I, Baldev Singh Sahni, am responsible for the death of my child. And my grandchild too, the one not yet born, that she carried in her womb. It is exactly a month after she died, over there, in mid-Atlantic, that these gloomy morbid thoughts keep coming back to me, again and again. These thoughts paralyse me, through shock and fear.
When I had first come here, the population of expatriate Indian community was so small that everyone knew about everyone else. Over the years, things have changed. I was just twenty – three when I came here, with dreams in my eyes and strength in my arms to cut through the sardonic waves of pain and pessimism, the ones that have carried away the bodies of my daughter and many others. These Atlantic waves have defeated me today. They have, in fact, defeated all the Indians in this land, in this city of Toronto. Has this also happened back in India? But where is Anna?
Anna, do you recall the time when we first met?
I call out to Anna. We both, the sad parents, have been ruminating over our past life together, trying desperately to clutch at straws that otherwise would have been blown away by this hurricane that has been unleashed by the crash.
Anna refuses to be drawn out of her reverie today. She wants to keep her counsel. Since the last few days, she has been rummaging through each of the articles of the house, moving meticulously through each room and stripping and piling things used by Maya – cataloguing them, stuffing them with deodorants, placing moth repellents strategically and packing them neatly. She is going about it with a maniacal zeal, possessed as if with some sort of devilish dream.
Once upon a time, I too had possessed this sort of energy. It had been during those early years of my stay at Toronto. I would work for up to twenty hours a day, non-stop, My colleagues, amazed at my capacity and tenacity to go on working at the operating table, without seemingly requiring any rest, for hours together had given me the nickname – Dr. Devil Singh. Later, I do not recall when, but I did become Dr. Devy Sawhney. Dr. Baldev Singh Sahni was lost in the labyrinths of time.
How could I tell my colleagues that it was not merely my will and tenacity that drove me to test the very limits of my physical endurance? I was driven by dreams. And to a large extent, fear. Fear of failure. I did not wish to go back to the hell hole in Ludhiana. I would have preferred dying in an alien land than accept defeat and go scurrying back to the house in which each morsel dished out by my aunt was laced with acerbic remarks.
I realise now that work in itself has a capacity to heal scars. It keeps the senses occupied. Moreover, if it is creative enough, then it works better than any known anaesthesia. Probably Anna too is searching for such anaesthesia in her present work, that which will numb her pain.
I had first met Anna at the Gurdwara. It was attraction at first sight. As soon as I met her, I knew she was the one for me. For three weeks I had followed her but each time when an opportunity presented itself, I would be tongue tied. On one fateful day, I summoned all the courage that was at my disposal and visited Mr. Shamsher Singh Bedi, reputedly the biggest landlord amongst expat Indians in Toronto, to seek his consent to marry his daughter, Anna.
Anna was hardly nineteen. I was twenty eight. The marriage was solemnised in the Gurdwara amidst the chanting of Gurbani. It was a big cultural event, that wedding of ours, since Pandit Ravishankar had consented to play sitar to the accompaniment of the hymns. It had been extensively covered by the local newspapers. Much like the way the newspapers now are covering the crash that has taken place in mid-Atlantic, taking the lives of all the passengers on board.
Oh Maya, you were a trained swimmer. Is there any chance that you could have swum ashore to one of the smaller islands in the mid-Atlantic? The Irish Government has been pretty helpful. They have flown many sorties to locate the wreckage off the coast of Cork, and locate survivors, if any. Yet, could there be any chance that they have missed you After all that ocean is the size of couple of continents put together. With all sorts of sharks and piranhas ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
I shudder involuntarily at the incursion of such thoughts that race across my cranium. Yet, the fact of life is that such things happen. Like the time when Anna started to have labour pains at that unearthly hour, 3 AM. I was then so unsure of the fraternity of doctors that I refused to leave her side even when she had been ushered into SCU. Anna had given birth to a baby girl in the early hours of dawn, when the sun was just breaking through those clouds of darkness. We had named her Maya.
Twenty two years have fled past since then. It seems as if I had landed at this place just yesterday. All the memories come flooding back to me as if some reel of silent movie is being projected against the bones of my skull through a projector in fast forward mode.Why did fate choose us for target practice? I have never deliberately hurt anybody! I have conscientiously worked to help people in distress and have generally followed ethical standards. What part did karma play in all this?
Maya had been a good student. A cheerful happy go lucky kind of girl she was. She did not give us much trouble when she was growing up. Though she was wilful and generally naughty as a child, it was not something that is not expected of a lively child. Moreover, it was easy to convince her by logical reasoning and thus make her abide by the standards that prevailed. She was not given to tantrums. And that had been the case till that infatuation of hers when no reasoning or persuasion could dent her will.
Around a year ago, Ajit Virk had come into our lives. It was that fateful year in which the Golden Temple had been stormed by the Army in order to flush out Bhindranwale and his cohorts. To give the devil his due, Bhindranwale had become a very smart operator. First, he convinced the powers in Delhi that he would neutralize the Akalis in the state. Delhi allowed him a free reign. In fact, one of the leaders of the ruling coalition then had gone on record with eulogies for the guy, painting him in the hues of a religious saint. This despite the fact that the state police chief had been shot dead on the steps of Golden Temple by his band of followers. The genie which had been unleashed needed its share of blood. Now it sustains on sussurating whispers and innocent lives.
Ajit had come to me with a letter for me from his mother. I had known his mother since my days in Ludhiana. She was the wife of my closest buddy, Dr. Komal Virk, who had, as the letter had gone on to inform me, died of cardiac arrest the same year. Komal and I were classmates when we were graduating from the University.
The letter had specifically mentioned about Ajit and his past. The lady, with extremely honourable intentions, had informed me in that letter about his proclivities and sympathies to the extremist cause. Ajit had graduated as a chemical engineer from Chandigarh. However, due to some reasons, he had not found decent enough employment for more than a year. During this period of unemployment, he had probably befriended some of the boys from Khalistani Tigers. As it normally happens in such cases, with things getting a little too hot for him in Ludhiana, he had been forced to pack his bags and leave the place.
I knew, I could have turned down his request for lodging with us. Instead, I could have helped him by getting him accommodation in one of the hostels attached to the Gurdwara. I could have saved myself from this onerous responsibility today. Despite Anna's opposition, who had every reason to be alarmed over his past, I had allowed him to stay in the guest room in our house. My adamant attitude had gotten the better of my judgement then. My deep sense of loyalty towards my friend, now deceased, had, in fact blinded me to all the faults of Ajit. I also thought he deserved a second chance given that he may have passed through some emotional turmoil. Exasperated by this decision of mine, Anna had withdrawn into a cocoon of her world till it lay shattered at our doorstep.
Ajit had, from the very beginning, behaved in an extremely gentle fashion and had tried to never give us, his hosts, any reason to complain, except when he would disappear for a day or two without informing us about it or later disclosing his where about during those couple of days. He did this disappearing act couple of times. Anna resented these disappearances and kept insisting that her instinct indicated that Ajit was up to some nefarious activity and this was more than merely a general tendency of one so young to try to live according to his or her own diktats. However, I felt that he was beginning to reconnect with his life and it was not a right time to jettison efforts to bring him back to mainstream.
Ajit. Ajit. That name still rings in my ears. Komal Virk had helped me during the leanest period of my life. It was at his address that my passport, and later the Canadian Visa, had been delivered. I had not wanted my Uncle or Aunt to know about my plans till I had finally crossed all the hurdles of buying air ticket. I had saved pennies. I had scrounged. I had once asked Komal to join me in this venture. He had simply smiled disarmingly and replied—'I love the smell of this land far too much to be able to grow at any other place'.
We both, Komal and myself, were born in Lahore, I had crossed the border that had suddenly sprung up as a thirteen year old, along with my Uncle and Komal 's family. I never met my parents after that migration. The blood of my parents, like the blood of Komal's grandparents and his elder sister, has been mingled in those flower buds that bloom today in India.
This is the tragedy that befalls man. It always so happens that the children repudiate that very logic and basis of life that their parents had chosen. While Komal loved the smell of the land, Ajit, his son, had to flee from the same land.
Maya and Ajit had grown friendly over the period of the year. Neither Anna nor myself had thought much of this budding friendship till one day, when Maya decided to accompany Ajit on his trip to Gurdwara. It clearly indicated her willingness to be seen in public along with Ajit. It was a sign of events to follow.
Maya had, by her own choice trained under Pandit Raviraj in Indian Classical music. She had also then decided to take up Western Classical music as her Major in the University. She did sing well. I mean whenever she sang a Shabd or Kirtan in the Gurdwara, there would not be a soul in the Gurdwara who would not be moved by her rendering of the hymns. It had started as fun, this practise of Maya singing in Gurdwaras. Later on, she had begun to get invitations from cross-country locations for not only singing in Gurdwaras but also sing hymns in the Church. Maya, I love your voice. I love your chirpy smile. Even that imperious haughty look that you some times acquire to maintain aloofness whenever you so want it, I miss your laughter, I miss your joviality. I miss all that and much more.
Twenty-two is hardly the age to die. At twenty-two I was dreaming of the life that lay ahead of me in distant land. In Ludhiana, life begins only after one reaches the threshold of twenty-five years. At least that was the case when I was there. Maya was snatched away from us at that age when she had not even begun to think of the future.
”Allow me to live the way I want to live”. Maya had told her mother when Anna had begun to object to her growing friendship with Ajit. Anna always resented the fact that Ajit, despite her prodding, had never once apologised for his actions of the past and thus to her, it indicated that he had not yet made a clean break from his past. This, according to Anna, had made him equally culpable of being a partner in crime – of killing innocent bystanders. That was the reason why Anna did not want Maya to hobnob with him. The tension in the relationship, between the mother and daughter had grown until it began to manifest itself in body language. Both were headstrong individuals.
”Stop behaving like a stubborn hog dammit. She is old enough to know what she wants. She will have him with your consent if possible and without it if necessary”. I had to intervene to maintain a semblance of domestic peace.
Maya was not ready to wait. Maya was not ready to accept our words of caution and patience. It was as if she had been driven mad. Probably, love is the socially accepted form of madness. Lovers are born, not made. Reason does not apply to them. It denies them the simple consolation of a normal life. The intense belief in the image of the person loved, the intimate act of gnawing at your own being when denied access to that image of the loved one, the ability of the lovers to conjure up the world that is dominated by goblins who bring pain on the wings of air breathed, all this can never be suppressed or even correctly articulated, it can merely be felt. That was how Maya was. She moved in the world of her own, a world of make believe in those early months of 1985, until reality forced that world to fracture.
Around two months ago, Maya had informed Anna about her pregnancy. Maya and Ajit had by then, already arrived at a decision.
“Maya would go stay with my mother for a few days. It is to seek her blessings for our marriage. She would be back in few weeks and then we would get married at the Gurdwara here”. Ajit had said this to us when we had sat down to have dinner one fine evening. Permission had not been sought. We had been informed. So we, the Parents, had no choice but to keep quiet and keep to our own lives.
Maya was to fly to Bombay. Air India Flight 182. June of eighty five. Tickets had been booked by Ajit for he had taken over the management of their affairs.
The report that has been published in Toronto Star reads some what like this :”All the three hundred and twenty-nine people abroad the 747 Jumbo jet of Air India,
Flight Number 182, enroute to Bombay from Toronto have been killed when a terrorist bomb exploded in the plane. The plane and all its passengers went down off the coast of Cork, Ireland. It is being reportedly said that the bomb was put in one of the bags. The X ray machines were out of order and handlers had put it abroad the plane with only a cursory check”.
All the information that I have gleaned from the reports and the note that I carry in my pocket confirm my suspicions. Ajit has disappeared after leaving that fateful note for me. Ajit never came back to house after he had helped Maya board the airplane at Toronto airport for what he knew was to be her last journey. I have not yet handed over the note to the police. Not yet.
That note is in my pocket and it scalds the skin of my chest where ever it touches. I haven’t shown the note to Anna too. I am afraid; it will force her into more extreme position towards me. As it is, she holds me responsible for the death of her child.
“Sorry Uncle, we will need to sacrifice many more lives before we can teach those bastards in Delhi a few lessons.” That is what Ajit has written.
“Yes, go on, teach them a lesson by shedding the blood of innocents. You have indeed avenged the damage to the Golden Temple. Today you have killed eighty-four children to consecrate your temple. Besides these eighty-four children, I also know of one foetus that has been killed to appease your gods. That foetus was my grandchild. Are you happy with the oblations offered via these sacrificed lives!” I shout, silently, in my head, at those tidal waves that bring misery to me. I want to shout at Ajit as well but he is nowhere to be found.
It had been easy for him. This conspiracy. Since he did most of the packing, he would have conveniently hidden the explosives in the luggage of Maya. What is galling is that he used the faith of an innocent girl to carry out his foul deed. He abused the hospitality extended to him by this family. By me.
