An Appeal To Pakistan’s Civil Society

My dear friends, brothers and sisters of Pakistan, I am an ordinary citizen of India. I just wanted to share some of my perceptions and feelings with you, and will consider myself to be genuinely honoured if I get your feedback.

Please tell me, with an open mind and honesty, do you people really believe that your government is behaving with due responsibility? Don’t you people feel that the government is constantly displaying flip flops that are making it so difficult for the Indian government to have any faith on its Pakistani counterpart?

Let us start from the very beginning. The Pakistani government readily accepted India’s request for sending the honourable chief of ISI to India to facilitate the Mumbai terror investigation. Ironically, within days it went back on its words, claiming that it never made any such promise in the first place.

Then came the infamous statement about putting Masood Azhar under house arrest. One day the Pakistani government informed the media about the house arrest put on the Indian fugitive. Within days the Pakistani foreign minister came up with a completely different statement saying that Masood Azhar is not under house arrest, rather, the Pakistani government is not even aware of his whereabouts. And again the Pakistani government denied this fact that it had previously claimed to have put Masood Azhar under house arrest.

The worst example of Pakistan government’s amateurish (and somewhat childish) behaviour is the denying of this fact that Ajmal Kasav is a Pakistani citizen. While two most respectable organizations (DAWN and GEO TV) of Pakistan’s own media have provided irrefutable evidence of Kasav’s Pakistani nationality, it is extremely disheartening to see how the Pakistani government is desperately trying to deny this established fact. In fact, it is actually creating suspicion about Pakistan government’s role in the Mumbai terror attack.

If the Pakistani government was innocent, it could have easily said “Yes, he belongs to our country. But how does that prove that our government itself is associated with the Mumbai terror?” After all, we all understand that the government of a country cannot necessarily be linked with a heinous act done by one of its citizens abroad. In that case it needs to be categorically proved that the person concerned was acting under instructions from his country’s government.


However, that the Pakistani government is constantly denying Kasav’s Pakistani nationality has generated suspicion. Because now this question is sure to strike our mind is that why the Pakistani government is even denying this fact. Does that mean that it has actually something to hide?

My dear Pakistani friends, tell us, is it now really possible for us to have faith on your government even after all these? Can you now really blame us if we show lack of confidence and faith on the Pakistani government?

Actually, you know something, friends? We understand that the Pakistani government itself is innocent. President Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Gillani are, for all their drawbacks, not war mongers. In fact they actually want to cooperate with our government. This explains Zardari’s initial acceptance of the Indian offer to send the ISI chief, and some other statements that he has made in the context of the Mumbai terror (like accepting responsibility for the acts conducted by even the non state actors).

Actually, it is the Pakistani army (and the ISI) which is the main culprit. It is simply unable to tolerate any environment of peace and harmony between these two great countries. Because an environment of peace means irrelevance of the Army. And that is completely unacceptable for those uniformed rogues, who have had the pleasure of enjoying ruling powers for so many years.

This explains the Pakistani Army’s effort to derail the peace process, eventually replacing the same with a war like situation, ultimately creating a war psychosis among the common Pakistanis. It knows that such a situation will bring it back to prominence, thus paving the way for its revival to power.

It is the Pakistani army officials (or at least some of them) who have orchestrated the Mumbai terror, and not the civilian government of Pakistan. And now it is they who are preventing the civilian government from trying to mend the damage by cooperating with the Indian government to bring the culprits to book. The flip flops of the Pakistani government clearly prove that it actually wants to help India, but is constantly going back on its words due to some pressure. And everybody knows who are there behind the pressure.

My dear friends, now it is you, the civil society of Pakistan, who is our only refuge. Please help your civilian government to come out of the influence of the Army, so that it can work independently. The Army is purposely spreading war hysteria among you people, so that the popular mood forces the Pakistan government to maintain a belligerent demeanor. And who is the ultimate gainer? Yes, it is the Pakistani Army.

So please do not let the Army take you for a ride. You people are really lucky to have a popularly elected government after a long time, which is the product of a long fight put up so bravely by the stalwarts of the Pakistani civil society. Please do not let these two nice gentlemen – Mr Zardari and Mr Raja Gillani – being dictated by some cunning officers of the Army, for whom their personal interest matters more than the national interest of Pakistan. This is certainly not the Pakistan that Quaid-e-Azam dreamt for.

We, the common people of India and Pakistan today share a wonderful relation. Let us not bring back the old days of acute hostility, hatred and mistrust.

N.B. - I welcome the feedback of any Pakistani friend who comes across this blog posting. There is just one condition. First he (or she) must accept my love, wishes and regards.

The Terrible Irresponsibility Of Mr A.R. Antulay

Displaying a not so unusual act of irresponsibility that some of our politicians are known for, the Union Minorities Affairs Minister Mr A R Antulay expressed doubt about the actual cause behind the death of the slain ATS chief Hemant Karkare. In an attempt clearly aimed at pampering the emotions of the minorities, Antulay said he was not sure whether Karkare was really a victim of the terrorists’ bullets, or was it something else that caused his death. Antulay highlighted Karkare’s association with the Malegaon blast probe – which had made the deceased draw fierce criticisms and anger from the various right wing Hindu groups – and hinted at the possibility of a larger conspiracy (read the hand of Hindu groups) behind the death of the brave officer.

Mr Antulay is the latest example of how low our politicians can stoop to show “loyalty” to their vote banks. While trying to appease his minorities vote bank, Mr Antulay clearly forgot what a serious damage his remark can inflict on India’s current diplomatic offensive against Pakistan. The Pakistani media is sure to give a huge coverage to this remark (highlighting it as a remark made by a senior minister), thereby giving the Pakistani government an effective tool to counter India’s charges and allegations at least to some extent. The Pakistani government is very much likely to use this remark to distort the facts behind the Mumbai terror attacks, even trying to give a completely false colouring to the entire issue.

What the irresponsible minister deserves is an immediate expulsion from the Ministry, so that it can send a strong message to the other members of the Ministry. However, in case he is expelled (which is least likely to happen), the Pakistani media will try to highlight it as the distress of a Muslim minister of India, who has been made to suffer for telling the “truth”. Therefore, Mr Antulay’s expulsion is not a good option. However, the government is well advised to ensure no other minister embarrasses the nation by making similar remarks.

A Bagful of Congratulations To You, Mr. Zardari

Dear Mr Asif Ali Zardari, you are not perceived as an ideal occupant of the Pakistan President’s position. There have been negative remarks about the way you carry yourself in public, sometimes showing very clear signs of lack of dignity and poise, something unbecoming of the Head of the State/Government of a country. In fact, very honestly speaking, some people have already started comparing you with the outgoing US President, for reasons not very pleasant for a national leader.

However, I am deeply touched by a recent remark made by you. You have said if some so called “non state actors” are carrying out any destructive activity against any other country from the soil of Pakistan, then Pakistan cannot wash its hands off merely by saying that those elements are non-state actors. Rather you have appreciated this fact that any destructive activity conducted against any country from the Pakistani soil should come under the purview of Pakistan government’s responsibility, no matter whether those activities have been conducted by “non state actors” or elements patronized by the Pakistan government (or a section of it).

Mr. President, it is really nice of you. Though I have never been a great fan of yours, I cannot help being highly impressed with your candor. You may have made this remark under some pressure, but that does not mean that we Indians should refrain from appreciating it.

It was, after all, a welcome change after constantly watching your foreign minister desperately denying even this basic fact that the actors of Mumbai carnage were from Pakistan, an unpleasant fact that has been established by the media of your own country (Dawn and Geo TV).

You know, for all your draw backs, you seemingly have at least one quality that is very rare among the politicians. You are not that shrewd and cunning.

Mumbai Terror Attack – The positive and negative awakenings

The devastating terror attack in Mumbai resulted in both positive and negative awakenings.


First, the positive awakenings –

This attack gave us an opportunity to know about the excellence and skills of our security personnel, especially the marine commandos and the commandos of the famed NSG (National Security Guards). The adeptness with which they have handled the situation has boosted our confidence and faith on them to no extent. We now know for sure that our commandos are among the best in the world.

This terror attack also gave us a chance to know that our country still has brave and courageous people like Hemant Karkare, Ashok Kamte, Vijay Salaskar, Major Unnikrishnan and Gajendra Singh, who can unhesitatingly lay down their lives for the sake of their motherland. Not that we ever had any doubt about the existence of such people in India. We have witnessed the selfless supreme sacrifices made by a host of young soldiers at the time of Kargil war. And even now, almost every other day we get the news of brave Indian soldiers laying down their lives in the border areas while fighting terrorist elements. However, the martyrdom of the security personnel handling Mumbai terror attack has inspired the Indian youth in a significant manner, encouraging them to play whatever roles they can play for the service of their great motherland.

