Religion that is no more about SPIRITUALITY...

I am a tolerant person, well mostly! I believe that God and religion is a bunch of hoopla and hoax created to control the human free spirit. But, I am tolerant to those who find God or find peace in God. What I do find wholly bewildering are the people who hide behind religion when their individual purpose is solved. And I am not talking of politicians and self proclaimed tricksters, er, religious leaders! I am talking of every day idiots who hide behind religion to justify asinine behavior, incompetence and malicious intent. 

A Mark Twain quote comes to mind...

And I live in India. The Motherland of Religious Escapists. Everything impractical and sometimes everything that defies basic logic can be justified by religion. Whether it is fasting yourself to illness or making excuses for not working (the never ending inventory of religious festivals and functions) to shunning basic human dignity. All this can be justified by using religion as an argument.

And there is always a loophole to exploit. At the very least to ensure that all is forgiven! If you commit a sin, no matter, there is always some temple you can ring the bell at or a river you can bathe in to clean up! And then you can go right back to sinning, whatever your choice of sin may be. Every time I go to any relic of religious worship, the number of crooks praying can only be outdone by the number of people exploiting God and the crooks to make a quick buck. 

To say nothing of religious extremities! Some of them are just plain stupid and others are reflections of poor character that is preached in the garb of religion. An extreme example is that of the Aghori Sadhus. These are members of a Hindu sect who worship Shiva, whom they see as the supreme god. Because they believe that Shiva created everything – they consider nothing to be bad. For this reason they engage in a variety of sexual practices, they drink alcohol, take drugs, and eat meat. A perfect example of leveraging religion to eat, drink, fuck and make merry! 

In some parts of India it is believed that ghosts can inhabit certain people of the living world. Most notably, girls who are born with a baby tooth already erupted through the gum and girls who are very ugly or have some facial deformation are believed to be possessed by ghosts. The only way to exorcise the ghosts is for the girl to marry an animal, typically a goat or dog. Even though there is a lavish wedding ceremony complete with booze and dancing, the girl is not expected to copulate with the animal – which is good news!

And how can we talk of religion and it's bullshit (pardon my language but I cannot find a better word) and not talk of the Muslims and their matam and the Sati Pratha among Hindus. Thankfully the latter has not been outlawed. But I am sure if you search deep and wide enough, it is still practiced.  

By all means, pray and be spiritual. But you don't have to burn women, be violent and marry animals to achieve fulfillment. And if you truly find charity in your heart and good will to the world, practice it instead of using it as a facade to commit atrocities.

Vote Wisely...

Been a long time and frankly for a bit, I was out of things to say. But the recent political environment and the basis for public political opinions has depressed me quite a bit. Of the many things that have left me quite dumbfounded, the complete lack of common sense and knowledge when it comes to economics has me really concerned. 

For all those who are voting or forming public opinion based on political rhetoric, get a reality check, please. Spend some time on this image below. 

For one, it is important to understand that the cost of running a country, providing services, maintaining a military, supporting and repairing the infrastructure, and all the other essential functions of government, is immensely expensive. Taxation, along with selling government bonds, assessing fees and imposing tariffs, are the principal means by which governments raise money to meet these expenses. Therefore we can either get low taxes, good quality of life and high cost of living or low taxes and poor quality of life or moderate taxes, moderate cost of living and all the good stuff like military security, improved infrastructure, better public education, better law and order, etc. 

Don't vote for anyone who says that they will reduce taxes, make everything cheaper and improve quality of public services and of life in general. It is not achievable and moreover not sustainable. 

Welfare states almost always fail! Huge budget deficits arising from endless subsidies always fail (we've been down that road). Deflation is BAD for the economy. 

Please google up some macro economics for dummies before you go out to vote...

Vote wisely...!

The Dark Side of the Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid...

Ever wonder why the common man or the much flouted aam aadmi suddenly becomes the talk of the grand political hob nobbers at every election and then forgotten? Why the plague of this strange class of voters are never really met? Is it because they are always complaining (I know we Indians can be a complaining bunch!) or is it for another reason?

A reason that is so dripping of selfish commercial and economic gain of the fat tip of the iceberg, that it makes a lot more sense to let the aam aadmi remain there complaining, crying and being traded for their emotional reaction to the practical problems. Are electricity, roads and water the root of all problems plaguing this vote bank or is it just the superficial countenance of a deeper problem. If electricity, road and water were the only problems, the somewhat khaas aadmi would also be bitching. And maybe they are but no one is listening since the weight of the democracy is with the aam aadmi with their commonplace superficial needs.

