Digression is Transgression

It was 13th July when there happened yet another Mumbai bombing. This was when the 2G Scam drilling was at its peak (really!!) and hazar Hazare's were evolving. I was telling Arpita that there is all chances that this could as well be a political set up to shake the  public attention on the on-going 2G Scam, if it is not, then there is certainly something bigger coming up to suppress the 2G Scam. Now with all the BASELESS (in exact terms 'mindless') chants about 'I am Anna' I can't stop thinking that this is indeed the bigger DIGRESSER.

There is this wonderful saying "past is past". Well, we are too good in taking it to our heart (and mind). We have forgotten everything right from Kasab to Warren Anderson to Kalmadi and now started off with 'Anna Hazare'. Who actually turns the table every time? It’s the media, a bunch of sporadic wannabe patriotic mushrooms and all the citizens of India (why? because we all are lending to it). Whoever called it a "channel", infact they are channelizing the people (mind) and it’s not the other way round.

Why do I say that the 'Anna Hazare' could be a staged one? cos we have lost track of the other on-going matters/issues. Who knows there could be 10 more people sailing in to the country while the coast guards are starving (in support of Hazare) or perhaps watching the news channels about the DEVELOPMENTS between Anna and the Government. If you did not notice, the 2G spectrum has switched on it indicator already, it is turning to the wrong direction with a wrong indicator (Anna Hazare).  Mr. Raja, Ms. Kanimozhi are now counter arguing that 'there is no scam or fraud or forgery or whatever' if we prove that the Government is not at loss. Who will they prove this with? The Prime Sinister, the then Finance Sinister, the now Telecom Sinister (oops read as Minister). Wah! what a game!! A bribe is not often a loss to one of the parties. Consider this example, I need my passport processing to be quickened (I am not using Thatkal cos I can't spend for a day's returns) so I bribe the local police personnel to quicken the verification process. I regard (carefully chosen word) the police personnel with Rs 200 and my job is done. Now let’s do the calculation. The Government is not losing anything cos they are still getting the passport application fee. The Police are not at loss (obviously) and I am saving my Thatal money. So can I claim that there is nothing illegal here? This is exactly what is happening at the 2G case now. Who cares about the possible money that they Government would have made had this short cuts were unavailable and Thatkal is the only way.

We are still not in our high school (at least not the entire nation) to just think that the Government is not at loss. The Government has LOST a GAIN. Coming back to the 2G game, First of all, the aforesaid honourable Gentlemen decided that the Government will not auction 2G instead it will allocate licenses to the ELIGIBLE (for what???) operators. And hence they did it. So where is the corruption? Where is the loss to the Government? Now let’s dig deeper, one of the vendor [Malaysian based Maxis] was ALLOCATED licenses even before receiving the payment for it. How and Why? Because the company pledged to pay (in business terms invest) Rs 6,00,00,00,000 (shows the magnitude. That is 600 Cr. Rupees) in to their own business. What were the deals? 1. The licenses will be issued (free will) 2. They will buy a mobile company (may be at a throw away price) who originally did not budge to invest nor was allocated any license. Had this not happened and if the 2G licenses were auctioned may be the Malaysian company would have invested Rs 6,00,00,00,000 (even a percentage of it is Rs 6,00,00,000) to the Government and possibly provided a competitive infrastructure too.

We can’t afford to forget the past anymore. All the wrong doings are dwelling based on this featured character of ours. May be that’s whey they rightly coined us as a country with 'Unity in Diversity'. We can be fooled as a one single unit.

Anna Hazare could make it Hazardous

Well, I support the movement, the cause and definitely this is good... but I am not very specific about Lokpal or Lokyukta.. maybe we (as a citizen seeing the nation going down on corruption) are emotional and desperate for something to happen than correcting/rectifying whatever is.. my reasons being

We are only creating an ancillary solution, a new system, the control of the nation (I am just looking at a larger picture) is going to lie with 2 parallel systems. In Software terms if the software is buggy we fix it and redeliver it and not recreate everything. OK, I can sense that some of you say that there are migrations from legacy systems to open systems and newer technologies, but in the migration the older system will be scrapped. Do we have that?

The Tug-of-war in future would be not just be the ruling party.. but then about becoming a member of the Lokpal. I do think that people (as a major part politicians and to a minor part we citizens) become corrupt, only when they are in the system. It is not true that corrupt people are politicians, but it is true that the politicians are all corrupt. So the first blame would be on the system to not to publish the profile of the candidate who are competing in the elections and levying stricter eligibility criteria, and the second and most important would be on we citizens who vote for the corrupt (cos for us the option we think is if not Congress then BJP.. it is just a swinging pendulum and not a rotary movement) having known about their history (by ourselves or through social/public media).

