Independence Day 2010

“Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity.

At the dawn of history India started on her unending quest, and trackless centuries are filled with her striving and the grandeur of her success and her failures. Through good and ill fortune alike she has never lost sight of that quest or forgotten the ideals which gave her strength. We end today a period of ill fortune and India discovers herself again. The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity, to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future?”

Thus spoke Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India on the midnight of the 15th of August 1947, 64 years to the day that this blog post appears. The joy of India’s independence was mixed with the tragedy of the largest mass migration in human history, the Partition of India. Normally on this day, I write about what it means to be Indian and last year I had written about the speech I would have given to the people of India, from atop the Red Fort. However, this year, I am no longer an Indian citizen, but an Australian. Thus I do not wish to project myself in the role of the legislature, executive or the judiciary, but as a common man; a common person of Indian Origin.

It is common knowledge of the immense sacrifices people undergo, when charged with the task of nation building. As Thomas Jefferson said “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants”. The quest for Indian independence saw that tree overflowing with the blood of patriots. To this day, the tree is being continually refreshed, by not only patriots wearing military uniform, but ordinary people, doing extra-ordinary things. These people all summoned the courage in preparing for a common goal. They went for walks, they went without food, they marched during “shoot at sight” orders, and they threw leaflets in Parliament only to see an independent India. If these great men and women came back to India on August 2010, what would they do? Head for another walk? The correct answer may not be too far from this statement. India 2010 is different to India pre-1947 in many ways very similar in others.

A loose body of princely states, one which many wagered could never integrate to form a Union of States, is now a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and a multi-religious vibrant democracy. Yet from time to time, the fires of parochialism, secession and communalism burn and are stoked by leaders with vested interests.

A country, which had famines with alarming regularity before 1947, has not had a single famine for the past 64 years. Yet in 2006, almost 18000 farmers committed suicide due to various reasons.

A nation, which in 1911 only had 12% of its population literate in 1947, now has 66% of its population literate. Yet, this is much below the 84% World benchmark. A state having a growth rate of approximately 3% during Independence, now boasts of a growth rate of 7.4%, with the fourth largest PPP in the world. At the same time, the per capita income of the country is ranked well below leading economies, and even below nations like Sudan and Moldova.

Yet, despite of all this, India races forward even as many cynics argue "despite the system and not because of it". However, it is hard not to share an optimism about India. Role models like Narayana Murthy, Azim Premji and Subroto Bagchi only reinforce this optimism. Politicians like Rahul Gandhi, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Shivraj Chauhan give hope that the young will lead a nation of youth in the years to come.

Yes, there are problems. Yes, there are scandals. Yes, there are deep issues which cannot be solved at the drop of a hat. These require time, these require patience of more than 64 years. These problems were made by humans, so therefore the solutions will come with humans. Two of my favourite quotes come from the US President John F Kennedy, when he said

"Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country"

and

"...we choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills..."

In closing, I leave with Tagore's vision of India:

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where the words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action,
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

Jai Hind.

A return to blogging...again

Once again, I must apologise to my readers (if there are any left), for the long break in posting. The reasons for that will be explained in a subsequent post. However, this does mark a return to my blogging and I will once again strive to keep regularly updating it.

You may ask why I picked today for all reasons for a return to blogging. Today, I participated in something that I hold close to my heart thus proving to be a catalyst for me to announce my presence on the blogosphere once again. Today, I voluntarily gave Bone Marrow for medical purposes. Why did I do it? Was it painful? What is the procedure? Will I do it again? Did I gain any benefit out of it, monetary or otherwise? All of these questions will be answered to some depth in this piece J, so do bear with me!!

Firstly, I must stress that I have not donated bone marrow as part of a transplant process. Unfortunately, I still have not been amongst the lucky ones asked to save someone's life in that manner and I sincerely hope that one day, I too will be able to wear that badge of honour. My donation, known as a Bone Marrow Aspiration, was part of a trial that is being conducted by the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) in conjunction with the Hanson Institute of the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Sciences (IMVS). The process itself took 15 minutes, with the total time being just over 2 hours. The process has been documented quite extensively on the web and although I lack the medical knowledge/expertise to explain it fully, I will give my personal account of what occurred. The first few steps of this action occurred in late April, wherein I volunteered to be part of this study, through a friend. The first visit to the RAH involved a standard blood test, to ensure that the blood was not infected with Hepatitis etc. Once this test was done, I was given a slot and asked to report to Day Surgery at that time.

Today, as I arrived, I filled in the regular paperwork and was asked to wait until a nurse came and asked questions related to my general health over the past 10 days, after which I was then escorted into Day Surgery and was "prepped". This involved changing into a surgical gown, and having 3-4 vials of my blood taken for further testing as part of the trial. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, I was taken into the Operating Theatre, introduced to the surgeon who once again explained the procedures to me and asked me to sign paperwork saying that I had fully understood the procedures, accept the risks involved and consent to the operation as well as the results being used for the trial. After signing the paperwork, I was asked to lie on my side, marking the start of the procedure. It is after this that my experience wholly depended on what the hospital staff told me as the biopsy took place. First, the surgeon inserted a needle, causing slight pain, and applied local anaesthesia. From my understanding 2-3 vials of anaesthesia were used. After a few minutes, when it became apparent to me and the surgeon that the anaesthesia was working, a larger needle, known as the aspirate needle was then inserted into the same area. This is the needle which is used to "suck out" the bone marrow. The needle goes right into the bone, stopping at the marrow cavity. At this stage, a syringe is attached and the marrow is sucked out. This process of marrow extraction caused a sensation in the legs, accompanied by some pain. This pain however, reduced as repeated samples were taken. Once all samples were taken, the needles were removed, dressing applied and the operation was complete. I was then taken out of the theatre, allowed permission to get changed, and then asked to sit down, to allow my body recognise what happened. After 5-10 minutes of sitting down, the entire process was completed and I was then told that I could continue with my duties for the day.

In terms of pain, the answer is that the procedure IS painful. However, the pain is greatly reduced once the local anaesthetic is applied and the pain during aspiration is also reduced as further samples are taken. Once the local anaesthetic wears off, there is a pain in the hip, akin to the pain felt as part of a bruise in that area. I have been told that this pain shall reduce in 2-3 days. This pain did not preclude me from carrying out my work today and I see it just as a minor inconvenience.

The question then arises on why I would subject myself to this. I have been donating blood for quite some time now and have also been registered on the Australian Bone Marrow Registry, operated by the Red Cross. I have constantly wanted to be a part of the Bone Marrow donation process, as the chances of finding a match are extremely rare (some put it at one in a million). As I have yet to receive a call, the next logical process, in my view was to donate my marrow, so that it would help research into the science of haematology, which is

"the branch of internal medicine, physiology, pathology, clinical laboratory work, and paediatrics that is concerned with the study of blood, the blood-forming organs, and blood diseases."

Furthermore, the asian sub-continent population is very much under-represented in the bone marrow transplant process. India, for example, does not even have a Bone Marrow Registry. This article talks about the difficulties faced in finding an Indian donor (the website which is supposedly the Indian Bone Marrow Registry does not load). The numbers of both the donors and recipients are rising, but the rates are disproportionately stacked against the donors. Thus, even if any of my readers are able to register with their local hospital to be a bone marrow donor, I feel it would be an amazing step towards building a registry and helping our fellow human beings. Indeed, my main objective in doing the donation today was to give back to humanity for being extremely kind to me. I hope to be called for this once again and if the need arises for donating bone marrow for transplant purposes, I shall not bat an eyelid.

Finally, there was monetary compensation paid. However, that money shall go to charity. I have not earned one penny of that money, for I have not done anything but my human duty. I do not believe in being compensated for doing my duty and thus, that amount shall wholly go to a charitable organisation.

PS: A hat tip to my friend Reanu Gopal, who spoke to me about this and first planted the idea in my head! Thank you Reanu!

Independence Day 2009

Greetings on the occasion of 62 years of Independence for the Republic of India. As you know on the 15th of August, the Prime Minister of India, address the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort, the enduring legacy of India's fight for freedom. This address, is akin to the State of the Union address of the President of the USA, in which he talks about the state of the country and the challenges it faces. On this Independence Day, as I am yet to recover from my Obama fixation, I am writing what I would say *if* I was the Prime Minister of India. As I say, these are my opinions only and any feedback, in terms of bouqets and brickbats, is more than welcome. So therefore, here we go....

“My fellow Indians,

63 years ago, on this day, the first Prime Minister of independent India, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, stood on this very platform and announced that as the world slept, India would awake to life and freedom. In these 63 years, we have surpassed our own expectations in where we stand at this moment, as well as surprising our critics who held no hope of our growth. To this achievement, I congratulate all Indians who have worked so hard, and continue to work as hard as ever to show the world, what an Indian is capable of. I also take this moment to thank on behalf of a grateful nation, the soldiers and paramilitary forces, who stand guard at our borders, no matter how dangerous or how remote, ever ready to give their lives for the Republic. I would also like to make a thankyou to members of the Indian Police Services, who are still standing guard, lest this day of celebration be tempered by unsavoury incidents. Indeed, the nation is grateful for your continuing sacrifices.

Brothers and sisters, our nation stands at a great point in time. This is the last year of the first decade of a new century. A century, which has been described as Asia's century. A century which according to research from all parts of the globe, will belong to India. It is for no reason that we find ourself courted by many major countries from all parts of the globe, so that they may share our impending success. However, we have also seen through the previous years that we are in a very troubled time. The world is going through some upheaval and although the experts say we are on the path to recovery, this path is thorny, dangerous and long. Therefore, to ensure that the prophecy of India Shining is not false, I shall outline today some major initiatives that we shall take in the next few years, to ensure that India, comes out of this crisis stronger than ever before. These initiatives herald a major shift in many of our policies, a sign that in a new world, new rules have to be made. These rules may not be to everyone's liking, and in some of them, the Government has taken very hard decisions, but let me tell you this my brothers and sisters; the easy decisions are seldom right, and the right decisions are seldom easy.

A country, is judged first and foremost by the conduct of its parliament and the strength of its democracy. Indeed some few months ago, 65% of you gave us a mandate to govern. You braved all elements, natural and in some cases man-made, to speak in one voice, that you will control your destiny, and you will decide whither you will go and what shall be your goal. A majority of those elected are hardworking politicians, no, servants of the people. However, a minority, have gotten into power, not on the basis of trusty, but on fear. One third of those elected come from a criminal background. Speaking as the leader of the world's largest democracy, this is a shameful statistic. This will however, be a statistic no more. From tomorrow, I shall convey to the President, to institute a committee on the basis of the report from the Election Commission of India, which shall look into those MPs who have criminal antecedents and make a list of the names of MPs who are embroiled in criminal cases. These MPs, shall be immediately expelled from Parliament, and their seats will be up for a by-election. If these criminal cases are of a serious nature, they shall be disbarred from participating in any type of elections. My fellow Indians, we have had enough of criminals who see politics as a refuge. They must not be allowed to prosper, and with my decision, they will not be allowed to prosper. This committee, shall report back to me in exactly two months, that is on October 15. There will be no deadlines, and the hearings of this committee shall be telecast live on the national network, so all people will see who these MPs are. In our democracy, there will be no place for criminals. This is my promise to you.

