I strongly believe that people like our Ex- Election Commissioner, James M Lyngdoh does not possess the right to retire. Today when I heard the news about re-polling in more than 500 booths, (the honour of re-polling of around 400 booths goes to a particular State). India will always need him; even Afghanis want him to conduct free and fair elections in Afghanistan. Can not we file a PIL, where Kiran Bedi, KPS Gill, Ribeiro and various other unsung real heroes should be banned from retiring? They will always be in scarcity in our country for the time being. Politicians don’t deliver, Bureaucrats don’t serve, and academicians don’t teach or research or get published….. We have very few people amongst us who work and after stipulated period of time they retire!
It is so unfair to a commoner, to those who don’t want to beat or bend the system, who want to remain honest, and after doing a days work want some peace and quiet.

But the thing is we don’t want to give up the Messiah mentality. In Gita, it is stated that God himself graces this earth when number of sinners increase. So this “being rescued mentality” has very deep and ancient root in our psyche. We always wait for a Mahatma Gandhi, Baba Amte, Prof Kurien, Vinoba Bhave, Medha Patkar……. We have fallen so low that we are now looking up to Rahul and Priyanka!

When will we come out of that “rescuer” and “being rescued” mentality? When will we start to trust ourselves? Proactive instead of passive? We are not even reactive. Hats off to Americans and Europeans, who take on to the street on smaller issues. Maintaining a hectic schedule and busy life, still they squeeze in some time to participate in demonstrations. At least this makes their political bosses sit up and take notice. We are not even in the reactive league. Is there a way out from our lethargy?

I cannot live a lie. I cannot hide private SMSes, I cannot resist recording telephone conversations, I cannot defy this perennial urge to speak to TV channels (of course for a few millions) or write a book about my private and torrid affairs to rich and famous and powerful.

You know I am not on the brink of starvation; I am comfortably off, having normal relationships and career. Still I yearn for more. If I am not there how the Beckhams, Clintons, Shane Warnes, Kennedys…….will stay in news in their lean seasons? Those stupids! They think if they are presidents, editors, great players, painters, writers or artists they can succumb to my charm, have a good time with me, then discard me very conveniently in the end, keeping their image of family men, doting fathers, caring husbands and RESPONSIBLE professionals intact? Those idiots are puppets in my hands. Just with a play of passion, a good pair of legs or hands or eyes, or …….( fill in the blank yourself) and they come behind me wagging their tails like puppies.

They don’t know that I too possess conscience. I too suffer with bouts of fairness and justice. I too see the faces of the family of these much married men. Their daughters, sons, wives prompt me to acknowledge this fact that I can not go on playing this game forever. Then I decide to act all divine and pristine. I try to cleanse my soul of all the (mis)deeds. A TV camera is the best place to confess (what price that channel is paying is too sacred and divine to reveal to the common public, although those channels never keep the sanctity of their oath and disclose the price my TRUTH carries. They will be answerable to God for that. ).

By this time I have tasted blood. Now I am a bit mature too. I know TV show is over and public memory is too short to remember me. Then how to immortalize my ETERNAL TRUTH? Of course I decide to write a book on the whole episode. The royalty will last not only me but my coming generations too! So I am trying to find a publisher. Do you know anyone? Or are you one?

My death procession was passing through the posh colony I lived. I was suitably decorated according to the latest trends. Ah!!! I liked the scented water in which my body was bathed. I adored the faint perfume of jasmine garlands (the smell takes you to the brink of madness!) surrounding my body. Hummm.. My sons were assembling every deserving thing right for my funeral. I was pleased with the arrangements. They hired a swanky truck to take me to my last journey. Yes, the vehicle was sleek and swanky. It even had an AC installed! Well the procession had finally started. I had a contented smile on my lips.

All the relatives and acquaintances made sure, to attend my final destination. The truck was moving smoothly. The faces surrounding me were somber and solemn, as the occasion demanded. I heard this word,
“Damn! We can not cover that damn distance even in 3 hours. See the crowd, its sheer number and magnitude! Can not beat that. We are struck up!”
From experience I know that road led to cremation ground. Who else had died? I tried to identify my new companion, who decided to leave this world along with me!
My elder son was shouting,
“See, when the traffic would be cleared, and what happened?”
All were waiting for the messenger with a bored air.
“A damn Magsaysay Award Winner cum Social Activist has died!” My nephew replied with flawless ascent.

I remember some dim wited, silly, immature college students surrounding him and asking questions and ASKING for HIS autograph, not MINE! Whenever I went abroad people knew this chimp Indian, now stalling my journey. I kept thinking, but I was the one, who owned fleet of fancy cars, wore Armani suits, my wrist was never touched by an ordinary watch. I never allowed anything but the best to decorate my house and my side (the wife was top model of the country), my palms never brushed against any damn cell phone…… the list is endless. I WAS SUCCESS PERSONIFIED. Then why these rustic barbarians, ugly unsophisticated foolish Indians are running behind this ……….. And MY PROCESSION HAD TO WAIT…….

