NO ROOM FOR GODLINESS !!

Not even close to the real picture

His room had the ability to bring deep shivers to trademark Indian mothers. Guarded by a wooden door, it sent out a tiny creak equivalent to the cry of a newborn baby, only not that endearing. The floor was smeared with footprints and seasoned with tits and bits of fallen hair and materials immensely difficult to identify. The chair, out of position, had clothes all over it loosely placed to look like a garland. The idea was to separate each clothing from another so that it becomes easy to distinguish between them in the ‘sorting’ session which took place every morning. The table had a sweat shirt laid across it (probably washed the other night and pressed on the table due to lack of a clothesline in the room). A set of books at the corner of the table gave the impression of a scholar but the layers of dust hanging onto them immediately corrected the observer. Three water bottles stood up high like skyscrapers with a flip-it calendar resembling an ancient structure placed right behind them. An unorganized pen stand gave the idea of a painting painted in haste with toothbrushes and nail cutters hanging around the pens and pencils. The other items enjoying residence inside the stand included pizza seasoning sachets, scraps and a razor blade. These were like uninvited guests, or maybe unwanted guests.

The curtains, originally meant to be creamy in color  had shades of brown and black here and there. They looked like one of those Italian dishes you order in the restaurant with pepper and other seasonings sprayed over them. The calendar on the wall had a picture of two birds on the branch of a tree with flowers in the background. All this was photographed with perfection, but the only problem was that the calendar displayed the days in September while everyone on the outside was busy celebrating Christmas. The backpack on the floor and the empty bucket beside it further added to the beauty of the room as one exercised extreme caution as to avoid the ‘n’ number of slippers and shoes which adorned the floor. The bed sheet reminded you of the face of the oldest person on earth that you've come across. Not because it had the aura and spark of the same, but because the curls and river like tributaries on the bed sheet had a striking similarity to the wrinkles of an elderly. A red blanket, shining out of nothingness lay unfolded in the corner of the bed. The pillow cover was another Italian dish with snake like black cables gliding over it running into the laptop thumped on the chair. More cables ran out of the laptop and went in different directions connecting it to the headphone, mouse, speakers and the charging point of the battery charger. The chair was placed close to the bed and the mouse stay put right in the middle of the bed. All this to ensure comfort and pleasure to the operator, without causing the slightest of troubles or delay while watching sci-fi movies and pop videos of global prominence.

The idea was to keep it simple. Every once in a while he would tone it all down with a broom or a mop. But like any other recurring truth of life, his form of living would return to him like a faithful pet.

COLD NOVEMBER RAIN

Ride in the Rain sometime...

On a normal day, the song ‘November Rain’ by Guns n Roses always gets the play button push on my cell phone. But this was no ordinary day, heavy rains lashed on my room’s window as I struggled to push my right foot into the shoe with the laces tied a bit too tightly for the occasion. Hopping from the window to my bed, I grabbed my cell phone and gave the headset a sad but meaningful look. Forget about listening to songs and humming a melody or two, this was a day when you start searching for poly bags to keep your beloved cell phone safe.

I checked the lock screen on my cell phone. Besides the beautiful wallpaper of my heart throb Audrey Tautou, the clock on the screen indicated that I had exactly forty-five minutes to reach the classroom doors. Life is hard, especially when you mistake a box of peanuts for a box of cereals at night and wake up with a coffee mug and an empty cereal bowl next morning. I could hear the clouds thunder outside, but the bubbling sounds within...made me swear that I’ll fill my room with cereal boxes once I return.

I stepped out of the building, onto the road and SPLASH! God bless the municipality for only they know how to make the worst roads all over the world. One big crater on the road filled with mud water got the beating from a passing SUV, and the result was a huge wave of brownish water embracing my denim jeans. These are times when you can’t stop yourself from thinking that whether God does it all on purpose or not. I spell out a few curses in Hindi. It’s strange how a few dirty words drain out all your anger, almost magical.

