THE GREAT GAME II--AAP KAUN?

“ AAP KAUN?”, this coming from the sports minister,M.S.Gill must have shocked Pullela Gopichand ,when he accompanied the Badminton prodigy, Saina Nehwal ,for an audience with the sports minister, after the Olympics. For the uninitiated , Pullela Gopichand is only the second Indian after the great Prakash Padukone to win the All England Championship, which is the biggest tournament (even bigger than the Olympics), in the sport of Badminton, in the year 2001.
The affable Gopichand ,who has taken up coaching subsequent to his quitting the game , and is now the national coach, then introduced himself , to which the minister , as is their wont , immediately responded that he had been a keen follower of Gopi’s career . Indeed Mr. Minister, the keenness shows! I would not be surprised if the audience to Saina was given under the impression of Sania Mirza . The minister must have been disappointed .
Anyway , this failure of recognition serves Gopichand right. Just after winning the All England Championship, he was offered a big contract to endorse a Soft Drink MNC. The idealistic guy turned down the offer because he could not propagate the use of Carbonated Drinks , because of their adverse effect on health. Which world does this guy live in !! Look at the cricketers and their endorsements . At times it appears that they do not drink water, but only these carbonated drinks . But at least the sports minister would recognize them instantly. Imagine the headlines if, say , the minister failed to recognize Sachin. “ NATIONAL SHAME” ………….
But at least we must appreciate the Govt . for nominating M.S.Gill, as the sports minister . With all the sports federations in India being headed by politicians , it is appropriate that a former Chief Election Commissioner is made the sports minister . You never know when his experience might be called into play . Sharad Pawar, V.K.Malhotra, Yashwant Sinha, Abhay Singh Chautala, Priya Ranjan Das Munshi , …it is a veritable Who’s Who of Indian politics , who head the various federations . And please do not bother about their sporting qualifications. Let the Chinese bother about such trivial issues, for it is they who have to head the medals tally and such competitive stuff. We Indians are strict followers of the words of the founder of modern day Olympics, Baron Pierre de Coubertin , who said , “ It is competing which matters, not Winning.” We scrupulously adhere to the Baron’s assertion.
Well, the Olympics are over, at least for us Indians , and some of the Indians (ungrateful lot , no respect for elders), have defied the Indian norms and not only competed , but also won medals . Some others, also fought tenaciously and were glorious in defeat . Others well … at least they respect the norms and conventions. Glory be to them.
In the meanwhile , Adam Gilchrist has called for inclusion of 20/20 Cricket , in the Olympics. The same has also been echoed by some other Cricketers. The Indians are not too keen, at least till Ajanta Mendis is playing for Sri Lanka . You don’t want to go to the Olympics and be made to look like fools, do you?
But look at some of the recent inclusions in the Olympics, Trampoline , Baseball , Mountain biking, BMX biking, etc. Evidently, some countries who are assured of medals in these sports , ensured the entry of these sports into the games.
Now let us discuss some sports which although very uncommon would ensure victory for India , for we Indians specialize in them . I personally would prefer Ludo, some of my friends want the inclusion of Chinese Checkers ( I am sure the Chinese would beat us at that ) . One went to the extent of including sleeping at work, for it is his expertise . But we should not be selfish and talk about sports which ensure a Pucca Gold medal for us.
So here goes :
MUSICAL CHAIRS :
No, I am not talking about the game which is played at office get togethers, or school sports day ( now you know why we do not win anything at the Olympics), but the game for chairs we Indians play in our offices , elected offices and stuff . The way we cling onto our chairs is exemplary. We pass the sell by date, but the way we degrade our self for the sake of chair is unmatched. Chamchagiri , is definitely an Indian invention .
Look at the musical chair being played out in the state of Jharkhand. A few months ago Madhu Koda , was appointed the Chief Minister , by toppling the elected government . The specialty of Madhu Koda lay in the fact that he was an Independent legislator, and therefore no supporting party was wary of him getting too big for his boots . Koda was supported by JMM of the great Shibu Soren , Congress (I) , RJD of Laloo Yadav fame , and other independent legislators.
Things went on smoothly for a few months , the naxalites kept on killing people , but at least the govt. did not fall . That is what matters, finally!
