BJP: Directionless?

The 15^th Lok Sabha election turned out to be a major political game changer. Within an hour of counting it was clear that Congress was on its way to become the single largest party. Compared to 204 seats of Congress, BJP was able to manage a paltry 116. In fact, as compared to 2004, it also witnessed a dip in national vote share by almost 5%.

BJPs whipping comes as a surprise, as they had a plethora of issues to campaign against the ruling government. Instead of hand picking the important issues, they opted for a negative blanket campaign. Venomous remarks by frontline leaders such as Varun Gandhi further tarnished the party’s image.

An important aspect which BJP did not give due importance was the circumstances under which the elections took place. Global financial crisis, terror attacks, insurgency in neighboring countries only meant that the voters were looking for – Stability.

“Aam Aadmi” (Common Man) wants a stable government which would ensure him job and safety in the future. Unfortunately, BJPs mandate was based on the past. They decided to raise the decade old issue of Ram Janmabhoomi movement. This movement has been a landmark for them, as it was instrumental in their 1999 Lok Sabha victory. But BJP totally overlooked the need of the hour. Destroying a mosque and constructing a temple at the same spot hardly holds any importance to today’s “Aam Aadmi”. The age old strategy of communal politics in order to polarize the electorate, unfortunately didn’t work for them.

Less importance to economic growth and lack of direction in the party, is ensuring BJPs loss of popularity among the youth as well as the urban middle class. These two segments were the main vote banks for the BJP since 1998. To regain its lost glory, BJP will have to reconnect with the two segments and devise a winning strategy.

As the Vajpayee and Advani era comes to an end, BJP will have to look for a new leader. The party will have to reorient itself so as to advocate reform and globalization. The party will have to discard the past and embrace the future.

Lemon Rice

Lemon Rice is one of the easiest dishes. If you are late from office and do not have the time and energy, then this is the dish (most of my dishes do not require time and effortJ). Preparation time is around 10-15 min. It is a very popular dish in South India and is cooked frequently during summer.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 1 bowl boiled rice (even previous days left over will doJ)
• ½ tsp haldi, dhaniya powder, mustard seed (rai seeds)
• 1 tsp saboot jeera
• 2 tbsp Oil
• 1-2 finely chopped onions
• 1-2 lemon
• 3-4 tbsp ground nut
• 5-10 curry leaves
• Some chopped ginger and chilies (1-2) (only if you want to)
• Finely chopped coriander leaves (garnishing)
• Salt to taste

Procedure

Take 2 tbsp oil in a pan and heat. Add the onions and stir them till they turn red (1-2 min). Then add salt, muzstard seeds, jeera, dhaniya powder, haldi and ground nut. Then add some ginger and chillies. Stir for some seconds and add curry leaves.

Once the seasoning is ready add rice and lemon juice to it. Mix well. If required add some water (2-3 tbsp). Use coriander leaves to garnish.

Note

• Crush the curry leaves with hand before adding. It increase the fragrance and taste (no scientific reason behind it, but it worksJ)
• On a non working day you can add potato, capsicum, boiled peas (safal) and dry fruits. This would taste better and also increase the quantity (BrunchJ)

Lemon rice tastes best with rasam (will discuss it later). For junta who wants to save time set dahi is the best option. Yummy!

How to Get a Job in Time of Crisis

I have had the unique opportunity of completing my MBA during peak of economic crisis. Not only did the struggling economy drastically reduced the number of jobs but also ensured that many students landed up in a different industry altogether.

Some months back, during one of my leisurely browsing I came across an extremely hilarious advertisement of Pepsi Max. The video shows how 2 people help one of their friends in obtaining a job.

The video can be accessed from the following link: Pepsi Max It

So now you know how I landed up with a jobJ.

CAT Goes Online

From past one month, the most widely discussed topic among CAT aspirants has been “CAT Goes Online”. Every now and then you would come across someone or the other speculating (in fact predictingJ) the online CAT format (including meJ).

At Career Launcher we noticed that following the announcement, uncertainty for the students increased dramatically. After every class, for almost 15 min, students unnecessarily wasted there time debating on the likely changes (actually I enjoy these after class conversationsJ).

In fact the news has been a major distraction. Many students have been left in disarray, as they do not know what the pattern would be like. This has affected their strategies as well as their preparation.

Considering the gravity of the situation, we decided to conduct a workshop for the CAT aspirants. Riding high on the success of my first workshop (only I think soJ), I was asked to take up this challenge as well. (Shall post the details of my first workshop later)

To view presentation in slide form use the following link CAT Goes Online

The initial turnout for our workshop was dismal. The first screening had an audience of only 8 students. Thanks to the electronic media and television, the topic was blown out of proportion. This increased the anxiety among the candidates and as a result the number of footfalls to our centre increased dramatically. In a little over 3 weeks this presentation has been run 6 times. Almost 190 students have benefited from it.

As more than a month has passed, since the announcement was made, I think most of you would find the contents of this presentation to be redundant. I still feel that you should go through this presentation at least once (might find something new).

In case you have any updates, feel free to comment.

All the best!