Dear Anna,
I am writing this post to make you aware that you are wasting your time and life for the people of this country. Why are you doing this?
A person has to live with bribe in India - from birth till death. We can't simply avoid it. As soon as a child is born, the bribe one has to pay for getting his/her birth certificate is a warm welcome to this country. Not to forget, once someone dies, we have to get the death certificate by paying bribe again. It's from birth till death here. Anna, How can you expect to change this?
We take pride in getting our work done fast by paying some amount to Govt officials and we also tell the world that' "I didn't stand in the line, I got my work done sitting home." We are so proud of this bribe culture, how can you make us change? Don't let us feel ashamed of ourselves by not paying bribes to Govt officials. Anna, Please don't take our pride away.
When a policeman stops an errant driver on the highways or city roads, he is doing good for a family, his family. The policeman takes bribe so that he can take good care of his family at home. What's wrong in that? In fact, what's wrong if that erratn driver kills some innocent people on the road accidently. We should be and are proud of our corrupt police force! Anna, Why you're taking our pride away?
It's with joy that we tell everyone that,"I got my passport in 15 days." Do you know how much effort goes to get it as fast? Do you know the "Joy of Giving"? Every Indian (mind you when I say 'Every') pays some money for the police station's hawaldars to 'Give them Joy' so that they can share your happiness when your police clearance gets through. You can't get your passport without the Joy of Giving! Anna, Why are you taking away our happiness?
To get a Govt contract, we have to make sure that the concerned officers are treated well. What's wrong in that? If someone gives you a gift, won't you accept it happily? Its sheer love and affection. Anna, Why are you taking away our love and affection?
It takes a huge effort to make things like Common Wealth Games happen in a 'Developing Country' like India. Do you know how much money and efforts went into making the game successful in New Delhi? Do you know how many 'extra miles' the officials went to get the games going in such a wonderful manner? You don't Anna! You really don't know anything.
So please stop worrying about us Indians. We are really very happy with our way of life. We are happy giving bribes and it's in our blood. Our generations have lived with this and we can't change for anyone. We're ok if our children or elderly die on roads due to errant drivers who have paid brives to get the driver's license. We're ok if our next generations get filthy roads and infrastructure. We're ok if India gets rotten with the contribution of corrupt Govt officials.
We're Indians! We are proud of the rampant corruption going on in the country. We are happy to talk about corruption in airconditioned rooms, offices and hotels. To be on the roads, someone needs to be a fool like you Anna! A fool who has for, some reason still the love for India alive in him and a fool who cares for a billion people.
An Indian
India's FIRST Supermart on Facebook!
Now Indians can buy fresh fruits and vegetables while they talk to their friends in Facebook. Yes! That's true!!!
These Farm2Kitchen guys have taken the grocery shopping to a next level in India. They have a shopping option on their Facebook Fan Page where the fans can start shopping directly without visiting their site (farm2kitchen.com).
This is indeed a great way of shopping for the people who like to utilize their time more effectively. I mean, just imagine if you can shop for your vegetables and fruits while being logged into Facebook!
All you got to do is be a fan of Farm2Kitchen Facebook Page and visit the link 'SHOP' in the menu to start shopping for your kitchen needs!
Check out their Facebook Fan Page by clicking the below image. You won't be disappointed for sure!
These Farm2Kitchen guys have taken the grocery shopping to a next level in India. They have a shopping option on their Facebook Fan Page where the fans can start shopping directly without visiting their site (farm2kitchen.com).
This is indeed a great way of shopping for the people who like to utilize their time more effectively. I mean, just imagine if you can shop for your vegetables and fruits while being logged into Facebook!
All you got to do is be a fan of Farm2Kitchen Facebook Page and visit the link 'SHOP' in the menu to start shopping for your kitchen needs!
Check out their Facebook Fan Page by clicking the below image. You won't be disappointed for sure!
Now shop for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Online in Gurgaon City
The world is changing with evolution of technology and time is becoming more n more previous for everyone in today's world.
The Indian Women of today are not an exception to this and to help these women, a site called Farm2Kitchen.com is now delivering fresh vegetables and fruits online in Gurgaon City.
