Cabinet reshuffling is just an image cleaning exercise

Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri Dean Business School IIPM

Politics cabinet reshuffle: Musical chairs...

The future of a nation is at stake when its political parties fail to reach consensus on issues indefinitely – especially when the government is made up of coalition parties. India has been more than a victim of this. While the Indian National Congress enjoyed undisputed majority when it had clear agendas – gaining Independence, reconstruction of India after Independence, the Nehruvian period – from Indira Gandhi's era, the pace of changes and generations within not only opposing parties but also the electorate ensured that the Congress slowly but surely had to accept the inevitability of ruling (or supporting) through coalitions – an amalgamation of parties that agree on much and disagree on some. The present Congress leadership under UPA-II seem to be thoroughly barbed due to a strange combination of two factors – one, coalition demands; two, opposition logjams. With party and coalition members accused of corruption, and the leadership further accused of deliberating ignoring corruption, the heat has been obviously right at the top for the ruling UPA.

And what's the best method then to ensure a fresh perspective and focus for the government? We have the tried and tested resort of a solution – cabinet reshuffling. Delve deep into the history, and one realizes that cabinet reshuffling exercises have always been more of image cleaning exercises than truly for matching politicians' competencies with respective ministries. And the recent one is no exception. At a time when the image of the UPA-II government has been taking quite too many hits, it has quickly reshuffled the cabinet to clean up its image.

But a quick recap of the entire reshuffling makes no sense – if that was done in order to counter present problems and their solutions. There has been no change in the key ministries including Home, Finance, Defence and External, which have the core party leaders in the leadership. Salman Khursheed (minister for water with additional charge of minority affairs), Jaipal Reddy (petroleum and natural gas minister), Vayalar Ravi (civil aviation ministry) are the gainers who have been promoted at the cabinet level. Among allies, NCP leader Praful Patel got the Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises. M S Gill has been removed from ministry of sports and youth affairs. Ministry of food and public distribution as well as consumer affairs, which were under Sharad Pawar, has now been given to K.V Thomas. And Kapil Sibal retains two important ministries including HRD and Communications and IT.

Ironically, the Congress leadership didn't remove ministers from power for non-performance and irregularities; it only shifted them to other less important ministries. This clearly proves the political back-calculations. Still, if resolving inflation rate was the final objective, then the government should have also ensured that Pranab Mukherjee was shifted to a lesser important ministry. Even that didn't happen for whatever it was worth. Then what exactly did happen? You missed the beginning – image cleaning.

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Koffee banter with the wedding planner!

IIPM Mumbai Campus

In a candid tête-à-tête with subhash k jha, karan johar speaks on why he s destined to remain a wedding planner all his life why kids call him koffee uncle and why he s launching new talent this year…

So many hats. Recently you were a wedding planner for Imran Khan?
I am proud to be one. I was very happy in helping Avantika and Imran with their wedding. They’re friends. And considering there’s no wedding in my own life, helping others with their shaadi is my way of living that experience.

So are you one of those sad wedding planners with no life of his own?
No, I am an aspirational wedding planner. I live out my own wedding vicariously. Let’s once and for all put all my marriage rumours to rest. There’s no marriage in my kundli.

Why the finality?
I love my single existence. I love living with my mother. I feel I am married to her.

In 2011 you are launching three new actors?
Yes, can you believe it! For the first time I’ll be directing newcomers in Student of the Year. Two of them, Aliya Bhatt and Varun Dhawan are industry kids. And one of them, Siddharth Malhotra has no connections with the industry at all. He had come in to learn the ropes of filmmaking. Siddharth and Varun were assistant directors on My Name Is Khan (MNIK). In fact that’s how I discovered they had star-potential.

What do you mean?
Our cameraman on MNIK Ravi Chandran made Siddharth and Varun stand in for Shah Rukh and Kajol for lighting. I saw them in the monitor and I knew they had the ‘it’ quality.

So you mean if they weren’t caught in that particular light, you wouldn’t have cast them in Student of the Year?
It’s all destiny. But let me tell you all three of them had to go through audition, reading, screen test and a whole lot of classes. It was wonderful dealing with them. I believe in all three of them. But there is the anxiety. I hope I live up to their dreams. I feel like a parent to three bright students. Earlier, I had no plans of directing the film. But now I’ll direct it myself.

What is it going to be?
A commercial Hindi picture with songs. There’re lots of songs.

