National Independence Day

This day is a source of inspiration for many patriots like me since they have realised how great their nation is. History of independence day is not unknown to anyone. The day is celebrated every year to remind ourselves of the spirit of an undying nationalism with the power of which our nation's leaders forced the alien British rule to end its existence in India. The day reiterated the age old tradition of Indian soil, that a person can not be in India without being a part of it. Aryans came, they settled. Mahmud of Ghazni came, his Delhi sultanate glued itself in India. Babur came, Mughals set up their empire in India, only to stay here for whole of their lives. It was lucky for Alexander that he couldn't breach india's border, else he would also have stayed here. India has some mysterious aroma about it which always has been hypnotising for any new visitor in its land.

As much as it is inviting for the good, it is the same for the bad. Mohammad ghori invaded and looted indian property many a times. The british rule sucked away all the blood from a healthy indian economy. Chengiz khan, Ghazni, and many others have been affecting India in this path. But India always came up. As time would have wanted, India is back on its feet. This ever new but 64 years old nation is now making its mark all around the world.

This day will always be an Independence day. The only question that stirs my mind is "whose independence day is it, a nation's or its citizens' ?"

There is sometimes (like happening nowadays) negative perception in many indians' minds about their country. In a fit of frustration, some of them see India going back to the colonial type of rule, where government used to snatch the rights of people to speak, organise protests and do any activity to condemn or criticise the policies of the government. It will be false to say that they are wrong, because in some cases, the government does show its authoritative character. But saying that because of these small instances where democratic rule has been defied by the govt. itself, the nation is in danger, is not appropriate. India is much more than its government. India is its people. Its people are primary. The government is secondary. Its people are the first to celebrate Independence. The government follows the people's steps. India has always been known by its people, not by its economy, nor by its scientific possessions, neither by its artistic depictions. It is known for its strong family ties. It is known for its people's number. It is known for the work that its citizens have done all around the world. As such this nation is not known in the world by government's policies. If it is popular in the world on a political dias, is can only be by it being the world's largest democracy, which is again on the account of its large population. Hence it is the people who come first in India.

India and its people should realise that 15 August is meant for their freedom as a whole. Together only do they form an India. Government, however sincere and efficient and honest it be, can never take the topmost position. In the 1930's and 40's, all the Indians had the same word in their minds; "India". Their consolidated spirit dragged the 200 years old government out of their lives, proving that government stands nowhere near to a collective spirit. Let us all remind ourselves of this though. We are this nation, however dreamy and unrealistic it may seem.

it bleeds

It bleeds even when a narrow pin gets jutted into a body. That bleeding is painful and tormenting. It deviates the concentration on our development and asks us to look into that bleeding. It pains. Everyone can see the bleeding, everyone feels sorry, everyone sympathies, but they can not feel the pain! No one can. Of course they can provide the bandage. So I am not being a pessimist loner here. But it remains true that even after our bandage, our scars remain with us only. Only our beauty depreciates.

India is pinched again with a terror strike in Mumbai! 21 dead, more than a hundred injured. Some have loft their hands, some losing their legs, others uncontrollably falling prey to the havoc in the air set of by the exploded bomb. Some may be disabled forever now, for no fault of theirs. Others may not see their loved ones in future. Some may lose their jobs because they are no longer fit for them. The explosion does not just remain physical. Slowly it not only succeeds in engulfing the physically as well as non physically affected, traumatised victims but also paints them with a cloak of fear, that never lets them go out without it.

Was this fear what we wanted ? In this nation, where freedom and liberty are idealised virtues, isn't fear supposed to be out of this nation's dictionary ?

(to be continued...)

One Man Army

This picture is of Mr. Subramanian Swamy. He is the current president of the less popular, but much more PIL-lly active Janata Party. If one wants to know about this man, he can easily know from the internet. I am not here to describe that. What I am concerned about is his strategy to gain popular support.

He is a man of character and intelligence, as many of his actions have proven. He is courageous, for he has been standing firm for his beliefs and objectives for a long time now, despite being under various death threats from innumerable agencies. He is rational, logical, idealist, audacious, far from any corruption or criminal case and most importantly, open to all citizens. In the web you can watch almost endless interviews of this man with all enthusiasm, so much that your eyes may start aching if you do not stop. So far so good for a rational person. I am a vivid fan of his and he is gaining honor in my eyes with every passing act of his in public interest.

