YSR to pack his bags?

Everyone seems to be so obsessed with the results coming in tomorrow that it becomes so difficult to avoid discussing politics even if I hate all that empty talk. The TV channels have made this a great Indian circus. Got to live with this, I guess. So what’s in store tomorrow? I have a gut feeling YSR may pack his bags and go home here in Hyderabad while Sardarji will be back in the saddle at the center. If not my gut feeling, this could be my wishful thinking!

Apart from a better conduct of elections in AP (thanks to state election chief IV Subba Rao and DIG AK Mohanty) we may have one more good news, if things go right. And that is JP winning from Kukatpally! The groundswell of goodwill for him was blindingly clear. If he pulls it off, atleast I would not be mightily surprised. It would be, hopefully, then be an eye-opener for the media to focus on some meaningful talk of JP rather than flashing no-brainer breaking news all through the day. It is time people realize not always does meaningful talk go down the drain. And a JP win does that.

Coming back to YSR, his solo show, I thought, was such a big gamble. I wondered how audacious (rather, foolish) he is to up the stakes so high only to loose. The disgust and awe (simultaneously, think of it!) among the common public towards his ruling despention was so evident. Some folks' guess is that he wont manage even 100 seats for his party. Quite wishful. It would be a heartbreaking miracle even if his party (make no mistake, it’s his party here in AP, his fief, not some Gandhis’) finishes as the single largest one. He is definitely not the lesser devil of the two (or three)we have. And for the primeministership, despite his shortcomings, I like to think the Sardarji is the best we have. Hmm, lets wait and see…

Veedokkade: for Surya's fans

Got back to the movies! Caught up with Surya's 'Veedokkade'. While the movies is a pure masala entertainer, the title is misleading us to think this is one of those assembly-line products in telugu industry depicting larger-than-life machismo between a 'hero' and a 'villain'.This is mild and In fact is written cleverly and with discipline, almost to the book. However, while this masala stuff maybe the best among the recent tamil flicks,it pales in comparision with the popcorn churned out from telugu industry. Like for instance, the costumes, song picturization and the music were below par while the dialogues are not effective. The climax is a damp squib. Not for nothing do we have masala Jagannaths and masala Vinayaks. They are yet to be emulated south of Vindhyas.

Having said that, this movie definitely pushed the envelope when it came to screenplay, art direction and narration. This is perhaps the first indian movie to have tried quite a few things, even if they are inspired from Hollywood flicks. The yamakasi stunts remind us of Bond and Bourne movies like Casino Royale, Bourne Supremacy, QoS. A good try. African locales spiced up the movie and were used effectively. Surya took a leaf out from his new buddy Aamir Khan's 'Ghajini' and shot a song in Namibia's desert. The desert abutts the ocean and has got the world's tallest sand dunes. All this paraphernalia is effectively put together around the star that Surya has become off late. He has the look of a superstar and seems to make intelligent choices to become and remain one. He carries this movie on his shoulders with aplomb and is present in almost every frame of the movie. Tamanna, who also made some very good choices in her blooming career should have accepted this project for the newness this movie craved for. Otherwise her role has nothing to do except to look stunning, which she does. This movie is in line with Surya's choices where he does not experiment too much, like say Vikram. He just concentrates on trying a few getups, looking great and entertaining and that is what Veedokkade does. Surya's fans will enjoy this outing.

Pakistan's moment of peril

‘.... Pakistan posed a ‘mortal threat’ to the world…Pakistan government is basically abdicating to the Taliban and to the extremists… the Pakistani people need to speak out forcefully against the government’s policy of appeasement in Swat..’ – US Foreign Secretary Hillary Clinton

“This is a really dangerous situation in Pakistan today and we are focused on this very heavily,” – Special envoy Mr Richard C. Holbrooke

‘Taliban now threaten Pakistan’s very existence.’ - Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top US commander in the region

‘.Situation is Pakistan in constant, steady decline.’ - Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff

‘Pakistan is in a moment of peril’ – Senator John Kerry

A Pakistani barber stands by the ‘do not shave’ warning written by Taliban in the front window of his shop in Buner, 65 miles from Islamabad - AFP /Tariq Mahmood
So why exactly is Pakistan, a country with a million men (including the reserves) in armed forces and with military aid of $1 billion letting the Taliban run all over it? Just to put the chaos in Pakistan in perspective, let us look at this. Pakistan bore the brunt of the first suicide attack on March 22, 2002 and by end of 2006, they have seen 22 such attacks. In 2007 alone, they faced 56 which again increased to 59 in 2008. Now, we hear not just about these suicide attacks but also a marching militia that occupies territory as near as 65 miles from Islamabad. And what is Pakistan doing? Nothing.

