Bhagwad Gita – As lived by Dhoni

Dhoni has taken everyone by surprise by announcing that he might not play the world cup 2015. This statement comes from him at a time when veterans in the game like Rahul and Laxman are still going strong and Sachin is showing no signs of his retirement.

This announcement also comes at a time when Dhoni has successfully captained the Indian team winning the world cup, only for second time in history. Except for the recently concluded series in England, his career has been a very successful one as a batsman, as a wicketkeeper, as a captain, as a player and above all, as a human being.

So, why retirement now, when he can go on for a lot more years? This has something to do with his attitude, which has always been entirely different from others. Though his acts, deeds and words, one can make out that he is an epitome of an enlightened person in life.

For a person, who started his career as a ticket collector on Ranchi railway station, he has indeed come a very long way. He has taken life in its stride and played every moment as it came. Let us look at some of his acts which demonstrate profound lessons hidden in the Bhagwad Gita.

Do your work without expectation of results

This is perhaps the most famous shloka of Bhagwad Gita which says, ‘Karamanye va dhikaraste ma faleshu kadachana…’ This means one should do his duty without any expectations of the results. Because, the moment one’s mind thinks about the results, his efforts get distracted. And that may not bring the desired results. After all, one can only make efforts. It is in god’s hands whether to yield fruits or not. One has no control over the results. Sachin does not score a century every time he goes out to play, though he puts in the same efforts every time.

Every game played by Dhoni has been with a focus only on the efforts without any worry for the results. During the most nail biting finishes, he was calm and cool in handling the pressure, which earned him the title ‘Captain cool’. And this has resulted in his amazing success ratio.

Act like ‘Sthitapradnya’

Bhagwad Gita says that a person should try to remain same in happiness and sorrow, appreciation and criticism, victory and defeat, good times and bad times. This state is very difficult to achieve and is called ‘Sthita Pradnya.’

If we see recordings of only the post match presentation ceremonies at random, we will not be able to confidently say, which match he had won and which won he lost. This is because he appeared in the same mood almost every time. A win never made him ecstatic, nor a loss made him gloomy ever.

Trust others

Bhagwad Gita suggests that one should trust others unless there are reasons not to do so. He trusted all his team mates and made several experiments with them, most of them resulting in a match winning move. He became known for his unknown strategies, which proved to be decisive in the end. Some of them were risky too, but then bigger success required bigger risks.

The last over of the final match of first T20 world cup shall always be remembered for Joginder Singh. It required a lot of conviction, courage and confidence to give the last over to a relatively unknown Joginder, when one more over from the established Harbhajan Singh was still available. Even the world cup finals saw some strange moves from him, which were successful.

Have ambition but not greed

Dhoni has achieved many things in life in short time. If he wants, he can still continue to play for many more years, endorse for dozens of brands and rake in huge money. Today he has some amazing collection of bikes, which continues to be his passion. But he knows that there has to be a limit to everything. One cannot go on and on, in pursuit of only one thing at the cost of other things in life.

There is a family life, which he wants to enjoy. He wishes to fulfill his obligation towards his family as a son, as a brother, as a husband. If he continues to play, he would not find time to fulfill those obligations and it would be too late when he would eventually find time. That is why, often he hints that he is ready to handover the mantle of captaincy to someone else and blissfully retire into oblivion. 

Detached attachment

This is the most virtuous quality in an enlightened person. One should not take his position or power, his status and his image for granted. One should be ready to relinquish it at any time. Because, nothing is ever guaranteed in this world. It does not mean that one should not enjoy the power and give up the perks just like that. It only means that one should be always ready to give it up. This is called detached attachment. The best example to show the fickleness of the status is the fate of some Arab leaders the moment they are convicted, the moment 2G scam leaders were caught, the moment Osama and Gaddafi were caught.

Once a person reaches this stage, the life becomes lot more easier. The goals become clear, the path becomes simple and life itself becomes meaningful.

Dhoni may not have read the Bhagwad Gita as yet, but his life has been an open book for people to learn the values of Bhagwad Gita.

Treat everyone equal

Bhagwad Gita suggests that the soul is same in every living being.  So, every soul should be treated equally with same respect and divinity. The soul only changes the outer physical body with every incarnation.

Dhoni always treated all his players equal.  He was never charged for favoritism in the team. He needed every one to perform in his respective department of bowling, batting or fielding. In fact, he often brought in changes to the team composition, thereby keeping many of them ‘warm’ as the same time.

‘Yada yada hi dharmasya…’

This is perhaps an exaggeration, but I am sure the Dhoni fans would like it. In Bhagwad Gita, Lord Krishna says, whenever there is no righteousness in society, whenever the evil forces start dominating the world, I will appear to annihilate the devil’.

Dhoni entered the international cricket scene when Australia under Ricky Ponting was going great guns. They were almost invincible for around two decades. Every match, every tournament was won by them.

And slowly their merit was getting overshadowed by their arrogance. Which Indian cricket fan can forget that infamous cricket series in Australia, when the Australians went to the extent of cheating and fraud to win the games?

And Dhoni appeared like Krishna on the International cricketing scene to annihilate the Australians. They are now down and out. It may probably take them years to bounce back and regain their past glory. But Dhoni has done his job very well.

After all, his name is Mahendra, which means King of the gods. True to his style, he came, he conquered and he ruled majestically all these years. His charisma can be gauged from the fact that once even Parvez Musharraf was tempted to favorably comment on his erstwhile hair style.  

One may read Bhagwad Gita 100 times, but to live a life as described in Bhagwad Gita is always more noble.

Then it really does not matter whether you even read it once or not.

When Rahul sang ‘Kolaveri Di…’

One day Rahul was humming the popular song ‘Kolaveri Di’ in his leisure moments. It was incidentally heard by some journalist and soon it became a major discussion point in all political and media circles. Some of the news channels reported this sensational news like this:

Star News: ‘Why was Rahul Gandhi singing Kolaveri Di?’ See the INSIDE STORY at 9 pm today.

India TV: ‘Shocking incident… Yuvaraj sings Kolaveri Di…’ Watch full report at 9 pm today.

Live India: ‘See the KISMAT CONNECTION of World ending… with Rahul singing ‘Kolaveri Di’.

NDTV: (Barkha Dutt): ‘We all need to know the reasons why Rahul Gandhi sang Kolaveri Di…’ Join us for an EXCLUSIVE DEBATE with the people from Delhi at India gate today evening at 7 pm.

CNN IBN: (Rajdeep Sardesai): Watch for the first time on CNN IBN, HOW and WHY Rahul sang ‘Kolaveri Di…’ Watch complete analysis… with verification of the audio tape authenticity.

The real ‘meaningful debate’ was obviously arranged by the stage master Arnab Goswami on Times Now at prime time. As usual, Arnab started the debate with his explosive opening remarks.

