Dheeraj's Space

Why We Are Not An Economic Superpower- Part 2

2011-11-27T16:51:00.000+05:30

In the first part of this article, I touched upon some facets of the Indian economy, which according to me is going through a rough phase and unfortunately, our policy makers are doing virtually nothing to make the ride smooth. As I mentioned in the first part, the high rate of inflation is eating out our growth rate but the Government was busy involved in manipulating the statistical data to hide its inaction. Now the finance minister is saying that the inflation would down to 6-7% till March 2012, but if it happens, it would be only due to the base effect. So on paper, you would be seeing inflation down but in reality the prices of food or non-food items would remain on higher side.

And, isn’t it strange that despite the record productions of various food grains, the prices of agri-commodities are still high? In 2009-10, our food grains production was 218 million tones and in next year it became 242 tones. To put things into perspective, our food grains productions increased by about 11 percent but irony is that despite this increment, our food inflation increased by about 10%. So it was nothing but the sheer mismanagement and wrong policies of the government which is responsible for this inflation and nothing else. And no need to say that it shows the apathy on the part of the government to solve the problem of the common man. And we are dreaming of being an superpower when a third of our population is living on single meal a day.

Last time I also talked about various signs which indicates the slowdown in our economic growth rate. One more indicator is the demand for money used in transactions. According to the RBI data, In September 2011, the growth of money has fallen to 4% from 18% in March 2010. In economic jargon this growth of money is called M1 and is defined as the sum of currency held by the public and businesses and their current account deposits. In common man’s language, this reflects the cash in your hand and is the indirect proxy for economic health of the country. When you have less cash in hand, it means you do not expect to do too many economic transactions in the near future and this is similar with the companies who are not keen to invest or stock up on inventory in the belief that demand will be weak. So they would park their money in long term deposits and the fact that demand deposits (or short term money held in banks in savings and current accounts) shrank by 6% in September this year from a year ago.

Moreover our depreciating rupee is worsening the situation as it hits even the common man very hard. Look at this scenario. You know it very well that more than three-fourth of our fuel requirements is met by imports and eroding rupee makes it more expensive. So it becomes very hard for our oil companies to sell them at government regulated price (in case of diesel, LPG, Kerosene) and they force government to raise the price. If the government does this, the spiral effect of it is felt on the prices of essential commodities. And, if the government doesn’t raise the price, the burden of subsidies increases which adds to the fiscal deficit. To cover the fiscal deficit, government borrows from market in form of bonds and it sucks the liquidity from the system thereby increasing the pressure on the interest rate to go up. And it is again negative news for the corporates.

Also due to the erosion in value of rupee, our foreign exchange reserves shrank by $12 billion, according to the RBI data as on November 18. On October 28, the reserves stood at $320 billion but it is now only $308 billion. How alarming is the situation, you can understand by this fact that our forex reserves has seen steepest fall since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008. What is more alarming is that this reserve is sufficient for hardly eight months’ import bill and there is the possibility of increment in import bill as the rupee is going down day by day. Due to this the trade deficit and current account deficit of the government are set to increase.

So there is no relief from anywhere neither for the common man nor for the government and in this gloomy economic scenario, it would be foolish to think of getting the GDP growth rate more than 7%. In the first quarter of the current financial year the GDP growth rate was 7.7% and the macro- economic environments have deteriorated since June 2011. Various national and international agencies have been predicting the growth rate to remain between 7.5-8% but this growth rate is not sufficient for us to be super power.

And last but not the least, I must mention here the opinion of one of my best friends which I am agree with. There is little unanimity in the government and its agencies, there is a lot of pettiness. There is little will to serve and perform, there is a lot of will to claim credit. Perhaps the question to ask is “Will we ever be an economic super power?” The answer to that is possibly- only if others continue to mess up more than we do.

Why We Are Not An Economic Superpower- Part 1

2011-11-20T16:52:00.000+05:30

Many of us tends to be happy to think that India has become an economic superpower and swear of its GDP growth at the rate of around 10%. But here are some reasons why I think that we are nowhere near becoming an economic superpower. Don’t give me the argument that due to size of our middle class and burgeoning population we have the capacity to drive our economy on our own. It must be remembered that only domestic consumption can’t bring you so far to achieve the double digit growth which we have claiming to achieve very soon. I am of the contrarian view as I find many gaps in our policies and holes in our systems which would deter us to go where we want to.

First thing first and which is related with all of us i.e. inflation. The headline inflation is near 10% and it is a big challenge for the policy makers to contain it. Various measures (mostly monetary) have been taken in last one year but still the inflation is above danger mark. How it affects the growth of the economy, let’s see. To rein in high inflation the Reserve Bank of India has increased the interest rate and made the lending expensive. But this expensive lending is a burden for the manufacturers as for upgradation or expansion they need the fund and to borrow at high cost does not suit them. It reflects in the lower output in industrial production which leads to the slowdown of the GDP growth. In recent months we have seen the index of industrial production going southwards, which shows the current state of our industries. Also, despite the attempts of RBI, inflation couldn’t be controlled as there was lack of fiscal or administrative steps needed to aid the fiscal ones in order to contain inflation.

It was said time and again the inflation is due to the supply side problems but in last two year hardly we see any attempt on the part of the government to tackle it. The government was busy in manipulation of statistical data and trying to show that everything was under control. So consumers have to bear the burden of high inflation and due to it the demand of many goods and services started to decline. If the things become costly and your income remains same, obviously you would have to cut down your expenses. Once again it leads to the overall slowdown in various sectors of the economy which we are seeing now. And if you are finding me at fault, I must tell you that even the government’s chief economic advisor Kaushik Basu accepted that the picture was not looking rosy. He was talking about not only inflation but the whole economy.

Now we can talk about the dual challenge which government is facing today on account of its fiscal discipline. I am talking about the existence of fiscal deficit of 4.6% of GDP(which may cross even 5%) and current account deficit of 2.6% of GDP in 2012 and there is no solution visible. The high inflation, expensive lending, low industrial output, low tax collection, falling share market, record low level of rupee, diminishing forex reserve and poor global economic environment have made a vicious circle for the government and the economy and it seems almost impossible to come out of it. Due to the low industrial output the government has not been able to collect tax as per its target and there are real threat of crossing the set limit of fiscal deficit. Also due to the poor market conditions, the government has not been able to execute its divestment plan so there are very few measures left to it to generate resources.

So far current account deficit is concerned, it is more than 2.5% of GDP and there are chances that it crosses the comfort limit for the government as due to the poor global conditions, the exports are not at satisfactory levels. It is to be mentioned here that the current account deficit mainly consists of the trade deficit which is burgeoning in India’s case. In October 2011, this was the highest in last 17 years as it touches 19.6 billion dollar. In October, the import was 39.5 billion dollar while the export was merely 19.9 billion dollar. It must also be remembered that the trade deficit for the first seven months of the current financial year was $93.7 billion and with this rate, it may breach the $150 billion mark at the end of this fiscal.

This is not all, but there are many more things to be discussed about the situations which are interlinked with above mentioned problems of Indian economy. How these trade deficit, fiscal deficit and falling rupee adding woe to our future growth, in next part of this article. But what I discussed so far should convince you not to boast of on our economy.

LESS THAN LIFE ITSELF

2011-02-09T19:20:00.000+05:30

"Zindagi pe tera mera kisi ka na zor hai, hum sochte hain kuchh yeh saali sochti kuchh aur hai..." These lines from the songs of the film may be true for real life but at least these are true for Sudhir Mishra's new film Ye Saali Zindagi. I feel that what he initially thought to make was much different from the end product which is before us as a film. It happens very rarely that you like the acting in the film but overall the film disappoints you. YSZ is one of those films which looks promising and lively in promos but when you go to theatre, you find your expectations shattered. Sudhir Mishra is counted amongst the sensible and serious film makers whose films are not typical bollywood masala movies. But only having some good actors and let the film loose at all ends can not make a great movie and this is the case with YSZ. No doubt, the potential of a great movie was there in the story but the narrative is not catchy enough to let you stick with your seats in theatre.

These days its becoming fashionable to use cuss words and raw language in dialogue to give the film a reality touch as we have seen recently in No One Killed Jessica. But if you find abuses in every second dialogue without any need, you don't find those saucy but they irritate you. There are some really good dialogues in the movie but I can not buy the argument that for making a real life drama you need to have dialogues full with GAALIAN. The main protagonist of the film Irrfan loves sexy and charming club singer Chitrangada and due to this love how he makes his life complicated is the main story of the film. The film has many more characters who come across during various events occurred in the movie but the narrative becomes so complex in the beginning that you get a bit confused. Arunodaya and Aditi Rao have shown good acting skills and Saurabh Shukla is fabulous as always. Rest of the artists who are part of the film have done justice with their role and definitely can get a thumbs up for that. But due to the weak script and screenplay their efforts have been in waste, I think.

Sudhir tried to maintain the pace of the film but it seems that many a times things go out of his hands. Though never in the film, none of the characters of the film preach you about morality and ethics which brings the film near to the realities of life, but during your stay in the theatre, you hardly identify with any of the characters and this is the biggest weakness of YSZ. There are some comical moments and sometimes you think that Sudhir has tried to make a dark comedy. But when the film ends, you feel as if you have come off a roller coaster ride! (Was there a need for this, I don't know). The music as well as the background score is better than average, cinematography and editing is ok but overall the film does not leave indelible mark on your mind which you expect when you see the promos of the film on your TV sets. So, what more to say, if you miss it, believe me you are not in a loss.

Intricacy of Relationships

2011-01-23T16:46:00.000+05:30

These days many film makers are coming forward to produce films with difference, either based on real incidents or showing the intricacies of relationships which they present in innovative style. Kiran Rao's directorial debut Dhobi Ghat is one of those beautiful made films which you can watch more than once. The film presents the layers of relationships through four different protagonists from different backgrounds but the connecting factor amongst them is our very own maximum city Mumbai. Kiran wanted to project the film as the tales of Mumbai and hence she called the movie Mumbai Diaries but according to me the tales of the Dhobi Ghat can be set up in any metro. (one of my closest friends is of the opinion that the film can be set in any small city as well though I differ with him). The beauty of the film lies in the fact that none of the characters in the film bores you and you want to know what next or what now throughout the film. Though the film is not very long but there was no need to stretch it either as the film achieves its purpose clearly.

Dhobi Ghat is a landmark in the Mumbai city but the name doesn't tell you much about the film. Rather, if the film's name would be anything else, it won't matter. Film revolves around four characters Yasmin, Arun, Sai and Munna, three of whom come across each other to form complicated, intense, sensitive and tender relationships. All of them are from different background, different social status and different areas of the country but choose Mumbai for their respective dreams. Their desires play very important roles in their lives and the interpretation of relationships. The film presents a self claimed loner who doesn't want to go into any serious relationship and is happy changing homes at the interval of every eleven months, hailed from a small town youth washerman whose dream is to become an actor, an investment banker from New York who comes to Mumbai on a sabbatical and in search of the 'fresh air' and last but not the least a newly wed woman from a small town who seek happiness in every aspect of life in a city like Mumbai.

In the movie through Yasmin's hand held video camera and her voice over you know the story of her life, her idea of happiness, her rendition of biography of Mumbai and what she get in the end. She is the character which gives you smiles, touches your heart by her sensitivities and connects with you in every scene where her impression is present. Her story through video tapes acts as a subject for Arun for his new painting and during this period, he tries to live his life through Yasmin's small treasure. Sai likes Arun but he is not ready to move into the relationship and it creates stress between both of them till the end. And finally Munna finds his mentor in Sai, befriends her, starts liking her and in the end reality strikes him to act mature. The climax of the movie compels you not only to think but to see around yourself and you admit the existence of those characters in your know.

The acting of all the new actors are good, they are quite natural and the truth is that Amir looks a little non-convincing before other three actors. Praeik as Munna shows his mettle, Monica Dogra as Sai presents herself with at ease and Kriti Malhotra as Yasmin spellbinds you. Background score by Gustavo Santaolalla never let you feel the absence of songs in the movie. Excellent camera work by Tushar Kanti Ray mesmerizes you and it becomes more important when you know that all the main characters in the film are related with art somewhere. An aspiring actor, a painter, a professional photographer and an amateur videographer characters demand a very skillful camera work which not only can catch but also let the viewers feel the beauty of the art depicted in the movie. Kiran Rao's strong scripting and direction make Dhobi Ghat a movie to watch for. In the last I would like to add that Kiran has portrayed her idea of complexity of relationships aptly through Dhobi Ghat. Simply go for it for having a nice and serious experience.

Good Effort But Not So Good Impact

2011-01-11T16:45:00.000+05:30

Most of you must know about the details of Jessica Lal case, but perhaps none of you would know about what happened behind the scene. The film No One Killed Jessica is an attempt to make you aware about not only the case, but also about the loopholes in the system, which can be misused by mighty people to be benefited. NOKJ tries to tell you how power makes you mindless, money makes you senseless and fear makes you worthless. The country in which we live in is full of ironies. Here you can see the dual faces of persons simultaneously and in the movie, you find many a reflections of those faces. On the one hand NOKJ reveals the crude reality of our era, where you are only concerned about your own self, but on the other hand depicts the trend which shows the power of powerless, the outcry of voiceless and the might of helpless people when united for a cause.

The story of NOKJ is simple and in a one line I can tell you that. Jessica Lal is murdered, her sister tries very hard and doesn't get justice in first hand, the media come forward and help her to fulfill the promise to her slain sister. I must praise director Rajkumar Gupta and producer UTV for making this film happen because on such a subject making a film is a big risk. There are chances that either you end up to make a documentary on a particular case or if you are trying your hands in feature film, there is more drama and less reality. So if you see the film like NOKJ you find a fine balance between doucumentation and dramatization. Rajkumar Gupta has shown his caliber in his first film Aamir and so there was no doubt about being the film watchable. But you wish more from Gupta as he is not a candyfloss film maker. And in a serious subject like Jessica murder, which was not only a case but proved to be a sort of revolution which ignited the minds of the whole nation, the things become a bit more sensitive. And here I found Gupta floundering at many places in the movie.

The script contains some pitfalls which could have been easily avoided and the film would have added more authenticity to it. During first half you stick to the films but after interval you feel the pace of the film gone. The film makes you feel angry, sad, bitter, frustrated and it is ok but when you feel to laugh in the movie in some scenes, it defeats the purpose of making such a film. According to me there was no need to use any comical scene in the movie as it breaks the tandem. Casting of the film could have been much better as except Vidya Balan and Rajesh Sharma (the police inspector), no one is able to imprint the mark on your mind. Vidya has been consistent and exemplary in the movie and she alone has given the soul to the movie with her body language, silent expression and acute dialogue delivery. Rani in her Meera Gaity avatar irritates you more than impress you. In the whole film she shouts, abuses, overdo each and every thing and you feel the need for a break. In the role of a uselessly cuss word spewing star news anchor of a TV channel, Rani never looks convincing. Myra as Jessica had nothing much to do and whatever she was given, she did it beautifully. Her freshness can bag her few roles in the industry, I believe. Rajesh Sharma as the corrupt but helpful police inspector did good work and certainly we will see him in more films to come.

Media portrayal in the film is too loud, extreme and unreal and here Rajkumar disappoints me as you find the super woman star anchor Meera quite annoying and rest of the media guys in the film just victims of her tantrums. In the second half, you find duplicates of Abdul Kalam, Manmohan Singh and Sheila Dixit and suddenly it brings the film to a low level. There was no need to do this. So far music is concerned, Amit Trivedi once again steals your heart with his spunky, apt and different scores. I must say the film is not as bad as not to watch for but not as good as expected. My take...go for it so that you don't miss Vidya's memorable act and Amit's excellent background music.

There is a bit of celebrity in everybody's life

2010-12-19T23:32:00.001+05:30

It may sound familiar line but I have tweaked it a bit for my convenience. In my last article "We are a confused lot", I have got some off the record remarks that the article is not deep enough to convince any reader to agree with my arguments. I accept that the article just touched many facets of our today's life only and did not give any concrete examples as well. So I thought to write the follow up of that article with some of my new ideas about our generation's life and style. When I say that there is a bit of celebrity in everybody's life, it means that all of us are celebrities in some way or the other. Our universe of fan and followers may be small, but it exists and that's why we continuously try to expand our universe to become bigger and bigger. I would strengthen my point by presenting some facts which inadvertently are part of our life.

Almost all of us are part of at least one social networking sites these days and we try to add as many friends as possible. Hardly we give it a thought that to whom we are going to add as our friend, is s/he is really our friend or not. And the result is that our friend list becomes longer and longer but we don't keep in touch with more than 95 percent of the 'Friends' even on the social networking sites. A very small percentage of our virtual friends continue to talk, mail, chat or communicate with us. In this process, you must have noticed that when you search for the people to whom you can talk anytime, you find that those are counted on your finger tips. And mind it that in most of the cases those people are your friends to whom you meet regularly in blood and flesh. Here your social networking sites doesn't play any role. Then why we tempt to add more and more people in our friend list?

In the answer of the above question lies the truth that we want to become celebrity in our current status and add 'friends' less as the friends and more as the fans. For that we give our updated status message, post our blogs, videos or any work which we want to show to the world. As our status is not as big as real celebrities, we show our works to our social network friends and wish appreciation from them. And it is natural that if your network is big, your chances to become big celebrity are higher. You would agree that for this, we add many seniors and reputed names in our friends' list so that they can look at our work, though there may be that those reputed friends hardly visit your pages. But in our yearning to attain the celebrity status, we ignore this fact.

One more thing may add weight to my point. We become ever ready to let the people peep in our personal lives through our status messages, personal photos and videos. That's why whenever we party, go for picnic, go to any hill station or any xyz place, we post our photographs on social sites. We just don't want to show our photography skills to our friends, but we make them acquainted with our strength and weakness as well. We give them chances to be intimate with us and breach our privacy (and later complaint that privacy should be protected even on the social sites). This is a trait of celebrity and we love to follow that trait whether knowingly or unknowingly. Don't forget that for most of the time we enjoy our small celebrity status but when we become bore of it, we start cursing that.

In my last article too, I have asked why can't we satiate ourselves by leading a normal, happy and peaceful life rather than to follow the false status? A very strange thing is that during most of our times, we run for collecting money, name and fame and when we are tired of the thing, we go to an Ashram to find peace (and for that again we spend money). Why can't we balance our life so that there are less confusion, less complication and more satisfaction? I would seek the answers from you guys only but before that I would tell you a story which some days ago, one of my good friends told me.

Once a rich man from a metro city went to spend vacations to countryside to take a break from his hectic lifestyle. There he met with a fisherman and asked him to boat the river there. During conversation rich man asked fisherman," how do you run your livelihood in this small village"? Fisherman replied," by fishing and boating". Rich man asked." why don't you take a big boat so that you can catch more fishes"? Fisherman said" what would happen after that"? Rich man said," you would have more money, gradually you can buy more boats, you can do business with the city businessmen and when you become big you don't need to live here, you can live in city in a big house and employ people to catch fishes here". Fisherman again asked" what would happen after that"? Rich man said," you would earn name and fame, you would be able to live with modern amenities and whenever you wish, you can come here to enjoy this beautiful nature". And fisherman replied," THE SAME THING I AM DOING RIGHT NOW".

Need I to say anything more now????

We Are A Confused Lot

2010-12-13T19:41:00.000+05:30

I would start from the lines which I read recently in an article that there is a strange comfort in unseating icons. For when an idol is discovered to have feet of clay, the pressure on the rest of us lessens to a great degree. I completely agree with this analysis of ourselves but I would add here that this problem has been aggravated by our existing generation. Its not that in the past you didn’t come across incidents of fallen heroes, but in our period, such incidents have been on rise. There is no rocket science involved to know about the reasons of these things. It is well known fact that any society is made by the people live in it and as the time changes, the dynamics and values of the society change as well.

