Gadkari: Hear the voices of the People

Posted on November 8, 2012 by indra

Dear Gadkari,

I don’t like politics, but as a responsible, sufficiently educated, senior in age and professional I love to see BJP to be a strong democratic political party with a difference in right sense, particularly so when the ruling party is dynastic with sycophants and at least a million Indians like me also must be like me.

But the recent revelation about you by Arvind Kejriwal followed by detailed investigative reporting day after day in digital and print media made me ashamed myself to have a soft corner for a political party. It appears BJP is neither democratic nor different and clean.

You did right to go on your own on a reputed TV channels for answering the queries about the doubtful and unscrupulous means used by your business group to grow, but your replies to the queries were hardly convincing to the millions of Indians who watched that programme. I am also one of them. On following days, various channels and national newspapers, but particularly Time Now went on providing more and more details. Whatever was getting revealed about the president of the major political party in opposition was not at all digestible for the politically sensitive Indians who still somehow expect politicians to be honest and clean.

As it appears right from childhood you were ambitious and wished to be wealthy because you came from an ordinary family of limited means like many, even myself, Arvind or Ashok Khemka. While we put our energy to be outstanding in our education, you selected the short cut and ultimately got into politics. But all the time you wanted to be rich and so used the advantage of your political connections to set up companies, while keeping yourself very much in active politics. You became minister and then president of BJP certainly because of the blessings and propping of some so called biggies in the parent organisation RSS, even against the wishes of the majority in the part. RSS wouldn’t have done it. It should get out of politics and focus only on the social work. Should it not been ashamed for propping a person like you today?

But after the recent revelations neither RSS and its protege Gurumurthy nor even the senior leaders of BJP can save you and your image that has been darkened, as they together with all their resources too can.t make you clean in the eyes and mind of the people of India.

Who can relish to see the president of the main opposition party running from one senior leader to the other to garner help to save his position and then doing the same to thank them for support even at the cost of causing serious breach at the top leadership of the party, even when an executive member resigned from the executive committee and some senior leaders expressing their intention to resign if you don’t resign as president.

As an ardent Indian and Hindu, you must appreciate that one must sacrifice for a bigger cause. You must leave the party on your own and immediately to save it. Find some good excuse.

Gadkariji, Do resign and save BJP, it’s leaders and members from the embarrassment you have caused.

Mr. Gadkari, I know you are from the community of shameless politicians, and so you will not hear the voices of the people of the country, but still I appeal you to resign and get yourself exonerated from the charges before entering politics again.
Sincerely Yours IRS

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BJP towards Self-Destruction

Posted on November 6, 2012 by indra

Alas! It will be bad for the country. However, if the recent political steps of outdated RSS and a BJP without strength of its own are any indication, BJP doesn’t have a great future in the political arena of the country. It may remain a second best, but that too only because the Congress Party has transformed itself into one of sycophants ruled by one family that is not Gandhi in any way.

I don’t think if Gadkari is going to find a reason and resign, but the more he stays, the more will be the damage to BJP. RSS as Sonia and Congress are doing for Vadra, is trying to wait and see the people to forget the revelation about the business built by Gadkari in unscrupulous manner not fit for a head of a political party such as BJP claiming to be a party with difference. It can’t anymore talk about unfair practices of the individuals and the organizations after supporting such persons as its head.

Gadkari might have been bold to go on a reputed TV channel, faced the hard questions though with very weak arguments and only one strong plea to let the agencies of even the unfriendly government to investigate his companies and its working, but that is not sufficient an argument for him to stay in office till he comes clean to obliterate the bad image created with revelation among the country men.

Gadkari’s Vivekanand remarks and its reaction is an indication of how much damage has already been done. Gadkari could have avoided it. But that is not practical by keeping himself active in social get togethers.

RSS must focus only on the social works almost as a great NGO with no political ambitions through back doors. It will harm the national interest as well as that of the majority community they represent.

Gadkari as such appears to be a pigmy now and as I suggested much earlier in Face book that the sooner Gadkari resigned, the better it was for the BJP.

I don’t know if the majority community celebrate or cry with so much of the focus on the practiced the Indian secularism. I go by Naipaul who has rightly said that precisely the problem with Indian secularism is that any criticism of Islam is seen as anti secular.

