Nomadic viewpoint....!!

I don't remember exactly when I decided to change my life and become a nomad. A nomad is someone who does not possess nor is tied to a particular location and are commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts. There are nomad communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but traditional nomadic behavior is increasingly rare in industrialized countries. Nomads are sometimes also referred to as perpetual travelers/ tourists.

I wished I could do this full time , but unfortunately earning is the other side of story which now takes over in terms of importance when compared to nomadic view. You need to earn to support your nomadic thought process. Whenever I am outside, traveling I forget everything about my profession, my work pressure and the targets and deadlines for project delivery (this can also be a reason for me being more interested in being a nomad). I feel like being part of everything which is happening around myself (this feeling I am not able to achieve till date in my professional life) where no everyone is ready to come to me, listen to me, talk to me and have a simple cup of tea for no visible financial benefit. People who never care about how much I earn, which car I drive, which brand I wear, which watch I have, which mobile phone I use. 

All they want to know is if I liked the tea or samosa I had with them or what I feel about them or their place. I can see that everyone is running after money, negotiating for higher salary, planning to purchase one more house from bonus and still not satisfied with what they are possessing.  The couple who is working, but still  hungry for more and more money. There is very thin line between need and greed. Need can be fulfilled but greed is very difficult to satisfy. I wonder why they never see what they have got already and maybe that is  much more that what they are capable of. Just because they got more doesn't indicates that they are capable of having all that. People fight for the basic needs of life and are still much happier than those who are earning in huge amounts. 

How much does anyone needs, what can be considers as fulfilling, which thing can ensure peace of mind or a sound sleep, how much land will be enough are few question which are and will remain unanswered for ever. People go for vacations to various hotels but I keep on wondering what can be different in a hotel room from my own room apart from few cosmetic goodies. In my view if someone really wants to enjoy a vacation, he/she should try to get closer more and more to mother nature. I strongly believe that this vacation will surely change, enhance or boost the inner self of anyone taking that vacation. The basic purpose of vacation should be to re-invent and explore inner self and not to experience more and more artificial world around. A vacation at a natural habitat will for sure help them evolve better as a human being.

 

A luxurious five star is not the only thing that can make a place entitled to be categorized as travel destination  or any place worth being called as exotic. Its the connectivity to nature which makes you feel it as an exotic or vacation destination. 

All the can be treated as completely a nomadic viewpoint on vacations or life and may feel absurd and useless characters to may of the readers, but that's what differentiates me as a "Nomad" in the crowd of hundreds and thousands of people around me and I am absolutely fine if you do not like it this way. You have got your life and its completely your wish on how would you like to spend it and how would you like to remember in years to come.

Who should be blamed ?

The incident of a building collapse at Laxminagar, Delhi again opened a Pandora box. The blame game started among the authorities, media became active all again with all late night discussions dedicated to this topic. 

All the tall claims of Delhi chief minister of the city being world class went for a toss. What was shown to world as Delhi is just the plastic part of city.  Still 30 % of city's population lives in slums and shabby areas. the roads are in pathetic condition. Huge amount was spent on CWG on building stadiums and hostels for the athletes. But there as nothing for general Delhi public. The roads taken by President Obama were the best one. 

But in reality Delhi is an aging city, with rotten infrastructure, clogged roads, increased crime rate, insecurity for women and politics making it worse day by day.

Even in case of building crash, the blame was given to Yamuna river. I wonder why people can't see that Akshardhaam temple which is much closer to Yamuna river stays there proud and tall. If the building which was constructed was illegal, how come they managed to get water and electricity connection from government. No one is concerned about all this. Only thing which they can say that, it aall happened because of Yamuna river and heavy rains. 

Its all in the game........

Corruption....!!

You are getting late to office, lost in your thoughts about the presentation to boss and you accidentally missed the red light at traffic signal. Cop catches you and you get away by paying hundred rupees to him. Is this a bribe ?

You are desperate to go home for festive vacation, but could not get a ticket. You paid few extra hundred rupees to the ticket checker and manage to get a berth in the train. Is this a bribe ?

You go for a vacation with your friends, but entry to a public place is closed. You had a talk with the security guard, gave him one hundred rupee note and got the entry to that place. Is this a bribe ?

You applied for a passport, but don't have time to go through complete verification. You go to a broker who charges you for his service and your Passport is delivered at your place. Is this a bribe ?

You got your driving license without even appearing for a driving test because you applied through an agent. Is this bribe ?

If all these above does not look like bribe to you, who do you think gave you right to blame Raja, Kalmaadi or any of the politicians. tey are all elected by us only. So if they are into corruption because we want all of them to be at that place taking part in corruption on our behalf.. 

I strongly believe that "Every time you spend money, you're casting a vote for the kind of world you want....." 

What is all this about Kashmir..??

Ever since I remember, Kashmir was an integral part of free India. But in recent past few years, I am forced to believe that India is trying to acquire Kashmir from some other country. Why are our politicians listening so much from separatists like Mirwaiz and Yasin Malik. If they are entitled to this special attention then why do we treat separatists from Orrisa and Andhra Pradesh differently ? Why can't we give some special powers as Article 356 to these Maoists too ?

Why so much hype for Kashmir? If its an Indian state why can't we treat every one in that state as per normal rules of India ? With due regards to suffering of people of Kashmir, I still believe they are responsible for what they are suffering from. If they really want to get away from India, I would personally welcome that move as this will ease up lives of everyone involved. We can hope that there will be no more bloodshed, no more firing on the roads and people will live there lives peacefully.

I think either it should be dealt by giving complete control to Indian Army or allowing people of Kashmir to choose their options. Too much of media focus on this case hence creating more problems for people involved. Media too act a bit responsibly and handle this case more delicately.

I used to love rains....!!

I, like any small kid loved to go out and play in rain pours. Those days I prayed to god, not to stop rains. Then I started going to my school and the ordeal started. I wished the showers to come down only during nights, so that I don't need to get messed up while going to school. This continued for years and I landed up in my college. At that time I was never bothered about rains. Who cares even if it was raining like hell. I could still sleep peacefully in my room at college hostel.

Then I moved to my job and the worst part started. Whenever it rained, the life became hell. I can't take leave and since I didn't had a vehicle, by the time I managed to reach office, I was completely drenched. I moved from that city to another with shift in my job. Again that city used to get converted into river in rainy times. Even the cab guys refused to take me to office. The pain continued. Somehow I managed since during that period the rain god was too moody to oblige.

