The BPO industry was indeed a boon to so many middle class Indians who saw a surge in their incomes ; just five years back Ankit would not have imagined earning RS 50,000 per month . So much had changed since the outsourcing boom happened and so many new job opportunities were thrown up ..of course one needed to have the requisite skills to avail of those and Ankit was fortunate to have taken up Structural Detailing soon after completing his Diploma in Civil Engineering .It was 2003 when he passed out and he had through campus recruitment taken up the offer which came from Seth and associates ..the offer itself was not very attractive but the job attracted Ankit ; As a site supervisor he would have to be actively involved in the civil construction process and this was the place where he thought he could apply some of the theory he had learned at college . Only three months in to the job Ankit had a chance meeting with the Structural Engineer who taught him how to read the rebar drawings and to prepare the bar bending schedules and very soon Ankit was managing the schedules and preparing the MTO’s . Observing Ankits skills and his quick grasp of the subject the structural engineer offered him a apprenticeship in an Engineering services company which specialized in structural detailing . The company had all overseas clients who paid in dollars and the company offered a very decent salary and much above what he had drawn as a site supervisor and that’s when Ankit realized the benefits of working in the outsourcing industry . With a good salary came the ability to save and on top of his priorities was to book a flat and move his parents in to the comforts of a residential complex and out of the hardship of the housing board apartment in which they all had spend the past 35 years .

Keshavbhai walked intently clutching his stark white pyjama pocket quite oblivious to the din and cacophony around .As he entered the Virdhiman commercial complex he did not wait to take the elevator and instead took the stairs ..probably he did not have the patience to wait or may be wanted to avoid the crowd . “ Kem Cho Keshavbhai “ greetings came from Hitenbhai who was seated across the table along with four other Kathiawadi banias . This was Virul Shahs office and unlike any other Chartered Accountants office there were no law books or Income tax ready reckoners on display . Virul himself was seated behind the large desk while the assembly of banias with the addition now of Keshavbhai sat across . Keshavbhai finally released his hold on his pyjama pocket and removed a bundle wrapped in an old newspaper and said ” Aa Saru ek peti che” Virul did not count the notes , he simply unwrapped the bundle and placed it in the drawer of his desk .He peeled off a single stick it note from the pad and scribbled on it RS 1 lac , wrote the date and initialled and gave the paper to Keshavbhai .The transaction was complete …Keshavbhai had just invested RS 1 lac in the cartel which financed a group of builders .Virul would collect funds from the Keshavbhais and the Hitenbhais  on a daily basis and invest the funds with one of the builders in the group. The builder would usually allot a complete floor to the ‘investors’ on a price much below the market price ; this arrangement suited both as the builder got the funds to complete his project and the investor got the premises at a discounted rate . There were no formal agreements , no paper work what so ever and everything was based on trust .But in line with the risk came the profits ..which were immense . Typically an investment doubled in a period of 1 year which would give an indication of how steeply and how quickly the property prices were soaring .

The builder was making the moolah and so was the investor and it was all at the cost of the genuine buyer like Ankit . Very soon Ankit realized that his dream project would have to wait ..he did not have the requisite funds to make the initial investment , the prices were far more then he had budgeted for . As he walked back home he wondered if this new economy was indeed a boon or a curse ..it had raised his level of income and so had the prices ; the rich with their surplus income were becoming richer as they speculated and manipulated the supply to create scarcity ….and in all this the peoples government was the silent spectator , thought Ankit ,as he entered the housing board apartment where he had spend all his life and by the look of things would have to spend the balance of the years that were in store for him…

“ So finally Salman will not be coming “

Bingo “ Why is Shahrukh going to be there ?”

“ No , NO , I am not talking about Dabang Salman ,I was refereeing to the Satanic Salman Rushdie “

Bingo ‘ He is not Big Boss not many will miss him “

“ Its not about many missing him it is about some who did not want him here “

Bingo “ May be Ash could be one amongst them ! “

“ This is not about an affair having gone wrong … it is about a writing which has gone all wrong “

Bingo “ In our liberal democracy we could say and write what we like ..why should people object ?

