Ayodhya Verdict – The Mature Reaction Of The Indian Muslims Is Really Commendable

Apart from the Commonwealth Games, the other most talked about topic in India as of now is the historic Ayodhya Verdict. While a huge number of people have found the verdict to be an appropriate one, there are ones who hold different perceptions. And there is constant discussions and debates across the country on the merits of the judgment.

However, more than the verdict itself, what I have found to be much more significant is the maturity with which the Indian Muslim community has reacted to the verdict.

It is a well known fact that a number of Muslims feel the verdict to be discriminatory against them, though probably in reality it is not so (at least I am one of those who feel that the verdict is an appropriate one). But despite being somewhat disappointed, the Indian Muslims have not resorted to any sort of unpleasant means to express their displeasure, something that many people had anticipated. In fact, they have consciously stayed away and virtually ignored instigations from a couple of so-called community leaders (like the honourable Imam of Jama Masjid) and non-Muslim “sympathizers” of the Muslim community (like Mulayam Singh Yadav). Rather than falling prey to their instigations, the Indian Muslims across the social strata have made it very clear that they are more concerned about practical issues like education, job, electricity, water, etc.

In a nutshell, the Indian Muslims have proved that while they are passionate and proud of their beautiful religion, they have equal respect for the Judiciary of their beloved country, and they are ready to respect the latter’s view on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid issue even if they are not fully satisfied with the same.

My hearty congratulations to all my Muslim friends, brothers and sisters from each and every corner of our dear motherland.

Got Hit By A Car, Thanks To My Cell Phone

Today (1st October 2010) morning I got hit by a car, while going to my office at Gurgaon. The cab I was traveling in had dropped me at a spot which was around 10 minutes walking distance from my office at Udyog Vihar, Phase-V in Gurgaon. I got hit while crossing a road, which had cars coming from both sides.

Thank got the car was not moving at a high speed, as it was not exactly a main road, and was also congested with traffic. I was back on my feet within seconds, and managed to reach my office myself. However, it could have been serious. I have got light injuries at my right arm and right hip, and both are paining a little. The bone at my right hand, a spot where I was hit, had started swelling. Thank god that swelling has stopped.

The driver is certainly to be blamed, as he came from the wrong side. The road is bifurcated into two one-ways, with traffic being one-sided in both the halves. While getting hit I was looking at the left side, from where the cars were coming, while that car came from the right side (which was the wrong side).

However, I cannot claim myself to be completely “innocent”. I also have to be blamed, at least to some extent. Why? Because I was talking over my cell phone while crossing the road. That made my mind to be distracted, and I was not adequately alert. If I were, then I would have certainly spotted the car even though it was coming from the wrong side. And could have averted even the little injury that I suffered.

Moral of the story – Please, for god’s sake, avoid using your cell phone while traveling. Even if that traveling does not mean driving a car, but just walking. After all, you are on the road, right?

If There Is A Plebiscite In Kashmir, Then…

If there is a plebiscite in Kashmir, to check whether Kashmiris want to remain with India or want separation from that country, then…



There should also be plebiscites in the Balochistan and Sindh provinces of Pakistan, to check whether they want to remain with Pakistan or want separation from that country.

There should also be a plebiscite in Tibet, to check whether they want to remain under Chinese occupation or aspire for independence.

There should also be a plebiscite in the “Parbatya Chattagram” region of Bangladesh, to check whether they want to remain with Bangladesh or want separation from that country.

There should also be a plebiscite in the Northern Ireland and Scotland, to check whether they want to remain with the UK or want separation from that country.

There should also be a plebiscite in the Basque region of Spain, to check whether they want to remain with Spain or want separation from that country.

There should also be a plebiscite in the Bavarian province of Germany, to check whether they want to remain with Germany or want separation from that country.

There should also be a plebiscite in Chechnya, to check whether that region wants to remain a federal subject of Russia, or aspires for a full-fledged sovereignty.

There should also be a plebiscite in the Aceh region of Indonesia, to check whether they want to remain with Indonesia or want separation from that country.

There should also be plebiscites in the Kurdish dominated regions of Iran and Iraq, to check whether they want to remain with those countries or want separation from them.


And yes, one more thing I would like to add. There should also be a plebiscite in the so-called “Azad Kashmir”, to check whether they really feel themselves to be independent or whether they find themselves (and their puppet government) to be a pet dog of Pakistan.

Ecotourism – The Call Of The Day

Ecotourism – A great way to use tourism for generating grassroots level employment

While also strengthening the conservation of the local culture, natural resources and environment.

Ecotourism – A fantastic tool to enhance an area’s economic development level

By strategically using the passion of people who love to travel.

Ecotourism – Which ensures that tourism does not destruct a spot’s socio-cultural and natural richness

But is rather channelized to further strengthen those jewels of that place.

Ecotourism – A concept that every government of the world should seriously consider

Make no mistake. Ecotourism (aka Sustainable or Responsible Tourism) is an effective means to make this world far better.

I Wish I Could Die

I wish I could die, so that my problems would come to an end in no time
I desperately want to get rid of my pains and sufferings that seem to have reached their prime.

I wish I could die, as for me good time appears to be permanently elusive
And I am so frustrated that despite a constant effort I have failed to bring luck within my grip.

I wish I could die, as I can no more struggle with my misfortune
Which appears to be so scorching like the Sun of the mid noon.

I wish I could die, as all my hopes are lost, and all my dreams are shattered
It is such a harsh reality, coming to terms with which is so hard.

I wish I could die, as I am tired of waiting for a better future
And so now I seek a completely new life through a rebirth, which I hope to be at least a bit better.

Iran’s Suspension Of Stoning Of Sakineh Ashtiani – Respite For A Beleaguered Religion, viz. Islam

It is a great news that the global outcry has ultimately forced Iran to suspend its ultra-barbaric plan to stone to death Ms. Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, an Iranian woman accused of adultery.

It is a great victory for the civilized society, against a bunch of insane people (the Iranian government and the clergy) who have turned their country into a medieval state with 21st century infrastructure.

I sincerely hope that the world will always come up with such a strong protest every time in future a conservative country has any such heinous scheme, be it in the case of Iran or any other country.

Hearty congratulations to Ms. Sakineh for this god send respite.

However, the actual respite was for Islam, the beleaguered religion which finds its hand soaked with the blood of thousands of innocent people thanks to the flawed sense of piety of some of its fanatical followers.

With the suspension of stoning of a helpless woman, Islam was saved from being soaked with at least few drops of more blood (though it is nothing in comparison to the sea of blood that the religion is already soaked with). The immortal soul of the Holy Prophet has heaved a sigh of relief, while feeling depressed and shocked with the madness of those people who claim to follow him, and end up maligning him to no end.

Persistent Attacks On The Shias – Intra-religious Fissures In Pakistan

The persistent attacks on the Shia population in Pakistan are gradually taking an alarming shape. Every attack is resulting in the death of a number of people, thus forcing the Shias to wonder whether they are at all safe in that country.

But what is more worrying is that the Pakistan government does not seem to be serious enough in addressing the problem, thus protecting the Shias who have no less claim on that country than what their Sunni brothers have. After every attack the Pakistan government is coming up with virtually the same comment, which “strongly condemns” the attack and “promises to take actions”. But all of its actions seem to be ending in making comments, without that being followed by any concrete step. If the government had at all been serious in countering this menace, then of course these attacks would not have stopped overnight, but certainly would not have been so persistent as they are right now.

Actually the wide rift between the Sunni and Shia communities is a perennial problem of Pakistan (actually, it is a perennial problem of the global Muslim society as a whole). It is a feeling of mutual disliking and disrespect that is found even among the common Pakistanis who have no link with terrorism. It is only that the feeling is not that acute among them. But that does not mean that the feeling does not exist at all. It does. And this has resulted in the constant harassment of the minority Shia community in the hands of the Sunni majority, from the very birth of Pakistan.

Another example of intra religious fissure in Pakistan is that of the feeling of hostility towards the people of Ahmadiyya community. In fact Ahmadiyyas face an ultra shocking discrimination in Pakistan. To begin with, Pakistan does not even recognize them as Muslims, and it is the world’s only country where Ahmadiyyas have been officially declared to be non-Muslims. And these poor people are deprived of various rights, such as worshipping in a non- Ahmadiyya mosque, chanting Namaz, publicly quoting from the Holy Quran and even publishing their religious materials. In a nutshell, they are simply not permitted to practice anything that a pious Muslim aspires to do. In fact, the condition of Ahmadiyyas is so bad in Pakistan that even prominent personalities from that community do not dare to admit in public that they are Ahmadiyyas. Case in point is Mr. Shaukat Aziz, a former prime minister of Pakistan, and a respected one for that matter.

If this can be the condition of the “intra-religious minorities” from the Muslim community itself, then I shudder to think what can be the condition of the genuine religious minorities, such as Hindus, Christians, etc. Probably Karachi is the only place in the entire Pakistan where Hindus can lead a life of peace and dignity.

Why I Decided To Be A Blogger

I decided to be a blogger, as I wanted to transform my thoughts into a voice
I decided to be a blogger, as I wanted a platform to express my opinion on various topics of my choice.

I decided to be a blogger, as I wanted to share with the world my feelings and perceptions about a number of things
Which range from the US presidential election to global warming.

I decided to be a blogger, as I wanted to be a part of the global civil society
Which comprises thinking people from across the world, ranging from the USA to Haiti.

Today I am so proud that I am a small player in the global blogosphere
It is a status so thrilling to me, a status that I consider to be so dear.

Shame On You, Pastor Terry Jones

“Terribly shocked” is a term that at best faintly describes my feeling when I came to know about this insane named Terry Jones, and his heinous plan to burn The Quran to commemorate the ninth anniversary of the infamous 9/11.

