Vote for Rs 100 only

In the just concluded local elections in Bihar votes have been sold for Rs 100 each. Like in national elections if you ask a villager whom he will vote for he will invariably tell you, "Whichever way the village votes, my vote will also go that way. " And in state elections if you talk to the Bihar voter he will be supercharged about his caste differentiating even between kurmi and koeri, but he will caste his vote. Even after Election Commission claims of curbing expenses, one expense is taking a procession from village to village. And no the people in the procession are not necessarily supporters or party workers, they are paid labour. In the local election a husband was paid Rs 500 per day while his wife was paid Rs 250 to walk with a flag for 20 kms. The problem arose when the wifey asked the husband to vote for the typewriter ! The husband said why should I vote for typewriter, I will vote for kabootar only (pigeon)! They had both campaigned for two different candidates. A near divorce.....

Nirdaya Raman Raghav On Dollar versus Rupee!

Free Ka Shaadi !

Marriage rates vary from state to state in India and I think in Bihar the rates are on the higher side. I'm not talking about the wedding party. I'm talking about the dowry rates. And dowry does not spare even the poor. Although dowry is legally banned in India the law is broken 200 per cent. Like my farm labourer went to Uttar Pradesh to search for a groom for her daughter because there the dowry is less. But someone suggested going further to Rajasthan if she wanted a groom for free! So she took a train to Rajasthan and after some searching she did find the groom for free... bilkul muft. And within days her daughter was married. The woman labourer returned home to Bihar quite happy. The happiness lasted for a few months only. She has not been turning up for work for a few days now. On inquiry I was told, "Uske beti ko bhoot pakar liya hai. " (A ghost has entered her daughter.....) "Free ka shaadi aur kaisa hoga? " I am quite certain Rajasthan mein Old India ka ghost hoga. New India ka bhoot to Dilli mein rehta hai !

A voice from Surat - Gujarat Elections

https://youtu.be/5zDkVuwxf6w

The Rapist Is You - India too needs this anthem!

In recent months politicians and even the judiciary have been setting free convicted rapists. This is surely a shocking trend starting with the freeing of rapists of Bilkis Bano in Gujarat. And now the Supreme Court frees rapists a few days ago. One thought that after Nirbhaya case and strong laws against violence against women such acts by those in power would reduce. But no a strong government acts only for rapists. And even union home ministry gives the green light to free rapists. What has India come to? India too needs the Latin American protest Rapist In Your Path Anthem. Like two years ago Nepals brave activist Prakriti Bhattarai led a flash mob onto the streets of Kathmandu to give voice to the pain, trauma and strength of the victims. India too needs hundreds of Prakritis.... https://youtu.be/JiuF-MQw2FM

Surviving The Loneliest Roads In America - Eva zu Beck

Howard Buffet - 60 Minutes.

Emma Barnett Meets His Holiness The Dalai Lama

Ashtjaam - The Best Way To Drive Out The Chinese

Since Narendra Modi has miserably failed in driving the Chinese out from our borders, I have a novel suggestion. On how to drive the Chinese out without firing a single bullet. Just place thousands of loudspeakers across the Line of Actual Control and get Biharis for free to do Ashtjaam! Now what's an Ashtjaam? An ashtjaam is like repeating Sita Ram non stop night and day for eight full days over loudspeakers. Of course to do this the money is collected from villagers and anyone passing through the village by simply erecting a bamboo barrier. India's noise pollution levels must be the highest in the world. Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh recorded the second highest noise pollution level in the world with 116 decibels! Even in industrial cities the maximum permissible limit is 75 decibels. For residential areas it is 55 decibels during the day and 45 decibels during the night. And although the Central Pollution Control Board has introduced fines ranging from Rs 1000 to one lakh rupees, these are rarely enforced. In Hindu Rashtra the only action ever taken is on mosques using loudspeakers. From Ganpati festival in Mumbai to Durga puja in the north Hindus can have as many loudspeakers as they want. And no action will ever be taken. Just like the burqa !

Mulayam Singh Yadav - An Encounter !!

I have had several encounters with the Samajwadi Party leader Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav but the first one stands out. I must be only a cub reporter in Mumbai when the Samajwadi Party decided to enter electoral politics in Bombay, then deeply polarised due to the communal riots following the demolition of the Babri Mosque. In college I usually preferred the front desk but covering political pressers I would normally sit on the last seat, last row. The advantage of being a newspaper reporter was the anonymity. Nobody bothered about who you were. But covering the Samajwadi Party presser at the Taj Mahal Hotel I took my usual last seat, dreaming about the pastries that would follow the presser. When suddenly there was a hustle and security and entered Netaji or Mulayam Singh Yadav. But he did not go to the podium instead walked past all the benches to the last seat. He was standing right before me before he shook my hands and said, "I am Mulayam Singh Yadav. "

Shri H. B. Chhetri - My Nepali Teacher !

Really saddened to hear the passing away of Shri H. B. Chhetri, our famous Nepali teacher from St. Joseph's School, North Point, Darjeeling. He was definitely a favourite amongst all students. The kindest heart. I still cannot speak in Nepali so you must be wondering why I am writing about my Nepali teacher. Nepali was a third language in school, the first being English. Third for those who preferred Nepali to French or some other foreign language. Many of us hindiwallahs opted for the easy Nepali because of its Devanagri script which is like Hindi. But what we were not prepared for is Mr Chhetri's style of teaching. He would enter the classroom, always smartly dressed in a coat and trousers with his Nepali topi in the right tilt. As the door would shut we would be all ears. And then he would begin his ghost stories. We would be mesmerised and simply did not want his class to end. And the expressions he would make... it was better than anything on television these days. And another thing in the Nepali tests I always came first. It was like a handwriting test and Hindi and Nepali being the same script I scored. But till date I feel I did not deserve the certificates. Since I still cannot speak Nepali. Even after school and college I thought of him and why he chose to tell us stories instead of the books. And I think he left a most important message for all, children should be treated and loved as children. And now that he is among the spirits wonder how many more ghost stories he must be collecting for us...

Musical Chairs For Congress President!

