“Laughter is an instant vacation.” said Milton Berle. Here at NK, we would like to contribute to lightening your mood in preparation for a meaningful and relaxed weekend. So here’s the tongue- in-cheek look at the events of the week gone by that you’ve been waiting for :)
Two events rocked the nation this week and it didn’t want to know at least one of them: the unexpected death of Sridevi, Indian Cinema’s first and only female Superstar, at the young age of 54 by accidental drawning (Drowning) – as the death certificate read – in Dubai and the expected arrest of K. Chidambaram in the INX Media FIPB Clearance case.
Sridevi’s death was tragic in that she looked younger than she was, and seemed to all of us in the pink of health, ready to give us more than English Vinglish (her first film in 15 years) and Mom, her last film released last year. Indeed, I was thrilled to read reports that Sridevi would indeed be seen one last time in Aanand L. Rai’s ‘Zero’ playing a cameo. Like you, I look forward to seeing the film just to watch the Bollywood Queen one more time.
Be that as it may, it would seem to me that the media and media persons – especially from the electronic media – are a very suspicious, dramatic and forgetful lot. It’s not clear if it is the need to attain and sustain commercial success that drives the hourly talking point or if it is the nature of the 24 hour beast itself. From its sustenance, it must be deduced that the Aam Aadmi (not the party) enjoys the spectacle and speculation, and this only adds fuel to the fire!
After reports trickled in that the actor did not die of cardiac arrest, the Indian media went berserk and virtually jumped into the actor’s bath tub and pulled the plug on it, draining it and then some, before forgetting about her and her bathtub altogether, even as her funeral – attended by thousands of fans – was making its way towards its last rites. They abruptly turned their cameras and attention to the arrest of K. Chidambaram on his arrival at the Chennai Airport from London – There were cameras at all the arrival gates at the IGI Delhi and all domestic arrivals saw themselves arrested by the National Television!
K. Chidambaram is no actor – though he will have to act out of his skin to weave his way out of the spider’s web that has been built around him – nor is he popular beyond the small screen (that too temporarily), but he is the key to his father’s freedom to criticize the government and his party’s high moral ground on the Nirav Modi – Choksi scam that was choking the one man show, two man army at the Centre (to borrow a phrase). They had to do something dramatic to turn the tide… and they did it in style. They turned the screws on him on the basis of a trusted maxim – Kiss the baby if you want the nurse! However, it was not a mere peck this time because it had to have maximum impact – much like a publicised surgical strike on Pakistani posts – ahead of the resumption of the budget session of the parliament. The anti-corruption narrative which was choking on Choksi, now found a new life and it was strengthened with the cabinet clearing a bill to confiscate assets of fugitives. Combined, these two events were like the Gitanjali Gems shining in the rain.
The case apparently rests on custodial testimony recorded by a magistrate of an individual accused of murder most foul and for whom the bell tolls quite loudly, and a belfry shift was in order. According to reports appearing in the press, the son took a bribe with a promise to influence his father’s decisions, which the father says was on the basis of a recommendation of a high powered bunch of secretaries (not stenos mind you)! Whether the murder charge and money charge are linked or kinked and whether money is thicker than blood or blood is thicker than money, are questions that will not be answered anytime soon, but the purpose seems well served! The names of the companies supposedly involved in the receipt of the alleged bribes make an interesting read – Chess Management and Strategic Advantage! Checkmate.
The Government’s commitment to combat and control the cockroach of corruption is commendable – there have been raids, raids, raids, raids, raids and more raids but no Lokpal – a very critical, ultra-modern long range nuclear capable weapon against corruption framed and notified by the previous government at the urging of the current government – for fear that the recoil might be too hot to handle. It’s the successful Gujarat model that guides the way forward again. But they didn’t bargain for the Apex Court which said, no excuses please, do it and file a report. And so they will, in good time, but to the nuanced eye, not before the next election – the LokPal may turn out to be no pal of theirs – It might even bring about the downfall of a government after it is established like it did before it was established!
Holi was celebrated with colour and fervour on the 2nd of March. Holi is a Hindu festival that marks the arrival of spring. It takes place over two days, and is a celebration of fertility, colour, and love, as well as the triumph of good versus evil. Often that triumph is in the reverse, but we continue to celebrate it as we hope for a reversal of trends. Holi is often associated with the coloured powders that end up coating its participants after they’ve thrown them at each other. It is therefore widely known as the festival of colours and we all know white is not a colour – it is the absence of colours. This is something that some people who are not colour blind deliberately fail to understand and end up flinging balloons with it inside on women because they think it is also a festival also of fertility, and get away with it?
The exit polls in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya suggest that these North Eastern states want a lotus in their back yards. They’ve had enough of a hand to mouth existence and want to bury the sickle they’ve been using to survive for so long – it’s gone rusty. The lotus flower is one of the most remarkable creations of nature. Its beauty lies in its purity, because this magnificent flower emerges from the dirty and muddy bottom of a pond, yet still remains untouched and unstained by its soiled surroundings. Remarkably once in bloom, it cannot be plucked, unless you swim across the dirty muddy pond with your head above water and that is what happened in Madhya Pradesh, the land of a thousand lotuses where they stretched their hand across the muddy waters to snatch two lotuses that were trying to bloom. I couldn’t resist using such flowery language to describe the election results – I just took a cue from the darling of the Grammar Nazis.
India snatching back the title of the world’s fastest growing major economy from China was one of the headlines of the week, and for me it was very encouraging news. The 3rd quarter growth numbers released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on Wednesday showed signs of recovery, as the Indian economy recorded a five-quarter high growth of 7.2 percent in the October-December period on good showing by key sectors like agriculture, construction and manufacturing. China, in comparison, reportedly grew by 6.8% in the same period. We must remind ourselves though that Chinese products generally have a short shelf life! Figures have their own allure, but sustaining those figures is not easy – the right diet and rigor is key – and interest rates are already hardening with SBI, ICICI and PNB – yes the same ones – hiking lending and deposit rates.
Last week I suggested investing in Diamonds, this week I suggest you take out an FD with the PNB and have a restful weekend.
The author may be contacted at brian@newskarnataka.com
