.....

उम्मीद की जलती लौ को इन हवाओं से बचाता हूँ 
बिखरे हिस्सों को चुन के समेटता हूँ 
ख्वाब टूटने पर दुख होता है पहले भी मालूम था 
पर उस गम मे डूबना नहीं जानता था मैं l 

कोशिश में कमी रही ये समझता हूँ 
इंसान होने की ही कीमत अदा कर रहा हूँ 
दम निकलता है हर ख्वाहिश पर मेरा 
पर उनकी गठरी बनाना भी जानता था मैं l 

किन लहरों को छोड़ आया पीछे देखता हूँ
जहाजो की कतार को याद करता हूँ
कभी मुड़कर देख लेता हूँ साथियों को दूर जाते
पर उन किनारों पर जाना नहीं चाहता था मैं l

आज ठोकर लगी है गिरा हूँ
संभलकर भागना भी जल्द है समझता हूँ
कहती थी दुनिया हसेगी वो मुझ पर
पर उसकी हंसी चुभेगी कभी ये नहीं मानता था मैं l

मैं नहीं कहता था कि दुनिया बदल सकता हूँ
नाही कहता कभी मैं जान दे सकता हूँ
जूनून में पागल या ख़्वाबों में खोया आशिक नहीं हूँ
पर चाहत मेरी झूठी नहीं है ये जानता हूँ मैं l

The Chosen one?

Though anything written on U.P. elections without mentioning the castes equations is naive but for some time lets focus on a type of earthquake Delhi facing today which has its epicenter in Lucknow. What was at the stake for Congress? Virtually everything. The son who was seen as a future Prime Minister of India may be from the days when he was learning what 'Prime Minister' means. After some gain to Congress in LS elections in UP there was a halla for the young congress under the charismatic leader. Rahul Gandhi thought his time has come . It would not be difficult for him to get on the chair . He made his aim but Is he a leader? Will he ever be? He

He was projected as the leader of the party , a party having 125 years of existence. Prime Minister's chair just a matter of time for him. But there was just one problem: one has to have some minimum basic traits of a leader. Some gains to the party in LS election in UP and Rahul Gandhi thought he owns everything. If he could just follow each and every step what the elders of the party instruct him he will one day be there at the top. But that is not what a leader does...Actually quite the opposite. He claimed to represent the face of today's politics but could not muster the strength of giving an interview ever. It is difficult to understand a politician who is afraid of facing media. What could a journalist ask? When the mood of the country was rebellious for an anti-corruption law, with millions on the streets of Delhi and Mumbai he hid himself behind those elders agains. He could not face the camera , he could not just say that he wants a strong bill too. He roamed around UP claiming to be a mesiah of farmers and dalits, campaigned fiercely holding around 200 rallies during elections, but when people expected for new energy in politics from him he only gave them the same old caste and communal equations. While on the other hand another son was rising, who told the elders to stay behind. He kept his focus on changing the face of his party. While Rahul boasted off his education and "Foreign degrees" even in election rallies attended by the most downtrodden, Akhilesh, a btech from Mysore university having a masters from Australia was seen by the people around him as one of his own , knowing the politics and problems of the soil he was born. While the last manifesto of Samajwadi Party talked about banning computers and english language , he entered and promised to give laptops to people. When the party remained silent about the charges of gundaraj he told he would not tolerate anyone going against law "including SP members" (thus accepting what was the truth). When he kept his party away from people like DP Yadav Rahul Gandhi was standing behind the likes of Digvijay Singh. When "the face of youth" was venting anger against every one, tearing other partys' manifestos, this son on the other hand kept calm and composure on his face. He talked about development, he talked about progress. I know it would take a long time before UP can change but I have to say there is some hope again. Will this hope be squashed like every other time , only the time can tell.

A leader is one who takes the blame of failure and credits the success to his followers but in this case it turned out quite opposite. Just when the exit polls are announced he sent the sychophants crawling, who ended up saying things like "Rahul Gandhi is our national leader , he was in UP just for campaigning" ; "If Congress fails in UP it will be because of the workers but if we succeed it will be because of Rahul Gandhi" !!! His party may say anything now but the partners like NCP has already said any loss on UP will be blamed on Rahul Gandhi.

The other question media channels are putting is also relevant. How long will Congress survive on absence of sanity and unity in opposition at the center. With an adventurous TMC leader and a possible removal of support from SP , BSP there are good chances now for an election before 2014.Can Congress make the blunder of putting The Son as their PM candidate?

The changes needed in the system

Sharing a very good piece written by Jay Panda (MP, BJD)..http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/article2791375.ece

Other than anyone stranded on a desert island for the past year, no one could have missed the sense of political malaise that seems to have gripped India. There is a widespread belief that the kind of democratic system in which we operate is failing us. In response, the suggested solutions seem to fall into three categories: that we need more democracy; or we need less democracy; or that we need to reboot the system.

Last week in these pages, lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan asked “Has the time come for us to rethink and deepen our democracy by putting in place systems where laws and policies would be decided by decisive inputs of the people (through referendums and gaon sabhas, or village councils) rather than only by such ‘elected representatives'?” That falls squarely in the ‘more democracy' category, on which more later.

In the ‘less democracy' category is the business fraternity, which has long envied countries like China — post-Deng, of course! — where a business-friendly government is not hamstrung by democratic complications. Also, sections of an increasingly frustrated middle class now ascribe our current malaise to “too much democracy.” In the third category, MP and former Minister Shashi Tharoor has argued in favour of rebooting our democracy into a presidential system. This also has shades of advocating more democracy, since it would require the head of state to be directly elected by the public.

‘Less democracy' crowd

The ‘less democracy' crowd, whether or not it recognises the shortcomings of authoritarian systems — for instance, venality far outstripping anything India has experienced — is realistic enough to realise that India is stuck with democracy. What it often wishes for is a return to the era of single party governments, away from the squabbling coalitions that have become the norm, and hopefully with a charismatic leader like an Indira Gandhi or an Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Though there is nothing preventing such a scenario in theory, the end of the era of coalitions is unlikely soon.

Even less likely is the possibility that consensus can be built to reboot our democracy into a presidential system. Shashi Tharoor, despite the eloquence of his argument in its favour, concedes that the idea does not have traction today; in fact, it has been mooted several times during the past sixty-five years without picking up steam. It has also not proven infallible elsewhere, as can be seen from the current legislative gridlock in the U.S. In any case, the current atmosphere of hostility in and about politics makes it a far-fetched possibility that there can be consensus around a total constitutional overhaul.

That brings us back to Prashant Bhushan's point. By putting the words “elected representatives” in quotes, he is only voicing the cynicism that so many already feel about our politics. The farcical spectacle that Parliament has become, not to mention the State Assemblies, has left many in no doubt that something has got to change; but what?

