Campaigning ends and so does the month long drama

Somewhere in the suburbs of a city in India, thousands of people gawk and start waving at the sun-bleached sky to the buzz of an approaching helicopter. Emerges the "Neta"(politician) from the chopper, walks towards the centre-stage set for the rally, escorted by the security-guards and the partymen, climbs the dais. After few heeded words from the comrades, takes the charge of the podium and delivers the speech, primarily, reciped by the ingredients such false promises, void sops, targetting the other party blended with some communal provocating words. The speech intermittenly paused by the resonarting sound of the claps of the audience. Job done...!! Our "Neta" relinquishes the dais and rushes towards the chopper in waiting to attend another rally in some other city.
No, this is not a script of any movie...but a hackneyed scene in any constituency during the election compaigning which had been going on in the country. Today was the last day of campaigning for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. During this episode, we witnessed the politicians crossing all thresholds of code of conduct. This often left the impression that the supposedly watchdog, Election Commission of India was a mere spectator barring couple of (mis)incidents where required actions were taken. This time as usual, we saw many new pre-poll alliances with leaders from different parties holding joint rallies, thus fostering the alliance and also showcasing the strength and integrity of the same. We watched in this edition of campaigning, the politicians making fallacious promises, slanderous remarks and making every ditch effort to allure the electorate, even on the communal and caste grounds. They made all the promises except those not harnessing their future such ensuring that no person with criminal background enters the house of Parliament, making the number of women candidates at par with those of men, setting minimum qualifications as a prerequisite for the candidature,etc.etc. We have also witnessed the conscience of the politicians plummeting and touching abyssmal levels.There were few cases wherein it was the evident that one candidate was involved in the murder of the rival but no action taken. Many politicians didnt hesitate to entice the people by abusing the other communities and couple of them went to the limit of doubting the integrity of the nation and demanding separate land. I feel hapless as these politicians will again be seen, after the elections, making a mockery of the democracy on the floors of house breaking all the binding disciplines. Somewhere, it all points finger towards us who vote for them and elect them as our representative.... the representatives who come to see us only after 5 years (assuming there is stable government completing th etenure of 5 years). Yes, we are also responsible. Even after 60 years of independence, I feel that we as a nation have not grown into a mature democracy. We must realise that it is not only important to vote but more significantly, we must vote for the right candidate.

Jai Hind..!!!
Thanks,Vivek

Chennai

Master unveiled

Master Blaster's wax statue was unveiled today at Mumbai. The statue will be erected atMadam Tussauds, London on 24th April i.e his birthday.
A tribute to the demigod of cricket. Excerpts from an arguement on topic who is better Sachin OR Saurav.No offence intended against Saurav. The day was when Sachin broke the record of maximum centuries in Tests.

.....First, let me tell you ..this day will be marked in golden letters in the gospel for the religion called cricket. And this gospel focuses on the god of this religion - Sachin Tendulkar. At 35 he is not a sportsman anymore, he is a bloody phenomenon. Reams of newsprint have been filled with description, analyses and tributes to his genius. Websites have dedicated huge amounts of space and attention to every little thing he does. Everything that needs to be written about the man has already been written. Wait.....wait.. has it..?? Obviously much more to come...!!!!Revered by millions in India and across the globe, an emperor among batsmen past and present, Sachin Tendulkar arrived here to rule this game. Afterall who has the guts and valour other than him to single handedly take him team to the finals in the cricket's biggest arena - World Cup. The answer is evident - the man himself. In his 19 years career, he has dismantled cricket's best bowling attacks, devastated the most revered bowlers, scored magnificient knocks and bowled some unforgettable crucial spells. In this journey, for all what he did have set very high benchmarks in the cricket - which in common jargon we say RECORDS. Well, if someone starts ennumerating his myriad records, I bet he will end in creating an Enclycopedia. Foolish are those who dare to compare Sachin with any other cricketer. The icon cant be compared... this is the rule of the game. For those who doing so by comparing Him with Saurav Ganguly, then let me be very clear. I admit Saurav is an excellent player but the word "excellent" becomes very small when put before Sachin. The great Saurav is lost in nonentity when compared with the Master Blaster. I, too, admit that Saurav has aggression/spirit but its raw. Saurav is like a raging bull running around aimlessly. Sachin is the matador who tames the bull. There are critics for both but there lies the difference. The critics for Saurav observes his Achilles' heels and wants him to work on them while the critics for Sachin, in reality, are his admirers who wants him to further raise the benchmarks set by him.Saurav may be excellent but not the great. The greatness lies in exhibiting excellene on and off the fields, certainly not by showing tantrums (by giving irrelevant comments, coming late for toss, etc,etc.). On the contrary, Sachin is a complete player who carries the aura of nobility, humbleness wherever he goes. He personifies a paragon of vitues. He gives "perfection" its meaning. 'Sachin is a man not susceptible to human failing in any endeavour, a man who is invincible. Lastly, the same words which Albert Einstein said for Mahatma Gandhi and aptly fits for Sachin in this era - "Generations to come, it may be, will scarcely believe that such a one, as this, ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth." Thanks,Vivek Chennai