Does the man know what he is saying? Does he have any idea about what a tremendous communal tension can erupt from such an extremely irresponsible as well as despicable act?

9/11 was one of the most unfortunate and contemptible acts in the history of human civilization. The entire world sympathizes with the bereaved families of the 9/11 victims, and we all pray to God that He makes the perpetrators of that act (i.e. Osama bin Laden and his followers) pay dearly for what they did.

But does that mean that we will contempt that act by burning The Quran, which is the cornerstone of Islam? If we stoop to such an act, then what difference is there between us and Osama bin Laden and his aides?

Mr. Pastor, in the enthusiasm to contempt Laden’s utterly shameful 9/11 attack you have confused the entire Muslim community with the elements like Laden, while ironically the sane Muslims despise these fanatics to the same extent as sane people from other religions do.

By instigating people to burn The Holy Quran, you have actually brought yourself down to the level of that same Osama bin Laden whose act you have tried to contempt. Do you realize that?

Shame on you, Pastor Terry Jones. You are an unworthy follower of that great Jesus Christ who did not carry any malice even against the ones who crucified Him.

Please stop calling yourself a Pastor. Please stop humiliating the great religion of Christianity.

Necessity of “Categorization” Of Terrorism

Many people find it utterly unacceptable to make any “categorization” of terrorism. They say that terrorism can not and should not be categorized on the basis of religion, community, ethnicity, etc. This is because a terrorist is never a representative of any community, religion, ethnicity, or any other such entity.

It is very common to come across objections from the liberal minded Muslim ladies and gentlemen on the use of terms like “Islamic terrorism”, “Islamic terrorists”, etc. I have also come across people who object to the use of terms like “Kashmiri terrorists” and “Tamil terrorists” (i.e. the LTTE people). And now India’s enterprising Home Minister Mr. P. Chidambaram is being criticized across the political circle for his “Saffron Terror” remark.

Well, I have due respect for people who dislike such religious or communal or ethnic categorization of terrorism. But I think such categorization is necessary? Why? Well, let me explain my view.

We must remember that when a government (or a group of governments or an international body like UNSC) fights against a group of terrorists, it broadly pursues two agenda.

The first agenda is purely based on guns and bullets, aimed at countering the disruptive acts of the terrorists and reducing their manpower as much as possible, thus reducing their power to create mayhem.

The other agenda is based on identifying the “root cause” that is behind the birth of that particular group of terrorists, and addressing that issue through political and ideological means, which entails strategic use of negotiations and dialogues.

This identification and addressing of the “root cause” of terrorism is very crucial. If the government simply focuses on the killing of the terrorists, then the problem will never be solved. The “root cause” will keep giving births to terrorists, with the movement never getting short of manpower no matter how regularly the government guns down the terrorists. On the other hand if the government successfully identifies the “root cause” (poverty, feeling communal or ethnic alienation, etc., then it will be able to address the very source of the problem.

And this identification of the root cause is not possible if we do not make appropriate categorization of terrorism and terrorists. If we perceive all acts of terrorism in the same colour, thus generalizing all terrorist groups as bunches of misguided people involved in heinous activities, then it will be a “Himalayan” blunder. Every terrorist group works with a certain objective that is unique to it, and in that way one terrorist group is different from another one in the same way chalk is different from cheese. Yes, sometimes the objective of one terrorist group is found to be similar to that of another terrorist group. For example, the Bodo, Khalistani and Kashmiri terrorists have the same objective - the “liberation” of a certain region from India. But even then there is an element of dissimilarity. While the Bodo movement is purely based on ethnic sentiment, the Khalistan movement has a mixture of both ethnic and religious sentiment. And the Kashmiri movement is purely a religious issue, sometimes unsuccessfully projected by its supporters as a fight to establish ethnic self-identity of Kashmiri people. Therefore, the government can not handle the Kashmiri separatists in the same way it has handled Khalistan separatists, though the character of both the movements is apparently the same. At the same time, while the ways to handle the Khalistani separatists and Bodo separatists can probably be almost the same, there will nevertheless be some elements of difference in the approach.

Again, while both Kashmiri and Al-Qaeda terrorists are “Islamic” terrorists, there is a difference between their objectives. The Kashmiri terrorists want “liberation” of a certain region from India, not out of any ethnic pride, but simply out of religious consciousness. The Al-Qaeda terrorists are also working out of misplaced religious consciousness and pride, but their objective is not confined to liberating one “Muslim” area from the so-called domination of a “non-Muslim” area. They are rather determined to spread Islam across the world, making it the only ruling religion of the planet. So while we have to handle the issue of misplaced religious sentiment while countering both the groups of terrorists, the ways to handle them will certainly differ given the difference in the “quantum” of their objectives.

So we can find that terrorist groups differ from one another in terms of their objectives, even when the characters of the objectives appear to be the same. Some thrive out of ethnic sentiment, some out of religious consciousness, while some have other “causes”. And, significantly, it is not that the “root causes” of terrorist groups are always unacceptable. And when a terrorist group has a genuine grievance, then that group and its demands must be handled in a different way.

So, at the end of the day, probably we must accept that categorization of terrorists is important. We have to remember that when the government or other such entities pronounce terms like “Islamic terrorism”, “Saffron terrorism”, “Tamil terrorism” or “Red terrorism”, they actually refer to the basic characteristic of a particular group of terrorists, without any objective to generalize the members of a particular religious/ethnic community or supporters of a certain political ideology.

Subtle Racial Implication In KBC Ad

All of you might not agree with me, and I do not want to impose my perception on anybody. However, I feel that there is a subtle racial implication in one of the Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) ads that are now being aired on TV.

The ad that I am referring to shows that an old and retired gentleman has come to a government office, where he is having some argument with a lady government officer, Ms. Sushma. During the course of the argument the old gentleman out of frustration says that he is not sure whether Ms. Sushma even knows who the writer of the Indian Constitution is. Enraged, Ms Sushma, who apparently does not know the name of the writer of the Constitution, makes fun of the issue and mocks at the gentlemen, instead of feeling ashamed of her ignorance. Eventually she is joined by two of her male colleagues, Mr. Jha and Mr. Sinha.

However, later one day Ms. Sushma gets an opportunity to face Mr. Amitabh Bachchan in the KBC hot seat, where she is asked the same question by Big B. And now she regrets the fact that she does not know the answer.

The ad is undoubtedly interesting and enjoyable. But it has a certain characteristic which I could not feel exactly comfortable about.

In the ad all the three “negative characters” – Ms. Sushma, Mr. Jha and Mr. Sinha are shown to be speaking with a strong “Bihari” accent. In fact, the surnames Jha and Sinha are well known Bihari surnames. And so this idea has been very clearly given that all these three people are Biharis.

And this is something I feel the creators of the ad should have avoided. Projecting members of a certain community as unscrupulous government officers is certainly not a very acceptable idea. It would have been still OK if only one of those three characters was shown as a Bihari. But the creators of the ad projected all of the three persons as Biharis, which clearly proves that they wanted to cash in on the so-called poor image of the Biharis in the rest of India.

It might so happen that it took place unconsciously, with the creators of the ad having no clear objective to poke fun at the Bihari community. Nevertheless, it has somewhat diluted the appeal of the ad which is otherwise well conceptualized and brilliantly presented.

The CWG Mess – Kalmadi Must Be Expelled From The Parliament

I think by this time it has become quite clear to everybody that the Delhi Commonwealth Games is going to be a huge disgrace for India. No matter how much optimist one may be, even he can not dare to hope that everything will be OK at this eleventh hour, thus ultimately resulting in a proper and successful handling of the Games. There is not the ghost of a doubt that the nation is going to experience a huge humiliation, a terrible loss of face in front of the entire world. And the hapless Indian mass is in fact mentally prepared for the same, already.

Yes, we cannot avoid the mess and chaos that are going to take place during the Games. But certainly we can punish the culprits. And that is something must be done by the Indian government. Immediately after the Games the government must initiate a detailed investigation, aimed at identifying all the culprits. The investigation agency (whether it is CBI or something else) must be let to do its work independently, without any political pressure. And after the culprits are identified, they must be awarded strictest punishments.

And the investigators must have a special focus on the alleged “Chief Culprit”, the “flamboyant” Pune M.P. and “sports administrator” Mr. Suresh Kalmadi. And if it is found that the allegations against Mr. Kalmadi are true (of course he must be given due opportunity to defend himself), then he must be expelled from the Parliament at least for two terms (if not permanently). The CWG mess is going to be a national disgrace for India. And inflicting national disgrace on one’s motherland is one of the gravest crimes that can be committed by a citizen. And such a person has no right to be a lawmaker.

If the Congress party commits the blunder of shielding Mr. Kalmadi, then it will be a serious political blunder on its part. And I sincerely hope that it will not stoop so low.

Protection Mechanism For Whistleblowers – A Positive Development

It was heartening to see some developments that promise at least an apparently secured environment for whistleblowers.

First, the Union Cabinet approved the “Public Interest Disclosure and Protection to Persons Making the Disclosure Bill, 2010”, which empowers the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to punish and penalize those who will reveal the identity of a whistleblower and will thus get the latter into troubles. The Bill is aimed at protecting whistleblowers from the Central, State and Public Sector employees, and entrusts the CVC with the responsibility of protecting the identity of those who will bring to the CVC’s notice the instances of misuse of government authority and funds.

Secondly, now there is news that the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is mulling a proposal to make it mandatory to have a whistleblower mechanism in companies, i.e. a mechanism that will shield whistleblowers from victimization. As of now it is only optional for companies to have such a mechanism.

