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Modi v/s Modi
Modi v/s Modi
As we ascend the ladder, viciousness wears a thicker mask
Excerpts from my travails - while travelling through Gujarat during Phase I of an over-heated election. This is not an “art” piece, but it has all the “drama” of a Greek Tragedy!
Imagine a town of dust, dispensaries and dharma where locals are sceptical about outsiders who enter their town in big cars, in search for their souls. Imagine a town, where there is a discussion if big monies will trickle down? Or if the outsiders are too busy communing with “the gods”; to have time for the inhabitants of Dharampur. Where officialdom says, property prices have shot up, since land has being purchased to build many more ashrams. Imagine a town where the statue of Gujarati poet, Narmadh is almost evicted; so as to accommodate the statue of the founder of Shripad Raj Chandra Ashram. Imagine this to be an important election issue.
I’m offered locally produced, masala soda, and told Narmadh who brought modernity as well as romanticism to poetry by introducing new poetics has been reinstated in front of the town museum and planetarium. The museum and library, the local historian informs me, was set up by Raja of Dharampur, a gifted musician, who took a great interest in Indian and western classical music. Someone announces Narendrabhai has arrived. I think, its the local modi.
At the Palace Grounds, the Chief Minister of Gujarat has arrived in his cavalcade. In his Paresh Rawal baritone, he talks about development, below poverty line, and land distribution for Adivasis.
He thunders, he performs. It is paisa vasool.
I’m asked, if there’s anyone better than Narendrabhai in speechifying. I say, he is on par to Karunanidhi, Thackeray, Laloo Prasad Yadav in terms of grandeur and panache of political rhetoric. But where the others score over Modi is, humility. They try to please their voters. Karunanidhi pleads, Thackeray prostates, Laloo humours - whereas Modi believes he is the greatest and the best.
To die is poignantly bitter, but the idea of having to die without having lived is unbearable
In the past decade, Dharampur (and much of South Gujarat) has flipped and flopped between BJP and Congress - at times - voting generously for Janata Party and even BSP. However, the important statistic is, in 2002 and 2004, Dharampur voted Congress. In 2002, BJP polled its lowest: 29.96%.
I’ve a chat with the local barber. He speaks about his days of glory. He owned three shops, and a battalion of workers. He served the best biryanis and firnis. He constructs a myth about the good old days when he was consulted and revered. Then one day, he got tired. He advises me, greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person. Greed is a non-stop effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction. So he gave up. Just like that.
I ask the others about him. No one remembers the shops nor the biryanis nor the mythology. I enquire, if the barber was a riot victim. I’m greeted by mirth. I’m told, no, the Muslims in this part are too scattered for them to butcher us. It would have been too much of effort.
Then I ask them about their vote preference? They say in unison, the local BJP candidate, because he is a friend. Plus he processed documents with the Nagarpallika.
If I am what I have and if I lose what I have who then am I?
The cavalcade is moving to Mota Ponda, in between Dharampur and Vapi. The BJP bandwagon follow the leader. In our jeep, the Modi sympathiser points to the superb condition of the state highway; and the field with sugarcane (the best crops in years, this time), and the smiles. Why then, is the battle entirely Modi centric, I ask? Living, as we do, in a more egalitarian society, shouldn’t we focus on a collective ethos rather than heroically flawed individuals?
I’m told above the din, the BJP leadership is in doldrums, and only Modi is in the ascendant. Why, I ask? One of them quips because the punters bet on him. Big bets and jhugaad, in the end, is what it is all about. Modi draws the punters for all sorts of reasons: the personality, the charisma, the magnetism (some call it oomph and sex appeal).
We are eight thousand. Modi extols the audience to swear by the name of god. The response is muted. Modi’s magic is not working. The black cats on stage, twiddle their thumb.
There are many Adivasis from Dangs among the audience. There is talk of a state-level agitation - to protest against harassment by forest and police officials. They want to press for the early passage of the proposed Central bill recognising their rights over forestlands.
Modi’s scowls. He is worried.
Sonia Gandhi’s show was good. L K Advani’s rally in nearby Valsad was a flop.
In the nineteenth century the problem was that God is dead. In the twentieth century the problem is that man is dead. In the twenty first century, the booze is dead.
Valsad is the land of Morarji Desai. It has burgeoning trade; Neera Kendras, locals malls and a public toilet which is nicknamed Pakistan. Our car is halted by the local police. We are asked if we are transporting liquor.
Booze is omnipresent during an election. The game plan is simple: Make the rival voters drunk; so that they can’t vote.
Liquor is imported from Daman or plied from Deevdanda. This is a non-decrepit fishing village. Electricity is in a constant state of flux. School children do not know the name of their omnipresent CM. The big problem is, the sea is encroaching. A temporary barricade was built but parts of the village were flooded with sea water. The situation is grim.
A year ago, I had met a local from this village on an Etihad flight. He is a poor man who did menial jobs for the Emirates coast guard. His Air India flight was cancelled. He told me, his ancestors had sneaked into the hull of a ship - and into the Gulf. That is no longer, possible with international laws. Now, one needs a work permit. Otherwise his entire family would have migrated to the Emirates. The Arabs are serious. They create islands on the sea. In Jordan, they plan to shift the sea from the East to the West. But in Deevdanda, nothing has changed. There is zero development.
He is returning home after a decade. Its his daughter’s marriage. His future son in law earns Rs 2500 per month. He says that’s as much as a migrant sugarcane cutter in Gujarat. Is it enough, he asks me, for two grown ups who plan to start a family? In Surat, one of the most expensive cities in the country?
Things have to change, he adds. These days, everyone talks about the sookhi; no one talks about the dookhi! Development has to be for everyone. Or else, Gujarat will become like the Emirates, a land for Oil Sheikhs and no one else.
Why should society feel responsible only for the education of children, and not for the education of all adults of every age?
The question pops ups - Gujarat and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Modi, who is armed with a Political Science degree, inexplicably, refers to Mohandas as Mohanlal in his public rallies.
I witness Mahatma Magic during an open air show of MAHADEVBHAI for thousands of Adivasis and locals in Olpad (near Surat). It was a show on a makeshift stage, basic lights and sound. None of it mattered. The audience, repeated, each and every line. At times, they stood up and argued with the actor. And once the play was over, they debated the pros-cons of the show till sunrise. So, Gandhi is raging!
Of course, you can argue Olpad is Gandhi territory. It is a few kilometres from Vedchi, where Narayan Desai, son of Mahadev Desai (Gandhiji’s secretary from 1919-42) oversees an ashram, a school, a workshop for artisans. The indefatigable Narayanbhai has been doing a road show which he calls Gandhi Katha. The turn-out in interiors of Gujarat has been encouraging. The Vedchi ashram is powered by solar energy. School children enter in the morning, and leave their dabbas in the solar container. By lunch break, they can have piping, hot food. Post Godhra, Muslim artisans were relocated in the workshop. Funds were raised for rehabilitation. Field reports were filed and submitted to the courts.
This is the Gandhian method. Outsiders say, Gandhians are loveable but naive and totally impractical in today’s Gujarat.
A local Gandhian says, the Congress had a better chance in 2002 than now. In fact with a better choice of candidates, the Congress could have won 40-45 of the closely fought seats. But the Congress was scared. It gave Modi a walk-over. The Gandhian knows what she is talking about, since for the first time since Emergency, everyone (Gandhians, Socialists, Sarvodayawallahs, Leftists, etc) had campaigned against Modi in 2002.
Five years later, I meet her in a Memo train. So what’s the prediction? She says, quite straightforward. Its Modi v/s Modi. Either Modi will win. Or Modi will lose.
nice read sir ….
there is a sense of sorrow and puty with which the article has been written.
“but it has all the
finally…hav been missing the murmurings for so long. Where have u been saar ? but never miss the HT one anyway. As always, great read and this time it has the visual elements too. cud c everything. So,its again Modi vs modi ? and i m still wondering about the 5W’s and 1 H. But then he is not the only one.
hi ramu,
Wow lovely post, got an insight in whats happening in gujrat first hand through your post. By the way, waht do you think about the not so latest issue ‘The Ram Setu’ issue??? No marks for me for guessing, but i see a script taking shape, as politicians will exloit it, make people fight over it, gain political mileage over it, TV channels too will hype it up, Anand Patwardhan will probably end up making another award winning documentary on it and eventually there will be a film made on it, probably called ‘Ram Setu’ I have been observing a lot of hoardings asking people to support the cause to save the so called bridge… but trust me this is one film i hope that never gets made… too much is at stake and especially looking at the way we are going, it scares me all the more… Ram Bachaye!!!
very interesting article….one question that arises to my mind is about the psyche of the people in Gujarat…is it only fear that is giving Modi the wind in his sails or is it solid support…it it is support then that is a very worrying sign…
Dear All,
Modi is a born good leader. Gujarat has never seen such a good CM in the history. Believe me, you guys have very wrong impression about Modi.
Watch this video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3UUU4ZQhDk&mode=related&search=
The people of Gujarat are in solid support.
Gujarat has faced riots while Congress was ruling in 70s and also Mumbai has faced too in 93 under congress ruling.
