HOW I LOST AND FOUND MY LAPTOP ?

8th February 2011
7:00 PM. The election process for the post of the coordinator of the Koshish club started.

9:00 PM. The result was out. I along with Jasmeet Kaur Grover and Amit Gupta was elected as the coordinator of Koshish Club.

9:20 PM. All the formalities and congratulation stuff happened. According to the established tradition of the college, we headed to Sitaram Bhartia to give a party to IMF, . Our group included Alageshan Muduliar and Dayanand from the senior batch.

10:00 PM. Formal meeting with IMF in room 201 took place. Alum Coordinator Mr.Anil Kolla was missing.

10:45 PM. We (IMF -barring Anil, Alageshan, Dayanand and Amit Gupta) headed to SAKET for dinner.

11:00 PM. Reached SAKET. We went to SBARRO restaurant for Pizzas where we were visited by Ravishekhar and Maitreyee from senior batch.

12:00 AM. We left the SBARRO restaurant. It was the time for the restaurant to close. There was only one employee in the restaurant. In the street we found entire Senior and Junior Placecom members. We decided to go Mac Donald Restaurant which was across the street. Since there were 20 of us, we went to upper floor which was almost empty by that time.

9th February 2011.

1:00 AM. We finished our meals. At that point I realized that I was not having my laptop bag with me. I started searching for it frantically. I inquired the staff at the restaurant but did not get any clue about the bag.

1:15 AM. I and others went to SBARRO restaurant but it was closed by that time. We tried to call the staff but the contact number was not available nor did the guard had any information about the owner. I returned to the hostel without any hope of finding the laptop. I concluded that some other customer took the advantage of me being in the group and took my bag with him.

3:00 AM. Still there were no sleep in the eyes. I was not able to come with terms that I have lost the Laptop worth Rs. 37, 000 which I purchased only 6 months before.

8:00 AM. Briefed Nandan about the situation and told him about the urgency of rushing to the spot.

8:30 AM. We reached Mac D and inquired the staff. They denied having any information about it. Went to SBARRO and found the same employee who was there last night but he also denied having any information about the Bag and the LAPTOP. We went back to the college to attend classes.

2:00 PM. We had lunch and planned to go to Police station to register the FIR about the Laptop theft.

2:30 PM. We reached the Police station which was hardly 100 meters away from the spot but the staff refused to register the complaint and told me to go to another police station which was 4 km away.

3:00 PM. After passing through many streets and battling through the traffic which was at its peak because of the school buses we reached the Saket Police Station.

3:15 PM. We talked to the staff at the station. A hardcore Haryanvi lady and a sub-inspector were busy registering frivolous complains which can only be termed as ridiculous at its best (A person was registering complain about phone call on which he was abused by another person on the other side). I explained the situation to the Sub Inspector and asked him the procedure to register the FIR. He told me to bring the receipt of the laptop along with the application.

3:30 PM. I went back to Yusuf Saray Hostel via Metro Train and returned back with 5 copies of the receipt.

4:00 PM. Wrote two applications, of which one was submitted to the SHO of the Saket Police Station along with the receipts. I explained the situation to SHO that the CCTV footage can’t be accessed without the orders from the police. He told me to go to the restaurant and to ask the manager to keep the footage safe so that matter can be looked into later.

4:30 PM. Reached the MAC DONALD Restaurant and showed the copy of the complaint to the manager. He told me to bring the police personnel along with me to see the footage. We tried our best to convince him to show us the CCTV footage but he didn’t responded.

5:00 PM. The manager didn’t yield. We guessed that he is seeing the footage himself and ascertaining that his staff is not involved.

5:30 PM. Manager told me that he has seen the footage and the laptop was with me when I left the restaurant. I told him that he is mistaking me for our General Secretary Rohit Sharma. Manager again said that he cannot show me the video as it is against the company’s policy.

6:00 PM. We kept doing our efforts and ultimately the manager yielded. He called me in the room, downstairs and showed me the footage. In the footage I saw that Laptop was not their when I leaved the restaurant and more surprisingly “it was not there on my shoulder when I entered the restaurant”.

6:15 PM. We thanked the staff and reached the SBARRO
number of their technical head and asked me to come tomorrow to see the CCTV footage.

7:00 PM. We reached the college and attended the IMF meeting. By this time I had left any hope of getting my laptop back and was thinking about possible means of buying another one. I talked to my friends in TCS about the availability of a second hand laptop and off course some udhaar to fund the laptop.

10th February 2011

10:30 AM. I tried to call the technical head whose mobile number I took a day before but the call didn’t happened. Finally called the restaurant and asked the manager about another number. I got a pleasant surprise. “They had found my laptop and asked me to come to the restaurant to take it.”