But then came the trust vote at the Centre . The five JMM M.P’s supported the govt , which was saved by the skin of its teeth . Everybody was waiting for the catch , for Soren ( also known as Guruji ) , is not exactly known for providing anybody a free dinner . Now the cat is out of the bag . Guruji , says that he had bargained for the C.M’s chair , while supporting the govt. at the centre , and he now wants it . Funny , isn’t it , the chair is up for grabs , you only need the correct strength to acquire it , it is a commodity like say a toy in the shop. Guruji , wants it and he must have it , or else…………Democracy be damned.
Koda exhibited bravado, initially , and refused to give way , but then a bargain is a bargain ( We still have morals left ) , and Koda is on the way out . Guruji is placated , and Koda , well , a bargain is a bargain , isn’t it , how about a ministerial berth at the centre or any other similar goody.
You see, we are the largest democracy in the world , and in our version of musical chair , nobody looses .
This musical chair is played out across the political spectrum , remember BJP –Mayawati pact , Laaloo replacing himself with his wife. The list is endless , but the truth remains that we are unbeatable at this sport .
One Gold assured.

CRAB DRAG CRAB:
It is a unique Indian sport . Just like crabs we do nothing ourselves , but the moment one of us tries to break out of the mould , the rest gang up together and try to drag him down . We criticize the person, demonise him , demoralize him , in order to ensure that the person does not surge ahead, while we languish behind. It happens among couples , at the workplace , in the sports ground, in schools , colleges , and just about every activity .
Look at the way Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes fought each other rather than with each other, and ensured their defeat . The idea is simple , I will not mind losing , as long as my partner also loses .
Sample the events in Singur for further details . The manner in which the TATA group is being harassed, corroborates this mentality . Thousands would have been provided employment , with further thousands earning employment through the ancillary units , which would have come up in the vicinity of the factory producing the much awaited NANO car . The ruckus created by Mamta Banerjee , has all but ensured that the TATA’s would move out of Singur, sooner rather than later . Whatever the declared goals of Mamta Banerjee, the concern for the common man is the least of it . The Communist parties , who are the progenitors of this crab mentality , are for a change , at the receiving end . But then that is no solace for the TATA’s or the common people of Singur. And to think thank that the TATA group is known for its concern for the rural poor, unlike some of the other industrial giants .Interestingly,Amar Singh , a lackey for one such industrial group , is sitting alongside Mamta ,on dharna , in Singur. Does this give you an indication about the real crabs in the story.
Speaking of sporting events , the shameful episode of Monika Devi , bears no recapitulation . But since we are pressing for inclusion of this sport of crab drag crab, into the Olympics , the case needs to be buttressed .
Monika Devi, was reported to have tested positive for a banned substance ,on the eve of proceeding to Beijing , for the Olympics , to participate in the Weightlifting event . That the SAI (Sports Authority of India) lab., where her sample was tested was not a WADA(Word Anti Doping Agency) accredited lab was nobody’s concern , as was the fact that nobody knew of the banned substance , she had allegedly tested positive for . She was however stopped from proceeding to Beijing.
But not for nothing is Monika a weightlifter . She created a ruckus in the SAI office , and the issue soon became political with the Manipur govt (Monika’s home state ) joining in . She was soon absolved of the charges, and apparently the second sample tested negative . It would have been a good joke, if it was not so pathetic . If we go back in time , a couple of months , you realize , that the same Monika had been dropped from the Beijing team in favour of another lifter Shailja Pujari, compared to whom Monika, for all practical purposes had performed better. Monika had spoken out against this injustice , and another trial was held hurriedly , where ,not surprisingly , Monika got selected . Interestingly, Shailaja had been banned for use of performance enhancing drugs after the Manchester Commonwealth games , a few years back.
But we Indians , have long memories , which is a deadly concoction with this crab mentality . Obviously, some official was waiting for an opportune moment, and played his cards adroitly. The fact that the reporting time for the Games was over , by the time Monika was absolved ,was just the icing on the cake . That the country was not represented in Weightlifting, and the shame the incident brought is, well……………………..
The response of our “keenly followed your career” sports minister ; He brought in a fellow retired election commissioner, Krishnamurthy , to enquire into the matter , and submit his report in a week .
