Dheeraj Kalgutkar

R K Laxman would have been happy to see his Common Man take centre-stage and not stay somewhere in corner The creator of Common Man, late RK Laxman sir would have been triumphant to see his common man script history on political mindscape of India. His common man is no more the silent spectator but have grown to be wise enough now to exercise his power which our system bestows him once in five years. He not just watches the drama unfolding before him but takes note of who is saying what and who is doing what, and then punches the vote so hard that even the man on whose sole shoulders a party rode to power with astounding majority fails to manage to save its face. Single digit for a party who stormed national and state elections few months ago is just sham and nothing! Did Aam Aadmi Party use any intelligent strategy, master-stroke in now-just-over-historic Delhi elections? They didn’t. The AAP precisely used the open nature of Indian Democracy where nothing is written...

  READY TO CROWN: Senior Congress Leader  K. Siddaramaiah has got wings to fly! “ Counting day in fact decides who will count for next 5 years ” is one among the many tweets that made rounds on social networks as results of Karnataka assembly elections started disclosing, providing reasons to smile for congress and humiliating the outgoing BJP. There were many more sarcastic updates from netizens from frustration over both national parties to change of mood people have voted to Yeddy effect! Yes, the former CM had it all. One read “Yeddyurappa's possible reaction on results: Hum to doobenge sanam tumko bhi le dubenge.” [We will sink, no doubt, but will take you too to shallow!] BJP's embarrassing defeat or congress's sigh-of-relief win or JDS's surprise arrival - all had one thing to applause for - the Common Man, was no more dumb nor blind enough to forget & forgive their 'populist' leader. High turnout this time was alarm to this pesky leade...

Let Democracy prevail :Come join hand in making the largest democracy survive by voting! The heroic narrative of modern society has always been that democracy would prevail in the end. It in fact is the merry resilience of it that makes it to triumph amidst all odds. But there is this sorry-state-of-democracy where though entitled and able, people (even well educated!) refuse to use their franchise. Then, why exactly should I vote? Will my one vote make any empire fall or rise for that instance? Yes, it could say the results from all around! Here are some important events in U.S. history that were decided by just a few votes: ·         Richard Nixon, not John F. Kennedy, would have become President of the U.S. in 1960 if one person from each voting place had voted differently. ·         If just one U.S. Senator had voted differently, U.S. President Andrew Johnson would have ...