When David lost to Goliath

The last time I wrote about David Moyes, I had extended skeptical and conditional support to him, on behalf of the rational and sane Manchester United fans through an open letter. Between then and now, not a lot of good happened and just as I was contemplating another open letter, the Glazers just made me rethink the content of this piece. Honestly, I don’t think I need to change much for my open letter would’ve exhorted him to gracefully walk away instead of inflicting additional humiliation on himself and agony on the fans.

Like I have said before, we did not have irrational expectations from Moyes in the first season. We didn’t expect trebles and unbeaten runs or undefeated home matches. What we surely expected was the team to fight for Europe. We gave him money, time and freedom to overhaul the system. Despite this, we saw no hint of positive change. Nowhere am I saying we expected to see the end result; but I am surely saying that I expected to see glimpses of what he promised and that was not to be. After breaking all the wrong records and hitting one rock bottom after the other, Moyes ran out of idea, excuses, reasons, support and player loyalty. There could be nothing more depressing for any sports enthusiast – let alone a Manchester United fan – to watch the Everton match. The team just did not turn up and this has happened on way too many occasions.

History will bear witness that dressing room discontent is unacceptable on the CV of any manager in any sport and Moyes has that glaringly put up on his Manchester United CV. Moyes’ biggest curse was the inadvertent comparison of his actions to that of his predecessors. How much ever I may try, it is rather difficult to not indulge in such comparisons; so please allow me some liberties. Ferguson’s teams also went through phases of unrest. Players revolted, sulked and spoke out of turn. But Ferguson nipped it in the bud. During Ferguson’s times, the rotten apple was left to rot outside the basket. During Moyes’ times, the rotten apple spread the rot to the orchard. No Roy Keane, Jaap Stam or Ruud Van Nistelrooij could arm-twist Ferguson! On the other hand, even Danny Welbeck threatens to quite Old Trafford and that speaks volumes.

Whether it be true or not, I am not to say – but there have been too many muffled voices about Moyes’ training methods, man management and tactics. When a team complains of all facets of a manager’s job, there isn’t much that can save him except a Godfather. In this case, even the Godfather turned his back on his own protégé. It may be premature to conclude that Moyes is a bad manaer for his record at Preston and Everton are certainly notable and praiseworthy. Nonetheless, he may have found his level there and should’ve realized. Another comparison may serve well here. Tony Pulis has miraculously pulled out Crystal Palace from the doldrums and has extended their lease in the premier league. And that is about it. You don’t pick up Tony Pulis and put him in charge of Tottenham. To remind Moyes, no Manchester United manager has ever spoken of making it difficult for Newcastle to travel to Old Trafford.

Personally, I am inclined to believe that Moyes was the man to turn this around and deserved time. Personally, I am still inclined to believe that the board acted in haste and also due to non-footballing considerations. Personally, I believe that he bit more than he could swallow.

If we were to even look at Moyes’ sacking purely from the footballing perspective, there is still a very strong case that justifies his sacking. As pointed out, team unrest, change of backroom staff, coaching methods and others have played their roles in bringing about this eventuality. Also, Moyes’ transfer market dealings have failed to inspire. Not many will hurriedly forget the manner in which we signed Marouane Fellaini for stratospheric wages by paying more than his release clause. How much ever the fickle United fans may have been exited with the signing of Juan Mata, there honestly is nothing much to cheer about. We’d rather have played Kagawa in a position he excels in instead of buy a costlier version. The only difference between Kagawa and Mata is that the latter was sold by Chelsea and cost Manchester United a bomb whereas the former was a steal from Dortmund. And this is not it. The preposterous contract given to Wayne Rooney tops it all. For a player past his prime and who sulks once every 3 years about leaving the club, paying 14 million pounds a year in wages is absurd!

To compound these gaffes, no player is willing to risk his career under Moyes. In a situation where the club plans to spend anywhere between 150 to 200 million pounds this year, the questions always was – can Moyes be trusted? Given that Moyes did himself continual disservice to this end by his naivety and immaturity in the transfer market the answer was clear “NO”. After creating a buzz about the transfer dealings, it is unacceptable that one is unable to sign not even one of those players.

As I write this, The Daily Mail has carried an article about how Moyes was openly and brazenly defied and insubordinated by the United players. Whether there is any truth to those histrionics is a matter of belief but what is surely disturbing is that every player in the team has had an uncomfortable altercation with Moyes. Whether this is down to his abrasive style or the fact that he had a less illustrious CV is of no relevance, since it is the manager’s job to either get his team to buy into his philosophy or adapt his to what the team believes in. There cannot be an obstinate impasse that hurts the club as a whole.

In addition to all of this, there are also the commercial losses that have been staring into the face of the Glazers. All said and done, Manchester United is a club that has lot of commercial deals riding on it and these make the club huge money only when the club performs. Despite being a hardcore United fan, it’ll be foolish for me to deny that we are driven much more by commercial considerations as compared to Arsenal or Liverpool. In a situation where we have millions of pounds of revenue in con deals (read GM and Nike), not playing in the Champions League is unacceptable. How else will the Glazers service their debt? Though none of this may be directly the sole responsibility, his inability to perform on the field had collateral repercussions elsewhere.

In my previous blog, I had alluded to my apprehensions that Moyes was a case study of Peter’s principle. In this piece, I will admit that he has proven himself to be one.

To be fair to Moyes, I will concede that the owners and the CEO will have to take their share of the blame. Further, this fiasco may also make Ed Woodward’s position as CEO increasingly untenable. Maybe the Glazers could have persuaded David Gill to stay on for couple of seasons more for the dealings in the transfer market would’ve been less shambolic than they were under Woodward.

