The Best 5 Prime Ministers of India

Atal Bihari Vajpayee

1. Foreign Policy: Vajpayee's foreign policy successes are many. He led India to a victory over Pakistan in 1999 in Kargil and more importantly, he US began to recognize India's position against Pakistan. Relations with China also normalised.
2. Economy: The economy stabilised by the time he took over in 1999 and started an unbelievable growth trajectory. He firmly supported disinvestment, but not blind privatisation. As Manmohan Singh said at a recent rally, the economy grew at 5.6% during the Vajpayee tenure, indeed a very impressive growth rate.
3. Home Affairs: This is where the Vajpayee Government had its failures. It failed to check the VHP's protests in 2002 in order to celebrate the demolition of the Babri Masjid. He also failed to take any concrete action against Narendra Modi's Government. You may argue that he upheld democracy by allowing the people to judge - and it thus remains debatable wher you can blame him.
4. Biggest Embarassment: The Tehelka scandal rocked his ministry and the Coffin scandal involving George Fernandes portrayed his ministry as quite corrupt.
5. Biggest Advantage: He's a 10 time Lok Sabha member and has won the "Best Parliamentarian" award. I am pleased to put a distinguished parliamentarian on top of this list.

Jawaharlal Nehru

1. Foreign Policy:Jawaharlal Nehru's foreign policy was flawed beyond repair. His Non-Aligned Movement and more importantly, his blind trust of China exploded in his later years. Problems that he created (like Kashmir) haunt India till this day.
2. Economy: The Indian economy under Nehru was rebuilding itself. The foundations laid by Nehru were strong enough to sustain India through a lot of dangerous periods. Food security also improved vastly and industrial growth also remained consistent.
3. Home Affairs: Democracy took deep roots under Nehru. All institution of independent and democratic India (the courts, the army, the police) were set up and remain strong till this day. If India has survived till this day, a lot of credit goes to Nehru for letting democracy take off in India.
4. Biggest Embarassment: The defeat to China will remain forever to portray Nehru's later years as weak and incompetent.
5. Biggest Success: DEMOCRACY !!

Manmohan Singh

1. Foreign Policy: His single biggest foreign policy success remains the Indo-US Nuclear Deal.
2. Economy: The biggest challenge for the Indian economy ever took place in his tenure. The economy still maintained a 6-7% growth rate and never went into recession. Two stimuli packages were announced and a slew of other measures taken. Though the Left clipped his wings, he still managed to bring stability to the economy.
3. Home Affairs: Terrorism marked his tenure. The rapidity of attacks increased. Thrice in Delhi, twice in Mumbai - and the Government failed to take any measures. It reached a peak in 2008, only after which the Government removed the Home Minister. It is noticeable that since P Chidambaram took over, only 1 terrorist attack took place.
4. Biggest Embarassment: The presence of inefficient and often corrupt ministers like Shibu Soren in his cabinet and the ruckus created during the trust vote marred his credentials.
5. Biggest Advantage: A clean image remains his USP. He's slowly being recognized as a man of clean politics.

Indira Gandhi

1. Foreign Policy:Indira Gandhi scores highest on foreign policy. She led India to a victory over Pakistan in 1971 and captured 1 lakh Prisoners of War. She presided over India's first nuclear explosion and stood tall before Nixon. She withstood US ire and still managed to reinstill the sense of national pride. It should be noted that Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the one who called her "Durga" after the Bangladesh liberation.
2. Economy: The economy was a problem during most of Indira Gandhi's tenure. She began with a huge economic crisis and the country went through cycles of deflation and inflation. However, the green revolution that she presided over has ensured India's food security till date.
3. Home Affairs: Indira Gandhi could have been on top of the list just that I am not comfortable with the idea of putting on top a person who didn't believe full-heartedly in democracy. A Prime Minister has got to respect democracy. But declaring Emergency and by turning the Congress into a sycophants' club, Indira Gandhi left a very bad legacy for democracy in India.
4. Biggest Embarassment: The emergency will continue to define her. All those who say she's the best Prime Minister India had should remember that had the Army not refused to be part of her scheme, our democracy might have been endangered.
5. Biggest Advantage: She seems to have been destiny's child. Despite the emergency, she remained so popular with the masses.