Now, the negative awakenings –

The incident has highlighted serious lapses in the Indian intelligence network, apart from bringing into light flaws in the functioning of the Indian Coast Guard.

Hopefully the concerned agencies will undertake a thorough assessment of their infrastructure and functioning style, identify the loopholes and rooms for improvements, and address the same. Good luck to them.

The incident has also highlighted, for the umpteenth time, the extreme inefficiency of our honourable Home Minister, Mr Shivraj Patil. That nation is really cursed where the responsibility of internal security is in the hands of incompetent persons like Shivraj Patil and Prakash Jaiswal, who so perfectly exemplify the phrase “Good For Nothing”.

Photo Courtesy - media.ft.com

Congrats Team India

Hello Team India! Loads of hearty congratulations for convincingly winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Winning just a single test against a robust and spirited team like Australia is a notable achievement, and beating them 2-0 is a success that can leave one just at a loss for words. We are all so proud of you pals.

This match was the last test match of Ganguly, a cricketing titan of India. And I am so happy that his last test match turned out to be a match of such a glory for our country.

Keep up the good work. All our wishes are with you.

I am now eagerly awaiting the excuses that the Aussie media will come up with, to dilute the achievement of our boys.

Hi Obama

Hi Obama, you have created history. It is not that you are the first US President to create history. Several US Presidents before you have made achievements that will always be written in golden letters in the history of your powerful (but not always respected) country.

But what makes you stand apart is that all the other Presidents had to perform notably to get their names immortal in the US history, whereas you have made history merely by getting elected as the President, given the fact that you are the first Black person to grab that coveted position. Even if you just sit idle throughout your tenure, without doing anything meaningful, still your name will always remain prominent as the first Black President of your country.

Good luck to you and your companions. Hope you will have a nice time there in the throne. We are all thrilled to know that you have some new plans for various areas of the US administration, like the foreign affairs, economy, etc. I am sure that you will remain honest to your fame as a practical leader, and will take all your decisions with precise focus on long term results, without getting carried away by any urge to take populist measures only to retain your mass popularity. For example, I hope you will realize (if you have not realized it already) that though Outsourcing appears to be bad for the US economy, in reality it is not that bad, and in fact it has some positive impacts. And, I further hope, this realization will make you change the way you perceive Outsourcing.

I also feel that your enthusiasm for resisting proliferation of nuclear weapons will not make you play a spoilsport for the Indo-US nuclear deal, which precisely entails the civilian use of nuclear power.

Obama, it was not only the US, but the entire world that supported you during your fight for the throne. And today it is not only the US, but the entire world that is looking forward to you with the hope for a new USA, which means a new world order. Again, good luck to you.

Photo courtesy - http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/

Should Children’s Access To Cyber Café Be Restricted?

Nobody denies the fact that the Internet is very educative for children, as it is the window for a vast ocean of knowledge. However, we all know that children’s unrestrictive access to the Internet can backfire, as it may expose them to stuff that are harmful for them (for example Porn sites).

This explains why parents so closely monitor their children’s Internet surfing.

However, while we can monitor the use of our children’s Internet surfing at home, can we do the same when they do the same from the internet cafes? No, we cannot.

This exposes us to the question – should children’s access to cyber café be restricted?

Well, a couple of things may be done to address the issue. For example, every café can be strictly asked to block all sorts of porn sites, so that no kid can access them from a café. However, porn sites are not the be all and end all of web pornography. There are several other online stuff that technically do not come within the sphere of “porn sites” or “pornography”, but nevertheless remain to be adult stuff quite unsuitable for impressionable minds of children. How can the cafes ensure – even if they are honest in their endeavour – that the children will not have any access to such types of stuff?

However, my actual concern is not only the type of stuff that the kids view in the Web. Rather, I am more concerned about the time when they visit the café.

There are two cafes in my neighbourhood which I regularly visit. And every time I visit the café I find a lot of children, either busy in online chatting or playing various computer games.

Online chatting and computer games are certainly very enjoyable for kids, and they are certainly not harmful habits per se. I do not have anything against them. But what disturbs me is that I find kids doing such stuff in the café even in the afternoon, i.e. the time when they are supposed to play.

We must remember that the age old and universal culture of children playing in the afternoon is not just an ordinary custom. Rather, it is a crucial habit. Physical health is as important for a child as his studies are. Things like sports and exercise help him develop a healthy and sound mind, which helps me a lot in various matters including his studies. And it is a matter of great concern if little children spend their time in the cyber café in the afternoon, when they are supposed to play – whatever games they like – to develop their physical health.

We simply cannot entertain them spending that time by browsing the Internet, even if they are browsing educative sites that are good for their studies and/or G.K. Tell me, would you like your child to spend the afternoon in his study with a book, even if it is a good book? No. You will rather like him to go out and play, and read the book only after coming back home. Similarly, we should not entertain our kids browsing the Internet at the time when they should go out and play, even if they are browsing those sites which we know to be really good for them. There is an appropriate time for everything, and we must not forget it.

But while we can dissuade our children from Internet browsing in the afternoon when they are doing it at home, how can we be sure that they will not do the same from a cyber café after going out from home?

Therefore, can any such rule be made that will prevent the cyber cafes from allowing children at certain times of the day (for example -the afternoon)?

This Time They Strike At Assam

The terrorists are continuing with their disruptive activities in full swing. After a brief break they have struck again – this time at the beautiful state of Assam in the picturesque North East.

The postmortem of the situation has already started, with the usual constituents like blame gaming and scapegoating. And as usual the common people are not interested in all this, as it can neither undo what has happened nor apparently prevent the repetition of that. What they want the authorities to do is a meaningful analysis of the security and intelligence mechanism/infrastructure, identify the rooms for development and address the same. But will our great leaders do that? I am not sure whether I can be much hopeful about it.

After all what can we expect when we have an ultra-incompetent and unenterprising Home Minister like Mr. Shivraj Patil, who is in his position not because of any administrative acumen (which he does not have in the first place), but simply because of his unquestioned loyalty to “Madam”? With such a weak and inept person in charge of internal security, there is little wonder that the terrorists are having a field day.

Congrats Anand! The Nation Salutes You.

Dear Mr. Viswanathan Anand, please accept a bagful of congratulations for successfully defending your world champion title.

There are some people for whom making their motherland proud seems to be a regular habit. And Anand, my friend, you seem to be one of them.

The game of Chess originated in our beloved India, and thus every Indian feels that it is sort of our birth right to be the best country in this game. However, there is always a gap between mere wish and reality. And we are grateful to you for successfully bridging that gap. Anand, you are just superb!

I always take pride in the fact that I belong to such a generation of Indians which is represented by some unparalleled sports personalities, i.e. people who have created history in their respective fields. In cricket we have Sachin Tendulkar, in rifle shooting we have Abhinav Bindra, and so on. And then there is one from the game of Chess – the great Viswanathan Anand.

May the almighty shower you with all the choicest blessings of life, and empower you to fulfill each and every dream that you have in your life.

Please also permit me to express my sincere wishes and regards for each and every member of your family, whose relentless support has always enabled you to move forward through the thick and thin of professional and personal life.

Doctor found fake after 14 years

• He has practiced as a general physician for 14 years.
• Has been running a nursing home.
• Has held the position of an assistant secretary of the Bengal branch of the IMA.
  
  His qualification?
  
  Well, he failed to complete his MBBS from NRS Medical College and Hospital, Calcutta.
  
  
  Absurd? Unbelievable? Please visit the following news link –
  
  http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081027/jsp/bengal/story_10025680.jsp

Diwali Celebration At Espire

Today (24th October, 2008) we had a nice party in the evening at our Espire Infolabs office, to celebrate the auspicious occasion of Diwali.

Though the celebrations began only after 4 pm, the office was in a festive mood from the morning itself. Most of the Espirians were dressed in ethnic wear (I was one of the ones who were not), and most (not all) of us were busy in decorating the cubicles of our respective departments with flowers, ribbons, candles, etc., apart from embellishing the floor with nice “Rangoli”.

Then in the afternoon there was a gala party in the office cafeteria. First we wished all those fellow Espirians who had their birthdays in the last month (i.e. September), and presented them with nice gifts . It was followed by lots of fun games, which woke up the little children hidden inside all of us. Oh yes, have I forgotten to mention about the mouthwatering dishes that were there?

