Suleimani Keeda: The must watch cannot find movie of the year.

Like any good movie this one too is a journey.

The journey details the paths taken by the film's three primary characters, Dulal, Ruma and Mainak. Dulal and Mainak are a writing duo hoping to make it big in bollywood. Ruma is a Mumbai girl hovering on the brink of self discovery. Through her photography she believes she has found herself and is looking to explore her depths. Their paths cross in a series of interesting coincidence that never seem forced or cliched. In fact this movie tries really hard to avoid any cliches. Certainly you can break it down into tropes if you so wish, but the tropes do not stand out. They do not at any moment overpower the script. Instead the script, their journey, flows seamlessly. Meandering this way and that. Like a gentle yet deep river. A river edging it's way not to a climatic waterfall, but the serene ocean. Providing the viewers with a thoroughly satisfying experience.


One of the many factors that work in favor of the film is it's accurate portrayal of a lifestyle many people are curious about, yet can rarely find on screen. The lifestyle of a writer, particularly one entrenched in the daily warland that is Mumbai and Bollywood. It plunges the viewer headfirst into this perspective and never drags it's feet. The dialogues shine through the clever writing. Personally I found the fact that everyone in Bombay has some nugget of knowledge/wisdom to impart particularly hilarious. The budding romance between Ruma and Dulal was also presented beautifully. Not for a moment does the movie get overbearing in it's aspects. The beautiful score blended wonderfully with the atmosphere, allowing me to enjoy every second of the film.

According to me...this is the one. The one film to change it all. All those of us who decry the frailties of Indian cinema, who bemoan the thousand splendid imperfections that shine bright in eastman color, this is the one you have been waiting for. It has humor in spades, it has clever writing from start to finish. It has a bunch of hugely talented actors at their natural best on screen. It has great music and some great shots of Mumbai. Such a shame you wont get to see it. Isnt it? The best Hindi movie of 2014 has come and is about to now go. It will slip past you before you can even blink. It's not anyone's fault this, it is after all a low budget movie. This is low key indie(nearly) cinema at it's finest and unlike the kinda of indie cinema that makes news ie: Serious artsy shit that can get us depressed, this one deals exclusively in humor. In a sense it is the opposite of artsy cinema. This movie tries it's damnedest to cheer you up despite telling you that life does not always have happy endings.

Not a happy ending.

So it is no surprise that you will be hard pressed to find a show time near you. Available exclusively in the metros and on limited show times. If you happen to live in one of the smaller cities in the country just forget about it right now. Which is kinda sad because I think a small town audience would really enjoy this movie. It is also kinda sad that the movie has garnered such low attention from mainstream media, one would think that the highly talented folks in the media would manage to keep an eye out for such a gem. If you are out there reading this review, I urge you find a show time, catch it in the theatres. There hasn’t been a movie this good out in a long while(Khosla ka Ghosla), and considering how under the radar it is...I think we will have a long wait before the next one comes along.

10/10

More about the movie: https://www.facebook.com/sulemanikeeda.official

Uberconspirational

Something strange is going on with the Government. Despite the recent air of sincerity and the promises of reason. Their steps recently taken run completely contrary. The banning of Uber, Ola on the flimsy premise that the apps have not been registered stinks. On the surface it seems like a knee jerk reaction, almost as if the Government panicked and took the step of banning the app based cab companies fearing the public fallout of yet another rape in the capital. After all it was BJP who had tactfully delayed the elections until now, ensuring weak governance in the capital under the Lt. Governer. This delaying tactic made sense from an electoral point of view but it compromised any possibility of proactive action by the administration in our capital to deal with crucial issues like public safety. After all our capital and the country at large have a massive rape epidemic raging through.

However, is it truly a knee jerk reaction? By our government’s usual standards this was an unusually speedy measure, not to mention harsh. Almost as it the decision was waiting in the wings. Could it be the Government was already mulling some sort of action on Uber and Ola? They were certainly not on great terms with Uber. Considering the recent spar between the RBI and Uber. Of course Uber smoothed things out with a timely partnership with Paytm. Avoiding any serious penalties(like a ban!). Could it be then, that this decision was all set up and ready to roll out? Of course if this decision was not as knee jerk as every one believes. If this was indeed already in the making. Then one has to wonder why? Why would this government, a government that has openly declared India open for international businesses, a government that has promised to support emerging sectors and is clearly trying to woo foreign investors suddenly turn hostile towards a well placed international firm?

