now where did I read that 'sarcasm is the last refuge of an escapist loser'...wait,i didn't read it anywhere...i said it myself...
on a more serious note...I'm happy that Jithin Sr has actually conceded the possibility of a constructive involvement in the democratic process by non-you-tubing, non-blogging,non-pressurizing means...ie identifying,supporting and campaigning for a candidate who deserves to be voted for...
@Jr...if repeating that nonsense was frustrating for you imagine the plight of poor me who had to put up with arguing with that...:(..I was never questioning the importance of the media in a proper democracy...i was merely stressing on the importance of building a system where the media can actually make a constructive difference...
ie,rulers who care about public opinion because they don't have loyal,illiterate vote banks who keep electing them to power based on their religion,caste,parentage and the color of their shoes...Viable alternatives for this vigilant media to support when those in power aren't worthy of being there any longer...a community which respects itself enough to stop voting for this goonda,brigand,fouth-pass-tailor type trash who keep getting propped up as candidates year after year...
and to get us there...we need to change this culture of pointing to next guy when it comes to shouldering some responsibility...
and as regards my candidature and the ensuing MAD support to it...we'll have to hold our guns for a while thanks to me being TOO YOUNG TO CONTEST..:(..(you need to be 25 to contest..double damn!!)...and the the parliament has space for 540 odd (even the Kerala assembly has 140 seats)...
so there...I'm game...I'm just looking for a couple of my you-tubing friends to join me...and I guess I've repeated my points enough...so long...and see you parliament!!!(or at least the legislature)...

Aaaaaah.. I hate saying things over and over again.. !!

Ok, @ Varkey,
Bro, as I've been saying, I'm not saying that we should all just sit on our backs and do nothing.. The blogging and you tubing that you condemn so much are part of the process of taking action !! They don't just serve the purpose of cribbing !!! The very action of speaking out is choosing NOT to be indifferent !!

But, I do concede your point.. Somebody DOES need to step up...

Now, there may be those of us who can truly make a difference, and save this country... And if they're capable of being the difference, of being the change, of being responsible, they'll step up and challenge the world..... It may be you, as Sr said..

Trust me, I completely agree with Sr on this one.. If you contest the elections, we're behind you.. I can already picture campaign slogans.. Hey Sr, how does "Varkey Varks for the Varking" sound?? (That's bad !! Don't tell me :D )You'll get so many votes that they'll end up giving you dictatorial powers.. :P

You game??

Varkey my MAN!! You opened my eyes bro...I cant believe during all this time nobody realised this !!! We were all waiting for a leader..and you were amongst us all this while !! I mean you are the one guy who has it all
1. You are idealistic and will fight against corruption an all tht
2. You are ready to do more than blogging an tubing and making excuses an all tht
You are ready for the real deal man..you are ready to leave the confines and safety of you home to make a better India.

You should contest in the coming assembly Election man

I'll not just vote for you but bloody campaign for you...the whole of MAD will campaign for you... And am sure you don't doubt our capabilities

Wht say :)

I don't know bout Gloria...but i know the names of at least 2 of the 3 main candidates from the Eranakulam Lok Sabha constituency was for the last General election...the UDF fielded Edward Edezhat and the LDF, Sebastian Paul...I think the BJP feilded a Thankappan...

Now,why do i assume that they ren't worth voting for?? because Edward Edezhath's candidature was practically announced by the The Kerala Region Latin Catholic Council...and I believe religion has no place in politics...because his only qualifications were-he was an active participant in the affairs of the church(he did not even hold a primary membership of the party)and that Karunakaran did not oppose his candidature(because his daughter needed the churches support in Mukundapuram where she was contesting from)...

about Mr.Sebastian Paul...he was and independent candidate...Supported by...THE LDF...expandable to the Left Democratic Front...led by the CPI(M)...if between "Nokku Kooli"(Staring Fee!?!)...the innumerable hartals...and nandigram...you still don't have enough reasons to not vote for that party...I rest MY case...
and the last "worthy" candidate from my/our constituency...is an active SANGH PRACHARAK!!!(why don't we just prop up Bin Laden and get done with this farce of secularism???)
@Jr...yes you have a right to voice your opinions and stop at that...but then you also have a right to be completely indidfferent and do nothing at all...the question is...are we capable of only expressing our opinions???or being the ones opinions are expressed about???
are we going to be just another cribbing forum???or are we going to float to the top???like the cream normally does...it's about whats RIGHT...not whats A RIGHT...and bout what we can do...and how much we are willing to do...In my life(short as it has been)I haven't come across another bunch of people so determined to Make A Difference..;)...and that too for all the right reasons..(how do use the smiley app??)
and when two of MADs brightest are who I have to convince that India needs more than Bloggers,You-tubers and pressurizers to save it...I cant help but seriously considering taking up that sweepers job in the US..:(

