Thank you Pranab Babu

Pranab Babu must be a happy man, last time around PC's superb oratory skills had left both us and the opposition spellbound, many considering the fact that that it was the best budget ever presented. But then the stock market crashed . The markets went up by 300 points this time and kept risen at 175 when it closed. Pranab Babu thus must be very pleased. Yes the opposition walked out and the contents of the budget are likely to make much of us happy but still the market rallied to some expectation which all of us failed to see. Pranab Babu often has been labeled boring and was expected to deliver a budget which was supposed to be low on both form and substance. But then as if giving out free “Rosogullas” during a famine he probably delivered one of the most most pronounced budgets when compared to ones in the past decade.

The budget did not look spectacular, but it was never meant to be so. It was only when one saw Pranoy Roy dissect it that it looked so. This was a more a workman like Rahul Dravid carving out a win than Yuvraj blasting 6 sixes. For starters the Stimulus measures initiated by the Finance Ministry wasnt being round upped but only partially wound up and an increase in excise duties by 2 percent. The fiscal deficits were supposed be be reined in (a welcome change than just passing it on every year). And even though the opposition walked out on the announcement of increasing of fuel prices but the actual hike by Re 1 excellent news for the market, in accordance to speculation it was supposed to go up quite significantly. The direct tax announcement was also something to cheer about but then the picture does not look that rosy when one looks into it in detail..

The contents of the budget does not necessarily make everyone happy, the “Mango People” would be hit by the price rise of petrol and increase in the service charge for domestic air travel. Pranab Babu expects a GDP of 9% per annum and the budget he says is geared to do that. Tall claims one may say as inflation is around 8% and food inflation is around 17%. Putting these into consideration we would require a growth rate in actuals of around 20% in order to have a actual GDP of 9%. then there is the big question of actual growth of Rural Infrastructure which is supposed to get 25% of the total funds set aside for for Infrastructural Development. Such was promised before but then there are mass farmer suicides and the no of poor keeps on getting increased every year. But then for all the budgets which have been passed every year keeping in mind the to be coming vote banks for the next general election this one would stand out. It would stand out for being simple and not merely promising stuff like a politician on a election warp. It addresses the most simplistic and basic issues a finance ministry needs to address, maintain GDP growth, remove the fiscal deficit and ensuring the delivery machinery to reach these targets are running smooth.

Personally for me the best part of the budget was the news of new banking licenses, many of us have often been harassed for simple stuff and an hours job max has often been a month long wait. While the Private banks refused to let go of money and slapped false charges the Public Sector largely lethargic ever worked. We as a society have come a long way since the days of Priya Tendulkar to hauling public figures for gross negligence. But then nothing is done in case of a bank even if it is their fault.

The fault largely remains with us as we are too damm lazy but the new rule of “Licensing” might just allows a few “Lazybones” to take up issues.

So Thank You Pranab Babu for a “Boring and quite Uninteresting Budget” and while you may take a well earned break and sample “Macher Jhol” here's hoping what you did present rallies the country to heights as it did the stock market.

"Hamara Bajaj"

Try asking an average Indian about the origins of a Scooter. Though the correct answer would be Western Europe most Indians would reply Saying "Bajaj". That is how synonymous "Bajaj" become with the term motor Scooters. For generations, people referred to scooters as Bajaj. At its peak they were the symbol of ultimate acquisition. People would wait 6 months to an year for a Bajaj scooter, sometimes paying twice the market price to jump the queue. More often than not, prospective In-laws would ask the bride's family for a "Bajaj" in dowry. Many a girls would have fallen to the charms of the Oh-so-handsome guy who rode the Bajaj. They provided the perfect means of transportation for an average family, 2 adults and 3 minors. Men cared more about their Bajaj scooters than they care about their shiny cars. Learning how to ride them granted boys passage into manhood, and of course the title of the random errand guy around the house.


Some of the credit for Bajaj becoming such a symbol should certainly go to Lintas (Lowe - Lintas) now. A sort of a Benchmark campaign it symbolized the new face of India. "Hamara Bajaj" - the term encompassed a huge target audience . Whether the consumer or not it did lead to a very strong association with India. "Hamara Bharat" for once took a back seat for the whole country was overwhelmed by "Hamara Bajaj". Hamara Bajaj was a symbol of an India that was emerging of people that were traditional and yet modern, of a social idea called India that which was un parallel. If John Abraham is the poster boy for bikes, Amol Palekar on his way to the ration shop was the abiding scooter role model.


