Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Saturday, 2 November 2013

Nightingale is singing



India's nightingale , Lata Mangeshkar is singing , "  NaMo  ,  NaMo  "


Congressmen are livid with rage


Shuklaji is advising Lataji to keep away from politics and keep out of controversy


And like his predecessor minister of I & B , B V Keskar , who had banned playing of harmonium and Kishor Kumar songs on All India Radio ,current I & B minister , Manish Tewariji is considering a ban on playing of Lata-Songs on all TV channels ! And, of course, on YouTube !


Just as Sardar Patel had banned RSS  ?


To pip Arnab Goswami at his " Noise Hour " debate every night ,  Rajat Sharma served a summons on Lataji to appear on " Aap ki Adalat " , and asked :



"  Lata Didi ,


   You are alleged to have corrupted classical Indian music


   Bhairavi raga is supposed to be sung in early morning , in order to gently
   wake-up the people


   Other day , in Pune , you sang Bhairavi in the evening and woke up people
   from deep slumber of last 9 years


   And you even re-named the raga as " Raga NaMo "  !


   What do you have to say in your defence ?  "




Instead of replying , Lataji starts singing :



"   ए मेरे वतन के लोगो , अब पकडलो EVM ज़रा जोरसे 

    जो फूल देखो कमल का , वो बटन दबावों जरा प्यारसे  "



Instead of clapping , the audience starts singing loudly , in raga NaMo :



"  आयेगा , आयेगा , आयेगा आनेवाला 

    आयेगा , आयेगा , आयेगा। ………  "



The singing reverberates thru the length and breadth of India that is Bharat and fills up every heart  !


Nighingale has sung for 725 million voters




*   hemen  parekh   ( 03  Nov  2013  / Diwali  )


  

   

Friday, 1 November 2013

Tora..............Tora.............Tora


During World War - 2 , as they approached Pearl Harbor on American coast , pilots of Japanese bombers chanted ,


Tora , Tora , Tora


( Attack , Attack , Attack )


As they approach 2014 National elections , 725 million Indian voters are chanting ,


NOTA , NOTA , NOTA


For past few months , they have been watching the mud-slinging by their political leaders on TV , Newspapers , Internet , Rally  etc



And they are wondering :




Only time these leaders cared to talk to us is when they wanted our votes during the past 10 years  !


They are least bothered if,



>     We commit suicide ( with family ) because we are jobless
   
       ( JOBS )


>     Our children go to sleep hungry

       ( POVERTY )


>     We sleep on the footpath

      ( HOUSING  )


>     Our dilapidated buildings are about to crash

       ( URBAN DECAY )


>     Even employed among us have no money to buy vegetables

       ( RISING PRICES )


>     Our children are dying of dengue because we live on overflowing gutters

       

       ( LIVING CONDITIONS )


>     Our women must walk 5 miles to fetch water

       ( SAFE DRINKING WATER  )


>     Our children must walk 5 miles to go to a          teacher-less school

       (  EDUCATION  )


>     For want of nearby hospital , our wives die during delivery

        ( HEALTH-CARE  )


>      Without fans , we get scorched in summer heat

        ( ELECTRICITY  )


>      To and fro , work-place , we spend 4 hours on the road

         ( TRANSPORT  )



Do these persons whose names appear on Electronic Voting Machines ( EVM ) , care for our tortured / tormented lives  ?


Are these not the very persons who have made our lives , a living hell  ?


From their air-conditioned cars and their air-conditioned bedrooms , do they have any time to peep into our slums  ?


Their only concern is to get voted back to power and make tons of money  !


NOTA , NOTA , NOTA



*   hemen  parekh  (  02  Nov  2013  )



Thursday, 31 October 2013

Solomon come to Judgement ?



To millions of harassed bureaucrats , that is how Supreme Court's order of yesterday might appear



*    WHAT  ?



>    Bureaucrats must not function on verbal instructions from superiors and the political executives , as it leads to favoritism and corruption


>    Fixed tenures for bureaucrats and the setting up of a Civil Services Board ( CSB ) , to advise governments on transfers , postings , promotions and disciplinary actions



*    WHY  ?



 Supreme Court advanced following reasons :


   #    In the present political scenario , the role of civil servants has become complex and onerous


   #   Often , they have to take decisions with far reaching consequences in the economic and technological fields


   #   Their decisions must be transparent and in public interest. They should be fully accountable to the community they serve




*     HOW  ?




>     Each level of bureaucrat must send their " decisions " to the lower level , in writing . ( Will emails do ? )


>     If a bureaucrat receives " verbal " decision from his superior , he shall make appropriate noting on the file . ( Shall he record that he does not agree with this decision - and why - but is forced to take it under verbal order ? )




*     RESULT  ?




