Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to choose Varanasi as his constituency in the 2014 general elections has rekindled the hope that it will lead to the revival of the city’s fabled craft, the Benaras Brocades.
These patterned gold and silver silks have been woven in the city since ancient times, but unfortunately there has been a sharp decline in the demand for this fabric in recent years. – Read More: http://inn-live.blogspot.com/2015/02/indian-fabrics-need-to-mark-on-worlds.html
You know why my bra shows up even when you want me to hide it? Because I wear it! Now, there are reasons. To start with, I must hide my strap because there are droolers out there, ready to pounce; ready to rip my clothes apart.
And I am the only one who must safeguard not only my integrity, but also that of my family and my gotra’s. That there is large amount of not only self-respect, but a treasure of insane responsibilities being hidden behind that top-that-should-not-be-exposed. The responsibility to not behave ‘slut-like’ in public places, because men are attracted.
Because men are not taught anything at all, and the burden of blame and precaution lies on the woman. So if the bra strap is showing, she is the perpetrator. She is responsible for any amount of crime that might be committed upon her. Now you see how dangerous a bra-strap can be? Almost criminal, right?
Well, criminal is the mindset of those who think this way. The society.
Some will tell you that you ought to hide it because it is part of an underwear, and showing of underwear is just not so couth, not so “cultured”. Well, I have two arguments for this statement. One, what in this universe does the world “cultured” even mean? Why is there a culture that everyone ought to follow, which acts like the supreme universal law looming over everybody, which is inevitable? Fine, I’ll tell you this is “cultured” in my opinion; because I follow a type of “culture” that says bra-showing is the best kind of moral behavior! Now, what can you do about it?
Secondly, why we are ranting about this is because showing my bra has become a taboo, that one must not do it due to a certain kind of moral code that you cannot do anything about and hence you must sit down and follow. Tomorrow I might be a part of a “topless” protest, and that is not because I want everyone to go topless, but because I need to assert that there is no problem in doing so. One must not be pushed into something because it has “morality” attached to it. One must be given the ultimate freedom to wear what she wants and still no one could call her a whore, or bimbo, or judge anything at all on that basis. How I chose to live after the protest is totally my problem. I might like to wear a burqa all day, and that still does not decide weather or not I should go topless in a protest.
Only once we collectively break the regressive stereotypes in our society, can we expect our girls to live in freedom, not bound by any kind of obligation to their family! Its time we ask the people eyeing us with lustful valleity to look away every time that white beneath pops up.
White is the tabooed color. I am told that if there is an unavoidable circumstance where the bra strap might be exposed due to an unusual cut top, I must wear a black one, or dark color, but not white. Because that shall make it look like I did it on purpose. Because I need to abide by the sacred laws of fashion, or I am doomed. Because I am a good person, not “evil” or “dumb”, if I wear a black one.
And the unbelievable fact along with this is that the lives of a large majority run on these rules. On rules of hypocrisy. Even some of those who talk about feminism or the flaws in governance are contributing to the stereotypes, the menace in the society.
Women tend to abide by something like a “white bra rule”, because they are ashamed of wearing a bra, as if the world were ruled by non-bra wearing people and we must try to reach that look in any way possible. Therefore, we are fidgety with the bra. Therefore, the taboo attached to it. This means she is ashamed to have breasts, to be a woman. Girls tend to lose their self-confidence once there is the “danger of the white bra”, making them conscious and uncomfortable in their woman’s clothing, and in a woman’s body. It’s sad how society imposes stereotypes with such blatancy that it’s hardly possible for a woman to not conform to these ‘rules’.
The funniest part is that the visibility of the bra-strap suddenly makes you a slut. You are immediately given tags like “desperate” and “needy”. And there is no one you can go ask for help, because everyone will tell you it was your fault! And then they talk about getting rid of sex education in the education system. Good, then best of luck with a country of “curious” rapists, who continue to view the female body like their meal at KFC, because your filthy mentality is all the sex education they have been fed since childhood.
