Delhi's Cannot Place

I've not misspelled 'Connaught Place' in the title, i'm putting it deliberately. I find it even worse than what i had seen on my 2008 Delhi visit. Delhi per se looked quite changed but not for any good. Though Delhi Metro looks smart and gives Delhites some respite from the awful traffic conditions which is spread all over Delhi, not sparing premium addresses like North-South block & 7 race course road. I felt nice to notice as Raisina Hill, still gives good ride to the motorists while saving face for Indian capital.

The truth is New Delhi is getting further unlivable, thanks to uninvited and now hated 'Come on - Wealth' games. Believe me I'had not even bothered to think whether we need such show in India or not, but as soon as i landed in Delhi i been introspecting on the subject throughout my two day ordeal in the city. All my sensibilities unanimously opposing it now.

Delhites don't want rain (though they badly need it) as they know that rain will add to their sufferings, a 5 minutes of good rain can delay your life 1.15 hrs, or even take your job. Your next step can land on a 10 ft gorge, right on the middle of the road. Expect anything in Delhi now a days.

The state government is promising that things will be under control and by 10th of August ______, Delhi will be out of misery. I've not written the year as you can fill in the blank. I've seen a guy getting out of his brand new Honda City with folded pants and hopping to his office, as that's the way you people are walking now-a-days at Cannot Place.

The good thing about being an Indian is that you adapt to the extreme. No protests. I've observed a kind of hope or rather hopelessness (i'm not sure) in the eyes of people. They believe that whatever the situation may be, will be over soon. After all our governments are working towards our future. We should not always critisize them. For god sake Folks, what about today? Does it matter?

Delhi's present situation can be a prudent example of effective non-working of decision taken in haste (of course undemocratic). The irony is, few politicians taking once again a billion people for a ride, that too without any major dis-comfort. Otherwise how come governments decides to risk a fortune on games, in the country where more than half of the population doesn't have access to fundamental living standard, a country falling at the bottom in Human Development Index. Going for Commonwealth Games. lol. Hahaha...:)

Shilaji, first fix Delhi's basic urges, like water, electricity, hygine, housing, roads, rising living expenses etc. And then probably 10 years from now you may take up Commonwealth Games. You may have to first install common comfort, common prosperity and common happiness.

Frustu Observation (FO) for the day

** I got caught by railway ticket checker (tc) just a day after my monthly pass got over. AND HE FINED ME. What is more painful is that i was heading to renew it and the rare species of honest govt. official was unmoved to my requests. I am in a state of dual mind, one thinks its ok ...you learnt a good lesson and been panelized for been lazy. And the other side thinks i been too polite in handing over the fine to the tc, i could have ran away or had negotiated with him to find some middle way. Huh .. let it be. I feel sometimes that people like us in India can't even think of getting away with such petty crimes. I feel jealous of the likes of Daud Ibrahim, Abu Salem, the latest sensation Kasab and all our beloved criminal politicians.

**Other thing which badly bugged me today was sudden crashing of my mail box and the reason was server failure. The good part is - i was the only victim. Ehhh ...The IT department suggested me to be careful next time and keep making duplicates and have backup. Not uttered a single sorry and not even communicated that they will look into the system to rectify the problem.
This somehow will highlight one of our greatest ability - Pass the Buck (PTB).

**Yesterday there was a stampede at New Delhi Railway station and as per the govt. record two people died while around 35 got injured. The reason as per the eye witnesses and news channels was last minute change of platform no of two departing trains. As a not so frequent air traveler (at my own cost) my general mode of commute so far (long distance) is through indian railways. I find no juice in the news as something i've my self witnessed quite a number of times and been lucky, i must admit. But unfortunately my fellow countrymen who lost their lives were not so lucky, this time. Feeling sorry for them. My most FO is Mamta Banerjee's statement in which she teach people to be careful in such situations while saving the fat asses of railway babus . Wow. The real PTB (Pass The Back)for a good FO.

