Right Under the Nose

Victims of Secularism

2012-01-17T17:38:00.000-08:00

Whew! That was really a looooooonnnng break from blogging! Got tied up in various things.... Anyways, what triggered this post was an excellent comment on an article that I was reading. The article has been written by Shashank Joshi, immediately after the terror attacks in Mumbai in July 2011. He claims that while the fingers are being pointed to Indian outfits, Pakistan still cannot be let off the hook as the ISI and its agents feed this terror in the country. While he has a point, he still goes on to the usual defence of why the Islamic network has flourished in India, post Babri and post Gujarat! So why am I talking about this article now, after so may months?

Well, a comment on this article by someone who calls himself "Marty Martel" exactly voices my thoughts. I reproduce the comment verbatim below...

India’s secular seclusion and a hara-kiri

Indians have nobody to blame but themselves for this Islamic terrorism because they reelected Sonia Gandhi’s Congress government in 2009 that thrives on pandering to Muslim minority at the expense of Hindu majority.

Under their policy of aligning with Muslim political parties, Sonia-Singh’s government tolerated Islamic jihadis who have turned peaceful India into their terror base. The Islamic jihadis have advocated, incited and abetted unlawful activities to “liberate Kashmir from India” and to encourage “hatred and contempt” towards the Government of India. The various terror-related incidents in India since 2005 were not stray cases of “misplaced anger of Muslim youth”, as certain activists would want the world to believe, but acts of violence carried out with meticulous planning with the diabolic intention of turning the whole country into the terror hub.

India, which has been at the receiving end of jihadi violence for centuries (since 712AD), is in deep slumber ... secular slumber. India, predominantly Hindu and targeted by the terrorists precisely for that reason remains suspended in secular seclusion! Any association of terror with the religion of a minority is taboo even when it is glaringly apparent and any invocation of Hindu culture or religion is dubbed communal even when it could actually strengthen India, as a rallying point.

It does not seem to occur to Indians that for them to be secular, they have to be alive first! So as bombs go off in crowded places with chilling regularity, a Pavlovian spirit of slavishness, slip-shod logic and self-defeating tolerance takes grip of everyone.

From the public to prime-time pundits to pen-pushers of the print to politicos, all are coy, confused and confounded about how to react.

The stoic leaders exhort the nation to be calm, as if it were raring to bark and bite like Bush. The media waxes eloquent on the country's resilience in the face of terror, forgetting that bombs or no bombs, those alive have to go to work for their daily bread. The world sheds tears and then advises restraint, a virtue they themselves have shelved in similar situations, while the killers for their part start preparing for their next brutal assault, cocksure that they can pick and choose their targets so sedated by secularism.

Add to that the imposed guilt of Babri Masjid and Gujarat being drilled into the Indian psyche day in and day out by rational intellectuals amidst the masses and the media, much to the Jihadis’ joy. Should Hindus not be paying an eternal price for those sins? Were not the Jihadis just lambs before that, tolerant to boot and lovers of 'kafirs'? What delusions!

Really, in a country inhabited and led by mere men of straw, no provocation can truly become the last straw.

Barring announcing themselves through neon signs, the Islamic terror network in India and specifically in Kerala, is as conspicuous as an over-bearing mother-in-law! Yet, the long arm of our law remains folded, in secular deference to minority sentiments. Even when it is apparent that the so-called moderates in them have no voice.

Government authorities are politically inhibited from raiding the numerous mohallas of terror right under their own noses! On the contrary, the rulers bend over backwards with bouquets of reservations and what not in a wishful fit of appeasement, reminiscent of a sheep's optimism when faced by wolves.

Now does a nation, so committed to hara-kiri, really need any other enemies?

The 90:10 challenge!

2009-07-06T04:19:00.001-07:00

Finally, the Bombay High Court (surprising, it is still called Bombay High Court) has dumped the Maharashtra Govt order providing 90% reservation to students from the State Board, applying to junior colleges within the State.

Flashback

It was some 25 years ago, when I was a SSC student who had stood 2nd in school and secured admission into the Science stream of one of the premier junior colleges of that time. Out of the roughly 100 students in my class, about 40% were from the CBSE and ICSE boards. In those days, students passing out of these Boards had an additional weightage of 5% (Percent, mind you, not marks, so that was really huge).

These guys used to have a certain aura around them – at least that’s what I felt. Let me explain why. They were not really snooty; in fact my entire circle consisted of only CBSE/ ICSE guys, since most of the SSC guys were from vernacular schools, with whom I used to have a problem relating to). In Standard XI, the standard of curriculum suddenly appeared to have risen sharply. The complexity and volume of the syllabus was far higher than what I had been used to upto the SSC level. And my friend circle from the ICSE and CBSE found the same curriculum a breeze. Reason – most of it had already been covered in their respective courses back in school. And for the rest of us hapless SSC guys, it was a major struggle coping with the stress.

Beliefs

That experience of my own in Junior College convinced me that the level of studies in the ICSE and CBSE Boards most definitely provided a superior quality of student given the same IQ level and genetic background. It was this belief that led me to shift my own kid from the SSC School that she was going, to a recently opened ICSE school. The sense of urgency to make this shift was also on account of the fact that the number of ICSE schools were on the rise. Hence, in my kid’s generation the percentage of her peers who get an ICSE exposure would also be higher (than the relatively smaller percentage in my generation).

My hunch was right. The change was felt right from the first month of the shift. The volume of studies was far higher, but not stressful. It was richer in content, but not demanding on the student’s overall time and effort.

Frustration

It was thus, with a great deal of frustration, that I heard about the Maharashtra Governments order to have a 90:10 quota system for SSC/ non-SSC students applying for junior colleges.

1. The ICSE and CBSE boards do not have sufficient number of their own junior colleges – hence the students have to forcibly move into the State Board stream to further pursue their studies. Discriminating against them therefore, is unfair.
2. Further, the issue is that of shortage of seats. If all the ICSE/ CBSE guys had actually studied in SSC format, then they would have fallen into the same category as the present SSC students – in such a situation, how would the Govt have tackled the seat shortage issue?
3. The Government has to remember that while the Boards might have been from Maharashtra, the Students are locals. Discriminating against them on flimsy grounds is not only unfair, but is only postponing the problem of seat shortage.
4. Adjustment of grades to account for difference in grading systems between the two streams can be done to a limited extent. That can take care of the misgivings which SSC students have about the regional language compulsion which they claim brings down their percentages.

