31 December, 2013

Yet Another Article on Arvind Kejriwal

I know the internet is clogged with innumerable articles about Arvind Kejriwal and in the world of commercial blogging, this is not the best time to write about the man who achieved the impossible. Yet it is one of the perils of being a writer that the pen governs you and not the other way round. So without further ado, here’s Yet Another Article on the man on a mission, Arvind Kejriwal.

Who the hell is Arvind Kejriwal?

Born in Siwani, Haryana in 1968 to an aam couple with an aam family, Arvind had bearings of “aam”hood since his schooldays in Campus School, Hisar. The first big achievement came when he secured admission into IIT Kharagpur. Being an alumnus of the same institute myself, I know that the last words one hears in the campus are usually go like, “till now this campus has been your identity. When you go out of that gate, make sure you become the identity of this campus.” Little did anyone know that Arvind would take these words to heart.

He graduated in Mechanical Engineering in 1989 and got placed in Tata Steel. I can’t be sure about those days but in 2013 Tata Steel paid fresh IIT graduates 8-9 lakhs per annum plus perks as CTC. He left the job after 2 years in 1992 to study for the Civil Services Examination and spend time at the Ramakrishna mission, Kolkata.

Arvind was able to join the IRS in 1995. In 2000, he was allowed 2 years’ paid leave on the condition that upon resuming work he could not resign from the service for atleast 3 years. Failure to abide by that condition would require him to repay the salary given during the leave period. He rejoined in 2003 and worked for 18 months before taking an unpaid leave for another 18 months. In February 2006, he resigned from the post of Joint Commissioner, Income Tax, New Delhi. The Government of India claimed that Arvind violated his original agreement by not working for 3 years. Arvind claimed that the clause said that he could not resign from his post for 3 years, which he did not. Eventually in 2011, he had to pay his way out by taking loans from friends.

Over the course of time, he has been known to be involved in numerous social ativist movements. A few prominent ones are listed below

·         December 1999: Parivartan

·         December 2006: Right to Information

·         April 2011: Jan Lokpal

What the phuck does he want?

Honestly speaking, I do not understand what Arvind wants. I believe in power. Power fights, power endures, power wins and power rules. I never expected an aam aadmi to fight, much less win, an election in the heart of the nation.

Time and again, Arvind has surprised us. Initially, he was just another social working fasting and agitating. Such people made the news for 2 days. A week, if lucky. I remember an interview before all the political activity where he was asked that if he was so much concerned about the nation, why doesn’t he contest the elections? To that Arvind beautifully (and to my surprise, calmly) replied,

“Do we live in a nation where if an ordinary citizen demands a right, he’d first have to contest the elections? As a citizen, it is my constitutional right to make a demand from the government. And to be told that I can only be allowed such demands if I run for the elections is against the Constitution of India.”

Yet, when after 2 fasts lasting 13 and 15 days, there was no response from the Government, Arvind decided to enter the system to clean it. This was much to the apprehension of his mentor Anna Hazare who maintains that politics is a swamp which contaminates anything which enters it. Arvind said that it may be the case, but the only way to clean this swamp was to enter it, even if it be at the cost of his own reputation. With those words, the 2 parted ways and while the media left Anna into his own oblivion, Arvind came out on Twitter and Youtube depending on social network “like”s, “share”s and “+1”s to make and grow his own political party.

Political Party! Aah… That was his plan all along. The power hungry rascal

Okay. As soon as one hears the words politics, the mind is filled with images of scams, ghotala, money, power and rabdi. But let’s look deeper. Arvind can be either one of 2 men.

1.      Either, he can be someone who left the post of a Commissioner of the Income Tax Department in a state like New Delhi, agitated and protested for 2 years, fasted in a condition of diabetes twice, brought RTI (which even a gentleman with questionable nationality status appreciated) and is currently working day and night in fever in Delhi winters to give the citizens basic amenities like water and electricity. Someone for whom getting into the system as an IRS officer wasn’t enough and decided to hit the mark himself fighting from the constituency which (let’s be honest here) was the toughest to win.

