Who Am I

Religion and Culture

2009-07-02T00:11:00.000-07:00

Am interesting disucssion over breakfast on how Hinduism started off as a the most liberal and logical religion or way of life, got converted into symbolism , hypocrisy and tool at hands of so-called Gurus and Babas.

The ancient Hindu books very clearly draw a distinction between 'naman' (bow head in respect) and to touch feet. The books said that every elder, learned one, brave one, honest one and all those who deserved respect need to be bowed to but not touch their feet. Touhcing feet was limited to parents, teachers, motherland (since concept of nation was not yet born) and God. Apart from these, the real Hinduism did not promote the touching of feet.

But today touching of feet has become a joke. We see the trend in political and social curcuits. Leaders feet are touched as if they are God and every Godman thinks he is an incarnation of Vishnu and we see people touching their feet. Just a small gesture as touching feet gives deep insight into the corrution of this amazing religion apart from showing the inferiority mentality that has been bred in by years of slavery and before that the wrong interpretation of Hindu books.

The Political Blogging moves from here

2009-06-01T01:30:00.000-07:00

Now that I have started a new blog mainly for the blogging on politics, governance, ideologies etc, this blog here will be about me, life and other things. To check the political blog, go to http://greatindiandemocracy.blogspot.com/

A candle right up the rear end

2009-05-28T21:51:00.000-07:00

Six months gone and this is what we have as 'action' for 26/11

Ram Pradhan Report absolves the government - state and central from all charges of negligence and intelligence failure. It also clears Mumbai Police and Maharashtra Home Department of all charges of inaction and lack of preparedness.
Kasab's trial is becoming a mockery now with the Defence Counsel's time buying tactics and now a witness goofing up.
Vilasrao Deshmukh who was universally found the inefficient CM has been rewarded for his 'inefficiency' with a cabinet berth.

So, rejoice Mumbai and India as the government of India has proceeded to make a mockery of people's wish and desire to action. As for those who took out candle llight marches, this is one burning candle the government has shoved right up your rear end.

Elections and after

2009-05-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

Before I dwell on the state of mind, I would congratulate the winners of yesterday namely Congress. They beat us outright and won the right to rule for next 5 years. Rahul Gandhi and Manmohan Singh emerged real winners. Maybe time for the BJP senior and a rare politician L K Advani to step into political sunset.

Last few months, I have been involved in BJP campaign both online and offline. So yesterday was a day of tears, shock and disappointment. Indian voters have rejected us outright and it's time to go back to building organisation and winning the voter trust again.

That's why the morning after is different than yesterday. Yesterday was the day to lick the wounds and toay is the day to resolve to go back and work for the change we have hoped and so far worked for.

No ways, I am quitting politics and the party. I am here to stay and will continue till the time politics or BJP does not disillusion me. The results may have disappointed me but they certainly have not left me dejected with either - politics or BJP

Finally as one of the many small warriors in this democratic fight, I would be somewhere responsible for the loss.

Mumbai Votes

2009-04-28T23:34:00.001-07:00

Mumbai, Please Vote and Vote Sensibly

Mumbai Votes

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Questions for the sitting MPs in Mumbai

2009-04-27T22:55:00.000-07:00

These are some of the questions one would like to ask the sitting MPs who are contesting again - Priya Dutt, Milind Deora, Gurudas Kamat, Eknath Gaikwad - all from Congress and Mohan Rawale from Shiv Sena

Where were you when Mumbai was flooded?
What did you do after the floods to ensure relief and rehabilitation?
Why isn't the work on Mithi River not yet completed as per court ruling?
Why did it need an ex-MP (Dr. Kirit Somaiya) instead of sitting MPs to get whatever work has been done on Mithi cleaning?
Why haven't the victoms of train blast not yet received the relief promised?
Why has government gone slow on the blast trials?
Why have some accused gone scot-free?
Did you take the Home Minister to task for making your city unsafe?
Have you given an appraisal of all the work done by you so far?
How much money have you spent from MP funds on your constituency?
Central Government promised a huge amount in last 5 years for Mumbai but less than 15% has been received. Why have you not tried to bring the money into the city?
What have you done for the mill workers who have lost their jobs and now their lands?
What's your stand against regularisation of slums as done by Maharashtra Government regularly in last 8 years?
What have you done in last 5 years for the trains and roadways in Mumbai?
Why is the Bandra Worli Sea Link not yet over?
Why is that post 2004, most projects pertaining to Mumbai have taken such long time?
What's your stand on local involvement during Mumbai attacks?
Why have you not pressed for the removal of top cops, bureaucrats?
Why did you not speak up during the MNS violence?
What did you do when anti-Bush protestors in Azad Maidan got violent and damaged public property?

Why BJP?

2009-04-27T22:28:00.000-07:00

So far, we have tried to see the glaring failures on the UPA and the Congress party both in Neeti (policies) and Niyati (desires). But this one to see why vote for BJP. What are the policies they promise for a better future? What is their wishlist?

Infrastructure - NDA and specially BJP has already proven that when it comes to infrastructure development, they are possibly the best. Be it the Vajpayee government or Modi government in Gujarat or Nitish Kumar in Bihar or Maj Gen (Retd) B C Khanduri in Uttarakhand. They have brought visible changes in the infrastructure in their states. BJP has already released it's Infrastructure Vision which includes interlinking of rivers, cleaning of Ganga river, giving the much needed push to the road project successful in earlier NDA govt and made to RIP by UPA. They also talk about the fast track in the power reforms.

Economy- Villages are they say are the real India. And in last 5 years, agriculture has been given the raw deal. Isn't it a sad thing that the food provider of the country is dying today because of hunger? BJP has already announced it's package for the farmers. Apart from this, the curbs need to be put on the forward trading of essential commodities. This in a large way was responsible for the farmers not getting the right price. BJP has in its manifesto ahs rightly said that the economy can thrive only when the consumer has money in his pocket (own money and not borrowed like in credit cards). This can only happen with a sympathetic view towards taxations specially for the middle class. Only if the middle class has money, they will be able to spend it. Indian middle class is the largest consumer market in the world and has the strength to turn an economy to positive.

Girl Child Welfare - No country can progress till the time the women in the country are kept away from education. The Ladli Laxmi Yojana successful in BJP rules MP is the scheme which tries to ensure that the girl child is incentivised and empowered for education. The scheme ensures the girl getting cash everytime she moves to the next level in educaiton and a large amount when she complete 12th. This ensures that girl child is given education till then and also that she has means to study further.

Security - BJP has always shown that when it comes to internal security, it does not fall back on vote bank politics. The zero tolerance to terror policy ensures that the accused when caught are given a quick and strong punishment so as to deter others. Many might talk of riots but if you see the NDA rule in centre, there was one riot in entire 7 years whereas we have seen many riot scarred cities in last 5 years or even before NDA rule.

Strong Leader - Today the country needs tough decisions. Does the country have the time to wait for 27 blasts for a Home Minsiter to be changed? Does the country need a cabinet without Finance Minister when it is facing recession? The answer is no. The country needs a leader who can lead from front and can take quick decisions. L K Advani is the strong leader India awaits. Though opposition likes to talk only of Kandahar, one should look at Parliament Attack or the hostage crisis at Akshardham Temple in Gujarat. In the first case, the accused were brought to books in record time and in the second case the entire hostage crisis was resolved strongly in less than 6 hours. Shows that L K Advani does not waste time in taking strong decisions.

This election is about a change. And change is what India needs. India today needs the BJP more than it ever did.

Knowing the PM

2009-04-27T04:36:00.000-07:00

While the NDA PM candidate L K Advani has spent most of his life in public life and so there is ample amount of information on his life, one hardly knows of PM Manmohan Singh's career before 1991. So what better to do on a weekend and understand the professional roots and natural loyalties of the PM.

One look at his writings and speeches before 1990 and one gets a clear understanding that he actually was a fan of the Nehruvian style of economy. Infact some of his preferred writers and teachers were communists. His early essays and his speeches specially on Government control over prices are indicators of his liking towars the license raj.

If we then move to his days as bureaucrat, the greatest impact on his professional life as admitted by him was P N Haksar, then advisor to Indira Gandhi and known by most as the key person behind the license raj, nationalisation of banks, ties with USSR, bringing bureaucrats including intelligence services under government control. He also has been credited with the start of darbar culture in Congress and the grand split in Congress which over a period of time led to Emergency.

In the meantime, right from early 70s to mid 80s, Manmohan Singh was a crucial figure in economic affairs of the country holding various positions as Finance Secy, Reserve Bank Governor, Member of Planning Commission. This period which many analysts recall as the darkest period in Indian economy, was complete with high inflation, a huge debt trap and stories of financial corruption in various ministries. Manmohan Singh at that time seems to have behaved just like a bureaucrat with no desire to do things the right way. Some of the 'highlights' of his tenure in various positions are

Highest rate of inflation - 30%
Creating the cartel culture in 1973 under the guise of nationalising wholesale trading of foodgrains

He showed his first signs of loyalty towards Gandhi family by first joining Chandra Shekhar government as an advisor when Rajiv Gandhi led Congress supported it and later by resigning when the support was withdrawn. This period if we all remember was the time when India was grappling with serious issues on internal security, economic doom and rising caste-religion conflicts. But to Manmohan Singh, loyalty to family was more important than loyalty to country's call in distress.

And now he wants 100 more days to repair the economy. Believe him at your own risk.

Blackmailing the voters

2009-04-21T23:04:00.000-07:00

Serve, Please, Appease, Buy.. we have seen it all. Now comes threaaten. Never heard of voters being blackmailed. But 2 senior ministers in Assam have crossed this milestone too.

"You must remember that we will be minister even after the Lok Sabha elections," said Congress minister Rockybul Hussain to an election rally in Nagaon. That sounded more like the hooligans on the street. Another minister Himanta Biswa Sarma offended the electorate in Barpeta when he said, "If Congress candidate is not elected from this seat, it would be difficult for them to set up the medical college which chief minister Tarun Gogoi had announced before the elections."

Jai Ho for Democracy

Dining with the enemy

2009-04-20T23:11:00.000-07:00

Am avoiding the usage of much used phrase 'Sleeping with the Enemy' since I am talking about a lady. This is about the worst kind of political oppotunism.

