Happy new year 2021

 The antonym of "Happy New Year" would be "Unhappy Old Year". 2020 was exactly that - an old year now which made us all unhappy. Now the first post teen year of 2020 paves way for the year 2021 - a new year we wish it will make 2020 a forgettable one. While wishing so we step into it, we don't know what lies ahead, what's in store for us. As the old man 2020 bends his spine and extends his hand to open the door to welcome the New Year, it is now time for some introspection. 

The passing year 2020 will be forever be remembered for two several reasons - Coronavirus pandemic which killed millions, caused economic recession and impacted the US Presidential elections. For the first time since 1944, a Olympics wasn't held on the schedule year. And for the first time since 1992 an incumbent President lost his reelection.

A la getting rid off old cloths for the new ones, the soul moving from one body to another as famously extolled by Lord Sri Krishna in the BHAGWAT GITA and other Hindu Scriptues, 2020 will be reborn yet again at midnight tonight as 2021. The year dawns with the cherubic smile of a newborn, as another number is added to its age in the form of a New Year.

But hardly anything else ever changes for me with the arrival of a new year. For me life trudges ahead as the same shit, different day - with different color and texture. Hardly anything cataclysmically different happens, rather more or less the status quo is maintained. I don't make any New year promises to myself, as I don't and can't keep them anyway. I just roll over to the year ahead of me.

We may forget history but we don't forget to repeat it year after year. Similar to this starting stanza of the Kishore Kumar's song :

EK RUT AAE, EK RUT JAAE PHIR,
MOUSAM BADLENA, BADLE NASEEB.

"One season comes and another goes,
Seasons change, not the fateful woes". 

This year came and went with a mixed bag of good, bad and ugly for me, with additional baggage of memories rolling into next year. Made new friends, revived old ones and lost a few near and dear ones, once and for all. Yet the year comes with this stark reminder - life goes downhill from here, tasks become uphill and years are numbered before I go over the hill. 

To me, almost all the New Year wishes expressed over the years have been pleasant enough to makes them forgettable. Homo Sapien's inherent instinct is to remember the unpleasant ones. I being no exception - remember this one from 1st January, 1982. On the first New Year after his marriage to Diana, Prince Charles wished the nosey British Paparazzi, "Have a Nasty New Year".

But I don't have to be nasty. So let me repeat the forgettable wish, as I do not forget to do at the end of every year - HAVE A WONDERFUL NEW YEAR ahead and stay blessed.

India All out for 36

 In the year 1974, India toured England in the first half of English summer. I lived in Liverpool, England for some time and very familiar with its freaky weather. It is not unusual to have cold spells during the summer in England, especially in its early part. But that year it was quite unusual - it was more like a cold spring than summer when the Indian team landed on the English soil on a 3 test series.

The tour was ill fated from the beginning. India lost the series 3-0, whitewashed. Ordinary bowlers like Chris Old and John Snow created havoc in India's batting line up. Gavaskar was probably the only batsman who stood up showing some grit filled resistance. 

Sunil Gavaskar has rated his 101 on a cold, blistery day in Old Trafford, Manchester on that tour as his best knock, well above his several double centuries. Our bowling attack those days, completely dependent on spinners who couldn't get their grip on the ball due to the cold conditions. English batsmen made our world class spinners look like ordinary club cricketers making a mincemeat out of them.

To add salt to the wound, India was bowled out for a paltry 42 runs at Lord's. I had an old copy of the magazine "Illustrated Weekly of India" (now defunct) at home where its cricket columnist Raju Bharatan published all the 10 black and white photos of our batsmen's dismissal.

Fast forward to 46 years later. All these years Cricket has gone through metamorphic changes. India is no more the cricketing world's minnows of 1970s. It is now a cricket powerhouse having all the money, power, influence over the game centered around it. West Indies, the unbeatable team of 1970s is now just another ordinary team on the cricket map.

Yet India couldn't defy history. History repeats itself and strikes at inopportune moments. Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it. Yesterday we created history, breaking that record set at Mecca of cricket in 1974 by getting dismissed for 36 runs, 6 runs less than the humiliating innings total under the Captainship of Ajit Wadekar. Emotional fans in Indian greeted Wadekar and the team mates with a shower of rotten eggs and sandals (a mode of humiliation in Indian subcontinent) upon their arrival at Bombay (it wasn't Mumbai yet) Airport. Glad there was no social media then - otherwise, they would have been trolled.

And trolled are now our players on media, social or otherwise after scoring 36 runs off pink ball in Adelaide losing all their 10 wickets, especially the director of the team Ravi Sastri who is toasted and roasted a la a burnt bread. Sastri is not new to this kind of treatment. During his playing days he was known to be a selfish player hell bent upon scoring runs at snail's pace at the cost of the country. His slow innings was blamed for several Indian defeats. At least one comes to my mind. When India lost to Australia in a crucial group game in 1992 World Cup held Down Under by just 1 run, Sastri's slow innings came under scanner. 

The ignominy then wasn't just limited to media. Across India Ravi Sastri's effigies were garlanded with CHAPPAL (sandals) and public made bonfire of them. It still remember a photograph from Sastri's hometown of Bombay where his name was painted on a donkey and the poor animal was garlanded with string of slippers. It doesn't take our mercurial fans to overreact. It doesn't take long for bricks to follow bouquets. It may happen yet again. An emotionally charged public may very well make an ass out of him - fanning a long stretch from the player Sastri of yesteryear to Director Sastri.

My tryst with Inoculation

 In one of his brilliant posts, my Facebook friend Bharat Mishra Sir has nicely elucidated the parallels between the COVID-19 vaccine and the cholera vaccinations given on the outskirts of the temple town of Puri days before the world famous annual Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra (Car Festival).

His post reminded me of the inoculations I received during my childhood. I have a very faint memory of small pox vaccine which was tattooed on my hand, the scar of which is still visible. But my first vivid memory is getting a shot (called injection in India) of cholera vaccination when I was in primary school. 

As the D-Day arrived I was scared to death. After getting the shot I mistakenly assumed that the ordeal would be over. I was proved wrong. By evening I had fever and could hardly lift my arm. My grandma gave me LUNA PODA SEKA - gently sponged the vicinity of the tiny orifice on my arm stuck by the needle with heated pad of salt wrapped in a piece of cloth. The pain subsided after couple of days. A piece of paper called the Inoculation Certificate is all I got after bearing all the physical and mental agony.

Little I knew that this Certificate will come handy a few months later when I was on a bus to Puri days before the famous RATH YATRA. On the outskirts of the city near Chandanpur, the bus was stopped by a battalion of health officials eagerly waiting with syringe on hand. It was time to give cholera shots. I proudly brandished my inoculation certificate and they spared me.

Those who didn't meekly disembarked and lined up for the shots. A few who tried to flee were immediately chased down by the officials. Some escaped by wading over the paddy fields, melting away behind the coconut groves. Those not so lucky were grabbed by their collars and a DAMPHANA (the Odia term for thick needles used to sew jute sacks) sized needle was stabbed to their bottom with great force. They grimaced and screamed in pain, limping back to bus in full view of passengers peeping through the window. I was watching Wild Wild West enacted on the east coast of India.

Vaccinations virtually wiped out many communicable diseases like small pox and cholera which used to wipe out families in entirety. Half of my father's siblings died early of preventable diseases. My grandfather used to tell scary stories about how life then was a matter of surviving next spring (pox season) or late summer (cholera season).

During the epidemics the entire village use to shut down after dark. As soon as twilight sets in the villagers liberally filled huge earthen pots outside with PITHA (cakes made from rice and grams), PANAA (a sweetened puree made from yogurt and fruits like Banana and Stone Apples or BEL) for the consumption of BADI THAKURANI (the Goddess of Cholera) or Maa SITHALA(The Goddess of Pox). 

Job done, they rushed back home never daring to venture outside till dawn lest they earn the wrath of the Goddesses. Not sure how far the Goddesses were appeased but the stray dogs of the village had a field day. They put on a lot of weight and seemed healthier and happier than their human counterparts.

COVID-19 is bad, but not as bad as cholera or small pox. Vaccinations in spite of side effects, had its effects. It saved lives after generations when Cholera, not condoms controlled population. Hope the upcoming COVID-19 vaccine becomes of a new era, a post Coronavirus age of normalcy.

RIP Paolo Rossi

 This Italian will forever be remembered as the star of the 1982 World Cup Soccer who dashed the dream of the Brazil's dream team who was the favorite to win the Cup. The scorer of 6 goals in that World Cup, including his hat trick in the crucial game against Brazil which sealed the fate of the South American Samba team.

The Brazil's soccer team that year managed by the legendary Tele Santana who believed attack is the best method of defense. The star studded Brazilian team with the likes of Zico, Socrates, Falcao breezed into the quarters. The legendary Pele boasted "Playing like this we are going to win the Cup". 

