Ten ideas for a better India

I came across a contest on HarperCollins India for Ten ideas for the next twenty years of India and was tickled enough to bring out my own list, but after completion I realised that mine were not ‘ideas’ but what I thought were catalysts for change. So instead of submitting the list to the contest, I have posted it here. Feel free to comment, debate and share your ideas.

1. Pass the Lokpal Bill

Self-explanatory. The biggest problem our country filled with potential is facing is graft and political anarchy. I take the liberty of calling it anarchy because a nation run by money-laundering rascals, misogynists and religious criminals with no vision or desire to serve the people is fit to be called anarchy (and I do not single out any political party here. One is worse than the other).

2. Treat eve-teasing as a criminal offence awarded with heavy fine or imprisonment

This includes self-appointed moralists who take it upon themselves to beat up women because they do not fit their bill of ‘Indian culture’. It’s high time someone taught these bastards some culture. A heavy fine and imprisonment might go a long way in curbing the animalistic, sex-deprived street behaviour of Indian men and give women the courage to lodge complaints.

3. Make rape and marital rape non-bailable offences awarded with life imprisonment and revealing a rape victim’s identity a criminal offence

Rape laws in India are chauvinistic at best and so moderate a hardened rapist could easily slip through their grasp. A tough sentence could act as a deterring force.

4. Make sex-education compulsory in all schools

I cannot stress this enough. The moral police could go fly a kite in the filth of their own ignorance and patriarchal tribal values.

5. Make it impossible for a candidate with criminal records to contest elections and set a minimum educational bar of a graduate degree to contest state and national assemblies

Education does not mean knowledge but it does go a long way in opening up the mind to the world and better representation of an emerging India.

6. Introduce a benefit scheme for small-time farmers and BPL families providing them a (realistic) monthly package of money/ration and free education for the children

This might have been thought of and implemented ‘on paper’ but it’s time India tagged along the poorest of the poor and the farmers who feed us on the path of progress and of course their children have a birth-right to education. Considering the amount of tax payer’s money being hoarded in Swiss banks, we can afford this.

7. Implement a ‘One child only’ rule

Controversial, yes; against individual rights, yes but it’s the need of the hour if India has any hope of limiting the population explosion.

8. Build world-class training facilities for rural, athletic and national sports (basically all other sports side-lined by cricket) in every district

Refer to my post India at the London Olympics

9. Build enough public toilets or provide portable loos and make public-urination and littering an offence that will be heavily fined

Self-explanatory. It’s time we stopped ignoring the mess around us and got working.

10. Metro links in all Tier 1 cities, High speed rails connecting the country with on-board loos that do not open on to the tracks

Yes, Indian Railways is a profit-making entity and operates a huge fleet but if you think about the population Vs transport infrastructure ratio we are way behind optimal facilities. And the loos well, haven’t we all pinched our noses shut within a kilometre radius of railway tracks?

Now I am well aware that this list does not cover everything that can be done for a better India. I have not mentioned the dire need for us to stop being IT service slaves of the West and the need for entrepreneurship (but you can read my thought on the topic here) or Caste and Religious issues or environmental concerns. I would also like to write in length on gender inequality and women’s issues in our country in another post, another day, till then I think this will do.  Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

When CROOKS rule us!

During the past few days I have frequently wondered on the doomsday Karnataka is fast heading to. No this is not in any way connected to the movie 2012 which seems to have the people believing that the end of the world is near! Sigh! (And I used to think the majority of the general public was sensible! Double Sigh!)

Anyways resuming my soliloquerie; the abyss the state is descending to seems to be more dangerous than the journey itself. Karnataka sold….! That too to crooks-money mongers who do not give a damn about the state, its people or its welfare! Did I just say welfare? Ha ha ha ha do these people even care about a word such as welfare! These so called mining lords who are concerned about nothing but making their already thick pockets thicker!

Why I have a problem with the entire scenario: (No am not a supporter of the BJP but a firm believer in democracy and societal law & order)

1.The brothers in question and a close associate have shaken the basic premise of democracy. By challenging a governmental head constitutionally voted by the people of the state, the trio with their band of equally shameless and money hungry MLAs have tried to stand taller than the people’s will-the foundation of a democracy. Being a part of the government in question and leading a coup against it is the greatest breach of trust to be committed especially when such a coup is fuelled by a thirst for power and arrogance in one’s wealth.

2.The coup is strongly related to the restrictions being contemplated on the illegal mining activities in the ore rich district of Bellary. In the process the crooks in question whisked away the elected MLAs from their constituency for days, that too in a time when many of the constituencies needed their MLAs the most for flood relief work to be implemented. While people suffered, these MLAs enjoyed and relaxed in a resort in Hyderabad! Hyderabad! That’s my 3rd point.

3.The ultimate insult-the coup decamped after setting the Karnataka government on fire to Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh! The Reddys who even after living in Karnataka, eating the ‘salt of the land’ as old timers may call it and after raping the ore rich lands and forest cover in Bellary (a lot of it illegally) and making money out of it, still hold strong ties with their mother state. It is even believed they wield considerable political power in A.P. Rule Karnataka and benefit A.P seems to be their maxim.

Now for the PJ, the front page of a newspaper carried a ripping revelation from one of the MLAs involved in the coup. The MLA allegedly said “We (the MLAs involved in the coup) are here in Hyderabad to plan for the development of Andhra Pradesh”!!!!!! Ha ha ha har har har this coming from an elected representative from KARNATAKA! The F@#%ing B@$#!%d probably does not even know where his line of duty lies! Sad! Maybe that explains why Karnataka lies where it is!!! The capital of which has Kannadigas at a crying minority and the state government writhing at the hands of the ‘Reddys’! Of course my blood boils!

4.Social stigma ousted a woman out of power. This is how I would describe the ire directed at Shobha Karandlaje in the midst of all this drama. Fine, the CM who is another crook trying to retain his footing among a hoard of bigger and greedier crooks had a soft corner for her! Agreed, she usurped the power of other male (chauvinist) ministers to become the CMs right hand. But the way the only woman in the cabinet was thrown out to satisfy the male ego left me feeling disgusted! That too when the peace maker in this case from the BJP high command was a woman!

5.Last but not the least, the irresolution of the BJP leaders in the centre to overthrow dissidence and give the CM the much needed support, not because he deserves it but to stop Karnataka being sold to ‘corrupt to the core’ worms who call themselves politicians! The irresolution of the central leaders of the BJP has left the government crippled for the rest of its life-god knows how long it is! Not only has it rendered the govt a mere puppet at the hand of the @#%$#! but given encouragement to corruption, sin and havoc!

The hype created by the media in this case has done more harm than good. The media seems to be giving un-necessary visibility to the dissidents and their unashamed quest for power. (Not to mention the support in some of the Telugu media.

Atleast if the government had ordered a mass probe against the illegal mining in the ore rich districts instead of taking monetary support from the perpetrators themselves, we would not have had to face this situation today!!!! What can we do…only hope and pray for a better tomorrow and meanwhile bray out in our blogs and drawing rooms! And of course I forgot- think twice before selecting one crook over the other in the next elections.