But for the interest of the community and the country, RSS must not keep on politicking as a prompting agency for a national party. RSS should allow BJP to be a democratic party and even facilitate that to be so without individual’s ambition coming in the way. RSS must not be a dictatorial agency for community or political party.

Let the top leadership not get BJP in self-destructive mode.

PS: As I had written this piece, I heard the TV reporters informing and showing how Gadkari is moving from one top leader of BJP to other to garner support for retaining his position.

And Gadkari could retain.

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The Two Sunday Rallies: will It work?

Posted on November 4, 2012 by indra

Morning November 4
The two ruling parties are today organizing two political rallies. The one by the Congress Party of Sonia and Rahul will be at Ramlila Ground in the national capital, New Delhi. The second one will be in the eastern state of Bihar at Gandhi Maidan with Nitish as the main hero.

Interestingly, both the parties are holding it with two motives. Outwardly, the first one is to push the reform of Manmohan such as FDI in retail and the second one is to demand a special status for the state of Bihar to make it develop fast to come in line with the rest of developed states.

However, the main purpose is to show the strength and relevance of the organizing parties for the opposition and the people at large and perhaps access its own capability and public acceptance..

As reported, the rally today at Ramlila will also mark the beginning of the campaign for the general election in 2014 that may prove to be a land mark for the country…

As reported in media, all sorts of resources are being used to make it grand and impressive ay the ruling parties. However, it appears Patna rally will be more entertaining for the participants with the state ministers and important party leaders in Patna are doing every thing to be good generous hosts for the attending people of their regions laying tables for the guests coming from all corners of the state.As reported, even the guests will have something more.

Another unique feature of Patna rally will be its technical aspects. Experts have developed a website for the live webcast of the rally. People living anywhere in the world can just connect to biharadhikarrally.com. And see and hear what Nitish will be conveying to the present.

After the end of Lalu era when rallies and railas were quite frequent, Gandhi Maidan will perhaps see such rally for the first time.

Evening Nov 4

In Ramlila rally, the trio of Congress-Rahul, Manmohan and Sonia put their best, but I was not impressed. If Manmohan wished to continue with his reforms, perhaps the speeches in the rally would not have been so much offensive against the largest opposition party. How can they expect the opposition to help Manmohan’s team in passing the bills that are to be passed in the interest of the people of the country for accelerating the growth? The voters or those who attended the rally will not get the bills passed, they don’t even understand if the subjects referred in the speeches will help them any way in improving their living standards and so they must vote Manmohan or Rahul. None of them were impressive. Rahul would have been better. Manmohan has lost the credibility and his logics are stale. Sonia did the best so that the government again fails to bring some sort of consensus on the pending bills. She would have realized that the election is still more than a year to come. I wish Manmohan would have referred to the Patna rally and his views on the demand of Nitish. Sonia or Rahul would have also broken their silence on Vadra. How long they can do that? Congress did its best to collect the crowd.

But Patna rally and its crowd were more impressive as it appeared on the TV channels. However, Nitish can do many things that do not require special status. Why is Nitish failing on law and order, education, skilling its young men and women and healthcare issues? At least in Bihar rallies would neither win election nor make Bihar developed.

I wish they find a better way to address the people rather than inconveniencing them on a Sunday.

