The upbeat sentiment surrounding the Modi government is still in the air but a caution seems to be creeping up on it. Reports assessing one year performance of the BJP led govt give an overall optimistic feedback. This seems debatable as the criteria for assessment and the weights attached to these are to a fair extent, subjective. Until now the focus has been on economic growth. As much as it is important to fuel the engine of production and consumption , the social culture based on gender, religion and democratic rights should not be overlooked as it dictates the quality of life in a country.
During the central elections the major criticism for BJP led government was based on imposition of its Hindutva ideology if it came to power. A growing string of events have given ground to such fears and the govt has been passive in dealing with them which shows nonchalance towards protection of minority rights or a latent affirmation of these events which is what probably fueled the audacity of the misdoers in the first place.
If we had to enlist the ideal qualities in the PM of India ,it would be a long comprehensive list, one which cannot be fathomed in one person alone. So, the issues and goals motivating the leader himself are more likely to be highlighted and dealt with on an average. Modi is thus perceived as a businessman holding the political reigns of the country. This perception has in effect excused him from the increasing identity politics. The array of foreign investments they boast about have come at the cost of rising communalism and sexism. A look at the Brazilian state of affairs and the demerits of 'unaimed opulence' get clearer.
Acche din will flourish when the leaders learn to run a model of inclusive growth. In essence,the Modi govt needs to start viewing the citizenry as a nation rather than an economy only.
Following are some of the key issues discussed to analyse the govt's performance:
Green zone:
-Jan Dhan Yojana
-Increased FDI flows
-Deregulation of Diesel
-Coal and telecommunication auctions
Red Zone:
-Church attacks
-Gujarat reservations
-Beef bans
-Sexist statements of MLAs
Yellow zone:
-Passing of Land aquistion bill?
-Passing of GST?
-Sustainability of Swacch Bharat Abhiyan?
-Increase in social sector expenditure?
-Development and expansion of rail links?
-Banning of Nirbhaya documentary?
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Monday, April 6, 2015
*insert catchy cryptic title*
Part I: Donkey Kong
She knew it meant nothing. There were days that melted into nothingness and there was no guilt in the time lost for she realized the purposelessness of life.When she got busy,time wasn't enough and the purpose was too pressing. However,there were times it felt 'right' to be alive;there were times of effortless joy. The load of idleness was too heavy on her existence and the rest seemed forced. There were things she enjoyed which she could do but knew she shouldn't so she wouldn't.
It was chaotic. There were peers who were burning the midnight oil,friends who were on a roll and family that was always bustling around happily. And then there was Steve Jobs. There will always be a Steve Jobs;either you get inspired or self-abhorrent or with some of the blissfully idiotic,wish you had enough room in your garage. So lo behold, after much ado about nothing ,she was looking around for a job which was also forced but came with the bait of cash.
One frustrated day at this hour, she chanced upon a golden thought:she was a donkey. Like the donkey she was toiling away for the master, the society. It wasn't the dreaded nihilism or the start of a guerrilla warfare of artists feared by the elders.It was an economist's tale,the minimization of purpose and effort subject to a purposeless life. It was a realization, a rational thought tarnished by institutionalization, an awakening too simplistic to be an epiphany.
Life's mysterious for its evasive in comprehension,it makes you believe in a pattern only to complicate it further. You go back and forth and estimate the portions of the right condiments only to realize, this time you are in a different dish. So maybe its best to learn to savour the variety of cuisines life has to offer because either way you have to eat.
Well that's too submissive and morose,atleast for my liking . And a little donkeyish. Better get the 007 formula..
She knew it meant nothing. There were days that melted into nothingness and there was no guilt in the time lost for she realized the purposelessness of life.When she got busy,time wasn't enough and the purpose was too pressing. However,there were times it felt 'right' to be alive;there were times of effortless joy. The load of idleness was too heavy on her existence and the rest seemed forced. There were things she enjoyed which she could do but knew she shouldn't so she wouldn't.
It was chaotic. There were peers who were burning the midnight oil,friends who were on a roll and family that was always bustling around happily. And then there was Steve Jobs. There will always be a Steve Jobs;either you get inspired or self-abhorrent or with some of the blissfully idiotic,wish you had enough room in your garage. So lo behold, after much ado about nothing ,she was looking around for a job which was also forced but came with the bait of cash.
