Casual references to Lord Macaulay in the last two articles have invited queries from many readers wanting to know more about this much maligned Britisher who fathered our present education system. Coincidentally, the Indian Penal Code, which is the subject of a raging debate owing to the Delhi HC verdict on Sec 377 dealing with gays, was also the brainchild of the same Lord.
Browsing: COLUMNS
The literate and the illiterate; the lettered and the unlettered; the educated and the uneducated; the knowledgeable and the ignorant; the wise and the idiot; the luminary and the layman — the education scenario in India stumps all across the spectrum. Forget enlightenment, even an elementary understanding turns elusive thanks to a maze of policies, judgements, rules and regulations
It is easy to attribute the UPA’s ascension to power to an arithmetic accident. But the BJP’s sordid show at the hustings cannot be explained away in a similar vein. The Cong’s victory claim may not be so convincing, but the fact remains that the BJP has lost, gross and square.
Fallen psephologists may be proof that pre-poll surveys and exit polls are slippery terrain. But even more risky is the interpretation of a mandate. Yet that is the analysis that really matters, if one is keen on understanding the mechanics of the voters mind as also the driving forces behind the most important show in our democratic theatre, namely, elections.
Making a king out of Singh was a lot easier. For that king to make mantris out of a multitude of aspiring MPs, ranging from real masters to mavericks, morons and minions turned out to be a monumental task. The swearing-in was postponed repeatedly and happened piecemeal,with the match-making between many ministers and ministries dragging on.
A momentous week indeed, with many moments of truth, or at least versions of it. The tidings were mixed, and also varied with the point of view; what was good for one was not so for another, but that’s always the case. The greater truth is that what is seemingly good has ugly undertones, set to surface in time if not already, while what looks bad at present has the seeds for future good embedded in it.
As I write, I am as much in the dark as you vis-a-vis the poll outcome. But by the time you read almost all the cats would be out of the EVMs, imparting a redundancy to the ensuing words that’s no fault of mine. Of course, I can muster the guts to advance guesses, and either hope to be hailed a great prophet or risk being dubbed a gross fool.
The ominous 13th of May beckons the players of the Indian Political League. As a photofinish finale to the poll rat-race looms, the TN voter, the last among equals, readies himself to perform his democratic karma. The tiresome trudge to the booth, the endless wait in meandering queues
That was truly a fast one, thalaiva. We had predicted last week in these columns that your rational realm does not stretch beyond bandhs. How careless of us to have missed the obvious hunger weapon that you had unleashed only a few months back when the Supreme Court struck down a strike call, for what cause, I forget. Still, some journo friends have been suggesting that a fast idea was festering in your fertile mind.