India while playing catching up has had an advantage. They never had to invent most things, but simply copy them. This should have worked to our benefit, and it does most times. But it also has another effect, where we triy to one-up the original.

Indian newspapers have enjoyed a glorious past, many strong and established ones reporting from the Pre-independence era. They had established amongst themselves a code of conduct that rivaled the best in the world. My personal rating scale has always been based on the ‘The Hindu‘. Rarely have i seen journalism that is superior to the standard held by this one newspaper in India. And i mean that across the whole world. I have had the advantage of tasting most US, Canadian, British and a few other English dailies.

The TV News media in India is probably the lowest i have seen. I must admit i have also seen quite a bit of TV news coverage from around the world. And assuming what i have seen are from the ‘leading’ TV news broadcasters from their respective countries, the Indian TV news media falls way short of expectations and delivery. Mind you, i am only talking content, culture and taste – covering the core ethics of journalism. And from the earlier premise that TV news was anyway at the bottom of the ranking, when it came to principles and ethics, the Indian TV news channels must be the scum amongst the scum.

Exclusive and Breaking News
The news broadcasted by the 24×7 news channel in India apparently fall into two categories only: Its Breaking News, and if its not, its Exclusive. How do you differentiate ?

Breaking News is usually shared and shown across most TV channels at about the same time or day or even week. I have been trying to get a grip on this, but with little luck. I have found that breaking news, is typically the first story that opens a 9pm news. And is the standard tag used for virtually any live coverage of any event. But the most important trait is that the news currently being aired is neither breaking or news. You have already heard about it, unless you just crawled out of a rock, just that instant before it aired on TV.

Exclusive News is the tag used by a news media, attempting to one up on its competition. This type of news covers the remaining time in a news broadcast. The best proponent of this is Times Now. They show the ‘Exclusive’ tag on the screen, as a water mark, and the newscaster also shouts it out for a good measure, just incase you were blind or had a near-zero vision. It is difficult to miss the onscreen display otherwise. The veracity of the claim though, like breaking news, is quite questionable. It interesting to note, that each of the major TV news channels would manage to elicit the same information in separate one on one interviews, so that they could air this exclusive interview, about the same time in their prime time news.

Today, i do continue to watch the news. But after soaking in the first few words of the news, i am actually watching the news channel, like i would watch any other reality show. Its fun sometimes, most times annoying and almost always channel surfing good – only to land on to the next 24×7 news channel. India is also blessed again. The residents here, like me, can start with the English, then move onto Hindi, followed by Tamil, Malayalam and maybe if really bored try Telugu etc. Oh ya, there is a good measure of financial news channels that add value during the evening prime time. Its one big circus.

My first stories of Steve and the Mac, centered around a failed model of a personal computer. Of how Bill Gates stole the thunder. Even at that time, it was clear and evident that the Mac, was a better OS. But i was lead to believe it wouldnt work in a corporate or a business environment. I stuck to that story, and as a trainer in the IT industry, convey my version of the story to a few of my interested students.

The good thing was that PC remained only a distraction in my journey in the IT industry. I soon learned about Unix, and learned about the root of most operating systems. And on discovering the wonder of the shell script and the power of the ‘|’ (pipe), i held Unix is such awe, that it was difficult for anything else to attain that position. But when i had to buy a laptop, i was forced to think PC or the Windows again. I was stuck for quite sometime with my laptop or a machine running Windows or its variant. I would implement many Unix look alike tools to retain my sanity.

All that changed, when Apple started introducing a slew of products in the early 2000s. I had started salivating much earlier, while browsing computer hardware sites online or the nearby CompUSA store. The ‘cube’ based Mac that Apple introduced in 2000 was really sweet. The problem was MS Office, i was stuck to it for some many wrong reasons. There was StarOffice and other replacements, but, there was a big but. I was also a little shy of investing in something that might be difficult to use, as software may be restrictive etc. All based on wrong notions. Scared of the unknown. A silent admirer, i was slowly getting hooked onto Apple, the Mac OS and of course Steve Jobs. The Mac OS, singularly began the whole thing, because of its origins, Unix.

Finally Steve, Apple, Mac and I were married, when i first acquired a Mac PowerBook in late 2004, early 2005. An office computer, albeit, that was bought but now unused. What began as a test for a month, changed my life altogether. Today, i cant imagine life without my Mac. I find it uncouth to work with a Windows based machine. Ok, the new latest Windows 7, looks so much like the Mac, that is attaining some sense of respectability.

