Happy New Year and all that, friends! (though as of today, 2011 ain't new anymore)!
Right then - so here's to a wonderful new year, new ideas, new posts - and new, fresh thoughts.
And in continuing with my bout of fresh-uenza, I, after almost a couple of years of blogging, took a fresh look at my blog today, and realized - what the heck, I have never quite explained as to why really - why my blog has been named thus!
So here I am, writing this today, to dig into the etymology of 'Choc-a-blog':
Well, to start with, all that I cared about was that my blog should get a nice, sweet name...
...and so, I guess putting in a Chocolate flavor (Choc) wasn't such a terrible effort after all!
And ofcourse, there was also the small matter of indicating the intent of what the blog could have - all that was going inside my mind or heart (generally only these two organs - yup, let's not digress!).
This blog has always intended to be a platform for me to reflect and share, whatever has been going on, inside me, about whatever appeals to me, or makes me feel strongly enough to write about.
I'd like to think I do have many thoughts going within me, that react to every development, every news and every activity that makes me think/ask/write about my stand vis-a-vis them.
Since there are many of them everyday, I think my mind is indeed always Choc-a-bloc/Chockablock with so many ideas and thoughts.
So I just decided to perform some word-wizardry of the highest order when I played on the idiom Choc-a-bloc/Chockablock.
And voila, there you go - out came 'Choc-a-blog'!:)
I started slowly and inconsistently (not that my posts have reached any supersonic speeds now!) but have become more regular now. Atleast from mid-2009 onwards, I set myself a goal to write, at least once a month, about whatever appealed to me at that time.
So, there you are - so far, so good - but hope to improve beyond an annual turnover of just a dozen posts.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Monday, December 20, 2010
Words fall short..
..as yet another milestone is achieved, by the one and only Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.
Almost right from the time he made his debut, cricket experts and enthusiasts alike have fallen over themselves in complimenting and eulogizing the batman from India.
What I find most amazing amidst all this, is that the man himself is never ever fazed or dazed by the hyperbole and incessant 'tributes' paid to him.
Writers have run out of superlatives, but the man has not run out of steam yet. And are we happy about it!!
His humility, level-headedness, composure, focus and zeal to enjoy and keep evolving and keep honing his already supreme skills is what is worth emulating and makes him truly remarkable. Not to also forget that he's been a humble achiever unsullied by any blot against his name for the last 21 years at the international cricket level. And still counting!
We've written, read, before having again re-written and re-read, about all his achievements and abilities. But such is his greatness, and such are his qualities that he never makes repeating them seem unfashionable. Unfathomable - yes, for it is unbelievable to think that someone could do so much so regularly for more than two decades and still counting, under so much constant pressure without being in the bad books of anyone. Ever. Amazing, just amazing!
Find all this unfathomable? - yes. Unfashionable? - NO!
Many times, we tend to skip the fact that the genius that he is, could also be a human being - prone to emotions, troughs and errors of judgement. But the fact that he has managed to remain untouched by any controversy, any dissent (despite having borne the rough end of some real howlers) or anything undesirable both on the field as well as off it, is a testament to not only the man's greatness, dedication and focus towards the game, but also to his integrity, disciplined life and impeccable personality.
We all know of every shot in the book (and even those that he has created out of the book, like his vertically-pointed ferocious paddle sweep and the crisp upper cut) that he has enthralled us with, so many times. But if one also realizes the nature and attitude of the man behind the batsman, it makes Sachin worthy of being adored and regarded, all the more.
ToI aptly put the importance of Sachin's latest achievement in perspective, by writing thus: "In a year when adjectives like ‘biggest’ and ‘unprecedented’ were mostly used to describe scams, it was left to India’s sportspersons to provide cheer to the nation with their stirring feats. It is fitting, therefore, for 2010 to draw to a close with a stupendous achievement by a hero who has epitomized sporting perfection for over two decades and given millions of Indians countless moments of pride and joy."
For being the hope of a billion people for 21 years and counting, for still being the best batsman and the most prized wicket in the team even now, for being the motivation for innumerable teammates, youngsters, and cricket fans all over, for carrying the expectations and pressures of a billion hearts every time he sets foot on field so wonderfully and humbly over all these years, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - take a bow!!
