Cinema and its Magic

Vasu Reddy from Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

 

While in my college days in India, there was no internet, not much television except single channel that broadcast national news and propaganda of the ruling party.  I don’t really remember being much of a TV watcher in my early and formative years.  Movies and Cricket were the main avocation outside of finishing school as quickly as possible.  I was good at school so whatever I did otherwise didn’t seem to bother my guardians.  If you got good grades in school, whatever you did was just fine, which I think is true to this age and time.  You have got to have a lot of energy to do well in school and hangout at the same time.  I had plenty of it.

 

Since the early days I can remember I loved to watch movies.  Simple and Indian masala and formula movies were always my favorite.  My memories are full with Amitabh Bachchan movies still and all of us wearing huge bell bottom pants and sporting long hair.  In those days following the latest trends in movies was just as normal as going to school.  I didn’t have any exceptions to trending with the movies in my circle of friends and siblings.  We all looked different but just about had the same style.  I have a lot of memories in pictures which I shared, and to date many of my profile pictures are from those days showing the style of the time.

 

My love for time pass movies continues from school to college to more degrees and a life time of travel and work.  Even today I love to watch movies, in any language I can find.  I have never liked horror but thriller movies and even television is a source of relaxation and enjoyment.  I have my own couch and a big screen with Netflix and Amazon Prime and a host of other channels that are at finger tips, and when at home by myself they have my attention.  I really don’t mind watching by myself or with family and friends.  Almost all Indian movies are just watching the couple of hours of long narration, song and dance, taking a single line story and twisting and turning it to a predicable ending is something I have never gotten tired of.  Every once in a while there will be a twist in a new movie that probably will be with a surprise ending.  I don't mind sticking to Indian movies, as I know what will be the end, but I will watch the entire movie.  Sometimes I skip the songs for a break, or if I am watching on my own smart TV skip them.  In theaters I will sit thru the end of the movie and enjoy the grandiose of the celluloid and appreciate the trouble that the makers went to bring it to the market.

 

I know times have changed and life and expectations have changed.  I don’t believe the movie makers and their dreams have changed.  The imagination (we have a lot of judges) is inclusive of the movie world.  We have everything we need to read and see on the internet.  The world travel (ignoring the current pandemic) is at an affordable price.  The technology makes anything possible.  It is inexpensive to create digital medium.  The aspects of movie making that have skyrocketed are the fan base and paycheck of the lead actors.  The audience acceptance of any movie while is as unpredictable as it has been from the beginning of time, it remains unpredictable.

 

Before I forget, I have to reiterate that I love cinema and television.  My viewing habits have not evolved or changed.  I enjoy watching the continued manipulation of a simple good versus evil story told with small variation, which is told thousands of times.

 

Before I vent my feeling on 100’s of reviewers including yours truly (I do write movie review on occasion) and the advent of internet as a primary medium for communications, the irony of reading them is upon a regular movie buff.  I might not be able to watch something day one or week one but as with many movie buffs, I want to watch and enjoy the experience without bias.  I don’t mind the reviews but they have become biased and sometimes terrible, and I even get the feeling if the person who wrote ever watched the movie.  In any case the Telugu movie reviews have become terrible in representing the movie and its experience.  For those who lived in the Chicago area for a while would remember Roger and Ebert, and their reviews of the new movies.  In fact all the news papers had their expert reviewer’s ad they were quite true to the pulse of the general public.  We don’t have that kind of sincerity in Telugu movie review critics.  This is in special reference to publishing a review day one or before the public gets a chance to see the movie.  I am not criticizing every review and every internet publication, but almost all the big movies seem to have their favorite critics, both writing very good and very bad analogy; both feeding to an individual actor by elevating or bashing.  It’s a terrible exposure as public has these reviews available for free and the reviews instill the bias of the person who pens them: often for individual preference or bias.  We can’t stop them from popping up as Internet is everywhere and we are on it 24/7/365 days.

I don’t have a solution, except making every effort to avoid reading them and talking to anyone about a movie.  This is also terrible as sharing the anticipation of a new movie was always a part of the movie going experience.  The difference in the days without internet was anticipation and excitement at least until you watched the movie.  Nowadays it is the internet buzzing out the experience with someone writing what I really want to experience for myself.  It’s a bummer.

My latest and very short review is here.  I saw Radhe Shyam, released on 3/11/2022 which is the new Prabhas movie on the day of its release.  I avoided the internet review or speaking to anyone.  I saw the movie alone.  To me it was no Amitabh Bachchan movie, but it was a Prabhas movie and it was worth my money.  To validate my words, see it without prejudiced reviews and you will certainly agree with me.

Enjoy the movies and the experience of escaping into celluloid of a couple of hours.  It costs little and will continue to show you life in color.  At last any review of the movie by critics is that they have found your viewership to be worth something, so they will keep trying to influence your movie viewing habits.  Even if you choose to view a review, just remember the movie is what we want to watch, and escape from reality life.

I will continue to enjoy the movies, all of them that I am able to watch.  I will create my own review after I actually watch the movie, or the show.  For now let me find the next movie to watch.

The Theory of Nothing

Vasu Reddy from Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

There are theories for everything.  I have been trying to find some solace in working every holiday, hoping that me showing up to work will help someone else who will celebrate the holiday, while I cover the time that I could have been doing nothing.  Perhaps for last 5 years I have put someone else ahead of my own theory of doing nothing, while letting other's let me work the holidays.  2021 has not been any different.

There is no absolute value to sacrifice and courtesy when it is not your turn.  No one seems to care and no one really gives two hoots about your time and effort.  The time value is personal and when you offer your time it is assumed that you are in the mode of self sacrifice, and it has no real value. "The theory of nothing."

2021 is almost done, actually in the last week.  Has been another year of Corona Virus variations, and it seem to never end.  I continue to work as much as I can, just as I did in 2020.  What a funny name for a crappy year "2020".  I was too glad that the year is almost in hind site, just as should be the reference to 2020.  The funny part is 2021 is exactly with same life lessons as it was 2020, and I am happy these 2 years are behind us.

I hope tp feel 2022 is a step to normalcy.  Whatever that means by normalcy.  My optimism has limits and although there no cynic that has surfaced within me in the last 24 months, my age probably has made me a bit open to the Theory of Nothing.  It really has.  I see even people less than half my age don't empathize with selflessness.  They are probably thinking it's their privilege.  Actually I have not seen empathy as an emotion lately.  Just nothing.  Only self preservation at any cost.

