In course of an online debate with my good friend Avinash (debate via mails), i realised i actually came up with substantial reference matter for my blog. So here i post my response on the blog.
But before that, this is what Avinash had written to me...
I will not blame Nehru, Inidira and Rajiv for what they have done.
I am poor in statistics and knowledge, but have studied some economics
during my college time and remember our professor telling us that the
best growth rate ever achived by India was by Rajiv Gandhi and that was
8% of the GDP. Whatever computers, television etc..we are talking about
today is all because of Rajiv Gandhi..
We are self sufficuent when it comes to food..is all because of the
Green Reveloution..Thanks to Indira Gandhi..(The need of the hour was
Green revolution/Population control etc..and not opening up our
economy.).
Nationalisatin of banks and taking away the wealth from the so called
King's of various provinces and abolishing the Kingdom system..all was
essential to protect interest of the poor and middle class...Indira
gandhi did exactly that. If we had opened up economy at this stage the
difference between poor and rich would have grown..which is not the case
today....
If we had opened up our economy immediately after Independence our own
Business Tycoons would not have got enough opputunities to grow..as they
would have died to the competition with the MNCs ....we invaribly would
have been ruled by just outsiders.
What we have done in those 40 years is ..we have built our own
capability and now we are in a position to export more than that we
import..thus being able to maintain the Balance of Payment.
Today our Law and order is in place, our system, processes ,
constitution etc..etc.. All is in place thus we do not really have any
threat from outsiders....
Remember Britishers also came to do business and then ruled us for 200
years...we were not matured enough then..but immediately after getting
independence there was no margin for us to make the same mistake..i.e.
allowing any other country to come and do business...so I think Nehru
made the right decision to not to open up the economy immediately...
Though it was not possible to cover each & every point of his mail i did try to reason with most...
The Follies of Nehru-Gandhi family & it's cost to the Nation
In a world where everything is subjective & specially media news, it is difficult for me to put things in correct perpective. But i will try &
back up my claims with available data. It might not be possible to get links to everything though. But i am convinced of my view point & feel
i have developed over the period of time an informed opinion about India's past politicians.
I may add that i intend to respect your opinion & point of view too, as you too have got it from the sources that you beilived were authentic.
So let me start with the very root of most sources of information. After reading your response of Nehru-Gandhi family & their contribution, i recall a small unofficial debate in my hostel room with one of my room-mates. He was quoting extensively from Times Of India & Indian Express. He was a big Rajiv Gandhi fan & would not listen anything negative against him. I figured out during the course of debate that it is very hard to argue against a 'conventional wisdom'. Convetional wisdom; something that majority feel is right.
Really speaking, how do you think a person forms an opinion about a subject. Most of us believe what was written in our history books as divine truth.
We never question the official wisdom. Similarly we take on face value the other source of information i.e newspapers & Electronic media. May be even radio.We never try to analyse if the newpaper which is reporting this news item has applied it's own spin to the facts.
For our generation we were exposed to Doordarshan for as late as 1989.There were no private news channels then. DD was totally government controlled. Even the Times Of India newspaper which most of us read was & is till date a Congress run newspaper. (Dilip Padgaonkar, the Editor-in-chief of TOI is a known Congress supporter & a Rajiv Gandhi crooni). Similarly Indian Express after Arun Shourie's exit, has been more or less treading the Congress-Line, though it is not as blantant as TOI in it's congress support. So i am not suprised when i see most of our generation who were exposed to these mediums feel enamoured by Rajiv,Indira & Nehru.
Point being, over the period of 40 years or so Gandhi-Nehru family has been packaged & branded in a manner so as to suit the successive Congress (I) governments. We were never exposed to the other side of the story. Over the years of reading India-Today regularly & now rediff.com i came across a whole lot of articles which , if i may say, atleast tried to challenge the conventional wisdom regarding Nehru-Gandhi family. It is practically impossible for me to list down all those well written articles, but i will try & put some links which in some ways are an eye opener.
I off course do feel that all the 3, viz Nehru , Indira & Rajiv Gandhi did contribute somethings positive. But their negatives far outweigh their positives.
And in my opinion it does not hurt to see the other side & than form an opinion. Even at the cost of challenging the conventional wisdom.
Point 1: Whatever computers, television etc..we are talking about
today is all because of Rajiv Gandhi..
-I beg to disagree...This is over-simplification & giving away too much of credit to Rajiv Gandhi for something that was going to happen even if somebody else was a PM. It's like saying that whatever fly-overs & roads we are seeing in Bombay today is b'cos of Shive Sena government.
This is a trivia i found of Rajiv Gandhi from an online encyclopedia
Trivia
Rajiv Gandhi remains the only prime minister of India to be photographed in Jeans with Lacoste T-shirt. Rajiv Gandhi studied at Imperial College London and Cambridge University, but did not complete any degrees.
http://www.answers.com/topic/rajiv-gandhi
So essentially this blue-eyed boy of Indian politics was a non-serious, fun loving, non-graduate P.M who somehow had little or no grips on technology & science. He's made out to be a techno-savy guy by our Indian media, but i refuse to buy this. All he did to incorporate modernism in India was to rope in people like Sam Pitroda from UK & bring home the telecom advantage. But i would say that was a minimum that was to be done during the first half of 1980's. There was an electronic boom in the region. Every country worth it's salt was joining the telecom revolution sweeping the world.
In fact the World of electronics was going through a mini-revolution in East Asia, specially Japan & Taiwan..
http://www.wtec.org/loyola/em/05_03.htm
We actually missed the bus of Computer Hardware to lesser countries like Taiwan & China. Thanks to Rajiv Gandhi all he did was to glamourize the telecom industry using his Crooni Sam Pitroda to study the telecom revolution. We should have been the outsourcing capital of world in Hardware as well. That would have needed foresight. Something that Rajiv Gandhi lacked with his half baked education.
If i remember correctly we were still getting smuggled electronic goods from Singapore & Dubai as recently as 1990s , when in fact we should have been the producers of those very electronics items. What china & taiwan did was just learnt the art of making chips & micro-processors & owing to their cheap labour produced hardware. We would have been a better work force than them. If not better atleast a formidable work force. I do not buy this fiction that Rajiv Gandhi went out of the way to bring about what most people call Telecom revolution. Yes he did ask Sam Pitroda to come up with a white paper on potential for telecom in India, but i say any PM in his place would have done that. Telecom was a happening thing & sunrise industry of 1980s. Every leader of every country was investing in that. It was not a biggie, and Rajiv Gandhi was not the cause but just the coincindence of being a PM at that point of time.
Point 2 : We are self sufficuent when it comes to food..is all because of the
Green Reveloution
Sometimes we make Heroes & Champions out of undeserving people. And forget the real force behind a success. Check this article
written by a person of some standing & belonging to the agriculture field itself
http://www.hindu.com/mag/2001/11/04/stories/2001110400220400.htm
Before i dig further, also read this article on 'Green Revolution'
However, the term "Green Revolution" is applied to the period from 1967 to 1978. Between 1947 and 1967, efforts at achieving food self-sufficiency were not entirely successful. Efforts until 1967 largely concentrated on expanding the farming areas. But starvation deaths were still being reported in the newspapers. In a perfect case of Malthusian economics, population was growing at a much faster rate than food production. This called for drastic action to increase yield. The action came in the form of the Green Revolution.
The term "Green Revolution" is a general one that is applied to successful agricultural experiments in many Third World countries. It is NOT specific to India.
Complete article here...
http://www.indiaonestop.com/Greenrevolution.htm
- Green revolution helped farmers of Rajasthan,Haryana & Punjab produce more. But even today we have hunger deaths in Maharahshtra (latest Melghat), AP & Orrissa, Rajasthan.
http://www.peoplesmarch.com/archives/2001/july2k1/millions.htm
We do not have the required infrastructure & network to make excess food grains available to poor.
Indira Gandhi did help promote green revolution, but if you ask me that was long over due. In fact if we did not have our economy closed, we could
have developed the skill & techical know-how of producing more food in less land long back...This technology was later exported from Israel few years back. Growth needs technology. Our farmers are even today using older methods to produce. Had we inherited some technical know-how 30-40 years back, we would have been far more economically healthier. Why do you think most farmers left farming & migrated to bigger cities like Bombay & stayed in sub-human conditions in slums ? We should have allowed technology to freely flow in India & bargained that for something else. Instead of closing down ourselves from the world, we should have encouraged private investments in every fields. That would have increased GDP, more jobs, lesser dependencies & burden on bigger cities. May be we would have seen class difference. May be we would have seen many people becoming rich at cost ofworking class. But that's still better than utter poverty which we saw for 3 decades. And talking of class difference even today the class difference is same as it was 3 decades ago. Visit a remote village of Vidharba & you'll figure out what i am saying. If we have added rich to our population so have we added poor equally. Nehru's socialism as you say was to remove the class difference , failed even on that front.
Point 3 :Nationalisatin of banks and taking away the wealth from the so called
King's of various provinces and abolishing the Kingdom system..all was
essential to protect interest of the poor and middle class...Indira
gandhi did exactly that
Trivia on Indira Gandhi:
She received her college education at Somerville College, Oxford but did not receive a degree. (This academic trend was carried over to the next generation when her son Rajiv did not receive a degree from Cambridge University and grandson Rahul who left Harvard without a degree!)