More power to you, SRT - The Bharat Ratna that India is yet to call a Bharat Ratna!
Oh, by the way, if you'd also like to savor a moment from each of his 50 centuries (till now), here it is - go, indulge!
Almost right from the time he made his debut, cricket experts and enthusiasts alike have fallen over themselves in complimenting and eulogizing the batman from India.
What I find most amazing amidst all this, is that the man himself is never ever fazed or dazed by the hyperbole and incessant 'tributes' paid to him.
Writers have run out of superlatives, but the man has not run out of steam yet. And are we happy about it!!
His humility, level-headedness, composure, focus and zeal to enjoy and keep evolving and keep honing his already supreme skills is what is worth emulating and makes him truly remarkable. Not to also forget that he's been a humble achiever unsullied by any blot against his name for the last 21 years at the international cricket level. And still counting!
We've written, read, before having again re-written and re-read, about all his achievements and abilities. But such is his greatness, and such are his qualities that he never makes repeating them seem unfashionable. Unfathomable - yes, for it is unbelievable to think that someone could do so much so regularly for more than two decades and still counting, under so much constant pressure without being in the bad books of anyone. Ever. Amazing, just amazing!
Find all this unfathomable? - yes. Unfashionable? - NO!
Many times, we tend to skip the fact that the genius that he is, could also be a human being - prone to emotions, troughs and errors of judgement. But the fact that he has managed to remain untouched by any controversy, any dissent (despite having borne the rough end of some real howlers) or anything undesirable both on the field as well as off it, is a testament to not only the man's greatness, dedication and focus towards the game, but also to his integrity, disciplined life and impeccable personality.
We all know of every shot in the book (and even those that he has created out of the book, like his vertically-pointed ferocious paddle sweep and the crisp upper cut) that he has enthralled us with, so many times. But if one also realizes the nature and attitude of the man behind the batsman, it makes Sachin worthy of being adored and regarded, all the more.
ToI aptly put the importance of Sachin's latest achievement in perspective, by writing thus: "In a year when adjectives like ‘biggest’ and ‘unprecedented’ were mostly used to describe scams, it was left to India’s sportspersons to provide cheer to the nation with their stirring feats. It is fitting, therefore, for 2010 to draw to a close with a stupendous achievement by a hero who has epitomized sporting perfection for over two decades and given millions of Indians countless moments of pride and joy."
For being the hope of a billion people for 21 years and counting, for still being the best batsman and the most prized wicket in the team even now, for being the motivation for innumerable teammates, youngsters, and cricket fans all over, for carrying the expectations and pressures of a billion hearts every time he sets foot on field so wonderfully and humbly over all these years, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - take a bow!!
More power to you, SRT - The Bharat Ratna that India is yet to call a Bharat Ratna!
Oh, by the way, if you'd also like to savor a moment from each of his 50 centuries (till now), here it is - go, indulge!
Friday, November 26, 2010
I say NO to empty rhetoric. Do YOU?
There we go, another year gone by...26/11/2010 now marks a couple of years since the entire nation endured the gruesome spectre of the 26/11 tragedy.
Just as 2010 also marks:
17 years since the Bombay serial blasts,
11 years since the Kargil war,
9 years since the Parliament attack, and
hardly a few days since we heard of the latest terror strike alerts.
Oh, and this is most certainly and most unfortunately, not even an exhaustive list.
Anyone aware of the way we have approached revisiting such bitter and tragic instances would know that such dates have turned into nothing, except a time for ceremonial platitudes.
Time for dishing out the usual rhetoric on every such anniversary.
Time for talking about the 'spirit' of a Mumbai and praising the much-abused Indian patience, resolve and statesmanship.
Sorry leaders, but we can totally do away with all the useless, spineless tokenisms that you choose to vomit/spurt/blurt out, on such days with unfailing regularity and predictability.
I tried to reflect on, and list, what all has happened/changed in the last two years since 26/11/2008:
WHY and for how long should we be expected to stay content with just pledging to act, repeatedly?
Hand on heart - have we done whatever it takes and is in our capacity to act? What have we done to improve our intelligence systems and beef our security apparatus, so that we are not sitting ducks, just waiting for the next bomb to go off somewhere?
I'm not one for blindly aping the US/West/anyone but what's good and worth emulating, must not be ignored.
