My brother Rahul,

My brother Rahul,

You may not know but my sister is a great fan of yours! To me, you are my brother by virtue of being Rajiv uncle’s son. And, therefore, both of us – like millions all across the country, and the world – wish a lot for you! And, expect a lot from you – and rightly so.

Thus, when my sister made a comment on my previous piece “Why is India incredibly helpless, always?” on the recent Bombay serial blasts and in reference to your reaction in same regard that “Rahul should know better what that 1% failure of the government means in tackling terrorism as he has himself suffered a lot because of this 1% lapse in security by losing his father”, I thought you must pay attention to her and amend the things required to be at your end at the earliest.

Rahul, you are destined to become the next prime minister of the country if the Congress / UPA manages to retain power at the Center, which it will in all likelihood. And prime ministership, as you too know well – is not a position; it is a responsibility – lots of that, in fact! Those monumental responsibilities – coupled with accountability – will be towards the country and its citizens and also towards your own party and coalition. As you know, Prime Minister is The Leader of a country, and the “buck stops with him/her”.

Now, Rahul, imagine that you have become the prime minister and are faced with a similar – may be worse – situation of terror attacks on India. (No one believes that 13/7 was the last in sequence of attempts of terrorists.) Even then will you try to defend intelligence failure by making such remarks? And will that not amount to admitting the failure of your government in utilizing the mammoth infrastructure built to deal with all such eventualities? Moreover, do you believe that only admittance will suffice and exonerate you of your accountability towards maintaining peace and security in the nation? And, will the world not wonder at you and your government’s credibility to govern?

On the contrary, Rahul, I am sure that you will beforehand itself ensure that an effective anti-terror mechanism is functional and India is safe and secure and peaceful. Because, you very well realize that tackling terror is a “zero-error” and zero-tolerance” business.

So, Rahul, would you now care to “clarify” your statement in the press and let people know that you did not mean to disrespect the victims and their families and certainly did not try to defend the indefensible intelligence and administrative failure of the government in preventing the always-anticipated terror attacks?... Do it; you will benefit immensely in the long run by regaining whatever respect you have lost in public eyes, and hearts.

Rahul, as I said, India has lot of expectations from you – and rightly so. You have the fortune of inheriting the political gene pool of Nehru-Gandhi families and are all set to become the next prime minister of the country, as important in the global arena as India. But for this almost certain dream to come true, you will have to demonstrate to the nation and the world that you truly deserve the top post. Not that you have not already done so; however, you need to do more – much more.

You should start, Rahul, by strengthening Congress’ foundation in the political field and regaining its national party identity. Congress’ national base has got eroded badly. Reclaiming it would be a huge challenge. To make it happen you have to have dedicated politicians with high degree of integrity and support at state headquarters who would in turn work at the grassroots level and organize the party and make it strong enough to stand – and win – on its own. Congress cannot claim to be a national party by walking on coalition crutches – and being in coalition clutches, therefore! “Coalition compulsions” will otherwise keep pulling down the Congress and it will never be able to reclaim its foothold in the national political landscape.

Rahul, for this huge task, you need credible and able people – politicians. Politicians who are young, educated, clean, and have a dream and ambition for India – and not for their own self. As you too know, India is at the cusp of great things in the world. Being touted as one of the major powers of the world is a great responsibility as well as we will be required to live upto that image. By being seen as an utterly corrupt and chaotic country, a country which lacks courage to defend itself is going to be hugely detrimental in the progress of our country, both economically and politically. India will never be regarded as a “developed” and powerful nation – forget about the global leadership role that it envisages for itself - in the foreseeable future and that would be a big setback to all our global aspirations.

At the micro-level, Rahul, i.e., at the public level, the single most important expectation from any government at the helm is good governance. A government which is capable of delivering on its promises and needs of the people and society. A government which is courageous enough to maintain country’s dignity and security amidst growing fundamentalism and extremism. A government which will reverse India’s impression of being a “soft target” and will showcase to the evil elements that India will not tolerate any breach in its safety, security and peace and will not suffer losing even a single life to terrorism. A government which will exhibit “zero-tolerance” towards sinister plans of terror forces and will ensure a “zero-error” anti-terror mechanism to prevent even that 1% attack chance.

Rahul, I don’t have to tell you the obvious things that you are in a position even without being the prime minister today to actualize all the necessary things – for the Congress and the country, and in the process, enhance you worthiness as the future prime ministerial candidate of the country.

