Will Poonam Pandey bare all for freedom?

So, Ms. Poonam Pandey was willing to bare all if the Men in Blue brought us the World Cup after a gap of 28 years.

Now the big question is: will she bare all if Anna brings us the much-promised ability to get rid of all the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats after a gap of 42 years?

That would be a good trophy to win.

And how will the rest of us celebrate? Will we party till 4 am on Marine Drive or honk ourselves silly at India Gate? And will the Indian cricket team throw their lot behind the brave Anna Hazare? Have you heard a single cricketer talk about removing corrupt politicians from the cricket boards? Well, Anna got Sharad Pawar to quit the board that was to oversee the drafting of the anti-corruption rules.

So, is there any call for a Bharat Ratna?

Or are we all concerned that the noise from an Anna celebration could drown out the thumping heart beats of the cheerleaders as they Go Go India, Dhak Dhak India.

And any sign of the industrialists who were busy writing letters to the Prime Minister on getting a cleaner India and how successive corruption scandals were hurting the image of India? Haven't heard from them so far.

And any "promoters" as we so rightly call them, calling Anna the best CEO the Indian freedom movement has had since the other freedom movement which got rid of the British?

Inconvenient truths

The truth is that, if Anna succeeds, the established order is at risk.

Not just the politicians and the babus, but even the industrial friends who spent much of their industrious efforts on sweetheart deals.

The young children trained by their fathers to break a red light and settle the problem with the traffic police will be at risk.

The industrialists who ran the most profitable business-to-babu racket (the Indian version of the B2B model that is prevalent in Silicon Valley) are at risk. The supply chains of underhand deals for over-land and under-sea assets that moved billions of dollars of public wealth into private coffers were the most efficient conduits for the transfer of wealth this side of the Columbian drug trade. That will be at risk.

Basically, much of the wealth established over the past 40 years and greatly exaggerated over the past 20 years, could be at risk.

Maybe the Air India planes flown by those pilots with fake flying licenses should be on standby to take everyone closer to their hidden treasures. Like what happened in Algeria and Egypt.

But we have a practical dilemma staring us straight in the face: what should we do?

Is it time to focus on the IPL and stay away from the noise that Anna has created?

Or is it time to focus on Anna and stay away from the noise that cricket can create?

Which victory is more important? And can we work with equal gusto for both?

What is real? What is unreal?

Will Poonam enlighten us or will she - and a corruption free India - remain a figment of our imagination while the World Cup remains our only victory?

The above is from a newsletter I receive from Equitymaster, written by Ajit Dayal.
Now who is Poonam Pandey.
I can assure you she is no relation of Mangal Pandey who started the first war of Independence in 1857. The British prefer to call it the Sepoy Mutiny.
Poonam's fame lies in her declaration that she would bare all if India won the world Cup.
She is 19 year old and a Kingfisher Model.
this was a stunt to achieve cheap publicity which our media gobbled up.
She is yet to keep her promise.
She has been threatened and served legal notice.
I would request the media not to push Anna to the back pages.
Keep the focus on him and pressurize the government to change their ways