Debarth's Den

Will India Ever Be Free?

2011-08-15T00:23:00.000-07:00

Another birthday of a great nation, another occasion for celebration of the spirit of Freedom, freedom gained through countless sacrifices, wrought in the pain and sorrow of thousands of patriotic Indians, is upon us. The hopes, dreams and visions of a country that beckoned in the horizon during those heady pre-independence days, and which dreams propelled men, women and children to march undaunted in the face of the severest of colonial atrocities, have taken shapes and forms very disparate from the originals, which seem to have moved further and further away with every step this country has taken, like a rainbow after a rainstorm.

Even as India celebrates its 65^th anniversary of Independence, with the symbolic parades and the customary address of the Prime Minister from atop the Red Fort, on a rainy and gloomy day in Delhi, and his words of promise and assurance sounding more unconvincing than ever before, the bleak prospect which the Prime Minister must have surveyed through the safety of his bullet-proof enclosure, seemed an apt presage to a tempestuous future, the ever darkening shadow of which must have been palpable to all and sundry on this historic day. Even as the Prime Minister unfurled the National Colors, his mind must have been troubled by a flurry of thoughts, as the events of the past few days flooded his mind, and the events that may unfold over the next few days, which may put all his promises and assurances to test. In fact, more than today’s celebration of Independence, he would have been thinking half the time about Anna Hazare and his “Second Struggle For Independence”, and would have made him feel very much like a foreign tyrant hell-bent on subverting and crushing the will of the people. However, he knows he is no foreign tyrant, and he knows that Anna Hazare’s fight against corruption is selfless and legitimate. Yet he finds himself in direct opposition to Anna, and realizes that the next few days may force him into taking actions that will definitely transform his image from that of an affable, rational technocrat to a merciless dictator. He knows that his government has tried every trick in the book to thwart the old man, and each trick has only blackened the image of the government, and his own. Yes, today’s Independence Day celebrations would have been farther from his thoughts than thoughts on ways and means to prevent Anna Hazare from kicking up a social storm that might very well blow his government away. The Prime Minister’s able front-men, Kapil Sibal, Digvijay Singh and Manish Tiwari have so far failed to nail the Septuagenarian, in spite of employing all the means at their disposal – defamation, lies, insult, threats - to scare him into submission. They have tried convincing the people that Anna is a fraud, that he is corrupt, and that he is misleading the people for his own publicity; but even that ploy has fallen flat

The desperation of the government to nip Anna Hazare’s movement in the bud is making it more and more evident to the people that eradication of corruption from the country, especially from the higher levels of governance, will be a gargantuan task, and that the government will do all in its power, and that includes contravention of democratic and constitutional norms if need be, to stop Anna and his followers from achieving it. If Anna’s support base widens, and that is very likely to happen as more and more people come out in support of his cause, the government will have to face a revolution of no small proportion. Going by the stance taken by our honorable Prime Minister and his colleagues, it may well be that a revelation is round the corner. This government has shown signs of resorting to the most underhand measures to protect the corrupt. Will it reveal more of its darker traits as time passes, and prove itself capable of more tyranny and ruthlessness? Only time will tell. This Independence Day may well mark the end of the first phase of Independence for the people of India.

The Truth About Beauty

2011-06-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

A handsome person, a scenic location, a magnificent structure, a fascinating movie – all leave us with a sense of satisfaction at the end of each encounter, and an urge to relive the experience. All such experiences, in the dazzle of those incipient moments, seem to give us an impression of true beauty. Yet, as the encounters repeat, our delight seems to fade, and we begin to feel that something is amiss, something to sustain our pleasure at that initial, euphoric level, which might make us think: was that true beauty that we had seen, or was it just an illusion? The variegated gifts of this world to Mankind have always had the potential to charm and enchant our hearts and minds, but if treated only as visual delights, such objects may become nothing more than mere sources of superficial pleasure, enjoyment, entertainment, and even ecstasy within the moments that these entities are fresh to the eyes and the mind; which again broaches the big question – what, then is true beauty? Surely, ephemeral visual delights, destined to drift out of sight with the waves of Time, cannot qualify for that exalted appellation? This brings to mind the words of the immortal romantic of the Victorian era, John Keats, who had so famously said,

“A Thing of Beauty is a Joy for Ever”

Keats’ words are wrapped in more profundity than this simple sentence appears to suggest to the cursory glance. Here, he eulogizes the eternal influence of beauty on the mind, doubtlessly an allusion to beauty at its most subtle, most enduring; beauty that has stood, and forever will stand the test of time. Some look for beauty in form and appearance, while others look beyond the façade and “feel” for the inner beauty of a person, creature or object. The latter view, held by a fortunate few in this world, can reveal beauty in its truest form, and renders the embellishments of the façade virtually redundant. Human experience has proved beyond doubt that the true beauty of any natural entity, or anything that is borne of natural artifice can be truly appreciated if that entity is viewed in its entirety, rather than reveling in the transitory appeal of the exterior, which can be deceptive to the senses in more cases than not. There is far more to a human being than a face; a great deal more to a colorful garden than its colors; more to a monument than its gorgeous façade; and unless we realize this basic fact, the core of beauty will elude us, and the mind and the eyes will continually crave for something more, something different to recharge the senses, but in vain. It is very much like praising a book by the gloss and decor of its cover, rather than reading its contents. Delving deeper into the object of interest will reveal facts that may not necessarily be in consonance with the impression that the outer façade had implanted.

I have always felt that the power to live is God’s greatest gift to this world. What can be more beautiful than life, which brings every being, however small, however big, into this world with a course to chart and an act to perform that is disparate from each of the billions of others? When I meet a person, and look at his or her face, and the mind behind that face, and the heart and its emotions, passions, ambitions, frailties and strengths, my impression of that person changes at every step, and soon I realize that nothing in this universe can be more admirable, more amazing, more beautiful than a human life, with all its powers to change the world and itself, all its powers to create and destroy, and that nothing can be more unjust than to judge a person by his or her face and form. The face is but an identity, and never was meant to be a measure of beauty; which is why its effect on the senses is nothing more than transient. The true beauty of a person, a quality that will remain a quality to be admired irrespective of the time or the place, can be gauged in a true measure only by the way he or she feels, thinks and acts. When I think of this fact, I feel that Mother Teresa must surely be the most beautiful woman that ever lived; and Gautama Buddha, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and many such personalities who changed the world with their goodness and sense of sacrifice, must undoubtedly rank far above the person with the handsomest face ever born. A person with average looks but possessing a beautiful mind will always come through as more beautiful over a period of time than another with handsome features but a corrupt mind.

Even as I dwell upon the topic of beauty of the human mind, a little girl with big eyes and a glowing face comes floating into my senses. It was one of the many aid camps organized for the benefit of children infected with HIV through their parents, most of whom are dead. I had the occasion (and the good fortune) to attend one such function in which this little girl, who has not known life without HIV, squatted on the floor of a hall along with many others of her kind, with her eyes reflecting the consciousness of her condition, the knowledge of her past and present, and a bit of her foreboding future, and yet unable to suppress the sparkle of innocent childhood that shone through her eyes, as if in resolute defiance of all the gloom that Fate has cast her life into. Her serene visage is symbolic of everything that is beautiful about life – hope, innocence, acceptance, determination mingled with unadulterated cheer. This is an image that has endured in my mind all these years, and I am sure will endure as long as I live. If this is not true beauty, then nothing is.

The whole of creation itself is abounding with instances of everlasting beauty. When we understand the true nature of Beauty, we find that it is all-pervasive, and shines through in every creation of this universe. It is without doubt, a precious asset, and all that is precious in this world is covert, and needs to be discovered. When I gaze at the clear night sky of a pleasant evening, letting my thoughts wander among the twinkling stars, and the bright planets, and I feel the vibrations of the wonderful universe in constant motion - the planets revolving around the stars, the stars revolving around bigger stars, and even the tiny electrons in constant motion around the nucleus of every atom - I get the feeling that the whole of creation itself is a masterpiece of timeless beauty; a work of art that has fascinated Man ever since he emerged into this earthly air, and will continue to do so till there is Time itself.

Whenever I visit an ancient monument, I am enthralled by the ambience of the place, not so much due to the monument being imposing of size and craftsmanship, as due to the history that led to its creation, and the history of the years that it has lived through. The magnificent Taj Mahal could hardly have sustained its position as one of the Seven Wonders of the World for so many years, and could not have held so many people in fascination for so long unless it bespoke of a history that still vibrates within its walls. This must be what true beauty is all about.

Beauty, as elucidated by Shakespeare, “lies in the eyes of the beholder”. We, as beholders, will experience true beauty if we have the “eyes” for it. I prefer to say “experience” because the depth of beauty is not fathomable merely through the eyes. True beauty is sublime but subtle, and I feel that it can be much better appreciated in the mind, and by looking beyond the veil, always.

The River of Fire

2011-04-26T09:56:00.000-07:00

The diminutive old man, calm and unflustered, with a blissful smile always on his lips, looked in complete peace with himself and all that was going on around him. Simply attired in a white dhoti and kurta, sometimes sitting, sometimes reposing, at times addressing in an amiable tone the huge crowd of followers that had gathered to support his cause, at other times speaking to members of the press and electronic media with the same calmness and affability of tone but with words that bespoke of an unwavering resolve, the Mahatma of modern India has embarked upon on yet another mission of social reform.

Just when all seemed to be lost, and the nation seemed to be plunging inexorably to depths of no return, a small spark ignited a fire to dispel the gloom to some extent, and the hearts of millions are filled with hope once again. The forces of darkness, however, look to be in no mood to relinquish their grip on the reins, and the path to freedom from their clutches is yet a difficult task, although it looks no longer as impossible as it did a month ago. The seemingly impregnable fortress of corruption has been buffeted by an unexpected wave of public rage, led ably by the man who carries the hopes of a billion Indians on his unselfish shoulders; a man so reminiscent of the great Mahatma, in the honesty of his intent, and in the resoluteness of his purpose, that he inspires every citizen with an overflowing sense of patriotism for the country and unites the diverse peoples across the land to stand united against an enemy that had hitherto seemed invincible. Yes, Anna Hazare personifies all that, and more, to every well-meaning Indian in this day and age, when the country is being mercilessly bled dry by a section of unscrupulous individuals, and it is around him that the country must rally, if we are to gain ascendancy over the scourge of corruption.

Notwithstanding Anna’s victory in the initial round, having gained access for the members of civil society into the drafting committee for the momentous Lokpal Bill, the road to Utopia promises to be long and hard, what with the demons of the dark prepared to fight it out till the end. Anna will undoubtedly have to brave it through storm, hail and fire on his journey across this river of fire, because the forces of corruption, who have had it so easy thus far, filling their own coffers at the expense of the blood and sweat of the common people, will put him to test at every step of the way. As he so aptly puts it, this is

India

’s “second struggle for independence”, and it will be gained only with perseverance, devotion and courage.

We, the citizens of this great country, have always been a nation of fence sitters, waiting for the rot to propagate to our very thresholds before we decide to bare our sabers. We are wont to endure and suffer in silence, and the enormously latent power of the laity, is rarely, if ever, seen to express itself. Anna Hazare’s words are the words of the millions of Indians who have been at the wrong end of the corrupt practices of our leaders, bureaucrats, traders, middlemen and the lot. The chorus of protest across the country that Anna’s words and actions has inspired, cannot be allowed to subside, rather, the pitch needs to be raised to a level that would deafen the ears of the corrupt, and would re-assert the power of the people in our nation. The River of Fire will have to be crossed at any cost, and it is the patriotic duty of every citizen to support Anna’s crusade every step of the way, and help him get us to the other side, in spite of the many encounters with foxes, dragons and vampires that this journey would necessarily entail. Anna has sounded the clarion call. Now it is for us to shoulder the ram, and storm the ramparts of the fortress of evil with all our strength. It is now, or never.

INDIA - A Painful Transition

2011-03-03T07:41:00.000-08:00

Many feel that our country is in the throes of a painful transition. Every nation, they say, in its ascent towards prosperity and supremacy, has had to tread this path. Such a supposition, however flawed, seems to be the only recourse of a beleaguered population sapped dry by a system that is getting more corrupt and more reckless by the day. I am one among the many who find some succor in clinging to that view, which is why I choose to look the other way whenever the morning paper reveals another scam of gargantuan proportions, although it makes me cringe in despair. It is undeniably very hard to endure, knowing that we have no option other than to stand and watch the termites eat through the woodwork, and drag the feet of a nation raring to surge forward, repeatedly backward.

I was overcome by such poignant feelings as I sat watching one of the many talk shows that have become the life-blood of news channels on TV. The speakers were familiar faces, stalwarts of social and political circles, riling each other with great skill as the choicest of clichés were exchanged across the table. Corruption is the buzzword for this day and age in

India

, and the vehemence of each participant in such debates, in apportioning blame upon his or her opponent, and conjuring up their own ideas of honest governance, would almost make one feel that the solution to the country’s perennial problems of embezzlement of public funds has been found. Yet, at the end of the prescribed time limit, the host thanks all their participants for their valuable contributions in making for a healthy debate, and the channel is healthier by another TRP point or two. Apart from that, and except for the momentary fulfillment derived from the cogent arguments and a sadistic satiation of an inner angst provided by the snide remarks, the debates would have achieved nothing at all, as usual. We are back to the condition of squalor once again. The termites are oblivious of their detractors, and the leeches are as busy as ever, sucking the country dry, fattening themselves beyond sustenance (one would think). The laity, in the meanwhile, looks on, hoping against hope that something or someone would turn up eventually, and would deliver the land from the jaws of the greedy and the unscrupulous, and that finally the resources of the nation would be the preserve of the rightful owners. Every concerned and righteous individual would like to ascribe the degeneration and degradation of the current state of affairs to a chaotic metamorphosis of a country rising from the dust to claim its place under the sun. Every hopeful person would like to think in the same way, and endure this phase as just another nightmare in the lives of a billion people sweating away for the progress of the nation. Be that as it may, the fact remains that the country continues to bleed, and the likes of Kalmadi and Raja and many others show no signs of relenting. Lately, the horrifying spectre of corruption appears to have obtained the tacit sanction of the apex governing authorities, and it is now threatening to become a policy of state, albeit clandestinely.

Some may wonder thus: what if this is no mere transition? What if this epidemic continues to spread, and its tentacles grow ever longer? What if this menace engulfs the land, and drags the aspirations of a whole nation into its ugly vortex? It is for the people to recognize what constitutes a crisis in this respect. No individual, corporation or government is above the people, and History has proven this fact time and again. The common man has always been trampled for the success of the evil designs of every corrupt politician, bureaucrat and industrialist; and again and again, when the suppressed and tortured masses seemed to have been conquered for good, they have risen, and risen with a vengeance. No state, no individual, no army has been able to overcome the force of a people’s revolution, and none ever will.

India

is fast approaching the crossroads of its destiny, and its fate lies at the hands of its people. We can only hope that the powers-that-be realize that the laity cannot be burdened beyond a certain point, and that they realize it soon. Else, the lessons they have forgotten to learn, may be forced back upon them, in a way that may not be to their taste.

Symbols For Eternity

2011-01-24T04:05:00.000-08:00

After months of falling prey to a dissuading mind, and succumbing to an innate aversion for a daunting task, I knew that there was no escape from the inevitable; I had to clean out the garage someday, and sooner was the job done, the better. So, suitably attired for the occasion in a coverall and a hood, and armed with a broom, I set about my task with as much earnestness as I could garner. As I gingerly cleared out packages, bundles, bottles, wires and other motley oddments from the racks and shelves and got about dusting and cleaning the cobwebs off the same, I chanced upon a dusty but neatly wrapped bundle of books. On opening the wrapping off the weighty pack to check the contents, what I should find but a stack of comics, long forgotten in the mazy confines of the garage. In the bundle was an assortment of books that formed the very lifeblood of my childhood days, a precious collection of the greatest stories that my puerile fancies were built upon - tales of heroism and strength - the charms of which are not too jaded in my mind even as I find myself well past the threshold of adulthood. I flipped open one of the books, with the intent of having a cursory look at some of the pages which held so much fascination and excitement for me in what seems so far back in time now, but it is more to the number of events and changes that life has wrought in me rather than to the actual number of years that have elapsed, that I would ascribe that feeling. Now I enter the world that I held so dear once again, and I see the familiar figures again – too familiar, almost a part of me for so many years – the strong, lithe body covered tightly in that enviable suit; the shiny, square pistols at his waist which I so dreamed of owning, the super-fast draw, the mark of goodness, the mark of the Skull; the Skull Cave, the entrance through the waterfalls, the pigmies, Diana, Guran, Rex, Old Man Mozz, the famous treasure rooms, The Secret Vault, The Keela Wee Beach, The Jade Hut: the wondrous world of The Phantom - The Ghost Who Walks, The Man Who Cannot Die. Instantly, my mind hurtled back to those heady days of the past, and the images came in a flood, as in a reverie – of the way I waited in fervent excitement for the next Phantom comic to be at the stalls, the rush home with the precious item cuddled under my arm, and the fights with my brother over the right to read the comic first; the rush for the morning newspaper, just to read that small strip of a Phantom tale, ever continuing, yet never ceasing to fascinate and intrigue; of the beliefs that the Phantom could never die, and that bullets could not pierce his suit, beliefs that would not be dispelled by any arguments to the contrary. I felt some of that excitement of old stirring up in the recesses of my heart again, as if woken up from a deep slumber, as I passed on from one comic book to the other with furtive eagerness. Unknown to me, I was already squatting on the garage floor, as my mind floated deeper into the world I loved to wander in so much, as if I were on a low cloud, looking upon an aspect in which swarmed the heroes of my past, coming in a flood to greet me like playfellows once estranged in the labyrinth of life. Here is Mandrake The Magician, with his shiny blue hat, conducting another of his mystic magic shows, creating the most incredible images for his audience through his powers of “mass hypnosis”. Here he is again, being confronted by a thug with pistol in hand, and making my mind leap again when I see him turning the gun into a snake, which the thug throws away in fear!! My mind dwells for a few moments on the many exploits of Mandrake with his amiable yet incredibly strong friend, Lothar; and on Hojo, the cook, who is actually the secret chief of Xanadu, and also a tenth degree black belt in Judo.