What i liked most about my Mac was that it worked. Everytime, all the time. It went to sleep and it woke up. It would shutdown normally and boot up normally. No blue screen, no scary message about installation, no f#@%ing registry etc. Uninstall of software was close to simply deleting the software from the disk. And then there was the Shell, the Unix Terminal, anytime i needed it. This make working Mac concept, convinced me to switch from my otherwise working and robust Palm based smartphone to the iPhone. I did wait till the 3GS was introduced before buying and jumping on that bandwagon. And the iPhone, it worked too.

My only gripe if any with Steve, was that i had to jailbreak and unlock my iPhone to be able to use it in the US and India. But that was my personal desire to have one instrument, instead of two. I now realize i could have two or as many. And i do, thanks to the recent iPad addition to the family of Apple products. I also invested in an unlocked iPhone4. So the need to break the software, provided by Apple was optional. I still do. But that is the power of the product and the software that powers it.

While i am not a fanboy as many people would want to term me. I am close to that. Steve, his company Apple, and the products designed my him and his team, have left a last impression on me. Not just because they are cool. I never bought them because they are cool, i bought them because i sincerely felt that i would use them, and they would make my life better. I bought the first PDA in 1996-97, and my life has changed because of it, like iPhone is changing it today. I dont see the compulsion to buy the iPhone4S, but i see the power of Siri, and its only a matter of time.

Steve is probably the only corporate CEO, to command this admiration and respect from all citizens around the globe. While lot of people simply remember him for his cool products, i would like to remember him for giving me products that work. Everytime, all the time.

Steve Jobs 1955-2011

Thank you, Steve. You are gone today, but you are leaving behind a legacy, in your products. And more importantly, i think i also wish to emulate a few qualities that i have seen in you. Or atleast attempt to learn.

Respect and Khuda Hafiz.

So, again, here is the speech, and my comments (in italics, so you dont mistake that for MMS’s diatribe against himself) and take on this. Since this is text, i am spared the trouble of providing comic relief on the monotone of the speech.

Hon’ble Speaker,

It is my painful duty to report to this House certain events that took place yesterday in New Delhi. Hon’ble Members are aware that after extensive consultations and discussions, including deliberations in a Joint Drafting Committee and a meeting of all political parties represented in Parliament, the Government has introduced a Bill in the Lok Sabha on the setting up of Lok Pal. The Bill has been referred to the Standing Committee concerned.

Certain events ? Events, dear sir, were earth shattering. Something Free India hasnt seen, atleast at a national level, with possibly some exceptions during the period of emergency. Also your reference to inclusions of ‘all’ political parties in your consultations are suspect, at best. 

Notwithstanding the introduction of the Bill, Shri Anna Hazare and his supporters have persisted with their demand that the Jan Lok Pal Bill drafted by Shri Anna Hazare should be introduced in Parliament and that the Jan Lok Pal Bill should be the Bill that must be passed by Parliament. In support of this demand, Shri Anna Hazare had announced some time ago that he would undertake an indefinite fast beginning August 16, 2011.

In April, when you conceded to meeting with Anna Hazare and team, your party and government were clearly aware that the govt version of the bill was not going to cut muster. Yet your party and ministers stage performed a script to attempt to listen to external voice of reason. You and your party were very clear, that while a bill will be introduced to the Parliament, you will introduce one that will be meaningless to start with.

On August 2, 2011, an application was made to Delhi Police by an organisation called India Against Corruption for permission to hold a month-long fast beginning August 16, 2011 at New Delhi. Delhi Police held discussions with the applicants in order to identify a suitable place and to formulate the conditions under which the permission could be granted for holding a fast at that place. Eventually, on August 13, 2011, Delhi Police informed the applicants that permission would be granted for the protest at Jai Prakash Narayan Park, near Ferozshah Kotla, subject to permission being granted by the land owning agency and subject to certain conditions.

Delhi Police also informed the applicants that they would have to give an undertaking to abide by the conditions.

However, on August 15, 2011, the organisers refused to accept six of the conditions, including the condition that the protest fast would be limited to three days. Hence, Delhi Police informed the applicants that, since they had declined to accept some of the conditions and refused to give the undertaking to abide by all the conditions, permission would not be granted to hold the protest fast at Jai Prakash Narayan Park. Prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC were also imposed on August 15, 2011 in and around Jai Prakash Narayan Park and some other areas.

