കേരളം വഴി മാറി ചിന്തിച്ചപ്പോള്‍ ……

തെരഞ്ഞെടുപ്പിന് ശേഷം ഉള്ള എന്റെ ആദ്യത്തെ രാഷ്ട്രീയ പോസ്റ്റ്‌ ആണെന്ന് തോന്നുന്നു . എന്തായാലും നമുക്ക് എന്റെ വഴിയെ ഒന്ന് ചിന്തിക്കാം .

ഒന്ന് ) തെരഞ്ഞെടുപ്പു യു ഡി എഫിന് ഉള്ള തിരിച്ചടിയായി കാണണോ ? : തീര്‍ച്ചയായും . തൊണ്ണൂറു സീറ്റ് പ്രതീക്ഷിച്ചു (പാര്‍ട്ടി കണക്കു പ്രകാരം ) എഴുപതിരണ്ടില്‍ ഒതുങ്ങിയ പ്രസ്ഥാനത്തിന് തിരിച്ചടി ഏറ്റു എന്ന തിരിച്ചറിവ് സ്വാഭാവികം മാത്രം .

രണ്ടു ) അങ്ങനെ എങ്കില്‍ ഇത് ഇടതു രാഷ്ട്രീയത്തിന്റെ വിജയം ആയി കാണാമോ ? വിഹഗ വീക്ഷണത്തില്‍ അങ്ങനെ തോന്നാം . പക്ഷെ യാഥാര്‍ത്ഥ്യം അതല്ല എന്നാണു എനിക്ക് തോന്നുന്നത് . അഞ്ചു വര്‍ഷത്തിനിടെ മൂന്നു തവണ ജനം നിരാകരിച്ച രാഷ്ട്രീയം എങ്ങനെ ആണ് വെന്നിക്കൊടി നാട്ടുന്നതായി ഉദ്ഘോഷിക്കുന്നത് ? വികസനത്തിനുള്ള അംഗീകാരം ആയിരുന്നെങ്കില്‍ ചുരുങ്ങിയ പക്ഷം പഞ്ചായത്ത്‌ തെരെഞ്ഞെടുപ്പിലെങ്കിലും ജനം വോട്ട് ചെയ്യേണ്ടതല്ലേ ? അങ്ങനെ തുടര്‍ച്ചയായ മൂന്നാം തോല്‍വി ഏറ്റുവാങ്ങിയ അച്ചുംമാനെയും കൂട്ടെരെയും വിജയികളായി എണ്ണാന്‍ കഴിയില്ല . മൂന്നു തെരഞ്ഞെടുപ്പുകളെ മുന്‍ നിര്‍ത്തി ആണ് ഈ വിശകലനം .

പാര്‍ടി കണക്കുകളില്‍ രസകരമായ കാര്യം ഏറ്റവും കൂടുതല്‍ സീറ്റ് നേടിയത് സീ പി എം ആണെന്നുള്ളതാണ് . വിജയ സാധ്യത തീരെ ഇല്ലാത്ത വടക്കേ മലബാറിലെ പല സീറ്റുകളിലും ബലിയാടുകളെ കണ്ടെത്തേണ്ടി വന്നത് കോണ്‍ഗ്രസ്‌ ആണ് എന്ന യാതാര്‍ത്ഥ്യം വിസ്മരിക്കരുത് . ഒരുദാഹരണം പറഞ്ഞാല്‍ എല്‍ ഡീ എഫിന് വിജയ സാധ്യത കുറഞ്ഞു നിന്നിരുന്ന കോട്ടയം മലപ്പുറം ജില്ലകളില്‍ ആയി പത്തില്‍ താഴെ സീ പി എം സ്ഥാനര്തികള്‍ ആണ് മത്സരിച്ചത് . എന്നാല്‍ എല്‍ ഡീ എഫിന് സാധ്യത കൂടിയ കണ്ണൂര്‍ , കാസര്‍കോട് ,പാലക്കാട് മേഖലകളില്‍ സ്ഥിതി തുലോം വിഭിന്നം ആയിരുന്നു താനും . വേറൊരു രീതിയില്‍ പറഞ്ഞാല്‍ കോണ്‍ഗ്രസിന്റെ നല്പതിയാര് ശതമാനം വിജയവും സീ പി എമ്മിന്റെ നാല്പത്തി ഏറ്റു ശതമാനവും തമ്മിലുള്ള പ്രകടമായ വ്യത്യാസം സീറ്റ് സിലക്ഷനെ ആശ്രയിച്ചിരുന്നു . ഇനി എന്പതി രണ്ടു സീറ്റില്‍ മത്സരിച്ച കോണ്‍ഗ്രസിന്റെയും തൊണ്ണൂറ്റി മൂന്നിടത്ത് മത്സരിച്ച സീ പി എമ്മിനും ഓരോ നിയോജക മണ്ഡലത്തിലും ലഭിച്ച ശരാശരി വോട്ട് എടുത്തു നോക്കിയാല്‍ ഇങ്ങനെ വരും : കോണ്‍ഗ്രസ്‌ – അന്‍പത്തി ആറായിരത്തി തൊള്ളായിരതി ഇരുപത്തി ഒന്ന് . സീ പി എം : -അന്‍പത്തി ഈരയിരതി തൊള്ളായിരതി പതിനെട്ടു . കോണ്‍ഗ്രസ്‌ നിയോജകമന്ടല അടിസ്ഥാനത്തില്‍ ശരാശരി ഏഴു ശതമാനത്തോളം വോട്ട് സീ പി എമ്മിനെക്കാള്‍ കൂടുതല്‍ നേടിയിട്ടുണ്ട് . കോണ്‍ഗ്രസ്‌ വിരുദ്ധ തരംഗം എന്ന ആരോപണം നില നില്‍ക്കുന്നില്ല എന്ന് ഇതില്‍ നിന്ന് വ്യക്തമാണല്ലോ .

