What Is Wrong With The ICICI Bank ATMs?

I suppose something is wrong with the ICICI bank ATMs. More-or-less regularly I have been finding their ATM machines to be out of order. Well, at least that what I have been experiencing in Noida, the satellite town adjacent to Delhi.

Just few weeks back I had found both the machines in the ICICI ATM near Noida’s NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation) office to be out of order. This is the ATM near my Sector 22 home, and naturally this is the ATM that I generally visit. Since that ATM was of no use, I had to go to the ATM in Sector 12 (near Metro Nursing Home), which is a bit far away from my home.

Today morning when I went to the ICICI ATM near my home, i.e. the one near NTPC office, again I found both the machines to be out of order. So again I had to go to the Sector 12 ATM. Yes, it was OK, but partially. And what does that mean? It means that it has three machines, but one was out of order. That means, though it was OK, it was certainly not spotlessly OK.

I have been a customer of ICICI for quite some time now, and I am quite satisfied with their service. I will just humbly request them to be a bit careful about the health of their ATMs.

Confidential Mail From Burkina Faso

I got this “confidential” mail from Burkina Faso (a small country in Africa) on 24th July, 2009. The sender is some Mr. Tama Aku (tamank.a97@msn.com).

I just wished to share the content of the mail with everybody who comes across my blog. I feel people may find it interesting.




The Desk of Mr Tama Aku
Audit/Remittance Department of
African Development Bank (ADB)
Auagadougou Burkina Faso
phone: 00226-71 19 15 57



Dear Friend,

(CONFIDENTIAL)

I know that this email will be a big surprise to you, but i want you to calm down and read very carefully.

I have a business which will be beneficial to both of us.. the amount of money involved is ($5,700:000:00 five million seven hundred thousand us dollars) which i want to transfer out of the country to your bank account, all to my financial benefit and yours too. and also to take my wife abroad for treatment of liver damage.

This money is owned by a man called JIN SUN, a business commercialist in west-african regions. he has been dead since four years ago (2005) and since then, no claim has been placed on his bank account balance.

I want to transfer this money out of the country but such fund cannot be transferred without a next of kin attached to the fund. the fund could be transferred in these way; you shall present yourself as a business associate to the deceased person[JIN SUN) as details shall be that you are the care- taker business associate to mr. jin sun and his properties.

I shall make available to you materials and information with which a successful claim shall be placed on the fund. i shall also be your guidiance and instructor throughout the duration of this transaction so as to ensure a swift and sure transfer of the fund to your bank account.

As to your benefits,you shall be entitled to 40% of this fund for your co-operation in this transaction while 5% will be set aside for expences incured during the course of this transaction.

So if you are interested, send a reply to me immediately and in your reply please include your [private phone and your fax numbers] urgency has to be implied and this business must strictly be a deal between both of us.
Waiting for your urgent response so that i can move ahead and give you the indept details concerning this transaction and also the steps to take for a smooth transfer of the fund into your bank account.

Best Regards,
Mr.TAMA AKU





So this is the mail. As you can see, it talks about a business deal which involves a huge amount of money. So if anybody is interested, he may contact Mr Tama Aku for the deal.

PS – Guys, I hope you people have pretty well understood that it is nothing but a fraud. Please do not make the mistake of sending any document to this person.

I shared this mail only to alert those gullible people who fall prey to such frauds. I know all of us occasionally get such mails, and just ignore the same as we know that these are sent by cheats. However, there are some who still get carried away by such mails, and I just wanted to warn them.

News In Pakistani Newspaper – “Naked girls plough fields in India”

I was going through the online edition of the top Pakistani newspaper Dawn (www.dawn.com), when I came across this disturbing news about India with an equally disturbing headline –




Naked girls plough fields in India

PATNA: Farmers in an eastern Indian state have asked their unmarried daughters to plough parched fields naked in a bid to embarrass the weather gods to bring some badly needed monsoon rain, officials said on Thursday.

Witnesses said the naked girls in Bihar state ploughed the fields and chanted ancient hymns after sunset to invoke the gods. They said elderly village women helped the girls drag the ploughs.

‘They (villagers) believe their acts would get the weather gods badly embarrassed, who in turn would ensure bumper crops by sending rains,’ Upendra Kumar, a village council official, said from Bihar’s remote Banke Bazaar town.

‘This is the most trusted social custom in the area and the villagers have vowed to continue this practice until it rains very heavily.’

The region’s rich cultural heritage and extreme reliance on seasonal rainfall has led to the development of myriad rituals, ranging from wedding frogs to singing elaborate songs to evoke rainfall.

India this year suffered its worst start to the vital monsoon rains in eight decades, causing drought in some states. — Reuters


News Source URL: http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/11-naked-girls-plough-fields-in-india--il--01


I would like to know whether this news is at all true. While I have due confidence on the Dawn authorities, I will like to mention that I have not come across this news in any Indian newspaper or news channel.

Nation Salutes the Kargil Heroes

There are some events which fade away from one’s memory within 10 days. And there are events which remain fresh in the memory even after 10 years. And such an event is the Kargil War, which witnessed the height of the Indian army’s bravery, dedication and professional excellence. It is an event which has made a permanent place for itself in the history of India, and will be remembered even after 100 years from now, during the youths of our grandchildren.

10 years have passed. But I still remember the shock, tension and thrill that we all had to go through during those days when the war was going on. The entire nation was following the “live coverage” of the war on TV, with the same tension and thrill that we have while watching a cricket match between India and some other country. The only difference was that it was not cricket. It was a full fledged war, where our brave hearts were fighting not for winning any glossy cricket tournament, but for protecting the territorial integrity of India. And they were doing so by putting their own lives at risk, with smiling faces. And then one day India finally succeeded in saving her land from the clutches of the nasty intruders, who had stealthily entered into our territory and occupied the same.

Personally, the war was a great eye opener for me. That was the first time I found so many boys of my own age to lay down their lives for our motherland. Everyday I would come across news of the martyrdom of boys in early 20s, i.e. in my age group. And this forced me to go for an introspection, a self-analysis. I just questioned myself – “So many boys and girls of my age are fighting for their motherland, by risking their own lives. And what am I doing? Still leading a comfortable life under the shadow of my parents?” It was this thought that inspired me to think of doing something meaningful in life, so that I can be proud of my human birth. Yes, till now I have not been able to do anything worthwhile. And I do not know whether I will even be able to do anything likewise. But at least I had this enlightenment that I had rooms for development in my nature. And I am grateful to the young Kargil martyrs for helping me have that realization.