In hindsight, maybe the club could’ve and should’ve done many things different. Nonetheless, they’ve decided to do things different with some foresight.

In defense of the Prime Minister

“I hope history will be kinder to be than the contemporary media” said an apparently resigned, graceful and statesman-like Manmohan Singh, during a rare interaction with the media in January. Given that the personal credibility of the PM is under siege and the relevance of the PMO has faded into oblivion, this seemingly harmless yearn of the PM has drawn pungent reactions from the widest cross-section of ill-informed observers, commentators and the proletariat at large. Largely perceived to be a lame-duck and titular head of government, Manmohan Singh’s earnestness to justify his authority has been shrouded with bitter cynicism.

Yes, we cannot ignore, refute and disprove that fact that the current government appears to be the most corrupt government in independent India – a perception that has been carefully crafted by scams, media trials, some ambitious institutions, a hyperactive judiciary and growth of pseudo-activists. And as head of this very government, it is only obvious that he takes the flak. The major criticism leveled against the Prime Minister is his ineffectiveness and his inability to reign in his cabinet and instill confidence in the higher bureaucracy. If we were to take the criticism further, an impassioned section of critics and detractors reasonably argue that Manmohan Singh’s elevation as Prime Minister is the most befitting case study that reinforces the argument posited by Peter’s Principle. Peter’s Principle argues that "in a hierarchically structured administration, people tend to be promoted up to their level of incompetence”. As a more eloquent metaphor - "The cream rises until it sours." To put this view in perspective, Manmohan Singh is, perhaps, the best cabinet secretary we never had and the worst Prime Minister we have ever had. There is absolutely no doubt regarding the problem solving caliber of the person. Having said this, I run the risk of sharp retorts and impulsive comparisons being drawn with his stint as the Finance Minister. What a lot of us do not see is – as the Finance Minister; Manmohan Singh was mandated with specific tasks and was protected by the then legendary Prime Minister, P V Narasimha Rao. If we strain our memories a little, Rao took a lot of the flak aimed at Manmohan Singh. What follows from this is that our Prime Minister is someone who can do things but probably not get them done. Therefore, as a bureaucrat or a technocrat, there will perhaps be a parallel to his dexterity. However, as the fountainhead of the system, aspersions have been cast. This is the popular view about Manmohan Singh.

But if you were to ask me, I see it a little differently. In my view, he is best Prime Minister we could have had but was not to be. As Ayn Ran says about Gail Wynand – “the man who could have been”. To be fair to his legacy as the Prime Minister, we need to look at the ten year period as the first 7 years and the last 3 years. There cannot be a doubt that the Congress won the 2009 general election with a thumping 206 seats, largely because of the personal goodwill of the Prime Minister, which till date stands intact. The statistics of growth and other economic indicators are out in the open for public consumption and I shall not consume valuable print space to elaborate the known. Be it his hard-talking with the Left during the nuclear deal or his strong dealing with Pakistan in the wake of the 26/11 attacks, Prime Minister Singh seemed to be a man in control. A man who staked his government to secure the long term future of the country cannot be lame duck. Then what went wrong? In my opinion, the watershed moment was the Sharm-El-Sheikh disaster, which cost him the backing of his populist party. And history bears witness that the support of the party is quintessential for the Prime Minister to wield any influence. There were the signs that the head of state wilted under intense pressure from the United States. The moment his detractors (inside the party, inside the government and all others) smelt blood, there was no looking back. What did not further help the Prime Minister was the fact that most of his ministers worked at cross purposes. The Prime Ministerial ambitions of some powerful ministers were no secret and in his quest to de-stabilise the PMO, a lot of information, generally well-guarded by all governments, was available with the mainstream media. In the cross fight between his two most senior lieutenants; Manmohan Singh seemed to be losing control. Also, that most bureaucratic and ministerial appointments happened with the blessings of the party matriarchy didn’t help matters either. The moment there was a chink the armor of the Singh loyalists – they were shown the door.  In the face of such an atmosphere, the Prime Minister seemed to lose interest in the government and therefore governance. Every human who is persistently maligned and degraded is bound to lose the motivation to turn up at work. This seemingly basic truth applies here too. As the vicious cycle grew bigger, the governmental setup became more of a joke by the passing day.

Having said all this, I still believe that he could have been a much more assertive in trying to negate the aimless populism of the Gandhi family which has caused irreparable structural damage to the country’s economy. If we read in between the lines, Manmohan Singh was Sonia Gandhi’s most trusted choice of Prime Minister. It doesn’t take expertise in political science to understand that once Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam refused to swear her in, Mrs. Gandhi needed Manmohan Singh more than he needed her. He was well on his course to recede into the dusk, with the legacy of a technocrat who brought about radical changes to the Indian economy. But for some inexplicable reason, he chose not to assert himself. Pranab Mukherjee could not be trusted, Chidambaram was too arrogant, A K Anthony was way too laid back and Shivraj Patil was way too incompetent. The only choice – if at all, I could call it a choice – was to appoint Manmohan Singh as the head of government.

The moment he was handed the poisoned chalice, the Prime Minster knew that his legacy would no longer be his own doing. Politically, he was perhaps checkmated even before his pawns made a move. Yes, he did well by booting out the Left, which was used by Sonia Gandhi to propagate her profligacy – but the inadequacy of that smart political maneuver is self-evident. I also concede that he could have handled foreign policy much better – something the Gandhi family wasn’t interested in. After having made peace with the Republican Bush, it is rather surprising that the bonhomie with the Democrat Obama is missing. Our dealings with China are shambolic and we seem to have lost our sphere of influence in the sub-continent. And for these misgivings, the buck cannot be passed on.

