The Puzzle that is India

Damn! I missed all the action on TV thanks to this stupid viral-bacterial infection I'm down with. I slept and intermittently coughed through all the steamy speeches by Omar, Rahul and Manmohan. Although it was nice waking up to the good news of the UPA victory. The bigger and better news of course was the much needed side-lining of Mayawati. I don't think I know enough dirty words to malign her to my heart's fill. 

There is another way of looking at this though. I mean, apart from the I-can't-believe-she-has-prime ministerial-ambitions. For a country that has a 2000 year old history of caste discrimination and related cruelty, it is absolutely fantastic that a Dalit, uneducated woman has the gall to vie for a place in national politics. That her indubitable strength as the UP Chief Minister, largely lies also in her ability to get the Brahmins on her side is the other part of the miracle. 

Yes, it ridicules the Indian self perception of being a first world, educated democracy but, maybe maintaining that self-perception is not as important as exposing the ugly underbelly of the real India. The real India has more underprivileged Mayawatis and Laloos leading a tortured existence every single day of their lives than we think we know of. India is not just the english speaking, jean-clad, brown boy we see in Khan market. Its way more. And its this India that is inspired and dares to dream of a changed fate everytime it sees the likes of Mayawati calling the shots in the political high circles. So while I don't support Mayawati's political theatrics and find it utterly nauseating that she should lead an alternative front against the UPA or any other national party for that matter, I also think that it represents an interesting paradigm in the changing power-play of the Indian socio-political fabric. 

After a sikh Prime Minister and a Muslim President an opposition led by a Dalit woman is all we needed to complete the Indian puzzle!

Anyway, I hope the Left has learnt its lesson for the day. I also hope that its the beginning of the end for them in Bengal and Kerala too. What Bengal needs is an independent Marwari CM and Kerala, an honest Chandrababu Naidu, if thats even a possibility. 

One person I felt really bad for is Somnath Chatterjee. I really liked the guy.

Its a little past 4 in the morning right now and having slept all of the previous night AND day I think my eyelids are a bit too tired to take anymore of it. So I'm sitting in the living area, treating myself to TV, peanut butter Reeses and oh yes, my brand new Apple Air! 

Sleep well world!