It happens only in America

One fine day last week, I woke up late as usual and did the first thing that I do everyday, pick up the newspaper. I glanced at the headline and was amazed to see what was written in large font. The day’s big news was that Barrack Obama had been awarded the Noble Peace Prize. There was a big photo of the Afro American President just below the heading. I looked at the heading and didn’t know how to react, I thought I was still in my dreams. I opened my eyes wide just to be sure that I really wasn’t imagining what was apparently in front of me. Guess what, I wasn’t asleep, the news was real alright. Then I wondered if today was the first day of April, because I am aware that the newspapers do play practical jokes on their readers on that day. Well no, if my memory served me right, I thought we were well into October. So the news was real alright, Barrack Obama was indeed chosen for the prestigious Noble Peace Prize, which many greats in the past like Mr. MK Gandhi for example were never considered worthy of.

The first thing that came to my mind was Noble? For WHAT? I thought the Noble committee considered the winner after painstaking fact finding, thorough research, serious deliberations and careful thought. Alas, how we fool ourselves with these assumptions.

Firstly, would the committee please enlighten us, what exactly impressed them to consider the President’s nomination? Is it the splendid peace keeping efforts in Iraq or the huge strides made towards ending hostilities and eventual cease fire in Afghanistan? Or is it the prevailing sensibility towards the situation in Pakistan?

Apparently according to the committee, it was his promise towards bringing world peace that overwhelmed them. It was the promises that he had made during his election rally that clinched it for him. Boy, I would have to say, the committee is pretty gullible. Didn’t their mother ever tell them, don’t take a politician’s word for it, least of all, when he is addressing a rally, for the only thing that he is interested in, is your votes and he will say whatever it takes that increases his chance of winning.

Its been nine months that he has held the highest office in US, let me ask, what has he really done in these days? Well, I will let you think over it, scratch your head all you want. If you ask me, any promise must be followed by honest actions and be accompanied with true intentions. Promise without action is just junk words spewed randomly on unsuspecting citizens. I thought empty promises on bringing world peace only won you the Miss World pageant, but Obama shows us that it could also win you Presidency, that’s about all that Obama has proved so far.

Well, lemme try my luck too, here goes. “I promise that I will bring world peace, stop all wars, prevent any from breaking out in the future, ensure that we all live as brothers, shoulder to shoulder.” Well, there goes, my intention to bring world peace has been declared to the world, how am I gonna accomplish them? I have no clue. But who cares? I am hopeful that the generous Noble Peace Prize committee would consider my promise and bestow me with the honour next year. I will book the flight tickets immediately; I have heard that if I book them in advance, I could get a huge discount. There would be a $1.5 million prize money, which I would then donate to charity and set an example, display my compassion, and hope it helps when I set out to fool my countrymen again in three years time.

The other problem with Obama is that if you criticize him, you would be branded as a racist. That’s Strange because I am a big critic of his predecessor, Dubyaman. I have called him a primate many a times, however, if you call Obama by the same name, you invite trouble. Well, I will take that as an advantage of American culture, you need to be constantly innovative, the words that you used for Dubya cant be used for Obama, you need to be more creative. I just wish Obama was too. Well, happy peace prize winning, we will all wait and see who the lucky winner is, in the next edition, in an year’s time, psst, I am also in the race.

Dream on. .

Ok. So the dream continues :-) But not so smoothly.

The day I my Thunder I a quite enthusiastic the new bike. The very next day I out the bike for a thundering ride. And that's when Raka realized how much weight he had gained over the years. And how weak he had become (this is a good ploy of pointing out weaknesses in Raka rather than myself. Helps me be more critical than if I the word 'me' rather than 'raka')

When I a kid, I to ride 4km each way to school. Now admittedly, I've not ridden a bicycle for around 15 years. But then the deterioration has been such, that the first day I not ride my thunder for even one kilometer! And when I home, I all drenched in sweat with my heart beating frantically, seemingly eager to leap out of my chest any moment.

With this embarrassing enlightenment, I've resolved to ride my thunder daily or at least 5 times a week to achieve a distance of 15 kms daily without getting tired. All this by this year end, which gives me 3 months from now.

My today's trip was 1.5 kms each way, from my home to Girgaon chaupati and back. I'd to stop thrice during the entire ride to catch my breath and for my frenzied heart to normalize. After I was back home though, I couldn't even stand. I'd to lay down right on the floor! With a bit of relaxation, I a limbu pani, which brought me back to my senses.

Today's Performance: 1.5 kms each way, with three stops and total exhaustion on return.
Target for next week: Girgaon chaupati and back, non-stop, with probably a bit of exhaustion.

Lets see how I keep up. .

Bike Dream...

Raka is back to Naklistan after a long, very long time. You may notice that the last post I had posted was when I got married. So probably it was not against the ways of the world that I disappeared from the scene for month together.

I was getting somewhat restless for the past few days. My hands were itching to do something new. And that's when I came across a few biking (bicycling not motorbiking) clubs on the internet. That when the wild hog that is Raka, which was dormant for quite sometime remembered the wildness that was partially subdued by marriage!

And that how Raka bough a brand new bike (not the El Cheapo bicycle. hehehe)

So here's the charming beauty..




Will post about my first ride soon...

Raka is getting Married!!

Yeah... that's right people... Raka Naklistani is settling with a nice girl :-)

And the girl is already aware of Raka's tendency of spending half his life online. She's already proclaimed my computer as her biggest enemy. hehehe...

Nevertheless, not much change in anticipated in me... atleast not anything long term. Raka expects to continue with the absurd antics. hehehe

So lets see how it works out being a husband. LOL...

:-)

End of the Line...

Recent spate of ‘re-conversions’ to Hinduism in Orissa is what is causing a flurry in my mind right now. The manner in which tribal Indians are being tormented for their religion is not only gruesome but also against the very tenets of Hinduism.

For the sake of argument, lets keep the fact of conversion to Christianity aside for a moment. Let us assume that the Tribals in Orissa and Dalits elsewhere are indeed being mass converted to Christianity. But who has conferred the right to rape and pillage and burn the Christians? Is Religion not a matter of free will? Who are they to dictate which religion one follows?! Let me try and justify their right to decide which religion to follow or to follow any religion at all. Consider this:

Muslims, Christians and Dalits in particular (because they are fellow Hindus) are still not allowed inside many renowned Hindu temples. And I’m not talking about middle ages. I am talking about today. NOW. Many Dalits still live in ghettos outside the villages. Those who claim to be caretakers of Hindu religions have not only never contributed to upliftment of Dalits but have infact stigmatized their lives and raised hindrances in their paths to progress at all points of time. No Hindu has ever done anything for the Tribals living a life devoid of even necessities in the hinterlands of our country. What right, then these Hindu Fanatics have to ‘re-convert’ them to Hinduism. And let me point out that I’ve not even touched upon the aspect of whether these were indeed Hindus before conversion to Christianity. Tribals themselves have claimed that they are not Hindus and are nature worshippers. These claims are indeed correct since these people are the aboriginal people of India who have lived here from time immemorial and before the ‘advent’ of Vedic and later Hindu Civilization. ‘Reconversion’ of these tribal people is as good as a forced conversion to Christianity. And indeed the manner in which these people have been forced to convert by making them eat cow dung and cow urine and forcibly tonsuring their head is no less wrong than medieval times conversion of Hindus to Islam at sword point.

