You have to have a deep hatred for a person to wish the most painful death on him. Karamjit Singh tried to kill then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1986 because, like other Sikhs in the country, he too considered Indira Gandhi, and later her older son, to be responsible for the sectarian violence that tore many Sikh families apart.
When I spoke to him last week, Singh was in the process of filing his nomination papers from Patiala. The man is contesting the seat as an independent and has just one aim in life - to defeat the Congress and the "conniving" Shiromani Akali Dal. He is now a lawyer practising in the district court; he is making every effort to wipe out the 'criminal' tag attached to his name.
When I asked him how he felt when he heard about Rajiv's assassination in 1991 (Singh was still in jail at the time), he promptly replied, "I just felt sorry that I had not been able to kill him." He didn't sound bitter about it, but his matter-of-fact tone chilled me. "Aisa hota hai na, aap jaisa karte ho, waisa bharte ho. These people have the blood of so many of my Sikh brothers and sisters on their hands. Inka anth aisa hi hona tha."
He went on to add that his biggest regret in life was not that he attempted the assassination at Rajghat all those years ago, but that he botched it up. "Never mind that now. What is past is past. But we have not forgotten the atrocities the Congress inflicted on us. We will never forget it, we will never allow our children to forget it. But now bullets will not work. We have to use our democracy in the best way we can," Singh said.
Many constraints prevented us from printing the interview, especially the bits about Rajiv, verbatim. What we did print is here.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Chalo Orissa
The BJP is focussing on Orissa at the moment, and Narendra Modi's life isn't getting any easier with all the air-dashing here, there and all over the place. I mean, five rallies in Orissa in ONE day and the man has to fly back to Hyderabad. From there, he makes a trip to Delhi. From there, to Orissa again. And all the while, talking about how grand the BJP really is and crossing his fingers behind his back.
Sometimes, being a star campaigner for your party has got to suck.
In other news, Arun Gawli has finally dropped out of the race and will now support Milind Deora's candidature. Wonder how much somebody paid him to get out of the way? :-O
Also, the BSP's Vilas Garud says that his party denied Gawli a seat because all other major parties in Maharashtra had done so, and why should the BSP give tickets to criminals? Why, indeed.
Sometimes, being a star campaigner for your party has got to suck.
In other news, Arun Gawli has finally dropped out of the race and will now support Milind Deora's candidature. Wonder how much somebody paid him to get out of the way? :-O
Also, the BSP's Vilas Garud says that his party denied Gawli a seat because all other major parties in Maharashtra had done so, and why should the BSP give tickets to criminals? Why, indeed.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Worst birthday so far
Nothing, nothing so far has been good about turning 30.
I mean, come on you lunkheads, I'm 30! It's a great milestone for me, because I have got so far purely on the basis of a bad temper and some smatterings of talent (for not falling down and breaking my neck or getting stuck in a building on fire).
Golu is out of town. Dad and Mum didn't drop by to wish me; they would have but I forbade it on grounds of good manners, then felt that I should have told them to come because this is my first birthday away from them. Sriram chatted with me only to tell me two pathetic sardar jokes.
Precisely 10 people have wished me since this morning. Which is great, because "Hi, Happy Birthday! So,what plans today? What, working even on your birthday?" conversations are okay till like, the second caller is done. The last straw was when Prash invited me out for lunch and the two of us waded through pizzas and garlic bread and spoke about all kinds of junk, but not once did he wish me because HE FORGOT MY BIRTHDAY.
Okay, I didn't ask for a custom-made happy birthday-singing committee because you know I hate having attention drawn to me. But come on, people, blatantly forgetting my birthday is rotten manners. Prash and everyone else who forgot, no birthday present for you this year, whenever your birthdays are. (When is Prash's birthday, I wonder...)
Am now pinning my hopes on the hubby (who did wish me) to come home a bit early so that we can at least make an effort to go out and eat.
Never thought I would have to hope for THIS much when I turned 30.
I mean, come on you lunkheads, I'm 30! It's a great milestone for me, because I have got so far purely on the basis of a bad temper and some smatterings of talent (for not falling down and breaking my neck or getting stuck in a building on fire).
Golu is out of town. Dad and Mum didn't drop by to wish me; they would have but I forbade it on grounds of good manners, then felt that I should have told them to come because this is my first birthday away from them. Sriram chatted with me only to tell me two pathetic sardar jokes.
Precisely 10 people have wished me since this morning. Which is great, because "Hi, Happy Birthday! So,what plans today? What, working even on your birthday?" conversations are okay till like, the second caller is done. The last straw was when Prash invited me out for lunch and the two of us waded through pizzas and garlic bread and spoke about all kinds of junk, but not once did he wish me because HE FORGOT MY BIRTHDAY.
