Friday 16 October 2015

Just Not Cricket !

Just Not Cricket !

And for another fortnight, a few stray thoughts and a few general observations and a few points of view (some of it my own work and some as reported by media):

Adjoining our housing society is a “basti” which is not so well-developed and we have long suspected that a few elements from the basti are responsible for a few items in our society going missing. Of course there is a boundary wall separating the two but it is not a deterrent for those who are determined to enter our premises to further their own agenda.  Notorious members of the basti like Kalia, Munna, Raju and their “gang” members are not welcome in our society.  A few years ago, in order to foster “inclusive” environment for our neighbours, we had instituted an annual cricket match between boys from our society and those from the basti. One does not know if this gesture had any statistically significant outcome in reducing the number of break-ins or not but at least a few “intellectuals” in our society felt elated that they were doing something for the humanity.

Recently our society decided to install CCTVs in order to deter and if not, at least identify miscreants (post facto) in case of any break-ins. We were all very happy that we were taking this long overdue step. But we had apparently not taken into consideration the “hurt” we would cause to the bastiwallas by our utterly heartless and despicable, selfish action.  There were demonstrations on our gate that we had created a “trust deficit” by this action of ours, there were banners put in the basti condemning our society and we even received a letter from the basti - mohalla committee asking us not to vitiate the spirit of “peaceful co-existence” which had guided both parties for the past 60 odd years and immediately uninstall the CCTVs. 

We understand that Kalia, Munna and Raju even went to the local police station to lodge a complaint against this step taken by us, which they claimed was detrimental to the spirit of free enterprise which was enshrined in the constitution of the country.  

When they found that the police were not willing to interfere in this matter and that our society was not willing to reconsider our decision of continuing our CCTV surveillance the bastiwallas gave us the ultimatum. “We will not play cricket with you. ”  Serves us right!!!  Wonder how we will ever get by in the world now.

We are now waiting for the enlightened bleeding hearts from our society to come out of the woodwork and start remonstrating against this ghastly inhuman step we have taken and shaken the very foundations of decency. It’s just not cricket, old chaps!

Elsewhere in the world, it was business as usual. Aerial bombings by Russia, US, Turkey and many more. Some against the ISIS and some purported to be against ISIS. Some on-target and some not-so-much-on- target inflating the already high tally of collateral damage to the civilians through displacement of a huge mass of population due to the ongoing wars.

CNN –IBN came up with a scoop telling the world that all the top brass in Pakistan knew all along that Osama was hiding in Abbottabad for 5 years. Oh! That!!! (Yawn) So what’s new? Tell me something that every Taufique, Dilawar and Haroon  did not know. No one should be surprised if it turns out that it was Musharraf who signed the lease agreement for the (now- most-famous) compound in Abbottabad or that ISI was running monthly “Osama-se-Charcha” program for its select sympathizers (and financiers) from UAE and Saudi. After all ISI had to recover the costs it was incurring on the operation code-named “Hide-Osama-Pretend-To-Look-For-Osama”. True ISI was milking Uncle Sam for billions of greenbacks, a few additional millions from true friends are always welcome. It is not a charity organization, you know!     


LazyBee
16th October 2015