മൂന്നു ) എല്‍ ഡീ എഫ് അനുകൂല തരംഗം ഉണ്ടാവാനുള്ള മുഖ്യ കാരണങ്ങള്‍ : വീ എസ് ഫാക്ടര്‍ കാണാതിരിക്കാന്‍ ആവില്ല . കേരളത്തിലെ സാധാരണ ജനങ്ങളെ ഒരു പരിധി വരെ തെറ്റിധരിപ്പിക്കുന്നതില്‍ വീ എസ് എന്ന രാഷ്ട്രീയക്കാരന്‍ നേടിയ വിജയം ചെറുതല്ല . ബാലന്‍ പിള്ള ഉള്‍പ്പടെ ഉള്ളവരെ പരസ്യമായി പിന്തുണച്ച യു ഡി എഫ് നടപടി എരിതീയില്‍ എന്ന ഒഴിച്ചു. ബാലകൃഷ്ണപിള്ളയും കുഞ്ഞാളിക്കുട്ടിയുമാണ് ഈ തിര്ച്ചടിക്ക് പിന്നില്‍ എന്ന് കോണ്‍ഗ്രസ്‌ വിലയിരുത്തിയാല്‍ അതില്‍ യാതൊരു തെറ്റും പറയാനാവില്ല . ലോകസഭ തെരഞ്ഞെടുപ്പില്‍ ഹുസൈന്‍ രണ്ടത്താണി എഫെക്റ്റ് കേരളത്തില്‍ അങ്ങോളമിങ്ങോളം എല്‍ ഡീ എഫിന് തിരിച്ചടി ആയ പോലെ ആയിരുന്നു ഈ കേസുകളും കോണ്‍ഗ്രസ്സും . മലപ്പുറത്ത്‌ ലീഗിന് അത് ഊര്‍ജം പകര്‍ന്നിരിക്കാം എങ്കിലും അത് പൊതുവേ യു ഡി എഫിന് തിരിച്ചടി ആയിട്ടുണ്ട്‌ . മറ്റൊന്ന് അലസതയാണ് . ഏറ്റുമാനൂര്‍ പോലെയുള്ള ഉറച്ച മണ്ഡലങ്ങള്‍ കൈ വിട്ടു കളഞ്ഞതില്‍ അലസത മുഘ്യ പങ്കു വഹിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്‌ . ലഭിക്കേണ്ട വോട്ടു കിട്ടാത്തത് പത്തു മണ്ഡലങ്ങളില്‍ എങ്കിലും തിരിച്ചടി ആയിട്ടുണ്ട്‌ . കേഡര്‍ സ്വഭാവമില്ലായ്മയും സ്ഥാനാര്‍ഥി നിര്‍ണയത്തിലെ അസ്വാരസ്യങ്ങളും എന്നും യു ഡി എഫിലെ പ്രശ്നങ്ങള്‍ ആണല്ലോ .

നാല് ) എല്‍ ഡീ എഫ് വിരുദ്ധ വിധിയെഴുതുണ്ടാനുള്ള കാരണങ്ങള്‍ : ഒന്ന് മാത്രം കേരളത്തിലെ ജനം പൂര്‍ണമായും കഴുതകള്‍ അല്ല ! :ഡി

Is Kashmir finally becoming the cancer of India?

First let me begin this with a few notes on AFPSA , one of the more draconian laws passed by the Indian parliament in 63 years. ( http://www.hrdc.net/sahrdc/resources/armed_forces.htm ) Interested people can visit the site for more details and study on AFPSA. This law needs to be revised so that it complies with Indian law and international standards to the bare minimum extent. The required amendments are listed in conclusions of the study .

Now coming to the paradise on earth – Kashmir, As pointed out by siddharth varadarajan in his recent post http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/article551897.ece the immediate trigger for current turbulence was killing of 17-year-old Tufail Mattoo, who was killed by a tear gas canister which struck his head during a protest in Srinagar in June against the Machhil fake encounter of April 30. Many observers , as he points out , blame this squarely on security forces . Indiscriminate use of force where by the forces use poorly designed canisters and live ammunition for crowd control. This has also plenty to do with administrative propoganda of demonising LeT and Pakistan behind every attack in Kashmir. The way women and children turned out in numbers for the protests show this . Even though army had taken steps against officers involved in the scandal , it remains proof that they had the nerve for such a heinous act just because they were confident that they would get away with it. (http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2010/Jul/17/this-rage-has-a-reason-13.asp ) . Many human rights activists say this is just the tip of the iceberg! They had the supreme confidence from Pathribal fake encounter case in which CBI conducted inquiry against the convicted but the Ministry of Defence denied permission for criminal proceedings and has taken the matter all the way to the Supreme Court in an effort to ensure its men do not face trial. What was the message that went out as a result? . It looks more or less the repetition of the old case. Had the centre took an exemplary stand against the rotten apples that has spoiled the armed forces in kashmir , we could have seen a different scenario in kashmir altogether. The impunity of few armed men has put the lives of police forces in the state at huge risk! http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Politics/Nation/articleshow/6278377.cms is another report into the same.

