Main Kasab Ban Jaaunga

I know.... I know you all are missing me... and my posts, of course ! Well, I was busy with my exam preparations. Yes, MBA has semester pattern... Matlab university waalo ko saal mein 2 mauke milte hain humaari beizzati karne ke !!

And this one is not my original creation. I read it on Facebook. I liked it very much. Yes ! Its a poem. It is a Hindi poem originally titled "A poem by unemployed youth of India", but I feel this poem not just reflects the sentiments of unemployed youth, but it is a mirror of general Indian sentiments. 

Here you go !

माँ मुझे एक बंदूक दे दे

मै कसाब बन जाऊँगा

दो चार मंत्री को मार

रोज कबाब मै खाऊँगा

यहाँ तो इक चादर भी नहीं

वहाँ नरम बिछौना पाऊँगा

दिन रात मै जागूँ यहाँ

वहाँ चैन की नींद सो जाऊँगा

यहाँ मिले गाली और घूंसा

यहाँ रोज मार मै खाऊँगा

वहाँ मुझे छिंक भी आये

तुरंत दवाई मै पाऊँगा

घर की सूखी रोटी से तो अच्छा

रोज बिरयानी खाऊंगा

और जब मैं अदालत में जाऊ

तो मंद मंद मुस्कराऊंगा

मुझे देख भारतवासी गुस्से से तिलमिलाए

तो उनकी किस्मत पर तरस खाऊंगा

फिर देना जब जनम मुझे

मै ऐसा भाग न पाऊँगा

माँ मुझे एक बंदूक दे दे

मै कसाब बन जाऊँगा

I do not preach violence or killings. But the fact that a bloody terrorist is enjoying the Indian hospitality rather than being hanged hurts me a lot. Kasab is the safest man in India. And we, the citizens of India, are still unsafe !

Thodi kahi, zyaada samajhna !

Such is life.

PS: If the Government of India is citing silly reasons like shortage of hangmen, I would love to play a hangman for Kasab ! Kasam se....

Proud to be a BANIYA :)

Although I don't believe in the castes & the erstwhile caste system which was prevalent in India, but here's something which I couldn't resist posting on my blog. Here's a very very interesting story about India's castes...

A few weeks ago, the prestigious Forbes magazine has put out a list of the world’s 1,210 billionaires. 55 of them are Indians. A billion dollars is somewhere around Rs. 4,920 crore.

A Baniya is a member of the Vaish caste, originating mainly from the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat. They constitute less than 1% of India’s 1.25 billion population.

Here are a few interesting facts regarding the Indian billionaires who feature in the Forbes list of billionaires.

• India’s richest man, Lakshmi Nivas Mittal (Mittal Steel & Arcelor Mittal), world’s sixth richest man with $31.1 billion, is a Baniya.
• India’s second richest man, Mukesh Ambani (Reliance) with $27 billion, is a Baniya.
• India’s third richest man, Azim Premji (Wipro) with $16.8 billion, is a Khoja.
• India’s fourth richest men, brothers Shashi & Ravi Ruia (Essar) with $15.8 billion are Baniyas.
• India’s fifth richest person, Savitri Jindal (Jindal Steel) with $13.2 billion, is a Baniya.
• India’s sixth richest man, Gautam Adani (Adani Group) with $10 billion, is a Baniya.
• India’s seventh richest man, Kumar Mangalam Birla (Aditya Birla Group) with $9.2 billion, is a Baniya.
• India’s eighth richest man, Anil Ambani (Reliance-ADAG) with $8.8 billion, is a Baniya.
• India’s ninth richest man, Sunil Bharti Mittal (Bharti Airtel) with $8.3 billion, is a Baniya.
• India’s tenth richest man, Adi Godrej (Godrej Group), world’s 130th richest man with $7.3 billion, is a Parsi.

 Score: Baniyas - 8, Rest of India - 2.

If we consider the two Gujaratis, Godrej and Premji (from the Lohana caste), as coming from the mercantile communities, then actually Rest of India wasn’t even playing this match so far.

Well, lets continue further...

