Question Hour for Pinpricks?

The terrorists who plotted the attack in Mumbai must be shocked. For they lost their battle even before it ended; something they probably would have never imagined. Their attack united Indians in a very special way. The nation finally woke up and began asking questions as Indians, forgetting their religion, state, caste and all other less important tags created by divisive forces. And the lousy politicians we got so sickeningly used to, are being thrashed and cornered to assume responsibilities which form the very basis of their positions; the same responsibilities which they never ever expected to hear of while they slothed in arrogance and corruption. But an awakening at what cost? A big salute to our martyrs and heroes. May their souls rest in peace.

There are several questions that the Mumbai attacks have raised. But the biggest questions are the ones that will prick the conscience of every politician who is still remotely human. What about the others who have only manipulated the nation and divided it using religion, caste, ethnicity, crime and money? Its time to isolate them and shun them like the scums they really are. Venom against politicians is all over the nation. And rightfully so. The now famous SMS says it all: "Where is Raj Thackeray and his brave Sena? Tell him that 200 NSG commandos from all over India (No Marathi manoos) have been sent to Mumbai to fight the terrorists so that he can sleep peacefully - Mumbaikars". But how long will this energy last? Lets hope the constructive debates will be successful in channelising the energy into transforming the way we live and conduct ourselves every day. Lets constantly remind the politician that they are elected to serve the people, and not the other way around.

Back in our own little state, our Chief Minister had his foot in his mouth, yet again. Nobody in Kerala felt anything unusual about the comment. Some leaders said its expected of him, others said its his usual style; and yet others said its the same style that won him elections. But the rest of the nation said dogs are better than politicians, even as Kerala hung her head in shame, and wondered why our leaders wanted to mark their attendance at a Malayali martyrs house in Bangalore only two days after his funeral and incessant chiding from the media about the disrespect shown by their stark absence at the funeral.

Reminders of our totally paralysed administration and government are everywhere and are being shoved down our throats every day. But we, the people, remain mute spectators and suffer through the days, as though its normal and part of some elaborate ritual that needs to be silently performed in order to appease the Gods. Just as the Mumbai attack was a national tragedy, the politicians we have, and the system they have created, have all become a national shame. And it stinks, unbearably. Its time to get together and clean up the mess. Like someone very smart said, "(its) time to wrest politics from the politician's hands". Lets not wait for more reminders.

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Hate Hartals? What Can You and I Do?

We have now, almost quite unanimously, decided that most of us hate the antisocial and antiprogressive event of convenience celebrated very frequently by our scum politicians under different names such as hartal, bandh, roko, strike, panimudakku, etc. It does no good to ANY one in this state or country. And because of this single phenomenon, Kerala has stagnated and rotten.

So now what can we do? Clearly, at this stage, I am not in a position to go out and protest [or call a hartal against hartal as someone joked :)]. And I am not interested in filing a public interest litigation and adding to the long list of petitions against hartals.

I am going to list a few of my ideas against hartals and banhds. I welcome all our readers to contribute to this post and add your suggestions. All reasonable, sensible, and practical ideas and suggestions will be compiled and sent to all leading newspapers in Kerala/ India. (jokes are welcome, but wont make it to the final list) You can choose to give your real name or a nickname (even if you dont have a blogger id), but preferably avoid anonymous comments.

My suggestions:

1. I have always believed in creating awareness and educating people. Whenever I get a chance, I speak about hartals and the loss they create to the state. I explain how only hard work can lead to progress. I also stress on the importance of working within the system. I tell all these things to whoever I can in Kerala - be it a driver, rickshaw-wala, shopkeeper, policeman, businessman, or engineer. Giving such perspective can make them think, and realize themselves. And in turn, they will spread the good word to many others (hopefully). So my first suggestion is to:

"Spread the word against hartals and its ill-effects to everyone you come across"

2. For those of you with considerable local clout, please encourage the local decision makers and people to work against hartals and strikes. I have read about one or two towns in Kerala that have people working together against these political games, and remain open during hartals. If this can become a mass movement, and spread across Kerala, then Kerala will surely make progress, and more importantly, it will cut our wily politicians to size.

"Encourage pockets of community activity against hartals"

3. Another longer term action that we can take is to stop voting for parties/ leaders that encourage hartals. Obviously, that would mean that we will not be able to vote. But the idea is to create an awareness among the scumbag politicians that hartals and bandhs will only earn negative points for them. Hopefully its some discouragement for them.

"Vote out politicians and parties that encourage hartals and bandhs"


More suggestions and action points are most welcome.

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