Hail the new Maya

The pollster have got it wrong again , inspite of the so many high profile exit polls across Television channesl - non of them was near the target and the variation being as high as 40% . It is surprising to analyse how can they get it wrong each time particularly if a party is due for a majority it cannot escape detection either during the opinion polls or exit polls. Mayavati has proved the strongest of her detractors wrong and what she has pulled off is truely remarkable considering that she neither had any star power nor any manifesto to speak off except the anti - mulayam rehetoric.

The social engineering of having a diverse set of communities on a single platform my opinion has a very positive side , with such a diverse community supporting her no one caste/religion will get undue benefits due to the pulls and pressures. Mayavati has shown tremendous pragmatism and a foresight far ahead of her rivals - which were always seeped into their own parochial mindset - it will be very interesting to see how she is able to balance every one's expectations in the days to come. The significant risk is that there is no visbily economic plank and how she will be going about carrying the affairs of state particularly when she is done with hounding the Mulayam coterie of politicians, goons, henchman and bureaucrats.

Its truly amazing to see how the Brahmins ( upper castes ) and the dalits ( lower caste ) the staunchest of foes can come come together for power sharing keeping aside their centuries of animosity and if this can be achived in such a fragmented state of Uttar Pradesh it bodes well for the rest of the country. This will force the mainstream political parties to reach out to a larger political canvas hitherto ignored by them. Possibly the the quota politics will take a back seat and meritocracy will gain credence.

Its all about the "gut"

I always wondered why people rely on the gut for any intuition and where on earth this term "gut feeling" originate. The funny part is that the term "gut feeling " is normally used to predict about an incidence, providence, which I would associate positively as there in a normal course - a person would that extra bit to of sixth sense to predict the future or give an indication of a likely outcome of the situcation/scenario/circumstance as otherwise this divine power doesnt come naturally. Medically "Gut" is assciated with digestive tract and to sound politically correct the waste is stored there, then how come such a positive emotion is associated with the "gut". I wish to imagine if the gut can give such powers what about the other important parts .like the "liver power" , " pancreatic emotion" etc

As a corollary even acts of bravery/defiance is associated with "guts". I will not elaborate as it is well understood.

Have not been able to find anything historically which will give such an importance to a body part which is internal and stores the waste matter. It should be typically associated with catharsis or letting out of emotion. Sometimes even though the words dont mean the obvious - it becomes so ingrained in our daily lingo that we start using even without realising what it could mean otherwise.

Die in Peace

The summer did not have a good effect ...

I dread to imagine the day when I will be bed ridden and no one to really take care from the family and particularly scenario when the suffering gets prolonged to months. I would like to die without pain - no burden on anyone, no expectations, absolutely nothing. I remember the day my grand father was hospitalised due to old age there was a deluge of family members keeping the vigil day and night. This is two generations back when the families were large.. had enough members to take care, with nuclear families in vogue the problem is and will get compounded.

I remember an incidence nearly 10 years back , one of my relatives was admitted to Tata memorial hospital for an cancer removing operation and there was this old lady of nearly 70 years in the adjacent bed - she had been already operated once for abdominal cancer a week which was not very successful. The relatives sounded helpness not knowing what to do while the doctors kept suggesting some treatment or the other and even an operation in the next week - even for a layman like me it all sounded gory.The doctors as it was obvious were taking her relatives for a ride ( most of them were young and seemed wanted to try out their hand on her ). Since they gave a glimer of hope - her folks were not able to resist one last temptation of her getting well. It was dreadful that no one was willing to give a thought to her pain and suffering.

I can hear more and more cases of folks getting bed ridden and having to undergo the trauma for a prolonged period of time. The competivtive pressures of survival takes a heavy toll on the near/dear ones both financially and on their time.

It may sound surprising to talk about such an eventuality when probably I have lots of summers to endure - but could not help realise the stark reality. Amen

Summer break !

Its hot and not happening. My thoughts have become all gobbled and have vaporised in the hot Indian summer and have taken a summer break ! Waiting for the first rains ...

Why men never get depressed...

This has been customized.. ode to the original !

Men Are Just Happier People-- What do you expect from such simple creatures? Your last name stays put. The garage is all yours. Wedding plans take care of themselves. Chocolate is just another snack. You can be President. You can never be pregnant. You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park. You can wear NO shirt to a water park. Car mechanics tell you the truth.. The world is your urinal.. You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt. Same work, more pay. Wrinkles add character. People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them. The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected. New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet. One mood all the time.

Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat. You know stuff about tanks. A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase. You can open all your own jars. You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness. If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.

Three pairs of shoes are more than enough. You almost never have strap problems in public. You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes. Everything on your face stays its original color. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades. You only have to shave your face and neck.

You can play with toys all your life. Your belly usually hides your big hips. One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons. You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look. You can "do" your nails with a pocket knife. You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.

No wonder men are happier.

Media frenzy

India media is on steroids. One way it is good to have an ever eager media to espouse the issues faced by the common man and the ailments that plague the country but when non issues start taking the precious real estate - it becomes very disconcerting. Last week I had written about how NDTV had taken up the issue of Hindu burial for kids less than 3 years of age. I was one way very happy that the Indian team lost out in the first round of the world cup - the agony of analysis paralysis by the ageing cricket fraternity most of whom hardly made any impact now suddenly taking cudgels on the Indian team was limited though for sometime it went on. Every victory or defeat would have been dissected to the bare bone - though the time spent at the first round exit was disproportionate. Even without choice have to spend writing on this subject and all others which I feel are not worth the penny - Hypocrisy at its best.