Instead of elections musical chairs would have been better to select the Congress President. And even there Shashi Tharoor would lose. By the time he would fix his bow tie, shake his hair and think of a new English word for the game, Digvijay Singh would have already grabbed a seat. But if such a game was played then Ashok Gehlot would 🏃 towards Jaipur, not Delhi. And Sachin Pilot does not even have a co-pilots seat! Of course Mallikarjun Khadge may be eighty years old but I have heard him speak in parliament, he knows how to keep his 💺. Loyalty to the Gandhi's is important in the Congress Party. Without loyalty you are nothing. And then there is Rahul Gandhi himself... I heard him, Rubber is not feeling good, palm is feeling bad, oil is bad too, nobody is happy in Kerala. There is a chair being carried for him all the way from Tamil Nadu to Kerala to Karnataka....

Smart Metre, Oversmart Netas!

Just as I got my electric supply restored after paying a whopping Rs 59000 plus charges, I came across a news where Bihar government has ordered the electricity department to give all elected politicians MLAs and MLCs free 2500 units electricity per month! Now Bihar is a state having highest electric tariff per unit roughly Rs 8 per unit. Maharashtra has just Rs 2 per unit. Surely Bihar is poorer than Maharashtra so why charge Bihar more? Besides, if we can have One Nation One Tax, then why not One Nation, One Bijli ka bill ! In Punjab farmers get free electricity to some extent, but in Bihar just because I installed a 10 kw load it's being charged at urban charges, not even rural. India cannot grow because of our parasitic netas out to get something free from the government. Freeloaders! And look at Sabka Saath, Sabka Bikaas in Delhi he is splurging millions to build a new parliament for Hindu Rastra and a safe house with tunnels so he can escape to God only knows where.

BSNL - Miss The Landline?

BSNL is India's government owned telecom service provider which has exclusive monopoly rights over providing landline phones to millions of Indians. In the pre-liberisation period you could get a phone connection only if you were a VIP. But during liberisation and with mobile phones things got better. Anyone could get a land-line. But since Modi became Prime Minister the BSNL is perhaps the most neglected of public sector companies. In Patna in their Patliputra office the bill payment area used to be functional and air conditioned. There used to be long queues to pay bills. Now the staff have been told to go home. The false ceiling has collapsed. But despite all this I tried to get my landline restored. So I paid pending bills and went to meet the telephone SDO. He was a lean chappie and I found him sitting squeezed between five other men. The other five looked well fed and prosperous just like BJP leaders. When I gave my request they looked up and even before the SDO could say anything they said if I could apply for a 5 G broadband connections they would restore the landline in a day. But I did not want a broadband. I simply wanted my landline back. The SDO meekly wrote something on my request letter and passed it on. But even five months later my phone is yet to be restored. As for the five other men their antennas are directly connected to the famous house in Mumbai Antilla ....why would they bother about a land-line ?

Kangojar !

Clearing my garden are a group of women labourers and everytime they pulled the weeds they would exclaim "Kangojar Chhai ", in Bihari. And sure enough I could see worms move in the mud away to safety. But this is a huge problem in a state like Bihar which must be among the poorest states in India with high unemployment rates. Kangojar is a centipede which has its pair of legs on its sides almost like a miniature crocodile. But several legs along its body. But why is it called kangojar? The woman labourers explained, " Jab sutbai tab kaan mein ghus jaye hai "(When you sleep it enters your ears). Of course often leading to the victim becoming deaf. Hence the alarm. But I asked them how does the kangojar crawl into one's ears? And they explained, "Bhuiyaan mein sutbai tab uuu ta ghusbai kartai. " (If you sleep on the floor then its sure to enter.) So why do they sleep on the floor? "Gareeb chhiyeye tab bhuiyaan par nai sutbai tab kahan sutbai? " (We are poor so if we do not sleep on the floor then where else can we sleep?) Beds? I too sometimes like to sleep on the floor but because it's cool during summertime. Although now I am more careful. But there is still something worse than a kangojar entering one's ears. The voice of Narendra Modi on radio saying Sabka Saath Sabka Bikaas!

My OverSmart Electric Metre Reader

The transition from post paid to pre paid electric metres are a tricky business in Bihar and it can burn a large hole in your pocket. Like the bijli vibhaag slapped a Rs 14000 bill even when I was not consuming a single unit. And I had paid Rs 12000 only a few months ago. On a closer look at the bijli bill I noticed the electric metre reader had reported my metre was dead. So I went to take a look and the metreji was very much alive and kicking. So I decided to spend the rest of the day around the bijli office. One helpful accountant asked me to make a two minute video of my metre and then go to another building and show it to a lady there. I made the video and went to the lady officer. She looked at the video closely taking down the reading on it. She then entered the same onto the computer and then took out a fresh bill. Pronto it had a surplus of Rs 4500 ! For the next two months I did not have to pay a paisa! A lucky day.

My OverSmart Electricity Metre!

First it took months and years to get a new electric connection and when the electric metre arrived I was told it was a Smart Metre Prepaid so that henceforth there would be no disputes over bills. Rs 8000 was taken as a security deposit for a 10 kw three phase domestic connection. Then for a year the Smart Metre simply continued supplying electricity even without a recharge of even Re 1. On enquiry I was told that the deposit amount was being deducted. After one full year a mechanic came and took a photo of the metre and informed that now the prepaid metre will be activated and henceforth I would have to make prepayment. Sure enough within a week the electricity was disconnected in March this year. So I made a payment of two thousand as prepayment Then the connection was restored. Then I made another payment of Rs 2000 and then Rs 1000 . All the time theApp showed positive balance. Then suddenly the electric supply stopped. On enquiry I was sent a bill of Rs 69000 only. A closer examination of the bill revealed a wrong address, a wrong telephone number so I sent my lawyer to the electric department. The SDO apologised but said he was helpless. The smart metre had simply not charged me anything. Then yesterday the junior engineer visited my home and explained. He apologised and said he is to blame for the fiasco. But now until I make full payments the connection cannot be restored. But thankfully the actual bill is now Rs 59000 and not 69000. He corrected the address and phone number and promised accurate billing in the future. Kabhi kabhi BSNL SIM fail ho jaata hai. Then he called up someone pleading to restore my connection. Kabhee kabhee sar jhukana bhee padta hai, he told his senior. I had planned to sue the department for Rs 400000 over the non functional Smart Metre but now I am simply going to pay up and get the bijli back. Until then managing on solar battery!