• India’s 11th richest man is K P Singh of DLF ($7.3 billion). He is the first departure from the trend of mercantile castes. Singh is a peasant (not now though), the most populous caste grouping of India, about 50% of our population.
• From numbers 11 to 20, there are four Baniyas. They are Anil Agarwal of Vedanta ($6.4 billion), Dilip Sanghvi of Sun Pharma ($6.1 billion), Uday Kotak of Kotak Group ($3.2 billion), & Subhash Chandra Goel of Zee ($2.9 billion).
• The non-Baniyas are Shiv Nadar of HCL ($5.6 billion), Malvinder & Shivinder Singh of Ranbaxy ($4.1 billion), Kalanithi Maran of Sun TV ($3.5 billion), Mukesh Jagtiani of Landmark ($3 billion) and Pankaj Patel of Cadila ($2.6 billion).
• Between 21 and 30, there are five Baniyas. They are Indu Jain of The Times of India ($2.6 billion), Desh Bandhu Gupta of Lupin ($2.1 billion), Sudhir & Samir Mehta of Torrent ($2 billion), Aloke Lohia of Indorama ($2 billion) & Venugopal Dhoot of Videocon ($1.9 billion).
• The five non-Baniyas are G M Rao of GMR ($2.6 billion), Cyrus Poonawalla of the Serum Institute ($2.3 billion), Mumbai builder Rajan Raheja ($2.2 billion), Narayana Murthy of Infosys ($2 billion) & Gautam Thapar of Avantha ($2 billion).
• Of the non-Baniyas, three are from mercantile communities: Poonawalla (Parsi), Raheja (Shikarpuri Sindhi) and Thapar (Khatri). Murthy is Brahmin.
• Between 31 and 40 are two Baniyas: Rahul Bajaj of Bajaj Auto ($1.6 billion) & Ajay Piramal of Piramal Group ($1.4 billion).
• The non-Baniyas include three Brahmins: Nandan Nilekani, former CEO of Infosys & present Chairman of UIDAI ($1.8 billion), S Gopalakrishnan of Infosys ($1.6 billion), & Vijay Mallya of UB Group ($1.4 billion).
• Three of the others are from mercantile castes: Mumbai based builder Chandru Raheja ($1.9 billion), Brijmohan Lall Munjal of Hero MotoCorp ($1.5 billion) & Vikas Oberoi of Oberoi Realty ($1.4 billion).
• The last two are K Anji Reddy of Dr Reddy's Labs ($1.5 billion), from Andhra’s dominant peasant community, & Ajay Kalsi of Indus Gas ($1.7 billion).
• Between 41 and 50 are five Baniyas. They are R P Goenka of RPG Group ($1.3 billion), investment banker Rakesh Jhunjhunwala ($1.2 billion), Brij Bhushan Singhal of Bhushan Steel ($1.2 billion), B K Modi of Spice ($1.1 billion) and Mumbai builder Mangal Prabhat Lodha ($1.1 billion).
• The non-Baniyas are Baba Kalyani of Bharat Forge ($1.3 billion), Keshub Mahindra of Mahindra & Mahindra ($1.2 billion), Infosys co-founder K Dinesh ($1.2 billion) & S D Shibulal of Infosys ($1.1 billion), & Yusuf Hamied of Cipla ($1.1 billion).
• The last five, from 51 to 55, include two Baniyas: Mumbai builder Mofatraj Munot of Kalpataru ($1 billion) & Ashwin Dani of Asian Paints ($1 billion).
• Two of the others are from mercantile castes: Parsi Anu Aga of Thermax ($1 billion) & Khatri Harindarpal Banga of Noble ($1 billion).
• Delhi builder Ramesh Chandra of Unitech ($1 billion) ends our list of Indians with a billion dollars or more.

The list has three Parsis, two Muslims and Sikhs in one spot (shared by the Singh brothers of Ranbaxy). Banga is also a Sikh name but Harindarpal is clean-shaven. All of them, except Poonawalla, have inherited their wealth, though in the case of Premji, he took a small firm and made it global. There is nobody from the scheduled tribes or castes.

India’s large peasant castes have some representation (Singh, Patel, Reddy), but not much. There are 26 Baniyas on our list. Many of them inherited their wealth, but just as many (Mittal, Ruias, Adani, Dhoot among others) are self-made.

The list has 16 Rajasthanis, and 13 Gujaratis. Every single Rajasthani is from one caste, Vaish, though they are from two faiths: Hindu and Jain. Only Gujarat is capable of producing billionaires drawn from four different faiths: Hindu, Parsi, Jain and Muslim—and three different castes: Baniya, Khatri and peasant.


This is unique in India and there is something about this secular mercantile culture that produces great men across communities. What is it? Three out of the four biggest leaders of the subcontinent under British rule were Gujarati, and they were drawn from these three castes: Gandhi, Jinnah and Patel. Only 5% of India’s population, Gujaratis don’t have the numbers to dominate its democratic politics. But businesses are not run in democratic fashion. And to rise, you need quality, not quantity.

The heartland of India, where our quantity resides, is missing from this list. Bihar, Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh have little or no representation and this does not surprise us. On the list are 10 south Indians, in proportion to their 20% share of India’s population. The famous five from Infosys are obviously self-made. Of the others, four are first-generation wealthy. This is a good indicator for the future, and it restores some balance in favour of Rest of India.

One final observation. India’s greatest businessman is not on this list. Why is that? It is because Ratan Tata owns less than 1% of Tata Sons. He is exceptional in every way.

Proud to be a Baniya. Business is in our genes. We think business. We breath business. We live business. We love business.

With the hope that I make it to this list sometime in the future, signing off.....

Ayodhya

Ayodhya - the word itself revokes many memories - Ram Janmbhoomi, Babri Masjid, 6th Dec 1992, and the communal violence after that are amongst the few.

But Ayodhya dispute isn't that fresh. Its been there for decades. And whatever happened on 6th Dec 1992 can be termed as 'fresh'. The case over the title of the 'disputed' land has been there in the courts for more than 50 years.

And the judgement in this case will most probably be delivered on 24th Sep 2010. Yes, that's less than a week away. The government has appealed to maintain law and order and peace after the judgement is delivered. Now I realise how helpless the government is !!

Whatever the judgement is, it shouldn't be taken as a win or loss for any of the communities - be it Hindus or Muslims. Even if the case is delivered in any party's favour, there should not be any celebrations nor there should be any hatred. It should be taken as the win of the law of the nation.

