Why You Need The AAP To Do Well

By Sahil Mehta

The Election Commission has just announced the dates for the assembly elections in 5 states. Scheduled to be conducted from mid-November to early December, these elections will serve as an appetizer to gauge the mood of the nation before the impending General Elections. 

Rajasthan, Mizoram, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh are all set to go to polls. Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh should see the BJP successfully retain power. Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Raman Singh have both done reasonable well for their states.

Rajasthan has historically never voted for the party in power. We (Rajasthanis) have alternated parties for at least the last two decades. And while a few of  my friends currently living in Jaipur tell me that Ashok Gehlot has done some real vote-winning work by giving everything for free to the poor (Medicines, education, etc. etc.) I 'm still going for a BJP win.

Mizoram is all but a given win for the Congress with no real national party having much presence there.

There, then, remains the intriguing question about the assembly elections in Delhi. Sheila Dixit is the incumbent for the last 15 years, and the opinion, from the few Delhi people I know, is that she will remain as such for 5 more years. 

I for one do not believe a Congress sweep is hardly a given this time around. There has been some development in Delhi in terms of infrastructure. However the rising rate of crime against women (which is not really in the hands of the Delhi government, since Delhi police is not accountable to the CM), the rising electricity prices, a vicious opposition, and charges of graft against Mrs. Dixit all set the stage for a tumultuous election!

Throw into the mix a social activist turned politician by the name of Arvind Kejriwal, and a party that calls itself the Aam Aadmi Party, and we in the words of the revered Ravi Shastri, "are in for a firecracker of a contest"! To be perfectly honest, the BJP hasn't done much in these last 4 years or so to make Mrs. Dixit uncomfortable! Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP have taken the task on themselves. And they have made a nuisance out of themselves with such gusto! They have been in your face, attacking both the state and central ruling parties at the slightest whiff of a scandal.

Of course when you make too much noise, some people are bound to get pissed off. The question then is whether they made the right noises in the right places!

While only time will tell us that, here are a few reasons that you should hope that they do well! 

5. For the very first time, or at least first time in a long long time, there is a bunch of people who've come together to try and clean up our political system. While these are definitely not aam aadmis, coming from various spheres of social activism, they are as close to being educated middle class, (people like you and me) as politicians have ever been! They could be a beacon for hope for a generation which has repeatedly been told that you are the future and then shunted to the side!
 

4. The AAP is a well intention-ed party, fielding candidates on the basis of a procedure which tries to reward merit. They're trying to break the politics of identity and community. All those who complain about same caste marriage phenomenon should at least be thankful to these people. Think about it!

3. It can't get any worse! I mean come on, given how things have been going in the last few years, it is improbable that these people will do worse than our current or past leaders. Your worst case would be that things continue the way they have been over the last few years, which is to say getting worse rapidly! And frankly while everything they say may not be practical or sensible, some of the policies and issues the AAP talks about really do make sense. And we really could do with a less corrupt system! 2. They have balls! For Arvind Kejriwal to come out and say that he will contest in the constituency from which Sheila Dixit stands is bold, considering the fact that he will likely get crucified! But you have to appreciate the courage. What India needs today is men/women of steel who are willing to do things the right way rather than the easy way!  

1. Because even a decent result for the the AAP will strike fear into the hearts of other political parties and just might make them clean up their act a bit. There's nothing a politician loves more than the power that comes with his seat. If you take it away, he might actually take notice of public sentiment. 

It would be naive to think that the AAP will win the assembly elections in Delhi. But if they can snatch even 10-15 seats in the 70 seat legislative, it would be a real morale booster for us disparate people looking for hope!

A lot of people really don't like Kejriwal and hence the party. I heard him being called a lot of nasty things. There's a good chance you might be one of them. But what you need to realize is that there are more people than Kejriwal in this adventure.

And when you're caught between the devil and the deep sea, there are no right choices. The AAP is as good a bet as any if you want change!

I'm praying for a miracle in Delhi. May be you should too! 

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Date A Girl Who Loves Food

By Sahil Mehta

Walk up to that pretty girl. Ask her out for a cup of coffee. Let her order first. If she can’t up make up her mind or goes for the first thing on the menu, then she’s probably not the one.

The girl you’re looking for will be choosy. She’ll take her time ordering just the thing to suit her mood. Be patient. If she’s out with you, she must like something about you. Or she wouldn't have chosen you. Don’t try and help her, don’t rush her. Enjoy that moment. See her eyes make a rainbow of expressions as she debates with herself. Take in those surroundings, that moment. It might be the start of something special.

At the end of it, when the bill comes, insist to pay. Let her know you like her.

Ask her if you may take her out to dinner sometime. And if you haven’t screwed up completely, she’ll probably say yes, if only for the meal. Here’s your second chance.

Take a risk here. Suggest someplace small, quiet and not necessarily popular. Watch her face. If it reflects disappointment, then let her see yours. She probably expected to be taken somewhere grand and lavished with attention. That’s not the girl you want to be with.

The girl you’re looking for will be excited. Excited at trying somewhere new, with someone new. She’ll appreciate your thoughtfulness at not taking her somewhere so expensive where she can’t pay and spend the night feeling guilty. She’s also testing you, your judgment. She’s trusted you enough to lead her. Remember that. She’s trusted you, and you must not break that trust.

When you get there, let her make the first move. If she reaches for the menu and goes off on her own, then it’s not working out. For she doesn’t completely trust you, and probably never will. When it comes to those moments of uncertainty that all couples eventually face, she’ll think about herself before she thinks about the two of you.