Consider for a moment who had the most to lose with the emergence of Uber and Ola or who would gain the most if they were suddenly, taken out of the game, so to speak. These cabs companies had changed the game. Taking a massive slice of the pie away from established radio cab operators.  With their slashed rates and innovative business model and lack of infrastructure, these new upstarts came in fast and hard. They were ushering in a new era, being far more mobile then the larger radio cab operators, allowing for their quick expansion. These new companies were literally on the verge of making radio cab operators obsolete. Would it be too far a stretch then to imagine some of the established players of the game, players who have clearly been around long enough to develop a range of contacts within the governing structure(ruling and opposition), to have influenced this strange decision.

I do not see it as a far stretch. Despite our Prime Minister earnest pleas for faith, the BJP is not a party known for keeping the faith of the people. Nor are they a shining beacon of honesty and anti corruption. The party has been rocked by it's fair share of scandals in the past. A well placed bribe here and there would not even register on the scale of the corruption BJP has already committed. The decision makes absolutely no sense otherwise. The official reason given is pure hogwash. The government’s own app based auto facilitation service Pooch O is just as much unregistered as Uber or Ola. The driver had a valid license and a forged character certificate with him, certainly one can argue that Uber should have carried out a more stringent background check. Yet to ban them for this oversight is far from rational. Any progressive thinking government looking to make real change would have taken this opportunity to do some inward thinking. Work out the clear and present bugs in the system. It is not too hard to reflect a person's offences on their license. Not impossible to grant Uber time to fix the lapses in their hiring procedures. It is not irrational to hope that such serial predators can be tracked by a modernized and independent police force. That our masters that be have made the decision they have is telling of how progressive this government truly is.

It is easy to mask a person. Simple to cloak an object. It is much harder, to mask an ideology. To hide a rot that runs to the core of the system. Nearly impossible to mask one's true nature. We stand ready now to welcome a new year. Elections are coming to Delhi again. 2015 is nearly here and the future looks kinda dystopian with the talk of night vision drones in the air. All this might just be my imagination, there is no proof on this of course. Nor do I think there will ever be, but I am keeping a cautious eye out now. Things are afoot in our nation that have encouraged the conspirationalist inside me. Entire swathes of Tribal peoples suddenly being branded Naxals, massive forests suddenly being ear marked as prime industrial land, companies being banned out of the blue. I dont know, maybe you ought to keep an eye out too.  Our glorious leader has promised us the Moon, let us be careful his coterie does not steal the Earth from under us.

The miracle pill

My fellow morally and ideologically bankrupt Indians. How it do? You seemed to be in a smug mood lately so I figured it was time to get some ground rules back into play. Lately the newsfeeds have been waxing lots of big words. Fascist, Anarchist, Vigilante. Surprisingly all of them apply to the same person/same party. The social networks are abuzz with jokes and jibes, I see nails being slammed into metaphorical coffins. Some going so far as to declare the AAP effect over and done with. While others hail this as a great victory for the one true savior of India, Master Modi.

A little premature innit? But what brought on this cascade of hate where only fifteen days back everyone was patting themselves on the back for a job well done in supporting their favourite party (online only mind you, nobody's got the time to get into the nitty gritty). It was this.



The simple fact which you can take away from that video is a Delhi cop refusing to obey a Minister of Law for Delhi and offering no explanation for doing so. The only thing the cop keeps on parroting is that "YOU ARE OBSTRUCTING POLICE" that's it. No hows, no whys, just a standard neutral statement to keep himself in the clear. However this fact got buried under layers upon layers of angst. Now most people got ticked off by the tone Somnath Bharti takes in this video. I say most people because I include myself in this category. I also found the racist undertones in this whole operation to be quite alarming. If there were Caucasians (gora log) living in that area and not people of African origin (habshi log) I doubt the residents would have been complaining.

