Abnormal Times

Saddam Hussein has departed from the face of the earth today morning at 6.05 Baghdad time (8.30 IST), when he was hanged to death in a specially constructed ( can even better be termed as hastily built!!) facility on the banks of river Tigris. His departure marks the end of an era in West Asian politics; something which began with him taking over the reins of the country in the 1960s and carrying on till 2003.

His trial- of killing over 148 Shias in Dujail in 1982-has been one of the most biggest shams ever seen. The same is the case with other trials like the killing of Kurds in Hallabja or the human rights violations accused on him by the invasionist forces in Iraq today. No fairness in trial, his defence lawyers being murdered and no chance given for Saddam to defend himself. Even the Appeals Court, within a month of the trial court's verdict ordering his execution, refused to seriously re-consider the same. All the agencies-the courts and judges, the puppet regime of Morouki and Talabani propped up by the US were hell-bent on doing away with Saddam Hussein forever. However, the whole story was scripted in Washington and London. George W.Bush states that this was a milestone in the restoration of 'democracy' in Iraq. That has got to be the joke of the year!!!!His New Year party would now be more relishing and that wine may taste more 'sweeter'!!!! His loyal poodle Tony Blair would only be more contended in 10, Downing Street before his puts in his papers!!!! Consider this. Who should have been there in gallows in the real place?? Saddam or Bush, Blair and Company????

A war that was committed in the name of WMDs (it has been over years now and is there still any news of those WMDs ????); Leave any WMDs, there were not even sophisticated and worthwhile armament units in Baghdad!! Will Bush ever stand trial for the crimes against humanity that he committed with his loyal allies?? Will he answerable to the hundreds of children who died for the want of essential food and medicines during the days of sanctions?? Will he ever be implicated in the human rights violations committed in Guantanamo Bay and Abu Gharib?? Will he and his company be ever answerable for the 'illegal invasion' (as termed by UN itself!!But with UN not being seen as an effective International Organization anymore, won't this statement be a joke??)?? Has the thirst for Oil ended or are Chevron-Texaco, Exxon-Mobil and British Petroleum still looking for newer pipelines to be laid?? There are only questions that are visible. Answers seem to have been lost or to say, forgotten in the eagerness to conquer new regions!! The Empire has to be nourished and the Emperor needs to adorn new clothes!!

Afghanistan and Iraq have already been vanquished; newer areas like Iran, Syria and North Korea fall next in priority in the 'axis of evil'. But have the former two really been 'done and dusted'. Then, that is incorrect. The massive resistance by the Iraqi people against the imperialist forces, as well as the fire faced in Afghanistan have made US seriously think of the R word-of Retreat!! That has always been the unwritten rule of the thumb for US Imperialism. Enter a Country, use it as a tool ans very conveniently wash the hands off and leave. Saddam Hussein is another friend-turned-foe of the US. As from the beginning till the 'instruments' had usage, they were oiled and well-maintained, later to be dumped!!Typical use and throw!! The US creates and later turns out to destroy the creations. The Mujahideen in Afghanistan were trained and armed by the CIA against the Soviets, but they provided the US with Osama Bin Laden. Similarly, once upon a time Saddam was their comrade-in arms against Iran, wherein the 8-year Iran-Iraq war itself had the US administration pitching Baghdad against Teheran. Even before in some the overthrows that happened in Iraq in the 1950s, the US sided with the Baath party. But the Iran-Iraq war caused major impacts on the Iraqi economy, forcing Saddam to raise oil prices, which directly angered the US. Then, the invasion in Kuwait broke any existing links between the two countries. So, the moral of the story is never go in for any permanent arrangements!!

There is no doubt that Saddam was involved in human rights violations. He had silenced any dissenting voice against him; he had wiped out the communist party, once an important section in the government of the country. But many also say that even though he ruled with an iron hand, he had united the country, trying in to bring in a Socialist system. He had tried to provide a better deal to the peasants and the poor; many feel that perhaps his biggest contribution was curb any sectarian violence between the Shias and Sunnis, thus providing rock-solid stability to the country, something which is primarily absent today. He may be right or wrong, but that has to be decided by the people of Iraq; decided by a popular and sovereign government elected by a mass majority of people, and not by puppets installed at the behest of Washington; the affairs of the country cannot be run by people who fly every second time to White House and Downing Street!! Seems father, Bush Sr,. has been avenged by sonny, finally!! However, will Iraq be ever the same again?? That is the million dollar question. The neocons believe Saddam's execution will put things right in that country. However, the mass peoples' resistance is only growing, and there is no so-called religious differences emerging between the Shias and the Sunnis. Both are united in a prolonged battle against the imperialist forces.

Our country, whose anti-imperialist freedom struggle had inspired many of the Third World countries to throw off their foreign yokes, has shown the similar non-serious stance. The MEA called the execution as 'unfortunate' and 'disappointing'!!The ministry seems to now have a well-rehearsed and by now, a stale statement to make!!Look at this country's Foreign Minister's statement: the Indian government 'hoped' that even after the verdict was upheld by the Appeals Court, Saddam would have been spared of the gallows and thus, would not have been executed!!!! . This joke should definitely be a threat to the contestants of the Great Indian Laughter Challenge Show, for the minister may give them a good run for their money!!!!There was no strong stance adopted by the UPA government. The government has become a spokesman of the Bush administration!! The efforts are aimed at going to any lengths to please the US; by kowtowing the mission is to become the junior partner of the US. The Indo-US Nuclear Deal is the best instance, along with the Joint Military Exercises, keep up the strategic relations with Israel, inspite of its actions against the Palestinian people. Here, even ministers are replaced on the account that, the 'US was displeased' with their actions!!The ruling classes in this country are readying themselves to tear away the Tricolour and replace it with the Stars and Stripes!! The fact that Diego Garcia is only some nautical miles away in the Indian Ocean has meant that the region is under the radar scopes of the imperialist powers.

