5 Saal Kejriwal or Bedi Sarkar

Flashback to Dec 3, 2011. The centenarian Calcutta Club was hosting a fiery debate on the Lokpal Bill moderated by Times Now’s Arnab Goswami. The participants represented all major stakeholders; Salman Khursheed (Government), Ravi Shankar Prasad (Largest Opposition), Sitaram Yechury (CPM), Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal (Team Anna/Common Man). I vividly remember a moment from the debate where Sitaram Yechury alleged Arvind Kejriwal for having used inappropriate language against the government. An apologetic Kejriwal replied that he did not remember having done that, but would still like to extend his deepest apology. In times when apologizing in public seems to be a cardinal sin for leaders who go by the mantra “innocent even if proven guilty”, Kejriwal seemed media naïve, raw and above all, honest. 

Come 2015, while Kejriwal seems to have vastly improved if not mastered the art of media handling, ally-turned-rival firebrand cop Kiran Bedi seems to be struggling to strike a fine balance between a firm cop and a socially sensitive CM candidate. Delhi is a city in size but a state politically. In a state where social media penetrations are higher than most parts of India, the political sentiment largely gets decided by the social media and PR strategy of political parties.  Let’s have a look at how these strategies have spanned out over the last few months.

Arvind Kejriwal launched the Aam Aadmi Party in Nov 2012, riding on the huge popularity of Anna Hazare’s Anti Corruption Movement. While some accused him of parting ways with the revered Anna for political mileage, some appreciated his bold move of ‘doing’ rather than merely ‘protesting'. What followed next for AAP was a year of massive team building and campaigning. Enchanted by the movement's popularity and Kejriwal’s seemingly honest intentions, AAP attracted massive attention. Kejriwal said everything that the common man wanted to hear. His allegation of BJP and Congress having a nexus was not very different from a frustrated common man’s rant of “saare neta chor hai.” While Kejriwal went ballistic against Congress and BJP, the rivals had hardly anything to say against the party that had no political track record. This was a disruption that Indian politics had never seen before. In the corporate world, a new entrant in an industry would take a very long time to knock off the leader’s market share. In the 2013 Delhi elections, Kejriwal running a start-up uprooted the decades old organization which had been the market leader for the last 15 years. Surprising even themselves, AAP and Kejriwal formed government in Delhi on Dec 8, 2013. The concept of Corruption Free Governance was selling beautifully.

49 days later, Kejriwal submitted his resignation on grounds of insufficient support for his favourite Jan Lokpal Bill. If this resignation seemed a huge political blunder, he bettered himself soon by announcing AAP’s national ambitions and his personal ambitions of taking on Modi in Varanasi.

What goes up must come down. Kejriwal adopted the same strategy of relentless opposition bashing in a bid for the topmost electoral seat in India. However, the chief opponent this time wasn’t an incumbent scam ridden Congress, but a Modi-led BJP riding on a wave of development in Gujarat. Kejriwal decided to attack the Modi bull by its horns by travelling to Gujarat and 'exposing' that Gujarat hardly has any development. People were already miffed with Kejriwal’s resignation, and suddenly the crusader was being seen as no different from the typical power hungry and society indifferent politician. Consequently, AAP lost 428 out of 432 seats it contested.

By now, Kejriwal was being seen as power hungry, politically naive and the worst of all, a coward and deserter. Shifting focus back to the city that saw him rise to glory, Kejriwal launched a fresh attack on BJP accusing them of delaying the Legislative Assembly elections fearing a loss to AAP. Why the delay actually happened, only the insiders would know, but in all likelihood an immediate Delhi elections would have surely swept Kejriwal’s political career away.

To his credit, not for a moment did Kejriwal go slow on his campaign. From using the 2^nd most expensive advertising medium to ask donations for his financially lacking poor party, to questioning BJP’s funds, Kejriwal started giving it all. But Kejriwal has never been a man to get his media strategy completely right. Here are some major blunders that he committed:

1. Announcing that Delhi wants Modi as PM and Kejriwal as CM. Whether a hack or an ill-conceived ploy, Modi's picture on the AAP website was a big big disaster.

