LOVE CONQUERS ALL.........

Love on Facebook has certainly acquired a whole new denomination or then should I say definition what with a 41 year old based grandmother flying down to a nondescript Haryana village and getting bethroted (married) to man 16 years her junior........
Yes you did indeed hear it right, 41 year old Adriana Peral first befriended 25 year old Mukesh Ror through Facebook way back in February 2013, soon frantic notes were being exchanged and undying professions of eternal love were the flavour of the season and lo and behold the couple took their wedding vows, customary saat phere and settled down to a life of domestic bliss in Mukesh's village since November 2013.............
Peral who originally hails from good old California is a grandmother in her daily life and nurtures fond hopes of being able to visit her homeland, mother, doting grandchildren, pets and et all in the very near future with the man of her dreams in tow........
"With many a tear in my eye and a prayer on my lips, I used to frequent the local church beseeging the good lord for a loving and caring life partner after my brutal and traumatic previous experience with a monstrous US navy official that lasted just a few months"
"Thankfully the good lord paid heed to my entreaties and answer the same in the form of Mukesh, a man who is dearer to me than life itself and one who has reaffirmed my faith in love, goodness of the human heart and humanity"..........
Still adjusting to her changed life and circumstances in the idyllic village of Popra (70 odd kms away from Karnal town in the state of Haryana), Peral candidly admits that her first view of the village and Mukesh's humble abode did give rise to serious misgivings in her mind about her ability to adjust to and accept her new and changed circumstances on a permanent and long term basis..........
"My guardian angel and epitome of patience Mukesh was indeed a great help, he held my hand and led me through the initial period with a smile on his lips and constant words of reassurance and encouragement on his tongue and lo and behold, I am learning to make perfectly round rotis and the stench of cow dung also does not really bother me now".........
Trust the authorities and officialdom to create obstacles in the path of sublime love and true humanity, Mukesh has been denied a visa to visit his wife's homeland primarily on account of his humble economic circumstances and latent fear that he might indeed settle down in the US of A for good if he is allowed to set foot on it's soil...........
"Parel's visa expires on February 10 and she will have to take off for her homeland with my child in her womb, strange indeed are the ways of this world that takes perverse pleasure in keeping a father away from his soon to be born child on the flimsiest of pretexts", Mukesh laments.........
Despite being a post graduate in mass communications from the prestigious Kurukshetra University and having been associated with a score of vernacular newspapers and other publications for the last three and a bit years, Mukesh did not meet the approval of the visa authorities within the US embassy who summarily rejected his visa application for a tourist visa with a cursory and disdainful glance at his visa file............
Hope however continues to linger eternally in the heart's of this lovey dovey couple and they express fond hopes of being reunited real soon in changed economic circumstances and somewhat more salubrious surroundings in a Haryana town or city as the case may be...........
And thereby hangs a tale of love that transcends boundaries of nationality, religion, age and language, sacrifice and the ultimate triumph of the indomitable human spirit.........

BHARTI'S GOOD DEED

One wonders whether the Delhi law minister has not heard the age old dictum about the left hand being unaware of what the right is doing or then his penchant for grabbing the headlines and remaining in the limelight forces his hand to widely publicise every "selfless" deed performed by him.......
Somnath Bharti's nocturnal nigh wanderings continue unabated and the same stretched into the wee hours of Thursday morning too; the only difference herein being that he ended up playing good samaritan instead of being involved in unruly mobocracy.........
Bharti reportedly helped an accident victim near the IIT Delhi flyover and to record the event for posterity and ensure his fifteen minutes of fame even took to twitter to widely publicise his seemingly "selfless" deed........
According to Bharti's office, he and a few of his cohorts were moving around in a car late on Wednesday night/early on Thursday morning when they were confronted with the gruesome sight of a scooterist hitting the above mentioned flyover at considerable speed toppling over at least four or five times and ultimately getting trapped under the same.......
The minister and his aide not only pulled out the victim from under the scooter but also put him in an auto and promptly sent him to the AIIMS trauma centre along with an AAP volunteer; but also visited him in the hospital and enquired about his well being........
Continuing his good deed, the minister also took the time out to call up the Delhi police authorities and duly informed them about the calamitous predicament that had befallen the victim ironically named Bharat who fortunately suffered nothing more than a few bruises, bumps and a profusely bleeding nose........
Lo and behold!!! messages both congratulatory as well as deprecatory soon started inundating twitter; while a majority of the tweets were laudatory and praised the minister for his selfless service to humanity, a few were not only deprecatory but also downright humiliating; accusing the minister of ulterior motives and only doing the needful as he needed to refurbish his tainted image........
Like him or loath him, but there is certainly no ignoring one Mr. Somnath Bharti his vigilante moves earn him notoriety, infame, and last but not the least a continued spell in the full media glare; while his "sterling humanitarian" deeds earn him bouquets and brickbats in almost equal measure........
Way to go Mr. Bharti you have certainly mastered the art of remaining in the limelight no matter what.......

MUKHAUTA VERSUS ASLI CHEHRAA...........

All this glib talk about being an inclusive party and doing the right thing to people of all religious denominations is nothing more than a smoke screen sprung up to gather a few more crucial votes in the forthcoming general elections.......
At heart however, the Bharatiya Janata party continues to remain as exclusive, communal, divisive and subversive as it has always been as recent events that unfolded at a public rally in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut district conclusively proved once again......
Many a television channel and their numerous print media counterparts were eyewitnesses to the unsavoury episode of the party's state unit president roundly abusing and admonishing party members belonging to the minority community on the dais during the course of a public rally held in the above mentioned city on Wednesday........
Their crime???? the fact that they mustered the courage to answer the muezzin's call and offer their prayers (namaaz) while on the dais and in full public glaze.......
This pious and divine gesture however drew the considerable ire of the state unit's party president as he was of the informed (?????) opinion that the seemingly mindless (???????) antics of a few might end up costing them the votes of their traditional voters who might be offended by the gestures of the members belonging to the minority community.......
As expected, the rather sorry and unintentionally hilarious spectacle of the state unit party president frothing at the mouth and going purple behind his elephantine ears has drawn the considerable ire of denizens of the minority community and given the party's political opponents a golden opportunity to chastise and ridicule the supposed "party with a difference"???????
A few moments of insanity can cost you dear and these few moments of banality have certainly cost the party dear what with the Dar Ul Uloom threatening to issue directions to the minority community pertaining to boycotting all forthcoming Bharatiya Janata Party political rallies and also asking Uttar Pradesh's sizeable Muslim community to cast their invaluable votes in favour of a seemingly secular party more favourably inclined towards it......
Definitely not the auspicious and sagacious start to the nationwide start of it's "Mission 272" campaign expressly designed to woo the minorities and other traditional non BJP voters that the so called "party with a difference" was looking for........
As a supposed wit quipped "the mukhauta has slipped off and the asli chehraa of Messrs Amit Shah and prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is out there for all to see"..........
What was that about a leopard not being able to change it's spots despite yeoman efforts made in this regard........

DELIRIUM........