Saddam's martyrdom, as I would call it was in the battle against Imperialism and the refusal to live in the shadows of the colonial masters. He faced death courageously, and kept his head high while walking to the gallows. His death proves to be yet another clarion call for the anti-imperialist and progressive forces all over the world to join hands against this globalized struggle against imperialist globalization!! The struggle has to be at various fronts like political, economic, and cultural, thus, taking the resistance to greater levels. Many term the resistance happening in Iraq as 'bloody'; but then according to Tariq Ali, when "you have an ugly occupation, then you cannot have beautiful resistance". The model shown in the backyard of the US-once considered the laboratory of the Neo-Liberal economic policies-under the leadership of Castro, Chavez, Morales, Ortega and many others have opened the doors for many nations to assert their sovereignty, thus challenging the supremacy of the US. The mass peoples' movements, built on the foundations of the association of various fronts would engineer the struggle against hegemony and dominance. Therefore, this New Year beckons us to once again go back to Pastor Niemoller. We are living in times when the Empire wants to take every shred from the people to feed itself; hence, the need to fight it with tooth and nail. This is an Empire wanting the Haves to go on stocking the resources, and Have Nots cast to 'dangerous tempests'. It is a struggle between the Elites, who throw the struggling masses into the furnaces of Global Wars to feed their 'unsatiated hunger' for more power!!Saddam's execution is also a cover-up to protect these poweful elites from any skeletons that might be unearthed in future!!! These are Abnormal Times, where the only motto that matters is that "People United Shall Always Be Victorious" !!!!

The Magicians

As the year comes to an end, the media and the masses have already started to float their minds back at the events that occured in the passing year. There were many fond memories and some painful ones. While many people may choose different issues, themes and incidents, for me the one memory of this year will be from the sporting arena. The Azzuris were crowned the World Champions in the Beautiful Game; China reasserted itself in the Asiad at Doha; Nadal and Federer continued their glorious run in Roland Garros and the Centre Court of the All England Club; Indian cricket team went through its usual highs and lows; Sania Mirza created some flutters; Schumacher and Agassi walked into the sunset of their careers with their heads held high. But for me the image of 2006 would without doubt be, the retirement of the two magicians from International Cricket- Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath. The duo who have formed a great wall for the Australian cricket, will be the last members of the Allan Border era to bid their farewell to international cricket. As they hang up their boots, becomes impertinet to all the lovers of the Gentleman's Game.

A Magician performing trciks through revolutions in the cricket ball. That was a breath-taking sight. Shane Warne-a wizard becoming synonymous with magic word of Spin; he was truly a magician on the field. That too of the art of 'Leg-Spin', at a time when that art was dying away due to the lack of quality bowlers. Like an artist whose works were marked by clear precision and guile that would go on to bring about a final product of aesthetic beauty and splendour, Warne's bowling reminded us of the similar works of art by Da Vinci and Michelangelo. Making his test debut against India in Sydney in 1991-92 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, he was thrashed all over the park by the batsmen adept playing any quality spin. Even though he went for over hundred runs, he took the wicket of Ravi Shastri, thus announcing his arrival in the test match arena. But it was in Old Trafford in 1993, with the ball of the century that he showed his real spirit and stamped his authority against the batsmen. A ball that was pitched outside the leg stump, turned viciously to hit the off-stump of Mike Gatting. Later, Warney played a pivotal role in many Ashes series wins for the Aussies over the English. Warne's bowling statistics in test matches reaffirms his class and grittiness. Warne also has a good batting record with scoring more than 3000 runs and scoring 11 half-centuries. Warne's ODI record is also impressive wherein he having played 194 matches got 293 wickets with an average of 25.73 and got a career best of 5/33. This wizard brought along with him a series of weapons in his repetoire. A whole array of different sort of deliveries which kicked and turned even on lifeless surfaces. He had the googly, the flipper, the drifter, the conventional leg break, the slider-which was a new delivery by him-and then the 'wrong un'. He also had a delivery like that of a medium pace bowler, which was so cleverly disguised that it was difficult to predict whether it was the leg-break or the off-break. With a shorter run-up and higher trajectory, his deliveries could never be read clearly by any batsmen. With his magical fingers being held across the seam, the ball came from the back of the hand, thus cleverly disguised from the watchful eyes of the batsmen across the world. With his favorite victims being the Englishmen, and the South Africans, Daryll Cullinan was his bunny. He could only name Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara as the most difficult batsmen to bowl at. Who can ever forget his duels with the Indians in general and Sachin in particular?? In his 3 tours to India, he could only have one 5 wicket haul. Indians were perhaps the only people against whom Warney struggled enough, which is also reflected in the record books. But still he played his part in the first series triumph for the Aussies against the Indians on the latter's home soil for many years, during the 2004 tour. Having been crowned as one of the five best cricketers of the century by Wisden, Shane Warne has also been given the Wisden Player of the year award on several occassions as well as the Man of the Match in the World Cup Final (the 1999 edition in England). Away from the cricket field, his private life may have been in rocks, with accusations of match fixing, doping and adultery, but he tried to hide his sorrows with his bowling. His presence was a revival for Leg Spin, which was absent from the scene since the days of Richie Benaud. Infact, Warne's legacy was followed by his contemporaries like Anil Kumble, Mushatq Mohammed, Danish Kaneria, and his own compatriot, Stuart MacGill. An ever persuasive Shane Warne is a beauty to watch on any given day-even his 700th wicket, the first by any bowler in test match cricket, was a portrait to be framed forever wherein Andrew Strauss' stumps were rattled by a ball that pitched outside his off-stump. The batsmen around the world can rest easy with departure from the scene by this assassin.

On the other hand, Glenn McGrath made his test debut against New Zealand at WACA in Perth in 1993/94. He was a pace bowler with great accuracy and penetration. He did not possess express pace or a great amount of swing. His strength was to pitch the ball in the right areas and stick to an off-stump/outside the off-stump line, thus never allowing the batsmen to get away. Through that long career, McGrath rose to be the No.1 strike bowler for Australia thereby getting into the shoes of Dennis Lillie, and Craig McDermott. His bowling record in test matches bowling tell the accurate story. He was also a good batsmen at the tail for his country with him scoring even 1 test fifty. This being the case in the middle of the Boxing Day test of the Ashes series. However, it was his ODI record that needs further mention. More than that he was part of two World Cup winning teams (Along with Warne, he was also part of the team that was beaten by the Sri Lankans in the 1996 final at Lahore). With he going to be part of the team to defend the World Cup in the Carribean in 2007, it would be fitting climax to his long and chequered career if the team bring the trophy for the third straight time. In Test match cricket, his bunny was Michael Atherton whom he has dismissed 19 times, with Lara and Tendulkar also being among his high profile victims (Sachin was his victim on 6 occassions!!). The Pigeon as he was fondly called, had been thinking for long of calling it a day to spend more time with his wife, who has been suffering from breast cancer.

