of thoughts into exile: Shivdeep lande

“He came, he saw and he fell short of conquering”
This age old adage comes to mind when one thinks of now former city sp of Patna, Shivdeep Wamanrao Lande.
No one remembers clearly when did he actually take charge of his post but when he did it was with élan. Newspapers were suddenly so fondly painted with the pictures of this stylish young man, taken in various poses at various places. Places the man raided. Places like cyber “sex” cafes, fake cosmetic factories, factories where children worked.
Weeks passed and newspapers piled on. So did this man’s achievements. Stylishly dressed in his khaki uniform, he was an extension of bollywood cops of the likes of singham and dabangg into real life. His valor must be praised for he dared to put his hands into the vicious circle of black marketing and other under the table work, something nobody before him had the guts for.
His was an aura that seemed to transcend all barriers of social life. He made his numbers public so that anybody in distress could call him and on more than many occasions it was the girls who solicited for his help. A man with a rank, he was a nightmare to the street hooligans- those who rode their bike in “lahariya” style and taunted girls, made ugly remarks.
He thrashed them, beat them up, and summoned them.
As the months passed, his popularity increased and so did the infamy. More than his work it was his style of work that goaded many.
He began to attend school functions and inauguration of sports meets. He was the face of a ramp shows and cultural programs. He, over a period of months became a celebrity. Camera persons and news reporters flocked him where ever he went. He was snapped  all over as if paparazzi followed him everywhere.
Last month, he raided a record 27 illegal proceedings.
This week, he was transferred.
He was asked to pack his bags to araria, a small district of Bihar in the foothills of Nepal.
What was his fault??
That he dared to expose the vicious circle of crime readily flourishing in the underbelly of the city and around.
Was he a threat to the police nexus, which despite seeing a hundred problems turns its back to rest in peace (pun)?
Or that he was given the title of super cop- a man who could do anything to save the people of his city?
The reason might be any but what disturbs me more is the reaction of people. The way they have responded to his transfer is insulting to every one of us, as individuals or as a society.
Girls and parents of girls gathered together outside the man’s gate and pleaded him not to go. They believed he was the savior of their girl’s dignity.
Is this how weak have we become that we need another man, whosoever he may be, to protect the dignity of our daughters?
Why do we need to rely upon other shoulders, however strong they may be to defend what’s ours?
If newspapers reports are to be believed, then before mr. lande took over, every girl of Patna was raped or at least was tried to rape in almost every street of Patna.
Is this true?
And as they say, nemesis can be delayed but it’s inevitable. He had to be transferred, if not now then may be next year or a year later.
This comes at a time when the chief minister of bihar, mr. nitish kumar is busy producing the report card of his tenure.
Doesn’t it raise a question on its integrity?
Why do we need to engage in imbecilic idol worship and disregard what’s important and matters most?
There’s a why to everything prevalent around.
Why am I not getting my answers??

An open letter to Ajmal Kasab

Time, as they say, is the master of all.  Three years, three long years have so blissfully passed that it’s impossible to think of our existence without you.
Three years ago, on an old November evening of 26/11/ 2008, you with your impaling bullets landed at the VT station, Mumbai and entered straightaway to our hearts. Your blue Armani t shirt and beige cargo pants we all still fondly remember. 
the courage you shot millions of innocent or to put it bluntly, dumb Indians whose life are of no value, with was almost gladiatorial as the AK 47 in your hand that seemed no less than a scepter. 
Court cases, numerous proceedings and the usual political stuff followed after the massacre you and your friends dared to. Your story was so truth defying that some even wanted to make a bollywood potboiler on it.
But you were and still very much are profusely valiant, for it’s not a kid’s joke to enter a country, kill a couple of high rank police officers and a few other hundred people and still hold one’s head high in public just on the account of being a teenager.
We even provided you with  lawyers. not one or two but three , someone to talk on behalf of one who killed and conspired to kill millions others. Doesn’t that sound lame if not quadriplegic that we wanted you to defend you, one who has a visible proof of being mercenary??

Three years, for three long years, we have fed you the most exotic of Indian dishes from biryanis to aloo dums. 
And as you may have heard during your stay in India, we Indians religiously follow the adage “atithi devo bhava”. In English it means, the guest is god. But sadly, you can’t appreciate any of these since you only speak, read and write in Arabic. 
We in India are not much of a technology freak but we have installed CCTV cameras at some places to show off and some of them actually work. Fortunately or unfortunately, blame it on your bad (or was it good?) luck, one of them mistakenly caught you (sic) while you were on the killing spree. But videos can be distorted with. They can be altered and even be animated. You have a valid reason to be free.
To me, you are a celebrity-ette. Newspapers carry your photographs, everybody from our PM Manmohan Singh to the teas stall boy discusses you as you pass your days, lost in the solitary gloom, perhaps thinking of future plans for mass destruction.
Sixteen crore. Sixteen crore is the amount we have spent on you during the past three years. But in a country where ministers so proudly engage in scams worth a couple of thousand crore, sixteen crore is really a minuscule amount. Isn't it ??

Judiciary in India is supposed to be the highest of all but some political parties, for their own benefit tend to influence its decisions. Thus, you with your distant cousin from the world of terror, afzal guru relax in a Indian jail, partly sure that both of you will walk away someday, breathing fresh air, on the wobbly promise of human rights.
America has already finished off your grandpa Osama, but you need not to worry as you will be pretty safe in Indian jails.
As I end this letter, I pray to the god almighty for your long, happy and prosperous stay in India ahead.
Jai hind! 

Nostalgia

A smell sometimes
takes me back to the times
i don't know of
or i don't clearly remember

sometimes, while walking through the lanes
i can smell the fragrance
unsure of what it is
but it evokes a sense of deja vu

on a November evening, when it's not that cold
i freeze in my way, the moment, i feel the smell
restless, i become, and try to remember
but fail, and move on.