A peaceful approach in this matter is what is the need of the hour. We don't need more communal clashes. In fact, we can't afford it. I hereby appeal through my blog, to maintain peace to each and everyone.

Let there be peace. Amen.

Incredible India

We live in a nation where a pizza reaches faster than an ambulance or police !

We live in a nation where you get a car loan at 5% interest but an educational loan at 12% interest !

We live in a nation where rice is Rs 40 per kg but a sim card is free !

We live in a nation where a millionaire can buy a cricket team for thousands of crores of rupees instead of donating a part of the money to charity !

We live in a nation where everybody wants to be famous but nobody wants to follow the path to be famous !

We live in a nation where the netas are more concerned for IPL rather than the population living below poverty line (BPL) !

We live in a nation where the agriculture minister is more interested in cricket politics rather than controlling the rising prices of the basic food grains !

We live in a nation where a union minister can remain absconding when declared guilty by the court !

We live in a nation where loads of money is spent to provide security to a terrorist when hundreds of people are killed every year in terror acts !

We live in a nation where people love to break rules and then get away by paying a petty bribe !

We live in a nation where people prefer tainted netas to represent them over educated ones !

We live in a nation where people standing at a tea stall reading an article on child labour say "Yaar, bachho se kaam karwane waalo ko goli maar deni chahiye..." and then they say "Oye chhotu ! 2 chai laa..."

We live in INDIA ! Incredible India !

PS : Some of the above points are a part of an SMS forwarded by a friend of mine. I added some points on my own.

PS2 : This post should not be taken in a wrong sense. Rather this post should be taken as the key areas where we can change the system.

Frustration of a sports lover !

Post-Independence, the only thing that we have done with keen interest is to ruin all our national symbols. Be it national bird, national animal, national monuments, and more recently the national game !

Poachers are killing peacocks and we stay silent. The number of tigers are decreasing day by day. I need not highlight on the condition of the national monuments. And the situation in hockey is not hidden from anyone.

Hockey players had to go on a strike to get their dues back. Just before the world cup, the national hockey team had to strike to get their demands met. And the government is still silent.

Hungry warriors never won any battle. And hungry warriors have always revolted. So did the hockey players. I stand with them. The stand they took is totally justified. I don't understand one simple thing. The government has NO money to save what they call their NATIONAL game? Isn't it shameful that the players who represent the country on the international level are not paid and the bureaucrats enjoy on their expense. Wow ! Welcome to India.

Every sports body is dominated by politicians. Lets take the example of Mr Sharad Pawar. Sorry Mr Pawar, but you being the boss (indirectly) of the richest sports body of the nation had to bear the brunt ! So, Mr Pawar is indirectly the boss of the BCCI. He's set to be the next President of the ICC. So he can not devote his entire time to one thing. He has to take care of his party matters. He has to take care of the BCCI. He has to take care of the Agriculture ministry, So while multitasking, one makes mistakes. And so did Mr Sharad Pawar. He has been in foot-in-mouth situations quite a few times. Recently his 'I-am-not-an-astrologer' remark on the rising prices of commodities had made an impact.

There are numerous examples of politicians in sports. To some extent, its good. But as it is said in Hindi : "अति हर चीज़ की बुरी होती है... ". So my dear netajis, since you guys can't devote your VALUABLE time to the sport, please back off ! And let the former sportsmen come forward and govern the sport. After all, its their cup of tea ! You shouldn't be poking your nose everywhere.

Mr Pawar should either become a full time sports administrator or a full time politician. So that either cricket is benefited or the common man is benefited. You know what I mean. Even the Prime Minister should tell him to concentrate on the ministry to reduce the price of per head thaali of a common man.

I'd like to quote another famous Hindi line over here :

हर शाख पे उल्लू बैठा है, अंजाम-ए-गुलिस्तां क्या होगा...

Actually, this line suits the current scenario. Isn't it?

There was a time when India was numero uno in hockey. There was a time when  players like Major Dhyan Chand were national heroes. But today we ponder over it and only say "there WAS a time". Today is the time when hockey is doomed.

I'll ask you all a few simple questions :

• How many hockey players' names and faces do you remember?
• Who's the current captain of the national hockey team?
  
• Name the last five hockey captains of India.
• When did you last watched a full hockey match? Okay.. add the words "on TV" to this question.

Well, I know 99.99% of the readers won't be able to answer it. But if I replace the word "hockey" with "cricket", everyone would be ready with their answers. There lies the difference. We keenly watch cricket, but we don't have any interest in hockey.

We roared when we watched Indian women's team winning the world cup in "Chak De ! India". But we forgot. And we moved on ! Even Shah Rukh Khan forgot. He went on to buy a team in the IPL, just because he saw his profits there. Why just blame him. Everyone's selfish. You. Me. Everyone !

Well... I got carried away. Sorry for that. But all I meant to say is that its high time. We must wake up ! The least we can do is watch the sport ! And we must cheer our national hockey team.

The hockey players are not beggars. Let them get what they deserve ! If we can't respect our own nation, don't expect others to do the same.

CHAK DE !

Dec 6 - a day to be remembered !

December 6, that's today. Its a day to be remembered, for some bad things, and for some good.

Cut to December 6, 1992.