The Poor Public Image of the NGO Sector

For last few days we have been looking for a new flat for rent, as we are having some problems with the flat where we have been staying for last 3-4 years. Now, other day we came to know from a local shopkeeper that a gentleman – in our neighbourhood itself – was looking for tenant for the ground floor of his house. So my mother went to meet him. The conversation that they had is described below –

The Landlord: “You want to rent the flat? Fine. Who are there in your family?”
Mother: “Me, my husband, and my son. Actually me and my husband will go back to Calcutta, our hometown. My son will stay here, as he is working here. We actually want to rent the flat for him.”
The Landlord: “OK, what does he do?”
Mother: “He is working for an NGO.”
The Landlord: “What? NGO? Sorry, I do not want a tenant who is working for an NGO.”
Mother (terribly shocked): “Why?”
The Landlord: “The NGOs do not pay their employees regularly. I am sure your son will not be able to pay the rent regularly.”
Mother: “No no! His NGO is a good one. A prominent one. Please listen to me….”
The Landlord: “I am sorry madam. Please, do not insist me. I cannot accept your request.”

Shuts the door.


Well, no matter how much shocking it may appear, this is the harsh reality. This is the popular perception of NGOs and NGO professionals. A common man’s idea about an NGO is that it is a sub-standard organization with a sub-standard and unprofessional working environment, functioning from a dilapidated office building located in a shabby corner of the town. And the people working in that organization are all sub-standard people, who have joined the NGO sector only after failing to grab any opening anywhere else.

If only these “socially illiterates” knew the reality.

Let me just say a couple of things about Pragya (www.pragya.org), the NGO that I am working for.

It has its office at Udyog Vihar Phase –V in Gurgaon, one of the most up market areas in the entire NCR (National Capital Region).

We get our salary sharp on 2nd of the month.

My colleagues include IIM MBAs, PhDs, etc., with some of them having degrees/diplomas from prestigious institutes abroad. And yes, there are some who have even worked for prominent organizations abroad, organizations where a person can work only if he can prove himself to be a professional with highest level of competence.

As far as the perception of lackluster and unprofessional working environment is concerned, I must highlight that when a task is assigned to somebody in our office, he is also given a deadline within which he must finish the task.

I know that all that I said about my organization are true about many other NGOs, as well. But, unfortunately, a number of people are still having such a wrong perception about the NGO sector, without even bothering to know the reality. They do not even know about the various commendable jobs that various NGOs are doing in various areas, winning laurels from the government and other prestigious organizations and bodies.

By carrying stupid ideas about the NGO sector, these people are simply proving their own stupidity.

Who Am I?

For me the life of a stray dog is much for valuable than that of 1,000 human beings

For me putting up a fight for the rights of a small fly is one of this world’s most important things.

I can risk the life of a human baby for saving just the small tail of a kitten

I remain unmoved with the atrocities faced by human beings, but cannot tolerate the scene of a single dog tied with a chain.

I have no problem if you abuse a person, but I will not allow it if you refer to an animal as “beast”

Who am I? Well, I am an Animal Rights Activist.

Mayawati’s Landmark Project – Rs. 1,000 Crores For Unveiling Statues

Ms Mayawati may be known for her various “unconventional” and “pioneering” administrative steps. But this one surely outshines all of them.

When the UP government is failing to address a number of administrative gaps and drawbacks for the lack of adequate funds (and for the lack of administrative competence, of course), that time the government has decided to spend (read waste) a staggering amount of Rs. 1,000 for, hold your breath, unveiling statues of 40 “Dalit icons”. And yes, of these 40 statues, 6 will be of Ms Mayawati herself (after all she is also a Dalit icon, right?).

Really, what a great idea to champion the Dalit cause. India’s “downtrodden” are really so lucky to have such a leader like Ms Mayawati. And let’s not overlook the “innovativeness” of the project. The money could have been spent in addressing the infrastructural problems of the dalit villages, like arranging for drinking water, setting up schools and hospitals, arranging for scholarships for meritorious students from backward families, etc. But Mayawatiji, thanks to her fertile brain, identified a far better way to address the Dalit’s problems – setting up statues of Dalit leaders. Congrats!

I only wish Behenji could know about the remarks that my “Dalit” friends have made about her, after reading about this project in the newspaper. Really, they are so ungrateful. The lady is trying to do so much for them, and they are criticizing her. I am ashamed of those friends. And I am really so proud that our country is blessed with leaders like Ms Mayawati.

What Is Meant By INDIAN?

I – Idealist

N- Nationalist

D- Democratic

I- Intelligent

A- Aristocrat

N- Noble-minded

The Kangaroo Land (Australia) – Economically Developed, Culturally Impoverished

No matter how much economic development a country may have achieved, it does not necessarily guarantee that the country enjoys a truly refined and cultured society. This extremely unpleasant fact was again proved by the recent spate of racial attacks on the Indian students in Australia. Every Indian is shocked and disturbed to know about how our children are being thrashed by the raw and rustic Australian youths, simply for having the “wrong” skin colour. Ultra-outrageous! That is the only word that fittingly describes what is happening in the Kangaroo Land.

So this is the true character of the people of Australia, a country that prides itself in being in the league of the so-called “developed nations”? On one hand the Australians are so proud of the economic status of their “first world country”, and the high quality of life that they enjoy. And on the other hand they are so narrow-minded that they cannot accept a foreigner as their equal, simply because that person does not have the “correct” ethnicity and skin colour.

Actually there is nothing surprising about this rustic mentality of the Australians. The nature of a nation is mainly shaped by its origin, i.e. the types of forefathers it had. Australians might be proud that today they are a developed nation. But what is their origin? A huge chunk of their forefathers were criminals and anti-socials from England, who were banished by the English government to Australia (which was then a penal island). Another major chunk of their forefathers was constituted of the illiterate (and naturally uncultured) gold prospectors from various parts of Europe. With such a “genealogy”, it is little surprising that Australians have such an uncultured and ruffian attitude. In fact, rudeness is seemingly part and parcel of the Australian life. A case in point is the on-the-field behaviour of the Australian cricketers, the ones “credited” with the import of “sledging culture” in the “Gentleman’s game”.