Let me get to my own "Theory of Nothing" now.  It serves no purpose.  As a ZERO by itself is really nothing, but a zero with something with in front of it will make it of value and the numbers will add up.  I have to start 2022 soon, and I have start believing in the theory of something (no more nothing).  I have to start behaving like the rest of my fellow Americans and start being selfish about my own time.  I am after all speeding forward, and my time is as good as anyone else's.

Independence Day 2021

vasureddy@aol.com

Vasu Reddy from Chicago

I am along with just about everyone else in America look forward to Independence Day every year. In 2020 Corona Virus dominated the airwaves and the world, and everything about independence was muted, or shut down. There was only essential workers that were slogging and everyone else sidelined, laid-off, furloughed and on government support. 

The rich really did not suffer as they were well placed to get richer, but common man was restricted and waiting for a shot in the arm. I really mean that literally. Having the resources was very important to survive the pandemic.

Even simple things such as Internet and a computer to be a part of online classes made a huge difference for children to simply attend school. Parents had no choice but to make a working computer and Internet be available to children to go to school. Food and medicine were also at a premium. Everything that people took for granted was simply out of bounds, and life had a clearly new set of guidelines.

After more than a year into it there was relief coming from the vaccinations, and government also intervened with providing assistance with unemployment and cash assistance. Weather the relief provided was enough or not, or it reached people who most needed it, weather politicians were thinking of people, so many questions but the government despite its political differences made many help line to assist people with the pandemic.

I am not sure if everyone agrees with how much is enough, but definitely 2 different people running the country in the time of the pandemic, both made efforts to send money and support to all people of the nation. My personal preferences on which party I support doesn’t make any impact on what is needed by the common man in the time of extreme need. I also am fully cognizant of the all people in bucket for help might not be the best case support structure.

We are seeing that some of the employment being ignored as people got so used to free money and benefits and coming back to work might be a bit difficult as the freebies might outweigh the paycheck. But as with anything good or bad, there is an end to it. People should be getting back to work, and tap of freebies is being shut down or going to run out of funds and essentially the personal need will bring most people back to work, and payroll.

Personally I worked more through the pandemic and did not want to stay home. I felt being essential was important despite my health concerns. I felt needed and I also felt good that I survived the pandemic and I also continued to show-up for work every day. I would have it no other way. As soon as the vaccine was available I got both my doses, as well as everyone in my family including the children did get the vaccine. It was more to protect ourselves and also everyone around us.

No one in my family complained about the lack of freedom, lack of interaction or lack of anything. We just followed the rules set by the government and work place. It was not difficult as we were doing exactly what the nation was suggesting we do. Nothing political about our behavior, it was logical be to be safe and keep people safe around us. In fact it made little difference to make the work and life adjustments as a family, and I am happy we survived it.

We truly hope the rest of the nation will quickly get vaccinated and get proper protection against the virus, and we all go back to what we were used to as normal. It’s fun to go to the beach without a mask. It’s fun to walk the mall without a mask. It’s fun to go to work without a mask. It’s fun to do everything without covering half of your face, but it’s necessary to survive so you can look forward to the land of the free again.

2021 Independence Day a bit less stressful as we can look at what we did in 2020. I am referring to just hind sight, but the reality of a global scare. There was no nuclear war, there was no economic war, and there was an enemy that we had no weapon to attack that was blasted across the globe. We found a way to tackle the virus quickly and as the vaccine becomes available we will get back to a more normal world as we know. It is perhaps best to think that we will live with the virus and we will also record that we survived another crisis.

Over the ages nothing in the human survival strategy has changed. It is age old to face a crisis and find a way to survive and thrive. We always look forward a better future, irrespective of circumstances. I too feel that kids and adults will look at their after pandemic life as a blessing. It will once again be a place of freedom, literally a face without a mask, and a handshake with a warm hand. I personally was happy to be working and while it was stressful to worry about contracting the virus, I was equally satisfying to be a part of support solution. While 2021 Independence Day has some relief compared to 2020, here is hoping 2022 will be back to the celebration of individual freedom and forward looking.

Inclusive India

Accepting a group of people being persecuted anywhere in the world into any society is correct.  It's human.  Hindustan was once a vast nation that has been invaded and ruled by a variety of outsiders and other nations until its division and independence in 1947.  The present day India and its history is as old as the human civilization and is well documented.  As much as it has a history of culture, education, tolerance and unity it also has a vast amount of destruction and intolerance by the invaders and also a huge amount interference in its current society.  The India I know is and will always be one of religious and cultural inclusion and human harmony.  Big town, small town and little town or whatever place in India; are reflections of these communal harmony and people living together.  Its true they have distinct religious identities, but I don't see it as a communal divide rather a beautiful and great Indian fabric.  The politically charged religious disharmony is far from the common man's routine life in India.  It is not to say that there is no disagreement between people.  It is natural as in any family there will be disagreements and discord.  India is such a huge family and it is natural to have discord.

The current political environment that is charged with for and against accepting persecuted people from nations surrounding India has been intensifying.  The premise of the 2019 citizenship act "Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019" is to allow non-muslim minorities from nations where they are being persecuted into India as it citizens.  One doesn't have to be a scholar to appreciate the basis for the law.  We all might not agree with signalling only non-muslims to be welcome into India, as its new citizens but we have to appreciate the fact that we should welcome anyone who is being persecuted with open arms.  The objection by Indian political parties and some Indians is based on the basis of prejudice against Muslims.

If in fact the religious groups that are being accepted as new Indian citizens from Muslim nations, what would be the objection by anyone in India?

For me a common man with no political interest and who lives in a nation of immigrants, the questions to those who oppose Indian government on this particular law are simple.

1. What will be the objection to accepting people of non-muslim faith into India if they are being persecuted.  All are welcome to search the internet for information on all these countries listed in this law.
2. If there is a case of any other community to be welcome into India then why not the opposition parties propose such legislation.  There is nothing stopping from new laws being proposed for any community to be invited into India on the basis of persecution.
3. Does anyone believe that people will leave their homeland just because India is passing a law that allows a certain religious group/s as citizens?  If they are happy with the nation where they live and they have equal rights why would anyone leave?  They might leave looking for work or a better life, but why would they seek another nations citizenship?
4. Whoever is opposing the new law within India should be welcoming those who are being persecuted, rather find ways to open their minds and places for helping.
5. Overall if any other community needs to be included in the same law, show the need and bring the public to embrace it.