Ayodhya. Uttar Pradesh. India.

"Raam Lala aayenge... Mandir wahin banayenge !"

Around 1.5 lakh Kar Sevaks gathered with this slogan in what was supposed to be a political meeting. The Babri Mosque was demolished by a large group of Hindus, who had been camped out at the site for weeks. Members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) were part of this large group. The VHP wanted to erect a temple dedicated to Rama at this spot. Many Muslim organizations, on the other hand strongly oppose the building of the temple.

Seventeen years later, the Liberhan Commission, one of the longest running enquiry commission with 48 extensions, submitted a report with no strong conclusions and no recommendations of a strong punitive action against anybody. The commission was to submit its report in three-months' time. But 17 years and 48 extensions later, the result was null.

Most of the Kar Sevaks have become old or are in the mid-ages. They are not as active as they were 17 years ago. And most of the people in young generation don't care about the issue anymore. They don't care even if there's a temple or not. They don't care even if there's a mosque at that place or not.

In fact, basically India does not need a temple or a mosque. Look at the grim situation of education in the country. Why not build up a nice educational institution at that place? I'm sure Lord Rama and Allah (and Mr Babar) won't mind to this idea. They won't have any hard feelings if the people of Ayodhya get good education. Its upto us now to take the decision. Do we still want to fight over the issue and guzzle millions of our hard earned money or do we want a good future?

Back to December 6, 2009.

Brabourne Stadium. Mumbai. Maharashtra. India.

"Jeetega bhai jeetega... India jeetega !"

The slogan has changed. India on the verge of becoming number one in test cricket. At the beginning of the fifth day's play Sri Lanka were trailing by 59 runs in their second innings. And India were just four wickets away from creating a history.

And Zaheer Khan struck. Three wickets in the first twenty minutes. And in the next ten minutes, Harbhajan Singh claimed the final wicket, thus making India numero uno in test rankings.

 This match, filled with ecstatic performances by Virender Sehwag (293 off 254), Zaheer Khan (5/72 in second innings), Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar and he entire team, will be overshadowing the Babri issue, at least this year.

This was something good that happened on Dec 6. And I hope, every year something like this happens, so that people don't remember December 6 as the saddest day in Indian history !

Amen.

Mumbai 26/11 - Bhoole Nahi Hum....

Extraordinary circumstances evoke extreme reactions and therefore need to be handled with extreme caution. The Mumbai terror strike brought death, devastation and shame. The vultures who wrote the script had planned it like this. What more could they have expected. They got round the clock television coverage as they held a nation of a billion plus population to ransom. And even though everything went according to their script what they failed to calculate was the enormous, once in a life time, kind of opportunity that they presented to the mighty Indian nation.

History is replete with examples. Opportunity travels alongside death and devastation. Japan was able to grab it because the death and devastation caused by the nuclear strikes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were wrapped in shame. America's 9/11 also had shame written all over. And now if those who planned the terror strikes in India are not taken care of once and for all the opportunity that has come alongside the Mumbai shame would also be lost for good.

Of what good is the nuclear deterrent if we can be bled like this. Has the weapon of peace been good to us in any way? Peace sells, but who's buying it? The lives of those who are still lucky to be alive are in no way more important than those who have laid down their lives. Let not a single drop of Indian blood go waste. Those who are coming out on to the streets be ware, it is no candle light party out there. Everything comes for a cost and the cost has to be borne by everyone.

Let's not look up for any kind of action to the Singh who became king by buying votes in parliament. Nor from the BJP that abused the ATS chief a day before his death and later turned up at his residence to offer a compensation of Rs One Crore to his family. Nor the communists for whom shame is a decent word. Only a rabid dog could have said this: not a dog would have visited the Unnikrishnans' house had it not been the slain Major's house. Where and when in history has a martyr's father been treated like this? What could be more shameful than this?

The solution is lying somewhere around in the dark. We needed to act, and we needed to act fast. But we didn't. Who's responsible for this cowardly act? All eyes on Pakistan. All fingers point to Pakistan. We even had the proofs. But we couldn't do anything. We handed a number of dossiers to the neighbor, but no stern action taken till date.

Mr Manmohan Singh, a year is too much. For you, it might be just one-fifth (just twenty per cent) of your term, but to the families of the martyrs and deceased, each day passed as a year. And you didn't care. Only monetary compensation and showing sympathy is not the solution. The solution lies in curbing terror from the root.

Yes !! I feel shame when I have to accept that we have failed. I don't know what others feel. I don't know if Mr Manmohan Singh feels the shame or not, but I do. 'Coz we failed. We failed to provide security not only to our people, but also to foreign nationals. We failed to act against the perpetrators. We are merely watching the tamaasha unfold in Pakistan. We are helpless. We lack the spirit. We shouldn't have moved on with this until any strong action had been taken. But we moved on. India lacks leadership. India lacks courage.

I feel shame when I see the President of India having a gala time flying a Sukhoi, but she has no time to come down to Mumbai on the first anniversary of the deadly massacre. I feel shame when I see pics of the Prime Minister partying in the USA when people are paying homage to the martyrs and the deceased. It happens only in India !!

