Gandhigiri, Puneri thaskyat

This news from Pune had me in splits.

After being under construction for several months, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has finally re-opened the concretised stretch between Karishma building and Karve statue for traffic on Thursday. Last month, activists and residents of the area protested in a unique manner by cutting a cake as the repair work on Karve Road entered its third year.

(Unfortunately the comment section of this blog is not working since the switch to the new blogger and any comment exchange can only happen through email for the time being. Sorry about the resulting lack of conversation)

If he did it...

Gaurav's post on Obama reminded me of an anecdote that my boss once shared with me. This seems to be eons away, now that I am into IT. However, at the time when I was mingling with reporters who were into congenital name dropping, it was no less than a scoop. In his post, Gaurav wrote about the infamous Clinton quote about his tryst with marijuana.

Remember when Bill Clinton was asked about smoking pot in college, he said he did, but did not inhale. Obama was asked the same question. he said he smoked pot... and also inhaled, because that is the whole point of pot.

Refreshing honesty at best, or impression of honesty at worst.

I am not a great fan of Obama as a presidential candidate. Despite that, I do admire his candor with respect to his substance 'abuse,' if it may be called so. I guess he is in a better position than McCain, who, in my opinion, has gambled way further by supporting Bush's decision of sending additional troops to Iraq. But, I digress.

I wanted to share something I know about Clinton and his 'smoked pot but did not inhale it' quote. I was working for United Press International (UPI) then (fall 2005) and our chief editor Martin Walker, former international editor for Guardian, told us that what Clinton said was absolutely true. Walker was Clinton's room mate at University college, Oxford and the pot incident happened in front of him. He told us that Clinton was allergic to smoke, as it induced him to cough violently. Clinton would go out of the room if anyone even smoked a cigarette. The pot incident was actually a dare. He said that it was sort of a ragging incident. Walker and a couple of his friends used to tease Clinton and call him a pussy 'cos he didn't smoke and dared him to try pot at a party. It was then that Clinton actually smoked pot. According to Walker he coughed violently and did not inhale it at all.

I haven't read Clinton's biography and don't know whether he mentions about this incident. I also know this sounds hard to believe given Clinton's propensity for lying, especially his lying under oath about sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky. But Walker had no reason to be his PR agent, especially in front of a bunch of newbie reporters. He, in fact, told this anecdote in the tone of 'landga ala re ala' (the boy who cried wolf) story. He was talking to us in the context of Dan Rather's piece on 60 minutes about George Bush skipping the Draft and then recollected how a congenital liar like Clinton was actually caught on the wrong foot, not for his other nefarious deeds, but, unfortunately or fortunately, for something he was actually being truthful about.

I suppose I haven't got over the penchant for name dropping myself and hence the post. I seek solace in the fact that if name dropping was my motive, then talking about my interviews with Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty and Padmini Kolhapure would have garnered my blog more attention, ;)

Jaan jaye par shaan na jaye; modern day Nero-giri

Had anyone taken a MMS of Arun Patnaik - Joint Commissioner of Mumbai Police's conduct after the Mumbai blasts, it would have been more iconic and symptomatic of police apathy than this accompanying photograph. During times of crisis, precisely when swift police action is of utmost importance, these guys are busy, protecting of all things, their own clothes from getting wet.

According to an CNN-IBN eyewitness account, Patnaik wouldn't get down from his official car and inspect the scene of the blasts, till a umbrella was provided to him. This wasn't the only insensitive thing this chap did in the day. Gaurav, who did an amazing job with his timeline, wrote that Patnaik was busy playing the blame game on Television immediately after the blasts.

On CNBC, Patnaik was quick to shirk off blame saying security in trains is the responsibility of Railway Police. This when the first priority should have been getting as much information, forensic as well as otherwise, possible from the crime scene.


I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this insane display of arrogance, insensitivity and vanity amidst such a major tragedy. The citizen journalist's eyewitness account on CNN-IBN spoke about how ordinary people who were themselves victims of the blasts were helping each other spontaneously and in contrast this JCP was warming his arse.

