Editorial Page
'If I were the President...'
By Rajendra Aneja
Fri, 6 Jul 2007, 11:59:00

EVER since the Presidential race started in India, you have neither slept nor let me sleep peacefully. The whole night you keep tossing!" nagged Patricia. "This is a critical job," I told her, "and all types of names and controversies are cropping up." "So why do you lose sleep over it?" she queried. "Frankly, I have been wondering whether I should also throw my hat into the ring."

Patricia did not smile. That would have been acceptable. She burst out into a wild laughter. "What you? The President?" she exclaimed incredulously. "Just because a newspaper prints your letters to the editor, that does not mean you can run India!" She placed her hand on her hips, looked me in the eye, and asked, "Fine, presuming that by some magic you get the job, what will you do?" I was caught. "I need some time to put my thoughts down," I responded. "See, as usual, ill-prepared!" she taunted.

Another sleepless night lay ahead of me. I went to my laptop and started writing an Agenda, in case I became the President. Next morning was Patricia's birthday, and I thought this would make a lofty present for her, a real labour of love, written in the night, like Dr Zhivago's Lara poem!

So, I wrote, by candlelight, till the wee hours dawn: "My minimum programme, as President of India: Milk: Each family will be given 1 litre of milk free daily. Milk is a basic food, has many nutrients, which enables the growth of the body and the mind.

Internet: Free Internet connection to all households. This will motivate Indians to explore the latest developments across the world. Phone: Free Mobile connection to every rural family. Rural India can be groomed to provide an excellent quality of living. If the facilities of the urban areas are available in the villages, migration and over-crowding in the cities will be arrested. Taxes: India will be a tax-free haven eg the UAE and Singapore. This will stop cheating and evasion. India should earn revenues through exports, technology and financial services. Gandhiji: Mahatma Gandhi's Autobiography "My Experiences with Truth" - free copy to every family. This book enshrines fundamental principles of living a good and useful life. It is secular in nature.

Sports: Free coaching classes in tennis, squash, karate and golf, so that we generate sports stars for the future. Gymnasiums can be used free, across the country. Literacy: Free notebook and pens will be distributed to each household to incentivise them to write, and thus improve literacy.

Cinema: Free cinema shows will run throughout the day in designated theatres and people can walk in and watch movies free of cost. Daily living in India is stressful, so a little cinema at the end of the day can provide relaxation." Next morning, I prepared Patricia's bed tea and placed my Agenda below a dozen roses on the breakfast table. "What is this, another handmade birthday card?" she queried. Then she opened the envelope. For once, I had surprised her. She read the manifesto at one go.

There was a pregnant silence in the room, as I waited for her verdict. "Not bad, not bad, for a first try. A wee over-enthusiastic, but the heart is in the right place," she remarked. "So you think I should make a bid?", I asked her nervously.

"There is only one problem," she replied, "this time the top bosses have decided that a woman will be the president of India. And, you are a man! So, perhaps I should forward your agenda, to Sonia Gandhi under my own name."

I cannot even win at home, I thought, so what chance do I have in Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. I had lost, even before I had begun the race. I have started sleeping in the nights, again. Patricia does not sleep well in the nights. You see, she is waiting for a call from Mrs G.!

(The author is the CEO of a Foods Company in the Middle East. He is the author of a book: Agenda For a New India)


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