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कुछ यादें, कुछ सपने-२

Posted on November 4, 2012 by indra

पढ़ाई के लिये दूसरी बार बिरलापुर गया शायद १९४८ में । दादाजी के अध्यापक होने के कारण चौथी कक्षा में बैठने की इजाजत मिल गई ।उसी समय कुछ महीने बाद स्कूल का सालाना पुरष्कार बितरण समारोह हो रहा था । दादाजी एक एक कर लड़कों को बुलाते और उनका पुरष्कार श्री महाबीर प्रसाद, जो सहायक जेनेरल मैनेजर थे, के हाथों में देते जा रहे थे लड़कों को देने के लिये । उन दिनों मैंं एक पल के लिये भी दादाजी को छोड़ता नहीं था । सभी यह जानते थे और दादाजी का लिहाज कर कुछ कहते नहीं थे । मैं जिद्द किये जा रहा था कि वे एक पुरष्कार मुझे भी दिला दें । कैसे मिलता मुझे, नहीं मिला । शायद वहीं  से ललक जागी, पढाइ में अच्छा करने की । उस साल तो मैं वापस लौट आया था गाँव, पर जब १९५० में कक्षा ६ से पढ़ाइ प्रारंभ की तो हर साल प्रथम होता रहा और पुरष्कार मिलता रहा जबतक कॉलेज नहीं गया ।
—–
दूसरी याद कक्षा ७ या ८ की है ।पहली बार स्कूल में दो महिला आध्यापक आइं ।एक हमें इतिहास पढ़ातीं थीं ।बिरलापुर विद्यालय अपने में अनूठा था- बंगा।ली में शिक्षक पढ़ाते थे, क्योंकि अधिकाँश लड़के बंगाली थे बिरला जुट मिल की फ़ैक्टरियों में काम करनेवालों के, चीफ़ इंजीनियर से लेकर सामान्य मजदूरों के । शिक्षक अधिकाँश बंगाली ही थे । हमारे समय में तो केवल श्रीवास्तव जी हिन्दी भाषी थे और हिन्दी पढ़ाते थे, पर सहायक प्राध्यापक भी थे । हां, प्रश्न पत्र जरूर अंग्रेजी में ही होते थे। और हम हिन्दी माध्यम वाले हिंदी में उत्तर लिखते थे ।इतिहास की शिक्षिका हिंदी पढ़ना नहीं जानती थीं । मेरी कक्षा के हिंदी में लिखने वाले -रुदल एवं रामबली उनकी इस कमजोरी का फ़ायदा लिये। पन्ने के बाद पन्ने भरते गये, जबतक आखिरी घंटी नहीं बजी । शिक्षिका ने अपनी कमजोरी को जाहिर न करने के लिये किसी की सहायता भी नहीं लीं, पन्ने गिन   आकलन कर लिया । रुदल और रामबली को सबसे ज़्यादा अंक मिले ।दादाजी ने इस बात को श्रीवास्तव जी से कहा। उत्सुकता के कारण श्रीवास्तव जी उनकी कापियों को देखे । हैरान हुए, अनाप सनाप से भरे उत्तरों को पढ़ ।उदाहरण के लिये- ” बहमनी राज्य में बड़े मोटे मोटे पेड़ थे, नदियों में पानी भरा रहता था ।—-:” अगली सालाना परीक्षा में जाँचने का काम हिंदी के जानकार शिक्षक को दे दिया गया ।दोनों फेल हो गये और स्कूल भी छोड़ दिये । मुझे  बहुत दुख हुआ । अगले साल अपनी कक्षा में मैं अकेला हिन्दी में लिखने वाला रह गया ।श्रीवास्तव जी हिन्दी पढ़ाते थे, और मैं अकेला पढ़ने वाला होता था कक्षा में ।
—– 
श्री बिमल कुमार सर्बज्ञ उस समय प्राध्यापक थे, अंग्रेजी की रैपीड रीडर कक्षा ७ की उनकी लिखी थी, श्रीवास्तव जी ने भी बच्चों के लिये कुछ हिन्दी की पुस्तकें लिखी थी । मुझे लिखने की प्रेरणा शायद वहीं से मिली । कक्षा में सर्वोत्तम होते रहने के कारण काफी प्रतिष्टा भी मिला । कबिता पाठ, लेख, नाटक में भाग लेता रहा दादा जी के प्रोत्साहन के चलते । बिरलापुर छोटी जगह थी, सभी पहचानते थे और प्यार भी करते थे ।मैंने फोटो आत्म कथा ‘Over the Years’ में जो मेरे website http://www.drishtikona.com पर है, काफी घटनाओं का ज़िक्र किया है बिशेष कर शिक्षकों के बारे में ।उसमें एक घटना  एक ड्रामा ‘मेवाड़ पतन’ के सन्दर्भ में है, जिसमें मैंने अजय सिंह की भूमिका निभाइ थी ।दूसरी घटना कक्षा १० की है जिसमें क्लास टीचर मेरे साथ असामान्य बचकानी बेइमानी किये थे।
—– 
दादाजी की कमजोरी मैं था और मेरी कमजोरी दादा जी । रात को उनके साथ ही सोता था एक हाथ उन पर रखे हुए। मां से अलग रहते हुए उनकी कमी दादाजी के कारण कभी महसूस नहीं हुइ ।छोटी कक्षाओं में उन्हे ट्यूशन जाने से बाहर के दरवाजे पर ताला लगा रोक देता । ‘पहले मेरे सवालों का हल निकलवाइये फिर जाइयेगा’। हमारा अत्याचार हंसते हुए सहते रहते, शायद ही कभी गुस्सा हुए होंगें । खेलने में मेरी कभी कोइ रुचि नहीं थी । स्कूल के बाद समय काटने की दो जगह थी बिरलापुर में- शाम को मैं मिल द्वारा बनाइ हुगली नदी की जेटी पर बैठ आते जाते जहाज़ों को देखा करता था ।कितना समय निकल जाता, पता ही नहीं चलता था। दूसरी जगह बिरलापुर की लाइब्रेरी थी , जहां हिन्दी की किताबों का बहुत अच्छा संग्रह था । उन दिनों खूब पढ़ा सब तरह की किताबें, बाद में न उतना समय मिला, न वह जोश रहा ।
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उन्ही दिनों स्कूल में चार हिन्दी शिक्षक आये ।वे मेरा कोइ क्लास तो नहीं लिये, पर काफी नजदीक रहे । सहोदर पांडेय बहुत अच्छी धून में कबिता पाठ करते थे, उन्ही से पहली बार बच्चन जी की मधुशाला सुनी ।दिनेश मिश्रा कबिता करते थे अच्छी, छपतीं भी थीं । मैं दोनों से काफी प्रभावित हुआ, कबिता के नजदीक आया और मन बहलाने के लिये कुछ लिखा भी ।सपने देखने की आदत लगी ।

