Pollution in Delhi and Bus Rapid Transit System

The first thing Delhi’s IIT educated CM Kejriwal did after coming to power was to scrap the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor [Ref1] (https://www.ndtv.com/delhi-news/bus-rapid-transit-corridor-in-delhi-scrapped-by-aap-government-783729). BRT was an idea of previous Sheila Dixit government to improve the public transportation system in Delhi which had long term benefits by improving traffic and reducing pollution. AAP Government scrapped BRT system purely for political reasons. People loved it since people wanted to use their private vehicles since it is a “status symbol”. Government’s job is to enforce right policies to correct people and encourage responsible behavior. But this was a case where government was doing populist decisions encouraging irresponsible behaviors. And now we are all suffering from pollution breakout in Delhi with no alternative public transport system available.

Encouraged by success of populist but reckless decision in Delhi, AAP also promised to scran Amritsar’s BRT system if it came to power:

http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/community/will-scrap-amritsar-s-brts-project-if-voted-to-power-aap/194288.html

Open Letter to Queen Kangana Ranaut by Sona Mohapatra

Dear Kangana,

I have always cheered loudly, in private & in public for you. Long, long before you turned queen et all but your current run across the airwaves regurgitating personal details of your love life over & over again, washing dirty linen in public & more so as part of a professional PR campaign before your film release is in bad taste. No two ways about it. Also, it does a big dis-service to the cause of feminism & fair play. Wish you well & wish you would rise above this muck & make your point through actions & your work. Your success doesn’t need this tabloid trail. Your well thought out & superbly worded open letters of the past, fearless interviews addressing larger issues, taking a stand, taking legal recourse are welcome. The current ‘circus’, not.

This is just another opinion in the public domain from one working woman to another, from the heart & on an impulse. There is no PR machinery or team guiding me here.

I do believe that there are plenty of feminists in the opposite gender. Men who cheer the cause of outspoken, feisty, fierce & hard working women like you & me. We don’t ‘need’ them as such but let’s not forget them & also the thousands of amazing women who fight the good fight on a daily basis with dignity .

Life might not have been easy but you are in a great place now. More so to influence positive change. That is worthy of a daily celebration.

Also, today is Onam, a thanksgiving festival in the South. The mythology surrounding the festival is significant – it emphasizes the Hindu belief in the cyclical nature of events, that no individual, no ruler and nothing lasts forever, except the virtues and self-understanding that overcomes all sorrow.

So, Happy Onam.

Big love & healing to you.

(P.S To the so called ‘journos’ hankering after this masala & asking those thaka hua questions. )

Sona Mohapatra

Does SRK’s Identity in Raees Mean He is Insecure

There is no doubt that Shah Rukh Khan has donned a distinctly Muslim identity in his latest flick Raees. Do you think it is incidental? He has also taken up a grey character, although it is not new – he has been doing negative roles for long time starting with Darr and surprisingly it has not harmed his hugely popular female fan following (as it is assumed that women do not like crime). But Raees is unique and new.

SRK not only wears a ‘Muslim beard’ but also applies ‘kaajal’ – which all film makers use to make any character appear like a Muslim. He runs on the sand in some Arabian desert. There is an element of Islam in whatever he does. Experts are saying that this means that SRK is desperate – desperate for success! It is especially since some of his recent films have not done well on box office. His hugely anticipated movie ‘Fan’ was an official ‘flop’.

If we look at it from this perspective, it becomes clear how desperate SRK would be for a hit! Surprisingly, other Khans are doing well. Amir is still golden boy and Salman appears fit as his wax statue. But SRK is ageing and growing older day by day. His face is now filled with wrinkles and he looks like a 60 year old man – with lots of hair transplanted on head as the only savior. In this situation, it is only natural that SRK would turn to his core constituency – Muslim movie watchers!

Or is it his rivalry with Salman for attracting most Muslim fans – that he has gone this way?

Whatever be the reason, signs are not good at all! It seems Shah Rukh Khan is finally fading away…

Good bye, you will be missed!

Originally published at: http://blogs.rediff.com/rahulwrites/2017/02/08/does-srks-identity-in-raees-mean-he-is-insecure/

About Controversies in Tamil Nadu and South India

South India is 'trending' and North Indians are looking at them with great curiosity and disbelief. For so many decades, North Indians looked at stereotyped South Indians as professional (due to inability to decipher expressions and nuances), highly educated (since South Indians spoke more English), and unpolitical people (since Northerners did not understand South politics properly). They thought that the large crowds and anarchy were traits of the North alone and South was as clean as the sea appears from a distance. 

In a series of extraordinary events, we are mesmerized with different shades of the South. Our simplistic opinions and stereotyped versions fell apart with each such event.

When Northerners saw people from South adoring Rajinikanth like a cult figure; they thought it was so because he was the biggest from the South. But then Rajinikanth is a Marathi and not a Tamil! Enough to cause confusion!

Then it came to Cauvery water dispute and we saw such angry and violent protests in Bengaluru that we could not believe our eyes. Two Southern states fighting over water? We thought it happened only near our Northern village wells and ponds!

Before and after demise of Jayalalitha the politics over her health, denial of cremation and fight over legacy baffled us. The huge crowds and madness of her supporters baffled us more - if you see her past corruption record. So people from South also love corruption? We thought corruption only happened in Kejriwal's muhalla!

And then comes the latest hash tag of Jallikattu. People from North could not believe that the well educated, civilized Southerners loved their bulls so much! I mean who cares for the bulls now? We though everyone in South was an engineer and won't have time for such things.

Such black swan events are definitely breaking the stereotypes. It is not about appearing better or worse, but it is definitely about appearing real. If Northerners are feeling that South is becoming more like North, it actually means that we are getting to know each other better.