If India is crying for leadership, this crisis had the potential to throw up one. Only raising slogans against the government and the politicians is not enough. A few of us should have raised from the rubble to become leaders. But we chose to remain silent and protest. Candle light vigils can just add CO2 to the already polluted environment. Let there be no peace till the perpetrators of the Mumbai Mayhem are smoked out of their safe holes.

JAI HIND !!! JAI JAWAAN !!! 

May the souls of the martyrs and the deceased rest in peace....

Amen.

Gunda-Raj Season 2

Almost a year ago, I wrote a post (titled Gunda-Raj) on Raj Thackeray and his party Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's stand on the unnecessary fuss over non-Marathis. A year later, the issue has bounced back with the entry of a side hero (or should I say the sidekick of the villain) MNS MLA Ram Kadam slapped Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi for taking oath in Hindi. (watch this video)

Such an incident is a shame on the name of democracy. Its worst than dictatorship. Utter nonsense. I want to ask the MNS-men that is Hindi a language from Pakistan? Or is Maharashtra not a part of India? Is this what the Marathi manoos have reduced to do?
To me, MNS = Makes No Sense !

Even Abu Azmi is no saint. But he's an elected representative. And who says that one form of gundaism can be met with another form of gundaism? Azmi himself has a dubious past. There have been several allegations against him including links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. He was also accused in the 1993 Bombay Bomb Blasts, but was later acquitted by the court. Still, will this incident not make him a hero (at least to some people)?

But that's not the point of discussion. Azmi, being an elected representative, being an Indian citizen, had the right to take oath in any of the Indian languages. And Hindi is no foreign language.

I would like to quote one of Rajdeep Sardesai's tweets :

"linguistic chauvinism is hypocritical. most mns leaders send their children to eng medium schools, ditto with samajwadi party."

I agree with this totally ! Both MNS and SP are taking advantage of this issue now to gain political mileage from the Marathas and the minority communities respectively. But, in the long run, this is going to create a lot of differences in the minds of people over regionalism.

The fact that the MNS bagged 13 seats in the Maharashtra assembly is an indication that Raj Thackeray has succeeded in creating a fear psychosis in the minds of people. And due to this issue, he has also gained sympathy of some. But, his brand of politics would lead him nowhere.

This incident clearly highlights the fact that the basic principle of "Unity in Diversity" lies nowhere. Should we assume that the MNS has no respect for the law and the Constitution? Why should we not tag them as anti-nationalists? Aren't they a threat to the security of the nation? If the UP government can impose the NSA on Varun Gandhi, why can't the Maharashtra government do the same on such extremists?

A lot of questions in my mind. But, from whom should I seek answers?

हिन्दी हैं हम, वतन हिन्दोस्तां हमारा...

Let there be peace !

PS : I'll speak Hindi even in Maharashtra and I am not afraid of Raj Thackeray or anybody !! And as they say in Hindi : 

"जो उखाड़ना है, उखाड़ ले...."

Cruelty to Peace Prize !

What is the difference between a Google Wave invite and a Nobel prize? Anyone can get a Nobel (Rohit Khetarpal)

Kissinger, Begin, Sadat, Obama, etc. But not Mahatma Gandhi? What kind of peace prize is this? (Vir Sanghvi)

They once gave Winston Churchill the Nobel for literature! So they have a history of sucking up to the powerful (Vir Sanghvi) 

Do you think the Norwegians want something from America? The Nobel to Obama makes no sense otherwise (Vir Sanghvi) 

Do you think Obama got the Nobel for making peace with Hillary? Can't think of any other achievement.. (Vir Sanghvi) 

Personally think that while im an Obama fan, a Nobel is utterly disproportionate. Nobels should be given for achievements not passion (Barkha Dutt)

nobel goes to obama the brand, not obama the individual. in the age of marketing, guess branding matters more than substance. (Rajdeep Sardesai)

Well, these were just a few tweets that I came across. And I'm sure there would be a millions showing their shock over this award. Nobel is losing the status it once had.

I'd like to throw some light on why this controversy has arisen. There are a few points behind it :

• The nominations were due to the Nobel committee on Feb 1. Mr Obama took the office on Jan 20. So what Obama-ji did in 264 hours wins him the prestigious award !!
• The committee cast their votes in June. Even at that time, four months of Obama's steps (or rather ideas) towards world peace and nuclear proliferation were so great that they won him a Nobel !
• Even if we take the time of the declaration, which happens to be 9 months after becoming the US Prez, its a very short period for someone to receive such an honour.

If someone can win a Nobel just on the basis of how much can he talk about world peace (rather than work for it), I think our very own Mahesh Bhatt and Rakhi Sawant (with due respect to both) should concentrate on 'world peace' and 'nuclear proliferation' instead of poking their nose in every other matter. That could win them a Nobel. ;)


I do not hate Obama. In fact, I preferred Obama over John McCain to be the US President. I just feel that he, at this point of time, does not deserve the Nobel.


Lets have a look at Obama's failures (towards world peace) :

• Pakistan continues to get US Aid (and that too tripled) even after suspicious links of the Pakistan Army and ISI with the terrorists.
• Failed attempts to curb the activities of Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
• US Army still there in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Failed to stop Iran and North Korea's nuclear programmes.
• Delay in releasing Guantenamo prisoners.