One frustrated day at this hour, she chanced upon a golden thought:she was a donkey. Like the donkey she was toiling away for the master, the society. It wasn't the dreaded nihilism or the start of a guerrilla warfare of artists feared by the elders.It was an economist's tale,the minimization of purpose and effort subject to a purposeless life. It was a realization, a rational thought tarnished by institutionalization, an awakening too simplistic to be an epiphany.
Life's mysterious for its evasive in comprehension,it makes you believe in a pattern only to complicate it further. You go back and forth and estimate the portions of the right condiments only to realize, this time you are in a different dish. So maybe its best to learn to savour the variety of cuisines life has to offer because either way you have to eat.
Well that's too submissive and morose,atleast for my liking . And a little donkeyish. Better get the 007 formula..
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
A Happy Victory
Today is an inspirational day for the aam admi. AAP beat the political veterans,BJP and Congress by a wide margin ,67-3-0 respectively. I found it quite unexpected. Probably because the system is such that one feels words speak louder than actions. The city seemed to be awash with a 'Modi wave' following his sweeping victory in the central election. Indeed the BJP was trying to put their best foot forward with women leading the Republic Day Parade, publicizing Obama and Modi's chemistry,Swatch Bharat Abhiyan,meeting foreign leaders etc. Seems like a party actively working for the country. Pick up the microscope and you see chaos behind the scenes.
Secularism should be an implicit understanding for leaders of a pluralist democratic state instead casteism is BJP's septre. Vandalizing churches,saying "boys will be boys" in response to women's safety and urging Hindu women to bear at least four children isn't the mark of a healthy party let alone compassionate.
Aam Admi loaded with their idealistic notions and well intentioned young members is not devoid of flaws including being more activist in nature than exhibiting leadership. However, for all their mistakes on thier 2 year short journey, their agenda, to sincerely serve the people and improve the city,has remained steadfast. While the big shots 'swept' gathered dirt in the middle of clean Rajpath roads,the AAP members picked up the jhadoo for good use and sweeped away to clean the city. The saffron brigade took over the city with their aggressive and also offensive campaigning while AAP campaigned for themselves not against others , judiciously using their limited human and monetary capital. These small things resonate with the common man and his needs and desires. Whether one lives in a sprawling bungalow or a slum dwelling,we all want our city to progress ergo 67/70.
This day also marks goodwill and hard work reigning over shrewdness and 'andha paisa'.
Good luck to AAP and hope they bring the change we all wish to see.
P.S. As for Mrs Bedi and Shazia Ilmi, I guess its part of human nature to be opportunist,its only rational. However, what's irrational is considering the common man as herded cattle.
P.P.S. If the lakhs they spent on getting an advertisement published on the front page of a national newspaper,in violation to the code of conduct on election day,was instead spent on building winter shelters for the homeless,it wouldn't have been an utter waste of public money.
P.P.P.S. I had written a mail to AAP regarding negative publicity towards their party. I not only got a prompt response but liked how they retaliated by defensive campaigning and didn't resort to dirty political war play.
Secularism should be an implicit understanding for leaders of a pluralist democratic state instead casteism is BJP's septre. Vandalizing churches,saying "boys will be boys" in response to women's safety and urging Hindu women to bear at least four children isn't the mark of a healthy party let alone compassionate.
Aam Admi loaded with their idealistic notions and well intentioned young members is not devoid of flaws including being more activist in nature than exhibiting leadership. However, for all their mistakes on thier 2 year short journey, their agenda, to sincerely serve the people and improve the city,has remained steadfast. While the big shots 'swept' gathered dirt in the middle of clean Rajpath roads,the AAP members picked up the jhadoo for good use and sweeped away to clean the city. The saffron brigade took over the city with their aggressive and also offensive campaigning while AAP campaigned for themselves not against others , judiciously using their limited human and monetary capital. These small things resonate with the common man and his needs and desires. Whether one lives in a sprawling bungalow or a slum dwelling,we all want our city to progress ergo 67/70.
