Posts

Showing posts from July, 2011

PM = Puppet Minister?

Image
Another thing that Saravana Kumar asked to write was about the failures of our Honorable Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. OK. Let's discuss about them as well. I am one of those who wanted Congress to win but didn't want Sonia to become the  Prime Minister  in 2004. I have somehow never been impressed with BJP as a political party. But, I could never digest talking about Sonia as a better leader than Vajpayee. I don't even like comparing her with Advani. I don't think she has any other qualification in Indian politics than to have impressed the right person. Like everyone else, I also accepted her as a noble leader and what she did as a major sacrifice when she refused to become the  Prime Minister  of this nation. Even when I heard that it was not a decision that she took on her own and she was forced to take that decision because of the pressure put by Subramanian Swamy through the President, I didn't take it seriously. I don't think she should not ru

Tamil Nadu: Bad 10! (Part 2 of 2)

Image
6. Narrow-mindedness This is one of the biggest complaints that all other Indians have on Tamils. Where did such an opinion root from? I think, it all started from the anti-Hindi movement. "When everyone else took it as an opportunity to learn another language, why is it that only these people play politics with it?" is the question they all have. We know that some were genuinely concerned about the problems that the people of the state would have to face later if they joined the Hindi bandwagon while others just used it for their political mileage. But just for that reason can you call the entire group narrow-minded? It's ironic that we are okay with a foreign language (English) when we could not accept another Indian language (Hindi). But that had a reason. It was just that they wanted to have a common language which didn’t handicap the majority non-Hindi speaking people when they competed with the native Hindi speakers. Everyone is reaping the benefits of it today

Tamil Nadu: Bad 10! (Part 1 of 2)

Image
When I wrote "Tamil Nadu: Good 10", I had promised that I would also write "Tamil Nadu: Bad 10". Here is a Tamilian who keeps his promise. :) I was so proud of being a Tamilian when I wrote the last post. I feel so ashamed of being one when I write this one. I always like sincere introspection. Just exaggerating the strengths and turning a blind eye to or justifying the weaknesses just gives a momentary and illusory self-satisfaction, which wouldn't help anyone in the long run (be it as an individual or as a group!). So, it's very important for groups as well as individuals to be aware of their problems as well. That's what would help them rectify their problems before it becomes too late, which is what would help them realize their true potential at the end of the day. Awareness of the problem is the first step in any rectification process. This exercise is an attempt towards that. I know you are growing impatient. It's always interestin

Good to be Good?

Image
One question that has always been haunting me from very early days of my life is - "Is it good people's planet or bad people's?". Both of them get success, happiness, peace of mind and all good things in life. There are people who remain good against all odds till the end and don't enjoy any good thing other than a good feeling that they would go to heaven. Likewise, there are the worst of the breed people who enjoy every good thing possible in their lifetime. Having seen all such lives, I have also told my loved ones, "You can't live in this society if you are too good!", just like how my well wishers told me. At the same time, you can't say that life is good for only the bad ones and bad for all good people. If you do bad things, you would surely get caught one day. Instead, it is better to be good though you may have to compromise on a luxurious life. You will never have to get caught and feel embarrassed. And, you can't say all bad peopl

Education - The Policies and Politics!

Image
A friend of mine (Saravana Kumar) had mailed me asking, "Why don't you write something about our education system... the policies and politics around it?". Good thought. Should surely do that. But, when I sat back and thought about how qualified I was to talk about it, these are the qualifications I have... I have got an education, which is higher than the average education level of this nation. I have a lot of educated people around me. I have a lot of uneducated people also around me almost in the same number. So, I know the importance of education. I have thought many times about what would have happened if I hadn't studied like  the latter. As an extension, I have imagined myself in the roles of, say, starting from shop keeper to daily wage laborer. I have been attracted to different professions in different times. It is a huge list! One of them is the teaching profession. I thought it was one of the noble jobs. Then I have dreamed of getting into the education d