Showing posts with label bombay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bombay. Show all posts

Friday, November 13, 2009

Raj Thackeray: The uncalled-for Hero.

Raj Thackeray is to the Marathi people what the Spanish were to Christianity, a perfect bad example. In fact, Raj has so well lived up to this task that if you ask any Bombay city lover what is his worst fear, he’ll say Mr.Raj coming up with some of his paintras.

Starting from agitations about North Indians filling up posts to getting all sign boards in Marathi, this guy just seems to go on and on (I wonder what’s the secret behind such tremendous stamina). If that all was not enough, he went up to the extent of pulling up KJ’s movie just for the use of Bombay instead of Mumbai. Whatever Raj or his party workers and loyalists claim, I feel that Raj is nothing but a man of double standards.

If the Maharashtrians think that Raj is their friend then let me tell you or rather warn you. Raj is neither there for you nor for me. He may speak of many things like if necessary taking birth a thousand times to protect the rights of Maharashtrians (this same line seems to be on the lips of every MNS worker who’s caught for creating some ruckus). You only have to protect the rights of people whose rights are trampled upon. Which employer says that he will not give Maharashtrian’s jobs? If jobs were give on the basis of caste and creed you would only see one section of the country developing. Jobs are given to the competent and not for any other reason. When a job applicant applies for a job, the employer only sees to of what benefit he will be for the organization. He doesn't see that because he is a North Indian it’s good. Nothing like that.

If Maharashtrians are nowhere where it comes to having high posts and degrees then no other but they themselves are to blame. Who told the Maharashtrian’s to be so lazy and lethargic? Why is it that they are always associated with everything that’s slow and dumb? Don’t the Maharashtrian’s students have the intellect to crack exams like CAT, IAS, etc. Who stopped them from putting up stalls besides the so called outsiders? Just because Bombay geographically lies in Maharashtra that doesn't mean that the Maharashtrians can exercise they're right over it. All Maharashtrians should look back on their history. There was a time when Maharashtrian’s were considered pioneers and stalwarts. The beauty of the Marathi language and songs has inspired one and all. But that does not mean by just banking upon your past your future is going to be bright. Though Sachin Tendulkar may have 17K runs to his credit, yet he has to give his best everytime he plays. Unfortunately I think my Maharashtrian friends may have forgotten this. By showing through brutal force that you are a Maharashtrian does not help. Infact it attracts only strong criticism and flak. Rise to the top through hardwork and perseverance. All the Maharashtrian stalwarts too did the same. Shivaji didn’t steal his right from others, he commanded it.

If you think that just because Raj is fighting for Maharashtrian’s so he’s good. Let me tell you that he only fights for his agenda and getting all the media attention to get ahead in politics. Something that he has inherited from this uncle. Not surprising, whenever Raj lands up doing something, after a few days you see the other Sena too raising up the issue. Is this a case of one beating the other or some internally decided explicit timing? If Raj Thackeray is so much in love with Mumbai, then why doesn't he change the Bombay Stock Exchange(BSE) to MSE; the Bombay High Court to Mumbai High Court and the IIT-Bombay to IIT-Mumbai. Why did he have a problem with Bombay being used in Wake up Sid and not Rock On? Why does Raj only see to the affairs in Bombay? Why doesn't he see to the backward areas of Maharashtra where majority of people live below poverty lines? After all in Raj’s own words, Bombay alone is not Maharashtra. Unfortunately, Raj will never do that. Why? Simply because there's no media attention in it. It’s also unfortunate to know that where Raj should have being dealt with an iron fist, he was dealt with a velvet glove. The congress party keeping they’re vote bank in mind have allowed Raj to grow, rather than nipping him in the bud. History is a witness that in cases where one uses the other for his own gains he lands up being the biggest loser. During the times of the cold war, the US supplied arms, ammunition and monetary assistance to terrorist outfits like the Taliban to fight the Russians so as to curb the ever growing power of the USSR. Today the US is themselves fighting it. Its their so called own creation.

If you think that the other Sena is good then also let me tell you this. This Sena has attacked many communities too in the past. When the Gujrati's played a pivotal role in the affairs, the Sena had a problem. Even so, they removed all the local station names that were in Gujrati. On seeing the south Indians putting up hotels and road side food joints, they attacked them. It seems that these two Sena’s are nothing but two sides of the same coin. Instead of working in a constructive manner for the Maharashtrians(like as if they are its rightful caretakers) like educating them, grooming them, providing job opportunities they teach them to destroy and bring about an atmosphere of fear. Why do I get the feeling that this is the same that the jihadi groups do?

