Scrambled thoughts...

I met up with some friends in Venice. These are very nice, educated, intelligent people. What they had to say about what they hear about India left me feeling weird - I didn't know whether to laugh or be concerned about the massive ignorance about my country. Sample a few gems:

1. The main newspaper in Verona (a small Italian town, with a population of 300,000 - about the size of Dwarka in Delhi), carried a full front page article on the "moral outrage" that IPL cheerleaders have caused in India
2. A lot of people believe that all 5 star hotel gyms in India have a sign over treadmills saying "Please do not run over 10km / hour because that will cause a power cut in our hotel"
3. Indians do not like sports. They do not exercise, and they do not lead healthy lives
4. India is a bad country to do business in - the Four Seasons hotel in Mumbai had to get 201 govt. permits to install 201 taps in their 201 hotel rooms

I feel great anger at these perceptions. No one talks like this about China - this is because China performs while India only promises. I want my country to perform as it is capable of. I want people to talk with awe and envy when they speak about my country. I am proud about my country and I will refute anyone who thinks otherwise.

This is why I feel inordinate anger at Manmohan Singh. He is criminally wasting the energy of a billion people. He is harbouring Arjun Singh, whose sole ability is that of licking his master's (or mistress') heels, and a gift for screwing up a billion people. He is harbouring Anbumani Ramadoss, who is worried about what Mallika Sherawat is doing on screen, instead of who is manufacturing spurious medicine. He is advocating salary cuts for CEOs, so that his cohort can make more money as feudal overlords of licenses.

I would rather have Mayawati as PM. At least she says what she means.