Bajaj with help of its landmark product helped capture the complex reality of the existence of India. If we try making the Indian Middle class into a product chances are it would be as the Bajaj Scooter. t had space to squeeze in a full family, a place to carry vegetables, a dickey to store sundry needs of the family- in short, it seemed safe because it catered to the all those stable, worldly things that made a man a "responsible" person. In days Hero Honda was coming out with "Fill it and Shut it Bikes" the scooter with its all covered up blandness , smaller wheel size and zero masculine ambitions carried around an so called "Air of Safety" . It had to be kicked incessantly, aggressive at first gradually pleadingly, it had to be tilted in the middle of the road for allowing the fuel to start flowing, the spark plug needed more cleaning than a Lee En field Rifle. But then for the middle class, living such frugal lives that even buying a fridge occasioned family summits , buying a scooter was the realization of a fantasy and "Bajaj" allowed "Middle India" to live this fantasy. Though being Restrained, repressed it meant mobility. It made shopping, getting to work, dropping children off at school and visiting relatives possible. Moreover, its price was, with some tightening of belts, just about within their reach.


With the advent of India's economic boom in the mid-1990s, the lifestyle of the middle class changed beyond recognition. With money to spend for the first time in decades, the old austerity went, replaced by a culture of consumerism and instant gratification. Scooters began to look like relics of a bygone era of deprivation. Bajaj was one of the casualties of the new prosperity though not for long as the success of the Pulsar has been good if not comparable to the heights of the Chetak. But then for most of the Indian middle class who did use the scooter celebrated the functionality of motorized mobility. At a time when we coped with scarcity with heartbreaking dignity, the Bajaj scooter was our imperfect solution. With the Bajaj scooter gone, we have lost a vital part of our connection with our sense of our own middle class-ness. It is not just Hamara Bajaj that is gone, but a reference point to our idealized way of life that is no more.

Sehwag - Version 2.0

Over the years since Sehwag has been playing cricket and the onces I have spent lapping it up the best way to enjoy Sehwag's brilliance is not to expect anything from him at all. But then that is the beauty of Sehwag's brilliance that we expect him to score of every opportunity. We expect him to be that “Rampaging Marauder” every time he walks out to bat. According to Dhoni Sehwag has got the “license to thrill”. Leave behind the 20/20 or the ODI formats, Sehwags strike rate in tests is above 70, he averages 53 in all tests played till date and right now he is by far the most “prolific BIG match player” in cricket right now (his scores are a proof to that). What is far more outstanding is none of his big hundreds are against any minnows. Australia, New Zealand, South Africa his appetite for runs comes mostly against the big teams.

He has dismantled Ntini, Pollock and Kallis on Debut, slammed a certain Ajanta Mendis to submission (currently dropped due to lack of form), a few years back he belted 2 hundred in the “Grassy Banks” in New Zealand where our esteemed BIG FOUR could not even manage 4 altogether. His form went away in the mid of 2007 and thus subsequently dropped but then he came back against the Australians in Australia He grappled at first looking more like a “Delhi Halwai” but the runs came. He missed, got beat, hit but still managed some good scores. And then suddenly like having a enhanced “Quad Core” processor out came Sehwag Version 2.0. The appetite for runs were as big as ever but along with it came a calm head. Its hard for him to shed his “Marauding Pirate” image but this new one wasn't like the image of a “Mocambo Khush Hua” types, this image was more of the slick, uber cool “Jonney Depp” ones.

Purists will argue about the fact of his greatness. He smiles when he misses a ball, laughs when he mis hits and is completely unconcerned whether he gets out on 0 or 293. Where is the anguish of a missed opportunity slipped by ? Rather once out he seems to eager to get back to the dressing room as if there are “Jalebis” beckoning. Where is that “Thrall or even Whiff” of so called “Greatness” ?

