If you haven’t been following the news, there’s been  back-to-back (supposedly racist) attacks on at least six Asians (Indians)  in Australia. One person (a 25 year old student named Shravan Kumar) suffered serious (almost fatal) injuries and is still in critical condition. The media has had its field day, voicing venomous rhetoric on the spate of racist attacks. There’s been a flurry of protests, globally. 18 Indians were arrested after one such protest (for no reason, apparently) and later let out, in Australia. The incident has reached spectacular proportions with  Amitabh ‘Big B’ Bachchan rejecting a doctorate degree conferred on him by Queensland University of Technology, Australia, in protest.

CC credits: ThinkVegan

A few thoughts in this regard:

• In India, millions of people were/are slaughtered (not just beaten up, but hacked into pieces) just because they belonged to a particular religion/caste/sect or because they spoke a particular language. News items about foreign nationals getting attacked/molested abound by the day. Such a nation, which can’t even handle its internal woes has no right to protest about half a dozen of  its citizens getting flogged abroad!
• People who go outside the nation to pursue higher education – I do not blame them. Our education facilities are abysmal to say the least. But they should keep the fact in mind that there’s no reason cribbing after being hit by drunk/unruly/racist people. They should’ve thought about the consequences.
• Australia, is more pluralist a nation than India, and if you check the stats, the incidents of violence is far lower than the same in India! Calling Australia (and other foreign nations where NRIs live, for that matter) ‘racist’ without any sound reason, whatsoever, is sheer madness! Any country would give preference to its own citizens rather than foreigners – it’s natural. Cribbing over policies by foreign nations that support its citizens and condemning their ‘discriminatory’ laws is childish!
• The media has a staunch hand in beating the issue out of proportion. Far from showing solidarity with the hapless victims, it has commercialized the whole issue, spewing meaningless debates, in a relentless quest for eye-ball space and ad-revenue! I’m reminded of the quote by media-baron Rupert Murdoch (which incidentally, is featured in the bond movie – ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’): “There’s no news, like bad news.”
• Why bother to leave your motherland for a distant land in search of ‘better prospects’? Given all the resources of our nation, it’s not so hard to find success here. All one needs is some will-power to fight the anomalies of the system that bog you down and to cut the red tape!

All said, Racism is a reality – an ugly truth that refuses to go away despite all the anti-apartheid-struggles and tryst-to-destiny’s. Xenophobia and racism – meaningless mutual hatred, will exist as long as man remains to be a social animal. However stringent the laws become, however brainwashed people get, in the back of their mind, many citizens, if not all,  will always be xenophobic. The only way to tackle racism is to stay back in your own nation, swear by it and to work for it!

Still, is it so hard to realize that despite minor bodily, soci0-economic differences, a subsaharan tribal is a carbon copy of Hon. Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd?

The last ink drop:

Check out this series of racism tests – an ingenious way to check if you’re racist or not!

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Within three days,  seventy hundred and fifteen million Indians would exercise their electoral franchise in the world’s biggest democratic exercise. Indeed, a proud moment for all of us Indians. The power of democracy showcased in its sublimest way. Yet, there are many amongst us, people who call themselves ‘skeptics’. People who’ve decided not to vote for this elections, citing a feeble argument that it wouldn’t make a difference.

CC Credits: piccadillywilson

Trust me, if you’re a person like that, you’re making a VERY VERY grave mistake!

In fact it’s incumbent on us to do something for our Motherland. “Us” as in, you, me and the people around us. That’s why India is  called a democracy. The best thing we can do is to vote out the present government and give someone else a chance. Someone once said that  in a democracy, no government is brought to power – always, the ruling government gets thrown out. We are responsible for our leaders and our country – the best thing we can do is to “vote” and make sure we are heard. If you say that doesn’t make a difference – then please open your eyes! To quote the Jaago Re ad, you are SLEEPING!  It really does make a difference. By not voting you are allowing a corrupt government to continue in power/you are not allowing a progressive government to continue the process of reforms (depends on how you view the current political milieu). If you vote against a corrupt government, you are at least “trying” to push them down and vice versa. Does that ring a bell? People often say:  “None of the candidates I’m goanna vote for are good. Then why even bother?”. Unfortunately, that is truth – it’s necessary evil. The situation can be changed only by getting more and more people to involve in politics. Politics is not a bad thing. It’s one of the best jobs in the world. It gives immense power – the power to make the world a better place to live in! It’s just because of a handful (understatement, yes!) of selfish, power-hungry ‘leaders’ that politics has lost its sanctity . Get involved in politics of the country so that you make yourself heard and not leave the fate of the country to some party leaders. Who are party leaders after all? They are just citizens of the country – you are as much responsible as they are – the only point is that you need to VOTE!