Direct democracy or devolution?

Whether the solution lies in direct democracy (referendums) or devolution of powers to village councils deserves closer scrutiny. Countries that regularly practise some degree of direct democracy like Switzerland are small, homogenous, and renowned for their clockwork efficiency. Other countries that have had referendums, whether smaller ones like Sweden or larger ones like Brazil, have had them only rarely.

Yet others, like the U.S., only have them at the state level, not nationally, and that too not in most states.

Most modern proposals to incorporate referendums as a way of life usually propose a modified version, often called e-democracy, which depends on near-universal rates of literacy as well as access to online voting. Quite clearly, India is a long way away from considering that option seriously; but what about old-fashioned physical referendums? The key issue, of course, is logistics. Referendums are no different from elections — with all the concomitant bandobast , campaigning, and expenses — except that they are usually on a single issue. Considering all that it entails in India, it might be just as well to have elections instead.

Village councils are not a new concept in India. Panchayats have existed in ancient times and have been reintroduced in modern times. The latter are still struggling to find their feet, clamouring for devolution of more powers and bigger budgets. Nevertheless, even the proposals for granting them more powers only contemplate doing so for local, not national, issues.

Radical idea

The idea that village councils should contribute to State and national lawmaking is a radical one, but closely related to referendums. It enjoys the same potential strengths (more participatory democracy) and suffers from the same weaknesses (logistics). It simply cannot be conducted frequently; and if it is to be done occasionally, with the same paraphernalia as elections, the question needs to be asked how it would be any better than the elections we already have.

The answer to that question lies in access; that is, a referendum would be a vote on an idea, whereas elections are just as much about parties and personalities. Unless electoral reforms can be introduced, reducing entry barriers in politics and levelling the playing field in political parties, it will be hard to keep arguing that elections are the lone remedy to unsettled issues of national importance. No such electoral reforms are on the horizon, but it is conceivable that sustained activism could put them on the agenda.

With or without basic electoral reforms, there are nevertheless incremental systemic tweaks possible that would reinstate confidence in our politics. At the top of the list must be the cleansing of the criminally tainted from our polity. The debate of how to do so without compromising their right to be presumed innocent until convicted has raged for years. In a country where the judicial system is logjammed, a simple tweak would be to require any criminal cases against elected representatives to be fast-tracked and adjudicated within 6 months. This would be a “privilege” given to MPs and MLAs, and only for criminal cases; just facilitating a quick acquittal (or conviction) will go a long way towards resolving the issue.

‘More democracy' lot

Some of the “more democracy” lot, myself included, have pointed out that India suffers from many vestiges of the Raj-era political system, which have still not been fully expunged. While our Constitution itself is post-independence, many of the rules and conventions of our Parliament and Assemblies date from decades earlier, when the Raj started introducing limited franchise for natives but retained overweening powers for itself. The result is a continuation of pre-independence style confrontationist politics, with the Opposition's options being either total capitulation or total obstruction, without a viable middle ground.

Even a few systemic tweaks would yield disproportionately good results in nudging our politics into a more centrist, problem-solving mode. For instance, we must aim to provide stable tenures to governments; that can be achieved by incorporating the German format of a “constructive vote of no confidence,” which requires choosing an alternative leader instead of just unseating the incumbent. With more stability must come more accountability; that can happen by replacing the government's veto on which parliamentary debates can be voted on, with a rule that a third of all MPs (or MLAs) can demand a voting debate.

Healthy balance of power

One reason political discourse has lost its give and take culture is the increased concentration of power in party leaderships, at the cost of elected representatives, in recent years. Restoring a healthy balance of power must be a priority, and can be achieved by limiting party whips to only no-confidence motions and money bills. Another major gain can be achieved by a minor tweak, that is by removing the requirement of seeking the President's prior approval before private bills — authored by MPs and MLAs rather than governments — can be introduced, as well as changing the convention that these are debated but not passed. Doing away with such paternalistic practices will greatly improve the engagement that elected representatives have with enacting legislation.

Despite the seeming breakdown and chaos of the political process in recent times, these incremental tweaks are simple, far reaching and, most important, feasible. But they will require building up public support. Attempted one or two at a time, these would not face the same hurdles that the Lokpal Bill has faced, but would benefit from similar activism. Now that civil society is experienced at that, perhaps it is time to secure these low hanging fruits.

LOOT

Lets start with the goals of IIT Kanpur. The aim of the Institute as proclaimed on its website is " to provide meaningful education, to conduct original research of the highest standard and to provide leadership in technological innovation for the industrial growth of the country." In the era of globalization & liberalization it becomes difficult to limit the growth only to 'the country'. Where about more than 75% people lives below Rs.90 per day IIT gets a funding of about 80 crores a year from the Governement of India which means directly from the pockets of taxpayers. But being one of the premier institutes of the country and the high standards demanded the amount can be justified fair enough.

The students mainly coming from the middle class of the country enjoy the best of the art facilities which help us grow. But another problem starts growing .We become addicted to them. In all the wonderful college experience the IIT provides years that pass like wind. Time comes when the graduation day is near and the future plans take the front seat. As most of the time has already spent in bulla we do not get time to plan anyhting. As very few people know what companies or firms they want to join it becomes difficult for many of us to actually search or know about different firms or their application criteria. But as the time has evolved our seniors has devised a simple formula of tackling our problem and created a students' body for placements called SPO. Now the responsibility is given to it to call and bring 'as many as ' companies possible . A firm is invited to the college as long as it provides a good salary. As the constitution of the country provides for liberty,we can join any firm without any limitation to "technical innovation" or "industrial growth".

Now in the race to grab the highest of the packages available we forget to check what the company actually does or how does the company get benefited from us. It was painful to hear from one of my closest friends, " I will say yes to anything the company demands ". We even forget to check our market prices even while selling ourselves. Placements start at IIT campuses almost at the same time and the first to visit the campuses are all the foreign firms. Forget about the Public Sector Units, even the private Indian companies have to take a backseat because of comparatively lesser value packages offered. As the days pass by and celebrations start for being 'placed' at XYZ the tension grows among few. Because it was a race we feel defeated to see more and more people crossing the finish line. The stress grows to an extent where students suffer from sleepless nights. It is sad to know that even after seeing the list of 200 to-be-visiting companies in the campus and hardly anyone offering a job of less than 6 LPA some of us suffers from such stress.Those of us who are in the celebrating team still do not find time to check the working of the company celebrated in full details or thinking about if any other better option is available to us. Now the time comes of joining.

