The Rise of India

Lately, I have grown an affinity towards reading books about world history, the rise of India, current affairs, and stuff like that. I've been reading articles on various websites about how the recession shook the whole world, brought out frailties in the biggest economies in the world, and how a gradual shift in power has begun which will see India and China to emerge as super powers.

I read a book by Edward Luce 'In Spite of the Gods', in which he talks about the different problems faced by the Indian system. Problems like corruption(now that's not new), bad politics, religious biases, caste biases inside religions and stuff like that. He talks about how Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, B. R. Ambedkar and other visionaries saw the future of our country in their own ways and helped in setting the foundations of this great nation. He also talks about how todays India has been shaped all the way from the Indus valley and Harappa civilizations.

He talks about how religion is the key for politicians today. Lower caste leaders are emerging today in India, and how the prejudice towards them from the upper caste still persists. He sees how religion is trying to market itself in new packages like 'The Art of Living', christian missionaries, Sai Baba's and similar organizations. He agrees that our nation with an outdated civil service network that hasn't changed from during the days of the British rule has to change for this country to go forward.

But the most important thing that struck me and made me think in his book was a fact he mentioned regarding our system. He is awestruck at how a corrupt, old aged, bureaucratic, unrevolutionised system like ours actually work. Now, there's something that really doesn't have an explanation. Well. I think it doesn't need any. I call this the system of chaos. Everything in this country is based on that theory. You get out of your house one fine day and walk to the busy crowded market along the footpath(if there's one; I'd bet you'd be walking on the road even if there's one). There are bikes, cars, lorries and buses flying along the small 2-lane road in both directions, at speeds that are not even allowed on some major highways in the so called civilized world. No one cares. The roads are not just for the vehicles. People stop their cars in the middle of the road to go buy a cigarette causing traffic jams everywhere. The traffic police officer is asking for money from a biker for not wearing a helmet, even though he was speeding on the footpath. Government offices have people standing in queues outside who want to get their work done; with the officials inside listening only to recommendations from superiors or bribery from inferiors. More than half the population of this country(I'm bad at stats, but I think it's a lot more than half) is illiterate, poor, hungry and homeless, and still India is on the verge of becoming a global power. There are communal clashes, caste discrimination, woman and child discrimination everywhere in this country, people dying without proper health care, epidemics, AIDS, and much more. But, the system is working. Things are getting done. People are living their lives. Roads are geting built, cities are being formed, the standard of living is improving. No one has a clue how it works. But it does. Everyone, including Edward Luce says that these are challenges India should face and overcome to become a global power in the coming years. I don't agree. I think our system works. Our country cannot change. It cannot follow a book written system. It won't work. It would be a waste of time and energy trying to even implement that kind of a strategy. I think our huge population won't allow that. And for once, I'm proud of it. I think no other country can ever imitate our system of chaos and produce positive results. I bet they will be terrirfied even by the thought of it.

I read somewhere how different nations announced themselves as the new world powers in history. The English dominated the seas with their Royal navy, then the steam engine kickstarted a revolution. The Americans gave capitalism to this world. They became a nation where anyone can fulfil their dreams, irrespective of their natioanlity or color. They didn't get involved in the world wars unnecessarily, and they held the high cards when they eventually did. The bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki announced their arrival as the super power of the 20th century. Now it's Indias turn. The Indian economy is standing tall even when the world crippled under the recession of 2009. Indians are popping up on every field in the world as leaders and winners. The nation is growing exponentially, and the world has put a lot of expectations on her already.

But how will she announce her arrival. This is what I think. (Everything from this point of this article is completely my imagination. I have no proof to substantiate it, nor do I want to). The fight for Kashmir will lead to many Islamic terrorist activities in India, leading to the deaths of many innocent Indians. Pakistan will still try to harbour the terrorists, Al Qaeda will find a new enemy in India. This will start world war 3 between India and Pakistan, with Pakistan using nuclear missiles against India obliterating a whole city(I reckon it to be Delhi, or one somewhere in North India). India will retaliate with full force, and blow Pakistan out of the world map. By the time the world nations come for a compromise, there won't be anymore of Pakistan left. America would have sided with India for a change, since they want to be on the winning side(they have already started siding with us in international matters), making China to side with Pakistan since it's an Asian subcontinent issue, and intensify the problem to go out of hand across two continents, leading to a large scale nuclear attack, and destruction of the human race as well as any other life form out there. The civilized form of humanity dies forever in this holocaust. Thus bringing to an end(and a very ironic one) this civilized form of humanity, by destroying itself at the same place it started 4000 years ago, the Indus valley, that stretched from the north-west part of India to Pakistan and beyond to Afghanistan. I hope I'm mad.

