Chai Pe Charcha

Smoky, Spicy Chai for a change

Today's news reads that the Congress party has dissolved 14 District committees and 140 block committees ( I could've got the numbers mixed up, if so, sorry about that). The party wants to revamp the organization. But madam you are treating typhoid with malaria tablets.
The reason that the Congress failed miserably in the election is not organisational failure nor it is the inefficiencies of the campaign managers. The mandate of the people clearly points to one direction. A wave against the sheer arrogance either congenital or inculcated by the INC and its allies.
Every time a Kapil Sibal came and said there is zero-loss to the exchequer in the 2G-3G scam, every time a Sheila Dixit held a press conference to say all is well with the Commonwealth Games in the face of obvious an -apology-of-a-construction conditions, dirty toilets, stray dogs hanging around in the Games' Housing Complex, every time an eminent economist-Prime minister came and said the files pertaining to the Coal Scam are missing, every time a Robert Vadhra got land registered in his name on the basis of an un-cashed cheque, the blood of the electorate was boiling. Older people may have resigned to the fact that this is the way it will be, the Congress discounted the 18% strong young and the first-time voters charged with the anti-corruption ideology that generally comes with youth who couldn't digest the fact of corruption.
What they couldn't digest either was the unabashed brazenness with which the party and its allies were justifying the wrongdoings. Unfortunately there was nothing the electorate could do to topple these leaders-turned- feudal lords. They were simmering in anger and helplessness.
Then there was Modi. A humble chief minister from a election wise not-so-important state whose name shone through the dark shadows of the post-Godhra riots only after Tata Motors set up their Nano factory in Gujarat. People noticed the Gujarat model of Development only then.
The BJP didn't do so much to Modi's image as much as Congress did to elevate him in the eyes of the public. Forget BJP, forget Shiv Sena, Forget TDP, suddenly Modi was the only enemy to fight. Each time the Congressmen spoke ill of him, it was actually sounding like Modi-chant to the public. An enemy's(The Congress) enemy is a friend was the subliminal message sent out each time a Priyanka Vadhra(who suddenly became a Priyanaka Gandhi), or a Rahul Gandhi or a Kapil Sibal or a P Chidamabaram foul-mouthed him.Therefore this became a Ab-ki-baar, Modi Sarkar and not BJP Sarkar. The Congress should take the credit for the phenomenal success that Narendra Modi, The BJP and The NDA have enjoyed in 2014.
In the past when a member of a minority community voted for the Congress he was actually voting for Indira Gandhi or Rajiv Gandhi who somehow had created an image for themselves of being secular, pro-downtrodden, pro-minority. So anybody who was not from the majority, his/her vote was assured to go to the Congress. The graph first reached a plateau and then slowly but surely started going forward and downward after Rajiv Gandhis death.
This time especially the disenchantment and disappointment of the minorities with the Congress was quite evident. Also the vote-for-caste/community mould also was broken especially in the Caste-controlled North.
If anti-Incumbency played a major role both Amma and Didi should have lost. They didn't.
Was development the only weapon the BJP used to get votes? I don't think so. I think they used hope. Hope of a better tomorrow, hope of social justice being made available to the people, hope of not having to pay the peon in a municipal office for a birth certificate or to release the body a dead relative from the clutches of the police after a post-mortem and a hope of a son or a daughter getting a decent job.
The rampant corruption in MNREGA, JNNURM where the likes of Sachin Tendulkar are mentioned as manual laborers, The multiple DIN held by Priyanka Vadhra, Sachin Pilot, Salman Khurshid and the great Karthi Chidambaram (do you remember his arrogance when he got a businessman arrested in the wee hours of the morning for tweeting something bad about him?). Which of these stalwarts did not know that it is illegal to posses more than one DIN? Absolute shamelessness!
The multiple DIN holding is just a small reflection of the Congress' audacity which considered itself a Leviathan in this country.  Well, a David Modi has demolished a Goliath.
But more than anything, I hope, the BJP and its allies are listening and learning from this debacle of Congress. If they learn and I truly hope they will, there will not be another Purti Scam.