Personally I feel these are very significant developments. It is an open secret that the corporate world is very vulnerable to irregularities of various types, and practices that cannot be called fair. Under such circumstances, whistleblowers are likely to play a very significant role, and it is a must to ensure that they are able to share their findings/doubts without any hesitation.

“New/Social Media” – The Emerging Specialized Field Within The Communications Domain

The “New Media” or “Social Media” tools, such as blog, Internet forums, social networking sites and YouTube have now become parts of the official communication tools practiced by various organizations. Well, this is known to everybody. But what some people may not be knowing is that New Media has started emerging as a specialized field within the Communication domain. Now it has become very common for organizations, both business organizations as well as non-profits, to have at least one dedicated employee (and sometimes a group of employees) in the Communications Department who is exclusively handling New or Social Media Communications. Yes, at the end of the day he is reporting to the overall head of the Communications Department (the VP, the Director or the DGM, or whatever). And it is most of the times the head of the department who takes the final decision on the New Media Communications, as it is in the cases of other P.R./communications activities like Media Relations, Government Relations, etc. But what I am trying to highlight is that now organizations have at least started having dedicated people meant exclusively for New/Social Media Communications.

And this clearly highlights the emergence of New/Social Media Communications as a specialized field within the domain of Public Relations/Communications. Quite naturally, I find many people bagging lucrative jobs with prestigious organizations simply by virtue of their experience in New/Social Media tools, while being virtually rookie in the fields of Media Relations, Government Relations, and other PR/Communications areas.

When I started my career in Public Relations/Communications around 10 years back, that time usually Media Relations was considered to be a specialized field in this domain. One of the first things that we learnt as rookies was how to prepare captivating “Press Releases”, how to “sell” them to the media (i.e. journalists) so that the latter covers those news, how to enthuse the media to attend a press conference or other press events, etc. Another specialized field was Event Management, which entailed the smooth and successful handling of various events (such as corporate events). This in fact led to the birth of a new field, i.e. Event Management, with event management companies raking their moolah by professionally handling corporate and other events of various types and nature, aimed at various sorts of target audiences ranging from tech maniacs to young students.

At the high level of Public Relations there was also the specialized field of Government Relations, which entailed dealing with the bureaucrats, policy makers, etc., usually on behalf of one’s organization. “Lobbying”, the controversial word, was a part of it.

There was also another specialized field. And that was preparation of corporate literatures and other materials, ranging from brochures, corporate websites, case studies, flyers, etc. In fact I eventually got involved with this field.

All these specialized communications fields are still there. But now they have another friend. And that is New/Social Media Communications. And it is increasingly thriving.

Are you a wannabe communications professional? And do you take interest in new/social media activities like blogging, YouTube, social networking sites (like Facebook), podcasting, etc? Well, then you may think of establishing yourself as a New Media Expert. It will be an enjoyable job for you, and most likely to be well-paid as well. And you can use this field to be associated with both business houses as well as non-profits (or for that matter any sort of organization), according to your personal interest and aptitude.

Kalash – The non-Muslim Tribe Of North-Western Pakistan

Just today I came across an interesting Wikipedia piece on the Kalash people, an indigenous community residing in the Hindu Kush mountain range in the Chitral district of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (formerly North Western Frontier Province) province of Pakistan.

I loved to read the small piece, which I found both interesting and enjoyable. It contained information about their language (i.e. Kalash language), customs, culture, religion, etc.

It was pretty interesting to read about their religion. First, the Kalash people are non-Muslims. More importantly, they are polytheists, just like the Hindus. And there is also a touch of Animism, as nature holds a significant place in their daily life.

In this context it may be mentioned that at least one Kalash god has a strong similarity with a Hindu god. That Kalash god is named Sajigor or Shura Verin. And the Hindu god with whom it has similarity is Indra, the king of gods in the Hindu Pantheon.

The cultural and religious identity of the Kalash people was facing threat due to forced conversions. But now the Pakistan government has taken measures to ensure that the purity of Kalash identity remains intact and untouched. And those measures are showing results. So let us not forget to say thanks to the Pakistan government for helping such an interesting indigenous community to retain their cultural sanctity.

United Nations Lends Strong Support For Right To Water

It was a genuine pleasure to see United Nations declaring access to clean water and sanitation as a “Human Right”.

Nobody needs to be an expert or exceptionally rational to know how true it is. Potable water and sanitation are two quintessential components of human civilization. And it is extremely painful that even in the 21st century a huge number of people are deprived of these basic amenities. It is terribly unfortunate, shameful and horrifying, all at one go. It is a disgrace for the global civilization, which takes so much pride in its technological advancement.

Now let’s sincerely wish that all relevant organizations – starting from international bodies to local administrative units – will start addressing the issue with utmost sincerity, doing everything that comes within its range of authority and purview.

The Possible Hike In EMI On Bank Loans – My Question For The Indian Banking Fraternity

With the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) hiking the Repo Rate, there has naturally been a possibility of commercial banks hiking their rates of interest (i.e. EMI) for various categories of loans, including car loan and home loan.

Despite being a layman with little grasp of financial issues, I had no problem in understanding the direct relationship between a hike in Repo Rate and a hike in the rates of interest for the loans provided by banks. In fact it is an issue that anybody will find to be crystal clear.

However, there is something that I will like the banking sector mandarins to take note of.

If RBI has hiked the Repo Rate, then it has also hiked the Reverse Repo Rate, right? Therefore, at the end of the day the matter is back to the square one, with neither a gain nor a loss for banks.

And in that case, the banks should not hike their rates of interest for loans. Because if a hike in the Repo Rate has caused a “compulsion” for them, then at the same time a hike in the Reverse Repo Rate has caused a “dilution” of that “compulsion”.

Yes, am I wrong in my analysis?

I came to know that the hike in the Reverse Repo Rate might result in a hike in the interests offered by banks on fixed deposits. Well, I do not think that will be of much help. Because the income made from the interest on one’s fixed deposits is taxable, and the tax will increase with the increase in that income.

The middle class is more interested in a less taxing EMI. And therefore I will humbly request banks to try to retain the present rates of interest on the loans offered by them.

Yes, they are welcome to change it, if they reduce it (just kidding).

Should Tulu Be Made The Second Official Language Of Karnataka?

I am not a native of Karnataka, and therefore probably do not have the right to make any remark on this issue.

However, on the basis of common sense I feel that the Tulu language should be made the second official language of Karnataka. The state has sizeable Tulu speakers, mainly concentrated in the districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada. And one key town of the state where the language has a prominent number of speakers is Mangalore. In a nutshell, the Tulu language does have a strong position in Karnataka. And therefore that position must be duly recognized by giving it the second official language status in the state.

The step will also help the Tuluva people in carving out a separate identity for themselves, in a stark contrast to the present situation where they are often confused with the Kannadigas. And this in turn will also stimulate the thriving and nourishment of the Tuluva culture (which includes the famous Udupi cuisine), which is right now probably a bit overwhelmed by the Kannadiga culture.

Key To Language Survival – Let’s Make One Another Feel Proud Of Our Native Tongues

It is a common knowledge that many languages of the world are now facing existential threat. And the reason for the same is also well known. Actually the young speakers of many languages are now more into speaking English and/or other major languages, for both professional as well as social reasons. And this is naturally resulting in a reduction in the use of their mother languages, eventually resulting in a threat for their existence.

A host of international and national organizations and initiatives have been set up, which are trying their level best to ensure the survival of the “threatened” languages. Many non-profit organizations, groups and associations are also working hard on this issue. Opinion makers like educationists, litterateurs, etc. are also often found to deliver speeches aimed at motivating youths to speak their mother languages.

However, I have a simple formula. I do not know how much effective it will be. Nevertheless I will love to put it forward for the feedback and views of other people.

I suppose (and I know most of you will agree) that the best way to motivate a person to speak his native tongue is to make him feel proud of the same. However, a person might not be that motivated if his language is praised by another person from the same community, as the former might feel that the other guy is praising the language as it is his language as well.

But the picture might be very different if I find that a speaker of a different language is praising my language, and is also showing eagerness to know about the same. For example, I was always proud of my mother language Bengali. But my pride got a huge boost when, after settling down in Delhi, I came across a number of north Indians who kept praising the richness and sweetness of my language.

So my simple formula to make people proud of their mother tongues is – let’s start learning at least a little about other peoples’ languages (of course as many as we can), and then discuss a few words on his language when we meet a speaker of a language which is not exactly a major language. This might make him feel proud of his language, eventually enthusing him to take more interest in the same.

I know that even if the scheme gathers any success, it will remain a very insignificant effort. But even an insignificant effort is an effort all the same. Right?

China’s Emergence As The World’s Top Aid Donor – Warning Bell For India?

A significant international development, at least for India, is the steady rise of China as the world’s top aid donor.

On one hand the USA – a prominent source of international aid – is suffering from a weakening economy. On the other hand another key international aid donor Japan has decided to restraint its supply of aids to the developing world. This combined development has resulted in an ample room for China to establish itself as a top international aid donor, with the Asian and the African regions in its focus area. In fact, it has already become a key aid donor to the developing nations of the African continent.

While it is otherwise a great news to find the emergence of yet another country as a prominent international aid donor, it is probably not a pleasant development for India given the fact that the country in question is China. And the reason is very simple. Its newly achieved status as a key aid donor will enhance China’s political status as well, and it is taken for granted that it will use its enhanced political status and weight to serve its political objectives. This will in fact be quite an easy game for China, with the countries dependent on Chinese aids having a moral and/or obligatory compulsion to toe China’s political stands on international issues.

