Wit Wisdom and Whoop

Three news items on same day motivated me to write this blog. For sometime now thanks to Modi sarkar I had no time to breathe but that experience will follow sometime in the future, not now. Mars : It was a red letter day in Indian space technology as India became the 4 th country to enter Martian orbit and the first to do so on the first attempt at the lowest cost in least time. Rightfully so the PM was present at this occasion which had the risk of a “failure”. That in itself is a huge feather in his cap because how many politicians will want to be physically present when a failure is a possibility. He further said that if incase there had been a failure he would have assumed responsibility. How many politicians have the courage to state this even as rhetoric? No media reported this incidentally. But the point here is not Modi, and what I said above, was just the preamble.  The point here is the fact that Indian scientists paid peanuts which normally produces monkeys, p...

The elections are over, and results are out. Whether people like it or not, if we believe in democracy, we must accept the result with grace and move on. Modi or Rahul or Mulayam, they are not going to be sitting by your bedside to hold your hand. They are going to throw a basket that has flowers - (some fresh, some stinking rotten and how many of each we don’t know) - into the Indian crowd. What we catch or what hits us we don’t know. So, let’s wait and watch with optimism. One thing I noticed was that after 1977 which was when my personal interest in politics started this was the first election where the majority of the citizens were emotionally involved. Everyone took pole positions, nothing mattered but politics. There was huge polarisation not just in terms of caste, community, religion but also 2 new religions as I came to term them - AM & PM - Anti Modi, Pro Modi - and the 2 new religions dominated the landscape of India drowning the traditional groups. With 72 seats in UP...

I had been observing the comments and reactions of various people on Facebook and while many were friends others were those I didn’t know. However when 2 very educated successful people who can be called opinion makers and who’s opinions are likely to give directions to many a youngster shared some stuff I felt that I had to respond. My responses are as below. What they said, is not relevant to be shared here since that would mean dragging them into my opinion, but anyone who reads this will get the message that I am trying to convey. I love reading all those long detailed posts that many intellectuals post and others share them and other intellectuals then hail and share. I have just one point. I am yet to see a single post by anybody where they talk positive, talk optimistic, talk progress, talk dreams, talk future, talk plans.......the ONLY thing they do very very well is spew hatred, spew vitriol, share pessimism of the hig hest order, make you believe that life is not worth ...

When the run up to the Lok Sabha elections of 2014 were in progress and the  belligerence and hardline attitudes of various politicians both within parties and against opponents unfolded I had a serious doubt that these elections would prove to be violent. So far keeping my fingers crossed since no untoward incidents have happened. But verbal violence has been increasing by the day and no one party or leader can claim to be above it. The speeches are full of barbs,  jabs, punches, sarcasm but never have I seen a single incident of wit where the point is made with a joke which is both conveying the message and also is not offensive. At best the sarcasm has elicited laughter. While elections are generally a  free for all and so greater latitude given, fact is that every single party has been going overboard and none are spared.  While this discourse from the main stream parties like Congress, BJP, SP etc are to be expected and so taken with a large bucket of sa...

This is the email I got and my response is below. Of course AAP has neither acknowledged my mail nor do I expect them to since you see they are god, perfection rolled into one. From:  Aam Aadmi Party To:  Ravindra Vasisht <................>  Sent:  Wednesday, 2 April 2014 9:53 PM Subject:  Why did Arvind Kejriwal resign? Dear Ravindra Vasisht As an Aam Aadmi Party supporter, you must have been asked a hundred times, why Arvind Kejriwal resigned as the Delhi Chief Minister? Well, here is the answer. AAP got  only 28 of 70 seats  in the Delhi Assembly election. Still, the Lt Governor invited Arvind to form the government, as the Congress (with 8 seats) had offered unconditional support. Finding it hard to believe, Arvind sent a letter to the Congress President listing out the 18 points in the AAP manifesto, including passing of the Jan Lokpal bill. The Congress reverted saying it will support AAP unconditionally ...

I sat moodily at the Anglers Arms & Rest nursing a homemade brew and contemplating life. When I had woken up in the morning I was bright as a lark, the elections had been announced and there was a buzz all around but the events of the day had affected me badly. Betty our resident waitress stopped by and said “A vote for your thoughts”  I winced visibly since if that were to happen maybe I should seriously reconsider moving to some place where elections are banned. Betty looked at me and said “What’s biting you? Is it girl trouble?” Well, I wish it were since I think those troubles are easier to handle than what I was facing. Betty didn’t wait for me to answer but said  “You are looking like my brother who is also trying to drink his troubles away. And to think that all I asked him was to help me put out an advertisement in the matrimonial website for me, his being an IT guy and all that”. “So you getting married ? Who’s the lucky guy?” Betty scornfully said “If ...

There has been a lot of brouhaha about gas prices which has been raised by  Arvind Kejriwal and many of his supporters think he speaks gospel truth and scream even louder on the issue. I am sorry to note that  very few even seem to know basic facts and the slightly more aware throw in the name  of former cabinet secretary and others as proof that Kejriwal is right.  For a minute assuming that Kejriwal is right which he is not, how come none of these  worthies like the cabinet secretary are coming out and defending him ? The reason is simple. What they spoke and what he is speaking are two different issues and they realise as decent gentleman that if they stand up to defend him ,they would get stuck with the  mud for his lies. More on that later. Firstly let us understand the fundamentals  of gas business.  It is a high risk high return game. Barring places like middle east in every other location globally you need to literally sink in bill...

Somehow I have been a close follower of politics since the emergency days and subsequently my job gave me an opportunity to interact with many a politician and that only increased my understanding and  appreciation of the challenges.  After the historic elections in 1977 when the country got its first non Congress India has never seen a election that  was emotionally surcharged with strong  and  different political opinions till this impending election of 2014.  While many would like to point out that a Modi is a polarising figure the reality is that each of the major players in the elections – Modi/BJP, Rahul/Congress & Arvind/AAP are equally polarising in their own ways. Each of their supporters have very strong emotionally connected views and life to each is black/ white. No more the shade of grey that one thinks life is all about. When you think of any election, especially this one the fact is that barring for that one brief moment when you pres...