I would like to specially thank the Mahim Zone ACP Desai and his team. He was very active in the whole operation, although he is very aged but still actively got involved in the rescue operation.

I would also like to mention Arun Patnaik - Joint Commissioner of Mumbai Police. He didn't get down from his official car, till a umbrella was provided to him.

Local boys from the area did a good service of maintaining the traffic. I waited till the bomb squad arrived, and then a police tape was put around the blast area.

This reminded me of two similar and equally disgusting instances of authority figures who were fiddling while cities burnt around them.

First, the person in the accompanying photograph, K Kumaraswamy - JCP Vadodara who during Gujarat floods in 2005 who should enter record books for ensuring that his pants didn't get wet in waist deep waters.

Second of course was Brownie. FEMA chief Michael Brown was busy discussing his wardrobe during the crisis caused by Hurricane Katrina.

"My eyes must certainly be deceiving me. You look fabulous and I'm not talking the makeup," writes Cindy Taylor, FEMA's deputy director of public affairs to Brown on 7:10 a.m. local time on Aug. 29.

"I got it at Nordstroms," Brown writes back. "Are you proud of me? Can I quit now? Can I go home?" An hour later, Brown adds: "If you'll look at my lovely FEMA attire, you'll really vomit. I am a fashion god."

What are these people high on? Asli tidik bharte na hey asla vachlyavar... Shapath!

You are most welcome...

The title of course is in anticipation of expression of gratitude on your part. I found this clip of the ultra-hilarious Mahabharat scene from Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron through Naveen's blog yesterday.


This easily ranks as one of my favourite movies for its satirical take on the 80s construction boom and the Antulay cement scam exposed by Indian Express under Arun Shourie and his batch of special correspondents (one of whom I know personally).

So without further ado just LYAO!

Tag!

I have been keeping away from the blogosphere for a while. Been a bit busy with a lot of stuff and am sure this is a temporary break. Gaurav has tagged me invoking my only name to fame, my long sentences. So here I am pandering to the expectations.

I am thinking about – naveen job laglelya roommate la aaj ratri New York City chya kuthlya club madhe kapayche. For non-marathi readers… I am thinking about which hip New York City club would be the best to extract a party from my roommate who just got a job.

I said – Even after not updating the blog for almost 2 months friends still visit your blog even tag you. So Chetan… pretty please with sugar on top, BLOG!

I want to – be in her arms.

I wish – I was as intelligent, prolific and well-read as Ashutosh, as witty as Gaurav, as insightful as Ravikiran, as funny as Greatbong, as sarcastic as Gawker, as focused and experienced as Naveen, as easy-going as Suyog, as full of conviction as Gautam, as principled as Patrix, as sincere and honest as Krishna, as literary as Dubious, as creative as Amit, as wise as Sir and as questioning as Sanket. I also wish my writing exuded warmth like Shruthi’s writing does, was as lucid as Dilip’s, was as simple and uncomplicated as Manasi’s writings, was as fair and straightforward as Neha’s, as exciting as Mridula’s travel posts, was as lawyerly as Red’s, as fiery as Vulturo’s and as sensitive as Vikrum’s.

I miss – Vaishali’s cheese onion uttappa and SPDP, Savera’s medu wada sambar (sambar main dubake), Manmeet’s Chhole Bhature, Bedekar and Shree’s Misal, Sujata’s Mastani, Athavale dairy near New English school Ramanbag’s kharwas and the khuskhushit hot batatawadas wadas at Prabha raswanti griha beside it, Beleshwar’s (on canal road near Prabhat road) bhel, strawberry colada of CCD, Marzorin’s sandwiches and Burger King’s chicken burger, Kayani’s shrewsberry, Chitale’s bakharwadi, sabudana wada near Shaniwarwada, Wadeshwar bhavan’s idlis and the sugarcane juice in front of it near Kelkar Museum, bread patties from Tilak on Tilak road near Behere classes, the kulfi faluda from Poona Colddrink house near Tilak Smarak Mandir, the malai topped lassi from Dilliwala dairy near market yard, Pav bhaji and dabeli from n number of places, and I never thought I would say this but I even miss the Chinese food at the University tapris. Nostalgia is not always depressing I suppose. ;)

I hear – the sound of ‘that which ceases to exist when it is uttered and which breaks no sooner than it is spoken.’ Hint: A song by Simon and Garfunkel.

