The wife had gone to Tirupati and was returning by chennai - bombay express, so went to Dadar to pick her up. Reached pretty early, having been reading & hearing about how security has been beefed up; checking has been happening; it will take time to reach the station etc.Visiting Dadar TT after nearly 10 years, found it a bit clean……that is all……

The same nexus of coolies; taxi drivers; traffic constables turning a blind eye, government car flouting rules & what have you!!!

The home gaurds, security were lazing around, no directions to go through the metal detectors, absolutely nothing……Hoping to share this with Photographs……remember…..A photograph is a thousand words…..merrily clicked them on my phone; except the constable, nobody objected, so here goes the saga…..

A week back, after an entertaining citizens meeting at Atithi (nay, we were asked to vacate the restaurant) Bawa international, left to come home along with couple of friends.

Coming out from the one way of domestic airport, waited to cross over the highway. No cars passing on the highway towards bandra, a cop gesticulating all over the country side from beneath the half complete flyover, cars honking from behind, no visible signal and I moved ahead, crossing the highway & came to a stand still below the flyover.

Up rushed the gesticulating constable Vijay Gopal Kurade badge nos 960452. And the questions started…….

Did you not see the signal? No sir, it is not visible on the other side
You have come ahead already? Yes sir, but you were waving to come
I was not waving for you. Ok but how am I supposed to know
You are educated, how can you make such mistakes. Yes sir, but I did not take the constable’s exam
Licence. Yes
Gujarat licence Yes
Maharashtra Car Yes
And multiple other questions……before the punch line……Pavti Phadu Kai!

Having earlier warned my friend not to speak (since he is a maharashtrian); I had exhausted my vocabulary, so said ‘Jo rule hai woh karo saab’

This was followed by a description of where I would have to go, time taken etc. etc. But we were insistent on the Pavti

Finally, he gave up, preparing the same, admonishing us that his duty was getting over soon, so we better hurry back.

Off we went, to the airport where a trailer was occupied by traffic as a chowky.

Went in, empty, with AC working full blast. 10 minutes later, some constables who were outside loitered in to find out what we were upto. My friend who was smoking outside, gave them the version (and no they did not ask him to stop smoking in a public place). They came in, verified and asked me again whether I wanted to wait or what? Since I was insistent & told them to call the Sub Inspector, one of them dragged his mobile phone & called up! Why could they not use the walkie talkie which were lying around, no idea….

Sub Inspector walked in 5 minutes later….And there the story changed…..India there is hope for you…….

Polite, courteous, introduced himself, apologies for delay, explained that being a friday….Don’t Drink & Drive was being organized (it is a different matter & story that I shall relate sometime) and hence. Made the challan, accepted the fine (a measly 100/-) bade us good bye….with the wish that there should be more responsible citizens like us.

Reaching the junction again, Kurade handed over the licence…..his smile clearly saying……Win some Lose some….

In the last 15 years in Mumbai, this is the second time, I have had to pay the challan & have not paid without it! But it left me with a sense of self satisfaction that in my own small way….i did not try & corrupt the system.

For the past 10 days, received numerous text messages……

“Hi ! Can u donate just Rs.3 to the martyrs family of Mumbai blast victims by sending a text as SALAAM to 56388.Its an NDTV initiative. Plz fwd to others also”

Initially I took the assistance of a couple of friends, who did the needful & reverted with the following response………

” Hi I got this reply do u know someone in ndtv? I have received the following reply
 
Thanks for joining us in saluting our heroes. Keep SMSing: NDTV will forward its share of the proceeds from this campaign to the martyrs family”. Tehmasp Printer

After a couple of days, I tried it again & received the following reply……

“Thanks for saluting our heroes. NDTV will forward its entire share of its revenue from each SMS in this campaign, to the martyrs families. (This amounts to approximately 50-60 paise per SMS received from Vodafone, Airtel, Idea and Tata subscribers, 12-30 paise per SMS received from Reliance, BSNL subscribers)”

The questions that one is left with here:

1) How many sms were received?
2) What was the basis of sharing 50-60 paise/12-30 paise, when the subscriber is being charged Rs. 3/-.
3) Why is there a price band?
4) To donate 50 paise, why do you get charged Rs. 3/-?

To get to the bottom of this, I tried it again today and the reply…..

“Thank you for your overwhelming response to the NDTV SALAAM campaign. This campaign is now closed. NDTV is forwarding its entire share of its revenue from each SMS in this campaign, to the martyrs families”.

Again the same questions - How much? Whom? When? There is a severe lack of transparency.

But as long as people follow blindly, all tragedies would get commercialized, with only NDTV & the cellphone companies making money!!!

Ranjona Banerji asks to party or not in her blog

AND I say…..