Have you ever seen any patch of white popping out from beneath a woman’s dress in a movie? And if someone’s does, in parties or award functions, these stills are zoomed, circled in red and titled with something very demeaning like, “Oops! Not expected from you”, it is everywhere on the internet. And guess what, it’s a huge hit! This is because underwear is ugly. The truth, the ground reality, is always ugly in a capitalist environment. It’s all about how much you can glitter, and how much you can impress. Who does not wear underwear? But if by the slightest mishap it gets exposed, you are screwed for the next few months. People, wearing underwear, looking just as ‘ugly’ as you when naked, but covering it up with fancy clothes, are ready to bombard you with criticism.
In contrast, it is a style statement, and an essential practice for male actors to go topless. Their ‘market-value’ is based on this. It’s always okay. No awkward clicks, no cry of disgust. But if a woman goes topless, it is one of these – controversial, bold or slut-like.
We have chosen to be comfortable with this kind of a mentality and subject our women to epitomized shame if the bra sticks out, but the man is allowed to roam around half naked. The reason behind that is because men are people, and women are objects. Men may go topless, because it’s hot, or because it’s their body, whatever they do with it is not anyone else’s business. But women need to be structured according to the fancy of the society, because women exist for the society, more than for themselves. Therefore, the infinite norms and expectations around them, failing which, they must be subject to disgust, shame and guilt.
This kind of a behavior is shameful. Stop telling your girls that they lack etiquette, or that this is an invitation to rapists. That this is habitual to the rugged, to the miserable, to the unrefined. That it makes them look like girls of ‘lower’ social status. That these habits might lead to a life of single-hood. That she is bringing bad name to her family wherever she goes. Stop attaching respect, “izzat” to your daughter’s body or clothing. White or black or pink or blue, the bra is not a taboo. It’s not shameful. It’s a basic form of clothing, and that is all it is!
Organizations are slowly but surely waking up to the fact that there exists a large talent pool among the college students, but not every student can travel to the company’s office. That’s how the concept of virtual internship comes into picture.
Why virtual internships?
• Work at your own pace – Need to meet a long-time friend in the afternoon? No problem. You can work in the evening, at night, anytime! Flexible working hours can be a bliss especially to the student community who have to put up with college classes. As long as you meet your set deadlines, no one cares when and how you work.
• Gain valuable skills and experience – Virtual internships are a great way to learn valuable skills, without having to join a 9-5 office, that can be translated into relevant job experience. Many students do such internships in their 1st or 2nd year of graduation alongside college classes, building a healthy resume in the process.
• Receive college credit – Many universities have now made a semester of ‘industrial experience’ compulsory in their curriculum. Getting out of the proving-the-boring-theorems in papers and instead earning credits as well as money from the comforts of your home – it couldn’t have been better for students!
• Save commuting expenses – You wouldn’t need to travel some x kilometers to your office. Ask someone who has his/her office located far from their home and you’ll know how frustrating the daily travel is.
The drawbacks
• Miss out on working culture exposure – An exposure to the work culture is the highlight of advantages of internships. Virtual internships, irrespective of the numerous benefits they offer, miss out on this.
• Suffer from no set timings – If you do not have set timings for work, then you don’t have set timings off work too! Flexibility in timings might require to keep checking your mails at all times and could even possibly ruin your weekends.
• You might not belong to a virtual internship – Some fields, like social marketing, are more suitable for virtual internships and some, like mechanical engineering, are not.
• No supervision – Some students thrive in the freedom of no supervision whereas some find it extremely difficult to stay motivated in its absence.
The pro-tips
1. Meet your deadlines – Talking of deadlines, they are your way of impressing your employer. By meeting your deadlines you develop a certain degree of trust and faith with your employer. It sends out a signal that even though you don’t come for the 9-5 office job, you take your role seriously.
2. Choose a workplace – It is highly advisable to have a workplace set aside for the job. (Word of caution- beds should be strictly off limits!) It is not necessary to go for the conventional desk-chair workspace but anything that doesn’t lull you to sleep would do!