But no Shah Rukh ?
What do you mean, no Shah Rukh? He is the co-producer of Student of the Year along with me. Shah Rukh and I both feel that launching talent is the way forward for our cinema. Then he suggested I direct it.

Is Shah Rukh going to make a guest appearance in Student of the Year?
Wait and watch. Kuch kuch to hota hai!

Shah Rukh and you got very sentimental on Koffee with Karan…
He is more than family to me. The one-on-one made us very comfortable. We both expressed ourselves with our head and heart. It was Koffee with a different taste. I also shot an episode with Hrithik Roshan and his wonderful wife Susanne.

Your chat show Koffee With Karan got into a bit of a controversy when Deepika Padukone and Sonam Kapoor took pot-shots at Ranbir Kapoor…
It has been controversial; sometime the show gets tabloid-friendly. I do the show with good intentions. I never meant to cause any distress or discomfort to any of my guests or their loved ones. The Deepika-Sonam episode created unnecessary controversy. That was much ado about nothing, if you ask me. Enough has been said about it.

It upset you greatly?
When I invite a guest on Koffee with Karan, I treat them with the warmth, love and hospitality that I extend to my guests at home. If my comments or my guests’ comments upset someone, then all I can say is that it is never my intention. There is an inherent sense of humour in the show. Sadly, we as a nation cannot take jokes at our expense. I can take jibes in my stride. When on my show Anil Kapoor said MNIK was the shocker hit of 2010, it was the first thing I put on the promo. I found it funny. I wish everyone else too would get a sense of humour. My intention was not to topple any applecart.

Are you going to continue doing the chat show?
Not when I am directing. But Koffee with Karan will always be a part of my life. It’s a part of me I love and enjoy. I am probably known more for my chat show than my films. On some level that’s flattering. But on another level it’s shocking.

I think that’s ridiculous.
You’ve no idea. Kids call me ‘Koffee Uncle’. Have I started looking like a beverage?

You look fine…
Thanks. But in some ways I am like a beverage. I can be served hot or cold.

What were the most exceptional aspects of 2010 for you?
For me it was MNIK that made the year special. Koffee with Karan is just an extension of my personality. It’s a hobby that pays me well. And it has done a lot of good for my brand. MNIK was a creative forward-movement from me. Its worldwide acceptance meant a lot to me and Shah Rukh.

I believe MNIK was one of the contenders for nominations for the Oscars. Did that make MNIK a competitor to Anusha Rizvi’s Peepli Live?
I don’t think so. Peepli Live was India’s official entry to the Oscars. I am not sure of the modalities. We are happy to be considered after apparently 400,000 fans of MNIK from all over the world petitioned that MNIK should be considered for an Oscar entry. Whether my film is a contender or not is immaterial. That it has found such a high level of acceptance means much more than awards to me.

Back home your name is missing in the directors’ list of some popular awards…
It’s basically just one platform where MNIK has not been nominated for Best Film and Best Director. What can I say? ‘Screen’ is a jury award. Most of the jury members are senior and respected members of the film fraternity. If they feel my film is not worthy so be it. However, I don’t think a film-awards jury from within the industry is a good idea. They’re bound to come on board with a certain level of bias. The Oscars comprise of an academy of 5,000 members, where the biases are offset by the sheer large number of opinions. I am personally not happy with a 7-member jury judging my film. However, I’ve the highest regard for all awards and organisations giving them.

Do awards still excite you?
Yes! Any accolade excites me. I like the applause. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like the trophy gleaming on my table. Javed Akhtar saab once said something very relevant about awards. He said, ‘Take the awards seriously during the year that you get them’. I love being nominated and winning.

Your line-up of films for 2011?
Besides my own film there’s the Imran-Kareena untitled film. Everyone calls it Short Term Shaadi or Stand by Me. Then there’s the sequel to Dostana and the remake of Agneepath. Punit Malhotra, Siddharth Malhotra and Ayaan Mukherjee are working on their scripts.

How do you manage to do so many things?
I am blessed. The only thing predictable about my activities is that they’re unpredictable.

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Dhobi Ghat: Dim city lights

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Technically chic, but jarred storytelling muddies the canvas

Dhobi Ghat is like an abstract painting – it can mean a lot if you think you have read the layers, and can be nothing but a splash of colours if you can’t decode it. Dhobi Ghat has nothing new to say. It is a film made by a person who is smitten by the city. It is a passionate but very indulgent kind of cinema where the director’s muse (Mumbai) becomes larger than the characters and story telling.