Did the US do anything similar in the two years since 9/11?
Sure, we are not a superpower but can't we even show our intent (if we genuinely have one, to prevail against terrorism)?
How many years has it been since 9/11? How many repeats of (forget such attacks) any subsequent attack have we seen on US soil?
It's not even about results, for God's sake. It's about genuine, persistent intent translating into concrete action.
Have we seen the same earnestness and zeal to protect its borders and citizens from the Indian leadership and security agencies, as we have seen from those in the US?
As I said, it's not even just 26/11 - there are so many other instances that have left us bruised, battered, bereaved, and grieved. What has ever become of any of them?
Which is why, it is high time our leaders acttually be proactive and ACT to do everything to bring the perpetrators to book, and do all in their might to prevent a recurrence of any terrorist misadventure - instead of just vomitting their usual, empty rhetoric on such times.
Surely, we can do much better than just being dependent on Pakistan to act - expect (action against terrorists) and then regret and re-issue a strongly worded statement especially on such occasions, re-expect and re-regret, and on and on and on.
Till then, all that the Indian public can do is to keep its famed spirits alive by humming and believing in these lines:
Kuchh baat hai ki hasti..
Mit-ti nahin hamaari,
Sadiyon raha hai dushman..
Daur-e-jahaan hamaara.
Saare Jahaan se Achchha - Hindostaan hamaara!
Just as 2010 also marks:
17 years since the Bombay serial blasts,
11 years since the Kargil war,
9 years since the Parliament attack, and
hardly a few days since we heard of the latest terror strike alerts.
Oh, and this is most certainly and most unfortunately, not even an exhaustive list.
Anyone aware of the way we have approached revisiting such bitter and tragic instances would know that such dates have turned into nothing, except a time for ceremonial platitudes.
Time for dishing out the usual rhetoric on every such anniversary.
Time for talking about the 'spirit' of a Mumbai and praising the much-abused Indian patience, resolve and statesmanship.
Sorry leaders, but we can totally do away with all the useless, spineless tokenisms that you choose to vomit/spurt/blurt out, on such days with unfailing regularity and predictability.
I tried to reflect on, and list, what all has happened/changed in the last two years since 26/11/2008:
- The main conspirators hiding in Pakistan are still scot-free. Worse, we are even today, as helpless in apprehending them as we were a couple of years ago (despite all credible evidence and intelligence inputs).What has ever become of Dawood Ibrahim, for that matter, in the 17 years till date that we should expect anything better or new, now?!
- The predictably unrepentant terrorist - the captured gunman Ajmal Kasab - is still languishing in jail, having already cost the exchequer many crores.
- Home Minister P Chidambaram has, today, despite having issued thousands of pages of voluminous dossiers, yet again noted/appealed to/told (take your pick, if you find any one of them better than the other two stances) Pakistan that it has to act against the conspirators.
- India has re-re-re-re-re-re-re-issued a stern warning and re-re-re-re-re-re-re-said it is looking forward to stern action from the Pakistani authorities, and re-re-re-re-re-re-expressed its displeasure and regret over lack of enough action on the ground, despite enough incriminating evidence.
Keep looking, I say! What better can you expect of the Pakistanis? But what better have we done ourselves after just saying, saying and saying...and then expecting them to say and do what we'd like? Sure, we should just keep expecting, keep looking and keep hoping, all of us - before (God forbid!) the next one takes off. Even after that, what can happen? A new series of statements (yes, just those) of renewed, reaffirmed displeasure/regret/hope would be unveiled and there we go again.
- David Headley has been accidentally unearthed as the lynchpin of the 26/11 planning team but punishing him from our side, through our courts, stays elusive since it's unlikely he would ever get deported to India.
The only good bit is that we can act on the leads received (and to be received) from him, in advance, and use him to trace and track all his co-conspirators.
Alas, this too would be possible, only after the mercy of, permission from, and dependency on - USA's co-operation.
- A movement that looked to create a difference through public unity and an outpouring of emotions against terrorists in the immediate aftermath of 26/11 did seem to have some muscle in it but that too, has since fizzled out.
WHY and for how long should we be expected to stay content with just pledging to act, repeatedly?