2.      Or he can be a master schemer who planned his entry into politics after joining the IRS. Identified Anna Hazare as the activist who would bring him into limelight. Somehow managed to get the public’s attention after being neglected by mass media and is currently looking to secure a position in the heart of the country.

To those who believe him to be the 2nd man, I have nothing more to offer. You may choose to keep reading to criticize me later.

There was a time when the Delhi election results of 2013 were being counted where AAP had a significant lead over INC but Arvind was lagging behind the then Chief Minister by a margin of 2,000. Then a journalist asked Arvind what would it mean for his political career if AAP wins but Arvind loses. Arvind gave a reply which I feel deserves to be mentioned here.

“I did not join politics to make a career. Career was something I left in 1992.”

Alright… But what now?

Right now 4 major challenges for Arvind stand.

1. People’s Expectations

Like it or not, but we live in a country where people are just waiting to say, see I told you. He was only a 4 day story. So who else was raped today?”

Most people today are only looking to point a finger and laugh when something goes bad. Specially to the one who tries to stand out. Yet one of the hazards of trying to fix something broken is to stand out and be pointed at. By standing out and already making a change in such a short span of time, Arvind has exposed himself to people’s expectations like never before. And this was established by the long line of activists from different sections of society making a variety of demands infront of his house on the morning of December 30th, 2013.

There are those who are just waiting for him to fail. Specially those who have long supported the voices of the 2 major political parties of India. At the first mistake he makes people will burn his posters (and him if given a chance) down. The weight of expectations runs heavy on Arvind. The question remains, how long before people realize that they have chosen a common man as their representative. Not God.

2. Life

Mahatama Gandhi. Vidya Lal Shukla. Rajiv Gandhi. Mahendra Karma. All these names have a common feature. They stood up for something. They exposed themselves. They were killed.

India not a safe place. Filmstars get their clothes torn, cricketers have their homes attacked, politicians are killed and murderers are preserved. In these circumstances, one thinks how many days will Arvind be able to go between the public, use public transportation, hold open meetings and give speeches before being shot.

In India, every party has a face. It’s not the party people vote to. They vote for their trust in the face. Every party promotes the face which they think is popular among the people and usually that face gets the seat and the votes. While this works in favor of 2 parties, ironically lately the face-concept of voting has led to troubles for the 3rd party. But the bottom-line remains, that parties function on faces. Right now, people have their faith in a face. Arvind. The moment he is disappears in ashes, I don’t know how long it would take before AAP meets the same fate. Or, it may rise from the ashes like a Phoenix with yet another miracle. But I don’t put hope in miracles. Nor does India.

3. Fatigue

It’s been 2 days since Arvind held office and has already caught a 102° fever and diarrhea. With the kind of promises he has to live up to, his undivided attention and focus is needed. He has already worked a Sunday, met all his meetings with punctuality and is already delivering results. It’s like watching Nayak on Star News instead of Star Movies. But reality is no movie. One has to cope with one’s health which works on not only the physical level, but also on the mental level. Arvind might have been a part of IIT’s Illumination which taught him to work everyday with no regard to his physical health. But it does not mean that this continuous work won’t take a toll on his mental health. Since the day he has announced the formation of AAP, he has not rested a single day. The question is, how long before his brain simply gives up?

4. 2014 Lok Sabha Elections

AAP has already announced that they will be contesting the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. While this is a welcome move by many it raises a lot of problems.

Till now, people had their hearts set on either one of the two conventional parties in India. Of them, one even promised to take India forward with industrialization and strong economic policies. And this seemed to be a good model. But now a new model has come up. A model of the common man. While this new model has little to say on economic and industrial reforms, it promises a better social life and common welfare. And David is about to collide with Goliath. This leaves the voter confused. To vote for the one who will allow India to compete with giants like America, China and Europe? Or to vote for the one who promises to keep our daughters safe. And while this tussle continues, a snake lurks in the dark. Waiting to strike. Patiently. Calmly. Shrewdly.