The major allegation made against the Christian Missionaries is about not forced conversions but conversion by enticement. It is being alleged that Christians allure the Dalits and Tribals with jobs, education, better life, money and such other enticements. Let me ask this, WHAT IS WRONG IF THESE PEOPLE CONVERT TO ANOTHER RELIGION IF IT GIVES THEM A BETTER LIFE. What has Hinduism given to them? Are you ready to give all these things to these people in misery? Are you ready to educate them? Are you ready to employ them? Are you ready to give even a fraction of your time to their upliftment? NO… No Hindu has ever done this. Considering the miniscule percentage of Christians in India, the amount of charity and social work done by them is tremendous. Every person in this country aspires to educate his children in a Convent. Large number of hospitals are run by Christians. Employment generated by these activities is much more than huge MNCs. So if the Christians devote so much of time and energy in upliftment of the downtrodden, is it not but natural for these to come close to their benefactors? Especially in light of their own fellow Hindus abhorring them by making them live outside villages, not letting them inside their temples, burning, and raping them as a matter of daily routine!

If the Dalit Hindus and Tribal non-Hindus wish to change their religion that has given them nothing but misery and stigma, then no body should have a right to question them. Let alone oppose them.

It is a matter of great shame that Hindu religion is increasingly becoming intolerant towards other religions. This spread of fundamentalism is a serious cause of worry. If this is not stopped in time, there would come a time when Hindus will kill fellow Hindus, just like Islam today is ripe with internal violence amongst Shias and Sunnis. IN this respect, Hindus would be much more at risk because Hinduism does not have just two sects, but has hundred or probably thousands of subdivisions. If this fire of fundamentalism is not doused soon, the end of Hinduism is not far from the fate of Islam today, which has turned into a demon of terrorism and medieval Christianity, which was a plague for humanity.

In this respect, I now find it rather interesting that in today’s world, religion has lost its original purpose of governing the social behavior of human in a just manner. It is now time to discard the age-old concept of religion and look towards newer methods to govern the society and provide a path for progress for mankind. Its time now to throw all religions in to the gutters and frame updated new laws and practices for humanity.

Religion as a concept has outlived its beneficial life now.

Whats happening

What is happening in India nowadays? Is there a body responsible for internal security or not and if at all there is, have these people even been briefed about their responsibilities? It sure does not look so from the grim pictures that can be seen from time to time on television, newspapers and magazines. One after the other the country has been ravaged by terrorist attacks and the most disappointing thing is that there is nothing that has changed from the time of the previous blasts to the latest one. There has absolutely been nothing learned from these lapses, its as if no event no matter how gruesome in nature or sinister in plot is ever going to shake India from its eternal sleep. The toll that these have taken, their intensity and the repeatability fills the air with eerie silence.

The callous attitude of the common citizen towards there events is even more unnerving and dangerous. It just means that like always we have resigned ourselves to our fate and accept whatever carnage is heaped on us. We are champions of suffering silently and our attitude towards the suffering of others is absolute indifference and an utter lack of sympathy. I have watched the common man’s response to these events each and every time they unfold. This has always frustrated me to no bounds and this time I am absolutely pissed, so what do I do, I take it out on my keyboard and punch some words on it with the intensity of a pile driver.

Each and every time when we switch on our television and watch the ghastly pictures splashed across our screen, with BREAKING NEWS screaming from the bottom of the screen. We know that the anonymous killers who have no name or face and much less, a conscience have struck again. It hits you that another bomb blast has struck us, in the first few seconds, you frantically look for the name of the city that these lunatics have managed to breach at the same time you hope that its not Mmbai. When you find the name, you think of the people from that place, whom you know. Then you frantically look for the number of dead, which is a mind numbing thing to do and when you do manage to so, you turn silent for a while. The immediate next reaction is disbelief, how can they let this happen over and over again? You switch channels for different views and notice that the toll steeply rising.

After a while, things just cool down, you go out and find people talking about it as if all this has happened in Iraq. Everytime it’s the same nonsense about the corrupt agencies and the politicians, yet the pictures of people with blood oozing out and being carried on shoulders splash across and you wanna look away.

The next day is the usual, no change from the previous days, life goes on as usual as if nothing ever happened and that things are hunky dory. The day after, no body even talks about it, there is no news either. The media finds some thing else to talk about and all the carnage all the causalities are totally forgotten, people carry on with life like they used to.

Until one normal looking day, you very calmly and unknowingly, turn on the television and see death and destruction and blood soaked bodies screaming on the screen with BREAKING NEWS splashed across the bottom. You ask yourself unknowingly, what the hell is happening?

The below is a list of bomb attacks that have struck India in the last 10 years and the losses that they have caused.

• February 14, 1998 - Coimbatore bombings, 46 deaths.
• October 1, 2001 - Terrorists attack Jammu-Kashmir assembly complex, killing about 35.
• December 13, 2001 - Attack on the parliament complex in New Delhi, 7 deaths.
• September 24, 2002 - Terrorists attack the Akshardham temple in Gujarat, killing 31.
• March 13, 2003 - A terrorist bomb attack on a commuter train in Mumbai kills 11 people.^[6]
• May 14, 2003 - Terrorists attack an army camp near Jammu, killing more than 30, including women and children.
• August 25, 2003 - Simultaneous car bombs in Mumbai kill about 52.
• August 15, 2004 - Bomb explodes in Assam, killing 16 people, mostly school children.
• Jaunpur train bombing – 2005, 13 died and 50 injured.
• July 5, 2005 - Shri Ram Janmabhoomi attack in Ayodhya
• October 29, 2005 - Three powerful serial blasts in New Delhi at different places just two days before Hindu festival Deepawali^[7]. About 70 people died in this incident.
• March 7, 2006 - At least 21 people killed in three synchronized terrorist attacks in Varanasi in Shri Sankatmochan Mandir and Varanasi Cantonment Railway Station.
• July 11, 2006 - At least 200 people killed in a series of 7 train bombing during the evening rush hour near Mumbai.
• September 8, 2006 - at least 37 people killed and 125 injured in a series of bomb blasts in the vicinity of a mosque in Malegaon, Maharashtra
• Samjhauta Express bombings - 18 February 2007, 68 dead and 50 injured.
• May 18, 2007 - at least 13 people were killed, including 4 killed by the Indian police in the rioting that followed, in the bombing at Mecca Masjid, Hyderabad that took place during the Friday prayers.
• August 25, 2007 - at least 42 people were killed in two blasts in Hyderabad's Lumbini park and a restaurant. The police reportedly managed to find and defuse another bomb in the same area.
• May 13, 2008 - at least 63 were killed in 9 bomb blasts along 6 areas in Jaipur.
• July 25, 2008 - at least 2 were killed and 20 injured in 8 low intensity bomb blasts in Bangalore.
• July 26, 2008 - at least 29 were killed and over 110 injured in 17 serial bomb blasts in Ahmedabad.
• September 13, 2008 - at least 21 were killed and over 110 injured in 5 bomb blasts in Dehli markets. The toll continues to rise.

