"If a farmer fills his barn with grain, he gets mice. If he leaves
it empty, he gets actors."
—Walter Scott (Scottish, 1771-1832)
Word
for the day
Lief (adv)
Gladly; willingly. E.g., I would as lief go south as not.
Malice
towards none
Wildfire in California and
floods in Louisiana - the Superpower looks so poor and helpless!
First random thought this morning
A new star, brand ambassador for gender equality, epitome of women
power, and ray of hope for millions of oppressed girls, has emerged in Sakshi
Malik.
The bronze medal she won at Rio is not just that. It is a
consolation for millions of Indian who bet their pride on Olympic medal. It
would also be used as justification for the Rio visit of many who actually have
little to do with the sports.
The party at Social media will continue till 4.00AM in the
morning!
Some random observations
A recent trip to the Terai region
of Uttar Pradesh, provided a good deal of insight into this rivalry and a host
of other issues that have material socio-economic & political implications;
and therefore could have some bearing on the investment strategy also.
Firstly, a casual chit chat with
Punjabi farmers in the Terai, who mostly belong to families which migrated to
this side of the border at the time of partition in 1947, unambiguously
suggested that their decision to cross over was purely based on the fear of
being persecuted, and not due to any religious, nationalistic or patriotic
reasons. The mass immigration might not have even taken place if the partition
was peaceful and well managed by the British administrators. Persecuted,
brutalized, plundered and traumatized - this section of the population hates
Pakistan from the core of their hearts. (The immigration from Bangladesh,
erstwhile East Pakistan, is mostly economic; hence it does not evoke similar
sentiments towards that country.)
The people from other parts of the
country might perhaps not share the intensity of their feelings. A national
consensus on any Pak policy may therefore remain elusive; as is the case with
the policy on Sri Lankan Tamils.
Secondly, when I drove through the
roads of Eastern UP, it was the peak time for annual Kanwar Yatra in that part
of the state. Millions of Kanwarias in safforn garb, captured most of the
highways and facilities alongside it. The people ought to have been complaining
for the nuisance - 24hr cacophony of loud music; violence; filth; traffic jams.
Moreover, since from the Garh Mukteshwar till Shehjanpur the area is inhabited
by a Muslim majority, it's always a major security risk from administration
viewpoint.
But surprisingly no local resident
really appeared complaining. The Hindu populace mostly see it as a
"saffron deterrence" against the rising Muslim fundamentalism (a
similar show of strength is seen during Eid Milad Un Nabi, Muharram and
Shab-e-Barat, etc.). The rise in number of Ganpati and Durga Puja pandals is
also seen manifestation of this deterrence. The Muslim populace uses it to
justify the Islamic fundamentalism.
Moreover, since the participants
in this annual ritual come mostly from the Bahujan Samaj, the poor and
oppressed see this as a medium of social awakening. Politicians and social
engineers are therefore quick to pump resources and passion in the event.
Economically, with over 25million
people, mostly youth and children, already participating, this is potentially
emerging as the largest and longest carnival in the world - much larger than
the 10day Ganpati festival and 9day Durga Puja & Navratra festival.
Thousands of "Startups" and "Standups" could be built
around this.
