The “Mass Movement” Chain Reaction Unleashed By Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution

It seems that now famous “Jasmine Revolution” of Tunisia has unleashed a chain reaction of pro-democracy mass movements, which is gradually spreading its sphere across the Arab world.

Barely a few days had passed after the Revolution dethroned Tunisia’s once all-powerful President Zine Al-Abedine Ben Ali, when the global media came up with the startling news of Egypt’s “heir apparent” Gamal Mubarak’s fleeing to the U.K. The reason – a massive mass uprising in Egypt against his extra-constitutional influence in the country’s governance.

And then, just today (28th January 2011) I read about a mass protest that has erupted in Yemen, demanding the ouster of the country’s President for 30 years, Ali Abdullah Saleh. (Saleh had become the President of the then North Yemen in 1978, and became the first President of reunified Yemen in 1990, the office that he holds till date).

It is really interesting to note how an apparently internal matter of a country can eventually have international political ramifications, thus significantly affecting the political scenarios of other countries. Such incidents always enjoy special attention from current affairs enthusiasts in general, and life long students of Political Science in particular.

“Hi, Nice Meeting You” – Height Of Social Anomaly

I am genuinely sorry if I do not sound to be appreciative of social pleasantries. I may even sound to be a bit harsh and rude, somebody who does not have any idea about the value and significance of social decorum.

But I just cannot help saying that I feel odd about a way people now-a-days greet one another after getting introduced – “Hi, nice meeting you!”

There was a time when people used to say “Hello” and “Hi”. There was also the custom of saying “How do you do”, apart from some other forms of greetings.

Then, around 12-13 years back (if I am right) came this style of saying “Nice meeting you”. And now it has become the most common way of greeting one another after getting introduced for the first time.

So exactly what is the problem that I have with it?

Well, I find it to be a bit weird, and I will try to explain why it is so.

Let me ask you something. Suppose you have been given an apple (or any other fruit, or food, or beverage, etc.). Now, first you will consume it, and only then you will say “Wow, it was nice having it!” Right? Certainly you will not say anything like that before having it. Because you cannot appreciate a food item before even consuming it. It is common sense.

Similarly, isn’t it so that you should say “Nice meeting you” to somebody only after interacting with him at least for some time? How can you say something like that immediately after being introduced to him? How can you appreciate an experience (in this case the experience of interacting with that person) before even having that experience?

So this is my problem with this expression/way of greeting.

Could I make myself clear, dude?

The Indian Government Extends Visa-On-Arrival Facility – A Step Likely to Boost Tourism

The Indian government has extended its Visa-On-Arrival (VOA) facility to four more countries, viz. The Philippines, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam (all ASEAN countries).

Before this the government offered this facility in January 2010 to five other countries, viz. Singapore, Japan, Luxembourg, Finland and New Zealand.



Some key features of the said facility –


It will initially be available at the airports of New Delhi, Calcutta or Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai.

It will allow a traveler a single entry facility with a validity of 30 days.

A passenger will have to pay a fee of $60 for availing the facility.

One passenger will be allowed to avail the facility for not more than 2 times in a calendar year. And there must be a minimum gap of 2 months between the two occasions when he will avail the facility.

My “Time-Efficient” Way To Read Newspaper

I love to keep regular track of all that is happening in the world, I mean all those incidents and developments that we collectively call current affairs.

At the same time now-a-days I do not get that much time to devote to reading the daily newspaper. There was a time I used to read newspaper like anything, virtually covering every sentence of every page (note: I said “virtually”). This habit of “eating the newspaper like a hog” was there with me till the beginning of my professional life. And then I realized that I had entered a life where I could not afford to give so much time for newspaper reading. Because in the morning I am in a hurry to get myself ready for the office. And when I come back, that time I like to have some quality time with my family rather than reading the newspaper.

But at the same time I did not want to give up my passion for keeping myself updated of all the latest news across the world, ranging from global politics to Indian corporate scenario.

So I have started following a simple formula, which I think many of you people also follow. And what’s that?

Well, it is actually something very simple. After opening the newspaper I just keep running through all the news. What I mean is that while reading a particular news piece, I never go through the entire news. Rather I quickly go through just the first 2 or 3 paragraphs. And you bet, I manage to get at least a gist of the news from that around 3 paragraphs. And then I quickly rush for another news piece. Sometimes I even manage to gather the basic news just by looking at the headline.

And, in this way I manage to finish the entire newspaper in around 15-20 minutes (sometimes I may take around 30 minutes, though), without compromising on reading any of the news pieces of my interest.

