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.

A Wall That Divides The Upper Caste and Lower Caste Indians, Literally

Other day I was watching NDTV, India’s premier English news channel and my most favourite one, when I came across this news that left me speechless.

The news was about a wall constructed in the Dare village in the Satara district of the western Indian state of Maharashtra. So what is so special about the wall? Well, it was constructed by the upper caste villagers to restrict the Dalits or lower caste villagers from accessing the community hall. The news showed how tremendously the village Dalits were upset with the matter, strongly demanding the removal of the wall.

We Indians try to gauge the country’s development by looking only at the metro cities (and sometimes at not-so-small-towns). But we hardly take interest in the dismal development rates in rural India, with several villages still deprived of basic facilities like electricity and drinking water. And what is worse is that many of these villages have not even had “social developments”, with age-old taboos, prejudices and biases still enjoying a deep-rooted existence. The government may need some time to achieve adequate physical and economical developments of the Indian villages. But how long does it need to achieve a concrete social development for the rural society, by getting the latter rid of all those nonsensical age-old practices?

India Loses Air Force Pilot To Road Rage

An Indian Air Force pilot, who definitely had dreamt of sacrificing his life in a glorious way in the midst of a battle, had to lose his life as a result of shocking road rage, when he was fatally stabbed by a lawyer during an argument over a petty issue, parking of cars. The gruesome incident took place in the picturesque town of Kasauli, near Chandigarh in north India.

Flt Lt Anubhav Roy - a Sukhoi pilot posted at Ambala Air Force station – had a row with Kasauli lawyer Hari Dass Tanwar, who was apparently drunk. The young officer had objected to the way Hari Dass Tanwar had parked his car. This led to two rounds of arguments, eventually leaving Anubhav stabbed by the lawyer with a kitchen knife. The injury was serious, and the young officer breathed his last before enough efforts could be made to save his life.


Apart from extremely sad, the incident is terribly scary as well. Road rage has already turned into a serious problem, especially in north India. And this incident shows how alarming the problem is. If such things continue, then what is the security of our lives?

What left me terribly shocked is that in this incident the culprit was an educated lawyer, and not a street hooligan (or something like that). With a so-called “educated gentleman” behaving in this manner, it is very natural to have this feeling that something is seriously wrong with our society.

Yousaf Raza Gillani sworn in as Pakistan Prime Minister

As a part of a clearly stop-gap arrangement, Mr. Yousaf Raza Gillani of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) – the party of slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto - was sworn in as Pakistan’s 25th Prime Minister.

An alumnus of the Government College of Lahore (Pakistan), Gillani comes from a family with rich political heritage. His father Alamdar Hussain Gillani was a signatory to the Pakistan Resolution, the 1940 document on the basis of which Pakistan was created out of India. His grandfather Ghulam Mustafa Shah Gillani served as an MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly), while his great grandfather Raja Bakhsh Gillani served as a Mayor of Multan in undivided India (i.e. India before its partition in 1947).

It is quite evident that Mr Gillani will be in his position for just few days, before “loyally” vacating the chair for some “big fish” (like Mr. Asif Ali Zardari). However, let us all wish him good luck and a great time. We sincerely hope that he will be successful in driving his country towards a bright future, provided he gets enough time to do the same.

Democratization Process In Bhutan

The tiny and picturesque Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan witnessed the beginning of democratization process with the holding of first parliamentary elections in the country.

It was a momentous event in the history of the country, which has been under absolute monarchy for more than a century.

While celebrating the event, the democracy enthusiasts of the world must not forget to appreciate the King of Bhutan for his role in this matter. It may sound very strange, but actually it was the King himself who had pressed for initiating the democratization process through holding of parliamentary election. Given the huge popularity he has, the King could have easily avoided any such democratization process if he had any such wishes. But as an intelligent and sagacious person, he found it wise to behave like a “modern king” by showing spontaneous regards for the principles of democracy.

If the King’s next door neighbour, King Gyanendra of Nepal showed the same sagacity and prudence, then today he would have very much remained in his throne with full honour, instead of going through the terribly humiliating phase that he is going through right now.

Now The Palestinian Peace Process Under Laden’s Attack

Osama Bin Laden may have already “carved a niche” as a prominent enemy of peace, but he is absolutely not willing to “sit on his laurels”. That became evident when he savagely criticized the Palestinian peace negotiations with Israel, and appealed for a holy war (Jihad) to “liberate” Palestine.