10:45 AM. I along with Nandan reached the restaurant and found the bag in the same condition and more importantly with the same content. The manager apologized at his part and told me that the employee who had left the restaurant early in the morning kept the laptop in the store and did not informed other employees. When the employee returned in the night he told the whole story. (Though, I sensed something fishy in their version.)

11:15 AM. We thanked the management at MAC DONALD Restaurant for their cooperation and returned to the college. Though I wanted to spend some more time over there but Nandan had to attend the FM class in the college.

ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL.

Anna Hazare's movement and relevance of "Civil Society"

When the whole nation was in the celebration mood after the historic World Cup win, famous social activist Anna Hazare started a protest over the Jan Lokpal Bill at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. His protest was on the Gandhian philosophy which insists on inflicting self pain in order to force the opposition to yield to one’s demand. In his movement he is accompanied by other social activists like Swami Agnivesh and Kiran Bedi. This movement has seen unprecedented support from the people around the country and public have registered similar protests in different cities. At the same time there are few voices which are questioning the legality of such protests and asking for its relevance in a democratic setup. Sharad Pawar has rejected the demand of his resignation from the Agricultural Ministry on the similar ground. The voices of criticism of Anna Hazare’s method though lesser in number and milder in attitude, still have a reasonable point. This brings us to the question of effectiveness of such protests, their validity in a democratic society and its practical relevance.

Are Gandhian protests valid in a democratic setup?
When Gandhi Ji started these protests first in South Africa and then in India, he was facing an autocratic government in which public had no say either in its formation or in its functioning. The administration was neither accountable to people nor was dependent on public for its selection or reelection. Hence in those conditions Satyagrah was the only option available to him to get his voice heard. Recent protests in the Arab World which are said to be inspired by Gandhian methods also happened in the similar conditions. Whether it is Egypt or Tunisia, the public protested against the dictators who came to power through undemocratic means and not against any democratically elected government. Last time when any Gandhian protest was successfully executed in India, it was during the time of emergency, when the government has gone from democracy to quasi dictatorship . These circumstances does not exist in today’s India. Anna Hazare and his supporters are not facing any dictatorship which came to power through undemocratic methods but a democratic government which works through the Members of Parliament duly elected by the public(directly or indirectly). The policy formation is the prerogative of parliament. Parliament comprises of both the members of ruling party and opposition, hence voice of every citizen whether who has voted for the winning candidate or not is heard. These circumstances make the ongoing protest firstly irrelevant, secondly invalid and more importantly technically against the wishes of people.

What is "Civil Society"? One of the important demands of Anna Hazare and his supporters is that members of civil society should be included in the committee. This brings us to a more important question that what exactly is a civil society.

Is it an elected body?

Is it a legal body?

Does it have a proper definition?

Does it have a formal structure?

Answers to all these questions is NO.

Civil society is a loose term for the people who are active on the social front in various but unofficial capacities, for and against various issues. They comprises of both drawing room activists who are active on English and Hindi news channels and grass root activists working in midst of the public. The exact number and names of these activists can never be ascertained and hence the exact constituent of a civil society can never be determined. The civil society will always remain an abstract idea without any physical existence. This makes the demand of including the members of civil society in the committee highly ambiguous and untenable. At present the movement is headed by Anna Hazare whose integrity is beyond doubt. But it can be the case that other members of the so called “Civil Society” may not be of such impeccable integrity and can misuse their position in future. What if any cracks appear in the movement and activists split into two factions? What if there exists another movement parallel to Anna’s movement which has its own set of demands? How will the government decides, what exactly is a “Civil Society” whose members they have to include in the committee?
The term “Civil Society” sounds very promising when it is used in TV studios and at various other public forums but honestly this term cannot be used for any practical purpose and if it is used once there are high chances that it will be misused in future.

But this movement has massive support throughout the country? Yes, it is true that people have supported this movement throughout the country. If I would have been in New Delhi I would also have joined Anna at Jantar Mantar. But it is not the first time when the people have assembled together for a cause. We have seen such protest on previous occasions also. Most recently in the aftermath of 26/11 attacks when people were filled with anger against politicians. But the General Elections which took place after a few months of that attack saw a very poor voter turnout, especially in metro cities like Bombay. This dual behavior has been quite a puzzle for social analysts. It seems that once in a while people get emotional about the state of the affairs and registers their protest in dramatic and sentimental manner, but when the entire hullabaloo dies they also drifts back to their comfort zone. The present situation would not have arrived if the people would have voted for the right candidate in the General Election. Still now, they have a chance to make amend for their past mistakes. If they are not happy with the performance of the government, they should not vote for it in the next election. If they are angry over the recent CWG loot or 2G scam they should not reelect Sheila Dixit or Karunanidhi in their respective states. Public protests that too once in a blue moon can never be a permanent solution to our problems, in long term it will result in anarchy only. Moreover it will give a message to the public that Government can be manipulated through these methods and in future we can see similar protests over various sensitive issues like Jat reservation etc.