3. Stay connected – Since you’re not in office, it is a good practice to stay in touch with your employer and your team. Weekly Skype sessions to discuss about the progress in task is a nice idea. In addition to motivating you to complete your work on time, this will also make your employer aware of your merit.
4. Make sure you get it right – Most employers give tasks to their employees through mails and email communication can, at times, be ambiguous. It’s upon you to ensure that you understand the work properly. Ask as many questions you feel is necessary. Being clear on the work is much better than goofing it up at later stages.
5. Work on communication skills – Improve your written English and email etiquettes. Effective and correct language usage goes a long way in establishing your impression on the employer.
6. Schedule your work – It’s difficult to follow a schedule when you are your own boss. There are always a few temptations that threaten to disrupt your concentration and work ethic. You don’t exactly need to have a super-ninja self-discipline, but a strict work schedule might come in handy.
The conclusion
Reputed companies have started shifting their focus on virtual internships and there has never been an easier time to start interning ‘virtually’. Just like traditional internships, one can find the numerous work-from-home internships at internship portals like Internshala. So if you have internships on your mind but are hindered by your geographical location, then now you know the solution- go for virtual internships.
As a blogger, many a times, you share your experience of visiting a new restaurant, watching a new movie, pros and cons of using a particular product/service, discovering a new culture/practice or even sharing your experience with a customer service agent of your mobile network with your readers. This sharing is like reviewing that product, service or experience and helps others in their decisions to use or purchase that product/service. It also in turn helps the organisation know how consumers feel and perceive their product.
Wouldn’t it be exciting to get a chance to either experience that service or own a product without paying for it? There is one such in store for you now! INN Live will now give bloggers a platform to earn revenue from their blog and/or get free products by reviewing a product/service.
You now have a chance to get paid and/or experience a product/service by the company in return for a review. A great chance to give your blog a new impetus by giving analytical reviews! The review will be neutral, transparent (proper disclosure) and completely based on how you feel. More details about this program will be announced shortly.
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For brands/companies interested to review their products/services, write to newscop@gmail.com
Properties are considered the most lucrative investment, as the costs to incur them are skyrocketing at a steady pace. The demand for properties from both residential as well as commercial developments including flats, offices and shops are considerably high. Property rates in Pune is quite high with a variety of options like low rise builder, high rise flats and independent houses etc. In this post we will be discussing about Real estate scenario in Pune and where are the good options to invest.
Realty market is a profitable source of investment across countries of the world. Be it the commercial or residential property, the growth is quite high in the metro cities like Pune, Mumbai, Delhi etc. You will find various residential or commercial properties that are ready to move or under-construction properties. If you are planning to invest in a residential or commercial land, it can fetch you a lot of money.
Therefore, investing in such properties, which can be rented easily, is always a profitable deal. Otherwise, if you are doing property search in Pune, this is the place where you can get an insight as we will be discussing about few of the available properties for rent and sale in Pune.
2-3 BHK rental flat in Pune ranges from Rs. 12 to 24 thousand per month whereas the villas and penthouses on rent may go up to a lakh. With such high rentals, the investors prefer to buy the property as this way that they can lease it out for some good source of monthly income.
Let us see some of the New Projects which are available in Pune:
1. Metro Jazz – Baner – With 2, 3 & 4 bedroom flats, the prices come in flexi price variants with a price range of 72.6 Lac – 1.7 Crore. Possession is due in January 2016.
2. Sunrise Sun Planet – Alandi Road- With 1 & 2 bedroom flats, the prices come in flexi price variants with a price range of 21.2 Lac – 32.8 Crore. Possession is due in December 2014.
3. Rohan Silver Palm Grove – Ravet – With 2 bedroom flats of 1110 square feet each, the prices of the flats is 52.2 Lac. Possession is due in December 2014.
4. Ganga Kingston – NIBM – With 2 & 3 bedroom flats, the prices come in flexi price variants with a price range of 36.4 Lac – 63.2 Lac. Possession has already started.
Rental properties available in Pune
Apart from this, there are plenteous commercial projects which seem to be quite profitable option for investment. Many investors buy properties for the purpose of rent whereas some buy to sell after earning a satisfactory appreciation or growth. With the booming real estate industry this assures of a very lucrative returns.