And this is likely to be a matter of concern for India, as China’s political objectives are not always at par with India’s interests. On the occasion of an Indo-China face-off, China may try to gather the support of those countries dependent on its aid, thereby exerting a strong international pressure on India. And the heat sometimes may be too much for India.

So what can be done? Well, there seems to be only one way out. India should try to convince the USA that a significant expansion in China’s sphere of international influence is not likely to be a very healthy development for “Uncle Sam”, as well. And therefore the USA must try to ensure that China does not manage to achieve the status of a top international aid donor, a status that the Chinese government is trying to achieve very hard.

But how will the USA do it? Well, let’s leave it to the US government itself. The US government is well known for handling such developments in the past, and is very much likely to chalk out a suitable plan to address this issue.

Let’s Not Confuse Globalization With Cultural Homogeneity

Cultural Enrichment – When one culture learns something new from another culture, without losing its own characteristics.

Cultural Dilution – When one culture picks up new characteristics and practices from another culture, and loses its own characteristics in the process.

While Globalization has given us the opportunity to experience the first one, it has also made us vulnerable to the latter.

Now it is our responsibility to have a balanced approach towards Globalization, wherein we can successfully pick up the gems of other cultures that we come across, without losing the assets of our own culture.

On one hand we must not indulge in any flawed idea of cultural purity, therein tying to make futile attempts to “save” our culture from any sort of foreign influence. Rather we should have a proactive approach towards learning new things from other cultures.

However, on the other hand we must be able to retain our own cultural specialties, which help us have our own national identity in this multicultural world.

Let’s remember that Globalization stands for a harmonious and thriving co-existence of various cultures, and not a dull Cultural Homogeneity.

Sports Tourism In India – A Seemingly Undertapped Potential

The Indian government has seemingly not made full utilization of the rich Sports Tourism potential that this country is fortunate to enjoy. Given the fact that India enjoys a highly rich geographical diversity, there is little wonder that we witness the practice of such a vast range of sports on our soil – ranging from skiing in the snow covered Himalayan regions to water sports like scuba diving and snorkeling in the coastal regions.

And this vast range of sports opportunities offers a great destination marketing proposition to the “Incredible India” campaigners, i.e. the mandarins of the Indian Tourism Ministry.

The Indian Tourism Ministry can use these sports facilities to lure a huge number of potential foreign tourists who are sports freak, and will love to practice their favourite games in an ideal locale. So the question is, does the Tourism Ministry promote and market these sports facilities properly among the potential target audience?

One can argue that these sports facilities are already well known among foreign tourists. After all, it is a common experience to find foreign tourists participating in skiing and trekking in Himachal Pradesh, scuba diving and snorkeling in Goa or Lakshwadeep, etc. Yes, it is true. But we must remember that most of these tourists come to India primarily for traveling, and avail these sports facilities on the sidelines of their travel (or as part of their travel). It is not that common to come across foreigners who have come down precisely to play these sports (though sometimes we ofcourse find foreigners to have come down for trekking, mountaineering, etc.).

Personally I feel that the Tourism Ministry should market these sports facilities very aggressively, with a special team having exclusive focus on this area. The Ministry should try to ensure that almost all foreign enthusiasts of relevant sports (skiing, scuba diving, snorkeling, etc.) not only come to know about these sports facilities, but also get enthused to come down to India simply to experience them.

For that the Ministry has to carefully craft very captivating marketing campaigns, which will unfailingly catch the fascination of the target audience. The Ministry should also be careful about marketing the right “product” to the right “potential customer”. For example, while marketing the skiing facilities in Himachal Pradesh, the Ministry can target the USA and the European countries, where people are known for their love for skiing. And while marketing water sports facilities like scuba diving and snorkeling, primary focus may be given on countries like Australia and New Zealand, where people are known to be passionate about water sports. It may be true that while marketing a geographical feature (such as mountains), our main focus should be on countries where people are not familiar with it (for example Singapore), and will therefore be thrilled to come to India to see the feature themselves. However, while marketing a sports facility we must focus mainly on the country where people are familiar with the sports, and can identify themselves with the same. In case they are not interested in the sports, they will not get enthused. (Just imagine marketing a gala Cricket Event in the USA).

Since Sports Tourism caters to a niche market, it is comparatively easier to formulate “cumulative” marketing and promotional campaigns covering a huge chunk of appropriate target audience at one go. For example, while marketing Goa-based scuba diving facilities in Australia, the Ministry can make a direct campaign at the scuba diving associations and organizations of Australia.


I suppose the Tourism Ministry should immediately form a special team exclusively focused on promoting and branding India as an ideal “Sports Destination”. And it should come up with various customized punch lines depending on the target audiences, such as “Himachal Pradesh – Your Ideal Skiing Destination” or “Goa – The Heaven of Scuba Diving”.

The “Ideal Utilization” Of Tourism Generated Revenue

Tourism has the proven potential to usher in significant economic development for an area.

However, we can “tap” that potential only if we channelize the Tourism generated revenue in the appropriate manner. And unfortunately a gross problem with us is that most of us perceive Tourism just as a means to generate revenue, without bothering much about the “ideal utilization” of the revenue that has been generated.

We must remember that the revenue generated by the tourism activities in a place should ideally be utilized for the economic growth of the local people. Yes, that is the only way to translate the Tourism activities in a place into a strong economic development of the latter.

Fine. But how can we maximize the utilization of the revenue for the benefit of the local people?

Well, for that we have to ensure that the largest possible chunk of the revenue generated by Tourism goes to the hands of the local community.

Fine again. But how can we ensure that the local community gets the largest possible share of the revenue generated by the local Tourism activities?

Well, the flow of the Tourism-generated revenue to the local community is directly proportional to the involvement of the latter. In a simpler language, more the local people will be associated with the local Tourism activities, more will be their share in the revenue generated by those activities.


So if the government is serious about using Tourism as a means to uplift the economic condition of the local people in remote and/or underdeveloped areas, then it must craft the tourism infrastructure in those places in such a way that it has ample room for the involvement of the local people. In fact, involvement of the local community must be made one of the “thrust areas”, enjoying the same focus and importance as enjoyed by other key issues like building of roads and air/railway connections, setting up of hotels, formulation of marketing/promotion strategies, etc. It should be the government’s responsibility to identify each and every way to involve the local community, e.g.

• As employees in local hotels/restaurants (like in-house tourist guide of a hotel, waiter in a restaurant, etc.)
• As entrepreneurs, either selling commodities directly to tourists (like selling local handicrafts in the market) or playing vendors to other players who are directly interacting with tourists (like supplying food ingredients to local hotels/restaurants)




As of now, the success of a tourist spot is judged mainly (if not only) on the basis of the tourist inflow and the eventual revenue generation, i.e. how many tourists it has received in a specific period of time, and the revenue generated therein. Now the government should add another parameter, i.e. what percentage of the Tourism-generated revenue has been utilized for the economic upliftment of the local people. After all, what is the benefit of the revenue if the same is not utilized for the gains of the local people?

Now it is often found that the civil society (NGOs, intellectuals, etc.) keeps a track of the environmental-friendliness of a Tourism project, i.e. whether the project is causing any damage of any sort to the natural resources, etc., of that spot. It is time the civil society also got watchful about whether a successful Tourism project is resulting in appropriate economic gains for the local community, and questioned the government if that is not the case.

Tourism at a spot cannot flourish without the co-operation of the local people. And if they do not get proper “dividend” from the local Tourism business, then they will not only feel isolated from it but will also get hostile to the same. And for any business initiative (Tourism-related or otherwise) no threat can be graver than the hostility of the local people.


So the issue of “revenue sharing” is not only a question of ethics, but also of sustainability.

Palace Tourism In Rajasthan

Other day I was reading in the newspaper about Liz Hurley’s plan to buy a “Haveli” in Rajasthan. And I was not surprised. The fascination of the “western world” for the old palaces of Rajasthan is well known, with the fascination itself stemming from their fascination for the seemingly fairy tales appeal of now non-existent Indian royalty. Actually this fascination for the Indian royals (of the yesteryear) is found not only in the “West’, but virtually in every other part of the world.

So I was just wondering whether we can cash in on this fascination, and thus boost tourism in Rajasthan? And the plan that I suggest is the initiation of a specialized “Palace Tourism” for foreign tourists.

Yes, I know that Palace Tourism is already there, wherein tourists are taken inside the ancient palaces and forts in Rajasthan (and also in other places like Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, etc.), and exposed to various traces and remnants (like clothes, utensils, etc.) of the memory of the royals who used to stay there.

But what I am suggesting is a bit different. I suggest the government to launch an offer wherein a foreign couple (or a group of friends, a single person, etc.) can rent a Rajasthan palace for few days. The entire ambience inside the palace will be kept exactly in the way it was during the time of the royals, with the staff dressed in attires and uniforms of that time. And, most importantly, the tourists will be given the types of attires that royals used to wear. And, the staff will be dealing with them exactly in the way the royals would be treated by their servants, like doing “Kurnish”, etc. (Of course the staff must not be forced to do something which is against their self respect sense). And the old world royal touch should be there in terms of other matters, as well. For example, instead of using a bathroom comprising modern gadgets, the tourists can enjoy a bath that the former masters of that palace would enjoy (for example, the lady staff helping the lady tourists to have a bath in a tub full of rose water, exactly in a manner the queens used to take bath).

In a nutshell, I want to say that the tourists can be made to experience exactly the life that royals used to enjoy during their reign.

I feel that such a plan will be an instant hit for the foreign tourists, who still perceive India as a land of Kings and Queens, and carry huge fascination for the latter. It will be a great way to “utilize” their fascination, and enhance tourist influx in Rajasthan. Of course such a stay will be very costly. And in fact the government should target mainly the rich American and European tourists, who have both the money and the stomach for expenses.

