Obama obama ...

So Newspapers and news websites lose a significant portion of their news feed today. Obama becomes president and becomes convincingly. My few cents

1. I watched McCain on CNN. He was composed and he is not rhetorical like Obama.Wish India had such politicians.
2. he thanked his family and wife ,a very uncommon thing in India everyone thanks either Sonia Gandhi or their party leader

I guess Westminster model has failed us.It has led to fragmented polity and Prime minister is changed based on whether local candidate i of my caste or my drainage is working or not. All big countries in world USA, Russia, China, Brazil, Australia, France and Germany have a presidential system. Only in a highly homogeneous society like UK or Canada or small countries parliamentary system can work.It is time we get rid of romantic notions about parliamentary system and brace ourselves for a new system.

3. On TV people were seen crying in crowds.One of my friend remarked we can't feel this thing I said why you should you are not an American. Then he said "No, I mean in India whoever becomes I don't feel any emotion". This is why we need presidential system. This will make last man in street a direct participant in the process.Significant numerical communities but in effect disenfranchised like Muslims will get a new voice in such a system.

In India I guess people would have cried in similar way when Janata party came to power in 1977 and I saw some die hard nationalists like my grandpa weeping with joy when Atalji formed first 13 day government. But it has been a dream gone sour.Now whether at local, national or state level there is little to differentiate between BJP and congress

4. People are are unduly overjoyed at Obama win without realizing that he is sworn enemy of outsourcing, will twist India's arm on Kashmir and at least will affect salaries and jobs of us MBA's but media is still communist liberal so a sensible chap like McCain is equated with Bush and Obama is treated as new deal while essentially he is only a black JF Kennedy.

Book Review : Nice guys finsih second

I first heard name of this book when I was in class 5. During preparation for all those numerous general knowledge competition I heard name of this book and author which of coures I dutifully crammed.
My age, society, school or city - none of them enabled me to understand what this book was and what it was about.
I had forgotten completely about this book as our media has a flavor to celebrate authors who have some glamor quotient . B K Nehru had none ,it is a different matter that at one time he was the best known man to US administration .
Another point which went against BK was though he was an old man but he was not aloof from modernity as against other Indian leaders and statesman he had a proper understanding of world of finance and international politics. I have read autobiographies of Nehru, prasad and among bureaucrats Haksar & Dharmavira and all these men though great they were were blissfully ignorant of larger world and I think this has been India's problem from time immortal.

Next I read BK Nehru in a book on north eastern states in which in the chapter on Nagaland one ex HT journalist who had made nagaland his home lambasted BK Nehru for his approach to solve Nagaland problem. Next I read about him in Jagmohan's "My frozen turbulence in Kashmir". Jagmohan;s approach was curious .He was not lambasting BK but at the same time to show that he improved state's administration says previous men who dealt with Kashmir were inapt. But when one proceeds further in book and Jagmohan laments that during governorship when there is an elected CM , there is not much to do I understood that even BK did not have much option before him.
I don;t have the book with me now but i highlighted important parts in the book for which I think future reader of that library book will not forgive me so as a penace I wil ltry to make best use of my memory and write a review or my impressions of the book either chronologically or topic wise.