Also the growing commercialization is allowing people to look for rental accommodation as well as for purchase in almost every city of the country. Even for people going to work around suburbs of the city, having a rental property in Pune is definitely a good idea.
(About the Writer: Kunal Chhibber is a professional content writer with expert skills in digital marketing. He has also written many informative write-ups doing exclusive research on the Indian real estate sector. He is a graduate in management; music is a passionate hobby to which he is committed to as a part time Disc Jockey)
INN LIVE is continuously looking for bright young minds that are willing to work hard and make a mark. In INN LIVE you will have tremendous freedom to come up with new ideas and initiatives, a serious work environment and an exposure to some of the most committed and upright people in the media world.
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Where else can you write with only the interest of consumers and investors in mind? If you are ethical and want to make difference… join us. We are excited about discovering new talent and putting them on a fast track. In return, we expect you to be passionate and productive.
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By Ayesha Singh (Guest Writer)
For years, nobody could convince Raghav Seth (18)to get off the couch and take up a sport or hit the nearest gym to become fit like other boys of his age. It was only while watching the three hours and eight minute film—Bhaag Milkha Bhaag— Raghav had a moment of epiphany. “I can do this,” said a voice within him. That evening, Raghav ran; for the first time in his life. “Seeing him, his siblings too joined in and have been enjoying the results ever since—most of them tangible,” says Kavita Seth, his mother.
While in India it was Milkha Singh inspiring school children to run, thousand of miles away in New York, it was marathon runner Annette Fredskov Jensen (who recently ran 366 marathons in 365 days), inspiring a mother of two to overcome her chronic lethargy and muscular pains. “In my twenties, things were alright. Pains started popping up in my thirties and when I reached 40, my body seemed to completely shut itself down. With two children and regular aches, it seemed impossible to try and get some workout. It was only recently when I heard about Annette that the light bulb went off. If Annette with two children and multiple sclerosis could do it, so could I,” says Emelia Parker, a pastry chef.
While running on the treadmill is a big hit among youngsters, running out in the open has gained momentum only recently. Exceptions to the rule are always there and Col Rajbir Choudhary has been a runner ever since he joined the army. “We would run for 10, sometimes 20 kilometres at a stretch. With ample water and an apple to keep us going, we were asked to run on any kind of terrain. That is why even today at 50 I can run long distances without losing breath. In the past 30 years I can count the number of times I have had to take medicines for any ailments,” he says.
Not only is it one of the easiest exercises, it is also one of the most effective as it involves the movement of the entire body—from head to toe. “It builds bone density, tones up muscles, strengthens connective tissues, enhances metabolic process, improves cardiovascular fitness and improves posture,” says Biomechanics Exercise Technique expert and Director GFFI Fitness Academy Neeraj Mehta.
He adds, “There are two kinds of running. The first is basic running or jogging wherein the first 20 minutes you utilise carbohydrates from the body. In the next 20 minutes you start burning fat from the body. It is very beneficial for the ‘special population’ comprising diabetics, pregnant women, arthritis patients, people suffering from hypertension and the general population above 50. It also boosts memory and helps combat water retentions. The second type of running is fast running wherein up till 48 hours after running the body continues to utilise fat from the body and keeps reassembling muscles. It builds stamina and improves metabolism.”
According to Dev Khosla, CEO of theweighmonitor.com, India’s first fully online weight management website, the health benefits of running are similar to the benefits achieved by all forms of moderate intensity cardiovascular exercise. “If we talk of running as a competitive sport, it developed at religious festivals in different parts of the world such as Greece, Egypt, Asia, and the Rift Valley in Africa,” says Khosla.
For 37-year-old marathon runner Neera Katwal, running has become a way of life. For the past four years, she has been running anywhere between 20 to 60 km a week. “I began running because I found it to be a holistic way of staying fit. In Bangalore I found a group of like-minded people with whom running became a pleasure. We share stories, experiences and chat about our lives and families,” she says, adding, “Running is a challenging activity; however, you will find most runners to be well balanced. The rigorous routine does that. The best part is that we can afford to eat whatever we want and still maintain our perfect figures,” she says.