The shoot and scoot politics of the confused Gandhi family scion further dented the image of the PM and the PMO. After the ordinance photo-op and the Jan Lokpal fiasco, it became increasingly clear that Rahul Gandhi suddenly grew up from his rather long youth years and decided to walk into this rightful place! And that meant displacing the incumbent. Though the Gandhi family has tried very hard to blame all ills of the country to the Prime Minister, the Prime Minster has valiantly dug in his heels. In Manmohan Singh’s defense, we need to understand that he was not endowed with the deviousness of the politicians. Given that he did not enjoy mass appeal as Atal Bihari Vajpayee or Indira Gandhi, his bargaining power hinged largely on his untarnished image – which eventually picked up a few stains. Despite his political naivety, the Prime Minister has held his head high.

If for once we can grant our Prime Minister his wish; let history judge him. In the intervening short term, the electorate will. And till that judgment is spelled out, the legacy of the Prime Minster will stand untarnished

Another Open Letter to David Moyes

The Manager,

Manchester United Football Club (MUFC)

Old Trafford,

Sir Matt Busby Way,

Manchester M16 0RA,

United Kingdom

Subject: 2013-14 season

Dear David,

When your legendary predecessor made a teary and emotional appeal to all (true) Manchester United fans - i vowed at that very moment to pledge my support to the new manager, whoever he may have been. It was no surprise when the echelons of Old Trafford staked a lot of confidence in you by offering you an unprecedented 6 year deal. In an era where trophy-winning managers are unceremoniously fired within 2-3 seasons, this vote of confidence was a refreshing change and in consonance with the ethos of Old Trafford.

However passionate we fans are and how much ever habituated we were to trophies, we never expected you to have a fairytale start to your stint here. We are mindful of the fact that Alex Ferguson tool more than two decades to set up a working system and it is not easy for a newcomer to slot in seamlessly as though nothing happened. We also accept that you inherited an ageing squad, where a lot of players are walking into the dusk of their careers. I cannot speak for others, but i surely concede that Ferguson's retirement wasn't the most well-planned event to happen at this illustrious club. I am also willing to give you benefit of doubt for having to put up with Ed Woodward who thinks endorsements, whereas David Gill thought football. 

Given your credentials and performance at Preston and Everton, I had no doubt ever that you had the credentials and caliber to succeed Britain's most successful manager, given time, money and backing. Old Trafford gave all of that to you and you surely cannot complain. Agreed you have to put up with a sulking Robin Van Persie and an underwhelming Tom Cleverly. Agreed that you need to worry about the hospital bills of Rio Ferdinand and a speedily ageing Nemanja Vidic. I also sympathise that you need to put up with the chums of Wayne Rooney. But which manager doesn’t face this? If Ferguson dealt with this with an iron fist, you seem to be made of glass. For all I can see through the façade of a team, you don’t seem to be in charge David. I could be slightly off the mark, but certainly not way off the mark, when I sense a chaotic, disloyal and under-motivated dressing room – something unheard by our generation of Manchester United supporters.

Yes you would be unfairly compared to your illustrious mentor; but you did try to be your own man, didn’t you? However valiant that attempt was, it lacked logic and rationale! Why would you replace your entire backroom staff when you walked into a set up that was tested over many years? Surely Phelan and Meulensteen would’ve been of invaluable help. Once you did that, we did panic a little. Now we are panicking a hell lot.

Honestly, we kept our hopes very grounded when the season started. All we expected was a top 4 finish at most and a spirited fight to get there at least. What pains us is that neither of it seems to be happening, more so the latter. I really don’t care if we lose 5 games at Old Trafford this season – it will count for nothing in the long term. What I cannot watch is the manner in which we are surrendering to opponents, without a fight, without a performance, without a bloody effort. What I cannot accept is that teams run riot against us and seem to be increasingly emboldened by the passing day. What was once an intimidating stadium to walk into is now becoming a theatre of dreams in the most undesirable sense of the name! Teams dream to walk into this theatre, put up a performance and walk out with their heads held high. I have been watching United games regularly since the past 14-15 years and I do not remember a time where 3,000-5,000 travelling fans came to Old Trafford and cranked up the noise to the chagrin of our loyal supporters – not even the famed Juventus fans did it at the peak of their powers and the peak of our rivalry. And now? 4,500 Liverpool supporters shout their lungs out, take of their shirts and mock our faithful with the bravado and audacity befitting a team that dominated Old Trafford. And they actually did. It is not the score line that hurts as much at what transpired in the 90 minutes that does. I will not delve into technical analysis of the game, for that has been done by qualified and unqualified people at large. But one stat stands out and I will repeat it – Liverpool won as many penalties in one match at Old Trafford as Manchester United has won at Anfield in more than eight decades.

This may be just a trivia, but I see this as a ominous sign pointing to a mammoth decay in my team. Tonight, the Greeks will come to Old Trafford with pumped up chests. Can you, David, tell me – when was the last time a Greek team came to Old Trafford, talking of defeating us in our backyard? And this isn’t blabber – they have substance to their claims. Teams no longer fear us. We are becoming pushovers. I always thought the most pathetic football match ever was when we played out a 0-0 draw to Machester City a few seasons ago. Believe me, the defeat at Olympiacos was more pathetic than that. We just did not turn up.