Now let us come to his acceptability in a more common, poorer, unsophisticated, primitive and traditional class in India, which is much more in strength, to whom any news other than rising prices of food and oil is as irrelevant as Ashwarya Rai going to a restroom. How is Dr. Swamy going to reach them ? Their support is crucial for determining success in polls. His PILs and their judgements reach few ears, compared to these large ignorant numbers. His loud roar against Sonia Gandhi is yet so dim against the collective laments of these poors and lower class, who can only think of Sonia as their mother, who will take care of them. Social initiatives like MNREGA, NRHM, JSY, ICDS, have only shifted their faith in favour of their so called mother, who, according to them, left the post of PM which she could hold anytime, formed NAC, which aims for all round social development of the country's backward population, and in whose leadership, all can get better wages. Any one among them would hardly have watched the youtube and google videos by Dr. Swamy commenting on her, that are available so freely on the net.

Adding to this uncertainty about getting support of backward classes, his book on hindutva (Hindutva And National Renaissance)is also increasingly becoming a bone of contention among religious groups if asked for their support for him. He has advocated for a controversial term 'hindutva' in every Indian, as according to him, this Hindutva is present in every Indian. While he sees the term as propagating looking inwards for solution and creating our own identity and relations with our surroundings, popular perception taking this word in consideration is propagandist. Hindutva leaders are seen as against development, blocking growth and reinforcing unacceptable systems of caste and social hierarchy. While Dr. Swamy is against the caste by birth concept, he does not refute the caste system. For him, caste is by work, and learned and courageous ones are brahmins, the others he did not describe about. However, what will put him at advantage in elections is not his thoughts, but common junta's perception about him. And that, presently is not so well developed. A common man in North may never have even heard this name, although he may have heard of the 2G scam. Moreover Janata Party is not so large that it can sweep off the elections by getting maximum number of votes. At all if it gets position, it will be through a coalition, to which, I assume, the party is non adherent as 'all are corrupt, I should not mix with them' perception is generally in minds of the idealists.

Dr. Swamy is a fearless candidate. He will fight for what he has decided till he is alive. In his interview he has mentioned that he has not come to India just to be a rubber stamp like Manmohan(also an honorary man standing very high in my eyes), following orders of Sonia (although he did rate him as being the best among the current lot of congress members). Who knows Sonia Gandhi may get arrested against corruption charges and the government loses confidence, all because of one litigation filed by Dr. Swamy. Then popular sentiments will be in favour of Mr. Swamy and if elections are done in time, his party may win. But that sounds too optimistic, even if their is a possibility of such a situation arising. Academicians like him sound credible enough when they say that Sonia Gandhi is corrupt. Strengthening the opinion is the silence veiling opinion of Ms. Gandhi. Dr. Swamy's strategy has always been truthful. He will not bend in order to gain an upper hand in power, for now he represents more than Dr. Swamy. He represents truth, virtue, courage and of all the most important virtue as per me, openness to public judgement.

Unity in diversity!!! ???

It's disturbing to see one's country engulfed in conflicts even after 64 years, when it was created. The aforementioned sentence is not so uncommon. Every now and then there is one or other citizen or otherwise expressing his grief in this manner. India is world's largest democracy. But does a democracy work the way it is working in India ? People are repressed, officials are bribed, trust in government is no more deep, development always running after degradation in the race.

New father of Indian democracy, Anna Hazare, believes in the principles of democracy, or democracy as wished by people the time it was created. He wants those rules/ principles come alive from those pages hidden in books gathering dust in some unknown shelf of a remote library. He wats the government to know that it is because of the people. People are not dumb. Government is not their God; it is their servant; it is just a part of democracy. It is not the democracy itself. The fight between civil society, ramdev, govt should not have happened. In fact the agitation by anna should not have sprouted. It should never have been 'us vs them'.

64 years an we have still not united.

What is the main requirement of a democracy ? It is the people. It is the rule by people. People are the ones who decide the future of their nation. They make the decision who they will select for their benefit. No one is blind here to the deeds of any govt. They keep an account of pro people and anti popular decisions and decide the fate of govt in the next elections. Hence no govt in immune to losing power. The government must always have people's trust running through their veins. These are not new ideas. Everywhere idealistic thought declares the same set of principles of democracy. Hardly anywhere are they thoroughly pursued. Though idealism can never be achieved, it should always be aimed.

