Siddharth Srivastava's Blog, page 5

Supermarkets in Switzerland

                        There is a lot of variety, but do mind the language. 

Driving In Switzerland

I recently arrived from India to Switzerland. Have recorded my initial experience of driving in this beautiful country.

Porter River Valley Walk, UK, Sheffield

    Heard a bit about this Walk. So went ahead and did it.

 

Exploring Peak District Sheffield

 

I was in Sheffield recently. Explore the famous Peak District Area that was not too far from Endcliffe Village where I was staying. It was an afternoon that was well spent.

Exploring Peak District, Sheffield

One week in Mainland China

After spending more than a week in Shanghai and Beijing, I conclude that the Chinese are friendly and gracious though little inscrutable due to the language barrier. Also, India is far behind China in almost any visible benchmarks of progress: infrastructure, cleanliness, public transport and managing urban spaces, especially the cities.

It does make one wonder whether democracy and development can ever co-exist. And also question whether democracy and basic civic sense is compatible. One advantage that Indians have over the Chinese is speaking English that makes the country better placed to service the world, though President Donald Trump is trying to make this as difficult as possible.

Plenty of thought has gone into the making of China into the manufacturing powerhouse it has become. Running factories does not require the population to know English. And so it has been.

Individuals are above politics

The two countries that India has fought wars against are China and Pakistan. Paradoxically, it has been my experience that the people of these two nations are extremely warm towards Indians.

Goes to show that individuals are always above the politics of the land that is often fanned by vested interests. Folks anywhere in the world tend to be kind when one is accompanied by kids, as we were, by our two daughters, 15 and six. There are advantages of traveling with a six-year old. It helps in jumping queues, especially at airports and railway stations, where the wait is always long. Beijing MRT commuters instantly offered us their seats.

I have not figured this out fully though. There seems to be some kind of tradition in China of clicking pictures with folks from another country or culture. There were several occasions that we were asked to pose for photographs. Maybe, it is believed that such an act contributes to longevity, virility, well-being, I do not know.

The Chinese were cordial and affable even when I happened to be on my own, sometimes a little too friendly. At the pedestrian-friendly shopping paradise Nanjing Road, Shanghai, I was accosted on several occasions by pimps who seem to have picked up relevant English sentences to ply their business. Overseas visitors, perhaps, are the preferred clients, as I did not notice locals being solicited.

“Massage, sex with young Chinese girl. Can send to your hotel room,” the pimps offered. On another occasion a young Chinese girl clutched my arm and insisted on massaging my body at her shop nearby or the hotel. “Next time for sure, this time with by wife and kids,” I told her, but she would not believe me. Luckily, my children were in the vicinity exploring a M&M store. I pointed them out to the girl, who quickly departed, but only after making sure the two kids were indeed Indian and mine, by glancing and them and me several times to compare features and nationality.

To be fair, popular shopping areas Nanjing Road in Shanghai and Wangfujing Street in Beijing are pedestrianised, safe and child-friendly due to absence of traffic and fumes. The street-markets around Yuyuan Garden located in Old City Shanghai is a rinsed and cleansed version of Chandni Chowk. Good place to pick up local artefacts, that can otherwise be expensive, at throwaway prices.

Food is great too. China can be expensive and cheap. One can exercise the choice of paying 100 RMB for a pizza or 10 RMB for a big bucket of meats dipped in soup. Either can serve as a full meal. Entry to Disneyland, like anywhere in the world is expensive.

No English in China

Language can be a barrier in China, especially with Taxi drivers and at smaller mom and pop stores. Though most folks do not know or understand English, they try to communicate to the best of their ability, apologising at the same time their failure to do better. At a well-stocked convenience store in Shanghai, my wife requested a young gentleman, who seemed like an executive on his way back home from office, to translate a few prices labelled in Mandarin.

“My English too good,” he apologised profusely, while unsuccessfully trying to locate the translation online.

The concierge at our hotel in Beijing organised our trip to the Great Wall of China. She was sharply dressed, courteous and wished me a crisp good morning which did raise my expectations about her ability to converse in English. Soon, I discovered that her answers to most questions were permutations of the same, with a signature shrill “oh yeah” to start any sentence. Her standard lines were:

“Oh Yeah! Great Wall, two hours from hotel, two-three hours there and then back. Children enjoy, weather good.” She became a source of some amusement. Everyone tried to mimic her. It went something like this. What if we were to ask her whether she has a boyfriend or loves her grandparents. He reply would be: “Oh Yeah, Great Wall..two hour from hotel, etc.” She, however, did clarify one doubt very clearly, without the usual “Oh Yeah,” which is “No Passport” needed at the GWC, unlike the Forbidden City or even Disneyland in Shanghai. Carrying a valid official document for entry into the Forbidden City, managed by the government and close to Tiananmen Square, I do understand, but not Disneyland.

