A formidable leader under utilized in this politics of power

RESUME

EDUCATION /Qualification:

1950: Stood first in BA (Hons), Economics, Punjab University , Chandigarh ,
1952; Stood first in MA (Economics), Punjab University , Chandigarh ,
1954; Wright's Prize for distinguished performance at St John's College, Cambridge,
1955 and 1957; Wrenbury scholar, University of Cambridge ,
1957; DPhil ( Oxford ), DLitt (Honoris Causa); PhD thesis on India 's export competitiveness

Working Experience/ POSITIONS:

1971-72: Economic advisor, ministry of foreign trade
1972-76: Chief economic advisor, ministry of finance

1976-80: Director, Reserve Bank of India;
Director, Industrial Development Bank of India ;
Alternate governor for India , Board of governors, Asian Development Bank;
Alternate governor for India, Board of governors, IBRD

OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Adam Smith Prize, University of Cambridge , 1956

Padma Vibhushan, 1987

Euro money Award, Finance Minister of the Year, 1993;

Asia money Award, Finance Minister of the Year for Asia , 1993 and 1994

PERSONAL DETAIL:

Name: Dr Manmohan Singh

Browsing through the numerous forwarded mails that I receive everyday, I found this resume. Excerpts of the mail are attached above.

Not going into lengths of verifying if every detail mentioned is true or not, overall I can certainly assume that Mr. Manmohan Singh has been one of the most qualified leaders that India has projected till date. A man unmatched in qualification and expertise in his elected field.

Yet it is a pity that our country’s political leaders cannot stand united and extend their full support to this leader in propelling our country to new heights. The vicious lust for power was brought to fore by the recent vote of confidence.

It was a shame that everybody was jostling to gain power in some way or the other while the common man was provided with lip-service. Some played their cards in the name of inflation, some poverty, some saying the nuclear deal was bad for the country while some even said they were betrayed while all the drama unfolded on the 24*7 news channels.

Parties opposed the deal by saying it was not in the national interests.

- I would certainly want to know how are these people/parties are qualified to make this statement when the nuclear research expert Abdul Kalam felt it was good for the country?

- What interests are they actually talking about as none of their claims were vetted by an expert in that field!

Some said they were betrayed and hence are opposing the deal!

- Since when did individual/parties ego become larger than the country?

- If you had problems with internal communications how can a country be held at ransom for that?

- If you opposed the deal on the basis of your ideology then what was the need to be a part of a coalition government in the first place. A coalition government certainly does not mean 5 individuals running in 5 different directions.

Some opposed plainly because they wanted to be in power (Atleast their intention was clear)

- These were the people with absolutely no educational qualification, no expertise/experience and absolutely no credibility even in India.

- It would be a sad day for India when it would project such kind of a person as its leader. An ambassador for India in front of the world!

Finally some opposed only because they were not offered required remuneration for their vote!

Why can’t the political parties and their leaders for once grow above individual interest and work in the interests of this country? Aren’t they the elected members who represent various states of this country first than any party/leader or self! Can’t they respect a man of that stature and instead of making baseless comments against him understand his rationale and fight based on intellect rather than irrational mud-slinging.

Do they not realize that even today nearly 25 percent of India’s population is below poverty line and 7.2% is unemployed? Even today we need to run campaigns against illiteracy and female infanticide. We have a long way to be a developed nation. This country needs highly qualified leaders who can fight India’s case in front of the world rather than be a mere follower of world leaders.

Our adventure hiking

Our latest trip was a hike, close to Bangalore. The area was close to Muthadi village and we were supposed to hike along the Cauvery river bank to Doddamakali fishing camp. This was going to be exciting as we were 11 people and all of us had come to know each other just recently.

After a discussion of 4-5 days all the details were fixed, a special mention to the efforts put in by some of the enthusiast who had chalked out every single detail that might be needed and done the necessary arrangements. Finally the D-day arrived and we were ready by 6 to leave. The vehicle after picking up all the members headed for Mutadi by 7. The journey was enjoyable as we started playing the usual antakshari and stuff. It vaporized the journey fatigue.