Over all a great experience.

PS - Forgot to mention the main news. The “Rangoli” designed by our department (the Marketing department) has been judged the best in the entire office. Hearty congratulations to all the members of my team (including myself).

Shame On Raj Thackeray!

No! The heading is wrong. Actually it should have been “Shame On Us!" Why? Because politicians like Raj Thackeray have not emerged from nowhere. It is we, the common people of India who have made them leaders.

It is a common habit of the Indian mass to criticize their political leaders, while we tend to forget that it is we ourselves who bring these so called leaders into the corridors of power. India is not a military dictatorship where the people are forced to accept the leadership of the dictator who has usurped the power. Rather, India is a democracy where we have the full freedom to choose our leaders. And therefore we must accept the responsibility of all the nuisance (corruption, malpractice, misgovernance, etc) created by a leader who has been elected by us.

So instead of criticizing all these leaders whom we accuse of making our life hell, it is time we woke up and took our democratic rights seriously, so that we are able to elect people who worth our confidence. India is a matured democracy, buddies. And we must learn how to behave like the citizens of a matured democracy.

What has happened in Mumbai is actually a boon in disguise, as it has given us another opportunity to wake up from our slumber. Hope we will now start learning how to behave like a matured electorate.

Photo courtesy : www.ndtv.com

Hearty Congrats To Sachin and Sourav! And Kumble, Do Not Lose Heart

Dear Sachin and Sourav, please accept hearty congratulations for your respective successes. India’s cricket enthusiasts are really so lucky to have cricketing giants like you.

By the way, Kumble, please do not lose heart. I know that now your performance - both as a bowler as well as Captain – is under scanner, with the media in a constant look out for any mistake or failure that comes in your way. But believe me, the genuine cricket lovers of India are always with you. I am very much confident that you will spring back with a bang, exactly in the manner Sachin and Sourav did. I am now eagerly awaiting that auspicious occasion.

The Helpful Colleagues That I am Lucky To Have

Different people have different experiences with their colleagues. Some people are blessed with good and helpful colleagues, while some fail to find a single colleague who can be called supportive and dependable. And then there are some, who have had the experience of having both these types of colleagues. It is this third group that I belong to.

In my around 8 years of processional career I have had various types of colleagues (as it happens in everyone’s case). I will not hide this fact that my experience with some of them was not very pleasant (in fact I will dare say that a couple of them were just intolerable). However, at the same time I have been blessed with some genuinely nice and helpful colleagues, who have always extended their helping hands every time I have approached them.

My present company Espire Infolabs is a really lucky organization for me in this regard. Here I find myself surrounded by some so nice, helpful and co-operative colleagues. And they help to reduce the tension and stress of the work to such a significant level.

While I have the names of at least a dozen of people in my mind, today I will like to focus on a few of them.

To begin with there are Amit Bharti (Administration) and Debesh (HR). These two gentlemen are neighbours, with both having their own cars. However, they come to office in a single car, using each of the cars on every alternate day. And they give me a lift everyday while coming to office. Actually they come to office in the same route that I follow, and pick me up from a particular spot near my home where I wait for them. Thus I enjoy a happy car ride to office, instead of having a lengthy and painful bus journey and ultimately reaching office with almost all energy lost.


Exactly this same favour I enjoy from Kumarshivam and Neerav (both software professionals at our office), while going back home. Both have their bikes, and stay close to my home (in fact Kumarshivam is virtually my neighbour). Everyday one of them gives me a lift, and I again enjoy the pleasure of reaching home with a fresh body and mind, instead of a strenuous bus journey sucking out all of the remaining energy that I manage to retain after the entire day’s work.

Then there is this lady colleague in my department, who is always there to help me whenever I have some problem with Excel. I am not that strong at Excel, and find myself in deep soup whenever I have to do some work on it. And she is my only refuge on such occasions, as she always comes forward to solve my problem. So far twice or thrice I have approached her for help, and every time she has come to my rescue, saving me from unpleasant consequences that I otherwise would have faced for failing to do the work properly.

Another person who always helps me in handling computer applications that I am not strong at is Mr Yogesh Gupta, another bright software professional of our organization. He is another person whom I have approached for help for a couple of times, and he has never disappointed me. What has touched me a lot is that he has often come to my desk and helped me by putting aside his own urgent work, something least expected in the “ultra professional” environment of the modern corporate scenario.

Every person has his share of problems and challenges in his work, and so do I. It is quite natural. But all my work related tension and stress get evaporated, courtesy the support that I enjoy from these people. My sincere thanks to them!

Kudos To Ms Gowri Mohanakrishnan For Her Blog - SEVENTH CHORDS

There are several bloggers whose blogs I like, and regularly follow. But one blogger whose blog I not only regularly follow but also love like anything is Ms. Gowri Mohanakrishnan. And the blog that I am referring to is “Seventh Chords – The Journal of an Indian Tea Planter's Wife” (link http://seventhchords.blogspot.com/).

Some background

So what exactly do I love about the blog? Actually Ms Gowri is settled in the Dooars area of West Bengal. It is that area which is blessed with exotic natural beauty in the forms of lush green forests, hill stations (one of which is the famous Darjeeling) and tea gardens. In fact, Ms Gowri’s husband himself is associated with tea plantation (as evident from her blog).

Now, I have a very special link with this part of West Bengal. No, not merely because West Bengal is my home state (though now I am settled in Delhi). But because my ancestral place lies in Jalpaiguri in the northern part of West Bengal, where Dooars and Terai are located. And like most of the “North Bengal families”, our family also has had a close link with the jungles, mountains, tea estates, etc. of this area. My grandfather was a regular hunter with the credit of various game huntings (from clouded leopard to deer and sambars) in the jungles of this area. My uncle (husband of my eldest paternal aunt) was in the Indian Forest Service of the West Bengal cadre, and eventually rose to the topmost position. Thanks to his job, since my childhood I have had so many opportunities to explore these areas, apart from other jungles located in the other parts of West Bengal. And I also had a good exposure to tea gardens, as one of my father’s close friends was a tea garden manager.

So this explains my close link with this area, affectionately called “North Bengal” by the people of West Bengal. Though my father had settled down in Calcutta even before I was born, and I eventually grew up in this city, I always enjoyed a close relationship with North Bengal. As since my childhood I used to regularly visit Jalpaiguri and other beautiful places in this region. This continued till 2001, when I shifted to Delhi for career reasons. Since then I have managed to visit North Bengal just once, in the December of 2002.

So precisely why is Ms Gowri’s blog so appealing to me?

While I always enjoyed the beauty of Dooars and adjacent areas, I was not merely content with it. I always had this wish to promote this exotic place beyond the boundary of West Bengal (and also beyond the boundary of India). Once I had tried to satisfy this dream by sending a write up to a West Bengal-based magazine. We were just back from an exciting trip to North Bengal, covering all the major jungles, hill stations, etc. I prepared a huge write up, and sent the same (with lots of photos) to the magazine's office. Unfortunately it was not published. Probably the quality of the write up was not at par with the standard of the magazine. Anyways, that marked the end of my effort to promote my dear North Bengal.

After that I have continuously tried to promote this area, but that has been mainly verbal promotion (i.e. talking about the area while having a chat with somebody). But the wish to make that promotion through media (magazines, travel web sites, etc) has remained unfulfilled. I in fact had nurtured the dream of having a blog on North Bengal. But I could not go ahead, as such a blog can be run by a person who either stays there or visits the area regularly (and as I said, now I hardly get the chance to visit the area).

And this unfulfilled dream of mine has been fulfilled by Ms Gowri. Through her blog she is sharing with the world the various interesting incidents, stories, developments, etc, in Dooars area, coupled with excellent photos. And so many people across the country are today getting the opportunity to know about this place. And hats off to her writing style. It is so attractive and juicy that it can turn even an insipid topic into a highly interesting one. Naturally, that makes her descriptions more interesting.

There are many who stay in exotic places. But most (not all) of them prefer to enjoy the beauty of the place themselves, rather than sharing the joy with others. Ms Gowri could have easily led a relaxed life, centered around her family and the social life confined within the tea garden executives and their families. But being a creative person, she preferred to share the joy of living in this beautiful place through an equally beautiful blog.

Madam, you are doing exactly what I had wanted to do. I had a long pain for not being able to do anything to promote my beautiful ancestral place, and you have given me a relief from that pain. I am so grateful to you.

Keep enjoying the beauty of North Bengal, and keep sharing the joy with the world. All the best!