Where would he be now? “Ajit, you have stabbed me. You have drenched all my dreams with the blood drawn from the foetus of my grandchild.”
I am angry. My Sikh blood boils and seeks revenge.
“Today I take a vow. I will hunt you down Ajit Virk. You better be aware. I will track you down and kill you in cold blood and let hyenas eat your stinking flesh. I shall seek you out whether you hide in heaven or hell. This I swear on my grandchild.”
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Degradation of Life
There was a time when we had some values that would allow us to claim we were better off, as a society, than others, in not only South Asia, but many other societies across the world. I am talking of the time when Late Prime Minister Shastri was a Railway Minister. After an accident which led to deaths on railway tracks, Shri Shastri, the then Railway Minister, had owned moral responsibility and quit his office.
Few days ago, I read a report on a Minister in the Uttar Pradesh Government. This minister fled from the scene of accident. He was travelling in his official car and his driver lost control of the vehicle and killed a school boy. I am talking of Gopal Nandi, and the school boy named Saurabh. Is it not bad enough that the officials travel with horns blaring and with large entourage? The public pays for all this. And if there has been an accident, would it not behove a human being to show some sense of responsibility towards a fellow human being, his victim. What kind of example are the ministers setting now?
Is it too much for the common man in India to expect even common human decency? Where have we gone wrong as a society? And where do we go from here?
We as individuals have been overcome by apathy. We are no longer appalled by such incidents. We have become insensitive to the suffering of our fellow citizens. So long as our kith and kin are safe, we don’t want to get involved in any fracas. No sense of shame revolts us over the state of affairs.
To bemoan other values in this blog would be belabouring the point. And it is not my desire to do so. Yet, I do think that we are quickly spiralling down a slippery path which leads to hell.
I know this will raise many heckles, this bleakness that emanates from the pathos of the present situation. But I don’t want to mince words either. If we don’t act now, we will forever rue the situation which will overwhelm us all. For sure, we will become a replica of failed state as is evident from our neighbourhood.
For a minister from a party which came to power based on the slogan of empowering the poor, to exhibit such lack of respect for human life of the very poor smacks of utter disregard for those very people. To be very honest, I had been very glad when Mayawati had won absolute majority in UP though I was among the minority in my circle of friends. I felt, that Indian masses had ushered in the long awaited revolution, not through barrel of the gun but through the power of the vote.
To me her winning of election was equivalent to the Nobel Prize being awarded to Rigoberta Menchu. Both represented the very marginalized segments of society who had seen centuries of discrimination. Alas! The similarity ended soon enough and once again, the people elected to rule have begun to display the arrogance of Mughal aristocracy.
Last year, after 26/11, when Deshmukh had resorted to Terror Tourism, by taking along people like Ram Gopal Varma on a tour of Taj, there was widespread revulsion and he was forced to quit. I hope we can exercise our collective conscience and demand that Gopal Nandi must quit his cabinet post for fleeing the scene of accident. We must force some degree of introspection on political class which has become totally cynical because they have become used to treating the people with utter contempt.
May be I am expecting too much from people but is it not time that we raise our voice, as a collective so that no life is degraded, be it in Mumbai Taj or be it in the back waters of UP.
Can we for once, value life for what it is? Can we for once stop being so remorseless about people being felled by recklessness? Can we, for once, demand that we all receive a humane response, no matter what the station in life is of either the victim or the perpetrator of the crime?
Few days ago, I read a report on a Minister in the Uttar Pradesh Government. This minister fled from the scene of accident. He was travelling in his official car and his driver lost control of the vehicle and killed a school boy. I am talking of Gopal Nandi, and the school boy named Saurabh. Is it not bad enough that the officials travel with horns blaring and with large entourage? The public pays for all this. And if there has been an accident, would it not behove a human being to show some sense of responsibility towards a fellow human being, his victim. What kind of example are the ministers setting now?
Is it too much for the common man in India to expect even common human decency? Where have we gone wrong as a society? And where do we go from here?
We as individuals have been overcome by apathy. We are no longer appalled by such incidents. We have become insensitive to the suffering of our fellow citizens. So long as our kith and kin are safe, we don’t want to get involved in any fracas. No sense of shame revolts us over the state of affairs.
To bemoan other values in this blog would be belabouring the point. And it is not my desire to do so. Yet, I do think that we are quickly spiralling down a slippery path which leads to hell.
I know this will raise many heckles, this bleakness that emanates from the pathos of the present situation. But I don’t want to mince words either. If we don’t act now, we will forever rue the situation which will overwhelm us all. For sure, we will become a replica of failed state as is evident from our neighbourhood.
For a minister from a party which came to power based on the slogan of empowering the poor, to exhibit such lack of respect for human life of the very poor smacks of utter disregard for those very people. To be very honest, I had been very glad when Mayawati had won absolute majority in UP though I was among the minority in my circle of friends. I felt, that Indian masses had ushered in the long awaited revolution, not through barrel of the gun but through the power of the vote.
To me her winning of election was equivalent to the Nobel Prize being awarded to Rigoberta Menchu. Both represented the very marginalized segments of society who had seen centuries of discrimination. Alas! The similarity ended soon enough and once again, the people elected to rule have begun to display the arrogance of Mughal aristocracy.
Last year, after 26/11, when Deshmukh had resorted to Terror Tourism, by taking along people like Ram Gopal Varma on a tour of Taj, there was widespread revulsion and he was forced to quit. I hope we can exercise our collective conscience and demand that Gopal Nandi must quit his cabinet post for fleeing the scene of accident. We must force some degree of introspection on political class which has become totally cynical because they have become used to treating the people with utter contempt.
May be I am expecting too much from people but is it not time that we raise our voice, as a collective so that no life is degraded, be it in Mumbai Taj or be it in the back waters of UP.
Can we for once, value life for what it is? Can we for once stop being so remorseless about people being felled by recklessness? Can we, for once, demand that we all receive a humane response, no matter what the station in life is of either the victim or the perpetrator of the crime?
4500 Crore Rupees
How many zeroes are there in rupees 4500 crores? How many schools could be built by rupees 4500 crores? How many loans of poor farmers in Bundelkhand and Vidharbha could have been written off so that they did not have to kill themselves or alternatively sell their wives to their lenders in lieu off the debt incurred? How many hospitals could we have built? How many industries/dams/canals could have been built?
Uttar Pradesh government has recently charge sheeted four IAS officers, including one retired, for their alleged involvement in the multi-crore Noida land scam during the previous Mulayam Singh Yadav government. The officers include former chairman of the New Okhla Industrial and Development Authority (NOIDA) Rakesh Bahadur, former CEO Sanjeev Sharan, former deputy CEO K Ravindra Nayan and the then divisional commissioner Meerut Devdutt. The officers have been charged with selling expensive commercial land at throwaway prices to hoteliers resulting in loss of Rs 4500 crore to the state exchequer.
Recently I was reading about elections in Maharashtra, Harayana and Arunachal Pradesh. Incumbents were victorious in all the places. Another important feature was the fact that all the candidates had managed to increase their net worth by more than 1000% in the previous five years. Pritish Nandy quotes much higher and more accurate numbers in his blog.
If you now can correlate the two paragraphs, you would know how the assets of the people in power are increasing in each year. You would also correlate this with feudalism in Indian Democracy. Is this not the reason why the sons and daughters are preferred candidates in all parties? Loot of public funds has become a public policy and lucrative business for our rulers and the ruler-capitalist-bureaucrat nexus is snatching away our very valuable assets and turning it into personal property of the ruling elite.
The result of this is for all to see. We are creating a creamy layer, the top four five percent of the population, urban based with transnational affiliations, who are ready to line their pocket, scratch each other’s backs and push the marginalized into ghettos from which the marginalized would never be able to rise in revolt.
And if the marginalized does rise in revolt, the upper class elite would have the means to silence him by throwing at him, another set of disenfranchised citizenry, the so called Security Forces.
Paulo Freire (Pedagogy of the Oppressed) has referred to this as the conspiracy of silence. All the decision makers, whether from one set of ruling elite or another set (read feudal families – karan nadhi, sule pawar/deshmukh/takheray, badal/ amaridner singh, chautala/hooda, obdullahs/sayyeds, yadavs etc etc) will provide sound bites when in opposition but will not unravel the nexus. No one will unravel the nexus because they benefit from it too.
If India ever has to wipe away the tears that flow from its impoverished citizenry, then rules have to be made to allow the state to confiscate all these ill gotten gains. Rules also must be made that no matter what, the primacy of the law of the land will not be challenged. Because even if rules are made and in rarest of rare cases, follow up is done, as in Bofors, we have allowed the perpetrators of the crime to walk away on such flimsy arguments that just because a large period of time has elapsed, no good can come by following the law of the land.
Justice delayed is justice denied. But what would we call blatant misuse of executive official power to deny justice altogether, as has been done in case of Bofors.
And in such a scenario, should we not then support the call to arms by Maoists who speak for the disenfranchised peasantry and masses in whose names the laws are being made in the first place?
Uttar Pradesh government has recently charge sheeted four IAS officers, including one retired, for their alleged involvement in the multi-crore Noida land scam during the previous Mulayam Singh Yadav government. The officers include former chairman of the New Okhla Industrial and Development Authority (NOIDA) Rakesh Bahadur, former CEO Sanjeev Sharan, former deputy CEO K Ravindra Nayan and the then divisional commissioner Meerut Devdutt. The officers have been charged with selling expensive commercial land at throwaway prices to hoteliers resulting in loss of Rs 4500 crore to the state exchequer.
Recently I was reading about elections in Maharashtra, Harayana and Arunachal Pradesh. Incumbents were victorious in all the places. Another important feature was the fact that all the candidates had managed to increase their net worth by more than 1000% in the previous five years. Pritish Nandy quotes much higher and more accurate numbers in his blog.
If you now can correlate the two paragraphs, you would know how the assets of the people in power are increasing in each year. You would also correlate this with feudalism in Indian Democracy. Is this not the reason why the sons and daughters are preferred candidates in all parties? Loot of public funds has become a public policy and lucrative business for our rulers and the ruler-capitalist-bureaucrat nexus is snatching away our very valuable assets and turning it into personal property of the ruling elite.
The result of this is for all to see. We are creating a creamy layer, the top four five percent of the population, urban based with transnational affiliations, who are ready to line their pocket, scratch each other’s backs and push the marginalized into ghettos from which the marginalized would never be able to rise in revolt.
And if the marginalized does rise in revolt, the upper class elite would have the means to silence him by throwing at him, another set of disenfranchised citizenry, the so called Security Forces.
Paulo Freire (Pedagogy of the Oppressed) has referred to this as the conspiracy of silence. All the decision makers, whether from one set of ruling elite or another set (read feudal families – karan nadhi, sule pawar/deshmukh/takheray, badal/ amaridner singh, chautala/hooda, obdullahs/sayyeds, yadavs etc etc) will provide sound bites when in opposition but will not unravel the nexus. No one will unravel the nexus because they benefit from it too.
If India ever has to wipe away the tears that flow from its impoverished citizenry, then rules have to be made to allow the state to confiscate all these ill gotten gains. Rules also must be made that no matter what, the primacy of the law of the land will not be challenged. Because even if rules are made and in rarest of rare cases, follow up is done, as in Bofors, we have allowed the perpetrators of the crime to walk away on such flimsy arguments that just because a large period of time has elapsed, no good can come by following the law of the land.
Justice delayed is justice denied. But what would we call blatant misuse of executive official power to deny justice altogether, as has been done in case of Bofors.
And in such a scenario, should we not then support the call to arms by Maoists who speak for the disenfranchised peasantry and masses in whose names the laws are being made in the first place?
IV- Bollywood as Social Commentary
Something which I should have made clear at the end of the Bollywood III blog was a link to this blog but after deliberating on the choices, I decided to do otherwise.
One of the primary reasons was that this would have tempted many of the comment makers to seek more time for input. The other reason was that I did not wish to prejudice any one with my judgements.
No list of Bollywood movies is complete without certain additions to that list. As would be underscored by the following paragraphs, these are not essentially Bollywood movies, yet these are inexorably linked to the Indian social mores and ethos.
One of the finest INDIA centric movies, sociologically speaking, is Bandit Queen. Since this has been produced by BBC, would it fall under Bollywood, I am not sure of that. Shekhar Kapur has created a marvellous commentary on the life of socially underprivileged by using the life story of Phoolan Devi as the leitmotif for that purpose.
No words can be used to describe the pain of the lady- who gets repeatedly assaulted by the gang boss in the badlands of Chambal and parts of Central India – with whom she gets associated by a quirk of fate. The piercing cries haunt the soul.
