The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Ms. Mayawati is in news for donning a huge garland made of currency notes (I understand of Rs. 1000 denomination) at a recent rally in Lucknow. The money running into crores of rupees is clearly unaccounted for. Ms Mayawati is today considered to be one of the richest politicians in the country with unimaginable and largely ill-gotten wealth filling her coffers to the brim. It seems that having money isn’t enough, she must now flaunt it brazenly.
This appalling and vulgar display of wealth by the chief minister of a state, which is a basket case as far as development goes, is shocking. Mayawati wants to make a political statement. In a state where money is often equated with power, such unabashed display of wealth establishes Mayawati, the impoverished daughter of a ‘dalit’ as the most powerful leader of the hindi belt. Since, Mayawati is showcasing her enormous wealth to her captive constituency of the Dalits, I guess even such a perverted and vulgar show is par for the course.
To make matters worse Mayawati’s followers have now announced that henceforth, wherever Mayawati goes, she will be welcomed with a garland made of currency notes. While Mayawati panders to her chosen audience, shouldn’t the Income Tax department at least look into the matter and initiate an investigation. This is perhaps the least the civil society can do to uphold the law of the land.
I was in Mumbai this entire week. With the annual sales pressures mounting in the present last month of the financial year, colleagues at work decided to take it easy one evening and we all landed at a pub after a hard day’s work. With the IPL matches on, it was the Delhi team taking on the Mumbai Indians. The pub had set up a large screen and the match was being beamed live.
The atmosphere in the pub was electric. With Sachin Tendulkar in full flow, the aches and pains of the day seemed to melt away. To realise the full impact of Sachin Tendulkar, one has to watch him bat in Mumbai. Every shot is vociferously applauded, every hit to the fence lustily cheered and his dismissal treated with a silence, which is only broken by a standing ovation as he walks back to the dug-out. I wouldn’t be wrong to say that Sachin is, by a huge distance, Mumbai’s favourite son.
As the match progressed the liquor flowed freely, the snacks disappeared fast and the pub manager confessed to me that they are just not geared to handle so many guests. IPL III has once again captured the minds and hearts of the viewers in no small measure. To round off a perfect evening, Mumbai Indians beat Delhi Daredevils and all seemed to be well with the world.
A colleague sent me these pearls of wisdom, attributed to Khushwant Singh, one of India’s most loved and respected columnist and author.
Having lived a reasonably contented life, I was musing over what a person should strive for to achieve happiness. I drew up a list of a few essentials which I put forward for the readers’ appraisal.
1. First and foremost is GOOD HEALTH. If you do not enjoy good health you can never be happy. Any ailment, however trivial, will deduct from your happiness.
2. Second, a HEALTHY BANK BALANCE. It need not run into crores but should be enough to provide for creature comforts and something to spare for recreation, like eating out, going to the pictures, travelling or going on holidays on the hills or by the sea. Shortage of money can be only demoralizing. Living on credit or borrowing is demeaning and lowers one in one’s own eyes.
3. Third, a HOME OF YOUR OWN. Rented premises can never give you the snug feeling of a nest which is yours for keeps that a home provides: if it has a garden space, all the better. Plant your own trees. And flowers, see them grow and blossom, cultivate a sense of kinship with them.
4. Fourth, an UNDERSTANDING COMPANION, be it your spouse or a friend. If there are too many misunderstandings, they will rob you of your peace of mind. It is better to be divorced than to bicker all the time.
5. Fifth, LACK OF ENVY towards those who have done better than you in life; risen higher, made more money, or earned more fame. Envy can be very corroding; avoid comparing yourself with others.
6. Sixth, DO NOT ALLOW OTHER PEOPLE to descend on you for gup-shup. By the time you get rid of them, you will feel exhausted and poisoned by their gossip-mongering.
7. Seventh, CULTIVATE SOME HOBBIES which can bring you a sense of fulfillment, such as gardening, reading, writing, painting, playing or listening to music. Going to clubs or parties to get free drinks or to meet celebrities is a criminal waste of time.
8. Eighth, every morning and evening, devote 15 minutes to INTROSPECTION. In the morning, 10 minutes should be spent on stilling the mind and then five in listing things you have to do that day. In the evening, five minutes to still the mind again, and ten to go over what you had undertaken to do.
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