@ Sr, I think we all jump to the same conclusions about politicians because they go about doing stuff, campaigning, and promising changes, in the exact same way as their predecessors did, and most of the time, their predecessors delivered nothing !! I guess it pays to give an honest guy a chance..

@ Glo, So if you join politics, I vote for you and then you get elected, what then?? Do you expect zero accountability?

Don't I have the right to speak freely about what my opinions are? Can't I demand that you live upto your promises?? And, if I have to air my thoughts, isn't it only logical that I make use of the media that are the most accessible to me?

Hence, don't you think voicing one's opinions are more than "cribbing forums" and serve the purpose of making the politician accountable?

Hey Glo
Could you please let us know who was the candidate from ur constituency last time...or last time you were indiffrent. But this time you are not. You are going to vote
but !

"4. Do I believe there is any party that, stands a chance, is worth voting for? - Sadly, NO!"

Could you please tell me honestly how you came to this conclusion. Was it

A) You ALREADY know who the different candidates are, and you ALREADY know what their propaganda is and finally you clearly ALREADY know that they are ALL crooks who are going to cheat us!!
OR was it
B) You simply assumed that he is a politician..so he gotto be a crook !!

In case the answer is A..then could you please enlighten us about those crooks from your constituencies and what they did to deserve your wrath.

and if the answer is B then I rest my case.

Being a MADster, I believe I'm more socially active than many my age, but despite that:

1. Did I vote in the last election? - NO (definitely not proud of that.)
2. Why? - Indifference
3. Do I plan to vote in the next? - Definitely Yes!!
4. Do I believe there is any party that, stands a chance, is worth voting for? - Sadly, NO!
5. Ever wonder why a single honest, effective politician is not produced from over 1 Billion people? - Everyday
6. Ever done anything about it? - Nothing Substancial.
7. Ever thought of taking up politics? - Yes, but rejected.
8. Is it because I doubt my abilities to lead? - Not really
9. Then, why have I not given it a serious thought? - Not ready to sacrifice my happy, 'normal' life.

Period. Those are my reasons.

& do I believe that online discussions & criticism of our government actually makes a difference ?

I do not believe in online 'cribbing' forums, but online campaigns are sometimes effective. But, very few of them have long lasting impact.

1)If someone is going to hide behind technicalities and argue that MAD is more about the propagation of a language than it is about ensuring the welfare of our pupils...and thereby bringing about a constructive change in society...I don't have an argument to give to that...I probably suggest that call ourselves Friends Of English(FOE)...;)

2)about the post...it hasn't made anyone think much, if you actually bother to read the comments...19 of the 25 are,a criticism,a debate on the criticism...and an impassioned,playing-to-the-galleries defense of the post...

3)As for involvement in politics...all aspects of a democracy are equally important...and will remain so... the leaders in a democracy are a reflection of the society itself and in India,nothing is more obvious than a criminal indifference of the societies largest and most powerful section to the way their country is governed...
and it is this indifference we have to change...the rest will change automatically...it is not the politicians who have failed us...we have failed ourselves...it is a truth we must be ready to accept...and attempt to blame somebody else for our mistakes deserves to be criticized...regardless of who makes the attempt...but then it is fact that is quite difficult to digest when the only 'cause' you are trying to defend wears a Salwar...

Gulp :|

hehe..bro...I have already told you what i have to say..i really dont want to just go round and round on the same thing..for the sake of argument.
1. MAD Volunteers were recruited as English teachers… NOT as "political change makers"..if that’s what you wanted you should have added "would you join politics" to our recruitment form..And when somebody ticked "NO"..You should have kicked him out saying he a “whiner”..”not a change maker”...”not a fully grown eagle”..if this was done then I guess you have some reason to get so worked on the fact that NOT all MAD volunteers are interested in being a Politician.
2. And about the Post: I dont have to defend it my friend..this is exactly what it was expected to do...make people think..and its done the job rather well… I mean look at the number of comments !! Woh :)
And Hence...The final verdict of this argument if you cant bring something substantial to table against it is still !!
“The level of a MAD Volunteers involvement in politics is something they must decide themselves and shouldn’t be something you force upon them.”