Hi Kuldip,
That doessn’t justify what happened in Gujarat Post Godhra… there’s way bigger conspiracy that probably we people are not even able to visualize or foresee that these politicians are at. By this I do not say that congress is any better.
Is this PFC? Or some other dumb mind numbing news channel - constantly indulging in psudo scularism or biased communal critique? Plz no more modi thrashing or favoring…
Let those pple living in jamalpur, kalupur, dariyapur, jambu, mandvi, panigate,chhani,salatwada,ranika and many many more across gujarat decide who should be the CM of Gujarat…
Ramu
yeh dil mange more.
Thanks for this article. Please write more regularly about political issues.
I wonder these r just ur genuine opinion or u r afraid of accepting the truth of Modi in a muslim dominated film industry where calling a spade a spade would be hazardous…
If u have courage post similar ‘intellectual’ article about the reality of Islamic extremism, may be on how Muslim League is still winning in your own state, i.e Kerala or how Sania Mirza has to apologize on shooting outside a mosque….
I am sure all you wud have to offer on this is Silence….because we all know wat happened to Theo van Gog…..
those fu^*g channels cnnibn/ndtv etc make a living out of bashing modi and pretend to be secular .. if they bash muslim radicals, its anchors wudve been murdered long back. obviously slain ppl cant make any noise . thats ‘peace’ for u.
saddam hussain is hanged by America .. fu$%g loonies create a riot in Bangalore .. kashmiri hindus and sikhs killed and driven out (and before that frm pakistan) .. hmm deja vu . our PM cant sleep becoz he feels for the mother of indian terrorist who rammed his explosive laden car into glasgow airport and died .. ofcourse 300 ppl die in train blast in india - no problem .. its part of life ! read an article by Tarleen Kaur . she said while inspecting the site of train blast, our PMs face was as cheerful as if he was taking a morning garden walk.
tasleema nsreen had her book banned in ’secular’ india coz she wrote abt bangladeshis harassing the hindus over THERE. the leaders of a political party who attacked her in hyderabad proudly proclaim ‘we are muslims first , indians later’. ofcourse sardesaiji and cronies completely missed this.
ethnic indians harassed and discriminated in malaysia, indonesia , ancient temples demolished in scores .. no big deal ! the PM even refuses to meet the their leader who asks india for help . wow .. i love this secularism !
Thank you - ALL OF YOU - for comments.
One solitary article on Gujarat will NOT alter the ground reality, BUT it enables us to ask tough questions about a multi religious society such as ours.
As Kabira (a julaha-weaver) said:
Baahman se gadha bhala
Aan jaat se kutta
Mullah se murga bhala
Raat jagvai sutta
And for these utterances, they martyred Kabira as a kafir, a low caste renegade, a securalist.
Having a sensible discussion about Gujarat, is well neigh impossible. The atmosphere is over heated and tense. During these elections, there was “bhay” (fear) in Gujarat. It was palpable. Non Modi voters refuse to articulate their choice in public. Usually, these were poor disenfranchised people. Adivasis, Kolis, peasants, workers, women, weavers. AND most of these people are the ones who did NOT vote in Jamalpur, Kalupur, Dariyapur, Jambu, Mandvi, Panigate, Chhani, Salatwada, Ranika.
The other thing is: Gujarat has been polarised. On the rare occasion, when there is a Hindu-Muslim alliance, its because a Dawoodi Bohra trader has a “strategic” partnership with a Mehta or a Shah in order to prevent his shop or gala being burned in the next round of riots.
Looming large is the visage of the CM. Modi is self-obsessed. When I attended Modi’s rallies, I noticed, he utters his own name. Once, every 45 seconds to 65 seconds. Like Colonel Gaddafi, dictator of Libya, he is inflicted by the Gaddafi Syndrome. For Modi, the Party does not matter, nor the Program, nor the Ideology. Coz Modi is the Supreme Commander & CEO.
The point is, in a Parliamentary Democracy, the leader cannot be larger than life. If that happens, he will become General Miah Musharaf. And like General Miah Musharaf - he will begin to believe he is the ONLY saviour, who can guarantee security or prosperity of his people. For the Gaddafis and Musharafs of the world - the Constitution, a free media and independent cinema and documentaries and art — ARE hurdles, obstacles, impediments. Therefore they are meant to be subverted, throttled, banned.
Such a behaviour undermines democracy. This was evident in Pakistan; in Libya; and during the Emergency in our country when India became Indira and Indira became India.
The lesson from Emergency was: we cannot compromise our democratic ethos; and that is NOT possible till we find an ethical balance between individual freedom on the one hand, and, our collective identity, on the other (as the “banned” film-makers on PFC will testify!).
We need to be able to question our political leadership? Mr Modi has been elected by the people. He is a servant of the people. It’s our Constitutional Right to question his functioning and utterances.
Even if they are uncomfortable questions!
For e.g. Modi’s Followers speak of a well-governed state, they underline development. But progress for whom - and at what cost? Today, Gujarat is the 17th state among 18 large states in terms of statutory expenditure in the social sector. But as any two-bit economist will testify, the way to finance Government expenditure is through better tax administration and better tax collection; and NOT road shows and full page ads in newspapers.
Due to the high borrowings by Modi, the state has a debt burden of Rs 94,000 crore. It was was Rs 45,301 crore in 2001-02. Gujarat has borrowed beyond its capacity. Of this, crores of tax payer’s money is spent to ensure that The Ruler’s face is plastered on ST buses, school books + bags, bill boards, masks.
Like Gaddafi and Musharaf, the Modi - THE RULER - is everywhere.
Modi’s generation will not be affected but it will affect future generations of the state. In the long run, these borrowings will damage Gujarat’s interests.
PRASHANT SIR: I’m NOT part of the Hindi film industry. In fact I’m not a writer, director, actor, spot boy. Nothing. I’ve no patrons in the film fraternity. Hindu nor Muslim nor Bahai. But my paowallah and andhawallah and taxiwallah and poet friend and students and the waiter who served me falooda are Muslims. But why should that ghettoise my thought process?
In Kerala, the Muslim League is in ascendancy ALONG WITH the RSS and VHP. Extreme passions and prejudices are fanned by fanatics on both side.
Also, I’m from Kerala. But because of a complicated lineage (which we can discuss over a cutting chai - whenver you’ve the time), I’m also from Partitioned Punjab. Born in Kolkotta. Raised in Bihar. Studied in Maharashtra. Worked + travelled in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh and Uttranchal. The one thing, I’ve noticed is: HATE cannot be countered with HATE!
Jati na pooch Sadh ki
Pooch lijiye gyaan
Mol karo talwaar ki
Pada rahan do myaan
FINALLY FIMBHAI: The questions you raise points me to The Indian Constitution, a vastly under-rated document, which was drafted by that giant among men, Dr Ambedkar. The Principle of the Constitution is based on the Right of the Individual, AND not on collective rights.
As our Nation State is passing through a perilous phase - these Constitutional Rights (especially for minority groups like Dalits, Women, Muslims), have collided with the right of the majority, and produced caste and communal violence. This is the main cause of Communalism in India. The Congress & BJP (among others), are aware of this contradiction - and have chosen to pursue a divisive, sectarian, narrow, partisan and communal agenda.
Dr Ambedkar in his book
Ramu sir…good to c u here again and as mainak said…yeh dil maange more…much more. why should the murmurings be limited to prithvi cafe (oh..now with new look n all) n HT!!
Hats Off!!! Brilliant!
- Phoenixnu, Ramu sir already owes oz 3 Rice plates and is trying to find a way out :)
beautiful…!!
good essay there Ramu sir .. i can tell u are a noble soul ..
but one thing i’l tell u is that Look Around at the muslim majority nations on this earth .. there is NO concept of secularism .. they enjoy it till they are a minority and then impose harsh islamic laws on the country as soon as they become the majority. u may wonder what happens to the liberal muslims .. well they get drowned out completely. Indonesia , Malaysia , Pakistan (chased away other faiths on its creation) , Bangladesh , not to mention the Arab states are shining(?) examles .. coz they are downright bigots in their approach (one cant practice any other religion in the whole of saudi arabia except ofcourse islam .. not even INSIDE ur home if im right). thats called extreme intolerance and totalianariasm. the ONLY secular muslim country is Turkey .. and that is becoz its erstwhile ruler (Kemal Attaturk) deislamised it completely by passing laws.
And not just Kabir .. even our respected Abdul Kalam got labelled as ‘Kafir’ for his secular tendencies.
Did u take note of that point i made abt attack on Tasleema .. they were [underline]Leaders[/underline] of a muslim political party .. and they openly profess that they bear allegiance to ISlam, not India. Coming frm the mouth of leaders u can ascertain where our democracy is headed. And surprise surprise .. not even one of those vociferous self-righteous monkeys in the media raised any objection. And no surprise at all: congress, in keeping ith its tradition of muslim appeasement at all costs, stays mum.
why do u think Film culture died down in pakistan when they seem to be culturally identical to us .. its becoz islam discourages all forms of art .. its only when musharraf came that he started promoting music and films there coz he knws its importance in a society. dude u criticize musharraf .. w/out him pakistan wudve been history.
uve raised a few negative points abt modis rule .. i lived in gujarat for 4 years .. i havent seen a smoother running state .. good electricity supply, good roads, low crime rate, firm anti terror approach, high development.
we idolize Gandhi who taught us to surrender and not raise our fists .. i disagree .. when its a question of ur survival, u gotta stand firm .. or else ur civilization ends up in a museum .
i aint half religious myself .. but i can see with the eyes of a human being whats wrong/evil . and i dont care if my opinion is politically correct or not.
problem is we dont learn from the past .