Why do things like reservation come up? Its minority appeasement and nothing more! Everyone knows that. Why do they have to appease the minorities? The facts are simple. Its only the minorities who vote – and the guys in power know that. Whatever the govt does against the majority; the majority assumes to be blind and “curses” destiny/fate/God. But we bloody do not ealise that, we need to show them that we are also a part of the country – and we should show that not by celebrating the victory of Abhinav Bindra and Dhoni’s men but by voting and say “Hello! We are also citizens of this country”. The same applies to the minorities who’ve been suffering from the yoke of oppression since God knows when. They should realize that they’re as equal as the people who exploit them. They should stand up against hunger and poverty. They don’t realize the potency of the weapon in their hands… The power of electoral franchise!

Terrorism – India bled and hung its head down in shame at Mumbai on 26th of November – when ten-odd people held the commerical capital of India to ransom. More importantly, they did it where the most elite people of the country assemble! The Taj and Oberoi – the supposed hang out place for the guys who run the economy. The terrorists were making one fact clear. “Hello folks – see we got into your Taj and killed people. We can EASILY walk into your residential area and do it! Get it? So please stop iritating us for Kashmir – give that part to us” . They could have killed lakhs from the slums of Dharavi with half the investment. Then why did they choose to kill a few hundred and attack just the rich? The answer to all these riddles lie in the sole press of a button. The button that could change world. The buttons of the electronic voting machine!

You’ve time from April 16th to May 13th. Analyze the performance of your candidates, run a background check, and go vote! Spend 2-3 hours in the queue and elect your leader. You spend the same amount of time to watch a Bollywood movie. Time is precious. Use it… to vote!

Stand up. Speak out. Change!

P.S.

Heavily inspired by an e-mail from a friend.

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Some of us Trivandrum bloggers met Shashi Tharoor yesterday (Tuesday, 31st March) at his residence in Pipinmoodu, Thiruvananthapuram. The meeting was organized by Kenney and had over ten of us, namely Akhil, Sanil, Chandrettan, Zaheer and others attending. The extremely busy M.P. candidate from the city spared a few moments for us and answered a couple of questions from us. Meeting the man was a great experience by its own right, and we once again avowed our votes for him.

Image Courtesy: Akhil

For more pics of the meet, check out this wonderful post by Akhil

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It’s confirmed, Dr. Shashi Tharoor is contesting for the Lok Sabha elections from Thiruvananthapuram. Hoardings proclaiming and endorsing his candidature have come up at every nook and corner of the city. Dr Tharoor has even got himself a custom web portal for his campaign promotion. His repute as an international statesman, celebrated journalist, and his tenure in the UN have given Mr. Tharoor a plethora of accolades. An acclaimed author who has fully realized the power and potential of India as a country, his prescient works like ‘India: From Midnight to Millenium’ clearly depict his immense knowledge about the length and breadth of India. Clearly, Dr. Tharoor is someone who can take the nation to the next level with his expertise and skill. He, indeed, is among the most eligible would-be MPs and Thiruvananthapuram must be proud to have someone as potent as a candidate for the Lok Sabha.

I’m no one to predict a landslide victory for Tharoor. There’s a rather fat chance that he might suffer an acrimonious defeat, considering the  uncertain political terrain in the state which even toppled the state’s best actor Prem Nazir when he contested elections – despite all his charm and personal goodwill.

I’m eligible to vote in this general election. My name is in the voter’s list and I’ve my Voters ID card. And I’m proud to say that I’d exercise my primal electoral franchise to vote for Dr. Shashi Tharoor! Not because I’m a supporter of Congress – I’m politically neutral. In fact, I support SFI at college, but again, I’m no communist.  True, I’m a fan of Dr. Tharoor (I’ve read almost all works of his and I’ve had the opportunity to interact with him once – I treasure his autograph.) But that’s not the reason why I would vote for him. I’ve my set of reasons.

Why my vote goes to Dr. Shashi Tharoor

1. I’ve already mentioned this – but Dr. Tharoor is well-educated and experienced by all conventional benchmarks. An alumnus of St. Stephen’s college, Delhi, he stood first  and obtained his BA (History) degree with a record score in History (honours). He served as the chairman of the college union during his days there. During his tenure at the debating society, he won every single debating prize ever possible! Dr. Tharoor went on to obtain a Ph.D at the Fletcher School of Law and diplomacy at the age of 22! A Fletcher record that has not been broken till date. Enough education to be the President of a country!
2. Let wiki do the talking about Tharoor’s career at the U.N.