A WEEK!!! It has only been a fortnight, and please do not get so prickly about time, which is an infinite thing, in the Indian context . In the meanwhile, the Manipur C.M, will be involved in the musical chair game.
The best thing about the crab drag crab , is that it can be played adroitly by any ordinary Indian , and is not a specialty of the bureaucrats and politicians.

‘SECULAR-SECULAR’
Even before the event has been included in the Olympics, the team has been selected , and the selected players are Mulayam Singh Yadav, Laaloo Yadav and Ram Bilas Paswan . Although , the competition for this event was very stiff , the selectors were people of repute, and who are an authority on this subject , so there is no heart burning among the left out contenders .
Without any further ado, let me introduce the selection panel before you. The selectors were Ms. Shabana ( no body sold me a house,because I’m a Muslim) Aazmi , and Ms. Arundhati ( Aazadi for Kashmir) Roy .
The competition for the ‘secular-secular’ , team was very stiff , but what clinched the vote in the favour of the three was the recent statements in favour of the proscribed organization SIMI. The ideology of SIMI is unambiguous: ‘Establishment of Islamic Rule in India’. SIMI has been behind the spread of internal terror in India , and provide the ‘sleeper cells’ for the external organizations. You certainly need no intelligence reports for this piece of intelligence.
The recent arrest of one Bashir , said to be the kingpin behind the blats in the country , brought out the best in these three individuals . “ This is prejudice”, “We will hit the streets against this victimization”, “Bashir is innocent , and is being harassed”, “Lift the ban against SIMI”, are just a few of the samples of their expertise in this game .
The Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid , ( the govt. nominee on the selection panel) has also spoken on similar lines, “ We will protest against this arrest, Muslims are being victimized on the basis of their religion,” he thundered in Azamgarh , the home district of the arrested individual in Uttar Pradesh. I dare not question the reason for this religious personality to leave his religious duties in New Delhi and come to this far off district, to ‘protest’ against the arrest of one individual. Is there something more that what meets the eye?
One of the selected players, Ram Bilas Paswan, campaigned during the last assembly elections in Bihar, with an Osama bin Laden look-alike . The love Osama and his fellow cohorts have for India , needs no further elaboration .With a track record like this , you hardly need to face a selection panel , but better to face one , for the sake of parity , rather than facing charges of nepotism ,later on . Not that these worthies are bothered, but why give others an opportunity!
Since we cannot compete in say Volleyball, Basketball,Swimming,etc. with the rest of the World, I believe that these three sports, if included in the Olympics , would give us the best opportunity for medals . China, here we come …
CITIUS , ALTIUS , FORTIUS.

THE GREAT GAME

The Great Game refers to the strategic rivalry and the resulting conflict between Russia and Britain, played out over the lands of Afghanistan starting from Circa 1813, beginning with the Russo-Persian treaty and which generally continued up to the year 1907, until the Anglo-Russian convention. Though this term was first used by an officer in the British army Arthur Connolly; it was popularized in the novel, Kim, by Rudyard Kipling.
The British, with their sun-never-sets-on-the-empire attitude, were contently ruling over India, with the Russian empire far away, what with the strategic buffer of Afghanistan. Slowly, the Czarist empire began to spread its ambitions, resulting in a renewed interest in Afghanistan, which at that point of time, was fragmented into different spheres of interests among various regional chieftains.
Resultantly, the British started growing wary of this increasing Russian Bear hug, for they feared a Czarist advance towards India, which was their ‘Jewel in the Crown’. Fearing for the worst, the British started countering this increasing Russian influence in Afghanistan.

What followed, was essentially espionage, assassinations and counter assassinations, with no side giving the other any concessions. It was politics at its best, or worst, depending which side of the story you were on. This Great Game culminated in two Anglo-Afghan wars, but the British did succeed in halting this Russian advance towards their sphere of influence.