Even though Omar Abdullah is not an extra ordinary administrator he can not be blamed for the current crisis in Kashmir. This has lot to do with over securatization of kashmir than anything else. http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/article531907.ece :- he should have the courage to put pressure centre to do away with the draconian legislature. The Chief Minister also briefly flirted with the idea of setting up a ‘Truth and Reconciliation Commission’ of sorts; however, it remains one of his pet grand ideas and has never materialised !Mainstream politicians in the Valley forget what has always been true in the case of Kashmir: peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of justice, as famously pointed out by Martin Luther King Jr. The politicians of Jammu and Kashmir and New Delhi should have had the wisdom to capitalise on the positive post-2008 atmosphere by promoting substantive conflict resolution processes in the State. The absence of a political reconciliation process has convinced the people, especially the youth, that their trust has been betrayed by the elected leadership.

For the indian side more and more kashmiri youth turning to the Hurriyat led side is not a good sign! Democratic upsurges can not be suppressed with bruta force for ever. The hindu echoed similar comments through its two editorials on this matter : http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/article495465.ece , http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/article522202.ece No amount of economic largesse will tempt this generation to buy unconvincing political arguments. When disillusioned youth fight for a meaning to their political existence, the political parties of Jammu and Kashmir ought to pay attention, for it is these youths who will decide their fate. (http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/article527024.ece )

We also witnessed pathetic response from the opposition BJP which was renewing its stance on Article 370 (http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_advani-slams-centre-for-kashmir-siutation_1420690 ) While we should remember the fact that he did not have the political courage to do that while he was the home minister. Bringing this up at this point and criticising the centre at this point is perhaps politically right but ethically absurd stance.

Presenting a selected list of kashmiri blogs : http://kashmircries.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-05-29T10:02:00-07:00&max-results=3 ,http://ibnlive.in.com/blogs/suhasinihaidar/218/54001/jammu-and-kashmir-seize-the-moment.html ,http://bluelegends.sulekha.com/blog/post/2007/06/a-photo-blog-on-the-realities-in-kashmir.htm

KCBC Pastoral letter and Election commission

“Most religious men I’ve met are politicians in disguise, I however wear the guise of a politician but am at heart a religious man.” – Mahatma Gandhi

The Kerala Election commission reminded me again of these words through its order to inquire about KCBCs alleged pastoral letter against non believers. Religion and politics are inseparable but when they meet for power it becomes a spoilt broth ! In his book “Politics and Religion in the modern world” George Moyser tells about the role it played in National struggle and the importance it held in uniting the various factions against the British . But it will be worth remembering that the same was a useful weapon in hands of British in the form of “Divide and Rule”. The difference between the religious impact of yesteryear s and today is the reform part it played in the social context . The hindu reforms led by Swami Vivekananda & Arya Samaj played a critical part in the struggle for independence where as today the sole aim it plays is power and nepotism . This was clearly forseen by our forfathers who enshrined secularism in the preamble in the constitution (other wise you would have see “In the name of God “ in that famous preamble). The point is clear , the constitution does not intend to create either believers or non-believers in this country rather it treats them equal which is why the current pastoral letter should be detested.

While it is natural for any institution to have political ambitions and political leanings but it becomes suicidal when it comes to religion . As marx put it “Religion is opium in the minds of people” .Most of the religions demand unquestioned belief – mostly , belief in the clergy – from the followers. This has been put to dangerous use by the Taliban, the RSS & many other “neo-terrorist” outfits. While each of them have obvious and more mild political forms, they have been opposed virulently in the society. This is where I can not laugh off the political messages read out to the followers!

While the rigid nature of administration and wide spread corruption has made it difficult for organized modern states to become efficient bureaucratic organizations the religious bodies were able to negotiate a middle path and strike necessary compromises – be it ideological or physical – whenever required. The failure of the administrators to reach out to the poor had infact become the most fertile ground for religious bodies which claimed bumper harvests from such regions! The failure to overcome poverty for example has prompted millions to take refuge in promised salvation and solemnity .

I would also question the “natural association” theory against non-believers as claimed. How can be a group pressing for some particular demand or political goal be integrated with the mainstream politics? Experiences show me this is close to impossible! How can we forget the Shah Bano Incident? That was the beginning of modern communalism in India which fostered a radical Hinduism in this land. The collective bargaining could be used in such situations – a blow in the face of humanity! In worst possible cases like “Khalistan” it could have separatist undertones putting the integrity of nation at stake.Much more dangerous political use of religion , in recent history , was that of Narendra Modi which all of us know how ! The picture of Church & its behavior in Africa and Lation america aren’t too good either.

Politics and religion represent a intermingled yet deadly combination if equilibrium is not properly maintained. So it will be in the best interests of society to have institutionalized religion stay away from Politics

Afghan War leaks!

The leaked war diaries from Washington has created a furore around the world and in India especially. Its no wonder that ISI has been at fault again but the shameless manner in which this coincided with the $500m military aid to Pakistan. ISI as pointed out by India time and again is the single most state sponsored terrorist outfit in the world. While this has rocked the western world and american public with the mammoth loss of life in the afghan war, it has rubbed the western NATO allies the wrong way for concealing the dangerous SAM missiles Taliban is said to have acquired.

While this is the ultimate victory for data journalism and an ethical victory for the whistle blowers around the world this also leads us to the question how safe the classified documents available with our governments including sensitive war information. Infact what is to be hidden from the public should be shielded away from public for security reasons as well as for the greater common good. By greater common good I mean the panic it would create in the public sphere as well as the economic impact such panic could have on a world economy which is standing up after brought to knees by the banking scandals.