As we neared the forest base, a deer suddenly appeared and it crossed the road in just one swift leap as we were coming close by! The agileness with which the deer leaped, its beautiful skin, the long antelope, the slender legs… this is one incident I would never forget. Nature’s beauty in action

Once we reached the starting point our real adventure started. To start with, the forest official there said the area had been cordoned off and we could not go till the Doddamakali fishing camp. To top it, he dampened our spirits by saying there was a rough elephant on loose! Hearing this we were petrified- imagine encountering a wild elephant with just a stick to defend yourself!

However looking at the kind of discussions these officials were having between them, some of the people in the group decided to go ahead as it was evident they were expecting some bribe or trying to extort money under the name of guide charges!

All of us decided to go ahead with our plan, however stay parallel to the road as much as possible - so no venturing into the deep! The moment we made a dash into the forest, the first things that greeted us were huge thorny creepers. All of us were tangled in some branch or the other and by the time we freed ourselves all of us were left with small bruises or scratches! We did have a tangled entry into the forest!

Next task was identifying the river flow, this was not too difficult. We could actually hear the river from far off. As we reached close to the bank, we found the river bank dotted with ‘Jamun trees’ and being true to the Panchatantra story of ‘Jamun tree monkey and the crocodile’ the monkeys and the crocs were not too far off. Two crocs were sun bathing on a small island in the middle of the river. Our first experience with wild life while in the forest- unaided! The waters were shallow and after an encounter with crocs at such a close distance nobody dared to step in the water- well atleast for the next 1hr....... continued*

* Click on the title for the remaining post

Our adventure hiking... continued

As we continued along the bank we were moving upstream and hence the water was gushing at an increased pace. Using the scientific knowledge that crocs don’t dwell in running water, many of the members in the group decided to take a dip. However they kept a watchful eye and ensured to remain close to the bank.

We on the other hand had a hearty snack while others had a splash. I was not too keen to jump in the water and then complete the trek in those drenched clothes! As it is walking after getting wet is too tough – walking while donning the wet clothes was out of question for me! :D

After this short break we continued on our path for the next 1 hr. Again we encountered some men- two or three of them forest officials, having a hearty meal close to the river. Some of them had come in a coracle. Seeing us one of them came and said, the area beyond this point is cordoned off. There have been some poacher sightings and there could be blasts in some time.

We were quite puzzled by these statements. Blasts to catch a poacher? Didn’t make sense! What was even more suspicious was that when we went to the place where they had been having food we found some carcass of a wild animal. Wonder who the poachers were? However seeing the officials and this being the second warning we decided not to test our luck beyond this and decided to have a quick bite before planning the next course of action. Some enthusiast in the group decided to take a detour and trek the hillock close by while we had the ‘Bhel’!

Now we had the ingredients and it was just a matter of mixing the stuff. As we laid out our unusual meal we had some uninvited guests too- the monkeys! Lots of them. Left with just 6 people we had to fend for ourselves. Basically, eat and keep the monkeys at bay at the same time!

The monkeys on their part acted as if this was ‘WAR’. They actually had their group divided into two parts and tried to attack the food from both ends! We wielded our sticks at them, but it didn’t make a difference to them. The smallest of monkeys shrieked at us – as if to say, ‘You guys come on our turf and assume you could have all the food while we stared!’ But we were not to be bogged down by this. The war for food began and we were actually protecting our food like we were a bunch of tribals! :P

Finally, we were victorious and hence we decided to leave some food for the monkeys to feast on! As it is, it was unlikely that they had ‘Bhel’ before! Also while we were lunching we did hear two blasts. Poachers or no poachers the blasts were enough to rattle us up and we decided to take the safe trip back! Fighting with monkeys is one thing, but imagine having to thread some dynamite field- no way, this was not even some reality show that expects participants to do such dumb things!