Raj Thackeray talks about a progressive Maharashtra, but how is it supposed to the progress when the damages done by Raj and his band of hooligan’s runs in crores of Rupees. Is Raj and his MNS ready to pay for all the damages caused? Moreover is Raj a real well wisher of Maharashtra? If yes, then what about his alleged irregularity of funds in the Kohinoor Mills’ deal?

With respect to the attack on north Indians and also on Abu Azmi I would just say that instead of seeing outside Raj should first see within. His own son hasn’t taken Marathi in college. His son studied and studies in an English medium institution. Around 95% of all Maharashtrian families send their children to English medium schools. I think from now on, they should send them to Marathi medium schools. I wonder how many will be in favour for it.
If Raj feels that all outsiders have come and taken up jobs leaving none for the locals, then he should be happy and proud of the attacks on Indians in Australia as the same thing is going on there. The Australians are probably feeling too that the Indians are taking up they're seats in universities and jobs. So Raj should now either come out in the open expressing his happiness or should stop parents from sending they're students abroad altogether.

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Monday, December 01, 2008

Enough Is Enough...Just another slogan

The last time I wrote was when some incidents perturbed me to such an extent that I had to get out what I felt. Few days later, my worst fears are taking shape. The Mumbai Massacre as it’s called is the main topic of argument.

Ever since we have had the Mumbai Massacre we keep saying Enough Is Enough. I know I may not be forgiven here, but I feel I need to differ. Enough is enough sounds nothing better than a political party’s slogan like Congress ka haath, aam aadmi ke saath. I wish to ask everyone, each & everyone as to what has infuriated us so much this time that we have actually come on the streets demanding answers. As far as my intellect takes me, it is simply because we have never seen an attack so severe. We never ever thought that an ordeal could last 60 hrs. all this while, we were used to those quick 20 minute bomb blasts & then ordinary people helping one another. Secondly, it was the Taj in question. The Taj or the jewel in the palace as one would say. This is probably the first time that the rich have felt unsafe. Probably this is the reason that Bombay was under the worldwide media glare. The Taj & the Oberoi-Trident did have guests of many different nationalities. If you ever doubt my perception then here’s a small query. How many news channels actually talk about VT railway station, Cama Hospital, Metro cinema casualties? There were more blast sites right? What about them? Weren’t lives lost there too? Or as compared to the elite living in Taj & Oberoi-Trident these are insignificant? Why have all the synagogues across the world decided to observe 26th November as a day of grief in remembrance of just 2 of its citizens? Why are we Indians treated as thrash & the death of one of us as ordinary?

Everywhere you go, you will find people asking questions as to why? What are the people who are entrusted with the job of protecting us doing? What should we do now? I’m quite surprised to know that people have even gone to the extent of saying that we are not going to pay taxes. We should go & demolish all the terrorist camps that have sprung all across PoK & Pakistan. In a state of fury such statements are legible, but come to think of it practically they're ILL-LEGITIMATE. If you ever think that these things are practically possible, then you're probably in LALALAND & need to be awoken from your deep slumber. These high vocals of protest of such anger are not going to yield anything except damage to one’s own health & nothing else.

You may have often heard on TV that we as citizens of this country need to exercise our vote carefully. We should make sure that those elected should be just & upright. I would like to ask the same people, whom are they talking about? Why they don’t understand that voting in India is nothing but choosing the Best out of the Worst. Everytime we see the same people contesting from the same constituency. Everytime the same person wins. Probably he has 9 criminal cases to his name as compared to the other who has 10. Secondly election is India is a big farce. We are made to choose people who are truly non-competent. This non-competent guy then goes ahead & handles an all-important portfolio which he is absolutely inept at. Thus the only condition for being a person holding power is to win an election. To do this, I just need to flaunt my popularity image, my muscle & money power. If I am successful at that then I will have thousands of chamchaas around me the same way bees encircle a flower.

There is also a demand that we should declare a period of national emergency to get things straight. I’m all for it. All I ask “Will it ever happen?” Sadly NO. No political party will agree to it. You see all our politicians have much to lose in this deal. Firstly, they would lose their salary. Now that runs into a pretty huge sum I would say. More importantly, do you realize how much time would be lost which could be spent in amassing huge wealth? Not to forget, if ever their scams are unearthed then it would spell disaster for the man in question. His clean image would be marred forever. After all things are put straight & India is returned her pristine glory, things would again be the same. Just like the time at independence & now.