Have any of us ever wondered why the aam aadmi remains aam over the years and years of trying to improve their condition? I have a theory or two like I always tend to but what strikes me as odd is that the aam aadmi never seems to complain about living and dying aam forever. Well it is the most visible conspiracy ever! Because they rant and cry, and swing election from one political party to another and with all of the nuisance that they can be, they are the largest generators of money for the very few from whom all of them buy. Yes, that’s right! It is the huge population that is buying the bulk of what is generating the money for the khaas aadmi to get more khaas every day in their swanky urban residences and BMWs, fancy clothes from blindingly lit up malls and all the hype and hoopla.

If only every one of those poor aam aadmi guys could get a world class education and aspire entrepreneurially or get a polished service sector job, who would be sweating to harvest the crop, clean the houses and stand guard while the narrow rich throw around their spoils? And who would by the high volume fast moving products and services that make up the source of these spoils? The fortune at the bottom of the pyramid has many sides and welcome to the dark side.

There is profit to be made by letting the laborer toil and the sweeper sweep without developing aspirations. And all it takes is very meagerly financed (given the stretch of the bigger picture) but well thought out propaganda based on picking on memories, triggering emotional reactions to common problems and yes, remind them of their religious and caste based affinities to ensure that they can be divided and ruled – confined to serving, all the while being micro machines for the incredibly large profit generators.  

And it is the same the world over – except probably in Marx’s dreams. Once the votes are counted and the voting machines put away for the next 4 - 5 years, the common man is better-off at the bottom of the pyramid because if they aspire and rise and claim their share of the potential pie, there would be, well, much less pie to go around because the pie would get smaller and the mouths to feed would grow. So whether they are the leaders of the extreme and conservative right or the super liberal fringes of the left, the hard core capitalist selling the Gujarat story or the communist fascist selling whatever it is that they continue to sell, or for that matter the Aam Aadmi Party – the aim is the same in the end. Make sure that the carrot keeps dangling just out of the reach of the aam aadmi and make sure it stays fresh, colorful and attractive at all times and never really let them have it.

Where is the agenda...?

As I sit through rebroadcasts of political campaign messages, it strikes me most odd that political and policy debate has descended to the bottoms of mud pelting & a spit fight between contenders with no vision or discussion on issues that affect the future economic and social state of the nation. And it is disappointing to say the least - we have degraded democracy to a washing machine of dirty linen. On their best days the lead contenders aim at cheap exploitation of the electorate sentiments or make shallow and ridiculous comments that have no bearing on almost anything that makes sense.

Some 'isms' from the political battleground... 

"The escape velocity for earth is 11.2 km/sec while that of Jupiter is 60 km/sec. In India, we have the concept of caste. There is an escape velocity here also. For a Dalit to achieve success, the escape velocity required is that of Jupiter. More effort is needed."

"There is a tendency to look at India as a country. If you go back 1,000 or 2,000 years, India is actually energy. "

"Gujarat is bigger than the United Kingdom, to give you an idea. In fact, India is bigger than Europe and the United States put together."

"Politics is everywhere. It's in your shirt, your pants. Politics is everywhere. That is the problem with youngsters these days. This is a fundamental problem and we are trying to solve this problem."

This is but a sample of the ludicrousness that is presented to us to choose the person who will lead us into an uncertain and complex future. Where is the discussion on economic reform, education, poverty or other blaring issues that have sunk India into an inertia that is proving difficult to drive out of? The nation can only ponder on as the media and neta led circus plays out on the big screens. 

Communal Divide - A tool to divide and rule....

According to Bipan Chandra, in his book “Communalism in Modern India”, communal riots are not caused spontaneously and also that they are rarely caused by religious animosity. They arise due to conflicting political interests, which are often linked to economic interests. While our leaders would like us to believe that communal conflicts in our country, especially the recent ones, are an outcome of religious differences they are not.

Yes, we have religious differences and a past that has some times not been the brightest example of our ability to live united. And yes, the foundations of our boundaries and our culture are rooted in deep-seated and often divergent political beliefs. But we are human beings capable of compassion, tolerance and peace. And yet, our leaders have been able to diminish the functions of our sensibilities and convince us that there is a divide and have been able to trigger hatred of those on opposite shores at each other, profitably to satisfy the power and economic benefits of a political class that is crass and unabashed at methodically deconstructing the dreams of our founding fathers and freedom fighters who gave their lives so that we could be free. Free from the oppressions of colonial rule, oppressive landlords and the unscrupulous laws that sought to divide us as a united people and rule to exploit our weaknesses. 

