SOME MORE QUESTIONS

Circa 1946, Mohd. Ali Jinnah was steamrolling his opposition and humanity with his drive for Pakistan. Kashmir was of special interest to Jinnah because of its majority population of Muslims and most importantly its strategic importance. But Jammu and Kashmir which was under the reign of Maharaja Hari Singh was lorded over by another strongman Sheikh Abdullah of the National Conference. Jinnah inspite of his best efforts failed to win over Sheikh Abdullah, and true to his style, launched a vitriolic attack on him, "this man tells me that he is on my side, but when he goes out he calls himself a nationalist. He cannot be trusted." Maybe Jinnah had been pampered by the indulgence of the Congress leaders. But the Sheikh was no Congressman. He retaliated in good measure, "Jinnah is not even a Muslim, he cannot recite a single Kalima from the Quran."

Jinnah faced massive protests wherever he went in Kashmir. In Baramulla,a young National Conference worker Maqbool Sherwani presented Jinnah with a massive garland. The moment Jinnah was about to board his vehicle Sherwani took off the cover of the garland. To Jinnnah's horror the garland was entirely made up of an assortment of footwear. Jinnah immediately left for Rawalpindi.

But evidently Jinnah did not forget this humiliation. For a few months later when the 'tribals' who in reality were the Pakistani army in mufti, launched their incursion, Baramulla faced the brunt. Even the churches were not spared as the missionary sisters were raped and murdered enmasse.What became of the Hindu and Sikh women who had taken shelter there, is a story which was never known.

The Pakistanis after capturing Baramulla were only 30 kms. away from the Srinagar Airport. Maharaja Hari Singh had acceded to India and the Indian forces were on their way. The Srinagar Airport had to be kept free for the Indian forces which had already started landing, but were miniscule compared to the numerical strength of the Pakistanis.

Time was of essence.

Maqbool Sherwani, now pretending to act as an informer promised to show the Pakistanis a shortcut to the Airport.Leading the convoy on his motorcycle he took them on a merry go around and ensured that they lost their way.

The Indian Army took full use of this opportunity and Jammu and Kashmir was saved.

But Maqbool was not.

He was crucified by the infiltrators on an electric pole in Baramulla town by driving nails through his body. He was subsequently brought down in a hail of bullets. Maqbool Sherwani became a martyr for the sake of the nation. Mahatma Gandhi paid tributes to Maqbool Sherwani in his evening prayer meeting.

The Indian Army performed heroic deeds in that campaign, General Thimmaya took his tanks to a height where tanks had not gone before. Hannibal would have been proud. Major Somnath Sharma earned the first Param Vir Chakra in the Indian army during that campaign. That our leaders lost what Maqbool or Major Sharma became martyrs for is besides the point.

What hurts is that were we even educated about the martyrdom of people like Maqbool Sherwani? (I myself read about this supreme sacrifice in an article by a retired army officer, recently.) Or maybe that is what our political elite wanted. For martyrdom has become the preserve of a selected few who rake it for political gains. Elections have been fought over the dead bodies of 'martyrs',with the opponents not even fathoming how to react.That there was a difference between 'martyrdom' and 'political assassination' is well,.... again besides the point.

Today no political leader visits the grave of Maqbool Sherwani is a fact which needs no corroboration. The fact that accusatory fingers were raised at the martyrdom of Inspector M.C. Sharma at the Batla House encounter is an indirect corroborative evidence that this country gives a damn to people who go beyond their call of duty. Even the National Security Advisor M.K.Narayanan has endorsed the authenticity of the encounter but the fact is still not sufficient for some, or so it seems.

The country is today witness to the shameful spectacle to the attempt to denigrate the prestige of the Indian army, subsequent to the arrest of Lt.Col. Purohit by the Anti Terrorist Squad of the Maharashtra Police for his alleged involvement in the Malegaon blast. All and sundry have joined in, albeit subtly. The Indian army, perhaps the only institution which can truly claim to be Secular, which puts duty before self, an institution which is in the vanguard of fighting terrorism, fighting floods, fighting communal riots, fighting the aftermath of earthquake, saving children from their falls into open borewells, has an additional fight at its hand. It has to prove its Secular credentials to the politicians duly abetted by its lackey,in this case the police.

The entire saga started with the arrest of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, whose Motor Cycle was allegedly used to implant bombs in Malegaon resulting in the death of 5 people. The ATS should be commended for its prompt investigation, especially in view of the fact that not much headway has been made by it in the Malegaon blast of 2006 in which 37 people were killed, apart from the arrest of some SIMI activists or the Mumbai blasts of 2006.

The electronic media is having a field day in covering this investigation, 'HINDU TERROR' says one channel in the background of its presentation, which anyway is saturated. The discussion revolves around how Hindus are also becoming terrorists. Now the ATS is also investigating the involvement of Purohit and Sadhvi in the Samjhauta express blast a few years back, the Nanded blast investigation is being reopened. The way things are proceeding do not be surprised to see the WTC attack, the Mumbai blast of 2006 also being credited to these motley bunch of people. One Dayanand Pandey, an apparently self styled guru has been picked up . The credit of being the 'mastermind' is changing every day. The best part of the investigation pertains to the fact that it appears that the entire interrogation is being performed in front of these busybodies from the news channels. Some body in the ATS is leaking worse than the sinking Titanic, for reasons not for us to conjecture upon. Somebody please remind the ATS guys of discrete investigation being in their professional call of duty . Or is there more to the investigation than meets the eye?

Praveen Swami in THE HINDU, has gone a step ahead and done a complete analysis of the genesis of 'Hindu Terrorism', notwithstanding the fact that certain literature which was used during the freedom struggle has been selectively interpreted. These people are not far from branding Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki at par with the goons from Jaish-e-Mohd and Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Incidentally, a few weeks ago, our friends from the media were stressing upon the need to delink terrorism from religion and stuff like Islam not sanctioning acts of terrorism. Now words like 'HINDU TERROR' are casually being bandied about. My congratulations to these media guys. But please feel free to use the epithet of 'Muslim Terrorism' next time Muslim Terrorists attack a predominantly Hindu India, in order to follow norms of fairplay and avoid accusations of double standards.

Congratulations again on succeeding in dividing terrorists into Hindu and Muslims. It is the mindless urge like this to increase TRP ratings which provides criminals of all hues ammunition to incite fellow criminals, my dear friends, but do we really care? For years our media friends justified acts of terror as 'revenge for Gujarat riots' or 'revenge for the Babri Masjid demolition' and castigated people like L.K.Advani, Narendra Modi, RSS, more than the terrorists themselves. Drawing on the same analogy of revenge can a Hindu child/youth affected by acts of terrorism not seek revenge from the people he feels to be behind the acts of terror ? Any answers ? An act of terror is an act against humanity irrespective of the logic behind it and so it should have been, but in our yearning for votes, sale of books, acceptability amongst the pseudo liberal media, look at the mess we have gotten into.

One issue is intriguing and maybe the ATS or anyone else will clear the air on this. Apparently the motor cycle of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur was used to place explosives in Malegaon, the discovery of which has led to these arrests. If the same is true then it must act as a disgrace to the tribe of the criminals, since you are not supposed to leave any evidence at the scene of the crime, let alone using explosives on your own motorcycle. How disingenuous!! If an armyman, who also worked for the Military intelligence, was also part of this naivety, then I call upon the govt. to disband the Military Intelligence unit ........our ATS guys do better.

But we as a country do not want questions but only answers, therefore the 'Army is getting communal' , 'Hindu Terror', 'Save Afzal Guru' campaign prevails over logic and reasoning. For example any answers to the fact that any bombing attack needs months of meticulous planning even for trained army personnel, an organisation, training, reconnaissance missions. If the motley, unconnected group of people such as the accused in the Malegaon blast could carry it off, then only God can save us from the Al Qaida and its friends.

Let us not forget the sacrifice made by unsung heroes like Maqbool Sherwani and Major Som Nath Sharma for the unity and integrity of the nation. Our politicians might stop eulogising them but let us pay our respect to these real heroes by not dividing terrorists into Hindu terrorists or Muslim Terrorists and damaging the interest of the nation. A Terrorist is a terrorist and should be dealt by the rule of law. Elections might come and elections might go, but the country and its institutions remain.

The Indian Army remains awake so that we can sleep. Let us not denigrate the brave sons of the soil for the sake of a few votes.

JAI HIND.

JUNGLE BOOK-- VANAR RAJ

WITH SINCERE APOLOGIES TO RUDYARD KIPLING.

We pick up the story some years later from where Rudyard Kipling left it. Mowgli had come back to the forest, unable to adjust in the maddening world outside the jungle. At least the 'law of the Jungle' prevailed inside the jungle, while outside, well.....

Since humans had ensured that massive encroachment had been undertaken on forest land leading to deforestation,there were only patches of forest land (vanas) available in the country. After the demise of Sher Khan in the struggle with Mowgli, the central authority which kept everybody in check had fallen away leading to a virtual free for all. Finally the monkeys prevailed, and now lorded over all the vanas. Balloo the bear and Bagheera the panther, the faithful companions and guide of Mowgli, had retreated into the background and were leading the life of a recluse. Kaa the snake had been skinned alive by some humans because its skin made good purses for the ladies in Europe (PETA had not been born and Maneka Gandhi was still a model).

The anarchy in the vanas had reached such a stage that the monkeys of one vana were completely opposed to the monkeys of another one, and continued in their diatribe against each other. Each monkey leader claimed to be the real protector of the rights of the animals, but in reality cared two hoots for them. Not a cry was raised in protest when monkeys from the vanas of neighbouring countries raided the vanas of Bharat, and caused indescribable mayhem, for example these 'atanki' vanaras as they were called, set termites on tree branches which would break off at the slightest weight causing loss of life and property. No monkey clan was confident as to whether it could sleep peacefully on the same tree after return from their daily activity of harassing other animals. But no monkey talked about this 'atankawad' ,as they were too busy fighting amongst themselves.

At this very time in the vana of Rashtra Maha (remember we are talking of the sub divisions of Bharat Vanas) lived an upstart monkey by the name of VANAR RAJ. Vanar Raj incidentally belonged to the clan of another ferocious monkey BAL BAL BACH GAYE (Saved by the skin of the teeth), who was famous for his imitation of the voice of the roaring Lion. Well actually the roar was more of a purring of a cat, but as who is to bell a cat, who could dare to say the truth in front of B.B.B.Gaye .But the animals had a good laugh behind his back.

