Indian Revival vs. the West

R Jagannathan of FirstPost critiques Pankaj Mishra's recent article in New York Times. Well, I think I need to critique both!!!

First, Pankaj Mishra claims that there is a ressentiment within the Indian elites that is subterranean, which is potentially more dangerous than Taliban and ISIS etc. In reply, Jagannathan thinks that it is the West who is afraid of a revived liberal & democratic India who is about to find its Hindu-Buddhist-Jain cultural moorings, and that Mishra is just attending to pander to this fear.

Emergence of UPA-III

After all the codswallop, we have UPA-III, garnished with RSS-education. In a matter of four months, it is the Nth time that the current government choose to follow the earlier regime.

It's their prerogative, but it is a bit funny to see some of the blind followers still choke themselves out of admiration when they pronounce "The Name". There is a very recent successful politician who peddled HOPE & CHANGE to win two consecutive terms, but now having an approval rating so low that even George Bush found very difficult to stoop to.

I wonder if the Nobel committee mistook Kailash Satyarthi for someone else from India. Otherwise, it would have a perfect start for a possible repeat.

Or would not have been. Approval is hinged only slightly on performance, but largely on carefully crafted perception & even deeper cultural currents. So, who cares?

Nobel Peace Prize

A question on Quora: What has Malala Yousufzai done to deserve Nobel Peace Prize? My answer here.

Wannabe Ashoka?

Two recent statements from our PM has caught my eye. It is a pointless exercise to even try to understand your wife. So trying to figure out a person who appears to me on TV alone is as futile and stupid as anything else. But, hey, that's fun, isn't it? So, here I go, deconstructing the political ambition of Narendra Modi.

1. After the Mangalyaan success, he said in his Speech, "Let me conclude by saying that in contrast with the linear nature of Western philosophy; there is no absolute 'beginning' or 'end' in our Eastern understanding of the cosmos. There is only a continuous, unending cycle of dispassionate, detached perseverance. "

2. In the address to the UN assembly, he said "It (yoga) is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature. Yoga embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well being.  By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change".

Fleeting Euphoria

I sense a heightened sense of euphoria in the social & news media upon the recent verdict to send Jayalalitha to jail for corruption. It is emotionally justified because of a multitude of reasons. First of all, this is a rare event. In fact, as rare as the Mangalyaan mission. After all, it is the first time that we have reached Mars, and it is the first time that a sitting Chief Minister is disqualified for corruption. No wonder that the emotions are similar. Second, of all the talk and agitation about corruption, there hasn't been a perceivable change in the way things have been running in ground reality. Desperate are we, and this news is like the first drop of summer rain. We do not know if there is a second drop coming; but there is an anticipation filled with anxiety. There is plenty of thirst to quench and it has to show up somehow.