• To date, at least 768 people have been killed in terror strikes in India since 1998.

• This does not include the Indian embassy bombing in Kabul on July 7, 2008, which killed 58 with over 158 injured. This is the biggest attack on India outside Indian soil.

I noticed one grim detail from the above, the frequency of the attacks have increased alarmingly since the attack on the parliament on 13^th December 2001, which happened a few months after 9/11. Its as if the entire world scenario has changed after that. The above drives home the point that India is a soft state. It shows just how easily attacks on Indian soil have been carried out with unnerving frequency and one wonders what prevents them from striking bigger targets in the future.

India needs to be more vigilant so as to prevent such attacks in the future and whatever needs to be done to ensure this, must be done.

Thing of the past

Hey all you history buffs. i am gonna talk something about history after a long time.

what we all read in school about history is that there were prehistoric settlements in india dating back to 70,000 BC. chee, thats a long way back. maybe our jackal was a young man then.

however, civilized history of india as was taught to us in schools began with indus valley civilization way back in 3200 BC. this civilization lasted a few thousand years until its decline and eventual collapse in 1700 BC. when we studied, the history of india, it was taught to us that it began from 3200 BC.

however, archaeological excavations done in Pakistan, post independence have unearthed a older civilization which could be considered to be advanced as compared to the others cultures that existed during that time. the name of that particular civilization is called mehrgarh as it has been discovered in and around a village by the same name in the province of baluchistan in the young country of pakistan.

mehrgarh lies on the "Kachi” plain of Balochistan, Pakistan, and is one of the earliest sites with evidence of farming (wheat and barley) and herding (cattle, sheep and goats) in South Asia.

Located near the Bolan Pass, to the west of the Indus River valley and between the present-day Pakistani cities of Quetta, Kalat and Sibi, Mehrgarh was discovered in 1974 by an archaeological team directed by French archaeologist Jean-François Jarrige, and was excavated continuously between 1974 and 1986.

this discovery as mentioned is pretty recent. there are evidences of advanced techniques of farming being practiced which sets it apart from its contemporaries of that time.

we always studied in history that the Mesopotamian civilization was the oldest civilization in the world, starting around 3600 BC. The Egyptian civilization was next which started around 3300 BC. Next were the Indian and Chinese civilizations starting around 3200 BC and 3000 BC respectively.

However, in the light of the new evidence, don’t we think the above should be revised, considering that mehrgarh has been discribed as an advanced civilization and culture. Well, I know there are other known tribes that were located in other parts of the world and are also thought to be civilized and which are thought to have preceded the meso civilization. But there is no conclusive evidence to back these. There has been no strong evidence to say that these cultures were civilized, there is only speculation, though mind you, there is no question on the existence of these cultures, the question is merely that whether these were indeed civilized or not.

While we ponder and debate on this aspect, there is one more thing I would like to raise. In the light of this new evidence, shouldn’t mehrgarh civilization be included in the Indian history books. Even if there are questions regarding how advanced they really were, there can quite clearly be no questions about their very existence. Hence, these deserve to find their names in the history books.

Well for those not so familiar with history, if you are pondering over the question that if mehrgarh was unearthed in baluchistan, a Pakistani province, then how can it be called Indian history, shouldn’t it be called Pakistani history and hence lead to the conclusion that Pakistan dates back to 7000 BC? Well, what I got to say to you guys is, the first take a note of the fact that Pakistan as a nation was born in 1947, though it existed in the minds of its creators some 15 years earlier than that. Before 1947, there was no country on the world map ever by the name of Pakistan. Hence what ever happened in Pakistan Punjab or sindh and other provinces of Pakistan before 1947 is a happening on Indian soil, as it was India then. Hence, there is no question that mehrgarh was an Indian civilization.

Well that’s the comfort of being an Indian history buff, anything that happens in paki soil and dates before 1947 is a happening on Indian soil. However, paki rats will then claim that the taj mahal, red fort, qutub minar, charminar etc are Pakistani creations as they were built by sub continental muslim kings and Pakistan is a sub-continental muslim country. Where they are making is mistake is that they are laying their claim on anything that is remotely related to muslim architecture as theirs, totally forgetting the fact that Pakistan maybe an Islamic nation, however India is a secular country, not a hindu country as many seem to assume. It is the third biggest muslim country in the world if we go by the number of muslims living in it, forget the fact that the hindus outnumber them by one to 10. lol. Hence, the taj is very much Indian, though the pakis wish shahjahan’s capital was near Lahore and he built the taj on their soil, but sorry folks, he built it near his capital in agra, miles away from you guys. And on the same lines, harappa and mohanjodaro are Indian.

The mehrgarh civilization ultimately disappeared and was then replaced by the Indus valley civilization around 3200 BC, making bharat varsh a very old civilization.

The other aspect that could be pondered upon is, what kind of religion did there people practice. What were the customs and traditions during that time. There is enough to read about the religion practiced by the Indus valley people. It seems it was very close to Hinduism as some of their deities resemble some hindu deities. They worshipped earth, wind, water, sky and fire, very similar to hindus, especially the ancient ones. Hence there is evidence that the religion practiced there was close to Hinduism though not the same. For those who don’t know, the Indus valley civilization precedes Hinduism, which was born around 1700 BC through intermixing of Aryans and the natives of the land.

Hence, it would be really interesting to unearth what kind of religion did these people practice, as this civilization would really predate Hinduism. The questions that I am asking is was it close to Hinduism just like Indus valley or was it very different. It would answer my questions about the religion practiced by the people of this land before the oldest surviving religion in the world was born, which is one of the questions that have always intrigued me. Well, I guess more research needs to be done to answer these questions. Well there are more answers to be got yet. However, considering the situation in that country at the moment, it seems it will take some time before more intricate research could be done as no foreigner would like to travel to that country at the moment and I don’t think a body like the paki archeological survey exists. We know a lot about the religion practiced in specific countries before the advent of Christianity and islam in the world, but we know very little about the kind of religion that was practiced in India before the advent of Hinduism, though I know that Hinduism was not born on a particular day, it was something that gradually developed and became a part of peoples lives.

