Kejriwal the modern Bin Tughluq

Aam Admi Party seems to be hell bent on implementing the odd-even formula to control air pollution in Delhi. I read Ashutosh strongly advocating this formula on the NDTV website. I also read Suma Raha expressing doubts about the probable effectiveness of this formula on the Times of India website. Chief Justice of India, T S Thakur, supported the Delhi government’s decision to allow odd and even number cars to ply on alternate days from January 1. However Sweta Kapoor, a lawyer,  has challenged the formula in Delhi High Court as she thought that imposition of such a policy/law would be contrary to public interest and has been imposed without any public debate or discussion and without understanding the situation and facts and circumstances in India. In this context let me share my thoughts on this issue.

I think Kejriwal is behaving like a modern day Muhammad bin Tughluq. You will be surprised to note that he said that the formula would be tested for 15 days and would be scrapped if it is hard on citizens. Is he a responsible CM of a state or is he a class XI student interested in finding a new formula in the Chemistry laboratory? He is going to take a radical step which would effectively curtail 50% of private cars per day. 50% of private cars! That's a huge number! This pressure will have to be taken by the already overburdened public transport system of Delhi, which is neither adequate nor effective, besides being unsafe. Can't Kejriwal forsee the amount of hardship he is going to cause on the office goers, women and differently abled people? Or, would he love to see them suffering for 15 days?

Does my above paragraph mean that Kejriwal shouldn't do anything to control the level of air pollution, which has already reached an alarming level, in Delhi? Of course, he should, but not by such knee jerk reactions. So what should he do? He should have tried to reduce the number of vehicles by 10% and not 50%. How? In the 1st, 11th, 21st and 31st days of month, vehicles whose last digits are 1 could have been restricted. Similarly, on 2nd ,12th and 22th days of the month, vehicles with last digit 2 could have been restricted and so on. This wouldn't have caused much difficulties to the commuters. In the meantime,  he could have improved the public transport system.

He should also ban old polluting vehicles, including the ageing buses in a phase wise manner.

The most effective step from an economist's point of view would be to impose heavy motor vehicle, which should be annual, and toll taxes. On one hand, this will ensure good revenue for the state, and on the other hand this will filter out the unnecessary car users from the road.

A green vehicle is a road motor vehicle that produces less harmful impacts to the environment than comparable conventional internal combustion engine vehicles running on gasoline or diesel. Presently, in some countries the term is used for any vehicle complying or surpassing the more stringent European emission standards (such as Euro6).

Green vehicles are powered by alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies and include hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, battery electric vehicles, hydrogen and fuel-cell vehicles etc. Kejriwal should encourage green vehicles by exempting taxes partially or completely for few years.

Pictures taken from net

Give peace a chance

Hindutwa supporters should understand that Modi is no longer the poster boy of Hindutwa. He is not only the head of the largest democracy of the world, but also a  very important player in international politics. There is a universal consensus at the diplomatic level that there is no substitutes for talks to resolve any international problem. India cannot be seen as putting unreasonable demands as preconditions before talks. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Sharif announced in Ufa that they would resume a process of dialogue and engagement, it  was appreciated that the two Prime Ministers had agreed that India and Pakistan have a collective responsibility to ensure peace and promote development and, for this, they were prepared to discuss all outstanding issues. I was really surprised to see Modi government's cancellation of talks for objection over Pakistan’s National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz meeting Hurriyat leaders.

Talking to the nuclear neighbour should not be seen as a sign of weakness. Besides, Pakistan itself is a victim of terrorism. It is cooperating with international players to curb terrorism. Despite trying its best, India has not been able to convince the world about Pakistan's role in abetting and sponsoring terrorism. Or, should I say even if Pakistan's role has been exposed, the world cannot treat it as a pariah as it is the most important country in tackling the terrorism menace. Nobody is saying that India should concede anything to Pakistan. And I am also not suggesting India to drop its guard against cross-boarder terrorism or its war preparation. What I am saying is talks must go on. Because talks have no negative impact. Only positive results can emerge out of it.

We don't know about anything about the result of the  meeting. All we know that it was an informal meeting between the two heads of the states. Maybe a personal chemistry between the two leaders has developed. I really cannot understand why some people are criticising the good will visit! Also, what is the point in speculating who is behind the growing bonhomie between Nawaz and Modi? So what if industrialist Sajjan Jindal played a pivotal role in bringing them together? Peace-lovers should not fret about anything that can bring peace.

However,  one important question that should be asked is is the powerful army of Pakistan on board? If they are not, no matter how much Nawaz and Modi try, it will not result in any tangible change in ground situation. But as a practicing democracy,  we must encourage the fledgling democracy in Pakistan by helping democratically elected leaders. They can help us in bringing back the fugitives like Dawood or bringing the perpetrators of Mumbai 26/11 terrorist attack to book.

