Post 26/11

The

The nation is in a state of mourning.

The shock-waves that stunned the country for 62 excruciating hours are now thawing into tearful farewells and heartrending wails, making us all aware, with every passing minute, of the terrible times we are living in and the juvenile sense of security we take to our beds every night.

Like in any great crisis, this one too has had its heroes – people who couldn’t care less about their own lives while saving others’. Some of them are being consigned to the flames as I write. Yet, before the fire in their pyres are out there will be legitimate queries from various quarters questioning the longevity of our outrage, the durability of this ire. And it is my personal belief that these people are not entirely wrong in suspecting our ability as a nation, as a polity and as a people to redress with a vengeance when wronged. History shows that we have always been a nation of the “Chalta hain” sluggards when it comes to prompt thinking and prompter action.

We bypass what is difficult; we overlook what is inconvenient.

The Sunday Hindustan Times had Vir Sanghvi in his Counterpoint column noting:

“Consider the US. Nobody blamed George Bush for 9/11. And for all his faults he was able to ensure that there would be no terrorist attack for the next eight years. Or think of England. The country was shocked by the 7/7 bombings. But politicians assured people that there would be no repeat and indeed, there’s been nothing since. Think of Indonesia. The Bali bombing has not been followed by any terrorist attack on that scale.

I can think of only three countries where terrorism reigns unchecked: Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.”

Just think of the other two countries in the same bracket and you will get the picture. Over the years we have become a generous recipient of terrorism exported by our neighbors (Pakistan being our ‘Most Favored Nation’ in trade is a valid excuse, maybe), an endless sink for all the toxic spawned in ‘their’ backyards and our tirelessness in this department still doesn’t seem to be remotely disturbed. If we are playing our “war of attrition” card here, I doubt if we are winning, in any possible way.

No one denies that given a chance our politicians would never tire of milking the terror cow dry. Be it terror of any “genre” – Hindu, Muslim, separatist, revolutionary and they cannot wait to throw their hats in. Add to this scene few well-timed elections and you get the entire circus running full-steam, not ahead by an inch but in circles.

The Media also plays its part well in the greater scheme of things. Some news channels, in their rush to grab the TRPs, did not even pay heed to a Home Ministry advisory while televising the Mumbai Siege “LIVE”. Perhaps their intuition had told them that the minister himself would need advisories on post-retirement pension schemes soon. But they ended up spreading the terror for the terrorists in their wake and that didn’t help the cause in anyway. Talking of media personalities, it is better if I don’t write at length my recent disillusionment regarding some of them. People who are supposed to have transformed the news-watching habits of the entire nation by their “fire-brand, no-nonsense brand of journalism” were seen thrusting mikes at the faces of dazed victims grappling with their new found lives after a horrid ordeal. And all that for “How do you feel?” .Stray bullets come at a premium too, it seems. All the respect which I had for their sensitivity to human trauma and their courage to fight for lost causes had instantly vanished.

“ Give a big man a great job and see how small he can be ” – I remember to have read somewhere.

The Big Question then is - If TERRORISM could ever have a perceivable end any time in the foreseeable future?

If “yes”, How?

A Federal Agency to counter terror can only be effective if it is kept isolated from the ever evolving political dynamics in our country or else it will end up getting mired in filing scams and disproportionate assets – an abiding legacy of our ministers. Also, in the first place, the installation of such an agency would require amendment of the Constitution which enlists Law and Order as a State responsibility. If this agency is to focus all its resources in handling terrorist activities it would need much teeth and meddling in its affairs would only negate the initial enthusiasm and rarify its real purpose. Tackling this new brand of urban terrorism will need extensive intelligence networking and enforcement of stricter laws. A few people at the top should be made accountable for the actions of the Agency.

The promise that this much-touted Agency holds, even in its days of inception, is immense and so will be the ignominy if it fails. But, we would want ‘the powers that be’ to do anything to try and avoid another 26^th November as we have just had.

Links" rediff.com, hindustantimes.com

Terror's Happy Hunting Ground

We, bloggers, write mostly when the dust has settled and the blood has dried on the sleeves. 

The news-channels go into their habitual mode of manic over-drive to televise "breaking news" of blood being  spilled and flesh being ripped "while they actually happen".

Our leaders call for "restraint" in "such times of crisis".

Police officials promise "prompt action" and "return to order".

Conflicting claims owning responsibility for the strikes surface.

And we rue the sorry state of our country while warming the sofas of our bedaubed drawing-rooms, letting out that occasional sigh of resigned helplessness over a cup of luke-warm tea before moving onto  some other channel with brighter things on offer. 

Days pass and we forget.

And that is precisely the most terrible curse that an overpopulated nation like ours face

 -  The Curse of Collective Forgetfulness. And the value of human life becomes gradually more trivialised. 

While Mumbai turns into a veritable battlefield and people all over the nation are left wondering "where next?"  a grotesque spectacle of terrorism unfolds before our very eyes.

No more RDX, no more detonations from a distance. Their war has now decidedly come down to "hand to hand combat". But, how can "terror" gain visibility if only the security forces are engaged. How can it strike fear and further its "noble cause" if the corpses don't pile up on the streets. No act of terror is complete without few innocents getting slaughtered, and so we have the count pegged at 100 and till reports last came in they were still counting. This time the casualties have nothing in common between them. Some were inside plush hotels, some on roads earning their daily wages, some in taxis and some waiting on railway platforms. The purveyors of death have made their disregard for social strata apparent with their bloody statement. 

" No class. No mercy. "

And we have taken note.

As NSG commandos storm their posts, bringing them down one by one, and defense analysts join the political bandwagon in dissecting their 'modus operandi' and 'objectives', it is time that we, as a nation wake up to the realization that its about time that our leaders put "petty politics" behind them to avenge this resounding slap on the face of our continued policy of tolerance. It does not matter if "they" were Hindus or Muslims, Deccan Mujahideens or Kashmiri Fidayeens; it does not matter if there was the usual "foreign hand" behind these attacks or something entirely indigenously orchestrated. Fire can only be fought with fire and there are no two ways about it.

