Thank u Mr. Minister

The railway minister’s budget is welcomed on the initiatives taken on unreserved compartments. Increasing the unreserved compartment and making them comfortable (cushioned) was long overdue, particularly the later. This move will definitely help millions of commuters. This blogger has traveled in unreserved compartments hundreds of times. The journey can be quite miserable. But then most Indians at lower strata are quite tolerant to discomforts and create their own ambience to overcome hiccups that it turns out to be pleasant experience, mostly. There is a common misconception that Indian trains don’t run on time my experience has been contrary, except few instances trains have mostly run on time in last 6-7 years, earlier though it was pathetic. Also there is an assumption that unreserved bogies are unsafe…..well it is true to some extend, offcourse one is responsible for oneself and has to take sufficient precautions. This bloggers experience has not been entirely negative. Sometimes the compartment is so full that one might have to stand many hours and even when someone do offer few inches of space (and they do…somewhere people do try to make others comfortable despite their own misery which can be overwhelming at times) the seats are wooden that it starts to sting after few hours, the reason why the cushioning the seats is such a marvelous move (no guesses why previous railway ministers never thought on these line).

There have been some problems during journeys on these compartments like for instance once a man slipped, fortunately the train was not moving fast but he did injure himself, skirmishes do happen but nothing major. Sometimes people also travel inside toilets!!!!. I for one drop out if it gets too bad and create a new plan for traveling…..well I don’t work under anyone!!!. Rishte meh hum thumhare baap lagthe hai, naam hai shehanshah!!!. However one problem remains and you really cannot blame the railways for it (it’s about too much population) that is once you are in you cannot move so food and toilet is no option.

This blogger had almost two years of free run and didn’t have to travel in unreserved. Since my travels are mostly short notice and whimsical I faced untold miseries during traveling in the earlier days then I had this brainwave and it worked spectacularly. Where I used to stay there were guys who worked in railway ministry and they mentioned about last minute release of seats (VIP quota or emergency quota and so on) I tried to get reservation from them but it was bit laborious and you have to pay some 100 rupees. I gathered if you know some top fellows things would be easier, and so I spend some time to know about the structure of railway ministry and presto I came to know about the magazine run by railways (I still am not sure why do they have a magazine!!). There was an Editor who was quite a senior fellow in the hierarchy, easy target!!. Things worked out and quite pleasantly (shocking would be right word) he found me very interesting. I spend many hours in his office, he really didn’t mind me sitting for no reason more appropriately he took lots of time to get talking since somebody or other will drop in or phone, most time I was eavesdropping, these guys have their own little world. …he also gave me coupons for food and so on. I gathered he thought I would make it big (the article I wrote for the magazine was quite mediocre and it was published after few years…things go at their own pace at government!!). He was a nice man but prone to hyperbole. He once even mentioned ‘where you are sitting once Salman Rushdie sat’ (meaning even great writers had come for his favor…sure I believed!!). I just had to book the seat and give the PNR number to his secretary a day before and voila I get reservation, I had two wonderful years of traveling. Absolutely great but then he retired (i did try work out with the next Editor but I was quite rudely shown the door). Nice man he was, he helped me more than many ways. So now the Railway Minister has taken these measures which will definitely make millions of commuter’s life bearable if not comfortable. This blogger congratulates the Railway Minister for the policy decision.

For the Finance Minister: Why not heavy tax on the inheritance of property???. Since we didn’t have much of land reforms this would be quite an appropriate move. Offcourse it requires bold initiatives from the politicians (oxymoron?).

*all photos taken from the NET

A cowardly act

Condolences for people killed in train blasts near Panipat. This probably only instance in Indian history when so many foreign nationals are killed. It’s a horrific act.

Lessons to Mr. Pronoy on Media propriety

There are things the media needs to learn sometimes the lesson can be from street, this banner I came across some years back at Pune (if I recall correctly) would help. It says:

IN OUR COUNTRY
DON’T ATTEMPT AT PREDICTING WEATHER CRICKET
AND ELECTIONS

On sensitive indexes and behaving pitches, and orders of Master

Fixing a competition is cheating, therefore illegal. Whether in cricket, football or any other game it is a punishable act. However what makes betting illegal is beyond this blogger. Punting is free will of an individual. If punting can be allowed in games like horse racing what makes cricket so special? Also what makes cricketers super patriots unlike say players of kabaddi or jockeys?. The issue of ‘fixing’ is precisely this. Surely the elite are following the instructions given by their erstwhile masters. So horse racing becomes “… a game of mere skill within the meaning of section 49 of the madras city police act and section of gambling act..(Supreme Court 1996)”. So one can bet in racing not in cricket. Therefore horse racing is about money making and cricket is about patriotism!!. Quite a strange logic. Britishers wanted it that way so the slaves followed it. And unlike Indians, Britishers also considered themselves as gentlemen (quite difficult to digest by common people but elite I am told have better idea than mortals), so the games they preferred also came to be ‘gentlemen’s game’ unlike kabaddi or other local games. Gentlemen surely, they spit, they curse, they abuse, they cheat, they fool (one even graduated as a poacher, now hiding under political clout). When exploiters were gentlemen then we know where the elite get their values from. One would be enlightened about Indian society if one goes on to find what makes a cricketers and which section of society predominates, also what makes Indian cricketers so very incompetent (except some rare exceptions). Many hang around in the team because of ‘reputation’ (typically Indian); ‘market value’ though will be a better term.

In recent times there has been an attempt to ‘represent India’ among elite circle, this an attempt to usurp the gains coming in India’s direction because of the huge consumer base. The foreigners are looking for identifiable figures to associate and also reward, as recognizing India. The stampede in elite circle is understandable. The reason why all kind of dubious people are now ‘representing India’. Some in elite also try to sell on the bogey of India’s tradition on ‘tolerance’ (the reality would be much revealing) and ‘secularism’. They try to classify people to justify their reasoning (most appropriately their own reason d’entre). Many in sports (like cricket) are seen as representing even religion this suit elite section perfectly to harp on how divergent our culture is to the Europeans and so try to consolidate their positions in these circles as ‘representing India’. What is common place for us becomes celebration for them.

There is a joke doing the round in commentators box during the cricket match that cricket is game of ‘uncertainties’. Pray which game is about certainties?!!. The way they create hype around the game (conceding that it is probably the only game where even the pitch ‘behaves’. Sensitive gentlemen and sensitive indexes). Ultimately this is a game which is played not by most countries (some 10 odd countries, with a huge population having nothing much to do and almost a similar set of elite and their devious ways). But in a nation of a billion even an average performance by the team is main news if not ‘breaking’. Mediocre media and its priorities, competition of TRP.

All games should be open for betting, it’s an individual’s choice. What is the logic that only market can gain from this game? Why cannot common people also make money from the game?. What is so ethical about sportsperson selling products??. What kind of system is this and who these credibility?? Why parameters change when it is about common people, people who want to bet on the game. Also even though a Sri Lankan player (say Jayasuriya or Murlidharan) or West Indian player (Lara and so on) are infinitely better than many ‘Indian players’ they can never dream of making as much money- the reason is very much because of population, surely not competence.

The ‘match betting’ in cricket and the media paranoia is where the absurd meets ridiculous. Funny though all the frenzy, for concerned people these circus can be disturbing. Media can carry on their petty money making manipulations, most people don’t have much expectations from these self appointed guardians. Our concern is misuse of state machinery. Police force of the State is not meant for enforcing club rules. I am sure the police forces in states have better things to do than checking ‘code of conduct’ compliance of club members. What a shame. They can only investigate in case of criminal complaint. The enthusiasm shown by DGP of Maharashtra is misplaced. I am sure our man has more significant law and order situations to handle (god forbid no bomb blasts happen but in case any such incidents occur in future this fellow should be held responsible for dereliction of duty). This blogger questions the Home Ministry of the Nation (and the states) as to how the government officials are allowed direct access to TV channels (collectively referred to as Media). Isn’t it violation of service clause? As a rule government officials shouldn’t be voicing their views to channels (they are not being paid by the government to feed sound bytes to mediocre media). The government officials or anyone representing government are supposed to give information through press conference or press release.

I do like to end this article on a positive note congratulating the government on the action taken to enforce private channels to share the direct telecast in Doordarshan. Marketers shouldn’t be allowed to fatten themselves in the name of the country and its people (7minute delay by private channel is audacious, if need be a parliament act can be passed on these matters). Like this blogger most Indians welcomes these moves by the government. People elect the government to be responsible to their needs and aspirations and not hobnobbing with profit mongers. Nothing wrong in shubh labh though, just that gotta follow the rules dude, meaning less profit!!.

Unfortunate One

This taken from a blog i came across the other day (the blogger: Bob in Washington). The poetry and the snap touched me in a way not experienced in recent times.

Oh, if I could speak,
If only I could speak!
How I would tell you,
How often I would tell you
I love the air,
I love air.
I love sunlight,
Oh, the sunlight!
Life! I love life!
Oh ... If only I could speak!

Language of conscience

It is in the soul of things
that disintegration
invades earlier than other
a twitch in the mind
an involuntary pull of hand
a pause in a thought
before acts of deception
and crime