Vanar Raj always had dreams of emulating Bal Bal in scaring animals and causing havoc in the forest, but since primates are the predecessors of human beings, there are certain qualities in common, like filial affection overpowering bhai bhatijawad. So in this case, the claim of Vanar Raj in leading the hordes in causing destruction in Vana Rashtra Maha was superseded by the son of Bal, which led to resentment in the mind (or whatever he had) of Vanar Raj. He shrieked,bit,attacked but to no avail. Bal would not give way.

Seeing the wisdom of Bal in sidelining this upstart who in order to please Bal had started imitating the roar of Lion (the animals would have died of laughing at two cats,instead of one ), the animals gave a sigh of relief and said 'bal bal bach gaye' (saved by the skin of the teeth).

But Vanar Raj bided his time.

In the meanwhile Mowgli had fallen onto bad times. In the vanas of Vihara and Uttam Pradesh where he divided his time, monkeys of equal ferocious nature ruled. These monkeys were even worse than the monkeys of Rashtra Maha as they did nothing for the animals inhabiting these vanas. Vihar Vana was ruled by a very shrewd monkey Balloo bandar and Uttam Pradesh was ruled by a female monkey Khayawati who was legendary for her elephant like memory. Khayawati spent all her time in trying to hunt down her adversaries, the Siamese twin monkeys Motu and Chotu, her populace be damned.

Balloo bandar had become the darling of all the vanas because of his antics, which in reality was a cover up for his failure to perform his duties as the ruler of the vanas. He had even devoured the fodder meant for the horses and cows. But very shrewdly covered it up with his buffoonery. Mowgli loved Balloo for his antics,inspite of Bagheera warning him against falling for this theatrics."A leader should be known for his vision and care for his praja, rather than his jokes" Bagheera would say whenever Mowgli went to see him, " a leader fooling his people with jokes, is a dangerous leader", Bagheera would say drawing on his huge experience coupled with his love for the vanas. Mowgli, who was enamoured by the wit of Balloo the bandar,thought of Bagheera as a cantankerous old animal,whenever he said so. "Maybe he is jealous of Balloo the bandar", Mowgli would say to himself.

Animals in these vanas had been divided into sects based on their colour,teeth and other such outward manifestations. For example a tiger with 10 stripes was categorised as a different sect from the one with 9 stripes, a brown coloured wolf was informed about him being different from a light brown coloured one. These monkeys did not care about deforestation, encroachment and stuff. Neither did they care to appreciate the merit of the brave animals who thought about the betterment of the vanas.

Resultantly, the humans started encroaching into the vanas, and fruits and other products in the food chain started declining rather appreciably in the vanas of Vihara and Uttam Pradesh. The animals per force started to migrate towards the vanas of Rashtra Maha where things were relatively better, in spite of Vanar Raj and his cohorts.

But these migrant animals met with stiff resistance in the Vanas of Rashtra Maha. "You will take away our food", "you will spoil the environment in our vana",was some of the responses they faced. " Our Vana Manoos will be deprived of their due", shrieked Vanar Raj.

Mowgli was respected by the animals (apart from the monkeys, who looked at him as a threat) , and it is to him they turned towards in this hour of threat. " Do not worry,they are our brothers,they will not harm us", Mowgli would console them as well as himself.

Bagheera and Balloo (the bear,not the bandar) begged to differ. "Mowgli, you have the brains as well as the brawns to resist this injustice, if you do not rise now, it will be too late",they would advice.

But Mowgli paid no heed. He was busy enjoying the laughter challenge of Balloo the bandar and the vendetta saga of Khayawati, which was propagated to far corners of the vana through the medium of the speaking parrots,the Cockatoos.

Nature has the strange habit of getting even with people who do not pay attention to their environment, and so it happened to Mowgli. Things which were bad to start with started getting worse. The antics of Balloo the bandar and Khayawati along with the massive helping hand of Chotu and Motu ensured that the food chain was massively disrupted in Vihar and Uttam Pradesh vanas. Even ripe fruits were in scarcity,and whatever was available was devoured by followers of the leaders,leaving the other animals in the lurch.

The news soon reached these Vanas about some ripe fruits which were on offer in Rashtra Maha vana. Mowgli made up his mind about trying to get some ripe fruits on offer along with other timid animals who were however apprehensive of Vanar Raj and his aptly named Vanar Sena.

But hunger does strange things to even the most scared of animals. So the animals made up their mind to try their luck. Bagheera and Balloo the bear came to see off Mowgli and the other animals before they proceeded. There was no sign of Balloo the bandar, who as the Cockatoos informed was busy challenging Vanar Raj to a verbal duel. Mowgli felt the pangs of guilt about his previous inference about Bagheera when he had warned him about Balloo the bandar. He hugged Bagheera and wept openly. But being a human he was still ashamed of accepting his mistake openly.

Bagheera, however understood.

" Go my son and may the almighty be with you", Bagheera said," and remember the simple fact that Bharat vana is one and belongs to all of us, so do not be scared of anybody."

Mowgli and the other animals reached Rashtra Maha vana with trepidation. Expectedly, an extremely hostile reception awaited them.

" Go back you hungry animals", the members of Vanar Sena shrieked,"why don't you eat fruits in your vana rather than take away fruits from our Vana Manoos?" they continued.

The trembling animals of Vihar Vana and Uttam Pradesh vana looked towards Mowgli in askance. After all being human he was expected to face these tricky situations with his intellect and courage.

For the first time in his life Mowgli felt helpless. He had refused to listen to Bagheera when he spoke of the dangers of accepting charlatans as leaders, and now the chickens had come home to roost. Mowgli had made the policy of silence into a virtue and only laughed at Balloo the bandar's antics and discussed Khayawati's revenge. He had never given thought for the betterment of his vana. Now he realized that animals like Balloo the bandar laughed at animals like him rather than with them . But it was too late now. He and his friends were hungry.

Mowgli mustered courage and spoke, " we are hungry and there are no fruits in our vanas,not even ripe ones. And we will not eat all the ripe fruits in your vana, as there is plenty for everybody. For the sake of uniformity, we can have a competition where everybody gets an equal opportunity to eat these ripe fruits. If your animals can eat more ripe fruits,we will not protest and go back"

It sounded like a sane solution. The animals looked in awe towards Mowgli.

The Vanar sena was nonplussed.They had not expected any resistance from these weaklings. They looked towards each other. Bullies really do not know how to react in case of resistance. They are mighty only when not opposed.

" So competition is what you want, eh?" a voice rang out !!

The vanar sena suddenly parted and gave way, VANAR RAJ had arrived.

Surprisingly, Mowgli felt no fear. He had expected Vanar Raj to be a mighty warrior from the description of the Cockatoos, but he seemed like any other monkey.

" Why do you come so afar to eat fruits meant for our vana manoos ?" Vanar Raj's tone was threatening ," why don't you stay in your vanas and eat the fruits available there", Vanar Raj continued.

"Because there is nothing available there, and isn't Rashtra Maha vana part of Bharat vanas, so why this discrimination?" Mowgli countered.

" So why don't you tell your leaders there to make fruits available in your vanas also, but you will not do that, will you? You will simply come to our vanas and eat whatever is available here. I will not let that happen anymore!" Vanar Raj was emphatic in his statement.

Mowgli could sense that Vanar Raj had a point, for monkeys like Balloo, Khayawati, Chotu, Motu and their ilk had simply exploited the resources available in their vanas and done absolutely nothing for their improvement. The fruit crop had simply dwindled without any body giving a damn. But Mowgli also realized that it was no use blaming these selfish individuals for it was humans like him and other mute animals who had given them a free run. nobody had dared to question their actions in time and now .........

But there was no way back, " I know that we have not stood up to our leaders, but fact also remains that you too do not have the interests of the common animal at your heart when you stop us from eating fruits, for all these vanas belong to all of us, and you have no business to stop us from eating fruits available here. What happens if tomorrow we stop animals from your vanas entering our vanas on any filmsy context. I request you to desist from dividing animals. The Bharat vanas are under threat from humans, vanas of neighbouring countries. Let us stay united rather than fight amongst ourselves", Mowgli said.

" How dare you, you impudent human! Now even you have started speaking like a leader. And I cannot have two leaders in the same vana. This vana is for our vana manoos. Be prepared to face the consequences if you don't vacate our vana immediately," Vanar Raj showed all his teeth in anger. His cohorts started shrieking in unison. The atmosphere was very scary.

The animals of Vihar vana and Uttam Pradesh vana were scared. After all no Balloo the bandar or Khayawati would come to save them, neither would they give them fruits if they went back.The choice was between the devil and the deep blue sea.

Mowgli knew that the moment of truth had arrived. Regrettably, he realized that things would have been different, if he had paid heed to the advice of Bagheera and acted accordingly. Monkeys of the sort of Vanar Raj , Balloo, Khayawati etc.cannot be allowed to control the destiny of the vanas, for they have no thing except their own interests to serve.

Then the Vanar Sena attacked. The rest of the animals of Vihar Vana and Uttam Pradesh ran helter skelter. The attack was most severe on Mowgli, for Vanar Raj knew where the real danger emanated from. They tried to tear off the chaddi (loin cloth) of Mowgli for it was the only possession he had. The chaddi covered his modesty, self esteem, self respect. Vanar raj knew that a self respecting individual who had loads of confidence and self esteem was dangerous.

Mowgli fought with all his courage and strength.He was surprised to discover the strength he never realized he had. Maybe a cause gives you the power to fight back. But it was difficult to fight such monsters all alone, for his friends had abandoned him.

But true friend don't abandon you, do they? Just as Mowgli felt that he was going to be overpowered, help arrived in the form of Bagheera and Balloo the bear. United they fought back the attack of the Vanar Sena and retreated gracefully. In the heat of the battle, Mowgli thought that he saw Balloo the bandar, Khayawati, Chotu and Motu arrive on the scene and join hands with Vanar Raj. Mowgli thought that he was hallucinating due to fatigue and consoled himself.......Was he ??????

Mowgli is now recovering his strength and learning the nuances of vanahood under the able guidance of Bagheera and Balloo the bear.

Vanar Raj, Balloo the bandar, Khayawati, Chotu and Motu are getting sleepless nights over the comeback of Mowgli.

