Judgement Pronounced: TATA VSNL Scam

http://clearway.blogspot.com/2007/05/against-tata-vsnl-broadband-scam.html

That link is for those who may have tripped upon this blog by chance for the first time. And we have been moving forward from there at the moment.

The Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum at Bangalore has declared that TATA needs to compensate a complainant for "Deficiency of Service". The order was issued on 13th August 2007 (Complaint Number 1381/2007). TATA is to provide compensation to the complainant within 4 weeks from the date of its communication.

That is the first step. And naturally, Clearway is not happy with the judgement. A nation-wide silent scam that has been on for years, and just one party being compensated? What of the remaining thousands who have fallen and who still keep falling victims to the audacious bid to swindle?

What is needed is an awareness - and an initiative - and the will to last till the very end. There is such an initiative on at an on-line community at Orkut. Join the march for Justice at http://www.orkut.com/CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=32867446&tid=2551305980118236875&start=1 If you have suffered from TATA's Broadband scam and have been looking out for options, you may approach a Consumer Court near you and lodge a complaint yourself - and you may quote this case at Bangalore: 1381/2007 filed on 30 June 2007.

Too bad that TATA has taken so much time and space at Clearway; I would rather get done with this issue fast and concentrate on more productive stuff. Clearway doesnt like dwelling on dirty stuff for too long, you see?

The Railways responds - and How!

That was the letter I got today from the Railways in response to my complaint - that made me, for once, think things weren't all that bad in the country after all! Munnabhai had just been awarded with the sentence and here is Railways responding to my complaint (Read the previous post: "Derailed by Railways!" at http://clearway.blogspot.com/2007/07/derailed-by-railways.html . And as in most cases of unfounded mirth, my joy was short-lived as well!

1. My Complaint was dated: 17 July 2007

The Acknowledgement was dated: 20 July 2007

Acknowledgement was signed on: 25 July 2007.

Why would it take FIVE days for a simple signature on an Acknowledgement letter to a complaint?

2. The Acknowledgement was signed by one Mr B Nageswara Rao, Joint Director, Public Grievences Cell.

Why would an Acknowledgement to a complaint wait for a signature from the Joint Director? Should an acknowledgement require a signature at all? Could a Receiving Clerk not dispatch the letter?

3. The Subject Line of the Letter reads: Complaint against TTE and other matters

Excuse me? Was my complaint against the TTE and "Other matters"? It was no ordinary matter that a train ran without water in its compartments, that it was actually supposed to be going for the repair yard and was never meant to carry passengers, that there were only two TTE's for the train while there were supposed to be 1 per every two compartments, that we raised the water issue at a Railway Station with the Station Master and he refused to act, that the Emergency Chains in the chain did not work!

My complaint was against Criminal Negligence of Responsibility that was capable of causing fatal damage to passengers!

And now, my complaint includes: Gross neglect shown by Mr B Nageshwara Rao, Joint Director, Public Grievences Cell, Southern Railways! My complaint was illustrative with photographs and with details. To sign on a letter mechanically without realising the seriousness of the issues in the relevant complaint is not what a Joint Director is in his seat for!

The issue has already been taken up for action. You may keep a track of events at http://www.orkut.com/CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=32867446&tid=2543872394603724491&start=1

Derailed by Railways!

Passengers taken for a ride in a Train in Tamil Nadu; sub-standard services touch a new low in customer service.

Train No. 2690

Train Name: Nagerkovil - Chennai Special Train (Tamil Nadu)

Date of Journey: 15th July/ 16th July 2007

1. No Water Supply in many compartments all through the journey

2. No tap in the wash-basin

3. A cut, hanging pipe in the toilet

4. Poorly maintained, stinking toilets below basic standards of service

Frustrated passengers raise the issue with the TTR - get to know more of skeletons.

5. The Train is actually on the way to the Service Yard for repairs to Chennai - it was NOT supposed to be a Passenger Train.

6. The Train is labelled "Super Fast" and passengers are charged Rupee 20/- more than the regular fare.

7. Train Name/ Passenger list never displayed outside the bogies.

Passengers lodge complaint at Salem with the Station Master; the station master is non-committal and refuses any action. Passengers decide to pull the chain and stop the train at Salem to bring the issue to the notice of the authorities.

8. Three chains pulled - one after the other. NONE OF THE EMERGENCY CHAINS WORKED!

9. The "Super Fast" train, scheduled to arrive at Chennai by 11 am, arrives at 1:40 pm - delayed by more than 2 and a half hours.

10. Formal complaints to be lodged. SIgnatures of passengers have been secured in the complaint. Complaint is to be addressed to:

A. The General Manager,

Southern Railways,

Chennai.

B. Chairman,

Railway Board,

New Delhi

C. Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav,

Railway Minister

Railways have been taunted as fetching increasing revenues. Where do the revenues go? How low will the Railways stoop?

Presidential Politics: Where the Front never Backs!

