SG OwnBlog

Burhan Wani – The man and his mission The death of a young ‘hero’? On the 8 th of July, Burhan Muzaffar Wani died in the Valley of Kashmir. Thousands poured out on the streets to commemorate his services to the movement that he had come to symbolize of late. The relative calm of the region was shattered with curfews, killings and allegations of human rights abuses. His father was proud for the services his son had offered in the name of their faith, convinced that he would go to Heaven. Amidst all this, the romantic ideals of a young boy, just off his teens began to shake up the youth of the entire country, both in and beyond India. There is a lot of unrest in the Kashmir Valley recently, especially in the aftermath of the death, nay execution of Burhan. All of this is not unexpected in any way. In fact, this was foreseen. Even his glorification, his elevation to the status of a martyr in the service of Islam does not come as a surprise to me. Threats to the Indians - In th

Yamuna was a beautiful river in Northern India. It originates in the Yamunotri glacier at a height of 6400 metres above sea level. You may not remember it, and no, it's not Ganga. Let me remind you of a picture of the beautiful river here, the river that flows by the Taj Mahal. That's how the Yamuna river looks! Or rather looked before Sri Sri came. Yes, the picture above was real. The river supported a population of 57 million people. It continues to do now. The water was pure. Animals were aplenty. The air was sweet and the birds flocked to the area in thousands. The local forests on both sides of the floodplain were thicker than those in the Amazon and the waters were filled with fish. The standards of conservation of biodiversity was impeccable and often produced as an example to other river management bodies. Then came Sri Sri. An Indian godman who owned millions to spread his pagan beliefs and something called 'Indian' culture along with the cultures of

We, the city educated have always looked down upon the village dwellers. Of course not all of us. And even those who do, don't do this all the time. But in general, it is true. This phenomenon is not restricted to India or any developing world but also all over the Industrial world. The perception of tribal populations is also nuanced. Some consider them exotic, some think they are uncivilized, some find them as an opportunity to proselytize, some wish to use them as cheap labor, some hope to drive them out for mining or dam projects, and so on. Very few consider them similar to us. This is very true for the Left leaning self proclaimed liberals. They are always at the forefront when demanding tribal rights. In some landmark cases they have achieved wonderful results that anyone, regardless of their political ideology can be proud of. But the politically biased conclusions they derive spoil the efficacy of such interventions. The worst being them called as interventions. The ver

Indians are not really very well known for philanthropy. This perception is changing, true. But still we are yet to reach a position where we can say that we donate money for causes we believe in. Most of the social or other work is either funded by the Government or by NGOs which almost entirely gets funds from other countries! There are plenty of crowdsourcing websites that I checked over the week and this is the one that I would like you to focus on - if you wish to do something to make a change. Rangde - This website helps you finance rural and other micro-projects that help people get started. The investment required is very little in fact - you can even donate as little as Rs. 100! If you wish to make some change and help someone directly and quickly you can do that here. Check the projects that are ongoing and you can help. You can even start with something close to where you live - maybe you can see your contribution help someone. Another part is that - the money y

After resolving my Pre Leave blues, I left for home. Naturally it was full of hiccups. But I got good luck almost everywhere. From Bangalore, the bus to Chennai was almost 2 hours late. What happened as a result? A good sleep. From 12 to 6, I had uninterrupted sleep, which was great. When I dropped in Chennai, traffic was low enough to avoid jams yet good enough to let me get an auto rickshaw in time. I would not have got it so quickly had I reached an hour earlier. From there I met a pretty talkative (read smart) salesman cum auto driver. He was instrumental in persuading me from going to the Koyambedu bus stand all the way to the Chennai Airport. Of course he charged almost a hundred bucks extra. But I was tired and I agreed. Problem was that I had reached around 5 hours before the check in time! So then began my wait. Cafe Coffee Day helped little. Even the Expresso seemed insufficient! Staying awake was important and difficult. But here also I was lucky. There was a swe

