A retrospect on India Today on Independence Day

Missing the flag hoisting, patriotic songs, dance, drama and speeches with the parade during the school days, could see them in Veegaland, now again after a break in OPI at the stroke of midnight hour!!

Otherwise it was only A Day off, but some jobs do not even have that!!! As said in the meeting, I thought of having a retrospect on India Today and this is what I could find:

TERRORISM:
On the way home on 15th morning had to go through the bomb detector at the railway station.
The most serious threat to democracy and nationhood since independence seems to be terrorism. A singe 11/9 attack on the twin world tower way back in 2001 is still unforgettable to the Americans, but terrorist attacks seem to be a daily cup of tea for the Indians. In 2007, the United States National Institute of Counter Terrorism calculated that between January 2004 and March 2007, the death toll in India from all terrorist attacks was 3,674, second during the same period only to Iraq, a country which has a civil war on its hands and an occupying army. It is time to say enough is enough, with a zero tolerance to terrorism. 23 blasts in 2 days, 54 dead 221 injured all metros on high alert. Attacks on successive days in Bangalore and Ahmedabad followed by People seem to be clueless about the attacks and attackers. Is there insider trading in this, or is it Islamic terrorist attack? Was scrapping POTA right saying that attacks on Parliament and Akshardham temple occurred when POTA was in force?

It is said that the suicide attack by ISI backed Taliban militants on the embassy in Kabul is aimed at derailing India’s reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan which has earned it considerable goodwill.

SPORTS:
Since 08.08.08- 08.08.08 (Second-Minute-Hour-Date-Month-Year: Wonderful isn’t it!)
all eyes are on the "Bird's nest" in Beijing, as things are unfolding at the greatest sporting event in the world. Thanks to 25 year old Abhinav Bindra, armed with an air rifle and nerves of steel, India has won its first ever individual gold at the Olympics. It should indeed be an inspiration for the young Indians! Last time at Athens it was silver by chilly Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who’s winning was an alchemist turning India’s dreams to gold. It was a step by step move forward beginning with one bronze. Any person can win or loose, but taking part with sincere support, hardwork, commitment, knowledge is necessary, and it seems to be beginning now. The boys from Bhiwani are showing better prospects with people like Dinesh kumar, Akhil Kimar, Vijender Singh and Jitender kumar in boxing, just missing the sip in badminton, like P.T. Usha, who almost lost her medal by 1/100th of a second. Isnt it too less for such a vast country and population like ours? Indeed, a lot of opportunity here!!

There are people like Sathyajith, completing his IIM and rejecting the highly paid job, for encouraging football in India. Though the hokey team showed a poor performance with motivating movies like chak de, expecting to have a bright future ahead in all sporting activates, with the increase in awareness, resources and talents in India.

Cricket team India, facing humiliating defeat in international games, are doing what they do best-getting in front of the camera.

It was skeptical to see cricketers sold like slaves at the IPL auction in January. Business men like Mukesh Ambani and Vijay Mallya and celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta, bidding for cricket franchises seemed more like acquiring a new hobby or a toy to play with than serious business. But Rs. 9,000 crores extravaganza has revolutionized the business of cricket giving everything together that India love- Bolly wood/ cinema, cricket and money. Millioners watched it, aired at the prime time, soon after the office hours, during summer break, ensuring maximum participation, and an opportunity for many new talents, who could not or still have not made to the Indian team. Eight teams, 128 players, 59 matches, in 44 days, at multiple venues, indeed involved mammoth logistical challenge. In the face of a serial bomb blast in one of the venue, Jaipur. Hats off to Lalit Kumar Modi, an Idea that changed the life of cricket. Modi- a Marwari born in Delhi, in 1963 and based in Mumbai, the scion of 8,000 crore K.K. Modi group. After school, where he occasionally connected willow to leather, Modi left for Duke University in North Carolina for a degree in management, but had to depart in baste in the wake of charges of drug abuse, in mid 1980s. To him the arithmetic of TV viewership and the almost-religious fervor that cricket triggered in India made immense business sense. No doubt, there would not be success without a good team work. Also there was Pawars support. On asking what IPL was for him, he said ‘Living this dream’. He is not planning to bill it as one-summer success, and there are even rumors that, there are plans for even second knock out session, from 2010, plans to sell franchise in Dubai!!! If his track record never set Dalal street on fire, there was Anil Ambani who failed to bid; asking why only eight team, why not nine, which itself is a proof that it was a ‘want factor’. Management technique of Kingfishers failed in cricket, but Vijay Mallayia had his brands emblazoned across not only his team’s jerseys but also across four other IPL teams. . Losing Royal challengers could afford to give gold plated gift to all the participants, the semifinals where like fixed, Chennai super Kings owned by India Cements, whose MD N. Srinivasan is also BCCI treasurer. And Rajasthan Royals one of whose owners is his brother-in law , a business man from Africa. It was a fight to the finish between M.S. Dhonis canary yellow clad Super kings and the blue-blooded Rajasthan Royals led by the bleached blond Shane Warne. Yes, it was the trainer, the captain, from the team, which was considered as underdogs, which emerged victorious. New faces/stars that emerged where, Manpreet Gony, Piyush Chawla, Yusuf pathan, Swapnil Asnodkar, Rohit Sharma and Amit Mishra. Dhone and Yuvraj too was wonderful, but there were some of our senior players who could not be upto their mark, but are still there in our team.

CRIMES OF PASSION:
Crimes of passion are ever rising, extra marital affairs, possessive males, liberated women. It’s providing a deadly mix. What’s behind it?

