Foreign policy isn’t about hugs and kisses: Salman Khurshid

Hoping for positive outcome in the ongoing and upcoming state elections, senior Congress leader Samlan Khurshid candidly admits that the Congress party currently doesn’t possess “enough strength to go alone” in the elections and is giving up ground to regional players by cutting its losses by entering into coalitions with them. However, he adds that he sees these coalitions as a springboard for the revival of the Congress in the national arena. Khurshid also sees these elections as a test for the BJP to prove it’s still a party on the rise and not in retreat.

Being a former External Affairs Minister, he expresses dissatisfaction at the direction India’s foreign policy is taking and advises the Central Government to be open to advice from the opposition.

In a candid interview conducted hours after Uttarakhand High Court struck down President’s rule from the state, Salman Khurshid welcomed the verdict and expressed happiness for judiciary “asserting itself”, even as he adds that one needs to wait and see what Supreme Court decides.

In a frank conversation with Amit Goel and Vishav, Salman Khurshid pulls no punches as he talks about issues ranging from Indian foreign policy, economy, GST, Congress strategy in ongoing and upcoming polls as well as the latest controversy surrounding Ishrat Jahan case.

ALWIN SINGH/PIONEER

You must be a happy man today with the Uttarakhand High Court verdict coming in your party’s favour…

I am happy that the court has asserted itself in a manner which makes one feel that the court is independent. People keep saying that institutions in India are influenced by the government; that decisions are not taken independently etc… If I am praising them in this case, you will not hear me criticizing them in another case where the decision goes against me. My happiness is not for the party, but for the judiciary: that the judiciary has asserted itself.

I would also like to say one thing that whenever the judiciary pronounces a verdict, not all of us are aware of the nuances and the specifics that the court has looked at to make the decision. You go by the bottom line. If you agree, you are happy and if you disagree, you are unhappy. I think as responsible citizens in this country, we need to read more than the bottom line.

 

What would be the political implications of the decision? There has been a view that if Harish Rawat government remained suspended, it’ll gain some sympathy among the voters and the anti-incumbency factor will be negated. How do you see the political implications if the Harish Rawat government is reinstated?

See, it’s a double-edged sword. If you are unreasonably and unfairly unseated, there will be sympathy for you. But for how long can that sympathy remain? If the elections were held immediately, maybe there would be sympathy. There can be other events that can then overtake the sympathy.

There is also a fear that if the centre is in control, they can do things to allure the voters towards them. There are no perfect solutions. But those who believe that democracy should prevail, whether it’s good for the party or bad for the party, will applaud the decision and will not worry about the consequence. And for someone who came so close to losing out completely and gets a second life, I feel that the government of Uttarakhand should be very conscious of making the most it can to successfully serve the people of the state.

Will the decision affect the ongoing elections?

I imagine it will. Because I believe it’s wrong to think that people only think about prices and local issues. Of course those are important especially during local elections. But people of India look at a lot of factors to decide which way they should be voting. And I think, irresponsible manner in which the government has conducted itself, as has become apparent now, I think this will not go unnoticed as far as the voters of the country are concerned.

But also, assuming that the government runs to Supreme Court (which it did the day after the interview), we will have to wait and see what the Supreme Court does.

Elections are going on in four states: Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Assam. And polls are not predicting Congress coming to power in these states. Where do you see the strategy of the party faltering?

We were not in power in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. But we were in power in Assam and Kerala. And it is very important that Assam and Kerala remain with us. Despite the incumbency issues, my reading of the current situation is that we will again be coming into power, maybe with a different margin.

I am also receiving a lot of information about major shifts taking place in public opinion during the election campaign itself. What was reported as the likely outcome before the elections, shifted as reports came during the elections.

Also, today I think that just as it is important for Congress to sustain and retain whatever ground that it already has, it is equally important for the BJP to show that it is not a shrinking party but a growing party. And I think, having pitched itself very high after the parliamentary elections, BJP has a very tough task explaining why it looks like a party in retreat. So the results will also require the BJP to do some hard explaining.

What about West Bengal where you aligned with the left? How well do you expect Congress to perform there?

When our alliance was announced, there wasn’t the same kind of optimism about it. But there are reports coming in now that as the elections have moved on, there is a shift in public opinion. And we may do very well along with the Left Front; and there is a very good chance of doing well. Sometimes, one event can turn an election, for example the collapse of the bridge in Kolkata, or the ongoing investigations in the fraud cases.

We are seeing it more and more that Congress is entering into alliances with regional parties as a smaller partner. Is it good for the party? How do you see that playing out for the party in the long run?

See, it is difficult to say. There is nothing better than having your own strength. But if you have no strength, then there is no choice but to align. If you go back to the Shimla conclave, the first time we agreed to enter into alliances, we said that we will get into alliances with an intention to one day gain a full majority… While BJP came into power with a full majority but I feel that it was an aberration and not a trend. I feel the trend of alliances still remains intact in the country. We haven’t yet got enough strength to go alone.

But now Nitish Kumar has now made an appeal to form a maha-gathbandhan. Will Congress agree to be a minor partner?

A realistic analysis needs to be done as to who should be a minor partner and who should be a major partner. Even with 44 seats in the Lok Sabha, we are larger than anyone else after the BJP. It’s still some time away.

 

Do you think that Nitish Kumar made this announcement a little prematurely?

For them, an alliance is an expansion. For Congress, an alliance is constriction. We give up territory, they gain territory. This is how alliances work for us today… But, we are reducing ourselves by cutting our losses. But ultimately, this has to be used as a springboard to the Congress’s full revival to go to a near-majority or a full-majority ruling in India.

In Punjab, Kejriwal is coming up as a strong player. Who do you see as your main opponent there? Akali Dal-BJP or Aam Aadmi Party?

