Musings Own Thoughts

I have been watching the debate on the Railway budget over the last two days. I cannot point a single media channel or speaker speaking on the merits of the issues at hand. While in all cases the India inc. representing corporate India and the eager to identify with the rich "aspirational middle class" hog the media limelight and claim that the "jholawallas" by any name reds or TMCites are on opposite sides, the big question is does this government or any care for the national carrier the railways. I am not an economist well versed with the nuances of budget making, however it seems a fact that the railways being a cheap mode of transport has come at this price over the years by the massive concessions offered to the public at large. On the other hand the services and safety aspects have been given a short shrift and today the number of accidents and deaths are reaching unacceptable numbers. Daily loss of lives on the Mumbai suburban network alone is about ten. The...

A lot will be said about Rahul Dravid but personally I feel sad that he did not go on a performance high, but he left with his head held high and dignity intact. I will say Rahul was the "Maryada Purshottam" of Indian cricket and was idealism personified. I cannot think of a single occasion when Dravid could be faulted for his conduct. He was the guy all India loved. For the mothers he represented the ideal son, for the chicks the dependable type of guy who they could have as a partner, for the youth the brother they could only dream of having, for his peers and colleagues the person to emulate. For the purist he was a joy to watch. Yet he was fallible, failed at times but always got up to rediscover himself. Even today I feel that he could have fought on and even if he was dropped would have tried to make a comeback. Like a true Karmayogi he did his duty and performed to achieve results but maintained his equanimity at all times. There was a phase in his career where a yo...