Tag Archives: arvind kejriwal

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

Delhi’s air is wretched. My city’s air is getting horrible too.

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Almost 10,500 people die each year prematurely in Delhi owing to the omnipresent smog that has encapsulated the city for more than a decade now. The Particulate matter levels in Delhi are above 3 times the danger limit.

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So when the Delhi government tried to implement an odd even formula for private vehicles (Allowing cars on the Delhi roads on alternate days only) the whole region went up in arms about the ‘inconvenience’ it would cause them (safety/business/recreational- etc etc; the laundry list is endless).

The issue is that we all talk a big game. But when it comes to actions and doing something to help there is just one question we need an answer for – WHAT IS IN IT FOR ME?

This is the one question any NGO, Revolutionary, Activist (animal or environmental), 501 3C, Rescue group etc have a very hard time answering.

We expect people to change because of the lecture we are so handily giving them while they are just thinking the same thing-

-What the heck is in it for me?

-Why should I change?

-Why should I listen to this buffoon who thinks he knows more than I do?

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We will crib about it but won’t act.

-We will say no to plastic until we need a drink of water/soda or a pack of potato chips.

-We will not carpool because it’s not convenient.

-We will detest animal cruelty but we will continue to eat animals for variety/flavor.

-We will cry about an unsafe city but we won’t stop to help a person in need.

-We will clean up our house/shops and leave the trash by the roadside.

-We will wait for our city’s air to be as horrible as Delhi before we act.

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We all change because of fear.

-Fear of the law.

-Fear of personal loss.

-Fear of someone else gaining more than us.

-Fear for OUR loved ones.

There is JUST ONE other alternative; Negativity out, Positivity in.

  • Show them what is in it for them. A better life, more involvement. Add personal stakes to education.
  • The ONLY hope is our future generation. So let’s make such things a part of their curriculum and not just lectures/seminars.
  • Grade them on it. Give them prizes and rewards for such work (much like sports and studies).

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Over decades we’ve been making the same inputs and expecting different outcomes. That is the definition of insanity.

It’s time to answer that one question; even for the children.

WHAT IS IN IT FOR ME?

The Dance of Democracy

Here are the real choices for the largest democracy in the world.

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1)      The Indian Congress party and its cronies. (Officially called UPA- it’s a mix of different ideologies coming together for their common lust for power).

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This party (Read the GANDHI family- a dynasty of corruption)  has ruled India for the majority of its existence after independence. The current culture of Corruption and unhealthy Public sector(Railways/Power/Infrastructure/Heavy industry etc) can be largely attributed to its policies of copy-pasting the USSR’s model of economy mixed with the drab parliamentary state of the United Kingdom – (we all know what has happened to both these countries and the sad state they are in).

This is also the party responsible for the Sikh riots of 1984; 2000 Sikhs were brutally killed after Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards. Her son and interim Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had justified killing innocent Sikhs by saying, “When a big tree (implying his mother) falls, the earth is bound to shake (implying some retaliation is justified).

Sickening, you say?

Well here’s your lofty alternative (ha ha. Sarcasm heavily intended)-

 

2)      The BJP (Bhartiya Janta Party) –

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Currently BJP is trying its best to distance itself from the communal mindset of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) responsible for dividing India based on Hindu fanaticism. They were largely responsible for the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992 which caused widespread riots and caused un-healable scars on the psyche of the minority Muslim community.

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Its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was the chief minister of Gujrat when Muslims were brutally murdered during the Gujrat Riots in 2002. It’s a known fact that all riots are aided by the government or else they are easy to quash by the state machinery of Police and para-military forces. Also his golden handshakes extended to the stinking rich industrialists in Gujrat scare the common man.

Gosh, You Indians are screwed you say?

Wait up…….

3)      The Aam Aadmi (common man) Party-

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Then we have an incumbent. Arvind Kejriwal. He is the quintessential ‘Common Man’. He promises a corruption free India. He’s the common man and promises no allegiance to his own religion. An ex-income tax official, he quit his job to clean-up Indian politics.

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Skeptics say he’s all promises and nothing can happen. Nothing will be done. But he stirred a lot of water in the 49 days he was in power in Delhi (elected Chief Minister).

Well, for the first time, I see hope. I see a chance. He might have no idea how to run a country but look at the god-awful alternatives we have. If the only property he has is HONESTY- just that is unique enough, promising enough.

For the first time in my 43 years, I see the Indian political scene and I am hopeful. I can afford to smile.

It’s about time the common man smiles.