Ranjona, Let people party the way they wish to, either in solitude, by donating, sharing, caring or openly. Restaurants recording a drop has nothing to do with the terrorist attacks. In Mumbai the carry away or home delivery has increased, thanks to more nakabandi of Don’t drink & drive. Elsewhere in India, parties are still on. If only, the media stops glorifying the pseudo celebrities & page 3 making crappy statements “Why they would not party” at the same time planning a quiet getaway outside india or buy a couple more gucci, we would all be better off.

One more photo opportunity for the bollywood brigade which would prove nothing.

What difference is a black band really going to make?

Is it going to resurrect the dead? It is a meaningless gesture symbolic gesture that says you have done your bit. It is taking the easy way out.

Will it undo the ghastly tragedy that has befallen Bombay? Will it bring sense? Will it change the way everyone keeps talking crap about Muslims, Hindus, Christians - all caste & creed.

On one hand everyone given a media opportunity shouts from the roof tops that we are all one, we are all Indians, so on and forth; then why the need to go the extra mile to prove their allegiance with such stupid tokens of protest.

Let us understand & accept: Terrorists have no religion other than death.

It is a convenience factor to protest whenever one wishes to - Monday wear black, Wednesday wear white, another day light a candle at Gateway, all other building societies do their own number. AND the duly elected, so called people’s representatives dance around (resembling a cabaret with chorus - thanks to the so called security & hangers on); put large hoardings with their name in bold congratulating everyone & no one.

If you really want, declare the 26th of every month as remembrance day - do a non violence march/dress whatever universally across caste, creed, locality, the works. And that day - Why just Muslims? Every Indian should be wearing black bands in order to be counted as one. A befitting reply to those failed nations created on the basis of religion.

Save all this humbug crap BUT hold on the feeling of frustration, dissatisfaction. Use it to focus & galvanize oneself into action.

I have been watching intermittently with interest the Media Coverage - TV, publication, internet, social networking sites over the past 10 days, besides of course everyone’s views on what the media is doing right or wrong.

Some interesting notes Harini Calamur’s and Barkha Dutt’s make interesting reading.

However, as a consumer some common questions occurred to me during this time -

How come:-

All the Announcers develop a breathless reporting style. (looked as if they were given a crash course on it)
Became insensitive as human beings.
Start endangering lives - does it matter if the Minister in his search for glory is feeding nonsense.
Initiate more panic than necessary.

Probably their viewers were demanding sensationalism; human tragedy had become a TRP race for them.

All this and more has been debated & shall continue; but the fact of the matter remains……..

Similar to the Telecom industry some years ago….the critical mass has not been reached by the news channels, all of them are fighting for survival, all of them are dependent on the ministers, celebrities etc. for the sound/news byte; ultimately it becoming a you scratch my back & I scratch yours. Who knows what investments the politicians directly or indirectly have in the same channels.

For the newspapers, it is even worse….for all the tom tomming about the circulation, there are not enough people reading what is written; Remember not all our states are as literate as kerala:) As far as back scratching is concerned, advertisers rule the roost!!!

As a citizen first, consumer second my main worry stems -

In the quest for sensationalism/TRP/profits What if the media start getting & showcasing sponsorships; something like —-the next segment is sponsored by xyz politician, defence ministry, LET & Newspapers saying - Today’s news brought to you by…..

It is now the 6th December 2008!

From the 29th to 3rd December passions ran high; text messages, emails, IM, facebook, twitter, glitter, paper - all means of second hand communication was employed by people known or unknown to you.

“Lets start something . Something. A non-cooperation movement. Something to show we are not taking this lying down. Something that can tell the leaders and politicians that we want our safety. Let it be started by the corporates. A nameless, leaderless movement. Lets show them how many we are and how angry and tired and frustrated we are. Lets all come together at Gateway of India. Coming wednesday, dec 3rd in evening at 6. Lets ask for what’s our right. Right to live fearlessly. Lets devote one evening of Our life to it. Its worth it. If you agree, spread the message.”

I did not say I was going & so did not. I was not against it; just that I did’nt feel that being there was important for me personally.

However, I was determined to find out from amongst those who had communicated to me; how many kept the faith….

Sent this message to my entire phone book-

“A lot of you sent sms, mails, about 3rd dec. Across india declaring privately/publicly that you would attend; exhorting everyone else. Could you share your thoughts, photos etc of the evening attended. If you did not, be honest to at least accept the fact. Anaggh”

Facebook - “Anaggh is wondering how many friends/acquaintances who sent sms forwards of attending Gateway did; if so can they share knowledge takeaway?”

Twitter - ” I wonder how many of those who confirmed reaching gateway found last minute excuses not to attend?”