I do not know whether any such plan has already been incorporated. And I also do not know whether everybody will appreciate this “Marketing and Promotion” plan. I just came up with a plan that struck my mind. And I appreciate an open feedback from everybody.

High Tourist Influx In The Corbett National Park – A Boon Or Bane?

The high tourist influx in the Corbett National Park – which has the highest tiger density in India in terms of per square km. of forest area – has resulted in a sort of face-off between the Union Environment and Forest Minister Mr. Jairam Ramesh and the state government of Uttarakhand (i.e. the state where the National Park is located).

Ramesh has requested the Uttarakhand government to restrain the inflow of tourist vehicles into the Park, as he feels that it is hampering the conservation of the Park’s tiger population. In the last year the Park reportedly witnessed the visit of more than 2 lakhs of tourists, with a daily average of around 400 tourists.

Ramesh has opined that the huge inflow of tourist vehicles has caused a huge air and noise pollution. And that in turn has resulted in a significant stress for the tigers. A key point made by Ramesh is that the noise pollution resulting from vehicular movements has adversely affected the breeding of the tigers of the Park.

However, the Uttarakhand government is in no mood to accept these observations. It has strongly claimed that the tourist influx has been kept within the permissible limits, and so no fresh restriction can be issued. The state government has also highlighted the fact the livelihoods of a huge chuck of the local population is dependent on the tourists, and putting a restraint on the tourist influx will also threaten the livelihood options of those locals.

What I feel, as a layman, is that the issue must be analyzed and evaluated purely from the sustainability angle, instead of letting any political face-off coming in the way.

Tourism is undoubtedly a crucial issue, as it ushers in a huge revenue for the government, thus enriching the latter’s coffer to a great extent. However, at the same time we can not wish away the issue of conservation. In fact, we must remember that negligence towards conservation can ultimately threaten the existence of the National Park itself, thus resulting in a threat for the very tourism business for which the conservation issue was ignored.

The Uttarakhand government has said that livelihoods of a huge chuck of the local population is dependent on tourist inflow, and that is one key reason why that inflow cannot be restrained. A good point indeed. But the state government must remember that if unrestrained tourist influx robs the Park of its tiger population (as it assumedly happened in the case of Sariska), then the tourists will stop coming here. And then it is that very livelihood of the local population that will be at stake, right?

Let me just give you an example in this respect. Suppose there is a milking cow at my home, which gives a substantial quantity of milk, thus addressing all the milk related requirements of my family. Now, shall I maintain some self-restraint while milking her every morning, so that my demand is fulfilled and the cow is also not forced to overdo herself? Or shall I squeeze her for so much milk everyday, that she ultimately falls ill and becomes permanently unable to give any milk at all? You will certainly want me to go for the first option, right? Similarly, our hunger for tourism-generated revenue must not “enthuse” us to squeeze a spot so much that it eventually runs out of the very “tourist attractions” that it is known for.


So I feel that the state and the central government should jointly set up an independent committee, comprising relevant technocrats including Eco-tourism experts. Let them conduct an independent study to decide whether the tourist inflow in any National Park (and not only in the Corbett) is within the permissible limit or more than that. Let them first make a list of all those sanctuaries and national parks which are witnessing significant tourist inflows, and then make the study. They can either evaluate the sanctuaries and parks one by one, or can study all of them simultaneously by dividing themselves into various teams.

There must be a balance in our approach to tourism and conservation, wherein we should appreciate the importance of both of them. And this balance of approach should be reflected in the ground management, wherein tourism should be allowed up to the level it does not threat conservation, and not beyond it. Basically the concept that I am referring to is “Sustainable Tourism” – a buzzword in today’s world.

And it is precisely the job of the Eco-tourism experts, i.e. maintaining the right balance between tourism and conservation. So it is they who are best qualified to oversee such issues, and not the political masters.

Dalai Lama – The Gritty Peace Lover

Dalai Lama – the gritty peace lover, for whom “Peace” is not an excuse to avoid conflict and adversity

But a powerful tool to counter his adversaries with composure and dignity.

Dalai Lama – the embodiment of the pride and indomitable spirit of the great Tibetan race

A man who is so humble, and yet carries himself with elegance and grace.

Dalai Lama – the great apostle of love, harmony, compassion and humanity

An angel in the form of human being, who is here to guide us to the heavenly path of holiness and nobility.



(It is a humble ode to the great Tibetan leader on the auspicious occasion of his 75th birthday)

Diluting AFSPA Will Be A Blunder

It is really alarming to see that the government of India is planning to modify (read dilute) the AFSPA or Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.

Everybody accepts that there have been some instances of misuse of this power by certain bad elements in the Army. And those scoundrels should be awarded the harshest possible punishments.

But under no circumstances it is acceptable that the government will modify the Act, thereby diluting the effectiveness of the same which in turn will have a highly adverse impact on the performance of the security personnel fighting day in and day out to keep our country safe from the fangs of bloody terrorists.

Almost every day a number of government officials of various ranks and posts are misusing various powers that they enjoy by the virtue of their ranks and posts. If the government decides to stop the misuse of governmental powers by diluting the powers themselves, then it will eventually dilute the executive capacity of the government itself.

The best way to ensure that no military officer misuses AFSPA is to award strong punishments to the offenders, which will discourage any officer from going for such an act in the future. Fake encounters is an alarming issue. But that does not mean that the government will dilute the AFSPA, thereby weakening our security personnel and giving the terrorists more power to harm us.

India’s “Palace On Wheels” Declared To Be The World’s 4th Best Luxury Train

It was a moment of extreme pride, glory and honour for India’s rich hospitality legacy, when the country’s mind-blowing luxury train “Palace On Wheels” was declared to be the world’s 4th best luxury train by “Conde Nast”, the prominent global travel magazine.

Notably, the ranking was made not by a group of domain experts comprising only a handful of people. Rather, it was based on a voting made by the readers of the magazine. The magazine asked its readers to rank each of their favourite trains out of 100 points, and our beloved “Palace On Wheels” grabbed the prestigious 4th position by attaining 83.94 points.

And which were the first three? Well, they were the Venice Simplon-Orient Express (89.92 points), Eurostar (86.92 points) and Pride of Africa, Rovos Rail (84.25 points).

I hope everybody will agree that this Indian jewel in the casket of global luxury trains has been awarded an honour that it truly deserved.

We are really proud of you, “Palace On Wheels”. Congrats!

And a bagful of congrats to the first three rankers, as well.

What Type Of Tech-Savviness Is This?

Other day I was going through a discussion on Apple i-Pad in the technology column of a top English daily. The discussion basically focused on a comparison between the Apple device and laptop, and sought to highlight certain drawbacks or inconveniences that one may have to face while using Apple i-Pad, but not while using laptop.

The column carried the comments made by some consumers having “first hand knowledge” of using Apple i-Pad. They all accepted certain inconveniences that the Apple device suffers from. However, a couple of them said that they would still go for that device, given the various features and attractions that it boasts, and which these consumers find so irresistible.

I was truly enjoying the column. Though I do not appreciate one getting too much obsessed with tech gadgets, I nevertheless appreciated the passion of those i-Pad users, who are using the gadget not out of any genuine need, but simply out of love for the gadget.

But then, while I was almost at the end of the column, I got this tremendous shock (sorry if I am overreacting). One of those consumers (who is a Web entrepreneur) said that he had already bought 4 Apple i-Pads during his last visit to the USA. One for himself, one for his 60 plus father. Fine. And the remaining two? Well, they are for his two sons. And their age? Now hold your breath. One of his sons is 5, while the other one is just 2 (and can barely read or write).

I was so shocked that I read the sentence twice, only to be sure that I read it right. And finally I was forced to digest this fact that it was indeed true.

There is no doubt that the gentleman has every right to decide what gift he will give to his kids, and we have no right to interfere in his personal matter.

But tell me, is it at all appropriate? Giving a gift of Rs. 30,000 each to kids of 5 and 2 years? Has the gentleman thought about the adverse impact that the gift will have on the boys?

First, they are getting habituated to using costly materials since their childhood, which is certainly not a healthy habit.

Worse, they are getting addicted to gadgets from this very early stage of life. They are getting this message that gadgets are part and parcel of modern human life, which will eventually make them so terribly obsessed with gadgets that they will be completely dependent on them. And it is a common knowledge that a lifestyle entailing an overt dependence on tech gadgets is not a very healthy lifestyle (or will it be so when those boys will be of my age?)

Don’t you think it would have been better if the gentleman gifted his sons something like a book of puzzles or one containing maps and pictures of the different countries of the world, or a book on plants and animals, or a book of fairy tales, or a set of indoor games (like Scrabble or Chinese Checkers), or anything of that sort that should normally be presented to kids of that age? The highly costly Apple i-Pad was the only gift that he could thought about for those toddlers? Oh God!

What type of tech savviness is this? Probably I am not modern enough, but I feel that we must learn to differentiate between tech savviness and tech mania. Being passionate about something is a healthy habit, be it music, sports, books or tech gadgets. At the same time addiction to anything is highly unwelcome, be it movies, smoking, drugs or tech gadgets. Am I right?

Factual Error In “Concise Oxford English Dictionary”

Recently I was going through the world famous “Concise Oxford English Dictionary”, 10th Edition (Revised), edited by Judy Pearsall, when I came across a factual error.

I found that in that book the word “Darjeeling” has been described as – “A high quality tea grown in the mountains of northern India”.

