Time for a cleanup

Boot the politicians!

2009-04-28T10:48:00.000+05:30

This is becoming fashionable.
We've always talked about BOOTING the POLITICIANS out of office.
These guys have taken it to heart and decided to give them the boot.... across the face!!

George Bush (jr) experienced the first Shoe-throwing incident as Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi, a reporter with Cairo-based network gave vent to his fury. The pain of seeing his country get molested by the external invader prompted such a response.
At least he was hurting the foreign invader for a righteous cause!

What is the claim to fame of these other idiots - who threw it only for pubicity?
- Unnamed gentleman who took a pot shot at the PM at an election rally
- Party worker who took aim at LK Advani at a party meeting last month.
- Upset sardar who vented out after 25 years on the home minister for the riots in 1984.

My point is this:
Throw a shoe... not by throwing your shoe ... by casting your vote to that effect!
It will have a telling effect.

Ready to implode

2009-04-26T02:26:00.000+05:30

watch the news!!!
follow the timelines across the last 700 odd days and you'll see the thread....

Our neighbor - Pakistan is ready to implode!
The 26-11 attacks are also a part of that implosion cycle - albeit a very small part.
The attack was to serve as a catalyst and make us take action - hastening the collapse of whatever little system exists there. It would have brought the taliban to our doorstep across the western front.

What do you do with an enemy that defies common game theory when engaging in a battle of nerves to the death. The taliban refuses to play "by the rules" of deterrence.

This war is coming - slowly but surely....

No Pakistani lawyer here!!

2009-04-16T18:46:00.000+05:30

He's lucky to be alive... so far!!
He killed many .... and thanks to our legal bungles, is able to demand... when this is quite the open and shut case.

I'm not a lawyer - but I understand justice!
Qasab should be hung.... or if my justice were to prevail.... it'd be a horrible , lingering state of existence between death and coma... where he can feel the pain!!!

But this is India... noble, bright and honesty shining through!!
So we suffer this charade!!

Sham shame pissy shame!!

2009-04-04T17:10:00.000+05:30

We have no problem with this.....

But we have a problem when a fun gimmick is done without any nudity like this!!

Shame on us!!
Shame on us!!!

Awake or not?

2009-01-02T17:12:00.000+05:30

Do you vote?
Are you awake?
Do you want to start ?

Follow this link and get to JAAGO RE.com
Their aim - get us all to the voting booth.
Make sure we make a difference.

Watch the news!!

2008-12-11T20:26:00.000+05:30

I was never one for watching too much news - esp on the news channels the way they sensationalized. Today - post 26/11 - I actually take time to watch Arnab Goswami on TIMES NOW and RAJDEEP SARDESAI on CNN-IBN!!

I'm not saying that they've changed their colors overnite...
But maybe I've grown to like BIG BROTHER.

I am not Winston Smith from Orwellian literature. But i cannot help but feel like him - from time to time. Am I seeing the truth...? Is it the truth out there??
I look for answers - i see history through many a colored filter - tinted to the shade that they would like me to believe!

I wonder if I will even recognize the truth when I see it.
Will you?
Maybe we are all in LOVE with BIG BROTHER and cannot do without our daily dose of HATE!

Rigging the polls

2008-11-04T21:21:00.000+05:30

I wonder if Johnny Boy stands the littlest of chances of convincing the folks stateside that he is the better man.Maybe I'm being quick to pass judgment and maybe I shall have to eat CROW!!
But methinks - maybe it's time for him to outsource some work to India.

We can be great at rigging the polls, capturing the booths ... and generally getting him the swing votes in areas he never thinks he's gonna win!
He definitely needs external help - and also since most Indians support Obama... it'll look like the other side did it.
I wonder if he even considered it....cos we're the experts and I'm sure that there'd be working discounts for him given the workload involved.

It's better than wasting millions on TV Ads
Wotsay folks??

Bhai to the rescue!

2008-10-20T19:05:00.000+05:30

So the 1900 employees of JET airways are all back to work!
Apparently Mr.Goyals emotions came to the fore and his conscience awoke.... methinks someone prodded it in a not so nice manner! I'm not taking sides. Just trying to understand that sometimes hard decisions are necessary. It happens all over the world. Why not here!!

Consequently the employees (on probation) are back to work. The airline posted a loss of Rs.2.21 Billion in the first QTR of 2008. Here's a chance to do better!

I'm not a socialist believing that money must be invested without any thought of return. I sympathize with the 1900 folks.. but folks - get alive...after all the ruckus ou made on the roads of Mumbai... do you really think you're gonna get a raise in JET ... ever???

