Strange Land, Stranger People

Truly, when one thinks of India, does one really think of Incredible India? I'd rather say they think of a few basics:
1. The 'Common-wealth games'
2. Food and Money
3. Naxalites

The Commonwealth or Common-wealth Games 2010
CWG 2006, Melbourne: A dainty Aishwarya Rai performs an eleven minute dance sequence as she welcomes the world to witness the Commonwealth Games 2010 to be held in India's national capital, New Delhi. 4 years since, and let's have a look at the exquisite condition the stadia are in with just 31 days to go before India rolls out the red carpet for her guests for the Commonwealth Games 2010. Well, let's just hope so.
Indira Gandhi Stadium and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium: Do these places even look like stadia that are due to host a series of international events in just about 30 days? I'd rather say, and I'm very sure many would agree, that they look pretty much like Canning House and Dalhousie House and other such warehouses flanking the Strand Road in Calcutta.
Commonwealth Games truly seem to have turned into a Game to loot the Common's Wealth. All hail Suresh Kalmadi, officially, indeed; and unofficially, the many top bureaucrats, who, along with Mr. Kalmadi, sometime or other, have been part of this wonderful act we term as 'under-the-table conversation.'
Some Rupees 40,000.00 spent on hiring toilet paper and umbrellas? Honestly, I had never even heard of 're-usable' toilet paper until our honourable Government decided to invest 5 grands per roll renting it. Well, let's just hope 'Atithi Devo Bhawa' lives up to serving it's guests from the Commonwealth of Nations and other countries and is not corrupt too.

Food and Money
Madame Tussuad should have considered opening up a museum here in India too, considering the fact that we have prestigious jewels whom we can immortalize for ever, and one of them is our food and agriculture Minister, Mr. Sharad Pawar
What have not heard about this marvel? First, his link ups with the IPL scam, and now this - the height of 'responsibility' on his front when it comes to the people of India. He is a Cabinet Minister, holding a key portfolio that precedes every portfolio, as man cannot munch on currency notes.
Tonnes of food grain have been wasted over the past decade, and an approximate value of Rupees 50 crore is spent every year in order to protect these food crops from damage.
According to the guidelines laid down by the Government of India, every Indian family below the poverty line is liable for 450 kgs of ration a year. I doubt whether they even receive 4.5 kgs of it in a year. Most people are dying of hunger, and the food which is produced for them is damaged and destroyed thanks to the poor preservation methods. Where exactly is the money going then? Are we really dumb enough to believe that we spend so much over food protection only so that all of it goes down the drain? I think not.
Where is it all going then? Well, it's all draining, but into pockets - pockets of the rich and 'honest' citizens of India who aspire to lead us 'unto light from darkness,' while Mr. Sharad Pawar gleefully states that he has to 'look into the Supreme Court order to check whether he is allowed to distribute the damaged food crops at times of drought like these.'
And then, we talk of price inflation. Not of daily articles, however, but our Members of Parliament. Areas of Bengal are drought stricken. The 3rd farmer suicide took place in two weeks on Tuesday, 31st August, 2010. How are we( the MPs) bothered? All we need is our money and whether we come to Parliament or not, whether we 'serve' the nation and her people or not, is absolutely optional; and often voted against. So much for 'Satyamev Jayate.'
When people across the country are dying due to lack of finances and lack of food, our MPs storm the Parliament and cause its adjournment numerous times a day, all in thought of the 'servants' of the country - our politicians. As if a 300% pay hike was not enough, they need 200% more, excluding all allowances. Agreed that our MPs still receive a lot less as compared to international standards, but aren't they wise and sensible enough to realise that at a time like this, when one's own brothers are killing themselves, one should atleast be considerate enough to be termed human? Well, I don't think such sensibility will ever dawn upon our 'men who lead from the front.'

Naxal Problems
The Media talks of and to the Maoists. We see footage of them on our television sets and pictures in the newspapers. Despite that, our Government cannot track them.
The Home Minister, Mr. P. Chidambaram tries his best to arrange for a conference with the Chief Ministers of all the states undergoing Operation Green Hunt, but some of them just don't seem to turn up.
The Minister of Railways, who is touted to be the next Chief Minister, puts forward her ideas, "There are no Maoists in India."
So basically, the problem lies in  the fact that as usual, we are divided in opinion, and that is quite natural.
The Chief Minister of Bihar has always sided with the Maoists and as a result, 2/3rd of Bihar is under Maoist control. The Chief Minister of Jharkhand never bothers to turn up for meetings with the Minister of Home. His reasons are valid enough, he himself is touted to be one of the Maoists.
The people want the Army in, the politicians don't. Why would they? After all, switching on the local news channel would give them unending entertainment.
The Maoists have open jan-adalats in the forests. A prominent news channel even telecast a live session of a jan-adalat on their prime time, and still our politicians are fighting over their very existence.
What more do they need? Thousands of police massacred in the long run, trying to regain democratic control over the Maoist areas; four police men nabbed from Bihar this morning, and they are still waiting for more. The only thing that they can do is pose with their picture-perfect faces with the cliché statement: "The situation is under control." Obviously, it is under control - the security forces are under control.
"Money, Money, Money, It's a rich man's world!"

-Rrivu Banerjee