What we are seeing today in the form of Radiagates (the term coined by media) is simply a mirror image of what we are today. Most of us have the inclination towards earning name, fame and money as soon as possible and many a times, we not only compromise on our values, but sacrifice our ethics as well. But when a Neera Radia appears before us, we criticise it because we want to show that we are not like Neera. But is it so? Are we really as honest as we show? You know the answer better.

First we start to worship blindly any achiever, give him or her the status of demi-gods and follow him or her everywhere. But in this whole thing, we forget that those achievers are human beings like us, they are not Gods, they do have emotions and weaknesses as we have and they are as vulnerable to harsh situations as we are. And when any of the achievers does any sort of mistake or error, we start hating him as the filthy animal. His or her celebrity status is grounded and then we start searching another face to worship. Is this not hypocrisy?

At the same time our current generation is confused about what to do or not? Each member of this generation wants to be extra ordinary as s/he is not happy about the current status of an ordinary person. And for this stardom s/he is ready to pay any price and follow the icons blindly. But this following has an interesting aspect; when the icons are destroyed, we enjoy the lost of his/her celebrity status as that gives us false impression that our feet can be fit in his/her shoes. It may seem a bit strange to hear but this is the reality, you can feel it if you think about yourself honestly. All of us are continuously on the lookout for opportunities to grasp our own celeb moments and that’s why seeing any celeb losing its status give us sadistic pleasure.

I would finish with the questions from the same article which I have mentioned above. Isn’t it far better to live an ordinary life well, minus the pressures and insecurity of celebrityhood? Here I remember famous quote from an unknown writer that Celebrity is the person who works hard for a good measure of his life to attain the status and then wears the black goggles so that people may not recognise him.

Connect with The Social Network

2010-11-14T16:09:00.000+05:30

It may seem cliche to say that had Facebook been a country, it would have been the third largest populated one in the world but for the largest social networking site, I could not find a better phrase to describe it as of now. But here I am not going to talk about the site, but the film based on it The Social Network. The film depicts the journey of Facebook from its inception to grow into the envious 500 million users' and valued about 15 billion dollars. The film is engaging enough not to divert your attention either to popcorn or to pepsi in your hands in theatre. You can't risk seeing even your friend sitting besides you if you want to enjoy the film. The story is simple that how Marc Zuckerberg conceptualised Facebook in a dorm room in Harvard University while studying undergraduate course, but this very fact was the challenge to make a film entertaining enough to catch the attention of viewers.

The Social Network is adaptation of the book 'The Accidental Billionaires' by Ben Mezrich and the movie itself is a good example of a boring subject turning into a good to watch film. Directed by David Fincher, the movie's narrative is the thing which keep you engrossed throughout the two hours running time. Generous use of scenes set in the present and flashbacks keep the pace of the film intact. And acting of all the main characteres Marc, Eduardo and Winklevoss twins played by Jesie Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Armie Hammer respectively are praiseworhty and believable. Especially Jesie as Marc clearly shows how egoistic, jealous and money minded can you be if you taste the blood of success. The script, dialogue and editing of the film are very tight and the film doesn't leave any loose end to be criticised of (But here I would admit that if the movie is released with subtitles as well, it would be better as in many a scenes, I could not understand the dialogue because of accent of the actors). Though there was no scope for cinematography experiments, in many scenes the camera work enthralls you.

Without action and with little romance, it is very tough for any movie to catch the attention of the viewers at later stage as in films like The Social Network, only word of mouth can work. So, if you ask me whether you should go for the movie or not, I would advise you to go but don't expect any high funda hollywood antics. The film is motivational in many senses but at the same time, it leaves you with the feeling that is being the world's youngest billionaire equilvalent to being alone? You may have 500 million fans in your virtual social network, but is any one of them your real social partner? And last but not the least is creating such virtual online revolution to create wealth doing any good for the world at large? My friends, think over these questions and if you really enjoy some serious stuff, log in to THE SOCIAL NETWRORK as soon as poosible. :)

Well Done Subba

2010-11-03T20:29:00.000+05:30

On 2nd of November 2010, when RBI announced a 25 basis point increase in repo rate and reverse repo rate, no one was surprised. And me too was not going to discuss about these benchmark rates. I will talk about Subbarao's visionary step which he took about the home loan market (and property market at large). What he is seeing, either no one is able to see it or doesn't want to take it seriously. If Subbarao had made it tougher for banks to continue with the 'Teaser Rate' home loans, it is not without any reason. It may be hard to believe but these loans are risky for banks as borrowers may default when interest rates surge and such condition may lead to a crisis like sub-prime crisis in western world.

Here I would point to a very complex situation, which is behind such a perception. Let's start from the Teaser Home Loan only. These loans are given by banks to home loan buyers to achieve their desired credit growth and to increase their buisenss. Remember that the major source of income of banks is the credit sales and no bank can sustain if it doesn't focus on credit growth. Also, the income on retail loans (of which home loan is the biggest chunk) consitutes a mentionable portion of their whole income. But since the property rates across the contry is running high, there is a big risk involved in home loan portfolio. As banks generally give loan upto the 90% of the value of property, the risk is maximised in such cases, because if the prices of property corrects even to 10-15% from current rates, the banks may find themselves on the wrong side of the fence. These days many high end property developers have come with their 90-10 offers, in which the customer has to pay only 10% of the original price and rest 90% would be paid by the bank as the loan. When RBI caps loans at 80% of the property value, it wants to check this dangerous trend.

RBI has also increased the provisioning 5 times on Teaser Home Loan due to which the rates on such loan are bound to go up. Obviously banks have been criticising RBI's move but I think in the long term this would be healthy for our banking system as well as property market. Here I must tell you that in many of 90-10 offers given by big developers, many projects have not even got necessary approval but the developers have started booking aggressively. And, if banks are going ga-ga over such projects, it indicates some fishy tie ups between banks and developers. There are high chances that only to achieve credit growth, the banks are undermining the high risk involoved. So, though the RBI's measures may not correct property prices, but at least it will ensure the conditions like sub prime crisis far from us.

Macro Picture Of Micro Finance

2010-10-17T23:48:00.000+05:30

Last week has been very busy for at least those who track the micro finance sector in India. I do not claim to track the micro finance as an analyst, but due to the facts that I follow the sector a bit more than others and personally I like the concept of micro finance, I decided to pen down my thoughts on the recent happenings related to the issue. Lets start from the very basic things. Though the term micro finance gives impression that it is a petty section of the financial world, I must tell you that this is not so. Note some facts here: about 18% of Indian population (which translates to more than 20 crores people) carries a micro finance account (these include small post office savings as well), only in our country there are more than 3000 micro finance companies or NGOs who works as self help groups (SHGs) and involved in micro finance works and the total loan outstanding of Indian MFIs lies between Rs. 160-175 billion. These are the facts which are enough to tell you how MACRO the business of Micro Finance in India is.

   Now, I come to the issue due to which micro finance sector is in news these days. According to the latest report, about 25 borrowers of MFIs have committed suicides in recent weeks in Andhra Pradesh due to the harassment of the lenders (and out of these 25, 17 borrowers were the clients of SKS Microfinance, the biggest MFI of the country). When there was too much hue and cry over it, the Andhra Pradesh Government passed an ordinance to check irregularities by MFIs, which provides 3 years sentence and Rs. 1 lakh penalty for harassing borrowers. Also, the banking sector regulator RBI appointed sub-committee of its board to look into the micro finance loans as there are allegations on these MFIs that they charge exorbitant rate of interest from their borrowers. So far so good. But here the questions which pop up in mind is that whether the suicides were committed only due to the harassment of borrowers and if the MFIs have been charging so much interest rate, why were the respective authorities silent till yet?

   No doubt, penury and financial crisis may be the reasons behind the suicides in Andhra Pradesh, but is it due to the pressure of MFIs only? There are high chances that some of the borrowers could be borrowing from other sources such as moneylenders as well. So only to nail MFIs over the suicide issue is not correct according to me. So far the charge of high interest rate is concerned, all over the world the interest rate on small loans for small borrowers is almost double that of the base rate (or prime lending rate) of the banks. There is high risk involved in such loan as there is no collateral or normally the borrowers don't possess any valuable asset which can be mortgaged. This is also the reason why big or mainstream banks do not borrow money to the poor people and hence the need for micro finance company. Of course, there should be some check on the MFIs to see whether they are exploiting the poor. If current rules are talked about, RBI has no direct control over interest rate being charged by MFIs as they are regulated by same set of rules as non-banking financial companies. Though the MFIs get concessional funds from banks under priority sector lending so it is assumed that the benefits need to be passed on to borrowers.

   Here I should tell you that Vikram Akula, Chief Executive of SKS Microfinance claimed that of the 26% interest rate, 8.5% is the cost of borrowing, 9% cost of delivery, 1% put aside for hardship cases (as per RBI rules), corporate tax is 3% and the company margin is 4-5%. He is ready to lower down the rate of interest by 2%, at the same time he cites the SIDBI study, according to which the annual income increase for the borrowers after gaining back the cost of capital is almost 45%. If SIDBI study is to be believed it means that the system of micro finance has been doing the work of poverty alleviation very well. Here I would present some more facts about MFIs in India. Out of the 10 biggest MFIs, 5 are based in Andhra Pradesh, these include SKS, Spandan, Share Microfin and Ashmita Microfin. Only the SKS has more than 7 million borrowers to whom it has disbursed more than Rs. 14 thousand crore. This is not a small figure and it is enough to make understand the importance of micro finance in our country.

   The pioneer of micro finance in the world Muhammad Yunus has got Nobel Peace Prize for his exemplary work in poverty alleviation in Bangladesh. His Grameen Bank is a role model for the MFIs all over the world. Though Muhammad Yunus is also critical of the MFIs charging a very high interest rates and is of the opinion that MFIs should not charge more than 15%. He also criticized the MFIs going public for raising funds. I am a great admirer of him but here I differ with him as I think if the money raised is used for the welfare of a larger section, there is no problem. Muhammad Yunus argued that the benefits of the micro finance should be passed on only to the borrowers and poor and should not be used for paying dividends to the investors. But I feel that if any business has to grow big, it should be based on sustainable model and so there is a need to add as many people with the business as possible and for it, if you pay dividend, there is no harm. Remember that business don't run on ethics only and for a larger cause of poverty alleviation, innovations like micro finance need to be developed. The chief mentor of Infosys N R Narayanmurthy, who is called corporate saint in industry circle, made a killing through his PE fund Catamaran, when the SKS was listed on stock exchanges as he got 1.3% share of the company in lieu of his investment of Rs. 28.12 Crore in January this year. The market value of SKS is about $2 bn and the investment of Mr. Murthy is worth Rs. 117 crore today. So, if a saint can make money by promoting social business why should not the larger public be part of it? Am I sounding pro SKS here? No, I am only saying that the attempts should be made for promoting such social business more and more in our country and we should refrain from taking any step which could hamper the growth of such social innovations (especially when we talk about financial inclusion and want to achieve the goal as soon as possible).

मैं और मेरी तन्हाई

2010-10-13T21:43:00.000+05:30

कभी कभी मन करता है कुचल डालूँ अपनी तन्हाई को चीखों से,
लेकिन अफ़सोस कि तन्हाई का कोई ओर-छोर नहीं मिलता,

मन में सिमटी तन्हाई कभी मीलों तक फ़ैल जाती है,
और जकड़ लेती है मेरी उम्मीदों को अपने पंजों में.
चूर होती उम्मीदें असहाय सी मुझे देखती रहती हैं,
लेकिन मैं तो किसी शून्य में ताक रहा होता हूँ,
तन्हाई के पंजे से निकलने कि तड़प का भी असर नहीं होता,
चीखने की कोशिश होती है लेकिन गले से आवाज़ नहीं निकलती.
मेरी हर शाम तन्हाई अपने आगोश में समेट लेती है,
और बदले में दे जाती है कालिख से पुता अँधियारा,
उजालों के टुकड़े से भरी मुट्ठी भी खुल नहीं पाती,
क्योंकि हाथों को नाकामी के डर ने जकड़ा होता है.

IPL ka Tamasha

2010-10-13T21:23:00.000+05:30

What happened on Sunday(10/10/10) in the BCCI meeting was bound to happen. Yeah, revocation of licenses of two IPL teams was a big headline for news media but that wasn’t a shocker for me. This was the question of timing only, you can say, as the seeds of such things were sown when the then IPL commissioner Lalit Modi was sacked from his post. Once a blue eyed boy of every stakeholder of the Indian cricket, Lalit had overestimated himself and consequently failed to assess the implication of taking on a union minister.

But the reality can be much more than what we are shown by BCCI. Does the cancellation of the licenses of the Rajasthan Royals and Super Kings Punjab teams relate only to the ownership pattern and alleged violation of the change in that? Is the largest cricket body in the world under the pressure of Union Government to take action against these two teams? Will everything be normal after this step by BCCI? And most importantly, will the IPL be as big a brand as it used to be?

The whole IPL episode is a classic example of how can we destroy the opportunity to grow big in any area of the life. It is a well known fact that IPL has been able to garner the support from every corner of the nation when it was initiated by Lalit Modi. The sportspersons, industrialists and Bollywood stars had opened their heart (and their coffer as well) to welcome the move and took active part in making the biggest TAMASHA of the cricket world an instant hit. But after the action of Sunday, would the mood be same as before? Will the sponsors and advertisers support the IPL as they did in last 3 seasons as there is a question mark over the fourth season which is to happen in April next year? And, if the IPL-4 is delayed or postponed, it would translate into a big loss for the brand image of the IPL as well as the millions of rupees for all the stakeholders.

For three consecutive years everything seemed to be normal but when the cracks appeard in the cupboards, the skeletons came out in the open one by one. And note my friends that these skeletons were there from the very beginning, only a curtain was there to conceal the truth. What Lalit Modi did is under the inspection and interrogation but what BCCI is doing now is not an issue of discussion so far. Isn’t it strange that as big action as the cancellation of licenses of two IPL teams has been taken by BCCI but no one is batting eyelid over it? It may not be coincidence only that owners of both the teams include the relatives of Modi, so there is a possibility of witch hunting here in the disguise of cleaning the mess of IPL. But if all other things are kept aside, should not the ownership of Chennai Super Kings be under the vigilance of BCCI, as the BCCI president-elect N. Srinivasan is the owner of the team? Should not the BCCI ask him to choose either of the two as there are pretty chances of clash of interest here? And, it is noted here that even the Supreme Court has taken this issue into consideration.

No doubt that taking on Shashi Tharoor proved a boomerang for Lalit Modi and that’s why all the actions of BCCI and Government agencies against him. And prima facie, the pressure of Government is visible on BCCI as IPL is not merely a sporting event now, it has become a cash cow for all the concerned parties. (If it isn’t the case, why on earth the likes of Sharad Pawars, Praful Patels, Shashi Tharoors, Rajiv Shuklas and Narendra Modis would take interest in it, for the betterment of cricket in country?) IPL is a money making machine for these people in this cricket crazy country and no one would let go the opportunity to encash the craze. So, there are chances that in the very near future, we would see that Modi is a history in Indian Cricket Scenario and BCCI claiming the purity of the game returns in IPL, but some vital questions would remain unanswered as no one wants to reveal the facts, all of them are interested to show only that truth they want to show (and as I always say there is nothing as such truth or false; facts remain the same, whether they are truth or not depends on our subjectivity and how we perceive it).

With this thinking we can't solve Kashmir issue

2010-09-22T21:18:00.000+05:30

Two days ago, I was talking to one of my friends. During conversation the existing situation in Kashmir was discussed as well. I was astonished as well as disheartened to hear what my friend (and most of we Indians, I should say) thinks about the Kashmir issue. She said that Kashmir problem exists only because this is a Muslim majority region. My friends, this is not only the simplification of a complex issue but a very dangerous way to see the problem which could have serious ramificaitons for our national integrity and harmony. And there is no difference between a Hindu or Muslim, when he is angry. Even Hindus and Sikhs have been engaged in demanding separate states (remember ULFA, Khalistan). So don't see the Kashmir problem with religious spectacles.

Many of my friends would be of the opinion that we (Indian Union Government) give undue advantages to Kashmiri people and even then they continue to create problems for us. The terrorism's threat is burgeoning day by day and that is also because of Kashmir. Kashmiri people are anti-national and they don't want to live with India. But are these allegation (Yes, I am saying allegations) true? I would say no because whatever we are giving to Kashmiri people, that is not because we are very liberal but we want not to lose the beautiful land ( but which we have almost lost). Our policy makers have been committing mistakes from the very beginning regarding Kashmir and they don't understand how to rectify those.

No one can deny that the threat of terrorism is increasing in the country and Kashmir is one of the major reasons, but are the Kashmiri people responsible for this? Go back to late 90s when VP Singh Government was in power and Mufti Mohammad Said was the home minister of the country. How did he handle the terrorism in valley, which was just in very initial stages? And don't forget that the daughter of same Mufit is the main opposition leader of J&K today and talks more 'separatist' than real separatists. Also what can you expect from the chief minister of J&K Omar Abdullah, who spent his childhood in London in luxury, who didn't know the gravity of Kashmir problem but got the chair of Chief minister as he belonged to the family who took J&K as its fiefdom? And, if we talk about other stakeholders there, the hardliners are fed not only by Pakistani Government but also by Indian political class as all of them have vested interests in continuation of the Kashmir problem. The major portion of the fund provided by Indian Government goes into the deep pockets of these leaders and we think that the fund is spending on the development work there. So, if the terrrorism is flourishing there, its not because of the Kashmiri people, its because of our political class.

And, so far the willingness of Kashmiri people to live in India is concerned, don't forget that not all of them are demanding seccession. They are just demanding their basic rights to bring back, they want employment, they want peace, they want better education facility for their children in the state only. And since we are unable to provide any one of these three to them, they are coming on street out of frustration, disappointment and anger which is quite natural. Think about the mental stress on the person who sees himself surrounded by batons and rifles througout day and night. When he comes on street, he finds more security personnel than his friends and neighbours. you can't expect him to remain calm and composed as we do. We can't understand the trauma and fear through which the Kashmiri people have to pass every moment and then we expect them to remain as patriot as us. And, if you see the small children and adolescents coming on street throwing stones on security personnel, you can feel the agony and anger in them. I am not saying that they are doing right, but they are not able to understand the difference between right and wrong. Also, they see their interests protected in the hands of hardliners and they don't trust the leaders of mainstream politics. Isn't it the failure of our political class? Think about all these things my friends and don't blame the Kashmiri people for the problem.

PEEPLI (NOT SO) [LIVE]

2010-08-16T11:15:00.000+05:30

Let me ask you something; if you come outside the theatre after watching a film and feel am emptiness in your heart, how would you rate the film? whatever is your answer, same is my reaction about Peepli [Live]. Much awaited, much talked about and with high expectations, this film was released on this Friday but I don't think that it would be able to see itself in theatres even next 2 weeks. And, I know that when I am saying this, I would be the target of ire of Aamir's fans as well as the followers of acclaimed movie reviewers, who have given the film 3 to 4 stars out of 5. I may not be as much a cinema expert as these guys, but after watching the film, I didn't find it worthy of a tagline like "the only true black comedy in Hindi to appear in 27 years" (in HT) or " a lively and living document on the 'other' India (in TOI). It is a very average film which is far behind the wonderful satires like Welcome to Sajjanpur and Weldone Abba in recent times.