I think that Kejriwal is a dark horse, and not a horse in the shining armor. And a dark horse needs to be treated as a dark horse. I think with right strategy, we can whip this horse… But I think Kejriwal has mounted a challenge because he is a guerilla fighter in politics. A guerilla fighter can do a lot of damage to a standing army, because his politics is hit-and-run politics. But there the army has to retrain and re-equip itself to deal with guerilla fighters. How will we do that is for our leadership in Punjab to figure out.

During almost every election, a question is usually raised as to why Congress party does not announce its chief ministerial candidate. What is your opinion on it?

Sometimes my colleagues in UP say that we should announce our chief ministerial candidate. I laugh at them. I ask them please give me an assurance that we will cross a certain number, before you start talking about the chief minister post. If leaders cannot show themselves to be leaders and wait for the label to be given to them, then it is very tragic.

We keep hearing rumors that a member of the Gandhi family, particularly Priyanka Gandhi, would be leading the campaign in UP and will be the CM candidate.

She has never given a clear indication that she will lead the campaign or become CM. But the desire that workers have that she should also pitch into politics is there for everyone to see that there is a locked up feeling of excitement of her coming into politics. But it is her decision finally. We should leave it to them to make the decision and only offer our advice. We are lucky that we have in the arsenal of the Congress party a not-so-secret weapon that everyone looks forward to.

What alliances do you possibly see in Uttar Pradesh for your party?

It’s very difficult to say. But I will tell you that the party workers prefer BSP. But I don’t know of any talk going on about any alliance presently. We have been in an alliance with Mayawati in the past. And it just seems that the natural preference of the worker is Mayawati not only because she is Mayawati but also because there is a natural alliance between her natural vote and our natural vote: dalit-muslim vote combination. SP’s vote bank has traditionally been opposed to the Congress’s vote bank.

Do you think that UP elections will get polarized as the day comes near?

BJP will try but I sincerely hope not. And I think UP people are sensible and have experienced a lot of such thinks and will ensure that they are not polarized.

You have been External Affairs Minister during the UPA government. How do you rate India’s foreign policy during the BJP rule?

I think that they (the Modi Government) are the weakest on their foreign policy. Quite often writers say that even if he fails on domestic front, he is doing very well on foreign policy front. You give me a single achievement in foreign policy in the last one year. What he comes and says “I’ve done” is not foreign policy. Foreign policy is what we see on the ground. Now Pakistan relationship is not an easy one. So I am not going to rush in to criticizing Mr Modi saying he couldn’t do anything because Pakistan relationship is a difficult one. But look at where Mr Modi started and where he is in one year’s time. When he started, he said “can’t talk and have guns shooting at the same time. Then he went and kissed Nawaz Sharif on his cheeks. And what have we got today? Has their conduct improved even one inch? Then what is this talk all about?

What should the alternative strategy be?

It has to be realistic. Personal chemistry is important in diplomacy but it cannot be a substitute to objective exchange of mutual interest. We must understand what their interest is and see how we can work towards their interest. We must get them to understand what our interest is and make them to work towards our interest. That is how you work on diplomacy. We are not going to give any quick formula to the government because the government doesn’t even make any attempt to talk to us. But all I can say is that hugs and kisses is not foreign policy.

But should it be avoided altogether?

If you do it to fool the other person, then it is understandable. But if you do it with a hope to get something, then you should not breed false hopes.

What would be your or your party’s view on Baluchistan?

What have we got to do with Baluchistan? It’s an internal issue of Pakistan. Why should we interfere with it? How can we have double standards and say you don’t interfere in our internal issues but we will interfere in your internal matters? But if there is a larger world-wide issue about human rights, no matter where, one can discuss in the world, but we should not have double standards.

What is your view on Ishrat Jahan issue with your colleague P. Chidambaram in the thick of the controversy?

What controversy? Chidambaram is one of the finest ministers that we have: both as finance and home minister. He did his duty. He did what a fair person would do without being influenced by any emotion. This country, and the constitution of this country, is committed to the rule of law: not just for Indian citizens, but for everybody. Unless there is a war, in which case the rules of war take over… We never said that rules of war apply to people who violate the criminal code of our country and who join hands with the terrorists. We would fight them; we have duty to fight them; we have a duty to protect ourselves. But we use the law of the land to protect ourselves. We are not going to let a Rambo run around killing people. Because the problem with a Rambo is that Rambo can make a mistake. You can rewind a movie, but you can’t rewind life.

But it has become a controversy because of the change in the affidavit…

There is nothing wrong in it. This government is changing its affidavit on Aligarh Muslim University. If you can change an affidavit on one case, you can change an affidavit on another case. And Mr Chidambram has very clearly said that when the affidavit was given, there was a need to clarify the affidavit. So an affidavit with clarification was given. It happens all the time.

GST has been one of the most awaited bills ever since the general elections but Congress has moved amendments including one suggesting capping of GST rate at 18 percent. It is unprecedented to cap taxes. Why not allow the government to decide tax rates? One can always protest if rates are perceived to be on a higher side.

It is my party’s view. What I can say is that of they have a problem, then they should talk to my party. I think it’s important that they should work harder on talking to the Congress leadership. It’s important that we have GST. It’s important that not passing GST is not seen as an excuse at the behest of Congress party: saying that the Congress party did not allow us to improve our economic standing etc. And economic standing has to come from many things and not just by GST. They should not take wrong economic decisions as they did take on the Provident Fund, on OROP, on excise duty for jewelers. They did take some wrong short-sighted decisions. The problem with them is that they don’t like to talk to anybody. They don’t take advice from people who have experience, both good and bad, in the past.

Do you see GST passing any time soon?