I have seen various types of people in life. From armchair warriors to snobs etc etc. Religious or ethnic hatred is one of the most common that I have seen. But so far all of those had some political ideology mixed with faith. For example I have mixed with conservative Hindus who did not like Muslims, and fanatical Muslims baying for Hindu/Sikh/Jain/Buddhist blood. But the Hindu was invariably a Hindutvadi or a BJP supporter or something of that sort. The Muslim would also be an Islamist. This time I met a third kind - pure hatred, that does not derive it's strength from any political ideology. This beautiful lady hates Muslims without having any affinity to the Hindutva ideology and not even any to Modi or RSS or the like. I am yet to come to terms with the exceptional exception but I will produce her answers to some of my questions, without any modification. I, of course, don't endorse any of this nor do I insinuate that she is a hate monger. I don't wish to portray he

Mysore is a far from neglected when it comes to tourism. Mysore has long been a very beautiful small town with exquisite temples and destroyed forts. Once the capital of the princely state of Mysore, it has now been eclipsed by Bangalore. Even then the history is rich and has extremes of good and bad. Mysore palace topmost point Fake HDR-ed from the Mysore Temple complex - the aura should give you the hint We got a gorilla. If we are to go by what's written on the board outside, he is the sole gorilla in India now. Spotted this bear playing with a few ducks Mysore zoo - The look should tell you what he thinks about me or my camera A temple from the Mysore Palace Complex itself - fake HDR-ed Vrindavan Gardens - The cool thing is that this is built adjacent to the huge dam. The Mysore Palace from the cart that we hired for a round trip. The Mysore Palace - The House of Wodeyar has come to an end though. The last 'king' died a cou

I am approaching the bastion of Indian sickularism. Yes, what is known as God’s own country – this is called Kerala. This is one of those places that make a self-respecting Dharmic person to bash his own head at the mindless exposure to non Dharmic influences. I had plenty of experiences on my way itself. This is not the first time I am going to Kerala though. Actually this is the third time. The first visit was by far the best. It was a family trip to one of the most beautiful places of Kerala, the tourist circuit. From the backwaters of Allipuzha to the silent beauty of Munnar and the expanse of the Periyar, I have seen them all. Kerala is very green; there is no doubt about it. This is not entirely a plus point as I will expand later. The people are okay, I have had very widely mixed interactions as opposed to the people of the rest of India. The route that our train is taking goes from Bangalore to Tamil Nadu, all the while bordering Kerala. It enters Kerala at its ext

In India trains are a cheap and very efficient mode of transport. It is the largest railway network in the entire world. More number of people travel by train in India in a day than most other countries combined. Though they have a retro look, railways are fully functional and other than Wifi you get pretty much anything you usually get anywhere in the world. Of course, this depends on the class you travel in. If you are travelling in India for the first time, it would be best if you go for the 1st AC or the 2nd AC class. If you have travelled before you can go ahead and try 3rd AC or even the non AC Sleeper class. Beware of crowding in the sleeper class though. The cost of each class can be understood from the names. Irrespective of which class you are travelling in there are some things that you absolutely must carry with yourself. Wear Comfortable Casuals – This holds true for any part of the world and especially so for the hot and tropical weather of Ind

The man made pyre Once upon a time in the dark days of February..... The evening mist has just settled. A middle aged man wrapped in a grey shawl waits in the station. Beside him is a cup of tea, long since cold. On his right is a Gujarati newspapers loosely folded. On the paper is a big Motorola cellphone. Just about a hundred meters away a couple of house are filled with strangers. Numbering about 30, they remain in silence waiting for a call from a Motorola wireless transmitter. A couple of days ago, news came in that women and children were coming in from kar seva. On route to home, they would have to pass through a small station in rural Gujarat. The group were to take part in a small 'welcoming'. As the middle aged man looked at his watch, the station signboard glistened at the passing lights of some nearby car. It read - Godhra. Substantial preparations were already made for the party. The photographers among them were highly trained and equipped w