As we walked back the cherry on the icing happened. It rained cats and dogs while we huddled three in an umbrella! The weather was beautiful and the forest was suddenly in its full bloom. It was a treat to watch… just being there at that moment!

Is it 'childhood lost' for them...

It’s rainy season in India. Though it has not been raining enough to suffice that it’s a rainy season, it feels good!

The other day as I got ready to leave from office it started raining heavily. The first reaction while looking out of the window was - the drive back home is going to be messy and wet… as I waited in the lobby for the rains to subdued, I could see small water streams forming around and nostalgia hit me.

At various ages in life the rains had been responsible for bringing joy in my life. As a child I loved creating paper boats and derived great joy in seeing them stay afloat. We waited eagerly for the first rains and when they came … we friends got wet, splashed water and enjoyed to our hearts content.

In school, we found ways to miss (forget) the raincoat, cycled in the rains, drove through the puddles, splashing water every time we did that, ate hot bhajis and played football… Nothing changed in college, only the cycles were replaced by bikes and snack became a little more elaborate. And rainy season picnics became the hot pick!

Still cuddling my good old days - I drove through the various residential areas and I was surprised to see not a single child enjoying the rains. No children frolicking in the rains- no paper boats, no bhajis, no football and no laughter!

Is it that the children today are so busy competing at every level that they have no time to relish these simple joys? Is it that the society has made it mandatory that everybody should belong to a cult that thinks complex, thinks prosperity and thinks knowledge… there is no place for such simple and naive feelings?

I am amazed to see small children well versed in computers but not able to remember when was the last time they got their hands dirty in the mud. Now this can be argued that soiling hands in the mud does not help them be more learned but computers would help them get an edge over other children. But come to think of it, if children start doing what we as elders do all the time- compete in this rat-race, when do they ever enjoy being children? ... the joy that most of us have had – naturally as a part of growing up.

Back after my short break!

After my short but hectic break I am back. This time it was more to do with family commitment than office. Now that I have resumed work and run around doing my chores I wonder am I too being mechanical or robotic?

There are so many things that I want to do, there are so many causes that I want to fight for… but where’s the time? Or is it just a convenient alibi? Thanks to blogging I try to accomplish a few of my ideas though partially or in a very small way. But there are so many things I wish I could do

In my student life I participated in social activities or causes and always felt once I start earning I would be able to further these causes in a bigger way, but the sad part is now apart from giving donations I hardly do anything much!

Same goes with my traveling! Either I am too busy or on a leave crunch! My father-in-law started going round the world since he was 30 and today after 3 decades he still has to cover almost half the world! When and how would I do that?

I would love to spend more time with my family. Share the joys and sorrow. But I can hardly make it to meet them once in a while!

Is it the modern life, career aspirations, MONEY that is pulling me away from fulfilling my desires or is it something else… something like I am too lazy to get going and do all this :P

I really envy an ex-colleague of mine who had the guts to actually get up one fine morning and call it all quits. She then went ahead on a long travel plan and followed her heart! How many of us in this modern world can actually muster the courage to do this?

I was tagged... I was tagged

Well this was a surprise for me and as I was out vacationing had no clue about anything till yesterday!

To start off with I need to mention 6 quirky things about myself!

1. Love to play my music and dance while I cook. you know using the spoons and the pans as my partner!

2. Make faces while standing in front of the mirror.

3. Enact some movie dialogues when least expected. Like someone says sorry and I respond wioth some dramatic dialogue - drives people nuts!

4. Use a straw to drink a cold drink and blow air into it rather than sip the drink.

5. Read any historic/ancient stories or myths associated with a place and try solving those mysteries when there :P

6. I can never end a story. My stories go in circles and hence 'short story' is not my cup of tea (writing I must say!)

This was fun and I need to thank Maria for it! :D

Is politics entering the blogging arena?

We had just about managed to get over the celebrity blog fanfare, when the media zeroed in on another blog… and this time it was Lalu Yadav. The blog too, on its part started on a fiery note. Commenting on the Gujjar agitation, where he squarely blamed Vasundhara Raje for the loss that railways suffered. The papers and all other news channel carried the story as if it was the biggest event in the world.