The fact is, the mountain where the world famous Darjeeling tea is grown is in eastern India. The exact place where the tea is grown is the mountain of Darjeeling (from where the tea has got its name). And this mountain of Darjeeling is located in the Indian state of West Bengal, in eastern India.

By the way, some people feel that Darjeeling is in North-East India. That information is also wrong.

I hope the “Concise Oxford English Dictionary” will rectify the mistake in the next edition.

The Bhopal Gas Tragedy Verdict – A Stigma For The Indian Judiciary

7th June 2010 will be remembered as a Black Day in the history of the Indian Judiciary. The laughably paltry punishment awarded to the accused is an ultra cruel joke that the honourable Indian judiciary has come up with, rubbing salt into the 25 years old wound of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims and their kin.

I do not know who or what is responsible for this shocking legal fiasco. It may be so that the damage was actually done when a Supreme Court Bench had diluted the charge against the Union Carbide India Limited management by declaring it as a case of causing death by negligence and not as a case of culpable homicide.

It may be so that actually it was CBI’s fault, as it failed to furnish enough evidence wherein the Court could have come up with a stronger verdict.

It may be so that the actual problem lied in the absence of a strong and effective Mass Disaster Law.

Well, I do not know what is the actual reason behind the Indian Judiciary’s failure in coming up with an appropriate verdict.

The only thing I know is that I am seriously frustrated that the law of my land could not award strong punishment to an MNC which caused the massacre of such a huge number of my fellow countrymen.

Wildlife Lovers Of India – Let’s Unite For The Elephant Reserve Of Hasdeo Arand In Chhattisgarh

The Raman Singh Government of Chhattisgarh has shown extreme callousness towards the maintenance of the state’s forest and wildlife reserve, while showing more interest in raking up moolah by permitting indiscriminate mining activities in the state. And one extremely irresponsible act that it has come up with is averting the notification of an elephant reserve at Hasdeo Arand even after getting necessary permission from the Central Government. Ironically, it was the Chhattisgarh Government itself that had taken the initiative for notifying the said area as an elephant reserve.

As many of us already know that increasing mining in Jharkhand and Orissa has made a huge number of elephants to flee to the forests of Sarguja, Jashpur and Korba in Chhattisgarh. Now, in 2002 the Chhattisgarh Government sent a proposal to the Central Government seeking permission for notifying over 384 sqkm in Hasdeo Arand forests as an elephant reserve.

However, in 2006 the state government came to know about a coal block of 100 sqkm that falls within the area that it had planned to get notified as the elephant reserve. The Raman Singh government soon withdrew the proposal that it had sent to the Centre, and shrunk the reserve area by 100 sqkm.

Today it has been 4 years after the Central Government has cleared the proposal for getting that area notified as an elephant reserve. But the state government has been dragging its feet on it.

This is really ridiculous. The government is welcome to fatten its kitty by permitting corporate houses to conduct mining. After all, if there is no mining then how can we get necessary objects like steel, coal, etc.?

But mining at the cost of nation’s forest and wildlife reserve is simply unacceptable.

The wildlife activists of India must unite to prevent the Raman Singh government from fiddling with the forest and wildlife reserve of Chhattisgarh.

Global Survey Exposes India’s Pathetic Broadband Speed

Well, this is really a very embarrassing news, especially for a country which takes huge pride in its excellence in the field of Information Technology (IT).

A global survey conducted by broadband statistics company Ookla has found that India is in the 133rd position in terms of download speed, thus being in the same league with highly backward countries (including countries of sub-Saharan Africa).

So what is the average download speed in India? Well, it is just 1.32mbps. Even Pakistan is in a better condition that ours, holding the 122nd position.

However, there is one consolation. Our other neighbours, like Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh are behind us. What a relief, right?

By the way, the top position has been grabbed by South Korea. And the average download speed in that country? It is 32mbps.

Toyota Plans R&D Centre In India

The Indian job market may get a strong boost from the Japanese car maker Toyota, in the form of an R&D centre. The auto major with a world wide business empire is mulling such a centre on the Indian soil. This good news has been revealed by Hiroshi Nakagawa, MD of Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM). He has said that the proposal is at the discussion stage.

If one such centre really comes up, then it will understandably create a huge number of jobs. So let us keep our fingers crossed that the plan materializes.

By the way, the auto major will also love to set up an engine plant in India, but only after its annual sales in this country reaches 200,000 units-plus.

AI Grounds Pilots For Hard Landing – A Highly Unjustified Decision

The Air India authority has grounded two of its pilots for the hard landing of an Airbus A319. The two pilots were in charge of the Mumbai-Rajkot flight of 29th May, 2010, which made a landing of 1.9G (i.e. a hard landing) on the Rajkot runway. This resulted in some passengers complaining of discomfort and inconvenience. And following this, the Air India management decided to ground those pilots pending investigation.

Incidentally, this decision to ground the pilots over hard landing came just three days before Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) asked airlines not to judge the quality of a landing on the basis of whether it was a hard landing or a soft one.

Personally I feel that the decision to ground those two pilots is completely unjustified. It has already been proved that the Indian airlines’ over obsession with soft landing entails strong threat to passenger safety. It is this attitude of airlines that forces pilots to go for soft landing even when they know that it is risky. In fact, as everybody knows it by now, that one possible reason behind the Mangalore air crash was the pilot’s desperation to avoid hard landing even though it seemed to be the only way out.

In any case, DGCA has now recognized the fact that the quality of landing has nothing to do with whether it is a hard landing or a soft one. Therefore, the Air India management should withdraw its decision and reinstate the pilots with immediate effect.

And one suggestion for the air passengers – Please stay away from complaining when your flight makes a hard landing. Yes, it causes inconveniences. But you must realize that if the pilot has made a hard landing, then there must have been some reason behind it.

Hard landing may entail inconvenience. But soft landing entails lack of safety. And you will certainly prefer an inconvenient landing rather than a risky one, right?

Please remember that it is your complaint on the occasion of a hard landing that is compelling the airlines to force their pilots to go for soft landing even when it is risky. So, please behave a bit responsibly.

Manipur Government’s Remarkably Strong Handling Of Muivah’s Unacceptable Demand

With a rare display of ruthlessness (something that is so rare in “democratic India”), the Manipur government has firmly resisted NSCN (IM) leader Thuingaleng Muivah’s demand to visit his native village Somdal, located in the Ukhrul district of Manipur. The Okram Ibobi Singh government of Manipur had rightly concluded that there was a possibility of serious disturbances if Mr. Muivah could manage to set foot in that Naga dominated region, and quite understandably refused to allow him to visit Somdal.

And I am genuinely happy that the Manipur government has managed to stick to its decision instead of buckling under the huge pressure that it has faced. Rather, the government is countering all those pressure tooth-and-nail, with sound determination.

Just look at the way the government is dealing with the hooligans of All Naga Students Association (Ansam). As a mark of “protest” against government’s decision not to allow Muivah to visit his native village, the Ansam activists have blocked National Highways 39 and 53 since 12th April, 2010 (though originally Ansam started the blockade to protest government’s decision to hold Autonomous District Council elections in the tribal-dominated hill districts). Quite understandably the blockade has caused serious trouble for the common people of the state, as they are suffering from a scarcity of all essential commodities (such as medicine and fuel) that enter the state through those highways.

But instead of showing any “soft approach’, the Manipur government has come down heavily on the Ansam activists. A couple of them have been arrested, though two of them were released after they promised to stay away from participating in the blockade. The tough talking Union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai has also strongly asked Ansam to lift the 100 per cent illegal blockade, which has resulted in an unbearable economic crisis in the state, with only the common people being at the receiving end. Ansam is well advised to accept the state government’s invitation for talks, instead of continuing with that blockade or any other nuisance that will eventually invite troubles for itself.

Hopefully the “NRI” Naga leader has got a taste of a new India, where tolerance for hooliganism in the name of democratic rights is coming down to the zero level.

Britain Declines To Return Artifacts That It “Stole” From India

Britain has rejected India’s appeal to return various invaluable artifacts (including the famous diamond Koh-i-Noor) that were carted away from the Indian soil during Britain’s colonial rule in this country. Notably, most of these artifacts were carted away illegally.

One of those artifacts that India was unfortunate to lose was the world famous “Koh-i-Noor” diamond, which today embellishes the crown of the British monarch.

Britain has said that the British Museum Act of 1963 prevents the national museums of that country from removing items from their collections, though there are exceptions for human remains and objects lost during the Nazi era.

OK, we respect the law of their land. But I have just a humble question for the cultured and erudite Britishers - Are they doing any justice to their national prestige and image by holding back the objects that their forefathers stole from India?

I leave it to the conscience of our British friends.

Solar Powered AC For Leh Airport – An Appreciable Step

It was really heartening to know that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has decided to install solar powered AC in the Leh airport in Ladakh. AAI is going to install solar panels on the roof of the new terminal of the airport, which is one of the world’s highest airfields courtesy its location at an altitude of 10,682-feet above sea level. The commendable project, which is to cost Rs. 5 crores, is likely to be completed within 2 years.

There is simply no doubt that the initiative is really an appreciable one. It is high time that everybody – ranging from organizational entities (both government and private) to individuals – focused more on renewable energy. Over dependence on conventional energy is not only causing a gradual erosion of the same, but is also causing inconveniences for us on occasions when the sources of conventional energy become temporarily inadequate. For example, the Leh airport authority has so far depended on hydro electricity for running the airport AC. But quite understandably that source becomes inadequate during winter, when the waters in that region dry up. This problem can be effectively addressed after the installation of the solar powered AC takes place.

Let’s wish AAI all the best for its Leh airport project.