On the other hand, Americans anywhere perhaps fret about security and terror attacks more than any other population in the world. Just to be on the safe side and after watching a few Youtube videos, I did download an app that translated English to Chinese.

The only occasion I tried using it, the Taxi driver understood English words and we managed a functional conversation. I said, “hao” and he said, “okay.” To avoid confusion, it is useful to have the concierge to write out in Mandarin the destination one is headed as none of the Taxi drivers we interacted, except one, knew any English. Not a single word. And, we hired Taxis on quite a few occasions. It is equally, perhaps more critical to note down the address that one needs to return to save time and confusion.

Actually, it is not so difficult to navigate cities such as Beijing and Shanghai as it is made out to be in some of the Youtube videos I watched. Directions at airports and railway stations are in English too. Menus have a translated version. Shopping is not a problem as most products at branded stores display an English price tag.

Payment counters are equipped with large calculators to display the amount due in English numerals, with the sales force like anywhere in the world very quick with the calculations, lest the customer change his or her mind. The local stores can be a problem, but manageable. The many ATM’s and automated money changers offer a choice of multiple languages. Accessing RMB’s anywhere is not an issue. Surprisingly, the best rate for forex was at the hotel, which is usually not the case in most other countries.

Meeting Mr Wong

I got talking to an English speaking Chinese co-passenger, a rarity, during the domestic Beijing-Shanghai flight; the gentleman was reading a translated version of Dominique Lapierre’s O Jerusalem! I never asked his name which I would have not recalled I am sure.

For convenience of this piece I am calling him Wong for no special reason. The soft-spoken young man very kindly translated my multiple beverage requests to the cabin crew who otherwise smiled sweetly and blankly at me. They did not know any English.

“Buy this book at the airport. Translation not good,” Wong said to me, adding he is familiar with India as his company has business interests due to which he had made trips to Gujarat and Bangalore.

“Chinese companies interested in India which is funny country. Urinating and spitting in public; it is very shocking. Why not go to toilet? Never happen like this in China,” he smirked.

I am usually vehement about defending my country, but I do find our national ethos of relieving in the open quite indefensible.

Wong was not entirely happy with his country’s rulers. He asked me about the Beijing pollution to which I replied that I found the sky to be quite clear and the city air reasonably clean contrary to several critical reports in international media. Wong said the pollution had been artificially brought down by the authorities for a few days due to a global conclave that was taking place in the city.

“They play with the clouds to create artificial rain to bring down pollution. Factories, all shut. When foreign visitors leave, Beijing sky will back to its normal self, very dirty pollution. You lucky, you are here when the Beijing air is all clean and weather nice in May.”

“No government is perfect. There are problems with ours too, like the way the issue of cow slaughter has been politicised,” I said.

“Wait,” Wong asked. “Why should Indians have a problem eating cow meat? Religious sentiments to do with pork, not beef.”

I explained to Wong that pork has significance for Muslims, while most Indians are Hindus who worship the cow. He promptly informed the air hostess that I was okay with pork, not beef.

“Thank you. But, I am okay with beef too,” I told Mr Wong.

“You told me, Hindus no beef,” he said, looking nonplussed.

“I am not so religious. So, beef okay with me,” I said.

After the flight landed, we parted with a tight hug. “Hindi-Chini bhai bhai,” I said to myself. I asked Wong for his business card, which he seemed reluctant to share. I could think of no other reason other than the fact that he had criticised his government, so did not want to reveal his identity to me. One does not need to be in China to know that nobody censures or questions authorities there. People do as they are told. All news is positive and great.

Internet works, Google may not

Internet has been a controversial subject in China as the biggest fear of the authorities is a repeat of Tiananmen Square. Communist rulers of China have always been very touchy about any negative news emanating from foreign TV channels or print media, which has extended to the online space. Strict control over information seeks to insulate the local population against any negative publicity about the government. The VPN at our Shanghai hotel allowed speedy access to Google, Facebook and Gmail, but not at national capital Beijing. Wong told me that crackdowns on VPNs happen so that the service providers know that the authorities are not fools unaware of the misdemeanours. But, that does not mean that the Chinese are not on social media. WeChat is extremely popular.