After the matter subsided, I was curious to see how Lalu’s blog was faring and hence I hit the road on mission ‘Lalu blog hunting’ –going obviously the google way! To start off with, it was a little difficult to hunt the blog. Next, when I hit the hyperlink to my dismay I was greeted with a ‘down for updation’ page. This had nothing to do with Lalu I believe. I think he should have picked a better platform for blogging or if getting Lalu to create a blog was a marketing gimmick on the part of www.popcorn.com, they should have atleast had some state of art technology that need not be updated in such a crude manner.

However I stumbled upon an article in the economic times with insights on the state of Lalus blog and I must say it was hilarious! People had actually turned his blog into a railway complaint box. Well, what can I say? Had he stuck to the topic he knows best, handling railways, probably his blog would have served a better purpose and would have been much more meaningful than ending up as a sloppy political tool used to strike back at opponents.

This made me realize the effects if all our politicians go the blogging way -


The politicians would publish individual videos or vlogs, that address the nation

The morning ‘Parliament session’ would be off air. Instead it would be converted into podcats and distributed across internet.

Their comments section would be filled with blame and retaliation against each other.

The common man on the other hand would be able to post complaints on the blogs.

These piling complaints would then be aired on the news channel that would make a story on how inefficient our politicians are even in this internet age.

The NSO rankings on search engine would be aired on channels the way stock prices are shown. This would determine the popularity of the politicians

In the election season, online polls would be run on individual blogs to gauge the politicians popularity and check what people want in terms of roti, kapada makan so that politicians can continue to podcast their address with those promises.

The public at large would still be at the same point – viewing the blog story on news channel and wondering how does it help them ! :)

The morning philosophy…

The moment I stepped out of the house, I was struck by the wonderful weather! Rushing off to office in my usual way I had no time to ponder about the lovely weather and as I drove and became a part of the maddening Bangalore prime time traffic I cursed myself for not stopping and enjoying the little joys bestowed by life!

Well if you are living in a city and have a boring routine of office- home-office, you would immediately second my thoughts about enjoying lovely weather! Coming back to the point, as I was busy cursing myself and veering myself away from taking off on a long drive, I was engulfed by swarming herds of people who were driving to office.

It stuck me as very strange - all dressed in almost similar attire, including me. I was reminded of Star wars- war of the clones or something similar. I am actually not a big fan of Star wars. We were all geared up in jackets with laptop bags or sacks, helmets and some of us even carried lunch boxes. Most of them were couples who went to office together.

All were busy thinking just one thing- ‘How can I overtake the guy before me?’ All were struggling to ensure that not even an inch of road remains empty. Many were even multi-tasking, talking on the mobile, while riding the two- wheeler and overtaking the one before- all at the same time. All of them were in a hurry and wanted to be the first to get out of this traffic bottleneck!

I found it ridiculous that people enjoyed doing this senseless thing day in and day out but didn’t have a moment to enjoy the lovely weather, be pleasant and have a peaceful ride to office. Everybody looked as if they were being driven by an invisible remote control that seemed to be efficiently managing their time.

All said and done, I can’t deny the fact that after brief rumination on this matter, I had no better alternative but to join the party! Be a part of this maddening traffic and fight to be the first one as I inch forward through the traffic maze!

It saddened me that I was being a part of this robotic world where pennies seem to shine brighter than the stars and stress seems to be synonymous with a happy life! Just awaiting my long break that would carry me away from all this- to a bliss that allowed me to experience the little things that create nature! Nature- a theater where magic is created every moment!

Xenophobic ‘junta’ the reason for Myanmar sorrow!

Yesterday the many military vessels and helicopters, loaded with relief material that had been camping close to Myanmar waters returned. The xenophobic Myanmar ‘junta’ refused to allow them entry and hence eventually, left them with no alternative but to return.

