Barking dogs seldom bite

As my friend Quint said... Enough with the celebrations of winning the Twenty 20 WC. Its time to move on and I just thought of another issue which has been rocking the central boat for quite some time. Yes, its the Nuclear deal I'm talking about.Well I'm not detailing into pros and cons of the nuclear deal now. I just want to talk about the role of 'Left' in this matter.

The Left which has a major say in the central government took strong exception to the stand of Prime minister to not discuss the matter in the parliament had left many a people wondering whether is this the beginning of the end for the UPA government. But the Left has only flattered to deceive in this matter. They started making much noise about the '123 agreement', the Hyde Act and crying that India would lose its sovereignty blah blah. If you see the behavior of the left brigade through out its history, it has always sought to be iconoclastic and radical but failed to do so. It acted as British informants during the Quit India movement, openly supported the Chinese during the Chinese invasion in 1962 and now this. They always think that they are a different breed and believes that they are the sole representatives of Indian Public even though the truth tells a different story.

There is one demand which I found very valid was to have a dialogue on the deal, still the actions followed by the Left were childish and immature to the core. Ranting and raving cannot fool the people in this age. They were left in a quandary with the prime minister taking a very brave, obstinate stand and even challenging the Left to withdraw support to the government. They know they just can't bring down the government because that'd give the BJP a chance to ride the Ram Sethu issue and recapture power. The problem with the communists they accept their mistakes after pretty long times which make them look like a bunch of clowns. Now it seems like the initial enthusiasm of the Left has gone and they are trying to save their skin while making a noise or two once in a while. Well I really like the Left a lot because it always gives a chance to smile at the current political scenario in India.But this time it had taken it a bit far. Here is my $0.02 to Prakash Karat. If you can't do it stop barking.

Hip Hip Hooray

Whoa!!!! Finally we did it. India just won the World Twenty20 cricket championships by defeating arch rivals Pakistan in the finals by a very narrow margin. It's been 24 years since we had won a world cup of cricket and this somehow soothed the frayed souls of a population for whom cricket is a religion and players GODS. Even though the victory came in a much abbreviated form of cricket, it's a moment to cherish forever.

Well this is a very deserved win and what I liked the most about the team was the majority of the players came from small time, rather obscure towns. This is clearly a welcome change which augurs well for the future of cricket as well as India. Why India because now more and more people from small time towns will follow their dreams without any inhibitions and that can bring only glory to the country in whatever field they choose to be in.

Meanwhile this is time to rejoice and let me say this words aloud
HIP HIP HOORAY

Just great.

Yet another inspiring story. I feel this is the new face of India. Gone are the days when people chose, rather unwillingly, to succumb to their fate when faced with tragedies. The new generation just believes they are the makers of their destinies and that's way the it has to be. I see the future is just bright...

Salutes to the young lady. May your tribe increase.

Oh Bihar don't you have tears?.

I was quite happy when Mr. Nitish Kumar won the elections dethroning the 15 yr old 'misrule' of Laloo-Rabri combine in late 2005. I thought that would pave the way for the progress of a state which had great history, abundant natural resources but sadly featured last in almost all developmental indices and had the worst law and order situation- less said is the better. But I was proved wrong by some shocking incidents which took place in a space of 30 days.

First came the shocking video of a man, an alleged chain snatcher, beaten black and blue by a mob and later dragged along a motor cycle by- who else a police man- left many a people hang their heads in shame. And the way the TV channels and press celebrated the incident was as deplorable as the incident was. Then came the news of gouging out of eyes of 3 motor cycle thieves by an angry mob which left a chill down my spine. Then the most dastardly act happened only last week. Ten alleged robbers were clubbed to death by yet another angry mob.
These three incidents effectively portrays the state of law and order situation in the state of Bihar.

I was shocked by the turn of events but not sad. Instead fear was the feeling I had after these incidents and it left me reeling with many questions.
How could people be so inhumane?
How could the police turn a blind eye towards what was happening right under their noses?
How could the media celebrate such stories showing visuals repeatedly without any remorse?
How could people in large numbers have such criminal psyche?
How could Mr. Nitish Kumar be criminally impassive in executing his duties?

And last not but the least. I never heard a comment from the intelligentsia who so frequently raise much hue and cry about "nothings"


Shame on you Bihar. Shame on you Nitish Kumar. Shame on me.

Success = ?

I've always wondered what makes people successful, what's that "thing" which separates success and failure. Is it an exotic idea they pursued or is it luck or is it attitude?. You can find thousands of ways which define success, but the one that matters is self belief. Nothing but self belief. I came across an article which was so inspiring and thought I should share it. Folks kindly share if you heard similar stories or have a different point of view. Have a nice sunday :)

To be Rama or not to be Rama........

I just couldn't stop myself from laughing my head off when I heard this news and reactions to it. Yeah its true that there is no historical evidence of Ram or "Ramar Sethu" but what about the religious backlash the news is going to create ?. The Hindu fundamentalists would see this as a heaven sent opportunity to whip up the communal passion because they believe elections are round the corner. Meanwhile it'd be interesting to see how the Congress tackles the issue as the party, I believe, is in a quandary. They just can't support or reject the affidavit given by ASI. I think the coming days would be really unraveling and you could see political "oneupmanship" among the parties.

I'd rather be concerned about the ecological impact of the project because it's definitely going to affect the marine flora and fauna found in the Palk straits, most of the species being endangered ones. And the economical importance of the project(it is going to shorten the sailing time for ships bound for Tuticorin port) cannot be neglected. Well the shipping channel wouldn't be bringing the mother-ships as the proposed draught doesn't allow that, still it should be economically viable as most of the ships sailing there can utilize the shortest pass thus saving valuable money. I do hope that this would materialize causing minimal damage to the marine ecology that is so rare there.

Now back to the religious front. The historical evidence of Hindu gods cannot be determined by usual methods because you probably wouldn't find any historical documents on that. And for a long time we see history interwoven with mythology and it's really difficult to see where History ends and mythology starts or vice versa. I remember reading a book written by eminent historian A.L.Basham. The views propagated by him are informative as well as controversial. What I mean by controversial is the view on Ram and Krishna would really ruffle many a feather. You know Ram has been worshiped only since 10th century A.D. rather Bhagavad Gita was added to Maha Bharata only around 800 A.D. These are views which would really hurt some one but that's the way History is created. You either can believe it or rubbish it. I felt nothing but curiosity to explore further and the journey still continues with occasional hiccups.

As I write this, just got the news that the government has decided to withdraw the affidavit which rather passes the ball back to the Hindu gang. Well I don't see an answer to this imbroglio which is slowly brewing to a major storm and will it end up as a storm in a tea cup or be a whirlwind...... only time will tell...

United we stand........

Brave sons of India

Does a man cry?.... Yes, when stories like these are heard.

I felt a lump in my throat when I went through an article on Captain Harshan's life. It is touching as well as shattering. And it's quite appalling to see the way society and higher ups there forget the supreme sacrifices of these finest sons of India. No wonder when our psyches are diabolically influenced by the bunch of pseudo seculars who make umpteen cries about the human rights violations of terrorists and criminals and conveniently choose not to acknowledge the truth, the sacrifices which hold India together as a nation.

I salute you and you will be an inspiration for generations to come. And I'm proud to have lived in your times. May your soul rest in peace......