Opinionated

Observe the BJP & Enjoy the Pop Corn!

2009-08-26T14:12:00.002+05:30

The irony is killing me!

Just a couple of months ago LK Advani was running for his much desire PMship on a 'Strong, Decisive Leader' campaign.

Now look at his meek, helpless countenance as he helplessly lords over his rapidly imploding party.

Of course, I'm totally enjoying the show. With pop corn too.

I have no intentions of reading Jaswant Singh's book. (Neither does Modi or Sushma Swaraj or any BJP leader except perhaps Advani, for that matter)

But the book HAS been able to rip apart the charade of PURPOSE in a directionless party that doesn't know if it ought to be a leader of a rapidly modernizing India, or a slave to a discredited narrow dogma...[Continue Reading]

Hiatus

2009-02-14T10:00:00.000+05:30

So here it is.

I am finally taking a break from blogging. I'd promised on the Mutiny that I would make a clean break; it took longer then expected but it's here.

Will come back once, the fingers, wrists, forearms, elbows, shoulders & mind permits. If I don't go now, will lose all of these! :-D

On criticism...

2009-02-13T18:12:00.001+05:30

I've spoken about the nastiness of criticism or being critical. Forget the unpleasantness, the idea of making someone feel bad about themselves or their work/art etc. is bad. We have no right to make one of God's children feel bad about themselves. So reason yes, but never criticise.

That is one of the reasons why I don't want to criticise SRK (or anyone else) anymore. That is the reason why I would rather review a film/book/album that critique it.

Here are 1 & 2 links to what I've said about criticism earlier.

And here is what "Sacred Space", TOI's pride has to say about Criticism. (Substitute Churchill's use of "criticism" with feedback. He was a politician, not a corporate citizen)

Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticise me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you. Love me and I may be forced to love you.
~William A Ward

I have no right, by anything I do or say, to demean a human being in his own eyes. What matters is not what I think of him; it is what he thinks of himself. To undermine a man's self-respect is a sin.
~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.
~Winston Churchill

Any fool can criticise, condemn, and complain but it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.
~Dale Carnegie

Three-quarters of the miseries and misunderstandings in the world would finish if people were to put on the shoes of their adversaries and understood their points of view.
~M K Gandhi

I hope to emulate what one of my idols preached.

On Agassi, other tennis snippets & a tennis joke

2009-02-13T11:06:00.004+05:30

My Tennis fascination started when I was 15. We were asked to pick a sport & make a scrapbook on it for a class project. Cricket got taken instantly, not that I cared much for it then, but I didn't know what else to do. Mom suggested that I look at Tennis as an option. So I browsed through magazine after magazine, article after article, cut out picture after picture & by the time my scrapbook was finished, I was a die-hard Tennis fan.

My initial favourite was Ivan Lendl, the # 1 player at that time. And next to him I liked rising young star Andre Agassi best! When Lendl retired, Agassi took his place as my firm favourite.

It wasn't only Agassi's frosted hair & good looks, pop-idol persona that made one his fan. It was his exciting brand of tennis, and the "appetite he generated for combat" that made fans flock to watch him play!

His initial career was a bit of a disappointment, but by the time his body gave up on him, he had won 8 Grand Slam Titles, a Career Grand Slam, and an Olympic Gold Medal, and earned his place among the Tennis Greats. That he did so in an era dominated by Sampras is commendable. (If it wasn't for Pete Sampras, Andre would've had the Grand Slam record.) That he did so at an age that most players retired was even more amazing! The man ate, breathed & lived Tennis!

He left an indelilable impression not only on fans, but also on the tennis stars of today.

When I watch Tsonga play or Nadal play, I'm reminded of Agassi.
The blistering groundstrokes, the shots that kiss the lines, the angles, the passing shots, the confidence-crushing forehand winners, all remind me of Agassi!

And I'm not the only one who says it. I'm so glad that what I thought is corroborated by Michael Stich.

And this year's Aussie Open semi-finalist knocked out last year's finalist Tsonga (who last year knocked out this year's eventual winner Nadal!), Verdasco, who grew up idolising Andre, sought his advice & reaped the benefits!

Nadal is like a newer, improved, left-handed version of Agassi. A much stronger serve, Agassi's groundstrokes & passing shots, Chang's legs & his very own mental toughness! I'm an out an out Federer fan, but I will grudgingly admit that Rafa has earned the title of the best tennis player in the World at the moment. He dominates Roger's game & he dominates his mind. Roger is at sea against Rafa. Not that King Roger will not find a way to beat Rafa. I believe he soon will, but it is a tribute to Rafael Nadal that he has pushed Roger Federer where no man even thought possible! It is only fitting that Rafa's greatness is acknowledged on account of his domination of Roger.

As Rafa himself said, Roger will get his 14 Grand Slams, possibly more as others say. It may not have happened at the Aussie Open, but there are 3 more Slams to go. Rafael will of course VAMOS for the Grand Slam 2009 & while it is a superhuman task to achieve, if there is one guy in recent Tennis memory who realistically stands a chance of doing it, it is Nadal! And at 22, with 6 Grand Slam titles already, there's no knowing what number he might end up with!!!

That Roger Federer is the Greatest ever will only be in dispute for a few more years at best. He will settle that with his 15th Grand Slam title. Then we'll start looking at Nadal's expanding trophy shelf. Very exciting times for men's Tennis! It could be even more exciting if 2 guys who have the game to dominate these 2 could get their acts together, but it seems unlikely that they will ever have the mental edge that these two possess. I'm talking about the unbeatable brand of Tennis that Marat Safin & Jo-Wilifried Tsonga are capable of playing!

Interesting times for Indian Tennis too! Sania Mirza wins her first Grand Slam title-tte. GREAT show from her & Bhupati! Now to see how she translates the confidence into Singles victories!
And Yuki Bhamri! Yet another Junior Grand Slam win! Boy to watch out for!
Interesting times indeed!

Observation & Question:

When Marcos Baghdatis plays at the Aussie Open, throngs of Australian fans of Greek & Cypriot origin cheer for him, wave flags of his country.
When Nadal plays, Aussies of Spanish origin wave Spanish flags. Ditto for Fedex. Swiss face paint & flags!
Thankfully no ball-tokre types live in Australia!

My Original Tennis Joke:
When Serena Williams plays at the net, her butt is still at the baseline! THAT's called Court Coverage! ;-D

The Media & some other thoughts...

2009-02-12T00:56:00.011+05:30

I've criticised the media rather harshly in the past, even referring to the word as profane.

I've called some of them biased, some of them over the top & some sometimes slightly opinionated, I've questioned Pune Mirror, and decided that some of them (I mean the TOI here) had indeed sold their souls. And all of rightly so I believe.

Recently I was thinking about the awakening that we've witnessed in the masses recently. My uncle in far off Calcutta is doing his bit, awakened by the 26/11 attack on Bombay. Friends from Pune to Paris are doing something. Practically everyone is trying to say or do something to change the situation or the attitude to the sitation.

There's a campaign afoot to dress pramod muthalik up in lacy pink lingerie. They better wax his black ass before they do that, if they want it look anything like Beyonce's! The campaign has touched an instant chord with the masses & netizens alike. People are sending pink chaddis, suggesting wearing them on the steering wheels of their Mercedeses, others are blogging about it in a newer, fresher, more welcome vein! Scroll right down to the last widget on the right side this blog for more details.

People in India are doing something about the things that bother them. It's not enough yet, but it is a start. And we only need more people to keep joining in to bring about that change!

I believe that it is our Media whom we malign (often with just cause) that we have to thank for this awakening.
So we can criticize the excessive coverage of 26/11, the horror stories, the strong opinions being voiced.
We can accuse the media of being sensationalist (& we won't be wrong); but one thing we will have to give them, however much we don't like it, & that is the fact that their sensational, excessive, opinionated coverage has been able to awaken us out of our lethargy!

My dear friend TB seems to be missing this positive aspect of the Pink Chaddi Campaign & the media in general. (Edit: Oops! As usual, that comment has mysteriously disappeared! Trailblazer, any clue of what happened to the comment?)

Are you forgetting my dear friend that there was a karni sena who had indulged in nonsense sometime last year over the release of Jodha-Akbar. What happened to them? Is that karni a hero? He appeared on NDTV & everything. Does anyone remember him?? And what do you expect people (media are people too) to do when faced with these idiots? Keep quiet? Haven't we done that for far too long? It's much better than retaliatory violence, or long drawn PIL's or having to watch his goons pillage pub after pub. The people are standing up to a goon, without taking the law in their hands. It's a saluteworthy move! It's not enough, but it's a start!

And in case you missed it, this initiative too comes from someone who is associated with your favourite magazine Tehelka! :-) (do visit it & read through their "Vendors of Anarchy" piece to change your opinion.) Nisha Susan, more power to you!
You may also want to see what VS Naipaul has to say about Tarun Tejpal's latest novel.

So time to say it, however grudgingly... Indian Media, take a bow!
_________________________________________________

Trailblazer,

Continuing from our earlier discussions on war & capital punishment, I'd like to leave you with a few thoughts that appeared in an article in Verve:

Acharya Suryoday Surishwarji & Acharya Rajratna Surishwarji Maharaj of the Amichand Pannalal Adeshwar Jain Temple, Walkeshwar, Bombay, say that:
"Religion ordains that we should make our enemies our friends. A hundred guilty people can go free, but one innocent person must not die.
Politics or Governance demands that we finish off all our enemies. A hundred innocent people can die, but one guilty person shouldn't go free."

Hopefully you get the difference between governing human beings & living as human beings.
_____________________________

And lastly... WHY DOES NO ONE ACKNOWLEDGE SHEKHAR SUMAN AS THE MOST TALENTED THING TO HAPPEN TO THE TELLY??? THE MOST VERSATILE, THE AMITABH BACHCHAN OF THE SMALL SCREEN???

The REAL %@$#@^&$!!!

2009-02-10T05:55:00.002+05:30

I'd spoken earlier about prices of groceries & real estate not coming down, despite inflation having come down wonderfully well.

The basic reason is obvious to everyone: Greed. One of the Seven Deadly Sins. If only these guys were devout enough... but their god is made of bank note paper.

Let's focus, for now, on the real estate prices joke that we've witnessed for the past few years.

One can understand the scarcity of space in Bombay & it's status as India's premier city, therefore one can understand rising prices there. But not to the degree that they rose to!

Beyond a point, the fault lies with people who're willing to buy at whatever rate is being quoted. The fault lies with the so-called investor (I prefer to call them gamblers), and the unawakened customer. They should just refuse to buy beyond a price point!

The first category doesn't do that (despite them not needing the damn houses at all!) because they're greedy gamblers. They want to speculate on rising prices, in order to sell to the next idiot who is willing to buy it at a substantially higher price, either out of more greed, or because the idiot is a customer who needs a house to live in, but doesn't understand the logic of not giving in to the seller's price!

The unawakened customer is the one that I seek to address through this post.
Jaago Graahak Jaago!
The money is YOURS! Unless buying a house is an absolute necessity (& to understand necessity, please put yourselves in the shoes of a homeless person who sleeps on the cold footpath!), don't part with the money at a rate that doesn't make sense!
The problem is that today we have access to loans. The bank is willing to give us money. So we make the mistake of believing that we have the money, we can afford it! THAT is not your money!
Imagine if banks weren't handing out loans. What would we have done? Looked at our meagre bank balance & postponed buying of a house till we had enough. And when we had enough, we'd just look for options that fit our budget.
With no one spending easy money in the real estate sector, the sector would behave itself! We wouldn't see the kind of imagined pricing that we see today!

I have a few suggestions, apart from the one above & the link above:

1. Start a non-profit, non-aligned, price regulation body. It can be a real-estate consumer rights NGO, that will survey every locality in every town & publish what the buying rate should be.
And no awakened consumer should buy above this recommended rate!
To ensure incorruptability, a panel (of 12?) should decide the prices instead of 1 or 2 people.

2. With price control in the real estate market, it will also become a less lucrative investment for goons, the underworld etc. A cleaner industry, with less arm twisting, less black money, more transparency is what we will get!

Reader thoughts solicited.

Poet in me (Part 2)

2009-02-08T17:36:00.004+05:30

Inspired again. By Hitch Writer this time. (Am I doing sequels or what?)

Beware of Idle pursuits on Sunday...
Lest they set the tone for Monday! :-D

And since you like rhyming so much,
I'll leave you with some rhymes, free verse & such.

This piece of random rhyming from Zig,
Will make you break into a jig!

My poetry, I know, stinks like poo,
But it serves the purpose it sets out to! ;-)

You want better poetry? You'll find it here.
It'll make you gasp, it'll make you cheer!

But if you want verse that'll AWAKEN,
Go here! You'll find yourself SHAKEN!!!

Kya qhayaal hai?

rooTha dost...

2009-02-08T12:40:00.002+05:30

Somehow Trailblazer has got it into his head that I am waging some kind of a blog-war against him.

Upset by the reactions to one of his recent posts, he has enabled comment moderation (which he should have had on in the first place!), though his doing so & his reasons for doing so now are indicative of his very young age.

Anyway, he's a guy I very much like. And this is to tell him (in response to his"Saturday, February 7, 2009 12:02:00 AM PST" comment):

Trailblazer,

- I logged into Google Adsense & blocked the 2 offending URL's that were being advertised on my blog.
Total Boycott of the offending people! Freedom Movement style! :-)

- I know you hate them as much. I've stated that in my earlier comment.

- One last thing to think about:

Yes Pakistan is in deep trouble. Political assassinations, corrupt leaders, areas under the strong influence of the Taliban.
Yes their cities like Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad are racked by bomb blasts.
But don't people bravely carry on in those cities like they do in ours? Aren't their cricketers playing cricket happily, corrupt businessmen doing business happily as well?

Now consider India: Political assassinations, corrupt leaders (like the one in the ads), areas under strong influence of taliban like bodies (gujarat, orissa, karnataka?)
Bombay, Delhi, Jaipur carry on bravely despite bomb blasts. Our cricketers play cricket & corrupt businessmen conduct business.

What is the difference really? Are we really that different?

Just think for a moment. When we say America (or pakistan) has immense social issues, aren't those statements as generic as the one against India that you are protesting?

PS: Good latest post. And fantastic twitter link on the upper right hand side of your blog! :-) :-)
Keep writing.

Andhe ho kya...???

2009-02-07T02:08:00.004+05:30

So Simon Beaufoy can see the development from one visit to another in Bombay. Can't find the darn link (please submit if you find it, Wiki style!), but it talks about the new flyovers & skyscrapers that keep coming up in Bombay everytime he visits!

A visitor to Pune can gawk at the spanking new, Excellent road from the airport Kalyani Nagar, or at the changed face of Baner (the 4 lane roads on each side, the bences on the ample sidewalk, the promenade) in just 12 months!!!
The Commonwealth Youth games have indeed given the city, specially the roads & the railway station a facelift!

But our media, businessmen & celebrities seem to have a very selective view of development.

They can't seem to give vilasrao deshmukh any credit for Bombay & Pune, nor can they talk about this man in their newspapers or interviews. Don't they read good newspapers or good blogs???
------------------
A few questions:
There were terror attacks on Jaipur & Ahmedabad as well as Bombay...

Why were vasundhara raje & her Home Minister not asked to resign?
Why were modi & his Home Minister not asked to resign?
Why did only vilarao deshmukh & patil have to resign?
Does it point to a difference in the attitude of the parties in question?

Charakan!

2009-02-07T01:15:00.002+05:30

Have added a new blog to my list of preferred reads!

It's a pleasure to read him. If you want enlightenment, go visit his blogs.

Maine kahaa thHa naa!!! Part 2

2009-02-05T14:38:00.006+05:30

It feels GOOD to be CORRECT!

Looks like I'm not the only one exposing the lies. I've provided data, anecdotes & analysis, linked to reports; I've linked to leading newspapers saying the same thing.

I'm just SO thrilled that I'm not the only one! Churumuri, Mr. Gupta, Ms. Banerji etc. are saying exactly the same thing...! May your tribe increase!

Dipankar Gupta & Ranjona Banerji both point out (as I too have, I'm in august company!) how gujarat was always a prospering state, full of industrious business-minded folk; and how modi's is just a despicable PR attempt to take all the credit for himself! (Of course there'll be the usual small-minded, uninformed, biased, ignoble, ignorable folk who will call them all kinds of names, like opportunistic, leftist etc.; in the process revealing nothing except their own intellectual vacuity.)

Telling indictment of:

modi's dishonesty
people's gullibility or obdurate refusal to acknowledge the truth
people in PR

---------------------------------------

Am also fairly disappointed with Symbiosis Institute of Mass. Comm. & Pune Mirror.

SIMC invited modi for a talk. What could he have to offer to mass comm students...? a ~~man~~ who cannot even communicate in the preferred language of the audience was seeking to address? anyway... he lied to them about the development that he didn't bring about in gujju-land. And Pune Mirror dutifully gave him full coverage.

The next day Anand Patwardhan spoke at the seminar. Now here's a documentary film-maker, with the credentials to talk to audio-visual mass. comm. students! At the end of his talk, one terribly misguided youth (& there are enough of that type going around since times immemorial) stood up & asked him whether he couldn't see the development that modi had brought about. The moderator stepped in to say that Mr. Patwardhan didn't need to answer that question as it didn't have anything to do with documentary film making; but Mr. Patwardhan insisted that he wanted to. He told the student (& others) that he wished he was present yesterday, or modi today, because he would've told him in no uncertain terms that he wouldn't ever vote for mr. modi's blood-stained hands.

Did Pune Mirror cover this the next day? Nope. I don't recall seeing it. Why Pune Mirror? Why?

Also see: Maine Kaha Tha Na (Part 1)

Remembering Mahatma Gandhi on Martyr's Day

2009-01-30T13:30:00.000+05:30

I'm not going to go down the usual route of enumerating what this Great Soul (Mahatma) did for our Country. Those are commonly known & easily obtainable facts. He isn't called The Father of the Nation for nothing.

Instead, I am going to focus on the impact that Mahatma Gandhi has had on the World at large.
The commonly known facts are of course that Rosa Parks to Martin Luther King Jr., to South African pro-equality giant Nelson Mandela, to current US Prez Obama, to Albert Einstien (& so many others that a whole post can be dedicated to his famous fans) were all impressed by this great man & his thoughts.

And it's not just the famous & the old that celebrate his life & what he stood for. It's the young, today's youth, youth across the World that celebrates this man & tries to live by what he taught.
Take a look at the 2 links here:

1. A Hundred Years of Non Violent Resistance
2. The Poster

And it's not just individuals, but also some of the World's supreme organizations who acknowledge his Contribution in Eminently Befitting ways. You can also go through a short list of other International tributes here.

And until the Nobel Committee makes up it's mind, we should just celebrate the recognitions above & the ones below:
The Mahatma Gandhi Peace Prize
The Gandhi Peace Award

I have a hunch...
In India good men, saints, kings etc., with the passage of enough time, tend to be designated as avtaars or revered as great saints. Gandhiji is almost already among the latter category. With his frequent readings of & understanding of the Bhagwad Gita, and his Vaishnava Jana, he may in a few centuries be worshipped as yet another avtaar of Vishnu.
I do not subscribe to this kind of a tribute as it goes against the Truth that Gandhiji stood for, but from most Indians who do subscribe to these theories, a more fitting tribute cannot be imagined.

Purely Random thoughts...

2009-01-29T15:18:00.000+05:30

1. I was talking to my driver on route to work. He let on that he was trained on a truck. He was a "cleaner" for 5 years, and the driver normally coaches the cleaner in due time. As we've all seen in Hindi movies, the cleaner (or qhallaasi?) addresses the truck driver (in our thriving on stereotyping movies, usually a Sardarji) with the loving Urdu epithet "Ustad"! I'd of course forgetten this, as they don't make trucking movies any more. So I asked him what was it that the cleaner calls the driver... Master, Guru...? He said, "Ustad". Meaning Teacher or Guru. And this is common across India apparently. Whether it's a Punjabi trucker or a UP-ite or Rajasthani or Maharashtrian, they ALL use Ustad! That is what India used to be before people got extremist about language, culture etc. Glimpses of what India's core was about (& hopefully will remain) gladden the heart.

2. So Simon Beaufoy can see the development from one visit to another in Bombay. Can't find the darn link (please submit if you find it, Wiki style!), but it talks about the new flyovers & skyscrapers that keep coming up in Bombay everytime he visits! A visitor to Pune can gawk at the spanking new, Excellent road from the airport Kalyani Nagar, or at the changed face of Baner in just 12 months!!! The Commonwealth Youth games have indeed given the city, specially the roads & the railway station a facelift! But our media, businessmen & celebrities seem to have a very selective view of development. They can't seem to give vilasrao deshmukh any credit for Bombay & Pune, nor can they talk about this man in their newspapers or interviews. Don't they read good newspapers or good blogs??? That zinta chick I used to like. Thought she was all gracious & forgiving. And definitely not on coke as the idle malacious gossip seemed to suggest, but now I'm unsure man...! I wonder what Ness' granny would think of her...!

3. Pune Times main page feature yesterday: braveheart srk undergoes surgery again! Err... Is afsana ahmed even aware of the number of surgeries that Sachin Tendulkar or other sportspersons have undergone? What is this insistence on featuring one particular person, or one particular field till the reader is sick of him/it? Is this the fair, unbiased, thought provoking journalism they set out to do...?

4. ~~Slap~~ spin specialist Harbhajan Singh gets a Padma Shri!!! Abhinav Bindra does a little better, but remarks that it was strange that fellow Olympic medallists Vijender Singh & Sushil Kumar were left out of the list! I've lamented the lack of a list revision/error correction mechanism, the lack of transparency with respect to the selection process before. Is there a fixed quota or something per discipline/per year? Strange... very strange...

5. Mediocrity: I've been conditioned not the like that term. By writers, leaders, thinkers, philosophers, corporate citizens, share market billionaires, by the media & training firms that survive around the lives of such people... So when I look around me & find mediocrity being celebrated instead of excellence, it bothers me. From our popular film awards to our television shows, to people like ashutosh winning bigg boss, from among almost equally unworthy housemates... mediocrity today is all pervasive. The question I want to ask myself (& hoping you can answer for me) is this:

Is Not Celebrating Mediocrity an (our much maligned in India today) Elitist argument?
Is celebrating the perceived utter mediocrity of guys like srk & ashutosh, a more Pro-Equality, Anti-Perfectionism argument? And thus more worthy?

I think so, but I also like the push for Excellence. Does the winning argument in the Universe centre around Balance? Bloody tightrope man!

If we brand perfectionism or the constant pursuit of excellence as elitist or even ruthlessly capitalist, and correctly ascribe the relentless pressure felt by perceived non-perfect people such as those who are obese, dark or academically or fiscally average, to it; does that make a more moderate, tolerant approach better? One that has place for not just the fittest, but the fattest as well? Can this argument be extended to socialism & much maligned communism as well? What about Seva Cafe's brand of freecycling? (Link needed, kindly provide)

I would like the brains of Annie, NativeIndian, Sagarone, IHM, Trailblazer, Yaamyn, CAT, Animesh, Nimmy, @lankr1ta, PhoenixRitu to try & answer these questions for me please.

