The Train Ride That Ran Over a Few Tigers

I have travelled by train more than a thousand times, including the Mumbai local, but it’s never been a front page news ... I would not want it be either as only chance for my train travel becoming a news is, if there was something untoward like an accident or bomb blast .... That said, the train ride that was making news or rather breaking news in India a couple of days ago was the one that Rahul Gandhi (RG) made ... you may call it a political statement, but I for one feel that it was a political gimmick that does not add up!

The implied purpose of the ride was to get a feel of the Mumbai local and connect with the average Mumbaiker and the undisclosed agenda seems to have been to send a message to one of the sole proprietary owners (yes there are two firms dealing with this, as on date) of Marathi Asmita! Again not sure if either of them worked. Travelling in a sanitised (security wise ... Yes some commentators have described the move as security unwise though) first class coach of a Mumbai local with more SPG members than travelling public is not the best way to get the real feel of the Mumbai local or connect with the Mumbaiker, so the stated purpose is for sure defeated ... and this train ride in no way is going to change the way the Sena goes through with its brand of politics.


The interesting aside to this train ride was that the Maharashtra government had deployed 10000 policemen for RG’s protection during his visit. Now, that’s pretty skewed ratio ... I mean in a country where the Home Minister at the central government is talking about the police department being understaffed, having 10000 men for the protection of 1 citizen (irrespective of the face value or place value of that citizen) is a huge commitment. What that also means is that if the Maharashtra government feels the need it, can muster up the numbers to ensure law and order. Can this meaning be further extended to mean that the vandalism, chaos and looting that is let loose by the so called MNS and SS workers is something that the state government chooses to ignore or (even more sinister) sponsors as a silent supporter?


You might have guessed by now that I am not the most avid congress supporter, but then I am at times in awe of RG and his efforts to rejuvenate the party. By the look of things he seems to wield the power to overrule not just the Congress party’s “democratically” arrived at decisions, but also his own security advisors at the SPG. But is he using these powers to the best possible end results? The last thing that one expects from the to-be Prime Minister of India and the harbinger of the next generation in Indian politics is to be scoring political brownie points... Let’s look at a couple issues that the country is grappling in the International arena as on date...


Bringing the perpetrators of 26/11 to justice ... we have as in the past, blamed the Pakistani government’s inability to reign in the terror elements in its own soil. We accuse the Pakistani government to be unwilling, incapable, covertly supporting and so on and so forth when it comes to tackling elements that use Pakistani soil to spread terror in India. So much so, that we almost stopped short of waging a war against that country.... but more rationally cut of the dialogue process that existed between the two countries. So what does the central government have to say to the government of Maharashtra? What about the state government going soft on those spreading terror amongst fellow Indians? Is the tough posturing, warning of serious consequences etc applicable only to neighbouring countries and not to Indian States? Why do we doubt Pakistani government when it says it’s doing everything it can and accept the same as genuine statement from Maharashtra government when the results in both cases are identical? Why don’t we sympathise with Pakistani Government, when we know that little monsters that we grow in our backyard, can one day, loom so large that, we end up losing control over it, as that is exactly what the Government in Maharashtra is finding out!!!


Another issue is of racial discrimination against Indians in Australia.... with what standing will the External Affairs Minister of India (who is a member of the same party as RG and the party that rules Maharashtra and Goa) ask the Australian authorities to act against those who attack Indians in their country, when there is not much action being taken against Indians who attack fellow Indians in Mumbai and the Russians who get raped in Goa? Or is it okay if Indians attack Indians or for that matter Indians rape Russians??


Riding a Local Train in Mumbai is according to me not a solution for these issues. An influential leader whose diktat is the gospel truth for his party should rather come down heavily on these governments who are turning inaction into an art by itself. To me lawlessness is a commentary on poor governance than a function of powerful goons ... for proper governance ensures that goons will never have the power... As a leader whom a lot of the younger generation looks up to with expectations, I hope RG will take tougher decisions and more meaningful decisions than this train travel in the times to come ... or will I be wrong and will have read the news which goes ... “RG drives a Taxi in Melbourne and snubs some Kangaroos???”

How I Helped Blow Up Mumbai...

