tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28163105889272879522024-02-19T05:54:40.393-08:00RathorismLet the blogs do the speaking!Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-77445526346658467682013-04-16T11:36:00.002-07:002013-04-16T11:38:21.182-07:00What next?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"India needs change but it does not know what that 'change'
will be."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A powerful idea triggered by my editor that prompted to me decipher
what the 'change' can mean for the country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Indians are tired of corruption
and inflation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Indians are angry about rape and molestation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Indians are hungry for jobs and growth and most importantly,
Indians are sick of Sonia and Manmohan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In short, in no point in the
history of Independent India, has the country felt so disgusted about the
state of affairs, than what the country is feeling right now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The last few years of UPA rule
has been marred by turbulence, uprisings and revolutions as India seized every
opportunity to raise its voice, to hit the streets and
to criticize the government. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Anna Hazare was the pied
piper who drew crores of people when he fasted for the Lokpal Bill. Similarly
the country seethed with anger after the Delhi rape case. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">These are facts but
what India is hoping for is 'a change’. The ‘change’ might as well
turn out to be fiction in future because of the alternatives we have to the
present day government!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Who will drive the change?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1) BJP led NDA led by Modi<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2) BJP led NDA led by Sushma/
Advani/ Rajnath<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3) Third Front plus Fourth Front
led by Mayawati/Jayalalitha/ Mamata/ Mulayam..... the list goes on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4) UPA led by Rahul baba (worst
case scenario. Not that the other three are brighter propositions)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am bit pessimistic as no
national parties will get a clear mandate in the forthcoming elections. In fact
their position is slated to deteriorate further while the regional parties will
gain by increasing their vote share.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If NDA comes to power, the BJP
will no longer be able to act as a patriarch as it would require more number of
allies to join it to form the government. The result will be the emergence of
multiple power centres in central government. Moreover, in absences of an
'acceptable to all' leader like Vajpayee, BJP might even be forced to hand over
the post of PM on a platter to any of its strong allies. Given such a
situation, where the kingmakers will be more important than the King himself, I am afraid if the 'state of affairs' will
improve or further deteriorate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hope the 'change' does not turn
out to be the 'poribortan' that didi has brought into West Bengal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-65273106003530778212012-07-20T02:23:00.001-07:002012-07-20T02:25:52.068-07:00Dear School.. your idea is not so cool!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">This blog is in reference to the story published in DNA on July 20<sup>th</sup>,
2012 named ‘Sassy Teachers for Gen Y Kids’. I wasn’t surprised</span><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> by the survey findings that the Gen Y
students prefer their teachers to be ‘dressed tastefully’ but I was shocked by
the fact that Delhi Public School will be</span><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">conducting a session for teachers by</span><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> a </span><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">fashion designer and </span><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">skin and hair experts will be roped in for quick tips too.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The schools which entrusted with the responsibility of building
values and nurturing independent thinking among the kids are resorting to such
crass methods. I fail to understand how the ‘look’ of a teacher matters unless
he or she teaches properly in a class. The school should be more interested in
how the teachers teach and not how the teachers dress!</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">More over the story hints at female teachers when it says,
“students want teachers to wear eye makeup, smell good and avoid wearing
clothes with different colour combinations. Some didn’t want teachers to come
to class with chipped off nail colour. If teachers do wear nail colour, they
wanted them to polish it regularly”</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The very idea of female being treated as an object is encouraged
here. If the students want their teachers to wear eye makeup, the school
instead of calling fashion designers must call counselors for the students. How
do you expect the crimes against women to dip in this country when the schools
themselves allow the ‘objectification’ of women!</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">It is indeed disturbing that the ‘citizens of tomorrow’ are being
nurtured</span><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> in school which
are bereft of their senses.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, serif;">This is news report for reference:</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, serif;">Sassy Teachers for Gen Y Kids</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, serif;">Gone are the days when
students were happy to be taught by a teacher who knew her subject well. But
the Facebook and iPhone generation wants more. Today’s students want their
teachers not only to impart knowledge, but want them to do it in style: by focusing
a little on sartorial matters.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, serif;">According to a survey
conducted by Delhi Public School, South, students want their teachers to be
dressed ‘tastefully’. Yes, students are watching their teachers carefully.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, serif;">The sample survey was conducted
on 200 students in the age group of 15-17. The questions, which were
open-ended, have thrown up surprising findings.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, serif;">Sample this: students
want teachers to wear eye makeup, smell good and avoid wearing clothes with
different colour combinations. Some didn’t want teachers to come to class with
chipped off nail colour. If teachers do wear nail colour, they wanted them to
polish it regularly.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, serif;">Taking note of the
findings, as a pilot project, DPS will be conducting a session for teachers by
city-based fashion designer Michelle Salins. Skin and hair experts will be
roped in for quick tips. “We want teachers to know the role of dressing,
especially as it builds confidence,” said Tasbia Khan, member, board of
management, Delhi Public School, East.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, serif;">“Along with high IQ,
students are looking for a teacher who can connect with them at a personal
level,” said Kavita Ghose, teacher, DPS.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, serif;">“Students have said they
want to see their teachers smartly dressed, with a moderate amount of makeup.”</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, serif;">Ghose said she was surprised
to know as to how observant students were.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, serif;">“Students have specified
that they don’t want their teachers dressing in a gaudy manner. They don’t want
teachers to wear mismatched kurti, leggings and duppattas; they don’t want them
to wear wrinkled clothes,” said Ghose.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, serif;">Even with regard to
footwear, students wanted their teachers to wear smart footwear and not casual
slippers.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, serif;">On the other hand,
teachers, too, took a survey, with almost everyone keen on a session with a
fashion expert to know about the right wardrobe.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-68588121625889224662011-03-09T12:58:00.000-08:002011-03-09T13:10:20.992-08:00Silence of the lamb<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As the Supreme Court spelled out in its ruling that only a man of impeccable integrity must be elevated to the post of Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) , the time is not far when the apex court will have to come up with a ruling that only a man of action and reaction can hold the post of Prime Minister in the country.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The honest, decent … Dr Manmohan Singh has in due course of his PM’s tenure turned out to be the most hapless and incapable man in the UPA government machinery. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The nation faced a massive loss of Rs 1027 crores in the 2G scam that could have been averted through the timely intervention of PM. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Its atrocious that the PM choose to remain silent for 20 months when he had a premonitions of the fissiparous tendencies in the telecom ministry. And more atrocious is that he attributes his silence to the compulsions of collation dharma! Thus the ‘Honest’ PM made it clear that for him running a corrupt government was more important than to curb the corrupt practices of the government.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The country lost wealth, an entire session of parliament went for a toss, the investment scene is the country has turned bleak with foreign investors hesitant to put their money , a cabinet minister has been put behind bars, about 25 biggies of the industry are circling the gates of CBI…this is indeed a national shame! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2G scam was preceded by the CWG mess last year. Kalmadi was the scapegoat to be sacrificed at the CWG alters! No one pointed finger at the congress bigshots who should be held equally responsible. The nature of pilferage is yet to be defined in this case but one can be sure that it was the “Common’s” wealth that was splurged at the Common Wealth Games. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">One after other the skeletons have kept tumbling out of the UPA’s cupboard! The party that came to power holding the hands of aam admi is now hell bent at breaking its back.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And the crony capitalism fired by the corrupt politics at the sidelines are ushering a new era of growth in the country which is measured through sensex and GDP… an 8 per cent GDP which is yet to reflect in the lives of the farmers of Vidarbha… poors of kalahandi.. Insurgents of Lalghar… and the list goes on…</span><br />
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</span></div>Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-17948008740217745662010-09-27T11:42:00.000-07:002010-09-28T03:27:33.938-07:00The Pauperised Growth<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The rich ones are God in this country, the middle class constitute the Congress category of <em>'aam </em></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>admi'</em> and the paupers are not even eligible to be treated like humans, they have to compete </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">with rats for the basic amenity ‘food’. The government prefers to feed the 500 million tonnes of </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">food grains to the rats than distributing it free to the starving populace, When the judiciary </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">intervened and ordered the government to freely distribute the grains that were stacked in the </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">warehouses,the able prime minister opened his mouth wide for the first time in his political </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">career , subtly bashing the Supreme Court that the ‘policy matters must be better saved for the governments </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">to work upon." There can be no doubt that it is the policies of the successive governments that </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">have led to the pathetic state of the teeming millions. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Coming back to the <em>aam admi</em> again , The <em>aamadmi </em>would act decisively only once in five years </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">when it votes but the poor ones are the desperado who commit suicide, take to arms struggle and yes... </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">they even cast their vote. The biggest tragedy with the government is that it has even lost </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">count of the ‘poor terrorists’ as various committee put across various figures. Thus the </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">government has been trying hard to fix numbers.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Last December, the government announced that only 27 per cent were living below the poverty </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">line in 2004-5, based on National Sample Survey data However, the Planning Commission has </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">now put the new figure at 37 per cent, based on Tendulkar Committee report</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">While this </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">committee estimated the number of BPL families at 80 million, the Planning Commission has </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">fixed it at 74 million, while its own earlier figure was 65 million. Interestingly the Tendulkar </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Committee had been set up after the March 2009 National Development Council meeting, to </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">look into the methodology for estimating poverty, because there was widespread criticism that </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">the Planning Commission was producing unrealistically low poverty estimates.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">P Sainath in his article dated "How right are you, Dr Singh" writes "What too, does the Supreme </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Court do when the government's 2006 promise of a new Below Poverty Line (BPL) Survey to be </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">completed before the start of the Eleventh Plan never materialises? What do they or anyone do </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">when the government sets grain allocations to the states based on poverty estimates of year 2000 </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">based on the 1991 Census. Twenty-year-old data which result in 70 million fewer people getting </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">BPL/<em>Antyodaya Anna Yojana</em> (AAY) grain than should be the case." </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">With the food inflation increasing day by day and the income levels of the poor remaining almost </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">unchanged, the current numbers of the people living (dying) below the poverty line is surely more </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">than the 'accepted' figures of the government. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">What has the government done ? </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">To mention its few (mis)deeds:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For purposes of food security, the Planning Commission finally accepted that the number of </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">people living below the poverty line in India is 37.2 per cent . The Plan panel, mandated by the </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">empowered group of ministers chaired by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to finalise the BPL </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">numbers, will now meet the secretaries of food and expenditure to calculate the cost of </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">providing food security to so many poor. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">While the process of meetings, deliberations and discussions continue and the government finally </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">calculates the ACTUAL number of poor, I am sure the population would have increased by that </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">time and the time would be ripe to form another committee to calculate the number of poor.