"Modi"fying ....

After much dilly dallying and giving the aging Advani undeserved anxieties ,the BJP has finally managed to find its spine and  gathered guts enough to announce Modi as its Prime Ministerial candidate . Though there was really no doubt regarding the choice the only doubts were about "would they or wouldn't they ".Now that the formalities are over ,the media immediately set out to behave as if the naming day was the eve of his ascending the throne itself .There were pictures of a young Modi,timelines tracing his rise ,his humble beginnings in his teashop ,interviews with his mother ,etc ,etc ..the kind of news that we are actually habituated to getting only on the eve  of a new PM or President taking office .

The  real success  story however was not the news itself but the way the media has taken to Modi .A few years the very same media slammed Modi as communal ,autocratic and polarising but now all that they seem to sing is his glory .This is victory indeed for the Gujarat CM ,who unrelentingly withstood the media onslaught against him .

Modi obviously  owes most of his recent success to the Media .The positioning of Modi has been very cleverly planned and executed and is easily the most successful marketing that we have seen in recent times.The mediocre mind would have thought that the best way to position Modi would be to make him seem acceptable to all religions or acommunal .But Modi has cleverly chosen to completely sidestep the communal plank and sought to focus on himself as  Mr.Clean Mr.Development and  Mr. Strong decision maker . .In a country embarassed by a non functioning PM ,suffocated by a thousand scams and  disillusioned by rising prices ,the Modi placement is too perfect. To the masses  ,a talkative ,thundering Modi against a non talking PM must be a definitive change .

The dividends are obvious .Modi of yesterday was a ruthless dictator  who was behind the post Godhra massacre but Modi of today is the man the nation wants to lead them .He has all the attributes it takes to make a successful leader .Modi ,the media seems to say will lead us from darkness into light .Everyday we wake up to read yet another analysis of the Modi mantra as a few dissenting noises are lost in the din .Whether Modi makes it to 7 Race Course road or not ,it must definitely soothe his pride that the media of today literally drinks from his lips .

Yet another day dawns and Modi has come to be part of our everydays .From the youth of the country to all its well wishing citizens Modi says our media is the answer.As days go the rants will escalate .
And as chants of Modi fill the air ,Modi the Messiah has arrived .....

Modi for Prime Minister !

Will or will not Modi be BJP's candidate for Prime Ministership ?

The question has come back to haunt the BJP and the nation and more important the media , once again .
In a party with no  designer modelled heir apparent to don the mantle by virtue of birth like the BJP ,the  number of contenders to  the above mentioned candidature is astonishing !From Sushma Swaraj ,Arun Jaitley to the immensely popular Gadkari and the young at heart Advani ,all  leaders of any  notable stature are serious contenders .

The nation and the media  in particular do not mind this in the least and start popping like popcorns once the Gujarat's Chief Minister's name crops up .

For Modi ,
1.He has proved himself an able administrator and has built a model state or that is what is to be believed from the media reports .
2.He has obviously managed to retain the trust of the people of Gujarat .
3.No court of law has so far been able to prove him guilty in the infamous post Godhra riots .

Against Modi ,
1.He remains and will remain the most polarising figure in Indian politics.
2.Though no court has sentenced him ,there is no denying that the riots happened under his nose and he let it happen without the least remorse .

In this pre election scenario the Congress seems to be amassing  unpopularity  like never before .
This might be the best chance for the BJP to bid for power against a corruption ridden ,inefficient Congress .
Unfortunately the BJP at this critical point of time lacks what the Congress has ,a Prime Minister candidate !
The media while being severely critical of Modi's rather communal posturing ,has also played a very significant though seemingly analytical role of his governance .If most media reports are to believed ,Modi's Gujarat is indeed the Promised Land where honey and milk flow .

This  well orchestrated campaign  has played a meaty role in bringing Modi where  he is today .All the recent reports seem to establish that Modi has outwitted many opponents to be BJP's  PM candidate !
Though this could mean severe polarisation of votes and loss of a few allies like Nitish ,Modi today seems the one man who can place BJP on the centre stage once again .He has most of what it takes to flourish in Indian politics ,rhetoric,posturing ,media support and above all the ability to sweep his past under the carpet !

By playing  the Modi card ,the BJP only stands to gain ..but for Modi it could be a do or die game !
If he wins ,BJP will be back in power ,his past  conveniently wished away and his detractors silenced..
If he loses ,the BJP will still remain the major opposition party but Modi's political ambitions can be clipped ..and this will  benefit his competitors and also the nation's millions who sincerely believe theirs is a land of  Unity in Diversity ......

 

Rest in Peace

Upon a time
My blood was red
And my eyes all stars
And my heart of gold
Upon that time
My mind was mine

It dared to think
To dream, to wish
To seek, to ask
To question, to love

It glowed in the warmth
Of its myriad thoughts
It shone in the glaze
Of its inner suns
It rested in the shadow
Of its nested dreams

My mind wasn't mine anymore
My mind was mutilated
It dared not move
Stripped of its dreams
It stagnated like a puddle
On a forsaken street

Neglected and denied
Wounded and clipped
It bore in silence unending pain
It held in secret unfinished dreams

My mind has died a silent death
A silent unmourned unlamented death
Rest in peace, my beloved mind
Another day, we may arise and live 

Poongulali