Coming home is always a special affair and rightly so. Everytime I come home, I feel great. This time I chose a slightly different route than the one that I usually take. Actually it was my Dad's idea. He said that instead of spending a lot on moving from Bangalore to Kolkata directly by air, I can move to Chennai by train and take a flight from there. It actually saved me around Rs. 6000! After somehow doing my work at office I left for the railway station - the Bangalore City Junction. After a sleepy ride to the station in a crowded AC bus I reached the Majectic Bus Stand. From there I got some help from a fellow passenger to identify the road to the railway station. The station was great. Though initially I was scared that I might not make it in time, I was relieved to find out that I was about a couple of hours before time! So I had a sandwich that sucked. Then after sometime I went to a eatery and had Veg Biriyani. They served it on a banana leaf! That was great. Rest

Our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has faced a lot of flak in his tenure. What is worse is that he always deserved more. But in any case, in the recent times the entire political scenario in India is changing in strange ways. For example the PM's decision is rubbished by Rahul Gandhi - the powerhouse of the same party that our PM belongs to! Political compulsions can be understood. But this aggressive turn of events had pitched Rahul Gandhi face to face with Mr. Singh. One represents the party, while the other represents ...well - God knows what. The situation is tricky because the decision to allow criminals to run for politics was taken by the party. The same party that Rahul (practically) leads. Following the lines the Government decided to act. The Supreme Court play spoilsport by declaring it unconstitutional. But Congress was determined to let criminals be political masters. So they decided to go for the temporary but valid Ordinance route. PM Singh and his Cabinet sh

" I am an Indian. An Indian male. I love to rape. I look out for girls, especially young girls and rape them - without worrying about the moral and social implications. Because raping is my obsession. If I don't rape, I won't be able to sleep properly. " No. None of the above is true. Except the first two sentences. But as an Indian male I am ashamed. Ashamed because so many gruesome rapes have come to light in recent days. Cases of groping, molestation and indecent behavior is more common among us than I could ever imagine. No amount of pleading for forgiveness is going to suffice. Some recent cases that needs to be highlighted are here. Yes. That is the only reason. Admit it. TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER GODDAMMIT! Previously I wrote about the infamous Delhi gangrape. Ok, since multiple gangrapes may have occured, let me specify - the one where the girl was literally killed with an iron rod inserted into her body. Oh yes, I don't wish to spare your sensibil

The message is clear. USA will leave Afghanistan. So will all NATO forces. It is nice to see that American intentions are laid bare. Once the job is done, they are content to go. The Afghans can kill themselves, thrash their women to death, stone people, indulge in terror attacks in the neighborhood, blow up babies, pour acid or shoot women and so on. All is fine as long as USA is not again attacked. Fine job, gentlemen. If they would have said we are coming to get Osama, I would have had some respect for them. But all those talks of 'bringing democracy' sounds just so hollow. USA does not care. It never did. Afghanistan is a hell hole. There is no doubt about it. It was a shit hole and a hell hole before the Americans arrived. If you walk the streets of the country, you may feel transported to the 9th century or earlier. Brutality reigns supreme and whatever compassion is there is enshrined in tribal codes and does not usually come out of compassion. With the NATO presence

In India Defence Ministers engage in some of the biggest scams ever. Multi-billion dollar deals are hijacked and loot siphoned off clandestinely. The ill gotten wealth goes all the way to some top notch Swiss bank. After a couple of years some folks raise a hullabaloo about the whole matter to earn votes and topple the Government. So that they can do the same thing. And the process goes on and on. Our present minister Mr. A.K. Anthony is a decent man. He may have his failings, no doubt. But he is not corrupt. In a Government that has broken all records of corruption this should be a matter of pride. This gentleman has been instrumental in finalizing a number of defence deals and that too with a fair amount of transparency. He has always lead a simple and spartan life, quite like out previous Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee and so far at least has a very clean image. For this reason alone he has earned my respect. So it is very unfortunate the the events have taken an ugly tu

