Indian Political League

INDIAN POLITICAL LEAGUE

Cricket. A game changer, a religion, a craze…the Indian has many names for it. Indians are in thrall to the charms of cricket. Suffices it to say cricket in India occupies a place next only to ‘Filmi duniya’. The cricketers and film stars, both are divas for the Indians. Cricket has the ability to run a section of Indian economy – Broadcasting rights, associated ads, stadia and the dependent ancillaries, TV sets…the list is endless! Today BCCI is considered the richest cricketing body and India a fertile land to reap huge money!

Cashing on this, Amir Khan made a box office hit LAGAAN, but the cake is taken by the introduction of IPL – a money spinner that brought together the mighty and rich to an auction, where the glitterati of Bollywood meet the Captains of the Indian industry.   We can safely say it’s a marriage of Filmi duniya and cricketing divas…The auctions and actions of IPL occupy front line news, virtually in every channel. The grandeur attached to this event is unparalleled, so is the viewership!

This article identifies the concept adopted in IPL, an auction of ‘performers’. The bidders are the beneficiaries, bidding their best bet to WIN! Bidders’ aim is to get the best team from amongst the available ‘performers’, by ‘paying the price’ for them. It doesn’t matter which nation the ‘performer’ (cricketer) belongs to! Imagine the same concept is extended to our political scenario of our country….you know who are the beneficiaries (stake holders ie the aam aadmi, not the mango man) and who are ‘performers’ (the netas of different political parties)! If cricket can steer a section of our economy, why not look for a way to steer our entire country’s economy and performance in the right direction, away from bananas et al!!

Let us take a look at the political scenario of the country first...

We know that politicians don’t exactly follow the theory written in political science books or manifestos of their parties! The political scientists, analysts, psephologists and political reporters are best judges of the politics of a country! Of course, the people of a Nation are the final stake holders of the country which depends squarely on political environment, good or bad!

More often than not, political parties are formed as a result of split between two stalwarts of the same party where show of strength is the prime motive. From a handful number, in 60 years of independent India, we have more than 1000 political parties today!  (ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_India)  A separate party gives that negotiation edge in every stage. It is primarily ‘divide and rule’ the public interest. Well, we also know the ‘compulsions’ of ‘coalition dharma’, which is oft repeated excuse of the ruling lot for every small (1 lakh crore) scam to larger (horse trading, money laundering) expose’. It was news to know ‘scam’ was never an English word till Harshad Mehta took the first hit of this word. Now this word has, million hits per day!!! From India shines to India scams…we have witnessed a journey that has numbed us so much that today we have become immune to this national malaise.

 In fact the joke goes that newspapers are not willing to print a scam if its less than a thousand crores!! “Pl handover to our regional edition” is the answer for a news on 50 crore scam. So much so, news items such as “ACB traps Sub Inspector accepting Rs 20,000…” has no takers. May be we have even accepted that much corruption, to what someone coined a word called “ANOC”, an acronym for Acceptable Norms of Corruption.

Can we say all politicians are corrupt? Can we say all political parties are corrupt? Probably a rational mind would say No to the first question, but Yes to the second question. Political party and no corruption cannot go together. They are intertwined. They cannot exist otherwise. This is a foregone conclusion. That is the reason so many ‘dislikes’ for Arjun Kejrival’s political ambitions.

Ideally speaking, if we had a canvas of all politicians in alphabetical order and were given a choice to pick the best team, without looking at the Party symbol, one might choose Antony, Jaswant Singh, Arvind Kejriwal etc..as political team for country, but is it possible? Is it possible to choose a cocktail of politicians drawn from different parties? At present,  NO. They belong to different parties…If this can happen, it wont be a cocktail (often referred in relation to alcohol…) but it will be a rainbow!! Of hope. Of tomorrow.

How does IPL show a way!

Can we draw a parallel of IPL model to our political parties and choose such leaders who will best govern this country? Franchisees are people of India, countries are parties, players are politicians…

IPL has shown us a new way, where people’s power will be on top. No manifesto compulsions, no groupisms, no ideologies. Pure governance as given in our Constitution and work selflessly towards nation building. No amassing party funds, no favours to kith and kin…

One might turn around and say “what is the difference between coalition and this IPL model?” Well, in coalition the parties choose whom to field as Ministers, in IPL model people will elect the party on the assurance that so and so will be made so and so Minister! People matter in choosing of Ministers, not “compulsions” and “quid pro quo” dharma.

The mechanics of the functionality of such a system has to be worked out, but the underlying principle that a PM is a public choice, a FM is a public choice, gives People of India enormous strength to choose who should spend their money and how. A direct election in a way, yes! Political wrangling and distribution of power amongst the MLAs and MPs to suit, pacify and prolong their rule should be stopped. PEOPLE’s voice and vote should govern the country. Phrases like “appeasing minorities”, “vote bank politics” should become a thing of past. We would miss gun-toting MP’s and trigger happy sons of netas ….imagine not having BMW’s mowing through footpath dwellers !