Booker Prize For Adiga - The Latest International Recognition For India's Literary Prowess

Making his motherland and fellow Indians proud, debutante Indian novelist Aravind Adiga won the prestigious Man Booker Prize for Fiction for 2008, for his novel The White Tiger. 33 years old Adiga won the 50,000 pound ($47,000) prize by beating other prominent authors in the fray, who included established Indian author Amitav Ghosh.

Adiga is the fifth person in the list of Indian/Indian origin writers awarded with this coveted prize, with the first four being V S Naipaul, Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy and Kiran Desai. He has also become the second youngest Booker winner and only the third debut novelist to take the award.

The White Tiger – which is the ninth winning novel to take its inspiration from India or Indian identity – explores the darker side of India's rise to prosperity through its narrator, the son of a rickshaw puller who escapes crushing poverty.

CONGRATULATIONS, ADIGA! The nation is proud of you.


Source:

http://specials.rediff.com/news/2008/oct/15slde1.htm

http://www.newser.com/story/39961/indian-author-adiga-wins-booker-prize-for-white-tiger.html

Indian Origin Entrusted With The Responsibility of “Bailing Out” The US Economy

It is nothing new to find Indian origins holding key positions in foreign governments. And one of the latest additions to that long list of our countrymen calling the shots abroad is that of Neel Kashkari.

So who is Neel Kashkari? Well, he is the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury (International Affairs), US Government, a position more or less (if not fully) equivalent to that of a junior Finance minister in India. This former Goldman Sachs VP has been selected by the Bush administration as the Interim Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Stability. In this capacity, Mr. Kashkari will oversee the Office of Financial Stability including the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Apart from holding his new responsibilities, Neel also continues to hold the position of Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Economics and Development. However, his International Affairs responsibilities have been delegated – for the time being – to Assistant Secretary for International Affairs Clay Lowery.




Source: http://www.treas.gov/organization/bios/kashkari-e.html


http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2008/10/06/meet-neel-kashkari-the-man-with-the-700-billion-wallet/

http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2008/10/10/neel-kashkari-a-portrait-of-the-700-billion-man-as-a-young-banker/

Photo courtesy : abcnews.go.com

RTI Forum At Noida

Last evening (12th October 2008) I had the opportunity to attend RTI Forum, a seminar on RTI (Right To Information) Awareness. The venue of the seminar - organized by social activist organization Hai Ummeed - was the Community Center Auditorium adjacent to NR Windows Play School, sector 50, Noida.

It was an enjoyable event for me, given the fact that it was the first RTI seminar that I had the opportunity to attend. The seminar – which also included a short documentary on the RTI movement in India – was both informative and interactive in nature. One interesting aspect of the event was the presence of one Mr. Sushant, a software professional turned full time RTI activist. Members of the audience had the opportunity to discuss their various problems with Mr. Sushant, regarding how those problems can be solved through RTI provision. Sushant listened to each and every query with patience, and appropriately explained how the problem concerned can be solved through proper utilization of RTI provision. The problems were varied in nature, ranging from one related to the pension of a retired Army officer to that related to the non functioning of a neighborhood hand pump.

One key appeal (at least for me) of the event was the presence of Mr. Anil Shastri, the son of former Indian prime minister late Lal Bahadur Shastri. Well, it is not that I am a great fan of Mr Anil Shastri (though I have no disrespect for him either). Actually I am a huge fan of Lal Bahadur Shastri, undoubtedly one of the best prime ministers that my nation has ever had. And as I have never had the opportunity to meet him (as he died before I was even born), I could somehow reduce that pain by meeting his son.

Women Trafficking In The Garb Of NGO

There are so many NGOs who are selflessly working to address various human and social causes. Our respect and support are always there for them.

Unfortunately, at the same time there are NGOs which – in the garb of developmental and welfare activities – doing things that are shockingly heinous. And one such NGO is Abel & Leo Private Ltd of Singapore, which is involved in women trafficking while publicly posing as recruitment agency.

Instead of describing the relevant incident myself, I will rather request my reader to visit the following link, and read the news himself/herself.

http://www.kanglaonline.com/index.php?template=headline&newsid=43490&typeid=1

Congratulations Miss Mamta Banerjee

Hello Miss Mamta Banerjee! Please accept a bagful of hearty congratulations for successfully driving out TATA’s Nano project (read 10, 000 jobs) from West Bengal.

You have proved yourself to be a genuinely "energetic" and "enterprising" Opposition leader. You are so serious about your role as a member of the Opposition that you do not back out from playing it even when it requires to give a body blow to the interest of the state. Really, what a commitment!

After being looked down upon as an “industry unfriendly” state for a long time, very recently our beloved West Bengal had started gaining a somewhat positive image, courtesy sincere efforts by Mr. Buddhadev Bhattacharya. However, your “sincerity” as an Opposition leader has got us back to the square one. Now every potential investor will think at least for 100 times before investing a single pie in our hapless state.

With “well wishers” like you being there, West Bengal hardly needs any enemy.

Is It Right To Remember "Mahatma" At The Cost of Shastriji?

Every year on 2nd October the entire nation celebrates the birth anniversary of the "Father Of The Nation" - "Mahatma" Gandhi.

It is certainly our duty to remember him on each of his birth anniversaries (in fact, we should remember him and his values/principles everyday, and not only on his auspicious birth anniversary).

But does that mean that we will focus entirely on celebrating Mahatma's birthday, while completely overlooking this fact that 2nd October is also the birth anniversary of Lal Bahadur Shastri, one of the best Prime Ministers that our nation has ever had? Why it is so that the media (both electronic and print) carries just a scanty mention of the latter's birth anniversary, with the entire limelight being hogged by the other occasion (i.e. Mahatma's birth anniversary)?

Nobody needs to be reminded about the contributions of Shastriji, not only as a Prime Minister, but as a national leader as a whole. Therefore, it is not too much to say that he also deserves substantial remembrance on this day of 2nd October.

Let's hope that from the next time onwards we will not forget to offer him his due recognition, instead of having our entire focus on "Mahatma".

The Good Samaritan I Came Across Last Night

Last night (29th September 2008) I had a great experience, as I came across a Good Samaritan. It was around 2 am (in that sense it took place today, 30th September 2008), and I was returning to home from office.

So what did he do? Well, first let me give some background.



The background

Last night when my reporting head Mr Abhiram Mishra released me for the day, it was 9 pm. I could have easily caught a bus from the Mathura Road bust stop in front of my office, and come back at my Noida home by at most 10:30 pm. But I tried to act smart. My colleague Sachin was also supposed to go in my route (his home is not far away from mine), and he was going to have the office cab. So I felt it was better to wait for Sachin to be through with his work, and go back home with him in the same cab that had been assigned to him. I asked Sachin how long he would take, and he said it would be at most 1 hour (i.e. 10 pm).

I started waiting, and suddenly I realized that it was already 11 pm. Though I was impatient, that time it was not even possible for me to go by bus, as travelling in bus at that hour is not a safe option in Delhi.

So I continued waiting, now as a compulsion. And it seemed to be unending. From 11 pm it became 12 am, then 12:30 am, and then 1 am. And still Sachin was not through with his work.

Now I was completely at my wit’s end. On one hand I could not wait any more (there were constant calls from my home), and on the other hand I had no other option (as the option of travelling by bus had already got closed).

I was restless, I was excited, I wanted using my entire intelligence (whatever little I have) to dig out a solution, when I suddenly found that my boss Mr Abhiram Mishra was still there in his cabin, busy finishing some work. (Oh, I doubt whether I have ever felt so happy after seeing him). I straightway entered his cabin. Stunned, he asked me why I was still at office. I explained everything, and he said that he would give me a lift (incidentally, he stays near my home) while going back home after around 30 minutes.

And ultimately, it was Mr Mishra who took me in his car, and dropped me at a point near my home while on way to his own home.


Now, the actual drama

My home is just 15 minutes walk from the point where Mr Mishra dropped me. But crossing even that short distance at 2 am (in fact, anytime after 11 pm) is a nightmare for me. Why? Muggers? Ghosts? Nopes. Then? Well, the problem is stray dogs.

Well, you may find it very funny. But honestly, I am terribly afraid of stray dogs. The moment I find a single stray dog in the road I immediately change the route provided I have any alternative. This is even when it is broad daylight (when stray dogs are less tending to be suspicious of passersby) and the road is full of other people (who can ensure that the dog will not have sole attention on me). So you can understand how I felt when I found that I was supposed to pass through a lane which was likely to have a huge number of stray dogs. And moreover the time was late night (when stray dogs tend to be very suspicious of passersby), and there was not a single other person.

