Obituary of my 20 year old bike

This morning the Security Supervisor brought a Kabadiwala to my office as per my request to find one. The Kabadiwala introduced himself as a Marwadi and he was briefed by my intermediary on the purpose of his visit. He later clarified his surname was Marwadi and he  was not boasting of being one.

The reason why he was standing in front me with a feeble look and carelessness towards a television set behind him which was beaming live speech of Indian Finance Minister was very emotional. I was parting with something that was with me for the last 20 years. It came to be in 1993 and exactly 20 years later, I was emotionally detaching from it.

No, dont come to any conclusions. It was my bike which was no more in use since the last year or so and I had no choice but to condemn it. 

The Bike that I used for 20 long years is no more with me. Condemned

The price on offer (olx and quickr doesnt accept these type of bikes right?) was Rs 2000. There was no point in bargaining. I fixed the deal. But there was a catch. The bike is registered in my brother’s name for the sake of getting a loan. In 1993, the loan scenario was reverse to what it is today. We had to chase banks to get a loan. The paper work was so huge that sometimes I wondered how Indians are so laborious to be taking so much pain. Me included. I got a recommendation from a bank manager to pass the loan quickly. Today the loan is passed before the bike reaches your home.

Now to add insult to injury, my bro got shifted to Mumbai and he insisted he will take the bike and register with Thane RTO. I did the paper work with a local RTO agent here in Ahmedabad and got the transfer papers. We transported the bike to Mumbai. Carelessness has been the hallmark of my bro and keeping his standards very high, he craftily lost the papers before he could register the vehicle in Thane. And yes, to rub salt to injury, he left for the US leaving the bike in Mumbai. I took it back to Ahmedabad with great care and started using it gleefully. The sudden separation for a few months had weakened me mentally and physically. I lost 3 kilos in bargain trying to start the Bajaj Super that I had. I tried to re-register with Ahmedabad RTO but I was told I need a certificate from Thane that it was never registered there. So as all Amdavadis do, I tried a short cut. I approached a friend of mine who stayed near RTO. He in turn, approached a purportedly agent who roamed around the RTO for petty works. He told me to prepare an affidavit instead that the bike did not get registered anywhere in India. I did it and got it signed from my bro in the US. I gave the book and affidavit to this guy whose name I dont remember now. For the next one year, neither my friend nor me had any idea where this guy was. Ultimately we came to know he was caught by the police for some petty crime and was in Jail for close to an year as un under trial. He seems to have thoroughly enjoyed his stint at the jail as he was explaining everything about his colleagues at the jail. But he was not mentioning my ROC Book. He promised to return it next week.

The next week never came and he kept looping in and out of jail and I lost contact with him altogether. I was left with a photo copy of the book instead.

“Sir, the papers,” Marwadi quipped in breaking my quick flashback. Instead I offered him an undertaking which he agreed with both hands, eyes and legs. I asked for his identity and he gave me his PAN card which started with a word Acharya. “Yes sir, I am a Brahmin,” he responded to my querry on difference of names in his visiting card and PAN Card. Caste and religion plays a major role in any business, I know but I would have given the bike to him even if he was not a brahmin. 

He gave me two thousand rupee note and I handed him the key, last time I was touching the key which used to rub shoulders with my body for couple of decades. It was worn out but still shining. The steel in it had disappeared and it now looked past its prime. But it had the capacity to take me farther. 

I made him sign the papers that any eventuality hereafter anything happens with any parts of the bike - including usage in any blasts or accident etc - I will not be responsible. I translated and read out to him. He nodded his head again indifferent to various fiscal deficit measures P Chidambaram was announcing behind his back. 

It was time to bid the farewell. It was parked at my office. For the last two years, my office boy used it for official purpose. But then the burden on him for repairs increased and he gave up and bought a new one. I preferred not to see it for the last time. With tears in my eyes, I handed him the key and asked it to be taken away. By evening or latest by tomorrow, it will be broken into pieces and melted.

With full condolences to the bereaved bike, my memories goes back to the era when bike was a luxury. It had transported me from nook and corner of the city to intra city rides very comfortably. Not once it had ditched me. Was always loyal. The tyre that we race are the tyre you buy is an MRF catch line. But not once the tyres were changed. Wrinkles were not visible at all and there were few internal injuries as well. 

Today when I see the planes of Vijay Mallya vanish in thin air, petrol pumps of Reliance disappears immediately after construction, value of human beings eroded, huge scams unfolded I remember the loyalty this bike had given me. At the time of departure too, the bike was smiling and was youthful and charming. Why I didnt keep it for archeological value will always remain a mystery with me just as the Godhra training burning or Akshardham shooting. 

And by the way, I am left with no bike now.

How a noose got a PM candidate out of the headlines

The morning newspaper headlines did not surprise me as I had it known much earlier about Afzal Guru hanging through the obvious medium - online media. I guessed this as a part of a strategy by some shrewd Congress brains to take the shine out of the much hyped news headlines about a person who got anointed as the Prime Minister of India - yes, by a few cronies and a big chunk of his fans and social sphere.