India is a young country and a young prime minister like you, Rahul, will do wonders, about which I do not have even 1% doubt! But you need to prepare yourself, sincerely and seriously…Rajiv uncle, and Sonia aunty & Priyanka, of course, besides my sister and I would be very proud of you J

Captain Courageous' Mahi-Way!

Mahatma Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Ratan Tata, Barack Obama, Arnab Goswami, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, … One common thread running through all these names is that they all are (were) courageous! Besides, of course, being legends & leaders! And, as you must have guessed it by now, I am a great fan of them all! …

These are just a few names that I have mentioned here but there are many more – many many many more! - from India and rest of the world, contemporary and historical, spanning the entire spectrum of Life who have stood apart from the crowd - but always with the crowd; they all have been bold and brave and, thus, true leaders!

And I salute each of these leaders! And I also salute all those nameless and faceless people – commonly called ‘common man’ / ‘aam-aadmi’ – who have displayed courage in their life and have stood for their ideology and along the way have inspired themselves and others in their sphere to do just what they had always wanted to do – just like the way the world leaders from all walks of life, sports included, have motivated people since the time immemorial!

Watching Mahendra Singh Dhoni lead India to lift the most prized possession in the world of cricket, famously called The Cup That Counts and bring back the most coveted of the silverware in a trophies-chest after 28 long years with his masterstroke of an innings of 91n.o. when India looked shaky from the early exit of stalwarts like Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar said a lot about the man! In spite of so-called not being in his “true form” during the tournament with bat – I say, he was in full form with his captaincy! – he took that bold step of coming out at No.4 when the chips were down for India – and the stakes were pretty high. I cannot imagine any other captain being his ‘natural’ courageous self when India’s possible monumental loss could have got pinned on his shoulders for ever if his strategy had backfired! He looked his usual self i.e. calm and determined from the first go; he remained focused even under intense pressure; and he set out to play the much needed “Captain’s Knock” and steered India the Mahi-way to the victory! And when he hit that huge winning SIX, the nation cheered and cried simultaneously! And then like a true leader he slipped out of the glare and let his team savour the moment! (In no photograph taken on the ground with the cup you will see him clearly.) His ability to handle such momentous moments is supremely humble which is simply awesome!

It was an enormous emotional moment for the entire country. To see a super cool captain Dhoni trying to hide his tears from the cameras was indeed overwhelming! (I couldn’t control my tears.) And who can ever forget tears rolling freely out of legendary Sachin’s eyes (I can hear Sachin say: “I had a dream…!”) and Yuvraj’s, Bhajji’s and almost every member of the winning team adding to the collective pool. Those “Tears of Joy” made the entire country cry with happiness and relief and the satisfaction of getting to hold the Ultimate Cup, again, and being crowned as the Cricket Superpower! … Let the Celebrations continue! …

The most remarkable dimensions of his personality – character is the most apt word – are his trademark brutal honesty and straightforward streak! His beautiful smile on his handsome face (long hair/short hair/no hair: he looks as admirable as always!) radiates his core the best! His ability to stick to his principles and values and beliefs even under trying circumstances is almost unprecedented and infectious; and, his greatness to be able to remain rooted in spite of being a “super successful” and a “super rich” sporting icon in today’s times of glamour and glitz is incredible; remember, he is Indian cricket’s favourite poster boy! His leadership of guts and gutsy decisions – gut instincts! – are aspects of his being that are hugely inspirational! His unshakeable inner calmness with an equally strong confident exterior which he reflects is amazing! He commands respect from all, to say the least. Let us not forget that most of the members of the present team have played under erstwhile captain; it was Dhoni becoming the captain which made them perform at their best.

Let us not forget that he doesn’t come from any “cricketing nursery” – the so-called big towns – where cricket is considered a serious career option and have necessary cricketing ambiance and facilities. What is extraordinary about his constitution is that in spite of this he has been able to carry his team and its individual egos – comprising of seniors and juniors and contemporaries - forward as the most successful captain – and a formidable cricketer - of the most successful Indian cricket team ever! Mahi is a magical leader! 20-20; 50-50; ODI No.1; Tests No1; what next, Mahi?!

Today, if MSD is called Midas Singh Dhoni, then let’s accept the fact “fortune favours the brave”!

(Keep up your courage, Captain MSD! And, a huge THANKS, Mahi and your formidable team (especially Sachin, Sehwag, Yuvi, Bhajji, Zaheer, Kohli, Nehra, and …) along with Guru Gary and the entire support staff, for bringing the Cricket World Cup back to India!)