“ A writer needs to be responsible he cannot hurt the religious sentiments of others “

Bingo “ So this is a Fida Hussain case ! “

“ Yes except that in Fida Hussain’s case people drove him out and in Salmans case people don’t want to drive him in ‘

Bingo “ At least Salman will not have to change his nationality “

“ Yes  but why cow down to such intolerant religious fanatics ”

Bingo “ Cow’s do attract a lot of fanatics ..oops have been blasphemous  ! ”

“ Don’t worry ..before a Diktat is issued ..go take a bath in Gomutra !

Bingo “ This is the great Indian Jugaad  ..you can get away with anything …. Brit Salman should have stuck to his country of birth !

“ Go Karting has not helped the men in blue “ “ It was supposed to relax the boys before the BiG day “

Bingo ..” Well Go Karting is an amusement sport and people who love to amuse enjoy the sport “

“ What do you mean ? “

Bingo “ Why only recently fans would complain that ‘ Test’ cricket was on its way out .. it was considered a slow and most boring form of the game .. “ But see how our boys have converted this dull game in to an amusing game and while doing so they have also made sure that you don’t have to waste your time sitting glued to the idiot box for five long days “

“ Probably the pitches were bad .. Ravi said something like that “

Bingo ..” They had the Green Top ..now are these not the Go Green Days ? ! “

“ So our guys are not environment friendly ..and as Jayram Ramesh would agree ..most of the Indians are not !

Bingo ..” Probably the boys got confused about increasing their carbon footprints and ended up conserving  their footprints on the Aussie pitches !

“ Adelaide would be a different story .. ..we will come out strong ..we now have the Nawab leading the pack’

Bingo ..” Yes and you have Saha too .. Dada and Didi both are upbeat !!

Bingo seemed upset ..” Everybody seems to be talking about Keyani ..wow , those yummy Shrewsbury biscuits and mava cakes ! But not this household !!”

“ Now if anybody has been talking about Keyani ..it has to be a Puneite ..they do not have any branches out of Pune ..don’t you know “

Bingo ..‘ Its in the papers all this talk about Keyani ? “

Oh !! its not Keyani its Kayani ..the great Pakistani General who holds the distinction of not taking over power even when the opportunity came knocking , and everybody expected the coup to  happen “

Bingo “ Nothing distinct about him , the Americans don’t like him and dint give him the Nod ..he shielded Osama “

“ May be its Not America anymore , the Pakistani society is changing .. the media is free and independent and the judiciary is active .that’s what is making the difference “

Bingo “ Oh ..those are the tools of democracy ..they cannot fix Pakistan and the Americans would never use them , other then in their own country “

“But then if you don’t like the General , why support the Gilanis and the Zardaris “

Bingo “ Its simple mate .. they both are Mr 10% and the Americans know how to use the greenbacks other than in their own county ! “

Bingo sat forlorn with his face tucked in the far corner  , nor had he barked or wagged his tail since I had entered the room  . His pedigree beef sticks lay untouched in his food bowl which was quite unusual . Concerned I  nudged at his front paws “ what’s the matter mate ? “

Bingo Growled ..” Loyalty is for nothing ..no one cares “

’ Why , What’s wrong ?

Bingo .. ‘ They have an elephant , a lion but never a dog ..as an election symbol ‘  ‘ We represent loyalty , are man’s best friend and yet we cannot be on a ballot paper ‘  This is disgusting , it is humiliating .”

“ You know it Bingo , voters are never loyal and may be that is the reason the political parties avoid dogs “

Bingo ..” But a lumbering elephant ..that represents a slow and sluggish economy”

“ Elephants are revered animals in the south “

Bingo ..” But we are talking here about the North .. what about UP ?”

” Well UP there the mahout called “ Mayawati’ is revered “

Bingo .. “ Always knew you were a Mayawati fan .. ..if she had her way ‘ Mayawati’ would have been an election symbol !

“ Why not , that happens with popular netas and the aam aadmi can quickly identify with that image “

Bingo ..” sycophant that you are ..this country will go to dogs …oops sorry ..go to elephants , with voters like you around “

“ Cheer up ..today may be its the elephants Day but as they say ..’Every dog has his day “

Bingo ..” Oh well , did you see what does this paper say .. Election Commission orders all statues of Mayawati and Elephant to be covered “.. ..My Day has come !