Perhaps this represents the greatest challenge for Barack Obama after assuming office. This has dented public support for his “surge policy” in afghan matters and also it has put the Pakistan centric strategy US was adopting in Afghanistan. He will be grilled in Senate for the alleged role of ISI and the huge annual aid US providing for Pakistan. This may well burn a hole in the public support for his afghan agenda and could well signal the end of War ! ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10774073 ). Well, that may be a far fetched possibility but a definite change in policy is on the anvil for sure. Another challenge could come from within Afghanistan for the sheer number of Civilian deaths as published in leaked documents . (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/7910896/Wikileaks-Afghanistan-civilian-death-details-could-poison-relations.html ) . Again it will be wrong to assume that Hamid Karzai will wake up tomorrow and call up David Cameron to withdraw all the British forces! Yes, he will have to do something or it could turn a host of critics and columnists against his government , thus influencing the public opinion at large. David Cameron , leading a coalition government will not like to carry the burden of such a nasty baggage.

What is more important for India ? The leaked reports has vindicated our stance that ISI is behind majority of terrorist attacks happening in the subcontinent . This gives immense political and diplomatic mileage we were craving for particularly after failure of talks with Islamabad. We can intelligently use the situation to remain silent ( Yes! Silence speaks louder than words at times na? ) . Mounting international pressure could push Islamabad to buy time . The positive role we play in Afghanistan should be projected and gain some bargaining ground with Islamabad ( I am not supportive of any talks with the b******s in Pak) .

David Cameron as I write this has rightly succumbed to the diplomatic pressure and hinted at export of terror by Pakistan which will definitely have a negative impact on Islamabad!

I do not think there is any acceptable negotiation ground left in the case of Kashmir. INDIANS ARE NOT GOING TO BUY ANYTHING OTHER THAN KASHMIR AS A PART OF INDIA! It will be difficult to sell this to Pakistan . So I don’t see any reason why this should come in talks . But a stable Pakistan is of paramount interest to India as we have paid a lot for the anarchy in Pakistan. In fact the world at large has paid a heavy price for the rogue state Pakistan is.

Banning Books :- Why dont you plaster the mouth?

http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article512547.ece is the inspiration behind writing this blog. Supreme court has rightly reminded the politicos about the draconian power vested with it that is oppressing freedom of expression.

To be fair to the criticisers of this view, yes everything has got a limit! But that limit is a thin line between right and wrong which mostly is difficult to distinguish and more importantly defines tolerance of the society. The society is slowly moving towards radicalization or it is pushed towards radicalization by hordes of forces which pull the human race back to the stone ages. Call them Taliban, Call them Sriram Sene, Call them Sangh Parivar :- the ideology may differ,their shapes may differ and way of protest may differ but ultimately all of them contribute to the same cause , narrowing the windows of civilization!

India as a country is most famous for its open and receptive people. People had come from various places,various continents. They brought their thoughts,their philosophy , their religion and art to this land but we received each and every one of them and assimilated and enriched them! Hinduism,an all encompassing philosophy had in itself a receptive organ which helped it to cross orders and inspire many Goethes and Hesses with its captivating ideas. It influenced the thinkers ,poets and artists of modern times!

But there is a stark contrast to all this :- the other face of india painted by the aforementined outfits and people like Thackeray! The newest of this lot :- about a book on shivaji by James Laine ,”Shivaji-A hindu king in Muslim India”, provoked the marathi mannus who have deified Shivaji. The supreme court has taken serious note of this as far as one can understand from the wordings of the judgement

“Undoubtedly, the power to forfeit a newspaper, book or document is a drastic power in as much as it not only has a direct impact upon the due exercise of a cherished right of freedom of speech and expression as envisaged in Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, it also clothes a police officer to seize the infringing copies of the book, document or newspaper and to search places where they are reasonably suspected to be found, again impinging upon the right of privacy.

“Therefore, the provision has to be construed strictly and exercise of power under it has to be in the manner and according to the procedure laid down therein,” a Bench of Justices D.K. Jain and H.L. Dattu said in a judgement.
Even though the supreme court has noted a technical issue on the state government could not identify the communities whose sentiments may be hurt by the book, its observations are strong warnings to the political bigwigs in the state who harp on the “sons of soil” sentiments for electoral gain. It’s a pity that national parties like BJP and Congress have also taken sides with the ultras.

Details of the book & its comments

http://www.complete-review.com/quarterly/vol5/issue1/laine0.htm : This link gives a great deal of details about what the book is all about and why it was banned . The author has collected fairly large piece of information and collected it here.

http://www.complete-review.com/quarterly/vol5/issue1/laine1.htm : This link gives fairly good idea why all the hell broke loose and what the controversy is all about. The authors have pointed out a lot of lines in great detail to show their reverence to Shivaji maharaj !

The deification of Shivaji and his empire is perhaps a conscious attempt to rewrite the history. The 500 Years of mughal rule is something of an embarrassment to Sangh Parivar. They wanted a hero who defended against muslim thugs! Who was the protector of south india from these thugs. Many historians contradict this but they are threatened with the sword of British era laws oppressing freedom of expression. “He was a kind of brigand chief, who marauded other states from Gujarat to Bengal,” says Ashish Nandy, a social historian at the Center for the Study of Developing Societies in New Delhi . This is in coincidence with hindu sentiments echoed against anything critical against the long held traditions. The philosophical and cognitive uprising started by Swami Vivekananda is more and whoever tries to view the religion through new lenses are fought with sticks and are driven away from the country!