It is entirely on their shoulders and their ability to persuade the opposition to cooperate.

Talking about the rising number of NPA cases, there has been criticism that a lot of loans, good and bad, were passed during your government. Allegations are that people like Vijay Mallya should not have got the loans. How do you respond?

Vijay Mallya was their MP, he was never with us. But we also know that he ran an outstanding airline in this country. It’s a pity that it failed. It’s a pity that the model didn’t succeed.

I think I cannot improve on the statement made by the governor of the RBI that every bad loan cannot necessarily be equivalent to corruption. I am very glad that these things are now being said. And look at who is saying it. Mr Rai, the former CAG, is saying that you should not start a witch-hunt because people can make mistakes; that every bad decision is not a corrupt decision. Between the former CAG and the governor of RBI, there finally seems emergence of some good sense about what to do with economy.

After two years of this government coming to power, are you satisfied with the economic growth projections?

Even the RBI governor is not satisfied. I will only goby RBI governor. I can’t go by some loud-mouth BJP propagandist saying we have done very well. We know that household savings have dropped, agricultural production has dropped, money offtake has dropped, banks’ liquidity has dropped, manufacturing sector has dropped, exports have dropped… And yet, GDP is growing. That’s very strange. That’s like saying that you will have recession in the country but GDP will grow.

What do you think the government could have done or should have done?

One thing that they should have done was ‘talk less and work more’. And second, they should have allowed the government to work, and not just the PMO alone. Government is a much larger entity than the PMO.

What is your opinion on the whole controversy surrounding chanting ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’? RSS says that they are not forcing anyone, but the debate remains alive.

They are keeping the debate alive because they have nothing else to offer. These are complete diversionary tactics. And even people who say they have a problem (saying Bharat Mata Ki Jai), why do they have any problem? I don’t understand it. But all the same, I am not going to go screaming and shouting Bharat Mata Ki Jai etc. I actually like Jai Hind much more because I first heard it as a child from the ramparts of the Red Fort. And I really liked it because it was said by the Pandit Ji. And Jai Hind has become a part of my national consciousness. But I often talk of India as my mother. Now you call your mother ammi, I call my mother amma, somebody else calls their mother mom. We have our own ways of expression. The point is what comes on our lips but what is in our hearts.

PDP’s Kejriwal Moment

As governor’s rule is being imposed in the state of Jammu & Kashmir, pressure builds up on the PDP, which has emerged as the single largest party in the state, to form the government. PDP now faces the exact same dilemma that Kejriwal faced around an year ago.

Read more at JKElections.com

Will regional parties join hands to keep BJP out in J&K?

As predicted, BJP did incur some losses in the Jammu and Ladakh region for taking for granted the two regions where it did well in the Lok Sabha elections. And all that for under three percent vote share in the Valley yet again. But it’d be foolish to say that all the ferocious campaigning that the BJP did in the Valley was an effort in vain. It wasn’t.

Read more at JKElections.com

CREME DE LA CRIME

The famous, and fictitious, crime writer Richard Castle once said that there are two kinds of people who sit around all day thinking about killing people… serial killers and mystery writers. While we Indians had plenty of the former, we had to rely on the imported names when it came to the latter. But there’s a fresh wind that’s blowing, or may we call it a wave? A wave of crime fiction in the Indian publishing industry over the last few years, with lots of writers exploring various facets of crime set in India. From murder mysteries to geo-political thrillers, from cyber crime thrillers to financial crime series, Indian authors are offering every kind of criminal recipe to the readers that they can imagine.

Kishwar Desai, who introduced the “social worker-cum-reluctant sleuth” Simran Singh in Witness the Night, which went on to win Costa First Novel Award, says, “There is a huge explosion of crime writing in India, as well as a renewed interest in the genre. In fact, in the past, our interest in reading this genre was satisfied from foreign authors, and from some in the regional languages. There were very few authors writing in English, in India, in this genre. It is the increase in the Indian authors writing in English that has changed our perception. Now we have a healthy mix of both, Indian and foreign authors (in English, as well as translations). And yes, publishers have also realised that there is a lot of talent in India, and so many of the new best sellers are from this genre. And frankly, Indian readers have matured, and appreciate indigenous themes and even, at times, Indian English!”

Juggi Bhasin, the author of geo-political thrillers The Terrorist and The Avenger, says, “Historically, Indian authors have written about family, romance and what goes on in the social space. The genre of crime thriller has always been a low-key affair here. But I have always felt that there has been a need or a demand for crime fiction. But there weren’t many Indian writers writing original and quality stuff for those readers. So there was this huge gap that needed to be plugged. Just like some people like romance, many others like crime. But they had no choice. And people like me are just trying to provide them with that choice.”

Madhumita Bhattacharyya, the author of Masala Murders and Dead in Mumbai Minute, agrees and adds, “Mystery, thriller and crime are generally best-selling genres across the globe. What surprises me is not that these genres have taken off now, but rather that it has taken so much for Indian writers to join the club. As for the readers, they have become used to reading Indian voices across genres, and so have become more receptive to desi crime fiction as well. For readers and authors, it means the same thing: more choice. And that is never a bad thing, whether it means greater variety on bookshelves or greater freedom with regards to creativity.”

Rise of the sub-genres

Choice is the keyword here. Not only is it limited to Indian writers setting the crime thrillers in the Indian context, with Indian characters wearing Indian attire, eating Indian food and using Indian brands of cars and perfumes and so on, the choice has also expanded to the various sorts of crimes that lay the foundation for all the action to happen. If we have Anita Nair, who turned to psychological “literary noir” with Cut Like Wound, we also have Ravi Subramanian, a banker-turned-author writing what may be called financial thrillers. And then there is Madhulika Liddle, who writes historical crime thrillers, Mukul Deva writing techno-espionage thrillers, Aditya Sudarshan writing legal thrillers and so on. No more a fan has to look towards the West to satisfy her appetite for solving a unique murder case, or busting a terror plot. And these sub-genres under the umbrella of crime fiction are further expanding.