Shai (Monica Dogra), Munna (Pratiek Babbar), Arun (Aamir Khan – interestingly the biggest and unfortunate liability in the film) and Yasmin’s (Kriti Malhotra) paths cross in the narrow bylanes of Mumbai. I wouldn’t want to give away the story to you – there isn’t much, anyway. They all live in different Mumbais while living in the same Mumbai – a city of contrasts where sprawling seafacing homes dot the chawl filled streets. And yet, when their inhabitants meet, they shed their differences and walk hand-in-hand. While Shai’s Mumbai is clean, swanky and lonely, Munna’s is dingy, dreamy and lonely; Arun’s Mumbai is crowded, colourful and lonely and Yasmin’s is new, promising and yet lonely. Perhaps it’s this melancholy that binds these four characters together. Kiran uses an innovative technique in narrating Yasmin’s story to us. Her entire life unfolds before us, when she is never really there. Her video diaries mirror Arun’s solitude beautifully, right in the heart of the bustling Mohammed Ali Road. Yasmin’s immigrant point of view Mumbai is heart wrenching. Sadly, her’s is the only natural, genuine story that tugs at your heartstrings. The other characters, somehow, never manage to succeed in making you feel for them. And therein lies the problem. A film that counts so heavily on its characters to reach out to you and connect, fails to create characters that you really want to feel for. Even when the film ends you are left indifferent towards the characters.

Dhobi Ghat is not a bad film. What it lacks is a real story that wants to scream and reach out to you – a must for every good film. In Dhobi Ghat, unfortunately, neither are the characters very interesting, nor are the circumstances.


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Tangled: Old tale, new tricks

Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri Dean Business School IIPM

The razzle and dazzle of Rapunzel with a dash of Disney magic

Disney for a brief while seemed to have lost its magic touch of breathing new life into classic tales but with Tangled it looks like they are back at doing what they do best – make you laugh, smile and even cry without missing a beat.

So, you have the story of long haired Rapunzel locked in her tower by Gothel, the woman she believes is her mother. But little does the princess know that her hair has extraordinary powers and the woman has kept her in the tower after kidnapping her as kid. Rapunzel longs to be out there in the world and when her chance arrives via Flynn, a thief who seeks refuge in her tower she embraces it bracing herself for adventure.

The rest of journey is trademark Disney fun filled stuff but with a new found spunk that is brought out well by Mandy Moore (Rapunzel) and Zachary Levi (Flynn). The humour is spot on drawing in children and adults alike, and the supporting cast of Maximus (the horse) and Pascal (the chameleon). The animation work is superb (the 3D version is totally worth it) as seen in the acting just the facial expressions of Maximus and Pascal do (the two characters have no lines in the film). Tangled is a triumph of good old Disney family storytelling with a bit of fun and adventure for everyone.

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That’s what we call ‘Robbed by choice’

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In less than three years India has seen some notable multi-billion tax evasion cases. While the archaic tax laws are helping MNCs to indulge in tax evasion and walk out without any hassle, the government still lacks the desired motivation to bring in the most required radical changes to hit back hard at them.

A large section of the country got shocked in August 2009, when Minister of State for Finance S S Palanimanickam in a communiqué disclosed the amount that country’s top 100 tax defaulters owed to the exchequer. Cumulatively the amount stood at a mind-boggling Rs 1.41 lakh crore – over three times the amount that the government spends every year on National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme. But then it was just the list of people who defaulted their payments in a country where the largest segment believes that tax evasion is their birth right, be it legally or illegally. And the latest name that has surfaced in this regard is US-based confectionery giant Kraft Foods.

It all started when a Delhi-based law firm acted as whistleblower and filed a public interest lawsuit late last year citing irregularities in terms of tax liabilities related to sale of shares and other assets in the event of Kraft’s $19 billion acquisition of Cadbury. While the law firm, Kanth & Associates asserts that it is a clear case of tax evasion resulting into substantial loss to the economy, Kraft is yet to speak on the issue. In the meantime, a letter written by Salil Mishra, Under Secretary, Ministry of Finance, to Gaurang Kanth, Managing Partner, Kanth & Associates, indicates that “action has been initiated in the matter under the Income Tax laws”. However, irrespective of the outcome of the investigation and the long legal battle to follow, the fact that cannot be ignored is that the company managed to escape the eyes of the tax department without any hitch.