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The centre has generously decentralised the prices of the petrol, ...... the government rationale is </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">that the complete deregulation of auto-fuels and sharp hike in the prices of cooking fuels would </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">help the government in reducing fiscal deficit and thus curtail its borrowings. Since fuel is a basic </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">commodity, diesel prices rise will increase the carriage charges, which will be added to the </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">commodities being transported. It will mean a hike in the prices for everything that is sold in the </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">market and more money has to be shelled out. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Also, it is a well-known fact that the subsidised kerosene is not reaching the needy poor, rather it </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">is being used as adulterant in diesel and it constitutes a roaring business.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The government has asked banks to ensure that micro finance institution (MFI) they lend to, do </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">not charge beyond 24% interest from final borrowers.This directly contradicts the RBI policy that </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">there should be no interest rate caps, and the RBI is the regulator of banks. It remains to be seen </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">whether the RBI will assert itself or give way on this. While the government preaches SC not to </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">intervene in the policy matters it forgets its own boundaries. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The main source of credit for the poor farmers has been the moneylenders and their interest rates </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">exceed 30% in most of the cases. The main advantage of the MFI has been that it has been </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">delivering credit at the doorsteps of the needy. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The question is how long can the trio (the <em>aam aadmi</em> and the government and the Gods) continue </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">to turn a blind eye to the poor Indians, it is indeed a national shame to talk about the GDP rates, </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">boast of soaring sensex figures and go gaga over the great Indian growth story where the ‘growth’ </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">hasn’t even touched the majority of the populace. In the year 2010 when more than half of the </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">population is malnourished, 17% are slum dwellers, 35% of the homes still live in darkness,One </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">woman dies every eight minutes due to lack of medical facility... Indian growth figures seem hollow and shammed.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></div>Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-77735217081798860222010-07-06T06:12:00.000-07:002010-07-06T07:19:33.114-07:00A land of million mutinies and a land of million voices – India!<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The voice is at times is suppressed, at times ignored and at times unheard of...but it still </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">keeps ringing in villages, in the mud thatched huts, <em>panchayats</em>, bus stands, pan shops, in the </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">courtyards of temples, hills, fields, cow sheds, benches lying near the tea shops, <em>charpoys </em></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">of roadside <em>dhabas</em> and in many such places. These voices are the ones which the </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">mainstream media carelessly or at times carefully manages to ignore, but there is an strong urge to be </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">heard, thus it is being heard!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The community radio – though a new concept, is picking up in the hinterlands of the country!</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It is certainly not a romantic idea of the rustic villagers handling the sophisticated equipments </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">of the radio station or <em>RJying</em> ! It is more about the community using the medium to voice its </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">issues and aspirations. A community has a vibrant life and its various hues are being effectively </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">communicated by the members through the channel.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The topics heard on the radio are of multifarious nature…. folk songs, ad of the missing </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">buffalos, ideas of the small business (that could even include gathering peanuts and selling in the </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">nearby markets), a sneak peek into the life of a women who lives in the nearby village, punditry </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">on ‘how to get good harvest this season’, information on RTI, NREGA… and at times granny </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">tales too. The programming is as fresh as jasmine and as innovative as weaver’s bird nest!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">There has been a mystery about the functioning of the media…. No commoners know what goes </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">around the premises of the of a conservative Radio station AIR (I call it conservative as </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">most of the times it’s the particular tribe that mans or at times (woman's) the radio station for </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">donkey years! The citizens are usually the hapless receivers and their ritualistic participation </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">only left to requesting songs or sharing love life dilemmas over the radio ?(be it AIR or FM)).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But here the story is different …there is more than it meets the eye or rather enters the ears. It </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">is about building the confidence of the people and the realization of the fact that ‘We do exist </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">and our problems are not the common problems’.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The rural communities experience the perennial neglect of the government.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Earlier it was the mainstream media that would atleast report the issues but over the passage </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">of time It is the media that has turned more hostile to the people than the government itself. The </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">ceremonial debate on the 24/7 channels by the driven by ‘God’ like journos are mere gimmickry! In those </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">discussions there will be a voice from the government, from opposition, an intellectual from </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">an academic institution but the ‘common man’ on whom the entire debate is based , stands </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">missing ! His perspective is never enquired by the media. In such a scenario it becomes </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">imperative that the ‘aam addmi’ must speak out…and the community radio gives the platform.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It is not just speaking on problems but also about the culture and communicating the local </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">flavor of the community through folklore, songs etc. This the songs that were restricted to </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">the special occasions such as marriage , birth or harvesting seasons are now on the radio </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">and the singers are the local artists. The programs are not in Hindi or the standard vernacular </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">language, but in the local dialect (for example in Himachal the community radio in Solan uses </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">the<em> pahadi</em> dialect<em> Bhagati</em> and similarly in Uttar Pradesh the Bundelkhand radio uses <em>bundeli</em> as </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">the medium of communication).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Community radio signals a lot of things….first the community establishes its unique identity </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">through the medium, second the medium has led to a meaningful addition to the social lives of </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">the people of the community as the people now discuss their issues more vigorously and third </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">and the most important - the mainstream media has in a way failed the ‘rural’ India and thus </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">people will exercise their rights through this tool .</span></div>Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-44577876757356713192010-04-29T12:00:00.000-07:002010-04-30T01:58:51.065-07:00Manufacturing ImagesThankfully the great Indian Tamasha – IPL(Indian Paisa league) has come to grinding halt … I had literally gone on hibernation during these days. It was torture browsing the web portals of any news channel. Even Narendra modi wasn’t the cynosure of media during his hay days (Godhra riots) as Lalit Modi has been during the IPL. This time Narendra can happily repeat his statement (and I would second it, if it is directed towards Latit bhai) “your riot was worse than mine”. The IPL was literally a Riot! <br />
<br />
The drama even shook the not so holy portals of “Indian Parliament” – no doubt Lalu was jealous, vexed and so were other ‘leaders’. A feeling of inferiority complex had crept in as politics is no longer the only ‘dirty game ‘ in country ….there are more ‘sinister ‘ plays now.<br />
IPL robbed the lone ‘dude’ minister, Sashi Tharoor of Congress of his cabinet berth, it robbed the richest man in India of his precious sleep (I guess so as Mukesh Ambani didn’t seem amused when he saw his prettier half clinging to the tiny sardar Bhajji), it robbed the game of the game itself!<br />
IPL….also stirred a bit of my mind… Are all the poorest of Indians actually crying hoax, everything seemed fine in this country during IPL!! All talks about inflation, poverty, inequality had a new connotation these days…if there was inequality in this country it was between the scores of two teams! If there was any poverty, it was of NEWS…and if there was any inflation…. It wasn’t there for the 'sabjis’ but for the ‘Bhajjis’ and other tomatoes and potatoes of the international cricketing world!<br />
No point of shooting arrows on Lalit Modi… one should bomb those 24 hours channel which manufactured only those images that earned buks! Why a farmer from vidharba or from any part of the country would have a prime time slot…. He certainly cannot pay for it…isn’t it?<br />
If he needs to have his story told on the media…. He has to do something dramatic … No a suicide won’t help anymore!! They have to think out of the box…has to be something scandalous as their story is pitted against that of the Modis, Mirzas and Mallicks!!Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-1613754209488289892010-04-04T00:58:00.000-07:002010-04-04T02:16:40.713-07:00WANTED - Power!<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">One of the ‘accidental intellectuals’ of this decade has been Karan Johar. Not that I have any particular liking for this tissue like, touchy kind of bollywood director , but what amuses me are the ‘not so popular’ issues that he has thrown open through his ‘popular’ cinema! One such topic that popped up with his dumbo </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Dostana</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> was ‘gay </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">prem</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">’!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Once unheard, unspoken and untouched of the gayish jokes are relatively common these days. Generally people do acknowledge the existence of ‘Gay’ men except for the likes of yoga obsessed baba Ram Dev who claims to cure? Sexuality (I hope karan Johar knows of this). The murmurs are clearer now. I just hope that we don’t restrict it to the frivolousness of the light jokes surrounding the topic. The debate has to go deeper, raise important questions about the civil rights of this minority community.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The judiciary has to be hailed for the series of ‘welcome’ judgements that it has pronounced in favour of gay men in India. The recent Allahabad High Courts judgement to reinstate Dr Sreenivas Siras back as a faculty in Alighar Muslim University is case point. To give a brief background of the case, Dr Siras was caught on a camera footage having sex with a rickshaw puller and the Vice Chancellor of the university sacked him terming it as ‘grave misconduct’. Judiciary didn’t go with the VC’s version and now Dr Siras is back to his beloved! In an ideal situation its Dr Siras should have slapped a case of intrusion of Privacy on the VC who had sent the so called journos to film him in the compromising position.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">These judgements are a good beginning but the stir shouldn’t calm here, not all gay men are affluent and educated as Dr Siras. They are trapped in other unprivileged identities such as Dalit, lower castes, Scheduled castes, scheduled tribe etc. In such a case it is a dual stigma for them… do we brush them aside as they constitute a very miniscule part of the gigantic population or wait till there is an uprising (I see very remote chances as Not all gay men can unite…. They have hierarchies among them too…as all Hindus do not love all Hindus, all gay men cannot act humane to each other). <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">One of the solutions can be political representation, If women can have 33% reservation (though passed only in Rajya Sabha) why not gays! If for representing about 46% percent of the population, a 33% of reservation can be thought of then why not reserve atleast 5 seats for about 70 million LGBT populations in India. This proposition might seem contentious and can be criticised on many fronts such as …. How to determine which constituency they must represent as all the LGBT do not concentrate them in one particular land or so, they are scattered, unorganised like any other group in the country. Will they serve as true representatives (in that case no one can claim to be a genuine representative of another). If seats are reserved for LGBT , then reservation based on other identities may be demanded.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Brushing aside all the criticisms and doubts regarding such a move, I would just like to highlight some points …. Our society is homophobic. There have been endless cases when they have been beaten, harassed or put to death by authorities.</span><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> In many states, they have killed themselves after facing harassment at home and outside.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> They are forced by family into heterosexual marriages. It is not that all are confident about their sexuality, at times it is difficult to come to terms with ones identity and it can be painful process when every one around despises you. Gay behaviour is regarded as sexually predatory!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Homosexuality may have been decriminalised but Government departments are yet to acknowledge the fact that India has a gay population, they are yet to be recognised as a third sex (or why not the first sex, I won’t assign hierarchies to different sex). As the LGBT are not a visible vote bank, it becomes imperative that they should be given power to address their own problems. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And what better form of Power than the Political Power…. (As in our country political power is the doorway to all kind of prosperity…. economic, social and what not.. Let gays men also have some garlands !!)</span><o:p></o:p></div>Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-6458798223877852032010-03-22T12:59:00.000-07:002010-03-23T11:12:08.415-07:00Chenchus…lean, thin and lost!