Holi Hudanga: Shri Dauji Temple
Forced to get up 6 in the morning, I lethargicly got ready. A customary post marriage trip to a temple around 2hrs drive away. Shri Dauji Maharaj Temple near Agra. Lord Dauji, the brother that Lord Krishna grew up with. Dauji is commonly known as Balram.
Early morning coupled with Holi hangover made sure there was no traffic. A smooth toll road and a futher bumpy ride later, we reached the destination. Corruption aside, I feel toll roads have done much good than harm to society. Anyways it’s a discussion for another time.
My mother went nostalgic about Tonga rides she had taken along the same lanes long time back. As we reached near the temple, we saw a lot of barricades and police bandobast. Apparently, today was day after holi and in this temple, holi is played today with God. Holi hudanga, with flowers, colours replete.
A lot of foreigners were mounted atop rooftops, with cameras and recording equipments. Festival of colours in itself, has a global attraction. And such age old customs of Hudanga are more so. We did the darshan and
a quick exit, not wanting to get coloured.
Uncondition Love
Some people say I am angry,
Some say I am stupid much,
Few find me too arrogant,
Special few uncondition love.
Some people say I don’t listen,
Some say I disrespect a lot,
Few find my hardness in heart,
Special few uncondition love.
Some people say I am filthy,
Some say I am self obsessed,
Few find devil inside too dark,
Special few uncondition love.
Some people say I am useless,
Some say I am no human,
Few find me unfathomable,
Special few uncondition love.
Some people say I am vagrant,
Some say I am uncouth jerk,
Few find me unreasonable,
Special few uncondition love.
Those people who find negative,
I say it’s all okay my friends,
For every hundred there is that one,
Special one uncondition love.
Lovey Dovey
O Princess, O Sweetheart,
My apple pie, my lemon tart,
Google you, I’m feeling lucky,
You are my Lovey Dovey.
Your hairfall, Your confusion,
Is no temporary but all season,
You are tea leaf, I am plucky,
You are my Lovey Dovey.
Your shyness, Your red cheeks,
All flat, What Macho, What Geeks,
Movie You, I Vicco Vajradanti,
You are my Lovey Dovey.
You wake up, its my sunshine,
When off you doze, its my night,
I’m like a cold, You Vicks Vaporab,
You are my Lovey Dovey.
So slim are you, still worry weight,
Let me have last bite off the plate,
I stain yellow, You White of Tide,
You are my Lovey Dovey.
Your anger makes me laugh,
Never full, all half and half,
I melody, you are chocolaty,
You are my Lovey Dovey.
Romeo Juliet died together,
People say they love eternal,
But I want to live with you coz,
You are my Lovey Dovey.
India’s Daughter: TRP Lust
Arguments, counter arguments and then some. This has been going on over the BBC documentary India’s Daughter. It has boiled down to the clash of two leading media houses. Both wanting to outdo each other in TRP race.
The media house who was to air the said documentary has begun rally in support. Rival news channel, has gone to town all bonkers against it. The sad part is, this war is not ideological. These channels could have easily switched places, and would have justified themselves too.
This is TRP race my friend. Documentary will get more eyeballs now, in this internet age. All those who didn’t knew about the details of interview, will know now for sure. So all the campaign against it will backfire. But who cares. As I said, it’s not ideological.
The flouting of norms and ethics has become a passe. What else could be expected of Radia-taped journalists. Why add to the horror of the victim’s family by airing the face and views of a monster. Who cares. As I said, it’s not ideological.
As long as the TRP’s are coming, it’s all good. Someone has the pressure to reach No. 1, other is under pressure to remain No. 1.
The irony is, I too seems to be in on the race somewhere, by writing this. Sigh!
Pending Amount 10/-
I am travelling to Mumbai in train. Got stuck in traffic and was able to catch the train just in time, that too owing to the magnanimity of Indian Railways; train got late.
Anyways, I somehow caught the train huffing and puffing and soon was fast asleep. TT came, I woke up and got my ticket checked. Went back to sleep. Sometime later, he came back; asked for 10/- pending amount. I thought, what the hell!
I asked him to explain me what he meant by pending amount. Matlab bhada hua kiraya, he explained. I was perplexed. As an avid news follower, I didn’t read about any fare increase. Poor chap himself didn’t knew much. I asked him for a reciept. He told that he is collecting now and will create receipt for everyone in the coach together and will give it. I thought for a second and then gave him 10/- pending amount. I want to sleep some more, hence it wouldn’t matter if he gave
reciept or not.
I also don’t know what this increased fare is all about. I only remember the smugness on face of Finance Minister, Mr. Jaitley when he said, Middle class should take care of themselves. So I took care of myself. Going by such clandestine increase in fares, and no acche din on the anvil, dont worry Mr. FM, come elections, middle class will take care of you and your party too.
PS: As I suspected, No one was given any receipt.
Tax Slabs Unchanged: A welcome change
Finance Minister has kept tax slabs unchanged this budget 2015-16. Disagreeing with the popular notion, I welcome this. I’ll tell you why.
It goes back to the root question, “What do we expect of our Govt.?” For me personally, I expect my life to get better. Public amenities to get better, Traffic situation to get better, Better Roads, Better Air, Affordable Housing. I expect to retire early and save enough for leisure. For me none of these wishes are granted by easing of Tax-Slabs. A few thousand rupees extra in my pocket seems nothing but a bribe.
Yes BRIBE. It feels like Govt. throwing bones to a dog. Something like, “We won’t do anything to give you a better quality of life, but here, I am throwing few thousand bucks to you. Lap it up and shut up. Vote for me the next time too”. For me it’s nothing better than a MNREGS like subsidy. I am totally against it.