Moving on, I literally tantalized the autorikshaw-wala as I won a battle of words and emotions to make that trip to the nearest metro station. Well, I don’t know much about revenge. But I've heard this one proverb, it goes like, “Revenge is sweet”. It sure was loud when the autorikshaw-wala bombarded me with Tum toh thehrey pardesi on a sound system which might cause Tiesto or even Guetta to faint. This guy had a big plastic sheet covering him and a poly bag wrapped on his head like a turban protecting him from the rain. Whatever happened to raincoats, may god bless them.

Surviving the ‘pardesi’ attack, I entered the metro station only to be stopped by the CISF security personnel for their two and a half second frisking and surveillance procedure. Well I reached just in time to catch the metro train stationed at the platform. Breathing heavily I search for that corner where I’ll be at peace for the next twenty minutes or so. We all have this one spot in the wagon where we like to stand. You see, getting a seat in Delhi metros is only a myth. But you always have this one spot where you like to stand, and when you finally get there, you feel blessed. The train started moving and just then I noticed a lady running towards the stairs on the platform. She slipped as if she had stepped on the world’s smoothest banana peel and landed right on her back. The sound of her landing could be felt inside the train. People gathered around the poor lady as she moaned with pain, the train gained pace and we entered the concrete tunnels.

“It is too damn fast this Delhi life, really hard to keep up”, said a tall and dark man standing next to me as he smiled awaiting appreciation for his special comments on the incident. He looked like one of those South Indian movie stars who never make it big. He even smiled like them, I kept thinking to myself... “Which was the last South Indian movie that I watched?” Oh yes, Ayan it was, nice movie.

“The government has failed to acquire apt number of metro trains for this large Delhi population. I see people running here and there all the time. These politicians are busy taking money and handing out bribes. God bless the country.” said a man as old as time standing right behind us. The lines on his face were so deep; one could find hidden water resources inside them. He had very little or no hair on his head and the lights inside the wagon shot off from the screen of his temple to send beams of light all across your eyes.
He could hardly stand and was waiting for someone to offer him his or her seat.

In the mean time, I failed to understand how a slippery floor, a women making haste and corruption could be inter connected? Some things just escape my mind, or maybe they’re actually meant to. The metro glides peacefully and I keep checking my watch. I look at the floor, brown and wet every bit of it. People smelled of soaked water or worse. I was getting impatient. Metro rides are not my thing and that too on a rainy day. I checked my watch again, there was enough time left.

All of a sudden, somebody shouted, “Bomb! Bomb! It’s a bomb.”

My heart skipped a beat as I turned my neck slowly; I wasn't looking at the watch anymore.

Gangs Of Jharkhand [Maoism in India]

Falls in Ranchi, there are about fifty.

Flying over the ‘land of coal mines’ was quite an experience. The aerial view offered by my window seat was overwhelming and I must thank Jet Airways for the same. I won’t comment on the current state of airline services in India, but yes on this one occasion, I did thank the Wright brothers – whole heartedly.

I could see large chunks of greenery, big volumes of them lying around, separated modestly by beautiful mountains which appeared as if they had been be copy-pasted from some immensely talented painter’s masterpiece. The detailing and the overall collaboration of the green and the grey is something one can only wish to express in words. I’m sorry to say but the English language, and in fact any other language in the world, is not fully equipped when it comes to describing such marvels of nature.

When I first reached the city of Ranchi, I’ll have to say that I was deeply impressed. I was impressed by the ‘small town’ vibes accompanied by the well spread out greenery and fresh energizing air.  Coming from a noisy, polluted and squeezed New Delhi, I and the rest of us exchanged meaningful glances acknowledging the uniquely fresh and relaxing air that the city of Ranchi welcomed us with.

Soon after this I found myself in my Dad’s car and we were on our way to Siromtoli Chowk. Every turn that we took, and every red light that we bowed to presented Ranchi as a city one could only imagine in their dreams. Such calmness and such beauty - splendid. The roads were not filled with vehicles and the only sounds you could hear were of your own car’s engine or that of the stereo system. The streets were of the same width as the roads- quite narrow and lined with plants or trees. Travelling 25-30 km around Ranchi means you will be embraced by beautiful waterfalls and amazing landscapes. This is surely a tourist spot, but you won't see many around, enjoying the beauty.