With this award to Obama, the prestigious Norwegian Nobel prize has lost its credibility. I call this a cruelty to the Peace Prize. Still, Congrats Obama-ji !!!

BJP v/s Democracy?

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to be in a state of shock since its defeat in the 2009 general elections. And instead of recuperating from the shock, its taking steps which can not be called democratic or wise or both.

Lets take two cases, both equally important, both related in some way to my state Rajasthan, and both tackled equally in undemocratic ways. We'll deal with both of them in chronological order.

The first example is of ex-CM of Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje. As everybody knows, all of a sudden she was told by the 'high-command' to quit the post of the Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Assembly. For the sake of information let me tell you, the BJP has 78 MLAs out of the total strength of 200 in the state assembly. And out of these 78, more than 50 MLAs stood for Raje (that's nearly two-thirds majority) and these MLAs even tried to review the order. They travelled to New Delhi to meet party's top leader L K Advani and party president Rajnath Singh. Advani refused to meet them. Later, two of Raje's staunch supporters Rajendra Rathore and Gyan Dev Ahuja were expelled from the party on the grounds of indiscipline. (dude.... if being in majority is indiscipline, then i guess the BJP top brass need to review 'their definition' of indiscipline....)

Another example is a more recent one. Its regarding another senior BJP leader. Coincidentally, even he belongs to Rajasthan. He is the ex-armyman ex-Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh. And the basis of his ouster from the BJP is supposed to be his latest book "Jinnah : India, Partition, Independence" based on his personal research depicting his views on the partition. Well, here I jump again to comment on this issue. If expressing one's views is a crime, then BJP stands nowhere. BJP is okay with communal remarks of Varun Gandhi against a community. But BJP isn't okay with expression of views.

Jaswant Singh did not release his book as a party document, he released it as an independent author. Its disheartening to see such senior leaders of a party being treated in such a disgraceful manner. What was the fault of Jaswant Singh? That he praised Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who is the father of nation of Pakistan. That he felt that Nehru was more to be blamed for the partition than Jinnah. Even the then-PM-in-waiting Advani praised Jinnah. He was also criticised for that. But he wasn't expelled. He wasn't sidelined. Well, whatever be the story, the conclusion is somewhat clear : The BJP has lost it !!!

Ab jo kaam karna chahiye, wo to karte nahi hai.... BJP needs to find a replacement for Lal Krishna Advani. It has so far failed to find young faces to represent itself. And the Congress on the other side, has developed its new bunch of young politicians.

And in a recent series of twists and turns, Advani camp is reportedly wooing Vasundhara Raje to quit and fill the place left void by the exit of Jaswant Singh. Looks like - Saam Daam Dand Bhed - all the tricks in the book are being tried and tested.

I am not a supporter of any political party. I am just putting my thoughts forth on the issue as any other Indian. Hope this era of 'undemocratic politics' end here.

Aazadiiiiiii......

Independence Day wishes to start with.... Today seems to be a special day.... And it is indeed a special day. I'm feeling like a kid who's having his birthday. After all, I am a part of my country. And I'm proud of it.

Actually, I have been thinking to write a post for the Independence Day since almost a week. But somehow I couldn't. I either had no time, or when I had time, I had no idea as such. And a few thoughts which were doing the rounds of my mind, have already been expressed by me in my Republic Day post 'Patriotism', and I had no intentions of repeating them. And don't be in an illusion that what I expressed in that post have changed. I still think the SAME. So, here I am, writing an extempore blog post. Go on guys, have a read. It won't be that bad. If it were bad, I myself would've trashed it :)

Well.... Its a week filled with fever.... Don't think I'm talking about the deadly flu caused by the H1N1 virus, which most of the people call 'Swine Flu' or 'Swine flew' (God.... kya zamaana hai... even swines have started flying... for those who don't know, swine = pig.... with due respect... lol) or whatever.... I'm talking about the independence fever. Although, it has been overshadowed by the sick news of swine flu. Its disheartening to see people dying and the stupid media making fuss out of it. Instead of creating awareness among the public, the Indian media is creating a panic situation. I got a bit carried away. Lets stick to the topic.

As I said, its the week of Independence Day, so one sees a sudden change in the behaviour of people. They suddenly start feeling patriotic, they start the preparation for the celebration. You can see flags everywhere. You hear patriotic songs like 'Mere desh ki dharti...' and 'Saare jahaan se achha Hindustaan humara....' more often. You can see school kids all gearing up and practising for the I-Day march and performances. All looks so good. Its a sudden outburst of patriotic emotions, which happens only at either Independence Day or Republic Day or in case the country is in crisis. Still, we know, we all love India. Its just that we don't show it.

Although I don't like our 'back-biting' neighbour much, still I take this opportunity to wish all the people across the border in Pakistan a warm Independence Day. Guys, its high time. Ab toh sudhar jaao. I know the common Pakistani people don't have that harsh feeling against India, as we don't have against them. Its just that some bloody politicians (on both sides of the LoC) still want to maintain the gap between India and Pakistan.

If I go on citing the negativities of India, you might tag me a pessimist. But since I'm not one, I'd like to tell you that "I AM PROUD TO BE AN INDIAN". I always have this pride to have been born in a country with such a vast culture and varied heritage. As it is said, nothing is perfect. We too have some drawbacks, and I'm sure we shall overcome....