I wonder – What is the motivation behind doing what he does and that too in such an obnoxious manner? Whether there is an underlying philosophy behind Nilu’s writings, or is it just random mischief and tomfoolery, whether his writings are an attempt to crystallise his master morality or is it just about increasing his page rank? Is it a case of ‘knows the cost of everything and value of nothing’ or is it precisely because he knows the value of everything that he affords himself the luxury of nitpicking about the costs?

I regret – that I don’t regret my habit of procrastination.

I am – therefore I think.

I dance – to no one’s tune; unfortunately that includes my own tune as well.

I sing –only during antakshari where others are least bothered about listening to your voice.

I cry – out aloud when I miss a simple shot in carom or on the pool table.

I am not always – discussing politics and current affairs.

I make with my hands – tasty batata wadas.

I write – in an illegible handwriting.

I confuse –condescension with a non-existent word condescendation. ;)

I need – friends who live on the edge, and are a little insane as much as I need warm sensible and rooted friends.

I should try – and be judgmental once in a while, look at the world in black and white, not to be philosophical about events concerning me personally.

I finish – not a single task I undertake. And therefore I wont tag anyone else and leave this tag unfinished.

P.S. : My blog is currently being inundated with spam and therefore the comments are on moderation. However rest assured that all vile comments will find their place in the sun.

First personal post

I moved to Jersey City this weekend. That was one of the reasons for the break in blogging. This almost feels like I am back in India. I am staying at this dingy place in the basement with three garbage bins right in front of the door and even found a Manickchand packet on the sidewalk. I had khasta kachori chatfor snack in the evening. Also for dinner at 12:30 in the night we had gone to a place called Baba Hut that had wooden benches and arrangement was just like those Amrutulyas where hostelites have tea in Pune. I was watching Aaj Tak which was playing a show called Subah at 9:35 a.m. India time with about half an hour devoted to fashion news. Seems like Aaj Tak audiences like to watch anorexic models while having breakfast, probably to feel guilty and not overeat. What a benevolent gesture on part of Aaj Tak. But all of the above were not responsible for making me feel like I was back in India. It was because I spent last night in darkness when while attaching a new bulb the fuse blew. First time since my coming to US I experienced what was an everyday occurrence in Pune.

Another thing that made me feel absolutely at home was last night at 12:50 a.m. when I my room mate overheard my call asked me whether today was my ‘Happy Birthday.’ I smiled as I was reminded of friends asking “when is your Happy Birthday’ when they wanted to know my birth date. So Jersey City gave me a nice birthday gift by inspiring reminiscences that made the dark boring night so pleasant with warm memories from India.

Wimpy liberals and strong conservatives stereotype turned on its head

Drudge Report linked to a funny story today. A study has found that whiny insecure kids who run to the teacher with complaints grow up to become conservatives while confident, resilient, self-reliant kids grow up to become liberals. This turns the wimpy liberal/strong conservative stereotype on its head.

The whiny kids tended to grow up conservative, and turned into rigid young
adults who hewed closely to traditional gender roles and were uncomfortable with
ambiguity.

The confident kids turned out liberal and were still hanging
loose, turning into bright, non-conforming adults with wide interests. The girls
were still outgoing, but the young men tended to turn a little introspective.

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeet! Of course, as with everything that sounds sweet to the ears there will always be caveats, which will ask you to take the news only after adding salt that will spoil the sweet taste. For instance the study is limited to the Bay area, the sample size isn’t representative of the whole country yada yada yada. The study does not mean that nursery school teachers in the conservative Red States are cursed with classes filled with little proto-conservative whiners.

