Saturday, May 14, 2011

Hate

Hate is a very strong word. Somebody must have wronged you or someone you love very bad for you to develop such a feeling. There is a big difference between you not liking something and you really hating it. There are many things that one may not like but hate is something different, something what the jihadis have for India or Palestine for Israel. So if you get a measure of what i am trying to say then you would appreciate the fact that it is something very personal and emotional. I know many of you feel that i 'hate' almost everything but actually its more like not liking those things and there are very few things i actually hate. I don't like any good thing that happens for the people/things i hate and i cringe at the very thought of such things and you can say i hate those people who promote such things. So where am i going with all this? Today i want to talk about the thing i hate on God's green earth.
Throughout its more than 130 years of existence Congress party of India has been the single major political force in the country and still remains a fierce opponent. But if we take a look at the years of rule the country has spent under them then it paints a sad story. Had it not been for the heroics of the revolutionaries under Azad, Bhagat Singh and others (sadly whose name i can't remember) we would have been under the british rule for another 25 years. After independence, Nehru let the democratic system to rot to such an extent that corruption became another word for bureaucracy. No wonder the biggest scams and controversies always involve a congress leader or a strong ally. Bofors (64 crores), JMM bribery case, Madhu Koda (4000 crores), Sharad Pawar's food scam, Commonwealth 2010 (30000 crores unofficially), 2G scam (>1 lakh crores) and countless others that probably have not come to light. Sadly though all are yet to be proven in the court of law Each one where the country lost its millions to Swiss bank accounts.
If corruption was not enough decisions of the leaders in power have scarred the nation for the worst. Be it Nehru for rejecting UNSC permanent seat, supposed creation of LTTE by Rajiv Gandhi, still to be judged massacre of sikhs by Tytler, emergency declaration by Indira Gandhi, reported atrocities by Sanjay Gandhi etc. One great leader once said that all congress wants is to stay in power, they don't care what's the status of the country or where it is heading. So true if you consider what potential we had and what we are currently at. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they are fools or anything. In fact I think they have some of the best minds in this country. It would take a lot to carry out plans for such big frauds and devising strategies to make the right kind of noises before elections to win the seats. That's what makes congress a deadly opponent because they know how to influence voter opinions. Sure, congress supporters will come up and say that they have done so much for the progress of the country which i'm not ready to acknowledge here. The GDP growth, standard of living etc etc. and of course the fallacies of other political parties (BJP, Shiv Sena, Left etc etc.)
First lets talk about the other political parties. I'm not saying they are good or better than congress but there are levels which i am willing to accept. I don't condone Godhra and it saddens me to think of it even but apart from that there are fewer scams and controversies connected to them and hence i would say choose the lesser of the two evils. Second, the growth the country has seen in the last decade. To be honest, i feel that it began with the Vajpayee government. That paved way for world to acknowledge that India is the next destination and that GOI will act favorably to investments. Congress, just carried forward those policies and built on that groundwork to take India to where it stands today and this again refers to my initial point of making the right noises at the right time. there have been instances of the public not happy with the way govt. functions but come election time those issues are brushed aside and a rosy picture is painted to fool the public. Brilliant minds at work i would say.
So i guess by now you knowthat i hate the very existence of the congress. I can never forgive it or its leaders for the loss they have brought to this country. I know many would not agree with me but I'm not writing this to please/convince anyone. This is what i feel and nothing can change that. I wrote it because i wanted to as this is something personal and important to me. 

Sunday, May 8, 2011

A Second Coming

Ok i'm back after another 2 months in isolation. Remembering those times when i used to write something every week. Though in the past i have written on politics and sports and entertainment but somehow i don't want to do that today as there's already been written too much about all the recent events. But there is something i think that deserves attention and it is the ability of film makers to go beyond the ordinary and produce a gem of an item. Going back 7-8 months, there was Christopher Nolan's INCEPTION which left everyone wanting for more and simply unsure of whether they are real or living some dream. As impressive that movie was, i came across another great movie in Source Code. I am a fan of human intellect and when people can produce great works of art like these movies it surely makes for great viewing. 
Such movies force you to use your mind and make you think and question your existence. The very essence of why you are here and what purpose you serve on this earth. It makes me wonder and going back to the days of Matrix, whether what i'm feeling is real or just some program being run to make me believe in something that actually is fake. Nonetheless it has its own excitement and thrill attached to it. But believe me, that euphoria is usually short lived. I mean you can sit and think about the meaning of your existence only for so long. There will come a time when you will move on and venture back into the daily routine of your life. The routine that we all love and something we set ourselves into and any deviations from it just don't seem that interesting to follow. 
A change of scenario though at times is quite welcome and this brings me to the second part of what i want to talk about here today. The first year of MBA is over and as i sit in my seat at the office i am doing my internship in, i just can't fail to remember the 4 years i spent in Pentair. The car pool to and from office. The endless early morning discussions. The call to breakfast table (thanks to Lord Gulati). Eating lunch together an d of course the wonderful feeling of TGIF!!, a phrase made popular by the movie Bheja Fry!! So i sit at my desk and wondering at times what i'm doing here and surely missing all the wonderful times i spent in my last organization. This makes me wonder how my life one year down the line would be? Will i have a group of friends to call my own and spend my time with?
There are other moments, other people in my life today that make it worthwhile but i sure miss those good old days and i don't know whether something like that will ever happen again. Looking forward to the coming times i know i'll be missing my friends a lot when they leave for Europe and there won't be much time left for us to spend together after that. So i guess what i'm trying to say through all this is that there are moments you would give anything to have back. Cherish those moments and make them count so that in future when you take a look back at what all you have done, these come and bring a smile to your face. I don't want to get preachy about it but i guess my second coming as a working professional has indeed awakened some memories and remembering those times has just made me a bit emotional. A temporary deviation from the routine and i know this phase would soon be gone too. So those of you who have had the patience to read all this i say thank you for listening to my thoughts and goodbye and have fun...!!!