By now I hope you agree to it. If not’ let us know why :)

@Jithin Chacko
MAD should not be a forum for the frustrated masses to voice their frustrations...it needs to be a forum for committed change agents to have constructive discussions...

"A person does not read the newspaper one day and suddenly realise he has to get into politics and clean it up…he starts reading..that’s him passively keeping in touch with the world around him…then someday he gets frustrated enough to start writing himself.. that’s da day he has broken the silence and decided to interact with the world..and soon when he realises there are so many who think like him…get himself more actively involved in the process…see..I think MAD should be the platform for the frustrated few to voice their opinion :)"
A MADster is not (or ideally should not be)at the stage where he/she is passively interacting with the society...or at that stage where he/she is deciding to interact with the world...A MADster is at that stage where he/she is already actively involved in changing things for the better...and for MADsters to be sitting and whining bout what politicians are doing to them...it is a lot like a fully grown Eagle sitting in its nest waiting for mommy to stuff food down its throat...

"As is the case of everything else, don’t you think that being a leader is a ‘job’ that only few will be good at??"...

no mate...leadership is not classical music...it is something that a determined man can learn through sheer hard work...and in any case we don't really need an inspiring,motivating 'leader-type' to lead the country today...a sincere,hard working,determined chap will do...
and Jr...make no mistake...you will make a better chief minister than any of candidates in the fray...
and bout pressurizing and basically using the fourth estate as a tool to bring about change...the media is a good tool to keep a check on a well established system...not to establish the system...

in India democracy was implemented in a manner that was flawed from the beginning...so the job ahead is not one for passive criticisms and back-seat driving...there is work to be done...and if there's no one willing to do it right...then we'll just have to fold up our sleeves and get down to business

As is the case of everything else, don't you think that being a leader is a 'job' that only few will be good at??

Hence, is it wrong to expect those who are good at it to take up the mantle?

As far as pressurising goes, that's how the system works right? That's how we ensure that the people we elected keep doing what they are supposed to do !! And keep the promises that they made??

I'm sure that awareness will bring forth the change that we seek.. And that is precisely the purpose of what you called as 'expressing frustration'...

bro...in that case you would also agree that,that guy is more likely to be influenced in that direction by opinions in favor of taking and initiative...that there will be a better political class in a system were people will replace you if pressurizing you doesn't seem to be working...and there are people waiting in line,willing to take up responsibilities and get things done and not just blog,pressurize and wait for the savior to arrive...

As hopelessly screwed up as the system is, even for an optimistic crowd, can anyone envision "fixing" the system in a fortnight? Impossible right?

When awareness spreads, gradually, maybe one guy who decided to be a doctor will say, "Oh wait, I can do better than that. I can do more good on the streets than at the hospital."

Now that is the product of all the opinions that he was exposed to... All the blogs, you tube videos and opinions that he imbibed.. !!

When that guy contests, we can vote for him, perhaps...

Don't you think that dream is worth blogging for??

is MAD limited to the cream only...YES...people come into MAD just like the cream floats to the top...

don't the cream have problems themselves...YES...they try and solve it...

the difference between the frustrated masses and someone who actually picks up the gauntlet...is what he or she does about it...
declarationsand pleas like "you have failed us time and again…the recent Mumbai terror attacks a case in point. You have proved to us that you can do little to make our lives better….and now we plead to you…do not make it worse!" suits the masses more than it does a capable,self respecting individual who's been adult for 4 whole years...(did we really need 26/11 to prove it to us???aren't Gujarat and Nandigram better proof in the sense that it portrays the extend of corruption in the political system???)

and bout fixing the system...nobody is yet answering question about who the blogging,pressurizing, non-bribe paying ,YOU-TUBING public is supposed to vote for....

and the level of the youth's involvement is totally upto them...and they shouldn't be forced into it...but shouldn't someone tell them sometime that there is a little more one can do in a democracy than vote,whine, sniffle and pressurize???
what I don't understand is that why India's go-getting,jet-setting,highly intelligent youth don't understand the fact that all politicians are slime balls only coz all the non-slime balls are too busy in some CA's if not some hospital or the like...