On a long term Basis, the ICSE and CBSE boards would need to plan for extending their courses upto Standard XII. This alone would help resolve this issue as well as make sure that the quality of education enjoyed by these students is sustained.

The "NON" Congress Party!

2009-06-10T21:05:00.000-07:00

In 1999, after Jayalalitha brough down the one and half year old Vajpayee Government by a single vote, the prospects of Sonia Gandhi (who is Italian Born) becoming the Prime Minister were real. Three Senior Congressmen, Sharad Pawar, Tariq Anwar and Purno Sangma, in a closed-door Congress meeting, raised objections to a foreign born person occupying the highest chair. (Whether Pawar’s objection was really to the foreign origin or whether this was merely a political ploy to bring himself centre-stage, one cannot say). Sonia was enraged at this affront to her authority (after all, who can offend a Gandhi in the Congress and get away with it?) and showed these three the door! The NCP, supposedly the “Nationalist” Congress Party, thus came into being!

Now, 10 years later, questions are being raised about the raison d’etre of the NCP! Let’s see why:

1) Just one year after its formation in 1999, the Congress and the NCP had no qualms about joining hands to form a coalition government in Maharashtra, which ran “successfully” for the entire term.
2) They then fought the 2004 Maharashtra Assembly elections together and again continued the Government for another five years.
3) And now, they are all set to fight the 2009 Assembly elections as well.
4) In the meantime, the NCP has also fought the 2004 and 2009 General Elections with the Congress and become an integral part of the UPA with Sharad Pawar becoming the Agriculture Minister in both the stints.
5) Now, Purno Sangma, who wants to make sure his next generation’s career is well taken care of, has apologized to Sonia for his misdemeanor 10 years ago. Obviously, after Sonia visits his son’s wedding and takes Agatha Sangma under her tutelage, he would be hard pressed to say such a thing.

So, the issue is, why is NCP still alive?

If the foreign origin issue, raised so evocatively by Pawar and his cohorts in 1999, was such an important issue, then pray, why didn’t they pursue it? When in 2004, Sonia was all set to become PM, did we hear any murmur from the NCP?

The other day, when Praful Patel was asked the question about the continuation of the NCP, he deflected it by giving a standard vague reply that they were partners in secularism or something to that effect. Pray, what has secularism got to do with this? Do they need to exist as a separate entity just to promote secularism? If that were the objective, wouldn’t it be better if they unite and form a single entity? Why struggle and try to find a feature distinctive from the Congress?

I’ll tell you why!

If NCP merges with the Congress, Sharad Pawar loses his bargaining power. Today, whenever he senses that the Congress is on a weak wicket, he can always try and flirt with the third front, fourth front, fifth front and so on, like he did during the 2009 election campaign. That way, he can remain in power whichever combination comes to power. (He is rumoured to have even been in talks with Bal Thackeray by playing the Marathi PM card).

And by

a) wooing Agatha Sangma, Purno Sangma, Tariq Anwar,

b) putting the CBI after Padmasinh Patil,

c) getting the IPL matches played outside India and

d) making the media raise questions about the NCP’s existence,

Sonia is trying to nullify exactly that – Pawar’s bargaining power!!!

Shameless bias!

2008-11-24T22:42:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I really wonder if these pseudo journos do not fear losing their credibility. They have carefully crafted a veneer of a neutral commentator but in most of their articles, their bias screams out!

Take the case of Anil Dharker. This is the same chappie who magically created those “three clear days” between February 28 to March 1, 2002 during the Gujarat riots. Now the same guy has written a piece dripping with hatred and sarcasm and full of half truths and lies!

Let us see the depths to which these guys go!

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So, finally, L K Advani has got off the fence. After keeping quiet on the Malegaon blast case for a couple of weeks, and letting Raj Nath Singh do the talking, he has now come out in support of "Sadhvi" Pragya. A tiger can’t hide its stripes for too long, and this particular tiger's stripes have always been a deep saffron which show through whatever robes he is wearing at the moment.

Look at how the Sadhvi has been put into quotes, Advani has been described as a tiger who hides his stripes and how saffron has been treated as something to be despised!

The robes he is displaying now is of prime minister-in-waiting. That's what he donned when he played host to the captains of industry last week, an elder statesman in thoughtful dialogue with leading industrialists about the state of the nation. And then emerged Mr Hyde, railing and ranting at the government for "torturing" Pragya. The basis of his allegations? Pragya said so. (A little aside here: the 'Sadhvi' has not claimed she was subjected to physical torture, just that she was verbally abused and mentally tortured. What does she expect in an investigation into terror and killing of people? Soothing music? Scented agarbattis? Polite requests to tell the truth?)

Sadhvi Pragya’s affidavit vividly describes the manner in which the ATS ordered her disciple to lash her with a belt. Yet Dharker sees no physical torture in that! After all, she is only a Hindu!

Now the Chief Monster of the Gujarat violence, Narendra Modi, is saying that the government is maligning the Indian army because a serving officer is alleged to be the mastermind of the Malegaon blasts and possibly the explosion in the Samjhauta Express. Bal Thackeray too has been part of this chorus: "Countless Sadhvis will stand up to safeguard the interests of the Hindu community" is one of his less inflammatory statements. He also talks of "brilliant military officials" who have been "maligned on mere suspicion of having plotted bomb blasts" and "Efficient police officials who took on terrorists have been brought to disrepute by the Anti-Terrorist Squad".

So, Narendra Modi is a Chief Monster!

And the Samjhauta blasts charge continues to stick even after the ATS, which had leveled the charges in the first place, has itself retracted them!

The combined message of all this is clear: "No Hindu can be guilty of terrorism. No Hindu military officer can be guilty of terrorism. No Hindu policeman can be guilty of terrorism." There is an implied sub-text here which goes like this: "Any Muslim held for questioning in a terrorism enquiry has to be guilty because he is a Muslim. If a 'suspect' is questioned, then released because there is no evidence against him, it's okay to torture him because he is a Muslim".

