India post 26/11


Over 60 Hours of incessant terror and atrocities were bought to an end by the Indian military and the paramilitary forces in a heroic show of strength against 10 scantily armed kids in their twenties. Our brave men were praised for their gallantry and bravado, but what no one realizes is that the real bravado and gallantry was shown by those 10 kids who managed to give a tough time to the Indian military forces. These kids are also to be praised, though they were fighting for a different cause, but they too laid their lives for the cause they believed in. People say they were brainwashed but I would say that these kids were highly motivated (in the wrong direction) by the enemies of this country. They were no less motivated than our brethren in the armed forces.


Any way after 26/11 the inevitable politics came into play where every nation, political party and the leaders of this country had something to say. The blame game started and finally came the placatory resignations and changes in policies.


Has any one tried to do a root cause analysis of the problem? Does any one have the answers to why India was singled out for such a horrific crime? Can any one tell the masses as to what was the motive of those LeT kingpins?


No one knows the answer to what goes on in the twisted minds of the LeT bosses and their aides, but I have a fairly good idea about what their real motive was. They wanted to take advantage of the very volatile Hindu – Muslim relationship and wanted to create communal disharmony and destabilize the Indian economy. Also as an added bonus this could have converted some Muslims in India sympathetic to their cause.


What is that this country lacks that the twisted terror minds think that they can fiddle with it and get away with it. What should the government and the people of India do so as to strengthen their social and moral fiber? What needs to be done to develop a mutual understanding and trust between the two majority communities in this country? When will we have a society where the people would not be up in arms over a dead animal (cow or pig) in front of their places of worship?


The Indian politicians instead of creating the NIA (National Investigative Agency) or more ATS (Anti Terror Squads) should create something like HMUF (Hindu Muslim Unity Forum) or maybe RCS (Religious Co-operation Society). We will have to at all cost eradicate the communally motivated agencies from this country. We will have to adopt a similar up-bringing for all the children of our society irrespective of their religion cast creed or color. We have to strengthen our selves from the inside and then only would we be able to withstand the pressure from the outside.


Other than strengthening ourselves socially, our government should also work to achieve some administrative mile stones. We should exercise more control over the religiously owned educational institutes, and should standardize the level of education throughout the country. Have more of a secular and religiously tolerable syllabus.


We as the people of this nation also have a responsibility. We have to be united against any political party / organization that is thriving on the divide between communities or religions. We will have to do away with each and every organization that purports the rights (read privilege) of any sect, religion, race or region in particular. Simultaneously we should build public pressure on the Government to introduce changes into the constitution to make amends and bar any organization that can induce any kind of a social disharmony.


We should always keep this in mind:

“UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL”


Think about it.

Jai Hind!!

RACISM - The darkness within ..

Well my previous post was on Love… Now I will move from Love to hate. It’s on the exact opposite side of the spectrum of emotions.

Scenario I

Well some time ago there was a lot of hue and cry about Shilpa Shetty and Jade Goody. Some were pitying Shilpa others were angry on Jade…but one thing was there for sure this whole episode generated a lot of resentment in the hearts of the Indians.

Scenario II

A few days ago a group of lowly workers and masons from U.P. and Bihar were attacked upon, insulted and beaten up by Raj Thakrey’s men. Before that we heard Uddhav Thakrey saying that Mumbai is ONLY for Mumbai Kars.
But the most astonishing thing was that no one stirred. The same Indian massed who raised a hue and cry about SS were quiet, there was not even a murmur. I want to know WHY?

Time and again we have seen / sometimes faced Racism. Racist sentiments are very common and prevalent in a foreign country and that is understandable and explicable (not that I support it or am trying to justify it). But still we feel resentment towards feeling of hatred that is prevalent in racism.
But have any one of us has ever tried to oppose or even comprehend that why should these feelings be prevalent within the country.

The same country, the same constitution, the same set of corrupt leaders to rule it and the same exploitation throughout but still we can hear slogans like “Mumbai for Mumbaikars” or “lungi hatao pungi bajao” etc.

It’s not only about Mumbai or Maharashtra alone…. It’s across the country. We saw in Assam the disastrous consequences of the ULFA applying the same logic against Biharis who had to flee for their lives. And let's not forget that the people who were targeted and killed and the larger numbers who were chased out were not recent migrant labor but those who had lived in Assam for decades.
Another dangerous portend is the flaring up of passion in any native-versus-outsiders debate.

This racism is not only limited to region, it has expanded to Caste, Culture, Creed, Religion and Origin.

What Sonia Gandhi faced at the time of the general elections was not opposition from the other parties. What she was subjected to was RACISM.



Has any one thought as to how a country that was once so united and strong that it drove the British away, has broken down into such small fragments?
How such a magnanimous and great nation has fallen prey to racism.
India which can boast of being ruled by kings and monarchs of Hindu, Islamic and Christian origins (and still being united at the grass root) has been divided into small segments of caste, creed, gender and religion.