This day also marks goodwill and hard work reigning over shrewdness and 'andha paisa'.
Good luck to AAP and hope they bring the change we all wish to see.
P.S. As for Mrs Bedi and Shazia Ilmi, I guess its part of human nature to be opportunist,its only rational. However, what's irrational is considering the common man as herded cattle.
P.P.S. If the lakhs they spent on getting an advertisement published on the front page of a national newspaper,in violation to the code of conduct on election day,was instead spent on building winter shelters for the homeless,it wouldn't have been an utter waste of public money.
P.P.P.S. I had written a mail to AAP regarding negative publicity towards their party. I not only got a prompt response but liked how they retaliated by defensive campaigning and didn't resort to dirty political war play.
Monday, October 6, 2014
Learning and competing-lessons from my dance class
I have always been pushed to beat others and then myself. I would this attitude is largely imbibed by my school and also in part by my parents. "I don't care if you have got the highest in the class but is it a perfect score?"; This is something that was etched in my mind though obviously it couldn't dampen my joy of topping a paper (hehehe). Although having competitive streak has its own advantages, like being a great driving force, striving for better, pushing ourselves to come at par etc. Quite often it can also lead us astray in many ways. This I know through experience and observation. Like instead of learning a concept, like (from the top of my head) the importance of assumptions of a simple OLS regression, we tend to prepare according to the nature of questions that we would be tested on. Though this 'intent' based preparation maybe rendered useless if the institution designs rigorous application and/or conceptual based questions. Quite often a student may also feel overburdened by something I would like to call 'phantom' stress ,caused by competition. My mind space tends to be occupied by this form of stress, i.e. you don't know how much your peers have prepared and how thorough they are with a topic; you continuously compare yourself with an unknown yardstick.
I bring up my dance class cause with passing time I find myself drawing parallels between my learning in the studio and academic learning and further draw analogies with lifestyle and outlooks towards life in general.In this blog entry, I only focus on the competitive bit of it. I have an on and off student of Danceworx and I learn Jazz. I was an extremely shy, hesitant and reclusive person in school. I joined dance with the purpose of opening up and of course cause my school had its good share of Jennifer Beals and I hoped I could strive to be one of them. Turns out I was good at the workout cause I am decently flexible and had stamina. I also got complimented on my dancing cause I could show attitude. I got promoted to higher levels and later in undergraduate was even selected in the dance society. However, all the years I never realized that I was still a shy dancer and maybe a moody one too. I freeze in front of the mirror and my body doesn't have the groove of a typical dancer. I thought I would quickly get promoted this time too(I had dropped out for over 12 months and I have rejoined at the beginner's level). However, this time my instructor hasn't promoted me yet even though I maybe as good or marginally better than other students. She has put me up against me. And I having a tough time struggling cause I am trying to compete with the image of a dancer in my head. A good motivation as it maybe, its still not sufficient. With passing classes I realized I perform better when I tell myself "you can do it" and if I let go and enjoy the music(which seldom happens cause am too conscious too look silly...well at least when I am in the studio :P). It made me realize enjoying what you are doing is as crucial for learning, if not more, than striving to do well. So I am trying to let my hair down and just sway with the music. And I hope the number of times I am in the moment get greater than the number of times I think of the moment! ^_^
## Ain't nobody like my girl Jennifer Beals yo! Get outta here! ##
>> It's a small observation I thought I would share. Any epiphanies from you?! Comment and let me know! =)
I bring up my dance class cause with passing time I find myself drawing parallels between my learning in the studio and academic learning and further draw analogies with lifestyle and outlooks towards life in general.In this blog entry, I only focus on the competitive bit of it. I have an on and off student of Danceworx and I learn Jazz. I was an extremely shy, hesitant and reclusive person in school. I joined dance with the purpose of opening up and of course cause my school had its good share of Jennifer Beals and I hoped I could strive to be one of them. Turns out I was good at the workout cause I am decently flexible and had stamina. I also got complimented on my dancing cause I could show attitude. I got promoted to higher levels and later in undergraduate was even selected in the dance society. However, all