                              Peepli [Live] supposes to deal with the serious issue of farmer suicided but throughout the film, you feel the core issue has been sidelined by the TV news media bashing tracks. Of course some of the scenes, sequences, acts and dialogues are good, apt and to watch for, but overall the film disappoints you as it fails to make you think about the main issue at any point of time. And, I couldn't understand the need of use of too many abusive and cuss words in the film only to show the hinterland. Also, though writer-director Anusha Rizvi is collecting praise from all quarters, she perhaps forgot that a satire is not a comedy. When you watch the movie and in theatres the viewers laugh at every cuss word (even in serious situations), you tend to feel the failure of the filmmaker.

                               I would give due credit to Anusha to have courage to present a film on as sensitive subject as farmer suicide but at the same time I would say that she must remember that such subjects demand more seriousness, sensitivity and sensibility. Even after wonderful act by Omkar Das, Raghuvir Yadav and others, if you are unable to feel the trauma of a debt-ridden, helpless, compelled to think about suicide farmer, how can I term the film as successful? Despite very nice art direction, good cinematography and beautiful music the film fails to give you satisfaction. I can't give the film more than 2 stars and I would say that if you miss the Peepli [Live], don't worry, you are not loosing anything.

आँखें अगर किसी की याद में नाम हैं तो क्या

2010-07-13T21:26:00.001+05:30

आँखें अगर किसी की याद में नाम हैं तो क्या
ज़रूरी तो नहीं कि हम हर वक़्त मुस्कुराएँ,
लबों से अगर बोल नहीं फूट पायें तो क्या,
सिसकियों को मौका दो कि वो कुछ कह जाएँ.

जिसकी मुस्कान के लिए धड़का करता है दिल,
काश कि उसकी खुशियाँ हमसे जुड़ जाएँ,
वो इसे हमारी खुदगर्जी ही कहते हैं तो क्या,
कैसे हम अपने जज्बातों को रोक पायें.

उन्हें माना है हमने अपनी ज़िन्दगी की जीनत,
रहे वो हमेशा साथ, ये एक ख्वाहिश है,
उनकी ख़ुशी हमारे लिए सबसे बड़ी दौलत है,
काश खुदा ये दुआ कुबूल कर पाए.

This RAAJNEETI won't give power to you, Prakash Jha.

2010-06-06T23:02:00.000+05:30

I don't know which thing in Raajneeti prompted our well known and established film critics to announce it as a four starred film. I am compelled to think it also as one Rajneetik Chaal (conspiracy) over Raajneeti to make it hit. But alas, the film seriously lacks the fire which can burn its flame for too long. I am disappointed to see such a weak film by none other than Prakash Jha, who have produced strong and mind boggling films like Gangajal, Apharan and Mrityudand, which are in themselves comments of our social and political scenario. Prakash is himself a politican and he must know the working style in the game of politics (especially in the heartland of Bihar, UP and MP) but his understanding and impression are nowhere in the Raajneeti. Anyone who has even a small idea of politics in our Hindi belt, would hardly approve the film.
   Loosely based on Mahabharata, Rajneeti tries to present the current political system in our country. It tries to show how cruelly and heartlessly the politicians use and misuse the system to wipe out their rivals and mix up with corporates to grab the power at any cost. In bit and pieces, the film makes you think about the degradation of our political system, how the dynasty rules over the dedication and hard work of political workers, how polity has become the game of money and muscle power and why it is so hard to enter it for a man of conscience even today? But throughout the film, you predict the events as the script make those quite obvious and it makes you feel that film could have been better scripted. Also in the film, the media has been portrayed so funny and lousy that you just pity on the channels who become ready to let their names use for such ridiculous, annoying and false presentation.
   So far acting is concerned, Nana Patekar (as the modern days' Krishna) and Manoj Bajpayee (as the Duryodhana) succeeded to win your heart by their performances. Katreena showed her mettle and certainly can emerge as an actress even in not so glamorous role, but she still needs some more roles to cut above the rest leading actresses today. Rest of the main starcasts doesn't impress you so much. Ranbir had a good chance to show his strength, but his character did need more space to develop and because of this lacuna, he ended up as an unconvincing character who changed his forms and faces too shrewdly and frequently. But, Nasiruddin Shah and Shruti Sheth were wasted in the movie. I don't understand why Nasir was picked up for the miniscule role of a revolutionary leader who escapes the political scene merely on account of making love with the daughter of his political rival. (Hello, give us a break, this never happens in politics).
   Being a political story, there must be some dialogues which are long lasting and punching but hardly you can find one. And sometimes in the film, those are so ridiculous that you feel to just slap the character for delivering the same. The film is long but music could not find its proper place which again is a pity. After the interval, you wait for the film to end and here lies the failure of Prakash Jha, who have not been able to make the audience sit for the whole film.

कामयाबी के टुकड़े

2010-04-14T01:00:00.000+05:30

कुछ टुकड़े अर्श के हमने हाथों में समेटे हैं,

इस बात का सब्र है कि आसमान छू तो लिया,

क्या हुआ जो देखे हुए सपने पूरे नहीं हुए,

कामयाबी ने कदम ना चूमे, दामन थाम तो लिया।

I am NOT what I am

2010-04-09T21:25:00.003+05:30

"I am NOT what I am", said Iago. "I think therefore I am", said Descartes. "I am, what I am", said Sartre.

The crisis of identity is as old as the existence of mankind itself. The sense of self is a fragmented one, a virtual one. 'I' can only see myself in parts... in blocks... I can see my hands, my arms, my legs, my feet... but 'I' can never see 'Myself' in entirety. 'My' sense of self, comes from the 'image', 'I' see in the mirror. The 'looking glass' gives me the only chance to 'look' at myself, and since the 'image' is a virtual one, therefore, my sense of self is always clouded with doubt.

Perhaps, that is why, the identification of self, has always been an obsession of man. Perhaps, that is why, we try to find ourselves through others. We try to measure our 'self' through friendships... relationships... professional success... fame... money... power... the parameters might be different, but all serve the same purpose. Thus, when the parameter, which in the first place itself is intangible, no longer is able to give a 'correct' account of the self... SELF DOUBT creeps in.

The 'Angst', therefore, is a result of the shifting of parameters, rather than the crisis of an identity. Also, our fixation with the constant prevents us from accepting the fact that matter/meaning is supposed to be in the state of flux.

Even the atoms is steel are in a state of flux.

And so, my dear friend is Identity… it's FLUID.

Sid

तन्हाई

2010-03-25T22:06:00.000+05:30

तन्हाई का कोई साथी नहीं होना चाहता,
मगर तन्हाई तो सबके साथ होती है,
अँधेरे कमरे में जब सांसें डरने लगती हैं,
हिम्मत दिलाने को बस तन्हाई पास होती है.
भिंचे हुए होंठों से किसी तरह लफ्ज़ निकलते हैं,
जिनकी आहात सिर्फ धडकनें सुन पाती हैं,
बिखरने लगती है माथे पर जब पसीने कि बूँदें,
तन्हाई अपने हाथों से उन्हें बटोर लाती है.
चाहतों के टुकड़े जब मन को चुभने लगते हैं,
और चेहरे पर कई तिरछी लकीरें खिंच जाती हैं,
जब लफ़्ज़ों और सिसकियों की दूरियां मिटने लगती हैं,
अपने आगोश में लेकर तन्हाई सहारा देती है.
जब उलझते जाते ख्वाबों में गांठें पड़ जाती हैं,
और उनमें फंसी ज़िन्दगी बाहर निकल नहीं पाती,
जब दिल की आवाज़ मंजिल के पहले दम तोड़ देती है,
उसके होंठों को चूमकर तन्हाई जान फूंकती है.

I am what I am...

2010-03-06T20:39:00.000+05:30

A lot of ideas come up in my mind and vanishes as there were no existence of theirs. These days time and again I become restless and anxious. I just feel lonely even amongst my friends and colleagues and I become afraid of don't know what? In that condition I feel as I am not present there where I use to be and outside voices become cacophony. This state exists with me for a couple of hours only and then everything become normal as before (But how and why the whole process occurs, I don't know). Some of my friends say it happens with everyone (if it is, I am not an exception) and there is nothing to worry. But one of my very close friends suggested me to visit psychologist. Guys, tell me your opinions.

I don't want to continue working as I am doing these days and want a change but again don't know what else to do? It is not that I do not have options but I am still unaware about my other capabilities or say not sure about the success in other work. I am confused as many a times I find it appropriate to stay where I am. But at the same time, it is true that I would never be happy working here at least with the same profile. When my boss express his happiness on the success of channel, it doesn't excite me, rather I feel myself cheated, mocked and dodged. The politeness of my boss irritates me, his smile comes upon my face as a slap and his honey mixed words make me feel like being stabbed. Am I mentally sick to think and feel in this way? I don't know its answer, only I know the thing that I have started hating our top bosses (just opposite to the statement made by one of my very close lady friends). I am sorry to say but I feel that not only she, no one understands me, and worse thing is that they don't even try to understand me either.

When I say that no one understands me, I mean to say that none of my friends, colleagues or family members tries to see things as I do. I am not saying that I am always right but I think rationally and if you counter my arguments logically, I agree too. But what puts me off is the rigidity of the people and many of times this rigidity is shown by even my family members and close friends. I would add here that many a times I feel that I am odd man out in my close circle of friends. The reason behind my thought are many but mainly because of the differences of opinion over career, success and work I feel that I am not glued to the group.At the same time, it is not necessary that I would have the differences with every member of the group, but on many occassions, I feel living a false life with those people. I know that this is not their fault, but if I am what I am, is it my fault? You guys have to judge and I hope you will tell me. Thanks.

सच तो यही है

2010-03-06T20:16:00.000+05:30

अनायास ही नहीं होता तुम्हारा मुझसे मिलने से इनकार करना,
कुछ ऐसा तो है जो तुम्हें मेरे पास आने से रोकता है,
शायद तुम्हें डर लगता है, हमारी दूरियों के सिमट जाने का,
लेकिन तुम्हारी ये कोशिशें तो हमें और नजदीक ला रही हैं.
क्या तुमने महसूस नहीं की अपनी साँसों की रफ़्तार,
जो मुझसे बातें करते वक़्त तेज हो जाती हैं,
या तुम भूल जाती हो अपनी आँखों की ही चमक,
जो मेरी आवाज़ सुनकर तुम पर छा जाती है.
शायद तुमने गिनी नहीं अपने होंठों की मुस्कुराहटें,
जो मेरे साथ होने के अहसास से बढती जाती हैं,
मुझे पता है कि इसके बावजूद तुम मुझसे नहीं मिलोगी,
लेकिन इनकार कैसे करोगी कि हम करीब आ गए हैं.

एक रात इतवार की

2010-02-22T21:53:00.001+05:30

घिरा हुआ हूँ तनहाइयों में, एक बेचैनी सी महसूस करता हूँ,
कई बार जी करता है चीख कर बता दूं, पर सच कहने से डरता हूँ.
हर रात मन के कागज़ पर काली स्याही पोत जाती है,
वो कालिख आँखों में भर जाती है, जब कागज़ छूकर देखता हूँ.
अँधा कुआँ, अँधेरी गलियां और अंधियारी रात ही दिखती है,
तेरी यादों के साए जकड़ लेते हैं, मैं तुझसे मिलने को तड़पता हूँ.
सुबह की उजली धूप भी ठंडी मौत सी सफ़ेद हो जाती है,
आसमान को ताकती पथराई आँखों के सहारे, तेरी आवाज़ टटोलता हूँ.
अकेलेपन के फंदे में फँसी रूह, गर्म लावे सी उबलने लगती है,
अपने हाथों में भरकर ख्वाबों के टुकड़े, तेरे होंठों की बूँद ढूंढता हूँ.

This is KHAN

2010-02-19T17:40:00.000+05:30

DISCLAIMER: I am neither a fan of Karan Johar nor of SRK.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Many of my friends may not agree with me but I would rate Karan Johar as a sensible film maker, not only because he produced My Name is Khan, not only because once again he succeeded to re-create the charm of Shahrukh and Kajol, but because he, at least, know how a good film can be produced on a sensitive subject. I would reiterate that I am not his fan as I could not admire him as a filmmaker who can think out of the box in the past. His previous films KKHH, KKKG and KANK were entertaining but could not raise his level as a filmmaker. (Strangely Karan also succeeded to come out of the love affair with 'K' word with this film).
   A terrorist is a terrorist, s/he doesn't belong to any particular religion, this has been said and quoted time and again, but I believe for the first time in Bollywood, the message has been conveyed successfully and beautifully weaved in a heart touching love story . The hard and arduous journey of an autistic Shahrukh 'Rizwan' Khan not only covers the latitudes and longitudes of the USA, but it also covers the path from your visual senses to your emotional senses. The story is simple but what make the film different are the treatment, characterisation and presentation of the story. Karan aptly tells you the story of a common man attaining an iconic status despite his limited ability with the help of his sheer simplicity and integrity.

Of course, there are some tracks and characters in the film, which seem to be inserted forcefully and without them, the film could have been better. Also, sometimes, while watching the film, you feel the need of editing some scenes, which are extra long. But, the beauty of the film lies in SRK's acting. He has done a fantastic job and in many a scenes, his innocent and shy smile just bewitches you. I would go to the extent of saying that after Kabir Khan (Chak De India) and Mohan Bhargav (Swadesh), only Rizwan Khan can catch your attention. Kajol has been superb in her divorcee but full of life mom, who has to change her gear and fight for justice after her son's unfortunate demise. Sonya Jehan has played her character gracefully and elegantly and surely needs appreciation to make her noticeable in a tiny role.
   Music is really good and despite a few songs, the film doesn't disappoint your ears. One thing I would like to mention is the use of song 'Hum Honge Kamyab' in the movie. I believe the song has been made a part of the script meticulously and prior to this, only in 'Jane Bhi Do Yaron' it has been used so. Then, my verdict is to go for the movie as there are high chances that you would be getting each worth of your hard earned penny.

RGV could not win the 'RANN'

2010-02-03T11:26:00.000+05:30

Ramgopal Varma should take voluntary retirement from film making or at least direction. That was my first reaction after watchin Rann. Varma seems to forget the art of direction- Aag indicated it and Rann proved it. Promos were shouting for more than 2 months and interviews were being broadcasted claiming that Rann would show the reality in electronic media and would present the evil effect of TRP race amongst news channels. But thanks to the weak story, poor script and easy to predict screenplay, Varma has failed in this attempt. Anyone, who has an understanding of the modus operandi of the news channel, would disapprove most of the things which Varma has presented in the movie. Nowhere in the industry the channel is run only by principles (as the main protagonist Harshvardhan does) and neither the editorial meeting consists of only one junior person of the editorial team(as shown in the meeting of India 24/7).
                                        From the very first scene of the film, RGV turns into the mode of giving GYAN to all the existing news channels about functioning but till the end could not establish the real functioning in the channels. The story of two rival channels take the shape of a nexus between politics, business and media but lacks the conviction throughout the film. So far the political rivarly shown in the film is concerned, I can bet that nobody would have dared to show this so poorly in Indian film industry. The portrayal of various characters in the film are far from real, whether it be of Amitabh, Sudeep or Riteish. Thrice of these were presented at extreme in their approach, understanding and functioning in their respective characters.
                                     Mr. Bachchan gave only Gyan about ethics of journalism to the viewers adn Riteish ran bikes more than doing the rporting(or whatever he was doing) in the film. The ridiculous thing is that Sudeep did not sense the disloyalty of his COO Shuchitra, though she tries the same trick time and again. And the guy was shown more hysterical than rational in his approach. Not a single act of politics shown in the film deserve mention here. Paresh, K K Raina and Ikhlaq were wasted in the film. Gul Panag was only to add comment either on Riteish or Amitabh and Neetu Chandra beautiful shown the latest lingerie collection in the market(Pun intended). Shuchitra was best among the three but even she had nothing substantial which can add feather in her cap.
                             Music is average, not a single song is worth humming and after watching the film you may wonder is this a film made by the same person who have given us films like Rangeela, Satya, Company and Sarkaar. I would like to finish with a phrase used by one of my friends who after watching the film said- Run from Rann. RGV, are you listening?

शब्द और भावनाएं

2010-01-18T21:11:00.003+05:30

तुम्हारे शब्द जब पन्नो पर उतरते हैं,
तो ले लेते हैं भावनाओं की शक्ल,
लेकिन क्या भावनाएं सिर्फ शब्द होती हैं,
या वो तुम्हें झकझोर भी देती हैं.
कागज़ पर छपे अक्षर तो तुम्हें ख़ुशी देते हैं,
और तुम उन्हें गले से लगा लेती हो,
लेकिन क्या तुमने किसी की आँखें नहीं पढ़ीं,
या नज़रों की शायरी तुम समझ नहीं पाती?
कई बार चूमा है तुमने स्याही की खुशबू को,
और उनको अपने सपनों में जगह दी है,
लेकिन क्या सांसों की लिखावट भी महसूस की है,
या उनकी आंच के अंकित होने से तुम्हें डर लगता है.

Even IDIOTs can make money

2009-12-29T19:44:00.000+05:30

Are you doing today what you wanted to in your childhood or you thought about doing while planning to make your career? If your answer is affirmative, you have got guts and are lucky. But if you find yourself in the list of those who gave their answer in negative, don't worry because the list is endless. Even I am in the same list which consists of the persons unhappy with their current job or career decisions. OK, we would talk about this later. Here we would stick around 3 idiots, which is the inspiration of this piece.

   If you have not seen the film, I suggest you to go ASAP as it may help you to decide about your future plans. The film points out the biggest drawback of our education system which produce more executioneres and less thinkers. The students just try to pass the competitive exams and climb the stairs of premier institutions like IIMs and IITs. But their goal is not to learn, only to 'EARN' and consequently our best brains do not think about teaching or becoming scientist as a career option. 3 idiots raises this issue beautifully and in an entertaining way and obviously successfully broadcasted the message that 'It is better to be an idiot than a stupid'.

   Through the stories of 3 friends of different backgrounds and of quite different outlook towards life, the film tells you about the hardships and the pressure faced by the students of middle class in our society. Under the influence of family members, they are forced to follow the path which has nothing to do with their interests or passion. They chase the money mindlessly and later regret their decision. Aamir, Madhvan and Sharman have played their role beautifully and at no point of time, you feel the film making you bored. But Omi 'Chatur' makes you feel his presence and so do Boman 'Virus'. Though Kareena and Mona didn't have much to do in the film except to create some drama and singing some songs.

   The thing which could be avoided, I believe, was the presentation of Sharman's family in a funny way. Many a times, you feel the fun element quite harsh and cruel . Also the length of the film could easily be curtailed as many a scenes are unnecessarily long. Excep these the film is a good entertainment package with brilliant camera work, diverse music scores and relevant dialogues.

   The team of Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani has given quality products earlier too and made a special place by making the film with social message. And how can we forget Aamir who first with Taare Zameen Par and now with 3 Idiots has got success to bring into notice the requirement to change the existing style of teaching and providing education. One of his dialogues of the film aptly applies on him that don't chase success but yearn for excellence and succes will chase you.

The lesson of 2009

2009-12-27T16:42:00.002+05:30

The year 2009 was unprecedented in our living history.... 2009 has been a remarkable year...., this has been an eventful year for the world...., in many ways 2009 has been a landmark year...., the year 2009 has been a unique one. You may think by reading these lines that the last year has been outstanding an overwhelming for me but this is not the reason why I am writing these lines here. When going through the Coporate Dossier of Economic Times, I saw the essays starting with these words and two things came in my mind. Why everybody starts the retrospection with these words (its answer I seek from you guys) and why should not I write about my experience of year 2009. Hence this piece before you.

