Bihar Election 2010: Ek Vishwas

When it comes about Bihar, almost every Indian knows it with a preconceived notion, more or less in the same way as you have always known the last ranker in your school.

Having been born and brought up in a small village of Bihar has been more of a privilege to me than anything else. If nothing, since I started knowing the world I always knew that I need to do more as I may not be on equal ground. As I grew up, I worked in more than 10 states and 5 countries. I travelled across India and visited more than 20 countries. Still, a travel to back Home (Begusarai District) has always been the journey with more excitement for me. It brought new perspectives, thoughts and fresh enthusiasm in my mind and soul of the complacency. And of course, there were the charm of home food dahi - choora and litti-chokha.

The last travel to home was different however; it was more purposeful, more determined and with sense of purpose. A purpose that has been there ever since someone asked me "Bade hokar kya banoge?" In the world of fierce competition and rat race of finding something, I realized late that "Ab main 28 saal ka ho gaya hoon!". Stoppages in the path have become goals and goals started looking distant. It was a journey of self realization. Thoughts hover around things like "Has something really changed in Bihar, outside Patna and other urban cities?" If yes, do ordinary people, especially from the lower orders, notice these changes?

The experience of being Bihari has taught me not to go by perceived notions and wisdom. Statistics are dodgy, the national media is either deceivable or unfriendly and the local media suffers from an urban mindset. It was obvious I wanted to see things myself.

Changes were visible and at least a part of the answer was clear soon, as the vehicle and its occupants survived the many forays beyond the highways. Earlier expedition from Begusarai to Cheria Bariarpur (My Home Town!), a 24-km stretch, used to take two hours. The roads in Bihar have changed. They may not be the best in the country, but they are way better than what they used to be a few years ago. Does the quality of road make a difference to "Aam Admee – The Mango people"? I asked this question and was promptly silenced by some passengers waiting for a bus to Rosera. It used to take them a full day to transport a critically ill patient to the hospital there. Now it takes two hours.

The improvement in law and order is no less dramatic. Gone are the days of brazen rangadaari, of extortion, loot and kidnappings with open political patronage. These practices have not completely disappeared. Even though it's not completely vanished, yet the contrast with the past is there for everyone to notice. And it matters even to the landless laborer who can now ply his rickshaw without the fear of being dragged for begaar (unpaid labor).

As part of election campaign later, I visited the Musahar tola of a remote village to check if 'development' had reached the last person. Most of the students in the two-room school get books, uniform and a mid-day meal, but perhaps not much education. Elsewhere, people had reported that government doctors have started attending the rural health centers, but there was no hospital around this locality. Yes, every family had a job card under MNREGA, but could not recall the last time anyone got work under that scheme. Migration to Delhi and Punjab by large remains the main source of livelihood. There is still no electricity here. We have gotten cycle, and chawal (Rice), let Nitish come back to power, they said, and this time we will get real electricity, not just the solar lamps.

It was not usual of Bihar and more unusual of a Bihari to talk like this. Changes were reflective and the last person could also notice it. At many places even the opposition party candidate, deep down the heart had praise for Nitish Kumar and the changes that he has brought in last five years. This election is not about vikas (development) or even about bipaas (bijali, paani, sadak). This is really about Vishwas (Trust). Bihar is still a long way to go for the kind of change that could better the life conditions of every person. We are not talking about good governance, just governance. The five years of Nitish Kumar government — his government, neither NDA's, nor JD (U)'s --has earned the trust in Biharis, perhaps after three decades. This trust is shared across the caste and class divide.

Earlier Bihar elections were measured by the cast equations and now people were talking development. It was heartening to see that development work is primary reason for voting decisions for many voters. By all views, it is not caste versus development in this election. It is not as if Bihar has taken off the lens of caste. It is just that the power of this lens has changed, allowing for a better visibility of development and that is a really powerful change.

My love is calling!

