aditya kumar's weblog

I will be hosting a Windows 7 launch party at my home sometime around the 22nd of October – The official launch day of Windows 7. The aim of the party is to see Windows 7 ultimate, the first day, first hand. Those of you who have had their experience with Windows 7 RC should also consider attending an event like this because there ought to be many refinements from Windows 7 RC’s journey to become the final box release.

So if you are in Bangalore around the 22nd of October and have been hoping to get your hands on Windows 7 and don’t mind coming to my place for a round of free coke and snacks with some like minded people, drop me a line on email and warm up to the idea of attending a Windows 7 Launch Party.

On the train to home, Goa, I wake up in the morning to find out that my shoes are stolen.

You ever build stories on what you see while you travel? I mean, I see wide barren land on a dark night and there is one hut with a little light out there and I ask myself, how would it be if I were alone here, on this land, right here, right now. One of the other (and much less horrifying) possibilities that have crossed my mind is of my shoes being stolen. Well, now what.

Well, those were running shoes. Somebody had to run with them.

So I have no choice but to limit my visits to the toilet. I have no luggage but for this backpack which has a Thinkpad and an ipod. I have a Robert Ludlum which warrants some attention.

Sonaulium (actually it’s called Sonaulim) is Goa’s first station as the train enters Goa through Karnataka. The station, or what seems left of it, is in shambles. A deep valley on it’s back and on the outside of the station are lots of, what would have been big rocks and cement blocks, broken down in pieces. Most of the rooms are locked. But as the train passes by, one man manages to come out of nowhere. He’s holding a green flag, as if, signaling to each and everyone one of us — keep going. Rather, leave. And amidst of what looks like silent chaos, I see an empty but perfect flagpole. Maybe I should be back here on independence day. I bet it would be more inviting then.

A few minutes later, as we approach Madgaon, another station passes by. “Curchorem” it is, in English but the Devanagari script tells me it’s something to the effect of “Sanvordem Curchorem”.

Why this discrimination?

A few meters ahead I see a building with “Toilet” written in bold letters over it. On the left side of it is a smaller heading that says “Gents” with an arrow pointing left. On the right side of it, well, its painted white on what I think, in the recent past, would have been “Ladies” (with an arrow pointing right) and the entrance on the right is blocked by an old plank of wood. There is no ladies toilet at Curchorem (or Sanvordem Curchorem — based on your linguistic skills).

Why this discrimination?

Then, as the train nears the end of the station, a freshly pasted (and soaked in the rain) computer printed poster informs us that there is a “Swine Flu Awareness Cell” somewhere around there. This could be the only railway station in the world with no ladies toilet but a Swine Flu Awareness Cell.

And then there is Madgaon station, my destination, with no shoe shops.

Now that the BJP finds itself in a state of turmoil, lets talk about Kandahar.

Why was Jaswant Singh made the fall guy all these years? The BJP always portrayed Advani as a “Strong” leader and by taking the blame for the Kandahar episode, Advani would not have been the perfect candidate. There was a need to be as spotless as the white kurta he generally wears. Kandahar would not have allowed that. So, very conveniently, the PM candidate said on national television that he was not in the know about the decision that was taken in that cabinet meeting. People of this country were asked to believe that the then home minister was oblivious to the fact that Jaswant Singh would escort the terrorists to Kandahar in return for the passengers on IC-814.

My question is this — did they have a choice?

Answer — Yes and No.

In Kandahar, with the Taliban surrounding the aircraft, there was no choice. There should have been no choice. There is no leader in India who would have decided otherwise. Risking the life of 200 passengers was a gamble that could have proved too costly. My opinion is that the NDA government did the obvious.

But what Advani is really afraid of is this — There was a lax from New Delhi when the aircraft was allowed to take off from Amritsar where it had landed for a refuel. Imagine the pilot’s dismay then. Amritsar was IC-814’s last and only hope. Amritsar was the only point in the whole drama where India could have had a win-win situation. And that is where New Delhi goofed up. The leadership in the capital did not approve of an action then. And Advani is scared of owning even a single bit of it.

And this same guy, he wants to become the Prime Minister.

In the last 6 years, a critically acclaimed actor (who is a khan too), an actor who is a Punjabi and a Hindu, the other two “bankable” khans of the Indian film industry, a model-turned-actor (a Christian) and a former, and arguably the most respected, President of India, were all frisked at US Airports by Homeland security.

Still, one so called King Khan chose to make a huge hue and cry about it. On top of it, the man says SRK does not need publicity. Also note that he introduced himself as a movie “star”.

Shahrukh Khan is one arrogant man.

A few hours before Independence day, watching Attenborough’s Gandhi, I am left with a few more observations and questions.

Gandhi united our country, north to south, east to west. He walked, people followed. Today, 62 years after Gandhi, we are falling apart. We have long forgotten that we are Indians first. We have made it very convenient to forget that. We believe it is all okay. We have let chalta hai rule us.

Before 15th August 1947 we were fighting against the British Empire. Today we have to fight not only religionism but regionism as well. The worst part is, most people do not even realise it. Do a check and you will find that somewehere in it all, we have to fight ourselves.

The leaders that we elect are not leaders, they are politicians. It is an irony that India’s last known leader never held an office.

I do not think that Gandhi was the only reason we got our independence. There were other factors too. But I admire Gandhi most because he stood up and unified the nation. Because he sparked a nation’s imagination. Because he believed that Gita or Quran, it is all okay as long as the path leads to God.

Believe it or not, The Mahatama was our last hero, our last leader.

My dream is this. I want to live in an India where her citizens think of themselves as Indians first. Where politicians are held accountable for the offices they hold. Where justice is not looked down upon. Where people are not scared to approach the court of law. Where chalta hai doesn’t work anymore.

I wonder what happened to that dream Nehru had, the one he proclaimed to the world exactly 62 years ago as the clock approached midnight, just as it is now, as I write this. The same dream in which he mentioned India’s tryst with destiny. Don’t you think we have all lost our ways?

May there be Glory for India and her citizens.

Happy Independence Day.

And if, what you can read from the above image makes you want to read the fine print too, maybe you should check out here and then here.

Three years ago, a professor in Ujjain, was beaten in front of the cameras. He died on the way to the hospital, succumbing to a cardiac arrest. Later that evening, the clips were shown on television.

Day before yesterday, all six accused walked free. Reason? Lack of evidence.

This, after the crime was committed and caught on camera.