To conclude, I would like to say that, I personally like a few others, know a great deal about what happened in India since modern humans started inhibiting this land. I know about the action that this land has seen and the invaders that have come and gone, the Settlers who have come in from far corners of the world, about the experience that its people have had throughout the times. The intermixing and blending that has happened through out the years. But what also intrigues me is where this land and its inhabitants are headed. Will this land become an economic power house that it was in the past. That is for science fiction writers I guess considering the inflation that has set upon this country.

Another song......

hi guys... again, bus commuting is bringing a lot of things inside of me to the outside.... here's another piece I typed on my cell phone, while traveling...

Chronically radical

Yeah, it’s hot - His body stinks and burns in the furnace
Broke his life - Hung himself and his face bore a grimace
Fuck it all up - Ran out of the will to live and give a tough fight

The asshole hung himself instead – Put up his hand in the air and gave it all up
Eye for an eye – Get that fucking corpse out of my sight

You gave it up – But I ain’t gonna follow suit, ain’t no coward
Will take up arms – Repay tooth and nail for every wrong done

This society is all fucked up – Some radical changes are required
Yeah, come with me – Stop living that easy life in the bedroom now

Look what’s happening – Rich are getting richer and poor hanging up, wholesale
This has gotta stop now – Else I’m gonna cut you in to tiny little pieces

Take advantage – And see how I fuck your life and make it a living hell
You spread blood all around – But if you don’t stop now, yours will be included

This Degenerate... Stinking mass opinion... Don’t Don’t Don’t count me in
I ain’t your beast of burden – Break the blast furnace

No more hang-ups, only shoot-up – The river’s now gonna flow backwards
Time for a change – Do it yourself else I’m gonna force it on you

And then you’ll repent – Regret why you were born in the first place

Chill the furnace – Ask for your rights and if you’re denied don’t lie low
Ask but don’t beg – They’re your rights and not alms in the begging bowl

Equality... Freedom... Democracy...
Yeah, you’re entitled – So don’t hang-up but shoot-up

This is a fucking miserable place for the honest lot like you
Sometimes rights need to be fought for and snatched from

That’s alright...
Don’t hang-up... but shoot-up...

Yeah, don’t fucking redefine hang-up – I prefer that word for the phone
I’ve become chronically radical – That’s enough now.

Come Home Al...

I was traveling to office this morning in the bus. The weather was somewhat gloomy and like the moody asshole that I am, the gloom took over; I'd been listening to Nirvana continuously for a few days now, even as i traveled in the bus to office. So the rock blues had already started to take me over from the Unplugged. And with this gloom, I found it hard to resist penning down something on paper. So here's what I wrote this morning, in a writing that was so illegible that it took much effort for me to read even my own hand. I'm glad that you don't have to go through the eye straining and the guess work that goes with it... :-)
So here's what I wrote..... VERBATIM. Its called, "Come Home Al"....... :-)

Come Home Al…

Pink nails, black eyes,
Swallow me, take my sight;

Weather’s nasty, Dark clouds overhead,
Dyed hair, nature decepted;

Move on, look outta the window,
Men fall, raise an eyebrow;

Fluids flow, take a dip,
The alligator smiles, says how bout a sip;

Al and Me, sit across,
Pink nails, gator claws;

Wassup gator, swallow deer,
I’ll take Vodka, can’t swallow dear;

Claw me Al, swallow me,
Break bones - enter dream;

Go back in time, its dark now,
Pink nails, gator claws;

Hey mom, look Kurt is screaming,
I’m coming home, I was dreaming…

Mobile blogging. . . !

Well, you know wat? Wen life slows down to a grind, it really becomes terribly boring to even stay alive. . Not dat my life is not eventful. . Just that nothing i'd like to remember for the rest of my life is happening. . So i'm senselessly downloading stupid softwares for my mobile phone and computer. . And thats when i found how easy it is to blog from my phone. . I think its cool. .

Sent from my phone using trutap

Pics from my road trip to Titwala.....

hey people....

chek out the pics from my road trip to Titwala and Ambernath.....

i was there yesterday with friends on my bike... the temple in Ambernath is really ancient... almost 1000 years old, made of black stone... really cool!

here's a preview...



You can find all these pics here. These are part of my main album on Picassa.

Jai Hind... Jai Maharashtra...

Its been couple of days now after the so called 'Marathi' men resorted to street violence against North Indians in particular.

I've always felt that workplace is not a good place to discuss social/political issues. It is hence necessary to maintain restraint in exhibition of one's views, especially in respect of social matters. This is important in India more than anywhere else because our society is highly stratified with thousands of discreet social groups. And there exists every possibility that even a spark can blow up into a full fledged fire buring down close relationships that have probably been nurtured for a lifetime. Hence, ignoring social issues as if they don't exist is perhaps a good way of working around the social differences and co-existing in harmony. By not talking about burning issues in our busy routine, we find a middle path towards temporary peace.

It is this soothing silence however, which gets uncomfortable when some things go wrong somewhere. This silence which at most times suppresses our differences also shouts out louder than loudest of words at times of communal flare-ups. At such times, silence breeds suspicion and mistrust. I hence choose to speak.

I first wish to distance myself from the violent brigade of hypocrites who in the name of bringing justice to the Marathi man have committed injustice to the solidarity of our entire nation.

One cannot make somebody do things they do not wish to do. I would be most glad if my friends learn to speak Marathi. But not at this cost. I read a news article which contained comments by Ahilyatai Rangnekar, a woman who fought for the Sanjukta Maharashtra Andolan in 1950s. I would like to quote her own words, "We fought for a separate state for the Marathi manoos. We didn't say non-Maharashtrians are not welcome" ... "Maharashtrians in Mumbai are not as unfortunate and poor as Raj and other politicians were portraying them to be." ... " Raj is not saving them from hell. He is only spoiling the unity and cohesion among the people of the city."