>     Decision making process , which has already considerably slowed down over the past one year , will come to a grinding halt , for the simple reasons that , at the time of taking a decision ,


    *    there is absence of adequate / impeccable data on which to base decision ( - concerned vested interest parties will ensure that relevant data / facts / figures are never revealed ! )


    *    there is no pre-existing and well laid-out " Policy Framework " , governing the issue at hand


    *    no bureaucrat - or his political boss - will ever want to take a decision , which , successors to follow , will quote as a " precedent "and not based on policy




*      QUESTIONS  ?




>    Is there here , some confusion between a " Wrong " decision   and a " Dishonest " decision ?

 Don't millions of honest people continue to take decisions , which in hindsight , appear wrong ?


>    Isn't a " Dishonest " decision one which got taken , solely for the benefit of the decision-taker ( or his family / friends etc )  ?


>    Are we trying to replace honest human " Judgement " by some rigid , hide-bound rules ? by some computer algorithms ?



Historian Arnold Toyanbee , once said :


"  Only two things are certain in life -  death and taxes  "


From now on , in India , it will be   -  death and delays


Will our Ministers re-enact British comedy serial , " Yes Minister " ? 



Only time will tell whether this decision of the Supreme Court , was " Right " or " Wrong " , but we are sure of one thing : this is an " Honest " decision



*   hemen  parekh  (  01, Nov  2013  )

   

Wednesday, 30 October 2013

We , the People ……..



Bihar CM , Nitish Kumar likens Narendra Modi to Hitler


He is not alone


Many in Congress / Third Front  ( of 17 parties ) too , think likewise , without saying in so many words


They all mean :


Modi is autocratic , authoritarian , undemocratic , etc..


Majority of Indians would agree !


But then ask ,



“ So what ?


  Modi may not be consultative


  He may be taking decisions on his own


  But he takes fast decisions – right or wrong


  And even if some of his decisions prove  to be wrong in course of time,
  these are “ honest “ decisions , taken in the best interest of citizens


  His decisions are never taken in order to benefit himself / family / relatives
  / friends / chamchas / party members / even well-wishers , etc


  He means – and acts accordingly – when he says ,

, “ I don’t take bribe and don’t allow my officers to take bribes  “

 
  He practices highest form of “ Raj Dharma “ of corruption-free and secular
  Governance


  Why else would  24 MUSLIM  BJP CANDIDATES ( out of 27 ) win municipal
  election in Salaya town of Gujarat ( where 85 % population is Muslim ) ?


  Because , in Salaya , not a single Muslim is un-employed !


  That is why , people of Gujarat elected him democratically for the third
  time in a row


  Unlike Hitler , he has not imposed his “ Dictatorship “ through military


  So , we don’t care if he is autocratic


  And “ We , the People “, will elect him in 2014 , constitutionally and democratically


  We are fed up of indecisive and corrupt politicians like you


  Go ahead !


  Like an Ostrich , hide your head in the sands at the approaching storm ! “



·          hemen  parekh  (  31  Oct  2013  )
 

       

Tuesday, 29 October 2013

Kamraj Plan is now Scam-raj Plan !



Some 50 years ago , Congress President , Kamraj Nadar realized that the ideals on which Congress was founded , were decaying. Congress had started rotting from within because of power-hungry politicians



So he came up with “ Kamraj Plan “, under which , senior congress leaders were required to resign from their ministerial posts and devote themselves to re-vitalizing the party



Six Union Ministers and six State Chief Ministers resigned



50 years later , the current version of Kamraj Plan is “ Scam-raj Plan “ !



Under this new “ Scam-raj Plan “ ,



Ø  Ministers need not resign as long as they are involved in no more than one scam at a time


Ø  Ministers may ignore any adverse comments made against them , either by CAG or by Supreme Court


Ø  Ministers shall conveniently misplace / lose , scam related files


Ø  Ministers may continue to chair GoM appointed to investigate irregularities of their own ministries


Ø  Ministers shall have triple reporting relationships , viz :


·         Congress President


·         Congress Vice President


·         Prime Minister


           (  strictly in that order  !  )


Ø  Ministers shall not hesitate to appoint their near-and-dear relatives to sundry Government posts , as Chair-persons


Ø  Ministers shall ensure that all Government contracts / orders above Rs 100 crores , are mandatorily given out to each other’s relatives , in a quid-pro-quo basis , without fear or favour !


All cases to be decided on the basis of “ merit “ alone – that is whether the relative is a son / daughter / wife or a cousin , with family members getting bigger orders






Then there are many other minor “ Dos and Don’ts “ which readers may wish to add , by way of comments / replies



Who authored this “ Scam-raj “ plan ?



That is a “ Scam Raaz “ ! Relevant file is missing !





·          hemen  parekh  (  30  Oct  2013  )

Monday, 28 October 2013

Can’t you be Specific ?