The Indian Women of today are not an exception to this and to help these women, a site called Farm2Kitchen.com is now delivering fresh vegetables and fruits online in Gurgaon City.
These guys are having some interesting options to choose for. They have categories like "Automatic Delivery" which allows anyone to shop for his/her frequent needs in the kitchen just once and these guys take care of delivering the same to your doorstep for any number of weeks you want! Now that's real convenience, especially for the busy generation of today who hate to go to shopping malls just to shop for weekly needs of vegetables and fruits in the kitchen.
They also have a category called "Pregnancy Special" and this caters to the pregnant women in the millennium city. We all know that a pregnant woman has special nutrition needs. These guys have made this category nicely so as to take care of all the special needs like folic acid, calcium, proteins etc.; which are essential for a pregnant woman.
They also promise to delivery FRESH produce from local farmers and are assure 100% satisfaction on all their produce available on sale.
This kind of service is a revolution for the busy people in Gurgaon who have to manage their time effectively and looks like this Farm2Kitchen stuff might be helpful to cater to the busy and tech savvy people of Gurgaon City.
What kind of Story do you want? (Indian Journalism - The Real Face)
Earlier today Open Magazine posted audio conversations tapes between Nira Radia (corporate lobbyist ) and Barkha Dutt (NDTV Journalist) on their website. Openmagazine page isn’t accessible due to heavy traffic but somehow DholiBaba managed brief content from their site.
I am not a journalist and neither I have taken the "ठेका" to "सुधार" this country. I have always tried to speak up my mind here (no matter if it matters to anyone) and I stick to that. This is my personal space and only you're responsible for your irresponsible behaviour after reading my posts.
While reading current affairs on the internet today, I came across this 'emerging story' where the top journalists (or powerbrokers?) are trying to 'fix' things for politicians and corporates. It's interesting to read if you wanna know what kind of people are 'Breaking the News' on TV and everywhere else in India.
Disclaimer: Dholibaba does not claim if the tapes/transcripts are genuine or not & neither he is associated with any political party. I got these transcripts from Open Magazine’s website and some search on the internet with the help of available search tools (I am an IT guy after all!).
If you're from Open Magazine and feel that I should get this post removed, I will be more than happy to do that. I respect your copyrights! Just drop me a mail.
If you're Barkha Dutt or anyone from NDTV, I am not responsible for anything you read here. I have just tried to share it with fellow Indians as the Open Magazine servers crashed sometime ago. I have nothing to do with these tapes and the transcripts and am not a forensic expert to tell you that the tapes are genuine!
Background of the story:
As talks between the DMK and Indian National Congress (‘them’) broke down over joining the Government in May 2009, Nira Radia (don't know if she is a Ms or Mrs) was actively involved in opening channels between the two parties through, among others, television journalist Barkha Dutt.
Link for Audio Tapes:
The below conversations (which you can also hear in the above tapes) took place between Nira Radia and Barkha Dutt of NDTV.
Transcripts of the conversations:
DATE 22 May 2009 TIME 09:48:51
RADIA: Hi, did I wake you up?
BARKHA: No, no, no. I’ve been up, ya, most of the night. The stalemate continues, yaa.
RADIA: Yeah. Listen, the thing is that they need to talk to him directly. That is what the problem is.
BARKHA: Haan so, apparently PM’s really pissed off that they went public.
RADIA: But that’s Baalu’s doing, naa… he was not instructed by Karunanidhi to do that.
BARKHA: Oh, he wasn’t?
RADIA: This is not. He was told to come away and tell Congress that.
BARKHA: And he went public
RADIA: Well, the media… media, the media was standing outside.
BARKHA: Oh God. So now what? What should I tell them? Tell me what should I tell them?
RADIA: I’ll tell you what it is—the problem and I have had a long chat with both his wife and with the daughter right
…
BARKHA: Haan, haan.
RADIA: The problem is if the Congress has a problem with Baalu, if they have no problem with anyone. They need and go talk to Karunanidhi. They have very good relationship with Karunanidhi directly.
BARKHA: Correct, haan.
RADIA: Because you see, in front of Baalu, in front of Maran, they can’t talk.