2. The radio ad where a girl claims to be stalked by goons, and not entertained properly by a police station. Delhi Police did not take it too well, and AAP had to take it off. Kejriwal later came with a follow-up where he expressed his gratitude to the police officers, and blamed their poor performance to the lack of modern equipments and technology to their aid.

3. Kejriwal asking voters to accept bribes from BJP and Congress but vote for AAP. This leveled serious ethical allegations against both BJP/Congress and the voters. Again Kejriwal came back with an explanation that just screamed lame.

The biggest chink in Kejriwal’s armour still remains his untimely resignation, which he has been wise enough to publicly acknowledge as a mistake. Of course, it also gives him the advantage of an almost blank political slate, which leaves virtually nothing for the opposition to question. BJP has surely questioned Kejriwal’s subsidies based policies, agitations against the Home Minister, abrupt resignation, but the questions from AAP to BJP have been more and louder. Kejriwal too has not refrained from making good use of his 49 days term, reminding people through highly melodramatic radio ads of low water, electricity bills and reduced corruption. Although to me, Kejriwal comparing his 49 days governance to Modi's 13 years governance record seems like a tail-ender comparing the strike rate of his 8 runs/2 balls innings to an opener's strike rate in an 80 runs/90 balls innings. 

Politics is a dirty business, and in no part of the world will one find politics devoid of corruption, corporate funding, lobbying and scams. If Congress was badly tainted, BJP too has reasons to be pinpointed fingers at. However, now Kejriwal's allegations of corruption are fewer and lesser heard with focus shifting majorly to what won Modi the General Elections- development. From promises of building new colleges, regularizing private schools’ fees, providing cheap water and electricity, installing CCTVs to appointing bus martials; Kejriwal has been picking up all that is wrong with Delhi. Not just that, even “Ab ki baar modi sarkaar” has been matched by “Paanch saal kejriwal”, boosted by a Dadlani jingle.

Meanhwile BJP’s post General Elections strategies have been highly questionable. By not announcing a CM candidate for long, they gave Kejriwal a chance to attack them for the very same reason that BJP had attacked Congress. BJP did finally pull out what first seemed a masterstroke, a product from the same factory that had produced Kejriwal and a far more reputed one. Kejriwal gave the best possible reaction to that, “Had always requested Ms. Bedi to join politics, am glad that she did today." What a turnaround from apologizing to Yechury for a comment that he did not remember making. While Ms. Bedi had plenty to boast about as a cop, her political credentials and affiliation soon came into question. In her defence, Bedi had been a part of Team Anna, but never a part of AAP. Very soon there were murmurs of Ms. Bedi being a ditcher and opportunist by choosing the party already in power at the Centre. After lauding Bedi’s entry into politics, Kejriwal started calling her BJP’s scapegoat in an election that seemed inevitable to be won by AAP. Slowly but surely, AAP was putting the ghosts of the General Elections behind it and was emerging as a super confident party. The radio commercial with Kejriwal’s oath taking ceremony from Dec 2013 is a firm proof of this faith. Not just that, AAP has been confident enough to take on every BJP allegation head on. Kejriwal himself responded to BJP’s radio ad of an old woman venting out her anger at him. Even the recent allegation of alcohol being discovered at an AAP candidate’s house has been strongly responded to on all forums. Whereas BJP has largely remained non-responsive to AAP's allegations. What lies beneath the allegations is another story, but AAP’s strong replies will surely tilt the voters’opinions in its favour. In the social media of politics, often he who says the last word has the last laugh.

Coming back to Bedi, her interview with Arnab Goswami was the first sign of a PR disaster volcano waiting to erupt. Bedi was found unaware and non-responsive to most questions asked by Arnab. For e.g: When Arnab asked Bedi on not taking on Kejriwal directly and instead choosing a safe seat, Bedi’s response was “I did ask. I did not get it.” If that was bad, then the moment where she produced files titled MODI and GOVERNANCE was another dismal low. It seemed like a desperate attempt to display the governance and political credentials of an ex-cop. Just when I thought that the ignominious part was over, Bedi expressed time shortage and left the interview, refusing to answer Arnab’s frantic calls. The time shortage could have been true, but the manner in which she left the interview left behind a sorry impression. 

