A PR Masterstroke

Peals of laughter and wobbly sirens of criticism filled the air after the Congress apparatchik was shaken, stirred and shot down the throats of his vote base. The footage went viral with unique forms of caricaturing to testify below each clip or line. A school of jokes swam across the seven seas to plant a red nose on Mr. Gandhi. On the other side of the pond, the saffron camp would place barfi in each other’s mouths to celebrate their first inroad en route mission 272.

The interview places a mirror before the BJP. While Rahul's periodic escape to women empowerment and a new India is trolled, one may want to shift the locus to the wads of currency placed before the PR machine. For those who condition the public for a living, a lot has been achieved. Within a few feet of a free fall, any publicity is good publicity. And Rahul provided the right amount of ballast in the project. The only meaningful image makeover would be along the lines of George W Bush. Inverted text books and confusing New Zealand with Sri Lanka is the perfect recipe for an image overhaul. And with apparent ease, the congress Vice President seems to tune in to this wavelength. While the urban middle class driving around in their colourful, matted hatchbacks roll on the floors of their drawing rooms in laughter, they miss out on the fluids that transpire about the core of voter space- the masses.

While the English media steamrolls Rahul in a clown car, the vernacular press plants promise and empathy. Simple repetitive answers in English when directly translated to vernacular media iron out the alarming features observed only by anglicized viewership. Just like the hand stamps on nightclub queues that are visible only under white light. The vernacular viewership would easily question the Rahul bashing and dismiss the over enthusiasm of the English media. In the end, a simple message is communicated to the masses in their own language. This, over and above the praise and promise from the international media deemed irrelevant by the opposition and their ilk.

The subjects of mission 272 sit back and sip on their martini in anticipation of a landslide. But the architects for sure have a thought process in their labs. A battle of the PRs is often bloody, especially when fought on political fields. The rise of NaMo would mean total powerlessness for at least a decade, something aging congressmen cannot afford. Valiant attempts by the septuagenarians by prodding Dentsu with their walking sticks will try to botch up the mission 272 by the rival camp. A fractured mandate is better for the congress for lobbying and coalition will ensure a veiled presence in some form. A case of not going for a win but a draw to save the series.

Who cares about the spirit of the game anyway?

The curious case of 2014

The 2014 elections loom large. Parties have promptly begun scampering about trying hard to blunt knives of the opposition. Like before every world cup, as it is almost certain that India would emerge victorious, each man imagines himself as prime minister on the floor of the lower house. Scores of imaginary victories are won before a single vote has been  cast. Verbal projectiles are fired, TV debates spear levels of viewership to new heights.

Narendra Modi has become the to go man of many. The Anglicized middle class among several others, deem the Hindi-only speaker capable of seeing off all ills that stunt India. Rahul Gandhi of the rival camp has been prodded to the fore in perfect Sicilian fashion by his partymen. The media has draped their 2014 schedule with this shawl. These men, by media sound, are to be exchanging bloodshot glimpses at one another.

The question in red- Are they each other's enemies on the battle filed? Or are ghost fighters using them as portals for turf wars?

In the former's case, it is well known that his most dangerous rivals are in his own living room. The numerous aspirants for the role blush when a few littles at airports and stations come up and butter them as 'PMs in waiting'. Ninety odd Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, among many, who acknowledge Modi's might, fame and repeated victories in his state appear to want to channelize that into ballast for their own ships. After which would arrive the real opponent- the INC.

The curious case of Rahul Gandhi

Not one man of the INC dares to defy or interject when it comes to the Prime Ministerial ambitions of Mr. Gandhi. Collectively though, all are for the same cause-a non-Gandhi PM. On film, the Digvijay Singhs, Kamal Naths and Renukas chant "Gandhi-Gandhi" knowing fully well that leading India isn't quite his cup of tea. Each reiteration of his aspiration appears to the naked eye as a kick on the nut to prevent him, or more importantly to discourage and demoralize the young Gandhi so he may dismiss the throne for another. But like his mum, his plans appear to be vague and rear seated. A character who can be pushed around with gay abandon would be a dream come true. Mrs. Gandhi pulled this of with a great man of impeccable character and academic excellence on her leash, something that might never be replicated. Rahul would like to lasso the likes of Sushil Kumar Shinde, Shivraj Patil and Manish Tiwari.

Mr. Gandhi is a victim of his mother's standards in political circuit. A dude who loves partying hard and knoweth not that he knoweth not would struggle to be the head of a billion heads in a hostile neighbourhood. With accomplished, self made men like Chidambaram, Antony and

Tharoor in the weapon cache, it is important to have a master of chess and not marbles in the control room.

Modi faces a frontal attack all round- be it within or without the party. His solutions are binary- all or nothing. Just like a four hundred run target in one day cricket. Gandhi, on the other hand seems to be a goalie where his own defenders are looking to score own goals. Unlike his opponents, at forty, Rahul is still wee and cute. To equalize with the likes of Maya, Modi, Nitish and Jaya he must break out of the rose tints inside which he's perched to show the ball and its dispatchers where they belong. If not for himself, for the billion he wishes (or doesn't) to lead.

The Opening Stand

A Sachin ton often ends in defeat, many argue. The awestruck fives, sixes and sevens who walk in when the job is three quarters done might be a loose attempt in rationalizing. Such is the appreciation of visual art that it is forgotten that there is a task at hand to be completed. Virender Sehwag has often provided a sequel to episodes directed by Sachin. If the chisels, dabs, cuts and hoics were tough to replicate the end result was presented with equal intensity but less definition. If Sachin dissected the opposition like a surgeon at work, carefully labeling grey areas and balming up his elbows to scoop out runs, Sehwag arrived with a severed head or limb to announce his input to the code. It was game of good cop-bad cop that these men played with many-an-opponent. Finally, it appears that the chainsaw is jammed. The hands of the man who tore and crumpled epics in serif quilled by legends of the past from across the globe seem to have lost the recoil. A hang in fire finds him losing his wicket to minnows who checked in recently.

Young lads and graceful greyers from the South, North and West are campaigning for the central purpose of their causes. Dhawan, Mukund, Jaffer, Jivanjyot, Uthappa, to name a few are men who have set off flares in domestic cricket. With about thousand runs in the Ranji season, the sirens are deafening. Sehwag might have to check out. With alternate pieces listed and ready to complete the jigsaw, will and old Sehwag return to provide a retro effect to the picture?

A difficult call. But he happens to be a victim of the idol prevention tactic deployed by selectors to make sure another Sachin doesn't happen. Being above the committee, the board and having the selectors answerable and blushy when dropped is something only Sachin could pull off. Dhoni, of course, might be getting there through a different path. But before a halo appears behind the head the few wise men have decided to snipe the moving target.