स्कूल में सह शिक्षा थी, लड़कियां सभी बंगाली । हां, ऊपर और काफी नीचे की कक्षाओं में जरूर कुछ हिन्दीभाषी पढ़ती थीं, और ‘राय जी का हाथी’ कहा चिढ़ाती थीं । 
——
स्कूल फ़ाइनल की परीक्षा मार्च १९५५ में होनी थी । टेस्ट देने के बाद पाठ्य पुस्तकों को उलटने की भी इच्छा नहीं हो रही थी ।शायद ही लोगों को विश्वास हो आज, मैं पूरे जनवरी  श्याम सुंदर दास, राम चंद्र शुक्ल और काफी जाने-माने लेखकों की साहित्यिक किताबें पढ़ता रहा था । आज भी समझ नहीं आता ऐसा क्यों करता था। वे पुस्तके काफी कठिन  हिन्दी में थीं और बिषय समझ के बाहर ।पर बहुत सी बातें याद रहीं, और मुझे मेरी सनक की हानि का अहशाश नहीं हुआ ,क्योंकि इसके बावजूद भी अपने सेंटर में सर्बोपर रहा था ।
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घर में दादी मेरी फरमाइसों को पूरा करती थी। आजतक याद है मुझे मेरी मनशोखी । वह समय बहुत कष्ट का था ।देश में अनाज की कमी थी, बिदेश से गेहूं, चावल आता था । और मैं था कि न लाल आटा खाता था, न मोटा चावल, न आलू की सब्जी ।कभी कभी दादी के कहने पर चार पांच आना ले बाजार भी जाता था सब्जी लाने, उन दिनों चीजें इतनी सस्ती मिलतीं थीं । दादाजी भी कभी कभी बाजार महीने भर का घर का सामान लाने के लिये ले जाते और मुझे रसगुल्ला खिलाते ।मैं रात होते ही बहुत जल्दी सो जाता था। फिर रात के किसी समय जाग खाना माँगता ।सोती दादी उठतीं, दूध रोटी देतीं । मैं खाता और पढ़ने बैठ जाता । इतने सबेरे जगने और पढ़ने की आदत आज भी है । कितना प्यार मिला दादा-दादी से, पर मैं तो कुछ खास उनके लिये नहीं कर पाया । 
—–
याद आने पर फिर 

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Mukesh and Arvind

Posted on November 3, 2012 by indra

Kejriwal has stirred the hornet’s nest with revelation about Mukesh Ambani and in a larger context about the business model of the country’s big industrialists in general. The stories percolating in the media and the public domain are raising serious questions about the business ethics and practices of these private companies appearing to follow all tricks to make money for the business heads and the company even by overlooking the overall national interest. I am sure if it is the face of the private industry, it is better to continue with public sector even at the cost of speed and efficiency of the private ones.