Indian Government Exports Wheat Meant For Poor!

Indians are not receiving their quota of wheat since the Indian government is exporting them. Earlier each individual would receive 4 kilos of wheat per month at the rate of Rs 2 per kilo. But with market prices of wheat at Rs 30 to 35 per kilo the subsidy on foodgrain has risen by at least 28 rupees per kilo. There is even a shiny like glass wheat in the market for Rs 35 per kilo. The shopkeeper said its from Ukraine ! So individuals are getting only a kilo of wheat per month from the public distribution system. This is hardly enough to meet the nutritional needs of a person. The government buys wheat from farmers at Rs 19 per kilo and often indirectly. Last year I tried selling my wheat to a government committee but I was told I would have to first pay them a bribe of Rs 2 per kilo only then would they begin purchase. So it's not surprising that Bihars agriculture minister says that he is the Chief of Thieves. Choron ka Sardar! Biscuit companies have reduced the number of biscuits in a pack by a quarter without increasing the Rs 10 price per pack. Nahin to Indians biscuit khana bhee chod denge.

Elizabeth - Queen of the World!

Goodbye Queen Elizabeth. Ever since she passed away I have been reading about her. And it's never enough. One fan said losing her is like losing my own grandmother. And she was more as head of the Commonwealth countries she acted in the interests of all 56 members. But I think she must be the most travelled and loved world leader in living memory. A Queen of the World. The first time I went abroad was as a student when I received an invitation from London to attend the Commonwealth Young Political Leaders Conference. But there was a hitch - I did not have a passport In those days a passport could take anywhere between 6 months to 12 months. So I had no option but use my connections for police verification. But the passport officer Asok Kumar, an IFS officer, was very kind. He offered me a seat plus coffee and issued my passport within days. The conference was a learning experience and a chance to represent India. Not an easy task especially when a politician from Fiji said the Indian police murder their own people in Kashmir. Last evening our Prime Minister watched a laser show to inaugurate the Central Vista Project, or some would say a Vanity Vista. And announced that Raj Path would now be called Kartavya Path to erase all colonial mindset. Modi wants to erase history itself. All this while the Queen of England lay sick. And this morning the Prime Minister said he was pained by her death. But till late afternoon there was no official mourning for her. Even Lata Mangeshkars death there was a two day mourning. Only later did the Indian government announce a one day state mourning but that too postponed to a Sunday. I wonder if Modi has quit the Commonwealth. I never met the Queen like he did but I think I did see her drive in her castle once.

Cyrus Mistry Accident - Real Cause Is The Highway

Apart from any technical failure in the Mercedes that Cyrus was travelling in, which only the Mercedes team and RTO can tell us, the real cause of the accident is the National Highway. This does not even require an inquiry. An eyewitness who has a mechanic shop near the bridge told reporters that every year at least 5 accidents take place at the spot. The reason being that the three lane Highway suddenly becomes two lane just before the bridge. And there are no road signs warning Motorists to slow down. Now if you are not a regular on the highway you would surely not know. So the car first hit the flank and then rammed into the side wall of the bridge. It was not a divider. Indian Highways are death traps. Poorly constructed and unfenced. You can have elephants, cattle, and camels all on the same road. And worse sometimes a vehicle approaching you from the front... headlong. I have driven on that highway and I had also hired a professional driver who warned me never to drive on the flanks. He said the car tyres should never ever get onto the flanks. At high speed it could be the disaster.

Cyrus Mistry's Death A Huge Loss To India

The tragic death of former tata Chairman Cyrus Mistry in a road accident has shocked us all. Ofcourse it is for the police first to tell us what really happened. I have driven once on the Mumbai Ahmedabad Highway and I can tell you that except for a hundred kilometres just before you enter Ahmedabaf the rest of the highway is not worth driving. Its in a state of desrepair and bad shape. Yet you will come across several toll stations where you have to pay a tax. On television I have not seen a single reporter do a spot reporting on what could have happened on the bridge. Just one report suggested the lady was trying to overtake from the wrong left side. I have driven on Indian highways and I know how trucks behave. To me it seems the adjacent vehicle pushed her into the wall of the bridge. I am not saying it is targetted murder of Mistry but I just know what happens on Indian highways. In 2019 there were 534369 road accidents and 154000 deaths. This is just a government figure. Our road minister Nitin Gadkari has not said a word. ...silent like a mouse. The last time he spoke he said Indians could do Mumbai Delhi in 12 hours. Indian Highways are death ways for which we pay a tax. Now he wants to steal our money through GPS enabled number plates. For Parsis going to Gujarat is a pilgrimage of sorts. Udwadia is an old Parsi settlement and for many Bombay Parsis ensuring it's survival is of great value. Cyrus Mistry was returning from such a pilgrimage.

Zelensky addresses Venice Film Festival

Get Up, Stand Up For The Fight

Ghulam Or Azad !

https://youtu.be/bcdOjuGVhLM

The Falling Rupee!

The Indian rupee has fallen to a historical low, it's now Rs. 80 to a dollar. In 2014 the year Modi became Prime Minister it was Rs. 63 to a dollar. So we do not need more proof that the Indian economy under Modi has taken a tremendous beating. And while Modi himself drums up his achievements India is today in a very sorry state. In fact we have witnessed similar policies that drove Sri Lanka to bankruptcy and famine. Most parts of the country were unable to get a timely supply of fertilizers. While the government radio messaging was that farmers must switch to organic farming. To the credit of the hardworking Indian farmers they produced grains enough to sustain the year. The way Modi increases fuel prices and now GST shows that the government does not care about the economy. It only cares about how they can loot the people.

Race For Raisina !