With the end of the New Year test match of the Ashes series both the legends will walk into the sunset in the longer version of the game; however, McGrath would be free in formal terms only after the World Cup. The world of the batsmen will heave a sigh of relief with the moving away of these greats. However, the world of cricket will be never be the same like before. The magic may have ended, with many pundits and doomsayers even predicting the downward trend of Australian cricket. Fortunate are we souls to have lived in an era, when these two magicians performed tricks with the ball, mesmerizing cricket lovers and enthusiasts world wide, encouraging more and more generations to take up the art of leg-spin and pace bowling. In a game where the bowlers were always the underdogs when compared to the batsmen, Warne and McGrath showed different paths. As the sunset approaches, Murali may overtake Warne and McGrath may have opened the doors for a fresh bunch of young blood to come and stick to line and length, thereby forcing us to engrave in our minds that there is also something to pace bowling beyond express pace and high swing. But then like the Kohinoor which comes only in one generation, Warne and McGrath are the wealth of this generation, who have thrown open the vistas for further expansion of the game. Their footprints lie in the sands of time, undulated and undeleted, telling each of us that the Gentleman's Game was a fine work of art, with they being the artists. Those were memorable days!! Adieu mates, and Thank You for the Golden Memories................

Medical Care, Death and Others!!

Level-Playing Field!! That term has never been felt by me in such a way as during a recent visit to the Medical College Hospital in Calicut. An Eye-Opener for many of the Elite who live in their own ivory towers. It was just this week when I had a chance to go there, as one of my relatives is admitted there. A walk through the wards are enough to open the eyes of many of the people, who never leave the coziness of the Private Super Speciality Hospitals!!

The rich can afford an expensive health care system!! The withdrawal of the State from the Primary Health Care Sector has meant that the poor have been neatly deprived of one of the prime matters for any population. Coming back to the visit to the Medical College, the building itself has all the looks of a governmental structure. The white and yellow white washed walls, with dark green being colour of the linen and hospital clothes. Perhaps that colour seemed to set the tone for the system to be used by the common masses. The wards having a limited number of beds, has patients occupying even the floors. Even the corridors have people lying all over!! The doctors-both the seniors as well as the house surgeons, or the final year medical students come visiting in one go, the nurses going on having a carefree approach and going about their jobs of administering medicines with no emotions on their faces-perhaps they feel its part of their job and is also a daily slog-and then the relatives coming in all hues, the common hospital food being served as regular meals, the scent of medicines and surgical equipments and much more...........

The Calicut Medical College is the largest hospital in the Malabar region and has also the distinction of being the hospital to have the largest number of children being born in Kerala-some records even call it dealing with the largest pregnancies in Asia-even Yours truly was born here. This has went to such lengths that now a separate building has been built to handle pregnancies alone!! But to go on to the real issue, the hospital becomes the mirror reflecting the real life in the country, that is the Common Masses. Talking to my relative revealed that, the ward in which she lay had seen nine deaths since she had been admitted there. One such death was when they were having their lunch. After the body was taken away, she decided not to continue her meal. Death just seems a reality. More than that, it is a Fellow-Traveller here!!! It takes into its fold all the people, not looking at their class, caste, religious and gender backgrounds. The people are helpless in its front as the feeling of Death stalks stealthily. The Medical College is a microcosm of the larger macro India out there. The tale of the Medical College in Calicut is not restricted to Kerala, but also reflects the same story in the whole of the country. Something that has to be witnessed by every citizen of this country, irrespective of his/her background. In fact, it would be a great anthropological exercise to go indepth to study the government medical institutes and hospitals of the country. The compulsory One Year Internship in a Primary Health Centre in the countryside, now practiced as ration should strictly be made formal, for the Medicos see the profession more as a money-churning exercise rather than as a service to humanity. Some even forgetting the Oath of Hippocrates. The rush now is to get an MBBS and fly out of the country to the foreign shores. The need is to put a full stop there, for the people dying each passing hour due to the lack of proper medical care is quite high.

Returning to the case of the Medical College Hospital, the Level-Playing Field seems have reached the optimum level. Perhaps, thats the visual I take as I descend the steps of that 'great Institute'. As they say, Death is a great Leveller!!May be atleast in death, all the people lose those fundamental contradictions between the Haves and the Have Nots. For all the people are destined only 6 feet of earth in the end!!!!

Birthday Musings

The 21st of November always brings with it the critical fact that I have completed one more year of life; the underlying feeling that the pirannaal has marked another milestone in my life; a short pause before the journey unwinds itself again. But as each Birthday passes, the candles and the cakes move apart further.........There are no more new dresses, no more gifts, no more sadyas, no more distribution of sweets and no more gala celebrations, no more love-filled strokes on my cheeks or ruffles on my hair by ma, no more early morning shower..........Perhaps each birthday is a further realization that life has got to move on...............

This birthday saw my sister presenting me a wrist watch-from her salary, which reminds of the fact that she has already taken the plunge into the swift currents of employment and livelihood issues. Now it comes down to either a phone call, or an sms, or an email, or to the maximum extent, a detailed birthday card......Life away from home is really sinking in.........The coziness and comforts of Home have been replaced by the daily slog in the hard life................No wonder they say that life is not a bed of roses..........Birthdays just drift in the wind, where the only companion is solitude..........where your heart and mind is at peace.............May be the only impressions left are nostalgia..........the bygone days of Childhood.............who was that poet who wanted to go back to those days of innocence, and thought of climbing the coniferous trees to reach the heaven?...........................

JNUSU Elections

The biggest festival of JNU-the Students' Union elections-formally concluded today in the morning. The one week that passed saw the entire campus having only one breath, that being the polls. The election saw the return of the SFI-AISF alliance to the Presidential post, something which proved elusive in the last two years. Comrade Dhananjay 's victory as the JNUSU President, along with Comrade Jyotsna being elected the Joint Secretary is another strong message that the SFI-AISF combine is definitely the force which has won the mass verdict of the student community. But the victory of the Ultra-Left AISA in the post of Vice-President and General Secretary-Tyler and Sandeep-also needs to be taken with a pinch of salt due to the sheer fact that this organization has always targetted the mainline Left, more than the Right-wing forces. In the posts for the Councillors for the different schools, though the SFI-AISF has maintained the convenorship in the three major schools namely the School of International Studies (where yours Truly has been re-elected as a Councillor), School of Social Sciences and the School of Language, Literature and Cultural Studies, there has been a drop in the number of seats won by the alliance, where the AISA has gained from the last year. While in SIS and SSS, the SFI-AISF won three posts and two posts being tied with the AISA, SLL&CS, saw a completely split mandate with the alliance winning two posts and rest being divided equally between the AISA, ABVP and NSUI.

