Barack Obama suddenly looks like a magician out of tricks what with good press having deserted him completely. Every section of the fourth estate seems to be handing him a mauling for perceived incompetence. From his cowboy handling of Afghanistan to his inept grappling with the sensitive issue of Islam or even his comical dash to bid for the Olympics, the media has abandoned its self created darling. What plumped for Obama is his charisma. Ironically, what is doing him in is just that. The “eloquence over experience” jab, once dismissed as a losers’ rant is now fast gaining acceptance amongst a wide cross section of opinion makers. Obama is not helping matters by indulging in a series of bloomers. He seems to alternate his leanings towards India or China depending on the side of the bed he rises from. The magic wand for the economy is yet to kick in. The cynical silence that greeted the announcement of his Nobel Prize threatened the credibility of the award itself. The first year of Presidency, one that leaves indelible and material impressions has seen Obama at sea more often than not.
Strangely, Obama was elected at a time when the economy was in a mess and the global business press (and corporate citizenry) making a cry for top bosses who were shorn of flashy trappings and could get on with the job with their heads down. Recent American business history is replete with examples of poster boys having to make way for boring, faceless leaders who could just stay the disciplined course. These CEOs were expected to navigate treacherous turbulence with a back-to-the basics mantra coupled with the right doses of “responsible” tokenism through voluntary paycuts and similar Gandhian acts. B-School gurus seem to have reached a consensus that regimented, restrained leaders are the best bet to weather a storm. The probability of their indulging in high-risk cavalier acts which could plummet organizations into a hopeless abyss is indeed low. With brighter weather round the corner, when significant course correction is the recommended order of the day is when the flesh pumping, awe-inspiring prima donnas merit their place in the sun.
One could therefore argue that the worst of the financial crisis was behind Obama when he occupied the hot seat. Hence, pizzazz over substance is what America needed too given that turnaround is what the doctor ordered (to put it mildly). Here is where the difference sets in. It has more to do with the process of selection than requirement or expectations from leadership. While several CEOs do have tailwinds in the form of ivy league degrees, loquacity and oodles of luck, it is rare for an individual to occupy the corner office without a track record of demonstrated success. (typically multiple times over). An open election system which does not call for any “qualifications” for the top job on the other hand, is bound to throw up leaders like Obama who get tossed upstairs on the strength of grandiloquent rhetoric. While he will probably land on his feet ultimately, the gestation is proving costly for America. The first couple of years are the only hope a nation has of steps in the right direction. The latter half of the tenure will be spent towards re-elction anyways. America deserved better than love and fresh air.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
The "Chintan" Ahead
Television anchors suddenly had something more meaningful to debate than “sach ka saamna” as the Jaswant Singh saga unraveled itself in all its glory. Ever since the “chintan baithak” witnessed the dismissal of a former cabinet minister of significant import, most observers of the political theatre seem to herald this as the beginning of the end of the BJP.
For starters, there were a set of avoidable bloopers. Jaswant Singh was certainly tempting fate blatantly by scripting a tome on partition (and Jinnah). Having been an important backroom player in managing the repercussions for L K Advani post a seemingly innocuous remark, he is displaying misplaced naiveté with his apparent surprise at the fallout. That he was aware he would stir a hornet’s nest is a foregone conclusion. The party however could have pretended to play by the rules and allowed him to put up a defence which may have been summarily dismissed. The current move smacks of uncharacteristic haste and it could be a deliberate double whammy being played out by a legal eagle within the party. It helps him get rid of one heavyweight and significantly weaken the party president, the inevitable fall guy for the consequences of such a seemingly rash move.
Personally, I do not read too much into sound bites around the BJP’s “fascist behaviour” and “disrespect for freedom of speech”. Given the Sangh Parivar’s stated (and recently reiterated) position on M A Jinnah , the party just had to respond when pushed to the corner due to provocative literary pursuits by a senior, “responsible” leader. Politics is a lot about symbolism. Buta Singh not being given the boot despite glaring evidence of wrongdoing given possible impact on the SC/ST vote in the impending assembly elections is a case in point. Lets face it, the BJP had no choice. The only difference is that a Congress or BSP worker will not even dream of writing a book that remotely defies the party line. Jaswant Singh exploited the BJP’s relatively superior democratic ethos to a fault.
A lot is being written about a terminal decline of the BJP thanks to multiple layers of factionalism. The party does indeed run the risk of being buried permanently but here is where the party needs to look at the Congress for inspiration. A very large part of the anti-Congress political landscape of the country is dotted with ex-Congressmen. From a V P Singh to a Devi Lal to a Biju Patnaik, most opposition leaders were those who broke away from the Congress (the founder of the RSS, Keshav Hedgewar also began his political career with the India National Congress!). Each time, the Congress emerged stronger albeit around the backbone of a family name. It is time now for the BJP to bite the bullet and get into a no-holds barred succession battle, identify the first among equals and dust itself of the also-rans. Some could join the ranks of other opposition parties but it will also provide the party with a new- found opportunity to welcome a few political middleweights who find the party unacceptable in its current avatar.
For that to happen however, L K Advani and his shadow need to disappear from the horizon. He needs to finally accept the fact that his time has come and his cause is better served by dignified “sanyas”. Though, whether he wishes to be compared in the annals of history to Sardar Patel or Sitaram Kesri is a matter of personal choice. The former anyway seems to be fast appearing like a case of pure wishful thinking by the self-styled “lohpurush”.