Arnab: The nation is outraged. India needs to know. The people of India need to know. Why in the times of such a crisis anyone can sing a song like Kolaveri Di. For that matter, we ask, ‘Why Kolaveri Di only? Why not ‘Sheela ki Jawani’, or Munni badnam? Or even Jalebi bai for that matter…Today the nation will know the impact of Times now’s exclusive discussion on this subject. Joining me are Ravishankar Prasad, Renuka Chowdhary, Manish Tiwari, Jayanti Natarajan, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Sushma Swaraj, Kapil Sibbal, Sharad  Yadav, Baba Ramdev, Arun Jetly and Sitaram Yechuri.

Arnab continued,” Let me start the discussions with Renuka Chowdhary. Renuka, please tell us what is the real intention behind Rahul singing this song.”

Renuka who appeared smiling all through said,” Arnab, now what can I say? I am surprised. I mean, there is a limit you know! See, these BJP people are becoming so impossible, what I can comment?. It is truly amazing to see the way they behave. It beats my imagination and logic.”

Arnab interrupted her,” But Renuka, we were discussing about Rahul singing a song..”

Renuka again giggled and said,” That is what I wanted to say. He just sang it. That’s all.”

Arnab turned to Ravishankar Prasad,” Mr. Ravishankar Prasad, please react to Renuka’s views.”

Ravishankar Prasad,” See Arnab, I have been telling this from beginning on your channel that there is a big conspiracy being hatched here and these Congress people want to take it easy. There should be an investigation carried out by none other than CBI to probe in this matter. A person projected to become the Prime minister of India cannot sing any song just like that.”

Arnab asked Baba Ramdev to comment. Baba Ramdev said,” See, this is not correct. We will protest against this in Ramlila maidan from next month onwards. Instead he should have said, ‘Why this Kaalaa dhan, Kaalaa dhan, Kaalaa dhan di’. Then we would have got a confidence that the government is truly willing to bring back the black money stashed abroad.”

Arnab now asked Jayanti Natarajan,” Jayanti, please tell us whether there is any special significance attached to this…”

Jayanti said,” See Arnab, Rahul Gandhi is our youth leader and his every action has a deep meaning and message for the society. Actually he sang this song just to bring North and South Indian masses closer. This was also a tactics to improve our poll performance in Tamil Nadu in next elections. Actually he sang,” Why this Kanimozhi, Kanimozhi, Kanimozhi di…” And because of that we sent her free on bail. Earlier also, after his intervention we had increased the poverty limit from Rs.32 upwards and also we had set free Anna Hazare from Tihar jail, when he was arrested at the behest of Chidambaram and Sibbal.

Arnab seemed puzzled and turned to Sitaram Yechuri,” Mr. Sitaram Yechuri, please tell us what do the left parties think of this.”

Sitaram Yechuri had been patiently waiting for his turn in studios. He said,” See, this whole exercise is only raked up to divert the attention of people from the FDI issue and the petrol price rise. The country is suffering because of inflation and how can people have the luxury and comfort of singing any song for that matter?”

Arnab now asked Sharad Yadav. “Sharad ji, please tell us your opinion about this matter.”

Sharad said in his characteristic style,” Arnab, this only means that the boy has grown up now and Sonia ji should seriously think about his marriage. Other than that I do not attach any importance, as Rahul does not know anything about politics.”

Arnab now turned to Sushma Swaraj. “Sushma ji, please comment on this matter.”

Sushma said in her usual attacking style,” Arnab, this is an old habit of this government and the UPA. They always keep us in dark about any issue till it gets exposed. At least they should have informed and consulted us before. I would have danced to the song, just as I did few months ago at the Raj ghat.”

Arnab then asked Abhishek Manu Singhvi for his opinion. Singhvi said,” See Arnab, if Team Anna wants that the right of a person to sing a song is to be included in Jan Lokpal bill, then I am sorry, they are asking too much. It is for parliament to decide what rights are to be given to the people, not for anyone outside it.”

Arnab was getting disillusioned with the discussion by now. He asked Arun Jaitly. “Arun please advise us what do you think about this.”

Arun Jaitly said,” See Arnab, the constitution is very clear about all such cases. A person cannot sing a song unless he has good voice. And it has not been conclusively proven earlier that he did have this quality. In these circumstances, notwithstanding the international stand on global warming and European fiscal deficit I strongly condemn this act and demand an unconditional apology from the government.  

Arnab then asked Manish Tiwari his reaction. Manish Tiwari said,” What can we talk about Rahul ji. ‘Woh to uppar se neeche tak sangeet me lipt hai.  He has music in his breath. He lives music. He eats music, he drinks music and he sleeps music. It would be very unfair to doubt his intentions over music.”

Arnab then called Digvijay Singh. Digvijay singh said,” Arnab, Rahul ji has been singing this son since his childhood. In school, Rahul only sang this song whenever he got any opportunity. The RSS is now misleading the nation in believing that this song is sung by Dhanush. In fact, Dhanush has stolen this song and popularized it. We are planning to take suitable action against Dhanush for plagiarism.”

Lastly, Arnab called Kapil Sibbal. He said,” This song has been immortalized by Rahul by humming it. We are soon going to delete all the versions of this song from the internet sites and also have copyrights of this song. No one can sing this unless they take permission from the government. This song is special because it is sung by Rahul Gandhi.”

After 7 days

Rahul was attending a party with Digvijay singh . Suddenly some journalists caught the duo. They asked Rahul on his opinion on this raging topic. Rahul started,” For how many days more will you go and beg in Maharashtra? Till when will you do majdoori in Punjab?”

Suddenly Digvijay whispered in Rahul’s ears,”Sir, we are not in UP. The rallies in UP are now over.”

Rahul said, “Oh, I see. Sorry. “

And facing the journalists he started,” I am here to solve your problems. I fully understand your problems. Your lands have been grabbed and when you ask them back, you are showered with bullets. Where is Kalavathi’s hut? I shall spend a night in her hut.”

Digvijay again murmured in Rahul’s ears,” Sir these are journalists, not farmers in Bhatta and Parsaul.”

And Rahul looked at them in stark silence. He had no words for them. He had no answers for their potential questions. He signaled Digvijay to follow him and left the scene.

And the people were left wondering, was it really an issue that Rahul sang ‘Kolaveri DI..’.

Or was it REALLY an issue of significance, when he attended Kisan Mahapanchayat, or rallies in UP, or protested in Bhatta Parsaul?

It did not seem so. But the media had glorified all these events.

The truth eluded everyone.

The starving fish...!

A person has an aquarium, which has variety of fish. These fish lived in harmony and peaceful co-existence as they were properly fed and taken care of. One day, the person had to go to another town for some urgent work, and he did not make any arrangements to feed these fish during his absence, as it was a short visit.