He was located in Chorgao Raddhi , which is a small hamlet about 63 miles away from Ralegoa Siddhi , having a population of 1420 . There are no kids here, all are adults both males and females . This hamlet holds the distinction of having recorded no crimes what so ever ..which being as astounding and unbelievable as it could be , in today’s India, had draw the attention of social scientist from all across the world . Intense research was carried out , studies done and the final conclusion was equally surprising ..every resident of this town was a criminal , and following the unwritten code of criminals all over the world ..they lived with mutual respect .

Lootanna Hazare as he was popularly called had been the acknowledged village Boss , a leadership position , which was earned based on the degree of crimes committed . It was said that there was no crime which had escaped from Lootannas grasp , be it theft , dacoity , bootlegging or just corruption .Twelve years had gone by since Lootanna had adopted Chorgao Raddhi as his home and what a mammoth change he had brought about in this sleepy little hamlet since .In 2000 he had taken shelter here while on the run from law enforcement agencies and soon using his criminal contacts and ruthless ways driven away all those without a criminal background , the exceptions being ,the local sarpanch and the Police Patil .To his horror he had noticed that not a single person drank alcohol which had been banned nor did any one gamble ..he soon got the situation corrected and established multiple gambling dens and illicit liquor parlours .The few families who complained were driven away ensuring that all those who stayed back had a crime to boast of . Very soon the word had spread and application for the residentship of this hamlet came from far and wide .. Delhi having the maximum share followed by UP , Bihar , Chhattisgarh , Maharashtra , Karnataka and so on ..with about 90% of the applicants being sitting MP’s or MLA’s .Admissions were strictly merit based and yes there was no corruption in the process .. more shoddy the record better the chances .As per the latest census carried out the number of residents had swelled and it was reported as the fastest growing hamlets in India .

The people in the village were quite amused when they heard about Ralegao Siddhi and the fame of one of the residents there called ‘Anna’ .They were equally surprised to know of the huge following that this Anna had all across India and particularly amongst the youth in urban India ; the media had claimed this as peoples power ..how naive they thought …when the real power was so well concentrated in this small hamlet of theirs backed by the rule of law that they followed ..and so popularly called ..Parliamentary Democracy !

The Flight attendant draped in a bright red silk saree courteously did the ‘Namaste’ and politely asked the young lady in jeans with the Dolce and Gabbana top ..”If it would be economy or business ? ”

‘ We fly Business ‘ came the curt reply as she brushed aside the attendant and marched to the VIP check in counter followed by her entourage . A attendant in khadi whites scampered from behind with a bunch of passports .

‘Sorry Maam’ the 737 flies this route and we do not have so many seats in the business class and in any case these are upgrades , maam ” said the lady at the counter .

What ! shot back the Dolce and Gabbana and was instantly on the mobile animatedly speaking to some one ….

Within a few minutes there was a scurry of activity and a suited fellow who appeared to be a senior officer of the airlines was at the scene . ” Extremely sorry maam , Sorry for the rude behaviour of these good for nothing girls , please forgive us ”

‘We are changing the air craft , we are getting a 747 ..all the guests shall be accommodated in business .. you are all our VIP’s ”

Avni on the mobile ….’Thank you , Papa ‘ …

and narrating this ..Bingo got up and I could hear him mutter .” .how nice ..AI is truly a family airlines ..so caring ..they really go out of the way to offer service … “

In many an Indian language ‘ Anna’ is the elder brother and so it has been with you, to whom we look up to as an younger brother would . Not that we had not heard of you before Jantar mantar happened .You were a known anti corruption crusader in Maharashtra and one had always heard about your fasts , your protests and your dare devilry as you confronted the powerful ministers and their sycophants . However you never were an house hold name as you are today , nor did we know as much about Ralegaon Siddhi as we know today .
Until Jantar Mantar happened we had heard only of the Arab Spring and had never imagined that we would have an Indian Summer so soon . You stirred the nation from the slumber and you galvanized the youth all across the country in to action . There were mass movements which were spontaneous and which believed in the cause which you were fighting for . It was your integrity that was most appealing ; You selflessness that was most inspiring ..you had no hidden agenda , you were not aspiring for any position of power , you were not into politics and you were Mr. Clean to the core . The nation loved this ..for you were a rare sighting in a land which was inundated with the corrupt and greedy . 2011 was the year when so many scams were unearthed that we hated the system even more , we were sick and tired of all this dirt around and again it was the politician who was at the centre of it all . so most of the anger was directed at the politicians and this was also another reason why your movement was more appealing for there were no political parties involved . The cause was just and your team was able to articulate it well ..we understood the significance of the Lok Pal and although we were not sure about its effectiveness we knew that there had to a body which monitored the politician and the babus and which with out fear or favour would be able to prosecute the corrupt . You made the government wake up when they saw the mass backing that your protest had got and in it they saw the erosion of their vote bank ..this was people power at its democratic best . The initial fumble from the government did help you and your arrest was also helpful in generating a lot of sympathy in your favour .

