The whole idea behind writing about the recent debate ripping through our nation –The Lokpal Bill, was to make a point. As the present and future of this nation, we young Indians need to jump in and make our presence felt. It is time to take stock of the situation and join in together to fight against the crimes tearing our country apart. ‘People against Corruption’ is one such campaign and we should be aware and make the government aware of its responsibilities towards the citizens of India.

Circa 1969, the first time the Lokpal bill was presented at the Loksabha (House of the People) but did not manage to get through to Rajya Sabha (Council of States) was the fisrt step taken against corruption. Lokpal bills were introduced at regular intervals time and again all through the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and last in 2008, yet they were never passed and its pending status describes the dire state of affairs of a huge democracy like India.

Corrupt as a word has its origin from Latin "corruptus": spoiled or ‘corrumpere" to ruin, literally break to pieces. Corrupt according to some dictionary definitions is best described as a verb or adjective that means lacking in integrity, open to or involving bribery or other dishonest practices, morally degenerate and perverted, putrid or rotten, contaminated, to become or cause to become dishonest. India at its best is a good example when it comes to the above said words. The Indian state being the worlds largets democracy is also a breeding ground for corrupt officials, practices and law breaking activities which time and again have proved the need and validity of the Lokpal Bill.

Watching the news for the last few days has made me think, what is it that the government can do so that we as citizens feel that we have not only the nominal right to vote for a representative (who normally is corrupt with civil/ criminal cases pending under his name) but also make sure that we aren’t fleeced at every given point.

The Jan Lokpal Bill is a draft anti-corruption bill drawn up by prominent civil society activists seeking the appointment of a Jan Lokpal, an independent body that would investigate corruption cases, complete the investigation within a year and envisages trial in the case getting over in the next one year. Nevertheless the present government and its supporters or oppositions are gearing up for eyewash in terms of the Lokpal bill. According to a recent debate, civil society though has the right to know what the government is planning to do with the Lokpal Bill doesn’t have the right to intervene and ask for a joint panel in terms of drafting of the bill. Lokpal is the highest institution in India to investigate corruption at higher places in Government, including that of the Prime Minister (though this is still under debate).

Guided by the philosophy of Gandhi, Dr Kisan Baburao Hazare aka Anna Hazare, has struck again for the cause of the ‘aam aadmi’ and taken up the cause of common man and his fight against corruption. His movement ‘People against Corruption’ is gathering momentum and his decision to go on a fast till the government relents proves that the GOI needs to understand that unlike the last 42 years, this time around the people of India (both on and offshore) are serious about this bill being passed and come in to effect soon.

It’s a shame that our so called “political leader” are requesting Dr. Hazare to give up the fast on one hand and on the other not even considering the demand of a joint committee involving eminent members of the civil society while the drafting of the bill. The major reasons the Lokpal Bill drafted by the government is facing stiff opposition is due to the callousness of the bill in terms of the situations it has to handle in future.

The governments’ bill suggests that the Lokpal will not have any power to either initiate action in any case or even receive complaints of corruption from general public. The general public will make complaints via speaker of Lok Sabha or Chairperson of Rajya Sabha and only those complaints forwarded by Speaker or Chairperson of either houses would be then investigated by Lokpal. After this long drawn procedure the GOI has suggested the Lokpal or Ombudsman to be a advisory body which would suggest options to the government and would then pass on its report to the competent authority, which in case can range from the Prime Minister, Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. What kind of transparency is the government planning to maintain then? None!

The number of loopholes the existing bill has is enough for the ‘aam aadmi’ to raise a hue and cry about a situation as serious as corruption. Year 2010 has been the worst in Indian history in terms of corruption exposure and scams coming to light. Be it the Adarsh society scam or 2G or the Commonwealth Games, we Indians have been put to shame every time due to the senseless actions of our leaders and the lack of transparency and effective control over corruption.

Examples from various countries suggest that the institution of ombudsman has very successfully fought against corruption and unscrupulous administrative decisions by public servants. Sweden was the first nation which established an Ombudsman Office in 1809. Since then 121 other nations around the world have adopted this form of representation and the protection of human rights being one of the major purposes of such a representation. It’s our right to live in a corrupt free state and the government should finally wake up and do something about it rather than raise objections to civil society being part of the drafting committee.

Its been 62 years after Independence and what are we as citizens of the country doing? It takes a man like Anna Hazare to awaken the sleeping society to fight against corruption and demand that the governing authority take cognisance of what the people of the country want and not what is being forced upon us (as is been the case for the last 62 years).

The current movement spearheaded by Anna Hazare and other eminent social activists is a form of representation of the agitation and anger simmering in the hearts and minds of young Indians. Its a movement to pressurize or persuade the government in to taking an effective action against corruption and free the Indian society of a bane like corruption. The popularity of the movement and the interest it has been able to generate and the support garnered over the alst few days speaks of the angst and anguish in the minds of several Indians across the nation and all over the world. Its now the duty of the government to provide a nation of 1.2 billion people of which over 1/3rd still live below the poverty line a decent lifestyle sans corruption.