Too many lives have been lost already and someone must sound the bugle now. If not, popular outrage might soon consume the last vestiges of whatever is considered 'civil' in our society and a protracted reign of violent vigilantism might soon ensue. Unlike the political and military posturing in the wake of the '2001 Parliament Attack' concrete action is the call of the hour. An Advani or a Gandhi visiting the blast-sites when the muzzles have all gone cold is not good enough now. If they want to send a message to the millions that they need not panic in their homes, that must show in their work, not words. It is needless to say that every Indian city now awaits its turn in the terror turn-table with bated breath, that every ordinary citizen now stations himself in a crowded market-place relying more on faith than the "IB information" that is always over-looked before the blasts and highlighted only after they occur unhindered. I admit that it is very convenient to play the blame-game sitting in the comfort of one's study, reading news-portals and venting righteous ire but these are only cultured reflections of the emotions of an exasperated majority, who, if given a chance, would put it with much more vehemence and scorn. 

It will be inappropriate right now to speculate on the possible political stances that might emerge in the coming days, ones which might already be underway in the corridors of power, but any more "politicising of terror" at the expense of innocent lives and we will have a "bigger, graver situation" on our hands. Soon.

Then, mere 'storming the gates' might not be of much help.

links: rediff.com

Almost there

Things are getting from bad to worse now as MBA students look towards innovative self-employment programs  which apparently do not enjoy the sanction of law. It is tragic that the very people who got into B-Schools till last year in the hope of landing phoren jobs with astronomical salaries are now contributing their bit to the meteoric crime-rate in the capital. Given the catastrophic consequences of the global financial meltdown the situation could swiftly spiral into a bigger social crisis. 

Take for instance the plight of the thousands of recruited yet un-'called' for engineers in the country. If even a fraction of them decide to unite under the formidable leadership of some of these  management gurus the law and order situation can crumble within days. And given the ineffectiveness of our police laid bare by the Naxalites and the Mao-ists, they could soon establish a 'Free Economy' - where all educated criminals move scot-free, wielding their degrees as gate-passes to high-office. The days of "matric-fail" MPs and MLAs are numbered! A society where unemployed engineers and unscrupulous managers run the show - Mr. Murthy's  dream of building a 'Meritocracy' is here for real. 

But one has to be extra cautious in times of great change. Before you know there might be a call for united action against our 'meritocracy' in the UN. One can guess how swiftly they would act against a legitimate-order given that they are still undecided on their response to the dangerous Somali pirates. US drones might soon hover over our IITs and IIMs in search of WMDs ( Well Managed Departments) and unlike in the past, here they won't be disappointed. In this regard the ISI angle to the kidnapping cannot be overlooked. After all, this could be just a 'diversionary tactic' to shield their men in Waziristan. Man, don't these people have foresight! 

Till our millions in employment deep-freeze shrug off their collective indolence in favour of a thriving meritocracy ( in which I would be too glad to be the Minister of Misinformation and Typecasting) I think it will be a good idea if I start to work on penning my memoirs ( a documentary of these troubling times of recession and inflation and everything else) the title of which I have long wanted to be "Liquidity in Times of Cholera".

link: rediff.com

Oh! What Relief!

Now that the Pakistani playboy turned President has given us his word of assurance that- "India wont be nuked first" [link here] we can all go to our beds a lot relaxed it seems.

One gathers that he addressed the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit via a satellite link. Couldn't they have thought of Mr. Obama joining in too ? The whole hi-tech teleconferencing thing would have suited his stature much better. Or was he too busy constituting his economic advisory board and thus decided to leave the Summit briefing to his "trusted ally" in Pakistan on his behalf?

Talking on use of nuclear-weapons Mr. Zardari said, "We do not hope to even get to that position when we have to use." Use what, Sir ? Euphemisms or bombs ?

Rediff.com says :

Seeking to reach out to people across the border, he recalled his late wife Benazir Bhutto's lines -- "There is little of Indian in every Pakistani and a little of Pakistani in every Indian"

- Reeks of bhaaicharaa, one may say, but, I doubt if the thought of replacing Indians with Americans did not cross his mind while meeting one Mrs Sarah Palin a few weeks back.


Remembering his late wife, he said: "Spiritually, I feel her to be around all the time".

- Well, we now know what kept him restricted to just a hand-shake instead of the ambitious "hug" then. A 'spiritual' snub would have been something of an embarassment, I am sure.

The affable President also seemed to have talked of something of a "hands-off" policy regarding the ongoing Kashmir Elections now that all the passes in the valley are blocked to terror-export due to heavy snow-fall. And I am waiting for our media to laud this significant "thaw" in relations tomorrow morning. "We all are waiting for a thaw", Mr. Zardari must be thinking smugly.

Commenting on the present economic crisis, Zardari seems to have mooted the idea of building an "economic block" with India vis a vis the European Union.

- That makes us curious of what he is smoking these days - Subsidised marijuana from his Taliban neighbours ? Or opium imported from the neighbouring noodle-land ?
Also a relevant question in this regard would be - If and when this "economic block" pipe-dream sediments into something of a cobbled reality would it be enough if the usual "5%" is handed down to him ? Or has inflation had its effect on it too ?



link: rediff.com

photo: theage.com

Adios, Prince!

" To have started with a flourish
and ended with a nought
- A prince in his own parish
None tell him what he ought......... "


But in the end it all fits well into the fascinating collage that was the script of Sourav Ganguly's cricketing career.


Twelve eventful years at the highest level of the sport and to bid adieu in the security of the knowledge that you won't be forgotten, ever, speaks of the man's feats for itself. Die-hard fans and detractors alike would have found it an honour to stand up in ovation as he climbed the stairs after his last stint on the crease. And every bit of applause that he got on this day was as deserved as the fate that met with the balls that pitched outside his off-stump. Not as murderous as the Jayasuriyas of his time, nor as wristy as the Anwars in full flow, he would cajole and caress the ball with his gift of supreme timing, all the while donning an expression of lordly dismissiveness. The man whose middle name could be 'Arrogance' when on a cricket field, he undeniably ushered in the new generation of "give it your all" cricketers whose success so determines the team's fortunes today. Be it the fierce stroke play of Yuvraj, the mercurial maverick of Harbhajan or the searching seam-play of Zaheer - the fact that Dada blooded these stars of today and backed them in times of crisis explains why he enjoys the respect he gets in the dressing-room. And amidst all that 'backing' and 'pushing' of new talent there was never a whiff of regionalism or 'lobbying' that the Azhar-Dungarpur era had so firmly established.