Brothers and sisters, for us to function effectively as a government and for this nation to chart its future successfully, our laws need to be effective. This cannot be, when our Penal code is from a Victorian era, an era even before many of the freedom fighters alive today. 63 years after the tricolour was unfurled in this very hallowed ground, we still cling onto a set of laws that predates even the first war of independence. Is this the freedom Mangal Pandey, Rani Laxmibai, Tatya Tope, Mahatma Gandhi, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Shubhas Chandra Bose and many others fought for? No, my fellow Indians it is not. Therefore, I am also announcing today another Commission which will radically overhaul the Indian Penal Code, so that we follow rules of the 21st century. This Commission will take into account the existing laws in many other countries and bring about a plan to investigate laws which are no longer relevant to the new India. This Commission will conclude its report within the next two years, so when we celebrate 65 years of Independence, we can do so, by having laws that serve us, not rule us. This is my promise to you

Amidst these changes, I am also announcing a major shift in our thinking. For far too long, we have been basking in political freedom, not the true meaning of freedom. While the changes I have outlined thus far, will enable us to move closer to true freedom, a major change is enshrined in that single document which governs us all as a nation; the Constitution. Based our majority in both houses of Parliament, my Government is laying on the table, an amendment to the Constitution of India, which will no longer place restrictions on the personal freedoms. Each man shall have a right to express himself freely, within the boundaries of the law. The Government of India and the Republic of India shall move away from the business of ruling the people that elects it and move towards ensuring that its citizens are allowed their basic rights, without any caveats. My Government believes that adults, should be able to express themselves as they please, so long as they stay within the confines of the Law of the Land. This is our destiny, and this is my promise to you.

For many of us, 1991-1992 remains a watershed moment in the course of our Nation's rather short life. Faced with our biggest economic crisis, we realised that by trading with others openly and freely do we become truly independent. This culminated in the economic reforms that has led many of the present generation enjoy rapid rises in income and the opportunity of a better life, either in India, or abroad. However, this ia a job that we have left unfinished. For every Indian who capitalises on his or her opportunity and tastes success, there are hundreds and thousands who cannot, not because of their abilities, but because of a system that restricts them and suffocates them. We cannot allow, in the world's largest democracy, such inequality to occur, especially in the form of Government policy. Therefore I am announcing today, that we shall once again begin efforts to liberalize our economy in great earnest. One has to just look towards China, to see what Liberalization has done to them. At the time we gained our Independence, China was ruined by the war. Today, it is an economic superpower of Asia. If China can do it, under a socialist leadership, we most definitely can do with with a democratic leadership. I understand that many of our Left comrades are unhappy at this. While I can understand their fears, I must state that it is quite unfounded. For it is from competition that innovation is born, and it is the free-market economy that is the fastest and most efficient method of lifting people from abject poverty. My Government cannot spend lakhs and crores of rupees providing lifelines to Public Sector Units, when farmers commit suicide, unable to pay their debts. The Government is not in the business of signing blank cheques, brothers and sisters and those who hold leadership positions must take note of that. I want this nation be home to more Tatas, Birlas, Ambanis, Murthis, Premjis and Nilekanis. We have abundant resources, and I want to ensure that every Indian who has a dream, has the opportunity to fulfil it, without being stifled by rules and regulations. This is my promise to you.

I would now like to spend some time on matters related to the defence and the security of the Union. Earlier, in my address, I had talked about the numerous men and women, who guard our borders, who take the shape of soldiers, and policemen. These brave citizens, watch over us while we sleep, braving the harshest of conditions. Sometimes, as we see continuously, they pay the highest sacrifice so that we live to see the sun shining again. We can only remember their valour, now, but we can ensure that the future generation of soldiers have the latest technology at hand to protect us further. Therefore, I am instituting a Blue Ribbon Commission, which will have, our fellow citizens who have made a mark in the wider world as its members. Its task will be to come up with suggestions and recommendations to further improve our forces, militray, paramilitry, police forces and our intelligence forces. This committee will be formed by the end of this year, and from January 1, 2010, will start its work. These recommendations shall be on my table by August 15th 2011 and within three months, the outcomes shall be visible to all. When I, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces, thrust a young officer from IMA Dehradun into battle, I want to do so, knowing that my country has given the young soldier, the very best of arms, ammunition, training and blessings. On another note, I shall say this to those who hold high positions in our neighbouring countries. India, as a nation, is peace loving. However, we also have limits. We cannot be expected to sit idly by holding onto the olive branch of peace, when other sides wantonly carry out acts causing maximum injury and death to our citizens in our Land. I strongly ask Governments in other nations to do all they can to stop terrorist activities within India. I was elected on a platform of providing security to all Indians, as directed to me by my guiding force, the Constitution of India, and I say to all those who are listening, I shall carry out this duty using whatever power I have. For those who see this as a warning or a threat, then so be it. We as a nation shall not be subject to a principle of "death by a thousands cuts". My country, our country, will not break apart into pieces. When we gained Independence, we became a symbol of Unity in Diversity, and nothing ever shall change this. This is my promise to you.

Finally, I say this to my fellow countrymen: the steps I have outlined are but small steps in a big journey. These steps, will require blood, sweat and tears. This is a journey that we must make immediately, or risk being forever a "developing nation". My dream, my fellow brothers and sisters, is to ensure that Bharat, is a name that will be forever spoken in glowing terms, and for that to occur, we must rededicate ourselves to our nation now, as a new battle of Independence is going to be fought in the coming years. We are at a cruical juncture in history, where we can learn from our past and apply it to better our future. Such moments, as Pt. Nehru said, "come rarely in history, where a voice, long supressed, finds utterance". Our voice is now slowly finding its true pitch. Let us not stifle it any longer, or we shall run the risk of being declared mute. So please join me, in dedicating our power to make India, the best it can be.

Jai Hind, Jai Hind, Jai Hind!!!!”

Please do leave your feedback.

Some videos to get into the Independence Day mood

Here are some videos to get into the Independence Day mode...JAI HIND :-)!!!

1. Jana Gana Mana


2. Vande Mataram - Flute


3. Vande Mataram - Maa Tujhe Salaam


3a. Vande Mataram - ARR

Vande Mataram - Maa Tujhe Salaam (A.R.Rahman) - Watch more amazing videos here

4. Mile Sur Mera Tumhara - Various Artists


5. Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani


6. Aye Mere Pyaare Watan


7. Rising India anthem


8. Tum Chalo toh Hindustan Chale


9. Lead India - Amitabh Bachchan


10. Rising India - Amitabh Bachchan


... and last but not least ...

11. I am India :-)

Yeh Sydney hai mere yaar

Here's the song "Delhi 6" from the movie "Delhi - 6"

(audio only)




(audio and video, audio quality is average)



And here's my tribute to Sydney :-)

Yeh Sydney hai mere yaar
Bas ishq mohabbat pyaar

BAsti hai mastano ki Sydney
Sydney
Gali hai deewano ki Sydney 2

{rap}


Basti hai mastano ki Sydney
Sydney
Gali hai deewano ki Sydney 2

Bada kas ke gale lagata hai
Dhadkan ki dhoom sunata hai
Iske baye taraf bhi dil hai
Iske daye taraf bhi dil hai
Yeh sehar nahi mehfil hai
Yeh sehar nahi mehfil hai

Yeh Sydney hai mere yaar
Bas ishq mohabbat pyaar

Sydney 2 Sydney
Sydney 2 Sydney


KAbhi pyaar mein gali bhi deta
Kabhi gali mein pyaar bhi hota hai apni

KAbhi pyaar mein gali bhi deta
Kabhi gali mein pyaar bhi hota hai apni
Ankhon ki tara bhi yahan pyaar mein bilkul khota hai

{RAP}

BAsti hai mastano ki Sydney
Sydney
Gali hai deewano ki Sydney 2
{rap}

[Yeh Sydney hai
Yeh Sydney hai
Yeh Sydney hai Mere yaar] * 4

Yeh Sydney hai mere yaar
Bas ishq mohabbat pyaar

Sydney 2 Sydney

Yeh Sydney hai mere yaar
Bas ishq mohabbat pyaar

Sydney 2 Sydney

BAsti hai mastano ki Sydney
Sydney
Gali hai deewano ki Sydney 2

BAsti hai mastano ki Sydney
Sydney
Gali hai deewano ki Sydney 2

Yeh Sydney hai mere yaar
Bas ishq mohabbat pyaar

Yeh Sydney hai mere yaar
Bas ishq mohabbat pyaar

4th of July

On the occasion of the 233rd anniversary of the adoption of the "Declaration of Independence" by the Second Continental Congress of the United States of America, I would like to congratulate my American brethren. The founding fathers of the original thirteen colonies were farsighted and precise against what they were fighting for, and who they were fighting against. Their views, are brought froth quite emphatically in the document, and one can clearly see the imprints of the great Thomas Jefferson, who was the primary author of the declaration.

The document, however "perfect" in its aims and objectives, was delivered by humans for the benefit of humans. It could therefore be argued that while its goal was of perfection, its implementation leaves a trail of imperfections. Indeed, the next great documentation to be born out of the Declaration of Independence, namely the US Constitution, had until 1865, a clause which stated that a slave, was three-fifths of a man. Moreover in a juxtaposition of sorts Thomas Jefferson, an avowed abolitionist, was himself a slave owner. In addition, the original draft listed the commerce of slavery as one of the violations that justify a break from England. The passage was stripped from the final version at the demand of the southern states, who would not vote for independence otherwise.

Some of my most favourite passages are reproduced below:

"...When in the course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation..."

"...We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness—-That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness..."

I find it particularly interesting that in this declaration, the drafters have inserted a clause which allows, nay commands the people to fight for their rights. I believe the citizens of the United States of America are incredibly powerful in knowing that in theory, they can overthrow their government, should it diverge significantly from these principles, or take a stand that is not synonymous with the concept and idea of democracy.

However, my question still remains: Is the nation, notwithstanding the election of the President of the United States of America, still living upto the ideas of its forefathers?

God bless the United States of America.

An ideal speech

In the next few hours, India will have a new Government. Many parties in this election, seem to be claiming that they are the "change" that Indians want. If this is the case, then how would the leader of one such party speak, should he/she win the election? I have an idea of how this may be and I present it below. You may notice that the speech has been heavily borrowed from Barack Obama's victory speech, and I make no apologies for that because I wanted to reflect Obama's values of "change".

My Fellow Indians,

Today, if someone in our land still doubts that India is a place where anything is possible; or wonders if the spirit of the Father of our nation is still alive or questions the resilience of our democracy, today your doubts have been cleared.

This answer has been told not by me, or by my esteemed opponents, but through lines that stretched around schools, colleges, Mandal Offices, forests and jungles, by people who waited a long time. Many of these people voted for the first times in their lives, because they believed that an elected government must act differently and that they wanted their voice to be that difference.

This is an answer that has been spoken by rich and poor, the young and the old. It is an answer that has been spoken by Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh and non-believers. An answer in unison by “Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat, Maratha”. Today, Indians sent a message, that we are not just a collection of states, but we have been, are and always will be, “people of the Socialist Secular Democratic Republic of India”.

This is the answer that has led those who have been told for so long, by so many to be cynical, fearful and doubtful of what we as Indians, and as humans can achieve to put their hands on the pages of history, and turn it, towards building a better tomorrow.

It has been a long time, but today, because of what we did, in this election, change has come to India.

