NOTA – is that a game changer?

In many of the MCQ type of tests that I would have taken at different stages of my life, there always were occasions when I had to use the elimination method. Even if I had no idea of the correct answer, some answers could be eliminated to arrive at the most probable answer. However, at times there was a spoil sport among the choices and that was NOTA – none of the above. This one option always confused me and dissuaded me from any reverse engineering.


Recently, it has been decided that in the coming elections, we will have the NOTA option as well in the electronic voting machines. There are both pros and cons to this. Inasmuch as providing an option to the voter to have the satisfaction of exercising his franchise, have that indelible mark on his index figure, and yet not recommend any of the candidates, it is a positive development.

In the manual voting system, an uninterested voter forced to visit the ballot room due to peer pressure or out of some lure, could have managed to drop a blank ballot paper in the box, thereby indicating his rejection of all the candidates. However, in the electronic voting machine, it is the ‘beep’ that is important for the election officer and the party agents sitting in the room to indicate completion of your voting process. Hence, feigning action is impossible with the EVMs. And there comes the main advocacy for the NOTA option. That an electorate should have the right of secrecy even while refusing or rejecting to vote for any of the candidates. Fair enough.

But now consider the other ostensibly noble thought around NOTA. The argument that this option will ensure rejection of inappropriate candidates and the fact that this option will ensure that the candidates with clean background are elected, seems too unrealistic. The fact remains that politics thrives on followership. This might come out of genuine fan following or can be induced due to any number of considerations.

We have seen a few isolated mass movements on issues debated at national level – be it India or elsewhere, but this has rarely happened on local issues. We all know that it is much easier for a seasoned politician to mobilize voters – be it genuine followership or an induced one through profit-motivations. Therefore, there can be a situation where in a constituency of 100, the 90 suave, supposedly educated electorates decide to opt for NOTA but effectively it is the other 10 artificially induced voters who will decide the election.

So, in effect, the NOTA option will only help to secure the right of secrecy for such an induced voter – who can now claim a few gifts for exercising his franchise and at the same time follow his inner conscience by invoking the NOTA option with a loud ‘beep’.

Storm in the T-Cup

A Storm in the T-cup

The headlines of Telangana caught my attention as I picked up the newspaper early in the morning and sat in my balcony with a hot cup of tea.   By that time Mr. and Mrs. Rao, sitting in the balcony adjacent to mine, would have already finished their tea and would have scanned through the entire paper.  A quick exchange of pleasantries has been a morning ritual for us for past many years.  This morning though the scene was a bit different.  The two were immersed in the newspaper and did not even look up.  There was little conversation between them as well.

When I met Mr. Rao in my office bus, I wished him good day and realized that his charming smile was missing.  On further probe, I realized that the news of Andhra bifurcation had caused a wide crack in his life as well.  Mr. Rao hailed from Hyderabad and Mrs. Rao was from Vijayawada.  The news had created an emotional split in the family.  Suddenly, Mrs. Rao was feeling as if she was an outsider in this house.  She had emotionally broken down.  A good part of her life was spent growing up in Hyderabad and now she had to let that go.

The half-course dinner that Mr. Rao had last night, was the last meal that he had in the last 12 hours.  The kitchen went fireless this morning as the lady herself was on fire.  He did not even get his lunch box. She made Rao feel like being the main culprit in this episode.  As if he was the one heading the group of ministers. Yes, he did belong to the Telangana region but that did not take away his love for Andhra.  Suddenly, his 20-year old marriage became an ‘Inter-state’ alliance. His domicile status changed. He was worried about the small piece of land that he had bought in Vijayawada – if that would be called ‘illegally owned by other state person’; Mrs. Rao on the other hand, was worried about the Godavari water flow into the fertile lands of the remaining portion of her amputated  home-state.  One had personal concerns and the other had larger interests in mind.

Mr. Rao was also equally upset. He never thought his Tirupati Balaji would move to another state.  His favourite beach in Vishakhapatnam would shift to another province.  And then he realized that his brother in Hyderabad worked for the department of tourism. Will they close down his office -for there will be very little tourism left in the new state  -  or will he have to go through the agony of shifting his loyalties to another state government? And he consoled himself – his misery was of a much lower dimension compared to that of his brother.

I was not sure if this Andhra storm will weaken soon.  Being sympathetic to Rao, I decided to invite him over dinner, so that the poor man gets at least one square meal for the day.  He was happy to accept the proposal. And reason? Say, my birthday, I replied.  I knew this storm might hit my state, my family and me any day now.  This was a new tool of politics that could be reused like a ‘library function’. I wanted to be proactive and secure my dinner as a return favour from Rao, in case of any such eventuality.  

Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan has been writing blogs, tweeting short messages and is being followed by hundreds of thousands on social media.  All of us know that – some admire his enthusiasm; some brush it aside as just another internet addict.  However, last night while I was watching a regular quiz program on the television, I got to understand that Amitabh has been writing a blog regularly, every day, for the last 1999 days continuously.  That was a brilliant piece of information that made me pause and mull over that for some time.

Imagine someone following a regime for the last 5.5 years, without fail, rain or sunshine, on work or on holiday, offshore or onsite, high spirits or low morale.  Having a flair for writing or the ability to comment on something and everything is one aspect to be envious of; the sheer discipline that a person can follow is yet another. Mind it, he is not a retired man that you and me can complain about. He too leads an extremely busy work life and still has managed to stick to this discipline. 

While he always was one of my favorite actors, I had never liked him as a person in eighties.  I had read about his indifference to fellow workers but that of course was projected as his extreme professionalism – and I agree that a thorough professional he was, in the world of lazy, lethargic actors who always reported late on sets, he was the one who stood out by sticking to his committed schedules.  Later on, I had read as to how he had closed all his Bank loans that his failed venture ABCL had left him with.  With his political clout in those days, he could have well managed to give that a miss. The case would have gone on for many years. That again reflects his professionalism.

For a while, I was disappointed with his hobnobbing with certain political personalities but to my comfort that had to end.  He has stayed away from politics for many years now, perhaps a reflection of this straight forward person who values his internal peace more than anything else.

There is no doubt that he has risen from the ashes like a phoenix and has maintained majestic demeanor all through his good and bad times.  He has adapted to the changing times – be it an angry young man to a comedian-hero, be it from big screen to television, be it social media; he has changed himself to stay relevant with the times. An amazing personality indeed - that can inspire many generations.