As a batsman, Sourav Ganguly figures in the list of One-Day Greats with ease any given day, the Tests not an apt reflection of his class though. At a time when Sachin was down in the dumps and Dravid was still to improve before he could mould himself to suit the shorter version of the game Sourav became the main-stay of the Indian batting order. Who can forget that innings he played in the win against Pakistan in the final of the Bangladesh Independence Cup in Dhaka. The entire nation was out on the roads celebrating the victory. And it was just the start.


As a Captain he is still to be matched, not only by the sheer number of trophies that he has claimed for the country but also because he stood out as a motivational leader of men who transformed a pack of 'mere hopefuls' into ruthless gladiators who would fight till the end. He infused the "killer instinct" into a team that Ravi Shashtri, during his commentaries, would often say it lacked. India now looked certain of a win when in the driver's seat and the millions of supporters knew in their hearts that the man wearing the shades, manning the slips, would not leave it to fate alone when it came to the grind. Instead he would make it work. He would switch bowlers, bring in fielders, bark out orders till something gave, till something 'happened'. In short, eight years before the world even knew of Obama, Sourav made us, Indians, believe that "We Can!" As a result we ended up beating most teams before being beaten by the best team in the world in the finals of the 2003 World Cup - a campaign which seemed doomed from the beginning itself but epic in its own right because of 'the turn-around' mid-tournament. During Sourav's tenure India started scripting victories rather than merely winning matches just because one of the two teams had to win. With a string of victories, both at home and abroad, that too at close intervals the team had firmly established its position of being 'Challengers' to Aussie dominance. Over were the days when a fan had to look back to the times of the Wadekars and the Vishwanaths to find a solitary victory on foreign soil. This was a new outfit. A squad which huddled and ganged, bullied and battered the opposition. Finally, we had a team which made a nation proud by exuding controlled aggression backed with adequate skill. The prayers seemed at last answered.

It is good that Dhoni seems to have inherited that same vein of aggressive leadership from Sourav. Though much more reserved on-field, he seems heartwarmingly effective with his decisions. It seems the reins are in good hands from here in time.


But all was not this rosy throughout. The purple patches soon turned into expanses of run-drought and the touch was all gone for Sourav. Balls outside his off-stump which would spear their way through the outfield following a swift command off the willow would now take innocuous nicks and nestle into the waiting hands of jubilant slip-fielders. Innings after innings would be reduced to joking speculations on 'which stump's turn it was today to be rattled' and the familiar arrogance was soon out-of-place. The Chappels were vocal, vile and to a degree villainous.
- " There are 10 players and Sourav Ganguly in the Indian team", the elder one said and the Prince of Kolkata was grounded, courtesy- the younger one. Fans in Boycott and Gower could offer little explanation for his prolonged "poor run". His time had come, all agreed.
He was dropped from the squad amid erratic cries of 'injustice', that a hero was being forced to make such an inglorious exit.


But taking what is dished out to him with servile submissiveness was so not agreeable to Sourav's princely demeanor.

He gave a fitting reply to his critics in the domestic circuit, eased into the test-team and scored runs in a fashion reminiscent of his prime. For a man who was time and again criticised for complacency he proved that he had what it takes to climb up from the ruins. His scores cried, "Its far from over". Instead, he showed how its only him who reserved the right to decide when to bow out, and on which terms.


Today when he walks into the sunset of his career he will deserve every accolade, every applause and every decoration that is due to him.

Like a true Hero that he is, I believe he will just savour the moment and hold that wry smile that grace faces which know the taste of a triumph from a victory.


Adios, Prince.





photo: googleimages

The Man Who Will Be King

............ and lift US from the dumps.

Barack Hussein Obama is now to take on the mantle of 'The Most Difficult Job' in the world and deliver the goods for the millions who see him as their talismanic messiah, their knight in shining armour. He faces the herculean task of resurrecting the global image of the United States which reached new lows during the war-mongering Bush regime. But before that he needs to put his house in order. That means a bail-out plan for the economy that is unprecedented in history, going by its sheer bulk and consequence.

But if he is half as effective as his oratory suggests he is our man for the job.

And he is already a legend.

"Hurray!" to that "Change".






photo: googleimages

Of Heidi Klum and Hedious Garbs

Heidi Klum decides to dress up as Kali for Halloween. [link here]

[images showing Klum in Kali's disguise to the right and her utter contempt for all 'black beings' below.( Not by any co-incidence, she is married to a Nigerian-born British soul singer, Seal. Reaffirms my 'contempt' point.)]

And we still are to hear from our Togadias and Thackeray's on this.

What a howling shame!

Where are all these people when we need them the most ? The saffron and the orthodox, the right-wing and the fanatics. When irreverent firangs go about plastering their philistine disregard for the most cherished of our deities the tilak adorned task-force decides to hold up their trishuls, protesting the advent of the 'enemy within' or busy themselves beating up fellow countrymen appearing for public exams. Petty!


Worse, if they are to be found in this hour of great religious crisis distributing sweets to celebrate Obama's victory - The man who had nothing on his agenda regarding 'The Desecration of Hindu Gods & Godesses' and how to counter such an atheist outbreak. How so very short-sighted!


A few months ago there was very little noise over Lord Ganesha adorning the covers on toilet-seats and before that Lord Shiva spray-painted on sandals in the Wayward West.


If this is not reason enough to spring into action, what are they waiting for ?

- The launch of brands 'Saraswati's Secrets' and 'Janki', perhaps.










images: ndtv.com, modelstalker.com

Time is Running Out.................