Now I look at the cover of an old “Tarzan” comic, another of my unforgettable heroes, and my reminiscence is filled with the image of the adorable figure of the African forests; the familiar loincloth and those rippling muscles; the vivid image of Tarzan crying out “Tarzan Bundolo” over the body of a vanquished rogue gorilla, with the thick, dark forest in the background. Tarzan’s fight against the enemies of the jungle, his love for the jungle and its inhabitants, and his cry of victory, to this day, gives me goose pimples. I remember being overcome with dejection when I once read a story in which Tarzan was being strongly influenced by his fiancé, Jane’s parents to quit the jungle and come to live in the city. Now I see Korak, the son of Tarzan, who was equal to his father in protecting the jungle. Korak reminded me of my school days, when Korak comics were a rage, and the way I secretly smuggled some into the classroom, to make surreptitious barters for more such comics with my fellow mates right in the middle of a class session. Our teachers themselves were addicted to comics in a no lesser way, and we had to be extra careful in making our precious exchanges without being noticed. In spite of the many precautions, however, a teacher did catch us once in a while, and when he or she did, the comics were duly confiscated, and those coveted gems were deemed to have been lost forever. The pages continued to flip on, and now Superman comes flying in at “super-speed” to greet me, with a tale that demanded the deployment of many of the extraordinary powers at his disposal: those of Super-Speed, X-ray Vision, Super-Breath, and of course, Super Strength. Even as a boy, I was conscious of the fact that Superman was always confronted with foes of almost equal power, and was often made to stretch his powers to the limits to emerge the ultimate victor, in course of which he was even driven tantalizingly to the brink of death when struck with the only weapon that Superman feared, the deadly Kryptonite rock.

Here comes Batman with his luxuriant cape, and his youthful and dynamic partner, Robin. They zoom off on their Batmobile, caper acrobatically in the jungle of skyscrapers of Gotham city, and pursue their immortal foe, The Joker. The Joker has joined hands with The Riddler and The Penguin, making Batman’s job of protecting Gotham city that much tougher. Adding to his difficulty is the necessity to switch identities constantly, from being the brawny and brainy crusader of the dark night, to donning the sleek garb of a corporate honcho in the day; as also in maintaining the secrecy of his identity from the world

More heroes, and more heroism, as I move on to revisit a tale of the gallant Bahadur, forever waging a lone war against the barbaric plunderers of the Chambal Valley; and Flash Gordon, in his fantastic space adventures, including his battles against his perennial nemesis in space – Ming The Merciless. It doesn’t seem too long ago that these heroes were the center of my life and any suggestion of them being unreal met with indignant opposition from my end. Every book that I opened, and every page that I flipped, seemed to reconcile me with a long lost friend, a revered idol from my past, with such constancy that I felt like what Alice must have felt, lost in the pleasures of Wonderland, and would not have realized that time was indeed flying by me, and the garage was still in a mess, when I was jolted back to reality by my brother calling out to me at the peak of his voice. I reluctantly let go of the precious bundle for the moment, in compulsive preference to more pressing matters at hand, and shut out the cascade of characters that would have continued for hours more, in the shape of the Fantastic Four, The Hulk, Spiderman, the Cowboy superheroes – Wild Bill Hickock, Jesse James, Roy Rogers; the mythological superstars of Amar Chitra Katha; The Adventures of Tintin; the list is virtually endless, and my thirst unquenched.

I felt the hardness of the ground I was sitting upon, and it felt harder for the realization that The Phantom, Mandrake, Tarzan, Korak, Superman, Batman and all the other comic book heroes have been weaned away from my life due to the demands of life and its circumstances, which dictate the survival of our species. Today, I realize more than ever, the value of Goodness, Honesty, Kindness, Affection, Bravery and all the great virtues that these heroes stand for, and I have been that much the richer for their company. Today, in a world where role models are so hard to find, and whatever and whoever we aspire to has so often disappointed, and so often been found to be flawed, I am eternally grateful to providence for bringing me (and undoubtedly millions more like me) under the influence of such enduring characters, whose tales of heroism and virtue have contributed immensely in shaping impressionable minds with the qualities of kindness, compassion, honesty, modesty, and above all, have helped strengthen our faith in all things good; characters who will forever remain the symbols of everything that is positive, and who are immune to all the fallibilities that plague our fragile real-life heroes of today. None of these heroes can ever die, as long as the world believes in virtue, and as long as virtue resides in us. Now I know why The Phantom is called the “Man Who Cannot Die”.

Whither Indian Civilization?

2011-01-14T10:02:00.000-08:00

I wandered upon the edge of the sidewalk searching for a spot to step on to the street. The roadside was littered with all kinds of scrap – waste paper, wrappers, cigarette butts, loose earth, plastic bottles and bags, empty tobacco sachets etc – to such a degree as to make it difficult for any person to alight from the sidewalk without landing on some kind of junk. I did manage to cross that barrier somehow, and hurried to cross the street on seeing the pedestrian light turn green. However, green does not always mean “go” which discovered to my chagrin as a motorcycle whizzed past me at breakneck speed in spite of all the red lights. I got to the other end of the street unscathed, thanks to providence, and decided to do a bit of shopping. There were makeshift shops by the dozen on the pavement itself, selling everything that any regular shop would sell, and with everything spread out on the pavement, blocking off half the width of the pavement in the process. Anyway, I threaded myself through all such obstacles and emerged out of a proper shop with a few necessities in hand when I came upon a “Pani Puri” vendor who had set up his stall right upon the street. A crowd of customers, who were heartily munching away at the snack, surrounded the stall. The remnants of the profitable trade, in the form of scraps of paper, half-eaten snacks, paper cups et al were being thrown about on the street, already strewn with more of the same stuff, with gay abandon, contributing in good measure to the overall appearance of the surroundings. I made my way towards a throng of people waiting for the city bus, passing on the way, a shaded section of the pavement where a man stood facing away from the street, urinating on the wall. I hurried along, holding my breath to keep away the stench. I hopped onto the waiting city bus, wherein I was lucky enough to find a seat by the window. The bus weaved painfully through the crowded street with its intractable traffic, of cycles, rickshaws, scooters and cars vying for ascendancy over each other in that small space already constricted by the presence of rows of vehicles parked on either side of it in a disorderly fashion. I had to endure the snaking ride through the din and chaos until I alighted at my destination, whereupon I quickly turned into the relatively tranquil lane that led to my home, and found myself letting out a sigh of relief.

It was a typical jaunt in a typical Indian city, one that has become a routine for every citizen of the country, and has been accepted as a way of life. I am no stranger to the abysmal depths that sensibilities and values of Indian society have degenerated to, and would have thought nothing of it on any other day. However, today, I was woken up to realization by chance, and wished I had not been, at the end of it. As I reposed on the sofa in my living room at the end of the grueling outdoor stint, for what I felt were a few well-earned moments of recreation and relaxation, I chanced upon a TV program on the history of Indian Civilization. The program was a creative representation of Indian society of ancient times, based on the archaeological evidence of the many historical remains of India’s rich heritage. It portrayed the heights that Indian society and culture had attained during the great days of the Indus Valley Civilization, the Mauryan Age, The Gupta Age, The Kushana Age etc. I sat engrossed in front of the television for an hour as the program progressed, revealing the zenith of glory that ancient Indian society had achieved during those golden ages in respect of standards of daily life, setting benchmarks of cleanliness, discipline and urban planning for the world to emulate. The writings of Huen Tsang and Fahien narrate the epitome of prosperity and meticulousness that society was during the reign of Harsha Vardhana and the Golden age of the Gupta Dynasty. The India of those times, as so beautifully portrayed in the program, looked a starkly disparate world from what we see around us today. In fact, there is not a trace of that supremacy of culture and attitude visible in modern Indian society. Today, we are accustomed to looking westward for ideas and systems to improve our standards of living, whereas, in the golden ages of the past, the rest of the world was in awe of our innovation and advancement. India was ever at the forefront of World civilization, and had been the leading light of human progression. Unfortunately today, the values of planning, order, discipline and method that were the cornerstones of ancient Indian society seems to have all but collapsed, and none but our own countrymen have brought about their ruination.

What, then, is the cause for the distressful state of affairs of Indian society today? Are we the descendants of a different breed of Indians; different from our ancestors, who had wrought such a path of gold on the same turf? Are we a blighted race so mentally disfigured by centuries of foreign rule that the consciousness of our glorious past and a redoubtable heritage has long been transformed into an acceptance of a continual state of regression and degeneration? Are we not accountable to our great ancestors for the state that our society is in today; or is our sense of pride and honor too numbed to even contemplate a revival of our glorious past? Some questions have no answers, and there is certainly none in sight of these. Alas, the efforts of great emperors such as Vikramaditya, Harsha, Ashoka, Chandragupta Maurya, Krishna Deva Raya and many others seem to have come to nought. My heart ached in sadness at the realization, and I fervently hope many more feel the same way as I do.

A Wall Too High

2011-01-07T08:15:00.000-08:00

Another year has come upon this world, and into everyone’s life, with promises of new beginnings, truthfulness, faithfulness, sincerity, diligence, and many such resolutions that the arrival of a new year inspires in every heart. Yet, although it is a satisfying feeling to make a firm resolve, it takes more than enthusiasm to actually implement a resolution in one’s life so as to make the difference that one expects. It is in the course of this journey to scale greater heights of improvement that one realizes how the simplest things can actually be the hardest to achieve.

To moot the case in point, I can cite no better example than mine in striving for better things in 2010; a sequel to a resolution that I had taken at the start of that year. I had been persuaded that being good is good for me, and doing oneself good is the hardest thing in the world. It was a challenge I accepted with disdain, and in one heady moment of determination and gusto I resolved that I was going to be a Good Man in 2010. Not that I considered myself “bad”, or did anybody else for that matter; rather, I was already the “good man” to the common perception. I was kind to people, generous by nature, very polite to strangers and guests, conscientiously dutiful towards family, friends, society and country, a lover of animals, a non-smoker, a vegetarian, a staunch believer in hygiene and cleanliness, honest to the core, and even God-fearing. One would think that the gap between being a Good Man and the man that I was at the end of 2009 should not have been too difficult to traverse. Yet, at the end of 2010, after constant introspection and a concerted effort to achieve that elusive state that is goodness, which demands of me to shed certain flaws in my character which seem to be so deeply embedded in my mental constitution, I am starting to believe that my resolution will have to be carried forward through many more new years before I see any semblance of success. The task of shedding certain qualities and acquiring others, which seemed so simple at first, is proving to be insurmountable at present. Some of the prominent crags in the mountain of my difficulties are as follows:

Anger: How can I control my anger when somebody shouts at me, insults me or disregards me? Why the irritation when somebody breaks a queue or a car doesn’t give way?
Jealousy: The very Devil. I am still searching for ways to feel good when someone gets something that I think is “rightfully” mine, or when somebody praises my friend for something which I have done
Temptation: Is it possible to be free of desire? I do not think this birth will see me achieve that
Selfishness: I can speak volumes about charity and chivarlry, but is it all right to excuse myself from a charity event because I have “important” things to attend to? Sounds good, doesn’t it, but it is not; and there is nothing I have been able do about it so far
Ego: Why is it that I feel good and exalted when everybody concurs with my view, and dejected when somebody ignores me? Why am I modest when somebody praises me, but defensive when another is critical of me? Why do I try to hide my mistakes, and highlight my achievements, however unobtrusive or tacit may the manner be of doing so? I have made very little headway on this front
Gossiping: Why does it give me pleasure in acting the Supreme Judge, the moral policeman, when talking about others. Joining in the general fun of being disparaging to another seems normal to me. Why does it feel like I am having a good time when somebody has fallen on bad times? I hope to conquer this evil trait of mine this year
Moral corruption: Why do I justify a small bribe to appease the other guy and make life easy for me? Is it okay for me to throw a chocolate wrapper on the street because the place is already full of litter? Should I jump the red signal just because I cannot stand the car behind me honking like mad? Sounds like poor little me against a big, bad world. I will fight, yet.

All resolutions feel better in the saying than in the doing, and bear no fruit in the absence of determination and hard work, which has been a lesson I have learnt, in my pursuit of goodness. I have never quailed in the face of a challenge, and this I treat as no other. I hope to end 2011 with more trash out of the bin than I have been able to discard in the past year. It will take a bit of doing, no doubt.

I am.....

2011-01-01T01:37:00.000-08:00

Treading untiringly upon the endless street,

Neither at a gallop; nor on leaden feet,

Bereft of form, devoid of shape; stranger to birth, unknown to death,

I have waited for none; yet waited on with bated breath,

And visions of joy, fear, ecstasy and sorrow in the tidings I might bring,

As summer turns into autumn, and winter into spring

I am ever the inert passerby, always on the go,

Yet, the patience of some I try; yet others want me to be slow,

Some curse my arrival, and wish I never did show,

Some thank my presence, and wish I never would go

Some dread my growth to see, some try to outgrow me,

While some fall behind, and just let me be.

I am hailed by Man to be the healer supreme,

The panacea for all wounds, however extreme.

Behind me I leave a trail of gold,

That anoints every bygone in its mold,

To reflect and cherish and yearn to return,

And to retrace its every step, be it one of acceptance or of spurn

I see the Universe go round, and the Earth change its hues,

I have seen the rise of Man, and also seen him lose,

His haven to the demons of his own creation,

And bear the brunt of Nature’s fierce imprecation,

But still persist in his journey of folly,

Unmindful of Mother’s agony at his flagrant devilry

I have seen the dark winds blow, trees turn into wood, air to smoke

I have seen the water turn black, and the birds and fishes choke

Nothing could I do as Man used his artifice to make the Beast his prey;

When Nature’s vengeance I saw, and the Planet had its say

As lands plunged into the water, and mountains spit fire

Unleashing on Man all of Earth’s pent-up ire

Treading untiringly upon the endless street,

Neither at a gallop; nor on leaden feet,

I have no friend, no foe; I am but made to flow,

I have seen all, and will ever more, as I grow,

Until the universe exists, and clocks continue to chime.

I had no beginning, have yet seen no end. My name is Time.

Sachin Tendulkar - The Unseen Face

2010-12-21T07:07:00.000-08:00

The disappointment and pain that accompanies the collapse of a beautiful image is more often than not, excruciating. And when the image is one that has endured longer than most, inasmuch as to be considered infallible, the fall is harder to digest. And when the image is worshipped by millions, the mere suggestion of fallibility is sacrilegious.

In India, the image of Sachin Tendulkar is nothing short of Godly, and yet I am at pains to point out a few chinks in that apparently blemishless image for the sake of the great game that is cricket, and for the sake of its fervent supporters.

These days, the newspapers and the electronic media are full of Sachin's achievements and his "greatness", some going even to the extent of raising him to the level of the greatest personalities that India as a country has seen through the ages. Yet, many have seen and felt, albeit without expressing their feelings for fear of blaspheming the painstakingly created, larger-than-life persona that Sachin Tendulkar is, that Sachin is no superhuman. He is equally vulnerable to all the vices of humanity as we all are. He is equally obsessed with fame and popularity as every celebrity is. He would be committing an act of mendacity if he claimed to be unconcerned about his batting average or his tally of centuries. All these are perfectly human and perfectly acceptable qualities, except when these ambitions and aspirations rise higher than the collective goal of the team and the country, in which case the very character of these attributes becomes obnoxious.

I have seen Sachin to be very possessive about landmarks, so much so that he can bat ten times longer for one run when he is close to one than when away from it. I have seen him comment unfavorably about one captain's decision to declare the innings when he was on the verge of another landmark. This time I have seen him protecting his wicket at the expense of the team's prestige and morale. The fact wouldn't have deserved any mention had it not been so visibly invidious and selfish. Even Graeme Smith, the opposing captain was surprised by Sachin's deliberate attempts to get away from the strike when the team needed him to be at the crease as much as possible so as to avoid at least an innings defeat, if not delay proceedings as much as possible until weather intervened. The way in which he stole singles and allowed the number eleven batsman to face the major part of every over bowled by the South African pacers reeked of suspicious intent, to say the least, to save his wicket and, in the process, sacrifice the interests of the team and the country at the altar of his ambitions.

What pains most is the fact that Sachin has had the chance to be the perfect role model for the generations to come. He has the perfect balance of skill and temperament to ensure a place in the sun without resorting to any tactics that may mar his image irreparably. Yet, his actions on the field are transparent enough to belie any of his statements of modesty off the field, and has lowered his stature in the eyes of many more fans like me.

Role models are expected to be perfect, and perfection is but a non-existent attribute in today's world. And, now we know, though many would be loth to admit, that Sachin Tendulkar cannot expected to be an exception to the fact.

