The election season is reaching its climax. Today, the power corridors and media fraternity are busy discussing the fortunes of BJP and Congress in the assembly elections ahead of the results.

The common theme interwoven in almost every discussion is whether the BJP will lose, will be 'taught' a lesson and so on and so forth. The BJP, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being judged for every decision the government has taken in states ruled by it.

These discussions evoke a lot of interest among people because it entails the fall of a leader.

Everyone who has read comics, seen superhero movies and watched a system at its pinnacle, loves the fall of the leader. It's an emotion which generates a lot of interest among the section of people who follow politics and is astonishing for others to see someone they look up to, fall.

Leaders often take a decision or a series of decisions which lead to a downward spiral and cause reverse momentum. This is not a piece where I will be dissecting the good and bad of Narendra Modi government. This is about leadership.

Watching a big leader fall also gives a&nbsp;certain kind of pleasure to people who for decades have been suppressed. Social evils exist in every society - India is no different - and certain practices (I will call them mistakes) followed by socially elevated sections of society create and propagate these feelings.

Among the various reasons given for the failure of a leader is not giving himself/herself enough time to process things which leads to a lack of discernment and sometimes disastrous decisions. Other reasons can include immaturity, lack of knowledge, less awareness etc.

There is a streak in people who rejoice when Humpty Dumpty has a great fall, but insist that rise and fall are the part and parcel of leadership. In the end, it's history that judges better because it sees things with deeper perspective and greater hindsight. 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) 
&nbsp;

The election season is reaching its climax. Today, the power corridors and media fraternity are busy discussing the fortunes of BJP and Congress in the assembly elections ahead of the results.

The election season is reaching its climax. Today, the power corridors and media fraternity are busy discussing the fortunes of BJP and Congress in the assembly elections ahead of the results. The common theme interwoven in almost every discussion is whether the BJP will lose, will be 'taught' a lesson and so on and so forth. The BJP, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being judged for every decision the government has taken in states ruled by it. These discussions evoke a lot of interest among people because it entails the fall of a leader. Everyone who has read comics, seen superhero movies and watched a system at its pinnacle, loves the fall of the leader. It's an emotion which generates a lot of interest among the section of people who follow politics and is astonishing for others to see someone they look up to, fall. Leaders often take a decision or a series of decisions which lead to a downward spiral and cause reverse momentum. This is not a piece where I will be dissecting the good and bad of Narendra Modi government. This is about leadership. Watching a big leader fall also gives a certain kind of pleasure to people who for decades have been suppressed. Social evils exist in every society - India is no different - and certain practices (I will call them mistakes) followed by socially elevated sections of society create and propagate these feelings. Among the various reasons given for the failure of a leader is not giving himself/herself enough time to process things which leads to a lack of discernment and sometimes disastrous decisions. Other reasons can include immaturity, lack of knowledge, less awareness etc. There is a streak in people who rejoice when Humpty Dumpty has a great fall, but insist that rise and fall are the part and parcel of leadership. In the end, it's history that judges better because it sees things with deeper perspective and greater hindsight. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Assembly elections 2018: Ah! To comment on fluctuating fortunes

Apple has come out with its latest offering - the iPhone Xs, iPhone X Max and the Apple Watch Series 4 - and the powerful iOS 12. All these gadgets are beautiful, sleek and powerful. They can do many day-to-day things in a jiffy and are still left with a lot of juice.

The same is the scene with smartphone makers who have chosen to go with Android. One such company Samsung has introduced its most powerful gadget, the Note 9, with a stylus and a hardware configuration which can easily give today's desktops and laptops a run for the money. The Gigabytes and Terabytes these gadgets offer, and the processing speed which their CPUs are capable of, are mind-boggling! Forget market leaders, even newcomers like OnePlus and other Chinese smartphone makers are breaking the barriers every day and giving the flagship makers a tough competition.

So much has happened in the last decade that it is becoming impossible to keep up with technological advancements. How much of the hardware is of actual use to an ordinary person, is still debatable. What's amazing is, despite all this power, these 'Bruce Almighties of technology' still primarily make calls!

When you run with technology, trying to understand what's on offer, marvelling at the newly-introduced feature and comprehending the power of computing in the palm of your hand, fatigue is bound to set in.

I had a similar experience when I read about the latest developments in the tech world on my computer. With face between my palms, elevated breathing and a deep sigh, I sank in the chair at home. Peeking through fingers, I saw a box. It suddenly struck me that this is where I've kept most of my old tech stuff. I opened it and found an iPod. The first generation.

