BUDGET - 2010

Budget definitely takes much of the news and newspaper section leaving little room for abused, drugged, raped, abducted and murdered Indians. Such is the phenomena or the euphoria created around the Budget. Over the past few years, Budget just became an annual exercise esp. in this era of coalition politics, when the Govts’ purposely kept the important decisions outside the preview of the Budget and made it merely a Profit & Loss Statement than an Annual Report.

The only Budget that financial pundits remember or would like to think are 1991 Manmohan Singh Budget, 1998 PC Budget and of course, Yashwant Sinha from BJP had been the cynosure for drawing flak from all the six corners of India. The lackluster annual exercise by Pranabda during last year, the analysts and experts had not built any hopes. Will this Budget be remembered for the staged walk out by the Opposition from Lok Sabha, perhaps first or something else? I really liked the fiery style of Sushma Swaraj and her command over Hindi and the way she made her points. As the saying goes, success honours you and destroys you at the same time. She is currently redressing to the later part of the saying. The Opposition walked over one rupee rise in oil prices. It will add to the woes of the inflationary pressures. But then market expected to rise by few rupees, so it was still a breather. Moreover the Govt. should always be thinking in favour of OMCs (Oil Marketing Companies).

Yes the food inflation and food security is one of the biggest concerns for India of today and will remain tomorrow and not the growth or the GDP. 60% of our economy or India is dependent on agriculture, yet we are not in a pitiable state either. If your battered vehicle cannot give improved mileage, then we reduce the amount of petrol which goes into running the engine. But our Govt. has tried to undertake something better. They have increased the tax slabs for individuals, which in other words, increases the real income in our hands.

But this Budget is perhaps one amongst the best with the caveats, Coalition Govt. and the Financial Crisis. The Govt. has been juggling with the lower demand of products and services, lower exports, rising inflation, rising fiscal deficit and to top it all, they had slashed tax rates, duties, cess’ applicable on sundry and all and sacrificing income, still they are able to lower the fiscal deficit and feed the poor developed or perhaps poorly managed schemes for the poor. I liked the renewed focus on Agriculture to bring something positive in this space. Hope they are able to pull this off. Because in India, all the good things are virtue of our politicians and all the bad things are blamed on the monsoon.

The FM made a point throughout his Budget speech to usher in a process of inclusive growth. The inclusive growth can be achieved by bringing the economy back on growth path with GDP of 9 % per annum and to take the government back on the path of fiscal consolidation.

Private players will be issued Bank Licenses. In 2002, RBI cleared few licenses and now after a long lull they will be issuing licenses. Reliance (non-reliable) Bank, Singh (Religare) Bank, Birla Bank, Modi Bank, India (IndiaBulls) Bank some of the leading financial services/NBFC conglomerates will be vouching for that slot. As a consumer, it will become more harassing to entertain few more useless marketing calls from few more useless service providers. At the same time, I hope something better from these new-age industrialized houses to better the customer experience.

Direct Tax Code, General Sales Tax Regime may become a reality for FY 2011-12.

Markets cheered and roared for Pranabda’s efforts which touched an intra-day high of 350-400 points (2 %) at the conclusion of Budget speech and still managed to close at 175 points (1 %) in positive.

With the hope to leapfrog the growth rate of Indian economy in double digits, Pranabda concluded the Budget 2010-11.

Tendulkar @ 200

Law and Justice

Justice truly changes the social fabric the way we live, trade, societal, marital status. Law and Justice, make a nation. Otherwise we are just a piece of mark on paper like Iraq. Gone are the days when the rich and powerful twisted the law with their hand fists. Now India is an emerging economy. Besides economy the rules and forces governing the traditional rules of money lending, social strata are transforming and shedding its archaic practices.

Last week, there were different Judgements taking about family, business and politics. One talks about the change in banking system, the second questions talks about identity after divorce and the third one, SC seeks advice to define and categorize the political activities.

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Giving a body blow to banks, Banks cannot prosecute borrowers under the stringent anti-cheque bouncing laws if blank post-dated cheques issued by them as collateral security are dishonoured.