One more shift in job and I landed at my current city. This was something unbearable. Although I managed to get my "Nomad" partner vehicle, but the roads were worst ever. You cannot guess, if you are driving or sailing through the roads. If it was potholes on the roads or as if I was driving through craters leveled with the help of water. Every time it rained, the traffic on the road goes for a toss, I really wonder why ? Although our members of parliament managed to get a hike in their salary, which none of poor guy ( irrespective of where he/she may be working ) can expect in their life, I don't see any better future prospects. I am clueless why am I required to return a file, when I get my salary post tax deduction. Anyways, I know how it feels to drive on such roads with your brand new car cursing myself for putting my car through all this and cursing every other errant, rash driver around me.

So. now where I see it raining, I feel shivers down my spine and now sadly I don't love to see rains pouring or for that sake ever drizzling....!!

A to Z of Kolkata..!!

Pl. note: This is just a funny observation, with no intention to hurt anyone....

A is for Awpheesh (as in Office). This is where the average Kolkatan goes and spends a day hard at work. And if he works for the 'Vest Bengal Gawrment' he will arrive at 10, wipe his forehead till 11, have a tea break at 12, throw around a few files at 12.30 , break for lunch at 1, smoke an unfiltered cigarette at 2, break for tea at 3, sleep sitting down at 4 and go home at 4:30. It's a hard life!

B is for Bhision. For some reason many Bengalis don't have good bhision. In fact in Kolkata most people are wearing spectacles all the time.

C is for Chappell. Currently, this is the Bengali word for the Devil, for the worst form of evil. In the night mothers put their kids to sleep saying, 'Na ghumaley Chappell eshey dhorey niye jabe.'

D is for Debashish or any other name starting with Deb. By an ancient law every fourth Bengali Child has to be named Debashish. So you have a Debashish everywhere and trying to get creative they are also called Deb, Debu, Deba with variations like Debopriyo, Deboprotim, Debojyoti, etc. thrown in at times.

E is for Eeesh. This is a very common Bengali exclamation made famous by Aishwarya Rai in the movie Devdas. It is estimated that on an average a Bengali, especially Bengali women, use eeesh 10,089 times every year. 'Ei Morechhey' is a close second to Eeesh.

F is for Feeesh. These are creatures that swim in rivers and seas and are a favourite food of the Bengalis. Despite the fact that a fish market has such strong smells, with one sniff a Bengali knows if a fish is all right. If not, he will say 'eeesh what feeesh is theesh!'

G is for Good name. Every Bengali boy will have a good name like Debashish or Deboprotim and a pet name like Motka, Bhombol, Thobla, etc. While every Bengali girls will have pet names like Tia, Tuktuki, Mishti, Khuku, et cetera.

H is for Harmonium. This the Bengali equivalent of a rock guitar. Take four Bengalis and a Harmonium and you have the successors to The Bheatles!

I is for lleesh. This is a feeesh with 10,000 bones which would kill any ordinary person, but which the Bengalis eat with releeesh!

J is for Jhola. No selfrespecting Bengali is complete without his Jhola. It is a shapeless cloth bag where he keeps all his belongings and he fits an amazing number of things in. Even as you read this there are two million jholas bobbling around Kolkata, and they all look exactly the same! Note that 'Jhol' as in Maachher Jhol is a close second.

K is for Kee Kaando !. It used to be the favourite Bengali exclamation till eeesh took over because of Aishwarya Rai (now Kee Kando's agent is trying to hire Bipasha Basu).

L is for Lungi, the dress for all occasions. People in Kolkata manage to play football and cricket wearing it not to mention the daily trip in the morning to the local bajaar. Now there is talk of a lungi expedition to Mt Everest.

M is for Minibus. These are dangerous half buses whose antics would effortlessly frighten the living daylights out of all James Bond stuntmen as well as Formula1 race car drivers.

N is for Nangto. This is the Bengali word for Naked. It is the most interesting naked word in any language!

O is for Oil. The Bengalis believe that a touch of mustard oil will cure anything from cold (oil in the nose), to earache (oil in the ear), to cough (oil on the throat) to piles (oil you know where!).

P is for Phootball. This is always a phavourite phassion of the Kolkattan. Every Bengali is born an expert in this game. The two biggest clubs there are Mohunbagan and East Bengal and when they play the city comes to a stop.

Q is for Queen. This really has nothing to do with the Bengalis or Kolkata, but it's the only Q word I could think of at this moment. There's also Quilt but they never use them in Kolkata.

R is for Robi Thakur. Many many years ago Rabindranath got the Nobel Prize. This has given the right to all Bengalis no matter where they are to frame their acceptance speeches as if they were directly related to the great poet and walk with their head held high. This also gives Bengalis the birthright to look down at Delhi and Mumbai and of course 'all non-Bengawlees'! Note that 'Rawshogolla' comes a close second !

S is for Shourav. Now that they finally produced a genuine cricketer and a captain, Bengalis think that he should be allowed to play until he is 70 years old. Of course they will see to it that he stays in good form by doing a little bit of 'jawggo' and 'maanot'.

T is for Trams. Hundred years later there are still trams in Kolkata. Of course if you are in a hurry it's faster to walk. There are no fast trains from Kolkata.

U is for Aambrela. When a Bengali baby is born he is handed one.

V is for Bhaayolence. Bengalis are the most non-violent violent people around. When an accident happens they will fold up their sleeves, shout and scream and curse and abuse, "Chherey De Bolchhi" but the last time someone actually hit someone was in 1979.

W is for Water. For three months of the year the city is underwater and every year for the last 200 years the authorities are taken by surprise by this!

X is for X'mas. It's very big in Kolkata, with Park Street fully lit up and all Bengalis agreeing that they must eat cake that day.

Y is for Yesshtaarday. Which is always better than today for a Bengali (see R for Robi Thakur).

Z is for Jebra, Joo, Jipper and Jylophone.

Migrants....!!

Migrants as per definition means "including anyone working outside of their home country. The term can also be used to describe someone who migrates within a country, possibly their own, in order to pursue work such as seasonal work"

That makes everyone who doesn't belongs to the city he or she is working in, a migrant. That puts me in line with daily workers who are here working for many factories in this city, the only difference may be the pay cheque. Also that puts few very senior guys at par with them as migrant. Looks funny, isn't it ?

Their living condition, socio-ecomonic status may differ from me but I am no different from them all. I am also staying in a city unknown to me, a place who may not like me, people who may not appreciate my presence between their gang and am always considered as an outsider. Though few migrant people might have created their own comfort zone, but from the core of their heart they all know and feel the pain if being an migrant.