@ Prez,

Totally.. That's why posts like Archana Ma'ams last one are important... :)

Wha??
Is Mad limited to 'the cream' only? (NO)

Don't 'the cream' have problems themselves? (YES)

Is discussing a problem and trying to find a solution akin to being an ammachi? (NO)

Aren't we looking for a better future, and not the 'good ole days'? (YES)

As Mad is a youth community, don't it's bloggers represent youth voice? And youth culture? (YES)

And, finally, is it wrong to portray, discuss and evaluate our own culture? (NO)

Anyway just to put the whole debate into perspective..what i have said from the very beginning and still maintain is that:

Yes, the youth must get involved in the political process and stop being passive or even non existent bystanders..but Starting your own party or contesting in elections is not the only way to do it. The level of their involvement is something they must decide themselves and shouldn't be something we force upon them .

(it would make sense if we mounted pressure on them to perform through the tools we have..the RTI…the media..the informal media like Orkut…blogs…you tube…and make more people aware..and come out and vote…exercise their rights…stop paying bribes and hence fix the system.)

"someone who feels frustrated enough with the way things are going will just have to leave the “clean” confines of not being a politician and pick up the gauntlet"

From the above i guess its clear that its frustration that leads to "picking up the gauntlet"

"but MAD isn’t a forum for the frustrated masses and pent up frustrations"

Its not??!!then it should be ..because they are the future leaders ..because they bothered to raise their voice today when everybody else were silently suffering.

A person does not read the newspaper one day and suddenly realise he has to get into politics and clean it up...he starts reading..that's him passively keeping in touch with the world around him...then someday he gets frustrated enough to start writing himself.. that's da day he has broken the silence and decided to interact with the world..and soon when he realises there are so many who think like him...get himself more actively involved in the process...see..I think MAD should be the platform for the frustrated few to voice their opinion :)

As regards the formation of MAD...I distinctly remember a lot of brain storming before we settled on visiting an orphanage,then deciding to teach before further narrowing it down to teaching English...
so as far as I'm concerned...MAD's mission doesn't stop with creating a planet of fluent English speaker's...yes we'll do that...but there is by no means anything limiting the scope of the difference we seek to create...
but then there has to be a logical progression to things...Gaza and Pakistan are issues involving Massive international hostilities and are clearly out of bounds for legal non-state actors...Africa can be given serious thought if the issues of feasibility are sorted out...
but democracy is a process we are all legally and practically entitled to be involved in...something that affects every thing around us...something that can help change the situation in Gaza,Pakistan,Africa and the Moon for that matter...but to make a worthy difference, we need to have voters willing to involve themselves in the process seriously...and candidates who deserve to be elected to the posts they are contesting for...and if the worthy candidates aren't available...someone who feels frustrated enough with the way things are going will just have to leave the "clean" confines of not being a politician and pick up the gauntlet...
because in a society where all politicians are equally adept at making a mess of things and serving narrow self interests...we'll just have to get some new guys who are different...and yeah...Jr is right...we don't need more slimy politicians...we need some clean ones...

and I have no problems with the masses and them expressing their frustrations...but MAD isn't a forum for the frustrated masses and pent up frustrations... because MADsters (and some non-MADster bloggers..;D)are part of the cream of their respective societies capable of effecting the changes they want to see in it...and it is a pity seeing them sit and complain and plead for mercy like a bunch of toothless ammachis yearning for the "good ole' days"...

"MAD is at its very core an org founded to MAKE a difference where it saw the need for one"
I think here we are generalising a little too much. The core activity of MAD was to teach underprivileged children English and help them have a better future.
If it was to Make a DIfference where it saw a need then we would have send a few volunteers to Gaza to protect the innocent children n some to Africa to feed those poor souls and some probably even to Pakistan to fight the terrorist destroying our country because I am sure they are all equally worthy if not more of our support.

All I am saying is that there are enough and more problems in this world...an we might not be able to solve them all together. But what is Important is to do what you can do and I am sure if everybody did then the world would be a better place.

Just Remember the Quote that MAD is known for
"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do."

Isn't it really that simple !!