“Law-makers must not have intended or imagined that money lenders or banks would obtain blank or post-dated cheques while sanctioning/disbursing loans as securities and would use them to make debtors/borrowers repay the loan under threat of prosecution and punishment (under the cheque-bouncing law),” added the judge.

It is a very significant right granted to a consumer. I have worked in financial services industry. The personnel in the industry are extremely hard working and design some of the most intelligent products in the market (amongst all the other consumer goods, products and services) and possess the expertise to sell them but not in servicing or redressing the monsters they themselves produce. Account holders at times, are themselves not aware for what they are paying and how much they are getting.

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Name is the identity of the human being and at times, it testifies as a symbol, process, era, dynasty, profession, discovery, evolution, theory, science, knowledge. But we are talking about the case of normal human beings, whose only identity is the name and not some mumbo-jumbo besides the name. A human being is named by his parents, relatives or siblings and the surname, which describes the broader essentials of our surroundings, the place where we belong to, our history, our caste (more importantly in India), our food, our habits, maybe even our desires or the broader characteristics of a human being.

We transform or undergo, maybe once, none or several times in our lifetime. A woman suffixes another surname to her name after marriage. I somehow feel it’s parochial to change the name. We may get over this practice till next generation evolves or by the turn of this century, who knows. The past forty years have been witness, when the whole World has undergone transformation in such a tremendous way. We have broken all the practices, rituals, customs, traditions, myths and dogmas created in our society.

Mumbai High Court has hinted something in that context, which may break our present rules of the societal fabric. A female cannot her husband’s name after divorce.

“By using the ex-husband's name or surname, there is always a possibility of people being misled that she is still the wife, when in fact she is not,”' said Vachha (the Judge). The HC upheld the family court order and said it need not be interfered with but should be given effect to “for all purposes”.

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Once I declared in my school class, that I want to become politician. Next day, my parents were summoned by the school to discuss the serious trouble with this child, when everybody is talking about becoming doctor, lawyer, scientist, architect, etc. Why? My teacher reasoned, politician is not a profession, neither a job nor a business. It is taken by the powerful and ruffians. I reasoned it is a profession, except its rules are still to be penned into a book. A job to create more jobs and a business to give and take more out of other businesses. Guess what? She felt this child has ruined all she had taught and may carry few more in that ditch with him.

Mayawati, the trademark owner of an elephant. The princess, rajkumari, Prime Minister, Chief Minister, a saviour, a politican, a dacoit, a diety, didi, behanji, whatever you may call her, there will be millions in UP worshiping or look upto her in every form. It is not a small thing. It only takes the brave and the intelligent to become politician. She was ready to auction Taj Mahal’s surroundings and hell one can just imagine what she can possibly do, perhaps she herself is not aware about. I just wish, if she can undertake few positive things.

SC also felt something like this, its not good to banter a seasoned and dynamic politician like her esp. after reprimanding the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh, not one but several times, it hardly serves the purpose, but to seek opinion and rather build consensus from different Govt. authorities for her unscrupulous and nation destroying activities.

Mayawati is trying to immortalizing herself, the elephant and Ambedkar. Even if elephant becomes extinct like we are talking about tigers, we know we can give our children a life size replica of the animal at any Ambedkar Bhawan, any Mayawati Park, or some BSP related name in UP.

Perhaps, we can only hope that the apex Court is able to teach some lesson to the likes of Mayawati.

Loss would have been better

Indian Cricket team will never learn from its past. They just made the precise point I had raised in my last blog. Did they deserve to win the Sunday’s match? Once you have thrown the match, then don’t chase it. South Africa deserved the win. Earlier 75 runs were required from 48 balls with 2 wickets remaining and cricket nuts were talking about 50 – 60 odd runs win for India. Only nine runs were required from final over to win the match. India should have done better. Getting your rank on the top on some sponsored ratings is not an achievement but an aberration. This match clearly indicates towards the malpractices in the game of cricket.