Dear Ramu,
I dont find fault with your intentions but the problem is hindu fanaticsm is largely reactionary, part
@Ramuji
some thought provoking stuff there. very interesting article indeed. I have never been to Gujrat but whatever I have heard/seen of the state and its ‘leader’, Modi does come off as another Musharraf.
“HATE cannot be countered with HATE!” totally agree.
Somebody here said he is a very good leader, I am not in a position (due to lack of knowledge) to question that but more often than not people tend to associate extremism and fiery personality with good leadership. It need not be necessarily so.
@Filmibhai
I do agree that secularism should not be one-sided or more precisely not only about hindu-bashing.
A couple of objections though:
“islam discourages all forms of art .. ” I disagree. Wasn’t it during the Mughal period that we constructed beautiful buildings and had some of the best artists in music?
They discourage the western influence, but that’s a different issue altogether (and a complicated one for it involves questions of freedom etc.)
And Gandhi taught us to surrender? where did you get that idea from? Its either a wrong choice of word or you really don’t know what he said because that is exactly what he asked us not to do! He asked us to stand firm.
‘I disagree. Wasn
‘And Gandhi taught us to surrender? where did you get that idea from? Its either a wrong choice of word or you really don
^^ i dont know how this smiley appeared there
Is it ball-less Mother India or ball-less Father India?
What type of ball-less-ness are we talking here?
For a ball-less nation India has’t done a bad job at fucking around once in a while.
O yes…but most of our fucking tends to be “largely reactionary”
:)
Wish filmbhai was a little better informed about history. He needs to understand the tensions generated within the Islamic thought by various exegetical strands and the Sufi silsilas were part of a larger political drive to mould the destiny of human kind - a tension between those who impose an agenda and those who resist it. Aurangzeb indeed frowned upon all forms of creative self-expression since, unlike his elder brother Dara Shikoh, he followed the Naqshabandi order of Sufism. Dara Shikoh, on the other hand, was into the Qadriya mode of Sufism and openly encouraged cross-cultural dialogues and celebration. Even Aurangzeb, as he realized he was nearing death, went into a self-critical mode and eventually died a highly disillusioned man. The comparison between Zia-ul-Haq and the Moghul emperors is, therefore, invalid.
Mini i dont understand why u r giving me a history lesson .. when more or less u r agreeing with what i said.
i dont knw if Aurangzeb followed some form of sufism or not . As far as i know he was rigidly and purely islamic in his approach. his brother Dara Shikoh on the other hand was a complete opposite. He took great interest in Indian spirituality (sanatan dharm) . he translated Upanishads into Farsi language. Aurangzeb didnt like this at all . He executed his brother.
‘The comparison between Zia-ul-Haq and the Moghul emperors is, therefore, invalid.’
why is it invalid .. two radical emperors (aurangzeb and zia-ul-haq) , tho belonging to different eras , exhibited the same traits in their rule.
i read somewhere that indian people operate on basis of moral relativism…and this is more true for indian elite…
..in this election…though the results will be out tomorrow…all the educated n elite people of gujrat as the exit poll shows support modi…they weigh his development ideals more heavily than his communal,mass-murderer credentials….the only ressistance to modi comes from the pockets of gujrat where development has not trickled in…and hence anti-modi factor..(note: this has nothing to do with their antagonism to modi’s visceral muslim hatred)…
….makes me raise few points in particular..
1. if ppl of gujrat knowing fully well..how he is a mass-murderer…chose his development ethic over his communal undertones…does it not emphasize about moral relativism of hindu elite…who is not affected by lofty exhortations of media against modi..(and ironically is target of media…of course poor dont watch parzania n read tehelka)
2. is gujrat a special case…or people in every state would chose development( as it should be n as has happened in gujrat) over communal trappings…
3. why the so called secular parties..dont hv guts to fight an election on development issue..n why do they lose if at all they fight it..(e.g. digvijay singh in m.p.)
4. it appears in this election that only poor hv stood for secularism..( which i would like to believe is anti-incumbency in fact)…would they hv voted similarly against modi had adequate development percolated to them..?
5. if you leave aside modi’s communal agenda…you would see that modi has not only developed gujrat but empowered its people..but the question is..is empowerment a dominating factor over caste n religious identity n secular credentials…at least the middle class of gujrat and to which media appeals think so..
…lastly that brings us to the moot point is it justice over peace or peace over justice…?
p.s…i hate modi..he appears to me as a self-obsessed creature who can turn fascist at anytime…even bjp n rss hate him for his individualistic streak…but he has channelled his manic energy to empower gujaratis…
‘i read somewhere that indian people operate on basis of moral relativism
:(am i really reading what i really want to read…
movies,metaphysics,mathematics and now what politics..
this is going somewhere and who really cares to know where its going..sometings should be let loose and allowed to wander about a bit!!that is i suppose is the moment when someone gets it1!!
there are some nice points you have put across on which i would like to comment on..
firstly modis objectives..you have caught the chicken by its neck and i will like to help you a little bit in loosening your stronghold..
development and modernisation is important but not on the cost of life of poor people..one good example that i can cite is that of the grameen bank which was the brainchild of muhammad yunus..
what i suppose is the biggest problem withthe gujarat government is their inability to resolve a simple question..
why make the rich even more richer..?
rich can find different ways of getting richer..so what they should be doing is provide ways to the poor to grow..
modis has been a centrist and his main aim has been to erradicate the lower middle class and thepoor in ways he would prefer to be!!
now then we should take in consideration the ideologies ofthe secular parties!!
the problem withsecular parties is this that they prefer to hold the complete powers only to themselves…and not share and redistribute them among the powerful!!see if you provide the powerful with more powers then you would also remain powerful..
modi has come to know about this fact and no-matter what he does he would keep on exorcisisng poor souls because he is confident ofthe support of the class for which he has being doing loads and loads of work..
rememeber:-power corrupts but absolute power corrupt absolutely..
lastly i would very much like to say that..no-matter what..
their are always two ways of doing this out of the several ways and the option that the modi government has chosen is very short-lived and will please souls only temporarily!!
the other way is a difficult and an effective way..i.e to somehow bring the poor and the lower middle class on their own feet of existence!!
though these are just analysis..isnt it!!
what do we really know whats cooking inside?
and though our love for the country can never be questioned..
if somebody dares questions us he would be bombarded with simple words..
how patriotic are we?
scrolling down this page…i could see a box asking for some donation..thats okay..infact very good…
but why in dollars….
ask in rupees…or paise..not dollars…
this is what americanisation can do!!
tear you apart of your own countries identity..
talking about politics would not make someone patriotic but thinking about your own country makes one patriotic!!
somebody has to start it but in our country the biggest hurdle that is always left to be crossed over is..
who is going to start it?
no one is sure of the agenda one tries to potray..
conflicts everywhere..
the rss having a conflict with the congress..
the cpim having a conflict with trinamul and the bjpp agenda..
so many different languages…but even then most of them stick to the same old language given to us by the britishers!!english..huh..
slaves then of britishers and slaves still of americans..
come on!!lets be typical indians…if not in language..then at least in thoughts…
lets think like an indian!!no matter what happens..
its being too patriotic i suppose but still i would always love tyo be patriotic..
i also thought the same , but i think internet transaction is dollar based only .. :((
‘lets be typical indians
:d :d :d :d :d Good one Ramu… Thanks for the reply… looking forward for more posts from you boss…
On second thought, I think people like you should be ruling our country… think about it… lol
Does anyone know about what happened to 3400 crores that were allocated by the gujarat govt (as mentioned in their web site) for the earth quake victims in 2001 ? I would like to know how that money was spent as no one (not even the media) got any time to investigate that as the riots took all the attention.
u havent investigated and yet u r almost accusing the govt in ur tone .. typical :d
ps any plans to make Kashmir-zania ??
Ramu
Its Modi again……117 as of now,
Pls explain how this is happening?
and Sagarika is confusing me so much.
So is this what Gujarat wants?
nADIR
I been reading your comments everywhere. Find it very interesting.
Who are you? [Its not a metaphysical/philosophical question]
BTW Dollar is no longer cool. Its falling big time. There’s a new name for NY in Europe. They call it the Giant Discount Mall. EURO is the new cool.
Even JayZ in his new music video walks around with Euro, not dollars. Even Pop Culture has understood the new Currency.
I find this Gujrat Elections one of the most fascinating Elections ever.
I have noticed, no one has ever done anything for the poor except for few like Yunus. The smart Leaders who take over the State start with the Cities & they become the symbol of development. Chandrababu is the best example. This pisses the poor a lot. They get jealous & exercise their power. So the Congress comes back to power & even the cities are neglected.
Is it possible to have really good CMs? Karnataka’s Congress CM also turned into dust. He seemed good at his job.
We have a highly Intelligent Prime Minister ruling our country. But he is handing our country in a platter to the Americans. Not to mention he feels completely powerless. Thank god for the Communists. This is the 1st time their actions have done something good, from as far as I can remember in my life.
