on modi

in India, we preserve what we should not and we destroy what we should. Some memories are best forgotten, like riots, disasters etc.. and a new start must be made. But we indulge in past and name calling.. meanwhile the offenders don't get punished, victims suffer.. in short nothing positive happens. 
Examples are aplenty. Consider Bhopal, the disaster that destroyed not only a city but many industries from starting up in India. Bhopal victims suffered.. the offender went away scot free, only some Indian hands were given punishment that too after 25 years, for RI of 2 years. 
India should have been better served  if, (after inability to catch the offender and him put to justice) victims were paid through the national exchequer taking care that new industries do not suffer and given license to work only after suitable safety criterion are fulfilled. Also legislating on these issues so that there should not be "next time"..

But instead we indulged in politics, offender never got caught.. victims never got compensation.. new industry suffered due to govt inability to provide them safety in charged environment.. and no one assured us that there will never be 'next time." 
Bhopal became a "fossil".
Similar was the case with 1984 Delhi riots.  
In 2002 riots.. again.. this whole thing was repeated. people suffered.. victims never got any compensation.. offenders were never arrested.. and politics went on as usual. but this time there was a significant difference.. that was mr. modi. he was different than others in many ways.. after coming to power.. he made sure that such incidents don't happen again.. people were given a better life.. roads were improved.. industry was improved.. and Gujarat grew at tremendous rate.. the recent summit is the example of that. even many reports, particularly Sachchar committee report had indicated that Muslims have better living standards in Gujarat than anywhere else in India.Local Muslims can't remain outside the govt for long.. they will also start supporting modi for they cant afford to be in opposition forever. No one wants to remain of defeated side forever.. the recent support of Modi by Vastanavi is the case in point. Sure.. he still opts for rhetorics.. that makes him unacceptable at all-India level.. but if he stops that.. I'm sure.. opposition will have a difficult job ahead for them. now.. when someone says 2002.. it just shows they don't have any new point to say.. and they go on defensive every time using 2002 as an example of modi's state. if you could not punish him then... probability is .. you can't never punish him. but modi's state have moved on.. it's time that others too move on.

khap..a concept

Today.. news came about khap panchayat banning women to wear jeans.

it was hilarious and ridiculous to many of us twitterati . But it's not just laughing stuff when they kill couples based on the concept of same gotra marriage.

Few months ago.. there was outcry over many such killings in parts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan.. Ironically media gave it the name "honour killings" when in fact how can there be any honour in killings? People were outraged over how can such ridiculous thing is still happening in modern India.. They were surprised and angered.

But this anger was manifested more in urban India.. on net.. in media houses.. the area where these killings occurred was surprisingly calm. no outrage was visible there.. in fact people were supportive of the killings in many snap polls conducted by media then. (that means when they stopped someone midway to his/her work and asked them their reaction. )
This was more surprising for urban educated masses where they could not believe such practices can have sanction of society.
That was nothing.. they discovered soon.. as even MPs from that area.. notably Navin Jindal , an educated leader also supported Khap Panchayat.

why this happened..? why people apparently behave like barbarians?

Hence some point are necessary to understand some basic issue.

the opposition to inter caste marriage is everywhere in india.. especially in landed classes.. this opposition takes different forms in different areas.. and in north.. this took the form of opposition to same gotra marriage.

the objection of khap panchayats to same gotra marriage is based on the belief that. a 'gotra' constitutes people who are from same lineage.. thus they are related to each other. thus the girl and boy from a gotra are nothing but brother and sister.. and the marriage thus becomes incestuous marriage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotra

but but this concept is wrong.
let us see how..


the gotras are basically named after brahmanas who did all the religious ceremonies for the king and lay people. the names such as
Vishvâmitra, Jamadagni, Bharadvâja, Gautama, Atri, Vasishtha, Kashyapa and Agastya indicates the names are that of ancient sages which performed the ceremonies.

thus .. strictly speaking, the gotra concept .. that is.. belonging to same lineage ..(even if it is true.. ) is valid only for brahmanas.

now.. one wonders how people from other varnas.. (4 varnas.. brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas and shudras ) get the gotra..?