However, these elections were fought majorly on the plank of 27% OBC Reservation, with the anti-reservation forces under the banner of the Youth For (In)Equality holding one end up. The Science schools in the campus where there was a record 90% polling, even when the overall polling in the university was 65%, the YFE emerged clearly with a lead of more than 250 votes in all the 4 posts of the central panel. This meant that, the SIS, SSS and SLL&CS were critical in pegging back the trail and ensuring leads for the pro-reservation forces. The rise of the YFE needs to be viewed with concern too, due to the fact that even in the major schools there were some 'disturbing trends'. The casteist forces who wanted to make the socially progressive campus of JNU like AIIMS where the students coming from the deprieved sections are ghettoized and treated like inferior mortals have been handed down a clear defeat by the democratic and progressive sections of the campus. This message emnating from JNU is a clear and strong signal to the casteist forces that their politics-of casteism-has been given a befitting reply by the JNU students. The YFE which is a elite formation, that has no concern for the students coming from the depreived backgrounds, had always tried to wear a mask of being pro-poor. But they have been utterly unmasked by the students with a clear clarion call that these forces need to now pack up their bags and leave the campus or else they would be thrown out by the progressive students.

This election also sends a clear message to the elitist bourgeois media, which had always fanned vast support for these forces combined with the corporate world. The Shiv Kheras and the Navjot Singh Sidhus also need to watch their steps while dealing with JNU where the students do not tolerate such unhealthy forces. The national media, particularly the electronic section had given great credence to these forces, even equating them , with the movie Rang De Basanti. The media which till date has not concentrated on any of the student movements in all over the country in general and in JNU in particular, has suddenly found the issue of reservation as something dangerous and against the peoples' interests. The JNU students movement, especially under the banner of the SFI-AISF for the construction of new hostels, institutionalizing GSCASH and Equal Opportunity Office, ensuring students' representation in the Academic Council and the Board of Studies and the latest struggle for ensuring financial assistance to all needy students have always been left out of the pages and visuals of the mainline media. The students' movement here ,which has also seen the SFI-AISF led JNUSUs waging relentless struggles against fee hikes, saffronization, commercialization and privatization; this is infact lined to the broader struggles waged outside this campus by the Left forces as well as other like-minded democratic and progresive sections. This mandate reaffirms that commitment to link the struggles in the campus with the struggles outside.

At the end of the day, when all the dust and din settles, the elections in JNU (which is conducted by the students themselves)-with JNU being the only university in Asia to do so-are a clear reflection of the fact that rather than the glamour and poshness of people, the issues of the students get a voice. The Election Committee of JNU needs to be congratulated for ensuring a peaceful, incident-free election. This JNU model reflects upon the committees like the one under Lyngdoh, which are out to place curbs on the democratization of the campuses across the country. It is only appropriate to say that "students' unity long live"!!

Gandhigiri

Venturing into cine halls to relax the mind has meant that people have taken it upon themselves to laugh their way out. "Lage Raho Munnabhai" falls in that category of movies. It talks of two conmen-more like a Laurel and Hardy- changing their ways from dadagiri to gandhigiri. That takes an average Indian movie goer to fal back and realize the importance of Gandhi in today's context. This attempt by me is not to pass any value judgements on the Mahatma's role and his leadership to the Indian freedom movement. On the contrary, this is to look at the issue in both ways.


The Gandhian mode of struggle- Satygraha, Hunger Strikes and Boycotts have now become models of protest against the authority and resist diktats from the higher ups. This mode of protest has its own suuesses and failures. As a student activist, now involved in the student movement in JNU, the method of Hunger Strike is not the best from of protest, but it is definitely a popular form of protest. It gets credence from a big majority of the student community and has stood the test of the time. A large mobilization of the student community is possible for such a type of protest. But as a Marxist, I have serious objections to only sticking to this model due to the fact that even the highest form of hunger strike may be unable to give you that decisive victory. So, other modes like gherao may also have to be adopted. But this can be done only a concrete analysis of the concrete situation. Also, the act of boycott cannot impede the mass production of goods. In fact, the production conditions have to be changed on the whole.


Gandhi's emphasis on Non-Violence is correct to a large extent; but in a society ridden with contradictions and where a fundamental transformation is required, a mass overhauling is imminent. It means to put things bluntly a Revolution. A non-violent revolution may not be the outcome always, for the ruling classes would never give up their power willingly and so, the Class Struggle is a concrete reality. Gandhi's basic idea is Status-Quoist, while the Marxist framework stands for Change. The best case scenario is on the question of Caste, where Gandhi felt that giving leverage to the opressed sections-Dalits and the Tribals- would lead to such assertive demands also from the higher classes and so, any attempts to transform the situation would be problematic. This logic has often been criticized by Ambedkar, which I also feel is a correct interpretation. The very idea of receiving a slap on one side of the face and showing the other side is a faulty proposition which is even laughable in this era. What needs to be done is to take on the attacker with full vigour and thus, is the defiance of a rebel reflected.


The ills of corruption, poverty, gender violence, caste abuse, etc which is still an issue in this country, where the common man still can't find his basic needs fulfilled, where successive governments have brought in Neo-Liberal era with the withdrawal of the State from key sectors of the economy like Health and Education, where rural distress has already claimed the lives of 50, 000 farmers, where students are forced to commit suicides unable to pay exorbitant capitation fees, where foodgrains lie rotting in FCI godowns for rats to feed, where malnutrition has led to infants dying early, where India Shining is restricted to a certain Elite class who live in glass compartments, where the Government has faulty line to define Poverty, where Chief Ministers visit Microsoft in US more than the farmers dying in the nearby districts, where financial packages become a mere farce and where a Government on the diktats of IMF-World Bank-WTO keep kowtowing to Imperialist agenda and fall prey to Great Power politics, this question certainly needs to be asked whether the Gandhian model would be to deliver the masses from all these ills. May be that could be the decisive assertion in the whole debate.


Also, movies like Munnabhai and Rang De Basanti have turned the popular and commercial cinema into an iconic status. This cult figure syndrome has led the people to think that may be 'a new look' has to be put in place. But at the end of the day and as film reels wound to a stop, we need to look back and ask who has really gained from the movie? The Audience or the Movie Itself. For me I would not need any second guesses. I would go for the Latter.