With the decrease in the British strength, post IInd World War, and the rise in American prominence, along with the Rise of the U.S.S.R, the Great Game was now known as the Cold War. The players were basically the same, the Russians on the one side and the Western powers on the other. The Cold War was anything but a cold war. It was not restricted to one theatre of war, as the Great Game, but spread across the Globe. The Bay of Pigs crisis , which perhaps has remained the only genuine nuclear war flashpoint (thank God, for that) till date , and where both the powers were only minutes away from launching nuclear strikes against each other, the NATO and the WARSAW pacts, which divided the world into two opposing camps (each armed to the teeth) with nuclear tipped missiles pointing at one other, are only a few examples of this ‘New Great Game’, which, incidentally, was still being played out in Afghanistan . The Russians, had invaded and occupied Afghanistan in 1980, and installed a puppet regime. The Americans created the Mujahiddens, to counter the Russians. The Taliban was conceived, its delivery and growth need no elaboration.
Perestroika and Glastnost, stunned the world. Gorbachev, was a man ahead of his time. Perhaps even the staunchest of CIA detectives, had not expected this fallout. The WARSAW pact countries began to fall like a pack of cards . Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Bulgaria , Romania……the list is endless, threw off Communism and embraced Democracy. The Russian army , withdrew from Afghanistan , humiliated , for perhaps the first time in its history.
Resistance seemed futile , for as Victor Hugo remarked, “ You cannot fight an idea , whose time has come .”
Officially the Cold War was over, and the Americans seemed to have prevailed. Russia which had reached the abyss, under the leadership of Boris Yelstin ,started its resurgence under Vladimir Putin , and his gentle dictatorship. I refer to his reign as dictatorship, because although he was elected democratically ,his regime was anything but that. Rivals were hounded out off the country ,and the ones remaining in the country were dealt with very strictly. Even Gary Kasparov , the former world Chess champion was manhandled and arrested , while leading a protest march against Putin . If media reports are to be believed , Kasparov , is planning a comeback into the world of chess, the reasons are not very far off to see.
But the Great Game was still not over .The Americans , buoyed by the success in the Cold War ,now dreamt of a unipolar world, the Russians had been defeated , but not eliminated .America now began to implement its vision of surrounding Russia with its new found allies .Huge amount of money was pumped into the region ,in support of apparently democratically aligned political parties. The real reason was to bring in regimes favorable to America, and isolate Russia in its own backyard. Czechoslovakia was won over by the ‘Velvet Revolution’, Ukraine by the ‘Orange Revolution’, and Georgia by the ‘Rose Revolution’.
Mikhail Saaskhasvili, the American educated politician , was supplanted as the President in Georgia. NATO began to spread its tentacles, and the countries surrounding Russia were fast tracked into NATO. Georgia became the closest American ally in the region . It even sent its forces into Iraq, to fight alongside the Americans . Its army was being trained by the Americans , Turkey and Israeli forces . Resultantly the Georgians , began to look Vladmir Putin in the eye.
Four Russian agents were arrested , in Georgia ,on grounds of espionage. Even the residence of the Russian ambassador to Georgia was raided by the Georgian police, on the grounds of searching for a terrorist. The stakes were being gradually raised in the Great Game .
In the meanwhile Putin had his hands full of the insurgency in Chechnya. The hostage crisis in an opera in Moscow, was the ultimate challenge Putin faced to its authority. The stern reponse to the challenge,ensured that the Russian confidence was restored. Here was a MAN , for whom the Russians had been clamouring for .
In the meanwhile, the Georgians were also dealing with revolt in South Ossetia and Abkhazia . After all, the Great Game is played by both the sides .
During the time when Russia was still U.S.S.R , South Ossetia was an autonomous region in the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic . The region has a majority of Russians, and post break up of U.S.S.R , they wanted to merge with Russia . The insurgency, resulted in Russian forces being stationed in South Ossetia , as peace keepers. But the province knew no peace . The Georgians , with tacit approval from the Americans , began to stand up to Putin .
On August 7 , the Georgian army rolled into the South Ossetian capital , Tskhinvali .The city was literally razed to the ground by the Georgian army . Numerous Russian peacekeepers , were hacked to death . The Georgians had expected the Russians to be taken off guard , what with the recent change of guard with Dmitry Medvedev having taken over from Putin , as President of Russia . Putin was still the Prime Minister .Furthermore , Putin was in China , for the opening ceremony of the Olympics . Even Medvedev was on holiday . The Georgians were expecting an American initiated ceasefire , by the time the Russians reacted .