As a young Indian, I proud to be part of the generation which has finally realized the need of the hour and grateful to Anna Hazare and others who have initiated this campaign to make a difference in the lives of billions of Indians living in urban and rural India. It’s high time the Lokpal Bill is enacted and a strong society rises above corruption.Its not only the 'World cup' we need to win the world with a new India.

Gift, Gifting and Gift-errs

Disclaimer:
The views expressed here are strictly personal and any resemblance to people living is seriously incidental. :D


I believe marriages are great but then so is the nightmare that precedes it. Gifts!!! I decided to do something different for my friend. Now shopping the traditional way for gifts for a wedding is good, but somewhere along the long list that you have painstaking made you realize that your friend is going to end up with more than three quarters of the things on the list, sometimes in doubles and triples.

I seriously was against the idea of another pressure cooker or a new shirt or for that matter a figurine of God! That is when another friend and I decided to brainstorm over what we could buy our friend who was happily putting us through this nightmare!! We decided on a number of things ranging from Champagne to a party at a beach resort to a sexy top. All in vain, we couldn’t see my friend and her fiancé enjoying with any of those things.

Now when we come to weddings it can get extremely tricky as to what could be termed as unusual and sentimental and that which fall under the heading usual and practical. After all a wedding is a special occasion when a person you have shared wonderful memories is embarking on a new journey and marks the start of a different equation in your friendship.

Sipping chilled beer and hogging on fries we came upon this idea of thinking from another perspective. We went back to college days and came up with a list of all those classmates of ours who would have been creative in their own way leaving a trademark on their gifts...

Ideally we decided to divide people in to The Usuals and Unusuals. Half of them in the Usuals and the rest, well they could be the Unusuals. The Usuals were those who fell in the category of gifting which promoted groups such as ‘I like gifting appliances and figurines to people on their wedding!’

One of our first discussed groups was those who could be extremely interesting gift-ers. They would think a lot and give something which could be practical and at the same time be a reminder of old carefree days. They normally customize gifts to suit their relationship with the couple and would like to leave a little of the past, present and future along with their best wishes. This group consists of friends whom you could call at 3 am in the morning and say, ‘my wife threw me out please can I sleep on your sofa’!!!

Then there are those who would call up others and ask, BTW what are you gifting and can I make a contribution! Why break your head when someone can do that job for you? They are a funny lot, lazy enough to do the hard work but highly opiniated. Why don’t you get that gift, this isn’t my style, why this colour, that isn’t my favourite design, and the list goes on. Expecting them to be silent partners in the gifting process is the biggest mistake once could make, next only to agreeing to put their name on the gift!

Then there are those who would think of something so elaborate that the receiving couple would be overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of it!!!Guess when it comes to returning the gift the receivers would rather not attend the function itself!

Of course we can’t miss out those who were so popular for their ever ready advice and gyan that it might just manifest in to a self help book like – How to bore people in 10 different ways in order to counter boredom!!! At this point I would like to mention that people change and their ideas of self help also changes so one shouldn’t be overly looking forward to advice on countering boredom but instead expect the person to deliver a speech at your reception. Just imagine, you are at the height of boredom smiling and posing for photos with random people you haven’t met for ages and in most cases won’t be meeting again and here comes someone on a long speech on self help!!!

Another set of people are those who attend weddings with the single motto of having a good time laughing and eating the lavish spread at the dining hall. Well these kinds of people are the ones who are extremely different. Their entire idea of gifting is let’s give something that the couple or their families would never forget. And lo behold they become amateur Vir Sanghvis and go around tasting and criticising the food, which was the actual reason they were in the wedding!

But with so many wedding invites this season, I am the last person who should be writing this. I enjoy weddings and make sure each one is different experience. For me gifting is an art and conveys your innermost feelings. A simple card with best wishes is also a good option if your friend is someone who shares similar thoughts. But I have to wholeheartedly confess, gifting exclusive and personalized gifts is a task, nevertheless one I enjoy investing time and energy into. After all I won’t be very wrong in assuming to receive at least 10% payback on my special day!!!

The day dawned and I packed my bags to fly…

2 years is a long time, if life changes and just a pittance if things are hunky dory. With an aim to dream and achieve, I left college on a voyage unknown. A journey of uncertainty, upheavals and above all untested waters- The decision to join LSE!

Let me move to an action replay mode and go back to circa 2008, a year that changed my life by leaps and bounds. The decision to join a prestigious school in U.K. can be very unnerving, a mixture of hope, excitement and fear in equal measures. I have to thank my family who gave me the one thing that would make the difference, a chance!

LSE happened at a very appropriate moment in life. Things weren’t heading anywhere and I was being bogged down by a lot of emotional baggage and the offer to study was like a ray of hope. LSE gave me the opportunity to widen my horizon and learn beyond traditional boundaries. It was time to spread my wings and take flight. A flight to a far away land, tones of happiness and a bagful of pain (the added spice of life).

