India celebrates 68th Independence Day

Another Independence day comes and goes. India has changed a lot in many ways physically and has not changed in some ways.

We gained freedom from British Rule ( who anyway never had a right to rule us in the first place) . True freedom eludes my country.

What I want for my country is
1) Freedome from corrupt Indians  
who think of only themselves , nothing about the country and its people. They go about constructing sub-standard infra-structures, producing sub-standard goods for the Indians, offering sub-standard services sucking away the wealth of several people into a channel for themselves . The corrupt cater to the corrupt so they can all be well-off at the cost of the common man.

2) Freedom from sexual and communal perverts, criminals, drug mafia
The girl child and women in India need to be protected from these people who are sexually starved men and boys. Communal minded thugs think they are doing their community/religion a favor with all the so-called movements fanning communal hatred that bring nothing but death, distruction and poverty.

3) Freedom from poverty and deprevation
Why are so many Indians so poor? no job? no house? no education? no money? no basic neccessities of life?? Don't they desreve as good a life as all of us? Why can't the affluent share their weath? Why can we not care about them?

4) Freedom from filth and garbage
I want to walk across an India clean, green, beautiful, and serene. I want freedom from garbage , filth, spits, potholes.

5) Freedom from 'i-don't-care' attitude
I want each and every Indian to feel responsible for India and its people 100% of the time in each and every action.

6) Freedom from 'chalta-hai' attitude
I want each and every Indian to deliver nothing short of Excellence in his chosen field.

On a personal level I want to be free to live life as I deem fit, spreading some happiness and cheer with every breath. I want freedom from desires for material acquisions, freedom from negative thoughts.

God Bless India !! God Bless Indians!! 

  

Message from The Prime Minister

The prime minister's official website reflected a refreshing change so very characteristic of Mr. Modi. Being tech savvy, here he is putting that to use to directly communicate with me and my country. Impressive. 

The link to PM's site is here

Mr. Modi was sworn in on 26th May 2014 and here is the message from him as the PM on the same day to the nation.

Message from The Prime Minister

My dear fellow Indians and citizens of the world,

Namaste!

A very warm welcome to the official website of the Prime Minister of India.

On 16th May 2014 the people of India gave their verdict. They delivered a mandate for development, good governance and stability. As we devote ourselves to take India’s development journey to newer heights, we seek your support, blessings and active participation. Together we will script a glorious future for India. Let us together dream of a strong, developed and inclusive India that actively engages with the global community to strengthen the cause of world peace and development.

I envision this website as a very important medium of direct communication between us. I am a firm believer in the power of technology and social media to communicate with people across the world. I hope this platform creates opportunities to listen, learn and share one’s views.

Through this website you will also get all the latest information about my speeches, schedules, foreign visits and lot more. I will also keep informing you about innovative initiatives undertaken by the Government of India.

Yours,
Narendra Modi

//Todo List for PM Modi

Winds of Change blowing in my land

The whole nation is posting todo list for the newly elected PM. The clear mandate has indicated people's willingness to love him, hero-worship him , to show them the right path.

Here is my //todo list for Mr.PM

1) Remove middlemen and man-power dependence as much as possible to reduce corruption - Make most of the common citizen's day-to-day affairs online . Like most of our bills and payments (Electricity bill , telephone bill, property tax, water bill etc) are already online. Where I had an issue was

• Ration office 
• PCMC Change of my name in water bill
• Getting house original documents from the Taluka Haveli Office

 Bottom line is where ever a citizen needs to get some document out of the govt systems, and we go thro' people, we run into hurdles - If this can be made online eliminating people interference, we can at one stroke hack away lot of corruption.

2) Cleanliness of roads , public places 
Here we should have a system in place which will fine very heavily anyone behaving irresponsibly - In fact the check and balances for citizen's responsibility is what he needs to put in place - very strict disciplinary action against all types of violations of the law of land

3) Video surveillance everywhere - 
I was robbed of my passport and valuables while travelling in a public bus in Pune - I want a video camera in every public transport vehicle to catch criminals who have made a living out of stealing and atrocities against women.