During our four and a half hour bullet train ride from Shanghai to Beijing, three young girls sitting next to us were mostly engrossed in shooting and uploading videos of what seemed to be a local version of snapchat with similar filters and special effects.

Trains, not planes are world class

Let me add here that unlike trains, air services in China are not of the same standard. We were told by our Indian friends that planes are invariably late. And they were right. We missed our connecting flight on our way back and were routed through Singapore that turned our journey into a 24-hour voyage. Security at the Beijing airport was unnecessarily obtrusive. The young girls manning the X-Ray machines could not figure out that multiple medicine options are necessary when traveling with kids, especially a little one. They sniffed the various bottles and asked us to sip a few.

I did Crocin and the cough syrup while my wife tasted the anti-vomiting and loose motion vials. The process was irritating.

The train services, on the other hand, are superb, comfortable, on time and world class. We opted for the Maglev from Shanghai airport and bullet train from Shanghai to Beijing. Speed over 300 km/h meant the distance to Beijing was covered in less than five hours. A similar journey from Delhi to Mumbai by Rajdhani Express is an overnight trip. Maglev tickets can be bought over the counter. For bullet train, better to book in advance as lines at the station are long. I got the concierge to procure our tickets couple of days before the journey. Online option exists, but I believe to get the actual ticket one has to stand in line at the station anyway. And, all queues in China are long, but nobody complains, unlike in India where people are habitual whiners if made to wait.

Another Tiananmen Unlikely

Based on feedback of a couple of Indians who have been based in China for a while, it is not as if the authorities are not sensitive about the needs of the people. The communist party is run like a corporate entity, with local office holders responsible for the well being and upkeep of their area. There are confidential forms filled by local residents based on which governance is regularly assessed.

Negative reports are taken seriously and officials are regularly pulled up and promotions delayed. No doubt, the Chinese have been insulated from the rest of the world as that is the way the rulers of the country want it. We were told there is a huge machinery, called the ministry of propaganda, that keeps tabs on rebels, critics and activists. Though voting rights or freedom of expression do not exist, the establishment has delivered on good quality of life and rule of law. This is very important. Or else, there is no stopping another Tiananmen Square from happening, with students at the forefront. Such an uprising seems unlikely, though.

People who are doing well will resist moving out of their comfort zones; others who have not scaled up the economic ladder know that there are ways and means within the system to do so.

Celebrating fair and lovely in India

Actor Abhay Deol has spoken out against top stars such as Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone endorsing fairness creams. I do not know whether Deol has refused such offers in the past like Kangana Ranaut. Even if he has, it would have been much easier to say no, as I am sure his charges would be pittance compared to Khan’s, Padukone’s or Ranaut’s. As a matter of fact, there is always a grey area about the intentions of fading or failing celebrities espousing a social cause to turnaround bit of the disappearing spotlight. If Gautam Gambhir feels so strongly about our jawans and sacrifices of the Army, he should join them in Kashmir, rather than don IPL colours.

The big question is: Are our top stars being “racist” by backing a distorted mindset that fair is superior? Are they appealing to a baser instinct that differentiates humans based on the colour of their skin? Is this distasteful post truth advertising? I do not think so. If it were so, the catchline should have been bleached and lovely. And if fair girls were such an asset, northern states such as Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, the supposed home to “white” Indians would not report the worst sex ratios in the whole world. The professed “dark” states Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, on the other hand, are at the top, in terms of number of girls born per thousand boys.

Indeed, fairness products are just a minuscule part of a global multi-billion industry dedicated to looking better, mostly for women, increasingly for men. There is sound business proposition at work here, which is nobody is born perfect; hence there are corrective options for everybody, tall or short, fat or slim, fair or dark, including the very tricky cosmetic surgery. A darker person can aspire to be a little fairer, just as a pale white-skinned man/woman may want to look toasted.

On the other hand, if an individual is comfortable with the way he or she looks, so be it. Marketers will continue to find niche areas to push their products, piggybacking on a Khan or Padukone, to deliver real or imagined results. In all fairness, they are at best being opportunists rather than racist. The beauty and fashion business fetish for size zero gaunt and emaciated models can do much more harm to the way a young girl may view herself. It is true that in the Indian matrimonial context, being fair is an attribute, for sure. But, not more or less than height, degree from an IIT or IIM, salary, background. Indeed, to see skin colour as a definitive and sole benchmark for selecting or rejecting a bride or groom, is incorrect. It is belittling our intelligence and ability to select a partner.

