Sunday, December 20, 2009
Tatkal again
Mamata Banerjee certainly seems to have improved her public appearance in recent photos and I think that this is a wise move, as long as she does not overdo it. I have always thought of her as a sort of 'politican's Susan Boyle' - not in terms of her singing. Rather just as Susan Boyle was an unexpected potential pop star, so Mamata was that unusual thing in politics - an honest hardworking politician acting diligently for the public good (how unusual, these politicians do not seem to exist at all in Britain) who, lets face it, perhaps during stress or fast at times looked a bit 'homely' (as the Americans say). I saw the change immediately from recent photo pictures - she even smiled at the Anand Vihar opening I think- but I find that she is now being written up as having done an image makeover.
To me, Mamata Banerjee compares with a modern Mahatma Gandhi or with Australia's Ben Chifley, whose home for awhile was almost a national shrine because of its simplicity, no better than the home of the poor working constituents who voted him in as Prime Minister of Australia. I'm afraid we can compare Chifley's home - or presumably Mamata's home in Kolkata - with that of Pakistani president Zardari who for all his believed political benefits, appears to have obtained a $US7.3 million English home from 'nowhere'. And like Mahatma Gandhi, Mamata seems to be ousting strong political opponents in a beneficial way, in her case for example CPI (Marxist).Mamata seems to be doing good for a large number of people, whilst, like Ben Chifley, still seeing some advantages in some business enterprises and in the countryside.
Now regarding 'tatkal', I think that having to pay, say, the fare from Delhi to Mangalore to go from Mumbai to Tivim plus perhaps even more, seems a lot to pay. Also it seemed that the trains had a lot of spaces left and I would have guessed by the look of things that even then, many due for the fee had not paid it. This system needs improving and under Mamata Banerjee we can hope, at least, that it happens. Certainly there are much more important things than train fares but it is clear that Mamata has inherited a poisoned chalice and it is hoped that she and her staff behave fairly and well.
To me, Mamata Banerjee compares with a modern Mahatma Gandhi or with Australia's Ben Chifley, whose home for awhile was almost a national shrine because of its simplicity, no better than the home of the poor working constituents who voted him in as Prime Minister of Australia. I'm afraid we can compare Chifley's home - or presumably Mamata's home in Kolkata - with that of Pakistani president Zardari who for all his believed political benefits, appears to have obtained a $US7.3 million English home from 'nowhere'. And like Mahatma Gandhi, Mamata seems to be ousting strong political opponents in a beneficial way, in her case for example CPI (Marxist).Mamata seems to be doing good for a large number of people, whilst, like Ben Chifley, still seeing some advantages in some business enterprises and in the countryside.
Now regarding 'tatkal', I think that having to pay, say, the fare from Delhi to Mangalore to go from Mumbai to Tivim plus perhaps even more, seems a lot to pay. Also it seemed that the trains had a lot of spaces left and I would have guessed by the look of things that even then, many due for the fee had not paid it. This system needs improving and under Mamata Banerjee we can hope, at least, that it happens. Certainly there are much more important things than train fares but it is clear that Mamata has inherited a poisoned chalice and it is hoped that she and her staff behave fairly and well.
# posted by uv : 5:06 PM
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