23 December, 2013

Understanding

Have people lost their rational touch
or I haven’t yet met anyone as such?
Racism dwells, irrationality breeds
Societies are prompt to offer critique
Where did our “clear stream of reason” drain?
Why have we simply stopped using our brain?
The questions you know, the answer you ask
for which you need to put away your hippocritic mask
Deceit never looked like a maze,
but deceiving yourself? When did this trait raise?
But this is the age of facts, which I’m yet to deliver
So have you what you will, and let pain be your teacher
Because pain is the ultimate teacher, only after experience
as its teachings are not forgotten, even by the weakest men

You dwell in chasms of society still
which tells you when to wake and what to drink
You are told what fashion is and what is customary
your laws bind you in rules obligatory
You work to earn the comforts of life
which you forsake for in work you strife
You are told to settle, yet dream to travel
you are told to read, yet constrict imagination
The schools you go to ask you to excel sciences
so you may be able to pay the generations artists
When did this madness, creep into our civilization
was it when kings abandon jesters for lawyers in the kingdom?
Or was it when parents failed to understand that change was inevitable?
Or was it simply when we decided carelessness brought a mind more stable?

And we built the world around those notions
Justifying, clarifying, stirring and mixing the potions
till all that was left was an irreparable broth
which seldom boils, and reveals its wroth
Soon, God which once gave us power to survive,
now became the reason for the fights
It happened when needs became wants and wants became possessions
when hunger became greed and greed became satisfaction

I, for once have joined the League of Dreamers
who say if you don’t fit in, you’re the one who’s being the right person
Who wake up, just to put smiles on others faces
and sometimes indulge, in their own escapades
Who breathe to love, live and let go
who search for gentle breezes and with them blow
Who just look for angels with a broken wing
who judge a man’s character, by what makes them angry
Who know, that love is the answer to everything
who know, that experiences are the only things ever lasting

Who don’t run away from the storm, but calmly welcome it
who find it difficult, to swim downstream
Who run and fall and sing and cry
who cherish all experiences alike
Who are shade in the sun, oasis in deserts
who prefer to win not kingdoms but hearts
Who’re deemed by the world as crazy, misfits, troublemakers and rebels
But who infact push the human race forward and change the world

These are the League of Dreamers
33 years ago, someone left out an invitation
Would you join?

Vishal Gupta
November 29th, 2013

14 December, 2013

Shanghai Sagas - Of Maglevs and High Speed Trains

My journey in the fastest train in the world. Find the full English Transcript below.


[00:00]

Now I’m going towards the Maglev train. This is supposed to be the fastest train in the world. This is the platform. I got off at Longyang Metro station. The Magev station is right next to the Longyang metro station. This man is smiling, he’s the guard here. Good man. And… the train will come here. Right downstairs there’s a McCafé. This McCafé is built exactly like McDonalds. It is a complete McDonalds copy. You just get Chinese food instead of burgers. They have the same McDonalds Symbol, the same way of writing “Mc” and have written Café instead of Donald. There aren’t too many people here, not too many. The ticket is slightly expensive as compared to normal metro. In a normal metro I’d have gone in 4¥. This I’m travelling in 40¥. The original price is 50¥ but I have Shanghai’s transportation card so I get a discount on that. I don’t know how the VIP section is. It is for 100¥. I haven’t taken that one.

[01.:00]

And they say its speed is 431 kmph. This leaves every 15-20 mins. 40… 431 kmph is its peak speed between 1500 and 1545 hrs, so that’s when I’ve come. Rest of the times it must go to 400 which is still quite fast. They say that it reaches 5021 in experimental conditions. But people don’t see it going that fast in regular use. This is the ordinary section. There must be a VIP one somewhere. Let’s see. The platform is very small and clean.

Chinese announcement in background.

They say that there are a lot of amenities inside the train. Even I don’t know exactly what’s there, even I have just heard of it. Will find out in a bit.

[02:00]

Announcement in English in the background.