the answer is..since pre-gupta times.... when people lived in villages.. a sort of closed economy.. where the all the religious ceremonies were the responsibility of group of brahmanas.. who had different gotra. they divided between them different parts of village.. sometime based on areas.. and sometime based on occupation .. and the religious ceremony was complete responsibility of that brahmana. this went on for centuries.. almost 7-8 centuries.. and people who were served by brahmana's lineage for generations.. acquired the gotra identity that of brahmanas who served them.
thus even the other varnas acquired the gotra .. in this case.. people from same gotra were not necessarily brothers and sisters.. and it's this fact that the current debates on gotra totally ignores.

thus khap panchayats.. who quote Hindu scripture for the kind of behavior they indulge in.. are in fact.. acting without any basis of scriptures.


but the urban middle class.. especially not from north.. must understand the reason of the support these khap panchayats enjoy..
in india.. where the legal system is notorious for indefinite delays.. and complex laws.. the khap gives the affordable, easy to understand, quick, and at the door redressal of grievances.. khap is invaluable for these people. and they will not move away from khap for anything.

hence my suggestion is two point formula.

• 1 make these people understand that the practice is against scripture.. and hence against hinduism. this is a powerful idea as religion is biggest motivator as well as biggest hindrance to any behaviour. clever use of religion will go a long way.. as everyone will think twice before acting against religion.
  

2 provide them with alternate redressal system.. which is based on principle of panchayts.. but not caste specific.. but village specific. (this is tricky as people in one village generally belong to one caste..) or any other type of local court.. which is final authority..

if we don't provide them with alternate redressal system that is also as accessible easy to understand and affordable as these panchayt proved to be.. then it will be impossible for govt to wean away these people from khap panchayats.


of course.. it's beyond my knowledge and expertise to give a solution to such complex question. but what i want is active interference of govt.. with a carrot and stick approach.. using all avenues at their disposal.

saffron terror.. a wholly different take

as i was watching the news today.. one news item in particular caught my eyes..

it was.. http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?706477

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article995789.ece



as it happened.. the news interested me in some different way..
here was allegations that an Indian- a Hindu.. was arrested in a terror plot..

what made this news interesting was an article by @acorn

http://acorn.nationalinterest.in/2010/12/28/gurukanth-desai-is-not-of-indian-origin/


now.. as you have noticed.. it was a pseudo-name that this person has assumed.. a Hindu name.. so that he gets away from suspicions.

in this respect i news in early stages on investigations of David headley was also significant.. where P. C. Chidambaram said that because of his name.. and nationality.. he was never suspected earlier when he visited India multiple times.

it made me curious ..

now.. in a seminar of police chiefs of states, chidambaram used the term saffron terror" .. to stress the point that in investigations they have to be vigilant as anyone .. even with a Hindu identity.. can be perpetrator terror. while suspecting someone.. his/her religious identity is not the determinant..

it was crucial point.. and should have taken in the right spirit by all.. but it got politicised.. and the real issue was lost on all those who criticised chidambaram for the term. instead of standing behind chidambaram.. bjp and allies sought to politicise the issue..
according to bjp and allies.. a hindu cannot be a part of terrorist activities.. and dangerously.. the same idea is being used by some terror groups..

apparently.. in order to avoid suspicion.. terrorists use every way possible.. assuming a different religious identity and name is one of the easiest. and going by the example of headley.. it almost succeeded.
(even giving those 26/11 perpetrators sacred threads to tied on the wrist was one such idea.. they could have lost in the crowd.. if they wanted to.. without anyone suspecting)

so.. bjp should wake up to their din of "a Hindu cannot be terrorist.. and should not politicise this policy issue.. which can help our security to streamline the security "

(i know.. even while writing this.. I'm assuming only those ppl with false hindu identity can be terrorists.. they are not Hindu per se.. but it's a no-brainer while suspecting someone.. or investigating someone. )

when Kashmir was burning with daily stone pelting and protests

whenever i see movies like children of heaven, captain hook or bridge to terabithia.. makes me cry ..

today.. whenever i hear the news of Kashmir i feel very sad for Kashmiri children .. sad that they are losing their childhood.. sad that they will have no good memories of their childhood when they all grow up.. sad that they are missing the best part of their life..

they are shouting protests against India..
they all want azadi.. India is something devil they say..
but i am sure they have no idea what they are saying..they are believing what they are being told.. being shown.. and being children.. they believe in it totally.