Without even bringing one's self to deconstruct Mamata Banerjee's career graph in politics one will surely acknowledge that the basic traits that have defined her over the years have been her vehement anti-CPI(M) stance, populist appeal, sympathy for the suffering on one hand, with political vacillation, lack of vision and complete absence of policy gracing the other.


She has had her share of followers and political space, having the Union Railway Ministry to initiate the reform mantra being the high-point of it, but, today she needs to introspect deeply to salvage pride for herself and spare West Bengal the ignominy of being branded a
- 'Investor's Grave'.


Singur is a lose-lose situation for her now. Only she has to realise it.

Even if the Tatas pack their bags, lick their wounds, count their losses and go off to Karnataka in search of a favorable climate what have the unwilling farmers, the champion of whose rights Didi has modelled herself into, stand to gain ?

I reckon, "Nothing!"

The Land Acquisition Act forbids re-allocation of acquired land to its former owners. The State Govt. surely isn't going to amend an act so as to accommodate the political/moral victory of its opponents. To let the unwilling farmers have what they lost to the Nano will need Didi to come to power in the next Assembly Elections ( which I don't need to say seems ' improbable' to stay on the safer side). How realistic does that sound ?

Also having refused the compensation-cheques for their land the first time around and Didi thwarting their opportunity of grabbing onto the renegotiated compensation (which was a much better deal than the previous offer) the unwilling lot will soon find difficulty in making their ends meet. No wonder chinks have started appearing in their ranks.

Now is a good time to grab the maximum offered amount and have the Nano meet its deadline, rolling out of Singur. Serious ramifications, both politico-economic and otherwise can then be averted. Both for the Left Front and the Trinamool.

The Front will mobilise its publicity machinery and bludgeon Didi's fiery rhetoric to a whimper. She will cry herself hoarse on injustice being meted out and yet nothing will reach the people. The Left is too good at that. It will quietly count its losses, brain-storm, strategise and hand her a electoral debacle she will find hard to balance with both her hands.


Didi might not sense it right now but, the stigma of having driven a monumental opportunity for the state will haunt her in the future like nothing else. She will effectively alienate the 'upwardly mobile' middle class and garner few votes from the farmer-front torn between old and new loyalties. If the Singur plant is closed down it might well send the Agnikanya ( fire-woman) to 'cool it a little' in the unforgiving anonymity of political wilderness come the next elections.
It is now that she must decide if pride may well take its place before the eventual fall comes snapping at its heels.



photos: gettyimages.com

'Sweeney Todd' - Stylish Barber-ism for a Musical

With a strong cast of the finest actors available, one of them arguably the most versatile of all times,
'Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street' engages, enthralls and intimidates its viewers all at the same time. Tim Burton achieves what Tarantino killed in the womb in 'Kill Bill'. Who could have thought that a blood-fest, a sheer torment to the sensibilities of the weak-hearted, an instrument to inspire dread in the sane and the meek could be moulded into a musical. Men have done it first on stage and Burton's done rightful justice to it on screen. Sounds frivolous but I assure you that none of the deadly vigor of revenge, none of the monstrous facets of gore and flesh has been trivialized or euphemised with the song and dance ritual typical of musicals.

Where the story revolves around the life of a wronged barber and his lust for revenge can murder be far behind ? Johny Depp delves into the skin of the title character with usual aplomb and gives a performance worthy of a standing ovation. Playing a man tortured for no crime he committed, he plays both a grieving husband and a longing father with no family to show his love to. So, he channelizes all his emotions into a frightful rage and in his own way justifies the murder of ones who never did him any harm. He becomes both the judge and the executioner, ironically driven to the task by a judge himself ( Alan Rickman).

Helena Bonham Carter ( as Mrs Lovett ), the accomplished actress that she is, seems to have found her footing with a substantial role after a long while. Mrs Lovett is a guilty accomplice to the crimes and also a aspiring woman, longing for love and family. She plays the complicated female to perfection, both vicious and vile, while on the other hand she is all caring and affectionate. She scintillates as a complex mixture, a woman torn between emotional extremes, marked by warm benevolence and selfless love to Toby, the boy rescued from a London workhouse, whereas she is an epitome of witch-like manipulation of the barber's mind in order to gain his attentions.

I saw 'Donnie Brasco' and 'Sweeney Todd' in something of a back-to-back Johny Depp double-whammy at home today and I found that this one had Depp in full flow. Hence, this review. If you have seen him in 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape' you won't recognize him here. If you have lately seen 'Edward Scissorhands' chances are you will. With a white streak of hair, more stylish than eerie he wields his wares with razor sharp dexterity and comes out with the goods.

The film has its 'moments of truth', as every film worth its salt should, and for me it was when Todd, the barber decides to murder all and sundry and justifies it by saying,

"It's man devouring man, my dear

And who are we to deny it in here ? "

True. Bloody true.



posters: google

'Nowhere in Africa' - A film to Remember

I believe in watching films with a clear mind, without preconceived expectations or a care for their past laurels. I believe in judging a film for its message, the perfection it attains in being the vehicle of a certain sensation that lasts with its audience beyond its run-time, like a taste which is sometimes bitter and sometimes sweet, like an impression from memory which one often loves to narrate but cannot relive. A good film could be that magical a thing.

I never looked up 'Nirgendwo in Afrika' (Nowhere in Africa) on imdb before I watched it this afternoon and now as I sit to write a review, hurriedly, almost afraid that I may lose that lingering taste in my mouth soon, I find that it won the Oscar in the Best Foreign Film category in 2002.