Remember who and why was I K Gujral's government brought down in 97-98? Well, by Madam Sonia and Congress on issue of relationship between DMK and LTTE and their indicment in Rajiv Gandhi murder. Nearly a decade later now, Sonia finds it okay to digest Karunanidhi's statement heralding LTTE and Prabhakaran as a hero. But no words from Sonia, just because she needs his support to remain in power.

This is the opportunism of the worst kinds. Parties and politicians might have shown political or even social lack of ethics. But this is just a case of personal ethics and the Gandhi family is found seriously lacking those ethics. I wonder how a family which can't stand upto their own kin's 'murderers and their supporters', can stand up for the safety, security and self respect of the Indians.

Why will Mulayam Singh's manefesto work?

2009-04-16T02:41:00.000-07:00

Mulayam Singh's SP came up with the most reggresive manifesto ever created. It generated a lot of criticism all over. But one look at the manifesto and Mulayam's base catchment area of voters will show why the manifesto can work well for him.

Mulayam Singh does not really care for the voters residing in cities and smaller towns. His base is the rural voters and specially the Madrasa bred rural Muslim vote. This section of the society has always thwarted attempts to modernise - be it English education or be it computers in Madrasas. Remember the time Murli Manohar Joshi tried to modernise them and bring them at par with other educational bodies? He was vehemently opposed by this section. They have been huddled into thinking that anything modern is anti-Islam.

For this section, English and computers are nothing but Zionist conspiracies. And so for this group, the manifesto might actually be sweet sound and they could posisbly end up voting for the SP.

PM and democratic values or lack of it

2009-04-14T22:11:00.001-07:00

I won't allow Advani to be the PM candidate
Shun the independents because they trouble Congress
Mayawati should not think of becoming the PM

The above words which were used to show the PM's bravdo actually do nothing but show his background. He was a bureaucrat to start with and at heart still remains one.
The statements made above plus his reluctance to contest elections prove that Dr. Manmohan Singh might have become the PM of the 2nd largest democracy by luck but his core values are still not accustomed to democracy.

His bureacratic background ensures blind loyalty to his bosses (read Gandhis) and a desperation to cling on to the chair at any cost and avoid opposition by hook or crook. That also possibly explains the lack of acocuntablity that one has seen in the state of affairs. No one is allowed to question him and his govenment on terror attacks, recession, price rise, unemployment, lack of progress in infrastructure development etc.

Please answer Teesta

2009-04-13T21:41:00.000-07:00

The cat is out of the bag. While nobody can justify riots and killings, few people went overboard in talking about 2002 post Godhra riots. No, I am not saying this. The Special Investigative Team which owes no allegiance to Gujarat Government is saying this.

The SIT team on 13th April said that Teesta and few other NGOs raked up false cases, tutored witnesses and more. The SIT has found no truth in atleast 3 high profile cases inclluding the alleged rape and foetus killing of Kausar Bano.

Whether this was to shame Gujarat government or to fill their own pockets can be anybody's guess.

This brings us to the larger question. Should not likes of Teesta be brought to books and punished for playing with the law of the land. It is sad that the so-called activists and guardians of Indian democracy and secularism stoop so low to fulfill their political, professional and financial greed.

Source - Times of India, Tuesday, 14th April 2009

Brave words, Mr. PM?

2009-04-11T03:09:00.000-07:00

After a period of nearly 2 years, the PM spoke tough. Last time the PM spoke tough, he had to eat his own words. Remember the exchange about Left's bark and bite and how the PM had to retreat. And this time against L K Advani. But what the Manmohan Singh forgot was that brave words which are not backed with facts are seen as acts of desperation. Let's take a look at lack of facts in his swipe against Advani.

If Manmohan Singh as so pained by Babri demolition, why did he cling on as Finance Minister for 4 years after that incident? He was the number 2 in Narsimha Rao govt but he did not do anything during the demolition or riots after that. Maybe being a habitual helpless one, he was helpless then too.
Congress rakes up Kandahar every time the word terror is mentioned. What they forget is that the policy of bowing down to terrorists was started by their friend Mufti Mohd Sayyed who released terrorists in exchange of his daughters. And later Narsimha Rao continued the tradition by giving safe passage and packed biryanis to Mast Gul, the dreaded terrorist. And if the PM forgot, he was the key member of the cabinet then too. The Kandahar incident was a sad one and for an avid supporter llike me, a wrong decision. But does one wrong decision justify the terror attacks for last 5 years and Congress' and their allies refusal to stop playing minority appeasement politics.
PM says he is not a man of words but of action. Then please ask him, where are the reforms he promised? Where are the roads NDA started? How is it that inspite of having a 'dream financial team' and an eminient economist as PM, India is in terrible reccession, unemployment and price rise? What action did PM take against tainted ministers? What about action against Afzal Guru? The only time a minister was kicked for non performance was when Madam demanded after 4 yrs of inaction in case of Shivraj Patil. And PM says he is a man of action.
Finally, his statement that he would have resigned had Nuke deal not gone through. It is sad that our PM does not think suicide of thousands of farmers, 27 bomb blasts and a terror attack leaving more than a thousand dead or growing number of unemployed youth was a blot on his reputation. The promise to George Bush is more important to him than a promise to this country. Loyalty to 10 Janpath seems more important to him than loyalty to the nation.

Shame on you, Mr. PM

Media and EC under scanner now for Model Code of Conduct

2009-04-07T00:42:00.003-07:00

EC and Media which passed strict remarks against Varun Gandhi are now under Model Code of Conduct scanner. The nation is watching on their reaction to the hate speech by AP Congress Chief Srinivas. He has said that he will chop of hands of anyone who dares touch minorities. This is as serious a hate speech as Varun Gandhi's. Similarly Laloo too has said similar words.

The ball is in the court of the media and EC. This is their chance to show they aren't biased. Their chance to follow the Model Code of Conduct.

Pre Poll Alliances v/s Post Poll Alliances

2009-04-06T22:56:00.000-07:00

Now that the elections are in the phase where all parties have sounded the war cry, one needs to see how alliances are shaping up and how it impacts Indian polity.

Cut to 1998 when NDA formed the government. Since they did not have the requisite numbers they dto build post pall alliances with AIADMK, TDP and TMC. This resulted in governance taking a backstage and survival became the key. Similar thing happened with the last UPA government. Since UPA was a post poll alliance, opportunism was more rampant than policies and governance. The result is for all to see. India wasted the momentum built by NDA government between 1999-2004. No major reforms could be pushed and government was always under threat from Left, DMK, JMM etc. One of the biggest calamities of this post poll alliance was that India for time in history had so many tainted ministers.

But now remember the period 1999-2004. NDA had come to power as a pre-poll alliance and this helped in smooth functioning of the govt and passage of most bills and policies. India for the first time in history saw an impressive infrastructure building and economic reforms.

This time the 2 major alliances are UPA (Congress + NCP + DMK + TC) and NDA (BJP +INLD + Akali Dal + Shiv Sena + JDU + RLD + AGP). Rest all the 3rd and 4th fronts are a bunch of opportunists. If they have a say in next government, corrupton and nepotism will increase. So in view of betterment of the country, one should vote only for pre poll alliance which have been together and are powerful even today.

Youth Leadership

2009-04-01T02:49:00.000-07:00

He is 38 yrs young. Has been oe of the youngest MPs chosen for the best MP award by fellow MPs. His constituency is the 4th largest in India. He has been fore-front in talking about Chinese agressive designs on AP. He has been one of the stellar performers in the current Lok Sabha. A lecturer in Botany, does he look like someone who can lay claim to being a youth leader and a barometer of youth's aspirations in India? Can you predict who can it be?

Tough, isn't it? No, it's not one of those handpicked from a dynasty and now hailed as our saviour and media has never or at the best hardly spoken about him.

The name is Kiren Rijiju. Never heard of him, right?Stumped, aren't you? But yeah, this person is Kiren Rijiju, MP from Arunachal Pradesh. A father of 3, he is also the National Secy of BJP. To compare his performance with the crowned prince of Indian politics, have a look:
Special Mentions in current session - Rijiji 9 and Rahul 1
Questions - Rijiju 184 and Rahul 3
Private Member’s Bills - Rijiju 6 and Rahul none
Participation in debates - Rijiju 72 debates and Rahul 2

And the similarity between Kiren Rijiju, Shah Nawaz Hussain, Dr. Sudha Yadav, Dharmendra Pradhan etc is that they are all young and all come from an ordinary family. None of these people had a dynasty to back them. So next time before you think that only the dynastic Babalog brigade can bring a change, think hard and twice. And do spare a thought for these young leaders who have not got their slice of fame.

And they claim to be secular

2009-03-29T22:29:00.000-07:00

Congress last week welcome Tauqeer Khan to their fold. Welcoming him was none other than Digvijay Singh who does not tire of showing off his secular credentials. Maybe what he forgot or did not know or did not care was that Tauqeer Khan was the cleric who offered a reward to the person who beheads the cartoonist behind the Danish cartoons. And Congress his entry into Congress strengthens secularism.
Left in Kerala is fighting it's own CM. The reason is Madani, someone who is called the face of terror in South India. He has spent years in jail and has been involved in Coimbatore blasts and now is under scanner for Keralaite youth found fighting in Kashmir and Bangalore blasts. He is courted by both, Congress and the Left because they need his votes and for that they can forgive and forget his actions and speech.
Sharad Pawar yesterday in Mumbai made a speech again to the effect that Hindu terrorism s responsible for most of the blasts in the country. And in same speech, he was teaching secularism to Varun.
What's surprising is that media which lynches anyone talking about Hindu pride is silent on all these points. And it is this attitude of media and politicians which will generate if not a Hindutva wave but surely a Hindutva undercurrent.

11 Million Jobs

2009-03-25T22:54:00.000-07:00

Congress promises 11 million jobs if it comes to power. 10 Million jobs that it could not provide inspite of promising last time and 1 million for those who lost their jobs in recent times due to economy mismanagement.