BARKHA: Yeah
RADIA: So they have to tell him directly, there [are] enough Congress leaders in Tamil Nadu. They need to go in and tell him exactly—the biggest problem is that the following of Alagiri is saying that you cannot give [inaudible] a cabinet [inaudible] and keep Alagiri in the MoS state.
BARKHA: That’s right. But will Karuna drop Baalu?
RADIA: He… look, if you tell him that Baalu is the only problem. I would imagine, he will drop him.
BARKHA: But you see the problem right now is also over the choice of portfolios, naa…
RADIA: No. They’ve not said anything. The portfolios have not even got discussed.
BARKHA: Congress claims, for whatever it’s worth, that the DMK wanted surface transport, power, IT, telecom, railways and health.
…
RADIA: You see, you see my honest advice…
BARKHA: Yeah.
RADIA: ..is that you tell them that they need to tell him directly that we are happy because Kani’s [Kanimozhi, DMK Chief Karunanidhi’s daughter] got no issue being about independent. But Alagiri is now telling her that you cannot take an independent charge if Maran remains cabinet minister.
BARKHA: I see.
RADIA: And Congress is sending messages through media and through various sources, saying that. And Maran is telling everyone that he is the only acceptable person.
BARKHA: Person, yeah, yeah, yeah. That I know.
RADIA: But that’s not correct, naa?
BARKHA: No, I know. We’ve taken that off. We’ve taken that off.
…
BARKHA: Also, but, but the Congress needs to tell Karunanidhi that we have not said anything about Maran.
BARKHA: Okay. Let me talk to them again.
RADIA: Yeah? The choice of candidate we will leave to you. We have some reservation about Baalu. And let them tell the reservation. And we have not said anything about Maran. We are not talking
+++
In another telecon, Barkha Dutt offers Niira Radia the assurance that she is on the job as a reliable go-between
“That’s not a problem, I’ll talk to Azad. I’ll talk to Azad right after I get out of RCR” —BARKHA DUTT
DATE 22 May 2009 TIME 10:47:33
BARKHA: Haan, Niira?
RADIA: Barkha, what I’m told is that the Congress yesterday, apparently, God knows who they are talking to in the DMK.
BARKHA: Haan, well must be Maran…
RADIA: Relayed—no, they relayed that the infrastructure portfolio should not be given to Maran or Baalu.
BARKHA: No, that’s because they want to keep it for themselves.
RADIA: No, they wanted to; they didn’t want any infrastructure, that’s what Prime Minister said, so he said that’s why they give him labour, fertiliser, chemical—and telecom, IT, they said for Raja. So what has happened is, is that message not relayed to Karunanidhi?
BARKHA: Oh I see!
RADIA: They might have told some minion down the line or told Maran who is not relaying the truth.
BARKHA: I think they have told Maran.
RADIA: Yeah, now what they need to do is, they need to speak to Kani so she can set up the discussion with her father, because even the Prime Minister’s discussion was … she was the one who’s translating, and it was a very brief discussion for two minutes.
BARKHA: Okay.
RADIA: That we’ll try and work it out, and the let’s not you know take it a hasty easy decision. That’s the type of conversation that happened.
BARKHA: No, I’ll set it up as soon as they get out of RCR.
RADIA: What she saying is that, you know, that someone senior like Ghulam [Nabi Azad, senior Congress leader]—because he is the one who is authorised to speak. ….
BARKHA: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
RADIA: Right? Was to speak to her then she can tell her father that I have got this message from the Congress.
BARKHA: Theek hai, not a problem. That’s not a problem, I’ll talk to Azad—I’ll talk to Azad right after I get out of RCR [Race Course Road, presumably, the PM’s residence].
RADIA: Yeah, and then she said when father lands, I can speak to him.
BARKHA: Okay.
+++
The two conversationalists touch base again
“I’ve had a long chat, I had a long chat, and they promised me that Azad will speak to her” —BARKHA DUTT
DATE 22 May 2009 TIME 15:31:29
RADIA: They will speak to her?
BARKHA: Yeah.
RADIA: Who? Ghulam?
BARKHA: Ghulam. Yeah.