The carnage at Mumbai was unprecedented… the response ever so predictable … rhetorical, knee-jerk, one of anguish and of helplessness… the usual suspects emerged out the clouds of smoke that emanated from the Taj as it burned… did we in the interim, ignore the scores that were massacred at the CST station (they were not Page 3 Celebrities in any case, who deserved prolong attention on National Media electronic or otherwise) …anyone who had access to a mouthpiece jumped in with a comment (me included) … blaming our politicians, with them blaming Pakistan and Pakistan claiming innocence … so now that we have gone through the routine set of manoeuvres, what next …


The Central Minister handling Home portfolio, set the tone by resigning on “Moral grounds” (Thank God for English dictionaries, the word “Moral” still clings on to its meaning as originally intended by those who devised the language)… As a follow up the Deputy CM of Maharashtra too has put in his papers succumbing to his inner voice (which had not spoken as late as 48 hours ago when he said that there was no question of his resigning over such small matters that occur in big cities) I believe many more policy makers will succumb to their “Moral” side in the coming days (at least if media reports are to be believed).

The Media, on its part outdid itself … live coverage that laid bare every aspect of the commando operation (as much as was possible from the distance, that they were allowed to operate) for the whole world (and the terror groups who probably were masterminding the attacks) to see …A live telecast with a blow by blow account of which floor the commandos were and what they will be doing next … with expert opinions by ex army honchos who give their predictions on how the operations will pan out, I wish our good old DD took a few lessons from this and covered our cricket matches as effectively …

The media called out for unity amongst political leadership and coming together for a common cause; all while trying to establish their channel as the best and indulging in one-up- man-ship by getting out “Exclusives” and “Breaking News” at periodic intervals … there were also these immensely popular reality shows with the people who have just lost their close ones put on the camera and asked “How do you feel??” … move aside Big Boss ... this is by far more emotional and gut wrenching!!!

The last blog entry that I put out which is there right below and can also be categorised as a knee jerk reaction to what was happening to my country … an attempt to express my anguish, helplessness and maybe point fingers at the obvious suspects … to find scapegoats and entrench my patriotism to a country that has given me so much to be proud of … but then, since the time that I have posted it, until now I have indulged in a little bit of soul searching … a peek into my own cupboard which I have kept locked for obvious reason … the skeletons inside it have a different tale to tell …

This is the story of how I (stands for Indians, I guess almost all, if not all) have held my country to ransom … how I have been hand in glove with the conspirators and have contributed to the massacre in Mumbai …

I drive around in Bangalore and I am sure anyone else who drives in an Indian city will agree with me as to how chaotic we can be on our roads. I would rather gain a couple of inches in traffic than the let the other person cross at an intersection… I would squeeze my vehicle across the signal even after it has turned red or for that matter, set into motion even before it turns green … I would overtake from the wrong side, drive through no entries, park below no parking signage and all this without a second thought … why because I know that the chances of me being caught are minimal and even if I am, I can always get away with anything between Rs. 10 to Rs. 100 depending on my bargaining skills …. Almost a rule I break queues, resist frisking, grumble to participate in security checks… You might wonder what this has to do with what happened in Mumbai … well it has, I am responsible in playing my role in building a chaotic and corrupt society, which in turn is definitely a soft target for terrorists.

I get my driving license, passport and pan card through “authorised agents”, paying much more than I should be, getting these documents in double quick time … I get almost everything, without the necessary documentations, mobile sims included… I do not need to really go through a driving test (even when I do, it’s a mere formality, as I have already completed the “more essential formalities”) to get my driving license or the mandatory police verification (or take part in it in absentia) for my passport… these documents hence are available for the taking, for who ever wants it, as long as one is ready to grease the right palms… so for a terrorist getting hold of a driving license or a fake address proof or a new mobile connection does not even involve breaking a sweat

Remember the iPod I bought from the grey market? Or the Digital camera for that matter? What about the pirated DVDs ad VCDs?? For sure they cost less than half of what they cost in the real stores and yes they are available much before the official launch in India… but then they are the building blocks for a parallel economy that funds these terror groups… the money I shell out in these pursuits are also my humble contribution towards making our coastline porous… a portion of the money that I spend in acquiring these inexpensive alternatives, is what is used to keep our coast guards and coastal police away from boats and trawlers that bring in smuggled goods … It is quite possible that the dinghies in which the terrorists arrived for their Mumbai rendezvous was mistaken for another regular consignment of smuggled goods arriving at city…


I feed the corruption in the system; I eat into the entails of my country’s administration to satisfy my hunger… I punch gaping holes in my country’s security set up (for what ever it maybe worth) and when all these loopholes are exploited by some brainwashed I-will-blow-up-myself-for-the-virgins-in-the-heaven morons I still have enough fall guys to point at!!!