Also, our corrupt and sh**faced politicos must realize that if a business can't make money - it ain't worth doing. Either you re-organize, find a better way to do it, or quit and let someone else do it. There ain't no prize for coming in second best. So if you wanna compete with our neighbors in CHINKland, you gotta imrpovise. They are not going to roll over and play dead.

Airlines is a tricky business at the best of times. These are difficult times. So the falling markets lead to a threat perception that all is not well. I'd rather do a VC than travel all the way. So the dudes who'd planned their targets based on my travel plans are left high and dry. You got to reach a minimum quorum to run a business enterprise. Sadly - things ain't so easy.

But 1900 folks have done more damage than they expected / imagined.
Corporate India will be wondering which BHAI (big brother) will call them when they retrench or issue pink colored papers!

If businesses stopping making money - who's gonna fill the coffers of these bhais?

The Next Presidente!!!

2008-09-29T10:48:00.000+05:30

Guess what ... The American president is no longer just the AMERICAN president.
He has an effect on all of us across the world.

I bumped into this weblog.. which has the voting lines open .....GO ON and cast your vote... have your say!!

Lets kill the politicians first!!

2008-09-24T11:47:00.000+05:30

So Oscar goes on Public record and says that the Company CEO had it coming.
Well - methinks the politicians that manage the country haven't done a good job either.

Why don't we go ahead anad take the law into our hands and lynch them too!!!

Democracy is about free expression of views, thoughts and actions within the accepted parameters of the law.

This is not France, circa 1789. We are in 2008.
There are safeguards built into the system whereby employees are protected to a large extent. I work in a manufacturing unit - and am aware of the stringent conditions imposed on the MANAGEMENT to ensure that the employees don't get a raw deal.

Then again, there is a recourse available at various levels for mis-MANAGEMENT.
VIOLENCE is not the answer - because it works both ways. And it is expected that those in positions of GOVERNANCE will put a ZIP on their mouths when necessary - rather than play electoral games on sensitive issues.
Mr Fernandes would do well not to forget that the same companies and their managements pay the politicians to conduct their elections!!!

The BALA needs a kick in the Ba**s!!

2008-09-08T18:01:00.000+05:30

Yes Mr Thackeray we hear you.
We know you will stand by your words and won't allow release of films starring Bachchans.

Well, I'm an Indian.. not from Mumbai (even though I spent a good 60% of my life there) or from Delhi. Just - Indian!
So if I say that I want to talk in Hindi or English or Telugu - what's our goddamn problem old man?
Yes - you will prevent my films from being released too... so yes - i know you get your kicks from there old fella... !!

In this day and age when international borders are becoming porus why do we put up with such hitting-the-fan kinda rhetoric that sets off the mind-fuse?

Maybe if we (or even I) were allowed to kick him him in the balls.. then we'd know if he screamed in Hindi, Marathi, English or Sanskrit. Just like music - pain is also a universal language!!!

The Book Load!

2008-09-03T17:50:00.000+05:30

We spend a lot of time cribbing that kids today have too much of a load. they have to carry so many books and it becomes impossible for them to focus. They end up succumbing to this peer pressure and then shit happens!

Then I happened to stop at a red light in the city. There was a child with a load of books. But he looked at them for succor - not as a load! He was not studying them - but could tell the price of each of them by rote!

He'd sit down for a few minutes to give himself a breather.... then it was back to the grind.

Let's be thankful that our parents could afford to school us. Let's be thankful that our teachers pestered us and made us do our homework. Let's be thankful that the pressures endured then - have made us something - now!
Let's be thankful that god was merciful!

Haj Subsidy

2008-08-20T16:29:00.002+05:30

...read on!

There are multiple Haj Terminus and 16 embarkation points in the country
The Haj subsidy in 2006 was Rs.348 crore
The muslim pilgrim to Jeddah pays Rs.12,000 for a return ticket.The actual cost of the ticket is Rs. 46,000. The difference is funded by the Union Government
The Indian government has a Haj Office in the Indian Consulate in Jeddah, runs a hospital in Mecca and dispensaries in Mecca and Madinah, and sends doctors,
nurses and para-medical staff to run these medical establishments during the pilgrimage
In addition, the Government has sanctioned eight ambulances and medicines for pilgrims who fall ill.

So what's wrong with a few acres for basic amenities for DEVOTEEs going to AMARNATH?

Shame Shame!!!

2008-08-20T14:54:00.001+05:30

This is quite a regular sight.... fertilizing the foliage... and now they talk on the mobile while doing do!!
Talk about being No.1 at MULTI TASKING!!!

That's us INDIANs!

....on a more serious note.... he deserves a whupping!!!