I have to admit, I’m very worried about Pakistan. Masharraf is the last hope for humanity. The fanatics will rip apart Nawaz & Bhutto. I hope I’m wrong. Pakistan is a very important country. Even more so than IRAN right now.
Modi has won hands down.
Amdavad must be a Carnival tonight.
So Gujratis have chosen Highways, Non Stop Electricity & Dams built on the blood of muslims.
I hope & pray that Modi will leave the muslims in peace & really transform rural Gujrat. Otherwise there will be hell to pay for the whole country.
Very interesting article on the Elections
http://in.rediff.com/news/2007/dec/23bhatt.htm
M
am watching it live:
sayan.freehostia.com
thanx
Thanks K3
I was gonna ask you a link for it. I remember being in India now. I remember being glued in front of TV when Vinod Dua & Pronoy Roy would do their Election marathon on DD.
I grew up in Amdavad.
I went & did bogus voting at the age of 16 in the local Elections.
Never missed an Election since I turned 18.
Mainak,
When was the last time you visited Ahmedabad or any part of Gujarat?
Narendra Modi won because he has got back up of wealthy NRIs and Reliance, he improved/developed Gujarat. If Congress had been charge of Gujarat, then right now, the state would have been a hot-bed for Kashmiri militants to hire/kidnap Gujaratis. And the state would have been so corrupt and far backwards. Well, I have heard many Gujarati’s say that. No?
Link
Anyway,…
Rahul Dholakia,
Link
‘Sides, wealthy NRIs would have heavily invested money in the area that was affected… specially Kutch.
Pehle Dhanda….Phir Dharma
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main36.asp?filename=Ne291207fascism.asp
Its been 10 Years HG since I last visited Amdavad.
@Mainak..
I think ur utterly disgusting person. You dont have any write to pass sweeping statement like ”on the blodd of Muslims”…Are Gujaratis predators.
Gujarat was a developed state before 2002 and will always remain so. What happened in 2002 was unfortunate…but similar or worse riots happened in congress rule all over country, but no pseudo-secularists likes to remember them but for all the corrective actions, 2002 riots still remains a hot favour amongst all pseudo-secularists.. BUT WHY??? Beacause if any Tom, Dick or Harry has to prove its secularism just go on and bash BJP mindlessly.
Congress has ruled our country for 54 years..but yet muslims are at the lowest level of development..who is responsible ??? BJP or Narendra Modi…
Please write contructive, whether criticism or applause.
The much touted 9% growth rate of the Indian economy has to be logically based on national and international loot. The whole myth of of a surging Gujarat, for instance, is a pure chimera and I am not surprised that a bulk of Gujarati electorate has spoken “Hum Sab Modi” adorning viciously standardized masks. The bubble will hopefully burst in a few years when ecological disasters will start visiting us without a warning and grossly and excruciatingly overstay their welcome.
BJP professes a culture of aggression rooted in a pogrommatic unconscious. Modi is the extreme face of these chaps with hideous khaki haff pants, white shirts and a black cap (wonder how they have survived without a Rohit Bal in these times of crass globalisaton!) - in short, the vigilante ironshirts!
Congress on the other hand lacks all conviction - a party as cold as its Prime Minister. Not a heart beats for its cold governance and not a tear would be shed for the losses it has suffered in Gujarat and those it is going to in Himachal.
All this makes the national political scenario pretty grim.
I wonder why the PCF never looks at questions related to the politics of depredations of various kinds. It is not enough to continuously scoff at KJo and the Chopras. It is important to aslo crically review our own relations of production. The politics of multiplexes being but one of them. What is this thing called a multiplex - architecturally, politically, socially and economically. Why does a particular brand of cinema feels so euphoric about the renewed possibilities of its existence merely because the multiplex is its avowed template? Why does it not ever feel troubled by its unquestioning relationship with the ideology of the multiplex?
‘Why does a particular brand of cinema feels so euphoric about the renewed possibilities of its existence merely because the multiplex is its avowed template? Why does it not ever feel troubled by its unquestioning relationship with the ideology of the multiplex?’
o.O
thoda saral bhasha mein likhiye kripaya :)
Mainak
‘So Gujratis have chosen Highways, Non Stop Electricity & Dams built on the blood of muslims.’
u r good at dramatic writing .. try films definitely.
@prashant
this joke is getting irritating…..
every time someone talks intelligent, name him pseudo intellectual. everytime someone talks of equality name him pseudo secular. please yaar..
u know, agreed with all your points but buddy, u still did not get our pt. of view on this matter….
the punishment for 1 murder or 100 murders remains the same. the biggest problem is that since it did not happen to us personally, we least care about the past. if not for the development, narendra modi would have been a political outcast by now. all this harping on development plank is the only thing modi could have done to sustain himself in politics. haven’t u read anything about fascism? hitler and stalin used the development plank to push their sinister motives down on the society. can u tell me, all said and done, could u forgive the man if ur own kin were killed for no fault of theirs in an act of state sponsored killings?
what modi has done is to give a human name and face to the common man’s miseries, making them believe that he is the real enemy and only modi’s victory means the defeat the enemy.
unfortunately, the whole idea of fascism revolves around giving tangible benefits to people(electricity, roads etc.) and altering the intangible fabric of the community(peace, religion etc) according to their own ideologies.
he has been literally pushing his cult of personality down people’s throats (mao zeodong, stalin, big brother anyone?). modi has become a symbol of gujarat, and people fail to realize that politics, humans are much more than just symbols. whatever modi does hereafter, the symbol will always remain attached to him.
the only big problem is, the congress is just as bad as the bjp, in my opinion, even worse…
that they fielded a much higher no. of criminal candidates kind of validates that. and in case of any kind of respectable options, modi will only flourish further. people will continue to vote only ‘for or against modi’. unfortunately, i don’t see a way out of it.
my only hope is that modi does not become big on the national political scene (my guess: he won’t, am always an optimist).
ayway, the people of gujarat have chosen. my opinion has always been that the politicians of a state or country genuinely represent the kind of people constituting it. so let’s just forget everything and wear that frightening modi mask which came to symbolize this election…
V for ‘vendetta’ anyone??
Mini
‘The much touted 9% growth rate of the Indian economy has to be logically based on national and international loot. ‘
again, what does this mean ??
by reading a lot of ur posts, i suspect u r kinda ‘high’ when u write
(i still cant forget ur calling rd burman a ‘mediocre’ composer)..
@Filmibhai
too late for this, but anyway…
Your argument still doesn’t prove that Islam is against arts.
Its kind of sad that we judge people by their rulers but alas! that’s the way it is.
Don’t go by what maulavis etc. say. If we go by what panditjis or maulavis tell us, burning women alive is a part of Hinduism (which it is not and never was!).
And about Gandhi and his philosophy, it is pretty much clear that I can’t say anything that will convince you to believe that it takes much more strength to stand up against the evil and not resort to same methods to counter it than to escape to violence. Quoting Ramuji again ‘Hate cannot be countered with Hate’
Even I am no completely convinced that it always works but I want to believe that it does. Whatever little I have read, I have never read anything like Gandhi’s philosophy.
By the way, give me one Asian/African country that got independence by violent methods(wars) and is in a better position than us.
Can’t believe people still take so much interest in elections! I don’t see what difference does it make. Whoever wins its the same economic policies that guarantee money to Ambanis and Tatas, more jobs to middle class and no jobs to tribals and poor people. As far as communal tension is concerned, as someone pointed out, congress in no better. They are just smarter to maintain a cleaner, ’secular’ public image on these issues.
@ mini
this is not an editorial page. kindly refrain from using such victorian language which becomes seems very odd to include in such an informal conversation. right words at right forum at the right time, right?
just a suggestion, if u ever happen to take one. otherwise agree with u….ahem…completely, for a change…
@mr. rahul dholakia
feel sorry for u sir! there go another five years before their is a chance of parzania releasing in gujarat.
@filmibhai
be open to discussion sirjee, instead of suggesting alternate professions to people….
“The much touted 9% growth rate of the Indian economy has to be logically based on national and international loot. The whole myth of of a surging Gujarat, for instance, is a pure chimera”..
..kindly catch this link..
http://ushome.rediff.com/news/2007/dec/21gujpoll.htm
( how modi’s development differs from the development of chandrababu..)
…the logic of gujaratis…
read this
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main36.asp?
filename=Ne291207fascism.asp
http://in.rediff.com/news/2007/dec/23bhatt.htm
..its all right to sit as armchair activists and denounce modi for his deeds in 2002…n yes he still is an obsessed zealot with anti-muslim agenda…but power has diluted his viciousness and he is focussing his energy on empowerment and not on chimeric development..
..come to think of it how many states in india have been able to do even a part of what modi has done in 5 years…empowerment is serious business and we all know that it happens over time and is definitely more difficult and prolonged than building bridges and IT Cities…but rather than pointing out faults in his honest intentions..how about restricting our generalisations…
…n yes how about giving a person a second chance…
laloo yadav wid all his fodder scams behind him transformed railways in such a manner that it is now taught as case study in management schools…
anwar sadat wid long history of jew-phobia had a peace pact wid israel..
then why can’t we modi a chance..who has looked beyond 2002…and focussed on development in true sense of word and ensured a riot free gujrat..
p.s. modi has won not because he is a good person or ram rajya administrator..it is just because his opposition congress,left n ilk are so morally bankrupt..that they do not think twice before evoking the name of lofty principles and do pithy work at ground level..
