Politics in India

With the election fever gripping the country, politics at the national level is at the top of mind for everyone. As usual, media, politicians and the gossipers among you and me have worked hard to keep the sensational topics at the helm. So let me put down my thoughts down here, hopefully they will serve as good notes to check back my thinking over the next few years. When it comes to putting forward your views, and specially so on politics, disclaimers are a must. And I am not going to go without one. So, the views here are solely mine based on ill read news and half baked thoughts on politics - I am no expert on these matters. Further, had I wanted a debate on my views I would have put these thoughts out on Facebook. Though, you are most welcome to share your thoughts out in the comments below.

So with that let me touch a few topics that are high on mind share.

The national elections are on. And there are a lot of parties involved in this.

Netas: Netas are threatening, bribing and more visibly cajoling voters. There are hate speeches being delivered. Interviews to media are being managed. There are a few prime netas at the core of the debate and let's see what they stand for.

Narendra Modi: The front runner according to multiple surveys for prime minister candidature this year. The person who is touted as an extremist and a pro Hindu leader. A leader who divides. Well, here is what I think. I am in no position to pass a judgment on Modi's involvement in the 2002 riots, but more often than not, if there is smoke, there is fire some where. Modi might have taken actions that were against a community. He did not possibly act like a father in the family who asked his kids to not continue fight and become friends unconditionally. He favored a kid more than the other, leaving the other kids cribbing about favoritism. I think Modi was potentially wrong here and he could have done better.

When it comes to development and governance, I believe there is nobody who comes close to modi. He is far far ahead of his close contenders.

Now this leaves us to weigh modi on the two aspects above and decide on the guy. May be because I have Hindu religious roots, it is easier for me to say that I think India will be better off with modi then without him. My Muslim friends might not use the same lens as I do.

Rahul Gandhi: Please spare me. A brat who just happens to be a Gandhi can't lead this country. This is not what I have come back from US to see.

Media: The media is keeping the debate about extremism,  development, dynasty and every thing under the sun alive. It is also holding hour long modi interviews where he doesn't get cross questioned. Well, it did not take cross questioning to flounder Gandhi. He floundered anyways, and thus did not return to TV.

International media: International media is busy bashing modi and how US and UK don't support him. I wish these countries were minding there own businesses then poking there noses in other countries matter. Where were these countries when a genocide was going on in Rwanda. I am sure these countries are worried that modi will take a pro Russian stand if he comes to power. But for that it would only be these countries at blame, they never thought modi would lead India and were busy passing sanctions on him. Whatever the election results might be, I wish international moral police to keep there thoughts to themselves. It is so difficult to know the reality about what is happening in a neighbors home, leave aside a home that is in a different society.

Indian economy: What waste full last five years. When the  economic growth is so poor, how would business work. And if they do not work, how would they offer work opportunities to others. The economy is in tatters due to corruption and no decision making. Tax payers money has been used to distribute food and laptops. I wish the money was used in something more concrete: infrastructure  development, education. Something that could have enabled people to earn for themselves.

Well, while there is a lot more to be written but let me take a break here. The rest might come out in some other post.

Laxmikant

Me and me

It feels like there were a number of 'me' movies on the show tonight. First 'only me' and then 'Marley and me'. Loved the movies. Great start to a weekend. Whole the first movie was a great movie that turned into laughter riot sometimes, got to say that the second movie does leave it's after thoughts a little bit. Few movies that can match that these days.

Marley and me turned out to be a complete package about a post married life, career juggling life. I think it somewhere matched the sincerity of 'before midnight'. Obviously, you got to see the latter more than once to absorb it all.

What a nice balancing act life is. You start with a pace, you start with a plan. And then you reach some where and you just wanna be. Too scared to move too fast. Too scared to change too many things too quickly. You just want to absorb it all as it is coming to you. If you could assign a curve to the journey of life, you could assign it a S shaped curve on a growing timeline. The initial few years of life are spent building a solid platform for the life ahead. It seems like a plateau on the outside, but inside there is a lot of growth in the person. Then, when you hit the college until you get settled with more education, a spouse,a bunch of kids, a home and a rewarding career you are just fighting it out. This looks like the hockey stick curve of life outside. This is the time that so much stuff is happening and brewing that you just can't sit and relax while you make all these staggeringly important decisions of life.

This brings me to the last plateau of life. The one which starts at 40 for John in the movie Marley and me. When you have it all going then you just need to find new engines to keep you rolling. You don't want to speed it up as you know there is a downward slope waiting for you at the end. You can't be to slow either else you might just lag behind. It's a fine balance that you need to strike. The 20-20 and the one days are over. It's the test match that you need to play now. You pick your balls for the right shots. You have enough time for making the right decisions. The time of haste are gone.

With that I will let it be for the night.

Laxmikant

Interests and opinions

This posting is a trial at two things in one go.

1. Trying my hand at the blogger mobile app. After all do need to put the new smart phone to some relevant use
2. Start writing some pieces of my mind in one place

This might mean that the blogs might be shorter in content, written more often and might put my perspective out. I have refrained from putting my perspectives about things out on Facebook or Twitter. While I have used Facebook quite a bit, I never took to twitter. I never used these as a platform to share my thoughts was that my intent was to put my thoughts in one place, or rather get them out of me and have the ability to refer them at a later point in time and have a peek at my thinking. I am not looking to debate them out, which is what happens on these common social platforms. Also I do not mind enjoying the noon popularity of my blog and this the privacy.

So looking forward to a series of short blogs. The only question is that how would I be able to structure the blog as I start to write about a variety of subjects. But let that not be a barrier to writing itself. We will cross the bridge when we come to it.

So will be back again soon.

Laxmikant