Amitabh

Amitabh Bachchan is an ardent fan of Bal Thakrey. Remember the statement of Jaya after Raj attacked (verbally) her husband?

For Raj to attack Amitabh is, perhaps, politically correct.

Balasaheb's paper also endorsed Raj's views. Later statement by Balasaheb about Amitabh being a national figure etc. was an after thought. He did not reprimand his editor for writing against Amitabh.

There is no comparison between Rajanikanth and Amitabh. I am not referring to acting prowess. Rajani acts in Tamil films and makes money from Tamil audience. Amitabh does not work in Marathi films. Amitabh works in films made in rashtra bhasha.

women and quota in Parliament

Women's quota bill is likely to be introduced in parliament. Like men all women are not socially under previledged. Supposing the bill gets passed, who do you think will be nominated by the political parties. I am certain wives, daughters or daughters-in-law of the MPs and MLAs who are no more will find place. Women without godfathers will not find place.

At present nominations are largely based on caste. If we talk of AndhraPradesh, there are three major and influential communities within Shudra caste and all the political parties nominate members of only those communities. Same selection procedure will be folllowed by all political parties for nomination of women candidates. What happens to women who are from sub castes numerically weak?

When it comes to reservation for socially under previledged boys and girls in colleges, there is talk of merit ( under the present system merit is more a myth than reality, those who can spend money send their wards to expensive tutorial classes, where answers to probable questions are memorised.). With regard to quota in parliament for women, only wives,sisters or close relatives of rich and influential will get preference.For instance wife of Pramod Mahajan will be considered.
There should be quota for women from the socially under previledged sections of society.

concern for health

Dr Ramdoss has a nack of staying in news. First it was Dr Venugopal. Then he started a campaign against smoking. The latest is alchohol. I am very glad that there is someone who is so very concerned about the heath of our countrymen.

The best he can do is to convince the cabinet he is a member of and close down all the cigarette manufacturing units and breweries. 'na rahe ga baans, na bajegi bansuri'. He can also similarly make all tobacco cultivation illegal.

If tobacco and alchohol are bad for us, they are bad for people world over. But he cannot decide what people in other countrie do. He can prevail upon commerce minister and the PM to stop all exports of tobacco and alchohol.

But unfortunately he is not aware of economics. Ramdossji will do well to discuss with Chidambaram and Manmohan Singh.

I am sure he knows the repercissions. All this seems to be for women voters in his constituency.

He reminds me of Rajnarayan.

Nissim

Nissim Ezekiel is (He lives in his works) a renowned Indo-Anglican poet. He taught Modern English Verse when I was a student in Bombay University way back in 1965. All verse is not poetry, just as all poetry need not be verse. There are writers like James Joyce, Virginia Woolf and many, who in their prose gave poetry.
Here is a poem by Nissim in Indian English:

I am standing for peace and non-violence.
Why world is fighting, fighting
Why all people of world
Are not following Mahatma Gandhi,
I am simply not understanding.
Ancient Indian wisdom is 100 per cent correct.
But modern generation is neglecting—
Too much going for fashion and foreign thing.
Other day I am reading in newspaper
(everyday I am reading Times of India
to improve my English language)
How one goonda fellow
Threw stone at Indirabein.
Must be student unrest fellow, I am thinking.
Friends, Romans, countrymen, I am saying
(to myself)
Lend me the ears,
Everything is coming—
Regeneration, Remuneration, Contraception.
Be patiently brothers and sisters.
You want one glass lassi?
Very good for digestion.
With little salt lovely drink,
Better than wine;
Not that I am ever tasting the wine.
I am the total teatotaller, completely total.
But I say
Wine is for the drunkards only.
What you think of prospects of world peace?
Pakistan behaving like this,
China behaving like that,
It is making me very sad, I am telling you.
Really most harassing me.
All men are brothers, no?
In India also
Gujaratis, Maharashtrians, Hindiwallahs
All brothers
Though some are having funny habits.
Still you tolerate me,
I tolerate you,
One day Ramarajya is surely coming.
You are going?
But you will visit again
Anytime, any day,
I am not believing in ceremony.
Always I am enjoying your company.

POOR INSULTED

I do not like the concept of free meal. It is nothing but giving alms. And, perhaps, it has a placebo effect for the highest executive body of this country. Unfortunately all religions encourage poor feeding as it is referred to. During my morning walks, I find women from wealthy families taking out packets of food items and distributing to the poor, who have just woken up from their footpath bed. Those who take the packets have need for it. May be they slept empy stomach or just lying down without sleep because of pangs of hunger. But for those giving away the packets it was placebo effect. It is akin to watching a tragic film and saying to self, ‘ thank god this did not happen to me’.
By distributing free meals to poor students Governmment is doing exactly the same thing. Do you think the parents of children receiving free mid-day meal feel happy? On the contrary, they are sad about their inability to provide food to their children.
Instead of giving alms the Government should work for economically empowering the poor. According to sensus there is no unemployment in our country. The problem is one of wages. If a worker gets wages that can enable him to provide for food, shelter, clothing, education upto high school level and medical care for three members, he will not sacrifice his self-respect to opt for free meals.
There are many schemes for upliftment of the poor. But the benefits hardly reach the poor. Incharge officials of the scheme get richer. It is not enough to just allocate funds. Government should have a mechanism to see that the justice is done. Instead of giving free meals wages should be increased. Democracy is not for just 10% of the population. A handful of people from India coming in the bracket of ‘world’s richest’ is not an achievement, it is infact a matter of concern. When there is hunger, mal nourishment, planning for going to moon is akin to a starving family wanting to buy a colour television.

Merit?

Through out the history of mankind, the previledged sections of society have resisted any social change. There is fear of losing the exclusivity of previledges. That is why the upper caste is resisting reservations for OBCs. They forget two things.
1) When it comes to primary education they send their children to private and very costly schools. In the social circles they boast that their children are in very costly schools. But the same people want Government aided institutions for higher education, where the educationnal expenditure is subsidised by the Government. UGC grants 1000 crores annually to these institutions of higher learning.
2) They talk of merit and quality. What is it? Memorising answeres to likely questions in a very expensive tutorial institute? That is merit.

Hero

Mahatma Gandhi will always be remembered for his fight against untouchability. He was not against caste system. Because of him untouchabiility was officially banned. But even today untouchability does exist. Do you come across any tea stall in any village in India operated by a scheduled caste person?

Ambedkar will always be remembered for his contribution in securing reservations for SCs and STs.

Kanshi Ram will always be remembered for empowering SCs and STs. He made the people outside the fourfold society aware of their political rights. Creating awareness is a great achievement. In my view he is the greatest of the three.