Few hours after he left, the fish started getting restless. They were looking for their food. But it was not coming through. They were hungry. They started getting violent. At that moment, the person came back and he saw the situation. He threw some food into the aquarium. All the fish went after that food. He was surprised at this unexpected behavior of his trained fish. They had forgotten all their ethics and were now lapping up at anything they get hold of. As soon as he threw something in one corner, all fish would gather around that. Next moment, he threw something in opposite corner, and they all went after the new food.

The political situation today resembles that of this aquarium. The politicians are starving for publicity. They know that there is a huge opportunity, as the credibility of entire political system is at its lowest. The opposition wants to utilize the low confidence of public in ruling party, to its favor, while the ruling party is comfortable to see that the opposition is in bigger disarray. The situation is so bad that the ‘aam admi’ is forced to choose the lesser evil, rather than looking for someone good.

As a result, the politicians have forgotten all their ethics, manners and protocol inside and outside the parliament. They are just looking for any issue to corner the other party / other party’s leader.  The benchmark has suddenly changed from publicizing ‘good deeds done by one self’ to ‘bad deeds done by someone else’.

No wonder, we are seeing the headlines in media about non-issues. The impact of ‘a slap’ gets debated for days together. The statement made in lighter vain of ‘only one slap?’ gets dissected to levels putting the microbiologists to shame.  The people demonstrate no qualms whatsoever to take hard stands on TV debates. The public is forced to watch this sordid tamasha in the name of news.

The levels of this ‘one-up-man-ship’ have risen to such dangerous levels that this may well augur the extinction of corrupt politicians from the scene.  The opposition is trying to corner Chidambaram for many months now. First it was the involvement in 2G case. Now, it the ‘conflict of interest’ case. The charges against Anna Hazare do not seem to stop anywhere. His every word, his every movement is being seen closely to find faults with him. Why do people give more weightage to ‘misappropriation of travel allowance’ and ‘alleged tax evasion’ than the multi-crore Commonwealth games scam and Adarsh society scams? Why have we reduced ourselves to such levels that we take pride in finding faults with others?

There is an interesting scene in film ‘Mohra’ in which Sunil Shetty brings two under world gangs in front of each other and sparks a fight in between them by shooting from a hideout. The result is that both the gangs get decimated. Something similar is happening in political arena today. The only mythological comparison we can make is that of ‘Samudra manthan’.

Let us hope that some ‘Lokpal yukt’ nectar comes out after this lowly exercise. 

Review of the new book ‘Revolution 2020’ by Chetan Bhagat

The latest offering from Chetan Bhagat, ‘Revolution 2020’ is definitely a readable book, which forces the reader to think at times. The book very well fits in the category of his earlier successful books.

The Plot

The book deals with the real problem existing today, about the ugly nexus between politics and the education system in India, in which focus is more on making money from the system rather than imparting quality education. After reading the book, the reader is bound to look at all the educational institutions associated with politicians, with a kind of suspicion and doubt.

The book also brings out the psyche of society, which blindly considers a student brilliant and successful if he clears the entrance examination of top brand universities for admission into the Engineering and Medical courses. This is a real menace in Indian middle class homes, which creates unbearable stress for the children and high tension levels for their parents.

The book demonstrates that a person need not be an engineer to be successful. However, the means adopted by the character Gopal to become successful are not really adorable. Similarly, the character of Raghav, who is a brilliant engineering student having passion for journalism, is a bit exceptional case, and we may not find many of that category in real life.

The main characters

The story revolves around three childhood friends, Raghav, Gopal and Arti in Varanasi. Raghav cracks the IIT and gets admission in a Premium College. Gopal tries twice but is unsuccessful, in spite of taking special coaching in Kota during second attempt. Arti’s character is only to add emotions in the story.

Gopal accidentally meets the negative elements of the society after his failure in entrance exams and rises in material life. Unfortunately, the story portrays that a person, who failed in engineering entrance, becomes a director of an engineering college at young age of 24. This could be a reality, but then, it should not be glorified, as it hurts the ethics of the system we live in.

The pace and climax

The story picks up real pace in later half and climax comes when Gopal meets Raghav to tell him about his winning over Arti from him. The story for building up this scene has been very good, but the actual scene when it happens could have been narrated in a better manner.  Much is left for the reader to assume, rather than putting the thoughts down. This could be a strategy from Chetan Bhagat, considering that the book would eventually be made into a movie and acting abilities of the actor portraying Gopal would be able to describe the feeling well. This is the difference between a book and a movie.

Also, the pace of the story till this scene is really fast and so, even after the climax is over, the story continues, which makes the reader to expect some more twist in the story. Unfortunately it does not come. So, in a sense, the climax is a bit wrongly placed and it would have been better to shift it a bit later in the story.

The Movie

The book is written with an intention to facilitate making a movie inspired by the book, some day. That is why there are many scenes of flashback, dream sequence and an open end to make a sequel. The story ends without a proper message and it is for the reader to assume things. It is unclear whether the author criticizes the negative character Gopal or eulogizes the good qualities in him, which come from his apparent transformation towards the end. This concept is very much like the film Raavan starring Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, in which the spectator is asked to judge whether a good person doing bad things or a bad person doing good things is Raavan in true sense.

If made into a movie, the characters suitable would be Akshay Khanna for Gopal, Akshay Kumar for Raghav and Priyanka Chopra for Arti.

The alternative climax

The story could have had an alternate climax. When Gopal meets Raghav and tells him about his winning over Arti, Raghav shows him a piece of a story he was working on. That story is about Arti meeting Gopal secretly in hotels and his bunglow. He says he is already aware about it.

And towards the end, MLA Shukla pressurizes Gopal to do anything possible to make Raghav keep quite. So, Gopal reaches a secret understanding with Raghav that he will leave Arti provided Raghav leaves his investigation on Shukla. This way, Gopal loses Arti, Raghav wins over her and Arti feels like a commodity in the power struggle between her two friends.    

Ramlal's day at Formula One...!

Ramlal was living in Noida for past several years. He was very much excited that something called Formula One was about to start in Greater Noida.  He had no idea what it was all about, but was thrilled that it was supposed to be an international event.

To know more about Formula One, he opened the topic at a tea stall in the morning.

He said,” I heard that there is something called Formula One starting here soon…”

A youngster Lallan from the next table said,” Oh yes, It has great action. Shahrukh Khan has apparently spent lot of money in making the film. The jerky south Indian dance Chhammakchhallo is already a hit.”

Ramlal became thoughtful and looked further confused. Since when did the SRK’s new films become an international event?

Nevertheless, he said,” But why are they going to play a band in Leisure valley in Gurgaon for releasing the film?

Another equally brainy chap Jaggu intervened,” Yes, I heard that. They have invited a firangi band called Metalli Ka or something. Funny people…If they wanted a band to play the inauguration of the film, they could have our Sadar bazar’s Chhotu band, which plays all latest hit songs so well. The band men also are in tip top uniform with band master walking in front with a stick.”

That evening, a friend told Ramlal that the band was cancelled at the last minute.