The film is set in the 1935 period of Nazi upsurge of influence and follows the life of a German Jewish family fractured as a result of severe Anti-Semitism. Walter Redlich(Merab Ninidze), a Jewish lawyer fervently wishes to see his wife and daughter flee Nazi Germany and join him in Kenya. Being perspicacious he is able to ascertain the imminent Jewish persecution that is to soon engulf all of Europe. Though his wife, Jettel (Juliane Kohler) and daughter, Regina (Lea Kurka) find a way to Africa he fails to convince his father and sister who still consider Deutschland as their own. The story moves on with the family trying to find its footing in an alien land amidst all its attendant inconveniences. Walter's Kenyan cook, Owuor (Sidede Onyulo) finds a friend in young Regina and life settles down to a routine at the cattle-farm for the family. The film pictures every character and their personal little battles with 'change' and 'compromise', yet it portrays a blesmishless collage which is much more than being a mere sum of the individuals. The difficulties of Jettel in settling down to a life in the wilderness amongst 'negroes' and her constant worries around Regina's education and upbringing bring out one facet of resettlement, that of angst and uncertainty in the thinking adults whereas on the other hand, the way in which Regina holds onto her new life with fumbling little fingers drips with hope and inspiration characteristic of the unsullied infant mind. Her bonding with Owuor goes beyond ties of blood and is resplendent in all its innocent glory.



Walter, driven and determined, yet a practical and pragmatic character is portrayed with elan by Ninidze. In his little battles with himself he stands as both the victor and the vanquished. He is a strong provider, a caring husband and a loving father on one hand and on the other he has his own insecurities to tend to. The family is shattered as news from Germany leaks in, that of brutality and death. The helplessness in knowing that your loved ones are dying and you cannot do a thing grips them with guilt and grief at the same time. The film is more like a fascinating journey where one is almost moved to tears of joy, as in the scene where little Regina narrates how her 'Jewish' father has asked her not to waste "their little money" and "study really hard" to the stern and visibly prejudiced British Principal and it brings a smile to his face, to the delight of the audience. Certain scenes are sheer irony in motion, one of them being Owuor telling Jettel how "white women are weak. Black women can take care of themselves."


With Kohler playing the role of a conundrum of a character to perfection and the African setting providing the ideal backdrop for the drama the film attains great cinematic heights. Heights which are quite different from the ones attained by ' 'Schindler's List' or 'The Pianist' which stay within Nazi Germany and Poland respectively to tell tales of persecution and despair as 'Nowhere in Africa' carries the viewer far from the hotbed of war and hatred and show effectively, with all its cinematic poesy the plight of people touched by war, even thousands of miles away from it. A film which accomplishes the basic objectives of inspiring human empathy and thought, I believe, it should figure in every film-lover's favourite list.


The defining moment of the film for me was when Jettel says to Regina on the topic of Jews and how different they are from others, " What I've learnt here is how valuable differences are. Differences are good."


I would say no more.

Watch the film for yourselves to know.


poster: google.com

Singing The Singur Sopra'NANO'

As the 'Battle for Singur' rages a different kind of war is being fought out in all its raucous fierceness, far removed from the front lines - that inside the decorated drawing-rooms in Kolkata. The well heeled saheri babus are frothing at their mouths at the outrageous way in which Mamata Banerjee is pushing the entire state back by decades. Some suggest we may end up in the 'Ice Age of Industrialisation' if the Tatas say 'ta ta' to our offered land. Some even speculate the circumstances precipitating a tragic eventuality of another blood-bath in the image of Nandigram. In one word people are really getting worked up now. But then, every one has their reasons for the same.


A moment of thought for the farmer whose land was forcibly taken away from him- The land which he worships, the land which has nourished generations and still hold promise to provide for his children. The land that means much more than the amount stated in the compensation cheques being handed out. To those farmers the opinion of the urban elite is as alien in nature and as repulsive in content as the Octopus Meze served in some upmarket Vegas restaurant. And there can be no two ways about that.

Now for some other pointers.


Ratan Tata, the seasoned businessman that he is, will weigh his options in the light of feasibility under the circumstances. Two thousand crore rupees just cannot be allowed to flow down the drain. Add to it the tremendous promise and publicity that the 1-lac Nano has already generated and you are looking at a very ignominious exit for the first family of Indian industry from Bengal. I reckon his threat is not final. But it is also far from being hollow. The fact that his press-release was timed to perfection helps build pressure on the Trinamool to climbdown from their '400 acres' demand. And till the last reports came in the ice was thawing at places.
For the Tatas, Nano is a prestige issue. Singur isn't. They will do everything to meet their date of the first rollout of the car. A lot depends on it for them, their credibility, bankability and brand status. So, other car-plants (the one in Pantnagar is in the fray) might chip in to 'make the Nano' for them whereas the Singur land gets mired in inextricable political and legal battles in the wake of a complete pullout.

A very important point to note here is that the entire stretch of land that has been acquired( i.e 997 acres to be exact) cannot be doled back to the former holders, unwilling or otherwise according to the recent Land Acquisition Act. So a pullout will only end up being a Pyrrhic victory for the Trinamool Congress that may or may not translate into votes in the coming elections. The political edge will also get reasonably blunted in the urban fronts. Anxious parents in Kolkata have already started propounding conspiracy theories behind their wards' joining dates for TCS getting inordinately delayed. They fear the 'Singur fiasco' behind it all. Ridiculous but true.



The CPI(M) will go all out to project Mamata as 'anti-industry' and 'anti-development' and they will surely have some followers on that issue. Buddhadeb Bhattacharya's 'perestroika' though strongly contended as a policy measure in Alimuddin Street and Delhi will then gather sympathisers as does all reformist lost causes. He will be summarily sidelined and his backers will find it increasingly difficult to pursue his vision for West Bengal. As a whole we will revert back to being a regressive agri-intensive economy and feature at the end of the 'List of Highest Revenue Earning States' and pretend that its only because of the darned alphabetical order thing.


And to end what I started with. All these doesn't at all bother the average farmer. If it does, the state needs to awaken them to the fruits of industrialization first and impress upon them its advantages and gains. If there is a vision it is apparent that it is not shared and hence, this monumental fracas. We cannot afford to forget that we are still a nation of the poor majority. And the poor hardly have vision beyond their arm's stretch. We haven't yet progressed that far so that we could forget that reality.



photos: googleimages

Good Bye or Good Riddance ?

One wonders at the ongoing drama i.e Pakistani politics with the same unalloyed glee that marks a toddler's first visit to the zoo, sometimes peppered with disappointments like watching the wart-riddled monitor die and sometimes marveling at the inspired antics of the resident ape, exhausting its repertoire to draw a few more laughs from the gathered mob. The resignation of President Pervez Musharraf figures somewhere in between.