Criminals commit crime. Convicted criminals I mean. For some unknown reason, India still allowed rapists, murderers and drug peddlers to run for elections, get elected and become chief ministers of states and do what they do best - rape, murder, peddle drugs. Only difference, they did it with police protection. Now the Supreme Court has played spoilsport . They have come out with a damning judgement that sends almost a third of India's elected representatives out of office. A pretty common sensical judgement one would assume. But the Government and especially the ruling party has seriously objected to the ruling and plans to take it up legally. The point they have is simple. If Dirlewanger could help the Nazis supress the Warsaw Uprising, why should criminals be left out of the election arena. In fact if possible committing a crime should be made a pre-requisite for being an elected representative. No doubt, people say, "India is a funny country!". 'RSS' p

It was 15th June, 2004. Gujarat Police gunned down four people between the Gandhinagar - Ahmedabad road. The killed were Ishrat Jahan Raza aged 19, Javed Gulam Sheikh, Amjad Ali Rana and Zeeshan Johar. Allegations were raised that the encounter was fake. In 2004 itself, a Lahore based publication of the Lashkar e Tayyiba confirmed that Ishrat Jahan and the other three were indeed operatives. This definitely gave a jolt to many parties who were crying foul. After three longs years, Jamaat-ud-Dawa stated that it was a 'journalistic mistake' to include the name of Ishrat Jahan and sent an apology to her family. This stirred the other folks into action. The hibernating political jumbos immediately filed a number of cases and after a long investigation, that is after 5 years, the Ahmedabad Metropolitan court declared that the encounter was staged . Important thing to note here is that it did not claim that Ishrat Jahan was innocent. Something quite damning then happened. Dav

Kashmir is a beautiful place. Just like the rest of the world, Kashmir is also home to many rockstar Islamists Secularists. Problem is that Kashmiris are a generally peaceful lot. Unlike their neighbors in the South, East and West they primarily have rice all day. Just like Bengalis. But out of this population sometimes some young guy gets highly inspired - helped by a few overly 'vigilant' CRPF guys. Also attach to this the romantic aspirations of freedom, secularism, Islamism etc etc. You end up confused. Getting a way out of this confusion and reaching a conclusion is more difficult than killing someone. Quite a few do so. No. This is not the guy! This guy is really dangerous. Haneef was a normal guy. Her mother fell down the road after an Army truck speed past her. The poor old woman could not take it. She slipped and fell. A few bones got dislocated. But due to ignorance or poverty she was neglected and after almost a year she died. Haneef convicted the Indian Army

Bad Guy, very Bad Guy We all love Mush - don't we? You know Mush - that slimy dictator of a country in South Asia or somewhere. He gave birth to more terror outfits in his lifetime than the kids of Osama bin Laden (s combined). Irony is that he was almost killed by one of them as well. A number of times. Mush was a badass. Hell, he still is. Trained as a commando and right upto the neck style bravado, he felt he was the real life Sunny Deol that his country did not have. A man with tremendous imagination, unimaginable optimism and infinite stupidity - he was a perfect leader of a country that produces world class terrorists (who always fail to hit their targets in the US ). He was finally arrested and agreed to answer my questions from prison. I would like to thank the Takistani Government for giving me the permission to enter the Isitthatbad Zoo. Mush: Get here on a double. Shoot yer questions, I ain't got all day. Me: Yeah, thanks General for this chance. Me:

This question looms large over all Indians. The 2014 general elections is approaching. Sure it is still another year to go, but for us somehow this one feels so different. Over the last five years India and the world has changed a lot.The Congress ruled Government has some serious challenge to face. In spite of the contribution to national development they are facing the flak. Achievements of the present government - All records for corruption have been broken. The total scams unearthed so far in the short span of four years is equivalent to the GDP of all of Africa combined. Successfully supporting, shielding corrupt people. Dividing the nation on communal lines. Ensuring that the rate of growth declines and the economy slows down. Accelerating inflation and promoting crimes. Not preventing a rape wave but successfully assault protesters. Somehow finding BJP and Hindutva responsible for all ills. On the opposite side is the still unfortunately untainted(economically) Nare