The Fourth Dimension

It has been almost 2 months since the TADA court had announced its verdict on Sanjay Dutt in connection with the Mumbai bomb blasts. “Sanjay Dutt is not a terrorist“, proclaimed the court. However, the sentence is yet to be announced. And the way in which Dutt has repeatedly managed to keep himself out on bail has already raised a few eyebrows, and sparked off protests from the relatives of others accused in the case.

Is it a case of a star getting special treatment from the judiciary? Is it a violation of “All men are equal in the eyes of law“? Or, more importantly, is Munna Bhai playing the role of saviour for Sanju Baba?

Well, personally, I loved Munna for his antics in Lage Raho… and its prequel. I have enjoyed Dutt’s acting in a couple of other films too. However, I am also a staunch supporter of “Equality in the eyes of law“. A filmstar, just because he has advocated Gandhigiri in his films, should not be let of the hook for a crime that he has confessed to have committed. And I say crime, because in spite of being a fan of Dutt’s acting, I find it extremely hard to believe that somebody in this country would require an Automatic Kalashnikov (AK-56) for self-protection!

Whether Sanjay Dutt, as a person, has changed for good, is debatable. His friends in the film-industry definitely feel so! In fact, it can well be a case of a spoilt brat of rich and famous parents committing a serious mistake, and then realizing the same after being made to pay for it (Let’s not forget, he has already served a jail-term for over a year.)! However, can we really be certain about that? Who knows, instead of being repentant, he may still be in touch with the underworld! One thing, though, that goes in Dutt’s favour, is the fact that, unlike Salman Khan, he has been able to keep himself out of any further controversies. He has not been found hunting endangered animals, neither has he been accused of drunken driving, nor has he publicly troubled estranged girlfriends!

The CBI wants maximum punishment for Dutt, a 10 year jail term. On the other hand, he is seeking the benefit of the Probation of the Offenders Act, which entitles the court to release, for his good character and conduct, a person who has been found guilty of an offence not punishable by death or life imprisonment. If the judge and the jury truly find Dutt to have been really co-operative throughout the course of this trial, and they honestly feel Sanjay Dutt can indeed be released for his good conduct, then they definitely should go ahead and do the same. However, the judiciary should ensure that such a decision is taken impartially. Without the influence of Jaadu ki Jhappi, or for that matter, any of Munna Bhai’s fictional philanthropic actions!

Singur and the proposed Rs 1 Lakh car project by the Tatas have been making news for quite some time now. And unfortunately, for all the wrong reasons. It all started with the acquisition of land from the farmers, which, the opposition led by Mamta Banerjee, claimed, was illegal. And even now that the Tatas have actually started construction at the site, the controversy is far from over!

Personally, I was pretty interested in this whole project, as was the middle class junta of our country. It provided us with a suitable alternative to motorcycles, far more safe than two-wheelers on congested city roads, and also extremely affordable. However, the way things have transpired, completing the construction of the plant itself is a challenge now, let alone starting production by 2008!

And I have to say, my heart goes out to all those poor farmers who have lost their lands. And that too, at a place like Singur which is supposed to be one of the most fertile stretches of land in the state. And for once, I support Mamta Banerjee in her fight against the construction of this plant. In the past, I have despised her for her over-the-top, foolish actions like throwing a bunch of papers at the Lok Sabha speaker and staging several unnecessary walkouts. But this time, she is fighting for a cause that is genuine, a cause that is in the true interests of the people of the state.

For the last 3 decades West Bengal had been craving for a Chief Minister who could take the state forward, someone who could help the state regain its past glory. And after Buddhadeb Bhattacharya took over from the seemingly unapproachable Jyoti Basu, there was indeed an air of change in the state. The new CM was open to investments in the state by private firms, and a lot of companies actually started showing interest. The Tatas were no different. However, the one thing that went against Buddhadeb this time was his own stubbornness regarding the site of the plant. Yes, Bengal needs this plant. It’ll definitely provide employment for a lot of people in the state, it sure will improve the quality of life. But, not at the cost of a piece of land that is so productive! Whether the land was acquired legally or not, I don’t know. But why waste a fertile piece of land like this?