(to be contd...)

Yet another bomb in Pakistan

Just came across a news article describing about a bomb attack in the outer boundary of a Nowsera court. It's really puzzling to understand how bombing attacks happen so frequently in a nation, despite the nation commending its intelligence ISI for its exceptional performance in tracing the terrorists. If one trusts ISI's claims of its achievements he's likely to think that terrorists in Pakistan are uncountable, a thought even more shameful for Pakistan than the OBL intelligence failure.

U.S. government's question on efficiency of Pakistan's government is very much legitimate in this regard, for no government can accept terrorism of such a high prevalence in its own territory. It has to take actions against this 'parallel government' which takes action only by launching an offensive. Pakistan is liable to be a subject of further ridicule if more such terrorist acts occur.

There is a possibility of loyal intentions of Pakistan in counter attacking terrorism. If Pakistan thinks along this pro-humanity line, it has to take a firm resolute against terrorists, some of whom may themselves be its citizens. In its war on terror, Pakistan should not budge from destroying the spirit of these humans, who, mistakingly or intentionally, have turned out to be undesirable members of the world, owing to their oath of destroying the free spirit of the world.

Considering US aid of more than 20 billion dollars been provided to Pakistan, it at least ought to address the concerns of its partner regarding appropriate utilization of the money it has been lent. Instead of this, all it is doing is blaming U.S. for encroaching on it's territory an the question of its sovereignty. Instead of expressing anguish over the past incident, which only has been a relief provider to the world, it should give priority to the present issue of enhancing anti-terrorist operations and increasing government's commitment in dealing with terrorism.

At the same time, I think why it isn't feasible for the Pakistan's government to search every house in a terror prone area for possible hideouts of criminals there, or for seizing any catastrophic arms and ammunition which is not accounted for. Under such high pressures from all major countries of the world, Pakistan has to show its commitment, and this action, if catches even a few culprits, will prove its loyal intentions, if they really exist.

What's happening in UP

It is a question of concern. What did the UP government do in land acquisition ?
Recent protests by farmers in greater noida, which are spreading like fire to other places, including agra, have agitated the apparent peaceful progress in the state. Mayavati government, though always notorious for its political ill-moves, after a long time, is being accused of a poor land acquisition policy. Last time I remember the government was accused of it's executive policy was way back, when statues were being built everywhere in lucknow. Considering the bad reputation of ms. mayavati among educated urban youths, this period of around 1-2 years being peaceful can give thought of a possible efficient government in her regime. Unfortunately all these thoughts get destroyed when a mass agitation dislocates the apparent peaceful progress.

While some government officials deny the peasant mobilisation being due to faulty payment for land, popular opinion, fuelled further by politicians like Ajit Singh and Raj Nath Singh, is only against the government, accusing it of giving less compensation for land acquitted, while selling it to companies at much higher rate, and earning much more from it for. Ideally the farmers should have been the sole gainers from the land transactions, while what it appears from the situation that is unfolded is that the state has, for filling it's consolidated fund, or otherwise in illegal world minister's private fund, done poor deal with illiterate farmers, who seeing huge amount of little more than Rs. 4-5 lacs-many of whom may have seen this much for the first time- got convinced immediately , and with heart and grace accepted a dreadful future.

While it is just right to blame the government for any agitation started by people residing in the state for maladministration, possibility of poor misusing the money can not be ruled out. It is but common among men in villages spending their money indiscriminately for liquor and gambling. Badly guided investment in some loss making firm will yet again be detrimental to a naive villager, who has for the first time tried to invest in the market upon insistence by someone. Losing his money this way will lead to a bitter sense of frustration, which will be hard to swallow.

It is difficult to say who is on the right side, the villagers or the government. But till the case is solved, the state government, being the guardian of the people living in it, should be held responsible for any disturbance of law and order in it's territory. It should take immediate and effective measures to resolve this issue, as more and more poeple are getting revolutionary jibes in their minds right since the arab revolt started.

Osama Killed

Somehow the killing of Osama has brought a greater cheer in my mind than india's winning the world cup.