So much has changed since the last time I blogged, that words seem like a shallow substitute for feelings now. But I shall try nevertheless. I think I will contradict my first blog in this one. The glass is neither empty nor full. Life is precariously poised, confused which way to tilt. For the better or for the worse. I probably wouldn't know the difference. The lines separating the good from the bad from the ugly seem blurred.
Someone up there read my first post and decided to show me who exactly was in control. Apparently no one challenges life and comes out smiling.Or broken for that matter. Just numb. No one invites the wrath and stands a chance of survival. Life plays you and you play along. All the way thinking you're the one in control. Wish there was an easier way to crossover from naive to blase.
Maybe life will turn a corner. Maybe it wont. Maybe the secret will hold true. Maybe, like most philosophies, its just a fallacy. Maybe the hoops and the bends will disappear and life will boring again. Wishful thinking.
Life is moving at the speed of sound. But the fear is when the music stops, I'll be caught offguard. offguard as always but what used to be a challenge is now a nightmare. The zeal to uncover what lies beneath is now a fear of uncovering a new bitter truth.
You don't change at the same rate at which life does. And life does not wait for you to regain your balance. In the gap between as is and to be you twist and turn, shout and squirm and eventually succumb to the powers that be.
This kid in the candy store just figured he'd lost the guiding hand. They say, the sooner the better. But this way you're scarred longer. The dark and twisty corridors haunt you longer. The angels disappear, the demons surface and real life seems so much more sinister. And eventually, the bitter gets the better of you.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
India Votes
I have turned over a new leaf. So currently I am following the 'bright side of life' principle thanks to this inspiring book called 'The Secret'. So inspite of the fact that Terrorism is at its hilt, Countries ( If you can call the current failed state of Pakistan that ) so close to home seem to be losing the much talked about 'War on Terror', Economies world over have ebbed out and Job cuts are a sob story for another day, I am going to stick out my neck and talk of something positive.
India goes to vote in a month from now. Well, usually I am not so gung ho about the current crop of politicians that we are forced to select from or elect for that matter. But it helps to be in the company of learned people. So here goes the story.As usual I was being ostensibly condescending ( like the so called well informed 'urban' youth of today) about the state of Indian politics and how voting this year would be another failed attempt at reviving a slain dream. With limited knowledge as my only armour I set out to list the shortcomings of the two pillars of of Indian politics.
So BJP with its hindutva rhetoric and rath yatras never appealed to me. And with VHP ( sole defendants of Hindu Culture) and other moral policing parties as their allies they're out of the running for me. Congress with the holy trinity of Women power, Experience and Youth ( Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi ) is good for pre election smooth talk. But the ground reality is 4 years of power and they haven't delivered. Terror is quite literally at our doorstep, Economic reforms are at a standstill and our neighbours, both Pakistan and China now think of us as a spineless nation mirroring the image projected by the incumbent Govenment.
So these are the two behemoths. Along with them come the allies which actually pull the strings. The Amar Singhs who have taken Politics to new lows. The Prakash Karats who have the ideology, but left (punn intended) to them we would actually be going backwards. The Mayawatis who still play caste politics and win votes. "This is the dismal state of Indian politics", I said and ended my diatribe.
India goes to vote in a month from now. Well, usually I am not so gung ho about the current crop of politicians that we are forced to select from or elect for that matter. But it helps to be in the company of learned people. So here goes the story.As usual I was being ostensibly condescending ( like the so called well informed 'urban' youth of today) about the state of Indian politics and how voting this year would be another failed attempt at reviving a slain dream. With limited knowledge as my only armour I set out to list the shortcomings of the two pillars of of Indian politics.
So BJP with its hindutva rhetoric and rath yatras never appealed to me. And with VHP ( sole defendants of Hindu Culture) and other moral policing parties as their allies they're out of the running for me. Congress with the holy trinity of Women power, Experience and Youth ( Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi ) is good for pre election smooth talk. But the ground reality is 4 years of power and they haven't delivered. Terror is quite literally at our doorstep, Economic reforms are at a standstill and our neighbours, both Pakistan and China now think of us as a spineless nation mirroring the image projected by the incumbent Govenment.
So these are the two behemoths. Along with them come the allies which actually pull the strings. The Amar Singhs who have taken Politics to new lows. The Prakash Karats who have the ideology, but left (punn intended) to them we would actually be going backwards. The Mayawatis who still play caste politics and win votes. "This is the dismal state of Indian politics", I said and ended my diatribe.