 “Perform or perish “should be the mantra.

Can we start at the Panchayat level at least for a fair beginning? May be we need to re look at the statute, well it is not impossible, if people really want it! 

By auction-election method of politicians for Ministerial posts we still retain a democratic mode of election, except that we are not bound or slaved to that ‘party’ tag. 

Finally, aam aadmi will truly walk with his head high, like a Mango Tree!!!

Faith - an intangible power

Close to 2 years back this episode happened. It was almost a closed chapter for that cute small girl, a friend's daughter, in the hospital. A hope even the Doctors gave up! Today she is hale and hearty, chirpy and bubbly like any teenager, living a very normal life! The fall to rise in the hospital was a mere 2 weeks, but 2 weeks never seemed so long and painful for parents and all the concerned friends and relatives...do you believe in faith? God? Please read this and make your own conclusion...

I am posting today 21 Sept, 2012

Myth or Maya??

(Names of characters have been changed to protect identity)

Dr Srini Reddy was cooling his heels, relaxing amidst loud music of his choice, surrounded by a bunch of happy-go-lucky friends, on the top floor of city’s tallest restaurant with a private space for exclusive parties. Being a neuro physician, he is fully aware of the rest and recreation he needs, to charge his neurons for the next day’s OP and IP saga at his ever bustling hospital, ‘Reddy NeuroMedics’. No sooner he slipped in to his non-medical environment, which he gets to enjoy once in a fortnight, the phone rang in his pocket. Archana, a 16 year old girl was brought in for admission in his hospital. Archana’s diagnosis, from previous physicians’ clinical report is that, she had a stroke of dengue encephalitis that affected her cerebrum. She was brought in speechless condition, was almost comatose. Reddy made his own analysis that her brain cells were damaged affecting her cognition, speech and other movements. He rushed to the hospital.

 

Archana is the eldest of the two daughters of Kavi and Nimisha. Kavi, besides being a businessman has several passions such as service to underprivileged, through their organization Round Table. Nimisha too joins hands with him in his endeavours. A happy foursome who are often seen in social circles too with zest and life. What seemed like an ordinary fever turned out to be a serious ailment, in a short span of 4 days. And the family’s peace got shattered, hopes dashed!

For the family each passing day was hellish. Doctors were sure she would recover, but to what extent her faculties return to normalcy and when, was a question mark. A prognosis that wasn’t cheerful for anyone!! If ever she recovers how many of her faculties will be normal? And many more such questions of uncertain future plagued the girl’s parents’ minds. Visitors galore, Archana was the most visited patient in the hospital.

Undeterred by this not-so-positive signs, Nimisha strictly followed what her Guru and mentor told her! She believed his words that, Archana will be normal. She kept her hopes alive and did her duty to the best possible way. Kavi was glued to her bedside, almost throughout her hospital stay…He had to sleep on hospital floor during the initial ICU admission period.

 It took almost seven days for the doctors to see first signs of movement of Archana’s eyes. The girl’s parents, grand parents, relatives and friends heaved a sigh of relief, and felt their fervent prayers for her recovery, were answered. But the doctors attending to her were not too encouraging……”only a miracle can save her totally” said the doctors! Sensing that Archana could now sit in a chair and open her eyes, Nimisha saw her hopes taking shape. Archana would blankly stare into nothingness and would not respond by any means!! One day she was started on solid feed, lovingly fed by her mother.

Nimisha’s faith was strong. She took a step forward and followed what her Guruji told her. She plugged in her iPod into Archana’s ears and played Sri Krishna bhajans. It was impossible to make out if this made any difference to her! Slowly and steadily Archana started improving. She smiled. After a few days, she appeared to have recognized her parents. Joy knew no bounds when, by another week or so, Archana was speaking. Doctors were amazed at the recovery, particularly the pace of recovery. She was discharged. In less than 3 weeks, Archana started going to her college…

During her two week rest at home, there was an amazing change noticed in Archana’s disposition to bhajans, faith and God! Most noticeable and striking change was her affinity to bhajans. Archana was singing away every bhajan, verbatim, without any mistake! What seemed like plugging in iPod to a stoned baby, turned out a mystery! Bhajans registered on her cerebrum’s hard disk, so hard that she now sings as if she knew them all along…and to top it all, she advises her family to play bhajans softly to get the real essence of praise of the Lord!!

The family, observing this path breaking change, considered it as a bonus to their family. Archana today is not only normal, she adorned a new avatar….is this a myth or maya? Or medical aberration? More than the questions, the family and all friends and well wishers have only one answer in common. Their faith got reaffirmed. They saw for themselves what Faith is...it is believing in something you don’t see…so that you see what you believe in!!

Travel Writing...