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a study in himself! …

May God be with MSD, as always J

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Honi ko anhoni karde, anhoni ko honi!...

Aur kaun, but our Captain Courageous Dhoni! J

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Besides cricket per se, another highlight of the just concluded – and conquered! – cricket world cup has been the transformation of Sonia Gandhi. After Uncle Rajiv’s death, she seemed to have gone into her cocoon in spite of being in the public life as a political leader. It was a pure delight to see her enjoy India’s win over Pakistan in Chandigarh! She looked living her life, finally! And, yesterday night, watching her come out in an open jeep to be amongst the celebrating crowd cemented her “coming of”! … Keep it up, Sonia Aunty :)

CWG: Great show, India! But, do not forget to hang Kalmadi & Co.

Great show, India! 101, the magical figure which we reached with medals, make us so proud! Our athletes deserve a standing ovation! And, of course, not to forget the people behind staging of spectacular opening and closing ceremonies! It would be unfair if we do not salute the organizers for conducting the Games as it should have been done!

The preparedness came out to be superb ultimately! The facilities were world class! The Games Village was certainly best ever provided to sports fraternity for a CWG gathering! The stadia turned out to be spectacularly built! The turnout of all 71 countries (including the overseas territories of the UK) qualified Delhi 2010 to be the biggest ever Games! The viewership was equally massive – the biggest ever!

And, biggest was the money spent on the Commonwealth Games!

Rs. 77,000 crores! …

By any standards, this amount is quite huge! It still could have been justified - in a country with almost 70% people struggling to make two ends meet - if every penny was spent honestly – on sports and sportspersons and stadia and infrastructure. But we all know that this hasn’t been the case. The organizers and government officials – and politicians – involved in making Delhi ‘Games Ready’ indulged into unprecedented levels of corruption. Corruption so colossal and everybody so busy looting the country’s coffers that even when the nations in the Commonwealth Comity started to descend in Delhi, India looked in shambles.

Then the ‘Commonwealth Games Price Index’ was unbelievable! Money spent on purchase of materials and infrastructure was so exorbitant that it made one feel as if those were imported from Pluto! The entire scene was so embarrassing that at one point I felt ashamed of being an Indian. And it was in spite of the Indian Media – though quite belatedly – relentless in exposing the depth of corruption in hosting of the Games. Suresh Kalmadi, Sheila Dikshit, Jaipal Reddy, MS Gill, … were extraordinarily shameful in their conduct. There was simply no one around to take accountability for chaos and crises surrounding staging of biggest ever sporting extravaganza on Indian soil. The saddest part was that even our respected prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh – and Mrs. Sonia Gandhi – chose to keep quiet in spite of mounting criticisms. The result was that India from being ‘Incredible’ became ‘Unlivable’ in eyes of the world! … All was not well.

(Sheila Dikshit, don’t try to take entire credit for the success of the Games. You too are equally culpable for CWG mess and muck.)

Now that the Games are over; now that India has emerged as a strong sporting nation with second position in the medals tally: 38 gold haul and a total of 101 achievements; now that the world is convinced about India’s capabilities to stage a world class sporting event; now that all athletes have gone back happy; … we have to go back to the people who were responsible for holding the Games and take account of all the money spent. India should not spare the corrupt organizers, various governmental and sporting bodies and let them go scot free. As Suresh Kalmadi has said: “Hang me if found guilty!” I echo him: Hang Suresh Kalmadi & Co.! …

Though Suresh Kalmadi has emerged as the chief protagonist in the entire scam saga, it would be really naïve to think that he had the solo performance. As per official records, the Organizing Committee was given only Rs. 1600 crores towards expenditure from the allocated CWG funds of Rs. 77,000 crores. Majority of the money was so-called spent on building stadia, roads, flyovers, Games Village etc. which were under direct control of Delhi Government, Center (Lt. Governor of Delhi) and Urban Development ministry. Suresh Kalmadi had nothing to do with all of that. If India looked so pathetically inefficient and not at all ready even a few days before the start of the Games, main culprits were Sheila Dikshit, Jaipal Reddy and MS Gill, besides Suresh Kalmadi, who were directly overseeing functioning of the various bodies and agencies involved in preparing Delhi for the Games. For sure all these political figures are not saints walking the surface of India!

Therefore, my appeal is to the Prime minister to order a comprehensive probe and adequately punish all involved. Just by throwing Suresh Kalmadi out in the cold – now – will seem like shielding Sheila Dikshit, MS Gill, Jaipal Reddy and others.