Move elections to SA too

2009-03-24T22:26:00.000-07:00

EC has come with an interesting observation that there is a lack of security forces for this elections. EC claims there are 15,000 security personnel less in this election than 2004 election. Shocking, isn't it? This means either too many security personnel have resigned in last 5 years or more personnel are used elsewhere. If it means former, it shows sheer disregard of security personnel by the current government and security personnel's frustration with the government. And if it latter, then it just means that India is far more dangerous place than 2004. And government obviously has to take blame for both the situations.

Infact they can talk to Lalit Modi and see if he can get a package deal for hosting both IPL and elections on the safer shores of South Africa.

Politics of hate and crime

2009-03-23T23:32:00.000-07:00

Hate and crime seem to have been one of the features of Indian politics since decades now. But this time, Varun Gandhi incident has brought it out in the open. Let's have a look at the tainted sheet in this election. The communalists and the criminals.

Communists and Congress in Kerala are both lining up at the same place. And the place belongs to Madani, the known communalist and one booked for number of terror cases. In fact just recently he and his wife have been under scanner for the 4 terrorists found in Kashmir and originally from Kerala. But when it's election time, secularism is better kept for TV studios and all so called secular parties are courting Madani to swing Muslim votes in their favour. While a young Varun get's clobbered all around, the senior Communist and Congress leaders praising Madani and hailing him are allowed to go scotfree.
What's the difference between Varun Gandhi and Jagdish Tytler / Sajjan Kumar? Just one. While Varun said the hate words, the other 2 went one step further and did so in action. They burnt and massacred Sikhs in calculated cold blooded manner.
The Church in Kerala too seems to be eager to stir this pot of hatred. So throwing their preaching of 'tolerance' to the winds, they have jumped in the fray, spreading hatred against both BJP and Communists and courting Congress. And they say one of the tenets of Secularism is that religion and politics have to be kept seperate.
Sanjay Dutt, Mukhtar Ansari, Ateeq Ahmed, Mohd Shahabuddin, Taslimuddin, Pappu Yadav... long list of those convicted of serious crimes and still in the fray or looking to get their spouses elected. Infact Taslimuddin, charged of serious cases like rape, murder, kidnapping was just inches away from being sworn in the last UPA government as a minister.
What about those who have spread venom on issues of caste and language? If one talks about caste venom, one has to see Mayawati, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Laloo Yadav, Ram Vilas Paswan, Sachin Pilot who have used caste hatred and violence to reach the top echelons. What about the Thackerays, the Karunanidhis who are so jingoistic on their langauge that for them the country starts and ends with their states.
Then we have people like Omar Abdullah who unfortunately are applauded for the most divisive speech in Parliament. If Raj Thackeray says Maharashtra is their land and they won't let anyone step on it, it is called hate speech. But when Omar Abdullah says land for Amarnath is their land and they will fight for it with blood, it suddenly becomes a speech to be appluaded. Just becase it came from a Muslim leader? Or just because it suits for Indian politics to be anti-majority?

If EC wants to make the Indian politics hate and crime free, it has to act strongly and in an unbiased manner against all those accused of these acts. The EC can ill-afford a partisan approach because bias always leads to polarisation.

BJP and Women Power

2009-03-18T03:23:00.000-07:00

Last couple of months one has seen the media and activists focus on the 'supposed' treatment of women in BJP ruled states specially Karnataka. While the attacks on the women are condemnable, the brush used to paint BJP as anti-women or anti-freedom is equally condemnable. To see the reason, one has to just see examples of 2 schemes run in BJP ruled states - Gujarat and MP. Maybe because this scheme aimed at the vast majority of those women who have got no voice in media, on internet or in streets. Or maybe because the women organisations don't think these women are a part of India.

Ladli Laxmi Yojana in MP is one of it's kind in the country. This scheme not only prevents female foeticide but it also ensures that the girl child does have some financial independence as she grows. As per the scheme, for evey girl child born, the government invests in saving certificates for 1st five year. Then as the child grows and studies, she gets an amount regularly. When she reaches the 12th standard, the girl child gets more than a lakh. The scheme has reduced the rate of school and college dropout amongst girls.

Another similar scheme has been the Beti Bachao Andolan in Gujarat. For long, Gujarat had one of the worst male to female ratio in the country. Under this, the state government not only took strict steps to prevent female foeticide, it also ensured that the girl child born in the family is treated as a relief rather than a burden. And the statistics say it all, the gender ratio has seen a healthy change. Plus Unicef has applauded this scheme.

And it is really heatening to hear that the same schemes would be brought to the centre if NDA comes to power.

Congress' revenge on Gandhiji

2009-03-06T00:30:00.000-08:00

Gandhiji used to believe and say that Congress post-independence should be disbanded. And the current government has seen to it that they have their revenge. And it was so simple.

Their government (as they claim) was instrumental in Gandhiji's belongings being bought over by Liquor Baron Vijay Mallya.

The Taliban challenge

2009-03-04T02:22:00.000-08:00

So many times we have read 'what goes around does come around'. The latest in this is the deadly possiblity of Taliban at India's doorstep. In more ways than one, India indirectly was the birthplace for the ideology which later turned into Taliban. In 1800s, after losing their power and grip over India, one saw the rise of Deoband. Started in UP on a very strong anti-British pitch, Deobandis fought pitched battles against British forces specially in 1857 War of Independence. Though many historians have tried to potray them as nationalists, the fact remained that they were fighting more for their religion and the religious power they enjoyed over vast areas of then undivided Hindustan. One has surely read how they fought or looked down upon the Hindus and other Muslim fighters during 1857 war. Post the loss, one did not hear much about them except the activities in Islamci Education or rise and spread of Wahabism. One of the seminaries of Deoband went far and wide spreading the so-called stringent form of Islam and that was termed Wahabsm.

Taliban right from it's early days draws strength and inspiration from this form of Islam. So in an indirect way India could be said to be the birthplace of Taliban. Now that challenge is right at our doorstep.

UPA government like always would like to be blind to this threat. But what one cannot close its eyes to is the fact that there is a sort of active revivalism of Wahabism in India. This is the dangerous territory. Remember how riots broke out in India over things like Afghan war or hanging of Saddam? Remember how desecration of Buddha in Bamiyan was treated with silence in Indian Islamic world and with glee in the radical circles? India has rarely seen bigger rallies than anti-Bush and anti-Danish Cartoon rallies. Malegaon, Bangalore, Meerut, Aligarh all burnt on issues which did not concern India.

These things will show how Taliban is not just at our doorstep but has entered our country in some way. Fighting individuals and armies is still possible but idealogies spread faster than people. And it was take an ideological battle to fight Taliban from destroying India.

And this ideological battle cannot be fought by indulging to vote-bank politics. Neither it can fought by victomisation. It can be fought only on the ideals of 'Justice for All, Appeasement for None'

Suraksha, Samman aur Khushalli

2009-03-02T21:24:00.000-08:00

The above 3 words to be used as the UPA slogan sounds so hollow when you see what all has transpired in last 5 years. Let's talk of it one word as a time

Suraksha - The intellectual level of whoever in UPA thought that their government and Suraksha (safety) has anything in common, is highly suspect. They surely need better writers. Even a kid if asked what's was the common thing in last 5 years would say bomb blasts and terrorism. The country saw 27 blasts in last 5 years and the Mumbai attack to top it all. Only in the last year was there some change made or an attempt to whitewash made. Their security policy has been a national and then an internaitonal joke. Look at how Assam has gone on boil so many times. North East states which were all coming to normalcy after talks with Vajpayee regime as back to the turbulent days. Not a single part of the country was left untouched by terrorism. Even in J & K, the government pandered to and pampered the seperatists while nationalists were fired upon. Afzal Guru has been saved the gallows only because of the vote bank politics. The UPA government has not been a total failure when it comes to protecting people but it has also not been able to punish the culprits. Suraksha has been made the unloved mistress of votebank politics.

Samman -Hmm, respect. Now just visualise how many times have you seen Manmohan Singh relegated to position 3 in terms of respect within the Congress party (after Sonia and Rahul) and you would why one laughs at the mention of that word in the slogan. The government or the party which does not respect even it's own selected PM talks about respect for others. A PM who is used like a nighwatchman can hardly talk about respect. How many times in 5 years has the PM been made to pamper opportunist likes of Amar Singh, Karunanidhi, Sharad Pawar and criminal likes of Laloo Prasad Yadav, Shibu Soren. What respect are they talking about? Even the democratic institutions have been denied the respect they deserve. Everyone, right from CBI, EC to the media has been treated like a prostitute by the UPA government. The only ones who enjoyed some respect possibly have been the Gandhis.

Khushali - Such an irony that even after ruling the country for nealy 50 years, Congress still needs to promise happiness to the people. Even thought of asking them what they did for all these years? I would recommend the slogan writer to talk about khushali to the widows of the farmers who have committed suicide in Maharashtra, AP or to the people who have had their life-long savings wiped off in stock exchanges or to the middle class working youth who have been paying the highest EMIs for last 5 years. Talk about it to the people who have lost their employment. Further more, talk about khushali to the aam aadmi for whom survival has become a challenge.

So next time you hear Suraksha, Samman aur Khushali, think of Shivraj Patil changing clothes after blasts, PM working part-time till the Yuvraaj is ready to be PM and the widows of the farmers who committed suicide.

The secular curse

2009-03-02T00:16:00.000-08:00

Wonder why there is silence when a statement like this should have called for all round condemnation? Sharad Pawar yesterday blamed the Hindutva forces for terrorism in India. And he is supposed to be the secular one with the halo around his head. So now, Hindus know that they are the reason why Punjab saw terrorism. Hindus are the reason why Kashmir has been burning for decades. Hindus are the reason why there have been blasts and terror attacks in the country. Applause for Pawar, the champion of secularism and the protector of India. He surely will get the kudos of the media and his secular brethren mainly his own favourite Dawood.

Had he said the same for any other community, they would ahve bayed for his blood or even skinned him politicially. But then Hindus as always will be tolerant and not only forgive him but also vote for him and his kinds.

Why Congress deserves the credit for Slumdog Millionaire

2009-02-24T21:24:00.000-08:00

Before anything else, heartiest congratulations to the entire team involved with Slumdog Millionaire for it's Oscar success.