Ragging - a real menace

The recent incidents of ragging had been really egregious. These events have jolted the conscience of the entire nation. These have acutely reminded us of the administration's ineptness to curb the menace of ragging in the educational institutions. Its high time that some necessary steps must be implemented to prevent these. Albeit, earlier the Supreme Court's harsher directives on dealing with ragging were welcomed by many. On the contrary, many referred these directives as draconian. Many in favour of ragging refer it as the habitual intimidation of juniors as a way of breaking ice and fostering fellows. Canvassing such a menace in these fashion reflects utter insensitivty in the face of such tragic incidents. These logics are mere indefensible suggestions. Behind the façade of ‘welcoming’ new students to college, ragging, in actuality, is a notorious practice wherein the senior students get an excuse to harass their junior counterparts, and more often than not, make them easy targets to satiate their own perverse sadistic pleasures. We have seen the results, be it death of a student in Himachal Pradesh, beaten student on the verge of the blindness in Coimbatore,etc. As a matter of fact, myriad such incidents would have gone unreported. Often, the institute management tries to put a veil on such activties for the sake of institute's reputation. Thus, the institute managements are also accomplice in this.
I see ragging as another form of misandry. Its a pity that these barbaric acts are done within the premises of the educational organsiations. The students who are involved in such acts are not less than the malefactors or in bold words - the worst criminals. I see such acts as no less than the criminal acts like rape, attempt to murder,etc - at the end, all giving the same outcome. For many students who slogged days and nights to get admissions to the prestigious institutes, ragging can be their nightmare where they succumb. Honestly, its not an exaggeration but harsh reality that ragging has been moulded into a serious human rights violation and unfortunately, the most revered institutes have fallen prey to it. Despite the recurrence of incidents that result in injuries, attempted suicides and even death, there has been very lukewarm response from the insitutes. The institutes should take the onus and take precautionary steps rather than waiting for the Courts and Human Rights department to give some directives. Ragging is parasite and has been the bête noire in the society and must be eradicated at presto.
Thanks,Vivek Chennai

Ferrari - nightmare turning into reality

For the world's most favourite F1 team Ferrari, this has been the worst year since 1992. With not a single point in the in their bucket, they along with Force India remain the only teams unable to score any point this season. Coincidentally, these two remains the teams which we, Indians must be closely following. On the contrary, Jenson Button is having a dream season so far. After winning 1st two, he must be aiming for a hattrick. what else can Brawn-Mercedes demand for..?At Melbourne, the bad strategy after poor qualifying cost Scudera Australian GP. While Sepang was a chaotic race where Ferrari held a good position for sometime before switching to rain tyres prematurely. After the 1st pit stop, they were, well, acquainted that the chances of winning the race were a forlorn hope. Despite all this, we unanimously accept the potential of Ferrari and we all know the both drivers' prowess. Its the time for Felipe and Kimi to strategize coalescely to make as much podium finishes and gradually transform this incubus into an eventful year. They need to to extricate themselves from this situation without panicking and venture into Shanghai edition with a fresh mind.Lets not forget that its the legacy of Ferrari and its drivers has always been to champion the art of racing.With 18 more races in the pipeline, the sky is fully silver with the patches of clouds gone by in the last two races.Forza Ferrari!!!! Kings of F1!!!
Cheers, Vivek Chennai