I fail to understand how a government can continue to be oblivious to the sufferings of its own people? The junta’s claim that this was part of US invasion plan and that US is eyeing Myanmar’s oil deposit doesn’t hold water. For heavens sake the UN is watching. All the counties understand the plight of Myanmar people and wanted to be of some help to them. Even if US did have such intentions I don’t understand the resistance Myanmar is showing to the help pouring in from other countries? Do they want to say that the whole world is conspiring against Myanmar?

It is unbelievable that even today oppressive governments can get off by setting some hoax alarm and unconvincing theories while their country men suffer! Why can’t UN, human rights agencies and other general bodies of the world take some stern actions against such oppressive governments? Something for us to ponder, I guess…

Oil price hike in India… a pinch impossible to skip

While the opposition party called it a ‘black day’ and ‘terror unleashed by the government’ and other fragments of the ruling party like the communist party calling it a suicidal move, the common man waited with bathed breath for the prices to rise!

The price rise that was enforced all over India was certainly not a happy decision for the government either but I think we as citizens of India need to look at the rise rationally rather than blindly following the political opportunists and take a shortsighted stand!

I applaud the PM’s unusual gesture of addressing the nation and explaining the price rise. It shows that our PM considers himself accountable for all the important decisions his government takes and he explained very clearly and precisely the reasons for the rise and the other steps taken by the government to soften the blow.

There were a few sections of media who said that the PM had not been aggressive enough in defending his decision! I don’t see a reason for him to be aggressive. This is an issue that is going to hit the common man directly and adversely, he believed he was accountable for this and hence presented his case to the public. I believe if he had been aggressive it would have given an impression of being defensive and trying to hide the real motive behind the move, which would have certainly not convinced many!

Lets face it, we have been hearing the oil prices skyrocketing in the world market over the last few years, it would be impossible for any government to share the entire burden while the consumer remained ignorant and enjoyed the bliss. Also with our booming economy we have been rather reckless in our fuel consumption. It is high time we become answerable to ourselves and share a fair share of blame.

A simple look at the monthly statistics of vehicle dealer would be enough to confirm that we have been responsible for higher oil imports over a prolonged period. Starting with simple ways of reducing fuel consumption would certainly go a long way.

Is it too little, too late for Aarushi?

After the Delhi double murder, also known as Aarushi and Hemraj murder case, Delhi police has been under the scanner and rightly so. The delay in discovering Hemraj’s dead body and the fact that the body was not even discovered by the police but by a well-wisher of the Talwar family and the numerous laps that happened during the investigation, raises some serious doubts on the efficiency of our country police.

The case was murky from the start, and the initial doubts were on the servant Hemraj. The police had nearly proved him the murderer when his dead body too was discovered. The fact that the parents slept in the adjacent room while two murders took place in their house also raises doubts. But what about the justice to the dead? As the days pass and police continue their haphazard investigation the killer is at large. It is evident that the police by trying to frame the father are trying to cover their faults hurriedly.

The police theory of father killing the servant and daughter because she was against his affair with his colleague doesn’t hold water as it was a well-educated upper middle class family. Even if that were the case how would it matter if his daughter was against the affair? His daughter can’t be such an obstacle for his affair to flourish that her elimination was the only alternative left for him! It is irrational. Now with CBI investigating the case, I hope that the dead finally get justice.

A similar case had taken place in Mumbai, in 2000. A girl was found dead at her residence- she had been hit by a hammer. The police reacted in a similar fashion and said that the father had an affair with the house maid to which the daughter objected to and hence father killed the daughter! It resulted in a fight for justice for 5 years before the court dismissed the grounds on which the father was booked and proclaimed that he was innocent.

The police were directed to reinvestigate the case. The case was then handed over to CBI for investigation, however in the meantime 5 precious years were lost and the killer is still at large. With such a huge time lapse in the case the CBI has very few clues to move ahead on the case.

Gladly, with so much media attention the case has been moving faster and has now been handed over to CBI for investigation. I hope atleast in this case it is not too little too late!