It is heartening to see that the Indian government has already launched a strong protest with its Australian counterpart. The latter must be pursued not only to save the Indian students from further racial attacks, but also to take strict action against the culprits of the racial attacks that have taken place so far.

The Indian government is also well advised to bar the Australian universities from holding promotional and marketing campaigns in India, aimed at Indian students eyeing foreign education. India is today a very lucrative market for the education sectors of all the developed countries – the USA, the UK, Australia, Singapore, etc. The moment the Australian education sector will find itself on the verge of losing a huge market, it will create immense pressure on its government to take corrective measures.

The West is never tired of criticizing the various draw backs that the Indian society suffers from – caste system, communal divide, dowry system, etc. All these are certainly disgraceful, and we, the educated Indians, are always keen to shed them off. But has West ever realized that the social disease that it suffers from – the racial prejudice and bias – is as shameful as the social diseases that we have? Rather, in India we are at least aware of the deplorability of those social problems. But our friends in the West seem to be even lacking this realization in the first place.

Photo Courtesy - www.theage.com.au

It Is Time We Thought About “Automobile Explosion”

First, some background. Around 2 months back I was passing through Nehru Place in south Delhi with my friend Sourabh, in his Tata Indica. We were discussing several topics, when our discussion took a turn towards the topic of “Nano” car. I enthusiastically said, “Sourabh, after Nano is launched, every Tom, Dick and Harry will be able to buy a car. So nice, isn’t it?”

“Well, I do not think so dear.” Said Sourabh, while struggling to move forward our car through the heavy traffic that was plaguing the road. “You can see the condition of the traffic, what a mess it has become already. The huge number of cars on the road has made the traffic so slow in all the Indian metro cities. Crossing a half an hour distance now takes almost 1 hour. Now with Nano there will be a huge increase in the number of cars overnight. And you can pretty well understand what type of situation it will usher in”.

Sourabh’s words were ringing in my ears other day while going to my office in Gurgaon. Since I have no direct bus to Gurgaon from Noida (where I stay), therefore while going to office everyday first I have to go to Dhaula Kuan, from where I catch a DTC bus of Dhaula Kuan-Gurgaon route. And everyday what I face, apart from huge crowd (inside the bus) and heat, is extreme jam. The bus takes around 50 minutes to get me at the Udyog Vihar Phase 5 (the stop is “Shankar Chowk”), where my office is located. Whereas, it is actually a distance of just 30 minutes.

But other day it was just an extreme case. We had almost reached the Shankar Chowk stop (i.e. my stop), when suddenly my bus got stuck in a huge jam. And what a jam it was! For 20-25 minutes my bus stood still, without being able to move an inch. Terribly impatient, I was constantly peeping outside through the window. And what could I see? A huge ocean of cars – Santro, Hyundai, Tata Indica, Maruti, Bolero, blah blah blah! And it was at that time when I could fully realize the substance of what Sourabh had said other day. That day I got 15 minutes late in reaching my office, ironically for getting stuck up for 20 minutes virtually at the “doorstop” of the office.

What I strongly feel is that there should be immediately some restrictions on the number of cars on the roads. Till 10-15 years back only a certain section of people could afford to buy cars, thus automatically keeping a control on the number of cars on the roads. But now the situation has changed. The purchasing power of common people has increased a lot. Moreover, now there have been various facilities like Car Loans, etc., which have facilitated the purchasing of cars to great extent. Therefore, at the end of the day, there has been an increase in the number of car buyers, thereby further resulting in an increase in the number of cars on the roads. And the ultimate result is for all of us to see.

So far we have judged the ill effects of the increase in the number of cars precisely in the context of environment, i.e., more cars = more environmental pollution. And that is certainly a very crucial issue. But what I feel to be more alarming is the way the number of cars is affecting the speed of traffic. If it continues, then can you imagine what the situation will be after just 5-6 years? And we must realize that no matter how many flyovers we construct, that can only partially (and not fully) address the problem of increasing number of cars.

So, what I feel is that the government must do something immediately about it. One option can be to ban the use of personal cars in the weekdays. It must be made a rule that people can use only public transport in the weekdays, and can use their personal cars only on Saturdays and Sundays, when in any case the offices are generally closed, and usually people are not in a hurry to go somewhere. Yes, special exemption may be offered to people whose offices are far away from their residences. If a person makes any such application that his office is far away from his home, and he finds it very difficult to reach office in time if he is using public transport, then the government can consider his case, and permit him to use his personal car while going to office in the weekdays. There can be some fixed parameters (in terms of distance, etc.) to consider such cases. But otherwise, the government must be strict about using personal cars in the weekdays.

Of course I am not saying that the suggestion I am making is the only way available to address this problem. It was just a suggestion made by a layman. I know for sure that the experienced government officials can come up with much better plans, more feasible and effective. I am only trying to highlight the seriousness of the problem, and the urgency of doing something to restraint the problem.

Lots of discussions have been made on “population explosion”. It is time we spared some thought for the problem of “automobile explosion”.

Photo Courtesy - borgawker.com

Post LTTE Sri Lanka – The Innocent Tamils Must Not Be Confused With The LTTE Cadres

First, a bagful of congratulations for the brave hearts of the Sri Lankan army, for ultimately achieving (it is now just a matter of time) what they have been trying to achieve for such a long time – the elimination of LTTE menace, thus bringing peace for their beautiful mother land. Having grown up in India, a country so badly affected by terrorism, I have witnessed since my childhood how unhesitatingly our soldiers and other security personnel shed their blood for protecting their countrymen from the peril of terrorism, and thus fully understand the value of the service delivered by the gutsy Sri Lankan soldiers for their beloved countrymen. Our Sri Lankan friends, brothers and sisters must feel proud that they have such a courageous army.

Now, with the LTTE being on the verge of final crumbling, it is time to think over a crucial question - what will be the status of the ethnic Tamils in the post-LTTE Sri Lanka?