*** General FO - Why indians show so much civic sense once they touch down to foreign land? Why it becomes so important to through even a small insignificant tooth-pick into a dusbin in NYC when you don't mind dumping months wastes in the gulli in front/backyard of your house? Why you don't even spit on the roads of Paris and the same you roll down your car's window to flush you pan (betel leaf) filled filthy mouth with water on the street of Connaught Place (New Delhi)? Grow up suns.

For most of you it doesn't matter but for me its THE BIG FO.

Dhoni Demolished?

Yes. That's the debate going on in my mind right now. How come somebody be so lopsided when it comes to professionalism? How come somebody be so irresponsible? MSD the same man who led Chennai Super Kings to Victory in IPL 3, just a week ago, surrendered in T20 world cup. He admits that his league of batsmen, full of superstars, can’t play short-pitch ball. Can you believe this? He confesses on prime time. Have some grace & sentiment man. Everything can’t be painted through your super cool sense of humour, which anyways media highlighted too much. I curse that day when you guys won the first T20 world cup and we all charged up to queue the roads to lay rose petals on your way. Too much of value have cost us back to back flops.

Mr. MSD, you give excuses like players are very tired after playing so much of cricket. You are paid for that and no body forced you to do so. Why have you not opted out from IPL saying ‘looking at the importance of the T20 World Championship I would like to take rest’. Oh you can’t, as you are loaded with money from the franchise so now country is at secondary importance. Just mellow down as you are still insignificant in world cricket.

I wonder what can happen to us if we commit such horrific mistakes in our professional lives, especially in corporate world. Of course we will be kicked out, no second thought. But rules are different for people like MSD in this country, irony. Look at the state of BCCI, still wrestling with Modi. How are they going to look into the ailing cricket team?

Just by resting your so called key players in the upcoming tour will only postpone the problem. Find solution before the World Cup in 2011 or else our faces will be black again.

Sweetheart Deals

The term Sweetheart deal is used to describe deals involving government officials, and hints at the presence of corruption. And Indian media is using the term to highlight the drama unfolding over IPL. One scape goat is already found and slaughtered in the backyard of political house.

I think Mr. Tharoor jumped on the guns little too early, without honed his cunning aptitude skills. He should have spent some time with the likes of Mayawati & Laloo to get vital tutorials on such matter. He would have easily jerked off all the mess just by saying 'Somebody is trying to frame me or I can see a big conspiracy behind this'. He could have also said that 'some foriegn elements are trying to malign my image'. He did neither and fall face down.

The showman is still hopping venue to venue and shining. I'm taking about Lucrative Modi, the brain behind IPL. A man who was struglling to keep his firm 'Modi Entertainment' running couple of years back now owns a jet, couple of Merc S class, a swanky yatch, BMWs and property around the world. What a sudden change in fortune under the nose of IT Dept. Now they woke up. Why were they sleeping so far? A million dollar question. Looking otherwise it is foolish to blame Modi for what he did. He just used the loopholes to his benifit as many other business persons and houses would have done given the opportunity or must have beeen indulge in doing so.

I don't understand where does the problem lie? Is the problem in Modi been making tons of money or not keeping so many greedy mouths well fed or the limelight which is enjoys? I think the second reason is more suitable. I am very much sure that there are rarely any rich and famous individual who doesn't want to be on the money churning chariot called IPL. Everybody would like to have a piece of cake, isn't it? Will you not have given a chance? Think it over.

What is most preposterous is the fact that the mega event is routing the earnings through charity. And the owners of so called franchises saving lots of dough. I just get cynic thinking about it. The IPL2 in SA, Modi donated crores of rupees for the social causes - when comes to India he saves even that single penny. Do we need such people in country to run another corruption syndicate? Nope. Deport him along with his Sympathizers to some alien land to gamble.