Clearway talks with the Third Front and discusses their strategy for inaction, while looking into the Political Drama featuring the President.

Clearway: Why did you want President Abdul kalam to be the President again?
Third Front: See, he is already a President. Then why go for a new President?

CW: That is because his term has ended.
TF: We don't believe in Terms. In fact, even a Chief Minister has to remain in power for ever. We will ban Fresh Elections once we come to power.

CW: Well, that's a different issue. You tell us about the President.
TF: Our President is a Bachelor of Minority, Popular of Majority.

CW: Is that why you want him to be the President again?
TF: Off the record, no. The reasons are more intricate and political. We shall speak about them later.

CW: Did you consult the President before you took the decision to Project him?
TF: Yes. We called him up on his mobile. The call went to the Washing Machine. So, we recorded our message and went to sleep.

CW: The Washing Machine?
TF: The Answering Machine, we said!

CW: But did he agree and give his consent?
TF: Yes. The next morning, we saw a Missed Call in our mobile from his number. That was his consent.

CW: When the President had already made it clear that he did not intend to sit for a second term, what made you choose his name?
TF: Look, we formed the third front. And we needed a Blockbuster to announce its arrival.

CW: A Blockbuster? Why that?
TF: We have invested so much in the Third Front. A Blockbuster would boost our bottom line and would improve our Return on Investments. It's all about money, honey!

CW: Hmmm . . . clever move! But do you see how it has back-fired?
TF: No. We will draw maximum mileage in any case. The Congress and the Left are such morons, so insensitive to the will of the people that they refuse to support a sitting minority bachelor President who is the popular majorty!

CW: You say so. But the opposition says you have drawn the President's Office into political drama and caused unnecessary embarrassment to the President.
TF: What nonsense! If we asked him to contest, where did his decision making faculty go? He could have said 'no'. Who's mistake was that? Now CW, whose side are you in? We thought you have always supported us!

CW: I'm as of now on your right side. Anyway, what's your plan of action now?
TF: We will not support Prathibha. And the President has said he would contest if we could provide him certainty.

CW: But can you provide him certainty?
TF: We will certainly provide him with the certainty that we will, in all certainty, support his candidature untill he becomes uncertain of his certainty and withdraws his candidature with certainty.

CW: Poor President. And what after that?
TF: That depends. We are looking for a Fresh Presidential candidate. CW, if you know someone who may be interested in the job, please do us a favour and forward their Resume' to us.

CW: ???
TF: Don't worry, we can train him/ her for the job.

CW: But why dont you support one of the existing candidates?
TF: Huh? We would rather dissolve the Third Front than support the existing candidates.

CW: Dissolve the Third Front? What will you do then?
TF: Form the Fourth Front, of course!

Against TATA/ VSNL Broadband Scam!

This is how it all began: Red Alert!

http://clearway.blogspot.com/2006/05/red-alert-escape-from-tata-indicom.html

Then, this followed:

http://clearway.blogspot.com/2006/05/all-that-glitters-escape-from-tata.html#links

The third was this:

http://clearway.blogspot.com/2006/05/dont-even-think-of-buying-vsnl-escape.html#links

The last piece on the issue can be found here:

http://clearway.blogspot.com/2006/07/post-for-victims-of-tata-vsnl.html

And I still keep getting comments on how people get trapped into the mess that TATA is. So, is it time for some action?

I have decided to lodge a complaint with the Consumer Courts. The process may be long, the process may prove a failure, the process may have its own twists and turns. But the decision has been made.

If you want to take part in the campaign, drop your comment here. NO ANONYMOUS COMMENTS PLEASE. I need real people with real addresses to be commenting on this one. No, you dont have to provide your address in the comments - but you should be prepared to give your contact details if I contact you again. And I definitely need your e-mail/ web page/ blog details in the comment.

I'm serious about this cause. Are you?

Never Say Die!

What I need is a change in the system. What could change the system are the people. And what need to be changed is actually, the people.

What an irony it is that change comes in a vicious circle! To let this go on and on in an infinite indefinite loop is bliss! Yes, Ignorance is bliss.

We have a bomb blast in Hyderabad, we have a showdown in Punjab, and a harmless opinion poll turns disastrous for some innocent souls in Tamil Nadu. What could be done but be hapless witnesses of the series of unfortunate events that life is!

But to resign to fate and to keep watching is ignominy! Better would be to shut the self down and walk out. Or, fight it out and die – Die Hard!

Zero-Tolerance is where it all begins. It’s my life – it’s my game. I win it or you lose it. We form rigid boundaries around ourselves that raise an alarm at the slightest violation. But when it comes to my space? Why would I want to grow larger than life? Why would I want to stamp on every other life? Why can’t I just live and let live?

Easier said than done – and to say would be of no relevance if not done. To preach the principles of symbiosis and non-violence has its limits. What is needed is something more than just preaching. Spreading the message in your neighbourhood is all fine – but when countered with a more compelling message, the well-meaning thought gets lost.