But here's the thing. If you want to know why he was taking that tone, take a good long look in the mirror. The reason he was there was because there had been repeated complaints by the residents of the colony (written FIRs and the whole dance). The reason he was taking that tone was because decent honest middle class folks expected him to. Know of a relative who comments innocently on how punjabis have no class? Know an Uncle who hates Sindhis unreasonably. Remember the time you teased the south indian kid by calling him "Tambi" "Tambi"?  Yeah, that's us. Racism and discrimination is in our blood. How many of us can sit down and share some food with our resident safaiiwala? Be honest to yourself. You dont have to answer to me. You have to answer to yourself. Why not try it tomorrow. Just sit down with your Safaiiwala and share a cup of tea with him/her.

If you can.

Wanna bet at how many of us cannot. That is how strong our discriminatory programming is. So why are we suddenly so surprised when someone who is exactly like us acts like an asshole on camera? If Somnath Bharti and all members of AAP are exactly like us then why would they not share our own inherent failings?. Everyone in that residential colony called the people living there "Habshi". Do you know what that word means? At its most polite it means "Barbarian". That is rich coming from a country that devours its own minorities on a periodic basis. We conveniently forget about the vile shadow that lurks within our own souls while flinging blame on others. We have killed hundreds of men, women and children in a matter of days when it suits the mood of the nation. We are a nation of bigots and naysayers. We revel in our bigotry, believing it makes us better than the average human being. As a nation our track record is impressively disastrous. We have gone from bad to worse to horrendous over the decades the Congress/BJP combine has ruled. Unfortunately it would seem some of us have really really short memories.

So to all of you on the Social Media circuit going apeshit over this recent turn of events. Allow me a moment to review our political options. It is surprising for me to still find people telling me how BJP is the only solution to our problems. Because I still remember very clearly when BJP's greatest achievement was this.



That is BJP, yes the same BJP Master Modi is a member of, going to great lengths to reduce an ancient mosque to rubble. Truly that Masjid was India's greatest enemy at the time. An act that led BJP to claim undisputed victory over pieces of masonry, stone and cement. Now Im not much on fights, but I do know that buildings dont tend to fight back.  So that wasnt really much of a fight now was it. Of but I know who fights back...its terrorists...those violent scum. Always up to no good with their terroristyness. Surely our BJP would pound them into the ground the same way they pounded the Masjid into the ground. Oh wait no. That didnt work out so well after all. A hijacking later our BJP government folded like a house of cards and served up public enemies who were on death row. BJP the uber nationalistic party that promised us a safer nation, that promised a strong India that will not bend or break crumpled in the very first crisis it faced. Effectively the party has a horrible track record against anything that is not


a) An unarmed civilian
b) A building.


I deliberately brought up Babri and not Godhra. People have tried so hard to cover that shit up that even bringing up the Gujrat riots sends every single BJP holy warrior in a religious frenzy. They start frothing at the mouth and spewing forth links of shady articles supporting Modi and his non involvement in the matter. You can hear them all around you. Hailing the great governance in the state of Gujrat. Praising the modernistic ideals of their mighty leader. Never mind the fact that no Chief Minister who is incompetent to the degree of being unable to handle a few hundred rioters (If his story is to be believed) deserves to be made the Prime Minister of a nation. Never mind the fact that BJP is, was and always will be an RSS front. Never mind that a party that is unable to make its own decisions in no way deserves to come into power. BJP still seems to be a valid option to vast section of the intelligent Indian segment.

Which brings us to the other half of the equation. The Yin to BJPs Yang. The great Indian Congress Party. I say great because surely no other party could have managed to stay in power despite orchestrating a near genocidal rampage on a community in their own country. The Sikhs were butchered down because one of the Sikhs killed a Congress Prime Minister. Not only did they manage to stay in power, but hell they haven’t even found anyone to blame for that yet. This is the party that is still in power today. This is the party we would trust to run our country decade after decade till they have become so fat with the riches they have engorged on that they are unable to even lie properly.

So how did things get so bad? How could we the hyper sensitive people who are so politically aware let these monsters come back again and again into power? The simple answer is because we let them. The blame solely lies with us. They didnt just waltz into power. We brought them into power. Time and time again. We, the common man. People like you and me. Out of this discord of democracy comes AAP. A newly formed party based not on principals of religion or principals of votebank politics. But founded on the principals of change. But noooo. We dont want the change. We dont want to change. We just want things fixed and things cant be fixed we want us to not be bothered by them. Our silent minds whine over and over again...

