How Nehru died? A 'REVELATION' on youtube

The language used against the government online, in particular, is more vicious in India than it is in any other English-speaking nation.

That's columnist Aakar Patel telling us how educated and civilized we are online. People who regularly visit newspaper and news channel websites can't disagree with Patel. The situation is more pathetic on those websites which allow the netizens to post their comments in Hindi. One can learn choicest 'desi' expletives while reading Hindi comments. Many of these comments, if members of rival communities or political parties hurl on each other face to face, will cause communal riots or violent political clashes. 

I have noticed one disturbing development while posting comments on media websites. These websites don't allow many anti-BJP comments even if they are written in civilized language and supported by facts. On the contrary, they don't delete uncivilized and highly abusive comments that are apparently written by BJP supporters against the 'enemies' of India, which in most cases are Pt Nehru and the Gandhis. So, the netizens' comments are proving to be handy tools to further the partisan political goals of some media houses.

The situation is more worrisome on Facebook and Youtube. These are being used increasingly to present concocted information which the gullible young netizens are prone to accept as facts. For example, one person has loaded a video on youtube proclaiming that Pt Nehru died of STD. How sickening is it.

Waterlogged roads and DOLLAR FLYING out of India

We can't run Delhi Metro, touted to be world-class, smoothly. The govt of the day is identified more with the alleged 2G, CWG, coal and other scams than for its developmental actions. We can't design roads to drain off rainwater. Nor are we bothered to dispose our garbage in a systematic and eco-friendly way. 

So, what's wrong if foreign investors are flying out of India? Obviously, they don't want to wade through waterlogged roads stinking with piled-up garbage. Nor they want a scam to eat into their investments, particularly when greener investment pastures have started emerging elsewhere. 

However, in the meanwhile, the government  and the opposition are locking horns on the floors  of Parliament to decide 'guilty' or 'not guilty' of scams, turning Parliament sessions into a huge waste of time and money. Instead of paralyzing the Parliament better if the Opposition forcefully demands fast-track, time-bound investigation/trial of 2G, coal and other scams. 

Does anybody read about Kalmadi and Raja these days? Before they fade out from our memory, better to fast-track their trials to prove them guilty or not guilty. Simply hurling allegations on ministers and other big-wigs doesn't help in cleaning the governance machinery. But their remaining scot-free despite facing serious corruption charges abets other people to indulge in corruption.  

We'll look at India when you WILL GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER

Whichever country I go to attend investor conferences, people say 'We'll look at India when you will get your act together'.

That's how noted economist and former Divestment Minister Arun Shourie (in Vajpayee-led NDA government) described current perception of India among foreigners, in a TV programme (The State of the Economy on NDTV Aug 20). Alas, India's dream run of an attractive investment destination has ended with foreigners telling us to put our act together.This makes me hang my head in shame.

Shourie says the Indian political class doesn't realize the gravity of the financial crisis India has been pushed into. Of   course, for this crisis the UPA-2 government has to share the major blame. Because following the revelation of many scams over the last two years, it has allowed the opposition led by the vociferous BJP to set agenda for it in and out of Parliament.

By frequent disruptions of the Parliament and by blocking the passage of many important bills, the BJP has succeeded in its strategy of creating a perception in India and abroad that Manmohan Singh is a 'good for nothing' Prime Minister. Ironically, this very Manmohan Singh had brought out India successfully from a more grave economic crisis in 1991 as the hand-picked Finance Minister of the then PM Narasimha Rao.

I think both Sonia and Manmohan, not being hard-boiled politicians with past baggage, could have set an example of clean governance. There was nothing wrong in accepting the mistakes if the alleged scams happened due to their oversight. They should have fast-tracked the trial of tainted ministers. It would have gone a long way in cleaning the government machinery and in presenting them as honest leaders before the people. But perhaps politics is like koyle ki kothri jisme Manmohan jaisa imandaar aadmi bhi kala hi dikhai deta hai.

However, Manmohan-Sonia still can undo some damage caused to the Congress by high-voltage propaganda of BJP's social media army if they agree to effect the desired changes in  the Lokpal Bill and by expediting the scams investigation/trial.

