AAP and the Pied Piper

           Long ago I had written 'A wake up call' stating the need for a change and that a new party should rise with those who had never been in politics before. I believe I weren't alone in thinking that way. There was a glimmer of hope when Anna Hazare started the movement against corruption. But soon he was pushed down from the heights where the very media took him to. Then there was this new kid in the block - Arvind Kejriwal. He had the guts to stand against the giant like David did to Goliath. With the broom stick he swept the streets of Delhi and showed Congress where they belong. But at end, when the war has been won, the hero seems to be throwing away the mantle and running away. The actions that followed have sown some serious thoughts in my mind. I doubt if people of Delhi have been royally fooled by this new bunch.

         I really wished if this party had the chance of governing the state because of their manifesto. But now I feel it was more like the manifestos any other party has ever released saying they'll do this and that for the people which will be followed by some more promises at the next election. We've seen enough of it. We were all fed up with the Congress due to corruption and it was then BJP rose with the banner 'party with a difference,' only to prove themselves to be worse than the other. Seems like history has repeated with a new difference.

          When I look at the outcome of the recent Delhi election, beyond the anger on Congress and the 'Modi' factor, what played a crucial role was the bait AAP threw. If the new party could eat into the vote share of Congress, sweeping it away like a whirlwind, wouldn't it be because of the promises AAP made? Free water and half-priced power - who wouldn't be tempted? AAP came out with the most unrealistic of promises as Arun Jaitley and Sheila Deekshit pointed out, if I'm not wrong. Of late I have a feeling that Kejriwal's intention was just to make sure that the government fall and not actually to form an ideal government. That is what I feel by his decision of not forming government even after getting so much of support.

          If Kejriwal had a real intention of giving a proper governance he should have taken the support, may it be of BJP or Congress, and formed the government. Saying that Congress and BJP are both corrupt and hence won't take their support is meaningless. If so he shouldn't have even contested and taken votes because he can never say that it was only those who are perfect in every way that voted for him. I don't think even he himself is perfect in everything, forget about those who voted. If his intention was right he should have headed the government and proved what he could do. When he says he is ready for another election is he not blowing away the money of those who donated with so much enthusiasm and above all the trust they put on him? Wouldn't it be a waste of public money more than anything else? Is he not running away from the responsibility that has been entrusted on him by the public?

          More than anything, the reason for the running away I feel is because he knows very well that the promises he made at the time of election is false and unrealistic. He would have released such a manifesto thinking he can drain away people from voting for those in power since they were so frustrated with corruption. But he never would have thought that his manifesto had the power to lure people into it like a magnet. Who would want to say no when promised with green pastures? Of course all these years every party did the same, but not to fool people to such an extent. And now that the unexpected happened, and people opted for him, he might be thinking that if he takes it up he'll have to fulfill the promises. Being a former IRS officer he should be knowing the realities at least to some extent .

         If Kejriwal really meant proper governance he should have staked claim and formed the government. In such an instance he need not succumb to the pressure of those who supports him. He can always do the right and show what it is meant to be clean governance. If such a government falls under pressure, doing what is right and just, people will surely stand by them. And if an election is held then they can come in  full power because people would have realized that they mean business. Their performance in the coming months would have given them a real base in the national arena as well as a run up to general elections. But if they are running away from doing so, then they are only cheating those who worked hard for them. I only wish if they take the mantle, prove me wrong in doubting them, and show the world what it means by GOVERNMENT.

(This material was actually posted in my other blog newvisionpolitics.blogspot.in. I'm posting it here too so that those who don't check that don't miss this)

NaMo namaha

NaMo, the third time Chief Minister when I write this, the man who is said to have changed the face of Gujarat, projected by media and many Indians as the future PM of India – is he the right one to lead India? Well, I’m not the right person to answer it, being a non-voter, but the general public of our nation. We need to wait and see what is in store.

When the world is getting ready to accept him as the future PM of our nation, especially with US and other nations reconsidering their stands on his visa, I have my own reservations about his candidature due to various reasons. Here I’m penning down few of the reasons.

The foremost reason why I find it hard to see him in the post is his dictatorship. India being a democratic nation it’ll be almost impossible for him to do anything at all. He may be able to reign in his state with his muscle power. But how can he ever manage India as a whole, especially with everyone wanting freedom from even their own people. The recent Telengana issue speaks a volume about it.

Those who are shouting from the top of their voices and those who wish very badly to see him in the post will one day curse themselves or at least will wish if that had never happened.  The Yeddiyurappa episode will only be just a precedent. His own people would want to get rid of him one day, the reason being every person wants to be on top.