Congress Spokesman for once said the right thing. The entire success of Slumdog Millionaire has to be credited to Congress. Come on, let's face it. Congress has ruled India (and not governed) for most of the years after Independence. And if we still see slums, poverty, depair around, it obviously Congress' 'conducive' growth policies. And not to forget 'inclusive' politics. They have ensured that poverty and slums grow and include people from each community and region. The only people they never included in this 'conducive' growth has been their leaders and their kins. So much for fair play!

The choice to be made now is - Another Oscar Congress style or real growth and development?

Youth Leadership - EMIs and Pink Slips

2009-02-22T23:06:00.000-08:00

With more and more voters in ths 18-25 range, India is looking at a new dimension and that is 'young leadership'. But what is dished out as youth leadership is a worrisome trend. Let's look at some young leaders - Rahul Gandhi, Sachin Pilot, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Umar Abdullah, Priya Dutt, Milind Deora, Manvendra Singh, Dushyant Singh, Anurag Thakur, Dayanidhi Maran, Uddhav Thackeray, Supriya Sule, Ajit Pawar, Bharat Solanki and many more. One thing which strikes the mind immediately is that all these young leaders irrespecive of their parties are sons, daughters or kins of the politicians who have ruled the roost over the years. Now that begs a few questions

If they were not born as what they are, would they have reached there?
What if instead of being new vision, they are just the proverbial 'chip off the old block'?
Are they just ornamental or can they really bring in the change?
How many of them have so far demonstrated, in work and not in speeches, that they can make a difference?

That's where the shiver sets in and the questions asked are
Do I need a young leader who has never paid an EMI?
Do I need a young leader who has so far demonstrated no signs of freshness except that of the face?
Would these young leaders really understand how painful being unemployed is?
Can those who have got things on platter understand the struggles a common man has to go through?
Will we now never find a statesman like Atal Bihari Vajpayee rise from ranks of a common man?
Should those living as common public forget that they too have a say in policy making or hope to be a leader and just hand it over to dynasties to rule them?

And the biggest questions

Is our democracy moving back to monarchy?
And the answer is - To prevent this, one has to support whoever has the vision for a Better India, is accountable, clean and can deliver, irrespective of the age.

Why L K Advani is the most misunderstood politician in India?

2009-02-19T22:16:00.000-08:00

The headline might raise the eyebrows of many who think that the man is the primary reason for the ‘communal divide’ in the country. While the media has been prompt to endorse the likes of Laloo, the railway minister over Laloo, the corrupt politician, they have been more unfair in their potrayal of Advani as the single faceted leader.

Though the media loves to hate the man, the media forgets that it was L K Advani who as the Information and Broadcasting Minister in Morarji Desai government had opened the media for an impartial working. He removed the draconian laws which clamped on media. The central censorship also was thrown in the dustbin during his ministerial regime. He was the man behind Prasar Bharati, which aimed at removing DD and AIR from the clutches of government and reduce government interference in media. Alas, media never hailed the man who in more ways than one is the reason why media started enjoying freedom.

Many call Rath Yatra as the start of division in the society. But a look into the history and one sees Bhivandi, Meerut, Baroda, Bhagalpur, Kanpur, Malegaon, Ahmedabad (the religious Jagannath yatra was always under attack in certain areas), post Hazratbal riots and many more riots across the country since 1947. And these were much before the Rath Yatra. The Rath Yatra if not anything else was a symbol of identity for the people who till then had seen minority appeasement or reservational appeasment as the common occurance. For the first time, the silent mass found a reason to assert its identity. So if few feel it was a divisive move, for many others it was an assertion of identity. So in more ways than one, it did open the secular v/s pseudo-secular debate in the country. And also it changed the uni-polar politics of India and people were given a credible alternative to Congress

Somnath Chaterjee, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L K Advani … what is common between all of them? They all have had a long innings in public life but haven’t been smeared with stigma of corruption. He was named once in 1996 in the fake Hawala case which then Congress government had foisted on most of the opposition leaders. Only L K Advani had the courage and personal integrity to quit electoral pursuits till his name was cleared. And mind you in 1996, he could have been the 13 day PM since he was the face of BJP. But it takes nothing less than sheer clean conscience to put principles before ambitions.

Many try to hide the ineffectiveness of current regime Home Ministers by saying that terror attacks happened during L K Advani’s ministerial stint too. But what they forget was that the action or reaction by the Indian government in all the cases was fast and decisive. I remember Diptosh Majumdar from CNN IBN comment on a chat after 26/11 that had L K Advani been the HM, he would have alteast tried things different and quickly and cut the time lag of decision making. Remember Akshardham and the promp action? Or even the trials after Parliament attack. No home minister can completely remove terror in this age but the least one can do is to inspire confidence that there will be steps and strong ones.

Self made man that he is, the last thing one can associate with him is that he can be remote controlled by different powers. That’s the strength both Atalji and Advaniji have. Their years of experience in public life have given them a stature that they will not bow down to extra-constitutional authorities and undermine the respect – individual or national.

There are many such points where L K Advani scores heavily, where his aachar (actions), vichaar (thoughts) and prachar (his voice) has kept country above others. But misunderstood man that he is, media and intelligentsia has painted him with only one brush and ignored the vast positives of his. Sit back and do some reading and thinking on him and maybe even the critics and cynics will see the positives.

To sum it up, I will borrow some words from Mr. Sudheendra Kulkarni’s blog and say – It’s time to defocus on the ‘Vansh Bhogi’ (ones who live on the dynasty) and hail the ‘Karma Yogi’ (those who work on for country endlessly)

The liberal challenge

2009-02-15T22:44:00.001-08:00

A couple of days back I got an email from a friend of mine which spoke about how it is necessary to weed out intolerance and religious fanaticism and saffron ideology from India. I could not help but laugh because the same friend 2 years ago was sending emails on why Da Vinci Code, both movie and the book should be banned in India. And she was happy when the movie was banned in few states. That’s where ‘liberals’ can not win the war against intolerance because of their own biases and intolerance.

Many such examples one can see. While Shiv Sena’s call for banning the book Rama’s Riddles is considered fanaticism, Dalit outcry and violence on Arun Shourie’s book ‘Demystifying False Gods’ does not evict the least of attention in media or liberal circles. Luckily both the books (brilliant books) have not seen the fate which Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses had to see or the writers had to undergo what Taslima Nasreen had to both in her country and in ‘secular’ India.

M F Hussein is painted as the victim of fundamentalism when he is under fire from Hindu right wing but then there is total silence when his movie Meenaxi is brought down from theatres on day 2 of release under pressure from the Muslim groups. And Hussein too was made to apologise for the same. Double standards or poetic justice?

Till the time the liberals don’t close out these cracks in their outcry, the likes of Muttalik, Raj Thackeray, John Dayal, Madani, Imam Bukhari will continue to prosper.

It’s time to leave our own biases aside and throw our own intolerances out. How many of us have not uttered the words ‘this should be banned’ or ‘that should be banned’? Because till the time we don’t do that, the only difference between us and the fanatics would be that they use violence and we can’t go down to those levels.

Modi v/s Manmohan

2008-11-26T12:29:00.000-08:00

The word 'Manmohan' should be added to the Oxford dictionary and the meaning for it should be given as - Indecisive, Incompetent, Weak and now Shameless. What benefit does a so-called 'liberal' and 'secular' PM when he can't guarantee the safety of common citizens. I rather have a 'communal' Modi who atleast takes the decisions and inspires some confidence.

Secular state at what cost?

2008-11-26T12:20:00.000-08:00

Nehru and Gandhi might have seen a dream, which was ideal but maybe not practical. The events happening now clear show that Jinnah's two-nation theory was more apt that Gandhi's secular dream. It's time, India decides if it wants to be a secular soft state or be a Hindu state with respect and rights for minorities. That might atleast stop the vote bank politics and allow the state to act with iron fist on whoever hurts nation's citizens, the criminal be majority or minority. The secular soft state has now become like a soft couch with needles inside it. It looks great from outside but is extremely tough to sleep on it comfortably. US and UK have shown that a nation can be liberal and secular even without announcing itself as a secular state.

Mumbaikar?

2008-02-13T06:02:00.000-08:00

Writing this as I sit in a bar waiting for the chaos to subside after the arrest and bail of Raj Thackera. Wondering what's this all about?

Are North Indians or non Marahis to blame for all Mumbai woes? Is Raj completely wrong? Haven't the latest lot of migrants added to the social woes of the city in terms of crime, cheating and daily corruption?

The answer is not all black or white. While Raj errs majorly when he says this city is for Marathis coz he does not take into consideration the contributions made by early Parsi, Gujarati, Marwari, Sindhi, Punjabi, South Indian and UP migrants. Mumbai would never have been an international city without these groups.

But when he talks about the latest wave, he surely deserves a patient ear, if he cares for one. While early migrants all brought positive energy to the city, the latest wave has brought with it a lot of negatives too. Rigged meters were a fairy tale in Mumbai few years ago except at Dadar Railway stations. But today 80% of meters in autos and cabs are rigged and common offenders are traced to UP or Bihar. This and much more is what irks common Mumbaikar, someone who might not be a Marathi.

So while it's perfectly alright to bash Raj for his narrow vision and hatred, it's time the migrant community of last few years mind their ways and become a part of the city like the early migrants.

And this post is incomplete without a toast to the inclusive Marathi character, which in first place allowed the city to become cosmopolitan.

The dance of democracy

2007-12-23T05:05:00.000-08:00

Indian democracy once again showed that people on the streets think different than those who sit in AC rooms and want to change fortunes. The Gujarat poll results are like a slap on all those who don't tire of thinking and declaring that India should be thinking the way they do because otherwise they belong on an uncivil society. This is surely a loss of crediblity for all the 'Limousine Liberals' like Javed Akhtar, Teesta Setlavad, Achyut Yagnik etc. They need to have an unbiased stance and not be selective in their causes. Infact in one of the channels, Teesta lost her cool when said she has lost crediblity due to her silence on issues like Nandigram.