While discussing this question, the very first thing that we all must understand is that the innocent Tamils of Sri Lanka have absolutely no connections with the dreaded LTTE. So, any attempt to treat these Tamil civilians as a part of that terrorist group will be absolutely outrageous. Rather, the truth is that they are the most hapless people in that country. On one hand they have suffered due to the LTTE menace in the same way that their Sinhalese brothers have suffered (in fact, the Tamils have suffered more, as there was forced grafting of young children by the LTTE). And on the other hand, ironically, they have faced hatred and malice from the Sinhalese community just for the “crime” of belonging to the same community that Prabhakaran and his followers come from.

Our Sinhalese friends absolutely cannot be blamed for developing an ill-feeling for their fellow Tamil countrymen. When a country suffers from terrorism, it is very natural for the people of that country to develop a feeling of malice against the people of that community from where the terrorist group draws most of its strength. The LTTE, the self-proclaimed messiah of the Sri Lankan Tamils, have sucked the blood of the Sri Lankans for such a long time. And it is quite natural that the ordinary Sinhalese people are not very much fond of the ethnic Tamils of that country. It is just the outcome of a basic human emotion.

However, an emotion can not be justified simply because it is a natural development. Our Sinhalese brothers and sisters must understand that whereas they have certainly gone through a terribly bad phase due to LTTE’s mindless activities, the innocent Tamils of that country were by no means responsible for that. Therefore, under no circumstances our dear Sinhalese friends should channelize their justified anger against LTTE towards their Tamil brothers and sisters, who, I repeat, have been the victims of LTTE menace in the same way as they themselves have been.

Rather, I will request them to welcome their fellow Tamil countrymen with cordiality and warmth, helping the latter to overcome the unnecessary complex and guilty feeling that they are suffering from for being from the community that LTTE has claimed to be fighting for. As I have already said that the Sri Lankan Tamils have actually been worse sufferers in comparison to the Sinhalese, because they have faced the double blow of being the victim of LTTE menace and also being suspected of collaborating with the same. What they now need (and rightfully deserve) is sympathy and love of their Sinhalese friends, and not malice and hatred.

Our Sinhalese brothers and sisters must ensure that their fellow Tamil countrymen can continue to live in their mother land with equal dignity and status, without facing any unjustified discrimination or malice. Let us not forget it that while nobody can justify what LTTE has done in this beautiful country for so many years, it did get a space to grow because there were indeed some discriminations against the ethnic Tamils. The Sri Lankan history is replete with proofs and evidences that for long the ethnic Tamils had been treated like “second class citizens”. And it was this constant discrimination that resulted in a strong grievance among the community, which eventually resulted in the monster called LTTE.

Therefore, our beloved Sinhalese friends must ensure that there is no more such discriminations and injustice against the ethnic Tamils, and that they are treated absolutely at par with their Sinhalese brothers. Now with the long elusive peace being there in the horizon, the Sinhalese and the Tamil communities of the country must start working hand-in-hand for the utmost development of this beautiful gem on the Indian Ocean, a spectacular country that I will love to visit someday.

Photo Courtesy - www.daylife.com

Tytler Case: A Small Specimen Of Social Justice

No, I have nothing personal against Mr Jagdish Tytler. Neither I have anything personal against Mr. Sajjan Kumar. But honestly, I could not help warmly welcoming it when they were forced to withdraw from the Lok Sabha elections.

With due respect to Mr. Tytler, it would have really been a matter of disgrace for the Indian democracy if he got the opportunity to contest, and then could manage to become a Minister later. I am saying this not only because he was accused of a particular crime. Rather, I am trying to highlight the nature of the crime that he was accused of. It was not extortion. It was not a forgery. It was not a scam. It was rioting. It was carnage. It was a crime that was associated with the massacre (mainly spontaneous, but somewhat planned as well) of a huge number of innocent people. And no such person can be permitted to be a member of our national legislature who has been accused of being involved with such a heinous crime, even if he has been given a clean chit by the court.

Surely, Mr. Tytler has a very valid point to make. We cannot be sure about a person’s involvement with a crime or misdeed simply because he has been accused. There are lots of instances when a person is wrongly (or even falsely) accused of being involved with an unlawful act. Therefore, we cannot be absolutely sure that Mr. Tytler was involved with the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 simply because he was accused to be.

Fair enough. But then, as per the same logic, we cannot be sure about a person’s innocence simply because he has been acquitted by the court of law. While a person can get wrongly accused because of some circumstantial factors, similarly a person can get wrongly acquitted because of some factors like absence of witness, absence of strong evidence, etc.

While we cannot confidently say that Mr. Tytler’s acquittal was wrong, can we be confident that it was a correct decision? It is significant that the court has acquitted Mr. Tyler of the charges not because it has got some strong evidence in favour of his innocence, but because it has not found any strong evidence against him. And yes, that does make a difference!

There is another aspect of the story. We all know that our Sikh brothers and sisters have not yet been able to overcome the trauma of 1984, for pretty understandable reasons. Even the Sikh youths born after 1984 are aware of the carnage (they have heard about it from their elders), and are as sensitive about it as are the ones who experienced it personally. The gravity of the community’s pain and agony can be understood by what Mr. Jarnail Singh did other day. It must be remembered that Jarnail is not a hot-blooded teenager. He is a 30 plus educated professional, an experienced journalist for that matter, and a family man. If a person from such a background does something like this, we can pretty well understand what a terrible pain this community is suffering from.

Now, while their entire pain cannot be cured overnight, some steps can surely be taken to bring at least some partial healing. Something that will help them have this consolation that “OK, we have got some justice, at least a little one”.

And this forced withdrawal of Mr. Tytler from the Lok Sabha election will certainly provide such a partial healing to the Sikh community (of course, it is much less than satisfactory). After the level of anguish the community has gone through for such a long time, even such a partial healing is highly precious. And even if we accept that Mr. Tytler is innocent, his candidature cannot be more precious than the faint healing touch that his withdrawal will offer to our Sikh friends. It would have been a terrible emotional blow for the community if Mr. Tytler were permitted to contest the election. And that could have snowballed into some larger problems. Let us not forget that nothing can be more dangerous for a country than a long-suppressed feeling of anger and frustration in a community.

Mr. Tytler, you are an educated and decent man. And you certainly give more value to the emotional feelings of a community than your own political career, right? Then you should be happy that you are not contesting this time. While you are a nice person (at least apparently), you are not known to be a great administrator or leader. So India will not lose anything if you do not become an MP and do not become a Minister. But a community will get some partial satisfaction that you are not contesting this time. And that is really valuable. So, be happy! Whatever has happened, it has happened for good.