Now the reason I have dedicated about fifteen lines to the description of Ranchi and outlying areas is because I want to draw a comparison between what we see through our naked eyes and what actually goes around in this state capital.  You must have come to terms with the natural beauty of Ranchi, but the same city, I’m sorry to say, has a face so ugly that one cannot or does not want to concur with.

For those of you who have already watched ‘Gangs Of Wasseypur’ , you are aware of the mining mafias and their accomplices. You have been informed about the killing instincts of the people of this area and have been introduced to the techniques of these people. You have a layman’s view of what happened and what is going on. And for those of you who haven’t watched the movie yet, STOP reading this article RIGHT NOW and rush to the nearest cinema hall or DVD store and feel blessed.

The actual operations of these mafias are a secret. A secret so big and so well hidden, that besides a few assumptions or conspiracy theories, one has no material whatsoever to develop a theory that translates into something close to what actually goes around. But what we have are pieces. And one can always try to join those pieces and come up with some sort of a picture.

Public buses are easy targets, killing innocents.

What goes around in Ranchi today is one of the most advanced forms of organized crime in the world. It is a setup beyond our imagination. We all hear things and we find them fascinating and then we completely forget about them. The formation of Jharkhand as a separate State brought new opportunities for everyone. This included the population, politicians, businessmen, industrialists and even the naxalites. The mafias discontinued their previous acts of terrorizing the general public 'directly' and entered into a contract with the state government. Today, one can say that both the state government and the troublemakers share a common map of the state of Jharkhand. The map’s sole purpose is to highlight the areas where the naxals and other troublemakers can continue their dance of death. The state government realizes that they cannot launch a campaign against these people and hence in order to stay in power the party entertains all sorts of requests from these people.

On a day of ‘Bandh’ in Ranchi, a Rajdhaani train is of vital importance. Why? Because railtracks are blown up only after important trains like Rajdhaani have passed. Why so? Because these trains carry businessmen and politicians important to the ruling party. The trucks carrying items belonging to the civilians are freely looted and items that are of no interest to the naxalites are burned or severely damaged. But trucks bringing materials or items of interest to the businessmen or the politicians are let go freely... untouched!

As a free citizen in Ranchi, you have to think twice about going out at night once the clock strikes 10 o ‘clock. Yes of course you can make the trip but at times people have to pay for it with their lives. See the problem is that you are not dealing with reasonable people. They are mindless freaks like any other group or political party has. And these mindless freaks trouble-making elements travel through the length and breadth of the country with no regard for the laws, morals or ethics laid down over the years and which we cherish day and night. How can a common man even think about standing up to such uncivilized walking dead bodies? The cops have a thumb pressing on them and hence they cannot do anything.

The current scenario is actually something which will continue for a long time. As long as the ruling party continues to entertain these trouble-making elements, they will always come up with ideas and methods to disrupt the overall growth and development of the state. What the current state government fails to see is the bigger picture. The ‘use-and-throw’ policy is ages old in politics and in crime lord and political party alliances. In the end, one has to suffer. But till that actually shapes up, the general masses suffer. The local MLAs and other prominent ‘social workers’ can be seen preparing the bed for Naxalite/Maoist leaders.

A gathering of the Maoists

The birth of Maoism in India is traced back to the 1967 split of the Communist Party of India. But the current form of CPI [Maoist] was first conceived in 2004. Put under the heading of ‘terrorists’ by the law, they like to call themselves ‘revolutionaries’. There were about 20,000 fighting units and about 50,000 units in India in 2006, as per RAW [Research and Analysis Wing]. The babysitting is done by China and this is a fact that only a fool would decide to object to. The Chinese have caused a lot of damage to several parts of India through their remote controlled CPI [Maoists]. While Mao actually destroyed China rather than creating or establishing it, the party members wish to see India as a country that will accept the Maoist political ideology and apply it. For this purpose to be fulfilled, the Maoists have decided to ‘uproot’ the current democratic system in India. And the only way to do that is by waging a war against the State. By killing innocents and blowing up rail tracks thereby disrupting the economy, they have caused enough problems and forced Manmohan Singh to declare the Maoists as the biggest internal threat to India.