A Predicament

Four years in college earned me only a handful of friends. That's because when I say friends, I mean people who you can trust with anything, anytime. For a person like me, trust was a very important virtue in people, which attracted me magnetically towards certain people. And they have remained forever.

There was one such friend of mine in college whom I met in the first year. In the first month of joining the college, he fell in love with his classmate. I respected their relationship. I used to look up to them, and believed in what they shared. She became a very good friend of mine, and I used to tell her how I'll help her elope with my friend after college when the time comes. They were my role models when I fell in love with my classmate in the last year of college. And they supported us too.

Four years of college together later, we went our separate ways. I joined Infosys, my friend was unemployed and was at his house in Kerala, and his girlfriend was in a software company in Trivandrum. This is where she met a guy who tried to hit on her all the time. She hated him, and tried to avoid him all the time. A few months later, my friend calls me up one night and tells me that his relationship with her was over. It came as a shock to me, and everybody else in our group who knew them. And guess what the reason was? She fell in love with the guy who used to hit on her. The guy whom she hated all this while.

I went to meet my friend who was in shambles by this time. He took a long time to recover from it, and get back to his original self. Months passed by and he's back to normal now. At least I think so. I heard she got married to some other guy(a third one, as far as I'm aware of) recently and quit her job. My friend trusted her with his life. And she trampled over his dreams in one quick moment, with no feeling of guilt, or remorse. I would think from my friends side how he watched the love of his life go away with someone whom even she hated and complained about to him. I have never met this person but I hated him for what he did. I know he was selfish for his own reasons. The world would say that anyone in his position would have done the same thing. But I don't believe in that bullshit. I think what he did was wrong, and what the girl did was much worse than that.

Which brings me to my predicament. After a couple of years in Infosys, a very good friend of mine(not anymore) saw a girl whom he liked instantly. He found out that she had a boyfriend who was working in another company. He was selfish like every other person would be. Humans. And the same story continued. This time, the point of view was different. He started hitting on her. She hated him the most in our group. Months passed by. One day she realises she is in love with him. She tells her boyfriend who has sacrificed a lot for their relationship to get lost(I've realised from many of my friends relationships that girls love doing this. Each one story can be a new blog).

I saw how it hurt my friend from college. I know how much I hated that guy who robbed his girl away from him. And now, I'm in a completely different position to judge. A predicament, so ironic.

PS: After what happened to my college friend, I don't believe girls anymore. My female friends have always come up with counter arguments against my stance saying that not all girls are alike and stuff like that. If you feel the same, you can always tell me. I would simply reply with a polite 'F*** Off' to that.For quite a few have said this: Frailty, thy name is woman.

Bad politicians

Inquilab Zindabad.... Jai Hind.... Bharat Mata Ki Jai....

These were the common cries uttered by the great freedom fighters of India before they laid down their lives for a great cause. These were the cries that urged the English to spray bullets into the hearts of the proud and brave Indians who fought for what they believed in. They believed in honour, and respect, and ethics. These are the reasons why even after so many years of British dominance, our ancestors were able to chase them out of this country. They lived for a cause and they died for it.

Fast forward 60 years and see what we have made ourselves into. A bunch of lazy, selfish and greedy lot who do not understand the value of life anymore. Look at our politicians. They are supposed to be the political descendents of the greats that have walked the land. I bet there's not even a single one out there who comes close to deserve the very minimum of respect. Our leaders had high hopes on our future when they fought the war for independence. They trusted the ones that came out alive to uphold their wishes and lead this country to a free democracy, become self-sufficient and a super power in the world. On the contrary, the ones who remained back screwed up the country big time. In the war, the men with balls stood in front when bullets were fired at them. The hermaphrodites hid behind the ones that fell, survived the scare and lived long enough to goof up our nation. This is why the group of leaders that we have today fight among themselves for power and have no responsibility towards the welfare of this nation. They're living for today, forgetting the vision of our founding fathers who dreamed this day a hundred years ago.

I believe this lot should all grow old and die and a new generation of men with balls should emerge if we have any hope of getting back the reins that our forefathers tried to pass on. And I really think that has started now. New faces with the proper attitude has started to enter the political arena. I just hope they're not dismissed away by the toxic politicians who are still clung on to system.