India, My dream.

This is with reference to a forward I got, from a guy I did not know, complaining about the people of my country. This is what I have to say to all of those out there. If they can educate me, my comments section is on, but I reserve the right to judje and judje I will.

How does it feel? Living in a cushy apartment in a town or city (in India or outside) to read about the problems that are there. Dire statements of corrupt politicians, policemen, doctors and what not? A new breed of politicians coming up to lift us out of this quagmire. Any PR person worth his salt will tell us that the first thing a product or a brand needs is a major disaster or apocalypse, from cosmetics to cars, this stands true. Show them the worst and tell them how they can improve the situation. Make it sound plausible and then results invariably follow. The deed may be done in the best interests, but still it is a very clever piece of crowd control. I dont need any politician to tell me whats wrong with the country and how he can cure us with my money. I see nothing wrong in my country. It has great people, a nation full of billion people, i see nothing wrong in a few lakh rotten apples. Its the same everywhere.

Pols.. Laloo revolutionises Indian Railways. First time in 50 odd years, making a profit. Trains are on time, fares reduced, more goods, more connectivity. Sure he's biased towards Bihar etc, but he's done good work. Did you expect that?

Police.. pay them a few hundred bucks per day. Yes about 150 odd for 18 hrs duty. No free stores that they can shop for, no place to live, no scholarships for their children, no treatment for their psychological ills. Hounded by people they serve, harrassed by their masters, where do they go? How do you survive in Mumbai city with just a few thousand bucks? And branded corrupt by some idealistic IIT prick all at one go? If I was one of them, I would definitely know a few cells that needed populating.

Traffic, how many times have I doubled parked, cut lanes, parked in a no parking zone, I don't even know. How many times do you think they have been transferred because the pol on the road did not get to his meeting in time, they do have genuine needs, the pols, they are actually running the country. How many times have I been let go, because I was contrite and promised never to do so again, how many times has my car not been towed because it had puja stuff and the puja was going to start in about fifteen minutes, how many times have I not been fined, because I was driving my girl to a meeting and was in a rush, I really do not know or care to count, and branded corrupt in one go.. man I would tow away his bike/cycle/hand cart and make him appear at court.

My country does not need a quick fix or even a slow fix. It is working, times are changing, I did not have to bribe anybody to get my pass port, DL or Pan card. They were not courteous, but neither were they rude. They did their jobs, that's more than what I need, do I need a smile? I need a smile like I need a drunk next to me in the train. If I need a smile, I turn on the TV or look up at the Close-Up hoarding.

India works guys. People do get rich the legit way, if they do not, too bad they didn't try hard enough. There are people who need help. There are people who dont. Dont curse a system for its few ills, democracy is like that, perfect in its imperfections. Only the people in the system know how difficult it is to Jugad the country into the 7% growth that we have. I now know enough bureaucrats to have an inkling.

Politicians are just the face of the people. If you want to change the system, work in the government instead. Join the IAS/IPS or whatever acronym you want. Work hard, be clever, use politics become a director or a secretary or whatever, then change the world. Don't even have to join the government, shit, start a company, make enough money and there are people out there who will give you a city to rule, case in point Narayan Moorthy, he was for a short while the CEO of Blore, can you beat that? Too bad he quit, but hell, he was given the chance was he not? Did we need to elect him? Nope. Aziz Premji says, roads are bad, the next pol that gets elected, promises to spend whatever it takes to fix them, good intentions, bad people. If in about 15 roads at least 10 get fixed this time round, the law of averages would say that in the next five years the next five will get fixed too.

One person/ party can never be able to relate to a country as diverse as ours. I will vote for the IIT guy, because I am selfish enough to realise that educated people know what are the problems that I face. How in the blue blazes is the scion of a premier Indian Technological institute understand, what superstitions, religions and the intangibles mean to the average Indian? Education is a dream to most of us, work is the reality. Grow food, eat, make love and babies. Go to any village, does the tractor help? Why, because god wanted it to. Can an educated guy understand, really understand? Status quo is cherished by many of us, because good intentions do change a bad life for worse many a times. Case in point, Narmada dam, we need the water, the electricity, they need their homes of about a million years. What do we do? What is right? Nothing is right or wrong, but life moves on. Whether or not the dam is built, life will move on. It will be good, because I want it to be good. Not because some guy is going to tell me that now I can be happy.

Archimedes was right, give me a lever and I will move the world, but find the right lever, sending money is not going to change a thing neither is joining a party. In a democracy if you cannot relate to all the billion people, nothing is going to happen. Our country runs on compromises, it can be perfect for me, but do not tell me ever that it's going to be perfect for all. Human suffering is written for us, utopia is not what we need, we need a life, and do we have it, hell yeah!

Oh, but can't I change my constituency for the better? One constituency in lakhs, open your eyes they are already there.Perfect constituencies, there are enough good pols in this country to ensure that. Its the big ones that matter, for that you need the support of more than people, you need to be strong, smart, cynical, make money out of it. Nothing motivates people more than money, its the original sin. Thou shalt not covet and all that. You need to work with corruption, use it and not throw it away. Be real, corruption is as old as the barter system, it is going to stay, you can change the face of it, but then the esse of it will still be there. Absolute power corrupts, even chosen ones.

I know of enough corrupt politicians who do everything they can for their constituents, give them jobs, make good roads, renovate temples etc, if every little bit matters, should that not be a credit to them?

Too long and to passionate, may not do anything I have written, but maybe thats my fault, I do not want people trying to make me feel guilty for being wrong, I am free thats my right.

Take care all, peace to my nation.