What makes Buddhadeb’s obstinacy even more difficult to understand is the fact that there are other plots of land available in the state where the Tatas can build their plant! We do have land near Dankuni, as well as the semi-urban area of Rajarhat! And yet, for some strange reason, the CM is hell-bent upon having this plant in Singur only!

The Tatas in this whole controversy, have maintained a strictly business-like approach. They are only concerned about setting the plant up, and that is quite understandable. They had been shown this piece of land, they liked it, and now they want to go ahead with their project. We don’t know what could have happened had the WB govt. showed them some other plot of land!

The dispute, I feel, will continue for some more time, as no feasible solution seems to be on the cards. Mamta Banerjee, with the support of the farmers and Medha Patkar (who, ironically, has learnt her fiery brand of social activism at an institute built by the Tatas themselves – the Tata Institute of Social Sciences!) is relentless in her struggle. And as far as Mr. CM goes, no signs of him becoming flexible either! So, we’ll have to wait a little longer if we are to see the climax of this movie! Just one thing, the Rs. 1 Lakh car project would be extremely beneficial for the middle class of this country. The ego of a stubborn politician should not prevent it from successful execution!

Couldn’t think of a better subject for the first article of my blog. With a leading media brand of our country carrying out an “India Poised” campaign through its newspaper and television channel, not to mention the “Rising India” campaign by a competitor channel, I thought it was really worth dicussing the topic. What is India poised for? Or, is India really rising?

“The economy of a country is an indicator of the growth of that nation”. Well, if that is the case, then we sure are rising. With the Sensex hovering around the 14K mark, and threatening to soar even higher and Indian business houses trying to go global and making some significant acquisitions in the global market, the Indian economy is definitely at its best, and is expected to do even better in 2007.

However, in a country as diverse as India, I strongly believe that economy cannot be the sole indicator of growth. There are several other factors that determine how well the nation is doing. Of course, besides our economy doing well, we indeed have had several incidents and achievements in the last few years that make us proud to be Indians. For a start, we probably have two of the world’s most highly educated politicians in the form of our President and our Prime Minister. We have had an Indian almost end up as the UN Secretary General, only to pull out of the race at the last moment. Indian authors have continued to do well in the global market, except for the Kaavya Viswanathan fiasco. The performance of Indian sportspersons at the international level has greatly improved and we can now boast of world class players like Saina Nehwal, Jeev Mikha Singh, Pankaj Advani and Parimarjan Negi. Even Indian mainstream Bollywood movies are winning international recognition with films like Lage Raho Munnabhai, Omkara and Rang De Basanti getting critical acclaim in other countries.

However, do all these imply India is really rising? Or, that India is poised for a great 2007? Let us not forget, this is the same country where we still have women being killed in the interiors of Bihar and West Bengal, accused of practicing witchcraft! Witchcraft, in the 21^st century!! This is the same nation, where a case of defacing of a statue somewhere in Uttar Pradesh can actually lead to violence and riots in a place as far as Maharashtra! We still have hundreds of farmers in the Vidarbha region committing suicide every year. And, not to forget, almost half the population of this country is illiterate still! We still have a government that tells the people of the nation what to watch on television, and how to write a blog on the Internet! We still have reservations in the educational institutions and corporate organizations of this nation, reservations based on, not financial status, but on caste!! The fact that we still can’t forget our castes, even in this new millennium, is both shocking and ridiculous.

And we say India is rising? India is poised for great things? Well, financially, may be yes. But is that enough? Does that make all Indians happy? It doesn’t. We still need to do a hell lot of work, in varied areas and fields, if we are to really stand up and say, “Dum duma dum India, Zor laga do India”.

Hi friends,

I am back, and with another blog this time. I had started a couple of blogs in the past, but couldn’t quite keep updating them on a regular basis. Well, this time I intend to be regular. In fact, I have decided to keep this blog going for as long as I can. But then, I do have a past record of not following my own decisions!!!

One more change from my previous blogs, “The Fourth Dimension” is not a sports blog!! It may come as a surprise to those who know me, and they might be thinking how on earth can I write about subjects not related to sports!! Well, this is just an attempt, let’s see how it goes. As Murali Prasad Sharma had once said, “Life me bahot kuch 1st time hota hai re mamu”!! This is one such first time!!

Happy reading, happy blogging to all of you! And, please do feel free to comment on my articles.