The news, that I came across India’s prominent news web site http://www.ndtv.com/, is as follows –


Bin Laden takes up Palestinian cause


Osama bin Laden lashed out on Thursday at Palestinian peace negotiations with Israel and called for a holy war to liberate the Palestinian lands, a day after a bin Laden audio on a militant website threatened Europeans. Al-Jazeera TV broadcast audio excerpts attributed to the al-Qaida leader that urge Palestinians to ignore political parties ''mired in trickery of the blasphemous democracy'' and to rely on armed might.''Palestine cannot be retaken by negotiations and dialogue, but with fire and iron,'' he said.It was for the first time that bin Laden spoke of the Palestinian question at length since the deteriorating situation in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, where the Israeli military has been fighting with militants who fire rockets into southern Israel.Bin Laden added that Palestinians who are unable to fight in the ''land of Al-Quds'' - a Muslim reference to Jerusalem - should join the al-Qaida's fight in Iraq.''The nearest field of jihad today to support our people in Palestine is the Iraqi field,'' he said.He also called on the people of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to ''help in support of their mujahideen brothers in Iraq, which is the greatest opportunity and the biggest task.''Al-Jazeera did not say how it obtained the recording, which was broadcast with an old photograph of bin Laden in a white headscarf and traditional Arab dress.There was no indication how recently the recording was made, or if it was an unreleased part of the audio posted late on Wednesday on an extremist website that has carried al-Qaida statements in the past. The two messages were bin Laden's first this year.In the first recording, bin Laden accused Pope Benedict XVI of helping in a ''new Crusade'' against Muslims and warned of a ''severe'' reaction for Europeans' publication of cartoons seen by Muslims as insulting the Prophet Mohammad.In the audio on Al-Jazeera, bin Laden said the sufferings of Palestinians in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip began when Arab leaders supported the US-hosted Mideast peace conference in Annapolis, and the ''Zionist entity,'' the militant name for Israel.''By their support, they are considered partners to this horrible crime,'' bin Laden said of Arab leaders who are backing the Mideast peace talks.He appeared to be seeking to merge the Palestinian cause into the wider al-Qaida struggle. There have been concerns that al-Qaida would try to increase its influence in Palestinian territories, with supporters of the terror network calling for such action on websites.Israel has been battling Hamas in Gaza since the Islamic militant group took control of the strip last June from followers of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Israeli air raids are common in Gaza and militants fire rockets into Israeli towns near the strip.''Palestine will not return to us with the negotiations by the submissive rulers, their conferences, nor by demonstrations and elections,'' bin Laden said. ''Palestine will come back to us if we awaken from our ignorance and adhere to our religion and sacrifice our lives and means to it.''New CrusadeAlthough al-Qaida has previously released two messages in as many days - most recently by bin Laden's top deputy Ayman al-Zawahri in December - the latest two appeared to be the closest by bin Laden, said Ben Venzke, head of IntelCenter, a US group that monitors militant messages.''Al-Qaida has been making a concerted effort to be responsive to developments in news cycle and to respond to current events with their perspective on it,'' Venzke said. ''The situation in Gaza and the reprinting of cartoons was something bin Laden felt was important to address.'' A militant website that frequently carries al-Qaida postings, said later on Thursday that it expected bin Laden's new audio on ''The Way to Salvage Palestine'' soon.In Israel, Foreign Ministry spokesman Arye Mekel said that Israel does not comment on bin Laden's statements.Saeb Erekat, a negotiator for Abbas' Palestinian administration, said it was up to all parties in the talks to show that bin Laden's path isn't the way.''We and the international community must prove him wrong, because we have been pursuing peace through negotiations, and I believe the parties involved must make every effort to make the year 2008 a year of peace,'' Erekat said.The audio released on Wednesday raised concerns that al-Qaida was plotting attacks in Europe. Some experts said that bin Laden, believed to be hiding along the Afghan-Pakistan area, might be unable to organise attacks himself and was trying to fan anger over the cartoons to inspire violence by supporters. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the contents of bin Laden's message ''are filled with hate and encouraging people to murder innocents in the name of a perverted and depraved cause.'' A Vatican spokesman, the Rev Federico Lombardi, said on Thursday that bin Laden's accusation about the pope was baseless. He said that Benedict repeatedly criticised the Muhammad cartoons, first published in some European newspapers in 2006 and republished by Danish papers in February.





No matter how sweet the smell of rose is, it can never be enjoyed by a mentally deranged man who is used to the stinking smell of excrement. Similarly, no matter how much pleasant the ambience of peace and harmony is, it is never welcome to a blood sucking demon like Osama Bin Laden. After all how can he appreciate a peace process, which is likely to prevent bloodshed, when human blood is his main source of sustenance? Rather he will appreciate the situation which will witness the untimely deaths of thousands of innocent people, through war, bomb blasts, etc.

