From The Land of 'Are Anna' and 'Not Anna'

India today has certainly moved from being known as the land of 'Haves' & 'Have nots' to the land of those who ' Are Anna' and who are 'Not Anna'.

Not sure, how many of you have sensed this change and awakening in the course of this last week, but if you have not managed to share your views explicitly on 'India's anti-corruption movement' and shown your support for it, you probably have managed to earn yourself one of the following tags - 'Is Corrupt', 'Congress Supporter', 'Too uptight to bother about your country'.

You are doomed, if you take the middle ground and be the voice of reason and sanity in this deluge of emotional patriotism, to the point that you will be threatened and even questioned about your nationality. 

When, the India Against Corruption movement first started in April 2011, I was excited and happy to see that so many Indians felt so strongly about this cause. The fact the government agreed to consider the Jan Lokpal bill was definitely an achievement for Anna and team. But what followed is what left me disillusioned.

The demands for an independent body, which completely supersedes and oversees all other power centres in this country is no less than creating a Frankenstein's monster. Our democracy functions well,  because the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary are answerable to each other. Resting all power in one person or one institution is against the very spirit of democracy.

What we need is definitely a strong Lokpal, which can investigate and bring the guilty to book as soon as possible. But what we don't need is another power center.

I whole heartedly support the India Against Corruption Movement and firmly believe that if we can eradicate this menace, we will definitely be better off as a nation. I also believe that Anna Hazare's fast has been a huge factor in bringing the Indian masses together to fight for a common cause, quite commendable in a country where people tend to be quite opinionated about almost everything.

My problem is with our approach to this whole issue. I find it to be too simplistic and immature. 

Do we really believe that a bill will solve all our problems? That the day the Jan Lokpal Bill is passed, all the unscrupulous in this country will turn scrupulous overnight? 

If it were that simple, the existing laws would have ensured a cleaner social system, anyway. 

As I see it, the fault partly lies with who we are and partly with what we expect as a nation.

Coming to the first part of it, I think corruption in this country is more a culture thing than an alien parasite eating into our value system.

We are used to bribing, God for getting our prayers answered, children for getting them to fulfill our wishes, anybody else if it helps in getting things done our way. 

We also hate standing in queues or waiting for things to get done at their natural pace and don't mind paying that extra if we have the means to speed up things, be it for the ration card, the election id card or the driving license.

As a nation we are very aspirational and big show offs, sometimes these aspirations to own things and show off go beyond what our legal means will afford us.

I am sure this is a great moment in Indian history, because for the first time we are witnessing a revolution by the 'Indian Middle Class', the same middle class, which prefers to stay indoors on election day. The same middle class, which sees FTV as a threat to Indian culture and traditions, but cannot live without its M'D Burgers and Italian Pastas.

Even today, we would have let this go by as another 'newsy' day in the life of India, if it had not affected us directly.

Having no control on the rising prices and our own depleting wealth, when all we hear is of millions the Kalmadis and Rajas are making by skimming the government and its systems (our hard earned money payed as taxes), is what makes this more personal for us middle class, what propels us to step out of our comfortable homes, brave the rains and show our support for anything and anyone who is ready to stand up against corruption.

Like Victor Hugo said, "There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come". It is time for India to rise against and fight the evil of corruption, because the time is right and the time is now.

But more than fighting for a magic formula that will help corruption vanish, it is time to look within each of us and see how we will fight the lure of this fancy demon, which in the short run promises to make life easy.

What I am trying to say here is that, corruption in India is a way of life and it will take more than a Jan Lokpal Bill to eradicate it.

What we need is not a revolution (how does one revolt against oneself) but a social movement where each individual promises to play his part, whether it is by refusing to pay the bribe to jump a queue or weather it is to say no to an offer of fulfilled aspirations in return of a favor.

What we are fighting for is again dangerous, we are holding our elected government to ransom and demanding the legislature to speed up the political process of passing a bill, without much debate and discussion, so that we can see a happy conclusion to 'our revolution' and go back home with a sense of achievement that it was a job well done. But then how are we different from the corrupt who use force or money to get their way?

It would be dreadful if we manage to get the bill passed and then go back to our normal lives - paying Rs. 100 as bribe to the 'thoola' or 'mamu' at the chawk after jumping a red light to avoid a challan.....

Why Ajmal Kasab should be hanged??

Today Ajmal Kasab, one of the main accused in the Mumbai terror attacks will be sentenced. If I am to believe the news reports which came before the final sentence, then he may well be on his way to the gallows.