Can’t the same accusation be made against the pseudo-secular breed like Dharker? Wouldn’t they have written breast beating pieces if some Muslim terrorism accused had leveled charges of torture in custody?

Does this sound crude and extreme? Yes, it is crude and extreme but that in effect is what these gentlemen are saying. Remember poor Khwaja Yunus? Arrested for the Ghatkopar bombing (a charge which has never been proved), he was killed in police custody by former police officer Sachin Vaze and three constables. So says the Maharashtra CID. Vaze is now out on bail awaiting trial. So what happens to him? Why, the Shiv Sena welcomes him into its fold (presumably he is Thackeray's 'efficient police official').

So Khwaja Yunus is “poor”? But Sadhvi Pragya is evil! Why? Oh, don’t look too far for answers – just look at their respective religion!

And what about the young Muslim men who were arrested in Andhra Pradesh on suspicion of terrorism? They were kept in detention for months, tortured by the police, then finally released because they were innocent (a fact acknowledged by the Andhra government which has now said sorry and announced a compensation package for them).

Did LK Advani, prime minister-in-waiting, whose heart bleeds for 'Sadhvi ' Pragya, say anything about these terrible human rights abuses? He hasn't, has he? You will not find a sane person in this country who will justify the despicable acts of the Muslim terrorists who have bombed and killed our countrymen. They deserve no sympathy and they deserve no leniency in the punishment they will get. But the same impartial standards should apply to Hindu terrorists as well. In the end a terrorist is a terrorist is a terrorist; there is no such thing as a Hindu terrorist or a Muslim terrorist.

So convenient to say that you do not justify acts by Muslim terrorists – but you will do everything to make sure that suspects are not apprehended and investigated!

If the Hindutva brigade tries to justify their Malegaon and Samjhauta Express bombings on the basis of retaliation, that's a dangerous route to take; Muslim youth are being indoctrinated to avenge Babri Masjid and Gujarat; Indira Gandhi was killed by Sikhs. Rajiv Gandhi by the Tamils in revenge too.

The Samjhauta Express lie continues – and will continue till eternity – once they have tasted blood, these suckers will not let go!

Where do we go from here? Into a black hole for sure. It's a shame that Messrs Rajnath, Advani and Modi can't see that.

Such shameless bias, and yet they are called in for TV discussions as neutral commentators! What irony!

Does CEC mean Congress Election Commissioner?

2008-11-18T20:14:00.000-08:00

The Chief Election Commissioner (as also the Election Commissioners) of the country is privy to a lot of information on political parties and the election process and has tremendous powers to use or misuse this. In a situation where there is a neck to neck fight between two major political formations, a slight tweaking of a ruling or decision can tilt the scales in one way or the other.

Therefore, it is important that the post of the Chief Election Commissioner is occupied by a person who is not only unbiased and neutral, but also conveys this attitude through his behaviour, words and policies.

However, some of our “respectable” ex-CECs have some question marks on their head, based on their post-retirement careers.

Take the case of Mr. M.S. Gill. Yes, insiders always knew that he was a Congress stooge, but the man kept a neutral face on the outside. God alone knows how many decisions and policy matters he must have tweaked in order to aid the Congress. Of course, post-retirement he has joined the Congress and was well rewarded for his services during his tenure as the CEC with a plum ministry job.

Even as Sports Minister, there was no hint of any neutrality that might have creeped in during his years as a “neutral” CEC. After the sharpshooter, Abhinav Bindra, won the Gold medal at the Beijing Olympics this year, the ex-CEC was so crass in his anti-BJP approach (having shed all pretense of neutrality which he was showing during his CEC years), that he advised the sportsman to visit only Sonia and not Advani.

If one stooge was not enough, now we have the famous James Michael Lyngdoh, who was the CEC during the 2004 General Elections which gave the Congress a slight edge and led to the formation of the present disastrous UPA. His activism during the Gujarat polls of 2002 (after the riots) and his run-in with the BJP loudmouths is well known. We also know how the usual suspects rushed to his defence at that time. While he maintained a straight face when he was accused of being a “Congress agent”, what was startling was his sharing of the dais with Rahul Gandhi at Amritsar on 18th November.

Finally all doubts have been put to rest. Whether he formally joins the party or not, only time will tell. But where his loyalties lie, we all know. Tell me, as a supposedly neutral ex-CEC, would he be willing to share the dais with say, Advani?

And last but not the least, don’t we all know the background of incumbent Election Commissioner, Navin Chawla, whom the Congress is banking upon to see it through in the forthcoming General Elections?

Another anti-Hindu article

2008-10-16T23:35:00.000-07:00

Ranjona Banerji, who keeps showing up on the DNA off and on, infuriates me no end. In her latest article, she spews venom on her pet-hate - "Hindutvawadis".

The article is full of holes - which I have tried to rebut below (my comments in saffron colour). I have also emailed the same to her so that she can see some flaws in her thinking. I hope she doesnt treat it as hate-mail since I have only responded in her own language.

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History is not an excuse for Carnage!

It is true that Mahmood of Ghazni arrived in India and went through the land with sword and fire. He also raided the Somnath Temple many times. There. I said it.

How obliging!

The only problem is that Ghazni died in 1030 AD.

So?

This does not affect me personally, so it is not that kind of a problem. The problem is that I find myself unable to understand the logic that connects his excesses to explain why it is somehow okay for Muslims to be burnt to death in Andhra Pradesh in 2008.

Probably the same logic that people like you use while justifying reservations with the argument that the OBCs were discriminated against for thousands of years.

And so, now, I feel the wrath of the “majority community” or the Hindutva brigade, in other words. “Do you have the guts to write about Muslims being terrorists?” All right, here you are: There are Muslims who are terrorists and terrorists who are Muslim.

Okay, now that you have said it, can you pinpoint exactly which Muslim is a terrorist? If you can’t, why don’t you allow security forces to do their job without screeching about “human rights” at the slightest hint of an innocent person getting called for interrogation? Obviously, since the terrorists do not come with the brand written on their forehead, there are bound to be some investigations done before going directly and picking up the right man!