With practically no bowler who can help India to win a match. India’s current team is overweight on batsmen, if you win, it is because of batsmen and if you lose, batsmen just felt short of the responsibility to score in abundance. 50-50 is also following practices of 20-20. Zaheer and Harbhajan are injured and family commitments respectively and put on rest for the next tournament. The bowlers who made a difference for the Indian cricket team were Ravindra Jadeja and Yusuf Pathan, the make shift bowlers and to some extent, Praveen Kumar, did tell us, he is a bowler as compared to the other two duds (Sreesanth and Ashish Nehra). Runs matter in a limited over match, we just need to restrict the other side. Lets see how far this Team goes with their batting prowess and bowling disasters.

New Businesses, New Concepts, New Sports……. Why not a new SECURITY FORCE?

A invests Rs. 1,00,000 in a new yet to be tried and tested business concept. A invests on the notion of its attractiveness but believes it to be a high risk business. One year down the line, B wishes to enter the same business as A, but there are entry/regulatory barriers or no licenses available for starting the same business. B talks to A and invests Rs. 20,000 for 10% stake in A’s business. One year after B invests in A, B’s holding value increases to Rs. 40,000.

Do we know about any other businesses better than the one mentioned above?

Such business is known as Indian Premier League (IPL) or IPL can also be termed as “Industrialists & Performers (Players) Lounge” (Cricketers are also performers, more so in 20-20 Cricket).

The case used above is that of Rajasthan Royals team owned by consortium of Emerging Media and Mr. Rupert Murdoch’s son, wherein they bought the team rights for $67 million in 2008 and sold 12% stake for $ 16.8 million to Shilpa Shetty and her beau Raj Kundra.

The entry barriers are high, esp. due to the regulatory barriers and licenses, in addition to the limited availability of seats/shops/slots. To acquire one license, we need to possess political clout, money at all times is important for any business plus the profile of the person who will run the business. Your employees are your brand managers, who possess more attitude than the owner and carry the status of demi-God. In addition you are always in media limelight, questioned on your business for which you possess little knowledge or perhaps have little control. There’s only a season or less than two months to harvest and sell and recover/make money. Yet there are so many contenders for two more licenses. Nobody imagined there would be such a fight for starting a business in liberalized era of Indian economy.

We have a wonderful business built over here, with ‘n’ number of brands and ‘n3’ number of human brands in the contest. The marketing and the buzz created around the event leaves everyone touched. The organizer leaves no stone unturned to hype the event with good news and all the controversies. Lifestyle, business and Sports section of the media are all busy covering the event. If the owner hugs or shakes hand with a participant (player) or makes a statement, it serves at least two sections of the media. Politics somehow happens and stays in the backyard. Politics can indeed break the space for all the other three.

Yet the most teething issue is the security.

Lalit Modi clearly know his work, I know he will pull it off. But for our country, are we better than this or much worse than this?

Australians have already been threatened by Bala Saheb due to the racial incidents on Indians in Australia. Its sad, ironical and satirical, that a political party, not in power, holds the rights to threaten foreigners visiting India for goodwill mission (I strongly believe sports is indeed a goodwill gesture) when they are targeting, bullying and killing North Indians living in Western part of India.

Now some pseudo terror Outfit or a specialist arm of Al-Qaeda is threatening to disrupt the ongoing Hockey World Cup and the hyped, glitzy and most glamorous event of cricketing world of 20-20, the IPL. The scare or threat is taken seriously in wake of the Pune blasts. Especially when America is pushing India to name Al-Qaeda behind the terror outfits operating in India for Pakistan purposes.

PC, our Hon’ble Home Minister is trying his best to convince the participants, that India is a safe country. Ricky Ponting is thinking, Shane Warne is ready to skip the event in lieu of the terrorist threats. America and Terror are the only two destructive elements left in this world. Terror, the word itself is enough, we need not define who, why, what, when and where?

IPL organizers are talking about base price of $225 million for obtaining Team Rights. Sharing of revenue from match collections, broadcasters and other ‘n’ number of modes of income. They perhaps need to create a terror pool for security, by reducing a small amount of proportion of sharing of the teams. Team owners are little jittery about providing security to their employees (players). Pakistan players are missing due to security reasons. SRK can tell better as even Pakistani players were appealing at the end of the day, it’s fine if we don’t play but stop bullying SRK.