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJNPUQBmxpJ-m8op429KCpOSvSaYmMBnvA4VS1tRh8dL14zAdMO6i5Z24ssix_fx-Xa1DzTn_9hNtuFWwKh5HelpVwAIDXeUEw5v4RXUF0qI6ipUPCM2-GZbNuLWMTzSA5G6l8m_6UGpl/s1600-h/Cross...JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJNPUQBmxpJ-m8op429KCpOSvSaYmMBnvA4VS1tRh8dL14zAdMO6i5Z24ssix_fx-Xa1DzTn_9hNtuFWwKh5HelpVwAIDXeUEw5v4RXUF0qI6ipUPCM2-GZbNuLWMTzSA5G6l8m_6UGpl/s1600/Cross...JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Mutthiya sits with his back resting on a wall of a house; a lock dangles on its door. Out of forty two houses, only four of the doors remain unlocked in this </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Chenchu penta</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">(the colony is known as </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">penta</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">). The entire village has migrated in the search of employment to the towns… left behind are the likes of Mutthiya, who are old and cannot toil hard. He occasionally goes in the nearby forests (forest seem an overstatement) to collect honey and sells it at the nearest town Devarkonda. Chinamma, an old lady in her fifties collects groundnuts and earns Rs 10 per day. There are many such old men women in the penta who live for pittance as most of them do not get the old age pension that they are entitled to.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Chenchus</span></span></i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> are the hunting tribes who once dwelled in the forests of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. With the cities swallowing up the forests and their lands being washed away by mighty dams, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Chenchus</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> have relocated themselves or have been ‘rehabilitated’ In other parts of the land. As is the case with this</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> Chenchu</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> group, their colony was gifted to them in exchange of the forests that Nagarjunasagar dam drowned in 1967<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It has been almost forty years and </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Chenchus </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">are yet to merge in the mainstream mode of life. The colony or </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">penta</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> as it is popularly known is located around 50 kms from Devarkonda, other adjoining town includes Timapur. 9866163824 , a phone number is written with charcoal on a wall facing Deenamma’s home, it is the phone number of a doctor residing in Timapur. The </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">penta</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> doesn’t have a primary health centre.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Deenamma has called up this number many times as she has a new born baby girl, due to this reason her husband has chosen not to work far away from their </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">penta</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">. The number comes handy as Doctor is just a phone call away, Thanks to the nokia set! Most of the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Chenchus</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> own mobile phones…the road connectivity may be poor but the tele connectivity is excellent!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Not just mobile sets, one could spot a dish antenna on the roof top of two shut houses. I wondered if the house had a TV set. It is amazing to witness the paradox… A one room house, where a bedroom, kitchen, living room, guest room (all kind of fancy rooms we love to have in our homes) is crammed up, also has a space for a TV set. A more intriguing question is the fact that how one does manages it? Is it through collecting honey, killing rabbits, porcupines, working in fields or through sweating at the construction sites in the urban centres? </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Chenchus</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> are hard working people. Employment card elude most of these hard working </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Chenchus</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> …. Other people have it … certainly on the name of </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Chenchus</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> folks! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: 'Segoe Script'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVR0CpTF9L-7b_RO42X07Or-kijbQ62_hDrOplBvoRQAf9Bj5X-_KTyC9rMLF9zaWoJyRa1bHO6v6cN7x2fEV0RD24H1Tvmncx_umQYe4q3YnRs7yB01Oc1k72NoXl7aM7AelPANwLRrXw/s200/No+school.JPG" width="200" /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: 'Segoe Script'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It is relatively easy to con the tribals are as the literacy levels are depressingly low. The </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Chenchu penta</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> had one dilapidated room in the name of a primary school. Around 30 to 35 children in the age group of 5 to 13 who should be ideally going to a primary school actually accompany their parents where they migrate in search of work. Whoever are left are lucky to have more holidays than working days as the teacher visits once in four days in the so called primary school which is deprived of the primary facilities!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The issues are numerous but </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Chenchus</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> are not an organised tribe unlike the other tribal communities such as the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">lambadas</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">. Their political representation is nil and the population is also declining soon… thus a vanishing tribe. E.V.L.Narayana , President of Green Cross, an NGO based in Devarkonda says “ </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Chenchus</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> are lean , thin and usually malnourished. One of the reasons is the rampant arrack consumption. The immunity levels are very low as </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Chenchus</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> marry within their community only and the life span is usually up to 45 to 50 years”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">There are programs like Integrated Tribal Development Agency ITDA initiated by the government that are functional in various places such as Mehboobnagar ands Srisailam. The program constitutes of</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">community and women's development, health and education, natural resources development, credit and marketing support and project management support, including monitoring and evaluation. The Tribal Welfare Department had the overall responsibility for project implementation, with the commissioner for tribal welfare as the project coordinator. Project activities are implemented through the regular ITDA channels which includes local NGOs. Atleast the government has provided each home with a medical kit. Whether they have been briefed about its usage is altogether a different story that we couldn’t explore. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJNPUQBmxpJ-m8op429KCpOSvSaYmMBnvA4VS1tRh8dL14zAdMO6i5Z24ssix_fx-Xa1DzTn_9hNtuFWwKh5HelpVwAIDXeUEw5v4RXUF0qI6ipUPCM2-GZbNuLWMTzSA5G6l8m_6UGpl/s1600/Cross...JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJNPUQBmxpJ-m8op429KCpOSvSaYmMBnvA4VS1tRh8dL14zAdMO6i5Z24ssix_fx-Xa1DzTn_9hNtuFWwKh5HelpVwAIDXeUEw5v4RXUF0qI6ipUPCM2-GZbNuLWMTzSA5G6l8m_6UGpl/s200/Cross...JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For long life … </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Chenchus</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> believe in God! Apart from calling the Timapur Doctor occasionally, and using/or not using the medical kit Deenamma invokes God to ensure a healthy life for her family. She recently converted to Christianity along with the entire</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> penta</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">. Now every house has a holy cross enshrined on its outer wall. Few weeks back a<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Segoe Script';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> lady from another </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Chenchu penta</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> had visited this </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">penta</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> and had facilitated conversion to Christianity. Muthhiya says that he has stopped drinking arrack as he had taken oath in the name of Jesus Christ! Amen!</span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-79846644341211789822010-03-06T03:15:00.000-08:002010-03-06T03:15:44.691-08:00Insight into the food Inflation<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The malicious and mindless blame game is on! Who ever in the government can be held responsible by the opposition is being brutally attacked (certainly the style is verbose). The crisis isn’t a common one, it has broke backs of the most vulnerable of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">aam admis</i> of our country … it is the ever bourgeoning food inflation.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The cliché with such a kind of crisis is that, people belonging to different spheres such as politicians, economists have their own respective interpretations and not necessarily does it leads to any kind of solution.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Many culprits have been named till now… while Manmohan Singh holds global increase in the commodity, prices responsible for the domestic surge in the prices while BJP accuses Sharad Pawar as being the sole malefactor.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Closely examining the food inflation, the picture doesn’t seems a simplistic one… bad recessionary times intersecting with the neglect of the agricultural sector at the home has led to the unprecedented rise in the price of the basic food items across the length and breadth of the country.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">With an average growth rate of about 2% per annum, the agricultural sector has been gasping for real time reforms. Major issues continue to hog the sector persistently. Low per hectare yield, poor irrigational facilities, dependence on the erratic monsoon, lack of credit facilities are some of the issues that farmers have been facing since decades! It wasn’t a surprise that the monsoon was the spoiler this year…. lack of rain, power crisis and heat waves damaged the sown seeds but also delayed the cultivation cycle, resulting in huge loss of the output. This was the point when the food prices started rising. The rise was not on account of any shortage but more on account of probable shortage<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Secondly the poor shortage facilities resulted in <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">loses of 58,000 crores worth of agricultural food items due to lack of post harvesting infrastructure.</span> If the Government had ensured timely storage facility, food inventory would have been more then sufficient leading to prices remaining under control. Next factor that led to the spurt was the government going soft on the hoarders and speculators.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">On the global arena economic recovery from recession in major advanced economies and improved growth prospects in major agricultural products have been major drivers of the recent increases in international commodity prices. The FAO (Food Price Index), a measure of the monthly changes in the international prices of a food basket composed of cereals, oilseeds, diary, meat and sugar has been increasing significantly since August 2009, led by all its components. The major driver of this increase has been sugar, as output of the two major sugar producing countries, i.e. India and Brazil has declined. Consequently sugar prices have shot up in India too.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">All the above mentioned cases are the supply side constraints that have led to sky rocketing prices of the staple food items of an Indian family such as pulses, rice, sugar etc. Government has reacted by permitting import of raw and white sugar,<span class="apple-style-span"> edible oil and pulses by public and private sector as well</span>. Centre has taken steps in empowering states to punish hoarders. The area that can be consolidated further is the public distribution system<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Pranab Mukherjee, Union Finance Minister said “RBI (Reserve Bank of India) has already done the demand-side management by raising the CRR (cash reserve ratio). It will suck out Rs.40,000 crores money from the banking system. This will ease liquidity pressure on the system,”</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Added to the proactive measures by the Government institutions, one can also count on nature as Rabi crops prospects seem encouraging; the post monsoon rains have been good. Along with the short term initiatives, there has to be long term vision in dealing with a crisis of such grave nature. Inflation as an economic phenomenon is cyclical in nature, but how much of it can be allowed a free play is a crucial question. Had the agricultural sector been better off to absorb shock, the intensity of the food inflation would have been moderate.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The bottom line is that agriculture has to be revived, revamped and reformed through a visionary plan in our country! The double digit growth that the PM claims in the next few years cannot be at achieved by riding on the success story of the manufacturing and the service sector. The growth has to be holistic including all sectors of the economy.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">To conclude I would like to quote George Washington who had once remarked, "I know of no pursuit in which more real and important services can be rendered to any country than by improving its agriculture"</span></div>Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-23865831854860377682010-03-04T08:58:00.000-08:002010-03-04T14:21:06.711-08:00Let baigans be bygones!<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“You cannot get up before tasting the baghara baigan, it is the south Indian speciality” quipped Ashish Uncle, neighbour of my aunt in Hyderabad. It was a weekend and I had been to my local guardian’s place when Ashish Uncle had invited us for his son’s birthday.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">All my life I have detested the king of vegetable but since I have come to Hyderabad, it has been tough time ignoring brinjal! Whether it be the Sunday special at the hostel mess or a friend’s mom invitation for feeding us the ‘home made’ food or lucky ‘out of the blue’ invitation for Ashish uncle’s kid’s birthday party or the news papers flooded with ‘BT Brinjal’... Brinjal seem omnipresent!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But I realize that brinjal in newspaper is certainly more intriguing than the brinjal on a platter… because it’s just not about the king himself but plethora of things attached to it. Bt brinjal has triggered issues such as livelihood of the farmers, sustainability of agriculture, burgeoning profits for the corporate houses, credibility of the scientific research, faith in government’s decision and a range of issues like this!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">BT brinjal, a genetically modified strain created by India's number one seeds company Mahyco in collaboration with American multinational Monsanto, claims to improve yields and help the agriculture sector. This claim has been contentious and has let to a stir in the country, jolting everyone from the netas to the aam admi. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The company products have the dubious distinction of proving destructive on the fields and adversely affecting the lands and the crop yields worldwide. Various international groups such as the Organic Consumer Association, Greenpeace have carried campaigns such as “Millions against Monsanto”. It is a clique that the poor farmers have been coaxed by the governments and the Monsanto to pay them and get their fields contaminated by genetically modified organisms.