The nation's pet obsession Cricket, unbridled passion, blatant misuse of narcotics,steroids and such other banned substances to retain your place in the Indian cricket team and keep your coffers filled to the brim, love, passion, lies and damned lies and heart breaking betrayals of faith; veteran journalist Sowmya Aji's maiden effort "Delirium" offers all this and lots more to the discerning reader........
Anjana Narendra a reporter gainfully employed by the National Television Network or channel as you so desire is a jack of all trades and master of none covering political rallies, crimes committed against society, routine interview with the chief minister of an Indian state and last but not the least all matters related to Cricket in the course of a mundane work day........
Happily Married????? and hopelessly wedded to her work, Anjana finds her ordered and stereotyped world go into a tailspin as soon as she sets her eyes on the entire nation's current heartthrob Bangalore based Avinash Katagi who also happens to don the mantle of the Indian cricket team's vice captain........
Lo and Behold!!!! she soon finds herself inextricably sucked into a sordid vortex of corruption, drugs, steroids, whirlwind romance, long and soulful walks in the Lalbagh Botanical Garden, a faceless informant who helps her blow the lid off cricket's ugliest secret; rampant and widespread misuse of drugs, intoxicants, narcotics and other such substances by conscience less cricketers who have taken the expressway to superstardom........
Neck or then should I say head deep in trouble with her channel bosses and constantly wrestling with the constantly changing urges of a conscience that does not let her reveal the identity of her informant and source no matter what and last but not the least, trying to make sense of a sordid, intoxicating and scandalous world of steroids and cricketing celebs.......
Left to fend for herself most of the time and confront herculean forces that threaten to overwhelm and engulf her in every waking moment; she eternally finds herself groping in the dark futilely trying to draw a line between or then distinguish between friend and foe, ally and enemy........
As if all this and a lot more besides is not enough to her asunder from within and minutely examine her motives and beliefs as a wife, passionate lover, confidante and media professional who is being touted as the next big thing thanks to her exposing the seamier and murkier underbelly of the nation's elixir cricket; she is soon confronted with the ultimate betrayal by a self serving cricketer who prefers to jettison her and all that is dear to her in a spineless attempt to salvage his cricketing fortunes which are under the proverbial cloud following Anjana's searching story.........
Does Anjana rise like a phoenix and emerge triumphant against seemingly insurmountable odds or then is she sucked down under by a vile combination of forces far superior to her puny self, to find out you need to delve into the racy and heady pages of Sowmya Aji's potential blockbuster "Delirium" to satiate your insatiable curiosity..........
Running into 203 pages and affordably priced at an extremely pocket friendly Rs. 299/- by it's publishers Harper Collins India (available for Rs. 217/- on Infibeam and Rs. 222/- on Flipkart) "Delirium" is must read of all fans of the glorious game of cricket and connosieurs of the thriller genre........
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sowmya Aji constantly comments on all things political, developmental, social, criminal and cultural. Currently occupying the heady pedestal of Bangalore Mirror's Assistant Editor she is also a dutiful daughter, doting mother, friend, fellow, confidante and first time author.........

NATIONAL CAPITAL'S TEENAGE SEXUAL PREDATORS.........

As if the sordid and heart rending tale of a 12 year old boy being arrested on charges of attempting to rape his 6 year old neighbour in greater Noida was not enough; a far more anguishing tale of an impressionable teenager sexually assaulting a 6 year old girl has emanated from the national capital.........
Yes, you did certainly read it right the first time around, an amorous and enraged teenager was arrested by the Amar Colony police personnel on the heinous charges of brutally raping a 6 year old girl hailing from the same locality on Monday evening..........
According to police sources, the 17 year old youth was arrested after medical tests carried out on the victim conclusively established the occurrence of rape and he was conclusively identified as the assailant by the family members of the victim's family.........
The accused managed to lure the naive, innocent and gullible girl to the roof of a neighbouring house on the pretext of overwhelming her with chips, samosas and other choicest savouries where he proceeded to repeatedly sexually assault her before making good his escape from the scene of the crime..........
He also managed to intimidate her for some time by threatening the victim with dire consequences if she revealed her tale of woe to her family members; the victim somehow managed to set aside his grave predilections and narrated the grievous fate that had befallen her hesitatingly and haltingly following which her family members made a beeline towards the local police station.........
Acting with surprising alacrity and remarkable agility, the concerned police personnel managed to arrest the accused from his friend and confidante's house in an adjoining locality within three hours off the complaint being lodged against him and produced him before a magistrate who duly lodged him in a juvenile justice/correctional facility.............
Time and cause enough to completely overhaul and repeal the existing archaic and antiquated laws pertaining to grave offences committed by teenaged sexual predators who are rapidly becoming a law unto themselves............

ON MATTERS OF AROUSAL AND SUCH.........

They certainly seem to be aroused a lot earlier these day's; what with twelve year old's being arrested for making amorous overtures to seven year old female neighbours so on and so forth.........
In a shocking, heart rending and rather startling development Noida Police Sources on Sunday evening disclosed the fact that they had taken a 12 year old boy into custody on the grave and serious charges of attempting to force himself (rape) a 7 year old female resident of the same neighbourhood........
They further said that they were acting on a complaint filed by the parents of the seven year old girl which alleged that the twelve year old accused who resided in the neighbouring house of the Jarcha area in greater Noida successfully managed to lure the gullible and trusting little nymphet to a deserted and relatively secluded area in the adjoining Rasoolpur area of the same city on the pretext of buying her a chocolate...........
He then proceeded to force himself upon the now bewildered and petrified girl who started bawling at the top of her lungs thereby forcing her assailant to flee the spot; the girl was rescued from the spot from residents of the same area and led to the supposedly safe and secure confines of her residence by the very same people.........
The offender was arrested while playing at his friend's house and produced before a juvenile justice court on the same night; the court in turn remanded him to the confines of a correctional facility where he is currently undergoing psychological tests and additional rehabilitation.........
I for one, am of the informed opinion that we need to take the bull by the thorns and start enforcing discipline and acceptable standards of behaviour in certain and definitive terms.........
While I am not advocating caning our wards and snatching away their much desired freedoms, I am strongly advocating reasonable restrictions on their reading, mingling with people of their own age and last but not the least sites that they browse on the internet.........
Matters certainly seem to be getting out of hand off late and we would only being doing ourselves, our kids and the rest of our burgeoning society an immense favour by educating our kids on matters related to appropriate behaviours with members of the other sex and laying down the law/boundaries in no uncertain terms........
Popularity or the supposed ire of our wards be damned.........

JAI HO..........

Salman Khan is what Salman Khan does, his larger than life persona and devil may care attitude have overshadowed all else, his mediocre acting abilities, two and a half left feet, constant lampooning by critics who are constantly gunning for him and last but not the least armchair critics who ridicule his sterling and selfless deeds through his NGO "Being Human" as nothing more than a farcical exercise in self promotion personal gratification.......
Can one really judge a potential Salman Khan blockbuster by the yardsticks that one would apply to a release starring any other matinee idol, the answer would be a resounding no as Salman has always been known to cock a snook at conventional wisdom and only conform to the language of his heart and Jai Ho is nothing more than an extension of this very same persona and a thundering slap on the face of his legions of critics.........
Salman's portrayal of the much abused, stereotyped and vilified common man is cardinally or archetypically different from the norm to say the very least, he neither conforms to or adheres to social niceties, let's his fists do the talking more often than not, at the same time he is also the much admired and desired family man or regular guy next door who literally adores and worships his somewhat bloated maa dearest confides his heart's innermost yearnings in his sister and keeps fending off the romantic and somewhat amorous overtures of his comely female neighbour.........
At it's very best Jai Ho is the answer to many an avowed Salman Khan fan fanatic, it's testosterone laden, turns the traditional stereotype of the hero always stalking the heroine as debutante Daisy Shah is the one doing all the stalking and pursuing in this one, and last but not the least a vehicle that's essentially designed to showcase the common man's utter disdain, contempt and visceral hatred for corruption and humbug..........
In more senses than one Jai Ho seems to be an extension of Salman Khan's philanthropic and humanitarian "Being Human" persona, he is assailed by visions of a young girl who begs for alms, but is constantly abused and pushed around by her so called benefactors and keeps asking the once incandescent Tabu (one of the finest actresses of our generation) who is sinfully wasted in a wishy washy and utterly inconsequential role why.........
Like Salman Khan constantly keeps reminding Mohnish Behl, one man can certainly make a conspicuous difference on the ground if he puts his mind and soul into making the same; this heady, intoxicating and stimulating formula of two minute socio-political remedy and solution is eye catching and seems worthy of emulation to say the very least, but repeated instances of vigilantism and cocking a snook at the law and system are surely some cause for concern..........
To encapsulate it all, JAI HO is essentially a platform to embellish and reinforce Salman's self styled image as the quintessential messiah of the abused and downtrodden; Salman is the reincarnation of Amitabh Bachchan's "angry young man" persona, only he's far more angrier and therefore that much more violent, anti-establishment, system and most importantly anti-empathy and sympathy........
Too simplistic in it's solution for the age old, all pervading and perennial problem of both corruption of the self and within the system, the film is not without it's considerable merits even though the solution to the above mentioned ,malaise is driven into your head with as much finesse as a hammer constantly striking your head, yes, JAI HO is loud, crass, overtly illogical and guilty of playing to the gallery, but there is no denying it's mass appeal ,one stop solutions and instant gratification..........
As for me as an audience, the confrontation scenes between Salman and one of all time favourite actors Danny Denzongpa were alone worth the entry price to my friendly neighbourhood multiplex and a lot more besides, making an appearance on the tinsel screen after a fairly lengthy interval, Danny Denzongpa shows that he lost none of his suave charm and mesmerisingly evil screen presence and I for one have no qualms in admitting that I would go back and watch this one at least twice more just to see him striding across the screen like the colossus he is..........
RATING: 3/5..........MASS ENTERTAINER THAT'S WORTH MORE THAN A CURSORY DEKKO...........

