Enter Anna the negotiator

Anna and his team and the public at large have to be vigilant because Congress will revert back to its foul games.

[Reply]

Now I am waiting for Vinod Sharma to start his investigative journalism on the lines of Bhushan’s CDs.

[Reply]

@vinod sharma, would you kindly enlighten me if currently it is open season for bureaucracy to indulge in corruption .Does the current long arm of law cannot reach them . Also the day we have a Lokpal Bill ,will we wake up next day smelling a corruption free india.
as for prashant bhushan , he was suggesting a UTTERLY BARMY idea of installing internet kiosk in every village to register opinion /vote on every legislation.Might well as do away with 5yrly elections.
HOW ABOUT BUILDING GRAIN SILOS SO THAT WHEAT DONT ROT IN OPEN AIR
HOW ABOUT RIGHT TO FOOD AND RIGHT TO CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION
The real way to tackle corruption is as follows

Form a committee comprising 1.nandan Nilekani2. debraj Roy, 3. MohandasPai4.harish salve4,Soli Sorabjee5.Azim Premji6.prof amartya sen
They will first create a DATA BASE of corruption., by making detailed surveys . This will be to find out about if and each and every facet of corruption , paying particular attention to past cases and data supplied by vigilance dept.
Next they will come up with measures, some may be tinkering with the administrative process , like making the public/govt interface TECHNOLOGY driven , thus corruption neutral, some legal recourse by changing legal loopholes , some by increasing vigilance , some by SIMPLY INCREASING THE SALARY AND MOTIVATING WITH SPECIAL TRAINING.
This is how it is done in a civilized world , NOT BLACKMAILING WITH FASTING , AND OBSCENE GESTICULATING BY DUMBO BEDI AND AAMIR KHAN CASHING IN WITH FREE PUBLICITY FOR HIS DHOOM3.AND MUNNABHAI CHALA AMERICA

[Reply]

@Mr Sharma,
The only party that was ‘tendencious’ was the Congress and its appointed negotiators from Sibal to Chidambaram , whose main objective was to lie, mislead, obfuscate and obstruct.

You grudgingly concede that
“Anna only showed his ability to agitate fiercely and negotiate wisely by accepting Parliament’s primacy to legislate in accordance with the Constitution—of which it is a creature— and the rules it has set to make laws.”

But that was never in question. Anna always said his agiation was to pressure the Parliament to frame meaningful laws against corruption. His agiation was never to take over the powers of Parliament. Never , ever.

But thats exactly the canard that Manmohan, Rahul, Sibal, Chidambaram etc sought to spread against Anna that he was questioning the primacy of Parliament, violating the constitution etc.

Now , the Congress has again started its campaign of gutter lies against Anna’s resolve to have laws to recall legislators. In USA, in the state of Ohio, just 2-3 weeks ago, two Republican legislators were recalled in a recall election filed againt 9 legislators from either party.

[Reply]

While the Gandhian has come out of the Agni pariksha with flying colours and is shining like a bright star, the Gandhi, sadly, has turned out to be a contrarian even by the congress standards. When the world was focussing on our Lokasabha, the Gandhi went missing, having queered the ground for the hapless PM the previous day. He now looks like a free falling meteor.

About the two villains of the love story, what can one say? Kapil SiZable Sibal and Chidambaram have turned out to be Rahu and Ketu, who will soon cast their evil effects on MMS.

The other members of Anna’s team, including Sri Sri, Ramdev etc are now other members of the Saptharshi mandal, all shining bright.

The satellite of Ketu, (itself a satellite), Swami Agnivesh is now heading for the veritable narak of ignominy.

[Reply]

@ Vinod Sharma

from John Doe to Anna jai Ho ????/////////

[Reply]

Hiren Pandya’s murder accused (all muslims) have been acquitted.Why.Because CBI investigation was deeply flawed and defence was able to point at GIANT CRATERS in the prosecution case .
If this is the standard of CBI , what makes the RAMLILA CIRCUS company be so sure that LOKPAL will deliver , when CBI couldn’t.Are there provision in JAN LOKPAL BILL to hire people from planet MARS, after all a probe is on its way , may bring some MARTIANS to satisfy TEAM ANNA.

[Reply]

Moon has been sighted Eid declared. Tommorow UAE along with Saudi Arabia and
Bahrain will celebrate Eid.
EID MUBARAK TO ALL OF YOU.

[Reply]

BJP, if they play their cards right, can position themselves well for the Lok Sabha elections.

They have to constantly put the large scale corruption and cogress’ handling in front of the people.
They have to portray congress/Agnivesh atempts to denigrate the old Anna who was answering the call of the nation. Rather than the merits of Lokpal or not, they have to constantly project how Congress ridiculed Anna.– they have to do it from now to elections.

People should eb mde aware of the gujrat dev metrics to India dev metrics. Give concessions for a big diverse country; but squarely bring the problems back to congress mismanagement..

Should not dwell too much on Sonia’s foreign birth – people do not care; they are quite magnanimous, accepting.. Dwell on govt failures, farmer suicides, peoples loss of faith in institutions etc..

Should not dwell on Rahul also..

Modi is the man of the moment when people in general are disgusted with politicians and politics. BJP can use him boldly, or listen to the pundits and insiders and lose badly.

A cohesive message should be woven with key pillars – development (vs decline), Security (vs the countless internal and external attacks), failure (vs competency/success), … People like Justice Thomas should be sent on speaking ngagements on heritage..

[Reply]

Eid Mubarak to all the PEACEFUL muslims.

[Reply]

@ Rajeev and Gopi

The present government seems to have only one agenda. How to get a dince onto the chair. It is time it goes.

[Reply]

SRAVAN, GANDHI, BUDDHA, ANNA”””””””””””””

In the 6th century BC, the world woke to a new hindu / jain/ buddha phenomenon- the SRAVAN. Essentially men with a peaceful mission to cleanse society of ills it came to accumulate over time. From Mahavir, to Budhha, from Gandhi to Anna- this unique Indian tradition has continued uninterrupted for 2500 years.
Anna may not be as important as the others mentioned here, but this unique peaceful approach to purify society by ‘involving and educating’ the masses in their language, has continued the tradition of the SRAVAN.
Bravo Anna, bravo Kejriwal- I am nat mastak

[Reply]

Bravo Dr Mishra for linking this movement to history…

[Reply]

Dr Mishra

‘involving and educating’ the masses in their language

Most of those teachings are in Pali, the then language of the masses.

What about the “A” class world leading thinking and philosophy of those who spoke and wrote Sanskrit, the language of the elite and the educated.

[Reply]

I wonder what date were the Bamiyan Buddha carved…

[Reply]

@ Ravi

?????

[Reply]

ok it is 554 AD

[Reply]

ok i have a free advice for Congresss to position for gen electio…

Persuade Mrs Patil to resign…advanced age or whatever..bring in a strong person…let him/her go around the country rebranding/favouring cogress..

there are many who can .help them ..they will have to think out of the box.

[Reply]

SRAMAN, BUDHHA contd””””””

@ Vijay, to answer your question, when Buddha died, he did not leave behind a written book. His teachings were transcribed 200 years later in Pali as Ravi said. And 400 years after his death, his first biography was published !!!!
So for ? 400 years at least, there were no images of Budha- he was represented by a tree, a throne or the lotus. The Ajanta Ellora caves had his images from 200-500 AD and the Bamiyan budha followed later.
Anna, the modern day sraman had better be careful. His biography is intimately known to all, and to avoid being blasted by the Congressi Taleban metaphorically, he will have to choose his colleagues carefully

[Reply]

Dr Mishra

Please can you enlighten me as why is it, that;

All Hindu scriptures are written in Sankrit, whilst

All Buddhist and jain scriptures are written in Pali.

[Reply]

Shan,
“muslim hating Rajeev take noteabout this egalitarianism”

My question is why Quran is still recited in Arabic when 80% of the muslims have no or very basic knowledge of Arabic.

[Reply]

@Gopi, remove your anna topi , and stop worshipping modi , and also make a puttu and a appan of jan lokpal bill.

Comparisons of hunger across states: India State Hunger Index

The results of the India State Hunger Index 2008 highlight the continued overall severity of the hunger situation in India, while revealing the variation in hunger across states within India. It is indeed alarming that not a single state in India is either low or moderate in terms of its index score; most states have a “serious” hunger problem, and one state, Madhya Pradesh, has an “extremely alarming” hunger problem.

Although variation exists in index scores of the states, and hence in the ranking of Indian states in relation to other countries, few states perform well in relation to the GHI 2008. Even the best-performing Indian state, Punjab, lies below 33 other developing countries ranked by GHI. Even more alarming is the fact that the worst-performing states in India-Bihar, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh-have index scores similar to countries that are precariously positioned on the GHI 2008 rankings. For instance, Bihar and Jharkhand rank lower than Zimbabwe and Haiti, whereas Madhya Pradesh falls between Ethiopia and Chad.

Our analysis of the associations between the ISHI 2008 and state economic indicators shows that the relationship between poverty and hunger is largely as expected-greater ISHI 2008 scores are seen in poorer states, with a few exceptions. Outliers like Kerala, Orissa, and Punjab perform better on the ISHI 2008 than might be expected given their poverty levels, whereas Gujarat, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh perform worse. A closer examination of these states’ past and current investments in social protection, health, and nutrition programs can help inform the debate about policy instruments to protect populations against hunger even in the face of poverty.

The lack of a clear relationship between state-level economic growth and hunger, taken along with the relationship between the ISHI 2008 and poverty and incomes, has a number of implications. First, economic growth is not necessarily associated with poverty reduction. Additionally, even if equitable economic growth improves food availability and access, it might not lead immediately to improvements in child nutrition and mortality, for which more direct investments are required.
Ref:www.ifpri.org › General Informatio

[Reply]

Shan,
Now that you are at your rational best, can you explain if it is justified?
A person who is mostly on this blog to defend Islam, muslim and Islamic terrorism provides us justification for Islamic violence saying that muslims have been wronged all over the world.
Now the same person slams non-violent movement of Anna Hazae citing it as too hindu in its nature, undermining constitution, democracy etc. etc. but he forgets that this movement too has same justification as Islamic violence.

You unintentionally side with Ravi 90% of the time because of your differences with other, you should be able to defend stand taken by Ravi better than him.

[Reply]

Shan,
Please also explain why does casteism free Islam especially in India has Ashrafs, Ajlafs and Arjals.
Why is it converted muslims are asked to accept the leadership of Ashrafs?

[Reply]

@Rajeev, I dont give a toss who thinks what, MUSLIMS HAVE NOT BEEN WRONGED BUT KICKED AROUND, and that is because they have stuck to the obsurantist document AND HAVE EXCLUDED HONESTY AND RATIONALITY IN THEIR SOCIETY. Also they have like Black Money vijay Khanna type CONSTANTLY DERIDED western civilization , particularly RATIONAL THOUGHT (READ SCIENCE)
and not ENGAGED WITH THE WESTERN POLITICAL THOUGHT.

Also OIL has been their CURSE, the MAWALIS(read WEST) have never let them stay on their own , constant leering that you see in DELHI whenever there is a pretty girl walking on the street, same here.
LIBYA IS A GOOD CASE IN POINT.SO IS BRUNEI CARVED OUT OF MALAYSIA BECAUSE OF OIL
But again BOTH THESE COUNTRIES ARE APE LAND , no wonder humans will make monkey of them

[Reply]

Politicians, mainly Congress and leftists have already started attacking Anna’s enext project – Electoral reforms.

The ussual excuses – it cannot work, it is costly , theer is no recall in UK .blah blah.

US has recalls, governed by state rules. Gov Arnold Swansbuger of calif was voted in as a part of a recall vote of the prior gov Grey Davis.

Just few weeks ago, few state senators from Wisconsin was called back.

With certain guidelines, such as no recall after 3 years etc, a recall system does make sense..

An elected rep is no diff from any other job – he should be “fired” if he does not work out, just like a corp employee gets fired for poor performance..

So, nothing wrong in developing a framework for recall.

[Reply]

product’ized’ brain, no better than modern trained chimp.
Roped in growth hell and videshi system, need 2 todh this bimarey
Jobs and products and weapons gave product’ized’ human beings.
Humans are a product or item of use, mis-use, certify, out-date, dis-use and waste.
videshi Modernization is killing india as much it has killed the world,
those great tech. nations ARE MOST MISERABLE and so are their brokers in
desh.
Sounds out of world though this is the way, 50 to 90 percent india should be tribal,
5 to 50 percent rural for village. No towns,just mud villages with no
tech burden. indians reduce Excess population so dependence on urban or
Industry is fully stopped. destroy cities except 5 percent in india for
army only to protect from tech and tactical monsters.
Just Tribals and villages only for india. No urban, cars junk, package stuff ,energy junk ,etc.
All thrown out of door. Peace in india,fully tribal and rural with
natural population number control so we are no slaves of videsh or
urban-Industry for survival and dreams and control immigration so desh
is not flooded by videshi across the border parasites. Destroy urban
structure means people will have to become tribal or rural. Minimal
rural should there to support armed forces. All science study done by
forces should not flood tribal or rural with gadgets or products. All
that forces develop should be counter techno hits and to destroy videshi
techno and tactical attack. keep it all natural first for tribals and then the rest.

==
This will bring us real lasting peace and happiness that videshi ways,job system and products cannot.
Concrete jungle is hell,urban office gadget life is hell.
All modern system angrez and ghoras bought is hell that orientals compete like rats against rats or
pack rats in collaboration with pack rats. And promote the same techno jobs and living.
Same with dubious mullahs and shieks, rabbis, padris and techno pandits
who are reaping money and many of them living a lifestyle dependent on
techno oil and techno energy.
Deeper are they getting in hell that has never delivered us in these few centuries.
Like the true spies, chinese sanctioned 1.2 billion dollr for forest around their capital to prevent sand storms while USA
put restriction of taking away the forest land for any commercial or non-commercial purposes.
did not want to discredit bigger spies from angrezland all over.
INDIA NEEDS TO RESTORE THE TRIBAL life even if it means resettling the
almost the entire bihar-jharkhand-orrisa-Bundelkhand-eastern-Up and large sections of west-bengal elsewhere. We would like to restore
bangladesh that used to be tribal land as well before conversions if people awaken to their roots there.
To prevent sand storms for rajasthan to delhi, need to spend more than
few billion to build forest there (make sure that money is not taken by
corrupt).
–
even humans have certifications and outdated stamps. how so ever normal it might sound, it makes us a product.
does not matter if that product carries additional qualification of
halal or kosher or jhatka or vatican standards sanitized product, etc.

[Reply]

@ Shri Vinod Sharma ji

Sir
What you have to say when congress party spokesmen often ridiculed Anna many times. They had the gal to say that he himself was dripping in corruption from top to bottom and that he was an over ground Maoist.

You will agree the govt. fumbled badly without realising the enormous support whch this old man was deriving from all sections of society. People are as much angry with the corruption in the corridors of power and in corporate world as they are angry and badly annoyed from the lower ranks of the government bureaucracy.
Well, one can say it was an honorable exit for anna ji and that govt. got a reprieve in making the Parliament approving of a resolution without vote and calling it the sense or consensus of the House. That is a commitment the govt. has given to Anna and I am sure the standing committee will play now with the ball that has been pushed to its side.
The people are waiting anxiously. The govt. should not expect the current quietness of the Nation in this regard to be able to postpone the introduction of the bill in the winter session of Parliament. It may be a sort of lull before the storm if he govt. and the politicians do not act fast and honestly in this regard.
BNA

[Reply]

SHARMA JI ,I MUST ADMIRE ONE THING THAT ON NDTV DEBATES ,YOU KEPT ON TALKING OF PARLIAMENTARY TRADITIONS BUILT OVER THE YEARS BY CONGRESS AND POLITICIANS.
IS IT REALLY SO?
HOW MANY TIMES CONGRESS HAS CHANGED ( COMMUNIST USED TO CALL RAPE OF CONSTITUTION ) CONSTITUTION TO SUIT THEIR POLITICAL END? SHAHBANO CASE IS AN EX.
SINCE WE HAVE LOT OF LAWYERS IN GOVT.,THEY KNOW HOW A LAW CAN BE MISUSED.
YOU HAVE SPENT MAY BE 30 YRS IN JOURNALISM,MAY I REQUEST YOU TO WRITE YOUR EPITAH!
PL STOP DEFENDING HYPOCRITES.AND HYPOCRISY.
BUT I MUST SAY THE GREAT TRADITION OF SHOE HURLING IN OUR PARLIAMENTS OF HONOURABLE SIRS IS WELL MAINTAINED AS CONGRESS IN RAJASTHAN SHOWED?
WHERE WAS OM PURI WRONG?

