| One of my very few political posts..... |
[May. 13th, 2008|12:34 pm] |
I do not like to post comments about politics or activist activities normally, even though I am involved with some of them and try to do the pitiful little that I can.
But I did go to a political meeting for Citizen Matters, and came away disappointed (and why is *that* not a surprise?)
Here's my view of what happened
It was really sad to see an academician of Dr Manmohan Singh's stature spouting political figures, casting political aspersions, and making political promises (the kind that are normally written on the surface of a pond). Instead of bringing forth leaders whom we can look up to, our political system ensures that even people who are worthy of respect are brought down to the level where the average citizen scorns them.... |
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| I suppose I should go....? |
[May. 8th, 2008|04:50 am] |
As a concerned citizen, and as someone who writes for Citizen Matters , I have been invited to a citizens' meeting which will be addressed by the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh .
I have, in the past, avoided any meetings where political figures..er..figure, like the plague. The reasons are many....I find many politicians an unprincipled, lying lot, not worth the time spent in getting near them.
And the time spent is indeed awesome. No one can ever predict when a pol will arrive to address a meeting; odds are that there will be a huge delay. Today's meeting requirements are that attendees must go some vague house in the vicinity of the hall where the meeting will be held, collect the invitation, and then be in the hall by 11am. To do this reasonably comfortably, I must leave home at 9am. Why can invitations not be given, or attendees' names checked, at the venue? I have no clue, and neither, I think, have the organizers, who must go by the security requirements.
The security requirements....for a wait of several hours (I do not know when we will be allowed to leave after the meeting), one cannot take along one's mobile phone, laptop, or even water (water bottles are the new Evil Thing.) Obviously, no food either, because I might be carrying a Bomb Sandwich. Jokes apart, I must say that we faced far less of difficulties when, in the US, we went to listen to Barack Obama (ok, he is not the President...yet!) There was fairly strict security, but most of it was logical and certainly, mobiles were allowed.
If I can carry my mobile or laptop, I can certainly spend my waiting time quite usefully. But I will have to just sit and twiddle my thumbs, and all the other fingers, for a long while.
Add to this the fact that I am not a professional newshound. Perhaps someone sent from a newspaper would have the "must" factor about this, and would cheerfully resign themselves to half the day being spent in doing nothing much. But I am an Ordinary Citizen...a housewife whose husband has his weekly off today, and with whom I spend less time than I would like to....
So...I think I will finish off the morning chores and decide, in a couple of hours, what I am going to do...
Murphy's Law mandates that if I go, I will feel at the end that it was not worth, and if I don't, I will miss something interesting! After all, how often does a Prime Minister of the country address the Ordinary Citizen directly in a city far away from the capital?
Decision time approaches...I am off to the kitchen to finish the cooking of breakfast and lunch! |
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| Donkey Welfare Concern by Karnataka Politician |
[May. 3rd, 2008|09:32 am] |
I put it into one of my replies to a comment on my spinach post, but it is tooooo good not to make a separate post about...
he loves donkeys
Vatal Nagaraj once decided to emulate the "rasta roko" which others had done, and decided to do an "aircraft roko" at the airport.
No, the effort was not successful, if you are asking! |
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| Lovely float in Germany (from the Deccan Herald of today) |
[Feb. 5th, 2008|08:26 pm] |
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| The Obama Event |
[Feb. 5th, 2008|07:09 pm] |
Here's a sign on the wall of the Edward Jones Dome :
Here's the Gateway Arch and the Old Courthouse building , they were close to where the event was being held:
( pics of an evening )
We returned home at nearly midnight, and I think we would have been better off in front of the TV...but it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience! |
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| Went to see this guy tonight... |
[Feb. 3rd, 2008|01:01 pm] |
When we realized that this guy was here (we missed the Clintons, they swanned in and out without informing us!) was coming to town, we wen to see him ...and get the experience of it all...will post about it later..
Heh, heh, that's the closest we got to him! But it was a memorable experience. |
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| The Anti-Bush Campaign |
[Jan. 28th, 2008|08:48 am] |
Here people seem to be very anti-Bush, and they are all out to remove Bush. "Consign Bush to the trash bin of history!" seems to be the slogan.
( Dramatic pictures tell the story )
We are true-blue Democ....rats.....
Thanks, ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) shortindiangirl, for suggesting this post! |
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| No one is..... |
[Oct. 12th, 2006|10:06 am] |
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Funny thing...NO ONE is a political animal. Every single person "doesn't like people games"...can't deal with power ploys....is not fond of scoring points and having manipulative game plans...then where does the politics come from? No one ever says, "Yes, I enjoy the cut-and-thrust type of conversation, I enjoy asserting my dominance, I enjoying using people, their egos, foibles and insecurities to further my goals and aims"....Even politicians do not admit that they are politcal persons!
It is mostly amusing to watch the political overtones in meetings and conversations; but every now and then, one has to take a stand on what one believes in, and be drawn into the politics oneself!
We have a saying in Bengal where I grew up...if there are two Bengalis, there is one Durga Puja. If there are three Bengalis, there are two Durga Pujas! And I think this applies universally.... |
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annoyed
amused
tired