Did you know that Indira Gandhi won a landslide election victory after the Bank Nationalisation ? It was a move more out of political compulsion rather than any love for poor or the middle class. During the early 70's there was a period of economic deppression. The Left-wing (communist parties) were going very strong. Even in places like Mumbai , the factory strikes were becoming routine with leaders like Datta Samant & George Fernandes leading.
Indira Gandhi's nationalization of banks was a politically correct move at that point. It was to take the wind away from her opposition.
A "move severely derided by economists at the time, but for which she received immediate approval from the masses."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indira_Gandhi
Off course as i said earlier, convetional wisdom tells us that she was a great women who did all this for love of masses.
Point 4 :Today our Law and order is in place, our system, processes ,
constitution etc..etc..
Some articles on riots in India
http://us.rediff.com/news/2005/mar/10kanch.htm
http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/may/09sikh.htm
And a list of riots in India
http://www.hindunet.org/alt_hindu/1994_2/msg00096.html
- Law & Order is so bad that we do not even consider news of rape or mass genocide or riots as "news" at all. We think it is a routine.
Before Gujarat riots was made an international news by our so called social workers & media... There were far far worse riots which never got so much of media focus. 1)Bhiwandi -1970 more than 3000 deaths 2) Sikhs'1984 - officially more than 5000 deaths 3)Bhagalpur,Bihar 1989- more than 2000 deaths in 2 days.
We do not consider murder,riots & killing of IAS officials in Bihar,UP,Bengal as front page news any more. We think that's normal. That's routine. Such is the bad state of law & order.
point 5 :All is in place thus we do not really have any
threat from outsiders....
Our borders are not safe.
We have had 3 major wars so far. We have conceded millions of acres of land to China & Pakistan. Even a small & insignificant nation like
Bangladesh treats us with scant respect. Just recently our Army office Jeevan Kumar was trapped into Bangladesh border & killed
http://us.rediff.com/news/2005/apr/19kanch.htm
We are looked upon as a soft nation & almost as Swapan Das Gupta says - "mere pushovers".
We have more than a crore of Bangladeshi immigrants staying illegally in country who hamper nation's economy. Assam has the highest growth rate
of population in the country thanks to millions of banglas
http://www.asthabharati.org/Dia_Oct01/Bangla.htm
From 1990 - Pakistan's policy of "Bleeding India" through low-voltage war & high voltage terrorism has left India spending major amount of money in defending our country. There's threat from outsider from all the fronts. East,West,North.
Is terrorism not a threat ? Is the never ending immigration from Bangladesh not a threat ? Is China making Pakistan a nuclear neighbour not a threat?
Is Sri Lanka deporting millions of tamils inside Indian borders not a threat ? We are constantly under threat from every side ? Contact a BSF Jawan on our border to know what i say. If we come out of our cushy jobs & life we will realise how many mother's loose their sons every day fighting an external threat. How many young girls are widowed every day on the LOC.
I think one of the Nehru's legacy is making India a soft nation. In lust to remain in power the successive congress governments have created vote banks & now it seems even bangladeshis are being made citizens for votes.
Such is the poor state of affairs that we may soon find Bangladeshis & Pakistanis as our Members of Parliament.
Coming back to Nehru-Gandhi family
When you want to analyse a persons contribution I would assume it's good to see in totality what his or her actions led to. What were the consequences of his or her policies. Let's start with Nehru.
Nehru - Born & Bred in a high society with a barrister father & an english education in Oxford (or was it Cambridge); this guy did not have a pulse on poverty. He was idealist who was neither an economist nor a technologically oriented person. he was essentially a master of english literature who
was a day dreamer. He wanted to become a hero in international media & always wore a facade of being moderate & modern. Even at the cost of nation's interest he went ahead & gave a nod for having Plebiscite in Kashmir in the UNO in 1948, when our veer jawans had almost gone till Lahore & defeated pakistan under trying conditions. He bargained India's gain to look great in front of International audience.
We are still paying for his mistakes. I can write an entire book on his follies. But i do not need to as much more learned persons than me like Arun Shourie,Swapan Das Gupta & several others have already written. Today we talk with our big mouths about "scams" reported in Kargil war over the coffins & blame an honest defense minister like George Fernandes for this. Did you know that during China war our Jawans did not have enough winter clothers to combat the Chinese in the himalayas in freezing winter?
As i said to list down Nehru's grand follies will require pages & pages to write.. So to be fair i will list down his positives & negatives.
+ve
1. Was a good politician.
2. Was honest.
3. Gave a good start to Indian Science with BARC & IITs.
-Ve:
1. Very Very poor foriegn policy.
2. China war. (First Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai & than war)
3. Going to UNO over Kashmir issue & making it bring in world focus & giving Pakistan the much needed stick to beat India (we are still paying for it)
4. The creater of the license-quota-raj & Father of "Socialism" which failed miserably.
5. Followed the Russian Economic Model rather than European & American model.
6. Was a leftist.
7. Appeased Muslims & created a Muslim vote bank.(Very dangerous for Democracy)
8. Article 370 (Sp.Status to Kashmir) & not implementing Common Civil Code.(Huge Blunder)
Indira Gandhi
+ve:
1. Was a strong & shrewed politician.
2. Green Revolution (Let's give her that)
3. Bangladesh War (she was strong)
-ve:
1. Imposed Emergency
2. Gave scant respect to Judiciary system in India & in turn weakened the Institution.(She over-ruled High courts order on more than one occassion)
3. Institutionalised Corruption by giving sweeping powers to Babus & Government authorities. This weakened the parallel economy & made the license-quota-raj stronger. Created a huge Black money market, owing to license-quota-raj.
4. Introduced worse form of political corruption.(She misused Central governments to impose presidents rule in Kerela,AP even Bengal).
5. Did not introduce any new plans for making the economy stronger, instead blindly followed Nehru's model of economy.
6. Created the Punjab Problem (was actually backing Bindrawale till 1983) , which cost India both economically & socially.
7. Allowed chamchas & coterie to run day to day govt functioning which gave rise to politics of Sycophancy, still seen in India.
8. Bull-Dosed the Indian media & suffocated the freedom of press. (Famous Goenka story)
Rajiv Gandhi
+ve:
Telecom Revolution (whatever that is)
liberalised economy to an extent
-ve:
1.Bofors : - Playing with India's Defence
2.Indo-Srilanka Accord: - A huge cost to Indian army & Indian economy. Fighting our own tamil brothers with our own army & resources was the studpidest idea anyone can come up with. Rajiv Gandhi fell flat on his face for this stunt.
3.Shah Bano : - Over-ruled the Supreme Court Judgement (like mother like son) which gave rise to Hindu & Muslim fundamentalism. He took Muslim-Appeasement to new heights.
4.Looked the other way, when his Congress men were butchering innocent Sikhs in Delhi & elsewhere in India.
5. Was weak on foreign affairs (a quality inherited from his grand father).
6. Could have brought a revolution in the country with such a huge mandate. Instead was more involved in polishing & packaging himself in the media which was always lapping on his "hamein dekhna" hai statements. Could have & Should have done much more.
In retrospect these 3 i feel blundered more than made any positive contributions.
A nation's growth largely depends on the kind of leadership it gets. If you see a failed company & a successfull one , 9 out 10 times the difference
was because a successful company had a good leader. Leadership matters a lot.
USA,China, England,France have been always led by very strong leaders who were true nationalists.
Ronald Reagan, took the entire nation behind him during the Cold War with Russia even when the American economy was in depression.
This is the quality of a great leader. A fighter. A hard-core nationalist. Not an idealist who wants praise from English Media & press (like Nehru)
Today we are seeing economic growth. We are understandably happy about it. But i still maintain. It is not because of Nehru or Rajiv.
It is inspite of them.
As much as i hate China, i believe that one thing that seperates china from india is it's totally patriotic leadership. A leadership who is nationalist at heart. A leadership that never compromises nation's interest to look good in front of the world.
According to me India was unlucky to loose Lal Bahadur Shastri. A true nationalist.
Also thanks to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (lot of people call him Mahatma) we started on the wrong foot. Sardar Patel was elected as our first PM by Congress Party, but Gandhi intervened at last moment & made the sulking Jawahar as the PM of our unfortunate nation. In one stroke he weakened the nation's foundation which was later built on fickle day-dreams of Nehru's idealism.
The dynasty continues to run & ruin the nation. Our next P.M is most likely to be Rahul Gandhi , if off course he finds time off from his girl friends.
I end with a famous quote of Winston Churchill : " The inherent vice of Capitalism is uneven distribution of wealth. The inherent vice of Socialism is even distribution of miseries"
- Amrish
Friday, April 29, 2005
Thursday, April 21, 2005
My very own
I think like acting, writing is a skill that cannot be taught. With no formal background in journalism or for that matter any thing related to literature, why should a non-entity like me take up this himalayan hobby? Well there are no easy answers.But what the heck? What matters is I enjoy writing. I enjoy posting comments on articles in newspapers & get a high when I see them published.