But then, this is not the first of its kind in India. Vodafone has already become a case study in this regard being found liable to the Indian exchequer for nearly $2 billion in capital gain taxes related to its $11 billion takeover of Hutschison Essar in 2007. So the question remains, how does these MNCs manage to skip the eyes of law causing a loss to the exchequer? Focussing on the backdrop in discussion – acquisition and capital gain taxes – Gaurang Kanth answers, “India lacks a strong legal framework in this context. For example, while other key countries (even China) have a franchisee law in place, India has no specific legislation to regulate franchisee arrangement in the country... and on most occasions such regulatory gaps end up helping these companies to evade tax.”

Though Vodafone and Cadbury are two multi-billion dollar cases related to takeovers, there are numerous other examples of tax evasion by MNCs operating in India under various other clauses. In 2008, soft drink major Coca Cola and German airline Lufthansa were slapped with demand notice from the Anti Evasion Wing of the Commissionerate of Service Tax. While Coke was said have to evaded Rs 8.55 crore in terms of service tax on the out of pocket expenses (expenses over and above the contract amount), Lufthansa was given a ticket of Rs 6.16 crore for allegedly evading service tax on full value of the fare it received. For that matter Nokia, the largest mobile handset player in India, had faced a penalty of Rs 1.14 crore in 2006 for furnishing inaccurate income particulars in financial year 2001-02 with an intention to avoid income tax. Going by experts, the number of cases where companies get caught and pay penalty is just the tip of an iceberg if we consider the number of companies that evade tax and move on without getting caught.

Adding another view point to how the MNCs manage to escape Indian taxmen, Dheeraj Malhotra, Director, MPartners, says, “They (MNCs) are deriving benefit from the mismatch between domestic legislation and sovereign treaties and taking advantage from the fact that treaties take precedence over law and exempt non-Indian source income of residents of certain jurisdictions from Indian taxation. Each transaction that has hit the limelight has been structured within such a framework.” To avoid such a scenario, the best way forward, perhaps, would be a proactive legislature that assists the revenue department and closes such loopholes to address these issues in the correct way.

However, the root cause of all these problems is the complex and archaic tax laws prevailing in the country. Irony is that time and again global companies have blamed these laws as a deterrent, yet they have used them beautifully to pocket more bucks by avoiding tax. Though Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has been promising radical reforms in tax laws, simplification of laws related to M&As and stricter norms related to compliance, it just doesn't seem to take off. What can be a better example than the New Direct Tax Code that is now expected to be implemented from April 1, 2012 despite Finance Minister’s high hopes at Pravasi Bhartiya Divas, 2010 where he had said, “We are working on tax reforms. I am hopeful that the Direct Taxes Code will be implemented from April 2011.” Thus, it’s not only the laws that needs to be changed. If the government wants to check the number of corporte tax evasion cases, the system as such needs to go through a complete overhaul with radical changes infused at all steps, be it the laws, or the execution of it. And that can only be possible if ample support can be mustered from both the lawmakers and the executives. Else, while India will continue to struggle with widening deficits, MNCs will continue to be rich with window dressed profits.

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A market sans money

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Money counts for nothing as commodity exchange on the barter principle is the norm at the historical Jonbeel mela of Assam which binds different tribes from the state and Meghalaya together

At a time when the money market is controlling the entire economy of the world, a unique market, operating on the barter principle, is still held once every year on the first Thursday after Makar Sankranti. Jonbeel mela is held at Jagiroad of Morigaon district. Gova King Deepsing Deoraja inaugurates the fair. When the King takes part in a community feast on the first Wednesday after Makar Sankranti, the mela is considered to be open.

Tribal people of the erstwhile Gova kingdom come down from the neighbouring Khasi and Karbi hills to the mela with their harvest of crops and fruits to exchange them with fish, traditional pitha and sandah and other commodities that are locally produced in the plains.

While the British took over the reins of Assam on February 24, 1826, after the Yandabu Treaty, the Gova kingdom came under British Rule in 1835. But traditional practices continued without any break. The Gova people select the King, abiding by the rule of hierarchy. The present King is a 17-year-old boy from Nongphu in Meghalaya who is studying in the tenth standard.