Tharoor’s was an exceptional UN career, rising as he did from the P-2 level to the highest possible rank of Under-Secretary-General in a mere 23 years. He was privileged to play a key role in some of the major events of his time, from the Vietnamese boat people crisis to the Yugoslav Civil Wars, to serve in both the humanitarian and peace-keeping arenas as well as in the Secretary-General’s office^[2]. He established a reputation at the Department of Public Information as a reformer^[3] and as the UN’s most articulate voice for the principles of the United Nations Charter and the work of multilateralism in an increasingly unipolar world.^[4]. He took a number of initiatives, ranging from organizing and conducting^[5] the first-ever UN seminar on anti-Semitism and against Islamophobia^[6] to launching an annual list ^[7]of “Ten Under-Reported Stories the World Ought to Know About” ^[8]

I guess that again speaks volumes about Dr. Tharoor. A man who campaigned against ‘Islamophobia’, and someone who is very well aware of the global terrain, is indeed well equipped to ensure the progress of our God’s own country.

3. All said, Tharoor has proved himself as a globally renowned statesman, but will he take care of good ol’ Thiruvananthapuram, as he has proclaimed in his campaign website? The answer is simple. If he could govern global issues, far in magnitude and scale with ease, why can’t he do the same with Kerala? I’ve heard Tharoor speak and I’ve read all his books. He speaks insightfully and raises issues as yet ignored by most. He realizes the enormity of Kerala’s problems and has his set of vision statements that could and would change the way we live, sort-of.
4. Alright, you’re not voting for Tharoor. But who else are you going to vote for? A ‘communal’ P.K. Krishnadas? Or another run-of-the-mill politician P. Ramachandran Nair? Or rather, you would like to cast your vote in the favour of our ‘cultured’ BSP Candidate Mr Neelalohitadasan Nadar (Nalini Netto case fame). If you’re an educated voter, you know whom you’re goanna cast your votes for!

Criticisms against Shashi Tharoor and why they’re not goanna affect my mandate

• Lack of Malayalam Knowledge: Tharoor speaks beautiful Malayalam. In fact I’ve spoken to him in public! His Malayalam is perfect and he pronounces words fluently. Alright, he himself admits that he finds it hard to write/read the language, but again, as a Member of Parliament, his job is to communicate with the center and with his  flawless English and immaculate Hindi, he’s the right person for the job!
• Tharoor’s personal life: It’s a fact that Tharoor has divorced once and is now married to a Canadian national. But how would that affect his skills and capablity to represent a state’s issues? I don’t get that point!
• The Coca Cola Debate: ‘Open letters’ like this condemning Tharoor’s Coca Cola connection have propped up. Tharoor boldly replied to the letter here. Tharoor does not stand for the Coca Cola company, as he himself says. He is only an Advisory Board Member of  ’Yatn’ – A foundation by Coca Cola India for the greater good. Agreed, many of the claims raised in the open letter are true and that Tharoor speaks in favour of the company in his reply. But that doesn’t mean Tharoor is a bad statesman! He was just citing his point of view in his reply. All we hear about the Plachimada issue was brought to us by the media which sensationalizes issues. We don’t know what’s true. Tharoor’s take was based on his analyses of the entire issue. It may be right or wrong – its validity is not much of an issue here.
• Hidden corporate interests? This claim is raised unequivocally by all communists. Sigh! When are you people goanna learn? Will someone who has not a blemish on his name when he was managing global issues falter when it comes to a small state like Kerala? I don’t think so!
• The National Anthem ‘Scandal’: A mountain made out of a molehill, truly! We have politicians like Lalu Yadav who’ve gone wild, disrespecting the anthem. All Tharoor did was to hold his arms onto his chest in respect. That calls for another moot point – we need to upgrade our laws, period.

So, if you live in Thiruvananthapuram, and if you are eligible to vote in this general elections, choose wisely. Don’t vote for Shashi Tharoor because he’s a congressman. Vote for him, because he is what he is.

UPDATE: A very noted Malayalam blogger and a friend of mine – ഞാന്‍ , has vehemently opposed what I’ve written and has actually replied and vehemently criticised this post. You might like to read that post too.

ഞാന്‍ is someone I respect and honour a lot. I respect his political stance and choose not to counter-question his points, lest it morph into a fully-blown fight. But I’ve a question to ask him – a question that I’d posed earlier in this blog post. Assuming all what ഞാന്‍ says are true,  who else should I vote for? Another politician who would rob the district to abject poverty?! Analyze in whichever angle possible, find as many criticisms as you can; my views remain unchanged – My vote goes for Dr. Shashi Tharoor!

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