Kalmadification of Commonman's Wealth

"KALMADIFICATION of Commonman's Wealth" or is it "some people in ruling party converting COMMON WEALTH to INDIVIDUAL WEALTH" -- the first one is from a post in Face Book and the other from seasoned BJP wordsmith M Venkaiah Naidu. These remarks seem sum up what the upcoming Commonwealth Games is all about and nothing about sports at all.

It was incidentally the watermouth Congress nominated Rajya Sabha MP, Manishankar Shankar Aiyer, (India Today called him Mani Shankar IRE) who opened the can, the pandora's box with craftly worded utterings -- that he wants it to rain cats and dogs during the Games here and that he would be unhappy if the sporting extravaganza was successful. He was called anti-national by the Games Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi. (Aiyer retorted, Suresh Kalmadi is Suresh Calamity).

Aiyer's ire is nothing new. He used to speak against the Games and was always against the huge spending saying it is not going to help in the growth of sports in the country. He was particularly angry that the government was not bothered about his pet project of developing sports infrastructure in villages across the country.

Then came the Central Vigilance Commission, the anti-corruption force, smelling rot in the projects, tenders, procurement and what else. Kalmadi hiring treadmill for Rs 9.75 lakh. Yes he is hiring one for this amount when he can buy the best in the world for Rs seven lakh. 

It is not Kalmadi alone who is under the scanner. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Delhi Government and the Union Urban Deveopment Ministry all are responsible for the corruption. 

Leaking stadia, substandard preparations, ongoing work -- a mess. The mess being there, everybody is confident that everything will be in place before the event. Before the event, yes on October two by 5 pm. Thanks to THE GREAT INDIAN JUGAAD.

But the question is should the Games be held here. Why not the Commonwealth Games Federation withdraw the Games? Not because the preparations are bad, leading no where. Because of the corruption.

Is this the way Kalmadi and Co bringing "prestige" to the country by pocketing millions and millions of rupees looted from the pockets of Actors and Accountants, Beggars and Butchers, Clerks and Comedians, Doctors and Domestic helps, Engineers and Enigmatists, Foodies and Fashion designers, Greedy and Gorgeous, Housewives and Honeymooners, Idiots and Idols, Journalists and Jockers, Keralites and Kashmiris, Lawyers and Librarians, Models and Musicians, Nurses and Novuveau Riche, Oracles and Opthalmologists, Pimps and Priests, Quacks and Quizmasters, Rickshaw pullers and Readers, Scientists and Soldiers, Teachers and Traders, Ugly and Utopians, Vegetarians and Vetinerarians, Writers and Wrestlers and all XYZ.

One of my friends, Sreeparna, told me, We are being BLACKMAILED to support the Games. We will be called names -- like anti-national -- if we don't support the Games. In the name of the Games, we are being asked to pay for more and have to pay more. Prices of everything has gone up. Name it, everything has become costlier in Delhi -- bus fare, petrol, daal, water, electricity, tomato, salt, milk...

Anand Haridas, another friend, tweeted: My God, earlier there were anti-nationals speaking only for adivasis and displaced, now they oppose Commonwealth Games! 

August four morning, my senior colleague Deepika told me about a sweeper working in my organisation. He might be earning something around Rs 3,000 per month. Before the bus fares were revised, she used to meet him in the same bus. But from one day, suddenly he disappeared. She used to meet him everyday in office and never found anything strange in not meeting him in bus or bus stop. He might be coming in another bus, his shift might have changed, reasons could be endless. She left it there but only to discover him, one day, cycling to office. Struggling to find some space, his way through the maddening traffic on the Vikas Marg. A long 12 km cycle ride through the rough Delhi streets where no driver care for anyone else (and even sometimes dont care oneself). She just rewinded herself. When did he stopped boarding the bus? Why did he stop travelling in a bus? The bus fares were revised and he had to shell out another extra Rs 300 per month. A Rs 300 extra to get to office, he would say sorry to that luxury. His luxury would mean less daal, less rice to his household.

Yes, he is living in a world class capital, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit will remind him. He has to pay, if he needs a flyover, if he wants to see his city in flying colours.

Kalmadi is looting this Rs 300, Dikshit is snatching this Rs 300, XYZ in the power corridors are fleeing with this Rs 300.

Do we really need the Games here? I would say NO and you can hurl any abuse at me -- traitor, anti-national, ba@#&d. I won't object. 
Shemin/Aug 4