Chuk De India - Holi of Goals!!!

Hockey World Cup 2010 has started on a nostalgic note for us. 4-1 drubbing to Pakistan takes us back to the golden age of hockey in India. Hockey ruled the land, while cricket played second fiddle. I hope Rajpal and Sandeep and their boys carry their form till 13 april! Best of luck India. Chuck De India. Happy Holi!

A Date With A Legend!

I'm back after a gap of three months. The time I was sick and nestled in my paradise, devoid of connectivity.

Yesterday, the present day Mahatama Gandhi, Shri Sunder Lal Bahuguna, a Padma Vibhushan, a satyagrahi crusader, came visiting our town. I was there to recieve him. He is accompanied by his wife, Vimla Bahuguna, and the AAHWAN NGO team led by Mr. Kishore Upadhyaya, a former industry minister of Uttranchal and the present MLA from Tehri.

The aim of their visit is to spread the message of peace, non-violence, and 'Aahwan' - a clarion call to all humanity to Save Himalayas, Save Water and Save Lives. The visit, after Kashmir, is a part of a long journey that will take this team to all the Himalyan states and the neighbouring countries. The mission involves, one, to create awareness among the masses (the ruled) for the need to save Himalayas and two, to unite the governments and legislators (the rulers) for this common and life saving cause.

In this context, the team called upon the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal. Prof. Dhumal has been very kind and a generous host. He apprised the Aahwan team of his efforts aimed to protect the environment and his efforts for uniting the Himalayan States for this common cause. An impressive agenda indeed.

The Shawl

The Himachali Cap

Greetings

Bahuguna ji was very happy and thanked the hon'ble chief minister by saying, "You have recharged me!"

More on Bahuguna ji in the next post.

The Aussies are 'Down Under'!

Hey! Australia have been knocked out of the T20 World Cup.

This will make the Indians happy. The so-called best team in the world is 'down under'. The attacks on the Indian community in Australia should be condemned by all and sundry. The Kangaroos are rubbing us the wrong way. So a send off so early in the tournament is indeed welcome.

And hold on the Kangroos, India will win yet again.

Mera Bharat Mahaan. Bharat Mata Ki Jai.

Forget the H-Word

Well, at last, the debate has finally begun. The debate on the H-word. Hindutva . It was long overdue. The Hidutva has long served its purpose and is today an embarrasing liability for the BJP.

See what happened in the general elections. BJP lost an election which was there to be won. The party has not started the official analysis and introspection and nor have Advaniji and Rajnath Singh moved from the positions they occupy. The delay is only adding up to the confusion, which was very much evident during the elections.

The message from the peoples verdict is loud and clear. People have voted for decency, for a modern India. The BJP has to understand what the people and especially youth want. The BJP should not try to force people and youth to accept what it wants. BJP must also understand why Vajpayeeji was and is acceptable in the whole country. If the BJP can address these two issues then the battle of 2014 is won.

Let us have a look at the run up to the polls. Kandhamal had vitiated the atmosphere. Raj Thackerey and his MNS were playing foul, Ram Sena's Muthalik and Togdias were spitting poison, the Manglore Pub incident was a horror.

Still there was more to come during the campaign itself. Time and again Narendra Modi's name was adding to the confusion. To top it all, when things were looking pretty cool, there was a bombshell in the shape of Varun Gandhi and his infamous, ugly, hateful, stupid, derailing speeches. The whole nation was shocked and reacted by polarising towards the Congress.

During all this Advaniji came out as a weak and undecisive leader, he never put his foot down and he never took hard decisions which were the need of the hour. Had he withdrawn Varun's ticket, the results would have been very diffferent. India and its masses and its youth were not amused by the prevailing confusion.

In contrast, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi backed Manmohan Singh so solidly that a weak Manmohan Singh came out as a strong and decisive leader. The country as a whole spoke in one voice. The 'thugs' of the likes of Lallu, Paswan, Amar Singh, Mayawati were silenced and shown their real place. People have sent a message that enough is enough.

It is time BJP learnt its lesson. It should abandon the H-word and concentrate on its strengths, good governance and able leadership. This should be the sole ideology of the party - good governance and able leadership. The party has to change and keep up with the modern times and the youth of the country. The party has to be forward looking and keep pace with the changing idiom in the country.This way BJP can throw away the H-label and take the antagnostic media off its back. This will make the BJP more acceptable to the people all over the country. First you have to earn the goodwill of the people. Then this will translate into votes and seats and power in 2014.

This is what I want. A BJP government in power at the centre. I will contribute all that I have in me to this end. I am happy the debate has begun and people like Sudheendra Kulkarni and Swapan Dasgupta are keen supporters of this cause. In fact they, like me, represent the modern face of the party in these modern times and advancing India.

Thankfully, the BJP leadership has named Arun Jaitely as the leader in the Lok Sabha and Sushma Swaraj as the deputy leader in the Rajya sabha. They too represent the modern outlook needed to be a part of the mainstream in India.

Mera Bharat Mahaan. Bharat Mata Ki Jai.