Another vital point, How come government allows such things. Why our taxing gets knee jerks when it comes to HNIs? Why Modi allowed at the first place to manipulate such transactions? What is the use calling it Murky? The people who are there to inforce the tax umbrella has to be also booked and jailed? Let us not allow people to bleed our economy any further in the name of IPL or something on the similar lines. We have a lot of other crucial issues to address than to mourn on people like Tharoor and Modi.

Dump them.

Low Intensity Bomb Blast

Yes. Banglore's Chinnaswamy Stadium is hit by a bomb blast. Police says nothing to panic/worry, the blast was of low intensity. Some of them got injured not 'died'. Thanks to the terrorists as they kept the intensity low. A very human side of killers.
Non sense. Bomb Blast is a bomb blast. Why to name it quantifiably or express it similarly. The top cop of the city is at ease (must be with babes at the stadium VVIP launge) as if saying 'hey chill no one died, lets have a beer anyway'.

Above all IPL game is on at the venue. Lalit Modi seems saying, we may be corrupt but we're not cowards. Huh.

Civil war not a distant nightmare?

Do we know what Civil War is? What it looks like? What it feels like? What is smell like? Nope. I don't think we have seen one. One of my friends called 'Partition' a Civil War. Dearly not. The unrest during the partition triggered out of deep sense of insecurity, emotional bonding, fear of identity and uncertainty of future. Let me put it like this Partition was the best possible solution to the problem/power equation arise out of disagreement between congress and Muslim league. People at both the side been used as political pawns to address politically manifested agendas and securing futures while ensuring power in their respective so called mother land. So I look at it as blood bath because of geographical displacement.

I know many could fell that how can some body be so insensitive towards looking at something which given both the countries such deep scare. True. But looking at the the bigger picture it was an man made accident, nothing more than that.

For me Civil Wars wakes you up, disciplines you at certain degree. America, England, China has all seen Civil Wars, buckeled up afterwards, look where are they standing. I'm not saying one must have such situations in order to grow. Either learn the hard way or work towards not heading towards it.

I know I've puked too much on partition, I may not be intending. Coming to the point, Indians have never seen any Civil War. But one is in store very soon as our leaders, beaurocrats and all of us are working pretty hard to make this a reality.
Couple of hour back I was walking on the footpath of a busy road. When i say footpath that means not the one made by the road makers but the once encroached by the walkers as the best option available in absence of legally provided pathways. Our actual footpaths are encroached by jobless, homeless, casteless, faceless, so many less people. So while walking I saw a kid was busy playing with a ball made of piece od papers, used poly bags and rubber bands. Seems to small a stuff to give any kind of indication, right? Hummm. Today our prime time tv is occupied either by IPL match or IPL controversy. And our bright minds spending hours discussing who is making how much dough while drinking gallons of coffee/tea/colas. And here, under the direct exposure of sun, sweating badly a kid is playing with a scrap made ball. What a difference? The Great Social Divide of India.

I saw the tweet (yes I belongs to a privileged some who tweet) by Barkha Dutt inviting Delhi resident to participate in 'We the People'(NDTV Show) to discuss IPL Corruption. What all you will do for TRP guys? She left no stone unturned to let her Kargil experience pay her as well as the channel she is associated with a rich dividend. After all she had spent nights in army bunkers braving heavy artillery from the other side of the border. She deserves it, isn't it? Everything is for sale and every thing has buyer.

A boy with the ball is just an expression of the economically misbalanced India living on illusion. In a country where even basic education is out of reach to millions of kids convent schools are mushrooming in urban and semi urban landscape.
With every passing day the divide is widening, at alarming rate. These inter-militia problems in different regions like North-East, Red Corridor etc are the by-product of the divide. And the irony is no body seems interested. Everyone is filling up their own bellies leaving have nots aghast. Shame!!!

The horror-struck population of India will bleed internally for sure, if not today then tomorrow. Don't worry about the international threat like terrorism, in compare to the internal discontent, it is nothing. Anyways stats tell that previous year more citizen died in Maoist led attacks than terrorist activities. Quite a fact to prove where we are heading.