Your girl will hand over the menu to you, and let you call the shots. Just for today. She’s an independent young woman but she’s letting you show her a good time. She’ll expect you to trust her the same way as she takes you on trips to her favorite places and try her favorite dishes. Return that trust and she’ll fall for you.

When the bill comes, see if she makes a move for it. If she does, let her pay half. A relationship is between equals. If she doesn't, then its money well spent to know that she’s not what you’re looking for.  

This is a girl who’ll stick with you through the thick and thin of it. She doesn't crave attention, she doesn't need the expensive flashy things. She’s happy with just the essentials. Good food, and someone to share it with, everyday single day.

Take her somewhere for dessert. Take a walk, share a banana split, and fall in love.  

You’re nearly there. Go out a few more times with her. Let her take you to all her joints. If you listen carefully, you’ll hear what she’s saying to you. She’s making you a part of her life. She’s adding you to her favorite memories. Each of those places has a special significance for her; all of them have a story, and now she’s given your part in those stories. Ask her those stories over your meal, and get a glimpse into her life. Tell her your stories.

Date that girl. Date that girl who loves food. Date her, because after that honeymoon period ends, when the realization starts to dawn that you aren't nearly as similar as you thought initially, you still have something in common. A love for good food.

Date her because when you two fight, over silly insecurities, all you need to cheer her up is call her over for dinner and cook her a meal. It doesn't matter if you can’t cook. It doesn't matter if you botch it up. She’ll know that you care. And she'll stay back to help you with the dishes, because she cares about you just as much.

Date a girl who loves food because when she’s upset about something and about to go into her super binge mode, she’ll call you to join her. She won’t cut you out from life. She'll eat and rant away to glory at the same time, and you'll know exactly what she's thinking.

Date that girl cause when you’re feeling down or tense or stressed, she’ll know not to ask questions. She’ll put a hot a plate of your favorite curry in front of you and watch you eat in silence. And you’ll feel your worries ease off.

And that’s only for the hard times.

Date a girl who loves food, because when you’re super happy and excited, and want to celebrate, she’ll be equally enthusiastic. Date her, because she won’t dampen your spirits by complaining about calories and weight.  

Date her because she enjoys the different flavors of life, just as she enjoys them in food. She’ll be game for something new, always. There’ll be a spontaneity to her. And she’ll make sure that every moment counts.  

Date her because you’ll figure out she’s feeling particularly intimate tonight just by the amount of spice in the food. Date her ‘cause  even when she wants to be pampered, all she’ll want is that exotic flavor of ice cream, that she can share with you.

And date her, because even though you might be miles apart in everything else, at the end of the day you still both need to eat. And she knows that nothing makes a meal quite as enjoyable as the company of someone you love.

............................................................................................................

I've been meaning to write this for almost 6 months and you can attribute some of the rawness and abruptness of the article to my anxiety to finally get it out. This article along the lines of a series of articles on the net titled "Date A Girl Who..." . Ever since I came across these, I wondered what would be that one thing in a person that would really matter to me. Books, music, traveling are all great but at the end of the day, food is what makes it for me. 

Be Safe

by Sahil Mehta

To put everything into context, it is twenty one minutes past midnight on a Wednesday night, or a Thursday morning. I have to leave home at 8:30 a.m. in the morning for work, and I really should be asleep. I feel sleepy too. I’m tired and I want to sleep. But I can’t. 

I can’t sleep because I’m scared. I’m scared of the nightmares that may come when I do actually close my eyes. You see, a female friend of mine was due to travel alone late at night today. And despite my telling her to message to let me know she had reached safely she hasn’t. And right now, I’ve got no fricking clue whether she’s safe or not. 

Or course, I shouldn’t really worry. She’s a bright, sensible and independent girl who’s probably done this before. My anxiety should not be taken as a reflection of her being careless or immature, because she isn’t. 

But I am worried. And I’m scared. Because, deep down, I know what can happen, and what does happen in this country. I wake every morning to headlines of rapes and gang-rapes. I look at these articles in despair and anger. I wonder what kind of animals would do this. And I berate the authorities and government for not preventing these hideous crimes. 

Today I’m feeling another emotion, something that the newspaper stories don’t me feel. I’m feeling the fear that thousands and thousands of Indian women and their families feel every day. And frankly I’m terrified. 

But it’s not just fear. It’s helplessness. I’m sitting here and typing this in the clear knowledge that if anything untoward does happen, I won’t be able to do anything. And perhaps no one else will even bother. 

It’s not one incident. A couple of days back my mom had a work dinner. She told me in the morning before work. As it would happen, the driver was on leave as well. She told me, and I completely forgot by the time I got back home at 8 p.m. Now, I’m used to mom working late. And I don’t usually worry because she’s in the office and the car and driver are right there. 

This particular day she wasn’t in the office, and there was no driver or car. So after a couple of hours I got kind of concerned. So I called her up. And her phone was switched off. I called, a little stupidly perhaps, repeatedly. And the phone was still off. 

I’m not going to get into details, but when she did return home I unloaded on her like I’ve never done before. It wasn’t her fault. But I still did. And while I apologized for it, if something like this happens again, I probably would do it again. If not for any other reason than simply because, there’s nothing else I could have done. 

I can’t really describe how worried I got then. But after today’s instance, when I look back at things, I’m a little amazed. I shouldn’t have to fell scared if people I know are not at their home or their offices. No one should have to live in the fear that some tragedy might befall their dear ones just because they aren’t in the confines of familiar surroundings. 