This also brings to notice one serious issue and that is in India, choices are Modi, Gandhi family and Prakash Karat, all with blood on their hands. If Modi was the Nero when Gujarat burnt, Congress was actively involved in killings of the Sikhs in 84 and Communists have been spilling blood in West Bengal and Kerela for decades now. So it always will remain the best of the worst race with choices differing from state to state and class to class

For now, one has to just step back and respect the judgement of the mass majority in Gujarat.

Merchants of death

2007-12-09T20:34:00.000-08:00

No, am not talking about Sonia's statement and the aftermath and am neither talking about Modi as enough has been written about both. This is about mockery of dead bodies in Maharashtra.

Amravati in Maharashtra is one of the worst hit areas for farmer community. The place has seen more than 500 suicides by the farmers so far. The state government has been shying away from helping them out of their woes citing bad economic conditions of the state treassury. Even the cheques given by PM bounced due to lack of funds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But now the widows have a new gift from the government. They have a 400 crore International Airport. Can a mockery ever be more ruthless?

And the airport just because our President Pratibhu "who' Patil belongs to Amravati. So the parched lands of Amravati can watch airplanes fly by while their farmers hang themselves to death.

Has Dr. Prannoy Roy (NDTV) sold his soul?

2007-11-14T20:20:00.000-08:00

Has Dr. Prannoy Roy sold his soul or are his red chaddis showing? As torchbearer of 'truth', NDTV has been at the forefront to expose, criticise and fight against any kind of injustice. Though there have been rampant accusations about NDTV being a mouthpiece of 10, Janpath at times and of Communists at times, no one ever questioned their search for information.

But their coverage (or non-coverage) of Nandigram exposes it all. While CNN IBN has been brave, honest and direct in its criticism of West Bengal Govt with both Sagarika Ghose and Diptosh Majumdar mincing no words asking Buddhadeb to resign, NDTV has been surprisingly silent or focussing on other 'non-issues'. Maybe any other state and we would have seen Burkha Dutt and likes out there on ground zero getting the scoops but then WB is not just any other state for them.

Makes one wonder if the pressures of running a media house has finally caught up with Dr. Prannoy Roy and he is finally showing how news media is dictated terms by money and political belief.

Any difference between Buddhadeb and Modi?

2007-11-11T21:05:00.000-08:00

As Nandigram witnesses a wave of violence, murder, loot and brutal rape, one wonders if Left has lost the moral right to oppose Narendra Modi. Both Modi and Buddhadeb now stand accused of being involved in cleansing, one under the name of religion and another under political loyalties. They both have allowed their supporters to wreck havoc and kill at will. So, does the Left have any right anymore to talk about the Gujarat riots? Also noteworthy is the silence of the so-called Human Rights activists. Except Medha Patkar, no one (Shabana, Javed Akhtar, Teesta, Mahesh Bhatt etc) have even spoke a word. And that is because they belong to the same ideological group and derive their support from the Left.

The only difference one can see between Modi and Buddhadeb is that the media and social activists will remain silent to the misdeeds of Buddhadeb and his cohorts while they will not keep silent till Modi and his cohorts are brought to the book.

The racist Indian

2007-10-22T01:29:00.000-07:00

Burn effigies when Greg Chappell shows his middle fingers to morons. Better still, make it a national tragedy when Shilpa Shetty is 'racially abused' but when it comes to you, go ahead and abuse anyone and everyone left, right and centre..

The treatment that Aussies got during their cricket tour was pathetic. Fans would say even Aussies sledge but then they forget that Aussies win 90% of the time. Remember Chak De when they said 'Pehle apni game uchi karo phir awaaz' (raise your game before you raise your voice at the opponents)

Symonds was subjected to some pathetic behaviour for his race. And no, this does not happen anywhere else but in the city of tolerance, Mumbai. Many would defend it because Indians have been subjected to it for years. But then the moment we indulge in racism or defend it, we have lost the moral right to speak over it.

So, next time, someone apes our cricketers as Curry Eating Ass Wipers, we don't have a right to object because we are just reaping what we have sowed.

And this is not just in sports but in all forms of life, India is possibly one of the few countries where the 'N' word is still spoken and did I read somewhere than we are children of Gandhi? My whatever....

Everyone with oriental look is a 'Chinky' (including Indians from the northeast) and we are fine commenting on their eating habits, talking habits and likes..

Domestic racism is a totally different story and is a huge menace anyways.. remember ghati, bhaiya, lungi, gaanda bhai and words?

We may not like it but the sad fact is India and Indians take the lead as the accused in art of racism. And to fight it will take a lot of cleansing to do internally.

Narendra Modi - development messiah or blood sucking villian?

2007-10-15T04:24:00.000-07:00

Was watching Narendra Modi's interview on a TV channel and coud not help but think on who the real Modi is.

One one hand he is accused of 2002 riots and the minority bashing. He was described a modern Nero by Supreme Court. In a sense, he has blood on his hands.

One another hand, one can ask, which politician does not have blood on his hands? Rajiv Gandhi has Sikh blood on his hands and similarly others too. So where does it seperate them from Modi? Modi backers point out that he is undoubtedly the most efficient CM India has seen for a while. No one can question or debate that his government has been the most efficient and non-corrupt on all fronts except the social front.

People are divided and will continue to be divided depending on which side of social divide are they on. The debate will continue and till the time debate continues, Modi will grow in strength. Only history will say who the real Modi is.

Late Night Mumbai

2007-10-05T22:06:00.001-07:00

After a long long time, did the Wine-Party-Andaa Bhurji routine. And repeated to my friend what I tell in other cities. If you wanna see life moving at any hour, come to Mumbai. Its the only CITY in India.

After an evening plan which went awry, visited a friends Art Store in Versova, the lovely Tribal Route. Bonded over some wine and met a couple of old friends. Decided to croak oops Karaoke after that and headed to Merlins. After hours of 90% Bollywood and hardly 3-4 classics, left hungry as hell and drunk as always.

Wanted to go to the classic bheja and kaleji with pao and pulav place at Andheri W but then realised I am a vegetarian till 31st Oct. Laxmi Punjab too was closed by cops at 3 am. So found a Pav Bhaji and Pulav place on Andheri East. Ate to the stomach and tongue's delight. Went home and crashed by 4 am

The whole evening, one thing was evident, everyone was alive. There is never a dull moment in this city. For that you got Bangalores and Chennais of the world.

Was the T20 cup fixed?

2007-09-26T00:15:00.000-07:00

Bring on the bricks but I can bet my life that the cup was fixed by the highest authorities of the game.

What makes me think so? Well, the way the cup went on and ended. Close matches but rarely any earth shattering upsets. Right from the 1st match till the last.

What do the authorities gain? Well, simple!! The game was losing its sheen in India and Pakistan, the countries with largest cricket fans. The fallout of the WC debacle was reducing fan following in these two countries resulting in loss on sponsorship and revenues for the game. So, how to get that back. Simple, just 'rehabillitate' India and Pakistan cricket and the idiots will flock again to the stadiums and make heroes out of the mortals. So the dual mission of promoting T20 and getting the revenue back in game is accomplished, Indian cricketers are heroes again and Sharad Pawar is laughing all the way.

Angry on reading this? Think I am traitor or someone who just whines? Then just wait a moment, take a deep breath and think again on what I have said above. You might find the answers

Magic or madness, it's just the spirit

2007-09-25T23:56:00.000-07:00

Have been accussed many a times by friends out of Mumbai that I overdo my love for the Mumbai spirit but then everytime I see it grow, I am tempted to write about it.

Please show me a place in India where more than hundred thousand people assemble and wait from 2am in the morning for a procession.
Please show me a place where this mass celebrates the festival with a gutso, prays soulfully and then leave peacefully
Please show me a place where the rich and poor, able and disabled, those who travelled on a hand cart and those who reached in their swanky cars, all get together shoulder to shoulder for a celebration of life.

Yeah, that's Mumbai for me. No two hoots for your lineage or you social status. You are what you are at that moment. That's why, all seen early this morning were just devotees.

Left at 2 am for the Darshan of Lalbagh Cha Raja. Stood patiently for a few hours as the procession took long to reach. more than 4 hours to cover a kilometre. Huge garlands tied on oppsite buildings, nearly a lakh of devotees patiently waiting, people serving devotees water, cold drinks, snacks. The procession arrives and people break out in jubiliation. But no stamping, no pushing, no jostling, Madness but orderly madness. And when that passes, the crowd breaks up peacefully for their homes.. just some method in madness I call this.

So, Mumbai is still the Rockstar City of India not because of anything else but just because everyone here be it a hand cart puller or an industrialist, is a rock star in his / her attitude.

Phool for a fool

2007-09-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

Extreme reactions on websites on Katunanidhi's remarks about Rama and Hinduism. One reader on a leading portal went as far as saying 'Wish there is another Tsunami in TN and then the entire Rama believing north belt should show their middle finger to Tamilians asking for relief'. The sentence hits you as here is a countryman wishing that his fellow countrymen face a disaster and then be shown the door. What has brought about this?

Many would say BJP's stand on Rama Sethu but there was nothing divisive about it, at the best it can be called hypocrisy. But the man who has divided the country is none other than my favourite court jester, Karunanidhi (TN seems to have some taste when it comes to politicians). Not that he has practised athiesm all his life. Remember seeing pictures of his family washing Sathya Sai Baba's feet or him doing a havan before the last assembly elections.

He should be sent a bunch of flowers everyday and told 'You are sick, get well soon'. He surely needs a visit to the asylum for his actions which will have far reaching consequences.

Running a startup - The first 3 months

2007-09-18T03:06:00.000-07:00

Ah.. Hayagreeva Consulting just completed 3 months. Been a journey. Highs and lows one after another and so frequent they are like playing hide n seek every few hours.

Business generation has been not a problem though closing the paperwork on contracts has been a nightmare. Partners have really helped in getting us noticed. Just this morning, closed the paperwork on 2 deals. Now the third one to close. Pipeline looks good. Though it's been a nightmare convincing the prospects to put faith into a start-up.

Office space and infrastructure has not been much of a pressure because help has come from the family. Now looking for a bigger space as more people join in October.