Hand on heart - have we done whatever it takes and is in our capacity to act? What have we done to improve our intelligence systems and beef our security apparatus, so that we are not sitting ducks, just waiting for the next bomb to go off somewhere?
I'm not one for blindly aping the US/West/anyone but what's good and worth emulating, must not be ignored.
Did the US do anything similar in the two years since 9/11?
Sure, we are not a superpower but can't we even show our intent (if we genuinely have one, to prevail against terrorism)?
How many years has it been since 9/11? How many repeats of (forget such attacks) any subsequent attack have we seen on US soil?
It's not even about results, for God's sake. It's about genuine, persistent intent translating into concrete action.
Have we seen the same earnestness and zeal to protect its borders and citizens from the Indian leadership and security agencies, as we have seen from those in the US?
As I said, it's not even just 26/11 - there are so many other instances that have left us bruised, battered, bereaved, and grieved. What has ever become of any of them?
Which is why, it is high time our leaders acttually be proactive and ACT to do everything to bring the perpetrators to book, and do all in their might to prevent a recurrence of any terrorist misadventure - instead of just vomitting their usual, empty rhetoric on such times.
Surely, we can do much better than just being dependent on Pakistan to act - expect (action against terrorists) and then regret and re-issue a strongly worded statement especially on such occasions, re-expect and re-regret, and on and on and on.
Till then, all that the Indian public can do is to keep its famed spirits alive by humming and believing in these lines:
Kuchh baat hai ki hasti..
Mit-ti nahin hamaari,
Sadiyon raha hai dushman..
Daur-e-jahaan hamaara.
Saare Jahaan se Achchha - Hindostaan hamaara!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Guilty, until proven innocent
All of us are too aware about the current state of Andher Nagri, Chaupat Raja in our country.
I do not wish to dwell on the sheer scale (given the amount of misappropriation) of the scam - and it's not as if other scams of smaller amounts are any less deplorable.
A scam is a scam is a scam. Period.
It is nothing but a brazen breach of trust and honesty. The trust, commitment, transparency, and honesty that the citizens and electorate of the country expect and deserve. Nothing more, nothing less.
What I do want to write about, are the things that struck and hurt me even more than the obvious news flashes and beyond the usual platitudes of 'law must take its own course', 'we condemn such misuse of public money strongly', 'a thorough investigation is a must', 'innocent until proven guilty', and even 'it's a conspiracy'.
Excuse me, but whether it's CM Ibrahim or A Raja, who the hell wants to conspire against these people?
How often have we heard about the conspiracy theory against anyone who is accused of any malafide intent and wilful wrongdoing?
To put it in other words, have you ever heard someone accused of corruption, despite being confronted with raw facts, NOT putting up the 'It's just a ploy/conspiracy against me' front as his sole defence?
I bet, never.
Heard the DMK representative a couple of days ago, vociferously denying any possibility or need of Raja's resignation. After Raja was made to resign yesterday, it was quite laughable to then see him doing a shameless turncoat by taking a moral high ground by then shamelessly claiming how his party had displayed great virtues of probity and accountability.
Only, it wasn't funny. At all.
Where had all these values disappeared only a day ago when they had not been pressed for resignation?
To see such embezzlers being portrayed as 'scapegoats' of 'conspiracies', is nothing but a smokescreen of the highest order.
Does a Ratan Tata or the CAG have nothing better to do than alleging against someone like an Ibrahim or a Raja, respectively?
What we should actually ask is why was the Government sleeping on the matter and was in fact, even defending Raja till the last minute?
The accused always believe propounding a conspiracy angle is all they need to do, to wash their hands off any allegation. So what, even if it comes from credible people/agencies with incriminating evidence!
I believe it's time we dealt with such scamsters with this two-pronged approach:
A) Guilty, until proven innocent
Having seen enough of such attitudes and circumstances, I am honestly sick of people being framed as innocent when clearly and under the garb of conspiracy, all evidence is against them.
Now I am not against the basic premise of this idea. However, I am all against its misuse.
Such people who misuse these laws and tenets, under the pretext of 'conspiracy' and/or 'innocent till guilty' when there is compelling evidence against them, must be presumed as guilty. And this is where an independent (from the clutches of bureaucrats and politicians) agency must be formed, to act against those who are, on the basis of prima facie evidence, clearly found to be complicit in any kind of breach and misuse of public position and office. And then try to hide under the garb of 'innocent until proven guilty'.