[Reply]

Dr Misra

Part of our problem now is that any look into Vedas, or ancient texts to scrtiinize the theory, practices, customs etc will fall victim to “sacrificing” multi-cultural set up, “religious freedom(???) etc . This has caused an apathy to understand and learn our ancient history. And Marxist ” too sensitive to muslims” historians like Romilla Thapar have not helped either.. (we do not have to go to time immemoral for revisionist hsitory — marxists officially rewrote (with congeress support because all of them want to appease voters) that the 1921 Mopla rebellion of Malabar was an agrarian revoution by muslims and not killing of Hindu women, men, rape of Hindu women, and lootings of temples).. so we do not care about our old history, a nd we rewrite our current history to appease groups… figure it out.

However., Amartya Sen has referred to the old democratic republic systems im India.

Jatakas talk about the republics, the self sufficient villages..I believe Jatakas are from 500 BC.

Megasthenes, the greek ambassador to maurya kingdom writes about the republican system in orthern india during his time.

Rishis, Ashram, Gurukul etc were there from time immemorial; so it is ambly conceivable that the political system also was an “assembly” /group based system. Vedas have tons of references to yamas and niyamas (regulations and rules) of conduct, freedom, respect of the idividual, justice etc. Even in so called kingdoms, Kings ruled for people, at their will. Rama subjecting his wife sita to “agni parreksha” was just a commitment to this notion. Coming to modern history present and now; the decision by erstwhile kings of travancore not to philander their rightful billions of gold and diamonds, and leave it at the feet of Padmanabha, was also the result of the same bond between King, people, God..

Panini, the great grammarian, wrote about Gana and Sanghas, associations of village sabhas, independent community caretakers and the rules of voting, vote counting etc.. The concept of Sangha by Budha and his followers came from paninis rules. The later “Sngham” period in South india may have some connection to this Sangham; not sure.

A self confident nation will start looking into the treasure troves and start documenting the history based on the deep review of old texts. I am counting on Anna’s children to d o that. My generation was busy with lives’ problems leaving little time for these pursuits.

Yes, republics existed in ancient india before Greeks and Athenians brought itto the “modern” world…

[Reply]

Whatever has happened should be perceived positively by the MPs and this is eye opener for them. Because law makers are moving at snail’s pace, resentment in public has grown against them. However, our politicians do not like to be bulldozed, therefore, they are confronting with public rather than understanding the need of the time and improve. How many MPs are using laptops or blackberry these days though I am sure this machinery is not provided by government to every MP. Why are MPs not putting up questions in writing and through some website the information should be available on questions asked by MPs and government response and rememdy to them? Government is not maintaining any austerity and spending heavily on conducting parliament. Parliament should be used for debating on any matter in constructive manner and members should not start shouting moment anything contrary to them is said. MPs conduct in the Lok Sabha is nothing more than students behaving in schools.

We can understand MPs from Bihar, UP and machinery backward states are not habitual to criticism and will react against public uprise but educated MPs should understand the need of the hour and start enacting laws which should not be questioning and not discriminatory in any manner.

[Reply]

I was just wondering about privilege motion that has been brought against Kiran Bedi and Om puri in Lok Sabha.
I have seen Manish Tiwari using the most uncivil language for many BJP leaders (fellow MPs) and CM of Gujarat. There are numerous journalists who have made career out of using foul language against Modi and his supporters.
Even Sonia Gandhi used unparliamentary words “Maut ka Saudagar” (Which can also be applied on Rajiv Gandhi) against Modi.

Why were these MPs not hauled up in parliament for using foul language against fellow elected representative?

Just recently Manish Tiwari used same kind of language for Anna…

Our MPs are hypocrite par excellence.

[Reply]

Vinodji

IMO, Anna Hazare and his team chose to focus on the wrong mechanism to reduce corruption. Lok Pal, in whatever avatar, would come in the picture after the (mis)deed is done.

They should have focused on factors that breed corruption and dishonesty in public life, such as

1) State funding of electoral expenses.
2) Disallowing people with suspect credentials to contest elections and hold public office. May be, once the charges are filed in a court of law, candidate cannot contest, until he/she is declared innocent.
3) Making law enforcement agencies independent. The setting up of National/State Police Commission(s), which has been hanging fire for years. I believe some states have set these up, but seem to be toothless.
4) Cleaning up the system of justice, should be quick and transparent. Clearing the backlog on war-footing.
5) The Government servants, especially those belonging to the elite services, must be appointed for period of says 10 years to begin with, with automatic review beginning in the 8th year. Those found wanting in terms of performance and integrity should be told to go. Those who pass should have their tenure extended by another 10 years and subject to reviews in the 18th year and so on. Vacancies can be filled up with lateral entry of professionals.

Anna Hazare and his team or for that matter anyone else should have focused on these issues. May be some of these team members were looking for quick-fix fame.

IMO, right to recall would be impractical at this stage.

[Reply]

Vinod, i have often heard you on ndtv and u & padgaonkar are the most sane persons.. Dont u think bedi ,kejriwal & bhushan were the hindrance to the talks and made anna fast for so many days.. Bedi is taking revenge on the govt for not making her the PC of delhi..she has insulted the very degree of being called a DR. she has crowd support cos of anna so her arrogance will bring her down soon. As for Kej. he now thinks india is in his hands…has no manners, no respect i lost faith in anna cos he trusted these 3.

India will soon be in a mess, cos anna and gang will not let anything function ..this is what i see..very soon all these sheepish people will realize even their work is not getting done cos of all the hindrance.

[Reply]

SRAMAN, REPUBLICS etc contd”””””””””””’

@ Dr BN Anand- it has been a long tortuous journey from our rudimentary republics of 500 BC- the gana sanghams- to now. It is unfinished business but if we- the people and the govt- lose the momentum created by this modern Sraman- Anna- now, then history will condemn us.
Somewhere in Kejriwal and Bhushan I see shades of Chanakya.
And in Kiran Bedi I see mental strength that was missing in OmPuri. It would be ridiculous if one cannot criticise the MPs in this mild language.

@Gopi, thank you for polishing my initial treatise on Sramans and republics. Surprisingly, in those days, despite basic transport, some people did travel thousands of km. One source says that Chanakya himself was from Kerala !!!

[Reply]

@Gopi, your lines
Kings ruled for people, at their will. Rama subjecting his wife sita to “agni parreksha” was just a commitment to this notion

There are people who thought otherwise.
One such person was MICHAEL MADHUSUDHAN DUTT, India’s first poet to write in BLANK VERSE.
In his MEGHNAD BUDH KABYA (The Slaying of Meghnadh) he has shown Ram to be a spineless WIMP, who after all the horrendous trials and tribulations that her wife had to endure IS ONLY INTERESTED TO KNOW IF SITA HAD SLEPT WITH RAVANA.The same tradition still persists in so called modern india. THAT IS WHY ONLY HINDU SOCIETY DID NOT ALLOW WIDOW REMARRIAGE ,
BUT FOR MEN WHO HAVE BEEN WIDOWED there is a saying “Fortunate men’s wife dies”for they marry the next day.
He also showed how ram used all sorts of trickery to kill meghnad when he realised he cannot take him man toman
A TRANSLATION OF THAT EPIC IS NOW AVIALABLE COURTSEY OF CLINTON B SEELEY

And This is William Radice , PROF of Bengali Literature ij School of African and Oriental stidies(barun gandhi’s alma mater) commenting on Selley’s translated work

At the core of the epic, for me, is the kausala, the dastardly trick by which Meghanad is killed by Lakshman in the climactic Book VI of the epic; or the sense of bidhi (fate) that torments Ravana; or the recognition of Ravana’s pap (sin) that brings all the gods eventually on to the side of ‘Ram and his rabble’. Clint himself makes some interesting connections between the life and the work (finding, for example, in Madhusudan’s projection of Meghanad as a pious and dutiful son, reflection of the guilt that he had not been so dutiful to his own father), but I would want to emphasise the deeper, more tempestuous links

[Reply]

The negotiations between the “team Anna” and the GOI team followed the classic good cop, bad cop dance.
Good cops of Anna- Shanti Bhushan, Hegde; Bad cops: Kejriwal and Bedi
Good cops of GOI- MMS, Khurshid, Pranab; Bad cops: Rahul, Sibal, PC
Given that the extreme positions were not possible to be conceded by any party (pass the Jan Lokpal bill in 3 days vs go the entire procedural route of standing committee, debates and so on to pass who knows what)- the two teams played out a pre-ordained game.
Who won? IMO, it was the government- because they had the stronger cards and stronger nerves and bigger guns.
The media made us happy at the outcome.

[Reply]

SUNSHINE IN BRIGHTON AND ON THIS BLOG
————————-
Just back from the seaside to catch up on an incredible journey that first Dr Mishra and then Gopi took us through the beautiful history of India. How the two of you are able to compress thousands of years of Indian history into a few paras is amazing.

and mishraji, your linking of sraman culture with Anna is an eye opener
—————————–
TWO DOCTORS, 2 DIAGNOSISES
———————————
Dr Mishra calls Anna a Gandhian and a sraman
Dr Shan calls him a second rate havildar

I know which I prefer. For all the junk like ‘rationalist humanist’ you spout SHAN, the fact remains that you are the biggest Islamophobe and class discriminator on this blog

[Reply]

Gopi, Ravi, Manohar, Rajeev, Shan..
Re’ Narendra Modi and BJP’s strategy for the next elections.

Let us understand something very clearly- no single party will win an absolute majority in the next elections- if the Congress continues to limp from scam to scam, BJP might just emerge as the single biggest party; or it may not. It should definitely improve its position over current numbers.
So, the next PM will be someone from BJP who will be able to cobble together a partnership with other parties. On that ground, perhaps Modi may not be the ideal candidate.
But, think of this first- how will BJP score big? It can only score big by putting issues of governance to the centre stage. It will need a face to its campaign that can mobilize- not Advani, not Gadkari. I do not see them concede the ground to Nitish or even Naveen (assuming he comes back to the fold) or even Jaya- not before the votes are counted anyway.
BJP’s best chances of winning a large number of seats is by putting a charismatic face to its campaign- perhaps Sushma (but, perhaps Jaitley will scuttle her chances).
Assuming BJP can cross 200 seats; the allies will have to fall in line and accept BJP’s choice. If BJP stays around 150-160; then someone from its allies will become PM.

[Reply]

Dr Gopi

I dont think it will be easy for Rahul to survive in case he come under public and media scrutiny.
There is enough material on you tube which would make you wonder on the intellectual capacity of RAHUL.

There is one clip in which he claims that Iindia is bigger than Europe and US !

In another he claims Gujarat is bigger than UK

In another lecture to students in Bihar he starts reffering to them as Gujaratis and lames bad governance on Modi! ( confusing sudhil modi with narendra Modi)

Well the last one had to happen as he was prograqmmed to say Gujarat , rape and Modi in the same breath.

This is not the eighties. Public disnchantment sets in fast. Rahul has been in public glare for 4 years but has not faced a single press conference. To be fair, even Sonia has not, but she is not the PM.

I think Rahul would be well advised to stay the Congress president and have a puppet PM

[Reply]

Sorry Gopi. I wanted to write @ Gopi… but was attending to a mobile call… and the finger slipped

[Reply]

addendum @Ashish, If BJP needs to come to power IT NEEDS SOMETHING DRAMATIC/DRASTIC.
The easiest will be to junk the fat boy Gadkari and install someone VERY TELEGENIC and MUSLIM .
In one stroke it can put paid to the communal tag. At the same time it can announce a committe to look into Unified civil code , the members being all muslims.Next is RADICAL overhaul of agriculture in line with western practices.And LEGALLY BINDING compulsory education for all FUNDED BY INCREASING 1% corporporation Tax. The prospects will be definitele far more brighter than it is now.

[Reply]

@ Dr Death,

Your obsession with me, is driving you nuts….

Har problem ka kaaran Vijay hi dikhata hai…. !!

[Reply]

Shan,
If you read my earlier comment, I have praised Bangladesh for practicing secularism but somewhat in limited ways. Awami league has large hindu vote bank so it panders to hindus but BNP is just opposite. Its cadres are known to attack puja pandals and occupying temples.

All in all Bangladesh still remains the only muslim country that TRIES to be fair towards minorities.

Here is Trivia for you…Awami league has been biggest beneficiary of 1965 pakistan era enemy property act.. Google it.

[Reply]

@ Dr Death

You are the vaginittis virus

That is the common thought of most bloggers here yeh Jan LokPal ka vichar hai….

[Reply]

just read this pearl above by mishra doc-
“”"For those brought up on the myth that British invented democracy, may I remind them that perhaps the world’s first attempts at democracy and republics were in 300-600 BC in ancient Bihar.
And perhaps the greatest advocate of the republics was the greatest sravan of all time, Siddharta Gautam”"”
and this pearl from Gopi- “”"Adi Sankara crisscrossed what is now India, from Kochi to Badrinath/Himalayas, from Dwaraka to Puri, all on foot”"”
———————–
is that not what Anna is all about- coming together- or are people only miopic to see him in Jan Lok Pal terms- I THINK SOMETHING BIGGER HAPPENED THIS MONTH IN INDIA

[Reply]

@ Shenoy

At the end of the day, we need to make things work in this country. We need a regime change… even if it is just to skahke up the system….

[Reply]

DR SHAN- you are beginning to really disgust me. read what you write- you moron- “”"MUSLIMS HAVE EXCLUDED HONESTY AND RATIONALITY IN THEIR SOCIETY. ……western civilization”"”"

Do you read you donkey, you pig with swetha lingam stuck up your as s- did you read at all what Mishraji and Gopi wrote about what Indians have achieved on their own- civilization, republics, ethics, governance etc

do you f read at all or is it our misfortune to read your vomit allatime. STOP WITH THIS WESTERN WORSHIP shit- its getting irrititating.

[Reply]

Indian court acquits Muslims of Haren Pandya murder

“Haren Pandya was a leading figure in the governing Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat and a senior member of the right-wing Hindu organisation, the RSS.”

Mr Pandya was reported to have had bitter differences with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Can some one enlighten us as to what were the substance and the nature of these differences?

Is it possible that the new investigation into Haren pandya may lead to the conclusion that this was a political assassination?

[Reply]

10 hindu extremists jailed for 10 years-
http://khabar.ibnlive.in.com/news/58805/1

[Reply]

Guys, one thing I dont see much debate on, is the nature of politicization of the death sentence of Rajiv Gandhi’s killers by Tamil Nadu politicians. Mr Rajiv Gandhi , ex prime-mnister of India and a leading candidate for the elections in 1989-90 was brutally killed. The courts have, after due process, convicted and confirmed the convictions all the way to supreme court. The way TN assembly took a resolution today, asking for clemency, will set a bad precedent. TamiNadu politicians, by identifying themselves with the killers, just because they are ethnic Tamils, are setting a dangerous precedent. Ofcourse, the precedent set by Congress in the way it has handled the death sentence of Parliament attack convict, Mr Afzal Guru by associating him with Islam and Muslims, is equally bad if not worse.

[Reply]

THE PAGE CHANGED.

Indian court acquits Muslims of Haren Pandya murder

“Haren Pandya was a leading figure in the governing Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat and a senior member of the right-wing Hindu organisation, the RSS.”

Mr Pandya was reported to have had bitter differences with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Can some one enlighten us as to what were the substance and the nature of these differences?

Is it possible that the new investigation into Haren pandya may lead to the conclusion that this was a political assassination?

[Reply]

Rajeev,
I am a new comer to this wonderful blog..you said ‘I only hate those muslims who hate others’..fair statement ..all should defeat the hate mongers..when I scroll back I see you targeting only the muslim hate mongers..what about the others..you are doing the same mistake done by right intentioned and well meaning people …to dismiss the lesser evil..closing your eyes on the odious nature of other religious groups?

[Reply]

I have a request for Mr.Vinod Sherma .
1.Most of the Journalists,especially TV anchors
, talk at length about the Body language of people whenever A Pak-India is having a meeting–People analyse the hand shake movement of Obama with Singh etc. Will Mr Sharma,now that the emotion of Anna fever have subsided,analyse the body language of Anna Hazare and his great skill to come out as a great tv actor.To me his finger pointing,red full of anger eyes, his hand clapping,sitting in Rajghat etc talking of “teach him lesson” are really the real Mahatma—yes crusader with dictatorial language,but not Gandhi.. Will Mr. Sharma give us his reading since all other TV anchors,masters of body reading,lost their sense of balance and became shrill and sensational,trying to be one over the others.Both Hindi and English news channels.
2. The TV anchors have been asking their viewers to be inter=active and tweet back with comments,like Times of India saying so many lakhs of people polled for Anna etc. Can his publication look at all the comments on the net on all the media and analyse the sample and type of people responding. I was shocked the downright vile language used in most of the comments(On Sonia Gandhis sickness ,the inter active comments were sickening. The moderators dont bother. Will you get GOOGLE to analyse who are the lakhs of people respondong to “Comments: .Live or otherwise. The result may be surprising.May be most of the commentors may belong to some organisations to do just this work.. And the News Anchors likeP &B feel great that their viers are representing the aam adami.

