Within minutes of Mrs Pratibha Patil being "chosen" as the UPA's candidate for president, a chain sms was floated: "After 300 years, the Marathas are finally set to conquer Delhi", a reminder that defeat in the third battle of Panipat... Read The Article
I dont want to side with Balasaheb Thackrey. But we need to consider the following points before we have a fair judgement of Mr. Thackrey:
1. Balasaheb is the only politician who had the guts to oppose reservations on the basis of caste / religion publicly. Neither our intellectuals Mr. Manmohan Singh, Mr. Chidambaram( or for that matter even APJ ) have had the guts to do that. It is not that they do not know that it is ONLY respect for meritocracy than can take INDIA FORWARD. Then would it be wrong to assume that the only reason behind their silence is the HUNGER FOR POWER like that of Mr.Sharad Pawar???
2. Mr. Thackeray raised the Afzal issue and made statements against Kalam. Are they completely baseless?? Mr Kalam could have pressurised the central govt. if he really wanted to. He could atleast have shown his displeasure towards the Centres role in the Afzal matter. If Kalam felt sympathy for the family of Afzal, didnt he feel sympathy forthe families of tose killed in the attack on Parliament???
3. Balasaheb, like all sccessful politicians, has this knack of knowing the feelings of the people and using it for garnering votes. Fortunately or Unfortunately, I dont know , but he seems to be the only person who CAN speak at take a STAND on matters which may not go down well with the majority but wud be a principally correct stand.
As far as Sharad Pawar is concerned , We all know that he can never be trusted due to his flip-flops on issues. Mr. Manmohan Singh,despite being the Prime Mainster always gestures "Sonia Madam" to lead the way like a doorkeeper. Sharad Pawar atleast does not go to that extent. Coming to the calibre of present set of Maharastrians in Public life , I wud only put forwrd a few names: 1. Sachin Tendulkar 2. Madhuri Dixit 3. Dr. Mashelkar 4. Medha Patkar 5. Baba Amte 6. Rajdeep Sardesai 7. Gautam Rajadhyksha
u can have many more to know the calibre to better judge the present set of Maharashtrians in public life ...
( Posted: Friday , June 29, 2007 at 16:23 )
The qualities attributed to Shri Thakare are undisputable and the list is not open to argument. Do you want to belive that Mrs. Patil was selected By Mrs. Sonia Gandhi only to give due place to Maharashtrians in the history? No Sir, this was done only to bend Mr. Thakare and he bent himself backwards and that is the agony.
( Posted by Ramachandra on Monday , July 02, 2007 at 19:42 )
First of I don't understand one thing about Marathi readers here, why are you trying to prove to Non-Marathis that they are better than you? And why are you saying Chidambaram is an intellectul? The guy wears lungi when he goes to work, I think sombody forgot to teach him at Harvard how to wear pants or maybe got thrown out of Harvard because of his lungi. Pls Marathis stop degrading yourself, you don't have to prove anything to anyone. Look at your history, culture,tradition and be proud of it.People of this nation has screwed you time and again. Listless, lifeless, visionless, cowards are at the helm of affairs of this Nation. Think of you and only you. Keep Maharashtra and Mumbai strong, hell with rest of India. Let the rotten one take care of it. Play the game with the same coins Marathis, if someone pushes you, push them back doubly. It's the time to take back what is yours by any means necessary.
( Posted by Suneil on Wednesday, July 04, 2007 at 08:59 )
radhikarajen
Dear Tushar, many thanks for the brighter side of the truthful maharastrian, but for me they are indians, good indians, may be from maharashtra, many gems and diamonds in society go un-noticed, unheard, compared to these gems. Take the struggle of indians, millions of them, who sacrificed their life, livelihood, they were all indians from different "provinces" of indian conglomerate of what we see as states today. but to give all credit for the "sacrifice" to one dynasty, that too which only made sacrifices in guest houses as jail, to come out and plead with mahatma to stop his hunger strike, satyagriha, is travesty of truth, not tryst with destiny.Using the name of Pheroz by the dynasty would have brought them real glory for he was most honest MP in Free India who had courage to challenge the act of nehru in shielding the guilty in Mundra Insurance scam in those early days of freedom. That he died forlorn, alone unattended is not known to many indians. Now dynasty using the fraudulent annexure of gandhi to them, that too an italian, Sonia, a gandhi,is joke on the nation and its naive citizens. It is possible because of bad governance of divisive polity,where good of the freedom, democratic rule of law should have taken care of all citizens of the nation, the fuedal caste lords ruling the roost, is cruel truth of life today.To divide the nations on linguistic states instead of administrative zones, is the handiwork of dynastic foresight to be in power. If all citizens crave for good rule of law this divisive game of politics can positively see the beginning of end of dynastic rule by proxy,to have true dignity of life to all citizens, good rule of law, with facilitation to all citizens to have life skills to earn with dignity,the need for caste based reservation,faith based seggregation and appeasement will only be thing of the past to awakened indian citizen.Good governance needs no faith but faith in good humane rule of laws.