Over the past few hours, I have received gracious calls from Dr. Manmohan Singhji, and Shri LK Advaniji . All my opponents, have fought long and hard in this campaign, and these two have fought even longer and harder for the country that we all love. I congratulate Dr.Singh and Shri Advani for all they have achieved and I look forward to working with them, and all the other major poticial party, to renew the pledge of this nation in the moths ahead.

I would not be standing here today, without the support of my party, and my family and I thank them from the bottom of my heart. They have all sacrificed a lot and suffice to say, I would not have the courage to be on this pedestal if not for them.

Above all, I shall never forget who this belongs to. It belongs to you, the people of India.

I was never the most likely candidate for the responsibility the Office of the Prime Minister brings. We did not start with much money, or endorsements. This campaign was not hatched in the Lutyen’s Delhi, or the bungalows of the capital. This campaign began in the farms of Vidarbha, in the streets of Hyderabad and the gullies of Mumbai.

This campaign was built by middle-class people, who dug into what little they had to give; 1 rupee, 5 rupees, 10 rupees to this cause. It gained strength from the young people, who rejected this myth of apathy; from those who left their homes and moved to new towns and cities in the search for jobs that offered little pay, and even less sleep; from those who braved the elements to get our message across; from the lakhs of Indians who volunteered, and organised and proved that our government, is one of the people, by the people and for the people still exists after 60 years of Independence. This, is your victory.

I am not naïve to believe that you did this just so that this party could win the election and most certainly you did not do it so that I could be the Prime Minister of India. You have done it because you are fully aware of the situation that stares at us in the face. Even as we sing and dance today in celebration, we must look ahead and realise that the challenges we face tomorrow, are one of the greatest that this young nation of 60 years has faced; a planet in peril, a global financial crisis. Even as we all stand here today, valiant Indians are guarding our borders to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who, after their children sleep, wonder how they will make the repayments for their house, pay the bills of the doctor, or even save enough for decent schools. There is a new energy to be tapped, new jobs to be created, new institutions to build, new threats to be neutralised, new alliances to be built and old ones to be repaired.

This road ahead, will be long, and the climb, will be steep. We may not get there this year, or in one term, however India – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight, we will get there. I promise you – “we the people”, will get there.

There will be false starts and there will be setbacks. There will be many who will not agree with decisions I make as the Prime Minister of India, and we all know that government alone will not solve each and every problem. However, I always will be honest with you on the challenges we as a nation face. I will listen to you, even and especially when you disagree. Most importantly, I will ask you, to join the work of rebuilding this nation, the only way it has been done in the past sixty years of independence, and the previous ninety of the independence struggle, brick by brick, block by block and sweaty palm by sweaty palm.

What began a hundred weeks ago, in the start of the scorching summer, must not be swept away in the monsoonal rains. This victory is not the change we seek – it is only a chance for us to make this change. We have to be the change we want to see in the world, and this victory, is the first signs of that change. This cannot happen if we go back to the old adage of “chaltha hai yaar”. It cannot happen, without your presence and involvement.

Therefore, let us summon a new spirit of national pride; a spirit of service and responsibility, where each ones of us pledges to dig deep and work as hard as ever, and not look only after ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis has taught us anything, then it is that we cannot have growing Dalal Street, if our Rythu bazaars are declining. Within our boundaries, we rise and fall as one nation; as one people.

Today, let us pledge to resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship, pettiness, immaturity and narrow-mindedness that has poisoned our politics for so long, and stunted the growth of this nation. Let us remember that the father of the Constitution, wrote it keeping the values of self-reliance, individual liberty and national unity. These are all values we share, regardless of party affiliations, and while our party has won a great victory today, we must do so, with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. In the spirit of Bapuji, let us demonstrate that we are not enemies, but friends. While our passions may have strained it, the bond of affection cannot break. And to those Indians whose trust I have yet to earn, I may have not won your mandate, but I hear your voices. I need your help and I shall be your Prime Minister too.

To all those watching now, from beyond our shores, from parliaments and castles, to those who are huddled around listening to radios in the corners of our world, our stories are unique, however we share a destiny, and a dawn of a new Indian leadership is at hand. To those who wish to tear this world apart, you shall be defeated. To those who seek peace and stability, we shall support you. And to whose who wonder if the American light burns as bright, tonight we have proved once again, as we did sixty years ago, that the strength of our nation comes not from the strength of our weapons, or the supply of our wealth, but from the enduring power of the ideals our forefathers set before us; liberty, democracy, hope and opportunity.

This is the true strength of America, that India can change. That India will change. This union of States, can be further perfected. What we have achieved today, gives hope for what we can, must and will achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts, and stories that will be told for generations. But a story on my mind is about a lady who cast her ballot here. She is not that different to lakhs of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing, Laxmibai is 100 years old.

She was born just two generations past the first war of independence; a time when neither there cars on the road, or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote, for two simple reasons, skin colour and nationality.

And today, as I think about all she has seen throughout her century in India – the heartache, and the hope; the struggle and the progess; the times that we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that Indian motto: yes we will.

At a time when the voices of Indians were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up, speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we will.

When where was despair, in the rice bowl of the nation, and a depressed psyche across the country, she saw a nation conquer itself with a deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we will.

When bombs fell on our shores, and tyranny threatened us, she was there to witness a generation to rise to greatness. Yes we will.

She was there for the reversal of the Bengal Partition, the arrival of Bapu, movements of non-cooperation, Jalianwala Bagh, Purna Swaraj, Dandi march, Bhagat Singh and Subhas Chandra Bose. Yes we will.

A tryst was forged with destiny, new nations were carved, a new republic was born, and this world was connected with our own imagination and creativity. She watched, as some years ago, a Muslim president administered the oath of office to a Sikh Prime-minister, belonging to a party led by a Christian, to rule over a Hindu majority, with the ceremony overseen by a Dalit Chief Justice. Yes we can.

India, we have come far. We have seen much. Yet there is more to do. Today, let us ask ourselves, if our children should live to see the next children, if our daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Laxmibai, what change will they see? What change will they want to see? As Pandit Nehru said “Whither do we go and what shall be our endeavour?”

This is our chance to answer these questions. This is our moment. This is our time, to put our people into work and to open the doors of opportunity for our children; to restore prosperity and promote peace; to reclaim the Indian spirit, and to reiterate that fundamental truth – that we are a nation formed by Unity in Diversity and that while we breathe, we hope and where we are met with doubt and sarcasm, and to those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that eternal creed, that sums up the spirit of our people.

Yes we will.

Thankyou. Sare Jahan Se Accha, Hindustaan Hamara. Jai Hind!

All's well that ends well

"Mr. Prasanna, just to remind you that your flight is scheduled to depart at 2350 tonight".

I guess there's no better way of putting the fact that I'm leaving tonight better than the above line, courtesy Singapore Airlines. It is with a tinge of sadness, a sense of duty and a great deal of contentment, that I leave India, after calling it home for the last 4.5 months. In this time, my life truly is a roller coaster, and while I will not say I have enjoyed every minute of it, I have been better for it. There have been high points, there have been low points but all of them have been a learning curve and I treasure each moment.

It would be wrong of me not to thank important people at this juncture, yet there are too many of them to thank individually. However, I like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Kale Balkrishna, Joint Managing Director, Retail Experts Software Pty Ltd for giving me the opportunity to complete my work experience in his company. It was truly a great booster to my studies and I'm sure the lessons I have learnt will be valuable in the future. I would also like to thank all the people in Bangalore, Tirunelveli and Chennai for keeping me company, when I visited these places. Truly some amazing times.

Well what next? For me, it will be back to Adelaide, and joining my career in a few months. After that who knows....

Thank you Hyderabad, and God bless India!!!

To Chennai (once again)!

Well here I am, beginning my last domestic journey in India. Over the past three months, I have not travelled as much as I would like to due to personal problems. However, in the past 3 months, I sincerely believe that I have emerged as a stronger, resilient and braver individual. The circumstances by which this has occurred still go on and hence I do not wish to dwell on them too much. Today is a day I enjoy my love for Indian Railways, and feel proud to procure services from the world’s largest employer.

As I write this, I am currently en-route to Chennai via the 2760 Charminar Express. I had boarded at Hyderabad Station, and fulfilled another little personal milestone, that is to board a train at Hyderabad Railway Station. All I have remaining is to alight at Hyderabad station, before I can claim to have boarded and alighted at all the 3 important stations in Hyderabad, namely Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Kacheguda.

Tomorrow evening I shall board a train from Chennai Egmore to Tirunelveli, the 2nd time I have done so in the past 3 months, and a record which I am not completely proud of. Once again, this is due to an extremely personal issue and I shall blog at length when I feel ready to. Today (18 th March 2009) also marks the fact that I have 16 days left in the Republic of India, before I leave for Australian shores. I shall write about this in detail.

This is a rather short piece, and so I shall take leave.

Before I do, some pictures. The first is of my face, after celebrating my first holi in India in almost 16 years, and the second is indicative of the snacks on offer on the Hyderabad - Chennai route!

Another instalment of my thoughts

It's been over a month since I had last posted my thoughts and so here goes:

Over the past four weeks, my life has been as normal as can be. I attended my internship (which is still fantastic and I'm really proud of what I've accomplished), as well as hung around friends and family. In the mean time, couple of festivals came and went, and one of two national holidays of India, Republic Day was celebrated. The significance of Republic Day is that it was on the 26^th of January 1950, when the Constitution of the Republic of India, beginning with the hallowed words of "We the People…" was unanimously passed by the Constituent Assembly and India was "truly" politically free. I say politically free, because unlike some other countries, India still has a long way to go in providing basic freedoms such as "…life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…" to her citizens. For those who wish to argue are advised to check up this and this. On that note, Amit Varma of India Uncut, adds something ingenious here. However, I am hopeful that eventually India shall claim her rightful place on the world stage.

January also heralds the start of the harvest season in India, and is marked by the festival of Sankranthi / Pongal in the Southern States. Apart from the worship of deities, a social norm is the flying of kites, either for fun or for the objective of "winning" other kites by friendly kite fighting. "Manja" is an abrasive thread used for the purposes of the latter. Manja comes in many varieties, with the least abrasive which can be held by hand, or more abrasive versions which can only held with leather gloves. Below are some pictures of the day and kites:

Your's truly flying the kite, using Manja

Our kite in the distance

Our armoury, at the end of the day

Our kite (closest) and our opponent's kite in the distance

I also did some travelling, although nothing compared to my outings in the last two months of 2008. I visited Chennai to be part of a friend's marriage, and from then I went to Mangalagiri, 20km outside of Vijayawada, which is home to my family deity. The temple is on a hill which consists of 500 steps. The sight of the town from the temple is truly awesome. Finally on return to Hyderabad, I passed Bhongir Fort, which was built during the reign of the Western Chalukya Empire's King Vikramaditya IV. Due to the train passing through the point at high speed, the photos may not be too good, and for that I apologise.

The scenery of India, just outside Vijayawada

More scenery

Our distant relatives!

Bhongir Fort 1

Bhongir Fort 2

More scenery

The customary railways picture

I also had the opportunity to be involved with the functions of ITMS, a body I am associated with. Those who wish to find out more about the body or my involvement in it can email me. Thus, my annual "Republic Day" message was not written. It must also be said that at the time I was also suffering from writer's block.

Finally, the month also provided me with a genuine wake up call, with the hospitalisation of my grandfather due to high blood sugar, and the passing away of one of our close family friends. All in all, a very normal month, with a very sobering end.

Till next time!

A very happy 2009!!