Will you, Mr.Sherma, respond to my request.?

[Reply]

All political ideologies are not same. Communism, democracy, fascism dont deserve equal respect. Everyone has the right to criticize and appraise them without the dirty charge of political blasphemy.
Similarly, all religious ideologies , Hinduism ( offshoots of Hinduism like Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism ) , Christianity, Judaism, Islam ( which claims its not just a religious ideology but political ideology too and no differentiation can be made between religion and politics in Islamic states ) etc are not same.
All do not deserve same respect. Period.
Yes all people, irrespective of political or religious ideology they profess, deserve equal justice.
However, those wo say all ideologies, religious or political, deserve equal respect, are talking gutter non sense.

[Reply]

10 hindu extremists jailed for 10 years. This is welcome judgement.
I am pretty sure hindus will not oppose this judgement as muslims routinely do.
http://khabar.ibnlive.in.com/news/58805/1

[Reply]

Delhi police have given a clean chit to the Bhushans… on the CD case…

[Reply]

My own feeling and a real one is aactual confrontation between Islam and the world will only end when,,,

a) Women in Muslim countries manage to wrest freedoms. Well… from experience I can tell you managing one independent girlfriend is difficult… managing four wives with freedom would be impossible !

b) Oil is replaced by hybrid tech and all those wahabbis in Saudia need to become bartenders to make a living…

c) Apostasy –death to those who leave Islam is banned by the UN…. of course Chand Mohammad ( Bhajan Lal’s son) is till alive after converting 3 times.. both ways will celeberate the most…

[Reply]

CALLING DR SHAN
——————-
stop hiding. I have thrown several comments at you, example-
—————-
TWO DOCTORS, 2 DIAGNOSISES
———————————
Dr Mishra calls Anna a Gandhian and a sraman
Dr Shan calls him a second rate havildar

I know which I prefer. For all the junk like ‘rationalist humanist’ you spout SHAN, the fact remains that you are the biggest Islamophobe and class discriminator on this blog
———-
there are other comments above Dr spank-me-my-name-is-khan-shan, which you are evading,

[Reply]

=============================================================================
~~ WHY INDIA BECOMES A SOFT STATE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
=============================================================================

We can spend 5 crores an year on Afzal guru and 25 crores an year Kasab. But

DEATH SENTENCE DENE MEIN SAB KI PHAT TI HAI !!! shame shame !!

The policemn who died defending the Parliament are forgotten. The MPs are happy to be alive since they can take kickbacks for another thirty years. Afzal guru ki file move karne mein phat jaa ti hai…

Rajiv Gandhi was India’s PM and not just Rahul and Priyanka’s father. But Priyanak wwent out of the way to show Nalini that she did not want her to suffer more. ” We women understand each other;s emotions…” was her line.

But the Gandhi- Nehru family was also buying peace with Tamil militants with this act. Of course secretly they would want some officer, judge and policeman to take action on this front. Par apna pallu jhaad liya….

The Tamil assembly’s resolution is just shameful…

[Reply]

=============================================================================
~~ WE NEED TO MODEL OURSELVES AFTER USA, CHINA AND RUSSIA
=============================================================================

instead of shedding bleeding heart tears for killers like Kasab, Afzal guru, Rajiv;s killers and so on, we should follow what US, China and Russia would do. We need to think big. Like superpowers

[Reply]

Raju Kurien,
If I have to believe your name resonate with a christian identity…..you remind me of the legendary wolf with a sheep skin..you remember the episode of Nilakkal in 1983..when christian extremists suddenly sighted a cross in the very heart of Sabarimala…the very abode of Lord Ayyappa..where millions of hindu worshipers come every year to pray and heal themselves..they tried to set fire the entire region in 1953…just to grab the rich forest areas..denounce their act first and aim the gun .

[Reply]

Looking at Ravi reaction to arrival of rajmohan, I am reminded of Madhuri Dixit’s song…

“Mera Piya Ghar aaya..O allahji..mera piya ghar aaya o allahji, faltoo ki bakwas laya, mera man behalane aaya”

[Reply]

@Ravi, I am certain you have been several times to Italy. I have been once. Venice was inexplicable, Florence was majestic , particularly the duomo and Michaelangelo,s David.I would have loved to visit Ufizi which I missed . I also need to go University of Padua , because the great Galen used to teach there .
I did see Pisa and the leaning tower , and the thought that galileo once conducted his experiment hereon this tower .Rome was jusifiably the eternal city, The pantheon was jaw dropping , the acoustics , NO ECHO despite being such a huge structure.
also we were told despite the HUGE opening in the dome , you never get soaked when it rains , Therain water just follows a fixed path .And then the columns of Bellini, and the cathedral at vatican. Your head starts to spin when you try to think how michaelangelo painted those 300ft high ceiling and such ornate paintings.
Though the focal point got to be the marble statue of PIETA . That Michaelangelo was aware of the phenomemon of RIGOR MORTIS , is incredible, thus jesus’s body appears lenghtened.
Sistine chapel was another wonder , the belgian tapestry , needs to be seen to be beleived .
And that fresco on the ceiling the famous “Creation”.
Though I need to go back for I had seen only 10% of Rome , let alone italy.
I was watching arepeat in BBC4, called Francesco’s Italy.
In southern Italy , there is a place or town called Rivoli. Apparently the entire town was GIFTED to the pope . He built a palace there . Now there are millions of palaces all over the world , so what.
This palace has some 1000 fountains and different types of artificial waterfalls . This was the model for all thw watergardens in Europe.
Another was a palace in southern italy , in CASERTA, built by the bourbons, It has 1200 rooms(yes you are reading it correct) a full scale (not miniature) OPERA HOUSE inside the palace.

WELL THIS IS ROMANS, they don’t do things half heartedly. As we are discussing corruption NOBODY CAN BEAT THE POPES OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE.
As for Gundagardi again nobody beats Romans THE MAFIOSO, one italian doctor told me , the govt and all is just a show , REAL STRINGS ARE PULLED BY THE MAFIOSO.
Try LOKPAL here. One magistrate tried, gunned down with pin point accuracy . Every govt contract in palermo has to go through the mafioso.
Yet despite all this THIS IS THE LAND OF FERARI , LAMBORGINI , FINMECANICA ARMANI and what not

[Reply]

sO, NOW THE CORRUPT CABINET WANTS TO BLOCK ANY TRASPARENCY TO SPORTS BOARDS…READ THAT CABINET, ESP sHARAD PAWAR DOES OT WANT ANY OUTSIDE GROUPS TO LOOK INTO HOW CABINET DEALS WITH SPORTS BOARDS…

THEY NEVER GET IT!

WHY ARE SPORTS BOARDS UNDER GOVT ANYWAY? USA TEAMS/ASSOCIATIOS ETC DO OT HAVE AYY GOVT COTROL

[Reply]

MANOHAR,

you said, :”I am not going to be an oracle as to what will happen in 2014 – a two and half years away, which is a very long time in politics…….”

I agree you can’t. BUT JUST READ WHAT YOU “PROPHESIED” JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO. (OR SHOULD I SAY YOU ORACLED)

Here is something from an earlier blog, which is sure to entertain you all, if not titillate your funny bones:

Manohar T:

“Who is crying hoarse now – Anna Hazare and his team – if you care to read the news -print or electronic? Now there are last ditch desperate attempts to garner support for their (unconstitutional) version of the Lok Pal bill by carrying out polls in select constituencies and the appeal to the parliamentarians to pass their version of the bill. Then the threat of his fast – you do it once too often, nobody takes you seriously. Who they think they are? They have lost the plot. Anna Hazare & Co. and the likes of you have forgotten that it is the parliament which will take the final call on the bill (to be tabled on Thursday) and not Kejriwals, Bhushans, Bedis, etc.
If you wish to believe otherwise, be my guest. .

2. desperation is so visible on the team members – burning copies of the draft bill that has been tabled. What gives them the right to declare that their version of the bill is the best and all other hogwash?

Perhaps, Anand Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi are very angry as they would no longer be part of the selection committee (their version says Nobel Laureates, Magasaysay award winners would be part of the committee). As an aside, Swapan Dasgupta had wondered – why not the presidents of the local Rotary and Lions clubs be part of the selection committee”

STORY TELLING, MANOHAR T.?

[Reply]

~~ EID MUBARAK TO ALL MUSLIM FRIENDS WHO COME TO THIS SITE!!! ~~
=============================================================================

Eid Mubarak to all you guys!!

This happens to be among the most happening blogs on the net… so let us celeberate that spirit too…

[Reply]

KIRAN BEDI””””””””””””

Interesting anecdote about Kiran. BBC made a film about her and interviewed her estranged husband who lives in Punjab and her daughter.
Her daughter who is proud of her mother’s professional succcess, when probed on Kiran’s qualities as a mother, said ‘ Kiran Bedi is married to her job ‘

note- she said KB, not ‘my mother’

The best bit came later. On being probed further she said ‘Kiran Bedi is married to Kiran Bedi ‘
xxxxxxxxxxx

I felt her sadness come through. While I admire Kiran’s new found role as a crusader and know there are many other successes ahead of her, I am sad that life is not perfect and there is no Bollywood style loving family in the background.

[Reply]

@ Dr mishra

just proves nothing is perfect… I think women in india as well as men need to adopt to changing times.

For women to play the role of a daughter in law is impossible in big cities. On the flip side some of them also use the strong anti male laws to implicate men in false dowry and domestic violence cases.

for men, they need to change the perception that the woman is now going to follow your command. Or automatically respect your parents adn relatives…

Some battle on here…

[Reply]

@ Dr mishra

let me tellyou the funny side of Indian laws. One person I know was/is married to a headstrong, athletic woman who is also black belt karate. The male is a nerd, 5-6′, thick specs and all engineering formulae comign out of his ears.

The wife is atheltc , a hand which can lift quite a weight and as I said a black belt karate.

Their domestic fight went out of control. She launched a police ccomplaint that the guy BEATS her up !!!! : D: D:

One glance at them will show you it is impossible !!

The police chose to belive the sobbing woman….

[Reply]

Omar Abdullah tweeted -

“If J&K assembly had passed a resolution similar to the Tamil Nadu one for Afzal Guru would the reaction have been as muted? I think not,” he tweeted on Tuesday. He was referring to the Parliament attack convict who is on death row in Delhi and hails from Kashmir.

I guess Omar has a point. Are wee being selective ?

[Reply]

good point Prabhat, but some differences-
- the Tamil tiger problem is dead now, like khalistan
- the Islamic terror problem is vaary alive- in Pakistan and in India- bomb blasts in Mumbai, an attack before CWG, daily blasts and ‘targeted killings’ in Karachi and elsewhere
-3-4 lakh hindus displaced from kashmir
-marriage of Indian mujaheddin and SIMI with international terror all oevr world

so, no, we are not being selective. Once the tigers of tamil are neutered- game over. LET VAIKO AND KARUNANIDHI BLOW AWAY

[Reply]

MISHRAJI, LIKED YOUR POST- KB is married to KB
And sirji u will be pleased to note that some oldies did put some youngsters to shame- I seem to remember a dashing middle aged sikh playing tennis by the Brighton seaside this weekend. hehe
sharm karo- Vijay Ashish Rizwan and other gabru jawan

[Reply]

Folks,

Talking about corruption– while all these debates and bill passing etc are going on, this income tax dy commissioner in Tamil Nadu took Rs 50 lakhs (from one individual!) … CBI arrested him in the act.. Was in the papers yesterday..

[Reply]

Well, now Arundhati says the whole Anna thing is a WorldBank plot….

World Bank in conjuntion with her darling “media”…

[Reply]

Prabhat, u r always hounding Shenoy. You completely missed the acid humour in Shenoy’s post.

There is a female angle to Priyanka pardoning Nalini, not sure she would have visited Prabhakaran dog in prison and pardoned him !!! u missed it

There is also anger in the INDIAN polity where Kasab is going to get luxury of 5-10 years more of life , like Afzal. You missed all of this Prabhat.

Enjoy the acid black humour which is a superb feature of Indian life, and please sirji do not expect every blogger to also post mile long ifs and buts to give their full take on every event.
Mr Shenoy may be too BJP AT TIMES, like you are too congressi. But that Tenali Ram and Birbal must never be silenced LIKE THE INDIAN parliament is trying to silence Kiran Bedi’s harmless nautanki.

[Reply]

ALL OF YOU HAVE MISSED ONE OF THE MOST IMP REASONS THAT CONGRESS IS STALLING JAN LOK PAL-
clue- RV

[Reply]

@ Prabhat

=============================================================================
~~ ~~ IF KASAB SAYS SORRY… SHOULD WE FORGIVE HIM? ~~~ ~~~~
=============================================================================

I dont think we as a nation should show any comapassion to killers… especially killers who want to destroy something larger than an individual– a nation.

I may have some admiration for Priyanka’s good lucks and her soft, decent attitude. But the rationalist in me will also be quck to point out that her husband, Vadra is using her innocence and clear heartedness as a facade to push his business intersts now ranging into thousands of crores.

I think Priyanka made a huge mistake by announcing that she had forgiven her fathers killers. Soon after her announcement, the clamour for releasing Nalini has only grown. In fact a politcal group would now probably ask her to contest elections, as did Beant Singh’s widow, Bimla. By the same logic if Neelam Katara were to forgive Vikas Yadav, should we not release him ?

Let me restate that part of the reason for this forgiveness was probably the background fact that LTTE had been nullified and the Priyanka wanted to send the message that there was no rancour left in their family against LTTE terrorists. In other words, also somewhere also buying peace with the Tigers.

Yes at an individual level it may look like a huge act of large heartedness. But remember, Rajiv was the PM. The bomb on him was a bomb on the Indian Prime Minister. SO are the Indians now supposed to forgive all killers of their Prime Minsiters?

By this logic, Rajiv should have forgiven Beant Singh.

And we should all forgive kasab… once he says sorry…

[Reply]

@ Gopi

I may be coming a bit strongly on this, but let me repeat that I spent my teenage years in Punjab of the eighties.

Many a police officer would tell us kids that rooting out terrorism is controlling our politicians not so easy.

I distinctly remember one, one evening in the Chandigarh club where a Sikh police officer was telling my uncle that, “Eradicting terroists will be far easier for if politicians dont buy peace with them. In case we take swift action, tomorrow, the politicians will buy their peace… and our families will be on the hit lists of terrorists… “

[Reply]

@ Prabhat

I may have got your point of view wrong… !

You are welcome to do your psychoalalysis on me. Now every time I do it on myself… I only come out confused

[Reply]

DEAR MR VINOD SHARMA

————————————————-
Just noticed 2 obscenities uttered by our lovely Dr SHAN.

1. He called Rajiv a pimp yesterday
2. He called me gaan doo few hours ago.

I thought you had warned him last week with a ban for using same gndoo word. Chickerman Gautam already banned Dr Shan when he made a tasteless joke about raping Gautam’s daughter.
So please ban him at least for few months. Or are you going to do a Kasab and Afzal on him??

wait to hear from you sirji

[Reply]

If Rajiv gandhi’s killers go scot free , THEN AFZAL GURU should be freed with PADMASHREE.
Also tamil nadu should be THROWN OUT of the UNION.They NEVER EVER VOTE ANY NATIONAL PARTY ANYWAY.Indira gandhi’s murderer’s should get 10 CRORE compensation and posthumous PADMABHIBHUSHAN.NANUTHARAM GODSE posthumous PADMAVIBHUSHAN.
INDIA IS BECOMING A PANSY REPUBLIC, a MOUGA(ball less) REPUBLIC
Afzal Guru’s crime was FRA FAR less severe than the LTTE murderers.Afzal Guru apparently DID IT FOR MONEY , and only provided shelter , AND HAD SHOWN UNEQUIVOCAL REMORSE.

though I have a feeling whatever those BUMKINS in TN assembly pass , THOSE LTTE MURDERES WILL BE HANGED FOR SURE

[Reply]

“If J&K assembly had passed a resolution similar to the Tamil Nadu one for Afzal Guru would the reaction have been as muted? I think not,” Mr. Abdullah posted on social networking site Twitter.

Mr Omar Abdullah is absolutely right. The Congress and other politicians, who did not criticize the TN resolution as repulsive and pernicious for identifying with the murderers , just because they were ethnic Tamils, have no right to criticize Omar. He has just commented exposing the duplicity.