Congrats To The Times of India For The Dramatic World Environment Day Gesture

I really enjoyed the pleasant surprise that I got from The Times of India (TOI) of yesterday’s (5th June 2010) edition, i.e. the edition of World Environment Day. I had barely opened the paper and was quickly browsing through the news items (as I was in a hurry to leave for my office), when my attention was caught by the news (basically an announcement by the TOI authority) that the edition was completely made of recycled newsprint. In a nutshell, the paper was an excellent example of recycling and renewable energy, a highly talked about issue in today’s world.

I simply felt great. Such an innovative gesture, that too by my favourite newspaper, was something that I really loved to experience. It was undoubtedly a great way to send a strong and effective message highlighting the cruciality of renewable energy. And it was also an example of “walking the talk”, wherein my favourite newspaper itself did something that it has urged its readers to do.

And yes, I have decided to permanently keep the paper in my collection as a souvenir.

Good job, TOI. I love you.

Six Months Old Girl Married Off In Pakistan

A 6 months old (yes, 6 months, not even 6 years) girl has been married off to a 25 years old man in Pakistan. Terribly shocking, right? But it is true.

Well, the background of the story is this –

A married man named Alamzeb (a resident of the from the Reri Goth area in Karachi) abducted the daughter of his neighbour Naseer, and fled away. Reportedly, the abduction took place with the girl’s consent, as the two were in love with each other.

However, the girl’s family took the matter as a prestige issue, and started threatening the family of Alamzeb. Ultimately the matter reached such a level that the local community elders held a “Jirga” (sort of a council) to resolve the issue.

And then the “Jirga” came up with a “great” solution. What was the solution? Well, they said that the 6 months old daughter of Alamzeb should be married off to 25 years old Haq Nawaz, the brother of the girl whom Alamzeb abducted. The “Jirga” gave this ruling on the basis of “Swara”.

And what the hell is “Swara”? Well, it is a child marriage custom practiced in the tribal areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. This custom is used to resolve blood feuds among families, tribes and clans, wherein young girls are forcibly married off to the members of various other clans.

It is incidents like these which remind us that in some parts of this world the time is still stuck in the 18th century.

Source: http://news.oneindia.in/2010/05/31/6month-baby-girl-married-to-25-yr-old-man-in-pakistan-tose.html

The Indian Civil Aviation Authority – A Reincarnation Of The “Bourbon Monarchy”?

Whether you are a History buff or not, you must have read about the Bourbon dynasty of France, right? Well, in case you cannot recall, then it was the dynasty that was dethroned after the French Revolution, managed to regain its lost throne after the fall of Napoleon, and again lost it later after another emergence of popular dissatisfaction.

It was once famously said about the Bourbon dynasty that “they have learned nothing, and have forgotten nothing”. The remark was made in reference to the Bourbon dynasty’s unresponsiveness to public mood, even after once paying the price for the same by losing their throne. When they came back to throne after Napoleon’s fall, it was expected that they had learnt from their past mistakes of showing defiance to popular feelings, and would now be more cautions in dealing with the common citizenry. But the Bourbon kings soon proved this expectation to be wrong. Their administration was found to be carrying the same characteristics of their pre-Revolution rule, reflecting the same lack of responsiveness to and respect for the public emotions and feelings. They proved that they had learned nothing from their past experience. No wonder, they did not take much time to lose their throne again, this time for ever.


While the analogy may sound to be a bit too far fetched, I nevertheless find a close resemblance between the Bourbon Dynasty and the Indian civil aviation authority.

After the tragic Mangalore air crash people had expected that the Indian civil aviation mandarins would try to identify and address the operational and technical gaps, and would display a better performance at least for few days. Oh God, how wrong we were! Barely few days have passed after the tragedy, and the Indian civil aviation authority has already started showing its callousness towards public safety.

Just yesterday three Indian planes (1 Kingfisher, 1 Jetlite and 1 Jet Airways) had a close shave, as they had been diverted from the Delhi airport (to Jaipur) thanks to the shutdown of the Delhi airport. And why was the Delhi airport shut down in the first place? Because the airport was to cater to two VIP movements - President Pratibha Patil’s flight to China and Turkmenistan president Gurbanguly Berdimunhamedov’s flight to Agra.

So what happened after the three above mentioned planes were diverted to Jaipur? The Jetlite flight landed on the Jaipur airport when it barely had the fuel to remain airborne for 3 minutes. The Kingfisher flight landed when it was left with the fuel to fly just for 10 minutes, while the Jet Airways flight was left with around 13 minutes of flying capacity at the time of landing. Just imagine what a disaster any of these flights would have faced if there were just a few minutes of delay in landing on the Jaipur airport.

And yes, apart from these three, eight other flights were diverted from the Delhi airport, while 20 other flights were forced to circle the Delhi airport for one hour. All for VIP safety.

Yes, I understand that there is an issue of protocol and basic security when it involves a VIP movement. There may have been some strong reason for temporarily shutting down the Delhi airport for “non VIP” planes. But what was the problem in informing the concerned flights beforehand, so that they could modify their route accordingly? Is there no element of co-ordination and management in the Indian civil aviation mechanism?

It is still understandable when a mishap takes place due to technical snag. But there is absolutely no mercy for operational snag, which is the result of nothing else but pure callousness.

Pseudo Intellectuals, Please Stop Sympathizing With The Maoists If You Have Any Shame

Dear pseudo intellectuals of India, it is high time you stopped sympathizing with the Maoist devils, provided you have at least an iota of shame. For long we have been listening to your “intellectual” interpretations of the “root causes” of Maoism – abject poverty, lack of development, discrimination, oppression, blah blah blah! In fact your so-called “conscientious” opposition to Government’s plans and programmes to counter Maoist menace (“revolution” in your language) is one of those factors that are preventing Mr. Chidambaram from going ahead with a genuinely strong step against the scoundrels who are unabashedly creating mayhem on a regular basis.

You pseudo intellectuals are so shameless that you people did not bother to utter any word of criticism even after your beloved Maoist bastards massacred 76 CRPF personnel in Dantewada. Your sympathy for the so-called oppressed people turned Maoists is endless. But your hypocrisy held you back from shedding a single drop of tears for the bereaved families of those hapless security personnel, who had joined CRPF to serve the common people of India, including you people.

However, you still had the excuse that the Maoists had after all killed security personnel, i.e. the agents of “state atrocities”.

You people again tried to defend those savages when they blew up a bus full of civilians (again in Dantewada), by saying that their actual target were the Special Police Officers (SPOs) who were traveling in that bus. (Causing the death of so many innocent people for killing just a few SPOs. Wow, what an idea!)

But what is your excuse now, after the brutal and devastating attack on the innocent civilians who were traveling in the ill-fated Jnaneswari Express? Is there any excuse, even an ultra-idiotic or ultra-illogical one, which you can come up with to justify this bastardly act? What cause are these Maoist scoundrels fighting for, which entails the tears and pain of so many common people? Is it at all a fight that worths any sympathy? NO!

The Maoists have proved themselves to be a cancer for India, a despicable burden for the civilized society of this country. And you, the pseudo intellectuals of India have proved yourselves to be as contemptible as your beloved Maoist devils are, by shamelessly supporting their so called cause even after so many acts of devastation and bedlam on their part.

Have you people ever wondered what a great crime you are committing by extending moral support to those scoundrels?

Madan Tamang's Assassination In Darjeeling – GJM’s Ugly Character Out In The Open

The real character of Bimal Gurung’s Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) – i.e. an ugly and nasty one – came out in the open with the dreadful murder of All India Gorkha League president Madan Tamang on 21st May 2010, in the picturesque hill town of Darjeeling in north Bengal.

GJM had already proved its ruffian character through the various acts of hooliganism that it was conducting in the name of Gorkhaland movement. It had already turned the “Queen of Hills” Darjeeling into a hell, turning this once darling of tourists into a nightmare for visitors.

But the terribly shocking assassination of Madan Tamang (who was hacked to death by suspected GJM supporters) is different from the other uncivilized activities of GJM. No, not in terms of the seriousness of the offence. The significance of Tamang’s assassination lies in the fact that Tamang’s All India Gorkha League actually belongs to the same “ilk” to which GJM belongs, i.e. both the parties are fighting for a separate Gorkhaland state. In that sense, Tamang’s party and GJM are actually supplementary to each other.

But still GJM supremo Bimal Gurung ordered his followers to kill Tamang. Why? Because he wants to keep only his GJM in the forefront of the so-called Gorkhaland movement, without letting any other party to come in the limelight. For Bimal Gurung what is more important is to establish himself as the one and only leader of the Gorkhaland movement, even if that results in the isolation of other similar groups, eventually resulting in the weakness of the Gorkhaland movement as a whole. This is because Bimal Gurung’s ultimate objective is not merely the establishment of a separate Gorkhaland state, but becoming the first Chief Minister of that state.

In fact, this is true about all the leaders of the so-called Gorkhaland movement. Whether it is Subhash Ghising (who actually started the movement in the mid 1980s) or Bimal Gurung, none of the Gorkhaland movement leaders has any headache for their Gorkha brothers and sisters. And they are certainly not trying to set up a separate state for addressing the so-called “discrimination” that the Gorkha community is facing in West Bengal. Actually all these leaders are fighting only for their own interests. Officially they are claiming that they want a separate state for the Gorkhas as only a state of their own can ensure the optimum growth and development of the Gorkha community of West Bengal. But in reality these leaders want a separate Gorkhaland so that they can have a fiefdom of their own, where they can lead the lives of demi-gods.

If at all the Gorkhaland movement becomes successful and a separate Gorkhaland state is set up, even then there will be no drastic development in the lives of the ordinary Gorkha people of Darjeeling. Did a separate Jharkhand bring any drastic change in the lives of the ordinary tribals, for whose development that state had originally been claimed?