A good narrative. You have stated most if not all of what is common knowledge. But sir, we all know, how this process works in India. We all know how much power you (politicians) bestow our poor police force. It is unlikely that any of these decisions were carried out by the Police Dept, without the involvement of trusted accomplices from your party. But given that you will blame me for speculating, and nothing can be proven, we will agree to disagree, leave it to common wisdom.

On the evening of August 15, 2011, Shri Anna Hazare, through public statements, made it clear that he and his supporters would converge at Jai Prakash Narayan Park and defy the prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC. Yesterday morning, Delhi Police reviewed the situation. Delhi Police came to the conclusion that it was clear that Shri Anna Hazare and his supporters would commit a cognizable offence and there was a likelihood of a breach of peace. Hence, Shri Anna Hazare and six others were arrested, as a preventive measure, under section 151/107 CrPC. They were taken to the Delhi Police Officers’ Mess at Alipur Road and, subsequently, produced before a Magistrate. Delhi Police did not seek the police remand of the arrested persons. The Magistrate offered to release the arrested persons on their personal bonds subject to the condition that they would undertake not to violate the prohibitory orders. However, Shri Anna Hazare and others refused to give such an undertaking or furnish personal bonds. Hence, the Magistrate remanded the arrested persons to 7 days’ judicial custody.

So by this fact, would you be willing to turn in Rahul Gandhi to the UP Police, in the event Mayawati makes the same case. She knows fully well that Rahul Gandhi will appear again in areas where she is going to declare 144 CrPC. All politicians, now including you, are masters at double speak, and are fully aware that you will conjure up scenarios that are purely favourable to you, in every instance. Interestingly there is no evidence till date, that Anna Hazare’s protest would have disturbed the peace.

Oops, i’m sorry. It has disturbed your peace and that of your goverment and party. So that must mean something.

Meanwhile, during the course of yesterday, about 2,603 persons were detained in Delhi when they were proceeding to or were in areas where prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC were in force. All of them were released later in the evening yesterday.

Late yesterday evening, Delhi Police received information that Shri Anna Hazare intended to move the Supreme Court challenging the orders of Delhi Police. Delhi Police also received information that the petition was likely to be mentioned before the Supreme Court on Wednesday, i.e. today, for urgent hearing. Since there were reasonable grounds to believe that Shri Anna Hazare had opted to seek legal remedies, Delhi Police did not apprehend any imminent breach of peace or imminent disturbance to tranquillity if the arrested persons were released. Hence, Delhi Police moved the Magistrate concerned to review his earlier order and the Magistrate was pleased to release Shri Anna Hazare and the other arrested persons at about 7 p.m. yesterday. The jail authorities informed Shri Anna Hazare and others that orders for their release had been received. However, Shri Anna Hazare and others (except one) declined to leave the jail premises unless the Government gave an undertaking that they would be permitted to hold their protest fast at Jai prakash Narayan Park without any condition.

About face !! Seeing the response of ordinary citizens across the country, i can truly say, your peace was surely disturbed.

Our Government acknowledges the right of citizens to hold peaceful protests. In fact, Delhi Police have allowed several such protests, but in each case appropriate conditions have always been imposed and the organisers were always required to give an undertaking to abide by all the conditions. Shri Anna Hazare and his supporters would have been allowed to hold their protest fast if they had accepted the conditions under which the permission was granted and had undertaken to abide by the conditions. Since they declined to do so, Delhi Police was obliged to refuse permission to hold the protest fast.

This is a political chess game. You and your government and the party have been clearly check-mated. Anna Hazare and team, have clearly identified the weakness, and will fully leverage this. The sad thing is, you still believe you have the upper hand.

Sir, please look out of your window, see the people. They are not paid hands or other party hopefuls who show up at your speeches and rallies. They are ordinary people who are giving up a day’s worth of wages or salary and joining cause with a man, who they think will lead them to a better tomorrow. Trust me, Economic Times, Dow Jones and Sensex alone, do not make up this India.