NDTV, known for its anti BJP allegiance has been incessantly doing its bit in craning Bedi’s campaign car. Bedi’s interview with the now trending Ravish Kumar had preconceived bias written all over it right from the beginning. Even before Bedi’s entry, Ravish had been pinpointing at cars parked along the roads in her high profile locality, wondering if Bedi would get these cars ‘craned’ if she became the CM. Honestly, no car owner would want to park his car outside. The dearth of parking spaces and the overflowing number of cars has given rise to this problem to which “craning” no longer remains a solution. Ravish remained at his sarcastic best, at times toeing the thin line between sarcasm and disrespect while Bedi seemed out of sorts, behaving like an aggressive cop once and then mellowing down as if suddenly reminded of her CM candidature. Suddenly, Bedi seems to be politically naïve and an ill-trained CM candidate, adjectives that till not very long back were associated with Kejriwal. NDTV’s well-timed “End VIP Culture campaign signed by Arvind Kejriwal” seems to be nothing but more fuel added to AAP’s campaign. Another worthwhile mention is Kejriwal’s response to Barkha Dutt’s question on members leaving AAP. His “no comments” response to Shazia Ilmi’s exit was hardly probed by the elite journalist.

The post General Elections Ghar-Waapsi campaigns, regressive comments by the likes of Sakshi Maharaj have given Kejriwal ample points to attack BJP on. Bedi's unwillingness to have a debate with Kejriwal has reduced but not prevented the damage that the debate could have caused. BJP’s desperation can be well judged by their sudden increased artillery in the last few days. Probably BJP has well realized that they need an AAP defeat this season to increase entry barriers for him to the Prime Ministerial post in 2019. From Nirmala Seetharaman’s “Paanch sawaal Kejriwal” to Arun Jaitley, Amit Shah and even Modi’s speeches/comments, BJP finally seems to acknowledge that the game is slipping away from under their noses. Probably BJP should have gone deeper into Kejriwal's manifesto and questioned the numbers backing his 70 point agenda. Suddenly, master campaigner BJP seems to have got its 2015 Delhi Elections strategy horribly wrong. Feb 07^th, in all likelihood might just see the resurgence of AAP and Kejriwal. As Ravi Shastri would say, whatever may be the outcome, pray Delhi be the real winner.

Digvijay Singh reveals Sachin's UPA tie-up

In a sensational disclosure, UPA leader Digparajay Singh has revealed Sachin Tendulkar's recent batting failures to be a part of UPA's strategy to curb electricity prices. Digparajay Singh mentioned that the UPA government had been deeply affected by the rising electricity prices in India and had been brainstorming to combat the same for months. In association with eminent leader Jairavana Ramesh, Digparajay Singh had concluded that huge television penetration and electricity reach in India had lead to excessive power consumption, thus giving rise to an increase in electricity prices. The eminent leaders in mention had decided to capitalize on the trend of Indian cricket fans to "switch off their television sets after Sachin's dismissal" to counter the same. The UPA leaders had requested Sachin Tendulkar to get dismissed quickly in every match, following which millions of television sets in India would be switched off, thus reducing the electricity consumption. Digparajay Singh applauded Sachin for accepting the proposal and complying to it in every match without fail. In the press conference, a reporter asked Digparajay Singh if this could be termed 'match-fixing', to which he agreed and said that this move is surely going to fix people's problems of using matches instead of bulbs. The report is believed to have looked utterly disoriented after the reply.
Former cricketer Bhishun Singh Baddie has accused Sachin of using this excuse to cover up his failures to play long innings. Comments from Sachin are still awaited.
Meanwhile, Jairavana Ramesh has given the Shehzaada credit for this plan, calling it a part of the Shehzaada's "long term forward looking strategy for India".
Shehzaada on the other hand has revealed that he tore up several different plans by Dr. Maun Mohan, and finalized this one. While countered for the same, Dr. Maun Mohan replied with his trademark voracious "theek hai" speech.

Review: The Great Indian Novel

The ugly snake raises its head again after a year long hiatus in the golden bubble. In fact it did come out once, during that month which definitely wasn’t My December, in the form of a few random rumblings.