"Just let me do my job, let me work my office, let me travel in the metro in peace. I dont give a shit how much money you steal, I dont care if the police are corrupt. Ill just pay my bribe and be on my merry way. Noooo, dont try to change things. Dont be a retard man, be practical. This is how it is, this is how it must be."

We want a miracle pill that we can take and just wish our worries away. The problem is not Somnath Bharti, the problem is not AAP...hell the problem is not even the BJP/Congress combine? The problem is You. Yes, you. You incompetent, helpless, ignorant, educated milksop. You delicate flower who cant deal with a bloody traffic jam but would be happy with someone slowly leeching away the very lifeblood from your veins if they only did it discreetly. You hypocritical coward who would rather sit on facebook and moan and groan about how the AAP are racist goons and thugs rather than do something about it. Of course they are racist thugs. Everyone in India is a damned racist thug. Everyone of us was brought up on the idea of racism and discrimination and getting your own way. They are ignorant, they are discriminatory because they are the common man. Maybe in your bubble universe India is the perfect face of liberalism but there is an India beyond facebook. A cruel and harsh India where the poor are crushed under the heels of the rich. An India of poverty, starvation and ignorance. That is the India we must fight for, not your bloated rose tinted branded version of India.

Next time you feel the urge to put your ass where your mouth ought to be take a minute to reflect on what you are about to say. If you think you can do a better job than AAP then why dont you join them? What you cannot spare the 10 rupees fees? Or is it because Politics is too hard for your spoilt comfortable lifestyle. Maybe its because you know you wont hack it when it comes down to something real. Maybe its because you know that anyone can talk the talk, but walking the walk is an entirely different matter. Maybe its because you know you cant do it.

The quintessential excuse enjoyed by every Indian for avoiding politics like the plague no longer holds true. AAP is not a party that discriminates among its memebers based on how much cash you can contribute to the election fund. If you feel so strongly about their actions. Join them. Change them. Now is the only time to do so. Tell them what they are doing wrong. Because otherwise all you are doing is making empty noises. Or maybe that is exactly what you want. Maybe despite your assurances to the contrary, secretly you do not want India to ever change. Secretly, you are now more scared than ever of what is to come.  There is no miracle pill. There is no easy way.

There is only a choice. Either change, or be happy with the way things are.

Either way, stop talking, start doing.

Nostalgia's a bitch, also Linkin Park.

Dredging across the endless wastespace that is the internet, I stumbled across a song I really liked in the oasis that is Youtube. But we all know that youtube is no mere oasis, it carries within it the addictive drug, the related list. And once you are on that list, you just have to keep going. So I went down that rabbit hole, clicking from song to song until I ended up on a recently launched Linkin Park number. Naturally I clicked play to check out their music.

Now I know for most of you, that will not be the natural choice to make. After all, not all of you came through the ghetto of music, as I like to call it, that was a defense brat's life in the 90s. Allow me a moment to elaborate. I come from a time of awkward get togethers/parties held in the Officer's institute for the amusement of the bacchalog. Where shy gangly kids mingled with the opposite sex despite fear of cooties and got their first taste of asking a girl to a dance. (And then following it up with the best/worst dance solo imaginable)

Groovy baby

Regular music for me for the longest time involved either old forgotten disco (Daddy Cool made a big impression on me in an impressionable state of mind.) or the cream of the 90s pop scene. Such classics as "Alice", "Push the Feeling" and "Oh Mickey, you are so fine" jarred the sound-waves, interspersed by my personal favorites, The Backstreet Boys. Boyzone was pretty popular too, but everyone knew only girls could like that super girly band and we shall not sully this post by referencing them again.  So when I graduated to College and found this strange new band called Linkin Park, falling in love with their angsty and edgy sound was almost destiny. I adored Linkin Park. After that, every single time Linkin Park played anywhere I would sing out the rap parts, try and sing out the screaming parts (and fail miserably) and then dance like Joe Haan beating down his robotic slave machines from the future...That is what they are aren't they? My Point is, I was a big fan of Linkin Park. A friend of mine who also listened to the band got me started on more of this strange magical music called Rock. Eventually I moved onto heavier stuff like Limp Bizkit (yeah, Im gangsta like that) and Korn. Realizing soon that there was a whole world of music out there and I needed to devour it all.

