A nice surprise on IC- 471

So, following on from the previous post.

I decided, on a whim, to visit some relatives in Jodhpur for the long weekend on 2nd of October.
I boarded the 1pm flight, and showed the pass to the stewardess. 'You've been given 5-D?!', she exclaimed.
I said, 'yes, is there an issue'?
'No, just sit here for now'.

A few moments later, as the last few passengers stuffed their baggage into the overhead compartments, the same stewardess told her colleague, 'don't let anyone put in their baggage into the first 3'
She then smiled very widely. I then thought, maybe Julia Roberts is going on this flight, no wonder the fuss.

I was wrong. In walked Mrs Sonia Gandhi, shyly, to take up her seat on 3A. My mouth hung open for a good 10 minutes. Boy did I want her autograph badly. I asked, pleaded, at least thrice but was refused by her security personnel. Which reminds me, she had four of them with her - with each ticket costing around Rs 3,200 - not to mention the helicopter that flew her to Nagaur from Jodhpur - how much are we actually saving??

Still, I do have a few hazy pictures of her which I shall soon post on facebook.

Austerity debate: is it just a farce?

For the past week or so, Congress’ austerity measures have dominated chatter at the workplace and in social settings in Delhi. Headlines in national dailies advertise the means by which members of the ruling party are demonstrating their concern for the poverty-stricken. But is this the manifestation of a genuine desire to economise or, as some opponents believe, a mere political gimmick?

A Superficial Measure

Pressurising ministers to travel ‘cattle class’, cutting down on chartered flights and banning them from staying in luxury hotels does reflect a desire to earn political points. After all, when Sonia Gandhi travelled by economy class, the story made headlines across the globe.

In all this clamour, the key issues are being underplayed. Saving a few thousand rupees via these measures is a mere symbolic gesture compared to the crores that could be saved by cutting MLA & MP fringe benefits, removing corrupt babus and fixing leakages in schemes such as the NREGA & the Mid-Day Meal Programme. It takes political will for this, does the UPA government have it?