UNPARDONABLE CRIME???????

Yet another unpardonable gaffe or then should I say case of criminal negligence involving the "high and mighty" Delhi Police has come to light and yet again highlighted their incompetence and utter disregard for precious human lives.......
One may do well to recall that an inspector manning a Police Control Room (PCR) van had fired a bullet that lodged in the lower back of 19 year old Karan Pandey and ultimately cost him his life in the bargain........
As per the version of events put out by the infamous and highly compromised Delhi Police sources, they were in hot pursuit of a bikers gang in central Delhi on that fateful day of July 2013; when they were abruptly turned on by a group of some 30-35 youths who started pelting stones, missiles and other projectiles at the said PCR van........
Justifying the action and giving it official sanction, the communique put out by the Delhi Police further went on to say that the inspector who now finds himself in the dock for "executing" an only son, fired in self retaliation and the sudden swerving of the vehicle caused him to miss the tyre of the motorcycle and caused the lodging of the bullet in the deceased youth's lower back............
A magisterial enquiry that was ordered into the above mentioned incident has not only raised serious doubts about the veracity of the Delhi Police's hollow and dubious claims but also concluded that the deceased Karan Pandey was not part of any known or then anonymous biker gang, but might have been in trace of a midnight snack in the company of a male friend........
In fact, the magistrate concerned has gone on to say that "the entire incident of stone pelting alleged by the Delhi Police is not only shrouded by clouds of doubt, but also seems to be entirely implausible as the CCTV footage of the incident viewed by the magistrate and numerous witnesses statements conclusively negate the nefarious claims made by the Delhi Police about the supposed stone pelting"...........
The personnel conducting the enquiry minutely scrutinised and perused the footage obtained by nine cameras that were stationed in the area and come to the conclusion that the fact that the said inspector fired at the tyre of the allegedly fleeing vehicle is in dispute in the first place.........
It further went on to ask why the right handed inspector who himself admitted the fact that he was accustomed to firing his service revolver with his right hand used his left hand to discharge the same on that fateful day (July 23,2013) and also further added that firing his revolver without the slightest provocation from a rapidly speeding and swerving vehicle not only endangered the life of the now deceased youth but also constitutes a glaring example of the police's high handedness and utter disregard for precious human lives..........
Heaving a huge sigh of relief and thanking the almighty grace of the good lord, the grieving mother of the murdered youth Manju Pandey said "we have all along been maintaining the fact that my now decxeased son was murdered in cold blood by the Delhi Police and was never a part of any biker gang in the first place to begin with as alleged by the Delhi Police"........
"Our stand now stands vindicated by the conclusions drawn by the enquiry commission/ committee and our precious son has been cleared of the "biker" taint, we now hope that the courts of this country will mete out an exemplary punishment to my son's murderer thereby sending some cold crumbs of comfort our way"..........
A five member team of specialists led by the New Delhi District Magistrate conducted and expedited this time bound enquiry and the report of the same has been duly submitted to the Lieutenant Governor, Delhi Police Commissioner and home ministry sources.........
One only hopes and prays that this report shuts up those people who are showering encomiums on the highly compromised Delhi Police and singing paeans in it's tainted glory, one is not exonerating the Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti of all the grave charges levelled against him but only saying that the Delhi Police's version of events should be taken as anything but the holy grail..........

ACQUIRING A VENEER OF SOPHISTICATION..........

Acquiring a veneer of sophistication or resorting to a sophistry of words does and cannot mask your true self, biases, prejudices and contradictions; everyone's view is one's own and casting aspersions on the integrity of the person who does not subscribe to your considered view and cow tow or submit to your point of view is not only detestable, condemnable, but also leaves a sour taste in the mouth..........
My beliefs are very own and the same have been acquired through forty four years of existing, learning, absorbing, imbibing, evaluating and educating oneself all the time and making concerted efforts to improve one's lot all the time; the words I use are only a reflection of the language of my heart and soul and only a means of conveying the concerns of the same..........
Throwing stones at me, calling me names, casting aspersions on my abilities and integrity without making any effort towards knowing me, understanding me, my values, my beliefs and the causes I espouse.........
Narendra Modi has always been and will always continue to be an anathema to me and any amount of name calling, brow beating and intimidation will neither change or make me couch my intense dislike for this highly divisive and autocratic figure in diplomatic niceties............
I am one of those people who diligently gather every stone and rock cast at me and build an edifice of mammoth proportions with the same; I only conform to the sound and language of my conscience, care two hoots about what others have to say about me simply because I do not live in a glass edifice and cast stones at other's political leanings and beliefs...........
Yes, I have been actively associated with the India Against Corruption Movement since the very day of it's inception and am immensely proud of the fact that I took to the streets and raised my voice against the tyranny ,corrupt and immoral practices of the two so called national political parties and their regional avatars as I have always subscribed to the dictum that these two entities have bartered away the economic wealth of the nation and repeatedly mocked the poor and downtrodden sections of society for their narrow and sectarian political interests...........
In my humble and considered view, the Aam Aadmi Party and other such political alternatives that not only espouse clean and corruption free politics and more importantly put their money where their mouth is are the future and the only panacea to our glorious motherland's numerous ills..........
The two so called national political parties have only latched onto the corruption bandwagon because the popular support generated by the Aam Aadmi Party and it's unprecedented success has only served to put the fear of god and a popular backlash amongst the political establishment.............
If the two called national parties are so concerned about the bogey of corruption then let them prove their intentions by cleaning their augean stables, sack tainted and corrupt ministers like Babubhai Bokhadia, Yeddyurappa, Ashok Chavan, Veerbhadra Singh and numerous others from their rank and file, put up their audited accounts on their websites, disclose the name address and identity of every donor and subject themselves to constant scrutiny under the purview of the RTI act................
Arvind Kejriwal's methods may be questioned and his eccentricities might be the subject of intense speculation and ridicule but there is no doubting the veracity and seriousness of the subjects and issues raised by him, the fact is that the Delhi Police has become a law unto itself over a period of years and things would have been far better had they been reined in in the aftermath of then prime minister Indira Gandhi's horrendous assassination..........
Instead of reining them in and introducing the long awaited and much desired police reforms, the two so called national political parties have instead preferred to politicise them and use the same as methods of intimidation and coercion against their political opponents.............
The situation is the same be it Delhi, Gujarat, Mumbai, Raipur, Bhopal or then anywhere else, the existing police police forces are being used as an extension of the political machinery, blatantly misused under the guise of so called VIP security and to garner monetary resources to embellish the already burgeoning coffers of the established political parties...............
I have had the pleasure of being a resident of the national capital for an immensely long time, yes, I am the first one to question the language and methods employed by the besieged Delhi law minister, but there is no doubting the veracity of the fact that Khirki extension and the adjoining posh Sainik Farms area are indeed dens of debauchery and questionable virtues; the entire world and it's cousin is aware of the fact that drugs and other narcotics are the chosen currency in this part of the national capital, but, alas, the Delhi police seems to be blissfully oblivious of the same....................
As regards the Aam Admi Party and yours truly we are constantly introspecting, questioning our beliefs, values and practices every given minute of every living day, we unequivocally speak our minds without fear or favour, do not extend diplomatic courtesies towards others nor expect the very same, our consciences are the only tune that we pay heed to and will continue to do so to our last breath................