The Government wishes to stress that the issue before the nation is not whether a Lok Pal Bill is necessary or desirable. All of us in this House are agreed that a Lok Pal Bill must be passed as early as possible. The question is, who drafts the law and who makes the law? I submit that the time-honoured practice is that the Executive drafts a Bill and places it before Parliament and that Parliament debates and adopts the Bill with amendments if necessary. In the process of adoption of the Bill, there will be opportunities for Shri Anna Hazare and others to present their views to the Standing Committee to which this Bill has been referred by the Hon’ble Speaker. The Standing Committee as well as Parliament can modify the Bill if they so desire. However, I am not aware of any constitutional philosophy or principle that allows any one to question the sole prerogative of Parliament to make a law. In making a law on Lok Pal, the Government has faithfully adhered to the well-settled principles. As far as I am able to gather, Shri Anna Hazare questions these principles and claims a right to impose his Jan Lok Pal Bill upon Parliament.

Traditions do not constitute law. And also, the time honored tradition you so lovingly speak about is fraught with the same corruption. I assume you used these same traditions to allow Maran, Raja, Kalmadi and the many others to run rout in the government. Just like how you ask Anna Hazare to seek a judicial remedy to a breach of law, why dont you also seek the same remedy for a breach of tradition. The farce enacted by your party and government, in seeking views and then ignoring them completely stands naked, in full public glare.

To sum it up, it was neither your principle to do something good through a Lok Pal bill, nor in your tradition, to do something honest by incorporating valid views. 

I acknowledge that Shri Anna Hazare may be inspired by high ideals in his campaign to set up a strong and effective Lok Pal. However, the path that he has chosen to impose his draft of a Bill upon Parliament is totally misconceived and fraught with grave consequences for our Parliamentary democracy.

You and your party constitute more danger to our democracy and Parliament than anything else. Your party, and coalition partners, the opposition members, all of you, have been elected to safeguard it, but in your time honored tradition, as you say, are raping it every day.

Our Government does not seek any confrontation with any section of the society. But when some sections of society deliberately challenge the authority of the Government and the prerogative of Parliament, it is the bounden duty of the Government to maintain peace and tranquillity. Delhi Police, as the authority charged with the responsibility, took the minimum steps necessary to maintain peace and tranquillity in the capital city. Inevitably, though unfortunately, it led to the arrest and subsequent release of Shri Anna Hazare and some of his supporters. I sincerely hope that the incidents of yesterday will not be repeated today or in the future.

Proven false. The about face was clearly showcased on national TV. Thanks to you, the following for Anna swelled into thousands and lacs.

I should also make it clear that the issue between the Government and Shri Anna Hazare is not one of different attitudes to fighting corruption. In my independence day address, I spoke at length about the need to deal effectively with corruption. I would like to assure the House that we are determined to provide a Government that is transparent, accountable and responsive at all times and determined to fight corruption. But as I said on 15 August at the Red Fort, there is no magic wand by which, in one stroke, we will get rid of menace the of corruption. We have to work simultaneously on several fronts. In my 15 August address, I have outlined some of the measures we intend to put in place to strengthen our fight against corruption. I invite all sections of this House to join hands with us to deal with the cancer of corruption.

True. You did speak at length. You also moaned that you didnt have a magic wand. Well sir, please fly to Britian, you may be able to meet Harry Porter and or visit his school, and acquire a wand for yourself. Or simply, steadfastedly implement laws of the land. Your government is yet to chase the black money trail. What are you waiting for – an order from the Supreme Court ?

Humor me for a moment. Do you believe for a moment that ‘all sections of this House’, including you and your party are even sincere about this? Because, you all seem more sincere and concerted when it comes to fighting Anna Hazare and the team, and waiting for ‘magic wands’ when you have to fight corruption.

With respect to the events of yesterday, I will only say that a functional democracy must allow multiple voices to be heard. But differences of opinion must be resolved thorough dialogue and consensus. Those who believe that their voice and their voice alone represents the will of 1.2 billion people should reflect deeply on that position. They must allow the elected representatives of the people in Parliament to do the job that they were elected for.

Sir ! Please think before you speak. Because, if not, hot air may come out from different parts of your body. Do you really think the elected representatives are fulfilling their duties honestly and diligently.

India is an emerging economy. We are now emerging as one of the important players on the world stage. There are many forces that would not like to see India realize its true place in the Comity of Nations. We must not play into their hands. We must not create an environment in which our economic progress is hijacked by internal dissension. We must keep our mind focused on the need to push ahead with economic progress for the upliftment of the ‘aam aadmi’.

You really are using the word ‘aam’ very lightly. Maybe, like they said in a movie not long ago, you too think we are all just ‘mangoes’. Sir we may be mango-people, but we can surely pack a punch, when and if required.