..if development and empowerment.. is not happening in gujrat…then what is happening in name of social justice in U.P.,,,what is happening in name of equality in bengal…( are rich not becoming richer n poor becoming poorer there) ..at least empowerment in gujrat is much more than these states..
..n that is why people get nauseated when congress,left(which practises economics in kolkata n politics in delhi) and regional parties hide n chose to play beneath the veneer of moral superlatives…
..come to think of it what V.p. singh did in name of social justice..( created obc reservation..benefits of which hardly reach 0.5% of obc’s and that too already well to do ones…and which divided whole of u.p. and bihar among caste fault lines..)..left is the most hypocrite of lot..and there is appalling poverty the moment you step out of kolkata…and we all know how muslim appeasement by mulayam n y.s.r. has got to such high levels in u.p. n andhra..that police complains of high-handedness in their operations against terrorist activity..come to think of it in u.p. the blast are planned and executed within 1 day in courts when there were altercation between lawyers n leshker-e-taiyyabba militants..
…gujrat is perhaps an example of the fact..that people will select development n empoerment under a person whose hands are washed with muslim blood rather than listen too appeasent and lofty ideals of congress n leftists who are too corrupt or hypocrites to implement them.
@KJ
Sorry if this is getting irritating but this is debate dear you wont get to listen what u want to…
Sure I know about Fascicm but to say that Modi is Fascist means 2 crores Gujarartis who have voted for him are fascist too. Fascism is what u see in West Bengal where every voter is marked and tracked by a comrade and free media is not allowed inside, where Election Commission cannot conduct free and fair vote and where people are terrorized.
If u read the minority commission report of states, u wud be amazed to know that muslims in non congress ruled states is much better and better still in Gujarat.
Crying insecurity and communalism for chorting muslims into herds and gain poltically have been
a age old ploy of congress and by writing stuff like ”on blood of muslims” , people propagate it.
If my kins wud die in riots sure i would be angry but wont brood over it whole my life and sure move on.
Y one shud be afraid of saying that some muslims are infact traitors and mislead muslim majority as some do in Hindus as well. I dont support Pravin Togadiya but I support Modi.
KJ ji, your agreement with my line of thinking? God Almighty be praised for small mercies! As for your comment about my language being Victorian, it doesn’t seem as if you have read the Victorian literature carefully nor does it seem to me that you have been reading the editorial write-ups as an aware student of language. So for the time being the matter rests there.
As for filmbhai saheb attributing a statement (vis-a-vis RD Burman) to me which I never made, shows quite clearly who is more prone to substance abuse between the two of us. And I still maintain that the parallel you draw between the Moghul emperors and Zia-ul-Haq is based on a highly tenuous understanding of history. But given the headstrong streak you seem to have to get obsessed with self-induced notions of what you believe others are saying, it would be highly unlikely to send you back to books.
arre the irritating part was only pseudo this and that. rest i hv no problems with.
sirjee… i went to gujarat recently and i know for a fact that many muslims too were rooting for modi.
the fact of the matter is that most muslim leaders have been forced into compliance and thus, there is no organized conflict b/w people, all people have returned to work and hence the muslims are flourishing too, and those not affected directly by the riots were hailing this newfound peace and progress. but is it real peace? as in ‘War is Peace’ as described in orwell’s 1984?
sooner or later the togadias and uma bhartis bajrangis will again need just a trigger like godhra to return to their main aim of ayodhya and the bukharis of delhi will also jump in the pool f hatred and the result would be just the same as has always been.
my only contention is that what of people who lost their loved ones for nothing? and what of modi defending himself on the sohrabuddin issue?
but i can understand your sentiment…
one thing is that i would never vote in such an election where you have a tiger on one side and crocodile on the other, but if one would really force me into voting, i’d probably wear a modi mask and vote for him, coz i won’t be face myself in the mirror…..
Prashant Bhai, if only you knew how badly the vote in Gujarat was split, you wouldn’t make the sweeping statement about the 2 crore Gujaratis voters being deductively labelled as fascists by those who express not only a sense of dismay but more seriously a sense of concern at how the Indian polity is changing for the worse. Your argument is a typical example of the logic of willfull oversight. As Simon and Garfunkel said in one of their songs: “People hear what they want to hear and disregard the rest”. The myth of which you are such an obvious proponent goes like this:
1. There exists a utopian monolith identified as the 2 crore Gujarati voters.
2. Anyone who questions the vaunted wisdom of this monolith (the 2 crore Gujarati voters) is attacking Gujarati asmita or Gujarati pride.
3. Through a subterfuge of “condensation and displacement” - a little psychoanalysis once used so liberally in the film studies of the 70s - the monolith and the Gujarati asmita become subsumed within the persona of a single Super Subject called Narendra Modi.
KJ bhaii..I also understand what u r saying and I am also against any kind of fundamentalism but we live in real world with real people..
If u read Tehelka very well but also see other resourses as in our country most corrupt is Media..
In a tumultos time when people desperately look for development and plain speaking, hiding behind mask is not that bad a idea after all…
oye miniji!
now i’ll have to take out my boxing gloves again! small mercies they were indeed!
i was hoping that you would ignore the word victorian and not take it literally.
“BJP professes a culture of aggression rooted in a pogrommatic unconscious”
ending of sentence with phrasal adjective, common victorian literature practice.
and no, i m not a student of language, but i understand enough to top my cat exam in that section.
there, stating unnecessary facts for the sake of credibility, and so that ’some ppl’ stop teaching me language. he he….
by the way, the word pogrommatic is showing with a red line under it on my firefox, so now u’ll be my source of ‘vocab for dummies’…
prashant bhai, as i had said earlier that fascism caters to the tanginle needs of the populi and works on altering the intangible in accordance to it’s own requirement. so i doubt that people in gujarat really see narendra modi as a ‘fascist’.
and my belief: idealism of today becomes reality of tomorrow…..
maybe when we do get a good govt. we would be proud to say that we live in a real world with real people…..
read the editorial analysing the election results…
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/FullcoverageStoryPage.aspx?id=476631e0-235e-4f5f-b55b-4a9a7a0f34cdGujaratVotes_Special&&Headline=Assembly+polls%3a+Narendra+Modi+is+king+of+Gujarat
another thing which irritates a lot is modi’s growing megalomania. he has also started referring to himself in third person in his speeches…
If only you knew elementary psychoanalysis, you would know that the word ‘unconscious’ is used as a noun. Very Un-Victorian that!
The word pogrommatic is a neologism ands reflects a programmatic approach to staging ‘pogroms’. Your thesaurus obviously sees red.
Glad to know you passed your cat. I didn’t appear for fear of failing.
he of course is a megalomaniac…but then in india almost every politician who wields such mass influence is..what do u think about mayawati n jaylalita..jus because they do not speak in third person does not say much in their favour..at his peak even laloo campaigned like this though of course he had a sense of humour which helped…
…modi on the face of it is like a missile who can go wrong anytime given his autocratic style of functioning and anti-muslim bias…as we had seen post godhra…but unfortunately we suffer from a lack of choices…those who get votes from back ward castes n minorities in name of secularism n social justice do nothing for them…
examples abound rajsekhar reddy, laloo yadav..west bengal..
… in past 3 years i hv grown sick of congress trying to tread middle ground…dis investment of loss-making psu is in shambles thanks to left..instead of investing in primary education first ..finance ministry doles out 8ooo crore for reservation to obc( and it was a political issue aimed at u.p. elections..as arjun singh himself admitted..)…its national rural employment scheme is in shambles….and we see daily the games health minister plays…
..every minister in this government has his own hidden agenda…and worse the prime minister does not know or has no control over his ministers…this
..left has black mailed and literally paralysed government over issues it openly practises in west bengal…see its SEZ hypocrisy…
..in july the prime minister wants to call left’s bluff and is ready to sacrifice his government for it….in october he goes into a shell…then in november sensing left’s unease over nandigram decides to renegotiate it..wtf is his our foreign policy is hostage to blackmail by hypocrites..we never had it this bad..
…in u.p. and andhra terrorists sleeper cells are activated..blasts planned and executed within 2 days…terrorism goes on as if there was no tomorrow..
..what is the use of an honest but spineless prime-minister,a spineless home-minister…if this is the price we have to pay for social and communal justice..then we are better of without it…modi for all his viciousness has never asked for votes in name of his backward caste credentials..has he..?
…finally take example of russia..when yeltsin..a true liberal democrat with an ardour for democracy was in charge..the whole economy was in shambles…when putin an ex k g b man wid autocratic style gets on with things…economy improves..russian ppl are happy now..at least materialistically..
..lets suppose your child falls sick n u hv to get him operated which doctor would u chose an honest one or an able one…?
…look what social justice created for us..mulayam,laloo,mayawati,prakash karat..tell me honestly if u had a choice between them n modi whom would u choose..?