Withing a month the facebook starts telling the experiences. While some really feel to have struck gold , a large number feels cheated. There are cases when there is no facebook status springing up! Why??
Last year a firm called 'Surya Roshni' came to the campus and 'took' some students of Material and Metallurgical engineering. No details of training were given before. The students are taken to camps far from city where there is no office. For next 4 months they are not told about the functioning of the company. Not even once, the details about the job are mentioned in their 'training' period. Instead as part of training they are taught about how to live without food, without water, without talking to anyone. To the surprise of some they are lectured about Hinduism and the need of a 'Hindu-Rashtra'. Anti-islamic lectures are being given regularly by the 'scholars' of the society. They are given strict orders of not keeping cell phones with them or any communication outside the camp. The letters they write are all checked before submission. To more surprise students still keep practicing everything as they are given Rs.2000 at the end of each day! It was not the first time it happened. The same company gave the same training to the students taken a year before. The so called 'guiding seniors' did not care to even inform the coming students or the SPO about the training they underwent. The story of right wing fundamentalism penetrating so easily in the IITians' life goes unheard.

How and on what basis the company come to a government institute remains completely in the hands of the students. While every company symbolizes growth and development according to many, we fail on most of the accounts to tell HOW? How on earth does the famous trading company Future First contributes in any type of growth? The firm only works on the principle of finding the loopholes or the limits of a computed graph . The company recruits the IITians on the terms that they will get profit as a commission if they make huge gains but will be thrown out if their calculations or judgements make losses for some consecutive days. Though the company's principle may be justified but when the clock strikes 10 and the trading starts even if the guy wants to urinate he will find it difficult to leave the place as it may incur immediate losses. The continuous pressure of making gains in as many transactions as possible starts eating up his life. Why is it that we fail to understand the human costs involved?

As it is always the money that matters lets talk about that. The funding in IITs was made like an investment from the people for highly educating a few which would lead to engineers or leaders who would ultimately reap benefits for the society either by the production or by creating jobs. We will apply our best skills to answer the question and satisfy ourselves even when it clearly looks like a loss in the 'investment' we represent. Today forget about the high profits many of us would fail to show even a small return or care for the principal amount. Then we will say a Narayanmurthy has been produced and it is a lot!

After repeated asking for donations to the institute the overall contribution still remains abysmally low. It had been always followed in our traditions that instead of being forced a person shall be motivated enough to give back himself. But when asked about the opinion of giving back they would say it is one's own choice and he should be left free. These alumni are the topmost payed employees in the country- Analysts, consultants, managers, CEOs, top bureaucrats and various well payed jobs in the country and around the world. A 24 year old getting a job in London or New York would find tonnes of "Congratulations" on his facebook profile. Two decades earlier when we were criticized for "Brain-drain" we defended by saying the country does not provide ample opportunities or the money for a comfortable life for us. Today we would complain the Mumbai pot-holes or Banglore traffic. Why shall we be congratulated so much ....just because we made our package twice and life more luxurious which would hardly change anything for anyone else? Why is still a job in foreign country is regarded so high in our minds? Are we still bounded by the traditional inferior mindset of generations? Does that inferior feeling not undermine the huge success and potential of Bangalore, Hyderabad, Gurgaon, and Mumbai? If asked today we would again throw words like Globalization, Liberalization, New Right Philosophy etc etc. as if the world is today a global village and we are the only chowkidars of our "Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam". We believe firmly in Capitalism but would not give a thought on what social principles we got our education. When the world is such a global village why was our fees paid only by Indian taxpayers?

Today when after continuous persuasions for donations we fail to offload the burden on the institute and the Indian exchequer, the IIT council decides . They decide to ask the IITians to pay at least their fees and that too after they get a job or the employer who is getting a well trained individual for almost no extra cost shall pay on his behalf. Within no time the news draws criticism from the the alumni as well as the students of IITs. That shows how impulsive we are and how offended we feel that we do not care to give even some hours to think about the recommendations.

It is time we recognize what the country gave us when we had no money to get such an education abroad. It is time when we recognize it is not fair for a man earning 2 lakh per annum having his own family and problems to pay for our education. It is time we break the chains of inferior mindsets about ourselves. It is time when we become responsible. It is time when we stand up and accept wholeheartedly what we owe to the nation. It is time we give back at least what we looted from the country.

.............

Million Mutinies

The time has come when everyone is aware of atleast one common issue i.e. Corruption and a crusade against it. The Anna phenomenon, if not anything, has brought the issue to the forefront. Kisan Baburao Hazare , a soldier of 60s leading the youth of 2011. The movement is termed as the August Kranti and the second struggle for freedom . But what makes it a kranti or a movement of this level? Why are the huge crowd mainly the college students are attracted towards it? The man is for a just cause, The man has impeccable integrity, the man has not a penny to be questioned, the man has a clean professional record, the man has a Padma Bhushan for decoration , adorned with successes for the right causes and the man is not alone. He is there with the aid and advise of the fantastic five, the names which has become household today. They themselves are the ones that a boy or a girl wants to be. Arwind Kejriwal , an IIT Kharagpur alumnus , an IRS officer and then credited among those who brought RTI in our lives. Kiran Bedi, the name already known to people before this movement only because of her achievements and integrity. Santosh Hegde, a retired SC judge and the Lokayukta whose work lead to the resignation of someone like Yedyruppa, the strongest horse in BJP's power in Southern India . And the lawyers' duo of Bhushans where one had been the Union Law Minister of the country. Now when such people come into the forefront the questions on constitutionality, legality etc. of the movement shall be put to rest.

The outpore is not the result of the govt.'s blunder of arresting the people , but the reasons that are known to everyone who live in this country. Though the action certainly helped in increasing the numbers on the first two days it can not be held resonsible for the sea of humanity seen in Delhi and Mumbai a day ago. The biggest rally, political or non-political, ever seen in independent India is mind boggling. Before one could get down from the metro a huge crowd could be seen on the platform with the flags and the gandhian topi, heading towards the India gate to join thousands in the rally. But to the surprise there were already lakhs occupying the 5 km lane to Ramlila maidan which was packed with another lakh. In Mumbai 'one lakh marched' and the city didnot see such a response even in its worst times. Other cities across India also had big rallies. This is the gathering only of those who had opportunity and time to be there . We should not forget the millions who may have wished to be a part of it.