RADIA: You know, the problem is she’s catching a flight at five haan, going back. Dayanidhi Maran is attending the swearing in when only Raja has been authorised to attend, so he’s gone and told his leader that Ahmed Patel has told me especially to attend the swearing in.
BARKHA: Ahmed says this is rubbish …
RADIA: But I am telling you but this. Karunanidhi’s very confused.
BARKHA: No, but why can’t Kani stay also and attend it?
RADIA: She doesn’t want to attend no because her father told her to come back. She has to follow what she’s father says, no. Call Ghulam then.
BARKHA: Let me call him.
RADIA: She’s leaving at five. She’s catching a flight at five.
+++
Niira Radia and Barkha Dutt discuss cabinet composition possibilities—with Raja’s inclusion or non-inclusion the big question
“I am telling you, nahin hai. Trust me. Nahin hai” —NIIRA RADIA
DATE 22 May 2009 TIME time 18:09:06
BARKHA: No, you see Congress’s condition is Baalu should not get surface transport. Not Baalu, DMK should not get surface transport, beyond individuals right?
RADIA: Correct, correct, and they are not individuals. Let me tell you one thing’s for sure, 3 plus 4 was yesterday; because of Maran, they wanted to make it 4 plus 3.
BARKHA: Okay!
RADIA: So, now it is back to 3 plus 4 that was already worked on the table?
BARKHA: No, so why does this formula not sound right then?
RADIA: Because of Alagiri naa, if you make Alagiri… not cabinet. No, he’s not got cabinet.
BARKHA: Oh, Alagiri got what, according to these things?
RADIA: You see, according to her, he’s got Health, but he can’t be cabinet. Either Maran is not cabinet, either Raja is not cabinet or Baalu’s not.
BARKHA: Alagiri’s got Health and that’s a big compromise by Congress because they said we won’t give them Health. So that’s their face saver. No, but Alagiri, Health can be cabinet?
RADIA: Agreed, but then Raja is MoS.
BARKHA: Raja is MoS!
RADIA: Then is Baalu MoS?
BARKHA: Nahin ho sakta. Nahin, nahin, nahin, if Baalu gets the Heavy Industries and Alagiri is in the Fertiliser, according to …. Baalu gets Fertilizer; Alagiri gets this thing, Health.
RADIA: Maran gets Telecom and IT.
BARKHA: Maran gets Telecom and IT. Raja gets demoted.
RADIA: Who gets…?
BARKHA: Raja. Nahin hoga?
RADIA: I am telling you nahin hai (laughing). Trust me, nahin hai.
BARKHA: Achcha, theek hai.
+++
In yet another telecon, Barkha Dutt explains her situation to Niira Radia
“Everybody I know in the Congress was at the swearing-in, so I haven’t been able to speak with the top guys, and now I just finished and I am going to make my set of calls” BARKHA DUTT
DATE 22 May 2009 TIME 19:23:57
BARKHA: You see, what happened was everybody I know in the Congress was at the swearing in, so I haven’t been able to speak with the top guys, and now I just finished and I am going to make my set of calls.
RADIA: Kani just landed in Chennai. Just now. I just spoke…
BARKHA: Where is Daya? Where is Maran?
RADIA: Daya didn’t turn up for the swearing in because he was called back, because he went and told Karunanidhi that I have been asked by Ahmed Patel to come for the swearing in. But the leader said then you join the Congress.
BARKHA: (laughs) So now?
RADIA: So Raja was the only one who’s authorised to attend which he’s done and Raja’s catching the 8:40 flight…
BARKHA: Okay
---------------------------------------------
You can also read about famous journalist Vir Sanghavi's conversation with Nira Radia at the link below (I hope the Open Magazine site is up by this time).
---------------------------------------------
I tried to check the Open Magazine site but I got the below:
My State Dinner - Part II (Grand Finale)
Now that you know what all happened in the first hour of my stay at the Bhavan, it’s time for me to tell you the remaining part. So here it comes – My State Dinner Part II.
Ok for you all who think that the dinner was just to welcome the US President, hold on! There were a few other reasons to celebrate India on that night. The first one was the successful completion of the Common ‘Wealth’ Games and the second one the successful auction of the 2G Spectrum in India! What more can an Indian ask for? Celebrating two of the most successful events in the history of Independent India. There have been a lot of events in the history of India before this but these two stand out as these events are showcasing India’s power (whatever that means) to the whole world.