My Prayer to God

2009-01-28T17:49:00.000+05:30

I write about an abundant variety of topics. One thing however that doesn't get it's due is my relationship with God. I don't what the reasons for this are. Maybe I've always considered it very personal; maybe I hadn't come to terms fully with my relationship with God, but it's been in my mind to post about this for some time.

i'm not very regular, and the following conversation is a roughly 99% accurate draft of what i say to Him. i hereby share with you my rather irregular prayer to God:

Dear God,

Thank You for the blessings that you have bestowed upon my family & me. Thank you for keeping us safe, secure, healthy & happy. Thank You for all the small & big things (like family, friends, a job etc.) that make our daily lives happy.

i ask You to bless my family & me, with long lives that are fiscally, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually... fit, secure, safe, healthy & happy.

i ask you to bless our close & far relatives, friends, the whole world, and indeed all of Your Creation, in the very same way.

i ask you to heal my aches & pains (that i have developed from excessive typing on the keyboard).
(Sometimes i pray for God to help friends & relatives find good jobs when they're looking, sometimes i ask to not be critical of others, to be patient with them, sometimes for something else, but the main prayer remains largely as it's been produced here.)

Dear God, i humbly thank You, my all powerful, merciful, only benefactor, and ask you to grant me my wishes & prayer come true.

Amen.
_____

I'd also like to quote a few prayers & hymns that I identify with, that I sometimes draw inspiration from & use in my prayers:

St. Francis' "Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace" (School prayer which I only began to understand recently)
Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram, sabko sanmati de Bhagwan
Abide with me
The Namaaz
The Spirituality section & The Speaking Tree (one of the rare good things in TOI), which exposes me to quotes from Buddha, Guru Nanak, Kabir, Gandhiji, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar among others.

i send this prayer out into our World, so that God heals us all, cures us of hatred, sows us with love & bestows peace upon all, even those we criticize or don't agree with.

Statuette time!!! ;-)

2009-01-27T14:40:00.000+05:30

OK! Time for the 2nd edition of the annual 1conoclast's World Peace Award!

Last year, when the award was instituted, there was only one award & therefore only one winner. This year, we have expanded the list of categories in order to recognize netizens in other areas as well.

It's tough to pick a winner for the topline Award from among fellow Crusaders for Peace, but that being such an oxymoron, I'll have to look for people whose style & tone, in addition to their message, resonates with the call for Peace! It is with humility & great joy that I submit this tribute to my fellow netizens.

Here goes...

The 1conoclast's World Peace Award 2008 is a tie (It's not a joint award & therefore no comparisions are to be drawn with last year's shared Nobel Peace Prize!) and it goes to:

Indian Home Maker & Milind Kher!!!

IHM's reader's will be familiar with her gentle tone & consistent pro-Peace, pro-equality stance. For her collected posts, each calling for understanding & tolerance, for saying yes to non-violence, the Award is hers this year!

Milind Kher's comments all around this blog are an indication of the inclusiveness, tolerance & wisdom he is being recognized for! Here is a sample of his comments.

The other close contenders were Mohib, Sridhar (Search for "Sridhar on November 12th, 2008 8:11 pm" here), Sudie (sample here again), Knownturf, QuirkyIndian and Yaamyn. All spoke for Peace and I doff my hat to all of them!

The Citizens for Peace Blog 1 & 2 remains an Inspiration to bloggers like me.

APPLAUSE!!!

__________________________________

The new categories this year (& the winners therein) are:

1conoclast's Funniest Humour Collection Award 2008 goes to:

Cat & Chaos

1conoclast's Best Original Humour Award 2008 goes to:

Phoenixritu

A few other categories, to be taken in the Razzie spirit are:

1conoclast's Award for Excessive Comment Moderation 2008 goes to:

Indian Home Maker again!

1conoclast's Award for Selective Viewpoint 2008 goes to:

India Retold

(Also wins under the categories of Carefully Selected Comment Deletion & Consistently Inconsistent)

1conoclast's Award for "Let's Hope they remains Centred (Please see definition 2 here)" 2008:

goes to two young minds with great potential...

Trailblazer. He is intelligent, young, passionate, informed, tolerant, inclusive among other good things. Their slight tendency to favour war, capital punishment, and give general consideration to right-wing propaganda are worrying traits; traits I hope will disappear with imminent maturity, but more on account of their desire to look for truth & sense in things.

& Kislay for pretty much the same reasons.

Thank you all for your lovely posts, comments & thoughts. They make the blogosphere a nicer place to inhabit.

PS:

If someone is a good artist, can they please design a better statuette for next year's Awards?
Is this selection by a Jury of peers (me!) a good way to do this or would people prefer to vote? Can someone suggest a reliable voting widget?

NEVER FORGET

2009-01-26T21:36:00.000+05:30

They said he wanted to, so they went ahead, forged alliances, put in effort & did it!!!

The curtain lifts on this noteworthy initiative on this our 60th Republic Day, and the 2 month anniversary on the deplorable attacks on our beloved Bombay.

So all those who said, they wanted to do something... it's time. To ask questions. To NEVER FORGET!

a few questions for Vinodji (& his friends)

2009-01-22T20:03:00.000+05:30

A great deal of thought, restraint & re-wording has gone into this post (& it's title).
After a lot of reading him, one part of my brain says that he means no malintent, that he's just differently motivated. Another part of me has come to the (possibly premature) conclusion that the gentleman in question has questionable motives. I guess I'll just leave that to be answered by him.

Vinodji, I am aware that criticism is not nice (& I am therefore making an attempt to not criticize but attempt a criticism of your writing). I have also always been aware that your stance may just be the mirror image of mine, and in all probability I could be reading you wrong. If this is indeed the case, bachcha samajh ke maaf kar deejiyega. I only want some questions answered & iron out certain inconsistencies. I maintain that you serve as unique a purpose in the political world & in the Universe as I presume to.

Prarambh...

Positives first:

1. Vinodji, you argue against the caste system, against a situation where one's
station in life was determined solely on that basis
It would follow that you wouldn't hold anyone's birth against them, but in another comment you go on to do just that! Stung by Sagarone's bringing up the loss of life & suffering endured by certain people, you half-chiding him say:
Sagarone,
please let us not talk of the suffering of the 'royals' in pursuit of power.
Others have suffered much more. Besides, the country has suffered probably even
more due to the many Himalayan blunders they have made. Their offspring have a
right to rule?
That's very inconsistent: Holding someone's birth against them?

2. Vinodji, your posts frequently celebrate a selective view of India & a select band of Indians. And lament certain issues that the country faces. Self admittedly you write about issues that energise you sufficiently. As a blogger you have the right to choose what you want to address through your posts.

Surprisingly, when your stance is challenged, your response is at complete variance from the energised or polite Vinod we know. When I challenged your attempt to cover-up Gandhiji's assassination by hindutva groups, you completely avoided coming back with an answer. Fair enough; maybe it didn't energise you sufficiently.

But that is precisely my point! Covering up Gandhiji's assassination & the sinister forces behind it, energises you sufficiently, but not coming back with an explanation as to what you meant by putting it like that???

And for those who may want to suggest that you chose not to get into a spat, they may want to ask you why you deleted a comment of yours where you referred to me as being in possession of a jehadi mentality. Very polite I'm sure.

That's inconsitency # 2.

Now for the opportunity areas:

3. Vinodji... your friends like Amit here are in a different league altogether. I may call you differently motivated, but I will never question your intellect. I may question where you choose to use it, but I won't deny it's existence. At least you know what you're talking about when you utter the word *elected*! Commenters called Amit are one of a kind it would seem!!! ;-)
Amit questions my respect for a Western education when he's already answered his own question by his erroneous reading of my nickname. A Western education & dictionary.com were meant for people like you Amit. Here's a comment that's still awaiting your response.
And another gem from mayawati awaits your response (point # 2) here.
Do you have it in you to answer these points? I didn't think so...

That's inconsistency # 3: Running down fellow Indians solely because they're scions, while lamenting the lack of respect to other fellow Indians. Inconsistency or Double Standards? Or just plain Stupidity?

4. An apparent anti-Congress fixation ^{(point 5 here)} makes you do some bizzare things Vinodji. Such as constantly railing against the likes of Rahul Gandhi for his belonging to a certain dynasty, for no fault of his except birth (see point 1 above).
So while you will alternate between mocking Omar's candidature and referring to him as the best of the lot (inconstency again?), you will never utter a kind word about Rahul. Maybe I am reading this fixation incompletely... It's probably an anti-Congress fixation with anti-Nehru-Gandhi-Mania.

Can you, Vinodji, not see that scions like Vasundhara Raje & Varun Gandhi were given tickets by your beloved bjp? Can you not bring that up in an attempt to appear fair?
Does that not energise you enough?

5. Should your being a blatant apologist for modi^{1, 2} tell me a little more about you? Maybe your attempted cover-up of hindutva's involvement in the cowardly killing of The Father of The Nation should tell me more...?

Your comment here gives me faith Vinodji that I am reading you wrong. That you don't have any malintent. But then your preceding comments & posts & the points I raised in # 6 above cause much damage to that faith, and need to be addressed.
I'm totally with you that no man should be indicted purely on the basis of reports & reporting. We have a judicial system & that must find someone guilty before we pronounce them guilty!
I don't want an apology. I don't want his ouster. I want you to answer these questions:

Why is the Justice process getting delayed for the 2002 gujarat riots case?
Why haven't the real perpetrators not being brought to book yet?
Why does the man ("with the blistering pace" as you so fondly put it) not do enough to speed up Justice? Why does he not quickly restore my faith in my country???
Why does he not ACT, so that Indians of any community can feel safe visiting a state in our own country???

Do you have answers Vinodji?
_____________________
PS: You may want to pay attention to the fact what I've pointed out here... Was the 2007 guj. assembly election closer than we think?

The TRUTH seems to be POURING OUT!!!

2009-01-22T15:23:00.000+05:30

Woke up this morning to a very pleasant sight in the papers.

The Indian Express reported that Report by own Govt punctures modi's Gujarat hype.
The newspaper says:

"A state government document accessed by 'The Indian Express' says that out of
the proposed total investment of Rs 633,829.9 crore during the VGGIS melas of
2003, 2005 and 2007, only Rs 130,354.36 crore materialised. This works
out to 20.5 per cent, as against the 61 per cent modi
announced. But for even this rate, all of some Rs 1,030 crore worth of
projects, which the document says are still at a “planning stage”, have to
fructify."

It also says:

While Modi projected 25 lakh new jobs from the over 8,500 MoUs signed during the
fourth VGGIS last fortnight, the document indicates that Gujarat actually got
just 12.3 per cent of the 13,23,452 jobs promised in the 760 MoUs signed during
the three VGGIS from 2003

Haven't I always maintained that it was all a lie, a sham, a PR exercise waiting to be exposed?

Inflation anyone...?

2009-01-21T18:51:00.000+05:30

Last year, there was a lot of ho-hulla about rising inflation.

the bjp & their followers went overboard with joy & gave soundbyte after soundbyte to the media.

Dr. Manmohan Singh, Chidambaram & Montek Singh Ahluwalia all quietly said that this was a temporary phenomenon, affected by inflated oil prices; and that it would come down shortly.

A downtrend has been in place almost since the day they said this. I can't hear even one voice praising this! I think it makes sense for me to at least applaud the bjp (& it's supporters') hypocrisy. They're making such an effort, being so consistent... Great show guys! Keep it up!

Dr. Singh, Mr. Chidambaram, Mr. Ahluwalia... Congratulations! You're doing a fine job sirs!

One question remains though... why despite inflation being so low are the prices of fruit & veggies still so high???
Or worse, why aren't real estate prices being lowered by the developers?
More on that in a separate post!

Will I, Won't I?

2009-01-21T11:52:00.000+05:30

Watching Obama Inaugration yesterday, almost brought tears to my eyes.
Here was the burden of America's slave-trade history, it's civil war, it's assassinations of men like Lincoln & King Jr., being lifted. A moment not only for black people to celebrate, but also for white, yellow, brown & red people.
And to watch black & white people hold up Obama banners, Change banners & jumping for joy at the ceremony, simultaneously moistened my eyes, but lifted a weight off my chest.

How am I, so totally unconnected with the race issues of America, affected in such a manner by yesterday's historic event?
I know extreme-patriot, regionalist cynics will scoff and throw pseudo-nationalist jingoism my way, like, first become Indian, then anything else. I've never limited myself within any boundaries, or conformed, and I'm not about to do it now. I'm a human being first; and I identify with human issues everywhere!

Obama too spoke of a new World order. Of inclusiveness, of handshakes, of prosperity across the World! Indicating a sea-change in spoken approach to the USA's foreign policy.

I'm wondering if I can become India's Obama... Like him, I'm of mixed ethnicity, I'm exposed to multiple cultures. Like him, I'm well-educated. And well-brought-up. And passionate (about social, national, and world causes). And Inclusive! And I look up to Lincoln & Gandhiji. And I'm good-looking as well. I'm not yet 35. And I'm a fairly good orator as well.

The only problem is that I've let myself go a bit over the past few years. I haven't paid much attention to personal grooming, physical fitness, bowel movements, and have practically abandoned all manners.
I don't think I will be able to last an entire ceremonial day without farting out loud.
If I can overcome that one fact, I think I stand a fairly good chance!
And so does everyone else like me. So there is hope for our future. The only thing is we must believe in ourselves. And be the CHANGE we want to see! Even if it is as small as not farting out loud in public!

And HOPE!!!

2009-01-20T19:23:00.001+05:30

Hope from India & around the Globe:

Sri Lanka kicks total ltte butt!!! And so-called brave prabhakaran on the run!
And a compliment from the Sri Lankan Army Chief for India!
One set of terror suspects moving closer to trial.
Another set beginning to crumble under mounting international pressure and celebrity clamour. India's squeezing strategy seems to be working despite the usual unqualified naysayers.
Indian Prime Minister and India's Cleanest Politician, Dr. Manmohan Singh, in continuation of his transparency in public life ethic, personally renews his driving license without much protocol.
And moist eyes & a doffed hat to men like Karambir Singh Kang. In today's times of corporate spinelessness, men like him give us HOPE.

The TRUTH about gujarat's "development"

2009-01-19T15:55:00.001+05:30

There's more to it than meets the eye. Heard of this one before?
Or of, scratch the surface, digging deeper for the truth etc.?

Apparently, we're all content to believe what suits us. I'm not. And therefore here's my little expose of truth about gujarat's so called good governance & development.

What comprises good governance? I've heard terms like corruption free state etc. being thrown about. I quote here from a random search on the web:

“Good governance” is a relatively new term that is often used to describe the desired objective of a nation-state’s political development. The principles of good governance, however, are not new. Good governance is, in short, anti-corruption whereas authority and its institutions are accountable, effective and efficient, participatory, transparent, responsive, consensus-oriented, and equitable. These are the major characteristics of good governance as outlined by the United Nations.
The World Leaders at the 2005 World Summit concluded that good governance is integral to economic growth, the eradication of poverty and hunger, and sustainable development. The views of all oppressed groups, including women, youth and the poor, must be heard and considered by governing bodies because they will be the ones most negatively affected if good governance is not achieved.

Or you could refer to Wiki. Says almost the same thing.

NOW tell me whether the state of gujarat qualifies for the good governance that it is touted to provide?

Bootlegging (the illegal liquour trade) is rampant despite Prohibition being in force. There's one example of Corruption!
Transparency too seems to have become a victim, pointing towards a dishonest, corrupt Gujarat administration.
And there goes Equitable!
6 years after the 2002 riots in the state, we're still wondering whether the perpetrators will be brought to book. There go all claims of an effective & efficient, accountable, transparent, Executive & Judiciary in the state!

Is THIS what Good Governance stands for???

Development:
I will present whatever facts & figures I have here:

I grew up in Rajasthan & we regularly drove into Gujarat to visit Ambaji or Palanpur or en route to Bombay. On my first trip as a 9 year old, being excited about driving into a "new State", I remember asking one of the local uncles in the minibus, "Uncle, Gujarat kab aayega?". And Uncle replied, "Jab iss bus ki khidkiyaan khad-khad bajne band ho jayengi toh samajh lena Gujarat aa gaya!", in an obvious reference to the condition of roads in Gujarat. That was 1984. modi or the bjp weren't in power then. How then is this modi responsible for the excellent roads in Gujarat?
Reliance set up Petro in Gujarat. Half the Pharma companies are in Gujarat. And this too has been happening for as long as any of us can remember. Gujarat has always been a prosperous state. It's been among the top contributors to India's GDP for longer than this man has been in power. HOW then does he get credit for developing Gujarat???
And I'm not the only one pointing this out! If you don't want to take my word for it, I'm fairly certain that you will take Dr. Manmohan Singh's word for it. Even if you're not a fan of his (which makes you very, very strange!), you can't deny that the man isn't given to lying in public! Read the 4th para from top here! And onwards of course. :-)
Do you know of the 489 farmers who committed suicide in Gujarat over a 4 year period? Is this the development that we are celebrating in Gujarat??? vilasrao deshmukh deservedly drew flak for farmer suicides in Maharashtra. Why not narendra modi???
Take a look at the per capita income gross state domestic product figures in this table that I obtained from the planning commission website. A smaller state like Goa has TWICE the per capita GDSP income of Gujarat!!! Goa registered an improvement of 21% in 2004-2005! Jharkhand was at 35%! When then is only the Gujarat CM in the news & not Goa's CM??? Or Haryana's which is also close in the averages? There has to be a reason! Essentially PR. Presumably to cloud the 2002 sentiment? Good job on the PR though! Have to hand them that! Mooh mein Raam/development, bagal mein churi!

That's all I have for tonight! Will be back with more later if the readers want to know.

Here are a few more links that you may want to browse through in order to decide on what really gets the bjp it's vote in gujarat. These are from around the time of the last assembly elections in gujarat.
http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/dec/14sheela.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7132034.stm (last section, last few paras)

So was their unfortunate 2007 victory:
a) Due to the immense polarization of the electorate (of which 89% are Hindus)?

b) Was the election closer than we think?

Oh! And if it's possible to tag someone on a post of this nature, I'd like to tag Sagarone, Trailblazer, Kislay and Vinod Sharma.

Questions for ratan, sunil & anil

2009-01-19T03:17:00.000+05:30

Good Afternoon ratan, sunil & anil.

Nice to see that you put shareholder interest above everything else. You're in it to make money. That's what your chosen field is, that's your area of expertise is. Ethics, Equality, Social Issues are an SEP (Somebody Else's Problem). If they were your primary motivators, you'd have been in Baba Amte/Medha Patkar/Teesta Setalvad's place, right? And yes... Corporate Social Responsibility can be taken care of by financing a few education/technical training institutes & a few research grants. Everybody wins right?

WRONG! I disagree. You have displayed a gutlessness, a spinelessness that will spawn businessmen jokes the way America has lawyer jokes! (Can someone contribute a few good ones?) And ensured that you will not be remembered as a few good men.
You have further cemented the belief that businessmen are hard-nosed, cut-throat and not to be relied on. It's a telling comment on our money-minded society that only Ramalingam Raju is drawing flak for having poor moral fibre.

I'm not the only one who disagrees of course. Rahul Bajaj & Jamshed Godrej disagree with you.
Anjan & Zig disagree. IHM disagrees.

So I'm going to put my money where my mouth is. In fact I've already started.

When I want an Internet connection, I'm not going for the broadband services your companies provide. I will look for an alternative. BSNL, MTNL, Hathway etc!
I will switch cellphone providers from airtel to Vodafone, BSNL etc., but tata, airtel or reliance are not getting any of my business!
My cousin was looking to buy a second-hand indigo. He asked me for advice. I dutifully pointed out to him that tata cars are after the first 2 years, high on maintenance, and their service centres have probably no idea of what customer satisfaction means. I also pointed out of course that ratan tata was the same man who was seen hugging narendrabhai. Ever seen him hug a customer?
I will buy sunglasses from Life (a less expensive, but equally stylish brand carried by Shoppers Stop) instead of fastrack.
And I would rather throw away good money on a Tissot than on your watches!!!
I've anyway switched to Saffola Salt (pending Mr. Mariwala's views of course), and if necessary will make my own!!!
Needless to say, no more shopping at westside.
And if I'm looking to move to a set top box, it'll be DISH TV for me.

One parting question for you guys: Despite all the hugging, would you offer a non-English speaking, non-internationally acceptable, possibly partisan candidate with a dubious secular record, a job in any of your companies?

Such hypocrisy.... tsk tsk...

Sincerely,

Iconoclast

I guess it's up to me... :-)

2009-01-16T18:36:00.000+05:30

... to speak the truth, and to present an equally balanced view of Indian politics.
Because certain other bloggers on the Indian political scene will not have the grace or the guts to bring these two news items up.

1. Emulating (whether purposefully or inadvertently) the Father of The Nation, young Indian political hope (some say, & I'm not inclined not to disagree) Rahul Gandhi & British Foreign Secy. David Miliband, stayed overnight in a Dalit woman's hut. Rahul was aiding Miliband in his mission to discover rural India.
The only question in my mind is why the trust didn't leave the mattresses & pillows behind for the poor woman. They could've done that.
Kudos yet again to the Indian Express for it's brave unbiased reporting.

The bjp of course played crybaby as usual. They take the word opposition rather seriously, don't they?

2. mayawati in her birthday speech called the bjp rashtra-virodhi (anti-national)! It's something I thought only I called them? How do I have anything in common with mayawati...? Is this a universal truth? Something that everyone knows? ;-)

I'm wondering why the unabashedly mayawati & bjp-fan-blog, india retold has chosen to remain mum on this tricky issue... hai koi jawab bhai...?

Disappointment & Hope-II

2009-01-15T17:53:00.000+05:30

While the existence of one non-blinker-wearing blogger gives one hope that openly partisan apologists for murderers aren't the only people populating my country, the decidedly premature celebrations of the aforesaid apologists is a sad occurence.

Why do I use words like blinkers, partisan, premature etc., one may ask.

Let's see why:

If you can see faults in everyone else, but not in narendra modi, it isn't because you're blind. You're just partisan or wearing blinkers. Please forgive the Raja Bhoj-gangu teli (respectively) analogy, but how else can one find faults with Dr. Manmohan Singh yet not give him his due for bringing India to where it is today economically, yet be totally forgiving of modi's complicity/inaction during the 2002 riots?

How easily they forget the earlier toast of IT, AP, certain sections in the press, Chandrababu Naidu (apparently the longest serving CM/CEO of Andhra Pradesh)! This is why I say premature.

They don't even have all the facts at hand, yet they celebrate! Good Governance did I hear? I guess offering security & a dignified living to it's citizens isn't part of good governance... No Corruption did I hear? I guess they don't know the real truth. Maybe they can compare PCI stats with other states before they rejoice prematurely? Do they actually believe no one else is watching? That no one else knows? That no one else will speak up? That the voices will not gather momentum? Blind? Nay... Blinkers!

And for every ratan tata, sunil mittal & anil ambani, there is a rahul bajaj & Jamshedji Godrej to take into account! Hopefully the media is only keeping modi alive in public memory, so that the voices for him to be brought to justice become louder & louder!

And how does the backing of those industry-wallas (with the obvious vested interest of making more money) hold good at all? Since when are industrialists as a group known for rectitude or ethics? They're known for protecting their own interests!

Now this bit is purely conjecture, but anil ambani is close to Amar Singh, and he may only have backed modi in public to further widen the rift (vajpayee-advani-shekhawat-modi-rss factions) within the bjp! (Gleeful Grin!)

And since vinod sharma has taken to hurriedly deleting every comment that I put up on his posts, I'm refuting some more of his silly claims here:

1st reply:
Right Time???

He was on Karan Thapar's show & walked out when asked to express regret? Was that not an appropriate time?

He's just milking the sentiment of those hindus who're extremist. And similarly with the money that comes in. Forgotten so soon why sonal shah was embroiled in so much controversy? The funds come from hindutva sympathisers living abroad.

2nd reply:
You wish Vinod.... The recurring skirmishes/riots in India doesn't suggest that we're a different people.