This I would say is not the failure of the culture, but would attribute it to the success of dirty and petty politics and politicians.

This country has been divided by political parties who for their own personal gains have sowed the seeds of racism. Today we have a separate party for Dalits, one for Hindus, one for Muslims etc. But where is the party which is truly secular.

The preamble (preface) to the Constitution of India states:-


“WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:

JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
EQUALITY of status and of opportunity;
and to promote among them all
FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;

IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.”

The Preamble to our Constitution serves two purposes: -

A) It indicates the source from which the Constitution derives its authority;
B) It also states the objects, which the Constitution seeks to establish and promote.

The Preamble seeks to establish what Mahatma Gandhi described as The India of my Dreams, "…an India in which the poorest shall feel that it is their country in whose making they have an effective voice; …an India in which all communities shall leave I perfect harmony. There can be no room in such an India for the curse of unsociability or the curse of Intoxicating drinks and drugs. Woman will enjoy as the same rights as man."

Each of the words “SOVEREIGN”, “SOCIALIST”, “SECULAR” & “DEMOCRATIC” have a world of meaning behind them.

Are we actually living up to the expectations of our forefathers & of our great leaders?

NOW Is the time to ask ourselves “Is this the nation our ancestors fought for”?
Is this the nation that was once united against the British and the tyranny of East India Company?
Now is the time to ask our leaders that is this the way they want this country to be led?
Now is the time to ask, what is the future that we are bequeathing to the generations to come?

I remember one small phrase from my Sanskrit class that can sum it up : “Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam” (The world is a Kutumb (family))

Lets all now take a vow –

“I shall in all manners possible and permissible permeate the feeling of oneness and fraternity. I will never look at others with a feeling of difference based on gender, caste, creed, region or religion. And that I will always strive to bring harmony and brotherhood amongst everyone I come in contact with. Also I will at all possible opportunity try and make people understand the importance of vasudhaiv kutumbkam and treating everyone equally.”

May god give us the strength to make this dream a reality.

Love & Lust

What is Love?!

Think about it. Search for an answer within yourself. Think it out. Then tell it to yourself. Are you convinced by your answer? Hmmmmm no? Why Not?
Your answer could be – “when you see a person and at the first sight you want to lead your entire life with him/her” – That’s love.

That is what you have read in good books and seen in Bad movies. You have heard stories about this “LOVE”. So … This must be LOVE! But have you ever experienced Love? Have you ever defined it on your Own?

Well let me try and define what love is not…. Then maybe we can learn what love is. I will do it with the help of a scenario:
“You see a person and you want to be with….. You long to be with him/her. You don’t know what that person really is. You meet him for the first time, he puts his best foot forward, and you are also on your best. He likes you, you like him. Then you start flirting, you talk to each other over the phone, you chat a lot, email each other. Both of you talk some mushy stuff. Then you flirt some more, go out together, go for movies, go out to eat ( by the way you call it a Date !!) and you find each other’s company good. Your friendship grows and then after a lot more flirting and courtship one of you says those three magical words “I love you”. The next moment you end up in each other’s arms as if you will never be separated – you call that love. Right??”

WRONG!, That’s LUST.

You long for each others physical intimacy and you hide it under the mask called LOVE.
Yes! We all do it, we all have changed the definition of love. It’s all Lust hidden under the pure white mask of Love.

And then in the name of love you are expected to behave in a particular manner, do such and such things, behave in a certain way that lovers do….. And then your life is governed by rules. Rules laid down by whom? Rules for Love!

Meanwhile spending so much of time together… slowly and slowly that mask begins to wear off.. you get to know the real person behind that mask… and then in no time you realize that the mask of love has vanished, it has worn out, torn and shattered. Then the quarrels begin and life becomes a living hell for both of you. All the magic is gone all the music has vanished….. Your life has become a living hell….. Till the time one of you is courageous enough to put an end to it, or else it will continue to be hell for both of you and those around you.
And then you cry not because love has vanished but because you have lost something that you thought was magic but was not. Then people blame love. They say love is bad, love is evil, love causes heartache. Love gives pain.

Arre bahi where was love? There was no love … just a misunderstanding, pseudonym that you gave your lust.!

So now the question still remains – “What is love?”. Some one once said –

“Its love, love and love alone,
That caused King Edward to lose his throne.”

Love is an extension of friendship. When friendship crosses its limits it becomes Love, when the well being of your friend is more important to you than your own life… When the only person you ever want to see happy is your partner… that, my friend, is LOVE.

When physical contact, touch, or even seeing your partner becomes immaterial. When you start living your life in his heartbeats and when you start flowing in her veins; that is love.
“When your coming close physically is not the reason to love…., but when love generates so much of desire that YOU, yourself want to be the person you love. When both want to become each other, inseparable. That is LOVE! When being far away from each other ceases to be separation. That is love.

Love is a beautiful feeling, only if identified correctly. Only the blessed and lucky people on this earth are fortunate enough to experience true love.