A man awake is a man dangerous.

EK APRINDA HAI SHARMINDA, THA WO NANGA ! AJI IS SE TO ANDE KE ANDAR THA WO CHANGA ! SOCH RAHA HAI BAHAR AAKHIR KYON NIKLA HAI!! ARRE CHADDI PAHAN KE PHOOL KHILA HAI .............

Disclaimer : This is a work of fiction. However my apologies to sentiments of the monkeys hurt unintentionally.

THE WAIVER

NEWS REPORT: CIVIL AVIATION MINISTER PRAFFUL PATEL MIFFED AT CABINET COLLEAGUES

Excerpts from an interview given by the civil aviation minister Shri Prafful Patel to a newspaper, "I am very disappointed with some central ministries and state governments for not lowering tax rates and jet fuel prices. Tomorrow if planes stop flying, who will be responsible?"

Cut to a scene in front of the residence of the minister, two days later.

There is a chaotic situation in front of the residence with a group of farmers trying to enter the residence and the entry to the residence of the 'People's Representative' being barred by extremely hostile security personnel, as usual. The news reaches the Head Quarters of a 24 hours news channel and immediately a posse of electronic media personnel reach the residence of the Hon'ble. Sensing that this could provide sufficient material for the news channels to broadcast throughout the day, and furthermore with the Lok Sabha elections around the corner,the support staff of the minister relents and permits the group of farmers to enter the residence. Apparently, facing the group of 50 farmers is easier than managing the negative fallout of the media coverage, or so the staff presume.

However the minister acquiesces to meet only the leader of the group. Eknath, the leader of the group is ushered into the study of the minister. The minister enters the room accompanied by his O.S.D (Officer on special duty) who is an IAS officer, on deputation to work with the minister.

After the initial exchange of pleasantries, the minister who does not appear very pleased at the sight of Eknath, who is wearing a simple shirt and trouser to go along with his down town sandals, asks "Yes Eknath, tell me about the purpose of your visit. But please tell me about yourself before you begin."

" I am the Pradhan of the village Dhulepur in the Yavatmal district of Maharashtra, which is in the Vidarbha region of the state", Eknath who looked no more than 30-35 years of age, began speaking.

The O.S.D was startled at the mention of the name of the village and whispered something into the ear of the minister, who looked keenly at Eknath.

"Accha, the same village which was put up for sale by its inhabitants and where farmers organised a protest by offering their kidneys for sale", The minister enquired.

"Yes sir", Eknath replied.

"Strange people, OK tell me, what brings you people to meet me?" the minister was curious.

" Because you are the last remaining hope we have", Ekanth replied.

"Come again! Hope !! My dear friend, I am the Civil aviation minister, not the Agriculture minister. It appears that you have come to the wrong address," the minister sounded pleased for getting free from these villagers so soon.

" No sir, I have come to the right place. It is you who we wanted to meet. And before you feel puzzled, let me tell you that we were impressed by the concern you showed for the well being of the aviation sector. Not many ministers are going to risk a confrontation with their colleagues in the manner you did, through your interview", Eknath clarified.

The minister as is their wont, was pleased at this appreciation, "Yes, yes, I said what I felt. After all Jet Airways had laid off 1900 employees in one day due to losses caused by faulty practices by the govt. towards this fledgling sector. I had to intervene on behalf of these people and get them reinstated. The aviation industry is being bled to death. They have sought for a bailout plan of Rs. 4700 crores and the govt. is dithering over this proposal. The aviation sector is like the new born baby which needs caring and caressing by its mother," the minister was emphatic in his statement.

The OSD as is their wont, nodded in deep appreciation. Eknath felt that he saw tears in the eye of the OSD after the minister finished speaking.

"Baby indeed, Mr. Minister, but what about the elders in the family? I want you to speak about the elders in the family too," Eknath spoke respectfully.

"Elders? What elders?", the minister was confused, "Arre, I was giving an example. You see this is how economists speak. They make you understand economics through lucid examples".

"I know sir, I am a post graduate in Economics from Delhi School of Economics. Incidentally my Ph.D is on 'Rural economics in Independent India', so I know a bit of economics," Eknath was one confident individual.

The O.S.D nearly fell from the chair on hearing Eknath's credentials.

The minister was also mighty impressed.

" So what are you doing there in the village ? " the minister enquired.

" Well, doing my bit for the country!" Eknath was quite clear about his priorities, "anyway sir, as you wanted to know about the elders in the family whom I want you to stand up for, let me tell you that I was referring to the Agriculture sector. I think you would agree that if Civil aviation is the baby then agriculture is the elder in the family. Isn't it your responsibility to protect the elders along with the babies ? Agreed that we should be worried about 1900 employees losing their jobs, but shouldn't we also be worried about more than 1100 farmers committing suicide in the Vidarbha region, this year alone? Aren't lives equally important?"

"But the Finance Minister has provide waivers for the agriculture sector in this years budget. The govt. is equally concerned about the farming sector, my friend. You needn't worry!" the O.S.D put in his bit.

"Needn't worry!!! Sir do you realize that thousands of farmers are taking their own lives not only in Vidarbha, but places like Anantpur in Andhra Pradesh and many other parts of the country", Eknath countered.

" But the Finance minister has provided waivers, hasn't he?", the O.S.D countered.

"The loan waivers offered by the Finance Minister were a sham !" Eknath retaliated.

" Sham! You know what you are talking about, young man?" The minister retorted.

" I do Sir, and I will tell you how", Eknath continued, "the Finance minister sanctioned loan waivers for the farmers who had taken loan from banks and who were having a land holding of more than two hectares ."

" So what else do you want? You want the govt. to write off all the loans taken by farmers irrespective of their assets . Why do farmers only whine and make no efforts to improve their lot?", the O.S.D was being cheeky.

This infuriated Eknath, but years spent in the rural country side had taught him to patient with this govt.machinery. Their indifference and apathy towards the agriculture sector had led it to ruin. After all hadn't the C.M of Maharashtra, Vilas Rao Deshmukh at a public meeting in Vidarbha called the farmers 'lazy', thereby insinuating that they were to themselves to be blamed for their misfortune. So Eknath understood that this 'farmers not working' bit was a bureaucratic mindset. These bureaucrats after their initial 'training' schedule in the villages, which was compulsory, abhorred the sight of the villages.

" Why do people like Naresh Goyal and Vijay Mallya whine and not do something about their business ventures? Why does the govt. sneeze when these individuals catch cold?" Ekanath returned the favour.

The O.S.D was flabbergasted. "How dare you! What do you mean? You mean...." the O.S.D was incoherent. He had not expected this riposte from Eknath.

" I mean what I say. You politicians are so worried about the failure of a 'bad' business model that you are willing to invest 'public money' collected in the form of taxes from the common people to bail out industrialists. Just a few months back you were going gaga over the success of the Civil aviation sector. What happened in the interim, sir? And by the way did these Hon'bles share their profits with the public when they were making money?If not, why should the public money be used to bail them out?" Eknath queried.

"But didn't they provide cheap tickets @Rs500, so that the common people could travel by airways?" the minister was back at his populist best.

"That was simply bad policies sir. And by the way did the common man plead before them for air travel. You as well as I know that these measures were taken to entice a new generation of travellers to air travel, so that people could get hooked up and not mind paying up Rs. 10,000 for the next round of travel. Now when the policy has backfired, the Govt wants to bail them out. Will you now bail out the street corner grocer if he starts doling out freebies to his consumer and then his business collapses? For nearly two decades the theory of 'free businees' without any govt. control was flouted, and unbridled consumerism encouraged. Now suddenly we get back to 'Socialism being best for the country', do we? " Eknath was now flowing like the monsoon river in spate, " the Hon'ble Vijay Mallya has brought a Formula 1 Racing team, took over Deccan Airways, is on the verge of buying an English Football club, got into a spree of buying air crafts and what not, but now needs the common man's money to finance his extravagances. Is this not a joke?"

"But haven't the farmers been provided the loan waivers? Shouldn't you be content?" the minister tried to change track.

" So let me now tell you about the sham which I was earlier referring to. The Finance Minister announced farm loan waivers for farmers with land holdings of more than 2 hectares, whereas an average land holding size in Vidarbha is 3.03 acres or 7.5 hectares. 50% of the farmers own land which is larger than which applies for the waiver. There are Adivasis who own around 10 hectares of land. But the ground reality is that most of the land is unproductive and unirrigated. For those with over two hectares, there is the old deal of 'one-time settlement' of their bank loans. In this case, if they repay 75 per cent of the loan, they will be given a rebate of 25 per cent. Only very large farmers will gain from this. If the farmers could pay 75 per cent of their dues, they wouldn't be committing suicide. Furthermore those farmers who fall within the two-hectare limit, only a small group has access to bank credit. Factually the private money lenders rule the roost and there is no respite for the farmers from these blood suckers" Eknath emphasised.

The O.S.D felt a certain dryness in throat. He prayed that the minister would not ask him to counter this heavy duty stuff, for he had no idea as regards to this. This Eknath nuisance had to be gotten rid off, and gotten rid fast.

But there was no way Eknath could be stopped," And Mr.Minister what I am stating is from the govt. records and can be corroborated from there. The waiver will simply benefit farmers in Western Maharashtra i.e the sugarcane belt which belongs to the agriculture minister. So while Vidarbha and Anatpur burn, you send the fire brigade to fill a swimming pool. ingenious isn't it?"

The minister had by now lost patience with this young man," So you want the govt. to pardon all the bad debt of the agriculture sector,don't you. Farmers will take loan and then not pay back, isn't it? And we suppose we close down all other industries?" the minister now resorted to sarcasm.

" Sir how long will you people keep on playing industry against agriculture? Can both of them not be partners in progress? The development of any economy cannot be predicated on any one sector. Both swim or sink together. Let me remind you that the development of the country has its genesis in the First Green revolution. The rural sector gradually developed and subsequently the industry and the manufacturing sector reaped its benefits some time later on. You cannot sell anything if the consumer does not have the power to buy it. Isn't it? And let me remind you that the nationalised banks 'write off'' bad debts to the tune of thousands of crores every year. And incidentally most of this debt is owned by industrialists who are pretty awesome names and a regular on the political circuit. Do I need to remind you that bad debt to the tune of 60 crores was written of for a Ketan Parikh company, sometime in 2004. But when it comes to farmers it becomes 'bad debt'!!"