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Presently the big multinational corporations (MNCs) control the seed and chemical supply, and it’s a huge market. Monsanto, one of the top MNCs claims to apply innovation and technology to help farmers around the world produce more while conserving more. In reality the companies have pushed the farmers into a vicious cycle, where to grow the GM seeds, the farmers have to spend on chemical fertilisers and then to sustain the seed one has to depend on pesticides. Consequently the farmer is caught in a debt trap as all these wares come at a price and the worst of crisis occurs when the yields are shockingly low! Thus more borrowing to harvest the new GM seeds!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The MNCs have been showing keen interest in the agricultural sector of the country due to various reasons. India being the habitat of the world’s second largest population, food security is a major concern. Per hectare yield of the farms in India has been drastically low in comparison with other countries; hence increasing the output of the farms is one of the priorities of the sector. MNCs ensuring abnormal outputs see India as a major market for the genetically modified seeds.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In 1995, Monsanto teamed up with the Indian Mahyco to import Bt cotton seeds. The GM seeds were crossed with local varieties to ensure that they could adapt to local conditions. Much of India's GM debates stems from this point - In India’s agricultural history the first GM crop to be commercially grown in the farm lands was the Bt Cotton. Let alone an increased yield of cotton, it rather led to series of farmer suicides in the states where the GM seeds was promoted aggressively by the state governments.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">There is now a stand-off between supporters of the technology and activists who accuse the government and industry of a lack of transparency, which they say has prevented a serious, inclusive scientific debate on the issue. The decision of allowing the GM seeds was a top down diktat that was enforced on the vulnerable farmers.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"With no transparency over GM crops in India, no one, farmers or the state agriculture department, is told anything properly," says Suman Sahai, convenor of the Delhi-based nongovernmental organisation Gene Campaign. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After the fatal consequence of the Bt cotton, the next GM crops that awaits to cause destruction is the Bt Brinjal .However, the debate over the safety of Bt brinjal continues with mixed views from scientists working for the government, farmers and environment activists. There have been various versions of the research that had flooded the debate on the Bt brinjal.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The research conducted by the MNCs which they use to persuade the governments is usually the research funded by the companies themselves and then presented to the regulators for clearance. It is not surprising then that there is an enormous lack of credibility. Activists allege that the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has shown a bias towards Monsanto. Ideally the research must have been publicly funded and openly scrutinized.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Dr. Vandana Shiva, noted environmentalist and activist says that “Safety tests conducted on Bt brinjal were a big fraud. The tests have not checked the effects of transgenic Bt which include genes for antibiotic resistance and genes for viral promoters. The tests have been done on safe microbial Bt, which has been used as an organic pesticide for decades. Hence the results merely show the safety of the organic spray.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">There has been a wide spread protest in the country including methods like the ‘brinjal satyagraha’ a nationwide fasting campaign against the commercialisation of the Bt brinjal in India, signature campaign where about 1, 70, 000 people have signed the document stating “I am No Lab Rat”. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Jairam Ramesh, the Union minister of environment came up with the device of public consultations on October 15, 2009, just a day after the regulator in his ministry, the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), had given its go-ahead to the commercial cultivation of Bt brinjal. The series of consultation meetings chaired by him have turned out to be dramatic, given the manner in which pro and anti-GM lobbies sought to demonstrate their strength.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">States cutting across regional and political lines: Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, West Bengal and Bihar have come out against Bt brinjal. While some asked for a moratorium pending further testing of the bio-safety of Bt brinjal, others rejected the very idea of letting toxic genes be inserted into food crops. Consequently Jairam Ramesh, the Union minister for environment and forests, has agreed to put Bt brinjal in the cold storage for a while.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The question is not only about allowing a new technology of genetic modification here; it is about its use in a daily-use vegetable, cooked in our homes, a vegetable that can easily be grown in the backyard. India is the home of brinjal, where it has been cultivated for four thousand of years without the help of fertilizers; hence do we really need a Bt bringal? Will it help the farmers to improve their income or will it lead to surge in the number of suicides? Or will it just help the MNCs to fill their kitty? There are numerous such questions that need to be debated and discussed constantly!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">To add to that list, one more question …. Will the Bt bhagara baigan will taste as delicious…. Well I would leave the question to the south indian food experts to answer!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-47470025853836992912010-02-17T11:28:00.000-08:002010-02-17T12:11:01.710-08:00Copy cats going crazy!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Debacle in the 2009 lok sabha elections, the resurrection of the Jinnah’s </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">jinn</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> leading to the ouster of the loyalist Jaswant Singh, tussle within the organisation on the issue of leadership and the occasional bashing up by the daddy ‘RSS’ on the question of 'The Right Ideology'….. Bharatiya Janta party is in a mess!</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The only ‘hope’ that the BJP’s battered</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> kundali</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> shows is its brand new party president Nitin Gadkari, A man supposed to be on a mission to revive the party. An uphill task as the BJP is going through a challenging phase. BJP realises that the conservative right winged ideology will not reap seats in elections unless they get lucky with events such as Babri Masjid Demolition or Godhra. And talking about events of this nature...they seldom occur naturally, they have to be staged, manipulated and a party needs shrewd strategist to milk it incessantly!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Whenever the party leaders try to fiddle with the ideology, the RSS pulls it strings from the other end. In an era of coalition politics, BJP had to mould its ‘ideals’ in a way in which it goes in tandem with other fringe parties ‘elastic ideology’. Congress has been trying hard to lure the progressive Nitish Kumar’s party into its fold… even the Biju Janta Dal which was seen as a faithful alliance once, ditched it at the peak of election…these are indicators that BJP has to buck up.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Strangely the few initiatives that BJP has taken in this direction are the carbon copy of the Congress's </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">mantras. </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The first one is initiation of a drive to induct youth in the party and the second one is the most exploited word of the year ‘The austerity drive’. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">There is a huge crisis in terms of fresh faces in the right wing camp… all they have in the name of young leaders are the poster boys… Varun Gandhi, Navjot Singh Sidhu. It is high time for BJP to interrupt the tune of the pied piper Rahul Gandhi, who has been attracting the potential young blood in the congress tribe. the question is who will do the job for BJP? </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Talking about the so called 'Austerity drive' that the part has adopted in its National Conclave being held at Indore… the drive has led to setting up air conditioned tents consisting of sofas, double beds, dressing tables, personal computers and solar panels for the not so hi-fi leaders of party. The ‘Austere’ leaders have abstained from staying in the five star dwellings for the greater good of the nation and thinking that staying in the ‘humble’ tents would impress the people.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I am sceptical of how far this ‘beggary’ will click with the populace… but ‘Back to Basics’ is not a bad idea in itself. The point is that the route should be an original one!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</div>Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-71089777830715545652010-02-07T05:12:00.000-08:002010-02-08T08:18:21.659-08:004:1<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This post is a slightly different one.. not the regular rabble rousing on the political state of the country, instead a short story and the first one I have tried to write... may not turn out to be an exciting piece, but all I can say is that It was an honest attempt to try out a different genre of writing.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">4:1</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It was one of those days, when I was bogged down by the monotony of the news. I have this curious fetish for news; hence I can invest hours on browsing through e papers of ‘reputed’ and ‘not so reputed’ newspapers… Sadly nothing seemed interesting enough to keep my frantic mind engaged. After few hours of hopeless mining, I gave up…Now more than a break, I needed to breathe! Hence I decided to stroll in the campus.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I approached my friends and two of ‘The’ generous souls on earth agreed to come along!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> I choose the road not taken (pun intended) … a trek through a jungle that ambushes near the new S.N.School building. My friends nodded their heads in approval.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As we walked, we got enmeshed in the darkness. The night wasn’t at its pleasant best instead it was baffling. We walked along the narrow path, trying to find out the way to the Gacchibowli stadium road… Meanwhile the trees appeared ghostly, they seemed angry as we had intruded its territory at a time when it was in no mood to entertain guests.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As we were drawing close to the stadium, the woods became more dense and intriguing. I had the guts to advance further only because I was familiar with the place, I knew it was the last leg and the most difficult part of the journey… and we were close, very close indeed.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We made it! </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And I breathed…. the freshness of night. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Strangely the bonhomie with nature didn’t last long…couple of minutes passed and I felt the same. I started observing objects nearby, and I quipped … “there lies the mushroom rock”. My friend hushed … “chalein kya?” I don’t know whether he read my intentions or he was in a mood to gallivant through the bushes, Whatever may be the case, he spoke my mind and I was excited all over again! All we could see is the rock at a distance, none of us knew the way. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Round 2! We ventured into the uncharted territory. Broken paths were strewn all over the place, they crissed crossed and every path seemed equally promising as the other one. We tumbled on thorns and narrowly escaped thorny bushes… kept walking, the mushroom rock eluded us, but it couldn’t hide long from the determined spirits. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We reached the almighty mushroom rook, it looked majestic. The rock didn’t seem hostile as the trees; it looked amused at the untimely arrival of the strangers! It welcomed us wholeheartedly.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It was a grand structure, a towering one; there were numerous middle sized rocks which were perhaps envious of the mushroom rock, but there was a harmony, a peaceful coexistence … that one rarely finds in the world of men.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">They stayed together… adding meaning and beauty to each others existence. So did we…. three of us were ecstatic, because we were together… like those rocks!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We started capturing moments… to be exact, my friend clicked to his hearts content. Truly speaking I love to be on the other side of the camera, arresting life into images! Strangely … I get irritated when camera stares at me… don’t know why. Some traits just remain unexplained!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But this time I wasn’t… I was equally keen to seize our joy in pics.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We hobnobbed for a while and then decided to climb on one of the adjacent rocks… my friend accomplished this feat effortlessly; he seemed a seasoned rock climber… I struggled hard…felt like a child, one who tries hard to get its steps right. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My friend gave me his hand and pulled me up, in seconds I was there.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We climbed up the rock… the view was a pure ecstasy, cold wind blew hard and the city remained wrapped in the blanket of night and all we could see is the lights of stadium and the mighty mushroom rock beside.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And this time…. I did breath in the freshness of LIFE!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I sat quite for some time, until I heard </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“ Swami… have you heard of ponzi scheme?”</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It was a rude shock , until now we thought that the night, stars, cool breeze and mushroom rock were all ours! But the mention of ponzi scheme by a fellow specie made us realised that we were not alone.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We traced the source of ponzi scheme to a adjacent rock, which lay couple of meters away. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">There were two guys who were lying on the rock… it was difficult to look through the darkness … I mumbled, “These gay couples ,they could have chosen a bush instead, there are plenty of them in the campus” my friend grinned, and before I could observe more and make further deductions…</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The punditry ringed louder “Swami I will tell you about the ponzi scheme it is all about……” . I was beginning to get irritated and felt like shouting to the pundit… Screw your ponzii!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My friends seemed unaffected… they seemed to absorb both … the breeze and the ponzi with ease! As the time passed… the pundit’s dose of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">gyan</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> also increased. By now we all knew the name of the disciple (the other guy) was Swami! Swami was quite or may be he was already asleep and if he was in his senses, he must be thinking exactly the same as me.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The pundit went on, his words were loaded with terms that I couldn’t relate to, All this while I was trying hard not to eavesdrop but the pundit’s voice was difficult to ignore.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> After some time he made the most humane remark of the night… “You must be hungry Swami, I have a chocolate brownie and a chocolate sponge cake in my bag!”. I turned my head and so did my friends! And swami turned alive… “Sandy, I love you”</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">One of my friends whispered, you were right “they are a gay couple”, we chuckled!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Our rock was no more silent… for some time we bitched about the profs, enlightened ourselves about the latest love affairs and sex scandals of our university and gossiped all possible page 3 stuffs on the campus.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We had almost forgotten our neighbours, until we heard someone jumping into the bush… it was the pundit… Sorry I forgot that pundit had an ultra modern name “Sandy”. Swami followed the suit. Perhaps they were leaving the places, we were happy to see them retreating. