State of the Constitution that needs steadfast application with a considered way forward

Those were the days when men in public life were exponents at reverance and religious application of the tenets of consitution.

They understood law and the societal changes that brought to bear the ramifications of a dated law. Extraordinary long term thinkers who ably lent their intellect with empathy in the process of rendering just ammendments to the constitution and the initiative of law making to expand the ambit of a just society.

Todays self centered , cash rich politicians have scant respect for the consitution and they seldom revisit the living document that needs an application of fresh and congregation of many collective minds at the parliament sessions.Their efforts may lend an influential thrust for fair constitutional framework that desperately craves for speed and fresh avenues for clairvoyant interpretation befitting the demands of a modern just society.

Noise at the podium dominates the days discourse followed by rants at the idiot box by the evening - Thrill a Minute seeded prime time TRP race poses as the representative voice of the nation wants to know notion. The ones with a heaviest purse and the folks who shout the loudest seems to flok togather to pass legislatures benefitting the egalitarian corporate class leaving the poor and underpriviledged in the lurch.

The people too seem to be inspired by the quallity of leadership on offer. Below the belt attacks are the order of the day.Verbal duels have graduated to body blows to showcase intolerance & dissent , be it shoes that get hurled or distaseful personal or inks attacks, these ugly malignant heads pop up every now and then that tarnishes the spirit of free speech and free society.

A majority of the elected repsentatives instead of representing the people who sent them to the treasury benches , represent themselves and their kin with aplomb profiting multifolds compared to the moolah they splurge to get the coveted public offices. An exhibit for one of the highest ROI of any kind. Barring a few who deligently despense the local area development funds the rest do not even know the constituted areas of employment of the MPLADs and MLALADs. Little doubt then that a 3rd of the parliamentarians and legislative assembly members dont spend even 25 % of their funds.

Expecting the elite to debate at the parliament or assembly is a exalted desire when the privileged dont deem it obligatory to attend the law making benches. Yes - There exists a constitution that we all are proud of yet fail miserably in its fundamental adoption and application. Law and Order rules apply only to the down trodden and middle class.

One of the significant parody that played out in the last winter session at the Parliament - A Travesty of the Constitution and democracy - an argument that a convicted person must have the right to represent people was such a tragic yet ludicorous farce.

Given the influence and power prominent politicians and elected legislators wield, it is rare that FIRs are registered against them. As the police force is largely under the thumb of the legislators, such cases are usually buried without any investigation. Only a small number of FIRs registered against influential persons even result in the completion of investigation and framing of charges by the court, this too is because of the vendetta politics pursued by their bitter rivals. It takes endless years for the courts to try a criminal case. After all this, only six percent of criminal cases end in conviction, unless the accused confesses to the crime. Often it is a case of justice delayed equating to justice denied idiom.

Major political parties wanted even such a rare conviction to be disregarded, and were fighting against the disqualification of convicted legislators. That we had to advance arguments against such an obviously absurd stand was an indication of the precipitous decline in standards of political behavior in the country.

Unless we make constituional reforms and ammendments for example - to make it mandatory to bring in the unblemished , educated , qualified & competent intellectuals and visionaries to the highest offices , we cannot fight such absurdities which get a favorable populist fillip because more than a few rich and famous muscle men prevail with the might of the currency over a reticent educated right thinking aam aadmi class. Untill then Movie stars with mass appeal , caste and communal agendas would divide and plunder the vote banks.

The above may seems an idealistic expectation , yet since we allowed minor deviations and created exceptions , that the wedge of malaise has deepned to corrupt the very core fabric of public conscientiousness. Six decade plus is too small a timeline for one of the youngest nation of a billion that enjoys an envious demographic dividend to give up on the sacred promise of self rule that our forefathers earned with such dignity and difficulty.

The poisounous downward spiral of corrupt governing the masses propogating corrupt ideals and eventually the voters falling prey to corrupt doles during elections to resend corrupt people to the highest offices resoundingly resonates with the old adage of the people getting the governments they deserve.

Lest we let the above rut to decay further there will either be an uprising that will gain uncontrollable ground swell resulting in anarchy like it almost did during the anna ,kejriwal India against corruption movement which lead to an eventual formation of a new political force

or

we may weaken the nation so much that we become vulnerable internal splinters or fall prey to aggresive global capitalistic or military ogiliarch nations.