Indian Govt. lost last year’s revenues from IPL due to security reasons. Providing security to useless politicians over players due to Elections. We had little forces available for promoting the event. I was saddened not because IPL was shifted or politicians were provided security over the event. But why our country was projected as such a vulnerable nation, which is unable to handle terror and envelop us with a blanket of security, even if it may not be by action but by words. A wise said, “If you cannot find peace at home, then peace does not exist for you and you cannot find it anywhere”.

Now the IPL, Home Ministry are trying and running to move every police personnel to protect the players. Perhaps that also seems to be pretty big a price for promoting sports or the event. We witnessed a sample at Jaipur match, there were hundreds of police personnel on ground for protection of 13 players on field at the end of the match. By the sheer number, we could comprehend how many were deputed at the stadium, hotel, airport; those places must have been enveloped by police security like fortresses. We manage to evade the terrorists of any attempts, but does it serve the purpose.

India has around two dozen Central Police and Central Paramilitary Forces besides Police and Army, Navy and Air Forces employing around 2.5 million. Each of them was created for a purpose over a period of time as demanded by the requirements of the country like Railway Protection Force (RPF) for Railways, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) for protection of PSU’s. Delhi Metro stations under surveillance by CISF. Now the question arises whether the time has come for creation of another Police/Paramilitary Force for sports.

Last year bore the testament the current forces are not sufficient for protecting our nation. A Nation as the idea behind India is under attack. It’s not about cricket or IPL.

Lalit Modi may walk out of the event on March 10th 2010, if he so chooses.

But IPL has created something which makes India stand out and say to the world. After all, Pakistan always frowns upon all the statements India makes/states. A match between India and Pakistan is seen as a day in war. When Indian team visits Pakistan or vice-versa, it’s bigger than the heads of the State entering into a dialogue. But still Pakistani players snub their differences with India and don the hat of Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders or any other franchise of IPL for the love of the game as they say.

When a Comedian writes......

Isn't it amazing that George Carlin - comedian of the 70's and 80's - could write something so very eloquent...and so very appropriate.

A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

If you don't send this to at least 8 people....Who cares?

~George Carlin

Striker - A new Cinema

Didn’t had anything to do last weekend. No girlfriend. Friends seem so far, thinking about the auto/taxis of Delhi. So had to give-in to my flatmate, who owns a car, Striker, I want to watch the movie without spending on it but ended up paying for him also. Siddharth, one of the reasons for watching the movie, I just fell in love with his attitude in RDB (Rang de Basanti). Couple of years, I had seen BOYS (Telegu Movie) of Siddharth, he was best with his naivety in the movie.

Besides, he takes up one project at a time or for record, one movie in a year. Not a perfectionist though (thank God), for the better only, but definitely tries to put his head in every aspect of his movie. The reviews of Striker suggested, the movie has a lot more meat than the posters or the trailors reveal.

Striker, breaks away from the whole concept of movies, as it is perceived in India. We have cinema, Yashraj, KJo types; parallel cinema; art movies; offbeat (though can be called as parallel) movies, same or different concepts for same or different people. Then there are people like Anurag Kashyap, Abhay Deol, Dibakar Banerjee, who are trying to redefine the definition of cinema, art, entertainment or perhaps may come up with a new term. Striker is a different experience from all these.

A story should have a purpose and a meaning. Striker has none. Like many Hollywood movies, it just narrates about an era in one of the many slums of Mumbai. The movie is set in 80’s with bhaigiri without cellphones against the backdrop of carom. Our common time-pass indoor game. The protagonist does not wish to achieve or change the world or came to put in order the whole lot of mess created by the director on celluloid, he was offered an opportunity and lucky to grab and achieved the desired results without getting head to head with the goons contrary to what happens in Bollywood movie.