What is needed is a change in the system – and people form the system. Live a loser – or, Die Hard!

Madurai "Chithirai Thiruvizha" Festival

Pictures from the Summer Festival in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, where thousands of devtoees from villages all around throng the Temple City, worshipping their Deity, Kallazhagar.

“Lighting up minds”: Tamil Nadu Chief gives a new Definition

A look into the implications of the statement of a State Chief Minister

Our politicians have tuned themselves extremely fine to the nuances of their trade. Not the shrewdest businessman could play the tunes that would have the audience on their feet and leave them mesmerised as if on a trance.

It is bound to be a sensational statement when the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister warns that the “oppressed classes will erupt” if the Quota system is not implemented. And that’s what politics is all about – sensationalism! And it’s not just sensationalism – the Sinister has actually proved his strength in confronting the law of the land, setting the example that a responsible citizen can actually talk his own free will, even if it’s against the will of the Supreme Court. Naturally, when the Chief Minister himself does that, it can never be a case of “Contempt of Court”.

The media may be at home breaking news with headlines that announce the minister’s staunch stands on the “War-path”. But some may term his statement “Inflammatory” because of his usage of word “Erupt”; that’s not to suggest the literal meaning of the word but just indicates “Flame”. And the Head of a State could not have made a better move in getting the masses together and adding fuel to a sensitive issue that’s already burning.

The seasoned politician has proved that he is capable of capitalising on this unique opportunity offered by the era to portray himself as a modern-day saviour of the oppressed and the suppressed. This ability to cash in on opportunities makes earn the title, “The Opportunist”. Further, he has spent a lot on votes the last elections when he gave away free colour televisions and cows to the rural people. His government may not be financially strong this time to give DVD players to buy the same votes that were bought with colour Televisions. And his game plan of flaming up passions in the minds will definitely work this time, it is hoped; there would be at least a handful who would be more than willing to “erupt” at the mere gesture of their leader – and the rest would be history.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Dead Team's Chest

It’s official now – Indian Cricket is dead!

Thus ended the story of the supposedly great team called India. What with everyone jumping on to the Blue Billion, World Cup Co la and all funny fantasies; it was made to sound like the ultimate victory that the pride of the nation hinged on. Now, it’s back to the pavilion where the customary rituals remain.

Enough post-mortem has been done over the reasons why the Indian team’s world cup dream died a premature death at the hands of more focussed individuals and teams. It’s time we realised it’s not just the death of a dream but the death of Indian cricket as such. It’s not just the world cup fiasco that prompts me to declare the demise of Indian cricket; it has been remaining in brain dead condition for a while now, with just the body in place, and no soul at all. With this World Cup, officially, Indian cricket is dead.

But, there is a ray of hope for the untamed optimist. Yes; as the rumour goes, the Dead Team’s chest has a heart that beats in it. The trick is to get to the chest and get the heart back into the body. And there are ways this could be done; there are ways Indian cricket could be revived!

Indian Corporate sponsors should sign up the Australian Eleven and the South African Eleven as their Brand Ambassadors in India. Every Indian name associated with cricket should be dumped into the grave yard by the corporate sector, mercilessly. The Indian Consumer Forum could even issue a legal notice to the Advertisers to this effect.

Further, the Indian Government could officially announce the Indian cricket Team and its coach and Selection Committee as “Non-Performing Liabilities”. The External Affairs Ministry could get in touch with Argentina and try to negotiate the exchange of Mr Q with the Indian Liabilities. To get rid of the same old faces into Latin America, from where there would be no escape route, is the name of the game. (Losing them in the Caribbean Islands was the best chance though).

Every Indian citizen would have to cough up a fine every time he mentions of Indian cricket and should be arrested should he spread the rumour that Indian cricket is still alive. Instead, every Indian should become supporter of any other team than India. There is absolutely no patriotism involved in such a stupid scandal as cricket. A game is after all a game; every Indian should announce with pride which country he support; and the Government must provide tax benefits for such supporters.

Finally, if at all the infamous eleven are to get back into the scene of action, if at all they should be allowed to lay their strained hands on the Dead Team’s chest, there are some stringent conditions that need to be fulfilled: The eleven Pirates should turn into Professionals and agree that they would not take up modelling ever, even if forced to utmost poverty and desperation; they should do nothing but practise cricket till the next World Cup, with none of their faces in any form of media whatsoever; they should part with at least a portion of the fortune they earned modelling and donate it for the development of other sports that India has good potential in; they should all release statements in the press continuously for the next six months announcing that it is Hockey, not Cricket, that is India’s National Game, till every Indian has read, pondered over and digested the harsh piece of news.

These are the last few ways of reviving the lone heart that still beats in the chest. But for the chest, Indian cricket is dead. And there shall be no face of the remnants of the team in any form in any media whatsoever, till the dead team’s chest is found and the team, revived!

Mr Q and a Thousand Dogs

Clearway gets Mr Q on-line and catches up with what he’s been up to these days.

CW: Would you please identify yourself?
Q: This is Q.