I, we, live in the world’s largest democracy. We shouldn’t feel like prisoners in our own homes. 

If you think I’m making this up, you’re wrong. If you think I’m overreacting, then wait until you have to go through this same thing, though I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. 

And then there is this one final thought. Why am I so helpless? I’m 23 years old. I’m reasonably smart, and passably strong. More than anything else, I’m educated with morals and values. I should be doing something. I shouldn’t let this environment of terror prevail! 

I’m pro harsher rape laws. I’m all for death sentences for extreme cases. But that’s not making me feel any less concerned about the safety of my friend and mother right now. If something were to happen to them, then I’d probably go into a mad killing rage anyway without regard for the law. But nothing I could do then would change what happened. And that thought sickens me.

I can’t go out patrolling the streets every night like a vigilante. I can’t be present at the scene every time a woman is harassed in this country. But perhaps collectively we can make a difference. 

And perhaps we can start by being more sensitive to women in general and stop saying inappropriate things. If you know someone going home alone, drop her! Wait till she’s inside if you’re dropping her. And for god’s sake, stop making a pass at every girl you see! 

I’m at a loss now. I’m not naïve enough to suggest that government should educate people about this. A. They don’t have the capacity. B. I don’t think people need to be taught how to act as humans, or atleast they shouldn’t. 

But till we can fix this disease in the society, I just want all the ladies reading this to be safe. And please do carry a pepper spray. It might feel like nothing to you, but it makes me sleep easier at night. 

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The Vindication Of An Idea

A Farewell To LTGTR

I have been drafting this in my head for nearly three years, as long as we’ve existed. Drafting and re-drafting to make it grand, like the final flourish of an actor on stage who knows that he will be remembered by that one final act of his, as he is lost in the fading spotlight, while the curtains come down on his part. 

But as I sit here actually typing it out, I would happily trade all of that grandeur and elegance for clarity, as I struggle to pick out that one single strand of thought, from the multitudes that coarse through my mind, like a dam broken, battered and worn by the essence of time.  

We were destined to fail. Of that I have no doubt. I’m simply incredulous about the fact that we defied a certain fate for as long as we did. And even within that incredulity is a sense of pride at what we, and I, have achieved. And a deep sense of gratitude for all those who helped carry us until they could no more. 

There is a reason why all the things must end. And in essence, they can be broken down into one of two; a) a body that has no strength and a will which can no longer push the broken body; b) its existence was an abnormality, a mistake that should never have come about. 

It is, I believe, true for all things – people and ideas, for those are all that matter to me.  

When LTGTR was first conceived, its end was already marked down in the annals of its history, that shall soon be wiped out as footprints are, in a tidal wave. What remained then, was simply to determine the brevity of its existence, and the cause for its failure. 

I started out LTGTR as hopelessly foolish idealist, who perhaps like Romeo blinded in love, refused to accept the declining prowess of the written word. I believed that like the young revolutionaries who preceded us in eras bygone, we, the offsprings of a confused marriage of technology and tradition, could do the same. I was full of big dreams and thoughts that would never come to fruition in 100 years. I was never high on hope. 

And so we began our quest like all young dreamers do, clueless about the path ahead and thick-skulled enough to not care. We began our quest, with only the stars to guide us. And our first obstacle was not the resistance from others, or the fury of nature, but the moral dilemmas that waylay all young travelers and test their strength, will and belief. Not all of us made it through. Those that did were stronger for the better. 

To those wondering about this seemingly pointless meandering, I have this to say. Patience. And that is what we did whenever it dawned on us that we had started out a quest doomed for failure like all foolhardy men do. And we pulled through. Somehow helping each other like those tiny ants do. 

We crossed the desert and sailed into the sea, with the wind at our backs and a handy crew. And we rejoiced in the turn of fortunes and lived recklessly. And then the wind stopped. And then we despaired. And in that despair our own albatross appeared. And we sailed for a while again, before we shot it. And again we despaired. And again it came. And again we shot it. This continued for many turns till finally we reached the promised land. 

We paid our price too though. We reached somewhere, and then we couldn’t move further. The will of men is not enough to build ships that travel unexplored waters. It is only enough, and not always, to reach the safety of the mainland from a few miles in the sea. 

Stuck there, with nowhere to go, the shoulders began to droop and heads began to fall, until finally bodies rolled off and men began to disappear. And those remaining, while certain of their fate, despaired at the thought of a lost legacy and of the taint of being called fools for the rest of their afterlives. With one final push, they built a monument as a sign of their achievement, a testament to the fact that they were not wrong. 

This letter is that monument. 

And that is the story of LTGTR. We found the right path, the right idea, but the journey’s taken its toll. And while our strength has failed us, our intentions were right. We made a small place for ourselves in this world. An acceptance from our readers. And a recognition from people, for what we tried to do. 

The journey of LTGTR ends here. And at the end of it, is the vindication of an idea. 

An idea that everybody has a right to express themselves, and that others will accept them for it. An idea that well written articles still have a place in a world of sarcastic and satirical Tweets and statuses. And that writing and literature can still inspire and ignite the souls of people, and - using them as agents - bring down the tyranny of antiquated thought that still prevails. 

So it is, at this august evening of March, that we bid thee farewell with the hope that we’ve touched your lives and made them better in our own small little way.