Even as voting to elect India's next President is underway I am more concerned if our politicians have a conscience. Yashwant Sinha has appealed to the electors to listen to their conscience! Two opposition parties the Shiv Sena and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha who initially supported him now back the NDA candidate. Although Sinha is from Jharkhand the JMM prefers the BJP tribal from neighbouring Orissa. Ofcourse even as the ED probe Hemant Sorens aide for hundreds of crores corruption, wonder what his underhand deal is. The Congress and RJD should withdraw support to his government. And with the latest increase in GST rates the cost of a chapati has increased by Rs.10. And even GST on hospital beds. Antaraatma ka nidhan ho gaya hai.....

Sunday Times

Like even Mamata Banerjee will happily vote for Jagdeep Dhankar as India's vice-president, and perhaps give him a grand farewell from West Bengal. The West Bengal Governor used every weapon in his arsenal to discredit Banerjee but the Trinamul chief is a fighter. Unlike Uddhav and his coward Shiv Shinde Sena. Good Yashwant Sinha skipped Mumbai from his campaign. And instead did a Live outside the Rashtrapati Bhawan and explained how India is at a crossroad. If the electoral college listen to their conscience and choose him, he promises to work for democracy and it's constitution but if they choose to vote for the NDA pick then India may continue to slide to a very dangerous place. Of course the current occupant Shri Kobindji is not remarkable either. BJP rewards Governors who misuse their office to further the BJP agenda. Shri Kobindji role in Nitish Kumar's overnight switch to NDA should be probed. Also to be probed is Nitish Kumars antaraatma. And lastly how about making Sushmita Sen the CBI chief! She found Lalit Modi. And after Kangana Ranaut completes her Indira Gandhi role she should become President of Sri Lanka. Until then India should continue the oil credit line to Lanka.

Distorting The National Emblem!

The other day when India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the national emblem atop the new parliament Indians were in for a shock The large bronze sculpture looked menacing almost like a man eater and far from the peaceful, benign lion symbol of Ashoka lion. Infact it looked even more ferocious than the Lions Club emblem. As Modi looked up, the only thing missing was some blood. Distorting the national emblem is an offence punishable by a jail term. But who will punish the Prime Minister? The sculptor Sunil Deore however defends his art saying it looks menacing because of the low angle photo. At eye level and from a distance like when you look down from a Thai Airways plane it would look as peaceful as Buddha's 🦁. The opposition is ofcourse baying for Modi's blood and several MPs have spoken up. Before 2005 one could get away because there were no penal laws. Like I recall fellow libertarian Sauvik Chakraverti giving me his visiting card. It had the sarkari emblem embossed on it with a difference, there was a screw running through it. It was risky doing that even then but throwing Sauvik in prison was a greater risk to the State - he would liberate the minds of his fellow prison mates and they would understand true freedom.

Tribal Trump Card

Draupadi Murmu's candidature for President is BJPs tribal trump card. Of course the NDA did not have the numbers. And while the opposition were still getting their acts together and swearing unity over the telephone, Murmu's candidature has exposed the opposition. Their unity lies in tatters. And so that she wins the Shiv Sena can be destroyed. It's leader Uddhav Thackeray meekly supports her. Sanjay Raut explains that after all they did support Pratibha Patil, the Congress candidate before. But that's not the point. The point is for democracy to be saved Yashwant Sinha needs to win. If opposition parties prefer to cater to tribal vote bank then they might as well forget about having an election in 2024. And yes Draupadi Murmu is BJPs Pratibha Patil. Remember she is a BJP leader and the BJP can never look after tribal interests. It's interests are Adani and Ambani .

Support Yashwant Sinha For President

I am not against a tribal occupying the top post in India but I am against the means being used to elect someone who is to be the protector of India's constitution. In Maharashtra an entire government has been toppled so that Draupadi Murmu can muster the numbers even from the opposition camp. And the way the Shiv Sena MPs have now openly called upon Uddhav Thackeray to support the NDA candidate is further proof of the design. If Uddhav gives in to their demand only to save what remains of his elected members, then he is unfit to fight against Modi. Also if he let's the MPs then he does not have the mettle of his father Bal Thackeray. I watched an old interview of Thackeray where he said if he did not head the party for 30 years then the party would have been finished long ago. Uddhav must lead and not follow his MPs who look compromised already. And he must build his party from scratch... educate the Shiv Sainiks that BJP is disastrous for India hence he changed sides. If Hindutva meant only to get BJP elected then the Shiv Sena would have merged with them long ago. I think the electoral college must reject identity politics and elect Yashwant Sinha. Sinha alongwith Sharad Yadav and Shatrughan Sinha are among the few ex NDA leaders who have dared to fight Modi and call a spade a spade. I have never met Sinha, although I met his brother once to exchange some political notes. I think his victory would help slow the downslide of India. And I don't care about Naveen Patnaik or the Assamese groups who do Modi bidding... India's opposition must get it's act together.

Dinkar's Voice In Sri Lanka Today. Listen.

Shivaji Maharajah's Muslim Commanders

If only Shiv Sena Chief Uddav Thackeray had followed his icon Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj he would have at least 13 Muslim MLAs and they would have remained loyal and not defect over to the BJP. Shivaji had at least 13 top commanders who were Muslim. Their names are: Siddi Halal, Daulat khan, Ibrahim Khan, Kazi Haidar, Siddi Ibrahim, Siddi Wahwah, Noor Khan Beg, Shama Khan, Hussain Khan Bigani, Siddi Mistri, Sultan Khan, Dawood Khan and Madari Mehetar. It is them who fought the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb in the mountains and the rivers, India's first example of guerilla warfare. Taking advantage of slow moving armies like the Russian army in Ukraine, he would send boulders hurtling down the mountains, creating havoc and then attacking the army. Aurangzeb called him a mountain rat. But none of Shivajis Muslim commanders defected to the Mughals. Rather the threat came from his own son Sambhaji whom he imprisoned. But he escaped with his wife and defected to the Mughal side for a year. Now Aurangabad has been named after the defector Sambhaji. One day Thane will become Eknath Shinde Nagar!