                        To start with, I can't classify the year 2009 as the unique, though it is distinctly memorable year in my life as I have gained experience a lot, especially about personal relationships. At the same time, I have lost the things in this year, which I believe can't be re-gained in future. Honestly, I am not the person who make new year resolutions or set any goal to achieve, but I did that for year 2009 and alas, I failed to complete both my resolutions. The reasosn--- well, I believe that I tried very hard to achieve both the goals- one realted with relationship and other with career- but perhaps my stars and constellations are not illuminated enough to emit positive rays of success. :)

                      On the personal front, I made some good friends on whom I can rely on in my difficulties. But unfortunately, I could not do much in their difficult times, could not do enough to resolve some of their problems and the year left with a bitterness in my heart on its finishing point. Even today I wish for the things to be normal again but now I have left everything at the time's mercy. In fact I have now adopted a wait and watch policy for my life as well. At the same time I must tell you that I found this policy quite ineffiective and abrupt in my case as this always led me to devastation, disappointment, delusionment and deviation from my being my natural self. But I don't know what to do now other than try to be cool and happy in whatever situation in which I land.

                        During the year I came to know about so many new things about the human nature that I went to the extent to read psychology. This, of course, enriched my experience about judging any person and analysing the aspects of his/her personality. I came into close contact with many girls (all of them are my friends) who shared their time and feelings with me and let me enter their personal space. Believe me during going through every conversation, a new world of thought seems to unfold before me. I don't claim to act as the trobleshooter for them but listened all of them patiently and tried to advice which make sense. The important thing is that I came to know what today's girls think, what they want and what prompt them to decide about their future. It is not a revealation but an astonishing fact that I found most of my lady-friends think and act in a similar fashion to a large extent.

                      Talking about myself, I must admit that I have never been so confused, so depressed and so frustrated as much was this year. I realised that I could not stick to my decisions, whether about personal relationships or career. My career stalled at the same place at the end of this year, where it was in the beginning. All my attempts to boost my career went in vain and I saw decline in the graph of my career. And come 20/11, which left a stain on my mind. I can't explain why it was a big setback for me but only I can tell you that it shattered my dreams of stability. So far good things are concerned, I have got really lovely friends with whom I had a lot of fun and few memorable moments.

                       Surely, I had hoped for more but you have to wait for the right time, which in my case has not come. My journey of 2009 has been a rough one but to be a good driver you must know how to drive on rough terrain as well, mustn't you? So though a lot of change did occur with me in 2009 but will these lead to goodness? Let's see and hope for the better. It is said that all change is not growth and all movement is not forward. This is the lesson from the year 2009 to me, I think. Thank you all.
:)

जर्नलिज्म

2009-12-27T14:53:00.002+05:30

अपनी पहचान को शक्ल देना आसन नहीं होता,
खासकर तब, जब आपके पास शक्ल नहीं होती,
आपके हुनर की क़द्र तो बस तब तक की जाती है,
जब तक आपके पास इस्तेमाल लायक अक्ल नहीं होती.
दूसरों की आवाज़ उठाने का दावा तो तुम करते हो,
तुम्हारी खुद की आवाज़ नक्कारखाने में तूती होती है,
अगर न हो तुम्हारे सर पर किसी धर्मपिता का हाथ,
तुम्हारी मेहनत सिर्फ उनके पैर की जूती होती है.
घुटन, कुढ़न, हताशा और निराशा तुम्हारे साथी होते हैं,
और काबिलियत तुम्हारे तलवे चाटने से तय होती है,
तुम्हारी पतंग कितनी ऊँची गई, ये मायने नहीं रखता,
कामयाबी तो दूसरों की डोर काटने से तय होती है.

Must play RADIO

2009-12-12T18:26:00.000+05:30

Many a times, good friendship starts with a quarrel of words. Similar is the case with my experience with movie Radio. Earlier, I had many reservations about the film but during and after watching the film, all these negative thoughts did find their deathbed with full comfort. If you ask me the qualities of Radio, I would say different and refreshing style of screenplay and dialogue, good use of music and songs in the movie and last but not the least commendable job of all the actors. So, what is Radio all about? Radio tells you about the struggle between personal and professional life, confusion between love and friendship and the pain which we (inadvertently) take to create, destroy and re-create the relationships. The characters of Radio can easily be found around ourselves, who most of the time don't think or analyze the repercussions of changing the dynamics of relationship.

The segmentation of the film worked here and you connect easily with each short portion of the film. Vivan (Himesh) himself is telling his story and his act as the anchor of the segments add value to the film. It weaves the incidents beautifully to a well knit story. Himesh have not only produced good music score but earned a good score in acting as well. He fits in his role and can do good comedy as reflected in Radio. For his critics, I would say that you can love him, you can hate but you can't ignore him. Here, I must mention the praiseworthy job of Sonal and Shehnaz. Both of these lovely girls have acted beautifully and tremendously so much that with them (either of both of) you can feel the tension and confusion in Himesh's mind. And, with only four scenes Paresh Rawal's Jandu Lal Tyagi provide you a mouthful of laughter.

So guys, if you are thinking that I am over rating the film, I would not contradict you. I will say only that go for Radio, you get a complete entertainment package by virtue of which you will laugh, you will cry and you will simply love it. While signing off, I would say that this RADIO must be played for long.

I don't know why?

2009-11-28T18:36:00.000+05:30

Those of you, who know me personally, would admit that many a times I may be unpredictable. These days, my mood swings so much back and forth that even I don't know why this happens with me. But I accept that I become a little more emotional on most of the moments, especially those related with the persons about whom I care. These persons may be my friends (both close and far :-)), my colleagues, my family members or anyone with whom I can relate. But here I would like to toss a question to all of you guys that is being emotional is equivalent to being weak? I would seek the answer from you guys as it would help me to analyse myself.

Many a times I feel that my tears remain ever ready to just jump out of my eyes even at a mere touch. But I would say that these days such incidents are happening at a fast rate (or say more speedily than normal) which make my eyes moist. I would not like to go into details of each and every incidents here, but the latest one which not only made me weep but also shook me is 20/11. No guys, I am not mistaking the 26/11 incident, but I am talking about the Friday 2oth November which proved nightmares for many of my friends. This was no doubt the real Black Friday for (almost) all of us, which just stole the feeling of confidence, loyalty, commitment and trust out of our minds. That was a deep shock which hurt me so much that still I am recuperating from this. One of my dear friends had said once that if you want to overcome any pain, don't forget it or avoid it, but live with it so that it may have its natural death. I don't know how true it is or how effective it would be, but this time I would go with my friend's suggestion.

I know most of you must be thinking that what crap I have posted on my blog, which has been a forum of a sort of discussion on serious things so far. But guys, you all know that change is eternal as well as inevitable, don't you? So, this time I thought to express my anger, disappointment, frustration and weakness before you. There is also a feeling inside me that some of you would approach me with a probable solution of the problem which I discussed with you. Thanx in advance and awaiting your response.

Is APKGK your film, Mr. Santoshi?

2009-11-14T12:05:00.003+05:30

First of all, a question for you guys- for making a film like Ajab Prem Ki Ghajab Kahani do we need a director like Rajkumar Santoshi? I believe most of you would answer the question in negative as do I. To make it simple, I must say that from a veteran like Santoshi, no one expects such a film as APKGK. It should be left on Ayan Mukherjees or Jugal Hansrajs. Santoshi stands in the league of sensitive directors and have given us movies like Ghayal, Ghatak, Andaj Apna Apna, China Gate and Khaki. He should think about making a film different from a teenage love story.

Ok, I think that this review is becoming more about Santoshi than APKGK. So, back to movie, which is no doubt a soft romantic comedy watchable with families. Here, I would use words of one of my colleagues that this film would be loved by those who are under 18. Yes, for teenagers this film is a good entertainment as it provides some delightful moments of joy and laughter as well as some emotional sequences, which make you wipe your tears rolling down your cheeks. Despite these things, I would not rate the movie on a higher scale as it lacks the fresh ideas, whether it be the story, script or even the dialogues. Almost whole film is shooted in a set and so the camera work is average except some song sequences.

Music of the film is good and you will love to hum the songs for some time. For Katrina fans, this is a precious gift as I think for the first time, they can see her in an innocent, lovely next door girl image. I must say that she is improving her acting film by film but need to work more on her dialogue delivery. Ranbir too needs hard work on his speech as many a times, his voice and delivery reminds you about Hrithik in Koi Mil Gaya. This was also felt in Wake UP Sid and he needs to move on if he doesn't want to typecast himself in chocolate boy image.

One good thing about APKGK is the comedy, which looks natural in most scenes. Even in some sentimental moments, you can not stop yourself from smiling. Especially, when our protagonist stammer when emotional, you feel the increment in breadth of your lips automatically. You just watch the film on and never get bored by any of the character. But the story is quite predictable and when you are out of the theatre, you don't feel any impression on your mind. So again, I can not resist myself to say that you expect much more than APKGK from Rajkumar Santoshi.

मैं अब मैं नहीं

2009-10-19T23:28:00.003+05:30

मेरे ही कई सवाल मेरे सामने आ जाते हैं,

एक दूसरे से गुत्थम गुत्था और उलझे से,

जिनके जवाब चाहकर भी मैं ढूंढ नहीं पता,

क्योंकि मैं अब ख़ुद मैं नहीं रह गया हूँ।

पता ही नहीं चलता

2009-10-19T23:25:00.003+05:30

आंसुओं को क़ैद करने की कोशिश तो करता हूँ,

मगर हर बार मैं ख़ुद उनकी क़ैद में होता हूँ,

पता ही नहीं चलता कब मुस्कुराते होंठ भिंचने लगते हैं,

और कब आँखें डबडबा जाती हैं।

वंशवाद जिंदाबाद

2009-09-27T17:36:00.007+05:30

कुछ दिनों पहले मैंने जब अपना लेख वंशवाद चालू आहे लिखा था तो उसे पढ़कर मेरी एक मित्र ने पूछा था की राजनीति में वंशवाद ख़राब क्यों है और मैं वंशवाद के ख़िलाफ़ क्यों हूँ? मैंने उससे कहा था की मैं इसका जवाब लेख के जरिये ही दूँगा, लेकिन न तो मैं उसका जवाब दे सका और न ही उसने मुझसे ये सवाल दोबारा पूछा। आज जब देश में एक बार फ़िर विधान सभा चुनावों का मौसम है तो मुझे लगा कि शायद मौजूदा हालत में मैं अपना जवाब बेहतर तरीके से समझा पाऊंगा। सबसे पहले ये तो साफ़ कर ही दूँ कि निजी तौर पर मैं नहीं मानता कि एक राजनीतिज्ञ की संतान या उसके रिश्तेदार का राजनीति में आना ग़लत है। ग़लत तब होता है जब वो नाते-रिश्तेदार किसी ऐसे कार्यकर्ता की कीमत पर आ रहे होते हैं, जो बरसों से अपनी और पार्टी कि ज़मीन तैयार की होती है और फसल रिश्तेदार काट ले जाते हैं। उसकी मेहनत का तब कोई मूल्य नहीं होता, जब किसी बड़े फैसले के लिए उसके नाम पर विचार तो दूर, उसकी राय भी नहीं ली जाती। फ़िर चाहे वो मुख्यमंत्री पद पर बैठने की बात हो या किसी चुनाव में टिकट देने की

ताजा मामला आंध्र प्रदेश का सामने ही है। राजशेखर रेड्डी के असामयिक निधन के बाद राज्य के विधायक उनके बेटे जगन रेड्डी को मुख्यमंत्री बनाने की ऐसी जिद पकड़े बैठे हैं जैसे अगर जगन मुख्यमंत्री न बनें तो आंध्र प्रदेश अनाथ हो जाएगा। मुझे कोई ये बताये कि मौजूदा मनोनीत मुख्यमंत्री के रोसैया ने ऐसा क्या गुनाह कर दिया है कि वो आंध्र के चीफ मिनिस्टर नहीं रह सकते? वो सालों से राजशेखर के भरोसेमंद रहे हैं, कांग्रेस पार्टी के साथ हमेशा जुड़े रहे हैं और सरकार में दूसरे नम्बर के मंत्री रहे थे। लेकिन वो राजशेखर के बेटे नहीं हैं और यही उनकी सबसे बड़ी कमी है। फ़िर चाहे जगन रेड्डी को प्रशासनिक अनुभव नहीं हो, मुख्यमंत्री तो वही बन सकते हैं । तो, वंशवाद का ये नुक्सान है।

दक्षिण भारत के ही एक और राज्य तमिलनाडु का उदाहरण लेते हैं। सूबे के मुख्यमंत्री करूणानिधि वैसे तो नास्तिक हैं(लेकिन अपनी चरण वंदना, स्तुति गान और दैवीय स्वरुप चित्रों के समक्ष अपनी जय-जैकार से कोई परहेज़ नहीं है उन्हें), गरीबों के हमदर्द हैं ( गरीबों के घर में मुफ्त टीवी बंटवा दिया है, भले बिजली नहीं है) और समाजवादी विचारधारा के हैं। लेकिन उनका वश चले तो वो पूरे राज्य मंत्रिमंडल में अपने नाते-रिश्तेदारों को बैठा दें। वो अपनी कई पत्नियों से पैदा अपनी संतानों का पूरा ख्याल रखते हैं, भले इसके लिए राज्य में दंगा-फसाद क्यों न हो जाए और भले ही कुछ लोग अपनी जान क्यों न गँवा दें। उन्हें बेटे स्तालिन और अज़गिरी का राजनीतिक करियर तो संभालना ही है, बेटी कनिमोजी का बेडा भी पार लगना है। इसके अलावा नाती दयानिधि मारण को भी पुचकारते रहना है, भले ही मारण को आईना दिखाने के लिए उन्हें अपना चैनल क्यों न खोलना पड़े। तो, वंशवाद का ये नुक्सान है।

कुछ लोगों का ये तर्क होता है कि ये तो अच्छा ही है कि इसी बहाने राजनीति में युवा आगे आ रहे हैं। लेकिन ये अच्छा नहीं है, क्योंकि इनमें से एक भी युवा अपने बूते पर आगे नहीं बढ़ रहा है। यही नहीं, जिन युवा नेताओं की गाथाएं अखबारों में छपती रहती हैं, उनमें से किसी ने भी आज तक ऐसा कुछ नहीं कर दिखाया जो कुछ अलग हो। राहुल ब्रिगेड के सचिन पायलट, ज्योतिरादित्य सिंधिया, नवीन जिंदल सिर्फ़ पार्टी को यंग, डायनेमिक और ग्लैम लुक देने के लिए चुनावों के दौरान या किसी समारोह में पेश कर दिए जाते हैं। उन्होनें अपने संसदीय क्षेत्र में भी वैसा कुछ कमाल नहीं कर दिखाया कि हम उनकी वाहवाही करें। और सबसे अहम् बात ये ना भूलें कि इनमें से सभी अपने पिता की विरासत संभाल रहे हैं (जैसे मध्ययुग में राजा के बाद उसका पुत्र राजगद्दी संभालता था)। वंशवाद का ये भी नुक्सान है।

मैं ये मानता हूँ कि वंशवाद की ये परम्परा सिर्फ़ हमारे देश की नहीं है। अमेरिका जैसे विकसित देश में भी ये परम्परा है। लेकिन वहां और यहाँ एक काफ़ी बड़ा अन्तर है। अमेरिका में राष्ट्रपति बिल क्लिंटन की बीवी हिलेरी क्लिंटन को अपनी काबिलियत साबित करने के लिए ८ साल तक लगातार मेहनत करनी पड़ती है और तब उन्हें पार्टी की तरफ़ से राष्ट्रपति पद के दावेदार होने की हैसियत मिल पाती है। इसके बावजूद वहां बराक ओबामा जैसा नेता, जिसकी कोई राजनीतिक पृष्ठभूमि (विरासत के सन्दर्भ में) नहीं होती, वो हिलेरी को मात देने की क्षमता और उससे बढ़कर हौसला रखता है। हमारे यहाँ एक प्रधानमंत्री की मौत के बाद उसकी विधवा को कुर्सी पर बिठाने के लिए चिरौरी की जाती है और उसे प्रधानमंत्री बनाने के लिए पार्टी के वरिष्ट नेता अपनी कनपटी पर पिस्टल रखने कर नाटक तक कर डालते हैं (ये साहब आजकल पीएमओ में हैं)। बात यही तक नहीं रूकती , उस प्रधानमंत्री के बेटे के लिए पार्टी के बड़े नेता उसकी मंजूरी के इंतज़ार तक गद्दी गर्म करने में भी नहीं हिचकते हैं। भारत और अमेरिका की राजनीति का यही अन्तर वंशवाद को हमारे लिए ख़राब ही नहीं, घातक बना देता है। क्योंकि जब वंशवाद हावी होता है तो कार्यकुशलता या योग्यता की नहीं, प्रवंचना और चाटुकारिता की पूजा होती है और फ़िर गद्दी पर बैठा चौपट राजा पूरे देश को अंधेर नगरी में बदल सकता है। वंशवाद का ये सबसे बड़ा नुक्सान है।

We Are Born Believers

2009-09-16T22:36:00.003+05:30

In great Hindu epic Mahabharata, during the Kurukshetra war, when Kauravas made their war plan in the form of CHAKRAVYOOH, the son of Arjun Abhimanyu came forward claiming that he did know how to break this Chakravyooh. The interesting thing is that Abhimanyu learnt it while in womb of Subhadra and she was listening this thing by her husband Arjuna. It is very hard to believe that Abhimanyu learnt all these things while in womb, but his uncles did not learn it even after attaining perfection in their respective style of battle. But if modern researches are to be believed, this may be true to some extent. Researchers have claimed that human beings are programmed by evolution to believe in God. When I read this in a newspaper, I felt an urge to express myself on this matter. Not because I am an athiest (Which I am certainly not but I may be agnostic as many a times I question over the existence of God), but because of the reason I found this thing very interesting and definitely different from all the things which I discuss with my friends.

In this very report, it has been said that during evolution groups of humans with religious tendencies began to benefit from their beliefs, perhaps because they tended to work together and so stood a greater chance of survival. In this way, the religion came into existence as a binding factor in order to make the believers fit enough to survive in ancient period. And, if we study the ancient period, we find that the early Gods of the primitives were the natural forces like rain, earth, tree, river sun or moon. Clearly, as the time passed, the thoughts of giving a certain shape to the Gods developed and gradually our modern Gods came into being. So, if we say that God is the imagination (or more crudely say creation) of humans, it is not completely fault.

Here, I am not denying the fact that this God has made us imbibe a sense to connect with each other which in turn has blossomed into the development of civilisation. In this very report it is stated that "Children have a natural intuitive way of reasoning that leads them to all kinds of super natural beliefs wabout how the world works. As they grow up they overlay these beliefs with more rational approaches but the tendency to illogical super natural beliefs remains as religion." That's why we see that as we grow up either we question the miracles done by various Gods of various religions or give those miracles a form which can be understood with existing knowledge of technological advancement. So, if we read the story of Pushpak Viman in Ramayana, we compare this with modern aeroplanes. Or, when we come to know that Gandhari had 100 sons, we try to reason that withe modern test tube technique. Similarly a lot of examples can be given but here a question arises that if we were such advanced about five thousands years ago, what happened with the next generations that they forgot all these. And if we compare modern advancement with the same in that age, we find ourselves backward. But is it so? I do have more reasons not to believe the mythological stories than to believe.

We must not forget that all of us like miracles or supernatural events though we may not hav the rationale behind them. Also, where we find our strengths finished, we seek some divine forces to help us. Over the ages, human beings have made their fantasies about the existence of some supernatural power into the form of deities or Gods. Gradually, the religion developed and then the need to maintain the record of various super deeds/miracles done by these Gods. I believe this led to the writings of religious books and in the due process of time, religious beliefs and sentiments gained strength. So, if we found the evidence of linkage between religious feelings and experience to particular regions of the brain, it is just a representation of the evolution of religious or spiritual experiences which has been taking place in human beings since the ages.

