Fair enough. But often life chooses to present itself in such myriad of forms and impersonations, that choosing your desires itself becomes daunting- a seemingly insurmountable challenge. For people like me who are as bothered about their career and goals as ministers of this nation are about their country, the choice is but obvious- the love of our lives[1]. But if you think that merely finding your love was the realization of ‘moksha’ you are pitifully mistaken. The great Indian gentleman has to pull off a marriage from underneath the nose of unwilling (read often) parents. The tragedy is- No two families decide to agree at the same time, at the same place and on the same people. They exercise the principle of political up-manship with relentless dexterity. It is here that the testing journey begins- in the essence.

Selfless love, endless cajoling, cute but stupid jokes, free night-time calls, extra tamarind water in the paani puri, video chat on gmail and traveling by a shared- auto play a pivotal role in bringing two “haplessly-in-love” souls together but it does not in anyway promise to quench the super-ego of senior citizens watching “Rahul Mahajan ka swayamvar” back home perched on a sofa. What an irony- For one hour every weekday most parents would be more interested and willing in some moronic goon’s wedding than their children’s. But for those two people who weave so much hope and magic into their relationship it is often a lost case.

I am no preacher- No Facebook user can be a preacher. But I certainly profess what Coelho said, though with an appendage. If you are in love and madly so, you do not have to make any choices. That is because you have already made one- to fall in love. And once you have decided that “that” somebody is what your eyelids bat for, who you sign into gtalk for and who you assign the ringtone “When you love someone…” for, you will know that you have found the most ethereal answer. Stand fast, fight the storm, take the leap but do not retreat. Because a retreat, how much ever sensible is ultimately a defeat- A defeat of your love and defeat of your purpose. No “practical decision-making” will get your love back….Never ever…!!

When he woke up he was almost startled by the hustle and bustle of the platform vendors. The day had already well begun and his time had come. The bus which would undertake the 90 km journey was rickety, fidgety and avoidable apart from bring indispensable. Loose sheets of tin hanged from the roof, impish children had dug out straws of sponge from the sitting cushions and “I love you” notes were scribbled on the backrests of the seats. As the reluctant vehicle prodded along, glorious yellow of mustard fields bewitched the distant eye. The Pig was euphorically reminded of his early toddler days in the state which took him back fifteen years in time. Peeking outside the window rails of the bus, the pig felt slaps of the agrarian wind against his face, blowing his hair haywire. The apparent tire of the bumpy ride of the bus was negated by the anticipation of ecstasy that was to arrive in a little over one hour from now.

As the bus entered the state of Uttaranchal, the landscape became invitingly green-almost suddenly. The yellow of the mustard gave way to the tall green shoots of sugarcane. As he saw women and children tread the thin meanders along the road, the Pig could not help being mystified by his journey thus far. The immense powers of love and trust were potent propellants-feelings which entrusted men with tools to undertake the most unlikely of journeys in the most difficult of terrains. As bicycle repair shops, local alcohol outlets and the odd hindi medium schools passed by, the Pig came to be increasingly reminded of his approaching destination. Suddenly he felt pangs of excitement in his stomach. Turning and moving in his seat he tried not to make his anxiety known to fellow passengers-not that they were interested anyway. “NAGLA”, howled the conductor fifteen minutes later. The pig rose from his seat and pulled out his luggage from the rusted wrought iron rails of the bus. As the bus stammered to a halt, he got down and placed his luggage on the ground besides him.

The bus moved ahead throwing up a bellowing fume of smoke. As the smoke settled, the Pig saw what he had so terribly longed for all these months- his Princess was standing about a hundred meters away from him, smiling coyly as she approached him in measured and anticipated steps….This was it!!!

A month before IPL was all set to kick off amongst the gory glamour of the entertainment and business community in an Avatar like environment, Maharashtra government announced an entertainment tax waiver of over 10 Crores for the IPL matches to be held in Mumbai. This news although received with a lot of smirks in the policy framework circles, only managed to dip the ever-willing-always-gullible media into a sugar syrup. From a distant view the amount is by no means huge for any State government but when the state in question has a fiscal deficit of over 200,000 crores, then it makes a lot of ill-economic sense. The Maharashtra Government planned to raise this money by levying an extra municipal tax on its citizens which most Mumbaikars would be unaware of.

Cochin and Pune franchises have come up with deals which cumulatively account for nearly 3000 crores. An astronomical sum considering the fact that their coffers would be emptied not for any international corporate merger, but for buying a team in the IPL. Although none of us are any authority to question this kind of private money, but this development comes in the wake of an economy just emerging from the shadows of a global downturn and is merely beginning to find its feet. A public sector company is acting as a title sponsor for a team which is owned by the fourth richest individual on the planet. Apart from a host of government subsidies offered to this breed of super rich owners, an array of freebies in the form of hospitality partnership have found their into their pockets. So whom does this all benefit? It benefits four individuals who have been consistently making it to the Top 100 Forbes billionaires list and several other entertainment industry tycoons who emerge as the highest tax payers year after year.

The whole of India saved a lot of energy during the 60-minute Earth Hour by sacrificing their hour of electricity. What is unfathomable is the reason for holding almost all matches of IPL under the glaring floodlights for almost a month when majority of districts in West Bengal, Maharashtra and Karnataka suffer incessantly from 12 to 14 hours of power cut every single day. It is not only the apathy we show to larger national issues but also our indulgence in these escapist routes which is so heart breaking. As the common man hopefully waits for the union budget to provide him with a little bit of tax respite, the people in high chambers of power decide to shower the clan of super rich industrialists with subsidies which could easily be used to generate some money for the already bludgeoning fiscal deficit.