What has happened to us? Yes there is a limit to everything. Including naughty jokes about a ruler who is worshipped as local hero without any documentary claim is reprehensible but why dont we see the apology issued by the author? The very opposition is also based on some myths and mostly they are against scientific analysis. For a historian it is impossible to think the myths will represent an interesting topic . His job would be to harness the myth to analyse the socio-religious conditions prevalent at that point of time and how it helped the evolution of pan-India identity for hinduism. As observed by Ananya Vajpayee in telegraph “My suspicion is that the most critical question is in fact the one that, as Dilip Simeon points out again and again, almost no one seems to be raising. And that is — are we prepared to defend acts of violence perpetrated in the name of our identity, our beliefs and finally, our sentiments? The work on Shivaji by the American professor, James Laine, must be judged on the cogency of its arguments and the propriety of its methodology. Instead, we are asked to judge it on the basis of the nationality of its author. “. How far did the Maharashtra government go before filing such a case? It can be suspected Electoral gains were more of a concern than consulting with author or the publishing house!

“The Professor from Pune points out that banning a book is perhaps the worst form of censorship. “We cannot call ourselves a democracy if authorities are allowed to suppress voices.” The writer is an American, who has also apologised for his remark. Imagine what would have happened had it been an Indian writer? “Nobody should be made to feel scared about writing or voicing what they believe in. Have we reached such a pitiful stage where we cannot write about certain subjects?” If you do, your credibility and reputation takes a huge beating. This new trend is dangerous. Even I cannot let you quote me because I fear about the consequences.,” he said.

The Professor says Laine should be allowed to arrive at his own conclusions. Besides, he said, the larger issue here was that you cannot pick and chose events from history. Unfortunately, Shivaji is no longer a historical figure. He has become a symbol of the Hindu Right. His name is mired in the dirty business of politics and politicians squeeze as much political mileage out of his name as possible. It is not his being a Hindu that is important but that he was a great warrior who took on the British. He did not sell out to them like several other kings and princes of his time, the Professor says.” :- these word rightly echoes the strongly worded statement from Supreme Court.

A Reply ! (Reply to a friend )

Football clubs and their ownership has become subject of excessive debates within football world recently

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2006/may/17/championsleague.europeanfootball gives a nice overview of supporter owned structure of spanish giants barcelona which reflects a rightful ownership structure in every true sense. Yes barca owners pay very less for their season tickets and their club truly epitomizes the national ambitions and anti-madrid pro left sentiments of catalonian nationalism. In fact it is also right that every club in some sense or another represent the working class which formed these clubs including the premier league clubs. But where do they differ ? How important is this to me as a football? How did globalisation affect football as a sport? How important is the political symbolism important for a football fan?How did barca projected itself as symbol of goodness and real madrid as francos team? I will try to express my views however silly they may sound.

Ownership

Fan owned structure is mostly popular in La Liga with two ominous football teams in world ,Real & Barca have similar structure. While this allows the clubs to raise funds for infrastructure more easily with the teams having two of the biggest stadiums(Camp Nou and Bernabeu ) and keep their ticket prices lower which truly symbolises the true intention of the club – that of promoting the beautiful game.The prices remain largely out of sorts in england where people are charged exorbitantly but interestingly this has not turned people away from game. Popular football clubs (Big 4 ) did attract close to fullhouse attendances for all their matches. But surely this steep prices keeps a deprived section away from game which is deplorable.

The single-owner structure can create problems like excessive leveraging of clubs assets(as in ManUs case) or imbalance in league(with ManC’s and Chelseas having access to seemingly unfathomable assets of their owners ) but this has not affected the league notably. The competitiveness has remained sufficiently stable in the league. This has also increased wages but players are getting highly paid promotes football among kids serious about football. ‘Catch them young ‘ has unearthed gems like Messi,Pato,Walcott and so on. This has also increased competition for places and thus the quality and intensity of the game.

But you can not ignore the benefit it brings to the tables. Previously unheard teams are coming to the top of table, competition is increasing and thus game is improving. Just take 1899 Hoffenheim who made to the top echelons of German budesliga from nowhere with financial support from alumnus & software mogul Dietmar Hopp. This brought a whole new bunch of youngsters like Demba Ba & Andreas Beck. (http://soccerlens.com/tsg-1899-hoffenheim-the-fairytale-football-club/10174/) . Some will remember Blackburn winning the premier league with backing from Jack walker.

Conclusion: I do accept the best possible method of ownership is democratic election but there is no conclusive evidence to see the private ownership as catastrophic!(of course financial mismanagement can bring any team to its knees)

Barca Vs Real & Political sub versions of sports

Barca and real share the most intense rivalries of modern times with nationalism being the key figure ( or said to be the key figure). What did globalisation do this? Just look back to 2005 and there u have the answer – It was another el clasico and Real lost to the samba magician – Ronaldinho 3-0 but then the unimaginable happened the crowd gave a standing ovation to the player!! If national sentiments were so deep rooted , would this have ever happened? Certainly no! They applauded Ronaldinho- the player and not Ronaldinho the catalan flag bearer . The fan violence has reduced a great deal both these teams have a larger fan base outside spain, which is so important because more than half the share of revenue for these teams are generated by replica sales in Asia and Africa. 99% of these fans dont know the political divide in spain but just knows the players – Cristiano ronaldo or Lionel messi and identifies himself or herself with either of these teams or stars. The same is happening with clubs widening their fan bases . I have seen Liverpool fans who dont know the eternal John Lennon and his place in Anfield(or even “U’ll never walk alone” for that matter) and ManU fans who dont know about George Best! But still they love the way these clubs play and adore them . What I am trying to say is these fans doesnt see Barca-Realmatch or Liverpool-ManU match as match between two contrasting political ideologies . Its a match between two strong footballing sides . As far as I understand I can convincingly say they-the “global fans” form the largest group – thanks to sheer size of population in India and China. One interesting example for this could be Rafael Nadal whose uncle played for barca but he supports real!