Okay, I didn't ask for a custom-made happy birthday-singing committee because you know I hate having attention drawn to me. But come on, people, blatantly forgetting my birthday is rotten manners. Prash and everyone else who forgot, no birthday present for you this year, whenever your birthdays are. (When is Prash's birthday, I wonder...)
Am now pinning my hopes on the hubby (who did wish me) to come home a bit early so that we can at least make an effort to go out and eat.
Never thought I would have to hope for THIS much when I turned 30.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
We owe you several, Varun
The hate speech notwithstanding, Varun Gandhi sure has given us media guys a full week of stories to do. There's something happening every day, which is good. Much better than running around all over town looking for stories or staring blankly at your computer screen, wondering what to file.
It's hot and as election day approaches, the campaigning and mudslinging will reach fever pitch.Like always, we're going to wonder how to go through it all without fizzling out, then not notice that we worked our asses off and didn't even notice that the craziness was over.
Meanwhile, take a look at this. And this.
It's hot and as election day approaches, the campaigning and mudslinging will reach fever pitch.Like always, we're going to wonder how to go through it all without fizzling out, then not notice that we worked our asses off and didn't even notice that the craziness was over.
Meanwhile, take a look at this. And this.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Maya Memsaab
However repulsive the idea (and to many, it is), one can't deny that some day, this great country will have a dalit prime minister in Mayawati. That she is unabashed about hoarding her millions while her party workers continue to work penniless but with passion is a story for another day. What needs to be seen, apart from the short hairdo and the gaudy salwar kameez suits that Mayawati sports, is that she has political acumen enough for 10 politicians.
You might argue that she banks on and ruthlessly milks the sizeable dalit vote in her home state and the country and does not hesitate to cut other dalit parties to size if she sees the chance of capturing a brief moment of power. That's a story for another day, too. What does matter, is that since 1991, only Maya behenji has had the balls to lead her party to a majority win anywhere in the country, while the rest of them suckers keep squabbling within their coalitions.
To get the power and to keep it there takes loads of planning and plenty of intelligence, and Maya does both well. That's not to say that her sitting in the PM's chair will benefit the country in any way. But with the Third Front gaining strength slowly, at least to a level where it can influence final decisions once voting is over, Maya is in a position to usurp the chair and like everything else she's done so far, her planning will be bang on target.
This is how she does it.
You might argue that she banks on and ruthlessly milks the sizeable dalit vote in her home state and the country and does not hesitate to cut other dalit parties to size if she sees the chance of capturing a brief moment of power. That's a story for another day, too. What does matter, is that since 1991, only Maya behenji has had the balls to lead her party to a majority win anywhere in the country, while the rest of them suckers keep squabbling within their coalitions.
To get the power and to keep it there takes loads of planning and plenty of intelligence, and Maya does both well. That's not to say that her sitting in the PM's chair will benefit the country in any way. But with the Third Front gaining strength slowly, at least to a level where it can influence final decisions once voting is over, Maya is in a position to usurp the chair and like everything else she's done so far, her planning will be bang on target.
This is how she does it.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Band, oh bust!
A friend of ours (ours= Meghana and me) who works in radio in Mumbai is forming a band for some kind of instrumental fusion. They're scouting for names, but they've narrowed it down to two choices, of which I liked precisely none. Megs and I had this conversation while he was polling opinions from both of us at the same time:
Meghana: i already told him we suggest bugs and roaches :P vrushali: hahahahaa Meghana: :D vrushali: if they havent adopted it yet, it means they have no sense of humour Meghana: lol vrushali: i will Meghana: lol cool vrushali: he says: yeah right Meghana: :P vrushali: lebbe...when i form a band, that's what i Meghana: ok... vrushali: u will be there, obviously...ur the star member Meghana: lol vrushali: five ppl enough...or the band will break up citing 'irreconciliable differences' Meghana: arre...the kishore kumar song idiot... vrushali: that song is called 'aake seedhi lagi'... Meghana: lol vrushali: yeah, that would actually be a cool opening number for our concerts Meghana: yeah i know! vrushali: ok Meghana: lol vrushali: :D Meghana: it's a nice nick name for you actually vrushali: yeah, sure. and wht's urs? Meghana: lol vrushali: yeah Meghana: yeah, nice vrushali: lebbe, he wont see the point of this one either Meghana: we should sound it off vrushali: u can't have two band names... Meghana: they'll disband to resurrect themselves as the exterminators.. vrushali: chup re Meghana: and then probably become like the Undertaker vrushali: even Undertakers is good Meghana: lol vrushali: sheh, with so many good names, they pick out the lousiest ones Meghana: lol vrushali: he says band baaja is another project...how could they just plagiarise and not credit me? Meghana: lol vrushali: after this, they should call themselves Unethical Fusion Crap Meghana: lol vrushali: Plagiarists is also good Meghana: oh shut up vrushali: Oh Shut Up is actually good Meghana: lol vrushali: :D
vrushali: sriram asking me: filter coffee? or limited edition? which one do u like?