Ever had that weird feeling that someone out there is watching you and
caring for you? Who knows your love is just calling…

In my little heavenly abode
Often listening to those silent voices of God
I see glimpses of a pretty face
This paralyzes all time and space

In the nearest temple, as the bell rings
I feel her prayer and care for all small things
Suddenly all stops and there is no sound
But I still know she is just around

The two beautiful eyes are watching the moon
Says something, screams out, before it falls in my room
I sense, the eye drops rolling
And I know my love is calling

Each breath becomes a thousand sighs
As she gazes into my eyes
The hand of love and the pain that touch my soul
And the bell of destiny begins to toll

Wave of love begin to toss
Like the brilliant rainbow arching across
She is somewhere here, I need not roam
God help me find her and take her home

Women's Kiss Simplifies Our Olympic Heroes Pick!!

Someone ought to inform Michael Phelps that no matter how many gold medals he wins, no matter how many records he obliterates or primal screams he unleashes, he cannot emerge as the hero of the 2008 Olympics.

We already have a hero. Make that heroes.

Phelps can swim his way to eight gold medals, eclipsing the record set by Mark Spitz , and still pale in comparison to the achievement of Nino Salukvadze and Natalia Paderina, neither of whom is destined for endorsement riches or the guest seat alongside Regis and Kelly.

One is from Russia, the other from Georgia. If you've been watching CNN , you know there are problems between the two countries.

Let's hear it for the girls, who with an embrace and a kiss on the cheek showed the world that the Olympic ideal, perhaps a flicker, not a flame, cannot be extinguished. We can only hope their leaders are watching, appreciating and downloading the message.

Their countries are at war. People are dying. They're suffering. How fast things change.

It was just last week that Russia's Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, was in Beijing, inside the Bird's Nest stadium, waving to his country's Olympic athletes during an opening ceremony for the ages.

And now Putin oversees the Russian Army's movements into South Ossetia, a disputed territory of Georgia. We will not address right and wrong, at least not as it applies to warring nations.

Compassion, Sympathy

We will, however, stand and applaud athletes who demonstrate a great deal more compassion, sympathy and common sense than our world, uh, leaders.

These athletes shared a medal podium. No glare. No ire. No hate. The 32-year-old Paderina, who serves in the Russian Army, took silver in one of the air pistol categories. Salukvadze, 39, won bronze.

It's not their medals we should celebrate. It's their mettle. And conviction.

They were friends before the tanks, missiles and bombs, before the killing and carnage. And they are still friends,

sharing a simple act they had to know meant so much more.

As their nations declare war, they say enough, already! Stop.

The picture of their embrace is, indeed, worth 1,000 words. Here are 44 more.

``If the world were to draw any lesson from what I did, there would never be any wars,'' Salukvadze said during a press conference. ``We live in the 21st century after all and in the 21st century we shouldn't really stoop so low as to wage wars against one other.''

How is Phelps supposed to top that?

The National Rifle Association likes to say that guns don't kill people. People kill people. Well, here are two ladies with guns who are trying to save lives. Remarkable.

``There should be no hatred amongst athletes, and there should be no hatred among people, either,'' Salukvadze said. ``The politicians should certainly sort out the situation. If they don't, we'll have to get involved.''

They're already involved. Pictures of their embrace are being beamed around the world. Naive, perhaps, but maybe it can change hearts and minds.

And to think, so much of the chatter leading into these Olympics focused on whether the athletes would make political statements. There were a range of topics to choose from, from bad air and human rights to Darfur and Tibet.

Political Talk

The International Olympic Committee made itself clear, that sports and politics don't mix. The U.S. Olympic Committee showed its cowardice when it failed to voice support for one of its own, former gold medal winner and human-rights activist Joey Cheek, whose visa was rescinded by the host government at the last minute.

Paderina pointed out that she and Salukvadze, both mothers, by the way, have been shooting together for a long time.

``Sports are beyond politics,'' she said.

It's easy to roll your eyes and harrumph when IOC President Jacques Rogge starts in with the mumbo-jumbo about the Olympic movement, better understanding through sport or, as is plastered on billboards throughout Beijing, One World One Dream.