So, what are you waiting for, put on your jogging shoes and hit the road.
What a runner’s diet should include (According to Dev Khosla):
■ 7-9 servings of fruits and vegetables
■ 3 servings of milk/curd/paneer
■ 3 servings chicken/fish/lean meat
■ 2-3 servings pulses
■ Handful of nuts
■ Cereals, potatoes, starches and sugar as per calorie requirements
■ Salt in moderation
■ Limited alcohol consumption
■ Diluted fruit juices and electrolyte-glucose drinks may be the best. Fluids taken should contain some amounts of carbohydrate and proteins.
■ Optimum concentration of carbohydrates in a sports drink should be about 6–8 %
Things to remember while running (According to Neeraj Mehta):
■ Maintain right posture. Put your toes straight on the ground, not outwards. Run with the lateral edge of the feet. This way, the interior ligament of the knee won’t get strained. Keep the hip region stretched behind. Rib cage should be up.
■ Run in a flow. Put pressure on both legs instead of one.
■ Start with walking then walk briskly and then jog followed by running.
■ Cooling down after running is crucial. You can repeat the same process—walk briskly, followed by jogging and then walk normally. You can then stretch your arms, quadriceps and ankles.
■ Drink a lot of water before running. Keep sipping in between.
By Santwana Bhattacharya / Delhi
Faced with multiple challenges on social and mainstream media, the Congress top brass has been allowing unprecedented moves. Setting up three separate departments headed by relatively younger party members — Ajay Maken for quick communication with media, Sandeep Dikshit for research and input supply and Deepender Hooda for Twitter/Facebook — shifting the old war-horses, was one such measure.
Another move has been to change the “internal dynamics” of the party. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi has been holding meetings, two states at a time, at 24 Akbar Road every second or third day, turning the AICC headquarters into temporary fortress manned by SPG men at the gates.
A slothful party burdened by history of a century-and-a-half, which rarely ever started functioning before sundown, is now up and about by noon, with a media strategy for the day already rolling out in succession.
The extraordinary measures are for extraordinary situations. Congress internal surveys have thrown up uninspiring results. “No one is denying that the situation is not too good. We are in a fight,” admitted a Congress war-room hand, quickly pointing out that despite the “10-year incumbency” the party is not down and out.
The survey has shown some hope in the southern and the north-eastern states, where Congress’ main rival BJP has not much foothold. Hence, the sudden burst of actions on the southern front. Whether it backfires or not, we are told, the Congress high command has taken a firm decision on Telangana. The spate of resignations, threats and protests from Seemandhra, Congress leaders claim, have been factored in. Despite denials, the party top-brass “is seeing the crisis through the prism of parliamentary and assembly seats.”
Next, the Congress president turned her attention to Kerala where the Oommen Chandy government has been under siege. Sonia held a long meeting with Kerala PCC chief Ramesh Chennithala to see if he can be inducted into the Chandy cabinet with a bit of persuasion, but the issue has been set to rest as Lok Sabha elections were a bigger priority.
A meeting of Karnataka state unit and in-charge was left to Rahul as it was seen to be the least of the Congress’ trouble points. But for Tamil Nadu, where the party is virtually in a limbo, and which is the home of Finance Minister P Chidambaram, quite back-channel moves are on from the top. Defence Minister A K Antony and External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid have come on board to organise a meeting between the Tamil Nadu fishermen association and their Sri Lankan counterpart, to address one of the most emotive issues in the state. It is one of the measures to stall a complete political wipe in the state in the next election.
The Congress/UPA Government hopes to make some peripheral gains from the Koodankulam nuclear power plant once it starts generation and helps overcome the acute power crisis in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. But, in all this, the man with some base in the State, Shipping Minister G K Vasan, remains a curiously silent element.
On the North-East, the AICC did an unusual thing as holding a separate high-octane briefing on the special financial package that have been given to the seven states, of which the Congress has big stakes in Assam.
