A #Covfefe Called Trump!

 

Sometimes I sit at my laptop key smashing because it feels good to let out pent-up feelings. Listening to Hillary Clinton’s Wellesley commencement speech was one of those moments. My eyes welled up as I kept asking myself Why? Why? Why? Why did she lose? Why did HE win? His victory is a complete #covfefe. Even now, months later, the emotions feel raw.

Editorials try to justify the loss. Millennials join in the Hillary bashing. Comments such as, ‘she was a bad candidate; America is in crisis because she was the wrong choice; there was no conceivable alternative to Trump’ and the litany goes on in the same vein. The Wellesley address has got its fair share of criticism such as It not being the right platform for her to air her views and that she needs to accept blame instead of looking for excuses. That may be so but I do agree, it is time for the Democrats to move on and self-analyze just as the Congress party in India needs to stop licking its wounds and get its act together. The Modi government has not exactly had a successful three years but with no worthy opposition, they have reason for complacency.

In the meantime, our complacent Commander-in-Chief just completed his first foreign trip. Apart from the puffery of Fox, global media had a field day Trump bashing. My most abiding memories of this trip; the brush-off he got from his wife, a glum Pope, a Prime Minister shoving leader and a deal making business man along-side the post trip tongue lashing he is getting from the German Chancellor. His departure from Europe coincides with Modi’s six-nation European tour. And one of the first things the Indian PM did, was praise Merkel.

Though Trump is an ultracrepidarian, if he ever got impeached, we would have a far scarier prospect as the head of the country. VP Pence is someone who criticizes, judges and advises WITHIN his field of expertise and experience. In my opinion, we need to ride out these four years and though there may be much handwringing and key smashing, it will be nothing compared to the alternative. And the horrific news out of DC about the pullout from the Paris climate accord, makes it imperative for the Democratic party to rebuild its base and regain trust.

Consolidating his base is something Sachin Tendulkar excels at doing. Not only does he have a personal app, a movie based on his life was recently released; Sachin: a billion dreams. While I have not had the opportunity to see it yet, the reviews have been mixed. IMDB gives it high ratings, some say it’s a mixed bag and yet others claim it is more of a documentary on his life. Apparently, as far as movies on cricket Gods go, Dhoni has the upper hand.

Talking of accolades and a big thumbs-up to the Grounds for Sculpture in New Jersey. The force behind conceptualizing the park is artist and sculptor, Seward Johnson. There are over 250 works of art spread out over 42 acres of impeccably maintained grounds. Modern works juxtapose realistic ones and there are many famous portraits brought to life such as Renoir’s boating party and Manet’s Dejeneur Sur L’Herbe. Some sculptures make you do a double-take because they look so real; a couple lying in the park, a girl reading, a man commiserating with a child and sundry others. These sculptures would look tacky in our homes but in the vastness of these grounds, they take on a new meaning.

The park is run as a not for profit with four full time gardeners, just about sixty staff and a retinue of dedicated volunteers. A friendly volunteer informed us the place remains closed on Monday and 200 workers descend to take care of gardening and other maintenance requirements. They have twenty-three peacocks and pea hens adding to the fauna and flora of the park. The awe-inspiring sculptures, floriferous plants, olive drupes, water bodies, fountains and the nooks and corners to just sit and read, all come together seamlessly to make this park popular. The for profit Rats restaurant adjoining the park has been designed by Seward Johnson to resemble impressionist artist, Claude Monet’s beloved Giverny. Rats has been named after Johnson’s favourite character in the novel, The Wind and the Willow. It serves French cuisine and if our meal was anything to go by, it is no wonder this restaurant is always booked up.

I wonder how a park like this would do in India. Many a talented artist would benefit from such exposure. Where India fails is in the maintenance department. Abysmal hygiene standards have consistently turned public areas into a disaster zone. High entrance fees may help upkeep but defeats the purpose since entry would be restricted to those who can afford. Our beaches, our riverbanks, our gardens, our heritage spots have much they can emulate from more developed countries. True, we have come a long way in India but we have a long way yet to go.

What has come a long way is this publication. 365 days to be exact. Congratulations @Pune365. Let me end by saying it’s been a great journey and undoubtedly the best is yet to come.

Monique Patel
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