Photo Courtesy - news.outlookindia.com

The Recent Disturbances in Pakistan – Is The ISI-Army Combination Behind It?

It may sound a bit outrageous, but somehow I cannot help having this feeling that the ISI-Army combination might have been behind all the recent disturbances in Pakistan, which started with the attack on the Sri Lankan cricketers, and had the latest development today (4th April 2009) with explosion in Islamabad.

It is very much possible that by engineering all these disturbances the ISI-Army is trying to send this message to the Pakistani mass that the elected civilian government is an extremely weak and incompetent one, which is completely unable to offer minimum security to the citizens. The image of the Zardari-Gillani government has already been in tatters, with the government hardly enjoying any public confidence.

Under these circumstances the ISI-Army combination is probably trying to give the final touch to the “funeral” of the civilian government. It is probably trying to push the common people to the end of their patience. And then, when it will feel that the time has come, it will go for a military coup, thus bringing back the Army into power (I mean, bringing back the Army into power officially. It is already the de facto ruler of Pakistan, right?).

This doubt is getting momentum as I find that the Pakistani investigative agencies are directly or indirectly trying to frame RAW (the Indian secret agency) for these unfortunate developments that I am referring to. It is after all a common knowledge that enhancing the anti-India feeling of the common Pakistanis will ultimately help to enhance the war hysteria, which will significantly facilitate any attempt to revive the Army’s official control on the government.

Finally, my heartfelt condolences for all the bereaved families of Pakistan who have lost their dear ones in all these attacks.

"Slumdog Millionaire" – Such An Enjoyable Movie

I watched "Slumdog Millionaire" today (29th March 2009) with my dear friend Sourabh Sinha and his wife Ranjana. And man, I really loved watching the movie.

While I will not say that the storyline is very innovative (though certainly imaginative), what was really innovative was the presentation style. “Narration through flashback” is nothing new in movies. But usually it is a “continuous flashback”. What was really new in this movie was the “situational flashback”, the way every flashback scene was being presented in the context of another scene.

The quality of acting in this movie is really startling. While there is nothing surprising about the world class performance of Anil Kapoor (we all already know his class), I am simply floored by the acting delivered by Dev Patel (Jamal), Freida Pinto (Latika), Madhur Mittal (Salim) and even the child actors – Ayush Khedekar (youngest Jamal), Tanay Chheda (middle age Jamal), Rubina Ali (youngest Latika), Tanvi Lonkar (middle age Latika), Azharuddin (youngest Salim) and Ashutosh Gajiwala (middle age Salim).

Dev Patel has a beautiful command of facial expressions, which shows that he is a natural actor. Some effective pieces of facial expressions (and eye expressions) have been displayed by Freida Pinto as well. And little sweet Rubina and Ayush are also quite strong in this context. Tanay Chheda and Ashutosh Gajiwala have impressed me with their natural body movements and dialogue delivery. In a nutshell, it was a superb teamwork.

At the end, all the best for Freida and Dev. Hope they will have a great career, and will keep entertaining us for many more years.

Have you watched the movie? If not, then please watch it. I bet you will love it.

Photo Courtesy - www.firstshowing.net

I have resumed my physical exercise, and enjoying it

One good thing to have happened recently in my life is that I have resumed my Yoga and free hand exercise after a long break. And you know, I am really enjoying it.

I started Yoga and free hand exercise in high school, and continued it till my college days. I was, honestly speaking, quite serious about my daily exercise routine, determined not to miss it for a single day. Even after college I retained the habit while pursuing the post-college professional courses (like PG Diploma in Public Relations).

Then ultimately came a time when I entered the professional life. Life became tough, demanding and strenuous. I slowly started finding the daily routine of exercise to be an unpleasant burden, and eventually I gave it up.

My professional life has already seen seven springs, and it has so far been a “sans exercise” period. Sometimes I have missed my fitness regime, and have started to resume it. But just after 3-4 days again I have found it to be burdensome, and withdrawn myself from it. This has happned for at least 4 to 5 times.

Then, after a long time, few days back again I got “bitten by the fitness bug”. This time I was determined that I would not only start it, but would stick to it. Yes, I used some common sense this time. I realized that now it is impossible to do a host of exercises every morning, as I used to do during my student days. Because now I do not have that time. So I decided to mark out a handful of exercises (both Yoga and free hand exercises), which would not take much time, and stick to them.

That precisely I have done. I have marked out certain exercises, and have been doing them every morning for last 2 weeks. And I am really enjoying my life. I am feeling fit, feeling energetic throughout the office hours and less exhausted after the office is over, and also happy. People may say it is psychological. May be. But how can one deny the fact that I am feeling better?

I have realized what we all actually know – No matter how much work pressure we have, we must have due time for two important aspects of our life – a.) Family and b.) Health.

I Am Grateful To Bollywood

I am really grateful to Bollywood, the largest film industry in the world and one of the objects of pride for us, the Indians.

So why am I grateful to Bollywood? Because it is only by watching Bollywood movies that I have got to know a lot about my community (the Bengali community) that I myself was unaware of.

a.) It is only by watching Hindi movies that I have come to know that the Bengalis are always dressed in Dhoti and Punjabi. It was a fact that I was unaware of despite being a Bengali myself.

b.) It is only by watching Hindi movies that I have come to know that the Bengalis always comb their hair midway. I am really so ashamed that I myself did not know this interesting fact about my own community.

c.) It is only by watching Hindi movies that I have realized how terribly bad our Hindi is. While I always knew that our Hindi accent and pronunciation are not up to the mark, I never knew that our Hindi is really so funny. And yes, I am not even counting the Hindi spoken by the Bengalis brought up in places like Delhi and Mumbai, who speak really good Hindi (at least I feel so, the Bollywood people may think otherwise). Watching the archetypal Bengali characters of the Hindi movies and listening to their smattered Hindi was really an eye opener for me.

d.) It is only by watching Hindi movies that I have realized that all Bengalis are so obsessed with Rasogollah. I never knew that all of us are so obsessed with sweets, and that too precisely with a single type of sweet (i.e. Rasogollah, while we have so many other types of sweets as well).

e.) It is only by watching Hindi movies that I have realized that all Bengalis have the bad habit of saying “Uribaba” at every 5 minutes. This is really a news for me. I have never said “Uribaba” in my entire life. And now I am really doubtful whether I am really a Bengali.