Whatever it takes

This is about something that’s not in the news anymore; it’s not in the news because it does not make commercial sense to keep it in the news… It is about Indian Hockey’s inability to qualify for the upcoming Olympics… Or rather India’s ability to nurture what is popularly termed India’s National Game...

What worries me more than India’s loss of status in the international hockey arena is the apathy shown towards this sport in our country …. On the same day as the loss a major news channel in this country did a show where in a reporter got on the streets and went about asking the passersby to name 5 players in the current Indian hockey team and no surprises there almost none got it right; simultaneously they ran another show (like most other news channels did that day) asking for the removal of the person heading the Hockey Federation in the country… what bothers me again is this fault finding attitude of Indian Media and very specifically this channel in question… is only the Indian Hockey Federation and the average man on the street to blame for India failing in hockey? What is the Media role here???

When it is cricket, a tour match in Australia attracts so much attention, there programs running for not let than 30 minutes on each channel in the country (on the previous day, on the day(s) of the game and the next few days after the game is over) with so called experts from all across the country over phone, video link, satellite hook ups and what not … discussing threadbare the strategies, the pitches, what the players did in their spare time…where the players went shopping dining clubbing… the entire Olympic hockey qualifier that India took part in did not in opinion get that much footage on our news channels …. Yes the experts and others were called in after the tournament was over to help nail the culprits …

The channel in question here, CNN IBN (which happened to be one of my favorite news channels) did not even post my comments in their website - maybe I violated their code for comments but I never received any message on my email suggesting to that effect or maybe I made a mistake in the way I submitted the comment, but then I guess I got a response which said that my comment is being reviewed and will be available on the website in sometime - in retrospect its more likely because I was direct and to the point to the extent that I mentioned (to quote, not verbatim though) “for a channel that says “whatever it takes” I do not think that CNN IBN has done “whatever it takes” to promote hockey in the country.. while I also accept that it is no way CNN IBN’s responsibility to be promoting hockey … that is the responsibility of the Indian Hockey Federation, the Sports loving Indian Public, the Coaches and hockey players…”

The media’s responsibility is to exploit the commercial aspects of news or what they think is news or what they want the public to believe is news… keep sensationalizing issues as long as it makes business sense and then drop it without any botheration… ultimately it’s a business venture … and lets make it profitable by doing “whatever it takes”

"Select"ive Amnesia

Several years ago I started typing out my views on an opinion portal; the first of them was about Cricket. So I guess it would be a natural that I start with a post on Cricket, while I start off typing out my blog which has been on my to-do list for lot longer than the time span between India’s last win at Australia and the current one….

The latest in the series of issues that seems to be rocking the Indian team is that of the team selection for the Tri- Nation One Day Tournament. Every one in this country has an opinion about it and not to be left behind I myself have several …. More than anything these views are about the views expressed about Indian Cricket in the last couple of weeks …

It might sound so strange, but I would rather be Sourav Ganguly, than the ordinary mortal who is typing this blog (which I am not sure how many, will even read). I say this because even though the past couple of years have not been great for him from the selection point of view, he is in my opinion a lucky guy… at least he has several people and organizations protesting on his behalf that he should be reinstated… I guess for a sportsman that’s a good place to be in rather than a situation where people and organizations start protesting asking for his sacking…..