BIG MISTAKE .
The Russians , responded in the manner only they can , immediately and effectively. The Georgian army , which is even less than 1/10 th of the Russian army , was effectively annihilated within 48 hours . The Russians are renowned for being merciless towards their enemies, maybe their harsh weather has got to do something with this . The Russian army is continuing its mission deep inside the Georgian territory , dismantling whatever war machinery was still left with Georgia.
The Americans , who the Georgians were looking towards , for succour , never appeared . The European Union did not speak out . Mikhail Saaskhavilli is completely isolated . The Russians have sent out a very clear message , Great Game or no Great Game , don’t mess with us !! NATO has been sent out a warning , ‘don’t meddle around in our backyard’. Not for nothing is Putin known as the strong man , although his black belt in Martial Arts , may also have something to do with this .
Sample the Indian response , in the Great game , in its theatre .
The agitation in Jammu , in the aftermath of the land transfer issue , with the people coming out in droves , demanding the land for the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board , met with a response in the Kashmir valley . Ever since the advent of terrorism in the Kashmir valley (around 25 years back) , Jammu has been an oasis of peace . Nothing had provoked their ire, not the discrimination against them , in favour of the Kashmiris , not the ethnic cleansing of the Kashmiri Pandits , not the attack at the Raghunath temple in Jammu, neither the attack at the Jammu railway station . But this time around , Jammu reacted .
The government led by Governor N.N.Vohra was still vacillating . Then Kashmir burst out . The rhetoric of Sajjad Lone and the Hurriyat conference ,reached its logical conclusion . Lone and his colleagues had been crying about shortage of Baby Milk Powder and stuff in the valley , due to the economic blockade imposed by the people of Jammu . This coming from a party which has been calling for long bandhs in the valley for the past numerous years , would have been laughable , if not for the human lives involved .
That the talk of ‘economic blockade’, is a sham indulged in the by the Hurriyat , at the instigation of its masters from across the borders , has been exposed by the Intelligence agencies . The Television channels have shown shots of the Srinagar –Jammu highway , showing no blockade at any point . Trucks, although fewer in number have seen moving on the highway, freely.
The Hurriyat Conference then showed their true colours . Apparently, the apple growers of the Kashmir valley were suffering huge losses due to the ‘economic blockade’, imposed by the people in Jammu region . The Hurriyat gave a call for a walk towards Muzzafarabad ( capital of Pak Occupied Kashmir) , in order to sell apples .The call was supported by the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce, which incidentally has never raised its voice against the ‘economic blockade’ imposed by the terrorists. The security forces intervened , and now Kashmir is aflame .
Kindly note the dangerous game being played out in the Indian version of the Great Game . Kashmir has known no peace for the past twenty five years . 68,000 people have lost their lives in terror related incidences , tourism industry , which is the back bone of Kashmiri economy , is in tatters , 5 lakh Kashmiri Pandits have been driven away from the Kashmir valley , bandhs called after the death of terrorists , last for days together , rest of the time the place is under curfew . And listen to the rhetoric about the ‘Apple growers facing a loss’, ‘shortage of Baby Milk Powder’ . Get real mates !!
Further , the resemblance between protests in Palestine and Kashmir bear an uncanny resemblance , the same throwing of stones against the security forces and then running away into the alleys , the same beating of chests and dancing with the dead body of one killed in action taken by the security forces . The resemblance is too close to rubbish it with a coincidence theory . There certainly is a thread running through these places , which indicate a common puppeteer .
In contrast to the approach of Putin , our Govt. , as usual, has been clueless . Governor N.N.Vohra , who initially yielded to the demand of revocation of transfer of land to the shrine board , without giving the matter any thought , is now caught between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea . On the one hand are the terrorists in Srinagar ( with the history of the Hurriyat conference , you cannot call them as apart from the terrorists) , and on the other hand are the people in Jammu , who by now have realized that the politicians only understand the language of violence (can we really blame them?).
The response of Dr Farooq Abdullah , is reported to you , ad verbatim , to understand the truth , “ The agitation in Jammu must stop forthwith. The agitation in the rest of the country must stop forthwith. Otherwise be prepared to face the consequences.”