That year, the number of nations qualifying for the World Cup was increased from 16 to 24. Quarterfinals was held in a league format with Argentina (with a promising 21 year old Maradona in their side), Brazil and Italy clubbed together in one group, with one team to qualify for the semifinals. It was dubbed as the group of death. Italy barely qualified to the Quarterfinals, finding itself in a group of previous World Cup Champions and the tournament's favorite team Brazil.

The Samba team defeated Argentina 3-1, Italy defeated Argentina 2-1. Brazil just needed a draw to qualify for the Semifinals and in full form, it seemed to be an easy task for the team.

But Paolo Rossi crashed the Brazilian dream with a hat trick as Italy narrowly won the match 3-2 and later went on to win the Cup. Clearly the marauding Brazilians let their defense down while focusing too much on blitzkrieg and paid the price. Believing too much on attack, the Brazilians left loopholes in their defense for Rossi to capitalize.

Rossi didn't stop there. He netted 2 goals against Poland in Semifinal and it final against Germany netted one more to take their team to an improbable win. He was Italy's national hero overnight.

As a 13 year old I remember following the matches on BBC Radio. There was no TV in Bhubaneswar at that time. Being a fan of Brazil, I was sad too. Many died of heart attack in Brazil and a few committed suicide due to this unexpected loss. 

And today's shocking loss was Paolo Rossi at the age of 64. December turning out to be a bad year for Soccer stars, as Brazil's Socrates the maverick player and a star of 1982 World Cup too died in the month of December. RIP, Paolo Rossi. You will be remembered as synonymous to the Azzuri's (Italian Soccer team) 1982 World Cup win.

RIP Binayak Mohapatra

 I remember him from the year 1976 when I arrived in Bhubaneswar as a 7 year old as my father got transferred to BJB College. We never left Bhubaneswar ever since, nor my memories of him. He was one year senior to me in school and lived next door in BJB Flats - an array of newly constructed three storeyed government quarters next to Lewis Road.

As he was my senior in school and more familiar to the local milieu my mother put faith on him, requested him to guide me while crossing the crowded Lewis road which used to get busy with the Puri and the Secretariate bound traffic during the peak school hours. Bhubaneswar was a sleepy township of salaried government employees. The main roads were mostly empty except during the commute hours of the office goers.

We were next door neighbors. He took good care of me, always fed me the sweetest of Guavas and BARA KOLI (tiny sweet and sour berries) from their backyard. As he was a better built lad and a year senior to me, the bullying kids avoided me. It didn't take long for my schoolmates to accept me as one of their own once I scored good marks in exams and got rid of my typical accent of Bhadrak, the town where I spent five years of my early childhood, long enough to catch the local accent. My classmates in Bhubaneswar laughed at me when I pronounced KODIE CHORA (Twenty thieves) as KOODIE CHOORA, putting a "Na" after words, e.g. KHAICHU NA, JAICHU NA. He laughed too, counselled me to restrain myself and not to get reactive when someone poked fun at me. Soon I got over it and my ubiquitous BHADRAKIA accent.

He was a good organizer and had leadership qualities. We used to play cricket and a local version of basketball where you put a stack of broken bricks, throw a ball at it to dismantle it, then put them back together before someone hurls and hits you with the ball. I was at best average in sports, he was amongst the best to earn the "captain" tag and call the shots at team selection before any crucial match with our adjacent gully opponents.

We used to celebrate Saraswati Puja, Ganesh Puja, Holi and Diwali together. Once a few weeks before Diwali he came with a creative idea of his own. He brought a tin box and made a tiny slot on top of it. We were instructed to put coins inside and save them to buy firecrackers for Diwali. To keep it safe, following his advice we dug up the ground and buried our safe box. On the morning of Diwali, we purchased fireworks with the saved money. I was afraid of sound making TALA PHOTAKA (firecracker made from palm leaves) but he wasn't. He used to take pride in bursting them standing a few feet away.

He wasn't afraid of anyone, but his father, who was a thorough gentleman but a strict dad. Even if he would be batting (a cherished moment for gully cricketers), no sooner he heard the typical sound of Mausa (his father's) Bajaj Chetak, than he threw his bat away and ran towards home. It's always a desperate race against time to sneak through backdoor. 

Mausa usually took his time to take off the helmet, elongate the folded stand of the scooter using his hind leg, park and lock it before turning the handle couple of times ensure that the lock is secured. That provides his son precious little time to be at his study table, pretending to be studying.

And studied he well. After completing his Intermediate Science he studied Engineering and came to USA 🇺🇸 to do further studies. Like the overwhelming majority of us who came to America not to return back, he made a choice to settle down here and had been living in Phoenix, Arizona for no less than a decade. 

Last Wednesday (December 2) morning he passed away, apparently from a massive cardiac arrest, leaving his wife and his 9 year old behind. Only 52, he had a long road ahead. The news was stunning beyond my belief as I felt something snapping inside me. When I heard his 9 year old son saying - "Don't you worry. I am a strong boy", drops of tears fogged my vision. BINAYAK (Bapi) MOHAPATRA, stay in peace in heaven, where you rightly belong. Om Shanti.

RIP Diego Maradona

 This 21 year old thin, tiny guy from Argentina was the new star in the horizon amongst the more established Brazilian, German and Italian stars like Zico, Socrates, Paolo Rossi in the 1982 World Cup Soccer being held in Spain. He was Diego Maradona.

Argentina the champion in the previous version missed to see Maradona in the World Cup held in their own soil as the coach thought at 17 he was too raw to play in a high profile tournament. But in 1979 FIFA Youth World Cup held in Japan, Maradona emerged as a star as Argentina won the cup defeating Soviet Union in the Finals.

In 1982 Maradona was no stranger to the world of soccer, having already carved his niche. The Quarterfinals was in a league format with Argentina, Brazil and Italy clubbed together in one group, the group of sudden death from which only one team can qualify for the semifinals. In the all important match, Brazil, the overwhelming favorite Samba team needed just a draw to qualify to the semis. But Argentina and Brazil, both lost to Italy which stopped their juggernaut, especially the fancied Brazil.

Maradona was a matured 25 year old and 1986 was His World Cup. I deliberately used (H in Caps) for His famous "Hand of God" goal which sealed England's chances in the Quarterfinals. Maradona scored a controversial goal against the English team, apparently touching the ball by his hand just before scoring the goal. The British press went berserk to which Maradona responded - "It was the hand of Diego (God)".

Arguably, apart from Pele, Maradona wearing his famous no. 10 Jersey when on a dribbling mode was unstoppable and dangerous proposition to any opponent. It also often made him victim to professional fouls to break their flow, causing frequent injuries.

He played in the next World Cup in 1990 when he took his team to the Finals again, before Argentina lost to Germany in a close encounter. I still remember a visibly crying Maradona at the end of the final, as he couldn't bear the loss of his team.

Maradona had an uneventful World Cup i in 1994 World Cup held in the United States, failing a drug test. He was always in the news ever since, mostly for wrong reasons with allegations of drug use and a messy married life. But he was still unstoppable on soccer front, working as a Manager. Death finally stopped him once and for all today. At 60, he still had yards to go. Rest in peace, Hand of God.

In Memory of Chiranjeebi - Story of an Odia Imposter

 Who said that we Odias aren't smart ! This is the story of an Odia con artist who fooled many and successfully flirted with multiple women on Facebook, until one day he lied exposed.

Once upon a time, I was part of a group of Odias on Facebook. A common friend, a good samatarian, an active member and Admin of that group who liked my blogs and other posts on Facebook added me to that group, because I was expected to add variety by contributing my blogs. So I did religiously. But soon I suspected that hardly anyone followed my blogs in that forum. 

Majority of the members were ladies whose taste hovered around exotic Odia food, Bollywood and occasional Odia songs, pickles, mundane talks about their day to day activities, gossips, especially character assassination of their villainous mother-in-laws and sister-in-laws. I could sense that hardly anyone bothered to read my blogs, barring a few humorous ones which earned me some frugal "Likes". Being the odd man out in a group where majority were girls, I thought of quitting. But kept on procrastinating my decision as I found their gossips spicy enough for me to stay glued to the group.

There was this guy, a member and a very active participant, non-controversial, liked by one and all. But eventually he turned out to be a BAHURUPI (multiple personality), a master of the game he was playing. Unknown to all he created an account in the name of "Chiranjeebi Dash", a good looking stud with a handsome picture and added him to this group. His profile page said he was a pilot in Indian Air Force, flying fighter jets across the globe.

Soon at least half a dozen married ladies from the group swooned over and went crazy about this new kid in the block. Bored with their mundane life as housewives, a la instant kick from caffeine shruggs off jaded nerves, they discovered new found excitement in chasing the mirage of this perfect man - Tall, dark, handsome (with stolen profile picture), a dashing young pilot with a sense of humor who humored the girls with poetry and romantic Shayaris quoting choicest Urdu couplets. 