When I say about danger, it is for various reasons. Bravery is good, which Modi is said to have, but wisdom is what is required to take us forward as a nation. Bravery will end up in destruction whereas wisdom will bring prosperity. Many bravehearts think he has the capability to take us for a war against Pakistan. But what about the consequences? Is patriotism all about hating other nations than loving our nation? We live at peace now. Won’t a war take away all that we have earned so far?

For that matter, I seriously doubt the bravery of the so called hero. Is he really a braveheart? What makes me doubtful about his bravery is his stance on the Gujarat riots. I have no idea what really happened. In this era of paid news we cannot trust anything. Yet in his case there are two sides to it. If he was brave to the likes of Hitler to mastermind the massacre isn’t he a coward who runs away without accepting it? On the other hand if he’s innocent isn’t he nothing but a false hero being carried on the shoulder by those who think he is the mastermind? Both ways he doesn’t seem to have any substance. He still lives in a shadow not able to confront it. Majority of them who supports him are in a dream world, blinded by emotions. This is evident from the words and deeds of almost all the Modi fans. They cannot digest the truth. I’ve realized this as few of my own friends, who knows me well, thinks of me as a different person than what I am, though I always make my stance clear. Though they are well educated they still cannot understand realities. If they cannot believe what I am telling about myself, how can they ever understand or believe other things?

When it comes to diplomacy, Modi will be an utter failure unless he changes himself. And if he changes then there will be no difference between him and others. I would like to point out the Kandahar incident. The self-proclaimed ‘patriots’ who always spoke about teaching a lesson had to bend their knees. I won’t call it as a failure because that’s what diplomacy is. A war is not the answer. But the Modi fans won’t understand that.

Speaking about changing himself, I feel he is a person who betrays his own people to fulfil his ambitions. It is evident from the Sadbhavana rallies and the makeover he’s trying to achieve. He may be able to fool most of them, but still he’ll be alienating himself from at least few of his own fans with an eye on the coveted post. Maybe few of them will realize it one day, but others will still remain blind as their fancies will remain as it is. But the reality will be that he would make them a fool who considers him as a hero.

Coming to Gujarat as the hub of development under him, I can only look at the hype with doubt, like the ‘Indian Rambo’ story. When we think of that development, I wonder how he could boast of it as it’s not too long ago that there was money pouring in from all corners of the world when an earthquake hit the state. Why is it that he couldn’t manage it himself? And why is it that he still takes funds from Centre, especially as it had been the centre of all industries, rich in natural resources and even the hub of diamonds since ages? 

Though media projects Gujarat to have been developed so much under him I never found Gujarat fare anywhere in national level when it comes to the available data. I did a search for the top most states in all available spheres, but couldn’t find Gujarat anywhere in the first three, especially in terms of literacy, health and even GDP. Of course there is no doubt that Gujarat has developed under him. But at the same time even those states that were considered backward not more than five years ago fares better than Gujarat. Being Chief Minister for three consecutive years won’t make him any better because there are others who had been in the post more than that.

Ruling a state is different from ruling a country. It’s like the frog in the well story. One needs proper understanding of how things happen. Otherwise it’ll be how I thought in my childhood that the best way to eliminate poverty is by printing money and distributing it to all.

Of course I don’t rule out that anyone can do who has a strong will, but not without patience to listen. To lead a country like India one needs to take into confidence at least a large section, though not everyone, considering the diverse culture and above all be really wise than brave.

A true love story

My marriage - Love or arranged?

Since long I’ve heard this question of whether mine was a love marriage or an arranged one. I’ve always found it difficult to figure it out myself. For those who had time and patience I could narrate it, but for others I promised I’ll blog it. It’s almost a year since I got married and I’m taking some time off to do it now for those who are eager to know. If you are interested in knowing only how it happened then click on 'A true love story.' But if you want to know much more and if you have time, continue reading.

For quite long my parents were so much worried about my marriage. They wondered if I will ever get married considering my background. Still I didn’t accept whatever proposals they brought. I kept away from confession and church because I felt there is no point in it as I keep hurting them and I couldn’t give any respite. I pretended as if I didn’t see the tears in my mom’s eyes. So far in my life I haven’t come across anything tougher than disagreeing to the proposals my parents brought. Yet I did. Everyone felt humiliated and my parents even said they won’t get me anymore proposals. I myself wonder at times how I could do that, being a person who agrees to even someone who wants to stab me.