The social consequences of rebellious actions as enunciated by the character of Vikram Malla are superbly juxtaposed against the backdrop of the power hierarchy even in criminal enterprises. ¨Kill one person from Thakur community and that would be considered a murder. Kill the whole village of Thakurs and that would be social revolution. Government will have to come to terms with you.¨
When the caste characteristics are so imbibed in social structures that even the converted Christians continue to refer to the caste appendages three or four generations after conversions, would we Indians be able to ever overcome the prejudices thus generated.
The second India centric movie not produced in Bollywood but which cannot go without mention is the one which earned an Indian artiste the first Oscar. YES, Bhanu Athaiyya for Gandhi. Probably the subject itself was so wonderfully relevant to human conditions that it had to win big at Oscars.
Would that complete the list! I guess not. Probably we can never come to terms with the poverty in India- at least not yet in any case- but the pathos of poverty as captured by movies of Satyajit Ray or Ritwick Ghatak should give us some hope. At least we Indians are reacting to the state of affairs in our country- unlike our neighbours all around us- who can only use the poverty and apathy that the status of poverty generates to create mayhem by utilising the faultiness that exist in social structures.
I watched a movie from Thailand with my Thai and Veitnamese classmates in Montreal in the summer of 2005. And I am not ashamed to say that I was shamed by their knowledge of HANUMAN, the monkey God, for they knew some aspects of his life more than I did at that point of time. The movie seemed like any typical Bollywood movie – only the location was Bangkok and the language used was Thai- as were the actors portraying the characters in the movie.
It was then that I realised how closely India was related to South East Asian nation states. It was during one such interaction with the Thai classmates that I realised that the Thai script is eerily similar to Oriya script.
It is possible that people from Indian landmass have crossed the Bay of Bengal to interact and influence the people in South East Asia. And vice versa could be case too. We Indians have probably been influenced by our South East Asians cousins as well.
Does anyone thus think it to be a matter of wonderment that Bollywood continues to be a major source of soft power that is at the disposal of Indian policy makers. Only the country has yet to learn to utilise all the power at its disposal.
One of the primary reasons was that this would have tempted many of the comment makers to seek more time for input. The other reason was that I did not wish to prejudice any one with my judgements.
No list of Bollywood movies is complete without certain additions to that list. As would be underscored by the following paragraphs, these are not essentially Bollywood movies, yet these are inexorably linked to the Indian social mores and ethos.
One of the finest INDIA centric movies, sociologically speaking, is Bandit Queen. Since this has been produced by BBC, would it fall under Bollywood, I am not sure of that. Shekhar Kapur has created a marvellous commentary on the life of socially underprivileged by using the life story of Phoolan Devi as the leitmotif for that purpose.
No words can be used to describe the pain of the lady- who gets repeatedly assaulted by the gang boss in the badlands of Chambal and parts of Central India – with whom she gets associated by a quirk of fate. The piercing cries haunt the soul.
The social consequences of rebellious actions as enunciated by the character of Vikram Malla are superbly juxtaposed against the backdrop of the power hierarchy even in criminal enterprises. ¨Kill one person from Thakur community and that would be considered a murder. Kill the whole village of Thakurs and that would be social revolution. Government will have to come to terms with you.¨
When the caste characteristics are so imbibed in social structures that even the converted Christians continue to refer to the caste appendages three or four generations after conversions, would we Indians be able to ever overcome the prejudices thus generated.
The second India centric movie not produced in Bollywood but which cannot go without mention is the one which earned an Indian artiste the first Oscar. YES, Bhanu Athaiyya for Gandhi. Probably the subject itself was so wonderfully relevant to human conditions that it had to win big at Oscars.
Would that complete the list! I guess not. Probably we can never come to terms with the poverty in India- at least not yet in any case- but the pathos of poverty as captured by movies of Satyajit Ray or Ritwick Ghatak should give us some hope. At least we Indians are reacting to the state of affairs in our country- unlike our neighbours all around us- who can only use the poverty and apathy that the status of poverty generates to create mayhem by utilising the faultiness that exist in social structures.
I watched a movie from Thailand with my Thai and Veitnamese classmates in Montreal in the summer of 2005. And I am not ashamed to say that I was shamed by their knowledge of HANUMAN, the monkey God, for they knew some aspects of his life more than I did at that point of time. The movie seemed like any typical Bollywood movie – only the location was Bangkok and the language used was Thai- as were the actors portraying the characters in the movie.
It was then that I realised how closely India was related to South East Asian nation states. It was during one such interaction with the Thai classmates that I realised that the Thai script is eerily similar to Oriya script.
It is possible that people from Indian landmass have crossed the Bay of Bengal to interact and influence the people in South East Asia. And vice versa could be case too. We Indians have probably been influenced by our South East Asians cousins as well.
Does anyone thus think it to be a matter of wonderment that Bollywood continues to be a major source of soft power that is at the disposal of Indian policy makers. Only the country has yet to learn to utilise all the power at its disposal.
Remittance
How does one categorise people who have migrated from one country to another in search of better economic opportunity? Does this move entail a serious thought process and does it also entail a violent rejection of one's heritage that one inherits by virtue of birth? These questions have been debated previously and there is no easy answer to them. What however is surprising is the wealth of data that is being generated now.
The Economist recently ran an article on the remittances being received by various countries. India topped the list of the countries in this category, In 2008, India received the highest remittance of $52 billion from its expatriate population. This tracking of remittances has been one of the unintended benefits of terrorist attacks like 9/11. Governments and world bodies have begun to track the amount of money transferred and have begun to tabulate this data. Hence, today we know about India receiving this huge inflow of funds, funds which are more than even the amount being invested by companies in India, characterised as FDI.
Individually, each of the first generation of migrants, those like me, most probably, will continue to send remittances from offshore accounts to the accounts in India. In the last six years, as I have found my footing in Canada, I have sent almost hundred thousand dollars back to my account in India. This is one small component of total amount received by India in the last few years.
But small components make big stories.
When I search for total population of Indian origin in Canada, it throws up a surprisingly small number of approximately 800,000 people, Similar figures are available for other countries like US, UK and other European countries. A rough back of the envelope calculation indicates that nearly 4,000,000 people of Indian origin are settled in the developed parts of western world.
A similar extrapolation of data can be made for Gulf countries as well. A conservative estimate of the numbers, my intention here is not to assiduously quote the exact number but to develop the big picture, of people of Indian Origin in Gulf countries and Africa would indicate that the total number of Indians spread out in those parts of the world would amount to a total figure of almost 5,000,000.
In nutshell, the total population of people of Indian origin living outside India would amount to nearly 15 to 20 million.
If these 20 odd million people have the potential to generate such huge inflows of capital for India, then imagine what would be the impact of another twenty to thirty million people working all over the world.
Recently, when huge deposit of oil was stuck off the coast of Brazil, its President Lula remarked; "God must be Brazilian". We know for sure, so far at least, that God, has not yet blessed India with such bounty. Thence, we cannot claim that God is Indian.
Yet, we have something that others dont have. We have a population base which is essentially very hard working and which has the potential to beat the world.
In another few decades, one in five persons in the world would be an Indian. Do we wish to confine ourselves to the geographical landmass even when we will outnumber other major population groups.
My humble suggestion to policy makers thus would be to start preparing our young men and women to venture out into the world. Our society must prepare young individuals to seek economic opportunities across the world. Only when this happens, will we be able to reverse the drain of wealth from our society.
Thus, along with instructions in english and maths, we must also provide instructions to our students on how to navigate different time zones, move across different geographical boundaries and arm them, at the time of their graduation with Passports. A readily available passport, to a student who has completed his Class XII, must be a included as a fundamental right of the population.
No delays must be accepted in implementing this policy and the agenda must rank high in the policy planning framework of all state capitals, For without that support, proper resource allocation for such a policy may not be realised.
The aim should be to quadruple the amount of remittance being received by India. Once we, as a society achieve that, we shall have far greater amount of wealth available to develop our infrastructure. We will have more schools, more housing, more hospitals and more money to develop more roads and railways to connect all parts of the country.
National integration will be made possible in real terms in real time.
The Economist recently ran an article on the remittances being received by various countries. India topped the list of the countries in this category, In 2008, India received the highest remittance of $52 billion from its expatriate population. This tracking of remittances has been one of the unintended benefits of terrorist attacks like 9/11. Governments and world bodies have begun to track the amount of money transferred and have begun to tabulate this data. Hence, today we know about India receiving this huge inflow of funds, funds which are more than even the amount being invested by companies in India, characterised as FDI.
Individually, each of the first generation of migrants, those like me, most probably, will continue to send remittances from offshore accounts to the accounts in India. In the last six years, as I have found my footing in Canada, I have sent almost hundred thousand dollars back to my account in India. This is one small component of total amount received by India in the last few years.
But small components make big stories.
When I search for total population of Indian origin in Canada, it throws up a surprisingly small number of approximately 800,000 people, Similar figures are available for other countries like US, UK and other European countries. A rough back of the envelope calculation indicates that nearly 4,000,000 people of Indian origin are settled in the developed parts of western world.
A similar extrapolation of data can be made for Gulf countries as well. A conservative estimate of the numbers, my intention here is not to assiduously quote the exact number but to develop the big picture, of people of Indian Origin in Gulf countries and Africa would indicate that the total number of Indians spread out in those parts of the world would amount to a total figure of almost 5,000,000.
In nutshell, the total population of people of Indian origin living outside India would amount to nearly 15 to 20 million.
If these 20 odd million people have the potential to generate such huge inflows of capital for India, then imagine what would be the impact of another twenty to thirty million people working all over the world.
Recently, when huge deposit of oil was stuck off the coast of Brazil, its President Lula remarked; "God must be Brazilian". We know for sure, so far at least, that God, has not yet blessed India with such bounty. Thence, we cannot claim that God is Indian.
Yet, we have something that others dont have. We have a population base which is essentially very hard working and which has the potential to beat the world.
In another few decades, one in five persons in the world would be an Indian. Do we wish to confine ourselves to the geographical landmass even when we will outnumber other major population groups.
My humble suggestion to policy makers thus would be to start preparing our young men and women to venture out into the world. Our society must prepare young individuals to seek economic opportunities across the world. Only when this happens, will we be able to reverse the drain of wealth from our society.
Thus, along with instructions in english and maths, we must also provide instructions to our students on how to navigate different time zones, move across different geographical boundaries and arm them, at the time of their graduation with Passports. A readily available passport, to a student who has completed his Class XII, must be a included as a fundamental right of the population.
No delays must be accepted in implementing this policy and the agenda must rank high in the policy planning framework of all state capitals, For without that support, proper resource allocation for such a policy may not be realised.
The aim should be to quadruple the amount of remittance being received by India. Once we, as a society achieve that, we shall have far greater amount of wealth available to develop our infrastructure. We will have more schools, more housing, more hospitals and more money to develop more roads and railways to connect all parts of the country.
National integration will be made possible in real terms in real time.
My Bone Marrow Hankers For India
After acquiring almost a decade long work experience, I decided to move on in life. It was then that I filled in the application to be accepted as an immigrant in Canada. Canada accepts immigrants under different categories.
I applied under skilled worker category and was accepted. In fact, to my utter surprise, I was granted Visa to move to Canada in less than a year. I had heard, right when I was at the beginning of my application process that the whole process would take upto three to four years but when the Visa came through in less than one year, I was really excited.
When I came to Canada, the only family I knew lived in Toronto. My cousins, Mr Kaul, were gracious enough to be my hosts in that period. It was a very turbulent first year, given the fact that I was struggling against odds to find a foot hold in the industry of my choice.
Amongst the many challenges an immigrant faces is adjusting to new culture and new environment. Millions of people have moved across boundaries in search of better life and opportunities. UN report on this type of economic movement of people indicates that upto 200 million people are presently living in countries other than the one they were originally born in. Hence, statistically speaking I was not the first one or the only one to have endeavoured to undertake this journey.
As I look back on almost the decade long existence in Canada, one thing that has constantly tugged at my heart strings is the memory of India. Both, India and Canada have given me a lot in life. They have enriched my existence in many myriad ways and I am indebted to them both for allowing me to grow as a person.
India, as it is today, with its million mutinies( my apologies to Naipaul), still exerts a strong ephermal pull. And I feel for it much more strongly, than I did when I was a child and young adult. With upper middle class Indians having a knot of vipers( Balzac, would this be appropriate?), in place of hearts, the pain of marginalized millions gets compounded when I look at the billion opportunities being wasted by 300 odd families that have more or less divided India into personal fiefdoms. These 300 odd families have a vested interest in keeping people poor, uneducated, divided and at each other's throats in order to grab the lion's share of resources.
And yet, inspite of its utter hopelessness, I am enamoured of India. Would the civilization which contiues to worship the gods it has worshipped for five thousand years, change its course and allow its citizens to be full participants in realization of their own potential? Or would Indians have to wait for another five thousand years?