Could you please now tell me the logic that connects some Muslims being terrorists to a family of six Muslims being burnt to death in Bhainsa, Adilabad district, Andhra Pradesh? The fight in Bhainsa was something to do with Dassera versus Eid celebrations. Now I get it.

So you got it? It was nothing to do with terrorism. That fight might have been due to some routine logistic related issue which unfortunately got blown out of proportion? Why do you guys jump at the slightest provocation to pounce on Hindutva?

When Hindus and Muslims collide, the Muslims get burnt to death because Mahmood of Ghazni ransacked Somnath several times between 1024 to 1026, because Muslims in pre-Independent India partitioned the country and because Kashmiri pandits were driven out of Kashmir by militancy — also by Muslims.

What a pack of lies! When Hindus and Muslims collide, it is NOT JUST MUSLIMS WHO DIE, EVEN HINDUS DIE! Let us get that fact cleared first! You guys conveniently ignore the number of Hindus who die in each communal riot!

Secondly, isn’t it true that India was partitioned by Muslims and the Kashmiri pandits were driven out from Kashmir by Muslims. What are the Hindus supposed to do, according to you? Write more anti-Hindu articles in DNA like you do?

And I’m supposed to believe that all this justifies, in no uncertain terms, that 2000 Muslims were brutally killed in Gujarat in 2002? Oh, now I know what I’m going to hear: who threw the first stone? If Godhra had not happened and the rest of the Hindutva rant.

Oh, how convenient, once again! When it was Mahmood Ghazni, you want to forget it. When it was Godhra being the “first stone”, you want to ignore! No history lessons here! But when terrorist attack after terrorist attack takes place, you want to blame the insecurity among Muslim youth on account of the 2002 Gujarat riots! History in full force here! How nice!

Well, how about this? What happened in Godhra is not clear, the recent report of the Nanavati commission notwithstanding.

Why? Just because he has exonerated your pet hate figure? Justice Nanavati is not a Modi-stooge. He was appointed by the Supreme Court of India. If you want to disregard the Supreme Court Judge, it only shows your respect for the judiciary! If you guys are so sure that Modi did it, why haven’t you been able to put him behind bars yet? Isn’t the Teesta Setalvad – Harsh Mander- Prof Bandukwala – Anu Aga – Nandita Das – brigade strong enough, not to mention all the international big bucks and lobbyists at the US, who have successfully blocked Modi’s visa for so many years?

Worse, how do the deaths of 59 people — horrible though they were — justify large-scale rioting and the deaths of 2000 people who had nothing to do with the Godhra attack?

Probably, just like you guys justify every terrorist attack since 2002 and blame it on the 2002 Gujarat riots! You want us to forget Mahmood of Ghazni, but you will not let Muslims forget Babri Masjid demolition!

And even stranger, why did the Hindutva parties, so ready to stand up and fight when their cock-eyed version of Hinduism is attacked, do nothing to help the victims of the Godhra attack?

What do you really know about what has been done? Any proof?

Why did the father of some of the victims of S6 of the Sabarmati Express come out and attack the Narendra Modi government for itsindifference?

What is the difference here? Arent victims of all terrorist attacks always grumbling that the Government has not done enough for them? Nothing new here! The point is larger!

No, we’re not allowed to talk about all that. We’re not allowed to talk about the recent brutal and disgusting attacks on Christians and Muslims by Hindutva mobs, because by doing so, we are being anti-Hindu.

As if you will stop talking! The point is that the Christian attacks in Orissa are not really being orchestrated by the Hindutvavadis in the form of the Bajrang Dal, but is actually a inter-tribal rivalry between the Kandhas and the Pandas. Of course, you will ignore this fact as it will blow your propoganda to smithereens!

This insult is so bad, that we must, to avoid it, ignore all the atrocities done by the Sangh Parivar. That way, we become good Hindus, even if we have never read the Bhagvad Gita or believe in karma or the transmigration of souls.

Oh no! We become good Hindus by running down other Hindus who protest against terrorism, forcible conversions and vote-bank minority politics!

All that stuff is not Hinduism. Hinduism is whatever Praveen Togadia or some random illiterate says at any point in time.

Yes, Dr.Praveen Togadia is illiterate, but Ranjona Banerji is perfectly qualified to speak on behalf of all Hindus!

Hindus, incidentally, according to this Hindutva theory, only believe in Hindutva and only feel disgusted when Hindus die.

Not at all! In fact, as per the Hindutva theory, Hindus feel disgusted when anyone dies. It is only pseudo-secular leaders who feel disgusted only when non-Hindus die. For e.g. when Churches are attacked in India and European countries make noises, our PM says that this is a shame! But when Hindu temples are burnt in Malaysia, our PM says that this is an internal issue of Malaysia!

However, they do not feel so bad when lower caste Hindus die and that is why there were no Hindutva-led riots when members of the Bhotmange family of Khailanji were massacred. They were Dalits. Hindutva does not know what to do with Dalits.

It has now been proved that the Bhotmange massacre has nothing to with caste, it was a fight between two families blown out of proportion! By the way, the perpetrators of this ghastly crimes were not upper caste Hindus but OBCs, a fact which is cleverly concealed by the pseudo-secular Hindu-hating media!

The question which Hindutva does not answer is what about those of us — regardless of our faiths or the faiths we were born into or the faiths we may have acquired ourselves — who object to what is going on because we are Indians, who owe allegiance to the Republic of India first?

You can owe allegiance to the Republic of India without ignoring the atrocities on Hindus, cant you? Why must you tolerate Islamic terrorism? Why must you tolerate forcible conversions by Christians? Why must you tolerate pseudo-secular politicians saying that minorities have the first right to resources in India?

Or those of us who think killing is wrong, regardless of whether it is by Hindus or Muslims or Christians or anybody?

Yes, why do you exclude us, the Hindutvawadi’s from this tribe? Even we do not want killing!

Indians who do not narrowly limit our definition of ourselves to instructions from a political party? Indians who are willing to discuss our faults and limitations and not mistake that discussion for one more assault by Mahmood of Ghazni (dead since 1030)?