One day he perfectly placed himself in a position of abject sympathy, as the fictitious Airman announced the loss of his fictitious girlfriend to cancer. To give credence to his character, he had already created a Facebook profile of a pretty girl (obviously stolen). To add more myth surrounding our pilot Chiranjeebi a fictitious sister of him was added to the group. His fictitious sister boasted about her loving Air Force brother Chiranjeebi. If I remember correctly her name was "Anwesha Dash", a very appropriate name chosen, for everyone is still in ANWESAN (quest) of that girl. 

His best laid plan to create a wonderful scenario which appeared so realistic in the virtual world of Facebook started to yield results. No less than half a dozen girls in that group instantly bought his story and were all over him. They literally got into a cat fight to grab his attention, making a beeline of their melted hearts showering him with sympathy. Before they realized, their compassion had transformed into infatuation, infatuation to love. 

One of the girls promptly offered a gift of an expensive Parker pen to the pilot. Another girl was on the verge of leaving her family to fulfill the void left at the man's heart now that his girlfriend (fictitious) is gone. The ladies were ready to give up their everytning for someone they never met before. In the wildest of their dreams they didn't know that their man in Shining Armor, their hero was a conman. 

At this point I was starting to get curious to know about this guy. Couple of times he mentioned about flying to US Airforce base in Colorado on some training mission. I requested him to share his telephone number while he was supposed to be in US. He was evasive - "this is a top secret mission, we are not supposed to give our contact number". He agreed to gave me his India number and told me that I may call him once he returns back". Something didn't sound right. Nevertheless, I called him after a few days.

On the other end was a hoarce voice, coughing - "Brother, I am in Egypt now, just flew my fighter plane straight from Russia. It was snowing there. Here it's damn hot. The sudden change of weather caused me a bad cold. Sorry, brother. Can't talk any longer. Too tired and want to call it a day". "No problem. Take care" - I replied. 

But my suspicion only grew. Our dashing man Chiranjeebi Dash avoids to talk, and when he talks it is a coarse, shadowy voice from some shady place in Egypt at the other end. Something ain't sounded right. I thought of disclosing my findings, but was apprehensive that it will fall into deaf ears of these women who were completely smitten and mesmerized by their pilot hero. So, I kept quite.

A few days later, a real Odia pilot was killed along with 4 more Airforce guys as their flight crashed near Gwalior. Our Chiranjeebi immediately announced that the unfortunate Odia pilot was his friend and he was supposed to be in that flight but somehow was lucky to have missed the ill fated flight by a whisker. The girls went gaga over him, their infatuation grew many fold. They profusely thanked God for saving the precious life of their SAPNON KA SAUDAGAR (Dream man).

At this point I gave Chiranjibee the benefit of doubt and wasn't suspicious anymore. Though I was on right track, after this incident I blamed myself for being inordinately skeptical, with my suspicion hitting a road block. It was vindicated that my Sherlock Holmes skills has its limitations. A real guy is dead. The aircrash has been reported in all the major Indian newspapers. Poor Chiranjibee is mourning his friend and I am needlessly getting suspicious about someone who just lost his friend and not long ago lost his girlfriend. I felt offtrack.

Or so I thought. Chiranjibee remained the blue eyes boy of these Odia girls, until his luck finally finally ran out after a year. This man posing as the legendary pilot got caught one day by another member of the group while trying to change phones and modulate his voice to play the character of Airman Chiranjeebi. Caught red handed, he admitted of playing the role of a fictitious character to flirt with the girls. Now folks were able to connect the dots and his victims figured how they were taken for a ride for couple of years by this imposter. Poor ladies, their Knight in Shining Armor they so long fantasized had turned into a crook.

Years later I happened to meet this guy during my trip to Odisha. I confronted him, urf the fictitious Chiranjibee and asked him right on his face - "Should I address you with your real name So and So, or as Chiranjibee, the dashing Air Force pilot ?" He sounded embarrassed, "BHAI, KAHI CHUNA MARUCHA. GOTE KHARAP BELA THILA - Bro, why you are adding salt to the wound. It was my bad time". I replied - "You had a good time. Many men would love to be in your shoes. After all, who can make half a dozen women go crazy simultaneously after one person ? Only celebrity can and you had your celebrity status for quite long time".

That Facebook group is no more there, probably defunct now. From what I heard, this guy has been blocked, unfriended by some of the ladies. Yet the memory of the Indian Airforce Pilot Chiranjeebi, as the name goes, lives on.

US 2020 Elections and its aftermath

 The night after the day of US Elections I was fast asleep. In the wee hours my phone kept on ringing. Drowsy after a long day I hesitantly picked up the phone. At the other end I could hear the sad voice of a boy from our village - "BHAINA, KANA TRAWMPAW KU HAREI DELA - Hey Brother, you defeated Trump ?". "But why do you care ?" - I asked in an intriguing tone. He retorted back - "BICHARAA HAARI GALA. NA HELE PAKISTAN UPARE BOMA PAKEI THANTA - The poor guy lost. Otherwise, he could have dropped a bomb on Pakistan". I replied dismissively - "Oh, Trump told you so ? That's good to know".

In meantime, there was a Presidential election that was held in Tanzania on October 28, less than a week before the US Elections. Outside their country, nobody cares, nobody bothers about their elections. Poor Tanzania !!!

Come American Presidential elections every other 4 years, it gets its fair coverage in India. But this year, the extent of its following, especially on social media surprised me. What surprised me more was the widespread passion of the Trump supporers back home rooting for his victory. If Trump would run in India, he need not do any campaigning - he will win hands down.

But who am I to sermonize? I was also one of those tens of millions who passionately followed the elections, bidding for the Democrats, including Joe Biden, now the President Elect. But in my view following are the reasons which generated an extra interest in this election back home.

First, the flamboyancy of Trump's character. His unconventional, bullying and tweeting tactics made him a great salesman - his sales pitch bought instantly by his fans which shrugged off their jaded nerves, giving them the instant kick of multiple cups instant coffee. Secondly, the misplaced belief of our foreign policy experts on social media that Trump was on the verge of declaring Pakistan a terrorist state because their Supreme God Sri Sri Modi danced in "Howdy Modi" event in Houston holding Trump's hands.

In spite of all these histrionics at Houston, 72% of Indian Americans including me voted for Joe Biden. What a vision in foreign policy by Modi to take sides in am election in a foreign country and openly declare standing next to someone up for reelection - "AB KI BAAR, TRUMP SARKAR - Next time, it's Trump Government" ! Can't find any thing more appropriate to describe this than a myopic, tunnel vision in foreign policy.

I have been following Elections in USA since 1976. Every time a Republican comes, he screws up the governance. Then a Democratic President comes and goes on to rescue it. The Right wingers across the globe are big on rhetorics, failures at governance. I can write an essay about it, but here is a brief summary.

1. George Bush Senior - He screwed up the economy and lost to Bill Clinton in 1992. When Clinton left in 2000 the economy was booming.

2. In 2008 George Bush Junior went for ill fated Iraq war and economy was on a freefall. Obama rescued the economy and left with an economy in good shape in 2016. 

3. Now under Trump both economy is bad and COVID-19 is worse.

I can go on and on, on this. In meantime Trump is behaving like a petulant child whose candy has been snatched away from his hand. The Nostradamuses and Alhabadi Astrologers on social media who predicted a Trump victory have gone underground.

Yet Democrats need to do some soul searching to do. Though better than the Republicans, they are no lily whites either. Gone are the days they used to be the party of the blue collar, middle class working American. Many of them have become elitists and because of that they have lost a chunk of votes in the Rust belt. They need to get back to the basics and be the champions of the middle class.

The shy supporters of Modi and Trump

 Frank Luntz, the famed Republican pollster apologized on National Public Radio for his failure to call the US 2020  Election correctly. His estimate was a conservative, but a comfortable win for Joe Biden. Though Biden is almost there, the Election was far closer than he predicted, Trump really giving the Democrats a run for money.

Frank was frank enough to own his failure. Per him, the discrepancy in his prediction was due to those shy Trump voters preferred not to express publicly their choice for Trump, being afraid of getting ridiculed. Those unaccounted shy voters made all the difference to calculations in the pollsters prediction.

It immediately rang a bell. I have observed, at least on the social media there are many shy supporters of our Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who are afraid of being ridiculed in public. They don't want to be branded as a Modi BHAKT (a religiously blind follower). At the same time, there are obviously plenty of those not so shy supporters of Mr. Modi roaming all over the social media.