AND some of the responses -

Love it annagh. Great that you’re getting people to get real. I’ve been so upset with people sending me messages about how angry they are and they wont keep quiet they wont tolerate. I ask them what they will do, they have no answers. - Monica

I could not as none of the ppl who I cud’ve gone with did & I felt weird going alone. I must have made around 9 calls! I also didnt think that would result in any concrete plan/ action. - Sunita

Ha ha good one. I did attend. Mukesh

I did not go and niether did I say I will go. i found the event purposeless. Anyway I am in hyderabad since last two days. Lalit

What 3rd Dec? Sundar

I have not attended but now WE should stop demonstrating and start changing our shelf and the system.Give me your mail id. Dharmen

???? Dharti

Neither did I send any SMS nor did I confirm/commit being there. I knew the number is going to be sizable, hence was not motivated to travel all the way. Karan

I was there. The mood was angry. Not just with pak but also with our politicians. The people were disciplined. No pushing and shoving just a clear cut demand for action not just against pak but also to clear up our own house. Jai Hind. Aparna

I didnt attnd. Tambe

Let me know how many you receive! Devangshu

K. The pics are with my friend. He’ll give it to me soon. I’ll share d experience with you. Monica

I was there . And I am extremely happy that I was there to share and show solidarity . Prasad K

I did not forward any such SMSs nor did i attend any meeting on 3rd December. However would love to get updates from those who attended. Madhurie

I was there, will share my experience on mail. Prasad D

Teen December

Hi Anaggh,

When I reached Regal Talkies exactly at 5:45 pm, little did I expect that the place which already had around 7000 to 10000 persons on the road between Regal Talkies & Gateway of India, will be swarmed with nearly 1,00,000 to 1,50,000 in next one hour. Gathering was from all the section of the society, what was startling was the age group more young then old. You could see few faces in the crowd which were known, but so much at ease in the crowd.

The “Enough is Enough” feeling was everywhere. People in groups of 4, 5, 10, 50 and more were marching and slogans in the air were all aimed at present lot of leaders no one was spared, President, PM, CM et. al. “Gali Gali Mein Shor Hai, Leaders Saare Chor Hai” summarizes the entire thing.

Regular candle lighting, banners with various slogans, pamphlets, T-Shirts with different quotes, everything there was different and looked very scattered in thought & deed yet there was cohesiveness, there seemed to be a common demand “You do something or let us do it.” There were more questions on peoples faces then there were answers to it.

I have witnessed few such demonstrations previously, where no politician would dare to go. But this was different because of the sheer number of people turning up there.

After seeing that I think India is rising. There is hope afterall.

Regards
Prasad D

boss I attended..no pic taken-i abhor this photo op..bought a tshirt tho..one for a colleague who was w me n one for my daughter..took me 50mins to locate my car n dvr..lines wer jammed Snehal

I was there with two more people. One of them had sent her entire office staff of 10 participate as well. - Anil

I wasn’t going and so didn’t go. Not that I was against it but just that I did not feel that being there was important for me. Tushar

yes i did make it by 7pm through the radio club side. It was grt to be part of it. I was thr for abt 20 minutes and listened to these guys on a truck making speeches……………..I think it is a grt beginning….we should continue !!! Samit

To sum this up - I had received 100+ sms, emails, IM etc. on this movement. Received 18 responses.

And Yes, more than 100,000 people had gathered to show solidarity & where was the manifesto (in whatever form) presented - to Chief Secretary Johny Joseph ~~~~ Remember him ~~~ had no clue about the 26/7 floods a couple of year ago.

So get real folks….unless this is repeated on the 3rd of every month nothing much will happen except, photos, emails, blogs floating in the real world.

Remember Change  along with time also needs Commitment, Consistency, Constancy!

The Truth behind Rule 49-O

An e-mail has been doing the rounds, stating that Mumbaikars can invoke Rule 49-O, which allows them to tick ‘No Vote’ on their ballot, and effect a re-poll with new candidates. The e-mail is a fake, but that hasn’t stopped citizens from asking why 49-O isn’t a viable option

“Our system needs to change”, “Our politicians need to go”, “Our government needs to wake up”: For years, these lines have littered the rhetoric of politicians, activists, and citizens alike. But for a moment recently, the public began to dream of effecting real change, and that to through the medium of democracy — the ballot box.

When an e-mail, titled Rule 49-O, popped up in 21-year-old, Stuti Sakhalkar’s inbox, she broke into a smile. The e-mail stated that if she didn’t trust any of the candidates standing for election, then she had a right to convey to the presiding officer, that she didn’t want to vote. The e-mail even suggested that if this happened, and the number of voters who opted to invoke Rule 49-O were more than the number of votes cast for any of the candidates, then there would be a re-poll. “I was so glad that something like this actually existed,” she says, quickly forwarding the e-mail to everyone on her contact list.

