... so thinks Pritish Nandy, and I have been saying the same thing myself for ages.
I only worry about payback time, because unlike Nandy, I still have many years to live, probably, and my daughter certainly does.
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7 comments:
Nandi's article is persuasive but I think, debatable in some places. The bit on religion for example -- who ever said that the pujor pandal was the best place to connect with God?
Same with the budget -- Nandi is the ass if he believes that we think that the budget is for you and me. We all realize that it is drawn up keeping in my mind the interests of the those who keep the powerful in power. But that doesnt change the fact that the Budget does affect our lives and we should know how, irrespective of whether or not we can influence what goes into its making. The budget is not a non-event!
Having said this though, I must also add that I think I understand the greater point Nandi is trying to make, especially the bit on dumbing down -- all though he does get carried away by his own impressive arguments and consequently, what could have been a great piece of social commentary resembles a rant on more than one occassion.
On an entirely different note -- I am surprised you put it up on this blog, and not the other one.
~Mayuri
Three things, Mayuri:
a) When trying to make a point strongly, people do sometimes go overboard with the dramatics - it's particularly endemic among journalists!
b) Nandy probably wrote that article in a bit of a hurry, so there are some howlers... you might notice some (of the grammatical kind) in your own comment too!
c) As an economist by training, I know that the budget affects big special interests much more than the man in the street,
I am glad you agree with the overall idea, though.
I put the link in this blog because the whimsical tone is pretty strong...
Sir
Sir,
Soon someone will be showing us grand visions of the cake when all the flour needed to make the bread is exported to NYC.
We'll have to wait till that day, maybe.
Sir,
Apart from lamenting about the uselessness of the budget, Nandy has also mused on how everything in India- politics, cricket, movies and what have you- is reduced to a mere 'tamasha' these days. I think he is absolutely correct in saying so. As far as I can see things around me, the situation appears to be gloomier than what Nandy has bode.
Thanks,
Joydeep
Sir,
Thanks for the post as well as the link, though I couldn't fully understand the bit on "payback time".
Mr. Nandy summed it up quite nicely. I could never recollect(last thirty years atleast) elections in our country ever been fought for some real issues but on some blind last minute hypes. This may be prevalent in some other matured democracies too. And as regard to PR exercises we are fast catching up with our federal counterparts and corporate patrons.
So far as budget is concerned it remains a tryst with numbers. A common man is always peeved by price rise. Why should he bother if it is due to crude oil being at $150 a barrel or politically backed corporate hoarding practices? Our parents felt the pinch so shall we.
Speaking of tamasha - I just wanted to share a tribal tourism initiative from Orissa. Main thrust was to improve the socio-economic conditions of the tribals. It turns out that about 12 - 20 foreign tourist were taken for a ride each time at one such destination - they enjoy the tribal art, craft and culture. Treated with tribal dance,crates of chilled beer and fried local birds(?).
Optimist's view :Post operation survey indicates high profit earning of the locals (mostly the foreign and country liquor vendors)
Pessimist's view : Five fold increase in alcohol related disease reported among the tribals.
Administrative view : One of the few best examples of Public-Private-Partnership initiatives.
Sincere regards,
Anirvan
How true, Aakash. Maybe the day isn't far off!
And Anirvan, the case you cited is as sad as it is hilarious. By 'payback time' I meant the time when we shall all have to start paying for having made a tamasha of everything.
Joydeep, thank you, too. Yes, I share your opinion: there's little that is genuinely funny, and if anything, Nandy understates the situation...
Sir,
It's amazing to read such articles three years after they have been written. While agreeing with the critics above , I must also add that Mr. Nandy has the ability to foresee future. Among several, two points he made were - betting should be legalised and soon we would see other sports imitating the IPL model.
Isn't it suprising that these predictions have come true with the unveiling of IPL spot fixing and following it the huge controversy that betting should be legalised.
And speaking of the second point which Mr. Nandy made- what about the Hockey and Badminton league that are coming up? No one can argue against the point that these business ventures seriously bring down the spirit and quality of the game.
with regards,
Soham Mukhopadhyay
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