Banned Flag Of The Maoists

With the ‘IAP – Integrated Action Plan’ [2009] turning out to be a successful one, one can hope for changes. The UPA government at the centre must be applauded for their efforts in containing and reducing Naxal hit areas. In 2009, about 180 districts were affected with this disease of Maoism. Latest figures, that of July 2011, put the number of districts affected at 83. This is an achievement everyone should be proud of. The idea of implementing Maoism in India is far-fetched. Feasibility and compatibility, both are nil. Whatever development issues had to be addressed are now being addressed. The IAP is not just a clean n sweep operation. It also includes actual development of these areas which turned out to be the breeding ground for the Maoists. The actual controllers of all the Maoist/Naxalite operations in India are believed to be hiding in some cave in China. Of course they are funded by the Chinese. One knows how keen the dragon is to see India crumble. However, it seems that the efforts have all gone in vain.

The dragon’s flight has been cut short. We have clipped its wings and are now working on controlling the fire it breathed out on us. If all goes well, an Indo-China war will be fought with India having no worries about it’s ‘internal threat’, whatsoever.  But then who wants a war? We want to live in harmony and there is absolutely no need for a war. But you see, the problem is that you don’t need a war...in fact a war gives birth to ‘needs’.

SCAMbook- FUEL to the FIRE !!

No Joke!!

Facebook is old school. In fact, it is ancient school. There’s one new web and site which is taking over. And no, I’m not referring to the Winklevoss’ stronghold zurker [dot] com. I’m talking about India’s very own – SCAMbook [dot] come [on!]

Never heard of it? Oh you get to hear about it all the time. You’ve just never heard anyone put it that way. For those of you who’ve already got it, YES! I’m referring to the scam-handy UPA’s MAFIAS who do it without the guns and the fear. Every price-rise increases the number of users at SCAMbook. I can’t believe how stupid can this government be? Adding ‘Fuel’ to the Fire, If you know what I mean. : D

Before we log onto SCAMbook let me mention a few eminent profiles from this web and site. But wait! What’s with this WEB and SITE? Well you see, web because it’s one hell of a web from which the spidery claws of these mighty spider men will eventually save them. And SITE because you need an allied majority at the Centre that is so careless, insensitive and shameless that it continues to boost about it’s achievements through poorly conceived, directed and over-played advertisements on the government’s electro media punch bag DD Metro. [****ßThis is the part where DD’s classy tune steps in]

Anyways, a few eminent profiles include-

# Profile- Cover Photo

A.Raja -  2G Scam [M outtie... don't count me!]

S.Kalmadi- CWG Scam [Just *play* along...]

P.Chidambram- 2G Scam [oh not you again]

Manmohan Singh [latest member]- Coal Scam [silent partner]

Pranab Mukherjee- Scorpene Submarine Deal [Did u say Mr. President?Lmao, down he goes into the depths]

Sharad Pawar- Wheat Scam [wait, what? WHEAT scam? yep!!]

Salman Khurshid- Shielding the 2G Scam planners and operators. [The saviour needs to be saved]

SM Krishna- Govt. land scam [Mine your own business please]

Manish Tiwary- *Unsubstantiated averments*  [BITCH please!]

So above mentioned are the men who run the web.[or have run into the web to be more precise]. This, by the way, is not a ‘social networking’ website. It is in fact one of those ‘political scam-scoring’ portals where constraints and penalties are just like fairytales. Heard about them, but never seen or been in one.

Tihar waits for the 'real' criminals to step in.

So before you sacrifice your e-mail ID and your ‘Oh-so-secret’ password in order to enter this web , let me tell you very frankly that you are already a part of it. You see everytime we use the ‘F’ word for our beloved political ticks or we abuse someone by comparing them with these men without honor or shame, we are a part of SCAMbook. We are, in fact. the reason for the birth of this money-making machine. But it’s just that we don’t get to see a penny.

Constantly ignoring the activities of the Centre [or the State] has led these selfish individuals to believe that there is no reason to hold back or slow down. In a democracy the true power is not with the state leaders, it is with the people. But when the people get involved on facebook, SCAMbook sure does have a great time.

