Liberhan or Librarian?

Today, I was watching Barkha Dutt on NDTV a news media channel in India. She was having a debate about the Liberhan report. So what is this Liberhan report my young citizens who were born after 93 would wonder? For them some information -

Liberhan Commission headed by the retired judge of Supreme Court M S Liberhan was constituted on December 16, 1992 by an order of the Indian union home ministry following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya on 6 December and the riots in Ayodhya. The Commission was expected to submit its report within three months. After a delay of 17 years, the commission submitted the report to the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh on 30 June 2009. On 23 November 2009 the report leaked into the media. It indicted top BJP leaders as being actively involved in the meticulous planning of the demolition of the mosque. There was an uproar in the Lok Sabha over this as the opposition accused the Home Ministry for deliberately leaking the report. The Parliament session had to be adjourned for the day. The Government assured to table the report with an ATR(Action Taken Report) during the winter session of the Parliament. The deadline for the Government to table the report in Parliament is 30 December 2009.

So to give you an idea what 17 years looks like, I was 17 years then, a young lad, now I am 34, married for the last two years, nearly forgotten about this sad incident in the country's history. India has progressed from ISP Dial- ups to broadband connection. We have nearly conquered the Moon. Most politicians from 17 years back are on their last legs ( what ancient stages of life would mean Sanyas, from where he gets Moksha.) So question to me as a citizen of this country? Does this report mean anything to you? Answer- 17 years, 8crs ? well yes it does. 8crs means my hard earned money which I pay as taxes to create schools and infrastructure for the country. Time, which should have been used to focus on development and education and health. Time, to no longer make a mockery of ME a CITIZEN of this country. I am sure a commission will be set up to find out why Liberhan took 17 years and so much money to submit this report. And that commission will be called "LIBRARIAN".

Wheels of Death!

This Morning, when I read the Mumbai Mirror, A 27 year old lad was crushed by a speeding B.E.S.T Bus ( Public Transport Bus) for no fault of his. The reason being the driver of the bus, who is supposed to have gone through hours of training on what we may feel as defensive driving techniques decided to jump a red light! Mumbai Mirror published the story, the driver has been suspended, the law will takes its course and punish him. What about the young boys dreams? His parents who cared for him and brought him up with lots of love and affection? His dreams to give his parents a better life?

One thing I really feel sad when I look up at my homeland and my city I love the most (India & Mumbai) is the sense of discipline. I drive every day to work. I travel through rush hour traffic. If we are to use the term serial killers or culprits then I see many every day on my way to work. Traffic lights are never noticed. Stand near the famous Inorbit Mall at around 9:30am - 10 am and you will notice what I mean. Forever the hurry to jump the signal, constant crawling over the Zebra crossing hardly visible.

When it comes to Lane discipline, our two great friends are ever ready to flaunt it. Bikers and Autos. Speaking of Autos, many of them do not even have functioning break lamps. During the night drives our dear auto boys feel its important to save power and drive without their lights on!

Someone said once in my class of 2002 MBA in England - "You want a James Bond drive! Drive down crowded traffic, hire a Auto Rickshaw in India and they will make your prayers reach god"

In the land where we have the Palace on Wheels, we find the Wheels of death!

I wish the law would book the offenders seriously and bring in the fear that they have established in the case of Alcoholic driving in Mumbai and rest of India.

This is how Media works…..!!!

Below is an email I received today, this was a forward from my wife. But what it reads is absolutely an inside story as to how the Media works.


Here is how the Indian TV news channel would report the Jack and Jill nursery rhyme. All names (except those of Jack and Jill), are fictitious.

Prashant - TV Anchor

Two persons have been injured in a freak climbing accident. Jack and his companion Jill had gone up a hill to fetch a pail of water when Jack fell down and broke his crown. Jill came tumbling after. Live from the hill, our reporter, Amrita Shah, takes up the story.

Amrita Shah

Thank you Prashant. Well, as you say, two persons - Jack and Jill - had gone up a hill to fetch a pail of water. Suddenly, Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after. Prashant.

Prashant

Thank you Amrita. What do we know about the hill?

Amrita

Not too much. Jack was going up the hill to fetch a pail of water when he fell down and broke his crown. Jill came tumbling after

[Headline appears at the foot of the TV screen: "hill breaks crown of pail-boy Jack"]

Prashant

What news of Jack and Jill?