The Betrayal

My full sympathies lie with Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray. Except for his last minute renaming spree. Aurangabad should be Aurangabad, Allahabad should be Allahabad and Ahmedabad should be Ahmedabad. Mumbai should be Bombay. But that he is a leader is beyond doubt. Only a leader can walk out of the clutches of the BJP and join an alliance of parties who are very different from his own. Having fought jointly with the BJP with the understanding that there would be a Sena Chief Minister this time, the BJP went back on its word. So walking out was dignified. And he does have a spine like his father the late Bal Thackeray. Also he is better than Nitish Kumar who switched sides by midnight and remains glued to the chair, weak, old and faded Prime Ministerial material. And he is so weak that a Dharmendar Pradhan can convince him to vote for Draupadi Murmu, instead of fellow Bihari Yashwant Sinha in the Presidential polls. And Eknath Shinde has stabbed his leader in the back, much like Brutus. But Shinde is less than Brutus, his only calculation is winning the next assembly election. And retaining the Hindutva vote bank. Shinde washed the feet of Anand Dighe ,while Dighe washed the feet of Bal Thackeray, but now Shinde wants Uddhav Thackeray to wash the feet of BJP leaders for a hundred years. Also BJP hand looks uglier than the Congress during Emergency, the way they jail even ministers and it's like khullam khulla loktantra ka balatkaar. In Maharashtra the BJP want even opposition parties to vote for their Presidential candidate. In all this two men stood up to them, Uddhav and the NCP leader Nawab Mallik. About Nawab Malliks underworld connections to be continued....

A Dog Walk In New India!

Like nothing surprises me in New India, everything shocks. I mean just look at the audacity of IAS Sanjeev Khirwar, the Delhi Principal Secretary, how he had cleared the stadium of athletes by 7 pm so that he and his wife could walk their dog. I must say the Indian Express deserves much credit for exposing this story. And the photographer who risked his life and took that one picture. The government as punishment has transferred the IAS to Ladakh while his wife to Arunachal. But I mean how is Ladakh a punishment? Delhi is boiling at 48 degrees and both ladakh and Arunachal are cooler climes. Tourists are paying to get there, and it's definitely safer than Jammu and Kashmir. The IAS should have been suspended at least. But I did like his dog - a Great Dane! I wonder where they have taken the dog, Ladakh or Arunachal? Any guesses? One lucky dog.

The Economic Collapse of South Asia

It's certain India's economy is worse than Sri Lanka. But with BJP propaganda machinery so active how will our people ever know. But they do feel it in their lives, everyday. And as one shopowner put it, "Aage bhee andhkaar hee nazar aata hai. " Actually the economy of whole of South Asia has collapsed. Pakistan went in for a head spin, Sri Lanka economy is in a tail spin, Nepal is almost broke, and India has one big loose motion. In all this a grand new parliament for New India is being built besides a naya Central Vista. In a poor country like ours this wasteful expenditure is nothing but criminal. Bangladesh has become the best managed economy. Ever since Modi took over the debt GDP ratio has almost doubled. In his megalomania Modi has undertaken wholly unnecessary projects. And Gadkaris monetary needs are much larger than his stomach. And there are no jobs. Just yesterday read a news on how the railways have cut 72000 grade 3 and 4 jobs. The target given was 80000. Covid would only account for 30 per cent of the economy woe. The rest 70 per cent is Modi's own doing. And every time he beats the drums abroad it's like usne hamaree band baja dee....

The Ludhiana Industrialist!

I was at an auto parts shop today when a well dressed person arrived. He knew the shop owner and so chatted. I soon gathered from their conversation that he was an industrialist from Ludhiana in Punjab, India's most prosperous state. His factory manufactured auto components like silensors for a cross section of vehicles. But when I asked him if was an industrialist, he remarked, "Kaahe ka industrialist jo Patna mein dukaanon mein jaa jaakar apna saamaan bechne ka koshish kar raha ho. " He explained how difficult business has been. The older cars have been discontinued and the newer ones are few. And they won't need my spare parts for sometime. "I wish to sell my factory. I will convince even my partners. And I will work for the new owner for free for one year. " "Every month there are salaries to be paid and just when I am done with it, comes the sword of GST... " Another businessman quipped, " Yeh jab tak Modi rahega aisa hee rahega. " "India is worse than Sri Lanka but the media is owned by Modi so there is nothing on TV. "

Desmond Tutu On Not Taking Sides!

If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.

The Vaastu Shastri !

India's most famous Vaastu Shastri approached a beautiful bungalow in Delhi. And he looked around and discovered 600 pages of dosh or faults with it. He got it all written down and of course it was all a secret document. But Delhi is an amazing place, everything leaks. So the document was on Whattsapp and that too in a group of journalists. So it was all over the news. Anchors quoting clause 6 (I) at at back of their fingers. Like which walls need to be demolished. Or how the puja room should move to the east. Toilet to the south. Treasury to the north. And like old servants of the house need to be retired. It was all for a new house in New India... A pond on the north west. And no swimming pools. It was so detailed that even architects would admire it for the facts. Structural changes must be made such that the owner prefers to stay in Nainital. And just when the demolition of the house was to begin, the owner a lady told the Vastu Shashtriji if he could wait in the shamiana in the garden where twenty other pundits are sitting. The Vastu Shastri just left. The house owner was none other than a lady Sonia Gandhi. And the Vastu Shastri one PK!

The Dowry!

As I had my lunch two men sat at the table next to me. They ordered the usual Thali and so I did not expect their conversation to be anything spicy. But as they spoke it got interesting. And I think many young people go through this dilemma. The younger of the two was expecting to get married so his elder freind had taken him out to lunch to hear him out and give some friendly advice. Bridegroom To Be: You know everyone takes a dowry in Bihar. Yahan to yahee culture hee hai. Aajkal if you have a decent job, then starting dowry rate is 25 lakh rupees. Friend: So how are you dealing with your parents? Bridegroom To Be: Bahut mushkil hai unhein samjhana. Aur ladkee waale ko bhee. I don't want to take any dowry. Friend: So did you tell them. Bridegroom : Yes I did. But they did not take it kindly. In such situations it's best to rem ain quiet. They said dekho kaise usne bola. Ghamandi aur rude hai ladka. Friend: So what will you do? Bridegroom To Be: Can't understand anything. I have a basic salary and right now I am happy. I don't think the dowry will make me happy. There will be expectations. Friend: Yes, yes. But ultimately affections win the day. Although it's all a trap. Bridegroom To Be:And if you don't take dowry people say its a love marriage. Friend: Haan haan. Not just that they say ladke mein zaroor koi defect hoga! Bridegroom : Ekdum aap sahee jagah pe hit kiya. Aur age mein bhee antar hoga. Age gap hoga zyada... Friend: You should just tell them NO Dowry. Bridegroom : Yeh shadee bhee museebat hai. Main to khush hoon abhee....