4) Police empowered 
I want our police to be the highest paid, well off so they never need to resort to corruption, trained and empowered with knowledge, dedication and honesty.

5) Top class public transport systems (buses, trains) running on time and be the cheapest mode of travel in the country.

6) On the whole I want Mr Modi to be the most admired PM, steering the people of India to self-discipline, law abiding, responsible citizenship. 


   

History is made today - Narendra Modi is the new PM

"A strong government is 

where the will of the people matters, 

where the voice of the people is heard 

and where the dreams of the people are fulfilled." 

Narendra Modi

Historic day in Indian History - 16th May 2014
Well, it has been one of a kind day. Election results of 2014 Lok Sabha polls have been announced and it is a land slide victory for BJP and a land slide defeat for Congress. BJP won absolute majority in Lok sabha and Congress toiling to get even the 54 seats they require if they are to appoint their own leader of opposition in Lok sabha

A Vote against Congress and Corruption
India votes against the massive corruption and chooses a no-nonsense leader. Hope is filling the air and a new India is about to emerge from the dark shadows of murky politics.

Election as a weapon
Indians have shown to the world how quietly that election can be the weapon in common man's hands to seat/unseat power. From now on , no party , no minister will take the common man for granted. He/she needs to be wooed with achievements - "Show me your report card" type.

The AAP who made such great speeches about corruption but had no report card to show were thrown out .

The congress with an uninspiring lukewarm leadership which slumbered thro' corruption cases after corruption cases and on top at the last minute came out praising its achievements and playing down the horrors of corruption could not fool the common Indian man and woman .  

Mr Modi showed his card - "I can do it for India as I have done for Gujarat" The common Indian very carefully studied his report and have solely placed their faith in him "Lead us to good Governance Modi " - the mandate speaks to Modi.

My Optimism for a bright Future
I am happy for my country. I have a high regard for Mr Modi . The clear mandate of the people of India gives tremendous power to Mr Modi to make the changes he wants quickly.

His top class oratory skill and aggressiveness makes him a trusted spokesperson for India. His own corruption-free clean image helps him win the common man's trust.

Let us forgive him and forget Gujarat riots and move on. Nothing is achieved by clinging to the past if it will help us move to a better future. Ofcourse Mr Modi has to constantly ensure that such genocides will NEVER happen EVER AGAIN in India. Let him rule for next 20 years .

He has a massive job in the next 6 months in setting up his govt. and  a well-oiled governance machinery.

His work will be two pronged -

• On one hand he needs to weed out all those corrupt centers of power that have taken deep roots in various governing bodies from top to bottom.
• On the other , set up a new form of governance which will make corruption impossible.       

Indians want to be Proud of their PM
I want to be an Indian proud of my PM which I could never say about Manmohan Singh.  I have high regard for the economic wisdom , integrity of MMS but when he talks you always change channels.

Let Modi have a free hand in changing the way we have worked so far with all sorts of man-made hurdles. Let him take India ahead to a country of Excellence. Lets us seal the door to corruption and corrupt people. Let transparency be our USP.  

Welcome Prime Minister . Show us the path. 

B K S Iyengar and Yoga for Healthy Long Life

Yoga exponent B K S Iyengar at age 96 Years !!

Recently I watched with amazement A TV Program called "Walk The Talk " Shekar Gupta, a famous TV anchor and chief editor of a news paper/ TV Channel  , walks with a celebrity in deep conversation. Here I watched him in conversation with One of India's most famous Yoga exponent B K S Iyengar at age 96 Years !!

First of all he is the living example that Yoga can help one maintain good health !! Imagine 96 and still teaching and practising Yoga. His advice was simple - the 3 Ws - Work, Words, Worship - Action, Thought and Spirituality.

Energy Flows from the Cosmos
He  explained how Yoga Asanas combined with Pranayama help in generating/increasing energy flow in the body - When the mind, body, spirit and the Cosmos all become one , the energy flows from the Cosmos to the body. He also said the Yoga Asanas depend a lot on bodily alignments which help clear the energy paths and cure all ailments. .