People of a still developing nation welcoming people who are being persecuted because of their religious beliefs should be more welcoming rather than protesting.  It will be a Hindustan of the ages where people always welcomed the needy.  Politics are for inclusion but not for persecution.  Help these people who want to escape persecution and find a place of inclusion.

Jai Hind.  

Easy Tamarind Rice Recipe In Telugu

Pulse of the People

vasureddy@aol.com

Vasu Reddy From Chicago

In the last couple of weeks I did predict that Modi will come back to be the prime minister for the next 5 years.  In reality the man doesn't need any money and he doesn't have hangers on to protect, and no one from his family chasing scams.  If he does nothing else no scams would always keep him as the prime candidate for continuing as the prime minister. We don't have to rehash that he has no personal baggage to worry about, and that continues to be his political power.  I am sure the man will continue to work long hours for the agenda of  greater India.

I read a lot of columns in the American media about his choices of politics and BJP as a nationalist party, and how minorities might (MIGHT) be undermined in India, and how his rock star image as India's leader impacts the elections, and a whole lot of gibberish about the fifty shades of gray attributed to the man, all in the same space of a few words about the massive mandate for a politician with almost 700 million people exercising their right to vote with little difficulty all across India.  Just the scale of the election is daunting and complex. and the country wide mandate for one man's vision for the second time, is not really appreciated.  It is really not material as no Indian living in India really cares about what anyone else is writing about their leader.  But for Indians living outside of the nation, reading the commentary is sad.  It depicts the senseless perspective of scribes who really don't appreciate a secular nation with such vast geographical and ideological diversity, in which people easily live together and while appreciating the differences in life while bound by one massive Hindustan.

Democracies are delicate but strong, and they survive the differences of opinion, with simply following the majority. Although modern India has been independent only since 1947, its people are bold and dynamic while exercising of their right to choose a leader with every election.  There is little room for making large scale promises and participating in scams and survive the next election.  India has time and again shown its true ideology of freedom in its elections, and 2019 is no different.

It is also wonderful to see the normalcy of the nation return immediately after the election, and absolutely free and clear of partisanship that was displayed by political parties thru the electoral process. Transfer of power or a party coming back to power, happens without friction, and politicians who lost now look forward to 5 years later and the ones who won have to perform for the next five years.  That's all there is to either retaining power or getting elected.

Modi should focus on his second election manifest.  His ides for fair taxation, low inflation, more employment, better infrastructure and curbing black money all of these along with a clean and green India all have a very high value to India.  All the gentleman needs to do is reinforce with his cabinet to work on them every day.  My favorites are clean India and clean Ganga.  No better way to look at the country other than a clean and beautiful nation.  And Modi can keep working towards a clean India.  He has nothing to loose even f his pushes his popular agenda, as his party or any party's politicians wont elect him, the people of the nation will reelect him again; all he has to do is drive his policies of development and cleanliness.  And I believe he will continue to push his agenda.   

In covering my state of Andhra Pradesh, Jagan getting elected with such massive majority is not a surprise.  An infant State with a old and seasoned politician could not give his people the comfort of experience they needed for a brand new state.  Now we have a very young man with an unprecedented mandate, and legacy of his father (who accidentally passed away almost ten years ago) who is still fresh in people's hearts.  Before and after his election, he has only raised his voice in support of people and maintained independence from any national alliance, while only committing to supporting any party that aligns for a special status for his state.  Even after his election he has kept his polite mannerisms and has assured that he will deliver the best state government in the nation.  I hope he will simply try to work on his political manifesto, and keep smiling like his late father did.  Make our state shine and make our state smile.  Our people want a big brother, and not just election handouts.  I hope just as I wish Modi will stick to his agenda, Jagan too will continue to be focused on people's agenda as he did for the last 10 years, and hoping that both of them will make all of us NRI feel proud.

Jai Hind.

What next for India?

vasureddy@aol.com
Vasu Reddy from Chicago

In about a week’s time India would have voted for the new 5 year government.  This election has been similar in tone to the last one, except this time the BJP is the incumbent, and Congress still seems to struggle with its overall identity.  A lot of regional political parties (and their leaders) making a lot more noise.  You hear of the federalist system, and more power to the states, and a leader that the opposition wants who is not from congress, all this while congress itself trying to be relevant and project Rahul Gandhi as its prime ministerial candidate.

Modi working to come back into the PM chair for the second term, and he has been the choice of BJP as its leader.  He continues to pack powerful speeches and rallies, and outwardly seem to be confident of retaining the majority for the next 5 years.

It will be foolish to predict what the outcome is.  The case and point of the US elections in 2016 is a great lesson to pollsters and predictors to keep their opinion/s to themselves.  Nevertheless the supporting media for each party will predict landslide for their candidate/s.  All politicians contesting and their supporters will obviously predict their candidate to come out victorious.

I have been partial to Modi (I don’t have a vote in India as an NRI) but the last time and for the last 5 years, I have been looking at what he said verses what he did.  Without justification to what the last 5 years of BJP government’s delivery to their poll promises, one thing that I have always believed is that the head of the government stay scam free.  I believe with what I read and watch, Modi has remained a man with little interest in stealing public money.  I truly believe he has no reason to (as he did not have any 5 years ago) loot public coffers.  I continue t believe that Modi is a career politician who doesn’t have the need for looting public coffers as he has always kept family and friends away from his politics and his life.

You get to see someone for 5 years as a nation’s leader; you will have little reason to guess.  We have 100% access to the leader’s life, and his actions.  Modi started very aggressively as a leader representing India to the world, and despite the criticism of his style, he represented India quite aggressively and positively to the world.  Modi was equally at ease with USA or China, Japan or Germany, Pakistan or Bangladesh, and any other nation he visited ofr dealt with.  Modi’s early reaching out to the global leaders continue to pay dividends for India, and have helped with the Industry and trade dealing for India, quite positively to the terms before his first term.  He is a determined politician with also a single-minded focus on the nation.  I truly believe Modi doesn’t have any personal interest in dollars and cents.  The man is a representation of his party, the BJP and as all of its leaders has no personal profit motive.

While I preach of no predictions, I think Modi will be PM for another term.  This prediction is solely based on looking at the opposition.  INS and Rahul Gandhi have no chance of winning the elections by themselves, or with the many associations they have been trying to cultivate.  The Indian political history after 1970’s and beyond is with regional and opposition parties began to challenge congress.  So their leadership still in stage I, with many old men trying to hang on to power, and desperately trying to be relevant.