Constitution constitutes the bedrock for a democratic system to florish and florish it must at rendering good and just governance to responsibly redeploy the tax payer money. Nation building ushers when all and sundry irrespective of caste or class universally heed to complying buy the guided social framework facilitated by the constitution.

"Cleantech" The Greatest opportunity for India.

What is CleanTech?

Clean tech encompasses a constellation of environmentally-sustainable technologies spanning multiple value chains in four primary economic sectors - energy, water, materials and transportation. Individually, these technologies are focused on the optimization of natural resources. Collectively, they are the basic elements of a broader systemic response to the systemic challenges of sustainability. The following taxonomy provides a basic snapshot of the core technologies that define the cleantech space:

Energy Generation
Energy Storage
Energy Infrastructure
Energy Efficiency
Transportation
Water & Wastewater
Air & Environment
Materials
Manufacturing/Industrial
Agriculture
Recycling & Waste

Clean tech has also been defined as:

“Clean tech is a diverse range of products, services, and processes that harness renewable materials and energy sources, dramatically reduce the use of natural resources, and cut or eliminate emissions and wastes . . . [which are] are competitive with, if not superior to, their conventional counterparts.”

–Clean Edge, Inc.

Its widely believed that cleantech is the single biggest investment opportunity of the 21st century. As far as market size is concerned, if you add up energy and transport sector, that’s $6 trillion worldwide. That is massive; it dwarfs sectors like IT. But that does not mean you will have hundreds of companies with billion dollar market caps immediately. The risks and hurdles are also big. The biggest hurdle is obviously that you need more capital.

The 1-2-3 factors driving investors to cleantech are -A Global Conseus on the menace of climate change, followed by a early shape to global policy on carbon pricing & volatile swings of fossil fuel pricings.

Cleantech is not a theory, and people have made money in India. Perfect example is Suzlon which has reported revenues of more than $1 billion. Like India made IT services industry hugely strategic 10-15 years ago, I think the country has a fantastic chance of making cleantech strategic too.

The biggest problem for the country is infrastructure.Mainly energy and transport. We have massive scarcity of power.

India did a complete quantum leap in telecom.We didn’t make investments in wire line, we went straight to wireless. We skipped a generation of technology. Why won’t you do the same thing in energy? Why would you go to 50-60 year old technology of coal and natural gas, when you can go to something new in energy business.

The thought of desalination of sea water for the ever scarce drinking water problem in chennai has been there for some time now. The government needs to create a viable atmosphere for private players to invest in this area as water is going to be all the more scarce with climate change rendering monsoons unpredictable.

India is one of the fastest growing automobile markets in the world.Like in telecom we can afford to skip several manufacturing & engineering bottle necks and leap frog into battery powered auto mobiles cutting down emission dramatically. Think about the opportunity of coding intelligent software to manage power grids and battery hubs from a SW lab at Hitech City @ Cyberabad.

It would be a right step forward if the government assigns a minister of state for Cleantech to channelize investments. Recognizing this sector as a separate industry is a huge step forward. A visionary move that the UPA government will take which can create as many jobs as the IT sector has given the nation. This may not get them the vote bank as did the 60000 cr loan waiver but will surely create greener pastures for a Green Global India as a hub of cleantech source.

It’s a huge opportunity India & the world has to benefit from in a hurry !

Jest Done it !

Jest Done It!

"The slime shall prevail over the cause of the slain"

Points to Ponder –

• Want to get your point thru – Lob a shoe and it is sure to find its mark.
• Fastest way to fame – Let the shoe fly instead of walk.
• Prevail – Mob Rule still does! Irrespective of being the largest democracy.
• Never ever should any party filed persons with tainted past or questionable image.
• Protest we should but not yield to be used by opportunistic scoundrels.
• Massacre – Vehemently condemn and keep the pressure. Not by waking up after 25 years.
• Congress party has as much blood on its hand as the BJP: and both have used caste and creed to foment trouble in a heinous manner.
• Constitution must be Supreme and the Law of the Land needs to take its own course.
• The Wheel of Justice should turn expeditiously. Else delayed justice is a matter of denied justice.
• Political planks should revolve around development and enhancement of a civil society; not by misleading mob and maligning or impeding the function of public institutions.
• Civility should prevail in a civil society and civilians should adhere to the civil code of conduct to the hilt.