Eknath could not be stopped. The common man was fighting back," Sir the govt. provides around Rs. 50 worth subsidy on an LPG cylinder and acts as if it is doing the consumers a favour, but then on the other hand you people call for reduction of taxes on ATF without a care in the world. Why are corporate interests flouted as public interests? Yesterday I heard the owner of a travel company on TV referring to the fact that if the airlines stop functioning some body's sick mother will not be able to be taken for treatment of Cancer to the TATA memorial Hospital in Mumbai."

"He was right , wasn't he?" the O.S.D retorted.

"Mr. OSD, if you wish you could accompany me to any primary health centre in the country and locate one doctor who is on duty for more than two days in a week, for a few hours at the most. Do you even know or think of this fact . And how many people in this country can afford air travel, even if for the sake of argument, however flawed, that tickets will be available at Rs. 500 with govt assistance. Get real Sir!" Eknath spoke.

The minister and his lackey were by now exasperated, so what do you want?" the minister said.

" Nothing, now my suspicion is confirmed When you people never felt any pain when we villagers offered our villages or kidenys for sale to highlight our grievances, what can you do anyway? You people cannot or are not willing to do anything for the common masses of the country who toil away honestly, at whatever they do. Expecting you people to show concern and act accordingly, is like asking an Eskimo to sell air conditioners. The only hope is for the people to stand up for themselves. Looking in askance towards the govt.will not suffice. But that will also take some doing since they have been alienated from each other in the name of caste, religion, industry, farmer,rural, urban. But people like me will keep working till that happens and happen it definitely will !!" Eknath was patience personified.

Just then the OSD's cellphone rang, " Ji Mallya sahab, yes we are on the way. I know your personal aircraft is waiting for us. So sorry to keep you waiting. You see, there has been a needless delay......"

Ekanth by then was on his way back, Sprite as ever, head held high.

NIRBAL KI LADAI BALWAN SE, YE KAHANI HAI DIYE KI AUR TOOFAN KI (This is a fight between the weak and the mighty, this is a story of the lamp and the storm)

Disclaimer: This discussion never took place and is a work of fiction . But then again, this discussion is taking place in the hearts of millions of Indians or so I feel.

Note: The post is inspired by the tremendous work of Shri P.Sainath of the newspaper THE HINDU, who is fighting a lonely battle (amongst the media) for the agricultural sector. My salutations.

SECULARISM --INDIAN VERSION

SECULARISM: The belief that consideration of the present well being of Mankind should take precedence over religious considerations in civil affairs or public education. (source : Webster's dictionary)

THE BACKGROUND

The Constitution of India was passed by the Constituent Assembly on November, 1949 and came into effect on January 26, 1950. It declared The Union of India to be a sovereign, democratic, republic, assuring its citizens of justice, equality, and liberty; the words "socialist" and "secular" were added to the definition in 1976 by the 42nd constitutional amendment, during the emergency imposed by Smt. Indira Gandhi.

The premise with which we start this discussion leads us to believe that India adopted Secularism as a matter of state policy subsequent to the year 1976, when it was incorporated as a part of our Constitution. The fact that the founding fathers of the Constitution did not find it necessary to introduce this belief as a matter of state policy speaks volumes with regards to the fact of the concept of Secularism being part of the Indian psyche and engrained in our thoughts, and therefore needing no further assertion.

History is witness to the fact that theocracy was never a part of the policy/affairs of the Indian state from times immemorial. Although religion played a very important role in the lives of the citizens, it was kept away from the affairs of the state. The state per se remained completely Secular. Religion remained restricted to the temples and other places designated for it, the Purohit remained separate from the Mantri. India never fought Crusades for the sake of propagating religion.

In fact, the only period of time when the state propagated a particular religion as a matter of state policy was when Ashoka endorsed Buddhism. Ashoka after his experience during the Kalinga war used his army for the propagation of the edicts of Buddhism. One of the major reasons for the decline and fall of the Mauryan empire could be attributed to this intertwining of religion and the state.

In India although the stress was laid on the concept of Dharma, this dharma pertained to duties rather than religion. A king was supposed to adhere to his Rajya dharma, i.e his duties and obligations towards his people and not religion.

THE IMPLEMENTATION

1989 remains a watershed year for the 'Secularism' we witness today. An elderly Muslim lady, Shah Bano sought alimony from her husband. The case had been in the courts for years. In 1989, the Supreme court applying section 125 of the Criminal procedure code, granted her alimony. All hell then broke loose, since there was no common law for personal matters, the Hindu personal act applied for Hindus and the Muslim personal law for the Muslims. Even today, the country does not have a common codified civil law.

The erstwhile Prime Minister Late Rajiv Gandhi initially made a spirited defence of the Court's ruling. Arif Mohd. Khan, a minister in the ruling govt. made an impassionate appeal in the Parliament in support of the Court's decision. But this spirit soon evaporated and life was back to square one. The P.M backed out in the face of resistance from the fundamentalists. That he was under fire politically, because of the Bofors issue did not help matters. The govt. brought in an amendment to annul the court's ruling. Shah Bano was not the only looser in this charade. The fundamentalists had smelt blood. The message that votes matter much more than policy was affirmed.

Secularism could wait, Elections could not !!

Bending down before fundamentalists is a double edged sword, for you cannot be seen to be pandering to one community only, since it is not one community alone which makes the hard walk to the voting booth.

The late Rajiv Gandhi started his election campaign later that year from Ayodhya with a call to usher in 'Ram Rajya', the very idea of which was anathema to his grandfather, Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first P.M of India.

The politics of fatwa made its appearance in force for the first time during the elections in 1989, when V.P Singh obtained the blessings of the Shahi Imam. Fatwas have been integral part of secular Indian polity ever since.

With the passage of time, the word Secularism has lost its meaning completely.

The govt. of India (whichever govt. it may be) pays Haj subsidy to Muslim pilgrims going on their annual Haj pilgrimage, pays subsidy to minority educational institutions whereas the law prohibits any govt. grant to institutions imparting religious education. So a school teaching Hindu scriptures does not get any grant from the govt. whereas a madarasa, teaching we all know what, gets grants from govt., ostensibly on it being a minority educational institution. The policy of Reservation does not apply to minority educational institutions.

Whatever the intention behind introducing Secularism as a part of our constitution, today it has become the last refuge of the politicians, who fall back upon the cliche of 'Secularism' while hiding their misdeeds. Therefore, the Sacchar commission can make recommendations regarding giving reservations to Muslims in govt. jobs, posting Muslim teachers in colleges in Muslim dominated areas. The pretext being that this will ensure greater representation to the minority community in govt. services and bring them into the mainstream.

The moment the idea of dividing people on the basis of religion, by providing jobs based on their religion is challenged, the person is branded as 'Communal' and treated as an outcast. No politician worth his salt is willing to answer the query regarding the necessity of reservations on the basis of religion more than 60 years of Independence. Why has no effort been made to provide quality education by the govt. schools free of cost or at subsidised rates? Quality education to all citizens irrespective of their religion would have negated the very need to reserve post for a Hindu or a Muslim. It might sound simplistic, but education open doors for progress, not Secularism as practiced by the politicians.But then again, an educated citizenry might see through this farce being played out in the name of secularism and stuff, so why educate?

The same logic of equal representation was played out during the Morley Minto reforms of 1909. The British through this reform introduced the concept of separate communal representation in the Legislative assemblies. Therefore a Muslim candidate was to be elected by Muslim voters only. The Congress opposed this move to divide people on the basis of religion, but after the Lucknow pact of 1916, acceded to this idea. The genesis of the division of the country in 1947 can be traced to this pact. But then we don't remember our History very well do we??

Even the war on terror is being seen through the prism of the so called Secularism. Therefore the Shahi Imam can come to Saraymir in Azamgarh to express his solidarity with the family of Bashir, who was arrested for the terror attacks in various parts of the nation. The Shahi Imam can then brazenly claim that Inspector M.C.Sharma who was killed in the Jamia Nagar encounter was killed by the police themselves, in order to frame the Muslims. As far as conspiracy theories go, this statement is at par with the findings of the U.C.Banerjee commission which arrived at the conclusion that the train at Godhra was burnt from the inside by the kar sevaks themselves. But any one opposing the statement of the Shahi Imam or questioning the U.C. Banerjee commission about the reason why hundreds of people surrounded the train while it burnt and not helping the burning passengers is bound to be labelled 'Communal'.

Explosions in various parts of the country have become so routine that any single day which passes of peacefully is treated as an aberration and people are apprehensive about the next day bringing something even more grave. The security agencies who as it is are undermanned, demoralised and lack clear directives, are being made to conform to the Indian standards of 'Secularism'. The National Human Rights Commission has questioned the encounter at Jamia Nagar and openly accuse the police of targeting a 'particular community'. The same people never empathise with the victims of terrorism or the Kashmiri Pandits forcibly driven away from their homes.

The proposition of targeting a particular community would have been laughable, if it was not so dangerous. My request to these Hon'bles is to look around and 'get real'. Even the progenitor of terrorism, Pakistan is feeling the heat from this Frankenstein, and so are countries like Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Egypt. But nowhere does this shrill cry of targeting ' a particular community' while fighting terrorism raised.Bombs do not differentiate while killing innocents, be it the mosque in Hyderabad and Malegaon, or the Sankat Mochan temple in Varanasi, or the Akshardham temple in Gujarat.

At times it appears that the bombs practice more Secularism since it does not differentiate between a Hindu, Muslim or Sikh, whereas our institutions differentiate everything into religious categories.

THE CONSEQUENCES

The Secularism being practiced in the country has resulted in dividing everything into a Hindu-Muslim issue. The vacillation by the Govt. in tackling terrorism for the sake of a vote bank has resulted in a situation wherein every Muslim is being treated as a suspect, because the common people have no faith in the determination of the political parties. A feeling has gained ground that the politicians will deal everything with their plea of 'secularism'.

It is an extremely unfortunate situation because as all Hindus cannot be categorised as nationalists, so all the Muslims cannot be categorised as terrorists. It is extremely unfair for a complete class of people to be treated as something which they definitely are not. Or maybe this is what our politicians desire. Labelling Muslims as terrorist will only consolidate the feeling of alienation and increase the ghettoisation, resulting in more votes in their favour. This marriage of convenience between Democracy and Secularism bodes ill for the future of our nation.