Hunger Strike

Being without food is unthinkable for many even for one course of the day. But doing the same for eight continous days, is really something that is part of the spirit of the student movement of JNU. As a Councillor of the JNU Students' Union, I experienced this when I sat for an 8 day Indefinite Hunger Strike at the Administrative Block of JNU from the 21st of September. This agitational course-which was lifted after the Administration agreed to the major demands of the JNUSU-was mainly on the question of providing financial assistance to the needy students. This demand was formulated after a comprehensive questionnaire survey conducted among the students by the Union in the month of March 2006, where nearly 60% of the respondents pointed out financial constraints on their academics. Thus, the proposals was made whereby, the Means-cum-Merit Scholarship needed to be raised from Rs 600/- PM to Rs 1500/- PM; the income cap would have to be raised from Rs 75,000 to Rs 1 Lakh and extending the scheme also to the Ph.D students who were not in receipt of any scholarship till now.


After a number of protest demonstrations and actions, the administration refused to budge. So, the Union went in for a One Day University Strike and even after this the Admn: never heeded to this demand. Thereby, intensyfying the struggle, the JNUSU gave a call for a Relay Hunger Strike which was later converted into an Indefinite Hunger Strike, where yours truly was one of the 15 strikers. Sitting in the Adblock for eight whole days was a wholesome experience. That too, staying alive only by having water and Lime water mixed with salt. This time-to-time tonic was the manna for those eight days!! Also, there was a medical check-up, twice in a day where blood, and urine samples were also collected. As the days passed, people started to wither and collapse. But what kept some of us, including me going was the determination built up within us that the "final victory would be ours"; also strong backing by the leadership of my organization SFI as well as common activists and friends. That kept the flaggering spirits going. Finally when the Adminstration called for the final round of negotiations yesterday night at 11. 30 pm., I was aroused out of sleep. This went on for around 3 hours and finally the deadlock was cleared whereby we emerged victorious and ensuring Rs 1500/- PM for M.Phil/Ph.D students and 1000/- for BA/MA students.


But the greatest experence which I gained from this agitation was that the students never forgot that we struggled for them. As I went along today morning for class campaign and also while sticking the posters of the agreement, the students overwhelmingly came forward to thank and applaud the eforts on the part of the JNUSU. That feeling is the biggest gift for me in this struggle. A Victory which would ensure regular scholarships for the coming generations in the JNU campus is a leagcy for the student movement in this campus. As the slogan we keep renting "The People United Shall Always Be Victorious".

First Day @ Cinema

Watching a film on the day of its release has become a sort of routine................Not only is it tempting, it also compells you to walk into the cinema hall as your mates queue up at the counter..........My experience in recent times have seen only five such films in the kitty................"Sarkar", Mangal Pandey-The Rising", "Munich", being the earlier ones seen.................But this month has already seen me @ the theatre on the first day for "Corporate" and "Omkara"..................It has been taxing not in terms of the sheer pleasure of watching the scenes explode on the screen, but it is in terms of burning a hole in my pocket, for the ticket rates here are sky-rocketing................People need to earmark a certain amount of money per month towards this "moviewatching" business...................


The addiction of the First Day would definitely take a heavier toll, as I embark on this drive further.................With mouth-watering ones like "Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna" and "Kabul Express"- not to mention those good English ones too-it seems that my spendthriftness, is here to stay for some more time...............!!!!

Those Fifteen Minutes

Sometimes time just stops for those Fifteen minutes....You begin to wonder whether Your heart beats have stopped........Catching hold of a folder-if it is some sort of handicraft product made out of jute or other fibre, it would be more good-containing all your certificates, testimonials and CV outside a door;and inside people gathered around a table waiting to pounce upon you.......When they toss away your research proposal and start asking questions from 'anything under the sun', its an uphill task, you can bet on that. Life just grinds to halt for sometime.........This phenomenon called "Interview" is just a beast, memorable for some and forgettable for some...........It seems that the wait to get into the room to face those 'souls' there is more taxing than the interview itself..............If someone asked me the definition of Life now, I would tell him/her, "It is nothing but the "Intervening Period between the Wait Outside and the War Inside".

A Ball, a Cup and lots of Memories

As Fabio Grosso struck that penalty into the net away from the waiting hands of Fabien Barthez, the biggest sporting extravaganza on the planet after the Olympics drew to a close!! What a World Cup it had been.......Goals falling in, goals saved by the goalkeepers and defenders, fouls committed, cards shown, injuries ending the campaign of some mid-way, a few upsets........Everything fell in place in this month long spectacle.


What began in the Allianz Arena in Munich on the 9th of June between Germany and Costa Rica proved to be feast for the fans of "Jogo Bonito".Philip Lahm set the goal register ringing with that excellent ranger from the left hand corner of the penalty box of the Costa Ricans, it all became a daily affair cot d'oeuvre nearly sucking in the Argentines in that game in Hamburg, the Germans being made to sweat till the 90th minute by the Poles till Neuville tapping in off a perfect cross from Odonkor, the Brazilians scraping through against the Croatians, first timers Trindad and Tobago holding the Swedes goalless, the 'Socceroos' coming from behing to thrash the Japanese, Spain thrashing Ukraine, and the French not being able to break the Swiss wall........


But the tournament really was 'normal' in the sense that no big upsets happened like the last edition in Korea and Japan...The Ghanians pulverising the Czechs was the only exception!!The Czechs playing their first world Cup as Czech Republic were heavily grounded by the absence of regular strikers Jan Koller and Milan Baros.Pavel Nedved nevertheless played the role of playmaker to perfection, but couldn't quite do the finishing job.The Koreans really tried their very best, but couldn't repeat the magic of 2002.


The Latin American dominance could only last till the quarter-finals on this occassion.The "Albiceleste" and the "Selecao", that is Argentina and Brazil fell mid way into the last stages.The Argentines who who were no doubt the best team of this World Cup, fell due to some big tactical mistakes by their coach Pekerman and fate in the form of injury to their number one goalkeeper, Abidonzieri. The Brazilian who were the biggest star-studded outfit with all the big names could only remain so on paper.With all those dominance, Roberto Carlos couldn't mark Thierry Henry in that crucial moment.Perhaps the only creditable achievement for them in this edition was that record of all-time highest WC goal scorer for Ronaldo-wonder for how long will that remain, with Kolse really 'closing' in!!