After many years of the awarding of the contract by the government, RIL has been proposing now to link the cost of KG gas with international crude prices and demanded a hike in the price of gas from $4.2 per million metric British thermal unit (mmBtu) that was already enhanced by the UPA government from the contracted value, to $14.20 – $14.51 per mmBtu.

Keeping all questions apart, can Reliance explain why it should be paid equivalent to the price for the imported gas? As the gas is produced on India’s soil with all the cost advantages, if the country is to pay the same amount what is the advantages of local production? For all the commodity produced in the country and for the use of the country, the price can only be on the basis of the cost incurred.

Further, as reported, as Maoist or abductors, RIL has gone on depressing production to arm-twist the government into accepting a hike in prices as shortage of gas supplies was hurting fertilizer and power units. As per the report of the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) gas production is falling from 2009-10, the first year of production, targets were not met in 2010-11 and 2011-12. Was that the objective of giving the contract to the local company?

Can RIL give the technical reasons for low production of the gas to an expert group? Has it not been doing all these to pressurize the weak government?

Why do the business houses keep on demanding more and more privatization? Is it only to make the undue profit and creating personal wealth through all fowl means?

How has RIL been making so good a profit?

Whatever, Reliance is doing is anti national and against the norms of contract it entered with the government. The whole country knows how Reliance operates and makes money. But with Kejriwal raising the questions , the whole of the country will raise questions and doubt how Reliance is building its top line and increasing the private wealth of Mukesh Ambani to build his world’s costliest and ugliest residential facility in Mumbai.

Mukesh and Nita ! Change your life style and shun the management practices based on old business tricks and manipulation of the government machinery and help the country and community. You must do it in time before it is too late. Otherwise, the increasingly educated and empowered countrymen will be rising in protest against business community as they have already started doing against politicians. The country can’t any further tolerate the illegitimate nexus among politicians, industrialists and bureaucracy.

Mukesh ! If sure of your transparency in business, please clear all the questions raised and allow audit as the CAG wants you to do.

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Deteriorating India

Posted on November 2, 2012 by indra

Ramayan with his wife and son had come to New Delhi for a religious visit to Vaishno Devi and other places of interest around Delhi. He asked me and came to see me yesterday along with his youngest son. Ramayan still works in HM and lives in his own small house that he has built in Rishra. His younger son-in-law is working from Rohini and so Ramayan was staying with him.

Ramayan is from the village of my mother, and I had assisted him in getting employed in HM.

I came to know about few things that made me morose. Some of the information that was from his personal experience, was really disturbing. The first was related to the increasing role of the middle men in getting railway tickets. Ramayan was to return to Kolkata, but he was not getting even a Tatkal ticket for any class by standing on the counter for any train when there are so many. If he decides to pay what the middle men ask, he can get one immediately. But the premium demanded was pretty high and he is waiting for his son in Hyderabad to make arrangement. I was under impression that at least with computerisation, one menace of black market in railway tickets has ended, but actually it has not. The unscrupulous middle men have found many innovative methods to ditch the system in collusion with the employees of the railways.

The second information related to the role of land dons on the sales and purchases of landed properties around Rishra. On every land deal, the local dons are extorting money from both the seller as well as the buyer. These dons also forbid someone who is getting his house constructed to purchase the building materials from the vendors without their recommending. From those vendors they get good commission. I was talking to one teacher friend near Hind Motors in the evening and she confirmed what Ramayan informed. She further added to the list the trouble faced by her in getting the cooking gas cylinder now. The vendor now ask for the original receipt of purchase of the connection. How can one be expected to preserve the paper for twenty and more years. It is certainly going to trouble the consumers, and some may get benefited.

How can the country get rid of corruption spreading its tentacles very wide and deep?

Can Anna or Kejriwal be of any help? Both the issues mentioned above, are simple law and order problems and the present political system is aiding it to flourish.

For common men and women, Bengal perhaps goes on as it was under the leftist regime. Mamta works almost in the way the leftists operated.

It is unfortunate but the country can’t expect any thing better with a system in which people like Vadra, Gadkari and hundreds and thousands of unscrupulous persons flourish and businessmen such as Mukesh and Tata decide the minister’s portfolios.