I have never been a supporter of capital punishment - I always believed it is a flimsy justification and as horrific as the crime you are trying to punish the criminal for.

But off late the kind of insecure and unsafe world I live in has made me more acceptable of this gross punishment. Every time I mentally debate on why a terrorist like Kasab should not be hanged the images of the IC-814 hijack saga play out fresh in front of my eyes.

It was one of the worst nightmares my country lived through, when a dreaded criminals were left scot-free as ransom for the safety of many innocent Indians. And we all know, those terrorsits then went on to plot many more acts of terrorism - costing thousands of life and colossal damage to our nation.

You can call me judgmental or inhuman or even a coward, but I don't want to live with the fear that because a Kasab is alive in one of our jails, me or someone else can be held for ransom for his release. I don't want to go through the pain, grief and uncertainty, other fellow Indians went through for 6 long days in the winter of 1999.

Yes, I can very confidently say, that I do not trust our systems and security processes which are very capable of another episode like the IC-814!

Also, we keep complaining about our police and armed forces, for not doing enough to keep the people of this nation safe from incidents like 26/11, but have we ever thought how do they feel when they risk their lives to catch dreaded criminals like - Maulana Masood Azhar and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar and then watch these men walk off with a smile on their face? -

What such sights do to their morale??

We debate because - Kasab is alive, what were his chances 1 year 5 months back, when the attack was on?

I am sure there is never enough justification for taking away another life - human or otherwise, but then why justify killing, when in self -defense? Why justify wars? Why justify counter terrorist attacks? Why call the commandoes who killed the terrorists on 26/11 Mumbai attack - Heroes?

I am aware, that the hanging of Kasab is not going to make much difference to the difficult times we live in. Maybe he is just a small fish, a misguided youth who will pay for the crimes of many others who directed him from across the borders.

But my only hope is - his end will show others like him, that what they do is not considered heroic and humane, that they are mere foot soldiers and their lives mean nothing to their leaders, maybe more to their own families. That like the people they killed for their salvation, there will be others who will kill them for theirs.....

I don't think wanting Kasab to be hanged makes me less humane - from where I see it - its just an act of self-defense on my part!! which is justified by Law - Universally......

Image courtesy - www.rediff.com

When will 'WE' learn to PROTEST!!!

I am angry, very angry today !!! Angry because today my right to freedom to make my own choices - legal choices has been threatened by a set of senseless, uneducated gundas, who think, with their muscle power they can squash me, my aspirations, my likes....

I understand the reason to an extent, today they are able to push me into this corner because - every time they raised their nasty heads and arms on different occasions in the past - I whimpered into a dingy corner, scared for my own safety and for the safety of the ones I love! That one act of submission made them think they were Gods, who could dictate their terms on me - terms which sound so illogical to my logical and sound mind.

Simple joys of life like going pubbing with my friends or proclaiming my love to someone or something as simple as watching a movie - which I thought were my personal choices - are not mine any more. From watching a match between India-Pakistan or India & Australia (considered divine for any cricket lover) or watching movies like Fire and MNIK is not within my control.

There are political goons out there on the streets of India who will now decide how, when and if I can enjoy these simple pleasures of life.

These are the same people who are out to divide this land which professes 'unity in diversity' on the basis of language, culture, religion and other things they can creatively think of.

Do they actually think I am of such low intellect that I cannot make my own choices and need their threats to decide for me???

Have you ever heard these guys protesting against things that really matter to us - the bad infrastructure, rising prices, security, farmer suicides etc.??? No, they only go after celebrity issues and those that affect the choices of the common man. It is this what irks me.... at the end of the day - either ways its us the common people who suffer.

I am angry with myself and with all others like me who chose to stay quiet as these minor incidents were not making any direct impact on our lives. Thinking -"Why call upon the wrath of such uncultured goons, who probably don't know their A from B". But I have realized, every time I choose to stay quiet, I make them more powerful! Yesterday it was about being a woman going to a pub, today its about going to a movie and tomorrow they will find something more important to me, which may not fit their ideology - as appropriate.

I don't feel these guys are any different from the terrorists who attacked mumbai on 26/11....at least it was some select locations and we had the army and the NSG commandos to rescue the victims.....I don't see any help coming while these goons hold to ransom the people of an entire state......

Here also its my personal security at stake, may not be guns and bombs but something worse.... 'fear' which is fast becoming my way of life ........