And as the Scorpions said 

“If you feel that all your life

Is packed with complications

And almost everything you try

Ends up in new frustrations

If you feel that life’s passing by, passing by

Catch the train of better times

Rock tonight

Hard times go

As soon as the good times roll

Hard times go

As soon as the good times roll”

Cheers and keep the good times rolling! 

- Sahil Mehta

Maatrabhasha

By Sahil Mehta

It's been a while since I wrote, so bear with me if I ramble. Or not.

Have you ever been jealous of those cool people who always seem to attract everyone towards them? You know, the ones that always know the right thing to say, at the right times. They'll be charming all the time, cracking wisecracks and sprouting laughter like a fountain! There are always a few like that around you and I just hate it that it comes so naturally to them! The sense of humor, the charm, and the pretty girls they inevitably attract! But they are not the focus point of my post today. So screw you funny guy, go ruin someone else's chances today!

Then there are these few people, very dignified, very measured, who you really want to listen to. Crisp, precise and fluent with their speech. Men and women who can capture the audience moments before they even begin to speak. I've had the pleasure of meeting a few such people. And their speech permeates into the rest of them too. They way they carry themselves, the interest they have. Ek akarad hoti hain! And you cant even begrudge them that. And they get girls too, even if it the slightly more intellectual or broody kinds.

Sadly they aren't the focal point of my extended ramble either. Neither are the girls, just in case you thought I was building up to that.

As always I shall take a slight detour here. I have always hated people who talked to me in English. I mean, there's nothing wrong with talking in English and I can safely say I can understand English passably well. But when you've known each other for a while and when you can speak in Hindi then why put all that effort in trying to show-off your English to me? Its not like you're exceptionally good at it, nor do you need to impress me. I always hated such people and I always, and still do, wonder why girls all of a sudden revert to talking in English with each other? Especially in a group! I mean why put up all the pretences of looking all sophisticated and modern and god-knows-what-else-you-want-to-project! I mean I'd freak out if my friends one fine day decided to start talking English! Jab har time Hindi hi bolte ho, to ab kya deemak lag gaye tumhare bheje main?

Anyways, when I went to college, like everyone else I had the pleasure of meeting a variety of people who spoke a variety of dialects. Some people, like Hyderabadi natives, had a very curious and different dialect with words like kaiku and bole-to. It sounds slightly crass at times, but a whole lot of fun to speak if you get the hang of it. Especially if you're an outsider. Then there are people from Maharashtra side, for whom Hindi isn't a first language either. And they'd get all messed up with themaatras. The ka would become a ki and so on. And it would still be a lot of fun coz they'd get irritated when you corrected it. Of course, this doesn't mean that everybody had a problem, but some people did. And then there were the Punjabis and Haryanvis who had a extremely friendly and slightly loud tone, mixed with Punjabi words and their mystical quality.

Then of course there are the people who Bengal with their well documented pronunciation of aa as oand their hums. And don't even get me started on how different Gujarati Hindi is.

Finally you meet people from the central parts of India, from Lucknow and other parts of UP, and from Chattisgarh, MP and you listen to some of them. And they speak with this wonderful endearing dialect that makes you feel like old friends and not acquaintances. Crisp sentences with no slang, no English words. A hello was a pranam or namashkar. Friend was mitr and all exam papers were kathin. And every second day there would be a duvidha. There would be no harsh words like tu aur tera. You always had the respect of an aap.

The vocabulary which is sprinkled with Urdu and Sanskrit words can leave you floundering at first, but it grows on you. It's polite, with words to express virtually emotion, and if someone speaks it with the slightest of flair, its poetic. And it makes people take you seriously. You can argue to the point of killing someone and not seem rude or angry. It's a beautiful language, Hindi is. And while English assumes significant importance with respect to formal communication and the work space, Hindi is still the way to go with respect to interpersonal communication.

I know how much we take it for granted, but I doubt that we could speak it beyond the very basic needed to get by. If you don't believe me, try this. Go a day without using an English word in your sentences. I shall bow down to thee, if you can manage it. Or as they would say in Hindi, Prabhu, mujhe aapke charansparsh karne ka saubhagya de!

And finally, kuch bhi bolo yaar, doston ko gaali dena ka mazza to sirf Hindi main hi aata hain!

26/11 : Tragedies Then & Tragedies Now

By Sahil Mehta

Generally I'm not good at coming up with topics to write on. But every once in a while you come across something that makes you look at life, the world we live in, the society we belong to and take stock of where we stand.

For those of who will be reading this at some later point of time, today is 26 November 2012. The "anniversary" of the gruesome terror attacks in Mumbai.

That fateful night four years ago was one of those nights. You looked at the images of the burning Taj and wondered what if! It was tragic. Innocent people killed of no fault of their own except perhaps to be at wrong place at the wrong time. Families bereaved of their loved ones, with no answers or explanations, why them? A nation shocked at the outrage of the attacks and humiliated by the depth of the strike and yet powerless to respond in a manner befitting their emotions. It was a sad, sad day.

And now we stand here, at this point in time, 5 days after we hanged the perpetrator Ajmal Kasab. Hanged him, right when the masses were losing faith in the governance and judiciary of this country. We hanged the man who attacked our country, we avenged ourselves. And yet there is an element or irony to his death.

I remember the reactions when the news broke. It ranged from a simple "Finally!" to sweets being distributed in the streets. The media had a field day, bringing in hundreds of random people to give their views, their analysis on the whole situation. The news broke in the morning at about 8, and "Breaking News" kept flashing till 12 in the night. I don't really care about the media anymore, they have long lost my respect and indeed their credibility. What I do care, is about the people of this country and how they respond! And as I think about that day, I  grow more and more convinced of how insensitive and vengeful we are becoming as a society. And that is more tragic than the attacks themselves.