The human society is a genuine enigma. It is this human society which has given birth to the apostles of peace like Gautam Buddha, Jesus Christ and Mahatma Gandhi. And it is this same human society that has given birth to blood sucking fiends like Osama Bin Laden.

The Tibet Turmoil – The World Must Recognize The Fight For Freedom

For the last few days the global media has been closely following, quite understandably, the turmoil in Tibet. There has always been a strong protest from the Tibetans against the domination of their country by China. The Chinese government has been very ruthless in suppressing this Tibetan protest, one result of which was His Holiness Dalai Lama’s exile in India. There is strong pressure from China on India to denounce Dalai Lama, a pressure that India has so far handled with diplomatic aplomb. China has always accused Dalai Lama for instigating Tibetans against the Chinese government (as if it is a crime to motivate one’s countrymen to fight against foreign domination), and has accused him for instigating the present riot that has taken place in Tibet. In fact, the way the Chinese government has accused the widely respected religious leader has simply crossed all limits of decency. The Chinese government has used languages which even a man on the street will think twice before using in a public place. Their audacity is such, that they called Dalai Lama “A Wolf In Monk’s Robes”. Who has given the Chinese government the right to hurt the emotions of thousands of people who perceive Dalai Lama as the representative of God? Would they be able to use such a language about a religious leader from the Islamic community?

What I feel is that the world should take serious note of what is happening in Tibet. Can any person, having minimum rationality, deny this fact that China is doing something really obnoxious by forcefully occupying Tibet? Isn’t it a clear case of imperialism? On what basis have they got the right to occupy Tibet?

The peace loving people across the world should immediately start a strong campaign against the illegal Chinese domination of Tibet, thereby creating a strong pressure on Beijing to withdraw itself from that beautiful land.

One thing has always surprised me. I have always found that the so-called intellectuals are very fast in criticizing the capitalist countries (like the USA) when the latter do something that is apparently unethical. These intellectuals are so smart in criticizing the USA for its war against Iraq (something which I also do not support). But these intellectuals never criticize Fidel Castro of Cuba for ruling (or shall we say oppressing) his countrymen with an iron hand. Similarly, I never find these intellectuals to criticize the Chinese government who has been playing with the feelings, emotions and self-respect sense of the Tibetans all over the world.

It is high time we stopped all sorts of hypocrisy, and criticize all sorts of unethical activities, irrespective of the country responsible for that. If we do not extend our support to our Tibetan brothers and sisters who are fighting for the liberty of their beloved motherland, then we have no right to call ourselves a civilized society.

Euthanasia Needs A Serious Consideration

I have always felt that selective use of Euthanasia (mercy killing) is something that the human society should seriously think about. Several human rights activists and other members of the global intelligentsia have been strongly opposing the idea of Euthanasia, and I appreciate their views. However, a couple of incidents that I have read/heard about have convinced me about the necessity of selective Euthanasia.

Just recently I read in “The Times of India” (India’s largest English language daily)about the painful experience of Manjunath Kalmani. Manjunath is an Indian software professional who went to work in the USA. He was approaching a successful career when in 2002 he met with a major car accident, that left him paralyzed neck down. Even his speech was highly affected, and he was dependent on a machine even for breathing. He stayed in this condition in US hospital for 6 years, with nobody from his family beside him. And why did nobody from his family bother to visit him in the USA? Because they could neither afford a visit to America nor could bear his treatment cost.

Anyway, the US government was kind enough to continue with his treatment for 6 years. But ultimately his Visa expired, and now the US government has sent him back to India. It was just the other day that “The Times of India” carried a touching and sensational story on his plight, bringing the matter into public notice. This resulted in promises of financial and other helps from various people, bringing some respite for this hapless techie. And now even his family has come forward to accept him back.

This shocking and painful story has made several people to come up with various comments and interpretations, based on their diverse analysis of the incident. Some people have criticized Manjunath’s family, which had simply deserted their own child. Some people feel that since the Indian government benefits a lot from the foreign exchanges sent by the NRIs (Non Resident Indians), therefore it is the duty and responsibility of the Indian government to extend helping hand when any of those NRIs are in trouble.

However, I will like to analyze the incident from a different angle. My question is, does not this incident highlight the necessity of Euthanasia? Just think of it. For six years a person is lying on his bed just like a vegetable, with absolutely no sensation neck down. He is dependent on other people for every mundane activity. He needs to be fed, bathed, clothed. He needs other peoples’ help to wash his stool, and even when he needs to urinate. In a nutshell, he is completely dependent on the mercy of other people. Imagine yourself in such a condition for just one year, and you may have some idea about the tremendous mental trauma and plight that Manjunath has gone through (and is still going through).

