Gorshkov

The Indian Navy and the ministry of defence have shown us the way to shop. Take a few years deciding what you want to buy. Choose an ageing, second-hand product. Spend another few years bargaining…correction pretence at bargaining. Sit back and wait for delivery in a few years. Then, one day, go and pay the seller thrice the amount agreed on and let him delay the delivery even further. Next step: Wait some more. At least that’s how the Gorshkov deal seems to be working out.

First, a little history before the mockumetary. The Russians began work on the ship in 1978. In 1994, following a boiler room explosion, the ship was docked for a year of repairs. Although she returned to service in 1995, she was finally withdrawn in 1996 and offered for sale. It’s a brilliant game plan. Instead of use and throw, use and sell… at a superinflated price of course.

Why we decided to buy a worn-out, second-hand contraption to defend our 7,600-km coastline beats me. It’s like buying a second-hand ox-cart (with only one ox) to go from Delhi to Agra, at the price of a Maruti 800… and still waiting for delivery because the Ox is on a trial run and is busy consuming Vodka-spiked grass. Mind you, we’re paying for that Vodka too.

The worst part is that we could have got a brand new state-of-the-art aircraft carrier at a much lesser price. With China giving India the heebie jeebies by expanding its naval presence in the neighbourhood, especially Myanmar, a mammoth aircraft carrier with its lethal arsenal of fighter jets and anti-submarine helicopters will be very welcome indeed. Provided we get it before it becomes obsolete.

That’s not all. We’re supposed to get the ship in 2012 and it’s due for a refit in 2017. Considering the Russians’ penchant for punctuality, one shouldn’t expect delivery before 2015, at the very least.

The ship will also be missing a crucial anti-missile component. Its weapon for detecting and destroying incoming anti-ship missiles and enemy aircraft would only be installed during the 2017 refit. In case, during that time, India is forced to pursue any military activity, the newly commissioned ‘INS Vikramaditya’ would be as good as a floating dead duck in the water. What a transformation, eh? From a white elephant to a dead duck.

With the Scorpene submarine construction also way behind schedule, India’s dream of a blue water navy seems to have got stuck somewhere between the devil and the deep blue sea. The good news is that the powerful Chinese Navy has recently acquired their first aircraft carrier... and are on their way to get a few more... Good Luck Men in Whites !

PS: In case you’re wondering who this Gorshkov dude is, he was the commander-in-chief of the Soviet Navy and retired in 1985. He’s widely regarded as the architect of the modern Soviet Navy.

The Art of remaining poor

During the election campaigning in Bihar this year Rahul Gandhi, the heir

apparent of the Indian National Congress proudly claimed, "Aapki Congress party

gareebon ki party hai, aapki party hai." ["Your Congress party is the party of the poor,

your party."]

After 63 years of an independence that was hard fought, such a statement made with a

sense of pride seemed pathetic to me.

While it mirrors the reality we live in, it demonstrates the 63 years of deliberate,

orchestrated and cruel deprivation of a sixth of the world's population. It reeks of the

sheer apathy and shamelessness of those that the man and woman on the street look

upon as redeemers. It talks of the thick skin all of us have developed…our leaders,

administrators, planners, implementers and benefactors. Otherwise, someone in the

crowd should have stood up and hurled a chappal in utter disgust. Or some editor

would have used the pen [or keyboard] to prise open some very bare and basic

questions.

But we continue to gather in large 'maidans' to listen to such spells being cast upon

us, take our five rupees, get on to the truck and go back home. Either comfortable

numb, or still in hope that the man on the stage does understand our plight and will

redeem us.

I do not know about other nations and am not really bothered about them, but India

has perfected the art of remaining poor.

Poverty is the lifeline of this country. It helps devise plan after plan, helps justify the

government juggernaut, helps call elections and find the electorate, helps the rich and

ruling class get richer. The poor are very important for our very existence and the

fabric of our democracy.

Even after 63 years we do not have an agreement on how to define 'poverty' and

thereby determine how many are poor. In 2005, the World Bank said 40% were below

the poverty line, while our Planning Commission put it at 27%. And the Arjun

Sengupta report said it was actually 70%. Anyway, to put things in perspective, the

World Bank defines the poverty line at an income below Rs.21.60 per day in the

urban areas [a 500 ml. bottle of Pepsi] and at Rs.14.30 per day in the rural areas.

Around 421 million people in the eight states of UP, MP, Rajasthan, West Bengal,

Bihar, Orissa, Chattisgarh and Jharkhand are below the poverty line. We proudly are

the largest democracy with a third of the world's poor.

