I AND MY WORDS

"I know I have a Tough Task" - Arun Jaitley and Narendra Modi in a Pose for cameras (courtesy Dainik Jagran ) It is ironic that every budget is labelled historic in India, completely sidestepping the incovenient facts. Any country that has raised itself in our geographical vicinity has shown policy stability. An annual general budget is a moronic idea to promote economic stability, and I believe it should be replaced with an economic charter at the beginning of the government with no changes through an amendment to the Constitution. Alternatively, governments should focus on one budget and pass votes on account in subsequent years that uphold the policy framework laid out in the budget earlier. Unlike February, the General Budget is being presented in the middle of a truant monsoon this year. A change of government with a mandate not seen since 1984 has meant that Narendra Modi has a tide of hope carrying him. This tide can also leave him high and dry if he fails

Sagacity is a precious commodity in the markets of collective wisdom. However for this gold, there is always a platinum, which needs to be identified by the term common sense. This commodity called common sense is indeed rare. For every thousand people, barely half a person will  display it. Such is its importance in the public discourse and governance that no less than a great thinker like Thomas Paine had to write a book to extol its virtues. Sadly, however, the people who control public discourse in India stake claim to this commodity, even though despite their perceived first right to use is contradicted by the sheer inability of their wit and wisdom to reach out to this, thus making it a much sought after valuable. One may wonder why I am out to praise common sense today, especially given the circumstances. I lay heed to one woman's doorsteps who with her sheer brilliance has often left us poor minions gobsmacked, struggling to search for answers in the radiant light of he

"Why am I asked about my caste when I go to the police? Am I not a citizen?"   The recent horrific case coming out of Badayun has many layers to the problem. Caste oppression has been one aspect of it. Members of the Yadav community have been found guilty of misusing their status in society to commit such dastardly acts including murder and sexual assault on Dalit girls. Another has been the appalling state of sanitation in India and the subsequent harassment women face, which has implications on public health and, as the case shows, law and order as well. While the latter is no less troublesome for a nation that aspires to be a global superpower of this century, a major worry for me personally has been the perpetuity of the ills that the decaying caste system carries with them in the form that it is seen across many parts of the country even today. Caste system existed in India in a certain time and context. It is not a racial profile as is often misconstrued by lazy a

India Washed Saffron (Courtesy, Firstpost.com) Post the emergence of the election results in the world’s largest democracy, all that one can see are two particularly telling trends. These trends are telling because it shows more about the new Opposition and its so called ‘leaders’ than about Narenda Modi, BJP and its allies put together. Let us discuss in detail these two trends. Since the beginning of this week, there has been so much ‘wondering’ and ‘amazement’ about the BJP gaining a  clear majority with just 31% of the nation’s vote . This is nothing but an attempt at best to find ways of how the victory of Narendra Modi-led BJP and NDA can be belittled. Worst, it consciously chooses to ignore facts. North and West India have a far larger number of seats compared to the rest of India, even though population may be nearly the same. In many of these states, more than 50% of the population voted for the BJP in two way contests. Even in Uttar Pradesh,  more than 40% of 

You who seek salvation Will That come to you? No It won't heed your call Till you look inside of you Let not that hatred, that sorrow Bind you down to this rue Key not that anger, that jealousy Darken your vision and block your view Free your self in this moment now The world will have a different hue Open those eyes to the Invisible, for how Shall you drink that sight, that Immortal Brew? Reach out within, embrace thyself Then will you be your own Rise shall you from those ashes Like a phoenix doors, all new So what if few can get there Why should that stop you? That is what you truly yearn Act not like a shrew Joy comes to those who are brave Fear not what you not knew Let the light of love flow bright And truly free from this world Shall be you.

There are so many fish curry recipes that keep floating around that one can get boggled very easily. However, cooking fish curry, as I have belatedly realized, is a very simple process. You do not even need very complicated methods or novel ingredients not seen otherwise, and any one who can cook daal can cook this fish curry too. This is a spin-off from the traditional rural fish curries of East and North East. The closest that comes to it is Assam's Masor Tenga , and it is a particular reference from my side if you wish not to try this particular recipe and go for the original instead. Ingredients: 4 medium sized fillets of fish Oil - I don't buy mustard oil in Hong Kong, and use olive oil instead. But stick to mustard oil if you can do that - about 1.5 tbsp. Even ghee will work 3 targe tomatoes chopped/pureed. I prefer a bit of the peel to be present in the fish for a more rustic feel 1 medium onion chopped fine or pasted 2 tsp of Ginger and garlic paste or finely

The new states - Telangana and Rayalaseema (Courtesy: The Hindu) I watched a fascinating television feature done by NDTV's Hyderabad resident Journalist Uma Sudhir. Her husband, T S Sudhir, and her have covered Andhra Pradesh and parts of Karnataka in a fascinating manner as TV journalists for NDTV and other channels over the past two decades (pity that such journalists don't become stars, while those lobbying in Delhi for parties do). The show clearly highlighted the churning of the caste-religion cauldron in the new states of Telangana and Seemandhra as it heads towards polls for their respective assemblies and the Lok Sabha polls simultaneously. What fascinated me was the reminder that both regions have seen a domination of the Kammas and Reddy castes in Andhra politics for ages now, even though they constitute merely 10-20% of the total population. This isolation of Backward Classes (BCs), Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), and minorities to an extent,