Just as we thought that would be rock bottom, Liverpool came and mauled us. What did we lack in the Liverpool game? We had our full strength team, which was adequately rested. Is that there is no common purpose? Is that they are demotivated? Is it that there exists a communication gap? If any of these exist, you need to get your house in order and quickly. What bemuses me is tactical laxity. You are waiting for things to happen – you do not make them happen. I agree that Ferguson also did take his time to make changes during a match. But those days were different. His players were full of self-belief. They were told that were champions. He could bank on some spark of brilliance or inspiration that put us over the line. Imagine Nani and Carrick being our star performers under him!

I am sure you are reasonably aware, that if we do not make it to the continental showpiece next year, we will not be able to attract any big talent in the summer. In a scenario where we need wholesale changes to be rung in, this paradox will make your life miserable and rightly so. Reflect on the games we’ve lost or drawn from winning positions – it never happened in the past two decades. Closing out games is elementary skill and needs no legendary manager on the touchline.

You need to get the players responding to you David. If RVP is the rotten apple, drop the bloody player. He is not more important than the club. Play Chicharito or push Welbeck higher up the pitch. I don’t care. But one RVP cannot ruin the psyche of 10 other players and that is clearly happening. He doesn’t seem to rue missed chances nor does he seem to be interested in doing anything but strolling in the box. And above all – please stop playing Marouane Fellaini. He is not Manchester United material. Can you please tell me – what is his strength? Passing? Tackling? Holding the midfield? Pace? Ball control? I deserve an answer for you have paid more than his release clause.

We don’t mind if you need 2-3 seasons to rebuild. Brendan Rodgers was allowed that time and the results are here to see. But in these 2-3 seasons, we will not accept humiliation and surrender. We want United to fight for every ball, every tackle, every shot and every save. We need referees to fear giving decisions at Old Trafford. We want you to get the extra 1 minute of added time. We need those stoppage time goals. We need a measly defense and extended clean sheets. We need teams to shudder to come to our stadium. We want a reason to support you David and you are not obliging. Instead of doing something that assuages our fears, you chose to shoot off an open letter to buy sympathy. Sorry, but that has not gone down well with us. We do not want a manager apologizing for something that should have been corrected long time ago.

I still pledge to stand by you and your team if you can make them feel like United players. I subscribe to the words of the great Bill Shankley – “If you cannot support us in times of loss, do not support us in times of victory”. And since I supported Manchester United during times of victory, I will stand by it in times of despair. Let me be honest – since 8 years we have been mocking Arsenal fans in jest, but we never liked their plight. I don’t want us to become another Arsenal. We cannot afford that.

A lot of people are quoting you as an example of Peter’s Principle. Lest you change soon and decisively, I may well be one of them soon.

Your sincerely,

A devoted, passionate, rational and faithful Manchester United Fan

THE SORRY STORY OF A RELUCTANT SCION

Whenever I look up social or anti-social media for some humor, I invariably run into some mockery of our favorite youth icon – Rahul Gandhi. I don’t know it its only me or its only me! In times of a Modi ripple (sorry, tsunami) I honestly see no daftness in believing that maligning Rahul Gandhi is the most glamorous activity to engage in. In addition to the social quotient attached to such wit and comic content, there is a much bigger joy emanating from cracking a “Rahul Gandhi” joke – feeling a sense of inclusion among the mob. Being as dispassionate as I can possibly be about the man, it is evident that most people who enjoy Rahul Gandhi bashing are those who are being indoctrinated about a Modi wave and feel stupid to miss out on it. The ticket to this bandwagon is twisting everything said, unsaid, thought, or even remotely associated with Rahul Gandhi and convert it into a cliché. Be true to yourselves and judge is you believe in half of those jokes you try to laugh at. Agreed there have been bloopers; so what? Even Barack Obama messed up his swearing in ceremony!

The point I am making is that there is no method to the madness. In a free-for-all, every passer-by wants his piece of cake. And why not! Like most people mock Honey Singh to sound cool and appear acceptable but believe in “blue hai paani paani” – the uninformed detractors of Rahul Gandhi engage in a variant of character assassination, whose substance is negligible, laughable and pathetic.

For someone who was born into a dynasty, without this consent, the price he is being made to pay is anything but fairly commensurate. Yes, there is merit in the argument that, he, perhaps, may not have risen to such an elevated stature in public life had he not been born into the ruling dynasty. Now that he, fortunately or unfortunately, willingly or unwillingly, wittingly or unwittingly, did are we going to hang him for that? Let us be honest – Rahul Gandhi has his heart in the right place. Yes, he does. I believe so. And before you accuse of being a Congress sycophant, may I please (no Modi fan ever uses such polite language – like leader, like disciples) state that I write this of my own personal volition, conviction, interpretation and perspective. 

If I were to draw your attention to the Arnab Goswami interview, I am certain that I would face a deluge of views that belittle and slander the interviewee. And it is fair, honestly. Why? Because we are so used to taking things at face value that we do not trouble ourselves to read between the lines. In the times of twitter and the ridiculous “tiny tales”, we are struggling to read the lines; let alone reading in between the lines. Yes, the interview has frequently punctuated by numerous repetitions of non-glamorous issues which weren’t palatable to our taste, which is so accustomed to sensation. What is s wrong if Rahul Gandhi tried to divert the interview back to the core issues of women empowerment, RTI, youth and others? Are these not relevant? Or are we limiting relevance to this apology for the 1984 riots? Where the perpetrator of the 2002 pogrom likens deaths of minorities to puppies being killed by speeding cards, why would Rahul Gandhi apologise or even comment on an incident that happened more than three decades ago, when he was in his teens? Is that sensible, let alone being fair? I fear, it isn’t. If he is under fire for his academic degrees, none of us know for how many minutes has Modi sold tea or whether he can even brew one cup himself for personal consumption? But, casting such aspersions are blasphemous in the times we live in. 