This is exactly what I personally feel and I'm sure most Marathi people are in agreement. Politicians who are in a perpetual frenzy to garner votebanks resort to such gimmicks. With so many North Indian people whom I call friends, I am not alone. Millions of Marathi young men and women have a cosmopolitan upbringing and DO NOT subscribe to narrow minded regionalistic views. I am proud of my Marathi heritage and I understand that my non-Marathi friends are equally proud of their respective regional cultures too. It is this diversity which makes India unique. I frequently draw analogy to Europe, which in many respects is like India, particularly with regards to diversity in this case. But inspite of their efforts, they have not been able to build a consolidated Europe. It is only a great country like India that such diversity can co-exist in harmony. Many a great civilizations have risen and collapsed. There remain only traces of the mighty ancient Roman empire, while Greeks are left with only a vestige of their spectacular past achievements and the once enlightened and flourishing Muslim Sultanates which at one time ruled the seven seas have plunged into obscurity. It is only India which has flourished inspite of devastating foreign invasions, famines and every other conceivable difficulty.

People like these who try to agitate the peaceful national integrity are measly flies in this wonderful garden of diversity called India. Such flies can try their miserable best and create their loudest humming, but will ultimately die out unable to cause not even a leaf to fall in this garden.

As for the Marathi manoos, Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is the ultimate ideal for me and every other true Marathi man. It is he who had the hands of his Maratha soldier cut because he dared to violate the daughter of one of his Muslim enemies. If Shivaji Maharaj can respect even his enemies, the question of a Marathi man hating fellow Indians does not arise at all. Maharashtrian soil has given birth to some of the noblest men and ideologies. The benchmark for honour has been set so high that as high as they jump and as shrill as they cry out, no Raj Thackeray even come near what we call Marathi asmita. Because Marathi pride is no different from National pride.

Now that I have vented my anger and disgust in the most civilized manner possible for me, I wish to proclaim that Mumbai is open to all, irrespective of caste, creed, region or religion. In case the image has been tarnished I wish to further proclaim that Marathi man is most warm hearted, brave and impulsive who will embrace every Indian (and non-Indian too) with open hands without prejudice and will not hesitate to protect those whom he calls friends even against some of his own people. Raj Thackeray DOES NOT represent the collective Marathi opinion. His actions DO NOT have the approval or backing of the Marathi people. Raj Thackeray DOES NOT speak for all Marathi people.

I disagree with him. And I wanna make it fucking known...

Slipping into the groove...

hmmmm. nothing new in life going on. read some part of a favourite book of mine. currently listening to Metallica's "My Friend of Misery". The mood is smthing very confusing today. ...Misery loves company... just stood there screaming... my friend of misery...

this song is driving me crazy... im in a thoughtful mood tonight...

An Atheist's Perspective...

I was discussing my atheist inclinations with a friend and i wrote this as a reply to her. I thot it'd make good material for my blog too. My friend had once seen me entering a temple and bowing before the idol. So wen i told her that im an Atheist, she asked me abt it. She also tuched upon why God is important to her. I will only write my reply to her.
so here it goes....

[...my friend's reply here...]

dats the reply i received. lemme first say that wat im gonna say further is a personal view. india is a democratic nation and every1 is entitled to free thinking. this statement is not just a prelude. its important because it differentiates me from a fundamentalist or an extremist. so take my views as just views and not as smthing im trying to ram down ur throat. thats the last thing i'd do. Also, once i engage in a debate or a conversation like this, it can get really long, extending over long time periods and sometimes covering a diverse range of subjects. I can only ask you to bear with this. I hope you get interested...

My views:

Religion cannot be discussed in isolation from God. Not only here in India but anywhere else. In order to justify this statement, I'd like to first delve into the historical origins of religion.

Man has always been fascinated by his surroundings. He always sought to find answers to a number of things. For example, the origin of earth, origin of mankind, why men are different from women. Why man is different from animals. 5000 years ago, man was confronted with an assortment of mysteries. He always was on a quest to find answers.

Man is an intelligent creature. Since time immemorial, the basic approach to problem solving has been this:

1) Identifying the problem
2) Collating a list of possible ALTERNATIVE solutions (called theories)
3) Identify the BEST solution (theory or proposition) to the problem
4) Test the theory to see if it conforms to the constraints of logical reasoning and observed facts.
5) If the theory passes the tests of rational logic and answers the observed facts, it then becomes a Law.

We once had the Newton's Theories. They were experimentally tested and then they became Newton's Law. Because they have been PROVEN EXPERIMENTALLY, LOGICALLY AND RATIONALLY. All the circumstantial evidence points to the fact that Newton's Law cannot be disobeyed.

The above process of problem solving is not something written in books. Its the natural process that human brain adopts subconsciously.

So when man was confronted with the problem of say for example, 'Origin of Mankind', he used the same process of problem solving as follows:

1) Identifying the Problem: How did man, animals, life come in to existence. The life on earth was so complex, with so many species of plants, animals, races of men, that the problem seemed INFINITELY COMPLEX.

2) Finding the possible solutions to the problem:
a) A divine omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, entity could only have created such an INFINITELY COMPLEX universe
b) An alien life from another planet gave birth to mankind
c) Life on earth and mankind EVOLVED over a period of millions of years (Charles Darwin published his 'theory' of natural selection. its still a theory. but it has been proving itself constantly without significant rational criticism. And whatever criticism it is receiving is in my opinion, irrational and illogical
d) Life as we see does not exist at all. Its just a dream, an illusion
e) Life as we see does not exist at all. Life on earth is actually an entertainment play, watched by Gods
f) Life as we see does not exist at all. Its just a computer game/program running on somebody's (God's?) computer. (Unbelievable? search the internet or spend some time on chat networks and you'll find people who actually believe this crap)
g) Think of 'n' number of more alternative solutions yourself

3) The best and the most plausible theory 5000 years back, when we didn't have theory of evolution or alien birth. The possibility of existence of a Divine God who created mankind was itself so romantic that most people fell for it. As for the others who found it hard to digest even then, they were asked if they'd a better answer? Obviously, The God theory came to be accepted worldwide. Mind you, It was accepted. but NOT TESTED.

4) Testing the theory:

The God theory was supposedly tested. Lot of events, who's cause could not be found, were attributed to God. Many so called miracles were testified and wrongfully taken as an evidence for existence of God.

5) Proclaiming the theory as a Law:

With the so called evidence and with no other better theory at hand, mankind unanimously accepted the God theory and proclaimed it a Law. This law was called Religion.

Every country has had some form of a codified religion. Indians had the Vedas, Christians had Bible, Jews had Bible and the Torah, Muslims had Koran. Others who didn't have a written culture had some form of oral laws forming the basis of religion.

Problem with Religion and hence God theory:

All theories have to be tested and verified. evidence gathered and subjected to rational examination. Religion passed this test 5000 years ago. But todays it fails.

All theories evolve. Newton proposed say theory 'X'. It was tested, passed, proclaimed a law. But it was re-tested. Einstein did it too and he found that Newton's Laws could be disobeyed in some cases. Based on these discrepancies in earlier theories, Einstein formulated a new theory, 'Theory of relativity'

In the same vein, religion and God theory had to be tested, re-tested and re-re-tested in light of newer knowledge been discovered. We now have a much more likely theory of evolution of mankind. It is much more logical and acceptable to rational mind. Then why not re-test the God theory and subject it to criticism? Why not dare and discard it if it fails miserably in comparison to alternative explanations for origin of mankind?