“Why was the orchestra cancelled? Did the item girls not come or what?”Asked Ramlal to his friend.

His friend replied,” Are yaar, there was so much rush you know. We all were eager to listen to Daler Mehendi’s Pop bhangra songs. Some people said that the barricades near the stage were broken. Now, what is wrong with that? Are they buffaloes or what, which they need barricades to hold themselves on the stage? All of us would have anyway gone on stage for just 5 minutes in groups and danced there. These firangi people are so afraid of safety you know..!”

Ramlal finally geared up the next day and went for the Formula One show. By then, thankfully he had realized that it was something to do car racing. He was still wondering, why they need an enclosure for the racing? The Blue line buses raced every day on Delhi roads and the crazy bikers did it in the nights. The real fun was to race amidst several vehicles like autos, motor cycles, sometime goats and buffaloes etc. He remembered that film stars occasionally indulged in such acts. Salman Khan had done it earlier and Ronit Roy had done it last week. That was heroic. On a neatly laid track with clear road ahead, it did not require much skill to race.

He found the stadium empty. He was surprised. He also found that some cows were grazing near the racing tracks, some children were flying kites. He enquired with someone there. He was told that the show starts only next week. During the show time, all these disturbances would be temporarily removed from the tracks. He looked relieved.

On the day of the real race, he went in the morning itself to feel the environment. Instead, what he felt was the huge traffic jam as he approached the venue. The vehicles were literally crawling to reach the site. What a contrast, Ramlal thought. Cars were slowing out outside to see them race inside.

He found a good seat for himself. He found a Sardar beside him. Sardar asked him, “What is happening here?”

Ramlal was happy that there was someone who was more ignorant than him. He replied, “Here all cars race. And whoever comes first gets the prize.”

Sardar looked puzzled and said,” If whoever comes first gets the prize, then why all others follow him madly?” Ramlal had no answer.

The show started amidst much fanfare and ended all too soon. All Ramlal could see was that some cars whizzed past them in just few seconds. They looked like fancy low height cars with fully protected people inside. He felt that he should have chosen a seat near the finishing line, because he remembered having seen in Golmaal that the cars struggle to inch-forward when they reach near the finishing line. He did not know whom to support and who was favorite. However, everyone around him was thrilled around him. He felt for a moment, does anyone really know the game here?

From his intelligent observation, Ramlal could make out that there were many south Indian pious people gathered there. Because, there were frivolous chants,”Narayana.. .Kartikeya…” from time to time. There were some Marathi pious people also, since he was hearing the chants of ‘Vitthal … Vitthal as well.” What he, however, could not comprehend was the fact that how and why so many people damaged their shoes at the stadium, that they were frantically looking around for a Shoe maker.   

He returned back after the show.

Next morning at the tea stall, he had a story to tell. He announced, “You know guys, I had been to the Formula One yesterday….”

And the story was repeated on popular public demand for several days...

The 7 indications of a changing world…!

The world comprises of nations. And nations comprise of its people and their leaders. Many times the leaders define the destiny of a nation. For example, if Mahatma Gandhi would have been born 20 years later, the destiny of India would have been entirely different. It would have been different also, if he was born in any other country, say Japan.  

With globalization, the interdependency of nations on one another has increased manifolds than in the past. In the current circumstances, cold winds blowing on NASDAQ can give cough and sneezes to the Indian stock Markets. The bulls and bears across the stock markets are dictated more by the political and economical events in other countries than the fundamental strength or weakness of their own scrips.

And that is why, today, an important event in any one country could have far reaching effects on the entire world. We list here the 7 most important events / occurrences / phenomenon which went on to shape the world during last decade. Some of these are one time occurrences while some are ongoing. Some happened at beginning of the century while some early this year. The results of some are already seen, while the results of some others are continuing to evolve…

Election of Barack Hussain Obama as US President

Who would have believed 10 years back that a Non-American (by birth) would be leading America? Anyone who would have predicted then that a person born in Kenya who spent his early childhood in Indonesia would become President of America would have been laughed at and sent to mental asylum for a checkup. This is a huge change in the mindset of Americans. To vote and elect a non-white (apologies for making a racist statement, but that delivers the message aptly) into the white house is a big step forward for Americans to have shown signs of maturity and broad mindedness.

When Obama was elected, there were tones of millions of print written world over on how a person with dreams in his eyes, sincerity in his approach and excellent oratory skills could do miracles. But much less was written about the people of America who gave him that opportunity. This would not have been possible, unless majority of Americans voted for a change from the traditional mindset. So, it is equally a victory for an ‘Aam American’ to have thought out-of-the box for the first time in history to do something which was unthinkable just a few years ago.

This change heralds a new outlook for the world which is forward looking, less arrogant, more open minded, more optimistic and more positive about the future. This change has also changed the rules of the game in political arena of USA.  It may not be a surprise if an Indian-born like Bobby Jindal, who is already making news in US administration, becomes US President in future.

Increasing Natural calamities around the world

The number of people who died in natural calamities during the last decade is much more than those who died in the terrorist attacks all over the world since Second World War. Is this not a disturbing fact? The entire world is actively engaged in fighting a war against terrorism. Who will protect the humanity from natural calamities? No matter how powerful a person is, his strength and capabilities are grossly inadequate to safeguard him from the vagaries of the hostile nature.

The tsunami of 2004 had killed around 200,000 people in few minutes. The earthquakes in different parts around the world are regularly killing hundreds of people. Floods are inundating scores of villages and making people homeless, while moving the complete villages in one go to new places. Wild fires of America are resulting in massive deforestation thereby tremendously increasing the Carbon dioxide content in atmosphere and accelerated global warming. The hurricanes in US are coming more frequently now than ever before. The ice in Antarctica is melting at an unprecedented pace giving fears of rising sea levels which will affect the coastal areas in every single country along the sea coast around the world.

What is worrying is that the frequency of these occurrences has increased significantly in the last decade. And the disappointing factor is that there is absolutely nothing that a person can do to prevent being affected by the natural calamities. A king and a beggar are equally affected by an earthquake. If this continues, what is the guarantee of any human life?

The world is coping up with these uncertainties and moving on. The recent nuclear plant incident in Japan has made the world to sit back and review its nuclear policies. No amount of political or corporate lobbying in the past had attracted this much serious thinking about nuclear strategies. Nature has done that. 

Added to that there are different theories floating around about the 2012, ‘The judgment day’ etc, which further instill fear in minds of weak hearted people.   

The Recession of 2008

The entire world has witnessed a recession in last few years. Our children and grandchildren will use the terminology ‘The recession of 2008…” just as we refer the great recession of 1937.

This recession has no doubt changed many futures around the world. Many people lost their jobs. Many more had to relocate at much lesser remunerations. The growth almost halted for many. The younger children, whose parents lost their jobs, are going to have a far reaching impact in their thought process on any sort of expenditure in their future lives.