Bollywood, I am really grateful to you for making me know so many interesting things about my own community, that I myself was unaware of. Hats off to your knowledge base. Keep it up. Keep typecasting the Bengalis, the Biharis, the South Indians, the Gujaratis, the Sindhis and the Sardarjis. Good luck to you.


French Translation

Je Sais gré A Bollywood

Je suis vraiment reconnaissant à Bollywood, la plus grande industrie de film dans le monde et un des objets de fierté pour nous, les Indiens.

Donc pourquoi sais-je gré à Bollywood ? Parce que ce n'est qu'en regardant les films de Bollywood que je dois savoir beaucoup de ma communauté (la communauté bengalaise) que je m'ignorait.

A.) Ce n'est qu'en regardant les films de hindi que je suis venu savoir que les Bengalis toujours sont habillés dans Dhoti et Punjabi. C'était un fait que j'ignorais malgré est Bengali me.

B.) Ce n'est qu'en regardant les films de hindi que je suis venu savoir que les Bengalis toujours peignent leurs cheveux à mi-chemin. Je suis vraiment si honteux que je me n'a pas su ce fait intéressant de ma propre communauté.

C.) Ce n'est qu'en regardant les films de hindi que je suis rendu compte comment terriblement mauvais notre hindi sont. Pendant que je toujours ai su que notre accent de hindi et la prononciation ne sont pas jusqu'à la marque, je n'ai jamais su que notre hindi soit vraiment si drôle. Et oui, je ne compte pas même le hindi parlé par les Bengalis a amené en haut à sa place comme Delhi et comme Mumbai, qui parlent vraiment bon hindi (au moins je me sens alors, que les gens de Bollywood peuvent penser autrement). Regarder les caractères bengalais archétypiques des films de hindi et écoutant leur smattered hindi était vraiment un ouvre-boîtes d'oeil pour moi.

D.) Ce n'est qu'en regardant les films de hindi que je suis rendu compte que tous Bengalis sont si obsédés avec Rasogollah. Je n'ai jamais su que nous tous si obsédions avec doux, et cela aussi précisément avec un type seul de doux (c.-à-d. Rasogollah, pendant que nous avons tant de types autres de doux aussi).

E.) ce n'est qu'en regardant les films de hindi que je suis rendu compte que tous Bengalis ont la mauvaise habitude de dire d' « Uribaba » à chaque 5 minutes. Ceci est vraiment une nouvelles pour moi. Je n'ai jamais dit « Uribaba » dans ma vie entière. Et maintenant je suis vraiment douteux si je suis vraiment Bengali.

Bollywood, je suis vraiment reconnaissant à vous pour faire que me sais tant de choses intéressantes de ma propre communauté, qui je m'ignorait. Les chapeaux d'à votre base de connaissance. Le maintenir. Garder cataloguer les Bengalis, le Biharis, les Indiens du sud, le Gujaratis, le Sindhis et le Sardarjis. La bonne chance à vous.

I Am An Indian

Neither Bengali nor Punjabi nor Tamil nor any other Indian community

I am an Indian who identifies himself with the entire Indian fraternity.

I love and respect every Indian community, and identify with its customs and culture

And know for sure that we all are same, except some apparent differences in our nature.

I believe in a pan-Indian identity, and identify myself with every region of this land

I am quite proud of my so-called own community (the Bengali community), but on any day I will prefer to carry an “All India” brand.


LONG LIVE INDIA! I LOVE MY MOTHERLAND.


French Translation

Je Suis Indien

Ni Bengali ni Punjabi ni Tamoul ni l'autre communauté indienne

Je suis Indien qui s'identifie avec la fraternité indienne entière.

J'aime et respecte chaque communauté indienne, et identifier avec ses douanes et cultiver

Et savoir exactement que tous sommes mêmes, sauf quelques différences apparentes dans notre nature.

Je crois en une identité casserole-indien, et m'identifier avec chaque région de cette terre

Je suis tout à fait fier de ma soi-disant propre communauté (la communauté bengalaise), mais sur n'importe quel jour que je préférerai porter un "Toute Inde " marque.

INDE LONGUE DE VIE ! J'AIME MA PATRIE.

Human Blood

I am the same inside James Brown, a Roman Catholic American

I am the same inside a Buddhist Chinese, named Miao Chan.

I am the same inside a Muslim Arab named Amir Muhammad

And I am again the same inside a Hindu Indian named Akash Chand.

Yes, I am also the same inside you, no matter which religion or country you are from

Who am I? I am that precious red liquid present inside everybody – the Human Blood.


French Translation

Sang Humain

Je suis le même dans James Brown, un Américain catholique romain

Je suis le même dans un Chinois bouddhiste, Miao Chan nommé.

Je suis le même dans un Arabe musulman a nommé Amir Muhammad

Et je suis encore le même dans un Indien hindou a nommé Akash Chand.

Oui, je suis aussi le même intérieur vous, n'importe qui religion ou le pays que vous êtes de

Qui j'est ? Je suis ce présent liquide, rouge et précieux dans tout le monde – le Sang Humain.

We Salute You Rahman, The Crown Prince Of Music

A.R. Rahman, the Crown Prince of music, and the King of our (Indians) heart

Your music is as refined as your nature, and precious like a rainfall in a desert.

You had already conquered India, and today you won the world

Trust me, “Oscar” itself is honoured that you have won the award.


French Translation

Nous Vous Saluons Rahman, Le Prince Héritier De Musique

A.R. Rahman, le Prince héritier de musique, et le Roi de notre (Indiens) le coeur

Votre musique est comme a raffiné comme votre nature, et précieux comme une hauteur des précipitations dans un désert.

Vous aviez conquis déjà l'Inde, et aujourd'hui vous avez gagné le monde

Me fier, "Oscar" lui-même est honoré que vous avez gagné la récompense.

My Key To Immortality

All living beings in this world are mortal, and so am I

There is no way to permanently elude death, no matter how desperately I try.

There will come a day, when I will have to say goodbye to all of you

And will be forgotten by most, while being remembered by just a few.