Well the media does it’s bit. Breaking news breaking the barriers and bringing us something new everytime. And we do our bit you know? We talk, and then we talk, and then we talk a little more...and then we conclude and agree on a location for..... MORE TALKS!!

But anyways, SCAMbook and the members are fearlessly poking this massive population.  The point is, what can we do? Well to be honest, there is nothing that you ‘alone’ can do. A rising is needed, not a revolution, a ‘rising’. But then who will rise? Some fools who believe that either religion or reigion or caste can decide national policies? Oh please, we don’t want such idiots to even exist. The ‘Dalit Song’ sucks to the core, the ‘Hinduistic’ cycle is punctured and the ‘reformists’ are far too anarchic in their conduct. The situation completely blows but that’s how it is.



No doubt people like you and me find it easier to write fancy stuff on websites rather than standing up and....getting jailed, framed or shot! :D

Death Of Democracy

Will the times change? Depends on your perception. Depends on how you see it and how you relate to it.  A financially stable person shall always find the situation to be in control. He'll keep adding remarks which'll begin with words like 'at least' , 'still' and 'yet'. But what about those of us who live from hand to mouth? They don’t even have facebook to let it all out and drain their mental stress. Rise of suicidal tendencies among farmers across the nation has a direct relation with their financial condition and the amount and efficiency of government aid. Reminds one of the Hindi proverb – “Rakshak bana Bhakshak”

I can’t help but think about the Congress party’s symbol- The Hand with the palm facing us!

What does it mean? Let’s expand on its relevance.

# Today it can mean [or it actually means] it has the ‘BIGGER’ hand, as in when you are playing cards. So it gets to take everything home.

# Also, is this the same hand Gandhi mentioned in his writings, when he said – “If someone slaps you on one side of your face, put the other side of your face in front of them?” Then, this translates into – “If the Congress slaps you through one scam, give them an opportunity to devise another”

# Also this HAND can translate into God himself. It’s like GOD is saying – “You have elected a government so corrupt that even I’m receiving kickbacks, Bless you my children.”

So keep hitting ‘em up on--à SCAMbook !!!

Locked'pal - Corrupt or Not, You're in it.

There is immense pleasure to be obtained while writing about a topic or event which has remained in the news for so long that

even the news channel reporters don’t need a briefing before going live. They have to say the same words, in the same manner with the same expressions every fu*king time. The Lokpal issue (or I should say locked-pal citing the freezing point it has reached), is starting to irritate and piss off people like me who feel there are other important events going on in the country which deserve more attention.

“The motive is what matters” –that’s what they say. In the deification of Anna Hazare, a certain ‘jobless’ or ‘fun-seeking’ part of our 1.21 billion population has decided to jam roads, buy ‘Anna topis’ and scream every time the camera turns towards them. They think this signifies their stand against corruption. They feel this is a way to be patriotic. They justify their behavior by citing examples of Bhagat Singh, Gandhi, Bose and others, and proclaim that they are the defenders of the India these leaders dreamed of. Wow! Ain’t that something? And yes, they also feel that God is watching, and some even believe that heaven is not too far if you are seen with team Anna or any other of the ‘condensed’ parade members.

Before you pick up a flag and cover your head with the most ‘in’ topi of the season, give a thought to the concept of corruption and its position in this country and especially inside you. Fighting corruption for us i.e. the present generation is like ripping one’s self into two and then making them fight. No matter who wins, you still lose. And who wants to lose? See, being good at heart and being big in thoughts is very essential in a society. You must talk good, pretend to think good and even urge others to do the same and appreciate the ones who do so. But in real life, it’s just completely different.

You will be bullshitting me if you tell me that you prefer to pay a challan of 1000 instead of bribing the traffic policeman and saving both time and money. You will be bullshitting me if you tell me that even though you know someone influential in the passport office, you still line up in the queue and follow the normal procedure for a citizen to obtain a passport. Again, you will be bullshitting me if you tell me that you don’t enjoy it when you get your things done faster than others. You love that smile on your face and you simply feast upon the idea of being ‘the one who got away with it’ or ‘the one who gets things done easily’. Nobody likes a hard cookie.