But then Sehwag doesn't walk out the the pitch in chase of greatness. His idea of playing cricket is plain and simple. The “Game Dekho, Balla Ghoomao” strategy might be mind boggling to others but then Sehwag choose to succeed in his own terms rather follow any coaching manual. He chooses to to be a dominator and tries to induce a fear factor in the mind of the bowlers. Only he can make Shoiab Akhtar reduced to bowling gentle medium pace, last week Murali came down from world class to club class in no time. Another fact about Sehwag is that he is a game changer. England learn t harsh lessons last year and Sri Lanka in the recently concluded series. Sehwag could have easily scored a decent hundred and remained not out but then this is not what you expect from a man who hits his first 3 deliveries of a new tour for sixes. Of course there would be failures and his way of domination might result in throwing his wicket away, but then that is Sehwag and there is no better reason or rationale behind it. Responsibility and Sehwag seldom go hand in hand but then with such a game changer amidst the team why burden him with “Responsibility”.

Any of Sehwag's innings are always characterized by the words “destructive”, “explosive” etc. but then what we miss to see and express is that Sehwag is a true genius. The Nawab of Najafgarh is probably the best batsman in the world today. Sorry Grame Smith you may disagree with a certain AB to showcase but then AB does not even come close to Sehwag in mind of the the audacious shot making concerned and leave alone the fact of being a game changer. The only player right now who could get near to Sehwag on comparison is Kevin Pieterson but then he needs to keep his mind on cricket rather than concentrating dancing with his model wife. Yes there has been shades of Flintoffs brilliance in the summer of 2005 sadly his knee gave away (Briton needs to shed its chubby image), Ponting has been brilliant all summer, winter even spring but still I place Sehwag above all for the sheer audacity of his stroke play. He might not be a languid Sachin or a flowing Laxman, he might not be as consistent as Ponting nor would he have the grit or determination of Dravid. But then the above names are virtual gods in the field, their technique immaculate their back lift perfect concentration not wavering even once. Sehwag on the other hand would walk down to the pitch as if taking a stroll in Najafgarh, he would play his shots as if swatting flies. Sehwag makes batting look SIMPLE. He dismantles bowling attacks with the ease of ordering pizza. 30 minutes is all it takes, for the pizza to arrive or for Sehwag to finish off a match. More over the millions of fans who cry out his name can symbolize themselves to being more Sehwag than Sachin or Ponting. Ridiculous it might seem but Sehwags way of playing cricket is much like the “Gully Cricket” played in the sub continent. There is no need of footwork a decent hand eye co ordination would do, with 5 overs to play for hit is all one can do and bowlers who are they, they are there so that we can belt the ball. What Sehwag has in abundance is the gift of perfect hand eye co ordination not to mention a very still head too. But what is even more surprising is the power he generates. Creaming the ball is not meant for Sehwag he bludgeons it. The message is clear, Balls are meant to be put in the STANDS.

In Flow or not Sehwag does not allow one to expect it. He just plays audacious shots, very often ludicrous ones too, but at the heart of them you will find a unique quality: felicity and there lies his greatness. Sachin wont miss a delivery and then try reverse sweeping the next one beside the keeper, Sehwag just might. And then suddenly against the run of play he might just get out meekly at a half volley or a full toss. A few days back at the verge of history he popped a catch back to Murali and just walked away. A lesser person would have played it safe but then that was Sehwag, “Aaj Nahin to Phir Kabhi”.

If Sehwag Version 1.0 was brilliant, Sehwag Version 2 has been simply mesmeric. But then this is only possible as his team supports him in his way of going about with his style of batting. Asking Sehwag to cut down on taking risks and be more responsible is like having James Bond drink Haywards 5000 instead of Dom Perigion 53 and making him drive a Fiat Padmini rather an Aston Martin.

So for the sake of the millions who flock the grounds and cram in front of 14 inch TV sets to get a glimpse of one more audacious shot let Sehwag play the way he knows the best, his team knows and understands this let us give him the space too. Let him wander off unconcerned if he gets out at 0 or misses an opportunity to book his name in history, he is best paying this way and deserves all the right to do so.

"Chinese Chakkars"

Limited financial capabilities have prevented me from continuing (not permanently) updating my food blog. I don’t see a lot of “Treats” coming my way so till I do manage to fill up my now replenished financial capabilities my stomach and the blog relating to it would have to go empty.

So it back to world affairs.

We celebrated (I slept) Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday a few days back and though the media, for the day and a couple before it went into a frenzy with “Gandhigiri” the term has quite lost its relevance. Wondering why, well then the reasons are quite a few.

· China showing its military might, enough nukes to flatten India 10 times over.

· A worried Indian Air Chief declaring the immediate need of 50 Sukhois (Russian Made) to counter the emerging Chinese Threat.

