The Hisar Connection!

Article first published as The Hisar Connection! on Technorati.

Anna Hazare, the great crusader against corruption in India, and his civil society members had campaigned heavily to get the candidate of Congress, main political party in the ruling coalition of India, defeated in the Hisar by-election for Indian Parliament held on October 13, 2011.

Hisar is situated in the Indian state of Haryana. What would have been a routine listless by-election on account of the death of the seating candidate has become a nationwide rage thanks to Anna Hazare and his team’s campaign as a part of the mass movement against corruption.

Team Anna had been asserting continuously their apolitical character and that they had no political ambitions. They said their only motive was to pressurize the government for the fast passage of a strong anti-corruption Bill in the winter session of Parliament starting November, 2011. But once you ask the people not to vote for a particular candidate you are indirectly supporting the rival candidates and by all accepted standards this means politicking. So, there had been ongoing mud-slinging and political banter.

The polling in Hisar was over seventy percent.

The Congress party is said to be resigned to defeat because it was the only seat the party lost in its sweeping victory in 2009 general elections in Haryana. So, only a worse than 2009 loss could mean some victory for Team Anna and if such a thing happens then Anna is most likely to claim it as the verdict of the masses against corruption.

But claiming any political victory amounts to a political victory only and by accepting it Team Anna’s avowed apolitical character is set to take a beating. In case of a surprise win for the Congress the scenario would be the worst for Team Anna. Apart from losing their apolitical character this would amount to a demoralizing political failure.

All attention is focused on the outcome expected tomorrow, October 17, 2011. But meantime Anna has started his vow of silence for self-purification from today. Now, with all the confusing questions and claims for victory or defeat Anna is going to be silent. If the onus of answering or claiming fall on the disputed members of Team Anna…well…confusion is likely to be confounded!

Whatever happens, the Hisar Connection is finally going to establish Team Anna’s political character beyond doubt.

Whether a civil society leading a mass movement against corruption should become a political body or not would be altogether a separate topic of intense debate set to continue indefinitely.

    

Religious Eating!

Article first published as Religious Eating! on Technorati.

Indian people have certain religious rituals associated with eating. But due to resurgence of modern times and thinking people are getting secretive about such rituals.

The crux of religious eating is simple to decipher. Just before embarking on your dish you think of God and thank Him for being so kind to provide such benefits.

I witnessed my grandfather doing those rituals elaborately whenever and wherever I had the privilege of having meals with him. He would always sit on the floor and make a circle of water drops around his plate of rice and other items. Then he would offer grains of cooked food on the water drops at the central point. This simply meant he was offering to God whatever he had access to eat. I used to wait eagerly for the rituals and enjoyed a lot.  Everyone present started eating just when he was ready.

These rituals are disappearing fast with the onset of modern lifestyle and people who know are becoming secretive lest others laugh at them.

Once having a dinner on transit at a railway canteen I accidentally saw one middle-aged person sitting on a table in front of me moving his hand around the rice plate and touching his forehead. He repeated this several times looking suspiciously around and in the process he discovered me staring at him—to his horror and mine too.

I instantly withdrew my look and concentrated my attention on my food knowing fully well that the person would keep on looking at me before he really ate. In a deliberative mood I started telling my wife about it cautioning her not look that side as if we were discussing some investment plans. I sensed that though the man started eating finally he still paid furtive glances at me trying to make out if I was making a joke about it.

If you are so noble and want to pray to God before having your meal why be secretive about it? I wonder! 

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