Yes, it looks ancient, doesn't even have a display (screen), resembles a pen drive but it has a nostalgic feeling attached to it. This is my first Apple gadget. With only 512 MB onboard storage, it once had songs which are my all-time favourite. I bought it in 2006 but it is still intact. And before you pop THE question: Yes, it is working. I plugged it in my laptop, charged it and transferred some songs through iTunes. It has just one round button - a minimalistic design hallmark of Apple. I pressed the button and voila! The gadget began transmitting the sound waves to my ear through the earphones. It felt like using a Gramophone in today's advanced world but delighted me to the core.

My interest further arose and I began sifting through my cupboard. I stumbled upon the N81, the Symbian OS-based phone launched by Nokia in 2007. It was a gaming device and came pre-loaded with N-Gage 2.0. I remember playing Asphalt 3 on this tiny screen. It was fun back then. And I communicated through calls and SMS-es back then. Yes, SMS-es - the feature that is present in today's phones too but is rarely used. People only get spam SMS-es from banking, real estate and other sectors. Reading those old SMS-es where I used funny abbreviations to keep it within the 160 character limit (to avoid paying for two SMS-es) brought a smile on my face. There were long threads but mostly goofy stuff.

The feelgood factor compelled me to take out the CD player I proudly brought home years ago. Right next to it was a box of CDs which I collected after a lot of struggle and spending money. The music CD of a movie released 20 years ago looked like a Gramophone record today. The player also has the functionality to play cassettes, but unfortunately, I don't have any. It did not have a USB port or Bluetooth to stream music, but it gave comfort.

I took out the CD of Bollywood movie 'Taal' which released in 1999 and played it in the music system. As Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan crooned 'Dil Ye Bechain Hai', I felt a sense of calmness in my nerves. The beats were exhilarating and Rahman's music brought back old memories - and smile. All this comforted me, the very purpose a technology is introduced, and which I feel is missing in today's time.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

&nbsp;

Apple has come out with its latest offering - the iPhone Xs, iPhone X Max and the Apple Watch Series 4 - and the powerful iOS 12. All these gadgets are beautiful, sleek and powerful.

Apple has come out with its latest offering - the iPhone Xs, iPhone X Max and the Apple Watch Series 4 - and the powerful iOS 12. All these gadgets are beautiful, sleek and powerful. They can do many day-to-day things in a jiffy and are still left with a lot of juice. The same is the scene with smartphone makers who have chosen to go with Android. One such company Samsung has introduced its most powerful gadget, the Note 9, with a stylus and a hardware configuration which can easily give today's desktops and laptops a run for the money. The Gigabytes and Terabytes these gadgets offer, and the processing speed which their CPUs are capable of, are mind-boggling! Forget market leaders, even newcomers like OnePlus and other Chinese smartphone makers are breaking the barriers every day and giving the flagship makers a tough competition. So much has happened in the last decade that it is becoming impossible to keep up with technological advancements. How much of the hardware is of actual use to an ordinary person, is still debatable. What's amazing is, despite all this power, these 'Bruce Almighties of technology' still primarily make calls! When you run with technology, trying to understand what's on offer, marvelling at the newly-introduced feature and comprehending the power of computing in the palm of your hand, fatigue is bound to set in. I had a similar experience when I read about the latest developments in the tech world on my computer. With face between my palms, elevated breathing and a deep sigh, I sank in the chair at home. Peeking through fingers, I saw a box. It suddenly struck me that this is where I've kept most of my old tech stuff. I opened it and found an iPod. The first generation. Yes, it looks ancient, doesn't even have a display (screen), resembles a pen drive but it has a nostalgic feeling attached to it. This is my first Apple gadget. With only 512 MB onboard storage, it once had songs which are my all-time favourite. I bought it in 2006 but it is still intact. And before you pop THE question: Yes, it is working. I plugged it in my laptop, charged it and transferred some songs through iTunes. It has just one round button - a minimalistic design hallmark of Apple. I pressed the button and voila! The gadget began transmitting the sound waves to my ear through the earphones. It felt like using a Gramophone in today's advanced world but delighted me to the core. My interest further arose and I began sifting through my cupboard. I stumbled upon the N81, the Symbian OS-based phone launched by Nokia in 2007. It was a gaming device and came pre-loaded with N-Gage 2.0. I remember playing Asphalt 3 on this tiny screen. It was fun back then. And I communicated through calls and SMS-es back then. Yes, SMS-es - the feature that is present in today's phones too but is rarely used. People only get spam SMS-es from banking, real estate and other sectors. Reading those old SMS-es where I used funny abbreviations to keep it within the 160 character limit (to avoid paying for two SMS-es) brought a smile on my face. There were long threads but mostly goofy stuff. The feelgood factor compelled me to take out the CD player I proudly brought home years ago. Right next to it was a box of CDs which I collected after a lot of struggle and spending money. The music CD of a movie released 20 years ago looked like a Gramophone record today. The player also has the functionality to play cassettes, but unfortunately, I don't have any. It did not have a USB port or Bluetooth to stream music, but it gave comfort. I took out the CD of Bollywood movie 'Taal' which released in 1999 and played it in the music system. As Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan crooned 'Dil Ye Bechain Hai', I felt a sense of calmness in my nerves. The beats were exhilarating and Rahman's music brought back old memories - and smile. All this comforted me, the very purpose a technology is introduced, and which I feel is missing in today's time. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Blog: Breakneck innovation and comforting nostalgia

