Hindustan Times
Pranab And His Pipe Dreams
He is a man who fits the bill
For the tallest dome of Raisina Hill
Picked by party, blessed by volition
And the cheeky tricks of a coalition
Pranab for Prez, truly alliterative
Might serve well as a curative
For an office rattled by things discreet
When retirement was measured in square feet
A doyen of the party, a sprightly babu
courted trouble when he touched a taboo
In the fall of the year Eighty Four
When as FM he asked for more
South Block’s corner was what he wanted
When he made his claim undaunted
by the presence of a Prince in royal waiting;
and incurred wrath and much baiting
Out in the wilderness, this economics prof
Counted his days with gentle coughs
Until Fate smiled, and he returned to grace
and resumed the power-game’s steeplechase
Suddenly came a former junior
Became his PM, and ergo his senior
South Block was his, but in the MEA
As if Destiny’s Call had lost its way
Luck turned again, and he crossed the road
Returned to his former North Block abode
Presented four budgets amid some crises
(though sadly, he could not control the prices)
Fortune smiles again, and the sometime dissident
Is now out to run for the Nation’s President
North Block, South Block left behind
Fate was tough, but Destiny’s kind.
The learned man, famous for his pipe
Must now rise above political tripe
As he gets to face coalition googlies
With an accent enriched by waters of the Hooghly
superb article sir, team anna will have to withstand this pressure if they are broadening up their agenda
[Reply]
Vir Snghvi, did your party men/women assist Rama Sene to take the revenge so you could kill two birds in one go?
If yes, then I admire you for your ingenuity.
[Reply]
Before you talk about BJP, RSS can you explain how Congress men/women ended up working for ISI, thanks to 2G “achievement”.
[Reply]
Good One.
[Reply]
Success brings scrutiny. Vir is right to point out the contradictions.
Predictably, the movement will split. Kiran Bedi will join BJP. P.Bhushan
will go his own independent way and Anna Hazare will go on hunger strike
selectively whenever the public opinion seem to favour it.
However,corruption itself is a big issue. It is too early for Hazare to drift into
other political issues or get bogged down in the elections. Keep
laser like focus on corruption. The success is far from assured.
It is like 5 set tennis match-only one set has been completed. Go on fighting it.
[Reply]
Looks like writing about anything now a days and projecting RSS for whatever they do or don’t do, in negative light has become a de-facto fashion of the left wing English media.
Let’s go beyond that and analyze this article.
Yes, the mixed ideologies doesn’t go well for long in the Indian Political arena for that matter, in any alliance. But that didn’t stop Congress from creating the alliance just to keep the “communal” forces out of power, even though it was the most communal Congress Govt. which opened the doors of the disputed site in Ayodhya. They are the one, who have been continuously playing with religious emotions of the minorities, while compromising the majority’s interests little by little.
So, why Mr. Sanghvi is being sympathetic to the connest party of India? I’m sorry, I meant to write Congress party of India. Is it because he doesn’t want a short term non-congress government in the center? Is it just the congress that has been able to provide the full term govt? Or is he worried that frequent elections would be a strain on the government treasury? Well, if that’s the case, I say bring it on.
If frequent elections is what it takes to remove the corrupt from the govt., it is still a better deal. All the money spent on elections would still remain in India among the people to keep the economy churning. If the corrupts remain in power for long, they would simply be looting and sending the money overseas to park in some Canary Island or Swiss bank account.
While we are on the topic of Prashant Bhushan, could someone please post more about his background and the motives of supporting the Kashmir cause apart from being a socialist. Is he a Kashmiri? If he is not then he has no right to talk about plebiscite. It is so unfortunate for our country that one after another, there has been so many Jaichands in the history. Someone should ask him, if he ever been to the Camps of Kashmir Pundits in Jammu, Delhi or elsewhere. While he understood Mirwaiz’s Hurriyat’s point of view, can he also claim to understand the conditions of Kashmiri Pundits living in their own country as refugees.
Shame on Mr. Bhushan, if he hasn’t done so.
Shame on India’s collective News Media who hasn’t done its duty to bring the plight of certain section of India’s citizens and keeping it to the fore.
Shame on us, for forgetting the plight of fellow citizens who were kicked out of their homes and the land of their ancestors overnight.