Although nothing in politics surprises anybody , but this coming from a man who is himself a part of the problem is , well , pretty amazing . His family has ruled Jammu & Kashmir for greater part of its accession with India , and have only reaped the benefits . The talk of self autonomy can still be heard from the National Conference , of the Abdullahs . Would Dr. Abdullah kindly elaborate on the ‘consequences’ he was referring to!!!
The fact that India is bereft of a man like Putin , can be gauged from the response of the Home Minister of India , who stated that he had no objection , if the apple growers exported apples to POK , provided Pakistan allowed them to cross the LOC, for Muzzafarabad was closer to Kashmir than New Delhi. BRAVO , shall we say .How the Americans would wish Putin to say something of this sort .
Now the Govt. has enlisted the support of the spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar , to mediate with Syed Ahmad Shah Gilani and Mirwaiz Farooq .

How about pacifying the people of Jammu , Dear Sirs ? This is exactly the kind of act which encourages the tolerant people to resort to non violence . With due regards to the spiritual guru , does any body acquainted with the politics of the day believe that something constructive would evolve out of this half baked measure .
We as a nation , have developed an uncanny knack to search for short cuts , and that too through an half hearted approach.
The Prime Minister , well what of him …….Years ago , the pout of the then Prime Minister Narsimha Rao , was the butt of jokes , “When In doubt , pout,” which was the posture Narsimha Rao , usually maintained . But at least Narsimha Rao was his own man .
So J&K burns , while the politicians warm their hands from its fire , with the general elections a few months away , the best course is to stoke the fire , one way or the other , while the bureaucrats calculate the moolah to be raked in from the Sixth Pay Commission , as if these bureaucrats ever use their salary .

Let Vladimir Putin deal with and counter the Great Game .

“ An election is coming. Universal peace is declared and the foxes have a sincere interest in prolonging the lives of the poultry.” ~T.S. Eliot

Before signing off , I would wish to avail this opportunity to congratulate Abhinav Bindra , for his Golden effort at the Olympics . The way he has reacted to all the adulation , in his composed manner ,shows sagacity and maturity, which is very hard to find in the heroes of Today . May his tribe increase . Let us all wish the boxer Akhil Kumar for his fearlessness and the contempt for the established order in his sport. Win or Lose , at least he has shown the heart for a fight.

INDRA IS KINNG

Lord Indra was whiling away his time, as usual ,in Indralok,by watching the dance of Menaka ,Urvashi and co. Just at that point of time Narada entered the hall ,with his characteristic chant of "Narayan,Narayan." Indra knew by the tenor of Narada's voice that something was amiss. After all he had known Narada for thousands of centuries , and was well acquainted with his activities.
" What's wrong , Narada?", Indra enquired.
"Lord ,How did you know?", Narada was surprised , since he expected nothing intelligent from the King of Gods . After all , if the Gods were so intelligent , would they have created Earth along with its inhabitants.
"Elementary, my dear Narada", Indra had evidently been brushing up on the novels of Sherlock Holmes, "The sweat on your face and the contorted eyebrows ,convey a sense of worry," Indra sounded pleased with himself .
"Amazing!!" Narada was duly impressed , and mighty cross with his under estimation of the Lord's abilities.
" So , tell me about your worries", Indra went on , "We cannot have Narada worried for long , can we ?"
Narada had by now, been completely taken in by this new Avtaar of Indra , and went on, " Lord , I had been visiting this Goddamn place on the planet earth, called India,and was present in an invisible form , in a place known as the Supreme Court , where these people dispense justice, when I heard something sacrilegious. My mind has been swirling ever since . Lord , has Kalyug really arrived ? I mean we all know that it had arrived quite some time back , but I mean , is this really it ?"
Indra in the meanwhile, had reverted back to his original frame of mind, and could not anyway, make any sense of Narada's statement.
"What do you mean? Please clarify , for you sound nonsensical" Indra said to Narada . " What did you hear , which makes you speak like, when that vicious Asura pursued you, and you ran for your life , crying out for help all the time ." Indra sounded pleased while remembering the incident .
" Do not say so, my Lord , for I have heard something worse this time around," Narada said .
Indra was curious by now , " Stop beating around the bush like a Bureaucrat , and tell me exactly what you heard Narada."