Here is a man who has ideas, who talks issues and doesn’t flaunt the size of his chest, hairy or waxed! Perhaps, in the context of the immediacy of the 2014 polls, these may seem to be irrelevant. I concede, the emphasis on these issues is rather mistimed for our people love rhetoric and self-gloating, slander and mud-slinging. When was the last time did you hear Rahul Gandhi attack anybody personally or use derogatory language? He does not indulge in boyish wordplay like “Harvard and hard work” despite being 20 years younger than a mature seasoned politician. We ought to give credit where due and it is rightfully due here. To be a polite talker in a crescendo of mindless shouting needs a certain character that most of us seem to miss. It is not that he is incapable of cranking up the noise or raise his pitch. We all saw it at the Talkatora stadium. Instead of talking about BJP’s desperate prime ministerial candidate, he prefers to talk about differences in ideology and mindsets. Maybe he understands ideologies better than someone who rewrites history for self-amusement. Maybe for Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi is a non-entity who doesn’t exist. He is entitled to his view, isn’t he? There is no compulsion for the man to feel as passionately about tea sellers are you coffee-drinkers turned tea connoisseurs feel, is there?

None of us seem to appreciate his attempt to foster inner party democracy and conduct primaries. Agreed the scale is small to cater to the sensibilities of those afflicted by big-bang theatricals, but no idea is ever (never ever ever ever ….) implemented before testing it in controlled simulated environment? We don’t want to criticize Murli Manohar Joshi being kicked out of his constituency and L K Advani being denied a ticket, but we want to tear into Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to open up his party. It is not easy to introduce democracy in a party that has fired its CMs at airports and locked up its Presidents in bathrooms. Nonetheless, Rahul Gandhi has faced more than necessary flak for not swiftly implementing these ideas. However, we need to understand and appreciate the resistance from the old guard, who are being shaken out of their comfort zones. No change is smooth and seamless.

If he is showing no signs of drooling at the PM’s seat, why are we contrasting it with Modi’s open ambition to latch on to power? I am not saying Modi’s positioning is wrong or sinister or depraved in anyway. It is legitimate. So is Rahul Gandhi’s position on not being in a hurry to take up such a huge responsibility.

He may, presently, not be the best person to lead India. And I am not implying that he has impeccable credentials like other bootleggers in his party do. But I am certainly saying that we cannot jump the gun and write him off. More than his suitability for the post of Prime Minster of this country, it is a sense of mindless libel that is in bad-taste. In defense of his detractors, he has no track record of his own and he has himself to blame for that. Had he developed some tangible record, he could’ve blunted the personal criticism and perhaps his sycophants would speak up the numbers. Now that he hasn’t done that, he will have deal with pungent and bitter tirades of those who will switch sides in 5 years. I distinctly remember a lot of girls, who once gloated over Rahul Gandhi’s earnestness and today gush about Modi’s chest. 5 more years in the gym and we will get there!

THE RISE OF THE FASCISTS

Indian polity is witnessing, perhaps, the most phenomenal rise of the right-wing Hindu fascism it could ever dread. At the forefront of this disturbing rise is its poster boy – a self-confessed disciple of Madhav Gowalkar, who notoriously and obnoxiously stated that the biggest threat to India is Muslims.

For all we know, Narendra Modi is no firm believer in anything and a firm believer in everything. Else, there is no plausible explanation to the man venerating the RSS and admiring Sardar Vallabhai Patel simultaneously. One needs no deep knowledge in Indian history to know that had Patel been allowed his way, there would have been no RSS and no Narendra Modi. The phenomenal rise of the the pracharak is praise-worthy, for his political astuteness is a case study in itself. What is intriguing is Modi’s discomfort with the RSS! As an analogy, it is similar to a kid who has bitten a hot sweet which he can neither swallow nor spit out. Modi realizes that he is nothing without the khaki-shorts of the RSS cadre but also understands that an apparent leaning towards the majoritarian fundamentalists will harm him electorally.

Along the highway (pun intended) of this meteoric rise (again, pun intended) there have been enough casualties – some fatal and other, fortunately, not fatal. Haren Pandya, Sanjay Joshi and the patriarch himself. Modi has been unabashed and unapologetic. He has not shirked from using the state machinery as his personal fiefdom. He has not feared in spreading blood and mocking it too. Even if we were to ignore the 2002 pogrom, it is bemusing to fathom how did the Gujarat intelligence apprehend Ishrat Jahan and decisively kill her (obviously, another dangerous Muslim terrorist in an encounter) and had no clue whatsoever about Akshardham. And there are many more such cases of the Gujarat police’s efficiency in eliminating terrorists. It baffles me to know that the intelligence could trace these individual terrorists but could not sense and trace AK-47 wielding terrorists who physically climbed the walls of the temple and fired indiscriminately. Obviously, the Gujarat government has no role to play. It is the upholder of internal security through intrusive snooping to cater to the platonic interests of a CM who is (un)married.  