the years I never realized that I was still a shy dancer and maybe a moody one too. I freeze in front of the mirror and my body doesn't have the groove of a typical dancer. I thought I would quickly get promoted this time too(I had dropped out for over 12 months and I have rejoined at the beginner's level). However, this time my instructor hasn't promoted me yet even though I maybe as good or marginally better than other students. She has put me up against me. And I having a tough time struggling cause I am trying to compete with the image of a dancer in my head. A good motivation as it maybe, its still not sufficient. With passing classes I realized I perform better when I tell myself "you can do it" and if I let go and enjoy the music(which seldom happens cause am too conscious too look silly...well at least when I am in the studio :P). It made me realize enjoying what you are doing is as crucial for learning, if not more, than striving to do well. So I am trying to let my hair down and just sway with the music. And I hope the number of times I am in the moment get greater than the number of times I think of the moment! ^_^
## Ain't nobody like my girl Jennifer Beals yo! Get outta here! ##
>> It's a small observation I thought I would share. Any epiphanies from you?! Comment and let me know! =)
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Entertainment Dodo: Petulant opinions and pish posh
Quite recently, I was led to believe that my preferences in terms of the content of entertainment, may be becoming instinct for this world. Belonging to a fairly conservative family and being an Indian child born in the 90's, am the sort of kid who covered her eyes during the steamy scenes of Titanic.Till my late teens, I derived great entertainment value from Cartoon Network and Disney channel . Watching the famous sitcom, F.R.I.E.N.D.S. ,was like achieving a benchmark in adulthood. The frequency and casualness with which they spoke about their sexual endeavors and French kissed, was quite a leap from seeing two shaking flowers in the Indian movies. Ofcourse, the brilliant humour,direction, acting and screen play got me addicted to the show. I can watch all the episodes repeatedly and still be as amused and awestruck as the first time. Infact all the onscreen 'romancing' further added a flavour of reality to the show and I guess everybody wishes to be a 'Monichandler'.I can rant on about the awesomeness of the show but I guess a separate post on that later.
I also watched a few seasons of Full house which I categorized as a "clean" show. It was cute,funny and endearing until it got redundant and dull.I also started watching Suite life of Zack and Cody out of my desperation for a neat show without sex as its main element.It was light and innocent comedy and I watched more than one season! Everybody loves Raymond,Happy Endings and Rules of engagement were some shows that I enjoyed too.I was also temporarily hooked on to Desperate housewives and Keeping up with the Kardashians .Two and a half men was funny too until it gave me a headache. In-fact, despite the show being based on the protagonist's promiscuity, I found it to be quite juvenile.
Prison Break was grotesque but my curiosity got the better of me and I completed the first season and then left it. However, it seemed quite benign after watching Game of thrones! Oh.my.god. That show has created a rage and everyone around is hooked to it! I forced myself to watch the first two seasons to dent my prudish tendencies. I wont deny that I enjoyed the story line, a Pottermore member, I do like a good story centered around magic, but if feeling shocked while watching a ten year old be breast fed ,women giving birth to shadows and dragons, gross forms of incest, mutilated bloody body parts strewn across the snow, massacre of babies ,et cetera ,et cetera, make me a snob, then be it!
Am presently following The Big Bang Theory ,Modern Family and Arrested Development which are in the top ten in the IMDB TV series list, so I guess my preferences are not exactly obsolete. Saw pilot episode of The Sopranos, found it catchy but I don't know if starting an entire new show in the middle of my thesis is a good idea.
## WTF?? So basically you despise GOT? Worrrrd! ##
>>No, am not yet a CouchPotato on QuizUp, I was just unreasonable irked by the GOT craze. Got similar views? Comment away. Got " Winter is coming" on your shirt? Go swim in a meat ball pit.
I also watched a few seasons of Full house which I categorized as a "clean" show. It was cute,funny and endearing until it got redundant and dull.I also started watching Suite life of Zack and Cody out of my desperation for a neat show without sex as its main element.It was light and innocent comedy and I watched more than one season! Everybody loves Raymond,Happy Endings and Rules of engagement were some shows that I enjoyed too.I was also temporarily hooked on to Desperate housewives and Keeping up with the Kardashians .Two and a half men was funny too until it gave me a headache. In-fact, despite the show being based on the protagonist's promiscuity, I found it to be quite juvenile.
