The hero is a gang leader. Good-looking but made to look like a ruffian. Good hearted but short tempered. He picks up a quarrel with every Tom, Dick and Harry, but people liked him because he raises his voice against injustice, unmindful of the consequences. He ekes out a living by doing odd jobs. The …
Month: December 2010
Thus far and no further
Everything comes to a standstill. Roads are blocked. The trains are held up. The oft repeated TV footage clearly shows the destructive tendencies of the agitators—some of them are seen removing nuts and bolts of the railway tracks so that the train service would not resume even if the agitations are called off. The party …
When the politicians let you down…
A popular leader of one of the main opposition parties embarks on an indefinite hunger strike to draw attention of the ruling party to the plight of the farmers or weavers. Right now, we are not in a position to know whether he has succeeded in helping the farmers or the weavers overcome their problems …
A common strategy please
Politicians in India, specially those belonging to the fast-dwindling national parties have to handle with care certain sensitive issues which could trigger violence and weaken the country. A slip of the tongue or an unwise statement to gain political mileage often create a wedge between castes or religions. Those politicians rake up old and forgotten …
The one and only Sachin
I dedicate this to Sachin Tendulkar. Right now, I am not bothered about the fate of the first test against South Africa or other details pertaining to this match. I could watch only the highlights of this match and when the news reader said that Sachin was on his way to his 50th century in …
A ‘noble’ gesture indeed!
It was one of those intercity trains and that too from the starting point. Plenty of seats would be available but what bothered Reghu was the queue at the ticket counter. There were some 10-15 people ahead of him and just five minutes left for the departure of this train. He was on his week-end …
Make hay while the sun shines!
Days are shorter or longer in certain seasons, maybe, by an hour or so. It is His highness, the sun who decides when it should be shorter and when it should be longer. Whether it is longer or shorter, it does not cause any inconvenience in a country like India, except on rainy days. At …
A bolt from the blue!
A long whistle… and the passenger train was on the move. Jayaram boarded the train at the eleventh hour but, to his relief, the compartment was not crowded. He occupied a window seat so that the one-hour journey won’t be monotonous. Anyway, the rural areas would come into view only after twenty minutes or so. …
An underestimation
Far away and long ago. Wuthering heights. Oliver twist. Swamy and friends. Twelfth night. For whom the bell tolls. All old and worn out books, lying scattered in a wooden box. There were some old magazines as well. I must buy a couple of them, not because I was eager to read all these books. …
Indian parliament… Certain ominous cracks
Ever since the recent revelation of a mega scandal in India, the air has been thick with charges, counter charges, debates involving politicians, journalists and all and sundry. Some leading opposition parties have been pressurizing the central government to come out with all details including the steps initiated to bring to book the guilty. And, …