While it is being hailed in Pakistan as a great victory of her people and a reconfirmation of the masses' recurring belief in civil governance and lasting order its a shock to see journalists in India toe that line blindly. There are headlines in every major newspaper touting this as the epoch-making event that is to shape the future of our neighboring nation in some unprecedented manner. They are speculating the rise of democratic traditions, faith in judiciary and marginalization of the Army's involvement in its public life. I believe the assertions couldn't have been further from truth. A country that has been most miserably swaying between corrupt politicians and military dictators since its inception is liable to break into joyous revelries once in a while when a dictator steps down to make way for another. The fun part this time around is that we don't still know who it will be. And perhaps thats what adds that little zing of anticipation to these celebrations.


The USA has marooned its 'trusted ally' and seems more than ready to 'walk forward' with his arch enemies in the Pakistan Senate. Saudi Arabia, expectedly will again take on the responsibility of being the caretaker of the political dumping ground that it is fast turning into. First Nawaz Sharif, now Musharraf. No wonder the General hopes to come back and rule, soon.
The PPP-PML coalition, having rid themselves of the Greater Evil will now have nothing to do but fight each other. Zardari will play the 'Bilawal-card' sooner or later as will Sharif try to consolidate his gains. The Army will be busy firing from across the LOC, keeping their minds off the civilian hotchpotch for a while and wait for the next able officer in their ranks who can Kargil his way into limelight. The ISI will keep the cauldron simmering in Kashmir and the likes of Al-Qaida, Lashkar-e-Tayyeba and Jaish-e-Mohammad will find the Afghan-Baloch border too hot (courtesy some joint military operations) and hence migrate to the east.

And to think that all this has been precipitated by Benazir Bhutto's assassination. That is common knowledge. Now it waits to be seen if the ramifications become as far reaching as impressing a lasting change in the political landscape of South-east Asia. Or is it asking for too much ?

Once again the world has seen how One Death can change things.
Ask Ashok Todi.

Strata-game!

With the official withdrawal of support by the Left to the UPA Govt. at the Center the over all political topography of our national politics seems to have altered for the time being. I say 'time being' because of the "No Rupture is permanent" comment by the CPI's A.B Bardhan within a day of the Left pulling the plug on the Govt. To the average onlooker it might seem to be a daft remark betraying political opportunism for the future but to the seasoned follower of the The Great Indian Circus which goes by the name of 'national politics' in these parts this comment is a gem of a political profundity.


Not only does the comment hint at future alliances with the 'secular' Congress to thwart the coronation of 'communal' powers ( a stated Left policy) but it also is a sort of mischievous wink to the Congress High Command, hinting at the possibilities that might pose themselves post the 2009 General Elections. Moreover, my take (albeit at the risk of being dubbed a 'conspiracy theorist' of the vilest order) on the matter is that its another Left stratagem.


Let me explain first by enumerating the predicaments facing the Left before they decided to pull-out from the Govt.

1. Surging inflation, an impending oil crisis and increasing interest rates makes for a bad report-card after 4 years even if you are not in charge of the Govt. The Govt. runs on your borrowed support, dammit! Do something to show the people you are their 'Messiah in Reds'. Oppose every move. Stonewall every decision by the Govt. which poses short-term difficulties for the people but has long-term benefits. Public memory is short, remember ? In India its shortest.


2. Nuke Deal ? Yes, that sounds like the ideal issue for pulling the rug from beneath the Congress. Moreover, our GS doesn't like the Yankees much. Why couldn't they have penned something with the Chinese and called it the '一 - 二 - 三 Deal' rather than the 1-2-3 rubbish. It would have been much easier on our rigid ideological stance, you see.


3. Hello! Ain't we supposed to fight the Congress tooth and nail in every state where we have a foothold in the coming General Elections. 4 Years of sharing the bed is enough. Now is the time to abort the unwanted child. Its bad for business, you see, this getting seen honey-mooning for too long with your stated rivals. Its parting-time now!


4. But this won't be so simple. Pulling down the Govt would mean elections within 6 months and the party isn't even ready. The cadres aren't ready. Had a heavy drubbing in the last Panchayats in Bengal and now this. If this is any sign of things we will not fare too well in the next Lok Sabha. 59 might well come down to 30. Forget about the fanciful 'Third Alternative' we won't even be asked for outside-support. Gosh! No issue-based oppositions! No arm-twisting! No Co-ordination Committees! Nightmare! Nightmare!



Then there was LIGHT!

The Left decides to withdraw support and seek immediate trust-vote to prove the majority of the Govt on the floor of the House. I reckon this is why:

1. Withdrawing support makes us look like the only party left with any ideology. We will call ourselves 'pro-poor, pro-people, pro-farmer, pro-worker' again, the BPO segment notwithstanding of course. They are the 'New Bourgeoisie'. Gives us the moral upper-hand in a country where UP politicians are soon to rule the roost. Everyone knows what that means. The Congress will soon ( again) know what being SP-ied mean! They will come scurrying back to us in a post-election scenario. Even they know the expediency of choosing the 'Lesser Evil' out of two. Sounds fascinating!


2. Karat seems a tad too staunch for hard bargaining. Surjeet was more of a man-for-all-seasons. Doesn't understand the compulsions of electoral politics. No wonder Vir Sanghvi calls him 'the man who never won a Municipal Election'. Still, we will have to do with him. He's better than that Biman Bose.


3. Safe distance from the Congress now that we have withdrawn support. We can easily campaign against their 'anti-people' policies now. We were never a part of the decision-making apparatus. Were we ? However with the amount of time left for the present US Congress before the Presidential Elections ,the Nuke Deal will meet a dead-end soon. The UPA-Left Co-ordination Committee has served its purpose. What a great move was that! Was it Yechury's or Pranab's idea? This Committee? God! We should leave Jangipur to him again. He's a great man.