You may have heard this before too – you cant fool all the people all the time. Did you have similar sense and thoughts when you decided to fool the nation, by trying to slam a flawed Nuclear Regulatory Bill, through the Parliament, as desired by a few friends in the ‘Comity of Nations’ ?. 

I appeal to all sections of this august House to ensure that the Government and its processes, and the Parliament and its processes function smoothly and effectively. There is no substitute for that. If some people do not agree with our policy, there will be a time when they will have an opportunity to present their points of view to the people of India.

Rightly said. Unfortunately some of us, believe we cant wait that long. Many people are sincerely hoping the Election Commission conducts an election today or tomorrow.

I request all political parties to ensure that Parliament functions smoothly. There are very important legislative measures that are required to be passed. If we do not pass them, we will do great injustice to the people of India and in turn hurt the ‘aam aadmi’. We are willing to debate every issue in Parliament, and we have demonstrated that we are co-operating with the Opposition in every possible way to ensure that Parliament functions smoothly.

Very thoughtful and considerate words. If only the deeds of your party and government mirrored these. And additionally, if only you paid more attention to the job at hand, than trying to singularly push economic reform. Sir, economic reform is no magic wand either.

We as elected representatives of our people should do nothing to weaken our people’s faith in the capacity of our democracy, our institutions and our social ideals and values to overcome all difficulties. We should have faith that we can build a promising future for ourselves. Let us unite in that faith.

Thank you. Finally you are done. I was wondering if i had to endure more of this mumbling. I do hope you use this opportunity to reflect on your role in this government, and more importantly the legacy you are leaving behind. Today you are possibly the most tainted man, simply because of your refusal to act. Your legacy should have mirrored your education and experience prior to joining politics. Think sir, time is still on your side. You can still correct and clean up this mess. You will be able to earn your respect back.

But sitting here, it is interesting to watch, painful if i might add, the TV news shows. They go overboard, in trying to bring all the viewpoints, and debating them irrespective of how ridiculous some of them may seem. They attempt to give equal airtime to government’s official voice or importantly the congress party’s voice.When in fact they need to be trying to give more credence to the citizens and an avenue to vent their feelings.  I am however, thankful to them, because this moment would have taken a much longer time to attain fruition, if it weren’t for the 24×7 news channels.

Government, Parliament or the Citizen – who is more powerful. In a democracy this question will always arise.  This is trivializing the matter. Anna Hazare is not looking to usurp the government or the parliament. He and his team tried working with the government, tried working with the members of the parliament, and met with the same two-faced attitude that has resulted in this current corrupted state. He is surely bringing pressure on the parliament to atleast review and debate his version of the Jan LokPal Bill. There is nothing wrong with that. It happens in all the time in other democracies. Thinking otherwise is being naive. The corporations do that all the time everywhere. But no one will accept and accede to this point. Freakin hell, our own PM tried his best to screw the country on the nuclear bill sometime back, based in the influence from the US and other foreign governments and corporations.

Setting a Precedence – where one man or group can blackmail the entire country. There was only once in the history of India before, when a single man was able to wield such influence. He too was frail and old. People flocked around him, because he epitomized a sense of hope, equality and justice. He may not have delivered it all, but people felt happy and hopeful when they stood with him and supported him. I am not sure if Anna Hazare can also imagine repeating this tactic a different day, for a different issue. But if he or someone else is able to capture the imagination of the population, then so be it. Isnt that the best form of democracy.

Combating Corruption begins with a simple no – The only truthful statement amongst the many misinformation or ridiculous assertions being made. However, there is a small flaw. The flaw is based on the innocent aspiration of all people, that we be less greedy, love each other and above all world peace.  We can stop people from taking or giving bribes, when we create a legal framework which enables unbiased investigation and enforces strict punishing of this crime. One might think, we must solve the problem of paying a traffic cop to get away from a traffic infringement, before we attempt to solve the problem of ministers and the larger government machinery robbing and misusing public funds. The Jan Lokpal Bill, is attempting to create a legal framework, that eventually will help us solve the traffic cop problem too. We all have to start somewhere, but why should it always be somewhere else, instead of the place we are now.

Sadhvi Rithambara – The most ridiculous of all the views. To start with, my views on RSS and hindutva are clear in these blogs. So before someone starts associating religious and casteist motives behind this view, they should spend time to read them. And this lady, ‘sadhvi’ is probably the last person that i would depend on to take this nation forward. But, then to accuse Anna Hazare, because of her presence at Jantar Mantar and therefore oppose the Jan Lokpal Bill is absurd and ludicrous. It only means feeds the theory, ‘cannot win, no matter what’.