Another one on Myanmar

Read this article that describes the current situation in Myanmar on Reuters. Though the latest news is that the UN staffs pending visa applications have been approved. I just hope this is not 'too little too late'
For the many who have been suffering, this might be the ray of hope they were expecting! With the government there behaving high-handedly this might be a blessing for the thousands who have suffered and continue to suffer under gruesome conditions.

Visit- http://www.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUSSP172535 for complete report

Blogs that stormed the channels!

After the small hurricane that rocked the news channels for more than a week, now finally the channels seem to have found something else to mull about. The hurricane was Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bacchan’s blog!

First there was a hue and cry that celebrities write blogs and then the media cried foul that they are targeting a particular professional colleague, in this instance Sharukh Khan! Now I agree that transmitting news 24*7 gets a little boring but that doesn’t mean you keep track of somebody’s blog and cry foul at the smallest instance!

After the big story broke and was making rounds for some time, I decided to check the blogs myself! As it is thanks to Google and media glare the blog was anything but difficult to find! For that particular story that concerned Sharukh I had to rummage through Amithabh’s blog a little but then, when I went through it, it was a huge disappointment! No masala, yet so much hungama! Well, I don’t know how else to describe it!

I mean first of all Amitabh is known for his over chivalry. For gods sake he didn’t even snarl when his name was dragged in Bofors (I am not exactly sure which scam, but I think this is right, if not please excuse!) Yet I expected him to be offensive was an over expectation on my part.

Amitabh on his part just puts down his experiences, his thoughts and his views in HIS blog. Why should the media at large care if while making a statement about a particular matter he happens to refer somebody by name? Lets be honest, if he had mentioned my name instead of Sharukh had that been a news? No! then why care now? Why can’t Sharukh be treated as a normal human being? Just because both of them are famous their names in each other’s blog mean rivalry, jealousy and much more?

Aamir’s blog was a pleasant surprise, as far as I am concerned. I liked the writing and the casual approach. I even found the post very funny and liked his uncanny way of presentation, yet the news channel didn’t seem to find it in the same light!

I have seen people calling their pets by all sorts of names, and I really pity him if his watchman kept the dogs name Sharukh and unwisely became instrumental in triggering this hurricane! On the other hand if this was meant to downsize Sharukh, then by giving it such unnecessary publicity the media made a complete monkey of themselves and in the process created some embarrassing situations for Sharukh. Poor guy was asked to comment on this!

With the IPL happening, I am sure he wouldn’t have time to shave, when do you expect him to peep into someone else’s blog? And why did I bother to write about it after so long! I saw a news article asking people/celebrities opinions on this matter today! Rwanda genocide too must have not enjoyed such widespread discussions ever!

My blog gets a fresh look

Finally was able to change the template of my blog! Had been thinking about it for a week, messed up the process yesterday and finally today …. It was a grand success!

I had wanted to move away from the usual stuff for some time now but as usual had no inkling on going about it! Then while surfing I stumbled upon this site that gave off free design templates. My joy knew no bounds :P As it is for me to design my own template would take another life if not more…so I will have to manage with such external support till maybe they come up with an idea where they do the coding part and I just place the components… somewhat like a blog. Otherwise where else would I have been voicing my opinions!

For now I am happy with the new look and grateful to sites like Finalsense whose foresight has come in handy for the zestful like me (now u realize how happy I am with the change, I actually wrote a whole post!)

I hope the internet bigwigs take my idea seriously and discover a way for people to personalize their templates. That would give a new arena for people like me to explore! Till then…. I am happy with the girl in the wind!

Kashmir – Reduced to a burning furnace?

I was watching a special report on a news channel. It was about Kashmir- but this time instead of singing praises of our armed forces and police it had a different take. ‘Nameless graves’ it read! The police/armed forces claimed them to be militants gunned down by them while locals claimed them to be innocent relatives who left home for some trivial reason- never to return.