 What is more surprising is that despite the highly advanced accounting practices available today, no one really predicted the recession of this size. So, is it something like an earthquake which cannot be predicted? Where was the collective intelligence of all high breed accounting professionals in 2006 and 2007?

As per one theory, this recession was an indirect result of the arrogant and reckless behavior of the new breed of MBAs who are occupying the top positions in banking and other financial sectors. These people take decisions based on impulsive behavior and personal emotions rather than any logic or thoroughly researched analysis. In earlier times, the decisions were taken after due diligence and proper justifications.

Today, people talk of a second wave of recession. No one is sure, when the world economy will be back on track. . The equations are changing. Already people talk of the weakening of existing super power. One of the auditing companies has downgraded US for the first time in history. On the other hand, the business magazines talk at length about the success stories of BRIC economies.

This change in the relative standing of different countries is definitely going to have a lot of impact on the common men living in those countries. In Obama’s words, “Earlier when an American child did not eat, the parents used to say, please eat. Think of so many Indian children who are starving…! Now, when an American child does not study, the parents say, please study. Otherwise an Indian child will take your job and you will starve…!”   

The Arab Revolution

What is currently happening in Arab countries is beyond anybody’s logical understanding and comprehension. How can one digest a fact that the countries which were ruled for decades by rulers are suddenly waking up to the thoughts of democracy. And we are not talking about one or two countries here. There are dozens of them. And they are all in different stages of this transformation. Some are adopting peaceful means while some are extremely bloodied.

It all started off with Tunisia. And then the little signs of success there encouraged their neighboring countries like Egypt and Libya to try similar things. It is very unfortunate that these rulers who ruled for several years are either attending courts on a stretcher in a metal cage or are being flushed out of drains and killed point blank. The sensible ones are taking political asylum in other countries. But then, if we really think about it, this is the result of their own actions. Most of these rulers had used their power for aggrandizing the personal wealth and ruled over people by using harsh means. Any dissent was crushed then and there.

What is notable here is the fact that people have realized their power. They have shown to themselves and the world that if they unite, no one can come in their way.  And this very fact is giving sleepless nights to the rulers of those countries in Arab world, which are yet to see any such demonstrations. For they know that one day or other, their people are also going to try it out on them. And that is a cause of big worry for them.

That is why, we see so many rulers suddenly declaring generous incentives and gifts to their local population. This is only an attempt to postpone or avoid the revolt. The moot question is where will it stop? And how the world will look like when the carnage is over? How will the political equations change? Will other countries get involved at any stage in this internal power struggle? And finally, who will finally gain and who will lose at the end.

The Anna Hazare movement

This one movement has caught the eye of the entire world because of several unique characteristics of this movement. First of all, this was lead by a 74 year old man who had no personal benefits coming to him from his demands. He was asking something which would have helped to minimize corruption in the society and increase accountability of the government.

The movement had no any organizational and hierarchical leadership to lead such huge masses across almost every city and town in India for almost two weeks. What is more surprising is that it was totally non-violent. Even properly organized political rallies witness some violence, but this was an exception. Another striking feature of this movement was the impressive participation from women and children in large numbers.

Many youngsters opined that they had only heard about the freedom struggle all these days. But they felt it during this movement. People were getting drawn into it with each passing day. There was no coercion from any quarters for anyone to join the struggle. It was a completely conscience driven struggle with 100% voluntary involvement.

By the time this ‘fast’ had reached its 8^th day, it started making international headlines. Many countries were interested in knowing the outcome, as it made an excellent case study to evaluate the might of people protesting against the government in a peaceful manner. In Pakistan, there is one Jahangir, 68 who also is planning to start such a movement. Anna has also received an invitation from Pakistan as a dignitary.

Through this movement, what comes out is that even today, people protesting in a non violent manner have the power to overthrow a well elected government. The way it started off, the way it generated momentum is a miracle in today’s world and shall be remembered in history for a very long time.

However, it is very much doubtful, whether a sequel of this act would be half as popular. This is because, certain things click at one time, but fail to impress the second time.  And already the sheen and aura around the coveted members of team Anna has started to fade with allegations leveled against them. Though these allegations are generally minor in nature, they will definitely erode the sanctity of their movement.

Tihar jail – A new home for ministers

Never in the history of independent India have so many ministers and senior bureaucrats / businessmen lodged in a jail. Whatever are the compelling reasons for the government to do so; one thing is clear that law finally catches up with the criminals. The judiciary system in India is finally appearing to wake up to the ugly reality of the corporate – political nexus and taking stringent measures to control it.

Could anyone have ever thought that the giants like Suresh Kalmadi, A Raja, Kanimozhi, Amar Singh, Yeddiyurappa and Reddy (mining) would be in jail on various charges of corruption? The Maran brothers and Jagan mohan Reddy are next in the list to be arrested soon. This only shows that the accountability is slowly rising in the Indian political system. The political parties are not willing to stake their future at stake by shielding the corrupt individuals, however powerful they may be.

This is a harbinger of a new era when every politician will be scared to do anything wrong. And that is a very good sign from the governance perspective. Finally, people can hope that their hard earned money, which is collected in various forms of taxes, is spent for their welfare and not stashed away in Swiss banks by a few individuals in a clandestine manner. The popular joke doing rounds is that the Swiss bank is installing an ATM machine inside the Tihar jail premises for better customer service.

Virtual colonies

In olden days, elder people used to gather in the evenings at the Nukkad, Chauraha or Chaupal of the villages to gossip, discuss and share the happenings around. The children used to play and become friends with those in the neighborhood. The readers above the age group of mid 40s would also remember something called ‘Pen pals’. A pen pal was a friend living in another city that we have never met but is a friend through letters delivered through post office. People used to pride themselves with the number of pen pals they had. 

In last few years, some social networking sites have come up which are doing the same in modern way. The means of communication have become faster and the horizons have expanded. There are no specified timings, as the friends are from different parts of the world. It is almost like virtual colonies set up where people drop in whenever they are free and share their views before getting on with their work.  

These social networking sites have become a craze among all age groups in the last few years. We are talking about Facebook, Orkut, and Twitter etc.  People are hooked on to one, two or three of them simultaneously. There is an urge like never before for the people to open out their feelings and emotions in front of everyone. The photographs of a family function held in anywhere can be shared with everyone else around the world in just a few seconds. It doesn’t matter anymore if many of the friends on such sites are absolute strangers. The friendship on such sites starts only with an invitation.

Many people have got an excellent opportunity to display their hidden talents in poetry, storytelling, writing, photography etc. with the advent of these sites. My nephew Deepak Karamungikar shot into fame and stardom by effectively using this medium. He was recently interviewed by a Radio FM channel in Hyderabad for his achievements and huge fan following on these sites.

Based on the extent of usage and depth of engagement with these social networking sites, all the people in this world can be divided in four categories.