Over the years as my musical binge continued, good old Linkin Park was neglected. Sure I bought a tape of Meteora, but things just weren't the same. Their music was clearly evolving into something different and my tastes had certainly changed a lot. Chester's screaming paled in front of Cobain's lyrics. Soon after I would discover Pink Floyd and forget the entire world losing myself in the Dark Side of the Moon. But karma is funny like that. Not all that is forgotten is lost. My little karma angel frustrated at my lack of respect shown to the band that started my rock that kept rolling had brought Linkin Park back into my playlist after nearly a decade. And so, after a tense moment of indecision, I pushed play. I swear I tried to keep an open mind. I tried to run through the whole song, but then Chester started to sing really high and not scream like he was born to and the melody became way too upbeat. It all just sounded awful, so I switched to another LP song. Hoping against hope that maybe I would like this one.

Nope.

The song was shit, the band was shit. Clicking through a few more songs I realized that all of them sounded nearly the same. Even worse, they sounded like one of those fancy party numbers that are popular in the clubs. Something from Avicci or Afrojack. I was mortified.  The nostalgic rock baby inside me was screaming in indignant rage. What had happened to them? What had happened to me? Were they always this terrible? Could it be my taste in music absolutely sucked back then? So I found my favorite Linkin Park album (Reanimation)and gave it a listen. Ah sweet relief, flooding my veins. No they were not always this terrible, No my music taste even in its nascent stage did not suck. If they had been this terrible they would have never become a big act in that hyper evolving era of music. As proof ladies and gentlemen , I present exhibit A.

'Chea

How does a band go from that to safe generic shitpop? "Kyur 4 th ich" embodies everything I loved about Linkin Park. A badass DJ spinning that record, a groove you can bob your head and move your body to and the feel of the future spewing out from your speakers. Granted it can be argued that Reanimation was a remixed version of Hybrid Theory and the creative space was shared by more than just LP. But dammit they inspired all those artists around enough to collaborate and create this awesome album. How could an act that had created such quality music be satisfied with the the crap they are putting out now? For shame Linkin Park, For Shame.

Then it dawned on me in a thought flash. I was no longer their target audience.

I had grown older and and was no longer the Youth of the Nation, no longer young and free and careless as careless should be. Which was apparently  the sole bracket they were aiming for. How else do you explain their blunt edgeless music. They were definitely not catering to any LP fans (If there are any). And it was clear to me that this was music tailor-made for kids, teens, preteens.  Because kids these days love this sound. Love it? Hell they worship it. It allows them to dance all fancy like and doesn't bother them with too many twists and turns in their trip. Making them look good while they groove to that extra loud bass. Linkin Park, the band I had once loved obsessively had sold out so hard that they had forgotten where their own awesome origins lay. An instant after that I had a new found respect for Limp Bizkt, which despite sucking dragonballs and having zero relevance to this time have still stuck to their original sound. No matter how terrible the result might be.

So is that the natural cycle for all art? Must we wait constantly for the artists we love to either sell out or simply lose relevance because of their inability to evolve? Is there no way to break this vicious circle? Or is there a better path? A way beyond those two choices. An evolution beyond the constraints of your own art and it's audience. A path where you constantly strive to create something new, something unheard of. Something that has never existed before.

Is it possible to walk the unknown road and all it may entail?

I don't know, why dont you tell me.

The Pedal of Awesomeness

As my close friends already know, I have recently acquired for myself a bicycle. It a very light trail bike, the Firefox Target  21 speed. Now some of you, the cycling enthusiasts to be precise will instantly decry my choice of brand. Wondering why I did not take the time to research the topic and opt for an obviously better choice in an imported brand. To you guys all I have to say is, I didn't so shut it. It was an impulsive decision and so far it does not seem to have been a terribly bad one. Also I already bought the damn thing, crying about it now wont do jack. For the rest of you here is some never heard before news.

Cycling is Awesome.

I dont think I am capable of describing exactly how awesome cycling truly is, but in this post I intend to try. It is a vast experience filled with lasting pain and cramps and sweat and rainbows. And a little bit of Unicorn magic for good measure. I have been cycling everyday about 10 Kms and I cannot stop gushing about it. Everywhere I go, I go on my bike. Riding around like a boss, dodging those mean boulders (pebbles) and blazing my own trail where none existed. Every time I open my mouth, the cycle slips into my conversations somehow, followed by a manic glint in my eye. Every night I go to bed, with my legs aching and my back hurting and my body relishing in the bliss of muscular reconfiguration, I smile a little. My brain relaxes a little, pats my monkey head and reassures me.