CW: Thanks for coming on-line Mr Q.
Q: Shoot.

CW: No, we are not here to shoot you Mr Q!
Q: Hmm. I mean, shoot the Questions.

CW: Where are you now?
Q: Argentina.

CW: Why have you been dodging the Indian authorities all these years?
Q: I was dodging them. I am not dodging them now.

CW: So, are you willing to surrender?
Q: Of course.

CW: Then why are you not doing that?
Q: Your Government has no treaty with Argentina.

CW: But that’s only for extradition. Why don’t you surrender?
Q: Because if I do, there isn’t any guarantee for my life.

CW: Do you mean you are perceived as a threat to Indian big shots?
Q: No comments.

CW: Why is your extradition taking so much time?
Q: Because the reports need to be translated.

CW: But the Indian Ambassador to Argentina said the reports were already translated when they were sent to India.
Q: I’m talking of the reports that your Investigation Bureau sent in Hindi to Argentina.

CW: What do you think of our CBI?
Q: They have been looking for me since the times of Rajiv.

CW: What do you have to say about BOFORS?
Q: I hear the CBI officers are well paid. Let them do some work.

CW: How is your relationship with the ruling dynasty?
Q: Extremely pleasant and amicable.

CW: Mr Fernandez says Mr Vajpayee had instructed against acting on your file.
Q: Fernandez is one of your country’s acute and chronic problems.

CW: Are you aware that Q is the most popular English letter in India these days?
Q: I thank the media for all the publicity.

CW: Why do you think the BOFORS case is so important?
Q: The importance of any case depends on the number of heads that could roll with it.

CW: If you were an Indian, what would you have been?
Q: A politician. I could have earned much more and need not have gone underground.

CW: Why are there so many scams and scandals?
Q: Scams and Scandals are like Item Numbers in Bollywood movies. They spice up life. The media sells by publishing them, the public enjoys reading about them, the government stays on power blaming each other, and we live our lives swindling. They are a blessing for everyone.

CW: What do you think of India?
Q: It’s a good place to do business in.

CW: So, if invited, would you start a business in India?
Q: Well, I already have some invitations. I’m just waiting for some fresh passports.

CW: We heard you had an aversion towards dogs?
Q: Yes. They need to be killed at a rate of a thousand a day.

CW: But where do you think they could be killed in such large numbers?
Q: While I was in India, I had visited the Parliament and a few Legislative Assemblies. They are spacious halls with a good capacity.

CW: And then?
Q: Hold fresh elections.

CW: What’s your message to the Indian government?
Q: If you keep searching for me for some more time, I would die of old age.

In a Democracy, Every "Bandh"ar is a King: Total Bandh!

Question: What is a "Bandh"?
Answer: Something that we do when we don't exactly know what to do.

Q: Why do you call for a Bandh?
A: In simple terms, we call for a Bandh because the Bandh can't call for itself.

Q: Who called for this particular Bandh?
A: The rivermen, the fishermen, the agricultural sons of the land and the village boys.

Q: Was this Bandh a success or a failure?
A: It was a resounding success.

Q: How do you say it was a success?
A: Because the objective was achieved unanimously and unambiguously.

Q: And what was the objective?
A: Next question please.

Q: Could you define a Bandh please?
A: It is a medium of expression, a birth right, a protocol.

Q: What did you express with this particular Bandh?
A: We expressed our solidarity and our immense sense of hurt with the verdict forced upon us.

Q: But they say the verdict is actually in your favour!
A: Really? Well, we need time to go through the intricacies of the verdict. Will comment later.

Q: What do you say of the team of people who studied the issue meticulously and pronounced the judgement?
A: A bunch of Jack ***es.

Q: Then why did you not protest the bunch of . . er . . I mean, the jury when it was initially formulated to study the issue?
A: We did not know that they would give a verdict so soon. We thought they would take a few more years before pronouncing the judgement.

Q: A few more years . . ?
A: Yes. This was a hotch-potch. This was an eye-wash. It is impossible to come to a judgement so soon.

Q: Why so?
A: Why? Because this is a flowing issue. You can not analyse something that is moving, you see? First, they should have stopped the river, taken the sample and then analysed it.

Q: Well . . . do you know which issue we are talking about???
A: Next question.

Q: Okay. You declared the Bandh to express your sense of hurt. Did your government work on other issues while you expressed yourself?
A: Other issues? Like?

Q: You see, most roads are bad in the city. You could have utilised the total lack of traffic to repair the roads in full swing. If you had done that, you could have expressed yourself and at the same time, you could have done something great, something that's very much the need of the hour and critical. And you dont have to cause traffic congestions at peak hours repairing roads.
A: Hmm . . . that's a good idea. It is your fault that you did not suggest this earlier. How irresponsible can you be!!!

Q: Me? Oh . . well . . in that case, now that I have suggested this, what are you going to do with the idea?
A: We are going to declare a Bandh every week. Every Monday, there will be a Bandh!