Akshaya Patra - A Noble Initiative

2010-12-17T05:24:00.000-08:00

It is an undeniable fact that Nobility is an exalted attribute, and that everybody would like to be classified amongst the noble. Yet, the chasm that separates the practitioners and preachers of this enviable virtue is a wide one, and very few can lay claim to have crossed it.

Notwithstanding the abundance of apathy that abounds everywhere, there are still a select few that have put service above self and are rendering a Godly service to humanity. Akshaya Patra, an organization for the care of poor and underprivileged children, is indeed an instance of human selflessness and nobility. I have often felt pangs of empathy at the plight of children in dire need of nutrition, education and love, and have often had to turn my eyes, my ears and my mind away from these issues in my helplessness to fight them. So, when I see how organizations such as Akshaya Patra have volunteered to give themselves up for a cause that would help uplift the lives of thousands of impoverished and underprivileged children, I am overwhelmed with a poignant sense of admiration and pleasure.

Organizations such as Akshaya Patra should be helped to proliferate and grow, because they are the few centers of goodness, empathy, care and love that still survive in spite of all the coldness around. They help nurture and educate the future of the world, and help spread the message of kindness and unselfishness. Any praise for such an endeavor can never be overstated.

Please Donate to help in this great cause.

Diplomacy or Duplicity?

2010-10-11T02:53:00.000-07:00

Any visit by a president of the United States to India is a cause for great expectation and fanfare within the echelons of Indian politics and its polity, and Obama’s upcoming visit is expected to create no less an effect. However, India’s expectations of support and empathy from the US with regard to its perennial conflicts with Pakistan have always fallen flat, insofar that America cannot afford to ingratiate India at the expense of Pakistan, while the reverse may be true to some extent. The ascent of Obama to the highest post in the US has so far not augured very favorably for India, in that Obama’s stance towards the Indo-US nuclear deal and the offshoring of US jobs to Indian shores has not been particularly agreeable. These fears find further confirmation in the diplomatic jugglery resorted to by the US High Commissioner in India, Mr Tim Roemer, when, in a recent interview to Times Now TV channel, he was quizzed by new journalist Arnab Goswami about the prospects of US president Barack Obama’s upcoming visit to India. Goswami’s questions on US policy regarding Indo-Pak issues and Kashmir seemed to fall on deaf ears as Roemer ducked each of them by digressing into issues of little or no importance. For example, when asked about the continued American support to the Pakistan government in spite of that country’s abysmal record in nuclear proliferation and its continual abetment of all forms of terrorism against India, Roemer chose to talk instead about the number of Indian students that are studying in the US, the grand opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, and many more things totally irrelevant to the crux of the question. Either Roemer is totally uneducated in the affairs of the subcontinent, or his attitude is a reflection of the current American stance towards India’s problems, which, if true, does not reflect very well on the prospects of Obama’s visit to India. It may well be another charade of superficial affection hiding the intent of double diplomacy that US has forever pursued in this region.

CWG - A Sordid Reality Show

2010-10-08T21:58:00.000-07:00

India has long been struggling to rid itself of the seemingly inextricable images of filth, dirt and corruption that have clung to it like a leeches ever since it embarked upon a journey of reinventing itself on its own post independence. The last two decades have seen the Indian psyche undergoing a pleasant change with governments, corporations and individuals committing themselves to a quality of life hitherto unseen on Indian shores. The endeavors of a vast majority of Indians towards mending the many flaws in the Indian social, political and economic systems have begun to bear some fruit, with the world at large viewing India as a symbol of something other than its clichéd shortcomings, and Brand India beginning to get its due respect on foreign turfs. So, it hurts all the more, when one hears and reads about the embarrassing fiasco that the build-up to the Commonwealth Games 2010 had thrown up, borne of a few unscrupulous and corrupt individuals, inflicting an unkind cut upon the country’s image, which has taken so many painstaking years to brush up. It would hardly surprise anybody to know that money laundering and corruption are ineffaceable aspects of Indian politics, but that Kalmadi and his associates have put the honour of the country at stake in their perennial pursuit of illegal wealth, hoping that the world would be none the wiser, points to unpatriotic behavior, and cannot, and should not ever be condoned. To the utter dismay of all and sundry, even as the murk kept flowing out of the CWG village, the smug arrogance and apathy of the CWG organizers, Kalmadi and Co., brushing every mishap and every sordid condition aside with nonchalant statements that range from ridiculous to hilarious, managed to shift international focus from the country’s main street of prosperity and growth to its squalid back alleys of filth, corruption and depravity. The CWG 2010 had threatened to become more a reality show on India than anything else. The Government of India (read PM) needs to abandon its passivity and work towards restoration of the impaired dignity of the country. Swift and exemplary punitive action must be taken against people like Kalmadi to discourage others of his ilk from harboring such insidious aspirations.

Reliance - Victim of A Flawed Democracy?

2010-01-11T05:38:00.000-08:00

Democracy is a beautiful word. It gives the common man uninhibited freedom to air his or her views on virtually anything without fear of retribution. But the same word takes a repugnant form when used for furtherance of petty personal gains. And when such attempts involve accretion of petty gains at the cost of the life and property of another, they become abhorrent, to say the least.

Such was the effect of the fatuous gossip that was circulated by one TV channel in Andhra Pradesh on the night of the 7th of January 2010. The channel in question, TV5, perhaps succumbed to the perverted idea of giving itself a new-year gift of massive TRPs at the expense of the reputation of a large private sector company, which would explain its decision to sensationalize an unsubstantiated, obsolete piece of graffiti from an obscure overseas publication in a manner that ensured a public outcry of gargantuan proportions. Add to that the pugnacious gusto of the ubiquitous party worker (read “goon”), and we have the perfect recipe for a night of mayhem. On the evening of the 7th of January, TV5 filled its screens with images of YRS Reddy’s unfortunate accident superimposed by visuals of Reliance Industries’ facilities in Andhra Pradesh. The background audio stentoriously declared over and over again that Reliance Industries’ Chairman, Mukesh Ambani, was behind the alleged sabotage of YSR’s chopper, which crashed into a hillock on that fateful day. The basis for the wild allegation was one paragraph published in some tabloid in Russia that insinuated some linkage between the chopper crash and Reliance’s Gas business in Andhra Pradesh. The TV5 report was enough fodder for all the goons waiting on the sidelines to switch into crash-n-smash mode and start wielding their cudgels at everything that had a Reliance logo on it. Within a space of a few hours, Retails stores and petrol stations belonging to Reliance Industries were targeted and damaged all over Andhra Pradesh. Work in offices of Reliance Industries in the state was affected for two consecutive days. Not unexpectedly, the rumors soon turned out to be unfounded and the situation returned to normal. However, the damage had been done to several Reliance establishments and the scars of unjustified public ire will take long to efface from the face of the company in Andhra Pradesh.

The TV5 report and its aftermath once again brought the inherent flaws of a free democracy to the fore. In a country like India, where the poor and the illiterate can be maneuvered at will by the unscrupulous political forces either through the lure of lucre or through pure deceit of speech, democracy is nothing but a convenient garb for the powers that be. The power to create and destroy is in the hands of a powerful few who are the darkest minds among the laity. The petty neighborhood gangster stands the biggest chance of getting elected as the leader of a constituency not by dint of his popularity but through his achievements in the nether world of crime. The country is being ruled by a set of politicians, many of whom are criminals who control another set of criminals who control nerve centers of public opinion either by force or through deceit. The majority of “emancipated” citizens are reluctant to exercise their franchise, leading to a state of affairs such that the people of the country are at the mercy of a few goons and street smart politicians who have the dexterity to machinate the democratic norms to their advantage. As such, it is but natural for the poor, the unemployed and the illiterate to take recourse to violence in their efforts to climb the ladder of politics. They jump at every visible opportunity to get a share of the “limelight” in situations that demand unrestrained muscle power. And these are the pockets of public desperation that are spurred on by irresponsible journalism by certain sections of the media lurking under the all-pervasive blanket of “freedom of speech”.

The question that naturally comes to mind is whether the democratic set up in the country is as effective as it should be. Do we have the necessary checks and balances required to prevent unscrupulous politicians and media from hijacking the system and reducing it to a bane rather than a boon to society? Should we not have more stringent penalties for social offenders and abettors of violence such as TV5? Or should we discard our garb of democracy and embrace autocracy for as long as it is required to get us inculcated on the principles of discipline and aesthetic social behaviour? The solution may lie in either of the answers to the above.

9/11: The Untold Truth

2009-10-25T06:03:00.000-07:00

Close to a decade has elapsed since we witnessed those incredible visuals on TV of the twin towers in New York crashing down to earth. The henchmen involved in the attack have been taken for dead in the suicide attacks, save for their masters, long believed to be the hard-core Islamic terrorist organization, Al Qaeda and the man supposed to be at its helm, Osama Bin Laden. At the time the FBI declared Bin Laden as the mastermind of the carnage, their were more than a few skeptics with eyebrows raised in incredulity, and not unnaturally, at the deduction of the investigative agencies. It was simply hard to digest the fact that a few men hiding in the desolate mountainous terrains of an equally desolate country could gain access to the resources that were employed in the highly sophisticated operation. Anyway, the conclusion was arrived at, and accepted by the world at large, and gave the Americans the license to run over any part of the world where they felt the ‘suspects’ were holed up. Two wars and a lot of destruction and death followed. The American government rode on the world-wide sympathy wave that the 9/11 attacks evoked, and began to visualize Al Qaeda and Bin Laden in every place they coveted, but could not have otherwise invaded.

With the American citizen suitably pacified, the UN conveniently subjugated and the rest of the world persuaded to ‘see’ the American point of view, the world moved on. Afghanistan, Iraq, Guantamo Bay and all those weapons of mass destruction that were never found in Iraq have all but faded from the senses and sensibilities of everybody except those caught in those dreaded areas, when a whole new version of 9/11 has sprung up in the news space and the internet. This time it is a theory that is more credible and more in consonance with the train of events before, during and after the 9/11 attacks. An article by Sean McBride (the author is a discussant in newsgroups investigating CIA involvement in drug-trade), “9 11: A Mossad False Flag Operation” that is all over the internet has injected new life into the 9/11 saga. According to this theory, the whole 9/11 operation was planned and conducted by the powerful Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, in collusion with high profile Jewish personalities in the US and the CIA. The most sensational revelation of all is that George W Bush himself was privy to the whole operation much before its execution. The article states that Osama Bin Laden is a high profile Mossad agent who was used in the guise of an Al Qaeda Jehadist, a perfect cover for the Mossad and their American confederates. The startling revelations continue to flow as the document states that the abductors on board the hijacked planes were recruited by Bin Laden for the job of just hijacking the planes, NOT FOR FLYING THEM. In fact, the hijackers were not even aware that they have been sent to their death on a suicide mission. The planes were directed by remote control from the ground into predetermined floors on both the towers of the WTC where special thermal explosives (to intensify the heat produced in an explosion) were already planted beforehand. This surely explains the precision with which the planes struck the towers. Controlling aircraft from the ground is nothing new for the Israelis and the Americans.

The Mossad angle of 9/11 fits in very nicely with a number of other facts that have relation to the event. Firstly, none of the planners or perpetrators of the ghastly attacks were ever caught post 9/11. Secondly, the then US President, Bush, showed no surprise on receiving the news of the attacks (very reminiscent of the lack of surprise on Indira Gandhi’s countenance when she was informed of Sanjay Gandhi’s death in an accident). Secondly, the US government seems to be deliberately toning down the importance of capturing Osama Bin Laden by labeling him a “pesky parasite”, a climb-down from the days immediately after 9/11, when he was declared Mr Satan. In fact, George Bush has publicly exhorted the American people to “forget” about Bin Laden. So, did Bush want the American people to forget the 9/11 attacks as just another “event”? Or, was the capture of Bin Laden about to bring forth dangerous revelations of the role of the US government and the CIA in the whole affair? Thirdly, the attackers made sure that no Jewish person was killed in the attack, although it later emerged that one Jewish person was killed among the hundreds that perished. One Jewish company shifted its offices from the WTC just ONE DAY before the attacks. All Israelis were informed of the attack through the internet TWO HOURS before it actually happened. Fourthly, and not the least of them all, hundreds of Israelis were seen celebrating on rooftops in New York City immediately after the attacks were carried out.

It is certainly no secret that the Jews unofficially control America, and it is no secret either that many of the top personalities in the US administration are of Jewish origin. Some of these personalities are definitely sympathetic to the Zionist agendas of the Mossad and other ruthless Jewish ethnic groups in Israel and the US. An operation of the scale and ruthlessness of 9/11 is definitely not beyond these people.

Now, the question that pops up is not whether this theory of involvement of the Mossad and the Israelis and the American presidential forces in the 9/11 affair is true or not. The question is, what if it is? The way the American government is repeatedly attempting to erase the memories of the event from public memory and the way the American investigative agencies are making all out efforts to scuttle any suspicion in the established and accepted theory of the 9/11 conspiracy, it certainly reeks of some rotten business afoot. There is hardly any doubt that, if proven, this theory would not only turn the common perception of the 9/11 attacks upside down, in addition to spelling doom for George W Bush and his cronies, but would also make an irreparable dent in America’s image in the world. However, if left under the carpet, such truths are going to cause more pain for the American people in the not-too-distant future. Americans have to come to terms with the hard truth that their security is being threatened not by a group of Islamists living in caves in some remote corner of the planet but by some of their very own in whom they have entrusted the safety of their loved ones.

The Peace Nobel: A Decadence of Nobility?

2009-10-25T05:50:00.000-07:00

Consistency is not an attribute that can be strictly associated with all human beings, however emancipated those human beings may be. Whatever is noble can never be guaranteed to get nobler or, at the least, to stay as noble. It is unfortunate that the nobility of the Nobel Prize for Peace has been the latest victim of this fickle trait. There is no doubting the fact that puzzling rationale has often been applied in the selection of awardees for the Nobel Peace Prize. Yet, the choice of Barack Obama for the 2009 award surpasses many a farcical selection.

Barack Obama was rightly and pleasantly surprised (‘astonished’ might be more apposite) to have found himself a Nobel awardee one fine morning. The arguments of the Nobel committee in favor of the strange decision have been based on the premise that Obama has taken ‘decisive’ steps in the direction of attaining world peace. A hardly cogent argument that, considering that Obama is yet an infant in the field of world politics, still in search of his first major achievement in any direction. There is no doubting the nobility of Obama’s intentions, which are amply reflected in his honest and eloquent oratory, but noble intentions alone do not a peaceful world make, and that is one fact that should not have escaped the members of the Nobel Prize committee. On the one hand, elaborate (although utterly unconvincing) reasons have been put forward over the years for excluding Mahatma Gandhi from the list of awardees while on the other, specious arguments (again thoroughly unconvincing) have been made to suffice to award the prize to a person whose role model is none other than the great Mahatma. It is almost akin to awarding a gold medal to a player even before he or she has even played the game. It is difficult to imagine, even by stretching one’s imagination to its wildest limits, that Obama’s gesture of halting the European Missile Defence programme and a few speeches elucidating the need for communal harmony are greater than Gandhiji’s four-decade long, non-violent struggle for freedom from the autocratic and racist rule of the British. One is inclined to think that the 2009 awardee has been arrived upon either in a moment of insanity or with a thought to ingratiate the powerful head of a powerful state.

For long, the Nobel Prize has been considered the ultimate award for supreme human intellectual achievement. The award has attained its stature not because of its name or its value but because of its history of fairness and impartiality. The Nobel committees have to keep in mind the huge responsibility of preserving the nobility and stature of the award in making their decisions. In awarding a Nobel to a person just on the basis of his stature or popularity without any regard to his actual accomplishments will irreparably undermine the grandeur of the award. Flippant decisions on the part of a few frivolous minds were certainly not the purport that the great founder of this great award had in mind.

Gandhi's India - A Vision Distorted

2009-10-02T08:31:00.000-07:00

Visuals flashing across news channels today reminded me and many other Indians that the time has come once again to spare a moment of our lives to reminisce over the greatness of the Father of The Nation. As I watched the ceremonial homage being paid to the Mahatma by the various political leaders and their well-rehearsed speeches in praise of Bapu’s principles and values, I found myself unable yet again to ward off strong thoughts of cynicism from intruding inexorably into my mind. The bevy of political bigwigs making a beeline at Raj Ghat looked so much like a shameless exhibition of hypocrisy that the solemn occasion lost all its austerity in my eyes. Mahatma Gandhi gave himself up for the cause of an India free from the reins of imperialism. That he achieved his dream of living in an Independent India, that too without having to indulge in or abet any form of violence was an incredible feat in itself; a feat that should have heralded the beginning of a new India built on the foundation of the very values that secured its independence. Half a century on, the picture that independent India presents to the world is not one the great Mahatma would have envisaged. In spite of all the brouhaha over the surge in economic prosperity, a truer picture would be that of a rotting core lacquered with the glitz of development of an elite minority. The values of a country, which was borne of non-violence and unity in diversity, are being continually eroded by the unscrupulous and the ruthless. Politics and governance are steeped in crime and corruption like never before. Human life has never been so dispensable; religion and caste never so segregated; leaders never so insensate to the sufferings of the laity.