do u think i should suggest 'bugs and roaches'?
in which case, i refuse to associate myself with this band
why not masala chai?
or limited intelligence?
hhahahaha the latter is nice
suggestthat
wait
i thought it was pretty cool myself
yeah i know
will call it
who'll be in the band?
prash
sandy
golu
that's it
we'll sing 'oh sawariya'
what is oh sawariya?
aake seedhi lagi
dont confuse ur lead singer
at andheri sports complex
and then i'll do the snort laugh from the wings..so that ppl wonder whats happenign
whatever u want
just keep the audience entertained
anyway they won't be too bright...fans of limited intelligence
i can't stop laughing...limited intelligence
sriram will have to do with bugs and roaches
as in, as the name of his band
not saying that that species will be his main audience
i'm sure they'll run away
the bugs and roaches i mean
hey, they can call themselves the Exterminators
the E.T.s
how cool is zat?
i think radio makes u dumber
thsi is what i'm telling him
name the band bugs and roaches...
They might not be your target audience...they'll run away maybe..and then you'll can call yourselves the Exterminators :D
They might not be your target audience...they'll run away maybe..and then you'll can call yourselves the Exterminators :D
hw abt bandwidth?
band baaja?
band aid?
contraband?
hmph
:P
no, this one i don't agree
"Guess who's in town to entertain you guys?"
audience replies, "Oh Shut UP!"
even DisBand is great
also a hint to themselves
Sent at 2:15 PM on Thursday
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Wassup, doc?
There are significant aches and pains associated with working on a politics portal every day. I need some comic relief. That's why I actually stuck around at the earlier job for so long - they let me do what I want after I had done the routine stuff.
In other news, yours truly has now started holding forth on Hindutva and poll strategising and other what-have-yous. I swear my mum is going to laugh if she sees my stories. So will most others who know what a dufus I really am. But till such time that I begin to get some investigative leads in politics, the tittle-tattle on who's doing what and (this is our opinion on) why will have to do.
The initial buzz is positive. Get me some traffic, you.
Check out my take on the Congress campaign strategy here. Tell me what you think.
In other news, yours truly has now started holding forth on Hindutva and poll strategising and other what-have-yous. I swear my mum is going to laugh if she sees my stories. So will most others who know what a dufus I really am. But till such time that I begin to get some investigative leads in politics, the tittle-tattle on who's doing what and (this is our opinion on) why will have to do.
The initial buzz is positive. Get me some traffic, you.
Check out my take on the Congress campaign strategy here. Tell me what you think.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Everyone's talking...
Right now, every politician, wherever he may be, is ready to talk if you call (on) him.
If they don't, it means they're either really snooty or really important. Don't expect Sonia or Rahul Gandhi to grant you an interview right now, unless you're CNN or BBC or somebody equally firang. Even Mayawati and Modi will not take your calls right now. But the ones below them certainly will, and they do.
I went to the BSP office in Mumbai the other day with Mamta, and the guy manning the office was as thrilled as dammit to see any visitors; naturally he was tickled pink to know that both of us were journos looking for information and that we were actually asking him questions. After holding forth on the party and how it does things, he actually invited Mamta and me to join the BSP. "You work as journalists because you want a career, right"? he smirked. "This is also a career. Just stand for the elections, we'll help you win."
I mean, really. Go looking for a snippet and you get the entire story book plus the offer to become a Member of Parliament.
The other day I met a senior BJP leader who reduced the Shiv Sena to worse than dust once he was done criticising them. "Sharad Pawar has, customary to his style, ditched the party that was willing to help him. But these (Sainiks) don't get it. Uddhav is being advised by all the wrong people. Trusting Sharad Pawar would be the last thing Balasaheb would do, but nobody's listening to him, despite whatever the Sena may say."
And then there was the BJP party worker representing the Matang community, whose various causes Gopinath Munde espouses (at least, he started espousing them about two months ago). I was passing Azad Maidan and heard the usual shouts of "Vijay aso! Hum tumhare saath hain!" Walking in, I almost head-butted a guy who came charging at me from the opposite direction. "Media? Media?" he asked. I nodded. He handed me a bunch of papers, saying "Press release. Press release." After I'd given him my visiting card, he launched into a marketer's spiel about how the community was being harassed and how Munde would show them all. For over 10 minutes.
