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Cafe MochaAny opinion expressed here is the author's opinion and not representative of any organization that I may be associated with 11月2日 Book Review - 'Almost Single"Almost Single. - The book almost takes off...
Great title
A sari clad leg swinging with a sneaker...hmmn interesting cover.
Theme - A single woman in urban India. Thought provoking.
Reviews - 'The mantra of all single women in India.'
'She is a craze'.
I picked up the book, thinking it would be a good read. Two chapters later, I sighed. An old-fashioned Mills & Boon, the book just refused to take off. When one is forced to read about a grown up woman dealing with issues about men in a teenage fashion- well...let's just say that I might as well watcha soap on the Disney channel. A superficial level of gut reaction with the supposedly pretty heroine going for a binge party, another single to listen to all her stupid pranks, and her sad about to be divorcee friend who just messed up her life. A reflection on how our urbane lives lack any depth and revolve around the social to-dos and parties. No need to think much. Cattiness personified, it reads like the diary of a socialite, who by the way, has to work for a living. Sigh! Halfway through, she bores us with all the details of how she waited on the royalty and served as a personal maid minus the western style uniform. The book resorts to cheap tricks at times, when she attempts crass humor about the fat boss's extra-marital acitivities. One small joke which sort of covers twenty odd pages. It gets worse, when she keeps trying to target the men. But she still couldn't marry him till she appears in a towel - in front of his boss and practically talks him into taking up the older proposal. The boss in the meantime stands through the specatacle before he finally excuses himself. Another tale of how to trap the eligible and rich bachelor? This by the way, reminds me of another lady I knew in the hostel business. She too is rumored to roam around in towels. Guests, beware! I just hope its not a part of their job description. Worse, the book was badly edited, with spelling errors, punctuation & goof-ups. Hey, did the publisher want to publish it? Or was she or he just another one of those contacts who owed her a favor?
Hmmn!
To be fair, the book almost takes off...she touches on some risque issues, but does not explore them. She almost there and then poof - nothing! 5月17日 Post elections, it is the electoral promises. Congress victory was predictable. Margins were low. Still Congress did not get enough on its own weight. DMK and NCP are still the balancers in the UPA led government. So the kingmakers will come from these parties and will still be the king really. The Congress gained new grounds in Rajasthan and Delhi. Started recovering in UP. UP voted for the Gandhis. That showed. NE treated it with a pinch of salt. Karnataka and Gujarat are still BJP bastions. Two states where the state government must change before the people vote different. In Gujarat the vote makes no difference. BJP has a fiefdom there. The Bengal's anti-Left vote and Bihar's vote has an element of change in it. The task of winning elections is relatively easy compared to living upto electoral promises. The Congress has made a lot of promises. It will hopefully have the entire five years to keep them. Hopefully its focus will be on development and not on petty politics like that of Mayawati or hopefully it will treat opposition with dignity rather then ignorant exercises of power. One really wonders whether power will corrupt any further though. The King maker is the king
The King maker is the king Deep in the Himalayas, there was a beautiful valley. To the world outside, it was known as the kingdom of peace, riches and beauty. However, inside only the people could tell you how peaceful it really was. In this kingdom lived a wise man called Gramin. He was a rich man. He could predict futures and decide fates. In this kingdom, there also lived two princely families. One which ruled the throne and the other, the king’s brother. Both the King and his old brother had a son each. Both were keen on becoming the next king. The King announced his retirement. And also declared the road to the throne open for both cousins. He said that gods would be consulted before they decided on who would be the next king. Both princes went to Gramin. Both appealed to him. Gramin promised to pray for both. In return he garnered favors and made money. The day came for choosing the king. The royalty and the who’s who of the kingdom gathered in large numbers, waiting for the king’s decision. The King however said nothing. He sat there quiet and brooding. One of his courtiers asked him:”O King, have you decided?” King: “Who am I to decide?” Courtier: “Your