For starters, there were a set of avoidable bloopers. Jaswant Singh was certainly tempting fate blatantly by scripting a tome on partition (and Jinnah). Having been an important backroom player in managing the repercussions for L K Advani post a seemingly innocuous remark, he is displaying misplaced naiveté with his apparent surprise at the fallout. That he was aware he would stir a hornet’s nest is a foregone conclusion. The party however could have pretended to play by the rules and allowed him to put up a defence which may have been summarily dismissed. The current move smacks of uncharacteristic haste and it could be a deliberate double whammy being played out by a legal eagle within the party. It helps him get rid of one heavyweight and significantly weaken the party president, the inevitable fall guy for the consequences of such a seemingly rash move.
Personally, I do not read too much into sound bites around the BJP’s “fascist behaviour” and “disrespect for freedom of speech”. Given the Sangh Parivar’s stated (and recently reiterated) position on M A Jinnah , the party just had to respond when pushed to the corner due to provocative literary pursuits by a senior, “responsible” leader. Politics is a lot about symbolism. Buta Singh not being given the boot despite glaring evidence of wrongdoing given possible impact on the SC/ST vote in the impending assembly elections is a case in point. Lets face it, the BJP had no choice. The only difference is that a Congress or BSP worker will not even dream of writing a book that remotely defies the party line. Jaswant Singh exploited the BJP’s relatively superior democratic ethos to a fault.
A lot is being written about a terminal decline of the BJP thanks to multiple layers of factionalism. The party does indeed run the risk of being buried permanently but here is where the party needs to look at the Congress for inspiration. A very large part of the anti-Congress political landscape of the country is dotted with ex-Congressmen. From a V P Singh to a Devi Lal to a Biju Patnaik, most opposition leaders were those who broke away from the Congress (the founder of the RSS, Keshav Hedgewar also began his political career with the India National Congress!). Each time, the Congress emerged stronger albeit around the backbone of a family name. It is time now for the BJP to bite the bullet and get into a no-holds barred succession battle, identify the first among equals and dust itself of the also-rans. Some could join the ranks of other opposition parties but it will also provide the party with a new- found opportunity to welcome a few political middleweights who find the party unacceptable in its current avatar.
For that to happen however, L K Advani and his shadow need to disappear from the horizon. He needs to finally accept the fact that his time has come and his cause is better served by dignified “sanyas”. Though, whether he wishes to be compared in the annals of history to Sardar Patel or Sitaram Kesri is a matter of personal choice. The former anyway seems to be fast appearing like a case of pure wishful thinking by the self-styled “lohpurush”.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Unspirited Musings
My keen interest in whisky is known to most of my friends and acquaintances. Not surprisingly therefore, I looked forward to a Scotland trip with much enthusiasm, a lot of which turned out to be misplaced. Make no mistake, Scotland is a very pretty country and Edinburgh is by far the most picturesque city that I have travelled to. The people are warm, full of fun and the eateries/taverns are extremely welcoming. This city seems to have it all. Rich cultural & academic heritage, landmark monuments coupled with bustling and trendy commercial enterprise sans any of the inconvenient trappings of big city living.
However, here is why the whisky lover in me came back disappointed:
- I must have visited nearly two dozen watering holes in the couple of evenings that I spent in Scotland . I had the privilege of witnessing only two gentlemen downing whisky across all of them! Afternoon sojourns to pubs in smaller towns yielded similar results. This, when whisky is fairly reasonably priced compared to beer or wine.
- The range of whiskies on offer would easily be put to shame by slightly upscale bars in any of the metros back home. To add insult to injury, most displays outside pubs only spoke of their beers & wines! So much for Scotland being whisky country!
- I visited "Royal Mile Whiskies", a store with much fan-following the world over, and scores of literature dedicated to it. It was manned by 4 people- 2 Americans, a Finnish gentleman and just one Scotsman (arguably the least knowledgable of the 4). I asked for 5 malts that were top of my shopping list. The store had NONE of them! I did get some good whiskies and the store does have a decent selection of spirits but it comes nowhere close to "The Whisky Exchange" in London and it does nothing to merit the hype it generates in the whisky fraternity the world over.
- I visited another whisky store but even worse was in store. When I asked for special whisky glasses that most single malt enthusiasts treasure, the manager instructed his store-keeper to fetch me some of "those funny-shaped glasses"! (I am convinced he has his whisky with soda)
It can be argued with some merit that Edinburgh is nowhere close to being whisky country and I was better off visiting specific islands steeped in rich whisky tradition. Sure enough it is on my to-do list for the future. But I have returned from Edinburgh with reasonable conviction that whisky drinking is on the wane and perhaps irrecoverably so. Alas, that does not warm my palate.
I owe a big Thank You to my friend Anurag Chatrath for keeping me company as we went pub crawling endlessly. This, despite he being a rather reluctant tippler.
However, here is why the whisky lover in me came back disappointed:
- I must have visited nearly two dozen watering holes in the couple of evenings that I spent in Scotland . I had the privilege of witnessing only two gentlemen downing whisky across all of them! Afternoon sojourns to pubs in smaller towns yielded similar results. This, when whisky is fairly reasonably priced compared to beer or wine.
- The range of whiskies on offer would easily be put to shame by slightly upscale bars in any of the metros back home. To add insult to injury, most displays outside pubs only spoke of their beers & wines! So much for Scotland being whisky country!
- I visited "Royal Mile Whiskies", a store with much fan-following the world over, and scores of literature dedicated to it. It was manned by 4 people- 2 Americans, a Finnish gentleman and just one Scotsman (arguably the least knowledgable of the 4). I asked for 5 malts that were top of my shopping list. The store had NONE of them! I did get some good whiskies and the store does have a decent selection of spirits but it comes nowhere close to "The Whisky Exchange" in London and it does nothing to merit the hype it generates in the whisky fraternity the world over.
