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Friday, March 27, 2009

Re: IPL. You Gotta Be A Boy Scout, Before You Can Be A Policeman

It is a fundamental principle of a self respecting society that government exists to serve its citizens and not the other way round.

So if the judges of the supreme court appear bashful about making a full disclosure of their assets,they will be firmly told to grow up and obey the Law.

If a minister holds up a flight or throws his weight around,that will be news.

If mantriji's cavalcade holds up the traffic,citizens will make a note of it in their little black diaries and send her a message come election day.

It is also a principle of civility, that people must be governed through reason, persuasion and example. Not through threats or inducements.

That is why it was disappointing that our suave,like so-not- Mamta Bannerji, with a blue chip reputation for "business friendliness" Home Minister, let the letters "IPL" escape his lips.

The ruling elite wanted a Big, Bad, Law and they got it. They wanted another Big,Bloated Bureaucracy and they got that too.

Now the Home Minister wanted the IPL.

That was so not cool. That was desperation.

Desperation either because election time is also beat the bushes and wring out the last drop of juice time.

Or because, despite the fact that India has been a victim of terror through all her tender independent years,"the sponge that protects us all" in Ashley Tellis' poignant description,we have yet to get our act together.

If our policemen had the opportunity to be boy scouts, they would have learned the motto,"Be Prepared".

Unfortunately some policemen and their bosses would rather be heroes, than be prepared.

After all who needs a hero,when there's no crisis.

Elections are as natural and routine as breathing and need not be such a big deal .

And it is ridiculous to let normal life be disrupted because of elections.

Today IPL. Tomorrow the Kumbha Mela? Or the Rath Yatra?

Terrorism too need not be such a big deal.

Just be prepared,that's all.

As the Home Minister himself has said, "Fighting terror is a mind game."

Creating visions of apocalypse and denigrating commerce as mere money grubbing, all to the chorus of a sycophantic media is also a mind game.

But the target is none other surprise! surprise ! than the hapless Indian citizen.

I'm a hopeless romantic.

I'm still hoping Hon'ble HM will flap his lips and make our police personnel get the latest, lightweight, bulletproof armour.

Call 'em Hemant Karkare suits, if you want.

That will surely play on the mind of any wannabe terrorist.

And it won't hurt with the wise folks back home in Sivagangai either.

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