Friday, June 22, 2012

The President of India, The Common Man and The Perspective

It's confusion all over - fire in Mantralaya at Mumbai, the way the Presidential Polls are poised with differences among political parties, the in-fighting among UPA and NDA cadres with regard to Presidential nominees . . . things do seem to be heating up, aren't they? 

Clearway has not yet got into the serious mode that it is used to - after the break, that is. Is that a reflection of some strategic re-think, or a new-born realisation of the futility of being serious about serious issues? After all, how has the office of the current President of India, for instance, under the able leadership of Prathibha Patil, affected the life of the common man? And how would the growing ranks of the middle class and the lower strata of the economic society respond to withdrawal from the Presidential contest by Dr Abdul Kalam, or to the choice between PA Sangma and Pranab Mukherjee? The common man may, perhaps, even be reluctant to invest his thinking faculties into the fate of the Prime Minister's chair, leave alone the President. Is this disenchantment with governance going to turn on its head with the arrival of the new President on to the arena? "Hope"! The essence of life that costs nothing!

Well, I never wanted Clearway to get this serious right away. Isn't it time to warm up and stay cool, taking a leisurely stroll in the early morning breeze with a cup of steaming hot coffee? It takes a different perspective of things to appreciate what goes on in the backdrop of what is normally on public display. That brings me to the lighter note of what it looks like to be behind the model. We are all so used to looking at the ladies through the lenses that it makes one wonder, 'is it time to look at the lenses through the lady'? This picture of Katherine Jenkins caught my attention, though its appropriateness to the post is definitely questionable. In any case, this post was supposed to be a different take on serious issues - and that allows for anomalies to be the norm! And she does look more graceful than all the men in blue and grey put together . . . 

A Different Perspective