Hence I commend FM. Thanks for not throwing bones to me and bribing me. Hope you utilize the tax I pay to give me what I want in the long run. Let future FM’s too hear this loud and clear. Don’t try and buy my integrity and my vote. Create sustained resources. Give me the nation of my dreams.
सच है
दिल में उठा है दर्द सा कुछ,
रह रह कर के आता है,
सह सह कर के जीता हूँ,
हाँ ये सच है, मैं पीता हूँ।
भुन्नैटा सा यह जीवन क्यों,
सपने धरे सब, ज्यों के त्यों,
ख्वाइश तोड़-२ के सीता हूँ,
हाँ ये सच है, मैं पीता हूँ।
चहुँओर मेरे है हलचल सी,
पगला सा हूँ मैं देख रहा,
लो हाथ रख गीता पे कहूँ,
हाँ ये सच है, मैं पीता हूँ।
आँखें भर आती जब-तब,
मेरे हाथ भी कापें जाते हैं,
बोझ ये कब तक मैं सहूँ,
हाँ ये सच है, मैं पीता हूँ।
अपना जिसको माना था,
दिल था जिसके नाम किया,
समेटता मैं वही फजीता हूँ,
हाँ ये सच है, मैं पीता हूँ।
सब फुर्ती फुर्र हुई मेरी,
चाहते हैं भागूं खूब तेज,
इंसान हूँ, न मैं चीता हूँ,
हाँ ये सच है, मैं पीता हूँ।
वाद-विवाद न करना अब,
ठान लिया बस ठान लिया,
उलझन सारी अब सुलझा दूँ,
हाँ ये सच है, मैं पीता हूँ।।
The Apathy of General Class
This weekend I was travelling by train. I had a slight argument with train attendant. According to him, “Bedsheets don’t belong to railways, they belong to me”. I didn’t completely understand why he said so; have raised this query with railways, which I know would go unanswered.
Since rail budget is round the corner, I would like to touch upon a topic that has been neglected year after year. The General Class compartment. According to a news report around 2.3cr people travel by trains daily. Out of them around 1.5cr travel by General Class. Tectonic 65%, around the same as total voter percentage last General Elections.
Whilst train fares have been increased time and again, the situation of General Class Compartment has not improved. Wooden seats, People fighting a war to get inside. All of you would have seen long lines, manned by policemen, waiting to get inside the train. Those lines are to get inside the General Compartment.
Whenever you feel things are not going well in your life, imagine the apathy of people in General Compartment, you will stop complaining. 65% figure does not mirror Govt.’s priorities. I see hardly 3-4 General Compartments whenever I travel.
I would have expected 65% Compartments to be of General Class in trains, Alas! It’s not the case. Well, Democracy works differently in theory and in practice.
My Savior: Maharaja of Mysore
“Mysore finally has a new Royal Head”. Poof! I was near death in recent months, as to the future of Mysore. Now that we have heir apparent, I can put my worries to rest.
How shameless is our society that still celebrates such people. Bloodline who leeched the last drop off poor people. Bloodline who dined with British. Bloodline who slept in vast palaces, when people all around were dying of hunger. More shameful is to see Govt. representatives lining up to attend such ceremonies. Anyways from a nation which reveled in calling Nehru ‘RajaSahib’, what more could be expected.
In a nation that queues up outside foreign embassies for Visa; Where a NRI groom is a jackpot; Where Income Tax raid is taken as a status symbol rather than a shame; Where Damadji, Jijaji rule the roost; Where handful of political and industrial families have corrupted the system so beyond repair; Where Govt. change but farmer suicide continues; Where hunger forces common man to learn to live without self-respect, this doesn’t come as a surprise.
I would have loved to see such ceremonies being banned. If not banned then such people being publicly shamed and shunned. But no, we revel in royalty, pledge our allegiance to it and also feel good about it.
However when I see chaiwaala, mufferwaala as PM and CM, I feel all is not lost. My hope in the nation’s resilience stays alive.
Devil and the Deep Sea: Land Ordinance
Bachelors crave to get married; Married crave for Bachelorhood. Children want to be ice-cream salesman; Ice-cream salesman wants to be child again. People in India want to go onsite; Onsite Indians long to come back. To cut the analogy short, perspectives change when we cross over. This sums up the Indian Govt’s predicament. Tables seem to have turned.
While Delhi defeat was just a hindrance, the Land Acquisition ordinance is turning out to be real thorn in the flesh. I have no doubt that PM believes changes to the bill are necessary for long term growth, the problem is how to explain it to voters.
As per general opinion, newspapers, TV/Nukkad debates, Govt. is coming out as a villain in this whole episode. And who knows better than Modi that it is all about perceptions. It’s a fact that farmers of this country voted en masse for Modi during general elections (also during Haryana and Maharashtra). In a country like India which is in election mode round the year any misstep will lose you an election somewhere or the other.
Given the track record of successive Govt.’s on land acquisition, farmers are right in being sceptical. I read that even the people who lost their land when Bhakra Nangal Dam was build, haven’t been compensated fully till date. I agree that land is required to set up industry, which in turn provides job. But to do so by alienating people is not a way forward.
Instead of simply doing away with certain provisions of social impact study, approaching court and making the kisaan of India feel uncomfortable, what Govt. should have done is to incorporate such provisions which make farmers sell their land happily. Raising x2/x4 to x10 could be such a thing.
When a farmer sells his land for 100/- and an year later some industrialist re-sells the same land for 1,00,000/-, farmer has the right to feel cheated. Steps should be taken so that farmers earn dividend on the appreciation of the land price too. 25% share to the original owner of appreciation, if land is sold/sub-let by the acquiring party could be another such provision.
It’s too hard to predict how next few days will unravel, but one thing is sure, it is going to be mighty hard for BJP to convince farmers to vote for the party. At least for near future.
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