Another angle to this incident is the Pakistan angle. I would like to ask; when would we learn to think as grown-ups. Every terrorist attack in this country is blamed on Pakistan. After getting credible evidence against Pakistan, we tell them to hand over to us those involved. Has Pakistan all these years paid even the slightest heed to our demands. NO. But yet like small children we run about yelling & pointing the finger at Pakistan. I mean why? What for? Pakistan is not to be blamed. India is. We very well know that our neighbor has probably nothing better to do than coming up with plans to annihilate us. But yet like old fools we continue to be a soft target for all of them. Why don’t we develop our security to such an extent that forget Pakistan, tomorrow even if Australia desires to attack us its plans never materialize. Its clearly a case where we point a finger at the other forgetting that three are pointing back at me.

In my earlier blog, I had spoken about the whole concept about India being a so-called country. Till today, since birth people keep on telling me that I belong to a particular religion, I belong to a particular region. When will the day finally arrive when people will tell me that I am simply an Indian…that too with no strings attached?

If we really want to change things then change should be complete. Not just a mere part of it. There should be changes in each & every department & that too with the celerity that it requires. A Harshad Mehta should be tried, convicted & should complete his sentence in his lifetime. Timely death should not be the ultimate punishment. If possible, corporal punishment should be awarded which will prove to be a deterrent for others. A high profile person giving inflammatory speeches against a particular section of people should be persecuted in the same way as an ordinary citizen is. A non-baillable warrant should be a non-baillable warrant & not just on the face of it. It is truly sad to say that we Indians don’t deserve democracy. We truly require the autocratic & imperialist rule that we are used to. In the ancient times we had just one English governor for the entire presidency. Today we have Ministers, Cabinet Ministers, MoS, etc, etc, etc. But yet, even together they are no match for the ability of that one governor. I am truly sorry for being a pessimist, but I guess it’s easy to convince yourself this way rather than being optimistic & see your hopes & aspirations of a better country go up in flames.

At last, the need of the hour is to channelize our anger, frustration in a proper way. This brings to mind an incident that took place years ago in USA. A son was returning home after years of education in another state. During this period the mother never saw her son. To return home, the son hired a cab. Unfortunately the cab driver was drunk. The son met with an accident & died on the spot. Imagine what the mother might have undergone? The mother’s anger knew no bounds. She was so angry that she formed MADD – Mothers Against Drunken Driving. This premier NGO in the US makes sure that people who drink & drive are brought to book. A common saying in Hindi says that the reply to a brick thrown should be a stone. I do not say that we need to hurl a stone at our enemy. I just say that we shouldn’t forget that somebody had the cheek to throw a brick at us. Together by looking in the interests of the country as a whole & not of a region or religion we will be able to make a difference. Yes We Can!!!

So, till we meet again. Take care, God Bless You & May God Bless India.

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Friday, May 30, 2008

For Name’s Sake…

What’s in a name??? I guess in today’s world that’s become everyone’s favourite dialogue. On hearing this...anyone would say "William Shakespeare". Yes, but then at once Alec Smart would stand up and say “But below that he wrote his own name”. Well my dear friends for the record Shakespeare never ever said that…the phrase was a mere dialogue in one of his plays.

Though a lot has been said about what there being in a name, I beg to differ. A person’s name to him is the most sweetest sound in any language. A name may not be of any significance to another person, but to its bearer its of utmost value. None of us would liked being called as ‘Excuse me, Hello, Aaaa, Tsh Tsh’. When a person calls you by his name it means that the person relates to you in some way or another. It means that he regards you as one of his own to an extent.

Down the line even if a person changes his name, he is still called by his old name. Our previous generation refers to Amitabh Bachan’s wife as Jaya Bhaduri while our generation says Jaya Bachan. The same is going to happen with Aishwarya. Referring to Mumbai as Bombay & Pune as Poona I guess is no crime & according to me both should be officially recognised. I feel that for cities of the stature & fame as Bombay, the name shouldn’t be changed. One, it creates confusion & there is a lot of formalities to be done. Two, however much I try I can’t change history. After a few decades I will be wondering as to whether the place exists or not. Eg. How many of us know that Benaras is the old name of Varanasi. By changing the name no drastic development & progress has taken place. After all CST & VT mean one & the same; just like my (horrible) train experiences. So what the heck! Whenever I am supposed to fill any form asking me for my place of birth, I always answer Bombay. Whenever I am corrected, I answer that when I was born it was called Bombay, after that it changed to Mumbai.