I mock at both Modi and Trump, as they go hand in hand. They even danced together hand in hand in the much publicized "Howdy Modi" event last year (much publicized in India, the American media barely took a notice the event being held in their own soil in Houston). I also mock at their hardcore, blind supporters as BHAKTs in a generic way, never being specific to any particular individual.

Nothing riles someone more than being labelled as a BHAKT. But there is some misunderstanding here as I have never said in any of my blogs or posts anything specifically about Mr. X or Ms. Y being a Bhakt. Not sure why people take it so personally in that case. I would like to make it clear that my views are highly generic, not any specific to any particular person.

There is a saying in Odia "MANDIRA RE KIYE, NA MU KADALI KHAINI - Who is there in the temple, reply comes, I haven't eaten any Banana." It simply means, somebody trying to defend himself when there is no accusation". But if my mockery of Modi-Trump duo makes anyone uncomfortable, they are free to ignore my posts, unfriend me or even block me. 

I am reminded of this famous song from a Guru Dutt movie and modified it in this context.

 

BHAKT NE KIYA, KYA HASI SITAM

NA TUM RAHE NA TUM

NA HUM RAHE NA HUM.

Roughly transliterated....

The devotee has done charming injustice,

Nor Me or you,

now are what we used to.

American Elections and Begaani Shaadi

 A little more than a week to go for the US Presidential elections. If polls are to be believed, Joe Biden is all set to become the President. But a week is a long time in politics and more than a week is still longer. 

Last time in 2016, I didn't vote for  President, as I liked neither Trump nor Hillary as the choice was between a Crazy vs Crook. (However I like Hillary's husband Bill as I believe he was a good President). This time I had no second thoughts when I cast my vote using mail in ballot, as the choice is between a Crazy and Crook vs Democracy. (though I believe Trump will narrow carry my state of Georgia, a Republican stronghold unless a pleasant surprise awaits me).

Yet I am bit nervous as the ghost of 2016 still hunts me when Trump beat Hillary beating all expectations with a surprise win. This time he could have easily replicated his victory from last time, probably even bettering last Presidential election. But the COVID-19 put a spanner on wheels of his reelection campaign.

Love him or hate him, one must admit Trump is an effective communicator whose short, targeted sales pitch works for him - at least with his base who still cling to him. His approach is to blitzkrieg his opponents, branding them as man of low energy (Jeb Bush) and Little Marco (his opponent Marco Rubio in 2016 Primaries whom he ridiculed for his short height and beyond). It worked splendidly for him, as he went on to destroy his opponents one after another in the election year 2016.

But Coronavirus is not Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio or Joe Biden who can be branded as Low energy COVID, Little COVID. The little, rather microscopic COVID has proved a far more resilient opponent as US COVID-19 count is inching towards 9 millon and still counting. He can't brand it as Sleepy COVID, as he brands Biden as Sleepy Joe, as virus  has put 224,000 Americans into sleep permanently. COVID-19 is not debating with him on the stage. If he loses it's not Joe Biden or Democrats who defeated him, it will be Coronavirus, stupid.

The American elections are closely watched and followed in rest of the world, including my motherland India. It's another thing to follow the American Elections, but this time I am surprised it has taken a partisan turn in India. Some of my close friends back home tried to pursue me to vote for Trump. I have an open mind, so gave them a patience hearing before politely declining to do so, as I have my own mind.

Yet some of them became openly antagonistic to me, a few even turning belligerent for me not voting for Trump. Their simple logic - I am not a patriot if I don't vote for Trump. Wish patriotism and foreign policy were as simple as that. Patriotism is the last resort of a scoundrel and I am not a scoundrel. One

doesn't have to be a Modi-Trump duo supporter to prove one's patriotism. 62% of Indians didn't vote for BJP and more Americans voted against Trump in 2016 Elections (he lost the popular vote to Hillary and got elected due to the Electoral college system). I strongly believe those Indians as well Americans are patriots.

Secondly, some tried to cajole me to vote for Trump with their misplaced belief that he is more pro-Indian than Biden. Dear Trump supporers - No American President is pro India, or anti India. They are pro-American. It includes your truly, Trump too. Trump may speak critically about Pakistan now (what Trump speaks need not be taken seriously anyway), but if needed he can mollycoddle Pakistan. George Bush, immediately pampered Pakistan on the aftermath of 9/11. Bush was a fellow Republican. Trump has'nt declared Pakistan a terrorist state and still the official position of United States on Kashmir is it's still a disputed territory.

Sorry, my Trump fans back home. There is absolutely no harm in following American politics, or any nation's politics for that matter. But it's not imperative to get overtly partisan. One doesn't need to be the famous ABDULLAH in BEGAANI SHAADI MEIN ABDULLAH DIWANA (No need to dance in someone else's marriage party). This about this. During an General Election in India will you like somebody from Nigeria soliciting your vote for the Congress Party because Rahul Gandhi is perceived being close to Nigeria ? I don't think so.

The Art of Killing Gullis- Bluff master

 Childhood memories die hard, so also our imagination from childhood days. The legendary English Poet William Wordsworth once say - "Child is the father of man". During our young days we imagined and fantasized a lot in different hues and the those given a shape could make dreams come true. Sometimes creative imaginations can lead to innovations.

I spent a good part of my childhood and youth in the government quarters in BJB Flats in Bhubaneswar. Every afternoon we played gully cricket and gathered near a culvert to solve all the problems of the world. It was called GULLI KHATTI (Light hearted nonsense gossips) culture in the city, where boys would cluster around culverts (cemented structures on the cross roads of drains, originally meant for drainage of storm water, later clogged and ending up being youth activity centers). 

There was this guy in our neighborhood who used to be a champion in "Killing Gullis" (telling make believe stories) whose imagination was way ahead of the time. He once told us in the summer of 1984 about his elder brother - "AMA (our) so and so BHAI (Bhai) whistles once to start his bike and twice to stop it. Apparently he imagined keyless, remote operation using audio signal in an age when use of remote control for operating vehicles was strictly fantasy. We heard it patiently, challenging ourselves from erupting into laughter.

But his GULLIs went way too far when he boasted about the "thief catching trap" his brother invented. One night his genius brother fitted the trap to his bike and slept peacefully. Next morning he found someone who came to steal the motorcycle stuck to it like a fly stuck on the glue, or a mouse stuck inside a mousetrap. His benevolent, broad hearted brother let the thief go, but not before punishing him to do 100 sit ups by holding both his ears cross handed and then extracting a solemn promise from the burglar to steal again.

It didn't stop there. He had enrolled himself in NCC (National Cadet Corps) which was also alluded to as National Singada Kangali (National Samosa Salivaters) - for many joined NCC for free "SINGADA" provided after a rigorous session of parades. But because of his excellent march pasts and high decibel utterances of "SAABDHAAN" (Attention), "BISHRAM" (Relax), ( "Left, Right, Left... Left, Right, Left..", his instructor decided to take him to next step - to teach him flying using a single engine plane.

He boasted of flying past the top of the Lingaraj temple, the tallest object within several miles of radius of our locality. As his time pass, he touched the flag atop the temple every time he passed by. (There was no apartment buildings in city of Bhubaneswar those days to challenge the height of Lord Siva's abode). He promised us that one day he will land his aircraft in the middle of cricket field, but our dream of seeing him doing that never came true.

We couldn't but admire his confidence as an impromptu "Gulli Killer". He had this uncanny ability to coin one story after another and narrate them to us. Now that we his imagination on remote starting vehicles come true, one day we will see a "thief trap" to catch car thieves - vindicating his imagination.

The era of dull draws

 Over the years Test matches have seen more results and far less draws. Many of those even don't go into the 5th day. Not to mention, a good number of draws are due to weather related interruption rather than huge amount of runs scored.

Some of the dull draws which I still remember, is India playing Pakistan in Jaipur test of 1987 - the test match is remembered as the venue for Cricket diplomacy initiated by General Zia Ul Haq, the military dictator of Pakistan. The match ended in a draw, with Ravi Sastri taking more than an hour to move from 99 to 100. India lost that 5 match series 0-1, with the rest 4 tests in that series ending in draw.

This was not such an isolated series. Most of the test matches held in India since late 1970s ended in draws. The first and foremost is the 6 match series in 1978 at home against a 2nd string West Indian side (most of the tourist's stalwarts were playing for the Kerry Packers), ended in India winning the series 1-0, the rest 5 of them ending in draws. Following season in 1978-79,  both the 6 test match series in held in India against Australia and Pakistan ended with India winning 2-0, with rest of the tests ending in tame draws. Only 2 out of 6 matches ended with results. Now a days it will be a miracle if 2 tests in a 6 test series end in a draw - unless hampered by rain.

The 1981-82 six test India tour by England ended in the host country winning the series 1-0. I remember an English batsman Chis Tavare, who will go to sleep on the wicket, stonewalling the bowlers. In the Madras test I remember both Tavare and Gooch opned the innings. Tavare was still batting in his 20s when Gooch finished his century.