They are Pakistanis... please let them go!!

2008-08-19T11:22:00.002+05:30

"We are pakistanis", says Syed Geelani.

OK. POINT TAKEN.
NOW MR.GEELANI & Co. PLEASE GET OUT OF MY COUNTRY.
.... and don't come back!

I believe KASHMIR is part of SOVEREIGN INDIA.

But enough is enough
Let's end this right here.. right now.
Too Many people died trying to protect this piece of land... that's what it has become now.

Denigrating women!

2008-08-18T14:51:00.002+05:30

The stuff below has been taken from the TOI WEBSITE
MTV has been issued notice for "denigration" of women in its hugely popular reality show 'Splitsvilla'. The programme has 20 teenaged girls seeking the attention of two boys who are the judges and must choose between the girls. Targeted at the youth, the reality show winners have a chance of becoming VJs besides earning fame and fortune.

The information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry received a complaint about an episode telecast on July 12 that was found to be in bad taste and denigrated women by objectifying the girls. It has issued a notice to the channel demanding an explanation within 15 days.

I do watch that programme from time to time.The young ladies made a decision to be a part of the whole deal. So BiTChinG comes with the package....

I also happened to see that last episode.... and seriously.... we've objectified so many things that making ONE BAKRA doesn't really hack it!!

You wanna make a statement... make it in a manner of speaking that does justice...!!

You wanna stop denigrating women.. then kick the asses of those who parade them naked in public... whip those ar******s that burn wives for dowry.....punish those who kill the female foetus... imprison them who rape women......

.... and then come to MTV and ask them to stop denigrating women....!!

Jai Hind!!

2008-08-14T17:58:00.003+05:30

Oh.. is it that time of the year again......
Unfurl the flags and roll the drums... India turns 61 !!

No point in griping about what we could have or should have achieved in 6 decades.
I think we've done pretty well - actually - now that we have an individual GOLD medal at the olympics too!

I've been around for half that time and have seen so much happening in the last 31 years that it never ceases to amaze.

A friend of mine reminded me of our tryst with destiny.... taken by Mr.Nehru on the midnight of 15th Aug 1947. Thank you Rachita!

TRYST WITH DESTINY

Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity. At the dawn of history India started on her unending quest, and trackless centuries are filled with her striving and the grandeur of her success and her failures. Through good and ill fortune alike she has never lost sight of that quest or forgotten the ideals which gave her strength. We end today a period of ill fortune and India discovers herself again. The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity, to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future? That future is not one of ease or resting but of incessant striving so that we may fulfil the pledges we have so often taken and the one we shall take today. The service of India means the service of the millions who suffer. It means the ending of poverty and ignorance and disease and inequality of opportunity. The ambition of the greatest man of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye. That may be beyond us, but as long as there are tears and suffering, so long our work will not be over. And so we have to labour and to work, and work hard, to give reality to our dreams. Those dreams are for India, but they are also for the world, for all the nations and peoples are too closely knit together today for any one of them to imagine that it can live apart Peace has been said to be indivisible; so is freedom, so is prosperity now, and so also is disaster in this One World that can no longer be split into isolated fragments. We have to build the noble mansion of free India where all her children may dwell. The appointed day has come-the day appointed by destiny-and India stands forth again, after long slumber and struggle, awake, vital, free and independent. The past clings on to us still in some measure and we have to do much before we redeem the pledges we have so often taken. Yet the turning-point is past, and history begins anew for us, the history which we shall live and act and others will write about. It is a fateful moment for us in India, A new star rises, the star of freedom in the East, a new hope comes into being, a vision long cherished materializes. May the star never set and that hope never be betrayed! We rejoice in that freedom. The future beckons to us. Whither do we go and what shall be our endeavour? To bring freedom and opportunity to the common man, to the peasants and workers of India; to fight and end poverty and ignorance and disease; to build up a prosperous, democratic and progressive nation, and to create social, economic and political institutions which will ensure justice and fullness of life to every man and woman. We have hard work ahead. There is no resting for any one of us till we redeem our pledge in full, till we make all the people of India what destiny intended them to be. We are citizens of a great country on the verge of bold advance, and we have to live up to that high standard. All of us, to whatever religion we may belong, are equally the children of India with equal rights, privileges and obligations. We cannot encourage communalism or narrow-mindedness, for no nation can be great whose people are narrow in thought or in action. To the nations and peoples of the world send greetings and pledge ourselves to cooperate with them in furthering peace, freedom and democracy. And to India, our much-loved motherland, the ancient, the eternal and the ever-new, we pay our reverent homage and we bind ourselves afresh to her service. Jai Hind.