LALITA BABAR........

Such stories of the triumph of the indomitable human spirit, overcoming Himalayan and seemingly insurmountable odds and reaching the pinnacle of glory in your chosen field or then sphere of influence not only serves to warm the cockles of the human heart, but also reinforces your long held and fond beliefs about your being able to do the same.........
Lalita Babar a 25 year old resident of the debt ridden and drought afflicted Maan taluka of Maharashtra's Satara District not only achieved the notable and utterly praiseworthy feat of annexing a triumvirate of titles at the recently held Mumbai marathon but topped off her cake by setting a new course record of 2 hours 50 minutes and 31 seconds amongst Indian women.........
No stranger to considerable hardship and adversity, Lalita recalls buying her first pair of sports shoes for the apparently paltry sum of Rs. 1,200/- after being turned away from a national level track event way back in 2005........
Candidly and unabashedly admitting the fact that she had little or no knowledge of the presence of brands like Puma, Reebok and Adidas in the local markets back then, she says "My first pair of sport shoes were manufactured by a local company called PAMA, set me back by then princely amount of Rs.1,200/- and caused a moon sized crater in my pocket"............
The living embodiment of quiet human dignity, deity like patience, considerable poise and humility selflessly puts her family and loved ones before her as is her long standing habit and somewhat reluctantly reveals that the amount credited to her kitty as a result of her heady triumph will be optimally used to fund her youngest brother's further education.........
Being the eldest amongst four siblings; Lalita opines "funding and sponsoring my siblings education and well being is only part of my beholden duty, my parents went hungry on more occasions than I can even begin to count and bore considerable hardships with a grin so that I did not have to go hungry and experience the ignominy of a speed breaker or obstacle in my athletic career and I am only furthering their legacy by doing my bit for my siblings"..............
Having achieved a trio of triumphs at the Mumbai marathon and other such national level marathons, Lalita has now set her lofty sights on the forthcoming Commonwealth and Asian Games and promises to bring back laurels for her country............
Here's wishing her all success in her future endeavours and more power to her elbow; ladies and gentlemen I give you Lalita Babar a role model for the aspiring Indian woman............

ON NARENDRA MODI AND HIS PRIME MINISTERIAL AMBITIONS.........

Why do seemingly educated, erudite, opinionated and effusive people keep touting a highly autocratic, communal, divisive and tainted Narendra Modi as some kind of messiah and the panacea to all the problems plaguing this glorious nation at the present moment, are they oblivious of his less than sterling record on issues pertaining to human rights and the like, or then do they simply prefer looking the other way just because it suits their narrow and self obsessed interest.........
Development what development, Gujarat was always a developed state and was doing quiet well for itself much before Narendra Modi appeared on the horizon, as for his track record, let's look at it dispassionately; he has certainly succeeded in doing irrepairable harm to the secular fabric of Gujarat in particular and the country in general polarising the electorate and causing deep rooted fissures amongst people who peacefully coexisted for donkey's years.......
As for his gargantuan, self glorifying and self congratulatory/laudatory boasts, the less said the better: Gujarat has one of the highest infant mortality as well as primary school drop out rates in respect of both it's women as well as it's fledgling girls.........
More than 80% of all the investment promises and commitments made during the course of the vibrant Gujarat summits or conclaves remain on paper; if anything the foreign investment rates have dwindled under Modi's regime in comparison to his predecessors and Gujarat also boasts of one of the highest rates of per capita indebtedness in the country........
While there is no doubting Modi's noble intentions in this regard and the indisputable fact that he has improved the irrigation and canal network in his state beyond recognition; the provision of the same has not really led to a commensurate increase in productivity and multiple cropping and to compound the farmer's misery, easy and convenient availability of farmer loans and other financial incentives still continue to remain an elusive mirage........
As for the so called clean chit given to him by the judiciary, the less said the better, the ground reality is that Modi has only been cleared of the charges levelled by him against the widow of slain Congress leader Ehsaan Jaffri and other such notables by a district/ sessions court and his legions of opponents have gone up in appeal against the very same in a higher court of law........
To top it all and compound his misery, Modi still continues to remain an object of mistrust, fear and savagery as far as the minority community in the state is concerned, only 23% of all Muslims residing in the state of Gujarat voted in his favour during the course of the last state elections held in 2012 and if that is enough to warm the cockles of his heart and lead him to proclaim himself as the champion of secularism; I am afraid to say all of us know the person living in a fool's paradise..........
He also seems to lack a rudimentary and elementary knowledge of the glorious history, geography and topography of our motherland; the list of gaffes made by the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate is legendary and he and only he can provide a satisfactory answer to the eternal question about a person seemingly oblivious to the glorious history of his motherland making an optimum and deeply respected prime minister......
His well wishers, acolytes and sycophants also seem to be conveniently side stepping the crucial fact that he continues to be persona non grata as far as the only existing super power The United States of America is concerned, the European Union might well have embraced him and chosen to cohabit with him for reasons best known to them, but the Americans as well as the gulf countries still continue to shun him like a pariah dog.......
I can go on forever, but let me make it clear once and for all that I do not harbour any grudge or resentment against the Bharatiya Janata Party per se, I am only vehemently opposed to it's prime ministerial candidate who is adversarial, dictatorial, highly autocratic and whimsical in his style of functioning........
Corruption is a non existent issue as far as Narendra Modi is concerned; he continues to persist with a tainted minister going by the name of Babulal Bokhadia who has been sentenced to three years imprisonment by a sessions court for his dubious role in a mining scam and also played a pivotal role in welcoming the equally corrupt and immoral Yeddyurappa back into the BJP fold.......
Alienation is the bye product of his anointment as the party's prime ministerial candidate, long standing ally Nitish Kumar backed out of his alliance with the BJP as soon as Modi was projected as the party's prime ministerial candidate; Jayalaitha, Naveen Patnaik, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mayawati, Mamata Banerjee and other such notables simply refuse to do business with him thereby leaving the Akalis and Shiv Sainiks as his only allies and partners........
Therefore, dear citizen and fellow elector; I leave it to your considerable wisdom, gumption, acumen and political far sightedness to answer the question about Narendra Modi being the only hope for the future certainly, decisively, resolutely and unequivocally.........

THE NA MO STORY: A POLITICAL LIFE.........