This hype over secularism diverts the attention of the common people from the issues at hand. Horrible roads, pathetic condition of electricity throughout the country,non existent primary health care and govt. schooling, an obsolete drainage system which results in rain water stagnating for days. The civic amneties in the country are the pits,and more so in the Muslim dominated areas. Has any custodian of Secularism ever bothered to look into this?

The idea evidently is to confuse the people over this debate and hide the inadequacy and corruption in the system. Why let people think over issues which directly affect them, clean water,health care, roads, education and stuff. Let them remain enmeshed in something which removes their focus from the issues at hand, seems to be the motto.

The other fall out of this flawed practice of Secularism has been the suppression of the moderate Muslim voices, who have retreated into the background, while the extremists take centre stage. Shah Bano was the starting point and the govt. action ( or inaction) yielded complete space to these fundamentalists. The question as to why the extremist voices are said to represent Secularism, begs an answer. The moderates are convinced that the govt. will side with the extremists when push comes to shove, so why compromise one's life and honour? An informal discussion with the editor of a leading Hyderabad Urdu daily, Siyasat Times, revealed that he had faced threats to his life while opening a call centre training centre for Muslim girls, in order to uplift their stature, not from the Hindu fundamentalists but from local Muslim fundamentalists. So much so for secularism, Indian style.

The act of the Jamia Milia University Vice Chancellor Mushirul Hasan, in deciding to fight the legal battle for the students arrested for their complicity in the terror attacks in the country is a link in the same perverted chain of 'secularism'. Agreed that everyone is innocent till proven guilty, it is still not understood that how a centrally funded University can take the onus of fighting a legal battle on behalf of these students. The money being provided to these Universities is Public Money, isn't it? We do not pay our taxes for them to be utilised in this ungainly manner, do we? Even the statement of the Vice Chancellor that they will be utilising money generated from their own resources, cuts no ice. Students getting admitted into the University are paying a subsidised fees on account of it being a Central University, and the fee is being submitted on account of them obtaining the services of a central University, nothing less and nothing more. What makes this money the private property of Jamia Milia University, Mr.Vice Chancellor? And furthermore, what message is sent to the misguided youth at large? That they are being persecuted by the state and only their fellow religionists will come for their help!

Recently an IPS officer was penalised for pointing out the anomalies of the sixth pay commission unduly in favour of the IAS officers, on the pretext of violating the Conduct rules. I wonder whether the same conduct rules apply for the Vice Chancellor, Jamia Milia University, since he for all practical purposes is a central govt. employee. But our esteemed HRD minister has publicly supported the stand of the Vice Chancellor. So much so for secularism.

The security agencies are demoralised to start of with, and such 'Secular' acts further enhances their insecurity. Why not let the law take its own course,instead of vitiating the already poor atmosphere!! Why does this country not care more for people who give up their lives at the call of their duty? How can people like the Shahi Imam raise questions, which only exacerbate the morale of the security forces, and get away without any legal or constitutional remedy for the officers? How can Ram Bilas Paswan roam around with an Osama bin Laden lookalike seeking Muslim votes, without the law taking its course? Is the minister not aware of the avowed pronouncement of this terrorist rgarding India being enemy no.1 along with U.S.A, Israel and Russia? All for the sake of 'Secularism' of course.

By the way, maybe the Vice Chancellor of the Jamia Milia University would enlighten us with the amount contributed by them for the recent horrible floods in Bihar. Or their 'Secular' hearts bleed only for a certain cause.

These so called 'Secular' acts also gives credence to the assertion of the lumpen elements on the other side of the fence, regarding the govt. taking sides. The only looser in this battle is the common law abiding citizen of the country, who only desires basic amneties, equality before law, equal opportunites irrespective of caste, creed or religion.

A truly secular concept, isn't it, but something which the politicians cannot provide, since it will eradicate the very need for their existence.

THE STORY OF STOLT VALOR

June 27, 1976, Air France flight139, carrying 248 passengers and twelve crew members, en route from Tel Aviv to Paris took off from Athens sometime in the afternoon. Shortly afterwards, the aircraft was hijacked by two members of the Popular Front of Palestine and two Germans from the German revolutionary Cells. The hijacked plane after refuelling in Beghazi in Libya, finally landed at the Entebbe airport in Uganda.

Uganda at that particular point of time was under the dictatorship of Idi Amin. Idi Amin is considered to be amongst the cruellest despots in modern history. Iterestingly Idi Amin had assumed the title of: "His Excellency, President for life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of all the beasts of the earth and fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in general and Uganda in particular." Do we need to say anything more about this man !

After its landing in Uganda, the hijackers were joined by three more Palestinian hijackers, and the passengers and the crew were conveniently moved out of the plane to the terminal building of the airport, with due connivance of the Ugandan authorities. The demand of the hijackers was the release of 40 Palestinian terrorists in Israeli jails and 13 terrorists held in various countries like Kenya, France, Switzerland and the erstwhile West Germany.

The hijackers then released the non Israeli and the non Jewish passengers, which trimmed down the number of hostages to 83 along with 20 others which included the crew. Negotiations between the Israeli government and the hijackers bore no fruit, and the situation looked grim.

In the early hours of the 4th of July, 1976, four Hercules C 130 aeroplanes circled over the Entebbe airport. The passengers were no ordinary passengers, for they were the elite commandos of the Israeli Defence Force. To their surprise, the commandos found that the runway lights had not been switched off. Undeterred,the planes landed with their hatches already opened. The Ugandan forces which were present in full strength,detected nothing, as out came a Black Mercedes and a Land Rover car, from the aircraft.The cars were exact replicas of the ones used by Idi Amin,in order to befool the Ugandan forces, and before realisation dawned,.......the attack was on. All the terrorists,alongwith 45 Ugandan army personnel were killed. 3 hostages were also killed in the battle. The lone Israeli casualty was Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, who was killed by sniper fire. Incidentally, Col. Netanyahu's younger brother Binyamin Netanyahu later became the Prime Minister of Israel. The Israeli forces also destroyed 11 MiG 17 aircrafts which had been parked at Entebbe, in order to counter an Israeli attack. The Israeli forces which had taken a circuitous route to reach Entebbe, so that the Ugandan radars could not detect their approach, went back along with the hostages.

Operation THUNDERBOLT was over.

The statement of the Israelis before the U.N, when Uganda pressed for action against it, shows the determination this country possessed, the Israeli ambassador Chaim Herzog said:

" We come with a simple message to the Council: we are proud of what we have done because we have demonstrated to the world that a small country, in Israel's circumstances, with which the members of this Council are by now all too familiar, the dignity of man, human life and human freedom constitute the highest values. We are proud not only because we have saved the lives of over a hundred innocent people—men, women and children—but because of the significance of our act for the cause of human freedom."

September 15, 2008:

A Hong Kong registered and Panamanian owned cargo vessel MT Stolt Valor en route to Mumbai from the Suez, is hijacked off the coast of Yemen by Somali pirates. The crew on board the ship consist of 18 Indians, 2 Fillipinos, 1 Bangladeshi and one Russian. The ship is anchored in Somali waters till date.

The coast of Yemen has become the hot bed of seafaring pirates, with hijacking becoming big business. Like kidnapping in India, it is basically outsourced to the poor, with the real mafiosi taking over once the hijacking has taken place. Even last month, a ship with some Indian crew on board was hijacked, the crew were later on freed, not without ransom of course. Reportedly the Somalians have developed an expertise in this field with a town on the Somalian coast,boasting of citizenry, all of whom are involved in this art.

For more than 10 days , 18 Indians are in captivity inside their ship. As per information received by family members who established contact through satellite phone,the crew is fast running out of food and the hijackers are turning hostile.

Now sample the response of the Indian establishment towards these unfortunate souls.

The Indian Navy wants permission from the government to enter the Somali waters and rescue these sailors, who are facing an extremely hostile situation, for these pirates are ruthless and have no qualms in killing their hostages. After all they are professionals and cannot stay on if they do not receive ransom, for them it is waste of time, as they need to move on.

The MARCOS (Marine commandos) are itching for action,and the Navy is confident of its capabilities.The Navy Chief has sought permission for action. But the Indian leadership is clueless, as usual... .....

The defence minister A.K.Antony, a minister whose integrity is a rarity in these times, said ;

" The problem is that we have no agreement with Somalia on this. We are trying our best but the ship is at a Somali port and we have no agreement (to tackle the situation). We can act only as per the law,"

Excuse me, Mr. Minister!! What law prevents you from proceeding to save the lives of your citizens. Are these sailors in the lawful custody of the Somali govt? Did Israel wait for an agreement to act?

Sir, we are talking about lives, about families, about human dignity, ........about Indian citizens. Would the same alibi been given, if God forbid, one of the sailors was the kith and kin of a minister or a bureaucrat. Here we give elite security to the son- in- laws and daughter- in- laws of the powers that be, and we need laws to counter an unlawful situation!!

The Indian Navy is touted as a Blue Water navy, which has ambitions to defend the entire route from South East Asia till the Suez Canal . The tradition of the Indian Navy defending its borders and protecting its people in far off lands is nothing new. The Chola kings during the medieval period had a very strong navy, which protected its commercial interests. Once when Indian traders were harassed by Chinese sailors in South East asia,the Chola king despatched his navy to protect his traders there. The Chinese were defeated and stayed silent thereafter. Kanohji Angre, who led the navy of Shivaji,ensured that the Portugese were repulsed every time they approached the Indian ports.

Today the same Navy is being made to wait for orders from the govt.....Orders to save its own people.......UNFORTUNATELY.

Time is running out fast!

Time is of prime essence in cases like this. Remember the day when the hijacked IC 814 landed at the Amritsar airport for refuelling. The crisis management group of the govt. dithered, and the subsequent result needs no story telling.

Cut to the incident when the daughter of Mufti Mohd.Sayeed,the then minister of state for Home, was kidnapped by terrorists in 1989,and the prompt release of five terrorists in bargain. Do we need to brush up on the definition of Hypocrisy.

We Indians have the pretension of being a super power, the swagger of our economic growth (never mind 'honour killings, female foeticide, the fact that more than half the population lives in sub Saharan Africa like conditions) , but in fact we are the biggest pleaders in the World. We plead before our neighbours to stop instigating terrorism in our country, we plead with the terrorists spreading havoc in the country with a 'they are our brothers only' theme,(The latest statement from our designer clothes Home Minister), we mortgage our sovereignty before foreign superpowers for the sake of nuclear fuel, we plead before people spreading communal tension,our policemen plead before the truck drivers for their 'hafta' irrespective of the cargo they are carrying. The common man , well, he pleads for everything, reservation in trains, electricity, better roads, safety of his family,clean drinking water and what not.

