Delhi turns cold early morning these days. As I drag my sorry butt out of bed I wonder why is there smoke outside. I thought Anbumoni Ramadoss (India’s hyper active Health Minister whose wrath befalls on guilty smokers and odd Chief Surgeons) has stopped it all over India and how come Delhi is still simmering with early morning smoke? Could Aam Janta be doing their morning ablutions smoking beedis in the open ? Are they reading The Hindu newspaper also while at it, like me, who treats it as the best laxative in the world ?(I mean The Hindu , not the beedi) I realized that it is the poorly paid security guards of government colonies making bonfires to make their night vigils a bit more tolerable. Couple of times, I was tempted to tell them not to do it. That I have breathing problems in winter, I am asthmatic etc and hence Bhaisaab, please refrain from lighting that fire in the open. But remembered that while I am snug and cosy at home, these guys are on beat in the dead cold of Delhi winter.
I get ready for the walk of four rounds and jog of one round, panting and nearly dead, at the end of it all. Nothing much has changed in my life. Except for a few tiers of flesh around the waistline and a rapidly thinning hairline. And a guy my age and colour is about to become the President of the United States. Strangely I feel nothing much at all. It is symbolic than anything else. Just as Indians claim that a Scheduled Caste Indian became the president/Chief Justice, an Indian Muslim became President/Cricket Captain etc. Doesn’t change anything on the ground, but makes us all feel a bit better. Incidentally many of us don’t know that India introduced Universal Adult Suffrage before the oldest democracy introduced it.
As McCain looks like rapidly becoming a part of history of also-rans, I take a closer look at him. -My favourite is always the underdog and McCain now qualifies to be that- Just as Obama was the underdog among the many candidates for the Democrat ticket. This guy has sure got stuff. But he chose the wrong time in history to run for office. A war hero with self-deprecatory sense of humour- Someone who refused release from prison unless his mates were released too. He represents old world values which have no place in a world where draft dodgers make Presidents. Looks like he is the kind of guy who would call a spade exactly that and would have the humility to admit when he is wrong. It was a particularly interesting moment when Obama and McCain debated Pakistan. Obama advocated military intrusion subject to blah …blah…. McCain, the realist said he would walk softly and carry a big stick. What neither knew was that it is typically the American proximity that is losing votes to politicians of every hue in Pakistan and even making the Army unpopular. The McCain position in the ultimate analysis sounded more plausible.
As I hear Obama’s booming voice and body language glowing with success lately, I wish him humility. To see things not just in black and white but in many hues, to think that one could be very wrong and also to see reality beyond the US made tinted glasses. Who else is better positioned to do that considering his Afro- Asian multi-racial background? It is good to know that our contemporaries are going to occupy positions of importance. In a way it is the first major generational shift in the Post World War period. Hope he has a good Presidency. Hope he realizes that protecting or advancing American interests around the globe does not necessarily mean that the world would turn into a better place. Hope he pays heed to the voice of nations marginalized by the voice of the developed. Hope he doesn’t drown in his own rhetoric. Wish him the wisdom and fortitude to see through troubled times…..
I get ready for the walk of four rounds and jog of one round, panting and nearly dead, at the end of it all. Nothing much has changed in my life. Except for a few tiers of flesh around the waistline and a rapidly thinning hairline. And a guy my age and colour is about to become the President of the United States. Strangely I feel nothing much at all. It is symbolic than anything else. Just as Indians claim that a Scheduled Caste Indian became the president/Chief Justice, an Indian Muslim became President/Cricket Captain etc. Doesn’t change anything on the ground, but makes us all feel a bit better. Incidentally many of us don’t know that India introduced Universal Adult Suffrage before the oldest democracy introduced it.
As McCain looks like rapidly becoming a part of history of also-rans, I take a closer look at him. -My favourite is always the underdog and McCain now qualifies to be that- Just as Obama was the underdog among the many candidates for the Democrat ticket. This guy has sure got stuff. But he chose the wrong time in history to run for office. A war hero with self-deprecatory sense of humour- Someone who refused release from prison unless his mates were released too. He represents old world values which have no place in a world where draft dodgers make Presidents. Looks like he is the kind of guy who would call a spade exactly that and would have the humility to admit when he is wrong. It was a particularly interesting moment when Obama and McCain debated Pakistan. Obama advocated military intrusion subject to blah …blah…. McCain, the realist said he would walk softly and carry a big stick. What neither knew was that it is typically the American proximity that is losing votes to politicians of every hue in Pakistan and even making the Army unpopular. The McCain position in the ultimate analysis sounded more plausible.
As I hear Obama’s booming voice and body language glowing with success lately, I wish him humility. To see things not just in black and white but in many hues, to think that one could be very wrong and also to see reality beyond the US made tinted glasses. Who else is better positioned to do that considering his Afro- Asian multi-racial background? It is good to know that our contemporaries are going to occupy positions of importance. In a way it is the first major generational shift in the Post World War period. Hope he has a good Presidency. Hope he realizes that protecting or advancing American interests around the globe does not necessarily mean that the world would turn into a better place. Hope he pays heed to the voice of nations marginalized by the voice of the developed. Hope he doesn’t drown in his own rhetoric. Wish him the wisdom and fortitude to see through troubled times…..
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