हकीकत

2009-09-06T19:53:00.004+05:30

सच्चाई से टकराकर सजे ख्वाबों का बिखर जाना,

दोस्तों को ख़ुद से दूर जाते हुए बेबस सा देखना,

अंधेरे कमरे की गरमी से नम आंखों को सुखाना,

क्या यही ज़िन्दगी की हकीकत है?

हमसफ़र का रस्ते की भीड़ में गुम हो जाना,

अपने करीबियों का सिर्फ़ यादों में सिमट जाना,

मुस्कुराते लबों के पीछे दर्द को छुपाते जाना,

शायद यही ज़िन्दगी की फितरत है।

तन्हाइयों को ख़ुद के ज्यादा करीब पाना,

मन ही मन भगवान को गालियाँ सुनना,

और अगले ही पल गुनाहों की माफ़ी माँगना,

ये सब भी तो ज़िन्दगी की ही बदौलत है।

Fo Fweet....Kaminey

2009-08-19T23:08:00.004+05:30

There may be two ways to get success in life--Short Cut and Chhota Short Cut, but to produce a movie like Kaminey there is not any short cut. And Certainly, Vishal Bhardwaj knows it. You need brain like Vishal, brawn like Shahid, beauty like Priyanka and beliigerence like Amol to have a movie like Kaminey before your eyes. How a simple and regular bollywood story can be developed into a classy(at least quasi-classy) spicey movie, Kaminey is example of that. Throughout the film, your gaze sticks to the screen in front of you and your brain remains busy predicting and speculation 'what next'? But this very pace is the beauty of the film and when you finish the exercise, you get the full worth of your money with a new and energetic experience.

This tale of twin brothers presents before you many characters who seem to come from around ourselves with a difference that almost all of them are in their crude form. They do not pretend to adopt the extremes only to have their goals completed. E.g., the sweet and simple Guddu does not hesitate to fight his brother Charlie to get the cocaine in order to complete his love stroy with Sweety. Similarly, Charlie finds it appropriate to use Sweety as his shield to get rid of her brother Bope's clutch. And, Sweety is ready to kill her own brother to save Guddu. So all the characters look real whether they be Bope, Tashi & Mikhail or Guddu, Charlie & Sweety. Vishal has been successful in developing all the characters of the film- both heroic or villainous.

It is very important to discuss the performance of actors in the film. Shahid has got the opportunity to show his skills in double role here and he has done justice. Priyanka is just great as Sweety, the contemporary middle class Marathi mugli, who loves Guddu more than Mumbai, Chennai or Bengaluru. She makes you believe in her character with conviction as well as class. Similarly, Amol Gupte has portrayed handsomely his character of a corrupt and opportunist politician, for whom the Mee Marathi Manoos agenda is merely for political mileage and power and has nothing to do with the ideology.

Cinematography is brilliant, background score is perfect and scripting is tight. The editing is done is such a brilliant way that you never feel any scene useless or extra long. But, there are some weak points too. In the climax, you find it unnecessary that all the characters are gathered at one place and fight each other and at last the good emerges as victor over evil. Also, you want a decent treatment with the characters who develop during the movie. Anyway, these weak things do not lessen your joy while watching the film. In the nutshell Kaminey is full Paifa Vafool.

It's My Life

2009-08-13T22:03:00.002+05:30

They say life is a game,

Yes it is, which I always lost,

I lost it to my own destiny,

Even after praying a heavy cost.

They say life is a gamble,

Yes it is, which I never played,

As I don't know how to roll dice,

In order to have a winning facade.

They say life is full of friends,

It may be, but I found none,

Those meeting me were mrere travellers,

Who bade adieu after their jobs get done.

कारवाँ गुज़र गया....

2009-04-12T15:16:00.003+05:30

स्वप्न झरे फूल से, मीत चुभे शूल से,

लुट गये सिंगार सभी बाग़ के बबूल से,

और हम खड़ेखड़े बहार देखते रहे।

कारवाँ गुज़र गया, गुबार देखते रहे!

नींद भी खुली न थी कि हाय धूप ढल गई,

पाँव जब तलक उठे कि ज़िन्दगी फिसल गई,

पात पात झर गये कि शाख़ शाख़ जल गई,

चाह तो निकल सकी न, पर उमर निकल गई,

गीत अश्क बन गए, छंद हो दफन गए,

साथ के सभी दिऐ धुआँ धुआँ पहन गये,

और हम झुके झुके, मोड़ पर रुके रुके

उम्र के चढ़ाव का उतार देखते रहे।

कारवाँ गुज़र गया, गुबार देखते रहे।

क्या शबाब था कि फूल फूल प्यार कर उठा,

क्या सुरूप था कि देख आइना मचल उठा

थाम कर जिगर उठा कि जो मिला नज़र उठा,

एक दिन मगर यहाँ,ऐसी कुछ हवा चली,

लुट गयी कलीकली कि घुट गयी गलीगली,

और हम लुटे लुटे, वक्त से पिटेपिटे, साँस की शराब का खुमार देखते रहे।

कारवाँ गुज़र गया, गुबार देखते रहे।

हाथ थे मिले कि जुल्फ चाँद की सँवार दूँ,

होठ थे खुले कि हर बहार को पुकार दूँ,

दर्द था दिया गया कि हर दुखी को प्यार दूँ,

और साँस यूँ कि स्वर्ग भूमी पर उतार दूँ,

हो सका न कुछ मगर, शाम बन गई सहर,

वह उठी लहर कि दह गये किले बिखर बिखर,

और हम डरे डरे, नीर नयन में भरे,

ओढ़कर कफ़न, पड़े मज़ार देखते रहे।

कारवाँ गुज़र गया, गुबार देखते रहे!

माँग भर चली कि एक, जब नई नई किरन,

ढोलकें धुमुक उठीं, ठुमक उठे चरन चरन,

शोर मच गया कि लो चली दुल्हन, चली दुल्हन,

गाँव सब उमड़ पड़ा, बहक उठे नयन नयन,

पर तभी ज़हर भरी,गाज एक वह गिरी,

पुँछ गया सिंदूर तारतार हुई चूनरी,

और हम अजान से, दूर के मकान से,

पालकी लिये हुए कहार देखते रहे।

कारवाँ गुज़र गया, गुबार देखते रहे।

" This poem is also written by Gopal Das Neeraj, definitely, it is one of the best poems by him. Neeraj has also written songs for Hindi films like Mera Naam Joker, Sharmilee, Kanyadan, Prem Pujari, etc.

छिप-छिप अश्रु बहाने वालों

2009-03-29T19:19:00.003+05:30

छिप-छिप अश्रु बहाने वालों, मोती व्यर्थ बहाने वालों
कुछ सपनों के मर जाने से, जीवन नहीं मरा करता है
सपना क्या है,

नयन सेज पर सोया हुआ आँख का पानी
और टूटना है उसका ज्यो जागे कच्ची नींद जवानी
गीली उमर बनाने वालों, डूबे बिना नहाने वालों
कुछ पानी के बह जाने से, सावन नहीं मरा करता है

माला बिखर गयी तो क्या है
खुद ही हल हो गयी समस्या
आँसू गर नीलाम हुए तो समझो पूरी हुई तपस्या
रूठे दिवस मनाने वालों, फटी कमीज़ सिलाने वालों
कुछ दीपों के बुझ जाने से, आँगन नहीं मरा करता है

खोता कुछ भी नहीं यहाँ पर

केवल जिल्द बदलती पोथी
जैसे रात उतार चांदनी पहने सुबह धूप की धोती
वस्त्र बदलकर आने वालों! चाल बदलकर जाने वालों!
चन्द खिलौनों के खोने से बचपन नहीं मरा करता है।

लाखों बार गगरियाँ फूटीं, शिकन न आई पनघट पर,
लाखों बार किश्तियाँ डूबीं, चहल-पहल वो ही है तट पर,
तम की उमर बढ़ाने वालों! लौ की आयु घटाने वालों!
लाख करे पतझर कोशिश पर उपवन नहीं मरा करता है।

लूट लिया माली ने उपवन, लुटी न लेकिन गन्ध फूल की,
तूफानों तक ने छेड़ा पर, खिड़की बन्द न हुई धूल की,
नफरत गले लगाने वालों! सब पर धूल उड़ाने वालों!
कुछ मुखड़ों की नाराज़ी से दर्पन नहीं मरा करता है !

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this poem has written by famous Hindi poet Gopal Das 'Neeraj'. I came across this one, like it and was impressed by its message so decided to have it on my blog.

The 'V' Factor of BJP

2009-03-29T17:30:00.005+05:30

" I see myself as a progressive human being, somebody who wants to be an agent for change, agent for reform". These were the words of Varun Gandhi while giving interview to Stephen Sackur in the BBC show Hard Talk. Since then, a lot of things have changed and so our Varun Gandhi. Today, to protect the Hinduism is more important than progress, change or reform for this latest 'V' factor of BJP. Note his body language, his dress and his utterances while going to surrender in Pilibhit court on Saturday. Varun, who had Studied in London School of Economics and School of Oriental and African Studies, London and completed 29 years of his age in this very March, had put on the deep red kurta, worn red Tilak on his forhead and was greeting his followers in a manner as he had returned victor in a war. It is equally important that his supporters were unfurling the saffron flags with Hindu religious symbols, not the BJP flags.

It seems strange that BJP was disassociating itself from the so called controversial speech of Varun, but suddenly it changed its stand and came in full support of him. Though, the whole event seems to a part of a well planned strategy cut out by BJP leadership. We must not forget that after Kalyan Singh and Uma Bharti, BJP needs a leader who can be projected as the flag bearer of Hinduism. So far Narendra Modi was doing the work, but now ambitious Modi is not satisfied with the chief minister house of Gandhinagar and eyeing on South Block of Dehi as his next destination. So, he is now talking more of development rather than Hinduism. In this scenario, BJP had no better option than Varun as the new face of Hinduism in the party. By projecting Varun, BJP is trying to kill two birds with a stone.

Lal Krishna Advani is the PM-in-waiting for BJP and he knows that only 14th Lok Sabha can fulfill his desire to hoist the Tiranga on Red Fort. But for this, he must have the seats enough to woo the old coalition partners of NDA in order to form the Government. Though, today TDP, BJD, BSP or AIADMK are showing commitment towards Third Front, but once these party smell the chance to be in power at center, they would be more than happy to get rid of the Front and be ready to sit in the lap of BJP/NDA. After all, everybody loves power. But, it is possible only if BJP would be able to win more seats in UP. And in order to regain its vote base in UP, BJP doesn’t see a better tool than Hinduism( I don’t know why?). So, it may be the strategy of party to present Varun as the new Hindu Hriday Samrat, make him the star campaigner and by religious polarization can have some more seats in UP.

Also, in the face of Varun, BJP has found a Gandhi who can challenge the prince of Congress Rahul Gandhi. It is still to be seen whether this strategy would be successful or not. Though, Varun had seen his future in BJP very much in year 2004 when he had joined the party. In the same BBC interview, when he was asked why he joined BJP, when his family has traditionally led the congress, Varun said, "It was not so much a party as a set of ideologies that my family has stood for and I abide by those values. In recent times, BJP had come to represent those values of nationalism and even secularism" ( I don’t know about which secualrism Varun was talking about, which BJP represents.) Varun also said that BJP talked about CULTURAL NATIONALISM and a partiot party. No doubt, today the thing which Varun is doing, is very much part of the same CULTURAL NATIONALISM.

फलसफा

2009-03-28T16:02:00.008+05:30

कटते हुए पतंग ने मांझें से पूछा
उलझा तो तू, पर मैं क्यों कटा
मेरी क्या गलती थी
मैंने क्या था किया
मेरा क्या होगा, क्या तूने कभी है सोचा

मांझे ने बोला
आसमां में उड़ने की
चाहत तेरी थी
बादलों में तू बसना चाहता था
रिश्ते तूने जोड़े थे
अगर मैंने तोड़ दिया
तो इसमें मेरी क्या भूल

न तो तूने मेरी फितरत को जाना
न ही पूछी मेरी मर्जी
आज मुझे अनजाना क्यों कह रहा है
जब तूने कभी था ही नहीं पहचाना

खुदको कहकर भोला
तू क्या जताना चाहता है
मुझ पर उठाकर उंगली
क्या बताना चाहता है

क्या हुआ है
क्या हुआ था
ये तुझे भी है पता...
मैं तो सिर्फ एक धागा हूं
ख्वाब तो तू बुन रहा था
गलती किसकी है...
अब तू बता

Sid

By Grace E. Easley

2009-03-25T10:12:00.002+05:30

There is happiness in me which lives inspite of all,
The days of pain and misery that sometimes I recall,
A little joy whose roots are deep and keep on holding on,
And even though the times I weep, solid as a stone.

There is a happiness in me that's near to having wings,
And I am convinced it is sure to be each time my angel sings.
Sometimes I feel it is not enough, this meagre bit I give,
And that this life so cold and rough, is not where should I live.

Because this happiness in me was planted long ago,
To shield me from things to be, while I remain below.
God cut my earth bound moorings, and I granted I should be,
Attuned to Heaven's voices, through this happiness in me.

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Of course, this poem has not been penned by me, but I find myself too close to it. The feelings expressed by Grace Easley seems to by my own and that's why I posted it here. An inspiring and positive poem, I must say, which helps one to stand against the odds in life.

from Ash Wednesday

2009-03-24T17:29:00.001+05:30

Because I know that time is always time
And place is always and only place
And what is actual is actual only for one time
and only for one place
I rejoice things as they are and
I renounce the blessed and engraved face
And renounce the voice
Because I cannot hope to turn again
Consequently I rejoice, having to construct something
Upon which to rejoice

And pray to God to have mercy upon us
And pray that I may forget
These matters that with myself I too much discuss
Too much explain
Because I do not hope to turn again
Let these words answer
For what is done, not to be done again
May the judgement not be too heavy upon us.

Not my lines, but my favorite poet's. Just thought I should put it up, and that's why they are here

Sid

'0'

2009-03-23T20:22:00.003+05:30

Every morning
when the rude sun
creeps in through the blinds,
and intrudes into my dreams...
I open my eyes, and think...
I am Blessed

Every evening
as I stagger in
The soft light of the street lamp
rushes in through the window
and lulls me to sleep.
As I close my eyes, I think...
I am Cursed

Sid

ज़िन्दगी का उसूल

2009-03-22T22:28:00.003+05:30

मैंने ये कविता काफ़ी पहले- करीब साढ़े छः साल पहले लिखी थी। सिद्धार्थ की कविता पढने के बाद मुझे लगा कि शायद ये कविता मेरे ब्लॉग पर अब आ ही जानी चाहिए। बहुत बढ़िया हो, ऐसा तो नही है, लेकिन संदेश सकारात्मक है, बस इसलिए।
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हर वक्त साथ दे, ये ज़िन्दगी का उसूल नहीं
अपनी किस्मत को कोसना शायद हो फिजूल नहीं,
फिर भी खुदा की खुदाई पर रख भरोसा,
भले ही तेरी दुआ वो करे कुबूल नहीं।

खुशियाँ दौड़ कर किसी के गले नहीं लगतीं,
हर दाँव पर ज़िन्दगी में जीत नहीं मिलती,
पर हिम्मत न हार कि शिकस्त जाया नहीं होती,
खिलेंगे तेरे गले में फतह के फूल भी कभी।

आंसुओं को बहने दे, बोझ कम कर ले,
अपनी कमजोरियों को आंखों से पकड़ ले,
कोशिश करता रहे अगर तू हरदम,
हो जायेगी तेरी ज़िन्दगी भी मकबूल कभी।

'पाखण्ड' का जवाब

2009-03-22T22:20:00.002+05:30

मजबूर होता है इन्सान पाखण्ड के लिए,
कि उसे कामयाबी की यही राह दिखती है,
गर ना चिपकाये वो चेहरे पे चेहरा,
तो ज़माने से भी उसे ठोकरें ही मिलती हैं।
ना चाहते हुए भी जब मुस्कुराना पड़ता है,
तो रिश्ते दाँव पर लग ही जाते हैं,
ज़मीर जब किसी चीज़ की गवाही नही देता,
तो हकीक़त के रेशे धुएँ में उड़ ही जाते हैं।
मेरे दोस्त, हम सब कई चेहरे लिए फिरते हैं,
बस अपनी असली सूरत छिपा लेते हैं,
चूंकि बेपर्दा होना तो कोई नही चाहता,
तभी तो अंधेरे कमरे में जाम टकराया करते हैं।

पाखंड

2009-03-21T14:23:00.002+05:30

चेहरों पर चेहरे चिपकाएं घूमते है
जिस्म की बिसात पर
रिश्तों का खेल खेलते है

बेडरूम के बंद दरवाज़े को
जरा गौ़र से देखो
उतारे हुए कपड़ो के साथ
आत्मा भी लटकी है
चादरों के रेशमी तागों में
जिंदगी अटकी है

बिस्तर पर हर रात
एक नई चाल चलते है
चेहरों पर चेहरे चिपकाएं घूमते है

मुंह से निकलते धुएं को
ज़रा गौ़र से देखो
उस धुंधली सी धुंध में
कुछ सपने तर्श है
छल के इस महल में
न तो छत है,न ही फर्श है

रिश्तों के अलाव पर
सिगरेट जलते है
चेहरों पर चेहरे चिपकाएं घूमते है

Sid

Yeh Lal Rang...

2009-03-17T18:20:00.012+05:30

After Dheeraj's post I don't think I have much to add. Instead, I'll try and put a personal perspective to the whole film.

There are two kinds of students in a college. Those who have heard about politics, and choose to ignore it. And then there are others, who get seduced, and choose to play a part. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I belong(ed) to the latter.

Nothing intoxicates like Power. And like every addiction, at times, it overpowers you... and that is what Gulal is about. Like the protagonist Dilip, I too came to 'study'... and my initiation to the Hostel was, too, in a similar fashion (Sadly, no Anuja/Jesse Randhawa!) And then there's 'brainwash' albeit in a more conventional manner...

Identities are imposed

Loyalties are decided.

Dreams are dreamt.

And there you are... ready to face the big bad world, with a new sense of being... a new found illusion of invincibility. Like Rananjay, you often think, that you can take on the world on your own, just to realise that politics is more about connections and collaborations. And you begin your life afresh. You become friends with people who have what you don't... you try and find a Duk(h)i Bana.

With great power comes great responsibility... the responsibility to organise a fest. The responsibility to fulfill the ambitions of your friends... your core group.

And with power, you suddenly become desirable too. Every Dilip finds a Kiran. And every Kiran wants a Dilip.

You also find a sense of security... a sense of being complete... a sense of being YOU. Like Dilip, you have a chip on your shoulder. You have to bring about a change. Change for a Change.

But politics is not about change, it is about status quo, and this is what you fail to realise. The protagonist doesn't fail himself, nor is he a victim of circumstances... it's just destiny... Yes, it is.

Sid

Gu'd'laal

2009-03-14T23:27:00.003+05:30

Red is the colour of blood, red is the colour of revolution and red is the colour of GULAAL. So, while watching Anurag Kashyap's this latest creation, you feel the essence of the bloody colour throughout the film. Anurag uses dark colours so aesthetically in his films that sometimes you are spell-bound after watching the effect of the colour(remember, Black Friday/Dev D). Here, too what a use of gulal in the movie- whether in the initial scenes, where main protagonist Kay Kay Menon delievers his fiery speech or in the scene, when Rananjay is murdered and hanged with gulal painted face. You understand the messages behind them, though both of these are quite different from each other.