            Many people asked me the same doubts my parents had in their mind – am I not interested in getting married. Well, to tell the truth the thought of marriage was a seed that started sprouting unknowingly during my schooldays itself. I always cut off the thoughts and kept a distance from girls because flirting was considered as one of the worst things in my family. It was ‘don’t-even-look-at-a-girl’ kind of training I got from childhood. And to add on to it was the reputation of the family for which I had to toe the line.

           

            Often I used to tell my friends that God was too busy blessing me that He forgot to create a girl for me. Though I was very much sure about the former, I wasn’t quite sure about the latter part. Yet I was happy the way I was. So much of freedom, no tensions, no worries, enjoying life as it comes. And like the small story 'Gift,' which I wrote long ago, I believed that if there is a girl for me I’ll get married even if it’s at the age of 60 or 70, no matter how young she is. That was my faith in God and love.

Though I was poor at mathematics I kept on doing it in this matter through the years, through what I saw and heard from experiences of people around the world. My expectations, doubts, fears, views – I was trying to mould something out of it. Few of them were even funny.

Long ago, as the matter of proposals came up, my parents were taken for surprise when I told that I want a girl who is good in English. My brother teased me on this. I too found it funny at a later stage. But I said this because I felt that for proper understanding there should be proper communication. And for proper communication it’s not necessary that the person knows the language, but should know it better, especially in my case. This is because of the way I speak or write. Most of my friends have complained that they don’t understand my messages though I try my best to make it as simple as possible. At times I keep it that way because I feel that treasures are to be searched and it will be sought only by those who are interested. For others even if they get it in hand it’ll be just a piece of waste. 

            Coming back, was it that I was scared of marriage? Up to some extend I agree. I believed that everything depended on the girl because I was sure of how much I can love. I was afraid that if I get a girl who doesn’t need my love, then what ever love I have in my heart will go waste. Though I loved my friends I’ve always made sure not to show it fully because, as I always told them, I believed that friends are not for ever and one day or the other we got to say good bye. I came to believe that it’s the family that stays together through the good times and bad till the end. Even though friends want to stay they’ll have their near and dear ones to be taken care of, who will pull them away, and it wouldn’t be right for me to be in between them. In the case of my marriage I preferred to take it till the grave unless the girl doesn’t want it that way.

            Initially, being a typical mallu, I just wanted to get married whom my parents arrange for me. But as time passed by my views changed. At one point in time I felt that I cannot agree to an arranged marriage at all. I felt that there will be no proper understanding between the couples in arranged marriage and there will be love and understanding only in love marriage. But as time passed by I realized that what matters is the person. For some people love marriage is best, but for others arranged. Problem comes when there is a mix up because of the expectations. Getting the right partner is a miracle. And from my experience I believe that it’s all God’s grace and mercy that will lead to it. And in the long run I based my idea of marriage to love and understanding and hence love or arranged would make no difference.

            Thinking about the problems in the world, what the western world has been experiencing for quite some time and what we have started facing recently I got some insights. If I don’t need anyone to take care of me and I want to be independent then I need not think of a person in my life. If it’s just someone who takes care of me then I can hire a servant. But if I’m looking for a partner who takes care of me with love then only I should get married. More over I didn’t want our children to be deprived of love. Hence I felt that the girl I marry should not go for work. This was another criterion that I kept for the proposals my parents bring. Everyone criticized me for that. What they failed to understand was that I say this not because I consider her as my slave, but because I want her love. I never considered anyone lower to me because that’s the way I was brought up. To be precise, my sister had more preference in our family than me or my brother.

           

            This matter didn’t go well even with the priest to whom I went for confession. When I told him that my parents are worried and the reason is my marriage he asked me why I’m not accepting any proposals. As I told him no girl would agree my conditions he didn’t let me complete my confession. He asked me to stop confession and go and think of my narrow mindedness. I had to go back and sit in front of Lord and ponder about it. It actually made me think. Though I haven’t found the other side of it, that incident did make me realize one thing – that I should respect others’ views no matter it is right or wrong. I can take a decision to follow what is right or wrong according to me, but I shouldn’t impose it on to others. They have every right to follow what is right or wrong according to them just as I do.

            Initially I used to think that the one whom I marry should be beautiful. But as I grew up it changed because I felt that beauty will fade and I won’t be able to love that person anymore. Then I started looking for inner beauty.

In due course there was a sea change in my views and stance on marriage. I knew that God knows me better than anyone else inside out. And knowing very well that He knows me better than myself and what is best for me and that only He can provide me with the best, I started praying God for the grace to accept the girl that He provides me, from the bottom of my heart no matter how good or bad she is. Often my request was only to give me a girl who can accept my love in its fullness. But He not only did that, but gave me a girl who can love me as well.   

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