is this their demon of my childhood's fairy books?? maybe yes..
a fairy demon.. one who we believe in when we were children.. but knew that all it was just our imagination..

whenever some of us talk about hard action.. by using force on those protesters.. i feel like we are destroying something.. and it may work in short term.. but will haunt us forever in future..

somehow i feel that every policy in Kashmir must be seen seen keeping in focus on the children.. we have to make sure that those demons they have heard from their elders (which they must have heard from their elders) is just as imaginary as childhood bogeyman.. and the reality of India is quite different..

if we use force now.. we are making sure that the impression of their childhood will haunt us in future too..

this cycle must break now.

after Salmaan Taseer's murder

the murder of salmaan taseer has shocked everyone. and the murderer is a person in uniform.. who had the responsibility of guarding him.
this had great many implications for Pakistan, India and the world.. in that sequence.

1. the reason for killing him : apparently.. he was killed for his attempts of repealing ghastly blasphemy act.. under which court recently ordered death sentence to aasia bibi. he was killed for challenging this barbarous law.. which is inhumane to say the least.. but according to hardline mullahs, it's according to sharia.. and taseer's attempt to repeal this was violation of sharia.
note that.. salmaan was not entirely progressive figure. he had many times used his twitter account to ridicule India.. and that's not criticism.. it was ridicule.
he was killed for his support to progressive cause.. one, which would certainly have improved the life of minority a bit.
hence those criticizing him in India now.. should consider this thing.. he may have lived for different causes.. but he died for one cause that should be supported by all means.

2. the person who killed him: he is not some obscure person hailing from some remote village on the border of Afghanistan,, where he was indoctrinated into hardcore fundamentalism.. but a police guard.. who hails from Rawalpindi.. and considering his work etc.. must have a decent middle class living.
this just shows the indoctrination has reached city life.. and even professionals and particularly police is also grossly indoctrinated. this is a serious cause for concern.. as the poison from gangrenous north western part has reached main body of Pakistan.
not surprisingly.. this indoctrination taking place at almost every school, where students undergo a curriculum vitiated by lies, falsehood and glorification of some events while avoiding mention of many significant ones.
to correct this.. Pakistani liberals must come out of their boardrooms .. and change the system for better. first thing on the radar must be education.. and controlling madrasa education in right direction. the process will be slow.. but it's only sure way to success for Pakistan's long term future.

3. what happens to the bill now : is the most important thing on which future of Pakistan is based. and in fact all the world.. and especially India is watching closely what actions will politicians take now. this will give a sense of the where Pakistan is heading.. and we should all hope that Pakistan govt should not get into hiding.. fearful of more attacks.. but assert themselves so that the bill gets passed.. whatever the immediate consequences. this is surely the first step.. but important nonetheless.. anything opposite of the above will send the wrong message to those who killed him and to the world in general.

something i wrote about the path ahead for UPA II

There are few things i want to mention.
when UPA govt came to power second time in 2009.. there were widespread rumors that MMS is just tempeorary PM.. and Rahul will take over from him within a year or two.

that made the PM look like a sitting duck.. and his will to steer through the parliament diminished.

His influence was low also because of his complete lack of political ambition for himself or his family and also for a faction behind him.. if any.
Add to this , his complete lack of ability to nominate a successor to the post of prime minister made him just administrative head of govt.. and not political head who can cajole or if necessary, punish the erring minister of his own party. This was again made complex by coalition politics.. where too , his command to chose person was zero.

Earlier some faction in congress started naming Rahul as possible successor to MMS, just because they wished not to find themselves on the wrong side of history. :) What made matter more complicated is that Rahul's declaration that he do not see himself as prime minister in recent future.. That opened the floodgates in the ministry..(and outside it too) to be in the good book of madam.
as it happened, the sole person who can nominate or select prime minister in congress is Sonia Gandhi.. everyone from pranab mukherjee to chidambaram to even Diggiraja started playing their individual games .. where every ministry is seen as working hard.. but many times.. to undermine other ministry run by possible rival claimant for throne.

