Who is Anna Hazare and what are his motivations?
I am going to keep this brief. I still have no opinion on who or what Anna Hazare is. All I will say is that in this day and age where manipulation of public opinion is easily carried out, I will remain a sceptic, though I will not say that Hazare is a pawn in somebody's hand. It is sad that we have reached a stage in India where we are compelled to doubt everyone, even those whose credentials are perhaps impeccable. Coming to Anna Hazare, his life is not very public and he keeps making these sporadic appearances fighting or claiming to fight corruption. I am aware that the media has been going crazy reporting the simplicity of the man who lives in a temple, has no bank account and all that. Fine, but for me that is not adequate to establish someone's credentials. Not having a bank account for me is not equivalent to not having money, or living in a temple does not necessarily mean anything more than that. I have had an great grand aunt who lived and died in a temple but she was a casteist to the marrow of her bone and kept money in her pillow cover. This is not to say Anna Hazare is that, but only to point out the reason for my scepticism. Another reason why I am little sceptical about Hazare is the fact that he somehow felt compelled to say good things about Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar. For someone fighting corruption, where was the necessity to give conduct certificates selectively to two politicians? And the ease with which he said that he does not condone the genocide that the Modi government had perpetrated on some innocent people in Gujarat is something that makes me even more sceptical. He says he is a follower of Gandhi and I know for sure Gandhi would never have tolerated what Modi does and says. Can you say that someone who has been party to mass murder of hundreds of people can be given a good conduct certificate in other matters? The other people involved in the movement, Arvind Kejriwal, The father and son Bhushans and (Baba) Ramdev have known political ideologies and to me those militate against the beliefs of the Mahatma. So to be associated with them and still call oneself a Gandhian is to me an indication of dishonesty or lack of understanding of who Gandhi was. That Mahatma's name and his method of protest the Satyagraha are not his only credentials. Satyagraha demands exemplary conduct, not just fasting. In India, fasting has become a farce with people like K. Chandrashekar Rao, N T Rama Rao, Rajiv Gandhi, M G Ramachandran and even Narendra Modi have used it as a weapon to get what they wanted. And what they wanted was not always legitimate. So I continue to remain sceptical, because for the Mahatma the means and the people whom you associated with were as important as the ends itself. It is here that I have my doubts, but that does not mean I am casting aspersions on Hazare, it is just that I am keeping my judgement reserved.
I will not be surprised if I find myself hating Hyderabad
Anyone who knows me, knows that Hyderabad is the end all and be all of my life (apart from family, profession etc). But the Hyderabad that I see in the last few years is beginning to get on my nerves. It has become a city that only inconveniences the common people. You may ask what brought this on. In the last one week I have twice spent hours in traffic jams. First time it was on Ambedkar Jayanti and the second time it was yesterday on Hanuman Jayanti. Huge processions were taken out on both days leading to traffic gridlocks and making people inch their way to their destinations. That too in the heat of the summer. There are processions for everything by everyone. The Hindus want processions and idol immersions for Ganesh Navratri and Durga Navaratri and now even for Hanuman Jayanti. The Muslims have processions called the Pankha Jhuloos and starting this year processions on Milad un Nabi. Apart from the main processions you have people on two wheelers marauding their way through traffic waving saffron or green flags and generally shouting abuse. The Dalits want things on Ambedkar's birthday. Until a few years ago Ambekdar Jayanti was celebrated near the Ambedkar Statue with a few hundred people coming and paying homage to the great man and dispersing by about noon. Now there are thousands of people, huge speeches and by the time everything is over it is at least eight in the evening. Youngsters and oldsters carry blue flags on two wheelers and in Jeeps and Vans and trucks and roam around the city. And just add the number of bandhs and public processions in the name of Telangana, Andhra and Rayalseema, and you will see what inconvenience people are put to. That is why I wonder if I can still love Hyderabad the way I do, in the future.
KCR and Brahmins
Everyone knows how much TRS Chief KCR loves controversy. A few days ago he conducted a Chandi Yagam for the gaining of a separate Telangana state. He being the person that he is felt it necessary to come out with stupid utterances like Telangana Brahmins are more pious, conscientious and sincere whereas the Andhra Brahmins were all show and into amassing wealth without having any of the three things that I have mentioned above. These are the kind of statements that one laughs at, but no, not the Brahmins. Brahmins in Vizag, did "Pinda Pradhan" to KCR (this is a ritual carried out for the dead) and protested wherever possible. The opportunist news channels that cannot let go of anything controversial took to this like fish to water. One of them ABN-Andhra Jyoti went to have a discussion on this with phone ins as well. I stumbled upon this by sheer chance and it was really hilarious to see Brahmins of different regions fighting each other on the basis of KCR's statements. What happened to those days when people fought the stupidities and cruelties of Brahminism and Brahmins? What is becoming of this country and state?
KCR, Velamas, Reddys and the separate Telangana State
Today's Times of India carried an interesting headline. Before I go there, let me tell you that I read the Times for reasons of entertainment and would not use it even to clean my posterior orifice after the morning ablution. Today the headline story was about how Union Minister Jaipal Reddy and State Home Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy have drafted in the services of the Coordinator of the Political Joint Action Committee for the realisation of a separate Telangana state, Prof. Kodandaram Reddy. The papers claim that the minority Velama community to which KCR belongs will hijack the benefits of a separate Telangana since he is monopolising the agitation. So the Reddy politicians who represent a bigger community have come together to ensure that they get the bigger piece of the pie. So reports Times of India. It also says the BC groups are against both the upper caste groups. While all this is not outside the realm of the possible or probable, I am shocked by a newspaper making this the main article of the day. Whatever happened to responsible journalism?
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