AshwiniB Post

Usually, we think of social media as a forum for exhibitionism. But, inevitably, the extroverted cataloguing of everyday minutiae—meals, workouts, thoughts about politics, books, and music—reaches its own limits; it ends up emphasizing what can’t be shared.
Talking so freely about your life helps you to know the weight of those feelings which are too vague, or too spiritual, to express—left unspoken and unexplored, they throw your own private existence into relief.
“Sharing” is, in fact, the opposite of what we do: we rehearse a limited openness so that we can feel the solidity of our own private selves... Joshua Rothman

http://travel.hindustantimes.com/travel-stories/high-art-in-simple-bastar.php

http://travel.hindustantimes.com/travel-stories/high-art-in-simple-bastar.php

Why I love Mayawati-- V
She’s a Braveheart
The 2012 poll for the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly will be like no other in the state’s history. It has all the potential of throwing up clear winners even as sagacious political pundits are parroting their hung assembly forecast of 2007 poll once again. They say there are no clear winners this time around, and the last election results were a flash in the pan for Suhri Kuwari Behen Mayawati ji. A repeat of the ‘social engineering miracle’ of 2007 is being ruled out by them.
The pundits are engaged in their complex calculations of caste kundlis and the ruling stars that govern them. Most say that the major contenders for power, viz the ruling BSP, the 2007 loser SP and the also-ran Congress have major malefic influences and their political destiny at the hustings is a bit star-crossed. They point out that Chief Minister Mayawati is under siege and, over the last three weeks, has been making desperate attempts to break out by sacking more than a score of her ministers and an equal number of sitting MLAs and other loyalists. Her Brahmin-Dalit formula is off track and she may be hard put to even get 100 of her nominees to win the poll.
The SP is stated to be the front runner in these elections. Mulayam Singh and his son, Akhilesh, have been pulling crowds. However, acrimony within the party over nominations may hurt its chances. The top leadership now counts for only the family members of the Mulayam clan; non family members have been sidelined.
The Congress has dared its political rivals through Rahul Gandhi alone. Rahul G’s hectic tours of east and central UP have pulled crowds but the sentiment is far from enthusiastic. Add to this the lackluster campaign mode of the state leadership with their ongoing bickering and electoral hopes are considerably dampened. A part of the top state leadership is also said to be playing footsie with both the BSP and the SP for their private gain. Given this scenario, the pundits claim, the stars foretell a seat share in double digits only.
Oh yes, I forgot the BJP! But I am not an exception, only the most desperate BJP supporters will remember the party as a poll choice after the Babu Ram Kushwaha episode. Truly, the UP BJP is in tatters and even a Narendra Modi will be hard put to revive it.
But for each of the top three contenders for power, 2012 elections present a historic opportunity. A clear win in UP will be a long term game-changer for them for them both in the state and at the Centre. The stakes are therefore terribly high for each one of them, perhaps the highest ever for any election.
The Samajwadi Party is confident today because it seemingly has its Muslim-Yadav combo back in circulation to a great extent. However, the crowds at the SP rallies are largely a reassertion of the Yadav votebank which felt the pinch during the BSP’s Dalit-Brahmin five- year rule. Historically, the Yadavs have been an aggressive political caste in UP politics, much like the Jats of Haryana, and a resurgence of their vote muscle, with the Muslims pitching in, may well see the SP coming back to power. The win will give Mulayam Singh a lot of elbow room at the Centre and make him a national leader in his own right, minus the crutches of a Amar Singh-like wheeler-dealer.
Mulayam Singh therefore needs to win this fight to ensure survival not only for himself but for his political legacy and dynasty. It’s a must-win situation for him and, as of today, he seems to be playing it right.
Rahul G needs Lucknow for his claim on Delhi. A swing in his electoral fortunes here will make him a natural, no-questions-asked choice for Prime Ministership. He is working hard to collect Dalit, Muslim, OBC votes from the erstwhile banks of the BSP and the SP. However, mere assurance that he will work hard to ensure the state’s betterment will not help. Among the voters, there are no takers for any of the Congress leaders from the state as chief ministerial candidates. They will rather prefer Mayawati or Mulayam Singh. Mr G can thus only hope for a large swing if he takes up the leadership of UP himself.
It is indeed a historic moment for Rahul. He could stare down the barrel and dare the BSP or the SP to pull the trigger. Such a dare can make him a political super hero. But his advisers, and possibly Rahul himself, have so far decided to err on the side of caution. The tagline ‘darr ke aage jeet hai’ has obviously not impressed him. The moment in history is likely to pass him by though there is still time for him to assure the voter of his hands-on approach to UP affairs.
But Mayawati has shown she can dare. Unlike all her political rivals, she has had the guts to throw out even her trusted7 aides and winnable candidates. I don’t remember any other politician who has sacked ministers and members of influential families by bucketfuls on poll eve. Some say its sheer arrogance, others label it political courage.
Whatever you may call her action, the fact remains that Mayawati has strategized differently and gone against the established poll tactics of accommodation and appeasement in the name of scoring at the hustings. Her decisions, I believe, are based on her assessment that her Dalit votebank is secure and she can make it to power once again solely on the basis of their support.
The gamble which Mayawati has undertaken is to move away from the Dalit-Brahmin formula and ensure Dalit supremacy in the ensuing elections. She has also made it abundantly clear that doesn’t care for sub-regional satraps and the elephant can pull the heaviest of loads all alone. It is a huge dare; a make or break situation. Notwithstanding the consequences, Braveheart Mayawati has cast the dice.
Is it the beginning of the endgame game for her? Or will it spell finis for her rivals? Time will tell.
More in my next dispatch.