"There there fat monkey, you did a good thing. Rest easy."

"Dont you dare touch that banana"

And I sleep the sleep of Kings and Conquerors, eager to wake up the next day and step on my loyal steed for another round of questing around Gurgaon at 5: 30 AM.  Dont get me wrong here, Im not saying cycling is all fun and games (although it mostly is). There is pain. Loads of pain. Like any physical exercise that involves me not occupying the same spot until I sprout fungus, My body vehemently opposes the concept. Every morning as I rise out of bed I can literally hear my muscles creak, groan and moan in tiny anguished whispers. They crowd around my ears screaming in their indignant tiny voices.

"We deserve to be heard "

"We are the 99%."

"Just sleep it off you moron."

And it's not just the muscle pain. Being a cyclist in Gurgaon is kinda like being a Cowboy in the Wild West of movie lore. But without the guns, or the cool hats. The cows are there of course, as are an angry horde of motorists who apparently cannot cross the meter length of my bicycle without completely losing their shit. I assume the thought of sharing space on the road is so alien to Gurgaon motorists that their minds spiral out in a horn blaring ragecoma. Unable to comprehend and thus accept this strange creature on two wheels who is able to circumvent all traffic jams.

Just me against the world.

That coupled with the fact that we have enough dust floating around Gurgaon to create many a mini dust Taj Mahal, means that every time a "Fast Jat" in a fast car zooms by they kick up a thick cloud of dust for me to breathe my way through. Then there are moments when after a long stretch, as you are pedaling up an incline and just about ready to give up, the sun comes out and basks you in all it's glory.  Pouring down waves of heat and bright light onto you. Making you wish you were sitting inside an AC car with cool water running over your head.

But then there are the good times. Moments when that sheen of perspiration licking my skin suddenly dries off as the wind picks up. And I feel myself cool down a degree or two as my natural AC kicks in. Moments when fat clouds roll lazily over the sun, granting me cool merciful shade. Moments when you turn onto a stretch of empty road the sky puts on it's song and dance with the Sun and the Clouds playing hide and seek for an audience of one. All because I am there out on my cycle, pedaling on to bear witness. Moments when I hear the thunder on my back and race home a coming storm. Times when I zoom through a bad stretch of road only to pass by the Mercedes that had coughed up a dust cloud in my face. The driver too scared of scratching his super expensive chassis.

And I laugh. I laugh at the Sun in my face, the wind in my hair. I laugh at the lounging low clouds grinning down at me from the sky. I laugh because when I cycle, I tap into something primal. A feeling old and possibly lost. I tap into a spirit of adventure. A feeling of excitement many of us might have forgotten. A feeling probably shared by the earliest of our explorers and pioneers when they set out from their little clusters of comfort and braved the elements, alone, unhindered, free to go where they may choose. The pathfinders of our civilization.

This isnt just a cycle, this is my magic carpet, my chetak, my steed noble and true. This is my freedom that can take me anywhere I want to go, anytime I want to. This here is my ride, and when I do ride..I live.

Another tryst with destiny

The next year is going to be big. Not in terms of big budget blockbusters bouncing out from Bollywood. Not big in terms of how much the Rupee climbs or falls, or big in terms of how many new scams see the light of day. It will be big, because it will decide a lot about where we are headed. 2014 is election year. And gearing up for election year already you can hear Congress go on and on on the radio about how much they have improved your standard of living(and mine) in this last term. Im sure all of you have heard one of these ads at some point or the other, it inevitably triggers a landslide conversation about the state of the nation. About how royally the Congress has fucked up and how bad things are today. Everyone solemnly agrees on Congress's incompetence. The fact that Congress has to go is almost a universal sentiment. I discount from this sentiment the Congress's army of fanatical loyalists of course, who probably go to bed with a photo of Sonia ji between the sheets(citation needed). But to the rest of us, at least now a clear picture is emerging that our Netas are not who they claim to be.