Let the party begin!!

JAI HIND!!

Singh is king!

2008-07-22T20:14:00.003+05:30

Akshay Kumar may still have some time to go before his film hits theatres.

But Manmohan dear can happily sing - ' Singh is kinggg'

... Well I for one am glad things turned out this way. would have hated saying salaaam behenji to maya baby!

... And now the Karats need to be told to pipe down as well...

back to work folks...

Oil for Food - Indian style!!

2008-07-22T18:32:00.003+05:30

The UN has a oil for food program..... It worked well in Iraq!
So why can't the Indian government have a VOTE for 25 crores programme..... I'm sure that will work just fine!!
A bonus can be issued if you get one of your friendly netas to vote your way....!!

Interestingly the opposition claims that they are being bribed and the Speaker wants to have a multi-party meeting on this. I doubt if anyone in the Governments position would have done otherwise.

Anyhow Lalu has asked for a NARCO test on the 3 BJP MPs claiming to have been offered bribes! I doubt if they'll catch anything - these guys are trained liars..... only a vacation at Guantanamo bay would work on these fellas!!

What do you think?

2008-07-21T10:49:00.003+05:30

There’s talk going around that Ms.Mayawati is going to be made the Prime Minister of this country in case the incumbents are herded out.

Now that’s an interesting proposition. Please note that if you’re on your way home from office you will be instructed to go straight on BR Ambedkar marg, through Ambedkar nagar. Take a right turn from Ambedkar chowk and go straight along Kanshi ram marg! Get to the Ambedkar roundabout, go straight and then the first right onto Mahamaya marg!!
Ask someone for directions and they’ll be spouting names from the lexicon of Dalit greats!!
So this is the lighter side of things to come - gesture politics they call it. There’s a hard side too.

For once I’m not playing diplomatic. No more mister nice guy. Just plain talk.

We cannot allow folks off the reservation to come and take us over. The country does not need “this” heroine right now. I’d so much prefer team effort. Bringing her into power will undermine the gains and forward movement of the last 2 decades. We will have lots of statues being erected across the capital (to start with) and a pre ponderence of sycophants who utilize this time in the sun to make lots of hay... our hay!!
Her outlook is not national. It is a fractured composition viewed through the lens of one who carries a chip on the shoulder after decades of perceived victimization and is looking to get even. Her party’s mandate is from one state alone and she cannot be made to govern all else as well.

Let's have a time out get some work done people!!!

Fall from Power!

2008-07-21T10:47:00.000+05:30

Dropping one government for myriad reasons is fine by me, It’s not that anyone else in their place could have done better.
They were not responsible for the oil price hike or that of the inflation that is in double digits now. The inflation is part and parcel of thle growth syndrome. Yes - the nuclear deal is not a bad one. It may not fit in with glasnost as espoused by our comrades - but it ain’t a bad deal.

I’m not hinting at underhanded RUSSKIE tricks to make sure that this whole deal comes undone - but it’s possible. It would have been fine if we had some other options to ensure that our energy needs were met. Now we have to rely on the pipeline through Iran or hope that we get drilling rights in Siberia if and when the are opens up. Drilling for oil in the Spratly islands will always be fraught with risk cos’ the are has a disputed ownership.

We live in a world where there’s one super power at present. I don’t approve of US hegemony - yes - a multipolar world is definitely preferred to a unipolar setup. But there are a lot of folks out there who see the coming together of the worlds largest democracies as a bigger threat. These are the people who thrive on chaos - other people’s problems!

Our political parties cannot agree on any one thing. I’m sure the government has its share of faults. I dislike the myriad multiple taxation policies in place at present. I grudge the govt babus who have nothing to do all day except twiddle their thumbs and throw spanners in the works for the rest of us. But this has little to do with which party is in power. The fact that we have a stable coalition say things about our leadership which has held together for most of their duration. That may end tomorrow. I hope it continues - for the sake of the country.
Reasons being :

We don’t have a suitable alternative in mind with the requisite strength in the lower house.
Mid-Term calculation cost a bomb. All taxpayers money (as always).
The next government can’t halt inflation, price rise , global oil prices or increase our growth rate to double digits.

What needs to be done is to take a national outlook. Drop the horse trading, regional agenda, fractured points of view and work towards the betterment of India.

So what is this India? Well - it’s a concept, an idea that existed in the minds of the fore runners - the ones who fought tooth and nail with satyagraha and brought us our freedom. I’m sure the current state of affairs was not one they’d every thought up!!

A soldier wonders!!!