This is a fickle attempt at publishing one's own article & making a mark in one's own blog.(After all why should my blog be devoid of my own home-made wine)
Since i belong to typical middle-class Hindu Indian family, I thought it apt to start off with a comment about my tribe.
The Quintessential Middle Class
The drudgery & mundane-ness of an expatriate Indian cannot be more diametrically positioned than his fellow compatriot staying back in India.
I often wonder if simple pleasures of indulging in high voltage post-cricket match debate in front of a 'pan-mandir' is more exciting than
discussing a Terri Schavio court order with your numb-skull American colleague in office space. That's what an expatriate misses most.
That of being a part of the grand national conversation. Be it cricket,politics,entertainment, the middle class will always want to be a part
of that hot discussion.And god-forbid, but if the debate relates to events of his own country, there's no letting easy on passion.
13,000 miles away from your home town, a Terri Schavio can never replace your routine conversation with let's say a Shakaracharya's arrest.
The craving for Indian news & more craving for being a part of the national dialogue can lead a middle class man in an alien nation to near total reclusion, at times.
When it comes to debating & oratory we Indians are not far behind these Americans. With 24X7 news streaming into our living rooms,
the Indian middle class is as much a part of the global audience as anyone.
While it has it's own advantages, the potential pitfalls of having 24X7 news can not be overlooked.
If you have passion for politics, than it is more than likely that you will be on either one of the two sides of the establishment.
And this passion often leads to addiction for news.
I have seen my family members endlessly hooked to NDTV or Aaj Tak for want of more. Sometimes it becomes so stressful, that
even the televisions own serial-killer - Ekta Kapoor's nauseating sitcoms are a welcome replacement.My family in India is hopelessly addicted to
politics. And no, do not get me wrong. None of them have ventured into that domain even remotely. We just enjoy discussing
each & every thing. From Jharkhand fiasco to Laloo's tantrums to Modi's visa denial, you name it. So very typical of the middle class.
Criticize,scorn,babble but do not jump the fence. Always be audience.
But this ain't very different than what my American neighbor does. His family too hooks to either Fox or CNN, depending on which
side & which color of American flag they identify with. (Republicans - Red. Democrats - Blue).
Debating & striking conversation on latest Bushisms are the virtues which no middle class wants to be devoid of.
I get a feeling, and I may be contested on this, that the middle class across the globe carries a common thread of similar characteristics.
Whether a Pakistani is discussing the latest IT boom in India or an English middle class debating Iraq war within the comforts of his
cozy apartment in London or a Dundee Aussie down under, discussing the latest Mel Gibson movie - there are 3 things that a middle class,
no matter which country,continent,race,sex,religion,creed he belongs to - will always like to discuss.
Politics.Sports.Entertainment.
Does food,water & shelter ring a bell?
Well that's what has happened to the middle-class the world over. She just cannot live without these three now.
So much so that you cannot imagine a life without cable TV anymore. It's not an insult to be called a Couch Potato anymore.But it surely is unbecoming of you if you cannot contribute to the conversation on Janet Jackson's stunts during the Super-Bowl interval.
If poor & poverty drive the economic policies of the left, the middle class is the driving engine of Nation's economy. You just can't ignore it.
You cannot ignore a middle class politically,socially & definitely not economically.
As Neerja Choudhary in one of her articles in Indian Express so deftly states that even though the Indian middle class is not big
factor in Indian Elections, it surely is the driver of the opinion & gives a direction to the election wind.
One may not completely agree with her. But surely the middle class has got voice. It is articulate. And politicians listen to them.
They may or may not implement, but surely politicians give them a ear.
The right wing conservative host of FOX news in America - Bill O'Reilly & the CNN senior journalist Lou Dobbs both have realized the
immense potential of the middle class audience. And they very shrewdly play to the middle class gallery. While O'Reilly panders on the
insecurity of the middle class after 9/11 , Lou Dobbs simply cannot stop his mandatory outbursts on job outsourcing.
Point being, both channels realize the extra ordinary significance of middle class audience.
According to me the middle class is quintessentially a person 1) always critical of the establishment, 2) never in fore-front of
a political movement or any other movement for that matter (off course there are exceptions to the rule) 3) Most happy within
his own little world build of a strong social framework, & 4) Never happy with his bank balance but also never wanting to take the high risk,
5) always playing by the rules, but most importantly 6) is always an arm-chair critic.
That is true for an Indian middle class as much as it true for his Yankee counterpart.
This is a fickle attempt at publishing one's own article & making a mark in one's own blog.(After all why should my blog be devoid of my own home-made wine)
Since i belong to typical middle-class Hindu Indian family, I thought it apt to start off with a comment about my tribe.
The Quintessential Middle Class
The drudgery & mundane-ness of an expatriate Indian cannot be more diametrically positioned than his fellow compatriot staying back in India.
I often wonder if simple pleasures of indulging in high voltage post-cricket match debate in front of a 'pan-mandir' is more exciting than
discussing a Terri Schavio court order with your numb-skull American colleague in office space. That's what an expatriate misses most.
That of being a part of the grand national conversation. Be it cricket,politics,entertainment, the middle class will always want to be a part
of that hot discussion.And god-forbid, but if the debate relates to events of his own country, there's no letting easy on passion.
13,000 miles away from your home town, a Terri Schavio can never replace your routine conversation with let's say a Shakaracharya's arrest.
The craving for Indian news & more craving for being a part of the national dialogue can lead a middle class man in an alien nation to near total reclusion, at times.
When it comes to debating & oratory we Indians are not far behind these Americans. With 24X7 news streaming into our living rooms,
the Indian middle class is as much a part of the global audience as anyone.
While it has it's own advantages, the potential pitfalls of having 24X7 news can not be overlooked.
If you have passion for politics, than it is more than likely that you will be on either one of the two sides of the establishment.
And this passion often leads to addiction for news.
I have seen my family members endlessly hooked to NDTV or Aaj Tak for want of more. Sometimes it becomes so stressful, that
even the televisions own serial-killer - Ekta Kapoor's nauseating sitcoms are a welcome replacement.My family in India is hopelessly addicted to
politics. And no, do not get me wrong. None of them have ventured into that domain even remotely. We just enjoy discussing
each & every thing. From Jharkhand fiasco to Laloo's tantrums to Modi's visa denial, you name it. So very typical of the middle class.
Criticize,scorn,babble but do not jump the fence. Always be audience.
But this ain't very different than what my American neighbor does. His family too hooks to either Fox or CNN, depending on which
side & which color of American flag they identify with. (Republicans - Red. Democrats - Blue).
Debating & striking conversation on latest Bushisms are the virtues which no middle class wants to be devoid of.
I get a feeling, and I may be contested on this, that the middle class across the globe carries a common thread of similar characteristics.
Whether a Pakistani is discussing the latest IT boom in India or an English middle class debating Iraq war within the comforts of his
cozy apartment in London or a Dundee Aussie down under, discussing the latest Mel Gibson movie - there are 3 things that a middle class,
no matter which country,continent,race,sex,religion,creed he belongs to - will always like to discuss.
Politics.Sports.Entertainment.
Does food,water & shelter ring a bell?
Well that's what has happened to the middle-class the world over. She just cannot live without these three now.
So much so that you cannot imagine a life without cable TV anymore. It's not an insult to be called a Couch Potato anymore.But it surely is unbecoming of you if you cannot contribute to the conversation on Janet Jackson's stunts during the Super-Bowl interval.
If poor & poverty drive the economic policies of the left, the middle class is the driving engine of Nation's economy. You just can't ignore it.
You cannot ignore a middle class politically,socially & definitely not economically.
As Neerja Choudhary in one of her articles in Indian Express so deftly states that even though the Indian middle class is not big
factor in Indian Elections, it surely is the driver of the opinion & gives a direction to the election wind.
One may not completely agree with her. But surely the middle class has got voice. It is articulate. And politicians listen to them.
They may or may not implement, but surely politicians give them a ear.
The right wing conservative host of FOX news in America - Bill O'Reilly & the CNN senior journalist Lou Dobbs both have realized the
immense potential of the middle class audience. And they very shrewdly play to the middle class gallery. While O'Reilly panders on the
insecurity of the middle class after 9/11 , Lou Dobbs simply cannot stop his mandatory outbursts on job outsourcing.
Point being, both channels realize the extra ordinary significance of middle class audience.
According to me the middle class is quintessentially a person 1) always critical of the establishment, 2) never in fore-front of
a political movement or any other movement for that matter (off course there are exceptions to the rule) 3) Most happy within
his own little world build of a strong social framework, & 4) Never happy with his bank balance but also never wanting to take the high risk,
5) always playing by the rules, but most importantly 6) is always an arm-chair critic.
That is true for an Indian middle class as much as it true for his Yankee counterpart.
Saluting a true Hero
How many times do we come across a real life hero?
The young Captain Batra, a man's man, a real army man & a true patriot.
At age of 23 he made his parents & country proud.
A salute to this great Hero
===================================================
Kargil remembered, thanks to Parvez's visit.