India has always been the source of great spiritual thought, starting from Gautama Buddha to Mahatma Gandhi (and many more in between). Barack Obama’s open admiration of Mahatma Gandhi and his principles bear ample evidence of the fact that the message of the Father of our nation is still alive in this world. Yet, the same noble values emanating from India that have been embraced and appreciated all over the world have been lost on the people of India itself. Today, truthfulness and honesty are regarded to be the assets of the timid. Non-violence is a principle that adorns the nostalgic discussions of people in the throes of their advancing years. Even the most optimistic of Indians will find it extremely hard to disagree that, peering through the flimsy veil of prosperity, one can see an India that is being continuously eaten away by a parasitic system. Selfishness, greed and complacency among the powers-that-be and the helplessness of the common man doesn’t augur well for the country’s future.

Mahatma Gandhi today is no more than a block of stone, a wall hanging or a statue of a stooping old man, a thing of display rather than of any relevance. The ostentatious show of remembrance and homage on this day every year is nothing short of mockery of everything that Mahatma Gandhi stood for. If only statues could weep, we would have seen quite a few droplets trickle down those stone-cold cheeks already.

How Dutiful Is The Rain?

2009-09-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

The rain Gods are no longer as benevolent as they have been for India. The writing is large and ominous on the wall. India can no longer afford to lie back and hope that the clouds from the South West will come knocking at our doors on the dot, year after year. El Nino is one explanation for the aberration this year, but there are sure to be other reasons that may crop up in the future for Mother Nature’s inability to quench our thirst. Politically appropriate statements from ministers and statistical jugglery from the meteorological department have never done anything, or are ever likely to do much to assuage the despair and despondence of the millions of Indians whose very survival depends upon the timely arrival of the rains. Agriculture is the very foundation upon which the economic and social well being of the entire country rests. To allow this foundation to be held ransom to the Monsoon winds, which are threatening to be more whimsical than ever, would be the undoing of this country. If there is one thing that needs to change with the metamorphosis of India from being a languishing third world country to one of rising global stature, it is our dependence on the mercies of nature for our daily bread. It is high time that erudite deliberations and histrionic political resolutions be speedily converted into effectual action. India cannot afford to ignore this disappointing Monsoon as a one off event. As long as industrialization persists on this earth without sufficient regard to environmental balances, global climatic conditions are only expected to worsen. And one of the biggest victims of such degradation of our environment will certainly be India. As international diplomacies would have it, a consensus and a resolute will to combat climate change at the expense of industrial development, especially on the part of the developed economies (the US of A being the leader of the pack), seems remote at this point of time. As such, India will have to develop its own means of protecting itself from sure economic crises in the inevitable event of the Monsoon rains misbehaving on a regular basis in the not-too-distant future.

Question is, do we have the will to secure our country from being converted to an arid waste in the future? Do we have the resolve to ensure the basic need of man – drinking water – for all Indians? Tough as these questions are, tougher still is the search for the answers. Yet, the task at hand is nowhere nigh impossible. India is a not a land starved of water, notwithstanding the fact that most of the water is still out of reach of the masses. The numerous rivers with their voluminous flows criss-cross the length and breadth of the country, but we are yet to find ways to harness their immense potential. The country waits in eager anticipation for the onset of the rainy season, and despair at its reluctance to move forward. Yet, when the rains do come in spate, we find ourselves in distress, unable to convert the surfeit of heavenly discharge to our advantage. Damming of river-water and harvesting of rain-water are two straight solutions to all our problems. Still, we continue to drag our feet in even taking the first step towards embarking upon the gargantuan task.

It is time we stopped looking heavenwards every summer for deliverance from the impending spectre of drought and starvation. It is time we started looking earthwards for ways and means to obviate situations of the kind. After all, even heaven cannot help those who cannot help themselves.

Panacea For The Soul

2009-09-09T10:10:00.000-07:00

What does one do at the end of a fruitless day, inconsequential and mundane; when one is in the company of none but solitude, enveloped by the monotonous silence of mute confines; when one has to strive hard to prevent his or her spirits from being dragged down under a quilt of gloom. Moments like these can be frequent, yet always unwanted visitors in one’s existence. When I have had the misfortune be in the throes of such torment, my mind always sought refuge in the ever-faithful realm of music to battle my blues. Western slow rock and country music has always been very close to my heart but the lyrical gems of Hindi film music are in a league of their own, and the one can never be compared in relation to the other. I can never tire of listening to my favorite Hindi mp3 music on my laptop – a collection of priceless melodies from the days of Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar. It is amazing how the sublime poetic thoughts of the seventies and eighties, which was, without doubt, the golden age of Hindi film music, rendered timeless by enthralling scores and the magic vocals of great bards of romance, mirth and melancholy never fail to touch the deepest chords of emotion in my heart. Today, the air was replete with the kind of feeling that made me long for some soul stirring, dreamy, magical melody. The kind of music so soothing to the soul, the lyrics so touching and the vocals so passionate that a better cure for a despondent mind is yet to be known,

Dekha Hain Zindagi Ko
Kuch Itna Kareeb Se
Chehre Tamam Lagne Lage
Ae Ajeeb Se……

Kishore Kumar’s plaintive voice bores into your heart as his emotive intonation of a poet’s emotion engulfs the senses. The mind bonds seamlessly with the tunes and severs itself from the unfeeling world of reality. My soul gets inebriated with the soothing touch of the mellifluous verse; I can go on listening forever. The stream of melody continues to flow with yet another classic number,

Kya Khabar Kya Pata
Kya Khushi Hain Gham Hain Kya
Leke Asoon Jo Hasi De
Gham Ke Badle Jo Khushi De
Raaz Ye Jaana Usi Ne
Zindagi Kya Hain Zindagi……

And another,

Pyaar Hi Jeene Ki Soorat Hain
Sabse Badi Zaroorat Hain
Pyar Se Kya Darna…

And another,

Koi Hota Jisko Apna
Hum Apna Kehlete Yaaron
Paas Nahin Toh Door Hi Hota
Lekin Koi Mera Apna…

As Kishore’s dulcet rendition faded gently away, the silken voice of Lata Mangeshkar wafted into my being with all the tenderness of an angelic touch,

Rajnigandha Phool Tumhari
Mehke Mere Jeevan Mein
Yuhin Mehke Preet Piya Ki
Mere Anuragi Man Mein

The rhythmic cadence of unadulterated melody caressed the weary senses and made my mind drift into a sweet reverie. At the end of it, as I inevitably awoke to the somber environs of my dispassionate dwelling, which seemed even more so after my dreamy journey through the surreal world of soulful melody, I was filled with a feeling akin to bereavement from a loved one. Every time I let my mind swing to these captivating lyrics ensconced in lilting music, my mind yearns for more. Surely, this cannot be too different from the pleasures of heaven.

The Sibal Revolution - Blessing or Curse?

2009-09-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

Kapil Sibal seems to have embarked upon a route that might change the face of Indian education forever. On the face of it, the new reforms do promise relief for young minds stressed with the ever increasing burden of expectation and the pressure to perform. It will certainly ease the trepidations on an exam day and on the dreaded day of results. As it is, the race for higher percentages has already begun to undermine the actual purport of knowledge acquisition. The minimalization of the importance of the class X exams, the first big test in a kid's life, and the clubbing of percentages under the broader system of grades will go a long way in alleviating the pressures of modern-day education as also in preventing students from getting into an ugly rat race of marks.

Notwithstanding its obvious advantages, Sibal's innovative new reforms does have their flip side as well. There is hardly any doubt that, along with the moderation of stress, the fire of competition too would cool down significantly. As a consequence, the motivation to climb the pedestal of academic success in schools and colleges would mellow down considerably as the pedestal itself would be removed from the system. This may, to some extent, pose some difficulty in extricating the specks of brilliance within a sea of average to mediocre talent. However, no system can be severed of its innate weaknesses, and Sibal's scheme is no different in that respect. It is only a walk down that road that will reveal it true efficacy, or, for that matter, its inadequacy.

The Bigger They Are.......

2009-08-24T09:43:00.000-07:00

As I watched the delirious celebrations of the English Cricket team after it outlasted the Australian team to win the Ashes, a certain amount of vicarious pleasure buoyed my spirits as well. Strangely, though, I also felt an unusual sense of pity for the Australian team members. The heady days of Australian dominance when they battered the wits out of every team on the planet are yet to fade from memory even as the team stood with forlorn faces staring at the excruciating result of a series that was purported to be one of sweet revenge. The arrogance and conceit that had made Australia the Bete Noire of world cricket with that undisputed aura of invincibility have suddenly been ground to dust. Ricky Ponting’s men looked just so vulnerable in defeat that pity was but a natural and spontaneous emotion that welled up in me at that moment. The Australian game of aggression, intimidation and mental disintegration had claimed many a foe with uncanny precision, and an innocuous English team was yet the softer of the many targets they have had the pleasure of impaling in their impeccable history of conquests galore. As the series gathered momentum, the Australians turned on the heat on their seemingly hapless counterparts, both on and off the field. Yet, wonder of wonders, they could do little to dampen England’s inexorable march towards destiny. The fear of failure dogged the great Australians more than the underdogs, and the desperation that is borne of such fear has, more often than not, presaged the fall of many a Goliath.

Life is indeed a great leveler, and cricket, in many ways embodies that great quality in its truest form. No team, no individual, has ever succeeded in rising higher in stature than the game itself. The Australians have chosen to learn the lesson the hard way. In spite of all its failings, we may yet see the great team rise from the ashes to mesmerize the world once again, but sans the traits that led to its fall, one prays.

The Incorrigibles - Here They Go Again

2009-08-16T04:18:00.000-07:00

No sooner had I got over my sordid musings about racists and racism by venting them out in this space (“The Color of Equality”, 14th August), I am confronted with more of the same. The news of Shah Rukh Khan being detained and questioned on suspicion of being a terrorist by the Newark police for two hours flashed disturbingly across TV channels in India. I am no great fan of SRK’s acting abilities nor have I been influenced in any degree by his charismatic sway over the masses. Yet, I found the news disquieting. It is just that the egregiousness of intent on the part of the American security staff is so starkly visible in the episode. The bristles from the impudent behavior of the staff of United Airlines’ flight to Newark towards our former president, Dr. Abdul Kalam are still fresh in the mind of every proud Indian when this new tale of White American arrogance made the headlines. Both the instances of effrontery were cleverly camouflaged under the pretext of “national security guidelines”, which gives the American security agencies the Carte Blanche to infringe upon the privacy, self-esteem and modesty of any individual on the planet. Strangely, however, no white man has ever had to undergo the humiliation of questioning and detention under the same security guidelines. The dignity and privacy of white people are considered sacrosanct and as such, cannot be defiled. Case in point is the guy (Mr Walker) caught in action fighting for the Taliban against the American forces during the post 9/11 war in Afghanistan. Even as thousands of Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters captured during the war were sent to Guantanamo Bay and other such inhuman confinements, Walker was sent home to his parents for “reform and rehabilitation”. The American security agencies did not have the heart to put Mr Walker through the same barbaric torture processes that are the order of the day for all non-white prisoners. The same “flexibility” in the security guidelines were not deemed necessary to be exercised in the case of well known Indian personalities such as Dr. Abdul Kalam and SRK. This is the newest form of racism, subtle and effective, that Americans, and many other white nations, have been taking recourse to, of late, to give vent to some of their pent up feelings against Asians, and Indians in particular.

The solution to such attitude lies in adopting one ourselves. If we can’t win them, we join them. Talking of security requirements, what is stopping the Indian government from putting Americans visiting India through similar security checks in the interest of national security? Are Americans considered above board so far as involvement in terrorist activities are concerned? Are terrorism and barbarity the sole preserves of non-white races? Is not the CIA responsible for much turmoil in many a foreign land? India has a culture laden with politeness, kindness, compassion and many such virtues that sometimes tend to weaken our resolve to act with professional toughness, especially when dealing with white westerners, who always seem to get away with wielding an aura of exclusivity that prevents us from even looking at them suspiciously, leave alone asking insinuating questions of them. Maybe time has come for Indians to change their attitude with the times. After all, India’s national security is no less important to us than America’s is to Americans. If that’s the game they are going to play, we must be good at it too.

Bridled Independence

2009-08-15T10:39:00.000-07:00

As an Indian, the completion of the sixty-second year of my country’s Independence evokes in me a mixture of emotions. The country has indeed moved on. From being an underdeveloped nation with an uncertain future, India today has risen in stature to be one of the powers to be reckoned with on the world stage. Industry and intellect have combined to transform a country of hope into one of fiery ambition to be a major protagonist in the affairs of the continent. Yet, I say a mixture of emotions because in spite of all the achievements over the last six decades, the nation hasn’t moved as far forward as is desirable. We have certainly freed ourselves from the reins of a foreign monarchy, but can we say that we are independent in the true sense of the term? How can a country gain Independence if it is still hopelessly dependent on the following?

DIRTY POLITICS: The biggest scourge of the country yet. Politics in its ugliest form has continuously deprived the laity of its fair share of education, nutrition, equality of religion and caste, freedom of speech and even the right to life and property at times. The poor are being trampled upon for the gains of a mighty few. How long will the politics of flagrant inequity rule our land?

CORRUPTION: The Late Rajiv Gandhi confessed that ninety five paise out of every one Rupee sanctioned for the needy is lost on the way due to corruption in the system. How long will it take to turn that same statistic upside down?

MONSOON: Every year we look up to the rain gods to save our economy from destruction. Just how long will this country be at the mercy of the monsoon clouds?

USA: Even today, we cannot dare to make a move against our cross-border enemies without the approval of the United States. We have to think a thousand times before we can develop our nuclear arsenal, lest we offend the Global Cop that is the USA. We dare not express our friendship for our natural and traditional friends such as Iran because such countries are on USA’s list of enemies.

CHINA: We cannot dream of speaking ill of China in spite of its excesses in Tibet and its incursions into Indian territory because China is one of our chief trade partners, in addition to it being a massive military power. Are we ever going to be free of China’s military and economic hegemony?

OBSESSION FOR ALL THINGS WESTERN: We continue to be attracted to anything with a western hue, so much so that we have developed a deep-rooted inferiority complex for western people, western merchandise and their lifestyles. As a consequence, we have ended up being copycats rather than aspiring to be trendsetters. How long is it going to take for us to be unshackled of our subservience towards all things western?

Are we ready to fight another war of Independence to rid ourselves of all the vices and evils that shackle us even today? If the answer to this question is anything other than an imperative YES, India’s dream of becoming an economic superpower will drift farther away than ever. Complacency will yet be the curse of the nation if it does not wake up to its deficiencies with utmost urgency. If and when that does come about, Independence will have arrived in its truest form.

The Color of Equality

2009-08-14T05:02:00.000-07:00

Close to two decades have elapsed since Apartheid was officially pronounced dead in South Africa. People of the planet rejoiced at the advent into this world of secularity and equality in the fullest sense. However, many wondered whether a political resolution and a declaration on paper would have sufficed to cleanse the evil of racial prejudice from the hearts and minds of countless people who believed themselves to be “better” creations of God thus far. As is evident from incidents reported with increasing frequency from various corners of the “white” world, racism is far from dead. It continues to thrive and prosper in the minds of fair-skinned egotists who still believe that the color of the skin supersedes every other quality in a human being. Even the most powerful of people are not secure from this deep-rooted evil. The case of US president Barack Obama is worthy of note in this regard. Obama minced no words in his criticism of a certain police officer who humiliated a well known Black professor by arresting him for some offence without any evidence. Obama rightly accused the officer of being racially prejudiced in the incident. The incident would have evoked reactions in support of the president’s emotions in any other country, maybe even in America, had the victim been a member of the more privileged White community. However, Americans were vociferous in their expression of sympathy for the “unfair” chastisement of a police officer who was merely doing his “duty”. Certain sections of the political class started out on a mission of revenge against Obama. Suddenly, a person no less than the President of the United States was confronted with vitriolic attacks from all quarters. Questions have been raised over the authenticity of his birth certificate. The “avengers” claimed that Obama was not born in America and as such, he automatically forfeits his right to occupy the office of the President of US of A. No doubt, the matter will be settled in favor of the President in the end, but it is hard to ignore the undertones of racial arrogance in the whole affair. This incident is only one among thousands that occur every day, in which humanity and human values continue to be desecrated by die-hard sadists who owe allegiance to the cult of racism. The recent attacks on Indians in Australia are just another case in point.

Racism has officially been denounced across the globe but it continues to exist and thrive in the minds of thousands as a morphed version of the original that is equally pernicious to the peace and harmony among fellow human beings. Such unholy prejudices can be effectually expunged from the human world if, and only if, coming generations of humans are bred in a culture of equality, goodwill and togetherness in the true sense of the terms. Easier said than done. Genetic evils do not disappear with the swish of a wand. It may take a few more generations and many more crusades before the superiority of color becomes a thing of the past. For the time being, however, colored people living and working with their white brethren will have to live with the fact that equality comes in various shades, and theirs is the lesser one.

A Travesty of Divine Justice?

2009-07-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

I woke up to a dreary morning in the small town of Kakinada on the eastern coast of India. Everything this morning held up the promise of a Sunday not unlike any other in the recent past. I had an appointment to keep at a give-away function organized by my company for the distribution of free food packets to HIV infected children from nearby villages; an event that hardly conjured up any prospect to enthuse my spirits. However, I conscientiously regarded it my duty to be present at the function as I am one of the contributors to the fund that supports these children. With these thoughts of dutifulness and an inflated sense of nobility firmly ensconced in my mind, I set out for my destination with my friend and colleague, C N Wong. On our arrival at the site of the function, my spirits were bogged down even more at the sight of the dilapidated building and the gloomy confines in which the function was to be held.

