a ticket to fight from Varanasi. His equally illustrious brother was granted bail a few months ago to fight from another constituency. They have been undefeated in the past three elections. Two questions - How can the ruling govt overrule a Supreme Court verdict to have their politicians released from jails to fight elections? How have they managed to remain undefeated?

The answer to the latter only seems that the elections are manipulated- voters been forced to vote for BSP. Time for election observers to shift from J & K to UP.

2.Pakistan admits to 26/11- Big deal..and a big thank you to USA from the Indian people. We have given up hope on our govt to fight terrorism. Perhaps, if Obama could spare some time to contest for the Indian elections, we may elect him...what our leaders couldnt achieve in three months(not for lack of options but rather wont)..this man did in a single phone call..we dont mind paying for your international phone calls Mr Obama..just keep them ringing for the Pakis. 

3.Taliban takes over control of Swat area " Switzerland of Pakistan" in NWFP, Pakistan- Some good news finally. The hornets nest stirred by Zardaris statement of Taliban taking over control of thier territories now seems to be true.  Pakistan is indeed a victim of terrorism but the enemy it is fighting is itself. Much like the Americans who breeded Saddam and Taliban, only to fight them a decade later, Pakistan is realising that terrorism is a two sided coin. Unfortunately, while USA and Pakistan have a common enemy in Taliban, India is alone in its fight against Pakistan's state sponsored terrorism. So while the former is not vanquished, it is foolhardy for India to expect USA to place great emphasis on 26/11. We must reach out to other countries and once garnered enough diplomatic clout, launch an offensive on Pakistan. The Pakistanis have always raised the war cry when the heat is on it forcing India to go on the defensive. It would be interesting to see how the world reacts when India threatens to go for a war unless it gets positive and concrete results in Pakistan's FIA investigation on 26/11. Played the role of responsible elder brother for too long..time to switch roles to the complainig and spoilt younger bro.

4.Top ten mistakes made by Indian doctors(India Today Feb 16 issue)- The most common gaffe - leaving things ..tools..towels.. in the patient. Nice article..though slightly frightening..puts medical care in India in a very sorry state.

5.Many urban Indians turning to Buddhism( the most high profile being Priyanka Gandhi)-

Political parties plz take notice. Babri and Godhra maybe history if the trend continues.

In a way, this symbolizes that we are ready for a change...and Buddhism is the most non controverisal change.

6.Jade Goody decision to film her death on television draws flak- Give the woman a break..she is addicted to reality TV...racist remarks ..wedding..death bed..seems life has come a full circle for Ms Goody (her name belies her) on the small screen.

7.Knowledge Comission invites ideas from the country's youth for India's

 development-

http://www.knowledgecommission.gov.in/contests

Top MNCs have successfully exploited the internet to invite ideas from the youth by organizing online competitions on various topics- Microsofts Imagine Cup...Mc Kinseys e4si..Nat Geos Habitat Competition. The model is successful as students get a platform to showcase their talent and the companies benefit by giving shape to the ideas.

Congo to Sam Pitrodia for tapping into this "modus operandi". Publicising it on community websites is perhaps the best way of spreading awareness.

Survival of the Darest

Mumbai 26/11 was an awakening...to the fact that India is losing it's war on terror. A government is meant for the welfare of its people. It is supposed to make it's citizens secure. It is them that respond to the terror attacks.

Not anymore.

26/11 is not really different from any other terror attack. It caught us off guard like always. We lost our fellow countrymen as always. We vowed not to "bow down to terror" as always.

What has changed is the mood among the populace. Before we could console by saying that the spirit was resilient and that we would fight out the terrorists. 

We are scared today. Not knowing where the next bullet comes from. Patriotism has no place when you have a gun stuck at your throat. The fear is so naked..and we are feeling it. 

Today , I dont believe we can win the war on terror. We simply dont have the balls to do it.We have settled into that comfort zone where we such incidents are part and parcel of our lives. It's like a bad wound we have learnt to live with. What we think of as a symptom is really a disease. 

Our leaders are like old people..given to fate. It is the common man who suffers. But he cannot live with this wound. Its gonna kill him, his friends or someone random person whom he saw on the train everyday. If not today..tomorrow..at some point its gonna affect everybody. 

We will wait for that day. The glory that we foresee for 2020 will not exist. The damage will extend beyond emotional ones to those of a state as a whole. Countries will sympathise but wont help. By failing to globalize the Kashmire issue we will ultimately end up in isolation-economically and politically.