Kingshuk Nag's political treatise "The NA MO Story: A Political Life" is a vivid, stark, relevant, bipartisan, telling and vibrant portrayal of one of the most controversial, enigmatic and divisive personalities who have strode like a colossus across the contemporary Indian political canvas........
Like him, hate him, venerate him or berate him but there is certainly no ignoring incumbent Gujarat chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi who has all but annexed the political pedestal of prime minister despite his humble and rather nondescript beginnings as a tea vendor.......
Modi has assiduously worked his way up from his ordinary status of a RSS pracharak, assiduously circumnavigated his way through the maze like Hindutva ranks and effortlessly donned the mantle of his party's master strategist as well as immensely popular though eternally controversial chief ministers and Nag has "stalked" him every step of the way.........
Putting the cart before the horse, Nag: one time resident editor of the Times Of India's Ahmedabad edition turns all the laid down diktats of conventional wisdom on it's head and begins his semi-autobiographical effort by making a sterling effort towards answering today's burning question about Modi's prime ministerial ambitions and whether or not he can occupy Delhi's "seat of glory" in the near future to begin with........
Thankfully, he does not take sides remains bipartisan, clinical and hugely objective in his insightful analysis of the same and largely let's you draw your own conclusions from his exhaustive analysis of the Modi phenomenon and persona rather than shoving his conclusions down your throat.........
He then proceeds to wend his way through the various stages, destinations and milestones of Narendra Modi's chequered political life and gives his opinion on each of these phases varying from a favourite and fawned upon son of the RSS to BJP's master planner, the most hated, vilified, disliked and lampooned figure in the nation's recent political history in the aftermath of the Gujarat riots and to his immense credit more than makes a fist of it..........
Three chapters in the book are almost exclusively devoted to: the Sadbhavana experiment that saw Modi make a conscious though somewhat belated effort to reach out to the minorities and mend fences with them, Modi's seeming appreciation and obsession with all things Chinese as well as the creation and further progression of the brand "MAHATMA MODI": the statesman and nation and nation builder.........
Yes, Modi does emerge as a man of many parts, dimensions, vicissitudes, hues and vibrant colours at various stages and phases of his rather chequered and if one may dare to call it inglorious life; yet the sceptre of the 2002 communal riots always hangs over his head like the proverbial Damocles sword and gives one the sense that he has not been able to completely erase the taint of the same despite numerous and timely efforts towards the same.........
Priced at an extremely pocket friendly Rs. 295 by the publishers Lotus Roli (the same is available at a hefty 25-30% discounted price through Flipkart, Homeshop18, Infibeam and such notable others), the book is certainly an adornement to the shelves of every discerning reader and a must have in the case of legions of fawning and doting Modi fans........
As to whether the book has managed to make a convert out of me and make me a founding member of the Modi acolytes club; well let me say that I still continue to harbour my long standing doubts about Modi being a unifying and mollifying figure who can carry all sections of our highly communalised and fractured society with him as well as his ability to lead a coalition government with quiet dignity, decorum and the spirit of give and take that the same entails........
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kingshuk Nag manfully donned the burden of being the TImes Of India's Ahmedabad editions Resident Editor between May 2000 and July 2005 a decisive, divisive and eventful period in Gujarat's history what with a major earthquake and deadly communal riots........
He also went on to win the Prem Bhatia memorial award (Indian equivalent of the much coveted Pulitzer Prize) for repeatedly demonstrating restraint, excellence and equanimity in rather trying and testing times as well as unmatched standards of excellence in political reporting and analysis.......
Currently the Editor of the Times of India's Hyderabad edition; this is Nag's third published work........

MODI APOLOGISTS AND CONGRESS ACOLYTES..........

Will dyed in the wool self styled intellectuals who are going ga ga over a highly communal, divisive, dictatorial, intellectually stunted, gaffe prone and foot in the mouth disease afflicted Narendra Modi stop calling the Aam Aadmi Party any and every name that catches their fancy........
I for one am the first one to admit that the methods adopted by the leadership of the much maligned and chastised Aam Aadmi Party might be open to various interpretations, but there is no doubting their sincerity, topicality and relevance of issues pertaining to the Delhi Police that they have brought to the fore........
Erstwhile Delhi Chief Ministers Madan Lal Khurana, Sahib Singh Verma (both of whom belong to the BJP) and Shiela Dikshit literally drove themselves round the bend petitioning, threatening, cajoling and pleading with the powers that be in the home ministry to transfer the reins of power pertaining to the Delhi Police to the state government that is made the scapegoat for every sin of omission and commission committed by a police force that has all but become a law unto himself.......
Why haven't both Sushil Kumar Shinde (union home minister) and Neeraj Kumar (former Delhi Police Commissioner) come forward and refuted or dismissed outright the serious and damaging charges levelled against them on matters of posting SHO's arbitrarily and as per their whims and fancies by the former home secretary..........
And why doesn't the home minister get his facts right while comparing the Washington DC and Delhi Police Force; the Washington Police Force is directly answerable to the popularly elected Mayor of Washington DC and does not obliquely report to the home ministry through a foisted Lieutenant Governor as is the case with regard to the Delhi Police..........
The competence, impartiality, professionalism, battle preparedness and partisanship was in full public view for all to see in the aftermath of the horrific Nirbhaya rape case; they resorted to caning, lathi charging and aiming water cannons at an unarmed and spontaneous gathering of the national capital's citizens who took to the streets demanding their constitutionally ordained rights of safety and security.........
Numerous letters written to the Delhi Police Commissioner and other Delhi Police higher ups by the Malviya Nagar Residents Welfare Association, other religious and social denominations and beleaguered citizens dating back to 2011 pertaining to the widespread existence of drug and sex rackets in the by lanes of their locality were produced by way of proof by the Aam Aadmi Party hierarchy........
By why isn't there a plausible, believable and forthright response forthcoming from either the home minister, lieutenant governor or commissioner of the besieged and severely compromised Delhi Police Force with regard to the relevance, gravity and action taken by the local police thana to curb and arrest this anti social activity in the bud.........
Name calling and stone throwing is certainly not the need of the hour, but fixing responsibility, accountability and making the Delhi Police officials for every act of theirs certainly is; and more importantly, will someone kindly enlighten me why the Delhi Government is made the scapegoat every time a corrupt and compromised police force that does not even report to it in the first place goofs up.........
Both sides (i.e.the home ministry and Delhi Government) should set aside their differences both perceived and real and show the much desired maturity and statesmanship and set both their as well as the Delhi Police forces house in order once and for all as the same would not only go a long way in adding to the lustre of the nation's capital but also address the long standing concerns of it's citizens in an efficacious and expeditious manner......
As for the Modi apologists and Congress acolytes calling the only sane and responsive political firmament in the country the choicest of names and epithets, is it worth wasting our precious time and qualifying them with a response.........

STICKING TO FORM???????

Can it get any worse for the women, children, infants and other such notables who comprise the ranks of the fairer sex what with twelve year olds being sexually assaulted, brutalised, manhandled and then callously eliminated in an effort to cover the last vestiges of the crime........
The somewhat decomposed body who was allegedly gang raped and then brutally killed was recovered from a farm located in a Thane village by the local policemen on Sunday afternoon.......
According to local police sources, the girl who hailed from the Kaman Village of the Vasai area in Maharashtra's Thane district left her school at the scheduled hour on January 16 but subsequently failed to wend her way home as per her daily routine...........
Locals intimated the police officials about a decomposing and putrefying body lying in a secluded and seemingly obscure field late on Sunday morning; acting with surprising alacrity, the police officials rushed to the spot and subsequently identified the body as that of the missing girl...........
The mauled and dishevelled body was promptly sent for a post mortem and the same shed light on the rather unsavoury and sordid fact of the hapless girl having been repeatedly gang raped before being bumped off in a planned and calculated manner..........
Sticking to form, the local police have registered cases under sections 302 (murder), 376 (rape) and all other applicable sections of the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences Act 2012 against persons unknown and also launched a massive manhunt in order to apprehend the assailants at the earliest...........
One only wonders whether the adoption of these stereotyped and standard measures in case after case will help in arresting what rapidly seems to becoming a calamitous and precipitate situation for the fairer sex in our "motherland".............

ON NAIVETY, INNOCENCE, DHARNAS AND MATTERS ALLIED.......