The reason is, religion has been here for far too long a time. Religion and the God theory is not a theory anymore. Its a way of life. It defines the way people live their lives. It differentiates cultures and guides the society in its day to day affairs.

What does it mean to an Atheist like me?

As an atheist, i am a rational man. And I feel that mankind is a weak race. Man as an individual needs support. He needs guidance and comfort. Some people find it in their mothers, some in their wives, some in spiritual gurus and some like me, in own self.

I as an individual find the grounds for existence of God, very shaky and hard to believe. But there are people who differ. As a rational SOCIAL animal, I would follow the ways of the society to a reasonable extent. I as an Atheist do not find it hard to enter a temple and even bow before an idol because its an object of worship for my parents, my friends and my loved ones.

I respect my loved ones. This is what differentiates me from fundamentalists and makes me a civilized man. I know a lot many Atheist bigots who hunt down their religious counterparts and engage in fruitless ranting and stupid blabbering.

As a teenager, I did have extremist views once. I severely resented any religious activity and rituals. I used to make fun of 'Artis' and 'Shlokas'.

I am however now satisfied that I as an individual have evolved over time. I realize that God as a support system is very important for many people. It gives comfort and strength to many people (like yourself perhaps). As a support system, it keeps many humans going.

Would I enter a temple and pray to an entity that I think does not exist?

Yes. I would enter a temple. I would also not mind bowing and joining my hands before an idol. But I would not pray. Joining hands to me is a ritual. As much I find religious rituals blasphemous I dont think they are irrational. They are a means to bring the society together. Although they purport the existence of a God (which i disagree), they also perform a much more important function: they gel the society together (which is more important for me)

There is an important difference between logic and rationalism. Idea that God exists is Illogical. But I wouldn't call it Irrational simply because it makes sense to have a God like entity (even if its imaginary) in a society to keep it from plunging into chaos.

Taking a broader view of life, I would definitely make known my Atheist views and argue as to its logicality. But I know life is seldom logical. I hence wouldn't even mind bowing before an imaginary God. I know God doesn't exist. So what harm does it cause if my head bows before something that my parents call God, but i consider a stone idol?

What will the society loose out?

In case we continue with the God theory, the only aspect that society would loose out on would be failure to explore possibilities other than God. Ok, so if God didn't create the universe then who did? If everyone on earth believed in existence of God, who would pursue the cause of scientific exploration? who would find an alternative theory?

An important criticism to the above statement is that most scientists in history were religious. Yes, sure, they were religious. They did accept the God theory. But they knew that it was a theory. They tested and re-tested it. This is what is more important. Mankind must test religion for its utility. Religion Should EVOLVE. My complaint lies in the fact that today's religions have all remained stagnant for too long.

Also, in case of a religion, some Social benefits are derived, while some social benefits (like say scientific accomplishments) are lost causing cost to the society (eg. superstition). A cost to benefit analysis would demonstrate if religion is of utility or not. If the Costs in the form of Social evils and loss of scientific accomplishments is high while, the social benefits of religion are low, a religion becomes a liability.

As an Indian and a born and brought up Hindu, I would say that for Hinduism the cost incurred is slightly lower than the benefits derived. As a result my thinking would allow benefit of doubt to Hinduism as far as its utility is concerned.

So whats the conclusion?

The conclusion is, one must remains rational. Not logical. If an imaginary God benefits somebody, go for it. If one can do away with external divine support and learn to support oneself, nothing better than that. As an indivdual, I have learnt to stand up on my feet and not look for support from an omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent but imaginary entity.

From my observation, I find that religious persons find it much easier to commit 'sins' because they know (or they believe) that there's a God sitting in the heavens who'd forgive them if they pray or follow a few rituals like bathing in waters of a holy river.

In my case, the very belief that there is no God to support me, to forgive my sins, to grant me wishes, to help me in times of trouble, to console me when I am sad, makes me work that much extra hard to support myself, to live an ethical life. My only solace is my conscience. My conscience prevents me from committing a Sin. My conscience gives me strength when I feel weak. My conscience makes me a better human being. My conscience is my support system. And it works better for me than an imaginary God...

I hope you think about it...

And thanx my friend. coz you just inspired me to write another article for my blog. find the above discussion on my blog at Naklistan.com

tata, tc
--
Raka Naklistani :-)

About Me - An Introspection...

m Boring. i like 2 make friends. but im choosy. im finicky. im a recluse. but i cant stop talking if i find some1 my type. my emotions are extreme. im moody. i get highs and lows very easily. i like 2 see lotsa money. but im not a spendthrift. i can be rude. i can destroy friendships easily. and i regret it later. i dont listen to anyone. so i usually learn things the hard way. im a workaholic. im a writer. im a dreamer. i take pride in saying im systematic. but i invariably dont know my next move. irony is a major part of my life.

im a thinker. i think a lot. i hold strong views on many issues. i respect women. i've strong views on women's rights. i hate inequality. im democratic. i love art. but i've failed in creating much myself. i dont like a lot of things about me. i do a lot of introspection. i frequently find myself confused. i find myself lonely sometimes. i think of my childhood and past. i used 2 keep a diary once. but failed to sustain.

im a bundle of walking contradictions. my life is deeply marked by instability. i loose interest very easily. once i find things done, i loose interest and look for newer pastures. i lack a long-term perspective. if im not happy with things, i let em fall like a pack of cards. makes things difficult for others. im a team player. i like 2 interact. im not a leader. i consider myself a weak decision maker. but i analyze well. im not a strong willed person. in a team, i hold the members together. im the one who unites. im ambitious. im honest. i dont talk much. wen i do, ppl listen to me. people respect me. ppl take my opinion seriously.

i tend not 2get along with most ppl.but i compromise. i hate ppl who shirk work. dishonesty is a turnoff. i find myself more comfy in female company. im not romantic. but im soft hearted. i find myself pretending to be hard on the outside. i find it silly. but i cant help it. i guess dats my nature. i always claim in not emotional. but i know im ultra sensitive. dats one of the reasons for my reclusiveness perhaps. im verbose. i tuch a lot of things in a short span of time. im vulnerable. women, ideologies, religion; i get attracted to them easily. im a kid on my inside. im playful. i say i dont care. but i do care. i react differently to different people. even in same situations.