India at home then was mostly led by Sunil Gavaskar, who seemed more interested in accumulating statistics and preferred defensive cricket to eke out narrow wins while letting most tests run into action less, result less matches, ultimately at the cost of spectators who were robbed off value for their money.

The home test series in India against the visiting Pakistan in 1983 ended in an all test draw. Only the indomitable West Indies, a force to reckon with those days scored a 3 test win in a 6 test series they played in India in 83-84. The English tour of India in 1984-85 was slightly better - in the sense that the 5 test match series ended with England winning 2-1. It was for the first time, after almost a decade more tests were decisive than ended in a draw in a series played in India. (Only exception were the rookies Sri Lanka who got the test playing nation status in 1982 and lost the one match test series to India the same year).

Interestingly, it was the same visiting English team which won the 5 test match series 3-1 back in 1976-77, partly due to the Indian skipper Bisen Bedi who preferred to have sporting wickets rather and was less interested in statistics oriented dull draws.

Dull draws were not just a monopoly of tests played inside India. Pakistan had its fair share too. But they always got fired up against India at home, winning their home series against their eastern neighbors by 2-0 in a 3 test series (1978) and 3-0 in a 6 test series (1982-83).

Test matches played in Australia, England, New Zealand and West Indies had their share of draws, though a whole lot compared to India. It can be attributed to bouncy tracks in Australia and West Indies, and swinging, green turfs of England and New Zealand. South Africa did not enter the Test playing scene until 1992, where far lesser number of matches ended in a draw.

So what can be attributed to the gradual decline in the number of test match draws ? Fast and foremost reason is the change in the batting style after the advent of limited over cricket, 50 over series followed by 20 overs T20 games. Batsmen are more committed to front foot and lack patience for a long stint at the wicket. The motto now is, hit out or get out, which has spilled over to the test matches.

Second reason is the improvement in quality of wickets in India. They are no more dusty, brown tracks of 1970s and 80s. The outfields are far greener, the fielders don't hesitate to dive to field better, resulting in more catches and run outs which contributes to end of the innings sooner than it used to be before. Not to mention - it has made test cricket more attractive and no one is shedding a tear or miss those good ole days of dull draws.

Preview of the first debate between Trump and Biden

 The first of the 3 Presidential debates between the incumbent Donald Trump and his challenger Joe Biden is less than 24 hours away. Though it's the Labor day holiday in the first week of September when Americans usually start paying closer attention to their Presidential politics, it is after the first Presidential debates sets the tone of the campaign before it goes into full swing. 

Now with little more than 5 weeks to go before the election on November 3, the first Presidential debate stands at an important crossroad of this election. In many states, including the crucial swing state of Florida, early voting starts as early as 3 weeks before the election. In that context, the campaign interspersed with 3 Presidential debates starting on 29th September in Cleveland, Ohio has its significance.

Why these Presidential debates are so important ? Because for the first time, the two competitors aspiring for the highest office of the United States will be debating Mano-O-Mano, away from teleprompters, when the eyes of entire America will be fixed on them.

Here is the history of US Presidential debates in nutshell, since the first one between JFK and Richard Nixon in the year 1960. It was the first televised debate when for the first time Americans saw a grumpy Richard Nixon with his 5 O'clock shadow (unshaven beard) showing up versus a young, handsome John Kennedy who went on to win the elections. Kennedy's narrow win was attributed to his debate performance.

There was no Presidential debates held until 1976, when Gerald Ford the incumbent who replaced the Watergate tainted Nixon was pitched against his challenger Jimmy Carter. Ford didn't look serious and made a series of gaffes, notably saying Poland was not part of NATO. This was an inexcusable mistake by a sitting President at the height of Cold War.

In 1980, Carter's popularity plummeted due to a bad economy and the Iran hostage crisis. During their debate at the time of the closing statement the great communicator delivered this master stroke - "When you go to vote next Tuesday, ask yourself are you better off now than 4 years before ? If so, you have your choice, he winked turning his head towards Carter. Else here is the choice you have, he told nodding for himself. Reagan didn't directly tell the voters to choose him, rather gave them an option. Carter could never recover from this punch line as this debate was too close to the Election and Reagan won by a landslide.

In 1984 Ronald Reagan at the age of 74 years was running for his second term. During his famous debate with his much younger opponent Walter Mondale was asked a question by the panel "You are rumored to fall asleep during meetings, are you not too old to run for the office of President of US?"  Reagan, the master communicator artfully dodged the question by responding "I am not going to use the youth and inexperience of my opponent for political purposes".

In 1988 debate Michael Dukakis was bluntly asked if he will pardon his wife's rapist. Dukakis answered yes and his explanation was tinged with liberal views. Politics is a matter of perception and he was perceived as too insensitive, unemotional person and way too liberal. His goose was cooked after the debate.

In the 1992 debate with his young, charismatic opponent Bill Clinton, the elder Bush presiding over an economy in recession, looked aloof. As Clinton connected to the audience by expressing how he feels the pains of the middle class, being one of them, President Bush was caught looking at his watches. Clinton ended up with a comfortable win that November.

1996 was the time of booming elections and Bob Dole was no match for the Charismatic Bill Clinton.

In 2000, Al Gore was seen as talking with long explanation interspersed with sighs, where Dubya Bush was seen as a Washington outsider with whom you can have a beer. The later won in the narrowest of margin in US victory.

In 2004, John Kerry did outstanding performance during his debate with Bush, tied 49-49 on opinion polls after that, until Bin Laden video released days before the election ensured Bush's reelection.

In 2008 McCain who was running for a 3rd Bush term was no match to the charismatic Obama. Poor McCain carried George Bush's legacy of a botched up Iraq War and an economy in a free fall a few days before the election.

In 2012, Romney did very well during the first bedate with Obama, taking a narrow lead over the sitting President following his debate performance. Obama came back strongly during the 2nd and 3rd bedate, clinching the deal.

In 2016 debate Trump was seen as a straight shooter who being an Washington outsider was got the benefit of doubt from the audience. Hillary Clinton looked stoic, lacking emotional connection. The debates may not have hurt Hillary, but didn't help her either as Trump went to win the White House in spite of losing the popular vote.

Given Trump's penchant for raising controversies, the debates are going to attract a lot of attention and could decide the outcome of the next election where voters are split right in the middle in a highly divided nation. It has to be seen if these debates are going to sway the tiny slice of the undecided voters one way or the other. So game on folks...

COVID Diary II -6 months of Pandemic

 On 18th of this month completed 6 months of working from home which coincided with 6 month anniversary of this Pandemic starting to spread in the United States and many other countries in the world. Never in my wildest of dreams I thought of working from home for more than 6 months. But now here I am, still working from home and won't be surprised if I complete one year doing the same.

It was this time in March earlier this year when the Pandemic was its nascent stage. Stopping the spread of a virus is akin to keeping a secret. If you know a  secret and don't want it to spread, just don't tell it to anybody. When you are telling it to some one, the probability of keeping it secret gets reduced by 50%. If that person tells to another person it get reduced to 25% and so on.

If some one tells me a secret, there are chances I may not disclose it to others. But if I am told with the tag "don't tell to any one else", it will raise my curiosity and I will make sure I tell it to somebody. It's basically human nature, the usual disclaimers apply.

One fine afternoon a classmate in REC told the secret about him having an affair with a girl in his neighborhood (a big deal those days when having a girlfriend or boyfriend was considered a taboo). He disclosed it to a few boys at a corner room on the back row of the hostel, trusting the listeners. In less than 30 minutes no sooner he was on his way to the dining table downstairs to grab his afternoon snacks, he was mobbed by others asking him details about his affairs.

On the dining table as he was about to grab his bite, when someone confronted him "TU BAHUT KHUS NASEEB HAI YAAR, TERA KOI GIRL FRIEND HAI" - you are fortunate to have a girlfriend. Feeling irritated he got up and wanted to go to the Backpost - a cluster of snack shops and kiosks where students gather during the evening hours. It was a few blocks of walk from the hostel, so he headed there thinking that he will finally be safe from inquisitive folks. He had taken barely a few steps, some one asked him - "Can you let us show any of your love letters" ? The poor guy turned and went back to the safety of his room. REC (NIT) hostel is a dangerous place to share a secret, especially related to love affairs.

Coming back to COVID, 6 months down the road the cat is already out of bag. Like a gossip or rumor, diligent imposition of social distancing or quarantine could have stopped it. Now it has passed that stage,already spreading its tentacles and not likely to stop anytime soon. 

Once 80% of folks in a hostel or a neighborhood had already heard about it, the story gets its herd immunity as people start to lose their interest in the rumor or gossip and move on to something else. Similarly, this Corona virus will continue until a vaccine is released for the commoners or the community gets a herd immunity at the cost of numerous deaths. Till then, tighen your belts and bear it folks. Like a secret, the Coronavirus has already gone out of the bag.

