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, Shri Sunder Lal Bahuguna, of the Chipko Andolan fame, 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.

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.

Team India Online!

The Team India has started the quest for the second T20 World Cup on a winning note. The Team India is online!

Yesterday, India beat Bangladesh convincingly. Yuvraj and Ojha excelled in the field. A nice warm up game for India.

Another warm up game with Ireland on 10th June. The real match on 12th June is against the first seeded team of group C, Australia. This can change if the third seed knock out Australia by coming first or second and Australia coming third. Then we play this third seeded team on 12th June! The rules seem a bit complicated.

Good luck Team India.

Mera Bharat Mahaan. Bharat Mata Ki Jai.

A Rainy Note!

Game 1 of the second edition of T20 World Cup in England.

The opening game was a cliffhanger and an upset. The Dutch came up with a well deserved victory over England and opened up the tournament. England were a disaster in the field, letting go umpteen catches and run outs, literally to the last ball. Yes they had their chance of saving the game even on the last ball. They missed and the overthrow gave the game to the Dutch. This is what cricket is all about. The uncertainty and the thrill.

I am going to support my country, Team India, and help it win the World Cup yet again. So watch out for June 6th, 10th, 12th, 14th and the semis and the final.

The only concern at present is the weather playing a spoilsport. Will the rain gods oblige?

Rain rain go away

Come again some other day

Kenny and the others want to play

T20 world cup all the way!

Mera Bharat Mahaan. Bharat Mata Ki Jai!

Navin Chawla At It Again

Navin Chawla, the Chief Election Commissioner, is again playing spoilsport. He is hell bent on undoing all the good work done by his predecessors all these years. As if the controversy during the general elections was not enough, he has goofed up yet again.

What a way to help the party in power?

The Rajya Sabha polls are due in Jharkhand, with two seats up for grabs. And grabbing has been initiated by the Congress and its allies, with the keen connivance of none other than the CEC of India!? The arithmatic of the Vidhan Sabha makes it possible for the UPA and BJP to win one seat each. But our learned and schemeful CEC, Navin Chawla, has come up with a beauty of an idea. He has issued two seperate notifications for the election to the Rajya Sabha. Now the MLAs will vote twice (seperately for each seat) on the same day! This way Navin Chawla is helping the Congress inc. to win both seats!! Navin Chawla you are a genious in helping Congress and bringing down the constitutional institutions of our democracy!!! You are undoing what the people of India have just done recently through the vote. People voted for decency and order and voted against the 'thugs' who hijack the system, the way you are hijacking the constitutional system for obvious reasons.

So much for the constitutional institutions of the country. Is the EC really independent? Can a CEC behave like the 'thugs' of Laalu, Mayawati, Amar Singh fame? What can citizens do in such a situation? The present dispesation has been voted for five years. Are these five years going to be a leaf out of the infamous 'Emergency', the dilution of what the Constitution of India stands for? God save my country from another breed of thugs! Amen.

Mera Bharat Mahaan. Bharat Mata Ki Jai!

Belated Comment on Belated Wisdom!

So the country has spoken, at last!

Yes, India has spoken, loud and clear, though late in the day. India has had many lost years, the years when the 'thugs' took the system for a ride. The public cried and moaned, but all fell on deaf ears. A corrective was needed. At last the people of India have delivered. They have voted for a cleaner system. They have 'silenced the thugs'. They have given a mandate for governance.

This is what India needs today, governance. The time will stand guard as to the performance of the present establishment. Whether this establishment delivers or not, but the correction has been made. Today the Congress occupies the treasury benches and the BJP is the main and 'only' opposition. Many others do not matter. The general election has thrown up a two-party system. Now it is upto these two parties, the Congress and the BJP, to bahave and win the confidence of the people to make this a permanent feature of Indian electoral system.

Mera Bharat Mahan. Bharat Mata Ki Jai!

Congress Exposed!

The scramble for power has begun. The election results are due tomorrow on 16th May 2009. The powers that be are in the overdrive. They want power at any cost. At any cost. Nothing matters more. They want power. Remember Kissa Kursi Ka?

What is shocking in this cacophony is the stand and stance of the Congress. Has Congress fooled the country all these years? The Congress has always called BJP a communal party. There are many Parties and leaders who have been with the BJP in power in the past. If BJP is communal, what is the status of these friends of BJP? From the Congress perspective, they should be communal too. That is what the Congress and the Left has been crying all these years.

What is happening today? The Congress cannot get more than 100 seats. But they want power at any cost. Under the circumstances, a new formula has emerged. The formula is that we are ready to please anyone who will help us retain the power, the only exceptions are BJP and Shiv Sena. So what happens to the friends of BJP? No, they are not communal!. They are the Passport for Congress to grab the Kursi, yet again.

In the madness to power, the Congress is forgetting that Jayalalitha openly supports the Ram Temple and Ram Setu issues. But the Congress is ready to ditch the DMK, which helped in getting the Kursi last time, and is reaching all out to rope in Amma because she will get 25 seats. So what if she is communal? So what if the DMK government will fall in Tamil Nadu? So what if Laalu and Paswan have to be ditched and a friend of BJP Nitish Kumar has to be chased? So what if Amar Singh and Mulayam Singh have to be buttered? So what if Naveen Patnaik has to be pleased?

So what if the whole Nation is being fooled? Who cares? Our only aim is Kursi at any cost. We have 'our' President who will invite us to form the government. So what if the BJP has taken a principled stand that the President should invite the biggest pre-poll formation to form the government?

The Congress is collecting the letters of support, the letters you know will be 'bought' at very high costs to the country. Who cares about the country? Narashima Rao had taught us how to 'buy' (remember JMM?), we survived the last five years by buying so many? So nothing matters now, only power to Congress!

As a citizen of India, a voter, someone proud of his country, I can only say Shame to you Congress. For me this is a national tragedy being performed in full public glare!

Mera Bharat Mahan. Bharat Mata Ki Jai!

BigB Sent Me A Birthday Present!

Friends did you hear? BigB sent me a birthday present today, 8 April 2009. Unbelievable? I know. Let me tell you this story and pass on to you the baton – the hope and the wisdom.

I was feeling very low on my birthday today. So when the Day 349 unfolded on BigB’s blog, I wrote a short note in the comments. The tone said all, although the words did not. And then the God intervened. In no time, in a matter of minutes, BigB posted his second post on this great day, 8 April 2009. And there was my birthday present! The God, through BigB, sent a beautiful message for me!

I will reproduce here the thanks I wrote to BigB in the comments. To read the other part, namely the wisdom of BigB, please refer to his blog, bigb.bigadda.com, day 350, “The fern and the Bamboo”.

Amit ji,

I wrote today in the earlier edition (7-8 April), that it’s my birthday! Since there is now this edition, 8 April – I again mention, today it’s my birthday!

I was feeling very low, the tone can be seen in the earlier short note of mine. The God, all-knowing, omnipresent and omnipotent, has His ways. As you mention here, He won’t give up on me. That is why you posted for the second time today and sent me this beautiful birthday gift – the best so far in my 45 years – “The Fern and The Bamboo”!

From now on – never to regret a day in life, especially 8 April. There’s not a challenge I could not handle. I understand that the roots, the foundations have grown strong, all along. I will not compare myself with others, for I have a different purpose, and a higher one at that. My time will come, and I will rise high. Very high, very very high, very very very high…….

“Give me glory by rising as high as you can”, God and You urge me to move on and beyond. I have my share of happiness and experience.

Thank you very much for such a beautiful gift, an eternal gift on my birthday.