During Hunkar rally of BJP on 27th Oct , there were 7 bomb blasts , in and around Gandhi Maidan , Patna


IB ( Intelligence Bureau – GOI ) says , that it had sent an alert to Bihar Govt on 23rd Oct


Bihar CM , Nitish Kumar says , he had received no “ specific “ advance alert


Being , “ His Master’s Voice “ , Bihar IG , Ravindra Kumar says the same


We have to agree ( even if reluctantly ), that the Kumars are right  !


After all , IB alert did not contain following “ specific “ info :



Ø     Names / Addresses / Mobile Nos / Photos of the attackers


Ø     Number of explosive devices / powers / types / triggers, etc


Ø     Vehicles ( indicating license plate nos ) carrying these devices


Ø     Exact locations where the devices were planted


Ø     Exact time when devices were scheduled to go off


Ø     Specific persons – within that crowd of 300,000 – who were targeted


Ø     Number of police / officers /detectives that Bihar Govt must deploy



A furious , Nitish Kumar is asking IB :



“ Why did you have to email your alert ?


In Bihar , we only look at alerts received through Indian Postal Services , which , like our Law Enforcement Agencies , take their own sweet time to arrive after a few weeks / months !



Also , what is your excuse for sending NIA / NSG teams after the blasts ? Why couldn’t you send them before the blasts ?


And , in future  please be  more specific  “



Sushil Kumar Shinde , please note !



·          hemen  parekh  (  29  Oct  2013  )  



Sunday, 27 October 2013

How exactly , Narendrabhai ?



In your “ Hoonkar “ rally at Patna yesterday , you said ,



“  Poor hindus and poor musalmans should not fight each other . They should join hands to fight poverty……


When Congress fought 2009 elections , it promised jobs . How many of you got those promised jobs ?  “



True , for over 55 years , successive Congress governments have been busy in “ Garibi Hatao “ – without success


So what did they do ?


Re-draw the Garibi-Rekha ( Poverty Line ) at Rs 27/day in urban areas , to give an impression that very few people in India , are “ really poor “


Even then , this works out to 400 million people ! By their own twisted standard


If I were to assume that BJP’s garibi rekha is , at a more respectable , Rs 100 per day , then this figure could well go over 700 million people !


Exact figures are unimportant


What is more important is ,


 “ How do you pull these poor , out of poverty ? “


There are only 2 ways , viz:,



Ø      Create jobs


Ø      Enable poor to become self-employed



Now , even though you don’t have a Ph D in Economics ( thank God ! ), you are a hard-headed Gujju businessman !


On top of that , you started your own career as a “ Self employed tea vendor “ on railway stations and in trains


So you know what it costs ( by way of capital investment + working capital ) to create just ONE job in the economy


Depending upon , whether that job is in Public Sector  /  Large organized Private Sector  /  Medium sized industry  / Roadside retail grocery shop or a Pan-Beedi dukaan of a self employed , the figure would range from Rs 10 Crores / job to Rs 10,000 for a Pan-Beedi shop !


(  If in doubt , take Annual Report of any Tata / Adani / Ambani / Birla company and divide the Capital Employed by Manpower  )


Now pick your own favorite figure ( per job investment ) and multiply with your own ( convenient ? ) figure of 700 million poor people , desperately wanting to “ fighting poverty “


In BJP’s poll manifesto , will you please mention , where you will find the money required to fulfill your promise ? I hope , you will not raise taxes !


How exactly , Narendrabhai ?


Hint :


Read my Poll Manifesto Suggestions , sent to Shri Murli Manohar Joshi , 3 days back !




·          Hemen  parekh  (  28  Oct  2013  ) 

Saturday, 26 October 2013

Brave Words ?



While talking to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in New York recently , our PM , Man Mohan Singh said ,



“ I have not become Prime Minister to re-draw the boundary “



When the Indians were struggling for independence , the then Conservative Party Prime Minister of UK , Winston Churchill said in British Parliament ,



“ I have not become Prime Minister of His Majesty’s government , to preside over the liquidation of the British Empire “



Within months , the British voters replaced him with Labour Party Prime Minister , Clement Attlee , who granted independence to India – even if reluctantly



The world-girdling mighty British Empire ( on which , at one time , the Sun never set ! ) , got completely liquidated over the next 50 years – if you ignore the Falkland Island , next to Argentina !



With barely 8 months to go till 2014 National Elections , Man Mohan Singh does not have to worry about re-drawing the boundary !



He must be too busy , worrying about the repetition of history when , the Congress government got thrown out of power , after the Emergency !


When brave Indian soldiers – and innocent citizens , are getting killed by Pakistani intruders every day , brave words are not even poor substitute for brave deeds



These are the ultimate in hypocrisy / mockery !



“ Krato Smarah ! “ ( Only the deeds will be remembered )



·          Hemen  parekh  (  27  Oct  2013  )