Prison Break was grotesque but my curiosity got the better of me and I completed the first season and then left it. However, it seemed quite benign after watching Game of thrones! Oh.my.god. That show has created a rage and everyone around is hooked to it! I forced myself to watch the first two seasons to dent my prudish tendencies. I wont deny that I enjoyed the story line, a Pottermore member, I do like a good story centered around magic, but if feeling shocked while watching a ten year old be breast fed ,women giving birth to shadows and dragons, gross forms of incest, mutilated bloody body parts strewn across the snow, massacre of babies ,et cetera ,et cetera, make me a snob, then be it!
Am presently following The Big Bang Theory ,Modern Family and Arrested Development which are in the top ten in the IMDB TV series list, so I guess my preferences are not exactly obsolete. Saw pilot episode of The Sopranos, found it catchy but I don't know if starting an entire new show in the middle of my thesis is a good idea.
## WTF?? So basically you despise GOT? Worrrrd! ##
>>No, am not yet a CouchPotato on QuizUp, I was just unreasonable irked by the GOT craze. Got similar views? Comment away. Got " Winter is coming" on your shirt? Go swim in a meat ball pit.
The time my phone was hospitalized:A case of butterfingers
It all happened in one swift motion and came as quite a shock. Samsung slipped and fell face down and immediately sustained injuries. I could see it was functioning but there were cuts all over it. I didn't want to strain it so I let it sleep. On returning home I encased it in a plastic bag. It was pretty heart breaking, like a murdered victim in a plastic sheet preserved for post mortem. It took days to find the special care centre,Samsung Customer Care, which was quite far from home but it was my only hope. So I drove down to the centre and filled out the necessary forms. I was immediately summoned at the reception where I gave a brief description of the accident. I was intimated of the operation cost and I nodded my head vigorously. Anything to get my Samsung back in shape. My father was sceptical about the deal and wondered if it was time for me to move on. I outrightly shot down his 'concerns'. Next, I was summoned by the specialists themselves. Donning a baby blue lab coat, he smiled at me and told me they would try their best and soon. I insisted on an immediate diagnosis and operation. The staff was patient with me and surprisingly acknowledged my pleas. They asked me if preserving the memory was important as that could be a complication of the operation. My mind flashed all the selfies that we had taken and I gravely replied in affirmative. It was a long and agonizing wait and I was worried about the complications and any further damage that might have ensued due to the tragic fall. I was pacing up and down when they called out my name. I ran to the twelfth compartment and saw my Samsung lying there,all fixed. It was attached to a life support chord as it was low on energy and was bandaged in a plastic screen guard. Soon, the color returned to its face and it was bright and active as before. I thanked the specialist for his efforts and blissfully clung on to my phone. I am happy to have it back in good shape but as a precautionary measure, I plan to get a nice rubber support. All is well. Thank you Digesus.
## WTF, did she just personify her phone in a billion words???? It is a digital apocalypse son! ##
>> Comments and suggestions are welcome =)
Sunday, November 4, 2012
THAT LADY
I watched her sitting.
Sitting in corner, weaving
Gown reaching the ankle
Golden knit touching the toe
She sat in her world,
away from the world.
All desire to be her,
But like her were few.
Too idle, some would say
And I felt it true.
I couldn’t be like her;
A lady with no wrong.
This world, a speeding train,
I had to change, to adapt,
to run and climb aboard
and now I know
I have run too far away.
But that lady stays.
Stays and weaves her world,
flowing with golden thoughts.
The train chimes and puffs
And I just sit quietly
watching her weave from far away.
This poem captures the dilemma and helplessness of a girl with possibly her mother who represents the older generation embodying traditional values which according to the young girl are hard to adopt in today’s fast moving world. She seems to be sitting in a train and watching a lady weave which triggers her chain of thought. She is leaving the countryside to the town whose culture she has imbibed. The narrator draws comparisons between the “speeding train” and the world. The golden knit is shown to be symbolic of the “golden thoughts” or the pure thoughts that the older generation still nurtures, reminiscing the good old times and shunning the dog-eat-dog world that now prevails.
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