According to a report on Asian economic powers,

 in 1947 India's per capita income

was at $439 while South Korea stood at $770. In 50 years India stood at $1,818 and

South Korea at $13,317! So, what went wrong with us? What stunted our

development and prosperity? Our population? The British rule? The multi-party

democracy? The world powers conspiring against us? The 'socialist' operating

principles? Over reliance on agriculture? Faulty planning? What, exactly what?

Nothing. Actually nothing went wrong. Everything is according to plan. Right from

the time Mr. Nehru justified that some of the poorest parts of country were the ones

ruled longest by the British and systematically de-industrialised in the 190 years of

subjugation, we have planned for poverty as integral to our socio-economic-political

superstructure.

We have used 'socialism' as a term under which we have perpetrated protectionism,

patronage and favouritism.

We have created large public enterprises and then deliberately made them inefficient

to meet specific needs.

We had built a 'license raj' to favour a few rich at the cost of encouraging enterprise

and equitable development across the country.

We have ensured little pockets of industrialisation to ensure concentration of wealth

and power. Thereby corruption, greed and moral decay.

  

We have not invested in sustainable farming to cater to a few enterprises and move

people forcibly into cash cropping, thereby making them slaves of the public food

distribution system.

We let food grain rot in the open but have not built food transportation and storage

systems across the country, to allow regular import of food grain.

We encourage large-scale migration of villagers into cities to create industrial slums

and a labour force for daily menial work.

We consciously have not helped preserve the lifestyles of our tribals and helped them

sustain to allow large industrial enterprises to 'redeem' them through polluting

projects.

  

We spend less than 0.5% of our GDP on agriculture and less than 5% on education.

We allow more than 200,000 farmers in debt due to failed cash crops to commit

suicide but will not create enablers to sustainable rural living. 

In fact in 2010 alone

close to 900 suicides have taken place in Baramati while the government spends

Rs.25 crores after a terrorist called Ajmal Kasab.

We conjure up programmes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment

Generation Act that make millions of villagers slaves of projects that are alien to them

and displace them rather than help them lead improve upon what they do best —

farming, animal husbandry, dairy and handicrafts [sorry M/s Dreze, Sen and Stern].

We divert attention from decades of utter neglect of the traditionally poorer zones in

the country to branding acts of socio-economic rebellion as 'anti-national' [not that I

justify the actions of the Maoists in killing innocent people, policemen and blowing

up trains].

We talk of adding close to 40 million every year to the "grand Indian middle class",

but do not talk about the fact that a family's food intake reduced by 100 kgs per year

in one decade in 2007.

We talk of overtaking this economy and that economy and having some of the highest

number of billionaires, but our Human Development Index is one of the worst ever,

we have world's highest number of malnourished people and around 40% of our

children below 5 years of age are underweight.

We are systematically working towards the collapse of the villages to ensure mass

scale migration and creation of an urban poor populace that will crave for jobs, food

and shelter. And give you votes against promises of redemption.

If you just sit back and take an unemotional, detached look at the economics of

poverty in our country, you will realise that it is not the cause but the outcome.

The poverty indices are not a cause of embarrassment but are actually desired. They

are part of a greater plan. 

The poor are needed — for the middle class, the ruling class,

the earning class and the world-class. They are the means to an end. They are a

'necessary and sufficient condition', as an economist would say, for India to progress.

Otherwise, nobody can justify the condition more than 400 million of us are in after

63 years of self-determination. Mr. Gandhi would have felt ashamed thinking of those

words, leave alone gallantly using them, not once but 16 times while doing the rounds

of Bihar!

We are truly unique in many ways.

The art of remaining poor is one such way.

NOTE: I am not the creator of this content. I found it very well written hence shared here. Apologies for not knowing the original writer. 

Goaa.......

Beaches...Beer....Babes... The name should have been Boa... instead of Goa... Its the land where you can get drunk, get on the street, and dance till 3 at night, and still you'll be normal, not a single stare would come your way. Do that in Mumbai and you'll be on Mumbai Mirrors front page next day with your middle finger straight up !!


This is what Goa has been doing, letting people be themselves, letting them have fun ! No rules ( !iterally ), No time restrictions, No noise restrictions, just an awesome piece of land where people have immense fun !!

Add to it the beautiful roads, the smaller ones that wind through the narrow lanes of old villages, lush greenery bordering them, and a feeling of freedom spreading inside you as you explore Goa through its veins of roads... Its simplicity, authenticity and urge to retain its heritage, yet seem so modern and futuristic, is what captures my mind as i zoom pass through its beauty on a cranky 2 wheeler thats been abused by everyone who shared it.