Political parties or their ideologies would flourish only if they articulate a feeling of a sizeable section of the populace! Nobody can take people for a ride!

George Santayana said that those who forget history are condemned to repeat it. What could you say to those who distort their history or never understood it in the first place?

Where is the distortion? Why do you want to deny that Islamic rulers have for centuries plundered India and subjugated Hindus? Why do you want to deny the Goa inquisition? I can understand minorities trying to denigrate Hindutva because it makes them insecure about all the goodies given by them in the form of reservations and other dole-outs by pseudo-secular governments. But whats in it for so-called Hindus like you to wish that Hindus remain subjugated forever? What is the benefit for you? I have asked this question to so many of your tribe, no one has been able to answer this!

When its Maya, anything goes!

2008-08-09T19:12:00.000-07:00

When somebody like Sushama Swaraj makes allegations about the UPA's involvement in the blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad as a conspiracy to divert attention from the cash-for-votes scandal, the mainstream media castigates her and treats her like a madwoman. Even BJP-friendly blogs caution her on shooting of her mouth on far-fetched possibilities.

However, when a Mayawati screams in her rally that "she fears a conspiracy by the Congress and the BJP to imprison her or get her killed with the assistance of a terrorist group or Naxalite organisation", we all lap it up happily. After all she is a Dalit-ki-beti, so hence she has to be a Prime Minister material, no questions asked!

Flawed histrionics and Swift Rejoinder

2008-07-29T03:18:00.000-07:00

I was a bit taken aback by the stupendous applause given by the mainstream media to the high-pitched but gravely flawed speech by Omar Abdullah in the confidence vote debate. The speech is described as "passionate" and so on.

Honestly speaking, the tone and substance of the speech conveyed a very different opinion about the man from what I carried all these years.

I was all set to make a point-by-point rebuttal but Dr. Saurav Basu did my job better than I could have ever expected. So, here you go! Thank you, Dr. Basu for that splendid job. Sorry for taking the liberty to provide a link on my blog to your article. I am not a member on Sulekha, so I cannot make any comments there.

POTA or Abracadabra?

2008-07-28T22:18:00.000-07:00

Terrorist attacks come and go and we are back to the same tapes being replayed. The BJP has once again demanded the revival of POTA, while the PM has rejected Mr. Advani’s appeal. His logic is, “The attacks on parliament and Akshardham temple took place when Pota was in force. There is no dearth of laws in the country to deal with terrorism”.

Oh Mr. PM, is it? But the fact is none of those laws seem to be having any impact. For the record, the attack on Parliament took place on December 13, 2001 and the POTA was notified only on 28.03.2002.

Even this apart, no law is magic that you enact it and lo! The terrorist attacks stop. If the PM thinks like this, something is seriously wrong with his intelligence. Or is it that he thinks we are all stupid?

Laws like POTA need to be in place for a long period of time, they have to be implemented with a single minded determination to weed out terrorists, sleeper cells, informers, etc. This will take some time, it will involve some excesses, but it will be far less than the number of innocent lives lost in terrorist attacks.

Fatwa against terror: Naive or Stupid?

2008-06-10T21:34:00.000-07:00

I cannot understand if these people are naive or stupid or too clever by half!

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Some Muslim gent or organisation has to just murmur "Religion of Peace" and these cheerleaders begin their act from the sidelines. They begin their blah-blah about how this peaceful religion is being tarnished by Sangh Parivar elements and so on. And Mr. Dharker goes to the extent of lamenting that the fatwa has not been well publicised. This, despite the leftist newspaper Hindu saying this.

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Arre baba, even if there is this so-called "fatwa against terror", do you think it will make even an iota of difference in the agenda of the terrorists? Whom are we fooling?

Is this allowed?

2008-06-10T03:50:00.001-07:00

Since the image above is not clear, I will reproduce the text of the ad here:
Getting equipped for a better future.
Government of India offers free coaching and allied schemes to candidates belonging to minorty communities.
If you are a student, belonging to the Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist or Zoroastrain (Parsi) communities, notified as minority communities under Section 2(c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992, you are eligible to apply for the coaching programme.
For entrance admission test of technical/ professional courses such as engineering, law, medical, management, information technology, etc.
Competitive examinations for recruitment to services under the Central and State government including police/ security forces, public sector enterprises, railways, banks etc.
Coaching for jobs in the private sector, such as information technology, airlines, BPO, hospitality etc.
Remedial coaching at undergraduate and post-graduate levels to improve academic knowledge and enable the student to complete the course successfully,
100% financial assistance will be provided to the selected coaching/ training institutes and the institutes imparting remedial tuition.
Candidates must possess the requisite educational qualification for admission to the desired course/ recruitment examination.
The annual income of the parents or guardian of the beneficiay should not exceed Rs.2.50 lakhs from all sources.

This is a superb initiative. Providing the additional assistance to poor students who are on the fringes of higher education is a noble step and will help elevate the general level of educational literacy by giving just the nudge required.

The only catch is the ministry that is doing all this! It is the Ministry of Minority Affairs!!!

Now what beats me is that why should the religion of the recipients of this largesse matter? There are such disadvantaged poor students belonging to all religion who would benefit greatly from the scheme. So, by granting this only to minorities, doesn't this become a form of discrimination on the basis of religion? Is education a matter which should be treated like this?

Isn't every citizen entitled to equal opportunities in education regardless of their religious beliefs?

Does the Constitution allow such form of discrimination?

Is there any other country in this world which discriminates against their majority community in this way?

Hillary loses!

2008-06-10T03:20:00.001-07:00

I don't know exactly why... I just cannot pinpoint it.... but the man who won the Democratic primaries to secure the Presidential nomination JUST GIVES ME THE CREEPS!!!

Am I being racist or what? I don't think so. An African-American for President would have normally gladdened my heart, but something about this man is not fitting right!

How I wish it was the lady who I could have been rooting for in November! I don't know whether, as some say, it was THIS MAN, who caused her loss!

In any case, with the Democratic nomination sealed, I just hope that John Mc..whatever wins the Presidential elections in November!

Redeemer of the Marathi maanus?