As a witness to this movement I cannot but want to show what I saw at Ramlila. During the day the mood is euphoric, emphatic in naarebaazi and patriotic in waving hundred tricolors. The mood of jubilation, celebration engulfs anyone who is just present anywhere near the ground. The feeling that today one is not alone and lakhs can stand up together for one cause, the single feeling of hope over rides the persistent solitude which had gripped a person so long wanting to voice against anything unjust. Charged with encouraging voice of Anna or the spiritual speeches of leaders people realize that this is exactly what they wanted to hear when they came here. People recording the spiritual speeches on their smart-phones . I never before thought the spiritual speeches are worth enough to be recorded by so many. In the night the loudspeakers are shut down after 10pm. People start leaving the grounds leaving for thousands of those who either do not find time during the day to come there or those who carry the movement night and day without interrupting. The food is already prepared and then distributed to everyone by 100s of volunteers. The volunteer does not mean you would find them with a badge but anyone who just stands up to serve. You will find people cleaning up the place. If one see the sheer size of the ground and the volume of packets and waste thrown one would say it would take days to clean up. But to the surprise it doesnot take even 15 minutes to clean everything. More than a hundred youngsters are seen picking up each and every single waste packet and collecting in a sack. As soon as something is thrown a person would come and pick it up. This is the first time I have seen in my life when the boys in 20s with spiking hair and rugged jeans clean a place which is muddied with waste and rains. This is the place which does not care who throws the waste , is he rich or poor? It does not care who picks up the waste, is he rich or poor?

When you snatch your eyes from the cleaning process you would find many people huddled up in tens of groups while some still in the same mood of naarebaazi. If you go close to one of the ten groups you will find a remarkable structure and composition. The inner circle with about 10-15 people with candles lit in the middle and about 20 other standing around them. It involves mainly youngsters and middle-aged people with one or two elderly. The group continuously chant slogans and sing the patriotic songs. As the night goes deeper the group starts discussing things among themselves. If you can spend 15 minutes there you will understand how much a common man knows about the issues surrounding us and the problems we face. This group comprises of students, servicemen, unemployed, rich, poor, rural, urban , Hindu , Muslim , everyone. The whole India is seen to be represented on one platform. The talks are informative, the mood is mainly of self-realization. You will easily find someone saying it is because "we do not vote the correct person" or "we do not vote at all when the time comes" or "the corruption prevails because we have been accepting it as a norm either by giving it or by taking it". Another two minutes and the eyes swelled when a middle-aged Muslim (recognizable with his attire in this holy month of Ramzan),said, " Bhai, in logo ne hume baat rakha hai. Agar hum tum aaj saath na hue to kuchh nahi ho sakta". I found a 60 year old preaching the importance of morality in life. Another man and he talks about the corruption prevailing in Panchayats and about a farmer's plight in today's village. a media camera comes in between and the discussion is interrupted. But in some time the mood is euphoric again with someone starting, " Apni azzadi ko hum hargiz mita sakte nahi..." and the song continues with everyone singing with full energy. It continues for hours with more people joining and leaving from the group. I went to another group and saw two people in a fierce debate- if one common language is necessary in India and if English can & should be that language. The people around were moderating and contributing with their points. Some smaller groups of 4-5 people are spread here and there with some sleeping and some just sitting there with a placard proclaiming "On hunger strike since 6 days". Strangely I found a boy in late teens dressed in uniform and sitting quitely and the board read "Mamma , I am not coming home". For some time I got concerned if he is Okay but then I saw around and realized he has no fault of his own. In this satyagraha too there is silence which can be heard only at the ground but difficult to capture by any media. Some naarebaazi still goes on at the other end. Some are still busy in serving food and water while some others cleaning the place.

Every one including something as pure as this movement has to be criticized by many. I see many showing their disapproval to the things going on. I know everyone shall have right to disagree but I only found people either misinformed about the Jan Lokpal bill or they never even bothered to check what it says. There are many who just criticize the movement for the sake of standing away from a crowd. Or some who thinks if they know a word like Oligarchy they shall use it. Some say many of the people standing there do not know what the bill actually says. I want to know how many people in the country knew about the laws and how many discussions were there in the country when the constitution was being framed. The majority follow the leaders and they believe in them. You cannot expect each and everyone to read and understand each and every provision or a method of law making when more than a quarter of the country is still illiterate. Even to them I shall tell that yesterday a rickshaw waala told me all the provisions in the two bills in discussion. This is the first time ever that a bill is discussed so widely and so efficiently in India. Arundhati Roy wrote an article which somehow got a place in one of the finest dailies but the article is so narrow minded and lacks complete knowledge of facts. Her view that a Lokpal would lead to another set of independent bureaucratic institution and now one has to pay a bribe to two organisations instead of one is mind-boggling. That means she is against the setting up of any Lokpal ever . So according to her as the Election Commission is an independent bureaucratic body and may lead to more corruption it shall be abolished. Or if we have police who takes a 100 rupee note to clear the passport inquiry we shall abolish the system of police inquiry itself. Some say it is against democracy and parliament. They are either the people of parliament or the ones who most of the other times criticizes the parliament itself. At one time they would say MPs are most corrupt , they are criminal, they shall be killed but at this time they take the custodian rights of projecting the parliament as the most sacrosanct. Even to them I shall ask to give me one instance when the constitution or parliament is over ridden in the demands of Team Anna.

For years we had been complaining in our drawing rooms, for years there had been frustrations for the politicians and we know almost each and every problem today is because of corruption. For years we had seen a vacuum of leaders who could go beyond their political lines. I see the hope of filling the vacuum with Anna and his strong team coming out at the front. But when I go to Ramlila I forget the criticisms , I forget the relentless government. The forget the continuous frustrating silence of the government and the Prime Minister. I know when the real leaders emerge the virtual fall silent. But the mood present in the air of a revolution engulfs me. As they say the noise of debates & discussions is music of democracy . The continuous patriotic songs is music to the ears which always heard that the people of the country are dead and they do not care any damn thing happening across them. This marks the beginning of transition from "nothing can change in this country" to "I am the change"

They say it is madness, they say the government won't bend , they say it would lead to anarchy. I see unity, I see hope, I see waving flags, I see discussions, I see people breaking the shackles of caste, religion, I see patriotism, I see leaders emerging, I see a society integrating, I see a nation building. I do not care what they say, I do not even care how soon the bill is passed I am just too involved and ecstatic in seeing what I am seeing.

Egypt

First picture which used to come to mind when we heard Egypt was the immovable ancient Pyramids and the dead mummies. But this time the country is alive more than anytime . The silent waters of Nile are roaring for a revolution. The civilization of 6000 years old is the centre of the world news today. This is the country which the whole arab world looks to for all the colors. It may be music, fashion trends or its movies. But today it is at the center for the most dramatic change in a regime which we ever encountered in our lives.