Let's get this straight, Ajmal Kasab had to die. He had to be hanged for his evil actions and there are no two ways about that. Indeed, in all fairness he was shown more courtesy than many ordinary citizens in this country. The letter of the law was followed right till the mercy petition. Even with the 4 years it took us, I'm still glad we did it, for it makes us more credible as a nation.

But at the same time I fail to understand the pleasure some people took in his death. What kind of society partakes in communal celebrations and distributes sweets at the death of a man? He did what he did, and we took away his life for it. That's all there is to it. Nobody needs to show sympathy for the man, but to cheer and celebrate his death, is ridiculous.

I also remember reporters saying it is a victory for the people. Wake up guys! We're not a prehistoric, uncivilized tribe any more. Killing people isn't a sign of victory, but of how far we are from reaching our goal as an evolved society.

And let's be naive and say we're sending out a message to terrorists.

I know how hard it is for people to even digest what I'm trying to say. We can't see anything wrong in ourselves when being compared to a Kasab. But that's the whole point, we can't start comparing ourselves to people like Kasab. We have to be better.

The victims of that night deserved justice. Their families deserved justice. A nation deserved justice. We've gotten it. It's time to look at the deeper issues, and introspect.

Terrorism is still, very much so, a serious problem. And killing one man, or even a hundred will not solve the problem. The solution lies in creating a more tolerant, equal world for everyone. Vengeance, sadism are the traits of sociopaths not of intelligent, evolved and empathetic people. And if we can't understand this now, it will be a tragedy told through the ages.

Old Age Redundancy

By Sahil Mehta

Redundancy. This word has generally been used to describe my writing, my statements, my work and sometimes even my life. Just kidding, it’s not that bad, yet. Anyways the dictionary meaning of redundancy is “the state of being redundant”. And the dictionary meaning of redundant is “being in excess; exceeding what is usual or natural”. But it is in widespread use to describe things that no longer serve any purpose to people. Now I will digress a little. There are many things that people fear. Some of them are very basic and physical or tangible like the fear of heights, the fear of spiders or even the fear of spiders. But there are some fears which are more deep seated in our minds, which do not directly impact our actions but which guide our principles and actions. We sometimes call them insecurities. 

Why this little explanation about fear? I have a very good reason for it, of course. One of the greatest insecurities that people suffer from is the fear of becoming redundant, of being of no use to anyone, of being replaced by a superior being. I am going to assume, the very few of you who are reading this are all the same age as me, and are indifferent to such a concept. But if you ARE blessed enough to have your grand-parents still alive go ask them. And their answers will move your soul in ways you cannot imagine by reading this. Of course, some of the elderly might, in order to protect you or themselves, tell you that they are not bothered by such things but the truth really is that they are some of braver ones who have made peace with the fact. You may not have thought about it till now, but I promise you the day it hits you, you’ll be shit scared. 

I’ll tell you how your world would be if you became redundant. Anything that you could do would be done in a much better way by someone else. Whenever you want to be a part of something, you’d have the door shut in your face because there would always be vastly superior people. You’ll want to be a part of other people’s lives but you’ll realize soon enough that no one really has the time to spare for you. There will be no meaningful way for you to contribute to the world. No one will give a damn whether you live or die. Actually I’m wrong, people will be concerned that you still live and waste the precious little amount of oxygen we have left. You’ll feel miserable and no one would even console you. Not because they don’t want to, but because there’s nothing honest they could say to make you feel better. And as time goes on, you’ll find that whatever little you were useful for is disappearing by the second, that your bones are rotting and mind decaying. Sad, alone, crushed you’ll be put away in some corner waiting, nah, begging for your death. Begging for an end to your misery, and it too will taunt you and make you wait till everything in your life is destroyed. 

Photo credit - Swagat Yadav

This is what thousands of elderly in our country suffer every day. Thousands and lakhs of people of the same age as your grand-parents, are forced to seek shelter in old age homes because brilliant people like me and you, who think we know it all, have made them feel redundant. We treat them as misfits in a young country, making path breaking progress every day. We drive them to a mental state where either they have no self-esteem left or either they choose to leave the homes that they built in order to preserve their self-respect. And if you think I’m writing crap, just Google the no. of old age homes in India and, more than that, the rate at which they are sprouting up. Lage Raho Munnabhai isn’t really based on fiction. 

Okay so you come from a more traditional background, your grandparents still stay in your house. You meet them once or twice in a day, say hello and then go sit in front of the idiot box, or your computer or start chatting utterly useless shit with your friends. You have nothing in common with them. Well, you ungrateful prick, do you even know what their interests are or were? They are not just old people who you take care of because they took care of your parents, they are people who have lived a full life and seen things that you will never have the vision or heart to do because you can’t seem to think beyond yourself. Would it kill you if you didn’t go out one day to ogle chicks and called your friends over and sat with your grandparents? It’s not as if they’re really boring or anything, they are more than willing to tell the most amazing of stories of the past. Stories which will have you actually have you ROFL. And if you fucking say that it’s not cool, I‘ll light a firecracker up your ass. 