3rd reply:
Amit,

There is no unhealthy obsession with 2002. The obsession with 1984 still continues till today.Both you & vinod have brought it up in this form & others do all the time. It isn't forgotten. Nor should it be.
Nor should 2002 be forgotten.
And just because we weren't able to fix problems in the past is no excuse to not cry out for justice now!
That's all one is saying.

And can you please stop berating the English media? They're the one's who raise the cry for justice. Read this Tehelka piece.

OPEN your eyes!!!

The other 2 pieces of rubbish that vinod claims in the latest post on his bog...
at a scorching pace that even now seems impossible in any state except
Gujarat

**** has become the beacon that has illuminated the truth that an honest,
competent and visionary leader
LOLOLOLOLOL!!!!! HAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Joke of the century vinod!!! Really good one!!! LOL!!! And I thought phoenixritu was the funniest blogger I knew!!! :-D

I really hope you went through the links to the PCI GDSP pdf & the prohibition news article, that I provided above. This making false claims vinodji... tsk tsk... aapko shobha nahi deta...

Stop being an apologist for modi. Otherwise people will remember you like they remember hitler supporters. Heard of the slur "nazi"?
_________________________

Related Post

Please look forward to 2 posts, one on the Janus-facedness of modi supporters
& the other that analyses the truth about gujarat.

So is the bjp good for anything at all...?

2009-01-15T16:21:00.000+05:30

Let us examine that statement.

I have always maintainted that there is use for everything in this World. Purpose, Good, whatever you may want to call it. I have however been extremely hard pressed to see it with the lot this post is about.

I am of course not the first one to condemn them for their gadzillion faults. IHM recently did it, and rather eloquently too; Yaamyn's masterpiece cannot be forgotten even if one tried; & I've done it before, and on more than one ocassion (this one is power-packed with fact-filled links!).
I'm restricting the list of critics to unknown bloggers for now. If we go into the realm of well-known voices who have condemned , their actions or their ideology, this post will start to read like the Who's Who of India & the World! ;-)

So why not the bjp? The answers to that are simple. And many!

1st: Ideology. The bjp is the political front of the rss. All of them are essentially bound together, NOT by a love for the Indian Constitution, but by the ideology of hindutva propounded by savarkar, a little-known freedom-fighter of dubious renown; and therefore bound together by partisan respect for the underachieving savarkar, who's other claim to infamy is allegedly conspiring to kill the Father of the Nation, Gandhiji. This anti-national, contrary to our constitutional values ideology is what drives them. Surely they can't be considered candidates for governing a country as great as ours...?

2nd: They lack Foresight: When Dr. Manmohan Singh & PV Narsimha Rao were opening up India's economy, the perennially wet behind the ears bjp was yelling Swadeshi (a movement they ironically were not part of when it was first used against the British!). And when they came to power, eating humble pie, they simply carried on the implementation of Dr. Manmohan Singh's economic reforms. What does that make them...?

3rd: Hypocrites. As pointed out above. Also as was obvious to all discerning Indians, in the aftermath of the 26/11/2008 attaks on Bombay, despite their leader advani saying that they'd stand politically united against terror, they quickly did an about turn & happily went campaigning in the 5 states that were going to the Assembly polls. And of course, who can forget their soundbytes to the media? Thankfully an awakened Indian electorate & the indignant wife of martyred ATS chief Hemant Karkare, turned them down. What does that make them? Hypocrites AND Opportunistic!

4th: They breed, promote & defend marauders & murderers. A look at what their ideological allies have been up to in Khandmal & Karnataka in 2008, Gujarat in 2002, Ayodhya in 1992 will convince anyone not deliberately wearing blinkers.
They claim to be nationalists when the whole World recognizes them as facists, neo-zionists etc.
What nationalist, Constitutionally compliant, EC code compliant party would use temple building promises or distribute hate CD's(1) as part of their electoral strategy???
Yet another flagrant violation of the aforesaid code can be found here!
It's telling comment on how effete our Election Commission is. Or is our disinterested Judiciary/Executive to blame for not pulling the bjp up? But let me not shift the blame to our not so long an arm of the law, when in fact the real fault lies with these criminals!

5th: They're primarily anti-Congress. Also anti-secular. And anti-communist. Apart from THAT, they don't have any clear agenda for India's growth, development or place in the World order.
They're just blindly against anyone who denies them their Hindu-supremacist dream, and all their machinations & propaganda is targeted against them. So they & their followers have a limited number of hobbies: take open potshots at the so-called Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, and poorly-disguised ones at the likes of Gandhiji & Ambedkar.

So that brings us back to the questions we began this post with? Are they good for anything at all?
Contrary to what most people will think, I believe they are.
They serve a variety of purposes, but chiefly two:

They make us aware of what evil is.
They, with their mostly uncalled for, mostly inaccurate, but persistent criticism, help the Congress iron out the few flaws it has & get it's act together vis a vis their communication.

It prepares us, the citizens that they're supposed to be serving, to deal with their petty machinations.
And it helps the Congress emerge stronger & better equipped to govern India. A nation with a record for progressive, equitable thinking & living, demands that a party with similar people assist in governing it!

So there you have it. The bjp does serve an important two-fold purpose. It keeps us aware of the dangers of right-wing thinking, and it keeps India's sole hope for a sane mainstream political party, on it's toes. It's a job they do well (if we can call it that!) & they should be allowed to do that as long as they serve that purpose. Don't get me wrong! By no stretch of imagination are they a scrupulous bunch! They deserve to be hauled up everytime they break the law! But speaking strictly of politics, they enjoy opposing everything, and do so with single-minded dedication.
For those reasons & the ones mentioned above, they genuinely deserve to be in the opposition. They're apt for the job.
What would be interesting of course is to watch whether the other fringe/partisan/local players (like the sena) or other non-centred players (like the Left), take the battle to be the main opposition party, seriously enough or not.

You may have noted that I've softened my stance a little bit. I've gone from wishing the almost complete demise of the bjp to acknowledging that every voice in a democracy needs to be at least heard. And because of democratic considerations, I'm not only OK with the bjp's existence, I'm even glad! May they ALWAYS sit in the opposition!

There! That should make a few people happy! ;-)

More against War: Guruspeak

2009-01-13T17:23:00.000+05:30

OK. Enough ranting by us mere mortals on how to avoid war.

Let's hear what the Pundits have to say.

Thanks to CAT for the link to this wonderful piece.

And of course I derive a sense of satisfaction on discovering that my humble views on a solution-oriented approach have such illustrious proponents. Dr. Aumann, here's a fan!

Rehman rules the Globe!

2009-01-12T17:55:00.000+05:30

HE'S DONE IT!!!

Another Indian achievement on the Global stage worth celebrating!
An achievement in the here & now!
An achievement by a soft-spoken, peace-loving Indian (as opposed to ranting pro-violence losers)!

Here's to a Genuine Winner! A Real World Beater!

Ab isko kehte hain India Shining! ;-)

Sagarone: Why NOT War

2009-01-12T16:39:00.000+05:30

Sagarone,

Your very eloquent & almost persuasive argument for war is dangerous. It has the potential to sway someone who feels strongly about the tension between the two countries.

I'd like to present some more views against, not just war with pakistan, but the very idea of war!
(You may or may not have read the plethora of reasons provided here earlier.)

I am not saying & will not say that war hasn't been an option advocated & practised by men with far greater intellect, stature, beliefs & of course compulsions. But isn't it time we evolved as a race? Discarded notions of the past & adopted newer, peaceful approaches to end conflict?

The basic premise of my argument is & will remain this: Resorting to violence as a solution is a baser instinct, it's the easy way out. It doesn't take much thinking, much restraint, much intellect to resort to violence. War therefore is not the best solution. It's only the obvious solution. If you can call it a solution, considering that it kills so many people, and creates more bitter enemity than existed earlier.
Did our war against pakistan in 1971 achieve anything? It killed our soldiers & theirs. And I bet more than a few civilians. And it gave pakistan more reason to hate us, plot against us, develop nuclear arsenal to use against us.
Did the war in Afghanistan or Iraq help? Or in the middle east? Have they solved anything yet? Or have they simply created a situation that constantly threatens to go from bad to worse?

I quote from bhupinder's comment on one of Annie's (as usual) eloquent posts:
Tank aage badhein ke peeche hatain
kokh dharti ki baanjh hoti haifateh ka jashn ho ki haar ka sog
zindagi mayyaton pe roti hai
jung toh khud masla hai ek
jung kya maslon ka hal degi

A few questions Sagarone:
Why are we so eager to go to war with pakistan? To avenge the lives of our countrymen? To avenge the attack on our territory? To defend our honour? To ensure that this is not repeated ever? Because there seems to be no other quick & easy way to bring the perpetrators to justice? I'm assuming that your answer is yes to all of those questions.
If that is so, consider the following scenarios:
In order to bring justice to our fellow Indians who perished, to ensure that it doesn't happen ever again, to bypass the long-drawn out politico-legal dancing that is supposed to deliver justice but doesn't, should we:

Wage War against the Govt. of Gujarat?
Wage War against the Govt. of Orissa?

If War is such a quick & easy solution to bring criminals to justice, why does it sound right in one situation & not in the other?

Like I said in my comment on your post earlier (points # 3, 4 & 5), we must look for a better solution, not go for the easier one. I hope I have sufficently demonstrated the fact that the easier one hasn't worked. If you're looking for a few centuries of power, maybe it'll work. But if you hope for mankind to live in peace on Earth, then as a solution, it has as much IQ as a Rambo or Terminator type of movie.

Tunnel Vision?

2008-12-30T16:07:00.000+05:30

Vinod,

Allow me please...

1. I agree with George. Negating the Aryan Invasion theory is either rightist propaganda or wishful thinking.

How else can you explain one set of fair-skinned, light eyed people & another set of dark-skinned, dark haired people? Does this dichotomy exist in any other peoples?

a) Human life did not originate in India. Africa is said to be the cradle of life. So even the very first settlers in India must have come from elsewhere?

b) This concept of India. What is it? When did it originate? What was the map like? Who integrated us into that map first? Was it done peacefully? Or by invading other kingdoms?? Interesting question, na?

c) What was the Ashwamedha Yagya about?

d) Since when are religious texts sufficient proof of History???

e) Sanskrit & Persian have a common progenitor. And common ancient customs. That should tell you something about the origins of some of our people.

2. Oldest Living Civilization? You may want to explain that as to my knowledge Mesopotamia was the first known civilization & that area is still inhabited according to all reports.

3. Mahatma Gandhi passed away????????

What a subtle cover-up Vinod. :-) I wonder why none of the other commenters didn't spot this or bring it up! Did I intrude on a private meeting?

4. Maybe the reason none of the other things were adopted because they didn't work for us. Did they help us at all in fighting invasion after invasion? Nope. Why adopt failed strategies of governance?

I really think we should thank the Brits for having united us into India. Take a look around... they're not here & we're back to fighting among ourselves. Without a common enemy, we're a doomed people! THAT is what is in our gene pool! Apart from the scientific & philosophical brilliance you speak of.

5. Lakshmi Mittal & Dhiru Ambani are only illustrious as far as Industry & Finances go! And they weren't the first. I think you're forgetting that Azim Premji was there before these guys got there! And he wasn't from a Hindi Medium.

Mittal didn't make his fortune in India. He doesn't live here. He lives in London. With the Brits who did us many favours (apart from uniting us) such as railways, machinery etc. And I'm certain he considers himself a Global Citizen more than Indian, Maru or Calcuttan!

Narayan Murthy is an ex-Communist & his Socialist bent is reflected in his company's treatment of employees. And some (uber-patriotic?) Indians go after him with alleged flag-insult accusations.

Nandan is ex-IIT, of course! :-)

Independent India's other gems are Amartya Sen, Rajendra Pachauri, Manmohan Singh. 2 Nobel Prize winners, & one a future Nobel laureate. And none of them come with a Hindi Medium education!

Neither do other gems like Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy, Arvind Adiga, Kiran Nagarkar, Amitava Ghosh etc. Nor Shashi Tharoor. Nor Amitabh Bachchan!

Nor Rita Faria, Aishwarya Rai, Sushmita Sen, Lara Dutta, Priyanka Chopra etc.

THAT SAID, I must commend you on your intent of awakening pride within Indians. But without balance & truth, it come across as a little jingoistic, uber-patriotic, ultra-conservative or if I may say, rightist.

Some much needed Humour

2008-12-29T20:53:00.000+05:30

2 quick links from some of my reading around the blogosphere to bring a smile, and a couple of guffaws to your face!

Ways & Means

2008-12-29T19:26:00.000+05:30

Everyone seems to be talking about what we can do about the terror breeding on paki soil.

While some are sane voices, very rightly saying that war isn't an option, others are given to more passion than pragmatism.

I, as is my wont, like to provide multiple solutions. Some will say, more talk than action, but regretfully, that's the way things are these days.

And here's introducing a new blogger who has the mental range to suggest this, & blog about the voices of reason from the other side as well.

Edit: And since Israel in mentioned in one of the links, does anyone have any views on what they've been doing in Palestine over the last 2 days? Over 200 killed, and I saw a picture of a bleeding child being carried away from the scene in the papers today. How different is this from terrorism?

Your views?

TO the War Lovers.

2008-12-27T13:45:00.000+05:30

So assuming the Indian government threw all logic into the air and decided to go to WAR with Pakistan over the Mumbai attacks.. How do we know when we win?

What's the objective of this war? How do we know when it's time to END the war?

:-/

Terrorism: 2 Faces

2008-12-25T00:18:00.000+05:30

I want to slap pakistan right now. Does anyone know a non-violent way to slap someone?

We've given them so much proof, but their kayani, gilani, qureshi & zardari are trying word-play instead of sorting out the mess they've made?

The US, UK & the UN are all of the opinion that 26/11 was planned on pakistani mud. They've got World Opinion against them, they have a very upset neighbour (one to whom they've lost 2 wars), yet they choose the posturing route???

Listen up pakis: In India we have a saying for this muddle-headedness. Vinaash kaale, Vipreet buddhi.

Your time is up. You've got the taliban attacking you from the West, you've lost a leader to an assassination, you have terrorist camps inside your own country. Even if we don't finish you, I think you're perfectly equipped to do it to yourself. All the best. May you succeed.

I'd like to link to a brilliant satire on the spineless lizards who currently govern pakistan.

Imran Khan too seems to be in a hurry to get slapped. He expressed his support for the jamaat ud dawa, saying that they're an NGO who helped immensely during the recent earthquake. The same argument is used by the equally slappable hindutvis in India, who contend that the vhp & rss helped immensely during the gujarat earthquake! Does helping during an earthquake make you any less of a terrorist???????
________________________

Engineer MK Gupta loses his life, not to pakistani terrorists, not to misled Jihadis, but to his own countrymen. BSP MLA Shekhar Tiwari, who according to Times NOW coverage is a history-sheeter, is said to be behind the crime.
So how do we now ensure the security of our engineers?
Do we equip our engineers with guns for self-protection?

The question being asked (in the media & accurately so I believe) of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister mayawati is fairly simple:

Why did her party give a ticket to a history-sheeter?

The question I'm asking (of fellow bloggers) is this: Will maya now quit like vilasrao did? Or will she hang around like modi has been shamelessly doing?
Will India bay for their blood too? Or will political interest make us sacrifice our sense of fairness?

IHM continued...

2008-12-22T19:48:00.000+05:30

IHM has a wonderful blog & we agree on almost everything. Except the language I choose to use in my comments. She was uncomfortable with some of the aggression in my comment 4 days ago, and I was unyeilding in that it wouldn't be edited. So we agreed that the comment should be made into a post on this blog, so as not to lose the important things it says, and also not disrupt the peace on IHM's lovely blog. Here is my response to this rubbish:

Krishna...

1. a) The schoolboy isn't tired. If he was, he wouldn't be here. You were staying away (& continue to do till now, those points are still unanswered) because you didn't have an answer. And you could get your leaders to try & answer that for you. I'll be ready. That's exactly the opportunity I'm waiting for. :-)

b) So Socialism is bad in your books? You didn't get the "Moderation is better than Absolutism/Extremism" argument? You can't see what unmitigated Capitalism did to Mexico's economy & now to the USA's? You don't believe ALL THOSE people who've been saying that India's economy survived the global slump because it's approach was tinged with Socialism??? That just makes you an obstinate schoolboy! :-D

2. Not accepted anything yet. Was waiting for you to clarify what you really meant. Now that you've clarified, I will research your NHDP claim, wait for you to respond to my pending queries, & then come back to you. Fair?

3. So you're not going to offer any proof?

Don't worry. I'll offer a few corrections to your half-baked knowledge.

3.1 Nehruvian Socialism did not fail us. Read up. It states that Industrialization picked up during this period & gave rise to our Navratnas.

3.2 Reading on the Era after that too doesn't indict the approach for the crisis. The oil price rise resulting from the Gulf War is referred to as the point that precipitated the crisis. And weren't oil prices again a contributing factor in the recent global crisis? (Refer to points made above in 1. b)

3.3 I am THRILLED that you are giving credit to Dr. Singh & PVN Rao, & therefore to the Congress for initiating the economic reform that causes the World to look with awe at India's economy!

Where does that leave you arguments?

4. Obviously! If you give me a livemint link (who are about as Centred as I am rightist), then I'm going to have a problem. Why don't you try BBC, Economist, NY Times etc? I might set some store by what they have to say.

5. I've always provided proof to whatever I say. I enjoy the so-called burden of proof. You seem to avoid it.You see, I'm on the side of the truth, so it's fairly easy to find. It's out there!

You on the other hand present posts from bloggers as proof!!! LOLOL!!! Who is this sharique??? Anil Kakodkar's equivalent??? You make me laugh so much dear boy...!!! LOLOL!!!

Why didn't you present the first 4 links that Google provided...? Devious malintent...?
Can I give you one?

And WHY are you avoiding the ISRO & HAL argument??? Shouldn't you, a student, be running after the truth, instead of running away from it???

6. I don't know. Will you give me a few non-blog, non-livemint links?

7. Thank you.
And I take the Roy reference as a compliment too. Roy is an achiever, and a woman with a conscience, one who isn't afraid to speak up. I may not agree with all the she has to say, but I admire her speaking up. (In that sense you're a little like her! Only she makes far more compelling arguments!)

Nothing sucks. Generalizations are a sign of an immature mind. No ~ism sucks in it's entirity! Not Socialism, Not Communism, Not Capitalism, Not Hinduism, Not Buddhism, Not Islam, Not Democracy!!! They all have good things in them. The smart thing to do is blend, take the middle path, merge, be at the centre, be moderate. How many times much I say it before you'll finally get it??

FDI in Insurance? Let's take an example. Let's assume that Tata AIG was 75% owned by AIG. How do you think the AIG collapse in the US would've impacted Tata AIG here in India? The only reason they're still standing is because of the caution. Not because of unbridled capitalism!

Learn to listen to non-right-wing people also. You'll develop a more well-rounded personality, more complete knowledge.

I'll end this with one appeal to the the young man in you:

Insaaf ke dagar pe, Bachchon dikhao chal ke.
Yeh Desh hai tumhara, Neta tumhee ho kal ke!

Insaaf means Justice. Fairness.
If you have any interest in playing a part in nation building, then you must not forget the couplet above. You have to be fair & just. And that entails not hiding the truth, giving credit where it's due, even if it's the Congress that you dislike. Don't hide facts. Be fair & just. Build a nation that we can all be proud of! Not the nation 3 right-wing bloggers dream of!

Z@ki-R:
Don't worry. The bjp is on it's way out. The signs are already there for all to see. They're going to lose completely in the long run. No right wing movement has ever survived for long in History. No hate-based movement has ever survived either. They HAVE to lose. It's mathematical!"

Is there a difference between them & us?

2008-12-18T21:01:00.000+05:30

Consider this:

pakistan refuses to convincingly ban the jamaat-ud-dawa.
it refuses to bring lakhvi, dawood, the memons etc. to justice.

India refuses to ban the rss, bajrang dal, vhp etc.
It refuses to bring advani, modi, katiyar, bajrangi etc. to justice.

What's the difference between us & them?

Maybe if we gave them advani & modi, they would hand over dawood & lakhvi? It's worth a shot. Maybe we would be shaming them into action? Or maybe we'd be leading the way, for them to follow?
The only thing is that advani & modi are not their villians. They're our villians! Living (sadly) on & polluting our soil! And yet, we cannot haul their arses to justice! HOW do we expect to get people living on foreign soil to justice?
Beats me!

Maine Kaha Tha Na...!

2008-12-12T15:01:00.000+05:30

Sometimes being right doesn't give you the joy you thought it would...

I'd told jokers like these quite a while back, that this is the way to go! Anjan & Zig had said it before me! And we'd just called for an economic boycott of the businessmen who choose to continue to patronize the rogue state.

Calling all those jokers for their views on this community specific boycott. I'd like to see what they have to say to my initial proposal now...

Also, a few more questions:

What do we do with Gujarat now? It's fast becoming an extremely polarized, rogue state, guilty of the same persecution that the pakis & b'deshis are blamed of. What do we do with them?
Vilasrao Deshmukh drew a lot of well-deserved flak when raj thakre went on his anti-"North-Indians" rampage. It remains to be seen whether narendra modi will draw the same kind of flak...
Dr. Manmohan Singh sent a stinker to Deshmukh for his failure to correct the mns created situation in Bombay. WILL l.k. advani send a stinker to modi for his inability to correct the situation in Surat? Or am I forgetting that advani & modi are more like raj thakre...?
Do we go in & set it right? How do we go into our own state??
Prez's rule? Since the current administration seems incapable of integrating it with the national thought mainstream.

If we don't do something fast, it's very likely that they will soon have very little in common with us & they may have secession demands. In that case we could have another prolonged internal problem. Or if they do secede, we'll have a b'desh on one side, a china on another, a sri lanka on another, a pak on one more & a gujarat on another front! We can't afford to have an open battle on so many fronts. We must nip this problem in the bud!!!

Plug

2008-12-11T19:56:00.000+05:30

Another wearer of the Young India tag ;-) jumps on to the Call for Political Reform bandwagon. I wish him luck & your patronage.

kya contradiction hai...

2008-12-10T20:44:00.000+05:30

Some people get it, while some others just don't get it.

Funnily enough, in this particular case, a so-called non-Muslim gets it, while a presumably avowed Muslim doesn't.

Edit 1:

And then she goes & blows it!!! I wish she'd clarify her urge to criticize. Is it born out of a desire to reform? That's the only excuse I can understand for criticism.

What will stop these people from arguing over religion in these times??? (Inke beech ka faasla kaun kam karega?) Have they learnt nothing from the rest of the nation? What will it take to unite them? More of the same? Such a shame...! I'm itching to help them merge as one, but I'd said I'd refrain, so I will.

Edit 2:

However I'd also said that I would attempt to change the mindset of every religious conservative that I came across. (Read 1, 2, 3, 4). I'm therefore seriously contemplating writing to Adnan. Apparently Swati has answered my question on her blog. I will check that out shortly & come back with an update.

Kerala CM Achuthanandan MUST GO!!!

2008-12-05T20:13:00.000+05:30

BEFORE we do anything, we must ask for this crass, vulgar, disgraceful, insensitive brute to vacate the chair he thinks is his divine right!

How DARE he say something like this to the father & family of a Martyr???

He's shown the nation his absolute lack of class. He is unfit to lead. Show him his place! Take him out! NOW!!!

Where are all those lawyers from Bhopal, Indore etc. who were filing random PIL's for disrespect to the national flag??? Are they going to take umbrage & act now??? And it they won't, can we?

Can we petition the commies to show some spine please?

This post first appeared on the Mutiny in exactly this form, but the edit team there felt differently about it, so it's now available there in a new bottle.

