TERROR HITS MUMBAI YET AGAIN.

Days of torrential rain in Mumbai post-13/7 may have done well to wash-out the blood stains on the blast-stricken walls.But whether days of a desperate sun could evaporate the brimming tears in the eyes? And whether the prevailing winds could blow away the shock,fear and wrath of the Mumbaikars? Sounds pretty optimistic but the way  tragedy returns as frequently as festivals  do in Mumbai and provided the hopeless government that we have, perhaps it's time to to turn to 'natural phenomenons' to drive off doom days.

Sadly,Mumbai has not been new to the aftermath of such bloody assaults. Time and again it finds itself to be a 'dead meat' of a bunch of brainless souls who thrive on unreasonable destruction. While we house ourselves in the safety of our rooms,watch the bodies of the dead and injured on television and in course of expressing our natural-humane-pity, spew off words praising the 'resilience' and applauding the 'spirit', one can only imagine the fear that would have clinged on to the people that sorrowful night. They would have tiptoed back to their houses with shuddered hearts consoling their dear ones showing mock firmness,chanting nervous prayers and suspecting a bomb everywhere-in trains,vehicles,dustbins,tiffin-boxes.Who knew when and where the bomb n0.4 or no.5 would explode! The whole phenomenon of these ghast 'serial blasts' implies that the merciless maniacs do not leave any stone unturned while inficting their brutal blows.

Are we not sick of these fragile government policies to tackle terrorism? Only after a massacre such as this, the security gets beefed up that too in name of which a few pot-bellied policemen with questionable agility carrying an obsolete,rusty one-shot gun get added-up(the metal detectors confine to airports and the bomb detectors come into picture only after a blast),the on-going peace-process goes to a 'temporary' halt, fake promises ,hollow threats and lame excuses gallore from the part of some white-collared'street dogs' who have always barked but never bitten. There has been a growing outrage on the failure of intelligence. I wonder whether our intelligence is potent enough.Has there been an ocassion when the 'intelligence' has worked intelligently enough to prevent a plotted bomb-blast? Have those bomb-detectors ever acted on suspicion and detected a bomb without being exploded? However,this time, the verbosity of the corrupt leaders of an inept government has been staggering.Words that could make you grin,smirk and sulk.Words that reflected India's tame surrender against terrorism and its pityless ignorance. Few have even paded their own backs by calling this a first major blast in Mumbai after 26/11,as if there's a gap of some 10 years in between or as if the government expect such blasts once in every 6 months.

Time is fading and the frothy layer of rage and mild-agitation is fast meting as it has always done. The vivid images of that terrifying night will soon go blurred, Mumbai will return to its feet and yet another day would get added to the 'black-list' for candles to be burnt and silence to be observed once in every year. What more have we done all these years?  Had the government been pro-active,that 'Kasab' would not have been enjoying the pleasant food and shelter of ever so hospitable Indian jails.And before I express my anger further,the breaking news flashed at my television screen breaks me apart-The Death toll in Mumbai Blasts reaches to 19 as one more victim succumbs to his injuries.Trembling voices of reporters,mournful silence and unconsolable wails return to carry me away as I pen down with moist eyes.

THE CHANGING CARIBBEAN WATERS.

Where are the bands! Where are the portly trumpets and the stouty clarions and where are those sturdy old men playing them all day long, singing glory of Test cricket. Is this Cricket in Caribbean or what!

 The recently concluded test series reflected the sorry state that cricket in the islands has turned into.If not gasp an ardent cricket fan out of boredom,the series potentially could raise serious threats on the future of Test cricket. Even on TV,it was like watching a Jammu Kashmir vs Orissa Ranji trophy match being played in a exotic neutral venue with a few passerbys strolling in,a few school kids watching a free-ticket-show and the boundary boys scorching themselves in the sun rather needlessly,being the only spectators. Even the gestures after fall of a wicket lacked enthusiasm and the commentators seemingly went for a short-afternoon-nap in between the turn of the repeated lines.The matches,of course with little help from an ultra-defensive indian team, drifted drowsily to a known outcome and the players went through the silent waves. Surprisingly, I don't remember a bouncer from a West indies bowler that crashed into the helmet of an Indian batsman or one that zipped through the nose making him smell leather.And yes,I am talking of cricket being played at the lands of  Marshall, Holding,Walsh and Ambrose! How deadly were these men in their own den is no secret.