We have faced Fifty-eight major communal riots in 47 places since 1967, ten in South India, 12 in East, 16 in West, 20 in North India with a total death toll of 12,828 (South 597, West 3,426, East 3,581, North 5,224). This is in the land of many religions with none speaking of hatred, conflict and killing in the name of God. Whichever name you give to your God, no God, in any meaningful interpretation of any scriptures has ever spoken of murder and bloodshed as instruments of a spiritual journey.  

Religion is not about domination or doctrines. Nor is it about erecting temples or building churches or mosques, or attending public worship, or participating in any form of display of rituals. Religion is about intellectual wisdom and a spiritual journey. And for long now our political leaders would not like you to think so. Because in their business, if religion were to become your personal guide to whichever higher purpose suits your souls, there would be no divide between people across religious borders that can be exploited for personal benefits. As long as we as a people can keep fighting with each other instead of focusing on the real issues that need serious national debate, the ruling class can get away with administrative inefficiency, a complete lack of personal values and the most menial forms of corruption.

The time is upon us to question whether this nation needs to be built on religious principles. Is religion the purview of the State? Are our individual guides of religion really so different that the simple matter of coexistence must be the foundation of political and national debate? Are political parties playing us across the board – Congress or BJP, the Left or the Right or the national and regional political parties in the name of religion?

Swami Vivekananda said “religions do not come from without, but from within.” It is in our personal space where our religion resides. And no one, no leader, politician or religious leader can prevail over our own internal thoughts, beliefs and triggers. For till the day that they do, till the day we make decisions and commit to actions based on religious divide that has been inculcated in us from without, we can never be truly free…

Who to vote for…

If you are an average citizen of India, like me, most of you probably are faced with this dilemma every time that you approach the prospect to exercise your democratic rights. And some of you will probably not vote to elect your leaders because either you cannot make up your mind or because you think that there is no point in voting! Nothing’s ever going to change, from the the way see things.

And I am guilty as charged. Most often I do not vote because I cannot make up my mind on who is the better of multiple evils. I promise that I spend time looking through my options and listening through the campaign build up but when it comes to the moment, I get serious cold feet. Because I have a criteria that I use to filter out the candidates and then more often than not, I am left with pretty much a shameful void at the end of the process. Here is how I judge and, this is not really a definite rule book but I think it does two things. One, it will provide an estimate of how bad the prospective leadership has become in this country and two, you may just get lucky and be able to make a decision. And when you do, it is just your laziness that is to blame for the adverse election results.

Sometimes, you expect a set of results and even take the initiative to vote, but the actual outcomes are, well look at where we are today. Here is how I decide and I leave it in the open to critique, abuse and maybe I get a fan following. My conscience is clean either ways…

The first step is to be able to appeal to your self and also to the patriotic personae in you (this might be buried under the  and reflect on the following questions…

1. What really matters to you? – there is no point in pretending to be selfless and self sacrificing because truthfully, at every level of thought, we are serving self interests – there is very little that really classifies as truly selfless.
2. What do you think are are the 3 things your immediate surrounding need for the betterment of everyone around you? – Now based on where you are and your life’s experiences on a day to day basis, this list might be the most difficult to come up with – not because you live in utopia but the list can tend to be infinitely long but must be limited to 3 and must be realistic. We all hope for low fuel prices and free food but that’s not happening anytime soon!
3. What do you think are are the 3 things this country needs for the betterment of everyone around you? – Now based on where you are and your life’s experiences on a day to day basis, this list might be the most difficult to come up with – not because you live in utopia but the list can tend to be infinitely long but must be limited to 3 and must be realistic. We all hope for low fuel prices and free food but that’s not happening anytime soon!
4. What are the kind of people you would like to be surrounded by? – This is a slightly indirect but I will get to it! Again, as before, don’t go for the idealistic or be misled by social conditioning. We’d all like to be surrounded by a fusion of character traits that do not really exist in one person. If you want to be surrounded by honest, selfless, funny, good looking, spiritual and articulate people then you were born in the wrong place, time and probably as the wrong kind of living organism.