Stuti, however, was a victim of a fake e-mail that has been comforting Mumbaikars in their darkest hours. Although Rule 49-O, stated in the The Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, affirms that the person’s right not to vote would be recognised in the total vote counting process, in no case would there be a re-poll. As of now, what rule 49-O will do is register the person’s signature, or thumbprint. This would also require the voter to reveal their identity, which goes against the system of secret ballots. And even if 49-O votes are more than the winning candidates’ votes, it would not negate the result. There is no judgment as yet on the implications of 49-O toward the upcoming elections, and the barring of candidates from a re-poll.

However, having decided to register for 49-O, in the hope of effecting genuine change, Stuti, says, “No one deserves our votes at present. No one at all.”

Retired high court judge, Hosbet Suresh, says, “We have discussed negative voting a number of times during our meets, and even put forth a proposal for the same, but it’s yet to be put into action.” Hosbet who has voted in every election, bar the first, says that the fact that his No vote wouldn’t mean anything saddens him. “There have been so many times, when I actually didn’t believe in any candidate, but voted in the hope of change,” he says.

A representative from VoteIndia.in, a website dedicated to the quest of finding a good government, says that the number of queries about Rule 49-O has increased after the recent terror attacks. “That fake e-mail has been doing the rounds for the past two years, but we encourage people not to vote, just in protest.”

However, a lot of people have been hoping that the e-mail turns out to be a reality. An angry Bikram Bindra, a 20-year-old student from a South Mumbai college, feels that if the rule were executed — the way it has been stated in the e-mail — he would be the first person to cast a negative vote. Ridiculing the statements made by some politicians, he says, “If someone tries to console me by saying that such things happen in big cities, I certainly don’t believe in that kind of government.” In any case, Bikram believes that he would use Rule 49-O to show his dissent.

Even 30-year-old Sudarshan Shetty, who promptly forwarded the e-mail to everyone, so that it reached a wider audience believes that it is imaginative thinking like this that makes us truly function like a democracy. He hopes that someday, the contents of the e-mail would become law: “I am waiting for the day when the Rule is mentioned in school civic textbooks.”

Z Security is our birthright and we shall have it say our netas & abhinetas.

Too many cops for a handful of VIPs?

When 200 NSG commandos, especially flown in from Delhi, were fighting terrorists at three different places last week, more that 2,000 well-armed policemen were busy providing round-the-clock protection to 150 VIPs.

The Protection Branch of Mumbai police is entrusted with protecting people claiming threat to their lives. Ministers and select politicians are provided security cover depending. They fall under the Z+, Z, Y and X-categories.

Others enjoying protection under these categories include Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray and his son Uddhav. Actors Amitabh Bachchan, Shatrughan Sinha, Govinda and Shah Rukh Khan also get protection. The list also includes Several builders, diamond dealers and other individuals who complain of facing death threats.Officials at the branch told DNA that half of the 150 individuals do not necessarily need security, but continue to get protection by paying a monthly charge to the state.

A favorite topic for me, particularly when the Mayor with her entourage goes & learns about how cities are being run globally and tries to teach everyone through the press, it is conveniently forgotten that worldwide security is for the country, state, citizens in that order and not for neta & abhineta.

S Achuthanandan - If it had not been (martyred commando) Sandeep’s house not even a dog would have glanced that way.

Sure thing Minister But Sandeep is a Martyr and a Dog did go there but this time the Dog got Peed on, feels great.

Vilasrao Deshmukh the modern day Nero: “He is not a terrorist” the maharashtra chief minister said after protests over his actor son Reitesh & director Ram Gopal Verma accompanying his delegation to the Taj.

‘Chief Minister you are not a Location Scout’ And remember Ram Gopal Verma ne Do Sarkar Banayi aur ab Ek Sarkar girayi!!!

RR Patil: “The odd incident doe happen in abig city like mumbai” said RR Patil during terrorist attack when he was state home minister & deputy CM.

Yup you are right Mr. Home Minister, Let this be a lesson to us….Do not elect anyone from the back waters & expect him to know how a city functions….

Muktar Abbas Naqvi: These are just a few women wearing lipstick and powder taking to the streets said the BJP leader about protesting citizens.

Again a lesson to be learnt….Whilst the comment is painful, we have the so called citizen’s forums, liberals who have done so in the past to thank for this. I pray that this does not turn into fact once again.

Shivraj Patil: 200 NSG & 65 army commandos are being rushed to Mumbai the former home minister said, negating the surprise element.

Finally, my turn to be on TV. Why should I let it go…..Hum bhi Minister hai!