~ Reflections ~

I understand a person's urge to do certain things.. to scratch and itch.. to click fingers.... to crack their knuckles... I get all that..  But I somehow can't seem to get over this urge hoards of people seem to have to grab a drink on Friday night to unwind....  Don't get me wrong, I am not against the idea of relaxing with friends over food and drinks.. but the primary objective always remains catching up... catching up isn't the excuse ! But now, Friday nights have been presenting a new nightmare... it is the jam close to our place thanks to a new 'state owned' liquor shop.... Every Friday, the place crowds up like there is no tomorrow... needless to say the joy in parking their vehicles inorder to successfully block all traffic.... I wonder what is the basis of these licenses the government doles out licenses for such liquor stores. There are already 3 such stores in a 2 km radius, and this is not including the 'sophisticated' wine selling ...

The recent Dera incident has made one thing very clear. Irrespective of what the underlying issue, be it Rape or simply reservation for few people, our instant reaction is violence and uncontrollable outburst. I am still unable to comprehend how any follower of the "god" men can react in such a way to support a rapist.... I wonder if even one-tenth of them with stand in arms with the one who has been raped. We are just pathetic. But that's not the core issue.... why most of these people have such staunch die-hard followers is because in some other twisted ways, they have worked for the society... be it free hospitals or education or just basic meals.  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely hate the guts of these people who claim to work for the society's betterment and behind curtains commit such sins....  But the point still remains... for someone who can't afford a square meal a day, if someone ensures clean food or proper medication or a roof to stay, t...

All of us like to keep faith... in something... in anything... Infact, if there is a single defining phenomenon in the country, it is that we all are patient about almost everything (from putting up to with the antics of corrupt politicians to keeping up with the delay in the repair of roads), and keep faith... As Aamir Khan says in the famous movie, we'd like to believe that All izzz Well ! But I've noticed that we try to obejectify ( I don't think there is any such word, but I can't seem to find an appropriate word which shares the same intent !) our Faith.... As of result of this, a small twig of Tulsi to a Banyan tree end up becoming a place of worship. What starts out with someone keeping flowers, leads on to someone lighting a lamp... and one fine day, the pavement gets cemented, and the area becomes a place of worship, with an idol installed. Ultimately what was actually a pavement/walkway and effectively public property, gets obstructed, with no possible...

Was recently reading an article in the Guardian by William Dalrymple, on how East India Company efficiently moved from being a trading company in Bengal, to one with the largest armies of its times... how a Corporate managed to establish governance.... It is interesting to note that this is a problem being faced by all times. Like he puts it very aptly... "Corporate influence, with its fatal mix of power, money and unaccountability, is particularly potent and dangerous in frail states where corporations are insufficiently or ineffectually regulated, and where the purchasing power of a large company can outbid or overwhelm an underfunded government." As we move towards privatization in all sectors, not because corporates can contribute more, but because the public systems and departments have become very inefficient, it is interesting to note that we are increasing the control of private firms in the working of basic facilities. Though there are many governing bodies, ...

Suddenly Delhi Municipal Corporation and Police are abuzz with activity. After all THE President of United States of America is coming to town... w hich is why, all of a sudden, all pavements are being painted, all roads are being cleaned, bushes are being trimmed and garbage removed. I guess what meets the eye, is what one remembers in these visits. But what is their explanation for the State to suddenly find funds to rent around 15000 CCTV cameras (some with face recognition as well), which have already been posted in various locations around the city. Clearly, it was a security issue for Mr Obama... However, all the requests from citizens who have been asking the authorities to ramp up security in Delhi seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. It took the Asiad Games for improved roads, the Commonwealth Games for improved sports infrastructure... and looks like we needed a US President's visit to improve security. I hope his visit to Agra will give the local authorities a reaso...