Tuesday, April 04, 2006

-- A Tribute to Laloo ---

For those 200 ardent fans ( I had 500 hits in March, but I factor in that about 300 of them were from my computer :0) , who logged onto my blog during the Month of March, all I can do for the lack of activity is apologize. I guess like Caesar before me, the “Ides of March” might just have set in.

Most of us do read the Newspaper, or atleast sneak a peak into it. I certainly do, for exactly about 145 seconds every day. What I do consume in those 145 seconds (Apart from the scantily clad buxom ladies on the Chronicle Party page) are the headlines.

Zaheera Sheik turns hostile in Best Bakery Case”

All Cakes with Pineapple topping go missing


Sonia Gandhi steps down from the Lok Sabha, as she holds an office of profit.”


So what, if it struck her only after about 2 yrs of holding it!


India Shining : Sensex Crosses another peak, and zooms to 11,600”


That doesn’t mean you will get water, roads or a reduction in taxes. That beggar on your way to work, will still harass you


“Sania Mirza, slips down WTA rankings to 37”


Her latest T- shirt now wears the slogan, “Now, it’s not only my skirt which is slipping”

“ Ganguly keen on making a comeback”

One wonders, if it’s a comeback to the Indian cricket team, or a comeback to all of Uncle Greg’s comments

There are the occasional well thought out imaginitive headlines like,


“Verghese hangs up his Pail”



When Mr. Verghese Kurien, founder director of Amul retired, or as we believe was forced to.

Yes most of these headlines on a mundane day, remind me of that Times of India ad not so long ago, “ Arrey, par yeh to kal ka news hain !“ ( We seem to hear about Zaheera Sheikh and her favourite bakery every day don't we , someone please tell me , how the hell is a bakery getting so much mileage ?!?!?!)


However through all that, one headline which made my day, for more reasons than one was

Fodder for thought – Don’t pull the Chain –Laloo nails it with the Rail Budget“



Laloo Prasad Yadav, for me , arguably the most loved politician ever in India’s recent political history and unarguablyIndia's most good looking politician recently brought out one of the best rail budgets ever. For those of you who care, during his time , the revenue from the Rail has grown from 250 crore to Rs,11,000 crore, which even equating in say 200-500 crore which he might have pocketed, is a hell of a lot of money.

Laloo – The Visionary


  • Cutting down the fares of the 1st class AC owing to competition from low cost Aeroplanes
  • Full – A/c Garibh Rath service for the common man
  • Stations to be equipped with ATM’s / Cyber Cafés

Laloo- The Charismatic



It would be difficult, even with our cabinet for any politician to match Laloo in terms of charisma or persona. Tales to justify this are endless, for instance it is said that when a minister from Japan, came to Bihar and mentioned to Laloo that he could change Bihar to Japan in 1 year (Optimistic, even for the japs!), pat came Laloo’s reply, “ Arrey, kya baat kar rahein year aap, I can change Jaapaan to Bihaar in one week!”

But, Laloo really does come in to his zone during the election period. The lines of his famous speech, explaining the electronic voting machines to the aam Bihari went on the lines of this, “ Whan you prass the bathaan (button) for RJD, see it will go t-e-e. Thaat time, whan you press, Vajpayeeji will go t-u-i , t-u-i

A little later, when he was caught giving out money on camera to the public in the aptly titled, “Notes for votes” scandal, he replied “ Aaarey, phasst you say, I am stealing money and arrest me, now when I am giving out money, agaaain you want to arrest me?”

Or, when a reporter from one of the TV channels asked him “ Laloo, Will you ever become the Prime minister”. He thought for exactly about 2 seconds and replied,

“ Naat thooday, Bhat one dayyyy!”

India still waits for that day, A day when naming your children after sweets is not considered insane, a day when if a citizen’s car disappears from the road, he would know exactly where to find it. There are many who believe Laloo is an insult and a disgrace to politics in the country, I disagree completely. Yes he is corrupt, so is everyone else, atleast he makes you laugh. You can't help but think that there is something about the style of the man, a disposition by which he always manages to get away and come out triumphant.

“Long Live, Sir Laloo Prasad – For me, You will always be a legend!”