4. This is our common favourite. The Stratagem! Even Bimal Gurung's Gorkhaland number plates idea can't beat it. We are after all talking 'national' here. Here goes:

We ask for an immediate trust-vote motion. We vote against the Govt, against the 1-2-3 deal, but remember, not with the BJP. They just happen to be on our side, incidentally. We don't try too hard to rally too many parties, independents or splinter-groups in voting against the Govt. They remain blissfully absent or abstain on the day of the vote. The UPA Govt. proves its majority, continues at the Centre for the coming 6 months. No 'No-Confidence Motion' can be sought within that time-frame. So, we get time to dissociate from the Congress, protest in Delhi, stage dharnas and hartaals all in the interest of the common people while the Govt. continues. What's the use of crying 'anti-incumbency' when they are not at the helm. We will catch them in power these last 6 months. Sounds great!

Moreover, these 6 months our cadres can use to pile up whatever is necessary to win seats in the coming elections. Congress or no Congress, clout in the House is numbers at the end of the day. The rise and fall of Deve Gowda, I.K Gujral and the Third Front taught us that lesson all right.

Now, say all of you, isn't it a real good move ? This bringing down...errrr.........pretending to bring down the house....? eh ?


cartoon: courtesy: boloji.com

Not the End of an Era

The Fed-Express has finally come to a halt in the Centre Court of London.

In what was arguably the best and clearly the longest battle between the two masters of the game we were all feted to a sparkling display of the most glorious tennis.


Rafael Nadal is the latest name to be etched on that golden Wimbledon Trophy and isn't he a deserving winner! Not that Roger Federer didn't fight back after two sets down. He came within a width of a whisker to winning it for the sixth straight time. But the nerveless perseverance of Rafael 'The Gladiator' Nadal stretched over close to 5 hours ultimately yielded fruit. Even the staunchest of fans from both sides would agree that both should have shared the trophy at the podium. So flawless was the script, so breathtaking every single moment of play, so terrific the duel, so awesome the effect of it all.


Many would speculate this to mark 'The End of an Era'. I believe Roger has more to give. Much more to give. Yes, there was an air of hurt and disappointment at the presentation speech. But it also came with an air of unexpressed grit and determination. If the man says, " I will be back next year" I reckon he really means 'it'. I will be mighty surprised if he doesn't finish his career a few notches above Pete Sampras's tally of 14 Grand Slams.


But then, let's not forget to celebrate the raw class, the seamless play, the lightness of foot of another great. That of Rafael Nadal. It takes a lot to get the majority to root for you in the Centre Court. Three back to back Wimbledon finals and one crowning victory. Nadal has now cemented his place in the pantheon of all time greats of the game. That the entire tennis following fraternity will from now on wait for a 'Clash of the Titans' between him and Federer on the grass-court ( or hard-court) speaks volumes of the powers of the Spaniard. It is born out of the assumption that the French Open is his for the taking for the foreseeable future. And that's exactly how Nadal is claiming Roger's territory. Fast and Relentless.

Let we be teated to more such duel. And let the better of the 'Two Bests' win. Amen.

A Haunting Mistake

The Arushi murder case has not ceased rolling out one surprise after another but somehow it now seems to have been a classic case of misinformation and a terrible example of administrative goof-up. The narco-analysis makes for shocking revelations. [link here]

The fallouts are notable.

Henceforth, the Noida Police will find it very hard not to trigger raised eyebrows whenever it comes out with a sensational theory behind a crime. It had single handedly misguided the public opinion and generated rhetoric and slanderous gossip that would put even Page-3 journalists to shame. To have cast aspersions on the character of a 14 year old who had fallen victim to a horrible murder was outright shameful and that to have come from someone of the post of an Inspector General of Police. Not surprisingly social commentators and ordinary people alike were guilty of expressing disgust and reproach as part of the knee-jerk reaction at the aftermath of such a visibly gruesome tragedy. Many, including me as can be found from the contents of a previous post, were part guilty of being too gullible in believing the 'illicit affair' angle to the murder. My sincerest apologies to the departed. Thanks to the electronic media, preposterous as it might have seemed a few years back but the marriage of crime and media generated sensationalism today necessitates training in media management of public servants. A similar blunder, that of jumping the gun cost the Kolkata Commissioner of Police his job in the Rizwanur Rahman case. The Govt. must take note of the amount of weight that the words of a senior official carry and if any modicum of respect and dignity is to be still salvaged in favour of these hallowed institutions it will be through inculcation of 'responsible public conduct' in these officials.

The lure of the flashbulbs should not blind one to the rigors of his duty.

Witness to a Death

By now people must have read it in the newspapers. I doubt if it figured in the bold significance of the headlines or just occupied a nondescript corner of the 'news snippets' or did it just miss everyone's eye.

The death of a poor bus-driver.

I along with three of my friends were busy fending off the rain from under the shade of a tea-shop yesterday when I saw this huge Krishnachura tree fall over the roof of a passing bus. It fell with a great thud and to my horror I saw the bus ripped into two from the middle.
The impact was so great that the bus stopped within 10 yards of the spot of the accident. We ran towards it. It was a horrible sight to see an otherwise menacing bus in shambles. The front half of the bus had not much left of it. The few people that were inside the bus were making their way out through the back door. I asked one of them if more people were trapped inside. He seemed to be in a daze and replied he didn't notice. There could be many more inside the wreckage. The sight of the mangled remains told us if the ladies' seat at the left and behind the driver's seat were occupied there was slim chance of them having survived. I was surprised to notice a middle-aged woman come down from the wreck and board the next passing bus with unnerving nonchalance. As if nothing had happened.


The rain was pelting down with more ferocity and before long we were headed back to our shelter in the vague assurance that not much harm had been done. The bus was not carrying too many people. Then a person came running along and said the driver had died on the spot. His lifeless limbs were hanging from his seat. That news was jarring. We all were left in a state of shock at having witnessed a death. A death of a fellow human being who knew nothing about his grim fate till a few moments back. How much of a compensation will his family get? Will the Unions look after their needs? Will the bus-owner be generous? No one knows.

Life is just so fragile. And one was snuffed out just yesterday in front of my very own eyes.