“Jab a bada phed girtha hai tho darthi hilt thahai” – Rajiv Gandhi.
( When a big tree falls the entire land shudders )

“Jab jootha phenkthe hai , to bade bade umeedhwar uudjaathe hai” –Your Truly.
( When a shoe is flung mighty contestants get blown away )



Call it Jarnailism, mighty shoe bite or booting your point - The leg which lent the shoe from a gentle Sardar who in a fit of momentary rage vented his disgust; found its mark with the political parties, over enthusiastic media and melee amongst a bunch of trigger happy mob who found the upraising of the 1984 massacre kindling their emotions that they scaled the court wall in protest and Won the Day.

The Sikhs prevented the yet to be proved guilty from contesting a contest he has successfully contested and never lost in the past. Every contest where a few lakhs of Sikhs voted in favor of Tytler than a few hundred and one who protested and caught on media today. The one who gently lobed his sneaker at the Union Home Minister.

The issue – Clean Chit given to the Tytler by the CBI where sections of the community and opportunistic political opponents smelt rat.

The angst isn’t the issue in contest! The delayed and opportunistic angst is the one in contest; Angst unfounded as those very Sikhs voted the man in question to power with resounding mandates in approval of these very candidates.

It was also a day when the mighty Congress turned meek, thwarted a seasoned 4 time parliamentarian to assume cold feet and step back in an effort to quell the angst, lest they lost more than their reputation for fielding two gentlemen with questionable past since 1984.

The prism of paradox is an interesting looking lens as it projects a vision of multicolor blur and keeps changing to every minute tilt in the degree of the viewing angle. Paradox of a party headed by a Sikh Prime Minister fielding its candidates for a forth time.


A 60 plus year democracy with a reasonably well articulated, functional yet in some parts sell by date constitution should and must be the yard stick to prevent, absolve, resolve and deliver justice to its citizens.

It is this constitution which when wielded by the able institution of the “SUPREME” Court, the laws of the land prevails ensuring justice. And that the person isn’t guilty unless proved so in a court of law and has his right to innocence in the eyes of public and life at large.

I am no authority of law or constitution, but the above is what I believe which should apply to a civil society we sought 60 years ago. If there is an institution of CBI, then we should wait for them to play their part with conclusive finality. A country we built brick by brick to call it our own where “We the People” “By the People” is sacrosanct.

Elsewhere in the deserts of Africa, streets of Baghdad, foot hills of the SWAT and the FATA region, mountains of Afghanistan mob rules rule the roost. A provocation and a biased view can polarize the masses to take up untoward incidents where the rule of the stick prevails over any thing else.

In that context, we as a nation stand defeated today as a man at a presser sought justice for an incident which happened in 1984, a time when he would have been a pristine toddler or a kid using an unacceptable manner of protest alien to a civil society. The reason – “the Bloodshed of his community he shed ample hatred, a shoe as protest” which triggered a frenzied media to blow it out of proposition hence influencing a bias in the people to sweep the institutions of constitution and Supreme Court under the carpet and yielded to Mob Rule dictate.

We stand defeated as Jarnailism caught the vivid imagination of the sensation loving television media bring disrepute to the profession of journalists of a free nation.

The country also failed to realize that it yielded to another theater of poll politics to an incident that regretfully took place 25 years ago. The people of New Delhi where a visible majority are the Sikh community voted a party represented by Jagdish Tytler to office every time he stood the election test after the incident.

The very folks now were made to respond with urgency that “Justice Delayed is justice denied” by the dramatics of Jarnail Singh , the SAD and BJP in concert rallying to nail the squabble of a few who may not have been born in 1984 into an outrage of the community.

Why on Earth don’t we see that these very Sikh voted the man Jagdish Tytler (who by birth is Sikh as well) to office the last three times in the past. Now I am not pronouncing Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Singh Tytler guilty or innocent but shall wait until the constitutional machinery to pronounce the verdict of them being Sajjan purush. I also hang my head in shame of being a citizen of a country where 3000 innocent brave hearts massacred succumbed to a mindless carnage a quarter century ago.

Why on earth don’t we revolt against the slow turn of the wheel of justice? Why hasn’t the carnage of Godhra not evoked the angst that the Sardars at Delhi woke up to? Why hasn’t there been angst by the lakhs of Kashmiri Pundits who bore the brunt of the ethnic cleansing drive?