US ship caught in Somali pirates' crescendo

Sometime back the trilogy on the Caribbean pirates was occupying much space in the print and electronic media.Its turn, now, for the Somali pirates to hit the headlines. Yes, the Somali pirates have struck again and this itsthe height of audacity. On 08th April, Somali pirates hijacked the American operated container-ship Maersk Alabama.The audactity itself reflects their preparedness and how well equipped they are. This also their undeterrent behaviour even knowing the fact that there are few warships and surveillance planes, especially deployed to monitor the piracy in the region. These precautionary steps were taken by various organisations like NATO,SCO, etc. Off-late, the piracy hastaken an upstick with more than dozen vessels being seized since last month. This has,evidently, adversely impacted the Europe-Asian trade. Their operation even at 350 miles offshore is tantamount to their artillery sophistication and also indicates that they possess large ships from which they send out small skiffs to seize the vessels.
Being one of the most poorest country in the world, most of the population in Somalia depens on food aid. Besides, the lucrative success of such operations have allured many youths. These pirates work in tandem with the local mafias and the militias while most of the weapons come from Yemen and Mogadishu (Somalia's capital).
In the retrospect, we have witnessed rare unity even among the hostile nations and such activities have bound the international community to take some cohesive action in abolishing the piracy in this region. Well having done this formiddable, will the world see the culmination of the epic-episode of Somali pirates..??
Lets wait and watch...!!!
Vivek

Chennai

Even after 25 years, (shoe) missile misses the target by few inches

07th April was an eventful day indeed - a whole gamut of events unfolded. The day embarked with a new aura - Indian cricket team broke the jinx enduring 41 years. Back home, the political dais getting hotter as the elections are impending... myriad "honourable" party-leaders holding rallies, press-conferences playing the same blame-game and making false promises of sops to the electorate. Whilst in the evening, the event that caught everyone's attention was a journalist hurling shoe at our Home Minister Mr. P. Chidambaram appending another episode to the contemporary "shoe-throwing" activties. The journalist was identified as Mr. Jarnail Singh - a sikh. The wrath was exhibited after he had got into a minor argument with Chidambaram on the circumstances that led to former minister Jagdish Tytler being exonerated by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with the 1984 riots. More than 3,000 Sikhs were killed by rioting mobs of Congress Party sympathizers after then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was shot by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984.The issue still remains sentimental to the entire Sikh community. Speaking later to a news channel, Jarnail said he felt apologetic and he feels sorry and ashamed of his deed. He accepted that the issue being sentimental propelled him to protest and in the heat of the moment, he did what later became the headlines of all the news-hungry channels. He, later, condemned any attempt to politicize this issue. I denounce his act since his protest was justified but the way of response was criticizable. Response is vital in a liberal democratic society. It is the element that strengthens our belief and our commitment to our Constitution. Any response which takes the path of violence or paves the way to violence must be condemned. Having said that, I also exalt Mr. Jarnail as he realised his boorish act and refused to accept the endorsement by many political parties. On the contrary, disgusting was the fact that no Congress leader came forward and apologised for the Congress' involvement in 1984 riots. Mr. Chidambaram's response to the whole incident was commendable.