- I visited another whisky store but even worse was in store. When I asked for special whisky glasses that most single malt enthusiasts treasure, the manager instructed his store-keeper to fetch me some of "those funny-shaped glasses"! (I am convinced he has his whisky with soda)
It can be argued with some merit that Edinburgh is nowhere close to being whisky country and I was better off visiting specific islands steeped in rich whisky tradition. Sure enough it is on my to-do list for the future. But I have returned from Edinburgh with reasonable conviction that whisky drinking is on the wane and perhaps irrecoverably so. Alas, that does not warm my palate.
I owe a big Thank You to my friend Anurag Chatrath for keeping me company as we went pub crawling endlessly. This, despite he being a rather reluctant tippler.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Rahul Baba Chaalis Chor
The Congress spin doctors have tripped again. There was wide ranging feedback that Rahul Baba was being perceived as soft, a trifle daft and a little naive for the rough and tumble of Indian politics. Attempts to reach out to the masses were appearing way too incongruous for a chocolate faced youngster with characteristic Babalog demeanour. The solution was a hard-hitting press conference where Yuvraaj was to demonstrate his new found "political maturity". And what a mess!
The young AICC General Secretary sought to legitimise post-electoral promiscuity. As if driving home the absence of permanent political scruples was not bad enough, he naively sought to reach out to perceived fence sitting BJP allies by praising their governance in public! If coalition maneuveres could be achieved by appealing to egos thru press statements, an Amar Singh would have been unemployed long ago. In fact a young political scion with no administrative accomplishments under his belt sitting in judgement on stalwarts like Nitish and Chandrababu would have actually offended them. Even the left snubbed him publicly and the Baba's image managers must be licking their wounds while strategizing their next disaster.
My unsolicited advice to Rahul Baba would be to shed the apprehension of losing a few small battles to win the war. Contesting elections from the comfort of the family pocket burrough, shying away from ministerial responsibility for fear of a public expose' of incompetence and resorting to one-way press conferences as opposed to televised debates will keep you perpetually in boyhood. Currently even a lightweight like Ravi Shankar Prasad may perhaps knock you out in 23 seconds but it is important to stoop to conquer. Coming a cropper in televised debates will prepare you for more impactful and relevant debates in Parliament. Warm-up games don't matter. The Big Match does.
Your cronies may ill-advise you that the crown-prince does not level with his lowly subjects but history is replete with examples to the contrary. Should you fail to deliver as a minister, the lessons learnt will hold you in good stead for the eventual top job that your family party is bound to confer upon you whenever it has electoral tailwinds. The nation cannot afford to experience incompetence in the top job (again!) . Post independence, your grandmother has been the single most important political figure in the country. Her lack of concrete and commensurate contribution notwithstanding, she was strengthened by every defeat (political, legal or electoral). Sad to see you enveloped in escapism as opposed to grabbing opportunity with both hands. But then, some things never change. Primacy of THE Family and Power of the Coterie are 2 such permanent features of the Congress. Wish the same could be said of their alliance scruples.
The young AICC General Secretary sought to legitimise post-electoral promiscuity. As if driving home the absence of permanent political scruples was not bad enough, he naively sought to reach out to perceived fence sitting BJP allies by praising their governance in public! If coalition maneuveres could be achieved by appealing to egos thru press statements, an Amar Singh would have been unemployed long ago. In fact a young political scion with no administrative accomplishments under his belt sitting in judgement on stalwarts like Nitish and Chandrababu would have actually offended them. Even the left snubbed him publicly and the Baba's image managers must be licking their wounds while strategizing their next disaster.
My unsolicited advice to Rahul Baba would be to shed the apprehension of losing a few small battles to win the war. Contesting elections from the comfort of the family pocket burrough, shying away from ministerial responsibility for fear of a public expose' of incompetence and resorting to one-way press conferences as opposed to televised debates will keep you perpetually in boyhood. Currently even a lightweight like Ravi Shankar Prasad may perhaps knock you out in 23 seconds but it is important to stoop to conquer. Coming a cropper in televised debates will prepare you for more impactful and relevant debates in Parliament. Warm-up games don't matter. The Big Match does.
Your cronies may ill-advise you that the crown-prince does not level with his lowly subjects but history is replete with examples to the contrary. Should you fail to deliver as a minister, the lessons learnt will hold you in good stead for the eventual top job that your family party is bound to confer upon you whenever it has electoral tailwinds. The nation cannot afford to experience incompetence in the top job (again!) . Post independence, your grandmother has been the single most important political figure in the country. Her lack of concrete and commensurate contribution notwithstanding, she was strengthened by every defeat (political, legal or electoral). Sad to see you enveloped in escapism as opposed to grabbing opportunity with both hands. But then, some things never change. Primacy of THE Family and Power of the Coterie are 2 such permanent features of the Congress. Wish the same could be said of their alliance scruples.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Reader's Block
One of my occupational hazards is travel which comes with an inescapable wait at airports, lounges and the like. A positive fallout of this drudgery is an opportunity to catch up on reading (books). As I waited to catch an early evening flight last week, I was bemused to observe everybody poring into multi-hued newspapers with not a single soul attempting to read anything else. Morning flights are replete with identical sights. An added plethora of self-important professionals type away furiously on their laptops.
I failed to grasp the import of going over a newspaper in the evening having presumably done so in the morning too. (None of these newspapers have evening editions, at least not publicly known ones) Ditto for the laptop addicts. Were it not for a painful flight, their slumber would have ordinarily deprived employers of their new-found creativity in the wee hours of the morning anyway.