Photo credit - Swagat Yadav

And it’s not just about your or mine grandparents. In general, the elderly are fine people to spend time with. They may not help you with all the exams you have to crack, and all the presentation you have to give but they can help and guide you to lead a more meaningful and satisfying life. They can show you the way TO attain that peaceful state which you find so elusive. They teach you the meaning of values and responsibility in ways books and lectures never can. The kind of bonding they had with their siblings is not something you will ever be able to achieve. You think you ARE very hard, that you have achieved much more professionally, that you can feed your family better. Talk to them and you’ll understand how narrow a definition of family you have. They are the only ones who can make you realize that “blood is thicker than water”. Everything is not about how much you earn or how many Facebook friends you have. 

It’s not as if they ask for too much from us. No one really expects you to hold their hands and help them cross the roads anymore. All they want is you treat them with a little dignity and respect and regard that they did achieve something in life. All they want is for you to be sensitive to their health and other problems. All they want is that you respect the values and ideals with which they lived. All they want is for you to not regard their slow moving wheelchairs as inconvenience. And honestly, the problem is deeper here in India than abroad, where they don’t use culture and values as a blanket to cover all the other problems. Ironical, isn’t it. 

I am not going to assume that my writing will have too much of an impact on you. None of you is going to an old age home this weekend. But at least, pick up your phone, call your grandparents and let them know they still mean something to you. 

This is in tribute to my late grandfather, who taught me a lot of things including caring about other people. If you’re reading this Dada, I wish I had spent more time with you. 

R.I.P

Of Criticism And Beyond

By Sahil Mehta

It's human nature to criticize. Some people do it less, others like me subject anything and everything to criticism. To be perfectly honest, it's quite difficult not to when you live in a country like India. Sometimes we use sarcasm to mask it, but more often than not we just start a tirade or a string of expletives. It's okay. It's human nature. It's a sign that we want more. 

Criticism is good, at times. Artists, writers, film directors do care about it. Ok maybe not Ram Gopal Verma, but still some of the others do. They appreciate it because it offers them a reflection of what people think of their work. It gives people a chance to improve. 

Criticism in other walks of life, too, has the potential to make spread awareness. To show dissent and disagreement with laws, governments, policies, acts. And that's perhaps the single greatest reason to protect an individual's right to expression and freedom of speech. The right to criticize is as important a right as any other. 

Similarly, well phrased, well meaning sarcasm has the potential to make an impact that perhaps no other form of speech has. It makes people  sit up, take notice and more often than not laugh. And that makes you remember. Of course, it can be humiliating for the person at the other end, but hey he/she probably deserved it. 

But what happens when it becomes a way of life? 

It becomes a poison that slowly pervades through society and makes people bitter. It decapacitates human thought and handicaps people to the point of inaction. It makes you a cynic, and the subject of your criticism defensive to the point of aggression. 

This is what happens on typical discussion of the state of India and the direction it is taking. One person will start by talking about how the government is ineffective, self-centered, power-hungry and thoroughly incompetent. Now at this point, the discussion might take one of several courses depending upon the personal thoughts of the other participant. But in all likelihood, he/she will agree and provide examples in support. Then we will take a trip down history lane and highlight each and every mistake that we know the ruling party to have committed. Eventually the discussion winds up with the sad conclusion that it is a sorry state.

But good people, you, me and almost other person above the age of 18 likely to partake in such a discussion is already aware of this. In your hour and a half of criticizing the system, the government, the politicians, the bureaucrats and you fellow countrymen did we once try and come up with a solution. Of course we didn't. There isn't any, right? 

Photo credit - Chinmay Maheshwari

BTW that line was sarcasm in case you didn't get it. The questions at the root of the problems may be tricky, and the solutions even more elusive and complex, yet they shall never come about by endless criticism. They will come about if you stop criticizing and start thinking. 

It's easy to criticize. It has always been so. Going beyond it, now that's the hard part. 

Another example that comes to the mind from recent times is that of Satyamev Jayate. After the episode highlighting the fallings in the medical system, the response was all too predictable. People in their homes went on criticizing the doctors endlessly, bringing up each obscure case they had heard about, from their neighbours' brother's old friends' neighbour who just happened to know someone who died. The doctors all too predictably became defensive and attacked the show. Sigh

The show made an effort to highlight a problem and spread awareness. We took it and blew it out of proportion. Now every time you question a doctor he considers it a personal affront. Nobody cares about actually changing the system and getting rid of the few bad people. 

I don't mean to criticize, it might seem I do, but I don't really. I just want to point out that criticism is good when you're trying to make people aware of something. But then you cannot spend your entire life sitting on your comfy couches and telling anyone within listening range what's wrong with life. It gets boring, it gets useless and it loses its impact value. You need to look beyond and look for solutions. 

A friend of mine in college takes an affront when he hears people say "India main kuch nahi badlega. India aisa hai/waisa hai..." He told me "Kyun nahi badlega. Main badlunga".

Perhaps thats the lesson we need to take! 

The Rebel In Me

By Sahil Mehta

 8 am: Mom’s shouting at me. Can’t really understand much, too drowsy. She’s harping on about how we kids don’t know the value of time and are too damn lazy. I tell her I slept at 5 in the morning. She says it’s not her fault. Should I tell her that the only reason I sleep late is so she won’t keep poking around when I chat with my friends? Too much effort!
 