Hundreds of Khasis, Karbis, Jayantias and Tiwas walk down the hills with loaded bamboo baskets hanging from their forehead. Meanwhile, the people from the plains also gather. They exchange commodities throughout the day. The Tiwa people of the Gova kingdom are busy fishing while the market goes on. Guests are served fresh fish caught in the four beels (lakes) of the Gova King: namely Jonbeel, Arambeel, Khamrangibeel and Thakurdovabeel. There is another lake in the Gova kingdom where the local people do community fishing as the Assamese new year breaks in April.

The Jonbeel mela is a symbol of unity among the people of the plains and the hills. Both these communities address each other as "mama-mami" (maternal uncle and aunt). At a time when even the most remote corners on earth are not insulated from the effects of globalisation, the barter system of exchange gives Jonbeel a unique character.

Though the Gova kingdom obviously does not have any political significance today, it works as a cultural institution of the Tiwa tribe with a 51-member strong royal courtier group. Some of the portfolios are Borbarua, Jela (priest), Bhitarmazi, Bormazi, Muchi, Komar, Kumar Arandhora, Ranua, etc. Actually, these positions were meant to help the King to run the various functions of the Gova kingdom in the older days. Today, the royal courtiers are mainly responsible for organising cultural celebrations like Kharbeel mela in April, Gosai Olowa mela and Lakhimi puja (once in five years) on the bank of the Jonbeel lake.

At the Jonbeel mela, the King collects ‘tax’ from the tributary kings and traders coming to the mela. The tax is taken in the form of money or material.

According to one of the courtiers, Jursing Bordoloi, also a relative of King Deepsing Deoraja, the main problem of the mela is that they have no land of its own. For years, the fair is being held on rented land. “It is the most unfortunate situation,” he laments. The newly formed Tiwa Council has decided to dig a part of the historical wetland, the Jonbeel, to construct a cultural auditorium and a gate carved with traditional Gova designs.

On the last of the three days of Sankranti, King Deepsing Deoraja visited the mela. He arrived in a car and not on the elephant. The tributary King Bhadra Singh Deoraja also came to mark the festival. Meghalaya Governor Ranjit Shekhar Musahari, Member of Parliament Rajen Singh, former president of Tiwa Sahitya Sabha Tulsi Bordoloi were other prominent dignitaries who graced the market with their presence. The Meghalaya Governor said that anthropologically, Lalung, Kachari and Karbi tribes descended from one mother and such a celebration can help strengthen friendly relations among the different tribes.


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Dalit students at a government-aided school study the language of the vedas

Sanskritisation turned turtle

Dalit students at a government-aided school study the language of the vedas at a time when it has been shunned by the Brahmins and upper castes who were supposed to be its sole custodians

Kumbakonam is a historical temple town in Tamil Nadu. Situated on the banks of the Cauvery, this small place had garnered national headlines way back in 2004 when 83 students were burnt alive when a school was ravaged by a massive fire. Today, the town has put the episode of horror behind. And a school, by imparting traditional teaching, has acted as a major vehicle of social change.

The Jayendra Saraswati Oriental Higher Secondary School, a government-aided academy, has turned the prerogative of upper castes to learn Sanskrit on its head. Here, learning of the language of the Vedas is imparted to students from Dalit and backward communities.

The school was started by Swami Chandra Shekarendra Saraswati, the then Sankaracharya of Kanchi Mutt in 1966. By the 1990s, the school was tottering; the building had fallen apart, there was little or no funds. Then stepped in Sri Jayendra Saraswati, the current Sankaracharya of Kanchi Mutt. Normally, the Sankaracharya will come, bless the pupils and leave. But on a visit, he called a student from the seventh standard and asked him to recite some slokas. That boy incidentally turned out to be a Dalit student. He recited the Sanskrit slokas so beautifully that Swamiji was impressed.

He spent an hour in the school and the school survived. The Sankaracharya arranged for funds up to Rs 60 lakh. The building was restored and soon the school was back on its feet. 1966, when it started out, the Jayendra Saraswati Oriental Higher Secondary School had just ten students. Today, that strength has gone up to 450.

When the TSI team entered the Jayendra Saraswati Oriental Higher Secondary School, tucked in one corner of the Karna Kollai Agraharam area on the bustling Big Bazar Street, the school was abuzz with recitation of students.