Sometimes it's just easier to forget the outside ugliness, to wander inside the magnificent Water Cube and marvel at one man's drive for eight gold medals.

But then two women, friends from warring nations, share an embrace. The heroes of these Games have already been determined.

And to think that neither has a shot at eight gold medals.

Democracy or Deal-o-cracy?

“... THAT government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not vanish from this earth” said US President Abraham Lincon speaking at the dedication of a national cemetery at Gettysburg in 1863. It is perhaps the best-known definition of democracy in American history.

In the Indian context, our Parliament has always been well represented by men and women coming from various states, speaking different languages, following diverse religions and belonging to different casts. Members’ educational, economical and professional backgrounds have also been vastly different, but all of them had one qualification in common — they were elected by us. Thus, they have been people representing the people of their constituencies, in running the government for us, the people at large. After all, we are the world’s biggest democracy!

Despite all its positives, decision making in a democratic government is by majority vote and is never known to be quick and fast. Democracy is perhaps the most complex and difficult of all forms of government. It is filled with contradictions and requires its members to labour diligently to make the government work with accountability. We are probably experiencing one such difficult situation now and seem to be drifting in the undesirable terrain. Right from the day Left decided to withdraw support to the UPA government, all that we read and hear about is ‘deals’. At the centre of all is the nuke deal. But the government requires 272 (majority) before 123 (agreement) and that has thrown up the game of politics open to all sorts of deals.

We hear about an airport being renamed to garner a few votes and wonder if Taj Mahal and India Gate will also be named after some MP’s wife or a daughter in the coming days. We see MPs talking to TV channels from their hospital beds and party leaders pressurising the attending doctors to let the MP travel to Delhi on the voting day. Some MPs are being persuaded by promises to consider nationalisation of mines in their area and others are being offered ‘structured deals’ , such as CM chair in the state along with two ministers-of-state positions in the Union Cabinet or the desired Cabinet berth at the Centre and deputy CM post for the son. A few MPs are also agreeing to indirectly support the government by abstaining and are silently extracting their pound of flesh.

Then, there are smaller parties, demanding creation of separate states, possibly with a vision to become the USI (United States of India), comprising over 500 states, each covering the area of a constituency. And there are discussions for introduction of industry-specific or company-specific windfall taxes, threatening to end up in some MPs coming up with a list of permanent account numbers (PANs) that they wish to be taxed at higher rates.

There are interventions at the highest level to patch up differences between big businessmen and there are usual lunches/dinners being organised by political parties to hold their flocks together. Finally, there are TV channels and MPs openly discussing anything from Rs 25 to 100 crore as the price for one vote in favour of the government. And what else than a promise for release can be a deal with MPs (with criminal record) in jail to enlist their support, when they go out on bail to vote in Parliament. In short, it seems to be a government of the deals, by the deals and for the deal. Isn’t that deal-o-cracy ?

In such a cacophony of personal and party specific deals, one really wonders what our MPs are thinking about the nuclear deal. What do we get and what do we give in by signing up 123 agreement? Are we running our nuclear power plants at full capacities? Has our country fully exploited its potential for hydro power? Have the party think tanks shared their viewpoint and aligned all their members? Or are fence-sitters planning to defy the party whip and realign themselves in anticipation of early polls? Isn’t current level of inflation that is affecting the common man a bigger concern than the nuclear deal? Are our MPs not bothered to know whether the loan waivers granted in the budget reaching the target farmers or not? None of these may seem relevant in the dirty deal-o-cracy .

To get our elected members focus on real policy issues and ensure good governance, we actually need the government to get out of ‘running businesses’ and concentrate on its key roles viz. defence, law & order and delivery of justice. Once the government gets out of businesses, MPs may not see value in demanding specific ministries and there will be no deals to strike. Till such time anything like that happens, may the MPs who represent us, responsibly exercise their votes, for our democracy to triumph over the dirty deal-o-cracy !