Aakar Patel's prescription for YOU and ME to build OUR DREAM INDIA

Jai Hind on India's 67th Independence Day

Akar Patel is a former editor of a Gujarati newspaper, and is a regular columnist of the Hindustan Times. Patel in his article (August 15, HT) writes a prescription for you and me to present a powerful and corruption-free India to our future generations. If you are willing to put in a little effort for the cause of India, then read the article at: http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/independenceday2013/Its-time-to-be-the-change/Article1-1108122.aspx

Patel's article is based on a talk by Harvard University's Lant Pritchett, author of the thesis that 'India is flailing state'. The thesis gives three examples of corruption which are everyday experiences for the Indian people. However, what made me take note of Patel's article is his exhortation to PEOPLE TO THEMSELVES BE THE CHANGE. This is something to which I strongly subscribe and try my best to put into practice.

Patel explains why WE OURSELVES HAVE TO change:
"We cannot behave in traffic in any city or state of India... It is possible to say, like Arvind Kejriwal does: police Indians firmly. Watch over them and penalize them and they will behave, as they do abroad... . Are other nations functional only because their populations fear punishment? This is not the conclusion one would draw when observing the West."

Patel attributes Narendra Modi's rising popularity to the Indian people's unwillingness to understand their own responsibility in setting things right. According to him, Modi's promise to transform the state 'absolves the citizen' of his responsibility. I think this citizen could be you and me, or an engineer who is not discharging his responsibility of ensuring desired quality in road or bridge construction, or a householder who is stealing electricity for his domestic use, or the nurses, mentioned in Patel's article, who draw salaries for the work they haven't done.

However, Patel has good hopes for the future. He says, (In India) The large and the important things — the civilisational and indigenous idea of a secular and pluralist nation; the beautiful, world-class constitution (over which there is no dispute — are in place.

Patel's lesson for us is: "The major one (change) must come from within. India will change only when we change. Each of us must contribute to this, by being conscientious in our work... For that to happen no politician is needed..."  

Two recipes

It's the story of two recipes designed by two persons of different tastes and different beliefs but with the same objective in mind. The first person announced his recipe on April 4, 2013, which "shocked and pained" the second person. He lashed out at the first person, dismissing his words "not worth listening". The first person was even warned, "...due to your ignorance, do not try to destroy the culture and tradition of this country."

Then two months later, on July 14 the second person came up with his own recipe. Surprisingly, the ingredients of his recipe appeared to be the same that were proposed by the first person but he described them differently. I don't know why he was angry with the first person, when he himself had to come up with the same recipe.

Both the recipes are for putting India on the path of development and helping its people realize their aspirations. The first recipe was proposed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at the annual CII General Meeting in New Delhi on April 4 and the second by the Gujarat 'strongman' Narendra Modi while addressing Fergusson College students on July 14.
Let's have a look at the similarities between the two recipes:

Modi: There is a difference between others and us. Others are interested in power, my priority is empowering the nation.

Rahul: No one can stop this tide of Indian aspirations. Our job is to channel these aspirations by empowering the people.

Modi: China prioritized education in its budget. In India, we dream of 7% of our budget for education but are stuck at 4%.

Rahul: There is great urgency to 'weed out the obsolete from our education system'.

Didn't I say the ingredients of both the recipes are same? But Rahul should not be accused of copying since he presented his recipe earlier than the 'strongman'.

Now I end with some statistics released by the 'strongman's government in Gujarat for the funds spent on some heads in the first quarter of the current year. Ideally 25% of the allocated budget should be spent in each quarter:

• Education: Only 8.18% of the allocated Rs 3580 crore
• Woman and child development: 6.71% of the allocated Rs 1300 crore
• Health services:  13.82% of the allocated Rs 3800 crore

Perhaps the 'strongman' is busy drawing up plans for uplifting the entire India, so the education, health services and woman and child development in Gujarat can take a back seat for some time. 

Dislike scores 17.6 pc and 31.8 pc. Which side you are?

Beena Samuel, I suppose she is an aam Hindustani like me. She writes at the NDTV website about Anna Hazare's disapproval of Narendra Modi as PM: 

Anna Hazare has been reduced to a tragic figure. I respect him as a saintly person who led one of India's major revolutions in the last 25 years. But he is unable to be pragmatic and shows no political acumen. Leaders evolve over a period of time. Whether Modi is the perfect leader is not the question — but Modi's still the best we have amongst the current crop of political leaders. Do we select our best or do we just sit and elect nobody?