Firstly, I wish all the readers of my blog, a very Happy New Year. I hope that this New Year brings you new dreams and ambitions and I pray that it gives you the strength to carry out these ambitions.

It has been just over a month since I arrived in India and the experience as always has been amazing. This time my experience also includes my work experience as an intern in a company providing retail solutions. I would not like to dwell on the exact nature of my work, nor shall I name the company in which I am interning. I have managed to work in .NET without many hassles and the credit for this goes entirely to my colleagues. They have patiently led me through what appeared to be a minefield at first, tolerating my irritating questions and pointless arguments. Once again, hats off to them for spending their time getting me up to scratch with .NET. My work is greatly challenging, yet I enjoy it as I have the opportunity to see if I can rise to this challenge. It is indeed a pleasure to rock up to work every morning, and at the close of day, I do feel satisfied in what I have accomplished.

Outside of my work, India provides experiences to savour every day. My month started off with attending my 2^nd conference and the first in which I had presented some work. This achievement of mine was completely sidelined when India fell prey to terror once again on 26^th November 2008. That day still remains entrenched in my mind to this day, even though it is 2009. In my opinion, Life is not a perfect filter, where a signal greater than the cut-off frequency does not pass. Although I remember those events vividly, I am determined to move forward, like many of my countrymen, especially those who were in Mumbai on that fateful night.

Post my travel to Mumbai, I had the opportunity to visit the South of India and see places such as Tirunelveli and Tiruchendur. These towns are costal towns. What is surprising about Tiruchendur is that despite having a temple and by extension a large township right on the edge of the shore, it was not affected at all by the Tsunami of 2006, whereas other costal cities and towns such as Cuddalore, Kanyakumari, Nagapattinam etc, were severely affected. Below are pictures showing how close the sea is to the town.

As can be seen there is no distance from the temple town to the beach.

The horizon, right from the edge of the beach

Yours truly

I also had an opportunity to undertake a 15 hour bus journey, courtesy State Express Transport Corporation (SETC), a Public Sector Undertaking by the Government of Tamil Nadu, from Tirunelveli to Tirupati. As I said earlier, India has a lot of experiences. I treasure this experience, yet I would not like to recollect it! Finally, my journey culminated in a train trip from Tirupati to Hyderabad, photos which are visible below.

The scenery on the way to Tirunelveli


Yours Truly

Indian Railways. 150 plus years of bringing people closer

All journeys, regardless of the mode of transportation have been extremely satisfying for the senses, and I am more of a believer in the adage that the "journey is more valuable than the destination". Back in Hyderabad, I have caught up with my cousins and have watched movies on a couple of occasions. Photos shall be posted only after I have their permission. All in all, the past month has been extremely fruitful, and I look forward to what the next month shall bring.

PS: I shall attempt to keep blogging more regularly from now on.

Mumbai 2008

It's been one week since I have arrived in India. Since then, my mood has swung from joy to fear to sadness to hope to resilience. By now all of you would have heard the news of one of the most resilient cities in the world (here) held hostage to sub-humans. I shall refuse to call them humans as I believe the term “human” has a certain sense of dignity, which these organisms do not have.

As I said earlier, now you may all know that Mumbai was under attack. What you may not know is that I was very close to being a potential victim. I was in Mumbai from the 24th to the 26th of November attending a workshop on the Electrodynamic Coupling of the Atmospheric Regions (ECAR) in Panvel. On the evening of the 26th, I was told by the organisers that due to Mumbai's traffic snarls, it would be advisable for me to catch the local from my hotel in Belapur, to Mumbai CST (Chatrapathi Shivaji Terminus), Mumbai's main railway station. As I had not travelled by Mumbai local in a long time, I asked that someone from the organising committee accompany me. The organisers agreed and around 6:50PM local time, we had left Belapur for CST.

The local took around an hour to arrive and with my train to Hyderabad leaving at 9:50PM, I had decided to have some food before boarding the train to get a good night's sleep. Therefore, myself and my friend from the organising committee went to the IRCTC (Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation) run food court outside Mumbai CST and started ordering food. While waiting for food, I had made an off the cuff remark of seeing people walk through the metal-detectors without any security frisking. Little was I to realize what would occur.

After dinner, I wanted to move towards the First Class Waiting hall, as I had a AC2-Tier ticket. I was advised that it would be better to check if the train had arrived on the platform, and then make a choice. As my train was already on the platform, I boarded it, packed my luggage and started to make friends with other passengers. At around 9:50 or so, the train had left the platform, and I was in an upbeat mood, at having attended and presented at my first ever conference. The first signs of trouble came around 30 minutes in the journey, when one of the other passengers got a call saying there were bomb blasts at CST station. Rumours started to circulate, and ultimately after 15 minutes of discussion and phone calls, the passengers settled on the theory of “gunshots in the Taj Hotel” and went to sleep. Only when I woke up in the morning, did I realize the magnitude of the situation, and how close I was to being a victim.

Off late, I have been asking myself “what if” questions, either sub-conciously, or consciously. Many of these, I do not have answer to, for I know not why I was lucky enough to escape the carnage ripped apart in Mumbai. Rationalizing my escape also seems to be a hard task, for neither am I extremely intelligent or talented to survive. If anything, I was at the right place at the right time.

As I cycle through various news articles, I pay particular attention to the CST photographs, with my mind acting as a time machine wherein I place myself once again at CST station, and trace my footsteps through the floor, where blood is now spattered.

Aftermath of the attack, I see great clamour for "change". At such times, the cynic in me arises and I feel like shouting out "change for change's sake accomplishes nothing". Metal detectors at public places are worthless if they're a) switched off, b) malfunctioning, c) working but not being policed well enough. As Ness Wadia said today, "we look to beat the system and until we change our own mindset, this is what will happen". It sometimes feels like for us NRIs, a trip to India becomes a license to disregard every rule we know of, simple "because we can". Footboarding on trains, bribing authorities, etc and then gleefully recounting these tales become 2nd nature to us. Why?

It is a long post and I must take leave. However before I do, a few words on the "Spirit of Mumbai" and the "Spirit of India". These "spirits" work only as well as the mechanism of those who are charged with looking after us. The "Spirit of NY" is lauded because ordinary folk got together with the police on 9/11 and stood together as one. While the "Spirit of Mumbai/India" will work once or twice, this cannot be used as a convenient line to mask the ineptitude of our servants. If we pay for the people who we put in power, then effectively they become our servants. Therefore, if you want to see the real Spirit of India, then let us reform ourselves so that Tagore's immortal words

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake

In closing, to any of those who entertain thoughts of harming MY India, I will let you know you'll only get the keys to Rashtrapathi Bhavan, over my dead body.

"They may torture my body, break my bones, even kill me. Then they will have my dead body, not my obedience. -Mahatma Gandhi"

PS: I also plan to visit the Taj Hotel on my next visit to Mumbai. I might not be as rich to order a meal, but I will order tea, observe a minute's silence and then drink the tea as a challenge to those without a conscience.

23 Feb 2004 – 12 Nov 2008

Apologies once again for my lethargic updates of this blog. It has been a long and sometimes stressful year.

The dates at the top indicate the date in which I started University, and the date in which my last official appointment with University staff took place. Although I am still required to appear for exams, I have completed my attendances of all formal methods of teaching provided by the academic staff and have in part, performed my obligation to attend classes to the best of my ability.

Casting my faculties over the past 5 years, I have realised that this period has given the finishing touches to the human being I am today. Pre-University days, when I heard influential leaders in all spheres of life talk about the effect a tertiary institution had on them, I could not understand how their persona could be transformed. However, this misconception was cleared within the first six months of my enrolment.

I joined UniSA as a naive and brash 17 year old. I leave it as a 22 year old, who is still naive and brash, but has a sense of maturity (or so he thinks). I came into University having no skills in presentation, writing, communicating. I leave University with the belief that I am able to hold my own in these skills. I enrolled to University with no idea on building relationships and networking. I leave it, having made connections, and learning "how to work a room". Finally, I came to University having a group of good friends. I leave it, having gained a group of great friends.

Over the years, there have been many a time when I have doubted the relevance of some of the things I was involved with. I looked on at frustration at what I saw to be unfair policies biased to full-fee paying students. I explicitly and implicitly questioned the rationale of some of the subjects we were studying and the point of pedagogy using outdated equipment. The question of "Will I ever use this in real life?" occurred sometimes with alarming regularity in some subjects I undertook. On the other hand, there have been innumerable subjects, which I felt proud to have done. My world-view of economics, shifted drastically from being a borderline socialist, to a confident capitalist. I am now in awe of businesses such as Google, products such as the Apple Ipod after looking at their cases in entrepreneurship.

I now realise that, in my opinion, University does not "teach" you anything, and thus my use of the word "pedagogy" may be misrepresentative. The purpose of University is to allow the student to re-ignite the spark of "Why". This spark, is inherent of humanism and is what drives us to achieve bigger and better things. In re-igniting this spark, University allows us to carry out our own research into our questions of "Why" and thus enables a broader frame of thinking. Nowhere is this more pronounced than in the Final Year Projects of Engineering students. A general, non-statistical, subjective survey would seem to indicate that many of the 2008 cohorts would have used minimal coursework knowledge in dealing with their FYPs. The major sources of achievement would have been driven by the trying to seek the answers to "Why". It is therefore no co-incidence that those who score high marks in these projects are those who go deeper into answering their own question of "Why".

I consider myself to be successful at University. I say this because I believe that I have participated in all aspects of life that University has to offer. While I have attentively sat in lectures (for the most part) and been present at tutorials and practicals (again, for the most part), I have also enjoyed the social aspects of University, and more importantly, I have worked in various capacities as an employee of the University. UniSA gave me my first job, which served as a foundation for all the other jobs I have applied, and certainly played a large part in my successful application to Accenture. Similarly, my involvement in various clubs, societies and student teams at the University gave me the abilities which I use, to this day. As I say again, University doesn't tell you what to do, it shows a pathway, and allows one to ask the question of "Why".

As I now come close to my destination as an Engineer, I realise the journey was fantastic. Someday, I hope to recreate a similar journey in pursuit of a higher degree. I may be successful, or I may not be. However, as I relive this journey, I keep in mind all my experiences and hope to apply the knowledge out in the real world.

A bittersweet memory

Sorry for my long delay in posting. However, I had to blog about this...

Each of us cricket lovers have our own special moments. My "special" moment was in 2002. It was a test match in Antigua with the West Indies taking on India. Anil Kumble delivered a special performance to win. What's so special about that you ask? Jumbo had broken his jaw earlier in the game and had returned, with his face bandaged up. His jaw was so fragile that he couldn't appeal for LBW decisions, with the Indian team helping out.

For me, this is what sport, and human endurance is all about. When the chips are down, it's not about analysing why they're down, it's about getting up there and doing the best we can

Can't say anymore, but will have a detailed post up soon.

Once again, Jumbo, you are a true sportsman!!!! The Indian team is much richer for your involvement in the XI.

Independence Day

Namaste,

Warmest greetings on the 61st anniversary of Indian Independence. Congratulations also to Abhinav Bindra, who gave the nation an early Independence Day gift in the form of a Gold Medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. This was the first gold medal won by India since Moscow 1980 and the first Individual Gold medal won by India.