Another way of saying it is that self-reliance predicts statistically about 7
per cent of the variance between kids who became liberal and those who became
conservative. (If every self-reliant kid became a liberal and none became
conservatives, it would predict 100 per cent of the variance). Seven per cent is
fairly strong for social science, but it still leaves an awful lot of room for
other influences, such as friends, family, education, personal experience and
plain old intellect.

Those caveats can be brushed off by liberals by saying that they are like the warnings you hear after drug ads. Do not take the pill if you have liver problem of heart disease. Common side effects are mild and may include diarrhea and vomitting etc. That stuff is supposed to be ignored while regaling in the pure mellifluous flattery that this study is, if you are a liberal.

The confident kids turned out liberal and were still hanging loose, turning into
bright, non-conforming adults with wide interests.
[…]
...insecure kids look for the reassurance provided by tradition and authority, and find it in conservative politics. The more confident kids are eager to explore alternatives to the way things are, and find liberal politics more congenial.

Chew on that you sissy Charles Krauthammer. I've got to go… There is much boasting to do and friends' legs crying to be pulled.

She would have made Ayn Rand proud

Some time ago Nilu switched from posting nasty and provocative comments on other bloggers and initiated an interesting discussion. He asked his readers to name their favourite character in Mahabharat and explain the reasons for their choice. Karna was of course excluded because then the topic would have been entirely Karna-centric.

A very interesting discussion brewed in the comment section and a few of the commenters mentioned Gandhari as their favourite. Nilu did a second post asking readers to come up with a character analysis of their favourite women characters in Mahabharat. I was really looking forward to reading about Gandhari as I hadn’t given much thought to her character before this. Unfortunately that post didn’t get much response.

However, his post prompted me to think about women characters in Mahabharat and the first one that came to mind was Ganga. I wouldn’t say she is my favourite, but she is definitely the most intriguing of them all. I still vividly remember how as a kid I felt extremely uneasy while watching the initial episodes of Mahabharat on Doordarshan. Ganga used to take her newborn babies and cast them into the river and return smiling to Shantanu, her husband. I couldn’t fathom the motives and was too young to understand the story completely and felt extremely scared.

As with most Indian mythological tales the story owes its twists to curses. Ganga has promised to help Vasus, who have been cursed to lead the lives of men upon angering Vashishta rishi. She agrees to be their mother and kill them as soon as they are born so that they can return to their heavenly existence without spending time on earth.

Strip the epic of all the mythology/curses etc. and then look at Ganga’s actions. If one overlooks the fact that she drowned her children to help the Vasus get rid of Vashishta's curse, then Ganga comes across as someone who is ruthlessly, unambigiously selfish. Her conditions for marrying Shantanu may put any present-day pre-nuptial agreements to shame.

O king, I shall become your wife. But on certain conditions that neither you nor anyone else should ever ask me who I am, or whence I come. You must also not stand in the way of whatever I do, good or bad, nor must you ever be wroth with me on any account whatsoever. You must not say anything displeasing to me. If you act otherwise, I shall leave you then and there. Do you agree?

She has Shantanu by the balls and despite him being the king, she is the one whose dictats are followed. She definitely knew how to keep a man under her toes. He does not even utter a word as she drowns seven of his children for the fear of her deserting him. This gives you an insight into her complete hold over him. By keeping Shantanu guessing about mystery surrounding her actions, she adds to her allure.

Imagine what it must have taken to be such a free bird for a woman in the era of pativrata naris like Draupadis and Gandharis. In C Rajagopalachari's version, one gets an insight into her motives behind drowning her children. It is sinister to say the least.

"O great king," she replied, "you have forgotten your promise, for your heart is set on your child, and you do not need me any more. I go.

Ganga comes across as someone who is ruthlessly selfish and someone who wont share her love no matter what. No character of Ayn Rand comes this close in their selfish love. In fact, Ganga is the quintessential Ayn Rand character. In a way it can be looked as if she leaves because she realises the king loves the child more than herself and her conception of love has no place for sharing. A truly fascinating woman!

Do contribute your take on women characters in the epic in the comments section, especially those of you who like Gandhari. I am really curious to know which aspects of her character you guys find so admirable.