At the NDA Khadakvasla an Instructor asked the
Officer Cadets to list the names of the other Officer Cadets
in the room on two sheets of paper,
leaving a space between each name.
Then he told them to think of the nicest
thing they could say about each of
their mates and write it down.
It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment,
and as the Officer Cadets left the room, each one handed in the papers.
That Saturday, the Instructor wrote down the name of
each of the Officer Cadets on a separate sheet of paper,
and listed what everyone else had said about that individual.
On Monday he gave each Officer Cadet his list. Before long, the entire class
was smiling. "Really?" he heard whispered. "I never knew that I meant
anything to anyone!" and, "I didn't know others liked me so much," were most
of the comments.
No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. He never knew if they
discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter.
The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with
themselves and one another. That group of Officer Cadets moved on.
Several years later, one of the students was killed at Kargil and the
Instructor attended the funeral of that special student. He had
so many seen a serviceman in a military coffin before,
but this one was special.
He looked so handsome, so mature, so young, so full of life & yet no more.
The town lost another young Army Officer in Kargil. Captain Vikram Batra
(23) was the son of Mr G.L. Batra, Principal in Government Senior Secondary
School. He belonged to 13 J&K Rifles and was on his first posting to Kargil.
Last week Captain Batra had succeeded in capturing 5140 Peak in Drass
sector. Just two days prior to his feat General V.P. Malik, Chief of the
Army Staff, had personally congratulated him for his successful mission in
capturing 5140 peak. His name was also recommended for Mahavir Chakra.
The news of the death of Captain Batra spread like wild fire in the town.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the residence of Mr Batra and raised
anti Pakistan slogans. The body of this young soldier reached the evening
after and the cremation was to take place on Saturday with full military
honour.
The place was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a
last walk by the coffin. The Instructor was the last one to bless the
coffin.
As he stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to
her. "Were you Capt. Vikram Batra Instructor?" he asked. He nodded: "yes."
Then he said: "Vikram talked about you a lot."
After the cremation, most of Capt. Batra's former classmates went together
to pay their respect to Capt. Batra's parents. Capt. Batra's mother and
father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his Instructor.
"We want to show you something," his father said, taking a wallet out of his
pocket. "They found this on Capt. Batra's when he was killed. We thought you
might recognize it."
Opening the wallet, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper
that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The
Instructor knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which he
had listed all the good things each of Batra's classmates had said about
him.
"Thank you so much for doing that," Capt Batra's mother said. "As you can
see, Vikram treasured it."
All of vikram's former mates started to gather around. Manoj smiled rather
sheepishly and said, "I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my
desk at home."
Amit's wife said, "Amit asked me to put his in our wedding album."
"I have mine too," Dev said. "It's in my diary."
Then Ajay Singh, another classmate, reached into his pocketbook, took out
his wallet and showed his worn and frazzled list to the group. "I carry this
with me at all times," Ajay said and without batting an eyelash, he
continued: "I think we all saved our lists."
That's when the Instructor finally sat down and cried. He cried for Capt.
Batra and for all his friends who would never see him again.
The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will
end one day. And we don't know when that one-day will be. Not this way, a
young 23 old gives up his life crying out "yeh dil maange more" when he
captured Peak 5140 at Kargil.
He did it for us, so that none of the Paki Jehadis sent by Parvez Musharaf
could come into India.
So please, tell our people & pass this message to all you think are Indians
by heart & mind, who love and care for our country, that these guys are
special and important. Tell them, before it is too late.
So, let's stop licking the arse of Parvez Mushraf (this is for the Yellow
Indian TV media). We are not here to redefine our original borders. Kargil
was an attack by the Pakis for which we lost some 600 patriotic,
disciplined, tough, dedicated handsome Indian.
And One Way To Accomplish This Is: Forward this message on. If you do not
=================================
Picked up from Rajeev's blogspot.
The young Captain Batra, a man's man, a real army man & a true patriot.
At age of 23 he made his parents & country proud.
A salute to this great Hero
===================================================
Kargil remembered, thanks to Parvez's visit.
At the NDA Khadakvasla an Instructor asked the
Officer Cadets to list the names of the other Officer Cadets
in the room on two sheets of paper,
leaving a space between each name.
Then he told them to think of the nicest
thing they could say about each of
their mates and write it down.
It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment,
and as the Officer Cadets left the room, each one handed in the papers.
That Saturday, the Instructor wrote down the name of
each of the Officer Cadets on a separate sheet of paper,
and listed what everyone else had said about that individual.
On Monday he gave each Officer Cadet his list. Before long, the entire class
was smiling. "Really?" he heard whispered. "I never knew that I meant
anything to anyone!" and, "I didn't know others liked me so much," were most
of the comments.
No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. He never knew if they
discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter.
The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with
themselves and one another. That group of Officer Cadets moved on.
Several years later, one of the students was killed at Kargil and the
Instructor attended the funeral of that special student. He had
so many seen a serviceman in a military coffin before,
but this one was special.
He looked so handsome, so mature, so young, so full of life & yet no more.
The town lost another young Army Officer in Kargil. Captain Vikram Batra
(23) was the son of Mr G.L. Batra, Principal in Government Senior Secondary
School. He belonged to 13 J&K Rifles and was on his first posting to Kargil.
Last week Captain Batra had succeeded in capturing 5140 Peak in Drass
sector. Just two days prior to his feat General V.P. Malik, Chief of the
Army Staff, had personally congratulated him for his successful mission in
capturing 5140 peak. His name was also recommended for Mahavir Chakra.
The news of the death of Captain Batra spread like wild fire in the town.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the residence of Mr Batra and raised
anti Pakistan slogans. The body of this young soldier reached the evening
after and the cremation was to take place on Saturday with full military
honour.
The place was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a
last walk by the coffin. The Instructor was the last one to bless the
coffin.
As he stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to
her. "Were you Capt. Vikram Batra Instructor?" he asked. He nodded: "yes."
Then he said: "Vikram talked about you a lot."
After the cremation, most of Capt. Batra's former classmates went together
to pay their respect to Capt. Batra's parents. Capt. Batra's mother and
father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his Instructor.
"We want to show you something," his father said, taking a wallet out of his
pocket. "They found this on Capt. Batra's when he was killed. We thought you
might recognize it."
Opening the wallet, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper
that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The
Instructor knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which he
had listed all the good things each of Batra's classmates had said about
him.
"Thank you so much for doing that," Capt Batra's mother said. "As you can
see, Vikram treasured it."
All of vikram's former mates started to gather around. Manoj smiled rather
sheepishly and said, "I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my
desk at home."
Amit's wife said, "Amit asked me to put his in our wedding album."
"I have mine too," Dev said. "It's in my diary."
Then Ajay Singh, another classmate, reached into his pocketbook, took out
his wallet and showed his worn and frazzled list to the group. "I carry this
with me at all times," Ajay said and without batting an eyelash, he
continued: "I think we all saved our lists."
That's when the Instructor finally sat down and cried. He cried for Capt.
Batra and for all his friends who would never see him again.
The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will
end one day. And we don't know when that one-day will be. Not this way, a
young 23 old gives up his life crying out "yeh dil maange more" when he
captured Peak 5140 at Kargil.
He did it for us, so that none of the Paki Jehadis sent by Parvez Musharaf
could come into India.
So please, tell our people & pass this message to all you think are Indians
by heart & mind, who love and care for our country, that these guys are
special and important. Tell them, before it is too late.
So, let's stop licking the arse of Parvez Mushraf (this is for the Yellow
Indian TV media). We are not here to redefine our original borders. Kargil
was an attack by the Pakis for which we lost some 600 patriotic,
disciplined, tough, dedicated handsome Indian.
And One Way To Accomplish This Is: Forward this message on. If you do not
=================================
Picked up from Rajeev's blogspot.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
China-Watch
A nice & simple analysis of present government's policies towards China.
The author is frank & straightforward, without the routine mindless blabber.
Pretty impressive !
**India’s national interest and China**
Nothing could have been more deceptive than what India’s Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said at a press conference in New Delhi at the conclusion of Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao’s visit. “India and China are partners, and they are not rivals. We do not look upon each other as adversaries.”
Look at the Chinese activities in Pakistan, an all-weather friend — from financing the building of a deep seaport, Gwadar, at the gateway to West Asia to its clandestine contribution for developing nuclear weapons; building road links with Bangladesh; its surveillance station in Myanmar’s Coco Islands; and its efforts at trying to cosy up to Nepal after India, the UK and the USA denounced King Gyanendra’s high-handed action to snuff out democracy.
Nor should it have gone unnoticed China’s wishy-washy non-committal support for membership of the UN Security Council. The Chinese vague official statement that it “attaches great importance to the status of India in international affairs” and “understands and supports India’s aspirations to play an active role in the UN and international affairs” is a tongue-in-cheek attempt to get out of a definitive commitment.