Today as we celebrate our freedom, we pay homage to our great national leaders, valiant freedom fighters, men and women, who made many sacrifices, including of their lives to liberate India from colonial rule. Tomorrow is an occasion to recall that under the inspiring leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, our freedom struggle was fought and won on the noble principles of truth and non-violence, making it a unique movement in the history of nations. Indeed, Gandhi's words echoed later on in the 20th century, when Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King both used his methods for their respective battles.

As we celebrate our unique day, we remember Nehru's speech on the eve of Independence. "A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment, we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity"

The complete history of our freedom struggle is not just symbolized by a "fakir" (Winston Churchill's description of Gandhi), or a "terrorist" (British Raj's description of Netaji and Bhagat Singh), it is epitomized by a will of the people. To that generation of men, women and children who were subject to draconian laws, who went to jail, faced police torture, we are forever indebted. At one point in time, "free India" was just a dream. It had to be spoken in a whisper, anything greater and it would vanish into thin air. The Declaration of Independence by 13 American states say thus:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security

These words reverberated within our forefathers and events from 1857 strengthened that dream, and finally in 1945, it grew so loud that people were forced to listen, and after listening were forced to agree.

61 years on, as we look back, we must ask ourselves two pertinent questions. Where have we come? Where are we going? Would those men and women, who died to rid us of oppression, would they be satisfied at the progress we have made? Or would they once again, prepare for a new andolan?

A nation, which had once been described as "a functioning anarchy" by noted economist JK Galbraith, is now being showered with the choicest of praises. Yet, as we look through these phrases, we see that there is more to be achieved. Where we create the largest amount of millionaires per capita we consistently rank at the bottom half of the UNDI (UN Development Index). Where we have the largest middle-class in the world, we are also home to the largest levels of illiteracy. Where we have world renowned institutions such as IISc, TIFR, IIT, we also have children who study in woefully inadequate classrooms. Where we have a Muslim President administering the oath to a Sikh PM belonging to a party headed by a Roman Catholic to serve a population of 800 million Hindus, we have at the very same time, politicians claiming to decide who will be allowed to reside in a particular state and the means by which they shall reside.

We have, for long enough, put up with policies which while claiming to provide social equality, strips our countrymen of their very identity. We have for long enough, put up with voices who seek to divide us. To use Barrack Obama's words, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. I say to them, there is not a BJP India or a Congress India, there is the Republic of India. There is not a North India, a South India, a North-East India, there is the Republic of India. There is not a Hindu India, a Muslim India, a Sikh India, there is the Republic of India. There are people also seek to fragment our states, by drawing Saffron states and White States, Saffron for the NDA/BJP and White for the UPA/INC. I have news for them too. We say "Id Mubarak" in the Saffron states, and we celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi in the White States with equal fervour. We fill up Right To Information applications in the Saffron states and we support those who are less fortunate than us in the White States. We celebrate the success of Irfan Khan Pathan in the Saffron states and we reminisce the works of Vijay Tendulkar in the White states. We are immensely saddened when terror hits the Saffron states, and we are relieved when a terrorist is sentenced to death in the White states. We are all one, pledging allegiance to the Republic of India and the ideals to which it stands for.

In finishing, we are standing at the precipice of an unheralded moment in history. Already, the media is filling us with the optimism that this century will be known as the Asian Century, and there are parallels being drawn with the "Indian Elephant" and the "Chinese Dragon". As we begin the 62nd year of Independence, let us recall the facts. We have around 250-300 million people between the ages of 15-35. That includes many of you as well. This population is more than ten times the entire population of Australia and comparable with the population of the United States. Which power on earth can stop us if we all decide to achieve to the best of our abilities? For far too long now, India has been spoken of as "getting there" and an "emerging superpower". When shall we "get there" and be "a Superpower". I don't know about you all, but I want it to be in my lifetime. Else, the debt that I owe to those who fought for a free India, will be a "promissory note returned marked insufficient funds".

Swami Vivekananda once said "Give me a few young men, and I shall change the face of this nation". I am putting my hand up now, anyone willing to join me?

Jai Hind!!!

pre-Independence Day

Here's something to get our "desh bhakti" juices going.

No Confidence Motion - Live Blogging

Hello all!!

I, like many other bloggers around the world, will be bringing you live action over the next two days as India votes for her future. The motion of confidence in the council of ministers is expected to be debated upon today, with the vote tomorrow (22 July).

Some background reading:

The list of business today in the Parliament can be found here. What is important is this

DR. MANMOHAN SINGH to move the following:-

“That this House expresses its confidence in the Council of Ministers.”

Also, it may be worth reading upon the rules of conduct of the Lok Sabha available here. Especially worth noting are the sections related to confidence motions and rule 184

Save in so far as is otherwise provided in the Constitution or in these rules, no discussion of a matter of general public interest shall take place except on a motion made with the consent of the Speaker.

A live webcast is available here.

Finally, as this is my first live blog, feedback is most welcome!

LoO = Leader of Opposition Mr. LK Advani (BJP)
PM = Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh (INC)

Update 3:15PM ACST: The National anthem was played and the new members were inducted into the Parliament by taking oath of allegiance to the Indian Constitution and the Indian people. At present, the speaker is making obituary references to those who have passed. Amongst them is the legendary Sam Bahadur

Update 3:25PM ACST: The words have been spoken. The PM makes the statement to the effect that the House express its confidence in the Council of Minsters. Goes on to say about the achievements of the UPA being together for 4 years and that the credit goes to Sonia Gandhi. PM then talks about the "sense of the house" with regards to the Nuclear deal.

Update 3:32PM ACST: The Leader of the Opposition raises to speak, and wishes to oppose the motion brought forward by the PM. In most cases, a Resume of the Government's performance has been given. The focus on the house, should be on why the debate has become necessary. States that the NDA and the Left agree on ,this particular matter only, even though they disagree on many others.

Update 3:41PM ACST: UPA government is like patient in ICU. The first question asked is, "Is he going to survive or not?" Interruptions in the House. Speaker trying his best, to control the house. Some semblance of order regained. LoO goes on. You started this Mr.PM. You had your seniormost minister preside over a committee. I have seen statements categorically assuring the country, we will not go to the IAEA, without the sense of the house. The LoO is doing a good act of "we didn't know anything!". The chairperson of the UPA appears, with a smug look on her face. Please don't blame anyone else for having this session. For the first time in Indian parliament, the session over two days to decide the fate of the minority government. Not in our nature to destablize a Government. You may do it with Vajpayee in 1999 when we lost by one vote. Distinction between defeating a government and destablizing a government.

More interruptions

Update 3:45PM ACST: I have seen shortlived governments, I have seen unstable governments, but I have never seen a paralyzed government. If the government really though that the deal was really important, why doesn't the CMP or the INC party manifesto mention it. The deal is not between two soverign countries, but between two individuals. One individual is the PM of this country who thinks there is nothing more important than to fulfill this deal. I don't want India to be a junior partner in this deal. India cannot be classified as a non-nuclear weapons state.

Update 4:00PM ACST: Can the government enlighten us on whether the Indian Parliament has become redundant, with respect to articles appearing in the Telegraph. We are not against nuclear energy. We are not at all against a close relationship with America. Irrespective of anyhting else, we will never like India to become party to an agreement which is unequal. With respect to this particular deal, makes us subservient partner in this deal. The Hyde Act imposes restrictions on our foreign policy. The government's response is "Hyde Act does not apply to us" whereas the American response is that the Hyde Act does apply. Today is not the occasion when we discuss the deal. Today for all practical purposes the deal means that Indira Gandhi may have done Pokhran 1, Vajpayee may have done Pokhran 2, but there will be no Pokhran 3 or Pokhran 4. Please do not justify what you are doing, by quoting Vajpayee. Pt. Nehru was never in favour of making India a nuclear weapons state. Mrs. Gandhi was the first INC PM to undertake a nuclear test and successfully. We will renegotiate the deal to make it a deal between equals.

Update 4:12PM ACST: Biggest advantage of deal is that India becomes part of the non-proliferation deal. The INC's performance on the "aam admi" front has been so dismal, that they relied on the deal to tell them that opposition to the deal would be a denial of life. Please give us the figures on when we will get nuclear power if the deal goes through. What price? How much? Let us not try to delude the Indian people by saying we are trying to give energy security to the country and say that we are okay with constraining our national security with respect to nuclear tests. On all fronts INC's performance has been miserable. Don't try to cover it up by saying that nuclear deal will give everyone electricity. During the NDA front, the achievement was the roads and highways.

Update 4:22PM ACST: In 1950 India adopted a secular constitution as theocracy is alien to Indian culture and tradition. Does secularism mean an allergy to Hindus, function in a manner that makes people think that a secular state must be indifferent to a major religion? Why is this government indifferent to terrorist attacks in India? Blasts in Mumbai, Malegaon, Hyderabad, India, Ayodhya etc. I would like the PM or the Home Minister, to tell us what has been the progress of investigation in all these cases. To the best of my information, the performance is so dismal on this front. I see no other reason excepting a consideration of vote banks. Terrorism has no religion, and threfore action against terrorists will not annoy any community. Let us not equal national security with vote bank politics.

Update 4:31PM ACST: LoO makes references on the Sethusamudram project. Interruptions in the house. Ahh, the arguementative Indian. Pathetic display by leaders that claim to be elected by popular vote. I wonder what their parents taught them. House bought under control. Various institutions of government misused for questionable politics.

Okay I am going offline for a bit. Will be back in an hour.

Update 6:54PM ACST: Okay I am back and I shall try to give updates on the half hour, starting from 7PM. The BJP has spoken, the CPI has spoken and the INC has spoken. Let's see who's up next.

Update 7:00PM ACST: SP (Rajender Yadav) taking its stand now. Due to bad connection, updates may be later than expected.

Update 7:30PM ACST: Everything is relative. Everyone looks from their own perspective. There are few people opposing this in public due to their own self interest. When we support something, we look at the character of the politician. I find that I do not find anything wanting in the integrity and honesty of the PM and that is one reason why I support him. Proceeds to rebut the allegations of the LoO and the CPI. Talks about "coalition dharma". Takes aim at the comment of "Is parliament irrelevant?". Praises the democratic spirit of the PM to take Parliament into confidence thereby demonstrating the relevance of Parliament. We test because we want to know if something is working correctly or not. There is nothing in the deal which prevents us from acting in our national interest. When LKA was Deputy PM and Home Minister, then attacks were carried out on the Parliament. Refers to the Keshavananda Bharati v Union of India case, with respect to the importance of the preamble of the Constitution. Then goes on to rebut CPI's 6 principle arguement.

Brings up the folly of Panchsheel. Highlights Sino-Indian war. Touches on women empowerment. Brings out the mistreatment of Taslima Nasreen in Bengal. Highlights that the Left stand has always been one of shifting the goalposts. Concedes that nuclear energy will take a long time. Argues with Left on the available supply of coal in India. Explains problems with global warming and Hydroelectrical energy. You (Left) have dictated the terms to the PM. Is he your servant? Your ego is issuing cheques your political will cannot cash (or words to that effect). "Left" is a term used by the french revolution as the people of the Left were always against. It is better if you joined the Left, as it suits your position.

We have low supply of uranium and thorium reactors are far from realisation. VAT also increased prices of oil. Guess who was on the committee for VAT?

Update 7:33PM ACST: It is not the folly of just the UPA for the increase in prices. The PM knows that LKA is not opposing. He is just sad that he cannot sign on the dotted line. It remains to be seen who will be the new PM for the NDA-Left combine. You talk about purity, but you only look for the satisfication of one person's ego!