The old INC is no longer able to display a national agenda, doesn't have the footprint it did after India’s independence.  It is not a competitor in politics or policy, and it might need several more 5 year terms, for it to become relevant (might never be what it was with Panditji or India Gandhi).  For a non voter looking at Rahul, he seems to only cherish with his cartoonish jibes at Modi.  The younger Gandhi has no political or philosophical experience to represent 1.3 billion people.  He might never be able to fully appreciate and represent India as his family once did.  I really don’t think INC has a chance of coming back into power in 2019.  This column or any number of columns might not be sufficient to revisit the scams in congress, and people in their memory are still fresh in their recollection of the scale of misuse of public resources.

The regional parties even if all of them plan to combine as opposition to BJP lead government (including congress) it’s an unlikely alliance that can be successful.  Simply agreeing to a PM candidate will dislodge much of the alliance.  BJP has Modi as their leader, and with coming to power there is a clear leader to represent the party.  The power of incumbency is always of high political value because of the power and infrastructure that it automatically provides.  In 2019 it’s unlikely a unified opposition with a single leader can emerge to challenge the BJP and Modi.

The public opinion on Modi and his government is difficult to read, as we did with INC.  There is no clear cut and nationwide anti-incumbency to Modi and BJP.  Personally a little bit of less showmanship and a little more of education to people would have helped.  In an opinion piece I can certainly write of the time Indian politicians spend in running each other can be spent more on people’s work to further the public’s agenda.  I really don’t hear anything about positive news, only the bitter bickering of old men about each other, in very personal terms.

In a week from now, it is highly likely we will see BJP (and allies) come back in power.  I sincerely hope Modi will work on his poll promises (this time) and also more focus on internal issues to India.
I am not going to forget the special category status to my state of Andhra Pradesh, and with a full hearted appeal for the people’s mandate.

Jai Hind.

Continuing to long of Indian Utopia

vasureddy@aol.com
Vasu Reddy From Chicago

It has been some time from my last weekly column to this.  Simply unable to write something of interest on a weekly basis, and working odd hours to be able to sit down and convert thoughts to words.

First and foremost to celebrate the Mother’s day this Sunday.

“Happy Mother’s Day to all the folks out there”

There is no alternative to the comfort of one’s mother’s love.  Another mother’s day is on us on 5/12/2019.  For me it is not any other day of the year.  This is my first mother’s day without a mother.  She passed away fighting cancer on 3/25/2019.  While the cancer took her away from me and the rest of the folks she touched, she probably is no longer suffering, and is in a place where peace prevails.

We are in the middle of a general election in India, which has been going on for a few weeks, and should be done in the next couple.  This time around I don’t have any predictions, as the general consensuses is that 2014 will be repeated, although with a lesser of a mandate.  The NRI community is as divided as their native community.  Nothing really changes to the psychology of politics with Indians.  We love to differentiate simply based on our age old mind set.  The country seems to be chugging along; more people, more disagreements, more politics; but same issues.  As with last election cycle, my main draw will be no scams.  It is the same for this next election.  We should always elect someone who will be 100% scam free, and divert the resources 100% to the public needs.  My choice of words is very careful in writing “Public Needs” as each citizen has needs, irrespective of the wealth bracket that they belong to.  Better infrastructure, better education, better sanitation, better water, better power, better health, better everything; even incremental will make the society a better place for conditions of comfort and livelihood.

As 10,000 miles distance doesn’t foster a 20/20 vision of home on a daily basis, I still think of PM Modi as a very good manager of Indian politics and resources.  No matter what I read or watch, I think the man is scam free, and continues to keep family away from politics and national narrative.
Personally I admire his simple mother and their affection towards each other.  I know critics will argue why she is not with him, but my own mom always chose to be on her own, despite a large family.  People visiting her and calling her gave her great joy, rather than she living with anyone.  So, Modi and her mom living on their own are probably at her wish rather than Modi ignoring her.  God bless her as she seems like one tough lady and a great mom.  Once again my experience is that any amount of distance will not be a hindrance to mother/children’s affection.  My reflection of Modi the man is probably based on two specific points:

Modi seems to have very little interest in wealth accumulation.  If we look at comparable politicians. This alone in my personal opinion is a great indicator for someone who is little interested in personal gain.  He has kept his family and friends far away from his position of power.  My vote is always to find someone with no interest in money or personal relationships; both which are counter-productive to public service.

His relationship to his mother is same as most of us normal folks.  Absolutely a positive and completely normal.  Once again Modi has always kept his priority of a son intact despite his stature, and his affection for his mother similar to any normal child.  I can’t find anything that doesn’t endear a heart more than a normal mother and son relationship.

I can’t vote in India.  I have very little political knowledge except an outside observer, and a part time writer.  I don’t speak of politics as a point of discussion. I don’t donate to any political party in India. I actually don’t ask anyone for updates, or inputs on politics in India.  My only source for political information is what I read and what I watch.

But I know each 5 years, India keeps making positive global strides.  The economy grows at a better than a global average.  More Indian origin men and women are spotlight as the global achievers.  In fact the who’s who of Industry and politics has a fairly large Indian Diaspora.  My search engine, my word and my bank and whatever I use on a regular basis, has one of our own managing and influencing.  I don’t think of being an Indian American much, life has been what it is, and hyphenating the countries or cultures is not really on my mind.

I know my thoughts will not convince anyone to choose politics.  I really don’t need to influence any Indian, as I believe all Indians have politics in their psychology.   They are politically aware and opinionated.  They don’t need mine.

My desire for betterment is for my state of Andhra Pradesh.  It needs a big brother. The bifurcation of the state before the last election has not done much to help with its resources and management.  I hope the new election and possibility of a government at the center and state working together (perhaps harder) to allow my old state to have the infrastructure and resources for full fledged development.

Come May 21, 2019, we will certainly have the excitement for hope and opportunity. I sincerely wish for a stable 5 years government as we did the last one. I don’t want to keep reading about coalition and uncertainty for another 5 years in India.

My whole like I thought of Utopia as a concept, but never a dream.  With age and time, I seem to desire for an incremental Utopian society, rather than a Utopian world.  I know that India had made positive strides in the last 5 years (in fact every 5 years prior) and each of the government’s might not have made the progress at the speed the public needed.  But less scams and less corruption (100% free of corruption is probably completely Utopian) will lead to better management and allocation of public resources.