Q: Whhaattt?
A: Yes. Sunday is Government holiday. And we will be very eager to work on Monday. And as you said, the traffic and officegoers are a bad disturbance to us while we repair the roads.

Q: Well, I said *you* were a disturbance to the traff . . .
A: Yes, that's what I said. So, every Monday will be a Bandh. And we will repair the roads on Mondays, so that infrastructure in the city becomes outstanding. We want to set an example to the world.

Q: But don't you need a reason to call for a Bandh?
A: Of course. We are not idiots. The corporation water will be let open once a week, on Mondays. Since that reminds us of the burning issue of water, we will declare Mondays, Bandh Days.

Q: But then, the city gets water daily in most places, at least, once in two days.
A: That was the situation before the bunch of Jack ***es gave their verdict. Now, the sons of the land have been put to so much of hardship by the insensitive jury that we will have enough water only for one day a week.

Q: Finally, are you going to abide by the verdict?
A: No. We will appeal to the International Court of Justice against the injustice.

Q: The International Court? Why?
A: Why??? How can we give water to our rival nation when we dont have enough water for our own country???

Q: Excuse me . . . could you please tell us the name of your continent?
A: India, of course. Now, dont ask me what's the name of my country!

Hang Him!

Day: 27 January, 2007; Saturday.
Time: 10:44 AM.
Place: C. V. Raman Road, BHEL Signal near Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
Signal Status: Red towards Yeshwantpur - Bombay/ Pune
Road Divider: Yellow Line.
Number of vehicles on the left side of the Yellow Line: Many.
Number of vehicles on the right (wrong) side of the Yellow Line: One
Type of Vehicle on the wrong side: Car.

Identity of the ONLY vehicle setting the Dirty Example: JUDGE – High Court of Karnataka

D1R%Y &@%%3^ $C@U^D&3L$

Enter the New Year: Clearway 100

Clearway promises nothing new in 2007: The same wine, the same bottle, but just more vigour!

This year hasn’t begun in the best of notes. That makes it reason enough to report the Abhishek – Aishwarya’s engagement prime news to begin the New Year’s Blogging with. The most fantastic Bollywood pair has decided to make it all official after all the days of dating. And the two do look good together, don’t they?

The other news haven’t been all that bright: ULFA slaying humans in a fresh spree of violence, the Noida Serial Killing case that still seems to be unwinding to its full horror with loads of controversies about the modus operandi of the Noida Police Vs that of the CBI, yet another powerful son missing from the reaches of the law in Orissa, and of course, terror sneaking into South India reaching the corridors of IT companies at Bangalore – none of these would make a happy read if one were only too optimistic about the dawn of the New Year.

The government has its task cut out – reform! Reform has to be evident in every facet of the way the machinery functions. There is just not much choice left. If traces of terror are seen in Bangalore, it only means that the roots have already penetrated deep. If the CBI can unearth so many more bodies from the same damned places that the Noida police have been sleeping over for the past couple of weeks, it only indicates the poor state of affairs in State Police Departments, and the extent to which they have been ill-equipped to deal with exigencies. It would be no wonder if the serial killers found the police stations the best places to hide the bodies of their victims – it should come as no surprise should the CBI excavate bodies out of the walls of police stations! There is no room for complacence. Power doesn’t come free – the Prime Minister would be better advised to stay focussed on the tasks that he was elected for, rather than entering into the dirty trails of political rallies in Punjab seeking votes.

To end the beginning note this year, this is Clearway’s 100th post, in more than a year of its operations. While celebrating its century, Clearway promises never to take the road India’s politicians have cherished taking – enjoying the warmth of its position, no matter where! So, what is to be expected of Clearway in 2007? Nothing new – the same wine, the same bottle, but increased vigour! Clearway will pronounce verdicts on the good, the bad and the ugly. Where do you fit? You decide!

A Confession, a Conviction and a Caution - TATA

This is not a neutral perspective. This post is skewed – heavily – against the Indian heavy weight that is getting stronger by the day, and from this biased view point, is getting dangerously, obnoxiously haughty! This column from Clearway states in plain, unambiguous terms, that the giant machinery called Tata needs to be stopped on its paths as it keeps trampling upon the lives of ordinary citizens.

We sometimes get nauseatingly nationalistic, pathetically patriotic that we get emotionally attached to a brand that has risen above all odds to take Brand India to the international arena; a larger-than-life image that hinges very much to the ground-breaking revolutionary visions of a pioneer who is no more, a halo effect that has been transmitted and carried over to his next of generations, to someone who is merely a business man who is worried about his own wealth and his own company!

That most of what Tata does to the consumer is to rape him/ her and plunder him of his hard-earned money is obvious from the cacophony that came out of the blog world, with hundreds of victims of rape filing their FIR’s online. (For more details, a blog search on Tata Indicom/ VSNL would help). It still remains a cacophony because the media is in no mood to raise an eyebrow against a money-studded juggernaut; all it can do is to interview the top man and ask for his opinion about the mess that a part of one of his many businesses is in! Consumers were mugged when they entered the VSNL post-paid internet shop. One wouldn’t expect to find so many unrelated people speaking the same thing unless they were all robbed off in separate circumstances by the organised crime gang of Tata - VSNL.