· The Indian Army not to be left behind trying to launch a tender to purchase “Light tanks” to curb the Chinese threat in “Sikkim” and “Ladakh”.

· The commander to the US 7^th fleet openly admitting the US’s miscalculation of predicting the naval growth of China.

The Chinese suddenly have taken the whole world by surprise showcasing their military might. Since the last National Day celebrations China certainly showed impressive growth military strength. Hu Jintao had called for a “for even stronger armed forces” and that the PLA did confirm by kicking off a dazzling celebration in Beijing by showing off a range of home-grown weaponry. China now has a very effective arsenal of Nuclear Arms (counting 120 to India’s 50). The current celebrations showed that the “Nukes” were mobile too. The Chinese, over the years have taken great strain in seeing that their armed forces are no longer “Heavy” but rather “Light, Fast and Agile”. The showcasing of the newer Chengdu FC-1/JF-17 and J-10 fighters were also a step in the direction of being “Light and Effective”. The JF-17 will be able to carry a variety of conventional and precision-guided bombs, and air-to-air and air-to-sea missiles from short- to beyond-visual-range. Coming as a direct threat to the Sukhois fielded by the Indian Air Force, it has already attracted the Pakistani Air Force to order a few of them.

But behind all this what one cannot miss is the fact that most of the weapon systems showcased has been developed by China itself. In a bid to become a superpower China realized the fact that it would have to indigenously develop its military capabilities to progress in the pace it decided to. India has for ever lagged in this regard with most of its defense equipment suppliers. The fact still grapples us; the “Gorshkov” deal as well as the MMRCA competition is prime example. The huge array of home grown weapon systems showed China was making clear progress in moving away from its long-term reliance on Russian arms purchases. And the mix of ground, naval and air force components showed the PLA - which encompasses all those branches - was growing more diverse. “Confidence” in China seems to be over the brim, the Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie boasted last month that much of his nation's weaponry now rivals that included in Western arsenals.

Despite the rapid strides in weapons development China still has a lot of catching up to do in order to claim itself as becoming a superpower. Most of its neighbors have more advanced and better-trained air forces and navies (this includes India too). Japan, South Korea and India have had long presence in the Asian waters. The navies of Japan and India are battle hardened too. China is still yet to have a Aircraft Carrier and its presence in the Asian waters too is very limit

China will soon be able to deploy its first aircraft carrier and according to sources it is more advanced than anything India has or plans to acquire. Sources from the Indian navy say that the Chinese plan to operationalize the Varyag - purchased as junk from Ukraine for 20 million US dollars in 1998. In 2005, the dead ship was docked at the Chinese naval base in Dalian. Since then it has been undergoing sophisticated upgrades.

Apart from that the PLAN is also constructing a major underground nuclear submarine base near Sanva, and the first Type 094 submarine was recently moved there. It is reported that tunnels were being built into hillsides which could be capable of hiding up to 20 nuclear submarines from spy satellites. The aim is clearly to build up sea power in the Pacific Ocean region long time playground of the USA.

China also is believed to possess too few of some systems, such as major missiles, for them to be significant in strategic terms in the near term. Also most of the show of the weapons systems was not aimed to throw the US off balance; it would take more than couple of “Junk Varyags” to challenge their huge nuclear capable naval strength. China has very carefully plotted out its priorities and in the very near future India is PRIORITY ONE. But then for India China does what we call “mind games too”.

One call easily recall how an article in a Chinese website called for “Balkanisation” of India. A very well aimed dart one might say as we are only “Indians” on 2 days of the calendar read 15^th of August and 26^th of January and occasionally when the cricket team manages to reach a final. Other than that we are Bengalis, Malyalees, Tamilians but not Indians. The Chinese were “Chinese” from the very beginning. The Chinese are so obsessed with gaining control over the Tibetan Plateau that they now are staking claims over Jammu as well as Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. This again is a well placed move as for years numerous Indian Governments have been totally disinterested in the welfare of the North East. The Chinese Propaganda of India and China collaborating to play a greater role in world economy too is all but CRAP. China never wanted to ally with India and is very clear in trying to take all means to see it stays ahead of India both in Economic and military strength.

What New Delhi needs to do is stop trying to admit that it knows all about Beijing. We clearly do not know nothing about the Chinese and need to come to terms with that. Its been long since we regarded China as a cheap goods manufacturer. China has risen from a cheap goods manufacturer to a military superpower within no time and New Delhi was yet to take notice of the fact. But then this does not mean a race to pile up arms and show of strength against the Chinese as they are waiting for such a move. The grand show put up was a mailed fist aimed at India.