In the instant crisis (although our leaders still do not think of it as one) , we look in askance before the U.S. whose navy patrols the Somali waters for the sake of the safety of their ships. Does this approach befits a country which wishes to see itself as a permanent member of the U.N security council? Even the French, who are renowned for their laid back approach towards life (perhaps the only country which strictly imposes its 35 hour per week policy at the work place) sent in their commandos to rescue an elderly French-Polynesian couple from their hijackers in Somali waters, a couple of months ago. A similar group of pirates had hijacked them in their private yatch. Imagine if people can be rescued from a yatch which is much smaller than a ship in area, what stops us?

Perhaps the fact that it is only a group of 18 people, which does not constitute a vote bank is holding our country back. Further, the mainstream media is also not bothered about this 'story' (except a few honourable exceptions), so the pressure to act is even less, not that it would have made any particular difference. The lack of media coverage has also resulted in the fact that a man on the street does not even know about this incident.

The Government is not bothered and has for all practical purposes left 18 Indians to their fate. The fact that the Govt.has also left 1 billion Indians to their fate is of no solace to the families of these sailors. The P.M is busy attending to his dream project aka the nuclear deal, the foreign minister has not uttered a single word regarding this incidence, the defence minister speaks of legalities,......................while 18 sailors and their hopes and families........drift away.

Decades ago, the same Idi Amin drove away thousands of Indians from Uganda without the Indian rulers of the day raising so much as a whimper. The story was nearly repeated in Kenya last year, when Indian owned establishments were ransacked and looted, while the Indian govt. refused to raise its voice in protest or when 13 B.S.F personnel were ambushed by the Bangladesh Defence Rifles personnel, on Indian territory, and paraded like dead animals.

Though it might sound outlandish and offensive, it is astounding to notice the lack of sense of identity we Indians have ,which is worsened by the lack of confidence we have in our abilities. For heavens sake, how long will we keep on looking towards others to save us. Did Raja Raja Chola ask for any help when traders from his kingdom were harassed in South East Asia sometime in 1000 A.D ? Did Shivaji ask Aurangzeb for help in order to protect his coast from the depredations of the Portugese?

If India has to achieve its full potential, the people must be made aware of the oneness of the nation, the sense of sharing a common heritage, the feeling that we as Indians may have a difference of opinion on various issues, we may differ on our religious and political affiliations , but India remains one , and no one, absolutely no one can be permitted to harm the nation and its people and get away with it, be it the terrorists, be it the pirates, be it the foreign countries inimical to us, or our very own people who care for nothing else but themselves and lining their pockets.

The price of an Indian citizen has to be made prohibitively expensive.

The country has to get behind the sailors. Pardon me for borrowing from the Home Minister although in a different context, while I call them 'our brothers', have to be brought home and brought home safely. We cannot fail them and the nation.

The nation cannot remain silent for eternity .

NEW DELHI 9/13

The time is 6.10 P.M on the 13th of September,2008, on a hot and sultry evening in the capital, New Delhi.

One of the news channel receives an e mail,from an unidentified source.The mail is in the form of a power point presentation ,courtesy the Indian Mujahideen.The various presentations apart from abusing the Indian system of life,Indian religion and the Indian people includes certain separate presentations,viz ,' YOUR DIRTY BLOOD',which shows a person dying from a blast,with blood oozing from his body,'YOUR BLOOD BATH',the visuals accompanying the slogan needs no explanation,'YOUR FUTURE',shows a small child lying on a hospital bed with bandages all over his body,'YOUR TERMINATION' has a dead body covered in a shroud ,with a relative weeping nearby,'YOUR LEADERS' is accompanied by language which cannot be reproduced for public consumption.The catch phrase is that explosions are about to be set off in the city.

Implicitly,it is a 'catch us if you can',challenge.

Before anybody can realize the magnitude of the message, multiple explosions rock the city.

The explosion is accompanied by a deafening sound.Human parts fly off in all directions,vehicles are thrown up in the air and catch fire.For a few moments following the blast,life comes to a standstill,both literally and figuratively.Debris all over,a thick pall of smoke and dust hangs in the environment.People in the vicinity who have miraculously escaped death are too stunned to react.The scene in front of their eyes does not make it any easier,as they see dead bodies, which can hardly be called bodies following the disfigurement,injured with grievous injuries on their person, crying children.The scene is not for the weak hearted.

The law enforcer,the policeman,who was busy collecting his dues from the unauthorised hawkers,illegally parked vehicles and traffic rules violators,runs away from the scene to inform his superior.He does not want to waste time in helping the injured and securing the area for forensic details or even in calling up for fire brigade and ambulance.Besides he does not want to spoil his uniform while helping the individuals,who are bleeding like a stream.His uniform allowance is a pittance,and he is no Home Minister that he can change his clothes three times in three hours.He is a mere constable and knows fully well which side of his bread is buttered.So off he goes to inform his superior,who in turn has to intimate his boss.The constable remembers the firing he got from his superior, when he informed the control room only, without informing his superior directly, and went out to help an individual who had met with a serious accident.The bosses wanted the news,immediately,before the darned news channels got it.

The first to rush in assistance are the Common people,the neighbouring shop keepers,the bystanders, the people passing by.Without a care in the world for their own safety,they rush in,after their initial fear is overcome.They lift the injured, extricate people trapped under the debris,stop passing autos,cars,whatever in order to rush the injured to hospitals.Some lend their mobile phones to the injured,so that the concerned families are informed. Nobody cares whether the injured is a Hindu,Muslim or for that matter an atheist.The priority is to save the injured.The politicians can come in later on.

The policeman has in the meanwhile come back.The scene before him is heart rending."What the heck",he mutters to himself, and joins in helping the injured.He curses himself and his greed,for becoming so oblivious to the suffering.The entire area surrounding the blast site,pitches in, Guys in suits and ties,roll their sleeves and join in,the rag pickers are not behind.

Within minutes of the blast and even before the police reinforcements can arrive, the News Channels guys arrive.There is an old saying in Hindi,"JAHAN NA PAHOOCHE RAVI, WAHAN PAHOOCHE KAVI" (the poets reach places where even sun cannot reach).These fellows from the electronic media are the modern day poets.

The blast site now becomes the site for the channel wars. All the channels want to take vantage points, no camera angle can be left unexplored.This is an opportunity of a lifetime. Excitedly,they speak into the cameras with the blast scene in the background.Vigorously shaking their hands and rolling their eyes, they explain the nuances of the scene to the anchors sitting in the comforts of the H.Q. Not a hand is raised in support of the injured or the people helping them out.They cannot let go of this story,you see! Let the govt. help the people! After all, what if XX channel takes advantage of their helping out the injured and gets an extra byte. "According to our information,@#%# organisation is behind the blast", some say, others go on,"Our sources in the intelligence dept...".The Mahabharat of news channels is being played out,"As you see,this man is in a pretty bad shape,imagine his family must be waiting for ....It appears that a senior police official has arrived on the scene,let us hear what he has to say." Let the family wait!

The senior sahib from the Indian Police Service (designation does not matter, they are all the same),had received the message from the SHO,and has reached the spot, muttering all the while.After all he had taken Mrs. for shopping .There is this guy on Connaught place whom sahib had helped in an accident case and saved him from a prison term.The shopkeeper is indebted to sahib, and gives a very good discount on all antique items(We all know what discount means,don't we?) . Sahib and memsahib were supposed to have dinner at the posh club afterwards.It was the same club which charges Rs. 10-15 lakhs for membership,but for sahib it was for free. This cursed blast had spoilt everything, and sahib was afraid that his Golf schedule for Sunday was also ruined."@##$%% ",he swore, "why set off explosions on a Saturday,when you can target more people on a working day".But anyway he arrived,looking all grim and mouthing obscenities to his subordinates, for 'their lapse' and making pious statements before the TV channels."The Police Commissioner must be on the way", he thought and set about looking busy.

Suddenly the mobile phone of one the TV reporters rang.It was an IB (Intelligence Bureau) guy,who used to give the reporter the 'Sources in Intelligence' bit.He wanted to know the extent of damage caused by the blast at the site,"Arre yaar,kisi ne jimmedari li kya?(Has anybody owned up?) ,he enquired from the reporter.He had been deputed to follow up on a political opponent of the Govt., by his boss,when his primary duty was 'Counter Intelligence'.Now he had to submit an immediate report regarding the blast and the people behind it .This was routine for the IB guy,who had been in similar situation before.That is why he supplied information to the media guys, who helped him out in times like this.

Life had stopped for some , but for others it was another day in office.

The injured were being rushed to hospitals.the doctors were on an overdrive,since they had to battle the injuries as well as lack of facilities.There were ultra modern private hospitals opening up. Hospitals which got subsidised land,were permitted to import latest equipments by waiving off Customs duty,ostensibly on the grounds of treating a certain amount of poor people free of cost.That nobody had seen the poor receiving treatment in these hospitals,is well, a trivial issue.Not surprisingly,the injured are as a matter of routine never taken to these Private Hospitals. After all it appears that the rich and the VVIP's cannot be disturbed.The common people who bring the injured to the hospitals,as well as others who hear the news, line up to donate blood for the injured.The Muslims do not ask whether it is the blood of the Hindus which is being injected,neither do the Hindus. Come to think of it,in a situation like this it is always the common man who comes forward to donate blood,the blood of our 'leaders' and bureaucrats is too precious to waste like this,it seems.

The hospitals are by now overcrowded, with the relatives,friends,wellwishers of the injured and the dead.thronging the premises.There is hardly any room to stand, but our friends, the TV reporters, have a job to do.They are standing on the steps,the lobby,any goddamn place which can show their presence in the hospital and give them 'exclusive visuals'.Some try to venture inside the ward,for a 'better view' and 'first hand report',but the staff shoo them away.

Suddenly there is a flutter amongst the senior police officials and other bureaucrats,and the place is abuzz .Carloads of security personnel start arriving, all armed to the teeth. A special ambulance arrives at the sight. The bomb disposal squad arrives at the hospital and begins to scour the hospital.The patients and their attendants do not know what is going on.People are apprehensive of another attack,this time in the Hospital. You certainly do not expect anything better from these "freedom fighters', an attack at the hospital gives them good publicity as well as easy victims.