India used to be a soft state. Today, it is timid. 

No one likes hard measures but we need them all the same. Our leaders know best what these hard measures are. Identifying the problem never helped..finding the goddamn solution did. 

Isolating and weakning the Paksitan economy. Putting international pressure on thier government. Threatening a nuclear war. Call back all embassy officials. Request friendly states to do the same. Demand not request for the men behind these attacks. If the Americans could smoke out Saddam for attacks he was not even party to..what stops us from getting the Dawoods in Karachis and Lahores? 

The low point of a democracy is when the people lose faith in it. We are not far from that point. The only way to salvage our pride and lives is to simply fight back. The Congress or BJP..whoever does it..doesnt matter. History will not remember them by their party loyalties but as individual who emerged from their shadow of politicians to become leaders.

Gen Patton said to a soldier who said he would love to become a martyr

" You god damn bastard ..you cant win a war by dying for your country..you win a war by making the other god damn bastard die for his country"

Elections@BITS

Disclaimer: The post is not biased by the influence of any party/group. It is intended solely for expressing my views and not ridicule either the candidates or the people associated with them.

Background: For the benefit of non BITSians. The student elections for President of Student Council was embroiled in a lot of controversy. It was also a first of many sorts. Rachit Chadra, perhaps the most decorated student on campus contested much against conventional norms. The nomination of the second candidate, Nitesh Kumar Singh was withdrawn two days before elections in ambiguous circumstances by the watchdog ,Electon Commission. No explanations were given to the students and decisions were taken hastily by the EC without accepting an appeal by Nitesh.It was alleged that this was done to ensure the victory of Rachit Chandra keeping in mind his credentials.The BITSian junta felt disillusioned at being imposed a candidated upon it and doubted the credibility of the Election procedures. To voice this ,it voted in majority for NONE thus calling for re elections.

First off, it is undeniable that the controversy surrounding the elections has created excitement quite unparalled in the past three years. With rumors flying thick and fast, there was always something to fodder wing gossips. Opinions often swelled into emotional outbursts.

On Rachits campaign-
Pros
1. Obviously, his exposure and knowledge would have contributed immensely to widening the ambitions of the SU.
2. His manifesto points, though not populist like Nitesh's, were spot on. The extension in timings of the SAC would have gone a big way in promoting sport on campus. The ISO accredition was a novel idea and inspite of the difficulties in getting, it must be sougt to propel OASIS into getting bigger sponsorships and consequently better organization. Discount on Laptops is quite common in other colleges..BITSians needed someone to take the trouble of starting it here.
3. He recovered well from his Audi Debate disaster to give an emotional speech in SAC, quoting Obama for making a "positive difference".
Cons
1. His performance in the Audi Debate was disappointing. He needs to do something about his throat..makes you think hes gonna cough every time he speaks.
2.His campaign managers never quite manged to recover from the Audi Deabte debacle. Far from influencing people with his manifesto points and ambitions for BITS, they said HE DESERVED to win. They failed to realise that credentials can only go so far as to make people listen to you. Beyond that it is your ability to convince them of your candidature.
3. On the eve of the elections, Gtalk status messages were swarming with people voicing their support for NONE. Again his campaign team blundered in asking people to vote because BITS needed a president for its upcoming cultural and sports fest. It took away all attention from Rachit himself and made him appear desperate and sensing defeat. Not a message you wanna give voters, however bleak the circumstances.
4. Lastly, his blog ,post elections was the nadir of his campaign. Instead of walking away gracefully, his cries and complaints about the decision of the junta, made him appear vulnerable and removed from reality. He failed to realise that it was victory for NONE(and the rights of the junta) and not really a defeat for him.

Nitesh
Pros
1. His experience of two years in the Student Union made him a good and informed candidate.
2.He did not buckle under the credentials of Rachit and used whatever opportunities came to his benefit.
3.He reached out to the voters, gave excellent interviews....in short everything right.

Cons
1. His campaign team comprised of people who had contacts but not the sense to influence them. They faulted time and again by anti campaigning. The campaigning and charachter assasination charges during the ban period, though not proved, were true and reflected poorly on Nitesh.
2. His manifesto points were aimed more at getting vote banks than the actual benefit of BITSians. Regional night and all are good for entertainment but his horizons as a prez candidate should have been much wider.
3. His vote banks were confined in pockets and he ignored Meera Bhavan inmates, which might have spelt disaster had he been allowed to contest.