They say the ‘sun never sets’ in the rainbow nation of South Africa and after having crossed the half way mark of 2011 and after having witnessed so many high profile events, we can say with utmost substantiation that the ‘sun never sets’ in India too. Be it Mahendra Singh dhoni’s gigantic strike that sailed over, to eventually seal the fate of Sri Lankans in the world cup final or be it the Tihar jail which houses the poshest in the country or be it the meteoric rise to fame of a septuagenarian who has literally taken the government for a ride, we have all been treated to action-packed mornings and gossipy evenings.
It wasn’t always like this, wasn’t it. India wasn’t always this country of frenetic activity. There were times when even the Kiwis thronged here for Peace, for stillness. But none can argue the fact that certain things are subject to change; they falter in the test of time. And so India has also moved on or rather been forced to.
The other day, I read a column by ‘Barkha Dutt’ where she mentions ‘Alice in Blunderland’ as India’s current story. Thoughts in spades struck me. India in the last six months has been more or less like a T20 cricket match; no space for a breather. There was non-stop action. Powerplay(er)s in the form of 2G-spectrum heroes, free(bie)hits of politicians, scams resembled the sixes and there were cheer leaders too in the form of Yogic Gurus. The match-referee(Sonia G) and umpire(MMS) had no say in it. Yes, India sorely missed a ringmaster in its circus. It missed a leader, a comrade, a guiding light and more importantly a Lok(h)’s Pal. But still India has moved on. As they say whatever happens, the show in the circus must go on.
So, UPA didn’t have the best of its times as the scams after scams were exposed and the guilty were sent behind the bars. The integrity of our netas were questioned and the corrupt were smelling trouble. Ironically, even the opposition failed to capitalize on this as the BJP had Yeddyurappa as its reply to the Kalmadis and the Rajas. And India was very much in doldrums. This was enough for the Gandhian, a real patriot- Anna Hazare to emerge as a superhero for millions in shortest possible time history has seen. He was old but bulk of his fan club were teenagers and campuses. And could you believe the fact that he outscored Katrina Kaif in the number of Google Images search made on him for almost a week!!! Oh, it happens. And it won’t be a surprise if he features in Time’s Most Influential people next year. There was more to come. Baba Ramdev…. Digvijaya Singh……
Let us move on. Politics sucks big time everywhere…
Six months!!! Do you expect nature to remain mum? Absolutely no. The nature had its influence on the people and in what splendid manner-the monsoons. The monsoons came in as a relief. In India, it is normally associated with rejuvenation of life and joy. It just mesmerized everyone. It brought with it magic, moments of madness, romance, longing and more importantly life. When we talk of monsoons, how can we forget the ‘God’s Own Country’ ??? Tourists from across the world flocked to Kerala and south-western part of the country to get a clear picture of monsoons- images of the scenic beaches, of the coconut palms swaying , of dark clouds, of the countryside, of the backwaters. I’m pretty sure that they would have gone back with all these postcard images saying,” Wow!! That was life”.
So, does the sun ever set in this country?????