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Just when we were about to resume our meaningful conversation, my friend pointed toward them and said, why are they moving towards the jungle?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It was a good observation, meanwhile the other friend quipped, “I think we should also start moving, its 3.10 am”. I looked at the watch, it was late and we had to walk all the way back to our respective hostels, it would take another half an hour or so, hence by the time we reach it would be four in the morning. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We took our bags and started our journey towards land… </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Descending was relatively easy, a few steps hither tether and our feets touched the ground.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We started walking … again the numerous paths lay before us, each seemed to promise us the destination, we were bit sleepy by now and no one was in a mood to think hard… my friend walked infront , we followed him blindly… we were assured that he would lead us from the darkness to the light , our saviour (referring to the light, we meant the light emanating from the stadium!).</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But it didn’t take him much time to shatter our high hopes! We were being misled and our leader was more confused than us… we were going towards the jungle and not toward the stadium.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">He said lets go back and wait till dawn, I didn’t want to heed but had no other options… </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">None of us was sure of the way back to the stadium road, and we didn’t have the energy left to explore and rediscover the path. Hence we walked back to the mushroom rock as it was “THE” only visible thing in the dark night!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We were on our way back, and about to reach the spot when we heard some people walking. I was bit scared as it was around 3.30 and there was no soul around… I knew there was a village near by but I wondered who would come to this place at midnight.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We walked briskly; the voice seemed more prominent now. We saw two men walking towards us.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">They drew near and before we could think anything… one of them said “Do you guys belong to the university”</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I instantly recognised the voice, it was the pundit… the pundit was wearing specs, he appeared like a bemused student who has been thrown of the school because of knowing much than the teacher… pundit was in formals, his white shirt was loosely tucked out and seemed crumpled. He wasn’t a student, or had he just come from an interview….naah not possible… in his hour long lecture there was no mention of any interview. He was a working guy perhaps…whatever!!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My friend replied quickly... “yes yes we are university students, and we seem to have lost the way…”</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Shit…I said in my mind! Why the hell on earth my friend had to mention our hapless state…and that too to this pundit! I felt like hitting my friend for opening his mouth wide. I stared at my friend, and he ignored it artistically.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Well the damage had been done… and I had no control over it.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The pundit softly said… “lets walk together, I am sure you wouldn’t prefer climbing on the rocks and stay there in such cold night”. That time I felt like shouting…I prefer rocks than walking with a business channel!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My friends nodded their heads and shook hands …. “sure,lets go together!”</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">No one seemed to bother about my approval… I was getting furious inside. I was in no mood to spend the rest of midnight walking with a private Quelch! (Private Quelch was a character I had read of in my school, private Quelch knew everything)</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The pundit started walking, so did his disciple…sorry disciples (Three new admissions!). A fresh journey commenced. Pundit marched ahead… carefully examining the path, he would occasionally shout “thorns here… be careful” , though I was dead sleepy then… but I remember clearly that he must have warned us about thorns at least twenty times… such was the effect that now I had turned paranoid about every plant..I would even suspect of basil plant to have thorns!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Surprisingly he didn’t talk, he looked intently at each rock ,every thorny plant hence examining path with great precision. He was a man on mission. Very soon indeed we found ourselves on a road… but not the stadium road! </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I had serious doubts now, I spoke for the first time challenging the ‘leadership’ … I shouted “this cannot be the way… “, pundit replied softly “but isn’t it beautiful… I am sure we will reach the stadium road, there must be some way out”.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I was angered …retorted “to hell with your beautiful road”… he just ignored it but my friends hushed …chill , we know your are sleepy, but be patient.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I kept quite… drawing an equation 4:1 ( all guys had ganged up )</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I decided not to utter a word anymore, would boycott all conversations further! I kept mum and sauntered. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After a while, when I looked around ( and thank God I did) I realised that the road was indeed beautiful and naturally lighted. I discovered that the moonlight had eluded us all night because it was lying peacefully on this road! Finally the moon also became a fellow traveller… </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Pundit was true .</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The road lead to a helipad, the one I had heard of often but had never managed to see in the last one and a half year.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I was thrilled by the discovery more than anyone … I ran towards the helipad! Everyone was bit shocked as till now I had been silent (and grudgingly silent later) and suddenly I seemed the happiest person on earth.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I was delighted as I had never expected to land on a helipad. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Just when I was ‘happy’ about the state of affairs, a terrible thing happened. My friend took out his cam and said lets pose together for a pic ! </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">He looked at me and grinned … irritated and annoyed to the core I grumbled some jargon that my friends are used to hearing from me. Needless to say the jargon included some indecent words, that shouldn’t be uttered especially infront of the guys. I didn’t think at all then… my friends laughed, they seemed to have good fun. Swami seemed untouched… and pundit just smiled!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My friends pulled me and there I stood with mixed feeling (ashamed of the outburst and enraged). Pundit volunteered to click the pic, my friend uttered a cheesy line “ No, how can you, I want you to be in pic” .</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So he fixed the timer, propped the camera on a small rock and grabbed pundits hand and ran towards us. There we stood and the camera flashed.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I noticed that the guys bonded well, apart from covering the journey, they covered a plethora of topics ranging from cars to beers, I think they also exchanged phone numbers and email ids…etc</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The equation remained unchanged for the rest of the journey … 4:1.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">More than anything I was feeling bit guilty on having behaved so rudely in the helipad, I shouldn’t have lost my temper, the thought kept bouncing back and I tried to shun them by increasing the pace.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We had reached university and it was already 4.30 am, the guys seemed more relaxed … It was only me who was bit miserable. My friends tried to talk to me , but I dismissed them saying I am too sleepy to talk… I was awake…</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As we reached the cycle stand, I grabbed my cycle and mumbled a very abrupt “bye everyone’ and cycled toward the hostel. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As soon as I reached hostel, I had fallen asleep. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Next day was a usual one; I had a class on ‘feature writing’ and my teacher explained about the skills one requires to write a good feature… creative, imaginative, keen observation ability blah blah… it was an exhaustive list . I concluded that, I need to write first… rest all will fall in place later.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So in the evening, I took out my lappy , switched it on and clicked on the icon microsoft word, with the intension to write something (the ‘something’ would be decided later). While I was about to begin, I thought I must check my gmail, twitter, facebook and orkut (The intension was that nothing must come between me and my writing spree for next couple of hours, hence decided to go through them first).</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I opened my gmail account, five new mails… 2 of them facebook friend request, which I carefully ignored , 1 mail from the feature writing prof , the mail reiterated about the assignments deadlines, there was one mail from the outlook.com, reminding me of the exciting offer that I would miss if I didn’t subscribe the magazine immediately and the last mail… from an unknown email address </span></span></span><a href="mailto:sandylovesall@gmail.com"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">sandylovesall@gmail.com</span></span></span></a><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The message read “Thankyou guys for the wonderful time" </span></span><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">-</span></span><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> Sandy</span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What struck me is the last line “there are no traffic jams along the etra mile” </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I smiled thinking that pundit never misses an opportunity to spread </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">gyan. </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Pundit was a nice chap, more sure than all of us and a humble guy who excused all my stupid tantrums. Maybe I was bit unfair to him … whatever!!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I just wondered how he knew the campus … </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And there was a pic attached to the mail.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It was the helipad pic and no doubts for guessing…the equation was still the same 4:1…</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">four smiling faces and a frowning one….</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 137.2pt;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div></span>Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-38078523238577062642010-01-26T00:15:00.000-08:002010-01-26T00:41:37.545-08:00Lets Honour The 'Kartavya'<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“</span></span></b></span><i><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems” M.K. Gandhi </span></span></b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none;"><b><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </i></b><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A wonderful thought by one of the most thought provoking leaders of the century… </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As we celebrate the 60</span></span><sup><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">th</span></span></sup><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> Republic day of our country will full gusto, I do not intend to ponder</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">over</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">the hits and misses of my countrymen (& women), I do not want to go ga ga about the glorious past or not express my utter dismay over the current scenario !</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">All I want to do is to celebrate….celebrate the ‘people’ and their work, which has been commendable. It gives me a hope that we will continue to be a Republic Country as long as we have the potential leaders among us who serve selflessly and who will lead the society out of the din!</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In this post I write about ‘</span></span><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kartavya</span></span></i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">’…the alternative school in my University and ‘</span></span><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kartavya’…</span></span></i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The duty!</span></span><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">While many groups desperately try to garner attention of the </span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">students</span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">’ in the University</span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> , this particular lot of students remain ever dutiful! No hush - hush about their genuine endeavours. Niranjan, Sharat Chandra and other </span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">students from the Special Centre for Integrated Studies(SCIS) University of Hyderabad have been manoeuvring</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> an alternative school for the children of the</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> migrant labours since 2007.<br />
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T</span></span> </span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">he story goes like this…In 1999, students of Indian School of Mining</span></span></span><s><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></s><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">University (ISMU) Dhandbad, started teaching five students in</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> the </span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">premises of a temple.</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Over the years, the number has reached to 700 students in numerous</span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 5pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">centres in different states of the country. Niranjan, an ex ISMU student, determined to carry forward the legacy, joined hands with some of the spirited friends in the University of Hyderabad to help out the dispossessed children of the campus. </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In 2007, this group of enthusiasts built a small shed behind the integrated</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> hostel, with the help of few labourers. </span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This place was once the seat of learning </span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">for about 120 students. There was a dedicated lot of volunteers and the teacher to student ratio was also encouraging one. There was one teacher for every 25 students. <br />