And yet, most people I meet lament the absence of available time to catch up on reading. Frequent travellers apart, even those who spend a couple of hours a day on Facebook, 6 hours a week catching up on movies (not counting travel time to Cinema) often complain about the inadequacy of a mere 24 hours in a day. P G Wodehouse is invariably something one "used to read" and favourite authors are typically those one read in college (or even school) . An honourable exception though is unfailingly made for decorated works (read "Booker Prize Winning") of Indian authors a la "The WhiteTiger". However mediocre some of these tomes may be, there is a potential risk of being perceived as an embarrassing illiterate in a gathering where everybody has "found time" to read this one magnum opus in 3 years. Hence, the authors laugh their way to the bank.
As a consequence, most of our social networks tend to largely revolve around current or former colleagues. In the absence of expanding or deepening interests, the opportunity to discuss mundane and often irrelevant happenings at workplace is a convenient fallback.
A second and more serious fallout is for the forthcoming generation. It is highly unlikely they shall seek enrichment through non-curriculum reading. Is it surprising a far higher number of parents tend to boast of their progeny's skill with gadgetry, sport (or even mimicry) as opposed to vocabulary?
Make no mistake I am not the world's best known bibliophile. I would not even qualify as a voracious reader. But my last sojourn in an airport lounge painfully exposed me to the demise of the "bookworm" (face it, you last heard this term in school!).
I failed to grasp the import of going over a newspaper in the evening having presumably done so in the morning too. (None of these newspapers have evening editions, at least not publicly known ones) Ditto for the laptop addicts. Were it not for a painful flight, their slumber would have ordinarily deprived employers of their new-found creativity in the wee hours of the morning anyway.
And yet, most people I meet lament the absence of available time to catch up on reading. Frequent travellers apart, even those who spend a couple of hours a day on Facebook, 6 hours a week catching up on movies (not counting travel time to Cinema) often complain about the inadequacy of a mere 24 hours in a day. P G Wodehouse is invariably something one "used to read" and favourite authors are typically those one read in college (or even school) . An honourable exception though is unfailingly made for decorated works (read "Booker Prize Winning") of Indian authors a la "The WhiteTiger". However mediocre some of these tomes may be, there is a potential risk of being perceived as an embarrassing illiterate in a gathering where everybody has "found time" to read this one magnum opus in 3 years. Hence, the authors laugh their way to the bank.
As a consequence, most of our social networks tend to largely revolve around current or former colleagues. In the absence of expanding or deepening interests, the opportunity to discuss mundane and often irrelevant happenings at workplace is a convenient fallback.
A second and more serious fallout is for the forthcoming generation. It is highly unlikely they shall seek enrichment through non-curriculum reading. Is it surprising a far higher number of parents tend to boast of their progeny's skill with gadgetry, sport (or even mimicry) as opposed to vocabulary?
Make no mistake I am not the world's best known bibliophile. I would not even qualify as a voracious reader. But my last sojourn in an airport lounge painfully exposed me to the demise of the "bookworm" (face it, you last heard this term in school!).
Monday, March 30, 2009
Devil and The Deep Sea
I am the lone Orissa connection for many of my friends. I am often asked if Naveen Patnaik will win a third term as CM. In my opinion, under two months from now he will. Here is why:
- Congress, the primary opposition party pulls out a semi-retired politician bereft of regional stature from the closet and appoints him as the head of the provincial arm.
- He is assigned 3 lieutenants, all of whom belong to differing local factions to “assist” in the decision making process of ticket allotment.
- The lieutenants expectedly engage in pulling each other in opposite directions only to realize its a futile squabble anyway since the writ of the family head shall reign supreme and any self -styled satrap is at best a courier.
- Consequently, with 45 days to go for polls, each ticket aspirant camps in delhi with hangers-on, mentors, moneybags et al with scant attention for the constituency where the battle ought to have been fought.
- A list of candidates is finally published. As it turns out, this was only to facilitate more trips to the sanctum sanctorium with fresh godfathers to plead one’s case. The original list is revised.
- Now, the party has to go to the polls with 4 categories of “congressmen” in the fray- (1) official candidate (2) official candidate (former), (3) lead dissident (made it to neither list despite best attempts) and (4) fence crosser. (denied ticket by BJD and granted refuge).
With an opposition party in such shape, one does not really need a “chanakya” to strategize for the CM (Patnaik has an over-rated one). The circus around the current General Elections have reinforced my belief in the two-party system. However, Orissa desperately needs a Third Front to prevent further damage to the state. The consequences of having a non-existent opposition are as follows:
- A 11-year old alliance partner is dumped in the face of an opportunistic possibility of a solo government. A big bully arrangement is put forward with the sole objective of humiliating the alliance partner into separation.
- Any pretensions of political scruples are thrown to the winds and last-minute rebel congressmen are not just welcomed but also rewarded with prestigious constituencies.
- A third term by the same government shall ensure there is no political will (or ability) to confront the Maoist menace. Senior law-makers privately concede numerous districts are not in state control. We shall soon grapple with an insurgency situation akin to the North-East.
- The state shall continue to languish at the bottom of the per-capita income charts. I mention this AFTER Law & Order because rule of law is something we have lost only in the last decade and might do so irrecoverably but for rapid damage control. The current state government’s definition of “governance” is restricted to suspending civil servants and cops for alleged misdemeanour.
- Lastly, it pains me to see dictatorial dynasty rule in one’s home state. While it might be argued that every regional party comprises one master surrounded by mass subservience, most states run by regional parties have strong opposing forces who act as a counter weight. In the absence of such a phenomenon in Orissa, complete anarchy prevails.
In my view, the BJD shall form the next government in Orissa and shall also be part of ANY central government formation. Alas, one is not spoilt for choice. I seriously hope we soon have a young leader with mass appeal who shall take up the cudgels of building the state before it degenerates to a point of no return.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Leagues Apart
The elections have claimed an unlikely victim in the shape of IPL.