The best part of Goa is that a single place, everyday, will seem so different coz you'll meet new people, make new friends, and enjoy an atmosphere that will give you a de javu feeling, a pleasant one. Peoples smile, their thoughtfree mind emitting its peace through their graceful dance moves.... it all engulfs you in itself, and all you have to do is to surrender yourself.... yeah... thats the key... surrender to that moment, dance till you faint... shout as loud as you wanted to.... try those moves which you always wanted to... and even the worst of it would get applauded .... Those parties till morning... with people whom you met hours ago.... and still your dance steps would seem to be perfectly choreographed with them.... magic happens... truly it does...

One has to go there, and experience it. The experience is worth it.... the smile you get from your loved ones, for bringing them to such a wonderful place, and filling their minds with pleasant beautiful memories, and their heartfelt thank you, expressed through those soft touches... those graceful smiles... is all that matters in the end... Goa...makes it possible !!!  

Humans no more....

Try this out, take any daily news paper, from its first page, till the last, try reading news that talks about death, accidents, murders, anything thats not natural, now, do a death count from the first page till the last, everyday, any random news paper talks about atleast 50 deaths, caused not naturally. Well, thats not really an eureka invention by me to highlight this, but what disturbs me is that we so easily turn the pages once we're done accepting that someone somewhere was killed, before he deserved a death. We simply have got used to accepting this as a part of life that we humans are eligible to simply, Die ! No thought process goes into it beyond few mere seconds of sympathy, we simply, read on ! Even animals sit together and mourn when they lose someone from their herd. Yeah, Discovery Channel now teaches me Humanity ! That amuses me. Why have we become to used to such things ? Is it coz we see soo many like us around that we dont mind missing few unless we know them personally ? I live in Mumbai, which is a cramped place, everyone from the beggars to the rich fight for a place, we fight to stand, we fight to bare each other. The Suburban Local Trains are a part of Mumbai, its definition, its blood veins literally. Hundreds of people die merely because theyre lazy to climb few steps up and down over a bridge, or might be because their physics isn't that right in that moment, and they get the Time Distance Speed judgement wrongly and they perfectly get the deaths answer. And we Mumbaikars, have also accepted this as a daily part of life, someone dies, people stare, and life continue. We even share a discussion at home on the number of deaths we saw today, its kinda game now. Death is not a problem, its nature, but a stupid death is Human Nature !

I keep wondering, is this a problem with our society where we are a plenty of humans ? Or is this a global trend ? I should try and visit places like Greenland, Northern Russia, where its less populated, and try and sense if that makes the human life more important !

A year back I saw a Granny on her death bed, crying, perhaps asking for a few more days, to spend time with her husband, with whom she lived a happy wonderful years, and that feeling of not being able to see him anymore, and leaving him and her family and loved ones, eating her up from inside, what option did she have ? If you ask me, at that moment that granny appreciated life more than what we "the stupid healthier" ones cant !

Its not our obsession of seeing life after death that makes us less responsible, careless and so less appreciative of life, its merely a sense of lack of regards for this life, an abundance of stupidity and irresponsibility, and in the end, some lack of humanity !  

Kothaligad AKA Peth Fort

Date : 16th June 2011.

Me and my office colleagues decided to trek Peth Fort, also known as Kothaligad Fort. Well its basically not a fort, it was a watch tower which was also used as an ammunition storage point during the time of the Great Maratha Rulers. At 1550 Ft high, it gives a panoramic access to Rajmachi Plateau, Matheran, Bhimashankar and Peb Fort. It has a distinct structure. It has a tall pinnacle which is carved from the inside making way for steps that take you to the top !

Well we were around 20 people with most of us meeting each other for the first time. We had our private cars and we took the Mumbai - Panvel - Khopoli route to reach there. It was a beautiful pleasant drive as it was drizzling around and the surroundings were lush green.

We reached Ambivali, the base village from where the trek begins. We parked our cars and were getting ready to start our walk when a villager approached us asking if we would be interested in having lunch once we were back from the trek !! ( This was a mistake we made, you guy will later know why ). We paid some advance to the guy as a token of assurance and we started our walk.

The trek is divided into 3 parts : Hike from Ambivali to the plateau - a 15 minutes walk through the plateau to reach the Peth Village at the footsteps of the peak - And the final steep climb to reach the peak ( which can be scary if your shoes are completely out of grip.... ive had its first hand experience ).

