A Creature called "Independents"

Born out of the remnants of the terror attack of November 26th has been one creature which will duly and surely affect the electoral proceedings of the upcoming Lok Sabha. The "Independent" candidates. Many will see this as a moral awakening of a handful of people who until now had been very content in dwelling leisurely in their ridiculously expensive apartments, penthouses and bungalows and caring less about the common man on the streets. Many others might see it as a underhanded and unclassy way of gaining some sort of a publicity. Which is which will be comprehensively decided on the polling day.
But what I find ethically degrading in this scenario is the reason and the drive behind this sudden surge of Page 3 celebrities diving into the political arena. With due respect and sympathy towards the victims of the 26/11 massacre, I would only like to point at the distinct difference in the treatment meted out by the media towards the chaos of 26/11 and the Mumbai local train blasts which no doubt hit the heart of commuting Mumbai. I was particularly appalled at one interview of a lady whose name I don't quite recollect but the essence of that conversation I do, post 26/11. This lady sitting in her gorgeous and lavish living room, which no doubt needed 10 to 12 servants to be maintained, was impertinent to suggest that because this terror attack targeted the ultra affluent class of people who pay 100 bucks for a cup of coffee at the Taj and spent 2 lacs for a night of stay in the royal suites, it was more significant and more damaging to the country and had a more severe consequence. As opposed to those meaningless people who got killed travelling in the local trains everyday and working for their hard earned living and contributing not only to the prosperity of the country but also to a bunch of rich industrialists whose wives sit in their well furnished living rooms and deal out such comments.
I ask these well off Independent candidates who have now ventured to take on the political establishments and work for a so called "change" as to what your real motivation is? Because your sense of moral right and wrong did not seem to bother you when it was not affecting you and was affecting the same common man for whom you want to work now.
The pity is I believe that still, after all that has happened, these Independent candidates have no clue as to what they should do to really help the people. Sure if you contest the elections and win you become a member of parliament. You (maybe) able to get a chance to debate certain policies at the national level but what good is that going to do when you can't even help the people of your constituency? To strengthen a nation you have to work one locality, one area, one city, one state at a time. Yeah it will take time but you are guaranteed success this way. Imagine giving a test of a chapter which you haven't even studied. That is what these Independent candidates are going for.
Now many might say that well it's their decision let them be. But we can't let them be. Because their unintelligent and unreasonable decision is going to weaken the stability of a government at the center. Any government. Out of thousands of Independent candidates who stood for Lok Sabha elections last time around maybe six had won and became MPs. But what the others did was cut into the electorate, divided the votes and hence weakened the poll share of the other candidates to belonged to a more national sphere of influence. They didnt realise that because they made a unwise choice they strengthened the hands of a handful of unworthy and indecent small political parties who now bargained with bigger parties to provide stability and mould the real issues for which a stable government at the center should have been working on to suit their self serving interests.
I believe some Independent candidates do want to work for the betterment of the people but the forum and the way to do that is to work at ground level where your efforts will yield a direct effect on the common man. Fight for municipalities, fight to become Mayor, then run for the state assemblies. In this way you will have a resume full of your development works which you can present in front of the voters and surely you will get elected. When you sit in your boardrooms, you ask for experiences from Freshers before they join. Then why do you assume it's different in the political arena. Make your voice heard where it would count and where people will listen rather than shout amongst a sea full of voices and end up not getting heard at all.
Everyone has to remember that, you have to "fight the fights". The fights that need to be fought and won. Don't bite more than you can chew coz somewhere somehow you will end up contributing the wrong causes.

A Precious Sight

As he stepped out of his father's silver coloured Santro, he was awe struck at the sight of the abominably imposing structure that stood looming over him. Sahil, in his short time on this planet, had not yet been witness to such a devilishly daunting building which was now to become his new school. The thought and sight of it turned the butterflies in his stomach, which had accompaned him to school and had risen out of pleasant expectancy and excitement, into sharp and acute bites of pain.

His father took his hand and led him inside the premises, all the while Sahil kept looking up and trying to distinguish where the top of the building ended and the sky began. What they entered into was a large hall surrounded by square corridors swirling up on every floor. Sahil couldn't prevent himself from still looking up. The skylights were grand and allowed the morning rays to bath the huge foyer where a great many number of students had assembled along with a few parents as well.