The setting had all the makings of a potboiler. A wealthy industrialist with strong links to a BJP CM stumbles upon cricket administration (there is indirect spice around the CM links too which the media chooses not to report). The CM is overthrown and her lackeys face the heat from all sides. Bureaucrats, whose fate the larger-than-life cricket administrator once presided over, humiliate him on home turf in the local cricke body elections. The ruling party turns the knife by ensuring “its” state governments throw up their hands in despair citing security concerns. The proverbial last straw comes when the BCCI President, a hitherto ally of the ruling party switches camps before the elections.
So whichever way you look at it, the IPL and the General Elections were badly entangled well before the controversy around security began.
- Could the outcome have been any different if Sharad Pawar was part of a Congress-led alliance ?
- Who is guilty of being more pig-headed? The IPL for being inflexible about dates or the Govt about security arrangements?
- Is it really so much of a shame if the Government of the world’s largest democracy wishes to deploy all available security resources for the elections?
- Before Wimbledon 2009 begins, preparations for the 2010 tourney are already underway. Do we believe the organizers would shift to Roland Garros if there were serial blasts in London a week before Wimbledon or would they scrap the year's tournament altogether? The IPL may not be a century-old tradition but shifting to South Africa has ensured nothing around it will ever be considered sacrosanct.
- If the IPL had to be played for the benefit of TV audiences, could we not have arrived at a compromise solution where all matches were played in a single (Indian) City??
- Was the threat to shift to SA a mere mind-game which flopped when Chidambaram refused to take the bait?
For once, I do not have a strong opinion but numerous unanswered questions and mild views around some of them. However, the “Indian” Premier League beamed live from South Africa certainly is one big farce. But then, if Manmohan Singh could be a Rajya Sabha MP from Assam, I guess IPL has extended the same logic albeit in a slightly warped manner. Security concerns are being positioned as a political stance because those killed in the attack on the Lankan cricketers were faceless policemen. If a single international cricketer had been killed, the fraternity would have been numbed into a far more balanced response.
Friday, March 13, 2009
The Mahatma of Good Times
There is much hullabaloo over Gandhi’s possessions being bought by a liquor baron thereby denigrating the core of Gandhian values. The chattering classes engage in yet another attempt at puritanical ideology over pragmatism. As with everything else, the blame has been squarely pointed at the doors of the government. I am not the greatest fan of Ambika Soni (or the UPA Govt) but assuming there was a (covert) Govt hand in the auction, what real choice did they have? The same folks would have been baying for its blood for letting such "valuable symbols of national prestige" stay in the hands of foreigners. There would have been various symbolic interpretations by journalists clamouring to make the maximum intellectual impact with perverse theories. Can any government afford it, least of all in an election year?
- Journalists are better off directing their energy at how items as personal as slippers found their way into the hands of materialistic collectors. In all likelihood, it is the (extended) family which brought shame to the legacy.
- If we wish to liberate the government of the day from such avoidable compulsions, maybe its time we stopped making such a big deal out of anything to do with Gandhi. If we were unaware of these suddenly valuable belongings residing overseas all these years, why raise such a storm now? I would also argue a lot of the principles Gandhi stood for is less meaningful today and often borders on being impractical. (Anyone residing in Gujarat would point to the futility of prohibition) In my own attempt at being intellectually perverse (a la numerous columnists) let me propound a theory that a liquor baron paying for Gandhi’s personal items publicly signals the end of the topical relevance of Gandhian values .
- If I were Ambika Soni though, I would have arranged for Nusli Wadia to bid for the items. What can make for better PR than Jinnah’s grandson getting the Mahatma’s spectacles back to India??? The publicists could have spun a whole new story around a new era in cross-border relations. Amar Singh too missed an opportunity for a trademark stunt. Munnabhai standing up for Gandhian pride would have set the Lucknow electorate on fire what with Gandhigiri being an official poll strategy for the convicted actor. But then again the media would have screamed itself hoarse at the grave injustice to the legacy with an Arms Act convict successfully bidding for goods that belonged to the ultimate purveyor of non violence.
- Journalists are better off directing their energy at how items as personal as slippers found their way into the hands of materialistic collectors. In all likelihood, it is the (extended) family which brought shame to the legacy.
- If we wish to liberate the government of the day from such avoidable compulsions, maybe its time we stopped making such a big deal out of anything to do with Gandhi. If we were unaware of these suddenly valuable belongings residing overseas all these years, why raise such a storm now? I would also argue a lot of the principles Gandhi stood for is less meaningful today and often borders on being impractical. (Anyone residing in Gujarat would point to the futility of prohibition) In my own attempt at being intellectually perverse (a la numerous columnists) let me propound a theory that a liquor baron paying for Gandhi’s personal items publicly signals the end of the topical relevance of Gandhian values .