And I had no other option. There was another route to go home, but that would make me pass through a similar lane (i.e. full of stray dogs), and would also take more time.

I was wondering what to do, feeling the same helplessness that I was having while waiting for Sachin to get through with his work. I was standing so near my home, and yet ……


The arrival of the Good Samaritan

I was making fruitless effort for mustering courage to proceed, when suddenly a car (a white car the model of which I did not notice) came near that lane, flashing its left indicator that showed that it was going to enter that very lane that I was supposed to enter. I desperately shouted -"Bhaisaab!"

The car stopped, and the driver (the only person in the car) peeped outside through the driving side window. A man in his late 20s or early 30s, the driver was dressed in shabby clothes, and showed every sign of belonging to the so called “lower strata” of the society.

“Will you go this way?”, I asked him desperately.

“Yes, I will. Why?” The man was visibly surprised, understandably.

“Well, actually, I have to go this way. Can you please give me a lift? There are full of stray dogs.”

“Really? Ha ha! OK, get in Sir”.

The man took me inside the car, and entered the lane. We passed through half of the lane, when he said that he would turn left.

“Now I will go left. Where is your home?”
“At the end of this lane.” I said nervously. Then I asked him again, “Can you please drop me at the end of the lane, please?”

“OK, no problem”. The person proceeded again, and dropped me at the entrance of our neighborhood, from where my home is just 5 minutes.

I gave him lots of thanks, and came down from the car, and……

A group of stray dogs are standing there, looking at me with ferocious (so it appeared to me) eyes. And within seconds they started barking.

I had just turned into a statue. I knew that now I could not even ask the person to give me further lift in his car, as there was a huge iron gate at the entrance of our neighborhood. This gate is kept open throughout the day, and is shut down after 11 pm by the local guards.

I was almost in tears, when the man came down from the car and stood beside me. “Come, I will help you”. He held my hand, and started escorting me through that small army of dogs. And what surprised me was that the dogs immediately stopped barking – let alone charging us - the moment the guy came down and accompanied me.

The guy escorted me for almost the entire distance that remained, when there appeared a night guard.

The guy requested him to accompany me for the rest of the road (only few steps were remaining), and now said good bye.

“You are really great!” My voice was chocked with gratitude. “I will never forget your help”.

“Ha ha, it is OK. It is perfectly OK. Good night!” The man turned round, and left.

The guard accompanied me to the gate of my building, and I finally entered home after a memorable day (or shall I say night?).


The final conclusion – the world is not that bad as we often feel it to be

I am genuinely touched by the gesture of that person, who was in every sense a so called ordinary person with very ordinary life and habits. His appearance and way of speaking made it very clear that he was either a driver or a car mechanic or something like that, and by all means not very educated.

But the man has humanity. He did not hesitate to stop his car to respond to my call, though it was 2 am, and the road was completely empty (I myself would not have stopped probably). And he also gave me a lift, and even took the trouble of escorting me through those stray dogs.

I do not know his name. I do not even properly remember his face (I was too excited to notice it properly). But I will always remember the way he helped me at the time of my need. I accept that the situation might not be that serious for everybody. I know that a lot of people would have easily reached home without bothering about the stray dogs. But that is a different issue. It was a serious problem for me, and he helped me at that time.


29th September 2008 (officially 30th September, as it was 2 am). I will always remember the date. No, not because of this so called nocturnal adventure. But because on this day I have met somebody from a rare species, the species we have termed as “Good Samaritans”.

www.visitjordan.com – An ideal example of destination marketing effort

Recently I had the pleasure of visiting http://www.visitjordan.com/, the official web site of Jordan Tourism Board, i.e. the organization responsible for promoting Jordan as a tourist destination. And man, it was a real pleasure!

The site exemplifies one of the best specimens of Destination Marketing that I have come across so far. What I liked most was not the comprehensiveness of information displayed by it, but the innovative way by which those information were disseminated. For example the way the Hollywood connection of the Nebataean city of Petra was discussed. The innovative and racy language used in that description immediately catches the visitor's attention, eventually making that otherwise moderately interesting information sound like a thrilling one.

The site reflects a superb command of Web Marketing domain, while also reflecting a sound knowledge of the Marketing Communication field as a whole.

And, as I already said, the site has established itself as a gem of Destination Marketing initiative.

Loads of congrats to each and every person behind this beautiful site.

Virtually An Orphan, 5 Years Old Rimi Is Fighting Thalassemia Singlehandedly

5 years old Rimi Sardar is suffering from Thalassemia. Worse, she is forced to fight it singlehandedly.

Why singlehandedly? Because she is now virtually an orphan. The only elder she has beside her is Padma, her 50 plus maternal grandmother. And Padma herself is physically disabled, with her right hand amputed.

The sweet girl hails from a small village called Talda in eastern India, in the South 24 Parganas district of the state of West Bengal. The village has witnessed some bitter political struggles between two local political parties, and these struggles often turn violent with the indiscriminate use of fire arms and other lethal weapons.

Rimi’s mother was shot dead in the month of May. She was casting her vote in a local “Panchayat” election, when she was shot by a miscreant. It was in this same incident that Rimi’s granny Padma was also shot and injured, virtually losing her right hand.

On the other hand Rimi’s father and some other members of the family – all accused of being involved in a political clash - have been awarded life terms. They are all now in jail.

The end result - Rimi and her granny have been left in the lurch.

The almighty is now the only hope for Rimi.

Kolkata Guy Marries Two Sisters

Something interesting has happened in Kolkata (or Calcutta) in eastern India, the city where I grew up. I just felt I should share the incident with my friends who are unaware of it.

A Kolkata guy, named Kaushik Dutta has married two sisters – Jhuma and Shoma. And now these three (one husband and his two wives) are staying together in a single house.

All three of the “dramatis personae” are reportedly well educated and belong to the so-called upper class of the society. Jhuma is a post-graduate, while the younger sister Shoma holds a doctorate. The three jointly own a publishing house that brings out text books.

Quite naturally it has caused sensations in the city, with various prominent personalities (sociologists, authors, etc) expressing different views. Apart from being against the Hindu Marriage Act, this marriage is also being accused of being unethical. However, there are some who are supporting what Kaushik has done, saying that his act reflects the basic human nature.

I will not like to express any personal view, as I feel I am not intelligent or knowledgeable enough to make any analysis of this exceptional incident. Rather I will leave it to my friends to make their own analysis.


The link to the news is given below –

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1192396

My apologies to my friend Shanti Khumukcham

I am writing this diary to apologise to my colleague (read my friend) Shanti Kumar Khumukcham.

We have been working in the same organization for more than 1 year, and Mr Shanti Khumukcham has been such a nice friend to me. He was always there for me, trying to cover my deficits and weak points.

And I am such a scoundrel, other day I got him into such a big trouble in the office, simply due to my extremely irresponsible and callous behaviour. It was such a development that got Shanti's loyalty and credibility under scanner, while I myself know that he is one of the most loyal persons at our office. And all this happened only because of me.


I am so ashamed and repentant. I have just proved myself to be somebody completely unworthy of friendship. I have proved myself to be a scoundrel, who has caused such a harm to a friend who was so supportive.

Shanti has stopped talking to me, and I know he will never forgive me. I have been repeatedly apologising to him, but he is unmoved. And I know I would have done the same thing if I were there in his position.

I am sorry for sharing such a personal issue here. But the weight of repentance is constantly getting heavier. I just cannot carry it anymore. I have never had so much hatred for myself. This is the first time that I have disappointed a friend so badly.

An online counselor has suggested me to make the confession to somebody, so that I could feel a bit relaxed. And so I am sharing it here.

I know that I have made a mistake, in fact a serious mistake. But I am happy that I have been able to confess it.

Let the almighty always be with Shanti, and give him genuine friends.

Wanna Know A Litte About Terrorists? Well.....

The only religion they believe in is 'Devastation'

Inflicting harm on others is their most favourite passion.

They love to destabilize the entire world

As hatred against the entire human race is their greatest obsession.


And the only 'medicine' effective against these scoundrels?

A ruthless and all out attack, aimed at complete annihilation.

Real Life Bollywood – Couple Murder Relative To Avenge Rape

This may seem to have been taken straightway from a Bollywood cliché, but in reality it is a real incident that took place at Siliguri, a small town in eastern India and incidentally my birth place.

