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