And finally, a humble question for the educated and cultured members of the Nepali community of Darjeeling.

My dear brothers and sisters, will you people still continue to support a ruffian like Bimal Gurung? Do you people understand that voicing support for such a devilish person is actually disgraceful for yourselves? Can a hooligan like Bimal Gurung be really your leader? Just ask your own mind, and you will get the answer.

Obama Administration’s Strategic Mistake In The North Korea Issue

I feel that the Obama administration has committed a serious strategic blunder by openly siding with South Korea in the latter’s latest tussle with North Korea. By doing this the USA has not only diluted the opportunity to strengthen its own diplomatic interests, but has also created problem for South Korea, as well.

It must be understood that South Korea’s tussle with North Korea is very much likely to turn into a full scale war. And if that happens, then North Korea might get military and diplomatic support from other communist countries, which will certainly make matters worse for South Korea. However, if somehow South Korea can convince the world that its fight is just against some actions of the North Korean government and not against the latter’s communist ideology, then the possibility of other communist countries extending help to North Korea will be lesser.

But now with the US government candidly showing its support for South Korea, the latter might be perceived by the Communist world as a stooge of the USA. And in that case they will certainly join the fight in one way or the other, as they will now perceive the fight against South Korea as a fight against the latter’s mentor the USA (i.e. the bête noire of the communist world).

The USA should have kept itself behind the curtain. It could have maintained the image of a “non interested party”, while secretly extending military, logistics and other necessary support to South Korea. The USA has personal interest in launching a strong diplomatic and military offensive against North Korea, and it is quite understandable that the former does not want to lose any relevant opportunity. However, in this case the USA had the opportunity to serve its interests through South Korea, without getting personally involved in the issue. It was precisely this opportunity that the USA did not have during its fight against Vietnam, as it did not have any ally in that region which could have acted on her behalf. But this time the USA had one such suitable ally, whom the US government could have effectively used against the common foe in that region, without getting personally involved. Obama and his mandarins could have at least waited for the first attack from the North Korean government against South Korea (like a missile attack, or bombing, or something like that). And then the US government could have come into the picture, with the world’s sympathy with South Korea. (Let us remember the Gulf War in 1990, when the US government launched an attack against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq in the name of liberating Kuwait from Iraqi invading army, while actually the USA was fighting for its own interest).

Unfortunately, the US government misread the situation this time, and jumped into the fight between the North and South Korea without thinking much.

Or is it so that actually it is me who is wrong? May be. After all I am not a seasoned diplomat. I am just an ordinary person who avidly follows the national and international developments.

Burqa Banning In Europe – Possibility Of A Negative Impact On Local Muslim Women

Like any forward thinking and progressive person I was also elated to know about the decision of the governments of France, Belgium and Italy to ban Burqa in their respective countries. The reason why I dislike Burqa is not only because I feel it to be an unjustified baggage forcibly imposed on my mothers and sisters from the Muslim community. I also dislike it because I sincerely doubt whether the great Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) had at all issued any diktat, in the first place, by commanding the Muslim women to wear Burqa. From whatever I have read and learned about the great Prophet’s life and philosophy, he was a pragmatic person with a huge respect for women. And honestly I find it very difficult to accept that he issued any such command.

However, while I eagerly welcome the firm steps taken by the governments of the above mentioned European countries, I have also started feeling a bit uncomfortable about the possibility of certain negative developments. Few days back I read in news that a Muslim gentleman from Italy has said that since his wife can no more wear Burqa in public, therefore now he will not allow her to go out at all. And from now onwards she will remain confined within her home.

It was this news that left me quite nervous. We the progressive people (including the progressive members of the Islamic sect) might feel very jubilant that Burqa is getting banned in certain countries. But have we thought about the possible negative impacts that the Muslim women of those countries might have to face?

I am 100 per cent sure that are some Muslims in all these countries who will never be able to accept these ban on Burqa for their wives, daughters, sisters, etc. But at the same time they will be unable to defy the ban, as it is a government decision. So what will they do? They will put a complete “ban” on the “public life” of the women in their families, forcing the latter to sever all ties with the external world and lead the life of a detainee within the four walls of their respective homes.

I feel the governments banning Burqa in their countries must think about this possible outcome, and take suitable steps beforehand to prevent any such outcome.

Does The Mangalore Air Crash Suggest That We Should Bid Farewell To “Special Airports”?

Among many factors that are being highlighted as the ones to have triggered the tragic Mangalore air crash is the point that the Bajpe airport of Mangalore is a “special airport”.

What are “special airports”? Well, “special airports” are usually the ones which are located in hilly and mountainous regions, and also the ones which lie close to water bodies (such as rivers and seas). Landing and take-off activities on such airports are much tougher in comparison to that on other airports, with just a fraction of mistake on the part of the pilot likely to cause serious mishaps. No wonder that only experienced pilots are permitted to take off from or land on “special airports”.

The Bajpe airport was in the list of the “special airports” of India, thanks to its location on a hillock, and its runway being built on a flat stretch of land. Both ends of the runway slope downwards, with its safety area being just of 90 meters against the 300-metre norm.

The other “special airports” of India include the airports in Leh, Kozhikode (or Calicut), Port Blair, Srinagar and Agatti (Lakshadweep).

After the heartbreaking Mangalore mishap the Civil Aviation Ministry and DGCA should take a fresh and analytical look at the existing operational mechanisms that the Indian civil aviation sector adheres to. And one of the issues that they should very seriously look at is whether they should at all retain the use of “special airports”.

Three more issues I will request them to look at.

a.)They should decide whether they will retain the existing bar on “hard landing”. Notably, some experts have pointed out that the existing bar on hard landing might have forced the pilot to try landing in a different way, which eventually resulted in the accident. And significantly “hard landing” is a safe option.

b.)They should also ensure that pilots (and also other crews) get adequate break and rest before flying. This will understandably reduce the possibility of accidents due to pilot fatigue.

c.)Every airline must have a single, toll-free number which can be contacted by relatives and friends on the event of an accident. Every time a plane or rail accident takes place, I find TV channels flashing such “emergency contact nos”, which keep moving away before one notes them down. More importantly, is it possible for a person to sit calmly and watch the TV if he comes to know that the plane or train his relative was traveling has met with an accident? He will be excited, dumbstruck, perplexed, etc. Under such circumstances, it will be very helpful for him or his friends and other relatives to have the ready knowledge of a number where they can contact to make queries about their loved one.

John Shepherd-Barron, Father of ATM, Dead

John Shepherd-Barron is no more. The 84 years old Scottish breathed his last on 20th May 2010 at Inverness’s Raigmore Hospital in northern Scotland.

But who was this John Shepherd-Barron, in the first place?


Well, he was the man credited with inventing something that you and me (and millions of people across the world) use on a regular basis. In fact, it is a key constituent of the modern human civilization. And that is Automated Teller Machine or ATM.


Shepherd-Barron reportedly came up with the concept of ATM in 1965, while he was having bath. And interestingly, he got the idea of ATM from machine dispensing chocolate bars.

By the way, Shepherd-Barron had an “Indian” connection. How? Well, he was born in the small town of Shillong in North-East India.

Having A Test Tube Baby At Rs. 20,000

Are you planning to have a test tube baby, but wary of the huge cost that it entails? Well, now you have the option to fulfill your dream by spending just Rs. 20,000.

A team of doctors at AIIMS has come up with a new In vitro fertilisation (IVF)technique, wherein there will be a limit on the number of egg cells to be produced. This will be accompanied by the use of a lesser number of fertility medications (such as gonadotropins). The ultimate result is a reduction in the cost of having a test tube baby.

Congrats AIIMS!

Why Doesn’t India Have Even A Single Sindhi TV Channel?

Other day I was going through an interesting article named 'Sindhi culture is on a ventilator' in the Times of India (New Delhi edition. Date: 17th May 2010). It contained a touching discussion on the various factors that are causing the gradual erosion of the Sindhi culture. For example, the article highlighted how the “homelessness” of India’s Sindhi community (they lost their entire state to Pakistan at the time of Partition) left them “deprived of the patronage of a state government”, an issue that has understandably posed a strong existential threat to the community. The article also highlighted the reluctance of the rich members of the community in patronizing their art and culture, as they are more interested in setting up hospitals and educational institutions. The article also expressed pain over the Sindhi youngsters’ unwillingness to practice their own culture and language, which is certainly unfortunate.

However, what shocked me to no end was the information that there is not a single Sindhi language TV channel in India. Oh my God! While every other (so-called) major Indian language has at least 2 to 3 channels, then how come there is not a single channel in the Sindhi language?

I just tried to imagine a situation where there is no Bengali TV channel in India, and just that thought left my blood boiling like anything. Under such circumstances it is pretty well understandable how our Sindhi brothers and sisters feel when they find that there is not a single TV channel in their beloved language.

Is it so that because there is no State Government to lobby for the Sindhis therefore the Central Government is taking them for granted? I will request the stalwarts of the Sindhi community to immediately start lobbying with the Union Information & Broadcasting Ministry for launching a Sindhi language TV channel.

I will also request my young brothers and sisters of the Sindhi community to take some initiative to protect and preserve their beautiful culture. Yes, they might ask me that who I am to bother about their culture, given the fact that I am a Bengali. Well, I have a ready answer for that. Every Indian language belongs to every Indian community. And the corrosion of an Indian language is not a loss only for the native speakers of that language, but for the Indian community as a whole. The Sindhi language has its roots in the place which witnessed the genesis of Indus Valley Civilization, of which my beautiful motherland is a product. And that I am an Indian that is enough to justify my concern for the Sindhi language.