Recruitment has been a total disappointment. Can't fathom the lack of ambition, ethics and professionalism in many of the software engineers. Taking an offer, then not joining without informing or not taking calls or using the offers to get other higher offers.... good for individual short term benefits but a let down on all other fronts. I find this behaviour worse than politicians and goons. But then, that's the way the industry works. Inspite of this, have found ahve good guys ready to put their future with a start-up and I surely won't let them down. Whoever is on board seems to enjoy the kind of work because this is where they getting to learn the best technology and work on complex projects.

Spent few sleepless nights in last 3 weeks due to the uncertainty over the project contracts. Now that it's sorted, I want to sleep well tonight to start what I call the next journey for Hayagreeva - The journey towards growth and delivery

Castro & Guevara

2007-09-17T02:01:00.000-07:00

I was watching a show on Fidel Castro last night on the TV and how different people involved with him either love him or hate him. Just wondered who and what was the real Castro? A pathbreaking revolutionary? A stubborn idealist? A bloodsucking dictator?

Went back to my books about Castro and Guevara. They both led one of the biggest revolutions in the modern history. Then when they reached a stage where they could meet their goals, Guevara moved on to fuel other revolutions and tragically died in Bolivia later while Castro went on to rule Cuba for decades. Who was right and who was wrong in them? Had Castro too left the task of rebuilding Cuba to others, he might have been as big a hero like Guevara but then won't that be 'turning ones back'? Would they have then blamed him for not completing his work? Is he being hated by many just because he chose to stay on run his country his way in process making him a dictator. Similarily, was it not requried of Guevara to join in the contruction process too after the revolution because revolutions are not only about a regime change, they are about a change in sociol, political, economic thinking.

All said and done, one just can't wash away the impact these two have had on generations after them. The more I read about Guevara, the more I wish I was born in that era and in that place where he fired people's imaginations with his idealism.

Who is steering us?

2007-08-14T01:17:00.000-07:00

Writing this piece under some stress and sadness. One of my person very very close to me is in hospital and critical. Was thinking about my discussions with a friend over the weekend in Bangalore, while sitting at the hospital over the night.

Is there something wrong with our generation or is it just that the winds of changes have blown so fast that we haven't been able to react to it? We might be having a relatively more prosperous and successful careers, access to finances and luxuries. But then more and more around us including me have failed miserably when it comes to personal life and relationships.

Are there any rules to engagement? While we are ready to take on the world for our careers, why are we still hesitant when it comes to breaking shackles of social norms? Why are people suffocaitng their own pleasures and happiness just because society looks down on them? Why do relationships need a name?

This and many more questions as I battle them daily.

Mumbai on the boil?

2007-08-08T23:44:00.000-07:00

The blast verdict is out. The voices (rightly so) are heard for verdict on 92-93 blasts again. The Muslim organisations are taking out a huge protest march next week. Shiv Sena, the right wing political party has said in it's newpaper that this thing can increase communal passions. This is a kind of indirect warning. Waiting with bated breath for next week and just hoping that both the sides don't ignite communal passions for their narrow gains. Mumbai certainly cannot afford another divide.

Priya Dutt and D P Yadav - is there any difference?

2007-08-03T07:51:00.000-07:00

One is an uneducated mafia turned MP who is using all powers and methods possible to keep his son away from the punishment for his involvement in criminal acts.

Another one is an educated MP representing a metro city like Mumbai and knows the power of media and political affiliations and uses that to get her brother out of the jail.

The question is both are abusing their powers and so how can Priya Dutt be presumed any better than D P Yadav?

Does life turn you on?

2007-07-24T22:36:00.000-07:00

I was asked this on Monday. What turns me on the most and I said the sheer pleasure of being in the world turns me on. The highs of despair and the lows of happiness. Isn't it a turn on when life shows you the entire range of colours it has? Life surely is the best weed and I love to be high on it

World without passports and visas

2007-07-11T22:44:00.000-07:00

Just as I was collecting my visa for Singapore trip, I was glancing through the newspaper which spoke about international terrorism. This might sound distorted to the 'nomral' ones - Terrorists don't use or need passports and visas to travel across the globe and create terror. Then why are the peace loving humanists required to carry this piece of paper?

God certainly did not stamp a visa on our ass when we were born. Then what gives a right to the establishment to decide what piece of paper I should carry. Why can't the world be without passports and visas? Why control the cultural exchange that comes when people meet each other freely.

I really want a world without passport and visa

Lal Masjid issue

2007-07-10T07:35:00.000-07:00

One can blame General Mushharaf of many things but there is 1 thing one needs to admire him for and that he surely has more guts that most Indian leaders till date. Just as the news of the death of the radical leader Abdul Rashid Ghazi in Lal Masjid comes in, one piece of news surprised me and that was Muslim clerics from Mumbai welcoming the incident. Now, is this the sign of changing times or just an exception. Weren't these the same clerics who opposed when Indian Army laid seige to Charar-E-Sharif or Hazratbal?

It is indeed welcome if this shows that the times are changing but if it is an exception, then it raises serious doubts about them.

Spiritual or Religious

2007-07-09T22:17:00.000-07:00

India has always been known as the place for spiritual experiences. But aren't the times changing? More and more Indians seem to be indulging in relligious symbolism and radicalism. And symbolism and radicalism never had any place in spiritualism. Spiritualism is more about connecting with one's soul while religious is about connecting with 'God'. Spirituallism rarely or never has been a cause of any conflict nationally or internationally but religion is the biggest cause of violence in the world today. In such scenario, world will look towards India for guiding them to spiritualism but then things here too seem to be changing as religion is taking the centre stage on socio-political life

Sleeping pills for Manmohan Singh?

2007-07-06T21:39:00.000-07:00

It seems Manhmohan Singh who has slept very well after the Mumbai train blasts, Malegaon blasts, Nandigram and Singur carnage, farmer suicides in Maharashtra and other parts,, has suddenly lost sleep over the state of the parents and family of the Indian docs accused and arrested for the terror play at Glasgow.

Our dear SMS (Sardar Manmohan Singh) badly needs some sleeping pill. Or is the Madam making him lose sleep over the votebank politics?

National Joke

2007-06-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

One thing is for sure the current generation won't miss the antics of Zail Singh or Fuckruddin Ali Ahmed by much as the current President in waiting, Pratibha Patil surely seems one who can bring us lot of laughter with her statements. She certainly is a national embarrasment and joke.

The 1st heavy showers

2007-06-25T21:46:00.000-07:00

26/7 or not, don't I love the heavy showers. And this time luckily I was on the sea front when it started pouring cats and dogs. Throwing caution to the winds (which has resulted in a damamged mobile), just went out in the open and got wet. Can a rainy evening be complete without some Old Monk, Kebabs and some great ole weed? Had a wonderful weekend with all the above and few close friends. How much we all cried as we remembered the good ole days when we did not bother about loan repayments, heartbreaks, financial planning, professional road ahead!!! Ah nostalgia filled the heart, mind and eyes. It was wonderful meeting old friends after years.

Pratibha Hu?

2007-06-17T23:02:00.000-07:00

Meet the new to-be-President of China ooops India.. Pratibha Hu?

After seeing Deve Gowda, Inder Kumar Gujral become PM, Pratibha Patil becoming President.. one thing is sure, there is always hope in Indian democracy if you know how to crawl when asked to kneel and which door to became a slave at.

Sethu Samudram controversy - Our classical secular system

2007-05-03T23:13:00.000-07:00

The classical secular system is back in action. The same set of people who have huge issues when a dargah or a mosque is to be removed for development work have come with a project which affects a stretch of land believed to be Rama's bridge by Hindus.

Raam Sethu or Adam's Bridge is the stretch of land which connect India with Sri Lanka. Currently the water there cannot be used for transportation due to the stretch of land which as per Hindu beliefs was created by Lord Rama's army to march into Lanka. To reduce the time and cost of connecting the east coast with the west coast, Govt of India decided to destroy the stretch of land and allow waterway passage.

Sethusamudram Project plans for three fishery harbours and one shipping harbour. Rameshwaram will become one of the largest harbours in India at the end of this project.
The strategic advantages to India derive from obtaining a navigable sea route close to the coast, with a reduction in travel distance of more than 350 nautical miles (650 km) (for larger ships). The project is expected to provide a boost to the economic and industrial development of coastal Tamil Nadu. The project will be of particular significance to Tuticorin harbour, which has the potential to transform itself into a nodal port. The State Government has announced its proposal to develop 13 minor ports, including Ennore, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Thondi, Valinokam, Kolachel and Kanyakumari.

If the project benefits India then I am sure, even Lord Rama won't mind the project. But will our political class show the same kind of single mnded devotion when it comes to removing a Non-Hindu place of worship for development? Why do they then cry hoarse over the 'alleged communalism' as they did in case of Baroda dargah removal incidents.

The issue here is not 'if religious structures should be removed for better of the people' coz the answer is a resounding yes. But the point is 'why can't we treat all religious symbols and sturctures equally and remove them for development irrespective of which religion they belong to?' And to those who think and say that Rama Sethu is a piece of mythological fantasy without a proof, I would say that the same holds true for the beliefs of other religions too as there is hardly to no proof.

Dynastic Politics

2007-04-24T00:02:00.000-07:00

The dynasty is at work again. Rahul Gandhi badly needs a tutor in history and diplomacy if not anything else. He seems to not know about scores of Indian freedom fighters who fought for Indian Independence nor does he know about the scores of Indian soldiers who dies in 1971 war. But then princes rarely are taught the right history coz for them sun shines out of the crack of their and their ancestors asses.

Seeing the amount of mileage media is giving the Gandhis makes one wonder if Congress if going to sweep the UP polls. Never ever seen 4th ranked 'also rans' being given such media space. It's like Zimbabwe getting more coverage during the World Cup than Australia or South Africa. Just because of the last name (which too is a borrowed one) 'Gandhi'?

If being son or daughter of a national leader enough of qualification to lead the nation, then Late Harilal Gandhi (son of Mahatma Gandhi) won't have died in abject poverty in some red light area of Mumbai. It's high time the media stops repaying the Gandhi family for their 'kind acts' and 'briberies' of the past and treat te Gandhis as just another set of blood sucking politicians.