This will take some time to achieve but you will get there after a few iterations. Depending on your level of patience and dedication to achieve the outcome, it will take from a 30 – 50 iterations! Don’t worry, you get better at it over time.

Now make a list of the potentials – the potential candidates. This list, typically will be in 3 layers. The lowest rungs will be comprised of the DOGS – people who do not deserve to even be in the consideration set. Not considering them is a no-brainer.

There are then the other two layers. Layer 1 will be based on your own political  and social affiliations and Layer 2 will be based on people you think have potential, agnostic of political or social affiliations. And Layer 1 and 2 may have the same candidates. 

The problem is that most often these will not be the people you will directly vote for! We can all think that Narendra Modi may be the person you would like to vote for but you need to understand that a great leader with a bad ground level machinery is not really a good leader at all. That’s not a reflection on the top guy but just that our democratic system is so complicated that it is often the case that the tail end may not be as great as the top guy.

This, in itself, will take some time – more often because we vote for the symbol and not the person hiding behind it – we are driven by a lot of symbolism as a country.

Once you get to this point where you have your thoughts listed out and your potential options consolidated, it is time to open the news channels, news paper and now the Social Media to look for information. Listen to the campaigns and compile as much information as you can get.

Then, GO TO VOTE.... Chances are you will have narrowed down to 2 or 3 possibilities. If you have followed the steps and been true to yourself, you would not have more than a couple. Hit the button!

Politics, Greed or Just Plain Inefficiency...

  

A bunch of really innocent kids dies and for what? This is the saddest and, at the same time, most aggravating tragedy that that hit the country in the recent years. And the recent years have been tumultous with corruption, terrorism and foul politics affecting citizens across the length and breadth of the country. But the death or children because someone mistook pesticides for oil, is the worst stain of inefficiency on the machinery.

Was it just the usual political foul play, that is so common and frequent in this the World's largest democracy? Was is Laloo or some devil from the Congress that planned this outrageous attrocity to create an agenda to fuel the election debates - especially within a state, that by comparison, is currently one of the most efficient and economically growing in the country? When you take a look at the crazy political mileage that is being exploited by the various parties vying for a piece of the Bihar pie, it is almost a matter of certainty that this is quite possibly the most tragic political chess play in the sad and dirty history of recent Indian politics. Consider this...

- The Congress is grappling with extreme governance issues and corruption clouds. Chances are slim that they will come to power unless there is a complete breakdown of the BJP.

- Laloo, apparently backing congress, realizes that with the level of development in Bihar and his impending judgement day at court, he does not have a winning agenda.

- If Nitish comes together with the large section of the BJP, and its allies, who are not favoring the Rajnath Singh way, BJP will fail miserably in the elections.

Any two of the three driving factors has a winning play in the tragedy. And the tragedy has the plus side too of making Nitish Kumar look like an angel - the suspicions and accusations seem to be arising pretty quickly given the standards of the Indian police force.

The Mid Day Meal policy, much like any of the other socialist and populist policies in this country, is one that is designed to win votes more than do any real good. And the administration of the same is loose at best - with the absence of any meaningful and efficient governance that permeates to the roots where the policy actually gets implemented. And from the days of the rations to the looming food security bill, such policies have done nothing but generate red-tape employment for greedy mediocrity to make a short cut buck. I will not be very surprised if this was a plan to make the extra buck by not using the cooking oil provided for by the government and use the spare fertilizer/pesticide lying free. Someone decided to pocket the money. The plan was to probably mix up stuff (oil with pesticide) and went sideways with the wrong container got used. Greed and/or extreme inefficiency. 

Whatever led to this outcome, it was an unnecessary loss that could really have been done without. The kids will not vote for another 10 - 15 years and the parents will lament bothering to vote for the rest of their lives. Is this the path of our righteous democracy? Is that how cheap the cost of a life is. We can raise our voices in protest and carry candlelights to boost the wax industry but we must ask ourselves this fundamental question - are we voting for these people who, beyond the path to the seat, cannot value life of the voter?    

Towards Complete Failure…

You know that the political leadership has reached the peak of corruptibility when the governed people look at every move and action with suspicion. I was speaking to a few random people and the Chidambaram comment of the weakening rupee not deserving the panic it is encountering came up for discussion. There were some opinions of intellectual sort and some kept quiet. The comment that stuck to my mind the most was the claim from one person, known as someone with significant optimism in general who said, "I am sure someone somewhere is making illegal money off of the rupee depreciation." This gentleman, while he had no plausible explanation of how anyone was making money but the conviction that some money was changing hands to allow for the weaker rupee, was absolute and unshakable.