The Bombay Tragedy

2008-11-28T20:09:00.000+05:30

At this point more than anything else I'm feeling tired at the deplorable drama in Bombay. More than anger, humiliation, more than anything else, I'm feeling sorry for the innocent civilians killed, held hostage, the security forces killed & those still engaged in fighting a cowardly enemy, their families & their friends.

Ultimately, that is what it's all about. The talk around our security situation, the politicking, the sensational news coverage are all detracting from the basic human tragedy of it all in some way.
All of us armchair experts/concerned netizens have expressed concern & disappointment, and there are some brilliant points made on the still ongoing tragedy from sanjukta, Ketan, Jo & constantmotion. Apart from the call for us to use our heads & maintain peace, our posts have primarily focused on saying NO to getting used to terrorism! Very honourable. Most have desisted from blaming the Govt. machinery, which says a lot for the netizens. This is not true of some people on TV that I saw yesterday. I'm presenting my take on the situation.

Don't forget that above all, this is a enormous human tragedy!

Despite all the initial knee-jerk criticism of our intelligence, security & government machinery, one must commend our police, the ATS, the NSG & the armed forces for their unstinting efforts to bring the situation under control. Martyrs like ATS Chief Karkare, Salaskar, Maj. Unnikrishnan & the many other as yet unnamed bravehearts who lost their precious lives fighting a dastardly enemy! (Worrying is how Karkare got shot in the chest thrice despite wearing a loose bulletproof jacket? How Salaskar got shot in the head; wasn't he wearing a helmet? But that can be talked about later.) Such a waste of life! Human Tragedy like I said, above anything else! Kudos to all of our brave men who're doing their duty for the country. But prevention would've been better than cure.

Prevention: I don't know how many of us have worked on financial processes in BPO's. Mere Data Security needs to be watertight here (physical security too) lest critical customer information falls into the wrong hands! Despite putting in all kinds of measures, small & big incidents/frauds do happen. If a Risk Management Team, an Operations Team, an Audit Team cannot get it right on a 300 seater floor; you can imagine the challenges of ensuring security in a 1 Billion strong nation, that has the World's 7th largest landmass! It's a humungous task. India fails at things everyday! We failed at battling poverty for long, we fail at infrastructure, we fail at electing the right leaders, we fail at riot prevention. Failing at terrorism is nothing unexpected. It's just that it's a greater shock than all these other issues because of the immense human tragedy. But also because some of our elected leaders choose to make it a poll issue.

The same Navy that was being celebrated a few days back for sending pirate ships scurrying, is suddenly the villian for not having spotted the terrorists' vessels!!??

We're forgetting our victories against terrorism in Punjab. They came at a great human rights cost. A lot of our policemen & leaders like PM Indira & CM Beant lost their lives. This was largely internal terrorism that we quelled. Can we do it again? I'm sure we can. Should we do it that way again? I don't know about that.

Ratan Tata said something to the effect that we should've learnt from our mistakes. He's right about that. Why despite numerous terror attacks on public places was security lax at the Taj & Oberoi? Or at most malls/cineplexes? Why do we as citizens not walk up to the mall manager & question them on the security situation?

It's obvious that we need a better method to tackle terrorism. But all of us who're crying about it have no clue to go about it really. We must put our heads together. We must come up with ideas. We must form NGO's to tackle it. We must send our list of ideas to the PM. We must not stand on the sidelines. We must participate in solving the problem. A few good men can only make a beginning. They need our support to go all the way!

YP Singh echoed what I'd said in a comment. He said the intention is to target the Americans & the Britishers. Since they can't get to them intheir country, let's go to India & target them. Makes a lot of sense. Kill 3 birds with one stone! 4 if you add the targeting of Jews.

Srinivasan Jain asked whether we're seeing a new form of terrorism; one that has no demands, it just seeks to kill & terrorize. Is he only expressing himself now or did it just dawn on him?

Shobha De shot her mouth off as usual. I'd expected someone with her exposure to look for more constructive solutions than mouthing off. It looks like 20 something netizens have more sense than she does. What I don't get is how a literary porn star (or is it literary pimp/madam?) gets so much footage?

narendra modi came & announced a Rs. 1 Crore compensation for the families of all those security personnel who lost their lives in the battle. Momentarily stumped I caught myself slowly mouthing, "Noble move...";

Until I heard him this morning back to politicking & electioneering (criticising our Prime Minister) in the face of such human strife! Then these questions came to me:

Lives of brave securitymen who die in a high-profile anti-terrorist struggle are more important than those security forces who died recently in a naxal attack? Or those who lost their lives in the Bihar floods? No largesse for them?
What was he doing in Bombay? advani was there. He should've been talking. rajnath singh is their party president, he could've been there. What was modi doing there? Saying all the things that advani couldn't???
So the security personnel are doing a good job, but our intelligence failures must be blamed on the PM! So one days the Navy is a hero & on another day we must criticize the PM for the Navy or the coast guard failling to spot the terrorists?
Forgetting the intelligence failures of Kargil, Khandahar, Akshardham, Parliament is a very noble thing to do as well!

Such honourable politicking at such an opportune moment! I'm sure this is what we want in a leader!!!

Edit: For more related conversation, please refer to the sister post's forum.

Is this not development too???

2008-11-26T18:31:00.000+05:30

In rural Maharashtra, away from all the recent madness, is a village. Like any of the other gadzillion villages that dot India's countryside? No. Unlike anything that dots rural India! This village is a shining example of development through local partnership, something that India is advised to emulate but hasn't unfrotunately been able to do yet. The village is called Ralegan Siddhi.

I quote from Wikipedia on Ralegan Siddhi:

The World Bank Group has concluded that the village of Ralegan Siddi was
transformed from a highly degraded village ecosystem in a semi-arid region of
extreme poverty to one of the richest in the country. The Ralegan Siddi example,
now 25 years old, by demonstrating that it is possible to rebuild natural
capital in partnership with the local economy, is a model for the rest of the
country.
And...
It is considered a model of environmental
conservation. Since 1975, led by Anna Hazare, the village has carried out
programs like treeplanting, terracing to reduce soil erosion and digging canals
to retain rainwater. For energy, the village uses solar power, biogas (some
generated from the communal toilet) and a windmill. The village's biggest
accomplishment is in non-conventional energy. For example, all the village
streets are lit by solar lights. Each light has a separate solar panel.

How did this happen? How did a debt, famine, disease & alcohol ridden village of 1500 people in 1973 start figuring on the prosperity & model village map of the world?

It happened primarily because of one man. Not that the villagers didn't contribute, but they had an able leader to show them the way. They are the first to acknowledge Anna Hazare's leadership. Read here about the unending list of achievements that he has helped them bring about.

There are other quiet achievers in Inda. My friend Animesh recommends making this daily reading in order to know about the lesser known quiet leadership of India, and I thank him for it.

His link tempers my rant to some degree, but I still want to tell the masses who use the word "Development" without understanding it's full meaning, use it even as an excuse for ignoring genocide!

This is real development! This isn't conspicuous industrial, urban development. It impacts the livelihood, life quality & even habits of what is said to be India's heart... it's villages! Better per capita income, reduced disease, no debt, no alcoholism. THAT'S ALL ROUND DEVELOPMENT! And this is what we should be celebrating! Ralegan Siddhi & Anna Hazare!! Continued development for 33 years!!! Read more here & here.

And I'd like to end with a few questions. One for all of us to ponder over: If our leaders were so gung-ho about development, wouldn't they have made Hazare a national hero by now? Wouldn't they have organised the state machinery (or their many branches, take your pick) to replicate his model by now?

And the others for our mainstream media: Why are you sitting content on your ample backsides, allowing people like thebetterindia & us to do your job for you? You seem to talk about development, about socialism, about new-age thought... why don't you focus on more stories like this? Why don't you influence public & Govt. opinion in this direction? If you won't, do we really need you?

On Feminism

2008-11-24T20:58:00.001+05:30

IHM put me in quite a spot by tagging me on something like this. I have oscillated between calling myself an all-out feminist to being the occasional borderline misogynist. So you can see why it was difficult for me to even begin this post. Then, if I had to write this, I would have to THINK my way out of the mess in my head! Thinking hurts the head. IHM... at this point I feel positively misogynistic! ;-)

In my teens & twenties I had this simple logic: Girls are so beautiful, so demure. I like everything about them. They're great to be with. Much more fun than playing with the boys. So I was a self-proclaimed feminist.

Even today, check out my reasons for wanting to sit through a Bollywood item number:
Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, Neha Dhupia, Tanushree Dutta, Riya Sen, Bipasha Basu, Celina Jaitley, Katrina Kaif, Yana Gupta...
If I was either Akbar or Samudragupta, these women would've been the Navratans (Nine Gems) of my court! Or would they be adorning my harem? Am I confusing art with biology?
But you get the point, don't you? I love women. Everything about them. I'd give them their rights! Hell I'd give them mine! Dashratha even gave his son's rights to one! Now there's a feminist if there ever was one!
I'd actually like 18 Gems. I have a list beyond the one I've given above. That way I could have them in my court & in my harem!

But jokes aside, I've always been a big champion of equal rights. My feminism is probably a branch of that tree.
I've been raised by a single Mother. With a fiercely independent younger sister. And a housefull of aunts & female cousins. Maybe that has something to do with my understanding of their myriad moods, with my general affinity for women and my desire to see them treated well.

I've been victim to some bullying during my first few years in Bombay. Until I finally learnt how to fight. But even in these initial years, my distaste for street brawls didn't stop me from taking a stand when it came to women. I will relate an incident here:

My first job entailed being clean shaven & dressed in a tie. Barely 22, I hardly looked intimidating. I was travelling on a crowded BEST bus to work, seated thankfully, when I heard a commotion up in front.
There was this huge man yelling at a woman, "What did I do? Did I touch you?".
The woman was apparently protesting his standing too close in the crowded bus. She was too far away to hear & probably intimated. She (softly & bravely) probably said something like, "Please stand a little further away".
The said huge man got bolder, "DID I TOUCH YOU? WHAT DID I DO, HAAN? DID I PUT MY FINGER IN YOUR BUM?"
The poor woman mumbled something in protest...
Huge man: "Shut up. I've seen enough like you. You get them for 50 bucks on the streets."

At this point something stirred inside 22 year old, boy-faced, clean shaven, tie-clad, 5'7" me. The same me that preferred to walk away from brawls, suddenly stood up & roared (I have a voice that is 6'3"), "SHUDDAP!!!"
Huge man whirled around: "Who said that?"
I roar back, "I DID!"
Huge man: "How's it any of your business?"
I: "THAT'S NO WAY TO TALK TO A LADY!!!"
Huge man tried to move towards me, but he was far & the bus was crowded. He mumbled something about it not being any of my business, but I roared back: "THAT'S NO WAY TO TALK TO A LADY!!!"
By this time, the bus had come to life. A few more women stood up and started berating Huge man. One gent got up & offered his seat to the poor lady who bore the brunt of Huge man's attack. Huge man backed off seeing that he was hopelessly outnumbered by now. (And THAT is also why I keep saying that it takes just one voice to start a revolution! THAT is also why I am on the blogosphere!)

When I got off at my stop, some old ladies got off with me. They smiled at me, patted me on the head/shoulder & said, "God Bless you my son."
That moment I am still proud of, over 11 years later.

Like I said I'm a feminist.

I am however not blind anymore (as the teenaged me used to be) to the faults of women & women feminists. (Nor is my so-called feminist record that clean anymore as frequenters to the Mutiny will happily vouch for; but this is not a confessional...). Women are not perfect creatures. No one is. They have their faults and reams have been written on them by William Shakespeare & Jerry Pinto alike!

The problem that some feminists face is a lack of objectivity. They tend to make feminism a little like what the current (as opposed to back then) Dalit rights movement in India has degenerated into. Loud, Partisan & represented by crass Mayawatis instead of classy women. When a Shobha De is celebrated by feminists, I cringe. Just as I cringe when Chetan Bhagat is celebrated as an author!

There is a strong need to pick the right role models, the right causes, and go about them in a classy manner, a manner befitting women.
This last phrase is no doubt going to cause irritation to the average feminist.
And therein lies the problem.
In trying to break the mold, they shatter everything that is feminine or is likable about women. They didn't fight to be recognized for what they were. They tried to become like those who they thought were their oppressors!
Women are nice because they are gentle, soft-spoken, feminine, kind, they smell good, etc. etc. Hope for a better world lies in some of those very traits. What good comes from discarding all of that??? What good comes from being a coarse, loud, manly, uncouth, smelly woman? THAT is not feminism to me. That is taking feminism too far... too far from what it set out to achieve!

Every ~ism runs the risk of having factions that tend towards the extreme. We've all seen that happen in history & in our times as well. Communism... Capitalism...
This is a danger feminism must guard against.

Not doing so will elicit such responses from their own ilk. The said blogger is an extremely talented writer (among other things) and it would be a shame to not have her on the side of moderate feminism.

Edit: A blend, a fine balance, the middle path are what enhance everything. Even feminism.
To me feminism could also mean treating women as equals. No special privileges. Same tough talk as the men get. Same rough language...?
It could also mean being the man of the house, taking care of our women, providing for them, treating them like delicate pieces of china, pulling out chairs for them, old world chivalry. Chaperoning too...?
Or it could mean striking a balance between these two. Taking the best of both worlds and giving it to women worldwide!
So that women can have their cake & eat it too! NOW that would be Feminism!
Except that only a handful of really secure men would want to give it willingly. And the rest would call them minority appeasers! Such a shame...
Over to the feminists now. Tell us what you'd prefer.

And oh yes... I tag Annie, Sanjukta, Yaamyn, Ketan & Utopianthots. Any other interested takers?

Life’s little disappointments…

2008-11-24T20:20:00.000+05:30

The last few weeks have been good on the personal front, but a look at the world around us also brought to light a few incidents that have left me more than mildly disappointed.

1. Barack Obama’s picking Sonal Shah as a member of his transition team. Sonal’s links with the VHP are public knowledge, but it is said that Obama knows her from his Harvard days. Maybe we can trust his judgement. Maybe he knows that her support to the VHP is limited to earthquake relief work. Maybe I’m dreaming! He may also be putting together a cabinet of rivals. It’s always better to have hope than to be perennially negative. It’s not a good path to be walking on, easy to start down it but very difficult to walk away from it.

2. Baba Ramdev. While I never bought into his tall claims of being able to cure cancer, diabetes & heart disease through Yoga, I did have respect for the man for having effected a positive change in the Indian masses towards healthy living. I didn’t lose that respect when someone accused him of using animal bones in his ayurvedic medicines. I knew people take potshots at celebrities. The guy went all over the country spreading the message of healthier living. He went to the UAE & spread his message there. I started thinking that a guy with his mass following can surely spread the message of communal harmony in our country. All he needs to do is say in each one of his shivirs that all human beings are equal irrespective of religion. That Indians should remain brothers. The masses would’ve responded well to his call. Even when one of the World’s premier Yoga gurus, BKS Iyengar publicly denounced Ramdev’s knowledge of Yoga, I still gave Ramdev credit for marketing Yoga well in India. I was taught Yoga by one of Ramdev’s disciples and can say from personal (bad) experience that Yoga isn’t the totally safe practise it’s made out to be. It has to be taught by someone who really knows it & knows how to teach it. Then the Ramdev I thought was progressive, inclusive & apolitical, goes & does the exact opposite of what I had in mind from him:

Raising the pitch on the Pragya Singh Thakur issue, Ramdev said: “Power is today
being exercised by people who should either be in jails or who should be hanged.
There will be a massive tussle for power three months hence. The country needs a
big change, where Sant Shakti (religious gurus) and Jan Shakti (people power)
come together. This process will not stop until the glory of India’s past is
restored.”

3. Our current Opposition Party, one that aspires to lead India in her march towards prosperity & peace, one that has always advocated a hardline approach, on being tough on terror, on equal rules for all; for doing a 360 degree turn on all of the above (which incidentally is consistent with their past record!). Rajnath Singh falls back on divisive politics (a harkback to the British rule they claim to hate) by saying on the Pragya Thakur investigation that the Govt. is angering Hindus and that it is pushing the country towards a civil war! Strangely, today’s Indian Express reports that Lt. Col. Purohit during interrogations revealed that RSS leader Indresh Kumar had received Rs. 3 Crore from the ISI!!! I thought my suspicions on the sangh & the ISI being in cohorts was just a silly theory!! And to borrow a sentence from Offstumped, the alacrity with which they moved from embarassment to aggression & opportunistic politics, they have managed to even embarass the word “shame” with their abject lack of it.

4. Disappointed at no one filing PIL’s, making any arrests, banning the seditious website because of this. No one cares, huh? sanjay? swati? guy? Are you not offended? Is your taking umbrage partisan?

5. Disappointed at terrorism claiming religions for themselves. But happy that amidst this madness there is hope, that there are people with whom we may have differences, but who agree on core issues. Do read this, this & this please.

I’ve come to realize that faults lie within all humans, not within all religions. That’s why a leader of men that brings our the best in human nature is called a Prophet; & a leader that brings out the worst in humans is called a politician or more appropriately a crook!

6. I’m disappointed at the difference between the leaders of their country & ours: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelle-gross/powell-honors-fallen-musl_b_135964.html

7. Ashutosh winning Bigg Boss. I erroneously thought that someone who publicly slapped a woman to win a third-rate reality show, shouldn’t get to win another third-rate reality show. I’m obviously disappointed that the rest of India doesn’t agree with me. But I know that this is not the whole picture.

What is the whole picture? The whole picture is work-in-progress. That is part of my learning.

What else have I learnt from these little disappointments? To ignore them. To move on. If there is any truth to the Karma philosphy, everyone gets their due. Also that “It’s all OK in the end. If it’s not OK, it’s not the end”.

Hope, Horror & Humour: some links from around the Blogosphere

2008-11-06T22:07:00.000+05:30

Hope:

1. The final results of the American Presidential race are making me beam from ear to ear. Any guesses on what my views are on Barack Obama?

Well, aside from the fact that I feel immense black pride (despite my not being black) at this point; aside from the fact that I feel blown away by the fact that a member from among those who were considered an inferior race in America till a few decades back has today been picked to lead their country; aside from the fact that America today redeemed itself and proved that it's way ahead of us in being an amalgamated people; aside from the fact that he is of mixed race (a club I do proudly belong to) and that the fact made him acceptable instead of not-acceptable; aside from the fact that his birth-father wasn't American & that he spent some time growing up in Indonesia with his step-father, and none of that could stop him at all...!

I won't say much more as the sentiment of this truly historic moment has been captured beautifully by one of my favourite bloggers. She picks out some bits of Obama's acceptance speech that are wonderfully relevant to the India that we are today. I'll let you read it for yourself, but just one example of what will inevitably go on to become a quotable quote from Obama is:

a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and
Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

(Reminds me of Al Gore's brilliant concession speech that I referred to in an earlier post. But this moment is about the future. About Obama.)

Indeed, like her, I too am very jealous of the Americans. When will we have a moment like this? When will our politicians talk in this refined tongue? When will they talk of unity instead of regionalism/religion? When will we redeem ourselves?

I'd also like to add this line that vindicates my faith in the power of one. One person started it all. One voice. One firm "NO". The line is from today's TOI: Rosa Parks had to sit for Martin Luther King to March. King had to march for Barack Obama to run. Obama had to run for our children to fly.

2. And in a much much smaller way, this conversation too gives me hope. Read from here onwards.

Horror:

My Maldivian brother Yaamyn, brings us this story that fills us with horror. Reading it made me shudder.

Humour:

Another blogger who is fast becoming one of my favourite reads, wrote this last month. I know it's a little late, but it made me laugh. I would like you all to find a little laughter in your day as well. Enjoy!

LOTS of Reading!!!

2008-11-04T17:10:00.000+05:30

All for you dear reader. There are 5 posts up today.
So what’s the way out?
2 strongmen… & a weak-PM?
Exposing the Lies of the self-styled Marathi
Why all the quiet?
Elsewhere...

Enjoy!

So what’s the way out?

2008-11-04T16:22:00.000+05:30

OK! Enough exposes about who’s fault it all is. Let’s look at what can be done to improve the situation in Bombay & Maharashtra. These are a few of my suggestions. Please feel free to add to this list.

1. We need equally strong voices from the other side. And politicians won’t do as we’ve already seen. We need the citizenry to speak up. While a Medha Patkar is as usual one of the first to speak up, she is a lone voice.

Commenters like akki have provided links to wonderful people like Mahesh Vijapurkar, whose views deserve to be widely disseminated, read & understood. Kudos & my respects to these people.

We also desperately need the Palekars-Paranjpais-Natekars-Padukones-Tendulkars-Gavaskars-Vengsarkars-Prabhakars-Rajanikanths-Mangeshkars-Bhosales-Nikhil Wagles to speak up & be heard. They enjoy an immense support base. People all over India & Maharashtra look up to them. They’re Indias Gems! I’d urge them to speak up in the interest of keeping the people of this nation together.

Of course, they don’t have to. They haven’t done any wrong, they’re not the out on the street, bus burning type of Maharashtrians. Why should they be defensive & speak up? I understand that mindset totally. It’s the same mindset that Indian Muslims stuck to for a long time. “I’m not an extremist. Why should I be apologetic? Why should I say or do anything?” As we all saw, that because of the intense propaganda & generalized hate campaign against them, they had to abandon that stance & speak up. And I’m glad they did.

Because as Edmund Burke said: The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
And as Herr Albert Einstein himself said: The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.

Apparently education & exposure is no longer guarantees a mind free from misconceptions & bias, as yet another politician demonstrates again.

2. Now this one is bound to be controversial, but it’s one idea. If we don’t want more & more people to come into Bombay looking for livelihood & putting more strain on it’s infrastructure; stop creating more jobs in Bombay! No new jobs, no more migration!

Create jobs elsewhere. Invest elsewhere, develop other parts of the country.

3. Revive the Gandhian approach: We need more & more people to use Gandhian means of protest instead of the madness that is making India an increasingly unsafe place to live in. I read somewhere recently that the terrorist is a disgruntled nationalist, one who is at a total loss as to what options he has left to save his nation. Let more & more people know that they way is Sarvodaya & Satyagrah. Medha Patkar, Baba Amte & Anna Hazare are not enough. We need a huge mass of humanity speaking the language of peaceful means of protest! THAT habit is our only hope that will save us from people resorting to violence.

4. Educate the aforesaid politicians on World affairs. They’re all stuck up in state & nation issues. If they were more tuned in to World Affairs (or even HBO where I picked it up from!!!), these excerpts from Al Gore’s concession (to Dubya) speech would’ve hit home:

While we yet hold and do not yield our opposing beliefs, there is a higher duty
than the one we owe to political party. This is America and we put country
before party. We will stand together behind our new president…
… As for the battle that ends tonight, I do believe as my father once said, that no matter how hard the loss, defeat might serve as well as victory to shape the soul and
let the glory out.

Can our politicians not learn to put Country before Party? As far as I can see Gore Sr. was right. Al Gore may have been spared the ignominy that Dubya had to bear… of being called America’s stupidest Prez, among other things. Instead he will always be remembered as a Nobel Peace Prize Winner.

Thank you and good night, and God bless India. :-)

2 strongmen… & a weak-PM?