[Reply]
Anna’s team has different people with different Idea-
1. Anna – a self-confessed Gandhian believes in Congressism.
2. Prashant Bhushan – NGO wallah committed to supporting Maoists and all the separatist movements.
3. Arvind Kejriwal: – Jholachhap NGO wallah
4. Swami Agnivesh – Congress Spy in Anna’s team
5. Kiran Bedi – Motor mouth
6. Hegde – Speaks his own mind often aligning with Congress
However all of them are committed to bring Jan Lokpal and all of them except congress stooge Agnivesh have been harrassed by Congress…All of them are allergic to any association with RSS but have no problem with associating with equally communal but totall anti-national congress.
This team needs to re-calibrate itself otherwise Congress sponsored media will tear them to shreds….They should not forget that Congress will use 2G loot to decimate them with media playing a coy wife doing everything to please Congress.
[Reply]
What about Radia tapes? Don’t try to preach morality, we know who you, barkhadutt and rajdeep sardesai are.
[Reply]
Vir is right. hazare has turned out to be a total hypocrite. He attacks RSS whose Mohan Bhagwat openly said that RSS supported his campaign. He praises prashant bhushan who speaks of dividing India. He doesnt say anything about BJP govts (karnataka, MP or Gujrat) which are openly corrupt. He campaigns in Hisar (where congress anyway was going to loose) to claim the credit, but in Pune he keeps his mouth shut as He knows no Anna giri will work there. 2 of his members are retired govt servants holding deep grouse against congress for personal reasons. Shanti Bhushan fought the case of Dawood Ibrahim in 1993. What kind of insane campaign is this– all the morally corrupt people (except Anna whom i give benefit of doubt) are there, serving their own political agendas. Good article by Vir. Thank you.
[Reply]
Anonymous Reply:
October 14th, 2011 at 3:49 pm
Your name is enough to gauge your bias.
[Reply]
Congress government sucks, why they are targeting Mr Anna , rather than correcting them self…
[Reply]
The only lesson we learn from history is that we learn no lesson. Vir is no exception to this. He is too intelligent not to know that the credibility of media is at its lowest ebb and it goes without saying that this is due to the biased and subjective reporting of news and one sided commentaries. Anna Hazare’s movement for janlokpal was the expression of disgust at rampant corruption and assertion of pro active citizens’ right to set things right. Vir must be knowing that movements neither have ideological cohesion nor do they need to have one. However, the entry of Team Anna in electoral foray in Hissar ( in terms of appeal against Congress ) was not a wise decision .If good writers like Vir try to put an end to confrontationist politics in the country and work for the emergence of consensual politics through their writings, they would be doing immense service to the country and the community.
[Reply]
cant believe this power broker in the name of Journalist still writes about issues…
[Reply]
Vir, you are still around? I thought you would have taken up another respectable profession by now but apparently not. Since you are still writing how about a lengthy article on UPA failures, the disbalance of power and governence experiment Between Sonia and MMS gone wrong? Come on Vir, write a bit about UPA and Congress like a true journalist and you may win some credibility (self respect????) back. I understand that HT may not allow them to be printed but give it a shot man….you are VEER…Right Vir?
How was the trip to south Asia…It was told you went there to take a sabattical….how did that turn out? Had a peep inside you? what did you see when you looked inside you? found anything? let’s talk about those things in your blog…readership will go up.
[Reply]
I simply love your analysis and writing. You could have put few lines about Swami and Hegde also. Swami has different idealogy and has secret relation with some cong ministers. Hegde is more than lokpal bill; his views are sober and reasonable, not emotional or not naked anti-congress. He is more wise in the whole team.
[Reply]
You are absolutely right that the Sena activists should not have resorted to the violence. I think by doing that they have given an opportunity to whole lot of people to point fingers at Anna and his team.
Is it good or not good? I don’t know. But definitely, or may be hopefully, it would help the Indian Voters to ask more questions about the agenda of leaders who just make promises, in turn delivering nothing.
From a common man’s perspective, do these 3 sena activists, and for that matter, do you and I have any voice left in the system that can ask the folks like Arundhati Roy and Prashant Bhushan to stop and consider the sensitivity associated with certain topics? Or at least take a balanced approach while making an effort towards the other section of people who have been, if not more, equally traumatized. Just because this section is associated with the majority, does this mean that these socialists would walk all over them?
Do you have that voice to stop the corrupt political organizations from wagging their tongues, which are loser than the dog’s tail?
Is there an NGO funding you or standing behind to support you?
Is there a mainstream media that is sponsoring you to write against such political organizations, who in the name of socialism are hell bent on dividing my Dharma Bhoomi?