i haven't been a very good student. but i was and am always curious. i dont have enemies. i always make friends. very few ppl resent me. i find myself struggling with my ego. i know i hv a huge ego. but since i know it, i dont let it cause harm. i like to share. i always share. im compassionate. but im not weak minded. i believe in hard work. i'd rather die than beg. im a proud man. but im humble too. im not ashamed of work. i get bouts of ideas. i suddenly work frantically on an idea and then drop it without clue.

i dont like a lot of things about myself. but im happy about myself. im a good guy. i have evil thoughts in my mind sometimes. im very argumentative. i sometimes wish i had superhuman powers. i dont like ppl who have an indifferent attitude. i like intelligent company. i find myself uncomfortable amidst crude and nasty men who talk dirty. i like polished speakers. i admire many people. i like charmers. i want to be like them. i dont believe in God. i think the logic for his existence is weak. im a rational person. im non-violent in actions. but i do have violent thoughts frequently. i get angry easily. but im good at masking my emotions. i've never been very good at expressing love. although i've been attracted to quite a few women in life, i've never been able 2 say it. im stupid at it i guess. im content easily. money is not an incentive. work is. keeps me going. i enjoy my life to the fullest. im happy. and im luking for more. im insatiable...
:-)

whos at fault

first lemme respond to your comment and then try and explain what i am really tryin to say, maybe this this it will be clear.


at no point of time has there been conclusive proof that any of these nations had WMDs. on the contrary, facts hv come to light that american claims of WMD possession against Iraq were war propaganda.

Dude, I would strongly suggest that you ensure that you read whatever I have written before rushing off your replies. It could also help if you read the post directly over the computer. It’s the least you could do for your blogger buddy. I had never said that the threat of Iraq possessing WMDs was a genuine one. I know and the whole world knows that it was just an excuse to start a fight. In my comments earlier, I have made this point very clear. I had called it a joke. Then why do you reply as above, as if I am oblivious of this fact and that it is gonna appear in tomorrow morning’s headlines?


if its not americas responsibility to fix others state of sorry affairs, then why is it meddling in afghan, irani, iraqi and korean affairs?

I am perplexed after reading this. It is true that America has meddled in the affairs of and used military might against most of them. So? But this time US is not using its military against pak, it is not invading it. You surely don’t mean that, since US has meddled in the affairs of so and so states, as a thumb rule, it is not fair that it is not meddling with the affairs of Pakistan directly? No one should think that there is a general rule of stupidity that governs US’s actions.


In contrast, Indian foreign policy has been most beautiful with the necessary restraint and maturity, which many people mistake for cowardism.

Do you really think that Indian foreign policy is good? Now don’t even get me started on this. I am not writing anything on this now, as it would override the point that we are trying to make. Talking about too may things would make the entire discussion vague. If you wanna discuss this, then do write enumerating the merits of the so called Indian foreign policy, I would surely respond.


Dude, the people who visit this blog or have read anything I have written in the past would know what I feel about US foreign policy. This is what I had written at the start of the article.

i can understand why you are upset with the us, their foreign policy sucks. from my earlier posts it would be apparent what i think about us and its policies.

Does it sound like I am a big fan of the US? You of all people should know what I think about it and its policies.


Well, let me come to the point that I am trying to make. Maybe it would become clearer now.

I would like to ask one thing. Do you at all feel that the old man named by his mama as parvez is anywhere responsible for this whole messy mess? If you do, then why aren’t you talking about it? Now we both know that he is just a pawn in the whole game between the pak army, the isi and the west. So lets not waste our time with that. But sumwhere, don’t you think the man’s hunger to hold on to power needs to be condemned in the strongest sense. He certainly has some vested interests and will not rest till he has achieved them. Since this is the same man who directed the kargil action sequences, it should certainly give Indians sumthing to think about. This man cannot be trusted. Why give him the clean chit? All I am saying is that US is indeed responsible for all the mess it is in now. But the point that I am trying to make is, (PLEASE DO PAY ATTENTION HERE) for USA, PAKISTAN IS A FOREIGN NATION, IT REALLY CARES LITTLE IF IT GOES TO HELL OR BOUNCES OFF ITS CRUST. BUT AS FAR AS THIS LITTLE MAN IS CONCERNED, ISNT THIS HIS ADOPTED NATION? DOESN’T ITS AND ITS PEOPLE’S WELFARE FIGURE ANYWHERE IN HIS TO-DO LIST? WHY IS HE DETERMINED TO LICK FOREIGN ASSES JUST TO STAY IN POWER? ISNT IT HIS GREED? HE IS READY TO PUT ITS FUTURE AT STAKE JUST TO CLING ON TO POWER? HOW DOES THIS MAKE HIM ANY DIFFERENT FROM THE TWO PAK PMs?

This is the point that I am trying to make. I think more than US, inspite of all its dirty tricks, the internal elements of Pakistan like the army, the isi and ofcourse the general are more guilty for the situation that the country is in now.

One last thing, you made your point very clear only in my reply, while in the first post that you made, you had just briefed that US is at fault, without explaining the reasons for your thought. Don’t wait for my reply to elaborate on your views. Do it at the first instance, it would make more interesting reading.

US is protecting its interests

this is my response to an earlier article.

i can understand why you are upset with the us, their foreign policy sucks. from my earlier posts it would be apparent what i think about us and its policies.

but i personally do not think that it is us's resposibility to affix the head of state of each and every country in the world. We should refrain from indiscriminate and blind us bashing. to be fair to the us, it has the right to maneuver the international scenario to suit itself. Every country does that, including our’s. then why point one’s finger at the us this time? At least it is not bombing another nation, however this time I really wish they had done that.

It is indeed implied that mushy would have taken dubyas permission before imposing emergency. But is it the responsibility of the us to see to it that every radical fundamentalist country sticks to democratic ways? Certainly not. Is mushy committed to democracy? Not really, though its his own country. Is he manipulating the system to suit himself, you are damn right he is. Then the question is, then why blame the us? Dubya must not have proactively asked mushy to impose emergency, it has simply not objected to his decision to do so. Hence, I feel mushy is the bigger culprit not the us.

If we talk about a country’s commitment to democracy then lemme ask you this. Is India commited to the spread and preservation of democracy all over the world? Certainly not. If it were, then would it remain a silent spectator in the Myanmar prodemocracy moments? Even afer the people of that country sought india’s help? What is happening in Myanmar is totally wrong. An elected leader has been in house arrest for numerous years now. But India being a strong democratic neighbouring country is not interferening in the country. And rightly so. The military govt in that country has good relations with India, it doesn’t allow its soil to be used for anti Indian activities, which is very important for India considering the troubled north-eastern regions. India doesn’t want an additional ememy in the neighbourhood. It already has its hands full with Pakistan, Bangladesh , the very country we liberated and sri lanka, considering sri lanka is not oblivious of the fact that the ltte do get a lot of help from the southern Indian states, both monetarily and otherwise. Hence why meddle in Myanmar and create more trouble for yourself as if you don’t have enough already.