Though Anurag has just shown the student union politics in the movie, it clearly elaborates the state in which our polity has been going on. Also, though the backdrop of the movie is Rajasthan, the things which you see can easily be extrapolated to whole country. The misuse of funds, criminalisation, dominance of muscle power in students' union or the expolitation of apolitical youths only for having power, all these exist in mainstream polity as well. And, more importantly, the issue of separatism which Anurag raised here is the depiction of the dissatisfaction, disillusionment, dissidence and disturbance in various parts of the country.You can't negate that despite all the good promises being done by advocates of democracy, a large chunk of our population feel being cheated by the democratic set up and it includes the have ones and have nots both.

So, through a simple story of the brother-sister duo(Aditya Srivastav-Ayesha Mohan), who are ready to go to any extent for gaining legitimacy in society, Anurag touches a bunch of issues which compel you to think. Of course, the efficient story telling ability, use of diverse images(here Ramlila, Dushera & Diwali) and the music/lyrics(which not only enrich but also carry the narrative forward) help him in presenting a praiseworthy product. I would like to mention the use of Diwali images in climax scene, where Dilip(Raj Singh Chaudhary) revolts against Kay Kay Menon and plays Khoon ki Holi on Diwali day. Anurag's out of box thinking reflects inn the music and lyrics as well, especially the Rana song, where the metaphors used are simply outstanding (full marks to Piyush Mishra). One more thing, which makes the movie enjoyable is that every character you find here gains its importance and you never feel them worthless. No big faces here, yet commendable performance. You just love Ayesha Mohan's cool and firm attitude and mesmerise by Piyush Mishra's music lover, band master uniform attired persona. Mahi Gill once again makes you love her boldness in her cameo. Rest of actors played their role graciously. So, what's the take away- just go, watch and enjoy the movie for a good critique on the contemporary political state of the nation. I believe it will feed your grey cells too, when the great Indian election festival is in its full swing.

Billu B*****r (2009)

2009-02-14T16:20:00.003+05:30

Dir: Priyadarshan (sorry couldn’t get hold of his phone number!)
Cast: Shahrukh Khan, SRK, brand Khan, Red Chillies Entertainment.
Music:Bullcrap
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It seems like that recession has even made a dent in the image of Bollywood’s biggest brand. Otherwise why would a superstar of the stature of Shahrukh Khan make a three hour long advertisement? Yes, I am talking about SRK’s latest venture Billu B****r. Priyadarshan’s (the film is produced by SRK’s Red Chillies Entertainment) ‘modern’ take on Krishna – Sudama tale is no better than a very long advertisement on Brand Khan. .

This film is absolute junk, and the only relief being the other Khan...Irrfan Khan, who gives yet another sizzling performance, as Billu/Sudama. Manikandan’s photography is brilliant in patches, and so is Lara Dutta’s back...Deepika’s abs...Priyanka’s eyes...and Kareena’s.....sorry, can’t think of anything good in Kareena!

My suggestion: Switch on the television, and watch ads...They are much more entertaining than the film.

Sid

Dev D (2009)

2009-02-10T17:44:00.003+05:30

Dir: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhay Deol, Mahie Gill, Kalki Koechlin
Music: Amit Trivedi
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I sat for hours in front of the computer trying to think of the perfect opening line, but my mind just kept drawing a blank. It had never happened before. Every film leaves an imprint, evokes some emotion. But his one left none. And that is what makes this film special. Anurag Kashyap has freed the spirit of Devdas from its fossils. It has managed to break free of the shackles of sentimentality that had kept it bound for ages.

Kashyap’s Dev D is intensely political, played out like a Brechtian drama, and yet at some level managed to capture the changing emotional topography of a rapidly changing psychological landscape. Unlike a tragedy from the classical mould, the protagonist is not a victim of circumstances; rather, he is caught in the structures he has created for himself. Thus the film is devoid of any emotion of sympathy for any of the characters. Although, Chanda does have a rather sad past, her actions too, are of her own accord, and by her own admission she seems to be content with the dual life that she leads. In a sense, Chanda exemplifies the Kashyap’s philosophy. In this overtly existential film, the characters are responsible for their own actions, and there is no sense of regret or revenge. Even Dev’s descent has little to do with unfulfilled love. Rather it is a tale of a protagonist trying to forge/find an identity for himself.

Instead of being mere cardboard cutouts (as they were, in the previous versions) Kashyap’s Chanda and Paro, are made of flesh and blood. Paro’s sexually confident, and she is not shy in taking the first step. In a brilliantly composed sequence, Paro vents out her sexual energies on a handpump, after being denied by Dev. Similarly, Lenny is not afraid of flaunting her sexuality, (her fascination with riding a bike can be read in the same light as the handpump scene) and even after she’s been cheated on, Lenny has the courage to move on. She is a ‘randi’ and does not take refuge in euphemisms. This sheds light on the conceited psychology of the patriarchal society. As long as Lenny wanted to remain Lenny, her presence was uncomfortable and unacceptable, but the moment she became Chanda, her presence became not only acceptable but at some level desirable too.

Kashyap’s Dev D is not a mere rereading of an old text, it is a new rendition altogether... a story so powerful, that even Sarat Chandra would have been proud of it. But does it make a good watch? You bet.

Inspite of it being heavy on philosophy, nowhere in the film does it weigh you down. It is rather quirky, crazy and to certain extent even funny. The casting is brilliant, and so is the photography. Infact, the photography is so good that it manages to induce a heady feeling, and you come out of the theatre on a high. Just go and watch this film to realise (and acknowledge) that films can be political, sensitive and yet score highly on entertainment value.

Sid

Luck by Chance (2008)

2009-02-02T21:40:00.002+05:30

Dir: Zoya Akhtar
Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Konkona Sen Sharma, Rishi Kapoor, juhi Chawla, Dimple Kapadia, Isha Sharvani.
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Bollywood is holding up a mirror for itself? I don’t know. And to be very honest, my feelings about this film are ambivalent. I can not call it a bad film, then, I can’t even call it a brilliant or even a good film. It is, at best, JAF (Just another Film). I don’t even know what to make of the latest fad of realism that all of a sudden has gripped Bollywood (I am using the term in its truest and most commercial)

At one level, the new wave of realism... outgrown realism, seems a good idea, It provides us with a much deserved break from the excesses of the last decade. But on the other level, it is perhaps, undesirable. I call it undesirable, because, somewhere I feel that it is a foreign concept, and we are adapting & adopting, to accommodate this in Bollywood. Perhaps, we are trying to transform Bollywood into Hindi Film industry, and LBC is a step towrds that.

Luck By Chance, at least for me, is essentially is a ‘realistic’ film on the ‘(melo) dramatic’ Bollywood. However, on the apparent, it is a coming of age tale of a ‘struggler’. Cross an Andy Warhol movie crossed with a Dil Chahta Hai, and the result would be similar to LBC. It is lengthy, dull boring, with flashes of brilliance (the last shot, with Konkona in an extremely long scene) but lacks an overall entertainment value. Farhan Akhtar is good, in his usual understated way. Konkona is brilliant as usual. Isha Sharvani should seriously take Vikram’s (Farhan Akhtar) advice and take some acting classes. If the young brigade was good, the old guards were brilliant. Rishi Kapoor, as Rolly the producer, is fantastic, and so is Dimple, as the fading superstar of the 70s. The music is nothing to write about. And the photography is, at best, ordinary.

So, should you go, and watch it?

Well... if you want to see the things you have already read about in the numerous film magazines, just go ahead, and watch it... it’s really not that bad!!!

Sid

Why RBI & banks are right in not cutting rates?

2009-01-28T22:22:00.005+05:30

Industry Chamber FICCI is disappointed, why? Because, Reserve Bank of India has not cut down any benchmark rate, whether CRR, Repo or Reverse Repo Rate in current credit policy. FICCI said that it was expecting 100 bps cut in these rates. Not only that, FICCI even went on saying that the credit policy is not upto the expectations and demanded that the RBI should have extended the special refinance facility for MF, NBFCs, HFCs till March 2010. It must be noted that RBI has extended this period upto September 2009. Though this time, RBI has not cut any rate, but in last 4 months, CRR has benn come down by 4% and repo rate by 3.5%. At the same time, it is to be remembered here that not any bank, whether Govt. or private, has cut their PLR by more than 1.5%.

Here, many queries arise in one's mind. Why FICCI is crying for more rate cut, when RBI has already done its bit(perhaps more than expected)? The answer lies in the fact that FICCI is doing nothing but lobbying for those industries, which had been indulged in profiteering in the past and now in bad times, these are reeling under pressure of interenational slowdown. Also, these industry confederations are worried about merely companies' interests and don't even think once about the interests of consumers. I must point out here that these companies include the real sector ones too, which had been earning profit at the exorbitant rate of upto 400%. But, not even once these industry bodies raise their voice not to do this or ask companies not to adopt such unfair trade practices.

RBI, in its credit policy review, has urged commercial banks to step up lending, as liquidity conditionss has eased. Clearly, RBI is rightly saying that the onus is on banks to cut the rates as these have not done their due in recent past even after generosity of RBI. But, why banks are doing so? Though, openly banks are saying that because of high interest rate on FDs, they are unable to cut rate on loan, but it is only half truth. Banks are worried of the rise in bad assets. Here some facts for you: Loan assets held by banks have started deteriorating, with some banks reporting a rise in bad loans in December 2008. SBI reported gross NPAs of Rs. 13,314 crore for the quarter ended December 2008 compared with Rs. 11,182 crore in the corresponding period last year. During the same period, ICICI Bank saw its gross NPAs rise to Rs. 8,988 Cr from Rs 6,474 Cr. And, if we talk about average NII, banks have been able to increase this by merely 1%. So, in this context, banks are not able to show courage to step up lending process as they are watching the market conditions carefully.

Also, about 15-30% income of banks comes from other sources such as broking, distribution of financial instruments, etc. But, seeing current market conditions, in the very near future, the situation doesn't seem to improve. So, the banks are playing safe. They are parking the extra money in their coffers in the govt. bond. And, tell me, if they are doing their bit for maintaining their margin, what is wrong in this? Having said that, I am quite hopeful that the interest rate would go southwards, just wait for a couple of weeks.

Just Average!

2009-01-28T20:16:00.006+05:30

Why do IITians poke their nose into everything? Do they think that they are the best that the country has to offer? Or is it that the rest of us are totally worthless? Now before you ask, why am I ranting and panting, this is about a book that I recently read... Its called Above Average, which if anything, is way below average. Probably, it’s not the author’s (Amitabha Bagchi) fault; he was just emulating what his fellow mate, Chetan Bhagat did. (He not only got away but also made tons of money with it.)

Probably, its not even Chetan’s fault that the book did well (commercially, I mean)... Probably, it’s our fault. Yes, our collective fault. The importance that we have accorded to technical education, especially engineering, is absolute madness. Just take a trip down, Hauz Khas in Delhi, and you’ll find scores of youngsters, with here- and-there moustaches with a bag carelessly slung across their shoulders, entering the numerous FIITJEEs that throng the area. Go to any school, and you’ll find half the class missing...Why? Well, they are all preparing for the entrance exams, and school studies are just not worth it!

Catch hold of one, and ask him. Why?

Just why does want to be an engineer? 6 out of ten would say, they don’t have an idea. Three would say their parents asked them do so, and one smarty-pants would push his spectacles up, look at you with an air of superiority, and would say, ‘I just love computers. So I wanna be one a Software Engineer.’ Ask him, why IIT? The answer, ‘Oh its the best...that is why.’ And what’s so good about it? They would ramble something about professors and the curriculum, and before you can ask a counter question, they would quietly slip away, making some excuse about getting late for a class or something like that.

The truth is, that none of them actually have a reason. All they know is that, IIT is the first step to a commercially successful career. IITs, IIMs, and then a plush job with Goldnam Sachs or a Lehman Bros. (Hmmm.... Wonder, if its still at the top of the list!!) Probably, their thought about the ladder is not completely wrong. But then, have we ever wondered why has success been reduced to mere numbers, and even it has been, then why all the zeroes get added only to a specific sector/profession? ( Zero...Ask Fuld!!) Why is a course that teaches you to crunch numbers being accorded a higher status than any other form of education? And is education worthwhile only if it translates into numbers? And why, only certain degrees are able to make that transition, while others are stuck at the doldrums?

These are some of the questions, that we need to think about...consciously, collectively. And if we don’t arrive at the answers soon, than probably we’ll have to live through the ignominy of reading/listening trash from people like Chetan & Amitabha, bragging...and adding to the myth.

Sid

Jai Ho....Par Kiski?

2009-01-24T11:05:00.003+05:30

Slumdog is buzzword today. On account of the film Slumdog Millionaire, based on the story of a boy from slums of Mumbai, the word has been the favorite of everyone today, from filmstars to the common viewers, from journalists to the flagbearers of the society's interests. So, what's special in the film? This simple 'rags to riches' story depicting the endeavour of the slum boy, in the backdrop of Mumbai has made history when nominated for 10 Oscars and prior to this won 4 Golden Globe Awards in The Big Apple. Though produced and directed by foreign entities, Fox and Danny Boyle respectively, this film has many Indian connections. Many of the actors worked in the film are known faces of Bollywood- Anil Kapoor, Irfan Khan and Saurabh Shukla. The protagonist of the film has been played by Dev Patel, an NRI and our very own A R Rehman is the music director of the film. So, are these factors enough for us to boast over a 'foreign' film with quite an Indian touch? Is the hooplah made over the film going to Oscars appropriate considering that this is not an Indain entry? Most of the people may differ with me, but I believe that this noise is nothing, but our craving to show that we Indians too can win Oscars.

But, why this craving for an international award, why this inferiority complex, why this desire to get recognition on the red carpet laid by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences? Remember that these awards are given not purely on the basis of quality, good work, artistry or presentation. You must have a strong lobby behind you to win these awards(remember the attempts of Amir and Ashutosh during promotion of Lagaan for Oscar). And, here the speed of gathering awards by Slumdog raises some questions. The first, haven't we made any film till date which is comparable with Slumdog and worthy of winning international acclaims? No is certainly not the answer for the biggest critics of Bollywood films. Then, why we have been unable to win international film awards like Golden Globe or Oscars? Next, is it necessary to have some international names associated with our films to get an international feel, even these are based on purely Indian Characters, Indian subjects and Indain environment? Once again, remember Gandhi made by Richard Attenborough, which was Indian by heart and soul, but made by a Brit and got international acclaims. The Oscar won by Bhanu Attaih for Costume designing for Gandhi is one of the only two Oscars received by we Indians. The another one is given to Satyajit Re as a life time achievement award by Academy.

So, one more question which comes to my mind that whether the film presenting only negative(or grey) images of Indian society are able to draw attention at international level? Salam bombay made by Meera Nayar was too based on the life in slums of Mumbai and got international recognition(even then it couldn't get Oscars). The well known Satyajit Re (and believe me, I am his admirer for his art work in cinema) was famous for showing the inequality and poverty of Indian society in his films and even then couldn't get any Oscar for any particular film. (Perhaps he was not good at lobbying). One thing which I want to clarify that I am not against bringing the social evils prevailing in our society on respective platforms, rather I am of opposite view. My question is that why our Mother India, Lagaan, Swadesh, Rang De Basanti, Tare Zameen Par or Swaas(Marathi) has not been able to win international awards? Tickle your grey cells.

No, we can’t

2008-11-10T22:16:00.004+05:30

Sure, the header looks pessimistic and negative, but there are various reasons behind this pessimism. Oh, I forgot to tell you what I am talking about. But, I believe that most of the persons would have understand the subject merely reading the header. Yes, I am talking about Barack Obama and why we Indian can’t have our Obama? But, before discussing this, I must talk about why we are seeking our Obama and what Obama means for us? For starters, Obama, now, is not merely a person, he has become a symbol. Symbol of victory against long battle between racism and apartheid. Symbol of hope for billions of downtrodden people all over the world. Symbol of aspirations which revolve in the hearts of have-nots. The victory of Obama is significant, because he has emerged as a winner in a country, where the population of the community which he belongs to is only 15 percent. So he has not only won the hearts of 15 percent own people, but at least 36 percent other people too. So, though the black in America see a history-maker in him, he represents the strong democratic traditions and openness of American society. (I would add a rider here: America is democratic for its own people, not for the people of other countries.)

So when Obama said that that(his victory) was possible only in USA, he was quite right. Though we must not forget that people of USA choose him because they wanted a change. They were fed up of ‘Bushism’ which won more foes than friends for Junior Bush. They were tired of arrogance and headstrongness of Bush administration, which lost its prestige due to its wrongdoings in Iraq and more than hawkish approach over Iran. Obama was chosen because he projected his protectionist face to the country, which is passing through its worst recessionary phase perhaps after The Great Depression- 1930 and is facing the burgeoning unemployment rate in recent three decades. Also, Obama won because he rode the storm of anti-incumbency , discontent and the hunger for change. In spite of all these reasons, victory of Obama is significant, because his would be presidency is a dream come true for millions of Afro-Americans, who has fought a hard battle for their rights for equality.

Now, why India can’t produce an Obama is plainly because we are as many countries as many states. While saying so, I am not questioning our unity, but simply I want to emphasise the diverse nature of our people. In the words of S. Parasuraman, director of TISS- “ I think India is too divided to throw up a leader like Obama right now. Our politics is divisive”. It is truly said that the leader represents its own people. So, if Obama wins there, because people there wanted him to win, because they want change, because they think on somewhat a similar lines. But, though we need a leader, who is visionary and can change the society, a more relevant question is are we really prepared for that?

Now, a name on which people of country want to bet as the probable Obama of India is Mayawati, the present Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. But, even Mayawati is neither capable nor popular enough to be our Obama. Yeah, there is a possibility that she would become our Prime Minister. But the scenario of ‘Maya Memsaab’ becoming PM would be more a result of vagaries of coalition politics than broad social or political consensus. Definitely, She has reached out to upper castes, but the contact is need driven and that’s why many of the people saw her only as an option, not as a natural leader and don’t forget that we are seeking a genuine and natural mass leader.

Nevertheless, I would say that the ray of hope lies here in the fact that we are discussing these things nowadays. It is also due to the fact that the urban middle class mind is today more ready for a Dalit PM. But we must not forget that Obama succeeded in assuring many whites that he shared their values, but I doubt that Maya would be able to do so.

This Fashion is real

2008-11-04T22:21:00.002+05:30

Chandani Bar, Page 3, Corporate and now Fashion. Madhur Bhandarkar has been proving every time that he know the art of film making, or say, the art of making films, which make you think. Fashion, no doubt, clearly showcases the inner ‘filth and toil’ and outer ‘glitz and glamour’ of the Catwalk industry. While watching the film, you never feel bored due to the pace of the movie, though few scenes and events in the film are quite predictable. Despite the simplicity of script and story, many a times the characters in the film behave artificially. Also, why did Madhur touch Gitanjali Nagpal and wardrobe malfunction scandal, it is beyond comprehension, when without using these infamous incidents, the film could do justice with the concept. One more thing, Madhur has stressed a bit more on the sexual orientation of the male fashion designers. Name any one, whether Rohit, Rahul or Vishal, everybody seems to have no interest in straight sex. It is a bit odd. No doubt, Madhur tried to show what are the changes those come during the journey from a wannabe model to the successful glam diva and by going through the film, you come to know about the struggle, stress, frustration and aloofness of this glamorous industry.

Priyanka Chopra has shown that she can act as well under good direction and newcomer Mugdha Godse looks gorgeous. Rest of the artists have done justice with the role given to them, but Kangana seems to doing similar role film by film, the loser beloved, drug addicts and the girl misused by either villain or hero. She needs to take care of this image. Music and background score is according to the nature of the film so full score to Salim-Suleman. Sometimes, you think that the film could have become more interesting if Madhur would have used a little more drama and a little less reality in it. Nevertheless, Madhur has mad a worth watch movie and of course, we would love to see such more stuff coming out of this grey matters.