After I put my daughter Tishya to Medical School last year, I took a train from Mangalore to Chennai. Trains still hold out lots of fun and eagerness to me! I was travelling alone, so I had many random thoughts that crossed my mind at the speed of light...not after a while when the train was chugging through the dense greenness of Kerala...if any one asked me if I ever saw God....I wouldnt lie that I didnt! So my keyboard started typing, words that flowed from what I saw..

whose country is better? man’s or God’s?
 

God’s own country….whoever has coined it, was no ordinary mortal! Every time I cross this God’s land, amazement and awe never failed to bewilder me. The ‘Green’ shock is too hard to resist! The greenery everywhere in Kerala sounds such a cliché that one shudders to remark, for the fear of sounding repetitive. But how do I help the situation. I should borrow a line or two from Dan Brown to describe this God’s own country. Which God? Muslim, Christian or Hindu? The beauty of the place is, all the Prophet’s followers, Christ’s followers and Ayyappan’s followers have a central theme…Green Kerala.  Period. Here the God is one, for all! Green Kerala, without exception.

Most of Indian sub continent, the concrete stands taller than the greenery. In these concrete jungles a tree is more of an ornamental piece, a sop for the crying ecologist, that we see around! The tree is so chosen, that which matches the concrete around, that which can grow fast, that which should be more like synthetic, that which doesn’t host caterpillars, mosquitoes and other irritants. These ‘incidental’ trees are the green patch we have around us in urban ‘developed’ parts of the country. These are the ‘trees’ that we have to show to our Nursery and Kindergarten children, the inheritors of our planet. 

God preserved His land  (Kerala)of all his trees and greenery….His followers built their dwellings leaving those green guardians taller! As we drive through, we see foliage so tall and mighty, and between the gaps of leaves and branches, one can see sloping red tiles of houses. His followers built their INOX theatres, malls, Central Stores and roads without unduly disturbing the tree cover. Rarely you find craze for synthetic parks and artificial landscaping. In fact, today’s architects need to take an aerial view of God’s country to set miniature landscapes in their ventures amidst concrete, a copy no one has patented so far! 



 

Why is that God’s country never complained of insufficient rainfall when, for the rest of the country, it is left to the gamble of the Weatherman! 

Highest in literacy, richest temple in the world, highest tourist footfall, lowest child mortality ratio, higher number of women than men in census…the list is endless to show Kerala is far ahead in many fields. What else describes a progressive state? Concrete structures? Crisscrossing flyovers?

In terms of culture preservation, Kerala stands tall. It goes without saying that one who lives with the Nature, naturally, is endowed and awakened to Nature’s best gifts, including our sacred culture. Sanskrit, Ayurveda et al find a respectable place in this world of the God! On the contrary where the Nature has been plundered, where the culture has been given a ‘progressive’ front, there is suffering and Nature’s wrath is unforgiving and evident.

This screed has no beginning, no end, no purpose and no future! It is driven by inspiration…A few words that flowed through my keyboard on to the screen….as I pass through in train….

An after thought....

It was sometime about 2 years ago that I penned a few lines on this cook. A cook who served the members of the Club, from morn till late evenings, who was always with a smile! He served almost every individual's needs, tastes and sort of customised for each member...and then he was no more one day!

Only after a few days one felt his absence...but the truth of the matter that he died and he was left in his lonely hut all by himself, was something that hit me hard and pricked me the most. His colleague Sambasiva tells me he carried him in his hands and performed the last rites....his name, no one knows (may be the register carries his actual name) but was called Babai ( meaning, paternal uncle, a word used casually amongst close friends too..)

20 Sep, 2012

An Unsung Personality….

Around Sep 2^nd, when the air was filled with tragic news of CM’s death, another death of a person familiar to us all went unnoticed and unsung….this is a tribute to his service to our Club, during the last 7 or 8 years!

Babai is a familiar word to call each other in Club environs. But there was one unmistakable and unequalled Babai in our Club kitchen, who made a mark in our minds, with his culinary skills and ever pleasing toothless smiles. His presence in the kitchen to the regular Club visitors was a “taken for granted” phenomenon. One could tell the waiter “tell Babai, I want a strong coffee…” and it was there the way you desired. He was there rolling out fresh and hot dosa from that hot pan that was double his small frame. Babai was a cook who was omnipresent …indoors and outdoors. His specialty was the tea for tea drinkers in the morning and crisp dosa and other tawa items.


 

Babai looked easily more than 55 years. When 10 K run tickets were on sale, he was one of the front runners to be a participant. He completed the route far ahead of many, double his size and weight! It looked, given a choice he would have loved to play shuttle or billiards in our Club. But he was a cook, so he had no choice but to do his job!

Babai died. When he died there was none to weep for him, none to even carry his body. His colleague and co-worker did the last rites for him. These are the moments we all are reminded of how we come into this world alone and leave alone…. We simply fade away, but the life goes on….

 

Let us all pray for this unsung personality, that his soul should rest in peace!