On 13 June, shortly before leaving for Italy to make up one of the extras at the G-7 Summit, PM Modi “reviewed the situation” (ANI and other agencies have photos to prove it) This had me fall of my chair 🤣. Thank you sir , you are brilliant 😎
As I sit here on a Sunday chair, with dusk slowly making its way, and a cool breeze blowing my very not-so-hirsute pate, I feel suddenly cold. What you write, I agree with and what others say here is equally chilling. We managed to survive 10 years of fear, trepidation, nervous anxiety, frustration, anger, guilt, shame. I don't know if I have it in me to go through the same for the next 5. Like I said, hardly had we exhaled, and here come these bytes that fill me with despondency. But, yes, there are exceptions, there are silver linings, there are tunnels and there's a torch or some sunlight at the end of those...but still, I sigh in exhaustion, emotional and mental exhaustion at how much more we need to tolerate, to fight, to keep at it. I guess, that's what we should have done from the beginning; not give up, just keep fighting, but we didn't. We were servile, we didn't question, we just trolled, we just rolled our eyes, and we are now where we are. But hey, thank you so much for all your thoughts so well articulated as always. Stay happy, be well, and see you back here soon.
The sense of frustration, despair even, is fairly prevalent -- I get this all the time, and there have been times when I've wandered over to the dark side of my mind as well. What I hold on to is this: After all that noise, after the most hate filled campaign I can remember, after all that use of money and muscle, after a Ram temple drama, after the naked appeal in the name of Hindutva, the electorate (the numbers indicate that it is not the metros that voted in big numbers but the hinterlands) very clearly refused to give the BJP a full mandate, and at the same time decided to strengthen the Opposition. I look at that, and I look at major elections due in three or four months, and I listen to the voices in my ear, and I believe that this will settle down, that 3.0 will not be a repeat of the worst excesses of 2.0, and finally, that it is highly unlikely this government will last for five years. Maybe this is wishful thinking, maybe not -- it is what I genuinely believe, though.
And I could kiss you for this and dance and trill away like Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music. Oh I want to believe. I will believe. For my own mental and emotional wellbeing I will make the choice. Yes, you're right. It's the Invisible Indian, and that Indian in India's largest and most populous state that I would berate and curse, who showed them the door and wagged their finger and told them, "sit". Yes, there's hope. There's always hope. And we must continue to do what we can, in our own little way. Thank you. Safe travels.
Yeah, I'd read this. Commentary oscillates between "hamstrung" and "dangerous". I suspect it lies somewhere in between and that this is a testing of the waters. We'll know after the first sitting of Parliament.
Yes. I like many think the constraints of coalition Dharma will not affect this Government in the least. The coalition partners are there to extract their pound of flesh and will remain mute spectators as long as they get what they desire. If they still persist, they will be hoodwinked. The government also knows which levers to pull to keep them silent.
After all they very well knew the man they were dealing with before giving support.
There is an exception to every rule. Here the exception is: The coalition partners will remain silent until whatever Modi does or wants to do is something they know their constituencies back home will not stomach. Regional leaders are not as invested in the Centre as national parties are, true -- but by the same token, they are extremely vested in their particular regions, because that is all they have, and cannot afford to put off people in their area of influence. (It is the single biggest reason, for instance, why the DMK to cite one example has steadfastly refused to ally with the DMK since Karunanidhi allied with them in 1999. That ended in 2003 and the two have been on opposite sides ever since.)
On 13 June, shortly before leaving for Italy to make up one of the extras at the G-7 Summit, PM Modi “reviewed the situation” (ANI and other agencies have photos to prove it) This had me fall of my chair 🤣. Thank you sir , you are brilliant 😎
😏🙏 Thank you for reading. Be well, have a good weekend
I see your emojis, so you have picked it up
Weird thing, works on phone, not on Mac.
Alice's looking glass scenarios!
Dear Prem,
As I sit here on a Sunday chair, with dusk slowly making its way, and a cool breeze blowing my very not-so-hirsute pate, I feel suddenly cold. What you write, I agree with and what others say here is equally chilling. We managed to survive 10 years of fear, trepidation, nervous anxiety, frustration, anger, guilt, shame. I don't know if I have it in me to go through the same for the next 5. Like I said, hardly had we exhaled, and here come these bytes that fill me with despondency. But, yes, there are exceptions, there are silver linings, there are tunnels and there's a torch or some sunlight at the end of those...but still, I sigh in exhaustion, emotional and mental exhaustion at how much more we need to tolerate, to fight, to keep at it. I guess, that's what we should have done from the beginning; not give up, just keep fighting, but we didn't. We were servile, we didn't question, we just trolled, we just rolled our eyes, and we are now where we are. But hey, thank you so much for all your thoughts so well articulated as always. Stay happy, be well, and see you back here soon.
The sense of frustration, despair even, is fairly prevalent -- I get this all the time, and there have been times when I've wandered over to the dark side of my mind as well. What I hold on to is this: After all that noise, after the most hate filled campaign I can remember, after all that use of money and muscle, after a Ram temple drama, after the naked appeal in the name of Hindutva, the electorate (the numbers indicate that it is not the metros that voted in big numbers but the hinterlands) very clearly refused to give the BJP a full mandate, and at the same time decided to strengthen the Opposition. I look at that, and I look at major elections due in three or four months, and I listen to the voices in my ear, and I believe that this will settle down, that 3.0 will not be a repeat of the worst excesses of 2.0, and finally, that it is highly unlikely this government will last for five years. Maybe this is wishful thinking, maybe not -- it is what I genuinely believe, though.
Take care, stay well.
And I could kiss you for this and dance and trill away like Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music. Oh I want to believe. I will believe. For my own mental and emotional wellbeing I will make the choice. Yes, you're right. It's the Invisible Indian, and that Indian in India's largest and most populous state that I would berate and curse, who showed them the door and wagged their finger and told them, "sit". Yes, there's hope. There's always hope. And we must continue to do what we can, in our own little way. Thank you. Safe travels.
To Think of Modi 3.0 as Less Dangerous Would Be a Misreading - https://m.thewire.in/article/politics/to-think-of-modi-3-0-as-less-dangerous-would-be-a-misreading ... by Anand Teltumbde is a fine piece.
Yeah, I'd read this. Commentary oscillates between "hamstrung" and "dangerous". I suspect it lies somewhere in between and that this is a testing of the waters. We'll know after the first sitting of Parliament.
Yes. I like many think the constraints of coalition Dharma will not affect this Government in the least. The coalition partners are there to extract their pound of flesh and will remain mute spectators as long as they get what they desire. If they still persist, they will be hoodwinked. The government also knows which levers to pull to keep them silent.
After all they very well knew the man they were dealing with before giving support.
There is an exception to every rule. Here the exception is: The coalition partners will remain silent until whatever Modi does or wants to do is something they know their constituencies back home will not stomach. Regional leaders are not as invested in the Centre as national parties are, true -- but by the same token, they are extremely vested in their particular regions, because that is all they have, and cannot afford to put off people in their area of influence. (It is the single biggest reason, for instance, why the DMK to cite one example has steadfastly refused to ally with the DMK since Karunanidhi allied with them in 1999. That ended in 2003 and the two have been on opposite sides ever since.)