Gone are those days when cricket in West Indies was no less than a jamboree. People turned up in huge numbers as colourfully and cheerfully as they would on a Christmas eve and celebrated the dominance of West Indies cricket. They sang,danced,boozed and yelled  producing a din that could even awaken a dead. The calypso beats went wild at the fall of each wicket and people howled and screamed thumping their chests almost intermidating the opposition to their demise.

Things have changed rather pathetically over the last few years. West Indies cricket has failed to survive the test  of times. They were served by Sobers in early part of their golden era,Richards followed the trend then and Lara was their latest apple of the eye, on the other side they had the list of some jaw-breaking fast-men which was long enough to make any side and their supporters go arrogant.They lived on the present almost being addicted to the taste of constant success and never planned the future. Once the sages retired ,there was no one to fill in the huge boots.In other words,there was no one groomed to carry the lamp forward. They relied heavily on the fertility of the soil that kept cropping talented cricketers and never thought of the drought that was all but inevitable.

But lack of talent or talent not being furnished to a threshold point timely enough is only a half explanation to the descendency.One cannot help but feel that the crowding of remunerative events(club cricket) in a cricket's calendar has made modern day cricketers put professionalism over patriotism.The problem is not the significance of these events but their frequency which is eclipsing country cricket and providing the cricketers more lucrative options little too many. It is perhaps a more fundamental impact that goes beyond cricket, it has to do with human tendency to lick lips to a whopping sum of money ,being thrown at them,in  some serious dollars.

Chris Gayle's recent grudge against the WICB is an interesting and a telling story. There is little to wonder weather the ego-fuelled Gayle would have treated the board like he did had he not played an influential role in Royal Challenger's pleasant run in IPL-4 and thereby assuring a fixed birth for himself in many versions of IPL to follow.And the fact that the Jamaican also whirls his bat for Western Australia in Big Bash and earns huge as well is also instructive. Now,the board's decision to keep Gayle out of the side sends down the strong statement that Board is not for players but players are for the Board. The sustained suspension from the side on indisciplinary grounds culminates that its norms are not fragile, unlike its team and that they won't be comprosmised on the status of a player. However, fingers have been pointed on the Board for diluting the India's tour of West Indies completely by not including Gayle for no doubt, the name Gayle in the squad could have filled those stands which remained empty for the entire tour.

There is a famous saying that "whether it's the best of times or the worst of times,its the only time we h've got". West Indies cannot but wait for the dreadful winter to pass and let the spring return. They have to act and act quickly to fructify blossoms in a barren-turned land and let the great ancestors of the great land see West Indies rise to its peak once again before they give up their ghosts.

THE ONLY WAY OUT IS HAZARE'S WAY

Revolution is on the move. The wind that had initiated some where in Middle East ,had at least, made its presence felt in the state which claims to be the biggest democracy. And those who have their senses active enough could have smelt the fragrance of the so called “Jasmine revolution” in the cacophonous ambience of stoic belief that “Elected people cannot be dethroned”.

The 72 year old crusader turned social activist with his ilk showed the way carrying a self-fuelled lamp that had light enough to enlighten a few, who had the will but not the way, carving out a path in a corruption-obsessed country. The fact that a 10-member committee has been formed to investigate the Lokpal Bill and the resignation of the all-powerful Sharad Powar from the GOM out of desperation implicate that the din of demonstration has not fallen into deaf ears and that the 98-hour hunger strike has done more than just shuddering the doors of the highest powers.

The number that kept increasing at Jantar Mantar on every passing day and the country-wide support that Mr.Hazare received was heartening and it also went to show that Indians never lacked enthusiasm on a country’s call but somehow the vigour goes dormant due to self-made obstacles.

The practice of leaving by the corrupt-system without daring or bothering to change it could arguably be the one that would top the list of obstacles. The problem is an entrenched problem, as deep to the level that ‘giving bribe to escape out ,save time or get things done without much of a fuss’ is astonishingly unbridled and as arbitrary as kicking the ball to a net. Very few mind giving a meagre 20 rupees to a college-peon in order to avoid a long queue, a gentle placing of a 100-rupee note in a traffic policeman’s pocket bails out a guilty biker from being lawfully charged and the same story goes from a root-level government to the highest powers, what changes is the magnitude of the bribe with every step ahead, however the ease of getting things done prevails. The system that makes people do such acts with utmost casualness makes them intransient to the fact that in a way they are watering a tree which is deeply-rooted , which had its seeds sown probably at the wake of the civilization, and which is growing as steadily as ever.