The occasion was right. The stage was set. And under the ever watchful eyes of our jawans, the 'performer' took to the stage. <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/we-have-zero-tolerance-for-corruption-black-money-says-pm-narendra-modi-159249">Narendra Modi</a> and his eloquence knows no bounds. In a white kurta and orange-red pagdi (headgear), Modi arrived to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/from-space-mission-to-women-empowerment-excerpts-from-pm-narendra-modis-fifth-independence-day-speech-159254">address the nation</a> on Independence Day - his last as PM before next year's elections. The words were chosen carefully, crafted to perfection.

After <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/independence-day-2018-indias-road-to-freedom-159260">unfurling the Tricolour</a>, as hundreds watched on their TV screens, Modi roared from the ramparts of the Red Fort, "Country is reaching new heights, people are feeling optimistic" and began listing the achievements of his government.

A master orator, Modi knows how to seize the moment. In 2014, he arrived at the Red Fort in a red turban and delivered a power-packed speech, in line with the 'Modi Wave' which brought the BJP to power.

As Modi gestured, his turban moved with him, much like the cape of 'Doctor Strange'. The free flowing cloth of his turban seemed to accentuate the point he was making.

Modi has never shied away from sartorial experiments, especially when it comes to turbans. At different occasions, he has worn various turbans. From a Japi (a traditional Assamese hat) to a saffron turban, Modi has carefully chosen his headgear to make a statement.

And today was no different. Modi was dressed in orange-coloured headgear. The choice was apt considering he was presenting the report card of his government and sending a message ahead of the general elections next year. Saffron, which indicates the strength and courage of the country, was chosen by Modi to emphasise that he led the government with strength and courage.

He also chose saffron headgear for the occasion perhaps to give reply to Congress president Rahul Gandhi who yesterday said he doesn't believe in 'any kind of Hindutva'. The choice was political - making it clear that Hindutva is very much at the core of the BJP. It is the battle colour of the Rajputs, the warrior caste primarily from Rajasthan. The peppering of red in his turban today symbolised the tilak a warrior puts on his forehead before heading to the battlefield.

In today's speech, Modi did not mention Pakistan, China or any neighbouring country. Or talked about India's foreign policy. Modi's headgear meant he is ready for the electoral battle. The tone of his speech and colour choice meant he unleashed the battle cry for the elections next year.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

A master orator, Modi knows how to seize the moment.

The occasion was right. The stage was set. And under the ever watchful eyes of our jawans, the 'performer' took to the stage. Narendra Modi and his eloquence knows no bounds. In a white kurta and orange-red pagdi (headgear), Modi arrived to address the nation on Independence Day - his last as PM before next year's elections. The words were chosen carefully, crafted to perfection. After unfurling the Tricolour, as hundreds watched on their TV screens, Modi roared from the ramparts of the Red Fort, "Country is reaching new heights, people are feeling optimistic" and began listing the achievements of his government. A master orator, Modi knows how to seize the moment. In 2014, he arrived at the Red Fort in a red turban and delivered a power-packed speech, in line with the 'Modi Wave' which brought the BJP to power. As Modi gestured, his turban moved with him, much like the cape of 'Doctor Strange'. The free flowing cloth of his turban seemed to accentuate the point he was making. Modi has never shied away from sartorial experiments, especially when it comes to turbans. At different occasions, he has worn various turbans. From a Japi (a traditional Assamese hat) to a saffron turban, Modi has carefully chosen his headgear to make a statement. And today was no different. Modi was dressed in orange-coloured headgear. The choice was apt considering he was presenting the report card of his government and sending a message ahead of the general elections next year. Saffron, which indicates the strength and courage of the country, was chosen by Modi to emphasise that he led the government with strength and courage. He also chose saffron headgear for the occasion perhaps to give reply to Congress president Rahul Gandhi who yesterday said he doesn't believe in 'any kind of Hindutva'. The choice was political - making it clear that Hindutva is very much at the core of the BJP. It is the battle colour of the Rajputs, the warrior caste primarily from Rajasthan. The peppering of red in his turban today symbolised the tilak a warrior puts on his forehead before heading to the battlefield. In today's speech, Modi did not mention Pakistan, China or any neighbouring country. Or talked about India's foreign policy. Modi's headgear meant he is ready for the electoral battle. The tone of his speech and colour choice meant he unleashed the battle cry for the elections next year. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Decoding Modi's Independence Day speech, and saffron headgear

