Sanjay Dutta, be a Munna Bhai, and Surrender

How different real life is from reel life. Even a once in a blue moon movie-goer like me, remembers vividly, the ubiquitous imagery of Munna Bhai as enacted by Sanjay Dutta.

But today, the same Munna Bhai, who had in the film, so graciously deigned to eschew the pursuit of a medical degree, as helpless doctors could not give an ailing boy, even a few hours of life, has been manipulating the legal system, instead of submitting to it in the larger interest of justice.

The real Dutta has been pre-varicating and playing hide and seek with the judicial system, taking refuge behind all legal niceties that he possibly can, delaying the discharge of justice that should have been metted out to him several years ago. Equally to blame is the jamboree of lawyers who he has engaged and who used every statute possible of the law book to delay the arrest of Dutta.

Why does any TV channel not ask Dutta to surrender and honorably complete the sentence that the courts have passed on him. He is using all the emotive energy that an actor can bring to the camera to appear crestfallen and shattered, even begging for pardon.

The evidence is so credible and clear. There is little room for doubt on his culpability. The celebrity status should not impede the discharge of justice. The media is also playing hand in glove. They should veer public opinion to what is right. They should shame film personalities and politicians who overtly or covertly sympathize with Dutta.  

Should he not like Munna Bhai just embrace the sentence and thereby help preserving the sanctity of the legal system of the country, without putting it to scrutiny of political influence. 

Stop Sniggering HM

today, 5 CRPF Jawans died due to callousness of the State. Shinde the Home Minister was still sniggering. I am sure, if one of the Jawans were his son, he would not. No matter how in-corrigible his snigger be.

Get Serious Mr Home Minister

Come what may, rain, thunder, storm or flood. While country weeps, our home minister has a beatific grin on his inane countenance.

A girl was brutally raped, he was smiling. The girl died, he was still smiling. A bunch of 35 hapless devotees died on the railway station, he had a stupid grin on his face. Another news maker today, an accused in the Delhi rape case commits suicide. The home minister was not only smiling but giggling infront of the cameras.

To be completely un-phased and non-challant in the face of adversity seems to be a virtue in India. In positions of power, I have never seen anyone who is passionate about what he is doing. I think, we systematically reject overt display of passion for your duty.

Today, Italian prisioners jumped parole, Italy has slapped insult by refusing to return the under trials in the fishermen shooting case, and I know, when in a few hours, Shinde will be on TV making a statement in his evasive style, he would still be smiling.

Stop smiling Mr HM and please conduct serious business in your ministry. You have a long way to go.

Need for Police Reform

Pick up any issue and there is muck beneath. The digital media has picked up crime against women and police atrocities these days as the new TRP booster, and of course these are issues with no dearth of reportage on these issues. More so these days, when you can capture events real time on your camera phone.

The reportage is tossed across channels on prime time. You return after a hard days work, and all TV channels are indulging in a high-pitched debate amongst people who actually have neither a connection with the issue, nor the competence to comment on it.

Yesterday, my son 15, spoke upto a cop who was roughing up an auto driver for apparently a reason that the auto driver was not aware of, and demanded to know his name, identity number. Well the cop walked away in a huff, but imagine, this incident happened not in any mofussil town but in Gurgaon near a busy Metro station. Police needs to adapt to changing times.

I must have roamed the streets of close to 100 countries. I think the best police that I have come across was the London Police-extremely polite and extremely responsive. Even they are undergoing massive reform process. But in India, where the police is a highly politicized and parochial force, pandering historically to the party in power, there is no sign of reform.

Most Indian Laws are archaic, amended ad-lib with adhoc notifications, but the basic structure remaining of Colonial vintage. In the case of the Police, the organization still functions on the 1870s Police Act authored by the British. Under the British and before them under the Mughals, the police had always been used against the people. How then can we alter the DNA of such a force in just 60 years, and that too in the absence of credible effort and sincerity of purpose.

Media also merely engages in chest beating, clueless on what needs to be done, besides anchoring debates in which it invites some retired police officers who all their lives have hypocritically enjoyed all the power and pelf possible, tweaked the system for postings and transfers and now come on TV propounding all that they never stood for though out their career.

The exception being – one retired officer Prakash Singh, an Ex DGP of UP, who appears to be extremely sincere. In fact he lead a 10 year-long fight in the supreme court vide a PIL through his lawyer Prashant Bhushan for implementing the salient recommendations of the National Police Commission. After a long and harrowing legal journey, the SC did order compliance of the key recommedations : State Security Commission, min tenure of 2 yrs for Officers, setting up a Police Complaints Authority, Setting up a National Police Commission.

Prakash Singh’s home state of UP curiously is one where the recommendations have been given a complete go by. 

MICHELLE OBAMA'S MOM DANCE

Humans need icons. In case they don’t find people iconic enough to be raised to that pedestal, they go to a rung lower and pick from there, but they have an immense need to look up to someone, and immense reason to emulate.

As I write this blog, which I have been desistING from for quite a while, for fear of seeming to be a perpetual critic of, a new icon that has been rising on the horizon – Michelle Obama.

She is performing floor push ups on the Elles Degeneres show, Marching with cartoon characters at some other place - waving to cheering crowds waiting to lap up all the oomph that she so desperately tries to ooze. Of late, she was also seen at the high pitch Oscar award ceremony that was held a couple of weeks ago and also doing the “mom dance” at Jimmy Fallon’s show.

I don’t understand why the first lady should be seen at the forums at which she is being seen these days. Why, she must get so much of media coverage, and what merits her that, other than being the spouse of the President of the United States.

But in a way it is good to keep spouses engaged in meaningless yet mirthful activities, lest they meddle with statecraft. Well, even by its liberal standards, there is no gainsaying the fact, the mature and thinking American is finding various trysts of Michelle with social media somewhat embarrassing.

To me, Michelle Obama, despite her Harvard credentials, lacks class, and I am not guilty of any black prejudice or white preference. I feel the same lack of class of in a vigorously gyrating Malaika Arora or Katrina.