[Reply]

@Gopi Thomas, your words
One thing — recently I read a speech by Narayan Moorthy (whom I met once; you can call him a Gandhia too; a simple man, gereat guy; do not know if you are aware of his early leaning –he was a Marxist) – he said you cannot build great business institutions by graft and greed alone….that institutions built on bribe and graft peaks, cannot go beyond certain size etc

DOES THE NAME RELIANCE RING A BELL

[Reply]

@ Gopi

I guess you are right. I do come out strong against terrorism and do believe they should be no compromise in dealing with terrorists. That is why the stand Digvijay and Rahul take, only make me angry….

[Reply]

During 2009 election, Congress and DMK kept mum when Sri Lankan Army was wiping off LTTE. We did not see any major reaction in TN when thier fellow tamilians were hunted and killed.

So why are are worried about these three people? The govt. should hang them and there will be minor reaction that too because of political parties.

[Reply]

@ Rajeev

I dont think there really would be a reaction. Karunanidhi is raising the pitch to throw an indirect threat to the gandhi parivaar that “free Kani… or I will support the LTTE (whatever is left of it)

[Reply]

@ Ashish

Finally worked out the poison for the night….

Take a long walk in the colony park now… and then I believe there is an Indo -england T-20.

So one eye on the match, another on the blog… a bottle of Black dog lies unopened, which would be Un- dhakkaned

And planning the first paras of a book (fiction)– which I always do plan, but never get to write…

Not a bad evening to look forward to…

[Reply]

Okay so Dr Shan shows no remorse. And I do not blame blog’s Kiran Bedi aka Vinod Sharma for not passing judjement.
So once again dear DR SHAN, I have to ask you to pl look in mirror and ask yourself this question- IS ANYONE ON THIS BLOG DESPISED MORE THAN YOU, apart from tajender. so do you think you can stop abusing people. Doctors or anyone from good families do not do that.

Just imagine- in the last 1 year, perfectly reasonable geezers have exploded at you and called you- trash, vile, disgusting and more fruity stuff like bc, mc etc. show some self respect DR SHAN and change. I remind you of one of the insults thrown your way-

[Reply]

@Balwinder,
I admire your patience. Most people are the way they are , including the detestable, repulsive kind, because they secretly admire those qualities. Thats why personalities are so hard to change. Tajinder, Sal did not change. They either got banned or went somewhere else.

[Reply]

Vinod Sharma

Well Sonia Singh, Prashant Bhushan, Madhu Kishwar are on NDTV blasting the forces which launched the fake CD to derail the anti-corruption movement….

[Reply]

@ Rajiv

My opinion is he was used by the Digvijays and the Rahuls. No self respecting newsman would do this willingly. However Rahul’s hand is clear. The Amar Singh tapes were prepard by his gang.

The a cut and paste was done from those tapes.

It is possible that Shanti Bhushan did discuss the fixing of a judge with Mulayam Singh. many lawyers do it. But politicians do it all the time. So mulayam Singh and Amra Singh too are guilty.

[Reply]

@Vijay,
I am sure the Congress and Pro-Congress journalists, have done everything possible ( both ethical and unethical ) ti dig durt on Shanti Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan, Anna Hazare and Kejriwal.
They have the tools of the state to dig and even fabricate dirt or even just sling mud with planted stories in the media, hoping something will stick.

Mr Sharma, obviously knows that.

So given these facts , its amazing that they have come up with so little against Anna-Kejriwal-Bhushan.

Is the Sibal-AmarSingh-Sonia-Rahul-Digvijay cabal incompetant or the trio of Anna-Kejriwal-Bhushan reasonably clean while living in the pond full of muck ?

[Reply]

Shenoy (and Shan)

Shenoy, you mentioned about Gurudev’ poem.. I want to let yall the bloggers know about a life turning event in Gurudev’s life, something I read in Osho’ book, “India, My beloved” –

Gurudev, in his houseboat (he was a rich man) was writing late into the night. He was using candles for light; and all the drapes were drawn down so the light doesnt dissipate. It was past midnight; he was quite tired , so decided to go out on the deck and take few minutes rest and breathe fresh air, .

Then he saw the most beautiful sight in his life till then.. He saw the waters of Hooghly river shining like silver, he saw the trees and plants showering and basking in the moonlight on the banks and beyond… he had never seen that before…because curtains were always drawn down preventing the candle light going out (and preventing him seeing the moonlight and its vast and deep beauty, or moonlight coming in).

Then Gurudev had a wonderful, profound thought. To protect the small light, we were preventing the big light coming in. That we have very lkittle knowledge, but we kep it closed, and the biases of this very little knowledge prevent us human beings from accepting big knowledge.

That night was a turning point in his life. All his great creations, including Gitanjali, were written after that. After he let the small light, his ego, go.

[Reply]

Shenoy,
Afzal Guru’s case is different. I initially opposed Congress stand on delaying Afzal’s execution because it was more based on appeasement of muslims than the genuine concern for conditions in J&K.

I feel Afzal’s hanging should be handled in way that there is no major reaction in J&K. Now the govt. has to come up with ways to divert kashmiris attention from Afzal.

In the meantime, Afzal can be administerd 3rd degree every day making his life hell.

[Reply]

This is true face of Anna’s India-
http://khabar.ibnlive.in.com/news/58879/3/21
जीजा, पुलिस और पत्रकार, जहां गई-वहां बलात्कार!

[Reply]

Maybe Ravi and Rajmohan, can hold a joint-seminar on Taqiyya.
( My apologies to Muslims who do not indulge in Taqiyya on this blog )

More over, all the aid, alms, begging that some Islamic republics do, like Pakistan from Non-Islamic states, isn’t that a violation of anathor Quaranic injuction

“Let not the believers Take for friends or helpers Unbelievers rather than believers:” ?

Or is defrauding non-believers sanctioned under Taqiyya.

[Reply]

GOPI, as always you said the most sensible thing about INFOSYS-
‘ For a company started in 1983 by 7 Indian guys (without any family business background or business training) with $250 this is a huge achievement, – a company now at $30 billion valuation, $6.35 billion in annual revenue. a company well known throughout the world, a well-respected brand ‘

I am incredibly proud of Infosys, Tata, Wipro, Mahindra etc. A journey of a thousand miles starts with a few steps, and what lovely strides these are

[Reply]

KIRAN BEDI contd””””””””””””’

@Shenoy, your description of Kiran;s early years was very revealing. The film I quoted also interviewed her former boss- he revealed an amazing incident. Kiran and her team were called in to a disturbance and saw a house burning. As the team hesitated, SHE ACTUALLY DOUSED HERSELF WITH WATER- ran into the house to rescue a child.
Motivated, her constables followed suit !!!!
——————
It is nice to know about your heroes. I am very partial to self made ones

[Reply]

SELF MADE HEROES-
Moorthy, Kiran, Kejriwal, Manoj Bajpai, Sam Pitroda, Devi Shetty, Sreedharan (metro), Mr Sharma and Sethi of Jaipur foot

inse bharat mata ki mitti ki khushboo aati hai

There is only one charity I support in India- http://www.jaipurfoot.org/
pl give what you can- unlike other charities- 100% of your cash goes directly to disabled poor

[Reply]

Certainly there is no dearth of self -made people who made a great impact ( I am allergic to the word hero when applying it to humans ) on the society around them. Abdul Kalam, DhiruBhai Ambani ( not his sons ) and there are examples of those around each one of us among our friends and extended families.
What needs to happen is that the society needs to focus on these people, hold them up as role models ( just as this blog is doing ) and promote them and that culture.

[Reply]

Just woke up to read Maharashtra ATS has traced the Mumbai attack in early July to ISI/Indians in Saudi Arabia/ their local agents in Mumbai….

1) Now, is this a ploy to diverta tention from Anna?

2) Thre is no definitive statements, other than “potential”, “may be” — what a c–ap!

which makes it look like something hastily put out for political expediency.

I wonder what Congress will do if it is ISI.

and I wonder why they would release half info that is not founded on concrete evidence taht is unrefutable…. …

[Reply]

Who is justified in this case? The park operator or the muslims. Please read the story below.
I’d be more interested in knowing the views of people practicing Indian brand of secularism.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/new-york/muslims-police-scuffle-rye-playland-over-amusement-park-123309825.html
Muslims, police scuffle at Rye Playland over amusement park’s head scarf ban; 15 arrests made
By New York Daily News | Local New York – 16 hrs ago
tweet402Share51
Email
Print

NY Daily News

CORINNE LESTCH AND BILL HUTCHINSON, DAILY NEWS WRITERS

Police on the scene at Playland on Tuesday (Norman Y. Lono for NY Daily News)

Rye Playland was shut down Tuesday after cops scuffled with Muslims upset that women wearing head scarves were barred from the rides, witnesses said.
Fifteen people, including three women, were charged with disorderly conduct and assault in the chaos, authorities said.
The Westchester County park was packed with Muslims celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr – the holiday marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
One woman, Entisai Ali, began arguing with cops over the amusement park’s head scarf, or hijab, rule, said Dena Meawad, 18, of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
The ban, which is not Muslim specific, was imposed about 3 years ago mostly to prevent hats from falling onto the tracks of roller coasters and other rides, park officials said.
“The cops started getting loud with her and she started getting loud, too. They pushed her on the ground and arrested her,” Meawad said.
Her cousin, Kareem Meawad, 17, went to try to protect the woman and was beaten by cops and also arrested, she added. Her brother, Issam Meawad, 20, was pushed to the ground and taken into custody when he tried to help his cousin, she said.
“She just wanted to get on a ride. That was it,” Dena Meawad said of the initial confrontation. “It’s clear, this all happened because we’re Muslim.”
John Hodges, chief inspector of Westchester County Public Safety, insisted that police did not use excessive force.
He said up to 100 cops from surrounding departments converged on the park.
Two park rangers were injured in the melee, prompting felony assault charges against two people arrested, officials said.
The ugly incident happened just after 1 p.m. The event was organized by the Muslim American Society of New York, and attracted 3,000 Muslims from Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Westchester County.
Ali’s sister, Ayman Alrabah, 24, of Brooklyn said her husband, brother and father were all tackled by cops and put into handcuffs when they tried to help her sister.
Alrabah said she was unaware of the head-scarf rule until she and her sister tried to get on the park’s Dragon Coasters.
“We requested a refund and all of a sudden an argument became a riot,” Alrabah said. “Cops came. They were hitting my brother, my dad. My husband was on the floor and they were handcuffing him.
She said her 4-year-old son was “traumatized” by seeing his father arrested.
“They treated us like animals, like we were nothing,” Alrabah said. “They came with their dogs and sticks. We came to have fun.”

‘It’s clear, this all happened because we’re Muslim,’ says Dena Meawad. (Norman Y. Lono for NY Daily News)
The park was closed for about two hours because of the fracas. It reopened at about 6 p.m.
Peter Tartaglia, deputy commissioner of Westchester County Parks, said the Muslim American Society of New York was warned in advance of the rule barring head scarves on rides for safety reasons.
“Part of our rules and regulations, which we painstakingly told them over and over again, is that certain rides you cannot wear any sort of headgear,” Tartaglia said. “It’s a safety issue for us on rides, it could become a projectile.”
Many Muslims were given refunds as they left the park disappointed.
“In this heightened state of Islamaphobia, a woman wearing a hajib is an easy target these days,” said Zead Ramadan, president of the Council on American-Islamic Relations – New York. “Unfortunately, this turned ugly due to a lot of miscommunication.”
Photos: Top: Police respond to Rye Playland on Tuesday (Norman Y. Lono for NY Daily News)
Bottom: ‘It’s clear, this all happened because we’re Muslim,’ says Dena Meawad. (Norman Y. Lono for NY Daily News)

[Reply]

last page- put some comments on self made Indian heroes and posed a question to Prabhat and Manohar
Bimoy Hegde- thanks for feedback

[Reply]

@ Binoy

It was Mr Ram Chandra who developed Jaipur foot.

[Reply]

okay Prabhat and Manohar, here goes again-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sqdw8i2O4CQ
see the film clip I quoted about her- excerpts-

1. My mother is married to her job. My mother is married to Kiran Bedi
2. One day she was ‘that girl’, then she became ‘madam’ and then she became Sir
——————-
I try not to highlight foreign heroes for I think our own are neglected. She may have her flaws but she took on Tihar jail head on and made a huge success. Lets see how well she does on the national scene.
@manohar and prabhat-THINK YOU COULD SAY SOMETHING NICE ABOUT HER AND KEJRIWAL AND ANNA??

[Reply]

[Reply]

@ Prabhat

I think we need to take the positives with us. The tremendous mobilisation the Anna movement managed was a signal to all that the people in the country want positive action on punishing the corrupt.

a) Ultimately Lokpal– whatever version is passed, would mean success. Someting achieved which politicans did not want for 42 years

b) The chances of corrution reducing have increased as the public will resist paying money to get work done, having become more aware of their rights.

[Reply]

=============================================================================
~~ ULTIMATELY THE DANDA & law WILL GET THE HONESTY… LET US ACCEPT THAT ~~ ~~
============================================================================

I dont think Indians as a race are genetically programmed to be dishonest ! Let us face it, it is the lack of clear punishments which drives many to ask for bribes. In case the laws were in place and punishment swift and exemplary, many potential bribe seekers would rather save their jobs than take a risk.

A strong Lok Pal bill would induce the MPs and CMs to think twice before they ask for ghoos. They would still probably do it, but not openly and maybe a lot less.

That in turn would send a signal to the bureaucracy…

[Reply]

Raju Kurien ko gussa kyon aata hai. what buddy, noticed you have become angry young man nowadays. Calm down buddy and remove f word from yr dictinery

I liked your list of self made heroes Mishraji- please may I add Milkha Singh and Dara Singh to this list. world champs
and the now much whipped Manmohan Singhji- everyone is too harsh on him but he is good man. everyone from infosys to wipro owe him
KEEP IT COMING DOCTOR SAHEB – THIS SAWABHIMAN INJECTIONS

[Reply]

I will not be surprised to see similar actions against member of the Anna team in near furture.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_more-trouble-for-baba-ramdev-booked-for-suspicious-financial-transactions_1582276

[Reply]

Praveen Singh Aron , Congress MP from Bareily has written that it was a conspiracy of some top Congress leaders , to spoil the prospects of Rahul Gandi becoming PM , behind the messing up of the government’s strategy on handling Anna”s agitation. Now who were the Congress leaders involved , Chidambaram, Kapil Sibal,and Khurshid. To my mind his finger was pointing at Chidamabaram. Khurshid ’s political turf is UP and would not dare to go against Rahul Gandhi . Kapil Sibal , MP from Delhi , entrusted with Telcom also may be beyond suspicion.
Now poor Chidambaram has an old history of getting the blame when things go wrong. I recall when Rajiv Gandhi was PM and Chidambaram then a key advisor as Minister of State for internal security along with Buta Singh as Home Minister and things started going seriously out of hand , Rajiv Shukla , then a Political Correspondent with Sunday/Ravivar magazines had done a cover story , blaming these two along with another ( I am forgetting his name ) for Rajiv Gandhi’s problems.
So is history repeating itself for Chidambaram? …..Could be

[Reply]

@ Shenoy

With Yeddy gone… has the BJP emerged stronger OR weaker after the whole episode?

[Reply]

Where is DR SHAN, he with his pinstriped undies. I am missing him.
Fellow Indian bloggers I need suggestions. I have to give Dr Shan sawabhimaan ka ***** seeing as he is so coconut (brown outside, wannabe white inside) and I thought we could put in some elaichi to give him desi flavour.

please you all send in polite suggestions of what elswe could be added in *****. NO RUDE OR SADISTIC SUGGESTIONS

[Reply]

@Prabhat, Manohar, Vijay, shenoy

what exactly wrong with Kiran bedi antics on stage. just saw a clip on youtube- she insulted MPs by holding a scarf over her face and calling them 2 face
thats all ???

@mishraji- remember another episode from Kiran life. She had taken on the lawyers when their stir in 1980s turned violent. I remember they gheraed her in some room in court and intimidated her by threatening breaking her bones and even raping her.
YES- THEY WERE LAWYERS !!!
Our punjabi kudi has spunk and i hope she has glorious political career ahead of her.

[Reply]

Where is digvinash SIngh these days??/

Our favourite character Digvinash, who finds a RSS hand behind everything is missing from the news.

Is it possible that he got up late in the night in a groggy state… and then looked at his own hands.

And then announced, “Yeh RSS ka haath hai…. is ko punish kar do !,”

And then proceeded to hit his hands on the wall mercilessly…

[Reply]

It is time for India to have ideas/vision focused political parties, than vote bank/special interests..

One thing that is emerging here in US is a sharp polarization between the political parties’ ideologies.. On one side is the Republican Party (and its extreme wing Tea Party) and on the other side is Democratic party (and its far left side of progressives and liberals).