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Now the school is in a dilapidated condition .The building is no more in use and the</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> present school has been shifted</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> to a place next to the SCIS building. This</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> school </span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">consists of two rooms </span></span></span><s><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></s><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">and two permanent teachers. The volunteers take classes in the evening for two hours and the present strength of student is 35 students. The decline in the number of students has been mainly because of the frequent migration of their parents due to the change in the work site. The </span></span><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kartavya</span></span></i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> volunteers make sure that even if the children move to new place, they must continue with their education. They try to place them in the alternative schools in the new habitat.</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Meanwhile the good news is that </span></span><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kartavya</span></span></i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> has also been recognised as the alternative school.</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In the first year of its functioning </span></span><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kartavya </span></span></i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">had its moment of glory when four of its students cracked the entrance and got admission in the various residential schools of Andhra Pradesh, Next year the number rose to nine. </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But the students settling in the residential schools do not stop their engagement with the </span></span><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kartavya</span></span></i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> people. The volunteers make sure that they keep monitoring the progress of the child by remaining in touch with the teachers, school authorities and parents.</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The funding for this endeavour comes through voluntary donations and the resources pooled from selling socks of old newspapers and selling paper bags and other goodies crafted by the students in the school.</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none;"><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kartavya</span></span></span></i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> is not just a humble initiative to impart education to the deprived kids, there is more to it. There is a constant effort towards involving the parents too. The volunteers have a vision wherein they want to work with the people in the slums and try to improve their lives by providing means of livelihood.</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none;"><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kartavya </span></span></span></i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">suggests, the work done is the ‘Duty’. The volunteers make no claims of doing extraordinary service… it is an inner calling…for the greater good! </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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</div></span>Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-58999098402986242502010-01-22T09:13:00.001-08:002010-01-22T10:24:57.444-08:00Marxist and not The Leader!<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“A communists fights for the people till his last breath…and then he continues to fight…by donating his body for medical research Com Basu has inspired millions.”</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of the facebook status message of comrade (pun intended) Ishan Anand drew my attention. Ishan , like millions(may be I am overestimating!) of the comrades of the country was trying to pay a humble tribute to ‘The Leader’ Com.Jyoti Basu</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jyoty Basu, whom we had almost forgotten … until last week when media and the national leaders started worrying about his health, and the news channels were flooded with the news of who’s who of Delhi visiting the nonagenarian leader , we were suddenly reminded of him! Joyi Basu died at the age of 95 and the nation? was mourning his death.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">No questions can be raised on the “commitment” of Jyoti Basu towards the tenets of Marxism, probably it is not a hyperbole to say that his deaths heralds the end of Indian Marxism!</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I repeat Marxism again!</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But I wonder if Marxism is the magic wand that would heal the all the problems of the commons… Definitely not, infact No ‘isms’ can claim such powers. Then why do leaders fail to negotiate with their ideology? </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I do not feel as sad as the other comrades feel on the demise of Jyoti Basu but I am more agonised by the demise of Bengal. The state which was at its intellectual zenith in the pre independence era, was almost brought to ruins during the rule of so called towering communist leader of the country!</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the 23 years of Jyoti Basu’s rule….youth fled from Bengal.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Employment eluded its able human resources.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Industrialists packed their bags and the per capita income of the people reduced considerably The worst dilemma of the populace was that it had to keep re-electing the party as it had no other viable choice!</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To quote Suhel seth “ The only thing that didn’t move away from Bengal during those twenty three </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">years was CPI(M) i.e. Communist Party of India </span><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Marwaris</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">) . Suhel Seth makes an apt sarcastic remark as the Marxists (barring few honourable exceptions) in Bengal continued amassing wealth when the rest of the Bengal was languishing in poverty, thus christening them </span><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Marwaris</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In 1980s when Basu’s government took the decision to remove English language from the primary school curriculum, it denied access to the ‘language of opportunity’ to a generation of Bengalis. While one side he took steps to strengthen the trade unions throughout the state, on the other side he comfortably neglected the poor performing PSUs. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Basu did commendable work in the area of land reforms, enforcing Panchayati Raj institutions and empowering the poor peasants in the rural Bengal. He made agriculture a viable economic activity, but despite of all this I fail to comprehend why there are pockets in Bengal that remained untouched by “Development”. There has been a constant neglect of the tribal areas… no wonder the people are retaliating in places like Lalghar. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In short Jyoti Basu failed the most promising land of the country, especially when the whole of Bengal was at his feet for two decades.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As a person he has been described as one of the finest gentlemen or “</span><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bhadralok</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">”, but on political front when it came to “performance” Basu erred miserably! The </span><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bhadraloks</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> are not supposed to run the governments; they are the ones who run intellectual discourses. Jyoti Basu was a true Marxist ideologue, but was never ‘The Leader’ of the masses.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To conclude I would like to quote a Kolkata </span><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">basi</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> who expressed his view on the communist rule of Bengal when he was asked his opinion by a news channel, he quipped </span><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“</span></i></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Communists do not believe in hell or heaven either.... hence they created the present day West Bengal</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">”</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
</div>Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-12927820748507402392009-12-29T11:26:00.000-08:002009-12-29T20:11:22.776-08:00Understanding Telangana … The People's perspective<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p><br />
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<i><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></o:p></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Vox</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">populi</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Vox</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">dei</span></span></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> , A Latin phrase that is pompously used to hail People in Democracies means … the voice of people is the voice of the God!</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But the voice of God has remained unheard in this region…. Since last five decades. </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Historically </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Telangana</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> had to bear the burnt of the most </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">exploitative</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> kind of feudalism during the era of </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Nizam</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> and </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Razakar</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> rule until 1948. This was the time when people movement like the </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mulki</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> movement and the </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Gonds</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> of </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Adilabad</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> district had waged agitation against the oppressive rule. The state of the local populace irrespective of their religion or caste was deplorable.</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Meanwhile the rest of present </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Andhra</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pradesh</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> was under the erstwhile Madras Presidency, they were certainly better off when compared with that to the </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Telangana</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> populace as they had the opportunity of English education and access to employment under the colonial rule.</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To put it in a nutshell the people of this southern region lived in two different worlds! Each having its own different political economic state… the only thing that was common between the two worlds was its language ‘Telugu’…. It was presumed to be common … but it </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">wasn</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">’t!</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the post independent India the states were carved on the basis of linguistic criteria and </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Telangana</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, coastal </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Andhra</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> and </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rayalseema</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> fell under this category, hence forming the present </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_18"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Andhra</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_19"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pradesh</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It is interesting to note that the leaders such as Nehru were sceptical of the merger of T</span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_20"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">elangana</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> with the </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_21"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Andhra</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">… the termed the union as the marriage of a dominant husband with a submissive wife…. Needless to say that the submissive wife was </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_22"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Telangana</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">!</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It was certainly a marriage of (in) convenience!! </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_23"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Telangana</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">’s identity remained enmeshed in the whims of the politicians and bureaucrats who thought that they knew the best.</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Since the amalgamation in 1956, the condition of the people in this region has deteriorated consistently; they have been lagging behind in all the fields of public life.</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Socially the discrimination is pathetic, the reason being the lower class and the local dialect of </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_24"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Telugu</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> speaking people (</span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_25"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Telugu</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> has a tinge of Urdu in </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_26"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Telangana</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">) this is seen as mass culture and considered low. Even in the </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_27"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Telugu</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> movies, the villain mouths obscenities in </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_28"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Telangana</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> dialect. Hence the language and culture of the </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_29"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Telangana</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> people has always been debased by the </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_30"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Andhraites</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_31"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Telangana</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> territory has two of the main rivers Krishna and </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_32"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Godavari</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> flowing through its mainland land but only 12% of its land is irrigated and the maximum number of farmer suicides has occurred in this region. As the water resources of this land continues to bring bounty to the farm lands of </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_33"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rayelseema</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> and coastal </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_34"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Andhra</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, the native farm lands remains parched and thirsty. The water shortage is so acute that the farmers are forced to exploit the ground water resources through pumps and </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_35"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">bore wells</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> … the tragic tale is that the ground water resource is not of much help as the water level have drastically dropped in the recent times. Thu nearly 70% of the pumps and </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_36"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">bore wells</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> have become dysfunctional.</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_37"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">telangana</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> movement is not a new stir, nor is it being manned ONLY by the politicians of the state. It is in a true sense a people’s movement as people irrespective of the class and caste from the </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_38"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Telangana</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> region have unitedly rekindled the movement! </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The question is not only about separating a piece of land! The movement is about reinstating the self respect, identity and dignity of the people! It is about hope… a hope that when the natives get to participate in the democratic process and they govern their land, the resources will be harnessed for betterment the people. It is a </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_39"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">grassroot</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> movement by the people </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_40"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Telangana</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> who want to take control over the resources and determine their fate! ( A luxury which has never been endowed upon them since centuries!)</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Its high time for the</span></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> saga of perennial suppression, humiliation and neglect to end… it can only end when the state recognises the voice of God…. The voice of people…the voice of </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_41"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Telangana</span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">!</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></o:p></span><br />
