Comrade Chakra

“After being named the world’s second ugliest last year, Elwood, a 2-year-old Chinese Crested and Chihuahua mix, is sitting pretty this year as the ultimate ugly dog. Elwood, who is often referred to as “Yoda” or “E.T.,” competed against 13 other dogs at the Sonoma-Marin County Fair’s annual ugly dog contest in Petaluma, California, on Friday, June 22. Sources: The Associated Press, Sonoma-Marinfair.org” I picked up this piece of news from CNN . In fact, in the CNN TV news, I learnt that the owners of the dog consider it “the cutest dog in the world”…..which somehow rings hollow when you remember that they regularly get their pet to compete for the ugliest dog competition. But what is really interesting to note is that last year Elwood (the dog) had come in 2nd. The news clip does not mention the all important part….did he beat last year’s champ, or, did last year’s champ just drop out of competition this year. I somehow think Elwood will feel only half as good if it is the latter. ...

I am sick and tired of seeing the big picture , taking a balanced view , accept challenges and be a teamplayer, collaborate …what do they mean anyway? I have always heard people saying…try to see the ‘big picture’…at times I myself have been guilty of using that phrase…."let’s try and see the big picture"…. “are we missing the big picture here?” Tell you what; I am tired of trying to see the big picture. Just when I think I am able to see it…someone comes along (mostly it would be my boss or his boss) who will make it clear that I am really looking at something pretty small and totally missing the big picture. I am also tired of being a team-player, code of conduct compliant, showing ownership and initiative, accept challenges etc. So I have now decided to make a ‘paradigm shift’ ( Stephen Covey …and his 7 habits…damn him!!!) and only look at the small picture. I shall cease to be a team player and abdicate all ownership. I shall focus on the inconsequential and the low im...

I love the Shiv Sena . These guys just rock. Look at all the things they hate…or have hated at different points of time. They started by hating Gujratis and Marwaris who drove Bombay’s commerce. Soon, their able supremo turned his eyes to the South Indians with lyrical slogans like "lungi hatao pungi bajao" Infact they hated all non-Maharashtrians, and slowly took up various communities in turn….they hated Bangaldeshis , which of-course in their well-informed mind was the same as hating Bengalis so they started a campaign of kicking Bengalis out of Bombay (apologies, Mumbai). Then they started hating all anti-nationals, which in their rational minds meant all Muslims . Of course, they also hated the Christians , why? Well not because they were anti-national, but because they were not Hindus. So do they love Hindus? Well yes, certainly they do, if that Hindu is nationalistic, hates Muslims, is a Maharashtrian, is prepared to dig up the cricket pitch when Pakistan is schedul...

You have heard of Superman , well what about Inferiorman (I-man) ? I know it sounds tacky and you are welcome to come-up with a name for this superhero as long as it means the same thing. I have a feeling; I am onto something big here. This superhero – I-man , belongs to a different world, a world very unlike our own world. Our world as we know today is one where the fittest is supposed to survive, meritocracy is the buzzword, where one embodies mantras like perform or perish. However in this very unique world of Inferiorman (I-Man) , one competes to be inferior to the other. In this world everyone is trying to prove how much more backward he is than those next to him. And I-man is the one whom every-one aspires to be. He is like Superman’s negative (I refer to a term used in the days of the analog, still film, photography). Now what is I-Man like, you ask? Well, Inferiorman is the most backward guy in this comic-book world, he belongs to the weakest section of society and through year...