It was a few months back that one prominent politician expressed his anguish on TV over the way Mr Ratan Tata behaved in the corridors of power. “To ask for land is acceptable; but he demands one particular stretch of land from the Government, which is not right” he moaned, about Mr Ratan Tata. But the brand has become so powerful and integral to the way business is run in the country that no one really bothers to dig into these issues!

Rediff.com conveyed to its audience, mildly, that the quantum of land that Tata demands at Singur is a lot more than what may be necessary, given the scope of the operations that Tata says it has planned. It even compared the area with what Maruti Udyog required for a much smaller operation. And there is no need to be surprised if Tata, in its greed for power and land, tries to buy some people to have its way.

“The government supports us – and to pull out in this situation would not be appropriate”. It was something on similar lines that Mr Tata said in his interview to a private Television Channel. If the government opposes the Tatas on any other business proposition, would Mr Ratan Tata use a similar logic to the issue? “I know this project makes so much economic sense and is integral to the business plans of my company. But since the government has slightly different views on my business, I have decided to scrap it!” Mr Tata, would you take this stand on some issue if the government went against you? Or, you would, perhaps, try to buy your way to muffle the voices before they emerge out, wouldn’t you?

'No, if I believed that we are doing something wrong, then I would be the first one to pull out. If I believe, that this is being manipulated and turned around to meet some specious cause, then I think, what I would do is to dig my heels in,' he contended in the interview.

The problem is, Mr Tata, you are not the sort of guy who would ever believe you did anything wrong. For you, everything is right as long as it brought you money.

'I'm the sort of person who if you put a gun to my head, you can pull the trigger or take the gun away, but I won't move my head,' he had quipped.

You would neither move your head nor would you move your heels, Mr Tata. But the fact remains that you suck blood and your skin has gotten real thick with it. Ms Banerjee’s gun might have had no bullets and the world knows it - there was just no need for you to be moving your head in a hurry! But it would not be too long before some small nail stuck to your roaring motors and punctured your tyres! If you are willing to read, there is so much of writing on the wall – reduce your speed and look into the rear view mirror to count the number of casualties you have caused. If you do not, there is no ivory tower and there may not be a bright future for your dynasty – nothing is built to last for ever!

Power Play: Rules of the Game

It was the transit of the International Airport at Colombo. She was waiting for her turn to be called for the flight to Cochin. It was a long and tedious day after hours of flying and waiting. She was in her early thirties, tall, dark and beautiful. She tried to focus on the Grisham novel at hand, having an eye on her baggage. It was then that she was drawn towards the sudden hustle.

The flight to Chennai had been announced some time back. Chennai being her home town, she was thinking about her plans to meet her friends and relatives there as the announcement was made. So, she turned to look at the scurrying Airport official as he whizzed past her, commenting to his colleague: “The flight to Chennai was supposed to have left half an hour back; what the heck are they still doing?”

Her eyes fell on a group of five people – three men and two women – at the far end of the lounge, towards whom the officer was rushing with his colleague. It wasn’t exactly clear as to what they were doing there, but she could make out that they were in a hurry – and that they weren’t very comfortable in doing whatever they were doing. She felt that it was not a normal scene in an airport. She put Grisham aside, got up, pulled her trolley bag and started strolling towards the commotion there.

The officer had reached the gang of five and he was telling something – and he was clearly tense, as he was pointing towards his watch. The bearded man in the group seemed apologetic of something and was handling the officer, while another man was rushing things up.

As she walked closer, pacing slightly, she could see cartons of a popular brand of cigarettes being opened by the rest of the gang. They were being taken off the carton and were repacked – in 8 or 9 suitcases that were with the gang. She could see that the packets were covered in cloth and were distributed equally in all the suitcases. It was a lot of cigarettes. What were they up to?

As she walked faster towards them, the colleague of the airport officer noted her attention towards the scene. He turned around immediately and started pacing towards her. She knew that he was walking towards her. She wondered if she should act as if she was casually browsing through the lounge, but couldn’t really make her mind up. By then, he had arrived.

“Yes, ma’am, what can I do for you?”

“Well, nothing, I was just killing time strolling around and . . .”

“Would you please be seated in the designated areas? It would be better if you could oblige!”

His voice bordered on intimidation. It was almost a stern order. She could see from his badge that he belonged to Airline X-Air that she used to fly frequently in. And he was standing in such a way that he blocked her view of the commotion at the other end. Still, she could see that the unpacking and repacking were all but done by then and one of the women was now carrying the empty cartons towards the rest room. They were smugglers!

The woman came back, joined the rest of the gang that was now heading towards the Gate. And they left to board the Chennai bound flight, which was actually delayed, as she could see now, to take these smugglers in!