The Rebel
30 year old authoritarian rule of Hosni Mubarak comes to an end. The fire which was started by a young Tunisian vegetable seller setting himself ablaze seems to engulf the arab world soon. When Tunisia was burning Mubarak was fearful of an uprising in home . He continuously made remarks condemning the protests. The critics around the world mentioned the fear for him but no one thought it would be so soon and so large . Lets try to answer the million dollar question of WHY this sudden rebellion? Some says its economic ,some says political while some says its mixture of many things. The unemployment has risen all across the world not just Egypt.The country has a per capita income of US$ 2500 ,about 2.5 times that of India which is more or less calm in every aspect. Moreover the protests are urban. They are spread mainly in the biggest cities of Cairo and Alexandria. If you say its political , the main opposition of Muslim Brotherhood ,which wants Sharia law for the country, says several polls, does not contribute more than 25% of the protests.If there is face that is emerging out is that of the Nobel laureate Mohd. ElBaradei who returned to Egypt just when it all started. But it remains the protests of the public. The belief that the protests may be Islamic is rebuffed at the first sight of million march which does not have a single signboard of religious significance. The protests include Muslims, Christians all together standing for one demand. The continuous oppression and frustration is what is coming out today in the form of the biggest rebel Egypt has seen. 'Freedom of oneself to choose ' is what is echoing the most. Not just to choose a leader but to choose a way of life . The freedom of speech , freedom of assembly,and numerous human rights which sometimes seem of little significance to the rulers, have become more important than anything today. The pride and self respect of oneself oppressed under years of autocracy excites the Egyptian today to come out from home and join the protests.

The Reaction
The other important thing to notice is the world reaction. The United States today stands in a fix. Egypt is most important ally for making peace in the west Asia. In 1979 Egypt-Israeli peace agreement took place and lead to yearly aid from America reaching to US$ 1.3 billion today.Years of calculations and strategies now seem to confront the ideals of USA. How much it may have hated but had to choose between the democratic principles and the important ally of years. Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu will remain with very limited allies in middle-east after Hosni Mubarak is gone. The continuous rise of Iran's power and the growing influence of islamists had made the two leaders come together.Israel till today is strongly condemning every support to the protestors in Egypt. Turkish prez has called for step down of Mubarak and France ,Germany remains on the public side from the start. Jordan and Syria fears for the turmoil in their own countries.It seems to be mainly an arab world problem But it is important to see how our country reacts. It may seems today why should we care enough . But when such a historic day is written in the life of a nation it does not forget to note down the names which voiced for a support . May be just a voice and nothing else. Our diplomats need to calculate very fast the significance of that voice . India may have some fears of an Islamist regime after Mubarak but being the biggest democracy of the world it can not silence itself from the basic principles it survives on. If on one side we demand to be at centre stage at UN on the other we try to distance our self from every little risk in diplomacy. Bangladesh remembers the aid from India during its formation and so will Afghanistan . Maybe in those cases the choices were simple but it is time we start to choose the correct rather than the easy.If a nation stands against its ruler it naturally expects some support from outside in whatever form it may come.

The Mood
Another important thing is the nature of the revolt. It was not ignited by some catastrophic event. Not by any genocide or assassination of a political figure.But a common man realizing his right to freedom. It is not restricted to labourers and peasants against unemployment and poverty but consists of all sections including educated ,modern and most urban of the country. And they are helping each other with food, medical aids, and anything which is possible. The army giving all support to the public. The mood is not of violence but of celebration. Recent reports narrates incidence of football match between public and military prized for a tank !Women and men shouting same slogans standing in the same crowd. An old lady said "I sneezed and someone offered me a handkerchief". The people are helpful to each other and are not chaotic when ATMs , shops and internet have been closed down. They are realizing one common purpose that is a real republic , a nation of people with power residing all with them.

The Future
From Tunisia to Egypt and seems spreading towards Jordan,where the government is making number of changes in the power sharing and increasing the expenditure as much as it can to avoid another domino fall.Next in line may be Yemen or Syria but the events of Arab world show clearly that they are not to be limited to these countries. It can not be said surely if the winds of change will limit to this part of the world. If the Saharan sands can cross the Arabian sea and vast Himalayas to make a desert in China it will be naive to think the winds of change for democracy can not penetrate the Asian giant. If not today or tomorrow it now seems in the internet world that the people of China will rise for the constitutional changes before than it was thought of. It seems all calm across the Tibet to Chinese Seas .But one spark may end everthing.May be we shall not compare the situations of two great civilizations of the world today but it would not take a lifetime to see that Tahrir square of today can be Tiananmen square one day.

Book Review: India After Gandhi.

India After Gandhi -:The history of the world's largest democracy -Ramchandra Guha.

The author does not need description and it is my first so I will just start with the review.
If you are me who can call himself a reader after Harry Potter series and Chetan Bhagat short masalas , you will doubt if the 771 pages text would ever be completed. The HP series had magic... but history! oh, that may be boring. This was the first reaction. But it turned out books can be magical without a wand. You actually feel you are living in the history. As you go ahead you realize how less you knew your country.(If you really did not know before:P ) The book is filled with information with quotes from political leaders and leading newspapers of the time. The politics so very different from the present time and yet looking familiar. As you move along pages you know you will be missing the book if it gets completed.

It starts with Poorna swaraj declared at Lahore session and jumps to August 15,1947. The date was selected by Lord Mountbatten as it was the second anniversary of the Japanese surrender to the Allied forces in the WWII. The astrologers had decreed it to be an inauspicious day when India was born and hence the celebration at Constituent Assembly started on 14th itself! Well there was actually not much to be celebrated as recalled by the then newly appointed Governor in Lahore who threw a party and "the current had failed ..the only light which we had was from the flames of the burning city of Lahore half a mile away". The lines crossed villages , lawns, temple , mosques and everything which could come in between. It was a ramzan month and monsoon was 'unconscionably late in coming in 1947'. The scholars estimated the toll of partition at 2 million dead. One more casualty was the Mahatma himself, after whom the book is titled. He was declared by the killer as the father of Pakistan, favoring muslims  and on the other side the actual father of Pakistan called the death "a hindu-loss".With this background the book starts and takes oneself to a journey of Indian political history of next five decades.

Every account is detailed magnificently. The integration of states and the expertise of Sardar , making of Union of India' to the  first elections where  cows campaigned, people embarked on weeks of journey to cast a vote,  electoral lists rejected for names like "Chunnu ki maa", or "Ompal ki bahu".. , how it was celebrated like a festival all across with the enigma that was named Nehru. From there to the debacle against China; the death of the leader and then to the death of his ideas in another few years with the rise of only woman prime-minister. Her strong decisions of partitioning Pakistan to her operation Bluestar the book details the politics and the changing nature of society. The author details so many accounts how India became Indira! The degrading morals in public life are seen clearly in the transition of India from father to the daughter. The communal carnage that followed her assassination is detailed explicitly. One gets the tension of communal violence when you read that the President of India was unable to enter New Delhi from his foreign tour because he was a Sikh! The rise of Rajiv and his sudden death; the Ayodha, Mumbai deaths and the sudden rise of BJP,  Guha leaves nothing. And somehow keeps a focus, sometimes which seems too much, on the issue of kashmir all the way in the book in these 50 years. It narrates the international, domestic  politics of J&K quite beautifully. The book also gives a special space to Bollywood at the end.

