Just one question Mr Vice Presdent of India

At the Republic Day parade on Janpath, when the President's Body Guard salute the President and the National Anthem plays, all the dignitaries salute the flag (Modi, of course, in the best infantry style), but, conspicuously, our so-called vice-president Humid Ansory (or what ever his name is) does not do so.

WHY?

The foggy weather and drizzle could not dissuade the armed forces' fervor or the children's ebullience in putting up a dazzling show. I liked the all-women officers contingents and the BSF (along with the gaily bedecked camels) contingent the best. Gurkha Rifles, Kumaon Regiment and the TA Battalion too were noteworthy.

A question for the organizers? Why can you not get a motorized automatic horse- and camel-poop collector. It is a shame to see men picking up the horse and camel turds. The सफाई कर्मचारीs must have rebelled at the idea of picking up the gargantuan elephant droppings, so we were mercifully spared the site of 'brave' kids perched atop swaying elephants.

Aren't we trying to eliminate 'manual scavenging'?

Anyway, Narendra Bhai, well done in subjecting Barak and Michelle to those tacky tableaux with tourists clutching faux camera and pointing them at papier mache fauna. The Yanks will be reassured that this upstart desi superpower has a long way to go still beofre achieving  superpowerdom.

The display of नारी शक्ति was reassuring to all women living in terror in our misogynist society.

The recurrent carbuncle called Kejriwal is now annoyingly upset over not being invited to the R Day parade. This anarchist, last year as the Delhi CM, wished to disrupt the same parade. Hypocrite!

Crane vs Muffler

These are exciting times in Delhi with the arrival of Kiran Bedi adding spice to the Assembly elections jamboree.

The last Lok Sabha election was about Narendra Damodardas Modi vs the rest; however, this election is a going to be a nail-biting bout between Bedi and Kejriwal. Since the moribund Congress is out of contention, of the two who do I find more acceptable? 

Kiran Bedi, despite her 67 years, is fitter, healthier and more active than the 47 year old wheezy, wimpy, weedy Kejriwal. When faced with a crises, the asthmatic muffler-man will whip out his inhaler, cough and splatter those around him with droplets of mucus hoping to repel his detractors in some such fashion. In contrast, as her moniker suggests, ‘Crane’ Bedi will grab the proverbial bull by its horns – thereby ridding Delhi of its bovine population, traffic-jams, road-side romeos, rapists and those जानता नहीं मैं कौन  हूँ? types.

Kiran is articulate, confident, with an impressive personality. She comes across as an earnest and convincing speaker. She has the reassuring ‘Indian’ accent English rather than the supercilious Miranda House/convent accent a la Sheila Dixit. A seasoned bureaucrat, she will know how to cut through all the red tape suffocating development and wade through sloth and political inertia to achieve tangible results.

Kejiwal’s agenda is anti-establishment – offering freebies and subsidies with no economic basis. Who will pay for the free electricity and water? Bedi has rightly put eradication of corruption lower down in her agenda as compared to women’s safety. Indians are inherently corrupt and removing corruption will entail massive social engineering. Delhi's misogynist khap-oriented society needs Kiran's iron hand to offer a safe safe environment for women to live and work in. Bedi offers development as the answer for all that ails India.

The lawyers protesting Bedi’s lathicharge against them should realize that she was doing her job of maintaining law and order and had nothing personal against them. Her role as a police officer is over and they should now support her as a capable, honest and efficient administrator.

Another charge against her is that of getting her daughter admitted into a medical college. Did not Kerjiwal extend his stay in his CM’s residence after his resignation so that his daughter could complete her exams. Let’s face it, which Indian bureaucrat does not exploit his position of power. It is just a question of degree; use of sarkari gaadi for shopping and personal visits, use of peons as personal servants, out or turn admission to schools, receiving freebies from favour seekers, the clubby I scratch-your-back-you-scratch-my back, the list goes on and on.

 

She is a shrewd bargainer - witness how she bided her time and negotiated a deal to become BJP's CM candidate, when Amit Shah and Modi realized that, thanks to the saffron fringe, BJP was losing ground in Delhi. Her abrasive no-nonsense style will keep the fringe elements of the BJP in check. Yet she has had the grace to accept the social contribution of RSS and will reap the benefit of an organized and disciplined grass-roots organization.

 

Kiran Bedi for Delhi CM!

Magic Carpet Ride

The Carpetbaggers (apologies to Harold Robbins)

Spotted on NH2 on a blustery chilly January morning, these two intrepid entrepreneurs, with part of their merchandise wrapped around for 'climate control', making their way to their 'sales outlet'.

Pansy