The second obstacle could be the hype that we give to muscle and money. And beneath the layer of undeserving hype that we render to those who build their stature more by the obsequious environment that we make them to live in rather than the muscle and money that they possess, lies a sense of social-inferiority that we people put ourselves into. People with hierarchical power and rich fathers will always take the undue advantage and keep taking the world along with them in their wrongdoings provided the self-adulterated system that we live in.

We live in a country which is a victim of political wars where fingers pointed at the corruption of Maharashtra by one political party(BJP) is cross-fingured for the similar situation in Karnataka by the other(Cngress),Congress’s involvement in “cash –for-vote” scandal as claimed by BJP is counter-attacked by Arun Jaitley’s two-faced verbosity on Hindu nationalism. None of these political parties are however concerned that these issues represent the darkness of our politics and have to be lawfully resolved . In such grim circumstances where we are in a strand hole and a way-out is seemingly missing, a certain Anna Hazare popping out from a population of people who love to be in the background and cheer,in a quest of doing something that is perhaps next to impossible and that is-driving out corruption from India, has to be saluted. Our present which thrives on such a astounding past where he had leaders like Bhagat Singh, Mahatma Gandhi, Rajguru and the list that we are proud to have, it is disappointing that the present India has a million followers but not a thousand leaders. May be the above obstacles pointed out could be the reasons. Besides, there are not many who could say as Mr.Hazare said-“I don’t fear death and I have no one to mourn over my deadbody”. Probably , the genes of such monumental freedom fighters of the past have been received by only a few great leaders of the present. Mr.Anna Hazare is one among them.

MR.KRISHNA AND THE REST.

Here is a new episode for all those who love to flock together in gardens,parties,public places and with sips of tea enjoy criticizing Indian politics.
      Congress has been in the firing line.Just when it looked,things would return to a state of lull after constant prodding from innate adversaries,it was veteran Congressman and present foreign minister Mr.S.M Krishna's turn to leave the high command sulking.
      It was not a slip of tongue but a 3-minute long speech in full consciousness with intermittent breaks at the grandiose UN headquarters that brought about uncanny gestures from a crowd of white collars-gestures that you would normally not see in a high profile meeting such as the UN's.The ministers were grinning and giggling like audiences of a comic play when they heard the same words being spoken by two different statesman from two different countries.Mr.Krishna had mistakenly read out the 3-minute introductory speech of the Portugal's foreign minister,who had already finished his speech.Before Mr.Krishna could realize his blunder of reading the wrong piece of paper and a state of embarrassment could cut him into pieces,India's mantle had been stained already.
     The bizarre incident might not gather as much heat as Raja's episode did but it is politically reasonable enough to keep the BJP leaders out of their seats.Also because of the fact that the incident took place as an aftermath of the scam-tainted months,the two-phased ineffectiveness of the government is revealed.If Raja swindled crores by using his sheer intellect,Krishna made India,a subject of laughter by utter stupidity and irresponsibleness.What worse for the party,it is not the member of an ally who is the culprit this time,it's the cat of the same breed,someone who has seen his beard go white being in Congress.
    The Congress may get away with this shrugging off saying 'a mistake by a 60 year old man' or it may use the weapon of 'silence' as it had done post 2G scam allegations.Futile is to say that the BJP leaders would be all over the Congressmen in the forthcoming Budget Session for they get another arrow added to their armory.This would continue as a routine-process.The rat's race would go on for no one resigns or can afford to resign to the fact that political wars more often than not end up being a stalemate,unless you have the
elections knocking the door.
     As usual,nobody but the country with its piteous citizens is at the receiver's end of  the deeds of the section of people for whom there is a separate and a lenient law and order system in a country which claims to be a democratic.Corruption is something that is deeply-rooted.It's an evil that originates from the grass-root governments and goes deep into the corridors of highest powers.Hence,mere cutting of the branches won't stop the tree from growing.People do fling into the topic of 'Right to vote' whenever corruption holds its ground in a discourse.I doubt whether our constitution allows its citizens to have their input in the 'framework' of the government.Does ballot decide a portfolio of a minister?After all,we do not give powers to the candidate that we elect,we give powers to a political party and its greedy allies.And where would you find a political party that does not have a A.Raja in its ranks?     

