Small town blues

These days I seem to have found a new topic of conversation with my friends who live in other cities - The variety of organized retail. This isn't as deep or serious as it sounds actually, but only comparing the number and names of the various malls and other such retail and entertainment places.

Its not a comparison really, because Dehradun city is still far behind other regional capitals when it comes to attracting the big names in malls. My former hometown, Lucknow, has witnessed a boom of sorts too. Despite it being Ulta Pradesh and all that, I must say that 2 decades ago, the planners of the city had the vision to carve out a new, satellite town that will take the pressure of the main town. Gomtinagar is built across the river Gomti, and this is where all the action is taking place.

Its kind of sad that I am judging my city's progress with the advent of organized retail, but to tell you the truth, there's nothing else really. And from my cursory look, organized retail is good for the country! A lot has been said against opening up of the Reliance Fresh stores in UP, MP and Uttarakhand, but I don't think simple protests, even if they are extremely violent, have enough in them to stop its coming. For one, I feel that there's a lot more good in organized retail than without. I was talking to somebody about the Reliance Fresh store, and their one store employs around 50 people.

I saw that hypocrite Uma Bharati once on tv saying that organized retail in fruits and vegetables will kill the 3 crore vendors and hawkers. I knew it was bullshit then, and I know it is bullshit now. I think one point was the who will buy from the mandi's, when people will buy from stores such as Subhiksha and Reliance Fresh because they have their own logistics and warehousing, and I realized there is still a huge market that will probably continue to buy from Mandi's, and in bulk - the hospitality industry. There are thousands of small restaurants and eateries in all our big cities, and I am sure they will continue to look at mandi's and other traditional places for their raw materials. In addition, we need to look at the profile of the people who will shop at Reliance Fresh. Most of them will probably be the upscale, higher and middle income families without any concern for savings. The lower income classes will probably never shop at a Reliance Fresh.

In addition, the biggest advantage that will take place behind the scenes is the strengthening of the logistics involved in the food sector. India wastes more fruits and vegetables than that are consumed by the UK in an entire year. This unacceptable levels of wastage is prevalent in our food grain procurement and storage as well. We read of bumper crops, yet we are importing wheat! Of course, most of India's malaise is from the corrupt and unaccountable running of India's subsidy schemes and the inglorious Food Corporation of India, but thats another story.

Thus organized retail isn't that bad. It creates upward mobility for our youth because it brings training and best practices into the country, and its great for the consumer, but of course, in India, every good thing has to wait for the opposition to subside first.

even we don't trust ourselves now

The latest cosmetic rage in India is bleaching creams for men. Plenty of brands spend a lot of money to convince you that if you are dark, you will not be attractive. One company has roped in Shahrukh Khan to peddle it's whitening cream. You can see one sad boy stealing his sister's bleach, and then Shahrukh Khan tells him that why use womens bleach when you have your own. And lo, the dude, with obvious dark stuff painted on him, suddenly turns into a white, 'handsome' man with his chick by his side.

The love for all things western can be seen in the fairness cream ads as well. One cream claims it is better because it has "American lipids." Last I checked, there was no compound called American lipids, and if they mean that the lipids are made in America, I doubt that claim as well, because I am sure most of the lipids that are in America are probably made in a third world country.

Then there is another ad which says it's product is certified by the "American Testing Center." I am on the internet, and I just googled for it, and there is no such American Testing Center. I wonder which America they went to.

The point is that in order to sell wares, Indian FMCG companies are getting shallower by the day. There is an extremely shallow ad in which one man is talking loudly in his cubicle about his branded clothes and shoes in a funny accent. One young lady, very impressed by his brands, looks at him but then turns away in disdain because the glasses he is wearing aren't branded. The tag line is "If you don't have a brand, you have nothing."

I thought this was shallow, till I saw this ad for a fairness cream in which they paint a Caucasian (white) man dark and then he puts on this cream to be white again and of course, he gets his girl who had rejected him earlier for being too dark.

This leads me to believe that materialism seems to be driving out morals from our society. Today's kids know more about brands and Bollywood than anything else. We truly seem to going to the American way, at least our cities - greater affluence but more dumbed down youth. sad, just sad.

must be tough being Congress

I feel sorry for the Congress. Lack of spine does force one to do all sorts of lowly acts, and be cowered down by all sorts of people.

I mean, how does one explain its emotionally tough decision to ask its ministers to stay away from the Dalai Lama? Daddy China must not be vexed. I've talked about this already, but thats not the only hot potato which poor Congress is forced to hold in its hand.

Taslima Nasreen is a brave woman. She speaks her mind, and is thus a constant thorn in the flesh of the thousands of "defenders of Islam" roaming in the streets today. You can recognize them by their resistance to progressive thought, and utter refusal to allow the other person any freedom of speech. Anyways, these people, for some reason, form an important vote group for the Congress, which still tomtoms itself as the 'secular' party of the nation. So now the directive from this secular party is to stay away from all things Tasleema. She was forced out of Kolkata because the fundoos there wouldn't let her rest, and then she was moved to Jaipur, and the fundoos surfaced there, and now she is in New Delhi. All this while, the center has been quiet on the issue. The only positive fact being that she has been provided top security.

India is really unfortunate to be served this double whammy - an opportunist party partnering with a party thats so blatantly anti-Indian that it hurts. I do hope that people of India realize the mistake they have made by letting the commies into the national mainstream. This party ideally needs to be eradicated, because they are the epitomes of the Animal Farm. Any goodnesses that socialism has, these people have forgotten it and are now simply one giant sty of pigs. I do hope the people cross their ears and say "Never Again!"

Happy Diwali!

Heres wishing everyone a very prosperous and joyous Diwali. I hope the Gods are kind on our nation, and even kinder on our politicians and other people who matter, and impart some sense, some humility, and some character.

And I want to wish our soldiers a very, very Happy Diwali, whichever part of the country they are serving. May the Gods bless you and your families. Jai Hind.

so what really is Congress's stand?

I've always found the Congress to be a gutless party. More than anything, its probably because they're the one party who would seem to go to any lengths to form a government - in whichever part of the country.

Add the fact that they represent the new age feudal system with their excessive exploitation of the Gandhi brand, I hate them even more. So the 'nukular' deal with the US is cooling its heels right now, and the Left, ever the great anti-national they were, is busy tomtomming its moral stance over the issue. Like I said, being the gutless party that they are, the Congress seems to have toned down its excitement and its eagerness to see that the nuke deal is passed. Now it seems to be busy prostrating in front of China.

Recently, the US presented the Dalai Lama with the US Congressional medal, a really high level civilian medal. Other western nations followed with their adulations, and China has been whining since then about how it will affect their relations. The Chinese puppies in India have been crying with their masters, and that has now rubbed off on the spineless Congress. They have instructed all their ministers to not partake in any of these felicitations honoring the Dalai Lama because Master China must not be antagonized.

Ha ha, the Congress just loves playing games. I know the NDA is probably just as bad, but at least they had the balls to not be browbeaten when it came to India's security - by being openly friendly with Israel and calling China for what it is - India's number one enemy.

We all know who these Chinese Puppets in India owe their allegience to, but at least they make no bones about, but what most of the people in this country need to realize is that a government that changes colors simply to prolong its hold on power is much, much more dangerous for the nation.