Liked by 218, disliked by 102; Dislike percentage: 31.8

I reply to Beena Samuel with the following post at the NDTV website:

Not long ago, the middle class had identified itself with Anna Hazare's movement for the Lok Pal Bill. In fact, today if the social media is so much active against the UPA government, it's due to Anna's first 'anshan' at Delhi's Ram Lila Maidan two years ago. But today for this middle class Anna like Amartya Sen has no value if he dares question Modi's credentials to be PM. By the way, has anybody heard the Gujarat 'strongman' say how would he add more teeth to the Lok Pall Bill if elected PM? Wasn't  the Lok Pal Bill an issue close to our hearts few months ago?

Liked by 42, disliked by 9; Dislike percentage: 17.6

So, the Netizen dislike percentage for me (17.6) is less than the dislike percentage of Beena Samuel (31.8). Please don't think that I am boasting or I consider myself a better aam Hindustani than Beena. The point here is that greater dislikes for Beena prove that more and more Indians are ready to accept the double standards in our thinking and actions. Maybe, in future this acceptance would lead us all to create a value system and adhere to it. A value system is a must to eradicate corruption. The early we understand it, the better would it be for building a strong, self-reliant India.

Another important point is that Beena and myself have expressed our opinions as educated and civilized citizens of India to enable people like and dislike us in an equally civilized way. But this way is quite contrary to the brash and offensive language often used by many BJP and RSS leaders and supporters to run down their opponents. If a research is conducted that who mostly starts the slanging match in Indian political and public life, I think the results would adversely speak of many leaders of the Saffron outfits.

The latest case is of BJP Rajya Sabha member, the learned Chandan Mitra, editor of the Pioneer newspaper. Poor Mitra found it tough to restrain himself from running down Nobel laureate Amartya Sen for his anti-Modi remarks. He tweeted:  Amartya Sen says he soesn't want Modi to be India's PM. Is Sen even a voter in India? Next NDA government must strip him of Bharat Ratna.

A common BJP supporter Netizen goes a step ahead of Mitra to degrade Amartya with these words on a news channel website: Abe bhaklol  tu congeressi hai, es liye apni salah apne pass rakh. Amarya Sen  ki beti ke baare mein janata hai? Nangi ghoomti rahti hai saali. Jo aadmi apni beti ko sanskar nahin de sakta, vo Modi ko salah deta hai. Saala bhand!

So the only difference between Mitra and the common netizen is that he has not hurled abuses on Amartya. Thankfully, Mitra has now regretted the Bharat Ratna part of his tweets. But in the first place, Mitra himself being a man of letters must have respected Amartya's freedom of expression in the vibrant democracy of India. 

Great men think alike

This blog post is about two great men. One of them is legal luminary Fali S. Nariman, former additional solicitor general of India. Before I tell you about the 'other great man', let us share a joke which Fali narrated during an interview to The Week magazine (July 28, 2013). "In a room of 12 Bawajis (old men), 13 are mad. How is that possible?" Fali asks the interviewer. Then he himself answers, "Because at least one is, like me, double-pagal."

Again, before telling you about the 'other great man', I tell you what makes the 'other great man' that he thinks like Fali. In The Week interview, Fali says, "One has to think about a country that has given you so much. It's a fantastic country despite all its governance. I share  a view that most don't, that this was the time when parties with different ideologies should have got together to form a national government to tackle the economic crises and governance issues, like they do in wartime."

The 'other great man' is I myself. For the last 2-3 months I have also been thinking like Fali. Hope you have understood why I quoted the expression the other great man. The simple reason is that myself, an aam admi, just can't be anywhere near Fali. However, as now Fali has set the ball rolling, I am going to search the paper where I had  noted down the email addresses of PM Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi to write them about Fali's viewpoint.

Fali's viewpoint carries a lot of weight in view of the personally honest PM Manmohan Singh's inability to provide us a clean government. Moreover, the politics of coalition government over the last 15 years is also an indication that people don't have faith in a single-party government to deliver. So, it's the time that all political parties done away with their baggage of tainted politicians and joined hands to form a national government without any fear of gathering numbers to prove majority in the Lok Sabha. This would help shift the focus from frivolous blame game to the real issue of good, inclusive, corruption-free governance and make India a world leader.