How can we not recall the comic Sadbhavana Mission! A man who embarked on a heart-cleansing contrition and an attempt sell his “inclusiveness” comically refused to accept a skull-cap from a Muslim cleric. Wasn’t the whole purpose of this photo-op telling the Muslims that this man was trying to make a lame attempt at pacifying the afflicted minorities? But yes, there is this plush Muslim ghetto in Ahmedabad where 400,000 marginalised Muslims live without basic water and sanitation. This is the contrition that deserves praise. A secular leader who was “rehabilitated” the minorities after decimating their habitation. Anyway, forgiving the Sadbhavana Mission gaffe (one of many), this same man today dons the head-gear of every state in which he polarizes gullible paid audiences by effortlessly distorting history. Be it the Biharis defeating Alexander or Shyam Prasad Mokherjee talking to Swami Vivekananda at the sagacious age of 1 or Chandragupta Maurya belonging to the Gupta dynasty – we have it all. This penchant for conveniently rewriting history was once displayed by certain Mussolinis and Stalins and other like-minded autorcrats. You know what we called Mussolini’s style of governance? FASCISM!! You know what I call Narendra Modi? FASCIST! Just a reference to Chandragupta Maurya gaffe (see, I am being fair) – the Gupta dynasty is famed for its patronage of Brahminism and thereby perpetrating the social divisiveness through the caste system. Intriguingly, the Maurya dynasty propagated Buddhism, which was opposed to the caste system and propagated social inclusiveness. Is there any wonder as to why Modi is fascinated by the Guptas? Just coincidental, I want to think (being fair again).

Modi’s greatest achievement is not that people talk about him, but that people do not talk about him. He is visible but not accessible and that is a huge problem. No biographer has been allowed any access to write a proper account of this man. Nilanjan Mukhopadhaya has possibly come as close, but even he has not been able to capture adequate details. For a leader who cannot digest scrutiny, dissent, criticism and opposing views, Narendra Modi is a classic case of the modern totalitarian fascist. A person who walks out of difficult interviews, avoids unscripted press conferences and basks in an oratorical monologue in staged rallies cannot exude any confidence in a democratic voter. However, for his supporters – Modi seems a God-send. The mindless euphoria of this idolization peaked when a certain Modi bhakt likened the Harppan “priest-king” statue to Narendra Modi only because they both sported a well-trimmed beard! What works brilliantly for the fascists is the self-immolation by the centrists and the decimation of the leftists, leaving a huge vacuum for the right-wing to walk into effortlessly. For every period of weak governance, there is an ensuing rise of a dictatorial personality. Indira Gandhi then, Narendra Modi now! Both revel in personality cults, both sow affinity for sycophancy, both have made the election about their individual persons. Have you ever heard Modi say “we”? That unholy swear word I say!  

For all his development stories, Modi is blatantly and brazenly pro-industrialists. Obviously, I see nothing wrong in that. What worries me is that Modi is going down the same path as Indira Gandhi who once proclaimed – “I will make my own class of industrialists”. Adani? Similar to Ambani? Or is the Modi model holier? The Nazis and Fascists, no doubt, helped raise the likes of the Volkswagens. Also, no doubt, the social inequity also peaked. Referencing this to the fascists, Mussolini said, “fascism should be called corporatism because a merges state and corporate power”. Modi’s Gujarat model of development advertises this. Why else are TATAs, Birlas and others making a beeline to enter Gujarat? But wait there is a catch here. While the beleaguered middle class will help the fascists rise; later it will realize that fascism is a hindrance to capitalistic policy of profit making, and thus exploitation. The fascist state will channelize the industrial production for the nation (read nation of the majority) which will done by using the power of the state. This will breed discontent between the bourgeoisie and the fascists and now the bourgeois class will again prefer the democracy over fascism and bring down fascism. Thus, fascism by itself is never a sustainable project. But by the time, things would have gone too far and fascism would have already killed millions. Modi also has a personal militia at his disposal, ever-willing to unleash savagery on minorities. Those same khahki-shorts! Are you aspiring for an outcome besides this? I hope not! You’ll suffer an irreparable heart-break, if you survive another pogrom.

As a Christian, I fear my life in a fanatical Hindutva state. I personally subscribe to many ideals of Hindutva and Hinduism, especially the teachings of its epics. What I fear it the radicalization of its teachings by the fanatics! I still reminiscence the Graham Staines incident, which happened under a supposed “moderate” Prime Minister. More than the burning, it was the brazenness and complete lack of remorse that is disturbing. Is it any surprising that spate of anti-Christian violence perpetrated by ill-advised Hindu mobs is already on its rise, even before Modi has become Prime Minister? Most of the right-wing leaders cry “religious conversion” as a provocation which justifies burning churches, raping nuns and killing priests? If they were troubled to appreciate the work done by Christian missionaries, they would hang themselves of shame for their uselessness. Really!  Human Rights Watch, in its report said “Attacks against Christians throughout the country have increased significantly since the BJP began its rule at the center in March 1998. They include the killings of priests, the raping of nuns, and the physical destruction of Christian institutions, schools, churches, colleges, and cemeteries.” And I legitimately fear a rise in this. In fact, I fear a dedicated machinery to carry this out. A state sponsored ethnic cleansing! But we will rise. And fight. And bring down the fascists.
 

PS: The only reason why I am even able to write this “far from eulogy” piece is only because the fascists are not in power yet. They are only campaigning. There is still hope, however dim, of a centrist party or, at worst, a centrist-leftist combine salvaging this country.

NOTA zindabad

Very recently, a rather not-so unknown tabloid in Germany carried a disturbing and derogatory story about the plight of India under the current UPA regime. In my earnest endeavor to euphemise the crux of that piece, I could most mildly term it  – disparaging. Yes, the nationalist spirit in me yearns to rebut each of the factual observations with a lofty and illusionary rhetoric, but being the feeble-willed nationalist that I am, I’d subscribe to the public flaying of my country by those who are struggling to keep their own “union” afloat and are wondering why is the White House interested in the brand of shampoo their heads of state use. The title of the article, nonetheless, remains etched and resonates with alarming discomfort – “India never had it so bad”. Yes, it’s the just that.