The accused couple – Anil Prakash Verma (a school teacher) and his wife Nilu Devi – are the residents of Khagra, another small town in eastern India. They are accused of (and they have admitted it themselves) of coming to Siliguri and boarding a hotel under false names, calling their Patna-based relative Ashoke Kumar Verma there under some pretext, and stabbing the latter to death in the night after dinner.

The couple have accused that the victim had visited their home in May, when Mr Anil was out of town. The victim, as per the couple’s version, had taken the advantage of Mr Anil’s absence and raped Nilu.

However, the couple had abstained from informing the police, as the victim, a successful contractor, was both rich and influential, and the couple were worried that police would fail to take any suitable step against him.

Thus the couple decided to take the law in their own hands. They planned for more than 3 months, and the ultimate result was the chilling incident that took place at a Siliguri hotel.

The commotion at the time of stabbing had alerted the hotel staff, who caught the couple red handed when they were already through with their “mission”. The couple are now in police custody, with the police officials themselves shocked with the incident.

I am an ordinary person, and I do not know whether my views at all matter to anybody. However, if the couple’s allegation against the deceased is true, them my full sympathy is with them.

Response Net May Be Your Trusted Medium For Helping The Flood Victims of Bihar And Assam

Just in my last posting I had appealed to every reader to do something for our hapless friends of Bihar and Assam, whose lives have been devastated by the recent floods.

However, this thought was very much in my mind that even if a person wants to help the victims, he might be confused about choosing the right partner, i.e. the right place to donate.

Yes, we all know about the relevant government agencies like Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. But there may be some who will like to go for a private organization, provided the latter has suitable credibility.

One of the names that I have gathered so far is that of Response Net. It is an organization that is really working hard for the flood victims. I feel one willing to do something for the flood victims may get in touch with this organization, and see for himself whether the organization is the right partner for the noble cause. I strongly feel he will not be disappointed.

Let’s Help The Flood Victims Of Bihar And Assam

The recent floods in Bihar and Assam have devastated the lives of a number of our fellow countrymen. I was regularly following all the relevant news and developments, and was feeling disturbed. However, very honestly speaking, the thought of doing something to help them did not strike to my mind.

It was only today that I came across a suggestion made by fellow blogger Mr. Sanjay Jha - from Delhi Bloggers Bloc – that something should be done for our hapless countrymen. Despite being short, Sanjay’s message was so powerful that it immediately touched my heart.

I humbly request to everybody who comes across this blog posting to do something for those star-crossed friends of ours. Little contributions from each of us may collectively turn into something substantial for them.

At the end, lots of thanks to Sanjay for inspiring me to at least think of doing something, instead of just tracking news through media and discuss the same with friends.

Wikipedia - World's Knowledge At Your Finger Tip

It was in 2006 that I first came to know about Wikipedia.org, and the very first interaction made me fall in love with it, head over heels.

Just try to think of a single web site like Wikipedia.org, and you will fail. Because there is none. After all, where will you get a single point source of information on everything under the Sun, ranging from the topics like Adolf Hitler and Global Warming to the ones like "Dhaba" and "Chutney"? Just ask for the information on anything, and Wikipedia.org is there at your service. It is very very very rare that you will fail to locate the information that you are seeking. Yes, sometimes it happens. It has happenned for a couple of times with my humble self, as well. But as I said, it is very very very rare.

Some of my friends compare the web site with Encyclopedia. Well, while I accept that Encyclopedia does come very close to Wikipedia, I do not consider the former to be exactly at par with the latter. Why? Well, mainly for 3 reasons.

No. 1, the range of Encyclopedia is not as widespread as that of Wikipedia.org. As I have already said that Wikipedia.org contains information on everything ranging from the topics like Adolf Hitler and Global Warming to the ones like "Dhaba" and "Chutney". This is something you cannot expect from Encyclopedia. For example, right now I typed "Michelle" in the "search box" of Wikipedia.org. And it is showing the names of various people named Michelle, quite a number of whom will certainly not feature in Encyclopedia.

No. 2, the regular updating of Wikipedia.org. The information found in a particular series of Encyclopedia are restricted to the information considered valuable at the time of publication of that series. But that is not the case with Wikipedia.org It is regularly updated. In fact, you can even find the Website containing a detailed information about a person who has become famous just 1 hour back. A notable example of that sort is that of Abhinav Bindra. Within days of his winning the Olympics gold medal I searched for his name in the Wikipedia, and found the same to be present there.

No. 3, Wikipedia gives you the liberty to add/modify content. In case you feel the web site should have displayed information about a particular person/topic/country, etc, you can create content on the same and submit to the site.

You can also add content (and thus add value) to an already existing content, provided you have something valuable to add.

And yes, you also have the opportunity to rectify a particular bit of information if you find it to be wrong.

Needless to say, like the benefits mentioned in points no. 1 and 2, the opportunities mentioned in point no. 3 are not to be found in Encyclopedia.

Yes, Wikipedia.org does have its own shares of draw backs. For example, the information found in it are sometimes not accurate. And it is widely suggsted not to have blind faith on Wikipedia.org. Nevertheless, the web site is a golden feather in the cap of Internet in general and Web 2.0 in particular.

Ruling Coalition in Pakistan Suffers Crack

Just the other day – in my last posting – I had written that now Musharraf was out, it was the time for real test for the sustainability of the ruling coalition in Pakistan. Some political watchers had already started saying that the common objective of ousting Musharraf was the only binding force between the two major constituents of the ruling coalition, and now it was time for the coalition leaders to prove those political watchers wrong.

My posting had barely gathered dust when the world witnessed what it had already anticipated – a crumbling of the coalition with Nawaz Sharif’s party pulling out of the same. Reason? Differences of opinion with Zardari & Co. over key issues, such as the reinstatement of the judges sacked by Musharraf and selecting the candidate for the Presidential election to be held on 6th September (Nawaz’s party wants an apolitical candidate for the position, while Zardari reportedly wants to contest for the position himself).

Differences of opinion in a coalition of government are nothing unusual. But the coalition partners must have the maturity and political acumen to sort them out amicably, without letting the same threaten the sustainability of the coalition itself. What happened in Pakistan does not only reflect the political undependability of the parties of Nawaz Sharif and Zardari, but it raises serious question about the dependability of the so called political parties of Pakistan as a whole. After all, how can the common people of Pakistan now afford to bank on parties which fail to sort out issues and part ways at the drop of a hat, eventually leading the country to political instability? Have the coalition leaders given a thought to the message that their action has sent to the mass?

The image of these so called democratic leaders was in any case not very bright in Pakistan. They actually managed to grab power in the last election by piggybacking on the shabby image of Musharraf. The mass actually voted out the dictator, and not voted in these leaders. So what these leaders should have immediately done after coming to power was to focus on good governance, thus brightening their image and enhancing their administrative credibility. And what they did was just the opposite.

And what is worse is that this development will pave the way for the revival of the army (as I had said in my last posting). And if the army does manage to exploit the present turmoil and grab power, then they will have an extra advantage this time. And what is that?

Well, they can claim that the democratic political parties are absolutely not dependable, as they cannot sustain their internal problems, let alone broader issues faced by the nation. And thus depending on them means ushering in turmoil, disturbances and political instability. On the other hand the army is an organized and disciplined institution, determined to achieve something for the nation.

Needless to say that the common Pakistanis will instantly buy such propaganda by the army, with the bitter experience of depending on democratic political parties fresh in their mind. And then it will be extremely difficult for the democratic leaders to oust the army, no matter who the dictator is. In fact, they will not even have the guts to approach the common people for support, as the latter will always ask those leaders to explain the reason for their failure to retain the power that they had been given the last time.

End For The Musharraf Regime

He had tried his best to avoid it, and had successfully delayed it for quite some time. But at last Musharraf had to accept the inevitable – his ouster. With the threat of a disgraceful impeachment looming over his head, the embattled President announced his resignation in a press conference on 18th August, 2008.

In a carefully constructed speech with an emotional undertone, the former dictator gave a detailed description of all the achievements made by his government, ranging from the ones made in trade and commerce (like attracting foreign investments) to those in education, social development, etc. Like shrewd politician he also admitted that he may have made certain mistakes, and justified the same on the basis of “Man is to err” philosophy.

Significantly, he claimed that he was not afraid of facing the impeachment motion, as all the charges against him were “wrong”. Rather, he claimed to be confident of winning the impeachment motion. But still he decided to put down his papers, as he felt that any such action against the President of the country would make Pakistan lose its face in the international arena. This, as per Musharraf’s version, was the only reason why he decided to quit.