One should take with a pinch of salt a pious sounding but diplomatically meaningless utterance such as, “Aware of their linked destinies as neighbours and the two largest countries of Asia, both sides agreed that they would, together, contribute to the establishment of an atmosphere of mutual understanding, trust and cooperation in Asia and the wo rld at large.”It reminds one of the pre-1962 Hindi-Chini “bhai-bhai” Nehru era, when Panch Shil was peddled as an alternative to the Cold-War’s hard-headed diplomacy.
India might put up a brave face and assert that it has overcome the feeling of betrayal but it does not have a definitive answer to the question whether Chinese intentions have changed. China is still holding a large chunk of territory in Kashmir, 38,000 sqkm (14,670 sqmiles) of Aksai Chin, which it seized after the 1962 blatant invasion, and claims more.
Another 5,180 sqkm (2,000 sqmiles) of northern Kashmir was given by Pakistan to Beijing as a price for an all-weather friendship pact signed in 1963.
China had already built a road through Aksai Chin linking Tibet with its Xinjiang province before it laid an aggressive claim on it. Now it seeks a political solution, not a technical one, to the border problem. In other words, since Aksai Chin highway helps China to maintain control over the region, it is politically more important to China than to India.
So India should give up its cartographic, that’s technical, claim on Aksai Chin in lieu of letting India keep what it already controls in the east, in Arunachal Pradesh.
That’s what Prime Minister Chou En Lai said in 1962 that India should accept “the present actualities”. So it is back to the future with the same old Chinese argument: Technically Aksai Chin may be yours, but politically it is ours.
The solution to the border problem, especially in Aksai Chin, interestingly, could be technical and political at the same time. For example, China could use the Aksai Chin highway on a long-term basis provided it recognised India’s technical and political claim on the region.
China must also withdraw other claims it makes on Indian territories. If the time is not ripe for a settlement along these lines, India should wait and watch. Trade and technological cooperation could continue to grow as they have been doing in the last few years even without a final resolution of the border disputes.
Much is being made of India-China trade relations. If China is now India’s second-largest trading partner, after the USA, with a bilateral trade of $13 billion, it shows how puny is India’s total foreign trade in comparison with that of China. In the fiscal year 2004-05, India’s total export amounted to $80 billion as against China’s global export of $593 billion.
What does India export to China? Mostly raw material for its construction industry and other semi-finished goods in exchange for Ganesha idols, toasters, television sets and so on. China sells value added goods to India, much as the British did during colonial times. Of course if you add to it “bitter gourds and grapes” (Wow!), the bilateral trade might jump to $20 billion by 2008.
Not to be scoffed at, true, because international trade helps create jobs and reduce tension in international relations, but pushing the expectations to the level of “strategic and cooperative partnership” is not only ridiculous but also dangerous. A free trade agreement would give China an unlimited access to Indian market, which would kill Indian manufacturing as it has done in the USA.
While the USA is a complex and dynamic economy and creates alternative jobs to replace the ones lost to Chinese manufacturing, India cannot mimic the USA. In the coming decades India would be racing against China: for energy, scarce raw materials, intellectual property, and outsourcing. While there are possibilities of cooperation, the competition between the two giants would be brutal.
India’s cooperative and strategic relationship with the USA, ranging from fighting terrorism and the security of the Indian Ocean to sophisticated technology sharing and building a knowledge society is too important to be sacrificed for another round of India-China illusory friendship. The USA has helped build Germany, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and China into global economic powers. India should see where its national interests lie.
(ND Batra is Professor of Communications, Norwich University, Vermont. He can be blogged at http://
corporatepower.blogspot.com.)
The author is frank & straightforward, without the routine mindless blabber.
Pretty impressive !
**India’s national interest and China**
Nothing could have been more deceptive than what India’s Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said at a press conference in New Delhi at the conclusion of Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao’s visit. “India and China are partners, and they are not rivals. We do not look upon each other as adversaries.”
Look at the Chinese activities in Pakistan, an all-weather friend — from financing the building of a deep seaport, Gwadar, at the gateway to West Asia to its clandestine contribution for developing nuclear weapons; building road links with Bangladesh; its surveillance station in Myanmar’s Coco Islands; and its efforts at trying to cosy up to Nepal after India, the UK and the USA denounced King Gyanendra’s high-handed action to snuff out democracy.
Nor should it have gone unnoticed China’s wishy-washy non-committal support for membership of the UN Security Council. The Chinese vague official statement that it “attaches great importance to the status of India in international affairs” and “understands and supports India’s aspirations to play an active role in the UN and international affairs” is a tongue-in-cheek attempt to get out of a definitive commitment.
One should take with a pinch of salt a pious sounding but diplomatically meaningless utterance such as, “Aware of their linked destinies as neighbours and the two largest countries of Asia, both sides agreed that they would, together, contribute to the establishment of an atmosphere of mutual understanding, trust and cooperation in Asia and the wo rld at large.”It reminds one of the pre-1962 Hindi-Chini “bhai-bhai” Nehru era, when Panch Shil was peddled as an alternative to the Cold-War’s hard-headed diplomacy.
India might put up a brave face and assert that it has overcome the feeling of betrayal but it does not have a definitive answer to the question whether Chinese intentions have changed. China is still holding a large chunk of territory in Kashmir, 38,000 sqkm (14,670 sqmiles) of Aksai Chin, which it seized after the 1962 blatant invasion, and claims more.
Another 5,180 sqkm (2,000 sqmiles) of northern Kashmir was given by Pakistan to Beijing as a price for an all-weather friendship pact signed in 1963.
China had already built a road through Aksai Chin linking Tibet with its Xinjiang province before it laid an aggressive claim on it. Now it seeks a political solution, not a technical one, to the border problem. In other words, since Aksai Chin highway helps China to maintain control over the region, it is politically more important to China than to India.
So India should give up its cartographic, that’s technical, claim on Aksai Chin in lieu of letting India keep what it already controls in the east, in Arunachal Pradesh.
That’s what Prime Minister Chou En Lai said in 1962 that India should accept “the present actualities”. So it is back to the future with the same old Chinese argument: Technically Aksai Chin may be yours, but politically it is ours.
The solution to the border problem, especially in Aksai Chin, interestingly, could be technical and political at the same time. For example, China could use the Aksai Chin highway on a long-term basis provided it recognised India’s technical and political claim on the region.
China must also withdraw other claims it makes on Indian territories. If the time is not ripe for a settlement along these lines, India should wait and watch. Trade and technological cooperation could continue to grow as they have been doing in the last few years even without a final resolution of the border disputes.
Much is being made of India-China trade relations. If China is now India’s second-largest trading partner, after the USA, with a bilateral trade of $13 billion, it shows how puny is India’s total foreign trade in comparison with that of China. In the fiscal year 2004-05, India’s total export amounted to $80 billion as against China’s global export of $593 billion.
What does India export to China? Mostly raw material for its construction industry and other semi-finished goods in exchange for Ganesha idols, toasters, television sets and so on. China sells value added goods to India, much as the British did during colonial times. Of course if you add to it “bitter gourds and grapes” (Wow!), the bilateral trade might jump to $20 billion by 2008.
Not to be scoffed at, true, because international trade helps create jobs and reduce tension in international relations, but pushing the expectations to the level of “strategic and cooperative partnership” is not only ridiculous but also dangerous. A free trade agreement would give China an unlimited access to Indian market, which would kill Indian manufacturing as it has done in the USA.
While the USA is a complex and dynamic economy and creates alternative jobs to replace the ones lost to Chinese manufacturing, India cannot mimic the USA. In the coming decades India would be racing against China: for energy, scarce raw materials, intellectual property, and outsourcing. While there are possibilities of cooperation, the competition between the two giants would be brutal.
India’s cooperative and strategic relationship with the USA, ranging from fighting terrorism and the security of the Indian Ocean to sophisticated technology sharing and building a knowledge society is too important to be sacrificed for another round of India-China illusory friendship. The USA has helped build Germany, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and China into global economic powers. India should see where its national interests lie.
(ND Batra is Professor of Communications, Norwich University, Vermont. He can be blogged at http://
corporatepower.blogspot.com.)
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Munna Bada Pyara - Sachin
There's an old hindi song which goes - 'Munna bada pyaara, ammi ka dulara'..
Well than India's 'ammi' has her very own 'pyara munna' - Sachin Tendulkar.
Usually i would not have posted a column from one of my most disliked newsmen in the country. Rajdeep Sardesai. I have hated him ever since the Gujarat riots first hit the national headlines. But here in this column Rajdeep, moving away from his usual diatribes, presents a refreshing piece of work on Sachin Tendular.
Even today's Sachin is too young, but i believe one day he will be known as Sir Sachin Tendulkar.
Wednesday, January 5, 2005 - Rajdeep Sardesai.
-------------------------------------------------
One of the great advantages of being a young reporter is that you have far more freedom to allow the pen and the mike to wander.
When I joined The Times of India as an apprentice assistant editor in 1988, I usually had the afternoons to myself. On one such November afternoon in Mumbai, I decided to go to the Wankhede stadium to watch a Ranji trophy match between Mumbai and Gujarat.
Normally, Ranji trophy matches can be deadly dull. This one though had a special attraction: Sachin Tendulkar was making his first-class debut. We had all seen Tendulkar on the maidan. But would he make the transition to the next level, especially as he was then at an age where most school cricketers have only just begun to play club cricket.