My wish for this mother’s day is for a peaceful and progressive India and also for a government that strives to allocate all available resources for the public needs. 

“Jai Hind”

Past Perfect

Vasu Reddy from Chicago

vasureddy@aol.com

It has already happened. Past is already on the books, recorded, and can’t be changed.  It is what it is and that’s it.

We call it history.  The relevance of what we have available to record increasingly makes us to do so, and just as we type is the past.  Once again it is perfect as it is already done, and can’t be replaced.

The history has good, bad and the ugly.  They may not be in equal parts, but they are all there, just like everyone of us.  We come in various shapes, sizes and colors, but we find our own way to live, if we do.  There is no set time frame, no set style, no set template for life, it just happens as we start and finish, with something in between.  To get our life recorded, it must have something extraordinary (doesn’t matter the extremes) but something that a normal person doesn’t do, to become a page to be remembered in history.

We don’t all have the opportunity for becoming the next Gates, Jobs or Buffett, or Indian Tata, Birla or Gandhi.  (Sorry if I only sound off with just a few names). The irony of the massive respect for a name is that with billions of us, and just a few names to refer to.  Gandhi, King or Mandela are a creation of extreme circumstances imposed by societies that became so intolerant of fellow people, so we must find figures that will make societies look up to an individual as a symbol of positive hope and change.  We certainly have a few of the 20^th century leaders who are in our thoughts, prayers and focus as leaders who paved way for equality.

With billions of us on Earth, just a few wise folks we pay our reverence and use as historic examples.  At the same time, we also use name as Hitler to reference to the genocide and lately we have had several heads or state from the MEA those have been deposed as leaders who had territorial and dictatorial control on people.  They are also given equal or greater coverage as the father figures in history books.

Howsoever we look at stuff, good and bad (perhaps evil) all get documented for reference as history.  The most(ly) intelligent beings can hear, read, review, look and comprehend the good, bad and ugly (Client Eastwood movie references) from history.  As being good means not imposing harm and hatred, we have a good understanding on what not to do from birth to death.

The choices for us to follow the path we choose to can certainly be circumstantial and lately we (may be for a long time) have been using the religion for our actions.  The first and second WW were fought because of dictators, communists and free world order, and the last several decades based on religion and color.  The various regions of the world work on their own brand of hatred and killing, but with each passing year the hatred acquires an expanded footprint.  For some reason history already has recoded the impact of hate, but we deliberately ignore the past, and continue to perfect the next set of hate.  The good remains with same definition, while the bad keeps expanding the definition.

It is simple to say, “I beg your pardon” or a one word “Sorry” when we make a mistake rather than double down.  It is simple to appreciate what is good and bad, rather than reinvent a new interpretation of something that is already well defined.  It is simple to listen, read or learn from history, its already there.  We have it at our finger tips, on our phones, and all it takes is a click or two to appreciate the value of what we already experienced.

A Child of India

Vasu Reddy from Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

Howsoever I look at myself I am a child of India.  My mother and my mother country remain what they are.  Ten thousand miles, still make me a child of India.  Moving with a small suitcase and a black Samsonite in my hand to the USA to go to school, was not a frequent practice when I came (it is now such a common thing, and no longer in need of a bus full of well-wishers sending you off at the airport) and I did not feel any novelty of a foreign student.  When in stepped out of the airport and saw familiar faces to bring me in and send me off to school next day (in a bus) I did not feel anything new.  When I went to school, worked and did the same things as every other kind in school, I did not feel any different.  My English was salted to the British for the first semester and quickly disappeared, and I did not feel any different.  I finished school (two degrees) and worked, and grew up, travelled and did everything I believe I was supposed to, and good, bad, ugly and whatever life had in store for me, and I was always embracing the next day as it came.  I knew I had to live as life presented, and to date just do that.  Life to very one is unique in its own experiences and challenges, and mine was just that, and I accept it as is, and try to derive comfort from family and friends, and strangers as they whisk in and out.  Overall, there was nothing challenging or out of the ordinary to move from place to place, country to country and work, life, sickness and health and family.  All a part of life and it goes on.  Every instance another page, experience and part of on-going life.

My mother lives in India and the new generation of telephony allows for more frequent voice calls.  Every week we catch up on the same stuff, kids, health and weather and relatives.  I am happy to say there is nothing new, but an occasional mother and son health related updates, but by and large we have nothing that we think has changed, except the children growing up and each season’s weather.  We love our extended family and simply check to see how everyone is, and that’s all the best news I have every week.  We live far away, but we have our routines and one thing every week in common is that she can’t travel to the USA and stay with us.  All in all, life is just simple and weeks on we have something to talk about (except occasional happening with the big family) but I admit I am happy the way things are.  We don’t worry too much about what is happening in USA or India, as we have little control over what happens (only one vote in each country) and seldom talk about the local or national issues.

While the new smart phones allow of communications quickly and easily and inexpensive, along with language translators that are sometimes necessary, the social media also has become a forum for easy opinions and commentary.  As someone who blogs regularly, I do have my own opinions, and they are both political and personal.  My likes and dislikes are in each column I write, and they are just my thoughts and opinions, and often lean democratic.  Social justice, opportunity and remembrance are the soul of what I aspire to write, and not critique.  The hundreds of columns I wrote simply represent my current state of mind, and the week’s wordsmithing.  I love to write and read and I hope I will for the rest of my life.

While the social media allows for effortless way to comment, it also allows for serious debates on how individuals feel about where they live and what the just saw.  India and USA and everywhere in the world are separate places.  While social media like Facebook allows for acquainting with a lot of strangers, it is also a forum to thought and opining, and as there is a room for some 5,000 people to befriend on an account, it also has become an easy forum to critique.

Much of the comments are tilted to the nations inability to control traffic, rains, weather, behavior, nature and abuses, and with huge sections on politics and corruption.  It is granted that very nation has its own way of life and things to deal with, individuals placing a nation they migrated to verses a place of birth, is silly.  India is India and USA is USA, or Canada is Canada and wherever you are outside of India is that’s what it is.  You have a choice to live where you want to, and let India be India.  Politics, corruption and life is what it is and unless you want to contribute to what you are criticizing just let it be.  Just because of a social media forum, your opinion doesn’t mean anything but just typing, it is what it is, and unless every citizen tries to make a positive effort, then it is simply back seat driving.  If you don’t like Canada, India or USA or wherever just go somewhere else and see if you find Utopia.

