Race on for the "hot" seat

Some ramblings about elections in the country........it's a random narration with no structure of thoughts.

It's time for elections in Karnataka. The last time the results were dreadful with no party winning with a majority required to form a government on it's own. Unstable coalitions governments proved to be a curse for the people of this state. The last 5 years saw 3 chief minister from 3 different parties stake claim for short periods. This meant that the first few days in office were spent in celebrating their success and the last few days in trying desperate measures to retain the hot seat. In between the ministers were busy settling scores against their foes......oops! No friends and foes in politics.

Last 5 years the state has stumbled on numerous fronts. Bangalore promised a lot but delivered little. Administrative reforms remained on paper and never took shape due to constant threats to the survival of the coalition. Infrastructure in the city has stumbled with people spending most of their time on the roads. Crime rates are on the rise.....the list of woes are endless.

The "pack of jokers" have made a mockery of the people's mandate or do our votes even matter. Come election time and parties and politicians pumps crores of rupees to lure the under privileged with free booze and cash. This helps swing the mandate in their favor.

The declared assets of most candidates swell to crores. I cannot imagine the actual figures. Their pockets have swelled at the cost of poor taxpayers money.

What happened to the storm "Lead India" created. Will we get to see the hero contest in the state. Or is it another reality show that attracted the masses but failed to create a leader.

It's been 8 yrs since the road in front of my apartment has been concreted. Each time Bangalore sees a heavy downpour there's flooding in the surrounding area due to a poorly maintained storm water drain. I see the list of candidates who are contesting from my area and am not convinced about the credentials of any of them. I doubt if they'd make a difference to my life and those living around me. Do I need someone like that to represent me and raise my concerns and initiate works on my behalf.

I am wary of casting my mandate for a variety of reasons.

• will it even make a difference
• do I need "some" candidate to represent my constituency.

Campaigns have kick started in various parts of the state........people have to put up with traffic snarls and excessive noises in the coming days. The commute to office is going to get tougher.

Hope the son of the soil.....humble farmer with a hummer does not make it to the hot seat this
time.............He needs to be shown the door for ridiculing one of the greatest democracies int the world.

I pray some sense prevails among the people of the state.......God save Karnataka and Bangalore as the "race" for hot seat hots up!!!

All opinions are personal..................

IPL has a lesson for marketers

The idea of IPL was mooted to rival the gang led by Subash Chandra. At every step Modi and his team at IPL were making news for the large deals they struck, be it media rights, logo rights, sponsor deals etc. The auctions that followed for the franchisees and the players saw money being pumped into the game of cricket like never before. They had clearly got the edge with the backing of the parent bodies. However there were questions raised about the chances of the league becoming a success for a variety of reasons.

The challenges for the bosses at IPL were many.The franchisee did their bit by organizing promos, launching memorabilia, release music albums etc.....but everyone knew at the back of their mind that if IPL had to succeed for the game and nothing else. The much needed hype before the event took off was created.At the same time there were opinions expressed about cricket being a game of national loyalties and how an Indian could never celebrate when Bret Lee broke Sachin's wicket.


I too had the same kind of concerns about the prospects of the league for a variety of reasons. I had developed a feeling that probably this country has had a overdose of cricket and it was time people enjoyed watching other sports,well, I guess it was not to be.

A ball is yet to be bowled nevertheless the first game at Bangalore is a sell out. Selling rates have gone up 5 times in the grey market. For me the league is a success even before the first ball is bowled. I am convinced that the people of this country can never have enough of cricket.

As it's rightly said, there's a place for everything in this world and this new avataar of the game will find it's place and meet with success. For the sake of the game I love, Congrats and best wishes to Modi and team for changing the lives of a bunch of talented cricketers who dreamt of donning the Indian cap. They can hope for a life out of IPL for the sacrifices they have made in life.

Lesson 2

I was passing through the Chinnaswamy stadium members entry gate when I noticed a board which said........"Black Dog Members Stand". I was wondering what the hell was a "Black Dog" .

Later I found the stadium map and saw that the names of stands go like this......

• Antiquity
• Black Dog
• McDowells
• Bagpiper Special
• Royal Challenge...........

And the team is rightly called Royal Challengers.

I'll skip mentioning what theese names stand for (I wouldnt wanna reveal my knowledge on these!!). Does anyone bother that ads and publicity for alcohol is prohibited.............Mallya and his team found a way to bend the rules. A event like the IPL has done the trick for the UB group. It is advertising budget well spent!

The IPL extravaganza has arrived!.......exciting times ahead.

Life's set for a change.....

I am awaiting my travel dates from my higher ups at work...........well for those who dont know, I am all set to travel to the Unites States - location, duration, project etc unkown as I type this blog. There's a lot of negative vibes that my colleagues have sent across about life and work in Charlotte (yes!, that's where my client is located).

Still, I am positive about the experience of going to a distant land on my own and managing clients, daily chores etc......I'll probably reserve another blog for my experiences there.
I am excited about the prospect of meeting my sister and her family....especially the little one.It's gonna be a challenge for my parents too........guess mom might have to manage all alone for a while until dad get's back to Blore.

With hopes of taking the flight,work is taking a back seat much to the grunt of my colleagues.....but like I care!!!!( I hope "Him" does not read this one!) . There's a lot of work pending though before I alight the flight, need to make a shopping list, a TODO list, treat list and 'n' other lists. It's gonna be a hectic and tensed couple of weeks in april......looking forward to the change life's presenting before me.

Couple of things I'd miss for sure.........home sweet home, parents, friends, Binoy, mom's food, Bangalore, my room.......but as they say life moves on and with them people too.....It's time for me to move on!!!!

The politics of Olympics

Over the last couple of weeks the press has attempted to load every medium with news of the Chinese atrocities on the Tibetan population. Around the world there's a call to boycott the upcoming Beijing Olympics for reports of human rights violation in China.
All of the above might be true.........but why make Olympics the scapegoat.

The participants have waited 4 yrs or more for this landmark truly international event. It marks a celebration of their efforts, sacrifices and determination. To boycott the Olympics is to drown the aspirations and efforts of lots of sports persons. Some of them might not even last until the next Olympics.........so for those sports heroes who are hoping to participate in the Beijing Olympics, this show must go on!