I applied under skilled worker category and was accepted. In fact, to my utter surprise, I was granted Visa to move to Canada in less than a year. I had heard, right when I was at the beginning of my application process that the whole process would take upto three to four years but when the Visa came through in less than one year, I was really excited.
When I came to Canada, the only family I knew lived in Toronto. My cousins, Mr Kaul, were gracious enough to be my hosts in that period. It was a very turbulent first year, given the fact that I was struggling against odds to find a foot hold in the industry of my choice.
Amongst the many challenges an immigrant faces is adjusting to new culture and new environment. Millions of people have moved across boundaries in search of better life and opportunities. UN report on this type of economic movement of people indicates that upto 200 million people are presently living in countries other than the one they were originally born in. Hence, statistically speaking I was not the first one or the only one to have endeavoured to undertake this journey.
As I look back on almost the decade long existence in Canada, one thing that has constantly tugged at my heart strings is the memory of India. Both, India and Canada have given me a lot in life. They have enriched my existence in many myriad ways and I am indebted to them both for allowing me to grow as a person.
India, as it is today, with its million mutinies( my apologies to Naipaul), still exerts a strong ephermal pull. And I feel for it much more strongly, than I did when I was a child and young adult. With upper middle class Indians having a knot of vipers( Balzac, would this be appropriate?), in place of hearts, the pain of marginalized millions gets compounded when I look at the billion opportunities being wasted by 300 odd families that have more or less divided India into personal fiefdoms. These 300 odd families have a vested interest in keeping people poor, uneducated, divided and at each other's throats in order to grab the lion's share of resources.
And yet, inspite of its utter hopelessness, I am enamoured of India. Would the civilization which contiues to worship the gods it has worshipped for five thousand years, change its course and allow its citizens to be full participants in realization of their own potential? Or would Indians have to wait for another five thousand years?
BOLLYWOOD –III- CHHOD AAYE HUM WOH GALIYAN
The streets where I grew up used to be covered up with snow during winter months. Between December and February, we would normally experience snow and see temperatures dip to -15C.
Once, while on the phone, I was complaining to my mother about the temperature in the place where I live now. The temperature at that time of conversation was around -42C. I was telling her that my bones felt brittle in such cold weather. Her response was so typical of her. “Thank your stars that you are not in Siachin. Not only would you have been battling cold temperature, you would have faced lack of Oxygen as well.”
Such is my Mother! She would always want me to put steel in my bones and not complain. Is it tough love? Is it this, this kind of force, which has driven me thus far in life!
As a child, when it used to be cold, I would expect my grandmother to mollycoddle me. I can still hear her voice ring out – “ Hattoo! Kangri manz ma trav atha. Atha dazzi!”
Spoken in Kashmiri, these words would loosely translate to –“Hey you, don’t put your hands in Kangri. You would end up scalding them.”
Kangri is a small earthen pot which has a superstructure of wood on it. The wood is used to hold and carry the Kangri from one place to another. The earthen pot holds live coal which is used as a shield against extreme cold.
Hence, during long cold winter evenings, we kids would sit with our Kangris under our Pherans ( the gown worn in Kashmir valley, made of wool), bake potatoes and listen to songs on Radio. Such was our childhood.
Chhod aaye hum woh galiyan. But I have left those streets where I grew up far behind. In fact, I have not visited those same streets for more than twenty seven years now. Such is life. We humans are mere atoms popping up in different time zones. Geologically, different predominant life forms have existed on earth for some 400 million years. Presently, we humans dominate it. At some point, dinosaurs dominated it. At other point, ferns dominated it. For how long would we dominate it? Who knows? At least I don’t.
Chood aaye hum woh gaaliyan. It is a very beautiful song. In fact, I like much of what Gulzar has written. He made this movie called Maatchis. It is based on the turbulent years of early 1980s in Punjab, when extremism led to much mayhem in that region.
Another important movie in that respect, which I happened to see with a friend of mine was Dil Se. Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se probably spoke of subjects which had been taboo till then. The nature of relationship that security forces have with the population in some of the North Eastern states of India. I still sway to two songs from this movie. Chal chaiyya chaiyya which Rahman composed and Mani filmed on a moving train. The other will remain imprinted on my mind for ever, till I die. Dil se re. The mauve dress in which Manisha Koirala runs towards extended arms of Shah Rukh Khan – while the words – dil tou akhir dil hai na meethi se mushkil haina ,,,, ( heart will beat like a heart, it contains a sweet difficulty though!) rang out- I cannot move away from that scene. That scene makes me forget all the pains of my life. I can live vividly in that imagery. I can breathe that imagery of the wooden bridge, the virgin territory beneath, the green foliage surrounding it, and Manisha, looking ethereal, running towards the camera and Shah Rukh. Thank you Mani Ratnam. Thank you very much for making my miserable life some what tolerable, liveable. Thank you very much for allowing me to breathe and be a human and not lose my touch with the most beautiful thing in life – the beauty of being able to share a creation – of being able to let go!.
Dil se re, dil se re,,,dil tou akhir dil haina, meethi sei mushkil haina piyaa piyaaa ( my heart has a sweet trouble .... love o my love). Mani Ratnam. I have liked much of what Mani Ratnam made. The song Tou hei re, tere bina mein kaisa jiyun (Hey you, how do I live without you) means a lot to me. Manisha Koirala, All innocent Doe eyed.
I have already written three blogs so far and have yet not given you people my top ten.
I think I am verbose. My mother calls me melodramatic. Much like the movies I see. One of the friends from the MBA class once – during a presentation on a women’s product said aloud the words- “If you wanna create drama, go to your Momma!” The whole class had burst out laughing. Now I realise how important that concept is to marketing mavens. But then that is another blog topic I guess.
So my top ten movies from Bollywood. Ah, that would need thinking ,,hmmm,,,,,,,,,,,, but in any case, here they are (and there are many other movies that would be left out, including such beautiful ones like Sholay, Bandini, Anjali, Ardh Satya, Satya etc that it would be hard to not mention them here) –
1. Pyasa
2. Kagaz Ke Phool
3. Do bigha zamin
4. Guide
5. Anand
6. Deewar
7. Roja
8. Jaane bhi do yaaro
9. Rang de basanti
10. 3 Idiots
And if I had to choose someone from within Bollywood fraternity to represent Brand India, someone whom I would consider to be a person of integrity, someone whom I would feel extremely comfortable with, then it is Amir Khan.
His regard for the professional and ethical conduct, in an industry which today probably is bankrolling some of the terrorist activity in India and abroad stands out and must be commended and appreciated.
May more like him be born to Indian Mothers.
But I have left those village streets far behind. And now I only have a tenuous link with those village melodies, those beautiful meadows, the susurration of the streams as they raced down the slopes of mountains to meet with river Jehlum.
Jehlum. My Jehlum.
I miss her so very much. Alas some decisions are gut wrenching. Yet one must accept them.
I have left the streets that I grew up on forever!!
Once, while on the phone, I was complaining to my mother about the temperature in the place where I live now. The temperature at that time of conversation was around -42C. I was telling her that my bones felt brittle in such cold weather. Her response was so typical of her. “Thank your stars that you are not in Siachin. Not only would you have been battling cold temperature, you would have faced lack of Oxygen as well.”
Such is my Mother! She would always want me to put steel in my bones and not complain. Is it tough love? Is it this, this kind of force, which has driven me thus far in life!
As a child, when it used to be cold, I would expect my grandmother to mollycoddle me. I can still hear her voice ring out – “ Hattoo! Kangri manz ma trav atha. Atha dazzi!”
Spoken in Kashmiri, these words would loosely translate to –“Hey you, don’t put your hands in Kangri. You would end up scalding them.”
Kangri is a small earthen pot which has a superstructure of wood on it. The wood is used to hold and carry the Kangri from one place to another. The earthen pot holds live coal which is used as a shield against extreme cold.
Hence, during long cold winter evenings, we kids would sit with our Kangris under our Pherans ( the gown worn in Kashmir valley, made of wool), bake potatoes and listen to songs on Radio. Such was our childhood.
Chhod aaye hum woh galiyan. But I have left those streets where I grew up far behind. In fact, I have not visited those same streets for more than twenty seven years now. Such is life. We humans are mere atoms popping up in different time zones. Geologically, different predominant life forms have existed on earth for some 400 million years. Presently, we humans dominate it. At some point, dinosaurs dominated it. At other point, ferns dominated it. For how long would we dominate it? Who knows? At least I don’t.
Chood aaye hum woh gaaliyan. It is a very beautiful song. In fact, I like much of what Gulzar has written. He made this movie called Maatchis. It is based on the turbulent years of early 1980s in Punjab, when extremism led to much mayhem in that region.
Another important movie in that respect, which I happened to see with a friend of mine was Dil Se. Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se probably spoke of subjects which had been taboo till then. The nature of relationship that security forces have with the population in some of the North Eastern states of India. I still sway to two songs from this movie. Chal chaiyya chaiyya which Rahman composed and Mani filmed on a moving train. The other will remain imprinted on my mind for ever, till I die. Dil se re. The mauve dress in which Manisha Koirala runs towards extended arms of Shah Rukh Khan – while the words – dil tou akhir dil hai na meethi se mushkil haina ,,,, ( heart will beat like a heart, it contains a sweet difficulty though!) rang out- I cannot move away from that scene. That scene makes me forget all the pains of my life. I can live vividly in that imagery. I can breathe that imagery of the wooden bridge, the virgin territory beneath, the green foliage surrounding it, and Manisha, looking ethereal, running towards the camera and Shah Rukh. Thank you Mani Ratnam. Thank you very much for making my miserable life some what tolerable, liveable. Thank you very much for allowing me to breathe and be a human and not lose my touch with the most beautiful thing in life – the beauty of being able to share a creation – of being able to let go!.
Dil se re, dil se re,,,dil tou akhir dil haina, meethi sei mushkil haina piyaa piyaaa ( my heart has a sweet trouble .... love o my love). Mani Ratnam. I have liked much of what Mani Ratnam made. The song Tou hei re, tere bina mein kaisa jiyun (Hey you, how do I live without you) means a lot to me. Manisha Koirala, All innocent Doe eyed.
I have already written three blogs so far and have yet not given you people my top ten.
I think I am verbose. My mother calls me melodramatic. Much like the movies I see. One of the friends from the MBA class once – during a presentation on a women’s product said aloud the words- “If you wanna create drama, go to your Momma!” The whole class had burst out laughing. Now I realise how important that concept is to marketing mavens. But then that is another blog topic I guess.
So my top ten movies from Bollywood. Ah, that would need thinking ,,hmmm,,,,,,,,,,,, but in any case, here they are (and there are many other movies that would be left out, including such beautiful ones like Sholay, Bandini, Anjali, Ardh Satya, Satya etc that it would be hard to not mention them here) –
1. Pyasa
2. Kagaz Ke Phool
3. Do bigha zamin
4. Guide
5. Anand
6. Deewar
7. Roja
8. Jaane bhi do yaaro
9. Rang de basanti
10. 3 Idiots
And if I had to choose someone from within Bollywood fraternity to represent Brand India, someone whom I would consider to be a person of integrity, someone whom I would feel extremely comfortable with, then it is Amir Khan.
His regard for the professional and ethical conduct, in an industry which today probably is bankrolling some of the terrorist activity in India and abroad stands out and must be commended and appreciated.
May more like him be born to Indian Mothers.
But I have left those village streets far behind. And now I only have a tenuous link with those village melodies, those beautiful meadows, the susurration of the streams as they raced down the slopes of mountains to meet with river Jehlum.
Jehlum. My Jehlum.
I miss her so very much. Alas some decisions are gut wrenching. Yet one must accept them.
I have left the streets that I grew up on forever!!
Early Influences – Bollywood –II – Wahan Kaun Hai Tera
Wahan kaun hai tera Musafir. Who awaits you O traveller? I am not sure I can answer this question even today. But back then, I would merrily sing along and enjoy the melody. Another song that came to the fore during this time was from Movie Deewar. Kehdon tumhe, yaa chup rahoon, dil mein mere aaj kya hai. ( Should I tell you, or should I be silent about the condition of my heart; what it proposes). This song was the favourite of college goers. My eldest cousin, who was known to be a bit of flirt, and was the boldest among all children, would frequently belt out this number when a particular lady passed the courtyard in front of our ancestral house. (today they are happily married!)
Kehdoon tumhe. Deewar. 1975 had seen the release of another movie along with Jai Santoshi Ma- Deewar. I did not see this movie till much later – almost seven years later. However, the dialogues from this movie resonated across the landscape, as they were frequently blared, literally from tree tops which held the loud speakers in their branches. One dialogue that I remember from this movie is the famous scene of showdown between the two brothers – Vijay Verma (Amitabh) and Ravi Verma (Shashi Kapoor). Mere pass ghadi hai bangla hai paisa hai. Kya hai tumhare pass (the deep baritone of Amitabh intoned – I have a car, house, money. What do you have?). Mere pass ma hai. (the soft low tone of Shashi responds- Our mother lives with me.) I don’t think any single Indian child has grown up without being inundated with this dialogue from the famous movie which established Amitabh’s reputation for generations of cine-goers in Bollywood terrain.
