Ramblings on the Indian elections
The 2004 elections presented a rather fascinating study of the Indian public, press and polity. I, as a diligent student of the Indian psyche, kept an eagle’s eye view on the entire affairs, and have indeed done so ever since.
The results left the diligent followers of news channels and newspapers rather surprised. The NDA had done a pretty credible job and I was among the many who believed that 5 more years of its rule would have set the proverbial Indian elephant on the roll. I was, indeed, quite taken aback when the Congress turned the tables on the BJP combine. I mean, what about all those polls and analyses?! Dashed wrong of the news channels to mislead us like this. Made me feel like a fat-headed oaf. Took quite an effort, you know, to talk as if I had expected this all along and had just been humming the NDA tune to mislead everyone and make them feel good! But I suppose that having counted the chickens before they were hatched, they really couldn’t dwell too much on the eggs now.
Personally, I was kind of fond of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. A rather nice old chap; dignified, experienced, a sagely exterior, a bloody good orator, a good grasp of foreign affairs, pretty good economic policies, basically the kind of qualities you would want a bloke who is going to be a Prime Minister to have. And I used to be mighty pleased when all the political analysts and Prannoy Roys (where is he nowadays by the way?) seemed to have a sort of similar view pre-elections. It feels kind of good when the experts agree with you, what! Rather sad the way he has disappeared from the scene since then. Not a dignified retreat, I mean to say. Anyway, coming back to the point, just as in the case of the experts, I too starting having second thoughts about the Congress. The Indian public’s view is not one to be ignored, I mean. If it can elect Laloo and Mulayam and even the Left, then why not the Congress too?! Not civil, I mean, not to give it a chance too.
Which brought me to take a closer look at Sonia Gandhi; her qualities, that is. I was suitably impressed. A woman who has won the hearts of millions of Indians by her deeds inspite of being a foreign national definitely deserved the Noble peace prize. Oh sorry. Sonia Gandhi now. Well, she certainly was able to turn the tables on the NDA, wasn’t she! She has her own set of positives. A true nationalist. I mean, she didn’t surrender her Italian passport for 20 years. Takes some character, that. A great communicator too; she was able to turn the crowds on in spite of not knowing Hindi. Quite commendable. And that practice of hers to read in English text. Extraordinary, isn’t it! The capacity to read an English text in Hindi does seem to argue intelligence of a high order. It could have come rather handy in the future too. I mean, imagine the Indian PM addressing the Russians in Russian, French in French, Italians in Italy (that wouldn’t be difficult at all). Quite an impact no? And add to that her being a lady. Desh ki bahu and all that. Dashed indecent not to vote for such a person.
But well, politics is such a stage that the characters keep changing all too soon for the mind to fathom. I was rather taken aback the next day as her inner voice asked her to quit the post. Quite improper for this Inner voice of hers to make her do this. Not cricket, I mean, to make her bat and bowl and field and then be absent for the awards ceremony. Why didn’t the Inner voice make her to stop from contesting in that case? Would have made things much easier for all the analysts and people like me who would now have to rethink their opinions and views a third time. Thankfully, politicians as a breed show a remarkable resistance to such Inner voices (and the public’s voice as well). Not their fault entirely. Must be dashed difficult to listen to Inner voices in the din of Parliament and what not.
Anyway, her decision created quite a furore. I mean, rather taxing for everyone to comprehend such rapid developments, eh. One man actually threatened to commit suicide! Not too much to ask to stick to one stand, is it. Fortunately, he didn’t undertake the execution of the threat. Instead, I heard that one bloke took his life thinking that Sonia Gandhi was still going to become the PM (he obviously wasn’t a rapid thinker like me and still couldn’t come to terms with reality). The news about her Inner voice didn’t reach him in time for him to stop his listening to his own Inner voice.
Coming back to the latest developments, it had now been decided that Manmohan Singh would be the new PM. I mean, if there is one person with enough qualifications to replace Sonia Gandhi, wife of Rajiv Gandhi, bahu of Indira Gandhi (and the entire desh, as she ceaselessly keeps reminding us), loving sister-in-law of Maneka Gandhi, and a score old Indian citizen, it is Manmohan Singh, PhD Economics, gold medalist, father of the dream budget, pioneer of Indian reforms. Now, there are many people for whom it takes time for such decisions to get assembled under their concrete skulls, but as you would have realized by now, Akshay D Baheti is not one of them. I smartly saw the wiseness of the decision immediately and wasted no time in supporting it whole-heartedly. Only thing, the poor old chap would have a tough time listening to his own Inner voice, that of Sonia Gandhi, and the Left of course. A rather difficult and dicey balancing act.
