Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Governator



“Why this sudden interest in watching CNBC-18?” asks my  husband.

“Nothing. I’m trying to grasp the tenets of our monetary policy.”

“Common, you are gawking at him like an awestruck teenager.”

“Can’t help it. The headline says, ‘All eyes on Rajan’.”

Age has nothing to do with the heart skipping a beat. Exuding charm, the crinkly eyed RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan does evoke a sigh. No offense to Subbarao, Jalan or Rangrajan, but when did we have a tall, dark and handsome economist at the helm of affairs?
Thankfully, RBI Governors are not selected on the basis of rippling muscles or good looks. Look where the good looks of an irresistible Pappu have landed us?

Looks and fiscal deficit are as unrelated as Amar Singh and low-waist Levis jeans.

Impeccable Background 
Rajan is the youngest ever Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the inaugural recipient of the Fischer Black Prize. With a BTech from IIT Delhi, MBA from IIM-A, and a PhD from MIT, Rajan’s impeccable reputation can give a complex to Sachin Tendulkar.The new RBI Governor is an author to boot. Move over Tharoor, the thinking woman has a new muse. Go watch fashion shows with Sunanda and tweet like a sparrow in heat. Words are not what we need.

Harbinger of Hope

Swaminathan Aiyar  says ‘Rajan is a great jockey. Pity he doesn’t have a better horse’.

At a time when the two blue turbanators (MMS and his buddy MSA) have wreaked havoc by serving their estrogen pronounced boss, Rajan brings hope. No wonder he has a parody account on Twitter called ‘Governator’. Can you feel the whiff of his Hollywood-eque appeal? Well, Rajan can beat Schwarzenegger in looks as well as fidelity department. He married his IIM batch mate Radhika. Given his upbringing, it is unlikely that he will make hay with the maid.

“The governorship is not meant to win votes or Facebook ‘likes’, says Rajan.

Much like virginity, too much is made of Facebook ‘Likes’. Despite riding a sick horse, the new jockey knows that he is running this race for the life of a nation. Poised on toes that are pinched into Italian stirrups, Rajan hovers over the economic horse in a stance that generates hope. Hope, they say, is a waking dream. A few degrees too far forward or backwards, he may fall only to be trampled by new political hoofs.

The task of encouraging populist policies of a veshti clad Palaniappan and a pyjama clad Pappu, and yet, managing the fiscal deficit is going to be a tough ride. Sometimes a rider, instead of being thrown, can fall with the horse. God forbid, if that happens, Rajan may soon end up looking like his bald predecessors. How dreadful!



But well begun is half done. I would rather watch Rajan unveil the new credit policy than Karan Johar shake his wide screen, tongue conspicuously in-cheek.

Why?
To grasp the nuances of fiscal deficit, Federal quantitative easing, exchange rate, and food inflation. That’s why!

Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes! And if the jockey is good looking, the race becomes even more riveting.







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69 comments:

  1. One ray of hope for a beleaguered nation fighting a battle of race between US dollar and petrol which scores a century(Rs 100) mark first!

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    1. A tough balancing act. Populist schemes vs unpopular measures.

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  2. Every one has great hopes from him. The dollar has already come down, though only a bit, much more action is awaited.

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    1. We had hopes from Akhilesh too. But look what happened. I hope Rajan's hands are not tied by politics.

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  3. So the 'The Governator' twitter account is really his ?? If so his tweets are so cool. Tall, dark and handsome - I agree. Can see the rupee is coming down against dollar. Hope he has still more tricks up his sleeve. :)
    Nice post..

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  4. Haha..Brains and being easy on the eyes does help! I hope he is given the freedom to do his job.
    I must say, I'll have nightmares consisting of Amar Singh in low-waist (waste?) jeans tonight, and it will all be your fault, Alka!

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    1. Ha, Ha!Imagine the Red Jockey (or striped blue cotton)showing as he bends to greet Bollywood heroines!

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  5. He's every thinking and non-thinking woman's eye candy and the Rupee agrees.

    ROFL @Go watch fashion shows with Sunanda and tweet like a sparrow in heat. Words are not what we need.

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    1. I guessed as much from your status update. We have similar likes.

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  6. Hope he gets all the needed support and his smartness does some miracles..

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  7. roes pinched into Italian stirrups - you had me in splits over this. Well Rajan is a ray of hope isn't he.And the fact that we will have a pretty face to look at while he explains the economy to us sort of adds to the fun :)

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  8. Great one Alka ! Loved the easy humor. With the state the economy is in - "Rajan may soon end up looking like his bald predecessors", so better drool when the going's good :)

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  9. I wish, people should not burden him too much with their expectations. He has a steep mount to climb, especially considering the populist approach of Madam/Prince and their coterie with parliamentary elections few months away and US promoting another war in MENA region. One thing, I am sure he would not have imagined his popularity graph going north among the fairer sex post his appointment.

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    1. Its a tight rope walk for him. Populist measures vs tough decisions.

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  10. It does help that he looks so good especially when he seems so capable. Now that's an irresistible combination. This was a fun read all the way, Alka :). BTW, why do you have so many links in your article?

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    1. It is 'Zemanta' Rachna. It highlights the links. Though I am not sure how it works for my blog.

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  11. "Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes!" - Make that 2. Or even, 2 million. ;) I have to say this here. Just how many men do we see around wearing the perfect suits - right collar sizes, delicious ties knotted up just fine, the shirt cuffs peeping from under the coat sleeves just enough and no precious jewels on the cuff links. I have not seen his shoes, but something tells me they too are what perfection is made of, just like the man wearing them. ;) I hope he delivers on other fronts too. :) Brilliant article.