Its not that clubs will forget the rivalry but globalisation is slowly changing the face of it! Invariably , with mounting debt both Real & Barca will have to offer membership for their global fans to create and sustain their resources which will further pour cold water over the linguistic or cultural side of it!

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=XkgIPQTaruUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=football&hl=en&ei=9wYyTLOaL9K1rAfJ0vjvAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEQQ6AEwBTgU#v=onepage&q&f=false will be a good reference

Now coming to Barca – Real rivalry

http://hi.baidu.com/only%B2%AE%C4%C9%CE%DA/blog/item/975825f0c16ac55d342acc32.html (from communist china ) . The post tells in great details about the wrongly perpetrated(or atleast as it is claimed) claim that General Franco had ‘Real’ as ‘his team’ ! The name ‘real’ or ‘royal’ conveyed this wrong message to thousands of people around the world(the name was given by King Alfonso III who granted the same name to many clubs from madrid like Betis(real Betis),Sociedad (real Sociedad)). The king and his symbols were publicly denounced by Franco (“Once the Spanish Civil War broke out, Alfonso made it clear he favoured the military uprising against the Popular Front government, but General Francisco Franco in September 1936 declared that the Nationalists would never accept Alfonso as King (the supporters of the rival Carlist pretender made up an important part of the Franco Army). “ – From Wikipedia)

It was not ‘real’ but ‘atletico’ represented the ambitions of the franco regime.”After the war, in 1939, the difficult task of rebuilding the club began. 300.000 pesetas of the time were necessary to rebuild the destroyed Old Chamartín Stadium, which during the war was used as a detention camp. Real Madrid had to attract people to its matches again and get new players for the team (only five players of the squad of 1936 could return to the white club). Achieving these goals was an almost impossible mission, since the club’s heritage had been looted (a few trophies from the beginnings of the 20th Century were among the stolen goods) and there was no official help, since the Spanish Army adopted Atlético Madrid as his team, and even changed its name to Atlético Aviación (after its merger with Aviación Nacional, a team founded by army members), so all aids and favours knew in which direction they had to go.” :- From the blog above.

“During the dictatorships of Primo de Rivera and, especially, the one of Francisco Franco, all regional languages and identities were frowned upon and restrained. FC Barcelona became more than a club (més que un club) because of either its alleged connection to progressive beliefs or its representative role for Catalonia.[7] [dead link] However, during Franco’s regime, the blaugrana team seemed to be granted profit due to its good relationship with the dictator at management level.[8] In any case, for most of the Catalans, and many other Spaniards as well, Real Madrid was regarded as the establishment club, in spite of the fact that during the Spanish Civil War, presidents of both clubs like and Rafael Sánchez Guerra, suffered at the hands of los nacionales (the winning rightist sideJosep Sunyol).[9][10] “ I do not understand how this could justify the claims made by ardent barca supporters. :- Wikipedia

The above link (http://hi.baidu.com/only%B2%AE%C4%C9%CE%DA) clarifies or provides counter arguments for many accusations made by popular Barca fans!

http://oreneta.com/kalebeul/2005/01/02/el-barca-francos-favourite-team/ : – Follow this link for a quntitative analysis of the same.

Infact two books written by Phill Ball, a jouranalist at Soccerball.com- Morbo: the story of Spanish football (2001) – pages from 113 & White Storm: 100 years of Real Madrid (2002) refutes invariably in soccer terms about Franco and his involvement in football! After all its ridiculous just by common sense to doubt the ability of a team which had Puskas,Di Stefano,Hector Rial & Raymond Copa achieved their footballing glory at Francos mercy!

Honestly , I do not think barcelona represents struggle against fascism but it always represented Catalan Nationalism than anything else. This in turn represents a destabilizing divisive force in Spain rather than noble symbol of democracy and freedom! So I will not buy the argument that Barcelona as the apostle of good and Real Madrid as ultimate evil.

To make my point clear I do not dislike either of these teams as a spectator. For me both these teams play good free flowing football with precise one touch passes and that’s it!

Socio-Political Interpretations of game

This is perhaps the most complicated topic of all. There is no one line answer nor do I have a definitive one. To me this is just another view point which is non essential part of game in purest form but for a philosopher of modern game or a social thinker this represents a challenging topic. Essentially this angle comes from the euphoria the game generates. Just as Brazil playing and losing in South Africa resonating india, it is representing a nice base for political gains. But to me the Marxian thinkers who deconstruct the beautiful game are doing what they specialize every time . They deconstruct and analyze it to the smallest possible detail and arrive at a meaningless conclusion. Really a wild goose chase! (Interestingly Sukumar Azhikode copied me after writing this line yesterday in a meeting while criticising Jayarajan)

There has been many attempts to read and interpret the frenzy the game generates among the masses but I do not subscribe to this view . Its purely a personal choice! I would rather enjoy the simple game thats football

A worldcup – Some broken hearts , pragmatic football and linear game

The worldcup and the hoopla it generate are almost over. The football freaks all over my state (well, true to the ever green malayali arrogance, we are proud to have the freakiest of football lovers all over the world). Unfortunately the two best supported teams – Brazil and Argentina – are already out of the worldcup, thus sidelining a whole bunch of fans. Oh yes, cricket has given a new push to sports in this part of the world after Sreesanth got into the team.

 There was large disappointment here when Brazil and Argentina crashed out of the world cup which is disgusting. “Why ? “ You may ask. The simple answer is because they didn’t deserve it! Football , of late , has become a highly technical game which can be mathematically analyzed. The days of legendary Rinus Michels , Tele Santana and others are just history. Now the coaches and scouts without looking at the player can tell you how good he is. This combined with the evolution of 4-2-3-1 system has ushered in a new term ‘Pragmatic football’ to the columnists around the world. To utter disgust this has taken away the human part of the game.