Republican/.tea party is projecting a visin of less (or no) govrnment, “constitution a sthe bible/cannot eb changed or interpreted only one way”, etc. They firmly believe America is God blessed witha unique purpose, and they believe in American “exceptionalism”. They are geerally more religious; with a sizable block of “anti-abortion”, for school prayer etc..

Democratic party believes Govt has a role, there should be social safety netrs, there should be regulations, people (such as students) should be given financial aid etc..

Especially with the financial crisis, thee xtremes of these two visions are in play. At this time, the winner looks like it is going to be republicans… (which is strange, because one would think when things are so bad, people will want more govt!! – part of it is how media plays these, how gullible Americamns are (you are poor because God wants that way — the message of evangelical christians)

The most interesting and intriguing aspect is that these visisons and messages are sort of self perpetuating, and not needing any party spokespersos — no digvinash , no gadkaris.. Party apparatus is weak, and parety presidents basically do not ahve much say or much influence (other than organizing primary schedules)

India should move out of a personality based politics to an idea based politics..

With the growth of middle class, with people getting more educated; BJP shoould position as a clear ideoplogical alternative to “dynastical” congress. BJP should be able to do very well, definitely in futrure elections, if they follow the republican startegy — they generally win presidential ad governor elections more times than democrats, although theer are more registered democrats!

[Reply]

“It’s (Anna Hazare’s movement) somewhat artificial, how can we eradicate corruption? In my case I am a simple woman who wants to reform society. I have no idea about social activists or social workers,” -
Irom Sharmilla
Sharmilla .I am quoting your very valid question in this blog..I have seen very pensive and articulate

[Reply]

@ Shenoy
===========================================================================
~~ ~ WHY UPA MINISTERS DONT DECLARE THEIR ASSETS ~~ ~~
===========================================================================

Knowing our Ministers, I think just the asset statement of the Minister is not the complete picture. As jagan Reddy’s case, DMK cases and Justice Sabharwal the CJI case has shown it is important to have periodic declaration of assets of

a) The Minister and his wife/wives
b) Sons, daughters, son in laws, Brothers, brother in laws
c) growth of companies in which they have shares or are directors

Then only some bigger picture will come out

Regarding the non declaration of assets by UPA MInisters, here is a list of possible reasons

a) The Ministers have become eco friendly and want to save paper so why print the list
b) The Ministers are so poor that they have zero assets
c) They are waiting for royalty statements of books written by their great grandfathers :P

Let us all tick the correct answer. You can also choose two or three answers

[Reply]

contd..
minds here (except the two t urds )..

[Reply]

‘Bloggers et al,.Despite the claims of rather limited intelligence Khap vijay , guys lets admit it India is becoming a bannana republic. all this ho ha about Lokpal , SUCH A WASTE OF TIME AND ENERGY,
yet reflect on the news “CBI is going to exonerate most of them in the 2G scam. ” Whereas discuss the ways and means to take india forward WHAT FALTU BAKWAS , only NAAREY BAZI.
Also india is such a FRINGE player in global geopolitics.
LIBYA never figures in Indian TV’s. Just reflect who the BIG Mawali (UK) managed the kick gaddafi out.
The leader of the Transitional Council said the other day IN UNEQUIVOCAL TERMS , THOSE WHO HAS HELPED US WILL GET ALL THE CONTRACT FOR REBUILDING THE COUNTRY.
India was supporting Gaddafi. Also now it is becoming clearer , MASSIVE OIL is going to be pumped out in the north .THIS IS THE REASON BALWINDER AND MISHRA TOOK BRITISH PASSPORT IN NO TIME . this is the reason why UK can afford comprehensive socialsecurity.
Kick Khap Vijay THE PHONEY POSER , embrace the viewpoint of true patriot rational SHAN

[Reply]

@ Dr Death

You have fallen into the British Sewer system. But you seem to be smiling…. after all the sewage is the produce of the whiteman !!

l l l l L ;P
L
L
L <————– Dr Death rolling into the sewer
L
L
L
— – — — – — – — — — — – — — — — — — — – — — — – – ( SEWER LEVEL)
_- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – — – - – — — — – - – — – -
— – - – - — – - – — – - — – - — ;P — – - – — – - – - Dr death smiling….

l l l l
l l l l
== ==
== ==

[Reply]

I think Modi is fighting on something tha may do harm to him.

This lokayukta controversy/governor recall etc will appeal only to ‘constititionaL” guys (like the anti-Anna; but in Modi’s case the anti-Anna people obvioously will not support him).

He should have just let it go, and put an enforceable and “spiable” “Lakshman rekha” around her..

This controversy will make him look like he wants to cover up something; will take the news focus away from corruption, and eventually will affect him/BJP.

No need to manufacture controversies..

[Reply]

@ Binoy

Interesting analysis !! Somewhere a two party system has its advantages. however I dont see that happening in India too soon.

I am also hopeful that some day, parties would look beyond the boundaries of left and right and embrace rational thought as an ideology.

The US in most part is still the democratic ideal for many a nation. Yet somehwere it seems to be groping for its own leadership. For example free markets, the cornere stone of its internaional policy has resulted in China using its totaltarian system to capture the markets of US and most other countries…

Still, intersting times ahead..

[Reply]

Shan

Please accept my apology for the delay in responding to your lovely post about Italy. I have been busy at work, and last night was pub quiz night at my local.

Whilst I have been to Italy a few times, they have been short day trips on business, and all of them to Milan.

Milan being a Northern Italian city it is not typical of the rest of Italy, but that does not take anything away from its own charm and beauty.

I was lucky enough to have been invited to an Opera, which I really enjoyed. The music was grand and the experience was grander still.

We did go into the mountains for dinner which was fantastic, the style of food was based on home cooking rather than restaurant style.

You are correct in saying that Italy has so much to offer in terms of History, Architecture, Music, Street Culture, Shopping and above all fantastic food. I bought cheese that had been matured for a year of so in a cave. It was very strong and worked well both as “cheese & biscuit” as well as an ingredient in a sauce for pasta.

You will never get tired of going to Italy.

[Reply]

“I have been busy at work, and last night was pub quiz night at my local.”

Is it?
“I have been busy at mosque, and last night was eid feast night at my local.”

[Reply]

ANGLO FRENCH BACKSTABBING”””””

Gaddafi did some good for his country- healthcare, education and futuristic irrigation projects. To break the hold of the stifling isolation of his country, he paid a very heavy price- 2.7 billion dollars @ 10 million dollars per family of Lockerbie.
He gave contracts worth billions after that to western companies. He gave up Al Meghrahi for a trial- the guy got convicted on very flimsy grounds- THE MAIN MALTESE WITNESS SAID THE SUSPECT WAS 50 YEARS OLD AND DARK SKINNED, Maghrahi was 35 then and pale skinned.

So Libya did all this even when there is a possibility that they did not do Lockerbie.

Tony Blair and many other Euro heads wined and dined at Gadafi’s hospitality. But when the Arab spring spread, then effectively the west fuelled a bloody civil war-

if Libya had been an exporter of cotton, then it would not have attracted so much attention. The vulgarity and immorality of it all is sickening

[Reply]

LOCKERBIE AND BHOPAL”””””””’

anyone see the irony? If 10 million dollars per family was justified for Lockerbie families, then why not a similar amount for the victims of Union Carbide? Or did I miss something ?

I am missing the silence of the worshippers of the ‘west’ so widely prevalent in life and on this blog.

There was a documentary on Bhopal. One of the victims, a scholarship student was blinded as he was studying for his MBBS entrance test. He leads a miserable life now, and reported that his own son now had to drop out of school and become a waiter inthe dhaba.

Forget 10 million dollars, this family would have been happy with one lakh !!

[Reply]

interesting views on india/china from each other

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/01/business/global/india-looks-to-china-as-an-economic-model.html

[Reply]

Kejriwal and the Congress sarkar

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/On-eve-of-Anna-fast-I-T-dept-asked-Kejriwal-to-pay-dues-of-Rs-9-lakh/articleshow/9828654.cms

NEW DELHI: Anna Hazare’s chief aide Arvind Kejriwal was slapped a notice by the Income Tax department asking him to pay dues of more than Rs 9 lakh a week before the Gandian was to launch his fast and at a time when Team Anna was engaged in a high voltage clash with the government.

The I-T department — that has still not accepted Kejriwal’s resignation from the Indian Revenue Service tendered in February 2006 and continues to recognize him as a government servant — has held that he violated bond conditions. His resignation, according to the government, can only be accepted once the dues are cleared.

Kejriwal has denied this contention saying he had not violated any conditions and questioned the timing of the notice which he said was being hastily pursued after a lull of over two years.

In a reply submitted on Thursday to the department, the anti-corruption campaigner said he had not violated any bond conditions. He said the bond he signed only said that he should not resign or retire during the period of study leave, stressing that he had not violated either of the conditions.

The I-T department has accused Kejriwal of not returning to government service after the sanctioned study leave. It has demanded that he return two years’ salary amounting to Rs 3.50 lakh and interest accumulated so far of Rs 4.16 lakh. Kejriwal had also taken a computer loan of which Rs 50,000 was due and interest accumulated amounted to Rs 1 lakh.

In his reply, Kejriwal said, “I wish to state I have not violated any bond condition… The bond says that I will have to pay the penalty… in the event of my failing to resume duty or resigning or retiring from service or quitting service without returning to duty after the expiry or termination of period of study leave or failing to complete the course of study at any time within period of 3 years after my return from duty.”

Kejriwal said he took study leave from November 1, 2000 to October 31, 2002 and joined back work on November 1, 2002. “I completed three years in October 1, 2005 and I resigned only in February 2006. There is no question of my violating any bond conditions,” he said. He was on unpaid leave between 2004-2006.

He also said that communications had been sent to the I-T department asking it to cut the computer loan amount pending against his GPF. “I have in my correspondence to the department
attached copies of my bank statements clarifying that I have no money and the dues can be recovered from my GPF. I have not violated any bond conditions but even if I have, the department has the power to waive off the dues as I have been working in public interest,” he said.

——————————————————————————————————–
Kejriwal , could have minted millions as an IRS officer. He is penniless today and hounded by the congressi sarkar. I assume he is not married for if you have duties towards your wife and children, it would be almost impossible to do what he has done.

[Reply]

well Prabhat at best comes accross as Digvijay Singh’s pimp, peddler or apologist. Indian politics is full of cretins like him and that may be the most charitable thing you may be able to say about such characters !

[Reply]

Manohar_T,

Your friend, Prabhat called Advani a dog.

And you asked me, “If indeed he had called Advani names, did you take up the matter with him then and told him about his unacceptable language?”

Actually, as is felt by many here, Prabhat speaks for Vinod Sharma as a proxy, I expected Vinodji himself to pull the proxy up for “bad language”.

See, how he pulled up Vijay Kumar for a joke he cracked at Shaan Nirad Babu:
“@Vijay Kumar
What kind of a language is this Vijay? Pl don’t repeat such expressions”:-Vinod Sharma.

Since the proxy called Advani a dog, I kept quiet, thinking that that is the “editorial policy” of this blog;
If Shaan is called a dog, it must be protested and if Advani is called a dog, it is kosher.

[Reply]

Balwinderji,

you said, “”MANOHAR- WAIT TO HEAR ABT YR COMMENT ON HER NAUTANKI, WAS IT THAT BAD?”

When Sushmaji danced at Rajghat to the tune of a patriotic song, these same congressie trolls screamed murder and sedition and blasphemy and what not. Now hey are doing the same to Kiran Bedi.

[Reply]

===========================================================================
~ ~~ BERLOSCONI– THE AMAR SINGH DAHLA OF ITALY — PIMPED FOR GADAFFFI ~~
===========================================================================

Prabhat and Vinod Sharmaji… please dont haul me for moral turpitude, I can quote the Guardian and the Indian Express !!

Would you believe, the Amar Singh Dahla look alike from Europe, Silvio Berloscuni, acted as a PIMP for Gadaffi by supplying him girls and also girls to his rivals in the African Union to buy them off thru pleasure !!

While Gadaffi used these girls and also said he would want to convert them and at least 500 Italian girls EVRY WEEK !!

News on this can be checked from the Guradian, the Indian Express, and many GORA newspapers. Obviously it was all about foreign policy being sold for money, sex and convienience. It is difficult for me to give the links, as I am on a notbook in my Safari.

Just trype out Gaddafi, Sex, Berlusconi and get the LURID details from google.

Yeh Italian itne gir gaye kya ????

Mere Bharat wasiyon… hum ko aisa nahi girna….

Neither should we get swept away thinking that Goras have better character than us Indians.. that Whiltes ki chamchagiri mein hi jeevan hai.

Swabhimaan SWABHIMAAN…..

[Reply]

well, a controversy is “rocking’ my state Kerala now.

wikileaks has revealed that the Muslim League strong man ad the defacto chief mi ister, Kunjali Kutty, has been an active supporter of the banned NDF. NDF has links to many terrorist activities..Apparently Dr Munir, a Muslim leagyue leader ad the so of the respected late CH Mohamed Koya disclosed these to the US embassy people…………….

Kunjalikutty was involved in a “women” case, including the mysterious deat of two women — “ice cream parlour case” .. now this revelation….. funny thing is that Congress cannot do anything because theer wont be a ministry without muslim league support….

[Reply]

The events of the last 2-3 days show that , the macho Salman Khans of the Congress Party have again started flexing their filmy 6 pack muscles. So the Delhi Police saying that the Shanti Bhushan CD is not tampered. A news release that Arvind Kejriwal owes some 8-9 lacs to the govt. A case under FEMA filed against Baba Ramdevji.
Now the Police Commissioner of Delhi is a good man ( I believe a fellow alumnus of the Allahabad Univ.). So he puts on his helmet and bullet proof vest and then rains lathis on sleeping men women and children in the middle of the night at Ramleela ground and is now busy defending himself in the SC. In the “Cash for Votes” scam he files a case against the BJP MPs for entrapment. Now that would mean everytime the CBI traps a corrupt person by handing over signed currency / or laced with chemicals , they shall also be booked for entrapment. The Shanti Bhushan CD report is base on forensic reports from Delhi and some unheard of lab. Earlier it was sent to a govt lab in Chandigarh which had said it was tampered. Mr Vinod Sharma could get his CD verified in a day , just in time for his story but Delhi Police took a couple of months .
So the Salman Khans of the Congress Party are back in action……. Or is it another conspiracy by some to derail the present Congress team….. after all the Controlling Authority of the PM of India now comprises four watchdogs .. Rahul Gandhi , Ahmed Patel, , Antony and Janardan Dwivedi

[Reply]

Prabhat and Shenoy, pl you exchange emails and sort it out. Prabhat you are too anti Shenoy. Illogical for a man who makes good posts otherwise.

You guys almost drowned out 2 imp posts-
1. rajiv telling us how Kejriwal’s hounding has started
2. Mishraji, your posts continue to be BRILLIANT. Linking Lockerbie bombings with pennies paid out for Bhopal victims is JOURNALISM at its best

as Vijay says, your sawabhiman ka injections may even have cured DR SHAN

[Reply]

After looking at this video, I hope Indian techies do not develop self-doubts in their technical abilities.

Vijay learn about the Cloud computing !!!!

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Cloud-computing-is-unreliable-in-a-storm-Anti-graft-crusader-Vishwabandhu-Gupta/articleshow/9833865.cms

[Reply]

Shenoy saab, bhaut vadia bola. I saw the video of Sushma Swaraj doing a harmless thumka and then saw smarmy Digvinash the next day on TV denouncing her dance. That dance connects with her party cadres and aam aadmi like me.
The man costs congress more votes everytime he opens mouth.
Are we surprised that even PC had laughed at joke of him being called PIGVIJAY when mishraji met him. Must be the most frustrating thing in life to be PC and see idiots like Pigvijay and mediocres like Amul Rahul given so much importance
VIJAY- ARE YOU THINKING OF CHANGING YOUR OWN NAME BY DEED POLL cause half of you resides in Digvijay
hehe

[Reply]

@ Balwinder

That is why my poetry guru changed Digvijay’s name to Digvinash !!

[Reply]

~~ THE CONGRESS misuses Govenrment agencies ~~~
=======================================================

This government , more than any other, has used all the CBI, police, IT in the most possible vindictive way.

Kejriwal’s hounding just shows, how low they are willing to fall.

I think in 2014, the people who replace the Congress shoudl start investigating the wealth of Kapil Sibal (500 crores spent in Dubai as Mohan informs), Vadra ( five star hotels and vast tracts of land) , Rahul (surviving very well on royalty of great grandfathers books– which dont sell too well now) and so on….