One: Those who have never opened an account in any one of these sites. This also includes those, who just opened their accounts for namesake and forgot about it soon. They are by far the happiest people compared with others. For them, the golden rule is ‘Ignorance is bliss’. They are like Adam and Eve before they tasted the apple.

Two:  Those who have accounts but visit these sites less than once a week. These people are surely missing a lot of fun and activity. But they are more balanced in their lives and tend to value ‘real relations’ more than the ‘virtual relations’.  Their priorities are very clear in life. They are usually workaholics and serious natured people.      

Three: Those who visit these sites at least once in a day or on alternate days. These people are generally those who have some work pressures and cannot afford to spend more time on these activities due to professional and personal reasons. Yet, the fact is that they do actually enjoy the act of visiting these sites.

Four: Those who are permanently glued to these sites on a 24 X 7 basis. These people tend to value the virtual relations almost equal to the real relations on ground. They care as much for their status on these sites as in their personal lives. They miss the activity badly if they happen to go on a trip and are not connected for few days.

As a pure source of entertainment this is a very good avenue to express / share one’s light hearted feelings, but getting uncontrollably drawn into it has its own disadvantages. Because, then people start valuing the virtual friendships more than the real ones. And that is not a good sign for the society.

The virtual friendships, however, lack a personal touch, which is so essential in the true friendships.

The Unforgettable Journey...!

On 4^th October, I entered the Dubai airport around 00.30 hrs looking forward for a long night travelling to Hyderabad. The night flight journeys usually leave a person totally drained on the next day, as one cannot sleep comfortably on a seat.

However, I got a rude surprise at the check-in counter when I was advised to proceed to specific counter. There, I found few some more people standing and the mood prevailing there was certainly not optimistic. I was told that the flight was overbooked and now the airline was hoping for some no-shows to accommodate the ones present there. That was a tall order. The other people with me comprised of an old couple, a family with a small kid, two labors and a person who kept behaving as though he was mini-Rajnikant.

For next two hours, there were lots of tense moments of hectic parleys between the airline staff and the passengers. The staff was individually requesting passengers to postpone their journey. They were tutored properly to explain to all the customers that it was airline’s mistake, and as a compensation for the inconvenience, they were offering hotel accommodation till next flight plus an additional ticket for those who accepted the offer.  I was emphasizing them right from beginning that my travelling in the same flight was necessary and I would not prefer to postpone my journey, unless it becomes impossible. However, I had almost resigned in my mind and was actually planning to implement plan B of accepting their offer.

Finally, just 40 minutes before the flight departure, they started announcing the names of passengers who had been ‘cleared’ randomly by them for undertaking the journey. And…my name was also there! Many times in life, we get the things we desire, when we are on the verge of giving up hopes. So, I need not stay in a hotel for few hours or return home at around 3 am to disturb my family. I was very much excited that my name was cleared. I had a strong urge to open my eyes wide open, cover lower part of my face with my palms and bring the expressions extreme happiness like that of miss universe on announcement of the winner. I immediately proceeded to the plane as I also noticed that my seat was upgraded to the business class.

As I entered the plane and reached my seat 10J, I noticed a tall man adjusting his cabin baggage. He was dressed in a suit and I assumed him to be a crew member and gave him a ‘returning smile’ with hi and a good evening. I somehow felt that he was expecting more expressions from me.  

I sat observing the environment in business class when suddenly I saw a group of European people coming, all dressed in suits like uniform. They were all young, in high spirits and good physique. They were around 15 – 20 in number. I tried to identify the logo on their suits, but could not. I assumed that they were some high fliers of a corporate going for an official seminar.

Suddenly, I observed that one of them looked familiar to me. I looked carefully and yes… the slight squint in the eye was unmistakable… he was Ravi Bopara.  And then, Oh my God..! It dawned upon me that I was sitting amidst the England Cricket team. I was overjoyed, thrilled and what not. To see the players of any cricket team from close quarters is definitely a very rare occasion.

As the exquisite feeling was sinking in my mind, I cursed myself for not keeping and updated knowledge of England cricket team. Here I was sitting with them, but hardly could recognize any of them.

And I realized that one of them was also sitting beside me in the window seat. And he had wished me very decently, “Hello sir, good evening, how are you?” when he had occupied his seat a few moments before. I wondered, such politeness from a player of a team, who had comprehensively thrashed India in just concluded series in England..?

After some hesitation, I started the conversation with the player seating beside me.

I said,” Sir, I guess you are all part of the England cricket team, is that right?”

He seemed pleased that I showed some signs of recognizing them. He said smiling,” Yes.”

 Then I asked him,” Sir, I know it is embarrassing for me that I do not know you. My son, and some of my friends are going to kill me for asking you this question, but sir, may I know your name please?”

He said,” Graeme something…”

I said,” Sir, Graeme what?”

He said like telling a child,” Graeme Swann.”

And I said,” Oh yes. I have seen that name in the scoreboards when England plays matches.”   

After a pause, I asked him who the tall man was sitting beside me next to the aisle.

He said, “He is Kevin Pietersen.”

By now, apparently he realized that my knowledge of England cricket team was pretty bad. And I had mistaken him to be a crew member some time back.

During the next half an hour, we discussed on various subjects. Some of the highlights of our conversation are given below:

Me: You defeated India comprehensively. Where India lacked?”

GS: (Smiling) “No, We played well.”

Me: “Should Sachin retire?”

GS: “Well, yes. After his much awaited 100^th 100.”

Me: “Does T20 affect a player’s performance?”

GS: “Not quite. Both are different games. But a real caliber of a person is known in Test matches.”

GS: “How is Hyderabad city?”

Me: “It is a beautiful city. However some disturbances could be faced due to demand for separate statehood by a section of people. Nothing to panic, though...”

He mentioned that there was a direct flight from London to Hyderabad by British Airways, yet they had to travel in Emirates airlines via Dubai, as the team was sponsored by Emirates Airlines. He also mentioned that the team was looking forward to spending the Christmas in their homes with their families this year. Apparently, during last two years they were on different tours and away from families. So, they were excited. It brought out a relatively unknown and less-discussed side of the cricketers – that about their personal lives. I took his autograph before we slept off.   

Early morning when the lights were on and the flight announcement began about nearing the destination, all the players started rising from their seats, yawning, stretching and getting ready. It was a sight…! I am sure; a die-hard fan of cricket would have cherished the scene to be remembered for a long time to come.

The air hostess distributed the immigration forms to be filled up. Kevin turned to me and said,” May I please borrow your pen, sir?” I was surprised. He was so humble and polite. I did not expect a star performer to be so courteous in his conversation to a stranger like me. I gladly handed over the pen to him. Incidentally, both Graeme and Kevin asked me what the flight number was, while filling up the form. After he filled up the form, I quickly forwarded my pocket scribbling pad for his autograph.