( Posted: Friday , June 29, 2007 at 15:53 )
Anish
First of all, I would like to thank Mr. Sardesai for his excellent job! Keep it up... Next, I would like to ask, my fellow readers who are quoting that Maharastra was a wonderful place before the migrants moved into, that did the Migrants move to Vidarbha too??? If not, then someone please let me know reason behind the plight & suicide of farmers. Its all coz of corrupt politicians! In India, caste, creed & culture is more important than issues of growth & development! WAKE UP MY FELLOW CITIZENS!!! Perhaps, Mr. Mittal (Businessman-UK), Mr. Chatwal (Hotelier-US), Ms. Kalpana Chawla & Ms. Sunita Williams (NASA) & all other successful NRIs were migrants!!!
( Posted: Friday , June 29, 2007 at 15:05 )
P. Jeyaseelan
I agree with Rajdeep that there is a dearth of broad minded intellectuals in Maharastra. We had ideals from this progressive state who were selfless, liberated, humanitarian, altruistic and balanced persons. While studying in Fergusson college at times I have felt and experienced the unity and integrity of India coming alive and vibrant, but as the days rolled I too witnessed the narrow minded ones taking the rein and harnessing the liberals or the receptive ones. Aggressive provincialism has been gaining ground now a days and fragmenting us, the Indians. I expect with all odds present a genuine aspiration for a country with diversity will guide the steps of the so called people in authority and this state becomes the hub of give and take in a sphere of human endeavour and human relationships.
( Posted: Friday , June 29, 2007 at 13:56 )
ipseet
as usual rajdeep is at his best.abt this women president issue dont we all think all this conflict for the post of pre4sidentship has tarnished the image of the post of presidentship which should have its owner a person as a consensus and not all this mud slinging
( Posted: Friday , June 29, 2007 at 11:06 )
Tushar
Dear Radhikarajen,
Sharad Pawar, Pratibha Patil, Shivraj Patil, Sushil Kumar Shinde and the remaining political coterie are not considered icons by Maharashtrians. They have their sycophant supporters, like politicians in any other state.
Here's a list of some Maharashtrians in public life and you can judge their calibre yourself.
Medha Patkar, Anna Hazare, Baba Amte
And I won't even go into the list of people who have made major contributions to our nation in other areas. But these are the people that we look up to for the simple reason that either these are men and women of principle, who have dedicated their lives for the betterment of the poor or they are people who have achieved extra-ordinary success in their fields, without resorting to any shady behavior. Do you see any problem with that?
Coming to the issue of Shiv Sena and Thakre, is there any part of India where communalist forces belonging to the Saffron brigade, or for that matter any other hue, are not in operation? Many nationalist leaders will stand with Thakre, when he takes the Hindutva plank and abandon him with amazing alacrity when he takes the Maharashtrian plank. Yet, you will find many Maharashtrians, including yours truly, who don't agree with many of Shiv Sena's stands and tactics, while understanding where the frustration, that drives them, comes from.
After all, you can't clap with one hand, can you? If your job opportunities are cornered by nepotistics migrants, if you are deliberately excluded from living spaces in your home state by particular migrant communities, if you are prevented from business opportunities bacause you don't belong to a particular part of our nation, if your children cannot get admissions in professional colleges because they are always forced to share the seats with children of migrants, if your culture is ridiculed in media, if people use ethnic slurs to refer to your community, would you just stand by and let things be?
( Posted: Friday , June 29, 2007 at 01:00 )
So Pratibha Tai as president will remedy what is being complained about. What was said is mostly about Mumbai which was consmopolitan since ages and now going to be Shanghai. What happens when it really becomes shangahi?
( Posted by Ramachandra on Monday , July 02, 2007 at 19:48 )
Anshul Bhaskar
our president is the fist and the most respected person of our country and i am sorry to say that Ms.Patil dose not deserve to be our president.
( Posted: Thursday , June 28, 2007 at 20:33 )
R.Menon
It is quite unfortunate that such highest position of the nation is reduced to mockery. The ruling party and their allys (Communists) tried to make a gender divide. Now a regional issue. I do not consider a national shame will be considered Maharashtra's proud. Such feelings are not expected from people who take proud from Sivaji. When 80% of people in India do not want Mrs.Pratibha Patel as our president, that does not mean this section is against Maharastra. May or may not the ruling party change their candidate for the good. But morally the defeat of this so called 'Maharastra proud' has already happened.
( Posted: Thursday , June 28, 2007 at 16:00 )
radhikarajen
Media is like a mirror, its reports and reportage show the truthful side most of the times, but for few exceptions where views are loaded to project the award winners views as the view of the society. Rajdeep has to be congratulated for the bold stand of showing mirror to the society with its true image. Even though he has his human flaws it is to be appreciated that he has risen above the regional considerations to take what ever it takes, in the national good,is appreciated by all.
( Posted: Thursday , June 28, 2007 at 15:41 )
radhikarajen
Well, as to your comments on migrants, bangalore is not far off the mark, where today locals account only for 12 percent of the population, even the politicians dominating the scene are not locals, be it Dharam Singh, or Scindias, Kharges all of marathi, telugu origin, issue is not that, it is bad governance of India, that has given rise to migrant individuals who with aspirations of better life find their new found place of living.Mumbai or any metro like Bangalore is land of carpet baggers who find ways of livelihood when good governance is not there as the partisan policies of good governance has given way to casteist and nepotic faith appeasements, depriving the citizens of good of freedom. If that is not to be, we have regional selfish leaders who are keen only about their own benefits and not about national interest and of all citizens. No wonder an italian (of associate of mussolini,) and fascist Hitler could come here loot with her uncle Q, and hope to rule the nation.?
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