In the last 12 months, India has been witness to series of horrific murders which have happened in somewhat unusual circumstances. A few real life and not movie stories:

• A man named Reji Kumar, killing his wife and three children, and wife’s skeleton found from the septic tank of his house.

• The murder of teenager Arushi Talwar in Noida became a high-profile case due to the fact that her parents were prominent city doctors, and was the initial suspects in the case.

• The developments in the murder overshadowed the gruesome killing of Neeraj Grover from Synergy Adlabs, by the small-time kannada actoress Susairaj, who was dreaming big, with her boyfriend, Navy based, Lieutenant Emile Jerome in Mumbai, which added another chapter to urban India’s growing list of crime of passion. There are so many aspiring persons, who willing to outshine take up any ways, no matter what the price or the way.

• Infosys engineer Amit Budhiraja smothered his wife Sachdeva of one year after an argument over her alleged affair with a colleague.

• These are not new, almost 50 years ago, navy commander Nanavati had shot his English born wife Sylvia’s lover. But either they were lesser then, or less publicized.

• Husbands killing wives, and vice versa, with suspicion.

• Fake Swamis being unveiled in major parts of our country and ashram bapus being attacked.

• Fake currency, temple statues missing, corruption, black market, which existed are still not ruled out, but continues.

• Sixteen years later sister Abhaya, the nun who was found dead in a well at her convent in Kottayam, kerala, her case has been reopened.

Today’s young India is increasingly defined by lust, love and violence, which outpace everything else in life. Along with coke and Nokia, we have become net importers of social and sexual habits that are alien to a society still anchored in tradition. Isn’t it saddening to hear the association of fiery and a wonderful word like passion with crime?? But that is what is happening today.

As the present generation gallop towards professional success, they are leaving convention and their Laxman Rekhas far behind.

POLITICS:
There is more than one striking feature in BJP’s sweeping win in the Karnataka Assembly elections. Until this victory, the party was always seen as a north Indian phenomenon. It could not quite make inroads south of the vindhyas where, it is said, India is another country. Born in the Hindi heartland, the parties core constituency and its national appeal, was always limited. But Karnataka promised to change all that.

The Governments flip-flop over land allotment to the Amarnath Shrine Board has exacerbated tensions in the state and gives BJP one more chance to whip the congress, thus beginning another unholy war.

The UPA had earlier claimed high growth and low inflation as its own. But in the last six months, despite whatever the UPA has done, inflation has risen from 3.89% to double digit, till 12%. For sometimes there was no looking back. Fuelled by rising costs, inflation has wrecked household budgets and government finances. As it threatens to touch double digits and impact growth, the UPA dream team is faced with an economic challenge that is also a political nightmare, and as usual, their first reason is it’s a global phenomenon. History has an annoying habit of repeating itself, particularly through the utterance of politicians.

The dividends of three years of 9+% GDP growths are on its way to being eroded. As in 2004, with the NDA, the UPA Government too is faced with an India that is shining in part but that part either does not vote or doesn’t count for much. It seems it is the part that is suffering make its displeasure known at the polls. We could find the retired bureaucrat, as the father of two great legacies-liberalization and now becoming a true politician winning the no confidence motion, and with the nuclear deal.

If anyone ever doubted the oft quoted adage that in politics, there are no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests, then they can have no better proof than what is happening in Indian politics today.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:
As acquisitions become an integral part of their strategy, Indian companies put into place innovations in the cultural and business landscape to make the mergers deliver results. My friends working for M&A consultancy astonish me by saying about the number of mergers taking place daily, though it is only the hi-fi ones that last long discussions like the Tatas, Birlas, UB Group, M&M, DRL, Mittals.

Then there is outsourcing, ever on its rise. Because people look for better service, rather than doing it all by self, they are willing to hand over non core activities of theirs to the specialist in that specific area, whether it is accounting, HR, transportation, marketing or whatever.

With waste management proving profitable, the world over, Indian entrepreneurs look at rubbish as a resource to build new business. People are making liquid fuel using plastic and organic waste. All the developments would be of waste, if the waste is not properly managed, and clean atmosphere provided for the residence, travelers and workers.

Infrastructure in India is improving whether it is roads, ports, retail outlets, communication, banking or insurance. But still there is dearth of electricity or agricultural products.Do not know why there are so many buildings for IT comming up, when there are many lying vacant, with no users to take them up. Rising cost is making it difficult to make both ends meet for the common people. Will there be an end to this, or a recession?

ENTERTAINMENT:
What is this Forbes First wives club? With Usha Mittal and Tina Ambani from India?? The past six months have seen debuts by several young men but the race to be Bollywoods next boy is still wide open, and the khan’s fights go stronger. Award nights increasing are becoming monopoly of who promotes and who hosts. Bachans are planning to carry their camp on their world tour; their lists are always, selective.
Radio, FM channels, TV channels, Reality shows, have all multiplies and opened up opportunities. Blogging, orkuting, and increase in use of the internet are the growing passion and interest of the present generation. We are not aware what is happening next door, how our immediate relative or friends is. Space, relationships, and the products we use are all becoming temporary or of shorter duration.

We do find time to pay homage to the dead like Brigadier Mehta, Surjith Singh, and ponder over the things done by them, see, re see and re listen to the things done by them, but do not find time to visit the neighbors who died.

Having celebrated our Independence Day, we are looking forward to celebrate our freedom!!!

In a world where you can be anything, let us be ourselves!!! Let us ask what positive we can give to our country too!!