There are too many factors, more than just the skin deep, that determine wedlock. So, who would you choose as a life partner? A fair girl who is fat or a dark girl who is slim? A six feet plumber or a much shorter man who is a management graduate. On the other hand we also know that love can transcend colour, religion, caste and economic status.

Further, it is never a good idea to deride pure looks. Stunners deserve a place in the world as much as any body else. Stand alone beauty can definitely open some doors.

For instance, it can land Melania a billionaire Trump. On the other hand there is Michele Obama as well. Black, beautiful, graceful, eloquent and a role model for millions of girls around the world.

The demagoguery of banning beef in India

We are a large family of eclectic food eaters; there are few universal favourites such as Baskin Robbins ice cream and chole bhature, maybe at Bikanerwala or Haldiram, served straight out of the karahi, unhealthy, fattening, heart-bursting and shimmering with oil. Excessive intake of Chole Bhature can be suicidal due to the destruction they can cause to arteries, yet they are wolfed down in copious amounts.

Though individual gastronomic sensitivities are respected in my family, permutations linked to eating non-veg can be as numerous as marriage rituals in a largely Hindu set up such as ours. Meat needs be devoured outside or it can be home delivered but cannot be cooked in the kitchen or there is need for separate utensils and area for consumption; no flesh days include Tuesday, Thursday, auspicious or shubh dins when deities need to be pleased in different ways.

My mother was a non-veg, but turned voluntarily veg after marriage to be in synch with my father’s preferred choice. But, like all good moms, she cooked for me, a hardcore carnivore as I grew up in the north-east. So far, I have not noticed any behavioural or gender stereotypes linked to meat eating. Tattooed boys who drive rashly or girls in short skirts who like to party are equally likely to be veg, while ladies who are comfortable in salwars and men in Khadi attires, could very well be non-veg.

The veg versus non-veg debate in my family also evolves as per the changing literature sourced from scientific journals and advisories by specialist bodies such as WHO. No red meat, only fish, no yolk, only egg white. I like my egg full-bodied and fried as there is so much tasteless protein I can withstand to keep the muscles from wilting. I also have a fetish for half-plate chicken steamed momos as they are cheap, contain little oil, keep body immunity mechanisms street-fighting fit and are accessible at any market corner in Gurgaon, where I live.

The momos selling Sikkimese boys are also least likely to be pounced upon by anti-meat vigilantes, emboldened by the dominant BJP leadership in North India, who like to forcibly shut down a KFC during Navratras in order to make some point.

The subject of beef has been more controversial than other forms of meat intake. Though I have had my share in South India, abroad and Shillong, the religious sentiments attached to cows run very deep. For instance my parents have no problems if I happen to try out a snake, snail or sushi. But, have issues with beef.

Cracking down on illegal cow slaughter and smuggling naturally has its large share of supporters in the country. I too back such moves. But, my fear is that in this day and age of post-truth politics, revering cows is the kind of demagoguery that finds resonance with the self-appointed upholders of our cultural, moral, nationalist moorings and ethos. The Modi government likes to put-down the previous Congress regime under Manmohan Singh for the endemic corruption.

The constant churn of distorted ideas under Saffron rule that is permeating across the country is equally unacceptable. This can take the form of a divisive Ram Mandir movement, anti-Romeo squads, beating a Muslim to death due to unfounded rumours about storing cow meat, banning movies that ask uncomfortable questions, banishing artists or cartoonists, browbeating books, intellectual debates and couples in a park or metro. Or worse, ask girls to stay at home or cover up from head to feet in order to attend college. There is a fine dividing line between what is right and what is warped.

Stalwarts of the BJP including Modi or Yogi Adityanath need to ensure that some of their actions in the name of protecting the Hindu faith and identity does not degenerate into the farcical with goons, gau rakshaks, cops and the state unleashed on the citizenry.

Ban all liquor sales along all roads

The honourable Supreme Court (SC) in its wisdom has banned the sale of liquor along national highways. This is unlikely to reduce drunken driving and accidents, as the recklessly inebriated will continue to crash their vehicles, making roads in India one of the most dangerous in the world. Some bad habits die hard, and unfortunately drinking happens to be one such vice.