- If I were Ambika Soni though, I would have arranged for Nusli Wadia to bid for the items. What can make for better PR than Jinnah’s grandson getting the Mahatma’s spectacles back to India??? The publicists could have spun a whole new story around a new era in cross-border relations. Amar Singh too missed an opportunity for a trademark stunt. Munnabhai standing up for Gandhian pride would have set the Lucknow electorate on fire what with Gandhigiri being an official poll strategy for the convicted actor. But then again the media would have screamed itself hoarse at the grave injustice to the legacy with an Arms Act convict successfully bidding for goods that belonged to the ultimate purveyor of non violence.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Bharatiya Congress Party
Some months ago, I was chided by a journalist friend for my views on the Congress party being a family-run proprietorship with scant scope for healthy disagreement or independent opinion. As per him, my corporate upbringing should have helped me comprehend that “Gandhi” was a brand-name to fetch votes in much the same way as “Surf” is meant to garner revenues for Levers. It was suggested I was displaying naivet'e in trying to search for ideology in what was purely business. As all kinds of unholy alliances are being sewn in the run-up to the next elections, one important change is the voters ability to decipher that stated ideology is a mere electoral position and consequent indifference to peripheral issues when it comes to voting. With characteristic middle-class double standards, we will label Ajit Singh as a classic turncoat but shall have enormous respect for Chidambaram who has been finance minister for opposing regimes with no visible moral compunctions whatsoever. ( Incidentally Ajit Singh too is an IIT graduate with years in the U.S. computer industry to boot but his image managers lost the plot somewhere). Reality is that PC did not fare too badly under either regime thus reinforcing the belief that the 2 primary national parties which form the backbone of their respective alliances are cut from the same cloth after all.
Why then are the BJP and Congress not talking to each other about an alliance? For starters, both are “religious” parties- one survived with minority appeasement and the other grew thru majority appeal. (please note I refrained from use of contentious terms such as “secular”) They still lay claim to having the best political talent (albeit from a far from world-class pool). And save for a few purely electoral issues have an increasingly similar agenda on issues of national security & economic development , inarguably the most important items on hand in the immediate term.
Given constituency level realpolitik, such an alliance can be announced only after the polls but I believe there is a strong case in its favour for the following reasons:
1. The primary reason for the Congress "opposing" the BJP is that conventional wisdom prohibits #1 & #2 to tie-up. Ironically, it is the BJP's political relevance and not irreconcilable manifesto differences that makes it an opposition party (if they were a pidly 12-member party they would have been part of every government). Do the Left parties who have built their foundation opposing the Congress suddenly have more in common with them? Despite the overt LTTE connection, if the hatchet could be buried with DMK, is there a case for inflexible ideology anymore?
2. Given all-round economic uncertainty and the perilous internal security, we need a decisive government like never before. That can only happen if the ruling combination has 300-plus seats which is the raison d ‘etre for this combine anyway. It is imperative for certain firm policy decisions to be taken to their logical conclusion without an opposition that blocks any constructive activity for mere electoral visibility. Both the 2 large parties behave irresponsibly when pitted on opposite sides and hence it is best they play together. While this argument may appear undemocratic, too much of democracy does not seem to have helped anyone.
3. Executive and Judicial appointments will be made on greater grounds of merit which in turn will have a cascading effect on governance. Unlike today, it is less probable that the likes of either the outgoing CEC or his potential replacement will find their way into important constitutional posts on the strength of their overt political affiliations. There will still be some level of give-and-take but given automatic checks and balances, it is likely to be driven by considerations less petty than they currently are.
4. The country will be be spared the ignominy of being held to ransom by a set of petty power brokers (actually glorified p**** ) and their hangers on. With a narrow constituency to pander (and even narrower considerations to ride on) the presence of each one of these chieftains is regressive and this whole business of coalitions has been turned into a circus.
If I had the veto, my proposed arrangement would be:
The party with higher number of seats gets to nominate the Prime Minister and the electorally smaller party gets the Home or Finance portfolios. For sheer adeptness at political adhesiveness, my vote would have gone to Pranab Mukherjee for PM but my right-wing bias obstructs this vote.
Contentious issues such as Ayodhya, Article 370 etc should be kept in abeyance for the full 5-year term. Most of them are electoral issues that are not too relevant for governance anyway.
My choice of team would be- Manmohan Singh (Finance), Arun Jaitley (Home), Narendra Modi (Defence) , Kamal Nath (Commerce), Rahul Gandhi (External Affairs), Kapil Sibal (Law), Arun Shourie (Industry) and Pranab Mukherjee (Parliamentary Affairs). Alternative suggestions are welcome. (the conideration set has excluded people from non-Congress/BJP parties).
Who would be the leader of opposition then?? Speaker?? The prospects are interestingly endless. Of course, the treacherous issue around family hegemony remains.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Weighty Matters
On the 21st of this month, I am invited home for a do by somebody I meet 4 times a week but is a stranger of sorts. We speak each time we meet but know little about each other but for our names. As I pondered over this invite by a gym-mate, my thoughts went down memory lane on the myriad experiences in health clubs over the years.
I first stepped into a gym (actually an improvised "akhada") when I was 17- just into college, embarrassingly thin and painfully conscious of it. Situated in moffusil surroundings the club was frequented by neighbourhood toughies and serious bodybuilders. Given that I was from "out-of town" and bereft of local godfathers, this place was a messiah of sorts. Located right next to my college, my "buddies" (thanks to an inexplicable sense of fraternity most small-town gyms have) ensured I stayed out of trouble whenever anyone acted smart with me (or vice-versa). I may not have made any real friends here but I still have a deep sense of association with everyone I worked out with here thanks to a prevalent mindset of treating gym-mates as team members. As an aside, my physique remained unchanged after 3 years of serious pumping.
At B-school, the world was divided into two- those who lifted weights and nerds. That I belonged to the former category did not show! Bonding took a whole new meaning here and the "gang" would work out together and then hang out in the evenings as the studious biblophiles furthered their pursuit of academic glory. Contrary to popular perception though, few muscled men scored with the opposite sex. This however was cynically blamed on a B-school lady's obssessive (and new-found) desire to be seen as a thinking man's sex symbol (or in some cases an opportunistic alliance to secure grades!). Ironically, while most iron pumping blokes sought favour with the intellegentsia for notes, projects etc all year, there was an amusing role reversal in the months before job placements. Fitness experts used to be in sudden demand as there was an emergent belief that 2 years of rote would count for nothing in the face of a bulging waistline and smartly turned out duffers might steal the thunder. Attempts typically lasted for 7 1/2 days till futility dawned on both sides. End result- my physique still remained unchanged but I must say more folks from this gang are likely to attend my funeral than any other sub-group I have been part of. I made friends for life.
