Party Manifesto

It seems that in socialist democratic India the only kind of Party we have is The Political Party. Indeed, too many of them - like the pmk.

In a liberal order, Liberty Under Law, there would be many other kinds of parties – like Daaru Party, Ganja Party, Hard Rock Party and, the greatest party of them all, The Rave Party.

The voting public must choose between these two kinds of parties. There is no middle ground. It is either one, or the other. Either we enjoy our parties, or their parties enjoy us – from behind.

Let us start with a small news item saying that a “cocktail party” planned during a Pan-IIT event at IIT Madras was banned because of the leaders of two “political parties” – the pmk (of course) and the dmk. The leaders want to instill “discipline and culture” into graduate students.

When I studied at the London School of Economics, I was delighted to find that the student’s union runs a pub on campus – “The Three Tuns” – and the beer was very, very good. I also have fond memories of a tequila night there. After 18 shots I won the prize – 2 pints of beer! Now that is what I call “higher education.”

It must be mentioned that the professors had a separate quiet bar upstairs, which students could enter only on invitation. I attended Professor Christopher Hood’s “Inaugural Lecture” on the occasion of his assuming the Chair of Public Administration. After the lecture, we all retreated to the professors’ bar and sipped sherry.

This is Civilization.

And if you thought that Goa was home to this Civilization, think again. All beach parties are banned in Goa this New Year’s Eve: the great “security” hoax. Everyone must party indoors, say the netas and baboos whose policies in any case suck the blood of all the highly enterprising shack operators.

Now for the good news:

Dawood Ibrahim is planning a great 53rd birthday party for himself on the 26 of December, at a “secret location.”

As Morrison said, “Weird Scenes Inside The Gold Mine.”