I wish, our leaders had more spine, I wish they had more constructive ways of protest, I hope they thought of us before their own personal agendas before they decided to go public.

I am sure, many people like me who just want to go about with their lives are angered by such events, but prefer to stay quiet.........the question is for how long??? Today you won't raise your voice...because its not affecting you....tomorrow, there will be no one beside you, when it will start affecting you. I have decided to voice my concerns....not sure, where it will lead, but I want all to know...it angers me to be pushed into a corner, in my own home...because some idiot thought it was funny!!!

Can you and I be the change ????

I was a little surprised when just a day after I posted my last blog on a voter's dilemma, I came across this website - http://www.freedomteam.in/.

Why I was surprised was becasue FTI ( Freedom team of India) popped up in front of me as an answer to all the innumerable questions I have been raising across different forums time and again. Once I visited their website to understand their ideology and where it came from I felt like being a part of this Freedom Team. Started by a set of committed people FTI's mission is to provide a co-ordinated platform, to ordinary, educated and motivated idividuals to contest elections in this country and usher in the change we all have been talking about, hoping, waiting and even praying for.
The Freedom team wants you and me to be the change. They challenge us to change the image of politics by coming forward. By giving up our cushy seats as spectators and entering the ring to fight!
What, I personally feel sets FTI apart from other similar initiatives is that it comes across as a honest effort to bring in the change we so desperately need, not just in the kind of governance we have today and people who govern us, but also in the policies and statutes, many of which have become redundent in the present times.
Also, I feel it is initiatives like these that need our honest support, for they are the small ray of hope in times such these, where we are forced to go backward in the name of religion, culture etc.

With the right kind of support and some great young minds who can lead, it gives me hope that maybe just maybe my tomorrow in this country would not be as bleak and scary as my today. Maybe, my children will be able to grow up in an India they can be proud of, maybe we will not be required to carry a tag on ourselves proclaiming our beliefs to be part of a group. Just maybe, I might be around to usher in a future, where everyone will have the equal right and opportunity to grow and prosper in this country.
I am not sure as an individual with several demands on my time how I will supprot FTI and be part of this process. But I am very sure of one thing, if there is an honest effort to bring in change I want to be a part of it.

A voter's dilemma!

The other day I joined a community called Jago re! - One billion votes - It is a nationwide movement launched by Janaagraha a (non-profit) NGO and Tata Tea. To enable and awaken the citizens of India, expecially the youth, to register for voting. 

Currently the community has more than 10,000 members and the main site Jago re.com is very prompt with providing with the voter registration forms and other info as, to which constituency you belong, where to submit the form etc. They also track your form for you once you have submitted. The effort is commendable and I wish them luck in completing their mission at the earliest.

However, i am bit sceptical about certain issues, problems etc. that plague our political system.

While we might all be coming together to mobilize 1 billion people to vote, what are our choices. Its still choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea. It is the same set of corrupt, old and power hungry politicians who stand for the elections every time. Our country's constitution also supports and in some ways encourages horse trading, which has become the back bone of coalition politics in India.

So how do we address this issue? It does not matter how many people we get to the voting counters, what matters is whether we can change the way we think when casting their vote and what are the choices available to them.

Today many people do not cast their vote because they feel they do not have a choice when left to choose between a party, that is communal, or one that is corrupt or another one which is manipulative and power hungry.

A year or two back, there was some hue and cry about educated people and youngsters floating a new political party, there was even news of some IITians coming together and floating a party, but then there has been no news since. In every election we end up seeing the same old candidates from the same old parties campaigning. Some parties might field a young and educated candidate, but that guy is hardly going to be at the helm of affairs. There is still an 80 year old man waiting to become the PM of our country.

The ruling government of this country is decided by states like UP, MP and Bihar, where people till today are exploited in the name of caste, religion etc. We need to think of ways and means, to change their perceptions and voting habits. We need to somehow show them that the very reason they have not progressed as compared to other states is because of caste and religious divides.

I feel unless an until we can create a platform for new and young leaders to voice their concerns, contest election and change these ancient perceptions that continue to decide and seal the fate of a billion people - this would be a lost cause.
I do not want to sound pessimistic but, I also do not want the efforts of Janaagraha to go waste. With millions of young educated thinking minds in our country, I am sure we can together come up with some ways to beat these problems and take our efforts a notch higher.

Is media abetting crime.......