I don’t have a ticket because I have entered via the Shanghai metro card. I don’t know what’ll happen. But, let’s see. OK, this is the VOP class. 1,2 are the VIP class and 3 to 6 are the economy classes. Now how do I know which is 1,2? And which side will the train come from? They have a right side rule right? So which side would the train be coming from? The line is only till there. The train will come from the back means it will come from the right means it will come from here. And will go back from here! No. Ok these people have 2 tracks. They don’t join. The train must move on these on both sides. They might not have the right-left rule for the Maglev. Because they haven’t made a space to change tracks. The tracks go till there and stop in mid-air. So if any day the Maglev has failed breaks, it’ll fly off and crash into the building.

[03:00]

There are no walls to stop it. These people trust their technology. The tracks can be seen going way far off.

So what was I saying? This peaks at 431 but they don’t always take it at 431. They take it till… 400 maybe. In the busy hours wiz morning 9 to 9:45 and evening 15 to 15:45 they peak. They take it to a full 431. So what’s the time now. It’s 15:30. So it should happen. The normal metro takes some 16 mins2. It’s said that this takes 7 mins. So the normal metro itself is quite fast.

[04:00]

And this is more than double the speed3. This is the roof of the station. I’d thought that this whole thing would be underground. This is right over the head. Ok here is the 1 and 2. That is VIP. This is gate number 4. It’s quite empty in the back, so I can go and sit there. Basically I want a window seat where I can shoot everything. Keshia showed me the video yesterday. I saw the trees going back at high speed. Got to see that. Mainly that. Even the metro stations here are pretty clean, just it has crowds and dustbins there. This is a bit excessively clean.

[05:00]

Maybe that’s the train coming. Something surely is coming. Can’t see it from here. Will see now. Yes that is the train. See the train is coming. It’ll come here now. Oh this is 2, the VIP section.

Train arrives

This is full on the inside. Has chairs. So should I enter the VIP section? Let’s see, how does it look from the outside. Looks normal. No this has more space. Might be checking the ticket inside. Let’s be safe. No problems to be taken in China.

[06:00]

But coming in without a ticket is also difficult. Let’s see what happens. Even I don’t know. How would I know! People are gathering up. It’s a small train. No space to stand. Maybe it’ll open from here.

People are staring at me, giving a what-madness-is-he-doing-with-the-camera look.

[07:00]

Open up!

Our crowd is standing like that crowd. Everyone’s still sitting inside. One minute! If I can go like this, then I can also come back in this. Oh! the TT might be checking the tickets inside. That’s why they aren’t opening the gates.

[08:00]

He might be taking the money inside because when I entered he didn’t take the money. This might be happening. Maybe the gate’s opening from there. Opened here too. These people open in sync. Everyone will open together. And here we enter. Let’s sit… let’s sit a bit more, sorry. Let’s sit a bit more inside. Let’s sit here. There’s leg space too. It’s loading. People are coming. Maybe this man got irritated from me and went away.

[09:00]

I’m going to keep blabbering here.

Hello. I’ll be speaking in Hindi a bit. Okay. This guy infront of me is also here to shoot, has a camera in his neck. But this is a photo camera. He might not be taking a video. People are walking outside. It looks like this girl knows about the Maglev. This one on the left. Perhaps she said that the view isn’t good on that side, so this man came here.

People are still coming in. He’s calling people on the escalator.

[10:00]

This looks a VIP type. Ok. If I’d gone to the VIP section they’d have taken 100¥ from the card. Now they’ll take 50. A lot of people seem to be first timers. Even they don’t know anything. They seem to be as confused as me. I think it’s done. The gates are closed.

Others talk.

They have a meter here which shows the speed at the moment. So people sit and wait for 431.

[11:00]

And they have to click a picture at exactly 431. I will surely get it because I’m taking a video. Should’ve had 2 cameras. One for the speedometer another for this. I’ll watch the speedometer. You watch the view outside. It has started moving. And it’s off. 3,4, this is a good acceleration, has already reached 10. 20. 45. 70.