I am at a loss of words, as i see the events unfold in India. All this can only mean good for the Indian polity. On this day, after the 15th of August, i am reminded of the speech, given by Jawaharlal Nehru – “A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance.”

With hope in my heart, i say, i am Anna Hazare today. Let there be a thousand more.

I have been used to this term since i was a child. I first heard it in Kerala, while passing by protesters outside offices (government or private), asking for and demanding some retribution or another. ‘Inquilab Zindabad’, means ‘Long live the revolution’ or better yet, it is meant to say, ‘Revolution forever’. The term was first used by Maulana Hasrat Mohani, apparently at a labour strike in Kolkata. Call it an eureka moment, because the phrase spread spontaneously across the country that was fighting the British rule in India. Many people including Bhagat Singh and Netaji Subash Chandra Bose used it extensively to rouse the people and to rile the colonizers. The usage is so wide spread, and now it is the standard slogan for most, if not all, protests of any kind in India and its neighboring countries.

Information has always been the biggest harbinger of change. The last few we have seen have been no different. Wikileaks, Twitter, Facebook, skype and the internet in general have contributed largely to the success, if i might call it, of the these upheavals. The biggest virtue of any democracy is the perceived ability of its citizens to question and change its government, rulers and rules. However, it is becoming more evident that maintaining status quo, appears to be its single biggest achievement if any. The so-called democracies of the world encourage revolution in the name of freedom, only so that they can covertly replace dictatorship, with this new style of people management. And so while it appears that information will bring change, it is also the tool of choice deployed to maintain and undo the change many desperately seek.

Television news media, print publications, and again many times independently the internet becomes the carrier of information or in this case, misinformation. The easiest is to taint the disruptor-in-chief as a traitor, a terrorist, or member of an extreme leftist or rightist party. An alternate available to some more militarized societies is diversionary, like searching for WMD in Iraq. Start a war, clamp down on rights, and slowly shout down the dissent.

America, today, is talking about spending cuts, so is Greece and Spain. It is also the common mantra espoused by the World Bank and IMF, when it doles out cash to starving nations across the globe. The millionaires are growing, around the world, and even in otherwise developing countries.

The next decade in global wealth among millionaires

The rich are getting richer and the poor poorer. The able and stable middle-class, upon which many a kingdom was built and flourished, is now shrinking into non-existence. With so much going on, it seems like history is simply waiting for an opportunity, so as to repeat itself. Our politicians must know this disparity existed before and how people tried to overcome it. Our only hope is that, better wisdom sets in. Fortunately all is not lost, and leaders do emerge from the masses, to shine the light and lead the way. It might seem delusional to many, and a case of too little too late.

Well, atleast up until Barack Obama ran for his presidential election, many had hope. Now it appears even hope can seem a shallow dream. I guess, we can only attempt so much change in a day. While there is no much magic wand to wish this all away, it is important to be aware. Caveat emptor, or let the buyer beware, an old doctrine is very much applicable here too. If we dont try our best to narrow this divide, then this generation or the next will have to pay a costly price.

A brave woman, Arunima  Sinha, was thrown out of a moving train, by some men who were robbing some fellow passengers, because she chose to object and attempt to stop them. She lost a leg, because she fell on the parallel track, and was unable to move her leg out of the way from another train coming on that track. She didnt have to do anything. She could have stayed silent and simply attempted to protect her own-self, when these miscreants were on her train. If she had, we would never have known about this brave woman. All this, when she was on her way to attend an interview, which in itself should have been considerable load on her mind. But, In doing so she also possibly inspired many a men and women to do possibly the same.

While many of us are quite aware of the news media, specially the 24×7 television news that move from story to story every news-hour, they do play an important role. This is one such incident, which without them would have been lost forever. But then again, it was just good enough for a day, before they found other news to chase and follow.

It was interesting that another news story that tailed this event closely was about the felicitation of footballers who had participated in the Rome Olympiad. A nice ceremony was followed by a dinner, where the footballers were asked to pay for their own meal. How sick can the bureaucrats get? Like i said, these kinds of incidents seem to happen every day. Ok, i am exaggerating, it happens only every other day.  Of course this does not include the super gods, our cricketers, who are way beyond this.

