Tuesday, November 4, 2008

golmal all the way

D-Day in America, and it certainly looks like a Formula One finish, with Hamilton pipping Massa to the Championship even after not starting in the pole position. I watched the man with the skinny arms and legs ( shame on you, Arnie!) at the polls and thought once again how made for the media the guy is. Compared to Grandpa McCain, Obama exudes pure testosterone, but in the best way. As I write this, three key states are still to kick in with their votes, and the Obama lead is pretty narrow. As an Indian, Obama is not our best best. He has been pretty unambiguous on several touchy issues (Kashmir). However, his naara for CHANGE is exactly what the doctor ordered, and we could do with some ourselves. Instead, what was the desi news focusing on ? What was taking a precedence over everything else tonite? A minister bounced off a flight and then assaulting the manager who refused to let him board when he arrived late. And a 21year-old bratty son of a Goa politician who finally surrendered to the local cops after the 15-year-old German girl he is alleged to have raped, was examined by docs to establish the veracity of her charge.Rohit the Rat, arrived at the cop shop in style (in an official car and with body guards!) while his father insisted the rat was being framed by rivals! A top Army guy, who headed the law wing was indited on charges of corruption. If all this is sounding ominous, well.... it is just that.Ominous.
I am dead beat. And dreading the drive to Mehboob studios tomorrow for an Elle shoot. But I adore the photographer Colston and always enjoy our shoots. The Chaatt puja will slow down traffic still further, but it is the stepped up bandobast that is really causing concern. My Bihari driver painstakingly explained the significance of the puja to me. Before adding it is the politicians who have converted a simple ritual into a national issue.Shambhu has been in Mumbai for fourteen years. He doesn't speak a word of marathi and barely knows any roads besides Marine Drive. But he is a good chap. And would give his life for me. Raj would be lucky to have Shambhu as his chauffeur! Good night guys. We shall wake up to a brand new President of America.... Black or White is more than a Michael Jackson track, right??

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

shoot..wow
Best-Wishes !
New president ?
Why ?

ek-ladki-anjaani-si said...

Good Morning Ms. De! Hopefully, you will wake up to the good news and this blog! Here in Chicago, we intend to stay up all night, until the last of the last poll results are announced! Take a wild guess who will call in sick into work tomorrow! Yes all of us!

Black AND White, OBAMA is JUST RIGHT!

From the hawk-eye view of Grant Park in Chicago, we are all set for the victory celebrations that start in a couple of hours! Wish you were here to witness this historical day, DE!

Angel's Flight said...

Actually Shobhaa, Obama has called on Pakistan to actually stop its underhanded tactics with India and concentrate on its own border with Afghanistan......and Democrats usually are friends of India...as a voting person of Indian origin here in America, that was something i paid attention to.

Keeping my fingers crossed!

ek-ladki-anjaani-si said...

YAY! He WON!
I agree with angel's flight, he is India friendly. Let the reform begin, and while you read this with sleepy eyes, Ms De, off I go to bed, happy! Have a great day at the shoot :-D

kaleidoscope said...

Hurrah Obama won! This is truly an emotional moment. A historic win notwithstanding, a super dapper black president and his on/off screen presence will go a long way in ameliorating the black/white divide here. I am positive.

After Harvey Milk, this one for me is one truly beautiful historic moment. I can now go to bed.

Cheers!

Harish said...

I got up this morn with a wish that obama wins. And he won. I am duhh in world politics and have no clue what difference would an Obama make or Hilary Amma would make... but still, there was a smile on my face when I realised that Obama is winning, and he has won. And as I introspect, My joy has an unknown reason, and the reason isnt his skin colour.

Bratty sons surrender, but then bratty baaps save them.So Salman Khanish... I am thinking of the trauma that the 15 year old girl has been through post rape to bring the accused to book. Police asking her wierd questions, doctors poking things, feeling and inspecting her reproductive organs... ewww... Its a whole new rape altogether. I Salute the girls spirit.

Elle! wah wah... it'd be wonderful, nice to see you on the fashion magazine's cover... Mehboob studios tak ka traffic, You will get roasted... Baap re Baap...

Its so nice that you know the name of your driver. Its so much better than calling "Aeeee Waiter...", "Aeee Driver..." Thats my blogdost... Shambhu is definitely a happy boy. (Raj, sorry... Shambhu is not interested)


Brand new president, Nahi!

You should say

The Brand: "New President"


:)

Aham

Pritesh Patel said...