''When our school was in a very bad shape, Swami Jayendra saved us. He has told us that we should not collect higher fees from the students. Here up to the tenth standard, we teach Sanskrit like Tamil and English. Poor and backward class students study this language with a lot of interest. We don't say no to anyone. We admit all. For further studies in computer and to know Hindi, Sanskrit will come very handy. We devote more time to Sanskrit classes," says J. Baskaran, headmaster of the school. While the teachers' salaries are taken care of by the state government, the Kanchi Mutt looks after the administration.

Mostly, the students come from poor backgrounds. They are mostly children of fruit sellers, railway platform vendors, daily labourers, masons.

Thirumalai, a teacher of Sanskrit in the school, is himself an old student of this school. He has done his Masters and M.Phil in Sanskrit as well. He was teaching students of the sixth standard when TSI caught up with him. ''We teach everything, starting from Akshapyasa up to grammar. From the seventh standard onwards, classics are taught. It includes Raghuvamsa, Rathnavali, Kumarasambhavam, Krajathajunya, Kaumudhi, Dharkkasangakaraga, Dhasakumara Sarita, Prathabha Rudriayam," he said.

“These young students are like clay, they can be moulded with ease. They learn quickly,” Thirumalai shared his experience with us.

Vaishnavi, a seventh standard student, is brilliant enough to manage her class while her teacher is away in Chennai on official work. Vaishnavi is a Dalit student, her father sells fruits. She was reading out a line from Raghuvamsa and explained its significance to her fellow classmates: “This means that the Kings of the Raghu clan earned only to give away to the poor.”

Praveen Kumar from the sixth standard secured 72 marks in Sanskrit out of a possible 100 in the recently held half-yearly examinations. His father is a carpenter. Valarmathi, another Dalit student whose father is a daily labourer, is also fond of Sanskrit. Sandhya's father is a labourer; the tenth standard student has got 82 marks in her last examination.

N. Ramakrishnan, secretary of the school, tells TSI, ''Generally, you would not find students from higher sections of the society studying Sanskrit. Mostly, lower class students study the language. We don't differentiate on the basis of caste or religion. Last year, a Muslim student scored the highest marks in Sanskrit. By the way, we just don't teach Sanskrit. In other subjects also, our school students are doing good. They are passing the board examinations with flying colours."

How ironic, once considered the language of the Gods which the sudras (lower castes) were not even allowed to hear, today Brahmins and other upper castes have completely shunned it, leaving it to the Dalits to keep the mother of most Indian languages alive.

''E. V. R. Periyar, the great social reformer of Tamil Nadu, vehemently opposed the systems of caste hierarchy and Brahmin superiority. In the course, he also opposed Sanskrit. Tamils are known for opposing Hindi language when in 1937, it was made compulsory in the schools. Anyone who knows the social history of the Dravidian movement would really wonder about what is happening in this school. It highlights a social change that perhaps the keepers of this language will not necessarily be Brahmins," says Thenuga, an art and social critic from Kumbakonam.

Sanskrit, almost a dead language in India, is being revived at many levels. Perhaps making it a mass language would help it to live longer. May be this school has a bigger lesson for the people of this country.


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The UPA-II ship is caught in a vortex and it is doubtful whether Dr Singh can steer it to safety

Arindam Chaudhuri is Delhi franchise holder for i1 Super Series

World Cup fever is gradually reaching a crescendo and I am sure Prime Minister Manmohan Singh must be wistfully humming ‘De Ghoomake’ in solitary splendour at 7, Race Course Road as he grimly contemplates the prospect of facing a belligerent BJP in the soon-to-start Budget session of the Parliament. As cricket competes with sleaze and serendipity for headlines, it may be time to turn the clock back a while and revisit the Cricket World Cup of 2007.

At the helm of the team was the celebrated duo of Indian Rahul Dravid as Captain and Australian Greg Chappell as Coach. Dravid was Mr Nice who sometimes surprised us with uncharacteristic flourishes of decisiveness and assertiveness. Chappell was the strategist who pulled strings (often from not behind the scenes) as the partnership between the affable Dravid and the abrasive Chappell promised to take the Indian team right to the top of the heap. For a while, in the early days of their partnership, things looked great as the team under Dravid notched up 16 consecutive One Day victories. Early misgivings about the unnatural and unsustainable nature of this partnership were swept aside as rants of frustrated fans. And then it happened. India was humbled, humiliated and hooted out of the World Cup. Sounds naughty but you can’t help wondering if the Manmohan Singh-Sonia Gandhi partnership is not heading for a similar denouement.