Are we as a nation waiting to be triggered by another flying shoe to “Just Do it” or waiting for an opportunistic political theater to convene and trigger mob rampage and justice.

Sure the mob is supreme. More supreme than the Supreme Court? But process of exercising the mob strength is at the ballot box in a civil society. Not by scaling court walls or lobbing shoes at elected representatives.

If this prevails then the one with the loudest voice will win. The one with the strongest arm will wrestle to gain an upper hand. The one with the maximum riches will buy a decree by the dozen.

Reverse Social Security delivery in India by ChandraBabu Naidu

The devastating years of the recession years began from 1937-38 under the Roosevelt era . The Social Security Act was drafted by President Roosevelt's committee on economic security, the act was an attempt to limit what were seen as dangers in the modern American life, including old age, poverty, unemployment, and the burdens of widows and fatherless children. By passing this act, President Roosevelt became the first president to advocate the protection of the elderly. The act aside addressing several factors of old age , retrials , health care etc also took into account reaching out to the unemployed with assistance from the government.

At many countries the ability of the government to take care of the citizens in their hour of need and create humane conditions where basic necessities of people are taken care of have become the gold standard that developing and third world countries aspire for in todays times. Tax paying people in the third world countries yearn for a layer of protection, insurance , providence etc when they face dire situations like the impending deep recession looming large and yet to hit with impact in countries like India.

While Roosevelt 's government made provisions and created the social security act by well thought of public policy , India seems to be heading towards providing social security to a certain sections of the vast billions of people in a peculiar manner.

Even if i were to word this phase of the blog as a satire there is an icing on the cake as the poor often times are exploited are at the receiving end of the goodies during the great general elections.

Free soaps like the record load waiver dished out by the ruling UPA or prevention of increment in petrol and LPG ( In Andhra ) prices giving the much needed cover to the common man against steep inflationary pressure is a respite indeed. At least to some. And these are always welcome.

Be it color TV's or 2 rupees rice schemes or loan waivers or free power or free laptops (as promised by the ever in waiting PM ) people have come to benefit greatly and surprisingly some of the prepoll promises have been kept and delivered by the elected representatives.

What Chandrababu Naidu has done by announcing a cash transfer pre poll soap is some thing unprecedented!!! It might defy logic as to how the exchequer will bear the expense but if looked at differently i see a glimmer of hope for the poor who brace them selves every 5 years at the great carnival of general election. If their stars are shining bright then when an government comes down crumbling mid term the goodies come their way earlier than the 5 year wait.

Imagine , Down South of India you cannot afford to put up a poll plank with out the de facto goodies which have become the benchmark manifesto of sorts. If the party i s not offering free power , two rupees rice , loan waivers , COLOR TV's then the party isn't a serious political force. As to daru or local liquor those have been flowing freely at elections since the last 60 years.

Therefore imagine when the political parties are forced to follow Chandrababu Naidus prepoll soap like the 2000 rupees he is promising as cash transfer to women in the family below the poverty line, It is akin to delivering social security in reverse order. Knowing Naidu he is sure to pull of this trick with a commendable degree of aplomb and accuracy of execution. Delivering cash to the poor directly in there ATM at the neighborhood.

At least the we can push the tyranny of the political goons to the back stage. Tyranny of caste , religion and the marathi manoos and ram sene brand of politics played by the present opportunists.

And the cash for votes is lot better than the cash for votes witnessed in lok shabha last year during the debate in nuclear deal times or what happens when several horses are traded to amass numbers to prove majority at the floor of the house.

Be it cash or lap tops one thing is sure , Diebold , NCR , Wincor , Seimens , HP , IBM,Dell , Microsoft et al will get a lot of business , thanks to Advani and Chandrababu :-)

Let there be more elections in India and let there me more free beeies reaching the poor and needy..can we call this democratic innovation in reaching social security to the poor in India.

Until our politician aren't able to tell our citizens ask what they can give the country and not what the country can can give them or until they tell what the can give the nation and not what they get to loot when in the seat of power the poll rigmarole shall continue...jab that the end nahi hoga ......abhi picture baki hai mere dost !!!!

PROFANITY OF POLITICS WITH THE SACRILEGE OF SECULARISM

The onus of being the world’s largest democracy with the added concoction of being a rich cauldron of myriad set of representations from a multitudes of cultures, social sects, religions and economic demography’s make India’s trysts with the upcoming elections a massive fan fare even if the functional side of democracy is in a state of rigor mortis.