2008-07-10T15:45:00.002+05:30

How you play with us, did you ever see?
At Seven, I had decided what I wanted to be;
I would serve you to the end,
All these boundaries I would defend.

Now you make me look like a fool,
When at Seventeen and just out of school;
Went to the place where they made 'men out of boys'
Lived a tough life …sacrificed a few joys…

In those days, I would see my 'civilian' friends,
Living a life with the fashion trends;
Enjoying their so called 'College Days'
While I sweated and bled in the sun and haze…
But I never thought twice about what where or why
All I knew was when the time came, I'd be ready to do or die.

At 21 and with my commission in hand,
Under the glory of the parade and the band,
I took the oath to protect you over land, air or sea,
And make the supreme sacrifice when the need came to be.

I stood there with a sense of recognition,
But on that day I never had the premonition,
that when the time came to give me my due,
You'd just say,' What is so great that you do?'

Long back you promised a well to do life;
And when I'm away, take care of my wife.
You came and saw the hardships I live through,
And I saw you make a note or two,
And I hoped you would realise the worth of me;
but now I know you'll never be able to see,
Because you only see the glorified life of mine,
Did you see the place where death looms all the time?
Did you meet the man standing guard in the snow?
The name of his newborn he does not know...
Did you meet the man whose father breathed his last?
While the sailor patrolled our seas so vast?

You still know I'll not be the one to raise my voice
I will stand tall and protect you in Punjab Himachal and Thois.

But that's just me you have in the sun and rain,
For now at Twenty Four, you make me think again;
About the decision I made, Seven years back;
Should I have chosen another life, some other track?

Will I tell my son to follow my lead?
Will I tell my son, you'll get all that you need?
This is the country you will serve
This country will give you all that you deserve?

I heard you tell the world 'India is shining'
I told my men, that's a reason for us to be smiling
This is the India you and I will defend!
But tell me how long will you be able to pretend?
You go on promise all that you may,
But it's the souls of your own men you betray.

Did you read how some of our eminent citizens
Write about me and ridicule my very existence?
I ask you to please come and see what I do,
Come and have a look at what I go through
Live my life just for a day
Maybe you'll have something else to say?

I will still risk my life without a sigh
To keep your flag flying high
but today I ask myself a question or two…
Oh India…. Why do I still serve you?

Yes - they continue to serve us - no matter what the circumstances. The least we can do is respect them for that and make them believe that it's worth it!!

stop the blackmail!

2008-06-05T15:37:00.002+05:30

Dear Hilary,
Stop fidgeting!

Mr.Barack Obama has won the nomination to be the Democratic representative for the US presidential elections.

STOP BLACKMAILING HIM now with your collection of embittered HILARY voters!!!

You think you deserve to be El Presidente for the US of A.
Well - actually I care a damn!!

But as a 3rd party observer I do believe there should be some grace in defeat - to fight another day!! It's what true leaders do. This is not a personal slander attack against you dearie.. but more like a wake up call. You have missed the train and ELVIS has left the building.

SO cheer up, go back to New york and have a great time.

Regards,
FAIR PLAY ADVISOR

License Raj!!

2008-05-26T18:45:00.002+05:30

Do you have a TV at home..???

Do you have a license for it...???

If yes, then have you renewed it this year????

I ran into these old documents last month as a OPERATION TIDY UP was in progress. This one in particular caught my attention. I thought I was hallucinating.... but no.. 25 years ago - one needed a license to own a TV or a radio....

I laughed alound as i read the archaic conditions imposed on the folks back then. In this day and age of information flow - it seems like another world altogether. Getting a TV is smal fry - I can just imagine what they'd do for the bigger stuff.

Murder Murder Everywhere...

2008-05-26T14:52:00.003+05:30

To read the newspaper these days one requires to summon up a great amount of guts. The papers these days are choc-a-bloc with murders and more murders.And all horrifying gruesome ones which completely shake one's very faith in humanity.

Case I: The Aarushi Talwar case

Double murder of the daughter of the house and the elderly servant. Parents discover the murder of their daughter next morning. Blame the servant who is also missing. Police immediately announce that the servant is the killer and announce reward to anyone offering information about him. Next day servant's body is also discovered on the terrace with bloodstains all around. Now whodunnit? Police find no clues. Immediately accuse the poor bereaved father within a week of the two murders.

So from the family's point of view - two tragedies - gruesome murders and accused father. Mother says daddy was sleeping all along next to her and he dote don his daughter.

Police says daddy was having an extra-marital and daughter got to know and condemned it so daddy bumped her off. The bit about daddy bumping of servant is still a little hazy. Whether he killed him first or after killing daughter cuz he witnessed it - either daddy knows and won't tell or daddy doesn't know know and can't tell. Police arrested daddy without any shred of real evidence except for some so-called confession. Duhhhh....tht confessions would never hold up in court. And murder weapon - what's that. NOIDA police has spoken - Daddy is the killer.