And please remember that is it not an exceptional case. We all know that there are numerous such cases across the world, with people leading lives confined to their beds after meeting with devastating accidents, diseases, etc. These people are leading lives that are worse than one can imagine in Hell, and are praying to God every moment for a quick death. Do we have any right to keep them alive, thus prolonging their tremendous sufferings? Or is it better to relieve them from their sufferings through painless killing, ofcourse when we are sure that there is no hope for any improvement?

I know that legalization of Euthanasia may lead to some negative developments as well. For example, a depressed or heartbroken person, who is frustrated with his life and is planning to commit suicide, may take the help of Euthanasia to end his life. It can even be used by people for committing murders, like causing the death of an uncle/cousin, etc. for grabbing a share of family fortunes. There can be several other misuses of Euthanasia, as well.

However, the concerned authorities can always take suitable steps to minimize the misuses of Euthanasia, by formulating certain guidelines. For example, rules can be made that a person can be granted Euthanasia precisely when he is going through severe physical suffering, and he cannot have Euthanasia when he has any other type of sufferings, like mental shock, trauma, depression, frustration, social humiliation, etc. In fact, rules can be made to strictly prohibit application of Euthanasia in the cases of victims of mental plight, no matter how much severe the plight is.

And steps should also be taken to properly define those physical sufferings that will legally justify Euthanasia. For example, rules can be made that a person can be granted Euthanasia only when he has become permanently bed ridden (due to paralysis, etc.), with no sensation in major parts of his body, and with little or no possibility for any improvement. It may be stipulated that physical problems that do not necessarily confine somebody to bed, like loss of hands or feet, will not legally justify the application of Euthanasia.

Moreover, rules must be made that in case there is any application of Euthanasia, then prior permission must be taken from a group of experts (from Medical, Legal and Ethical domains), and even the conduction of Euthanasia must also take place under their supervision.

I doubt whether any person can deny this fact that there are at least some cases where Euthanasia is virtually a must. While a huge number of people oppose Euthanasia purely from ethical angle, there are many who oppose it out of this fear that it may be misused. What I feel is that government of every country has a number of experts who know how to prevent misuse of Euthanasia. It is quite natural that any law can be misused. It becomes the responsibility of the government to ensure that no law can be misused by anybody. A government cannot refrain from introducing a law – when it is evident that its selective use is a must – simply because there is a strong possibility for its misuse.

After 35 Years, Pakistan Gives Back “Kashmir” To India

It was a touching moment for presumably all the Indian citizens when Kashmir Singh, an Indian prisoner detained in Pakistan’s jail for 35 years, finally had the opportunity to reunite with his wife and children.

It was way back in 1973 that a young, 32 years old Kashmir was arrested in Pakistan on charges of espionage, and was put on a death row in a jail in the Pakistani city of Lahore. Since then his wife Paramjit Kaur had been patiently waiting for the return of her husband, while singlehandedly upbringing their children with great hardships.

Today, after more than three decades her long, anxious and cherished wait has finally come to an end. It is a different matter that the 32 years old dashing husband whom she had last seen 35 years back is now a 67 years old man, who has probably past the prime time of his life. But that is least likely to mar the happiness of the Singh family, who now know how it feels to get back a beloved one after decades of waiting.

A note of thanks should be attributed to Mr. Ansar Burney, Pakistan’s Human Rights minister. It was he who had traced Kashmir Singh while making an official visit to Lahore's Central Jail, and got Mr. Singh a pardon order from the Pakistan President Mr. Pervez Musharraf.

We eagerly await similar developments in the cases of all the Indian citizens languishing in the Pakistani jails, and all Pakistani citizens languishing in Indian jails. India and Pakistan have had enough of hatred and malice. But now time is changing, with both the countries trying their best to strengthen the relationship. It is now time to give love and compassion a chance.

So can we except the Human Rights activists taking up the issue on both sides of the border, eventually resulting in a pro-active diplomatic initiative by both the governments in this regard?