</div></i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p><br />
</div>Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-14025834313085610942009-12-17T22:49:00.000-08:002009-12-21T00:35:08.899-08:00All izz well until it is drama!<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language:EN-INfont-family:";color:black;">Any hit formula is destined to be replicated umpteen number of times until its magic fades away. There are numerous examples ... be it Himesh copying his own nasal twang and making it more torturous with every new composition or Ekta kapoor crafting soaps using the same saas bahu plus K formula in every Balaji production. The same phenomenon is recurring in the AP Politics where the politicians are fasting unto death?? ( sorry no one has died!) and trying to influence the decision of the centre to reconstruct or deconstruct the state boundary!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language:EN-INfont-family:";color:black;"><o:p>So one can expect the opera show to continue for few more days!The happiest lot is the great Indian media ... it is very rare (except for the elections) that all the jokers of Indian politics perform for the media <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">wallas</i> at the same time. KCR (Alas!! even his name starts with K!! ) Mayawati , Ajit singh and all other supporting actors ie MLAs of Andhra Pradesh ( to be more exact ...coastal Andhra, Rayelseema as the supporting actors are very particular about the location of their constituencies!)have been trying hard to fit in the frame!</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language:EN-INfont-family:";color:black;"><o:p> The next beneficiary could have been the poor Indian masses! All over weight politicians going for the fasting could have contained the food crisis to some extent…But as every one knows well that the concept of ‘trickle down’ is completely dysfunctional in our country! May be media can investigate “who ate KCRs food for the nine days when he was fasting for the Telangana??” and run a prime time show! That’s what media does…who is interested in the in-depth coverage of the issues as long as the trivia is running (successfully?) on the channels!</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language:EN-INfont-family:";color:black;"><o:p> The din will surface in a few days. The so called agitated MPs and MLAs will be contained by the party high commands, Some random tea parties and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">chintan baithaks </i>will be organised! Dozens of review committee and commissions will be formed at all possible levels. Media will stop playing the story and shift its kind attention towards celebrities as the new year is approaching... again we will get<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>to see the most interesting programs on news channels like</o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language:EN-INfont-family:";color:black;"><o:p>“What is the new year resolution of Rakhi Sawant ?"</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language:EN-INfont-family:";color:black;">What about Telangana… a suitable consent will be manufactured which will suit the (vested) interest of KCR, junior YSR, CBN and all the other ABCs of Andhra .<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language:EN-INfont-family:";color:black;">That’s it…. All izz well until it is drama!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language:EN-INfont-family:";color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language:EN-INfont-family:";color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-59436147497646034602009-12-09T04:09:00.000-08:002009-12-10T07:12:26.492-08:00Who's Interest ??<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language:EN-INfont-family:";font-size:12.0pt;color:black;">Many of us must have experienced this.... sitting in front of the big screen in a movie theatre, watching a story unfolding itself, we get lost into the lives of the characters forgetting our existence... and we shed tears on their miseries!! The engagements with the emotions continue until the movie is over and then we suddenly realise... it was just a story. I am doubly sure when it comes to telgus, they experience this phenomena more than any one in the country as they are the mad movie lovers!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language:EN-INfont-family:";font-size:12.0pt;color:black;">Exactly the same thing is happening in Andhra Pradesh…and the cine star of the Telangana movie is KCR. People are empathising with him now…only to realise in the future that...all was drama!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language:EN-INfont-family:";font-size:12.0pt;color:black;"><o:p>I do not have a problem with the popular demand of carving out a separate Telangana, but my concern is the present leadership of this movement. The most opportunistic, morally corrupt and deceitful leader of the Andhra politics has stirred (restirred) this movement. If one looks at the timing of his hunger strike, one learns that...</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-18.0pt;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"></p><ul><li><span style=" ;font-size:12pt;color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Symbol;"> </span></span><span style="font-family:"Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language:EN-INfont-family:";font-size:12.0pt;color:black;">TRS had performed badly in the Lok Sabha, State Assembly as the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Commission elections...some gimmick was required to pump adrenalin into the party nerves, hence this hunger strike.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:"Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language:EN-INfont-family:";font-size:12.0pt;color:black;"> The hunger strike commences at a time when the state government is still trying to cope up with the loss of its patriarch YSR, hence this is the best time to destabilise the government! (That is another story that that the spineless Andhra government is so incompetent to take decisions in the state matters that is awaiting a nod from madam!)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi- mso-fareast-language:EN-INfont-family:Symbol;font-size:12.0pt;color:black;"><span style="mso-list:Ignore"><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Symbol;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"> </span></span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:"Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language:EN-INfont-family:";font-size:12.0pt;color:black;">Its interesting to note that TRS was born of the ideologue of Telangana, but all this years KCR had been <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>paying lip service to the cause, when he sensed that rhetoric wont be of much use now, he slipped to action</span></li><li><span style=" ;font-size:12pt;color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Symbol;"> </span></span><span style="font-family:"Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language:EN-INfont-family:";font-size:12.0pt;color:black;">Given the current state of his party, KSR knows that it would be difficult for him to be able to rule the whole AP, hence carving out a separate chunk would ensure a safe political heaven in the near future </span></li></ul><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language:EN-INfont-family:";font-size:12.0pt;color:black;"><o:p> Telangana region has been wailing under the ages of suppression deserves a empathetic leader and certainly not a Power Sucker!</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> (P.S -This post was written just an hour before the home minister announced that the centre government would ensure that the resoulution for a separate Telangana region is tabled in the assembly, Nevert the less I will be penning down my views on the upcoming Telangana in the next post)</o:p></p>Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-41360716371081110802009-11-09T23:27:00.001-08:002009-11-09T23:30:19.321-08:00Maharastra Nastam Sena!<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height:115%;Times New Roman","serif"font-family:";font-size:12.0pt;">Apparently the pride of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">marathi manoos</i> seems only to be in swearing names in Marathi! This chunk of population is least bothered about the real issues that have been hogging the state. Maharashtra has seen the worst cases of farmer suicides, it witnessed the bloodiest act of terrorism but nothing was worth to catch the attention of the Raj Thackeray’s gang. They are a bunch of literary scholars who are obsessed with the vernacular language of the state. It is better to place them in the linguistics department (if there is one) rather than giving space to them in the precincts of the assembly.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height:115%;Times New Roman","serif"font-family:";font-size:12.0pt;">The act of manhandling the<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"> Samajwadi</i> party MLA Abu Azmi was indeed disgusting and atrocious in nature. <span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color:#1A1A1A;">An assembly member is allowed to take oath in any Indian language.</span> But MNS seems to be making dictates that suit its whims and caprices. </span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height:115%;Times New Roman","serif"font-family:";font-size:12.0pt;">Maharastra Navnirman Sena …I really can’t imagine what kind of Navnirman these people are thinking of! Rather the party should be immediately christened as Maharashtra<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"> Nastam</i> <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sena!<o:p></o:p></span></p>Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-85523727273179398302009-10-06T09:42:00.000-07:002009-10-07T08:15:43.926-07:00Call for more Chaprasis<div>I personally feel that there is one political party sans any ideology! it runs by the diktats of a family which has been manning (currently <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><i><b>wo</b>manning</i></span>) it since past 60 yrs. One needs to swear by family names if one wants to make it big in the Indian National Congress. It is quite a cliche that the party that leads out loudest cries of being 'Democratic' in reality is actually an ruthlessly 'Autocratic' party.</div><div>The incidents that supports my above theory is...</div><div>The first one is the gifting of the party ticket to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Rajendra</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Shekhawat, </span>to contest from the constituency of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Amravati</span> in the forthcoming <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Maharashtra</span> assembly elections. The able?? <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Candidate</span> accidentally <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">happens</span> to be the son of the President of the country(though I feel that her becoming the president of India was itself an accident). hence <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><i>yuvraj</i></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">shekhawat</span> was given preference over <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Sunil</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Deshmukh</span>, who had been a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">MLA</span> from the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Amravati</span> seat twice but.... Alas he is not remotest relative, leave alone son of any congress <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">big shot</span>! thus the drama of the youth drive where more youth is being brought into the fold of congress <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">seems</span> a nonsensical to me. the drive is not to bring in more youth leaders but to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">certainly</span> add to more<i> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">chaprasis</span> </i>to the High Command office.</div><div>I think it is important to note that only if you are a <b>spineless <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">sychophant</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">speci</span></b> you can be a true <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Congressian</span>. it was indeed infuriating to see the reports in media of how there was a flood of congress men in the homes of D<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">alits</span> in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Uttar</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Pradesh</span>, on the day of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Gandhi</span> J<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">ayanti</span>. all were toeing the line of R<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">ahul</span> B<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">aba</span>, who had performed a similar spectacle few days back when he was touring the hinterlands of the poor state. </div><div>All I can say is ...... this is the heights of sycophancy and I wonder how low will the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27"><i>congressi</i></span><i> </i><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28"><i>netas</i></span> stoop to scale the heights?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-54983890639088766652009-09-30T08:10:00.001-07:002009-09-30T09:34:14.422-07:00Lynching Secularism!I do not <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">swear</span> by the tenets of hard core <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">hindutva</span></span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ideology</span> that a section of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">BJP</span></span></span> think tanks preach and want the entire <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Hindu</span> populace of the country to blindly follow. But off late I have been observing that bashing anything '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">hinduissh</span></span></span>' is deemed fashionable by the media! My problem is with the media <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">highlighting certain</span> issues and interpreting it in a manner in which the people perceive the great <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Indian</span> media as super secular! ...<div>An example of such kind of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">indulgence</span> by the media is the recent news in which it gives <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">importance</span> to the act of '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Narendra</span></span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Modi</span></span></span> praying guns' . The headline is a fantastic example of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">sensationalism</span>, at the first place <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Modi</span></span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">didn't</span> pray guns, he offered <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">pujas</span></span></span> to the '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">shastras</span></span></span>', and guns is one of the modern day <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Shastas</span></span></span>(which I feel everyone must pray and gain mastery over irrespective of the religion one follows...look at the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Jammu</span></span> Girl who killed the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">millitants</span></span> using GUNS!!) It is also important to take into consideration <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">that</span> the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">shatra</span></span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">puja</span></span></span> is performed on the day of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Vijaya</span></span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Dashami</span></span></span>. Hence it is a common affair in almost all the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Gujju</span></span></span> homes across the country! it is very obvious that millions of the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Hindus</span> must have followed the ritual on that day... As it is a common fact that the media which always runs out of NEWS feeds on trivia. And the worst part is that the media creates it own theories and exports the images to the public sphere.