In memory of Ashwini Palai

 We studied together in DM School Bhubaneswar, followed by two more years in BJB College. He was a plump, fair complexioned, short stature boy who was living at a stone's throw distance from our school. A gem of a guy, loved equally by his friends and teachers. For his characteristic, nonchalant walk we fondly used to tease him as GUNTHUNI HATHI (Roly poly elephant). He would never get angry, will return our compliments with his cherubic smile. He is my friend, Ashwini Palai.

A typical tendency of folks who tease is to go after those who easily get irritated and fall into their trap. But our friend Ashwini, a soft spoken boy was as cool as iceberg, frustrating all by never taking their bait. The caring nature in him always cautioned us when we used to get naughty beyond acceptable limits. Nevertheless, he was a very balanced and mature guy beyond his age.

After doing my +2, I moved out of Bhubaneswar to study Engineering. Ashwini continued there, doing his graduation from OUAT. Like two logs floating on a ocean, colliding with each other before getting separated forever, we lost contact for a long time to come, until the advent of Social media united us gain. 

We reestablished our relationship. I got his contact number from a common friend in the year 2011. He was working for LIC (Life insurance corporation) and was posted in Bihar. I called him couple of times and he didn't picked up the phone. Never someone to loose hope I thought of trying one more time. This time he picked up the phone. He couldn't recall me for couple of minutes. 

I told names of common friends and thought it will give him a hint. Finally he could figure it out - "Oh you are that boy who used to be good in Math". Finally, the dots connected. He profusely apologized for not able to take my call, as in Bihar it isn't prudent to answer calls from unknown numbers. I replied - "No offense taken. This is perfectly understandable". Soon we got connected on Facebook and Whatsapp.

After couple of years he got transferred to Odisha. We continued to stay in touch. From my interactions with him I could guess he had taken a different path in life. He was into spiritualism and I loved my spirits. But it was never a bottleneck in our friendship.

The man suffered a tons of loss. In 2015 he lost his wife to cancer. Today he lost his life after getting admitted to a hospital in Bhubaneswar. When I got this news something snapped inside me.  I feel extremely sorry for his young daughter who has been orphaned in the space of 5 years - an insurmountable tragedy at such a tender age. Stay happy in heaven my friend where you belong.

Two months from US 2020 Elections

 With two months to before for America's 🇺🇸 Presidential Elections, campaigning is slowly starting to pick up. I am certain of one outcome, i.e., Biden is going to win the popular vote. But it may not be enough for him to win the White House. In US Electoral College based system, one can only become the President by winning the majority of the Electoral college votes. That is the tricky part, as one can still become the President by losing the popular vote but winning the Electoral college. In the last election Trump defeated Hillary by winning the crucial swing states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania though the later got three million more popular votes.

Like Trump, Richard Nixon, the American President who resigned in 1974 facing impeachment lied a lot, did fraud by abusing the power of his office and had dictatorial tendency - hence was not acceptable at that time, even in his own Republican party. But Trump indulges in all the above more than Nixon, yet he is acceptable to almost 40% of Americans. USA is looking more like a first world Bihar, where crooks are pretty much acceptable in Electoral politics.

Trumpism is still going to thrive even if Trump ends up losing his reelection. That's dangerous for America in the long term. Trump's followers, like their Right Wing counterparts across the word don't possess an open mind. They can't be persuaded with logic and reasoning. Only thing they understand is defeat and more defeats. That's the only way to contain them, though not necessarily eliminate their biased minds.

In this context, Trump's defeat is a MUST. Hopefully sanity prevails with that thin slice of independent voters in the Divided States of America who tilt the Elections one way or other. Two months down the road Trump should be shown the door, lest America is doomed.

Woolful and Coolful

 Pandemic stay at home for nearly six months has opened up a new relationship - interaction with cats in our backyard. We love them a lot, especially my wife who leaves no stone unturned in caring and feeding them, having named one as "Woolful" (due to its woolen like coat)and the other one "Coolful" (for its cool, nonchalant nature).

Woolful is dark gray with furry overcoat. Looks like a house cat which is neutered, as a bit of the upper portion of its left ear is chopped off (in US they cut a little piece of the left ear of kitties to indicate that they are neutered. A cat can give birth to a dozen litter every year. Because of increasing pet population in America, the pet owners are encouraging to fix them). Woolful has dark, piercing green eyes which glows in darkness. Sometimes it vanishes for a few days, making us think that it has gone back to its owner's fold. But the cat reappears, pleasantly surprising us. We aren't sure if it is male or female. 

But we are sure the other cat Coolful is female. One day she brought along her kittens hidden behind the foliage, lifting them one after another with her teeth. We saw those couple of kitties a few times before they stopped coming. Not sure where they have gone. Nothing lasts forever. We enjoyed the bubbly kittens jumping around as long as the spectre lasted. But we are optimistic they will come back - after all cat has nine lives.

Woolful seems to be a semi wild kitty. One day it will finish up the Salmon and Shrimp cat food we give it in minutes. Other day it will hardly touch it, sniff it and barely eat any. We think it is being fed by somebody somewhere else. On the other hand, Coolful is perennially hungry. Whatever the "Meow Mix" brand we give her, she finishes it pretty fast. She is a purely wild and we feed her more keeping the kittens in mind. The feline duo occasionally snarl at each other, but mostly exist with peaceful coexistence. When we serve them food, we make sure that they are at least 10 feet apart.

Summer is fun time, but this summer has its share of fauna in addition to the usual flora in our backyard. A unique pandemic summer it is. COVID-19 home stay has no doubt its share of benefits in disguise. Don't think I could have so much feline fun if Coronavirus didn't force me to stay home for long.

Can Congress survive without Dynasty ?

 In most part of the 1980s India, the Congress Party led by Indira Gandhi, followed by her son Rajiv Gandhi after her tragic assassination was ruling at the center and an overwhelming majority of the states - with the exceptions of the triumverates of Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Karnatak. Ironically now a days the Congress is in power in three states too - Rajasthan, Punjab and Chattisgarh.

Congress those days was the only party with a pan Indian presence. Other parties had mostly frugal, regional appeal with BJP hardly in picture, so much so that the two BJP Lok Sabha members were poked fun at as "HUM DO, HAMARE DO" (We two, we have two) - the famous family planning campaign ad of that era to educate couples to limit themselves to maximum two kids.

As sun never set over the British empire, it never set for Congress empire in India as it had a presence all over the country, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, from Saurashtra to Shillong. But sun seems to be setting on the party. The clock has turned a full circle. A popular quip of the time was Congress Party will win as long as "ALLI and COOLIE" (Muslims and poor people) vote for the party. It wasn't far from the truth. Congress is currently ailing as ALLI (Muslims) have moved to greener pastures of regional parties and COOLIES (poor folks) to others.

In this context, the current imbroglio in the Congress is understandable. The party is not accustomed to stay long outside power and the Gandhis at its helm of affairs have spectacularly failed to deliver. The Gandhi family magic is so passe, so the kind of mutiny by some prominent Congress folks was brewing for sometime. They have demanded and rightly so - a restructuring of the party, alluding to a change in its leadership. But they have no alternative in mind.

Power is the best glue and the best aphrodisiac. Gandhi family is the glue of the party, not to mention its access and hold on to the party funds. The current gen of Congressmen can't easily get rid of the Dynasty. Without someone from the Gandhi family as head, the party will split into Congress A to Z. And with the current dynasty of an ailing Sonia, a nincompoop Rahul and a fickle Priyanka leading, the party is doomed.

For the time being, the Congress party has procrastinated its woes to another day as Sonia Gandhi will continue as its interim President for some time. Yet everything is not goody goody in the Grand Old Party of India. More drama to follow. BJP and its supporters must be praying for the status quo - for a Gandhi to lead the party. Congress is still a national party, whose dormancy may be revoked by a new face which can capitalize on anti incumbency (a la V.P. Singh in 1989) and galvanize its moribund infrastructure. But it doesn't look likely and the Saffronites can enjoy the frailty of Congress while it lasts.

Kamala Harris as Biden's VP Nominee

 Joe Biden has chosen California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate on the Democratic Party's ticket. A talented lady, she has a bright future ahead of her. She is a second generation American whose parents migrated to the United States. 

Her father is from Jamaica and mother of Indian origin. They divorced when she was barely 6 years old. Her name Kamala means Lotus in Sanskrit. But her connection to India almost ends there as she is as American as Apple pie. In US the voters mostly cast their ballot looking at their Presidential nominee. But if elected she will be in a unique position - a Vice President at the age of 54 when Biden will walk into the Oval Office at 78 being sworn in as the oldest President in History of the United States. He is expected to pass the baton to the younger Kamala Harris, who has a future ahead with a golden opportunity.