We migrants may always be considered as outsiders for these cities, but one should never forget that we play a major role in development of these cities. These migrants survive in absolutely unhygienic place but their contribution enable the entrepreneurs to have their pics on covers of business magazines. Remember none of the famous city in history was build by locals, it was build by migrant slaves.

So if can't give the migrants their share, at least please don't hate them..!!

Independence celeberated...!!

The nation is celebrating its Independence Day today. India’s struggle for it, is a story of hundreds and thousands of men, women and even children who laid down their lives for attaining this. Many of them never got a chance to see this Independent country. Many of them went unsung and no one knows or remembers them. But as years passed, the sentiments attached with this day are gone. Its now just a holiday which combined with weekend gives a chance to visit home and take rest. Even if its on weekend, its being considered as one holiday wasted.

What is independence for this generation ?

•  is it freedom to work anywhere in country (which again is becoming a problem due to political influence)
• freedom to express one’s view (that again is getting restricted to few celebrity news personals only)
• freedom to wear whatever one likes, eat whatever one wants, study whatever he or she wants or anything like that. 
• stocking enough supply of liquor (as it is a dry day)

Every one grabs the first chance they get to migrate outside India. I will not blame them also, not everyone is ready to give away the quality of life which is being offered by countries outside India. See what we who opted to stay here are getting.

• heavy tax being levied (only to know later on that all was utilised properly for corruption) 
• poor infrastructure in terms of pathetic roads, poor electric supply and  non existing or very poor public transport. 
• after so may years of Independence a bill for free primary education is accepted in parliament whereas people who migrate abroad are enjoying all these for so many years. 
• still we are debating on how to negotiate to use medical insurance provided by our employers
• our players are not allowed participate in events abroad but we are offering free ride to every athlete participating in commonwealth

APJ Abdul Kalam has mentioned in his book ’Wings of Fire’ that “never think of the scope, work hard to create that scope.” Kalam rejected several offers from abroad and stayed in this country and contributed to making India a super power. He stayed in just one room of Rastrapati Bhavan when he was serving the nation as President. Do we really think alike ??


I remember a statement given by one of our visiting lecturer “Indian is not a poor country, its just a poorly managed country” . So its we all who are responsible for making this a perfectly managed country. We as an individual should contribute to the betterment of our country by helping in keeping it clean, by paying taxes in time and in full (although I wish I could have an option to refuse it as I am not getting anything out of that), keep a watch on how is our money being spent by authorities and cross question them if required (we have RTI act, isn’t it), utilising resources responsibly, pooling cars while commuting to office everyday, treating everyone same irrespective of their caste and creed, through improved work ethics and environmental behaviour.

Let us love our country for what it is and let us work together to make it the best so that the coming generations will thank us for preserving our India as “Incredible India”

How to be a good "People Manager"....!!

Becoming a manager is easy but achieving a tag of People Manager is equally difficult. Be always ready to accept and face challenges to succeed.To experiment and innovate with cautions is something which has to be used effectively under different circumstances. Be always ready to learn even from your subordinates and believe me, you will cherish it in your life.


Be customer centric:

Every user in your company, regardless of the level, is your customer and has to be treated accordingly. Treat every user in the organisation as if he had the ability to contribute to your development. Believing in this attitude works wonder and that is the most important step (and perhaps the least cared IT management aspect) in shaping yourself as a prospective senior executive, simply because this is scarcely available in IT professionals.

Let your customers have a choice:
Understanding the problem well and offering alternative solutions brings the best result to get your customers agree to one of your solutions.Having patience and the power to convince them is the key here to make your user agreeable to a single but effective solution proposed by you. Not only you must have this attitude but you must also demand the same from your subordinates, with near zero-tolerance principle for bad customer service. Your involvement with your internal customer brings their involvement, thus leading to a high-value based culture. Never forget that you are there not only to manage IT but also to create ethics and values which ultimately form the foundation for you to blossom as a good manager among the managers.

Your accent does matter:
Avoid too heavy technical jargons during your interactions with people in other functions. Not every one can understand your jargons as you can also not understand all their marketing tricks. Any simple communication with not IT people will help them understand the process better. Enjoy a good long discussion with other functions, without discussing much of the technology. Try to understand their problems,functional interests and their expectations from IT solutions. Speak clearly so that they can understand what you want you communicate to them.


Know weak links in your team:
Respect for your subordinates will help reduce turnover and show management that you are a leader (another rarity among IT people). Use your anger wisely to handle difficult people, if the need be. Converting a weak link into a strong one is the ideal approach. Your success depends on your ability to identify three wrongs--intention, person and situation--at an early stage.

Calling up your customers on a regular basis brings a sense of satisfaction among them. Ask them how you and your team are doing and if there is anything you can help them with. Then taste the magic happening for you in the form of songs of praises from your customers as they get floored by your proactive approach. As a technocrat one tends to create hype about the IT solutions, which may generate over expectations from end users, function heads and top managements. Be genuine to generate high expectations rather than over expectations, which otherwise leads you to be a victim to the classic IT pitfall of over committing and under delivering.

A word of caution:
When you under deliver, you not only ensure a frustrating customer experience, but you send a feeler that you are a panic planner. Call a spade a spade when a solution is elusive. If necessary, explaining the facts well might help you to overcome anxiety at the other end. If job is your priority, then never be a part of petty infighting in your company. There are times when nothing works. Learn to adopt new strategies quickly and take calculated risks. Have firm plans to avert the risks expected to come your way. Accept failures as part of your life but only to learn and succeed next time.The success you achieve must be shared with your colleagues, right from top to the bottom of the technology and functional team. Humility in giving credit of your success to the team involved gives a facelift to your attitude towards people. Empowering them with knowledge and delegation makes your team more motivated and work towards organisational goals.

Networking keeps you updated:
“It’s not always what you know but who you know.” Everyone should learn to establish and sustain the relationship with former colleagues, bosses and even vendor representatives. Be active in professional associations, attend good technical/skill enhancement events and workshops which are opportunities to build a great circle of contacts.Functional and individual conflicts are bound to come in your way and you must handle each one differently but effectively. You may fail in your first attempt but to keep attempting is the key to success. And last but not the least, everyone makes a lot of errors in this process but to learn from these to move ahead and not to feel bogged down is equally important. Always keep a well balance between work and life.

Learn to say ‘no’ skilfully when required, instead of over committing and under delivering "

Justice delayed and justice denied...!!

Can you forget this picture, at least I can't. I don't understand how the law makers and law enforcers are able to do that.

