Obama Chale St. Xaviers!

For the most part, I'm not too concerned about American politics. I find it a tad bit boring if anything. Politics ho toh India jaisa; mazedaar! But when "The" President of the United States of America visits the motherland, then you know I'm on it covering every moment, every comment, every step. And amidst the fancy dinners with the best of India ala Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Aamir Khan and Manmohan Singh, the rock stars of entire trip had to be the student of St. Xavier College, Mumbai. In what is easily the most democratic events in India and mind you has never been organized in the history of Indian politics, was an open "town hall" debate where the students had the unique chance of asking Obama questions during a question answer session. The students were treated to a quick intro by Michelle Obama who encouraged the students to ask her husband, some toughies in the form of questions.

While I'm not an avid Obama fan, he did make some valid and other controversial remarks which had me both smiling and then debating. His opening speech highlighted some interesting areas which most students would be able to connect and resonate with. The rhetorical questions geared toward generating more verve in India today really had me going. Obama asked the 300 odd students,"What do you want India to look like in 20 years?" And then he quickly informed them that ultimately this was a question they needed to answer themselves. Despite the terrorism and poverty in the country, Obama recognized the country had progressed and how.

A friend of mine made a valid point. "Obama will go away from India a happy man believing the country is one of the most hospitable. And India played fab host to the President. They ensured his security and made sure their was no reason to complain during his time in India. Now if the government could do the same for its citizens," she said. Baat mein dum hai bhai.

Getting back to his question-answer session with the Xavier students, only five lucky ones were allowed this chance courtesy of the short time. However, those five managed to ask some of the most rock star questions ever. They quizzed him on his opinion of Jihadi's, how to encourage brotherhood in the country, his admiration for Gandhi, his real understanding of his favorite word "Change" and what was really going on on the Afghanistan front. But it was a young girl in glasses who was given the microphone and asked the ultimate question, "Why is Pakistan so important an ally to America that so far America has never called it a terrorist state?" Silence. And then a stuttering Obama answered something that is considered a answer but really just deviated from the question if you ask me. He went on to make a point that I completely and utterly disagree with. "May be surprising to some of you, but I think India has the biggest stake in the success of Pakistan. If Pakistan is unstable, that's bad for India. If it's good and prosperous, that's good," he said. And almost immediately, I found myself in a debate with my father over this. Economy-wise India does not rely on Pakistan. However, in order to keep the peace with a neighboring country that is as volatile as Pakistan and whose government is so unstable. So I guess in that aspect, yes, it is important for Pakistan to be successful. However, how it benefits India ultimately is simply on a safety level.

And with that, the town hall debate came to an end. Ultimately, it wasn't Obama who came out looking like a rock star but the students who shed all inhibitions and asked away. Great to see such honesty and zeal. Now if only our own politicians would come out and talk to the youth like Obama really encouraging true democracy in the country. Until then, power to the students of Xavier; you have officially been bestowed with rock star status...from me anyway!

Saturday Night Blogging Fever!

I'm home on a Saturday night and "all I wanna do is have some fun." Ultimately, that means, blogging. But when I got down to thinking about what I wanted to write about, I found myself debating between two issues that were disturbing me. And then I thought, great! I'll just do a blog post about both. Woohoo! Okay, so issue #1: Obama in India. Now obviously, the entire country is split between sheer joy and plain disinterest in the arrival of President Obama, but ultimately it is Colaba residents who are most disturbed. The President will be staying at the prestigious Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai and during his stay, residents of the area have been given guidelines to adhere to which included the prevention of lighting fireworks during the last two days of Diwali. And that isn't even the beginning. Closeby stores and restaurants have told to shut down while locals have had to stop their entire lives for the President. Colaba, I've been told, has never been so quiet or dead. Amidst the disruption in routine, the city's security has beefed up. In fact, security is so tight in the city, that locals claim the city has never been this safe...ever. So ultimately, this is what it takes: a foreign dignitary. The mere entrance of the American President on Indian soil puts the country on high alert. However, for their residents and citizens, this would never happen. The government would never go through such extremes to ensure the safety of their own residents and yet a gair (foreign) man comes in and badda-bing, the country becomes a safety shaft. And this from the country who couldn't protect its country from some "amateur" terrorists in 2008's 26/11 catastrophe. Its just plain sad, I tell you. For those people to whom Obama and Indian politics is hardly a priority, this becomes a huge problem. These people want to be able to get to work, get home and make a living. Forget office personnel's. Obama's visit will obstruct the lives of hawkers, beggars and even the thousands of pigeons that loiter around The Gateway of India waiting for people to feed them. This is plain unconstitutional and idiotic. Irrespective of whether or not a big politician comes to the city, realize that the aam aadmi (common man) are as important. Obama better make some huge promises and live up to them, especially after all the inconvenience he has managed to cause. 

Okay issue #2. A few days ago, a friend of mine and I had a discussion about a person we both love immensely: Shilpa Shetty. We actually only became fans of the actress post her stint in the Big Brother house. Her nonstop rebuttals, one liners and basic attitude really allowed her to attain a rock star status and we couldn't help but gush over her. But the question we both debated was simple: was the so-called Racism Row, her claim to fame? She actually reiterated those very words, "Claim to Fame" on the show to villain Jade Goodie. After their standoff, it was the prior who received more praise for her dignified stand on the issue. Jade of course, looked like a complete idiot. BUT who came out on top? Shilpa for sure. She claimed the maximum amount of fame possible. This is not to say that Jade's actions and comments towards her were ever acceptable. Never. In fact, Jade clearly was delusional about the consequences. However, despite her "dignified" posture on the situation, and her statement saying she didn't believe the issue was racist, it clearly was, and she eventually gained exposure, fame and won the show. Smart woman, I must say.