Our judicial system is already swamped with so many cases that it takes only so long to decide on the cases (that too, assuming witnesses don't die/get killed/turn hostile), that the actual culprits either remain scot-free, on bail, or die a natural death at the young age of anywhere in their eighties or even nineties.
Such people who treat law as part of their own fiefdom need to be treated as guilty. Like a show-cause notice, the onus should be on them to prove why and how they are not guilty when all prima facie evidence is against them.
And atleast resign, voluntarily.
Time was, we had Lal Bahadur Shastri, who owed up responsibility for a train mishap and resigned. Voluntarily.
Simple question: How big a role do you think, did he have in the mishap?
Was Shastri ji's role in the train tragedy in any way more than or even similar to what Raja's (and his ilk's) has been in all sorts of scams? But unlike the bellicose, unrepentant, shameless politicos of today, Shastri ji voluntarily put in his papers.
THAT, is what is meant and evident by Probity, Conscience, and Transparency.
Not when you get belligerent and even have the gall to display a forced resignation as martyrdom in the guise of upholding values.
B) Ensuring Accountability and Setting Precedents
Barring the exception of Sukhram in the telecom scandal, how many politicians embroiled in a scam have ever gone to jail?
Let's make the perpetrators pay - I say this only metaphorically, because literally speaking, that's precisely what they do - pay they do! Which is why, after paying up and bribing the equally culpable officials, they always get to be scot-free.
It's time to ensure those who commit such gross misappropriation and corruption get nothing short of non-bailable warrants. Let's see them behind bars.
When the Harshad Mehta scam happened, only Harshad Mehta went to jail, not any politician.
When the Ketan Parekh scam came to light, only Ketan Parekh went to jail, not any politician.
When the cash-for-votes evidence against Bangaru Laxman came to light, he was made to resign but he too, was never jailed. Nor did anyone from the hawala scam, or the fodder scam, or the zillion other misappropriations that never even come to light.
If a Shivraj Patil is inept during (and before) 26/11, he is removed. But what next? He becomes a Governor. Ditto for an N D Tiwari, after his infamous, sleaze-filled video.
The point is, politicians have for long gotten habituated to a settled and a 'yahaan-nahin-toh-wahaan-accommodate-kar-denge' life. In any case, they know they would not only get bailed out and roam scot free, but also get some plum post, sooner or later, here or there.
What we really and urgently require is to set up an agency that is outside any purview or any sort of influence of the government and the MPs. However, forming one obviously requires a legislation. The only, small problem is that such a legislation, that undermines the power of the legislatures, would have to be created, ratified and passed by the legislatures themselves.
Well, it's a bit like asking ISI to disband terror camps or hand over Dawood - you will hear all the usual noises but ultimately, nothing will effectively happen on the ground.
Alas, one can't expect a burglar to pass a legislation allowing others to stop burglaries!
I do not wish to dwell on the sheer scale (given the amount of misappropriation) of the scam - and it's not as if other scams of smaller amounts are any less deplorable.
A scam is a scam is a scam. Period.
It is nothing but a brazen breach of trust and honesty. The trust, commitment, transparency, and honesty that the citizens and electorate of the country expect and deserve. Nothing more, nothing less.
What I do want to write about, are the things that struck and hurt me even more than the obvious news flashes and beyond the usual platitudes of 'law must take its own course', 'we condemn such misuse of public money strongly', 'a thorough investigation is a must', 'innocent until proven guilty', and even 'it's a conspiracy'.
Excuse me, but whether it's CM Ibrahim or A Raja, who the hell wants to conspire against these people?
How often have we heard about the conspiracy theory against anyone who is accused of any malafide intent and wilful wrongdoing?
To put it in other words, have you ever heard someone accused of corruption, despite being confronted with raw facts, NOT putting up the 'It's just a ploy/conspiracy against me' front as his sole defence?
I bet, never.
Heard the DMK representative a couple of days ago, vociferously denying any possibility or need of Raja's resignation. After Raja was made to resign yesterday, it was quite laughable to then see him doing a shameless turncoat by taking a moral high ground by then shamelessly claiming how his party had displayed great virtues of probity and accountability.