Manhandling goes on. MPs storm into the well. Very pathetic this. I most certainly did not expect it from either the SP or the Left. Adjourned for the moment

Update 7:45PM ACST: House reconvenes. SP starts to speak again. In my years as a parliamentarian, there has not been an incident, when I have been accused to being unparliamentary. My mind is uneased at the recent incidents. You (Left) used to go red when you saw the BJP. Now you are voting with them? Please abstain

Ramkripal Yadav (RJD) address the house. We do not want the coming generations to say that we let go of a chance when we had the opportunity to alleviate their problems. Sorry he's going too fast for me to type. I will try once again at 8PM.

Update 8:00PM ACST: Internet really slow, therefore no update possible. I can faintly hear RJD rebutting the Left, saying that red and saffron can never mix together. Will try again in 15-20 mins.

Update 8:15PM ACST: Looks like the Speaker has quit and got the Deputy Speaker to preside. Don't know why though. Absolute pandemonium in the House. Am trying to get a sense of what is happening. Will update on that once I realise what's happened. From what I see, the deputy speaker unfortunately, can't handle this situation. Just as it was going down it has flared up again.

Update 8:30PM ACST: The RJD MP is talking about illegal mining in Rajasthan. What this has got to do with the nuclear deal, or the general scheme of things, I don't know. The RJD MP is now concluding the speech, or atleast being told to conclude by the Speaker. RJD brings up chargesheets. If LKA can vote with a chargesheet, why can't our (RJD) MPs vote as well? Concludes by supporting the confidence motion

Now BSP (Brajesh Pathak) comes on. Complains about the standards of Parliament. The people of the country are not ones to tolerate dealers, they want leaders.

Update 8:45PM ACST: America wants to make India subservient to it. If the deal is signed, we will be handing the remote America. The world knows the deals that UPA made with Saddam Hussein. What was Saddam's fault? He wanted to sell his oil. America wanted to control Iraq's oil. The government should have got an all party consensus. When we want to go to a different village or city, we too do the same thing within our own family. Why is the INC hurrying for this deal? Some venomous words with repsect to the PM. Can't translate all due to my slow pickup of Hindi (and the fact that the MP is yelling at the top of his lungs and his voice is "clipping"). I wish to ask how many people can survive on Rs.100. Why isn't the government not concentrating on the rise in prices? Why are they fixated on the nuclear deal?

Next update at 9:30PM

Update 9:30 ACST T R Baalu (DMK) is speaking. Rises to support motion on behalf of Karunanidhi. Recognises support from the Left. Raises the proverb "Friend in need is a friend indeed". Seeks to mollify the Left, saying that they will support UPA on most issues except nuclear deal. Does not wish to answer on matters sub judice. Why do we need power? For any developing nation, to ensure continual development, we need power coupled with infrastructure, social and physical. Rattles out power requirement and availability. Shrewd investment implies diverse product mix. Therefore, we should have a product mix of power production infrastructure. Therefore we need nuclear power. Agreement not at the cost of indigenous nuclear program. Not at the cost of strategic nuclear program or our RnD. Baalu then tells of what the agreement does and does not include. Notes that the provision does not infringe on the right to conduct a nuclear test. This country will never compromise its foreign policy. Agreement ends nuclear isolation. Why is the crusade conducted by Karunandhi and Sonia Gandhi been questioned? Per capita income during 2003-2004 was Rs 20000, in 07-08 was 30000. Foreign reserve $304.8 billion in UPA regime. Food grain production as of now is 227 million tonnes and is the highest produced in India after 60 years. Is this not the mangement of the government? Inflation exists, but commodities are available to the market.

Under the able guidance of Sonia and Manmohan, provided budgets over and above the previous government in the areas of social infrastructure, such as new Universities etc. 1.75 Lakh Crores for rural irrigation, reaching 38 million hectares, although a target was 10 million hectares. A vote against us is a vote against the rural development. We have provided 45 Lakhs worth of rural homes. A vote against us, is a vote against the poor.

Until 2007-2008 we provided for 200 districts under NREGS. Now we have increased to 604 disctricts. This year an incease of 33% of budget. Time is running out says the speaker. On the roads, there has been marked improvement on roads (reels of statistics. Too fast for me). UPA completes 5948 km of roads, whereas NDA only completed 2000 odd km. More contracts awarded under UPA than under NDA.

When NDA left, there was no maritime policy. The UPA developed a new maritime policy, identifying two strategic ports within 2 - 3 years. Please vote for us, if you are pro-poor. Finishes on that note

Anant Gete (Shiv Sena). Mr Speaker, the PM has said that the Government is in a dangerous position. Interruptions. It has come to be in this position because the support given by the Left has been withdrawn. The government should have been sacked at the time that support was withdrawn. More interruptions. The discussion today is on the confidence of the house. The discussion is not on the nuclear deal.

Update 10:00PM ACST: SS continues. There was a similar situation in 1991. To save the government, there are parallels drawn with respect to horse-trading in 1991 and now. Infact the situation is worse than 1991. Interruptions. Let this go to privilege. Interruptions. Bring back Somnath Chatterjee I say!!! Mr. Yadav, before putting a privilege motion on me, why don't you show the courage to face the media with the figures they have been quoting.

Interruptions. The INC is telling us that the only big problem is the nuclear deal and nothing else. Inflation is predicted to be going to 15 or 16 percent. We want to know what is happening from the UPA side on controlling the exponential rise in prices. The only excuse being given is that this is happening in the world. Per capita income per day is Rs.12. 38% of the population is BPL. I have been power minister in the NDA government for 12 years. I know the situation of power in the country. There are 45% of regions in certain states in India, where ther is no system of even distributing power. Even if the problem of power is solved, these states can't get power. Delhi does not generate a single megawatt of power. I am telling you how successful your government is. Lalu vacates the House. The LoH mentioned figures on the deficit of installed capacity of the country. Also mentioned the increases in deficit if nothing was to be done. Previously in a seminar, Sushil Kumar Shinde mentioned that even now the potential of Hydel power is 1.5 Lakh Megawatt. Hydel is the cleanest and cheapest source of power. There is no question of the environment, the government's will to act is needed. Your courage to stake the government on the deal, where has it gone with respect to Hydel? Sonia Gandhi lets out a smile (don't know why). What I am saying is the situation on the ground. The situation is that Maharashtra which was No.1 state in India, there is 14 hours of load shedding. Inspite of all talk about 70000 crore, there is not a provision of a sinle provision. When you go asking for votes, the people, the farmers will ask you the same question. Even now, the farmers are committing suicide.

Interruptions

Co-operative banks who have given loans, where is the money coming from? Maharashtra is in drought. Government banks are not giving loans to farmers. Honest farmers who have paid installments have not been given loans.

Interruptions

You are putting a blindfold on the farmers of India. I will resign if you can find me one farmer having had a loan waiver has been given a new loan. Pandemonium in the house. People threatening to leave, others baiting them to leave.

Can't believe the largest democracy can come to this. I know this is unconstitutional, but surely there's some kind of way to stop this carrying on. It's the fault of each and every party in the house, not just the UPA or NDA

Update 10:30PM ACST: Somnath is back!!! And he stamps his authority from his arrival. Tells SS to finish it off ASAP. SS says, on the deal of the nuclear deal, the Left withdrew support and gave a reason. The government must answer all these reasons, especially with respect to the Hyde Act. America is the 2nd East India Company.

Mehto of JMM starts now. The LoO has capitalised on the issues confronting us. Let us focus on the 4 years of the UPA rule and not just on the deal. Why does the government want to rush into the deal? High rate of inflation is causing distress. Is keeping faith with GW Bush greater priority than with the Indian people? Ever since Left withdrew, the trust vote has been painted as a up or down on the nuclear deal. ABV posed 3 points after 18 July 2005. These relate to constraining India's nuclear power. 3 years later, these apprehensions prove to be prophetic. NDA government did take initiative to engage in strategic dialogue. However, India was a pariticipant not a supplicant in the dialogue. We believe that India today has the right and might to be treated as an equal. Our party is not against nuclear energy, or strategic partnership with USA. Huge and growing dependence on hydrocarbons and soaring oil prices, forcing search for renewable energy. In my state, the cost per unit energy is Rs. 2.30. With nuclear power the cost escalates to Rs 7. Not many people have read 123 Agreement or the Hyde Act or the IAEA Act 1954. Yet many speak about the deal and suggest its implication. Does this government or the PM contemplate amending India's Atomic Energy Act. The issue is not of niceties, but the dignity of parliamentary etiquette. Where is the Indian in this issue when the INC seeks the help of parties bent on regionalism. When you are not sure you are going to survive in another 48 hours or 108 days, what is the value of your promises. Don't play with the sentiments of the people.

I have great respect of India with respect to Atomic Energy. We started with nothing, except that dare to attempt the impossible. Everything was our own and self-inspired. We learnt what we did not know. In 1998 the world led by the USA ganged up against us to suffocate our program. No one has been able to accuse India of proliferation. We are self confident, yet we must recognise constraints. We need to circumvent the embargo. Only a small part of technology program is actually nuclear program. The question is, if the program is to take India forward, what are we giving in return? Is the deal on an equal footing? The deal puts us in a subservient position. Deal doesn't state that we are a nuclear weapons state, neither does it mention that we are a non-nuclear weapons state. Is this where we want to be? The decision to protect the interest of the nation must be taken at a political level. Broad consensus doesn't exist. Left has deserted PM. The crisis is instructive of how ideological principles go for a toss when a cynical agenda comes out to a force. What has happened to institutions that the Government has created? Speaker says time is over. JMM concludes.

Anand Sharma (INC). On that note I am calling it a night. Thanks to all that have been watching. Look forward to all your comments.

Update 22 July 1:40PM ACST: Okay I'm back and once again half-hour updates are the norm. I will get started once Parliament begins. Thanks for all the comments, keep them coming, I appreciate it!

Update 22 July 2:30PM ACST: I personally think that the Government should win. I'd rather watch them struggle for every vote, reflecting their pathetic state for the past 5 years.

Yesterday, I was watching speeches until Das Gupta's speech. The two best speakers IMHO were LKA and Pranab Mukherjee. I couldn't even make sense of the BSP guy and I suspect neither could anyone else. The Deputy Speaker kept on telling him to modulate his voice so others could understand but the BSP guy couldn't care less.

What I found funny with Das Gupta's speech was his rails against capitalism rather than a point by point approach to why they pulled out of the Government. I'm no speechwriter, but I would suspect that their best chances of vindication lies in expading on their letter of intention to withdraw support. Many of "solutions" that his party gave the UPA to combat inflation were so unworkable that it'd make them a laughing stock. Hell all of the solutions were taxing the rich!!

Update 3:00PM ACST: Okay about to start. Here we go!! Speaker comes in. Extends congratulations to the Junior Indian Hockey team being crowned Asian Champs. List of Business for today here. Item No 7 is what we need. Interruptions in the house start. P Chidambaram (INC) starts. Salim says we've moved from the basic principles of the CMP. I will deal with 2 of the 6 principles.