PM’s belated action also makes one get a firm feeling that the plundered funds have indeed reached pockets of people at top of political pyramid of the Indian establishment and thus this “deflective directive” to nail Suresh Kalmadi alone is in fact to save those prominent players. Going by Indian standards, such a monumental scam couldn’t have been possible without political heavyweights getting their share in the loot. Moreover, the Indian Government knows too well that world famous Indian amnesia would take over soon and everybody – Media & Public - would conveniently forget about CWG and corruption and all corrupt people will continue to live happily ever after!

Here, I want to articulate one thing very clearly: the only person whom India believes to be absolutely above all kinds of corruption is the prime minister Manmohan Singh. And we are proud of him!

Hope, Mr. PM, you will be able to assert yourself and ensure proper action against all involved post probe – if it ever gets completed, unlike earlier times. Then only India will say: All is well! J

India is waiting and watching …

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Post script: Let us not forget our athletes now that the Games are over. After giving the Doordarshan its highest ever TRP in recent times, let us not exhibit our contradictory behavior and ignore other sports for cricket, as always…

Shouldn’t more such sporting events be organized regularly as India is ready for it now? Of course, minus Suresh Kalmadi, Sheila Dikshit, MS Gill, Jaipal Reddy … (Kala-pani for Kala-madi! To give him company, send Sheila Dikshit, MS Gill, Jaipal Reddy along with!)

Hang Kalmadi ! And, Declare the Games Cancelled!

Mr. Prime Minister and Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, hang Suresh Kalmadi. And do not spare Sheila Dikshit, MS Gill, Jaipal Reddy and all those responsible for proper staging of the Commonwealth Games.

And, cancel the Games.

Mr. PM and Mrs. G, India has been shamed immensely and there is nothing left to salvage anymore. Before every Commonwealth country withdraws leaving India’s shameful unpreparedness to make Delhi’s life even more miserable, please pull the plug.

Mr. PM and Mrs. G, I wonder how on the earth could we manage an assortment of the worst kind of people to organize the Games. The embarrassment is so colossal that no amount of PR will ever get India’s prestige back. With its reputation in tatters and beyond repairs, India will never be able to stage a comeback on the global high table. The hosting of this sporting event has put India in a uniquely bizarre situation from where there is absolutely no escape. The whole world is laughing at us and is aghast and amused at our incredible ineptitude. After 7 years and 70,000 crore (US $ 2 bn) we could not even manage a simple event like the CWG! It is unbelievable and hugely humiliating.

Mr. PM and Mrs. G, both of you maintained your steely silence throughout even while the country’s coffers were being looted unashamedly by a bunch of utterly corrupt officials and politicians and let the country get humiliated and mutilated simultaneously. Not even for once did you own up your leadership responsibility which is highly disappointing.

Mr. PM and Mrs. G, if it was not for the Indian Media the nation would probably never have got the exact details of the mess that the CWG and the country are in today! The rot would have remained under the carpet and the country would have woken up to the devastating realities only when international delegations would have descended in the city and would have revolted against the shocking state of affairs surrounding the Games. India today is enormously indebted to the Media (I especially thank Times Now for starting the trail of Games exposes) for bringing the nauseating truth out of the closet with relentless coverage of the scam & sham that is CWG! And, not to forget Mani Shanker Aiyar!

Mr. PM and Mrs. G, the most appalling thing is that even today – after being subjected to insults of global proportions – no one is ready to own the accountability for the chaos and crises. The buck is unapologetically being passed around. But just remember that “the buck stops with you”. Therefore, take immediate action. Sack Kalmadi and Sheila and Gill and all involved with the Games. I am sure if a similar shameful episode (never-ending soap!) had happened in China, all involved would have been hanged in public!

And, cancel the Games.

If today from “Incredible India” we have become “Unlivable India”, you two are equally responsible, Mr. PM and Mrs. G.

To sum up my anguish and anger, I use Arnab Goswami’s analogy from today’s News Hour: It is like watching an accident in slow motion. … :(

You would have been 66 today, Rajiv uncle :)

Rajiv uncle, I became your fan on the 31^st day of October in 1984. The character exhibited by you on that day while taking over the prime ministership of India attracted me towards you. I felt I have found my “Hero”! On one side you looked completely composed, showing no signs of extreme personal trauma with your mother’s assassination – every bit a national leader at that young age – and on the other side you seemed to be absolutely apolitical. Yes, you not looking like an average Indian politician appealed to me the most!