I have had many chances of writing about Narendra Modi. Many of my penning are not in his favour according to the minority readers who read them. Some one quipped. Why are you choosing Modi and not any other person to vent your frustration. I ask myself at the end of each musing whether I am venting my frustration? Why should I? I dont think so.

When a person develops a following, it swells in no time. Take the example of self styled godmen. Most of these godmen are real estate brokers who mediate with government under the garb of religion for their spiritual disciples - which could be individuals or corporate. Controversies after controversies about them with solid proof do not deter their fans from believing the opposite. On the contrary, they see it as a work of devil. The same applies to political leaders who are no less than these godmen.

Let’s start with the sovereign republic of Gujarat which competes with India in all spheres especially foreign direct investment. The state’s next competitors are US and EU. It is led ably by one of the biggest success stories of modern India, Narendra Modi. He is more popular than Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. He has taken all credit for Gujarat’s development except the one achieved by Gandhi - country’s freedom.  So the question is why he is not eligible to become the Prime Minister of India. Why do people like me have a problem?

Historian and Sociologist, Ramchandra Guha states in a column "In a lifetime of travel through the States of the Union, my sense is that Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and (despite the corruption) Tamil Nadu are the three States which provide a dignified living to a decent percentage of their population."

So does this mean Gujarat’s people are not living a dignified life? You come to any city in Gujarat and you will not believe in what Guha is saying. But you go any any interiors and you will tag Guha immediately. But is this phenomenon only in Gujarat? Are other states faring well? Actually the answer is no. But their CMs are not trumpeting as well.

There are more critics to this view point than supporters. One Journalist who has authored a book on Modi's politics says " as usual Guha is trying to make a case against Modi...prejudice is reflected ... that Modi is able to nullify the campaign is something big..though one can have strong reservation against Modi. Does he expect modi to do charity in politics"

One of  Modi’s biggest advantage is that he succeeded a person as CM who has no idea or understanding that his successor is claiming all the credit that happened during his tenure. E-Governance was never started by Modi. In fact very few journalists have made any attempt to verify the fact that Gujarat has much better e-governance than Andhra Pradesh. Whereas AP had connectivity upto District level, Gujarat has upto Taluka level. Keshubhai Patel under whose tenure this happened had no idea what all these were about. But he nodded when his babus told him that this would make land records and other government work much efficient. Bombardier, which makes coaches for Delhi Metro has been in Vadodara without the then CM knowing that the credit would be taken by the future CM.

Take the case of Chandrababu Naidu who stole the limelight with just one project - e governance. He became the CEO of Hyderabad(not Andhra Pradesh) within no time and continued to be the darling of IT companies for long before people realised he sold a dream than reality. Keshubhai on the other hand could not get the mileage though he had much better system in his state than Naidu. This is clever marketing.

But marketing without substance is not sustainable as Naidu realised. So what is Modi's achievement? He wounded something called caste factors in Gujarat in an attempt to eliminate it. Partially he succeeded. His personal clout and aura among the middle class transcended caste and to an extent, even religion. I live in Gujarat and is more a Gujarati than a Malayali. Most friends call me a Malayali Vania because of the entrepreneurship levels and the risk taking capacity that I have and which I completely dedicate to the soil of Gujarat. Every single work here is achievable. Every government contracts are easy for those who are closer to political circles. On the surface, there is no corruption but beneath the surface, you see a practical approach. 

And I am not discussing one of the most discussed topics - 2002 riots. This illustration will best summarize why I am not doing it. A friend of mine who got hit on his face in a petty quarrel filed an FIR against the hitter. Later, they settled the case. But he told me once if given a chance, he will hit the other person first and he will never forgive him nor forget the incident. The same person always argues with me that 2002 is history and discussing it a decade later is utter waste of time. The victims should forget and forgive everything and move forward. If he cant practice it with a small hit on the face, how does he expect for those whose near and dear ones got wiped out for no reason.

But as we all are forced to believe, all victims have forgotten everything and participated in Sadbhavna. They have moved forward. Those fighting for them are the people who are trouble shooters now. Let’s not get into it and forget that 2002 ever happened.

I always counter people who refer to Gujarat's roads as a shining example of the state's development. But I have never been able to convince them that these roads are just tip of the iceberg where majority of people travel. In most areas, there are no roads at all and those which can be called roads are under severe stress. In addition, as Modi himself has stated, Gujarat is a rain deficient state. Without rains, the roads are always in good shape. Just take some state highways towards Bhavnagar, Una, most of Saurashtra and South Gujarat interior places where roads are the responsibility of state government. Seeing is believing.

Yes, the same applies to Modi’s tactics as well. He has successfully put the negatives under the carpet and trumpeted the positives. Every other chief minister has done much more or equal to what Modi has done but they dont have twitter handle, their own blogs and a host of ghost writers to assist or a Vibrant Gujarat like summit where MoUs are the norm, not the flow of investment. So seeing is believing and he has shown every one what he can do in a virtual world. As Thomas Friedman said in his recent article, there is a sizeable number of Middle class and an equal number of Virtual middle class. Now both these classes are die hard fans of Modi.