However, when we finally emerged out into the open after more than two hours of the function, my mind lingered on in that dingy room; 0n the faces of the children and their parents and in the whole unfortunate situation that destiny has cast them into. I had expected to see a whole bunch of morose children with despondent countenances that implored for rescue from their state of misery. Such a sight might have justified the images that I had harbored in my mind. But what I saw and experienced was totally the contrary. As soon as we entered the room, we were greeted by sounds of excitement and chirpy laughter of a group of children in their early childhood, blissfully unaware of the dark uncertainty that has come upon their lives through a cruel quirk of fate. The way the little children pranced and jumped about in excitement as they played various games or the pure cheer on their faces when they were presented with gifts were sights that moved me deeply. They reminded me of my own fun-filled childhood days. All my sense of false nobility at my contribution for the well-being of these children evaporated in an instant, only to be replaced by a feeling of helplessness that filled my being at my inability to do more to retain the cheer in the minds and beings of these innocent souls for as long they desire; to defeat the forces of nature that are threatening to deprive them of a life as full of happiness and prosperity as any other child in this world deserves to have. The gay abandon, cheer and excitement with which the children talked, laughed and played only accentuated my feeling of sadness for their plight.

I cannot claim to be a die-hard follower of religion and all its associated rituals, but I have always had an unshakeable faith in Divine justice. Yet, I have always found it hard to justify certain events such as the cruel deaths of innocent children in riots, robberies, terrorist acts and accidents. Today, the sight of these innocent children being cruelly incarcerated in the clutches of fate revived in me my frustrations at the apparent inequity of Divine justice, and left me searching for answers to my perennially unanswered questions yet again. I can only hope that I will find satisfactory answers to my questions during my lifetime, and hope that, someday, the sight of the godly, uninhibited cheer in the faces of children will cease to be marred by the cruel machinations of fate.

I returned from the function with my mind a bit more burdened with thoughts of the incurable miseries of this world but certainly more enriched than when I set out. It has been a Sunday I will remember for some time to come.

Michael Jackson – Poesy of Innocence

2009-07-12T03:20:00.000-07:00

The news of Michael Jackson’s death struck me like a bolt of lightning. To many, the happening has been a virtual non-event; but somehow, the whole journey of the enigmatic personality from his death to his funeral has been one fraught with poignancy for me.

As stories of Jackson’s life flashed incessantly on television, I wallowed in a pleasurable wave of nostalgia. Images of Michael Jackson’s dominance of the 1984 Grammy Awards flashed across my mind. I recalled my brother and I watching the nominations of the awards on Doordarshan late into the night on our portable black-and-white TV. At that time, music in video form was at its infancy and watching Michael Jackson performing in “Beat It” and “Billie Jean” on video was a heady visual delight. Memories of pavement slabs getting illuminated at his every step in the video “Billie Jean” remain etched in my mind to this day. We were truly fascinated by this slightly built, cute Black boy with his natural dance movements setting the screen alight. That day, Michael Jackson ignited in us a love for western music that was to stay in us forever. I am sure that there are many more like us who were charmed into addiction for western music that night.

Over the years, our admiration for the immense musical talent of Jackson diminished somewhat, maybe because we could not find the same rapturous delight in his later creations, although I must say that even his worst musical piece is better than most of the music of today. The “Thriller” album was so sublime in its musical and lyrical value that all the songs that came after that seemed to pale in comparison. Actually, songs like “Bad” and “Human Nature”, which I did not feel were up to the Jackson standard at that time, compares with some of the best non-Jacksonian compositions I have ever heard and watched.

However, notwithstanding the peerless musical and fleet footed genius that Michael Jackson was, it was the character of the man which has always fascinated me and was something I found to be most adorable. Michael Jackson was clearly in love with his childhood. We all are, in one way or the other, but Jackson chose bravely not to let go of it till the end. Even at the age of 50, the freshness of childlike innocence was markedly impressed on his visage. This might explain his obsession for the company of children and his fascination of fairy tales, playgrounds and all things that we loved as children. Jackson believed in following his heart as long as he lived. But the canons of human society demanded that he be an adult like everybody else, be a celebrity sex symbol and flaunt his private life for the consumption of the press and the public. The world would just not let him follow a life of his choice. Rumors of child molestation, questions ranging from the changing color of his skin to his plastic surgeries to his sexual propensities flooded the media in an attempt to goad him out of his confines. Yet, he chose to live in a world of his own, away from the glare of the public. He did not even bother to refute or comment on all the cruel rumors that threatened to trample his individuality and reputation into pulp. Instead, he withdrew more and more into his shell, revealing himself in all his innate brilliance only on stage. Towards the end, he was continually fighting a losing battle against his loneliness, his fears and insecurities and most of all, his failing health. Jackson did not seem to have any strength left to fight all the insidious forces of the world around him.

To his faithful fans, and to the more empathetic eye, Jackson’s innocence and simplicity were never ever in doubt. To all of them (including myself), Michael Jackson had a heart of gold, ever giving, never asking for anything in return. He was a man enraptured by his love for music and the fairy tale world of children. He just wanted to drown himself in his own, quaint universe and lose himself completely in it. His sole recourse from the woes of life was music and the stage. His human frailties, his childlike innocence and his love for dance and music shone through in his songs and videos. He did not deserve the cruelty meted out to him by certain sections of the media and the public while he was alive. Hopefully, they will realize their folly now that Jackson is no more. Maybe, these people just do not deserve to be mentioned in the same phrase as Jackson. Maybe, the world and the society of today do not deserve Michael Jackson’s greatness any more.

I will never ever forget the images of Jackson rehearsing for his marathon comeback show just a couple of days before his death. I was just amazed that he managed to look so enthusiastic and energetic on stage at a time when he was supposed to be in the worst state of health in his life. Indeed, Michael Jackson was no ordinary human being. He was simply God’s gift to the world of music. His passing away surely marks the end of a golden era of pop music, melody and dance. But, in my mind, Michael Jackson and his music will live forever, as he will in the minds of multitudes across the world. Rarely has anybody been such an embodiment of gift and virtue as was this incredible genius called Michael Joseph Jackson. Long Live The King of Pop.

Michael Jackson – Poesy of Innocence

The Sounds of Pure Gold. Whither Art Thou?

2009-05-10T04:11:00.000-07:00

Lookin' back on how it was
In years gone by
And the good times that I had
Makes today seem rather sad
So much has changed.

It was songs of love that
I would sing to then
And I'd memorize each word
Those old melodies
Still sound so good to me
As they melt the years away.

All my best memories
Come back clearly to me
Some can even make me cry.
Just like before
It's yesterday once more

On a lazy Sunday, my mind lilted pleasurably to the haunting strains of “Yesterday Once More” by “The Carpenters”. This song never fails to transport me into my past and linger in my sweetest memories, very akin to a freewheeler inebriated in ade. Unfailingly, my nostalgia was stirred once again and it spurred me further on my journey into the bygone days as I dug out melody after melody from my MP3 album and soaked in the emotive notes of my favorite numbers once again. Soon, “yesterday Once More” gave way to “Always Somewhere” by “The Scorpions”, my all time favorite band. Next on the list was “Sutter’s Mill” by “Dan fogelberg”. Amazingly, this song invokes in me the same intensity of pleasure and emotion every time I listen to it. Every time, it transports my mind to America and the Wild, Wild West where cowboys scrambled and fought for their share of the gold nuggets lying hidden among the pebbles on the river beds. This also reminded me of the many fascinating cowboy adventures I had read in comic books during my childhood. Wild Bill Hickock, Billy The Kid, Jesse James, Roy Rogers, The Pinkertons and many other characters from the cowboy comics flashed into my mind. Even as the strains of “Sutter’s Mill” wafted my mind over the ranches, the saloons and the Apache ridden valleys of Cowboy land, the next number on my playlist jolted me back into reality. It was a loud modern number with all the characteristics of discordant lyrics and notes that today’s music has come to represent. I was in no mood to let my mind be dragged back into the crassness of modern pop. I quickly jumped to my next favorite oldie, “Time After Time” by Cindy Lauper. I continued to bask in a wonderland of my own as the stream of the glory and mellifluousness from the past continued to pour in to stir and gratify my weary senses. The plaintive tunes of “Soldier of Fortune” by Deep Purple, the rocking lyrics of “living on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi, visions of the beautiful countryside in Lobo’s “You and Me and a Dog named Boo”, the lovelorn voice of Smokie in “Living Next Door to Alice”, pictures of a quaint country life by Glen Campbell in “Rhinestone Cowboy”, the glorious music and lyrics of “With or Without You” by the incomparable U2, the supreme melody of the Bee Gees in “How Deep is Your Love”, the rocking love ballad “Waiting for A Girl Like You” by “Foreigner” and many such songs took me on a pleasure trip to the surreal land of dreams.

Music has been always regarded as perhaps the most effective balm for a stressed mind. It soothes the senses and helps us forget all the worries of life during those few melodious moments. However, I find that most of the music of today lacks the smoothness and lyrical value of the music of earlier years. Today’s music is more a staccato version of the lyrical composition which fails to evoke any kind of pleasure or imagination in the mind. It is quite possible that I have lost tune with the fast changing times, but I still feel that my disinclination for modern-day music is borne more out of paucity of real quality than any petty prejudice. Perhaps, in an age of television wars, it has become imperative to lend more and more visual value to the songs even at a cost to the musical and lyrical content. Choreography and cinematography are of the essence today as opposed to the flowing and melodious music of the past. It is a big irony that music in this day and age is no longer a solace for the stressed mind. It has become a symbol of the loud and the boisterous mood of city life. This is perhaps the noisiest and most disjointed phase in the history of western music. All is not lost however. There are some singers and bands that still would not compromise the essence of music for the sake of slapstick video effects. Bands like U2 and Backstreet Boys, solo singers such as Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Madonna and a few others still regard the content and musical value of songs above all other considerations. But these are few and far in between. We can only hope that this age of noise comes to an end sooner rather than later, and everybody can again swing to the tunes of soul-clasping, mind-swinging music. Just as Karen Carpenter so beautifully sings -

……Those were such happy times
And not so long ago
How I wondered where they'd gone
But they're back again
Just like a long lost friend
All the songs I loved so well

Every Sha-la-la-la
Every Wo-o-wo-o
Still shines
Every shing-a-ling-a-ling
That they're startin' to sing
So fine…….

Beware of The Slumdogs

2009-02-23T07:28:00.001-08:00

The massive success of the movie “Slumdog Millionaire” at the Oscars has proven one point beyond doubt – India’s potential to rise like a colossus on the world scene can never be overestimated. Certain personalities of no meager eminence (I would prefer to call them shortsighted cynics) in the country have been quick to label the movie as a blatant exhibition of the muck that pervades Indian society. Superficially viewed, all these people may have a valid point, based on the flimsy logic that such a portrayal may undermine India’s progressive image in the world. Here, I am tempted to quote Shakespeare,maybe a touch incongruously – “beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”. Indians have to look at this picture of India through the eyes of the world. One has to understand that such a portrait, even if accepted as a deplorable-but-true depiction of India’s current social fabric, will also go a long way in showcasing India’s latent energies to the world. Although it would be irrational to discount the existence of persons and personalities outside India who would unthinkingly grab this instance as an opportunity to satiate their innate contempt for India’s inexorable march on the road of progress, only the greatest fool can afford to relax in that moment of mirth. The wise men of the world are well aware of the fact that the real future of India is pent up and raring to burst from amongst these teeming millions. These are the very people who have the potential to change the face of India and the world, forever. India is currently growing at the rate of seven percent every year. Yet, its average literacy rate is 60 % compared to a similar country like China which has a literacy rate of above 90 %. India’s per capita income is just above the 1000 dollar mark while the average Chinese earns at thrice the rate of an average Indian. Still, India’s economy is already showing signs of forging ahead of most developing countries in the world. Now, given the state of proliferation of education and basic facilities in India, that is not just amazing but unbelievable. One can imagine just how many bright and enterprising minds still remain out of reach of basic facilities and education It doesn’t require a great mathematician to calculate just how much India would progress once its literacy rate matches that of, say, China. What would happen to the competition when facilities and resources that only a small minority of privileged and emancipated enjoys are spread out to the remotest areas of the country? Not for nothing is India considered by the wise as the sleeping giant of world economy. Slowly but surely, the giant seems to be rising from its long slumber. The world would do well to see through the picture than at it. “Slumdog Millionaire” epitomizes the energy, the confidence and the verve of the common Indian who dwells in those dingy back-alleys, shanties and far-flung hamlets to prove something to the world - that impossible is not a word that is found in India. This is one phoenix that is raring to rise, and long before the world even realizes the magnitude of this upsurge, it will be a billion Indians who will be doing all the laughing. So, World, beware of the Slumdogs!!

The Reign of Black Gold

2009-02-14T08:07:00.000-08:00

It was one of my numerous trips to an offshore rig drilling for oil in a vast watery wilderness far, far away from the humdrum of the world. The rig floor rumbled with activity as the Travelling Block moved up and down. The drillers, the roughnecks and the roustabouts strained themselves to enable steady progress of the operation. My shift was yet to start and I had come up on the heli-deck for a breath of fresh air. In spite of spending close to eighteen years doing the same job, I never cease to wonder at the sheer crudity of operations on an oil rig. Notwithstanding all the effort put in by the crew round the clock, there is no certainty that our efforts are going to bear fruit, that is, it is still impossible to prove the presence of oil inside the earth until we actually get to it. If one traces mankind’s footsteps over the past few decades, it will be observed that He has indeed made huge strides in certain fields of science such as Astronomy, Nuclear, Electronics, Computers, Telecommunication etc. Yet, Man has still to discover an efficient method of discovering the hidden pockets of oil and gas within the earth’s crust, located mostly at an average depth of 3 kilometers from the surface – a mere 5 percent of the average thickness of the crust. We still have to physically drill a hole all the way to the “prospective” reservoir to confirm our prognostications of the presence of any hydrocarbon within. Yet, Man still has to contend with only a twenty-five percent probability of striking oil at the start of drilling in spite of lofty claims of accuracy of the various techniques employed to pinpoint the ‘probable’ oil reservoir. Even after we have found a reservoir, it is still impossible to extract more than 30 percent of the total oil in the reservoir, that too after employment of all the ‘advanced’ secondary recovery techniques. In short, 75 percent of human effort and expense that goes into exploration of oil and 70 percent of the discovered oil itself goes waste. This is ample evidence of the lack of technological progress in the field of oil exploration in spite of the continuous evolution of mankind over the ages. Today, we can almost see the edge of the precipice. We are getting closer and closer to the inevitable – a world without oil. A possibility Man had never envisaged. Today, it is oil that make the world go round. Our industrial machinery, our power plants, our automobiles and ships, all need oil for their operation. In addition to that, thousands of items of daily use are made from the by-products of oil.

So, what then is the path to freedom from the stranglehold of petroleum for the world? Alternative sources of energy? With all the technological advancement that this world has achieved in the field of alternative power, it is difficult to imagine that we cannot build a vehicle or a plant that runs on, say, solar or wind energy. So, then, can we get rid of oil and switch over to an everlasting form of energy such as solar or wind? At the moment, the answer seems to be a definite “NO”. Changing over to an alternative form of energy will require overhauling of the entire machinery of the industrial world. The transition from oil to another energy form, if attempted in haste, will result in the collapse of entire industries first before they begin again from the scratch. The effect that such a transition will have on the world will be unimaginably cataclysmic. The transition needs to be slow enough to be smooth, perhaps over a period of forty to fifty years. Till that time, Man has no choice but to keep all developments of alternate energy within the confines of the laboratory and continue to depend on mother earth to lead us to its hidden reserves of oil. However, given the state of the technology as it is now, it looks unlikely that Man will win the race against time with ease. Man is caught in a trap of His own making. The driver has become the driven, the ruler the ruled. Today, the world is ruled by oil. Man must wrack His brains harder to continue to discover more and more oilfields before the current ones start to deplete. Easier said than done.

The Burden of Greatness

2009-02-01T06:23:00.001-08:00

Roger Federer must be cursing the day a certain youngster from Spain decided to take up playing Tennis for a living. Just that one lad has forced Federer to come round to the fact that the road to supreme authority in any field comes at a price. There will always be that one last, thorny path that has to be walked before one can lay claim to the ultimate pedestal of fame. In Federer’s case, it has been just one thorn, in the form of an indefatigable, never-say-die Spaniard called Rafael Nadal. Just when he thought that the going was all too easy in his journey to becoming the greatest Tennis player of all time, that one guy has always blocked his path with the stolidity of a stone wall. Try as he might, Federer has been unable to shake Nadal off his back, and off his mind.
Federer has always been the cynosure of all eyes in the male Tennis arena. The grace and equanimity with which he has been sailing through the toughest of moments in matches time after time had given him an aura of greatness and invincibility that has not been seen in the Tennis world since the days of one Bjorn Borg. Added to that, his eloquence and gentility in dealing with the media and the public have lifted him to the highest level of regard in the minds of his fans and critics alike. However, it is perhaps easier to attain such a level of artistry and skill than to sustain it. Federer has lately been falling victim to the burden of expectation within himself and his worshipping fans in his endeavor to keep his super-human status intact. In his attempt to prove that he is still better than anybody else, he has put immense pressure on himself to perform above his abilities. As a result, his mind and his psyche are superceding his physical skills to such an extent that he is performing at a level much below what he is actually capable of. Over the years, Nadal has emerged as the sole challenger to Federer’s claim to all-time greatness. Federer knows that the world will never recognize him as the greatest of all time if he cannot overcome this challenge. The fear of losing, especially when he plays against Nadal, is so overwhelming that his game breaks down in the face of the impregnable tenacity displayed by the gritty Spaniard. This has been in evidence again in the 2009 Australian Open. The confidence and audacity which have been the hallmark of Federer’s play upto the Finals, disappeared during his match against Nadal. Federer’s game in the Final was a mere shadow of his performances in the earlier matches. On the other hand, Nadal, in spite of being the number one player of the world, played with much more freedom, almost as if he were the underdog, while Federer still carried the burden of proving to the world that he is the best. Federer needs to admit to himself and his fans for once that he is the number 2 player in the world in every sense. He has to transfer the burden of expectation to the shoulders of Nadal and see how he copes with it. Only then can he ever hope of getting past the tireless machine from Mallorca.

