SG is a moron

"Violent action is just a step away from violent thought" Meaning - we want to control your thought, like thinkpol in 1984.

" What is needed is for social media stakeholders, legal experts and government to come together and create a detailed code of hate speech and the punishment each offence will carry."  - 2 years for calling some one a moron, 5 years for calling some one incompetent?

That was Sagarika Ghose in Outlook. For those who are unaware, Ghose is the CNN-IBN deputy editor. She is also proof that going to St Stephens, getting a Rhodes Scholarship and an M Phil from Oxford doesn't cure one of inherent emptiness. Ghose's gaffes can fill an entire wikipedia page. The most memorable one for me is her wishing "Good Friday greetings to all! Hope we're all getting some easter eggs today" on Twitter. She is one of the most ridiculed journalists in Twitter. And she hates twitter because they fact check and make her look stupid. That is what drives all theses journalists nuts. Years of carefully created public image blown away because some anon some where points out that you are full of gas.

But the real danger with people like Ghose is that they seem to have the ear of UPA government. One can almost see these Delhi journalists' hand in blocking twitter handles. The actions of the UPA government - banning websites, demanding apology from Washington Post for an editorial - would make one think that the Orwellian world has arrived. Only the stupidity and the clumsiness of the government make it a bearable farce. And the knowledge that the inertia of India makes it impossible for the country to swing to either extremes.

Confessions of a 2G Note

I am an orphan inference,
an outcome of fun and irrelevance.
My progenitor disowns me,
but I am there for the whole world to see.
I have got the home minister's goat,
I am the finance ministry's 2G note.


Context: Salman Kurshid calls the 2G Note prepared by the finance ministry with inputs from other ministries and sent to PMO as an 'orphan inference'.

What did the Dravidian Movement do for Tamilnadu?

Writer Jeyamohan has written an article explaining why he is against the Dravidian movement in Tamilnadu. It takes real guts to write such an article in today's scenario, but Jeyamohan has always been known for his independent views.

To summarise the article, he faults the Dravidian movement for

- diluting the Dalit empowerment movement till the 1980s

- just paying lip service for Tamil development and indulging in superficial stuff like World Tamil Conferences while little or no literary and archaeological research has taken place after these parties came to power.

- for claiming credit for work done by people like U Ve Saminatha Iyer, Marai Malai Adigal, Thiru Vi Ka, Ma Po Sivagnanam and others who were not connected to (and in some casess against) the Dravidian movement.

I agree with most of his comments. However, despite all this, Tamils have been consistently voting for the Dravidian parties for the past 40 years. I myself have voted DMK in all the elections since I started voting. Whatever Rahul Gandhi tries in Tamilnadu, it is hard to see any one other than M K Stalin become the CM in 2011. So, what makes the Dravidian parties tick in Tamilnadu?

Economic Prosperity. Even the worst critics of Dravidian movement can't refuse the fact that TN is amongst the developed states in the country. One of my grouses is that the mushrooming of Matriculation schools since 1970s killed Tamil as medium of instruction in TN. No one sends his kids to Tamil medium schools in TN if he can afford to put them in Matriculation schools. Not only the cities, the craze for Matriculation schools is prevalent even in small towns and villages. We now have a generation of Tamils who can hardly read Tamil. But, this proliferation of Matriculation schools (of dubious quality) led to a generation of English speaking Tamils who found it easier to be employed. Given a choice between employment probability and pride of language, employment wins hands down.

Tamilnadu has institutionalised corruption. Every one knows it, but has become indifferent to it. The common refrain is , "Both parties are corrupt, but the DMK at least gets the infrastructure put in place. So what if they take their x %, let's treat it as their service charge".

So despite all their shortcomings, the Dravidian parties continue to rule TN. We have accepted all their sins and misdeeds. This sounds pernicious, but that's how things are.

TN Elections

I have been voting since 1996 and have voted for DMK in all the elections so far. In all these elections I had also guessed the statewide results and general trend correctly. This time due to Srilankan issue I decided to vote for ADMK and was sure that it will be 30-10 for ADMK. The results are 30-10, but for DMK. It is difficult to accept, but CNN IBN did a good job.

Development wise the DMK government in the state has done a fairly good job (except for the power situation). However in the Srilankan Tamil issue they were percieved to be against the sentiment of Tamilnadu people. So it boiled down to development vs emotive issue and development won. Yes, money was paid for the votes (ranging from Rs. 200.00 in Tuticorin to Rs. 2000.00 in Madurai) but that alone can't win elections (I hope).

P Chidambaram is trailing in Sivaganga and he might lose. The Eelam issue might be cited as one of the main reasons for his defeat, but there is a story within the story. PC's clean image has taken a beating in the constituency ever since his son Karthi Chidambaram entered the constituency politics. That also is a significant factor in his defeat.

Tamil Eelam and Tamilnadu

With the near decimation of LTTE as a fighting force, one phase of the Tamil struggle has come to an end. I have never been to Srilanka nor have I interacted extensively with Srilankan Tamils, so I can't comment on the ground realities or how that struggle is going to proceed further. Many tamils of Tamilnadu themselves think of the problem as one that started with the 1983 pogrom and are not aware of the history of the Tamil struggle since 1950s. In such a situation, it is too much to expect the rest of India to show concern towards the Srilankan Tamils as they view the problem only through the prism of Rajiv Gandhi's assassination.

I perceive an identity crisis amongst a few Tamilnadu Tamils as to whether they have to be Tamils first or Indians. Their numbers might be minuscule, but this is dangerous to the idea of India in the long run. All political parties in the state are using the issue to score political points against each other with no common sense. Tamilnadu lacks a leader of the stature of Annadurai and the current leaders are leading the state towards a dangerous road.

May be I am reading too much into the situation. The issue might be forgotten when the next superstar movie releases and Tamils go back to their movies and mega serials.

Comrade Bush

Hugo Chavez delivers one of the best punchlines in international politics in recent years.

``I nationalize strategic companies and get criticized, but when Bush does it, it's OK,'' Chavez said on weekly television program Sept. 21. ``Bush is turning socialist. How are you, comrade Bush?''