The Burning 'K'- part 2

2008-08-26T22:13:00.004+05:30

Recently, The Times of India conducted a survey on Kashmir issue across metros and big cities in country. In this survey, about 40% Jammuites said that India should let go the Kashmir and it would hardly affect the euqilibrium in the rest of the country. But is it so? First thing first, The people of Jammu are agitated over this Amarnath land issue and are of the opinion that Kashmiris are encroaching their genuine rights for a long time. I do not, and for that matter nobody can, deny that there is a bit of truth in this, but at the same time, they must understand that secession of Kashmir is not the solution of this. After disintegration of Kashmir from Indian Union, the people of Jammu would have such a disturbing region in their neighbourhood that their life would be hell. Not because, the Kashmiries would be trying to distort peace there, but for the reason that the Kashmir would prove to be a place of conspiracy against India in the light of neighbours like China and Pakistan eyeing to weaken her. Consequently, there would be increase in the militant activities here, thereby, destroying the social and regional equilibrium throughout the country. Also, one must not forget that if we succumb to the demands of independent Kashmir, it may result into a chain reaction of such demands from various parts of the land, especially north eastern states. So are we ready for that? Certainly not.

Many people(and these inculde so-called nationalists) suggest to trifurcate the Jammu-Kashmir into Jammu, Kashmir and Leh. I believe it would have disasterous effect on our social and regional fabric. By doing so, we would acknowledge the theory of states based on religious identity, which we have been protesting even befor independence. And, who will guarantee that these 3 states would not be at loggerheads over one issue or another. You may argue that these three regions are totally different from each other culturally and linguistically. But, tell me which is the state of India, where all the residents follow same faith and same culture or speak same language throughout the state. So should we bi-(tri or so on...)furcate the states? My dear nationalist friends, any nation is built by assimilation and intergration, not by separation, division or disintegration. And, isn't it strange that these very nationalists demand scrapping of Article 370 of constitution? On the one hand, you want division and on the other, you are talking about abolishing 370( in order to discontinue with the special status granted to J&K).

So, you can see that both of these demands are nothing, but political opportunism and playing religious cards only to woo voters. Those demanding abolition of article 370 perhaps don't know that this was one of the bases, on which the then leadership of state became ready to be a part of Indian union. Also, similar special status has been granted to our north eastern states under article 371. Please remember that these border states are special cases and these articles are not to maintain distance from the main land, but to protect and safeguard the ethnic and cultural identity of the residents there. So, why to raise controversy over such issues?

No one can deny that in today's situation, the only solution lies in dialogue and that should be with representatives from various interest groups, whether from Jammu or Valley. It should not be the excuse that we have been trying for last 60 years through dialogue but in vain. I believe there hadn't been any honest attempt to incorporate all concerned parties to find the solution. If it happens, there is no doubt that we would be able to crack the nut. There is no reason to believe that people of Kashmir don't like to live with India and would choose unstable Pakistan over us. Why would they let go one billion consumers of their apple of saffron in favour of 15 crore odd consumers? Yeah, you got a clue here. Show them our economic might, the futility of fundamentalism and the power of openness. Try to loose the clutch of fundamentalists over their psyche and see the result. Let them see the glitz of modernisation and hear the sound of opening and closing bell.... and the change would be before you.

The Burning 'K'

2008-08-23T17:50:00.002+05:30

So much have been written about the recent Kashmir imbroglio that initially, I thought not to write about this. But as the problem is still there and there seems little chances in the very near future to subside this, I can’t resist myself from expressing myself over it. The other reason behind it is that the Kashmir issue has been one of my favorites topic to speak on. So, let’s start from the very beginning i.e. the point from where the recent disturbance arose, The Amarnath land issue. It must be noted that this was the catalyst of violence and protest in both Jammu and valley. The residents(?) of Jammu are agitated over revoking order of land allotment to Amarnath Shrine Board. They feel that this is the latest example of discrimination with Jammu region over Kashmir, which has been going on since special status to the state under Article 370. And, the so called nationalist party BJP fanned the fire only to score politically in state in wake of forthcoming election. But, this approach will merely helped fundamentalists in the state- both Hindu and Muslim. No doubt, for short term gain, BJP has destroyed the long term interests of the nation by helping the protestors than to make them understand the ground reality and solve the problem, if any, peacefully.

But, the protestors under the banner of Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti used the violent route and blocked the Jammu highway. This was a totally foolish step on the part of Jammu region in order to cut valley from the nation. This resulted in creating panic and dissatisfaction among the Kashmiri fruit growers and businessman. Consequently, the fight for a small piece of land for temporary settlement for Amarnath devotees has turned into a battle on religious lines. Now the turn was of separatist of Kashmir and they grabbed the opportunity with both hands. They sensitized the issue of allotment of land to Amarnath Shrine Board claiming that this is the conspiracy to make Muslims minority community in state and demanded Azadi. And, more importantly, the central government was mere spectator of all this episode. Our home ministry was sleeping over the intelligence report of a probable separatist movement in valley. So you can see how our vision-less parties and government let a petty issue turn into a problem which can have disastrous impact on our national integrity if it is not solved soon. But what is the solution, a little later……

Philosophy of Life

2008-06-23T22:19:00.004+05:30

कभी देखा है ओस की बूंदों को मुस्कुराते हुए,

हरी घास को नम आंखों से लजाते हुए,

फूलों को खिलकर जीवन का गीत गाते हुए,

काँटों में भी घिरे मगर खुशबू फैलाते हुए।

ओस की उम्र कुछ पलों की ही होती है,

लेकिन उसकी जिंदादिली फ़िर भी कायम रहती है,

फूलों को पता होता है उन्हें कल ही मुरझा जाना है,

लेकिन उनके लिए ये जिंदगी का फ़साना है।

चाहत

2008-06-23T21:53:00.003+05:30

खुली हवा में साँस लेने को दिल चाहता है,
कि आसपास का माहौल घुटन से भरा है।
ना चाहते हुए भी आँखें नम हो जाती हैं,
किस्मत ने इस कदर हमसे धोखा किया है।
कभी-कभी सोचता हूँ छोड़ दूँ ये मजदूरी,
की बोर्ड के सहारे ख़ुद को साबित करने की मजबूरी,
फ़िर कमज़ोर हो जाता हूँ बेहतरी की आस में,
लग जाता हूँ फ़िर खुशियों की तलाश में।
मगर हर मोड़ पर हमें शिकस्त ही मिलती है,
राहों में अपनी रोडें बिछी दिखती हैं,
शायद खुदा ने हमारी किस्मत तय कर दी है,
नाकाम हो जाते हैं हम और दुनिया हंसती है।

सन्नाटा

2008-06-21T10:00:00.003+05:30

खामोशी है, सन्नाटा है और है सूनापन,

जाने किसकी तलाश में भटक रहा है मन,

पथराई सी आँखें हैं, बोझिल सी हैं पलकें,

डरा रही हैं तन्हाइयां, चीख रहा अकेलापन।

बेचैनी है, तेज़ साँसे हैं, घबराहट का अहसास है,

परेशानियों में घिरी हुई अनबुझी सी प्यास है,

घुटी-घुटी सी आवाज़ है, मरघट का सा शोर है,

चारों तरफ़ जिसकी गूँज है, वो मौत का अट्टहास है।

टूटे हुए ख्वाब हैं और बिखरी हुई हसरतें,

पथरीले रास्तों पर दौड़ती नाकामी की आहटें

लडखडाते कदम तो हैं पर मंजिल मालूम नहीं,

सारी कोशिशों का अंजाम है दम तोड़ती मुसर्रतें।

क्यों?

2008-06-19T23:04:00.002+05:30

अपनी ही थकन से लड़ रहा हूँ मैं,

जनता नहीं कि फतह मिलेगी या नहीं,

लेकिन इस लडाई में भी एक ऊब सी है,

शायद ये मेरे अकेलेपन का दर्द है

बहुत कोशिश करता हूँ मैं मुस्कुराने की

लेकिन सूखे लबों पर मुस्कान नही खिलती

ठीक उसी तरह जैसे, किसी मुसाफिर को

आगे बढ़ते जाने पर भी मंजिल नहीं मिलती।

क्यों मैं ऐसा होता जा रहा हूँ,

क्या मेरे ख्वाब मेरी शख्शियत पर हावी हो रहे हैं,

या मेरी सोच के दायरे सिमटते गए हैं

और वो मेरी जिंदादिली कि लाश ढो रहे हैं।

Package for Airline Industry, why?

2008-06-15T18:44:00.007+05:30

These days every boss of Indian aviation company is seeking help from Government in order to avoid the flame of boiling crude. The aviation industry is bleeding and have lost about Rs 4,000 crore last year due to the rising ATF prices. And now the experts are suspecting that this loss may mount to Rs 8,000 crore this year. So, whether it be king of good times Mr Vijay Malya or the boss of biggest Indian airlines, all are in queue befor aviation minister and Govt. to seek assistance. They are demanding a bailout package for aviation industry as they are unable to bear the mounting losses. Now, they are saying that the industry may be in danger if the Govt. doesn't come forward to help it. But the question here is that why should Indian Government think over giving bailout package to the aviation industy? Whole industry is autonomous and even National Aviation Company(former Air India & Indian Airlines) is not helped monetarily by the Govt. When these airlines were raking the moolah, they were not distributing the benefits to the country except providing theier services with pure business interests(and there was nothing wrong in it, I agree). But, now if they are suffering from losses due to whatever reason, it is upon them to fight it. They are neithe in social sector nor are they serving the common man of India that Govt. should consider their demands. It must be noted that the users of air-service here are mostly rich and middle class people, and if the Govt. decide in favour of airlines, then it would be benefitting rich at the cost of poor people of India. If airlines are suffering from losses, who stops them to increase the price of air tickets. At least most of their customers are not the people who have to think twice before boarding an airplane. And, if we talk about low cost airlines, most of them are in red because of mad rush to attract passengers by providing them tickets at unimaginable low prices. Now, they are feeling the pinch of crude reality and seeing the face of Govt. So, if consolidation is to happen in the industry, let be it. Let the worthy player remain in the field and non-eligible loose the games. Ultimately, running business is a sort of game and let the best player win it.

Has the Govt. true intention to curb the inflation?

2008-04-04T23:05:00.003+05:30

There is a country saying in Bihar, which means that you can't make dough of flour with your spit. But our foreign returned finance minister is trying to do the same. We are talking about the steps being taken by Mr. Chidambaram and his associates to contain the inflation. But, alas, there are little hopes that these steps would provide the results as our FM is expecting. This is obvious that when the country is awaiting general elections, the devil of inflation is posing a big threat for the present government and it is trying hard to imprison the devil.

But, one can easily raise questions over the intention and foresight of the current govt. You may say that the intention of Govt. is pure as to curb the inflation and for this purpose, it has been using fiscal, monetary and administrative measures as well. But, please note that the intention of present govt. seems to solve the problem of inflation temporarily or say till the general elections are held. Here, we must not forget that this is the same govt., which has been patting its back itself claiming to maintain the balance between growth and inflation. We should accept here that now we have come into the phase of low growth and high inflation from that of high growth and moderate inflation.
We were talking about the intention of the government. Last year, almost at the same period, inflationary pressures were being felt in the economy and then RBI came forward to help the govt. by raising interest rates(hike in CRR and Repo Rate) consequently declining demand of goods and services. No doubt, at that time, RBI succeeded to bring down the inflation. but, even then, I was of the opinion that the monetary measures were not sufficient to check inflation and it would only be ephemeral and today, I am saying the same thing. The inflation which we are facing today is more supply oriented than demand pull. With the help of monetary and fiscal measures, you curb the inflation artificially and the better solution is to strengthen the supply side.
Now, to strengthen the supply side, you need to increase productivity of foodgrains, of essential commodities and of various raw materials needed for industrial production. And, for it, you need foresight. Now, when did this govt. show its true intention to increase productivity, whether agricultural or industrial. It has been saying for a very long time that we need to increase our agricultural yield but the government hasn't paid attention towards this. And, note that merely increasing agri-yield and thereby agri-output, we can be in position to check the inflation as in our country, the inflationary pressures are felt mostly on the foodgrains.
Let's talk about the haste, in which our various ministers are seen these days. FM and Steel minister are urging steel companies not to increase the steel prices, Rail minister is increasing freight charges for steel export and is demanding ban on future trading in essential commodities(why this is needed, read in next piece) and commerce ministry is mulling over ban of cement export. Also, RBI is under intense pressure to have a hawkish approach again on interest rate front in coming monetary policy. But, I would say again that all these things can only be able to contain inflation to a little extent only. The permanent solution lies in pure intention and foresight only.

उदासी

2008-01-31T14:02:00.000+05:30

उदासी के गहरे लम्हें कभी-कभी,

छा जाते हैं बादलों की तरह,

घेर लेते हैं दिल-ओ-दिमाग को,

उलझे हुए सवालों की तरह।

बेशक तन्हाइयां हमारा साथ देती हैं,

मगर इसलिए कि वो तन्हाँ होती हैं,

इंतज़ार की घडियाँ कभी खत्म नहीं होतीं,

बढ़ती जाती हैं टूटे ख्वाबों की तरह।

आड़ी-तिरछी लकीरों में किस्मत ढूँढते हैं,

सिमटे हुए दायरों में बेगानों से घूमते हैं,

एक-एक कर जब हसरतें दम तोड़ती हैं,

हम हंस देते हैं, बस पागलों की तरह।

मन ही तो है

2008-01-31T13:40:00.000+05:30

बड़ा चंचल होता है मन,

अक्सर उस चीज़ की चाह करता है,

जो उसकी नहीं हो सकती।

फिर भी मन नहीं मानता,वो बेचैन रहता है,

व्याकुल रहता है, उस अभीष्ट की चाह में।

ये जानता है मन कि वो चीज़ नहीं मिल सकती,

फिर भी खुद को उसकी याद में डुबोता है,

यही नहीं, उन यादों को आंसुओं में भिगोता है,

क्या ये मन का पागलपन नहीं है?

क्या वो चीज़ खुद उसके अस्तित्व से बड़ी हैं?

अगर नही, तो फिर मन विचलित क्यों है?

क्यों नहीं मान लेता कि कई इच्छाएं रह जाती हैं अपूर्ण,

क्यों नहीं मान लेता कि यही जीवन की सच्चाई है,

कि कभी किसी को हर खुशी नहीं मिल पाई है,

कि खुशियाँ पाने की ही तो ये सारी लड़ाई है.

Taare Zamin Par or Laughing Tears

2007-12-23T17:44:00.000+05:30

Do you remember last time when you had the tears in your eyes and smile on your lips. If not, go for this movie. And, I am sure you would love to watch it again. Not for Aamir's acting or the direction, but for the softness and gentleness, which touch your heart as well as tickle your brain. The film revolves around an uncommon disease dyslexia(many of us even didn't know about this) and truly exhibits the problems which children face on the part of their own parents' aspirations and ambitions. Throughout the film, you never find a dull moment and not a single scene you would like to cut off from the film. We should give full credit to Aamir for presenting such a beautiful movie, especially when this is his directorial debut. There are many scences, when smile ran on your faces and tears rolls down without your knowing. And you feel an attachment with the character Ishann so much that his happiness and sadness become your own. Very few filmmakers dare to make films so different and without regular bollywood latka-jhatka. Going through the film, and you start to understand the childrens' mind better. And, when the film finishes, you come out of the theatre either with wet eyes or smiling faces and in most of the cases both.

क्या बदल गया है दौर?

2007-11-14T08:55:00.000+05:30

क्या हमारे न्यूज़ चैनलों से 'अंक अजूबे', 'सुरभि','टर्निंग पॉइंट' या 'अर्थ मैटर्स' जैसे कार्यक्रमों का दौर खत्म हो गया है? वैसे एक बात ध्यान रखने की है कि इनमें से कोई भी कार्यक्रम आज के न्यूज़ चैनलों की देन नहीं है। ये सब उस दूरदर्शन की देन हैं, जिसे देख-सुनकर आज के ज़्यादातर सीनियर टीवी पत्रकार आगे बढे हैं और जिसे आज की युवा पीढ़ी देखना भी नहीं चाहती। वैसे, अब सही मायनों में दूरदर्शन पर इक्का-दुक्का कार्यक्रमों को छोड़कर देखने लायक कुछ रहा भी नहीं है। और शायद दूरदर्शन के आकाओं को इस बारे में सोचने की फुरसत भी नहीं है। बहरहाल हम बात कर रहे थे आज के न्यूज़ चैनलों की। ये देखकर काफी दुःख होता है के रेटिंग में नंबर एक, दो या तीन पर रहने वाले न्यूज़ चैनल, जो हर महीने लाखों-करोडों की कमाई करते हैं, पूरे हफते में ऐसा एक भी कार्यक्रम नहीं पेश कर पाते, जो किसी दर्शक का किसी भी तरीके से ज्ञान बढ़ाने में मददगार हो।
हमने ऊपर जिन कार्यक्रमों का ज़िक्र किया, उनमें से हरेक अपने-अपने समय में काफी लोकप्रिय रह है और इसकी वजह यही थी कि ये कार्यक्रम मनोरंजक होने के साथ-साथ ज्ञानवर्धक भी थे। जब हम न्यूज़ चैनलों की बात करते हैं तो हमारा मतलब उनके सिर्फ खबरें परोस भर देने से नहीं होता है(और न होना चाहिए)। न्यूज़ चैनलों का मकसद जानकारी देने के साथ लोगों को शिक्षित करने का भी होना चाहिए। लेकिन आज शायद ही कोई न्यूज़ चैनल इसकी कोशिश करता भी दिखता है। उल्टे जिस तरीके से इन चैनलों में विकृतियाँ आ रही हैं, चाहे वो ख़बरों के प्रस्तुतीकरण का मामला हो या उनके चयन का, उसे देखकर तो लगता है कि अब न्यूज़ चैनल information नहीं, entertainment का जरिया बन कर रह गए हैं। रेटिंग में ऊपर जाने की अंधी दौड़ में सबकी आँखें इस कदर मूंदी हैं कि उन्हें सही-गलत की पहचान या कहें अहसास तक नहीं रह गया है।
जबकि ऐसा नहीं है कि आज सुरभि और टर्निंग पॉइंट जैसे कार्यक्रमों के दर्शक नहीं हैं। आज भी आपको तमाम ऐसे लोग मिल जायेंगे जो बही शिद्दत से आपको बताएँगे कि सुरभि के फलां एपिसोड में क्या खास था या टर्निंग पॉइंट की फलां स्टोरी से उन्हें कई ने बातें जानने को मिलीं। मजे की बात ये है कि ऐसे लोग आपको इन न्यूज़ चैनलों में काम करते हुए भी मिल जायेंगे। लेकिन पता नहीं क्यों, कोई भी ऐसे कार्यक्रम बनने की पहल नहीं करता। क्या उन्हें डर है कि उन्हें ऐसे कार्यक्रमों के लिए विज्ञापन नहीं मिलेंगे? अगर ऐसा है तो उन्हें ये सवाल खुद से पूछना चाहिऐ कि डिस्कवरी, नेशनल जोग्राफिक चैनल या हिस्ट्री चैनल को विज्ञापन कैसे मिलते हैं। भाई, शुरुआत तो करो, कुच्छ नया करने की कोशिश तो करो। अगर कार्यक्रम में दम है तो वो लोकप्रिय होगा ही और जो लोकप्रिय है, उसे विज्ञापन तो मिलेंगे ही। भाई, कम से कम बाजारवाद का ये फायदा तो है ही।

Hey Ram(Setu)-3

2007-09-23T22:10:00.000+05:30

Had Ram been here today, he would have regretted to be born in Indian land, why? The answer is not very hard to answer. The issue of whether or not continuing the Setusamudram Project has turned into the bone of contention between political parties, the flagbearer of Hinduism and of course, the self made protector of Dravidianism. Everybody is only trying to earn personal score over the name of Ram, some by favouring him and some others by going against him. The self made protector of Dravidianism, who have made it a point to protest every thing which originate in north India, have started abusing Ram and pretending to make the Setu Project the question of their ego. On the other hand, the flagbearer of Hinduism issue a FATWA against the DMK chief Karunanidhi as he had maligned their 'dear' God. But, these lovers of Hinduism are and have been harming the religion more than anything else. Truly said, these are the real enemies of the Hinduism.