9am: Just out of a freaky cold shower and into the smouldering fires of my dad’s temper. My 16 year old sister’s already there, looking like she just got hit by a bus. My dad has the newspaper open. Apparently he doesn’t like the college kids sitting on a hunger strike with Anna. He vents his ire on me, naturally. Somehow the discussion proceeds to how I am wasting my life and am good for nothing! Gee dad! Thanks for the vote of confidence. He finishes with a flourish “Your generation will ruin this country”. I want to point to him that he’s voted in the last 5 governments who screwed the country over. But too much unpleasantness for one morning already!
 

11:15 am: The idiot professor has thrown me out of the class again. Screw him. Screw them all. All I did was to point out that it was only an experiment if we did something new, and not copy instructions from an out dated manual.
 

11:25 am: Outside the college. Couples all around; snogging, chatting, cuddling. If only parents weren’t so uptight about relations, they’d probably be in class now and not bitching about last night to each other. Too much drama for one day! Need to relax. Should get a smoke.
 

11:27 am: I am pissed. Khan chacha, at the thadi, was being harassed by a policeman. He left only after taking his hafta and giving a moral lecture about how he shouldn’t be selling cigarettes to college kids. I wanted to pound that MF and shout at him “At least he’s earning by honest means”. I can’t, so I left a generous amount of change with Khan chacha for the cigarettes. My blood’s boiling now. Will go catch RDB. They decided to switch the morning show DDLJ for it considering all the youth agitation and all. Smart guys!

2 something pm: I sneer after listening to Madhavan’s dialogue about how the youth should join politics and all to improve this country. What an idiot, nothing can save this country.  Few minutes later: I am cheering with the rest of the audience as DJ and his friends kill the Defense minister. Wish someone would kill the real ones too!
 

3:30 pm: I was walking with Priya. She’s super-hot and my best friend. Hopefully I can convince her to be my girlfriend one day. Till then we share our frustrations to each other. Anyways, soon this thulla comes and berates us for behaving indecently in public. The nerve of that bastard! All we were doing was walking hand in hand. He threatens to lock us up. For what MoFo? I am angry now. I just stare straight back at him, till Priya pulls me away. I swear I would have killed him!
 

6:00 pm: Just came back home. I’m early today. Rhea, my sis, is crying. Mom’s taken away her BlackBerry for a week because she didn’t do well in her test or something. My dad’s sitting in front of the TV with a smug look on his face. There’s been some sort of a lathicharge on the agitating students. He tells me that’s how the government should deal with such thugs. I snap. I tell him how he was stupid if he couldn’t see who were actually the thugs and how I wished some of his generation actually grew a pair and did something rather than sitting on their asses. Dad was taken aback. My sister actually smiled for an instant before going back to sulking!
 I walked away before he regained his composure and unleashed a torrent at me. There’ll be consequences later but who cares. That felt so good.

8:30 pm: Time to head down for dinner. The whole family is coming today. Grandparents, uncles, aunts et al. I climb down the stairs in a faded baggy jeans and metal band t-shirt. Rhea’s wearing a rather short skirt. My mom looks scandalized. She’s begging Rhea to go change. My dad’s giving me a disgusted look. Like I haven’t seen that before! The bell rings. It’s show time folks. 

9:30 pm: Rhea’s rebellion worked well enough. Grandma’s giving mom a lecture about how the kids have no values and how they’ve given us too much freedom. I almost choke on the food then. Don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Rhea looks content. For once she’s not at the receiving end of a lecture. Meanwhile my aunt’s fiddling with my long hair and narrating a story about how some “rowdy, long haired boy” on the motorbike nearly crashed into her car. The connection between me and him being the hair! I mumble under my breath that the only reason she got a driving license is because she knew someone who knew someone in the Road Transport Office!

10 pm: We’re waiting for dessert. Someone asks me what I’m planning to do after college. My dad immediately starts of saying how I was a smart boy and would go to some IIM to do his MBA. Once his tirade had finished, I tell everyone that I’m just going to make movies. Everyone turns to look at me. Dad tells me not to act stupid. I tell him I’m not. We argue. Suddenly everyone else is quiet. Then they begin, all together. My grand mom is telling my mom how she’s spoilt us by giving us too much freedom. My aunt is telling anyone who will listen about my long hair. Someone has a problem about “these kids” answering back. And my grandfather is telling my dad how he needs to check our little “rebellion” before it gets out of hand. That’s the final straw. I get up and leave the room. I need fresh air.

11:00 pm: I am driving down the road on my bike at 100 km per hour, showing a sleeping policeman the finger. Feels good to break all the rules for once. The fresh air of my face smells so much like freedom. Of course I’m a rebel. You made me one!

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The Rebel Generation

By Sahil Mehta

Change is an inevitability. Resistance to it, human nature. Rebellion, our method.

What was once must not always be. Culture, as with life, must evolve with time. It is our time now. We are the present, the future is ours. We sit on the side lines no more, while you do continue your antiquated ways. One way or the other, we shall meet our own doom. We seek only your blessing not your permission.

Do not presume to tell us what to do. Our minds are ignited, and thoughts, in flight. Your word counts no more, for we challenge the very basis of your authority. We are not the meek and obedient little kids you once were. We are our own masters, ever the sceptic, ever the believer, always loud, always brash.

Do not take this momentary silence as your victory. You cannot shackle us with your overbearing customs, or your preachy higher-than-thou moral values. Do not presume to suppress our intellect with your pedagogical education. We don’t need you, we have each other. We trip on our feet, and we run our own race.

Do not mollify our anger with empty promises. We are young, not blind. We bring change with every tiny act of defiance. Join us and earn our respect. Oppose us, and we will fight back. We will not submit. We will not be you, all over again! We are the youth of the nation, we are the rebel generation.