Around 22,000 dead. More than 1,20,000 injured.  Rs 1 lakh for each body. Rs 25,000 for every poisoned lung and damaged heart and blinded eyes. 26 years of long wait. And just 2 years in jail for the men who committed the worst crime against the people of this country. And this mockery of justice after such a long wait. 25 years after the greatest industrial accident in the world.  25 years after over 25,000 perished in an agonizing death on the terrible night when the deadly gas leaked out of the Union Carbide chemical factory in Bhopal. Or in slow tortureous deaths in the few weeks following that night as people saw their loved ones wither away with little medical help.  And as the city of Bhopal began to look like a huge mortuary.

And 25 years later after the hundreds of thousands that were affected by the gas have mostly perished to it’s long term effects, the court finally delivered their judgement today. People of Bhopal are still drinking toxic water poisoned by Union Carbide in December 1984. And the main culprit is living life kingsize in a mansion in New York.

No country sells its people so cheap.
No country sells its poor so cheap.
No country sells its dead so cheap.

It’s a completely irrelavant judgement. For those on whose shoulders lie the responsibility of this avoidable, irresponsible, completely mismanaged accident, have long since made their deals with the government of India and gone. It was one of the greatest and most brutal sellout by the government of India and it’s courts of the people of India.

Till today as the people of Bhopal continue to suffer from the  thousands of cases of cancer and incurable birth defects in children born to the parents of the people that inhaled the gas on the terrible night.  And as toxic waste continues to seep into and through the ground water  25 years later.

But who cared about the poor people of Bhopal? Certainly not our own Government who like cannibals preyed upon their own people. Apparently very little of the  paltry $ 470 million that  was paid went to helping the people that suffered, a large part being diverted to the pockets of corrupt officials. The excuse used was that you could not tell who was a victim of the gas tragedy and who was not.

25 years later, are we making the same mistakes ? The law is supposed to be a deterrent to crimes being committed again. This judgement just proves that you could do anything in India and get away with it. Even kill thousands and thousands of people.
 

Today, India proved that it doesn’t really care for its people, particularly if they have been slaughtered by powerful people from the most powerful nation in the world. Instead of taking on America and fighting for justice for its poor, India is more than happy to sell its dead cheap.
Rs 1 lakh for every body. Rs 25,000 for every blinded eye. This is the cost of poor in a failed state.Yes this clearly re-instates the fact, that in India you can kill thousands of people and still walk away smiling, freely. This is not happening for the first time. People with rash and drunkard driving are roaming around freely, politicians responsible for murder of many people are now our respected ministers. Very true this government is "With you, for you, always"....I wonder why can't  we have an option to choose none of above while voting and why can't those loosing guys be barred for next 5 attempts.......!!

A small town boy..!!

A small town boy, born at a place which can be considered farm away from today's world, looks back at a lot of memories

• Days spent at school
• Wondering when will he get a chance to watch TV at home
• Wondering why his parents are not purchasing a fridge
• Why he can't go on a holiday every year like others
• What does it takes to purchase a vehicle
• Wondering why can't he get into engineering 
• Whats so special about doing graduation outside his city
• Listening to stories of all his schoolmates, who were studying outside
• Feeling alone when he has to step out for the first time out of his home
• Felling scared of fast moving world around him
• Feeling ashamed of being from a small town
• Watching the lifestyle of his fellows in disbelief
• Wondering how is he lagging behind from everyone around him
• Repenting for not becoming first engineer in his family
• Thanking his parents hundreds of times for being there and supporting him
• Silently shedding tears when he becomes the reason for taunts for his family
• Getting disturbed by his ex-schoolmates' comments on him
• Feeling content on getting admission in a good collage after his repetitive efforts
• Again getting depressed on not getting a job as per his parent's expectations
• Hiding his tears when he has to leave his sibling alone for his graduation
• Feeling proud of him on his graduation  day
• Learning about life after backstabbing and being bullied by his seniors at job

He thinks how far he has traveled till date, smiles and starts afresh  for his walk of life ahead...
This is the story of every other guy from a small town who has migrated and placed himself into the society dominated by so called residents of big cities....

Aren't you one of them?

Uttam Pradesh...!!

The rulers of Uttar Pradesh want to make the state as Uttam Pradesh and they are claiming to be working towards achieving the same. 

And we all who are related to UP are amazed to see these figures

• 40 % people are living below poverty line
• Net worth of the CM is 88 Crores
• Crime rate is at par with world’s most advanced and developed cities
• Criminals, if caught are taking rest in hospitals instead of being in jails and are operating from there
• People paying toll tax for roads which are under construction for many years
• Growth rate which is one of the lowest in India amongst all the states
• Poor infrastructure and public facilities

Those who had ever been to Noida, which is incidentally an integral part of NCR can clearly distinguish that all the claims are on paper only. There is nothing which Government is doing for the state and city. All you see around are huge statues and parks which are either under construction or are inaccessible to general public. What is the point having parks with huge statues of the current chief minister? 

There are numerous villages in UP with a glorious past but poor present and no future. There is no electricity, no roads and medical services are non-existent and despite all this the same ruler is occupying the chair of head of state.

I really wonder is this how the rulers will lead the state to glory?

If people of UP do not want to flourish like their neighboring states (Bihar clocked up a giddy growth rate of 11.03% in 2008-2009), they need to seriously think before choosing their leaders. Please guys think above caste and religion and vote for the growth of your state to really make it an Uttam Pradesh.

IPL, Modi and Politics…!!

Lalit Modi is known as a fine, soft spoken and a bit of introvert guy who is also a friend for friends. Once known as close to Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and very soon close to the people of Rajasthan and was later famous as the controversial boyfriend of a political party politician lady. A trader who is not in formal politics, yet informally ruling naturally becomes a soft target for others. He forgot that his mentor Mr. Sharad Pawar is like an iceberg, much more than what he seems to be visible. Owner of cooperative movement in Maharashtra, Sole trustee of  Y. B Chouhan Trust, One who outplayed the oldest player of cricket, Jagmohan Dalmiya. He was the one who questioned the foreign origin of Sonia Gandhi's, created a different party and then teamed up with Sonia Gandhi in Maharashtra and Central government. Who is an entrepreneur, a player amongst the cricketer, sugar baron in sugar industry, development guru in Baramati for his men and an expert in putting aside his political friends and enemies in style.