2008-05-08T04:23:00.000-07:00

I was interested in finding out the reactions of bloggers to Raj Thackeray's onslaught on “para-prantiya” परप्रन्तिया (pronounced in Marathi) which means “people from outside the state of Maharashtra”. But to my dismay, the event seems to have been ignored or at best, given a passing mention in the blogosphere.

What Raj is doing is not new. Neither is it unique to Maharashtra alone. Awakening the linguistic identity of a populace and instilling a sense of injustice and hurt pride in them is the easiest way to get ahead in Indian politics.

About two years ago, Raj Thackeray had separated from the Shiv Sena because he saw no meaningful future for his political career in the party as Thackeray Sr had thrown his weight behind his own son, Uddhav. At that time, the tone of his politics was progressive and pragmatic. There was no rhetoric which the Sena was famous for nor was there pandering to the linguistic or religious sentiments of people. After the initial hoopla about how the emergence of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena could affect future elections, everyone seemed to forget about the man. A small local election ensued and the MNS had a poor showing. A large number of MNS workers who had come in from the Sena were contemplating a return. With his back to the wall, our hero had no other option but to take refuge in the oldest and sure-fire strategy to win a votebank for himself.

Having said this, the “Marathi maanus” propaganda is neither without basis nor has it failed to evoke strong support among the locals, particularly in the larger cities like Mumbai. The ever-increasing influx from other states is getting a bit tiresome. There is a feeling among the locals that the outsiders bring in their own alien culture and never make any attempts to harmonise themselves with the local ones. There is also the sentiment that the outsiders look at say, Mumbai, just as a place to milk and make money and then go back to their roots in their home states. These feelings are not unjustified. Particularly if you look at the UP-Biharis, who are currently the target of the MNS, these have increasingly begun to assert their presence in the state. The “chat puja” which is largely a North Indian festival may have been celebrated in Mumbai for many years. But of late, the event has started attracting huge money and hype. The celebration of the UP diwas was totally uncalled for. Worse, the UP-Biharis are finding influence with the local politicians who are finding their sheer numbers a convenient vote bank. The increasing clout is represented by the cabinet minister Kripashankar Singh, who is from UP, but now a minister in Maharashtra.

Amitabh Bachchan’s fans may cringe at the MNS chief’s diatribe against the superstar. However, Raj uses the Big B only as an example to prove his point. Despite having made a name for himself after staying in Maharashtra for so many years, the Big B has become an ambassador for UP. Which means what? That the Big B has his roots in UP! This must be true for most of the other Upites. If you have roots in one state, you will never ever want to assimilate in the ethos of your adopted state.

As Raj Thackeray in his May 3rd carefully drafted speech outlined, language chauvinists from all states are guilty of poisoning minds. Many of the arguments put forward by him are not easy to refute. He read out a statement attributed to Sonia’s partner in govt, Anbumani Ramadoss, who has warned Dravidians against Rajnikant’s attempts to come into the centerstage of TN politics. This, despite, Rajnikant (who is a Maharashtrian) has completely transformed himself into a Tamilian and is a hero to the locals there.

We know of language chauvinists in other states like Andhra, Karnataka etc.

We also know how it is difficult, nay impossible, to have a comfortable stay in capital cities of states if you cannot follow the local language – try living in Chennai without knowing Tamil or in Kolkata without knowing Bengali. The lingua franca in offices is not English, it is the local language. But in Mumbai, you need not really know Marathi. Hindi is good enough. That shows the liberal attitude of Maharashtrians. It is this liberal attitude which politicos like Raj Thackeray is trying to change for his electoral gains. You can fault him for his crudeness and foul language, but you cannot bar him legally, as Home Minister RR Patil has recently found out. Then, politicians cannot be given moral sermons too. So how does one stop him?

Not easy. In a country where states are drawn on linguistic basis (a Nehru legacy), we must be prepared for hardening of such identity differentiation. Only if you redraw the states on some other basis, will the language identity be dented. To take the poison out of Raj’s bite, we have to first take away the luxury that chauvinists from other states have.

Then, and only then, can we look at Raj Thackeray in the eye and tell him to shut up!

Going backward and forward

2008-04-29T05:37:00.000-07:00

What is the cause of backwardness? What is the need to entitle backward castes for reservations?

Is it because they have some “inferior” traits passed on through their genes?
If yes, then should backward caste children who have been adopted by forward caste parents be entitled to the reservations? And vice versa, should forward caste children who have been adopted by backward caste parents be excluded?

If no, is it that the environment in which they live makes them backward?
(Then in the reverse of the earlier point, what about the adopted children?)

Is it because their parents may not be educated?
(Then, should the criteria for determining backwardness be the “non-education” of parents, rather than the caste?)

Coming to reservations, I hear often that reservations are required because the backward castes have been oppressed for centuries. Is there any proof that any of MY forefathers have oppressed them?

Even if there is, should I be subject to punishment because of what my forefathers may have done?

I have read that in those days when the caste system was more pronounced, there were four varnas – brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya, sudra – each having their specific functions to perform. In my limited knowledge on the subject, Brahmins were supposed to be the scholars, the kshatriyas were the warriors, the vaishyas were the merchants and the sudras were the service providers to the other three.

By virtue of pursuing these functions over generations, these castes must have acquired certain traits – talking generally –, which are required for effective performance. For instance, making sweeping generalizations, Brahmins may have acquired a scholarly bent of mind, the kshatriyas may have acquired aggression, sportsman skills, etc. the vaishyas may have acquired business acumen and guile. What about the sudras? Well, is there nothing desirable about them that is worth acquiring. So they have to be uplifted through reservations?

Alright, but are “scholastic skills” the only traits desirable in these days? Shouldn’t then Brahmins be given reservation in sports and businesses? Or Kshatriyas be given reservations in education and businesses? Or vaishyas be given reservations in education and sports?

If it is indeed genes which cause backwardness, then how many generations would it take for a particular family to evolve itself out of backwardness?

Or then, is it the environment?

While equal access and opportunity of education to all is certainly a noble objective, do we want everyone to be educated equally? Is that scenario possible?