Mumbai (India) Woman Deserted By Husband For Giving Birth To Female Child

India might have established herself as a booming economy, with her educated citizens having all the “right credentials” like tech savvy lifestyle, access to world’s best consumer products, etc. But it is highly doubtful whether economic progress can be interpreted as a symbol of social progress, as well. It is this doubt that struck my mind after I came across this news at http://www.ndtv.com/, the news web site of India’s prominent news channel NDTV 24x7 -


Woman rues family's disdain for daughters

A mother of two children was recently thrown out of her home because her husband and his family wanted a son.''I am sitting outside. Please let me come in,'' said Ramila Tated.Ramila Tated was sitting outside her own home, pleading to be let inside, after she was thrown out along with her two daughters. She had to spend Saturday night on the steps outside her house. Ramila's husband Shailesh and his family, who own a jewellery store, threw her out because they wanted male children.So much so that after the first girl was born Ramila was forced to go through abortions twice, as the illegally done ultrasound report showed she was expecting girls.''My husband's family came over once after I had a minor fight with my husband. They tortured hours. My father-in-law beat me up and even set me on fire but I managed to escape,'' said Ramila Tated.But when on February 11 she delivered another baby girl, her husband left the house and even threatened divorce.On Saturday night several people walked into Ramila's house and showed her out, forcing her to seek help from the police.''She was being tortured physically and mentally since her marriage in 2004. There is also a case of harassment due to dowry demands,'' said D P Jhende, Police Inspector.The Dahisar Police has also registered a case of dowry harassment after Ramila's parents were told to give 5 lakh rupees for bringing up the first daughter.While Ramila's husband and brother-in-law Rajesh have been arrested, the police is also looking for the two doctors from KK Hospital and Ameen Hospital, who revealed the sex of the child before birth.




The news just left me shocked and horrified. Is it 2008, or 1908? What a shame that India is still experiencing incidents like this, that too in areas adjacent to metro cities and not only in remote villages.

It is undoubtedly true that the Indian government is doing a lot for strengthening the national economy, otherwise the Indian economy would not have achieved what it has achieved so far. But shouldn’t it show the same level of sincerity and effort for the social development of the country, as well? How can it be accepted that even at this age we have families where a female child is considered to be a liability (and not asset), and the “accused mother” is thrown out of the family as a “punishment” for what she has done.

Agreed, the government has launched a battery of social awareness advertisements, trying to teach the Indian mass about the equality of male and female children. I personally have often come across such ads in TV, apart from finding a lot of them in billboards in various parts of various Indian cities and towns.

But has the government ever bothered to check whether its communication efforts in this regard have been effective or not? Has there been any “impact analysis” of all these mass awareness programs? I am not privy to the government’s internal affairs, and I doubt whether I have any right to make any remark. But frankly speaking, I strongly doubt whether the government at all bothers about the success of its social responsibility ads. Otherwise such incidents would have ended long back.

The government should seriously analyse its communication strategies as far as mass awareness campaigns on gender equality are concerned. While going for an ad or any other communication method, it should first check whether the communication channel it has selected is at all effective as far as the target audience it is trying to communicate with is concerned.

For example, we all know that this social bias against female children is predominantly found among the lower strata of the Indian society. And a huge section of these people are illiterate. And if that is the case, then what is the use of crafting such communication efforts which are understandable only to the literate people? For example, if the government is trying to communicate with a section which is mainly illiterate, then it is purely meaningless to come up with billboard ads. They will certainly send this message to the educated and elite section of the Indian society that the government is highly worried about the social bias against women. But the message will remain inaccessible to the intended target audience.

The same can be said about such ads published in print media, as news paper is also inaccessible to the illiterate people.

And the same can be said about the ads in electronic media, like TV. They are still better, as these ads contain small dramas, through which this message is sent to the target audience that there should be equal treatment for children of both the sexes. And TV’s eligibility as a communication channel is beyond doubt, as it has become a household item even in the backward regions of the country.

But the way these TV ads are prepared, do they really sensitize people? I am not a communication expert. But what I feel, these ads reflect a very lukewarm attitude. This can be understood from this fact that all of these ads are of the same nature and type, without any effort to make them more innovative and effective. It will be nice if the Indian government thinks about how to make these ads more result oriented.

The government can also go for several other methods, like sending celebrities (film stars, sportspeople, etc.) to those so-called lower strata people, to talk to them directly on this issue. These celebrities are often regarded as demi-gods by the illiterate and semi-literate mass, and the government might get good results by sending social messages to the target audience through these celebrities. In fact, the government is already using such celebrities in some of the ads in electronic and other media.

Sometimes the government can also take the help of religious personalities. For example, if it is found that a particular religious personality has a huge fan following in a certain area, then that person can be used to spread such valuable social message among people of that area.

At the end of the day, I just want to make this appeal to the Indian government that it should be as serious in making the Indian mass socially educated as it has been in strengthening the Indian economy. The Indian mass has witnessed the success of its government in developing the Indian economy, making it one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Now the mass awaits equal success from its government in social development initiatives, successfully addressing all the social evils that the country still suffers from.