The situation that us is in at the moment is not very different from our own. It already has its hands full in Afghanistan, considering the Taliban is regrouping and spreading to the northern parts too, and of course iraq, which could well be another Vietnam for them. Besides these two frontiers, it is also worried about iran’s neculear muscle flexing, north Korean military might and terrorism against both mainland us and us interests in various nations. Now it deparately needs mushy’s help as Taliban and al qaida is becoming very active in Pakistan and using that land to mount anti-us activities. Hence, if mushy needs the emergency to make his position strong, then so be it, as far as the us is concerned. Afterall the country has been under the military rule for most part of its post colonial era, so it is not as if they have no taste of the bitter pill. And anyways, why should the us care so much about the people of Pakistan if they themselves are so damn ignorant?

Hence I think the people of phukistan are more at fault as mushy has active support from some sections of the Pakistan politics including the mqm, muhajir qoumi movement, the political party to represent the decedents of those people who left India to make the newly formed Pakistan their new home during the independence of India. Mushy is a muhajir, hence they feel that he represents their community, and support him, oblivious of his thinking and policies. After lal musjid fiasco mushy needs to fight the radicals and hence he has no option but to impose emergency. The us is just making use of him. Once he becomes redundant to them, they will pull their support to him. This is just an adjustment for the us to suit itself. I do not think us is stupid enough to meddle in Pakistan affairs pro actively, though I wish they would and blast the country into outer space.

The us is just protecting its interests.

Nice pics Y!Rocks...

yeah. we cant stop talking abt politics. as hard as we try. but we gotta try harder. LOL. so here's my bit...

though our contributer Y!Rocks is not very active about writing, this guy is a good photographer. i saw his pics in his album on orkut here. do take a look guys...

FUCK YOU AMERICA...

The inevitable has happened. Pakistan is once again under a Martial Law regime under dictatorial rule of General Musharraf with puppets installed on top of the judicial machinery. It was only a matter of time that a dictator at the helm of Pakistan's politics would walk in the footsteps of his predecessors. Taliban which once was a Pakistani and more importantly American pet has been let loose. Pakistan and America are once more haunted by their own demonic offsprings.

America is jeopardizing the world peace by meddling in world affairs for its greed. It should stop invading sovereign nations and look after its own affairs. By confronting Iran, meddling in Iraqi and Afghan affairs, USA is destabilizing the region and creating more problems than its solving.

Musharraf's imposing Martial Law is definitely not possible without America knowledge and permission. American hypocrisy is once more demonstrated when it says that it is 'deeply disturbed' by the current turn of events in Pakistan.

Arm twisting by Left handers

This is my response to the earlier article.

thats right dude.

i myself wanted to write sumthin on this, but realised my previous posts were also related to politics, so didnt write immediately.

i certainly agree with you. the UPA is not america's slave, it is the left that is china's slave. the indian left parties have always been chinese manchurian ass lickers. i shudder to think what would happen if china makes aggressive military moves on the border, these rotten eggs would welcome it and say that india would be better off under communist china. they are the ones who have sold off the nation.

lemme ask you guys one thing, what kind of ideology do you think china follows? communism? sorry, wrong answer. china is communist only in name. all aspects of china, which really matter to the business are more in tune with capitalist policies. in other words, china is a very liberal communist nation. it chose to be so in the early 90s, because it understood then that unless it changed its manners, it will collapse just like the iron curtain collapsed in the early 90s.

well, what can i say, the masters of the indian left parties (read china) has understood that unless its adopts a more liberal policy, it is sure to enter into a depression and break into ten thousand pieces just like its big brothers the former USSR and former (again) Yugoslavia.

the name of the game in international politics is adapting to changes. isnt it a well known fact that india was a staunch ally of the communist nations and a dear friend of USSR? india itself is influenced by socialist ideals. from the time of independence to the mid 90s, india was largely led by the congress, a party which strongly believed that india's best interests were in being a close ally of the USSR. Since the 90s, communism has all but fallen, with the exception of china and a few other countries. observing this change, india has sensed that it is better off with building strong relations with uncle sam (US). The same congress party has now taken this relationship further in many ways. One of the steps it has attempted to take is this nuclear deal. Have you noticed the congress making any moves towards the Russian union, which has all but replaced the former USSR in the international scenario. The congress has learned that what is in the past is best left there (in the past), the present policies should always be made with one eye on the future. I am not a fan of the congress party (though I may sound so in this space, but believe me, I am anything but that)

Alas, the deal is in rough waters simply because the left has no common sense to see that the global scenario has changed and that it has been over 60 years that the second world war has ended and that now nobody really cares about the communist ideals. Capitalism, with all its inherent flaws has won the cold war hands down. There is only one international boss and a runaway success story and that the US, make no mistake about it.

Its time the left read its news papers and took off the old and crumbled stalin and lennin portraits off its office walls. They were leaders of a different time. The time now is of business expansion, we are talking about a single global village these days.

The Indian left parties had little national presence until the beginning of this century. The fifty years of modern India, the little red man were largely ignored by the Indian masses. It is only in the last two general elections that unfortunately, the masses have given substantial power to these guys who have done nothing but slow down India’s progress. Maybe the masses saw that India is speeding ahead at a rapid pace since 1998 and that the gap between the rich and the poor in this country is widening with the passage of every single day. We are talking about huge foreign investments these days. My reading is that the improvised of the country panicked that if this pace keeps up then they will be in a lot of trouble economically speaking. It is a well known fact that the left has branded itself as the champion of the poor, and when the poor are driven to a corner, who do they have to turn to, the left of course. I hope the people who voted them into power will realize that left is no poor man’s friend, how can a party be against the establishment retail outlets in India and be friends of the poor at the same time. The very mantra of the retail outlets is cutting down prices, and when the prices of commodities are cut, wont the poor benefit, simple logic aint it. NO, if you are left, the way they look at it is, the investment is coming from the west, and our grand fathers had asked us to blindly oppose anything that comes from the west (except pretty girls). Hence, investment in the form of retail, even if it benefits the poor is evil. if you don’t believe us, read the books written by our grandpas, they are a little worn out, but sure still readable. The armed rise of the naxalites and Maoists in India has also influenced the ordinary man to believe that the left will protect the poor.

What I have to say to the left parties is that, guys, adapt or perish. The Indian voter is a lot smarter than he is given credit for. If you keep up with your monkey tricks, you will be very soon thrown out and replaced by substitute Saviour of the poor (read BSP). The people do realize that you cannot compromise with the security of the nation. Guys grow up, do you want me to translate that in Bengali and malayalam.