Narada proceeded with his story.
" As I told you , Lord ,I was in the Supreme Court of India, ovehearing and watching the proceedings of the court .Apparently somebody had challenged the illegal occupation of Govt. bungalows . The Supreme Court had taken a serious view of the entire matter and asked the Central Govt. and the States to file affidavits ,as to whether Section 441 of the Indian Penal Code should be amended to make unauthorised occupation of Govt. bungalows a non bailable offence."
" Narada , please elaborate , what do you mean by unauthorised occupation of Govt. Bungalows , who occupies them? The homeless or some other such people?" Indra enquired .
" Lord , the Govt. would have imposed the National Security Act or the POTA, if the homeless would have dared to do such an act . It is the Govt. ministers who are no longer in power who indulge in such act . If need be , they convert such bungalows into memorials of their 'beloved' dead leaders, in order to justify this illegal occupation, or into party offices . No rent is paid , and these bungalows which are located in prime areas become the private property of these leaders.A situation has been reached where the recent ministers are still awaiting 'official' accommodation . Not that these people mind the wait , for once they get occupation of the bungalows , rest assured that they will also not vacate it , come hell or high water," Narada went on .
" Even the asuras were forced to vacate Indra Lok every time they forcibly occupied it ," Indra said,remembering the good old days of power struggle . Now that the asuras had been banished to Earth , he missed those days of fighting . Life was not the same anymore. " Please carry on , Narada."
" Well , the Central govt. and most of the State govts. took stand against this proposition ,meaning thereby that they did not want it to be declared an offence of this nature. After all the policy amongst all the parties remains , 'you scratch my back , I will scratch yours'. No body will want to make a law that might land them behind bars tomorrow. the supreme court was shocked by this approach of the Govts. towards such a sensitive issue,and O lord ,let me report the observations of the Judges ,ad verbatim.
Justice Agrawal------"There is no accountability and nobody bothers about law or guidelines. Nobody in the govt. works and the whole govt. has become non functional."
Justice Singhvi, added to this,"God alone will have to help this country."
Justice Agrawal , then observed," Even God will not be able to help this country. God is a mute spectator and he also feels helpless .Our contry's character is gone. We are helpless."
Finishing his statement, Narada burst out into tears." Lord ,never did I believe that I will hear these words regarding the helplessness of Gods, again, after that evil demon Mahishasura was disposed off.Lord has Kalyug finally arrived , when people have started questioning the efficacy of Gods. Send down the Kalki avtaar , O Lord."
In all his interactions with Narada , never had Indra seen him in such a pitiable condition .
Narada kept on speaking , interspersed by his sobs, " I had seen the common people doubt the presence of Gods and their helplessness for centuries, but this is the first time ,I have heard a Judge , who I believe is the last bastion of civilization in the country , speak about God being a mute spectator and his helplessness. Lord , call for Kalki avtaar."
Indra was getting irritated by the minute." Arre , what Kalki avtaar? We did send him to Bharat around 40 years back . The fellow was a turncoat, seeing the fruits of political leadership, he joined .XYZWE.....political party , and is a minister for...ABCDF..... today.Now we have no more avtaars left."
Narada was shocked , " That minister, well he has been convicted of murder, loot and what not .He has built up assets worth hundreds of crores. He .....Kalki avtaar!!!!!!"
"Recent data provided by Chitrgupta, shows that he has also illegally occupied govt. land which was supposed to house the homeless," Indra sounded despondent.
" But then , my dear Narada, do not feel disheartened, the govt. is alive and all is not lost. Did you see the alarcity with which the govt. took back the 39.88 hectares of land provided to Amarnath Shrine board, to temporarily house pilgrims. Remarkable, I tell you, they might not be able to evict politicians , but at least they are able to evict devotees. So you see , the govt. does work," Indra tried to cheer up Narada.
But Narada was in one of his argumentative moods," What governance,Prabhoo? The entire state is afflame. The people of Jammu, who for long have resented the undue preference provided to Kashmir valley , have reacted violently. They want the entire land to be given back to the Amarnath shrine board , and have attacked police stations , govt. offices etc. Never before have the people in Jammu reacted like this ."