What I loved about this great guruji is his frequent child-like smile and laughter. For one who had created Yoga teachers across the world, and had followers across the humanity spectrum , he comes across as down-to-earth humble and wise man.

I want to ( will try to ) imbibe his philosophies in (rest of ) my life  

So I checked up all the information about him. His official web site does not carry lots of pages boasting and praising him but the links are sufficient to tell one about his greatness. His website is here .

Being an avid yoga practitioner, I checked up YouTube for videos of his Yoga demonstrations. I came across some very early days ones like 1938 type, the last demo I could locate was 1988 type - he must have been around 72 Years - But what RAW Power !! What flexibility!! What perfection - It was like poetry in Grace.

RAW POWER
He was simply so powerful so totally in control of his body - he exuded raw power - it looked like as if he could kick a strong man to death . Of course one cannot imitate him and try all those Asanas - that skill has been developed from young age of 10 to 12 when your bones are flexible and years upon years of practice for perfection.

India has honored him with the highest civilian honour - The PadmaVibhushan      
And he seems fit to live another 50 years!!

So it is that he inspires so many of us to imbibe healthy lifestyle and lead a disease free healthy happy life.  I also learnt a very valuable lesson - Achieve excellence in your chosen field and you will be in great demand for ever. He is still practising Yoga for 3 to 4 hours a day in order to discover some new elements he might have missed - Imagine that after 80+ years of practice. That is Passion for one's chosen call in life. And here I am still in search of my call - Batak Rahi Hoon !!!

In Deep Gratitude and Appreciation 
for him and all such great human beings like him who inspire us to lead a better and more peaceful life.

Whom to Vote??

India is going to poll

We the people of India are going to elect who will govern us for next 5 years. It is fight against the prevailing corruption which is always in terms of Lakhs of Crores - 1, 00, 000, 00,00, 000 X n [ 1 Billion X n ] like our population is 1 Billiuon + , our corruption size is also in billions. I am simply in awe of the size of corruption. 

Mr. Narendra Modi 

He is projected as the prime ministerial candidate of BJP and Yes, he wants to be the PM. 

Mr. Rahul Gandhi 

He is spear-heading the congress campaign . No, he does not want to be the PM but if his party wants then he will obey Party high command.

So one understands that it is a fight between 2 main parties BJP and Congress - Right?? No No that is totally wrong - All sorts of regional parties, independent candidates, Third Front which is a conglomeration of parties not including BJP and Congress All TV Channels are full of debates, interviews, accusations etc.. the whole day. 

So I am in a dilemma
Whom should I choose to be my leader?? I feel Mr. Modi should be given a fair chance to prove his promises of a clean and efficient administration , a promise of total Transformation- just for a change. 

Rahul Gandhi who was thoroughly dissected by Arnab Goswami in Times Now Channel with a marathon interview left me wondering . Is a true leader hiding in him? I anyway like his dimpled smile and handsome young looks.  

Google to my rescue
As always I turned to my best friend who always stands by my side - my Google Search. 

First I searched about Modi - Read all about him in Wikipedia, visited his official web site - was amazed to read his literary work . He has a master's degree in political science. He has ruled Gujarat for last 14 years , has brought magical transformations in many ways. I spent hours reading his ebooks - his book on education is so beautifully illustrated with pictures. thorougly impressed ,  my choice of my PM is almost made, I now ventured to find out how will I be making my choice by voting in my constituency. 
   
I am in Maval Constituency
Now I live in a area called PCMC and my son said this area comes under Maval Constituency. So I tried to find out who the candidates were and who would my chosen leader to represent me in parliament - BJP or Congress. My personal choice was to any man of high integrity, a true selfless leader ( What a day-dream!!) who would really care about our area.