Although i had come across your blog a few days ago, started reading it today.
Very entertaining!!!
Had been reading Vikster's blog until last month (equally entertaining!)

http://sourapplemartini.blogspot.com/

Keep blogging, for i shall look forward to reading...
Cheers !!!

SM said...

hi

nice blog like it

see u later
mit

http://realityviews.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Glad you are Blogging.In US, i miss reading your column "Shobhaa's People" in BT.

Yesterday felt like Diwali here. As soon as the News of Obama came out...the scene of India winning a cricket match against pakistan was duplicated here...Crackers bursting, People screaming and running on streets singin songs!

Cars playing loud pulsating hip hop tunes and wannabes shouting "OBAMA..OBAMA" Quite a scene!

B said...

Oh Shobhaa, please please capitalize the 'm' in marathi! :)

Double Seven said...

Sure it is.
Black Or White- it don't matter if you are black or white.
It's the Obamania baby!

I am loving it.
Californians are going crazy over it- not so crazy over the passage of Prop 8 though (Gay marriage is banned in California and for good)
Well-
Barack Obama has deserved the victory. People in America have agreed to believe in THE CHANGE finally.

he is the next clinton in the making. Trust me dude. The timing of his entry is so right (the american economy being in a great mess) that he has ample of battlefield to fight. And he has been a fighter all through his life- from his harvard days to he being a lawyer, to he making his stand bigger in the senate even though he was black and very young, to fighting to cope with the reality of his mom's death because of ovarian cancer at such a young age, and last but definitely not the least, he has been absolutely a near-flawless strategist and a fighter to win his campaign. Period. having icons like warren buffet, oprah winfrey, colin powell to his side I think he is a person of great substance which you are yet to explore. I wish i was american during his regime; both indian and american at the same time, a dual citizenship! :-/

Obama is definetly a symbolic progress for America and the world, but how he handles his 4 years and the results he creates will be what determines his presidency. If he messes up, it will just be another scapegoat to blame, but overall, it is a step in the right direction in terms of ethnic/racial progress. However, the economy/jobs/taxes/healthcare is another issue, many of the things he promises will be very difficult to accomplish without hurting big consumers who basically run the economy, so we'll see what obstacles he faces and overcomes.

The thing about Obama and young voters is that: people view him as this prolific speaker with impressive rhetorical skills and this deters from what he promises, how much more will he increase taxes, how much more will the wealthy pay, how can medicare be placed on an equal level for all americans (the medical/pharmacuetical industry just does not allow it)...

i tell you, pharmacuetical corporations run health care in the US, they dictate drug prices, what doctors can and cannot do, So only time will tell how his presidency falls into place, but, I must say, I did not expect a president with African heritage to be elected so soon.

The dream MLK had dreamt of 45 years ago has been realized today after 40 years since his assassination.

Soon you will see a president with indian heritage to be elected as president.

Old man McCain's concession speech yesterday was in my mind the most honest and loaded with integrity and humility. I thought for the first time that mccain was speaking like a forward thinking revolutionary.

--
77
(I am Double Seven and I approve this message)

Double Seven said...

I am Double Seven and I approve this message. (HeHe)

Actually De,
I am in strong agreements with both "ek-ladki" and angel's flight.
Obama may not have experience in foreign policy but that's the whole reason why he had chosen Joe Biden as his running mate- Joe Biden just loves India and has a lot of experience in foreign relation matters. Not like Sarah not-blonde-but-still-dumb Palin- because the whole world knows that McCain decided to go for her because of her deep-rooted Christian mentality (anti-abortion, etc.) and her strong 'diva' looks because she would easily attract white women to go out and to vote for her.
For Joe Biden- especially so, he has proved in the past in the senate his inclination in the field of South Asian politics, concerning the issue of Kashmir and its volatility.
McCain at Late Night Show With David Letterman admitted in front of Dave and his studio audience that he "screwed up".
Now, nobody knows exactly though to what that "screwed up" was pointing the screw at- was it at Palin or was it at his own campaigning approach nobody would know but the fact suggests that the former is possibly true.


Obama has said to CNN that he won't have any problem conducting ground attacks on Pakistan, to hunt down bin Laden and the Pakistani mujahideens.
Pakistan is actually in grave trouble right now.

--
77

kaleidoscope said...

77

I am aghast reading your comment "...(Gay marriage is banned in California and for good)".

While I was all blissfully teary eyed and joyful over the Obama win, I was again all teary eyed but disappointed reading about measures to ban gay marriage that succeeded in Florida, Arizona and California. Gay adoption was banned in Arkansas.

This part of the ballot measures were surely super tragic.

And 77, your comment...just super hurtful.