Sahil made it a point observe everything because before he left his home this morning his mother had told him to pay attention to everything. He was doing exactly that. It seemed that the place was thronging with people and thronging in a manner which frightened five year old Sahil as he did not like crowded places.

The only consolation he appreciated was that he wasn't out of place. With his little blue coloured bag hanging from his shoulders and a white coloured water bottle around his neck, he recognized a couple of children who also looked the same as he.

Suddenly a gust of people came from no where and Sahil lost his father's hand. He was swept away with the crowd and dumped somewhere else. A mortal fear came gushing over him. He was now frantic, calling out for his father. But since he was vertically changed at his age he couldn't peer over the shoulders of the other people and locate his father. The noise in the hall took a humming tone and so his little weak voice couldn't even be heard inches away from him.

Sahil was on the verge of tears when suddenly he felt a hand grasping his own and tugging at him. For one moment he thought it was his father but the hand felt smaller and softer. He turned to see a little girl wearing the same school uniform as he and probably his own age pulling and taking him out of the crowded spot he was stuck in. A little later he found himself face to face with this girl, standing at a reasonably less crowded area near the surrounding corridors. He looked at her and felt a bit strange. The little girl had a beautiful face but it wasn't the face which seemed to draw attention. It was her eyes which did so.

He was staring at her and she was staring back. But she wasn't really looking at him.Her gaze seemed distant and there was something void about it.

A voice came from somewhere, "Maria, where are you?".

"Here mom", the girl called out. Her mother came and took her hand and for just that fleeting moment Sahil saw a hesitant search from the girl for her mother's hand. It dawned upon him in a flash. Maria couldn't see.

But it didn't stop her from turning to face Sahil and although she might not have known where Sahil was, she waved at him. Sahil stood a bit surprised but he too waved at her smiling.

T20 Cricket...it's still cricket!

Dear Mr. Owner of the Team, let me first say that I'm a fan of yours. Ever since DDLJ, you are for me the king of romance and though there were times when people thought that you couldn't do anything else rather than sing and dance around with starlets and sacrifice the love of your life for your best friend, you awed us with Swades! So when I say you know zip about cricket I mean it in the most polite and revered way. Next time you ask any revered cricketer like Mr.Sunil Manohar Gavaskar to buy his own cricket team and do what he wants I would like to remind you that you have bought a cricket team and not cricket. And certainly not the license to become the saviour of T20 cricket.
I agree there was a time when it was said about One day cricket that it was doomed to fail. White became coloured and red became white. But why did it succeed? Coz the essence remained same. It was still cricket which was played with a bat and a ball. And for hundred years now it has been the same essence. So tomorrow if someone comes and says let's get rid of the bat and use a tennis racquet, I hope you will have the sanity to comprehend that cricket would become nothing but an extended arm of tennis. Sounds ridiculous? Well...much in the same way as a certain "strategy" put forward by a certain "coach".
Let me paint a little picture. A captain on a cricket field goes to the bowler and asks what his plan is for that over and kinda field setting he wants. A captain on a field goes to the wicketkeeper who has a bird's eye view of the entire field as well as the batters foot movement and asks his opinion on what delivery the bowler should ball next. If the captain is not the senior most player in the team he goes to the senior most player and asks his opinion in a particular point of time in the match.
Now according to math principles, I think there are four players on the field that have a direct effect on the strategy. Uh Oh! Mr. "Coach" I think your "new" strategy is leaked...Oh! and it's been leaked for maybe fifty years or so. Maybe you missed that sitting cooped up in the dressing room of your national cricket side.
A captain of a side should be one, that's why the word is captain. A captain of a ship is one that's why he is called the captain. I doubt if any captain of a national cricket side can afford to circumvent the picture I just painted above. So to call a press conference and declare that there will be four captains and that it is a new strategy only brings up the question what the motive behind it was? I smell only spite for one particular captain.
The next time Mr.Owner of the Team you decide that you know what a strategy is or hurt (in a condescending) manner the sentiments of the Indian people you better go over it in your head as to what should come out of your mouth and who it is affecting!