Grand Sonic River

This is my other blog, where I vent my frustrations, with the help of my band. In case you didn't know, I am the vocalist/lyricist for the hyderabadi band Grand Sonic River. :)

Guha

Sans Leaders, Sans progress....

On the way to my office today, I tried my best to be patient, as I was time and again thrown a few inches into the air as my vehicle hit pothole after pothole, ditch after ditch in what only seemed to be a road, in one of the more decent localities in my native city, Hyderabad. I was reduced to mentally cursing the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH) and wondering what the hell happened to the city I left five years ago, a city with wide and well-maintained roads, where traffic speeds were decent and I could get anywhere from anywhere else in less than an hour of straight driving.

A few short interactions with a few citizens of Hyderabad, including a few of my friends, random strangers, my co-workers and not a few auto-rickshaw (auto to locals) drivers, gave me some startling details. Following which I did a further follow up on the situation here. My findings are as follows... The city is being neglected by the administration. (Which, to locals, speaks volumes about the condition of the rest of the state! ) The roads in the city are going to the dogs, the days of large-scale electricity theft are back in the old-city areas, drains are overflowing and nobody seems to care, and random companies are digging up roads in the name of "infrastructure implementation/development projects" and are forgetting to fill up the ditches ....Welcome back, potholes!!! Oh, and yeah, did I forget to mention, the term "police efficiency" has once again rejoined the exalted list of oxymorons. And as a regular side-effect, corruption has risen again in the ranks. I saw at least two policemen stop random passers-by and demand bribes in exchange for not filing challans (that's tickets for all you non-indians) on various charges....

And yeah, did I mention, the state government has withdrawn the free electricity it promised to the farmers to win it's majority seats in the last elections. Also, now the CM is trying to step back on his backing of these crackpot guys who garnered votes from the Telengana region by promising the people the formation of a new Telengana state... (I also think the promised to chase away all non-locals from Hyderabad, but I'm not too sure about this. Verification, anyone?) I guess the shape of the graphs of farmers' suicide rates are gonna make rocket launches look like a pile of dog-shit next to Everest....

The other day I was in this auto going from my place to my office in Panjagutta (that's a place in Hyderabad) and the auto guy (with whom I was happily chatting up) slowed down, drove to the left of the road, and pointed off to a large compound on the opposite side of the road. "Funny", I thought to myself, "I went by this place for three years before I left Hyderabad. And I certainly don't remember seeing this before!" I said exactly that to the driver. His reply? "You certainly shouldn't! This is the new extra bungalow the CM has constructed for himself, they say he spent six crores on it!" (Again, verification, anyone?) That when the reason given for calling off the free electricity program for farmers was that the state exchequer was almost out of funds and the state was nearly bankrupted! What kind of a world are we living in?

I'm not preaching party propaganda here, or taking sides, but why do I feel so uneasy when an Indian says the word "Congress" ? (The party in power in AP today is the Congress Party). Okay, forget I said that .... Why do I feel that, except for a few determined leaders, most Indian politicians are exactly that ... politicians, but not leaders? What we need today, what the world needs today are leaders, not politicians, dictators, generals, presidents or any such inane people who claim to represent, to lead the people but who come to power by equally inane processes. I have always felt that the simplest solutions are the best solutions. If a system gets too complex, either is must be made simple or it becomes simple (by collapsing and forcing the creation of a new, simpler system). Why can't we do the same with society as well? Why waste time and power on a few fools who can't think beyond their own pockets? Let the next people who lead the country be leaders, not just politicians. Not just mayors, not just chiefs, not just ministers, not just presidents, just leaders.

F16s for India : Arms race or Lame greed?

In the last couple of days, Indians accross the country have been blitzed by the media here as to how the US has offered India the choice of purchasing the Block 52 F-16 Multirole fighter. A large part of this must probably stem from the part thet they are already selling Pakistan the older Block 15 F-16 A/B , by the dozen!. (somewhere around 25-35, if I'm not wrong). Well, if I sound like a jingoistic anti-US chauvunist, I beg your pardon, but don't we all see some pattern in this?

To begin, when India conducted the Pokhran nuclear tests, all we got was embargo after embargo, starting off with the US in the lead. Reason? What did they say then? "Arms race!"

Post Pokhran sanctions hit tech/defense development

Next, when India and Pakistan test their misile launch capabilities, we are ht again. Okay, ever now and then every country with hostile neighbors (Both India and Pak included here) needs to flex it's muscles and indulge in some macho bullsit, just to keep the other side on it's toes. What better way than by showcasing what they've got? But then what happens is that the whole thing gest branded. Guess what label they choose to use to describe ther opposition? "Arms Race!"

Missile tests - A story on Rediff News

And now? Why are they offering to sell both of the countries weapons.... "F-16/18s and weapons"? Why indeed? Where's all that armcry about "Arms Race" now? Come on! Yu don't really expect people to forget the fact that you hit our countries with economic blockades just because we were doing something you didn't want us to do? And ...what didn't you want us to do?

Why, that's simple! Develop our own arms, that's what! If we develop our own defense stuff, we are going to depend on you far less that we would if we did buy it from you, wouldn't we? Keeping us weak and dependent would be a great thing for the morons with vested interests that rule America. We could probably become another pawn in their game to rule their world... A stopover where their soldiers carouse in our cities, before they go off to the next assignement to rid the world of terror, or maybe India could become something like what South Vietnam was to the US in the post Vietnam war era or a modern day Iraq or .. a local puppy that barks when it's convenient....and shuts up and cringes for the most part.

Why, oh why do I get the feeling that this is no more about Arms Races, about peace and development? Why do I feel like we are walking into a trap, a bear-pit lined with gold, but with steel spikes beneath? Wake up people! Smell the coffee! This is not about India, not about Pakistan., not even about SE Asia... This is about Greed. America could be a great country for all we know, but when the likes of Bush and the other greedy pigs out there approach us with blades bared, all we can do is hope the people on top on our side somehow don't muck things up. And the result of all this nonsense? ....

All that harping about Peace and Proserity amounts to nothing when that first missile flies accross the border.

India, wake up! Say no to the F-16s!!!! Another arms race is the last thing we need! Don't fall for the words of the greedy ...

Link Farm:
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Is India falling into the trap of unnecessary obsolete arms race again? ....
The Times of India on F16 Sales to Pakistan and India
US offers F16s to India ...

India, The Golden Bird

A long time ago, before the first foreign invasions, India was known as The Golden Bird, a land of peace and prosperity, where the people lived their lives in balance and harmony, where , as our stories tell, there was no want or violence.

This is my way of reaching out to all of you out there who want to talk about the world we are in Today, who see what our golden land is fast becoming. Who want to reach out others who fel the same, in the hope that together we ma be able to do something for the land of our birth, even if what we do amounts to almost nothing.

Welcome to the Golden Bird.

Guha S Kashyap