Amrita

Prashant, it seems that Jack had gone up the hill to fetch a pail of water. We know nothing about the pail, or how heavy it was but it seems that Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after. I have here with me, an eyewitness to the accident, Mr Shahid Trivedi. Mr Shahid, tell us what you saw.

Shahid Trivedi

Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after.

[Headline appears at the foot of the TV screen: "Boy and girl tumble down hill. Water spilled"]

Amrita

Jack and Jill. What do we know about them? Are they brother and sister? Are they married? Just what were they doing on the hill together?

Shahid Trivedi

Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail a water.

Amrita

And what happened next?

Shahid Trivedi

Jack fell down and broke his crown

Amrita

Go on.

Shahid Trivedi

And Jill came tumbling after.

Amrita

Prashant, there you have it. Two people innocently going about their business to fetch a pail of water when one of them falls down, breaks his crown, and the other comes tumbling after. Back to you in the studio Prashant.

[Headline appears at the foot of the TV screen: "Water errand ends in tragedy"]

Prashant

I have with me in the studio now, Professor Chandrashekar Belagare from the Indian Institute of Applied Hill Sciences. Professor: a hill; Jack; Jill; a pail of water. A tragedy waiting to happen?

Professor

Well that depends on the hill, the two persons, the object they were carrying and the conditions underfoot. Let us look at the evidence so far.

Jack and Jill

Went up the hill

To fetch a pail of water.

Jack fell down

And broke his crown

And Jill came tumbling after.

Clearly, one would suspect that if Jack’s fall was severe enough to break his crown then the surface of the hill must have been slippery or unstable. But I think we’re overlooking something quite fundamental here. Who was carrying the pail? Jack fell down and broke his crown and – this is the key – Jill came tumbling after. If Jack and Jill had been carrying the pail together, would they not have fallen at the same time? The fact that Jill came tumbling after suggests that Jack lost his footing first and perhaps knocked Jill over as he slipped.

Prashant

Professor thank you very much. So there we have it, two persons – Jack and Jill – went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after. Later in the programme, Osama bin Laden captured in Afghanistan, President Bush says rent-boy menage-a-trois was "just a brief lapse of judgement", and Pakistan launches nuclear warheads against key Indian cities. But next up, join us after the break for a studio discussion about hills, boys and girls and whether water-fetching trips should be supervised. We’ll be right back...

Austerity The way to Prosperity

For the past few days, I have been watching our loving media channels,splashing the 100 days spent by Shashi Tharoor and Mr. Krishna in a 5-7 star hotel.Then you have the austerity drive ending up with Mr. Gandhi Jr. getting a rock/stone thrown at the train he was traveling. This brings my memory to travel back to a very old holiday when I was in school and visited Kerala. From my father's native which is in Travncore district, I had to travel by train to visit my grandmother who is in Palakkad. The train was scheduled to leave, and my mother, younger brother and I were aboard. As kids me and my brother were excited about our Train journey and at the same time very keen to meet our grandparents. Scheduled to leave on time, the train failed to depart even after 2 hours. On my mother inquiring, she found out that the Chief Minister of Kerala was traveling by train and hence the delay as he had not arrived on time. Hello??? What about my holiday, my time and my money??? When we finally moved the CM being ( as then most Indian politicians do ) was in his early days to being an geriatric and the train made unscheduled stops. So when we finally reached our destination we were a whole day late. Austerity causes delays to Public!!!

Now if someone did stay in a 5 star hotel at his own cost the reason being my official residence was not ready, what does that bring to light? (A)The work is slow as all our PWD work is slow (B) Why allow public money to be spent on renovation why not just move in? If the two politicians did spend their own money, then why worry? It is his hard earned money? Austerity vs Personality!!

By traveling economy class, train and not sure if next is State Transport Buses and not the convoy, you are endangering public life, property and you are causing me a lot of inconvenience.. Why cant the austerity drive be against corruption ( Amazing Jaago re ad), bad roads and infrastructure, slow movement of justice, etc the list is long.

In short if I need to end this then I would say "Austerity is the way to Prosperity" Jaago re Jaagoooo!!

May the Force be with India!