I'll leave you with a pic of the 15th August 1947 edition of the Times of India.

JAI HIND !!!

Kargil - a war that wasn't....

Ten years ago, on this day, India supposedly 'won' a battle. A battle which wasn't technically a battle 'coz it was fought inside India's own territory. Yet, Kargil war was something thats still fresh in the memories of thousands of Indians. Although many of the youngsters of my age do not exactly know what happened in 1999, but I do. When top-notch politicians (read :: Union Minister Shreeprakash Jaiswal) doesn't remember, these youngsters can't be blamed.

Ten years ago, or even some seven years ago, if someone asked me my opinion about Kargil, I would've proudly said, "Yes, India won it. We won it. We defeated the intruders." But ten years down the line, if someone asks me the same question, my answer will definitely be different. That's coz there hasn't been the impact of Kargil war. We haven't gained much out of it. I agree that we were successful in shooing away the infiltrators, but the overall result is just NIL.

Yes, we haven't been able to achieve what we wanted. We wanted a terror-free India and a terror-free neighbourhood, which we haven't been able to get. In fact, we've lost more than we've gained. We have lost 533 brave soldiers. We've lost a hell lot of money.

And what we see today is just some self-proclaimed leaders politicising the martyrs' death for their own personal gain. Look at Congress MP Rashid Alvi. In an interview to Headlines Today, Alvi said he saw no reason to celebrate Kargil victory. "Kargil isn't a thing to be celebrated. The war was fought within our territory. We didn't even come to know when the Pakistani army crossed over and built bunkers inside our territory. It's only the NDA which may celebrate." I think a war is a war. Lets not bias it on the basis of political parties. Any war is fought for a country and not for a political party.

And as I already mentioned earlier, another Congressman and union minister Shreeprakash Jaiswal doesn't remember that 'Kargil Vijay Diwas' falls on 26th July.

Our very own Prime Minister Manmohan Singh can go to France to attend 220th anniversary of Bastille Day, but not a union minister can pay a visit to Kargil on the 10th anniversary of the war. This shows the dull attitude of the government towards those who laid their lives for the country. Can't these bloody politicians just stop playing their dirty political games and pay homage to the martyrs? Will this incident not demoralise the forces? Why would a soldier think of dying for a country just to face such a humiliation?

Although the army will be celebrating the 'Kargil Vijay Diwas' on its own right there in Kargil, the Defense minister A K Antony won't be attending it, neither any top minister or official will be there. Antony would be laying wreaths at Amar Jawan Jyoti at the India Gate in Delhi.

I feel the government has forgotten this war. But they shouldn't forget the war heroes.

My sincere homage to all the martyrs who laid their lives so that I and other fellow Indians can be safe. Thanks a lot....

JAI HIND.... JAI JAWAN....

Is Madame Sonia the REAL PM?

Before anybody tags me as an anti-Congress blogger, I'd like to clear the air by saying that I'm just expressing my opinion as a NEUTRAL Indian citizen.

What I've been observing since the last few years is that the inauguration of many mega-projects by the Central government or any of the governments of states ruled by the Congress have been done by the UPA Chairperson and Congress President Mrs Sonia Gandhi. I have sheer respect for the lady. She has achieved a lot. But the only question pops up in my mind is that why only Mrs Sonia Gandhi? This question again started making rounds when she'll be inaugurating the much awaited 5.6 km long Bandra-Worli Sea Link in Mumbai today.

She isn't the President, nor Vice-President, not the Prime Minister, neither a Chief Minister nor a minister in any of the government, then WHY she? Why can't the President Mrs Pratibha Patil or even the Vice-President Dr Hameed Ansari do the honours.

Just 'coz Mrs Gandhi is the president of the ruling party (at both the Centre and the state), this doesn't mean that she keeps on inaugurating all the mega-projects. If anybody says that she's an MP, then I have got an answer for you too. Okay, she's an MP from Raebareilly (Uttar Pradesh). Then why is she getting involved in projects in Mumbai or in other states. I do not doubt her intentions, but it seems like something which is not traditional. I mean that a person who isn't holding any post in the government, who isn't a part of the government DIRECTLY is doing what a President or a PM should do. Then why she doesn't become one? Why not become a Prime Minister and do the same?

And if not the President or Vice-President, the Prime Minister or the Governor or the Chief Minister could have inaugurated it. If this continues to happen then within a few years, there will be numerous foundation/inauguration stones bearing the name of Mrs Sonia Gandhi. Then there wouldn't be much difference between her and UP CM Mayawati. Maya Memsaab keeps laying foundation and inauguration stones where she likes. Recently she is in trouble when the honourable Supreme Court issued her a show-cause notice over a similar issue.

This was a question that compelled me to think. I just thought that I'd share it with my readers. I'd like to know what you think about it. Comments awaited.



Bandra-Worli Sea Link pic courtesy : Abhijit's Planet

Politics Politics Politics !!!

Guys... I'm back with yet another "Politics" post. But this one really is thought-provoking. Must have a look..... and do let me know what you feel....

Polling over.... But that doesn't mean that "THE GREAT INDIAN POLITICAL TAMASHA" is over.... The main tamasha is going to begin on May 16th....

Yes.... Its the day when the election results will be declared and the 'horse-trading' will begin....