[Reply]

=============================================================================
~~~ DMK THREAT SCARING GOVERNMENT ? ~~~
=============================================================================

The DMK backing Rajiv Gandhi’s killers may just change the scene on 2G. Soon kani will be free, the probe direction changed towards the NDA and Raja would be only hauled for some bad decision.

THe unfolding events may just be that.

[Reply]

For those who thought i am going to TRADE my rationality and truthfulness with the FAKE or pseudo swabhimaan , this is swabhimaan up yours, perhaps missed what i wrote earlier, here you have it
shan Reply:
September 1st, 2011 at 3:12 am

@RAJEEV , It is happening all over india.all the time. In the west there is lot of prostitution BUT VERY RARELY THE WOMEN’S OWN LOT AND POLICE RAPING THE WOMEN. In this instance INDIA’S SECULAR NATURE IS PRESERVED
of the rapist one is RAM OTHER IS SHARFARAZ. , the victim being a hapless muslim girl from diamond studded behanjee ’s place.
KHAP HYPOCRITE BLACK MONEY VIJAY was lecturing about “Indian Value System”, horse whip is what comes to my mind.,

[Reply]

@Prabhat , INDUSTRIAL FARMING is perfectly feasible in india. The title holders , say thousands adjacent ones , give their land to a corporation , and they get a share of that corporation. Now the whole thing is run in the lines of a corporation. Big bank loans for INDUSTRAIL SCALE fram machinery , AGRO SCIENTIST , Marketing ,and CEO from a business school.
your comment eagerly awaited

[Reply]

~ SCENE II. Nirod Choudhary giggling and smiling as HE SWIMS in white man’s SEWAGE~
=============================================================================

@ Nirodh Chaudhary

In the first scene of our story board, you have fallen into the British Sewer system. But you seem to be smiling…. after all the sewage is the produce of the whiteman !!

Now you are also praying that GOd has given you the opportunity to serve the whiteman and even
made you savour the sewage …

;P
L
L
L Dr Nirodh dancing in joy

[Reply]

Prabhat,
Sometime past halfway through Anna Hazare campaign , Medha Patkar abruptly surfaced in the picture (If I remember the news correctly, she was at the “negotiations” too) . She was nowhere in the picture earlier. Any Idea what could’ve happened ?

[Reply]

sorry DR SHAN, but your answer is breathtakingly stoopid.

In UK,most farmers are well off because their farms are big. But more importanly, agriculture is heavily subsidised by the govt and EU to the tune of billions of euros per year.
Many farmers are actually told to not to grow any crops sometimes and the govt sends up spy planes and uses satelite pics to check on them,
Europe is bloody rich and trying to extrapolate those conditions in India which is dirt poor IS SHEER MADNESS.
PLEASE YOU TRY NOT TO FOOL OTHERS HERE ABOUT UK. Your imbecilic suggestions will drive crores of farmers to more suicides.
GO TO YOUR FLAT AND WRITE 100 TIMES- europe- subsidy- farmers- billions
idiot man

[Reply]

DR SHAN, idiot man- makes terrible mistake and then keeps talking shit

even after they get free water, electricity in India most farmers are very poor
when farmers in UK come to agriculture fairs THEY COME IN LAND ROVERS and other luxury cars

Near Hayes where I live, city councils actually are honest- they like rape seed farms so that when bright yellow flowers appear and countryside looks like jannat paradise- IT BOOSTS TOURISM

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE LIVING OFF EACH hectare in India is about 1000 times more than in UK- till you control population or you provide employment for CRORES in industries, you cannot suggest stooooopid things like-
“”"So all these “postage stamp” title holders can give their land and to good use in the corporation FORMED BY COALESCING ALL THESE TINY HOLDINGS”"”

[Reply]

@ Prabhat

While reorganising farms and getting mechanisation kibbutz style is a good concept, I think India will murder its biggest advantage of having year around fertile soil by genetically modified, heavy pestiscide agriculture.

Even though farming is a hobby, which I inherited, because we happen to own a small farm, I love it.
I once tried seeds from so called international seed company. The result… no seed for the next year. You had to go back to the same company.

I now grow amala, in the family farm. WHo are my buyers? An exporter who sends it to the US, after ascertaining that this is ORGANIC produce.

There is a magical relationship between the soil, the crops and the wind blowing across your face, when you sit in the farm. Only a farmer can understand that….

[Reply]

mahesh/vijay/prabhat et al

Mahesh indicated that 60% peoplel r employed in agriculture..
That is one of our major issues in the persisting levels of poverty ..that 50-60% people support 175 GDP (agricultrure share of GDP is about 15-18%).
The challenge is to increase agriculture output, while also reducing the labour and diverting labour to other areas..Rural employment schemes, planned migration to urban araes, new semiindustrial parks etc will have to eb thought of. 17% GDP cannot support 60%…
(China’s forced movement of people is precisely to solve the issue)

75% of indians are below 30– that is a good demographic, if properly deployed can catapult the country… Congress is feeble outmoded exhausted its cylinders.. I hope BJP can come up with a ation building plank..

[Reply]

============================================================================
~ RUSHING OF TO THE TENNIS COURT– WHY NOT END WITH A SMILE~~~~
============================================================================

We were talking about degress of our leaders. Gopi mentioned that the present generation of Nehru Gandhi parivaar was degree wise challenged…

Ravi promptly quoted the honorary degrees Sonia had…

I am remionded of Pakistan, where there was a legislation that all the Parliament members needed degrees. And of course Pakistan being Pakistan, everyone produced a degree… even Zardari, who by all accounts does not display any gr8 high school intelligence, either !

Needless to say most of the degrees were fake…

But the icing on the cake was when a Senator commented, ” Gal degree di hai… fake ho ya asli… degree toh dgree hai… ”

[Reply]

@ Ravi

have a heart man. Some things need to be taken with jest.

Was just cracking a joke on the real life situation… so take it in that spirit. No hidden agenda…

Now off to tennis… C everyone after 2 hrs…

[Reply]

,

[Reply]

@ doc your comment about Bhopal tragedy really depressed me today- made me angry.
If your figures are true- 10 million dollars for every gora family of Lockerbie, then it makes my blood boil.
we let union Carbide get away with it because 10% of Indian population and 90% of Indian leaders have the following traits( same traits in kilos in body and soul of DR SHAN)

1. Number 1 sirji is gora worship- see the white ar se sucking that shan does. Same with our leaders- koi baat nahin, bengal famine mein 3 million mar gaye, yahan 3 lakh got effected- koi gal nahin.
You can almost hear DR SHAN saying here- but they gave us railways and the English language. yes, the goras are building our highways , schools and apollo hospitals even now !!!

2. No 2 is self hate. We are not united even when it comes to Bhopal. See how DR SHAN behaves here-
islamophobic
casteist-
regionalistic- oh look at bengal intellectuals, I am member of bengal renaissance society etc. idiot does not give full story that kolkata stinks and even today peasants have died of hunger in bengal

3, boasting, sleazy minds, abusing others- our leaders do that. like shan- we have actually heard him talk of SEX LIFE OF HIS UNCLES HERE
AM I THE ONLY ONE HERE WHO SEES SIMILARITIES BETWEEN AMAR SINGH AND SHAN HERE, amar dalla actually gave millions of dollars to Clinton fund- no donations to poor Indians- DR SHAN would have approved
very foul mood today

[Reply]

Ok… back from the game… with a loss…

But good news coming on TV. The nooses is tightening around Amar Singh Dalla… !!

[Reply]

But… The funny part. Amar Singh Dalla will win this. The Congress is afraid of him as he is a blackmailer.

The Congress will now try to punish the Bribe takers calling it a crime !! My god !! Somebody shows the black money paid to him by Amar Singh dalla… and he will be hauled up, but Congress Dhalaji ki puja karegi…

[Reply]

SWABHIMAAN VIJAY KHANNA STYLE IN HIS OWN LAND

*In the same month, Nimriwali village, near Bhiwani (Haryana) witnessed a rarest of rare sights. Two teenagers were seen hanged in the open corridor of the girl’s home. Their bodies clearly showed the scarlet marks of umpteen physical abuses. Their crime was they were in love, but they happened to born in the same clan (Jat). It is not permissible to marry from the same clan as they were considered to be siblings, according to the Khap Panchayath,the informal courts who pass the ‘ultimate judgments’ in the villages of North India.

The bodies were exhibited to show the villagers that the families were cleared off their sin and recouped their lost ‘honour’ by making void an already happened ‘event’.

[Reply]

~~ ~ LATEST PSYCHIATRIC UPDATE~~

Inferiority complexed Nisodh chaudhary has now taken the identity of T U R D Tajendar

[Reply]

Dr.Mishra, Binoy, Vijay Kumar, Rajiv/Rajeev, Balwinderji, Praveen Saxenaji, Gopi, Raju,

There has been a lot of snide remarks about Anna Hazare and his team. Some of the congressie trolls here said, Anna is doomed, one said Anna is corrupt, it is all Kajriwal’s game, Kiran Bedi is only doing nautanki etc., etc.

But, Vijay Kumar said, “I think we need to take the positives with us. The tremendous mobilisation the Anna movement managed was a signal to all that the people in the country want positive action on punishing the corrupt.”.
Well, here is an account of how the congress was humbled, bested, their best were worsted:
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
ANNA MOVEMENT HALLMARK OF GOOD PLANNING
BY VISHWAS KUMAR, NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, BANGALORE (19th August, 2011)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Jan Lokpal Bill movement led by Anna Hazare has almost become a hallmark for good planning and co-ordination. So much so that the mighty government has been outsmarted by the team at every step.
The core team of Anna consists of 12 key members and includes a former law minister, a retired supreme court justice,two senior lawyers, two former bureaucrats and around half a dozenyoung, tech savvy people lookingafter the campaign.
These highly educated and experienced members, supported by a dedicated team of young professionals have contributed to the overwhelming success of the movement. It was the advice of the young members to exploit new age and low-cost technologies such as the immensely popular Twitter, Face book, e-mails, bulk SMS, pre-recorded videos and interactive telephonenumbers, besides various slogans, banners and posters to quick and effective communication to spread the movement’s message all across the country. For instance, the moment Anna was arrested, at Tuesday’s wee hour, a recorded CD with his message saying how the movement should continue in his absence was there on all news channels, leaving authorities dumbfounded.
However, the first step of these members was to establish a new organization with a catchy name,”INDIA AGAINST CORRUPTION” (IAC) in the beginning of the year. A website was also simultaneously launched. The IAC also took a conscious decision to project only Anna to be the face of the movement and carefully built the entire campaign around him without indulging in any self projections.
Since the core team had a mix of young and experienced people, it smartly divided the key works among them. The senior members like father-son duo Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan, a senior supreme court lawyer, sntosh Hegde, a retired SC judge, Kiran Bedi former IPS, and Arvind Kejriwal, former IRS official, worked together endlessly to study anti-corruption legislation world-wide and draft a model of a Lokpal, which they titled ‘Jan Lokpal Bill’. The back-room boys, who are relentlessly putting Anna’s messagees in the public domain are: Shivender Singh Chauhan, a journalist-on-sabbatical, is in charge of writing messages for twitter, face book and mass sms’s; Ankit Lal, a software engineer, in charge of official communications sends off e-mails; Amik Kakkar, a software engineer, is dedicatedly replying to all messages, e-mails, sms etc; Rishikesh Kumar, a senior Dlhi High Court lawyer, takes care of the grass –roots mobilization programmes and is also drafting correspondences with other NGOs for support; Asim Jain, a software designer, is incharge of IVR system and is also involved in technical supports for the IAC’s website.

[Reply]

A nice post by Shenoy

[Reply]

Shan (plus GOPI, Vijay Kumar, RAVI, Prabhat),
Continuing with our earlier discussion on farming……
While I understand the shortcomings of our own age old farming practices , we need to be clear aboyt the whom and what we focussing on.
Sheer productivity in farm output can very well achieved by emulating some of the western practices. However, one also needs to understand the “evolutionary basis” of those practices, in that the in West the farm holding pattern has been radically different. West has had the “industrial revolution” that complemented the emerging capitalist class. Our own reality has been terribly different. The “bare hands sowing” that you allude to is a legacy we are unable to break away with so far. The cycle has been low farm productivity feeding low output, lesser say in the market further fuelling “Sahukar capital borrowing” feeding itself into the low yield trap. Very less room for investing in productivity, you see. Those with very less farm holding feel free to migrate as farm labours. Others, it is a terrible story.
Another concept you sounded out – and that hopelessly got buried in the flame war on this blog – was about “land pooling”. Well, in itself it could be excellent. The underlying principle being the cost of costly resources such as farm equipment (tractors, for instance) could be shared , labour could be shared too. This **could** work well as community farming (Incidentally, Chinese have tried it with some degree of success in veritable forms including communes) . In Maharashtra this was tried to some extent – and with moderate to fair degree of success – as co-operative movement. And yet , the same state of Maharashtra continually witnesses farmer suicides in its Vidarbha region. What does this point to ? My bias still inclines towards accessibility of finance and resources for the farmers.
Again – re-iterating , I agree our farming practices have been age old. And yet – I dis-agree on the focus. The focus , at this point, is not food security. We have it. At least at this point. The focus needs to be the class engaged in farming and its well being. Remember, as GOPI on this blog says, we need to ensure that “half of our population” needs to well fed and sustainably moved out of agriculture. I couldn’t agree more with his template of thinking. But then, again, corporatisation is not the answer. Not in the Indian Context at this point.
- Mahesh.
p.s. for RAVI : I understood the political economy perspective you were trying to bring in with your poser to my post. Try looking up “Sharad Joshi” for his work on farmers movement. Incidentally, his economic leanings rhyme with Milton Friedmanian school of thinking and yet he was immensely popular among farmers – assuredly an underclass then.

[Reply]

Prabhat,
About Medha Patkar – you commented….
“Public adulation can be very intoxicating.
She must have come to wish Anna Hazare and then stayed back after seeing the public response.”
Seriously, I don’t buy into this argument as she has had her own “high point” during “NBA days” that included her being conferred with “Alternate Nobel”.
Secondly, even if she were willing or more than willing – the “core group” needs to be receptive too. So, what gave ?
Perhaps, we both are looking at things differently and may be agreeing on dis-agreement here.

[Reply]

Prabhat,
Another point – about the “farmer finance”.
You pointed out “Mobile Phones” based and other techinical facilitations for the farmers as access.
IMHO, they are still “Banking Access”. Accessible to any lay-person, including farmers. What are “financial products” for farmers ? Farm Insurances ? Zero Percent Loans ? Climate and farm produce hedges ? Are we talking about them yet ? Are farmers using them ?
Also, traditionally PSU Banks would be expected to extend finances to farmers. Given that there share in farm lending may actually have gone down , who is filling in the gap ?

[Reply]

Watch how Congressis are claiming that it was Anna who lost-

http://khabar.ibnlive.in.com/videos/58994

This is the exact mentality of congressis (read corrupt) Mahesh, Prabhat & Manohar.

[Reply]

Friends
Phir wahi Shaam, wahi Gam, wahi tanhai hai
Dil ko bahalane teri yaad chali aayi hai.
This being friday evening, at loss to know, what to do. Though, I am not far off from Hollywood, but do not feel like going anywhere, except my room. Can not drink too much today, as early morning flight can not be missed.last week, as usual, watched the exchanges from side line.
One addition here, from Akbar Allahabadi:
Ham un Sab Kitabon ko, kabil e Zabti Samajhte hain
Jinhe padh padh kar bacche, Ma Baap( elders) ko Khabti Samajhte hain.

[Reply]

Another Sher, Anna ke Naam. Agar yeh Anshan fail bhi ho jaaye to.

Girte hain shah Sawar hi, Maidan e Jang main
Woh Tifl kya girenge jo Ghutne ke bal chalte hain.

Mahesh: Ghore ke paaon main, marathas, Chaandi ka kada Kab aur kyon pahanate the?

[Reply]

@Mahesh, Maharashtra is a glaring example which shows JUST A TINY MODERN AND SCIENTIFIC APPROACH CAN USHERIN REVOLUTION. As you aware the guy Shyam Chowgule , suddenly got this bug about WINES. He studied the meteroelogical data of last 150 yrs in Nasik. apparently it is similar to south of France. Then as they say, rest is history. Initially he had some problem , the grape quality was not up to champagne standard , apparently the drop in night temperature was not that rapid. Some how they managed to overcome that and I as my patriotic duty presented a bottle of OMAR KHYAAM wine (it is actually champagne , but cannot be called as such as it is not from france) to my then consultant Mr Robert Thomas in wales.