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Cabinet Portfolios and the Reshuffle

Posted on October 30, 2012 by indra

Cabinet Portfolios and the Reshuffle

According to the government and main ruling party, the cabinet reshuffle on Sunday was a major one and unprecedented too. Yes, it was, because for the first time in so big a democracy, it was not the prime minister who took the decision. it was done on the advice of not only the president of the ruling political party but her son, who has hardly done anything to make the people of the country confident about the righteousness of his various decisions in the past.

It was also done to divert the attention of media and the public at large from the issues related to various scams including one of Vadra-DLF and Haryana government.

Unfortunately, the decision is made on adhoc basis. Over the period, no transparent method has been evolved to find out the performance of the ministers and the criteria for promotion and allocating a particular ministry. Any minister with any qualification and years of experience is given any ministry and is expected to carry on with it. He is not expected to make it a measure of his performance in the development of this country of poor millions.

In a era when politics gone from its adjective of dirty to shameless, perhaps one must not express any good ideas. No one who matters is ready to listen that. Once in the government, perhaps they learn to follow what Mahatma three monkeys represented. The minister is not expected to see, hear or speak on burning issues.

Is not the reason that neither Manmohan nor Sonia or Rahul talked about the scam related to Vadra, the son-in-law of the first family? If the goverment is proactive, how can the story of a person such as Ashok Khemka from an ordinary family who gets through IIT, obtains a Ph.D and competes with flying colours in UPSC, but gets 40 odd transfers in 21 years of his service, get overlooked and the administration considers it just something very common and the country’s system can’t correct such injustices?

So far the reshuffle is concerned, it will hardly make any difference for the country. It will not speed up the implementation process of the millions of crores worth of ongoing projects, be they in railways, irrigation, roads or ports.

However, like many I also felt that the only handicapped but extremely bold and brilliant Jaipal Reddy had to get out of the oil ministry because of the India Inc pressure. I wish Manmohan would have allocated him HRD ministry along with that of science and technology and that would have suited his stature. Education and scientific research still don’t get the due focus of the government. The country will have to ensure not only free but compulsory education for all its citizens, more so of the rural regions.

More importantly, the Country must build in a transparent way of appraising the performances of the ministers in the system. Further, every minister as well as every MP must adapt one village each and as an additional responsibility get it developed as a model one. It will help all of them in constant touch of the grassroots necessity.

It appears the Chinese follows some system as one mentioned here. As reported, Xi Jinping, the newly anointed party chief will take over as president of China in March 2013. As reported, Xi underwent a prolonged apprenticeship for China’s most powerful posts in Xiajiang, in a backward pocket of the booming coastal province. Mr Xi adopted the village. Villagers say Mr Xi helped Xiajiang secure funding and approvals for its projects, which included pooling village land to grow grapes and medicinal plants. Is it not something worth emulating by the politicians of all parties?

The reshuffles by Manmohan have never been any way better than shuffling of playing cards by even a layman and illiterate of the country.

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शब्दों के मौत का मातम

Posted on October 27, 2012 by indra

खोती जा रही एक दुनिया
समय के साथ सैकडों
हजारों या लाखों शब्द
और वे चीजें
कहाँ गए कोठे, बरजा
और आँगन के शिव बाबा
न ढेंका, न जांत, और न ओखल मूसर
न वे गीत
न डाली, न ओडी, न दवूरा, न सुप
न सिल ही कहीं है, न लोढा
न पितरियावा लोटा, न कंसह्वा डूभा
फिर बटलोही, कठवत तो
बहूत भारी हैं
अब न आग मांगने कोई जाता
न मसाला पिशा जाता
न मथनी चलती, न बेछिनुई दही
न गोरस, न फेनूस, न खोआ
न लयनू, न मिसिरी के ढेला
यहाँ तक की मट्ठा भी
महंगा है
और साथ गए छिपा और खोरा भी
कौन इस सबका जहमत उठाये
अब तो गुर भी दिखता नहीं
फिर रस, राब कहाँ खोजें
गायब हुए कोनहर के ताल, तलैया भी
और उसमें लेवाड लेती भैसे
और चलते ढेकूल, सैर और दोन
नहीं रहीं रेंहट, न बैलों की जोड़ी
अब हल नहीं बाँधते जोगन या लंगटू
इनार कहाँ गए
साथ ही गए गगरा, घइला
और डोर भी
जाड भी आया पर
न कवूर जलता न बोरसी
न तिलवा मिलता है न सोंठ
अब तो गाँव में भुजनिहारिन
ही नहीं, न मलहोरिन
और दरवाजे सुने
नरिया खपरा के साथ
भूंसंहूल भी गायब
न कहीं चैइता, न होरी
या बारहमासा या रामायन
न पनढकउआ, न चिक्का का
न कोई कनिया आती है
न कोहबर, न सिन्होरा
न आता बहुरंवता न कसार
कितना पीछे छोड़ आये
चन्दा मामा को भी
कैसे आयेंगे कटोरा में
दूध भात लिए
कितने मीठे शब्द कभी न
सुनेगें, न दिखेंगी वे चीजें
क्यों न समय रहते कोई सहरी
बनाये हर क्षेत्र में
कुछ जादूघर
अगली पीढ़ी के लिए |