But he has proved to perform it quite successfully till now, hasn’t he? And improving all the time, I’d think. Three cheers for good old MMS. And a toast to his success! For he’s a jolly good fellow!!
The results left the diligent followers of news channels and newspapers rather surprised. The NDA had done a pretty credible job and I was among the many who believed that 5 more years of its rule would have set the proverbial Indian elephant on the roll. I was, indeed, quite taken aback when the Congress turned the tables on the BJP combine. I mean, what about all those polls and analyses?! Dashed wrong of the news channels to mislead us like this. Made me feel like a fat-headed oaf. Took quite an effort, you know, to talk as if I had expected this all along and had just been humming the NDA tune to mislead everyone and make them feel good! But I suppose that having counted the chickens before they were hatched, they really couldn’t dwell too much on the eggs now.
Personally, I was kind of fond of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. A rather nice old chap; dignified, experienced, a sagely exterior, a bloody good orator, a good grasp of foreign affairs, pretty good economic policies, basically the kind of qualities you would want a bloke who is going to be a Prime Minister to have. And I used to be mighty pleased when all the political analysts and Prannoy Roys (where is he nowadays by the way?) seemed to have a sort of similar view pre-elections. It feels kind of good when the experts agree with you, what! Rather sad the way he has disappeared from the scene since then. Not a dignified retreat, I mean to say. Anyway, coming back to the point, just as in the case of the experts, I too starting having second thoughts about the Congress. The Indian public’s view is not one to be ignored, I mean. If it can elect Laloo and Mulayam and even the Left, then why not the Congress too?! Not civil, I mean, not to give it a chance too.
Which brought me to take a closer look at Sonia Gandhi; her qualities, that is. I was suitably impressed. A woman who has won the hearts of millions of Indians by her deeds inspite of being a foreign national definitely deserved the Noble peace prize. Oh sorry. Sonia Gandhi now. Well, she certainly was able to turn the tables on the NDA, wasn’t she! She has her own set of positives. A true nationalist. I mean, she didn’t surrender her Italian passport for 20 years. Takes some character, that. A great communicator too; she was able to turn the crowds on in spite of not knowing Hindi. Quite commendable. And that practice of hers to read in English text. Extraordinary, isn’t it! The capacity to read an English text in Hindi does seem to argue intelligence of a high order. It could have come rather handy in the future too. I mean, imagine the Indian PM addressing the Russians in Russian, French in French, Italians in Italy (that wouldn’t be difficult at all). Quite an impact no? And add to that her being a lady. Desh ki bahu and all that. Dashed indecent not to vote for such a person.
But well, politics is such a stage that the characters keep changing all too soon for the mind to fathom. I was rather taken aback the next day as her inner voice asked her to quit the post. Quite improper for this Inner voice of hers to make her do this. Not cricket, I mean, to make her bat and bowl and field and then be absent for the awards ceremony. Why didn’t the Inner voice make her to stop from contesting in that case? Would have made things much easier for all the analysts and people like me who would now have to rethink their opinions and views a third time. Thankfully, politicians as a breed show a remarkable resistance to such Inner voices (and the public’s voice as well). Not their fault entirely. Must be dashed difficult to listen to Inner voices in the din of Parliament and what not.
Anyway, her decision created quite a furore. I mean, rather taxing for everyone to comprehend such rapid developments, eh. One man actually threatened to commit suicide! Not too much to ask to stick to one stand, is it. Fortunately, he didn’t undertake the execution of the threat. Instead, I heard that one bloke took his life thinking that Sonia Gandhi was still going to become the PM (he obviously wasn’t a rapid thinker like me and still couldn’t come to terms with reality). The news about her Inner voice didn’t reach him in time for him to stop his listening to his own Inner voice.
Coming back to the latest developments, it had now been decided that Manmohan Singh would be the new PM. I mean, if there is one person with enough qualifications to replace Sonia Gandhi, wife of Rajiv Gandhi, bahu of Indira Gandhi (and the entire desh, as she ceaselessly keeps reminding us), loving sister-in-law of Maneka Gandhi, and a score old Indian citizen, it is Manmohan Singh, PhD Economics, gold medalist, father of the dream budget, pioneer of Indian reforms. Now, there are many people for whom it takes time for such decisions to get assembled under their concrete skulls, but as you would have realized by now, Akshay D Baheti is not one of them. I smartly saw the wiseness of the decision immediately and wasted no time in supporting it whole-heartedly. Only thing, the poor old chap would have a tough time listening to his own Inner voice, that of Sonia Gandhi, and the Left of course. A rather difficult and dicey balancing act.
But he has proved to perform it quite successfully till now, hasn’t he? And improving all the time, I’d think. Three cheers for good old MMS. And a toast to his success! For he’s a jolly good fellow!!
posted by Akshay at 1:24 PM
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