=========================================================
From official Indian election web site :

One of the 48 parliamentary constituencies of Maharashtra, the Lok Sabha constituency of Maval came into existence after the Presidential notification of delimitation of constituencies in 2008 and comprises of six Vidhan Sabha segments of which one is reserved for the SC category. According to Election Commission of India 2009 data the total electorates in the Maval Parliamentary constituency (constituency number 33) were 1,604,886 of which 753,914 are females and 850,972 are males. Maval is a tehsil and taluka of the Pune District and belongs to the Pune Division. Pune District has 15 talulaks and 13 Panchayat Samitis with a total area of 15,642 sq km.

According to the 2011 census, the district has a population of 9,429,408 making it the 4th most populated district in India. About 12% of the population is below six years of age and the city has a 52% male majority as well as a sex ratio of 915 females for every 1000 males. The average literacy rate here is about 86.25% with 90.84% male literacy and 81.05% female literacy. Marathi is the official language here while languages like Hindi and Gujarati are spoken by the locals. The population density here is 603 inhabitants per sq km. Pune District houses the Pune University which is one of the premier universities of the country. NH-4, NH-9, NH-50, Mumbai Pune Expressway along with five State Highways connect the district to several major towns and cities.

========================================================

Totally clueless , I spent about 2+ hours gaining as much information as possible about the candidates representing me in Parliament. First of all, the Election website of India was not updated with the candidates list.

Anyway my choice zeroes in upon 3 candidates:

1) Laxman Jagtap 

He was a NCP member, but he has quit that party recently and now will be contesting as an independent candidate with the support of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP). Does have a brief web site giving all his achievements for his constituency- lots of work in PCMC area and office - declared asset of 6 Crores ( an increase of 2+ Crores since 2009) , owns no vehicles etc.. My choice tilted toward him - even Art of living Guruji has endorsed him . 

Then I read conflicting reports about his huge wealth - he is known as Master of TDR , he came with a cavalcade of 500 (!!!!) jeeps with supporters to register for his nomination. He is educated upto high School. 

Now I was confused - First of all he was neither Congress nor BJP which means which ever party got or likely to get majority, his one seat if he won would be a valuable addition. 

2) Rahul Narwekar

He is fighting as a NCP candidate, but was actually a  staunch Shiv Sena party worker and Spokesperson, had quit the party recently and joined NCP. He was a leading NCP member Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar's son-in-law  - I could not locate much information about him, where he lives, has he done anything for my constituency in the past etc.. He does not have a web site so far . He has a nice intelligent smile though. He of the 3 candidates is most educated ( BA LLB ) .  I know our local corporator R.S.Kumar of my area is from NCP and a great social worker and very helpful for local problems. I also know a lady corporator MangalaThai Kadam  who is held in very high esteem by locals. But Rahul Narvekar - not much is known about him. I had thought Supriya Sule who is the daughter of Mr Sharad Pawar of NCP would represent my constituency and was willing to cast my vote for her. She has done lots of good work for her constituency. But Rahul Narwekar ?? Declared assets of 10+Crores which includes a speed boat as a movable property!! 

3) Maruthi Bopkar : 

He has joined Aam Admi Party recently ( ??? ) and I had never heard of him. But it turns out that he has been working in my area as a elected political representative ( Ah - my political knowledge is pathetic) and more for farmer welfare and with Anna Hazare in Anti-corruption movement . He had a web site with few pages listing all his achievements and services. He travelled by a public transport bus with 3 supporters to file his nomination papers ( Compare with Jagtap!!) He has also studied upto high School. Very little cash and property declaration. 

Political Gyan

So now I am more enlightened about regional parties in Elections and how powerful they were in tilting the final count for who will govern my country. Tamil Nadu has Jaya Lalitha AIDMK trying for 38 Parliament Seats, Mamta of TMC from Bengal , Nitesh from Bihar - all aiming to be PM candidates too and with so many seats. 

Some Gyan has dawned on me today. Politics in India is a complex game only for the strong hearted. Just like land shifting in Bible, so many politicians were moving from one party to another during election times and the scenario is chaotic like our Lok Sabha proceedings. 

I wish Nilekani had contested from my constituency - then I would have been left with no choice but to vote for him.  A man of such integrity!! Or Mr Modi for that matter. I want to give him a chance to prove his dreams for India. 

I am wondering  - whom to vote??