Having said that, how can we ensure that the Lokpal will be corruption free? I am not demeaning any of the good hearts that is working towards it, but what after them? if Lokpal says even a Lokpal member would come under the bill then it is just like our current scenario where Lokpal claims that the judges are never brought under the purview because it needs the permission of the chief justice to start any proceeding against his fellow judges

I see the Lokpal as an aftermath and not a way to stop corruption. Come on, Lokpal says any corruption charge should be scrutinized and completed within 2 years... and what happens if 2 years is passed without proving it? Does it extend to 2 more years? Aren’t the smart (A*S) already smart enough to delay things? Can’t they do that again? Or does the case die there after?

To me it is yet another top to bottom approach. The prudent way would be to go a bottom-top approach where we make every people responsible for the corruption that has happened. Start with the grass root level (like traffic polices and Govt. hospital wardens) make them not to seek money.. and if they are clean and confident that nothing can happen to them.. they can even question their officers [this may be ambitious]. Why are we riding in the same school of thought? Simple thing is the fine for the traffic violation. We say if there is a violation then you will be fined 500/1500Rs.. so what really happens? the traffic police says.. gimme 100 you don’t have to pay 500 at the office.. we are smart too.. we are making a 400 (opportunity gain). Who is at loss ultimately? ‘The Government’. I say make the fine Rs50. at least the Govt. would gain something rather than nothing. We are not violating the rules because it is lesser money to pay, but because we are not made responsible for it. To me it starts at that level. It all starts at that level. Again don’t chant the slogan of rich get richer and poor get poorer. We do not get poorer because we pay more fine and bribe less.

All I want to say is make the system robust and transparent if it is not rectify it, modify it do not add a parallel system.

Dumb A(ss)d

Partha: Hey did you check this ad? Kanthilal?

Arpita: Nope, whats so special about it?

Partha: Let me keep it short! There is this Grandpa who tells his grandson that is the place, his then girlfriend (now wfie, spicing things up ooooohhhh!!!)  was kissed unauthorised (Naaaahiiiiiiiiiii) by Kanthilal. All his efforts to take a revenge on Kanthilal has gone waste. He could never find Kanthilal (Jolted!!).  The grandson vows to find out kanthilal.. gets the Vir Tilak from the Pithamah (read as Bhesshma) and is on a mission. He then searches (Animated) on Facebook for Kanthilal and with some help from other valiant warriors (like Nakhul and Sahadev) finds out kanthilal. What happens after he finds out kanthilal is the actual story.. [OK, this is not a box office opening for a movie and I am not reviewing it, the rest of it is irrelevant for this discussion.... well.. not until later part]

Arpita: Well, I cant imagine Facebook can get in to such cheap publicity!!

Partha: aah thats the catch, it infact is an ad by Airtel.. but for Facebook..

Arpita: Why would Airtel do an advert for Facebook? Get to the point silly, dont go around fooling around in the name of being 'humorous'

Partha: OK.. this is an ad by Airtel (I dunno who approved this) to publicise that they have a great 3G connectivity (not sure about their connectivity on the 2G sc..a...m ooouch..!! dont nudge me!!). What amuzes me is, how can they take on Facebook to publicize their data connectivity?
Arpita: Come on, dont make it complicated. It is as simple as this, "Doctors log on to facebook to see if his patient is still alive" (like, comment??!!). Hence the ad about data connectivity and high availability.

Partha: Agreed, with you around I am not going to argue about FB's influence. But here I am talking about a negative publicity. While Facebook is being accused of exposing all the personal 'details' and statuses, this could be their chance to make something out of its negatives.

Arpita: hmm interesting!!

Partha: Yeah, imagine I dump you (ok ok or you dump me) and we find out eachother (using FB) ?? How bad can that be (now you know why I am not up to date of FB!!!). While there are emails spreading out saying 'Anti-social elements' utilize facebook to identify if people are out on a vacation and take advantage of it... how can Airtel, air and tell such a message?

Arpita: You dumping me!! never before me!! ok, your point is valid. There has to be some 'discipline' in the ads. First thing quality of ads, Gosh can't stand some of the stupidest ad (HeroHonda dhuk dhuk go!). We had seen competitors being slashed in ads(pepsi/coke), but this is totally unacceptable.

Partha: Absolutely, looking at this I would rate the Maruti Wagon R (Ten lakh 25, starring a lousie hopper and a 'Why me' dog) ad super good.

Arpita: OMG!!. However, just being curious what was the climax of the ad?

Partha: OOh well... They find kanthilal (thanks Facebook!!).. The Grandpa says, 'Kanthilaaaaa.....al...' kisses his wife.. and runs away!! I can sense your question. "Is that a revenge at all?" I mean I am sure Kanthilal would not mind such a revenge after (all) 45 years... infact neither would Kanthilal's wife..

Arpita: Stop it I Say!

Partha: you wanna check the ad, watch cricket match..and this annoying ad is aired in between the annoying performance of India (First 2 tests, India Vs England 2011)
Arpita: ok, here I go.. here opens my Internet Explorer..

Partha: Internet Explorer!!! read this... Internet Explorer users are dumb!!??