Amidst all this, there is a fierce debate on in the Congress on whether to advance the polls to the end of 2013 or allow it to happen on schedule around March-April. According to the war-room sources, younger leaders are raring to go and would like a year-end election coinciding with the assembly polls in Delhi, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. The Congress at best can retain the states that it already has in its kitty.
A factor that the Congress never mentions in public, but is a matter of concern is how the Narendra Modi factor plays out once he hits the road with his no-holds-bar oratory. Those in favour of advancing the polls have argued that it would give Modi/BJP less time to prepare and queer the pitch.
The proponents of election-on-schedule, who are also the heavyweights of Congress core group, are arguing that it will not allow the party time to make gains on policy initiatives like Direct Benefit Transfer and food security. “For the results of these schemes to percolate down, we need to give another six-to-eight months,” a senior Cabinet Minister said. The last call will always be Sonia Gandhi’s.
By Shankkar Aiyar (Guest Writer)
India seems to produce a political paradox almost every week. Indians were told that overall poverty levels fell from 37 per cent in 2004-05 to 21.9 per cent in 2011-12. This did not trigger any review of the idea to give 67 per cent of the population subsidised grains. The chasm between statistics and political arithmetic persists.
Hidden in the reams of data on poverty reduction is an interesting fact. United Andhra Pradesh is among those states which brought down poverty the most. Since 2004, when K Chandrashekar Rao of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti was promised Telangana, poverty in united Andhra Pradesh dropped from 29.6 per cent to 9.2 per cent in 2011-12. And the absolute number of those below poverty line has come down from 235 lakh to 78 lakh. World over, poverty reduction is an accepted indicator of growth and governance.
This should be an accepted precept in India too. Not among politicians facing an election! On Tuesday, the coalition members of the UPA formally approved the creation of Telangana.
This is not about the creation of Telangana. It is about debating what drives growth and good governance. Continuing with the measure of poverty reduction, consider the states along with Andhra Pradesh which have brought down poverty the most between 2004 and 2012: Tripura (25.95 per cent), poverty-ridden Odisha (by an astonishing 24.6 per cent), Bihar and Maharashtra (by 20.8 per cent) and Tamil Nadu (by 18.1 per cent). There is no obvious commonality—Bihar and Tripura (as indeed Telangana will be) are land-locked states while others have access to ports. Now consider the performance of the newly formed and land-locked states of Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. Uttarakhand has outdone most states bringing down poverty by 21.44 per cent but its siblings Naxal-hit Chhattisgarh (9.4 per cent) and Jharkhand (8.3 per cent) haven’t done well.
Fact is, whether it is economics or politics, outcomes are determined by necessary and sufficient conditions. Smaller size states promise access to the citizens and easier operations but good governance also needs enlightened political leadership. When Jharkhand was carved out, Lalu Yadav had said Bihar was left with floods, droughts and poverty while Jharkhand walked away with riches. Turns out Bihar has done twice as well as resource-rich Jharkhand. Thanks to political instability, Jharkhand has been subjected to a musical chair of nine chief ministers—including three terms of Arjun Munda, two of Shibhu Soren and a term under the one-man-majority of Madhu Koda. In the beginning of the millennium, it was argued that size matters and that states which are smaller are better governed. Size may matter, but size is not all.
The elephant in the room, which no committee or commission talks about, is rampant centralisation. The operations of state governments are pretty much dictated by the writ and fancies of governments at the Centre. Under the Constitution, bulk of the taxes are collected by the Centre and allocated through the finance commission to different states. Indians paid a sum total of Rs 14.94 lakh in taxes in 2012. The Centre itself collected Rs 9.32 lakh crore of which Rs 2.67 lakh crore, or 29 paise per rupee, was shared with the states. A large chunk of the remainder is spent on the states—directed by ideas from the Planning Commission and dictated by reigning political ideology.
