The SPEAKER is not allowed to SPEAK !!!

Enough is just not enough, when it comes to Indian politicians and their far from gentlemanly behavior in the temple of our parliament. This is not the first of its kind.



1997, our own politicians, leaders gave a new meaning to ‘sharing the mic’. As millions saw in televised replays, legislators opposed to the Hindu nationalists staged a melee on the floor of the state assembly, throwing punches at political opponents, hurling chairs, ripping out microphones and throwing them at the podium. Several legislators were led away bleeding. The events were termed as simply ''a brutalization of democracy,''. These were the worst example yet of the growing violence in Indian politics as the speaker of the house watched helplessly.


This time, it was the Speaker himself at the receiving end of this goondaism. A day after unruly MLAs created ruckus in Uttar Pradesh Assembly, there was chaos in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday. In scenes similar to what happened in the assembly in 1997, MLAs threw paper balls at the Governor, stood on chairs and tables and shouted slogans. However, in AP, the minister just didn’t bulge from their location, stalling the entire proceeding; thereby forcing the speaker to call in marshal’s to take them out of house. Funny, because it took almost 7 marshal to lift each MLA. Guess, where your tax is going.


Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, one of the chief architects of India's freedom and a moving force behind its Constitution, placed the office of the Speaker in India in the proper context when he said:


The Speaker represents the House. He represents the dignity of the House, the freedom of the House and because the House represents the nation, in a particular way, the Speaker becomes a symbol of nation's freedom and liberty. Therefore, it is right that, that should be an honored position, a free position and should be occupied always by men of outstanding ability and impartiality.


This would explain why this office still remains one of the most crucial ones in the life of every Lok Sabha.


Usually, a member belonging to the ruling party is elected the Speaker. A healthy convention, however, has evolved over the years whereby the ruling party nominates its candidate after informal consultations with the Leaders of other Parties and Groups in the House. This convention ensures that once elected, the Speaker enjoys the respect of all sections of the House.


However, when things get hotter, the politicians cry foul and give little respect to the house. Doesn’t this show a bad example of leadership. Of course yes. Let me tell you how.


Just like a speaker is elected by the house member’s, we elect our leaders to lead us. But when these leaders turn out to be no good, we go on strike and go rampaging like herds of elephants, burning everything on our way. Isn’t this the destruction of our own property? Of course, when the leader itself is showing us the way, then what can the people do, but follow the leader.


I hope our leaders stop all this non sense, behave sensibly and lead us by example. Unfortunately we have elected few groups of thugs. What could be done when all the candidates standing for election are thugs. All that can be done is elect the lesser thug and hope for the best. Well, better than not voting at all.


Anyway, I think violence and politics go hand in hand. I can recall my college day’s wherein there were violence during the college election and often, some or the other guy would find himself in hospital bed.


All, that I want to tell these politicians is that, your follower’s, and the younger generation is watching you. Please don’t set a bad example.


On the other hand, I see a major flaw in the way the speaker is elected. Article 93 of the Indian constitution talks about the Speaker of the Parliament. The office of the Speaker is one of the great responsibilities. The Speaker is the Chief Officer of the Lok Sabha, he presides over its sitting and controls its working. He upholds the dignity and privileges of the House. It is expected that once elected he must rise above party interests. This is necessary to maintain impartiality. The Constitution of India contains certain provisions for maintaining independence and impartiality of the Speaker. His salary is charged on the Consolidated Fund of India and is not subject to annual vote by Parliament. He cannot be removed from his office except by a resolution passed by a special majority.


But the high tradition of this office and the honor and dignity with which this office is looked upon in England has not been maintained in India. So, the question is, “Who rule’s the God?” However, this could be a vicious circle, leading to nowhere.


So what is needed, is the sense of respect for the house and the person addressing the house rather than the “who rule’s the ruler” philosophy.


Please for the sake of the young mind's.

"What they see is what you do. Lets behave before we speak"

MY NEED’s & My WANT’s !!

Well, I haven’t written a single post this year. Perhaps this year didn’t start on a good note. The bad luck and news which had haunted me all through the last few months of 2008 had continued to 2009. On a positive note, probably this is a sign of something good to come my way. So I am bent but not broken. Oh not yet. There were worse day’s.

Anyway, I was just getting all worked up because all that I touched or thought was turning to rusted metal, forget gold, silver and bronze. Well, most of these things were not actually in my control, so that added to my frustration. Also, we melancholy perfectionist idiots build very high standards for ourselves and would get very upset and troubled if we don’t achieve it. Troubled to an extent that you curse your life and make yourself feel like worth less. However that’s a strategy subconsciously adapted by us to get back and fight every time we fail. As I said, our style of fighting is to bend back to such an extent that you would fall flat on your face trying to take a jab at us.