Ensuring sustained growth of economy. After 42 months, growth of 8.2%. Average growth was 5.6% in NDA government. 11th plan began in 2007. Maintained that we will grow close to 9%. Growth is actually 9.1%. Resounding start to the 11th plan. Talks about record statistics. Interruptions. How did these come about? Due to far sighted plans, and attention to detail. Government launched many schemes. Revived co-op credit institutions. Under this Govt's charge, capital formation in agriculture has increased from 10% to 12%. Show me any other 4 year period, when so much has been done for agriculture. This is difficult year, but we will achieve a growth rate better than what is mentioned in the CMP and far better than what achieved during NDA rule.

Another principle was improvement of farmers' life. This government has done a lot for farmers. We have addressed needs of farmers in a systematic way. Some are visible. In order to take care of farm labour, we introduced NREG. In less than 15 months, the scheme has been rolled out to all the 597 rural districts of India. Why didn't the NDA do this? We increased old-age pension and I ask why the NDA turned a blind eye to old people. We introduced Aam Admi Bima Yojana etc. why didn't the NDA not organise a single scheme such as this? Never before has any government undertaken a loan waiver scheme as we have. Death waiver has been granted for 50000+ crore. Death relief for a further 16000+ crore. More interruptions. Anant Gete leads the interruptions (Ek rupiya nahi hai, ek rupiya bhi nahi hai). Total amount granted by waiver was 66000+ crore. Among the beneficiaries, 2 crore small farmers. 65 Lakh other farmers. Honourable members note that I have more than fulfilled my promise made to this house. Increase in the sowing area and reflected increase in the food production at the end of the year.

This debate concerns the deal. India signed agreements with many countries. We need to cross 2 stages before operationalising the deal. First is a safeguards agreement and the 2nd is a waiver from the NSG. Questions raised about Hyde Act and 123 Agreement. In 1954 USA adopted Atomic Energy Act. Act prohibits USA from cooperating with other countries before certain provisions. Hyde Act became law in 2006. 123 Agreement signed in 2007. Fact is that US President issued a statement when signing Hyde Act. Question is what is the statement of the 123 Agreement. In US, 123 Agreement is not inconsistent with the Hyde Act. 123 Agreement brings upon the exception in the Hyde Act.

123 Agreement is to enable full civil nuclear energy cooperation between two countries. Either on an industrial scale or a commerical scale. Agreement enters into force when parties exchange notes informing completion of all required legal formalities. Enabling agreement only. Next question is how to interpret 123 agreement under Indian and international law. Agreement to be implemented in accordance with principles of customary International law and Vienna Convention. Internal law does not prevent 123 Agreement obligations being peformed. When 123 Agreement is ratified, it will be the last expression by the legislature on the subject. Chidambaram goes to explain US Constitution. Under the Vienna Convention, we are only bound by the 123 Agreement and nothing more. Hyde act does not apply to us.

Update 3:30PM ACST: UPA Left committee held 9 meetings. At 5th meeting, Left parties were not opposed to safeguards agreement in principle. Objection to the 123 Agreement. Agreed that Government talks to IAEA, and then goes to the committee with the outcome of the talks with the IAEA. We have done nothing that is non-transparent. We have done it in a most transparent manner.

Update 3:58PM ACST: When we decided to circulate the text to the IAEA board, it was made available in India. More interruptions in the house. Phew, chance to catch my breath, rest my fingers a bit. Chidambaram is a bloody good lawyer I tell you. INC continues The short question is, does India want to end the nuclear isolation we have found ourselves in since 1974. ABV said in the UN General Assembly "These tests do not signal a dilution in the spirit of nuclear disarmament. We announced a voluntary moratorium on underground testing. India's already accepted a basic obligation on the CTBT". Speaks on what Vajpayee said (not writing about that, too hard to follow). What this government has done is taken ABV's words forward. Do we want to come out of nuclear isolation? What is China doing? China's electricity is 80% coal and 18% hydel. 2% in nuclear power. Mainland China has 11 reactors are in operation, 6 are under construction. Additional construction is planned, to increase a 6 fold increase in power production by 2020, and a further 3-4 fold increase by 2030 (160000MW). Aims to become self sufficient in the fuel cycle. Moves to build reactor started in 1970. Technology drawn from France, Russia and Canada. Latest technology acquisition from USA. There are some people in India, that do not want India to compete with China, they do not want India to move ahead. More interruptions mainly from the CPI. I have no hesitation in saying I want to emulate China. I want India to become a superpower. When we talk about India, we need to talk about other such countries, like China. We must aspire to greater heights. When we talk about growth, it is a necessary condition, not a sufficient condition. Statistics about China's agricultural and other production, World average and India's production. When I say we must grow, we must produce more. Let me conclude by saying, the BJP and NDA seem to agree on ending nuclear isolation. After all interruptions, no one is clear on the stand of the left parties. More interruptions. Yet the two groups who are voting together. NDA has no problem with a strategic relation with USA. Left is opposed to US partnership, yet they vote together. NDA believes India becoming nuclear weapons. Left disagrees, yet they vote together. Says something similar again, amidst interruptions. Chidambaram is good...he is sticking it up to the Left. GO CHIDAMBARAM!!! More interruptions. I doubt if in the history of Parliament anything bizzare. More interruptions. From the speaker's chair, you welcomed young members of Parliament. Out there, young members of India look to the Parliament. We can make their future, if we have the vision to take this forward. In the late 80's Rajiv Gandhi and Narasimha Rao charted a new path. The PM is also doing the same with respect to nuclear power. Concludes supporting the motion

VK Malhotra (BJP) rises. Speaker says 39 minutes left. 7 members of the UPA have spoken. They have talked on and on about statistics. Whatever it is, all elections in India post UPA, the INC has faltered badly. Why? You are not in a minority, yet you still show these figures? In the 4 years of the INC rule, it has been a shambles. The biggest sin is that the UPA it has indulged in horsetrading to keep itself in power. Interruptions. Government agencies are taking part in this horsetrading. Point of order, under rule 352 raised, accepted. Malhotra continues, raises points on the CBI investigations. Speaker and Malhotra in a face-off regarding MPs with criminal convictions. Interruptions. Talks about voting in Punjab. Even speaker asks BJP to stick to the subject. More interruptions. Speaker stands. Threatens to put the motion to vote. Adjourns house for 45 mins

Update 4:15PM ACST: And we're back on. Speaker says, Impossible to maintain decorum in this house or an atmosphere where a responsible discussion can take place. Please maintain decorum. Please do not make personal allegations or insinuations.

Update 4:30PM ACST:Malhotra back on. Starts harping on the same thing. There are many things on the nuclear deal that have been said. I will not add more to it, yet there has been lies being spread. No one has noticed that the spending 20 Lakh crore rupees, will only get India's 5% of power. This deal will make India a nuclear slave to all the companies involved in the business of nuclear energy. It has been said time and again that we are not bound by the Hyde Act only the 123 Agreement. However, whenever this is said, the next day America says that the moment a test is conducted, the deal is off. Whenever two parties agree to a deal, they must agree on the same terms. In the world, countries such as UK, France have shut down their nuclear energy. Why? They feel that other forms of energy such as solar, wind must be sought. Australia has largest Uranium mines, however why doesn't it have a nuclear plant? Only after 30 years, only 5% energy will be generated. However, the Hydel potential exists in the North East, does not find a mention. All our nuclear experts have reminded the Government. They speak of the achievements in 4 years. However, the biggest sin they've committed is the rising prices. Time and again, the PM has said we will put a stop to rising prices. Even the FM and UPA Chair said similar things. Inflation is rampant. The CPI has increased to 300%. UPA says it's a world problem. When prices go up, other countries must have a problem. In Japan, the prices have increased by 0.8%. Small amounts in other countries. Why do we have 12%? You have run the government in the wrong manner. Speaks about corruption in NREGS. Now LPG prices are rising. Mani Shankar Aiyer has said that high growth is not reaching the common man. Rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer. Aiyer clarifies. No point in referring to a statement I made more than a year ago. More interruptions. The stock market has collapsed. FII's are withdrawing investment in the stock market. India's credit rating has been downgraded. NDA left behind a booming economy, the UPA has destroyed it

Update 5:00PM ACST: What is happening with terrorism? What are you doing with ISI? You are indirectly helping them recruit! Till not, there are more than lakhs affected by terrorism. What hapened? You got rid of the only anti-terrorist law in the country. Do whatever you want they said. Yesterday there was a problem with the shrine board. When the shrine land was given back, there was news that a Hajj temple was created. We give 4 crore for Hajj subsidy. We have no problem that. No other country does that. But why take away 100 acres of shrine land? When hindus want 100 acres, a hue and cry is raised, yet crores of money is spent on Hajj. Even if the land is given, then cries of Pakistan Zindabad is raised? SP has raised the issue that 2 currencies need to run in India. Why? More interruptions. INC's ex-CM went to Canada when cries of Khalistan were raised, and this happens in India? PM says that we should not oppose good actions. Is making India a servant of America a good act? BJP goes on like this. We do not need a certificate of patriotism from the UPA. These people have lost the trust of the people. Therefore MPs who wish to support confidence motion lose the confidence of the people.

Rahul Gandhi (INC) rises. Yesterday, when I was thinking of what I would say, I came to a conclusion. I decided that it is important at this point not to speak as a member of a party but to speak as an Indian. Interruptions. I will speak in English and Hindi. All I ask is that you listen to me. Please listen to me. Don't agree, but listen. I decided that I would speak as an Indian. I would take a step that a lot of MPs do not do. I decided to make an assumption. The assumption is that regardless of party lines, all speak on the interest of this nation (clever call). Yesterday I thought about why we meet in here today. Why is it that this house needs to meet. I came to the conclusion that we are meeting because there is a serious problem in India. And the problem is our energy security. Three days ago, I went to Vidarbha, and I met a young lady who has 3 sons. The young lady is a landless labourer who lives on 60 rupees a day. Her husband earns 90 a day. With the total earnings they make, they have put 3 of their children to private school. I spent an hour with these people and spoke to their sons. The eldest son dreams of becoming a collector. The middle, an engineer. The youngest, a private job. When I asked the lady if the children will be successful, she said yes. As I was walking out of hte house, I noticed that there was no electricity in the house, and I asked the children how do you study. The children pointed to a lamp and said we study using that lamp. Sir, this problem of energy security reflects itself every day with all of us. It reflects itself among the poor, with industry, among all Indians. Interruptions. Energy affects India's growth and energy is responsible for allowing us to grow at 9% and that growth is responsible for allowing for helping alleviation of poverty. If we do not secure our energy supply into the future, growth will stop and we cannot fight poverty, which every single member of this house wants to do. I have stated what the problem is, and I will go back again to Vidarbha to state a possible solution. I would go to a house to another young lady having 9 children. Her husband committed suicide, so please respect her. The husband committed suicide because he depended on the cotton crop only. I asked her what she did. More interruptions. Personal opinion: I am disenchanted with the Government. This is absolutely pathetic. A bunch of geriatrics shouting at a young turk. Back to the show. Speaker fixes a time for the voting. No more discussion he says. Mukherjee exhorts people to resume their seats and asks the debate to continue. Rahul Gandhi continues. Instead of sowing one crop, she sows 3. She bought 2 buffaloes, and has milk as a source of income. She has a pond, fills it with water and uses it as insurance. The answers to our energy problem. More interruptions. Looks like BSP is the main culprit.

Pandemonium reigns supreme. Adjourned till 2PM. This is absolutely pathetic. I may or may not agree with Rahul Gandhi, but the manner in which he was shut down is simply ludicrous....give the guy a friggin chance people!! Sorry if I am acting out of bounds, but I'm his generation, so I get a bit riled up.