This evening I was switching across Television channels and it happened to be one of those days. Channel after channel, there was nothing interesting to watch. I was just back from a late night trip from Pune,India. Reached Mumbai at around 3:30am and hit the sack at around 4am this morning. The drive down from Pune - Mumbai was fast and wet. It was raining and the road was covered with rain water. Add to that fog and high beam lights from the trucks across.

Back to the TV Channels, switch to news and I watch the qualifying of Belgian grand prix and stunned to watch Force India on Pole!. Not sure if it is sleep still in my head I switch to another news channel and see the same. Excited, I jump around my living room in joy, Force India has done it! India has been finally put on the pole. I tell me father about it and he responds, "I have no clue what is so exciting about watching cars go in circles"? And I respond well its a sport and an exciting one too. You will only like it if you put some positive energy in it.

Fisi - Force India driver, what can I say, but to a nation of 1.2 billion people you are a hero my friend. As a true Star wars fan let me say for tomorrows race " May The Force Be With YOU"

Congratulations - Vijay and team. You have made this Indian and all of India proud!

Taxi Taxi Taxiiiinngggg!!!

Last couple of days there has been this huge article on the local newspapers about Pvt. Taxi's Vs. Black and Yellow Taxi and the poor customer. The new swanky airports of Mumbai have been built with state of the art definitions. Earlier when you landed, you could walk up towards the exit and get your self a nice ride home in a Pvt. taxi. All air conditioned, clean and safe. Fares are also reasonable. Now you have our infamous taxi union fighting and forcing the passengers to ride the dirty old filthy cabs. Risking their lives as your not sure when it is going to fall apart either. Stinky ( La Par fume irresistible and Stinky)from the seat covers and many a times drivers. The car whose design probably was one of the best when my Grand Dad decided to sell off his Ford T model for a better powerful vehicle with a top speed of 60kmph (when you hear the engine you feel sad for the vehicle). The sound reminds you of this old rick cart puller groaning and moaning and cursing you.

Question? Customers are God? True or False?

I remember when I made my first trip to London many a moons back, I was told use the Black Cabs they are efficient, clean and wont cheat. And yep they were exactly as it was mentioned. And then my good friend who is a Britisher was going to Mumbai and I heard the reverse being told, do not take the black and yellow cabs, they are old, inefficient and crooks!!

So now like they say you wanna hail a cabbie in New York, whistle Taxi!!! or When your in Mumbai airport it is Taxing!!

Who said beggars can't be choosers?? Try it with these boys who say they have no business - Bhaiyya Andheri - N0, bhaiyya town - No, Bhaiyya - Airport - No

Maybe we should try Bhaiyya Dubai? He might say Yes!! but 500 rupees extra lagega :D

Hello! You are not Transparent?

I am a strong believer that a good movie has to be viewed in a Cinema Theater. I have viewed movies from the days of theaters with no 70mm screens to the era of 70mm screens in India. In Mumbai,in the early 80's and way before the Mall culture and Multiplexes arrived, watching an English movie meant, a long train ride all the way to town on a Saturday or Sunday with friends. Regal, New Empire, Eros few to name where the good old days of 70mm. Funny enough those days, folks arrived on time and watched the movie with all the comments and counter comments many a times heard in the auditorium.

Bang we arrive to the culture of multiplex screens. We start with the National Anthem being played in theaters in Mumbai ( not so sure about other states). Pretty impressive I must say. We settle down in the seats, pop-corn, coke and the ammo all ready for the movie to go. And deep inside your head you hear the famous Thunderbird's Go!!! And movie starts and hey!!!!!!!!!!!!! people walking in late searching for seats and Hello!! I came to see the movie and not your cellulite's!!

This goes on for about 15mins and Interval. Ok ready for second phase and hey!!! more cellulite's!! Now I don't pay 180 Indian Hard earned Rupees to see some dark shapes of cellulite's ! And more so these so called hep,thickly fake accented people, who probably have emptied their cologne and perfume bottles on themselves lack manners as to others can't see the movie. And if you say "Excuse me Please, you are blocking my view" you get this comment, He/She is so rude, uncultured, bla bla...

I like the 70mm days when you could say "Hai Cheerkot Baju haat hawa aane de"

I want my 70mm days back!