Well the hike till the plateau is quite wonderful and pleasant. Its a soft climb over a broad kuccha road, a good hike to go along talking and knowing people with whom you are trekking. You can see a few waterfalls while going but unfortunately non of the waterfalls come across your path directly, you can only see then at some distance.

It takes around 2 hours to reach the plateau. Once you reach the plateau you get the first glimpse of your "Lakshya"........ the beautiful valley lies across with a curtain of waterfalls gliding across the cliffs. It surely is a beautiful site, one should spend some time just sitting there and seeing nature at its best, and appreciating the work of God. It feels serene just to sit by yourself !! From here its a simple walk above the plateau to reach Peth Village which touches the final tall pinnacle.

One the way you can come across wild horses, rice fields, and farmers using traditional methods of agriculture. Its a beautiful place to be, where simplicity and hard work is a way of life ! Their only abundance is the natures raw beauty that they are surrounded with. As it started raining it felt more pleasant to get drenched completely and feel the cold winds brushing you as you take every step closer towards the fort. From the Peth Village starts a bit of an adventure. The way to the top is narrow and steep. You walk through the dense plantation to reach the steps and the caves. The cave has a small temple and you'll find villagers selling lemonade and tea there during the monsoon season. From here the steps begin to reach the top. The steps are an engineering marvel considering that there were no modern equipment available with the Maratha Warriors while building this fort or watch tower. Well the steps are carved through the mountain and tall steep steps take you towards the peak. The steps at few points are very small only enough to make one person stand at a time. One has to be careful to see if there are people coming down from the peak as the place of crossing has to be planned properly as its quiet a cramped place up there.

Once you get through the steps you reach the peak which holds a small water tank and a cannon gun. From the top the view is simply amazing with clouds surrounding you and waterfalls painting the surrounding beautifully. The fresh greenery around you surely adds to the beautiful experience. Its a feast for a nature lover like me to appreciate natures beauty at its best.

After spending some time of the peak with a few snaps clicked we start our descend. Once again those narrow steep steps start haunting as i struggle to get a grip coz of my old shoes having lost all its gripping rubber beneath the feet.

Somehow slowly getting down we reached the Peth Village. Well if you can remember i mentioned a mistake about ordering food at the base village of Ambivali. Well, at this point, we were all so tired and hungry, but then we had already ordered food at the base village which was still a 2 hrs walk away, so a suggestion here. Do not order food at Ambivali, you can get good food at Peth Village. So once you reach the Peth Village after visiting the fort you can have your lunch there, rest and then start the simple hike towards the base village.

Well from Peth village its around 2 hr hike back to the base village of Ambivali. Well we had our own cars to reach there, but if you dont then you can take a Tum Tum or ST Bus to karjat station.

Its indeed a very beautiful place to be, truly enjoyed it thanks to the awesome people that were along with me which made it truly memorable and enjoyable !!!

The Perfect Wrong !

Im not sure if it is....But its the closest I think of.... to break the rule......but im equally helpless.... its not just the feeling for the moment....its also the belongingness.... Its that closeness that holds together....most importantly the trust to keep it within us.... That immense trust.... unbreakable...in whatever condition in life... Its so tempting....it happens naturally.... I become a river... the thoughts n the action all go with the flow ! I dont even know when the flow started... when those emotions creeped in.... it all happened... and it just continued... and became...i'll say better ! I dont even know if it can be defined as wrong or right... It happened...its happening....and I dont know what lies behind the mist ! This is a wierd phase in life where Its not the obvious thats happening, and worst, im not even questioning it.... The thought process stops, to let the true unadultarated emotions flow in ! !

Innocent.......

Are we ? Dexter....is the new word in everyones life.... I dont know about you, but i surely look at a mirror when i see Dexter...are we all that clean ? Or we feel comfortable keeping that illusion around us ? We are humans afterall...... how can we not commit a sin ? Do something wrong ? Something more than those usual lies and secrets held within ? Something more that would be shattering..... that would give that Repenting feeling.... or worst.... Its like being in a haunted place....You know its there,....you know its not true....you fear it... you feel it.... its at the back of the mind....Sin....rather....Sins.... it haunts.... makes the "heart attack" easier...the path maker rather... Its all in the moment....Right or wrong ??? Subjective..... or i guess judgemental.... provided that biased brain of ours thinks independently.... only to realise what a trap it is...... Even our dreams remind us of it....how cruel....how fair..... Sins......we carry !