Shouldn’t individual abilities determine the level upto which a person can be educated? If everyone is educated to the same level, would that mean that there will be nobody available for doing the so-called “lower level” jobs? Is that scenario acceptable to us?

Or, is it that people (regardless of their caste) would still be available to do the “lower level” jobs, albeit being more educated and hence having more aspirations, but forced to do them due to sheer market forces (demand and supply of jobs)? Would that be a happier situation for these people?

I am not even going to the more common-sense issues of what is the use of having reservations at post graduate level when the ones that really require upliftment do not have access to even primary education.

So, are there any reasonable answers to any of these questions?

Ugly side of on-field aggression

2008-04-28T02:13:00.000-07:00

Will we ever see this scene again?

The ugly incident of Harbhajan Singh slapping S. Sreesanth was the lowest that Indian cricket has come to. Performance pressures may have taken their toll on the hot headed sardar but that is no excuse to behave physically with an member of the opposing team, whatever the provocation may be.

This leads to a larger question. The IPL, which seeks to polarize the nation’s cricket fans according to their regional identities, may eventually be successful. However, one only hopes that this does not split the already fractured Indian cricket team.

In the midst of all the Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight riders, Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Daredevils and what have you, one must not forget that many of these players from different teams have to come together and play in a cohesive manner when they play for their country. Will that be possible when the chasms become so deep?

Like one commentator remarked, regional teams were always prevalent by virtue of the Ranji Trophy tournaments. However, the focus was not as sharp since the publicity as well as the money of the two situations are on completely different scales.

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

P.S. There is an attempt by many news discussion commentators as well as some sections of the public to give a sense of balance to the issue by saying that even Sreesanth is not a saint, pardon the pun! However, the rebuttal to that, as Navjot Singh Sidhu rightly and articulately put it, is that Sreesanth may be an aggressive player on the field, displays his aggression very crudely, shakes his jiggy after taking a wicket and so on… but that is part of the game attitude. That does not give anyone the right to box the guy! In any case, whatever the provocation by Sreesanth (I believe, he just said “Hard Luck” to Bhajji), this cannot be condoned!

Lets see where the matter goes!

PC must go!

2008-04-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

R. Jagannathan, who has an occasional column in the DNA, is a writer who I can relate to on many topics. One of them is his views on the economy.

.....

I have always felt that the halo behind our current Finance Minister was preventing most rational observers from noticing the mess he was creating. But Jagannathan, in today's column, hits the nail on the head!

"During his tenure, the finance minister has presided over successive years of high growth. But the economy would have grown at close to this rate even if comrades Gurudas Dasgupta or AB Bardhan were finance minister instead of Chidambaram"

......

Read the rest of the column here:

Patriotism symbols

2008-01-30T05:19:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday's "We the People" had Ms. Barkha Dutt arranging a group of cocky and opinionated speakers talking about how it was okay to burn the national flag or sit down when the national anthem was being played! And the only people to protest were predictably, a retired soldier and a BJP representative, Smriti Iraani! It was plain obvious to everyone where Ms. Dutt stood on this issue as she giggled at the smart aleck comments of the majority of the speakers while joining issue with Smriti!

What amazed me was the comment of one guest, none other than an "eminent" blogger, Amit Varma of India Uncut. He asked a strange question, "Can patriotism be enforced?" I wonder! So are you trying to say that patriotism is a matter of choice? Is it okay to say - fine, so you are not patriotic to India, I still love you? Its shocking that such things are even discussed. According to him, there should be no holy cows! I wonder if even the sentiments of the soldiers who die on the battlefield can be then debated?

And then there was a charade of the national anthem (of Bharat Bala) being played in the studio and everyone standing up. And predictably, a PYT started murmuring that she stood up only because of peer pressure otherwise she would have sat down. Her query, "If I sit down while the national anthem is being played, does that make me less patriotic?" Ok, I touch my parents feet when I take their leave. You might give them a smack on their face and say "That doesnt mean you love your parents more than I do mine?" So what can I say? Its a question of different styles of demonstrating the love and respect, I guess!

A fitting reply

2008-01-22T22:58:00.000-08:00

Been extremely busy these days and all plans of regular blogging going awry!

Yet, I couldnt resist highlighting this brilliant reply given by the BJP to the CPI(M)'s "political resolution"

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1146689

“Over the last six decades since Independence Indian politics has become bi-polar and the chimera of the so-called Third Front is solely to frustrate the growth of the BJP and prevent it from coming to power. The people of India deserve better than an attempt to subvert the will of the masses through the formation of a Third Front. A hoisted political enterprise conceived in haste to subvert the true will of the people will never succeed. History has numerous lessons to teach.”

How very true!

If only the BJP could convert its ideas into action on the ground more effectively and forget all those internal squabblings by its leaders!

Sad but....!

2007-12-31T08:59:00.000-08:00

BB's assassination is a brutal, tragic and heartwrenching story alright, particularly when viewed from the eyes of her three young children, one of whom is all set to take up the dynastic reins of the political party! So much for a democratic succession from a supposed democratic crusader!

While the event is certainly grim and may have some serious implications for India if the situation isn't handled properly, the media needs to get some grip on itself! BB was a great leader and ga ga and all that, but some sections of the media who are painting a pretty picture of the politician having a soft spot for India need to get their history right.....

Thanks so much to Francois Gautier for this breath of fresh air among all the nauseating obits!

Thats a good one!

2006-09-19T23:39:00.000-07:00

With the hype and glory being showered on Lalu Prasad Yadav for his "turnaround" of the Railways, one ached to read some counter views.

I read one today in the Financial Express which gave details about how the Railways was showing signs of a turnaround from 2002-03 (when the previous incumbent, Nitish Kumar was the Minister). It also gave an account of how the Railways had still a long way to go as far as providing efficient and bare minimum comfort services to its passengers.

But the best (and smallest) piece was in the Economic Times today....
"Home truth LALU Prasad and his aide Sudhir Kumar are on the lecture circuit now, explaining how they changed the fortunes of Indian Railways. Recently, Mr Kumar, an IAS officer from Bihar, was expounding on the strategy adopted by his boss and him for railways at the Indian Institute of Public Administration. However, he was stumped when some one asked him why his boss and him couldn’t first turn around Bihar. "

As they say, you can't fool all the people all the time!!!