You meet all the different types during election time. All want to be heard. Most have nothing to say.
If they don't, it means they're either really snooty or really important. Don't expect Sonia or Rahul Gandhi to grant you an interview right now, unless you're CNN or BBC or somebody equally firang. Even Mayawati and Modi will not take your calls right now. But the ones below them certainly will, and they do.
I went to the BSP office in Mumbai the other day with Mamta, and the guy manning the office was as thrilled as dammit to see any visitors; naturally he was tickled pink to know that both of us were journos looking for information and that we were actually asking him questions. After holding forth on the party and how it does things, he actually invited Mamta and me to join the BSP. "You work as journalists because you want a career, right"? he smirked. "This is also a career. Just stand for the elections, we'll help you win."
I mean, really. Go looking for a snippet and you get the entire story book plus the offer to become a Member of Parliament.
The other day I met a senior BJP leader who reduced the Shiv Sena to worse than dust once he was done criticising them. "Sharad Pawar has, customary to his style, ditched the party that was willing to help him. But these (Sainiks) don't get it. Uddhav is being advised by all the wrong people. Trusting Sharad Pawar would be the last thing Balasaheb would do, but nobody's listening to him, despite whatever the Sena may say."
And then there was the BJP party worker representing the Matang community, whose various causes Gopinath Munde espouses (at least, he started espousing them about two months ago). I was passing Azad Maidan and heard the usual shouts of "Vijay aso! Hum tumhare saath hain!" Walking in, I almost head-butted a guy who came charging at me from the opposite direction. "Media? Media?" he asked. I nodded. He handed me a bunch of papers, saying "Press release. Press release." After I'd given him my visiting card, he launched into a marketer's spiel about how the community was being harassed and how Munde would show them all. For over 10 minutes.
You meet all the different types during election time. All want to be heard. Most have nothing to say.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Livewire
We have gone live, yay! This suddenly feels like it's my own project (which it is), but boss uncle specifically asked me to "own it" so now you guys can watch me go!
In a more sober vein, though, the job ahead is immensely tough because the action hasn't even started yet but we sure are swamped with work. Some little niggles here and there do exist on the site but we are so ready for a formal announcement and launch. But because I can't tell any of you about it yet, I feel like a women who has a pregnancy to announce but can't tell anyone yet because she's been warned to break the news only when the baby goes live.
Anyway, we're getting our stories ready and I'm starting to nag the concerned ones to finish ironing out the problems in the site, for chrissakes. Being in control is scary and weird at the same time; I've never been in charge of a daily product and never at this level or on a permanent basis. At my previous job, I was proxy Chief of Bureau but that was because my senior was a delicate darling with a family of delicate darlings who all fell ill several times a month.
I'm going to make tonnes of mistakes, and the worst part is, I can only blame myself. Sometimes, that's the worst kind of job. But compared to the crap that's happening to so many others in the city, all I can do is be thankful and kiss the ground beneath my feet for sturdily being there even when I was shaky.
In a more sober vein, though, the job ahead is immensely tough because the action hasn't even started yet but we sure are swamped with work. Some little niggles here and there do exist on the site but we are so ready for a formal announcement and launch. But because I can't tell any of you about it yet, I feel like a women who has a pregnancy to announce but can't tell anyone yet because she's been warned to break the news only when the baby goes live.
Anyway, we're getting our stories ready and I'm starting to nag the concerned ones to finish ironing out the problems in the site, for chrissakes. Being in control is scary and weird at the same time; I've never been in charge of a daily product and never at this level or on a permanent basis. At my previous job, I was proxy Chief of Bureau but that was because my senior was a delicate darling with a family of delicate darlings who all fell ill several times a month.
I'm going to make tonnes of mistakes, and the worst part is, I can only blame myself. Sometimes, that's the worst kind of job. But compared to the crap that's happening to so many others in the city, all I can do is be thankful and kiss the ground beneath my feet for sturdily being there even when I was shaky.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
In the jungle...
Since the site is not live yet, my stories are getting dated. And everyone knows that nothing gets your goat more than knowing that your stories are getting dated, through no fault of your own.
I am revising my own stories so that I can salvage some of them. It seems like I've been revising stories since I was a baby. The office is quiet today, which is great. At last count, I have about 15 stories just waiting to be unleashed but the poor things have nowhere to go.
We hopefully go live next week, probably Monday. Let's see how that goes. Hmph.
I am revising my own stories so that I can salvage some of them. It seems like I've been revising stories since I was a baby. The office is quiet today, which is great. At last count, I have about 15 stories just waiting to be unleashed but the poor things have nowhere to go.
We hopefully go live next week, probably Monday. Let's see how that goes. Hmph.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