Sirens blaring,beacon lights flashing,a fleet of around 20 cars enters the Hospital compound.The secret is let out.It is the Home Minister,who has taken time out of his busy schedule and decided to pay the injured a visit. He is surrounded by scores of security personnel, the moment he steps out of his car.These elite security personnel were raised to fight the terror related acts like sabotage,hijacking,and stuff.Now they do what most of the govt. servants are supposed to do,i.e.protect the "public servants", the public can wait.

The Home Minister has changed his suit,three in a matter of few hours,but that is an extremely cynical way of looking at it.The minister after all is a representative of the people (what of it that he lost the Lok Sabha elections),and he cares for the sentiments of the people.Haven't we seen the death scenes in numerous movies and serials where everybody wears white.Now when this poor man does so, everybody sniggers.Why this double standard? If the poor fellow came dressed in a cream coloured suit, we would go ballistic about his 'insensitivity'.

The Home Minister mouths platitudes about 'fighting terror', 'not bowing down before terror', 'need for a federal intelligence agency', 'appreciating the resilience of the people'.

We are indeed fortunate to have ministers like this,and these esteemed Hon'bles (notice the ads where the ministers are addressed like this) are our best best bet to fight terror.There is one thing common amongst the terrorists and the Hon'bles. One is consistent in its tactics of creating chaos through explosions etc., and the other in mouthing the same things after each such act, robotically. Some body has to blink, and rest assured that it is not going to be our Hon'bles.

But the ungrateful,cynical people we are, nobody listens to the H.M. Not even the TV reporters are interested, but then they have nothing better to do for the moment, so what the heck!

In the meanwhile, in order to protect the "people's representative", the main entrance to the hospital is barred , and people have to use the side entrance.Distraught families and relatives, people bringing medicines for the injured have to enter through the side entrance, while the minister and his entourage occupy the main entrance.The ungrateful common people want the use of the main entrance at this critical juncture. Always thinking about themselves,aren't they?

The minister of state for Home goes a step further, and says that "security cannot be provided to one billion people". Bravo sir! Way to go! After providing security to the 'people's representative',where is the need to provide security to the 'people' themselves. Let them fend for themselves. If they want security from terrorists, let them eliminate the terrorists themselves. Welcome to the age of Self reliance.

By now the 'experts' on security affairs have been brought out of their hibernation, by the TV channels, alongwith all and sundry politicians. Notice the fact that not a single person who rushed to the spot,carried the injured and donated blood , is ever interviewed.

Most of these 'security experts' who spout their wisdom on various channels are retired police officials.That these worthies were no better than their present day counterparts is , well, nobody's concern. No anchor questions the credentials of these dead woods and their contribution towards the evolution of a safe society and respect for the rule of law.These worthies go on and on about the methods to counter terrorists and their psychology, policing and intelligence. Suddenly, Intelligence or the lack of it has become the favourite flogging horse.

Recent media reports suggest that three of the perpetrators of this ghastly act were under the scanner in the days preceding the blast. The three had met the prime accused Subhan Quereshi, in the Azamgarh dist. of Uttar Pradesh. Information in this regard had been divulged by the two persons arrested by the Gujarat and Rajasthan police in the recent past. Reportedly, the U.P police refused to give the green signal for their arrests because they were afraid of disturbing the 'communally surcharged' atmosphere of Azamgarh.Then these fellows disappeared, and Delhi happened.

Bravo again sirs. Please do not be surprised to see the D.G of U.P police talking about policing and taking on the terrorrists on T.V channels, post retirement.A memoirs on leading the biggest police force in the country, encounters may already be on the anvil.

Which brings us back to the point of 'intelligence failure'. My question is that whether we have the political and executive will to act on these intelligence reports. Intelligence is not worth the paper it is printed on, if not acted upon. If the will was in place, maybe , just maybe, a few lives would have been saved. But then what does a small man like me know!

Meanwhile, the politicians are having a field day on the T.V channels.Everyone is accusing the other one about just about everything.The anchor is having a tough time controlling the panellists, but news trickles in about TRP's , and the anchor lets it be.

The great 'people's representative', the one who roamed around with an Osama bin Laden lookalike for the sake of votes, and is a cabinet minister now, is not to be seen on any channel.But rest asssured, the fellow will be back in a few days,mouthing homilies, and no one, absolutely no one, will question this act of treason and sedition.

It is getting around mid night.The doctor's in the hospitals are getting fatigued, after all they have been working tirelessly for the past 6-7 hours. In India , we do not requisition the services of the doctor's serving in the Private hospitals, the one's who earn a fat pay package,after studying in Govt. subsidised colleges. They are back home, comfortably enconsed in their beds.

But the family members of the injured have no such comforts.Heated arguments break out between the doctors and the attendants of the patients.Nobody but the circumstances is to be blamed.

The govt has announced compensation package for the family of the dead, dying or injured. One agitated relative remarks sarcastically,"I will pay their family double the amount from my own pocket,if something like this happens to these 'leaders'. Can they bring back my ..." The rest are too fatigued and worried, to even react.

The police, the national security guards and other forensic experts are all over the blast site, searching for that all elusive clue,that just might help them in nailing the culprit, provided the govt. has the will.

It is a going to be a very long night.

Our friend, the IPS sahib,is digruntled. His Sunday is ruined. If his subordinates are working like mad , he cannot go back home.The media guys might roast him alive, if he makes an appearance at the Golf club.

The discussions on the TV channels are coming to an end.Now the field reporters have to replace the 'experts'. The show must go on.

After a hard day's work, somebody in a nearby hotel,switches off the TV set. It has been a long day. The person has a sinister smile on his face. He texts a message to somebody,"Pathake ki aawaz suni kya?"(Did you hear the cracker?). Subhan Quereshi , the prime suspect,hits the bed for the night.

The noise in the hospital is of inconsolable wailing.Another martyr for the sake of the society and life that is India, is no more.India which gives space to all faith,assimilates various religions in its local traditions, an India which lets everybody profess his faith and live in peace, can only hear the wailing for its dead,while the enemies go to sleep peacefully..........UNFORTUNATELY.

The next morning, the newspapers present contrasting death toll. Some say '20 dead', others '25 dead', some talk of the resilient people of Delhi and their "Muhtod Jawab"(fitting reply) to the terrorists . People all over the country set out for their daily routine. The topic of discussion remains the blast and stuff.

6-7 years old Chander Prakash,also sets out with his mother Laxmi.The kid is wearing a green shorts and black T shirt, and looks adorable. In front of the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital in New Delhi, he watches 10-15 policemen while away their time . Chander Prakash watches them in rapt attention, with his fingers twirled around the back of his head. It is going to be long day for him,......... for he has come to receive the dead body of his father who was killed in the blast yesterday.

For Chander, life has changed forever.

Disclaimer: The details are fictitious,the incident well........!
Chander Prakash is a real life boy , who lost his father in the blast.(Photograph in The Hindu, New Delhi edition,the 15th of September,2008).

My condolences to the families of the deceased.May God give them strength to bear their loss.

JAAGO BHARAT JAAGO

EKLA CHALO (WALK ALONE)

The scene is set in a room in the headquarters of the Trinamool Congress, in Kolkata. Present are the leaders of the Trinamool Congress, Ms. Mamta Banerjee, other associates and a young man in his early 20's Tapan Mukherjee. Tapan is a student of the prestigious Presidency college of Kolkata, and is hugely influenced by Marxism and the creation of an egaliatarian society. His natural inclination towards Marxism is caught in a perpetual conflict with the growth of the 'Free Market Society' and the enormous opportunities it presents for the youth.

31 years of Communist rule in West Bengal with the resultant trappings of power have resulted in the ideology driven youth like Tapan shifting away from the Communist rule, although the yearning for an egalitarian society still remains strong. Communism in West Bengal, Tapan feels, is a deadly concoction of abhorrence of Democracy inherent in a Communist state, along with the spice of the unbridled greed of a capitalistic system. A Fatal combination.

With the dust of ideology clogging his eyes, Tapan and scores of youth like him, found in Mamta an ally who could take on the brute force of the Communist with the simplicity and integrity of a man like the Mahatma. The lady showed no trappings of power, and although whimsical, retained the ideology of Guru Rabindra Nath Tagore's ,"EKLA CHALO" (Walk alone).At times Mamta seemed more Marxist in her thought than perhaps Karl Marx himself. She was victimised, attacked, assassination attempts made against her, but she ploughed along. ALONE.........

Tapan worshipped her.

Then Singur happened!!

Here was a project which was the brainchild of perhaps India's most respected businessman Ratan Tata, and belonged to the most trusted brand the TATA's. The announcement of the Rs.One Lakh car, the NANO had set the business world ablaze. No Indian product had gained so much world wide publicity before its launch. The nondescript area of Singur came into prominence. Tapan was excited.

When you are 20-21, things like opportunity, employment, development, do carry a special buzz, Marxism notwithstanding.

But Singur changed everything..........

The meeting today had been convened by Mamta Banerjee in the aftermath of her 'success' at Singur. The Govt. of Buddhadeb Bhattachrya had yielded to her demands of compensating the farmers whose lands had been acquisitioned by the govt. for the NANO project. Apparently, as per the deal brokered by the Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi , the govt. of West Bengal had acceded to granting 400 acres of land to the aggrieved farmers, inside the project area. This after TATA had stopped work in the project area and shut down the factory due to the 'hostile' and 'intimidating' environment created due to Mamta Banerjee's dharna and protests.

Although insignificant in the party hierarchy, Tapan was able to wriggle his way into the meeting room. The mood was festive, with even Didi (Mamta Banerjee) sporting her Mona Lisa smile. Mona Lisa because just as in Da Vinci's painting, you could not make out whether Didi was smiling or scowling. But a smile it indeed was today.

Slogans like,"Ladai, ladai, ladai chai, ladai kore bachte chai" (We want a fight, we want to survive by fighting) rent the air. Slogans which meant the world to Tapan till some time back, sounded irritating today. Holi or the festival of colours had come early for the supporters of Didi, as colours were being thrown about in the air. But firecrackers were bursting inside Tapan’s head.

Close associates of Didi surrounded her, congratulating her all the while.