A Corrupt Global Cop

2009-01-04T10:09:00.000-08:00

The world watches in muted attention as Israel continues to pound Gaza with all the firepower at its disposal, unconcerned about the danger of collateral damage to innocent civilian life and property. America’s dual policy in regard to world peace has never been more exposed. On the one hand, the US wants more restraint from India in its fight against terrorism from Pakistan while on the other it opposes a UN resolution for bringing hostilities between Israel and Palestine to an end. Once again the world is confronted with the danger of an irresponsible and unscrupulous power holding the reins in a uni-polar world. It is not so bad to have one superpower controlling the affairs of the world provided that the country in control is just and responsible in the dispensation of its policies. America certainly is not one such nation. It is hardly concerned about the loss of human life anywhere in the world and in any number as long as the lives lost are not of Americans. America is not a country that can be trusted, maybe even less than China. The sole reason for this is that the US feels that lives of people in Asian countries are more dispensable than American lives. Any relationship with America is centered around business and profit. America will be a friend of a particular country only so long as its business interests are served. Absence of any profit incentive makes any country and its citizens dispensable in the eyes of America. India should be wary of its developing closeness to the US. In fact, it should realign itself in the opposite direction before it falls into the trap laid by the US. Any country which advocates killing of civilians in another country to further the interests of a particular community cannot be a faithful friend. India has to act on its own justifications and its own resolve to thwart the nemesis of foreign terror. Depending on the promises of a corrupt global cop will do more harm than good to the long term interests of our country.

The Value of Blood

2008-12-27T06:38:00.000-08:00

The dreadful terrorist attacks on the city of Mumbai has left everybody stunned and outraged. Immediately after the successful conclusion of the three-day operations against the terrorists, one could see waves of public anger against the political establishment and sympathy for those killed sweeping across the city. News channels made hay as they flashed pictures of the gun battles between the terrorists and the commandos and images of the Taj hotel burning continuously over days. Notwithstanding all the outrage both on the street and on TV, one could sense a certain apathy for human life coming through rather conspicuously as the debates and the public protests rage on. If this tragedy is a test of character for our politicians, our citizens and our journalistic media, they have all failed the test insofar that human life has not been treated with the respect that it deserves. The terror attacks on 26/11 has once again brought one fact to the fore - there is a definite disregard towards loss of human life in India in some form or the other.

There is one group of people we call the politicians who seem to have absolutely no empathy towards human suffering and loss of life. They are completely unconcerned as to who is getting killed so long as it is not themselves or their kin. Their appalling attitude often spills out through their words and actions, although inadvertently. Nothing epitomizes this fact more than the remarks of R R. Patil, the former deputy chief minister of Maharashtra on the Mumbai carnage. He said “these incidents are common in big cities. There is nothing to be worried about”. The then chief minister of Maharashtra, Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh, went a step ahead of Patil in showing his disregard for all the people killed in the attacks. He went on a “sightseeing” tour inside the ravaged Taj hotel along with his son and one film director, that too in full view of the country.

The public and the journalistic media too have been guilty of being “selective” in their show of concern for victims of terrorist violence. During the latest terrorist attack in Mumbai, the majority of the television channels focused on the attacks on the Taj and Oberoi hotels while very little space has been devoted to the massacre inside the CST railway station. It is as if the media is very much concerned at the loss of “elite” lives in 5-star hotels and is relatively apathetic about the death of tens of “not so important” people in the CST station. Images of people lighting candles near the Taj flooded our TV screens day after day but the scene at the CST was forgotten almost as soon as it was over. There have been a number of terrorist incidents in various cities in India in the recent past. However, the media fumbles in even recounting specific incidents. For example, in most of the TV programs on the issue, the deadly serial blasts that killed about a 100 people in Assam on September 30th were not even mentioned in the list of terror attacks. The legendary playback singer, Lata Mangeshkar, came out with a statement full of emotion that she cried a hundred times for the victims of the Mumbai attacks. But the rest of the statement revealed her true feelings. She said that after Jaipur, she had inkling that the next target would be Mumbai. She forgot all about the Assam blasts that took place shortly after the Jaipur blasts. This reveals her actual sensitivity towards human life. She apparently feels that human lives in smaller towns and cities have absolutely no value.

Today, India is faced with the threat of external terror in a big way. Yet, the shock and outrage of massacre of innocent civilians fade out with time each time. It has taken an attack on two five star hotels for the government and the people to realize that it is high time to act against the evil of terror. It is only after “5-star” blood has been spilt that the government has woken up from its slumber to rev up the security systems in the country. Is the value of the lives of the rich more than the common man? Are the people living in small towns more dispensable than those in metros? The government and the people need to heed these questions and ensure that they never crop up again. India cannot expect to protect its people from the scourge of terrorism unless it gives equal respect to the lives of all its citizens, irrespective of their class and region.

Doves to The Slaughter

2008-11-30T01:52:00.000-08:00

Over seven years have passed since those catastrophic attacks on the WTC towers. The paranoia that the holocaust had created in its immediate aftermath has long faded from the minds and hearts of Americans as the seven subsequent terror-free years have instilled renewed confidence in the security systems of that country. Contrastingly though, in India, attack after attack on the land and the people has managed to keep the fear of insecurity alive and has reinforced the notion that human life in India is more dispensable than ever before.

The impunity with which a handful of gun-toting and grenade-hurling radicals wreaked havoc on some of the prime landmarks of Mumbai, the Taj Mahal hotel, the CST railway station and the Oberoi hotel has exposed India’s security preparedness in a very poor light before the world. It is a humiliation for the entire nation. How can a citizen of a small city or town feel safe when a few young men with perverted minds come ashore unhindered on a fishing trawler, barge into some of the most prestigious hotels of the country and hold the most prosperous area of India’s most prosperous city to ransom for three long days? Does India not have the capability to protect even the heart of its financial capital from terror? How can a few terrorists occupy a hotel room for days at end, fill it with guns, ammunition and grenades, evading suspicion of the hotel authorities and security agencies alike? How can a couple of terrorists manage to kill three top police officers in cold blood at one spot? How can a few gun-toting men barge into the best luxury hotels of the city and move about so freely within the interiors without facing any kind of resistance? Why did it take 24 hours for the government to decide that special security forces need to be deployed? The answers to many such questions will continue to elude the common man in Mumbai and rest of India as long as the powers that control the safety and security of the country do not think of the nation and its people as their own. Everyone realizes but nobody cares that this horrific assault on India’s dignity is also an attack on its rising economic stature. Love for one’s own land is a trait sadly missing from the political circles. Politicians are busy devising hundreds of dirty strategies to garner as many votes as possible while terrorists plot to wreak havoc on the laity. Mumbai has seen the worst terrorist attack ever seen in this country freezing the entire city and the country as a whole into a state of shock. Yet, some individuals of the government have been treating it as just a one-off event. The statements by the various political leaders are enough to disturb the equanimity of the calmest of persons. Maharashtra Home Minister, R. R. Patil, has stated dismissively that such “incidents” are unavoidable in big cities. He calmly goes on to say that the terrorists had planned to kill many more people than they actually succeeded in doing so. What he means to say by these statements is that (1) the government cannot do much to prevent such “day-to-day” attacks, and (2) since the terrorists managed to kill “only” about 200 people (instead of 5000), the situation does not warrant too much concern. In fact, the minister just stops short of saying that the entire outcry over the incident is totally unwarranted and that “everything is fine”. The Prime Minister’s national address, too, has done little to boost the confidence of even his staunchest fans. At a time when people expected the PM to be aggressive in his response to the attacks and to outline a bold plan to counter future terrorist invasions of the sort, all he did was to mutter a few clichés from the government policy books – statements that contained the usual platitudes such as “we will have zero tolerance towards terrorism”, “we will not let foreign forces destabilize our country”, “I convey my codolences”, “I strongly condemn these acts” etc etc. Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil’s comments do not even credit a mention. The total indifference of the political establishment towards the sufferings of the victims and their relatives only goes to show how hard core these politicians can be. It is a blatant exhibition of their insensitivity towards loss of innocent human lives. Raj Thackeray and his lot, the so called protectors of Mumbai, are nowhere to be seen. Perhaps they do not see too much political mileage in commenting on such incidents. The honorable president of India, Dr. Pratibha Patil had nothing more than a sermon to deliver in response to the dreadful attacks. She hummed a few philosophical phrases like “we should realize that violence is not right”, “peace is the essence of life” and lots of ridiculous phrases of the kind.

Notwithstanding the incompetence and apathy emerging from the political establishment, tales of heroism and unselfishness galore has gone a long way in restoring the dented pride of our nation. The selfless acts of courage by civilians to save their fellow men, the brave police officers who fell to enemy bullets, the death-defying commandos who laid down their lives for the greater cause will all be forever entrenched in the minds of all Mumbaikars and Indians alike. Politicians who have created created hell for fellow Indians in Mumbai for their own upliftment will have to think twice before calling any Mumbaikar a “North Indian”, “South Indian” etc. Certainly not after bravehearts like commando Gajendra Singh and Sandeep Unnikrishnan gave their lives for the cause of liberating Mumbai from the clutches of the terrorists.

Apart from the few bright spots of valor and selflessness, there is little else to rejoice over. The sense of fear and insecurity in the country is proliferating fast. It is beginning to become more and more evident that the people of India have handed over the reins of the country to a bunch of weak-kneed louts. The country is in dire need of a strong-willed and intensely patriotic leader. We cannot wait and watch as the government continues to frustrate and the country continues to bleed. We have become a nation of sitting ducks for any Tom, Dick and Harry to kill and destroy as and when they wish. Drastic policy amendments, proactive security measures, crushing of divisive politics are the need of the hour. How long can we hope to stay safe when an impotent government talks of peace with its inimical neighbors when these countries take advantage of India’s softness to inflict injury upon injury on its hapless people? Subservient diplomacy with Pakistan and Bangladesh will continue to cost India dear unless it takes swift and decisive steps to neutralize its enemies, wherever they may be. The government spends thousands of crores of taxpayers’ money every year to arm itself against foreign attacks but it has been woefully incapable of protecting its people from the proxy warfare of neighboring nations. What is the use of such expense if it cannot ensure the safety and security of its citizens even in the heart of big cities? Why should India be any different from the US when it comes to protecting the security of its people? If the US can strike at targets in foreign lands on the pretext of American security, why does India go weak in its knees at the prospect of confronting its enemies across the border?
India needs to wake up to its threats big time. Its people must rise above all petty insularities and divisions and work as a mass against all factious elements, both at home and abroad. History has proven time and again that disunity and ineptitude have been the constant reasons for India’s defeat at the hands of foreign forces over the centuries. Today, India is again on the ascendance. We are again confronted with foreign invaders whose sole objective is to cripple our economy and shatter our unity. This time, the people of India will have to ensure that History is not allowed to repeat itself.

A Bankruptcy of Faith?

2008-11-22T21:16:00.000-08:00

It is said that whenever the going gets tough, the tough get going. However, the adage seems to be struggling to retain its validity at the present moment with the juggernaut of the economic meltdown threatening to leave no tough ones standing. The financial crisis has slowly morphed into a crisis of faith. The big financial institutions of the world, the providers of solace and security in times of monetary distress, seem to be fighting a stiff battle to keep faith in their own selves. People are running scared of the very institutions that they had banked on to secure their future. So far, people have relied on rating agencies and audit reports to gauge the health of any particular banking company. However, the implosions of banks and finance companies boasting of sky high ratings and infallible track records have left the common man in a tizzy. Today, he just doesn’t know who to believe. Sudden collapse of mega finance companies have become almost the order of the day. Panic has set in like never before as people scurry to banks and ATMs to withdraw excess money for fear of losing their savings at one stroke.

The reason for all this panic and chaos can be attributed to one big flaw in the entire world financial system - lack of transparency, and that eternal vice - greed. As it is, customers and depositors have started questioning the methods applied by the banking and finance companies to increase their profits. Yet, there are no answers to many such questions. All that people get are sugar-coated media statements insisting that everything is rosy. Such statements, however, do little to assuage the fears in the minds of people who have so far trusted banks with their life savings. A gripping paranoia that a bank or a finance company may declare bankruptcy overnight has overcome the laity. Although this wave of fear and distrust has wrought maximum damage mainly on the institutions in the western world, trepidations of the same have crept into India and the rest of Asia as well. In India, ICICI bank has recently been the target of “malicious rumors” as depositors made bee lines at its ATMs and branches to retrieve their money. Subsequently, the ICICI bank management and the government regulatory authorities came out in defense of the bank assuring investors of the “robust” health of the bank. Nonetheless, investors are a wary lot nowadays, and it needs just one spark to trigger their paranoia into panic reactions. In fact, the more the banks try to reassure investors, the more deeply the suspicion of something fishy afoot sets in the minds of the customers. The need of the hour is for the institutions in question to come out in the open about their investments and leverages and lay all the facts of their accounts bare before the public. Until that happens, though, this all-pervasive fear psychosis will continue to haunt the minds of billions of depositors and investors and the bankruptcy of public faith may well translate into an economic apocalypse.

Assam - The Enemy Within

2008-11-22T21:03:00.000-08:00

The series of bomb blasts in Assam on the black day of 30th October only reinforces one emotion in the heart of the man on the streets of Assam – fear. Innocent civilians have fallen prey to yet another wave of carnage and death perpetrated by the merchants of death. Terrorism seems to have become an inextricable part of our daily life. The most disconcerting part of the whole affair is that even the government machinery looks helpless in the matter. The Police appear to have resigned themselves to terror as a part of destiny that cannot be changed. The press conferences and expressions of condemnation by the various political leaders have done little to enhance the confidence of the people. The statements emanating out of the government chambers are beginning to sound more and more like perfunctory monotones rather than expressions of any real intent or determination. Does this then imply that we can do nothing but be sitting ducks as a bunch of perverted minds continue to plot and inflict pain and suffering on our land and people, as and when they choose to, that too with disdainful ease?

Notwithstanding the fact that terrorism is nothing new for the people of India, the terror problem in Assam is distinct from similar situations facing the rest of India. In Assam, the people are afraid of speaking out against the terror groups. This is because the common man is easy prey to and within easy reach of the home-grown terrorists, chief among them being the ULFA. Recent investigations have revealed that the ULFA has been providing active support to all the jihad groups in Bangladesh plotting to inflict pain and suffering on the people of Assam. The ULFA was and to some extent still is part of the Assamese society. The ULFA had started as a social reformist organization in the eighties. At that time, they were the darlings of the Assamese society. Social nuisances such as eve teasing, drug trafficking and alcohol addiction were the targets of ULFA wrath. As a result, Assamese society suddenly found a saviour in the ULFA in that the society was being rid of all the inherent evils and women found themselves safer in the cities and workplaces. Sadly though, all that is a far cry from the ULFA of today. They have long reneged from their original promises and instead started using their power for the fulfillment of their personal desires. They started collecting “protection money” from local people at gunpoint and used the money to buy more guns and ammunition. The top leaders of the ULFA sought safe haven in Bangladesh and Bhutan and continued to spread violence across Assam. Initially, the targets of ULFA aggression were the governmental security agencies. Gradually, however, they became more and more unscrupulous. They started planting bombs in public places and passenger trains. The principles of the ULFA reached their lowest point when they joined hands with anti-India forces in Bangladesh and began plotting the destruction of their own land and people. In fact, they provide support to terrorist groups from across the border (read Bangladesh and Pakistan) in killing Assamese people. The ULFA leaders in Bangladesh enjoy the full-fledged support of the government of that country. In return for these favors, ULFA continues to extort money from the businessmen and salaried people of Assam and uses that money partly for satisfaction of their worldly desires, partly for assisting the jehadi groups in Bangladesh plotting against India and partly for developmental works in Bangladesh. In fact, the ULFA has been forced to ignore the infiltration of Bangladeshis into Assam for fear of irking the Bangladeshi government. This is the reason why the ULFA maintains a conspicuous silence whenever the issue of detection and deportation of illegal Bangladeshis from Assam comes into prominence. They want to maintain a façade of patriotism while plotting against their own people in collusion with foreign forces.