In case I overlook or miss any key part of a news piece, I get it “rectified” through another method. During lunch breaks or coffee breaks at office I discuss various current affairs issues with my colleagues (albeit in a casual manner). And then I manage to gather a key part of a news piece that I missed while going through it in the morning newspaper.

I suppose I am not alone who follows this formula of reading newspaper. Many of you also do the same, right?

Uttarakhand Government’s Blatant Violation Of Indian Forests Protection Act

Uttarakhand’s Lachchiwala reserve forest area is witnessing shameless felling of lush green trees, with the number of felled trees having already crossed 300.

And this massacre of trees is being done at the behest of the state government itself. Reason? Well, it is being done for the development of a herbal garden that will be spread over 5 acres of the forest area. In fact, this herbal garden initiative is reportedly a dream project of the Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

Unfortunately, the state government has completely overlooked (or given a damn to) this fact that this mindless felling of trees of kukat, kher, semal, sheesham, silver oak and kaju has completely violated the Indian Forests Protection Act of 1927.

Is the Uttarakhand government being run by ministers and bureaucrats who are not adequately aware of the laws of the country? Or is it so that they give a damn to those laws that cross the path of their own ideas and ideologies?

Gujjars’ Quota Agitation: Isn’t It A Contempt Of Court?

I do not know how much right I am. But I personally feel, very strongly, that the ongoing Gujjar agitation for quota hike is a case of contempt of court. Their quota hike demand has been declined not by the Rajasthan government, but by the Rajasthan High Court. And by openly refusing to accept the Rajasthan High Court’s verdict, the Gujjar agitators have shown strong disrespect for the Indian judiciary. And I feel it qualifies, at least to some extent, to be a case of contempt of court.

I would have understood if there were no democratic way to challenge the Court’s decision. But that is not the case. The Gujjar agitators had the opportunity to appeal in a higher court challenging the Rajasthan High Court’s decision. But instead of doing that they went for certain disruptive activities in the name of protests and agitation.

There is another issue that I want to highlight here. One of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution is the “Freedom to assemble peacefully without arms”. And it is this fundamental right that many pressure groups, etc. use (and exploit) while launching their protest/agitation. And these Gujjar agitators are also using precisely this fundamental right to launch their protests.

However, we often forget that while guaranteeing the fundamental rights, the Indian Constitution has also mentioned that no such right is “unlimited”. And no person/group of people can exercise a fundamental right that will hamper the fundamental right of other people.

By disrupting the train movements the Gujjar agitators are depriving the train passengers of one key fundamental right guaranteed by the same Indian Constitution – “Freedom to move freely throughout the territory of India”.

More significantly, can such an assembly be called a “peaceful assembly” which resorts to activities like disruption of train services, thereby creating so much trouble for so many innocent people?

India’s Parsi Community Is Facing Extinction, Thanks To Their Own Fault

India’s respectable Parsi community – a community to which our country owes so many stalwarts from so many fields – is on the verge of extinction.

So why is the community on verge of extinction? Well, I suppose we all know the reason. The reason is an alarmingly low fertility rate that has been plaguing the community for quite some time now.

But why does the community suffer from such a disturbing fertility rate? I suppose that is also known to more-or-less all of us.

There are mainly two reasons.

The first reason is a general trend of late marriage in the Parsi community. This practice of late marriage naturally impacts the fertility potential of Parsi women, eventually resulting in a steady decline in the Parsi population.

However, the second factor that has contributed to the current status of Parsi population is more significant. It is actually an archaic practice that is, in a blunt language, very unhealthy. It is a practice of strictly precluding a Parsi man or women from marrying outside his or her community. And what will happen if a Parsi person marries somebody from outside his/her community? Well, in that case he/she will face Excommunication. In plain speak, he/she will be banished from the Parsi community.

For several generations the Parsi community has been following this practice of intra-community marriage, and today probably every Parsi man has some sort of blood relation with every Parsi woman. And so the marriage between them will obviously bear the risk of adversely affecting the health of their child.

It is high time that our Parsi friends shed off their flawed idea of ethnic purity, and look beyond their own community for matrimonial relationships. They must remember that no matter how old a custom or practice is, it cannot be more important than the survival of their community. After all, what is the meaning of adhering to a custom when it poses a threat of extinction to the very community that is practicing it?

I earnestly appeal to the elders of the Parsi community to “banish” this archaic custom of excommunicating Parsis who marry people from outside their own community.

The Parsi community has been a very resourceful community for India, and our motherland cannot afford to lose it.

(Note: I sincerely apologise in advance if anything in this write up hurts the religious or ethnic sentiment/emotion of any Parsi friend).