The best goals in this World Cup would definitely be that volley from Maxi Rodriguez in the Extra-Time against Mexico...and who can forget that 24-pass poem from Argentina against Serbia and Montenegro ending with Cambiasso putting in the final signature!! That goal is one of the greatest goals ever in World Cup history.The goal by Maniche against the Dutch and that lon ranger by Joe Cole against Sweden are also lasting memories of this World Cup..........Also to be added are the ones by Frings against Costa Rica and Zambarotta against Ukraine.


The best and the worst moments of this world Cup are also many. The loss of Argentina in that penalty shoot-out against the Germans in Berlin(with the avoidable fistfights in the end), the exit of Brazil by that solitary goal from France, the Swiss not being able to score even once in their penalty shootout with Ukraine, those ugly scenes in what is now dubiously known as "the Battle of Nuremburg", where the Russian referee Valentin Ivanov dishing out 16 yellow and 4 red cards, Wayne Rooney sent off in that quarterfinal clash with the Portuguese, the German march finally ending in that fateful night in Dortmund at the hands of the Azzuri and the Aussies deceived in that last moment by Totti through that penalty. But the most disgraceful moment of the World Cup would definitely be that worst moment when Zinedine Zidane was shown that red card in the final for that head-butt on Materrazzzi, in what was his last match for his country.......


What a shameful moment it was!!A captain leaving his drowning ship......In a way this World Cup has moved in a similar trajectory like Zidane!!Sent off for that crucial game against Togo, and then coming back, displaying his skill and magic for which he has been famous against the Spanish and against the mighty Brazilians-whom he defeated single-handedly!! Then scoring against Portugal and even against the Italians in the final. Thus, it was a roller-coaster ride all the way.Perhaps this WC will be remembered for ever for that one crucial moment on July 9th in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.Zidane's greatest regret in his life would no doubt be the same. This World Cup has also ended the careers of Oliver Khan-demoted to a second position against Jens Lehmann-, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Lillian Thuram, Patrick Viera, Fabien Barthez-cud he turned to be the savior for the French in those penalties??-, Cafu, Nedved, Ruud Van Nistelroy-Marco Van Basten never gave him a chance against the Portuguese!!, Luis Figo-what a player he was-, Pauleta and some more!!


The two coaches for whom this World Cup has been a blessing are Marcello Lippi of Italy and Jurgen Klinsmann of Germany.Klinsmann, ever criticized by his countrymen for being based in California, has really changed the Germans from having a 'defensive' mindset to an 'all-attacking mould'!!Even the great "Kaiser" Beckenbauer has asked him stay on in his job. Lippi took his team from the morose and dreariness of the match-fixing scandals in the Series A back home and crowned them to glory!!For others like Jose Pekerman, Carlos Alberto Perreirra, Marco Van Basten, Dick Advocaat, Zico, Guus Hiddink-couldn't quite repeat the magic of the last edition-, Bruce Arena and Karol Bruckner, it was only tears and sighs....Luiz Felipe Scholari and Raymond Domenech would have expected a little more from their teams.


Italy really made that effort to win the trophy for the 4th time!!What an occassion for them!!To lift the glittering trophy designed by an Italian Silvio Gazzaniga.......In the end there has to be some words for the organizers....The Germans under Franz Beckenbauer have presented an absolutely wonderful World Cup.....Even the motto of "A Time to make Friends" has clicked big time....All those people deserve a standing applause........In four years time South Africa hosting the 19th World Cup-the first time in Africa-has to put up a similar and fitting show........


Till then the "Jogo Bonito" rolls on!!Viva the game of the masses!!The Show will go on............

Nostalgia

As the rains lashed against the window sill in the deep night, as the crickets hummed soft tunes, and as a calmness swept through the entire atmosphere, the mind wandered back..............to the days of innocence, days of pleasure,days of friendship...........a sudden flood of memories sweeping over.........People have defined that feeling in a number of ways.The English language has called it 'Nostalgia'.........

Turning in my bed, I get up and search for my autograph diary.........It seems far away, but I manage to get hold of it.......The pages have started coming apart!!But the ink, and designs-if u can call that-scribbled by me still remain, giving a vision of the bygone years.It was a historic occasion or as they call it in Malayalam "Chatritrapradhana Nimisham" that meant historical moment.I was one of the last members of the course called Pre-Degree in Kerala.......That was the time when the people felt that 'uniforms' suited well to the students even after Class Tenth!!The loss of Innocence was to begin soon........

Pre-Degree was given a fitting funeral, with Plus-Two becoming the watchword. College campuses talk of it as an unbearable loss!!Seems true enough.But the memories inscribed in those diary leaves seem to take shape now......As I turn over the pages, the lines acquire faces; I try to recollect them and it is an uphill task..........Time has played a very heavy game........Alzheimer's striking early!!But people say it is nothing to worry about whereby it is not possible to remember all the names in a class with a strength of over 90. One of the entries say that "we were summer birds who are flying back with change of weather".Can nature be so cruel??I do not know................Again another mate wishes that "as I fly higher and higher, my wings shouldn't tire"!!But my dear friend, my wings seem to tire now, as I enter a life where comfort zones are minimal or on the periphery........There is a 'mean world' out there where expressions like love and compassion seem to have dried up into dead habit.............A friend advises me to fill that autograph book with scribbles and entries from all the people, as the past years were filled with colour, fun and frolic!!Have I done that fully??Again such questions keep staring at me.............

Now, the only sound I can hear is that of the rotation of the fan.Every thing else has faded away into the mists of time.........Another entry notes that "Autographs are only for those who feel that days of 'closeness' were over.Why should we need it??" Mate. when did I last contacted You??Words are like that.They sound very beautiful when expressed delicately!!But when the act of 'practice' is expected, the very same words feel miserable!!I turn over the pages again......Same lines repeated..........Wishes, happy future, achieve targets,don the mantle of a media person or a civil servant,don't forget to send the wedding card(I doubt if such a thing is possible in the near future), and so on!!Many have given their snail mail addresses, telephone numbers, and even email IDs(technology was in its incubation period then!!). But now with passage of such a long period,contacts have come down......Earlier, there used to be a 'phone call', or a 'letter'.But now the vanishing act is complete!!As the last hours of the night make an entry, I am struck by the lines of another friend....."The World is Round and We are Bound to Meet Again" . So, feel rest assured.We are never separated from each other, thats the essence of her words.It is almost five years since then......I did meet some of the people, but the old days were far behind.The meetings have lost their warmth as a coldness encompasses everything.....The old smiles and taunts are missing.......New friendships have arisen.......Time has made me conscious of thefact that the past had now to be put on the back-burner.New relationships have to be established.Friends, how wrong were you when you said that "Make New Friends, but never forget the Old ones"!!