Shweta Taneja, author of The Ghost Hunters of Kurseong and The Skull Rosary, is experimenting with another sub-genre: detective fantasy. She explains, “A few years ago, I started binge-reading thrillers and detective stories where women are the main detectives and lead the stories. And I couldn’t find any such character in Indian fantasy. Anantya Tantrist, the tantric detective in my fantasy series was born because I couldn’t find such a feisty detective in any other Indian fiction. I craved for a heroine who was desi, who walked the nights fearlessly, kicking supernatural ass, spewed tantric mantras and expletives alternatively.”

Military-action thriller writer Mukul Deva adds, “Thrillers, like most other genres, have always been inspired by what is happening around us. So, with rampant political corruption and scams emerging every week it is obvious that thrillers on this theme would be written. Likewise, an abundance of Pak-sponsored terror has given rise to thrillers based on that theme. After all, not many years ago, our western counterparts were obsessed with thrillers centered on the Cold War. So, here again, the genre is a reflection of the horrible times we live in, with rape, murder, and corruption so rampant.”

Talking about the surge in production, as well as consumption, of crime fiction in India, Shweta adds, “A new crop of authors have risen, who’re genuinely interested in the crime genre, have seen this gap in the Indian English writing and now want to fill it up. They’re young, full of energy and ideas and want to write thrilling fiction. I also feel that Indian readership in what I call the pop-masala genre has increased. This readership wants entertainers, pacy-reads, page-turners and stories that are completely masala-fied and desi. Both readers and authors are more comfortable in their own skin. They want to read or write books about things that they experience, in the English that they speak or write, stories that they hear from their grannies and friends. Desi crime fiction, written in desi style with desi detectives as main protagonists might be one of the reasons for this sudden rise in the genre.”

New brigade of sleuths

One interesting aspect that has come forth with this rise of crime fiction is the simultaneous rise of a brigade of new sleuths who look set for an exciting innings of crime-solving. Be it Reema Ray from Madhumita Bhattacharya’s series of books who loves to bake a batch of brownies to get rid of her case woes, or Anita Nair’s Bullet-riding and Old Monk drinking Inspector Borei Gowda who is set to return with another adventure; or if it is Kalpana Swaminathan’s Inspector Lalli, the idealistic 60-year-old retired cop, or Muku Deva’s Ravinder Gill, the head of the Indian Anti-Terrorist Task Force set to return in Assassins and Pound of Flesh, we now have characters appearing in book after book, taking their story forward, one crime at a time.

Anita Nair says, “When it comes to crime fiction, the protagonist is not the nucleus of the story. It’s more about the crime that has happened, or is happening, with only so much attention given to the protagonist. It is only over a series of books that the character becomes a real person that one can actually relate to. Also, to be able to keep him alive book after book, it’s a wonderful thing for the author.”

V.K. Karthika, chief-editor and publisher of HarperCollins, adds, “From a publisher’s point of view, it’s great to have such protagonists as it offers a brand to work with, something that has already been introduced to the readers. Each new book will add to the kitty and there’s so much one can do with it. For example, one can come up with anthologies or box sets at the end of the series. It offers so many new possibilities.”

Coming of age?

The genre has gained so much momentum that next year will also see a first Crime Writers Festival in New Delhi, organised by Crime Writer’s Forum For South Asia. Kishwar Desai is also the co-convener and co-founder of the festival along with Namita Gokhale. Kishwar says, “Acknowledging the huge explosion of crime writing in India, coupled with the rising maturity of the readers, we decided to celebrate crime writing through a festival devoted to it, though, of course, we are also looking at Nordic noir, Hitchcock, Sherlock Holmes etc.”

While conceptualising the festival, Namita and Kishwar discussed the surge of the genre and the reason for the same. They explain, “As India moves towards a more just society, a society that believes in investigation, the proper procedures of the law, and perhaps even punishment for crime through legal means, it also begins to examine the roots of crime. Crime writing usually holds a mirror to society as it is based on social issues and problems, whether of the past or present. Whether crime writing is based on fact or fiction, it usually deals with some form of injustice, which is set right, often not through vengeful means, but usually through deduction, logic and forensic techniques.”

Crime Fiction in Regional Languages

While the genre of crime fiction is new only when it comes to English authors in India, it has always been there when it comes to the regional languages. That’s the reason we have some legendary characters like Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay’s Bhyomkesh Bakshi and Satyajit Ray’s Feluda. So what took it so long for English writers to embrace the genre?

Kishwar says, “I think it is the same problem for crime fiction that we once faced for the great Indian novel. When there is so much available crime fiction, in English, from all over the world, why would any Indian author be encouraged to write… or even attempt to write? Thus we lived with Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie without even wondering why we didn’t have an Indian version. Secondly, publishers and critics have also been rather discouraging towards new authors who might attempt this genre. In the regional languages, the genre has been flourishing for a long time… the Jasoosi novel makes a lot of money for the author and the publishers. But now slowly things are changing.”

The future

Change, indeed, is happening as more and more writers are coming up with new crimes and new ways of solving them. And this promises only to get bigger from here. While many authors believe that our new brigade of characters will come of age and we might have our own legends of the likes of Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, Robert Langdon and so on, others believe that there is yet a lot to be done to reach that stage.