Siddharth looks impeccable with his Bombaiya (oops Mumbaiya) dialect and the whole dressing style. We know all the characters of the movie, we have seen them, felt them or visualized them through the n number of flicks made on Mumbai crime, underworld, slums. But this one is different from the times as it introduces the carom board and the whole game of hide and seek ends with the real life dreaded incident of 1992 riots in Mumbai.

Means is important not the end

On 9th, one of my friend's Facebook status read, “when was the last time, India lost by an Innings”. Indian team has never been consistently good, but recently we have been doing well as we had most of our matches in Asia or against minnows. It was way back in 2008, it’s a lot of time looking at the cricketing standards of the Indian Cricket Team. With the loss of this match, India’s position also dropped from the premier rankings chart in Test Cricket. The position should have dropped couple of ranks.

India aspires, oh sorry, they claim to be world class team. But the manner in which our team despises the whole theory. Recently they played against Bangladesh, they could have learnt something from them. Bangladesh had pushed such a fine struggle to save themselves from the misery, they didn’t allow Indian team to win by an innings. Sehwag and Gambhir came to crease in second innings for scoring three runs to win the second test match.

Suddenly everybody got up and started searching for VVS Laxman. I hope, Laxman denies to play at this time or may not be physically fit. Indian Team does not deserve a class player like Laxman. Especially in the absence of anyone responsible, who can stand shoulder to shoulder with him? Indian team is probably practicing for IPL starting March 12, 2010.

Dhoni and his boys need to be fed some theory classes. Test cricket is real cricket as Paresh Rawal said in the movie, Cheeni Kum. Five grueling days, which test your technique, your stamina, your endurance, your perseverance. Test Cricket is deeply and heavily dependent on bowlers. To win a test match, one side needs to take 20 wickets. Where have we got the expertise to claim twenty wickets? Except Zaheer, there are no regular or second graders in fast bowling. Ishant Sharma with tag of Rs. 4 Crore is not able to strike anything, Sreesanth is generally busy with his Malayalam film stars. How long can we tread saddling on Zaheer’s back? Unfortunately, he is also looking tired and wired. Harbhajan Singh, the only spinner is down and out. He has probably lost everything to 20-20 cricket. 20-20 leaves no scope or room for any temperament or technique to develop. He seriously needs to undergo some reconditioning pertaining to his bowling. For a second spinner, we are in testing stage, Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha play in alternative, so after six months or perhaps one year, one will be playing more matches over the other. The problem as one of the cricket experts said, bowlers try to bowl as many dot bowls as possible. Unfortunately, not only bowlers but the game as the whole is victim of 20-20 (more on that sometime later).

Coming back to our world class batsmen, as batting is thought to be India’s pote. Yuvraj Singh, even after becoming ODI vice-captain had difficulty in securing a place in test cricket. I am not saying they are not good. Our batting line-up is truly good, they can really score runs but we need to stick to the wicket in a test cricket, which the young generation is faltering in the past. Sourav Ganguly has been forced to retire, Rahul Dravid is injured, Laxman, selectors are searching for him, Tendulkar, I reserve my comments. Rest do we have any batsman in the country, who can pose some trouble or make the winning difficult for the other team even if we are playing without bowlers. Australia in Australia were biting their nails, that’s what Rahul and Laxman ran havoc on their bowling attack and still won the match.

We have not conditioned or seasoned batsman to protect our honour. The manner in which we fielded and Dhoni and his likes gave away their wicket to South Africa is truly a sad disappointment. Maybe Test Cricket is not that enjoyable, as Dhoni always says, enjoy the game guys. The same wicket, the same day, SA can strike 10 wickets and we are cherishing the two wickets. In four days, they strike twenty wickets and we are slumbered into our sad oblivion with only six wickets.

You need to fire, not to win but to make the other team work to defeat you. Winning is not important. More important factor is how we approach winning or losing. Indians has conceded the defeat on the first day itself when we got out in 60 overs. Perhaps if they could have just stretched the match for the five day and a charitable target, would have been much better.

Even South Africa is expecting to play with at least international standards as AB de Villiers quoted, “It is going to be a great challenge here at the Eden Gardens. I'm pretty sure India will come back with a big fight”. We don’t require match winners but match savers. Coz in the end, I’d say “MEANS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE END”.