Because when I look around as a common man, I do not see such support. What should a common man supposed to do in such a system? In 80% cases, they resort to violence, some times towards themselves and most of the time at others responsible for making such statements. I am still not saying that it is right but when frustrations set in, no one can claim to be showing sane behavior.
Every one wants to have the right to a free voice in a democracy. Sure, go ahead, but then the folks like Arundhati Roy, Medha patkar, Prashant Bhushan should first declare what kind of funds they are receiving and from what NGO. NGOs should in turn declare their ideology and philosophy alon with the funding they are receiving and from where, and should also declare whom are they funding so that the common people like you and I know what are we dealing with here. So that, we know which side they are on before they exercise their right to free voice.
Until then, spare me their BS.
[Reply]
Vir Sanghvi ji is living in some other time. History will repeat it self but totally different types of outcome. Congress by any standards is not a homogeneous party and has in its band wagon, extremists of the right wing Muslim league, naxalites and rich and famous socialists! no movement can succeed with the solid backing of a cadre based all India party. JP movement was a success only because of Parivar support who filled jails in thousands and brought some know how and discipline. Now the BJP is not the Jansangh of the seventies. Now they have eight states and many competant CMs with outstanding track records. Anna knows this. Prashant Bhushan is in the wrong place with wrong people. He belongs to Arundhati comrade group.As the congress does not have any CMs of stature, no mass leaders and the not so charming prince not yet ready, the only option for the nation with 50% population under 30 years is NDA with leaders who are non corrupt and dedicated to nation.The way Anna distanced him self with Bhushan is the solid proof that he is scared of these marxist,anti hindu pro islam socialists.
[Reply]
Vir, You have not made the most telling contradiction in the team. Their connections not only to political parties but also to some of the foreign Governments.Both the left and BJP joined against Indira gandhi because at that time she represented the Indian nationalism while these forces were supported by western interests. The most significant cause now is Nuclear detterence of India. It is here Left joins Jayalalitha in Koodankulam and indirectly joins leaders in Congress who are beholden to World Bank to cap and roll back Indian Independence.
[Reply]
Anna’s single-most objective is to fight corruption in goverment. Since corruption affects all political, ideological, ethnic, regional entities, their division should not count in Anna’s movement. All should be welcome as all and every one of us has stake in our nation’s clean governance,whoever they may be. We should unite on one cause, which should not tainted, compromised, derailed or sabotaged at the alter of our ideological differences.
[Reply]
contradictions started long back. when swami agnivaish tried to reform the hindu society by arguing against worship of shiva lingam. the way he was beaten up in gujrat with tacit support of other members of team anna proves that (1) team anna is as retrograde in thier ideology as sangh parivar (2) they will not going to accept any reformation of hindu religion (3) whosoever will oppose this Manuvadi brahmanist dictatorship of team anna will be crushed. lately another member of team anna Mr Hegde has criticized Kejriwal for calling team anna superior to Parliament. the issue of radia tapes is extremely relevent. media is totally biased in favour of team anna. Udit Raj and several ambedkarites along with shahi Imam of Jama Masjid collected a big crowd against team anna when anna was fasting at ram lila maidan. i personally witness to the fact along with Journalist of URDU press and Hardnews Correspondent that this gathering of udit raj was atleast 5 times larger then team anna’s corwd. yet no paper no channel covered it. since the days of Riv veda and Bhagwat geeta we arer witnessing this cruelty of manuvadies against the original inhabitants of India. the entire movement is about crushing indian democracy and establishing manuvadi dictatorship. atleast gandhi tried to reform hindu society although only in a symbolic manner. but team anna has closed all doors of reasoning and adopted a totally Talibani mindset.
[Reply]
DO you have a Prashant Bhushan type of guy in PoK and CoK?
Kashmir belongs to hindus not you converts.
[Reply]
And Congress? Vir and chamchas like you.
[Reply]
Bongs are known to convert…Coward genes..
[Reply]
IS VIR SIGHVI WORTH READING?
[Reply]
Bhushan loves his countrymen. He wants the govt to do the right thing – improve the standard of life of the kashmiris. If the govt cannot do their job and just want to hold the land – let kashmiris decide what they want. Do you live in Kashmir? What have you done for the Kashmiris?
Bhushan is giving the Kashmiris their choice. Once they say Indians, we can forcefully drive the Pakistani. If they say Pakistan – honestly, hell with them. There is no point holding the map of india under your pillow when you go sleep. PEOPLE MATTER – NOT THE STONE, TREES, LAKE OR BEAUTIFUL SCENRY. If you do not understand sorry. Peace and joy to all.
