Spare Sachin, Save Balasaheb

Sachin didn’t hit a Six on completing twenty years of his Career in International Cricket but clean bowled from a dead ball by Mr. Bal Thackeray. 20 years is a long time? I am already bored after two years in my job. Completing 20 years in International cricket is the biggest feat even above his scoring records. There have been fewer than few gentlemen in cricket to complete 20 years in International cricket. A sportsperson has a short span of career. That too at the age of 37 with flying colours with records which few complete cricket teams cannot even boast. Everybody, no matter how big or small that person is in International Cricket has oodles to write about Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin Tendulkar offers enough to everybody to read and write and that too, sans controversy in a country where Cricket is RELIGION and Sachin is GOD. Clearly do Indians think that their GOD said something which hurt their feelings? I don’t think so, anybody will say that, even my Marathi friends will agree with him.

Everybody agreed and bowed to their GOD except Bal Thackeray. Bal Thackeray is acting like a YAMRAJ, he may be for few Marathi’s. A cartoonist, who used to make others tickle with his black lines cannot allow himself to be mocked at. Sachin clearly, did tread the path which leapt straight into the path of Mr. Thackeray. Udhav Thackeray (son of Bal Thackeray) said, Mumbai meri baap ke hai (Mumbai belongs to my father). I don’t have anything bad to mouth about Sachin Tendulkar (even if I do as if it matters). Rather I admire him the most in the world; I would like to be Sachin Tendulkar of whichever field I dedicate myself too. He gave a perfect answer, Mumbai belongs to the Indians, a geographically, politically, historically, mentally and emotionally correct answer.

But then on the flipside, we should not cold shoulder Mr. Bal Thackeray, he has built his self-ego, the false issues to further deteriorate the lives of his Marathi manoos as he calls them, over a period of thirty years or probably equivalent to Sachin Tendulkar’s age. Balasaheb has to do few things before his nephew raised by Balasaheb, will take up all the dead issues of Shiv Sena under the new banner of MANSE (popularized version of MNS) with the fresh appeal. Back in my neighbourland, manoos might be read as ma-noos, which means manhoos (one who brings unfortunate to others) in Hindi. Nobody can allow a messiah of Marathi pride, to be over-ruled by GOD of cricket, who himself is Marathi. My appeal to media is, it does not matter whatever you write about Balasaheb or Sach, it is not going to undo what they have said and done in their career.

I don’t understand why, politicians are most sensitive and insecure people on this Earth. They, themselves, don’t believe in themselves or their ideologies. They want people to have faith in them. It cannot be true. Sachin didn’t bad mouth anybody, he expressed his thoughts. Balasaheb debunked the deeds of 20 years of one of the finest gentleman in India in 20 seconds. Media in India, probably needs to unlearn and then learn the process of feeding and processing news or to build a story. They should try to look at positive perspective of things. India as a developing nation with 1.05 billion population requires that positivity. If they find it difficult, probably Sachin can give them a piece.

Are we Independent?

Tomorrow is the Independence Day of India, August 15, 2009. Is it a big deal or any deal et al?

Probably countries which got freedom in last 25-30 years may be able to tell us something about it feels to be free rather than governed by an outsider. Iraqis can tell us better as many of them feel and believe it was better to be tortured and living in constant fear with curbed rights under Saddam Hussein than nuts like Americans ruling their lives. As the popular saying in India goes, a cruel, crooked son living under same roof is always better than an adoring, caring and lovely son-in-law under same roof.

Our generation or the generation succeeding us will not see it as any moment to celebrate. Do we still need to celebrate it? It’s a blasphemous thought. Had any politician reverberated such thought, it would have meant the end of his political career. Personally for me and I guess for many amongst us, that it is the day when we relax and have an assured holiday. Holiday also is lost this time as I have my Saturday off otherwise as well. A welcome break from our bored routine. The time when we can look for some real deal steals in the malls and shopping areas. But this time, the bloody scary of Swine Flu will keep shoppers off, esp. in Maharashtra. There are few guys like my pa, who have to get up early in the morning on Independence Day dressed in their finest to unfurl the Flag in their Institution, Organization. I really wanted to go for the ceremony during my University days but realized I was an hour late due to my sleep.

The only time of the Year when Indians realize that sixty-seventy years ago, this country was ruled by Britishers. What is the point of this freedom when we throw few intelligent foreigners out of the country in order to allow buffoons from our society to destroy (we cannot say, reshape over here) our lives? Now also India’s political and economic concerns in this globalized world where every big city has certain importance on the global stage can be handled and taken care off in isolation. But India still has to listen and comply to the diktats of the powerful western nations. The only right we have earned because of the independence is the right to shit and pee at the place of our choice. I don’t know or understand whether we are becoming complementary or supplementary to the world powers or are we losing our rights and our Independence (not as I am saying but as independence is perceived to be).

The only good point is that Indians get to hear their National Anthem, which we generally forget after our teenage days. Jana Mana Ga is one amongst few the common thread which stands amongst all the Indians. Rest everything has some kind of farcical thought attached to it. It is also the time when we lament on the fact what Independence meant for a Citizen in India?

The songs dedicated to the nation are played continuously throughout the day. Manoj Kumar always comes alive on screen on August 15. He is assured of his place in history. People realize saffron, white and green are sexy colours and you look good in it and the same time can promote the cause of saying, ‘I am Indian’, do you hear that (all the MCs, BCs standing across the bend of the street), “I am an Indian”. There are special features every year in newspapers, magazines and books released on what have we achieved in 55, 56, 57 ,58………….. this year it’s 62 years of independence. Do we have achieved? I don’t think much has been done at any point in last sixty years. The way India has grown socially, economically, politically. Socially the condition has only gone poor. Economically we are better because we had gone from worse to worst in first 25 years. Otherwise it is not remarkable. Politically we have deteriorated to the point of no return. We have more number of people without electricity than in 1947, we have more people falling under BPL (below poverty line) tha in 1947, we have increased food grains production but still falls short for a 1050 million mouth’s to feed. We have more buildings, highways, expressways but still more people living without a roof on their heads. We have more intelligent and educated people but still lesser jobs for them. The only area where India has made a significant progress is the POPULATION and burglary of the nation. Where nation becomes a country. Its like a body without a soul. I know it is not lost but we are not far from it.

Independence was not an easy process, it was probably the most painful process. Bharat gained independence sans its limbs to be called India. It was a moment for political revolutionaries, there motives and wishes were fulfilled. But ordinary Indians were wailing and mourning. Somehow I don’t know why I feel more. May be because I belong to Punjab where you still meet people who say their grandfather had spent the good years of his life in Lahore, where they were caught into ambush fires against Britishers not for drawing a line across the Earth. But for the exit of Britishers from the mass piece of land called Bharat.