All is not well with China too. The grand show was also done to put aside recent memories of the riots in the western Chinese province of Uighur and the growing world pressure on China to move away from Tibet. China needs to show all is well and thus the show. Indians were taken aback by stories of rapid economic development in China and the impressive physical superstructure built there. But this is a development without accountability.

“Chinese Chakkars” have never been so confusing.

"War on Terrorism" Losing its Steam ??

"I am a terrorist, not a killer." Russian Marxist Vera Zasulich shot and wounded a Russian police commander who was known to torture suspects. She threw down her weapon without killing him. The phrase "War on Terrorism" was first widely used by the Western press to refer to the attempts by European governments, and eventually the US government, to stop attacks by anarchists against leaders and officials. But then over the years it has been redefined by the west in accordance to their meeting with the term but the most modern would be the one coined after the September 11^th incidents.

In a worldwide address the then president had stated - "Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated."

Since then Afghanistan was taken and Iraq quashed, but terror of the “Terrorists” still looms large. Iraq may have hogged the limelight but it was Afghanistan where the “Real War on Terror” was supposed to be fought. Iraq was just a state on the US radar to occupy before its self destructive nature led Iraq to destroy its most valuable resource “OIL”. What initially was the only was to vent out the frustration of suddenly becoming helpless US went to war to nail down the “Al Qeada”. The mission was not to wage a battle against terrorism. Bin Laden and his group was just the face of the worldwide terrorism network and Afghanistan was not the only place they existed. But still NATO and coalition forces did go there and now they are finding it increasingly difficult to accept the fact of losing any more lives there.

The US went to the war with its allies and found strong support over the time spent there, but as time moves on most of the coalition forces has agreed to the fact that it no longer had the political or moral resolve to do what it takes to win over Afghanistan. . Britain can barely stomach the death of 200 soldiers; a reinvented Germany can't get over the collective trauma of having ordered the bombing in Kunduz. The west now tired of trying to fight a war which has led them to miles across they own country into one whose ideologies and people it can barely understand. The commitment that led the forces to try and avenge 9/11 has been slowly vanishing. Helping “Ourselves” has become the first priority and willingness to fight the “Just” war has died down. The country too is difficult to understand and the best example comes in with the top man himself. Hamid Karzai was like a breath of fresh air once the Taliban were ousted. A few years later he is being called a “Ballot Thief”, rigging polls with money coming from drug barons.

Tired and beaten up from the long waging war and sick of the “Fouling” tactics of the home team the coalition forces main aim seems to be safeguarding itself. They have realized (quite the hard way) that the Taliban or the Al Queda won’t just die down by sheer force. They are not a military force and will not wage open war with a well trained and equipped enemy. Thus now if the Taliban and Al Qaeda would to give assurance of not mounting attacks on the west it would again earn on itself the right to rule the country as it wanted.

As the looks of it right now the west seems very inclined to move away and if f it did it would mean another triumph for the “Jihadi’s”. Much like their cold war opponents the US would be the next “Superpower” who would be beaten away. But then if the coalition forces do leave it would also mean Pakistan breathing a sigh of relief. It has been much criticized by the other nations for being a US puppet and now with the US leaving it would hope to enjoy the similar kind of leverage it had with Afghanistan before the coalition forces came down. What it would also mean is a resurgent Iran who along with Pakistan would be the second nuclear capable state to have close ties with the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

The biggest “Loser” in this would turn out to be India. A rebellious Pakistan and its allies on the west and a emerging dragon on the north east, we seem to be cornered from all corners. We can proudly state that we are probably the only country in South Asia where sanity does exist and the US does agree to the fact. India may not be as important as Iraq in the US’s quest for oil but we do help protect the multi billion dollar trade route in the Indian Ocean. The recent allowance by the US to allow the Indian navy to acquire the P 81 reconnaissance planes and the advanced Hawk Eye platform has been taken to see the important trade route is well protected.

But then the forces have still not moved away and it is time the US showed enough reasons for people to call it a superpower. The status does not come merely with having the best fighting force it comes with having the moral strength to bear down even the most resistant of the enemies.

Iran, Pakistan, China, North Korea these days does ring a bell. Its time the US rather than doing away with the coalition tried forming new ones.