Do they? Don’t they?

Do they? Don’t they? is my latest article at fuchha, please do rate it there , and any constructive feedback is most

welcome. ENJOY!!!

Valentine’s day just passed us by, the city was full of romance and hope,but soon after the day got over it probably witnessed a few (if not a lot of) broken hearts and relationships ending. One such romance that ended abruptly was that of AAP’s alliance in Delhi. Some might say it was a tragedy waiting to happen, due to crafty compatriots. After all, people for whom the highest calling has always been serving their own interests rather than those of the community could hardly be expected to back a party which is actually willing to serve. But let’s look back at the highlights and see what did Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP achieved and failed to achieve in their brief period in office.

Starting with the free water conundrum (I say conundrum because there was a hue and cry about the whole “free” affair). What really caught my attention was the great incentive for preservation. Quite frankly 700 lts a day is fair and more importantly, if majority of the city starts to keep themselves within the `free limit’ the water shortage problem will have at least one effective solution – less usage. But this is limited to independent meters only and there are no provisions for housing societies so one might say a little thought could have been put in that direction.

Moving on we have the reduced electricity rate. I don’t think electric subsidy should be the real point of attention here, rather one should talk about the audits being called on the distributors. Why? Well because the subsidy was anyways a temporary measure (as per AAP).Whereas it is the detailed study of the DISCOM’s books which would hold the answer to where the money flows. Also to be fair compared to the food security bill this isn’t exactly blowing that big a hole in the state’s pocket, so I don’t know what the hoopla is all about.

Now, addressing the elephant in the room –AK’s resignation over Jan Lokpal Bill. I find the whole incident both disturbing and inspiring. Disturbing because, `how could AAP not see this coming?’  It doesn’t exactly take a genius to see that the whole arrangement was a deal with the devil, given the nature of their allies and the intent of the opposition.A lot more planning (read convincing) was required on their part before trying to table the Bill. And inspiring because they did what they set out to do. I would have been happier had they completed the job but still how many CMs/ruling parties do we know which actually took the steps taken by him/them. They promised Delhiites something and did their best to deliver, and that to right from the day 1. Could things have been better if they didn’t have to run such a messed up combination?Maybe. Honestly, I don’t know. But personally I admire his stand for a firm Lokpal Bill without the center’s approval, and given that the center itself passed a very feeble version of the Bill, I seriously doubt there was a whole lot of choice.

And finally the million dollar question – “Should they be given another chance, with full majority?” Again it is not a query easily answered. They have shown the determination to deliver actively, something hitherto seen before, but that was without sufficient foresight and with (apparently) limited planning. They came good on their promises almost promptly (at least the ones that could be addressed in the short span) but maybe they were a little too prompt, maybe in too much of a hurry. They acted instead of just talking but,were those actions always in the right interests? These questions we all would have to deliberate upon and come to a conclusion which would serve well in the coming future.

PHOENIX – As he told it

The Phoenix is a legendary symbol of rebirth, and rebirth may not necessarily be literal for it can simply be an over the top substitute for change. Based on this interpretation and, what we see and hear in our day to day lives, I am making an attempt to come up with a series of compositions. Here is the first one.

'In flames it wore down leaving only ash behind,

 but from that sooty dust was a new head raised,

 what was assumed devoured by the flames wasn't gone.

 It died only so from the inferno it may be reborn.

 His voice was raised so were his hands,

 his eyes bulging and the gesture quite grand.

`So son', he said wrapping the child with his arm,

`what do you make of it, is there anything you could take?'

'It's all too fantastic', said the little one,

'all so mythical, that world of make-believe.'

 The father looked at the child with a stupefied stare,

 then with pride realized that nursling was quite aware.

`Child though you are right, this is just a tale,

 but only if you forget it after hearing at night'.

`When heard and understood it puts in perception,

 how there is no setback that couldn't be returned from.'

'Identify the Phoenix for me will you my son?'

 The child pondered but with no answer, he looked up

`No father I do not know, if you do please make me aware.'

 He said 'It's you', face adorned with delight and a knowing smile.

`The Phoenix is you', caressing the face he explained again.

`You are that bird of fantasy, that creature of wonder and of beauty '.

`And the fire that would be the cause of your rebirth

 at a time when you can only despair, is not but your will'.

`Now before you are lost in the world of dreams,
let me repeat this lesson of significance  my Phoenix,
when all the doors are close, and you see only darkness,
it is this fire that will determine, who you are when you come out’.

No such thing as ….. “Just a regular guy”

No such thing as ….. “Just a regular guy” is my latest article at fuchha, please do rate it there , and any constructive feedback is most welcome. ENJOY!!!

Arrey!!! You got new neighbours. Met them yet? What are they like?” “Amm…., they are okay, you know, just a bunch of regular people”. Sounds familiar. Probably so familiar, that people don’t even notice that it’s probably the most superficial, judgmental and quite possibly inaccurate statement. A statement that goes around so easily and that it stays unnoticed behind its subject. But I don’t blame anyone for that, as we live in a society with growing intolerance for anything that does not conform with set generic opinions, most of which date back generations. In fact being termed regular, or common, is probably the highest social acceptance reward that one could hope to achieve.

Tell me this – how can someone be ‘just regular’ when every step of the system, that we survive in, is defined by setting oneself apart from the herd. Take any domain or stage of life. Let’s start from the very beginning; admission to schools – government has been trying hard to interfere for some time now but the schools, at least the one’s which the parents really want to send their kids to, check thoroughly of applicant’s pedigree to judge how good a student the child may become (I mean come on!!!). Next step, college, if you don’t set yourself apart you’ll be lost in the crowd and nobody is going to give a damn, and let’s conclude with the jobs – most common interview question, “What is your USP?”, and each one of us prepares for that, so labelling any of these young boys and girls as ‘just regular’ people would be inaccurate to say the least.

Ever heard of the phone book reporter? Haven’t. Please allow me to introduce him. This person is a reporter in Lewiston Tribune who has been printing a front page column for more than a decade and a half. His subjects – random people chosen from a phone book. And he has been successfully telling their story all this time, you know why – because Mr. David Johnson believes (also the title of his column) that, when given the proper attention, “Everyone Has a Story”. And in a country like ours, with rich heritage and history it is as much if not more true as probably anywhere else in the world.

When one tries to follow Mr. Johnson’s footsteps one couldn't but agree with him. Families which had to move across International borders due to partition, people  leaving their comfort zone to make a mark in this world, kids with fantastic dreams in their eyes, teenagers moving across the country for higher education each and every one of them, and others alike, is a remarkable person hidden behind the veil of being regular.

Finally, after going through all this, if someone still manages to find a person who could only be termed as regular, wouldn't that – in a way make him, or her, or even them, ‘special’?