"These are all facts" said the more experienced of the two of us. "But facts and figures often obscure the big picture. Barack Obama, a Black became the US President 45 years after Martin Luther King made his famous 'I have a dream' speech. That is the magic of democracy. A democracy makes the unthinkable possible. 70% of India is rural. The efficacy of our politicians cannot be gauged by how soon Mumbai can be converted to Shanghai but how soon our villages can be empowered. The very fact that Mayawati can come up from dalit beginnings to now become an epitome of hope in UP signifies a change in ideology. BJP is soon realising its hackneyed 'hindutva' formula appeals to not more than a handful of goons and is fast fomulating alternate strategies to reach out to the larger hoi polloi. Congress has bunch of young guns who with some experience might actually start making a difference. So as long as 'We the People' know what we want as a nation, these venal, power thirsty public servants can only oblige. The wheels are in motion and India will continue to progress with the occassional snag from the backward forces. That, my friend, is a democracy and our biggest strength. " And thus he rested his case and gave me my reason to vote.
So even though China beats us to GDP and Pakistan to terrorist outfits ,a democratic, multi-ethnic, secular India is an idea that belongs to the future. Wake up and smell the coffee, you might just be a part of history in the making.
Friday, January 23, 2009
True Lies & Hope
Well as usual i'd like to draw a parallel between the happenings around the world and my personal life but sadly the world events make my happening life seem rather uneventful. Ofcourse destiny decided to pee all over my 'New Year in Goa plans' and cruely end my 2 month long hiatus. I could go on whining about that through the length of this blog but my 'Expect the Unexpected' theme has now become so trite that it no longer makes for interesting reading.
So i'll talk about what everyone else seems to be talking about. 2 men. One, the harbinger of hope. The other, a doomsayer who spells trouble for crores of people around the globe. While millions around the world watched with renewed faith the coronation of Barack Hussein Obama, our very own Ramalingam Raju managed to become the most searched man on the internet , thanks to his version of 'Confessions of a dangerous mind'.
The financial cookie had crumbled a few months back and before the dust settled on the troubled Wall Street casualties, Raju came out with his shocking revellations. Ofcourse he's guilty. But just to play devils advocate, to me he seems like the guy who has been caught holding the parcel when the music stopped. I find it very hard to believe that the rest of the celebrated directors were napping while Raju swindled thousands of crores under their noses.The whole thing seems like a farce. The scam, the players, the investigations. The only thing thats eroding faster than my interest in this Satyam saga is probably the balance sheets of the behemoth. Frankly, Corporate India seems to have lost its sheen and also my keen interest.
Now, for something that is of consequence.For some, Barack Obama is all hype. And they wait with bated breath for him to be done in by all the hype. Personally, I am willing to bet my money on him.The colour of his skin is irrelevant to me but his speeches reinforce my belief in the political leaders of today. Ofcourse I hope there is more to him than just his oratory skills. He may not be the messiah but he personifies a change in an era. His timing is perfect. Anti Incumbency (political jargon) is at an all time high, thanks to our man, the erstwhile President Bush. For me, the election this year was a catharsis of sorts (and hence legendary) . So as Obama settles into his new role under the watchful eye of a world waiting to be lead, I cross my fingers and hope for an Indian Obama to raise our hopes in this slough of despond.
So i'll talk about what everyone else seems to be talking about. 2 men. One, the harbinger of hope. The other, a doomsayer who spells trouble for crores of people around the globe. While millions around the world watched with renewed faith the coronation of Barack Hussein Obama, our very own Ramalingam Raju managed to become the most searched man on the internet , thanks to his version of 'Confessions of a dangerous mind'.
The financial cookie had crumbled a few months back and before the dust settled on the troubled Wall Street casualties, Raju came out with his shocking revellations. Ofcourse he's guilty. But just to play devils advocate, to me he seems like the guy who has been caught holding the parcel when the music stopped. I find it very hard to believe that the rest of the celebrated directors were napping while Raju swindled thousands of crores under their noses.The whole thing seems like a farce. The scam, the players, the investigations. The only thing thats eroding faster than my interest in this Satyam saga is probably the balance sheets of the behemoth. Frankly, Corporate India seems to have lost its sheen and also my keen interest.
Now, for something that is of consequence.For some, Barack Obama is all hype. And they wait with bated breath for him to be done in by all the hype. Personally, I am willing to bet my money on him.The colour of his skin is irrelevant to me but his speeches reinforce my belief in the political leaders of today. Ofcourse I hope there is more to him than just his oratory skills. He may not be the messiah but he personifies a change in an era. His timing is perfect. Anti Incumbency (political jargon) is at an all time high, thanks to our man, the erstwhile President Bush. For me, the election this year was a catharsis of sorts (and hence legendary) . So as Obama settles into his new role under the watchful eye of a world waiting to be lead, I cross my fingers and hope for an Indian Obama to raise our hopes in this slough of despond.
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