What makes this situation worse is there are no records of the dead (as claimed by the police) hence tracking these people is next to impossible. These graves started sprouting around 6 years back. Though the claims like these have reduced significantly now, however what about the scars left by these haunting memories that continue to harass even now.

There were families on air for whom the wait never seemed to end. Their loved ones went missing into thin air! They had been returning from wedding parties, gone out for shopping or just out with a bunch of friends. They however never returned. Was such atrocity the real reason for rise of militancy in Kashmir? Did these things add fuel to the fire? Or was the rising militancy the cause of such incidents?

I still remember the face of the old graveyard keeper. He was heartbroken. He was tired of burying people, now that he knows many might not have been militants. His helpless look was more like a plea to God asking why was he part of this. Some villagers also told him that one of the graves might belong to his nephew as when he was not around there were a few bodies buried and one of them looked like his nephew.

The yard is now full and he has informed the authorities that no more bodies can be buried there. Yet this man continues to be there. Answer the questions of many anxious families that continue to come to him in hunt of their loved ones. Some come to pray for the departed souls – they are not sure it is their loved one buried there. They are not even sure if that is the grave they might be looking for, yet it gives them solace and he helps them in every way possible.

Are we really the tolerant, fair, democratic India? The partition was a big enough scar that refuses to heal; adding to it was the Kashmir issue that might have been blundered for the benefit of some vested interests. But is there no end to his inferno? To show that they are effective in countering the insurgents was it the political parties that urged the army/police to take such steps? I don’t know the answers to these, but I know that innocent have suffered and have suffered for a long time. The human rights activists and many other small organizations have now joined hands and are helping the families in every possible way. They are lending hope to many- who now just wish to lead a peaceful life and put the ghosts of the past to rest.

Wanted - A voice for the silent sufferers !!

The havoc triggered by Myanmar cyclone and China earthquake just leaves you speechless. Especially since the Myanmar government has severed all options for the foreign media to cover the sufferings, very much on the lines of what China preferred during the Tibet protests that surged in Lhasa.

I was following CNN-IBN coverage the other day that described the perilous cyclone and also exposed the situation that was prevalent a few days ago. They managed to smuggle a video out of Myanmar. Again something similar that was seen during the China oppression in Lhasa.

The images were gruesome. Bodies lay strewn along the riverbanks. Villages had been wiped off and you could just see water as far as your eye could see. A man narrated his tale where his whole village had been wiped off and the coastguard boat didn’t come close to him even after he had been waving for help. He swam for 1 day before he reached a rescue boat that was being managed by survivors and pleaded them to take him on board.

The enormity of the devastation is too huge for assessment currently and already citizens of Myanmar have to deal with another threat- epidemic!

China on the other hand was tight-lipped about the Tibet protests. Even after repeated complaints by the Tibetans about atrocities very few agencies could do anything about it. Shortly afterwards the devastating earthquake shook China. The aftershocks being felt long after the actual earthquake ripped China.

The havoc- manmade or otherwise needs to be dealt with efficiently and quickly.
I don’t understand how can these governments continue with their conservative outlook even in the face of such adverse conditions. Their citizens are suffering and instead of lending a helping hand they are bothered about their vested interests?

How else can it be justified that a small country like Myanmar is not ready to disclose the amounts of devastations that actually took place? Is politics or power of such great importance that you can turn a blind eye to the sufferings of many? What bothers me even more is no human rights agency is coming to the fore to challenge this governance. These people need support and overall they need a voice in the world arena- wish this voice is lent to them as early as possible.

Great news...

Today my sis results were out. She scored really well and was also one of the toppers in the class. I am extremely happy for her. She is a determined and focused person and while there were so many distractions and tragedies in the house she managed to ‘not lose’ her focus and fare well. I am really proud of her.

I am proud of her will and the way she remained determined in some of the adverse conditions that she had to face. I think her friends also deserve a mention. Currently they are the one who interact, support and trust her. I guess without a good friend circle she would not have been able to excel in her field as she has done now.

She still has a long way to go…. I wish her all the luck and support. And I also wish that she never looses the great friends that she has currently.