I may believe that Supryia Pawar has got nothing to do with IPL, but whole Mumbai knows that how she is related to Kapoors, Jains and Khans.  As Amar Singh on being expelled from Samajwadi Party was told that all was his mistake, it’s time for Modi to think about himself and his life. The story has become interesting now with indulgence of politics (two Cabinet Ministers), Bollywood (Shahrukh Khan, Preeti Zinta) and a smart attractive woman (Sunanda), all these people had made this story even more interesting than IPL itself. The final nail in the coffin was the presence of biggies like Subrata Roy, Mukesh Ambani and King of good times Vijay Mallya.

This spicy story has made people of the country forget everything about inflation, starvation of farmers, unemployed youth, problems with naxals. Even the country's TV, newspapers and politicians are busy with only this story. Our public is great, they sometimes make Harshad Mehta and Ketan Parekh heros and sometimes zero.

Modi committed a mistake by opening Pandora’s box by pointing a finger on Tharoor and see where has he landed….and this saga of IPL, Modi and Politics goes on and on……..

Past few days…!!

Here I am sitting at 40 thousand feet, cruising at 700 km/hr and rewinding things which happened in last few days.

Everyday started with lots and lots of uncertainty, lots of chaos, some learning from past some plans for the future. Every day after getting up, I took some time to look around and realise, where am I. Once I feel the place I was in, I used to move out of bed, reluctantly to start the day. And then it all starts, numerous calls, verifying check lists and saying..shit..I missed this. Then rushing for the breakfast and the day starts. Running around people to get things done, trying to reach out to people to align them for our planned activity for the day. For me it was a target, a passion but for them, it was a routine and I was someone who was interfering with their daily life.

Initially everyone resisted me and my presence in their lives, but slowly they started accepting me. It was a nice feeling to be part of their lives, eat what they are eating, drink what they are drinking, think what they are thinking and fell their feelings. it continued for 2-3 more days and then it was time to say good bye. My time with them was over, I have to move ahead for my next assignment. Although few days back, I was no one to them, but while leaving their place, I felt as if I am part of them and their life.

It feels bad to move out from their place but it also contained a hope that there are few more people waiting for me to barge into their lives and be a part of that. Life moves on, never stops for anyone and its the same thing which I have to do. 

पर मुझे इन सब से क्या, मैं तो आज यहाँ हूँ, कल फिर मुझे चले जाना है
जो आज तलक मेरा अपना था, कल वो मेरे लिए बेगाना है
क्योंकि मैं तो एक मुसाफिर हूँ, मेरा कब अपना कोई ठिकाना है..!!

School days....!!

Gone are the days when we used to look forward to new academic sessions. The excitement of reading all the stories of our books as soon as we get them. The days when the school reopened in July and we settled at our new desks and benches. When we used to chase one another in the corridors and returned drenched in sweat. We never required an water purifier at that time. We never complained for air conditioner not working properly. We were never afraid of going out in sun and playing for the whole day.

When a single games period in the week's time table was awaited more eagerly than the lunch break. Playing always superseded the hunger for food. The sports day, annual day used to take one full month of preparations and we used to have fun doing that.

We used to study,  enjoy, played, win few games, lose few but still we returned happy everyday.

I used to wonder when will I start working and earning....and now I wonder why did I wished to work and earn..those were better days with no timelines, no targets, no appraisals and no expectations.

I badly miss you my school days....!!

Are they too supposed to follow the rules.....!!

Here I am sitting inside train, wondering if only I and fellow civilians are supposed to follow the rules laid down by "The Government of India" or  it applies to everyone including the people who are serving in armed forces.

When our train reached Agra Cantonment, I stepped out to have stroll and was really shocked to see a army vehicle parked bang opposite to my coach on platform no 1. The vehicle was surely belonging to some big shot, it was with a red light on it, a alert driver in uniform and 2-3 more guys waiting for the Sahab to get down from the train. Wow..!!

I am  really shocked to see this. When ex-prime minister don't have a right to drive his own vehicle on the platform, I wonder if there are separate rules for the armed forces. If this is how the resources are being used from the money I am paying as tax, I rather prefer not to pay tax anymore, I refuse to pay tax now and I want all my money paid as tax (even though its too small) back. Or else, I request authorities to give me right also to drive in my vehicle to the platform whenever I am traveling by train. 

 

Come on, reply to me guys, me and every taxpayer like me is waiting...!!

My country, my people..!!

It has became a fashion statement now a days to say "I love my country". But how many do really care. If its my country, then it should also be my fellow people and my rules too.

How many of us wear a helmet or use a seat belt or never drive after drinking because its my country's rule and I should respect it? Although I met someone last week who refused to drive after a drinks session, these type of people are rare to find. He said, its our rules and we should respect it, I am impressed. Instead most of us will prefer to ignore the rules and they rarely care for the law enforcers.

Today I saw in the flight, my fellow British passenger switched off his mobile on being instructed but one of our fellow Indian (he was wearing shirt of one of the biggest auto manufacturing company) left his mobile switched on. When we were about to land he got a message on his mobile and surprisingly he was not sorry to commit that mistake, rather he was smiling, how shameful. That British guy was surprised to see my fellow passenger's reaction and said, its really bad that people don't follow the rules.

If we really feel India as our country, instead of wearing a I love my country statement, or wearing a tri-colour  face paint we should try to follow and obey the rules, which are formulated to save ourselves.  We should be a bit more polite to our fellow travelers, be more patient while standing in a queue at a airport, or at ticket counter for a movie and so on.

Then we can say proudly, my country, my people, my rules and I respect them all..!!

Change in Life ....!!!

I owe this to so many factors and people in life....

Here I am sitting in my office @ night…
Thinking hard about life
How it changed from a maverick college life to strict professional life…..

How tiny pocket money changed to huge monthly paychecks
but then why it gives less happiness….

How a few local denim jeans changed to new branded wardrobe
but then why there are less people to use them

How a single plate of samosa changed to a full Pizza or burger
But then why there is less hunger…..

Here i am sitting in my office @ night…
Thinking hard about life
How it changed…..

How a bike always in reserve changed to bike always on
but then why there are less places to go on……

How a small coffee shop changed to cafe coffee day
but then why its feels like shop is far away…..

How a limited prepaid card changed to postpaid package
but then why there are less calls & more message……

Here i am sitting in my office @ night…
Thinking hard about life
How it changed…..

How a general class journey changed to Flight journey
But then why there are less vacations for enjoyment….

How a old assembled desktop changed to new branded laptop
but then why there is less time to put it on……….

How a small bunch of friends changed to office mate
but then why after 8'o Clock it always feel like getting late….