…in my opinion the debates of justice come only after development has ocurred…and thankfully both the rural and urban populace of gjrat has seen through this bluff…
ya, my mistake. didn’t go to elementary school. feared failing…
and glad u didn’t appear for the exam, lest they’d have had to introduce upper cutoffs just to make sure ppl who know more than the faculty are kept out….
anupam, agree with u completely…
but there are other candidates who do not belong to the congress either. there are genuine people and many independent candidates who are good. i know it doesn’t make a difference to the election result, but i’d rather vote for them. the ec should really introduce the protest vote option. would make atleast a few ppl go through the entire lit of candidates…
This is the saddest day for our country..it reflects so much about where we are heading as to where we THINK we are heading..
Slightly off-topic but some guys have pointed mohd. younis in their comments so i m putting a link here abt his grameenphone, written in devnagri script
http://rejectmaal.blogspot.com/2007/12/blog-post_17.html
Wellsaid Anupam….people of Gujarat actually delievered one tight slap to all those who think that people of a such a matured democracy are naive and foolish to invariably be driven by polarization. There is nothing like this in real Gujarat.
@KJ…bhaisahab aap baithe rahna aisi real society ke intezaar me…sach to hai ki nothing like this exists or will ever exists….we always try to evolve that and sometime the way involves swallowing bitter pills..such as Gujarat 2002.
Anupam,
what’s your definition of ‘development’ because mine includes social justice as a part of development.
In any case, “debates of justice come only after development has occured”, when and where do you think this so called development stops(if it ever does)?
@AmitP
thanks for the link, lots of masala to read and think :)
Great Post Ramu..
the election results, Scary Shit!!!
neeraja
ok do some research urself now . if im right there are 4 schools of thought in Islam (major ones atleast). All of them concur, on the basis of qoutations from the Quran, that music, painting and dance are not permissible (haram).
its actually a fact . i wont get anything by lying to u :)
ive seen different ppl posting their views , but u, Mini, are special. u r a bully who is just too egoistic to come out and accept that u could be wrong somewhere.
on top of that instead of giving good arguments, all u do is drop some really fancy sentences in English and try to dazzle everybody.
54 Mini
‘As for filmbhai saheb attributing a statement (vis-a-vis RD Burman) to me which I never made, shows quite clearly who is more prone to substance abuse between the two of us.’
this is what u said with regard to rd burman in the Deciphering KKC thread:
118 - “The worst music in the Indian cinema happened in the 70s and 80s - approximately the period that coincides with RD Burman
@neeraja
for me development means at least the right to basic education and primary health care and basic amenities(electricity,water) to all of the people…and i would like to refer to it as basic empowerment…and for me the issues of discrimination come after that..
since you have asked me this question… i would like to ask you some similar things..
1. what have the states harping maximally on issue of social justice given us….model states likes bihar or u.p. or west bengal…come on tell me if you had a choice where would you like to live in a village of bengal or village of gujrat..
2. even i agree when you talk of a development all inclusive of social justice…but you are talking of a utopian choices..here u have to choose between lesser evils..no where have i said…that modi is a good man..least of all he has had an actve role in mass genocide…but for me people like laloo,mayawati..who have taken their states 20 yrs back and divided their respective hindu society on caste fault lines are equally guilty if not less…and yes i have no soft words for mulayam who has been sole-handedly responsible for fostering isi terror factories in u.p….and i dont mince words while blaming left for alarming poverty in bengal inspite of their clamour for equality n social justice… and congress..aha the latest to jump on the social justice bandwagon..by creating new obc reservations made by a senile hrd minister..who himself admits he did it not because of the policy he had but because of election in mind..
..these folks have made social justice sound like sham..and makes me puke at them..
..i give these examples not to exonerate modi..but to state than when you blame people of gujrat for choices they have made..i will ask you what choices they had….
..in a utopian state..in which choices were fair,elections were fought by people of ideology n not pretence..i would surely have stood against fanatical zealot like modi…but not this day,not this state,not this election..
p.s.
1. by the way who do you think is more happy and developed a villager evicted from bejing forcibly by his government(which bludgeons the protest of democracy in full eye view at tienemenn square) against his choice…and rehabilitated to a place where he and his children are receiving free education,health care and food…..or his indian counterpant living in a slum in lucknow wid two times food,not able to afford education to his children..but yes asserting his right to live in the slum…
2. which do you think is a more developed russia..starving russia under democratic yeltsin or a resurgent russia under autocratic putin..?
@Mainak: never missed an election myself AND voted underage for NTR in 1983! That was some election, it was the matter of Telugu Pride :)
@50 Neeraja
Can’t believe I read that right?
Why should people take so much interest in Elections? Because.
If you don’t want all the money to go to the Tatas and Ambanis, then dissect, dismember.elect.
or better still file nomination papers.
“Be the Change you want to see in the World - M K Gandhi” :)
@ Anupam
thanx for all the links and an alternative view point, very helpful and makes me see issues differently.
ditto HG/Prashant
@ K J : liked your definition of Fascism…..
@filmibhai…
catch the uncanny similarity between somebody’s writing style and this article….
http://physics.nyu.edu/~as2/dawkins.html
now catch this interesting analysis of oso n saawariya by an intellectual imposter..
please give me ur input if u could make sense of it without laughing..
http://www.epw.org.in/uploads/articles/11317.pdf
@ Kavita -NTR in 1983! That was some election, it was the matter of Telugu Pride :)
1983 - god was still spendin hours designin someone !!!! who wud later grow on to love puttu and yethaikka and would want to become a movie maker ;)
he wudnt mind Aviyal too ;)
Dear Minin
My language skills are no match to you. But I would still respond (ignore it if you think I never understood wat u wanted to say, correctly).
1. Though your point that there is no monolithic cluster of 2 crore Gujaratis is Valid. Wat I actually meant was 51% vote share that BJP got in this election that roughly amounts to 2 crore.
2. In absence of any above mentioned monolithic gujaratis, your arguments renders, the conclusion of asmita pride being the weapon of used by people like us, Invalid. But however if this is truth then y shud it worry anybody (including you) if we talk about gujarati asmita given that ur so confident that this obviously have no mass appeal.
3. All over the world democracies are essentially centrifuges around persona of leadership mixed with the issue this leadership confronts. So wats objectionable with Moditva except you cannot digest the defeat.
Prashant Bhai, if only you knew how badly the vote in Gujarat was split, you wouldn
@george
I declare myself the Paati on PFC !!
You not even born in 83 ?
Am I surrounded my bacchas :d
I said UNDERAGE in 83, hope that helps!!!!
Aviyal anytime. Yethaikka enna?
@anupam: ROFL, Suchita needs to read that one on FEMALE GAZE.
Dear Mini
My language skills are no match to you. But I would still respond (ignore it if you think I never understood wat u wanted to say, correctly).
1. Though your point that there is no monolithic cluster of 2 crore Gujaratis is Valid. Wat I actually meant was 51% vote share that BJP got in this election that roughly amounts to 2 crore.
2. In absence of any above mentioned monolithic gujaratis, your arguments renders, the conclusion of asmita pride being the weapon of used by people like us, Invalid. But however if this is truth then y shud it worry anybody (including you) if we talk about gujarati asmita given that ur so confident that this obviously have no mass appeal.
3. All over the world democracies are essentially centrifuges around persona of leadership mixed with the issue this leadership confronts. So wats objectionable with Moditva. All our political parties (least criminal being the BJP) revolve around a monolith of aam aadmi and a godfather/godmother.
4. Why should we not accept that who we are to judge people. If people in their collective wisdom want to punish a group y should few object. Isnt our all institution based on this philosophy.
5. Let our posterity be the judge of our deeds passing a judgemnet wud mean prejudging a issue with biased eyes, this is valid for both me and u.
errata: ” by bacchas” - last post
sorry for the repost.
yethaikka = plantain = a fruit like a large BANANA, but less sweet, that is cooked and eaten. u can eat it directly also !!!
i love its combi with puttu
Come to mumbai and ur invited !!! will serve u this delight!!!
Oh! Yes : sounds del.i.cios :d
Will deffy make Mary aunty cook for me don’t you worry.
complimentary cakes also available … exclusive christmas special!!! ;)
and akka i wudnt mind being invited for some hyderabadi biriyani !!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS Man!!!
If it is Rum Cake / Fruit Cake can you please save some slices till March?
Pleaaaaaaaaze.
Sorry totally slipped my mind to wish with all this Modi Mayhem.
ps: I give you a whole list of Telugu Cooking and you are happy just with the Biryani?
Will do.
Unfortunately you’ll get only the Veggie Version with me.
Merry christmas to all !!!
well Rum/ fruit it is !!! wine wud be taste better if i am to save it till march but for cakes i better eat them now !!!
but no worries … i will be happy to disturb amma and she wud be happy to get disturbed by march for few more cakes !!! u wudnt mind “brandy” over it wud u ??
I don’t drink alcohol but I have no qualms eating it!
Cheers!!
how do u survive abroad being a veggie ?? must be tough !!! my friends doin MS there find it tough !!!
Didn’t you read the thread about my cooking skills:)
Will demo when in mumbai, ok?
gr8 !!!
mom adds it in tea spoons so no problem !!!
so now tat the menu is discussed .. u mail me the details of ur mumbai hit and halt !! and get the biriyani with u ;)
i just love Hyderabadi biriyani !! i actually havent tasted the other cuisines !!! i believe most of them are very spicy !!! but the NV version of Hyd Bir is like heavens !!!
i wudnt mind the Veg version too !!!