My Name is Khan (or whatever)

In Bollywood, if you name ShahRukh or Amitabh Bachchan in the interview or any view/idea to the media, you can be assured of additional space in the media. Some of the people, do try to name them. As part of the glamour industry, we understand that you need to create furore (negative or positive) by our continuous presence in media circles. But the politicians stooping to such low levels, especially when we have names like BalaSaheb getting into such murky affair is really shameful. BalaSaheb is a very respected person and politician, though as person that may be doubtful, but still. For all his insecurities and the ramblings, we should discount his age and the fact, that one of the powerful and invincible person (read person not as person) of Mumbai has been licking his wounds due to betrayal by his own nephew. Bala Saheb is an immensely talented and much better entertainer than Shah Rukh Khan. Read his comments in their party magazine, Saamna, the thoughts are indeed very refreshing jokes vis-à-vis the double meaning jokes that we cherish these days. Shah Rukh cannot never pull such kind of entertainment for his audience.

Karan Johar, the producer of My Name is Khan ensured to his audience and the fans of SRK that adequate security has been provided at all the 63 cinema screens across Mumbai, which will be screening My Name is Khan. Mr. Johar, you can go to police but cannot talk to BalaSaheb. You guys are at war with him, why should the audience be victim? We are neutral, neither supporting nor opposing. Bala Saheb possesses his own unique way of looking at things. Amitabh Bachchan apologized for a small remark by Jaya Bachchan in an informal gathering to Manse (MNS, lead by the child prodigy of Bala Saheb). Why cant Mr. Khan apologize to Bala Saheb?

I know SRK does not owe any apology to Bala Saheb. What he felt and said as a team owner and not as Muslim, Indian, Pakistani, entertainer. Bala Saheb, perhaps, believes that SRK is part of Congress and if he apologizes, he would feel Sonia has apologized to his Laughiness (a new word replicating the stature of Holiness/Highness). So much property will be destroyed and an atmosphere of hatred, fear and insecurity will be created for satisfying the ego of Mr. Bala Saheb.

Bala Saheb may be fuming why the movie is named, My Name is Khan. Unfortunately, Bala Saheb, you or you dumb shreds had no role in 9/11. Otherwise, the movie could have been titled My Name is Bhatwadekar/ or something like that.

In the meantime, SRK instead of promoting his film, is unperturbed to show and communicate his Indianness and he is not a Pakistani. I can’t imagine if somebody asks me to prove, I am an INDIAN, why I am Indian, how much I am Indian? Honestly, I don’t have any answer for that. Perhaps, my birth certificate, if you believe it is true and correct. But SRK hats off to you, he is really trying to pull this off.

From where the whole idea started? SRK commented on the exclusion of Pak players from IPL auction that he would have liked the presence of one or two Pakistani players. Inn comes Bala Saheb to invigorate our Indianness and our security issue and is helping us in believing that SRK is a traitor and not an Indian. So what even if he is not? What is Shiv Sena going to make out of it? Shiv Sena stands by and to protect the Mumbai and the Marathi manoos. You cannot prevent your own farmers from committing suicide, what is the point of saving them from whosoever they feel is threatening, frightening them. Mumbai, for God sake, only Thackeray possess the sensibility to destroy Mumbai. Mumbai is not a place or geography. It’s a spirit; it’s the benchmark, which means India for zillions of traders and business travelers. We are talking about making Mumbai, a cosmopolitan, where people of all spheres and walks of life, religions and nationalities, co-exist to create unique phenomena.

Bala Saheb, also alleged, his party will attack Australian cricketers for attacking Indians in Australia. My only stand, if they (Australian, Pakistani, American, Indonesian) attack anybody (India, Afghanistan, Japan, Veitnam), it’s a news, a blunder but still I can attack and threaten anybody, anywhere.

My humble request to Bala Saheb, to focus on the protection of his Marathi manoos, by undertaking something productive for them and leave the larger national issues, esp. issues pertaining to India. Nahi to, aapka bhatija, aapka bacha-kucha bhi lae jayega.