The most important aspect of a name from a business point of view is that it speaks of its brand value. Lets say tomorrow I start a telecom company & name it Neltonz. Any person using my service will fall short of words when in a group of people. The people around him will wonder as to which service provider is this. No matter how much I may advertise using all forms of media, I will still fall short. Reason? Because my company name lacks credibility & value, a thing which obviously comes with time. More importantly my company name lacks class. Lets take an example of Vodafone. Everyone around would love being associated with Vodafone. Reason? Simple. Wouldn’t you love to say with pride that you are a part (even if that is being insignificant) of the world’s largest telecom company. A brand name that is valued & respected around the world. I’m not saying that I cannot achieve such brand value. But time is a very clever player. At the advent of the internet any website clicked, but in today's time where the net is filled with hundred thousands of websites (most of them being crap) it’s difficult for a newcomer to create a niche for himself.

It’s for this reason that there are so many companies who concentrate on creating a value for their brand. Realistically speaking there are more double who concentrate on imitating the latter. That’s where copyright & patents come to the fore. That’s the same reason why so many companies prefer not changing their names even when they have undergone acquisitions or mergers. That’s the same reason why television & the print media were flooded with messages just to convey the fact that Rin Supreme had now become Surf Excel. That’s the same reason why even though the world over we have M&M’s in India we still have Gems even though they are owned by the same company. Ultimately that’s what each company wants us to do & believe. Two toothpastes may be the same in composition, yet you may have one’s sales plummeting the roof, which the other taking a nose dive.

The other day my friend’s friend was listening to Linkin Park. Nothing wrong with that, except the fact that I doubted whether he understood anything given his tastes. Seeking a clarification I asked him. Well as I guessed he didn’t. All his praises for the band was a mere fallacy. Now that’s wrong. I asked him what made him switch, he just said that the coolest guys in class listen to them. The rest need not be explained. Many a time we do thing for no reason at all. We love things, do things just because it has been kind of endorsed by a particular section of people or society. Just not to be left out we endorse those things too. Even though they may be unaffordable or uncomfortable. Well that’s the same reason big brands utilize the services of the bigwigs of society to advertise for their products just for the prime reason that if at least no one else the celebrity’s fan following will at least purchase the product. Bigger the celebrity, larger is his/her fan following. That’s the reason you have Kareena Kapoor advertising for Dermi Cool talcum powder, Shah Rukh Khan for Navratna talc, Amitabh Bachan for Navratna Hair Oil etc, etc, etc…the list is endless. These people advertise for these products, their fans purchase them, but do these celebrities actually use them. On one such occasion during an interview, Sachin Tendulkar was asked what his favourite drink was. To everyone’s astonishment Sachin answered “Water”. Now where did the Pepsi go that Sachin endorses??? Only God knows.

Now coming to individual names there’s a lot in a person’s name. The country that we live in (I have started to believe) does not judge a person by his work, but by his name. On hearing a person’s name for the first time, the mind begins to analyze the name carefully as if titrating an unknown solution. For further analysis, the spelling is asked & for confirmation the surname is asked. Then that person is categorized as a Sindhi, Marwadi, Bengali, Maharashtrian, etc, etc, etc. Not to mention Christian, Muslim, etc. Over here I just have a simple question. Why? Why do we need to be so regionalistic? Why aren’t we contented with a person’s name & that’s it. End of story. What difference does it make if a person belongs to a particular section of society? Isn’t the goal much bigger than the individual? What criteria do we need to satisfy to be a part of a community? More importantly who gives us the right to judge other people? An incident comes to my mind from the movie ‘Mr & Mrs Iyer’. In that movie Rahul Bose plays the part of a bengali. On Konkana Sen Sharma coming to know of the fact that he’s a muslim, the question that pops out from her mouth is “But you said you were a Bengali”. To this Rahul Bose replies “I am”. Well all I would like to know is what defines us & makes us Indian. Who is an Indian & who is not? Tomorrow if I learn a particular region’s language can I say that I am a part of that community? Is going to temples & bathing in the Ganges being Indian. Does that mean that all the Muslims & Christians & many other non-Hindus who think & work for the betterment of the country stand no chance of being Indian? Is this what our country has been reduced to? Sadly speaking before this a 9% GDP growth also seems insignificant.

Hoping that you have an amazing day & week ahead. Until next time.
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On Nana Patekar being asked on his take on the IPL his reply was “I like to watch India play another country. Here Bombay is up against Delhi & Calcutta is against Madras. They are all part of my India, which side do I support?

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