Well to start with most of us (all my fellow LSE offer holders) spent our pre departure days acquainting ourselves with each other and shared weird stories from the decision to apply to getting a room to stay in LSE halls. I had nothing much to share till the day before I flew out as I received a room confirmation at the twelfth hour. I have to admit, though we were a heterogeneous group of people, I made some really-real- friends during the pre LSE days.

Reaching London and settling in my hall of residence was a process by itself and was full of surprises, laughs and an occasional tiff (which I would have loved to describe as a difference of opinion). I doubt if my friends would disagree, but there was never a dull day, unlike the dowdy weather outside, during my entire stay at Passfield Hall. Over a large English breakfast, the endless refills of coffee or tea and portions of a nice mixed dinner which were never enough, I bonded with some amazing people.

The best part of staying in hall of residence was about being a part of a melting pot of diverse culture and varied backgrounds. A learning ground to know more about your foreign pal or next door neighbor, their culture and the unique characteristics that they bought to LSE. Be it Diwali or Halloween, Christmas or Holi we all pitched in to celebrate each fest as our very own. It was truly an enriching episode.



Cooking is something that I don’t fancy much (and all those who think that all gals should like cooking, go take a cookery class), but cooking for a bunch of friends was not only interesting but also satisfying. Those moments spent in the warm kitchens of the hall catching up on daily news will always stay with me. As part of hall memories I would like to mention those marathon drinking sessions, but I guess will leave people to recollect them rather than mention those hilarious outcomes in detail here.

Moving on let me introduce certain very special people who made my stay in London memorable. Sorry no names only personal traits that distinguishes them from others and I guess most of you would know whom I am referring to.

To be extremely frank I have always had very few close friends on whom I could rely and expect them to be there for me. And yes I found some more in LSE. I think they aren’t aware how lucky I am to have them in my life and what it meant to have them stand by me at all times. That’s an entirely different issue that some wouldn’t even offer tea or coffee when you land up at their place. Instead would ask you to make them a cup of hot chocolate!

Also some who were extremely hell bent on proving themselves right, that they may sometimes forget what they are trying to prove. Then you have those who call up for pep talk (counseling sessions) at midnight owing to home sickness. Not that I objected, infact it helped me combat my very own in a different way! Then came those who sat with you in silence and let you rant and rave and in the end smile and say ‘it’s alright’. Things will be fine tomorrow.

Evidently there is more to this list… Some got so busy with their new lives (maybe busy running away from old ones) that they ended up distancing themselves and then also complained, where were you? Some who went into over analyzing mode and ended up getting worked up. And last but not the least all those who wanted to say something but essentially kept quiet. Ah! The irony of life, subtlety sometimes doesn’t work.

Of course I have to mention the radio jockeying I undertook with a friend and all those Wednesday evenings spent agreeing to disagree on the show script that enabled us to bond beautifully. Don’t know if any of our friends at London heard us on radio, however our families back home surely did. That when you realize the term home and how each moment spent away from home is precious and needs to be treasured to understand the need for a family.


Come December and as the hall emptied out a few us enjoyed a very English Snowy Christmas. Of course life as I said before is not always hunky dory. I started having problems. My back stared giving me trouble and slowly the spark of life started to ebb from me. March 2009, is the month I would hate as well as never forget. It robbed me of lot things, particularly the right to lead a healthy normal life. I started losing on the chance to enjoy with friends, on time to reach out to my dreams, an opportunity to prove oneself, but above all it saw me inch towards the gates of hell (I guess I wouldn’t be welcomes in Heaven).

My pain went from bad to worse and then there was nothing I could do except hope that the next morning won’t be as bad as the previous night. Nevertheless that never happened. Each night was torture and every morning was a nightmare. It was during these days that my surrogate family as I would like to call my friends supported and cared for me. Be it a 3 am coffee or a 1 pm lunch they made sure I was in lesser pain. They helped me curb and save my self confidence and independence which were seeping out of me like a broken water tap.

The day dawned and I packed my bags to fly back home to my family hoping that I would recover from this ordeal. As I left the shores of U.K. I had never imagined that the next few months would cheat me of two precious years of life. From hell to back is an experience. An incident I wish no one has to endure, ever.

But all was not lost, it taught me a lot of words which I knew existed in the dictionary but how it is in reality is part of the learning process. Patience a virtue which can be very frustrating, humility and aspect of life which is difficult to accept, respect a feeling of admiration for something we always take for granted- our lives. It was however the power of love that has amazing healing powers.

Today I want to be a healer who can spread joy and hope in to peoples’ dark lives. I wish to be a person who can bring a smile on to lost faces. Be it a friend or foe, I hope to have a new beginning and certainly a new end too. What is vital is that I be there when it matters the most. Stay put and we shall all see the new dawn together. As I said earlier it’s never too late to change the ending.