Chalo, Let's Go!

A refreshing film by Anjan Dutta ( pic to the right).

Four friends on a joint tourism business venture face the challenges of the job and on the way discover different facets of their clients/tourists.

Acting is good.

Narration tight.

Plot could have been explored further to make it a 'film for keeps', which unfortunately it is not.

Certain sequences are applause inducing as I found out at Nandan last evening.

A good watch.


Today: Sarkar Raaj

Oil Turmoil Hits India

With oil prices set to rise by 5 Rupees per litre from today we are in for another round of passionate hand-wringing and cries of exasperation from the general public. The signs are already there. The fireworks will promptly ensue. Political parties from across every perceivable political divide will join their hands in protesting this grotesque injustice. "How will the poorer sections survive? How will the middle-class fare? " will be their moot-points. The Left will stage street protests in Delhi lead by the likes of Mr & Mrs Karat in tow with the Boses and Bhattacharjees from Bengal. A single LPG cylinder costing 20 Rupees more will make them froth at their mouths with righteous anger and hurt at having had to support such a worthless government at the Centre for so long. But then, what could they have done otherwise. Support the 'communal forces' to form a Govt. ? Never!


The moderates will dub it as the proverbial 'unfortunate' and 'anti-poor' policy. The Congress will be quaking at their knees. With 12 consecutive defeats in State elections the nation over it is in a political coma, in serious need of a quick resuscitation it hopes it will find in Rajasthan( Gujjar uprising) and Madhya Pradesh ( anti-incumbency) in the coming elections. A vehement opposition at this crucial juncture, less than a year away from the General Elections, which might decisively turn the tide against them is singularly terrifying a proposition. And that has considerably cushioned the rod for the aam aadmi this time around. Otherwise a 10 Rupee hike per litre of petrol and a 50 rupees more for a LPG cylinder would have been the biting reality tomorrow morning. With the nationalized Oil Corporations running into huge losses by accommodating for heavy subsidies this hike had become inevitable for some time.


Crisis, be it food or oil, has become a global phenomena. Nothing can insulate the Indian masses from its effects and its better if we realize this reality fast and brace ourselves for some tough times ahead.The remedy to this global malaise is in planning ahead. The much touted vision of 'Energy Security' seems to have taken a permanent backseat with the Left having effectively steamrolled the Indo-US Nuclear Deal for the sake of hanging onto its logic defying 'Anti-America' stand. The Iran-Pakistan-India Oil pipeline also seems mired in diplomatic tangles with the pendulous nature of Indo-Pak relations. If our political visionaries ( now don't you start counting, you may not even end up with one) do not show resolve in tackling the situation and make a strategy for the future India's juggernaut might come to a most inglorious halt. And all in want of oil.

Sample this. China has already secured oil-mining rights throughout Africa, leaving hardly any profitable pocket for India to nudge, push or fit in. The race for oil is but over in Africa and its all China written across that continent. That leaves India to explore its possibilities in the Sakhalin belt and other Central Asian countries, which given its snailish pace of proceedings might never be substantiated. By all means, the energy situation for India seems grim in the future as oil-starvation will effectively peg back its growth rate to the pre-1990 4% figure, rendering the manufacturing industry vulnerable and infirm. So, assessing the situation in the light of the impending global crisis this hike is but a mild tremor. The real shocks might follow soon.

Until then, all hail Subhash Chakrabarty and hope that our bus fares don't go through the roof.

Adios.

Royally Touched

The Rajasthan Royals have clinched it and Kolkata is witnessing stray fireworks in its skies as I write this. I am sure the same would have been the case if the Chennai Super Kings would have won. Strange strange city, this.


Tomorrow will be a day of jubilation, adulation and accolades for the Champions. They have played excellent cricket throughout the championship and gelled well into a team. Starting off as the clear-cut underdogs they have proved their mettle and how.


The day after will see ( if my ability at estimates haven't marooned me of late) articles applauding the mega success of the Indian Premier League and the people behind it ( read Lalit Modi and Co.).


The following days will revolve around speculations from various quarters as to how the game of cricket is being commercialized in the most revolting manner in its 20 over installment which reeks of publicity-hunger and easy cash.


I too will join in as I have hardly written anything on ( and believe it or not, seen) IPL.




* related snippet:

Overheard at the Rash Behari Bus Stop :

boy 1 : I am supporting CSK. If Punjab would have made it I would have supported them. Any
team but the Royals!

boy 2 :( visibly confused) Why ? The Royals deserve it. They were the underdogs. Right ?
And look at Warne. How he has captained the side. Great! Just Great!

boy 1 : ( flushed with signs of an impending emotional outpour)
No foreign captain should walk away with our trophy. Its called the Indian Premier League, dammit! Why can't these *expletive* Aussies stay put with their World Cups. Greedy Bastards!

Karnataka Votes for Vengeance

The Bharatiya Janata Party has once again emerged as the single largest party in the Karnataka State Assembly. Only this time it seems set to rule than just sitting on the sidelines. Hopefully it will garner support of the three independents that it requires to claim simple majority and hence form a government before long. Though personally devoid of any political inclinations whatsoever in this Great Indian Circus of electoral politics I found it hard to hold back my ire at the shameless breach of contract by the Janata Dal-Secular a few months back. Setting an ignominious precedent that is sure to breed suspicion henceforth amongst coalition partners throughout the nation the JD(S) had refused to make way for a Chief Minister from the BJP after the completion of its term in office. Wounded and helpless the BJP had promised vengeance that now seems complete in the wake of this thumping victory. With the JD(S) effectively trounced and grounded the only substantial opposition that the BJP can face in the coming Parliamentary elections is the re-emergent Congress. The latter is already hailing the 'RahulGandhi magic touch', claiming strong voter turn-outs in their support wherever he had held a rally. Personal charisma notwithstanding, the BJP will have to deliver the goods to the people of the state and fast to ensure that its maiden stint in power in a South-Indian state turns out to be productive in the long run and not just a electoral fluke that will be promptly redressed in the coming polls.

Here's wishing B.S Yediyurappa a happy last laugh.