I am a child of India and an adult of USA.  If you don’t like one place or the other go somewhere else.  No one is stopping.  If you don’t like the rain in Andhra or in Chicago, I am sure there are places on earth that have little or no rain, just go there.  If you don’t like politics of Delhi or Washington, find someplace on South or North pole where there is no one and no politics.  If you don’t like the people where you live, find a desolate place.  Whatever it is you don’t like, find a place you do, and that’s all.  I know for sure there is no Utopia on earth and for those of you searching for one, good luck.

20/20 on Mass Murder

Vasu Reddy from Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

If not for terror in the news, we have mass murder.  These days it has become common place for killing strangers without cause.  There is never a reason to kill another person, but the killing of innocents has become standard practice around the world.  Mass murder for whatever reason is simply inhuman, but is being practiced.  The analysis after the fact is seldom useful, and only adds to the cruelty towards the innocents.

There is a lot of analysis, speculation and thought on psychology of mass murderers and trying to reason with why it happened.  There is no dissection of the reasoning for mass murder.  Seemingly normal human beings attacking strangers has become common place, and the carnage continues worldwide.  The media speculates (as with on everything else) and every outlet there is covers the murder/s until the next one.  No one thinks of children watching, listening or browsing the coverage.  Imagine little ones watching TV with their families being subjected to constant coverage of mass murder, what it could do to their thinking?  There is no doubt that news needs to tell people of what is happening, but bombarding the channels (all outlets) with mass murder will not allow anyone to escape, and no one cares about the two things; one – the murdered people, and the listening public, as it becomes a news story today and later a follow-up segment.

The acts of kindness and heroism of strangers typically plays out with the human beings in us.  We will by and large lend a helping hand, and run towards the needy.  There is a lot more human than anything else in all of us, and with each horror of mass murder we also see the kindness of strangers.  So, it is not all lost in humanity, it is simply some of us deciding to kill.  For whatever reasons behind the killing, the analysis simply doesn’t add up to catching or stopping the next one.

What is becoming common place is the intensity of mass murder.  Targeting innocents (unsuspecting and out in the open) is really the easiest target, as no one knows of the danger in an airport, office, concert, on the road, school, college, or just doing their daily and routine chores.  People must live and do stuff, and they are out in the open and in groups, and are easy targets.  They are unsuspecting and out in the open and the easiest targets.

Imagine the vast spaces of USA, in fact the world.  It is impossible to check, cover, monitor or manage the area, and try to pin point to where someone decides to commit mass murder.  The entire world is not a war zone, and people are not fighting with each other everywhere.  Much of the world is minding their own business and trying to live a normal life, until someone attacks; again.

The sad if that we let it happen again and again.  The news is (analysis) is constant.  The politics and process remains the same.  No one starts to care once the dead are laid to rest, except the families and friends of the affected.  There is no down grading the concern of news and others, but the next one comes again and again.  While the analysis of each instance is ongoing and afterthought, we really can’t plan for the next.  Guns, weapons, politics, religion, and human nature and whatever is influencing the killers is unpredictable and has become unavoidable.

It’s sad but avoidable.  All that can be done is finding more human in humans and perhaps a world that will start looking at life is a onetime blessing, and it can’t be given back.

Protesting Patriotism

Vasu Reddy from Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

The last year has been a show of some form of protest mainly with the NFL players.  First and foremost, everyone has a right to protest.  No matter the cause, gripe, issue, statement or whatever we don’t like, democracy (the oldest) allows us to express our displeasure to the act that we believe that is not defending the equal rights to everyone.  Democracy and freedom of speech go hand in hand, and it’s given to every citizen in the USA.

Going by the NFL players protesting the flag and national anthem, it can be a simple solution for these highly paid players, and overly expensive franchises.  The fans in the stadium and the viewing public pay huge amount of money to support their favorite teams, and in turn the teams pay huge money to players and over the top amount of public funding, tax dollars and support to each of the sports franchises.  Respecting the nation, its national flag and anthem and the fans who support the franchise/s should be a priority for the players and owners of each franchise.  There are many instances where the local teams support many causes and charities in their markets, and participate in good citizenship in their local societies.  Suddenly, these guys (who are overpaid) started to kneel or not show due respect to the national anthem and the national flag as a support to protest.  The problem is whatever they wish to protest can be done without disrespecting the nation, and the audience; who are the citizens that support their hugely inflated paychecks and much bigger egos, which are filled with the money made from the fans.

Hey! Why don’t you spend your inflated pay checks and huge profits in supporting the causes that you feel need support?  Why are you protesting (insulting) the national anthem and flag, and the public that feeds your pockets and egos?

With fans forking out billions in support of their favorite teams, they don’t need to witness disrespect to the nation at their cost.  Each of these players could simply stop playing and forego their (inflated) salaries as protest any issue they support.  Remember many union members march and support their causes while giving up their wages, the same can be done by the athletes.

I like my team.  The Chicago bears.  They have not won anything good in a generation, but I still wear my bears shirt and watch or listen to every game, and even pregame and post-game commentary.  I don’t understand any of the analysis, except my team constantly is in the loss column.  We pay hundreds of millions to players, and they are worthless in delivering wins to Chicago, but I still love them, they are my football team, as they are to all Chicagoans.  I love all our teams, Bears, Cubs, Sox, Blackhawks, Bulls and any team that represents our city.  Their losses don’t matter as in my life time, they have all been champions, and one or the other make the city proud and smile.  After all this is the city where Michael Jordan played, and what more can I ask for.  This city is where Harry Carry announced every day for the Cubs, and who really cared if they won? (I did, but was a fan even when they lost every day).  But I am also a citizen, and I love my country.  Every time national anthem plays I stand and wait until it is done.  Whenever I see a flag, I see it with pride.  I am an immigrant, nevertheless a proud and good citizen, who respect the nation and its citizenry.  As much as I love my teams, my loyalty to the nation comes before my love for the local teams, and while my heart is always with my local team/s, my love for the democracy is of greater value to me as a common man.

When I see the huge deal being made from the cause and disrespect, why not these overrated, over paid guys protest by not playing a game or a season (give up the inflated paychecks), or spend all their paychecks in supporting the cause they support.  It’s not good to alienate or disrespect the law, and it is equally stupid to disrespect the national flag, anthem and the citizens, and not taking a pay cut or using their wages to fund the cause or educating the nations about the root cause for their protest.

