As the joke goes, hell is just a local phone call away in Pakistan. Reason probably why so many are hell-bent on scooting from that wretched land, dreaming of reaching the long distance Paradise that their preachers purvey with the marketing zeal of tourist operators.
Author: T R Jawahar
A kind of ‘leadership crisis’ is reigning high in the nation what with many political reputations being shredded and many party emperors getting stripped of their new clothes. But with personality driven politics forming the bedrock of this sham of a democracy, the downed leaders will never be totally out.
Lord Brahma has this bad habit. And he does not learn either. Somehow, he tends to lose his head, all four heads rather, when tapped for boons by a devious demon. Armed thus, the demon then goes about thrashing, torturing and tormenting the devas, sages, common folk and occasionally Brahma himself, mostly in that order. And when tipping point arrives, there appears Lord Vishnu or Lord Shiva, depending on who is appealed to.
I had better be careful. These are tricky times when even a simple word in print, tweet or whatever, delivered in utter angst or legitimate frustration, could land you in trouble with the long arm of the law. Powerful people and their pampered sons and sons-in-law are on the prowl with feigned righteous hurt and they know the law.
The best insurance for a corrupt ruling politico is a vulnerable opponent. BJP chief Nitin Gadkari fitted that bill perfectly. Abuse of power, shady land deals, creative corporate accounting etc, all familiar flavours of the reigning UPA-United Plunderers’ Association, appear to have found abundant favour with him too.
No one wants his/her pocket picked. Or property trespassed or grabbed. Nor, for that matter, would anyone look forward to getting murdered, assaulted, raped or in any way violated, physically, financially or emotionally, though the last one is tenuous territory. Being a victim of crime hurts in many ways and often leaves an inerasable mark, if not on the physique, at least on the psyche. Reason why legal luminaries hold that ‘a system of penal law is more important than even constitutional law’.
I am thoroughly disappointed with you. You have completely underestimated the people’s appetite. And our politicos’ capacity. What is this? Even the 1986 Bofors rip-off was Rs 64 Crs. And after 26 years you are talking of a paltry Rs 500Crs that does not even account for inflation.
So, the party is out of the bag. But are not a name and description essential for the launch of something to be called a real launch? Well, Arvind Kejrival has declared that the name, constitution and office bearers will all be announced on Nov 26 which happens to be the day the Indian Constitution was adopted.
Religion poisons everything’ says Christopher Hitchens repeatedly in his seminal book, God Is Not Great. The brunt of his argument is that everything in nature can be scientifically explained without assumptions of an omnipotent creator and a divine design. He declares that religion and God are more of a bane than a boon and they should be summarily shunned.