Next I read recently the book “India , a portrait of billion people” by Patrick French, He mentions another guy who returned from USA , and then took up a wasteland , cleared it , got french expert for grapes , and soil experts and agro scientist and has apparently transformed the area. The guys who did subsistence farming joined his venture and as per the book sends his son and daughter to ENGLISH MEDIUM SCHOOL.
My logic is simple , what is the role of the land TO PRODUCE FOOD, so we need to see whatever brings highest yield.Also soil care should be much better if done scientifically with crop rotation , mathematically dosed application of fertilisers , more organic fertilisers etc.

[Reply]

Dr Pankaj, welcome back.

@Balwinder and Mahesh- some very cutting stuff on agriculture.

Praaji, you were spot on. In India no one has an idea of just how much farming is subsidised in Europe- OVER 50 BILLION EUROS per year. Yes siree. The west beats the whole world and China around the head about their protected markets, but is actually very clever about how they manage their own.
These subsidies are an international disgrace and hurt third world farmers. Do not forget that the AVERAGE size of a farm in UK is over 50 hectares!!!! And Balwinder is accurate if a bit incoherent in his anger ( Raju Kurien & Ballu ko gussa kyon aata hai ? lol) when he says-

the only way this farming revolution got started was to get EVERYONE ON BENEFITS AND FREE HOUSING

[Reply]

Mishraji;
Nothing to do with this debate, but average Punjabi farmer in California, BC, Indiana, and other such states have more than 10000 acres of land and one sikh farmer, from California is, Blue Berry king of world. Size does matter. Shan is right to an extent that postage stamp size plots can only generate misery. keep farmers impoverished, hold back to village and such things.However, solution is evading him and all of us. Till few years back, or even now, Canada was offering 100 hectares of farming land free to every immigrant farmer, fulfilling certain conditions, one of them was knowledge of english with some money to sustain himself for initial few months. Many gujarati, punjabi, farmers have opportunity to do contract farming in Africa and latin America. But, we can not transform this into an opportunity to our farmers, given dismal condition, educationally, financially and healthwise. some cooperative effort is attractive but can it be free of corruption, red tapism, will they not be exploited further??what about emotional attachment? Purkhon ki Jameen etc and ultimate security. If you can see, try : Do Beegha Jameen: of Balraj Sahani, and that will show the attachment, a farmer has to his land or Mother India. Digressing. Monday onwards will have better opportunity to interact.

[Reply]

I do hope Anna movemet ca be a decisivve forcce in Indiabn politics; rather than an appendix..

Unfortunately Indian politicians wouldnt act unles stheer is a force threatening their seat..

Anna ’s movement is really a verdict on last 60 plus years of “independence’.. How can a democratic country be so cut off from its people..Or is it because the partie s have carved out their voting block thatw ay theyd o not have to care about others….

[Reply]

@ Gopi

Be pepred for disappointment.

The government is now going to back the DMK and karuna and through the blaome on the NDA.

Team ANNA would be abused and CBI used to harass all of them…

Yeh High command ka command hai…

[Reply]

So finally the ” loyalists of the promoter family” … “the dabangs” of the Congress party, have now taken over. They fly ,meet the villains mid-air , strike them down and come back , their sun-glasses in place. …The authority of the Congress Party and its Promoter family has to be restored at any cost . The damage done by Manmohan Singh has to be undone . …In any case he is expendable.. if he creates a problem… eent ka jawab paththar se dena hai…
Manish Tewari goes back to the standing committee. Arvind Kejriwal gets Notice. Shanti Bhushan’s CD is untampered. Prashant Bhushan gets notice of breach of priviledge. So does Kiran Bedi. FEMA case against Baba Ramdev. Vote for cash … FIR filed in 2009 …do nothing … SC gives a boot …file report ….blame BJP MPs..
The Empire is truly striking back
Sonia Gandhi still unwell …may not come back soon….Sharad Pawar getting ideas…. cut him to size ….. test the waters …. bring Sports Bill.
Is it war out there ? could be …

[Reply]

Praveen Sahab;
Aap bade wo ho. Rahul aur uski Shaadi ka varnan jo Aapne kiya, mujh jaise kamine ko bhi hans te hans te thaka diya. Kya kaha tha? Bobby darling ke babat? Ek bar phir kaho na!!!
Pahile, Paani chhidka jayega jameen par, Phir Shamiyana lagega. Log safed Jhak Kurte Pajame pahane honge. Gulab jal aur Itra chhidka jayega, Boondi ke ladoo batenge, Banne gaye jayenge. Kya karte hain Aapp, phir Bachpan main le gaye mujhe?

[Reply]

Private industry will teach GOI””””””””’

Wonderful debate into the farming crisis in India. Vijay thanks for your input- only 40,000 rs per acre in average farming- tells a story. Like I said before average size of farm in UK is 50 hectares !!

But friends, India is changing so rapidly that even media or leaders cannot keep abreast with all the changes. Last month ran into an old friend- Harsh Mishra- his father used to teach us at AIIMS. Harsh was a good student, not excellent.

Now,we can only admire his stupendous career. As global head of Adani, the man is pulling off astounding deals in Australasia. His own salary is obscene- I shalkl not repeat it for it depresses me haha.

But check this sample of what he achieves- http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/bisindonesia/indias-adani-to-invest-16b-in-s-sumatra-coal-railway/392884
Now if Govt learns from these global players, while keeping a healthy check on them, these pvt companies can HELP IN THE INDUSTRIALISATION OF INDIA, MOP UP 300 MILLION FARMERS OFF THE LAND, ALLOW COALESCING OF SMALL FARMS as Vijay suggested- will take 50-100 years.
Europe did not become affluent overnight.

[Reply]

Mishraji;
I believe, 90% of bloggers here had ancestors, who were farmers. My Grand Father, who was a jagirdar and had many Gaon as his Jameendari, when died, my father, who was coming of age, gave up those villages, a communist minded person, though all his communist friends became capitalists in later years, he did not accept compensatrion from GOI, as he said, I do not till land, so I do not have right on it. It is different matter, that his sons, all of them professionals and had a decent and respectable life. So, Education, Industrialization and population control is key to success. who will cut this Gordian knot,. do not know.

[Reply]

@ Dr mishra

I think toursim development along coastal areas could be one way to get more people into alternate vocations.

By the way your sailing video has inspired me. Now looking for a way to start….

[Reply]

Of to site. But just posting an email I recieved :

=============================================
INDIA AGAINST CORRUPTION :d
=============================================

Releasing Shortly Multi Billion $ Small Budget Film

“LOOT LE INDIA ”

Producer : Ambani Bros,
Director : Sonia & Sharad
Hero : Manmohan Singh.
Villian : Baba Ramdev & Anna Hazare
Supporting cast : Ashok Chavan, A Raja , D Maran , Kanimohzi & Kalmadi
Comedy : Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rahul Gandhi, Digvijay Singh
Guest Appearance : S Balwa
Script : Karunanidhi
Choreography : Supreme Court & Subramanian Swamy
Action : Delhi Police,
Stunts & Inaction ; CBI, ED
Music : Neera Radia
Noise ; J Natarajan, M Tiwari, A Singhvi
Media Partners : Sun TV, Kalaignar TV
Banking Partners : Hasan Ali, S Balwa
Shot at locales in Switzerland, Cayman Islands , Tihar,

Tickets printed by TELGI
No e tickets please Please Keep forwarding…. Till this reaches to all Indians and public will throw all these shameless people out..

[Reply]

Vijay;
You irreverant Rascal, do not you have respect for anybody?

[Reply]

@ Pankaj

not really !

[Reply]

Some incredibly IGNORANT people , can’t seem to understand a simple point. Pay Subsidy and the FOOD WILL DROP FROM THE SKY. No wonder I loose my rag with these imbeciles. UK was a PERPETUAL FOOD IMPORTER BEFORE ww2. The whole transformation of Europe is only 50 yrs old.
Clowns should read book by Knut Hansun , the norwegian writer. The title of the book is not called” THREE IDIOTS c on the blog ” IT IS CALLED HUNGER , AND IT IS NOT ABOUT iNDIA , it is about Norway.In 1942 , the coroner of London recorded the cause of death of a women with nine children in the slums of East London , as due to HUNGER., and not pneumonia. 4 million people immigrated from SWEDEN to USA in 1860 or so. They were not missing Yankee Doodle , they went because things were that bad.
INDIA ALSO GIVES MASSIVE SUBSIDY TO FARMING , IN THE WAY OF FREE ELECTRICITY ,FREE WATER AND FREE INCOME TAX ON AGRICULTURAL EARNING.
In Europe Agricultural earning IS NOT TAX EXEMPT.

ALSO CLOWNS REFLECT ON THIS Wheat output UK 8tons/hectare India 3tons/hectare
Rice Japan 6tons/hectare India 2 tons/hectare
Another CLOWN suggested india’s soil is fertile ,NO IT IS NOT EXCEPT GANGETIC DELTA.
This issue has been dealt extensively by GUNNAR MYRDAL in his seminal work ASIAN DRAMA.
THIS MAY BE ONE REASON FOR LOW PRODUCTIVITY, also these lands has been tilled for 2000yrs , JUST LIKE A WOMEN PRODUCING 14 CHILDREN , NOT MUCH SEX APPEAL IS LEFT.
So Genetic Engineering is the ONLY WAY which will reduce water demand and pesticide and fertiliser demand.
BENGAL RENAISSANCE IS STILL ALIVE

[Reply]

Mishraji, you linked the pain of our homeless farm labourers with this immortal song- “”"rehne ko ghar nahin hai, saara jahan hamara. Hindustan hamara.”"”

And once again, thanks for sharing input of your friend Harsh. As Shenoy ji said, you move in circles we mortals can only dream of. Keep it coming sirji

Dr Pankaj, yes- Do bigha zameen – when Harsh Mishra and Tata change the world, we will look back at these hard times and marvel the human spirit survived.

@shan- not angry with you now, but u come on blog and boast -”"”join the farms, get machines”"” as if it was genius comment. It took the others to come up and point the obvious-
-population explosion of poor in India
-what to do with 30 crore poor once farms join up
- 50 billion euro subsidy in Europe

its a weekend. go out in the sun DR SHAN, make friends ( you by yr own admission do not have any), find a wife ( you are 34 and still single)- stop this pointless blogging- u got nothing new to say puttar

[Reply]

Again IDIOT SHAN misleads-
he implies UK was poor in 1940. Do I even have to answer this most brainless comment.
My first house was bought in Osterley in west London. It was built as an estate (ie all houses identical) in 1934. The size of each back garden was 80 foot deep.
Now I know what you are thinking- it was rich area. No fellow bloggers- the title deed shows the house cost £ 1500 and the owner was a teacher in local comprehensive govt school. That was how advanced UK was in those days, partly because of loot of colonies.
In 1934 India was heading for a famine that cost 3 million lives.
SHAN YOU ARE f *** stoopid, do not mislead Indians

[Reply]

IDIOT SHAN- READ ON-
BBC archives show a road traffic safety film in black and white, shot in 1939. It shows a lowly traffic policeman IN A VILLAGE- leaving his house to enforce traffic. You see him having over healthy breakfast ( more calories than a poor Indian gets in a whole week) and leaving a house with garden- you can see the smoke coming out of chimney.
YOU AMSOLUTE MORON shan- that was the life of a lowly constable in a village in UK in 1939
poverty of Indian levels in UK !!!!!!!!!!!!

HEAVEN HELP ME THIS BOY IS MORE THAN STOOPID- he is a lunatic, what garbage he speaks

[Reply]

ALSO u lied– Dr SHAN is it ??
many on this blog before wondered if u really r a doc
i googled mr robert thomas in cardiff- DOES NOT EXIST

ALSO, junior docs in uk train in ‘rotations’ = u r on a rotation in kent.
how did cardiff come about
YOUR LIES GOT CAUGHT

[Reply]

Prabhat, Vijay Kumar,

“The Congress is now raking up these charges against Mr. Hazare but it did not proceed on Justice Sawant’s report. The Task Force reversed the Commission of Inquiry’s report and it gave a clean chit to all the Ministers who were under the lens and Mr. Hazare as well. The charges against Dr. Padamsinh Patil were diluted, though the Task Force recommended some investigations. The State government was still not satisfied with this and appointed yet another committee headed by Advocate-General Ravi Kadam to give its views in January 2006 but nothing has come of that too.

[Reply]

friends,

Only married men gain weight Why?
Bachelors go to fridge find nothing interesting, go to bed
Married men go to bed, see nothing interesting,go to fridge and eat.

[Reply]

folks

The biggest joke of the day is that Sharad Pawar has only Rs 12 crores ad Maran only R 3 crores of assets..

I now respect Jagan reddy who was bold enough to state he has RS 290 crores..

[Reply]

@Mahesh, A fact , in the way of an anecdote.During Indira Gandhi Garabi Hatao era , there was a policy decision to divert all lending to farmers away from industry. Now Marwaris are the not the ones to take things lying down. So they came up with an elaborate scam. With the connivance of BANK MANAGER(a la shenoy type) , POLITICIAN IN DELHI , they showed on paper all money given to Tobacco Farmers in andhra Pradesh. Next they got all the farmers (30,000) to sign away ( thumb print)a document LOANING MONEY TO THIS MARWARIS. so the money straight to marwaris WITH CUT FOR SHENOY AND AMAR SINGH. nOW THE FARMERS CAN NEVER PAY BACK , ENTER LOAN MELA WAIVER.This is a fact relayed to me by my relative , who used to work in a high position in the marwari’s company.EXACT SIMILAR THING IN A DIGFFERENT HUE IS SHOWN BY SHYAM BENEGAL IN HIS FILM ” Well Done Abba” starring Bomman Irani .

[Reply]

Vij/mahesh /prabhat et al

two views on seeds …..Atlantic Monthly has done detailed review of food security over the years;

http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/03/the-battle-for-biodiversity-monsanto-and-farmers-clash/73117

[Reply]

I have been thinking of why Anna faced opposition from some corners that should be his natural alles — Guhas, Roys, Chawdhris….

Then it dawned on me — how did this retired truck driver outsmart annd outfox these Harvardies…suddenly their opinions are not sought; things are going autopilot…

And theyr eact — how dare you??? So it is not just the political class…

[Reply]

Vij/Semoy/Prabhat

So this breach motion on Bhushan — is this a part of a grand strategy on UPA or another overerach without any underlying plan..

Looks like they are digging deeper their own grave if this is a part of a plan…

[Reply]

@ Gopi

Very interesting article. I have some interest in the matter.

The basic issue issue is going against the order of nature in a lust for corporate profits. So dont let some idiots spewing out some scientific formulae fool you. I am an engineer with a deep abiding love for physics and ecology and always try to simply matters by putting them in a easy prose.

There is a war going on against hunger and also a war of corporate profits. We need to win both. BUT GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD is not the way to go.

Scientists obsessed with profits even put ANIMAL genes into plants to get a bigger produce.

Herbivorous cattle were fed with Cattle meat, making them CARNIVOROUS and CANNIBALS, resulting in the mad cow disease.

There are many diasters happening in the farms for profit. Monsanto is not the final word. We may require sceintific seed modification for NON FOOD items like say cotton.

But to do it for rice, wheat, fruit and vegetables is not only stupidity, it is downright madness. We may be opening the floodgates of a thousand new diseases and slo eradicating out biodiversity in this mad race of monocultures.

Tomorrow the food scienitst may well take out a gene from an elephant and put it in corn. Not funny, becasue bovine genes are already being used.

We may be writing the final epitaph for our race, if this is done.

[Reply]

@ Gopi

To draw a parallel, the nuclear scientists who made the bomb, opened a pandora’s box. The two bomb’s unleashed on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were debatable as WW2 was almost over.

Ten years down the line, probably every small terror group in Pakistan will be having a bomb,

Who won?

[Reply]

Pankaj ji,

you sang, :

“Chin-o-Arab hammara, hindustan hammara
Rehne ko ghar nahin hai sara jahan hammara.”

The Chinese have been singing all these years:

chheena zameen India se ladke
liya zameen Pakistan se hanske

diya Pakistan ko bum na phatnewala
becha sare duniya ko cheezen na chalnewala

[Reply]

Mahesh,

you asked,

“Prabhat,
Sometime past halfway through Anna Hazare campaign , Medha Patkar abruptly surfaced in the picture (If I remember the news correctly, she was at the “negotiations” too) . She was nowhere in the picture earlier. Any Idea what could’ve happened?”

I think I have the answer:

Medha Patkar entered the ‘picture’ just when the gaddar in saffron clothes, Swami Agnivesh was on his way out, having been “discovered”

[Reply]

Shenoy Sahab;
Thanks for your comments. It is important for me to have your approval in my writing style. Aap to Guru ho. Not very tech savvy, could not understand the difference between blog and facebook, though have a face book account and invite you to be there.
As I said, on work trip, hence, can indulge only in trivia. Kya kahate hain? Thoda sa Mansik Maithun ho jata hai, bed main to interest raha nahin. Not gaining weight, as fridge main bhi interest nahin hai. Though removed from Farms in India, still have relatives, who work the land and feel bad about the plight of our farmers. Detail posts some time later.

[Reply]

Billionaire Virgin business group boss Richard Branson has offered to sponsor the Indian cricket team currently reeling after a string of tournament defeats.

However, the Board of Control for Cricket of India (BCCI) has politely refused the generous multi-million-pound offer by the cricket-mad magnate.

As one of the Board official snapped: “We can’t have VIRGIN written on our shirts, when we’re getting screwed in every match in England”!

[Reply]

A good one .
Thanks

[Reply]

There has been discussion about increasing farm yields and various suggestions have been put forward.

My personal view is that we need a comprehensive approach to improve the lot of the rural poor and also increase the agriculture yield.