We needn’t have worried. For two delightful hours that afternoon, Tendulkar played with the joy and abandon that only someone who has never known failure can possess. The Gujarat bowling attack might have been limited, but don’t forget that this was a batsman who still hadn’t used the razor batting against bowlers twice his age. Yet, from the very first ball, Tendulkar played as if his curly locks and chubby cheeks were only meant to disguise the power of his strokeplay.
That evening when I trudged back to office, I asked my editor, Darryl D’Monte whether I could write a piece on what I had just seen. The sports desk has always seen the sports page as proprietorial. Darryl was kind enough to allow me to write on Tendulkar, and even kinder to carry it on the front page.
I still carry the clipping. It was titled: “The New Star of Indian Cricket” and began with a rather lyrical flourish: “Winter may be in the air, but we have seen an early spring in Mumbai. For years from now, those of us who were privileged to see a little genius emerge will be saying I was there when Sachin Tendulkar made his first-class cricket debut. He is someone who will break every batting record.”
Now, when I look back at that article, it is not so much with a sense of smugness at having got it right, but with the realization of just how much pleasure Tendulkar has given us by his presence on the cricket field over the last sixteen years. Many talented cricketers have scored centuries in their first match only to fade away later. But talent alone is not enough to succeed consistently at the highest level. What you really need is the talent to be matched by dedication and self-belief. Tendulkar, bless the lord, had it in oodles.
I still recall watching with a shiver Tendulkar being hit on the head by a Waqar bouncer on his first trip to Pakistan. There can be no more intimidating place for an Indian to play cricket than Pakistan, and here was a sixteen year old facing up to one of the most feared bowlers in the world.
Many good players have had their confidence severely dented after a knock on the head. Had Tendulkar been pushed into the test team too early was the obvious concern. We needn’t have worried again. Not only did Tendulkar battle on to score a half century, a few days later, he hit four sixes in one Abdul Qadir over. It was the first of many authoritative statements that Tendulkar would make throughout his career.
Years later, I asked Tendulkar whether he had been ever worried after the Waqar incident that he would not make it in the big league. With an impassive look, he said, “I only wanted to succeed. Maybe, the bouncer made my resolve even greater.” No lengthy explanations, just simple, straightforward stuff, typical of a man who prefers to play with a straight bat.
Over the years that bat has scored a staggering seventy-plus international centuries. It really is an imposing achievement, especially when you consider the wear and tear of the modern game. Just think of it. The legendary Sunil Gavaskar scored just one one-day hundred, Sachin has scored 37 and we’re still counting. You could argue that he’s played much more international one dayers, but that’s precisely what makes his achievement so special.
When you play cricket round the year, one-day and test, the demands are enormous. Remarkably, Sachin has never appeared to be weighed down by the constant expectation, except perhaps for a brief period when he was India captain. Like that other great cricketer Garfield Sobers, captaincy was the one bridge too far for Sachin.
Maybe, his sheer obsession with perfecting the art of batting meant that he never could summon the additional appetite required to captain the country. When you set high standards for yourself, you expect those around you to measure up. When they don’t, you can get frustrated all too easily. That’s perhaps what happened with Tendulkar the captain.
And yet, this minor flaw apart, few will grudge Tendulkar his place in cricket history. For many of us cricket nuts who entered our teens watching the defensive mastery of Gavaskar, Tendulkar’s attacking instincts allowed us to complete the transition to manhood.
There are many moments that stick in the mind. His complete annihilation of Shane Warne at the Brabourne stadium, one of those rare moments in sport when genius clashed with genius and left all of us spellbound. Then, the wonderful display in Sharjah when he single-handedly destroyed the Aussies. Not to forget the six over point of Shoaib Akhtar in the 2003 World Cup game against Pakistan. It was a shot that ended, as Ramachandra Guha aptly remarked, “ a decade of inferiority against Pakistan.”
Sometimes, we don’t realize how blessed we are. We live in an age of all-pervasive cynicism, an era where politicians accused of murder can go to jail one day, find an honourable place in the cabinet one day. This is an era of overnight celebrities, of faceless wonders who adorn our page three with uniform regularity.
This is a period of acute mindlessness, where an entire social class wants to simply drift from one party to another, where a novelist is reduced to a soundbite and philosophy to feelgood gurus. Which is why we must treasure what Tendulkar has given us. He is a celebrity in the true sense of the term, someone who has combined skill and hard work to emerge as an international champion. In a world of myth-making, he is the real thing.
Well than India's 'ammi' has her very own 'pyara munna' - Sachin Tendulkar.
Usually i would not have posted a column from one of my most disliked newsmen in the country. Rajdeep Sardesai. I have hated him ever since the Gujarat riots first hit the national headlines. But here in this column Rajdeep, moving away from his usual diatribes, presents a refreshing piece of work on Sachin Tendular.
Even today's Sachin is too young, but i believe one day he will be known as Sir Sachin Tendulkar.
Wednesday, January 5, 2005 - Rajdeep Sardesai.
-------------------------------------------------
One of the great advantages of being a young reporter is that you have far more freedom to allow the pen and the mike to wander.
When I joined The Times of India as an apprentice assistant editor in 1988, I usually had the afternoons to myself. On one such November afternoon in Mumbai, I decided to go to the Wankhede stadium to watch a Ranji trophy match between Mumbai and Gujarat.
Normally, Ranji trophy matches can be deadly dull. This one though had a special attraction: Sachin Tendulkar was making his first-class debut. We had all seen Tendulkar on the maidan. But would he make the transition to the next level, especially as he was then at an age where most school cricketers have only just begun to play club cricket.
We needn’t have worried. For two delightful hours that afternoon, Tendulkar played with the joy and abandon that only someone who has never known failure can possess. The Gujarat bowling attack might have been limited, but don’t forget that this was a batsman who still hadn’t used the razor batting against bowlers twice his age. Yet, from the very first ball, Tendulkar played as if his curly locks and chubby cheeks were only meant to disguise the power of his strokeplay.
That evening when I trudged back to office, I asked my editor, Darryl D’Monte whether I could write a piece on what I had just seen. The sports desk has always seen the sports page as proprietorial. Darryl was kind enough to allow me to write on Tendulkar, and even kinder to carry it on the front page.
I still carry the clipping. It was titled: “The New Star of Indian Cricket” and began with a rather lyrical flourish: “Winter may be in the air, but we have seen an early spring in Mumbai. For years from now, those of us who were privileged to see a little genius emerge will be saying I was there when Sachin Tendulkar made his first-class cricket debut. He is someone who will break every batting record.”
Now, when I look back at that article, it is not so much with a sense of smugness at having got it right, but with the realization of just how much pleasure Tendulkar has given us by his presence on the cricket field over the last sixteen years. Many talented cricketers have scored centuries in their first match only to fade away later. But talent alone is not enough to succeed consistently at the highest level. What you really need is the talent to be matched by dedication and self-belief. Tendulkar, bless the lord, had it in oodles.
I still recall watching with a shiver Tendulkar being hit on the head by a Waqar bouncer on his first trip to Pakistan. There can be no more intimidating place for an Indian to play cricket than Pakistan, and here was a sixteen year old facing up to one of the most feared bowlers in the world.
Many good players have had their confidence severely dented after a knock on the head. Had Tendulkar been pushed into the test team too early was the obvious concern. We needn’t have worried again. Not only did Tendulkar battle on to score a half century, a few days later, he hit four sixes in one Abdul Qadir over. It was the first of many authoritative statements that Tendulkar would make throughout his career.
Years later, I asked Tendulkar whether he had been ever worried after the Waqar incident that he would not make it in the big league. With an impassive look, he said, “I only wanted to succeed. Maybe, the bouncer made my resolve even greater.” No lengthy explanations, just simple, straightforward stuff, typical of a man who prefers to play with a straight bat.
Over the years that bat has scored a staggering seventy-plus international centuries. It really is an imposing achievement, especially when you consider the wear and tear of the modern game. Just think of it. The legendary Sunil Gavaskar scored just one one-day hundred, Sachin has scored 37 and we’re still counting. You could argue that he’s played much more international one dayers, but that’s precisely what makes his achievement so special.
When you play cricket round the year, one-day and test, the demands are enormous. Remarkably, Sachin has never appeared to be weighed down by the constant expectation, except perhaps for a brief period when he was India captain. Like that other great cricketer Garfield Sobers, captaincy was the one bridge too far for Sachin.
Maybe, his sheer obsession with perfecting the art of batting meant that he never could summon the additional appetite required to captain the country. When you set high standards for yourself, you expect those around you to measure up. When they don’t, you can get frustrated all too easily. That’s perhaps what happened with Tendulkar the captain.
And yet, this minor flaw apart, few will grudge Tendulkar his place in cricket history. For many of us cricket nuts who entered our teens watching the defensive mastery of Gavaskar, Tendulkar’s attacking instincts allowed us to complete the transition to manhood.