[Reply]
Do you also promote the view: “Muslim women should wear bikinis whenever they want it, or not wear them when they don’t want to”? Or is your view of “freedom” only limited to burkas and hijabs? Would you approve if muslim women walked the streets wearing bikinis as well as hijabs? Would your muslim leaders approve of that? Search your heart well before you speak glibly of “freedom” for muslim women? Would you allow the same freedom for muslim women as you allow for muslim men?
[Reply]
Abu Ahmed Reply:
December 11th, 2011 at 4:28 pm
That’s a very good question. However, for Muslim men and women, there’s a dress code prescribed: men should at least cover their lower abdomen till the knees, while women should cover their whole figure in modesty – no, not in a burkha, but any garment would suffice. If a Muslim man roams the street in his briefs or a Muslim woman in a bikini, that’s their choice of course, but they are violating the dress code, which is not acceptable in a religious society. This whole idea of following the diktat of the Holy Book applies only to those people and societies that are religious – and to those who are not religious, the whole discussion is meaningless. And we all have the right to make our choice – whether to be a theist, polytheist or an atheist.
[Reply]
see Bob we might say that the people (say orthodox Muslims) have different views.. but we can’t say whether they are right or wrong..personally i would say.. as long as they keep their views to themselves and don’t force women to wear what they don’t want to it should be fine.. coz am sure.. even in any other religion.. if women wear bikinis in streets.. u will find people who disprove of it!!so why only blame muslims???
[Reply]
As usual Zia has turned everything on its head in a negative way.
“don the veil when you want — and surprisingly — need to, dump it when you don’t. But never let it be a stick to beat Muslims with.”
In many Islamic societies, woman are literally beaten with sticks for not being veiled or even for not being veiled enough. I haven’t heard of any woman being beaten for being veiled by secular societies. In Pakistan, there has been many reports in their media that woman are accosted by MEN in public for being unveiled and told to wear a veil.
Zebra is wearing a veil when visiting her village because those people expect her to wear one. She appears to be rationalizing her loss of freedom due to her Pathan societal requirements to wear hijabs with all this talk about men gawking at her.
[Reply]
@abu ahmed and zia. The problem is islamic societies DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE , it is SUBMISSION to an obscurantist , archaic , anti rationality DOGMA.
You cannot live freely being an atheist in an islamic country , TRY QUESTIONING THE AUTHENTICITY OF QUORAN , WE ALL KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU QUESTION SOME ACTIONS OF THE PROPHET.
and here lies the answer , THIS HYPOCRISY , in islamic societies , this self righteousness , YET TAKE OIL OUT AND ISLAMIC SOCIETIES HAVE ZERO CONTRIBUTION TO SCIENTIFIC MODERN ERA
[Reply]
engrich Reply:
December 11th, 2011 at 11:15 pm
ISLAMIC SOCIETIES HAVE ZERO CONTRIBUTION TO SCIENTIFIC MODERN ERA
so all other societies.but islamic thought and philoshophy is base of rennainace and base of present european civilization.our contribution was not to our propotion ,but it was not zero.only ashknaazi jews are contibuting maximum.percentage of hindus and christians is also same as muslim if not better.
but jewish science has given more pain than happiness to humanity.as their aim is to control not to serve.there weapons are killing million all over the world..
[Reply]
Abu Ahmed Reply:
December 12th, 2011 at 8:38 am
Saudi Arabia is ruled by monarchs, who control their people with the help of the police and religion; Iran’s govt was formed after kicking out the Shah with the help of the ultra conservatives; Pakistan & afghanistan are illiterates and irrlegious basically – they neither follow Sharia nor secular laws but their basic tribal or panchayat laws. Leaving these countries to their fate, rest of the Muslim countries in asia, africa & europe are forward looking, free and open societies – and thanks to the Arab Spring, there would be more openness and freedom there, while they remain Islamic. Most people site Saudi Arabia, Iran or Afghanistan as examples of extremism or ignorance, leaving out several other muslim countries who are free societies.
[Reply]
UGH Typical MCP folrcing decdent culture on Muslim women is SUBJUGATION and PATRIARCHAL DOMINATION at best! Not justificable at all.