I'm in Love Again!

The past three weeks have been excruciatingly painful. For two reasons. One, I had a fall from a staircase and landed on my bum and two, I had to spend those three weeks at home resting. I now could declare that I truly had a pain in my butt! Bored out of my skull I posted my favorite photographs from the library of pictures that I had clicked over the past four years. I became so facebook friendly that I now can be officially declared temporarily insane!
I was also youtubing my favorite genres of music which are, Jazz and Hindustani classical. My boredom had also led me to seek a soul mate in my mobile phone. 
That day, whining and writhing in pain while shaving (the slightest move of the pelvis in the wrong angle would send electrifying pain through my back!), I was playing one of the online radio channels available on an android app called Tunein. Generally I play music from this app while shaving as a fill-in sound to kill boredom. then it just happened! the piano piece that was playing was so well played like it was some angel playing. I looked at the song being played ( the advantage of these apps is that you can view the artiste and the song details when the song is being played) and discovered a relatively new artist called Jessica Williams playing a song called Soldaji. it was sheer magic! I was in love again!
After my ablutions , I sat at the computer (in great pain as usual) and youtubed the song. It was there! and there were more.
The songs I'd recommend of Jessica Williams are:
1. Soldaji
2. In a Sentimental Mood - a Jazz Standard
3. The Shiekh
4. As Time goes By - The immortal song from the movie Casablanca sung again and again by various artists.Here she plays an abstract version and her mastery over the ebony and ivory keys is an epitome of a virtuoso.
5. All Alone.

Now I got to go to iTunes to buy these songs.I suggest you guys who love jazz do so too.

Ciao.

Our Christmas Tree

Our Christmas Tree
Originally uploaded by Maitreya 8

Merry Christmas 2009 everybody. May all of you have a wonderful 2010 ahead.

My Morning Cuppa

My Morning Cuppa
Originally uploaded by Maitreya 8

I have four cups of coffee a day. Will do.

Chevrolet 1

Chevrolet 1
Originally uploaded by Maitreya 8

The vintage at Ajith havan Palace Hotel.

Bee Hive after the 'Eviction' of the bees

Bee Hive after the 'Eviction' of the bees
Originally uploaded by Maitreya 8

The Residents of my apatment complex thought of these creatures as harmful and therefore got them evicted. What you see is a denuded hive.

The Language of Colours

The Language of Colours
Originally uploaded by Maitreya 8

Mysore sky at Sunset

Mysore: Sunset

Mysore: Sunset
Originally uploaded by Maitreya 8

Paradise Not Lost: I live in paradise. My little town has four palaces, five beautiful lakes and no traffic jam! The only time you'll have to stop your car is to make way for the cattle crossing the road. There are no malls and multiplexes and life revolves generally around lots of cups of by-two coffee. It still smells of earth when it rains for the first time and winters are chilly. People are OK and we also have lots of foreigners wanting to learn yoga or do something else. People still gossip about who's having an affair with who else and wearing tight clothes is still scandalous. There are snake charmers on the road and the ones with home made coconut shell violins trying to sell them to you as if they are exotic. We do get many kinds of Biryanis and dabelis and vada-pavs. God bless my already blessed city.

What is the Question?

To be or not to be, that is the question.
To be a slave to ritualistic religion (god-fearing, it is called) or to be morally upright, that is the question.
To pay your taxes and follow the law to the last traffic rule or to covet public office and wealth, that is the question.
To believe in non-violence or eat meat, that is the question.
To silently practice or to loudly preach, that is the question.
To own responsibility or to blame someone else, that is the question.
To argue that philanthropy is the greatest religion(with a glass of Mojito in your hand) or to donate Rs. 50 to a charitable cause, that is the question.
To explain to a friend on a Vertu phone how simple you are, or to have the guts not to have a mobile phone, that is the question.
To enjoy a drink in a pub or to go into a pub and beat girls inside the pub, that is the question.
To be or not to be, that is Your Choice and not a question.