Yudhi Raman, the author of The Tantalus Redemption says, “One area that Indian thriller writers need to improve heavily on to make it to the next Robert Langdon is in developing their characters. Indian thrillers are very good in technical aspects such as the twist in the tale, crafting of narrative, building peaks and troughs in the story but the characters have no depth, and it’s difficult for readers to empathise with them. Indian writers need to spend more time developing the internal conflicts their characters face, develop their character’s flaws and redeeming characteristics etc so that the global reader can empathise with the character in a away that transcends cultural and geographic context. Until we can do that, appeal will always be limited by geography and culture.”

Going into elections, BJP has the head start

The uncertainty over the elections in Jammu & Kashmir has finally ended with the Election Commission of India announcing the polling dates on Saturday. According to the announcement, the elections will be held in five phases starting from November 25. But with PM Modi’s recent visit to the valley, it appears that the BJP has already got a head start.

Read more at JKElections.com

Stars on a Holiday

The IPL season is over and the Indian cricket team is in Bangladesh, where they comfortably won the opener on Sunday. But if you couldn’t spot two of the biggest stars, Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli, on the ground and were wondering what have they been up to? We have the answer.

An interview with the super-duo

On the very Sunday, they were in the middle of a swarming Delhi crowd at Ambience Mall, Gurgaon for Disruptive by Design experience event as the brand ambassadors of Oakley. We caught up with the duo and found out what have they been up to.

Virat Kohli, who the girls in the crowd were calling after without a break, has been ironically enjoying the much-needed break. “I needed a break badly and so I went away for a few days. It turned out to be really good and revitalising for me. We had a really hectic season and now we have another one coming up. So yeah, I think I made pretty good use of the break. I went to the US for a few days with a couple of my friends. After that, I just spent some quality time with my family. Also, I went to Spain for a while,” says the cricketer who was reportedly spotted in Barcelona with actress Anushka Sharma.

Yuvraj Singh, who lives in Chandigarh, has also been spending some time in Delhi with his brother’s family. It was recently reported that his father is diagnosed with cancer. Yuvi shares that even though he went through the same; his father is dealing with it in his own way. He adds, “He is in good hands. I’ve been speaking to him. He’s had his operation and can’t speak much. But he’s recovering much better. I went to Shirdi to pray for him.”

Yuvi shares that when he is not playing, his days are pretty lazy with waking up late, watching movies and going out for coffee with friends. But these days, he has been following the World Cup. “In fact, I really wanted to go to Brazil for a couple of games but I’ve got some charity events in UK. I am supporting Italy and hope they win,” he says as he adds that he’s also looking forward to visit Italy or Spain when he finds some time.

Virat, on the other hand, loves South Africa. Asked what’s his favourite place in India, he adds, “In India, it has to be Delhi for me. But I love the mountains up north. I used to go there a lot as a kid. I’d love to go there again. But if you want me to chose one place, it has to be Delhi. It’s my home.”

Asked what he likes to do in Delhi, he adds, “I don’t like to go out much. It’s more about being at home, calling friends over and playing Playstation games and watching movies. Now World Cup is on so I am planning to call my friends almost every night to watch all the games. Calling your friends over and doing your own thing is much better than going to clubs and restaurants where you don’t want to get hustled by people.”

Pointing the scene outside, he adds, “I mean there’s no point if you have to organise a few people for your security to go out. It’s not fun. I’d rather like to do that away from home where people don’t know you and you can be yourself. Where you can just go and enjoy the ride rather than worrying who’s watching and who’s trying to hold on to you.”

So what do the two stars like to do when they travel? Do they just like to chill at a resort or are they the adventurous sort? Virat says, “Now as per our contracts, we’re not allowed to do adventure sports. But I am someone who likes the idea of trekking and camping. I’m more into that than jumping off the plains and doing sky diving and stuff. Even when I was in S. Africa, I did mountain climbing for exercise. You run around the mountain and you climb a bit. Then you run back. All those things I like to do. I am not really a height and a water person, so I can’t really experiment with that. But yeah, on ground, I would like to do more.”

You look at Yuvi for the answer and he quips, “I just like to hit the ball. But yeah I like to do a lot of outdoor activities too like cycling, kayaking and stuff like that.”

 

Why 28 is more a magical number for AAP than 36?

As things stand at the moment, Delhi will go into polls again in a few months. What seemed obvious, was arrived at after a lot of analysis by some renowned as well as novice political analysts as well as psephologists. The analysis was, of course, needed due to probability of some permutations and combinations that could have led to a coalition majority, or even a minority government. But all those arguments, permutations, combinations and forecasts had one thing in common – an assumption that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will strike a deal with either BJP or with Congress. And that is exactly why 28 is for AAP what would have been 36 for BJP, the magical number.

Let me explain why it is so. Ever since AAP was formed, or even earlier when Anna Movement was on, it has consistently faced the charges of being the B-Team of Congress as well as of BJP, depending on who was making the allegation. Even while the campaigning was on, some BJP leaders kept on propagating that a vote for AAP was indirectly a vote for Congress. So what the people have gifted AAP is the magical figure that places them in a position where they can join hands with either BJP or Congress to form the government, and an opportunity not to do so. By being in that position, AAP has got the gift of the opportunity to shut the mouths of each and every one of their critics who claim it to be the B-Team of either party. By not aligning with either Congress or BJP, the message from AAP is loud and clear; they stand for what they claim – neither pro-BJP, nor pro-Congress, but anti-corruption. The next time they fight an election (which might be quite soon), there will be no rhetoric on the part of AAP, but hard facts to back their claim of who they stand with and who they are against.

Second, AAP has consistently claimed that they are not in the game for power but for cleaning the system. They have always maintained their claim to take the clean and honest path, even if it doesn’t lead to power. Now words always fall short when it comes to proving the substance. It’s actions that prove that. And the magic number of 28 has given AAP exactly what they needed at the moment to further their claim – it gave them not power, but credibility. 36 would have given them majority, but as they claim, their’s is “not a fight for power, but a fight of idealism and truth and honesty”. What better way to prove that than to be in a place to win power by a little compromise, and then deny it for the sake of their ideology and their word?