Yessir!
Biryani made on location,
don’t want to be caught by customs!
gr8 …
so its gonna be “silent nyt ” for me … t c & have a good day !!!
@Filmibhai
hmmmn…ok, advice taken. I’ll try to find time and resources to do that.
Waise, I have heard that there existed some character called Mr. Dawood in islamic tradition, who sang praises to God.
@Anupam
You are overreacting. I agree with most things you say but my point was that the ‘development’ you refer to has no end. One cannot address the issues of development and social justice one after the other. They are related and must be addressed together.
Injustice breeds people like Mayawati and Laloo, and you know what that leads to. So if you keep social justice aside for a while and concentrate on ‘development’ only, it may work for one state or two but never for the whole country for it will give rise to more Laloos and Mayawatis who will pull down your development.
PS : I do not blame the people of Gujrat for I know they do not have any better choice. A whole lot of non-deliverers vs a mass murderer, tough choice!
@Kavita
Sorry for that statement, didn’t really mean it. It was written in dismay over the current state of affairs.
@Kavita
I’ll be the change I want to see. The process has started :)
@George and Kavita
huh? talk of all the good food when I might be having khichadi or pasta for christmas! :((
@ pRASHANT
You don’t know me. So don’t fu#kin make personal conclusions about me.
“@Mainak..
I think ur utterly disgusting person. You dont have any write to pass sweeping statement like
BTW talking about politics….I just came back from watching CHARLIE WILSON’s WAR.
Its great. The funniest political film I have seen. Philip Seymor & Tom Hanks are brilliant in it.
@ 69 Prashant
Sorry Prashant - you are so blatantly off the mark!
I do not wish to break your heart early in the day but the total number of Gujarati electorate is 18.7 million which roughly translates into 1.87 crores - less than 2 crores by 1.3 million. I wonder where you are getting your figure of 2 crores from.
The Sangh Parivar is the biggest lie machine in the political, social and economic arena. When they come on public platforms, they simply shout the other side down. Some of the most recently debates conducted by the Indian media from Gujarat were amongst the most shameful ones. It is part of the mandatory training that fascists vigilantes have to undergo.
They come to these debates holding onto imaginary portfolios. They churn out figures that nobody questions. You cannot afford to be mentally lazy while confronted with the Sangh Parivar’s herculean lies. It is the only configuration that I have known that have won victories solely on the strength of the art of lying.
The lesson of rising out of sloth applies equally to the legions of blind admirers of so-called art cinema. They need to grow up. They need to read books. They need to be genuinely multi-disciplinary if they really want to sustain their “passion for cinemaa”. Otherwise, be ready to walk into the wastelands of imagined creativity.
Sorry - but I forgot to contest your grossly inflated figure of 2 crores as the actual number of 51% Gujaratis who actually voted for the BJP. The actual number comes to roughly around 9.5 million - that is assuming that your claim about 51% pro-BJP vote in Gurjarat is true.
@ 100, Ms. Randhawa,
>>You cannot afford to be mentally lazy while confronted with the Sangh Parivar
The comment number 102 has come out a bit disabled. Trying again.
@ 100, Ms. Randhawa,
>>You cannot afford to be mentally lazy while confronted with the Sangh Parivar
Comment 103 is truncated again. Reposting last part of the comment again. Admin pleas help.
You also say >>When they come on public platforms, they simply shout the other side down. Some of the most recently debates conducted by the Indian media from Gujarat were amongst the most shameful ones. It is part of the mandatory training that fascists vigilantes have to undergo.
‘catch the uncanny similarity between somebody
@ Randhawa
“The lesson of rising out of sloth applies equally to the legions of blind admirers of so-called art cinema. They need to grow up. They need to read books. They need to be genuinely multi-disciplinary if they really want to sustain their
The population of the Gujarat State was 50,671,017 as per the 2001 census data. The density of population is only 258 persons per sq. km. and compares favourably with the the other states of the country.
Its official and primary language is Gujarati. About 89.1% of the population of Gujarat are Hindu. [3] Muslims account for 9.1%, Jain 1.0% and Sikh 0.1% of the population. [4] Most of the Gujarati Hindus are strict vegetarians. Amongst Hindus the deity of Krishna is famously worshipped in His form of Shrinathji throughout Gujarat. Gujarat is the birthplace of Gandhi. Gujarat is also the birthplace of the Swaminarayan sect of Hinduism.
From Wikipedia!
Comment 104 truncated again. I give up :((
@ filmibhai..
“henceforth among the bi-univocal,ambivalence of the morally resplendent padagoguery in contextual fashion…and heuristic persiflage of the culturally repressed populace….the jabberwocky perpetrated by a “mini-me” emerges as a triumph in oeuvre…”…by anupam..
kuch samajh aaya..mujhe bhi nahi aaya tha likhte waqt main to sirf style maar raha tha….par dhyaan se dictionary le kar khojoge to iska bhi matlab nikal aayega..agar nahi aaya to tum intellectual pygmy ho..hehe…..now give me the title of mega-me ..i take a bow,,,
here is a tribute to “mini-mism” by the famous V in v for vendetta…
isko bujho to bataayen..
Voil
as much i dislike modi but hav to admit one thing…think that guy is honest. whatever is his belief and philosophy is but unlike other corrupt politicians.detached in a way. n this victory explains a lot.
Anupam
That was hilarious.
BTW I just noticed you gave those very good links for us to read. I had already done that before you :)
I found both the articles really good.
Do share more such discoveries while you listen to my new fav song.
http://hypem.com/artist/ratatat++spank+rock
Anupam
& everyone
another great article
http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/dec/24guest.htm
@Mainak..
On retrospection, I made a mistake by getting personal.. I apologize for that.
But though you never said that Gujaratis are predators what shud be made out of your statemnet that Gujratis want to prosper on blood of muslims….who sucks blood for their sake??? A saint!!
@Mini..
Your explainations are just like playing around with words and no substance. I am sorry but organizations and people do not behave in such a complex manner in reality.
Secondly, I know that no. people actually voted for BJP is less than 2 crore…But if elections are meant to be a reflection on opinion of people then 49% of vote that BJP has got translates roughly into 2 crore.
See for veracity of 49% claim..
http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/54888/12_2007/battle4guj_sagarika1/for-bjp-modi-win-can-be-a-doubleedged-sword.html
Your claims about Goebbel’s training for RSS is nothing but represent the failure of intellengtsia to connect with masses. Anyways if somebdy is against a organization wat else do u expect them to say about their propaganda.
The art of lying holds ground when u confront a group of 10-20 people not when hundreds of thousand come out and question u. You must be extremely insecure about your own idealogy’s failure to find audiences, when u make such a allegation. In Gujarat, villages have voted for BJP.. no propaganda works in village except true.
Atlast, on your advice to become multi-disciplinary by avoiding the cruel reality of field by escaping into a library holds true when u have to just write blogs and not make real changes.
# Mini Randhawa on December 23rd, 2007 9:42 pm
Sorry - but I forgot to contest your grossly inflated figure of 2 crores as the actual number of 51% Gujaratis who actually voted for the BJP. The actual number comes to roughly around 9.5 million - that is assuming that your claim about 51% pro-BJP vote in Gurjarat is true.
I am not contesting the 49% (am I grateful that you chose to climb down by at least 2% from your earlier position). I am contesting the figure of 2 crores which was and remains a blatant lie.
Blatant lie??? are we joking here….u tell me wat shud be made about 49% votes that BJP got in a state of about 5.5 crore….
OK even if u dont agreee with 2crore, but still our block is bigger than ours and it is that matters…
Blatant lie, most certainly
1. Not evryone out of the figure cited by you 5.5 crores is a voter. Cannot be.
2. Please visit the Election Commission site. It clearly mentions the total number of electorate from Gujarat at 36591717.
3. Now even if we assume that the polling in Gujarat was 100% - which as everyone knows was far from the case - the total number of votes polled in favour of the BJP at 49% would be 17929941 which I hope you realize is much less than the figure of 2 crores that you are stuck with.
4. As is by well known, the overall polling in Gujarat was in the viciinity of 60% or even less. In this case, you would see the figure falling drastically around 2 crores or even less.
5. 60% of the electorate cited above is 21955030.
4. 49% of 21955030 is, well my dear Prashant Bhai, is 10757964.
So much for your blatant mythification.
In a state of 5.5 crore (your figure not mine) Gujaratis only 10757964 Gujaratis (my figure not yours) voted for Hindu Hridya Samraat, Mr Narinder Modi. So much for you and so much for your Modi.
are yaaar but y do you think the rest are with you…..if we go by law of averages,,,and divide the rest o populace we get to figure of 2 coore
This is exactly what I meant by the Sangh Parivar LIE MACHINE. The rest of them ARE NOT with MODI. Thats the point.
then y dont they come out and vote BJP and RSS out like they do in some other states. I think wat u r contending is pseudo-secularist’s blatant lie….