Our schools close history for the students with 1947 and what we learn from all around is of last 10 years or so. The society and the country around us does not look like the same as we read in schools history. This book is filling up that void and it does it remarkably. The author succeeds on every account and does not let its young readers lose their focus. Maybe the school texts shall be written by him  but then 700 pages book would throw the students away from schools itself !

In God They Trust !

In power race during cold war they managed to come out as winners. They forgot about the weapons built with the help of their long time friend Pakistan until a decade later. Strong potent force of taliban and fundamentalists were made to counter-attack Russia moves in the region . After USSR was broken the terror groups were given nothing to do and Afghanistan was ruled by the same force .Few know that before Talibanisation Afghanistan was a modern society .There was education and development.You may not believe but women used to go to colleges in trousers! The twin-towers are attacked and the self-built face of terror haunted America.And the wave of Islamophobia gripped the nation. But why were they attacked? Of course no act of terror can be justified but any rational person would think about the reasons. Knowing that US will reply heavily, why did the groups took such an action and threw away the government of Afghanistan from their hands? Many people must know the answers.

Two futile wars being fought and no one is there to question their actions. Pakistan's north western region faces drone attacks which are UAVs(Unmanned Aerial vehicles).It means some guys sitting oceans away drop the bombs where ever they find 'necessary'. Thousands of civilians are killed in the air bombings. When the Obama administration came the attacks were increased many folds and before an year could be completed the new president was awarded Nobel Peace Prize! Despite continuous protests from Pak's government for breaching of their sovereignty the attacks increase day after day. Wikileaks revealed that the war is a total failure and the Taliban attacks have actually soared.

Recently a lot of fuss was created of 'Time Square bombing'.The initial reports of arrest of Faisal Shehzad told us that the explosives were very mild and there was no worry. The explosives were told to be no more powerful than fire-crackers. Some days later the guy was charged for attempting the use of 'weapons of mass destruction' . A guy brought explosives in New York's major commercial center and just did nothing but parked the car right in the middle of square in no-parking zone! He was arrested 53 hours after the attempt.I thought terrorists were intelligent enough to know where to park a car so that it does not draw attention. USA further increased its drone attacks thereafter hewing and crying for the attempted terror attack on its soil.

They also cry for many other things. They claim to desire a nuclear free world and hence they worry every nuclear weapon present outside their country .They put sanctions on Iran.And for what? Building nuclear weapons need more than 90% enrichment of Uranium .Iran has recently been able to achieve 20% enrichment from their capability of 5%. Iran says that they need isotopes for medical purposes in treatment of cancer. And what if Iran is actually building the power. Iran will have power in the region and can control the flow of oil and US long hard work of bringing oil countries under its power by force or 'friendship' will be gone.Sometimes we forget who actually introduced the world with the concept of nuclear bomb. Hundreds of thousands were killed in minutes and even after 65 years the country do not say sorry and instead boast in the glory of winning .They actually ask for credits for putting an end to the world war! Some may ask if there were really no other options left but to wipe out cities with nuclear bombs? Shouting for a nuclear-free world and actually showing the way are two other things. If the weapons are used again ,there will be no stopping and the planet will go under nuclear winter for more than 1000 years. In 1988 former Prime Minister of India,Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, presented the action plan to make the world completely nuclear free at U.N general assembly. USSR welcomed the proposal but the power was on a decline . The plan immediately faced opposition and was never implemented. No surprises who opposed.

US double standards are not only restricted to Iran and Israel .In April 2010 a rig exploded under water and BP was scolded for months. Mr. President said that he is ready to 'put foot on the throat of BP' to plug the leak. BP deserved the punishment but why not America's giant Transocean who owned the Deepwater Horizon rig? Why not another American company Halliburton who was responsible for sealing the rig? Why not America's administration who gave permission for the faulty safeguards in offshore drilling that resulted in creating one of the biggest environmental disasters? Take a look on other side. If BP is made to keep in stock $20 billions for compensation , US keeps its mouth shut for the UCC disaster in Bhopal. The worst industrial disaster of world in Bhopal killed tens of thousands compared to 13 killed due to BP oil spill. Water and land of Bhopal is still toxic as the waters of gulf. Why does the country which cries out loud for Human rights have no value for the survivors and bereaved family members in Bhopal?

Just 2 days ago came the statement that US wants Iraq's government to pay compensation to those effected in the war. That may be the most depressed thing heard from the 14 trillion dollars economy. They implement their decisions by any method they want. During the last G20 summit PM of Japan was supposed to have a discussion with Barack Obama on moving US military base from Okinawa. The chance he got was during a dinner when he was given the seat besides the President. He continued talking about the issue while Obama was busy selecting the menu. At the end he asked the PM if he liked the food. The embarrassing incident was published in many newspapers across the world.The japanese Prime Minister had to resign as he could not fulfill the promise given to his people.

Sometimes it is puzzling why do they have such power .Why do they have to dictate terms? What good have they brought to the world that they deserve such recognition? And they need not give explanation for any actions.Nations devastated with wars, families being destroyed, maimed survivors and the files piling in U.N ,all have the same questions.But who expects the answers?

One fine morning....