Initially we followed the movement from the confines of our drawing room as the urban middle class is always known to ; As the vibrant and fiercely competing media brought the images home , we , discussed about it a little with family and friends and then let it pass . But every passing day the movement started gathering more strength and then there were candle marches , there were people who were crowding Jantar mantar and there were the icons such as Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal whom one admired and respected for their integrity and their uprightness . We heard them on TV and we were stirred and we agreed with what they said . And then one evening I heard a few hundred people shouting slogans and marching in front of our society gate . My spontaneous reaction was to join them to show my support to the cause ; the same was the reaction from my teenaged daughter ..she too wanted to join in . Soon we both were part of the marchers shouting slogans and going along were the group went . Some body came and gave us candles and we were proud to hold them and move on . We had never done this before and I do not remember having joined a gathering like this , not even when the emergency was declared and not even when the Jayprakashji’s andolan was launched . You had truly created peoples power !

You had secured a major victory and forced the parliament to debate the bill . It was good going until then ..but then probably you too became a victim of power ..you and your team felt that you were invincible that what ever you said and did would be accepted by the masses who were following you .. was this not dictatorship and dominance ..how was it different from the High Command which you despise so much ? Why were you not open to debate and discussion and instead adopted the path of my way or highway ?

Your first mistake was to take part in the election campaign in Hissar and to canvass against the congress candidate ..that made you political and that was not acceptable to many of us . Your second mistake was that you kept opposing all that the government did or did not do with the Lok pal ; you should have been more reasonable . Yet another was your attack on Sonia and Rahul on a personal level which amounted to taking sides .. by singling them out were you trying to say that the Advanis and Yachuris were right and the problem lay only at the congress’s feet ? Many amongst us did not agree with that as we felt the problem was with the whole political establishment . Finally your team kept talking in different voices and that added to the confusion .

What had appealed to us was to have a voice which was outside of politics , a voice which would debate and discuss policies and put pressure on the law makers to ensure that good governance would prevail . we still need this voice ; We are convinced that democracy is the best thing that has happened to India and we are proud that we have been able to sustain it for the past 60 + years .However now we want to make democracy work for the betterment of the lives of our people . We have seen over the years how democracy has failed to deliver as per our expectations and how a few people have been able to take advantage of the system for their personal gain . We need to correct this situation ; In today’s global scenario the world is looking up to India as one of the potential leaders of tomorrow and as one of the large developed economies in the decades to come . We cannot miss this grand opportunity that has come our way , we should grab it to ensure that our people progress . We are ready to sacrifice our time and put in those extra efforts to bring about this change . As of today we may not be ready to join a political set up but eventually even that will happen ; it will happen once we start having faith in the system , once we know that laws prevail here and that the corrupt and the lawless are punished . Even now nothing has been lost . what needs to be done is to make the movement stronger . organize the groups at the mohalla levels and bring in more transparency on what you do . The initial agenda has to be a movement which brings in peoples participation in the democratic process . At the municipal level , at the state level and at the centre level we need to ensure that peoples voice and aspirations are heard and that the peoples representatives are made accountable .We appeal to you to introspect and to change track a bit ….we need a leader like you as we saw you in the early days of the agitation ..we hope to see that leader soon ..

The Gang of four they met

the Australians would have called them mates

But for them they were pals

And for the public just lok pals !

The netas got the shivers when they heard about the Lok Pals

Sonia gone , chidu thundered ‘ Put them behind bars ‘ ..

The media converged , tihar was lit , annaji toasted primetime

The nation saw the new mahatma emerge

which gave the whole lok pal movement the surge !

The congress catapulted , the netas met

And the sense of the house was set

Manu spearheaded the committee for whom the time was freezed

Winter came and the bill was tabled on which they all laboured

Arun said it was a game , mamta said she did not like the name

They talked , debated and amended and finally dumped the bill in the far away lane !