In Assam, the ULFA has indirectly become the protector of the Bangladeshi migrants. It is the indigenous people of Assam who have become the target of ULFA violence today. The ULFA cadres have absolutely no qualms in killing their own people. The common man is fully aware that the government security mechanisms are totally incapable when it comes to protecting the layman from the threat of extortion and terror from the ULFA. The paranoia is so pervasive in the state that even politicians, who hardly ever venture out of their security cordons are scared stiff of speaking out openly against the ULFA. None among the journalistic fraternity are brave enough to stand up against the ULFA. Societal elders tread with utmost reticence whenever they mention ULFA in their statements and speeches. As a result, the only words of resentment against the ULFA are spoken in whispers among close friends. Speaking against the ULFA to a stranger is fraught with danger, as the person being spoken to may well be an ULFA member himself. I have yet to come across one sentence of vehement condemnation of ULFA’s activities or one statement renouncing the terrorist group by any individual, be it from the political circle or from the journalistic media. Even the All Assam Students Union and other student organizations prefer to lambast the government than risk saying or writing anything remotely insinuating against the ULFA. It is this paranoia that the ULFA is taking full advantage of. Under the ostensible objective of creating an independent country out of Assam, the ULFA leaders lead a lavish life in Bangladesh and are contributing to the economic prosperity of that country with money forcibly extorted from the people of Assam. It has become very easy for the terror groups in Bangladesh to operate in Assam with the help of the ULFA who know the terrain and the hideouts in the state so well. While all this continues to happen, no Assamese worth his salt can defy the ULFA in spite of the fact that ninety nine percent of Assamese are alienated from the ULFA and its evil designs. The prime reason for this is that the common people, the journalistic media and the business establishments are helpless. They would rather stand and watch than risk their lives, and maybe rightly so. Businessmen prefer to shell out money to these mercenaries than face their wrath. What then is the solution to this endless scourge? A mass revolution? Possibly. People will have to discard their fear and move as a mass against these terrorists, primarily the ULFA, because it is the ULFA who is responsible for providing encouragement and support to all the foreign terror groups to wreak havoc on Assam and its people. They (the ULFA) have taken refuge in the very country (Bangladesh) which has been the parasite in Assam’s flesh for decades. ULFA should be treated as all traitors should – without mercy. We will have to root out the evil from amongst our own people before we can tackle the external forces.

The Coronation of Hope

2008-11-07T09:33:00.000-08:00

Change has come to America in a big way this winter. Barack Obama has finally scaled the pedestal of power that is perhaps the most coveted in the world – the Presidency of the USA. He brings with him the hopes of the people of America, hopes of restoration of the golden times that existed in America prior to the onset of the threat of the economic Armageddon that is staring the country in the face today. Obama’s historic accession to the country’s highest office perhaps heralds the beginning of a new era in America – an era of true equality and opportunity for all, the very prescripts upon which this great nation was born 232 years ago. Americans have shown tremendous character in rising above petty racial prejudices in following their hearts to choose what is right for their country. Barack Obama has achieved what many would have thought unthinkable, in fact impossible just a few months ago. A man shorn of parental care at an early age and brought up in a society where blacks have always had to struggle to stand shoulder to shoulder with their fairer counterparts, Obama’s speedy progress to become a senator to being nominated for the presidential race and finally to clinch the most coveted seat of power on the planet with overwhelming numbers is nothing short of surrealistic. It is truly refreshing to see a member of a community which has long been the pariah on the lists of the privileged and which has always been on the fringes of a society dominated by whites embed his place so firmly in the hearts of millions of Americans, black and white, young and old. The rapid progress of Obama from relative political obscurity to occupy the highest office of the world’s most powerful country is truly akin to the stuff fairy tales are made of. Obama’s achievement is a also a victory for the vigor and exuberance of youth, and for the millions of young Americans who feel that America needs the vivacity and boldness of youth to bail the country out of the crisis that it finds itself in. However, the loudest cheer for Obama will definitely emanate from the decrepit ghettos and gloomy alleyways of America where millions of black people still endure the throes of neglect even as the rest of the country moved forward. In Obama, these underprivileged millions will look to find a messiah for alleviation of the iniquity and despondency that their lives have been cast into.
Whether Obama can live up to the enormous expectations that he has been burdened with upon his accession as America’s most important individual remains to be seen. Whatever happens, his magical ascent to the top reinstates the cogency one fact beyond doubt – that no destination is unreachable and no obstacle insurmountable so long as strength of resolve and self belief prevail. Obama’s accomplishments will without doubt inspire many an individual to rise above all odds to make a mark in this world. Let us hope Obama continues on his wondrous journey and succeeds in rescuing America and the world from the economic maelstrom that has engulfed one and all. Let us hope that the blacks in America finally get their rightful place in the hearts and minds of mainstream Americans. After all, the world lives on hope, and in Obama America has found a new personification of the same. Hope is what Obama has brought to his nation, and the nation’s hopes are what he will have to fulfill in his sojourn as America’s first gentleman.

Mumbai's Trial By Fire

2008-11-05T02:42:00.000-08:00

In India, as perhaps in any other country, the inhabitants of any town, city or village are usually very proud of the culture and characteristics of the particular place of habitation. When viewed by a neutral observer, however, the same values that are loftily vaunted by the local residents may not appear that attractive, and rightly so. In this context, the super large cities (or metropolises) of India have unique characteristics of their own. Residents of each city proudly boast about the distinct cultures of their cities. Again, a dispassionate examination of these cultures may leave a lot to be desired and may also be mildly repulsive in certain cases. For example, New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, and Bangalore have grown into great centres of cosmopolitan culture. Yet, most of these cities have some peculiar and inextricable characteristics that may put a new visitor in a state of unease on certain occasions. New Delhi is infamous for its notorious cabs and treacherous streets. Kolkata’s raw ethnicity may cause one to feel at sea. Chennai is known for its dislike of people unfamiliar with the local language and culture. Bangalore, too, has still not been able to totally rid itself of the ubiquitous ethnic flavor. That leaves us with just one more metropolis– Mumbai.

Without any disregard for the other great cities of India, Mumbai is distinctly disparate and with a unique charm of its own. It has that nondescript magnetism that has left many a visitor longing to return to the city over and over again. As I perceive it, the aspect about Mumbai that makes it so uniquely lovable is the amount of freedom it allows every person to spread his wings, live a life of his or her choice in the city. Mumbai is a city of the Mumbaikar, in every sense of the famous euphemism. It is not unusual for a newcomer to feel a bit edgy in an alien city but Mumbai is one city that makes you feel at home immediately with its air of friendliness and hospitality. Right from the moment a traveler lands in Mumbai, he or she gets taken in by the inescapable air of enchantment that pervades this great city, from the friendly cabbies to the hurrying masses, the unique local trains, the gaiety in the beaches, eateries and pubs. The city is so unobtrusive that it makes one feel at ease almost immediately. It is a celebration of life in its truest form. A resident of Mumbai has always been proud to be called a Mumbaikar. People living in the city have long forgotten their roots and have embraced the Mumbai way of life in its totality, in keeping with the immortal adage, “once a Mumbaikar, always a Mumbaikar”. It is virtually impossible for a Mumbaikar to imagine himself as anybody other than a part of the Mumbai culture, irrespective of his ancestral roots. Therefore, the recent violence in Mumbai on the lines of racial origin has come as a total shocker to one and all. Mumbaikars and tourists alike have been subject to a kind of apprehension and fear that is so very alien to this gregarious city. Mumbai has always stood up with remarkable defiance against all anti-social elements attempting to spoil its harmony and vivacity. Not even the deadly serial blasts and cataclysmic riots had succeeded in disrupting its rhythm for long. Today, Mumbai is facing a challenge of a different kind – a challenge from its own people. Racial demarcations hitherto unknown in this city are at this moment threatening to divide the city into insular pockets. The footfalls on the sidewalks are still as brisk as ever but somewhere deep in their minds, people are a bit apprehensive of what lies round the corner. Each Mumbaikar is now being reminded of his or her racial origins. The streets of the city have never been so treacherous as they are today. The minds of its citizens are being deluded into believing that not all people deserve equal treatment. In short, Mumbaikars are falling prey to politics of the ugliest kind without even being aware of what all this might lead to – destruction of the very fabric of the city. In spite of everything, I am confident that my Mumbai will ultimately emerge out of this examination as a much stronger and wiser city. It will take much more than a few deranged souls to undermine Mumbai’s resilience. The citizens of this great city will have to ensure that the spirit of freedom that has made Mumbai the most lovable city in India is protected. Should they fail, India will have lost more than a city. Mumbai symbolizes India’s exemplary success in preserving unity in diversity. Impairment of Mumbai’s culture in any way will mean decadence of that image, and the country will be that much the poorer for it.

Cartelization of Cricket

2008-11-03T09:37:00.000-08:00

Cricket is no longer a game of bat and ball that is played for the sake of enjoyment and entertainment. Today, it is being transformed more and more into a game of money and politics. The game itself and the players are being relegated to the background. The controllers of the game, the ICC (International Cricket Council) has attained the status of not just a manager of cricketing affairs around the world but the very owners of the game itself. The players have been reduced to slaves of the governing bodies. They are not allowed to play in any other match or tournament which does not have the blessings of the ICC or the domestic cricket boards. Any player who dares to defy the ICC risks losing his right to play cricket for his country. The right of the game to spread and flourish is thus being held to ransom by the greed of a few individuals who may well have difficulty in spelling the name of the game, let alone play it. The bureoning parallel cricket body in India, the Indian Cricket League (or the ICL) is out to provide more opportunities for cricketers who have otherwise been given the cold shoulder by the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India). The emergence of the ICL has caused a major flutter in the ranks of the BCCI and the ICC. The BCCI is already having nightmares of having to share the spoils of cricket extravaganzas with the ICL. It also means that the BCCI and the ICC can no longer sleep on their money and let the quality of player welfare languish as they are now. With competition from a second organization, the players will definitely prefer the organization which offers better pay packets and better welfare. In keeping up with such competition, the BCCI, which has so far been enjoying an unquestioned monopoly over cricketing affairs in India, may well find itself in a position where it has nobody left to control. This nightmarish vision has unnerved the BCCI and the ICC and propelled them into action. Through an autocratic decree, the BCCI in collusion with the ICC imposed a ban on all players playing for the ICL. In their desperation to protect their monetary control over cricket, the BCCI in collusion with the ICC is trying its level best to nip the ICL in the bud. It has even resorted to egregiously cheap tactics such as stopping the pensions of retired players who have joined the ICL. However unjustified it may sound, the ICC and the BCCI have been allowed to get away with their inequitable stance thus far.

Now, the flagrant politicisation of the game by the self styled "lords" of world and Indian cricket (read "ICC" and "BCCI") makes one ask a few pertinent questions. Should the ICC and the BCCI be allowed to get away with such unwarranted high-handedness for their selfish ends? Should the right t0 play cricket for one's country be the preserve of solely the affiliate boards of the ICC? Should not the players have the right to decide who they play under and still retain the right to play for their country? Is it the birthright of the BCCI to decide who is going to play for India and who isn't? I am sure that the ICC or the BCCI won't have any answers to these questions but to everybody else, the answers are very obvious and simple. It cannot be the prerogative of a single entity to control the laws and the future of a game. The game is much bigger than any individual or organization. Every organization and individual of this country and for that matter, any other country, has the right to contribute to the betterment of the game. The game cannot be slave to the whims and fancies of a few tight-fisted individuals. The objective of every game is to progress and to attain more and more popularity. To achieve this, it is essential that more and more cricket be played and more and more players be given the opportunity to blossom. So, rather than try to obstruct the progress of the ICL, the international cricket fraternity should welcome the creation of the ICL. In fact, more such organizations should be encouraged to come up. Alas, greed for money has muddied the game with subversive politics and unscrupulous individuals. As of now, it seems that the ICL will have to fight long and hard before it can earn its rightful place in the cricketing world. Of course, what is right will definitely prevail in the end, and when eventually that happens, and the ICL gets its due, more such organizations may come into the fray, and the game may finally be able to spread its wings lot faster than it is today.

An Invigorating Debate

2008-10-12T07:51:00.000-07:00

I must say I have been pretty exhilarated by the response and the debate that has been generated in the William Gibson Forum on the questions I had raised in my piece In Search of God. Some members have labeled my opinions as anti-science statements while one or two have acknowledged the validity of my perspective. However, the ‘anti-science’ allegation has set me thinking. It is indeed intriguing that man is always so devoted to whatever ideology he subscribes to, be it Science or God. It will not be too wrong to say that there are fanatics in both classes of humanity, insofar that a person belonging to one ideological cult is sure to react sharply at any mention of the other. However much a devout follower of science may harp about rationality and reason, he is equally fastidious in his stance of apostasy as is a religious extremist in his posture of theism. Fact is, neither has been able to prove the other completely wrong. Human science still hasn’t got to the bottom of human existence and custodians of religion continue to base their arguments on untenable theories. It seems that this journey has yet to traverse a fair distance before we can declare this universe as either theocratic or technocratic. Maybe, with the passage of time, Man will find a way to merge the two into co-existence.

Sequel To The Meltdown

2008-10-11T07:32:00.000-07:00

The pitfalls of living in a centralized global economic system cannot be overstated. America has been the pillar of world economy too much and for too long. Now that this pillar is about to crumble, it threatens to take the world along with it. Since the fall of Hitler and the creation of the UN, America has been the undisputed guardian of the world, both politically and economically. It has been continuously and stealthily tightening that grip over the years, not too much to the dismay or mortification of any particular nation except, maybe, the Soviet Union.
Americans have been known to possess a tremendous propensity to consume, a trait that has been to the advantage of every country having a trade relationship with the US. However, that relationship may have been carried a bit too far, from the looks of the situation today. America’s mindless policies are now threatening to gobble it up, and the rest of the world is precariously close to the edge of the whirlpool that has been created. Europe is paying the heaviest price for its economic subservience to the US. This means that a major part of the developed world is on the verge of imploding under the pressure of the US financial crisis.

Asian countries had long prided themselves to be insulated from economic disturbances in the US. India was the foremost member in that club. A country deemed structurally strong enough to fend off shock waves from across the Pacific. The Indian capital market bought into that perception lock stock and barrel, which is eminently evident from the distinct sense of dismissiveness that initially prevailed in the market even as ominous signs began to show up in the American and European economies. Soon, the tremors spread to the Indian economy. First, inflation went out of control. Then the Rupee dived into a bottomless pit. All the cockiness in the markets vanished overnight. Now, the Indian capital market seems even more fragile than its Asian counterparts, which is ironic in the sense that all the other economic powers in Asia such as China, Japan and Korea should be much more susceptible to an US slowdown given the magnitudes of their trades with the US as compared to India.

Truth is that the developing industrial nations of Asia too have long been the feeding ground for investors from supersaturated western economies. Thus, indirectly we too have been held to ransom by western, more specifically, American money. Now that cash has become the most scarce commodity in the US and Europe, it is but natural that foreign investors would like to encash their profits in the highly leveraged Asian markets, chief among them being the Indian market. Be that as it may, India and the rest of Asia will have to learn to live without the west. It is time Asian countries re-aligned themselves to cope with the new world economic order that is about to emerge in the aftermath of the collapse of the West.

High Time Americans Came To Terms With Reality

2008-10-07T07:20:00.000-07:00

I was watching the Suze Orman Show on CNBC last Sunday. It was just a chance viewing as I was browsing through the channels hoping to spend my time a bit more fruitfully. The show interested me a lot. Suze Orman is an American dial-in show where the host advises callers on the management of their financial resources. As the show progressed, there was one aspect in the contents of all the incoming calls that bewildered me.

All the callers who seemed to be quite smug about their financial status had in fact very little to show in terms of savings. Almost every caller wanted advice on spending amounts on something or the other that cost more than they are capable of paying or are precariously close to the limits. One caller was especially interesting. She (the caller) wanted to buy dog food for her pet doggie at a cost of $600 per month when she was actually spending less towards monthly payout for her car loan. On top of that, she had hardly any savings to justify that kind of expenditure. Suze sensibly disapproved of the idea but it definitely points to a kind of ignorance and nonchalance in American society towards financial security that seems to be the prime reason for the state the country is in now. It gives one the impression that Americans have come to know only one way of life – the prodigal. The faith and belief of the American people in the bountifulness and infallibility of the country’s economy has over the decades created a population of mindlessly splurging, happy-go-lucky citizens who are yet to grasp the real meaning and usefulness of financial security. The depression of the 30’s is nothing more than a fairy tale now. The unregulated housing finance system which gives out loans just on the basis of the perceived value of the property being bought without any regard to the fiscal health of the buyers only reflects the anarchy that had crept into the main street of American economy. It is not that writings were not on the wall before this cataclysm. There have been many instances of companies tampering with their financial reports to project a false image of monetary soundness until the ruse falls flat and suddenly the company goes bust. The Enron and Worldcom disasters should have been enough to jolt the Federal Government to act on the flaws in the financial system. On the contrary, the government chose to ignore these instances as mere aberrations and refused to take notice of the signs of the big bubble bursting.

Now that the damage has been done, the government has no other option but to place the taxpaying American’s money as mortgage in an attempt to pull the nation out of this patch of quicksand. If this attempt succeeds, the US will have breathed a huge sigh of relief for retrieving itself from the very jaws of a terrible depression. For it to succeed, the American people will have to show a lot more patriotism and come out in support of the very institutions that have fed their way of life all these years and show faith in their country’s economy more than ever. Because, if this therapy fails – well, we rather not talk about that.

Osama the Economist?

2008-09-30T06:36:00.000-07:00

Even as the US economy appears to be tumbling towards the dreadful precipice of recession, a most unlikely personality comes into the context. Osama bin Laden. Yes, the very man who had vowed to terrorise America to its very end. Let us go back in time by about three years. The junior Bush was vying for a second term in the White House. The war in Iraq and his prodigal policies at home seemed to have eroded his popularity irreparably at that time. Just when all seemed lost, George W Bush found an unexpected benefactor in none other than his greatest adversary, Osama. Osama released another of his famous videos threatening to disrupt the peace in America once again. The video release worked like magic for Bush. Somehow, the American people believed that George W Bush was the best possible leader to have when it came to confronting the malevolence of Osama and his armies. The tables turned. Bush's popularity ratings soared once again. Americans showed an obvious preference for security over financial health. Bush stunned everyone including his staunchest detractors by occupying the most important seat in the US for the second successive time. Secretly though, Bush must have thanked Osama in his mind for turning the tables so dramatically in his favor, that too in the nick of time.