Here i am sitting in my office @ night…
Thinking hard about life
How it changed….. how it changed……..

How to handle criticism...!!

Destructive criticism has become a regular part of our lives. This is a criticism that tears down rather than builds up the person it is targeted at. The more ‘public’ a person is, the more criticism he tends to face, simply by virtue of the fact that more people know him. These people can be writers, blogger, artists or people with ideas, even at office.

Almost always, someone else will have a different method of doing things, or a different opinion on a matter, just as we have our own methods and our own opinion. We all like to impose our methods, as we think that we have the best method and the best opinion on the matter. Our inherent pride only serves to increase the friction and spark division and conflict. This can easily lead to uncontrollable anger, a sense of injustice, insecurity from a lack of approval, or depression from being unappreciated. How to handle all this?

Be prepared for the unexpected

Yes, this is probably the first mental step. Whenever you start something new and you are upbeat about it, obviously you think for the best and think that everyone will like what you have accomplished. However as the saying goes, prepare for the worst. It doesn’t mean that you should be pessimistic, but you should have a frame of mind where you are ready to face all kinds of feedback.

Humbly learn what you can

There may be some truth behind what your critics say, despite their motivations. Be humble and be willing to listen and learn. The critics can be a means of grace by which we learn to be more godly, or wiser in some matter, or become more competent in some skill. So treasure them. In fact be highly suspicious if no one seems to be coming to you to point out our mistakes.

Reduce the passion

In the previous point I mentioned about being prepared for the negativity. Now, I know this is easier said than done because when we are in a positive frame of mind and cheerful about something new, we don’t usually want to think about the negative aspects. Hence the way to get in that frame of mind is to reduce the passion and be calm before you announce something new. That’s when if negative feedback pours in, although you will get upset, but you will handle it in a better manner without getting frustrated.

Face it as it comes and then analyze it

Now when negative feedback and criticism does start pouring in, there is nothing much you can do. Well, yes, you can always stop the comments, sign out of your IMs, mails, twitter, log out of your computer and then run away to your home. But does that solve the purpose? In fact if you do this, the next day you will face double the criticism and you may be titled as a coward who knows how to tickle the dragon but can’t face the fire.

So here the important thing is to face it as it comes and then analyze it. Check why you are getting negative feedback and what exactly people are disliking. You could also participate in the discussion and be candid and answer the questions. This can help you in two ways:

• You get a lot of constructive feedback and a lot of support from your followers.
• Those who criticized you bluntly may change their mind after participating in the discussion and may accept that they were actually wrong.

Hence instead of running away, you should face it in a brave manner.

Believe in yourself

Last but not the least, no matter what happens, its important to believe in yourself and in your work...!!

Has India’s poorest and most lawless state turned the corner..!!

If you believe the government, the answer appears to be in the affirmative. According to it, Bihar clocked up a giddy growth rate of 11.03% in 2008-2009. This would make it India’s second fastest growing state economy, just behind the industrially developed western state of Gujarat.

Not so long ago, Bihar was written off as a basket case, trailing behind every other Indian state. Its infrastructure was pathetic, jobs had disappeared, factories had shut down, lawlessness was rife and the government was in a mess. I believe that with a change of regime four years ago – regional leader Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) leads a coalition government with the Hindu nationalist BJP – Bihar’s fortunes have picked up.

Even if this is an exaggeration, there are definite signs of the economy turning the corner. 

Consider this:

• Government spending on infrastructure and “social development” has been pegged at Rs 200 crores every year
• Use of cement in the state has grown 28% in the last four years against the national average of 9%, pointing to increased construction work
• There has been a 78% growth in air traffic in and out of the state during the same period, the fourth-highest in India.
• Automobile sales in the state have recorded a whopping 700% growth.
• More than 6,800km (4,225 miles) of roads have been rebuilt and 1,600 bridges and culverts have been constructed
• The government says it is working overtime to tame Bihar’s runaway crime rate – nearly 40,000 criminals, it says, have been convicted in the last four years.

“All this proves that there has been all round growth and development” says Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi.

“Bihar is back on track”

But many doubt these claims. These figures are too good to be true, says many. They wonder how the state could have recorded double digit growth when last year’s economic survey – a central government publication – showed that the growth rate was just around 5%. Also, last year’s economic survey said that Bihar had recorded negative growth in the farm sector. At Rs 1,451 per capita social spending remains one of the lowest in the country.

Most economists do however agree that the Keynesian nature of growth in Bihar – most of it spurred by government – has led to increased spending in construction.

Also, the savings rate remains pretty high – Patna alone has more than few hundred crores in bank deposits, which is higher than many prosperous small cities in India.

Since Bihar’s development base is abysmally low, even a small investment here results in impressive growth in percentage terms, but still I would say these signs are for sure good for people of Bihar.

Good going guys..keep it up..!! 

A mixed feeling...!!

I never belong to a category who is very happy to come to office for any thing on any given day. I prefer to work as per my wish, in my style keeping in mind the timelines given, but not in the traditional 9 to 6 orthodox style. But today when I came back to office after a gap of around two weeks, it was a different feeling altogether. One bit of me was happy to be here while other was not so happy.

Last two weeks were crazy for me, nothing was fixed, no schedule, sleep was missing as peace inside mind was missing. Body's internal cycle went for a toss, late nights and early mornings, errant eating patterns along with all type of junk being dumped into my stomach as food. News of few people leaving us at job front and an uncertainty of what next will come.

When I reached office, it was like coming back to place where I belong to, but the bad part was that so many things were missing. I missed someone who used to be there everyday, his comments, his jokes, his teasing comments, his guidance, the fun time we used to have, but on the other hand I was feeling good to be back with my guys all around me. Those leg pulling sessions, pseudo working..sometimes really working, conference room gossips and all.

The day ended with a session of match watching with present and ex-colleagues. Enjoyed that too, reminded me of college days when we all used to go out for movies together. Now I am trying to settle down from inside of my mind with what I am left with.

This is what we call as life, full of unexpected events and lacking few expected events....still it moves on..!!

A vacation you will never forget...!!

I have no idea how many of you had ever tried a eco-holiday or eco-tourism. These words may look fashionable marking term used to promote tourism but if you ever try to understand what exactly they mean, they are very simple.

The idea itself of taking a break from our daily routine life and moving more and more towards nature will look like a crazy one to most of the people. Forget about going on a vacation at a place like this, where you will be spending money but won't be getting Jacuzzi or a personal swimming pool. The idea itself will look weird to most of us. They may end up experiencing this vacation as a guilt trip instead. How can someone pay for a vacation in today's times to get nothing of these so called luxuries, with no mobile, no Internet or no television?  No, I am not interested..will be the reaction from most of us.