Unfortunately that is precisely where things start to get murky. To elaborate how things have been for the past few months in our internet minds, I will take an analogy and run with it. Consider a group if you will of five people (for simplicity's sake) sitting together and discussing the state of the nation. The first elaborates the state of the nation and all five unanimously agree that Congress has to go. Suddenly one of them gets up and starts shouting out about how the only person who can save this country is the great and illustrious savior of the Hindu race, Sodium Molybdenum... or NaMo as he is popularly known. He goes to great lengths to describe a golden age of India that existed once long ago. A time of Ram Rajya, when corruption was something unimaginable and each man lived  and died by the noble principals of Hindutva. He secretly hopes that age will one day return, and the mighty NaMo will become the Rama of this Dark Age. He hastily clarifies that even if you do not believe in Hinduism life will be better for you. Because there will be pious living and spiritual enlightenment for all to be had.

The others mumble among themselves and wonder if the poor chap lost a marble or two, but none question his sanity in front of him. Because if someone is seriously trying to recreate a mythical ideal that even if existed, did so in a time beyond reckoning. You dont jeopardize your own safety by openly questioning their sanity. The third guy comes out and says, that hey...this NaMo guy might have some good press but the fact remains that he was involved directly/indirectly in the massacre of hundreds. A massacre based on the mirage of religion, but actually set in the principals of caste and creed. The others agree and whisper about this among each other, setting off the NaMo fan. Who insists that you cannot blame someone for something just because it occurred during his tenure as chief minister(you totally can). He points out to countless speeches given by NaMo in which his eloquence and sharp mind come to the fore. The rest again mumble among each other and agree on the face of things. But each decides in his heart that if that's the way it is, then he might as well vote for his own community leader and be done with it. The fourth speaks out that we now have a third option, the Aam Admi Party or AAP. Which talks of Swaraj and empowerment of the people. But the NaMo fan will argue with bluster and in the noise the talk of AAP will be dismissed, the others two take scant notice of AAP simply because it is a new player in the game and thus lacks experience. The fifth meanwhile decides, fuck all this noise. He wont vote. Besides he has better things to do then stand in line only to choose between a thief and a fascist.

The five disperse, the only common ground found between them is that Congress has to go. They are united on the surface but every bit as divided as they have always been underneath. This is the state of the internet, that part of our country that stakes its claim on the important things. Things like education, willpower, spending money, regular food on the table. This is the state of our enlightened elite(bottom rung, but close enough). And the hard reality is, we the enlightened elite are not the ones who will be swinging this election. As always the election lies in the hand of the second India that bubbles underneath the bootheels of our Seth Jis, Netas and Maliks. Beneath us, yearning to be free...truly free, burns the the spirit of this nation. They are the ones who will decide the election. The hungry, poor, struggling millions for whom getting a voter card is a matter of identity and necessity. Who have no choice but to vote. And they are the easiest led astray. While we panic and debate on the downhill slide of the Rupee a Neta will come from Congress/BJP and offer them the usual. Cases of liquor for distribution to the local leader and boxes of cash. Free booze and cash to spare will be paraded about and the local leaders will give out the order to vote depending on who ponied up the most goodies.

Congress or BJP, both follow the same beaten path. Both follow the same systems put in place. While we argue among ourselves over who is right and who is wrong. Over where morals end and action begins, our glorious Netas will slyly slide back into power. And for five more years we will disintegrate bit by bit as we are taken apart from within. Chipped down by the ones we let into power again. But it does not have to be that way. There is still time, what little power you give to yourself is a power that can change this Nation. AAP the third option is the only viable option. Even if you know nothing of their policies and realize they are inexperienced they are still the only clear choice. Simply by virtue of providing us a third choice between the devil and the deep sea. So fight for your rights. Go talk around, use those valued communication skills that got you a raise last season. Talk to the Rickshaw Pullers, Auto wallahs, Chat Papdi walas, Phuchka wallas, Your Kaam Wali, your Dhobi, your Taxi driver. Talk to people from all walks of life. Ask them what they think of the state of the nation, ask them what they think of the Congress, of the BJP. And then ask them who will they vote for? Convince them if you can to vote for AAP. Convince them if you can to vote for change.