Now, Mr. Karunanidhi is trying to prove that he is not against north Indians or Hindi and in his public meetings, is reciting Hindi poems. Isn't it strange? Anyway, our politics are becoming polluted day by day and no one is serious about serious issues. Just for the sake of their vote banks, they are ready to encash any issue, whethere religious or developmental. And, if we talk about particularly this issue, clearly our politicians are nowhere near the real issue. Tamilnadu Govt. is pressurising Centre to continue the work on Setu project only to have political score, nothing else because even they know that even after completion of the project, there would not be a great change in the port-scenario of the state. They must consider all relevant aspects in mind before going bullish over it.

At last, I want to say only that we should adopt a clear and scientific approact towards our developmental projects and try not to alter the real issue into a fake one. And, more importantly, we would have to forget the stories of our glorious past only for the sake of our false pride, rather we should work on making our future better.

Hey Ram (Setu)-2

2007-09-18T10:56:00.000+05:30

This is quite an interesting thing that the 'Setusamudram' controversy is renamed as 'Ram Setu' controversy everywhere, whether in political circles or the media. And, the reason is obvious, the word 'Ram' sells always, not only for the rightists and nationalists, but also for the leftist and so called socialists. Let's start from the self-acclaimed nationalist party BJP, which is currently opposing the project alleging Congress and UPA Govt. to defame the name of Lord Ram by raising a question mark over his existence and consequently hurting the sentiments of crores of Hindus. (Here, one thing is notable that ASI has said in its affidavit that there is not any proof which substantiates the existence of Ram, and ASI is not wrong in any way. ASI doesn't and can't believe in myth only to endorse the faith of any particular religion, in this case Hinduism.) The double standard stand of BJP is purely initiated out of desperation to find an issue which can provide it the life to face the upcoming polls. BJP, when in power, was pro-active to promote the Setusamudram Project, has lost its Chaal, Charitra and Chintan and making hue and cry only for the petty issues. It is not merely a coincidence that BJP is also opposing Nuke Deal with US, though, when in power, it was desperate to struck such a deal.This is nothing but pure opportunism.
But, the more surprising stand is that of Congress in this particular issue. First the govt. withdrew its original affidavit in order to amend it and now searching sacrificial lambs for describing Ram as a non-existent God. The party is busy in damage control, though it is beyond the comprehension that which damage has been suffering by party and the Govt. Within the party, the blame game is on and through this unwanted occurences, it has served an issue in the platter to its biggest rival. Here, it seems that the Congress, in no way, wants to be behind BJP to project itself as the well-wisher of all the Hindus. We shouldn't forget here that it was Rajiv Gandhi, who had given the order to unlock the Ram Temple in Ayodhya for worshipping. So, it is quite possible that on the name of Ram, Congress can decide to abandon the Setusamudram project for the time being, as maintaining a status quo has always been a better solution for the party, whenever it is unable to reach on a decision. So, whether or not Ram did exist, is debatable, but the real question which still exists is that till when the name Ram will be used even in taking decision on a developmental issue?

continued....

HEY RAM (SETU)

2007-09-16T19:31:00.000+05:30

This is the classical example of how our politicians turn a developmental issue into a farcical one. The Setusamudram project has been in the line of fire these days because of an issue,which in its own originality, is a non-issue. And more interesting thing is that we have just forgot the issue of continuing or not with the said project, and are fighting over the issue of existent or non-existent of Lord Ram. Now, if you challange the existent of Ram in India, you are going to be in big trouble, as Ram has been the deity of crores of Hindus. And when the question is of faith and religion, you can't beat your counterparts merely with your arguments. And, more so, if your opposition doesn't have the historical or scientific state of mind. But, see, even we have started discussing the things which shud be on the peripheries. The issue here is whether or not the Setusamudram Project be continued? We can discuss this on environmental and economical aspect as well as the viability of project. But now this question is in the background and our political parties are playing the religious card only to score over one another. The reason is obvious, through religious issues, they can encash the people's sentiment and use them as vote bank, but through proper and logical discussion, they can't expect such a gain.

See the impact of this issue that the two cabinet ministers are in fight and washing their dirty linen in public. The culture minister Ambika Soni has ordered to suspend two of ASI officials and blaming additional solicitor general Gopal Subramanyam (indirectly pointing law minister Hansraj Bhardwaj) as well for filing 'faulty' affidavit in court. And, state minister of commerce Jairam Ramesh wants the resignation of Ambika for not handling the issue properly. There is a third angle also in the story that the main opposition party BJP is also protesting the project now, though when in power, it has supported the project. So, all the developmental concerns are not in the picture now anymore for anyone, nobody is thinking about how much time, fuel and consequently forex can be saved if Setusamudram Project is completed. Ok, if there is any environmental concern, we should try to address those concerns, but being orthodox can't help you in the long run. We must remember that our past should not come in the path of our future, it doesn't matter how glorious our past is, what matters here is what are we doing in present for the bettement of our future?

continued.......

Chak Diya Yaar...

2007-08-20T21:22:00.000+05:30

After a long-long time, Yashraj films has been able to produce a good film. The Film Chak De India is a must watch for all and no doubt, When you come out of the hall after climax, you feel getting worth of your money or say of your every single penny. The film revolves around the character of Shahrukh as he is the protagonist, but this film is definitely more of a director rather than actor. And, Simit Ameen has been phenomenal in this movie to extract the required enthusiasm, passion and vigour from all the characters including the new girls.

The film presents our national, but forgotten, game Hockey as a mean of patriotism and no doubt, this would boost the morale of hockey players. May be it be able to revitalise the game in the country. In this movie, Shahrukh Kabeer Khan motivates the 16 unpolished female hockey players to win the world cup tournament and succeeds to unite them as a team rather than a group of players. This is the beauty of the film. At the same time, the film rightly presents the status of hockey in the country.

During the whole film, you never feel bored and this is then, when the film doesn't has any romantic song or scene. It proves that if the director and producer are clear about what they are going to show or deliver, they can make good films even by thinking out of the box. I appreciate Yashraj Films to select such a subject on which most of the film makers would not think to make a film. Hats off to Aditya, Simit, Shahrukh and yes, to all the 16 girls.

ख्वाहिश

2007-07-19T23:19:00.001+05:30

बिन बादलों के कभी बारिश नहीं होती,
जिंदगी खुशियों से भरी खालिस नहीं होती,
कैसे कह दें हम दिल को तोड़कर,
कि गजल लिखने की हमारी ख्वाहिश नहीं होती।
चली जाती हैं जब खुशियां दामन छुड़ाकर,
सारी हसरतों को फूंककर धूल में उड़ाकर,
साफ दिख जाती है दीवार पर लिखी इबारत,
कैसे मान लें कि किस्मत की साजिश नहीं होती।
रुख्सत होती हैं जब सांसें और धड़कन,
बढ़ती ही जाती है फिर मन की उलझन,
उनसे बिछड़ जाने का गम हम कैसे भुलाएं,
कि तन्हाइयां तो मिलन की वारिस नहीं होती।

WISH

2007-07-19T23:14:00.000+05:30

A lovely face is my dream, in whose eye’s stream.
My heart swim as a dove, in her eyes be only love.

I wish so cute face, no one has described such grace.
To get her is my passion, its not just a fashion.

Thoda Rumani Ho Jaye

2007-07-15T17:15:00.001+05:30

Years spent, months spent and spent days,
But your memories are alive like bright rays.

In my life, your memories have a definite place,
At time of restlessness, which give solace.

When you smile, it seems flowers are blooming,
Without your laugh, the world seems glooming.

Your eyes have depth, your heart is fair,
In world, congregates as you are rare.

I want to say much, but can’t explain,
I have no words, which may describe your grace.

Always keep smile, it is the greatest gift,
From one’s lips to another’s may easily shift.

May every day give you a joyful kiss,
Every moment be prosperous to you, it’s my wish.

'PRINCE REVISITED'

2007-07-06T21:48:00.000+05:30

The title of this piece may be a little strange, but when I first got this news from our 'TEZ' news channels, the same title flashed in my mind. And, this is not the secret anymore that the channels tried to revisit all those things, which they had done about one year ago. Again, they 'played' with Suraj with same vigour and interest with which they had played with Prince. But perhaps this time they were not lucky enough to increase their TRP as ' KATH KI HANDI BAR-BAR NAHI CHADHTI'.

But a question arises why there is a need for these channels to mobilise their resources for such not very important issues. I accept that by broadcasting this news, they may be able to save the life of the child, but to present such things beyond their worth is not acceptable. The fall of a child in a borewell may be an important issue, but it doesn't mean that the channels should not pay attention to rest of the events which may have more serious consequences. But it seems that our Tej channels have forgot the basic principles of journalism in the blind race of TRPs and are airing what they want in the name of public demand.

It is quite unfortunate that due to the hype of these channels, a petty issue turns out to be a national issue and many important matters are left behind. But the policy makers and runners of these channels must remember that by overplaying such things, they are not doing good for anyone. Every news has its own importance and they should keep in mind the possible implication of news. Whenever a 'prince' falls in ditch, suddently throughout the country many wellwishers start to pray for him, organise havans and yajnas. What is this, why they don't care about lakhs of 'princes' who are roaming in their locality without clothes, foods and other basic needs? Even our channels show such havans and other futile things in order to project the so-called impact of their breaking news.

But both, the media and the self-born well wishers, know what for they are doing such things. It is another thing that neither of them would accept their responsibility and would try to prove their action right. This is nothing but the hypocracy of us that we close our eyes from the reality and show that we are ignorant. But we must understand that such cheap things are not capable of progressing towards a healthy future for media. So, these channels should realise that time is rife for giving their vision a right direction. Otherwise, they would be sole responsible for loosing their credibility.

The Pain

2007-06-18T21:49:00.000+05:30

Surrounded by the oceans of sorrow,

And, in search of the peace of mind,

I wandered here and there of the universe,

But there was nothing for me to find.

As a candle burns overnight,

And with darkness it tries to fight,

I burnt myself as a torch,

But couldn't improve my own plight.

Life has been always tougher for me,

Never got the things which wish to be,

Accepted the challenges and struggled,

But succumbed as failure is my destiny.

Is Air Passenger's Honeymoon Over?

2007-06-13T23:16:00.000+05:30

"The King of good times says that its the bad time for low cost air passengers." This was one of the headlines of a leading business news channel on Tuesday night. The news was based on Mr. Vijay Malya's statement that time was over for discounted air fares. It is to be noted that Vijay Malya is the chairman of Kingfisher Airlines and UB group which had bought 26% stake in country's first budget airlines Air Deccan. Mr. Malya is the also vice-chairman of Air Deccan andh he indicated a hike of Rs. 500 to 600 in air deccan's average fares. But was he right to say that the low cost fares would be things of the past. If aviation industry experts are to be believed, not to full extent. Though the air fares may go up a little but budget airlines would exist and their fares would be much less than full service carriers.
And, if we see the whole scenario of the Indian aviation industry, the latest decision to hike the fair by budget airlines holds good, as it would be beneficial for those companies, the idustry and the passengers too. We must not forget that currently most of the airlines are bleeding due to various reasons including madness to grab a large chunk of market share on the cost of air fares. Fortunately it would stop now. Though the industry experts still opine that the discounted tickets like Rs 1, Rs 99 or so would continue to exist as they constitute hardly 1% of the total tickets sold by any airline company. At the same time, when airlines have to bear the high cost of ATF, the air congestion and lack of infrastructure, it is not possilbe for the companies to sustain without charging rational fares from the passengers.
And, if such budget airlines fail, we have to return in the era, when air travelling was considered to be a luxury and only for privileged class people, not for common man. No doubt, Air Deccan and similar airlines companies has changed such perception and revolutionised the air travel industry. And such companies must exist to make the dream come true for middle class persons for flying.

सूनापन

2007-06-04T23:17:00.000+05:30

दूर तक आसमां में फैला हुआ सूनापन है,
नीले आकाश के नीचे अशांत मन है,

बिखरे हुए टूटे हुए और उलझे हुए लम्हे हैं,

समेटेने की कोशिश करता हारता सा जीवन है।

यादों की भूल भुलैया में भटके से सपने हैं,

आधे और अधरे सही फिर भी वो अपने हैं,

सपनों को पूरा करने की राह बड़ी पथरीली है,

फिर भी इस राह से छूटता नहीं दामन है।

बीता हुआ हर पल तनहा बनाता जाता है,

हर हसरत हर ख्वाब को बेखुदी में डुबोता जाता है,

बेबस से सब तन्हाइयों के बादल घिरते देखते हैं,

शायद इन्ही तन्हाइयों में छिपा अपनापन है।

Magic of Maya

2007-05-12T15:12:00.000+05:30

Unexpected, but not unbelievable. We can sum up the results of Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections in these four words. Bahujan Samaj Party got the clear majority under the leadership of Mayawati in UP Assembly with 208 seats out of 403 seats. But this number is historic for many reasons. The first , any party has got the majority on its own after fourteen long years in UP. And, the second, that the party which did it is BSP. Nobody has expected such an emphatic show from the BSP in this elections. All exit polls, opinion polls and analysts were forecasting that the BSP would emerge as the single largest party in this election but it would cross the magic figure, no one had predicted or thought of.
The results have started a new debate in the political circles of not only the UP, but even those of Centre. The question which is in everybody's mind is that how did Mayawati manage to get the majority. And this question is quite easily answerable. Through her social engineering and making a strong combination of Dalits, Muslims and Brahmins in the state, Mayawati did this miracle. It was a well thought strategy of her, which led her to this success. As the same time, it is also true that now Maywati is not the old Mayawati, she has changed herself a lot. This is her flexibilty which brought the Brahmins with her and her maturiy as a politican which placed her in the position to be the head of the state fourth time. But this time, there is a big difference. This time, she has clear majority, doesn' t need any other party's support to form the government and behind her a strong and confident team of strategists. This is not only good for her but also for the state, which have been swinging up and down in the series of hung assemblies, weak government and frequent elections for last fourteen years. Now, we can hope that BSP would be able to give a stable government to the people of UP, which they desperately need.
The present results must be an eye opener for both national parties BJP and Congress. It is really shameful for both these parties that after all their efforts, they could manage to get less than 75 seats in this election. BJP, which was claiming to form the government, is now finding excusesfor its defeat and the Congress is trying to save its face. Both these parties must understand that the people of UP has neglected them and this is high time, when they should think about what went wrong. BJP, merely with its age old temple issue and opportunistic alliance with incredible parties, can't think of winning election of a big state like UP. At the same time, Congress should know that the big names and family faces can gather the crowd but can't pull the voters. The party needs to think about its policies and decisions taken in the recent past with regard to UP. We must not forget that since 1985, this is the worst performance of BJP in UP and even after much pomp and show, Congress hasn't been able to retain its small percentage of votes in this election.
So far Samajwadi Party is concerned, really it is tought time for the party, especially for party president Mulayam Singh Yadav. He has not only lost the election, but also the faith of majority of people of UP. Mulayam is blaming the election commission for its defeat but he better knows the reasons of his defeat. Now the power is with Mayawati and he would have to accept this. No doubt, BSP's elephnat has crushed all the parties under its feet and all the parties would feel this pain for a long.

Another interest rate hike is in offing!

2007-04-11T22:58:00.000+05:30

Today finance minister P Chidambaram again indicated that in the future too, the hike is in the interest rates is possible. Now, one must ask him, who on earth advices him to allow the increment in order to check the inflation. Though, for his relief, the inflation has declined a bit in last week. But a question arises here that without waiting for the results of recent CRR and Repo rate hike by RBI, he is indicating that another hike is in offing. This is ridiculous as hiking interest rates is not a magic stick, which can turn the rising trend of inflation in opposite direction. Also it is clear that finance minister is neglecting the interests of borrowers who are under deep pressure on account of recent interest rates hike.
Chidambaram is suggesting that there is a need to cut the money supply in the system and that's why he is in full support of the monetary measures taken by RBI. OK, he is quite right that if the money supply is tightened, this would help to lessen inflation. But is he justified in saying that the monetary measures by RBI would help to tighten the money supply. There is no rocket science involved in ascertaining that if the interest rate in the Indian banking system is on higher side, it would lure the foreign investors to dig in here and consequently there would be more investment resulting in more money in the system. Now what would happen that it would exert pressure on the Rupee and its value would be appreciated resulting in costly export. Due to this, there would be loss in revenue collection of the government, decline in production of goods and services and finally declining GDP. And most of all, the trap of increasing interest rates and paying EMI would be tightened around neck of common man, on behalf of whose name, the Finance minster is doing all this.

CRR & Repo Rate Hike by RBI

2007-04-02T23:14:00.000+05:30

Once again, the Reserve Bank of India thrown its dices to curb the inflation. On the second last day of the financial year 2006-07, the central bank of India announced to hike the Cash Reserve Ration i.e. CRR by 50 basis points and Repo Rate by 25 basis points. Now, the CRR stands out to be 6.5% and repo rate 7.75%. The argument of RBI is the same old, to check the burgeoning inflation. Now with all the good wishes to RBI, one must ask the central bank and the Indian government that will this move be really helpful to check the inflation. It is noted here that the inflation is hovering around 6.5% for last three weeks and had touched upto 7% prior to that.
Our dear finance minister had supported this move taken by RBI (he can't oppose it as the step must hadn't been taken without his consent) and once again reiterated that his government would do everything to control the rising prices. It must be noted here that the Govt. and RBI have been trying to check inflation for more than 3 months through various measures, particular monetary measures, but, alas, they have failed every time. Now, with this recent move, RBI has ensured about Rs. 15,500 crores to be wiped out of the banking system and left banks in a state where they are compelled to increase the rate of interest on loans. Banks are already facing the heat of tight money supply. Also, this move leaves banks with less to lend and makes money more expensive.
Now, we come to the point that whether this move will help govt. to control the skyrocketing prices of various essential commodities. The answer is flat no. As it has been saying time and again that the price rise is due to the demand-supply equation, what purpose can this CRR & repo rate hike will serve? Rather, it would affect the common man only as now they would have to pay more for their consumer loans. The worst hit section would be home loan borrowers, who are already under deep pressure of home loan rate hike in recent months. During last 6 months, the rate of interest has been hiked by 2.5-3.5% by various banks and due to this, the EMI or/and tenure of the home loan buyers are going up and up. Once again, the hike in interese rate is on anvil(and many banks have already announced the hike) and this would add to the problems of the common man. It is irony that the govt. and RBI are claiming to have taken the recent step for the betterment of same common man.
If we see the charts of rate of inflation of first 3 months of 2007, in the last week of January, it reached to 6.58%, which was heighest in last 2 years. The very next week, it rose up to 6.73%. And, in the last week of February (in which RBI has hiked CRR & repo rate), it was 6.46%. From that time, it is stable but around 6.5%. It signifies that the hike couldn't bear the desired results which the govt. & RBI were seeking. So,why the RBI has taken such a move this time, is beyond the understanding. But one thing is crystal clear that with such monetary measures only, the govt. can't fight the menace of inflation.

LIBERALISM

2006-10-02T11:44:00.000+05:30

LIBERALISM IS AN IDEOLOGY THAT ESPOUSES LIBERTY