 What if Carl Gauss was given that famous qn of summing up 100 was given? Will he use a calculator or will he do the same way as he did? - In which way will he be a pragmatist ? There you are!

The Azzuris have always set standards for defense throughout years. The legendary defenders like Maldini and baresi had set the standards of defending over the years. Their uncanny ability to poach ball from the boots of players without even touching his foot brings you back to the golden days of Italian football. Even though Brazil did not have defenders of that quality they still kept the game alive by their natural flair to move the ball in non-linear ways! But what Dunga did was something unimaginable in Eighties – He dropped creativity from his side (Ronaldinho , Pato ,Neymar for example ) and picked Europeanized Brazilians like Gilberto ,Melo ,Kaka & Fabiano as core to his team(and ofcourse the “professional fouls” too). The only exception is Robinho who still shows flashes of creativity in his play. Technically this was a team of ball-fighters as the coach himself is ! As Rob Hughes put it in NYT:- “The rejoicing around the world because Brazil has fallen will also find pockets of relief in Brazil. For this is not the soccer, the Joga Bonito or Beautiful Game, that Brazilians believe in. Dunga had traduced it, coarsened the style, picked mainly European-based players to perform in his own image as a ball fighter not concerned with style, but only with winning”.

The sheer elegance once associated with teams brazil had in past is just a memory. I haven’t seen that elegance in any player except ronaldinho & Kaka, who, with their innocent smiles present what football is all about or better what sport is all about. It’s like green tea – as connoisseurs say – tastes best when sipped without added sweeteners! I hate the way Brazilians play recently because it, in no way, presents the JOGA BONITO ! Winning titles have earned them glory – Yes! So did the Romans- Didn’t they? Coming to Argentina – I am more proud of them than any other team in Latin America for the sheer guts they had for attacking play. They played like men and surrendered to a German side , which , unlike their predecessors played even more attacking game and played it beautifully ( I don’t remember Germans doing any nasty foul during the whole tournament!).

The cross cultural influence on Brazil cannot be ignored for this radical change in footballing philosophy . In Seventies and eighties more players played in brazil . Now it –the players- has become a prime export from the country. European big guns recruit teens from the country , adapt them to their playing style & teach them in European style. Dungas criticism of the brazil team of seventies – widely lauded as the best footballing side the country has ever produced – mixed with this ‘Europeanization’ of brazil football offers a concrete ground to analyze this hard reality. As Tim Wickery of BBC pointed out “The thinking is as follows – the physical development of the game has made it much harder for teams to play an expansive passing style through the middle of the field. Instead, matches are won and lost at two key moments – set pieces and transitions (those moments when possession changes hands from one side to the other).” (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/2009/06/brazil.html) . This has won them laurels as fans point out but sadly this points out – “This ain’t your Daddy’s Brazil”. The rise of Spain is thus a joy to watch for football lovers like me, who like the old fashioned passing game and the human element which can leave the Mourinhos of modern game leave their hands in exasperation. The exuberance, enjoyment and the individual mesmerises which characterised the teams of past is a haunting ghost for brazil. As Gilberto Freyre wrote in 1959, “The Brazilians play football as if it were a dance…for [they] tend to reduce everything to dance, work and play alike.” . A great account of this evolution can be read from( http://soccerlens.com/brazil-football/31195/ ) . The evolution of this newly formed football philosophy has thus put to death the alternative almost bohemian approach towards a game which whole latin America was proud of. The very fact that Brazilians are able to match physically combatitive Italians and Germans remain perfect examples to my point.(take a note of how physically combating Julio baptista made it to the team when ronaldinho did not).

This individualistic creativity, ample proof to the democratization of the game in Brazil , is now extinct epitomized by this piece in the earlier blog “Football arrived in Brazil in 1894 courtesy of two relatively unassuming Britons, Charles Miller and Oscar Cox. Such was the very British nature of football’s beginnings in Brazil, the Anglo-Saxon approach to the game was always destined to be woven into the soul of futebol in South America’s largest country. In the early days of the game in Brazil the British “way” of playing was very much in evidence as the dominant approach. Methodical tactical planning, rigidity, even, in combination with direct build-up play characterised the performances of clubs such as Fluminese, their personnel almost exclusively consisting of the sons of Brazil’s European social elite. However, as the European influence in the country began to fade, there followed a radical democratisation of football, it became the game of the people. Brazil began to shape football in its own social image. Clubs borne out of the working class emerged, Vasco Da Gama, for example, won the national championship with a team full of native black players and members of the white working class. As a result, the way football was played in Brazil was transformed forever, the English approach was largely replaced with the flamboyant style we all now associate with those who pull on the canary yellow shirt. Despite this dramatic shift, the European defensive and tactical fastidiousness has not entirely vanished from Brazilian game, allowing the Selecao to combine their samba-like speed and innovation with a robust and durable core, a fusion of sporting cultures which has made Brazil the greatest footballing nation on earth. “

Globalization of game has been blamed for destroying the individual expression in the game . Yes, this is true to a certain extent. This has given birth to a whole new generation of youngsters who believe winning is everything! The winner always walks away with every attention and the loser never. But The Oranje with all their loses in international stages, left a mark with every football lover in the world. The world wept with Cruyff when his total football was defeated in 74 by a brutally effective German side. 36 years hence the world cup is still remembered for all their heroics than the eventual winners Germans. Isn’t it? For the moment in 74 Germans seemed to be the winners but historically they were defeated by the Dutch beauty!( Take a moment if you are a football lover, think!). All the victories will be momentary and for the eternal glory you fight! The modern marketing of the game has necessitated “Success” to be the most important scale to measure “Joga Bonito” but I strongly believe this will be momentary and I am naturally afraid that it will kill the game I love!