My Son Siddharth recieving his Black Belt in Karate

My Son Siddharth recieving his Black Belt in Karate
Originally uploaded by Maitreya 8

My son has been learning Karate since he was 5 years old. He is now the proud recipient of the much envied black belt. He learnt Karate under the guidance of Sensei Jaideep Bhalerao (Dan VII) of the Shito Ryu School's Kadihai Martial Academy branch. He has 9 more 'dan' (levels)s to go.

Thought for the day

"Do, or do not. There is no 'try'."
- Yoda ('The Empire Strikes Back')

Thought for the day

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Thought for the day

"Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo."
- H. G. Wells (1866-1946)

Thought for the day

Old African Saying:
"When rat laugh at cat, Usually there is a hole nearby."

Thought for the Day

I got this gem from my good friend Keshav:
To expect the world not to cheat you or malign you in any way is like facing a Lion and to expect that he should not harm you because you are a vegetarian!!!!

Thought for the Day

Note to readers:I will post this random selection of famous quotes when I don't have enough material of my own.
~It is greed to do all the talking but not to want to listen at all~
Democritus

The last two weeks I was touring Rajasthan. Thanks to my Brother-in-law, Narendra Shenoy, who had made all the arrangements, I was able to witness the Nagaur Sufi Music Festival 2009. The concert was held in the Nagaur fort and for this purpose alone the fort was illuminated with a few thousand lights and a few more thousand oil lamps. The atmosphere was charged with spirituality as you heard the Langas, The Iranians, The Egyptians and Sabri Brothers sing from their hearts in the crescent moonlight. One could feel that supreme being even if one did not understand the words or the language. This shows that if music is rendered from the heart you can see God.

The groups that participated were Kachra Khan Langa from Rajasthan, Mamma Khan Langa from Rajasthan, Naglaa Fathy-Mohammed Farghaly-Mohammed Mohammed Farghaly from Egypt, Siddhi-Goma group from Africa,Baran Music Ensemble from Iran, Nanak-Manak Brothers from Punjab, Sabri Brothers from Jaipur and Iqbal Hussain Khan Bandanawazi & Group from Hyderabad.
Believe me folks, it is an experience of a parallel universe!!
The pictures I shot of the festival are available on http://flickr.com/photos/maitreya8/

Cheers

Hey Ram!!!

Two days ago there was a meeting of Thought Salad (my forum)and one of the main topics of the day was the attack on women in a pub in Mangalore by activists of Hindu right (read wrong) wing association. All the members were shaking in disbelief from what had happened. They asked, How could they beat women? The question in my mind was, How could they beat anybody? I hope the administration takes steps to see that this incident is not replicated anywhere in the state or country. I feel that these men should be gifted a few bangles each for being so brave and attacking women (or men for that matter). They a shame to our society. But all bad things you fling in air tend to boomerang on you after a while. History bears witness to this fact. This incident also reminded me of a story:
The Appointment in Samarra
Somerset Maugham's retelling of an old story, which appears as an epigraph for the novel: A merchant in Baghdad sends his servant to the marketplace for provisions. Shortly, the servant returns home white and trembling and tells him that in the marketplace he was jostled by a woman, whom he recognized as Death, and she made a threatening gesture. Borrowing the merchant's horse, he flees at top speed to Samarra, a distance of about 75 miles, where he believes Death will not find him. The merchant then goes to the marketplace and finds Death, and asks why she made the threatening gesture. She replies, "That was not a threatening gesture, it was only a start of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Baghdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra."

We all have our appointments, friends. No matter whether one is hiding in his head-quarters in Hyderabad after a corporate fraud or absconding after impotently attacking hapless women in a pub, the appointment is fixed and he has to keep it.