I close the diary and wander into thoughts.Am I also not a culprit?? In a way, I'm.......Perhaps then these had to happen........or were there any other reasons??Those questions still have not found solutions.May be tomorrow, I should change things around and make some calls, write some letters, and compose some emails............... Sleep slowly takes over me.Perhaps it has started raining again and the chatter of the crickets resume.The frogs have started their croaks and fire-flies dance about...............Have I closed that window?

The Argentinian March!!

So finally it has started!!The Argentines moving into the quarterfinals to meet the Germans in Berlin.They are out to settle scores for the 1990 World Cup final loss in Italy.So, thought this would be the best time to post the photograph of the full Argentine squad in this World Cup....Viva Argentina.........

Jogo Bonito in Argentinian Style

The "Beautiful Game" or as the world knows of the game called Football. Thats how poetic one can be, to describe the most simple game ever that mankind has played. Perhaps, the romantic tradition in the Literature of Classic ages has drafted the game and given it a mesmerising effect. Within this beauty, the special aura has descended on the Latin American style. "Latino" is not just a term, but a feeling, a passion and a pedestal for glory in ultimate terms.

Thats how the the game of soccer has enmassed the the continent of Latin America, especially Brazil and Argentina. Both the teams always been likened to Houldini, for performing magic with the ball. They are no doubt Magicians!!Argentina, is currently having its 15th World Cup appearence in Germany and the last time, they missed the World Cup was in 1970. Their arch-rivals, Brazil has played in all the editions of the World Cup. Thus, Brazil is the only team in the World Cup football history to have done this achievement. Still, the Argentines, twice kissing the ultimate summit, in 1978 and 1986 and once being the Runners-Up in 1990 have special charm o their own. It is like Da Vinci or Michelangelo holding the brush or chisel creating perfection (though it is still a matter of dispute as to whether anyone could achieve perfection!!) or Shakespeare placing his characters or Mozart & Beethoven setting the magical tunes to create those highest forms of musical spectre!!

Latin America, often considered as its backyard by the Imperialist US and seen as a laboratory for the Neo-Liberal Economic policies ahs been devastated by Authoritarian Governments, poverty, unemployment and other mass ills.Amidst all this dreariness the game of soccer has got its own prominence. Just look at the background of the players there. It is mostly a lower-middle class structure, with the boys playing the game in the bylanes, streets and the interior villages of the country. Diego Maradona is the living example of this phenomenon in Argentina. The performances of Argentina in the world of soccer has always provided solace to the heart of the masses and atleast temporarily lifting them into the surreal world from the hard realities of mortal life.

The crowning achievement for the Argentines after the 1978 win-clouded in the authoritarian dictatorship then-came in the form of a man calledMaradona when he led the team to the second crown at the Azteca stadium in Mexico City in 1986.The most scintallating spectacle then came in the form of the game against England when the Albeceleste disapalyed an exhibition of football par excellence.The game was known for two goals by the King-one , the famous Hand of God and the second immediately after, which remains one of the top goals not just in World Cup History, but in that of the entire footballing woorld.The second goal scored by him after deceiving atleast six Englishmen and finally putting it past the hands of the English goalkeeper Peter Shilton is altogether above the sublime.It stands out with the works of Michaelangelo, Da Vinci, Mozart and Beethoven, and is on a greater pedestal.This is the work can be classified as a "top-notch", away from the works of mortals like us.No goal has come anywhere near that one till today, even though U may remember a person called Michael Owen paying back in the same coin to the Argentines on a night of high-drama in St.Etienne in 1998.

However, this World Cup has started showing the glimpses of those glorious days in 1986. The game against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen where the successors of Diego ruled the pitch for the full 90 minutes has clearly defined the view. All the goals in that game were complete team goals, and not of any individual glory.Esteban Cambiasso scoring the 2nd goal after a multitude of 24 passes just displays the power as well as the poetry of Latin American football. Certainly, that could have been done by only a team from Latin America.Hernan Crespo, Javier Saviola, Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez, Juan Roman Riquelme, Juan Pablo Sorin, Pablo Aimar, Maxi Rodriguez, Esteban Cambiasso, Gabriel Heinze, Roberto Ayala and Abodenzieri with other members of this Argentine squad are following the overwhelming legacy of the country in World Cup Soccer and seemmdetermined to get that ever-shining trophy designed by Silvio Gazzanigga back in Bueonos Aires.Also, it is now authoritatively concluded that the team that beats Argentina would be the one to be crowned the World Champions on July 9th.

The story of Latin American football can thus be read from the script written by Argentina; a script whose climax still remains a suspense...........

Name Game

One of the biggest efforts in human history is to 'name' - the act of giving an individual his title or term for the rest of the world to call him or her by that name. William Shakespeare may have brushed aside the significance of this act by rendering those famous words "What's In a Name"? But as they say in Hindi "Naam Mein Hi Sab Kuch Rakkha Hain". After reading those reports of the political leaders in Tamil Nadu naming the babies during their campaign trails, it really amazes me whether these people have names on their fingertips? Are the parents satisfied at the end of the day, by this act of "no labour"? May be this aspect should be debated, which could be done on later date. However, this whole aspect called "name game" needs greater attention.

Apart from naming the new born, this also extends to newly built homes, newly started commercial establishments, and also newly bought vehicles. The spark, that made me compose this blog is also one such act. Last year, we built our own house, thus transcending from the "Ever Wandering" culture to one of firm "Anchorage". So, the event of house-warming and all that followed had to guided by providing a firm anchor in the form of a proper name to transform the "House" into something called a "Home"!! So, my mother entrusted me with the task of choosing a suitable name - she had already chosen a few includingher favourite, "Nandanam". But then there were some smarter people around near our home who had already chosen that name. So, as we cannot be seen as "copycats" and with self-pride raging in my heart, I took over the task. But then I have this habit - never know whether it is good or bad - of postponing things. So, I adopted a gradualist approach. But then my mother did not leave it like that. For her this was the most imporatnt task of the land. So, reluctantly I was forced to commence the "Operation Name Find". Then the question arises where do, I embark upon this voyage??