( DholiBaba seen here with Mr and Mrs. Obama and Mr. Manmohan Singh )
The Great Kalamadi and The King ‘Raja’ were the center of attention at the dinner table. Oh Yes! The dinner table was a huge one – which could easily accommodate at least 300 guets at one go. Later I came to know that the Presidential Palace had ‘purchased’ it at an auction of the ‘remains’ of the ‘Games Village’! The center table was much talked about at the gathering. Everyone was wondering how Kalmadi and his team ‘imported’ the ‘special’ wood which was used to manufacture the table. Everyone rose to the occasion and a toast was the starting point of the dinner. A successful completion of such a big event without a pinch of corruption was a matter of pride for everyone present there. I could see Mr.Kalmadi laughing (all the way to his bank account) & cheering everyone. I never expected but the cheering was carried out by some ‘cheerleaders’ specially imported from the US. Yes! They were from the ‘Washington Redskins Cheerleaders’ group which was hired by Vijay Mallya for his IPL team a couple of years ago. The cheerleaders got the guests ‘going’ and swing to the latest Bollywood numbers.
One favorite song among the guests was, “Munni Badnaam Hui ….”. It was simple for me to understand the reason behind it. Everyone else (except Kalmadi) were replacing ‘Munni’ with ‘Dilli’ while gyrating their pelvis to the item number. The sheer joy and happiness was sponsored by none other than the King of Good Times – Mallya! I can see the pride in his eyes. First cause the same cheerleaders which enhanced his team’s appeal were gracing the occasion and second, the sheer joy of seeing KingFisher rule everywhere.
While all this was happening, I could see Mr and Mrs Obama having a good time together. And yes, Michelle was the tallest (man) at the gathering! She was wearing some handicrafts she had bought in the afternoon from one of the ‘Handicraft Mela’ organized specially for the Obamas. She loved it and her love for her wardrobe was visible in her sparkling eyes. Barack was also chilled out so I thought why not have a word with him. There was my moment in the history (of my life) – me standing next to Mr. President of the United (48) States of America. America – which was ‘discovered’ by a guy called ‘Columbus’ after he missed his bus and took a boat to roam around the world.
As I went to Mr. Obama, he welcomed me with a smile. I didn’t tell him that I have a history (good one - at least I can say that and a few others say so) in IT Industry, else he would have completely ignored me (for reasons well known). I introduced him myself as – “Anand Dholi: Just another Indian who feels proud of the ‘Adarsh’ with which we successfully completed the Common ‘Wealth’ Games.” I was curious to know how a simple (?) man can be the president of America. I was curious to know his vision about ‘World Peace’ (I knew it was not any Miss World/Universe pageant where all the participants are worried about their makeup and ‘World Peace’). So I asked and apt came the reply “Yes! We can!!!”. To which I said in my mind, “कर तो हम भी सकते है!”. When I asked him to explain more about his ‘Can’ word, I guess he was confused with my pronunciation (me being schooled in Marathi medium all my life) and said that ‘Coca-Cola’ was on the right hand side of the dinner table. Without further delay, I said bye to him and moved on.
The surprise of the dinner was Rahul Gandhi sitting next to an old man called L K Advani. I was just wondering what they must be discussing while sitting next to each other. One guess was – How the East meets West? How can they screw up Mayawati’s plan of becoming the next PM of India, considering the old man was never able to fulfill his dream of a lifetime all these 85 years and the younger one hopes to become the PM one day. But I couldn't make any further guesses into their discussion as their age difference was huge!
I could see another old man called Krishna (MEA and not MA as in "Agneepath") making some notes. I think he was preparing himself to talk to the American President about our beloved neighbor. The sheer anger I could see in his eyes was not for the issues with our neighbor but the chicken that had been served to him. I guess he was not happy with the preparation and I saw him calling one of the ‘Chefs’ and explaining how he should make notes before preparing anything. Then there was the King – RAJA! He looked like one. Any ‘G’ (be it ‘Games’ or ‘2G’) is a hot topic at any political gatherings and the sheer joy of being at the center can only be felt by people like Raja. I was very happy to see that Raja was using BSNL movile service. Made me proud cause at least they have one customer who must be happy with the services of BSNL!