Only, it wasn't funny. At all.
Where had all these values disappeared only a day ago when they had not been pressed for resignation?
To see such embezzlers being portrayed as 'scapegoats' of 'conspiracies', is nothing but a smokescreen of the highest order.
Does a Ratan Tata or the CAG have nothing better to do than alleging against someone like an Ibrahim or a Raja, respectively?
What we should actually ask is why was the Government sleeping on the matter and was in fact, even defending Raja till the last minute?
The accused always believe propounding a conspiracy angle is all they need to do, to wash their hands off any allegation. So what, even if it comes from credible people/agencies with incriminating evidence!
I believe it's time we dealt with such scamsters with this two-pronged approach:
A) Guilty, until proven innocent
Having seen enough of such attitudes and circumstances, I am honestly sick of people being framed as innocent when clearly and under the garb of conspiracy, all evidence is against them.
Now I am not against the basic premise of this idea. However, I am all against its misuse.
Such people who misuse these laws and tenets, under the pretext of 'conspiracy' and/or 'innocent till guilty' when there is compelling evidence against them, must be presumed as guilty. And this is where an independent (from the clutches of bureaucrats and politicians) agency must be formed, to act against those who are, on the basis of prima facie evidence, clearly found to be complicit in any kind of breach and misuse of public position and office. And then try to hide under the garb of 'innocent until proven guilty'.
Our judicial system is already swamped with so many cases that it takes only so long to decide on the cases (that too, assuming witnesses don't die/get killed/turn hostile), that the actual culprits either remain scot-free, on bail, or die a natural death at the young age of anywhere in their eighties or even nineties.
Such people who treat law as part of their own fiefdom need to be treated as guilty. Like a show-cause notice, the onus should be on them to prove why and how they are not guilty when all prima facie evidence is against them.
And atleast resign, voluntarily.
Time was, we had Lal Bahadur Shastri, who owed up responsibility for a train mishap and resigned. Voluntarily.
Simple question: How big a role do you think, did he have in the mishap?
Was Shastri ji's role in the train tragedy in any way more than or even similar to what Raja's (and his ilk's) has been in all sorts of scams? But unlike the bellicose, unrepentant, shameless politicos of today, Shastri ji voluntarily put in his papers.
THAT, is what is meant and evident by Probity, Conscience, and Transparency.
Not when you get belligerent and even have the gall to display a forced resignation as martyrdom in the guise of upholding values.
B) Ensuring Accountability and Setting Precedents
Barring the exception of Sukhram in the telecom scandal, how many politicians embroiled in a scam have ever gone to jail?
Let's make the perpetrators pay - I say this only metaphorically, because literally speaking, that's precisely what they do - pay they do! Which is why, after paying up and bribing the equally culpable officials, they always get to be scot-free.
It's time to ensure those who commit such gross misappropriation and corruption get nothing short of non-bailable warrants. Let's see them behind bars.
When the Harshad Mehta scam happened, only Harshad Mehta went to jail, not any politician.
When the Ketan Parekh scam came to light, only Ketan Parekh went to jail, not any politician.
When the cash-for-votes evidence against Bangaru Laxman came to light, he was made to resign but he too, was never jailed. Nor did anyone from the hawala scam, or the fodder scam, or the zillion other misappropriations that never even come to light.
If a Shivraj Patil is inept during (and before) 26/11, he is removed. But what next? He becomes a Governor. Ditto for an N D Tiwari, after his infamous, sleaze-filled video.
The point is, politicians have for long gotten habituated to a settled and a 'yahaan-nahin-toh-wahaan-accommodate-kar-denge' life. In any case, they know they would not only get bailed out and roam scot free, but also get some plum post, sooner or later, here or there.
What we really and urgently require is to set up an agency that is outside any purview or any sort of influence of the government and the MPs. However, forming one obviously requires a legislation. The only, small problem is that such a legislation, that undermines the power of the legislatures, would have to be created, ratified and passed by the legislatures themselves.
Well, it's a bit like asking ISI to disband terror camps or hand over Dawood - you will hear all the usual noises but ultimately, nothing will effectively happen on the ground.
Alas, one can't expect a burglar to pass a legislation allowing others to stop burglaries!
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