Ya Rabba

2007-04-23T23:45:00.000-07:00

Just love this song from Salaam E Ishq. Thought it was one of the best lyrics in last few years.

Pyaar Hai Ya Saja,
Aai Mere Dil Bata
Tootata Kyon Nahi Dard Ka Silsila
Is Pyaar Mein Hon Kaise Kaise Imntihaan
Ye Pyaar Likhe Kaisi Kaisi Dastaan
Ya Rabba De De Koi Jaan Bhi Agar
Dilbar Pe Ho Na, Dilbar Pe Ho Na Koi Asar
Ho Ya Rabba De De Koi Jaan Bhi Agar
Dilbar Pe Ho Na, Dilbar Pe Ho Na Koi Asar
Pyaar Hai Ya Saja, Aai Mere Dil Bata
Tootata Kyon Nahi Dard Ka Silsila

Kaisa Hai Safar Wafa Ki Manjil Ka
Na Hai Koi Hal Dilon Ki Mushkil Ka
Dhadkan Dhadkan Bikhri Ranjishein
Saansein Saansein Tooti Bandishein
Kahi To Har Lamha Honton Pe Fariyaad Hai
Kisi Ki Duniya Chaahat Mein Barbaad Hai
Ya Rabba De De Koi Jaan Bhi Agar
Dilbar Pe Ho Na, Dilbar Pe Ho Na Koi Asar
Ho Ya Rabba De De Koi Jaan Bhi Agar
Dilbar Pe Ho Na, Dilbar Pe Ho Na Koi Asar

Koi Na Sune Sisakati Aanhon Ko
Koi Na Dhare Tadapati Baahon Ko
Aadhi Aadhi Puri Khwaishein
Tooti Footi Sab Farmaaishein
Kahin Shak Hain Kahin Nafrat Ki Deewaar Hai
Kahin Jeet Mein Bhi Shamil Palpal Haar Hain
Ya Rabba De De Koi Jaan Bhi Agar
Dilbar Pe Ho Na, Dilbar Pe Ho Na Koi Asar
Ho Ya Rabba De De Koi Jaan Bhi Agar
Dilbar Pe Ho Na, Dilbar Pe Ho Na Koi Asar
Ho O O Pyaar Hai Ya Saja, Aai Mere Dil Bata
Tootata Kyon Nahi Dard Ka Silsila

Ho O O O Ho O O O
Na Poocho Dard Bandon Se
Hansi Kaisi Khushi Kaisi
Musibat Sar Pe Rehati Hain
Kabhi Kaisi Kabhi Kaisi
Ho O O O… Rabba, Rabba Ho O O HoRabba Ho O O, Ho O Ho Rabba

Misplaced patriotism?

2007-04-04T23:52:00.000-07:00

The country reacts when Shilpa Shetty is allegedly 'abused racially'. It is deemed a national insult when our cricketers are called something not so nice. There are protests when some of our leaders are called names.

But no protests when farmers commit suicide. Hardly a murmur outside Nithari. And we are patriotic.... hahahahahahaha, my neighbour's balls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lagey Raho India Lagey Raho.........

Quotes revisited

2007-04-04T21:28:00.000-07:00

I came, I saw and I conquered
I saw, she conquered and I came

Give me blood and I will give you freedom
Give me blood and I will give you 3 glucose biscuits

What Bengal thinks today, India think tomorrow
What Bengal debated and vetoed today was what India thought yesterday

To be or not to be
To bat or not to bat

Love thy neighbours
Love thy neighbours but dont leave your pants behind

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction
For every action, there is more than equal criticism

Where there is smoke, there has to be fire
Where there is smoke, there has to be an auto or a cab

The Chappells Speak

2007-04-02T21:35:00.000-07:00

I don't understand why such hue and cry over what the Chappells have spoken? Are our cricketers some holy cow that they can do no wrong? This is my take on what both the Chappells have spoken.

Greg - Yes, I do agree that he has failed as a coach and there can be no excuses about that but why is the entire country up in arms when he says that the deniors in the team are to be blamed? Is it that Indians don't indulge in team politics or is it that we are so blinded by our paper tiger heroes that we feel they are a bundle of virtues and no vices. Why is it not possible that Ganguly would have indulged in groupism and waywardness to score a point over Dravid and to have one more shot at captaincy? Why is it hard to believe that Sehwag out of his insecurity would have really played a traunt with the younger players? Same thing with other players. Do we expect our cricketers to be super human and not have common vices like greed, envy, insecurity? Or is it easier to attack Greg just because he is not an Indian?

When we take potshots at Greg, we forget that he possibly knows more about cricket than most of our heroes (except maybe Sachin and Kumble).. Don't forget that he was as astutue cricket mind and a great batsman considered at par with Gavaskar and Richards in the 70s and 80s. Do we all forget how it was Greg who helped Ganguly out of a wretched period in 2003 with tips on batting and how to face Aussies in Aussieland. And when that helped, we thought Greg was a reasonable man with his love for cricket at the right place. Now he is a devil... Interesting, isn't it?

Ian - So finally someone had the guts to say the obvious and that is - Sachin is visibly tired and needs to reduce the pressure of expectations. He seems to be playing neither for the country nor for himself (maybe for the moolahs and the ad men). And Ian said the obvious. Is Sachin the first person, Ian has been honest and blunt with? No.. Bradman, Steve Waugh and Mark Taylor to name a few have been at receiving end of his blunt speech.

But we take it as a national insult and question Ian's assessment and understanding of cricket. Hahahahahaha.... Time to grow up and smell the coffee. Our heroes are human beings too and like all human beings, they will fail sometime and they too will fade away. High time, we accept that Sachin needs to really start planning his post-retirement plans. And high time, he works on it before even his ardent fans start hating him.

Playing BCCI head honcho

2007-03-28T03:38:00.000-07:00

Though I don't yet have a protruding belly like Pawar and nor do I have had Guthka in my life and neither can I be as corrupt as the BCCI honchos, I was wondering what would I have done if I was a BCCI honcho after the WC debacle.

No overnight miracles - First things first, nothing can be changed dramatically overnight as to start with, we are not a sports nation at all. We don't ahve a sports culture. Rarely do parents encourage their kids to be sportsperson. I faced the same when I was 12. I wanted to follow cricket professionally but I was told that I had to be a nice boy, study and go abroad. So, till the time our culture does not change, we will rarely be consistent champions in any sport.

Coach - They say that the coach needs to be changed. I would agree. Not because I feel Chappell has done any wrong but just because that he now can never work in peace in India with media and public unfairly baying for his blood. So, for his better, he has to go. The question comes, who replaces him. I feel the best person to replace him would be Robin Singh. He has played international cricket till recent past and he showed a cool, intelligent cricketing mind whenever he was in the middle. Yes, he might have problem dealing with prima donnas who started playing international cricket much before Robin but then, the prima donnas need to come back to earth after this debacle. Robin can be a very good mentor for the youngsters and a good fielding coach is what India badly needs which he doubles up as.

Captain - There is no need to change the captain until and unless captaincy starts taking a toll on his batting. India needs Dravid as a batsman more. The reason I feel no new captain is that we don't have 1 single young player who has a secure permanent side in the team. Sehwag, Yuvraj etc are themselves on wrong footing right now as far as their own performances are concerned.

Youngsters - Steve Waugh was given number of chances before he became a true world beater during 1987 WC. Same thing with Andrew Flintoff. Remember how Marvan Attapattu started? A long series of blobs and low scores. So, why should India not invest more in Raina, Utthapa, Pathan, Piyush Chawla? It's time, they are given a long run without seniors breathing over their neck. Sachin and Ganguly should retire from one day cricket as they are surely not playing the next World Cup.

Prima Donnas - We need a plain talkers like Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar to break the egos of some of our 'stars' like Sehwag, Yuvi, Dhoni. They need to be brought down for their own good.

20-20 Cricket - The 20 20 cricket is here to stay and this will dictate the way 50 over game is played too. We need more participation in these games.

Pitches - This is a demand which is older than Harappa now. We need to have good, sporting wickets. Let the spectators be disappointed if they don't see 600 runs in a day but we need wickets were bowlers have an equal chance too.

Media - Ban media from stupid over-exposure. All the old cricketers who are flocking the television studios should be given alternative employment so that they don't bore us with their idiotic comments. Imagine Kirti Azad talking about discipline. My boy, if you knew what discipline was, you would have played a lot more for India. Or imagine Sanjay Manjrekar talking about quick running between the wickets. Last time I heard him say that, I fell off my chair laughing.

And for the fans, well just go and enjoy the World Cup. I loved watching Aussies bat last night. Hayden was great but I am impressed again with Clarke. Some real class this lad has.

Last few days in Bangalore

2007-03-28T01:18:00.000-07:00

The Bangalore stint nears completion. Last few days before I head back to Mumbai. Friends have organised a send-off party over the weekend, Will be sad saying goodbye to Tarun, Eva, Sage, Rajat, Archana, Tasneem, Madhu, Lavanya, Valli and few others. But then life has to go on and I will be connected in more ways than one with these people.

Ring tones and more

2007-03-27T06:16:00.000-07:00

Rahul Dravid - Yeh kya hua, kaise hua, kyun hua, kab hua...

Amitabh Bachchan - Mujhko dekhogey yahaan par, mujhko paogey wahaan par, paste se lekar rajmaaaaa tak.... mein hi mein huun, mein hi mein huun, doosra koi nahin

Manmohan Singh - Jo unko (10 Janpath) ho pasand wahi baat kahengey, woh din ko agar raat kahe, raat kahengey

Kalyan Singh - Rama, Rama, Rama, Rama... kahaan gaya dhoondho saajan, rasta meri kursi ka

George Bush - Ooooooooooo Osaama rey, war ka mausam aaya....

Left Front (for Cong) - I wanna hold your hand, I wanna hold your hand.....