Sitting at one of the corners were a lady and a gentleman, named Jaylalitha and Karunanidhi respectively. The lady was wearing one hell of an ensemble and the gentleman was flashing his goggles (you can also Google to find out the man who wears his goggles 24x7) in the dark. I guess Karunanidhi has signed a huge deal as a brand ambassador with Ray-Ban, else he wouldn’t be wearing those 'spectacular' specs all the time – even when he goes to bed! But one thing I didn’t notice was the chair in which the lady was sitting. I realized it a bit later. The chair has some huge wheels so that the guest sitting on it can be moved smoothly from one place to another.
While all this was going on, the guests heard a huge thud – like that of an earthquake. I ran to the nearest pillar hearing the same. After a few moments, we all realized that it was a guy called ‘Gad’kari (‘Gad’ means a ‘Fort’ in Marathi language) who had slipped on the floor. I have seen him slipping his tongue a few times (since he became the president of a party) but this was the first time I saw him slipping literally. The US secret service guys immediately arranged one crane to lift him up from the ground. With that kind of body, one needs a crane to get lifted for sure. The action of the secret service was quick though (I later came to know that the Delhi Police had arrived at the Bhavan next day noon cause some one really panicked after the thud and dialed ‘100’).
With the tuxedos the secret service guys were wearing at the dinner, I could hardly laugh at my ‘Jitendra’ (the Bollywood actor of yester years) getup – a white shirt and a white trouser! But then, I wanted to be just one of ‘them’.
The food was really good and I think (not sure) that the order of the dinner was placed with ‘Karims’ from Chandani Chowk. But one thing got my attention like none other. I saw two women cooking food at one of the corners. They had their ‘choolha’ made up of stoned and wood there. They were preparing some special dish for some special guest. Both the women looked like they were coming from the ‘real’ India, economically weak and deprived. Their clothes were saying that loudly. I was moved. I just went to see what they were cooking and what brought them to this gathering. When I asked them about the special food they were preparing, pat came the reply – “हम राहुलजी के लिए खाना बनावत है. उनको हमरे हाथ का खाना बहुत अच्छा लागत है!” (in Obama’s mother tongue it means, “We are preparing the food for Rahil-ji. He loves food cooked by us.”) I had no words to say & seeing Rahul-ji having food at many places on TV, I just had to move to another corner of the dinning room.
I was really amazed by the experiences that night. I got to see the cream of India - one I had never dreamt of ever seeing at one place. I was hungry so I moved to the table where all the preparations were put together. The man that I am, I was happy with my झूनका भाकर (Zoonka Bhakar – A preparation made up of Besan and Bajara Roti). I didn't try the sweets as the memories of that dinner are the sweetest thing that I will have with me forever!!!
P.S.: There is no 'Part III' of the 'My State Dinner' series as I heard that ‘Rakth Charitra’ has only 2.
My State Dinner - Part I
I generally avoid dinners organized by others because I love to pay for my own dinner. But this was something different. How many times in your life will you be invited to a state dinner by ‘The President of India’?
Well, here I was. I think I was the lucky one chosen from a tough process. The President had ordered inclusion of a few ‘Common Indians’ to the State Dinner she had organized in the honor of the President of USA (अमरीका)– Mr.Barack Obama. The selection process was tough. The Income Tax Dept of India was asked to choose a few people who had struggled to get their IT Refunds back from the Govt. I being harassed by the Dept for 4 yrs suddenly was in the news for I was one of the lucky ones to get selected!
Never in my wildest dreams had I thought that I would go for a state dinner at the “Rashtrapati Bhavan”. It was once in a lifetime opportunity and I never wanted to miss it. It took me a few hours to find a white shirt and a white trouser which I thought of wearing for the dinner. The politicians like to look ‘clean’ with the white colors on and I thought if I wear something else, I would look like the odd one out. I had no other choice but to go for ‘white’. I couldn’t afford to buy a new ‘Ambassador’ car and I drove with my old Honda to the venue.