The Bharatiya Janata Party has done the unthinkable again. It has emerged as the single-largest party after the assembly election results in Karnataka, a Congress citadel, pushing Congress to a point where if it is unable to form a government in the state, it will be reduced to just two states - Punjab and Mizoram - one one Union Territory, Puducherry.

The BJP has been able to achieve this feat because it has been facing one challenge after another since coming to power in 2014. The hunger to be at the top, to beat other parties and become number 1 keeps the Narendra Modi-led BJP going. It reminds me of the third installment of the famous 'Rocky' film series starring Sylvester Stallone. The film, which released in 1982, shows boxer Rocky Balboa not taking a young challenger seriously.

Rocky's mentor presses him for to be more focussed, but Rocky acts like a smug and the celebrity boxer is defeated by the 'hungry' challenger.

This is the same thing that has happened with Congress and its president Rahul Gandhi. The writing was there on the wall, the BJP was preparing hard - it was able to make inroads in rural Karnataka too - the caste arithmetic was altered, yet an overconfident and underprepared Rahul Gandhi refused to take the challenge seriously.

The Congress relied heavily on pleasing the Lingayats, by giving them a status of minority religion, and playing to the Kannada sentiments - they created a separate Kannada flag - but the will and determination was lacking.

The voting was held in Karnataka on Saturday and the state saw a record voter turnout of 72.36 per cent. Most of the exit polls had predicted a hung assembly and gave BJP an edge. The party made these predictions true and is on the way to bag more than 100 seats. The deep inroads made by the BJP in Karnataka shows its level of preparedness.

They had projected B S Yeddyurappa as its chief ministerial face. Yeddyurappa was allegedly involvement in a massive illegal iron ore mining scam and was even put behind bars for corruption charges and had to spend over 20 days in Bangalore's central prison. The BJP was able to overcome all that and has come so close to forming the government in the state.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

The writing was there on the wall, the BJP was preparing hard, yet an overconfident and underprepared Rahul Gandhi refused to take the challenge seriously.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has done the unthinkable again. It has emerged as the single-largest party after the assembly election results in Karnataka, a Congress citadel, pushing Congress to a point where if it is unable to form a government in the state, it will be reduced to just two states - Punjab and Mizoram - one one Union Territory, Puducherry. The BJP has been able to achieve this feat because it has been facing one challenge after another since coming to power in 2014. The hunger to be at the top, to beat other parties and become number 1 keeps the Narendra Modi-led BJP going. It reminds me of the third installment of the famous 'Rocky' film series starring Sylvester Stallone. The film, which released in 1982, shows boxer Rocky Balboa not taking a young challenger seriously. Rocky's mentor presses him for to be more focussed, but Rocky acts like a smug and the celebrity boxer is defeated by the 'hungry' challenger. This is the same thing that has happened with Congress and its president Rahul Gandhi. The writing was there on the wall, the BJP was preparing hard - it was able to make inroads in rural Karnataka too - the caste arithmetic was altered, yet an overconfident and underprepared Rahul Gandhi refused to take the challenge seriously. The Congress relied heavily on pleasing the Lingayats, by giving them a status of minority religion, and playing to the Kannada sentiments - they created a separate Kannada flag - but the will and determination was lacking. The voting was held in Karnataka on Saturday and the state saw a record voter turnout of 72.36 per cent. Most of the exit polls had predicted a hung assembly and gave BJP an edge. The party made these predictions true and is on the way to bag more than 100 seats. The deep inroads made by the BJP in Karnataka shows its level of preparedness. They had projected B S Yeddyurappa as its chief ministerial face. Yeddyurappa was allegedly involvement in a massive illegal iron ore mining scam and was even put behind bars for corruption charges and had to spend over 20 days in Bangalore's central prison. The BJP was able to overcome all that and has come so close to forming the government in the state. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Underprepared Rahul knocked down by challenger BJP in Karnataka

The first female superstar of Hindi silver screen is no more. It&#39;s shocking but there is nothing we mortals can do against the wishes of the messengers of death. We must live with it and be gracious enough to offer her family their privacy to come to term with the loss. Grief needs privacy to tide over it.