But……

I will ensure that my link with this world remains intact even after my death

Years after my death people will remember me, you bet.

I will remain “alive” through all my creations – like my blogs and poems

Which are so insignificant for the world, but for me they are like precious gems.

Every time one will read my poems I will get “alive” for that moment

This way my entity will remain alive, even after my mortal self meets its end.
(22nd February,2009).

French Translation

Ma Clef A Immortalité

Tous les êtres vivants dans ce monde sont mortels, et donc je suis

Il n'y a pas de façon d'une façon permanente pour échapper à la mort, n'importe comment désespérément j'essaie.

Viendra là un jour, quand je devrai vous tous dis au revoir

Et sera oublié par, pendant qu'est plus rappelé par juste quelques-uns.

Mais……

Je garantirai que mon lien avec ce monde reste intact même après ma mort

Les ans après mes gens de mort me rappèleront, vous pariez.

Je resterai « vivant » par toutes mes créations – comme mes blogs et comme les poèmes

Lequel est s'insignifiant pour le monde, mais pour moi ils sont comme les gemmes précieuses.

Chaque temps l'un lira mes poèmes j'obtiendrai « vivant » pour ce moment

Cette façon mon entité restera vivante, même après mon mortel rencontre automatiquement sa fin.

(22e février, 2009).

The Cost of One Shahtoosh Shawl? At least Three Tibetan Antelopes

You must have heard of Shahtoosh shawls, right? Apart from being a work of art, a Shahtoosh shawl is also a perfect symbol of your status. Quite understandably. After all it is so costly. And you know the cost? At least three Tibetan antelopes.

A unique member of the global wildlife, the Tibetan antelope is native to the Chinese part of the Tibetan Plateau region. Considered to be an endangered species, the estimated population of this strikingly beautiful animal is less than 75,000, and even that number is fast declining.

And why is it so? Well, it is because of the skin of the hapless animal, which the world knows as Shahtoosh, and which is the raw material for the world famous Shahtoosh shawl.

Reportedly around 20,000 Tibetan antelopes (also called Chiru) are killed by poachers every year, to ensure that the worldwide Shahtoosh trade is never short of raw materials.

Since the Tibetan antelope or Chiru never sheds its skin, therefore the only way to obtain Shahtoosh is to kill the animal. Generally three to five Chirus need to be killed to gather enough raw materials for a single Shahtoosh shawl.

After killing, the dead animals are skinned, after which the skin is used to manufacture the world famous Shahtoosh shawls (and other Shahtoosh products). Then these Shahtoosh products are illegally transported to fashion capitals worldwide, where they are sold at astronomical costs.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) – which controls the trade in endangered species products – has completely banned international trade in Tibetan antelope products (including Shahtoosh). It is illegal to import Shahtoosh into many countries, including the USA (ironically, Shahtoosh products are so popular in the US fashion industry).

Unfortunately, despite such laws being in place, the Shahtoosh trade is going on in full swing. This is because it is not enough to have laws. There must also be a strong public protest across the board against every person who is by any means related to the Shahtoosh trade. There should be a widespread public sensitization campaign to educate the common people. People must be discouraged from using Shahtoosh products, and the ones who use these products should be publicly taunted and humiliated (so that they are forced to stop using these products). The fashion crazy (read status crazy) morons must realize that the life of a single Tibetan antelope is much more precious than their so called social status.

Also, we must stop purchasing any product from the shops and retailers which sell Shahtoosh products. I mean, we should not only refrain from purchasing Shahtoosh products, but should also refrain from purchasing any products from the shops who sell Shahtoosh products. In a nutshell, they should be boycotted. Only then they will be forced to mend their ways.



Information courtesy: http://www.earthislandprojects.org/tpp

Photo courtesy: www.gov.cn

Congrats to Japan for launching Ibuki

Japan has done a really appreciable job by launching Ibuki – the satellite meant to study greenhouse gases concentration in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Ibuki will take readings at around 56,000 locations, across land and sea, thus facilitating accurate predictions on the future of global warming.

With the global warming being a burning problem for the modern world, such a step was long overdue. Loads of congratulations to Japan for taking a significant step in this regard.

Hopefully countries across the world will now start sharing their technical expertise to counter the global menace that global warming is. And yes, it is not enough to identify the sources of problems. Such initiatives will be meaningful only when, after identification, the reasons for global warming will be properly eradicated. If that somehow hampers the business interest (or other interest) of country, even then the latter should not hesitate to cooperate with the rest of the world.

Arjun Dev Gandhi – Simple Effort, Big Impact

Whenever we think about social initiative/entrepreneurship, we always love to think about it in terms of enormousness and a catchy focus area – that it must be a more or less huge organization with a number of committed people, working on a sensitive issue like street children or environment. While it is heartening to think big, that sometimes makes us overlook the simple ways through which we can provide apparently simple but actually valuable service to the common people.

And one such person who so successfully personifies it is Mr. Arjun Dev Gandhi of New Delhi. It was such a pleasure to read about this man and his initiatives in The Times of India, New Delhi on 25th January.

A former officer with CRRI (Central Road Research Institute), Mr. Gandhi regularly lights up candles at a newly renovated subway three times every single evening. He has been spending money from his own pocket to buy candles to light up a “powerless” subway at Masjid Moth in South Delhi. A sudden spurt of nobility that will soon fade out with time? No dear. He has been doing this for more than a year now.

So how did this idea of lighting up the subway come into his mind? Well, one evening he was walking through this subway. It was as dark as anything, causing huge inconvenience for all the pedestrians including Mr. Gandhi. He thought about the problem for few days, trying to identify a possible solution. Finally he decided to light candles in the subway every evening. Since then he has been regularly lighting candles in the subway three times in the evening at an interval of one hour.

Mr. Gandhi’s initiatives seemed to be successful when lights were installed at the subway. However, the power connection has been disconnected more than three times in the last six months. So, ultimately it is this enterprising old man that the pedestrians find to be their only refuge.

What a nice lesson for all of us. No big plans, no catchy focus area. Just a simple effort powered by civic consciousness. And what a big impact. It is an eye opener for all of us, who only waste our time in complaining without trying to do something ourselves.

We do not need to be larger than life to do something constructive. We can do a lot despite being just common people. Let all of us take a leaf out of Mr. Gandhi’s book.