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Gadkari and BJP Dilemma

Posted on October 26, 2012 by indra

The decision to defend Gadkari for the reason of party discipline, even after so weak a defence by Gadkari himself on the channel was very much immature and damaging for the two stalwarts of BJP, namely Sushma and Jaitley. It will cause immense harm to the party’s image too.They would have convinced the party as well as RSS against it. 
With such a shady background Gadkari wouldn’t have accepted the top position of BJP. Gadkari , as it appears, is one of those business men who in India have established big business activities with wrong means. However, they don’t go for fulfilling their political ambitions in such a manner. Surprisingly, Gadkari kept on calling himself a social entrepreneur helping the farmers of Vidarva region with power and sugar factories.

Every one knows that RSS imposed Gadkari on BJP. Can we assume that RSS was not knowing about it?  It is unfortunate that RSS instead of working on improving the ills of the majority community, keeps involving in the national vote politics. 

Gadkari took a bold step to face the media so directly and offered to face investigation from any agency, but his replies to the queries raised by the interviewer were so unconvincing , must be to himself too. And he would have resigned just after coming back. Gadkari would have offered to keep out of politics till the investigation was over. It would have made BJP different.

Actually, just after the revelation of Arvind Kejriwal BJP and RSS would have taken such decision. The amount of the details appearing every day after the revelation is damning and shameful for Gadkari and his party as well as its well-wishers. It is certainly worrisome for the educated class that formed ‘Friends of BJP’. It would have avoided the embarassment for the BJP and particularly, it’s leaders of opposition who will have to face the parliament soon.

The sooner Gadkari resigns, the better it will be for the party. 

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Forthcoming Cabinet Reshuffle: Will it be different?

Posted on October 25, 2012 by indra

Why can’t Manmohan’s last cabinet reshuffle leave a signature of his own on the history of India?

Manmohan hardly believes in major changes. At least this is what the majority in the country today believes.

More than the policy changes or major reforms, the country men and women wish to see the government visible in action, implementing what it announces.

One more thought comes in mind. If Manmohan is not going to be the Prime Minister after 2014 even if the Congress gets or cobbles up the majority good enough to form the cabinet, why should Manmohan and Sonia not designate someone, if not Rahul Gandhi, a deputy prime minister? At least the country should know who is going to lead the nation.

For a change, Manmohan should also bring some professional from outside such as Sam Pitroda for telecom and Sreedharan for railways that would have provided the people with a hope for change for better implementation. However, I don’t if Manmohan will be able to sell some new ideas to his boss, Mother Queen Sonia. There are very little talents in the present cabinet or even in the Congress. They mustn’t be shy to agree to the real scarcity.

I still doubt if in the reshuffle Manmohan will show a preference for efficiency and the capability to implement in selecting the persons for key infrastructure ministries. The coming months will expect fast visible implementation that the people of India can see and appreciate, if the vote banks are to be allured. Sonia must realize that the loyalists can wait this time.

Will the reshuffle showcase the sincerity of the government to continue with the reform and end the paralysis in governance for the growth that is so badly needed?

Many professional in media are already predicting the changes that will be known on Sunday. With the fall of Khurshid’s wicket there is hardly anyone credible among the senior most ministers in the cabinet with even Manmohan and Chidambaram in dock.

Let me see if the politics prevail over the national interest. When the government fails to set up a National Investment Board under the prime minister’s dictate because of the greed and ego of Manmohan’s ministers, how can the common man believe that the reshuffle will bring a changed cabinet that will work effectively and efficiently?

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