Today I caught up with an old friend of mine and as it is the norm when more 1 one Indian gathers, we  started with the discussion on our favorite topic: POLITICS. Let me tell you right off the bat that I am a pro-Progress person and I don't support any political party completely. I am more pragmatic than a party loyalist. Now what does that mean you may ask me, Simply put it means that I support BJP to some extent as I see them as an alternative to Congress. My vote in the General Election was based on this.

Now because I support the BJP government at the center and I think that Narendra Modi is the right person for the job, my friends find it easy to put me a spot based on BJP's shaky track record with communal harmony and development politics. Politics in India is a murky business. There is no transparency, generations of politicians have run their constituencies like their personal fiefdom or hegemony. It is true of almost all parties in India with the exception of AAP (Aam Aadmi Party).

Now AAP represents a radical change and offers a new interpretation of the way politics is conducted in India. It offers transparency, a new road-map for India and the dream of a corruption free country which resonates with a lot of people in India who have faced corruption for getting the simplest of the matters done. It's a grand vision and has many takers, but not to rain on their parade, it is also sounds like a bit of pipe dream to me. Understanding human psychology and its history those in power have always been the primogenitors of the basic human vice of greed. As long as man is greedy corruption has no end.

Now my friends would like to blast me to town and back for such blasphemous thoughts, but it is a simple truth and the inherent complexity of the human rationale proves it. Even though man is a social animal, 'I' has always been the dominant thought in a man. As long as this persists there is no respite from corruption, Man will always want more and there will always be greed, there will always be somebody who feels hard done by those around them... the list is endless...

I truly believe in the concept that the government is a reflection of the people around them. If the government is corrupt, then it is because people have chosen to elect them in first place knowing their track record. As far as the current government is concerned they have started some good programs to connect with people and involve the people in nation building, it's a start but there is still a long, long way to go before we take our foot off the gas...

Some of the good work being done by the government includes:

1. The Swattch Bharat (Clean India) Abhiyaan - IMO there should be no compromise on this, it is the basic duty of ever citizen, but we Indians have the mentality of picking and choosing what rules we want to follow, it is the civic duty of every person to help keep their surroundings clean. Keep the surrounding clean, segregate your garbage, generate compost and use it to beautify your surroundings. If you keep a patch of your turf clean along with your house, then it will not be long before the country starts looking beautiful.
2. Clean Ganges - Ganga is literally our mother. She is the lifeline of our country. She has religious, spiritual and economic importance to every practicing Hindu, which is almost 80% of the country. Inspite of all this we have allowed her to be the most polluted river of the face of earth due to our negligence and sometimes sheer apathy. Effluent is most common pollutant being dumped into the river almost from 1.8 million humans untreated. It is almost as good as pissing or taking a dump in the water we drink in our homes. The government has come up with an ambitious plan to clean the river and stop the effluents from being released into the river from the townships located along the banks of the river. It will take time and a lot of help from the people, but is doable, but only if people pitch in.
3. Reaching out the NorthEast: For far too long, people in the North East part of the country have been cut from the economic growth and the prosperity of the country, for the first time concentrated efforts have been made to get them into the mainstream of country's economy and also make them active participants in the country's growth.
4. Make in India: India is a agrarian country, the bulk of the country still depends of agriculture as a source of income, the government has started the Make in India program to give manufacturing an impetus within the country, this will allow more people to join into the industrialization and make exports more lucrative.
5. Swadeshi Movement: There is a concentrated effort by the government to get people to buy more locally made products like khadi. This in my mind is a step in the right direction.

I would rather see the cup full of air and water rather than choose to see it as half full or half empty.