A blanket ban, on alcohol, abattoir or currency, can never be a solution; regulation, tough laws and proper policing, is the way forward. I would, however, be happier if the SC prohibited sale of liquor along all roads, perhaps also markets and malls, not with the aim of arresting road fatalities, but to rid a nuisance, even a menace. It maybe a good idea to make liquor available only online in the process promoting digital India and also not losing out on tax collections. I am sure the present government will slip in a mandatory Aadhaar linkage somewhere in a money bill.

These steps sadly are unlikely to dampen the spirits of the diehard drunkards who will continue to envision their vehicle to be an aeroplane that can take off and road to be an airport tarmac. And, kill themselves and others in the process. I, however, have reason to propose a complete embargo on sale of booze along all roads, by-lanes, gullies and alleys, with alcohol permitted to be served only at licensed pubs, restaurants and hotels. Like particulate matter and mosquitoes, road side liquor vends have permeated in our midst.

However, the problem is that these kiosks do not limit their services to just selling liquor. A boozing ecosystem has evolved around them to cater to the customers that like to attain instant nirvana, liquor bottle in hand, squatting on pavements, cars, motor cycles, adjoining dhabas, improvised machans and rooftops, chairs and tables. Loud music, cigarette and street vendors specialising in kebabs do brisk business through the night.

The atmosphere is akin to a beach party in Goa, except that it is mostly stag and right in the middle of an arterial road in a city, next to residential complexes, schools, temples and many holy cows, not lucky enough to be rescued by gau rakshaks, aimlessly roaming about. I live in Gurgaon where there can be a shortage of water, electricity, milk and vegetables, but not chilled beer or whisky any time of the day or night. Alcohol and traffic jams are always in abundance in Gurgaon.

And, what is more the spirits are readily available alongside any road, I can bet, 500 metres either way. Each of the outlet turns into a watering hole every night, an open air revelry that turns crazier as the weekend approaches. Posses of cops patrol the streets, set up barricades and breath analysers. However, they are powerless to act against the vendors protected by the higher ups. It is thus inevitable that in the dead of the night an inebriated bike rider or car driver assumes the dark ditch to be a continuation of the potholed and tarred road and flies into eternity forever.

Hence, I propose that the honourable SC bans sale of liquor along all roads, not just highways.

Perils of empowering a dysfunctional state

Two recent developments have caught my eye. One, endowing the tax department with more discretionary powers while making Aadhaar card mandatory to file taxes, the unfair burden of which falls on a small section of the income tax paying population; second, the incorrectly termed anti-Romeo drive in UP which seems to have degenerated into aggressive moral policing and even incarceration of husbands, brothers, fathers, boyfriends and friends. I have a hypothesis, which has only been strengthened by the recent events. And that is as follows: empowering arms of government, whether the police, bureaucracy or IT, without requisite administrative reforms and checks and balances is only asking for trouble.

This is because the agencies of governance are not accustomed, often not allowed to operate efficiently and fairly. As a matter of fact, some state-sponsored services in India seem to function feverishly when there are grey and non-transparent areas of operation. It creates a win-win situation for both parties, the applicant and approver. An example is the brisk issue of driving licenses, many dubious, that provides livelihood to an organised army of touts.

Indians, who otherwise crack a few million jokes on twitter every hour, have been ranked low in happiness, as per a recent survey. Twitter apart, the happy index at any DL issuing authority also has to be very high. No doubt, the UP police, attuned to toeing the line of their political masters, seem to have been caught unawares, when actually ordered to perform for a change. New CM Yogi Adityanath’s anti-Romeo crackdown might have been well-meaning, but the cops who now report to him have bungled it badly, perhaps resulting in an inadvertent emergence of a hyper-feminist utopia and dream-come-true. Men, for a change, have been driven inside their homes for their own safety, rather than women. No man near a woman, in salwar or skirt, can consider himself safe in UP, at least for the time being.

The UP police, meanwhile, stand exposed yet again for failing to be professional which is not surprising given their abiding motto to keep their political bosses, radical or socialist, happy. I am sure CM Adityanath will think twice before ordering his inept police force to perform again. In the same vein, the crack down on illegal slaughterhouses in UP is also a complete sham. Authorities have a vested interest in ensuring the abattoirs remain unlicensed, while also functioning in order to reserve a share of the earnings for themselves. Anywhere in India, a huge complicit political lobby makes sure that businesses, whether it is a street side vendor selling fruits or a factory, stay unauthorised. Arun Jaitley thus needs to be careful.