Just contrast the Arunima incident with the outpouring of cash and other riches that are doled out to a group of men, who are already paid huge sums of money to play for their country. I enjoyed the recent world cup win, and hold it very dear to my heart. But i lost my sense of pride, when the announcer talked about the ‘extra’ cash being doled out to the team and members, within moments of the win. If only the organizers and managers of other sports showed the same sense of urgency and reasoning.

The callous attitude of the UPSD (Uttar Pradesh Sports Directorate) officials as they stood by and watched the incident play out in the national media, only reinforces this. Luckily for Arunima, not everyone was standing by. Small but considerable help started pouring in for her. The railways soon offered her a job, a free Jaipur foot so she will be able to walk again, and more cash awards to her. I made a small contribution too. Not because she lost a leg or because i wanted to express my sympathy. But because she stood up and question an illegal act. She needs to be awarded, something way bigger than what has been doled out so far.

Her act should have been an inspiration for the young in our nation. But how it is played out so far, people who find themselves in a similar position tomorrow, will think, not once, but many times over. And finally will decide stay a mute bystander. Maybe, i also made the contribution, because she removed a guilt in me. I wonder if i would have behaved like she did. This is a lesson for us, not just the politicians and bureaucrats, but to each of us too.

Corruption rared its head in my life, for the first time in this period, and attained a persona in the form politicians, police, bureaucrats, corporate business men and landlords. Press, literature, arts, cinema and to a limited extent judiciary, focused attention on highlighting this scourge. It was no different from cancer, that affects our body. There was no cure. For how does one fight it? Our brethren are the medium, used by it, making it difficult to distinguish between the affected and the unaffected.

Corruption today in India, has attained new heights. Many are surprised, rather shocked, to see and read about these in today’s India. It was not as if it had disappeared from our society, during the time the country was gaining wealth. The vast middle class of the yesteryear, had been transformed, to a capacious spending machine, that was focused entirely on distributing its new found wealth. All of the mechanism that thrived on showcasing the evils of this cancer, had lost its  ground. Instead all of them, save the judiciary, reveled in indulging this large segment of the population. Corruption also had kept pace with this rapid change in economy, and like most other businesses, it too had grown in size. It also seemed to have matched the same finesse, that was found in the developed economies of the west; bigger and larger. From stealing sugar and rice from a local ration shop, it morphed into the 2G spectrum and CWG scams of today.

Corruption is not a new phenomenon. It is not unique to India, except for levels to which it has permeated and more importantly how it is accepted as fact of life in the society. Chanakya, the man who wrote one of the earliest manuals of governance, has suggested it is ‘difficult to detect an official’s dishonesty’. By no means, does he mean that is to be tolerated. But he does indicate that ‘corrupt officials’ are somehow parts of any governance structure, and is genuinely difficult to eradicate completely and fully.

Corruption does not have to be eradicated. But it has to be punished, and punished severely.  Meaning, when discovered, it has to be dealt with swiftly and sincerely. The corrupt official and that particular ecosystem has to be eradicated completely. Just like you would treat cancer, the tumor is removed and so also are any cells around it, to eliminate any contamination.  The people have reached satiation point, and are willing to devote some attention to matters not concerning their credit card and bank balance. Attention is returning to this core issue and the size of each scam is becoming so obscene that people simply cant ignore. But, it is clear that no party in power is willing to tackle this issue.

The current government is impotent and cannot be dependent to take on this issue. The powers that be, which are in opposition today, are yelling and screaming so loudly only because they are being denied their share in the loot. Dont assume for a moment that a change in government is going to yield any result. Well thats not true, we will get some good news. The face of the corrupt will change. Atleast the loot will flow to a different set of individuals.

The diagnosis complete, all we are missing is a skillful surgeon to wield the scalpel.

The latest exposé, now known as the ‘Radia tapes’ that brought out recorded telephone conversation between Nira Radia, and some famous, probably now infamous, personalities. While exposé is common, and we have come to stomach some big names every once in a while. What was uncommon about this time? A whole different genre of people were involved, people that actually make the news. I mean literally. Barkha Dutt (NDTV), Vir Sanghvi (Hindustan Times), Prabhu Chawla (India Today), MK Venu (ET), Ganapathy Subramaniam (ET), R Sridharan (ET), among a list that is still expanding, with every read of the pages on the internet. Outlook has published an entire tape set (a small portion of the bigger set), consisting of conversations that covered areas of telecom, ministerial berth, HC judgement and involving corporates like Tatas and Reliance, etc.