Woh bachpan ki yaadein! :(

Hmm... This is an after-effect of speaking about our childhood memories yesterday night! My cuz dropped by and as usual we sat up till late in the night chatting.

I don’t know how but we started talking about the good old school days and then there was no stopping it. We reminisced about the school days, the fun we had in summer vacations, the pranks that we played and the games that we enjoyed! Oh! Life was so simple and fun to live!

When we were kids, we couldn’t wait to grow up. We were bugged about the homework, the loads of studies and EXAMS! We always assumed that all this would be over once we grow up and then we could lead our lives on our terms! But now I know, it was just a matter of grass being greener on the other side!

Childhood was so much fun! Go to school- come back in the evening – enjoy your evening games- come back finish the homework and you are off to being yourself again. Plus you had so many holidays… and all part and parcel of your school life! Now taking leaves from office always seems like a distant dream!

The star attraction always was the summer vacations. A time for games, fights, trips and vacations with grandparents. My grandparents stayed in a small town, surrounded by lush green trees. Our gang of cousins was also pretty big and hence that added to the fun! I can’t remember any other time in my life when I was so carefree as then! The smallest and the most rustic of tasks gave us thrills. And the late night chats and snacks always left our servant a little more harried.

If there was a function in the family, then our energy knew no bounds! Our motto in life seemed to be having a great time as now when we hear all the funny and stupid things we did we really wonder, was that us! Then was a time when all of us met up atleast once in a year and yet had so much to talk and exchange that we always felt the time was short. Now it has been some time before all of us even had time to sit together and spend some hours together. There is always someone missing!

I guess those joyful days are never to return. We just will have to learn better time management skills and make the most of it.

A knotty being called marriage!

Yesterday I was a part of a conversation that left me a little perplexed on the overall relationship aspect. The topic was marriage and commitment and I was zapped when a guy said ' Suddenly I had this woman sleeping next to me and around me 24 hrs'. He then went on to say it took a year for him to get used to this fact. What surprised me even more was the fact that his was a love marriage. But this was just the beginning when another person affirmed his fears!

I had a typical arranged marriage and yet me and my husband never had such doubts! This I can say, after I confirmed it with him yesterday night! Of course, what do you expect! After listening to such statements from people who had been going around for years, I was not taking any chances :P We certainly had initial discomfort in settling down in each others life, knowing each other well etc. But that was expected! After all, the period between engagement and wedding cant sooth all your qualms nor can you claim to know a person well till you start living with that person.

But I thought love marriage was a different ball game. Here the adjustments that were difficult were for parents rather than the couple. I mean you go around with a person, are sure that you want to spend the rest of your life with them and hence plan to take a plunge - then how can you be flustered by that persons presence in your life?

I understand 'committing to friends' is difficult for many. The transition from one kind of relationship to the other just doesnt happen. It is uncomfortable to be a great friend till yesterday and being a 'girlfriend or boyfriend' the next day. It becomes difficult and irritating when somebody suddenly starts expecting you to call them a zillion times, send cute notes and flowers or cards etc with/without reason while that was never expected from you before.

But being uncomfortable even after wedding was a little scary for me! I somehow got a feeling that probably I was in the wrong league if I didnt find it so difficult or didnt take so long to settle, but after confirming with my husband I started feeling better. As I said earlier, relationships are a real hard nut to crack!

I guess the initial hiccups are a part and parcel of 'marriage' be it arranged or love. You commit to get married and all this just follows, probably the intensity is different.

My 2 cents- An afterthought

We also need to relook at the whole election system. It is outdated. With a new chunk forming the floating population in India – people shifting base regularly due to job changes, we need to rethink about the procedure that involves, voting list, ration card and other endless documents. Even I shifted recently to Bangalore, so I am not part of the voting list here, but I do want to vote, so am I expected to fly down to Pune if I want to vote?

We need to come up with better solution that eases these tiny hassles and ensures that we have a better representation for our country in international circles.