Majesty, it is your right and duty to leave the kingdom looked after, once you step down. Make your decision, your majesty!” King: “However, all of you and both the princes seem to think that someone else will decide that.” Courtier: “Eh? Excuse me Your Majesty, we do not follow what you have just said.” King: “Alright then, I have decided in the favor of the Kingmaker…!” Courtier:”The Kingmaker? But your majesty, we have no such post or person.” King: “You are mistaken. We do have a Kingmaker! The Gramin! He is the person that all turn to for advice. The princes too went to him. His prayers decide on who does what and what happens in this kingdom. Today morning he came to me and told me that if he so chose, he can make a peasant the next king. Both the princes will do as he says. If he chose, they will leave the kingdom fearing that some harm may befall them. He will choose the king, his fate and the fate of the kingdom, he said. Further, he said, ‘O king, give me the princess’s hand in marriage so that I too may be royalty. Or give me the wealth of you treasuries which I so desire, so that I too may be rich beyond dreams. And give me the gardens and the rivers, so that I can have a tiny fiefdom of my own.’ Well, I thought about it and realized what he says is true. The entire kingdom relies on him. And yet, he has little wealth as compared to me. He is the Kingmaker, more powerful than me, the king. In that case, let him be the King! Let the Kingmaker be the King. Let him enjoy the rights and take responsibilities for the duty of the vast kingdom. My decision is made. Let the Kingmaker be the King!” The courtiers agreed.And gave in to the demands of the retiring monarch. The proclamation in the town square read: “The King Maker is the king!“ ______________________________________________________
The Kingmakers are indeed the kings. In India, we have too many kingmakers, ranging from Sharad Pawar, Nitish Bharadwaj and Karunanidhi to Mamata Banerjee, Mayawati and Jayalalitha! However, I am sure they will remain just that – kingmakers. And they will always be more powerful then the king. Luckily we do not have a monarchy. But we have the kingmakers. And the Kingmakers are more powerful then the king! In the coming days, we shall witness the kind of bargaining and selling of power that only a hung assembly and coalition politics can bring about. Here’s hoping that the kingmakers do not ask for their own fiefdom! _____________________________________________________
5月1日 Below 45% voter turnout The report card is bad. Mumbai barely passed. Just 45% aggregate! But Mumbai does not care. Yes, it was not even a boycott. Just pure political apathy. Elections did not even merit a holiday in this commercial hub. Political parties knew this, considering the low key and low cost campaign. Or perhaps they didn't have the guts to face the Mumbaikars? In most cases, the usual bungles still prevailed Missing names in lists, duplicate names, long queues with celebrities voting first....inaccessible polling stations... hostile poll officers...threats of dire consequences for both voters and non -voters....nothing really changes...no matter how technologically advanced the process is...until our thinking process undergoes a radical change, the situation will remain the same. 4月25日 New EVMs only record vote...Improved EVMs record vote, but do they prevent booth capturing? http://elections.ndtv.com/news_story.aspx?ID=NEWEN20090089849&keyword=election&ch=462009105800AM
Physical security and alertness on part of all parties is the only way that recording of votes is not falsified. Or that booth capturing does not take place.
My earliest memories on voting, probably in the assembly elections, are that of booth capture. Its quite sickening when after voting, one hears at the end of the day that booth capturing occured and votes were duplicated. With EVM's booth capturing is the only way that votes can be tampered with.Esp. when the poll officers may not be honest. Local schools with poll officers from localites will manipulate if they all belong to the same colour.
Sometime in the past decade I had tried to change my constituency for voter registration. Only to be threatened at the local polling office. After tons of complaints at the Mantralaya, I still retain my voting card for my old constituency. Which as they explained to me is my permanent native place.
Electoral politics can be the most corrupt, dirty and worst kind of politics that we witness. The country votes honestly and lets hope that the counting happens honestly. Though in the Indian democracy that too causes problems. A divided vote is no vote. If the people vote decisively for one party instead of the bevy of parties, we will avoid a hung assembly and coalition politics.
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