For a start I pick up the "Shabdataaravali" in Malayalam and start the search. Oh, I forgot to mention something. This is a voluminous encyclopedia, which in afct, combines two standard Oxford reference dictionaries!! So, I turn over the pages and pore over those innumerable names - and their meaning too!! I also tired to remember all those movies, which had a 'literay' touch to their names. I lay back on the bed staring at the ceiling, wracking my brain for that one elusive name. After days of these tiresome efforts, I come up with my conclusion. "Mayookham" is the choice and it means "light", which would deliver us from darkness. Mom looks at it and seems no that happy, because she kept saying that her original choice was much better. But still my spirits were up and as they reached a cresecndo, my sister came up with her own proposal - "Niharika". It means "droplet of snow". Soon mom also wants the same name. How quickly she changed her mind!! Were my efforts going down the drain?? No, they are not as my dad ratifies my choice, overruling that of my sister. Finally. I'm happy. As the name is inscribed in black font on a brass plate and fixed on the wall near the gate, my task seems accompllished and I feel a sense of "deja vu". It stoill remains fixed there, bearing all the rain and shine.

Later that year, a movie by the same name also releases. though its didn't do well in the box office. At least my inteelectual property rights do not stand questioned!! However, I just wonder how difficult the task would be for parents of the newborn kids to seek names for them. Even my name, according to choice of my grandpa was Anurag, but then my mom had other ideas...........

Musings on Mother's Day!!

Today, the 2nd Sunday of May, is International Mother's Day!! I'm not a great admirer of such ''commercialized days'', but still this day has remained etched to me since my childhood. Every year, my mind wanders back to those 'good old' days with my dear mom. A sudden whiff of memories come thrashing into my mind. I remember a line in one of those old comics that I used to read in my boyhood days. "God couldn't reach everywhere, so he made Mothers". How true!! This relationship between a mother and her children has always been an unbreakable chord which is built on the foundations of Love and Tenderness.

My mother always keeps going back to those days when I was a toddler. How I used to trouble her by breaking all my toys, not having my food properly and as to how I-was of good size in my infant days-used to travel with her in trains and keep demanding tea, in the sultry summer and the compartment being over-crowded!! As I passed into my teens, I again troubled her by picking up quarrels with her, not telling her about the class tests, lying her about my grades. But, as my age passed on, everything changed and I sometimes developed a feeling that I was moving away 'mentally' from my mom. I became a man, driving bikes and cars after getting a licence, became eligible to vote by acquiring the Voters' ID card and am at the doorstep of getting a Master's Degree. I feel the 'alienation' is getting stronger now!!

Mom, where are your loving arms? where are your smiles and cajoles?? I need them, ma!! Reading one of the books gifted by one of my cousins, containing stories by Malayalam authors on Mother was heart aching!! The emotional attachment of the mothers to their children has transcended eons as it is reflected in those stories. Even, in these summer nights, I yearn to sleep on your loving lap, with you caresssing my hair by running your hands through it; I also love to to hear you scolding and even beating me with those lovely hands, that you've burnt innumerable times trying to cook the best food for me; I am eager to hear you talk about those past days, when you used to hold my hand, while walking back home in the evenings from the school. Mom, where are those days?? Where have they disappeared?? Are those footprints on the sands of time been erased by the tide of 'life', which always brings up a 'new act' each day?? I still feel the warmth of your 'thalodal' when my body temperature rose to levels, which they call 'pani'. I still want to relish your Banana Payasam' that you prepare with so much affection for me. Even the "Chemmeen Curry" is still on my lips!! Those Onams, Vishus, and Deepavalis spent with you have gained an eternal status.

Mom, when I seated you behind my bike and drove you, it was one of the most cherished moments of my life. Let many more such good times remain in my life. Whom should I thank for you being a wonderful mother to me? My sincere prayer is, if there is a process called "Punarjanmam", I should be again your loving son!!. May be the elders are right. Mother always acquires the prominent position among the relationships. The nostalgia keeps sinking in,as the sun sets and twilight shudders into the horizon. I am shaken from my musings by that beautiful song, "En Amme, Onni Kaanaan Ethra Naal Njan Kothichu......."

Rural India-Which Way??

The whole talk of "India Shining" during the last 2004 elections in India has shed the myths of "Goody-goodyness". This was best reflected in ther conditions of the farmers in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. The acute crises, which forced them to take their lives, have left many questions unanswered. P. Sainath, in one of his talks in JNU had said that in comparison to the media comparing the Lakme India Fashion Week, which came to over 300, the people covering the rural agrarian crises were only 4, including himself!! Perhaps, the Gandhian dream of "India living in its Villages" is a far-drawn illusion!! The Rural India doesn't exist for these elitist media!!

My friend Atul talks of setting up a school, removed from all modern day conventions in some hinterland of the country, and wants each of us to spend some time there. Hope, he is succeessful in this endeavour. But then there is also this bit of feeling developing in me, of this "Return to the Roots" becoming just a fashion statement!! Isn't this a bit of "Utopian Concept" too. All this city-bred and elite educated class taking thingts out of the limits!! The best illustration for this would be the Naxalite movement in this country, where in its heydays, the students coming out of the universities and colleges in Hyderabad and moving into those rural and impoverished areas, in the hope of "ushering in the transition from Bourgeoise Capitalism and Feudal remnants to a path of Liberation!! but what has been the latter day results. They have donned the cloak of "Extortionists" and doing away with the "Class Enemies"-who in fact come from the highly deprieved sections and join the low-ranked posts in the Police forces, to win bread for their families!! Is this the "Rural Revolution" that is beckoning the people??

The Rural hinterlands of India are seeking a change, no doubt. But that cannot be through the barrel fo the gun!! As Sainath himself stated, it would do agreat good if the Media in this country could at least lend a helpful ear to their worries and distress. May be then pesticide could just be used for crops rather than be a 'passport to deaths'.....

My First Hit

This is my first experience with blogging. The concept seemed very good. So, went on with it. Well, I'm Anand P.K, Set to complete my Post-Graduation programme in International Relations from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Planning to do my research too, from here in Chinese Studies. I am basically from Palakkad District, in Kerala. But I've been a wanderlust moving from Coimbatore, to Porbandar to Cochin to Delhi. Done a bit of India Darshan!!