Rajiv uncle, as you were the first person I had become a fan of, I started behaving like one! If you would have met my parents they would have told you how annoyed they used to get seeing “windows” in newspapers even before the day was over! Even repeated scolding could not deter me from cutting out your photographs from newspapers everyday! Magazines were also routinely subjected to same brutal scissor treatment by me! Diamond Comics series dedicated to you was soon bought by me. The result of this hobby which I was pursuing religiously was that soon I had built a beautiful collection of your photographs – of all possible sizes - which gradually grew into uncountable numbers and a precious possession! (I still indulge into this habit.)

Rajiv uncle, today I will confess about my “chori”, the only one so far! – of my life. I had accompanied my parents to a doctor’s chamber where I saw November’84 – perhaps – issue of Frontline magazine dedicated to you. It was, as guessed by you rightly, full of your pictures. I politely requested the aged physician to give that magazine to me and he refused flatly. I acted like a “true” fan and resorted to the best technique I thought appropriate at that time: I filched the magazine! You should have seen the anger followed by resignation on my mother’s face later! But I still believe that “effort”, howsoever “illegal”, was worth it!

And, I was always thankful to our good old Doordarshan for giving adequate airspace to you, which ensured I could see you speak regularly.

Rajiv uncle, your becoming the prime minister also initiated me into the world of “current affairs” – politics – of India and the world as well. From Day1 of your assuming office I started maintaining a “Diary” in which I used to note down in brief your daily itinerary. Soon the ambit of my notings enlarged to sports – tennis and soccer in particular, and cricket in general – in separate diaries. (Soccer and F1 diaries are still being filled in regularly.)

Rajiv uncle, your becoming the PM also put me on the path of communication with a person whom I had never met. Yes, of course, I am taking about you. I treasure all your letters – replies – and cards – and your autographed photograph - which I can never exchange even for the entire wealth of this world! Thanking you for taking time out from your extremely busy schedule to reply – timely – to a young fan would not be adequate. I really do not know the right expression for this grand gesture of yours. But to say that I enjoyed exchanging views on the then prevailing political situations with you would be an understatement. In fact, the day I would post a letter or a card I would start waiting anxiously for your response! Initially you used to acknowledge my letter in a few words but gradually those grew into 2-pages long detailed discussions. I sometimes read them to relive those days!

Rajiv uncle, here I would like to confess about one of my biggest mistakes which I committed under the influence of my young age. I still hate myself for stopping writing to you after the Bofors scandal. To tell you honestly, my immature mind and heart were absolutely shattered at the alleged involvement of yours in the whole corruption scam. “Even Rajiv uncle? …” And I foolishly decided not to pursue my communication with you any further.

Rajiv uncle, I know that the world is not going to believe me if I tell them that after 8 months of hiatus, you wrote to me without waiting for a letter from me. And I felt ashamed till my core. I cannot thank you enough for ensuring our favourite-fan relationship continued till you lived. I have lived with enormous guilt since then because soon I came to know that I will never ever get the chance to “undo” it in this lifetime. I am saying sorry today, which I know I must have said then. I am sorry, Rajiv uncle.

Rajiv uncle, I remember receiving your last letter dated 21^st April on 3^rd of May to which I couldn’t send a reply as the next day only I had to travel to Bombay for academic pursuit. Little did I know then that I will never ever get the chance to reply to your letter in this life of mine. Your mindlessly brutal killing on 21^st May’91 shattered me immensely. I went numb. My family and close friends called me to inquire as they all knew how deeply attached I was to you. Watching your body being consigned to fire made me cry in public for the first time. Those sacred flames seemed to be taking away my Hero – my most favourite personality ever! – forever…

Rajiv uncle, I hugely regret not getting the opportunity to meet you in person. It was of course my biggest dream - to meet you and talk to you and discuss the entire world with you! But what I regret even more is the cruel cutting short of your life at a young age of 46. The closest I could get to you was when I met Sonia aunty at your home on 31st May'06 on her invitation.

Rajiv uncle, I felt intensely connected with you also because of our shared date of birth. You know that your untimely demise has never let me enjoy my birthday in real sense as every year on 20^th August, the date of my birth – our DOB – I start the day with moist eyes. I simply cannot help crying seeing your photographs in newspapers.

Today is 20^th August. You would have been 66 today. I know you are not alive in the worldly sense but you are - will be - alive - living - in my memory, forever. I miss you, nevertheless.

Happy Birthday, Rajiv uncle :)