Now if you say that most of the above mentioned examples of how we as humans savor the flavor of being ‘served first or served with the best’ are mere favors, then let me enlighten you by telling you that corruption breeds on such acts. This is the very breeding ground for corruption. Insecurity and disgust caused by it. Deep down, somewhere, a few thousand or million cells in our body are corrupt and the faster you accept it, the better. We think corrupt and we act corrupt. Your house or his? Such ideas exist in everyone’s mind. No matter how fine your act of concealment is, someday and somehow- it shows.

Now the political parties of our time have their own stands. The AICC or the Congress , the BJP, the Left and other regional parties all believe that Lokpal is necessary and have pledged their commitment towards bringing a strong Lokpal. But none of them wants to actually see this story through. Nearly all the politicians have at least millions stacked in their bottoms. The only reason these creeps entered politics was to make money. But as of now, they have actually found a way to combat this new ‘threat’ of Lokpal. Now with the threat gone, it was important to use this issue for their own political purposes. The BJP has clearly stated that the ‘Congress’ wants corruption to go on. The BJP leaders in their speeches across the nation have laid emphasis on their version of the story , and have continuously tried to brainwash the general public and create a strong vote bank.

Meanwhile, the Congress hit the right notes when they brought up the issue of Lokayuktas. According to the Congress, the Lokayukta is a better program and hence BJP should accept Lokayukta in states governed by their party. For example, Gujarat government, under the leadership of Narendra Modi, is believed to be one of the most corrupt state governments in the country. But the outside picture shows development and progress to a layman’s eye. What goes on inside is still unknown as transparency in government affairs is nearly zero in such states. So, the Congress corners the BJP in this manner and tries to create a vote bank for itself.

The regional parties normally remain neutral, but it has been observed that certain leaders like Lalu Prasad Yadav have rubbished the idea of bringing the Lokpal Bill in such haste. These leaders offer a safe passage and ask for the bill to be reconsidered by a special committee. But this is again a way to play out the issue and offer a neutral view which doesn’t appear to be neutral.

Thus we have the Lokpal issue hanging in mid-air except for a few pushes given by Anna anshans and public gatherings. The idea of Lokpal is very old. The concept, the mechanism …they all promise a lot. ‘Promises’- haven’t we heard the word before? Like a thousand times or more? India is not a land of opportunities as much as it is a land of promises. From time unmemorable, we have been feeding on promises made by rulers, colonial expansionists, national leaders, government and politicians. We need a bit of a fodder every now and then. But this does not speed up our process of transition. Time alone makes our country move. Only a few contribute towards grabbing this country by its neck and dragging it forward.

Corruption is such a vital part of our daily lives that letting it go is not something that can be achieved with anshans, topis and Annas. It depends more on self discipline rather than strict measures. We must remember that strict measures do not yield discipline always. At times they yield disgust, dissatisfaction and even a revolution. One cannot just walk in and order everyone to bring out their belongings because you feel it’s time we checked who carries how much. You can call it an effort if you want but blackmailing the government and threatening the democratic nature of a country is no means to try and fight corruption. I heard that about 1 lakh people signed up on the internet for a ’Jail’ thing. Let the time come, we’ll see how many actually turn up. And yes, 1 lakh out of 1.21 billion, wow…surely we all are ready to go to jail and bring change.

The ends are fine, but the means are just unacceptable. You cannot threaten to destabilize a nation. If we agree to Anna’s demands today, there are several other groups who have ridiculous demands. You have the Khalistan, Telangana, ULFA, naxalites and what not. Should we just agree to their demands in case any of them starts an ‘Anshan episode’? Should we divide the country? Give up democracy and move towards autocracy? Such Anna-rchy is simply unacceptable. We need to switch off our TVs, fold back our newspapers and open up our brains.

Team Anna talks of fighting corruption as though they are about to come out with an anti-corruption pill.

‘One pill a day, keeps corruption away’

I hope the pill comes in different flavors, seeing how diverse this country is and tastes and preferences vary from person to person and region to region. And besides that, I just love the idea of killing all the corruption inside me in one go, with absolutely no regrets or bad memories but just the taste of roasted hazelnut chocolate in my mouth. Mmmm!!...my appetite for corruption seems to be growing.