Now think of a place in Kumaon, where only bus you can catch is bus number 11, your own legs to explore the place. Or at Haridwar, where you have to climb a 7,000 feet high mountain by yourself for trekking. Or at Kanha national park, where you can travel across the park fastest in a bullock cart, where food is organic and the wheat in your bread is pounded in a water mill, at a near by village not at any big food processing factory.

The adventure package may include walking across the villages accompanied by porters who helps you in identifying the places, flora, natural resources around and sometimes will assist in carrying your luggage, or staying every night at different rest house across villages, or having local delicacies cooked on either solar cooker or dung cakes but no electric ovens or LPG, in night you may have some dim bulbs glowing, thanks to usage of solar power or else you can sit in the varandah and enjoy the breeze. For the health freaks, you will get packaged drinking water, a chance to go for a cycling trip across the terrain, a swim in fresh water rivers with no contaminations. And above all a rejuvenated body and soul that none of the so called healing spa sessions can provide. 

Although most of us reading this write-up may not be much enthusiastic and eager to take all these challenges, there are people who prefer to take a break for a vacation at one of these places. And yes I belong to that crazy category.

Give this a thought next time when you are planning a holiday, remember, your life is calling, where are you...??

Trip back to the woods...!!

This time when I went back home, I thought of visiting county side to feel and live real India. Not what that is promoted in all the business magazines and websites. I wanted a break from traffic, pollution, mean city, rushing people and far far from the concrete jungle. I started my journey in a pretty lovely weather with really a good view ahead. 

It looked like an ambitious trip as I had to travel long to escape from all this, but I gained my courage and started my journey with an aim to reach my destination.

The roads were sleepy, full of fog, with a pinch of cold in air which was penetrating through my body and soul, but also pushing me towards my aim to reach that far far village in search of calmness and in a desire to be with nature. 

I kept on driving deeper and deeper in the woods, the road seems to be never ending but i kept on driving. Stopping to feel the unpolluted nature, to capture the breath stopping moments, to give myself a boost while sipping hot tea, while thanking myself to come out this far leaving my cozy bed. It all felt so good and I was loving every bit of that.

 

I crossed river Narmada, drove through the base of Satpura's dark forests in search of a small road which could lead me that small unnoticed village.

And the road which I was searching for so long....there it appeared from nowhere........
                            

A small pathway leading to an unknown place, you really need to be adventurous to take that kind of road, I took that. It lead me to much wider road inside.

    

The jungle was coming to and end and fields came into picture giving a pleasant feel to my eyes. I knew the outcome was going to be awesome.

The more and more I was driving, more I was getting deeper into the pretty fields, all green fields covered with natural cover of eye pleasing yellow, a smell in the air that you will never get in any of the Indian city. I was getting more and more curious about what is going to come next..what I saw again left me speech less and motionless...

And there was a little hut standing proudly and peacefully in the middle of all this. Although there was no electricity inside it, no air conditioner, no television or no telephone or mobile. That looked to me like a complete entity. Got a little bit of the feel which was felt by "The Monk who sold his Ferrari"....

               

Well done SRK..!!

Today Shahrukh spoke up finally after all that controversy about Pak players in IPL. He in a very bold voice says "I may be coward as I don't speak up for everything but I am not scared of anything or anyone". You need to have guts to say something like that. That too against someone while sitting in their so called den. As we understand clearly what he meant by saying this, we should also appreciate that he took a stand for what he thought was correct and stood there irrespective of being threatened by Shiv Sena. There was not much of support for him from his own Bollywood and the state government. When general people like me are debating on if Hindi is our national language or not, or if there exists anything like national language, when migrants are feeling scared in Mumbai, when existence of state governments doesn't makes any sense as it fails to give its citizens any feeling of comfort and security in that state, a tough stand by a public personality makes some point.

SRK made an interesting point, our  politicians are not sure about their stand towards Pakistan. They say we should not have any sporting relations with Pakistan but still we are playing against them in commonwealth games, in hockey, in everything, but not cricket. Come on, make yourself clear on your stand guys.

If he whose so much was on stake doesn't stepped back, then why can't we take a stand towards togetherness and try to keep aside the differences of caste, religion, colour, region, quotas, language and politics revolving all this, and be fellow citizens of a country India which is full of cultural diversity but still standing tall despite all odds for many year and will continue to be like that. To me it doesn't looks like as an unachievable task. So lets all of us come together for achieving this aim.

हिंदी हैं हम, वतन है.हिन्दुस्तान हमारा....!!

Relationships...The Smart Way..!!

Trust me, over the past few years I’ve learned more about the value of relationships than I could possibly ever imagine. Thank you all to those who encouraged, uplifted, and most importantly listened…truly listened to whatever I uttered.

Conversely, thank you all too those who did the exact opposite of the above. Without you…I would not had been the person I am today.
 

The idea of rebound relationships is so ingrained into the way we think about dating that it just seems natural to look for one after a breakup. There's something to be said for getting back in the saddle, choosing a partner when your judgment is clouded usually does more harm than good overall. If you want to get over your ex fast, there are better ways to do it.

The first step to keeping yourself from doing something you'll regret is to take an honest look at what you're feeling and understand how those feelings can lead you places you'd rather not go. A lot of times we just miss the companionship and look for someone to fill the gap in our schedule and distract us from the fact that our heart's just been broken. In that case, make a point of finding a social time-filler that doesn't involve romance.

The best thing you can do to avoid getting involved with someone who's all wrong for you is stick to your standards. In fact, go ahead and raise them a little just to add a safety buffer. If the person you're thinking about dating is less kind, less intelligent, less anything that you'd normally want, stay away.

When we look for someone to rebound with, we need someone fast. Normally We don't have time to waste looking for someone we really click with, so we tend to latch on to someone we already know and have at least some rapport with. It might be a close friend, a co-worker, even someone who works at the grocery store down the street. If you find yourself falling for someone you've never been the least bit attracted to before, stop and think about what's really going on here.

Instead of filling your time with go-nowhere dates, get out and make some new friends (that's friends,not lovers.There's a difference.) Get involved in something you've always wanted to do but never had time for. Whatever you do, don't sit around pining for your ex or scouring the bookstore shelves for self help books.

Even if your not sobbing into your pillow every night, the end of a relationship will naturally make you feel a little bummed out and low on energy. Take that into account and try not to start any major projects for a few weeks. Instead, treat yourself to some time out to do something you enjoy.

