I haven't written anything for a long time and now sitting here in Barista, I just had the urge to put my thoughts down. However most of these thoughts are connected through that invisible string and lots of old memories keep popping up. Now if they are connected through some kind of invisible string then they cannot be called random. However to an
Let me start with something funny, the other day my cousin Monu came to the office and started to play 'Altaf Raja' on his mobile. Why would someone have his songs on their mobile? First that made a lot of people laugh, however, he found Nilesh as his partner in crime. Another guy who was standing said that there must be around 4 people in India who liked Altaf Raja. Nilesh said who are the other 2, now this drew a big laugh. Ofcourse then the discussion went to why did they like Altaf Raja. First thing that they need to decipher was what is the Altaf Raja's philosophy. (LOL). This was funny enough. But at the end the conclusion was people who have been betrayed by women liked him and men who have betrayed girls don't. I thought this was funny and in a certain way very philosophical. I think Altaf Raja's charm was that he was able to appeal to a certain class without any snobbishness. His poetry was common and his singing ordinary. Yet people listened to him and as Nilesh and Monu have shown they still do.
This prompted me to think that a few days ago Geetali Didi had started chain of comments on facebook on who is the best writer in Hindi/Urdu. Most people including me loved Sahir. Sahir was from now what is Pakistan and moved to India after partition, one of those few muslims who moved towards India during the partition.
That reminds me of Pakistan, what the *^*^*& is happening in Pakistan. I really wish for the world's sake that someone takes control of the situation. The real problem there is that no one seems to understand who is in power and what is the level of that control. I am amazed at the Pakistani population (not that I am not amused by Indians, but somehow as Salman Rushdie says, 'In India at the end sense prevails'), how come you come out in masses, hold rallies and feel real happy when a judge (corrupt according many views) is reinstated. But, you do nothing when Taliban takes over a region in your country. That seems so appalling to me.
A few days ago a Pakistani journalist friend on the Facebook posted some lovely pictures of SWAT, the place she had visited a few months ago. I had a long chat with her on the situation. She was saying that on the ground the situation is actually worse and like me she can't understand why people are not doing anything about it. If you live in a democracy you need to take the responsibility of that democracy too. You need to fight for the founding principals of your nation. Pakistan had a great chance when it got independence, it didn't had carry the baggage of history and tradition with it. However, it has squandered that.
This brings me to the greatest exercise of Democracy anywhere in the world. BBC is running an Indian election train, NDTV a bus, millions of international media personalities are hounding over each bit of news. There has been some violence due to Maoist rebels. National leader are scampering all over the country to salvage their votes. The other day Manmohan Singh came to Indore, landed at 4:45, reached the old stadium at 5:00, gave a 30 min speech and and was back in the plane in 5:45 to give another one in Chandigarh. Now that is hectic.
We are 1.1 billion people, with almost 620 million in voting age, out of that even if 50% vote that makes it quivalent to the population of the US. Now that is some exercise.
Overall the thing that I am most proud of is that in last 62 years every transfer of power has been non violent and transitions has been smooth.
Every celebrity from Shahrukh Khan to Sachin Tendulkar is asking Indians to vote in this elections. The campaign has been outstanding but more needs to be done. We should be able to get to at least 90% voting. I think the only way that is possible is, if somehow we create an electronic system for it. Where anyone can vote from anywhere. That would have helped IPL players to vote and also SRK wouldn't have to come back for one from SA where his team is performing abysmally to vote. His logic, how can I not vote when I ask everyone to do it. Now only if every Indian had that respect for their vote.
I have voted in almost all elections barring the 2004 one, when I was in the US. It gives me great pleasure in pressing that button on the machine and seeing the ink tag on my fingernail. Since the days when my dad used to have it on his finger, I was fascinated by it.
IPL-II is the other activity which was affected by election. The security concerns moved it to South Africa. But what an event it has turned out to be. The response that South Africans have given to a purely Indian event is amazing.
So, before I could finish writing this, the election results are out. UPA is back with a bang. The encouraging thing is that it would be able to form the government on its own. Good for the country in these tough recessionary times.
