The Buzz & Beyond

Don’t you think the Varun bashing is going overboard? Is this an issue that needs to be given so much of importance for such an extended period of time? Who is not spewing the venom against their own brethren? What do they want? Nowadays the quality of politics is too low that there is no presence of quality is seen around. I am still at lost to realize in what way Varun’s statement was communal or that invokes violence. All he said that is he will cut off those who offend Hindus or Hinduism. At the outset this is a hypothetical statement. If at all people are reacting to this statement, then they are proving that they are in the process of offending Hinduism and they need protection from the retaliation. In all fairnes, is it not a statement made in self-defense? Equality does not mean that one has to be suppressed to the maximum. The Maharashtra Govt has cleared an amount of Rs 24 crore in various projects for development in just 9 days. What does this imply when the elections are ne...

India has remained in the league of developing country for long. One is not sure when it will be in the league of developed countries. Indians are hoping to build India into a super power and the Vision-2020 is geared towards this goal. However, one factor that nags us is the confusion that exists regarding our national identity. We are known for our attitude of craving for recognition from the West or White Race. Unless we get a certification from the West or White race, we term it backwardness. My question is: Will a superpower allow these things? Can we define what the Identity of a nation is? Does it exist or ever felt in India? Perhaps, we felt it only when we watched India playing cricket. Indians are highly competitive as individuals but a total failure as a team. We resemble the Navgraha with each one of us facing at different directions. We also argue that what every individual see is right and the best and persuade others to accept it. After all, why do we need a National I...

India has remained in the league of developing country for long. One is not sure when it will be in the league of developed countries. Indians are hoping to build India into a super power and the Vision-2020 is geared towards this goal. However, one factor that nags us is the confusion that exists regarding our national identity. We are known for our attitude of craving for recognition from the West or White Race. Unless we get a certification from the West or White race, we term it backwardness. My question is: Will a superpower allow these things? Can we define what the Identity of a nation is? Does it exist or ever felt in India? Perhaps, we felt it only when we watched India playing cricket. Indians are highly competitive as individuals but a total failure as a team. We resemble the Navgraha with each one of us facing at different directions. We also argue that what every individual see is right and the best and persuade others to accept it. After all, why do we need a Na...

The election euphoria is heating up. Almost all ordinary news becomes sensational during these days and the people of India are treated with more masala than the news per se. The buzz word for the past one week is the “Third Front”. This front has nothing to do with ideologies but with opportunities. This is a cluster of small regional parties who over estimate their value and has no national image. However, they are pretty good at their regional levels. With the two major national parties Congress and BJP failing to act authoritatively while negotiating seat sharing with regional parties, India is turning more federal which is not a healthy sign. It is an irony that these two major parties put together do not represent half of the House. This number is not likely to increase as these two parties are not given more seats to contest by their small partners. The rest of the house is represented by regional parties who do not know what is meant by national ideology. They represent their ...

If you are a new voter this election, or would like to vote but do not know where to start, this 'questions and answers' report is for you. Even if you are regular voter, there is information here that you could utilize. Who are eligible to enroll as voters? You are eligible for registration if you are 18 years and above on the qualifying date (January1st of the year of preparation of voters’ list). You must be an ordinary resident of the constituency /ward in which you live. What does ordinary resident mean? You are said to be an ordinary resident of the place where you mainly / normally reside. If you are living or working away in a city / town other than the place where you normally reside, you can choose to register either at home or at the place where you are studying / working, but not both! How do I enroll (register) myself as a new voter? Fill out Form 6. It can be downloaded from the EC website ( www.eci.gov.in ). You can access this from any cyber café near your ho...