It was ‘the’ place to be that night. I mean, you guys can’t even imagine. The place, the lights, and the security – everything was like a dream or a Hollywood movie. I was sure, no trespassers would make it to the dinner unlike they do at the ‘Whitehouse’.
I was taken to the ‘Bhavan’ after I somehow managed to park my car. I went alone as I was invited alone. So don’t think that I was with ‘someone’ at the party (sorry ‘Dinner’).
As I walked through the corridor of the Bhavan, I was able to see the pictures of all our ex-Presidents and ex-PMs! What a sight that was. For once I wondered if I was visiting an Old Age Home because all the Presidents looked like they were abandoned by their families in the OLD age and then they came to power (?) as the President of India. Well, the PMs were a good sigh of relief for me. I did see all the PM’s pictures closely and was happy that apart from the gentlemen called ‘Vajpeyi’ and ‘Deve Gowda’, all other PMs were awake while their pictures were taken.
( I clicked this picture with my 'Yashica' camera! )
I was really very happy to be there. I thought I was the luckiest ‘Common’ man to be there. Then there was the moment, I was waiting for - To get introduced to the elite of Indian politics, business and cinema (these cinema buggers always jump in at any event). The person accompanying me took me to the President and proudly introduced me saying, “He wasn’t able to get his IT Refund for 4 years only.” The President smiled back and said, “कमीत-कमी तुला पैसे मिळाले तरी. इथे बर्र्याच लोकांच उभ आयुष्य निघून जात रिफंड ची वाट बघत.” (which in Obama's mothertounge means -"At least you got the money. Most people spend their lifetime waiting for the IT Refund.)
Oh Sorry, I guess you guys know that the President is a Maharashtrian (that doesn’t mean that I was the ‘chosen’ one for the dinner, I qualified cause of my IT Refund criteria only) and hearing my last name (having a look at the proud badge I was wearing – ANAND DHOLI), she could make out that I was either a Maharashtrian or an Alien with that kind of last name!
Oh Sorry, I guess you guys know that the President is a Maharashtrian (that doesn’t mean that I was the ‘chosen’ one for the dinner, I qualified cause of my IT Refund criteria only) and hearing my last name (having a look at the proud badge I was wearing – ANAND DHOLI), she could make out that I was either a Maharashtrian or an Alien with that kind of last name!
I was taken aback by the humble President. I can say that cause I had received the ‘menu’ of the dinner along with my invitation letter and it has ‘Misal Pav’ and ‘Vada Pav’ as the main course! A true Maharashtrian in every sense and a humble Indian! When the whole of Bombay lives on ‘Vada Pav’, how can the President ignore it? The ‘Vada Pav’ was from ‘Krishna Vada Pav Center’ at Dadar (West). The packing of the Vada Pav was clearly saying it.
Oh sorry, how can I move to food topic so early in my visit? Ok. Where was I? Yeah! The introduction of mine lasted for a few minutes. I almost met all of the guests. This was on my agenda so that when I go back home, I could tell all my relatives, friends, family members that I had met the who’s who of India! While being introduced to the President of USA, the guy accompanying me said, “He is Anand Dholi and he doesn’t own a flat in Adarsh Society.” The President smiled. I felt a little awkward by this cause everyone standing tall in that hall had a stake in Adarsh Society. What a shame for me! I couldn’t manage a simple flat in this esteemed society and have wasted my life renting a house all my life. I really felt like leaving the party cause I was not in the other people’s league but I couldn't, cause this was once in a lifetime opportunity for me. How could I let you all be deprived of what all I saw that night there? So I decided to stay. Just for you! My blog readers!
(Obama seen here with the 'Chefs' who had prepared the dinner that night - clicked with my 'Yashica' camera)
Ok. Now its time for me to stop and would request you to come back here in some days time. Don’t miss the second part of the series. What all I have written above is just the first 1 hour of my stay at the ‘Rashtrapati Bhavan’! I stayed there for nearly 3 hours and 55 minutes. So if you want to know what all happened later on, do come back here. Good option is to check this site every day!
If ‘Rakht Charitra’ can have a ‘Rakht Charitra-2’ (releasing on December 3rd 2010), why can’t my blog have a post as Part 1 and 2?
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