The election in so called “biggest democracy in the world” got over today (technically yesterday in India) and we are due for the results by end of this week.

So, as per tradition, media moguls are now doing 2 plus 2 equals four, and putting together the so called “exit poll surveys” – while hoping to catch some more TRPs and eyeballs in process.

The results so far shows chaos ahead with no-one getting clear majority and looks like we will be served same old junk politics that we are living up with last 10 years, and which we painfully and sadfully are getting used to now.

This is certainly depressing!
It is like coming back home after hard day at work and seeing chaos, but can do nothing …
Think about it … you and I (“my fellow citizens”) are doing “our work” with honesty and sincerety… right? .. then why those having the reigns of system cannot do their work and fix the system and make it the way it is supposed to be …. (maybe we are not doing our part, the poor percentage of voting shows that too … maybe it needs more from our part than grunting over it from sidelines)

How I wish if we can just have a stable, non partial and good government at center?
How I wish if there is no more so called coalition government anymore?
How I wish if the coming government knows what is priority and what is not?
How I wish if no-one can blackmail my government anymore on what to do and what not to do?
How I wish if there is such a leader (person) at center – which whole country can look upto and want to follow! (in present scenario, i think Manmohan Singh is the best we have … but still I feel we can have better leadership from 1 Billion people to choose from … I hate to compare things, but we do need someone like obama who is good thinker+leader+communicator etc)
How I wish if this chaos doesnt result in some bigger losses. (like loosing opportunities for economic development … or like loosing much needed energy reforms like the nuclear deal which left and even BJP wants to scrap if they come in power … which is scary)

These are the very simple things a citizen like me can ask for … to the so called “the biggest democracy” of the world?
But then I remember the quote – ask not what the country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.

Hmpphs!

PS – as a closing note, I feel UPA (congress) will have good majority, and it will be less chaotic than last time… and congress will be in a better position to rule. (I am thinking 230 seats for UPA, plus 30 support from outside) …. let’s see if my prediction comes close to the real thing on saturday/sunday.

Swine Flu is getting scary! (see the screenshot of reuters website on left)

It reminds me of the movie “I am Legend” , where a pandemic was getting spread in New York City and people were leaving NYC.

Although the media is hyping it, like they do always, but this time I dont see people much affected by the media hype. For example, in my office I have hardly heard or overheard any discussion about this flu. I really dont see anyone panic till now.

We have a folk story back in India, where a shepherd use to joke around with his friends calling “save me, there is a lion lion” … and one day when real lion came everybody thought he was joking again and noone came to save him. I hope the same things doesnt happen with things like Swine Flu … where we get early signals about a catastrophic event … but since everybody has got so used to these kind of threat signals from traditional media – that they will simply ignore it in the beginning and will continue with their usual life, till the time that the event becomes so big that it cannot be controlled.

But when I think from a cool mind there is actually nothing we can do about this situation … because there is nothing we can do to control or end this flu because I guess it is all governments job to take care of this mess… right?

So, since we are just supposed to watch the show, so maybe it is best not to panic and just enjoy the ride.

While i am on this topic, I was talking to dad in the morning and he was saying that at New Delhi Airport team of doctors have been posted at various airport terminals – especially for flight coming from US, mexico or Europe… to make sure this flu doesnt enter India…. this maybe a usual/expected news, but i found it kind of ironic …
i mean normally bad things like this happen in Asia and it is western countries who have this kind of attitude of treating us all like we all are plague carriers, and make us go through these tests etc.

Taking the argument further, similar things may happen in economy also, where US/western countries may be so much affected by the plague called recessions like the one we are going under…. that Asian countries will take the centrestage and start making rules… you and I know that there is nothing called impossible … see this slide called shift happens, … we already saw some such signals like China asking that dollar should not be world currency etc…

Maybe what is freaking me out more is more similarities between “I am Legend” and my current situation – like my wife is going to india this weekend (planned trip), and I will be in US while this flu will grow and will reach climax. (will smith sent his family to safe zones while he stayed in NYC to research the cause and solution of pandemic)

Lately I have been reading stories about December 2012 – and how the world is going to end at that time…. and I hate to admit that there is one part of me who has started to believe that bullshit (the power of brainwashing) …. Hindu religion also says that Kalyug is about to end and satyug is about to begin bla bla bla, which actually means mass extinction or CTRL ALT DEL. (this mass extinction topic i guess is a separate post altogether, and very close to my heart, so maybe i will discuss it some other day on a dedicated post)

for the time being, fasten your seat belts because we may be warming up to a bumpy ride ahead. I just hope you & I will be the one who will survive all this to tell stories to next gen!

I will see you in a new post Swine Flu virus world! (tell me when it’s all done)