I opened my eyes and saw I was in a train and not the requirement room of Hogwarts hiding from the bombings at Pakistan's Quetta. Oh the meaningless sleep.I noticed the train had fewer and different people than I saw last night.I asked one of them if there was time for kanpur station. "kanpur gaya bhaiya bahut der pahele." WTF!I came to know I am about 100kms away. With a perplexed look people continued their talk .It was 5 in the morning. I saw outside it were clouds all over and a diffused light could be seen announcing advent of the day. What a fool I must be. I am late ...and then I thought "For what m I late?". It were vacations and I am going to an 'unknown station' . A cool breeze was brushing the hair. After an hour the train halted with no sign of a station. I saw a passengers train across ready to take the tracks for the opposite direction. I asked an old man if that train would go to kanpur central. He told me it does but would take about 2 hours to reach. With my small bag on the shoulders I boarded the empty passengers train.
There was only one man inside sitting by the window. Before I could choose a seat the train started . I sat across the man as I watched my express train going away from me.The man was in his fifties, wearing a yellow shirt with an off-white pyjama. he had mustache ,half beard and a rustic look. He stared at me for a while and asked where I wished to go. I told him I missed my station and want to reach kanpur central. He told me the train is mainly for the milkmen .I inquired if I am not supposed to be sitting in that compartment. He looked at me and smiled. He pacified me that the milkmen would not mind sparing a seat for me. He had quite a different dialect but fully understandable. I saw outside my window which had no frame for being an emergency relief. The breeze started flushing my face with water and in no time it started pouring. It was cool as I saw rain striking the stones on the tracks and the field across. If one passes the vast fields of Ganga plains during rains he can never forget the refreshing smell of soil. Continuous tilled farms with mangoes laden trees in between is for welcoming the monsoon.Men and women sowing rice in the knee-dip water filled paddy fields came across.A few moments and I could see the vista of farmers silhouetted against the dark clouds. The rainfall was heavy and the man across lowered the glass pane to cover half of his window. The train started slowing down. It was about to stop completely when some voices became louder and about a dozen milkmen thronged the coach.The train suddenly got life.
They were drenched and before settling down they arranged their big milk cans all across the compartment. Some of them took out their shirts and hanged anywhere they could find a place. Train started and they started drying themselves . Some of them were shouting names and inquiring about families' well being from the people sitting at the other end of the coach. Others opened their milk cans. In no time the air was filled with smell of fresh milk. The person across me was watching me. He started telling me the mundane activities of the milkmen . I inquired if they all are going to kanpur or some place between. As I expected they all had to deliver the milk at some or the other contractor in kanpur. I was feeling hungry and remembered I had a full box of burfi in my bag. I never thought burfis in the morning could ever taste so good. I passed some to the people sitting in the compartment. One of them told me they could cook much better sweets than I had. The train did not even catch its full speed when the brakes were put again. This time some school going youngsters also boarded with the milkmen. All drenched in their uniforms they settled down.Two girls and three boys sat the other side . After discussions and gossips about everything they went through the day ,the voice of the milkmen could be heard again. I realized one of the girls was looking at me. Through the corner of my eye I could see her . She wore a cold look wanting to tell me that I am an alien and should get off the train. Thank the gods looks do not kill! I swayed to the window side and watched the fields again for some time.The clouds were rumbling and mustering for heavier down pour.I saw a swing ,roped in a mango tree, hanging down waiting for someone to just give a push. In the evening girls must be having fun there. I tilted my head to see the girl still keeping her eyes affixed at me . I wondered if she actually wanted to kill me. The train stopped .The school group left and life was good again. Two peacocks were roaming in a field , kids under a tree were throwing all they could find to bring mangoes down. The images of the campus came flooding and to my surprise I heard a voice "Kuchh din pahele jab pradhanmantri aaye the yahaan kisi school me tab mayawati ko bhi aana tha par use mana kar diya gaya". The politics cannot leave any train's compartment without some discussion.
I saw the station of Chakheri and knew I am about to reach the central. Some time later milkmen were ready to jump off the train and before it came to a hault the train was empty. I got down to see a rush and muddy platform. The rain stopped and even at eight in the morning the jostling crowd could be seen. The beautiful journey ended. I took an auto-rickshaw ,kept thinking about the last two beautiful hours. It was an unexpected beautiful journey. I never thought sleeping late and missing out the destination station could give such a refreshing experience. The rain started again and I was at the gates of IIT Kanpur.

Movie Review: Rajneeti & Raavan

Two fine directors made the modern day version of the epics of Mahabharat and Ramayan . Jha does not seem to pay anything to the epic but Ratnam gives the credit in the title itself.Both shares the ideology that there's no 'good' winning over 'evil'.
. Rashtravadi party is the main political front of M.P. The story starts when the leader has a paralytic attack just days before an election .He chooses his brother over his son for the chairmanship of the party for being more experienced. The son Veerendra Pratap (Manoj Bajpai) with help of a dalit leader Sooraj (Ajay Devgan) kills his uncle and the battle of power starts between the two family's youngsters.In this Mahabharat the writer doesnot take any side. Nana Patekar plays the role of Shakuni mama and krishn simultaneously and it becomes harder to see which side can be called of the Pandavs as everyone is casted in a negative shade. Rajneeti is more of a family feud with only a political background. The only way shown to get onto the chair is to murder the leader of the opposition. In about a week the parties had to change their Chief Ministerial Candidates more than 5 times!! The excellent performances by Manoj Bajpai, Ajay Devgan, Ranbir kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Nana Patekar overshadows the direction and cloaks the otherwise loud story.The movie is entertaining all the way and can be seen without complaints.

When it comes to Raavan some of the scenes of Ramayan are forced upon the story. Beera kidnaps a cop's wife to take revenge of all the misdeeds of police but enchanted by her beauty falls in love with the captive. The movie is very slow in the first half but speeds up in the second to give all the reasons for the kidnap and to show the insides of Beera's dwelling. He is regarded as the king and the saviour of the poor. The scenes largely gives the feeling of naxalite problem in India. Some of the characters like of Sanjeevani (Govinda) are thrusted upon to show the resemblance with Ramayan so much so that he is shown climbing down the trees and go and meet Sita sitting under a tree awaiting his Ram. The lanka is not made up of gold but yet magnificient with waterfalls and forests.Sita is beautiful, fearless and is portrayed as the 'epitome of female purity and virtue' but yet consolidated and independent in her choices. On being asked for agneepariksha she prefers living with Raavan who did not even touch her despite being cruel and powerful. Aishwarya is excellent , Ratnam explores the silent Valley forest reserves and the hoggenakkal waterfall of the south which were till now hidden to bollywood and virgin to other economic activities. The mesmerizing locations with an intoxicating music leaves you with a refreshing experience.
P.S: For all the rahmaniacs there is a beautiful unreleased song at the end sung by the maestro himself.

Abke saawan aise barse...

Bhuwan and the fellows are pleading to the clouds for the much awaited rains on the parched land of Champaner .In the other flick Nargis, with her children carrying the plough,is trying hard to persuade the villagers not to leave the flooded village as it is their mother land. These scenes may have nominated two hindi movies for the academy awards but the harsh truth is that the scenes are depiction of real situation of Indian framers.60% of the Indian agricultural land is dependent on rains. Every year either the droughts or the floods kill the production. Last year more than 50% of India faced deficient while 9% had the excess rains. The major food and commercial crops like rice, pulses, peanuts, soybeans and cotton get largely effected.
The villages may eagerly be waiting for the season but city like Mumbai wants to prepare itself for the heavy rains against the backdrop of bad infrastructure. Even if we forget the july'05 heavy floods in Mumbai the monsoons every year disrupts the life of the cities. Public transport comes to a halt. Trains and flights get cancelled. The government stands with their hands-up to tell the voters that the monsoons are not controlled by them and hence cannot do anything for the failure of the system.In the north the capital is waiting for the rains so that the mercury comes down and the power cuts get over. But a slight heavy rain again disrupts the railways and transportation. Last year when IGI airport got flooded the blame game started and finally Mrs. Sheila Dikshit came out defending everyone and blamed Indra Dev for the menace. People still want to know if the rains can ever be heavier enough to have a water-logging inside an international airport.
Every year Orissa faces the storms ,Bihar battles the floods and U.P demands money for the drought affected regions.The Indian economy being heavily dependent on monsoon keeps an eye on the IMD forecasts .A 'normal' monsoon is likely to boost the produce and bring down the inflation. If the rains do not disturb Kosi then Bihar may stay focused on its road to development.
It may take years to develop a good infrastructure of roads and canals in India but till then the blue billion keep their hopes high and wish for themselves a Happy Monsoon.