Work took me to another small town in Gujarat, a state not particularly known for its passion for fitness (even among the millions who migrate to the U.S.) I had hoped to trade fitness tips for stock market advice but I soon discovered gyms in Gujarat were frequented by only 2 kinds of people- the terribly lonely and outsiders. The former ensured I had convenient supply of beer in the dry state but I had to occasionally pretend to be interested in local gossip during sessions (which invariably revolved excessively around promiscuity). I (finally) managed to develop some muscle tone though I fervently hoped I would get to visit a new gym soon.
For the next several years, I stayed off a fitness regimen. It can be greatly blamed on my years in South India where I felt like Schwarzenegger in most night clubs anyway and hence remained deprived of any motivation to lift weights. My strength levels dipped considerably though I started getting bigger. A much awaited shift to Delhi ensured one was back where one loved to be only to realize one had been caught in a time warp as far as gym-buddies went.
Gone are the days of doing the bench-press together in alternate sets as is the post workout drink. (even though the bar is a flight of stairs away). Locker rooms provide for enormous amounts of conversation but they revolve around politics, cinema, food and sometimes vacations. Anything that is generic and impersonal goes. A few well-known personalities who hit the treadmill suffer a bit more. They are relegated to worse levels of loneliness as nobody wishes to be seen as a wannabe "sucking up" to them. Sometimes I see a set of people disappear to the bar together but it is invariably a bureaucrat-businessman combination . More on that another day.
While I can't say I have been complaining about the state of affairs in my current gym, the "boy" in me is looking forward excitedly to this forthcoming do. Looking forward to drinking with people one works out with as one has done for over a decade now and hoping to add to the list of people one can eventually count as "friends". Guess this is a queer and slightly unique sense of bonding and only those who have experienced it can empathize with it. I am tempted to suggest this is a "male-only" phenomenon but then do I run the risk of raising feminist hackles ? Or maybe I am downright off the mark on that count.
I first stepped into a gym (actually an improvised "akhada") when I was 17- just into college, embarrassingly thin and painfully conscious of it. Situated in moffusil surroundings the club was frequented by neighbourhood toughies and serious bodybuilders. Given that I was from "out-of town" and bereft of local godfathers, this place was a messiah of sorts. Located right next to my college, my "buddies" (thanks to an inexplicable sense of fraternity most small-town gyms have) ensured I stayed out of trouble whenever anyone acted smart with me (or vice-versa). I may not have made any real friends here but I still have a deep sense of association with everyone I worked out with here thanks to a prevalent mindset of treating gym-mates as team members. As an aside, my physique remained unchanged after 3 years of serious pumping.
At B-school, the world was divided into two- those who lifted weights and nerds. That I belonged to the former category did not show! Bonding took a whole new meaning here and the "gang" would work out together and then hang out in the evenings as the studious biblophiles furthered their pursuit of academic glory. Contrary to popular perception though, few muscled men scored with the opposite sex. This however was cynically blamed on a B-school lady's obssessive (and new-found) desire to be seen as a thinking man's sex symbol (or in some cases an opportunistic alliance to secure grades!). Ironically, while most iron pumping blokes sought favour with the intellegentsia for notes, projects etc all year, there was an amusing role reversal in the months before job placements. Fitness experts used to be in sudden demand as there was an emergent belief that 2 years of rote would count for nothing in the face of a bulging waistline and smartly turned out duffers might steal the thunder. Attempts typically lasted for 7 1/2 days till futility dawned on both sides. End result- my physique still remained unchanged but I must say more folks from this gang are likely to attend my funeral than any other sub-group I have been part of. I made friends for life.
Work took me to another small town in Gujarat, a state not particularly known for its passion for fitness (even among the millions who migrate to the U.S.) I had hoped to trade fitness tips for stock market advice but I soon discovered gyms in Gujarat were frequented by only 2 kinds of people- the terribly lonely and outsiders. The former ensured I had convenient supply of beer in the dry state but I had to occasionally pretend to be interested in local gossip during sessions (which invariably revolved excessively around promiscuity). I (finally) managed to develop some muscle tone though I fervently hoped I would get to visit a new gym soon.
For the next several years, I stayed off a fitness regimen. It can be greatly blamed on my years in South India where I felt like Schwarzenegger in most night clubs anyway and hence remained deprived of any motivation to lift weights. My strength levels dipped considerably though I started getting bigger. A much awaited shift to Delhi ensured one was back where one loved to be only to realize one had been caught in a time warp as far as gym-buddies went.
Gone are the days of doing the bench-press together in alternate sets as is the post workout drink. (even though the bar is a flight of stairs away). Locker rooms provide for enormous amounts of conversation but they revolve around politics, cinema, food and sometimes vacations. Anything that is generic and impersonal goes. A few well-known personalities who hit the treadmill suffer a bit more. They are relegated to worse levels of loneliness as nobody wishes to be seen as a wannabe "sucking up" to them. Sometimes I see a set of people disappear to the bar together but it is invariably a bureaucrat-businessman combination . More on that another day.