What is the way forward? By the time I was writing this blog, the news have arrived that the government has yielded to activist’s demand and have decided to include members of civil society in the committee. As I predicted there has been news of the rift in the activist’s camp. Senior journalist Kanchan Gupta has asked the activists to give a detail account of the donation they and their trust are receiving from past few years. These demands are completely legitimate and as the matter will go further such clamors will increase. The root of all this exists in the quintessential abstract, indefinable structure of "Civil Society".
The agitation of these types is not the long term solution of the present state of affair which India is facing. If the Anna Hazare and the activist of his ilk want to do a real service to the nation, they should jump into active politics. People often complain that they don’t have any worthy option when they go for voting. Here is an opportunity for the social activists to provide them a real reason to participate in the biggest festival of the country. And if they don’t do so or we don’t vote for the right candidate or to any candidate at all then we should not complain later.

Theodore Roosevelt has famously said ,“The bulk of government is not legislation but administration. Men can never escape being governed. Either they must govern themselves or they must submit to being governed by others."

BANGLA ACCOUNT-1

Day: -1 9th April 2011 Location: Chambal Express It is the start of my journey for my summer internship in Prentice Hall India. I am in a train bound to Kolkata and surrounded by Bangla speaking people. The kids in next cabin are at their maximum decibel level and twice I have reprimanded them for their behavior. Perhaps it is a glimpse of what I will be experiencing for two months in Kolkata. My fellow passenger who hails from West Bengal has warned me about the humid weather in Bengal at this time of the year. To my comfort, he said that the city is one of the cheapest in the country and there will be plenty of culinary options available for me in Kolkata. Moreover the timing of my journey can’t be more apt. It is often said that cricket, politics and religion are the three glues which keeps Indian united. These are the essence of India, without them it is hard to imagine India in its current state. This reminds me of the novel “The 3 mistakes of my life” of Chetan Bhagat whose plot revolves around these 3 themes. Current scenario of Bengal has an exciting mix of these three ingredients where elections, religion and cricket will be occupying the major space in the psyche of a common Bengali.

The auspicious festival of NavDurga is going on with its full vigor and I will be reaching Howrah Station on the day of “Saptmi”. This will be followed by “MahaAsthami” and “MahaNavmi” respectively. I don’t need to explain what NavDurga means for Bengalis. It is the same as Ganesh Utsav for Marathis and Baisakhi for Punjabis albeit with more vigor, enthusiasm and energy. I have heard many tails about the Black Magic prevalent in Bengal which becomes more intense during the “NavDurga” celebration. This reminds me of my stay in Kota, Rajasthan where I befriended a Bengali friend who once told me that all the black powers roam freely in these 9 days of celebration. Not a firm believer of all this stuff, I am looking forward to have an altogether different experience of NavDurga celebration in the heart land of Bengal.

IPL-4 started yesterday with the first match being played between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super King. The excitement of watching IPL Tournament in this famously Cricket crazy city will be unmatchable. Moreover it is not the country which is playing this time but the City of Kolkata itself is fighting for its pride in a club tournament. This ensures that in Kolkata versus others matches the frenzy, excitement and thrill will be much higher as compared to other matches. My fellow passengers, who hail from Bengal, discussed in length yesterday match and felt bitterly disappointed about the performance of Gautam Gambhir. Even though they are not located in Bengal from past few years, their loyalty for Kolkata Knight Riders has still not waned. It is not hard to imagine the feelings of a proper Kolkata resident for their club. Also it will be for the first time for me, when I will be watching IPL in a city which is taking part in this tournament. In the last 3 IPLs, I was in Lucknow where the hostel environment during the matches was unmatchable. I hope that environment in Kolkata in KKR matches will easily outdo my previous experience.

And lastly the lifeline of India, the oxygen which keeps us alive in spite of all the hardships we face in our daily lives, is also present here. Yes, I am talking about politics, election and democracy. Something which is present in India right from the grass root level to the highest echelon of governance. In a short span of time West Bengal is going for state election. Though every election is unique in its own right but these elections are expected to be historic in the history of Bengal. For the first time in last 35 years the ruling Marxist front is starting the race behind the starting line. Whatever be the result, it will be a history in the making. This government holds the record of the longest serving Communist government in the world. This time either its record will be extended or it will be broken. The main opposition party is led by mercurial Mamta Banerjee of TMC. The situation of Bengalis is akin to proverbial “from frying pan into the fire”. With an abysmal record of governance as the Central Minister of Railway, she does not inspire much confidence in the voters. BJP and INC are virtually nonexistent in the state. Hence the voters in Bengal are forced to choose the best from the worst.

My train has crossed Allahabad station and is expected to reach Howrah station tomorrow in the morning. Let’s see what this Bhadra Lok Land (Land of the Gentle man) has in store for me.