There are many moments that stick in the mind. His complete annihilation of Shane Warne at the Brabourne stadium, one of those rare moments in sport when genius clashed with genius and left all of us spellbound. Then, the wonderful display in Sharjah when he single-handedly destroyed the Aussies. Not to forget the six over point of Shoaib Akhtar in the 2003 World Cup game against Pakistan. It was a shot that ended, as Ramachandra Guha aptly remarked, “ a decade of inferiority against Pakistan.”
Sometimes, we don’t realize how blessed we are. We live in an age of all-pervasive cynicism, an era where politicians accused of murder can go to jail one day, find an honourable place in the cabinet one day. This is an era of overnight celebrities, of faceless wonders who adorn our page three with uniform regularity.
This is a period of acute mindlessness, where an entire social class wants to simply drift from one party to another, where a novelist is reduced to a soundbite and philosophy to feelgood gurus. Which is why we must treasure what Tendulkar has given us. He is a celebrity in the true sense of the term, someone who has combined skill and hard work to emerge as an international champion. In a world of myth-making, he is the real thing.
Stun Gun Sehwag
Though Sachin Tendulkar remains my all time favourite, Sehwag is most definitely at #2. And when remarks come from a coach as prolific as Bob Woolmer, you have to stand up & notice.
In a tribute to Sehwag's timings & sense of balance, Woolmer leaves no stones unturned to praise this dashing Delhi batsman.
http://us.rediff.com/cricket/2005/apr/19woolmer.htm
Sehwag has Bradman's genius
April 19, 2005
Sir Donald Bradman must have been a genius. He averaged 99.4 in Test cricket and, by all accounts, decimated attacks, showing them no mercy.
Today, Virender Sehwag must come close to resembling a modern day genius because of his unerring and unnerving ability like Sir Donald to manhandle attacks and make Test match bowlers look like pop gun attacks.
For me, he has redefined how an opening batsman can approach an innings. His performances in this recent series have been quite phenomenal. We helped him at Mohali by dropping him early on; but then, that is the game, and it is not Sehwag's fault if the opposition would not accept chances.
He is effortless, with sublime timing; he is destructive, often able to score over 10 in an over; he puts the bowlers under severe pressure often until they crack; he hits sixes as though the ground is only the size of a postage stamp. He gave us grey hairs trying to find ways to dismiss him!
I would often sit in front of the computer, with Sehwag's innings on the biomechanics screen, searching for the weakness; looking for the line and length that would give him most difficulty.
In the end, we settled for a short ball, targeted into his chest. While this stunted his run scoring, we did not get him out this way.
Early on in his innings his strength is his weakness; the short ball swinging away, but on a tight line to the off stump, might induce a nick to the slip cordon. If he tries to hit it harder it often flies over the slip cordon, or if you are lucky he drags the ball off the inside edge onto the stumps. They are not conclusive ways of bowling to him, however.
We were able to run him out occasionally, and at times he gets careless. We did not see much of that in this series, unfortunately.
What makes him so good? He follows the most important basic principle of batting: he is still when the ball is released and is, therefore, able to judge length early and then make the shot timorously without flaw. His balance when he hits the ball is a joy for any coach to study as he transfers his weight perfectly, makes contact with an ability to hit the ball extremely hard, but looks as though he is just caressing it. It is the wonderful gift of timing, pure timing, that makes him so dangerous.
When I watch him he seems to have no regard for a bowler; it is the presence of a man who does not believe he can get out.
Viv Richards had it, Graeme Pollock had it and Barry Richards had it and Adam Gilchrist has it. While unique in appearance (every individual is different), the result is the same.
Yet, despite all the above, Sehwag's results in the limited-overs matches are significantly poorer than his Test match record. The white ball is not his favourite; he plays differently as though he is a loose cannon; the discipline that he shows in the multi-day game seems to go out of the window and it looks as though he is in a competition to see how far and how often he can hit a boundary.
While he is still very dangerous, he gives the bowler more chances. I guess that is also the nature of the game. It is interesting why he cannot just bat normally for 45 of the 50 overs as he is such a good player that he would still ensure a big score.
Though Sehwag and Tendulkar form one of the most destructive combinations at the top of the order, neither seems prepared to go the distance and both want to outscore each other!
Sehwag's off-spin bowling is totally under-utilised and it staggers me that he does not bowl more. He is excellent in the field, takes catches in the deep and close with relative ease. He is a very complete cricketer.
His batting definitely takes on the qualities of a genius. Like Bradman used to, he is able to dominate attacks and will do so all the while that he is prepared to be hungry at the crease.
I cannot imagine a better technique, and he could perhaps play the short ball better. But there have been a lot of batsman who have played the same way. Hooking too early can lead to dismissal and stern and angry looks from coach, captain and team-mates.
He is so confident in his ability that he was quoted as saying that if he had not been run out he would have won the game for India in Bangalore. We shall never know if that would have been the case. He was certainly a threat and Inzamam delayed his declaration because of that threat.
In conclusion, India have unearthed a jewel. Amazingly, he learnt his cricket as a middle order batsman, but has taken to opening like a duck to water. His technique is one to copy; his propensity to go on and on after scoring a hundred makes him a modern day great.
However, and most remarkably, it is his sublime timing that, for me, makes him a genius.
In a tribute to Sehwag's timings & sense of balance, Woolmer leaves no stones unturned to praise this dashing Delhi batsman.
http://us.rediff.com/cricket/2005/apr/19woolmer.htm
Sehwag has Bradman's genius
April 19, 2005
Sir Donald Bradman must have been a genius. He averaged 99.4 in Test cricket and, by all accounts, decimated attacks, showing them no mercy.
Today, Virender Sehwag must come close to resembling a modern day genius because of his unerring and unnerving ability like Sir Donald to manhandle attacks and make Test match bowlers look like pop gun attacks.
For me, he has redefined how an opening batsman can approach an innings. His performances in this recent series have been quite phenomenal. We helped him at Mohali by dropping him early on; but then, that is the game, and it is not Sehwag's fault if the opposition would not accept chances.
He is effortless, with sublime timing; he is destructive, often able to score over 10 in an over; he puts the bowlers under severe pressure often until they crack; he hits sixes as though the ground is only the size of a postage stamp. He gave us grey hairs trying to find ways to dismiss him!
I would often sit in front of the computer, with Sehwag's innings on the biomechanics screen, searching for the weakness; looking for the line and length that would give him most difficulty.
In the end, we settled for a short ball, targeted into his chest. While this stunted his run scoring, we did not get him out this way.
Early on in his innings his strength is his weakness; the short ball swinging away, but on a tight line to the off stump, might induce a nick to the slip cordon. If he tries to hit it harder it often flies over the slip cordon, or if you are lucky he drags the ball off the inside edge onto the stumps. They are not conclusive ways of bowling to him, however.
We were able to run him out occasionally, and at times he gets careless. We did not see much of that in this series, unfortunately.
What makes him so good? He follows the most important basic principle of batting: he is still when the ball is released and is, therefore, able to judge length early and then make the shot timorously without flaw. His balance when he hits the ball is a joy for any coach to study as he transfers his weight perfectly, makes contact with an ability to hit the ball extremely hard, but looks as though he is just caressing it. It is the wonderful gift of timing, pure timing, that makes him so dangerous.
When I watch him he seems to have no regard for a bowler; it is the presence of a man who does not believe he can get out.
Viv Richards had it, Graeme Pollock had it and Barry Richards had it and Adam Gilchrist has it. While unique in appearance (every individual is different), the result is the same.
Yet, despite all the above, Sehwag's results in the limited-overs matches are significantly poorer than his Test match record. The white ball is not his favourite; he plays differently as though he is a loose cannon; the discipline that he shows in the multi-day game seems to go out of the window and it looks as though he is in a competition to see how far and how often he can hit a boundary.
While he is still very dangerous, he gives the bowler more chances. I guess that is also the nature of the game. It is interesting why he cannot just bat normally for 45 of the 50 overs as he is such a good player that he would still ensure a big score.
Though Sehwag and Tendulkar form one of the most destructive combinations at the top of the order, neither seems prepared to go the distance and both want to outscore each other!
Sehwag's off-spin bowling is totally under-utilised and it staggers me that he does not bowl more. He is excellent in the field, takes catches in the deep and close with relative ease. He is a very complete cricketer.
His batting definitely takes on the qualities of a genius. Like Bradman used to, he is able to dominate attacks and will do so all the while that he is prepared to be hungry at the crease.
I cannot imagine a better technique, and he could perhaps play the short ball better. But there have been a lot of batsman who have played the same way. Hooking too early can lead to dismissal and stern and angry looks from coach, captain and team-mates.
He is so confident in his ability that he was quoted as saying that if he had not been run out he would have won the game for India in Bangalore. We shall never know if that would have been the case. He was certainly a threat and Inzamam delayed his declaration because of that threat.
In conclusion, India have unearthed a jewel. Amazingly, he learnt his cricket as a middle order batsman, but has taken to opening like a duck to water. His technique is one to copy; his propensity to go on and on after scoring a hundred makes him a modern day great.
However, and most remarkably, it is his sublime timing that, for me, makes him a genius.
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Kanchan Gupta
The man has a way of saying it. It's signature Gupta. Young,astute,articulate.