V P Singh

1. Foreign Policy:He really didn't have much time to formulate a definite foreign policy
2. Economy: The economy was heading towards dire straits, but you can't blame VP Singh for it. It was rather the policies followed since the 1970s that resulted in the problem.
3. Home Affairs: VP Singh was a man against corruption. He was removed from the Congress for unearthing corruption in the Government and led to the defeat of Rajiv Gandhi in 1989. However, the Mandal politics unearthed by him haunts India till this date. He is the grand daddy of vote bank politics.
4. Biggest Embarassment: The Mandal report was tabled in his tenure. Whether it was due to demanding allies or to polarise votes only VP Singh knows.
5. Biggest Advantage:He was seen as a man against corruption

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For a more recent list (Aug '13), click here.

Rejected, Dejected

While I was in the midst of preparing my foreign application package, I always thought of Columbia and Stanford as the ones I really wanted to go to. Not that I didn't want to go to Harvard, Yale or Princeton, but I didn't think that I stood a chance. All this while, I thought of Northwestern and University of Chicago as back-ups.

But these back-ups exploded in my face. I was rejected at both Northwestern and U Chic. I really didn't have any idea why. All the way, I thought that if they had to select an Indian, that could be me. But I wasn't selected.

More than the dejection of being rejected, I am scared about the other three. By the 1st of April (coincidentally, April Fools' Day), I shall really know if I'm going abroad or not. I really wanted to. But I have had a good Boards Examination.

If this fails, I will apply to LSE for my masters. If I don't apply with financial aid, I guess I should go through. And then I will look back and maybe have a good little laugh about this.

My New Blog: Obsessive Compulsive Quizzing

I have started another blog on quizzing. Since practically no one reads this blog o' mine, I don't expect many to read the other either. However, you must realise that I write these blogs as future investments. Just incase I become famous some day (say, a Booker or a Nobel prize), people would want to know me. And what better way to know me than my blogs, eh?

But I did put in quite a little research into my new quiz blog:

www.ocquizzing.blogspot.com

I plan to put up the answers to each of the quizzes with the next quiz that I post (which should be one week afterwards). These quizzes will be in sets of 10 on some topic (beauty pageants to begin with). Maybe someday, I could compile all of them together and publish a quiz book. Now, that would be fun.

After the Boards

For a non-engineering, non-commerce, non-medical Grade 12 student like me, the Boards is the highlight of my academic life. 

While a lot of people have a lot of complaints against the boards, I don't really believed that the Indian Educational System is flawed. It is all a matter of perspective. Nothing ever stopped me from doing what I wanted to do. Nobody and nothing stopped me from preparing for Columban Open for 6 months (despite knowing that quizzing cannot come overnight) and only 2 months for the Boards. Its often the student, and nobody else, who is to blame.

I enjoyed the pressure of the Boards. I enjoyed each moment of just trying to do everything in the NCERT. It was fun. You read it once, twice, thrice ... and you still come across facts that you overlooked. You have to be at your best. You can't go on for 4-5 hours with the same book - you just stop absorbing things then.

But now I am free. Free as a bird. And what do I plan for the next three months? Hmmm... I await my foreign admission decisions. And I really, desperately seek to complete my novel. That one is almost on top of my priority list.

Reviewing the Academy Awards 2009

While the entire national media goes overboard celebrating Slumdog Millionaire's success at the Academy Awards this year, one must maintain objectivity while reviewing its success. Let our right judgement not be swayed by feelings of attachment to Slumdog. 

The Academy Awards are a celebration of excellence in cinema, not like our own domestic award shows that celebrate excellence in public relations.

1. The 5 films nominated for the Best Film this year and even last year were by no means big earners. This year, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with about $130 million at the US Box Office was the largest hit. The Dark Knight with about $540 million at the US Box Office was not a nominee.
2. In India, will any award ceremony not nominate Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi? Of course not! Its a Yash Raj, they can't ignore it. Yet, RNBDJ deserves only acting and music nominations.
3. A couple of years back, the best actor (male and female) went to Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai (now Rai Bachchan) for Dhoom 2. I mean, Dhoom 2 was a decent commercial entertainer, but were the performances worth awards? No.
4. Compare this to the Academy Awards, which are quite immune to public opinion. Brad Pitt has never won an Oscar despite acting in very intense roles, simply because someone was better. This year, it was Sean Penn.
5. The Academy Awards did have performances, but these performances were timed so well that one wouldn't really get bored. In Indian Awards, you have one performance after another. Why?

This is why I really look down upon our own award ceremonies. They are base, predictable, boring, and in very polite words - absolute trash.