I am only one of the 300 million citizens and I am sure the nation looks at these payers with dismay when they disrespect the nation and the viewers, who all support the right to protest.  The forum is not where a few guys get paid huge amount of money and show no respect for the viewers, and have no intention of foregoing their inflated paycheck to protest, but insult the viewers.

All those players who protest or wanting to protest.  Please do it, but at your own cost and time.  Use can use the airtime (where we listen to your stories and the commentators dissecting the losses for hours and offering their theories and making us listen, and you can certainly protest, but you don't) The challenge is for you to show that you not only respect the public that supports you and your team, but you really mean to help your cause by stop playing or using your pay check (all of it) to help support your cause, then you are not just a good citizen but also a true protestor.

Nature’s Fury and Human Resistance

Vasu Reddy from Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

I love Florida. Although I only spent very few years in South Florida, I still am very fond of my old place, friends and associates and everything I could see, visit and explore in Florida.  Just mind your own business and enjoy the place, and you would be just fine.  For someone who likes the water, beach, great food (not expensive) and people, it’s a wonderful place.  Things were quiet, and everyone minded their own business.

It is a quiet and peaceful place.  While the tourists flock form all over the place, the locals like the weather, locality and peace.  While I also appreciate many places on earth with similar weather and conditions, Florida is a place for 6 million people, and it is wonderful.

The keys are my favorite part of Florida, along with Miami beach and Everglades, Disneyland, shopping and just about everything.  Just driving in Florida is relaxing, and often adventurous.  I don’t know how to swim, but my home pool was good enough for me to enjoy the water.  While the life itself is quaint and relaxing, it is also not that expensive, and all said stress free.  The very rich to people with limited resources still have the same beautiful ocean, sand and views.

As the water, sand, sun, smiles, style and people (food is included) all get used to each other rather quickly, Florida is also in the zone of sea levels that are precarious.  The eco system is precarious.  Even a little bit of sea surge will overtake much of the beautiful and enjoyable space of Florida coast, and this is something no scientist must provide any evidence to support.  It is simply that people love the sea and sand and the pleasant weather, and they will build as close to this is as possible to enjoy the nature’s goodness as possible.  No one stops us, and no one worries about the eventual fury of nature, and no one thinks in their life time any massive natural disruptions in their community.  Florida and its cities have had some massive natural disasters, and as they escaped catastrophe last week, they have done so many times.  It’s only natural for human beings to hope for the best, and riding out hurricanes is one of those things we seem to believe that we will escape, unscathed.  We have from the beginning of time, both respected and ignored nature’s ability to do what it pleases, and we have well recorded instances of populations getting wiped out.  We still try to ride out the natural disasters (despite the warning, including some who suggest ignoring the warnings) with bear bones of our homes.  One thing to ponder is what good is a single home, if the whole neighborhood is wiped out?

There is no science or politics involved, only perhaps the profit.  When you keep suggesting that human interference into nature will cause more natural disasters, and the bigger and bigger natural disasters will become a normalcy.  Whether we like it or not, any major change to any life style has consequences, and the whole human population makes every effort to add their part to the earth’s constitution.  With 13 billion making small adjustments (corporations make huge adjustments) there is bound to be a huge overall impact on how Earth handles the change.  So, we can think of a hurricane or two or three, every year and the damage done to our state, or start combining the effects of severe weather around the world to accept our contribution to the changes to the weather.

We only have one Earth, and its ability to sustain and reestablish the natural balance for all of us is limited, and time consuming.  We really are not allowing for sustainability nor replenishing the natural abilities.  We can think of what next with severe weather (while continuing to argue) or come up with the ingenuity to sustain our earth.  The choice is clearly ours.

Inimitable and imaginable thoughts

Vasu Reddy from Chicago

vasureddy@aol.com

Throughout childhood and adulthood, I have lived a life of my own.  Essentially meaning that always life in a hostel, shared accommodation, rented and shared apartment, life with aunts and uncles, and my own apartment, home or condo.  The ability to move from place to place, share with schoolmates and friends, and eventually with family and children.  The moves and folks I shared with my accommodation and food, have never impacted what I was and how I behaved.  I simply was myself, irrespective of where I was and who I was with.  I am very sure there were times I was not the best roommate or a welcome guest or the best family member, as I simply like to mind my own behavior, and seldom wanted to involve in matters that of not personal.  This might have been just the way I want others to be with me, and I try to behave the same with others.  I care and feel with my heart, and the impact of life’s events are hard on my system to handle events, so I also try hard to not be impacted as I suffer personally by taking things to heart.

In the USA if you lived if I have, there are many people you come in touch with, your own family and friends, community, fellow nationals and may immigrants just like you.  They are all like your own journey, working, students, families and relatives and sometimes just friends.  I have these and a lot of new associates, acquaintances and new members of the vast and common core of immigrants.

In all these years of being by myself, in India or outside it has not been on mind to worry about who I associate with or who I wanted to be friends with.  I don’t think I will do so in the future.  What I have noticed is that even the very well educated, well acquainted, well healed members still show the imaginable thoughts on their affinity to communities.  I notice this more with the freewheeling comments on social networks.  While we are all entitled to opinions (I have mine at least once week on something), the most well-established members of the community have prejudices of others with different names.  This has become more obvious with movies and their content and names.  People are becoming experts on the community by writing their reviews (on community rather than movie) and somehow associating to their displeasure on what others are.  Lately the social media accounts and many opinions on community and caste have become commonplace, but pertaining to communities that are not their own.  Arjun Reddy movie is one such example, where the opinions have been so much to just the name of the movie and how it was directed.  I finally saw the movie, and felt it was another movie with a simple story of love and physical and self-abuse, ending with the routine ending of the lovers being united.  Although critics and moviegoers find it different, I found the movie a simple story of love with perhaps current Indian setting.  It was not a ground breaking or trend setting movie, but was different than Telugu movies.  The social media and the promotions have been focused on the hype of the language and movie making, and how the actor/s are taking the movie to the stage.  I would believe that creating the hype is to sell more tickets, and all the actors and makers will probably have moved on by now to their next movie.  What has been uncommon is how people have taking extreme opinions on this single movie.  Especially for those in the USA, who have the luxury of so many various languages and options for moviegoers.  For a cheaper price, your theatres have multiple choices.  Anyone who likes movies have an enormous choice of movies that you can imply pick to watch.  Each movie is made with some conviction by the makers and language and genre are simply a choice of the audience.  Indian moviegoers should know this as we do make regional language movies and many of them are translated (dubbed) into all major Indian languages.  And moreover, they are of different concept and genre.  No one is asking the moviegoer to see a movie that they are unwilling to watch.  But the ability to write on social media is allowing for everyone to find something negative to comment on.  It is a phenomenon that has no logic.