This event has given the needed flame to the Sikh community outburst with thousands of Sikhs coming down to roads condemningthe Congress/CBI and seeking the much coveted justice.This has exacerbated the situation for both - Tytler and Congress and may prove to be a severe jolt with the elections just few days away. No wonder, Tytler under the aegis of the CBI report is claiming to be innocent. Sikhs have alleged that CBI's report is equivocal and an abuse to the agony which the entire community has undergone since past 25 years. They also blame CBI of working under the influence of Congress (often referred as Congress Bureau Of Investigation). CBI's neutrality has often been questioned. Presently, Congress has kept mum, thus, showing its oblivious stand.We, all, know that we dont live in a nation where political leaders will willingly withdraw his nomination on mere grounds of ethics and self-conscience..!!!Well, "inches" in the title doesnt signify distance from Mr. Chidambaram's face but from Congress party's logo.
Thanks,VivekChennai

BigB's influence is really BIG

Albeit, its an act of foolery to show light to the Sun. Yeah, if the Indian entertainment industry is the universe then AmitJi is the Sun - the focal point. Recently, BigB was named as the most powerful actor in the country. The survey was conducted by a research agency. Around 400 celebrities were ranked and accessed based five parameters.The parameters being popularity, image attributes, power of persuasion, media presence and overexposure.This is not a title by the any government or recognised committee, even then it is another jewl on the crown of this Shahenshah.When we consider these parameters, it does not only reflects the response from the public including his millions offans but also from corporate world and the media. This other words means the lion has grown old but still ruling. It was mere couple of monthsback, BigB was honoured by FICCI among the most powerful entertainers of the decade. The event witnessed two living legends sharing the podium - BigB with Danny Glover. These awards and recognitions are mere milestones in an actor's career. In due course of time, an actor evolves himself into many roles he characterizes. Undoubtedly, for any actor in Indian entertainment industry, he is looked up as the datum of perfection. He epitomises the brand value in the Indian corporate world too.He always remains the cynosure of the audience ..all thanks to his impeccable style, deep baritone and erudite ethos.. which also explains why he is favourite among all ages and why people give overwhelming response when he is there. Accolades pouring from different sectionsof the society is, indeed, something to cherish with. Kudos to you Mr. Bachchan.

your ardent fan,

Vivek

Chennai

Emphatic victory for an exemplary team

To commence a blog on a day where India stamped there hold in the game of cricket a step further is an honour. What a moment it was..!! A moment for which millions of Indian cricket-crazy fans were bereft of for prolonged 40 years. But it was a momentwell deserved for this bunch of valiant guys who broke the jinx atlast. Albeit, Nature had other things for India in her basket.Rain played a spoilsport which came as a rescue to the Blackcaps. It did played it part by narrowing the margin of defeat, thus,giving the only sigh of relief to Kiwis. But everybody knew..it was a just a matter of time seing Dhoni lifting the winning trophy at the podium.
In true sense, this was a clinical series-win. India's disappointment was evident at not winning the last test despite a charismatic performance by many players..Gambhir's emphatic knock, Dravid's patient fifties in both innings, Sachin's & Laxman's fifties and Yuvi & Dhoni chipping in and contributing signifant runs...from bowlers..Zaheer's devasting spells, Bhajji's disciplined bowling and Sachin's suprising succinct spell. As mentioned by skipper, this series win was indeeda team's effort. This team is a perfect blende of experienced players and youngsters. Special mention must be given to Dhoni who metamorphized into a skipper to lead by example. He is leading this great team from the front. He doesnt show raw aggression.A goodleader is not all about success ..but who accepts defeat with due dilligence.. and extracting some take-outs from these and gradually converting them into pillarsof success. Obviously, Dhoni was not made overnight. He learnt a lot from his predecessors.
There were few findings from this series - foremost being discovering the second Wall - Gambhir. Meanwhile, Dravid broke the record of most number of catches in Tests. well,arguably whether he possesses the safest hands in test cricket will remain a debate to discuss. This team is a perfect blende of experienced players and youngsters. So quixotic team for which we were thriving is on the realms of reality...? It will be exciting to watch for howlong Team India is able to sustain the winning streek. Seeing the present zeal and aggression, it seems the other teamsneed to subside and and give them the much coveted number ONE slot in sometime.Though a hesitant question remains whether a evident victory could not be achieved courtesy to late declaration.But undoubtedly, everyone will leave this question behind unattended in such a moment of glory..!!