Manmohan Singh's plus side of uncorrupt image is tarnished by his utter lack of political leadership. Now the way forward for congress if they want to continue with MMS.. which they should.. is IMO.. "choose someone as a vice prime minister" .

this will be good for congress and the nation.. as it will give full stop to the speculations on 'who after MMS..' and also stop infighting in various ministry as the hierarchy will get established.

plus he can wield some political power and can address with authority to issues of importance.. on which PM do not speak.. when he's away or simply when he do not wish to speak.

it will also control recent painful trend within congress leaders of speaking out of turn despite repeated warnings.

one thing can be of importance.. if this candidate have political ambition.. as he should certainly have.. then he might create groups within congress.. that may prove to be problematic for high command. Hence choosing the right leader who is faithful to 10- janpath is of prime importance.

my review of 3 mistakes of my life... by chetan bhagat.. my first attempt to review book..

First of all, let me tell you that this book is as good as previous one's.... and not a bore....as many have claimed it to be....
I think they claimed it (failure) because everyone have an intrinsic desire to see Bhagat to fail miserably....just because his previous two were blockbusters...and no one can get, according to them , a complete piece of cake ...along with all the icing..

Now enough about book critics..., will talk about book...
Let me assure you that this is a very good book..Still a very different from previous one's...and a lot darker than them...
We start with the title...
Now, Bhagat is all about numbers, I think...
First 5 pt somone.. then 1 night @cal center and then 3 mistakes...
The love about numerals is unmistakable....the title is catchy...but not a cool one I think....
Anyway, this book contains everything.... cricket, religion, politics, romance, tragedy...and a bloody climax...all the material you want for a good masala film...this book is written with films in the mind.

A story of (three) friends (with anyone of them having girlfriend...) written in flashback mode..is becoming a specialty of Bhagat... Bhagat should take patent of this formula...
This story have a background of earthquake hit Gujarat and then ...the gory background of rioting Gujarat...the biggest tragedies India have witnessed in 21st century...
three boys....want to chose their destiny...by starting business... and then destiny plays with them...in such a way that at the climax...they are all broken... But as usual Bhagat's book ends on a happy note...

I will not tell you about characters or the story plot...for that you have to read the book....
But for the first time chetan bhagat has addressed political question in his book.
The way communal parties propagate their politics by blaming so called secular parties for betraying the cause of their people is so believable that you think you are actually present there listening to their balderdash...

Jeffery Archer who is currently on tour to India is famous for his novels which are so full of politics, romance and change of fortunes of men involved...though sometime he is accused of not true to the facts but to create his own 'facts' to fit in the story...
Truly chetan bhagat can be called Jeffery archer of India...for his book contains a heady cocktail of politics, religion, romance, and yes...the true religion of Indians....cricket...

Bhagat consciously avoids using political party names and instead use terms like secular party and communal party...still while reading the book, you identify them and make a mental note of the events that occur in the book and relate them to the party concerned...
In this way .....(in my opinion..) This book can serve as a propaganda material in youth...especially when the elections are nearby...

The book is shadowed by politics .... Still you can not miss a romance quotient given to the book by introducing girlfriend of one character as a sister of his friend to whom he gives tuition...easily...this is done to give a space to heroine without whom Hindi movies cannot be said to be complete...and this book is going to be movie... :)

Now earlier I have said that I will not say anything about characters...but I want to make a small exception to this by mentioning one name......Ali....
The boy with extra ordinary talent for cricket, thanks to his so called hyper reflexia... who don't have much to say in this novel...but still is a central figure in the novel around whom all the novel revolves...

Still this book is not perfect....in fact far from perfect...
There are some things that you wish should not be there...
Like the frequent use of 'F' words.... though they were used where situation demanded such words....but still he could have avoided using them frequently...

Personally (second) thing I did not like is the unnecessary description of bondi beach in Australia...(sour grape..Huh!!) :-)

And there are according to me some faults which can easily be corrected...may be in the next edition...
Like tennis ball never cost rs. 8 in 2000-01 and leather ball was also costly...(and not rs.25 as described in the book.)

But still there are moments in the book which can be correctly described as chetan bhagat moments...
Like the use of Australian lingo...is amazingly funny...
Also the 'pi day' is sort of thing only chetan bhagat will come up with...

Highly recommended for those who are bhagat fans... and also with secular outlook...without any prejudices against any community...

after a long break.. i want to start writing blog again.. :) hope this time.. i can maintain it.