While I can't say I have been complaining about the state of affairs in my current gym, the "boy" in me is looking forward excitedly to this forthcoming do. Looking forward to drinking with people one works out with as one has done for over a decade now and hoping to add to the list of people one can eventually count as "friends". Guess this is a queer and slightly unique sense of bonding and only those who have experienced it can empathize with it. I am tempted to suggest this is a "male-only" phenomenon but then do I run the risk of raising feminist hackles ? Or maybe I am downright off the mark on that count.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Slumming It
“Slumdog Millionaire” seems to have brought our misplaced sense of patriotism and needless schizophrenia to the fore. The movie apparently shows India “in poor light” and has divided the cocktail circuit and bollywood camps alike. The outrage seems to derive itself from the fact that the movie was directed by a foreigner. So a Mira Nair describing Mumbai poverty, albeit in a slightly varied form is acceptable but it is sacrilege for a foreigner to do likewise. Concurrently, there is pride in A R Rahman’s nominations i.e. we are proud of the Indian music composer but some of us are angry at a “phoren” director.
The Big B is normally measured in his response to anything and weighs political correctness in all public postures to a point of appearing devious. He too has thrown in his weight behind the objecting masses and seems to believe that depiction of Indian slums points to a conspiracy by the western world to paint a shabby picture of our country. Whether it reflects on his genuine concern as an honourable ambassador of our country or veiled envy at losing out on the grand scheme of things in a platform which matters is debatable.
Using the Big B as a reference point, I am tempted to ask if say, Sarkar Raj showed our country or Mumbai in glorious light. How does telling the world that we have a Mumbai that is lawless and obeys the writ of a parallel power-centre flattering for the image of the nation? Or is the argument that this is fictitious and hence passes muster but the existence of slums is real (and tragic) and hence out of bounds? Or is it about wanting to say that we can talk about our dirty underbelly but non-citizens can’t? To demand that foreigners are entitled to make films only about the cellphone revolution, the golden quadrilateral or our once-flourishing software/BPO industry seems preposterous. Films are a form of entertainment, a medium for people to express their creativity with the option of delivering a broader social message. The proportion of each of these elements is an individual decision and should be left at that.
I hail from the eastern province of Orissa. I have been living away from my home state for over a decade and am fairly used to meeting people who either struggle to place it on the map (especially in Mumbai) or mention the once famine-struck district of Kalahandi as their only source of familiarity with the state (despite my 6”2”, 90 kg frame!). Several of my compatriots are outraged at people’s ignorance about Orissa’s existence or its glorious maritime past, magnificent tourism opportunities and treasure of minerals. My reaction is typically one of amusement and silent determination. Amusement at people’s blinkers when it comes to world view and determination to contribute towards the state’s climb in the development pecking order in the years to come. To expect people to look up in admiration at a state that still dominates the bottom rungs of the per capita income charts is a bit far-fetched. (Despite my parochialism on the subject I need to concede Orissa is no Gujarat- yet)
I believe we are similarly placed as a nation on the global arena. We are a country on the upswing, but have a lot of ground to cover and will also do well to recognize the sharp, unparalleled disparity at both ends of the spectrum. A mere movie getting critical acclaim should neither affect our sensibilities nor distract from the mission of continuing the path of progress. “External” sources pointing to parts of our ugly underside should only make us vow to ourselves that we get rid of them.
Incidentally, on the subject of parochialism, Mira Nair grew up in Bhubaneshwar (Mumbaikars are forgiven for assuming Bhubaneshwar is a suburb north of Jogeshwari) :-)
The Big B is normally measured in his response to anything and weighs political correctness in all public postures to a point of appearing devious. He too has thrown in his weight behind the objecting masses and seems to believe that depiction of Indian slums points to a conspiracy by the western world to paint a shabby picture of our country. Whether it reflects on his genuine concern as an honourable ambassador of our country or veiled envy at losing out on the grand scheme of things in a platform which matters is debatable.
Using the Big B as a reference point, I am tempted to ask if say, Sarkar Raj showed our country or Mumbai in glorious light. How does telling the world that we have a Mumbai that is lawless and obeys the writ of a parallel power-centre flattering for the image of the nation? Or is the argument that this is fictitious and hence passes muster but the existence of slums is real (and tragic) and hence out of bounds? Or is it about wanting to say that we can talk about our dirty underbelly but non-citizens can’t? To demand that foreigners are entitled to make films only about the cellphone revolution, the golden quadrilateral or our once-flourishing software/BPO industry seems preposterous. Films are a form of entertainment, a medium for people to express their creativity with the option of delivering a broader social message. The proportion of each of these elements is an individual decision and should be left at that.
I hail from the eastern province of Orissa. I have been living away from my home state for over a decade and am fairly used to meeting people who either struggle to place it on the map (especially in Mumbai) or mention the once famine-struck district of Kalahandi as their only source of familiarity with the state (despite my 6”2”, 90 kg frame!). Several of my compatriots are outraged at people’s ignorance about Orissa’s existence or its glorious maritime past, magnificent tourism opportunities and treasure of minerals. My reaction is typically one of amusement and silent determination. Amusement at people’s blinkers when it comes to world view and determination to contribute towards the state’s climb in the development pecking order in the years to come. To expect people to look up in admiration at a state that still dominates the bottom rungs of the per capita income charts is a bit far-fetched. (Despite my parochialism on the subject I need to concede Orissa is no Gujarat- yet)
I believe we are similarly placed as a nation on the global arena. We are a country on the upswing, but have a lot of ground to cover and will also do well to recognize the sharp, unparalleled disparity at both ends of the spectrum. A mere movie getting critical acclaim should neither affect our sensibilities nor distract from the mission of continuing the path of progress. “External” sources pointing to parts of our ugly underside should only make us vow to ourselves that we get rid of them.
Incidentally, on the subject of parochialism, Mira Nair grew up in Bhubaneshwar (Mumbaikars are forgiven for assuming Bhubaneshwar is a suburb north of Jogeshwari) :-)
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