And for this precise reason, Indian Awards will never have the same kind of reputation as do, say, the Oscars or Golden Globes or the Venice Film Festival. I mean, how many people know the actor who has won the maximum number of filmfare Best Actor awards? (p.s. it's Dilip Kumar with 8, I think)

Anyway, here I review this year's Oscar winners. Of course, I haven't seen a lot of the movies from the US and UK this year, and so my judgement rests more on personal likings or the lack of it:

1. Best Actor: This was, according to me, a big upset. I was rooting for Mickey Rourke. Firstly, his movie was about Wrestling (but that didn't make much of a difference to be). More importantly, it would have capped off a very remarkable comeback by Rourke. And his eccentric fashion sense was pleasing to the eye. Yet, Sean Penn comes across as a wonderful actor and a wonderful person too. As someone on NDTV once said "Mickey Rourke should win, but Sean Penn will win."

My Pick : Mickey Rourke 

Eventual Winner: Sean Penn

2. Best Actress: After five nominations, it was almost impossible for Kate Winslet not to win. From her very moving portrayal of Rose in Titanic to her criticism of anorexic models, Kate Winslet has been a very dignified actress. She's not called the best actress of her generation for nothing. And look at her humility. She had nothing but respect for Meryl Streep and acknowledged her fellow nominees as well. She's deserved tyhis for a long time and thankfully, it finally did happen. She's of Meryl Streep's calibre, I feel. For being a wonderful combination of acting prowess and grace, Kate Winslet it this year's Oscar winner. Truly, a masterful act.

My Pick: Kate Winslet

Eventual Winner: Kate Winslet

3. Best Film: I was very divided on this. I have seen Slumdog and generally liked the movie, but because of the acting rather than the script, dialogues or the direction. Yet, as a complete movie, Slumdog perhaps works for me, and it certainly did work for those at the Academy. The Reader was the movie that I thought could thwart Slumdog's chances, but it did not (thankfully).

My Pick: Slumdog Millionaire

Eventual Winner: Slumdog Millionaire

The Pro Wrestling Addict : Top 10 Wresters of the Modern Era

Maybe none of those who currently read my blog are fans of professional wrestling. But I've been thinking a long time about making a 'Top 10 List'. I thought of  Top 10 movies of 2008, but I haven't even watched many movies like Ghajini and really couldn't comment on that.

So, here it is. My list of the Top 10 Greatest Wrestlers of all times. What is the basis of this list? The single most important factor was influence on the game. I'll enumerate my other criteria for the list:

(1) Longevity

(2) Wrestling Skills

(3) Audience Response

#1: Shawn Michaels

If WWE is your temple, Shawn Michaels is definitely your God. He worked his way up the WWE ladder since debuting in the late 1980s and his DX ushered in the WWE's Attitude Era. His mat skills are unbelievable and his mike skills legendary. 

You can just wonder at his influence. Triple H and Chyna are just some of the people he got to the WWE. He also participated in the first Ladder Match and won the first elimination chamber and the first Hell in a Cell. If you love to hate Vince McMahon, thank HBK for that. He has been involved in by far the most intense rivalry sports entertainment has even seen with Bret Hart. If he calls himself the "show stopper" its not for nothing. He's the only wrestler to have posed for Playgirl.  Long after he's gone and till the day WWE continues, Shawn Michaels will continue to be on top of my list.

#2: Hulk Hogan

I've always thought of Hulk Hogan as overrated. His wretling skills would be among the worst in this list. But he scores on longevity and audience connect. He's the only symbol of professional wrestling in the US. He's the American Hero. And he's a sort of legend. As a ch

ild, I didn't know who exactly Hulk Hogan was, but I knew he was some kind of super-hero.

He's a 12-time champion. His championship reign was the second-longest in WWE history. He slammed Andre the Giant in what will be the best match of the 1980s. After he left WWE (then WWF), Hulk Hogan has been a less of a star. I wasn't really impressed with the NWO thing. But you got to hand it over to him to be equally successful in WWE and WCW. I guess he's just a bigger brand than what either ever was. So, for being the most famous wrestler and the most dominant WWE champion, Hulkamania is on this list too.

#3: The Undertaker

Undoubtedly the greatest gimmick of all time, the cultural influence of the Undertaker would rank next only to Hulk Hogan. Even before I got hooked to pro wrestling, the Undertaker was one of the only three wrestlers I knew, apart from Hogan and Michaels.

The guy's storyline has been developed really well by the WWE creative team. Almost all of WWE's speciality matches - hell in a cell, inferno, casket and the unforgettable buried alive - trace their roots to the Undertaker. He's been such a star attraction that he's never wrestled in the midcard (he has never even held a mid-level championship).