After running with the hares and hunting with the hounds and duping the world, especially the US, of billions of dollars in military aid, Pakistan sees the monster it created return home to threaten it. Although it is true that the US had in fact created the Wahabi muslim militias in Afghanistan to counter the soviets during the cold war along with Pakistan, it is Pakistan that fed and cultivated the militia for its ‘stategic depth’ in Afghanistan so that it holds the sway over Afghanistan and also use these militias to bleed India in Kashmir. Over time, these militias, who earlier were mainly foreigners, seem to have grouped together with fellow regressive forces, mainly among the Pashtuns, in Pakistan. They were successfully used too against India in Kashmir. However, continual deterioration in its democratic polity weakened the political leadership so much so that these militias, now evolved into Pakistan Taliban, mustered the will to challenge the state of Pakistan.

Afghan warloads in a meeting with Ronald Reagan at the Oval office during the cold war.

Asif Zardari, the accidental president looks hopelessly out of place. The military and the ISI seem to be more inclined to bring both the democratic government and the Taliban agree to some power-sharing. Otherwise how would anyone explain the 500,000 army’s half-hearted efforts to campaign against the 5000 odd Taliban fighters in Swat. The army and the ISI still seems to be in a hope that they can persuade the Taliban and again start using them as they previously did against India and Afghanistan. They put up such a meek show in their military operations that the government was forced to retreat and agree on Taliban’s terms, like implementing sharia, in Swat. As usual, the Pakistan government covered up their failure calling this a ‘peace deal’ and that this would restore peace in Swat and that Taliban would confine themselves to that district. Days within this ‘peace deal’ is signed, the taliban marched out into surrounding districts, some hardly 65 miles away from Islamabad and some almost touching the Karakoram highway that connects Pakistan with China’s Xinjiang province. China already asked Pakistan to rein in these terrorists as they, it believes, are the source of militant activity in its Xinjiang province. So much for their all-weather friendship.

While the establishment seems to be caught in their power games, reluctance and lack of courage, even the media sounds muted in their criticism of Taliban. Almost everyone seems to say ‘what the Taliban is asking for (like sharia) isn’t bad, but it is not possible!’. There is hardly any unqualified criticism of Taliban. No one calls it as a monster that it is. I mean no one just stands up and says ‘we cant whip ourselves in paradise!’. Period. Instead, Pakistan’s assembly approved implementing sharia in the Swat district as per Taliban’s wish almost with no discussion or debate. The pall of fear cast by Taliban showed was blindingly clear. The Taliban soon declared Islam has no place for democracy and that judiciary outside sharia, including pakistan’s supreme court’ is unislamic.

While the Taliban seems to be testing the waters to march into the main cities like Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, it does not seem to make much difference for the common public. Atleast they don’t show it. Is it because they think Taliban can’t be worse than theBhuttos, Sharifs and the commandos? Sustaining feudal culture, lack of economic development, immaturity of democratic institutions and indifferent, corrupt politics seem to have made the common public despondent. Is it only the mullahs who can bring their rabble rouse? Or else how can anyone compare and explain these inexplicable silent streets with those images of protests against Danish cartoons? And why we do not see the lawyers’ movement kind being galvanized now in this defining moment for Pakistan? There is a gut feeling that pakistan’s civil society will rise up before its too late and before Pakistan slides further into anarchy. And that is what we in India need too otherwise it is a matter of time we see the emboldened fidayeen return to Kashmir and maybe to other cities in India. Dreadful prospect indeed. It is time India gear up for the many battles it has to fight when the Taliban comes knocking.