Couple of things :
1. I don't think Politics is looked at as a dirty job.. The common consensus is that the politicians are dirty.. I know a kid of mine whose dream it is to be a politician, so he can change the country for good.. Who knows, one day, he might grow up and be a responsible politician, and hell, I'd vote for him today even.. :)

2. Goondas and brigands don't get into politics coz of the vacuum.. They get in coz they are endorsed by the goondas and brigands who are already running the show I think..

3. We all do what we're good at right? At least most of us.. So those who are good at leading from the front should try politics right? I'd be a pretty bad politician for example, I can't keep deadlines !! So, instead of everybody taking up the mantle, maybe the most capable should !!

both jithins make sense...but what I can't quite comprehend is...what use is voting of if none of the candidates are worth voting for???and the RTI...what are going to do with info that no one has the guts to take action on???
we've had the masses expressing their frustration for the last fifty years...but never a case where they took affirmative action on it...children are still taught that politics are for bad people...all of us...at least most of on this community...
would rather be a doctor,engineer,lawyer,event manager or at best run an NGO...
there is a vaccum left in politics that every goonda,brigand and fourth pass tailor is allowed to fill up...
and if anyones accountant was screwing up so bad for 60 continuous years...one certainly wouldn't blogging bout it or looking for media to express one's frustrations...MAD is at its very core an org founded to MAKE a difference where it saw the need for one...

defenitely it has to be odd that,in friend circles or peer groups or class rooms...none of the good people want to be politicians...its a dirty job for the dirty people to do...to be frowned upon by us decent folk...while we sit in some office or a similar "respectable" place and look for avenues to express our frustrations...

And not only that.. So what if the politicians don't read this??
Who read it? The youth community did.. Or at least it's representation did...
This post expressed the frustration of the masses.. It speaks for the masses, and by putting it down, we've given that frustration a voice, a front !!
Perhaps what we need are not more parties and more slimy politicians, perhaps what we need is for our voice to be heard..
Today maybe only ten people heard it, but tomorrow, who knows ??

hehe... I have a guy in my office who is hired to do graphics...I am hired to do business development..Now if my graphics guy sits around all day wasting time you tubing and hence not giving me my inputs on time.. What do you think i should do..go learn graphics..an do the job myself? I know that sounds really cool..but the world doesn’t work that way...the great Indian culture of " don’t complain unless you can do it better yourself" has to go.I mean what next..My accountant starts flirting with my office boy and I got to go and learn tally and take my own Photostats...then who will do my job? All I am saying is that in a society different people have taken up different Job roles and if they do their job well..it will run well...but if they don’t..that doesnt mean you just run over and do it for them...no..it wont work like that. Instead what i believe we must do is to pressurize the non performers to deliver..Because in the end...That’s their JOB. So my solution to the problem is not all of us runnin around making our own parties...it would make sense if we mounted pressure on them to perform through the tools we have..the RTI...the media..the informal media like Orkut...blogs...you tube...and make more people aware..and come out and vote...exercise their rights...stop paying bribes and hence fix the system.

the point is...india being a democrazy...all people,including the ones stranded on the buses and the ones working hard to make (their)life better....have a chance to do something about it...nobody is stopping anyone from forming a party or contesting the elections...but it is really pathetic when we sit and post our pleas on a website that no politician really reads... remember we are here to Make A Difference not plead for one....

rose u joinin politics is a gr8 idea in itself...ppl lik u must get in n MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!

(Sigh) I want you to know that I took so long to respond to this comment because I'm still trying to make sense of it..
:D

true, true, but whats the end to that? wont we vote one of them back to power anyway?
and thats the beauty of a democracy, right? the leaders are representative of the voters, or the largest stereotype. thats why over decades it remains the same. because they are us! unless, of course, we didnt vote. or we arent significant enough. hehe.

yea yea..they work for us...yet we pay their bills feed their tummy..keep them clothed..give them benz cars(did i mention the bullet proof thingy??)...and after all this...this is the way they service us....maybe i should go into politics!!

Oh yeah totally.. Trivandrum is much much worse.. That Secreteriat-Palayam area is so arterial that the entire city gets shut down if traffic doesn't go through there..

After coming to Cochin, I've had maybe two such days in three years... Which is, comparitively, heaven..

Though, Aditi, completely agree with what you said... Sometimes you have to wonder if these politicians work for us, or if we work for them... Should be the former, shouldn't it be?

:)

In trivandrum this is an everyday issue. There is not a single day without a protest, a march or a Dharna. Sometimes I wonder why we are paying road tax.