Yes, ideally book reviews come out pretty shortly after a book is released; but I couldn’t help the fact that The Great Indian Novel was released only on my 2^nd birthday.  So here I am, penning down my thoughts on our Minister Sahab’s concoction of the Mahabharata and Indian politics.

To start with, The Mahabharata remains a personal favourite of mine. The way multiple stories blend into the great battle of Kurukshetra, makes the Mahabharata an enthralling experience everytime I come across a story from the Great Epic. Dr. Tharoor weaves a story by mixing characters from The Mahabharata and the Indian politics of the last 100 years. Not just the characters, but he also co-relates a number of events from both time periods. Initially, it does seem a bit weird to read a story from the early 19^th century with characters called Ved Vyas, Pandu, Vidur etc. But the story does start settling in once the similarities between the characters are explained better. Dr. Tharoor does a brilliant job giving subtle but strong hints to relate his characters to each other. Not to forget, the modification in their names depicts a lot about his personal views as well. For instance, Lahore being called Laslut; Zulfikar Ali Bhutto being called Zaleel Singh Jhootha… never knew Dr. Tharoor’s sarcastic views about the 66 year old offspring of our country. For further details about the references, our good old friend works best: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Indian_Novel

A few favourite lines from the book:

1.       There is no point in trying to judge a mighty river by its source. (oh, someone kill the caste based reservation system)

2.       You learn something about a man from the kind of stories people make up about him.

3.       The clash was as inevitable as its outcome was uncertain.

4.       Not every story is meant to end; often the essence of the tale lies in the telling.

5.       In life one must for ever choose between being one who tells stories and one about who stories are told.

6.       The roots of division must be traced deep in the soil.

7.       I do not reject you; rather I measure the years that I have grown;

I worship your grey hairs father, But- I must comb my own.

8.       It is always dangerous to mistake the enthusiasm of a select few for the support of the broad mass.

9.       No great man ever achieved greatness by sincerity of purpose alone. Truth is always individual.

10.   I am torn between the must and the ought.

11.   You should not give up your seat until you know how much standing room there is.

12.   You quote the letter of the Constitution while I cite its spirit.

13.   In India opinions are rarely founded on any sense of responsibility or any realistic expectation of action. (precisely what the ARNABS are doing right now)

14.   You cannot derive your cosmogony from a single birth.

15.   Only democrats presume to represent entire people, monarchs and oligarchs have no such pretensions.

16.   The Kamasutra is the only Indian book to have been read by more foreigners than Indians.

17.   India has too many Krishnas.

One analogy that I liked a lot was the assassination of Jarasandh being compared to the 1971 War. The assassination of Jarasandh by Bhim by splitting him into two into 2 opposite directions is wonderfully compared to the splitting up of Pakistan and the creation of Bangladesh. Not to forget, Bhim too was used to denote the Indian Army.

What I missed in the book:

1.       KRISHNA !!!- Yes, Krishna does make an entry in the last phases of the book, but there isn’t any analogy drawn with an Indian politician. Come on Dr. Tharoor .. Shri Krishna was one of the most powerful and unarguably the most interesting character from the Mahabharata; he did deserve a better deal. He being the kingmaker that he was, an allusion could very well have been drawn to Mahatma Gandhi. Probably Dr. Tharoor found Bhishma’s austerity, penance and hardships sustained more familiar than Krishna’s political prowess and female company.

2.       Sanjay Gandhi- One of the most enigmatic characters from post Independence Indian politics. Probably an analogy with child prodigy Abhimanyu could have added more colour to the novel, or Dr. Tharoor would have found that to be too much of a compliment for the first family’s dictator son.

3.       Doordarshan- The first TV channel from India that actually lifts its name from Sanjay’s gift from Mahabharata, and goes without even a mention. Not done !!

4.       A better allusion to the Emergency- Dr. Tharoor takes imagination to an altogether new level by drawing references as follows:

Yudhishtira as Judiciary; Bhim as Army; Arjun as Media; Nakul as Civil Service and Sahdev as Foreign Service. The part about Emergency could have actually mentioned Arjun getting arrested as the media rights did get suppressed during the 21 month Indian exile.