No matter how strong the opposition against him was, Musharraf’s ouster would not have been easy if he managed to win USA’s support. In fact, USA was his last refuge, and Musharraf had heavily banked on the country which had considered Musharraf’s Pakistan a significant ally in the war against terrorism. However, Bush and his companions decided to keep themselves away from the internal politics of Pakistan, leaving Musharraf helpless against the huge tide of opposition against him.

Well, now comes the crucial question. Now Musharraf is out, what will happen to the ruling coalition? There have been some sporadic comments that anti-Musharraf movement was the only unifying factor for the coalition partners having lots of differences over various issues. In fact, they had joined hands only to address the common political objective, i.e. the ouster of Musharraf. With that common political objective achieved, will they be now able to retain their friendship?

Their differences of opinion have already been out on various occasions, which raise serious questions about the sustainability of the coalition. One key issue, that is threatening the coalition’s sustainability, is the issue of reinstating the judges suspended by Musharraf. In fact, the difference of opinion on this issue has gone to such an extent that just the other day Nawaz Sharif threatened to pull out of the coalition.

The leaders of the coalition partner must sort out all these issues as soon as possible, and ensure a stable government aimed at offering a clean and effective administration. The failure of the democratically elected government to sustain its internal problems will not only pave the way for the army’s revival (with either Musharraf or Kiyani or somebody else at the helm), but will also seriously damage Pakistan’s common peoples’ faith and confidence on the country’s democratic political parties. After all, how can a coalition claim to solve the country’s problems when it cannot solve its internal problems?

Photo Courtesy: www.apna.tv

Terrorism Makes India Bleed Again

The “Trust Vote” drama was just over, with the people of India convinced that it was going to be the only hot topic of discussion for some time now. And soon they were proved to be wrong. There arrived another hot topic of discussion, so hot that the Indian people would have been happy if it did not appear.

A bunch of “committed” and “dedicated” terrorists, “determined” to achieve objectives that only they can understand, came up with the “heroic” deed of carrying out blasts in the two cities located in two different parts of India, one being Bangalore in the southern India and the other being Ahmedabad in western India. The natural end result was the loss of several innocent lives, along with lots of injured people going through a traumatic experience in various hospitals and nursing homes.

As usual the government has suddenly become hyper active, with the police forces of different states, intelligence agencies, etc. working overtime to catch the culprits. Our honourable ministers from the Union Home Ministry are visiting the affected areas “to take stock of the situation” (does a person overnight become an expert after becoming a minister?), and then briefing the media about their “carefully structured” course and plan of action. The media has now concentrated its entire focus on this issue, with enthusiastic and hard working correspondents of various TV channels tracking all the relevant developments round-the-clock. The former heads of police, intelligence agencies, self-styled defence experts, etc are appearing in various TV shows to share their “rich experience” in fighting terrorism, with “valuable suggestions” about how the menace can be curbed. There are innumerable articles in various newspapers, offering “in-depth” discussion on the exact nature of the problem, highlighting various socio-economic-political factors behind it and ways to address the latter.


However, we all know that all these will go on only for few days. Very soon everything will be “back to normalcy”, with the unfortunate incidents completely out of people’s mind. We will get back to our callous and indifferent attitude towards terrorism and other disruptive activities, waiting to be shaken up by another repetition of such heinous acts.

Tit For Tat For West Bengal Minister

On 5th June, 2008 the Left Front had called for a Bandh in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura – the three Indian states where they are in power – as a mark of protest against the Indian national government’s decision to hike the fuel price.

Quite naturally the common people had to face lots of troubles in the Bandh affected states, as they were forced to stay back at home by the “committed” supporters of Left Front. There was widespread hooliganism, like deflating of car tyres, forced stopping of cabs, and so on. A huge number of air and rail passengers got stranded in airports and railway platforms, with the elderly and little children having a really tough time.

However, a hapless minister of the West Bengal government himself got the taste of this hooliganism, when some passengers of the train - in which he himself was travelling – paid him back in the same coin.

The story goes like this –


P-power & party power - Blocked people block minister



Kishanganj/Siliguri, June 5: CPM minister Asok Bhattacharya got a taste of his party’s own medicine today when fellow passengers on a bandh-hit train refused to let him complete his journey by car.
The municipal affairs minister was virtually confined for eight hours on the New Jalpaiguri-bound Darjeeling Mail, stranded at Bihar’s Kishanganj station because of squatting up the line in Bengal.
“How does it feel now? The minister should get to know how the rest of us feel during these meaningless bandhs,” said Dilip Singh, 33, a salesman from Siliguri who was later arrested on the charge of misbehaving with Asok and given bail.
This is the second instance of CPM leaders getting a taste of people power this week. On Monday, a Calcutta crowd had egged a policeman on to book six-time MP Tarit Topdar’s driver after he broke traffic rules and then tried to pull rank.
CPM state secretary Biman Bose dismissed any suggestion of public anger against bandhs, saying: “Asok was stopped in Bihar.” The passengers of the Sealdah-NJP train, which briefly touches Bihar, were mostly from Bengal, though.
Saheli Bhattacharya was Siliguri-bound with her children, aged 8 and 11. “There was no food or water and the minister was about to leave; I and the others requested him to stay,” she said.
Asok, whose act of travelling conflicted with the party’s aim of paralysing the state, appeared to undermine the bandh further by pleading he had “important work” to finish. That infuriated Jalpaiguri-bound Biswajit Ganguly, who said: “He knew his party had called the bandh, yet he told us he had important work. Well, were the rest of us travelling for fun?”
Asok spent the hours reading a book on globalisation in his air-conditioned first-class coach till the journey resumed at 2.45pm. The train had arrived at Kishanganj at 6.45am but within 10 minutes, the station announced a delay because of squatting at Aluabari and Raninagar.
The minister immediately began flexing his political muscle. “I rang up party members… and got them to withdraw the (two) blockades. I informed the Katihar divisional railway manager (DRM) but no effort was made to get the train moving,” Asok said.
Around 10.30, Kishanganj police chief M.R. Nayak arrived with an extra car for the minister, upsetting the passengers. Nayak said he had merely offered to take the minister to the Circuit House, and Asok too later claimed he had no intention of making it to Siliguri by road.
Dilip was “threatening and abusive”, the minister said. “Some passengers led by this youth, who wore a red shirt, said they wouldn’t let me leave. He kept yelling and sneaked into my compartment.”
Even before this, some passengers had begun shouting at Asok, prompting Jalpaiguri police chief Tripurari — a co-passenger — to intervene.
At NJP, Dilip was charged with unlawful assembly, wrongful confinement and misbehaviour as Asok left for home in Siliguri. “I protested like the others,” Dilip said.
Katihar DRM Mehtab Singh said trains stranded up the line had delayed the green light to the Darjeeling Mail.

Source : The Telegraph (Calcutta Edition).



I am certainly not rejoicing the fact that the minister had to face such a bitter experience. What happened was certainly unfortunate. However, I feel that the incident was a boon in disguise, as it enabled the minister to realize the intensity of problems that the common people face due to such mindless political activities (like Bandh). While I feel that the passengers of that train could have launched their protest in a gentler manner, I can fully understand the frustration and grievance which made them come up with such a rare expression of public fury. This incident is a wake up call for all the political parties, who fail to gauge the extent of public dissatisfaction with all the offensive political activities lke Bandh.

By the way, I have a humble question for the West Bengal government. Mr Dilip, the passenger who reportedly instigated other passengers to heckle the minister was arrested by police, though later he was released on bail. Has the government taken any such such step against at least one of those Left Front supporters, who came up with tremendous misbehavior with the common people of West Bengal to ensure that the Bandh was successful?

World Loses Its Only Hindu King

Nepal had already lost the distinction of being the only Hindu state of the world, when the country’s popularly elected parliament proclaimed it to be a secular state (i.e. a state without any official religion) by shedding off the status of a Hindu state (i.e. a state with Hinduism as the official religion). And on 28th May, 2008 it also lost the “remaining distinction” of being the world’s only Hindu kingdom, with a special assembly voting to abolish the 240 years old monarchy.

King Gyanendra, who till the other day was the world’s only Hindu king, has now turned into an ordinary citizen of Nepal. He and his family has been given 15 days of time to vacate the Narayanhiti Royal Palace, the abode of his ancestors for years, which the government plans to convert into a museum.

While it is certainly true that the Nepalese royal family was infamous for its lack of respect for democracy, at the same time nobody can deny this fact that the King (i.e. the Monarchy) had already become too weak to create any hindrance for the smooth flow of democracy in the country. Under such circumstances, it was meaningless to abolish the monarchy completely. Rather, it could have been very much retained – by keeping a strong control on the lavishness of the royal family members – as the Nepalese King was some sort of a national icon, something like the “National Emblem” of the country.