2008-11-04T16:14:00.000+05:30

ram vilas paswan should be arrested for being irresposible. I understand that he feels strongly about the torment Biharis are being made to undergo in Maharashtra, but that doesn’t give him the right to make the shooting of rahul raj more of a national issue than it already is. After all the man hijacked a bus, shot & injured a passenger, is said to have fired 6 bullets from the gun that he was brandishing. If the police shot him, they probably had good cause to. Not that I don’t feel sorry for the poor bloke. He lost his mind & then his life (as opposed to the other raj who’s just lost his mind!). Sure the police could’ve tried other methods. Sure an enquiry is called for. But I’m very uncomfortable with rahul raj, a symbol of violence & rage, becoming an icon in today’s already troubled times.

sharad pawar should be arrested for being a hypocrite. Throughout this entire fiasco in Maharashtra, the so-called Maratha strongman hasn’t uttered a single word. He hasn’t said or done anything to make things better. No call for peace. No denouncing violence. No denouncing raj thakre. No call to the state government for strong action. Is this why he’s called a strongman?

Manmohan Singh should officially be declared a Bharat Ratna. The man has reportedly sent a strongly worded letter to the (unfit to be) Maharashtra CM, vilasrao deshmukh on his inability to control the situation in a state under his charge. Sure he acted late, but he acted sooner & stronger than the esteemed A.B. Vajpayee did during the 2002 Gujarat carnage. I wonder why the weak PM thing irks me so much… Ah! I know why! Because it’s classic right-wing, easily exposed lies!

Exposing the Lies of the self-styled Marathi messiahs

2008-11-04T15:39:00.000+05:30

I’ve lived in Maharashtra for 16 years now, 12 out of those were in Bombay.
I am totally in love with Bombay & it’s people (probably because of it’s people). I still miss it, and them.
However I don’t know how I’ll feel there now after all that has recently happened.
Obviously my circles will not have the mns types, so I doubt if I’ll be directly affected, but after interacting with so-called educated people on the web, I can’t be too sure anymore. I’m sure there’ll be there rare educated, employed fanatic. These facts are for them & their ilk:

LIES: Bombay has a population problem & infrastructure overload due to migration from UP & Bihar.

FACT: The migrant problem that Bombay faces is not because of UP-ites & Biharis. Only 15% of the migrants are from those two states. That means that out of the 42 families that come into Bombay everyday, only 6.4 families come from UP-Bihar. The other 35.6 come from the rest of Maharashtra. Read here. Please read the whole article for insights that will open up your eyes.

Another reason for Bombay’s population explosion is the lower mortality & improved natality that marks an improving India.

LIES: Bombay always belonged to the Marathis.

FACT: Bombay was never solely theirs. Up until 1960, it used to be a separate state (this link also talks about the movement for a separate state like the demands for a separate Jharkhand, a Chattisgarh, an Uttaranchal etc. It suggests a dangerous separatist mindset, much like Shibu Soren’s or Jinnah’s, as is again obvious today). It only got downgraded to a state capital in 1960. And it didn’t stop being India’s financial hub in that year. Nor did it cease to be a part of India in that year. It may have been a landmark event for you, but for the rest of us nothing changed that year. Nothing should have at all actually.
Even at the peak of the Maratha rule, Bombay was not the capital. It wasn’t even significant to the Marathas.
So did it suddenly become desirable? Because of insecurity & greed? Wanting to live off someone else’s hard work?

LIES: Kolis are Marathis, therefore the earliest inhabitants of Bombay were Marathis, therefore Bombay belongs to Marathis.

FACT: I have yet to find any conclusive evidence about the origins of the Kolis. They’re currently found in Gujarat & Andhra Pradesh apart from Bombay and other coastal regions of Maharashtra. Some material on the net says they descended from the Chota Nagpur plateau region. Some totally unverifiable material suggests that they existed from the time and in the area of Mohen-jo-Daro. If any of these claims are true, it’s obvious that a) They weren’t from the region that is called Maharashtra; and b) They weren’t a Marathi speaking people at all!!! Even today the Kolis of Gujarat speak Gujarati & the Kolis of AP speak Telegu. It’s fairly obvious that they migrated and picked up the language of the region. Funnily, the current language of the region is only a 1300 year old language. If the Kolis came from Chota Nagpur, they couldn’t have been Marathi speakers. If they were here from ancient times, they couldn’t have been Marathi speakers. In either case, the Marathi argument fails to apply to the Kolis. The Kolis are also said to have been indigenous people to the 7 islands. Although implements found in Kandivili suggest inhabitation from the stone age. It’s anyone’s guess as to who the original inhabitants were. I guess the original inhabitant argument doesn’t hold much water.
Also, as the Brittanica link will tell you, the Mauryas were the first territorial masters of the Heptanesia. So will Wiki. And where were the Mauryas from? Patliputra? And what is Patliputra? Modern day Patna!!! So were the first rulers of the 7 islands Biharis? Well… that’s what history seems to suggest.

And of course we’re all aware of the dispute around the name.

So my question is this: Are we going forwards or backwards?

And award-winning journalist Amit Varma’s question is this.

And see what Prof. Hari Narke has to point out! Look at the pot calling the kettle black!

And this one from Medha Patkar & others.

And in the midst of all this madness, is an example of a man who was a human being first, a doctor second, an Indian third. A doctor who continues to heal despite his untimely demise. Proof of the power of love over hate. Born Marathi but an Indian Hero to me. And others. Long Live Dr. Chandrakant Patil!

Why all the quiet?

2008-11-04T15:23:00.000+05:30

It looks like it’s up to me again to ask this question to the likes of Snehal Joshi etc.
And I wonder why commenter why? questions me for bringing this up, when no one else seems to be doing it…

Well, like I said before, someone’s gotta do it. So here goes:

Sadhvi put the Sangh in a trap: can’t defend, can’t oppose
While the Sangh Parivar today called her arrest a politial conspiracy to malign Hindus, it also distanced itself from sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, one of the three charged with murder by the Maharashtra Police for her alleged role in the Malegaon and Modasa blasts on September 29.
Read More on Indian Express

Please note carefully their discomfort & the tentative denials that these guys are issuing, Rajnath’s & Rajkumar Bhatia’s being classic examples.

Of course, this isn’t the first time that they’ve kep mum instead of coming out strongly against their terrorist foot-soldiers. You will recall their extended silence on the Orissa & the Karnataka violence against Christians.

And their list & range of terrorist acts is growing: Ahmedabad 1969, Bombay 1992, Gujarat 2002, Orissa & Karnataka 2008, Nanded, Kanpur, Malegaon, Modasa… What next?

In my opinion, this calls for strong action against them. If the Govt. will not do it, it’s up to us to create awareness about the anti-national & inhuman forces in our country.

My right-wing enthusiast friends on the web, the floor is now yours to defend.

Elsewhere...

2008-11-04T15:17:00.000+05:30

Action on too many fronts.

Here's a link to one front.

A couple of links...

2008-10-27T19:57:00.000+05:30

A like-minded soul who very aptly expresses the disease that ails us.

My friend why? from the Mutiny seems to believe that all I ever seem to have time for is to criticize the sangh. He obviously doesn't know me well enough yet, but this link is to show him what I'd be doing if I'd devoted myself solely to that cause. Not that I think that this gentleman is wrong. I think his attempt is praiseworthy!

He who lives by the sword?

2008-10-27T18:28:00.000+05:30

I woke this morning to the disturbing news of a young life wasted by violence.
I was very pained at Rahul Raj losing his life, another casualty due to the stir by the maharashtra navnirman? sena. What a waste of a life given by God.

If Rahul had not chosen the path of violence in response to violence he may still have been alive today. He would still be able to enjoy life, the joys of being alive, being able to smell the flowers, the food, to be able to savour it. His parents wouldnn't be suffering so much today if he had eschewed violence.

Gandhiji comes to my mind in this difficult hour for the humanity that inhabits India. This is why he abhorred violence I guess. This is why he spoke of non-violent protest. If Rahul Raj chosen to fast in front of Mantralaya, he could've been beaten up sure, but definitely not shot dead.

I'm not for a moment saying that he didn't have provocation. I'm not for a moment suggesting that everyman is strong enough in the mind to eschew violence. I'm not saying that he may not have been pushed over the edge. I have been very vocal about the violence raj thakre has unleashed. This is the unfortunate result of his words & actions. And that is why I speak in favour of Gandhiji's & Buddha's ahimsa instead of the path of violence.

We are a fragile society these days, under pressure & increasingly fractured & on the edge. More such incidents could happen if this navnirman doesn't stop soon! Gunman on a passenger bus? I mean these things happened in the US not here!!!

There are people working for Indian unity & for Hindu unity. Both of these have failed consistently ever since raj thakre chose the violence path. he has managed to undo the work that his own political mates had been trying to do for years!
thakre's uncle had earlier sent encouraging words in the direction of bomb-makers!
I hope the people following them wake up soon & realize the extent of damage they're doing!

A couple of facts worth mentioning about this case:
1. aaj-tak, that vermin among media channels, was interviewing Rahul Raj's father in his moment of grief. The man wasn't even given time to grieve! The father was being badgered by the interviewer, cross-questioned I swear! How low will men stoop? The father pointed out that Rahul was not in possession of a country-made revolver as suggested, if indeed 6 shots were fired from his gun, and alluded to a conspiracy based on that inconsistency & demanded an investigation.
2. Many are of the opinion that the police acted in haste & could've arrested him alive.
Does this remind anyone else of the closing scenes from Rang De Basanti?

Anyway, coming back to the crux of this post. Another apostle of peace, Jesus Christ is the one who said: He who lives by the sword dies by the sword.
And history has repeatedly proved him right.
I hope raj thakre realizes that at least.

On Bihar

2008-10-24T19:32:00.000+05:30

My friend writes a passionate piece about Biharis. And brings to light again the abominable problem of stereotyping.

Please read here.

Two can play this game.

2008-10-18T11:25:00.000+05:30

~

LK Advani : I'm secular.

Me: I'm a pink elephant in a fuzzy tutu dancing on a circus ball.

This Casteist state of India...

2008-10-12T13:52:00.000+05:30

I feel nauseated.

This morning, I read this about the state of affairs vis a vis the super-resilient caste system in our country. It's like a stubborn stain on pure white fabric, that refuses to go away!
For years, reformers have been trying to fight this evil, there have been breakaways from Hinduism because of this evil, this evil continues to rage. I've only recently chanced upon a theory that explains why.

Despite the efforts of reformers like Gandhiji & many others, there has long-existed a lobby of religious conservatives that has been opposed to reform. Opposed to reform for two reasons primarily: 1) Because of what is called a "comfort zone" or "inertia" sometimes. 2) Because moving away from the caste system would leave them without the power that upper castes have traditionally enjoyed.

As I have pointed out before, these religious conservatives are referred to as the right-wing. Now think of a right-wing ruled state in India. Gujarat pops foremost to mind because of their rejoicing over the "Gujarat experiment".
And what is happening in Gujarat? Let's not talk of 2002 for a moment. Let's talk about today's news.
Is this what reformers have been fighting for hundreds of years?
I'd like to ask my rightist detractors on the Mutiny, is this what progress & reform is?
Is this what the founding fathers of the Nation imagined for India?

To me, this is what comes from voting religious conservatives into power.
This is what comes from creating what Sagarone calls the Hindu Republic of Gujarat!

Wake up people! Please!

Please elect those people & parties that stand for Reform & Progressive Thought, not for those who want to hang on to established rituals even if they are evil!
Be an Iconoclast!

I'm done with DNA!

2008-10-09T16:07:00.000+05:30

I was very excited when DNA entered the news market with their detailed research and clever marketing campaign. They promised change. Of course I didn't know what they meant by change until recently.

I subscribed as I wanted to break from the blatant commercialism of the TOI.
Initially, their articles were good (incompletely researched sometimes), but of late they've started displaying a tilt towards right-wing politics in India.
For the benefit of those who wonder why this term is applied to their favourite political party, allow me to quote from Wiki: "right wing views continued to be concerned with keeping "traditional" values (often religious values)". Allow me to digress a little here. So the right-wingers are those who are conservative, and specially so with respect to religion. Compare this with progressive or liberal thought. Compare this with secularism.
It should be obvious at this point why what is referred to as the right-wing in India is opposed to secularism & do not leave any opportunity to denigrate the very idea & it's proponents. It is at total variance from their cherished ideals, however outdated they may be.

Allow me to demonstrate this tilt.
The Indian Express recently did a story on how Azamgarh in UP has increasingly thrown up goondas & terrorists in the recent past. They presented facts. They interviewed people and presented both sides of the story, and left it at that. That's called reporting. You investigate all facts, write an unbiased report & leave it at that. The public will read & decide.
DNA too did a story on Azamgarh (much later than IE understandably), but they opened the article branding it aatankgarh. This is not what reporting is. This is sensationalism & this is a not so subtle attempt to influence public opinion!

When the Tatas awarded the Nano project to Gujarat, the IE reported it like that. "Gujarat gets the Nano" or something to that effect.
DNA on the other hand was jubiliant. For them it was some kind of a victory that needed celebrating. And it wasn't about Gujarat for them. It was about murder-accused modi for them! The headline read "Modi & men bring home the Nano"!
Is this a mainstream newspaper that thrives on unbiased journalism? Or has it become mouthpiece to the right-wing?

I spoke about secularism & the stance of the right-wing on it earlier. Take a look at how two of their columnists attempt to take down secularism & it's adherents. I can understand if you feel that someone is ignoring a point of view. If you have to make a point, make that point! Why repeatedly take on an obviously modern, progressive concept? Silly according to me this attacking an idea! Take a look.
R. Jagannathan attempts to blast secularists here, and
Parsa Venkateshwar Rao Jr tries to do the same a few days later.

It's becoming obvious to me that DNA is either attempting a balancing act that has gone totally wrong, or worse gone over to the one side instead of staying firmly in the middle.
And until they can get their act together, I am unsubscribing myself from DNA. Advertisers please take note.

While I was a huge supporter of Subhash Chandra when he started the ICL & went up against the BCCI establishment, that support is on hold ever since I heard that he recently expressed that the right-wing needs adequate representation in the media. Can someone please present a link that either confirms or denies this bit of news?

Happy Dusshera

2008-10-09T15:41:00.000+05:30

Dusshera represents the victory of good over evil.

India today is struggling in the grasp of evil. From the evil of the multiple & repeated bomb blasts of the terrorists, to the evil of communal riots, church burning, murder & mayhem of the sangh parivar, to the evil of most of us turning a blind eye to this evil & it's perpetrators.

I pray today for the triumph of good in my land, and in all other lands afflicted by evil.

I pray for God to give all of us the strength to speak out if not do something about the evil.

And I present two links to people who are doing something good in the environment of evil. Things like this give me hope that we will win like Ram did. I wish the people I meet in the blogosphere, would give me that hope too.

Please do read this & this. It's the least you can do.

Shame on you Ratan Tata

2008-10-07T19:17:00.000+05:30

I wonder what kind of a world Ratan Tata lives in. He didn't read this???
Or on a more serious note, this?

While my faith in Tata products had been dwindling for some time, my faith in the group, their legacy, what they stood for, had remained. With one move, Ratan Tata has totally shattered that! And brought disgrace to the Tata name.

I guess Mr. Tata has just proved that business comes above everything else, that money matters more than anything else, that the alleged blood on modi's hands doesn't matter to him (it would've to his predecessors), that in his chase for the glory of the Tata group, he has shamed the India that we (& our forefathers & his!) have been fighting to build!

To me & to others like me, he will be remembered not as the man who revolutionized (read debased) India's car market, not as the man who salvaged the fortunes of the Tata group, but as the man who sold India's soul for the sake of his business.

Found: A true-blue Indian!

2008-09-26T18:48:00.000+05:30

Followers of this blog (& my detractors) will know my definition of Indianness. They will be aware that an individual with a unidimensional perspective cannot be a complete Indian in my book.

Here is a dressed up in Raymonds Indian. Take a look at his recent posts, the things he rejoices in, and you will have your blueprint for the kind of Indian we want inhabiting this country!

Here you go!

Poet in me!!!

2008-09-26T15:11:00.000+05:30

In the unlikeliest of places, I discovered a poet in me!

Sample this:
swati swati full of bile,
every prophet you revile,
learn your lessons pretty fast,
lies & darkness do not last!

or this:
ah my effort you do mime,
yet your poem does not rhyme,
discomfort I do not feel,
your “wrong” allegations are an easy meal,
to back my word, there’s proof replete,
and seas of victory lap at my feet,
the truth just is! it can never be bent,
you are a mere “voice of dissent”!

and this:
swati while you’re wrong ’bout much,
you’re really not that bad as such…
“Love, peace and Joy are what we need”
right you are! you are indeed!!
come let us dream of a world that’s one,
and this really, truly has been fun!

I must not forget to give credit to swati who in a strange way inspired this. I'd have linked to her blog if she had one; but for now I will have to just link to the conversation where it all began. Enjoy!

oink...
Bluster doen't help. I gave you reasons. Now that you don't have an answer, you're resorting to personal attack. It doesn't offend me one bit since it's coming from you & not from anyone who matters. The reasons don't change. Here they are again!
Your lack of an intelligent response exposes you for the semi-literate, unenlightened soul you are at this moment in time. Hopefully you will use your free time to educate yourself on multiple cultures & religions. A hint: Go to the source instead of relying on people maligning it.

contentious,
Thank you for your admission here. Your admission is refreshingly honest & brave (in the face of hindutva elements who will now gun for you)!
You are probably right about the Wiki editing by closet (or not so closet) hindutvis. The words are surprisingly similar.
So what do we do with this "illumined consciousness"? Do we use it in our country, or have we totally discarded it?

continued from the Mutiny...

2008-09-20T15:36:00.000+05:30

Eternal Truth from the Mutiny had this to say:

http://mutiny.in/2008/09/16/should-we-take-up-arms/#comment-59884

My response follows:

Eternal Truth,

While I agree with your first 3 paras & your 5th one, I am in total disagreement with what you state in your 4th paragraph. AGAIN, it points to what Yaamyn was saying in his post, and what I have always maintained: You see what you want to or have been taught to see. That is called Prejudice.

Or it could also stem from a fairly innocuous lack of information or perspective, which I am hoping to supply here.

I think the Indian people as a mass have never been able to drop their personal local, cultural or religious identities as a whole. The blame for this doesn't fall only on one community!

If you look closer you will find people with churkhis dangling behind bad haricuts. Sometimes you will see even worse... churkhis dangling behind entirely shaven heads!!! You will see naked upper bodies of men with potbellies protruding far out in front and male-breasts bouncing on the potbellies. You will see dhotis hanging so low that they threaten to fall off! You will see vermilion tilaks and sindoor proudly proclaiming their choice of relision/culture! You will see mangalsutras & ghungats!

In South India, you will see three stripes on each forehead and an elongated crescent over them!

In Punjab & elsewhere in the country turbans & beards (& kataars!) proclaim a different identity!

I think it is unfair & shameful of you to say that one community hasn't wanted to get integrated in the national mainstream; Or wanted to maintain a different identity, when every other community is guilty of the same! I also think that there are groups responsible for feeding you with this kind of propaganda & making you think in this manner.

I would very much like to hear from you again on this subject.

Gujrati Mujra-hideen - a display of the degree of “sophistication”

2008-09-20T15:29:00.000+05:30

I HATE to even mention this monster’s name, but what must be done must be done.

AT a rally in Delhi narendra modi showed the difference in “class” that exists between modern India’s top leaders & bjp leaders! While on the one hand we have the likes of “Political Saint” Dr. Manmohan Singh; popular new hope Omar Abdullah; self-sacrificing, multi-lingual, multi-cultural, educated abroad, daughter-in-law of India’s first family Sonia Gandhi; US Ivy League educated Sachin Pilot; & others like Milind Deora, young Scindia & Rahul Gandhi… on the other hand you have (mass-murdering apart) men whose speeches are peppered with coarseness that would excite the front-benchers in a B-grade film. I am actually glad that they open their mouth, because everytime they do, they expose themselves for who they really are.

According to DNA reports, modi said: “Gujarat aatankvaad ke saamne mujra nahin karega (Gujarat would not perform a dance in front of terrorism).”

What masterclass on display!!! And these are the people India wants to showcase to the world?

rajnath singh and advani who were also present at the rally “had to wrap up their speeches midway as the drizzle turned into a downpour.” Looks like even the gods had heard enough!

Read here: http://www.dnaindia.com/mobile/report.asp?n=1191571

Islamophobia in India.

2008-09-15T01:25:00.000+05:30

India's increasingly becoming a society of Islamophobes. Yes, Racists and Islamophobes. Rabid Muslim haters who can't even begin to assume that there's no difference - anatomically, mentally, physically or personality wise between them and their counterparts from a different faith. Did I say 'different faith'? I'm sorry. I meant Muslims. I shall pull no punches today... [Continue Reading..]

[This article is cross-referenced to my personal blog because it contains some strong, emotional and un-parliamentary language. I notice that 1conoclast has refrained from using uncivil language on this blog, and I'd like to keep it that way. :-)

However, I woudn't recommend reader discretion for my article. Every Indian needs to read it and ponder. I apologize for any offense it causes.]

I’m doubly scared: kaheen ke nahin rahe

2008-09-13T18:25:00.000+05:30

Before I begin, I’d like to send up a prayer for those who have lost their lives & loved ones in the ghastly & condemnable acts of violence perpetrated in Delhi today.
May God grant their souls peace & strength to the ones they were snatched from. Amen.

Every time there is a bomb blast in India, it leaves me a little more scarred. My worry & fear grow each time this happens. By God’ grace, thankfully it hasn’t interfered with normal life yet & may it never, but the aftermath of the blasts for me is consternation, worry & a growing fear.
Fear that every Indian living in a city feels; but there is another fear that I face – one that snehal joshi in the shame on you bal-t thread encouraged – the fear of a backlash.

So I live with two fears. I am now the proverbial dhobi ka kutta, na ghar ka na ghat ka!

Isn’t that the intent of the terrorists?
Make Indians feel insecure.
Make them mistrust each other.
Make them fight each other.
Weaken our country.

My wife asks, “What do these terrorist get from exploding bombs & killing innocents of all religions? How does Muslims being mistrusted more & more by the less enlightened masses help their cause?”
I tell her that up the entire line, there is money being made. Someone is financing these terrorist activities. It’s absurd to imagine that the financing comes from within India. It has to be from someone who is India’s strategic, commercial or ideological enemy. And that there could be many.

So why is the needle of suspicion deliberately pointed in one direction?
Can’t there be others whose humanity & patriotism is up for sale?
There are examples where bomb factories were found in Nagpur under the auspices of the sangh parivar.
There was a blast engineered by them in Kerala & the people apprehended were workers from one of their affiliates.

The authorities have been saying for quite some time that they know that the Indian Mujahideen who is claiming to have engineered all these blasts is merely a front for some other organization. They don’t know for a fact which organization. Is it possible that anyone from Naxals to Maoists to Mujahideens to the Hindutvis sitting in the Opposition are behind all of this? After all, there has to be a vested interest here; and there is no guarantee of anyone’s patriotism. Traitors & terrorists can be from any community. Is it possible that this entire exercise is an elaborate plan to create disharmony & mistrust, and is beginning to succeed? I don’t know for sure.

What I do know is this: I don’t want the terrorists & their backers to succeed. I don’t want to be scared & I don’t want anyone to scare me.

Another personal story to share:
I had a friend over for dinner the other night. She is a Gujarati, one who was in Baroda, fresh out of college, during the 2002 riots. Her family sheltered their neighbours & close friends of many years, a Muslim family (for which they drew a lot of flak from their other neighbours) for which her father had to stand outside & single-handedly argue down the hindutvis who had come for the fugitive Muslim family. Thankfully he succeeded.
She talked of the changed nature of Baroda. She talked of how modi was seen as the unifier of Hindu forces in Gujarat. She talked about how her father voted for modi because of that, not because of the so-called development that he has been taking credit for.
She is a fairly disillusioned Indian today, one who takes pride in her apathy.
She went so far as to suggest that since my Muslim name will never allow me to prove my patriotism to most people in this country, I too should develop apathy towards what is happening in my country.