                               

The moral police of our country are out again to teach us, right from wrong. To correct us from falling into temptations and ruining our thousands of year old Indian culture, of being submissive, divisive, of treating our women like cattle. What happened in Mangalore, is not the first time, we have seen something like this happen in our country and I can assure you it won't be the last.

Forgive me for being pessimistic, but then despite all the hue and cry over the incident in the media, from questioning the government and the politicians to holding chats and discussions with anyone who wanted to talk on moral policing and on the infringement of our fundamental right to freedom, there is not much that has been achieved, when it comes to punishing the real culprits.

And when I say culprits, I do not just mean the men who vandalized the pub and the women there on that day but also the media persons who were present at the venue to cover it live.Having worked as a television journalist and having often been in the thick of action, I am surprised by the state of affairs when it comes toTV news channels these days. Have we become so insensitive as a nation that for the sake of exclusive footage and higher TRP's we actually abet criminals and anti-social elements.

As a former journalist and as an individual I feel I would have felt more confident of the fourth estate in my country, had they covered on how they used the information and their powerful position to avert the heinous incident from happening in the first place, rather than being mute spectators and rerunning the horrors of the crime for days on their TV channels.

I understand sensationalism is the key to increased TRP's but then, where do we draw the line, at this rate the day is not far when we will see live murders being covered on television, when the distinction between fiction and reality would probably vanish.

We have seen how the media covered the Mumbai 26/11 terror attacks. Over the years several studies have stated, all criminals thrive on publicity. Instant fame and publicity of their gory crimes gives them the sense of power, for they succeed in creating fear in the masses. When terrorists or fundamentalist political parties attack or vandalize, it is to get publicity for their acts, the more the reruns the more their reach and influence. This is all the more reason why it is important for the media to be responsible when reporting crimes, riots etc.

I remember when we used to cover communal riots, their was an untold code of conduct of not mentioning the communities in our reports as there were chances of inciting more people..........but today I hardly see that kind of restrain in the media. While the media questions why certain minority communities are treated differently in our country, it is they who are largely responsible for creating this rift. The more inciting and emotional a comment or appeal the higher the TRPs.

A friend's 3 year old daughter who lives in Delhi, after seeing the Mumbai attack unfold in front of her eyes and hearing constant gunshots on Television, recently asked him, "papa will these terrorists shoot us also with their guns?" Mind it, this is a three year old kid, who barely knows her b's from her d's.

Freedom of press is the foundation of a successful democratic state, but a free and responsible press is the foundation of a diverse yet united democracy. Maybe it is time the fourth estate questioned itself, whether in their bid to outdo each other in this never ending race of TRPs,  are they compromising with the innocence and ideals of  our future generations.

I hope sanity prevails and wish my son can grow up in this country, believing in the goodness of every human life irrespective of their socio-economic strata or religious preferences.

Obama brings hope......

For the first time in my life, post Barrack Obama's election to the top most job in the world, I felt Americans are lucky. For the first time in my life, I wanted to go and live in the USA for a couple of years and experience the change Obama has promised the Americans and the world at large. For the first time, I am interested in knowing more about American president's policies and his way forward. For various reasons, like hundreds and thousands of Americans I feel, Obama can bring in the change we all have been hoping and waiting for. Not because he is a black president of a majority white country, not because he managed to unite a country divided over race and colour for centuries but because he is intelligent, he is a thinker, he is well educated and is qualified to hold the office, he was rightly elected to. The fact that he is black, only adds to his impeccable resume. He has seen, how it feels to be an underdog in your own country, what it means to be differentiated basis your colour than your caliber, his background makes him more humane.
Also, his election gives me hope that maybe, maybe we Indians would also be able to rise above the politics of caste, creed, religion, region etc. and cast a vote for change. Change in the way we are governed, change in the way we function, change in the way we think, change in the way we nurture our future generations. Maybe, we will vote for people who are educated and qualified to hold the most important posts in the country, rather than vote for candidates because they belong to a certain cast or family.
It was not just the incumbency factor of the Bush government and its failure to deal with the financial crisis which hit America, that helped in Obama's victory, but it was his genuineness which made him the ray of hope in such times of despair.
If only the Indian political system allowed genuine people to come up and lead the nation without getting entangled in partisan politics, we might have had better leaders and a more promising future.
"The Alchemist" A book by Paulo Coelho says, "When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream".
On this day, I wish and desire for change in my country. A change like America dared to usher in, a change which gives me hope for a better India, young and rational in its thoughts and honest in its efforts.

Change we can.........