" But isn't this the message provided by successive govts. in the country .People are encouraged to take up violent means , to get their voices registered and their demands met. The peaceful demonstrators never get their grievances redressed.Besides this resentment had been building up for long . Apparently , 70% of the revenue to the J&K govt. is provided by the Jammu region , which in turn gets 30% of the govt. investment. Besides ,about 5 Lakhs of Kashmiri pandits have been forcibly driven away by terrorists from the Kashmir valley. Therefore , the land issue is just an explosion of long standing grievances. Call it the straw that broke the camel's back , if you can. Even Laddakh is simmering with dissent against the politicians from Srinagar, for they allege that Laddakhi youths have been denied opportunities , and discriminated against,in order to favour the Kashmiri youths. So do not be surprised if Laddakh also finds a reason to react violently," Indra observed.
" What about the lives lost , O Lord?" Narada would not give up.
" What of it , Narada? Hazards of governance, or so , as felt by the rulers. After all they are safe," Indra replied.
" Speaking of violent activities, did you hear that the ban on Student's Islamic Movement of India( SIMI) has been removed by a single Judge tribunal of the Delhi High Court, on grounds of 'Evidence not sufficient to ban it'. Apparently , the investigative agencies had put forward evidence from the Malegaon blast way back in 2006, which the esteemed judge found insufficient. As you might recall ,SIMI has been blamed for nearly all the blasts in the country subsequent to the Malegaon blast, but the govt. has no evidence in this regard.It shows the seriousness with which these rulers want to combat the scourge of these modern day asuras," Narada was showing his debating skills .
" But the Supreme court has stayed the judgement of the tribunal, hasn't it?" Indra sounded defensive, as he was finding it difficult to combat this new assretive Narada.
"Well the initial order was based on technical grounds and was liable to be struck down. But it goes to show the efficiency of the entire govt. machinery, and its will to fight terrorism. Furthermore, the 'liberals' in the country , will now get a handle to defend SIMI and its anti national activities. These fellows will never condole the death of a soldier , but look at them go , defending these terrorists," Narada sounded agitated.
Lord Indra realized that the issue was getting pretty sensitive , and like a true diplomat, tried to steer away from the topic, " Narada", he said jovially ," did you hear that Telgi has paid more Income Tax than Aziz Premzi in the previous financial year."
" Exactly my point about Kalyug , My Lord, imagine the king pin of the fake currency scandal paying more tax than an entrepreneur like Premzi. Maybe the Judges had also read the news reports about Telgi , before they cast aspersion about God. Did you also hear that 1 crore Rupees has been detected as fake, in the currency chest of a branch of State Bank of India, in the Siddharthnagar dist. of Uttar Pradesh , only yesterday.The discovery was made after the detection of Rs. 22 Lakh of fake currency from the same branch. The relationship between terrorism and fake currency needs no elaboration," Narada was by now sounding like a fire brand activist, there was no respite for Indra, " By the way , if Krishna, the compounder could be arrested for Arushi Talwar's murder, based on his Narco analysis, what action was taken against a very senior minister and other politicians , who were named by Telgi during his narco ananlysis. A classic example of 'show me the man and I will show you the rule', isn't it?"
Indra was by now getting restive . He was cursing himself for instigating this discussion , for if Narada was not here , he would be busy watching the Apsaras perform . How could he blame the present day rulers , when he , as the king of Gods had no worthwhile achievements. Hadn't he run to Brahma , Vishnu and Mahesh ,in times of distress, in the way these Indians rushed to U.S.A or U.S.S.R.
He pretended to be falling asleep, but Narada was not going to fall for it, " Ah, now I realise why the Judges called Gods as as mute spectators and helpless. Instead of acting like a God and alleviating the sufferings of the people of Bharat , you pretend to be asleep. I wish , I could tell the people of the country , not to entertain any hope of Gods appearing and saving them from this misery . Their fate is in their hands , and they must believe in the dictum, 'Vigilance is the price you pay for freedom'. You and You alone have the power to change your present and your tomorrow. So ARISE AWAKE and have faith in your abilities to combat the evils in the society."
Lord Indra , though embarrassed, had no patience for this activism ,"You and your Judges, Narada, now if you would permit me , Urvashi is waiting for me."
NARAYAN , NARAYAN........