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Indian Military steals Thunder at French National Day Parade

It was a historic day today as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the guest of  honour on France’s Bastille Day. It was a also a historic feat that the Indian Military Contingent took part in the Bastille Day parade in France on Tuesday, the 14th June 2009. The contingent was led by the Maratha  Light Infantry Regiment

Four hundred personnel were drawn from Army, Navy and the Air Force and  the contingent  led the parade to the sound of Indian military music played by a 90-member band. They marched very elegantly to the song played by the band which was ‘Saare Jahan Se Acchha, Hindustan Hamara’ meaning thereby that India is the best in the world. (more…)

Manmohan Singh has now inducted a total of 78 ministers in his team, 12 days after the election results were announced,  thus the formation of the Central Union Ministry was finally completed. This was an ardous task and by no means an easy task in a country of this magnitude and compl;exities. There is no such comparable  instance in any other part of the world.

The oath taking ceremony of the new ministers was held in India’s Presidential palace called  Rashtrapati Bhawan on Thursday. In  totality there are 33 cabinet ministers, 38 ministers of state (MoS) and seven MoS who are likely to be given independent charge of their respective portfolios.

Numerous factors were  to be taken into consideration in choosing  the cabinet, as well as, ministers of state berths. Frstly  there are 28 states and seven union territories in India. Suitable representation has to be given selectively to all states and the union territories also. Secondly,  the caste and  religion factor  also needed to be taken into consideration. Thirdly the allies of the Ruling Party have also to be satisfied by allotting  berths to them.  This was by no means a task of simple arithmetic. (more…)

In the previous blog we had invited applications for the post of a Prime Minister in India and had also laid down the essential  requirements for the candidates. We did receive a few applications which, after being checked by the screening committee have been brought to the table of the selection committee. Let’s see what happens here.

A three member selection committee was constituted by the Chairman of the bureau. The members of this committee were  all octogenerians and had six decades of political experience. The meeting began. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, three cups of coffee (each) on three occasions and a few cold drinks later, the committee went through the bio-datas of the few applicants to decide the best contender for the post. They discussed about them  at length and this is how the discussion went on  till midnight. (more…)

There are mainly two national parties, too many regional parties, then the third and fourth front I  don’t know of and then recently in the news was the party of the comedians led by Jaspal Bhatti 🙂 . This advertisement is being placed considering the fact that today there are too many aspirants to the post of Prime Minister.

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Applications are invited for the post of a Prime Minister in India, which is one of the largest democracies in the world.

Essential Qualifications: – Candidates should have working knowledge of Hindi and one language of the State in which they reside.  He or she should have  absolutely no knowledge of English language Their children may be studying in English school which is understandable  and this  should not be an embargo to his or her selection to the post. (more…)

The first thing you would want to see in the morning, besides your cup of tea, is the newspaper. The eyes are glued to the gate waiting for the newspaper-wallah to throw the paper and off you go to pick it up. This is a matter of habit which develops by itself over the passage of time provided you have an inkling towards world news, national news sports etc.

I still remember almost four decades ago, I was studying in Std 8th and had to leave home by 7.30 am and at that time my father used to sit in the verandah and read the newspaper. I used to wonder how he manages to hold such a large sized piece of paper comprising sixteen pages. He didn’t even get tired even after holding it for more than an hour. I think I was doing post grad and then I could spare time to read the newspaper. And since then it has become a habit and I am every morning craving for its arrival. I remember a quotation from a learned person who had said that “A man is he who reads the newspaper daily, shaves daily and polishes his shoes daily“. How correctly put. (more…)

I have been viewing the various programs related to the subject of the Indian Elections. Various learned persons have expressed their views on CNN-IBN and Times News TV channels which are thought provoking. And then there are various advertisements asking all eligible voters to cast their vote in exercising their rights to select a viable and stable government. I agree – yes we all must cast our votes but whom to vote for – is a million dollar question. Agreed – that we should not vote for contestants with a criminal background. But still there are so many other factors that are agitating one’s mind.

Gone are the days when the prospective netaji’s used to visit the city, town, street and Nukkad  (Corner) talk to the people and promise roti kapda and makaan (food, clothing and dwelling) – win the elections go to their five star comfort and come back again to the heat and dust after five years to repeat the same set of promises which they had never kept. But now the political scenario has changed considerably and is a different ball game altogether. People are now aware of what they say and what they mean. Mudslinging has become the order of the day – there are accusations and counter accusations. Thanks to the TV Channels we have watched the US elections and the difficulties faced by the two parties and the efforts made by them in wooing the voters. There was no mudslinging. The manifestos, the programs, the policies discussed on the podium were for the benefit for the public at large with a view to achieve economic stability, medical care and food for all. In a successful democracy only a two party rule is plausible – and those mooting for a third front or a fourth front in India are doing it to achieve their  own selfish ends in utter disregard of the good of the country.. This is a situation created only to gain a vantage bargaining position in the post poll scenario. (more…)