Apart from the above, a few of Ved Vyas’s dream sequences towards the end seem highly unnecessary and seem to be mentioned just because Dr. Tharoor did not want them to be missed from his novel. The poetry is brilliant, though seems to be too long in places. Throughout the novel, Shashi Tharoor effectively communicates what his background is, convent educated, the British connection does result into a mastery of the language and the use of numerous words that sent me running after the Mr. Oxfords and Mr. Cambridges. Dr. Tharoor also shows signs of suffering from the habit that most widely acclaimed Indian authors suffer from- over emphasis on scene descriptions and less focus on the narrative. It’s often forgotten that it is eventually a good narrative that keeps the reader hooked on to the book.

Dr. Tharoor reserves his best for the last. Towards the end, he changes the very end of Mahabharata and with it the definition of Dharma. It reminds me a lot of Anurag Kashyap’s Dev D where the protagonist doesn’t die in the end, unlike the previous Devdas movies, but goes on to start a new life, depicting the modern day psychologies. Yudhishthira’s following lines brilliantly showcase the essence of modern thinking:

“Accept doubt and diversity. Let each man live by his own code of conduct, so long as he has one. Derive your standards from the world around you and not from a heritage whose relevance must be constantly tested. Admit that there is more than one Truth, more than one Right, more than one DHARMA….”

To conclude, a highly recommended read. Signing off with a hope that what is preached here surely gets practiced by our author in power.

The beginning or the end ?

कहानी ख़त्म है या शुरुआत होने को है ?

सुबह नहीं है या फिर रात होने को है ?

As Joi Barua sings the above lines in Udaan, I sit alone in my room, waiting for the demon called solitude to creep in further. In the language of statistics, the normal curve of solitude and darkness has not yet reached its peak.

Across the length of the country, my fellow comrades fight their own battles, some one, some many. I am not a part of the troop, because I couldn't make it or I did not want to or rather I just gave up without fighting. Yes, I can complain that some were wicked or some got plain lucky. 

But then they all fought, did they not ? When was the last time Lady Luck chose you for romance ? Ain't you well aware of the fact that it just cannot happen between the two of you ? 

As the sun sets in, I know I have not made it large, rather I might have dropped the hammer on my own head. The fall could not have been steeper. From living the life, to watching it all fall apart. Is there a transformation waiting to happen ? If yes, let there be a bend and not a break. 

The veterans said the golden crystal is a place where nobody is ever alone. Oh... did I not prove them wrong ?

Will there be light falling in, or will the forest get denser ? Will the prowler fight and emerge out victorious or will he be destined to disappear along the muddy paths and dark cocoons ?

The game has just begun.... the prowler hopes !

The Ratna or not a Ratna

Should Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, unarguably India's most loved sportsperson be awarded the Bharat Ratna ?? Probably a matter which has garnered great interest over the last few months.
Yes, in my modest opinion. Not because I belong to a generation which has grown up watching Sachin Tendulkar bat, and which still wonders what cricket will be like after the Big Man retires.
Initiated in 1954, the Bharat Ratna awards people for the highest degree of national service. Further definitions: 'national service' translates to public service, arts, literature, and the recent and most debated upon 'Sports''.

But honestly, do fields like arts, literature and sports need to be awarded with the highest Honour of the Country ?? I don't think so. No disrespect to the stalwarts of these fields, but is an act of excellence in fields like these worthy enough of the highest honour ?? The country has been battling a lot many problems and there have been people fighting against them. I honestly feel that the Bharat Ratna should be awarded only to men and women who have improved the lives of people in our country; people such as E. Sreedharan, T.N. Seshan, Kiran Bedi. Let the government find out more admnistrative officers, social workers, defence officers (would have loved to add politicians too but alas...) who are not just mere entertainers but "life-savers and improvers".

The situation with the Bharat Ratna has sadly not been so. The honour has been awarded to the likes of Satyajit Ray, Lata Mangeskar, M.S. Subbulakshmi. I honestly feel that the Bharat Ratna thus has lost its true sheen. If that be the case, why not then give it to Sachin Tendulkar also, who has been no less than the people mentioned above in his own field.