Hindutva On Hawagaree!

Yesterday as I took an e-rickshaw my co-passenger said "Jehangirpur mein jo bulldozer gaya hai wo theek ho raha hai." I shot back, "Galat ho raha hai. He said what about the riots? I told him how even the riots are engineered... both Hindus and Muslims involved in the riots are Modi followers. And the bulldozers are sent to crush only the poor Muslims to influence Hindu voters... It's the messaging. He seemed unconvinced. So I told him I want to get rid of both Modi and Nitish by 2024. He supported me on Nitish but opposed me when it came to Modi. I told him how Hindus were suffering under Modi ..the economy does not differentiate. Hindus have become poor. Kya desh ko Gareebsthan banana hai ? As we spoke the Supreme Court heard the matter and fortunately stayed the demolition drive. From Ram Rath to the Bulldozer, the Hindutva cycle is complete. But my fellow passenger got off the e-rickshaw even before his destination...

Friday Prayers!

I am getting my old car the 118 NE restored... Its been in the garage for two years due to COVID disruptions and unavailability of parts. Like I now know more about a carburetor than even the mechanics. Even how Indian companies tried to cheat the Japanese, their court battles and s

ettlement. Also a group for 118 NE on facebook helps with the spares. Like I managed to get two rear door glasses from Jalandhar in Punjab, from a 118 NE graveyard. It was like organ donation from a sister or brother. Even the slightly green tints matched. Modi and Gadkari want to crush old cars with their bulldozers. They do not understand car 💏 or love. The garage is located in a mazhar so everyday I hear their prayers and see the faithful bow to the almighty. The Friday prayers are most important and as I sat in the heat I heard the maulvi talk against those who hoard gold and silver. He spoke of zakat and charity... how if you build one mosque here you will get a beautiful house in jannat. Inside the mazhar a Sufi saint lies buried. And next door is the Patna High Court. The Ram Naumi is over and the sword wielding Hindus have spared Patna from violence. In fact they even lowered the bhajan volumes at times of the Muslim Azan. But Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh were not so lucky. A Hindu shopkeeper in Patna seemed visibly angry at the sword wielding Hindus. This can never be right, he told me. Even I have Ram in my heart. But how can I bare my chest to show him to you ? My car mechanic is an old timer, his hair whiter than the whitest Amby. But he claims he is actually not so old. In fact my hair should have been black. So what happened? I was in this saloon and I closed my eyes to get my hair dyed. When I woke up there was this burning sensation. And instead of black, my hair turned full white. As he paints my car, I am hoping the car remains white. In India anything can happen...

The Gangotri Pandaji !

Coming all the way from Gangotri, where the mighty River Ganga originates, is our Gangotri Pandaji. We first met him almost thirty years ago in the early nineties when I must be still in college. My sister and myself had accompanied our parents on this perilious journey in the Himalayas on the char dham yatra. Yamnotri is the origin of the Yamuna. Gangotri for Ganga,then Kedarnath and then Badrinath Then there were no helicopter services. Like all pilgrims we travelled in an ordinary bus, snaking up the mighty Himalayas, the only thing louder than the bus engine was the roar of the river. And the roar is so loud that you realise your own insignificance in the scheme of things. This morning when the Pandaji offered us some Gangajal brought all the way from Gaumukh it brought back all the memories. How on our return from kedarnath my father had eaten a full breakfast while we skipped the meal, but later we found all shops shut on way. We slowly learnt Rajiv Gandhi had been assassinated. So for thirty years every year various Pandajis come home during winters when the temples are covered in snow and shut for pilgrims. The last time he was here was three years ago before COVID and lockdown I remember he supported Modi. But this time we spoke of Covid how so many died, so many doctors died. He said he would pray so Covid does not come again. He also asked me about the war in Ukraine, about the bravery of the people in Ukraine in the face of an ugly invasion. We also spoke about Gaumukh, the glacier and how fast it's melting. It's a 20 kms trek from the temple and he said you cannot stop for even 5 minutes at the spot because of falling ice boulders. And it's all voluntary. There is no government there. You just get a token from the forest department, in case you don't return due to an avalanche. We spoke of Protima Bedi who had died in a landslide on the Kailash Mansarovar Yates. The Modi government is widening the roads that is destroying the ecology forever. In the Supreme Court the government told the court they were building roads for defence, and so the court shut the case. Defence is a brahmastra for governments. Even thirty years ago I felt sad looking at the Tehri landscape. Now it must surely be worse. Then we spoke of General Bipin Rawat who died in a helicopter crash. He was from Uttarakhand. The Pandaji informed even India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is from a village in Uttarakhand. I asked him if Dovals village is safe. He smiled and replied, Very safe, nobody lives there.

Wuhan Health Organization

Like the World Health Organisation should be renamed to Wuhan Health Organisation. And they should move their headquarters to China. Early warning of Covid could have saved many, many lives. But WHO failed. And not only that they have so far been unable to uncover what really happened at Wuhan The Australian media and researchers have done a far better job than WHO. I am now not sure how much funding plays a role in the functioning of these international bodies, but if it does then they are doing a huge disservice to the cause they represent. Like governance in India is often referred to as Meeting, Sitting and Eating!

And where the hell is the UN?