Candidate voyeurism!

2006-09-12T01:40:00.000-07:00

New election rules require political candidates todeclare their financial assets. The manner in whichthe media splashes these details on front pages leavesa feeling of distaste. Ogling at the private detailsof an individual financial worth, whether out ofcuriosity or otherwise, tends to whet one’s baservoyeuristic instincts. Discussions on someone’sfinancial status are usually kept out of the publicrealm, on account of social propriety (and nowadaysincreasingly due to security concerns).

(The latest media onslaught is on Ms. Supriya Sule's considerable wealth! Not that it makes any difference to her political fortunes)

The said revelations, while perhaps noble in their intention,ought to have been kept under strict confines of theEC records, divulged only to economic watchdogs like IT, IB, ED, etc for their investigations, if any.

Praywhat influence does the EC feel such data ought tohave on the voting public?

LRL Rocks!

2006-09-11T05:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, I haven’t been on the inside of a military academy. I haven’t been a scout in my boyhood. So I can safely count myself among the laymen as far as military training circuits are concerned.

Hence the serial on SAB, “Left Right Left” does look quite interesting. Or should I say refreshing. I had given up on Hindi serials after every other venture degenerated into the saas-bahu stuff sooner or later.

I started watching this serial because of the lead actor Rajeev Khandelwal. This man had become famous (particularly with the fairer sex) after his Sujal act in Balaji’s “Kahin to hoga” – which used to be aired at an unearthly hour of 11.00 p.m. on Star Plus. (I think it still goes on – as all saas-bahu offerings of Balaji go). And he had quit the serial after he became dissatisfied with his role. I have never watched Kahin to Hoga. But in Ketan Mehta’s Time Bomb, I found Rajeev’s performance quite engaging. Hence when I learnt that LRL had him as the lead, I became interested.

LRL takes time to get used to. No glossy sets, no rich people around, no vixens in gaudy bindis and noodle straps, - just plain normal looking people.

The cadets are also believable people and an assortment of characters having both black and white shades, which make them look realistic. My favorite character as of now is Alekh - a brooding tapori with a wry sense of humour!

Thankfully, the serial has become quite popular – I was afraid the TRP game would force the channel to pull it down prematurely.

Just hope it is able to maintain the initial euphoria!

Choking over a Song!

2006-09-08T03:33:00.000-07:00

The manner in which a ruckus has been created over the Vande Mataram song is quite infuriating. While the mullas have predictably played spoilsport to what would have been an uplifting patriotic event, the media has once again demonstrated its bias very blatantly. The rare exception to this was the RKB Show on Sahara Mumbai. (Surprising, since the Sahara boss is so close to the Samajwadi Party!)

The RKB Show discussion had one mulla (I don’t know his name and don’t care) who went on to say that not only Vande Mataram but even the Jana Gana Mana song was objectionable. And RKB was aghast! Of course, the very next day, he sang a different tune after he got Tushar Gandhi on board who went on ranting about the compulsion factor!

Swati Chaturvedi on Janmat was trying to get a word in between about patriotism “Thopa nahin jaa sakta”! {Patriotism cannot be forced upon!} Swati? Are you saying being patriotic is optional? I can understand somebody saying that merely singing the song does not a patriot make! But surely, one cannot say that patriotism cannot be insisted upon!

Predictably, Vinod Dua disregarded his own SMS survey which showed 70% results showing people voting for Option A – which was completely against his rant! His problem was that BJP was making this a political issue! He got (of all people) Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi (through satellite), who was making a good attempt at explaining the position of the BJP, but was hampered by his own religion! He was being ridiculed by a member of the AIMPLB and Vinod Dua was merrily enjoying the show along with Nilotpal Basu (in his studio) who was trying to sound very intellectual analyzing the "divisive nature" of this song!

The less said about the way it was covered by NDTV, CNN – IBN and Times Now, the better!

Its only a flag, yaar!

2006-08-25T22:12:00.000-07:00

Do you see anything strange in this photograph?

No?

Then, um... maybe you should look at this next picture. Perhaps that should give you a clue?

Got it?

Yes! The Indian flag has been fluttering UPSIDE DOWN at Forest Hills, where our Sania Mirza is waiting to crash out of yet another tournament.

http://specials.rediff.com/sports/2006/aug/25sania-sld4.htm

Well, after yesterday's outrageous incident at the Dutch airport, here is yet another unacceptable occurrence where the Indian dignity has been undermined.

Its surprising nobody has even noticed, leave alone protested, about this! Even the Rediff article writer appears to have missed this glaring faux-pas!

Overgrown village!

2006-08-15T22:03:00.000-07:00

The daily drudgery of a Mumbaiite (or Mumbaikar, if you please) cannot be described in a blog, or for that matter, even in a voluminous novel. Only experiencing it first hand can impart the exact feel of the matter.

The suburbs of Mumbai, which were erstwhile villages are now unable to bear the burden of urban onslaught. Particularly the areas near the railway stations are the worst. In most of the suburbs, the roads leading from the station to the arterial Swami Vivekananda Road are a nightmare. Narrow width, with chawl like constructions lining on either side, glitzy shops, hawkers outside these shops and the pesky autorickshaws together make up the chaos. Pedestrians have to fight for walking space in the midst of all these obstacles. On a rainy day, the problems get compounded with water-logging and digging all over. The evening scene particularly, is one that will be etched in the memory of any occasional visitor to these parts.

With vested interests working against any reforms in the situation, there does not appear to be light at the end of the tunnel. Or atleast for now, the tunnel is yet to come to an end.

Shubh-aarambh

2006-08-14T05:02:00.000-07:00

The eve of our 60th Independence Day is a good day to get this blog going. Right now, I’m quite clueless about the direction this will take, but I guess, it will evolve as time goes by. Its all very vague and abstract at the moment.

Currently, I’m in the midst of a job change and hence a bit muddled in the head. Yes, I keep getting those inspirational sparks now and then, but to translate them into blog entries is altogether another thingy!

So, there goes! My very first entry on my very first blog! Hoorahhhh!

Jai Hind!