Sonia Gandhi has been one person in the recent Indian political scenario who made the most of such an opportunity when she “sacrificed her shot” at the post of Prime Minister and nominated Manmohan Singh. It was that one move that gave her the stature of the tallest leader in Congress, and maybe in whole of Indian political scene at that moment. She still reaps the benefit of that one opportunity.

The magic number of 28 provides the same opportunity to AAP, and maybe more. It has the potential of taking AAP beyond where a majority could have taken them, not to the legislature but in the hearts of more and more people. It has the potential of winning them respect, which might translate into votes.

For Congress at that time (and arguably for Sonia too), the purpose was to bring the party to power and that could have been possible only through coalition, and not many parties were willing to support Sonia as PM candidate, citing her nationality. So her “sacrifice” was to make sure coalition partners stay and so they did, making her a symbol of great sacrifice. But for AAP, the fight is first to prove that they really are an honest alternative that won’t deceive their voters. So this magic number gives them an opportunity to prove just that by sacrificing power to uphold their word to the voters.

Now one might argue that it’d have been even better had they become the single largest party and still short of majority, as it’d have still given them all these opportunities and would have been even more symbolic, given they would have been the choice of maximum number of voters. But in that case, the pressure would have been on them from all quarters to form the government, and an unstable government in that which won’t have been able to achieve much without support from other parties. Despite having maximum number of seats, BJP is still targeting AAP on the same quoting ‘AAP just wants to make tall claims and shies away from responsibility when it comes to forming the government’. Imagine the pressure if AAP had been more closer to majority and ahead of BJP.

So what the magical number of 28 does is that it places AAP in the most advantageous position where it can’t have power but everything else it claims to stands for. So isn’t 28 more magical a number for AAP than 36? But there’s one last thing that makes it even more magical. It does so with still reserving a shot for AAP to come to power as it stops BJP short of majority and doesn’t allow any other party or independents to have the number of seats that BJP falls short of (Of course except Congress, which surely won’t support BJP). So in all probability, this magical number ensures that there will be re-polling and AAP still might come to power, and that after having established that it’s honest, credible, moral, ethical, anti-Congress, anti-BJP, anti-corruption, and that it stands by its word. Well, that is nothing short of magic.

P.S: The author doesn’t believe in magic. The usage of the word is just due to the established terminology and practice.

SACHINCREDIBLE

It’s a historic day in the history of cricket as Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar walks into the Wankhede Stadium to play his last match ever, be it in terms of any format of the game. The symbolism of this match lies in the fact that it gives millions of the fans of Little Master, five days (if the match lasts that long) to say their goodbyes, and come to terms with the fact that they will never be able to watch him play again.

Published on 15th November, 2013

As this match ends on Monday (or maybe earlier), it won’t just be the retirement of the god of cricket, but also of thousands of his fans (maybe millions) that might never turn to cricket again. It’s the end of an era, as one of them says.

“It was because of this man that I started watching cricket,” says Garima Malhotra, a die-hard Sachin fan. “I was just eight years old when I started watching him. Even though I didn’t understand the game, I still loved to watch Sachin bat. As my father tried to explain me what was going on in the match, even at that age I somehow realised that he was the only star in the game. For me, Sachin is cricket. It was for him that I started watching the game, and I believe his retirement will be my retirement too. After all, I stopped watching ODI’s when he retired from them, and I am sure this’ll be my last test match too.”

Such is the nature of the emotional connect of his fans that it doesn’t sound surprising when people see his retirement as theirs. So much so that they want to be at the same place as their god, when they retire along with him.

Sumit Tomar, who owns an IT firm in Gurgaon, is one of those fans who will be traveling to Mumbai to watch Sachin play one last time. “I had heard some speculations that his last match will be at Lord’s and I had all the plans to go there too. Call it an emotional connection, or anything else, no matter where he would have played his last match, I just had to be there. He not only deserves the credit for what he has achieved himself, but also for where the Indian team is today. After all, the Kohli’s, Sharma’s and Raina’s are here today only because they watched Sachin as kids and wanted to be like him. For me, that credit also goes to Sachin” he shares.

He’s another of the numerous Sachin fans who never missed even a single match for last couple of decades; and also one of those who plan never to watch cricket again.

Rupesh Agarwal, owner of a bike showroom in the city, however, doesn’t feel to say goodbye yet. “For me, this is not the end as I am going to watch his highlights over and over again, and follow any of his news that is telecasted on the news channels. And as far as seeing him live is concerned, I’ll wait for him to be the coach of the Indian team. When that happens, the junoon for cricket is going to be back,” he adds.

While, many of his fans are traveling all the way to Mumbai to watch him in action one last time, those who will be watching at home are no less prepared.

Tribhuwan Joshi is one such fan who will be glued to the TV like million others. He shares, “I am going to watch his every moment – on the field and off the field. I used to pray to God for his first two overs and didn’t stop till he used to connect the ball in middle of his willow. For the last time, I will pray to God that he scores a century and for this, I will keep one red handkerchief in my pocket as Steve Waugh used to do while batting. Though I don’t believe in superstitions, but I will do it just this one time, only for Sachin.”

While, it’s the end of a long innings by one of India’s biggest icons, the future of Indian cricket looks bright with the young crop of players living upto expectations. But when it comes to hardcore Sachin fans, nobody can replace him, not even India’s success in the game.

“When my friends tell me that Virat Kohli will fill his shoes and break all his records, I feel so angry and hurt. In fact I pray for him to get out early so he doesn’t score much. I don’t want anyone to come even close to my Sachin,” concludes Garima.