1) The means to achieve the is via co-operatives.
2) The rural areas need to divided into a blocks of say 100 to 120 sq. km – to reach the economies of scale.

Within each block, the following need to be set up –

3) Education
a) several primary schools evenly spread b) perhaps 1, 2 to 3 high schools – depending upon the requirements. c) college(s).
Agricultural studies should be in the priority list of subjects.

4) Health
a) several primary health centres b) 1 or 2 or more general hospitals

5) Infrastructure (especially water security).

6) The villages in the block should establish a co-operative as an umbrella body – committee members drawn from the panchayats

Some of the functions

a) to oversee the above
b) to encourage the small land-holders to join up for better yields, etc.
c) to induct methods and systems to increase the yield of the local produce.
c) to promote and market goods/produce of the area.
d) to act as guarantor for the bank loans to the farmers and others.

[Reply]

@ manohar

Interesting suggestions.

I think we would need Anna Hazare type of Sarpanch at every village to see this thru. Villagers are still divided by caste and religon.

However as I see it, profits accruing directly to their account can be a good motivator.

[Reply]

————————————————————————————————
How a army commander is making a difference in Kashmir
————————————————————————————————

This is a great story about how individuals can have a great impact. The fact that Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain is the first Muslim general to commandeer 15 Corps , Kashmir also shows the strength of India’s diversity.

http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?278168

Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain is the first Muslim general to commandeer 15 Corps
Soon after taking over in Dec 2010, he declared 2011 to be the `Year of the Kashmiri Awam’
The general began Awami Sunwais all across to assess and address people’s grievances
He has also organised seminars where college students, youth and citizens were invited
This summer, the army held 300 matches between 193 teams of the first Kashmir Premier League T20 tournament.
***

At last, the army seems to be getting something right in Kashmir. After two decades of using the jackboot, brutal excesses and an indifferent attitude towards the collective anger of the Kashmiris against the men in uniform, a general has taken it upon himself to sensitise his force to the Kashmiris and assure the latter in the process that the army can be their friend, not foe. That his is a Muslim name is a relevant fact, but only just. With militancy ebbing and even separatists favouring peaceful mass agitations over violence, the army too has altered the whole tone and tenor of its engagement with Kashmiris, using an unexpected new weapon in its arsenal: a respectful humanism. Ergo ‘Ji Janaab’, a doctrine designed to project a more friendly face of the armed forces. It’s at play everywhere: at the roadside security barrier, in the conduct of a speeding army convoy, indeed in all areas of the army’s interface with civilians.

It was in December 2010 that Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain, an old Kashmir hand, took charge of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps which controls all military operations in the Valley. Almost immediately, he declared 2011 to be the ‘Year of the Kashmiri Awam (People)’ during which the army would devote itself to the welfare of the people and be more humane. The first indication of getting his priorities right lay in Hasnain’s change of the army slogan: from ‘Jawan aur awam, aman hai muqam (for the jawan and the people, peace is the goal)’ to one that put ‘awam’ before ‘jawan’ to become ‘Awam aur jawan, aman hai muqam’.

Many initially felt the change to be just cosmetic. It would take more than a play of words for the Kashmiris to view the army differently, and infinitely much more to learn to trust it. But the army had made its first sensible move in appointing a Muslim general after 20 years, Lt Gen M.A. Zaki being the last to hold office in the 1990s. The Muslim credentials go way beyond cynical tokenism; it offered a shared cultural vocabulary. To be fair, in less dire times, a non-Muslim might have managed equally well but in an atmosphere of accumulated fear and mistrust, it had a disarming potential. What worked in the end was not the tag but the man—Hasnain’s genuine efforts struck a chord with Kashmiris and made them willing to give the man in uniform a chance after having held him in contempt for years.

……. more at outlook

( One thing for sure. I have read the website greaterkashmir.com for many years. Upto just couple of years ago, it used to be a tool for the anti-India propogandists. Over last couple of years, I see a change in their coverage and tenor, which is no longer as virulently anti-India. May be its reflecting the realities on the ground with Kashmir being almost the most peaceful state in India in last 1 year.
)

Any way, wish the general all the success.

[Reply]

@ Manohar and Dr mishra

Docotr Sahab since you were interested in knowing the reason the farmer is a loser in the present system, let me give you a big one.

LACK of cold storage and cold storage trucks. I have seen so much produce go waste in transportation. And seen so mauch produce ruined because it starts rotting, the moment the fruit / vegetable is plucked. The trader blackmalis hte farmers into selling cheap becasue time for the farmer starts running out from the day of harvesting…

Small things can make the big changes…

[Reply]

@ Shan

I think you are deliberately misreading my post against Genetically modified food. It is not about science against illiterates.

It is about using science for the best good of humanity. I am all for gene therapy but would be against cloning or any other misuse of science.\

If you are so gung ho about Genetic modifications, imaginae if they were available 35 yrs back, your parents could have well chosen to have blue eyed, blond men leke Paul newman and Charles Bronson.

The world ia all ablout diverstiy. Celeberate it !

[Reply]

(page changed. Reposted )

————————————————————————————————
How a army commander is making a difference in Kashmir
————————————————————————————————

This is a great story about how individuals can have a great impact. The fact that Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain is the first Muslim general to commandeer 15 Corps , Kashmir also shows the strength of India’s diversity.

http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?278168

Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain is the first Muslim general to commandeer 15 Corps
Soon after taking over in Dec 2010, he declared 2011 to be the `Year of the Kashmiri Awam’
The general began Awami Sunwais all across to assess and address people’s grievances
He has also organised seminars where college students, youth and citizens were invited
This summer, the army held 300 matches between 193 teams of the first Kashmir Premier League T20 tournament.
***

At last, the army seems to be getting something right in Kashmir. After two decades of using the jackboot, brutal excesses and an indifferent attitude towards the collective anger of the Kashmiris against the men in uniform, a general has taken it upon himself to sensitise his force to the Kashmiris and assure the latter in the process that the army can be their friend, not foe. That his is a Muslim name is a relevant fact, but only just. With militancy ebbing and even separatists favouring peaceful mass agitations over violence, the army too has altered the whole tone and tenor of its engagement with Kashmiris, using an unexpected new weapon in its arsenal: a respectful humanism. Ergo ‘Ji Janaab’, a doctrine designed to project a more friendly face of the armed forces. It’s at play everywhere: at the roadside security barrier, in the conduct of a speeding army convoy, indeed in all areas of the army’s interface with civilians.

It was in December 2010 that Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain, an old Kashmir hand, took charge of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps which controls all military operations in the Valley. Almost immediately, he declared 2011 to be the ‘Year of the Kashmiri Awam (People)’ during which the army would devote itself to the welfare of the people and be more humane. The first indication of getting his priorities right lay in Hasnain’s change of the army slogan: from ‘Jawan aur awam, aman hai muqam (for the jawan and the people, peace is the goal)’ to one that put ‘awam’ before ‘jawan’ to become ‘Awam aur jawan, aman hai muqam’.

Many initially felt the change to be just cosmetic. It would take more than a play of words for the Kashmiris to view the army differently, and infinitely much more to learn to trust it. But the army had made its first sensible move in appointing a Muslim general after 20 years, Lt Gen M.A. Zaki being the last to hold office in the 1990s. The Muslim credentials go way beyond cynical tokenism; it offered a shared cultural vocabulary. To be fair, in less dire times, a non-Muslim might have managed equally well but in an atmosphere of accumulated fear and mistrust, it had a disarming potential. What worked in the end was not the tag but the man—Hasnain’s genuine efforts struck a chord with Kashmiris and made them willing to give the man in uniform a chance after having held him in contempt for years.

……. more at outlook

( One thing for sure. I have read the website greaterkashmir.com for many years. Upto just couple of years ago, it used to be a tool for the anti-India propogandists. Over last couple of years, I see a change in their coverage and tenor, which is no longer as virulently anti-India. May be its reflecting the realities on the ground with Kashmir being almost the most peaceful state in India in last 1 year.
)

Any way, wish the general all the success.

[Reply]

@Vijay,
If I remember correctly, you had made a post about visiting a apricot packaging/processing plant in Turkey. Fig ( the sun-dried variety ) is anathor great fruit from Turkey, Greece, Iran.
In USA, the best figs I find are those from Greece, the crown figs. An over-night soaked in milk figs,almond and pistachio milk-shake have been my regular breakfast for severel years . Put the milk-shake in the freezer for an hour before you have it.
Aanyway, What kind of figs are available in India ? Can you get figs imported from Greece/Turkey/Iran in India, if so , which is the best place to get them ?

[Reply]

@ Rajiv

Now you are making my mouth water and remind me of my days around the mediteranean !

Figs are unfortunately not very popular in India, They should be– for health reasons.

They are certainly available in places like Khan market in Delhi. Wont know about other cities.

[Reply]

Shan, Vijay, Gopi, Mahesh-

Recently read a book dealing with three past famines – “Three Famines” by Thomas Keneally, about the Potato Famine f Ireland (1845s), the Bengal Famine of 1940s, and the Ethiopian Famine of 70s and 80s.

You all discussed modern farming, yield improvment, GDP proportions etc. However, callous decisions by vested or non-interested govt create huge famines that could have been avoided. The Bengal Famine was one such that. Keneally accuses Winston Churchill of “feeding the famine, instead of feeding the starving” Deliberate choices were decided on to make things worse , for Churchill did not care about the brown men. (I remember my dad telling me that Churchill remarked when told about the cascading deathtoll – “How come Gandhi is alive if there is famine in India”.

Thirty lakh people perished in Bengal famine and its aftermath of cholera, malaria, and cannibalism (yes, cannibalism).

Winston Churchill is considered a statesman by many, including many Indian anglophiles. Like so many things, world has whitewashed Churchill’s/British role and responsibility in the Bengal Famine. It is a horror that compares with so mny horrors o the past like Nagasaki.

I wonder if our secular historians like RomellaThapar has reserached and written about tis chapter in Indias history.

[Reply]

Trana -e-Milli was written by same Iqbal who wrote ‘Saare Jahan se achchaa’.

Chin vo Arab hamaraa hindostaaN hamaara
Muslim hain hum; watan hai saara jahaaN hamaara
tawheed ki amaanat seenoN meiN hai hamaarey
aasaaN naheeN miTaana naam o nishaaN hamaara
dunyaN ke but-kadoN meiN pahlaa woh ghar KHUDA kaa
hum uskey paasbaaN haiN woh paasbaaN hamaara
tayghon key saaye meiN hum, pal kar jawaaN huwey haiN
khanjar hilaal kaa hai qawmi nishaaN hamaara
maghrib ki waadiyoN meiN guunji azaaN hamaari
thamata na thaa kisee se sayl rawaaN hamaara
baatil se dabney waaley ay aasmaaN nahiN hum
sau baar kar chukaa hai tu imtihaaN hamaara
ay gulsitaan e andalus! woh din haiN yaad tujh ko
thaa teri DaaliyoN par jab aashiyaaN hamaara
ay mawjey dajlah! tu bhi pahchaanti hai hum ko
ab tak hai tera daryaa afsaana khwaaN hamaara
ay arz e paak! teri hurmat pey kaT marey hum
hai khooN teri ragoN meiN ab tak rawaaN hamaara
saalaar e kaarwaaN hai Mir e Hijaz apnaa
is naam se hai baaqi aaraam e jaaN hamaara
Iqbal kaa taraana baang e daraa hai goyaa
hotaa hai jaadah paymaa phir kaarwaaN hamaara
[edit]English Translation

China is ours, Arabia is ours, India is ours
We are Muslims and the whole world is our homeland
The treasure of tawhid is in our hearts,
It is not easy to wipe out our name and mark.
The first house we have liberated from idols is the Ka’abah;
We are its custodians, and It is our protector
We have grown up in the shadows of swords,
Our mascot is the crescent shaped dagger
Our prayer calls have reverberated in the valleys of the west,
The force of our flow could not be stopped by anyone
O the skies! we will not be subdued by falsehood,
You have tried (our steadfasteness) a hundred times!
O, the garden of Andalusia! do you remember those days -
When our abode was the nest on your branches?
O, the waves of Tigris! surely, you recognize us -
Your river tells our tales even to this day
O, the pure land! we have bled and died for your honor,
Our blood flows in your veins until now
The leader of our caravan, is the Prince of Hijaz (Muhammad)
It is his name that keeps our heart in comfort and peace.
Iqbal’s song is a clarion call
For the caravan to rise and continue the journey once more

[Reply]

Here is audio of Milli Tarana,,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYNYluQPN9o

[Reply]

@shoebK you are absolutely right about churchill. but according To Prof amartya Sen , who has written a book “Famines, A study into entitlements ” has a different view.”. Churchill didn’t CREATE the famine , but did absolutely nothing or rather send grains to the dutch than to bengal DESPITE PLEADING BY THE VICEROY. Also Churchill has been described by his own compatriots as “THE HAIRY ONE HANGING BY THE TREE”.
Famines in bengal according to Prof Sen was due to several factors , INFLATION (huge money supply),
poor harvest, and followed by squeeze on rural employment(like the scenarion in recent riot in UK
HOWEVER SCIENTIFIC FARMING IS THE ONLY WAY FORWARD
recently Waitrose (supermarket UK) has started stocking wine from Maharashtra , I am going to try it , if not anything then at least in my cooking.

[Reply]

@ Shoeb

DOnt have too many details about the Bengal famine, But about Churchill, I can only say he was a selfish rogue.

He was against the freedom of India.

Somehow our anglophiles love him. Many can even quote his speeches. And surpisingly, Bengal does have its share fo wanting to be burra shab as its ideal, in many a person.

Another thing which I find strange is that Bengal being so near the sea could have well increased its fish intake during the famin years. The Bongs are definate fish lovers. maybe better fishing facilites during the famine… thru self organisation and not looking at London for help would have helped.

I think– cruel as it may sound– it is really about societies organising themselves for their own good is important. bengal was always a bit fatalisic and many Begalis rather look at the burra sahab for rescuing them, rather than do it themslves. It was always about a foreign hand then… for not rescuing them and a foreign hand now… as in the centre for not helping

[Reply]

@ SHoeb

At the end of the day it is a lot about mindset. I think we really need to be people equipped to face the world and survive. And most of all have the self confidence to face the world as equals.

I may be sounding like a cracked record here. But I have only seen the improvement in how the world deals with us. Let not the old complexes which restrained us, become our bugbears now.

[Reply]

=============================================================================
~~ ~ JAB ZERO DIYA MERE BHARAT NE… AAJ WOH ZERO BHOOL GAYA ~~ ~~
=============================================================================

At the stroke of the midnight hour my las posting.

Aaj bharat zero kaise bhool gaya…..

Now you may ask where are the zeroes missing. Here is a checklist.

NAME DECLARED ASSETS ~~ ~~ No of missing zereos ~~
——————————————————————————————————————————-
MMS 3 crores 0

Kapil Sibal 36 crores 1

Kamal nath 263 crores 1

Chidambaram 12 2

SHARAD
PAWAR ::D 7 ~ 4 zeroes at least !

Bharat aaj zero bhool gaya….

[Reply]

Interesting article in todays NY Times about India’s ID project.Gret that peple like Nandan Nilkani providing service

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/02/world/asia/02india.html

[Reply]

Shoeb, Shan

Bengal’sprovincial govt was Muslim majority govt at the time of famine..
Was there any Hindu-Muslim play , esp Sawhravadi etc??.

[Reply]

Population of India-

1950- 350 million
2010- 1200 million

In 1941, the bastar ds in charge of us let us starve
In 2010, we are nearly food sufficient despite trebling of population

Isnt that a huge cause for celebration?

I am not alone in this blog whose blood boils when

1. we constantly sneer at our progress- India cannot make a decent software, engine, etc
2. we worship those who once reduced us to cannibalism

[Reply]

@ Rajiv

Well said. We are hee for answers, knowledge and some entertainment.

Self defeating, unproductive excercises to prove I am better than YOU Indians are bad and boring. And most of all self defeating.

[Reply]

=============================================================================
WHY FAMINES ARE A MINDSET THING…..
=============================================================================