And swear a simple oath today, to get yourself registered as a voter. Yes, you the one who can afford to sit back in his home and read this in luxury. Become an active force for change in this land. Vote and tell your friends to vote and spread the vibe already. Voting is not just your right it is your goddamned duty. It is our duty as educated citizens of India. And if we do not exercise it, we lose our one chance at positive change. Consider the chance that AAP comes into power even if in Delhi and NCR or the Metros only. Consider the immense possibilities for change, a change for better. And now consider the alternative. Rahul Gandhi with his smug default program speech lording over a pile of money, or NaMo with his clever jibes executing a final solution to the Muslim menace. We stand now at the brink of another tryst with Destiny. A unique chance to choose a new era. A chance at true self governance and the chance at empowerment of the right people.The past is gone by and the present we waste in arguments but our future, is still in our own hands.

And if we want to it be, it can be as bright as the Sun.

Or as dark as the night.

Snake Eyes

This one is a religious sermon.

Death is dancing through this land. Walking hand in hand with cleansing rain, to cleanse away the pain. The Earth is reeling under the weight of a hundred million billion souls mewing and crying and screaming and kicking. But the Mountains do not fret. They do not worry that they are infested by scores of humans. Humans who journey out here in this delicate environment in the hundreds and thousands to crowd these narrow walkways in an effort to be closer to Shiva. Who huddle together like so much cattle and pretend to be brave. Hoping to walk in the footsteps of their God.

Not knowing that Shiva always came alone.

He did not need the support of the rest of his broken race at his back to talk to Mountains. He did not need to beg the Gods for deliverance. Did not need the constant reassurance of an imagined deity to keep himself whole. But we do. And so we crowd to the shrines stacking up like sardines choking the valleys with our filth and cast off plastics. We suck up the thin air breathing it all in, and the land echoes with calls of Shiva and Bhole. While the devotees pile refuse upon nature in metric tonnes all in the name of protecting our thin mask of civilization.

Mountain's are fickle Gods at best, and Monsoons even more prone to changing their minds. How many years have we enjoyed grace and protection while our leaders bungled through their lives? How many years did we manage to get through without a serious mishap. It has to be the grace of Shiva that protected us for so long. It certainly cannot be due to any preventive measures taken by the government, there were none. We enjoyed our period of peace and prosperity only to have our leaders turn it into a time of oppression. And now our peace has ended. The Mountains and the Monsoon have seen us squander the grace that was given to us. They have seen us spit in the eye of the very Gods we worship. And now they will not tolerate our intrusions anymore.

"Begone"

Roared the voice, though the mountain only whispered. With a gentle shrug twenty thousand devotees were stranded without anywhere to go. We call it a landslide and talk about how enough trees were not planted. Talk of how the laws were not followed. The Government ducks and hides under its desk and mumbles incoherently about "Nature's wrath". Nature's Wrath? This is nature's love song. We wont be able to take Nature's wrath. This is a blessing. A warning. Maybe the last warning, maybe a few more are to come. But it is a warning never the less. A wise man once said

"Check yo'self before you wreck yo'self" 

Its time we realized that we cannot keep treating our land as personal backyard. We cant keep developing anything and everything that comes to our mind, or follow the whims of any big industry that fills our wallet. We need to start treating Nature with the respect she deserves. We need to start following the environmental laws put in place specifically prevent mishaps like this to the letter and beyond. And we need to open our eyes and see. See how the political parties, those we have entrusted to lead us through this crisis are even now bickering among themselves as to who is to blame. As long as they can find someone to blame to satisfy us. Like a pack of hungry wolves circling its wounded prey, snapping and biting at each other as they decide who gets the king's portion and who gets to sleep hungry. They have cut us up into religions, castes, creeds, regions. They have divided us up over the years all in the promise that we need to be afraid of this big bad world and they will protect us when the time is right. They will guide us when the time comes,  We will need them when the time is upon us.

Now the time has come, and they are not up to the task. Too weak, too corrupt, too incompetent to even realize the depth of their mistakes. Now the time has come and our politicians respond by even now embracing their inner corrupt Indian. With Netas putting pressure on rescue workers to rescue their own kin first, with stories of them filling up refugee camps and distributing food in return for promises of vote. Wake up and smell the shit that is raining down on us all. Wake up to realize that we never really needed them at all. That our imagined differences are exactly that, imagined. That it is they who need us. Need us to vote them in power again. So that they can continue the loot and plunder unchecked. Its time to wake up and take charge of our destiny, before it seriously is too late.

Our leaders have failed us. And now Shiva's grace has ended. We are in the final stages of the game and both die just came up with ones.

Snake eyes all the way.