However, privacy is a commodity that&#39;s in short supply with conspiracy theorists having a field day due to discrepancies in the causes of her death. It started off with a cardiac arrest and now it is indicated that it&#39;s accidental drowning. The incident in Dubai is also being linked to the sudden demise of Divya Bharti, who died young after just working for three years in the film industry.

While reporting about all the angles related to the demise of a superstar is fine and well within the right of media person, trying to find a controversial angle in every event is not.

As I mentioned earlier too there might be some discrepancies in reports coming out of Dubai but that&#39;s in the nature of sudden death. Police will investigate all the angles before giving a clear go ahead. It&#39;s a procedural reality. It was reported that she died of a cardiac arrest, but an autopsy report from Dubai later said the reason was &#39;accidental drowning&#39;. Now reports are emerging that there were traces of liquor too in Sridevi&#39;s blood. I think it&#39;s moment to moment reporting that&#39;s creating more confusion than there is any need.

This is not good. A person has died, respect that. Sridevi&#39;s family is trying to get the custody of her body so that it can be brought back to India for last rites. But high-decibel discussions in TV studios, and anchors raising questions like &#39;When she died of accidental drowning, who floated the theory of cardiac arrest?&#39; make it worse. This live post-mortem in TV studio smacks of insinuation. It seems journalists and &#39;experts&#39; both are hell bent on proving it is a murder.

I think let the Dubai police complete its investigations and come up with a final report. Based on that people can then draw their own conclusions. As they say facts are sacroscant, opinion is a choice. Stick to the facts if for nothing then just as a mark of respect for the departed soul. In a sombre moment like this, it&#39;s very important to stick to the facts. You might not be the first to report that her body has arrived in India, but you will be regarded as a credible media house if you just tell the audience that her cremation will take place at certain place and time or that it has happened, and move on.

Giving out intricate details, imputing motives, indicating towards a conspiracy where none exists or reporting on every little details relevant or not is demeaning someone&#39;s demise and heaping untold misery on those left behind to grieve.

Sridevi was a superstar of our generation, we should not start denigrating her just because she is no more and we have a opportunity to see TRP ratings.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

While reporting about all the angles related to the demise of a superstar is fine and well within the right of media person, trying to find a controversial angle in every event is not.

The first female superstar of Hindi silver screen is no more. It's shocking but there is nothing we mortals can do against the wishes of the messengers of death. We must live with it and be gracious enough to offer her family their privacy to come to term with the loss. Grief needs privacy to tide over it. However, privacy is a commodity that's in short supply with conspiracy theorists having a field day due to discrepancies in the causes of her death. It started off with a cardiac arrest and now it is indicated that it's accidental drowning. The incident in Dubai is also being linked to the sudden demise of Divya Bharti, who died young after just working for three years in the film industry. While reporting about all the angles related to the demise of a superstar is fine and well within the right of media person, trying to find a controversial angle in every event is not. As I mentioned earlier too there might be some discrepancies in reports coming out of Dubai but that's in the nature of sudden death. Police will investigate all the angles before giving a clear go ahead. It's a procedural reality. It was reported that she died of a cardiac arrest, but an autopsy report from Dubai later said the reason was 'accidental drowning'. Now reports are emerging that there were traces of liquor too in Sridevi's blood. I think it's moment to moment reporting that's creating more confusion than there is any need. This is not good. A person has died, respect that. Sridevi's family is trying to get the custody of her body so that it can be brought back to India for last rites. But high-decibel discussions in TV studios, and anchors raising questions like 'When she died of accidental drowning, who floated the theory of cardiac arrest?' make it worse. This live post-mortem in TV studio smacks of insinuation. It seems journalists and 'experts' both are hell bent on proving it is a murder. I think let the Dubai police complete its investigations and come up with a final report. Based on that people can then draw their own conclusions. As they say facts are sacroscant, opinion is a choice. Stick to the facts if for nothing then just as a mark of respect for the departed soul. In a sombre moment like this, it's very important to stick to the facts. You might not be the first to report that her body has arrived in India, but you will be regarded as a credible media house if you just tell the audience that her cremation will take place at certain place and time or that it has happened, and move on. Giving out intricate details, imputing motives, indicating towards a conspiracy where none exists or reporting on every little details relevant or not is demeaning someone's demise and heaping untold misery on those left behind to grieve. Sridevi was a superstar of our generation, we should not start denigrating her just because she is no more and we have a opportunity to see TRP ratings. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Let Sridevi rest in peace

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Zee News Rajasthan

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Amit Chaturvedi

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