IS INDIA BECOMING WORLD'S BIGGEST SPORTS THEATER?

Just 4 months into the fiscal year after the grand Commonwealth,and now we are heading towards another mega event-The Cricket World Cup,an extravaganza by name and fame.This is destined to be bigger not just because cricket,in all commonsense,handsomely dominates every other sport in the country as far as public interest,media interference and market value is concerned, but also because "there are no cats among the pigeons"  this time.From what could be termed as fan's perspective,the air seems to be free from a bulky-layer of allegations unlike the Commonwealth,which by and large was fogged by the fumes of flaming controversies,judicial introspections leading to unwitting doubts over event's success,days before the curtains were drawn.

             Nevertheless,the Commonwealth was a huge success despite controversies,and the whole of Delhi-from a common man to a 24*7 working official deserved one of those huge round of applauses that left the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium reverberating once Aishwarya Rai,Rani Mukherjee and Saif Ali Khan hit the stages of the closing ceremony.These 'actors behind the scene'did not only toiled their heart out to put everything in order,timely and efficiently, but they also salvaged the country's pride by masking the 'back-stage drama' intelligently and successfully enough.

            The success of the events ostensibly points at two important implications.The first is a self-pleasing one and holds a certain amount of dignity.That is ,the spirit of the Indians towards sports(Dilli wallon ka dil),that kept that torch burning amidst a tempest.The second one perhaps is the extension of the first one but can lift a few eyebrows.That is,the affinity of the Indians towards "sports-cum-entertainment".The quest of the Indians for entertainment in a sporting arena has increased in recent years,thanks to IPL. The exciting 20-20 format,for some,serves as a 'quick-dose of healthy entertainment' but for most who are entertainment-driven there are plenty more on offer.You have a bollywood  diva Katrina Kaif performing live on the tune of US star Akon on the stages of a closing ceremony, you have  Akshay Kumar mesmerizing multitudes through his acrobatic stuffs in an inaugural function and then you have the cheerleaders absorbing a few,all in the same sphere and for the same price paid.People do turn up in huge numbers just to see a Shahrukh Khan sharing a V.I.P seat showering flying kisses and to catch a glimpse of  Deepika Padukone,waving her hand dressed in a   event-suited RCB jersey,an all important KKR-RCB encounter becomes secondary then.
      
          It is beyond doubt that glamour under the wings of the big B's-BCCI,Bollywood and Business has taken Indian Sports to new dimensions,if not new heights.Apparently,the amalgamation of sports and entertainment seems to be working well, and has to be given a nod because any such debate arising out sounds inane when it faces the bottom line-"public khush to sab khush".But what about Sport? Of course,the combination won't be questioned until in a homogeneous solution of sport and entertainment, sport plays the role of a solvent and holds the upper hand.But for how long?And what, when things reach a certain boiling point?    

HELP THEM KEEP ROARING BY STOPPING THEIR CARCASSES FROM SOARING

India, a state where terrorism,inflation,communal disharmony by their impact made on people are more concerning matters than anything else for a government which understandably presents a 'deaf ear' to the pathetic cries of the fast depleting breed,is in danger of losing its national animal.

Meanwhile, our country is still vulnerable against these giant issues and unless any of these or all of these issues are not stabilized at least to the comfort level of general public,the government in all likelihood will keep overlooking the sorry state of the depleting tigers-an issue which on its own deserves a higher priority.

The decrease in the number over the last few years has been staggering and now we are left with a meager 1411.Industrialization and infrastructure development at the cost of destruction of forests and greenery,persistent deforestation, relentless poaching make life difficult for tigers.They have been battling for life against forces which are lot stronger,brutal,merciless and almost invincible,getting defeated and dying ultimately.

Some State governments and organisations such as the Wildlife Society of India did bat an eyelid to the issue in the past but their measures were not compulsive enough.Now that the number is declining at a more alarming rate, they seem to be quadriplegic without proper aids from their bosses holding higher portfolios.

Questions do stem out from critical situations such as this,as afterthoughts.Is India politically and administratively so weak that it cannot protect its national animal from vanishing?Does India possess a soulless and a self-obsessed population which is not moved by an issue which is greater than all issues-a national issue?If Yes,then it's more than a shame, it's a disgrace to the country and its citizens.

Do afford a thought in this.Share this or comment on this,spread awareness by doing your bit before another one is turned orphan.