[12:00]

This is the opposite track. Ya this is the opposite track. The train on the side should be seen along the way. 110.

150. 180. Now it’s not accelerating at the same rate. But I can feel it accelerate. When it turns, I feel it.

[13:00]

The view on that side is good. There’s some lighting problem. That side has a sunset-ish type of a sky. The color of the sky won’t come well on this. You see the speed. It has reached 300. The reflection you see on the glass is the camera. And behind it is me. Hi. It’s oscillating between 305 and 306 right now.

[14:00]

380. Now it feels like something’s happening. This is quite smooth but not completely smooth. More than this… nah you can’t find anything smoother than this. 400. This has crossed 400. 420. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 2… 25. 29. 30. 31!

[15:00]

31. It won’t go beyond 31.

Man infront of me: I got it. It’s not easy (laughs)

Even I got it. I got it in the video. 31 is its limit. The man infront of me is happy. Was taking a picture at 31. Now it has started to slow down. It went to 25.

[16:00]

There was a shock. Oh! The shock which happened was the other train going from the side. Hardly half… it didn’t take even 1 sec for the 2 trains to cross.

People chatting in the background.

This is German technology.

[17:00]

This has been built by Germans but the Germans didn’t have enough money to make it in their own country. So they’ve made it here. The technology is German, but Germany doesn’t have this technology. That thing which went by was a Maglev train. I think we’ve reached. How long did the full journey take? I didn’t notice. Must’ve taken some 7-8 mins.

How long did it take? They entire journey.
7 mins.
Well to the airport 7 mins 21 secs4.
7 mins 21 secs.
It is slowing down. Why, are we there already?
Oh ya.
Oh.
That’s the airport.
We’re there already.
That’s terminal one and that’s terminal 2.
Next time we’ll go that way. Won’t carry too much luggage.
That’s what I said last time.
Continue talking.

[18:00]

You’re going back in this train?
Yeah. I talked to the staff here. We don’t need to get out. But usually if you have a return ticket you have to go out. Check out. And then check in again. I discussed with them so…
How… I came in with my metro card, so how are they gonna charge me?
Oh. You have your local transportation card. 40¥.
Yes. If I go back it’ll be 80¥.
Ya. You have to go out and check in again.
Okay.

No TT is coming here. But people have stood up and are leaving.

You go out?
What if I keep sitting here?
No you cannot. I discussed with them. Both sides.
Okay.

[19:00]

This good girl helped a lot. Was telling things. People keep their stiff here and there’s also an overhead cabin. No one’s checking anything here. So I can keep sitting inside. Means I can keep sitting here, go around the entire day, and I can exit at the other station for 40¥. Whichever one I started from, I can exit at the next one. Won’t make a difference. Unless there is a checking. I don’t know whether they do it or not. It doesn’t look like there’s any checking. I didn’t have one. I came out. Maybe it’ll happen after this video. A lot of people exited. A lot of people fitted inside the small train.

[20:00]

We have reached Pudong international airport. And am now taking the escalator and exiting. I’ll turn off the video when I exit. Let’s see. This was the Maglev. Was good.

Here’s the ticket counter. Need to use my card here. When I entered I had 59¥ on the card. Now it should become 19 according to the math. Let’s see.

[21:00]

This is it. It’s 19. So, I exited.

So this was the Maglev. Now I need to go back to Lobyang5. That’ll be quite far. I’d eaten before leaving. So where’s the metro line? Lets find it, I’ll leave in a while. This is enough for today. OK? The video’s only 21 mins? No problem. Bye!

Notes and Errors:

1.      [01:25] I later checked it was 501 kmph.

2.      [03:53] I checked later while going back. It took 51 mins.

3.      [4:04] The normal metro operates at 80 kmph, but the average speed is less because of the halts at the stations.

4.      [17:32] I checked later it was an exact 7 mins 21 secs. Between [11:27] and [18:48] on this video.


5.      [21:16] Longyang