Kevin asked me,” Sir, how far is the ITC Hotel from the airport?”

I said, “It is around 30 km from the airport… will take at least one hour. It is a good hotel”

Throughout the conversation with Kevin and Graeme, one thing which stood out prominently was that they were very dignified and respectful. The recent success had obviously not got into their heads. The success had actually made the players more responsible and dignified rather than sprouting the feelings of pride and arrogance from them. So, it was the British media, which was solely responsible for making disparaging remarks and comments about the Indian team’s dismal performance while the Indian team suffered under the agony of string of defeats.

I took a photo of Kevin from my mobile. I also took a photo of Graeme and me from my mobile, by stretching my arm and facing the camera towards us.

When the flight was grounded and we were leaving, I said Graeme,” Sir We wish you all the best for this series. Hope you continue your winning streak”. Somehow, the patriot within me was temporarily subdued by their humility and partly charisma.

Finally, it did not matter what we discussed. What mattered was that I had an opportunity to be with the star cricket team for few hours and got a chance to speak to couple of them. The feeling is definitely going to last for few months at least.

In life, we undertake many journeys. Most of the journeys are forgotten soon. Some are remembered for long…this one was my unforgettable journey.

The 2G story for children

One day Bunty asked his father, “Papa, what is this 2G scam?”

Papa replied,” Well Bunty, let me tell you the story in such a way that you understand it. Once upon a time there was a school which was headed by a Principal called ‘Aam Admi’. They had appointed one Head mistress called Soni. There was a class teacher called Mannu. The class teacher always listened to the Head Mistress and did not do a single thing without her advice.

Let us focus our story on one particular class only. While there were many students in the class, we shall talk about three students named Prannu, Chiddu and Raju. Raju was a very naughty boy, who had the habit of stealing things. However, he was liked by the class teacher and Head mistress. They had a soft corner for him. Prannu was a sincere boy, who studied very well and worked hard. He always secured more marks than other students in the class. He was trusted by the class teacher and the Head Mistress. Chiddu was a very arrogant student, who believed that he had bought the copyrights of being intelligent in the class. He used to behave as though he was the most brilliant student in the class and all others were dumb. For some reasons, both Mannu and Soni liked Chiddu also.”

Bunty seemed interested in the story.

Papa continued,” Now that the characters are defined, let us go straight into the topic. Once, there was a function held in the school called, ‘Spectrum distribution ceremony’. It was a big function. When everyone was busy in attending that function, Raju stole the pencils, erasers, sharpeners etc from the bags of all students in his class.”

Bunty interrupted,” But Papa, this is wrong. One should not steal, right?”

Papa said,” Yes, One should never steal anything from anyone. But Raju did. Not just that, he also secretly informed the class teacher Mannu about it.”

Bunty looked puzzled. ”But shouldn’t he have stopped him, papa?”

“Yes Bunty. He should have stopped him. But for whatever reasons, he did not.”

Bunty was shocked.

Papa continued,” Soon, everyone came to know about this incident and they started investigation. They found out that Raju had done this. So, they punished him.”

Bunty said,” Good..! The guilty must be punished. The story ends?”

Papa said, “No Bunty that was interval. The Part II of the story continues. The story took an unexpected turn, when a class monitor was to be selected. Both Prannu and Chiddu wanted to be the class monitor.”

Bunty looked puzzled. “But papa, what that has to do about the stealing act?”

Papa said,” Well, actually nothing. But the competition between them was so strong, that to become the class monitor, they were willing to do anything, even spoiling other’s name if required.”

Bunty looked confused. “Still not clear, papa. What this has got to do with the steal? And were there any reasons for the enmity between?”

Papa said,” Bunty, they had developed enmity over last few months. Sometime back, Chiddu secretly planted some microphones under the desk of Prannu. That way he thought that he would know every discussion Prannu had with others. This irked Prannu very much. That is why, during the competition in the school called ‘Anna Hazare competition’ for ‘Crisis management’, Prannu allowed Chiddu to mess up things for himself and finally emerged winner in the competition. But his anger was still not pacified.”

Bunty exclaimed,” Oh, I see…!”

Papa continued, “So, in a startling revelation, Prannu informed the class teacher Mannu in front of all others that Chiddu was well aware about Raju’s plans of stealing the items from classroom. He also speculated that Chiddu also could have received some of the stolen items.

Bunty said,”What a masterstroke by Prannu..! Then what happened?”

Papa said,” Since Prannu said this in front of all others; Mannu had to take some action against Chiddu. But he liked Chiddu as much as he liked Prannu. There had to be a way out, by which Chiddu could be saved from punishment and Prannu also kept happy.”

Bunty said,” But that is very difficult. How did Mannu do that?”

Papa said,” Well Bunty, he first called both of them and informed them that their personal fight could land everyone in trouble. So, he postponed the class monitor elections and suggested that both of them first become friends.”

However, by that time, the principal (aam admi) had got the news and called the class teacher Mannu, Prannu and Chiddu.

There, in front of him they made following statements...

Mannu said,” I have full confidence in Chiddu. He has not stolen anything.”

Prannu said,” I only speculated that he has stolen something, these were not my views. Chiddu is my very good friend.”

Chiddu said,” I am satisfied with what Prannu is saying. The case is closed.”

At this juncture, Bunty said,” Papa, but what has been achieved is only that the fight between Prannu and Chiddu is resolved. What about being a conspirator in stealing with Raju?

Papa said,” Well Bunty, this is the shortsightedness of Mannu and Soni. They felt that by resolving this fight, the problem would be solved.”

“What will happen next?” Bunty asked thoughtfully.

Papa said, “Bunty, the principal is powerful person. He has noticed that there is allegation against Chiddu. He will investigate this further and if Chiddu is found guilty, he will be punished as well.”

Bunty seemed to remember something and interrupted,” But Papa, I remember you said that Mannu was also aware that Raju had stolen something. Would he be punished as well?”

Papa thought for while and said philosophically,” My son, the principal called Aam Admi believes that truth will ultimately prevail and also that the guilty will be always be punished.”

Bunty said cheerfully,” Yes Papa that is what we always believe in… SATYAMEVA JAYATE…”

Kaun Banega Pradhan Mantri 2014?

India is currently going through a very crucial phase, when the ruling alliance led by Congress party has lost all its credibility while the main opposition party, BJP, is not really prepared to capitalize on this situation. This is a classic case of both parties helping each other by virtue of their gross inefficiencies. It is also very much like a cricket match, where both teams have ‘fixed’ the match and losing becomes more difficult than winning.    

Few times in history of Independent India, a run up to a general election has thrown up possibilities of more than 3 candidates having potential to become Prime Minister. While it may be good to have a wider choice, unfortunately, in 2014, the Prime Minister shall be selected out of mere political compulsions rather than the convictions. There is not one among these wannabes, who is convincing as an outright winner.