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Union Budget 2012-13

By Sahil Mehta

Sachin Tendulkar’s incredible achievement yesterday might not have been enough to save India in the match, but it certainly did save Pranab Mukherjee from a lot of public scrutiny over his budget. Yes, people! The Union Budget was presented yesterday, but don’t worry you didn’t miss much. 

With the government tottering, and Mamata Banjerjee bullying the Congress left, right and centre, not much was expected from the budget. And the budget doesn’t disappoint. For a neutral there isn’t much to criticize in the budget, except that it doesn’t do enough. 

The Fin Min started by stating that the last year was “a year of recovery interrupted”. It is an understatement beyond belief. The government fell incredibly short of almost all the targets. The GDP which supposed to grow at 8.5% in the fiscal grew only at 6.9%. Inflation, which was supposed to come down by August 2011, was still in double digits till December and stood rather high at 6.9% in February. Due to high volatility and uncertainty in the market, the govt. could not raise even 50% of its disinvestment targets. And worse, the fiscal deficit which was supposed to come down to 4.6% of GDP, currently stands at 5.9% of GDP. 

If the numbers tell a sorry state of affairs, the actual condition of the government is even worse. The comple­­te lack of decision making ability and the haphazard manner in which they’ve gone about their business, as demonstrated in the case of FDI in retail, has left industry and investors bewildered and uncertain. 

In his penultimate budget before the General Elections in 2014, the Finance Minister had his last chance at bringing about some of the reforms that he has been harping about since the beginning of his tenure. But he has decided to play it safe. His budget ensures that there is no repeat of the debacle that was the Railway Budget. 

Pranab Mukherjee also talked about “taking hard decisions” and “faster, sustainable and more inclusive growth” as India enters the first year of its Twelfth Five Year Plan.     

Some of the key highlights of the budget are as follows

•  GDP is expected to grow at 7.6% in the coming fiscal.
• Headline inflation expected to moderate further in next few months and remain stable thereafter.
• Fiscal deficit to be reduced to 5.1% of GDP in the coming fiscal year.
• Proposed amendments to the Fiscal Responsibility and Budgetary Management Act.
• Subsidies to be kept under 2 per cent of GDP in 2012-13. Over next 3 year, to be further brought down to 1.75 per cent of GDP. Subsidies related to administering the Food Security Act will be fully provided for.
• Direct Tax Code to be implemented at the earliest after discussions. Goods & Service Tax to be implemented retrospectively from August 2012
• 30,000 crores to be raised through disinvestment. At least 51 per cent ownership and management control to remain with Government.
• During Twelfth Plan period, investment in infrastructure to go up to 50 lakh crore with half of this, expected from private sector.
• Tax free bonds of 60,000 crore to be allowed for financing infrastructure projects in 2012-13.
• Income tax exemption limit raised to Rs.2 lakh to provide relief of Rs.2,000; 20 per cent tax on income over Rs.10 lakh, up from Rs.8 lakh.
• Deduction of up to Rs.10,000 from interest from savings bank accounts.
• Withholding tax on external commercial borrowings reduced from 20 per cent to five per cent for power, airlines, roads, bridges, affordable houses and fertiliser sectors.
• External commercial borrowing of up to $1 billion permitted for airline sector. External commercial borrowings permitted to low-cost housing sector. 
• Service tax and excise duty increased to 12% from 10%.
• Introduction of white paper on Black Money soon.

Summary

As a common man, all these details might not interest you. So I’ll try and break it down for you. The tax limit has been raised, which mean you save some money. But the increase in service tax and excise duty means everything becomes more costly. Except for a few services, 107 services will be taxed. 

ACs, Gold jewellery, Refrigerator, Luxury cars, Air travel, Telephone bills, SUVs, Cigarettes, Branded retail garments, Eating out at restaurants, Hotel accommodation, toiletries, cosmetics, soft-drinks, steel, cement; all are more expensive now! 

Cinema and films, LCDs and LEDs, imported bicycles, housing society charges, LPG
mobile phones,  school education, iron ore equipment, medicines for treating cancer and HIV, processed food, iodised salt, solar power lamps, LED bulbs, natural gas, desktops/laptops are all cheaper now!

Final Word

The budget is not bad. I’ve read reactions from a whole lot of people about how there is nothing is this budget for the aam aadmi. None of those people are aam aadmis. The masses which make up this country are majorly people in the villages and lower sections of the society. The increase in agricultural credit and full food subsidies should help people. It is true, however, that the government’s focus is not the aam aadmi but the macroeconomic environment of the country. The move to curb subsidies at 2% is a commendable one. Tax free bonds for infrastructure are a necessity. Allowing external borrowing will bring much needed relief for the aviation industry. Reduction is price of mining equipment is certainly a good decision. India has vast reserves of coal and iron and yet these two goods constitute a large part of our import bill. It is time India started relying on its own reserves. The hike in service tax and excise duty will definitely cause prices to increase but considering the fiscal deficit facing India, there are hardly any options left.

Of course the budget does leave a few things unsaid. For example there is no definite roadmap for how we are going to achieve 7.6% growth. The estimates seem exaggerated with demand expected to slow. The target of 5.1% of GDP is itself a disappointing one, especially considering the populist budget to be expected next year with elections looming.

All in all, this budget is not aimed at making anyone happy but at ensuring that no one is outraged. The real question is whether it will be enough for the Indian economy? And for the Indian people. 

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