I have a good/bad habit of maintaining a diary. I don’t update it every day. Just when I am bored and feel like I need to note down few important things that I come across. I do read it sometimes and reflect upon the incidents and try to laugh, learn or unlearn. It’s my way of connecting the dots looking backwards.


Few days ago, I opened this diary to read. Something interesting caught my eyes. I know, I had written this, but every time I read it feels like something new to me. Like I am reading it for the first time. Anyway, I don’t want to just paste whatever I had written on Jan 1 2009, but I will narrate the incident which had happened a day before New Year.


I was at my home town that day. It was my grandmother’s first death anniversary; therefore all my relatives had come down from various part of the country. My grandmother had 11 children ( entire cricket team without bench strength) therefore, when I say relatives, you might get a little idea about the numbers. I had made a family tree after returning from home town and the total comes up to 82.


So with all these people on board, you can imagine the state of house during the functions of any kind at my hometown. Though my granny’s house is huge, it seems to be small when all these people come together. Al l the younger cousin’s running around, smaller once screaming at the height of their voice with the vicious aim to bring down the roof, cousin’s of my age playing cricket, football whatever in the court yard, uncles sitting on the porch playing cards and warning us every minute about ball thrashing into one of their cars parked, aunties chatting in the hall, it looks just a little less than a railway stations and a little more than a fish market.


Well, I was tired of playing cricket and came into the hall and joined my aunts, to catch up with all the gossips going around the family and outside family. I don’t know if this sound’s girlish but I love to simply sit in a corner and listen to all the people just coming up such interesting topics. It just fascinates me. Surely it’s interesting as well. On the contrary my uncle’s are all serious talks and I feel lost because sometimes I feel that I got two worlds. The world inside me is very childish and it is like 10 years old and the world outside me is all serious running on 40 years old. So when I am with uncle’s I talk like 40 and when I am with aunts and cousins I talk like 10.


Therefore, I would rather sit next to some ladies, listen to them chatting rather than sit next to uncles and listen to how share market is falling, how it could be got back on track, when to start farming, my son/daughter is in US, he/she got a very good CET ranking and all the strategic gimmicks. Well I would have enjoyed it few years ago but now I know life a little bit better and I can learn all these things myself.


So, as I said, I was enjoying the discussion. My grandmother had 6 daughters. They were discussing about their days when they got married.


One of my aunt said, “On the day of Saku’s ( one of my aunt) wedding, she went straight to her father in law and poured the water on his feet to wash it (it’s a tradition wherein the bride washes her husband’s feet, however my aunt went straight to father in law to wash his feet instead of washing her husband’s feet). Someone pulled her and re directed her towards her husband.”


My eldest uncle had come home, scolded her for doing this.


I asked my aunt why she had done something like that.


She said, “I was ignorant. I hadn’t seen any wedding before. My wedding is the first wedding I had witnessed.”


I was surprised and a little shocked because today’s generation would attend at least a dozen wedding’s before their own. (and yet they wouldn’t know to which figure do they need to insert the ring. But that’s another story).


My aunt continued, “It was tough day’s. We didn’t have money. Having 2 square meals everyday was a big deal. Your grandmother worked very hard. Without any support from your grandfather, she had alone developed from almost zero assets to what you see today. So we had only two good dresses which could be worn on special occasions. So on a given day, only two of the six sister’s could go out for a wedding. Therefore, we took turns wearing the dress and attending any functions. I was unfortunate because I couldn’t attend any wedding before my wedding. Therefore, I didn’t know whose feet to wash on the day of wedding.”


Just then my teenage cousin comes running in complaining about his new jeans which is a little light colored and therefore he wants a new one.


I looked at my cousin and then I looked at my aunt’s. We all knew what was going on each other’s mind at that particular moment. Today’s generation has all the comforts and yet its complaining about things they don’t have.


I read this diary entry, and thought about myself. About what I had and what I don’t have. The truth is, what I have is more than what I don’t have. The year didn’t look that bad anymore. I had found the inspiration not from books, not from great leaders but from a small incident in my family.


In fact, I don’t have to look far away to find role models. My dearest uncle is my role model.(that’s another post). My family doesn’t stop inspiring me every time I am with them. I am sure most of you would relate to whatever I have said. Many of you have a great family. What else do we need?


I am thankful for having more than what I NEED.


I don’t crib much about what I WANT.

“When you put your NEED’s before your WANT’s, you will find peace.”