I was just trying to re-collect some of the highlights .. of course the latest flavor of the season is the wedding of the decade- Abhiash ... From whats on the menu to the color of the henna , cars in which the bride will go, sangeet, debate on the invitees , honeymoons , the auspicious time of the wedding this is after we have lived through the arun nayar - liz hurley hullabaloo ( even though both have inconsequential social standing ). The kissing by Richard Gere - When shilpa herself enjoyed it what business other folks have .. do we really should care of what happens in the bed rooms of these stars ? The endless playing of the South Korean killer's chilling video on the Virgina tech massacre has bought about a deserving backlash. Lots more which keep coming ...

Surprisingly the times of India is more subdued .. they have some how not gone over board considering the reputation of being a pseudo tabloid masquerading as India's national newspaper. Its difficult to run a 24 hour channel without creating hype and mountains out of molehills. One good thing about the western media is the clear classification of a serious channel/newspaper and the tabloid. We probably have still have to undergo the learning curve.

PS - The channels are about to get into discussion paranoia on the Indian team selection for the bangaladesh tour today

Very disturbing !

This may be very disturbing to read ....... NDTV in its headline news at 8 pm on 10th of April carried a very disturbing story about how a 1.5 year old was not able to get a decent burial. My eyes were moist as I heard the boy's uncle narrate their trauma and ordeal . NDTV on its displayed a lot of a maturity and the punchline of how they will ensure that there is a solution was very heartening. Even cant imagine what the parents must have been going through - the pain and trauma for losing your kind was not enough the pain of going around the city with the body to give it a decent burial and the place was filthy with scavengers and rabid dogs on the loose. My heart goes out !

Probably this the first time the dogmas of the religion has struck me so hard. It is very easy to be tolerant and assume that not to take stand till it affects oneself. The tragedy and grief is un-imaginable. Which brings me to the eternal question can God be detached from religion.

Birth, Marriage and Death are probably the three most important events and given due importance in any religion/community . Death not being a cause for celebration as compared to the other two calls for that much more sensitivity.

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070008282

Eventually even CNN-IBN has also taken up this cause. At one level its a good thing that we have some independence of media .... some one or the other will take up such instances and probably bring about the much needed change in the different facets of our social consciousness where we the society works for the collective will for the people.

Confounded and confused

I have always been amazed and star struck with certain things around and the more I think - the more I get confounded and confused. Though not listed in any order but some times the randomness is itself surprising as what comes out first is the top of
the mind recall.

1. Women - how do I understand them ?
2. Money - I want more .. there is never enough
   
3. Happiness - why is it so dis-proportionately distributed
4. Pain - As a natural corollary to above
5. God - Is there one ?
6. Evolution - Where are we heading ?
7. Death - If this what we get .. what are we fighting for ?
8. Emotions - how and what methods to control ?
9. Theory of relativity - Have to call Einstein
10. Why do I blog ?
    

Each of the above affects me in different ways - depending on the intensity and seasonality - the reactions are varied.

Procastination

Back to Youtube videos after nearly a month .. This one the way it has been created and narrated is truly impressive.

Where is the good news !

I was trying to recollect the news flow in the last couple of weeks and was surprised that there was hardly any good news. I thought to list them down

• Stock markets are crashing - the excess of the last year are being culled, interest rates are reaching for new highs making all the home owners on floating rate see red throwing their budgets haywire
• Indian cricket team crashed out of the world cup - for a change I think though its good though reflecting the symptomatic crass
• global warming is in renewed focus - most of the seasonal patterns have gone haywire the famed Indian summer is in its full glory - water shortage and load shedding going hand in hand
• Arjun Singh has come back from the death bed and is hell bent creating a reservation Chakravyuh the impact will be felt on the social fabric for generations to come - the irony this time is that there hardly any anti- reservation protests
• Oil prices have reared their ugly head again and quietly on the way to make new highs making any kind of social driving un-viable and also flying
• the faith in the CBI is at an all time low - acquittal of Pandher in Nithari killings and the quite burial of the quattorachi case
• UP elections are round the corner - any election in India cannot be a good news particularly when the largest state is going to polls.
  Some body give me a good news ....

Loads of prime time news has been devoted to the discussion dissecting each of the issues with instant SMS polls - alas of no use.Since every Indian has the birth right to comment on the state of the cricket affairs - My two pennies on the subject
I have been keenly observing the outpouring of emotions India's exit from the cricket world page. The amount of time spent by the various news channels in dissecting the reasons is humongous. The media coverage has been mind boggling particularly for a no cause. Times of India had carried a front page article on game theory just before the India Srilanka match. The whole world knows what happened in the match. Even the Trps of a non event like the
Bangaladesh vs Bermuda match was high . All non decrypt past cricketing zeros were commenting on the performance of the current team oblivious of what they had done in their prime. It is all the making of the great Indian Tamasha. Latest - a three way slanging match between BCCI, players and the great guru greg .