Please remember, it was India that offered the job to Greg Chappell. And surely all of us know the Congress party virtually forced a deeply reluctant Sonia Gandhi to accept the thankless job of being the Congress president. Of course, beyond this, it would be churlish and insulting for India to draw any parallels between the innate dignity and maturity of Sonia Gandhi with the often comical cockiness of Chappell. Yet, as in the arena of cricket, it is both perceptions and results that matter more than intentions in the arena of competitive politics.

No one doubts that Dravid was brimming with good intentions. No one would dare question his ‘personal’ integrity. No one could even gossip about his pedigree and class and his deep understanding of the game. We all knew he was perhaps the best read Indian cricketer, erudite, knowledgeable and a thinker. And yet, many of us couldn’t help wonder if he was the right man to be at the helm of the Indian cricket team. Such strangely similar, sad and haunting thoughts have gripped many while thinking about the erudite, knowledgeable and thinker Dr Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister of India.

It would be tempting to look at recent past and scoff at the comparison between Rahul Dravid and Manmohan Singh. After all, hasn’t the partnership between Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh proven to be one of the most durable and successful in contemporary history when instability and uncertainty were the order of the day? After all, did the duo - despite all criticism and cynicism - not work electoral magic in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections when all those who harangued and harassed Dr Singh - Prakash Karat, Lalu Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav - were humiliated at the hustings? After all, hasn’t Manmohan Singh been at the helm as Prime Minister longer than any other politician in India except Jawaharlal Nehru?

All that was true in the summer of 2009 when the Congress and the UPA looked invincible. But in less than two years, those heady days of euphoria have evaporated, leaving behind a haze of sleaze, scams, rising prices and a sense of drift that is unnerving. The latest survey of Indians carried out across 21 cities by CVoter for this magazine has much that should unnerve Dr Manmohan Singh and cause him deep anguish despite the fact that most Indians still seem to be convinced that he is a good guy. Almost two-thirds of Indian voters are convinced that Dr Manmohan Singh was a better Union finance minister than a Prime Minister. A majority think he is not doing enough to tackle corruption and many more are convinced that he cares more for the rich than the poor. But the sucker punch for Dr Singh is this: three out of four Indians think that he is more of a puppet now than he was during the first term of UPA.

Of course, we all know that much as she respects and trusts him, Sonia Gandhi is not looking at Dr Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister beyond 2014 - perhaps even earlier. We know she has to look at the long term interests of her party and the cringing desperation of Congressmen to see Rahul Gandhi as the next Prime Minister of India. Politics is not about being nice and Mrs Gandhi would request Dr Singh to step aside in a heartbeat if she was convinced that a replacement ‘partner’ would be a better bet for the Congress in 2014. She has reasons to worry on this count. A majority of Indian voters say they have no idea who could be a better Prime Minister now. But the sucker punch for Mrs Gandhi is this: close to 40 per cent of voters say they would vote for the NDA if elections were held today while just 34 per cent opted for the UPA. Clearly, the astute Mrs Gandhi must be aware of the clear and present danger that confronts her party.

Is all looking lost then for the ruling establishment as it lurches from one crisis to another? Lets stretch the cricket metaphor a bit. After the World Cup debacle, a new look team of youngsters led by M.S Dhoni zapped the world by winning the inaugural 20-20 World Cup. If wishes were horses…

Shahana Mir, Housewife, Mumbai

Mitti ke khilaune bhi na saste the mele me/MaaN, baap bahut roye ghar ja ke akele me (Even Earthen toys were not cheap in the fair/Mother and Father cried upon returning home). Government policies in India mean more or less the same for the poor and the middle class, whether it be a Congress government or that of BJP. Today, the most important issue is food price inflation that has wreaked havoc on majority of the people of the country. Only a few rich people, who are getting richer by every passing day, is happy with the situation. Since the UPA always claims to work for the welfare of the minorities, the government must do one more thing for the welfare of the majority of people in India. Print and paste photographs of fresh fruits and vegetables so that the poor can remember their names to live happily ever after.

R. M. Pitchappan, Scientist, Chennai

India is a country of many variations and has many problems. But we get by as our family values are strong. Of course, episodes of corruption, price rise and mismanagement affect us. I hold the conjunction of various international and national factors responsible for price rise. But as much as government policy is aimed at helping the poor and the marginalised, the practice of giving things for free does not make sense. It kills the motivation to work. It will eventually lead only to a western farming model where big farm owners and corporates can only afford to till the land. Perhaps the government should devise a system so that it supports only those who work. In my field of science, the quality of teaching is abysmal. There is no pride in teaching. I suggest more emphasis be given to quality. There should be no compromise on quality at the point of entry.