I’m trying but not succeeding…

Musings on China

2008-09-10T18:24:00.000+05:30

I haven't been fond of China ever since the Tiananmen Square massacre.
1962 happened before I was born & I only read about it later. Anyway I felt more anger at ourselves for losing that war rather then at the aggressors. This inward anger thing is strange.
Then I read about their invasion of Tibet. And I read stories of the Iron Curtain.
By this time I was sure I didn't like them, but since Tiananmen Square I have totally despised them.

I've joined in when people have called them commie bastards and have begrudged every success that they've been able to notch up in the economic arena. I have celebrated the one thing that we are better than them at, the BPO industry, although I don't know for how long we'll stay ahead, knowing them...
Their censoring of the press has rankled too.

When they won the Olympic bid, I wasn't too happy at the fact that they've stolen yet another march over us.
When there were protests in Tibet & in India over the Olympic torch, I felt happy. I was glad that someone else felt bad & was expressing themselves.
Now of course I feel bad that the world at large is recognizing this rogue country as a superpower.
I feel glad though that India is now being put on the same platform economically & geo-politically as them. And we have Dr. Manmohan Singh to thank for that! This man deserves a Bharat Ratna for the things he's done for India. I think posterity will give it to him. If I have my way I will!

I am glad that we're not seen as a rogue country the way they are & for that I am glad that extremists are not in power in our country. Events like gujarat & orissa are the Tiananmen Square equivalent in the eyes of the international community. Somehow we've escaped being viewed like them. Is it because we've majorly been neither rightist nor leftist but centrist?

Is there a lesson in this for us? Should we actively continue to toe the centrist, moderate line & consciously, aggressively avoid leaning over to either extreme? I think so.

Coming back to China, one must give them credit for what they've achieved.
Although, more research & opinions are required on the means & the quality of their output.
Their means I'm certain haven't been all good & their quality of goods has been a joke for quite some time.
I do hope the international community can find a way to put pressure on China to improve their human rights record. Maybe putting aside profit considerations for some time will help?

Azadi for Kashmir

2008-08-31T22:33:00.000+05:30

Just some days back, I picked up a copy of the Outlook magazine - and was pleasantly surprised.

The cover story was 'Azadi for Kashmir, Azadi for India' - a compelling essay by Arundhati Roy on the Kashmir dispute and the latest clamour for 'Azadi' in the valley.

The essay touched on the plight of the Kashmiri, the life under torture and army cruelty and presented the brutally suppressed Kashmiri's arguments for the right to freedom.

The article came out amid the massive outbreak of protests in the valley demanding freedom.
This time, it wasn't a mob that could be shrugged off as 'militants' or 'ISI backed miscreants'.. but hundreds of thousands of Kashmiris pouring out into the streets, marching peacefully and fearlessly demanding their rights. It's simply not common for an Indian to use mainstream Indian media to launch such a scathing attack on the Indian state and its repressive, inhuman policies in Kashmir.

But that was not why I was surprised. It was the letters to the Editor in that issue that I found very refreshingly interesting. For the first time ever, I was hearing Indian voices actually suggesting that perhaps India should consider withdrawing from the valley.

For the first time, in a mainstream magazine, I read letters from regular Indian citizens asking valid questions pointed at themselves - at the Indian government and its role in Kashmir - Asking if India had any moral authority left to cling on to Kashmir, that too at such a heavy price; Yes, Indians speaking FOR the Kashmiris right to self-assertion.

There was none of that Pak-bashing and breast-thumping emotional outbursts of patriotism (that's so much on display in times of war, cricket tournaments and discussions of Kashmir) filling the reams. Instead, intelligent voices pleading reason, fairness and justice were prevalent in that issue. Humanist, rational voices.

Surprising.

Everytime I try to sneak in the Kashmir debate onto an Internet forum, I'm immediately attacked and vilified by numerous angered Indians I didn't mean to offend. It wasn't necessarily even the right wingers or Hindutvis who reacted with such vehement outrage. The average Indian will frown at you if you so much as suggested that perhaps the Indian state might be at fault in Kashmir.

Hundreds of Human Rights organizations - including Amnesty International - have come down heavily on the Indian army for their brutal practices in the valley. When I try to assert these facts and the fact that despite numerous UN resolutions to that effect, there's still no likelihood of a referendum/plebiscite to be held in Kashmir, I normally face a deluge of angry retorts:

'ISI has infiltrated all the Human rights organizations'.
'Kashmiris want to be with India.. it's just a handful of militants who want secession'..
'Indian army is a noble and efficient organization doing a lot of sacrifice in the valley to protect the Kashmiris'
'India spends way more on Kashmir than any other state, so they don't have any right to protest'..
"Pakistani elements.."
'Referendum should be held for all 1 billion Indians...'
'First, the Kashmiri Pundits have to be rehabilitated'
And of course, the easy way out. 'Arundhati Roy is anti-national!'.

I was surprised then, to see a section of the Indian public so openly advocating a just solution for the Kashmiris. It was also surprising to see the Indian government showing restraint and talking with the protestors - and letting them protest peacefully among chants of 'Azadi'.

Well, for a while at least.

Then the crackdown began - 20 battalions of CRPF troops entered Srinagar overnight. Curfew was imposed. Recently introduced mobile services were interrupted. Separatist leaders were rounded up and arrested. SMS facilities, cable TV and Internet were shut down. All the Foreign journalists in the valley were expelled and local newspapers banned. Several people have been killed and hundreds injured.

A column in the New Indian Express attacked Arundhati Roy. In the absence of any valid arguments to counter her solid reasons, it sought instead to sully her image and thus, her opinion. (It's the same treatment even I face on Internet forums. When there's a complete absence of counter-arguments, the debate turns into a nasty, personal mudslinging match!) Instead, the column provided some statistics that milk production was somewhat higher in Kashmir(or something to that effect..) and thereby, Kashmiris "weren't hurt" - and thus Arundhati Roy was clearly wrong.

The Indian government has once again tried to stifle the Kashmiri voice. The discovering of mass graves of thousands of unidentified bodies in Kashmir is only a slight indicator of the army atrocities. Tens of thousands have been killed, thousands have gone missing, rapes and executions are common. The government spends a shocking amount of money and resources into maintaining it's heavy military presence in the most densely militarized zone in the world.

Against this background, the Sangh Parivar and the VHP/RSS in Jammu continue to carry out blatantly communal acts of war against the Kashmiris by blocking the only highway linking the valley to India - and the government has proved quite inefficient against them. Despite the decades, India has failed to win over the hearts and minds of the Kashmiris. They still demand Azadi - and a right to self determination.

I've always noticed that the Indian public is, on an average, very reluctant (and in most cases, too ignorant of facts) to criticize itself, but quick to point fingers at the same time. I've seen numerous Indian commentators on forums pleading - rightly - for the sake of justice for the thousands of Kashmiri pundits who have been forced to flee the valley. But these same voices will continue to live in denial and delusion when it comes to admitting that there exists a massive human rights problem in Kashmir, and a highly repressive state.

The first step towards finding a solution is acknowledgement of the problem. [To quote from an example in Ms. Roy's essay.. trucks in the Indian mainland carry quotes as frightening as 'Dhoodh maango toh kheer denge, Kashmir maango toh cheer denge!']

I only wish this topic is discussed more extensively in the Indian media and public, with more reason and logic and less jingoistic pseudo-patriotic fervor. I strongly recommend that everyone read Arundhati Roy's poignant, effective essay - and educate themselves on the ground realities in Kashmir.

Truly said that India needs freedom from Kashmir as much as Kashmir needs Azadi from India. If not for reasons of justice and compassion, then at least for the large financial burden and drain on resources that retaining Kashmir under Indian occupation has proved. I urge citizens all over the country to take a moral stand and take a lead in giving Kashmiris their long suppressed right to self determination and dignity.

[P.S. - This article is NOT written by 1conoclast, nor necessarily endorsed by him. All abuse/brickbats/hate mail/comments are to be directed to ME]

An Award! An Award!!

2008-08-29T19:14:00.000+05:30

Never did I believe that this day would come. Not that I didn't dream of it, I just didn't believe it would happen! Never mind what they say about this award.

Thank you Dear IHM (as I refer to you). Thank you for making my day!

So I have to pass this on now? Here goes!

I would like the following to have this award:

The Mutiny. Obviously it's originator chacko deserves a mention, but it's current commander-in-chief 2S or Sandy has to be one of the funniest writers ever; not just in the blogosphere! Here's a sample.

There are other bloggers like Yaamyn & Ashish Gorde that write & write well & I would've liked to give them the award, yet the passion & logic displayed in their eruditely argued comments on the Mutiny is missing from their blogs. So while they as individuals are deserving of this award, their blogs are on the shortlist until they evince the same passion that is inside them.

I would like to give this award to IHM, but she's already won it!

Anyone think of giving it to Mr. Bachchan, Aamir Khan or Omar Abduallah yet?

So congratulations to all the winners before me. And to those who win after me. Have a great night!

Citizens for Peace

2008-08-28T17:45:00.000+05:30

Most regular bloggers & blog readers will know of Citizens for Peace.

Theirs is an honest, earnest attempt to use the resources at their disposal to give the peace-loving Indian a voice in these days of violence & madness.
Their site is loaded with essays & comments from modern day intellectuals and if you choose to visit them you will have lots to read.
I have linked to them in the past, and I should more often.

Here are two of their latest offerings:
http://citizensforpeace.in/blog/2008/08/27/why-shoot-the-messenger/
http://citizensforpeace.in/blog/2008/08/27/growing-up-plural-in-a-singular-world/

In the first one Ms. Azmi very eloquently takes on her detractors (unfortunately the mainstream media didn't carry this essay). An excerpt: "In the same interview that has become the subject of such mud-slinging, I have also stated that the Indian Muslim feels safer in India than elsewhere because he has a stake and a space in the country’s democracy...... That the time has come for Muslims to stop looking at themselves only as victims and do some soul-searching on the need for reform within the community. Why then does only one remark get pulled out of the interview and become the subject of such acrimony?"

Please read & pass on. Do spread the good word. :-)
And since this is a very relevant topic these days, here's Malavika Sanghvi on Kashmir.

A First for this Blog...!

2008-08-19T17:52:00.000+05:30

In my various flights around the blogosphere, I met more vultures than doves flying around, more blind bats than wise owls.

Only recently did I serendipitously bump into someone who has the same pro-peace, proequality, humanist approach that I've had; the same well informed keen intellect & the same passion for fairness & justice to argue an unfair allegation as ardently as I do!

I've done the best thing I could do in the circumstances; add him as a contributor to this blog.

Ladies & Gentlemen, please welcome Yaamyn!!!

***APPLAUSE!!!***

India being held ransom!

2008-07-28T21:11:00.000+05:30

To WHAT?

That is the question that bothers me. WHAT EXACTLY do these terrorists WANT? Can't they tell us? In the earlier days, hijackers, kidnappers etc. told us what they wanted in return & we had information about what we needed to do to secure the release of our people. We also knew what their grouse was & if it was a valid grouse, we could fix it.

These terror attacks are acts of cowardice. They don't want to face us, they don't want to negotiate. Do they even WANT anything??? Or are they just brainwashed people or mercenaries, being encouraged by entities who want India to remain weak? Pak we've heard before? China maybe?

Most importantly... WHAT can we do to stop this madness?

The Indian Express had talked about "Local Intelligence" after the Jaipur blasts and reiterates that point here.

Apparently the Centre is talking about raising the %age spend on State-specific Intelligence instead of depending on one central body. It makes immense sense to have multiple entities striking at the problem instead of one single body. What the Centre needs to realize is this: There is a HUGE difference between drawing up plans & implementing them effectively. The success of corporate honchos & heads of state alike is determined by their ability to implement! Dr. Singh hasn't failed on that count yet and I hope he and the Hon'ble Home Minister can implement to perfection as well!

In fact, it would make sense to have a district level/gram panchayat level anti-terror intelligence gathering cell/programme!

I've heard of Mohalla committees that were put in place & were successful as an anti-rioting measure. We can have similar programmes for anti-terror intelligence gathering.

Another idea is to make all these uber-patriots (I'd love to use pseudo but the extremist right seems to have patented the use of that word; additionally there's a good chance they won't understand uber) like the sena & it's illegitimate child the mns, the vhp, bajrangis and the rss, who keep flaunting their committment to the nation, to become the cells of intelligence gathering. Since they're so interested in the Nation's security, let's give them a chance to do something CONSTRUCTIVE about it instead of just ranting about it for a change! Ditto the organizations that keep calling for bandhs!

The ulema too can put their money where their mouth is & put up intelligence collection cells wherever they have a presence.

With that amount of intelligence coming in, we may be able to control this menace. At least one of the blocks will be in place!

Others expressing anguish about this.

Crossposted

Perceptive, Insightful, Discerning...

2008-07-16T17:55:00.000+05:30

are all adjectives that I will attribute to myself henceforth.

Of the recommendations that I had made here, one was about the liberals using the media to get the truth out, to send positive messages out to the unknowing world at large.
And HERE is vindication that I was on the right track!!!
Read up about how Alyque Padamsee's brilliant brain is being put to nobler use than it had ever before!
Read about how people like Madni, Padamsee & Javed Anand exist. Rejoice at what they stand for & represent!
Read up about how it's to be done!

A half-Hindu's view on how Hindus should be percieved

2008-07-16T16:36:00.000+05:30

I'm half-Hindu. The other half is Muslim. I've spoken about one aspect of this earlier and am therefore going to skip some parts of the preamble.

I grew up accustomed to people marvelling at my knowledge of "Hindu" mythology, and other religions. I also grew up practically unaware of what Islam was about. Since my family didn't pay much attention to it, I was only aware of who the "heroes" of Islam were: The Prophet, Hazrat Ali & his martyred sons Imam Hasan & Imam Husain, and their clan.

As I grew older, I mixed with more Hindus than Muslims, by virtue of the simple fact that they're in greater numbers in India. Also by virtue of the fact that my parent's mixed-marriage effectively precluded our either staying in areas determined by ethnicity or fraternizing based only on it.

Apart from a few stray incidents I rarely met a religion obsessed Hindu (churkhi & janayoo notwithstanding). This may have to do with the fact that my Muslim sounding name may have deterred them in some way, but despite that I can say with a fair degree of confidence that the Hindus I met were not the kind that carried religion outside on the street with them. Only once when I was about six or seven was I asked in the park, "What religion are you?" by a group of similarly aged youngsters. I am still unable to comprehend how 7 year olds could ask me a question like that. Unless they had instructions from home to ask... Wierd, very wierd.

So my best friends were Hindus right through school, graduation & post-grad. Irrespective of whether I was in UP, Rajasthan or Maharashtra.

It's important for me to state however that I hadn't scratched the surface yet. Young & forgiving I ignored the people who refused to rent me a room to stay in upon hearing my name. I told myself that they're an aberration.

So what has changed now? Have the recent events in India, made me change my opinion of the average Hindu? Have people like bal-t & advani & modi, have babri & gujarat made me rethink? Has the rise in the number of bjp supporters made me rethink my stand? Has the absolute glut of hindutvis on web forums everywhere made me rethink?

To be honest, the first few did not. But the last two really have!

I've just needed to look at my friends in order to dispel any doubts about the first few questions. But the second set of questions bothers me... Is is because I've realized that there's another world lurking behind the anonymity that the Internet offers? Is this a new phenomenon or has it always existed & I've been oblivious to it?

I have also been bothered by some of the statements that some of my Hindu relatives make. Something about Hindus being tolerant & being taken for granted. These are well educated, high ranking, retired people! To be fair, they've always voted the jansangh and to be fair they had to leave Lahore leaving everything behind, but it worries me nonetheless.

So to answer my own question... has all of this changed my stance towards Hindus outside my family? Frankly it hasn't. 5 or 6 incidents are not representative of the attitude of all Hindus. And 15 idiots on web forums do not make up the entire Hindu population!!!

My experience with non-family Hindus has been largely great. I continue to enjoy the love & admiration of friends & family. There is no reason for me to being doubting the larger populace of Hindus, even those that don't have the advantage of a Western education!

So how do we deal with the sections in the media that are right-wing? How do we deal with pronouncements of bal-t, advani & modi? How do we deal with the extremists in web forums?

This is the second part of my mission. I intend to meet them head on. Ignoring them is dangerous, so they must be countered. In every forum! People like Alyque Padamsee are doing it in the offline world, using the clout they have. People like us should do it in the areas where we have the clout.

I will volunteer time at schools & colleges & teach children & youth about tolerance & communal harmony!

I will debate them in web forums, TV shows, wherever I get a platform. I will present facts to them. Most importantly, I will show them how they're hurting the image of the average Hindu by doing all of this. How they're giving an opportunity to the extremists to showcase their hatred to potential recruits!

Educated, liberal Hindus should use media to clear the air about what the religion stands for. They should showcase the lives of Hindus like themselves using TV, papers, novels, films whatever is available. They must undo the damage that the conservatives have caused. A PR exercise is as desperately needed to safeguard the image of the tolerant, secular, progressive Hindu as it is by similar Muslims!

Work should be done to improve the lot of minorities & backward sections like Dalits. Educated Hindus should actively condemn when something goes wrong in areas like that!

My mission going forward is to impress upon each uber-conservative Hindu I come across, the importance of being as modern & liberal. And how it's important for their community to come across as that, if they're to contribute to solving the problems that face all of us today. We must sow the seeds of the idea in their mind.

If you agree dear readers, please help me do the same. Please speak to every hardliner you come across & tell them to live their life as they would like their religion to be perceived. If they want to be viewed as progressive, educated, liberal, loving & peaceful, then they must be that themselves. Do spread the good word.

idiots...

2008-07-09T16:07:00.000+05:30

I've often said that I don't want the focus of this blog to be low-lives, but once in a while some idiots come along who excel at being so low that discovering them is akin to the unearthing of Mohen-jo-Daro! Such a discovery needs talking about. Here's another example of a bunch of nobodies using outright lies to malign someone who is their superior by light years!
http://filmikhabar.com/2007/08/05/difference-between-shah-rukh-khan-and-amitabh-bachchan-part-2/#comment-25112

I tried putting up the following comment on this forum, but the idiots are so scared of facts that they didn't even publish my comment. They only want to look at the world from their perspective. Good for them! The less competition to genuine intellect there is the better! I'm having difficulty deciding between "kuen ke mendhak" or "jab haathi chalte hain toh kuttey bhownkte hain. Which one is applicable to them? Both maybe. Anyway, here's my response:

mouse-tafa...
1. Mr. Bachchan's first mega-hit was Zanjeer, a solo. Aren't you forgetting movies like Don, Lawaris etc. etc. Aur yaad dilaoon ya itna kaafi hai aapka muh bandh rakhne ke liye?
2. This overseas market jazz is for people who don't know. There was no oversead market until Yash Chopra & co. started tapping into it late in their careers. And even overseas, Mr. Bachchan got voted as the Superstar of the Millenium in the BBC poll. Bhool gaye kya? Or on purpose?
3. Yeh aapke dekhna ka nazarya hai. I still remember Amitabh's wound up angst from Shakti, not Dilip Kumar's histrionics.And SRK will always remain a poor actor to me. He can't even match Saif, forget matching Mr. Bachchan.
4. I have already answered this in 1 above, but here's a little more. SRK doesn't do movies outside the Chopra-Johar clan. In contrast Aamir Khan does movies with rank newcomers & churns out hit after hit. SRK isn't even as good as Aamir, what're you doing comparing him with India's Cinegod Mr. Bachchan.
5. SRK is rumoured to be bisexual & said to be having an affair with Karan Johar. Is that a cleaner image than Mr. Bachchan's?
6. KANK a hit? When did this happen??? Last I looked it was declared a damp squib.
Aapki zaati rai aap apne paas rakhen toh behtar hoga.
lmfrz...
Outlook Magazine recently had a poll on the most popular star. Guess what margin the eventual winner Mr. Bachchan beat his closest competitor by?
Aap sab log jhoot ka sahara kyun lete hain...?

Afterthought on KKL

2008-07-09T14:36:00.000+05:30

A more critical analysis of KKL came to me as an afterthought. It doesn't take away anything from the movie at all for two reasons: The movie is genuinely good; and secondly as my favourite playright GBS put it, "A critic is one who leaves no turn unstoned"!

The part that I'd have liked to see made differently is the absolute ending. There's too much wrong with the ending according to me. The elder brother deserved better & that is what should've been shown. The younger brother deserved much worse and that is what should've been shown, instead of showing him happily returning to his piano. I know for a fact that guilt makes each day unlivable! How happily they've shown the misguided youngster return to a life of normalcy. This according to me, is one flaw in the movie. In short the ending is further from a happy ending than I would've liked.

Maybe viewers with a taste for the quasi-realistic don't share my problem with the ending.

Attempted Crosspost

Demise of the Union...?

2008-07-07T14:04:00.000+05:30

Looks like it. Unless all this has been going on for ages & I've just woken up to the news!

Take a look at some of the news over the last 2 weeks:

1. Amarnath Yatra Politics. Yes, politics. There's no other word to describe it. My friend has already blogged about it very accurately here.
2. Naxals getting stronger in Orrisa!
3. bal-t saying he's proud of an H-bomb!
4. The deplorable rise & rise of hindutva!
5. The deplorable rise & rise of Muslim fundamentalists!
6. Sikhs on the streets with swords among other transgressions!
And if you want to go a few months back...
7. Marathis on the streets bullying their fellow-countrymen!

So what is happening to the average Indian? Is he no longer an Indian? Is he Hindu/Muslim/Sikh/Marathi/gujarati/"whatever jazz" first these days? Is the Union of India finally breaking up?
Are "outside forces" causing India to come apart?
Or are "inside forces" causing India to fall apart?
Have we always been like this? Apart for the few years that Gandhiji led us as one in our freedom struggle?

Thoughts solicited from the moderate, centrist.

4 Movie Recommendations

2008-07-05T12:25:00.000+05:30

I'm fairly picky about the movies that I watch & even pickier about the ones I like. Any regular reader of this blog will vouch for that. I am recommending 4 movies today for mass consumption. Movies that should probably be made mandatory viewing in India. Just like Sir Attenborough's Oscar winning classic has!

There is no order here, neither chronological, nor preferential.

Aamir:
A thriller worthy of Hollywood. The film starts off fairly innocuously and from there a series of events hurl the protagonist by the same name deeper & deeper into a web of conspiracy & deceit.
The film keeps the viewer feeling edgy all the time, due to the slowly unfolding nature of the subject, the mystery that refuses to unravel, and mainly due to the superb execution of the plot by the director!
Bombay has been grittily shot, realistic, teeming, buzzing, filthy. The glimpses bring memories of the city back to anyone who's stayed there for any decent length of time.
So, brilliant camerawork supports a great plot, a capable cast, and gives us a gritty, gripping thriller that stays with us even after we leave the movie theatre. Surely one of the best made thrillers to come out of India ever!

Dharm:
I haven't seen the movie yet, but my wife has & thinks it should be on a compulsory watchlist for all Indians, specially those who've gone over to the conservative side.

The Message:
Needlessly controversial, banned in many parts, this is a film in the tradition of the Ten Commandments & Ben-Hur, only not that dramatic. It is a representation of facts around the origin of Islam, only more reserved.
The film is a must watch for anyone seeking to dispel any popularly held notions about Islam, for anyone seeking answers about the religion and what it's message is.
Starring Anthony Quinn as Hamza, the warrior uncle of Prophet Mohammad, the rest of the star cast is a bunch of unknown (to us) names. The cast really isn't that important as will be clear when you watch the movie; the movie focuses on the history and the origins of Islam & The Message.
Watch it if you are desirious of developing any know-how about the religion at all.