 

Hummingbirds of India

If you talk about originality in the world of music, you can’t get any more original than Abiogenesis, a folk-fusion act that hails from Nagaland. Not only are they the only band in the world to play the bamhum, a wind instrument invented by the band co-founder Moa Subong, they are also the only group that plays Howey music, a genre reinvented by the band. They have recently released an album titled ‘7×7’ to raise awareness against drug abuse, along with six other bands hailing from different North East states, as a part of an initiative by BASIC.

Published on 12th November, 2013

Abiogenises’ music is evolved from Naga folk sounds that blend folk elements from Nagaland with modern music to create an offbeat and completely enchanting melody. “The word howey phonetically resembles the chants that Naga people have been making since time immemorial, during the festivals and other celebrations. In our new genre of music, these chants are one of the most significant and noticeable elements, and hence we gave it the name Howey music. And if you listen to our music, you’ll be sure not to mistake us for any other band,” shares Moa Subong, who plays lead guitar and harmonica.

With their unique music, Abiogenesis emerged on a global scale performing all over India, and in other countries, while also being nominated for many awards globally. They were also listed for nominations in the Grammy Awards for Rustic Relish and Aeon Spell in the Contemporary World Music category.

Apart from the melodic tribal chants, what really sets their music apart is another noticeable sound that defines Howey music genre. It’s the sound of a curious wind instrument called Bamhum that is made from bamboo. Bamhum creates what could be called the most recognisable element of their music, unique only to Abiogenesis.

Arenla Subong, the lead vocalist and lead Bamhum, was the reason Moa decided to create this new instrument, ‘his Taj Mahal for his lady’. “When I used to compose songs, I realised that the instruments we had, were not enough to play all the tunes of Naga folk music. Both Moa and I wanted to do something about it. What I wanted was something innovative that blends naturally with the folk tunes that I composed, something that existing instruments were not able to achieve. Moa, then, decided to create a new instrument. It took him one year and a truckload of bamboos, and some really horrible and torturous sounds that I had to constantly hear in my home (laughs). But finally, one fine day I heard something beautiful and instantly knew in my heart that this is what was going to define our music,” shared Arenla at the 7×7 music concert held recently in Delhi.

Just last month, Bamhum emerged as the winner along with five others as the best-in-class innovations at the finale of All India National Innovation Fair, and will soon be refined and marketed.

“The uniqueness of the instrument lies in the fact that it can create all sorts of tunes and can blend with any form of music. That’s because you don’t have to blow into it, but just hum the tunes naturally, and it will be resonated by the instrument to create some beautiful sounds. And since all you have to do is hum, it makes it one of the easiest instruments to play. The judges at the Innovation Fair also said that it has the potential to go viral, and we have started the process to patent it,” concludes Moa.

 

An Interview With Hoobastank

Hoobastank was in town recently and performed at Hard Rock Cafe and Rendezvous in IIT Delhi. I got the opportunity to meet them and know the answer to ‘the question’ first hand. They have been a band for almost twenty years now and it’s been ten years since ‘The Reason’ came out. During the conversation, I sensed that we might be looking at a huge transformational period ahead for the band. But I don’t think I have a sixth sense, just nonsense. So here’s to many more years of Hoobastank.

Published on October 19, 2013

Just a couple of months ago, you performed in Shillong that is called the ‘Rock n Roll capital of India’ and yesterday, you performed in Pune. Finally, here you are in the actual capital city. Tell me a little about your experience in India so far.

Dan: Well, Pune was completely different from Shillong, much smaller and compact. And the venue here is quite similar to the one in Pune although there’s more room here in front of the stage where the audience will be right in your face. Personally, I like performing at both kinds of places, as a smaller venue like this with audience standing so close, lets you have a personal relation with the audience. But at the same time, it’s an awesome feeling to perform in front of some ten thousand people too, as we did in Shillong. It was an amazing audience. It’s just like having a big meal one day and a smaller one the other. And trust me, both are delicious.

Jesse: You know when we came for Shillong, it all happened so fast that we had no idea what we should be expecting. We had no expectations all the way down to the end. And when we showed up at the venue, there were some 14000 people waiting for us. Even though there were technical issues, like we lost power in the middle of the show. But overall, it was awesome. The people had great attitude. Here, it’s completely different. It’s a more intimate setting.

I hear that you will also be performing in IIT Delhi in two days. Let me tell you that in India, a major part of Hoobastank fans live in engineering colleges. I got to know about your music, along with a lot of my friends, when I was studying engineering. So take it from me, they will be desperately waiting for you and will have really high expectations. Any thoughts?

Jesse: Pressure on! Right? If I was waiting for such a long time for my favorite band that is ‘Nine Inch Nails’, and if Nine Inch Nails were coming to my town, my expectations will be soaring through the roof. Right? I’m just glad I’ll have a chance to make them happy. But to be honest, I find it strange that it’s us they’re waiting for.

Dan: Personally, I love to perform in colleges. And when it comes to India, I feel that you guys are more into it since you’ve been waiting a long time considering we’ve not been here ever since we started in the music industry. It’s great to finally be here.

Dan, some seven years ago, you had mentioned in an interview that Hoobastank would rather be known for its music rather than some other reasons. But now that both your band and your music has become popular, do you still feel the same way?

Dan: Yeah I remember that incident when some asshole wrote an article in a magazine making fun of us. He wrote some thing like, “Sorry Hoobastank, you’d be known just for your songs and nothing else.” And I was like, what a fucking asshole, man.

Yes and it was in response to that you had said that you’d prefer to be known for your music. But have things changed for you with rising popularity?