I first became aware of this dialogue and the songs from the movie around the time when Kishore Kumar songs had been banned from being broadcast on AIR. I did not understand the controversy surrounding the songs completely but if I can lay a finger on my pulse and try to determine the beginnings of Anti-Congress feelings, then this was the point in time of my life when the seed of anti-congress attitude was sown. How could they do this to us? Ban the singer? I could no longer listen to songs like Kehdoon tumhe on the radio.
It was only much later that I began to see the economical history of the times in India which led to the creation of the movie. 1973-1974 was the time when oil prices shook the very foundation of the economy. It led to rioting for food across several towns in the country. The capitalist class used means less than savoury to create dissentions in labour unions who were leading the riots. The government of the day tended to favour the capitalist class even though it avowed to follow socialism. The war in 1971 had led to incursion of millions of refugees into India which compounded the problems for the society. To this scenario, of a failing trade union leader, the duo of Salim-Javed, added the incendiary mix of right and wrong, morally good versus morally bankrupt and rest, as they say, is history
Kehdoon tumhe, ya chup rahoon dil mein mere aaj kya hai? Should I tell you what is in my heart? AH, right. I forgot. I am writing a blog. So I suppose I have to say what my heart holds, for otherwise, without the churning of the emotions, I would not be able to create the right atmospherics for the blog.
Kahdoon tumhe. Yes, kehta hoon. I am going to tell you. The childhood sees the exposure to various influences, but one of the influences that have deeply shaped my being is the use of English language for almost all practical purposes. I think each of us children in the family was bilingual to begin with. To this was added English. If one needed to move up, if one needed to do well in life, one needed to come to terms with this language. To make it easier for the comprehension of language, one of the tools used by the older generation was to ensure that BBC news was religiously followed. Along with such incursion of the language, came the exposure to thoughts, some provocative, others mildly entertaining.
Among the provocative thoughts that I beheld close to my bosom was No Wommin No Cry. Bob Marley’s incendiary rebellion against a value system which made it impossible for a person of colour to be portrayed on MTV (till some time in 1982-3 when MJ first broke the colour barrier.) ! I first heard this song from my elder brother and soon my sister, the eldest amongst the three offspring of my parents, could be heard singing it without a break. No wommin no cry. One day as I sat with my mathematics text book, humming to myself the same tune – without fully knowing or understanding the meaning or context of it- my father said to me- “Do you know what this means?”
The result of the negative response to that question was a reward of sorts for me. I got the privilege of being shown another movie (by then the novelty of cinema theatre had already worn out) – Sujata. Sujata was the name of the protagonist in the movie by the same name. Nutan, Bimal Roy and S D Burman managed to create a classic. Jalte hai jiske liye (The person for whom I pine) is among the most unique songs of its era; as is the movie.
The movie itself is among the handful of Bollywood movies which focuses on the love of a Upper Caste (Brahmin) boy played by Sunil Dutt for an Untouchable/Dalit by the name of Sujata – played by Nutan. The song itself showed Sunil Dutt using a modern instrument, telephone, to convey his feelings for Sujata (Nutan at the other end of the line). The use of technology to bridge the gap between two different social classes, one oppressed and another privileged was driven home to me during a discussion on this movie at the dining table by my father. Keenly aware of his privileged status, my father probably was far ahead of his times in trying to inculcate in his children the unfairness of the situation. Jalte hain jiske liye. Talat mehmood. The other song from this movie that continues to haunt me to this day is – Sun mere bandhu re, sun mere mitwa, sun mere saathi re. (Listen my friend, my beloved, my companion, listen to me). S D Burman in his eponymous style made this song a gem of a creation. Years later, when my daughter insisted that she wanted to see Chachi 420(Aunty 420), because it was a movie being liked by other children, I had a chance to acknowledge that the circle had turned completely. For the first time, I saw Jai Prakash Paswan- a Dalit Male protagonist, in the movie helmed by Kamal Hassan romancing a Brahmin girl (Tabu- Ms Bhardwaj in the movie). The movie itself was loosely based on Mrs. Doubtfire. Bollywood has borrowed liberally from Hollywood. And over a period of time, I have come to realise how ideas, stories, themes and even frame by frame copies have been passed on to Hindi movie lovers by Bollywood producers.
No wommin no cry. Bob Marley performances used to be so incendiary that authorities would not allow his stage performances to take place during early evening hours because they were afraid that his incendiary songs could lead to rioting.
I learnt all this about Bob Marley much later, when I was living in Canada and was trying to come to terms with personal sense of dislocation.
To me, his no wommin no cry, began to carry a far deeper meaning. The value system which I had abandoned for life in an alien land was challenging me. Chood aaye hai hum woh galiyan ( we have left the streets, where we grew up, far behind)– a song from the movie Matchis. Gulzar’s Matchis. Tabu’s Matchis.
Chood aaye hum woh galiyan. The personal sense of loss at dislocation can barely ever be described. It has to be experienced. One must immerse oneself in acid to be able to sustain oneself. If the bones, the calcium in the bones does not dissolve, you emerge victorious.
If the acid of dislocation dissolves the calcium in the bones, then one crumbles. Yet the gauntlet is to be picked. The challenge accepted.
Chood Aaye Hum Woh Galiyan – I have left the streets where I grew up far behind.
TO BE CONTINUED – CHOOD AAYE HUM WOH GALIYAN
Kehdoon tumhe. Deewar. 1975 had seen the release of another movie along with Jai Santoshi Ma- Deewar. I did not see this movie till much later – almost seven years later. However, the dialogues from this movie resonated across the landscape, as they were frequently blared, literally from tree tops which held the loud speakers in their branches. One dialogue that I remember from this movie is the famous scene of showdown between the two brothers – Vijay Verma (Amitabh) and Ravi Verma (Shashi Kapoor). Mere pass ghadi hai bangla hai paisa hai. Kya hai tumhare pass (the deep baritone of Amitabh intoned – I have a car, house, money. What do you have?). Mere pass ma hai. (the soft low tone of Shashi responds- Our mother lives with me.) I don’t think any single Indian child has grown up without being inundated with this dialogue from the famous movie which established Amitabh’s reputation for generations of cine-goers in Bollywood terrain.
I first became aware of this dialogue and the songs from the movie around the time when Kishore Kumar songs had been banned from being broadcast on AIR. I did not understand the controversy surrounding the songs completely but if I can lay a finger on my pulse and try to determine the beginnings of Anti-Congress feelings, then this was the point in time of my life when the seed of anti-congress attitude was sown. How could they do this to us? Ban the singer? I could no longer listen to songs like Kehdoon tumhe on the radio.
It was only much later that I began to see the economical history of the times in India which led to the creation of the movie. 1973-1974 was the time when oil prices shook the very foundation of the economy. It led to rioting for food across several towns in the country. The capitalist class used means less than savoury to create dissentions in labour unions who were leading the riots. The government of the day tended to favour the capitalist class even though it avowed to follow socialism. The war in 1971 had led to incursion of millions of refugees into India which compounded the problems for the society. To this scenario, of a failing trade union leader, the duo of Salim-Javed, added the incendiary mix of right and wrong, morally good versus morally bankrupt and rest, as they say, is history
Kehdoon tumhe, ya chup rahoon dil mein mere aaj kya hai? Should I tell you what is in my heart? AH, right. I forgot. I am writing a blog. So I suppose I have to say what my heart holds, for otherwise, without the churning of the emotions, I would not be able to create the right atmospherics for the blog.
Kahdoon tumhe. Yes, kehta hoon. I am going to tell you. The childhood sees the exposure to various influences, but one of the influences that have deeply shaped my being is the use of English language for almost all practical purposes. I think each of us children in the family was bilingual to begin with. To this was added English. If one needed to move up, if one needed to do well in life, one needed to come to terms with this language. To make it easier for the comprehension of language, one of the tools used by the older generation was to ensure that BBC news was religiously followed. Along with such incursion of the language, came the exposure to thoughts, some provocative, others mildly entertaining.
Among the provocative thoughts that I beheld close to my bosom was No Wommin No Cry. Bob Marley’s incendiary rebellion against a value system which made it impossible for a person of colour to be portrayed on MTV (till some time in 1982-3 when MJ first broke the colour barrier.) ! I first heard this song from my elder brother and soon my sister, the eldest amongst the three offspring of my parents, could be heard singing it without a break. No wommin no cry. One day as I sat with my mathematics text book, humming to myself the same tune – without fully knowing or understanding the meaning or context of it- my father said to me- “Do you know what this means?”
The result of the negative response to that question was a reward of sorts for me. I got the privilege of being shown another movie (by then the novelty of cinema theatre had already worn out) – Sujata. Sujata was the name of the protagonist in the movie by the same name. Nutan, Bimal Roy and S D Burman managed to create a classic. Jalte hai jiske liye (The person for whom I pine) is among the most unique songs of its era; as is the movie.
The movie itself is among the handful of Bollywood movies which focuses on the love of a Upper Caste (Brahmin) boy played by Sunil Dutt for an Untouchable/Dalit by the name of Sujata – played by Nutan. The song itself showed Sunil Dutt using a modern instrument, telephone, to convey his feelings for Sujata (Nutan at the other end of the line). The use of technology to bridge the gap between two different social classes, one oppressed and another privileged was driven home to me during a discussion on this movie at the dining table by my father. Keenly aware of his privileged status, my father probably was far ahead of his times in trying to inculcate in his children the unfairness of the situation. Jalte hain jiske liye. Talat mehmood. The other song from this movie that continues to haunt me to this day is – Sun mere bandhu re, sun mere mitwa, sun mere saathi re. (Listen my friend, my beloved, my companion, listen to me). S D Burman in his eponymous style made this song a gem of a creation. Years later, when my daughter insisted that she wanted to see Chachi 420(Aunty 420), because it was a movie being liked by other children, I had a chance to acknowledge that the circle had turned completely. For the first time, I saw Jai Prakash Paswan- a Dalit Male protagonist, in the movie helmed by Kamal Hassan romancing a Brahmin girl (Tabu- Ms Bhardwaj in the movie). The movie itself was loosely based on Mrs. Doubtfire. Bollywood has borrowed liberally from Hollywood. And over a period of time, I have come to realise how ideas, stories, themes and even frame by frame copies have been passed on to Hindi movie lovers by Bollywood producers.
No wommin no cry. Bob Marley performances used to be so incendiary that authorities would not allow his stage performances to take place during early evening hours because they were afraid that his incendiary songs could lead to rioting.
I learnt all this about Bob Marley much later, when I was living in Canada and was trying to come to terms with personal sense of dislocation.
To me, his no wommin no cry, began to carry a far deeper meaning. The value system which I had abandoned for life in an alien land was challenging me. Chood aaye hai hum woh galiyan ( we have left the streets, where we grew up, far behind)– a song from the movie Matchis. Gulzar’s Matchis. Tabu’s Matchis.
Chood aaye hum woh galiyan. The personal sense of loss at dislocation can barely ever be described. It has to be experienced. One must immerse oneself in acid to be able to sustain oneself. If the bones, the calcium in the bones does not dissolve, you emerge victorious.
If the acid of dislocation dissolves the calcium in the bones, then one crumbles. Yet the gauntlet is to be picked. The challenge accepted.
Chood Aaye Hum Woh Galiyan – I have left the streets where I grew up far behind.
TO BE CONTINUED – CHOOD AAYE HUM WOH GALIYAN
Early Influences- Bollywood -I
Recently, in Jan 2010, I was in India trying to be with my mother who has now begun to show signs of slowing down due to aging. Her knees have been afflicted with arthritis so the pain sometimes makes it difficult for her to move around. One of the doctors had suggested to my elder brother, that Total Knee Replacement (TKR) would be an option. Hence, my visit was a preparatory one, in case; such an eventuality came to pass.
Finally, couple of other doctors suggested otherwise so the option of TKR was ruled out.
However, this time, I got a lot of time to sit with my mother and spend time with her. During one of my chats with her, when I commented upon the heat and humidity, she began to laugh about my complaining. As a response to that laughter, I said –“You know Mom, I think I may have finally become a Canadian”.
It was her riposte which set me thinking. She replied to my claim of being Canadian in mildly humorous tone that only mothers can adopt with their grown up sons in India- “ Son, the day you prefer to watch an average Hollywood movie over a slightly above average Bollywood movie, I would grant that you have become Anglicised or Canadian in totality”. That set me thinking. Who am I really now? An amalgam of emotions, an assortment of thoughts, imbibed, inherited?