I am often told to control my temper. Right from the childhood. I was never considered to be a good girl. One thing or another is always lacking in me. I often try to exercise self restraint and acquire cool airs. But my efforts often mock me. Only I know how hard I tried to fit in with everything and tried to be a really good girl.

Again I was sinking in self reproaching disposition. To beat that mood and to rationalize my clouded reasoning a bit, I decided to make tea at unearthly hour of 1:50 A.M… The dull ambiance was prompting me to at least spice up my tea a bit. I was trying to locate a bit of ginger in the fridge. Light coming from the fridge and the cool air as an added bonus planted a new thought and enlightened my rational part.

Whenever I shout, point a finger at someone, being illogical, uncaring or on a fault finding mission, at that time I am extremely mad with anger and passion. But now when I am rewinding the whole things in my life it seems people do the same thing with a cool disposition, without any fury or reason, unprovoked, without any baiting, 24 hours, seven days a week, thirty days a month and 365 ¼ days a year! With a cool head anyone can say and do anything, and suppose to get away with it? Certainly coolness is a great virtue.

Beverly Hills, Park Avenue, Eton, Stanford….., Cambridge…….
I see these names while traveling in the heart of the capital or in and around Delhi.

Have we lost all self respect? Doesn’t it prick our conscience a bit? If anyone is buying a flat in Gurgaon, whatever I chose to name that apartment, it will never be Beverly Hills. No matter, how hard we try if you are putting your kid in Cambridge….. in Noida, it will never be THAT Cambridge!!

Then why we chose to imitate the western world so blatantly? Is it so difficult to shake off the colonial mentality? The current generation, hyped as generation X, have never suffered or had the pleasure of ruled by Gora Sahib, still we look up to him when we name our apartments, schools, restaurants, shops, colleges, and recognize our scholars, scientists, artists, film-makers ( We conferred Bharat Ratna to Satyajit Ray, after he won the Oscar……)

Why VHP, Bajrang Dal, Shiv Sena keep harping on Hindus and Hinduism? They target MNCs, McDonald’s, Pizza Hutts, KFCs, Valentines, MF Hussains, Fires, Waters, Earths ……
Why not they give a closer look to any hep and mod crowd. Be it models, film stars, industrywallahs, socialites. They all adhere strictly to the norms of Hinduism. You will never hear: this ultra mod model fought with her Mom and Dad over the tradition of “Kanyadaan”. Instead, you will read later in her interview, “I kept weeping, and Dad kept handling me tissues, quietly. *sob* sob* sob*” Like Subhadra Kumai Chauhan (anybody care to remember her poem “Jhansi ki Rani?”) no one even shows the guts. She refused to “donate” her daughter, like an inanimate object, on the altar of marriage. So protectors of Hinduism, one of your glorious and greatest traditions is alive and kicking.

Watch any program on sociological changes. Read any social survey, a clear majority will say, they will go for an arranged marriage and won’t marry their girlfriends/ boyfriends. Long live the tradition of Hinduism.

By any chance, if these love marriages, are arranged, they are completed in arranged mode with all the décor and dowry intact. So another custom is safe in the custody of Yo Dudes and Yo Dudesses.

If you work in the office, just try to keep quiet during lunch hour for one day. Listen to the talks of the females. They will tell you, O! I can not take food today. I am keeping fast on these “Sawan ke Somwar.” You ask the reason for this, and pat come the reply
“You will end up getting a good husband.” She will impart this knowledge adjusting her sleeveless top, and tossing back her colored manes, at the same time, balancing her frame on stilettos. So this disguised Behenji will carry forward all the customs of fasts and “Karva Chauth” of Hinduism on her able shoulders.

I don’t know what bothers the proponents and protectors of Hinduism? Why don’t they ask this government for better employment opportunities?

Moisture threatened to gather in my eyes. They became more ominous, because water drops were about to spill out. I had seen a handcuffed man, escorted by two uniformed men, for the first time in my life. I was thinking about all the things written by great philosophers, thinkers and the French Revolution and what not… He was chained like a wild beast.
But my thinking process was broken by him.

“Would it cross ………….?” asked the prisoner.
“In which sector this area is located?” cross questioned the conductor.
“In sector 44, Noida.” replied the prisoner.
Like us, his voice was agitated, his forehead having many frowns, teeth peeping out from the slightly opened mouth. He was eager to reach his destination. Then he conveyed the whole message to the uniformed personnel.
“Come on! Come on! This will go,” they said in unison. The way, we do it with friends on a bus stop!!!