In the 11th Plan, the Centre spent nearly Rs 7 lakh crore on Centrally sponsored schemes. This will shoot up to over Rs 15 lakh crore in the 12th Plan (2012-2017). The states can only suggest changes but don’t have a say. For instance, since 2006, the Centre has spent over `1.6 lakh crore on MGNREGS. The states may perhaps want to spend this “dole budget” differently—put a condition for creation of assets in the rural economy—but it is the Centre which decides. Policies on every major issue—be it education, health, agriculture or approach to urbanisation—is dictated, funded and regulated from Delhi. There are at least 18 ministries at the Centre which have no business to exist. There is no real logic why the Centre must have ministries for subjects that are state administered.
And it is not just the Centre which centralises. The states are worse offenders and deny panchayats, zilla parishads and municipalities the autonomy to plan and decide. If small is always beautiful and efficient, why are India’s cities—the smallest geographical units—so badly governed? Why do the middle class urban Indians in Mumbai, Delhi or Bangalore have to suffer poor services and pot-holed roads? It is because the municipal bodies are virtually run by the diktat of state governments. Former Maharashtra CM, the late Vilasrao Deshmukh, pithily told this columnist: “What the Centre does to the states, the states do to local self-governments!”
The cry for smaller states is less about representation and more about real aspirations. Size may matter. Big could be bold and beautiful too. Bigger states like Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu do better by leveraging the state’s output and budgets for intervention and investment. So let’s forget formulaic solutions and worry about formats. In a democracy, every vote is sacrosanct. Voters vote for change, not to be presented with fait accompli. And delivery of governance is dictated by devolution, not dialects. India turns 66 this month. Let not petty political cartography obfuscate the real reasons for failure. Let not India get lost in transmogrification.
(About the Writer: Shankkar Aiyar is the author of Accidental India: A History of the Nation’s Passage through Crisis and Change.)
By Paagal Patrkaar / Delhi
In a move that has left all the political opponents baffled, Congress has submitted an application to the Election Commission of India requesting permission to use the left hand as a legitimate party symbol.
Congress was earlier using its right hand.
“This will silence all those who had been accusing Congress of not changing anything in the country,” party spokesperson Manish Tewari claimed, “This is a big ticket reform and will usher the nation into a new era.”
Tewari further disclosed that the ground breaking idea was proposed by party Vice President and youth icon Rahul Gandhi.
“Indians are 10% left-handed,” Rahul explained, “I mean, 10% of the Indians are left-handed. Not many parties have been taking care of this minority group, so we have taken a lead.”
When this writer pointed out that it was just a token step and didn’t really mean anything, he was asked to leave the press conference. Later this reporter apologized and promised to take notes with his left hand for the rest of the presser.
Rahul Gandhi further claimed that a left hand as election symbol will also symbolize party’s left bias in policy matters, which should attract a clear and loud support from intellectuals like Amartya Sen.
“Our left hand too will be with the common man,” the young Gandhi clarified.
Party’s announcement was met with mixed reactions. While many “neutral” commentators on Twitter termed it as a historic step, leaders from the opposition termed it as another hogwash by the Congress.
“Congress should forget about the common man. Common man has is holding a broom in both the hands,” Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal said.
“You know why they changed hand? Because their right hand was so dirty with corruption that they can’t go to people asking for vote using the same hand. And I am sure if they manage to win coming election, they will get back with right hand as party symbol,” Kejriwal further claimed.
A BJP leader claimed that Congress had paid a foreign brand consulting firm a whopping 300 crore rupees to get ideas on new symbol, and all they got was a mirror image of their earlier symbol.
“This is a new scam,” the BJP leader claimed. Party however refused to comment on reports that suggested that BJP too is thinking of changing its symbol.
Sources claim that BJP is considering adding a few more petals to its election symbol lotus flower. The party hopes to add a few NDA allies through this step.
Other parties too are mulling similar actions, sources say. There is speculation that BSP, which appeared to have peaked to its maximum potential in the last elections, is planning to change its election symbol to a baby elephant so that the party can grow fast.
Samajwadi Party too is considering the tri-cycle as its new symbol. It should be noted tri-cycle is easier to drive on sandy soil than a bicycle. Party denied that sand mafia was behind this move.
INNLIVE NETWORK 