My eccentric mind would like to take the liberty to adapt this title to another drama playing out in the great Indian theatre. A drama that includes conjecture, venom-spewing character assassinations, unfounded claims, baseless promises and above all – “nonsense”. I just love that word. Nonsense! Yes, I talk of the run-up to the 2014 elections; an election termed as the most significant in post-Independence India. A lot of cynics would play-down the import of this election, but I am an eternal optimist. So I shall allow more than the requisite importance to this election. This election is absolutely important for it will tell us how can a population in excess of 1.2 billion choose from two persons, both of whom are neither better nor worse than the other. Oh, the Rahul Gandhi contingent just felt nice that someone finally did not denounce the “young man” and the Narendra Modi camp is aggrieved that there is a rebel who has not bought into their superlatives.

Being a rational Indian (antithetical idea, I know), I shall be balanced in my view. I promise, I will try. For those, who are yet uncomfortable with my writing style – you can always count on a distressed mind for a bizarre prose style.

Given that none of my writings are complete without taking some potshots at the country’s blue-eyed half-sleeved-kurta-dressed (oh, I just want one of them for myself too) poster boy – the man who is the messiah and who will take this country to the promised land, with blood on his hands - oh sorry, I just wanted to say Narendra Modi, but then, the blaring TV channels told me that everything about him has to be dramatic, devoid of substance, noise and it should polarize opinion - I shall make many baseless allegations (adrenaline filled -  tit for tat style).  Can I sense some anger? Mission accomplished. Anyway, leaving the fireband, hit-and-run self-styled incorruptible development-minded (culpable of genocide) Chief Minister to himself, I have to concede that no leader (gosh, we need to be kind to these people I say) in India has the charm to assemble a rally of 500,000 (maybe a zero more than reality) people and name it (very arrogantly) “hoonkar”. Given his astute maneuvering and handling of the media, Narendra Modi has taken grandstanding to a new level altogether. To be fair to him (see, I am trying very earnestly), the apathetic and pathetic ruling machinery has just given him all the arsenal on a platter and being the opportunist he is, it’s time he makes hay while the sun is shining. For an elected government, which seems to be living on another planet, completely disconnected from its voters, Narendra Modi is doing what any idiot would have done. And it’s easy. Accuse. Allege. Malign. With a well-paid batteyr of speech writers and event managers, every circus is bound to be a sell-out. Whether u pay 1,000 rupees to the attendees and take back 5 rupees as ticket fee, it doesn’t matter. What matters is a high-pitched animated and emotion-charged oratorical masterpiece that blossoms on the naivety and also the (legitimate) exasperation of the masses. And given the large majority of people – some 45%+ - who want to see Narendra Modi being given the top-job (just by the way, a rigged internet survey of 5,000 educated but gullible youth in urban India is NOT majority) – NaMo is all set to sell his (hollow) tea-stall to PM story. And with the backing of a fanatical cadre-based organization (which, should’ve been banned 60 years ago), the momentum seems to be with NaMo. Yes, there are the ghosts of Godhra but who cares. In a country where every political party is culpable of some form on communal incitement, NaMo can be excused. How does it matter than a few thousand minorities were killed and the remaining survivors live in fear of extermination? The youth of India care about 2022 and not 2002. Agreed that there is a menu of (opaquely constructed) statistics which paint Modi in favourable light, but beyond that he has nothing to offer. I do not recollect even one instance where NaMo has offered a single solution to a national issue. Let alone a solution, most of this speeches are laughable. Case in point – the Sardar Patel fiasco. Sorry, but the self-gloating extended monologue, garnished with a poorly articulated attempt to hijack the legacy of Sardar Patel shows NaMo is very poor light. The choice of the occasion was, to say the least, appalling. The choice of words, as usual, was cheap. The choice of company, in whose presence the fiasco unfolded, was disrespectful. In summary, NaMo just proved why is the over-aged equivalent of our favorite troll icon – RaGa (oh sorry, I just misspelled youth as troll). Giving credit where it is due, the normally reticent Manmohan Singh launched a scathing counter-attack on NaMo. Just an earnest advice to NaMo – though you’ve back stabbed your father-like mentor (the soldier of hindutva seems to have forgotten the role of vishwa-pitama), please take a lesson from the embarrassment the ever-PM-hopeful L K Advani endured in 2009 when he chose to make a personal attack on the Prime Minister. The same sound of “slap in the face”. For all your histrionics Mr. Modi – the personal integrity of the Prime Minister remains unblemished and every attempt to malign him has always boomeranged. Accept it and be guarded. You really don’t want to look like a fool in the only place where people know who you are.

That ends my evaluation of NaMo as India’s future PM. Out of 10, he scores 1.