Hence, the reason for this Blog today! I hope to be able to garner some reasons that make me uniquely what I am- culturally, anthropologically and socially. The blog would be about Bollywood, the influences that it has had on me, my psyche, my being and my rootedness. I believe Bollywood has had a benign influence on me and many other young men and women, not only across India, but across much of South Asia/ South East Asia (Thailand, Indonesia and Malay Peninsula)/ Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Tazhikistan, Afghanistan)/West Asia and parts of Africa. Its social reach is phenomenal.
My early memories of growing up are linked to me fighting with my elder brother or sister and assorted other cousins, for the choice of radio station we all could listen to, on the massive diode controlled Radio that we had in the ancestral village. Invariably, the cues we took were from my grandmother, who would finally settle for some radio station which aired religious songs.
One of the earliest such songs, which seems to have stuck to my memory, was from a movie called Jai Santoshi Ma (Hail Goddess Santoshi Mother). And since my grandmother tried to hum along with this song – it became mandatory for us children to listen to it as well. Jai Jai Santoshi Mata Jai Jai Ma. So went the lyrics of the song. I think the year was late 1974 or early 1975.
The songs and dances are an integral part of Bollywood cinema. I think that is because of the cultural ethos that India inherited from its Sanskrit roots. Nritya(Dance) has led to Natya(Drama) and in almost all of Bollywood productions, dances (and thus songs) have been incorporated, which has led to a unique blend of cinema and theatre. As one critic has remarked about Bollywood, it is about Shakuntala in Skirts. But I digress. More of this in later parts of this series of blogs!
Right now, I need to discuss the songs that I first heard, because normally, that was the only entertainment option we children, living in the villages, had. The children of today`s India have plethora of television cable channels so it may sound anachronistic to them, but the fact was that up to around thirty five years ago, the only chance a kid had of watching a movie was when his father took him for one in the theatre. And it was a big deal!!
As I was growing up, I considered my father to be the ultimate authority on topics of the world. Hence, all discussions about songs were set to his arbitration as well. Probably those were the days of Aradhana and Amar Prem and Amanush and S D Burman reigned supreme in nation`s consciousness. One of the songs that Dad liked was – Wahan Kaun Hai Tera Musafir, Jayega kahan, Dam lele ghadi bhar, yeh sama payega kahan (Hey Traveller, where have you set off to for journey. Wait a while, take a breath; look at the beautiful world besides you before you proceed)
Hence this song buried itself in my being. And this song has found resonance in my soul across the length of the time that I have breathed. As a child, I liked the music of this song. Sometimes the way it was sung made me sway to it. It was only much later, in my early twenties that I began to understand the philosophical underpinnings of the same. Wahan kaun hai tera!
So my introduction to Bollywood was via the songs relayed and chosen. The ultimate triumph of the soul over matter was when I first went to the cinema theatre, which was in the closest town – around eighty odd kilometres from my village. I can still relate to the breathtaking excitement that we all encountered. The four of us guys, all cousins, including my elder brother went to see the cinema with my father- name of the movie - Upkaar. (None of the girls from the family accompanied us. I think it was much later, in her mid teens, when my sister first got to see a Bollywood movie in the cinema.)
I vividly remember the scenes, the display of nationalistic fervour in Upkaar, and the nationalism that so underpinned the whole endeavour of the society at that time being reflected on the screen. Mere Desh Ki dharti sona ugle, Ugle Heere Moti, (The soil of my motherland gives me riches- gold, diamonds and jewels) went one of the popular ditties from this movie.
TO BE CONTINUED – WAHAN KAUN HAI TERA!!
Finally, couple of other doctors suggested otherwise so the option of TKR was ruled out.
However, this time, I got a lot of time to sit with my mother and spend time with her. During one of my chats with her, when I commented upon the heat and humidity, she began to laugh about my complaining. As a response to that laughter, I said –“You know Mom, I think I may have finally become a Canadian”.
It was her riposte which set me thinking. She replied to my claim of being Canadian in mildly humorous tone that only mothers can adopt with their grown up sons in India- “ Son, the day you prefer to watch an average Hollywood movie over a slightly above average Bollywood movie, I would grant that you have become Anglicised or Canadian in totality”. That set me thinking. Who am I really now? An amalgam of emotions, an assortment of thoughts, imbibed, inherited?
Hence, the reason for this Blog today! I hope to be able to garner some reasons that make me uniquely what I am- culturally, anthropologically and socially. The blog would be about Bollywood, the influences that it has had on me, my psyche, my being and my rootedness. I believe Bollywood has had a benign influence on me and many other young men and women, not only across India, but across much of South Asia/ South East Asia (Thailand, Indonesia and Malay Peninsula)/ Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Tazhikistan, Afghanistan)/West Asia and parts of Africa. Its social reach is phenomenal.
My early memories of growing up are linked to me fighting with my elder brother or sister and assorted other cousins, for the choice of radio station we all could listen to, on the massive diode controlled Radio that we had in the ancestral village. Invariably, the cues we took were from my grandmother, who would finally settle for some radio station which aired religious songs.
One of the earliest such songs, which seems to have stuck to my memory, was from a movie called Jai Santoshi Ma (Hail Goddess Santoshi Mother). And since my grandmother tried to hum along with this song – it became mandatory for us children to listen to it as well. Jai Jai Santoshi Mata Jai Jai Ma. So went the lyrics of the song. I think the year was late 1974 or early 1975.
The songs and dances are an integral part of Bollywood cinema. I think that is because of the cultural ethos that India inherited from its Sanskrit roots. Nritya(Dance) has led to Natya(Drama) and in almost all of Bollywood productions, dances (and thus songs) have been incorporated, which has led to a unique blend of cinema and theatre. As one critic has remarked about Bollywood, it is about Shakuntala in Skirts. But I digress. More of this in later parts of this series of blogs!
Right now, I need to discuss the songs that I first heard, because normally, that was the only entertainment option we children, living in the villages, had. The children of today`s India have plethora of television cable channels so it may sound anachronistic to them, but the fact was that up to around thirty five years ago, the only chance a kid had of watching a movie was when his father took him for one in the theatre. And it was a big deal!!
As I was growing up, I considered my father to be the ultimate authority on topics of the world. Hence, all discussions about songs were set to his arbitration as well. Probably those were the days of Aradhana and Amar Prem and Amanush and S D Burman reigned supreme in nation`s consciousness. One of the songs that Dad liked was – Wahan Kaun Hai Tera Musafir, Jayega kahan, Dam lele ghadi bhar, yeh sama payega kahan (Hey Traveller, where have you set off to for journey. Wait a while, take a breath; look at the beautiful world besides you before you proceed)
Hence this song buried itself in my being. And this song has found resonance in my soul across the length of the time that I have breathed. As a child, I liked the music of this song. Sometimes the way it was sung made me sway to it. It was only much later, in my early twenties that I began to understand the philosophical underpinnings of the same. Wahan kaun hai tera!
So my introduction to Bollywood was via the songs relayed and chosen. The ultimate triumph of the soul over matter was when I first went to the cinema theatre, which was in the closest town – around eighty odd kilometres from my village. I can still relate to the breathtaking excitement that we all encountered. The four of us guys, all cousins, including my elder brother went to see the cinema with my father- name of the movie - Upkaar. (None of the girls from the family accompanied us. I think it was much later, in her mid teens, when my sister first got to see a Bollywood movie in the cinema.)
I vividly remember the scenes, the display of nationalistic fervour in Upkaar, and the nationalism that so underpinned the whole endeavour of the society at that time being reflected on the screen. Mere Desh Ki dharti sona ugle, Ugle Heere Moti, (The soil of my motherland gives me riches- gold, diamonds and jewels) went one of the popular ditties from this movie.
TO BE CONTINUED – WAHAN KAUN HAI TERA!!
Security of India from Chinese Dragon –III
Part I was related to aspects of decision making by GOI which are compromising Indian Integrity. Part II linked the decision of CCP to keep the option of a fight with India open by leaving the boundary dispute festering so it can rally its citizenry behind nationalistic fervour.
Accounting Perspective of History-I - Dadabhai Naoroji’s speech in British Parliament in late 1800’s records the account of transfer of millions of pound sterlings taken from India as tax, impoverishing generations of Indians. Centuries later, the same British Parliament hears our PM- MMS, sing hosannas to the British, and not seek damages and reparations from them for looting Indian masses.
Accounting Perspective of History –II – When Hitler took over the German system, one of the first things he did was to enlist accountants so he could track all the properties held by Jews, all the jobs held by Jews etc etc so that he could carry out the most heinous crimes against humanity in a methodical way.
Accounting Perspective of History –III – Sajudis of Lithuania, the section of Communists who had broken away from Soviet Party of Russia (USSR), and reclaimed one of the coat of arms of Lithuania and declared independence from USSR on March 11, 1989 precipitated the break up of USSR in August 1991. Among the first things that the new rulers did was to invite certain US accountants to help them with resource allocations.
Accounting Perspective of History – IV – Chinese economy is today being managed on an undervalued economic unit. The Chinese exports are possible only because it is being managed thus. If the value of the economic unit is changed to reflect the real value, then the exports from the Chinese manufacturing units will become much more costly. Large numbers of things have been written about this anomaly and I am sure, this will not be the last of it. Hence, when finally things will begin to crash in China as the anomaly is corrected, it is the Indian land mass which will bear the brunt of the same. When Tibet was occupied, Indian land mass accepted refugees. This time, it may no longer be refugees.
Why Indians should be Worried?
Manipulating Exports - The crisis that has resulted in European Union should be illustrative of the problems of expanding credit and creating demand. Ireland is on the verge of collapse. Greece is struggling today. Greece needs someone to underwrite almost $ 78 billion of debt. It is the times we live in. These societies are borrowing against future incomes and creating housing/infrastructure bubbles. Just like the Chinese. Many an economists have been warning of crisis of PIGS (Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain). Under such a scenario, when Germany itself is trying to defend Euro, how prudent would it be for other countries to allow for greater import of goods from China, where the undervalued Yuan is helping push the exports. We have not yet heard the last word on the spat between China and rest of the world regarding such currency manipulations.
One Child Norm- Under various CCP proclamations, Chinese have implemented the one child norm with zest and zeal that is so characteristic of them. Yet, this creates a massive social/anthropological challenge. In another decade’s time, Chinese society will have around 40 to 50 million young men, below the age of thirty who will find no spouses. The social need for conforming to norms under one child policy has led to female infanticide leading to lost generation of females. Thus, the 40-50 million Chinese young men, which is more than even the population of Germany, who will never find soul mates, will become a source of much frustration for the society. How will the Chinese society harness the energy of these 40-50 million young men remains to be seen? But as an Indian, it makes me extremely anxious about the fate of the nation. If a few thousand armed men can create ruckus across such huge vast tracks of Maoist Insurgency in eastern Part of India, what can 50 million accomplish?
The reason for all the scepticism that emanates from such bleak scenarios is that Indians seem to have learnt nothing from all the sufferings that has been caused to them in the past. We are still fighting for small fishes and loaves that our masters are throwing at us.
The ruling elite keeps the economic cake small so that masses never rise up against them. Thus the masses are left fighting each other – because the kings can have the storm troopers kick up a huge ruckus over the use of language or some such issue. The reason for this is the power managers in Delhi wish to have it such. The only reason that the principle of divide and rule is being used is because this dispensation wants to keep the people occupied in fighting each other.
India is forced to tax its one plus billion population so that it can continue to spend money on defence equipment, which if rarely ever, will get used against Pakistan. Pakistan as of now cannot be attacked because its accounts are being managed by US and Saudi. Hence, even as Pakistani elite vow to annihilate all Indians, the ruling elite in India will abdicate its responsibility to protect its citizenry. The elite have their own kids settled in US/UK/Europe so they have no interest in being responsible. On the contrary, the ruling elite creates and sustains regional social fault lines. Raj Thkeray can get away with murder and the rule of the land cannot be applied to him. The English partisan media will not question the motives because they are in it for a portion of the cut. Piece of landscape leads to deaths in Telangana, a problem created and sustained by the ruling elite. The rent seekers, whether they are from Chennai /Baramati / Mumbai/ Hyderabad connive with the other regional elite to sustain the loot of the citizenry.
Thence the concern! If the short sightedness of democratic process is keeping us from realising our full potential, then it may be the need of the hour to see that we change it.
Indian ruling elite have behaved like PrithviRaj Chauhan for far too long. Despite knowing the character of enemy, we allowed the enemy to walk away from defeat into arms of victory at Shimla.
And it may happen again if we don’t realise the pitfalls of the present ruling dispensation.
Accounting Perspective of History-I - Dadabhai Naoroji’s speech in British Parliament in late 1800’s records the account of transfer of millions of pound sterlings taken from India as tax, impoverishing generations of Indians. Centuries later, the same British Parliament hears our PM- MMS, sing hosannas to the British, and not seek damages and reparations from them for looting Indian masses.
