Welcome to the Reality show !

Lots of things have happened since I have blogged the very last time. This including me and my better half attending the recent Indian republic Day dinner with the Indian high commissioner, here in Singapore (bit of a bragging to start with) and  also the fact that one of my best mates has now arrived in Singa recently from Manchester to join me here as my colleague.

New year 2017 had just dawned and it’s already late for 2018. Pongal came and gone as usual with much fanfare, culturally, traditionally, symbolically, nostalgically putting me and my perspectives back in my seat and am already looking forward to the next festivity at home.

Om Puri has already gone. J Jayalalithaa Aka Amma has disappeared for ever possibly suspiciously from Tamil Nadu’s and Indian radar forever; Muhammed Ali sensibly departed as he reached the pinnacle of his disability and possibly dementia; Carnatic music doyen Balamurali Krishna sang his way through; George Michael who introduced pop to me in late 80s faithfully, died of possible drug overdose; and Purple Prince too. OPS, JJ Amma’s erstwhile trusted deputy backed by BJP is in; Sasikala aka Chinnamma is waiting; Thatha aka Kalaignar is almost gone; MK Stalin is still waiting; Poor Vaiko is still babbling and blabbering; Vijayakanth aka Captain continues to do so; Obama is out and Trump is in; Hilary is kept on waiting for another possible 8 years whilst David Bowie, and Carrie Fisher along with her Mum have disappeared. No mortal’s departure has affected me more than that of boxing great Mohammed Ali, who floated like a butterfly and stung his enemies in the boxing ring like a Bee, after years of struggle with Parkinson’s.

Trump in the past two weeks as President of US has already done enough damages around the world than a possible Tycoon Trump could ever do; snapping International trades; straining relationships with religious bigotry, perhaps like no man has ever done from US yet. I still think that he might be a Great president in making not withstanding that he is still in reality TV mould and been on firing and repealing buttons since his investiture, which was also sparsely attended (aka morphed) and famous for his gutsy (!) or maddening, no bar held inaugural speech ever so from a sane US President (hoping like BJP). Well, did he not sound convincing and was also heard canoodling with the Indian PM on the phone before he  unveiled the damage on Indian IT firms with his H1B visa plans? Was that an American carnage or not? Firing everyone from Supreme Court judge to common man from seven magnificent Islamic countries? Not even dare to mention about his Telephone call to Australian PM Turnbull this week, which left Turnbull tattered and shattered!

Besides heeding to Trump’s trumpeting I had also managed to visit Chennai and Stanley Medical college (my Alma Mater) Alumni day very briefly over the Chinese New year long weekend; in my opinion was the dumbest thing to do. Sad and deplorable to see my erstwhile College buildings being kept in perennial coma with no sense of coming back alive in near future and with  new useless buildings with no sense of aesthetics coming up from nowhere amongst the old classical versions disturbing your panoramic vision of nostalgia for ever. Despicable and deplorable.The saving grace was the day and night  spent in Taj Club House Hotel in Anna Saalai, with few of my friends, an eye opener indeed, as I never seen myself in Chennai , perched on that height and also from Mount road aka Anna Saalai with a different perspective all these 48 years.

Demonetisation of currency or may be common public (!) came almost 3 months ago and is still hovering on in Pan Indian Psyche and the micro and macro economy; Indian economy and Modiji are yet to recover; him hoping for a solace in UP elections definitely not in Punjab’s; Well Modiji eventually took responsible for one thing and only thing so far, after 3 uneventful (!) years! This shall keep his ardent fans very happy as this being considered as his master (? muster) stroke.

Albeit, certainly, am a hypocrite and I maybe trite and superficial; and biased like lots of us here, on one thing on another; 6% of black money; Demonitisation exercise; master stroke eulogies; knee jerk reactions from  left leaning and right wing politicians, intellectuals, thinkers, strategists, fanatics; hypocrites; pseudo- pan India national fanatics; 85% of Indian currency is in big notes; 3-4% pays tax in India; 70% earn < 2 dollars a day; While Modi’s gamble has been lauded initially, others have criticised its shoddy execution.

Very confused possibly like the rest of you ; with Bharath Madha Ki jai sloganeering at back of my fickle mind ; my economy acumen(!) is in doldrums now; compared to 500 million middle class population who already made up their mind either to support him or not. Albeit the poor 600 million below poverty line will hopefully show their political and economy acumen in few months and few years to come through, through the  ballot boxes. I strongly suspect that those with the largest amount of ill-gotten gain do not hold their wealth in cash but instead have long since converted it into foreign exchange, gold, bit coin or some other store of value. So it is petty fortunes, not the hugest and most problematic ones that are being targeted. Bankers and accountants have already made a fortune by converting blacks to whites and also by channeling the newly printed hot currency straight from Nasik to their loved ones, politicians and big walahs! I am not an economist and not even for an iota can brag myself as an economy thinking person. Certainly business acumen does not run in my blood. Well the PM of the country announces dole and election packages mimicking AAP, JJ and others; Modiji, who couldn’t speak in Parliament because of Selective aphasia and feeling too good compared to the hapless opposition, was doling out packages in election , literally crying out in crying poll ceremonies across UP.

Amartya Sen, Nobel laureate declares - “ at one stroke the move declares all Indians—indeed all holders of Indian currency—as possibly crooks, unless they can establish they are not; Good policies sometimes cause pain, but whatever causes pain—no matter how intense—is not necessarily good policy; Only an authoritarian government can calmly cause such misery to the people—with millions of innocent people being deprived of their money and being subjected to suffering, inconvenience and indignity in trying to get their own money back”.

Well, GST came from Congress; BJP opposed it. Demonetisation idea came from Congress; BJP opposed it. FDI and Aaadhar came from Congress and no wonder BJP as usual opposed it whilst the leaderless Congress was busy defending their allies and 2G scams and also losing their plot to BJP.

Well, India has been attacked for more than 20 times since the so called Surgical strikes across the border late last year. I mean, nothing has changed yet! Surgical strikes across the border are not new either.

Jallikattu protest came and gone; nonetheless still lingering on Tamils and Indian National mind because of its spontaneity and self-regulation; with lots of hidden agenda (Cauvery, Mullai periyaar, JJ’s death and Center’s interference in State Machinery hoping to control factions and eventual few MP seats in the next Parliament elections;  perceived center’s negligence of states’ rights and autonomy) . The bill has been made an act now and been done with no precedent; kudos to students; also to the CM, Judiciary and Central govt which eventually heeded to the public mood albeit bit delayed. Well every one moves in and around in this vast Universe with some sort of an agenda… isn’t it?

I watched two good Tamil movies recently; one is “Koditta Idangalai nirappuga” and the other one is a crime thriller called “Dhuruvangal Pathinaru” from 23 year old Director. It is worth spending time and money on them. Dangal is also nice with a well-executed screen play and with lots of nationalistic fervor including a well contrived National anthem scene. Looks like poor Aamir learnt his lessons from his lesions from PK and now seemingly made lots and lots of crores; and back on the good books of our so called hypocritical pseudo-intellectual mafias aka movie watching society.

Whilst Raja and his music still keeping my senses in balance, I am back to my Art classes, learning and yearning to do more.  Meanwhile wish you all a very Happy New Year 2017 and a Happy Chinese New year, a Happy Trump era and a very happy post Demonetisation saga.

And welcome to the reality!