Another story doing the rounds says that daddy found servant and daughter in an 'objectionable but not compromising' position and killed them in a fit of rage. Well if he did so, did he always keep his scalpel and hammer handy for such purpose, and after killing them go right back to bed for beauty sleep?

The media has wasted no time in sensationalizing the whole tale - and that includes potshots at the NOIDA police for their shoddy work or wondering if daddy really did it and violating the mother's grief and privacy at this double tragedy or in relating story after story about how the murdered girl spoke some 688 times in 45 days with some boy or in surmising that she had certain relations with the servant or in how other children have suffered psychologically after following the case and having discovered that her father has allegedly killed her. Page after page of newsprint or minute after minute of reel have been devoted to this.

Case II: Neeraj Grover case
Deceased victim was a producer. Lady was smalltime actress trying to make it big and willing to do whatever it takes, inculding sleeping with producer dude behind her naval officer boyfriend's back. So naval officer boyfriend gets to know actress-girlfriend is sleeping with producer, drives down to Mumbai, reaches girlfriend's place in the early hours of the next morning. Finds ladylove in skimpy clothes and producer dude naked. Stabs producer dude in a fit of rage. Till here the story is still conceivable. Its the part which follows which is gruesome.

Thereafter with the dead body still there boyfriend and girlfriend have sex. Then girlfriend goes and buys big bags and a knife. Together they chop body and stuff into the bags. Borrow a car, buy petrol and dispose off mutilated body parts in a jungle after burning with petrol. Then girlfriend plays dumb for a week and finally confesses. I wonder why? Does she hope for a lenient sentence cuz she confessed?

Case III: Innumerable stories of people having been drugged/killed by their unverified servants who have then robbed them blind.

Case IV: Various stories of drunken driving and accidents - mostly where the car ends up in a scrap pile and the driver and passengers on the pyre.

Case V: Rapes and more rapes. Some as unbelievable as where the one where the father jailed his own daughter for 24 years in a basement jail below his home and had 6 children with her, and the mother was blissfully unaware and verily believed that her daughter had run off to join some religious cult where children were unwanted and dumped them on her parent's doorstep.

Case VI: Election/ Political violence - be it in Nandigram or in Rajasthan.

Do I need to prove my point further?

An inconvenient truth!!

2008-04-22T22:17:00.000+05:30

Watch this film!
It'll open eyes.

I'm not much of an environmentalist... But this made me sit up and wonder.
The truth ain't easy to digest - but we're on the edge of the abyss and if we don't do something now - there may not be much left to done.
If it takes 10000 generations to get to 2 billion souls and then 1 single generation to 9 billion - holy shit- well we are IN IT.
Technology advances are good - but they'll be the death of us!
Its easy to sit and not respond - but how many jolts will awaken the collective soul.....?

Sent from BlackBerry® on Airtel

Reservations Zindabad

2008-04-11T09:34:00.003+05:30

27% reservations for OBCs.
25% reservation for management quota
10% reservation for donation students
5% reservation for political quota
5% reservation for sports quota
____
72% seats gone

So now the rest of us common folks who can't afford to get in through donations or management quota or know any politician to grant us favours or haven't represented the country in any sports arena battle for the balance 28% seats on the ranbhoomi of the entrance exam. So we have lacs and lacs of students trying to get one of the few thousand seats.

Any wonder that parents are now so desperate for their child to do well , that so much pressure is put on the kids these days to excel in academics and sports and extra-curricular activities.

The quota system had been introduced in the early years of our independence for the purpose of giving a fillip to the economically and socially backward classes - but the catch was that the quota system would be on only for a certain period and was to be abolished after a certain period of time.

However, our vote hungry netas have used, misused and abused the quota system to garner votes and divide society on the lines of caste; which by the way was to be abolished as well. But no, most of the forms which we fill up still ask for 'Mother Tongue' and 'Caste'.

Maybe its time we also started demanding for quotas for ourselves or else by the time its for the next generation to get into schools and colleges, there would be no seats left thanks to all the various quotas.

Miss India!!

2008-04-06T21:56:00.000+05:30

Forward thinking - retrograde questions!!
The answers were on. Different level altogether!

