The true colours of politics

Orissa's Chief Minister and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik had this to say about whether he would support Sharad Pawar as PM - "We can certainly look with great clarity into that possibility"!!

Well, if your head is still spinning trying to decode that, its absolutely no use. Because that my friends, is the current state of political climate in this country.

Jai ho! ... and the Pussycat Dolls.

I just heard the new version of Jai Ho! A wonderful collaboration between A R Rahman and the Pussycat Dolls. And it definitely is a reflection of the interest the world has in India, its movies, music, and people.

Though I wonder who wrote the lyrics. It seemed like they just put in random words to fill in the blanks!!!

Sometimes I feel that we try too hard to achieve something that should never have been in the first place because the original itself is such a master piece not worth touching.

Lets make a difference

Why is it that when we go out to buy something, we make a conscious effort to compare choice, prices, features, etc before making our decision. Isn't voting our representatives our biggest buying decision.

Let us pledge not to vote for corrupt candidates with criminal backgrounds. To know more about the candidates standing for election from your constituency, sms 'MYNETA<space> ______ (your pincode)' to 56070. And then make your choice.

Sign of the times...

I crossed this sign on my way home.

I'm sure Ratan Tata would never have imagined that Satyam would be his first competitor to the Nano.

As for the recession, well I guess its effects have reached far and wide.

I'm still alive...

Many (and here I am wishing that there are actually more than 'many' who read my blog) of you might be wondering where I've disappeared.

While I have a long list of topics, I just haven't had the time to actually sit down and write. Which is a good thing I think, what with the recession and all !!

So please bear with me for a few more days and I promise I'll be back soon. Until then, would appreciate a few comments and reactions to my previous posts.

Boom. Recession. And the moral police

Moral policing has hit a new high (or low, actually). The moral brigade are now targeting men too. For wearing sleeveless tees !! So are they really trying to protect "Indian culture" ?

My guess is that they are just looking for an excuse, any excuse, to vent thier frustration. Why? Because they were left out of the last economic boom. They envy those who made money. And envy those who spend that money even more. Sometimes I wonder are they the only ones to blame ? Or are we equally at fault ?

There is definitely no justifications for their actions. You cannot go around town hitting and molesting people. For whatever reason.

But have we contributed to the overall situation ? I think so. I think it is a miracle that this did not happen sooner. And I would attribute that to karma. Fate. Religion. God. And the way Indians believe that their whole lives have been written out before they were even born. But even fate has its limitations.

Would you blame the doorman at the pub you went to last weekend for being envious of you ? He knows how much you spent. And he knows that he does not earn that much in a month. And feeds 5 maybe 10 mouths with that amount.

Or would you blame the waiter at that new restraunt you went to to celebrate your birthday and ran up a bill of more than 10 grand ? For 6 people ? That guy feeds 6 people for a whole month. And pays his rent. His electricity bill. His water bill. His childrens fees. His medical bills. In most cases on less that 10 grand a month !!

But that does not mean that we should stop going out and enjoying the money that we have honestly made thru' hard work, intelligence and perseverance. It is after all our money and we have every right to do what we want with it.

The problem is that the speed of change was very fast. And it left out most people in the bargain. The massive priorities given to IT & ITES in the past 8-10 years has ensured that though India has gained a prominent spot on the world map, it is only 1-2% of the population who have benefitted. And the balance 98% have been left out. So when a small part of that balance 98% get frustrated, I think we are all to blame.

We need to look at a more inclusive growth model. Develop education. Develop health care. Improve farming technics and bring in newer technology. Focus on manufacturing. And yes, also focus on IT, ITES and service. But definitely not one at the cost of others. We as individuals can make a difference. We need to get involved in the whole political system. And the first step is going out there and voting. And then engaging our representatives and demanding action. And change. And improvements. We cannot be mute specators and just sit back and complain. And hope that things change. Because they won't. Not if we don't do anything.

I vow to make a differnce in an indifferent world. And I hope that you do too.

Go out and entertain

There are two types of people in the world. Those that entertain. And those that observe.

If you are not entertaining then you are just an observer.

So the next time you go out there, to sell something, for an interview, for whatever, go all out and entertain. And you will realise that your job just got easier.