Naivety, innocence, cheek, dare and protest; thy name has surely got to be Arvind Kejriwal........
Yes, the Delhi Chief Minister is back to doing what he knows best, that is donning the role of protester, agitationist, activist and extremist (as some of his political opponents prefer to call him); and this time both he as well as his cabinet colleagues are all set to take up cudgels against the nonchalant inaction of the Delhi Police against crimes being committed without growing impunity in the national capital.........
Differing, confusing and conflicting versions of recent events involving the infamous Delhi Police, Aam Aadmi Party volunteers, ministers and the ephemeral Aam Aadmi have been making the rounds, without one quiet knowing which is the true and unabridged version of events........
To confound matters even further, the Delhi Police bigwigs, Lieutenant Governor as well as Home Ministry mandarins have ganged up, united and formed some kind of unholy alliance against the Delhi Government as they see their age old sense of superciliousness and smugness being challenged on an everyday basis by a popularly elected government..........
According to the Delhi Chief Minister, the galling and highly patronising attitude of the Delhi Police Bigwigs as well as Home Ministry mandarins have left him with little or no choice in the matter and according to him launching an indefinite dharna against them in front of the gates of the home ministry is the only way of cutting them down to size..........
Political opponents, self styled and armchair critics and supposedly non partisan voices including Barkha Dutt, Arnab Goswami and Rajdeep Sardesai have been crying themselves hoarse and repeating themselves ad nauseum mouthing lines about the chief minister having to shed his protester's mantle and don the robes of a governor, so on and so forth..,......
All this and a furtive attempt by the beleaguered and under fire home ministry to issue a dubious and hollow communique pertaining to an alleged kidnap attempt by Indian Mujahideen sympathisers and foot soldiers have done precious little to douse the chief minister's firebrand demeanour and furrow his brow........
The home ministry and Delhi Police seem to have met more than their match at long last and are literally at their collective wit's end; what with their trying to conjure up efficacious counter measures that will only serve to pull out the proverbial rug from under the Delhi chief minister's feet........
This fascinating and eyeball catching skirmish of measure and counter measure has certainly unearthed some long decaying and putrefying skeletons in the cupboards of both the Delhi Police as well as the comic home ministry and added a few more feathers to the Delhi Chief Minister's already burgeoning cap or then should I say head scarf.........
I for one whole heartedly support the chief minister's dharna and ardently hope that alert and concerned Delhiites will emerge in their thousands and send both the Delhi Police as well as apology for a home minister back into their burrows.........

MIDSTREAM COURSE CORRECTION........

One always though that shooting their mouths off without the slightest provocation and ending up putting their foots in their mouths was the exclusive domain and prerogative of politicians belonging to the two supposedly national parties and other misogynistic parties who have honed the same to a fine art.......
Alas, the fledgling Aam Aadmi Party, a party that really made a splash by being different and in a league of it's very own, but seems to have jumped onto the bandwagon wholeheartedly; what's with it's ministers and seemingly more erudite members taking pot shots at each other and trying to outdo each other in this regard..........
It all began with Kumar Vishwas shooting his mouth off, making unsavoury, sexist and strictly avoidable remarks about women and individuals with different sexual proclivities and being soundly criticised by the firebrand Mallika Sarabhai for doing the same; infact one also witnessed an age old video of the very same Mr. Kumar Vishwas eulogising his party's bete noire Narendra Modi and also comparing him to Lord Shiva in the same........
Somnath Bharti's antics would put many a baboon and langur to shame, he not only indulged in a finger pointing confrontation with Delhi Police Higher Up's but also acquired the dubious distinction of leading and inciting a lynch mob that made a hapless Nigerian woman urinate in full public view; thereby inviting the collective ire of both human right activists and organisations as well as the National Commission For Women........
His goose surely seems to be cooked now, what with the Delhi High Court directing the Delhi Police to file a FIR against him on the basis of a complaint lodged against him and other members of his lynch mob by the long suffering Nigerian women and also carry out a time bound and expeditious probe into the same.........
Incumbent Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal and one of his primary advisors certainly did their party no favours by levelling unsubstantiated charges against "rebel" party member Vinod Kumar Binny and calling him power hungry as this name calling only provided fodder to their political opponents and seemingly antagonistic medias houses who are always looking for an opportunity to ridicule this new kid on the block.........
Let me make it clear that I am neither a critic or opponent of the Aam Aadmi Party; if anything I am a well wisher and full time party member who has been duly allotted a membership number and taken upon himself the onus of propogating the aims of objectives of the very same as they highlight my concerns and hopes and aspirations for the nation's rosy future.......
But, these intemperate utterances and washing of dirty linen in public has surely left a sour taste in my mouth and left me examining my decision and motives in extending unconditional and unstinted support to a newfounded political organisation that indeed deigned itself to be different from the rest..........
Temperance and due diligence in utterances is the need of the hour and wiser and seemingly saner heads within the party ranks should take the lead in nipping any dissension within the party's ranks in the bud and assigning the role of party spokespersons to persons who weigh every word before they speak and those who do not have a penchant for creating headlines every time they open their mouths........
We embarked on our collective journey with the noble and seemingly utopian objective of indeed making a difference and showing the rest of the nation how one can run both states as well as the entire country without resorting to unholy corruption and political chicanery........
Once and for all, let us regain our primary focus and chart out a path of course correction as we owe it to ourselves and the rest of the nation; teething problems are par for the course, so let us not let the same overwhelm us and make us an object of ridicule in the eyes of the much maligned Aam Aadmi..........

"THE EDGE OF POWER"...........

Just put down my very own copy of Tuhin A. Sinha's tour de force "The Edge Of Power" and must candidly confess that I am ensnared hook, line and sinker........
At the outset, let me confess or admit that I am a bibliophile who literally devours books; I devour a minimum of five titles a week and only share my thoughts and impressions on books that leave an indelible impression on both my mind as soul as well..........
"The Edge Of Power" is the long awaited sequel to the author's equally impressive treatise "The Edge Of Desire" and takes up the tale of it's main protagonist Shruti Ranjan who was left browbeaten and berating her fate after the untimely demise of her political patron and opportunistic betrayal by a man in whom she reposed her trust and political future........
This epic tale begins with a wannabe Arvind Kejriwal clone Daivik and his long standing friend and confidante, fading tinsel town superstar Catherine Khan floating the idea od floating their very own fledgling and novel political outfit in the aftermath of the sad, shocking and sordid Nirbhaya sexaul assault episode.......
Catherine is recovering from the trauma of a repressive, abusive and restrictive marriage to the son of the Hindi film industry's leading producer director and Diaivik is still coming to terms with the unseemly demand of Rs. 7 crore from Ravi Nehra (self styled president of the nation';s leading political party) for anointing him as it's official candidate for a much desired parliamentary seat.......
The two of them unanimously hit upon the idea of hoisting their political bandwagon on the able though somewhat jaded shoulders of Shruti Ranjan the erstwhile stormy petrel and soul keeper of the nation's politics who herself happens to be a surviving "political" gang rape victim...........
They somehow manage to convince Shruti into abandoning the safe, secure and familiar climes of her rehabilitation centre for women and retreat and accompanying them to Delhi so that she can acquaint herself first hand with the prevalent ground realities in the national capital in the aftermath of the horrific Nirbhaya rape episode that awakened the collective conscience of a dormant nation..........
And thereby begins a heady concoction of sacrifice, valour, political machinations, self flagellation, doubts, despair, death, destruction and mayhem that culminates in a sterling and heady triumph with Shruti being administered the oath of office of the Prime Minister of this proud and haughty nation right at the very end of the narrative..........
The canvas of this epic tale is also dotted with peripheral characters like Rhea (daughter of Shruti Ranjan's political mentor Sharad as well as estranged wife of the tale's enfant terrible Ravi Nehra) who only make "guest" appearances in the narrative nut still manage to leave a deep rooted impression on the mind of the transfixed and fixated reader............
Running into 303 odd pages and enticingly priced at Rs. 299 (available at a discount off 25-30% of the cover price through Flipkart, HomeShop18, Infibeam and such notable others), Tuhin.A.Sinha's magnum opus is a must read for any student or bystander who is as fascinated by the nation's ephemeral and ever changing political canvas.........
So do yourself a favour and grab a copy before it runs off the bookshelves......HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.........

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tuhin A.Sinha; a columnist, writer as well as screenwriter is one of the nation's foremost best selling novelists as well as the author of four previous works "The Edge Of Desire", "Of Love And Politics", That Thing Called Love", and "The Captain (formerly 22 Yards)" all of which broke new ground and explored uncharted territories in terms of subject, treatment and content.........
He also bears the additional burden of being an eminent and highly successful screenwriter of several immensely popular television shows including the seemingly evergreen "Yeh Rishtaa Kya Kehlata Hain" which reportedly is still making an appearance on Star Plus.........

INNOVATION AT IT'S WORST???????