Actually I thought of writing this post when I was sitting at some place listening to a conversation of two people. Here are some excerpts :

Mr X : Kya lagta hai is baar sarkaar ka?

Mr Y : Pata nahi. Is baar bhi kisi ko bahumat nahi milega.

X : Haan. Woh to hai. Saala yeh jod-tod ki sarkaar ne desh ko barbaad kar ke rakh diya hai.

Y : Aur nahi to kya. Naa to koi development hota hai. Aur upar se yeh politician log ek doosre ki taang kheechne mein hi lage rehte hai. Solid kamaai kar rahe hai yeh log.

X : Desh jaaye bhaad me... In logo ko thode hi kuch padi hai desh ki. Yeh sab apna ghar bharne mein lage hai. Jitni zyada party utna zyada corruption. America ke jaise 2-party hona chahiye.

Y : Ab to yeh ek-do MP waali party bhi blackmail karti hai. "Ye kaam karo nahi to support khich lenge."

X : Exit poll dekha?

Y : Haan. Kisi bhi gathbandhan (alliance) ko bahumat nahi milta dikh raha hai.

X : Zabardast jod-tod hogi. Chhoti chhoti party ko bhi maska lagayenge. Is se to achha hai Congress aur BJP mil ke sarkaar bana de. Jiski zyada seats, uska PM. Sab 'kachra' saaf ho jaayega.

Y : Idea to achha hai. Lekin mujhe nahi lagta ye kabhi possible ho paayega. Congress aur BJP kabhi ek nahi ho sakti.

X : Agar aisa ho to desh ka bhala ho jaayega.

This idea of Mr X startled me. I thought forget two-party system. We can have a competitive government even in multi-party system. But for that, the two major rivals have to become friends. And thats very very difficult. 'Coz I believe that "Nothing is Impossible..." (line-maaro courtesy : Mr Napoleon Bonaparte). And of course everybody knows that "In politics, nobody is untouchable..." (Raajneeti mein koi achhoot nahi hota....)

This will discourage the small and micro parties that have popped up in every corner of the country like the mosquitos multiply in the monsoons. There will be more development. Party with more seats will get more ministerial berths. There will be way less mud-slinging as the main rivals will now be friends.

Even if this happens for two whole terms (10 years), all the small parties will loose their base. And thus ending coalition politics.

The conversation of Mr X and Mr Y compelled me to think about it. Nice idea Mr X.... You need a pat on your back. But the million dollar question is "Can this EVER happen?"

'VOTE' an idea.....

With the elections right around the corner, every second day we read articles and blogs on why and how and whom should one vote. We have been bombarded with voting appeals, rallies and advertisements among others. Bollywood with all its might, has come forward and asked the youth to finally get their index finger inked. Aamir Khan campaigning for the National Election Watch campaign and Shah Rukh Khan flying in from South Africa amidst the IPL Season 2 just to vote. All this shows increase in awareness among 'star' voters, which in turn encourages 'common' voters to vote too.

The word doing the rounds in these elections is - 'change'. But change is never easy, you fight to let go and you fight to hold on and we see a classic example of this as we watch the senior most politicians in our country taking digs at each other. What we need is no sound administration but a sound leadership. We often see people criticising our country is run but as they say if people start criticising, hurting and shouting - don't be bothered because in any game, spectators make noise.

Let's do it.

At this juncture, what matters most is that we vote. 70 per cent of our population consists if the youth. They need to think about life beyond their college and office gates. A system cannot transform overnight, and change cannot be brought about in a jiffy but efforts can be made to improve.

Our country has seen some of the gloomiest phases in the recent times, from fighting economic slowdown to taking a stand against terrorism, but has the common man come forward? Have you tried to make a difference? We can all be a part of a happy future, if we vote.

Vote not because you want the misery to end but because you want to start a new chapter filled with hopes and beliefs.

Vote not because you have to, but vote because you want to. Vote not because it is the need of the hour but because when the clock struck midnight on August 14, we promised ourselves a flourishing democracy.

Every vote counts they say. I say let us make every vote worth counts.

In my view, if you do not vote, you don't have the right to curse the government for the next five years which gets formed because of your not voting.

THE DOT ON YOUR FINGER IS HOT..... Flaunt it !!!

No Criminals

I support the "NO CRIMINALS" initiative of the Public Intrest Foundation. Take a look at the statistics below and the videos that follow.

APPEAL
Sixty two years after winning independence, India waits to be free again. To be freed from criminals who have muscled their way into power. In 2004, about one in five MPs had criminal records, including some with charges of heinous crimes such as murder, rape, dacoity and kidnapping. This seriously tarnishes the image of honest and eminent leaders who are committed to building a greater India. It is time for every citizen of India to become a freedom fighter and unite to free India from the clutches of criminals. As citizens of a free nation, we appeal to all the political parties to refrain from giving tickets to persons with criminal backgrounds. And take an oath to free India from criminals forever.

And please do vote this time and that too for the right candidate. Criminal candidates are a part of each and every political party. Boycott those parties who field candidates with criminal background. Do not vote for the party symbol. Vote for the right person. Remember

"CAST YOUR VOTE, DON'T JUST VOTE YOUR CASTE"

NO CRIMINALS... PLEASE....