However, the Maoists were determined to completely dethrone the Monarch and abolish the monarchy. It is not that they considered the King to be a threat for the smooth functioning of democracy. Their only interest was to see their leader Prachanda as the first President of the country, a long cherished wish of Prachanda which he has never tried to hide. At last his dream has come true.

It may be nice that Nepal is now free from the clutches of its royals. But is it a better situation to be under the clutches of Communists, who themselves are not known to be very respectful of democratic norms? Only time can answer this.

Photo courtesy: www.abc.net.au

The Recent Spate Of Frequent Power Cuts Has Made Life Miserable In Noida

The recent spate of frequent power cuts has made life miserable in Noida, the high-flying satellite town located in the outskirts of New Delhi.

Despite being small in size, Noida enjoys a prominent position in the entire India for various reasons, like being the host of the offices of various reputable companies, both Indian and MNCs. In fact a particular area of Noida, viz. Sector 62, is well known in the entire National Capital Region (NCR) for the offices of various prominent IT companies located in that area. The town is also known for the presence of famous educational institutions, like V.V.Giri Labour Institute, Amity University (one of India’s top private universities) and the Asian Academy of Film & Televisions (one of the top film schools in the entire Asia).

Another key feature of Noida is its Software Technology Park (STP), one of the best STPs that the country boasts of.

Moreover, Noida is perceived as a great place to stay, with lots of people buying/constructing flats/houses here without opting for proper Delhi. It is a trend that has been boosted by a host of favorable factors, like a comparatively cleaner environment, tranquility, greenery, abundant water supply, etc.

However, the recent frequent power cuts experienced by the “Noidaites” are seriously hampering all the pleasures of staying in this beautiful town. It is of course not a charming experience to find the lights going off when one has just started his dinner, just ten minutes after coming back to home from office where he had a grueling day. It is equally frustrating to miss a favourite programme on TV in Sunday noon, or to have a bad sleep in the night with the fan unable to comfort you because of the lack of electricity.

I hope that the concerned authority is very much aware of the inconveniences that the Noidaites are facing, and will take all the suitable steps soon.

The Shocking Indifference Of Delhites

I was on my way to office, Espire Infolabs, in the Santro car of my beloved colleague Mr Amit Bharti. While Amit was busy in driving the car and also responding to the relentless calls at his mobile (he is the Administration Manager at our organization, and therefore a very important person), I decided to browse through the pages of “The Times of India” that I had bought in the morning. And in the very first page I came across this news that left me, well, shell-shocked.


Man dies bleeding on road but busy city doesn't care

NEW DELHI: A callous, heartless city. Yet another incident, this time at the Ashram Chowk in south Delhi, showed exactly why the capital has earned this dubious tag. On Monday morning, a 52-year-old freelance journalist lay bleeding at the busy crossing for nearly an hour after his bike was hit by a speeding minitruck, without any sort of medical help coming his way.

The victim, Shams Tabrez, bled to death on the road.

Worse. Dr Anil Sharma, a neurosurgeon at AIIMS, who happened to be passing by and rushed to help the victim, was rebuked by other motorists for abandoning his vehicle on the middle of the road for the sake of a "dead man".


"When I tried to stop a few cars coming from the opposite side to take the victim to a hospital, they just refused saying they did not want their seat covers ruined. When I went back to him, the man had died. He could have lived if help reached him in time," Dr Sharma said. The doctor was going to AIIMS when he got stuck in a jam at Ashram. "I was told that the pile-up was due to an accident that had taken place 45 minutes ago. I got off from my car and rushed to the victim, who was lying in a pool of blood. Only two bikers had stopped by to help. They told me they had called up the police half an hour ago, but no one had turned up."




I have only one question. Are we, the proud Delhites, at all civilized? Or is it so that the fast pace of our life has robbed us of all our sensitivities and humanness? How could the people on the road let the man die in such a manner? How will they feel if such callousness is shown to any of their relatives or close ones under similar circumstances?

We are so smart in criticizing the apathy of the Indian politicians. We hold them responsible for everything – the slowdown in economy, the worsening law and order situation, and so on. Have we ever bothered to look at ourselves? Have we ever tried to identify the flaws in our characters, and rectify the same? How can we have the right to criticize our so-called leaders (some of whom are certainly intolerable), when we ourselves are burdened with so many flaws?

The unfortunate death of Shams Tabrez is certainly shocking for his relatives. But what they will find to be most shocking is the extreme callousness shown to him by his fellow Delhites at the time of distress. It is this show of insensitivity that will hugely aggravate the bereavement of Tabrez’s family. They will never forgive the callous onlookers who completely ignored the helpless man lying in a pool of blood, letting him to die a painful death. And make no mistake, the curse of Tabrez’s family will always loom on Delhi’s head.

Shame on you, Delhi! You do not worth being called a city. You are a hell!

Indians Most Prone To HIV/AIDS

A very bad news for all Indians. A recent study has found that we Indians are most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS among all population groups of the world. The study, which was the biggest even gene mapping exercise of the Indian people, has discovered that a protective gene marker against HIV-1 is almost absent among the Indian people. This explains the high vulnerability that we are cursed with.

The study also shows that the south Indians are at a greater risk in comparison to their north Indian brothers.

It is now time for us to see whether the Indian government takes any step to address this situation. At least the government can arrange for some suggestions and advices by experts, about how we can take some precautionary measures.

One Of The Rarest Of Rare Phobias – The Fear Of Buttons

It was one of the weirdest news that I have come across in my entire life (and that is certainly not a small time, as I am already 30 something). The said news is about a British girl who is suffering from one of the strangest (and weirdest) phobias that are found in this world – the fear of buttons.

The news says that the girl, Gillian Linkins “can't even stand in the same room as friends and family, who wear them. The sight of buttons sends her into panic attacks. She realised her phobia at the age of seven, when she refused to put on her school blouse.”

The news also quotes the girl saying “I have always been fearful of buttons, especially when they are grouped together……… For me touching a button would be like touching a cockroach. It feels dirty, nasty and wrong. When I was younger my brother used to tease me by opening my mum's button tin. I hide in my bedroom until he put them away”.

No wonder that Gillian’s boyfriend Nate Dorrington always wears clothes with zips.

The phobia, named Koumpounophobia, reportedly affects one in 75,000 people.


The world is really such a queer place. So many strange and peculiar things are happening here, half of which are unknown to us.

However, the news is certainly not funny. It is definitely not a good news that a young girl has become a victim of such an odd phobia, which is seriously hampering her social life. Let us pray to God that she gets rid of this peculiar phobia soon, and starts enjoying a perfectly normal life.

Gillian, all our wishes are with you. You just need to be a bit mentally tough, and self-confident. You must overcome this baseless phobia, and we know that you will certainly be successful in doing so. Good Luck!

Is Nepal’s 240 Years Old Monarchy On The Verge Of Abolition?

This is probably the toughest time that the Nepal’s monarchy is facing in its 240 years of history. King Gyanendra has been told in clear terms by the Maoists – who have swept the recent general election in the country – to spontaneously leave the Narayanhiti Palace (the royal palace of Nepal) and espouse the life of a commoner, enabling the Maoists to go for a smooth abolition of the monarchy. The ultra-leftists have also threatened that in case the embattled King does not quit himself, then he will have to face a forceful eviction.

On the other hand, the King has reportedly refused to quit the palace – the abode of his ancestors – and go for an exile.


It is really an unpredictable political development, with both the sides being seemingly stubborn about their respective decisions. However, in all probability, the King will certainly have to bow down before the Maoists, in case the latter stick to their decision.

But I have a humble question. Is it at all necessary to abolish the monarchy and send Gyanandra for exile? After all, he will no more enjoy the power, influence and command that he and his ancestors used to have, with even the popularly elected governments being forced to pay huge importance to their views, ego, whims, etc. It is quite clear that now the popularly elected government (read the Maoists) will call the shots in every respect, with the King being just a powerless and mute spectator.

Therefore, under such circumstances, what is the use of going for the complete abolition of the monarchy? After all, the Nepal King has always been regarded as a national icon, regarded by various Nepalese citizens as a quintessential part of the Nepalese nationality and culture (like what the British monarchy is for the UK). I will like to humbly remind Mr Prachanda that now he and his followers have grabbed the power, they should now focus on core administrative and policy issues, instead of wasting their valuable time in trying to inflict the extreme humiliation on the King.