As far as domestic politics is concerned, Modi has nothing to lose either by this innovative gesture. His hardcore Hindutwa supporters, at best, can troll, but they will not ditch him. Because there is no better substitute. By warming up to Pakistani premier, Modi has successfully changed his image of a Hindutwa hawk. The BJP cannot alienate 17% of India's population. The BJP cannot be seen as an anti-Muslim party. It has been repeatedly observed that whenever the Muslim votes consolidated against the BJP, the party has lost the election. At any point of time, some supporters will be alienated, but some new supporters must join the party to make it a vibrant party.

Picture taken from the net

You are in love

Have you told the moon
That you are in love?
Ask him to send the news
To all the stars above.

Have you told the dew drops
When they fall silently
To write your love story
On the leaves fluently?

Have you told the wind
When it swirls in round
To whisper the story in ears
Of everybody present around?

Have you told the mirror
Your image it will reflect
Unless I stand beside you
Will not be the perfect?

Picture taken from net

You are more important

I never knew that
You'd be so shy
As I always thought
You would say Hi.

You are the person
Whom needs the country
Plebian folks  like me
You find them in plenty.

We are the people
Going here and there
But you are the one
Who has the fire.

If I am the one
Who made you retreat
I shall withdraw now
Cause you're people's heartbeat.

Picture taken from net

Your name is my charm

Your name is my charm
In the turbulent water
During the dusty storm
You keep my heart warm.

I thought of your face
Closing my eyes
My stress and strain
Just vanish by race.

The smile on your lips
The twinkle in your eyes
Soothing my emotions
Release my fear grips.

When we sailed together
Life was so cool
Loving those fond memories
Like a fresh breather.

Picture taken from net

You and I

You and I walked together
Under the bright sky
Side by side, hand in hand
With our spirits high.

In the rainy season
In the romantic spring
With a cause in mind
We enjoyed our fling.

Droplets of pearly tears
From your lovely eye
So dampens my heart
That It made me cry.

The  smiles on your lips
As we drank victory wine
We have made our mark
Our friendship will shine.

There came the tempest
Forcefully severing our hand
But we shall meet again
Maybe in a different land.

Picture taken from net

Film review: Bajirao Mastani

The last week had been a pretty hectic for me, as I spun like a teetotum. Also, i had to go through a lot of tensed moments. So, when my wife rang up for permission to buy two tickets for Bajirao Mastani on Saturday evening show, I gleefully said, "Yes, yes, yes". In the last few years, I have found that watching an entertaining movie helps to release tension. I am neither a film critic, nor have I written any film review previously. So, don't take it seriously.

At the beginning, SLB  ( Sanjay Leela Bhansali ) made a disclaimer that even though the film is historical in nature, he does not claim it to strictly adhere to history. After watching the film, I must say that even though his imagination ran high on many occasions in order to depict the warrior as a romantic lover, he did not do injustice to history. This is a story of an eternal love, which does not recognise the bounds of caste, creed, race, ethnicity or religion. Bajirao 1 has been placed in history as one of the greatest Hindu warriors who fought for the establishment of Hindu Pad Padshahi. Bajirao fought over 41 battles and is reputed to have never lost one. But very few people knew about the emotional side of this great peshwa. SLB focused mainly  on the personal life of BR (Bajirao1). Apart from showing romance of BR and Mastani, SBL has also shown machinations of Radhabai and Chimaji Appa, Brahminical dominance in Maratha statecraft demonstrated by Krishna Bhatt, excellent war tactics of Marathas etc.

As far as the acting goes, I think Ranveer Singh has done a fair job. Especially, in the second half, his acting looked quite mature. Vulnerable yet macho, funny and flamboyant, his chemistry with Deepika held well when they sparred  passionately. Both Dipika and Priyanka did a good job.  Acting wise, Priyanka did slightly better than Dipika. But Dipika looked more gorgeous than Priyanka in this film. Dipika struggled extremely hard to show her dancing skills. I think the best acting was performed by Tanvi Azmi as Radhabai, Bajirao's mother.

It is said that the scenic beauty of SLB's pictures are characterised by opulence of colours. This film is no exception. You may love to observe the costumes worn by Dipika and Priyanka. The dialogues are a tad lenthy, some of them are really good, though. The action part was okay. The heroic action by BR at the final part of the movie is highly unrealistic, where BR is shown to mow down the entire bunch of opposition army by himself. To do justice to SLB's tradition of having melodious hit songs in his movie, the songs should have been better. The actor doing Nana Saheb should have been more screen friendly.

As far as entertainment is concerned, I shall give a thumbs up to the movie. Munching tomato-chili popcorn and sipping diet Coke, we enjoyed the emotional blockbuster thoroughly. However, my overall rating would be 6 out of 10.

Pictures taken from net

Ramdev a gift for Hinduism?

I think Ramdev is a gift from heaven for the purpose of revitalizing Hinduism and economy.