And now the prince who wants to give up his dreams so that the poor of this country can live theirs. Please don’t! They are too childish. Before I say anything – please don’t embarrass us with your Jupiter-like velocity of thought and your survival story (more dramatic than 127 hours) after being bitten by 25,000 mosquitoes. Ok, I still cringe when my friends abroad ask me – is this the man who wants to lead your country? I reply, very earnestly – “he is still a young boy. At 44. Who has done nothing all his life!” At 23, taking a 3 month break from my job to pursue further studies, I feel like an asshole sitting at home. At 44, your sycophants call your Rahul Baba. For godsake, forgive us. And first things first. Sack your speech writer. Hire someone with some maturity. I know you need friends to play mary-go-round. But don’t ask them to write your speeches. At least hire a 18 year old for godsake. Every opportunity you get, you make it into a family gathering and talking of your childhood. Come out of it now, please. See, I really don’t want to vote for the BJP. But you are not making me cast my vote for the Congress. And there the SC has come up with NOTA. Why, Rahul? Why? Little more restraint and you’ll sound like somebody who is growing up. Agreed your high-impact hit-and-run antics make great entertainment. But spare a thought for your advisors and janitors who have to clean up your crap (don’t take it literally). Be it bhatta parasol or tearing up the SP manifesto or the “mere paas maa hai” speech in MP or my most favorite “nonsense” moment – please follow up on something. I haven’t even raked up kalavati and your fiery (but hilarious) speech on Lokpal. That’s too distant, yes? 2-3 years is something you wouldn’t recall. With a new gimmick every week, I hope your secretaries maintain proper logs of them. Besides, mummy, papa, dadi will all pray for you. Don’t worry. But for heaven sake, do not make statements like “poverty is a state of mind”. No person in the right mind says that. And by sharing the hard-earned 2 rotis in a 4-member family in UP, you are forcing them to sleep hungry. Really. Your entire effort of trying to put all ills on the table of the Prime Minister and hijacking all good (there isn’t much anyway) is not working. I assure you, there is nobody in this country, who blames the PM for the ills caused by your mother and other members of your family, including poor farmer your sister was forced to marry. We all know what your family has done for this country. And given how grateful we are, we request you to please take a break and stop making sacrifices. They have made this country into a skeleton. At least, spare that. Your “sacrifice” story is not selling. NaMo hollow development is. Try that. But you cannot. 9 years of anti-development! Now don’t say that you have nothing to do with it. Beta, bada ho ja. I promise you, the day you make one proper sensible speech, i'll give you a score on 10. Till then, keep entertaining us.

In summary, between NaMo and RaGa, pick NOTA.

I DONT EXIST ... I LIVE

Imagine a father who has just lent his shoulders to the coffin of his young son! Those very shoulders on which he, in happier times, carried his son to the church and to the park! Those very shoulders on which his son cried, whilst he grew up! All that those old paternal shoulders would have asked for today, would a reassuring touch by his son. But alas! It wasn’t to be. Those drooping shoulders were assigned the agony and pain of carrying a coffin to the graveyard - all because of the pusillanimous debauchery!

His son died a hero’s death – standing up for his manhood, in a vicinity, where most men brazenly stood testimonial to their clandestine cowardice and appalling callousness. Every father would pray he had sons like Reuben or Keenan, and wish that their sons stood up in defiance of acts of perverts, that threatened the dignity of a woman. But no father would ever wish his son would not come back home to recount his act, that befits a gentleman.

We all know what ghastly incident I am talking of, and therefore I shall not allow my words to strike the wrong chord by providing an unwarranted narrative. The deaths Reuben and Keenan have died have been brutal and barbaric, to be say the least - and for us, as inheritors and protectors of a civil society – it would call for ignominious levels of oblivion and insensitivity, if we were to write this off as a mere aberration – which would implicitly defy the rationale of a civil society. Luckily, we do not belong to a populace that is characterized by ruthlessness.

Over the last few days, we have been surrounded by an engorgement of angst, rebellion, fury, pain, grief, sympathy, empathy and disgust. Surely this emotion hasn’t come to us in a day. It has been building up within us today we have founded ourselves a vent. Nonetheless, we would cheat ourselves if we leave it at that.

It is heartening to see the youth of the city respond and more importantly empathize than merely sympathize. It is indeed a real glimmer of hope to see the urge in most of our brethren to act and act decisively. Most cries for justice have echoed the principle of ‘eye for an eye’ (which given the adrenaline rush is justified). Along with this new found conscience and the drive to set a precedent out of this incident, we find ourselves embroiled in an apprehension of the political clout derailing campaigns and movements. We reminiscence our habitual malady, of a short-lived memory! We still stand in defiance and believe we will see light at the end of the tunnel.

Amidst all our anguish and agitation, there lies a glaring reality, which most acknowledge but very few appreciate - and that is the appalling dearth of awareness and the ensuing absence of understanding the implications. Majority of us are enraged at the toothless law in place, but how many of us know why it is toothless? Our society has seen many earnest movements and campaigns; but has unfortunately lived to see most of them fizzle out into oblivion or deviate to such extents, that the original identity of it is lost. Believe me; you wouldn’t even expect a prize to guess the reason for these failures. A shocking paucity of informed opinion! If a person is most susceptible to wandering or deviating from a path, that person is uninformed or worse still – misinformed! And what worries me most is angst without wisdom.

Revolutions happen on streets! It is very easy for us to lament on the state of affairs in the country, but remember – a country is just a reflection of what its people want it to be. Don’t always wait for things to happen in your house before you wake up. When you wake up, it may be at the cost of a loved one sleeping eternally.

Let us not be entangled in trivialities and be distracted by philosophical debates. All we need to do is to keep the pressure on those who are charged to act and compel them (morally) to act in the manner needed. Let us not be naïve and assume ourselves to be protectors of law. You and I cannot pronounce and administer justice. But we can try to ensure, justice is pronounced and administered.

May I request you all to take this pledge :

I swear by my life and love for it, that I shall not let myself live an ignoble life. My scruples will not and cannot tolerate injustice, exploitation and debauchery. I refuse to admit the peccadillo of passivity and indifference. I refuse to let callousness run in my blood. I summon my conscientiousness right now. I plead the human being in my person to awaken!