“Would you get to your seat ma’am?”

Her thoughts were interrupted by the impatient voice of the officer. The other officer who was with the gang was accosting her now. And she wanted no trouble in foreign soil. She turned back and walked silently back to the lounge. She could hear the two officers discussing something behind her back.

As she got back to where she was seated, still in shock at the cold blooded smuggling of cigarettes, with two abettors of X-Air, she felt more disturbed as a scene ran through her mind now.
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It was at her port of origin the day before, in the Middle East, that she saw a man pleading with an officer of X-Air at the baggage check-in counter. She was awaiting her turn then as the man, obviously from the working class, and apparently getting back to India on his holiday, was pleading to take a small pack along with his baggage.

The officers at the counter were ruthless.

“This weighs more than what you can carry, my friend. Rules are rules! You either pay for your excess baggage or drop the bag here and proceed!”

After almost a quarter of an hour of argument in vain, the man took the bag back, walked with dejection written all over his face, with drooping shoulders, towards the garbage bin near her. He dropped the bag in the bin and went to the baggage counter, got his boarding pass and proceeded without looking back.

Curiously, she peeped into the garbage bin to see what he had dropped. And in the bin, she could see a father’s love, a husband’s affection, a part of a poor man’s dream. There were sweets and savouries and snacks almost filling the garbage sack.

As she looked for the man again, he was ambling with his hand baggage towards the security checks. And she could almost hear him desperately trying to invent a consolation for his family and kids as to why he couldn’t care to buy a single sweet or chocolate for them, getting back home after years of sacrifice!

A Call for Justice – and an unknownVoice!

I have been criss-crossing different places in the Southern States the past few days when a road-side banner caught my attention.

Banners and hoardings have become integral to the way of life of the Indian citizen. The day all posters and bills are banned by law would leave a feeling of vacuum in the minds of the commuter. Tough, it is, to imagine clean roads and white walls with no stickers whatsoever.

So, I wouldn’t really have expected to spend a post on a roadside scribbling. However, this one was different. It was not the regular “Long Live our Hero” kind of message, nor was it about the ‘call for rising’ by a political wannabe. It was not against MNC’s that affected the lives of the local manufacturers. It wasn’t even about India!

“Suspend the Death sentence to Saddam Hussein!” read the banner.

It occupied almost 10 feet in length and was bold, in colour, in block letters. It wasn’t attributed to any organisation in particular. There were no by-lines. It wasn’t addressed to anyone.

I was left wondering about the reasons that could have gone into the banner. Who was that supposed to be for? Was the International Court of Justice or the World Police, the United States of A, supposed to take note of it in a small town in southern India? Which organisations could have been moved by the sentence to the ousted Dictator? It didn’t seem to be from some Human Rights organisation – there weren’t obvious reasons for such an organisation to remain anonymous. The wordings were in local language – I have translated it in here.

If there were no motives behind the banner, was it merely a medium of expression of personal or organisational opinion? Was it being aimed at the casual commuter? What was it that was supposed to be achieved by that?

I could see no selfish intentions behind the voice. In fact, there just didn’t seem to be any intention at all! Is there something to be read in between the lines at all? Was it really writing on the wall?

Breaking News: The Great Indian Conspiracy!

India sits up and listens anxiously with eyes glued to the News Channels – the “Great Indian Tamasha” has begun! This festival has a speciality – no one knows when this would flare up, announcing its arrival on stage. One fine day, the average Indian wakes up to it and realises this is already underway!

This usually involves two main parties – and a lot of others jumping on to the bandwagon, cruising along in the spirit of the gala. One of the two parties is a permanent player and the other one is selected on a rotating basis. The permanent one: Board of Confusion and Controversy in India, the BCCI. The opponent that has decided to entertain the public this time around is the Parliament, also called the Body of MP’s, also known as the Body of the Mentally Perturbed. The two warring parties have joined hands to entertain the bored Indian citizen. In this gala, as per the rules, something needs to be held at stake. A “stake” is an object that is hit from one party to the other, very much like the Tennis ball hit vigorously between the courts. A very magnanimous Mr Greg Chappell has volunteered to take the role of the ‘Stake’.

The gala begins this way: The Indian cricket team (it is actually not a team but just a group of people working with totally incongruent goals aimed at maximising each one’s personal fortunes), which is basically composed of some boys picked from the side walks of different towns of India, fails miserably in the second One Day game. (The rain Gods of South Africa lent a badly needed helping hand to the yet-to-mature kids in the first game). As if to reconfirm the ‘team’s’ terrible state and to project an image of consistency, the kids buckled under absolutely no pressure to dig a trench all for themselves and settled comfortably in it, piling up one over the other.