One of them spoke out,"Ae baar baam front shesh"(This time the left front is finished).

The other one laughed aloud, "Let us say TATA to TATA".

Everybody joined in the laughter show. Didi kept on her smile. Her resistance to exaggeration had endeared her to idealistic youth like Tapan.

Another one of the sycophants (What would politics be without them?) joined in, "Didi, your name will be etched in History, as having finished of the Communists from their last bastions."

The chamchas (sycophants) were having a field day, "Ki bhaab chilo, oi TATA , gaari chalabe?"(What did that TATA fellow think, he will drive his car?)

Tapan could not take it any more. But being an inherently sincere guy and in awe of the leader, he spoke meekly, "Didi, kintoo eta ki, bangaler jonye bhalo holo?"(But is it good for Bengal?).

Heads turned towards him, "Tumi ke bhai?" (Who are you brother?) Didi enquired.

At this moment, Tapan felt that the cat had got his tongue. His reply was not audible to anybody except himself.

Irritated at the limelight shifting from themselves, the sycophants started to roll their sleeves. Tapan remembered how these fellows had run at the sight of the Communist cadres and had not faced the assault of the Police. That was the responsibility of foot soldiers like him. He could still feel the baton assault of the Police on his back.

But this was their territory, and he was a mere encroacher. A trespasser, who needed to be prosecuted.

Fortunately,Didi intervened, "Oke bolte dao,suni ki bole!"(Let him speak, I want to hear what he has to say).

Tapan felt relieved. His reverence for Didi grew. After all how many political leaders of the day allowed any body to speak.

Emboldened at the turn of events, he found his confidence coming back .He introduced himself.

Didi seemed impressed. You do not get Intermediate and college toppers as your party workers everyday. This young man could have easily left the state or even the country for greener pastures. Didi remembered the case of one of her sycophants, who had got his son admitted to a foreign University .The son had then got a cushy job and had settled down there. That guy did not have even half the credentials of Tapan.

The slogan,"Ladai ladai,ladai chai,ladai kore bachte chai", continued outside.

Tapan was at fight with himself. How could he ask what he wanted to! But he continued, nevertheless!!

Praying to the Gods he worshipped, he mustered enough courage to ask, "Eta ki thik holo?" (Did the right thing happen?)

Didi could understand his predicament, but wanted him to continue. "Ki thik hoyni?"(What has not gone right?), she enquired.

"Ei Singur jinish ta!"(This Singur incident), Tapan said. He was amazed at his confidence. Maybe he belonged to this place, after all.

The sycophant intervened, "Everything has gone perfectly. Didi has pushed the Communists into a corner. When did the Communists last retreat into a corner? We are sure to cause a lot of damage to the Communists in the next election. We will win at least 20 seats in the Lok Sabha election, which is a phenomenal increase from the present one seat. Celebrate! for come the next Vidhan Sabha election and we will sweep into power. Didi will be the next Chief Minister. If I may so, Didi is bigger than Mikhail Gorbachev, who finished Communism in Russia."

Sycophants around the world have an inherent genetic disposition towards hyperbole. Add to that a proclivity towards theatrics, and there you have it, a perfect composition.

Didi maintained her perfect statuesque facial expression.

Tapan was quick to react, "Good that the party will win 20 seats, better still that Didi becomes the C.M. But my question is that, are the happenings in Singur good for Bengal?"

The sycophant had run out of ammunition pretty quickly. He already had delivered the statement about 20 seats, et al, countless number of times, before the news reporters and knew it by heart. Besides most of the statement was muffled by his supporters and their war cry of "Ladai, Ladai, Ladai chai, Ladai kore bachte chai". No media person could dare to proceed to further questions after this.

But this was different. No supporters shouting slogans in the room ........and a Question, which every body knew would haunt them.

But not for nothing are sycophants so successful in life. The sycophant changed track, as a chameleon changes its colours.

" You mean to say that Didi does not know what is good for Bengal!", the sycophant raised his voice, trying to browbeat Tapan.

Tapan was perplexed for a moment, but recovered quickly," I did not say that. What I meant to say that we might have scored a few brownie points against the Communists, but I feel that with the incidents in Singur, Bengal has lost out. I mean have we ever given a thought to the reasons as to why Bengal which was the most industrialised state in 1947, at the time of Independence, is amongst the least industrialised states in the country today. Admitted that 30 years of the Communist rule did derail the development of the state, but when efforts are being made to put back the development of the state on rails, are we not acting like these Communists and putting a spanner in the works?". It appeared that the spirit of the nationalists of yore had gotten into Tapan. Nationalists like C.R.Das, Netaji Subhash, Aurobindo; during a time when it was famously said, "What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow." Now it was the other way round.

Tapan could sense the frown on Didi's head, "You mean to say that we sell out the farmers for the sake of industrialisation?" she queried pensively.

"No Didi, I know that the farmers are the back bone of our society, and their rights need to be protected", Tapan continued "but we must realise that a developing economy cannot survive on agriculture only. We need to have a balance between the two. Any skewed approach will result in a lop sided development, besides the TATA group is the most rural friendly business group in the country. The development of Jamshedpur and its surroundings is a case in point."

"But our confrontation was not with the TATA's, but with the West Bengal govt. The deal which has been arrived at only involves the transfer of land back to certain farmers, inside the project area. The project is still functional, my son," Didi tried to reason with Tapan.

The sycophant had in the meanwhile recovered his wits. Trying to impress Didi, he also added his two bit, "Arrey! ektu jomin dile, TATA chotto hoye jabe na."(TATA will not become small by giving a bit of land).

Tapan was amazed at this lack of any insight. The rhetoric was good, but the content hollow. "That land which they are supposed to hand over was to be given to the vendors, to set up ancillary units. And we all know that industries are dependent on ancillaries for supply of various parts, don't we? If the ancillaries go, the entire viability of the project goes. Besides the supply of parts, ancillaries are a very good source of employment since they do not require the input of high skills. Local populace in general is employed. This again has a indirect fall back effect, as prosperity is contained in the area of the project. And this through the Domino effect spreads out to the surrounding areas," Tapan looked and sounded like Amartya Sen revisited.

Tapan was in no mood to hold back, "After decades of gheraos, meaningless bandhs, political violence, somebody had dared to venture into the state. Things were finally beginning to look up. Our state does not comply with the High Court ruling on Bandhs, be it the Communists or any other party. Bandhs are ostensibly called for protection of the rights of the poor man, but pardon me for saying this, who goes to the bed hungry that night? Not us, not the salaried class who gets a paid holiday, but the poor rickshaw wallah, the daily wager who cannot venture out that day! Where are we heading?"

There was a shocked silence in the room. The sycophants did not know how to react, but they could not let this young man go on like this. He was DANGEROUS!!

"This fellow is a turn coat", some body shouted.

"O bam fronter log" (He is a communist), shouted another, trying to open a new front. After all unsubstantiated allegations are the best way to discredit an upright man - as per the policy of the Indian polity.

"I am neither. I believe in an egalitarian society, which I believe can only come through a balanced development of industry and agriculture. After all, agriculture alone can sustain the livelihood of so many people and no more. You need industry, albeit an unbridled commercial development needs to be avoided. We need manufacturing units more than we need malls. Will some body tell me as to why the massive construction of shopping malls in Kolkata is not opposed, but when it comes to factories either the Communists or we are up in arms? Why this hypocrisy, in the name of the people," Tapan was into an overdrive.

"Tor sahos ki kore holo?"(How dare you?), the original sycophant intervened." You mean to say that you are the only one who knows politics and development. All of us are fools!"

"If politics means intrigue, skulduggery, one upsmanship, deceit, I know nothing of it," Tapan countered. "But I want to know, has any one given a thought to the exodus of educated youth from West Bengal. Tell me how many young men find a living in the state. Even the HR Head of Infosys has warned that with the development in Singur, they have put their expansion plans in Kolkata on hold. Rest assured Hyderabad or Pune would surely gain from that. No body wants to put in money when employees are stopped from attending offices on 'bandh days', and a general atmosphere built to the effect that any political party can hold you to ransom, with the Administration standing by as a mute spectator."

"Let them go anywhere they want to, we cannot be held to ransom by anybody!" the sycophant was keen to impress Didi. After all, he was in the running for a ticket to the parliamentary election.

Tapan retorted "the TATA's might wait for some time, but rest assured they must seriously be contemplating a pull out. For after this mayhem, they must be wary of the CITU(Communist trade union). If the opposition party can create this chaos, the opportunity for the ruling disposition is enormous."

"Tui ki TATA'r chamcha?"(Are you a stooge of the TATA's?) Somebody contributed.

"Ami ekta sadharan lok"( I am a common man), Tapan was speaking calmy, but sternly, "I too want job opportunities in the state, so that the youth does not have to go far off in search of job, out of compulsion. I want people from other states to come to West Bengal. Have we ever thought that the development of a state results in people paying taxes to the state, which the state can then plough back into building roads, schools, hospitals etc? In fact it results in better facilities for the poor man we talk about. Even the situation on the agricultural front improves, since more jobs mean less pressure on the land, with people having other sources of employment too. Why do all parties refuse to see this glaring truth ?"

The sycophants had had enough. If this man started speaking in public their career was over, they thought! "Eke tarao, beta ta samrajyawadi, bamfronter lok",(throw him out, he is an imperialist, he is a man from the Left front), the sycophants were getting incoherent and irrational.

Didi was nonplussed. Somewhwere down the line she knew that Tapan was speaking the truth, and nothing but the truth. But as usual, events bypass you, and all you can do is watch with a feeling of what could have been.

The sycophants and their cohorts were on the verge of assaulting Tapan, who stood fearlessly. Suddenly somebody’s cell phone rang, which played the song from the movie “Netaji” by Shyam Benegal:

"JODI TOR DAAK SUNE KEU NAA AASHE, TOBE EKLA CHOLO RE.

TANHA RAHI APNI RAAH CHALTA JAAYEGA, AB TO JO BHI HOGA DEKHA JAAYEGA."
(If nobody pays heed to your call, walk alone).

DISCLAIMER: With sincere apologies to any sentiments hurt unintentionally. This is a work of fiction, but being played out throughout the country in various forms. Let us all search for the Tapan amongst us.

Wish to avail this opportunity to thank my friend Shankar, who has redesigned the blog, to make it more reader friendly.