One thing which the IPL has surely done is created harmony between the ever bickering Congress and BJP leaders. Money is the greatest unifying force and absolute money unifies absolutely. I wonder how the nation would be like if the politicians even spared half of the time they dedicate to IPL, in addressing people’s concerns. But while they are busy in their own right with their own rights, I have to agree that every purpose of devising the IPL has succeeded-except educating and churning out quality domestic talent. It is probably time, the entertainment intoxicated media houses wake from their slumber and start asking some responsible questions which they are educated for.

While most part of the bourgeoisie population is celebrating over bullish markets and a robust GDP growth, a large portion of the primary sector which feeds the economy remains deprived of its fruits. Interestingly it depends upon which sector the country wants to call its Primary sector. Reading through most papers and watching most of the news channels, it is not difficult to guess that it is the Information Technology sector which is fueling the growth. And this is precisely where we are going wrong in our assumption. For any country heavily dependent on industry as in the case of Europe during the 18th Century), the primary sector is the manufacturing sector for it creates tangible products, makes jobs and gives rise to a whole set of of services which support the industries. These services together constitute the Service sector.

For India which has been an agrarian economy since time immemorial, industry constitutes the secondary sector which was designed to help the primary sector- Agriculture grow (much as in the case of New Zealand and Switzerland). In fact, the IT sector does not fit anywhere in the scheme of things. The only criterion which the bulging IT sector fulfills is creation of jobs. But so long as these jobs are created to support the existence and growth of companies located elsewhere, they have only a shadow impact on India’s economy. While we may have shied away from accepting that  rural India still drives prospective growth, the dismal performance of the sector will continue to haunt us. There is absolutely no point in growth if it only strengthens the 70-30 principle and is not inclusive. The US and other major European economies fell back on cheap Indian labor for sustaining their Service sector which slowly assumed the role of Primary sector in India. An aftermath of which will be terrible if the manufacturing sector fails to keep up.

Socially speaking, the principles of democracy will teach you why it is designed to be a failure. India’s choice of adopting democracy and republicanism were not fueled by choice-rather disillusionment. We Indians are a society which has been free only for 60-odd years in our 5000 years of existence. At different points in time, India has been ruled by several dynasties something which came to an end only with the British invasion. In fact, prior to their arrival, the very concept of one unified India did not exist. There thrived different kingdoms with different socioeconomic practices and disparate governments at large. The unification of India was not a native initiative as is believed by most people. It was a political ploy adopted by the British for a more effective governance.

We were never taught to think and live as one people. We were never taught to co-exist in a symbiotic relationship with people of other states and regions. It therefore comes as no surprise to me that even in the 21st century we are so pathetically divided on class, religion and creed. It has taken us indeed a very long time to accept that we indians are one people-sadly some states have still not accepted it. Nehru’s and Gandhi’s decision to adopt democracy for free and united India had everything to do with the former’s policy of non-alignment which he professed and practised until his death in 1962. Although UK’s system of governance seemed the most obvious choice for adoption, the multitude of social demarcations and fragmentations in India debarred a bi-party system. I agree that the constitutional right to freedom of expressions is a very potent force but I fail to understand how it would be otherwise in a socialist or communist form of governance? The most ideal form of a government would be an amalgamation of capitalist, socialist and pragmatic principles. A rigid ideology is as disastrous as having none at all.

As the world has well and truly stepped into the new millennium long back, there remain questions to be answered. True, it is practically impossible to track back to the 1945 session of Congress and adopt a different political system, but as educated and responsible gentry it is upon us to bequeath our fascination for social discrimination. It is our prerogative to adopt a free societal structure which has enough representation of all but not enough room for vested intentions. People in high and influential positions have to draft and formulate policies which come to serve the agricultural and manufacturing sector better-for it is they who will steer our economy in the long run. It is time- not for ideologies but for actions.

This special story I want to take you through is set in a pristine little town in northern India and a ‘in your face, trying to be pristine town’ in eastern India. Our protagonists are not humans. No they aren’t. In this cruel world of dog-eat-dog and a once-in-a-while stab at the back world, it was not prudent to introduce humans in this idyllic setting. A spectacled Pig lays in wait of his delicate Princess. Distance has not daunted them and differences have not dampened their spirits. It is an unlikely battle they wage against a world besotted with ethnic manipulations. A world preoccupied with unintelligent endeavors and reasons. Imagine a time when a girl does not need to peep through the gap between the curtain and door hinge to see if anybody was coming. Imagine a place where while roaming with his girl, a guy does not need to be wary of each and every white maruti 800 coming across the road and moreover an era where elusive to the concept of credit card, lovers spend days together equipped with only a couple-hundred rupees feeding themselves on cheap roadside chaat from a soon to be demolished restaurant.

All this sounds bliss because indeed it is. But what draws us away from the simplicity of a love story? What engages us so hard that we forget what joy little things bring us. It is definitely very easy to get entangled in wire mesh of this materialistic world but it is also not difficult to realize how simplistic life is. Yes, not simple but simplistic. We will try and acknowledge that through the eyes of a pig and his beloved princess. The moments which were more beautiful than the ice capped Himalayas and the difficulties they encountered in their quest for love….So let us undertake this journey. Watch this space for more…!!