Mockery of our democracy

sometime back I was reading this news in the newspaper that our esteemed mr. and mrs. prime minister did not exercise their franchise in the recently held elections in Assam (state in India). when the news spread, the spokesperson for "congress" comes out and says that our PM chose not to vote for security reasons and because of the cost of logistics involved in flying mr. and mrs. to Assam from Delhi along with his security detail, cost of keeping him in Assam other logistic issues like his travel planning etc. while in Assam. I was really surprised on this "irresponsible" statement/s made by the spokesperson. do they really run these statements with the PM first before they go out and announce it in the public? well maybe. history has already shown us the kind of statements our prime minister gives in front of the delegation (and the general public, as the whole thing was televised), when he (PM) called the meeting to discuss about the corruption in politics etc.

have they forgotten the postal ballot rule? are our ministers and babus so out of touch with the election process that they do not know that HE could have exercised his right to vote using the postal ballot scheme? I am sure nearly everyone is aware that if any citizen of India is not in a position to cast his vote by being physically present at the voting booth, they can write back to the EC and get an option of casting their vote by means of postal ballot. if this possibility was not present, how else can the "Jawans" (our defense personnel) on the border etc. will exercise their right?

I am sure if the spokesperson would have given a little extra thought on what he is about to say, he would have thought about this and would not have given this kind of an irresponsible statements to the media. what's the logistics cost for a postal ballot? and when the hard earned money of the Indian public is already being spilled in drains by our governments, it would not have mattered that several extra crores would have been spent in they going to Assam and exercising their right to vote.

government spends crores or rupees in creating ad campaigns and telecasting in all possible channels about the general public exercise their voting rights. but when our elected leader choose not to how can you blame the general public not exercising their right. this is the most pathetic situation i have seen in my time. this government has shown us the lowest of the lows that is possible. so many governments came and so many went. but the way this government has gone down has touched the lowest lows possible.

1. Cost of living is all time high in India
2. Cost of procurement goods has gone an all time high
3. Taxes are at an high and no respite to the honest people who pay their taxes
4. No one wants to touch the BIGGIES who evade taxes, puts money in international banks, and does all kind of illegal activities.
5. Corruption is all time high.
6. handicap government. the worst of its kind in all these years.

I want to go on and on and on and have unending thoughts about all what i am already saying here. don't know when will it end :-(

The politics of environment

I guess many who will read the title will understand what I am going to say here today. For years now people would have realized that the climate all over the world is changing; and a change that is drastic and not good for the people who live in it. There have been numerous debates on how we humans are killing our planet earth by use of fossil fuels etc. Numerous discussions but all in vain. Few of the optimistic ones will say that they are not all in vain and that we need to do what we need to do. I agree. Totally. But I want to ask the politicians and the capitalist class. How much is enough? The nexus between corporate and politics (or politicians) cannot be ruled out. It has been seen time and again how these 2 class of people make or break the nation. But now the things have taken a more uglier turn. The same class of people are working towards making the world an unsafe place to live. How many planets do they think they have to live? They live in the same planet and they themselves are killing it.

At this point I remember the tale of "Kalidas". It is said that as a kid he was cutting a branch of a tree on which he was sitting on. I want to ask the modern day Kalidasa's; do they really need to be a moron to understand what wrong they are doing?

All the environmental pacts have been disregarded and oil still claims to be the most prized possession in this world. The alternative sources of energy are discouraged, so that people can claim supremacy in this world. "What world?" There will be nothing left of it you moron.

I remember watching a number of documentaries and feature length movies where scientists etc. come forward and explain in plain English what is going wrong and where are we heading to. I say that even a layman can understand the movie or the documentary. What I fail to understand is what are these politicians and corporates made of that they do not understand the depth of their doings (or wrong doings).

A small number of world's population is denying the rest of the world from their right to live. I stand in contempt.

May God give them some brains in their puny little heads to understand that it will also be their sons and daughters and their families beyond who will suffer for something that they are doing now.

After a long hiatus

I am back again after a long hiatus of 5 years. What was I missing. I guess nothing. Things have gone from bad to worse it seems to me. I think I am getting more and more pessimistic everyday. From the moment I wake up to the time I go back to sleep, all I get to see, hear and experience is the bad news. Morning newspaper, evening news or driving/walking on the road - BAD news.

Government is not even a bit ashamed of all the corruption charges being pelted at them. Why not? Well they are "charges" *only*, nothing more; Not yet proven in the court of law. "WHAT???". Have you gone bonkers in your head? No Sir, this is the truth about us (and it seems that the trend is spreading to every other known democracy in this world (believe me, its true). We are the movers and shakers of the world you know.

Everybody seems to get on the bandwagon of corruption. Now when I look at the present day politics I feel that one is not eligible to become a minister if you do not have the corruption bug in you. I always wanted to keep myself at a distance from politics, but I find myself getting pulled towards everyday. Not good from my blood pressure I guess. I am sure I will find myself in some bloody hospital, complaining about hypertension because of this.

I remember someone telling me a joke a couple of years back. It goes like this. A person prays to GOD for a long time. GOD pays him a visit and grants him a wish. He asks for a road to be built from his home in India to Canada so that he could travel between the 2 countries without any hassles. GOD is flabbergasted. He asks the man to ask something else, as it was not possible to build such a road. The man thinks for sometime and then asks GOD to remove corruption from Indian politics. GOD asks the man "How many lanes do you need on the road?".

What is happening to Bangalore????