In a democracy, when you vote for a leader, you expect a person to be the leader and not a dictator. Being authoritarian is not bad at all. In a democracy, meek leaders with no authority are held with contempt by his own officers. You have to wield authority but not to the extent of being understood as an emperor. As if one Congress is not enough, do we need more emperors and empresses in India?

I am sure you must have spelt this out at SRCC when Modi said the metro train you travel “uske coaches maine bheja tha” (I had sent you the coaches). You can use this only when you own a state not when you are elected to run a state.  

Democratically elected leaders instill confidence and oozes welfare measures to the masses. Because they have to get re-elected, marketing the efforts taken during their tenure is also nothing wrong per say. But they do not put fear factor into their oratory. 

Accepted that a human who possess all the good qualities cant be human but a super human and finding such a personality among the human race is impossible. But such people cant run countries or states. Also having good qualities do not necessarily make a good politician. The best example is our own prime minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh. Take his experience and his knowledge level and he is distance above the rest. But did you get these qualities in his governance? No is the clear answer. 

Modi is also not above this. He has his own weakness and his biggest is his party which stands between him and prime minister candidacy. Those who praise his governance should look at the Vice Chancellors of universities in Gujarat. They are political stooges not even qualified to be even office boys of standard educational institutions. By doing so he virtually killed skills and education level in Gujarat. Today you dont get a single employable youth because of this trend. All other educational institutes that he takes pride of - CEPT, IIM, NID etc - are none of his creation that he can take an iota of credit. Let’s not discuss the human development index at all.

Today’s leaders - after a short stint in power - are intolerant to constructive criticism leave alone destructive. The first and the foremost reaction from all of these regional leaders is to shoot the messenger. The ban on Kamal Hasan Movie is a classic example of how Modi can be omnipresent in various forms, in different areas under different guises.

On the other hand, we should realise that slowly and gradually we are moving towards a mirage democracy. In a democracy where everyone has a right to do whatever he wants is not helping the country is what a majority of people believe. This is exemplified from the Delhi protests and Hazare agitation. Both these miniature Arab Spring versions did nothing for the country except uniting the unknown and giving strength to people like Modi. 

I was watching the 18 year old young guy who appeared in NDTV studio the evening Modi addressed SRCC and introduced himself as the person who organised the event. He was sold out to people like Modi. He is already a Modi worker and I believe he will work for BJP(If Modi keeps BJP intact) for the rest of his life. He, along with Sunil Alagh, was talking sense but not facts. The SRCC principal was highly indebted to Modi saying he wrote to 11 leaders including cabinet ministers and Modi was the first to reply - within a few hours. Of course, you set up the platform for him to speak at Delhi and why should he say no. Try it again. Invite him with subject ‘Sectarian violence in the modern world and how to deal with victims” and see if he responds positively.

To understand why such a huge number of people are addicted to authoritarian leaders, one need not go anywhere else but right here. Take the case of Sahara which built an empire just out of political connections. To make the slate clean, they imbibed India’s biggest religion into their stride - cricket. See the audacity of the group which has consistently defied Supreme Court orders and basks in the glory of resources they have in the power corridor. 

The very fact that people of this country still believe in the notional figures that CAG has thrown into the arena as losses in various scams goes on to show that we are not brought up to question the authority but to believe in what ‘Mai Baap’ preaches us. Those who questions are mostly eliminated politically, socially or physically.

Any anti-development articles - especially by authors like Arundhati Roy - are sure shot reason for betrayal of this country. Take the case of Kanubhai Kalsaria - the man who dared Nirma with strong and valid reasons. The ever arrogant Nirma group retreated. But his own people defeated his mission. I am not saying he is a saint. But his terrible defeat in the last elections by the very people for whom he fought for is something to ponder. This reveals a dangerous trend. If you want to stand in the election, just get some factories in your area. Oppose it at your own peril. So development at any cost is the key, not progress.

One should differentiate between progress and development. Nehru was progressive while Modi harps on development. The snake charmer comment is an insult to the makers of modern India. As if he made it possible for this conversion. Today’s generation have no idea about the way country developed. How territories got united and culturally and linguistically different people stay together in the name of this country called India. 

But we are trained to bask on hype, believe on half cooked truth.Take a look at the report by Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE)  which did a research on the investment statistics flaunted by the Gujarat. It says the figures released by the PR machinery of the state have no basis nor is supported by documents. The only place you get these information are from the government of Gujarat website which CMIE says “in most cases the website does not provide the details of a valid company name, location, product, and capacity’’. It is the practice of corporate to announce even a small achievement. 

But why do those corporate houses which signed MoUs worth trillions are reluctant to show off? That’s because they will face shareholder wrath if they disclose this publicly. Signing an MoU at VG Summit is now reduced to a PR exercise for these companies. So any questions asked on these? No, we do not have the culture of debate. We have the culture only to obey. 

The natural reaction to these type of observation is obvious. Pro-Congress, pseudo secular Sonia stooge. One must realise you cannot escape this blame which is as old as the Kashmir Pandit issue being thrown over those who question Gujarat riots. In India you dont have space for free and intellectual thinking. 

Random Musing - Not meant to be an intellectual piece.