Transparency in governance can be a double-edged sword that can make the IT department dysfunctional. Try getting a simple TDS error rectified; it will not happen in a hurry due to justice being delivered too visibly; paradoxically, the concerned official fears he can be accused of having a vested interest in doing his job too well.

Hence, he or she is much better off twiddling his thumbs, doing nothing, in order to ensure his next promotion or transfer. Making Aadhaar cards mandatory for filing taxes sounds all very good on paper. But, all scenarios need to be considered.

This is not about matters going right. Major problems can emerge when matters go wrong, like misuse of data stored in an Aadhaar card, potentially making an individual culpable for no fault of his. Nobody will be willing to take responsibility. Duplicates can become subject of unending inter-departmental inquiry unless an aggrieved tweet happens to be noticed by the PMO. The Modi government is in a tearing hurry to show it is pushing the country forward. The process needs to be calibrated and finely balanced. Sweeping changes, such as the recent demonetisation exercise, can be disastrous. India seems to have given Modi the benefit of doubt on notebandi as it is now largely seen as a well-meaning decision that went awry. Modi and Jaitley should not count on being so lucky again.

In defence of Yogi Adityanath

If demonetisation had not happened, I would have joined others in condemning the appointment of Yogi Adityanath in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi would have had a big say. The UP election results proved that too many mainstream analysts were quite wrong in their assessment that the demonetisation bogey would sink Modi like the Titanic. The facts and figures might have been correct, but statistics never tell the full story, including the mental and psychological aspects that are at play. Or else, many would not consider Rahul Dravid to be the greater Test batsman than Sachin Tendulkar.

Lets be clear about this, if the RSS and Modi were not on the same page about the new UP chief minister, he would never have been chosen. To be more precise, if the unassailable Modi did not want Adityanath, it would not have happened, just as it is the Khans who decide their heroine, not producers, directors or Kangana Ranaut. The elevation of Adityanath could also put the Indian Prime Minister in a piquant catch-22 situation.

As many observers seem to predict, deploying clinching Youtube evidence of the past, the divisive, firebrand Yogi will fail as CM causing UP to burn, the way it happened in the early 90s when the Babri Masjid was demolished. The blame would then fall squarely on Modi’s broad chest. Indeed, it is very easy to denounce Yogi, given his chequered past, hate speeches and spiteful comments, including comparing Shahrukh Khan to a terrorist.

If Yogi needed to go back home to a wife every evening he would probably have not made such a statement. However, it is also true that Adityanath is devoid of qualities that we tend to dislike in others. Like the Samajwadi Party, he will definitely not spawn an extended family enterprise that will feed off his success, squabble for a bigger share of the political pie or else help themselves to a Lamborghini, to spin around the crowded streets of Lucknow. Having fought his way up from the ranks, Adityanath is also unlikely to disappear for breaks and holidays like Rahul Gandhi to destress and detox.

Most Indian parents will hammer their kids to work harder should they fail a big exam. Very few are as lucky as Gandhi. Some may hate me for saying this, but Yogi is also gifted with an abstract quality called charisma, even if rustic and raw like Vin Diesel, that few are endowed. Other examples include, Modi or Indira Gandhi. It is for the same reason that Amit Shah does all the hard work, but Modi walks away with the accolades.

Though most seem to have ruled out this prospect, there is also the very dim possibility that Yogi may actually succeed as CM, the way Modi did in Gujarat. Anything is possible in this world, including Virat Kohli getting out of form.

To everybody’s collective surprise, Yogi could focus on growth and governance for most part of his tenure, learning along the way from Modi the art of deftly interlaying the Hindutva card when necessary, especially before elections.

Indeed, should he succeed as CM, there could emerge a scenario that Yogi becomes a potent threat to Modi himself in the future, given the primacy of UP in the Lok Sabha.

Modi could even find himself elevated to the hoary committee of has-beens, the margdarshak mandal, ironically created to defang and sideline LK Advani, the original patron and protector of the PM.  But, the Modi-Amit Shah duo has not gotten so far in the politics by being naive. There is a big chance that their next big plan is to split UP, effectively clipping Adityanath chances of taking centre stage.

At best he could then be a tall state leader like Shivraj Chouhan with little prospects at the national level. Anything is possible in politics and cricket, including Virat Kohli shouldering a spinning ball headed for the middle stump.