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  12. The RBI Chief seems all spiced up and buffet-ready in your post... and the comments on your page suggest that most of the diners are women. :)

    Arvind Passey
    www.passey.info

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  13. Bravo! A standing ovation for this post. When brilliant tongue-in-cheek humour gets hitched with sexy intellectual-speak like 'quantitative easing' and 'monetary policy', THIS is exactly what the progeny should look like! :D

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    1. Thank you. For sharing and the kind words.
      Means a lot.

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  14. What a crisp post Alka. Just loved it :-D
    Brilliant.

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  15. Rajan must be impressed with all the positive feedback on his policy moves and much more by the appreciation received on his looks.
    personally, i had admired nirupama rao's cotton saree with the pearl necklace . The typical Indian woman mentality, you see...
    Enjoyed reading ur post!

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    1. Nirupama was a pleasure to watch - intelligent, pithy and sensible.
      Thanks for liking.

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  16. Ah! You almost make me feel hope about the economy - even though I do not qualify for rolling my eyes behind Rajan :)

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    1. We wait for a knight in shining Armour to solve all our problems.Then we crush the man with one billion hopes.

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  17. Your words flow so effortlessly write ...nice post !

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  18. Well, he sure is a ray of hope for Indian Economy, isn't it? Is the Governator his own twitter a/c? He has some cool tweets there!

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  19. I wonder if he has been contacted by Karan Johar for a little talk over Coffee and perhaps an offer to play the protagonist in some action thriller (read love story). Or maybe it is time that you made your directorial début in Bollywood, you already have a theme here, 'How Raghuram Rajan saved the damsel (Rupee) in distress'.

    I think he is a far better 'youth' than the dimpled pappu who is still straddling his Mumma's back and occasionally opens his mouth to wail something incoherent since he hasn't started speaking yet.

    Nice post!

    Cheers,
    Blasphemous Aesthete

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    1. The country is paying the price to keep one family safe and in power.
      There was an interesting article in The First Post on our economy being a damsel and Rajan being the knight in shining armour.

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  20. My profession bars me from commenting on the RBI governor, not that I am afraid! He has been likened to James Bond, Superman, Spiderman and whoever that Mission Impossible Guy is, but I have a feeling that the vote bank politics and abysmal corruption plaguing this country will soon have him croaking. Regardless, that is a great catch, Alka. All the best! :)

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    1. I share the same concern. Thankfully I have the best catch in hand.:) :)

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  21. Hilarious! Rajan brings hope to all of us, in ways which are more than just economical ;-)

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    1. :)
      Thanks for stopping by Akanksha. When are you back?

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  22. These developments are very much missed when we have all the political drama around us. Anyways, loved the humor in the post.

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  23. ahhem!! You've managed to describe what most of us 'thinking women' are going thru after the new RBI governer appointment. This is the competitive test taken by only one candidate where his performance will be assessed by an entire country.
    On another note, I'm quite surprised you find Pappu irresistibly good-looking?!!

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    1. Noooo. I was going by the media reports while describing Pappu. His looks or his words do nothing for me.:) :)

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  24. Too much is being expected from him..I feel sorry for the man.The economy has hit six feet under the ground and so long as he has to make and support silly plans like FSB ,no amount of good economic policies will help.If he needs to keep his job,he has to follow politics and not economics.

    At the moment,what India needs is divine intervention and not Rajan inter

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    1. Hope and expectation have their downside. Disappointment.
      Look how Akhilesh has trampled our hopes.

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  25. And he has proved that the rupee is either female or gay. Look at the way it went weak in the knees on his arrival.
    A brilliant post Alka!

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    1. And how we hope that the rupee retains its gender!
      Thanks for the like.

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  26. I am also waiting expectantly for 20th to see what his plans are to bring the rupee back on track. Fingers crossed.

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    1. Yes, 20th it is. Hope the populist policies are not a deterrent.

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  27. so much to be done.. and hope are soaring high. Wish it will not crash soon :P
    Humor in your words makes it so fun :)

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  28. Guess I should watch or read news more :) Came to know abt him only from ur post.
    As always brilliantly written and humor is intact !
    Loved the last line :)

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  29. Great!!..:)
    http://navanidhiren.blogspot.in/

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  30. I loved the post. hehe. loved the last line. :-)

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  31. LOL....This guy definitely knows magic....or else dollar is a woman...she dropped on seeing him...

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  32. Alka,

    Read 4 current posts. As usual your sense of humour is fantastic in taking digs. Loved Scentoligia as it really evoked a lot of memories for me. I agree no one can beat our Phantoms. Hope RBI Governor can live upto our hopes unlike so many who talk a lot but are full of gas or do not talk at all.

    Take care

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  33. hmm...hope his brains or good looks or whatever do the trick! :D

    Roshni
    http://www.indianamericanmom.com

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    1. Something has to work! Desperate times call for desperate measures!

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  34. Love these lines Alka, ove over Tharoor, the thinking woman has a new muse.:) Hope the admiration of beautiful women like u inspires him to get the economy on the right track. If good looks could kill, well..your Rajan hopefully should make his acumen work for all of us:)
    Awesome post:)

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    1. My entire gang of friends have a soft corner for him. Hope something works.
      Glad you liked it.

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