The idiotic ulemas of the sub-continent and a few other people have made a very poor remake of the film called Al-Risalah. A totally unnecessary butchering of the original. Avoid it & go for the original "The Message. You local pirated DVD wala should be able to get you a good copy. Make sure you ask for a totally unedited one! One never knows these days!

Khuda Kay Liye:
Much talked about, much less seen movie. Although, without a doubt a syllabus recommended, compulsory viewing movie! So important is it's message!
The brilliance of the film is in it's theme, the characters essayed rather well by the cast (that includes our Naseer in a small but very crucial cameo), and to some degree the plot. I know many fans of the movie will disagree, but this is my opinion. Don't get me wrong. It's a good movie. A very important modern work! But the style is somewhat documentary. Not that that shold be a negative for any movie, but I'm a little biased towards Hollywood's style of movie-making. It's brilliant in patches, but stops just short of being overall brilliant!

The songs are quite a rage I hear. I'm not humming them yet, so I will reserve comment on that bit. The cast is good, the theme is brilliant. The movie succeeds in getting it's very worthy message across.

A word of caution here: DO NOT PICK UP PIRATED COPIES OF THIS MOVIE. I have heard that certain conservative elements have edited out the secular maulana's (played by Naseer) very crucial very enlightening speech towards the end!
Go to Planet M, pick up the original CD's from there. BETTER STILL, pick up an original DVD if possible as the subtitles will make it easy to understand the otherwise difficult Urdu.

A half-Muslim's view on how Muslims should be percieved

2008-07-03T20:43:00.000+05:30

I'm half-Muslim. The other half is Hindu. While there were no overt attempts in the house to make me choose between either religion, there was exposure to both. Outside of the home, you didn't meet many Muslims and therefore the exposure outside the home was primarily Hindu. And thankfully we grew up celebrating all festivals in the house, and had Christian teachers in school, so there was an ample dose of Christianity thrown in.

I was raised by my Mother on Amar Chitra Kathas. (Uncle Pai therefore shares some of the blame for how I've turned out.) I read comics on Jesus Christ, Rama, Krishna, Hanuman, Buddha, Mahavir Jain, Guru Nanak, Kabir, Agastya, Ghatotkach and a truckload on Hindu mythology. I read loads about India's history, her invasions, her home grown kings, and Amar Chitra Kathas always presented an unbiased, usually positive viewpoint, the kind that kids should be exposed to.

I grew up accustomed to people marvelling at my knowledge of "Hindu" mythology, and other religions. I also grew up practically unaware of what Islam was about. Since my family didn't pay much attention to it, I was only aware of who the "heroes" of Islam were: The Prophet, Hazrat Ali & his martyred sons Imam Hasan & Imam Husain, and their clan.

As I grew older, I met more Muslims, relatives who didn't have the advantage of a Western education, who were amazed at how little I knew about Islam. They tried to impress upon me, how good the religion was, what it said etc. Unfortunately, I was in my teens & rebellious, saying emphatic NO's to everything. Also, these people were not exactly the best of teachers.

Thankfully my Grandfather was an erudite, liberal scholar. And his daughter, my Mother had learnt her Islam from him. So she chose to teach me about the progressiveness of Islam. I found that my Grandfather's interpretations of the religion were radically different from what the common Muslim knew & believed. My Mother taught me all about the history of the region where the religion originated and linked it to why certain things were expressed in a certain way in Islam. It made much more sense that way. Simple things like this: Islam considers Moses an earlier Prophet of Islam and his teachings are incorporated in the Quran. So "Thou shalt not kill" is an integral part of Islam.

The damage however had been done by then. I knew my family was different, but the image of the common Muslim in my mind was this: They're Islam obsessed. All they seemed to talk about was religion. If ever another topic came up, the answers were sought in Islam. And that bothered me. Until I realized that all over the World, people seek answers & direction from their religion. Why then did it seem to me that Muslims were more religions focused than other religious groups? That is something I am looking for an answer to.

With all the World attention on Islam & all the hate that spews out in blog forums & on the roads sometimes against it, I've been wondering if there is anything Muslims can do to clear the air. Here are some of the things that I think Muslims should/should not do:

Educated, liberal Muslims should use media to clear the air about what the religion stands for. It should showcase the lives of Muslims like themselves using TV, papers, novels, films whatever i available. The common non-Muslim deserves to know what Islam really stands for. They must undo the damage that the conservatives have caused. A PR exercise is desperately needed.

Muslim majority countries like Iran should lay off minorities like the Bahais. Educated Muslims should actively condemn Iran when it does something like this. Countries like Saudi Arabia should allow freedom of religious expression in their countries. Unless they're content to be knows as a hardline, conservative state. I as an educated, liberal, half-Muslim would be the first to condemn religious states!

The Shia-Sunni divide needs to be bridged. This is easier said than done, but if the differences are irreconcilable, they should at least lay off each other. And guys like zakir naik should be condemned publicly if they mouth any hate.

Notice that I am not just saying "educated". I am saying "educated, liberal". There is a difference and that is the section in whose hands the image of Muslims worldwide lies today.

The media doesn't seem to be helping on it's own. So there should be an active involvement with the media, a partnership that showcases the attitudes of people like Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Farooque Shaikh, the bin laden niece who made a magazine cover in America. People like Dinara Safina, Marat Safin, Sania Mirza & their parents.

I intend to do my two bits. This way while I can & more if I can later.

My mini-mission going forward is to impress upon each uber-conservative Muslim I come across, the importance of being as modern & liberal. And how it's important for their community to come across as that, if they're to contribute to solving the problems that face them today. I'm aware that most of them will take it as personal criticism & will react just the way I did as a teenager, but I must sow the seeds of the idea in their mind.

If you agree dear readers, please help me do the same. Please speak to every hardliner you come across & tell them to live their life as they would like their religion to be perceived. If they want to be viewed as progressive, educated, liberal, loving & peaceful, then they must be that themselves. Do spread the good word.

Weisz not Knighley

2008-06-20T14:41:00.000+05:30

The Pune Times today carried a front page article on whether Keira Knightley is apt to essay Elize Doolittle in the remake of My Fair Lady. There were a load of views from everybody & nobody about how she is apt.
I personally have no doubt that she will be to pull of the early Eliza, but I have my doubts whether she will be able to match the grace that Audrey Hepburn exhibited as the revamped Ms. Doolittle. In my opinion, the actress who could come close to looking as graceful & as beautiful as Audrey Hepburn would be Rachel Weisz. That is one classical beauty.

The people polled are off as far other remakes too are concerned. Some suggest names like Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie or Drew Barrymore for Mary Poppins! Even Meg Ryan is considered, which I believe may not be too off. But I am biased here.
The only choice that seemed apt was Julia Roberts for Maria in The Sound of Music. As usual, it is Taran Adarsh who comes closest to being bang on.

Having said all of that, I think it is also important to consider that the makers are masters of showbiz & they know their jobs. Therefore, if they've picked Keira, they've probably done so with good reason.

Now that I've said both things, in the final analysis, does this post matter at all? I guess not! :-)

he's at it again...

2008-06-15T20:54:00.000+05:30

This man just refuses to straighten out like the proverbial dog's tail.
He's at that old game again: If you can't argue with them, shatter their credibility by any means possible.
So in a soft-hindutva stance, shourie took on the Father of the Indian Constitution, in an abashed attempt to undermine Dr. Ambedkar's credibility among unsuspecting youth both upper & lower caste. What he doesn't realize of course is that his attempts are fairly see through.

Notice how he expresses his scant respect even for Mahatma Gandhi. He deliberately italicizes the ji suffix, so that it reads Gandhiji! He does the same with Satyagrah, but doesn't do the same with either Lokmanya, Swami or Sri. his bias comes out strongly here & gives us reason to further doubt his credibility.

As I have said before, this man is a danger to the fabric of unity that our nation is trying to maintain. He is not to be trusted & not to be taken seriously in this era.
And I sincerely hope history remembers him as the overtly biased, rabble rouser that he is, instead of the scholar-historian that some entities with vested interests HILARIOUSLY try & package him as.

Apparently I am not too much off the mark. I am not the only one that sees through him & is unafraid to call a spade a spade. Here are some links to what other people are saying about shourie; including respected historians like Ramchandra Guha:
http://www.ambedkar.org/research/GandhiAmbedkar.htm
http://www.rediff.com/money/2003/aug/11paran.htm
http://www.hinduonnet.com/2000/11/26/stories/13260411.htm
http://www.lehigh.edu/~amsp/2005/01/ambedkars-annihilation-of-caste.html
The first link above (an essay by Guha 1) is a specially good analysis.

deconstructing arun shourie

2008-06-04T17:30:00.000+05:30

This led to this, and now we're here! What started it all was this article by the rabble rouser this post seeks to analyze.

Let us begin by refuting shourie's article point by point:

There are many reasons why someone would mock anyone else's "secular credentials". From the simple of jealousy that stems from feeling inferior in comparision, to the more sinister attempt to influence by the power of suggestion. What is important to note is that the latter stems from an insecurity of losing one's identity. Anyway, mocking a virtue doesn't make it any less of a virtue.

shourie's tendency to ramble makes it difficult to deal with his essay point by point. If you read it you will appreciate the effort I had to make to stay on track.

Hindutva in it's current form is not different from the Taliban's brand of Islam or for that matter any other totalitarian, violent approach.

shourie's meandered about for miles before finally summarizing that Hinduism gives it's followers the Violence go ahead. Yet he keeps referring to a difference that he doesn't seem to demonstrate clearly. Actually Mohammed too gave his followers the battle go ahead when there was no other way out. So there is similarity in the teachings. But shourie is no expert on either religion & must not be taken seriously. People devote entire lives to the study of religion, yet do not overcome the very basic language & contextual barriers so intrinsic to an in-depth understanding of any literature in a foreign language, let alone religion!

shourie is actually an expert at manipulation. He paints a picture of an India ruled savagely by non-Hindu rulers for thousands of years! He very conveniently forgets that across North & South India, the rulers were primarily Hindu by religion. Even under Mughal rule, there were Hindu Kings in other parts of the country. As for savagery, I suppose the savagery of battle in the Mahabharat, at Kalinga, and the patricide that Hindu kings (how I hate myself for having to use this term!) indulged in are meant to be forgotten because of the fact that they happened on what he considers "his side". As for the peaceful, unifying rule of Akbar, the progress in art & culture that India still lays claim to, that needs to be kept a well hidden secret. Typical RSS-BJP type misrepresentation of facts, doctoring of history & propaganda! Not expected of an arun shourie, but what the hell, the man's human!

He forgets conveniently that India has been primarily Hindu ruled, except for the Mughal period. Even in modern day India, no Muslim/Christian/Jewish/Parsi/Jain/Buddhist/Sikh/etc political party has come to power. The rulers have been Hindus. But wait... these aren't shourie's Hindus.. these are the despicable secular Hindus; the kind that have caused the downfall of the great Hindu state of India! The ones who're better dead than alive! Which is what explains why people like Gandhiji, Indira, Rajiv etc. kept getting assassinated, while their leaders continue to die of old age!

shourie's fogginess vis a vis the Palestinian-Arab religions as he puts it (he could just have used the generally accepted term Abrahamic!) is evident in his "exclusivist" statement! The truth is that Christianity recognizes Moses as a prophet, and Islam acknowledges both Moses & Jesus as preceding prophets. If he'd have read the Quran, he'd have known that Adam, Abraham, Noah and many others are also acknowledged as prophets.

Forget reading the Quran, even if he'd watched "The Message", he'd have learnt that the early Muslims took shelter with Christian kings of neighbouring areas. This shelter was granted to them when verses from the Quran were recited, clearly proving Jesus to be a prophet of both religions!

But shourie doesn't want you to know that! Assuming that he knows that himself, that is!

shourie also skilfully tries to dodge the Khajuraho question in response to the MF Husain argument. If it was OK for artisans to depict Gods & Goddesses in naked, thrusting glory then! on temple walls if you please! how come it isn't OK for Husain to depict them thus in his paintings?

Instead he tries to turn the argument to Husain's never having painted the "icons of Islam". He knows only too well that there are no icons in Islam. It is forbidden to paint or sculpt the prophet or his family lest Islam's message too gets lost among another idol worshipping mass of humanity!

At this point it is wholly clear that shourie's piece is not meant for the discerning reader. It is unmitigatedly targeted at further inciting newly English literate RSS sympathisers. It is a dangerous piece of writing & in an ideal scenario shourie would be in jail for acting against the interests of peace in our country! What is surprising is that the Indian Express chose not to see it like that!

More examples of his attempts to incite are here:

What does shourie mean by "serve as a warning to all who keep pushing Hindus around"? WHO is pushing Hindus around in a country where they're the dominant majority???

Or by "... Gandhiji’s incontestable greatness and the fact that it was so evidently rooted in his devotion to our religion... "? Our religion? Is he talking from a Hindu standpoint here? Or is he insinuating that the religion of India is Hinduism?

It doesn't matter. He is talking rubbish!

Now on to the deconstruction that I spoke of.

arun shourie was probably one of India's bravest journalists. All this happened while I was very young, but I have updated myself on shourie through that (often unreliable) source called Wikipedia.

shourie was with the Indian Express. A newspaper I respect. It was unafraid to speak the truth, it set benchmarks in investigative, truth-be-told journalism; what journalism should be. shourie was during his time with them, probably the biggest exponent of these values. so what happened then? how did he become the malicious rumour mongering arun shourie of today?

Well.. it so happened that the I.E. & shourie took on the ruling Congress party at that time & won a few crucial rounds. It was a laudable effort, they even succeeded in forcing AR Antulay's resignation on corruption charges! Unfortunately, they became victims of a witch-hunt, once the Congress came back to power, post the emergency debacle. Interestingly, the party that had briefly replaced them failed miserably.

I am inclined to believe that I.E. & shourie had no vested interests in their campaign, and that what followed was very unfair.

The pressure on I.E.'s owners it is said, forced them to give shourie the sack. You can imagine how traumatizing that must have been for an honest, eager journalist!

They didn't just take his job away from him. They took his career away from him!

I believe that something inside shourie snapped. he began hating everything that the Congress stood for. Even things like secularism!

he went from truthful journalist to shameless rumour monger!

I believe that for shourie, it isn't about national or even Hindu interest. It is about personal vendetta.

What he doesn't realize is that by becoming what he has, he let that handful of crooked elements in the Congress party win! he has become a caricature of what he once was, he has lost his credibility, he has let his detractors win. They wanted to finish him off. And they have succeeded.

Attempted Crosspost

The Monsoon hits Pune...!

2008-06-03T19:00:00.000+05:30

Ah...! The fresh, clean, crisp air. The clean streets, the washed trees (as my Mom calls them), the fewer people on the roads... WONDERFUL!!!

I need to get drenched! On the outside as well as the inside!!! ;-)

There was lightning & loooouuuuuuud claps of thunder as well. I felt fresh just looking at it!

Today's day...

2008-06-03T13:11:00.000+05:30

Originally posted on May 18th. Edited today. See bottom of post.

Today's been a little more packed than other days, despite it being a Sunday. Friends dropped in from Bombay (awfully nice of them!) and that made this Sunday a trifle less lazy!

From the moment I glanced at the papers this morning, I've meaning to write this post. Take a look at the day's headlines:
India tells China off on Sikkim! Great going India! Celebrate this instead of that rubbish called ipl!
Gurgaon techie held for posting derogatory messages against Sonia Gandhi on Orkut! WOW! I'm THRILLED TO BITS! The last time a student was arrested for bad mouthing modi, it didn't cause too much of a flutter. I'm waiting to see what happens this time. Wonder if there'll be any word from the Mutiny on this one.
Railway Porter No. 6362 at Kanpur Central is learning how to read, write! More power to Laloo I say! Laloo for PM!!! If people (I don't even wanna call them that!) are considering advani's name, I think Laloo is by far a better bet! Laloo daudega! Biharis will be safe in Bombay too!!!
Binayak Sen wins the Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health & Human Rights! Great news! Another feather in India's cap! And a slap in the face for the bjp govt. in Chattisgarh! Yahoo!

One of my friends from Bombay, a Bihari Brahmin girl with no evinced Congress leanings was relating stories of how the right-wing extremists were putting up propaganda on websites and emails about how Sonia was the daughter of the Mafia and how she'd been planted at Cambridge to rijhao Rajiv Gandhi. The Mafia's idea apparently was to get access to effect deals like Bofors! WOW! What a story! Why can't these nobodies stop obsessing over the Nehru-Gandhi family?
She had more to add on the rss. Apparently a few years back, they sangh parivar stripped a woman in public in Gujarat because she was in jeans, offending Indian culture. These are the people you want in power? They strip women, they kill people from other religions. I can only hope there is truth in the saying, "Vinaash kaale, Viprit budhdhi"!
I went to Landmark in the evening, where the first book on your left as you step out of the lift is "The men who killed Gandhi". I pushed back my nausea and leafed through it. It seems to be an account of the events that led a bunch of mentally ill men to plan the assassination of "The Father of the Nation", an over 80 year old man, one whose ideas for India differentiated us on the global map from other countries. The book ends with a photo of the killer and a line that says something to this effect: "... a hero to the millions who believe that he was right in killing Gandhi"!
I am aghast at how such books do not face censorship in India. Are we taking this tolerant attitude, this freedom of speech thing too far? Are we going to allow a generation of youngsters who do not know the truth to read this crap, and believe that Gandhiji deserved to be shot & that that despicable low-life who shot him was a hero??? Like I've said before, History is fair! The likes of fawkes, hitler, booth, oswald & godse will always be remembered as cold-blooded, mentally ill men, but despite that, this book is taking things too far. I'd say give it a miss. The writer doesn't deserve any reading. May he too be remembered as a traitor!

It's been a long day...

June 3rd edit: One commenter said that he's glad that we don't burn effigies like is done on Guy Fawkes Day in the UK. Actually this is a brilliant idea. In India we burn effigies of living politicians as a mark of protest (among more vile things). Nothing should stop us from burning an effigy of godse every 30th January. We will call it the Indian Guy Fawkes Day! We will commemorate the sad loss of India's Greatest Son at the hands of a cold blooded murderer. Who wants to popularize this? Let's start with communities on Orkut & Facebook! We can even request the Brits to burn 2 effigies every Guy Fawkes Day, one of godse added! And we can return the favour by burning a Guy Fawkes effigy! We're in the Commonwealth after all!
I want to understand what godse would've done had he still been around? Would he have denounced raj thakarey for destroying India's unity? No... wait a minute... He didn't murder Gandhiji in the nation's interest. He murdered Gandhiji in the "Hindu" interest.
Even then, would he have publicly chided raj for destroying "Hindu" unity, by targeting "Hindus" from UP & Bihar? No... I don't think so. He would've sided with his state in all probability. So why exactly did The Father of My Nation, a peace loving man, get murdered (& maligned these days) while these rascals get away with murder & are considered demi-Gods?
I think we deserve every bit of trouble that comes to India. If we can't stand up & speak out against what is wrong, if we don't want to do anything about it, if we want to defend murderers & racists, we deserve all this trouble. I can see a civil war coming. With vested interests outside of India feeding on our lack of unity, I can definitely see it coming! Unless we wake up fast. Unless we denounce all these small time crooks & tell them that you cannot tear us Indians apart!

Another not so bad day...

2008-05-31T12:25:00.000+05:30

29th May 2008:
News headlines again... Not so bad at all. Fairly encouraging.

The first one that caught my eye saddened my a whole lot. The Indian Express reported an MP minister as having said: "give quotas to beggars who seek it", in response to the recent and ongoing reservation stir. In 21st century India, caste is alive & kicking! Read here.
They say every dark cloud has a silver lining: The fact that it was a bjp minister who said it, in the presence of the bjp CM of Madhya Pradesh is news to take heart from. The more confident & aggressive these people get, the more they expose themselves. Slowly but surely, the country will seem them for who they are & this ugly daag will disappear from the face of Indian political consciousness. For that day, I pray.

Nitish Katara's murderers, Vikas Yadav & Vishal Yadav convicted, despite being well connected! A victory of the Indian judicial system! It gladdens the heart to know that you could be a politician's son, but you cannot get away with murder in this country. All this celebration is a little premature. We still have to ensure that the perpetrators of the 2002 Gujarat riots and the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots are brought to justice. We still have to ensure that bal t & raj t are brought to justice. We still need answers to who killed Syed Modi & why is he still roaming free?
This will do very well for a start though. It's a message for us never to back down from demanding justice, to keep at it until we get justice! I hope every Indian is getting this message.

Nepal becomes a republic. Welcome to the secular republic fold people. You have great responsibility and great challenges ahead of you. All the best. May you succeed!

"SIMI faction at helm of all-India terror network": DNA.
Great! Step in the right direction. We know at least which organization was responsible for the terror attacks. So the next step is to curb all activities of this faction! Make it's very existence difficult. Apprehend it's terrorists. And then talk to the terrorists who comprise this network. Ask them what they have against India. If they have any valid arguments, we must fix them immediately, so that we don't have any more organizations like this rising.

For Infosys, growth will take place ‘outside Pune’
The mns has hopefully shot itself in the foot. Instead of giving a boost to employment in Maharashtra, they've managed to send jobs away from Pune! GREAT! I am always the happiest when people like raj fuck up! FANTASTIC News! Suffer buggers suffer!

And here's what a right-winger in power is capable of. Indian's, I've been saying it for very long and I'll say it again... BEWARE!
Hopefully Bush will be brought to justice for his misdemeanours. If not civil/criminal justice, maybe divine justice; but I'd be glad to see him suffer in some form!

That's it for now.

Indulge me

2008-05-26T17:02:00.000+05:30

I'm poetically handicapped. Totally so! Having 5 poets in the family doesn't help, but I'm indulging a recent urge to try my hand at it. Apologies for subjecting you to this, but here goes anyway...
Critique invited. Biting critique welcome as well.

The mind wants Peace
Not fragmented pieces
No conflict, but unity
Ah… my mind eases...

Mann chaahe shaanti
Na ki tukde toote toote
Sangharsh nahin, Ekagrata!
Aah… yeh mera mann loote...!

I would've liked to do an Urdu version, but unfortunately my Urdu is about as good as a dog's meow.

Unaware of Human Rights Violations?

2008-05-15T14:26:00.000+05:30

A recent discussion here left me searching Google for Amnesty International articles on Human Rights violations (specially wrt to "Hindus") in Bangladesh & Pakistan. Google readily threw up many Bangladesh links (but no Pakistan links, although I'd have expected more of those!) & I went through some of these, surprised at how this had eluded well-informed old me for so long!

So for everyone who wants to be better informed vis a vis Human Rights Violations worldwide, please subscribe to Amnesty's e-zine here.
And for those who want to contribute in a small way, you can take their survey here.

One thing that is still unclear is how these truly deplorable human rights violations are being referred to as "ethnic cleansing". When exactly did that happen?

Art Exhibition in Pune! Calling all art-lovers!

2008-05-08T15:25:00.000+05:30

On Mother's Day, Yasmin Zaidi pays a Floral Tribute to her Mother who passed away last year.

The "oils on canvas" series is around flowers and is marked by some excellent detailed work, something normally not seen in modern art.

The Exhibition titled "Mother's Day - A Floral Tribute" begins on Mother's Day, Sunday, 11th May 2008, at the Corinthian's Club, and will continue for a few weeks. Be there for the opening at 11 AM, if you would like to meet the artist...