Presenting, Mr. Kanchan Gupta
http://us.rediff.com/news/2005/apr/19kanch.htm
http://specials.rediff.com/news/2005/jan/19kanch.htm
http://specials.rediff.com/news/2005/mar/28kanch.htm
http://specials.rediff.com/news/2005/mar/17kanch.htm
http://specials.rediff.com/news/2005/mar/10kanch.htm
http://specials.rediff.com/news/2005/feb/21kanch.htm
Presenting, Mr. Kanchan Gupta
http://us.rediff.com/news/2005/apr/19kanch.htm
http://specials.rediff.com/news/2005/jan/19kanch.htm
http://specials.rediff.com/news/2005/mar/28kanch.htm
http://specials.rediff.com/news/2005/mar/17kanch.htm
http://specials.rediff.com/news/2005/mar/10kanch.htm
http://specials.rediff.com/news/2005/feb/21kanch.htm
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Crack Pots
There's something divine about idling on the blog. Just out of the blue i created some jokes on the current political situation in the country.
Presenting the crack-pots. Enjoy !!!
====================================================================
One day Mani Sucker Iyer came running to Sonia Manio...all sweating in his Khadi...
Mani Sucker Iyer : Sonia ji , Sonia ji, We have been attacked by Pakistan on West & China on East !!!
Sonia : Shut up My-Knee... , call an emergency meeting of Manmohan,Arjun,Lalu from Bihar,Kalu from T.N,Bhalu (Somnath) from Bengal...
Mani promptly gets up on his feet & reaches for the phone...
Sonia : And yea, before that book tickets for me,Rahul & Priyanka for Italy.
===========================================================================
Rahul : Mummy, Mummy when will i become the P.M ?
Sonia : Son, being P.M is not easy. You need lot of traits.
Rahul : Mummy, what do you mean by traits.
Sonia : Rahul, you are such an idiot. How did you ever graduate ??
Rahul : Mummy, are't you are forgetting something ?
==============================================================================
Shekhar Gupta : I think India is now truely a secular Nation.
Prannoy Roy : Yea. But i think there's need to demonize BJP further. Till that time our mission will remain incomplete.
Vinod Mehta : Boss. Why do you worry ? I have already spoken to my Pakistani counterparts & some liberals in Europe.BJP's days are numbered.They are all with us.
N.Ram :Yea, but what about human rights ? That industry needs growth.
Praful Bidwai : Arey Baba, i have already filed 3 more fake cases in Supreme Court. And i know the judge. We can get all the terrorists released within days.
Rajdeep Sardesai : But there's still work to be done. Modi is still C.M of Gujarat.
All : Shut up Rajdeep. It's b'cos of you, he's the CM.
==============================================================================
Shekhar Gupta : Sagarika, your last article was pathetic. We have received so many hate mails that our server has come crashing down. You should tame yourself. Understand ?
Sagarika : Shekhar, do you want to "Walk the talk" or no ?
Shekhar Gupta : Mmmm... Ok !! Did i tell you I am promoting you to Senior Editor & M.D now.
==============================================================================
Mani Sucker Iyer : Secretary, I want all the symbols of Hinduism removed from Government Buildings.
Secretary : Saaar, like what ?
Mani Sucker Iyer : Anything. Anything.
Secretary : Saar, instead of that, why don't we do one thing? We can paint all the government offices with Green Color.Green is color of Islam. In one shot we can kill two birds.
Mani Sucker Iyer : Smart baay.... And yea send a mail to TOI's editor. I want a headline in newspapers tomorrow. "Mani Iyer :The Architect of the Next Green Revolution".
==============================================================================
Secretary : Renuka Ji, we got a call from Tamil Nadu's Home secretary.They have cancelled tomorrow's inauguration.
Renuka Choudhary : What ? Have they cancelled the opening of new Tourism center in Chennai?
Secretary : Ma'm. yes you are right. mmmm... actually ma'm... The T.N government says, it will need some more time to build the stage which can take you & Jayalalitha ji together.
==============================================================================
Arundati : Kamla bai, make sure the the lawn is watered properly by our mali, OK? And yes also clean up the entire bunglow along with other servants.I want it spanking clean.
And ask driver Mahesh to take the Zen for servicing. I am taking Honda today.
Kamla Bai : But Ma'm where are you going ?
Arundati : I have to deliver a lecture on how to bring a social change & be sensitive to poverty & poor. You won't understant. Go inside & start work.
Presenting the crack-pots. Enjoy !!!
====================================================================
One day Mani Sucker Iyer came running to Sonia Manio...all sweating in his Khadi...
Mani Sucker Iyer : Sonia ji , Sonia ji, We have been attacked by Pakistan on West & China on East !!!
Sonia : Shut up My-Knee... , call an emergency meeting of Manmohan,Arjun,Lalu from Bihar,Kalu from T.N,Bhalu (Somnath) from Bengal...
Mani promptly gets up on his feet & reaches for the phone...
Sonia : And yea, before that book tickets for me,Rahul & Priyanka for Italy.
===========================================================================
Rahul : Mummy, Mummy when will i become the P.M ?
Sonia : Son, being P.M is not easy. You need lot of traits.
Rahul : Mummy, what do you mean by traits.
Sonia : Rahul, you are such an idiot. How did you ever graduate ??
Rahul : Mummy, are't you are forgetting something ?
==============================================================================
Shekhar Gupta : I think India is now truely a secular Nation.
Prannoy Roy : Yea. But i think there's need to demonize BJP further. Till that time our mission will remain incomplete.
Vinod Mehta : Boss. Why do you worry ? I have already spoken to my Pakistani counterparts & some liberals in Europe.BJP's days are numbered.They are all with us.
N.Ram :Yea, but what about human rights ? That industry needs growth.
Praful Bidwai : Arey Baba, i have already filed 3 more fake cases in Supreme Court. And i know the judge. We can get all the terrorists released within days.
Rajdeep Sardesai : But there's still work to be done. Modi is still C.M of Gujarat.
All : Shut up Rajdeep. It's b'cos of you, he's the CM.
==============================================================================
Shekhar Gupta : Sagarika, your last article was pathetic. We have received so many hate mails that our server has come crashing down. You should tame yourself. Understand ?
Sagarika : Shekhar, do you want to "Walk the talk" or no ?
Shekhar Gupta : Mmmm... Ok !! Did i tell you I am promoting you to Senior Editor & M.D now.
==============================================================================
Mani Sucker Iyer : Secretary, I want all the symbols of Hinduism removed from Government Buildings.
Secretary : Saaar, like what ?
Mani Sucker Iyer : Anything. Anything.
Secretary : Saar, instead of that, why don't we do one thing? We can paint all the government offices with Green Color.Green is color of Islam. In one shot we can kill two birds.
Mani Sucker Iyer : Smart baay.... And yea send a mail to TOI's editor. I want a headline in newspapers tomorrow. "Mani Iyer :The Architect of the Next Green Revolution".
==============================================================================
Secretary : Renuka Ji, we got a call from Tamil Nadu's Home secretary.They have cancelled tomorrow's inauguration.
Renuka Choudhary : What ? Have they cancelled the opening of new Tourism center in Chennai?
Secretary : Ma'm. yes you are right. mmmm... actually ma'm... The T.N government says, it will need some more time to build the stage which can take you & Jayalalitha ji together.
==============================================================================
Arundati : Kamla bai, make sure the the lawn is watered properly by our mali, OK? And yes also clean up the entire bunglow along with other servants.I want it spanking clean.
And ask driver Mahesh to take the Zen for servicing. I am taking Honda today.
Kamla Bai : But Ma'm where are you going ?
Arundati : I have to deliver a lecture on how to bring a social change & be sensitive to poverty & poor. You won't understant. Go inside & start work.
Friday, April 01, 2005
Quotes
My own :
/************************************************************************/
"What's happening in India is now the second 'Green' revolution. The first one saw us producing tons of grains. The second will produce tons of crap from the pens & key boards of "secular" writers,columnists/commentators in the media. We might actually end up exporting Jehadis & other JNU educated writers as we ended up exporting food to the world". Green=Islam.
/************************************************************************/
"The columist or a commentator is like a chef who dishes out new articles every week. Depending on your taste & licking you either hog the article or leave yourself with a bad taste after reading it. Sometimes you even end up with indigestion."
/**********************************************************/
"In India the fastest way to become rich is by talking poverty. Don't believe this ? Ask Indian National Congress MPs & Leftist comrades."
/************************************************************************/
"What's happening in India is now the second 'Green' revolution. The first one saw us producing tons of grains. The second will produce tons of crap from the pens & key boards of "secular" writers,columnists/commentators in the media. We might actually end up exporting Jehadis & other JNU educated writers as we ended up exporting food to the world". Green=Islam.
/************************************************************************/
"The columist or a commentator is like a chef who dishes out new articles every week. Depending on your taste & licking you either hog the article or leave yourself with a bad taste after reading it. Sometimes you even end up with indigestion."
/**********************************************************/
"In India the fastest way to become rich is by talking poverty. Don't believe this ? Ask Indian National Congress MPs & Leftist comrades."
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