Bengali TV Serial Actor Kunal Mitra Dead

Though I am not a huge fan of modern Bengali cinema (and I have no disrespect for them, either), I am more or less appreciative of the Bengali TV serials, some of which are genuinely good in terms of over all quality. And there are some actors and actresses in the Bengali serials whom I really love watching.

And I am really sad that two of these actors, both just in their 40s, passed away recently.

Just a couple of months back we lost Shiladitya Patranabis. An MBA from Calcutta University, Shiladitya appeared in the world of Bengali TV serials way back in 1986 (if I remember correctly). That time he was still a student, and virtually a “boy”. And I was certainly a kid. I grew up watching him playing so many characters of so many colours. And he was a smart actor, though a bit confined to a specific type of roles (that of an audacious young man).

Of late he had become very flabby, and I was shocked to learn after his death that he had already been to rehabilitation centre for a couple of times thanks to his heavy drinking habits.

It is seriously heart breaking to find an actor dead whom you have grown up watching, even if you are not a great fan of his acting skills.


And just recently we lost Kunal Mitra. A versatile actor, this handsome man with an elegant personality was equally comfortable in playing diverse characters – ranging from the one of a sober doctor to the comic character of a funny politician. I was just dumbstruck to learn about his death from my mother after I was back from office.

It has become a cliché to use phrases like “His death has caused a huge vacuum…”, etc. However, I am confident that Kunal’s death is a serious damage for the world of Bengali TV serials. I have seen him portraying difficult characters with élan, and despite being a layman I understand the value of such an actor for the world of films and TV serials in any language.


My sincere condolences to the deceased families.

The Mad Maruti Driver of Noida

Date – 13th January, 2009.

Venue – Sector 22, Noida, i.e. the area where I stay.

Time – Around 4:45 pm.

I had just gone down at the 12/22 bus stop of Noida, and was going to my home in the pocket G of Sector 22 of Noida. I was in front of the “Federal” bank branch of Sector 22. I was about to enter the lane that is located just opposite to the lane where the bank stands.

It was precisely at that time that I heard the sound of a car, or better to say the sound that one hears when a car moving in high speed suddenly applies the brake (kiiiiichhh). I turned round to see a white coloured Maruti Suzuki Alto (UP 16 R 7286), that was traveling in a speed extremely high in comparison to that narrow lane, and had to suddenly stop to avoid running over a cycle that came into its way. All the guys present there were as shocked and confused as I was, with the man on the cycle sporting a pale face, reflecting the shock of having a close shave.

However, the driver, a well built man in his 30s, was unapologetic. He was chewing something (probably Pan Parag, or something like that), with a defiant face clearly showing his callousness to other peoples’ convenience. He again started his car, took the lane that I was going to take, and crossed that narrow lane in a speed that I will use while traveling in a highway.

“Has he gone mad?” That was the first question that I asked to the man standing just beside me, after the car was gone. The man gave a smile that contained irritation, shock and displeasure, everything rolled into one. The same mood was being reflected by the body language of all the bystanders.

An uncultured family can overnight become rich through a stroke of luck (or may be by own caliber), and can immediately arrange for all sorts of status symbols – costly clothes, latest gizmos and gadgets, flashy cars, etc. Unfortunately, culture is something that cannot be bought from any shop, no matter how much rich you have become. It is something that a man from an educated family is born with, with the seed of culture and decency running in his blood. This explains why the “neo rich” people from uneducated (or semi educated) families are always so devoid of culture, even though they have all the apparent glossiness in the forms of costly homes, latest cars, glamorous life style, etc.

But do these neo rich elements at all try to develop some culture, in the first place? Do they at all understand the value of culture?

The Satyam Fallout – Is The India Inc’s Image At Stake?

While the Satyam incident is certainly an extremely unfortunate and disgraceful event for the India Inc in general (and the Indian IT industry in particular), is it really an image tarnisher for the former?

This question struck into my mind after coming across the plethora of reports/views/comments, etc that the Satyam incident will rob the India Inc as a whole (and not precisely the Indian IT industry) of the faith and confidence of the foreign investors.

First, I fail to understand why the India Inc as a whole should be judged in the light of the financial irregularities practiced by a single IT company.

Secondly, I also fail to understand that why even precisely the Indian IT industry is likely to suffer an overall image backlash for this Satyam fiasco. The Indian IT industry has been holding a prestigious position in the global business scenario for quite some time now, with a host of Indian IT companies like Infosys and Wipro having successfully curved a niche for themselves across the world. A number of global players across business domains and industries are well familiar with not only the quality of service provided by the Indian IT players, but also with the high level of corporate ethics practiced by them. How can these existing and prospective stakebearers lose all their confidence and faith overnight for what has been done by one Satyam, no matter how much shocking the Satyam incident may have been?

In case the Indian Inc’s international credibility at all has suffered any setback, then I feel all the concerned parties and other influencers (the top Indian companies, government, the media, etc.) should launch a well crafted Public Relations campaign, aimed at ensuring it that the world does not get a wrong message about the India Inc as a whole for what they have seen in Satyam’s case. Did the world lose confidence on the US Inc as a whole when Enron happened? No. Then why should the world misunderstand the entire India Inc because of one Satyam?

A Very Happy And Prosperous 2009 For The Entire World

Through this blog I express my love and hearty wishes for all the cultured and peace loving people of this world, who value a civilized human society and are always ready to do their level best to achieve and preserve the same.

The world population is a motley crowd of people of diverse nature, ranging from genuinely innocent and harmless people to the ones who can stoop to any level for their murky interests. And it is just taken for granted that while the people of shady characters will keep trying to pollute this world (as such a world is most suitable for them), the rational people will relentlessly try to counter those evil forces, thereby protecting the sanctity of this world as much as is possible.

Let all of us – the rational people across the world – join hands to make this world a much more beautiful place to live, putting a final end to all the evil forces. Let us achieve a human society where the driving forces are ethics, love, empathy and camaraderie. Let us turn this world into the heaven that we hope to visit after death.

I LOVE THIS WORLD. I LOVE THE HUMAN SOCIETY. I LOVE EACH AND EVERY RATIONAL SOUL OF THIS WORLD, IRRESPECTIVE OF COUNTRY/ETHNICITY/RELIGION.

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.