Yasmin Zaidi has been drawing and painting for nearly forty years now. She has always had a keen eye for colour and composition and an enduring love of nature, which dominates her painting.
However, she has not needed to retreat into the wilderness to transmit this love onto canvas. She has sought, and found, beauty in small gardens in crowded suburbs, bouquets of cut flowers and wild trees fighting against the overbearing concrete in urban spaces. She considers the creation of anything beautiful a "co-creation with the Creator".
The artist comes from a family that has had a close association with various forms of art. Her father Padma Shri Ali Jawad Zaidi was a poet and a scholar; her daughter is a journalist and poet, and her grandfather also painted, though not professionally.
Some of Zaidi's early poems were published by various newspapers and journals and she has painted for and written a children's alphabet book. Her long career in education meant spending at least two decades imparting her painting skills to young and eager students. Post-retirement, she has picked up the brush again and has been painting full time and much of her recent work has been almost exclusively centred around flowers.

Must-visit places in and around Pune... and lesser ones

2008-05-07T17:07:00.000+05:30

So what else does Pune have on offer?

First on my list is the Aga Khan Palace. Apart from the pretty edifice and the lawns of what used to be a princely residence, the fact that the Father of the Nation spent a couple of years here makes it well worth a visit. The first time I visited it, I was showing a firangi friend around.
Once we were through with a brief history of the Aga Khans at the ticket counter (you have to ask for this, it isn't part of the tour), we went through the well-labelled rooms, each housing a mini museum to it's famous residents. In fact, so well labelled are the rooms, and so well arranged are the artifacts that one doesn't even need a guide!
It is a great insight into the greatness of the man who is more known for getting India her freedom. Gandhiji's drives around ridding India of untouchability apart from his famous freedom movement initiatives, actually brought tears to my eyes. My firang friend could see that I was moved. I thanked him for coming over as it had given me the opportunity to visit the place.
It is here that Gandhiji lost two of his closest confidantes, his secretary of many years who he treated like a son & his wife Kasturba. Both their samadhis are here, quiet places, strangely in sync with the quiet personalities they seemed to have had.

Shaniwarwada: The place looks like it is falling apart, but it is a tribute to the construction of the monument that it still stands despite it being totally gutted in a fire a few hundred years back. The wooden part of the palace of the Peshwa is totally destroyed, but the stone building still stands practically intact.
The gardens and the water fountains probably give you an insight into the planning & artistry of the Maratha rulers, something they're not well known for.

Lal Mahal: I have only seen it from the outside, as it unfortunately has restricted viewing hours. It is still on my viewing list as I am very keen on seeing what I had hitherto only read about in Amar Chitra Kathas; specially since it has to do with a great king, one whose name has been usurped by & spoilt for political purposes.

Sinhgadh: Fort that was witness to one of the Marathas' greatest victories. Site of the martyrdom of one of Shivaji's greatest generals, Tanaji. Apart from that it is a very green area, where one visit could render the senses fresh.

Lesser places (I guess this varies depending on one's interest) are the temples in Pune.

Dagdusheth & Chaturshringhi, the two that I visited with my firangi friend are deviod of any notable architecture. They're essentially places of faith that are famous I guess for the throngs they attract. One notable thing about Dagdusheth is the amount of gold used in it's inner chamber. It makes ones jaw drop.

Any other ideas about what one can visit in Pune?

Crossposted

Bad Quality of Massages in Pune

2008-05-02T16:44:00.000+05:30

Anyone who has experienced an authentic Kerela Ayurvedic massage will know what I am talking about here. A Kerela Ayurvedic massage has to be experienced to be believed. The one I tried was in Goa, at the health club of the beautiful Club Mahindra resort at Varca. An hour long session of pure bliss, which relaxes you to a degree you can only experience not read about.

So when I came to Pune, I thought of going for another Kerela Ayurvedic massage. I called up JustDial & got the number of one heavily advertised centre called Jeevana! I fixed up an appointment & reached them at the appointed hour.
I must state on record, that it was the worst massage I had ever received in my life. It did the exact opposite of relax me, the two massuers were working up a fire on my stomach with their palms. And once I was done, they didn't even have a proper steam room in which to quietly enjoy one's steam bath!!!
And this is true of every other so-called Ayurvedic massage spa in Pune. They don't have steam baths. The have a bag which they put you in & put a kettle in with you!!! It's hilarious!!! Call up JustDial & take the number of anyone who claims to be an Ayurvedica Massage Spa & ask them whether they have a proper steam room. I can guarantee you that they will say no!

Jeevana is an exercise in pulling wool over the public's eyes! Avoid it at all costs!

The next massage I tried was at the health club at the Le Meridien Pune. I must say that the massage was good. It succeeded in putting me to sleep in 40 minutes flat. I wish I'd opted for the hour long one instead of the 45 minute one!

The third one I tried was at the health club at the very elegant Corinthians Club. (The Nyati group makes some beautiful buildings! I must say that they're probably one of the best builders I have seen!) However, this one would probably qualify as either worse than Jeevana or equally bad! In their defence, they're not a speciality massage spa, while Jeevana claims to be one! They need to train their current masseuse better or outsource the spa to someone else. I have provided them with the contact details of person who runs the Goa spa. Let's see what they do. They do have a proper steam bath though!

There is a Naturopathy Institute that apparently offers a good massage, but that is one I still have to try!

So essentially, my 2 years in the city could lead me to believe that there is only one thing to be said for Pune: that they have a variety of very interesting food joints! Is that all that the city has to offer?
I will very grudgingly say, "Not really". There are a couple of interesting places to visit in Pune. Not too many but that in a separate post.

Pune - Foodie's Paradise

2008-05-01T04:10:00.000+05:30

Despite my utter dissatisfaction with the Pune's traffic situation & it's citizens WRT the traffic situation, Pune does have quite a few things to be thankful for. The greenery in it's army areas, the tree-lined, shady roads, the old colonial homes.
What's that? You don't want to know what retirees enjoy? You want to know what a migrant yuppie moving to the city can look forward to?

Well, there's the food... Pune is literally the foodie's paradise!

There are no discos worth going to, the multiplexes & malls aren't anything to write home about, but the glut of restaurants that spoil you for choice... aah!

From the ubiquitous, humble Joshi & Rohit vadewale to the surprisingly unpretentious Arthur's Theme & Swiss Cheese Garden, from Sheesha Cafe (despite it's snobbish owner) serving Iranian fare, to the newly opened Litti Chokha (run by 4 very friendly software professionals, all under 30!) serving humble Bihari fare with pride. Litti Chokha is in Katraj, near BVP. The landmark is Care & Cure Girls Hostel.
Mind you, none of the fare can be called truly authentic, but like I said, Pune is the foodie's paradise, not the gastronome's!

Take Arthur's Theme in Koregaon Park for example. They've kept some basic French dishes on the menu, changed them a little to suit the Indian palate, and crammed the rest of the menu with regular Continental & Indian stuff. The least one would expect going to a French restaurant would be some nice wine, but their selection disappoints!
The ambience is nice, not overtly classy, but the type that a group of friends would enjoy a trifle more than a family.
It's not the kind of place you'd go to if you were looking for a quiet classy evening though.

Sheesha Cafe, at ABC Farms on the Koregaon Park-Mundhwa road, has something called the Chello-Burg Kabab (I hope I got the name right), which is essentially a meat dish with rice. It's laden with butter, which makes it great for the tongue but terrible for your arteries! A once in a year kind of calorie indulgence, but well worth it!
Make sure you try & get one of the corner seating areas instead of the tables in the centre. They're carpeted takhats, and you can put your feet up & relax.
Classier ambience wise than anything else I've visited in Pune. Plus they have Jazz festivals!

Anyone who wants a taste of Marwar (the part of Rajasthan that borders Gujarat), should go to Chokhi Dhani! It's a little outside the city; they had to since they require a lot of space to develop that mela atmosphere! Keep driving down past The Aga Khan palace until you start seeing signs for Chokhi Dhani.
To people who've never been to Rajasthan, the entire experience is amazing. To someone like me who hasn't been "home" in 9 years, it's a fairly close reminder of what life used to be like there!

There's Mainland China, an import from Bombay, but extremely popular! Looks like Chinese food is probably the most popular foreign cuisine in India!
Right next to it stands an Italian joint called La Dolce Vita, one I still have to sample.
And after that is Sigri with some of the most uninspiring fare in all of Pune. Give it a miss!
(All the three mentioned above are near Dhole Patil road, in a bylane off Pune Central)

Another place that has great food & some nice wine as well is Nawabs. Nawabs is above Aakar Furniture, on the Blue Nile-Inox road. Peppy music (fairly loud though), great kababs, the kind of place a bunch of migrant yuppies would feel home at!

Northern Frontier, opposite the Aga Khan Palace, apparently serves the best Mutton Roganjosh in the city. This is something I have yet to sample, and I will get back to you after authenticating this claim.

Another place that makes a mean Roganjosh is Chillies at Elysium (a little ahead of ABC Farms on the opposite side of the road)! Worth a try, just for that, although the place is essentially a party/shaadi hall these days!

I cannot close this post without mentioning what is now called Not Just Jazz by the Bay (very outdated website! It's located at ESQUARE). It's my favourite restaurant in Bombay, but the Pune one doesn't thrive the way the Bombay one does. I'm certain this has to do with the lifestyle choice differences that exist between the cities. The Bombay Jazz is packed on weekends & you have to pay to enter. In contrast the Pune one is barely hanging in there. It is badly in need of some patronage. Hopefully the yuppie migrant population is listening!

The reason Jazz suffers so in Pune are many. The Long Island Iced Tea of the Bombay joint is worth killing for. As is it's Macroni & Cheese! The Pune one serves a Long Island you wish you had made instead. And the worst feature of the restaurant is it's manager. A moustached man in a funny green suit, who has the worst manners of any customer service professional ever!

Go to Jazz by all means, but give him hell please!

AND... the latest eatery to open up in the city, jostling for space among the surplusage in Koregaon Park (just before Tequeela), differentiated purely by virtue of it's organic health food menu is Liquid! The young owner & his team whip up some great salads & fresh fruit juices that are a must for every health conscious foodie! No added sugar, no added water, just pure tasty fruit juice blends. My personal favourite is the one they call Ultimate Detox! And there's a Tuna salad for me! The vegetarians may want to try the Broc Doc. You may also want to sample some of the regular coolers.
Perfect way to beat the summer heat: Eat light, eat green! Go check it out & post your comments here as feedback!

Crossposted

twerp!

2008-04-30T08:51:00.000+05:30

This is one thing I have to get out of my system. You come across all kinds of animals in the blogosphere, but some of them get your goat so bad that despite being unworthy of even a whisper, happen to merit special mention. One such absolute twerp is shaan khan.

I don't know much about the bounder but by the looks of it he is a mulish, wet behind the ears, galling gadfly.

I'd rarely say anything so venomous about anyone, but this one like I said deserves special mention. He also contributes to a theiving site that reproduces my posts without permission, he freely deletes comments from the comments forum if the views don't agree with his. It is impossible to have an intelligent conversation with him (partly because of the absolute lack of intellect on his part) because he deletes any comment that proves his point of view wrong. Like a little schoolboy tearing out pages from a rival's homework!

One look at a few of his posts (please do forgive me for forwarding you there) shows how biased his writing & reviewing is. He has the temerity to be disappointed with Khuda ke Liye, he constantly writes lewd posts about Abhishek-Aishwarya (no well brought up boy would say all that), he considers Jodha-Akbar to be a bad movie, he has an irritating contant anti-Bachchan stance, he can't even spell stellar right! And worst of all, he considers the movie that murdered the sweet memory of Karz, OSO a better film than the ones we just mentioned!

So once all of you have gone through the links & read his puerile vomit once, please do stay away from his bullcrap!

11 match ban??? Is that all???

2008-04-29T13:30:00.000+05:30

Looks like the Pakis have more balls than us!

Shoaib Akhtar is handed a life ban for hitting a colleague.

Shane Warne was out of the game for 2 years(?) in his prime because of a drug-related charge.

And Harbhajan gets a piddly 11 match ban?????????

We're truly a nation of losers!

Ban the offie for a minimum of 1 year from all forms of the game! That's the minimum punishment he deserves! 2 would be really nice!
That's the ONLY thing that will teach him a lesson! That's the only thing that will ensure that when he comes back, his temprament has undergone a change. Let him use the free time to undergo anger management lessons!

He has shamed all of us and totally embarassed us in front of the Aussies!

Ethnicity, Politics or Progress?

2008-04-28T12:12:00.000+05:30

Thankfully the discussion on this Blogathon is around a pet topic, one that will not unduly tax the limited resources at my disposal.
Ever since we gained some social consciousness, through newspapers & DD Samachar, thanks to the GK & Current Affairs awareness drives in school, it was amply clear that politics in India was inextricably intertwined with the despicable religion-caste-ethnicity mix! So one didn't react too much to the situation as we didn't know any better!
Until PV Narsimha Rao became India's Prime Minister! & appointed Dr. Manmohan Singh as the Finance Minister! For the first time since my socio-political awakening, I was witnessing a period where the Government focused solely on development issues. Every move of theirs, every newspaper article was chronicling globalization, open-markets, economy, growth, development etc. The leading opposition party (as is their wont) tried to drag PVN Rao into political debate, into religion & caste issues, but Rao didn't bite the bait. He had his agenda right. He would give his country something new to talk about! That was the first time that everyone in the country was talking about Development! That was the first time that the Finance Minister was a bigger hero than the Home Minister & the Defence Minister combined! That was the first time that we heard of the Montek Singh Ahluwalias of the world. Suddenly uma bharti, ashok singhal & the shahi imam(?) ceased to exist in socio-political conversations! WOW!!!
This is something that Dr. Singh has tried to replicate in his tenure as PM. Unfortunately this is something that he or his party cannot do alone. If the opposition is truly nationalist, then they must join hands in this movement & commit to keeping the discussions around areas that pertain to development. Maybe someone needs to put a code in place, the way an EC code exists?
I was recently talking to one of my ex-bosses about the state of India's affairs, and he said the very same thing! He pointed out that there was only one thing that made us shift focus from politics to development. And that was Economics! And now that the Commerce juggernaut has started to roll, it will only gather more momentum! Once people in the villages realise that it is development that will feed them, clothe them & educate their young, they too will cut ties with parties focused on petty religious-caste-ethnicity centred politics! And that day, a new India will rise!
In my humble opinion, India needs a unifying force. And that unifying force will be Economics! When the money starts to roll in people forget about caste differences. I am certain that India's BPO industry is replete with examples where the reporting structure has shattered caste or gender norms! And not one subordinate whether upper caste or male, has the guts to say anything! His newly acquired lifestyle is at stake!
So let Economics rule! Let Commerce rule! And watch a unified India take shape!

Jai_Choorakkot's Question

2008-04-28T01:48:00.000+05:30

Jai seems to be fairly popular in the blogosphere despite his own blog not having been updated for years now! This is the second post one of this comments has inspired, and I'm happy to answer the question he raised here:
http://indianmuslims.in/amar-akbar-anthony/
Jai,
Your reference to the propaganda on the right-wing site intrigued me a lot. I wanted to speak to the more learned elders in my family to learn more about this, but didn't get the opportunity. So I looked it up on the net.
One only needs to know the name of the Prophet Muhammad's so-called "child-bride" to get the right results in Google. Her name was Ayesha.
http://www.guidedones.com/metapage/frq/Aisha.htm
The comments here are from the likes of Dr. Annie Besant, not indoctrinated mere nobodies.
Most interesting is Geoffrey Parrinder's comment. Or should I say the non-reaction of the Church to his comment. This is what I find admirable in Christianity & the West. You can lampoon anyone, burn the flag if you please, depict Christian sects as evil, but it will not elicit a violent reaction, nor stupid PIL's, nor despicable fatwas! We really should learn all this from them instead of importing high-fat burger chains from them. Don't you think?

Cinegod...!

2008-04-25T17:17:00.000+05:30

With everyone from A to Z in Bollywood being given some epithet or the other, with ALL of them being referred to as superstars or megastars, where does that leave those who are head and shoulders above the rest?
If hrithik is a greek god, if srk is king khan, what does one call Mr. Bachchan? A superstar? Just another superstar? Where's the distinction?
To be fair, Rajnikanth did say that there is only one Shahenshah & that is Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, but the press isn't given to using too many epithets with Mr. Bachchan. This may have to do with his earlier relationship with the press, but boy do those guys hold a grudge!

So coming back to the point of this post: What does someone address a Supernova of Mr. Bachchan's stature as?

I cannot think of a better suited word than Cinegod!

Awaam ki raae...?

The men with the silvern touch...

2008-04-25T16:46:00.000+05:30

Not Midas obviously, but close. This is a person whose antics I have resented in the past (with valid reasons at that point in time), but with more maturity & a calmer disposition, not anymore.

Shahrukh Khan. Much of what I said about him previously on this blog & in conversations, I still stand by; but one thing I cannot take away from the guy... practically everything he touches turns to silver. Despite limited acting, he still draws in the crowds; despite doing the same type of movies repeatedly, he still manages to set the cash registers ringing (largely). His touch seems to worked with the Calcutta team in the IPL circus, and the KBC debacle (and the DON damp-squib) notwithstanding, by the looks of it, he is set to romp home with his latest quiz show on TV.

Not that others don't outdo him in all these areas. Aamir, Saif, Hrithik etc. are better actors (and with probably better track records); Akshay reportedly is paid more than him these days. Shekhar Suman's rip off of Jay Leno did better than Khan's KBC... Yet Shahrukh makes all the news. And I am past blaming his PR machinery for that. They're only doing a good job of what they're hired to do!

On a separate note, it is sad that Shekhar Suman doesn't get the celebrity he deserves. The man is probably older than Khan, built up a great physique before Khan, recorded an album (in the process adding to his already long list of many many talents!), yet it was Shahrukh's apparent six-pack that made the news! Quite a shame actually.

Yet, it isn't all of that that I admire the man for. I have very little respect for SRK the actor, but I have immense respect for the man.
To the casual observer, he seems blessed, a modern day Midas (that's why I said silvern. I wouldn't wish that on anyone!); but anyone who has delved a little deeper will realise that he has had more than his share of misfortunes. His parents died young, his sister apparently still suffers from the impact of those early blows. He's had a serious spine problem. He has to face critics like me, worse probably, all the time. Yet the man carries on bravely!
It is this trait that I admire most about him. His ability to keep on moving.
He has got to a point where he doesn't let criticism bother him too much, and this is a trait very few men can develop. He is content to be who he is, and make himself successful with his limited means. Very admirable traits!

So, all the best Shahrukh. Keep on moving!

Similarly, Hrithik. Leads an apparently perfect life, looks like God sculpted him with His own hands; but look a little closer and you'll see. Hrithik isn't perfect. For all his God-made looks, he has two thumbs that give the impression of a claw. And the man has developed the guts to flaunt it on screen. His father was shot at by goons. He was unsure of the industry, unsure of whether he'd be able to make it, yet he hung in there, dug deep and gave it his best shot! And look what he came up with! Again & again!
No one is perfect, no one has it easy, everyone has to stand up & be brave, face his fears, & fight to come out a winner. Hrithik has done all of that and handles immense pressure. Till now. And my he continue to do so. All the best dude!

And who knows pressure better than Sachin Tendulkar? Who has people writing him off time & again? And who slams cricket ball after cricket ball deep down the throats of his critics to silence them again & again? Despite 20 years in the game having taken a toll on his body & mind, despite numerous surgeries, despite recent recurrent injury enforced hiatuses from the game, who comes up trumps again & again? Sachin Tendulkar! Absolutely Saluteworthy!

To these men of mettle...

I'm a fair man

2008-04-25T16:30:00.000+05:30

I never thought I'd get round to doing this, so never say never again.
I saw Chak De a few days back. And I'm going to retract part of what I said earlier. And I don't do this grudgingly, I do this with a touch of respect & admiration.
SRK is not a bad actor as I may have sometimes over-aggressively claimed. He is an actor that decides to do good work in patches. Chak De has him in probably the 2nd best performance of his career. Mr. Bachchan's influence over filmdom's collective conciousness is evident even in SRK. In the scene when he's talking to the 2 warring forwards before the final, there are not just shades of Mr. Bachchan, but it almost seems like Mr. Bachchan has taken on a shorter, younger body! ;-)
To be fair there are some scenes that could've been done better. For example the coach pep-talking the team scenes were a little insipid in comparision to Hollywood sports movies. Remember the Titans? But for that one has to talk to the director. Can't blame SRK for everything. I'm actually a little tired of blaming him now. Yes he could've turned the scene around if he wanted to, but compared to what he has been doing recently, this will do just fine. Yes, this will do very well!
Kudos Shahrukh! If only we got to see more of this stuff.

more on balatkar

2008-04-18T18:43:00.000+05:30

I was going through sitemeter's stats recently to check details of the incoming traffic to this blog.
Would you believe that about 35% of all people who come to this blog are sent here by Google searches for the word "balatkar"!!!
It just gives you a idea of the number of wierdos that abound on the net.
Probably explains why we encounter so many wierdos in the comments section on the Mutiny...! ;-)

Maybe I should publish IP details of all the people who visited via the "balatkar" gateway... Interesting thought...

Why can they not leave the Nehru-Gandhi clan alone?

2008-04-17T14:03:00.000+05:30

What is it with people in this country? Why're they obsessed with the Nehru-Gandhi clan??? And WHY on earth are they obsessed with the negative?

Sonia Gandhi commutes Nalini's sentence from death to life and there's no applause from her detractors. Maybe because her detractors are killers by nature and have no respect for greater virtue...

Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra visits her father's killer in jail, in an attempt to bury the ghosts that may have haunted her for years and what do I see the next day? Yahoo India carrying a poll on their home page, submitted by a lowly user, asking whether Priyanka's visit is a pre-election stunt???

Only the lowly can think so low.

Crossposted

History & lies

2008-04-16T18:03:00.000+05:30

Recently, whenever I quote from History, I have often been told that History is written by the ruler or the victor, therefore implying that whatever I know about India or the world is a lopsided even untrue view of things.

It is this claim that I seek to challenge with my post.

If History is indeed written by the victor or the ruler, how is it that we remember the 1857 Mutiny as our first war of Independence? We lost the damn war didn't we? Yet, we seem to have very clear accounts of the heroism of Mangal Pandey, Rani Laxmibai, Tatya Tope, Tipu Sultan etc. How come we've never heard of the Britishers heroics in that war?

We seem to have very clear memories of Porus conversation with ol' Alex & ensuing honourable discharge; despite Alexander being the victor.

We remember Siraj-ud-Daula as a hero despite his loss at the Battle of Plassey. Mir Jafar who won the battle for the British is remembered as a traitor.

How is it that the Indians heroism is well documented (including Sitting Bull's victory over Custer, an American war hero) despite them having lost overall to the marauding early Americans?

History is fair. It isn't only commissioned by the ruler. There are independent scholars who write it as well, taking into account a number of facts.

So where does this recent phenomenon of lamblasting known History come from? Where does this lamblasing of our schooling as British fed or Congress fed (or Macauly led!!!) come from?

I'll tell you. It's the recently English literate right-wing. After centuries of wallowing amongst dead languages, they've given up & adopted the medium of instruction that will give them access to PR machinery and media (in addition to better paying jobs). And they're using it to further their evil purposes!

I've heard that the Purana Qila excavations have unearthed artifacts about 2500 years old. Great news! I've yet to see a news item that boldly proclaims that 5000 year old remains of Indraprastha have been found! But rumours abound...

Soon, I guess there'll be a theory propogated that the Taj Mahal was actually built by a descendant of Chandragupta Maurya, but the ruling Mughals tampered with History & usurped his claim to it.

That's it ladies & gentlemen... the difference between History & lies!