[Reply]
What a hypocrite this man is? He chooses to conveniently ignore the fact that whether it is the hijab or the two-piece bikini, Rehman is the one making her choice. Not so, for 99.99% of the Muslim women. And thats where the problem is. We celebrate freedom, and dressing the way you like, should be a reflection of your freedom. No one has a problem, if a Muslim girl is allowed the freedom to wear skirt. If she chooses then the hijab, I won’t be complaining. But hey, wheres the option for her. And like a typical Muslim male, Zia is hiding his own prejudices against women freedom. Lets not miss the woods for the tree. Its not about a hijab, as a salwar kamiz also covers a girl almost equally. Why haven’t we therefore been discussing salwar kameez? Now, Zia will call me a pervert, whose kind feels up Rahman in Delhi! Go ahead, if that convinces others about your case……
[Reply]
Can we doubt that as women become more empowered in the Muslim world, they will become less and less inclined to wear the hijab, let alone the burqa? If you look at the history/mindset behind the idea that women should cover themselves up and the onus is on them to protect them from the male gaze, you will know what is is – things like the hijab just as much as the burqa is a reflection of the patriarchal values of most (if not all) Islamic societies in the world. (Of course, patriarchal values are also deeply rooted in Indian society). Zia is saying that Western critics who stereotype women who wear the hijab have a political agenda – I suppose he is right. But people like him who want to prove that it is entirely normal to wear the hijab or the burqa and such values or dress can be reconciled with modernity are also wrong.
p.s: What’s the point of wearing a hijaab? Because Allah said or scriptures say that women have to cover their hair so as to prevent men from looking at them with adoring, longing eyes?! And this mindset is reconcilable with modernity and equal rights? Really? Really, Zia?
[Reply]
I wait for the day when muslim women will send pink chaddis to Imam Bukhari.
[Reply]
RajX Reply:
December 13th, 2011 at 6:55 am
They probably will if given the freedom to do. There is probably a Zia in each of these families rejoicing in medieval practices and controlling their woman using religion.
[Reply]
Chemical and biological effects used by NATO, USA, France, Israel and British Airforce have started to appear on the birth of new children in Libyan hospitals, babies been born with many legs, hands and very unrecognizable as little human beings. Birth defects that took place in Fallujah Iraq, are now common place in Libya.
[Reply]
“The veiled face of freedom”
This is another oxymoron like Islamic democracy. There is this trend among the Islamists to take systems, ideas and structures developed by evolved societies, take out and throw away the heart and substance out of that system or structure and then call that system, “Islamic”.
[Reply]
Zia,
I wonder why nobody is talking about headgear for man in Islam. Why banning of such attire is always linked and discussed in case of fair sex?
Wearing headgear, whether it is Ghutrah, Araquiyeh, tarbush, Fez, turban, Kufia, Iqal, Skullcap, to my understanding is apart from Sunnah, is also part of Islamic culture. Is it not?
I am not a Muslim but have read somewhere as follows:
“In Tafseer Ma-aariful Qur’aan, Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Shafi (Rahmatullahi Alay), explains in the exposition of verse 31 of Surah A’raaf in the Most Holy and Glorious Qur’an:
“O the Sons of Adam! Adopt your beauty at the time of every Salaat.”
From this ayat it is obvious that just as the compulsion of concealing the satr is based on the command in this verse, so too is the significance and merit of donning good and clean garments according to one¹s means and ability.
It is Makrooh for a person to perform Salaat bare-headed, bare shoulders and exposed elbows. Islamic headgear is an integral part of the Sunnah, so much so that to abandon this Sunnah is a sign of Imaani disaster. Therefore, Muslim headgear is considered as particular aspect of Islamic dressing. The entire hue and cry is to apply this aspect is only in respect of ladies and specifically for small girls who have not yet obtained puberty …? It is to scratch their mind with lifelong feeling of Sunnah. Even the most revolutionary lady will adopt it when in her own society. This is basically a ritual to tame the society towards a particular direction and has nothing to do with one’s connect with his or her own God.
I am not sure but will anybody enlighten us as to why the issue is only in respect of ladies when Sunnah is applicable to both?
[Reply]
artificial intelligence no match for natural stupidity, people think modesty is oppression but in reality its not,,every culture has its own portray of modesty and it differs from place to place,,,so much attention and discussion when a women choose to cover her body,,but hardly anyone cares when she forced to go with BIKINI
[Reply]
In my mind played this out as
a Rap song. Maybe some singer out there can make a hit rap single out
of this. Wonderfully written sir
[Reply]
@ManipalBlog:disqus Thanks. That sounds wondeful. Someone should try the rap!
[Reply]
Had trIggered a blast in his own house, May sneak in to Raisina hills like a mouse. Live in the palace with a happy spouse; Pranavda we wait to see your senses rouse !
[Reply]