2009-Year in review

Each and every calendar year has something unique about it and 2009 will be no different. We are about to step into a new year and i just thought of jotting down a few points which according to me will define 2009 in future.

To begin with,this was a year which finally managed to rattle India as a nation following the terror attacks last year. P Chidambaram is the man responsible for swiftly turning India's capability of defending against unforseen attacks from pathetic to somewhat affective. Believe you me, we have an able person in P.C as our home minister. At these turbulent times when outright actions against Pakistan is a dream, an affective and efficient way to improve our internal security and capability to defend will more than serve the purpose. I feel for our Home Minister who in addition to handling the terror threats will also need to plan for the Naxal menace. It's important that we support the few good men in politics and in my book he certainly is one of them.

2009 was also a year of the Lok sabha election which the Congress won emphatically. This election will standout for the faith which the people have shown in Manmohan Singh as our PM. Probably he is the best man to lead us at this moment. We have a great leader in Rahul Gandhi waiting for the big post in probably 5 years time. When i read about what he is doing at UP,trying to understand the dalits and trying effortlessly to break the predominant cast based politics, i can only say that in RG we have the leader who will shape the politics of the future.

On the sporting field, this was a mixed year for Indian cricket. T20 exit,failure in champions trophy made for interesting reads against MSD but he has done a remarkable job since then propelling India to No 1 in test cricket. In Mahi, we are again blessed with the finest captain India ever had.

The economic recession took the shine away from India Inc but such is the momentum of the new India that it didnt take us long to find our lost path and get the growth story back on track. We are one of the few countries in the world which posseses a young,vibrant and a eager to perform population. 2010 will usher in a new period of growth and success and i am sure we will all be blessed with even better times.

Happy New Year to all of you !

The Ghetto Mentality

We are in for Telengana. Andhra to be the latest divided state. Two reasons i can associate with this:

1. Lack of development in certain regions of the country. Long standing neglect.
2. We as Indians love to live in our own groups. We prefer not to intermingle.

This mentality to make ghettos and live in close spaces is costing us dear. So after Telengana uproar we will have Bundelkhands,Gorkhaland,Bodoland etc etc. Where will it take us? Two possible outcomes:

a)Good progress like Uttranchal.
b)Overshadowed by politics like in Jharkhand.

If the former happens we will ultimately proceed towards solving the initial reason for separate state creation but there will be no excuse for the decision makers if more Jharkhands pop up.

What is important is to address the second reason for these demands. This will be a thorn in our flesh going forward. More amount of reservations for locals will be the natural consequence of state creations based on the mentality of forming ghettos. Do we want to have such a nation or do we need economic propserity across the country so that anyone from any part of the nation can earn a living?

Time to introspect and stop making knee-jerk reactions.

India post Mumbai Attacks

It is over a year since that terrible attack which crippled Mumbai and the rest of the nation. Perhaps for the first time the upper class of the Indian society were rattled and made to believe that terrorism is at their doorstep. It was no more a phenomena limited to the borders of Kashmir or the extremities of the North Eastern states. It was an attack which threatened to disrupt the elite and the way they live.

The enormity of the incident led to major changes and one of them was the appointment of P Chidambaram as the Home minister. Ever since he has stepped into this new role, we have seen considerable amount of activities to improve the internal security of the country and how we collectively react to such threats. Now there are NSG hubs across all the major cities and it is claimed that the NSG will take 30 mints to reach any spot within these big cities to counter any sudden threats. The police force is being strengthened and adequate measures are being taken to make them more lethal and effective in countering enemy activities.

At this point, i would also like to stress on the fact that there are a lot gaps and holes which needs to be filled and as the home minister correctly puts it, these are all accumulated neglect which will take time to be sorted out. What is important is to start addressing the shortcomings.

We as common citizens find it very easy to criticize the government,police force but it is equally important for us to realize the magnanimity of the task facing the authorities. The least we can do is be alert. We should always keep an eye on things happening at our local areas and report anything suspicious to the police. To change the system we first need to implement the existing one in its purest form and then find what improvements can be brought.

It is important that India as a nation never allows another 26/11. We have already responded in a brilliant manner given the communal sensitivity which exist in our country. Lets do our bit to support the heroes who fight for our security day in and day out on the borders.

Thanks.

Do we have a national identity?

On the eve of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks anniversary our hearts goes out to the people who lost their lives on that ill fated day. We as a nation can only come together and share the pain of those who lost their near and dear ones but thats only a small consolation for them.

It is however imperative for us to analyze and introspect on where we stand after 365 days. The investigations are continuing and a lot of new evidences are coming out. Kasab is still to be hanged to death for his cowardly act. What is however more important to observe is whether we as a nation are better equipped to handle external threat or not?

The idea of national unity was something we never really related to with these terrorist attacks. Imagine a nation fighting for its regional identities and suddenly a situation demands her to show her national spirit. I find it extremely difficult to fathom how such a thing is possible. Here we are fighting for 'Marathi Manoos'. Fighting to the extent of beating people from other parts of the country, ransacking media houses, trying to dictate recruitment exams. How can we expect to be united when the terrorist are preparing for an attack? Please understand, i have not mentioned unity after these attacks. I am more concerned about our unity when everything is calm and there is a secret plan going on to attack India.
If i am a bengali, i should be proud of it but i must not forget that my country is India. Sachin Tendulkar echoed these statements and the next day he is being asked to stay away from politics. What on earth we heading to? I would always be delighted to see Sachin Tendulkar speak rather than Karan Johar apologizing to the goons for something nonsensical. The need of the hour is for us to have a common identity which is strong and cannot be broken by our diversity. We were proud of 'Unity in Diversity' once. The time has come to prove it again.

We can do away with MNS and certainly Shiv Sena. We can do away with 'Marathi Manoos', Karnataka 'Rajotsav', State flags etc. These are symbols of regionalism and we are desperate to get rid of them.

On a closing note i would like to pay tribute to the manager of the Taj hotel,Mumbai who on that night kept on protecting all the guests. He was doing his duty having lost his wife and children.