</div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Modi</span></span></span> Praying GUNS is a news because when <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Modi</span></span></span> does so he is made to appear more horrific, deadly, violent and blood sucker !</div><div>But spare a thought ,will the media ever dare to show any top <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">Muslim</span> leader lynching a goat on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Bakri</span></span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Eid</span></span></span>???? </div><div>When Muslim do it..its custom, its religious expression, its freedom. When a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Hindu</span> does it...its <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">threatening</span>, its orthodoxy, its highly problematic to the SECULAR fabric of the society.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">concept</span> of secularism itself needs restructuring...In Indian context majority <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">bashing</span></span> is the best form of secularism and media is the ardent follower of this mantra!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-70963951814557932522009-09-19T13:53:00.000-07:002009-09-19T14:14:39.313-07:00It was last week when one of the friends, in the course of random <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ramblings</span> on phone, uttered a familiar <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">name</span>..Ogden <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Nash</span> and was generous enough to recite some lines of his poetry. hence i promised to read the entire poem, I googled the name next day.... forgetting the title of the poem , I landed to a different poem! never did I think that it would be so relevant to the current situation prevailing on the campus.<br /><br />I find it very difficult to enthuse Over the current news.<br />Just when you think that at least the outlook is so black that it can grow no blacker, it worsens, And that is why I do not like the news, because there has never been an era when so many things were going so right for so many of the wrong persons.<br /><br /><div align="right">Ogden Nash</div>Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-89095648011285217142009-09-17T22:11:00.000-07:002009-09-18T00:03:20.984-07:00Thought for the day!It was one of those days on earth .... when I was enchanted by the beauty of powerful as well as tactful oratory. It was a lecture (I do not like this word lecture.... it makes me feel sleepy <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">and</span> the makes the person who delivers it sound very preachy) by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Shri</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Ashok</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Chakradhar</span>, one of the renowned <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Hindi</span> scholars of the country. I think it was after a gap of about 6 yrs, I heard something profound in Hindi. I was completely lost in those two hours... was elated watching a person fiddling with words and making his point so effectively. he kept the audience spell bound.. and even <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">after</span> 120 odd minutes, the people were left gasping for more. the very idea of people asking to hear more from you thrills me.... having been a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">debater</span>(rather a struggling one) throughout my school and college life, I have had numerous expeditions on various stages.the act of climbing as stage and then blabbing is an act of surrender!you surrender <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">yourself</span> to the mercy of the almighty audience. As I believe that the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">amateur</span> speakers are led by their audience and a seasoned one leads the audience to fall into his/her mood! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Ashok</span> C<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">hakradhar</span> belonging to the later category.<div>I just mentioned the stage.... I revere the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">school stage</span> where I had <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">delivered</span> my first' thought for the day'(though those thoughts never made <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">any one's</span> day in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">the</span> school!!). 'Thought for the day' used to be a cameo <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">appearance</span> on the school stage..for those people who wanted to desperately get rid of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">stagophobia</span>, hence one would rise abruptly on to the stage ...blabber the phrase (which would be lifted from the wisdom magazine as this small booklet consisted of marvellous <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">quotes</span> on all its pages...) and then if the speaker is a brave one he/she would take the risk of spending few more seconds of the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">fiery</span> platform and indulge in the painful exercise of explaining the quote and the run back to the respective class queue. I clearly remember that for delivering those 2 to 3 lines , I would spend hours practicing, trying all possible accents, all probable voice modulations and muster guts !!</div><div>It has been a long time now and things have changed much.... though I no longer have to deliver the 'thought for the day' but in a day,hundreds of thoughts keeps passing me by.......</div><div><br /></div>Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-80378472795077338282009-09-09T10:46:00.001-07:002009-09-14T09:05:17.057-07:00In thy name o' Democracy...<div>let me play thousand splendid games!</div><div><br /></div><div>We are a fortunate lots to be able to live in a country where the constitution bestows upon us the Right to speech. but the sordid part is that we rarely do realise its importance, the importance to express ourselves in a civilised manner. Being closely associated with the university elections this time... I was amazed to unravel two kinds of politics...</div><div>The politics of posters</div><div>The politics of impostors</div><div>The first one I do appreciate , the second one... I detest vehemently!</div><div><br /></div><div>Since the General Body Meeting (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">GBM</span>)</span> was conducted , <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">there</span> has been a flood of literature in the campus.... one could find <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">propaganda</span>, ideas, accusations, questions, campaigns, historical facts about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">HCU</span></span> elections, all the students organisation's past,present and future predictions,quotes ans unquotes and alas those <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">swearing</span></span> on the name of Democracy on all the possible walls of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">HCU</span></span>! Thanks to election and the thousand queries attached to it, people started ventilating on papers.</div><div>The poster politics informed(at times falsely),entertained, enlightened and even confused the students community... but the bottom line was that it made some people write and others read!! what a constructive and engaging exercise in such an '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">unconducive</span></span> environment' when the election process has been stretched beyond means.</div><div>now coming to the politics of the impostors..... those illogical <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">arguments</span> and the ear deafening queries.... it simply disgusted. It was hard to digest that the so called <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">educated</span></span>... rather highly educated intellectuals could make noise for all wrong reasons and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">didn't</span> hesitate a bit to go on a vandalising spree.It is a fact worth knowing that the so called "peaceful Protest" actually led to the breaking open of the Dean's Student Welfare office and also stealing of the important documents from the election commissions office.At times I really wondered whether I am standing on my C<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">entral</span> university grounds or I am caught in the hinterlands of some distant north Indian state (sorry for mentioning north, as i <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">haven't</span> really explored much of the behavioural patterns of the south!) where people do not comprehend the meaning of negotiations and take pride in issuing open threats. its indeed very depressing watching the 'Future' leaders of the country who are the 'Present' loud mouths of the university!</div><div><br /></div><div>I am reminded of those wonderful words of Tagore..</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 4px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 4px; ">"Where the mind is led forward by Thee into ever-widening thought and action;<br />Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 4px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 4px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 4px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 4px;">.......Rather let my countrymen awake</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 4px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 4px;">(<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">that's</span> a different story, I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">didn't</span> find many women indulging in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">nuisance</span>...... hence I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">assume</span> that the women are already awakened!)</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-87965180863063579312009-07-26T02:20:00.000-07:002009-07-26T03:01:55.494-07:00A new addition to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Odisha's</span></span> legislative assembly... <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">shri</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">snakeji</span></span> (its wise to address the members of the honourable house as '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ji</span></span>', unless one wants to get dragged in the protocol issues). This is the profile of the new member, It( since I am not sure of the gender) has been living in its constituency 'the jungle' since it burst open through the egg. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">shri</span></span> snake <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">ji</span></span> had a harmonious life back in jungle, it shared a great rapport with the other members of the minority community (lets <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">acknowledge</span> that that animals, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">reptiles</span>, birds are the 'Minority'). One day it <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">occurred</span></span> to the community that they must also have a representative, to press for their demands.<div>The first and the foremost being the enactment of the Forest Rights, as it has been <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">guaranteed</span> to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">SCs</span> and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">STs</span> by the central government in its last term. </div><div>Brainstorming sessions were held deep inside the woods..and finally Snake <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 0); "><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">ji</span></span> was selected as the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">MLA</span>. Snake <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">ji</span></span> because it would not require any reservations for entering the assembly house, it could easily sneak in. Moreover it has characteristics of the 'Majority ' of the politicians of the country, its <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">POISONOUS</span>, it can be highly LETHAL!!!</div><div><div>and yes in its very first day it has 'bit' two of the opposition members! </div><div>What a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">beginning</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Sirji</span></span>!</div><div><br /></div><div>{Recently a snake was found in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Odisha's</span> legislative assembly, and there was a lot of hiss hiss about it...hence the above post is my version of 'the hissing!'}</div></div>Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2816310588927287952.post-85699855137362846762009-07-18T02:34:00.000-07:002009-07-21T06:10:15.955-07:00Kahani poori filmi hai<div></div>I simply love the UP politics...its raw, its dynamic, its lethal and the best part, its the ladies calling the shots. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Joshi's</span> remarks has refilled Maya with 'Josh' ! and the new power packed drama is being unfolded every single day.I am not worried about the lows the UP politics is touching, and I am least bothered about the language being used...(as much has been written on it) but what draws my attention is the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">filmi</span> style of the entire tale.<div>Mark the '<i><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">appatijanak</span></i>' language used by the congress lady, it seems to be directly lifted from the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">hindi</span> flicks of the 60's. since the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">poisonous</span> statements have been <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">delivered</span>, it has put literally <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">everything</span> on the flames. ultimately Rita's house is bearing the burnt of her excess <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">rhetorics</span>. </div><div>Thanks to the Maya's boys for delivering the job with utmost perfection!(the two things the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">BSP</span> cadre specialises in...lighting the fire and Erecting of their...<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Goddesse's</span> statues). meanwhile <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Maya</span> knows her job too, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">sardar</span> of the goons has already been rewarded <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">with a</span> plush post in the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; "> UP Sugar Corporation</span>. she has also slapped some sections <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">xyz</span> on Rita <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">devi</span>, claiming that the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">remarks</span> were anti <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">dalit</span> , hence against the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">SCs</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">STs</span> ( what a twist indeed) . I understand the statements being anti women...<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">but</span> anti <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">dalit</span>! alas <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">that's</span> the '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22"><i><b>maya</b></i></span>' of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">behenji</span>. <div>Now I am waiting for the almighty judiciary to deliver its verdict and guess what will Rita say when she will be punished "<i> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">kanoon</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">aandha</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">hota</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">hai</span></i>".</div><div> Thats why I say "<i>kahani poori filmi hai</i>"!!!<br /><div><div><br /></div></div></div></div>Swati Rathorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555627314486556737noreply@blogger.com0