- what if women ruled the world?
WE'D BE MORE SENSITIVE AND COMPASSIONATE
- what edge does a woman have over a man?
MORE COMPASSION
- would you prefer to shout or be subtle to be heard?
ACTION SPEAK
- what change would you bring to India?
WOMAN EMPOWERMENT
- what is special over you part of the country?
DIL HAI
- How does a man add value to a womans life? (Translated in hindi for the benefit of the contestant)
ALL ROLES ARE IMPORTANT - FATHER, BROTHER, HUSBAND
- Arranged marriage v/s love marriage?
- What is the best gift that a woman can give a man?
A CHILD ( my answer was something else though)

They all talked of COMPASSION but it felt so much like KAM PASSION (less passion).

At least the Master of Ceremonies asked the organizers to remove that word from the show....

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Just Another BMW Case...

2008-03-31T08:58:00.002+05:30

So we have another BMW case. Person in question this time is the grandson of a former Punjab Chief Minister who ran over hit a stationary truck and critically injured 4 labourers with his BMW.

Of course he was not heavily drunk, out of the question my dear friend - the gentleman in question Mr. Gurmeet Singh, is the paragon of virtue. How stupid of the labourers to park their truck on the side of the road to repair a punctured tyre. Dumb labourers.

And of course the fact that he is the grandson of a former Chief Minister provides Mr. Gurmeet Singh immunity from the judicial system. That's only for common folks like you and me.

Maybe one of the reporters should give Mr. Singh Mr. Nanda's phone number. They have alot in common; and Mr. Nanda can even give Mr. Singh some tips.

Lead us not into temptation

2008-03-26T15:24:00.002+05:30

The poor taxman...!!
He lived an honest life..... always running from his wife..... trying to avoid strife.
Then he met the snake.... ate a few apples and ended up with an upset tummy....!!
He took a chance with fate and ended up taking the bait....poor fella ended up getting late!
Why does and honest man become dishonest?
Why does a "star" performer hobnob with criminals?
Why is there a need to take the risk with one's reputation and credibility?

Maybe he didn't earn enough. But he already knew that when he took up the job.
Maybe he had some additional requirements. So he could have taken a loan for that.
Maybe he was framed.. it happens all the times in films..!

No point in playing around with Maybes. The media plays its own part in making people famous or infamous. We as individuals must play our own part. But it would not be wise to sit on judgement on the man just yet. We can however sit on judgement on the criminal act. So what do we do to solve the problem?
I say - shoot the buggers... and those who bribe them as well....

Smoking Kills!!

2008-03-21T13:43:00.002+05:30

heck - we all know that!!
it's a proven fact.. or so the medical specialists would have us believe!

We also have a population problem!!

So why not reduce the taxes on cigarettes and let more people bite the bullet!
Instead - we go and decide to levy a FINE on organizations committed to downsizing. How cheap is that?
Mr Ramadoss or whatever he is called has taken it upon himself to eradicate SMOKING!!
But it's not in our national interest to do so. We are infringing on the right to FIRE & SMOKE. Every man / woman lives - to get WARM - so if the fire is under the backside, in the belly or in the mouth - the KEY point is to get warm!
The HEALTH MINISTER does not give 2 hicks for the HEALTH of the country and this is all due to Western influence from crazy NGOs and Greenpeace authorities.

If people want to KILL themselves and reduce the burdgeoning pressure on our infrastructure - so be it. Why make them live a life of misery and traffic jams when they can be in heaven watching over us?

bye bye Taslima

2008-03-19T07:48:00.000+05:30

She's been here for a decade and lived well. Her life could have been toast - had she continued to reside in Bangladesh.

The government took care and never charged her a buck for it.

After all that - the stupid bi*** has the gall to call us inhuman, saying that we have pushed her towards death. Well - I personally don't give a shit about why she's alive today.

Maybe we could just deport her to Bangladesh and let them finish the job on her.
Bye Bye Taslima .....no "lajja" at all!!

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The US Dollar is back on track!

2008-03-17T16:46:00.003+05:30

God knows what a sigh of relief I heave - when the US $ starts to appreciate against the Indian rupee.
It's stabilized a lil over 40 and I hope it goes back to the 45+ levels... Of course you importers would hate me for it!! But thats the only way of making exports rosy & viable!
So the sub-prime crisis in the US is not all that bad.... it got the US companies to shift funds overseas.... got our market down a bit.... created a demand for the US $ and consequently an increase in the Value of teh US $ vis-a-vis the Indian Rupee....
Simple economics...... but it's left a trail of destruction behind it.

I feel sad for the Americans... but amused at their sense of Logic at giving loans to those who wouldn't qualify for it in the logical sense of the word! Then Murphy struck & all risk management was thrown to the wind!!

I wonder IF they can recover from this...

Healthy Tuesdays!!