Facing the dual headwinds of COVID-19 and an economy in recession, Trump has a tough task ahead of him. This has not only put his supporter in backfoot here in the United States, surprisingly a lot of folks back home in India too. Many Modi supporters who align themselves to Trump by default think (erroneously) that the mercurial American Businessman -turned - President will send his Central Command to defend India in case the later is attacked by China, just because Modi held Trump's hands in the highly published "Howdy Modi" event in Texas.

At the same time a few back home have predicted that if Kamala Harris becomes the Vice President because of her Indian origin she will openly support India in every international forum. Such assumptions are highly fallacious and strictly fantasy. When I corner them with my arguments that foreign policy doesn't work that way, they get defensive - "Well, I don't care much about American Election", though they care enough to post their comments about it on regular basis every other day. I rest my case.

It should be noted that rarely a Vice Presidential nominee matters and helps a whole lot to his or her running mate during campaign. Very few remember the VP debates from past. It's said that the post of VP isn't worth a bucket of warm spit - a person who forever lives in the President's shadow and represents the President in the funerals of Third World leaders.

Only if and when the President dies or resigns from office, the Vice president is elevated to the President of the United States. Most recent examples are Lyndon Johnson becoming the President on the aftermath of Kennedy's untimely Assassination in 1963 and Gerald Ford taking over the White house in 1974 after the resignation of Richard Nixon, post Watergate Scandal.

Both hardly left a huge mark as Presidents. Johnson didn't opt for reelection in 1968 for his webbing polpularity. Ford lost to Jimmy Carter in 1976. Last VP who was elected as President was George Bush Sr., nearly 30 years ago in 1988. Al Gore, Bill Clinton's VP lost in the year 2000. Consequent Vice presidents Dick Cheney and Joe Biden refused to run for the office of President.

With the high profile Presidential candidates at loggerheads and center of national attention, will the likes of Mike Pence make any difference ? For the Republicans it's Trump all the way, no one is even close to his charisma among its GOP base. But I am sure Kamala Harris who has galvanized Democratic Party, especially its African American base will not be taken lightly by her opponents. I am sure she will be a great asset to Joe Biden and his campaign.

RIP Chetan Chauhan

 After losing the Test Series in Pakistan in 1978, India's witty Captain Bishen Singh Bedi gave 3 reasons for India's loss - the Cricketers, the Footballer and the Outsiders. Imran Khan and Zaheer Abbaz were the Cricketers who played well against their arch rival, Footballer was alluded to Javed Miandad who padded all the deliveries from our spinners whereas the outsiders, apltly named for the Umpires looked the other way. India lost the series, Bedi lost his Captainship as aftermath of a tour when the visitors believed their rooms were bugged and from the day one started counting the remaining days to go back to India.

But in the same series in the Lahore test this player led a fightback along with the better known legendary Sunil Gavaskar in the second innings when India was trailing by 250 odd runs. Both of them scored nearly 200 runs reducing the deficit to a large extent for the first wicket against some hostile bowling from Imran Khan and Sarfraz Nawaz, until this batsman was prevented from scoring a much deserved century by a caught behind for 93 - a dubious decision again by the Outsiders, the Umpires. This man was India's opening batsman Chetan Chauhan.

Shadowed by Sunil Gavaskar, Chetan Chauhan was his able partner. This opening duo formed the perfect pairs in many more series to come. Chetan was a true Rajput who braved facing all fast bowlers of the time. 

In the 1980 series in Australia he along with Gavaskar rescued Indian from a similar situation in the second innings while trailing by 200 runs in the first. Chetan Chauhan battled against Dennis Lillie at his fiercest best by scoring 80 odd runs. Though his partner Gavaskar added century after century to his tally, a test match century forever eluded this batsman who had so many fighting knocks and fifties to his credit.

After cricket, Chetan Chauhan the star of many innings in cricket started his second innings of his life - politician. He was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) from BJP.  Like many sports person and Bollywood actors he failed to carve his niche as a politician.

The gritty, never say die fighting Rajput finally lost his battle with COVID-19 at the age of 73, a young age to go these days when medical science has made folks living upto 80 easily taken for granted. Rest in Peace, the fighter. Om Shanti.

Dhoni's retirement

 It was early 2006. India was chasing a sizable Pakistani total in front of a hostile home crowd in Lahore. At a crucial moment India lost its star batsman Sachin Tendulkar, still needing tons of run to see through their target. The highly partisan Pakistan cricket went berserk in the stadium in anticipation of victory after getting their prized scalp of Sachin, seen as the last man standing.

Those days the end of Tendulkar was regarded as the beginning of India's impending end. Nonchalantly walks in a young man with long hair, a tyro - who followed the departure all connoisseur batsmen left. Nobody expected much from this guy named M S DHONI from a non descript, impoverished state named Jharkhand.

In middle of a hostile India baiting (rather hating) crowd, he led a successful chase staying as cool as iceberg. The cheering crowd conspicuously fell silent as Dhoni, cool as cucumber led the charge of Indian fightback. He made the Chief Minister of Punjab, Sahbaz Sharief (brother of Nawaz Sharief) who was inside the stadium safely ensconced in his box, tense enough to come out and puff away smokes from his cigarettes from the sidelines. Smile had apparently vanished from his lips, his long, quick drags of cigarettes revealed his apparent nervousness.

It's not a very common characteristics of a newcomer to crash into limelight in such a challenging scenario in middle of a nail biting, pressure cooker rivalry between two arch rivals. A new star was born that day. India's subsequent win due to Dhoni's performance in Pakistan's own backyard earned praise from non other than President General Musharaf, not a huge fan of India or Indians by any standard. (Musharaf incidentally told Dhoni not to cut his trademark long hair as it looked good on him).

Arguably Dhoni was the harbinger of a new era when Indians finally got out the endless cycle of meekly surrendering against Pakistan to the chagrin and disappoint of its fans. Soon India was no more seen as lacking the nerve and guts to fight under adverse circumstances.  

Dhoni continued to flourish and never looked back. His quitting today from all formats of the game brings back memories of his biggest gift to cricket which is a religion and a huge unifying factor in a nation divided on the lines of religion, caste and what not ! Under his leadership India won the much coveted World Cup in 2011. Three years later followed his abrupt relinquishing of test career to the surprise of tens of millions of his fans. But he continued playing for long time in the shorter versions of the game.

A la most long lasting Indian Captains, Dhoni's tenure wasn't free from its share of controversies, with partisan debates surrounding him. But what's not debatable is his commitment and contributions to Indian cricket. The man has earned it. Hats off to a legend and God to many in a country where cricket is the religion. Wish you a happy retirement life.

3 Months to Elections 2020

Exactly 3 months from the American Presidential elections, it is time to take stock at this important political checkpoint in America. A shaky GOP (Republican party), especially its Presidential nominee Donald J Trump who looked shoo in with a steady economy during the pre COVID-19 days, now seem to be staring at defeat.

Joe Biden, the Democratic Party nominee is going to announce his VP candidate and running mate this week. But he needs to do more. Though Trump is in self destructive mode, but being simply anti Trump isn't enough. Biden must come out with an agenda of how to clean up the mess left by Trump. He has a long laundry list, so he must speak out an action plan to reassure the nation.

For a start, he should mention how his cabinet will look like. He should mention names of professionals for important positions like the Secretary of Treasury, State, Defense, Attorney General etc to steer the country in the right direction. They will be men and women of abilities, not quacks and semi literate people  whose only qualities are loyalty and absolute boot licking which is the sine qua non of Trump's Presidency.

That will be a contrast to Trump era where Quackery not Science, superstitions not rationalism are the way. These are tendencies of Fascists. Trump who idolizes Putin and sundry dictators adores all these faddism. It is said in private the Yankee Trump pokes fun of his non college educated blind supporters, but he needs their votes. Those 36% are his base will vote for him come what may - even if Trump caught raping a minor on 4th Avenue of New York city in broad daylight. But he needs more to win his reelection, so he can't even get competitive without the support of his base 

A week is a long time in politics. Three months are eons away. Trump should remember that he lost the popular vote last time to Hillary but won the elections before he won the crucial swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Those states don't look too good for him now. But the extremely crucial swing state of Florida is slowly slipping out of Republicans hands - partly due the rise in the COVID-19 cases in the state this summer and partly due to a nincompoop Governor of the state whose priority is buttering Donald Trump than serving his state (Georgia is not far behind, but will stick to Trump being a stubbornly Red state). If Trump loses Florida, he is toast.

Trump can still turn it around. The Republicans are masters in the art of winning elections. But time is fast  running out for Trump. A month later comes the Labor day, the harbinger of Fall season which is synonymous with the Flue season in America 🇺🇸. The concoction of COVID-19 and Flu virus is a sitting timebomb ready to explode. Add the election fever to that with a flamboyant Trump prone to histrionics on the ballot. We are going to see an eventful next 90 days in the US. Tighten your seat belts and get ready for a turbulent trip.