First you are not forced to watch a movie.  Then you interject the community or negativity to the making of a simple movie.  (we no longer have pathbreaking concepts, just mashups).  Then you put it out and a lot of your followers then start to add their own take on it.  Many of them not even watching the movie, but just for opinion) and the trial of comments continue until they end up being a critic of something the movie has nothing to do with.  This typically starts with someone who is educated and has been a part of a large immigrant community.  Anyone who is reading this can associate with my imagination, and start to write something good, something sensible, something endearing, something encouraging, or simply don’t write.  No one in 21^st century America should worry about last names, rather the future of their children and families and their future generations.  Not some dumb title of a move or content of a movie.  You have better and more important things to worry about.

Precious and Thrown Away

Vasu Reddy from Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

Life itself is fleeting. For the earth is referenced to in billions of years and many references to the creator for his magical creation of forms of life, mainly the most intelligent of them of all; the human being.  While the evolution of humans is something we continue to discover, we already know that life is fleeting and precious.  We know that it is one life to live and whatever before or after is irrelevant.  Very few human beings live up to being a 100 years old, remining all of us that the life span of any human being is just a fleeting moment on earth.
In the human mind invincibility with life and what each person makes life to be is the thinking.  We are certainly creatures made of circumstances and opportunity.  (We continue to prophesize on opportunities are what we make of).  We throw in the conditions of life and continue to evolve into a mundane environment of what we want to look up to.  Just imagine what is on the mind of a just born baby? Probably only hunger followed by nature’s call and a warm embrace of the mother.  We quickly start to build our mind around (ideas) our circumstances and start to behave (adapt) to whatever they might be.  In each case our daily routine and behavior revolves around circumstances.  The tenacity of human beings is their ability to try and adapt to their given circumstances.  In most cases a generation ahead of us will keep instilling the desire to do better, and push us to an environment less challenging than theirs.  Study, work, live and have a smarter and cleaner life than theirs; and often with their sacrifices through their time, effort, resources and efforts.  All are geared to make things better for their next generation.
It is natural for us to want our off springs to have better opportunities and better conditions for life.  All our emotional wellbeing is typically attached to our children and what happens with their life.
From an open-air living and working only for food, only with a few people as a clan, we have grown to 7.5 billion people.  The basic instincts (I believe) are still intact on human reflections.  We have formed countries (keep forming and redrawing or encroaching), religion(s), boundaries, governments (various forms of them) and more over leaders.  One would have to guess if all 7.5 billion humans were one single clan (searching for a term here) how life would be monotonous.
One major psychological factor that we have developed is following one more human.  This not simply to follow their path of success or righteousness, but simply follow the ideology for another person.  In this time and age where we have every bit of information to appreciate and understand the minute by minute happenings in the world, we still are ideologically tied to what we call as leaders.
While our history is full of people who have set notable examples of life, teachings and practices we also have a great deal of leaders who have tried to influence on our nuances of fear and future.  Why we behold to any fear is really out of the observable human reaction.  We are all fully capable of making our own decisions, and whatever environment we are a part of we have a choice to our own wellbeing.  In 2017, we continue to behold our thoughts to others.  We also look at great wealth creators give away all their fortunes to betterment of fellow humans, we also look at leaders driving their followers into things what we really don’t need to inflict on each other. So much disparity on the same earth and same world, and same human beings.

Continuous Reinvention of Democracies

Vasu Reddy from Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

The law of the land in any democracy is to make the law and all its people follow it.  Defining democracy can be very simple or very complicated, but enjoying the freedom that is fostered what makes it a rightful aspect of life.  The law of the land starts with electing representatives with a simple majority, who in turn manage the people’s business the administration and making or adjusting the law of the land to best suit the needs of its population.  As all the elected representatives are for a definitive period (sometimes limited to reelection, or term limits), the electorate always has the option to replace or reelect the same person.  Essentially people have the ultimate power to choose who represents them.

Voter preferences, choices and needs are reflected each time they vote.  Exercising the right to vote and choose the representatives that follow, enforce and reinvent the law of the land on a continuous basis makes the democracy to reinvent the people’s process again and again.  It is continuous.

From the oldest democracy to the largest democracy, the right to vote is the supreme form of expression of freedom.  The votes evolve with the nation and international needs, and they also evolve with the practical needs of the society.  The experiences of the past and the needs of today, and how candidates represent their ways to address them, and finally how convinced is the voter makes the next winner.  A combination of socio-economic reality and the combination of promises verses deliverables to make up the choice for the voter, over the past 20 to 30 years the television, internet and more recent mobiles have made the voter interaction and reach instant and readily available to feed to the information overload.  Voter once again must decode the truth from what is being fed.

Irrespective of the election cycle, the voter choice is made on perception and need.  It is true that each election and its electoral deliverables adapt to the current events.  Although long term implications of the decisions taken by the government impact past and future, the current needs weigh heavily on voter decision making.  Catastrophes do play into elections, but they don’t happen every day to swing the elections.

Today’s events and coverage, the mood of the electorate and certainly how a candidate pitches will sway the percentage of people who comprise of the swing votes that will determine the winner.  The swing is slim as most elections are so close and 50.01% is all that is needed to victory.  When the electorate is deciding to vote on a party platform (irrespective of what they are pitching) the undecided or independent voters are to a minimum in the population, and almost all the time the candidates are not just pitching their base of voters, but also to the undecided.  The undecided are the ones that typically deliver the electoral victory.

Huge electoral margins are anomalies in democracies.  People are divided based on their ideologies, need, opportunity, opinions and many other factors that are unrelated to governance.  So, gaining the swing voters into perspective typically determines the victory.  Prejudice and dislikes also count, but in a democracy, you are free to decide on who to vote, as only you are aware of what is in you mind.

While democracy itself is self-sustaining (people like being free to make choices) the process of democracy itself continues to reinvent and incorporate the nuances of a free world.  Each election also reinvents the process and systems of democracy, and peaceful transition of power.  Freedom of choice allowing free thinking, allowing the citizens to evaluate, reevaluate and reinvent the thoughts into each election, and continuing to drive them for the benefit of people.