Of course, not every rebound relationship ends up a disaster. If you're lucky, you'll have a fun fling. If you do decide to get involved with someone after a breakup, though, make sure you've taken a little off by yourself and you're not lowering your standards.

Bottom line : While we should try hard prevent broken relationships, rebound dates gone wrong are much easy to avoid

Students opting for suicide..!!

The cases of students killing themselves are on rise in recent past. Mr Kapil Sibbal says, parents are responsible for that. Come on Mr minister, none of the parent would like their kid to kill themselves.

It's never the pressure by the parents that prompts the students to take this extreme step, instead its again the ragging and favoritism at institutes. The medical student of Lucknow killed himself because one of his lecturer at college was intentionally giving him lower grades. The student of Ferguson college Pune killed himself because of ragging by his seniors.

Although ragging is never the same as it used to be few years back but unfortunately still it exists. What is still persistently there  is the torture and favoritism at institutes by the teachers. Being a citizen of this free democratic country, I too had equal rights to go to that city for education, which was never welcomed by those localites. And incidentally the college was forced to accept us as students just because of bondage of rules from Ministry of Education.

I remember one of our  lecturer literally cursing one of our classmates just because he was of some different caste and city. Although our that champ is now in a better position than those favored students, those days were hell for that poor guy.  We too being outsider were always treated differently by few of the institute's staff. While all the favor during sessional and internals was given to the localites, we had to fight for our rightful marks. And those huge difference in internal marks always made the difference in the semester results and hence rankings. There were few instances where we were not even updated of the company's visit for placements. Even while depositing the fees we has to stand in the different queues. The incident of fights between locals and we outsiders was a regular and common thing.

Under these extreme conditions and pressure, some of the students who cannot handle it, opt to take an extreme step like suicide, which is very unfortunate.

Instead of issuing these type of statements, if Mr minister tries to get to the root cause of the problem, it will surely help poor students under stress to evolve as a better human beings.

"ये तो मंदिर हैं इन्हें कब्रगाह न बनाओ, जो आये हैं आपकी पनाह मैं उनको सही राह दिखाओ..!!"

Wah Behanjee Wah..!!

Today's headline "Behanjee recruiting 1000-1500 security personals for protecting the 10 monuments and their surrounding areas".

Why so much of hue and cry? Why can't people see the bigger picture?

In a state crippled with un-employment, if she is building monuments, she is creating job opportunities. If she is recruiting security personals, she is giving those guys an option to live a life of their own as serving state government employees. If those personals will take care of area surrounding the monuments, including the public facilities, what's wrong in that. Don't you remember the pathetic situation of those facilities at other places, smile, you will get a cleaner and properly maintained public facilities next time you will visit any place like that. Which chief minister of UP in past has thought something innovative like this for the people of their state

So the benefits you have are

• Employment for people
• Better maintained parks
• Hence income for the state from tourism

Ya I can see that you will say there are problems too, like

• Wastage of tax payer's money
• Why not security for general people?

Let me clarify on these points too. There is already a wastage of  you money, who is caring for that. You still have got potholes, contaminated water supply, poor law and order situation etc etc. So why don't accept happily what you are getting out of that? And as far as security for general people is there, wait ..she has started with parks and monuments, your turn will also come.

Till the time you get better options, why don't take what you are getting as of now. So smile, this is the best government available which you can buy :)

60th anniversary of Indian constitution..!!

I got up yesterday on 26th January with lots of cough and cold inside me (although its irrelevant here, but still I would like to mention it)  and fog and cold outside.

There were so many pieces of news floating around...One MLC from Bihar beating a girl who complained against her gunner's misbehaving...Rana's father in law claiming him to be innocent...people disliking new version of Mile sur mera tumhara....President saluting the flag past parade at Rajpath....our guests daring the cold and attending the republic day parade...the common man missing from that same parade in the name of security...Bill gates spotted table dancing and being reported as a level-40 dance party wizard....people all of sudden singing patriotic songs, which they will surely forget very next day..... taxi drivers in Mumbai getting notice to learn Marathi...and incidentally Mr Ambani opposing this move...SRK saying that whatever happened at IPL auctions was bad, but he can't help....Branjelina split....naxalites calling of a bandh in Orrisa on republic day....people not happy with the prohibition on alcohol coz they were missing that something in their hangouts...ministries clarifying and defending the mistake they did in a paper advertisement a day ago boldly..most of the office goers happy with this mid week break...people queued up in front of super markets to save their money by purchasing anything and everything that was being offered at discounted rates.... knowing that both Barkha and SRK are sad to see all the controversy around the padma awards....and so on...

Still we all celebrated republic day..!! 

Why do you need to clarify Mr Tharoor..!!

We all saw the controversy created by media about comments of Shashi Tharoor on Mr. Nehru, but it was again a case of irresponsible and non professional journalism as clarified today by Mr Tharoor. Even if it was the case so, why aren't we open to hear something about Mr Nehru or any of our politicians?.


Everyone knows about what they had given us and what have we lost because of them. The Gandhi family is here in politics because of their legacy. We always had good and bad politicians. Those who were seriously into doing good for our country never had any legacy. Where is anyone from the family of Sardar Patel or Dr Rajendra Prasad? Everyone knew how Sardar patel was asked to opt out of Congress leadership by Mr Gandhi.

All we have got now are the people from Gandhi and Nehru family.Those who got a license to "serve" the country because they are from those families. One of our ex-PM Mr Devegowda appeared on telivision scolding current Karnatak CM. Hw was using a language that will not be accepted for even a school kid. Today we have so called veterns like Mr Tiwari getting caught in something in appropriate for even a "Aam Aadmi", forget accepting a Governer getting caught in doing that.

In this scenario if Mr Tharoor writes something, he is critisised by his party and forced to clarify. Why should he do that? I am amazed by the transperancy he shows in his work. How many politicians have guts to share what they are doing in their everyday life. To share something, they need to do something in everyday life for the poeple who eleceted them, which I doubt they do.

Anyone who is interested in Indian poilitical history know about Ms Edwina Mounbatten's tryst with Indian politics and Indian politician. They know what India has lost while listening to those so called leaders. Sardar Patel who was someone responsible for bringing all small "Riyasats" together to form India of today, had different views from those big leaders of that time. And we can see now whose started things on wrong notes, we can see people again fighting for their separate states.

I being a proud citizen of free India respect everyone's views and expect everyone to express his views, so Mr Tharoor no need to clarify anything, just keep doing good work for the people..!!