While Pootinpot dictator continues to relentlessly bomb Ukraine and the world is going topsy turvy where the hell is the United Nations in all this. Apart from a vetoed Security Council Resolution it has nothing to show. The UN for all its grandeur has been reduced to a talking shop at best. Surely Russia's membership as a permanent member should be reviewed and revoked. Permanent memberships should not be inherited as a right. The USSR is the original member and since it split up so how can Russia be a permanent member. In that case Ukraine could become a permanent member or so many breakaway republics. At the least the UN should send a peace keeping force to the UN. As well as observers to check the unfolding humanitarian tragedies. It's very brave of Europe's three Prime Ministers to visit Kyiv even if it is a show of solidarity with the people of Ukraine. Will our 56 inches also go to Ukraine?

Fourth World War !

American President Biden says if the USA insists on a No Fly Zone in Ukraine it would lead to the Third World War. I think it would lead to the Fourth World War. The Third World War is actually nearly over. The Third World War was the spread of the virus Corona all the way from Wuhan. The worlds governments were so scared of China that they did not even insist on a proper inquiry. What the UN and WHO did was an eyewash. We still do not know the real cause. What governments did however rather efficiently was hide the death figures of its own citizens. So right from Gujarat to Uttar Pradesh millions died, and they even voted BJP again. I now understand why my late friend Sauvik always called it Chuttar Pradesh! Of course now fresh global research suggests the death figures could be three times what was originally given by governments. And now we have a brutal war in Ukraine. Russia wants to conquer a free people. But the world is dithering. I watched the Live CNN debate last evening and one guest was Susan Glasser, a staff writer for The New Yorker. This is what she said, "President Biden says going into Ukraine would lead to the Third World War. But how do we know we are not already in Third World War? Do we need Biden to declare it is...Putin already says Russia is at war with America... "

India's National Herb !

After international chef Ranveer Brar launched a campaign to make the humble coriander India's national herb, Hindutvawadis have been alerted. At the Nagpur headquarters of the RSS there is much chintan baithak going on after all an ancient country like ours how can coriander be our national herb? We are after all a Hindu Rashtra.... After much discussion amongst it's think tank they have asked Modi sarkar to oppose coriander. Because after all coriander is not Hindu....its secular... all Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians eat them. And Modi only listens to Nagpur. So RSS has sent in their choice 🌿. It's not ganja. Its tulsi. After all see how tulsi cured COVID. A panditji pointed out how even Muslims were eating tulsi during Corona. And so only tulsi eating Muslims should have voting rights. Even aadhaar card. Even citizenship. Just then one member from Ayush mantralaya suggested Sanjeevani booty as national herb. it's a life saving herb so rare that Hanumanji had to lift an entire mountain. But Modi turned down the idea because Sanjeevani bootee sounds like Sanjeev Bhatt, the police officer in jail whom Modi hates.

And Modiji is an internationalis, he even wants Tulsi Gabbard as the POTUS.

Nal Jal Yojana!

The other day a bearded man shouted at my gate. He had a beard like Narendra Modi or perhaps like Nitish Kumar... they all look the same. But I could smell the corruption. And sure enough when I asked him what he wanted he replied he wants to install a piped tap on my property. Although I had never asked for one. Behind him was a thela carrying hundreds of metres of plastic pipes. I told him to leave because he was trespassing on private property. I have my own water and don't want to pay this government any further taxes. Drinking water for all is a noble concept and it's the Congress Party who should be credited for the idea. But Nitish Kumar added the taps and pipeline to the scheme. The family members of BJP leaders took the contracts to implement the scheme. Modi decided to raise the water tax and give it to Adani and Ambani. Then kejriwal comes and says everything is corrupt. And he decides to give free water for two hours everyday. And Indians are so happy that they decide to elect him Prime Minister. But Modi is smarter. Every District Magistrate fears him. So before the counting all they do is replace the EVMs. And Modi sweeps the polls.. even without a wave... Operation Ganga.....

Support Ukraine 1

Like India has already abstained so many times during votes in the UN Security Council that it does not count any more. And we have lost our moral high ground. Agreed that Russia has supported us in the past but does that mean India supports all mad ideas of Russian dictators? And if Russia was truly our friend then Indian students would be flying out from Russia and not Poland and Romania and Moldova. The war in Ukraine has brought into focus Eastern European countries and the flashpoint between them and Russia. There is no guarantee that Russia is going to stop at Ukraine so the world must act. Ukraine may not be a part of NATO but it surely is a part of this world. Not just embargoes but militarily Ukraine must be supported. And as Christiane Amanpour suggested on CNN Russia must be thrown out as permanent member of the UN Security Council, a seat it inherited from USSR, it was never voted in.

Urea Gayab !

For my wheat crop I wanted to purchase two 50 kilo bags of urea and here is my experience as I went looking... Shop 1: You don't know there is acute urea shortage in Bihar? Me: I heard that but maybe you would have some old stock. I need only two bags. Shop 1: Sorry. Shop 2: I do have two bags but I can give you only if you buy 500 kilos of calcium from me. Me: But my crop does not require calcium, it needs urea to grow? Shop3: Why do you want to spend money on chemical fertilizer. Modiji wants every farmer to switch to zero farming! Me: But zero farming will bring zero yield. There is not enough manure to fertilize all of India. Shop 4: Wait for two more days. Baba Ramdev has promised to supply Gaumutra Urea! All you need is to spray them on the crop! Me: But it has rained now so I need to get urea now. Shop 5: The only place you might find urea is in Gorakhpur but you have to be a voter of UP to get a bag! Me: But I did read the Bihar agriculture minister Shri Amrendra Pratap Singh say there is no shortage of urea in Bihar Shop 6: Shortage is not there... The urea is in the train racks... and they have all been parked in Gorakhpur. wahan chunaav jo hai. Shop 7: Okay if you buy 1000 kilos of zinc I will give you the urea. Me: But I just want urea. Just then someone from a corn field called me. Him: If you buy 500 bottles of Vodka then I will give you the urea for free. Me: But isn't alcohol banned in Bihar? Him: Yes it is banned but it is available. And urea is not banned but it is unavailable. Me: So does the government need to ban urea to make it available? Him: Haan kuch aisa hee chal raha hai aajkal. Shop 8: If you are willing to get beaten up with a lathi then you might get a bag in Supaul. Me: Lathi does not sound like a good idea and even there the queue is like 10 kms.... I don't know how far I must have wandered.. Shop 9: Ah you want urea... Me: Yes. yes. please. Shop 9: We can give you urea even without aadhar card but for that you will have to buy Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited. I had reached the Prime Ministers Office.. but sadly I am not Anil Agarwal!