Qriocity- 2

1. The 'Peregrine Falcon', also known as the 'Duck Hawk' in North America, is a crow-sized falcon which feeds on small mammals and birds including the Blackbird. This feeding habit of the Peregrine Falcon led to the nomenclature of an iconic product of the automotive industry. Name the iconic product.



2. In 1985, small time Hollywood producer Menachem Golam met X's agent Tim Hudson, in a bid to convince X for an audition for James Bond. Golam believed that "X has the looks, the build and the accent to be the next James Bond, and at least he looked better than Tom Selleck. X eventually declined, realizing that 6 months of acting lessons might conflict with his actual day job. He later stated in his autobiography, "The whole place seemed to be full of hustlers and bullshitters, that was not a combination that had ever appealed to me."
Identify X.


3. Identify the significance of the below picture:

4. The picture below inspired an internet meme. Explain.

5. On February 26, 2011, M Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender 'created history' by winning an all new Razzie. Which Razzie was it ??


6. American author Katherine Mayo in her 1927 book pointed to the treatment of India's women, the untouchables, the animals, the dirt, and the character of its nationalistic politicians. The book was written against the demands for self-rule and Indian independence. Mayo singled out the "rampant" and fatally weakening sexuality of its males to be at the core of all problems. The book was so widely criticized that even Gandhi called it a "report of a drain inspector sent out with the one purpose of opening and examining the drains of the country to be reported upon". 30 years later, a landmark Hindi movie borrowed its title from the title of the book. Identify the book.

7. Easy one... Identify the theme of this Time cover.

8. Wallace Hartley's funeral was attended by one thousand people, while 40,000 lined the route of his funeral procession. He is buried in Colne where a 10-foot monument, containing a carved violin at its base, was erected in his honour. Hartley's large Victorian terraced house in West Park Street, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, bears a blue plaque to remind passers-by that this was his home. As of 2001, Hartley's name was still being used when naming new streets and housing in the town of Colne. What is Hartley's claim to fame ??

9. Apart from being Kamal Hassan starrers, what is common to the following movies:

Nayagan, Thevar Magan, Kuruthipunal, Indian, Hey Ram, Swathi Muthyam, Saagar.

10. Oicho Kabu is a traditional Japanese game similar to the BlackJack. The worst hand in the Oicho Kabu, an 8-9-3 has a notorious significance. What significance are we talking about ??

Qriocity- 1

Hello folks, here's a modest attempt at tickling the ever qrious Q-bone all you guys have. Hope you enjoy the questions !!

1. "Waha nukeele patthar nikle hai, to un par to koi baith nahi sakta. To zameen ko samtal karna padega, baithne layak banana padega. "
The above lines are known to be the source of a great controversy. Identify the speaker and the alleged context.

2. On his maiden ship voyage, he made an observation that whichever way the ship's wheel was spun, one of the spokes always came in direct line with a clutch, which would eventually hold it. He turned this observation into a hugely successful invention. Identify the inventor and his invention.

3. Connect:

4. Sri Yukteshwar Giri, Sri Mahavtar Babaji, Sri Paramhansa Yogananda, Sri Lahiri Mahasaya and Goddess Lakshmi finally made it on ‘ X’. There were also talks to include ‘Y’ on ‘X’, but fearing reprecussions, the people in charge decided against it. Identify X and Y.

5. What is the significance of the following lines ??
" Chaar baans chaubees guz, angul asht pramaan,Taa oopar Sultan hai, Mat chooke Chauhan."


6. A member of the Bedfordshire Yeomantry in World War II, E.W. Swanton got captured by the Japanese in Singapore, and served 3 years as a POW. Swanton had a book with him which proved to be immensely popular amongst the prisoners. The book was badly torn due to heavy usage, but was repeatedly 'repaired' by the prisoners using 'rice paste.' The book is still preserved in a London Museum. Identify the book.


7. Connect the following pics:

8. Connect the following pics:

9. What is located at the following address: ?

1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center, Westchester County, New York.

10. In the world of theater, what do we commonly refer to as the Fourth Wall and the Fifth Wall ??