30 July 2011

Fools and Kings.

Joker.
Debater.
Good For Nothing.
Mentally Sick.
Singer.
Storyteller.
Cartoon.


I will miss you, Sir. Each time we receive knowledge, we incur a debt. And the only way to pay back this debt is to spread the knowledge. I hope I am able to spread the lessons you taught me. Not Just of Economics. I will miss you.


Song : 500 Miles--Peter, Paul and Mary.


Every end has a beginning. Meet Jibber Jabber. (Click to See!) This one is to all my teachers.

Are you listening?

People value their opinions. We think our thoughts are important. And we like being heard. It hurts us when someone dismisses our thoughts or refuses to listen or disobeys us. We like our view of the world and wish that it was in fact the only view of the world.


There has been lots of debate on Anna Hazzare's fasts and the methodologies of India Against Corruption. There have been even more debates on the Lokpal Bill. And far too many on the Prime Minister's Faggot-ry. But what are the outcomes of these debates? Do people grasp the concepts and ideas exchanged/written? Do they make for good tea time bragging? Or are they meant to appreciate the speaker/writer's oratory/writing? What are we thinking when Prime Time Debate is aired? "Kya badiya sawaal poocha Barkha ne" "Kya jawaab diya Kapil Sibal Ne" Is it a Game of Chess? Or Age of Empires?


There is nothing that you can do that will force people to think objectively about an issue. Even at crucial points like elections, we just vote. No Manifestos. No Past Record. No Personal Details. We just land up at the booth to ink our fingers. Because we like our opinion being recorded. Do we like being held accountable for it?


Due to some freak of nature, I live in Kapil Sibal's constituency. Now, the Anna Gang decided that we'll hold a door to door referendum in the households of Kapil's constituency. The questionnaire (Click to See) contains almost all the conflict areas of the Two versions of the Lokpal Bill. After the survey, they are going to shove the results in Kapil Sibal's Face and say, "Now tell us, will you vote in Parliament on the basis of what your people have decided in this survey (Refer Ques 8) or on what Madame President (not Patil) tells you to. Check (Chess wala).


Are they going to ask poor people or rich people, I don't know. I know that they came to my home and all the three adults filled in their answers. My Mother had some trouble filling it coz well she's never filled an OMR sheet. I observed two things. She was sentimental about some answers. But that's true for almost everything else, including voting. (This is a logical fallacy. You can't justify a wrong by simply saying that other similar wrongs exist. Sophistry) The other thing was that she asked me things she didn't understand. How reliable a source I am, is out of the question, but the point is that she asked. I think that the referendum at least made us think once as to what really the issue is and that do we really have an opinion on it. Nothing else has ever had that effect on People.


As much as we like being heard, we are also afraid of being judged. This is the answer to the question I asked before. We don't like being held accountable for our opinions. We don't like being told we made the wrong choices. This is why, even I flinched twice. I don't know if this referendum will be used or misused. But for once, people will be held accountable for their opinion. If the proposed Anna Lokpal goes through, and God forbid it turns out to be a monster, we can finally BLAME the people. It would be their fault. Akal thikane aa jaayegi. And if it does not turn into a Frankenstein, well wo-ho! Bye Bye Corruption!


All Democratic Institutions have an exit route. You can collectively decide to no longer obey the collective. The most fundamental principle of a democracy is people's opinion. And if people decide, for whatever reason (rational or crap), that they want to give up their opinion, this has to be upheld. As much as any hero would like to fight against such a rogue idea, which would kill a democracy, he cannot. He would be fighting for people's opinion in general which is against the current opinion of the people. You can only pray. And do good. What is Good? People's Good. Opinion or No Opinion, people are still hungry and dying. Help them?


A democracy collectively decided to appoint a dictator.


Look around carefully and you'll realize that the above is very likely.


Opinions are important. Welcome to Jibber Jabber.

Addendum : This came with the newspaper on July 31st 2011.





27 July 2011

Jibber Jabber.

Don't worry the old blog is not dying. It's not even in ICU. It's not on a vacation either. It is however on its usual mid-year crisis.

Why A New Blog?

Of late, I have been thinking of current issues. Things that bother me. Stuff that's happening in the world. So I thought I'd make a separate blog for the same. This is not a newspaper. This is not an editorial page. This is also not a debating website. It is also not a unique blend of the three. Its just, jibber jabber.

I define things in the negative. New thing I learnt about myself :)

I am scared that I won't blog enough. But there is only one way to overcome that fear, to blog a lot. Only time will tell what comes out of this.

I am scared this is my way of escaping something. Weird feeling.

I am worried. About the world. 

Anyway. Stick around for the first post!

Rohan Chawla

9 July 2011

Eulogy.

To Moto Q9h. I knew your time was coming. But I didn't think you'd leave me like that. But I guess that which goes, goes. There is no how did it happen? It just happens. To the Good Times, coz that's all that matters and it is all that's left.


Read at your own risk.


Mensch was watching her carefully. Her hair, her face and her style mesmerized him. He was spellbound. He could feel the tension between them. He just could not wait any longer. But Klimmer would always stop him. He'd never personally tell Mensch to stay away from her, but Klimmer's own love for Gabriel and her reciprocity, was enough to keep him at bay.


Mensch walked up to Klimmer and :


M : I love her more than you ever will.
K : So, what do I do? You should tell her that.
M : And what if she leaves you after that?
K : Then she leaves me and you can have her.
M : You will do nothing to make her stay?
K : You fall in love and you fall out of love. And neither is in your control. So if she falls out of love, she falls out love. What can I do about that? Maybe I'll fall in love with someone else.
M : What if she cheats on you?
K : Then I'll forgive her.
M : You wouldn't be jealous if you saw me with her?
K : What is gone is gone. 


And then there was a gunshot.


Ending 1 :


M : You're a fearless man. And your time had come.


Ending 2 :


M :  You are a fear...less man.


K : And that's why she's with me. Not with a mass of flesh on the ground.


Ending  3 :


M : You are a fearless man. And I love you.


Her white dress was now stained with blood.


K : Well, what is gone is gone. Your place or mine?




I'll miss you Moto. We had some really good times. And as much as it hurts that it was an economic loss, what has happened has happened. Sunk Cost. Abh bas aage soch sakte hain.


Song : Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Cab Calloway.