Mark Callaway's contribution to the Undertaker's character is no less. He's had the persona to carry off the larger-than-life wrestler and still make it believable. Even in wrestling skills, the Undertaker scores heavily with as many as four main finishers at last count. If there was ever a perfect wrestler, it is the Undertaker. (p.s. my blog's name, Funeral Parlor, was the Undertaker's chat show early on in WWE)

#4: 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin

He's the man who almost single-handedly saved WWE in the late 1990s. With Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart gone and Triple H and the Rock still to come to the top-card, Steve Austin ate lustfully into the 'big boss' Vince McMahon to carve an indellible legacy for wrestling fans to forever remember.

He might not be known as much for his mat skills, but they were undoubtedly the best among the WWE wrestlers of the late 1990s. What I remember best about him was his legendary rivalry with the Undertaker. WWE kind of lost the script post-2000. But for all hell that Steve Austin raised with the Rock, Bret Hart, Undertaker and Kane, he's right up here in the list.

#5: Bret 'The Hitman' Hart

He's arguably the most gifted wrestler of all times. He headlined WWE at a time when the company was going through turmoil and he left the company in times of turmoil. Had Goldberg not kicked him into retirement, we would all have been hoping for an encore from the 'best there was, the best there is and the best there will ever be'.

For me, his career's biggest highlight will be that such was his start power and so solid was his reputation that WCW made Goldberg lost thrice to him, out of the six matches that Goldberg ever lost in WCW. I haven't ever since the guy wrestler, but his records, his conduct and his legacy are so imprinted on any pro wrestling fan's mind that its hard to forget the contribution fo the Hitman.

#6: Mick Foley/Mankind/Cactus Jack/Dude Love

He's the hardcore legend and easily the most lovable wretler of all times. He's torn an ear while caught in the ropes, got teeth knocked out, fallen over 16 feet from over the cell. If you are talking about "shocking", here is your man.

So brutal was his career and so violent his matches that he retired in 2000. He's made Extreme wrestling enormously popular in the sport. He is almost a terrible athlete, but that is not what he was meant to be, anyway. His matches with Vader were so violent that they were never booked in a match again. Today's wrestling owes almost everything to Mick Foley. 

You can't think of today's wrestling without hardcore. And when you think of hardcore, you can't miss Mick Foley. And that is why he makes it here in the list.

#7: Ric Flair

Professional wrestling is going global and that is the reason why Ric Flair is not on top of the list. True, he's a superb athlete and perhaps the best heel of all times, but his influence has been limited to America. He's not the most easily recognisable superstars abroad.

But he's a 16-time champion, a Royal Rumble winner and won his first Intercontinental Championship almost 20 years after his prime. You have to respect the man for wrestling at the age that he did. You also got to put him in your all-time best list for inspiring a generation of would-be wrestlers.

In stature, he's next only to the Hulkster. And in influence, maybe next to none. He'll forever be the greatest wretler that the US ever saw. Wrestling will forever be synonymous with Ric Flair in America. Woooo....

#8: John Cena

You can love him, you can hate him (I don't like him either), but you just cannot ignore him. Most of you would say that I've contradicted my own criterion of 'longevity' to rank John Cena, but had it not been for longevity, he might have been higher than at No.8.

He's achieved so much in such a short time. He's the longest reigning WWE Champion since Diesel in the mid-1990s. He's been the biggest star of WWE for almost three years now. Its so hard to see John Cena without the WWE championship around his waist.

He's also enormously talented. He's powerful. He's a mix between Hogan and Michaels and that's why I'm sure that by the time he retires, Cena would be in my Top 3. The question is - who'll be out?

#9: Chyna

I expect almosteveryone to disagree on this name on my list. But you have to be reasonable.What she's achieved is no mean thing. She is the first and only woman to participate in the Royal Rumble (and eliminated, hold your breath, Mark Henry and Chris Jericho), the first to be the number one contender for the WWE championship and the first to win the Intercontinental Championship (that too, twice!!).

There were legends in women wrestling before her. But she's the one who competed on an equal footing with the boys. She went one-on-one with Chris Jericho, Eddie Gurrero and Jeff Jarett. Before her, men had to be paid to lose to women. But after her, women like Beth Phoenix and the Awesome Kong have defeated men without much of a fuss over it.

And the best part is that its not even fake. X-Pac had to run to the police because Chyna beat him up so bad in real life. Had her career not been cut short by WWE, Chyna would easily have been in the Top 5 in my list. Nevertheless, for giving an all new dimension to Women Professional Wrestling, the "ninth wonder of the world" is number nine on my list.

#10: The Big Show

The Big Show probably should not be in this list. For most of you, Andre the Giant should be the only 'Giant' who should be in any Top-10 list. But I have no doubt that if reservation exists for 'Giants', the Big Show should occupy it.