That did it. The Mentally Perturbed hit the ‘stake’ and the stake gave a weird sound out on being hit, that let the billion dollar secret cat out of the Parliamentary bag into the open – that the MP’s were very good commentators and deserved to be travelling with the cricketing kids, rather than locking themselves up within the old, decaying walls in the Capital City of India. (What Harsha, Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri would do then if the MP’s took positions at the commentary box is a totally different issue altogether – Clearway would look at the issue at a later date in a special episode). Now, the BCCI, very true to its name, protects the stake on one hand, appeases the MP’s on the other hand and is actually confused on its third hand. Thus began the Great Indian Tamasha in South Africa!

However, there is a conspiracy to the whole issue that Clearway has unearthed with its Secret Intelligence Bureau! As in most detective stories, the culprit happens to be someone who has not been suspected at all, but one who was brutally hit earlier and is on an avenging spree! The culprit comes on the scene, but only along the sides and shows the least involvement in the proceedings to create alibi. And the culprit is . . . the former Indian Captain, Sourav Ganguly!!!

Clearway has learnt from totally unreliable sources that Sourav had a series of telephonic conversations with Master batsman (and Super Model) Sachin Tendulkar. From the records, Clearway has found that the two conspired to throw two people – the Indian Captain Rahul Dravid and the coach (the ‘stake’ in this case) Greg Chappell - out of the Indian team. Sachin has made the necessary arrangements in the ‘team’ so that they perform really badly (a not-so-difficult proposition for the Indian kids anyway) to put Chappell and Rahul in a spot. And when Chappell is busy facing the Mentally Perturbed, Sachin, with the rest of the team, somehow managed to get Rahul’s finger fractured (and how they did it is still being investigated by Clearway). With a fractured finger and a beleaguered team, Rahul is out of the competition now. That was the plot in Phase 1 of Plan A.

With Chappell cornered and Rahul out, it is child’s play to guess what Phase 2 is all about: Sachin has conspired with Saurav in making a grand entry of Saurav into the Indian team possible, this Festive Season!

Whether the twosome succeeds in their ulterior intentions, remains to be seen in the days to come.

Whatever the outcome, the Indian public is always at the forefront of any festival and the average Indian citizen is bound to benefit immensely from the proceedings. And as for the Mentally Perturbed, they did need something to keep them busy this winter – the Speaker of the Parliament (who so very often develops a sour throat shouting at the unruly gang in front of him) was always chiding them for sleeping and snoring on the floors. At least now, they have an opportunity to give their opinion to Television Channels. And having an opinion on Cricket is a basic criterion to be an Indian, after all.

For the sake of the average Indian, Long Live the Great Indian Conspiracy!

Why do blogs lack sting and bloggers, spine?

Coming to think of it, I feel people badly deserve strong doses of drugs that would induce them to think. The human mind is something that would go rusted and rotten if left unused for relatively long periods of time.

Blogs were discovered when inventors researched and found out that the creativity in the human brain would dry out completely and stereotype would become the world’s (inter)national anthem if there was not a medium of expression that was free of any inhibition. Web logs came to be man’s perfect means of speaking his mind. I could call people names, post porn, call for freedom, admonish the President, advocate homosexuality, condemn terrorism, preach free-trade, promote piracy . . . well, the choice is just endless, virtually.

So, why don’t people shoot it straight? Why the mask when the person himself is invisible? Why would someone want to fall in line with a stereotype so desperately, be absurdly ingratiating and make heroes out of molehills so timidly?

Some posts and their meek comments are plain ridiculous. Yes, this is a free world and you are free to do whatever you want to do. But then, why not do something that you really want to do? Whom are you trying to please? If you can’t talk straight virtually, what could be expected of you in reality?

Whatever you are, be just that. You don’t have to change the world – you can at least speak your mind. You will not be gunned down for stating your view; but there is no point walking around in your body if you are already dead.

Saving Lives: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

I had the opportunity to attend a workshop on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. I was taking a walk when I chanced upon the board at a Day-care Centre for the elderly, which encouraged people to be “Life-savers”. The service is being run by Nightingales Medical Trust, Bangalore.

It was an exciting prospect to know what it would take to save lives. Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation – or CPR, as it is known – is about the first aid that is to be administered to people who suffer from sudden Cardiac and/ or respiratory arrests, when the victims’ hearts stop working or when victims are unable to breathe. This leads to cardiac arrest, which may eventually be fatal. The purpose of the workshop was to educate participants to resuscitate people who are sinking after heart attacks or heart failures.

The workshop lasted for a couple of hours and cost two hundred rupees. Given the potential benefit to people through the programme, the cost in terms of time and money was virtually negligible. Apart from the theoretical part of it (which was administered by practising doctors and was extremely informative), there were practical sessions where the resuscitation process was practised on mannequins that made participants get a feel of the nuances involved in the simple yet critical procedure. And the interesting aspect of the session was that practising physicians and medical students were part of the participants! That was not something one would expect to find in a session on first aid.

Given that anyone could fall prey to sudden cardiac attacks under any circumstance, I found it was absolutely essential that we need to be armed with these vital skills that may save lives in the precious moments immediately following heart failures. After all, two hours over a weekend could make a world of difference to someone.