Yoga is an inherent part of Hinduism. The rigorous 8-fold (ashtanga) path which can lead one to ultimate spiritual bliss, or should  I say which can join jeevatma with paramatma, is specifically meant for yogis. Grihees, ie, ordinary people, are not prescribed to perform yoga. But apart from spiritual aspect of yoga, it has other extremely beneficial effects on mind and body. For that one does not have to practice all 8-fold steps, but a few asanas and pranayamas can do wonders.

B K S Iyengar, Swami Sivananda and few other yoga gurus laid the foundation for propagation of yoga. But the entire credit goes to Baba Ramdev for making it popular among the masses. I am not saying Ramdev is better than Sri Sri Ravi Sankar or Sadhguru. In fact, I myself do not follow Ramdev's teachings as I don't find them rigorous. But what makes him special is that he has made yoga a pan Indian success. Ramdev's another special ability is his expertise in ayurveda. Very few yoga gurus have this unique quality. Yoga combined with ayurveda is a winning combination. These are the two best advertisements for Hinduism, too.

Many people froth at mouth speaking about importance of FDI to boost economy. FDI is favorable to economic welfare only if appropriate conditions exist in the host economy. This includes such factors as adequate absorptive capacity and human capital, a capacity of domestic businesses to face and hold out foreign competition, abundance of projects and market gaps that cannot be filled up by home producers.

But, I wonder why they ignore the need for swadeshi industry! Temporarily, FDI will infuse dollars in the system,  generate jobs for locals and provide new technologies, capital, products, organizational technologies, management skills and potential cooperation and business opportunities for local businesses, but in the long run more will be taken out of India. One more aspect that is important is that FDI might serve not only a way of doing money, but also a way of acquiring a certain control, both economical and political, in the host country.  Make in India will be a full success when NRIs along with resident Indians will set up industries in India. Ramdev is exactly doing this. If Ramdev can export his products,  he will be a bigger success.

So, all the best to Ramdev.

Vulgar pay hiking by Kejriwal

The WWE fans should know that the winner of a Money in the Bank match gets a contract for a championship match kept inside a briefcase, which he can encash at a time and place of his own choosing. In most cases, the winners of these matches have been able to win the title. This egregious salary hike by the AAP government is like gifting a Money in the Bank match to the two main opposition parties, viz., the BJP and the Congress. Let's see who can successfully climb the ladder to get the contract!

The approval of a whopping 400 per cent hike in basic salary of MLAs and Ministers besides hefty increase in perks and allowances by the AAP government is like a tight slap on the face of an Aam Admi. While a hard working ordinary people struggles to make both ends meet with a salary of Rs 10000 per month,  the AAP MLAs will take away a cool sum of Rs 2.1 lakh per month. If this is not open loot, tell me what it is? Looting the public exchequer like this is far worse than corruption. This Kejriwal guy is absolutely shameless. When pointed out that he would draw more salary than the Prime Minister of this country, he bluntly replied that the PM should follow his blatant misuse of power.

Anyway as I said, this is a very sensitive issue for a hard working Aam Admi. This is a good time for the opposition parties to hit the road; to go for door to door campaigning;  to make the people understand what kind of dacoits they have chosen! Aam Admi Party is no longer  for the Aam Admi , it's now Khas Admi Party.

Previously, hugging the epitome of corruption, Laloo, and now this conspicuous salary hike: I think the AAP is going downhill.

Pictures taken from net

Amir what's in your mind?

Unlike other Khans, Amir has a good head on his shoulders. As is seen in his selection of films, he takes every step calculatively. He leaves no stone unturned to make his films successful. Therefore, judging by his character, I don't agree with those who think that he merely joined the bandwagon of protests against perceived intolerance. So what made him open his mouth?

He must have calculated that by taking a political stand, he will antagonise a large number of people. He must have known that 31% of voters had cast their votes in favour of the current ruling party. Little known writers or rather unknown film directors  can afford to do that. But for a film hero, the number is huge. That's why we generally don't see film stars taking a political position during the peak of their career. The bitter experience of Amitabh Bachchan is worth remembering in this respect.

Before Amir, Shahrukh Khan also took a position against the ruling party. But he had, at least, some reason to do so. He has been hounded by the ED for sometime.  But Amir had no such issue.

Did he really believe that India has become intolerant?  As I said he is an intelligent guy, that's an impossibility. No logical person can believe that as this perception is not backed by facts. So, what made him do this?

Is he contemplating to join politics? Again, the answer is negative,  as he has, at least, good 5 to 6 years left in his career. He knows public memory is short; people will forget this before the release of his next film.

Therefore, I am left with only two possibilities. Either, he wants to show solidarity with King Khan, who thinks he is beyond the scope of ordinary laws.

Or, he has done it on the behest of some people, who must have promised him of some extraordinary reward in future. Now, it's any body's guess who the people and what's their motive are.

Pictures taken from net.