India & The World This Week

A maid brings the two biggest democracies on the warring path. Baigiri takes on dimensions bigger than the fights with our Western and Eastern neighbours!

The aam aadmi votes for the second time in as many weeks... no, not on Bigg Boss Saath 7, but to convince Annaji's estranged jodidaar to take on the CM's job in Delhi. Heard the cat at the party whisper that the next vote is gonna be on whether we should be paying our electricity bills. Aam aadmi decides, you see! If you believe this rumour, send SMS YES, else SMS NO. Oh, and yes, standard rates apply, unless you vote to make this SMS free of charge!

The Indian babies and babas on the field hand a strong one back to the naysayers, the critics and the experts on the sidelines, who predicted their balls would be bounced off the field. 8 wickets away from a historic test win against SA in SA, for a die hard Indian cricket fan, times do look rosier than the cheeks of the flustered and embarrassed Proteas.

Or maybe they have been rattled with the sad demise of Madiba. So sad, in fact, that only mere handfuls turned up along the long, lonely 40 km ride from the airport to the final resting place of the SA leader, mindless of the TV commentators who were forced to ack the thousands of (invisible) mourning South Africans lining the streets! Those who did turn up were celebrating noisily and joyously the fact that Mandela had given them their freedom. True, that! But wasn't that years back? Wasn't this the time to shed a quiet tear for the departed soul? Or at least, pay your tribute in silence?

Back in India, the politicians showed a rare urgency and excitement in passing the Lokpal - while Annaji finally declared his agitation complete, his split from his protege final, and plans for the next big battle. We can now all rest in peace. Life is back to normal. Adarsh has been buried, Lalu is back out of jail and in a truck with the elated Congress, and the nation can now worry about much more serious issues like unnatural sex and salaries of the bais in firang consulates.