Its like saying head I win tail u lose…Hats off to you dear
‘This is exactly what I meant by the Sangh Parivar LIE MACHINE. The rest of them ARE NOT with MODI. Thats the point.’
ok .. prove it now
Abbe…Gujarat gaya bhaad mein…forget all that..
Merry Christmas to everyone at PFC!!
Machchar bhaiii…merry christmas to u and everybdy else….magar Gujarat ko bhaad me ba bhejo bhaiii..
@filmibhai..hahahha
sahi baat….aisa hi hota hai…isi ko kahte hain….hum fenke to keechad or woh fenke to gangajal (wat u throw is Gangajal and what we do is dirt)
…If pseudo-secularist say something we have to accpet it as truth lest it offends their intellectual acumen and watever sangh parivar says then is ofcourse automaticlly lie..
Is second citizen status of minorities in Islamic country..lie
Is demolition of hindu temples in pakistan, malaysia and bangladesh lie.
Where is the hindu and sikh minority that was left behind in pakistan at the time r partition… our muslim population has grown to 15 crore and wat about the hindus in bangladesh where have they vanished….their vanishment is also a myth…
Y should I not be afraid of Muslims if this is wat our brethren get when they become majority…Look Kashmir…
45 Mini
‘The much touted 9% growth rate of the Indian economy has to be logically based on national and international loot.’
enough bulshitting .. Explain This statement ! already I and Anupam have nailed u as a liar .
‘The bubble will hopefully burst in a few years when ecological disasters will start visiting us without a warning and grossly and excruciatingly overstay their welcome.’
I am beginning to suspect that u r a sociopath.
Mini behenji .. referring to ur post no 116
‘1. Not evryone out of the figure cited by you 5.5 crores is a voter. Cannot be.
2. Please visit the Election Commission site. It clearly mentions the total number of electorate from Gujarat at 36591717.
3. Now even if we assume that the polling in Gujarat was 100% - which as everyone knows was far from the case - the total number of votes polled in favour of the BJP at 49% would be 17929941 which I hope you realize is much less than the figure of 2 crores that you are stuck with.
4. As is by well known, the overall polling in Gujarat was in the viciinity of 60% or even less. In this case, you would see the figure falling drastically around 2 crores or even less.
5. 60% of the electorate cited above is 21955030.
4. 49% of 21955030 is, well my dear Prashant Bhai, is 10757964. ‘
doesnt the same arithmetic hold true for election in any Indian state .. or even for Lok sabha election comprising all the states .. (coz there is no state where 100% citizens have voter cards)
by ur twisted logic , all the elections in India should be deemed inauthentic . more so for govts which just abt get majority by a whisker (and where the polling percentage is usually around 50-55% , compared to the above 60% in gujarat). here on the other hand Modi has got a convincing majority.
Ah ! maybe the Extra-Terrestorials are involved in a conspiracy too , eh ?
All your facts have fallen flat and now you are resorting to the old fascist technique of mimicry. Pathetic, I say!
For others, at least in 33 constituency, Modi could have lost:
CONSTITUENCY BJP CONGRESS DIFF Others
Rajpipla 37722 37091 631 2807
MANDAL 34843 34166 677 3818
KHAMBHALIA 40358 39560 798 4275
KANKREJ 37930 37090 840 28934
JAMNAGAR 33021 31941 1080 1098
KADI 65835 64508 1327 3848
GADHADA 50579 49152 1427 1478
SURAT CITY 39607 37908 1699 2584
ANAND 63745 61975 1770 12134
KALOL 27565 25255 1884 2443
CHIKHLI 59471 57204 2267 2708
SIDHPUR 52610 50181 2429 2694
MANGROL 48256 45625 2631 6171
BOTAD 69662 66474 3188 5322
VIRAMGAM 47643 44327 3316 5150
MANSA 44381 41011 3370 10478
GANDHINAGAR 81864 78116 3748 6894
RAKHIAL 53993 50048 3945 4823
DASADA 38174 34108 4066 6316
SIHAR 50756 46638 4118 6474
AMRELI 48767 44578 4189 4540
VISAVADAR 38179 33950 4229 5473
UPLETA 36602 31917 4685 6087
SOMNATH 61233 56004 5229 7099
BAYAD 40395 34711 5684 6676
CHota UDAIPUR44422 38304 6118 8056
KALAWAD 39497 33225 6272 7142
WADHAWAN 47466 40564 6902 23261
DANGS 56860 48977 7883 9456
KUTIYANA 37130 27980 9150 11124
VADGAM 50481 40776 9705 16372
ABDASA 39004 28985 10019 12397
CAMBAY 50163 40086 10077 11765
You talk such unmitigated nonsense that it isn’t even possible to have a civil discourse with such a one as you. My comment was in response to Prashant’s exaggerated claim of 2 crores people having voted for the Hindu Hriday Samraat. You have a great gift, as all Sanghis do, to delibrately misinterpret. You need serious conselling man!
Calm down ladies! I don’t know why you guys are freting over a percent or a figure or whatever. It don’t matter much. He coulda lost. He shoulda lost. He woulda lost. If. Modi won. End of discussion.
O meri Munni, i mean, Mini..
Regarding the last paragraph in the comment no 45 of yers.. Politics and Multiplex… why don’t you write something on that topic and submit it for Projekt iView, eh? Why dontcha flex your mind on that?
and btw calling me names wont help .. u seem to be a pathological liar Mini .. and a show off to boot .
atleast reply to my post no 125 and try and redeem urself :)
Fist fighting is much more beneficial than virtual fighting:d
u can have a round with Mini if u like :d .. i always enjoyed watching those 70’s hindi films where the heroin and the vamp used to get physical .. tearing at each other’s hair and screaming ‘kamiiiniii’ .. lawl
You mean mini is the villain.. very bad. you can’t categorize people without knowing them especially since you are having a virtual fight with her… you should be sporting enough to accept defeat…
:)
Hey guys…lets not demonize anybdy. If Mini has different point of view we could try to find common grounds but not like this.
@mini..
same hold true for congress..they have won seats with margin as low as 17 votes.
http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/dec/24guest.htm
Did Modi’s machismo prevail ultimately?
I had the opportunity to extensively travel in Gujarat in December 2006 as a part of a team of economists, trying to understand the ‘growth story’ of the state. The reverence or contempt that the commoner had for Modi was extraordinary, but with a crucial difference. The former opinion outnumbered the latter many times over. Even Jayalalithaa, the former Tamil Nadu chief minister, to my mind, did not attract such extreme reactions from the common man during her first term.
Again without taking sides (which is indeed very difficult when it comes to Modi) one could see that the administration was kept on its toes. For instance, when it came to the floods in Surat in August 2006, locals recalled with gratitude as to how Modi personally stayed in Surat to supervise relief operations.
Similarly, whenever we met any businessman in Gujarat, one could see the sense of relief in handling an administration that was relatively clean by Indian standards.
Surely, it is remarkable that despite an acrimonious campaign, a person like Modi, with so many baiters within his own party, Opposition and the media, did not attract any serious charge of being personally corrupt.
In fact, this, I understand is at the root of local dissidence within the BJP.
Similarly, when we passed through rural Gujarat and sought notes to the Gujarat development story, anecdotal references collected by our team pointed out to some spectacular thrust by the administration on rural infrastructure, water, micro-irrigation, education and power. “Modi’s claim of providing 24 hour power to the countryside is a huge sham,” a local leader from the Congress would say and add sheepishly “We get power only for 22 hours.”
The only area where we felt Gujarat was lacking behind was in rural health — a fact that Modi seems to be quite conscious of.
When I asked Modi what the goals for the next few years were I distinctly recall his deep breath, a short pause and typical swagger when he said, “From now on the benchmark for Gujarat is no more any other state of the Indian Union. Rather, it would be south-east Asia.”
Despite all this talk of development it is indeed a sad state of affairs that the political debate during the Gujarat election centred over the unfortunate events five years back rather than what could happen five years hence.
And when the coordinates of the political discourse were drawn midway during the campaign, it was Modi’s machismo and not his development agenda that mattered. And that to me is a colossal tragedy for Indian politics.
http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/dec/24guest.htm
Will this win alter the collective psyche of voters in India?
What is crucial is the manner in which this win could alter the collective psyche of the majority community vis-a-vis the minority communities and as a natural sequel alter the political discourse within the country.
To understand the implications, at the outset, one needs to understand the psyche of an average Indian. Talk to any Indian, one would instantly find his desire for a ’strong, assertive and effective’ leader. This requires some explanation.
Secularists, with their firm belief that the concept of this nation could be built from a clean slate without any reference to her past, are oblivious of this set of voters and their psyche. Remember, we are a nation with a historical baggage of defeats in the past thousand years or so. Much as the secularists may deny, our collective psyche has a subconscious yet powerful relationship with our history, especially this unpleasant history.
That would mean that an average Indian is ready to tolerate a leader who could be by and large accused of being dictatorial, undemocratic or even fascist by some. In fact, an average Indian would never understand the import of these words.
On the other hand, an average Indian understands, assumes and expects his leader to have a dash of idiosyncrasies.
It is a perfectly acceptable trade-off in the Indian context — a leader who is ‘dictatorial’ and yet addresses the collective consciousness, fears and apprehensions of the voters.
While this may be incomprehensible to the secular mind, this und