Accounting Perspective of History –II – When Hitler took over the German system, one of the first things he did was to enlist accountants so he could track all the properties held by Jews, all the jobs held by Jews etc etc so that he could carry out the most heinous crimes against humanity in a methodical way.
Accounting Perspective of History –III – Sajudis of Lithuania, the section of Communists who had broken away from Soviet Party of Russia (USSR), and reclaimed one of the coat of arms of Lithuania and declared independence from USSR on March 11, 1989 precipitated the break up of USSR in August 1991. Among the first things that the new rulers did was to invite certain US accountants to help them with resource allocations.
Accounting Perspective of History – IV – Chinese economy is today being managed on an undervalued economic unit. The Chinese exports are possible only because it is being managed thus. If the value of the economic unit is changed to reflect the real value, then the exports from the Chinese manufacturing units will become much more costly. Large numbers of things have been written about this anomaly and I am sure, this will not be the last of it. Hence, when finally things will begin to crash in China as the anomaly is corrected, it is the Indian land mass which will bear the brunt of the same. When Tibet was occupied, Indian land mass accepted refugees. This time, it may no longer be refugees.
Why Indians should be Worried?
Manipulating Exports - The crisis that has resulted in European Union should be illustrative of the problems of expanding credit and creating demand. Ireland is on the verge of collapse. Greece is struggling today. Greece needs someone to underwrite almost $ 78 billion of debt. It is the times we live in. These societies are borrowing against future incomes and creating housing/infrastructure bubbles. Just like the Chinese. Many an economists have been warning of crisis of PIGS (Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain). Under such a scenario, when Germany itself is trying to defend Euro, how prudent would it be for other countries to allow for greater import of goods from China, where the undervalued Yuan is helping push the exports. We have not yet heard the last word on the spat between China and rest of the world regarding such currency manipulations.
One Child Norm- Under various CCP proclamations, Chinese have implemented the one child norm with zest and zeal that is so characteristic of them. Yet, this creates a massive social/anthropological challenge. In another decade’s time, Chinese society will have around 40 to 50 million young men, below the age of thirty who will find no spouses. The social need for conforming to norms under one child policy has led to female infanticide leading to lost generation of females. Thus, the 40-50 million Chinese young men, which is more than even the population of Germany, who will never find soul mates, will become a source of much frustration for the society. How will the Chinese society harness the energy of these 40-50 million young men remains to be seen? But as an Indian, it makes me extremely anxious about the fate of the nation. If a few thousand armed men can create ruckus across such huge vast tracks of Maoist Insurgency in eastern Part of India, what can 50 million accomplish?
The reason for all the scepticism that emanates from such bleak scenarios is that Indians seem to have learnt nothing from all the sufferings that has been caused to them in the past. We are still fighting for small fishes and loaves that our masters are throwing at us.
The ruling elite keeps the economic cake small so that masses never rise up against them. Thus the masses are left fighting each other – because the kings can have the storm troopers kick up a huge ruckus over the use of language or some such issue. The reason for this is the power managers in Delhi wish to have it such. The only reason that the principle of divide and rule is being used is because this dispensation wants to keep the people occupied in fighting each other.
India is forced to tax its one plus billion population so that it can continue to spend money on defence equipment, which if rarely ever, will get used against Pakistan. Pakistan as of now cannot be attacked because its accounts are being managed by US and Saudi. Hence, even as Pakistani elite vow to annihilate all Indians, the ruling elite in India will abdicate its responsibility to protect its citizenry. The elite have their own kids settled in US/UK/Europe so they have no interest in being responsible. On the contrary, the ruling elite creates and sustains regional social fault lines. Raj Thkeray can get away with murder and the rule of the land cannot be applied to him. The English partisan media will not question the motives because they are in it for a portion of the cut. Piece of landscape leads to deaths in Telangana, a problem created and sustained by the ruling elite. The rent seekers, whether they are from Chennai /Baramati / Mumbai/ Hyderabad connive with the other regional elite to sustain the loot of the citizenry.
Thence the concern! If the short sightedness of democratic process is keeping us from realising our full potential, then it may be the need of the hour to see that we change it.
Indian ruling elite have behaved like PrithviRaj Chauhan for far too long. Despite knowing the character of enemy, we allowed the enemy to walk away from defeat into arms of victory at Shimla.
And it may happen again if we don’t realise the pitfalls of the present ruling dispensation.
Security of India from Chinese Dragon -II
The focus of this article would be the Chinese Economic bubble.
China today has more Steel Manufacturing capacity than the capacity that is existent in the following countries combined together – US, Russia, Japan and Europe. This overcapacity is just a symptom of the malaise.
The same can be said about the housing bubble in Chinese economy. Not only are the investors in China creating overcapacity, but in their eagerness to create this overcapacity, they are expropriating the property of poor peasants. There have been many instances where in poor citizens have lit themselves on fire on the roof of their building to protest against the acquisition of the same by the state.
It has been estimated by leading global analysts that in early 2008, China exported approximately 43 percent of its GDP. To cope with the declining demand as the recession hit home, China launched a massive $1.8 trillion stimulus and soft lending program. It is estimated that eighty five percent of this money has been given as subsidized loan to state run companies and banks in China. In return, banks and state run companies have invested money in real estate projects, which is leading to a huge real estate bubble in China.
Many a people in the world have brought into the Cash Machine that China seems to have become. China plans to create nearly TEN New York sized cities in next two decades. However, that is possible if only Chinese GDP continues to grow at more than 12% per year and its exports grow almost seven to eight percent per year.
However, if the Chinese exports continue to grow, the other economies will have to absorb all the goods China produces during this export boom. Right now, there seems to be no reason to believe that this is going to happen easily. All other economies are struggling to find a toehold in manufacturing. Subsidies in agriculture are not disappearing. Hence, China cannot continue to consume more raw material and produce finished goods without dumping them in some convenient locations.
This is where the above mentioned example of Steel production comes in. Other countries are not going to roll over and allow Chinese steel to flood the market. CCP (Communist Party of China) is mandating expansion of credit and increasing the capital expenditure. China’s biggest oil refiner has brought more capacity than China needs and thus it is flooding the refined oil product market in Asia. Exports of China’s refined oil products have risen by almost 80% in one year. The lending to Municipalities in China has been a cause of concern because no proper accounting standards are being followed. Victor Shih has already been shouting from rooftops about the problem such a situation will cause.
The world has seen the dubiousness of past accounting scandals among various corporations. We have had a few Enrons and Satyams over the years.
But the biggest accounting scandal in the history of mankind was Soviet Union. The after affects of that scandal are still being felt in places as far off as Cuba and Afghanistan.
What kind of accounting scandal will emanate from China? Only history will tell this to the future generations. In the meanwhile, Indians must be forewarned and forearmed.
PART III TO FOLLOW
China today has more Steel Manufacturing capacity than the capacity that is existent in the following countries combined together – US, Russia, Japan and Europe. This overcapacity is just a symptom of the malaise.
The same can be said about the housing bubble in Chinese economy. Not only are the investors in China creating overcapacity, but in their eagerness to create this overcapacity, they are expropriating the property of poor peasants. There have been many instances where in poor citizens have lit themselves on fire on the roof of their building to protest against the acquisition of the same by the state.
It has been estimated by leading global analysts that in early 2008, China exported approximately 43 percent of its GDP. To cope with the declining demand as the recession hit home, China launched a massive $1.8 trillion stimulus and soft lending program. It is estimated that eighty five percent of this money has been given as subsidized loan to state run companies and banks in China. In return, banks and state run companies have invested money in real estate projects, which is leading to a huge real estate bubble in China.
Many a people in the world have brought into the Cash Machine that China seems to have become. China plans to create nearly TEN New York sized cities in next two decades. However, that is possible if only Chinese GDP continues to grow at more than 12% per year and its exports grow almost seven to eight percent per year.
However, if the Chinese exports continue to grow, the other economies will have to absorb all the goods China produces during this export boom. Right now, there seems to be no reason to believe that this is going to happen easily. All other economies are struggling to find a toehold in manufacturing. Subsidies in agriculture are not disappearing. Hence, China cannot continue to consume more raw material and produce finished goods without dumping them in some convenient locations.
This is where the above mentioned example of Steel production comes in. Other countries are not going to roll over and allow Chinese steel to flood the market. CCP (Communist Party of China) is mandating expansion of credit and increasing the capital expenditure. China’s biggest oil refiner has brought more capacity than China needs and thus it is flooding the refined oil product market in Asia. Exports of China’s refined oil products have risen by almost 80% in one year. The lending to Municipalities in China has been a cause of concern because no proper accounting standards are being followed. Victor Shih has already been shouting from rooftops about the problem such a situation will cause.
The world has seen the dubiousness of past accounting scandals among various corporations. We have had a few Enrons and Satyams over the years.
But the biggest accounting scandal in the history of mankind was Soviet Union. The after affects of that scandal are still being felt in places as far off as Cuba and Afghanistan.
What kind of accounting scandal will emanate from China? Only history will tell this to the future generations. In the meanwhile, Indians must be forewarned and forearmed.
PART III TO FOLLOW
Security of India from Chinese Dragon -I
As someone who deeply cares about the people of India, I have read with alarm certain developments in the past few months.
First and foremost, in August of 09, the Indian government took a decision to not to hoist Tricolour in Lal Chowk area of downtown Srinagar. This was the first time when the tricolour did not fly in Srinagar on Independence Day. (I will refer to this again in separate blog )
Second, sometime during Feb 2010, the Indian government took a decision to not to seek funds from ADB (Asian Development Bank) for projects in Arunachal Pradesh. This decision was taken after a huge hue and cry had been raised during the previous year when funds had been sought from ADB and during initial voting; India had won inspite of Chinese objections. Bear in mind that China calls Arunachal as Tawang and considers it to be part of Tibet. Hence, Arunachal Pradesh to Chinese Communist Party is the stick that they can use any time to browbeat India.
In both these instances, the GOI (government of India) indicated a lack of resolve and battle fatigue. This battle fatigue not only emboldens the enemies of the people of India, but it directly impacts the sustainability of India as a unified country. And my take here is that if the ruling elite, the 300 odd compromised families don’t possess the will to take the fight to the enemy camp, then this ruling dispensation must abdicate in favour of people who have the best wishes of Indians at heart. But more of this will be covered in third part of this article.
To revert back to the threat to India from China, it is essential to remember that China has been using the boundary dispute with India as the unifying theme for its citizenry. India is the only country with which China has so far not settled its border dispute, even as it has muscled its way with Vietnam, Russia, Mongolia and pushed aside other powers in South China Sea.
The military muscle that China today displays harks back to its economic strength. However, it is the belief of this author that Chinese economic miracle is a bubble. And when that bubble bursts, rest of the world better be aware. Among the first victims of aggression, when this bubble bursts, will be India but other countries will not be immune to the aggression.
I have been following the so called Chinese Success story for some time. And the more I research it, the more I become appalled by the financial chicanery that is being used to hide the real problems with in Chinese economy.
And why would it be so bad for the Chinese and Indians if this success story is merely a bubble?
The answer to above lies in three parts. First, India is the only country which continues to move ahead on its own steam without marginalizing its poor citizens and hence presents an antithesis to Chinese model. Second, India has been providing sanctuary to Dalai Lama, whom the Chinese consider “splittist”. Third, to divert the attention of the citizenry from its pathetic record of protecting the poor, the Chinese Communist Party will need an enemy and India fits the bill perfectly and it is precisely for this reason that the Chinese have displayed no interest in settling the border dispute with India.
First and foremost, in August of 09, the Indian government took a decision to not to hoist Tricolour in Lal Chowk area of downtown Srinagar. This was the first time when the tricolour did not fly in Srinagar on Independence Day. (I will refer to this again in separate blog )
Second, sometime during Feb 2010, the Indian government took a decision to not to seek funds from ADB (Asian Development Bank) for projects in Arunachal Pradesh. This decision was taken after a huge hue and cry had been raised during the previous year when funds had been sought from ADB and during initial voting; India had won inspite of Chinese objections. Bear in mind that China calls Arunachal as Tawang and considers it to be part of Tibet. Hence, Arunachal Pradesh to Chinese Communist Party is the stick that they can use any time to browbeat India.
In both these instances, the GOI (government of India) indicated a lack of resolve and battle fatigue. This battle fatigue not only emboldens the enemies of the people of India, but it directly impacts the sustainability of India as a unified country. And my take here is that if the ruling elite, the 300 odd compromised families don’t possess the will to take the fight to the enemy camp, then this ruling dispensation must abdicate in favour of people who have the best wishes of Indians at heart. But more of this will be covered in third part of this article.
To revert back to the threat to India from China, it is essential to remember that China has been using the boundary dispute with India as the unifying theme for its citizenry. India is the only country with which China has so far not settled its border dispute, even as it has muscled its way with Vietnam, Russia, Mongolia and pushed aside other powers in South China Sea.