Casteing a census.

The cabinet is brooding over the 2011 census need to be conducted for the 1.1 billion citizens.Its been 80 years since all the castes were taken into account. After that only the SCs/STs were numbered.
The naysayers of caste-census are mainly from the elite and educated . They are mainly against the caste system and are afraid of the neo-nationalism taking birth in the country.Caste is seen as a division but what they are arguing is against the caste system and not the census. For the census they cite the framers of the constitution who decided to do away with the caste based counting. The counter argument can be the fact that the constituent assembly hoped for a caste free society in just 10 years. The reservation for these castes was only till 1960 and since then the articles are amended every 10 years to include the policy.Caste is a reality. A totally caste based party winning a majority in the 16 crore populated state shows how important is caste to a voter.Moreover,till the last census we had reservations only for the SCs/STs and the decennial census kept the count. In 2008 Supreme Court ruled in favour of reserving seats for OBCs and there arises a need to know the numbers for which the policies are framed. We do need the numbers but what the issue is "SHOULD CENSUS BE USED TO COLLECT CASTE STATISTICS OR SOME OTHER METHODS BE EMPLOYED"?
In census each family is asked about the data .As the home minister agrees, the enumerators lacked the sociological sensitivity to record and classify the population on the basis of caste and sub-caste. There are about 3000 castes under OBCs only and each one of them are different in economic and social status.More surprisingly is the fact that if a caste is poor in one region the same caste is the most affluent in another region. Backward classes commissions at the State and Central levels be better placed to conduct a detailed survey.These surveys are mainly sample surveys and are handled keeping in mind the various issues involved with the castes.
The political parties are divided on the issue for the known reason of politics but what we demanded were good debates on a national level . The cabinet is sealing the fate of caste census today and the decision will be out soon. I hope after today's decision we do not remain divided and come together to contribute in "the biggest exercise of humankind".

Movie review: Kites

The story of 70's is rolled and packed with the glamour and appeal of Hrithik and Barbara.The boy giving his coat to the drenched girl shaking and shivering in rain but what is new is that the girl is taking out her sweater and bra to pay dollars . It was a long time since we saw a hero, a heroine and a villain and chase & run stories but Kites could not manage to fly high with this simple idea.
To make an exotic entry for the mexican in the bollywood the director makes her up as a mermaid. It looks Hrithik is struck with her on the first sight but a minute later a new flashback tells you that they are already married. The two birds fall in love and elope leaving the millionaire fiancee estranged on the gun point.All this happens in Vegas with shimmering lights and shining glasses but does not remain there.The two crosses the mexican borders to get married again. Chasing and running continues till a futile end.
The performances are okay.Kangana fits as always best in the hyper-crazy role. Salim-sulaiman background music is below standards with Rajesh Roshan's romantic themes. Anurag Basu is not able to use the fine actors, sizzling girls and expensive locations to create any magic with the dull story. Save your money for buying melons this summer.

Queen and the Soldiers

Starting at 5:30 in the morning from Meerut we were passing by Dehradun at about 11. Before we are enchanted by the hills around and the smell of newly born litchies a sudden uphill route and a cold breeze sway our eyes to a board reading 'Welcome to the Queen of Hills'. The valley going deeper with every minute makes one wonder if he is heading for the heavens. The thought becomes louder when I see the clouds crossing me .The car stops and the driver proclaims that we are at the Mall Road of Mussourie. Shops of hats, sunglasses, handicrafts run across one side of the road with other being decorated by metallic gothic lamps kept for sight viewing of the valley below. Though the place is also called 'the honeymoon capital of North India',some school buses can be seen with teachers trying to que up their students for the 'educational trip'. Being far from the scorching summers of Delhi and the relentless sun the kids do not waste a single minute in learning discipline and the dazzling soap bubbles are seen all over the place. A ropeway (gondola) takes you to the top of the hill,called Gunhill, where you realize that the thoughts about heaven were correct. The vast Himalayas across with Gangotri glacier in your view can never justify the name of the place. Telescopes are fixed at gunhill to view the snow peaks and places like the famous St. Georges' School and a Nagdevta temple. They were looking just like tiny marks in the hills before but now became alive with students playing basketball at one and a red flag waiving for the spiritual peace at the other mark. After 2 hours with no mood to snatch our eyes from the peaks we headed for our next destination called Kempty falls.
We were moving downwards and the serpentine roads met us again. Within in half an hour we were near the falls. The falls as hoped were surrounded by lush green mountain trees .We bathed in the cold water and after an hour left for the doon.
We stayed at a hotel 'Drona' and left early the next day for the trip ahead. Sahastra Dhara as the name claims ,comprises of hundreds of streams and waterfalls coming out from the mountain with no sign of origination.Guchchu pani (also called Robbers' Cave was about a km long cave with knee deep cold water running inside. I came outside and got the call from my best friend to visit his institution famously known as Indian Military Academy.
As we reached IMA we were feeling hot as the day was matured and the Gentleman Cadets were training to become the officers of Indian Army. The Academy has four entrance gates of mainly four batallions comprising of 3-4 company each. My friend,the ACA (Academy Cadet Adjutant),head of the cadets, belonged to the Thimayya batallion and Miektila coy. The tricolour waving at its very front the academy has a motto "Valor and Wisdom" and is equiped with every facility one can think of, Hundreds of horses for riding, vast open space for shooting practices and a magnificient library . Though all the buildings had a unique architecture, the building that stands out the most is the Chetwode Building, named after Field Marshal Sir Philip Chetwode, the founder of the Academy. Cadets ride bicycles(bikes,as they call it) and sometime the bikes ride them for their weight exercise cum punishments.The discipline can be noticed at the very sight of Cadets wearing full shirts,pants and ties with well polished shoes as their "casual" attire.
The articles reading recent courageous sacrifices of the officers in the other valley were filling the boards all across the corridors. Pride and courage is always in the air where the young officers are being born. The day was by now dying down and we were required to leave IMA before 4pm. Bidding adieu to my friend I promised to come back for the passing out parade in mid-June.
After the Academy we visited Buddha temple in Clementown .It felt there was no better way to end such a trip filled with so many experiences and beauty.Finally we reached home at 11 in the night and in no time started watching the pics of the journey behind.