SHOCKING!!!!
(I just ran out of words)

The Aftermath of the BPO Blunder!!!!!!

i am not sure how many people are aware of the rape and murder case of the BPO employee in bangalore. this has been one of the most unfortunate incidents that can occur in this beautiful [read no longer beautiful] city of bangalore. now there has been hue and cry about the incident, which can be expected. but tell me someone, is there a real solution to this problem? there has been numerous mails on the incident and also mails from security etc. about how to solve the problem of safety of the female workers. after having read some of the do's and don'ts of what is going to happen/should be done etc. i came to a conclusion that these ideas come to a BUNCH OF FOOLS, who are no better than the monkeys in the zoo.

one such idea they have come up with: "if under unavoidable circumstances, a female passanger has to travel alone in the cab, then there should be an armed or unarmed [different versions] security guard who will travel with the female passanger".

now instead of one agressor, they want to have two possible agressor against the lone female employee. so if there are any chances for the female employee to make a run, the other person is added so that she cannot make any escape and succumb to her fate. HOW IRONIC. how can the organization/security think that the 3rd party male drivers are bad, but their own male security personnel are not never going to be the agressor? can they guarantee the same? now i am not favoring the drivers here, nor i am saying that all the people working here [especially from the lower socio-economic sections of the society] are all bad etc., but one will have to be proactive about their way of thinking and formulating policies. even the companies should not flout their responsibilites in terms of the security of their employees. the same employees that are the building blocks of the enormous empires they are trying to run, their main source of money generation etc. etc. if their spending some money can get back the sense of security in their employees then why not. they can think of it as the long term capital investment.

there have been so many suggestions from different groups, from organizations etc. but some of them were outright foolish and lacked any depth. a couple of them that i really liked were to eliminate the driving section of the cabs with steel mesh of pre-established strengh. but adding to it, this also requires that the wind shields, and window panes etc. are bullet proof. it will definitely add to the cost of the car, but it is nothing when compared to the life and good being of the employees. another one that i liked was that the employees should be armed with pepper sprays [and let me add one more: the stainer spray, the stains don't go off the body for more than 15 days no matter what and has a foul smell]. they had been instumental in saving a lot of lives in the past in the west. there will be many more ideas that might be there in all of you. why don't you people out there come out with ideas to make the world a lot more safer place to live in.

some of the ideas that were issued are mentioned here for your perusal and comments [ideas in bold are the ones that i liked and the italicized ones are not very practial. outright foolish ones are removed for the safety of the fellow beings that they do not take those actions by mistake]:

• When traveling alone in the cab make sure you pass on the vehicle registration number to our relative / friend with the estimated time of arrival at your destination. Make sure the driver also hears this conversation.

• Lady employees: Please insist on another male employee to be present in the cab during the night pick-up/drop. If you happen to be the first pick-up/last drop/lone traveler please do not board the cab. [I am not sure how are they going to make it to the job/home in this situation]

• Please do not board the cab if the identification display is not available.

• Avoid discussing your personal / immediate plans while in the cab. Keep mobiles charged and with sufficient balance to make emergency calls if required.

• Avoid being friendly with drivers or withdrawing cash from ATMs en route.

• Never permit unknown persons or drivers associates to ride in the same vehicle.

• In case the vehicle stops at a secluded / lonely spot and the driver makes an excuse of engine malfunction / no fuel, get down from the vehicle immediately and from a safe distance, observe his actions and call up the help desk or your Supervisor and inform.

Happy Birthday to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hmmm... so the day came once again when i went into the thinking mode, whether to laugh or to cry... laugh because it is my b'day today; and cry because it is my b'day today. these seemingly paradoxical emotions might seem odd to one. but i had been thinking about it for days, and you know what, i got to the point when i realized that b'days are nothing but one more year gone by and now that i am one year older. but then there is always the classical outlook towards b'days, which tends to make it the joyous occasion.

now, since the classical view to b'days is more prevelant in the present day world we ought to go about with the same. loved ones, stangers etc. come and wish you "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" and you have to thank them for their seemingly sincere wishes. one thing good about it is that it gives yet another reason for rejoicing and partying, boozing etc.;

so coming back to my b'day once again. well i had a surprise call on the 18th night and this person comes to my place with no clue that its going to be my b'day in a couple of hours. somehow the person remembers it and arranges a really beautiful cake with a candle on it, and that too at the unGODLY hour of the night. well the beginning was really a beautiful one. i felt good about the start of my b'day. now the day is not all that good [how can it be when you have to spend the day in the office :-( ]. no worries, i said. there is always another day to rejoice. and the rejoicing will be specially great when it is someone elses' b'day and he/she is paying for the treat. laughing to myself, i settled back with the classical view of b'days once again thinking "rejoicing is the theme of BIRTHDAYS!!!!". :-)

THE FIRST POST

hmmmm... so atlast i started doing the very thing that i never wanted to do... i always used to think about it... "what kind of a lowlife goes about putting their thoughts on the web for the others to read..."... i will now have to rethink about that again... since i too am joining this community (rather i would name it as"WEBUNITY") of bloggers... ok.. ok.. before one of the fellow bloggers get pissed off on me...

now one may think, why, a person who never wanted to start one of his own, have i done it as well??? i am still asking the same question to myself... but one thing is evident, and it is that this stuff really gives you a place to say what you feel like saying!!! now i can say what ever i want to, because this is my place and my space... so guys don't stop me and don't say no to me... listen or be left out :-))

i will speak and i will speak and i will let my thoughts out in the open for the world to read and for all the people who care/or don't care for that matter... i will have an opportunity to let me anger vent out, my happiness shown, my sadness shared etc... i think this is what i needed for a long time rather than having to devour it all alone...

i guess i have found myself a new friend.