Dan: Well I don’t think that things have changed a lot for us. Yes, we are traveling and performing at different places in the world and we have our fair share of our fans, but that’s it. And yes, to that extent, everyone wants to be appreciated and known. But not much has changed for us.

Well, it’s almost one year since your latest album ‘Fight or Flight’ was released, are you satisfied with the response?

Jesse: Fuck man! You’re right. It’s actually been a year. Well, we’re happy with the final product. In ‘Fight or Flight’, while still remaining Hoobastank, we have tried to push things further. It’s a little less mainstream and little more artistic and creative record. When it comes to the sales and reception, I agree that the numbers are quite low and it’s disappointing. I mean it hurts considering you’ve put your heart and soul in the record. I know it’s not like that but I take it, as they hate me. Of course I try to stay away from reviews but I’ve read a few and we’ve got some appreciation from the critics. It’s not like they’re saying we’ve done something path breaking but they get it that we’ve tried something different and it feels good. The bands that I have been a part of have always had small fan groups. But these are the fans that just don’t know one or two titles but they own all your records. For me, those are the real fans and I’d love to make music for them.

Dan: Well personally, I’d want more people to hear it and appreciate it. I know it won’t be as massive a hit as ‘The Reason’. And I am not saying every record has to be a smash hit. We write some catchy music and also some cool strong songs. I want people to hear it. And I feel if you liked our earlier songs, you’d like this record too. It has a different approach and we have rehearsed more on our live shows for this.

And that brings me to my next question. For you earlier five albums, you were signed to Island Records and you severed ties with them for your last album. You had also mentioned that you got more artistic freedom during your last album. Did it work out well for the band?

Dan: See the point of the matter is that once you work with some people who love you, it feels great. At the Island, it was just like that when we started. Everyone loved the band. But when the ones who love you and who hired you, when they start moving to Rolling Stone and other labels, it gets frustrating. The new people don’t care about you, as they did not hire you. They care about some new band they have hired. It was then that we decided to move to a new label. It was basically not an established label but a guy Gavin Brown, a friend with a lot of money. It’s still raw and we went along as we kept figuring it out.

So how different was it with Gavin Brown?

Dan: Well, Gavin was a lot more hands-on with Jesse and me while Benson was more hands-on with Doug.

So it must have been a better move for you than it might have been for Doug. Is it?

Dan: It depends on the kind of person you are. In my case I actually like it when Benson used to leave me alone. I used to like to be aloof and just concentrate on my music. In fact the times he used to come to me, I used to tell him to leave to me alone.

Well I can understand that. And now after ‘Fight or Flight’, what’s on the cards for Hoobastank? Is another album on the cards anytime soon?

Dan: I’m not sure man. There’s nothing planned as such. It’s been almost twenty years since we started the band, which is a really long time. Sometimes I think, maybe I don’t want make another album. What I mean is that the music world is changing and nobody buys records now a days. They just go online and download one or two songs. I don’t want to make a record for it to just be swept under the bed. Yes, I agree there are some hardcore fans who own all our records and will buy our next one but I feel, maybe we’ll just record three songs and put them out there online and tour the world playing those songs and those from the large catalogue of music that we have. And maybe after six-seven months we’ll record three more songs. Also it might be because recording a whole album takes out a lot of emotions and energy.

Fair enough. And you mentioned you guys started twenty years ago, was it when you played against Doug in Battle of the Bands?

Dan: Oh no. That was much before that. We were in different schools and it wasn’t like every college had so many bands back then. We used to look for opportunities to play and for that purpose I, along with my band, decided to hold a battle of the bands in my school. We did not want to win but we just decided to set something up so we could play. It was there that I met Doug who was as dedicated to music as I was. That’s all we ever wanted to do. And as it turned out, it was him who used to write and do all the work for his band as I did for mine. Eventually we decided to start our own.

It was also when you played at the same place with Incubus?

Dan: Well it was a small town and every band knew the band members of others. But I was better friends with their brothers as I was with them. And I still am. Those were different times altogether.

And now I have to ask you a question that you must have heard many times before. What’s the story behind the name Hoobastank?

Jesse: Ah! ‘The question’.

Well, I have heard a story about the Hooba Street in Europe.

Jesse: Oh! So you bought that one, the street in Germany?

Well, I almost did but then I couldn’t find anything about that street even on Google maps. And then it was hard to believe a band based in California named after a non-existent street in Germany.

Jesse: Well, we do that to dodge the question or just divert the attention on something else. But the name actually means nothing but just the band. It’s just a dumb word that a couple of high-school kids found funny and thought it’ll be cool to have it as the name for their band. It seems like a thing that a teenager might do. Right? The only thing is that the band never thought that it’d become this big and popular, and that we’ll be stuck with this forever. In the hindsight, we sometimes think that maybe we could’ve chosen a better name. It was just a ‘joke name for a joke band’ that was formed by a couple of high-school kids that unfortunately, or fortunately, became too popular.

Hahah. But now I can’t help but wonder if you are making another story to make a fool out of me?

Jesse: No man. I am telling you exactly how it is. No offence but we come across some really lame journalists who ask some lame questions. But I was listening to the conversation you were having with Dan and I was thinking he’s not one of those. This guy has done some research. So I am telling you the truth.

Alright, I’ll take your word for it. Of course this story sure seems more believable than the ones I’ve heard before; and I don’t have any other option. Now one last question, since you have your next gig on Friday, what are your plans for tomorrow in Delhi?

Dan: I have no idea about the place man but I am sure our tour manager will show us around. I wanted to see the Taj Mahal but I don’t think it’ll be a good idea with just one day in hand before our next show.

Jesse: You know I’d just love to grow some balls, grab a map of Delhi and just ditch these guys and disappear. That’ll help me in seeing Delhi in its natural state