Among the heads that may roll eventually as a result of this, includes two faces that were commonly seen on TV these days – Barkha Dutt and Vir Sanghvi. Barkha a newscaster, editor, journalist all rolled into one had been enjoying a reputation as the leading TV news personality in India. Not completely free from controversy, even before, she was still admired and commanded some respect. Vir Sanghvi, one time editor and a senior journalist for the Hindustan Times, is a commentator on TV, offering his opinion on the different facets of daily news. The images of both these personalities have taken a severe beating. The news channels were reluctant to talk about them, but were forced to by the newer media – social media. Twitters, Wikis and Blogs appeared in thousands to keep the issue alive and finally extorted the 24×7 news media and the print media to pay attention.

Just as the acts of these journalist were not respectable, the process of witch hunting carried out in the social media was not very admirable either. Social outlets like twitter and blogs kept the pressure on the media to react. It focused specifically on the weakest links in the armor. As is common in a mob culture, character assassination, personal accusations, unauthenticated allegations and more importantly indictment, soon started becoming the norm on these outlets. Where have we seen these before? It played out just like it does in the TV news, judgment without a proper hearing. Twitter was aflutter with tags like #mediamafia and #barkhagate trending and topping the charts. Twitterati soon started mixing issues by bringing religion, class, political leaning, association and quoting blogs offering motley viewpoints often unsubstantiated and more importantly singularly one-sided stories. And soon people we involved in updating wikipedia pages. I guess in the end, everyone is paid in their own coin. That is the biggest irony of it all.

It is getting all murky. As it did, the focus and purpose soon started diverging from my beliefs and views. While i am quite dissuaded to offer any further support, i think keeping quiet about what these two journalist and others did, is improper too. Hopefully sanity will prevail, and some good will come out of all this. If nothing, images of these journalists are tarnished to an extent, and their names will forever be associated to these tapes. Their years of effort to cultivate a following and good work done till date has been tainted. That is fair punishment, and i hope they are able to redeem themselves in the future.

My last trip in India, i was fortunate, as it was an extended one, and this helped me to acclimatize to news media there. Not that they are foreign or different. Well, on second thoughts make that the first problem, they are not different. But that is topic for another discussion. This trip was also exceptional, from a news media standpoint, because we covered some major ups and downs. So one did get the feeling of watching the Iraq war live on TV. There was the outbreak of the CWG Scam, 2G scam, CWG Games, Ayodhya verdict, test match with australia, big boss, Obama’s visit, Karnataka Assembly, B’lore land scam, Rathore case and so many more.

My dth provides me with four english news channels, NDTV, CNN-IBN, Times Now and Headlines Today, apart from numerous hindi and other regional language news channels. For quite sometime, watching news has become more interesting than watching reality tv shows. I think i picked that habit from the US, during the Clinton time, following his public trial on news. So, while not averse to watching it, i am slowly weaning myself from this addiction.

The TV news channels in India during this period, rivaled each other to break the next story. Each claimed exclusivity on the story and or to the cast of actors. I did spend a few times flipping between the main english channels to see if anything more was revealed in another one. One of them in particular was so familial that they even called their channel as ‘Your Channel’. So night and day, they hopped from one story to another. Each day started afresh, because the current story was old and dead, and needed to be replaced with a new one.

And i found a new meaning for 24×7, like a day where the hours repeat twice, story and news repeats itself many times over during the day. After being first broken on TV, it is repeated in the closest news hour, by the next hour, there are few opinions from the near and dear, and by prime time, the experts are in from everywhere. So finally, you have Javed Akthar (poor man is not to be faulted, except for speaking), Jethmalani, Jayanthi Natarajan, Mani Shankar Iyer, Ravi Shankar Prasad, and a host of others talking about everything, anything and nothing.

The climax is the weekend specials, where they bring it all together. The fatigue is visible even on the newscaster and editors eyes, as they long to move on to the next story. And many times, that is the que to quickly wrap the current scam or a daily high and shift the focus to ‘developing story’. It is like a roller coaster ride, that is 2 mins of fun, that requires you to endure two hours of pain. In the end, the biggest casualty is the common good. All of this serves to educate us. But what good is an education, if you can not employ it anywhere.

Allahabad High Court Judgment
Decision of Special Full Bench hearing Ayodhya Matters
Date of Judgment :- 30.9.2010