Such is a convoluted state of coalition that even the demonic spectre of the 14th Lok Sabha seems like a serene plausibility in hind sight.
Only last year we saw a year long campaign of the democratic primaries and then the campaign between the Republicans and Democrats play out in such organized manner on global stage. Yet as when we look forward to seeking a mandate from the electorate in India we are hardly certain on who is in bed with whom. More so who is with whom, why?

This will be a watershed year in Indian politics where the party's will focus their energy no as much on winning on their own , rather preempting the opposing party to come to power by forging illicit and irrational coalitions.

It will be intriguing to read the election manifestos and furthermore quizzical to decipher the ideologies. More than ever the citizen of our country will be recipients of tasteless overtures and jarring tunes played by the corrupt pied pipers seeking a seat of power in today’s changing times. To ad to the authenticity one party has secured the rights of the “Jai Ho” Number while conveniently it left partner for 90 % of last term at office.

Even in the quagmire of choices of electoral mandates there are obvious lynch pins which will gravitate attention of the voter and the (umeedwar) aspirant. Secularism, Terrorism and Recession.

A responsible national party will play sacrilege of secularism with unashamed chutzpa. Again. A temple that they will conveniently remember to build even as the temples of commerce and financial institutions world over crumble like a pack of orchestrated cards triggering the worst recession of our times.

The party chronic in ailment of dynasty politics awaiting for a righteous son to rise to the occasion even as the wont of the masses is to see the dance of the charming daughter in the ragging ring of politics. Yet the combative Italian widow who emulated a five years a coalition towards a successful full term what was managed by a seasoned octogenarian last time around remains the czarina in charge.


We might be pardoned for expecting a young Turk at the helm of you heard “the prime minister in waiting” until you realize that it is all about the old mans cherished dream to lead the nation in its 60th year of independence with a fading vision and misplaced ideology of divisive and religious vote bank strategies. One hopes that the protagonist in chief tires from the temple tirade and mellows to be the inspiring statesman he could well be with those over 5 decade in parliament.


Vote bank strategy it seems which will give birth to a third front - Yet Again!! professing secular and protective economic future even as the contours of their coalition may be as thin as lines drawn with erasable markers on the white board. Essentially anti NDA and anti UPA. Effectively ineffective.


Even as the regional and national parties engage in a slugfest there seems to be no distinct platform for them to anchor their political campaign. None seems to have a manifesto congruently addressing the triple challenges posed by Secularism, Terrorism and Recession.

Another feather in the Indian politics is the impeccable alacrity shown by most party’s to anoint bollywood stars and crest fallen cricketers reincarnating their public life with a fresh taint that they can add to their rich repertoire of chronicled blasphemy. Add to those an assorted set of genial criminals cherry picked with an enviable track record murkier than molasses to have a chance to extend their period of self service from the people now – with an office of profit and an authority of a parliamentarian.

Amidst all this a star impostor shamelessly professing change = chiru and likening him to Obama campaigns tirelessly to get a toe hold in the political stage. Along side the matinee idol there seems many more insipid aspirants throwing their towel in the heat of an Indian summer contest.


Indian have forever lived in the audacity of hope and the country; I believe has progressed in spite of the governments at large.

A representative look at two of the possible leaders who will work for a new India in spite of their failings.

The very hopefuls will try and see a pepper bearded reformist and a once darling of the industrialists in one of the largest south Indian states back at the helm. The only irony being that this time he is bed with the left and a bunch of political urchins seeking a new state. An effective king maker , he can steer clear of the muck and lend stability if he has a sizable mandate. A plausible alternative.


Another bearded messiah from the saffron brigade, the now darling of the economists will attempt to shrug his eerie train of the past and focus on the economic express, in the role of a political in charge in the state of India’s financial capital.The masses are only waiting for his nod for anointing him to the country s top job. May be the callings of sanitized secular leader.



Even as we expect these minor mandates, as it rolls up we as Indian must vote for a decisive ballot so that a single largest party emerges with a comfortable lead. Else a fractured mandate will fracture the very spine of the greatest possibility of what can be India’s century of world leadership. Now this is what I call the “Audacity of Hope”. – Jai Ho ! Vote Karo !