Not only are they getting more adventurous, daring, inventive, innovative and creative; but have also began conjuring excuses to cover their shenanigans, piccadilloes and sins of omission and commission that read like something out of a Ripley's believe it or not.......
Sample this, a 15 year old girl hailing from Madhya Pradesh's Indore district conjured up a story involving her forced abduction and sexual assault (rape) out of thin air to save her backside and soul from the collective wrath of her enraged family which was enraged with her having stepped out of the confines of the family home without as much as a by your leave..........
This inventive and innovative soul had left her house in the seemingly safe and secure company of her male paramour (boyfriend) on January 14 and ended up concocting a sorry and sordid tale of abduction and rape allegedly involving a mysterious van driver and his equally mysterious accomplices in the alleged crime.........
In fact so utterly convincing was her narration that the local police personnel initially took her at face value and even registered a case against the afore mentioned van driver and his two accomplices on Thursday until an alert and credulous police officer noticed many a contradiction and moon sized craters in her tale of woe and personal ruin........
On being questioned closely, persistently and relentlessly, the 15 year old spilled the beans and revealed the incredulous fact that she was coached by her 24 old year boyfriend Dharmendra Parihar and also that the two of them had virtually authored this now familiar tale of abduction and rape so that she would escape the collective wrath of her rather conservative and squeamish family members.......
Extensive and exhaustive medical tests carried out on the alleged victim not only negated the occurrence of rape but also completely ruled out the possibility of the same having occurred and only served to compound the misery and sense of shame that the now cornered victim suffered........
Her amour has since been arrested on the rather grave and serious charges of misleading and abducting a minor as the gallivanting girl is a class X student and only a little over 15 years of age..........
Deeply and indelibly influenced by Hindi potboiler's and romantic tales on the internet, did I just hear someone say.........

A LAW UNTO HIMSELF??????

Amidst all the negative vibes, gloom and pervading sense of doom threatening to overwhelm and engulf the fledgling Aam Aadmi Party; the more than welcome news of a Delhi Police sub inspector being ensnared in his own web of deceit, corruption and insatiable lust for wealth must surely come as manna from heaven to the beleaguered chief minister and his incorrigible colleagues.......
A sub inspector of police attached to/with the Vikaspuri police station was apprehended red handed by the anti corruption bureau personnel while demanding and accepting a bribe from a businessman for showing him the "undue" favour of recommending his name for a much desired revolver licence thanks to a sting operation being carried out on the errant cop by the very same businessman..........
The "rogue" sub inspector who has since been identified as one Joseph Johnson was arrested right outside the very same police station in which he was stationed while accepting a bribe from the businessman late on Wednesday evening........
An elaborate trap was laid out by the anti corruption bureau personnel following the registration of a complaint by the businessman pertaining to the demand for illegal gratification for discharging his official duty on the Delhi government's anti corruption helpline........
According to the information put out by the complainant put out on the helpline, the sub inspector had initially demanded the exhorbitant and seemingly outlandish amount of Rs.20,000/- for rendering him an official favour, but the same was brought down to Rs. 10,000/- following protracted and lengthy negotiations........
As promised, a sum of Rs. 1,000/- was delivered to the unscrupulous Delhi police personnel on Tuesday and the remaining Rs.9,000/- was to be handed over to him in cash outside the Vikaspuri police station premises on Wednesday evening as earlier agreed to........
This is the third successful arrest of a Delhi police personnel since the Delhi chief minister launched the anti corruption helpline 1031 amidst much fanfare and brouhaha on January 8, 2014.......
Two Delhi police constables were apprehended on extortion charges by the vigilance department on January 11 following the registration of a complaint regarding the same on the above mentioned helpline by a vendor who also successfully carried out a sting operation on the rogue cops following the instructions laid down by the chief minister to the very last comma........
Disgruntled elements within the rank and file of his very own party might call him the choicest of names and even brand him a megalomaniac and budding dictator, while political opponents might well vent their collective spleen on nitpicking and finding imaginary faults with his populist and eccentric schemes launched thus far to alleviate the perennial sufferings of the chronically suffering Aam Aadmi............
Love him or hate him, but there is certainly no earthly chance of ignoring the Delhi chief minister and his anti-corruption juggernaut..........

DELHI'S SORROW AND INDIA'S SHAME.........

Age, nationality, language, looks and economic status are certainly no bar or deterrent when it comes to the seemingly "insignificant" manner of sexually violating girls or women and leaving them as cowering wrecks thereafter in a significant majority of cases.......
In the fourth such instance of rape involving a foreign national in the last two months or so a 51 year old Danish woman was allegedly gang raped by a gaggle of eight or more assailants at knife point in the vicinity of the national capital's New Delhi Railway station late last (Tuesday) evening.......
The unscrupulous and marauding assailants not only proceeded to rob her of her modesty and dignity, but also calculatedly relieved her of her money, jewellery and other material possessions before making good their escape from the scene of the brutal and inhuman crime........
As per initial and rather sketchy reports the Danish national who has been in the country for little over a week or so had gone to visit the national museum on her own when she reportedly lost her way near the New Delhi Railway Station while on her way back to her hotel in the Paharganj area of the national capital.......
Two men approached her initially and promised to lead her back to the familiar and secure confines of her hotel and the gullible and trusting victim took them at face value and proceeded with them without a care in the world, lo and behold, they were soon joined by six others and the eight of them then led the terrified and quavering heap of humanity to a secluded, dark, dingy,desolate and isolated spot and made her the target of their raging libidos and lust.........
Wonders will never cease, the bedraggled, bewildered, dazed and traumatised woman somehow managed to hang onto her collective wits and wend her way back to her hotel where she proceeded to narrate her tale of woe and debauchery to her friend and confidante who in turn informed the Danish embassy of the startling and diabolical developments........
Taking matters into their own capable hands, the embassy authorities duly informed the Delhi police higher ups about the sordid case and as things stand currently, the Delhi police has condescended to lodge a case of rape, forced abduction and outraging the ,modesty of a woman against the eight assailants......
They have also roped in the services of an artist and made a rather furtive and seemingly futile attempt at drawing the sketches of the alleged attackers with the aid and connivance of the inconsolable victim.........
The statement of the victim and her friend have been duly recorded and she will be duly subjected to extensive medical tests at a government medical facility on Wednesday morning before making her way back to her native country later on the very same day as she does not feel secure,safe and welcome in the city in which she was defiled any longer.........
When oh when will divine wisdom and uncommonly common sense dawn on us???? we are neither doing either ourselves or the rest of our teeming billions a favour by raping and pillaging foreign nationals as we please; they will simply stop frequenting our shores if they are not made to feel safe, secure and welcome........
As a result of the same, lakhs if not crores of people who are dependent on the tourist trade will be rendered jobless, thereby adding to the already burgeoning mass of humanity which is already bearing the burden of the cross of joblessness and penury on it's rather weak and frail shoulders.........

SEX EDUCATION: CRYING NEED OF THE HOUR??????