Update 6:20PM ACST: Just got coverage. Sorry for the delay, will try to fix ASAP.

UPdate 6:30PM ACST: Acharya speaking. The way CBI is being misused to get the meajority, is most condemnable. I demand that an impartial inquiry should be held and that can be done only by a house committee. We demand a house committee be constituted. Interruptions.

Das Gupta says that a serious complaint has occured. The House should take cognisance of the matter and form a committee suo moto. Point of Order raised under Rule 369. Rahul Gandhi starts again. This morning I spoke two poor families and Mrs Kala said she had diversified her income sources and used it to stabilize her family and bring up her children. At the very least, the nuclear deal will act like Kala's pond and act as insurance to the country. The problem is that way our nuclear industry is positioned today, it is neither going to act as insurance nor is it going to act or potential to act as a fundamental source of energy. The hands of our scientists and establishment are tied. They do not have fuel, investment or technology. I am very proud to say that our PM has recognised the problem and a potential solution. It would be unfair of me not to accept that ABV also solved the problem and also in his time worked on the solution. Please clap! On this account please clap! Now I have stated an all of us know that there is a problem with regards to energy in this country. It is a problem that all of us need to solve working together. As I said, senior leaders have also established that way forward is diversification and a balanced portfolio including nuclear, hydrocarbon and wind. It is not enough to identify a problem and a potential solution. The magic of what the PM is doing is that within the problem, he has identified an opportunity that is larger than the problem itself. The opportunity is based on a simple fact, that over the next 30-40 years, 2 countries are going to use the largest bulk of new energy. These countries, have the ability to define the way the world's energy moves.

Update 7PM ACST: Our old opponents the British, grew to their prominence because they control coal. The USA today controls hydrocarbons, and we all know of their harm. What I am suggesting is that we think as a big and powerful country. Instead of how the world will impact us, we think about how we will impact the world. Many years ago, this country embarked on a path which many people did not believe in. We developed the IT/Telecom industry in which very few people believed that India would play a major role in this industry. Very few believed that computers would empower the poor. All of us today see the impact that ITES has had on this country and we must not forget this. We are at a crossroads where a decision must be made. It is not about India's usage of nuclear energy. It is about whether India can become a global power, with a type of energy that will become important in the future. We know the link between hydrocarbon dependence and prices. When we think about nuclear energy, we must think about the poorest in the country. When we were talking about IT, we were talking about the poor. One must not underestimate the connection between the industry and the poor. I have taken a lot of time, and I do not want to go on forever. The difference between a powerful country and a country that is not powerful and does not have a similar impact on the world is that former thinks about how it impacts the world and the latter thinks about how the world will impact it. It does not matter how the government runs the country, but it does matter on how it impacts the world. We must step out and worry about how we will impact the world. As I said earlier, I speak today as an Indian. We are all building this country together and we must solve our problems together. This is what differentiates us and gives us true power. I am proud of the fact that every voice can be heard in this country. We must never ever let fear be our guide. We must never act on the basis of fear, but only courage. We are a country where 70% are younger than me. This country is brimming with confidence. We have to believe in our people and we have to have confidence in what we are doing. These are guides not only for INC but for all Indians, that when you do act, act with courage. With that together, we can change this country and impact the world. I say this a youngster, it does not matter what happens today, but what matters is that we work together. I support the motion.

Party XYZ (unknown) rises. Opposes motion. Just now we were hearing that all the sections of this house should move together united and unanimous, but unfortunately, under the stewardship of the PM, the UPA has fallen apart. Since the time he has been advocating the deal, parties have left the UPA en masse. We are hopeful that they will lose the trust vote. There have been advertisements in the newspapers, from darkness to light. Both the PM and the UPA Chairperson, have kept the country in darkness by announcing talks with IAEA. The MEA announced they'd only go to IAEA after the trust vote, the PM was already having talks. They have kept their alliance in darkness, Lalu is always in darkness. Everybody in the alliance was in darkness. The INC has to learn from history that making such deals, they will lose power. After the Bofors deal, they are entering into another deal against the national interest. The people will punish this government. There is so much of confusion. Yesterday, the MEA was urging us that have patience. We are having patience. Why are you hurrying with the deal at the detriment of the national interest. This government is running on the trust of God. I want to ask some straight questions. Whether this government is agreeing deal and putting a moratorium on all future testing? The Hyde Act also requires USA to extract a date after which India will not pursue weapons grade plutonium. Will this be done? India has the 2nd largest reserve of Thorium. This is enough to ensure nuclear independence for perpetuity. Why are we going ahead with Uranium based nuclear deal with the USA? What are the compulsions by which they are spending money on technologies not needed to nuclear technology? PC was saying Hyde Act has no bearing on the deal. Will the PM clarify this matter? The PM is not sticking true to his oath. Forced to conclude.

Lalu Prasad Yadav (RJD) rises. In the history of the country, a courageous step has been taken by the PM. This Parliament is a temple, in which I place my trust. These parties have come to place a vote of no cofidence. A story exists in the Mahabharat where a demon was not to die in the morning or the night. He died in the evening, at the very time you have put the motion to vote. Everyone has spoken, but the major issue is about the nuclear deal. CPM doesn't even know what the deal was about. Till yesterday, they supported us, now they're against us.

I am stopping blogging for the time being...I'm laughing too much. Plus the hindi is very rustic for me to understand. Next update at 7:30PM

Update 7:45PM ACST: Lalu finishes. Vasudev Acharya rises. Opposes the motion. Questions the value of 276 mentioned by LoH. UPA had 226 not 276. My internet connection just crashed, so I can't access it now. Will try at 8:00PM

Update 8PM ACST:Interruptions in the house. Money is being shown? I wonder what it is. Everyone rushes down to the well as the house is adjourned.

Update 8:21PM ACST: Allegedly 3 BJP MPs were "paid off" by SP MPs to abstain from voting. This is a farce. Regardless of if the allegation is true or not, farcical scenes ensuing.

Update 8:30PM ACST: House adjourned till 9PM ACST.

Update 9:00PM ACST: House adjourned till 10PM ACST.

Update 10:00PM ACST: The parliament has reconvened and Speaker is talking about the case. The speaker says he'll handle it. Interruptions in the house. The house is being adjourned. The PM will reply at 6:30, the vote will be taken at 7:15.

Update 10:30PM ACST: House reconvenes. Speaker says that the elderly members such as ABV etc, they will be allowed to vote from the inner lobby. Wishes them the best of health. Oaiswasi (MIM) rises. Interruptions. It has become a fashion that any decision of the speaker will be challenged. MIM continues.

I must thank the LoO. Through his speech, he has exposed and acted as a guardian angel for the Left. The reason we are supporting this motion is that we do not want the BJP to the power. It has given 1000 crore to the minority department whereas the NDA only gave 200 crore. It is sad that the Left withdraws support. I would like to know only muslims are targeted here, by saying "muslims are against this deal". A deal is signed not between communities, but between two nations. Interruptions. It is the PM who clarified that the foreign policy is not going to be impacted. The Left shows hatred towards muslims. If tomorrow LKA becomes PM, I will suffer, not the Left. I support the motion.

Mehbooba Mufti (PDP). I rise to support the motion. As Lalu said, many members do not know much of the deal. I happen to be one of them. After listening to people on both the sides, I have come to the conclusion that those who inititated the deal oppose it because they are not in power. They talk about renegotiating the deal. Abruptly ends.

Ram Vilas Paswan does not want to speak. Omar Abdullah speaks. I do not know if the 1 crore is true or not. I have been a member for this house for 10 years, and never have I disrupted the speaker, yet they do not have the courtesy to listen to what I have to say. I am a muslim and an Indian, and I see no distinction between the two. This is a deal between two countries, who should be treated as equals. The enemies of Indian Muslims, are not Americans but are the same enemies that all the poor people of India face. I am not a member of the UPA. I am unhappy with the way the Left has taken to certify secularism. Until a few years ago, I was a part of the NDA and the same Left considered me as an untouchable, yet now they say that all secular parties must unite with the BJP to bring the UPA now. I made the mistake of standing with them once. I will not make the same mistake again. We have fought for our land, and we will fight for it till we did. We are not communal like you (BJP). For 200 years, the Amarnath Yatra has been going on, and I will say that till muslims remain in Kashmir, the yatra will go ahead. I support the motion.

Birendra Kumar. Seeks clarifications that others have mentioned. Interruptions, yet he continues to speak.

Update 10:50PM ACST: Some more smaller parties. Representative of Bodos speaking to support the motion.

Update 11:00PM ACST: North-Eastern parties speaking. Representative of outer Manipur speaking, supports motion. Yerran Naidu (TDP) yells that he has 6 minutes, not 3 minutes. Speaker concedes. Poor guy, give him a break, he's been under tremendous pressure. TDP opposes the motion. PMO has become a counter for political deals. In the name of energy security, they are mortgaging the country's sovereignity to USA. The deal is not between two countries, but between two individuals. Why the hurry to move forward to the agreement? The 123 agreeement shows that any ambiguity means that Hyde Act will prevail. They are using all government departments to win the trust vote. They are using unethical means. What happened to the BSP MP, what happened to the BJP MPs? This is a mockery of democracy. After Independence so many PMs have moved the vote of confidence, never has this happened before. By unethical means, what is the use if you win? There is no unamity between the people of this country or the political parties. Unilateral action is not called for, consensus must be maintained. This is the issue of Bharat. That is why the UNPA wants a committee, yet the government does not want it. The PM doesn't trust the MEA. We have to postpone the deal. There is a shortage of coal

Update 11:15PM ACST: Mr Speaker, with your permission I ask a few questions to the PM. Asks a few questions. A Lady MP rises to speak. Supports the deal, and praises the PM on his honesty, integrity and trust. The BJP indulges in dirty politics. Praises Rahul Gandhi on his youth and his ideas. Urged by the speaker to finish. Supports the motion. ML Murmu (JMM) speaks. This is a country of villages, and we can only progress if there is power in the villages. We support the motion.

Update 11:25PM ACST: PM speaks. Interruptions and calls for resignation. Cannot be heard over the din. PM lays the reply on the table. Speaker puts the motion to vote. The lobby is cleared. Votes are being counted. Speaker says RS member may remain in the house, but they cannot vote, in reference to the PM.

Update 11:30PM ACST: Lobbies have been cleared. Asks members to take the seats. Ayes, Noes said. I think the ayes have it, the ayes have it. Secretary General reads out instructions. Division occurs. 253 Ayes, 232 No, Abstain 2, Total 487.

Update 11:40PM ACST: Speaker pleads for members to go to their seats, no one listens. Pathetic stuff coming from the top leadership here. They can't seem to control their own people. Result has not been announced the speaker says. Counting still underway

Update 11:45PM ACST: Still shows the same results as at 11:30PM. Counting still underway. UPA doesn't care, they think they've won. MPs defy speaker's pleads and still congregate near UPA Chair and PM.

Update 11:50PM ACST: Same situation

Update 11:55PM ACST: Still no change. Counting still on.

Update 12:00AM ACST: Still no change.

Update 12:05AM ACST: Allegedly some party MPs could not vote as they were not in their seats.

Update 12:10AM ACST: No advancement in the counting. Still counting.

Update 12:15AM ACST: See above. This will be my penultimate update. I think we all know that the UPA will win the trust vote. I will update it one final time tomorrow. Thankyou to all who have logged in. Once again all comments are welcome!