He's more skilled than Andre. When was the last time a wrestler had only a punch as a finisher? The guy learnt boxing while he was away for a year. He's a much better athlete than Yokozuna and Rikishi (he lost 50 pounds while Yoko and Kishi were fired for not losing weight). He's far better at the audience than Khali or Giant Gonzales. And the most important fact is that he's the only guy ever to hold the WWE, WCW and ECW titles (the ECW, though, was as a WWE brand). He probably won't leave much of an influence when he retires, but he's given world wrestling some very memorable moments and is the most decorated giant of all times. For this, and for his ability to excite the crowd, the Big Show rounds off my list of the Top 10 of the Modern Era.

More Awards:

(1) Best Announcer: John Bradshaw Layfield

He made up for his lack of skills in the ring while behind the mike.

(2) Best General Manager: Vickie Guerrero

She's made Smackdown better than RAW.

(3) Best Stable: NWO

The NWO had all start and all storylines.

Notable Omissions:

(1) The Rock: I would definitely have put The Rock on this list had I had just one more place. But maybe The Rock, by choosing Hollywood over Wrestling put brakes on a wonderful career. 

(2) Edge: He's won over 40 championships, but the WWE has made him seem a very weak champion. They could have done better. Maybe if he turns face sometime soon, he'll be in the list.

(3) Kane: He's my personal favourite, but WWE has almost ruined his career. At his peak, he eliminated 11 men from the Royal Rumble. If Undertaker is No.3 on my list, he owes a lot of it to Kane.

(4) Kurt Angle: He's a far better wrestler than several people on my list and his rivalry with Lesnar is the stuff of legends. But he wasn't just in the top 10.

:: In The City of Joy ::

My hippie lifestyle of late brought me back to Kolkata this week. I had been to this city before, but never really stayed for a long duration. And here I was in the supposed cultural capital of India. My expectations were simple - a rustic city, bubbly bengali people, narrow one-way roads and a marxist atmosphere in the city.

I was fairly surprised by the city. Of course, for a die-hard Delhiite like me, the city was as close as I could go to a small town. 

(1) The Roads : Though Delhi's roads are far superior, Kolkata is not far behind. However, the traffic sense of Kolkata's people is much worse than Delhiites. There is not even a slight sense of lane driving. Traffic signals are few and far apart. The yellow taxis are as irritating and ubiquitous as the green autos of Delhi, though their larger size means a bigger nuisance.

(2) The Food: Unlike Delhi, Kolkata has a unique food culture. Bengalis have their own form of biryani, which is much oilier and consists of a plateful of slightly coloured rice, a boiled potato and a single peace of chicken. Any form of chicken gravy is strictly avoidable for health reasons (the gravy is mostly oil). But Kolkata is a non-vegitarian's ultimate delight. You get all kinds of rolls and then you have great bakeries that serve all kind of non-vegitarian fare. Not to forget China Town, the paradise of Chinese food. You get authentic chinese fare at reasonable rates. A great bargain!!

(3) The Weather : Kolkata's cold is obviously not as chilling as Delhi's. But I noticed that its always foggy in Kolkata. You can roam around with just a t-shirt on, something unimaginable in Delhi (of course, the native people tend to wear a lot more on them). The summers are bad. If there is any power cut, you better pray for electricity to return soon. Or else, you'll be drenched in sweat within minutes.

(4) People : I've mostly been annoyed with the people of Kolkata. They're enthusiastic, alright. But they're also very proud, vane, slow and loud. They tend to speak at very high volumes. They are capable of parking their vehicles in such a way that the road traffic gets blogged. The shopkeepers don't seem to want to sell their things - they're so slow. Compare this to a Delhiite, who is generally a bully and is fast, conceited and proud. Maybe its because the Government has pampered the people. That's what a Marxist Government tends to do.

(5) The Public Places : Kolkata's public places are more "intellectual" than Delhi's. Its very difficult for people to survive the entire National Museum of Kolkata - not to mention the fact that half the things in their Egypt section are fakes. The science city, my brother told me, is very boring. You have Nicco Park, which is a decent amusement park, with a water park better than Delhi's Oysters. The ticket price of Rs.250 is quite worth it. The malls are good, though no match on Delhi's malls. 

However, the place where I stay (Patuli) is an ideal place for someone like me. There is almost no visible air or land pollution. Its a little far from the central areas, but there is no need to go to places like the Park Street. You have quite a few malls nearby. And the greenery !! The greenery in the entire Kolkata makes it worth a stay.