Given that Americans changed their voting preferences in fear of Osama, a few questions inevitably pop up. Firstly, did Osama actually time his appearance on TV for the benefit of the younger Bush? If so, why? After a lot of pondering, I have come to the conclusion that the answer to the first question might be 'yes'. The answer to the second may be found in the answers to more of the same. Osama had vowed to destroy America. Yet he remained in the oblivion of his secluded hideout all these years with no sign of activity. Was he in fact betting on Bush to do the job for him? Did he actually take advantage of the American president's impulsiveness and propensity for destruction to use him as an instrument of America's ruination? If the answer to these questions is yes, then Osama has to be a great analyst, nay, an economist, to prophesise America's downfall so precisely from the policies of George W Bush. It may just be possible that, at this very moment, the elusive terror chief is laughing his head off at America's misery.

In Search of God?

2008-09-22T05:51:00.000-07:00

Almost surreptitiously, in one corner of the world, deep underneath the ground, a massive idea has been taking shape. Today, everybody knows about it. The Large Hadron Collider, the ultimate particle accelerator, will be the instrument in Man's attempt to unravel the mystery of this universe. On the 27 kilometer long accelerator, buried a hundred meters under the ground, rests the hopes of hundreds of scientists to achieve the unimaginable - to find the origin of all creations in this universe. The search ends in a particle that forms the core of all matter, a particle hitherto unseen and undetected by Man but one that has shown all indications of its existence. This particle, the Higgs Boson, named after 79 year old physicist Peter Higgs, also called the "God Particle" much to the chagrin of Higgs, who is a staunch atheist, promises to unravel the mystery of the birth of the cosmos. Detecting this particle as soon as it is born is the prime objective of the biggest experiment in particle physics till date. It is believed that this mysterious particle was given out a billionth of a billionth fraction of a second after the Big Bang that created the universe. So, it is during this infinitesimal time period that this particle, if it does exist, can be "seen" or detected. Scientists expect to recreate the conditions that existed during that flicker of a second after the Big Bang with the help of the Large Hadron Collider. Two beams of protons, accelerated to hitherto unknown speeds (almost equal to that of light) by means of powerful magnetic fields will be smashed against each other to release a scatter of subatomic particles among which might possibly be the elusive "God Particle". This particle, physicists believe, is the missing link in the Standard Particle Theory, the missing link between matter and mass. As Particle Physics has established, all known particles that constitute matter have no mass of their own. If discovered, mankind will have found a lot of answers to this vast, ever expanding cluster of masses in orchestrated motion we have come to know as the universe. Scientists round the world will be training their sights on the aftermath of the monumental collision inside the LHC through hundreds of detectors lining the walls of the accelerator in a hope of detecting the God of all particles. It might prove to be the turning point in modern scientific research.

Now the question arises - do we really want to find God, or even move forward in that direction? Although physicists are eager to find the root of all existence, I am not so sure mankind as a whole would be better off solving this particular riddle. In fact, it wouldn't be surprising if some would be more scared of this than the prospect of possible black holes emerging in the aftermath of the collision. Among others, the two things that have held this world together for ages are faith and belief. Belief in the supreme designer and creator of all matter in existence - God. As the mysteries of the universe are explained more and more, the fascinations that have held mankind in awe of the universe and the Supreme Power behind it may gradually disintegrate. There may even come a time when religion and rituals may indeed become irrelevant. Of course, the evolution of a final theory explaining each and every aspect of this universe seems far, even improbable at this point but anything even close to that will be enough to loosen the leash of the Supreme Authority on this world. As a natural consequence, lines that divide good and evil, God and Satan, honesty and dishonesty, virtue and immorality may gradually fade into nothingness. Is mankind ready to live in a Godless universe? A million dollar question, if there ever was one.

Is India Impotent or Waiting for D-day

2008-09-13T07:39:00.000-07:00

Time and again, terrorists have targeted innocent civilians in India by blasting bombs at public places. The blasts in Delhi have made one thing very clear. Terrorists can bomb any place in India whenever they choose to. In spite of continued inhuman acts of destruction and death, the Indian government can do little but stand, watch and release press statements condemning the acts. These events are now turning out to be nothing more than opportunities for opposition political parties to lambast the government and fodder for television channels. The need of the hour is to formulate and develop a consensus on an effective terrorism policy to prevent further loss of innocent lives. However, it seems that human life in India comes too cheap. A few days of sensational news and debates on TV and a few statements of condolence and condemnation from the political fraternity are all that result from these heinous attacks on human life and property. A similar threat to lives of citizens in the US has prodded that country to virtually comb the planet in search of the terrorists. After 9/11 (New York) and 7/26 (London), there hasn't been one successful attempt by these die hard fanatics on the lives of citizens in the west. Whereas in India, there have been three successive serial blast events in Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Delhi and we are still content to sit and watch with our arms folded. It is not that the Indian govenment does not realize the fact that the root of all terrorism in India is in Pakistan and Bangladesh. What it lacks is sufficient courage and will to go after these fiends. The pretext of respect for international jurisdictions is now obsolete. If the US can go after its foes anywhere in the world, what's keeping India from blasting the terrorists out of their hideouts in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Maybe it's fear. Fear of China, fear of losing Bangladesh's duplicitous friendship or maybe just plain fear. Even after so much carnage imported from across the borders with its notorious neighbours, the Indian government does not have the guts to seal its borders completely. Even today, any person can walk across with nonchalance across the India-Bangladesh border and with a little bit more difficulty across the Indo-Pakistan border. The country needs a leader of iron will to take hard decisions to safeguard the lives of its citizens. At present though, there seems to be no light at the end of this tunnel. Maybe we are waiting for the D-day. Maybe, human life in India has just no value.

Chinese Chicanery

2008-09-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

Finally, after a real roller coaster of a journey, India has managed to squeeze the Nuclear deal through the ensemble of NSG member countries. However, the passage of the waiver bid would have been much smoother than the stumbling finish that was achieved had China not played major spoilsport in the whole process. China had indeed played out its role of a surreptitious and pernicious party crasher to the hilt, with a devious intent to derail India's foray into the Nuclear community. Unfortunately for China (and fortunately for India), all of its backdoor politics came to nought in the face of an overwhelming support from the rest of the NSG members, and especially due to counter diplomacy by the United States. That China has proven to be the most untrustworthy friend as far as India is concerned, has been established beyond an iota of doubt. Untrustworthy and dangerous. Behind their friendly exteriors, the Chinese leadership was most definitely seething at the prospect of India emerging as a major force in Asia, which is why they lobbied so desperately to garner opposition towards India's bid. Now that the inevitable has happened, the Chinese are least likely to sit on their haunches and watch India prosper. In fact, disconcerting sounds are already emanating from the den of the Dragon advocating a similar Nuclear deal for Pakistan. The Chinese foreign minister during his visit to India a couple of days ago innocently refuted all allegations of Chinese opposition to the NSG waiver for India. Appalling. What this means is that China has not regretted its actions. What this again means is that China is getting more and more dangerous for India. China now sees India as a major ally of the US, and it will do all it can to undermine India's preeminence in Asia and the world. If that means empowering Pakistan with more Nuclear capabilities, so be it.

is the ULFA in Slumber or Just Plain Scared??

2008-09-03T03:26:00.000-07:00

Even as the people of Assam are gearing up to have another go at the menacing problem of illegal infiltration across the border from Bangladesh, there is one group that has been very conspicuous by its absence in the whole build up that is happening in the state. The group in question is none other than the ULFA (United Liberation Front of Assam). The self styled "protectors" of the Assamese people are nowhere to be seen or heard at a time when the Assamese citizens are unanimous in their demand for an Assam free from the burden of illegal foreign migrants. It is indeed a big surprise. Where has all the patriotism in the ULFA gone? Where are our "brave soldiers" in our hour of need? Where are the guys who rant about Assam being only for the Assamese? Are they in a deep, convenient slumber? or are they infuriated that the Assamese people are up in arms against their brethren, the Bangladeshis? Are they too ashamed to speak now that their lie has been exposed? These are some questions that the ULFA can never find any answers to. Because the ULFA is well aware of the fact that if they utter even one word in support of the anti-infiltration movement, the Bangladesh government may boot them out of that country, stripping them of their homes, businesses et al. So, they are intelligent enough to realize that it is in their best interests to keep quiet and enjoy life with the money "collected" from Assam. The problems of Assam and its people can wait. Patriots indeed!! If at all they have any feelings that resemble patriotism, those feelings are for Bangladesh and the Bangladeshis living in Assam. They do not give a damn whether Assam lives or dies, so long as they continue to live, that too at our expense.

Assam - The Second Coming

2008-09-03T02:35:00.000-07:00

There is something very interesting brewing in far flung Assam, in the North-East region of India. The perrenial issue of illegal infiltration of Bangladeshi nationals across the long, porous and thinly guarded Indo-Bangladesh border or more appropriately, the Assam-Bangladesh border into Assam is raising its head again. This looks to be the second coming of the AASU (All Assam Students Union) under whose leadership the first edition of the anti-Bangladeshi agitation took place. Although, this time too the AASU is in the forefront of the agitation, the nature of the movement that is silently simmering within the state is significantly different from the revolution that took place between 1979 to 1985. This time there is a distinct method to the whole process of protest as against the fractious and hyper-emotional surge in the 80's. This time, there has been a conscious effort to garner support from all sections of society living within the state, including even Bangladeshis who have migrated to Assam before the cut off year of 1971. What's more encouraging is that it is working. Bangladeshi muslims who had come to Assam before 1971 have openly come in support of the movement to deport post-1971 migrants. Again, this time round, the AASU has taken the ethnic tribes and tribal organizations into confidence in formulating every step of the movement. Even like minded political parties have been taken into the fold. These pragmatic measures have given this particular agitation a potential to attain a more redoubtable stature than any that have preceded it. The AASU has shown tremendous maturity and intelligence in dealing with the whole situation and my hat off to them for that. The present Congress-led Assam government, headed by Tarun Gogoi, has often been accused of protecting the interests of the foreign nationals from Bangladesh in return for votes. There have even been reports of the government agencies facilitating issuance of citizenship certificates to the foreign nationals in an attempt to create 'blocks' of guaranteed votes in the state. Now is the time for the Congress party to disprove these allegations. It is a golden opportunity for the government to prove its patriotism by joining hands with the AASU and its affiliates in formulating and implementing a foolproof plan for detection and deportation of all illegal migrants post 1971. If the government turns away from this situation now, the Congress party will surely be branded as a party of traitors in the eyes of the people of Assam. I am sure they do not want that to happen.

A Burning Valley

2008-08-26T02:03:00.000-07:00

"A spark is enough to start a huge fire". Nothing perhaps has been more closer to this adage than the recent train of events in Indian side of Kashmir. What started off as a dispute over an ancient piece of land has snowballed into a major controversy; a controversy that is threatening to shake the very roots of India's integrity. Kashmir is surely afire, and how. To an observer from outside, any instability in Kashmir has always been viewed as the handiwork of Pakistan sponsored militants. This conception has been very true in most cases. This time round, however, the situation seems to be of a vastly different nature. The fast accelerating wave of protest around the state has seen the involvement of the common man like never before. People are out on the streets in their hundreds and are unfazed by the presence of gun toting security forces who have been authorised to use force if deemed necessary. Now, this is something that even the government may not ave been prepared for - a people's uprising. History has proven time and again that mass movements have not only been difficult but impossible to suppress. The Indian government has to act fast before the current protests gain more momentum. Because, the more these protests continue, the more public support they are going to garner and the more distant the Indian government will go from the minds of the Kashmiri people. Already, important public voices are beginning to speak out for the cause of the Kashmiris. Omar Abdullah and Arundhati Roy have even advocated independence for the Kashmiris. We may yet see History unfold in the valley, one way or the other.

The Fall of a Dictator - Boon to Mankind

2008-08-21T09:03:00.000-07:00

The exit of Pervez Musharraf from Pakistan politics is not only a relief for the people of Pakistan but it is an equal blessing for the world as a whole. It is no secret that Pakistan is the haven for all the terrorists of this planet. Musharraf has been the godfather of all these home bred as well as fugitive criminals who think of nothing but perpetrating violence and bloodshed in the world. Musharraf has finally got his due. He has been unceremoniously booted out of his seat of power. But I feel that he has been given far less than he deserved. He is the man behind terrorist activities in Pakistan (including the assasination of Benazir Bhutto) and India. He is one dictator who will continue to be dangerous as long as he is alive. Even the US, who has been his cautious friend, have shirked him now. I just hope he doesn't get an opportunity to carry on with his evil agenda from his next abode (wherever that is).

This Airline Suckksss!!!!

2008-08-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

I have had a terrible experience flying aboard a JetLite aircraft from Visakhapatnam to Mumbai.I just cannot imagine the mindsets of these airline fellows. The aircraft is so stuufy that anybody can develop claustrophobia in it. The leg room between the seats is no more than than 7 inches. Within that space you will have to adjust yourself whenever the person sitting in front of you decides to recline his seat. I can assure you, you can smell the hair oil on his head if he does so. The quality of the food is next to horrible. There is nothing to read except the safety manuals and an advertisement magazine published by the airline company. The air stewards are fully aware of the shoddy conditions inside the aircraft. That is the reason that there are no feedback forms on board. At the end of the three hour long flight, I was glad to get out in fresh air.
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A Bolt From The Blue and The King of The Blue

2008-08-17T05:23:00.000-07:00

I feel very privileged to be alive in an era when the 29th Olympiad is taking place in Beijing. I feel honoured to be witness to the feats of two of the greatest sporting icons, not only in the modern era but maybe for years to come. The feats of Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps in the month of August 2008 will forever be entrenched in my mind. Usain Bolt was simply a bolt from the blue for all the viewers and competitors alike. The way he streaked away from the rest of the pack was truly superhuman. And unbelievably unselfish. He wasn't thinking of the world record while he was running. All he wanted to enure was that he was in front. The moment he realised that he was way, way in front, he started celebrating even before he reached the finish line. Unbelievable. Had he not relaxed at that moment and had maintained the same speed upto the finish line, he would have clocked something like 9.60 secs. My hat off to a superb athlete.

What Usain Bolt has achieved has been matched equally, if not bettered by another incredible athlete, Michael Phelps. Phelps has simply toyed with the rest of the opposition all through this Olympics. To challenge the feat of a legendary swimmer like Mark Spitz and live up to it is nothing short of superhuman. What makes his achievement even more amazing is the fact that he hardly had to sweat for it. It was almost too simple for him. He has won 8 golds when a big country like India is struggling to get 2. For me he is the Olympian of all Olympians, the God of the pool, the king of the blue.

It is just difficult to imagine how much a human being is capable of. Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps has shown the world that Superman is real.

USA up to dirty tricks again

2008-08-16T06:41:00.000-07:00

It seems like George Bush (the junior version, of course) cannot get enough of poking into other countries' affairs. The disturbing state of affairs in Georgia mut certainly be the result of the US using that country as a shoulder to point a gun at Russia. This explains the deafening silence maintained by the US for so long after Russia invaded Georgia. Meanwhile, the Georgian president, who dared to take on Russia expecting to have the political and military support of US, was in for a rude shock when the US looked the other way until the war had done most of the destruction. What the naive Georgian president had not realised is that he had fallen prey to another of US' unscrupulous ploys. Certainly US does not want Russia to dominate Eastern Europe but since its mischievious plans to undermine Russia's military capabilities lie exposed, it felt that not interfering in the Georgia-Russia conflict would serve two purposes - one, the US will be able to justify its missile defence plans in Eastern Europe to its non-puppet allies such as France. Two, the more the destruction of Georgia, the more business for American companies in its reconstruction. As far as loss of innocent lives is concerned, Bush doesn't give a damn as long as Americans are safe. I just hope the Georgians are clever enough to see through this devious plan.

DD Sports is the SHAME of India

2008-08-16T06:21:00.000-07:00

I feel like personally visiting the top boss of our very own Doordarshan and congratulate him for somehow managing to make the great Olympic games look like some kind of local village games. Every day, I turn on the TV expecting to see some kind of standard in the coverage by DD Sports but I am thoroughly disappointed every time. The hosts on the show are completely lack-lustre and do not seem to care a damn what viewers think. Today, the male host (Mr. whatsissname) was continuously referring to Novak Djokovic as "Yankovic". What's more, he looked very pleased with his "performance". I felt like kicking the TV screen. Then, every time the telecast is transferred from the TV studio to the stadium, there is no commentary for about 10 minutes, leaving me wondering what the hell is going on. Suddenly, a voice comes on. No, it is not the commentator. It is somebody talking on the phone to someone. He was completely oblivious (or just didn't care) that his conversation was being heard on the air by ALL OF INDIA. By the way, this is the fourth or fifth occasion this has happened. On two occasions, I had no choice but to hear out the entire conversation. On the other three or four occasions, the TV studio was kind enough to cut off the audio midway during the chit-chat. Doordarshan is making a mockery of the telecast of such an important event. Does being a government organisation mean that you can get away with just about anything? I think, it is time that this channel woke up t the fact that t is the worst presented channel in India today and still falling downward. Is somebody listening?