Ads, quotes and the meanings

2007-03-26T20:15:00.000-07:00

The Bachchan ad for UP which says UP mein dum hain, Jurm yahaan kum hain - does it mean
We are capable of more (Nitharis), this is just the tip of iceberg

Pepsi ad - Ho ha India, aaya Indiaaaaaaaaaaaaa
The tune played by the welcome band at the airport

Rahul Gandhi saying - Babri would not have been demolished if Gandhi family was at helm
We would have kept the controversy alive so we get the Muslims votes while BJP gets Hindu votes

Kalyan Singh saying Ram Mandir will be constructed at any cost
Raam karein aisa ho jaye, CM ki kursi mohe mil jayein, mein baithu, baaki bhaad mein jayein

Sharad Pawar saying we shall have 2 teams India Seniors and India Blues
India seniors will use red as colour and will be sponsored by Coke while Blues will be sponsored by Pepsi.

Sachin saying I want to play 2011 World Cup
Another 3 year brand contract is up for grabs

Celebrating the loss of Indian Cricket Team

2007-03-25T20:51:00.000-07:00

Am I happy???????? or am I super happy??????

Well, this will be the best thing to happen to Indian Cricket. I pray for more crushing defeats in times to come. So, am I the traitor? Am I to be hanged for treachery??

To the jingoistic cricket fans for whom Indian cricket teams and 'stars' (hahahahaha... ) are more important that the game or anything else for that matter, I might sound like a mad-India hater. And it is this whole clan that I love to hate specially since the day when thse guys prayed and later celebrated Indian wins in 1999 World Cup when their prayers were needed somewhere else i.e. for the soldiers fighting the Kargil War. I started hating Indian love for circket from that day. And more these guys fell prey to crass commercialisation, more I started laughing at them.

Am I a cricket fan? Yes, a huge one at that. But the difference is my love is for the game of cricket and not blindly for Indian Cricket Team. I believe that the game is mroe beautiful and bigger than any teams and for that matter, one who wins or loses is the one who deserves it. So I will applaud whoever plays the better cricket. This will explain why I love the way Australians play cricket. Hard but fair.

Coming back to the loss. I loved the sight of people shedding their hair off. This madness suits them and they possibly don't deserve any better in life than by swayed by 'paper Gods'. Just a few good batting eprformances by the same starts and they will be the demi-gods again but for the interim period, the guys who shed their hair have to walk in tremendous heat with sun hitting their bald pates. Did I hear sadistic pleasures? Hehehe...

I just pray and hope for more defeats so that the mind numbing craze for Indian cricket team is reduced and then we can have fans who love the game irrespective of who wins and loses. Follow the game in a way that it does not sway your emotions to extremes. Why have people dying just for a game?

I am betting my money on Australia again to win the World Cup. Final should be Australia v/s WI or SL.

Sadistic pleasure??????

2007-03-25T20:45:00.000-07:00

2 things in last couple of weeks have given me tremendous sadistic pleasure.

One is that the Left is now openly naked
The so-called upholders of social justice, the fighters for the poor, the torch bearers of fairness are now out in the open as what they always have been - blood sucking dictators.

Well, I am defintely in favour of the SEZs and when West Bengal govt decided to push for reforms, I was pleasantly surprised. But what transpired later at Nandigram is for everyone to see. The so-called rightist and capitalist govts in other parts of the country have shown much more mature and humane approach to getting the land for SEZs while the Left has used power and terror to get it. The whole episode exposes the dirty stinking real sides of the Left and boy, am I not happy at the discomfort of the Left Front and also of their puppets in different NGOs who seem to have lost the art of protesting, shouting, PILing and using media. The silence of the so-caleld Social Activists and the hypocrisy of the Left Front hopefully will tell India the truth about these publicity hounds who have been hurdles in Indian development for a long long time.

A plea to cricket fans - ENUF IS ENUF

2007-03-19T18:57:00.000-07:00

Many would be surprised seeing this kind of post from me, considering the fact I have actively played and followed the game since my childhood. Have had opportunities and pleasure to share drinks with many of the old time cricketers including from 83 WC Team.

But offlate, cricket is pissing me off specially if India is playing. And this has nothing to do with the way team plays but it has to do with the way Indians or shall I say people from Indian sub-continent follow the game. Come on, don't colour this game dirty with your jingoism. Not necessary that the team wins everytime. I hate it when people say they are cricket fans and abuse when their team loses. Well, then you are not a cricket fan, you are just a fan of your own team and possibly you know jackshit about this game.

Now that the extreme pressure and stress has taken one life and that of the great thinker Bob Woolmer, can all so called 'cricket fans' (your father in laws balls) just stop making this game dirty by their mindless jingoism.

Why are Leftists rarely right?

2007-03-13T23:50:00.000-07:00

Scene 1 - Workers protesting against the management of the company they working for. Some elements get violent and management has to call cops who resort to lathicharge. This results in some injury. The leftists create a ruckus as if this was the most oppresive thing that happened this side of Suez in last few decades.

Scene 2 - Farmers protesting land acquistion. Police fires at protesting mobs and couple of them die. The ruling Left Govt does not even bat an eyelid.

What is it about Leftists that they are so shamelessly hypocritical? What is it about them that they might look or sound the most compassionate groups while the fact could be they would more oppresive in their regimes. Remember Stalin, Castro...? Is there someway or someone who can call these idiots bluff?

Why I crave for Mumbai

2007-03-12T21:38:00.000-07:00

People ask me why I love Mumbai so much while I am in Bangalore and I am always at pains explaining them why Mumbai is pecial. That's maybe coz they don't see Mumbai the way I do. To explain what's different, I have only one thing in mind and that is last weekend, when I went to Mumbai, immediately after airport, the cab stopped at a signal and people were running ro cross the road before the vehicles start again. And the sight of people running or walking briskly was so common. This is what I love about Mumbai. Be you rich or poor, be you blue collared or white collared, you have to run. There is no inertia. There is no stopping.

For me, that symbolises life coz life too never stops and same way Mumbai too never stops

'His'story

2007-03-08T02:26:00.000-08:00

Was checking some websites to look at the places I am planning to visit in April. Came across a place in Garhwal in Uttaranchal where Duryodhana (a villian as per Hindu Mythology) is worshipped. Now that would surprise a lot of people because as per history Duryodhana is to be hated not loved.

So, the crazy mind started trekking on different tangents. What he really a villian or was he shown as villian only because he lost the battle against his cousins? Similarily in recent history, would we have been taught different things about Hitler had he won the war? Is history nothing but a 'winner's account'?

What a Holi!!!!!

2007-03-04T20:03:00.000-08:00

Friends made my 1st and last holi in Bangalore a memorable one!! I have thank all of them for making it such a riot. Natural colour made up of turmeric and gram flour. Then alcohol and thandi (traditional holi drink) flowed as adventure lovers tried the 'bhaang'. Music, dance, laughter, endless discussions (the classic one was about cutlet and omlette) and some high voltage philosophical gibberish.

It was indeed a trip as I was smashed and stoned the next morning.

Wail n Tie day?

2007-02-13T22:34:00.000-08:00

Just wondering if 14th Feb is Valentine's day or is it a Wail N Tie day?

If you thought that was a pathetic joke, humour me by asking me out and if you thought that was brilliant, then ask me out anyways for a good time

So here it is:

What I think of Valentines Day
hearts and roses and kisses galore....
what the heck is all that junk for
people get mushy and start acting weird
Its definitely the most annoying day of the year
this day needs to be over with the end is near
before I shove a dozen roses up cupid's rear
I'll spend the day so drunk I can't speak
and wear all black for the rest of the week
guys and gals act all sweet but soon it will fade
for all they are doing is trying to get laid
the arrow cupid shot at me must not have hit
because I think love is a bunch of shit
so theres my story.....what can say
love bites.....Screw VALENTINE'S DAY!!

Couchsurfing and it's impact on me

2007-02-13T21:30:00.000-08:00

It would be a complete disappointment if I don't write about 1 project which has impacted me a lot in growing as a human being. It is Couchsurfing - www.couchsurfing.com.

What is it?
Well, if I put it simply, the world offlate has shrunk in geographical distances but the mental and emotional distances are far greater than they ever were. Couchsurfing is one attempt to reduce these distances and make the world a small global village. It's for people who love to travel, exchange cultures, meet people and genuinely respect and embrace other ideas. It's not just a free accomodation site for people to offer and request accomodation while they are travelling. It is neither a site to find easy dates and quick lays. It's about us and the way we want to shape up our palce in the world.

How has it impacted me?
I joined CS nearly 2 yrs ago when I was still in Mumbai. I could not host anyone as I lived in a small house with my family but I did meet people who were visiting. My first experiences were just about okay though I did meet these 2 wonderful travellers, one from Finland and another from Italy. The experience started getting better when I moved to Bangalore and I had a huge house and spare rooms. This is when I started hosting people. And then I got addicted to it. I have hosted many travellers so far and I can safely say that most of them today are close friends. Similarly I met CSers when I was in Indonesia and I am in constant interaction with them. Infact in Bangalore, I generally hang around, party, watch movies, dine with the group of CSers who are drawn from different parts of the world and it is wonderful as we all have our stories, cultures and ideas to share.

This whole experience has helped me understand myself better as a person and also understand my own culture much better than I could have otherwise understood. I got newer insights in the way this world functions. Inspite of my travels, I possibly was just a frog in a well but Couchsurfing told me there is more to the world than what I thought. Apart from the absolute joy of learning new things, it also impacted me personally when I realised that slowly my CSer friends have become my strongest support systems.

I thank Casey and all others who have started this wonderful project for it and I am determined to be an integral part of it and give something back to it whichever way I can.

Here I begin......

2007-02-06T00:19:00.000-08:00

I don't know what adjectives can people use for me but the one adjective I use for myself is - Virtually Lazy. After months of ignoring my friends' desires to see me write on the blogs, I finally start writing.

Any inspirations for me to write? Yes to a large extent. Seeing the blog written by a friend made me kick my butt for being a lazy asshole and here I am rambling on. Now that you are here, you certainly are doomed to reading my rantings.

Life right now is a roller-coster. I am experiencing different emotions with every passing moment. Be it in my personal life or professional life. The amount of emotional changes I am going thru' can possibly outdo the climate changes London witnesses.Do I regret it? No, I don't because all the emotions are so raw that they helping me connect to myself much better than earlier.