The military muscle that China today displays harks back to its economic strength. However, it is the belief of this author that Chinese economic miracle is a bubble. And when that bubble bursts, rest of the world better be aware. Among the first victims of aggression, when this bubble bursts, will be India but other countries will not be immune to the aggression.
I have been following the so called Chinese Success story for some time. And the more I research it, the more I become appalled by the financial chicanery that is being used to hide the real problems with in Chinese economy.
And why would it be so bad for the Chinese and Indians if this success story is merely a bubble?
The answer to above lies in three parts. First, India is the only country which continues to move ahead on its own steam without marginalizing its poor citizens and hence presents an antithesis to Chinese model. Second, India has been providing sanctuary to Dalai Lama, whom the Chinese consider “splittist”. Third, to divert the attention of the citizenry from its pathetic record of protecting the poor, the Chinese Communist Party will need an enemy and India fits the bill perfectly and it is precisely for this reason that the Chinese have displayed no interest in settling the border dispute with India.
Overthrow ManMohanSingh
Wall Street Journal has reported that India is likely to buy defence equipment worth more than $ 50 billion from US companies. I wish to take this opportunity to highlight the fact that Pakistan uses almost $ 1.2 billion it receives in aid from US to buy defence equipment.
In effect Indian taxpayers are not only paying for the defence purchases of Indian armed forces, but they are also subsidising the needs of the Pakistan Armed forces.
Given the nature of defence deals, it is very easy to see that 2 percent of profit that US earns from its sales to India is being diverted to Pakistan, thus keeping India on tenterhooks. This forces India to buy more weaponry from US which gives US more funds to divert to Pakistan as US Aid.
Not only are Indian Tax Payers thus trying to pay for protection of India, but they are in effect very much responsible for the terrorist attacks that are taking place in India. Number one reason for that is the fact that it is the US / Saudi encouragement and indulgence of Pakistan which allows it to thumb its nose at India and international law in so far as terrorism is concerned. Not only does this support to Pakistani Army and establishment embolden this ruffian elite which controls the destiny of 200 million people, but it also very much sanctions the use of terrorism as a state policy.
Given the present scenario in which Man Mohan Singh looses sleep selectively, I don’t foresee any immediate changes to the way GOI is conducting its policy. In view of the fact that 1.2 billion people have no recourse to safety, are at the mercy of a puny nation which has for generations used cowardly attacks on the soft underbelly of the society, do Indian masses have other options beyond the existing ones?
Personally, I believe there are tremendous opportunities available to Indian policy makers. If Saudi Arabia continues to support Pakistan and US winks at this relationship and supports the Pakistani state by aid, then India must relook at its Iran Policy. Not only may it be in the interest of India to have a nuclear Iran, but it may be in the interest of Indian policy makers to ensure greater economic cooperation with Iranian economy. The 60 Inch gas pipeline issue, with a route which goes via sub-sea, directly from Iranian landmass to India will be the first step towards such an alternative policy. The cost of such a pipeline will be cheaper than the billions spent on outdated F 16s.
I think it is time MMS is jettisoned in the Indian Ocean and some one who is more in tune with the needs of Indian security concerns is placed at the helm of the government. And the new PM should be able to tell the US where to draw the line.
The compromised elite, the 300 odd families must now either start working for the betterment of the nation or else, we must, as a nation, decide to support the Maoist overthrow of the current political dispensation such that the national interests are at the core of all the decisions made.
I also wish to pray that once the Maoist dispensation overthrows the corrupt, compromised elite class, it passes laws to confiscate the ill gotten gains of these families. The thousands of crores of rupees stashed away by these 300 odd families, which is actually the money taken away from the rural poor of this country must be retaken and used to provide a more humane government and a more conducive environment for the masses.
In effect Indian taxpayers are not only paying for the defence purchases of Indian armed forces, but they are also subsidising the needs of the Pakistan Armed forces.
Given the nature of defence deals, it is very easy to see that 2 percent of profit that US earns from its sales to India is being diverted to Pakistan, thus keeping India on tenterhooks. This forces India to buy more weaponry from US which gives US more funds to divert to Pakistan as US Aid.
Not only are Indian Tax Payers thus trying to pay for protection of India, but they are in effect very much responsible for the terrorist attacks that are taking place in India. Number one reason for that is the fact that it is the US / Saudi encouragement and indulgence of Pakistan which allows it to thumb its nose at India and international law in so far as terrorism is concerned. Not only does this support to Pakistani Army and establishment embolden this ruffian elite which controls the destiny of 200 million people, but it also very much sanctions the use of terrorism as a state policy.
Given the present scenario in which Man Mohan Singh looses sleep selectively, I don’t foresee any immediate changes to the way GOI is conducting its policy. In view of the fact that 1.2 billion people have no recourse to safety, are at the mercy of a puny nation which has for generations used cowardly attacks on the soft underbelly of the society, do Indian masses have other options beyond the existing ones?
Personally, I believe there are tremendous opportunities available to Indian policy makers. If Saudi Arabia continues to support Pakistan and US winks at this relationship and supports the Pakistani state by aid, then India must relook at its Iran Policy. Not only may it be in the interest of India to have a nuclear Iran, but it may be in the interest of Indian policy makers to ensure greater economic cooperation with Iranian economy. The 60 Inch gas pipeline issue, with a route which goes via sub-sea, directly from Iranian landmass to India will be the first step towards such an alternative policy. The cost of such a pipeline will be cheaper than the billions spent on outdated F 16s.
I think it is time MMS is jettisoned in the Indian Ocean and some one who is more in tune with the needs of Indian security concerns is placed at the helm of the government. And the new PM should be able to tell the US where to draw the line.
The compromised elite, the 300 odd families must now either start working for the betterment of the nation or else, we must, as a nation, decide to support the Maoist overthrow of the current political dispensation such that the national interests are at the core of all the decisions made.
I also wish to pray that once the Maoist dispensation overthrows the corrupt, compromised elite class, it passes laws to confiscate the ill gotten gains of these families. The thousands of crores of rupees stashed away by these 300 odd families, which is actually the money taken away from the rural poor of this country must be retaken and used to provide a more humane government and a more conducive environment for the masses.
Love Jihad; Bosnia; Kashmir – Connecting the Dots for Indians
1. Love Jihad - C. Selvaraj of Chamarajnagar district, had moved a habeas corpus petition before the high court, saying his daughter was missing since August last year(Aug 2008) and he had come to know she had eloped with a Muslim youth to Kerala. He filed the petition after posters had come up in Kerala warning of 'love jihad', referring to attempts to lure non-Muslim girls with the promise of marriage and then convert them to Islam. In such cases, Muslim youth who are able to convince a non-Muslim to marry them are rewarded by Mosques with millions of rupees. Hence, this creates an incentive for the Muslim young man to embark on such activities. Many such cases have been occurring but obviously the manipulated media (Ben Bagdikian – Media Monopoly) will not allow this to be known to Indians at large.
Check out this link
http://frontpagemag.com/2009/10/16/the-%E2%80%9Clove-jihad%E2%80%9D-by-steven-brown/
2. In Bosnia, demography is high politics. In the last Yugoslav census, conducted in 1991, Bosnia had a population of 4.3m. Now it is estimated at only 3.8m, thanks to emigration and some 100,000 war dead. In October 09, Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) and Croats voted down legislation to get ready for the census. Milorad Dodik, prime minister of the Republika Srpska, the Serb bit of Bosnia, says he will accept a census only if people are asked about their ethnicity. Bosniak leaders fear that Mr Dodik wants to show how few non-Serbs live in Republika Srpska, giving him more reason to ask why a Bosnian state exists. (Economist)
3. In Kashmir India, nearly 1 million Hindus were driven out by Jihadists in 1989/1990. For centuries, Kashmir valley has been the epicentre of Shaivaite religion. Only with the advent of Sikandar ButShikan (idol breaker) in late 13th century, who is known to have killed millions of Hindus, did the valley become Muslim majority. And finally, in 1990, with ethnic cleansing, the Muslims made it possible for the slogan – Kashmir will become Pakistan, without Hindu males but with Hindu females- which emanated from the Mosques; to become a reality. Obviously, the liberal English media in India always underplays this for its own grand reasons.
I believe Indians today should begin to think of what kind of India they wish to bequeath to future generations. Will we allow our syncretism and our way of life and our apathy towards strategic thinking get in the way of connecting the dots and questioning our decision makers as to why we are allowing people to be swamped out.
It is only a matter of time before the ticking time bomb explodes in our faces. Pakistan makes no secret of its desire to annihilate Hindus. For Pakistani elite, their success or failure is measured in terms of how far they have succeeded in spreading the word of Nizam-e-Mustafa- be it by the means of sword or be it by the means of Love and inducement. For them, India continues to constitute Dar-ul-Harb, the enemy territory so long as it is not ruled by a Crescent.
What has happened in Kashmir is being repeated in other states. There are many districts in the North East and in West Bengal where the demography has seen drastic change.
And whether it is Love Jihad in South India, demographic attack in East, or war as in Bosnia and Kashmir, the original way of life is being challenged in each location. And at each location, the original claimants of land have been driven out and made footnotes in history.
India has produced Chanakya like thinkers for centuries. Yet, India cannot today defend itself from venal attacks. The attackers come from sea, they come from land, they attack at will in Kabul, they pick on innocents among Hindu refugees in Tripura and the ruling elite has no will to fight back.
It is because the ruling elite has been conspiring to keep others out of power. The 300 odd families only wish to amass enough wealth so that they can buy citizenship in developed countries and on dooms day, flee from India to the chosen locations in West.
The ruling elite are bartering away the future of Indian children, YOUR CHILDREN. It is dividing Indians to keep itself in power. Thus, the ruling elite create demons like Raj Thackeray in Maharashtra or Bhindranwale in Punjab.
It is time for Indians to start thinking about where India is headed. And it may have to start thinking now. Tomorrow may be too late
Check out this link
http://frontpagemag.com/2009/10/16/the-%E2%80%9Clove-jihad%E2%80%9D-by-steven-brown/
2. In Bosnia, demography is high politics. In the last Yugoslav census, conducted in 1991, Bosnia had a population of 4.3m. Now it is estimated at only 3.8m, thanks to emigration and some 100,000 war dead. In October 09, Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) and Croats voted down legislation to get ready for the census. Milorad Dodik, prime minister of the Republika Srpska, the Serb bit of Bosnia, says he will accept a census only if people are asked about their ethnicity. Bosniak leaders fear that Mr Dodik wants to show how few non-Serbs live in Republika Srpska, giving him more reason to ask why a Bosnian state exists. (Economist)
3. In Kashmir India, nearly 1 million Hindus were driven out by Jihadists in 1989/1990. For centuries, Kashmir valley has been the epicentre of Shaivaite religion. Only with the advent of Sikandar ButShikan (idol breaker) in late 13th century, who is known to have killed millions of Hindus, did the valley become Muslim majority. And finally, in 1990, with ethnic cleansing, the Muslims made it possible for the slogan – Kashmir will become Pakistan, without Hindu males but with Hindu females- which emanated from the Mosques; to become a reality. Obviously, the liberal English media in India always underplays this for its own grand reasons.
I believe Indians today should begin to think of what kind of India they wish to bequeath to future generations. Will we allow our syncretism and our way of life and our apathy towards strategic thinking get in the way of connecting the dots and questioning our decision makers as to why we are allowing people to be swamped out.
It is only a matter of time before the ticking time bomb explodes in our faces. Pakistan makes no secret of its desire to annihilate Hindus. For Pakistani elite, their success or failure is measured in terms of how far they have succeeded in spreading the word of Nizam-e-Mustafa- be it by the means of sword or be it by the means of Love and inducement. For them, India continues to constitute Dar-ul-Harb, the enemy territory so long as it is not ruled by a Crescent.
What has happened in Kashmir is being repeated in other states. There are many districts in the North East and in West Bengal where the demography has seen drastic change.
And whether it is Love Jihad in South India, demographic attack in East, or war as in Bosnia and Kashmir, the original way of life is being challenged in each location. And at each location, the original claimants of land have been driven out and made footnotes in history.
India has produced Chanakya like thinkers for centuries. Yet, India cannot today defend itself from venal attacks. The attackers come from sea, they come from land, they attack at will in Kabul, they pick on innocents among Hindu refugees in Tripura and the ruling elite has no will to fight back.
It is because the ruling elite has been conspiring to keep others out of power. The 300 odd families only wish to amass enough wealth so that they can buy citizenship in developed countries and on dooms day, flee from India to the chosen locations in West.
The ruling elite are bartering away the future of Indian children, YOUR CHILDREN. It is dividing Indians to keep itself in power. Thus, the ruling elite create demons like Raj Thackeray in Maharashtra or Bhindranwale in Punjab.
It is time for Indians to start thinking about where India is headed. And it may have to start thinking now. Tomorrow may be too late
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