Interestingly many people show the example of Indian hockey to prove the point to me – that winning is everything. To be honest I will never buy this. Why ? Because it has more to do with “Power game” than anything else. After all any sport – athletic- cannot be played unless you are physically fit to run throughout. The very fact that Indians lack the physical ability to cope with high paced Australians and Europeans did more harm to us than anything else. This is evident from the fact that only Asian side which is successful in international arena are the Koreans who despite their diminutive size, has loads of pace. Another clear example of this can be seen from the extinction of “Serve and Volley” players from Tennis. Despite all the grace he has, Roger Federer is not the kind of player Sampras was, does he? The power game with all its brutal effectiveness has killed off less athletic players but it has not taken away all the grace from game, nor it will able to. Now you may ask how will I explain Urugays failure? It is simple administrative failure! Also small size of the nation makes it even more difficult .

CPM and the ideological Crisis In Kerala..

I am proud to belong to a state which ranks close to the west on every concievable social indices at 1/50th of the cost. The state has a marvellous track record and has produced some of the best contemporary thinkers and poets. It has an enviable track record in being responsive to contemporary issues and never in india you can see people discussing India’s controversial deal with US and Palastenian crisis in tea shops and small gatherings. The state showed its independent thinking capabilities in first general election in india electing the first democratically elected Communist government in India. The Communist party of India has strong influence in the daily affairs of state and has a very strong influence among its electorate.

CPM has always boasted of moral superiority over other political parties. They are said to be strong in principles and always pro people. The party is said to be non tolerant towards factional infights and corruption.

But is this image weakening? VS-Pinarayi fight has taken party to an entirely new stage. The central leadership is struggling to justify the political support it gave to the incumbent Party Secratery Pinarayi Vijayan. The CM is playing a political opportunist by using this situation to undermine is sworn enemy in the party circles.

Its imperative that CPMs justification for supporting State secratery is grossly inadequate. The Party has always said while it was in opposition that those who found guilty in SNC Lavalin case will be punished according to law. But when it came power in state , it tried to scuttle the case. The state goverment spent lakhs to hire Lawyers from Supreme Court to attend a case to withdrawthe Lavalin Case in 2007. So how do you justify this? Especially when State vigilance which enquired the case did not give clean chit to any of the accused. It even mentioned a detailed probe as international elements are involved in the case.

The ideological stand CPM took in issues are always farce. It was severely criticising private capital but when communist china and its own WB CM renounced this untouchability and embraced capitalism it stood as mere spectators giving it a clean chit in everything under some stupid cover up excuse which it always finds. They claim to be sole representative for poor when ppor people are dying in states ruled by CPM. The fact remains open when bengalis have to migrate to states like Kerala to work for half wages. The 30 Year rule in WB has taken state to a deplorable condition.

The CPM must allow the law to take its own course if they believe in democracy and constitution. Or they can decide whether they actually follow EMS who said a communist can never believe in Democracy

Mission 2009 Begins today .. GMAT first !

After a disappointing outing in CAT 2008 i am gearing up for next mission. This time a slightly different truf. GMAT. I a going to do it in a systematic way.

Little bit of introspection. I am a normal Indian ( Yeah the most familiar face in GMAT communities – Indian IT Male). Not an overqualified super human. Does not possess an impressive vocabulary to juggle with essays nor a stupefying math genius. I am good at every thing. Enjoy reading especially novels and Non fiction. Do hate too much philosophy and verbal jingoism. So i hope i said the central point i am jack of all trades but master of none .

Having said that let me analyse what i will be required to do. From the extensive research i did on net i have understood the questions can be classified into 4 different categories

1.Math Direct

2.Data Suffieciency

3.Critical reasoning

4.Sentence Correction

I need a thorough preparation on everything. I will be taking GMAT Prep -1 tomorrow. That should give me a fair idea about where i stand and what kind of preparation i need. So Rahul, Best of luck for tomorrow

In Memorium….

“‘Forward, the Light Brigade!’
Was there a man dismay’d ?
Not tho’ the soldier knew
Some one had blunder’d:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do & die,
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.”- Lord Tennyson,The charge of light brigade

I saw this, I saw this through the eyes of NSG commandoes who entered the TAJ hotel, i saw this in the eyes of bloody rascals who  hid there. I acknowledge our brave officers who laid their lives there. They shed the blood for me to sleep peacefully. The took the bullets aimed at my chest.

Guys let these politicians fight for themselves we dont have anyone to protect us. We must wake up because this is the moment. Unless we do something they will continue to kill us, our children and their children. We need an end … An end forever. I will not mind if peace comes through my death. I will continue to fight the terrorists where ever they are. I dont mind going to Islamabad and shoot them if i can. I will not mind us dropping a Nuke bomb over them. But they must be finished.

When the Modis and Achthanandans disturb your peace wake up ! stand right ! We dont need these opportunists . They have never faced bullets . They have hidden themselves in corpses when it needed them to stand upright. They dont have any privilage to condemn the brave and their parents who willfully gave their children for India. I am proud of Mr.Unnikrishnan who said a strict no-no to petty politicians. I am proud of widow of Hemand Karkare. These people makes me think. I have the vote just like any one of you. Together we must fight. Lets show them ballot is powerful than bullets. Politicians must fear the ballots. Lets ight together to make a peaceful and preosperous country.

“Together we can, let alone we suffer”. Jai hind!