I would like to quote Mahatma Gandhi here:

When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible but in the end, they always fall -- think of it, ALWAYS.

SATYAM : There is no Money like Vadla(money)

My Conspiracy Theory on Satyam:

The start-up money for the company was borrowed by the promoters from some unscrupulous and ruthless people. These could be politicians or people from the Underworld. This money could also have come at a later stage.

Company traverses many milestones. Becomes one of the top 5 IT majors.

More dirty money is pumped in to the company.

Maytas is born

Unbelievable acreage of land is purchased. The land is either bought for Maytas to further its own dirty ambitions like altering the metro-path and bringing it closer to the lands it has purchased or on behalf of the source of dirty money.

All is well with PwC having no reason to believe that there is anything wrong as the figures tally well.

Most of the earnings of Satyam are siphoned-off to fuel the growing demand for land and to average land prices in an incremental way. This is compounded by inflating the number of employees and removal of funds via the salaries (for non-existent employees) way !!!

Land prices crash. Maytas (The Sons) runs to (Daddy) Satyam to bail it out as the source is demanding better return on investment. The lenders are a ruthless lot and Raju’s own family members (who own Maytas) are in harm’s way if they don’t pay up.

Satyam uses huge amounts of cash, which was in the current account for this purpose alone, to bail Maytas out of the clutches of money-lenders. The proposal to buy Maytas for a staggering 6000 odd crores is tabled in the board meeting. Only one director feebly raises the doubt that purchasing an infrastructure company may dilute the front-runner status of the company as an IT service provider. Other than that, not a whimper from the board members (including independent directors)!!! The, so far well looked-after, top management (including the independent directors) gets a chance to prove its loyalty and returns a favor by either keeping mum and/or by conniving with Raju to take the quarter to the next level.

By now PwC is aware of the deliberate changes made in the balance sheet but decides to keep mum and endorses the end-quarter results and statements submitted to it by Satyam CFO.

Merryl Lynch comes along as a consultant to find a suitor and finds that the bride needs an emergency heart transplant!!! Vadla(money), where is the money?

Now the first question is, Whose interests are you trying to protect, Mr. Raju? The interests of some Politicians or the interests of those from the underworld? Only these two can compel a man with a very small holding in the company confess to such a huge fraud even if he has committed them. And only these two kinds of people can make a PwC put on stakes its already tarnished reputation (remember Global Trust Bank and Ramesh Gelli) and look the other way when the figures are fudged. Now even the confession looks suspect.
The second question is how on earth is it possible or a company to run on 3% operating margin (this 3% figure came up post confession)? I run a small restaurant with 35 staff which has about 20% op. margin but I still find it difficult to run the business smoothly. Then how could you take care of a 53000 strong company?
The third question is before such a big fraud came to light, why didn’t Raju resign as the chairman and run away to a safe haven like Dubai or to a country with which India has no extradition treaty?
I think the reasons could be:
A. That the very people who put him behind bars (politicians) have assured him a safe haven in India itself. They have assured him that people will forget about the whole episode eventually (and they are not wrong) and all will return to normalcy. This way they save their own skins and that of the Rajus. Therefore the ‘conscientious’ dialogue ‘I am ready to face the law of the land’. This part of the theory is strengthened by the fact that just 24 hours after Raju was kept in prison in the company of 'petty thieves' (as the media described it), the AP police suddenly 'realized' that Raju's life is in danger so that he can be shifted to a more 'comfortable' cell without drawing any flak from the public or the media.
or
B. He knows that no matter where he goes, his sources (the underworld) are going to hunt him down and eliminate him and/or his family.

Now tell me readers, where are the chinks in my armour?

Let the truth triumph(for once).

Satyam eva Jayate!

Another MS Paint Art : 'SYMBOLIC'

I was Bored out of my skull. So I decided to do this one.