Dasharath Pali, Local trader, Ahmedabad

I just cannot fathom what our leaders are doing nowadays. The people are struggling hard to fulfil the needs and requirements of their families. Grains, pulses, milk, vegetables, fruits, petrol… prices are going up. The common man's household budget is going out of hand. Even onions have become unaffordable. How can a person survive? Every year the government assures us that the needs of the common man are being considered in the Budget. Only concerns of the big corporate houses are factored in, leaving the aam aadmi to suffer. I hope that the government eases the tax rates because these taxes make commodities more expensive. Why should we pay Education Cess when billions of rupees are allocated each year for education? Time has come for the government to realise the situation. Otherwise, the public will make sure you are out in the next elections.

Nemai Adhikari, School Teacher, Kolkata

I expected the UPA-II to take steps for qualitative upgrade of education but it has disappointed me. The ‘education for all’ programme and change in the evaluation system have compromised quality. Being half-educated is more dangerous than being illiterate. I am also disappointed with the high rate of corruption and the government's failure to control price rise. Economic disparity is reaching an explosive stage. I think the budgetary allocation for education should be hiked to 10 per cent of the total Budget. The interest rate on PF should also be increased as this may give the inflation-hit commoner a little respite. Retired teachers and government employees depend on the interest accrued on their limited savings like PF and other funds. Having failed to arrest price rise, the government should at least provide succour by hiking interest rates on savings.

Arun gogoi, shopowner, guwahati

I am hopeful about some reform processes that have been kickstarted by the Centre such as online documentation by various government departments which would gradually help in eradicating the role of middlemen in business. Speaking on the leadership quality of Manmohan Singh, I will say he has not been a strong PM. But at the same time, he does not suffer from dictatorial attitude and Singh is running the government in a democratic way. I hope that the government becomes more transparent. In case, people and agencies are found guilty of corruption, the culprits are brought to book. The government should also ensure mechanisms so that such scams do not take place in future. The price hike of essential commodities and fuel price hike has definitely affected me and my family. The government should show prudence to address the issue without any further delay.

Dhruba sahoo, Govt Employee, Bhubaneswar

We can definitely blame the Union government for the optimum rise in prices of essential commodities. And this has created a scope for unscrupulous businessmen to hoard commodities and make money. Though the state government machinery is trying its best to control black marketeers but it has no effect. I think, artificial shortage of essential commodities is the main cause of this price rise. The people, who are responsible for this artificial shortage, should be dealt with most stringently and the harshest punishment should be reserved for them. Both the Centre and the state should adopt a long-term strategy to increase agricultural output to face this grim scenario of food shortage and the resultant price hike. At last, I have to say that the state government has a greater role in curbing price rise as compared to the Union government.

H. K. Abhishek, Software Consultant, Bangalore

I guess two consecutive terms give more time to a government to unveil a plan and implement it. Well it seems inflation has been their plan and it is never going to end. The PM said that we had a stable economy during the global recession. Well, I would agree with that for a while when compared to other countries. Today all prices - fuel, basic food, transportation – are on the rise. This government did or said nothing credible when US talked about cutting down on outsourcing and reduction in number of VISAs. They conceived several plans but I think there was no critical introspection on subjects like 123 Agreement, NREGA etc. To top it all, so many appalling scams have kept the UPA busy and people in constant wonder. I just hope they work for common people sometime and come up with real leaders rather than building up the image of Rahul Gandhi.

Pawan Kumar, Engineer in MNC, Noida

There should be more stringent laws to deal with corruption in the country. Merely enacting laws will not ensure eradication of corruption and the government should make sure that these laws are implemented too. Thanks to the UPA government's performance and rampant corruption, one is unable to live through one's salary these days. Prices of commodities have touched the sky. To top it all, if some fraud or scam is exposed, then the government tries to save the culprits instead of bringing them to book. Our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has proved to be a weak leader on one hand and on the other, Rahul Gandhi is busy promoting himself to keep the dynastic flag flying. The government is indulging in caste and religion-based politics. It seems that the bureaucracy is running the country instead of the elected officials.


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