2008-03-16T02:53:00.000+05:30

Don't fall ill on Tuesdays - at least not in Gurgaon. The powers that be have decided that all chemists will remain shut on Tuesdays.

The decision comes in the wake of the government order to shut shop for commercial establishments on Tuesdays and thereby conserve some electricity. Chemists - due to their inherent commercial nature were selling stuff besides prescription drugs. So they were classified as DEPARTMENTAL STORES - would you believe that!!

So what happens if I need medicine on Tuesday... Well, nothing - literally!!

Here on forward - all sickness to be confined to Wednesday. And we let these jokers govern us ;-)
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Joy of Learning????/

2008-03-15T12:25:00.006+05:30

Surely a misnomer...think about the pressures we heap on the child as soon as the child is old enough to walk.

The trials of getting through a good playschool to guarantee entrance into a good school thereafter, the trials of gettign through a good school, then drawing classes, dance classes, swimming classes, extra lessons after school etc etc etc for the all-round development of the child. Then starts the academics pressure. Be first in class, gold medal in sports, pre-term exams, mid-term exams, end term exams, daily assessment, pre-boards, boards...then come the entrance exams to get through a half-way decent college, then again be the top in your class, then of course CAT/ GMAT etc etc.

Children today enter the rat-race from the age of 2. They can tell you the why and the how of high tide and low tide, but ask them if they have ever seen the waves going out and run along with them on the beach - you get a blank stare.

Is it any wonder then that one headline everyday tells us about the latest student to commit suicide bogged down by the exam tension and pressure? Definitely worth a thought.

Moral Policing

2008-03-15T09:46:00.002+05:30

Lets first define the word “MORAL”.
Well, it’s an adjective concerned with the principles of right and wrong and the goodness or badness of human character. It is concerned with or adhering to the code of interpersonal behavior that is considered right or acceptable in a particular society.
“POLICING” on the other hand is the verb associated with prevention and detection of crime and the maintenance of public order.
Hence MORAL POLICING is a bit of preventing crimes associated with interpersonal behavior which are unacceptable in a particular society.

LOVE is not covered under the word CRIME.
HOLDING HANDS is not a CRIME.
KISSING is definitely not a CRIME.
MAKING LOVE in public may be a considered VISUALLY GRATIFYING... but it’s definitely not a CRIME.

We live in a democratic and secular republic where freedom of expression in enshrined in the constitution. It is the very basis of it.

So why is the expression of LOVE throttled as if it were a CRIME?
Why is LOVE made out to be synonymous with MARRIAGE?
Why are young couples humiliated if they spend time together?
What’s wrong with accepting a day like Valentines day and making something of it for ourselves?

I wish I could put all this down to misguided politics searching for a VOTE BANK. Somehow the mind refuses to comprehend that thread of thinking. It’s something deeper.
It’s an insecurity that stems from not being loved and respected (for obvious reasons). So they are unhappy and well... it's kinda like a forced infection that they intend to transfer!

Off with their heads, I say!!

Rape In Goa

2008-03-14T18:39:00.002+05:30

Rape is a heinous crime.
The perpetrators should be severely dealt with. This punishment should be physical & set a precedent.

Scarlett was 15.
They found her body on the beach.
She drowned to death after being sexually assaulted by 2 Indians.
It is shameful.
There was a public outcry.
The police caught the criminals.
The criminals confessed.
So does that close the chapter or open up another can of worms?

The finger pointing is happening and words such as corruption and cover up are becoming commonplace.
But that don't solve our problem - collective as it is. We have a very short memory when it comes to horrific incidents and the pigeons within, take over.
I wouldn't want to be raped (yes men also get raped) and I wouldn't wish it on anyone around me.It's high time we started respecting women and controlled our libido.

FYI
I did a google search of rape+goa threw up 299,000 results
The refined search of "rape in goa" threw up 699 results

Cleaning up the system!

2008-03-14T17:35:00.000+05:30

The computer guy always calls and says - I hope you cleaned up your system. I make it a point to do every once in a while...never exceeding a fortnight.

The thought behind this blog - is to put in an effort - to be fair, to type out thoughts on the suffering and the corruption around me. I don't claim to be able to solve all the problems or have solutions - but yeah - I do have an opinion!

We've been saying it for over 3 decades and more- this system sucks. Yes it does. But so do we - for allowing it to bludgeon our independence.

It's time to wake up folks.
Maybe this opinion will help...

This space will have a 1 daily writeup at least. Maybe more, on days of higher motivation.
This is not intended to be a soft blog or that it will not hurt peoples feelings. I have a basic understanding of right & wrong, good & bad, black & white... Our problems start with GREY!