Tip Tip Barsa Paani!

Like I am certain the guy who composed this song Tip Tip Barsa paani must be having a more ordinary bathroom than Rihanna. The lyrics like paani se aag is like he must be having a really bad shower mixer. It's a bathroom number. And even Katrina kaif does not make the song warm enough. When actresses begin doing such numbers with Akshay Kumar, then it's better they get married. And I can totally understand Salman Khan being bitten thrice by a snake! Last two days we have been having winter rains with some hail as well, chilly winds. Now I wonder what the Tip tip barsa paani composer would have written.

Tongue Cleaner From Kerala!

The beautiful Tibetan vlogger Ten Choezom says the best tongue cleaners in the world are from Kerala. And I believe her. After all Kerala is God's Own Country. Indians love cleaning their tongue even if they don't use the Colgate brush and paste. Even at railway stations you will see people lining up in front of taps to clean their tongues. Of course, the neem twig is the best to beat the bacteria. As you chew the twig it becomes as good as a Colgate brush and the neem juice acts like the paste... it's so bitter even viruses would get extinguished. Although I am not sure of its impact on Corona. The Indian government Aayush Mantralaya is silent on it. But coming back to the tongue cleaners. It's like V shaped and you have to take it right into your mouth and scrape it till all the germs are clear. But be careful... If you put it right inside throat you could throw up. I have never been to Kerala. So procuring the tongue cleaner is a bit of a pain. And the only person I know there is Shri Babu Joseph. So I have asked him to send me one ASAP. I have to gift it to Modiji. The Kerala 😜 cleaner is all he needs....

Ban Alcohol Worldwide!

I don't know why but I woke up after this longish dream where I was so powerful that I was banning alcohol not just in Bihar but all over India and why all even a worldwide ban. But would I ban her or him? In Hindi every word is a he or she, masculine or feminine. This has always confused me and I spent all night trying to figure that one out. Until finally I remembered seeing alcohol being stored in the female lockup of the local police station. The men's lockup had eighteen year old bootleggers and suppliers. So alcohol must be definitely a She! Then the other confusion over whether wine is alcohol or not? Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut says wine is a fruit juice made from grapes and so it is now readily available in Mumbai supermarkets. So can I just buy wine and fly into Bihar? Or would I be arrested? No. no it's best to ban all alcohol instead of tempting biharis and Gujaratis and manipuris in some supermarkets. It was a horrid dream. I have never felt this way before but I cannot say why I felt this way. As I awoke I looked at myself in the mirror and I looked every bit like Nitish Kumar! Unshaven. I had run out of my seven blade Gillette razor and I am not a believer in digital India online shopping. So I found a Rs. 70 single blade Gillette razor in my town. I shaved. And now I am ready to end prohibition in Bihar.

The Brinjal Budget!

The only line I could hear finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman say loud and clear is that Modiji told her No New Taxes! Aah what a relief! But alas we are the onion eating janata and so we have to pay Rs.50 per kilo for onions. Rs. 200 for edible oil. Rs. 100 for petrol and diesel. Rs.

1000 for cooking gas. And cement is like Rs. 450, up by Rs. 100 per bag. Iron is up by Rs. 30 kilo. Sand is Rs 60 per tin, up by Rs.30. Urea and DAP the fertlisers are up by a few hundred but unavailable even at higher rates. The economy is ground to a halt. Because this Modi government thinks oil is milk. BBC Hindi carried a radio report on what the budget had for farmers. Interesting listening to voices from Uttar Pradesh, the state going to the polls. And it concluded the budget had nothing for the farmers. The Prime Minister gives Rs 6000 per year as kisan Sammlan. It's virtually nothing to the individual farmer but it's a huge drain on the exchequer...thousands of crores of our money... so that Modiji can win the election. But for farmers the lockdown years have been tough at best. Like I sell brinjals for Rs 10 per kilo in the local Mandi. And because Indians stand with farmers they buy brinjals from Big Basket for Rs. 115 per kilo. There is no Hindi word for a budget. At best it is aaye vyay ka lekha jokha. For farmers it's just baigun ka chokhha!

Extinguishing The Eternal Flame 2

Just as the BJP government extinguished the Eternal Flame at Amar Jawan Jyoti there is another eternal that they seek to extinguish - Sanatan Dharma. While voters remain caught up in their propaganda and razzle dazzle religious events, a militarist Hindutva is very, very far from the liberal Hinduism that we know and follow. They have even used the name Swami Vivekananda after a think tank trust to promote hardline Hindutva. Slowly Hindu religious leaders across India are waking up to this ugly face being presented by the BJP, and some have spoken up against the party. But to defeat their idea you have to defeat them at the polls. The opposition must get their acts together. And one upwomanship of Mamata and Mahua does not help.

Extinguishing The Eternal Flame

Extinguishing the eternal flame at India Gate, New Delhi, is an act of sacrilege. The Modi government has crossed the laxman rekha. The explanation that its being merged with the flame at the newly constructed war memorial is hardly convincing. Or that Modi government is so short of funds that they cannot maintain two flames. To maintain the two flames they could have taken the help of oil majors IOCL and BPCL. Or if they still needed more money they could have sold the two companies. Then the reasoning that India Gate represents the colonial era, but then the President should also move out from the Rashtrapati Bhawan Palace. That too is colonial. And Modi should stop giving his bhashan from atop the Red Fort, that's Mughal, it should be returned to the successors of the last mughal emperor. And retired Army officers writing nostalgia pieces about Amar Jawan Jyoti and at the same time supporting the act of the Modi government only shows how far they have come. History does not start today or even yesterday. Respecting elders and traditions is also a part of Indian sanatan culture.