Well, things for young girls in our country are on a steady downward spiral what with young boys barely into their teens raping and sexually assaulting them with growing impunity and nauseating regularity........
In the latest instance of this kind, a 15 year old teenager was apprehended by the Visakhapatnam police authorities early this morning on charges of sexually violating a 7 year old girl hailing from the same locality........
This dastardly and despicable incident was reported from the Yeguvapeta area of Bheemunipatnam town within the district and came to light last night when the parents of the victim lodged a formal complaint against the accused at the local police station last night..........
According to police sources, the accused managed to successfully lure the young, gullible and trusting girl to his residence from the locality's kirana store on the pretext of giving her chocolates and forced himself upon her taking undue advantage of the fact that he was the only member present in his abode at the time.......
The bruised, battered and psychologically traumatised victim's family only got to know about this inhuman incident when the bleeding, dishevelled and utterly distraught victim made her way home and narrated her tale of woe to her disbelieving and crestfallen mother........
On hearing of her plight, the male members of the victim's family made a beeline towards the accused's residence with the intention of giving him a taste of his own medicine, but were taken aback when they realised that he already made good his escape from the hotspot........
They then proceeded to the local police station and lodged a formal complaint against the accused side stepping and disregarding the supposedly "sage" advice rendered by the community elders pertaining to the "settlement" of this "seemingly trivial" issue by mutual consent and to the satisfaction of both parties involved.........
The accused was taken into custody from a friends house in the early hours of this morning while the psychologically scarred girl is recovering from her injuries, ordeal and trauma at the reputed King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam........
I for one am disgusted, dismayed and deeply shaken by this rapidly growing tendency of minors to seek instant sexual gratification by forcing themselves on seemingly helpless girls much younger by them; one wonders whatever happened to those lofty promises and repeated platitudes about making sexual education an intrinsic part of the school curriculum.........
Will our hypocritical society and holier than thou elders realise the crying fact that timely, healthy and need based sex education is the only way out of this rigmarole and alarming predicament and if anything the same will not "spoil" their children and wards and only make them more responsible, aware and caring citizens who realise that women have the right to pick and choose their own sexual partners and cannot be forced or coerced into doing so against their will........

CRIMINAL INTIMIDATION OR SHEER FRUSTRATION??????

Subjugate perceived political opponents, intimidate them with both threats of and bruising physical violence and if all this doesn't show the desired results, then resort to the time tested technique of maligning them and casting aspersions on their intentions and integrity......
Thoroughly rattled to the core by the abrupt emergence of the Aam Aadmi party and startled by it's rapidly growing popularity and wide spread acceptance amongst the hoi polloi, the established, age old corrupt and immoral political entities have unleashed this reign of terror and fear on the denizens of this fledgling party and it's legions of die hard supporters.......
Waving black placards and flags at Kumar Vishwas's convoy and throwing rotten eggs and black ink at him in Rahul Gandhi's supposed pocket borough of Amethi did not satiate their demonic and demented appetites and that is why they have now resorted to assaulting a group of Aam Aadmi Party volunteers who were immersed in rounding up numbers for the party in Bengaluru......
A group of Aam Aadmi Party volunteers who were enrolling members as part of the recently launched nation wide membership drive in the Belandur area of Karnataka's capital city were accosted, assaulted and battered by an unruly mob of unidentified miscreants who were allegedly led by four/five youth Congress functionaries........
"Our guys were campaigning in Belandur on the outer ring road, drawing the attention of locals and imploring them to enrol themselves as members of the Aam Aadmi party when they were set upon by a group of miscreants who brutalised them and caused them physical harm on Sunday afternoon", said Aam Aadmi Party Karnataka spokesperson Rohit Ranjan.........
"One of our volunteers was grievously injured and suffered bleeding injuries, while the rest of them suffered numerous bumps and bruises on their personas; the volunteer with bleeding injuries had to be treated at a nearby medical facility and this unsavoury incident has certainly left our volunteers rattled and intimated", he went on to add.......
"Locals pointed out the fact that this gathering of miscreants was led by four or five youth Congress functionaries and is the handiwork of elements who are envious of our growing popularity and the extent of popular support being extended to us by the common man", he concluded.........
On being asked why the local police had failed to take due cognisance of this matter and register cases against these rowdy elements; the area's senior officer offered this rather unconvincing and lame duck explanation: "This incident was neither brought to our notice nor any complaint pertaining to the same filed in the local police station"...........
When oh when, will both the so called national as well as regional parties realise the indisputable fact that the Aam Aadmi Party is here to stay for good and such unruly acts of violence and criminal intimidation will only serve to strengthen and reinforce their resolve of exterminating these corrupt and immoral entities who have looted and plundered the country and it's people of it's hard earned wealth from their very roots........

HONOUR OR DISHONOUR???

Oh what a price one has to pay for committing the seemingly cardinal sin of being born as a woman in this country that supposedly venerates and worships it's women; your life can be whiffed out in instant at the altar of expediency and convenience and you have little choice apart from grinning and bearing it......
A 20 year old man killed his newly wedded wife in medieval Uttar Pradesh as "divine" wisdom belatedly dawned on him and acquainted him with the "illuminating" thought that he had heaped misery and dishonour on his "respected and honourable" family by eloping with and subsequently marrying the girl he supposedly loved even more than his "venerable" self.......
The monstrous and murderous youth/young man identified as Samarjit Singh led his naive, gullible and trusting better half to his native/ancestral village in Uttar Pradesh's Sultanpur district, put her to sleep permanently in a cold blooded, calculated, callous and galling manner and even proceeded to plant a sapling over her final resting place in connivance with his uncle so that he could erase the last sign of his "honourable" crime........
Miracle of miracles, the local police have acted with rare alacrity and unseemly haste in this case and arrested/apprehended the murderous Sarabjit, his brother and uncle on the charges of annihilating his better half Deepa on Saturday........
According to the local police sources Deepa who incidentally hailed from Sultanpur district as well eloped with Samarjit in February last and subsequently married him without the consent of both families........
Ever since, the seemingly lovey dovey and caring couple were residing in the national capital's Pul Prahladpur locality and Samarjit was also gainfully employed as a security guard all this while, but Samarjit was also plagued by constant thoughts of having brought dishonour on his family and planned to dispose off his spouse in this telling manner in conjunction with his brother and uncle.........
The Sultanpur police have since recovered Deepa's highly decomposed corpse from the very spot that had become her final resting place ever since she was done away with and Sarabjit and his comrades in crime are currently cooling their heels and murderous impulses in judicial custody after being arrested from Sultanpur's Nagai village...........
Our definition of "honour" and "all things honourable" certainly boggles and befuddles the mind and gets my goat without failing every time; how can killing and sacrificing precious and irreplaceable human lives be "honourable", "praiseworthy" and "worthy of emulation" in the first place or instance and even worse appreciated and condoned by supposed "village elders"........
Any rational, plausible and rational explanations forthcoming???????

MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE OR CRIMINAL APATHY??????

The more our motherland supposedly improves, the worse it gets for it's long suffering and utterly neglected womenfolk, if Supreme Court judges groping interns right, left and centre was not enough, a woman being forced to deliver her baby in a government hospital's compound certainly takes the cake if not the entire bakery.........
In yet another galling and utterly regrettable case of medical negligence and criminal callousness a "fully" pregnant woman was forced to deliver her child or prince/princess charming in a snow laden compound of a government hospital located in the vicinity of Srinagar.......
The deplorable and contemptible incident occurred at Kukroosa village in Kupwara (near Srinagar) on Friday morning as the staff deputed to this government medical facility failed to make an appearance at the appointed time........
According to the afflicted woman's family members, they reached the hospital in question around 11:30 am or so but were shocked and appalled to find the doors of the hospital firmly shut on them.......
"In the absence of any medical help or care my long suffering wife was forced to deliver the baby in the hospital compound and only attended to after 1 pm when the doctor and other staff manning this government medical facility deigned to make an appearance", remarked the husband of the woman who delivered her child in the compound.....
"Thanks to the blessings of almighty Allah, the womenfolk in the family were well acquainted with delivery procedures and took matters into their own capable hands and successfully brought the little bundle of joy into this world, otherwise one shudders to even think about what might have happened", opined yet another male family member.........
Offering a rather lame and hackneyed defence, the doctor and his cohorts resorted to the time tested excuse of there being a crackdown in the vicinity of the hospital and adjoining areas by the local police and other allied security forces, but their lie soon came back to bite them on their ample backsides and haunt them when the senior police officer of the said area stoutly denied any knowledge whatsoever about an alleged clampdown being affected in the area in question by the much maligned security forces........
One wonders whether the beleaguered chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah will crack the whip with a resounding crack once and for all and dismiss the accused doctor and his cohorts forthwith or then as has become the norm, will the doctor and his accomplices in this unpardonable crime against mankind be allowed to get away scot free citing an acute shortage of qualified medical staff as has been done in the past in most if not all such cases.........
Well, I for one am waiting with bated breath Mr. Abdullah..........