But someone, I would rather not be is Dilip Vengsarkar…. Selecting an Indian Cricket Team (or for that matter selection of any thing or anyone in this country, including the Prestigious Bharat Ratna) is as much a thankless job as it is controversial. More so with the advent of many so called (self titled) “your very own television channels”… I remember Sidhu and Jadeja (two people whose opinions I eagerly look forward to hearing, especially the latter) on a popular television show thrashing the selection committee for having taken a “backward step” by appointing a “stop gap” captain Anil Kumble for the Australia Series instead of handing over the responsibility to the “fearless brigade who represent the future of Indian Cricket” - read M.S. Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh!!!

While they never questioned Kumble’s qualifications for the job (I guess no one who understands Indian Cricket can ever do that) and even went on to suggest that it has come too late in his career… they were firmly of the opinion that BCCI and its panel has got it completely wrong. But after the Perth result, I watched in disbelief as Sidhu sat on the very same channel, glorifying Kumble, his qualities and his captaincy. In hindsight, of course I dread to imagine how some one as raw as Dhoni would have handled the Sydney Storm… Maybe he would have done better than what Kumble did but that’s a big “maybe” and as is the essence of one of the Siddhuisms, there is no place for probabilities and conjectures in life (read cricket)

Coming to Sydney test, immediately after the Bhajji Ban, the same Sidhu was on air thumping the Indian Pride this time asking the team to cancel the tour and return … this is not just a game it’s a question of every Indians dignity or something like that he said… On an other channel Sanjay Manjrekar was making a point that cancelling the tour might not be the best solution and staying on and beating the Aussies might be the best way to get even (I must admit, I did say to myself dream on Mr. Manjrekar….)

I am not against people being opinionated, I myself am. I am also not against people making an error in judgment and later having to change the same. Even I have done that several times. (The last line in the above paragraph is a good enough example). But what I am against is selective loss of memory. How on earth, can one thump is hands on the table and say “I told you so…” on some occasions and conveniently forget what one said on the other … We all makes mistakes, but I guess what helps us rise above others, is not about being spot on at all times, but the ability to accept that we weren’t right on some occasions…

One of the biggest curses (It comes with numerous blessings though) of being an Indian Cricketer is the blind adoration of the Indian Public… what happens with this kind of an emotional following, is that it can be counter productive in several cases. But to some extent, I can forgive the ordinary fan on the road, for being passionate than practical or prudent, but what is unfathomable is how can an ex-cricketer be like that? I am not suggesting that Sidhu changes his style, but being out spoken, witty and intelligent (qualities I admire in this man) is not the same as being utterly reckless in ones opinion and changing them as and when one pleases, without the slightest of remorse!

Am I a great fan of Vengsarkar, well I guess not even in his playing days did he hold a significant place in the list of my favourites. He was a stylish batsman, nothing more nothing less. In his avatar as the selector though, I guess he has far fewer admirers. But then as much as we hate him, don’t you think we need to admire the fact that it is this man, who with his team has prepared ground for the teams that reaped success in the away series in England, The Twenty20 Cup and the home series against Pakistan (All creditable achievements) and more importantly a team that could have entertained the thoughts of winning a series in Australia (if not for poor umpiring and poorer fourth innings batting skills at Sydney)….

So why is it that every time a team is announced, we all get on to roof tops and scream hoarse..? When the team does badly go back on to the roof top and say “I told you so…” and in those rare moments when the team triumphs, we forget the selectors..? What role does media and sports journalists have to do in this?

Talking about media I must mention here that journalism in India has significantly changed… though they keep harping about trying to bring you news rather than stories, they are just about doing the opposite. As long as there was not much competition amongst the news channels, they (the two or three that operated a couple of years ago) were pretty much doing a decent job. But of late they have been nothing more than reality based entertainment channels. How else could one justify the news ticker “Saif tattoos Kareeena on his ….” that kept rolling across the screen with amazing regularity on day when so much more was happening in the country…

Yes, one can easily justify this “Breaking News” and the tamasha that the nation witnessed when the Bachan and the Rai families united in wedlock as news that the masses crave for… the news channel owners can turn back and say you get what you deserve… but hey if that’s your philosophy of running a media channel then do not point fingers at Politicians for being populists (its their profession remember) or at movies that cross our self imposed morality codes… lets not take a moral high ground and point fingers at others who are doing a bad job, while we ourselves are chasing better TRPs under the garb of doing the public favours by broadcasting news that affects them….