And that’s proof that the country is in dire trouble. We have reached a stage with the current Indian government where the common average aam aadmi, the median that the government is so inclined to champion the cause of, begins suspecting your every move. Whether it is good for the country, bad for the country or anything in between, the average Indian has begun suspecting the very core of what holds together the democratic form of governance that is India. Too few people have spent too much effort in making too much of undeserved money over the last few years and this has led to a complete lack of belief and trust of the people in the system. And when the system established by and for the people, loses hope and faith of the people, democracy is cracking at the seams.

The problem is that the cracks do not span across a specific political party, leadership lobby or region. It spans across the ruling class irrespective of political ideologies or affiliations. So a change in leadership from one political tower to the other is not going to cement the cracks that are threatening to transform into crust shattering rifts. I do not know what the solution is. I have some inkling of what the outcomes might be.

Political Crisis is generally preceded in appearance by economic crises and plenty of this is available for introspection today if you take a look around. Economic crises also follow political downfalls because of the paralysis of policy, decision making and implementation. We have seen enough and more indicators of the Indian economy failing consistently – weakening currency, dropping credit ratings, slowing GDP growth, etc. No matter how much our leadership claims that the signs are not worth the panic and the world is slowing down and taking India down with it, the possible truth is that the leadership has no idea of why the world is spiraling out of control and even lesser idea of what can be done to stop the free fall.

And economic crisis is generally followed by unemployment, crime, civil unrest and eventually an absolute and complete socio-economic breakdown.

Handouts in not the right answer…

The Food Security Bill is an ideal example of a movement towards a socialist outlook of handouts. It is the easiest thing to do that can make a "bad economy leading to a poor election outlook" into a "good election outlook". And precisely the definition of a poorly strategized goal for inclusive growth.


Inclusive Growth is not about taking money from the rich and giving it to the poor. At least not after Sherwood Forests lost Robin Hood and got converted to a National Park! Because, the idea of forcing the rich to feed the poor leads to two outcomes - the rich start to look for ways to avoid paying and the poor get used to handouts leading to general lack of initiative. Sure, when the poor make the largest part of the voter bank, it makes for good election strategy in the short term. But, in the long terms it just leads to the country getting poorer as a whole and more people getting poorer over time - backed by social security, it's easier to be without an income, isn't it.

Let's look at one of the most mature Social Security systems in the world - the United States. In 2011 the projected benefit payments were $738 billion, while projected income from Social Security taxes are $693 billion, creating a deficit of $45 billion. And, one census report published in NY Times said that the year say percentage of Americans living below the poverty line last year, 15.1 percent, was the highest level since 1993. It is a self-sustaining downward spiral. Handouts create deficit. Taxpayers (the big ones) pay out the deficit by reducing cost (one of the quickest measures is by reducing labor cost) thus adding more people eligible for handouts. And the deficit increases therefore increasing the tax burden.

The Congress leadership is threatening to go down the Ordinance route if the opposition does not allow passage of the bill. Politically, facing an election campaign, it is a Win-Win for Congress, looking good whichever way this goes. But, inadvertently as it may be, for the first time possibly, the great Indian Parliament is doing something good.

The solution is not handouts therefore. It is the ability to create opportunity for success and enterprise, and in turn generate profitable employment. Handouts like the food security bill only add to bureaucracy and generate the bad kind of employment – the kind that only adds to cost without any meaningful returns. If I am lazy and am rewarded for being lazy, I would rather be lazy than proactive, enterprising and hard working.

A Script of Indian Politics…

Day 0

MoI Correspondent, Minutes of India, Srinagar May 18 20xx

7 Killed and 12 Wounded in Militant Attack in North Rashmir
"7 people were killed, including 3 military personnel, in a suitcase bomb at Kshitij Plaza in North Rashmir…"


Day 1

Chief Minister of Rashmir– Senior Member of the Wrongress Party

“This is a truly barbaric act that has no basis in Islam and we condemn this unreservedly. We will spare no pains to hunt down and bring the criminals to justice”

President of Rashtriya Righteous Parishad

“We believe that Chindistan Jihad have again gained the upper hand in challenging our national integrity as the ruling Wrongress Party leaders sit back and encourage such attacks by fundamentalist elements from Chindistan to act under the cover of meaningless peace talks”