North Star shoes in my dream

The other day early in the morning I had a dream of wearing a pair of North Star shoes, a popular sneaker and probably the only decent one available during my childhood days. I felt happy, waking up with a fulfilling feeling.

North Star shoes, with black and yellow stripes resembling tiger skin used to cost Rs 99.99 a pair, a sizable amount in the year 1980, the haydays of socialism and closed market economy in India when jeans and sneakers were luxury items. This brand was available in Bata, a chain of stores apart from Carona (no relationship to COVID-19) which offered a decent array of shoes those days in Bhubaneswar.

I requested my dad to get me a pair. My father was always generous to me, fed me exotic, quality food, took us to good restaurants, never hesitated to buy me my favorite books, comics, magazines and took me to watch cricket in Barabati Stadium. But he sneered at the idea of buying North Star shoes, firmly putting down his foot on my longing desire.

His logic - while teaching in BJB College, Bhubaneswar, he has seen the North Star shoes worn only by the CHATARAs (girl chasing vagabonds) and BAZAARIs (free roaming loafers). The hall mark of a BHALA PILA (a good guy) those days, a category students fell into - those who wear only CHAPPAL (Sandal) and may occasionally deviate to slip their feet into some cheap, white Canvas shoes polishing its dirt off using a white paste. My dad's conviction vetoed my desire.

Time and again, I would gape at the North Star shoes peeping through the glass window displayed in front of the BATA Store located in Unit II (probably only one of its kind at that time), doing my window shopping salivating at it, dreaming to wear it one day. But luck wasn't on my side, I could never wear them. The North Star was that shooting star I wished for, so near yet so far. Soon the brand went out of the shelves and out of the market.

Eventually, I forgot about it. Never thought of it for long time, until that morning when I found myself wearing a brand new pair of North Star shoes in my dream. That small, smoldering sparkle of desire never really vanished from the extinguished fire. The wish inside the child inside me never died, it was lying dormant like a volcano, ready to rise as Phenix from the ashes. The ever hidden subconscious desire recalled to manifest itself after decades in form of a dream. No wonder, I woke up with a wonderful sense of fulfillment .

Childhood memories never die. It manifests itself in different ways. India's Prime Minister for 17 long years, Indira Gandhi had an insecure childhood. Her mother died young. Her father was mostly away busy in freedom movement, spending long stints in jail. She had a lonely, insecure childhood. As a teenager hungry for company she readily fell in love with Feroz Gandhi who gave her some attention, ending up marrying him.

Though later in life she became a Prime Minister, her sense of insecurity never died. It was apparent from the way she handled herself. She ruthlessly consolidated her power inside the Congress Party eliminating all her rivals. When Allahabad High Court declared her election null and void she imposed Emergency and put the entire opposition behind the bars. She would never allow someone from her party to complete a full tenure as CM of a state, lest that person becomes a threat to her position. All these actions represent a classic insecure mindset, the stigma during her childhood days forever stalked her. 

Past memories can be very stubborn, especially about the things we longed for as a kid, the things we craved about, our feelings, fantasies and crushes, dwelling deep inside our subconscious mind and surprising us by erupting in dream. It never gets deleted from the memory, stays embedded inside our mind's Recycle bin which is never emptied. We simply learn to live with them.

Why America and India failed to control Coronavirus

After a brief lull in late spring when it seemed that the Coronavirus is on wane in America due to a bit flattening of the curve, I thought we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I was wrong. The virus is back again as summer rolls on. Here is my analysis of why America is failing to control the spread of COVID-19 and what went wrong. There could have been an either/or approach to this crisis. Let's take a look at both.

First the "Either" approach - live life the normal way, of course take all the perfunctory precautions like maintain social distancing, wear masks and frequent hand washings. Let the virus wash over the entire nation's population and let America get the herd immunity. I wouldn't prefer it, but it's better than the present confused and chaotic approach, especially leadership missing at the top where buck finally stops - the doorsteps of the President of the United States who still lives in his delusional denial. 

The "Or" approach - Do a complete shutdown. Strictly implement the social distancing. Shut down all the beaches, businesses, spas, saloons, bars, restaurants, gyms et all with only the essential services and stores remain open. Religiously impose the restrictions to isolate and stop the spread of the virus. If we had done this starting in February, we won't be here today. But Mr. Trump at the helm of affairs with tons of foresight predicted that come summer, the virus will miraculously vanish. We are already in summer, the virus is very much alive and kicking.

China took extraordinary measures and was mostly successful in containing it. Many attribute this to their dictatorship. They can ruthlessly impose their agenda. Yet democracies like European countries, Japan, South Korea have done well on the Coronavirus front. 

But why we are where we are today ? Because we followed a mixed approach with mixed messages - one from the Federal government, one from the State Governor, another from the local Mayor of the city. When the Mayor of Atlanta wants to mandate wearing of masks, the Georgia governor sues her decision. This is best example of the Divided States of America. 

We (both US and India) a free country, but that doesn't mean we are free to spread the virus rather than containing it during this pandemic time. It is akin to the mixed economy approach India followed, a bit of socialism and a bit of (crony) capitalism - both failed, contributing to Red Tapism and a classic Hindu growth rate.

Both countries, the world's oldest democracy and the largest democracy are facing turbulent times due to this dilemma of dual approach. It needs to be noted that incidentally both US and India (Brazil is another one) are currently under Right Wing administration who respect Quackery more than Science and spectacularly failed to control the virus. These countries are now the top 3 nations in the world with COVID-19 infections. So much ado and hot air of the Right wingers being efficient rulers ! It yet vindicates that the Right Wingers are good at rhetorics and bad at administration.

Now that the cat is already out of the bag, COVID-19 is unstoppable. This menace will continue to grow unless until an effective vaccine is developed. Till then folks, tighten the belts and bear the ride.

My morning walk this morning

It's time for taking morning walks in the morning as the days are getting hotter with the high temperature reaching 95 (36°C), making the early hours of the day is the best time to get outdoor. Being an early riser, I have done my best to take take advantage of the cool, salubrious weather barely after sunrise.

I take no cell phone or any music listening gadget with me to distract me from listening to nature's music. What can ever beat the music of the nature ! No sooner I stepped out of my home, than the twiiting of birds on a little nest outside my garage sounded rhythmically melodious. Compar to the little birdie's tweets, Mr. Trump's tweet makes him look like an idiot.

Only humans I came across were a couple walking their doggie, keeping a social safe distance from me. We waved "Good Morning" to each other. Golden rays of cool, morning sun sprinkled tons of Vitamin D from top. Nature's Vitamin  beats any Vitamin D from the branded multivitamin pills we get over the counter. I let my body get soaked with it to the fullest.

Suddenly a black cat crossed the road in front of me. I looked around, making sure no one is looking at me, turned back a couple of steps, then trudged ahead. It was my reflex action, as cat crossing the road is considered inauspicious in my culture. Backing up a bit supposedly gets rid of the evil eyes. I love cats. But can't fight superstitions. Cat has nine lives, I have only one.

While mowing lawn, doing yard work or walking, I am perpetually in the lookout for self motivation, imagining my artery as a clogged drain. As I huff and puff ahead, I fantasized my artery getting flushed by a burst of blood rushing through it and clearing it, the same way gushing storm water would clear a clogged drain. A la our Prime Minister Modi's much touted SWACHH BHARAT ABHIYAN (Clean India Mission), I am on SWACHH DHAMANI ABHIYAN (Clean Artery mission) of my own. 

Saw the gentle waves of the morning breeze fluttering the Pines, Oak, Sweet Gum and Mimosa trees, their freshly washed green leaves from the recent rains now getting sunbathed and looking golden bluish, overlooking the fair skies. Loved watching the bees humming and chasing each other, whizzing past flowers sucking nectar, pollinating plants. Two squirrels kept chasing and outrunning one another. Chirping little birds crisscross the sky as an array of Pelicans passed by, cawing PAON PAON. Far above in the sky two commercial jet liners crossed over, painting a thick white strip tailgating them, forming a gargantuan X sign on the sky.

Nothing beats the pleasure of getting closer to Nature. As the soothing breeze caressed me, bringing a lung full of fresh air, I found my memory tracing me back to this song from movie EK BAAR PHIR (1981) and murmuring..

YEH PAUDHI YEH PATTEN,

YEH PHOOLEN, YEH HAWAYEN.

DIL KO CHURAYE, MUJHKO LUBHAYE

HAI MAN KAHE MEIN JHOOMOON

MEIN GAOON.

The flora, these leaves

These flowers, the air.

It steals my heart, tempts me

My heart tells me to sway and sing.