Also, for the first time, any ruling party has embroiled itself neck deep in troubles with half a dozen of its ministers sitting inside the jail for most part of its term on charges of corruption running into several thousand crores of rupees. The opposition is putting up an excellent display of disarray among its rank and file, thereby wasting the platinum opportunity offered to it on a platter.

In this fluid situation, let us look at some of the potential candidates for the post of Prime Minister in 2014 elections. These are only potential choices across the party lines and not in the order of preference or rating.

Manmohan Singh

 He has been the Prime minister for two terms. Not an impressive record in second term. He had won many accolades as the revolutionary Finance Minister in 1991 which put India on the fast track of growth and development. However, much of the goodwill gained over the years has been washed away in last two years because of mega scams happening right under his nose. He may be innocent, but is that a sufficient criterion for a Prime Minister? He needs to take and appear taking action against those found guilty of swindling the taxpayer’s money. This is where he lost his credibility badly.

His good image as an innocent politician has been replaced by that of an incompetent old man obeying high command’s instructions. His inept handling of the Anna Hazare’s agitation further proved that he does not have the acumen of a shrewd politician.

A popular joke doing rounds during Sonia’s mysterious absence for 5 weeks say that once he went to a hotel for a dinner and came back without eating anything. Reason? The waiter asked him whether he would like to have soup first or the starters first. And since he could not take decision, he finally came out without eating anything…

Rider: He would be the choice of PM ONLY if Rahul Gandhi is not ready to take on the post.

Rahul Gandhi

 He is undoubtedly the most pampered personality in contemporary period that is looked upon with reverence by the true (read sycophant) congressmen. Even Google cannot search the achievements of Rahul Gandhi, because they do not exist. Recently, he has READ OUT one powerful ‘game-changer’ speech during the zero hour in the parliament, when the members are not expected to read out rehearsed speeches. Unfortunately, this speech took every congress member (including the Prime minister) by surprise because it was singing a different tune than what they all were singing.

He has done everything wrong a person can do, WHILE being in the brightest limelight. When Anna Hazare’s agitation was raging across India, he went to console the families of farmers died in police firing in Pune. He even went to the ceremony of inducting Chiranjeevi in Congress, but openly avoided taking any questions on Anna Hazare.

He mentioned after the recent Bombay blast that the intelligence services of India are successfully preventing 99% of the bomb explosions. So, what we are seeing is just 1%? Can someone please share with the Aam admi the details of the conspirators of the 99% attempts and what punishment has been given to them?

He recently said that he was ashamed of being an Indian when police atrocities were reported from UP. However, his exact feelings of pride are not known about the series of multi-crore scams unleashed by the Congress ministers in last two years.

Rider: There is a strong possibility that he could enact the drama of ‘sacrifice’ played by his mother to hide his incompetency.

Narendra Modi

 He is the most controversial figure in the list of probable candidates. He was never really in the fray till his name surprisingly appeared in a US congressional research report which indicated a direct fight between him and Rahul Gandhi in 2014. That report bolstered his spirits to unimaginable heights and he started believing that he has already been declared a winner. His sadbhavana Upvaas was dubbed by many as a desperate attempt to cleanse his sins, committed in 2002. But then, will people forget those horrible moments when the entire state machinery was (ALLEGEDLY) utilized to monitor and guide the massacre of some people?

Yes, agreed that Narendra Modi has made lot of progress and development in Gujarat during last decade. It is also comprehended by some analysts that the growth of Gujarat was driving the growth of India. However, it remains to be seen whether people are prepared to forgive the past of a sinner who promises to be a saint in future.

Rider: He faces a severe image issue and a stiff challenge from Nitish Kumar.

Lal Krishna Advani

 Even though recently he announced (forcibly, after meeting RSS) that he is not in the fray for PM, he continues to silently working on his secret agenda. He is probably the only candidate who has been nurturing a dream of becoming a Prime Minister for the longest period. Ever since BJP gained the national party status in 80s, he has been fondly wishing to become PM someday. His dream was always scuttled by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Vajpayee, due to his moderate image, was always acceptable to the allies compared to the hardliner image created by Advani. And Vajpayee demonstrated his excellent accommodative skills during the brief BJP rule, putting Advani in a permanent second place.

Now that Vajpayee is out of the race because of his old age, Advani was feeling happy that his dream might come true, finally. And then appeared the report suggesting Modi’s candidature for the coveted post. Again Advani is left in a lurch. Age is fast catching up with him. Whatever meager chances he has of becoming the PM, can be realized only in 2014, because in next elections, he would be in his nineties.

Rider: The only factor which weighs in favor of Advani is Modi. Ironically, the same Advani who appeared a hardliner in comparison with Vajpayee appears a Sacred Saint in comparison with Modi. On any given day, the NDA allies are more likely to accept Advani as their leader compared to Modi.

Nitish Kumar

 He is the politician whose graph has seen a sudden upswing in last few years. He is by far the most uncontroversial candidate among all the contenders. His only credentials are good governance in Bihar which brought him in power for second consecutive term with overwhelming majority, thereby pushing Laloo raj forever on back burner.

He has dared to openly challenge Modi earlier and always keeps a long distance from him to avoid any communal flavor sticking to his image. He has support of all classes and section in Bihar. The state is living a civilized life after decades of jungle raj. The anti social elements are being pushed into jails in hordes and corrupt official’s properties are confiscated and converted into primary schools. The number of girl children attending schools is highest ever in the state, thanks to free bicycles distributed to them for travelling to school.

His image is that of a leader who means business with no bias towards any caste or community. He would be the most acceptable choice for most of the allies in the crucial hour of selection of a consensus candidate.

Rider: His party shall have too small numbers in the parliament to stake the claim for top position.

Pranab Mukharjee

 He shall be the reserve candidate of Congress in exigencies. After all, he is the only trusted and proven person who has saved Congress from many difficult situations, the latest one being Anna Hazare fiasco. The entire congress top brass has mismanaged the case to such an extent that it required Pranab da to step in and work out a compromise formula. Before he entered the scene, it was hara-kiri, with every leader damaging the case worse than others. It is unimaginable as to what would have happened, if he had not stepped in for a few more days. The country had already reached a boiling point where the passion had overtaken logic across the cities, towns and villages.

His current fight with Chidambaram is only making him stronger by the day. If Chdambaram had tried to put secret microphones in Pranab da’s office, Pranab is ensuring that Chdambaram will be thickly embroiled in the 2G scam. 

Rider: His chances are very bleak as of now, and are depending on following circumstances: a) Congress comes back to power; b) Manmohan refuses to take on the mantle (because of some leftover self respect) and c) Rahul has a late realization that he has to be strictly away from the power, for people to continue to think of him as a genius.  

Well, these elections are different because people are forced to choose the one who is less evil, who is less damaging, and who is less unstable.

The aam admi is only left to say Amitabh Bachchan’s dialogue, “Kaun Banega Pradhan Mantri…”