Prime Minister of Hindistan – Wrongress Party

“This is a very savage act on our soil and we are mobilizing our strongest investigative partners to hunt down the perpetrators and bring them to justice”

Senior Member of Rashtriya Righteous Parishad

“This is a barbaric act. The Wrongress Party must deal a stronger arm instead of playing fiddle to west driven friendship and peace policies”

Party Spokesperson of Wrongress Party

“We have instructed the Chief Minister’s Office at Rashmir to work closely with the military police and civilian agencies to chase down the criminals behind this horrific act”

Chief Minister of Rashmir– Senior Member of the Wrongress Party

“We have had detailed discussion with the Prime Minister and have requested the resources of Hindistan Intelligence Agency (HIA) and Border Intelligence Agency (BIA) to investigate the incident”



Day 7

MoI Correspondent, Minutes of India, Srinagar May 25 20xx
Attack Intelligence was shared with Rashmir Home Ministry
"An anonymous source at the Border Intelligence Agency said that it had shared advance intelligence with the Rashmiri Home Minister that indicated possible terrorist activity in April… "

President of Rashtriya Righteous Parishad

“This Wrongress Government is inefficient and corrupt, and has not been able to deal effectively with any of the past Chindistan Militancy on our soil. We demand the immediate resignation of Central Home Ministry and Rashmir Chief Minister”

Senior Minister of Rashtriya Satyavaadi Party

“This government led by the Wrongress Party and the Opposition leaders of the Rashtriya Righteous Party are all equally inefficient and corrupt. Rashmir should be under military rule.”

Home Minister Rashmir

“I can assure you that no such intelligence was shared with us. This is just opposition tactics to taint the current government”



MoI Correspondent, Minutes of India, Srinagar May 25 20xx
Rashtriya Satyavaadi Party threatens to go on Indefinite Hunger Strike
“Rashtriya Satyavaadi Party President has threatened to organize a peaceful hunger strike and demonstration outside the residence of the Wrongress Headquarters from Saturday unless speedy justice was dispensed on the Rashmir Investigations.”

Party Spokesperson of Wrongress Party

“We have setup a Joint Parliamentary Investigation Commission to investigate the communication failure between the BIA and Rashmir Home Minister. The Prime Minister would like to assure the country that strict action will be taken based on the findings of the report.”

President of Rashtriya Satyavaadi Party

“BIA, HIA, Military Police and Home Minister are all in each other’s beds. We are starting our protest demonstration on Saturday. I shall go on indefinite hunger strike.”

Senior Minister of Wrongress Party on Twitter

“Another hunger strike! ROFL..!! RSP should understand that hunger strikes don’t solve real problems”

Day 12

MoI Correspondent, Minutes of India, Srinagar May 31 20xx
Rashtriya Satyavaadi Party President goes on Hunger Strike
“Rashtriya Satyavaadi Party President has commenced his hunger strike and demonstration outside the Wrongress Party Headquarters.”


Party Spokesperson of Wrongress Party

“The party leadership is not very worried about populist protests – like so many before the RSP will run out of steam when brought to a national debate, away from their fringe attack policy”

President of Rashtriya Righteous Parishad

“We will boycott parliament until a full report of Rashmir Home Ministry investigation report is not submitted”


MoI Correspondent, Minutes of India, Srinagar May 31 20xx
Parliament hung over uproar from opposition – no Food for Poor Bill this session
“The opposition parties led by Rashtriya Righteous Party gheraod the speaker demanding justice. No action marked the day in parliament and the speaker adjourned the house…”


Day 15

MoI Correspondent, Minutes of India, Srinagar June 3 20xx
RSP President continues his hunger strike. Physician says condition stable.

Party Spokesperson of Rashtriya Righteous Parishad

“We will boycott parliament until the prime minister resigns.”

President of the Wrongress Party

“The Prime Minister has our full support.”


Day 20

MoI Correspondent, Minutes of India, Srinagar June 8 20xx
Joint Parliamentary Report submitted. An ASS found guilty

Party Spokesperson of Rashtriya Righteous Parishad

“The Rashmiri Home Minister must resign immediately.”

President of the Wrongress Party

“We are going through the report submitted. Let me assure you that just action shall be taken.”

Party Spokesperson of Wrongress Party

“The prime minister has called for a meeting with the BIA and HIA chairmen to map out next steps.”


MoI Correspondent, Minutes of India, Srinagar June 8 20xx
President of RSP end fast
“The president of RSP has ended his indefinite fast. In a statement to MoI he said ‘we will observe the action taken by the Wrongress Government on the report before deciding on next steps’ “



Day 25

MoI Correspondent, Minutes of India, Srinagar June 13 20xx
Home Minister claims error by Assistant to Special Secretary of Rashmir Home Ministry – ASS of Home fired from job
“The Rashmir Home Ministry spokesperson claimed that the report was classified as insufficient evidence by the ASS and that the ASS has been fired on negligence...”

Party Spokesperson of Rashtriya Righteous Parishad

“The Rashmiri Home Minister must resign. The culture of the ministry is responsible for such misconduct and the Home Minster must take responsibility”

President of the Wrongress Party

“We have read and acted upon the report by firing the ASS in the office of the Home Ministry.”



Day 30
MoI Correspondent, Minutes of India, Srinagar June 18 20xx
Bomb Suspect Apprehended!!

Press Release by BIA Chairman: The BIA Special Action Force, in collaboration with the State Police, HIA forces and the army has apprehended the two key suspects involved in executing the Suitcase Bombing last month….

Press Release by HIA Chairman: The HIA Special Tracking Team, in collaboration with the State Police, BIA and the army has apprehended the two key suspects involved in executing the Suitcase Bombing last month…

Press Release by Rashmir Home Minister: The State Police Special Purpose Team, in collaboration with the HIA, BIA and the army has apprehended the two key suspects involved in executing the Suitcase Bombing last month…

President of the Wrongress Party

“I am proud of the relentless effort of all agencies involved in tracking down the perpetrators of a truly barbaric act.”

Party Spokesperson of Rashtriya Righteous Parishad

“The center must now focus on speedy justice. Anything short of the death penalty will send messages of leniency to Chindistan”

Chairman of a major Human Rights Group

“The prisoners must be given a fair judicial process. Killing them will not make us any different from them.”

…

…..

………

…………….

The essential characteristics of an Indian Political Leader…

On any average day we choose to make decisions that affect not only our own lives but the lives and ways of those that we depend on, those that surround us and even those whose lives are not intimately connected to ours in any particularly decipherable way. And very often those decisions do not conclude to the outcomes we expect from these decisions. And when this happens, more often than not, we end up creating our own perceived burden of failure that we live with for the rest of the period that we suffer the outcomes. We make these weighty burdens pins in the cushion of our life; sometimes learn from them and, with a little luck, move forward with corrective and wiser decisions that create positive outcomes for all affected.

There are those among us who do not feel this burden and continue to make whatever there is to make of the resultant situation, and simply move on. Considered in an isolated environment such individuals are very often considered brave and optimistic in their approach. When you consider that their decisions and outcomes affect many lives, they make for extremely selfish and almost social psychopaths – most of them probably end up becoming our political leaders. The ability to reap personal benefits off of every situation and make that the core objective is quintessential to get to a position of power where one can govern and lead. Every other manifestation of evil we see, as we read through the lives of those who decide our fate as a people and as a country, is an outcome of this profitable ability to shrug off the good or bad of any decision made as long as there is a personal benefit.

Take a look around and then take a while to contemplate on the state of the nation. Every day and every newspaper that covers the truth will tell you the same story of leaders who we elected to office have pegged us at the lowest end of the priority spectrum. Somehow these people have been able to convince us of our their genuine intent on helping us develop, progress and get from high to higher, while their every subsequent decisions sink us lower and lower into a quicksand from where there is no recovery. The only high-to-high movement is for their own coffers. And that stems from the complete lack of any possible consideration of outcomes. When you take that look around, ask of yourself this question – who among these clowns is really someone who cares about the condition of the constituent? I have had a very hard time spotting anyone who can restrict the high of power from getting the responsibilities of power drunken stupid.

From a limited internet research, 2012 alone yielded scams worth losses over 3000 billion – about 3% of the GDP. And this is just what has made it to the Wikipedia list. Even if I am very optimistic, I would peg the corruption losses to about 10 – 15% of the GDP of 1.89 trillion dollars in 2012. In 2012 India has ranked 94th out of 176 countries in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, tied with Benin, Colombia, Djibouti, Greece, Moldova, Mongolia, and Senegal. Look at the countries we are ranked with and then put the promises and propaganda of progress and growth in perspective. Have our leaders done us proud or pushed us to the brink of shame?