Tirade against Tyrants

One week has gone by(I started writing this on Saturday) since the Ravanlila happened at the Ramlila Grounds on 4^th June,2011.  By the way, is it a coincidence that the date on which the Congress government unleashed barbaric force on it’s own harmless people , is the same date China did the infamous Tianmen(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989). So we have 2 features common to China now. One of course is our ever-increasing population. And second, and more prominent

the penchant of the current government to curb any voice of dissent with utmost brutality.

Congrats Govt, at least on some parameters we are up there with China.

It has been a week full of drama, emotions and hectic political parleys in India

But for crores of commoners of  India like me , it has been something else too.

Bashing politicians has always been the favorite past time of us Indians and I believe

we are not totally wrong in doing so. But whenever a political discourse happens between

any of us and we start pointing fingers towards politicians for all ills , I am sure this question has been propped up “ Why don’t you join politics to clean it up?”  Yes this is what the recent civil movements , waged by Swami Ramdev and Anna Hazare too , aim at. But the question should never come up now. The brute force which has curbed the entirely peaceful movement by Baba should warn each of us Indians who has at any point of his life thought of doing something in politics. When someone from outside politics and having as incredible reputation as of Baba and Anna thought of doing so, they have been so badly roughed up by Government that no man in his right senses would dare now. Baba who incarnates an old tradition of spirituality in India, of all these gurus who throughout the ages have come to teach and preserve this ancient knowledge which takes the form of hatha-yoga, pranayama, meditation or Ayurveda, has been so disdainfully treated by Government, it so appears that there is a message that Government wants to convey through this act.

 

I think enough has been written about to Anna in last 3 months and all work done by Baba has been ignored by media in what looks a quite planned move initiated by Madam Sonia and her crony Congress govt. So I as a token of my respect for  what Baba has been doing for this forsaken land , thought of writing this piece. As I have mentioned before too in my previous posts please excuse me for being so unimaginative
so as to always put my analysis in points as below :

1. Difference between Baba and Anna’s movements: For all those who keep their eyes open and have observed both the movements, the difference is quite stark. Obviously what junta comes to know is what we read/ watch on TV, Internet, print. While Anna got so many eye balls for his fast against corruption,  Baba whose campaign was far bigger than Anna’s got such a negative attention from whole media that if not for staunch faith in Baba’s mission, Baba would have turned into a traitor rather a thug.

There is a sharp class divide between the 'civil society' movements launched by Anna Hazare and Ramdev. The old Gandhian and his core support team are quite well known public faces some of them activists who in past have spoken on modern idiom of development and politics, a language the mainstream media finds comprehensible, comforting and respectable. Hence the acceptability to Anna’s movement. There were film stars, who attract the most eye balls in India when Anna was fasting. The Anna movement was a made-in-media campaign. The crowds that flocked to his rally in Delhi's Jantar Mantar two months ago did so without any incentive and organisation. However, its spontaneity was also governed by a spectacular degree of TV hype that unnerved the government and forced it into setting up a joint committee to draft a new Lokpal Bill. No doubt the process was helped by the endearing personality of Anna—a man who exudes both simplicity and sincerity. And then there was this section of  Internet junta ,a

section of idealistic but impressionable youth who believes social media networking is a force for the good.

Compared to the 5,000 or so people who thronged Jantar Mantar at the peak of Anna's fast, Ramdev began his show with a dedicated audience of something around 50,000 people. While most of Anna's supporters were from the National Capital Region—plus shows of solidarity in the state capitals—the yoga guru mobilised people from all over the country. Ramdev's support base was drawn from primarily from B, C and D category towns and lacked either clout or glamour. The English-language media was openly contemptuous of his mission, portraying it as a variant of another Saffron rant . There was not a single Bollywood star to keep company of the relatively unknown religious figures that graced Ramdev's dais. Hence Baba’s movement was too devoid of any gleen to cover it and give importance.

And lastly, and to me the most important reason for Baba’s movement being neglected by media was because it had a color with it, Saffron that is. Though Baba never emphasised on this being a Hindu movement with religious leaders of all kinds sharing the dais, media along with the ruling govt attack dogs kept on ranting this being a movement controlled by RSS, BJP and blah blah. And once you associate saffron in India to any thing, you become untouchable. And that can happen only in our country.

2. Has Media completely sold its soul ? : Yes it has. Here was a crusade against the most corrupt government independent India has seen. And the crusader is one who is being questioned. Infact the whole episode is a creation of media. Instead of focussing on misdeeds of government and highlighting the efforts of a Yogi , there were questions on Baba, his intentions, his financial clout. These questions so very diluted the agenda that at times it appeared that there is a movement against Baba by govt instead of vice versa.  Baba’s 1100 crore against 400 lakh crores. Is there a comparison in these figures? No,any one will  reply. But the puppet Media thought otherwise. Even after declaring the source of funds, media kept pessurising Baba.

"Ramdev hasn't given his accounts openly, so how can he ask politicians to come  clean?": First thing first, If Ramdev's accounts are not upto the mark, it won't make much of a difference to you or me. But if Rs 400 lakh crores (USD 9.09 Trillion) don't come back and many more are stashed out that will make a HUGE difference to the country's economic future! Just as a reference, United States' total debt is Rs 650 lakh crores!

Second, Ramdev's trust is a Private Trust and not a Public Limited Company. So, he does give out the accounts but not in public - but to the tax authorities. That is the law. There is no reason why he should do otherwise. Instead of making up stories based on an action in line with the legal practice, it may be more worthwhile to actually go to the tax authorities and ask for the accounts via an RTI (RIght to Information) plea.

Third, with the kind of passion with which the Government and the adminstration is targeting Ramdev, can any intelligent person believe that if his accounts weren't up to the mark, he would have survived? Is it even reasonable or logical?

If the Media had its heart at the right place, the questions should have posed to Govt instead? Has anyone yet asked the shrewd lawyer in Mr Sibbal that where is the ordinance on the basis of which he got signature from Acharya Balkrishna? Such a shame that Media is completely turning blind eye to all misdeeds of Govt.

3. Is Baba the Leader India is looking for? : Personally I don’t think so. To Baba’s credit he has brought an awakening for Yoga amongst the masses, most of which was illiterate and rural, in itself is a humungous task. He has helped masses cure themselves with virtue of ancient Yoga practices and Ayurveda. He has a very huge following and that is pan India.

But Baba’s first foray into real politics shows that he is yet to learn the tricks of the trade. He has been deceived and probably used to fuse to counter the Anna wave which swept the Urban middle class a couple of months ago. Baba’s intentions are noble but am not sure he is the right guy to lead this movement against Corruption and misgovernance. Some of his ideas are outrageous but some of them are pretty in genuine too. He appears a clean man though Govt and media have tried its best to malign him. Am sure he could have led a pretty fruitful and easy life had he not ventured into this slugfest by virtue of Yoga and Ayurveda. His followers are in crores already and hence it wouldn’t have been a tough task for him to just teach yoga and keep his image intact. He plunged into this with a mission and that should be respected. Baba will have to learn to be more vigil and careful with his words and actions now as the Govt and media will do a scrutiny for each of his actions and words. I just wish Baba comes out victorious in this battle.

4.  Can Govt stoop any further? : In all this brouhaha , if it was a ideal playing field Govt should have taken the beating. They did tried their best to curb the     movement. Airport diplomacy, Hotel diplomacy, Letter Diplomacy and what not.

They had another trick for each previously failed one. And when nothing worked then came the brute and shameless force on innocent people who are tired with this tyrant government. They have an attack dog in guise of Digvijay Singh who on any day can win the award for most indecent politician. They have a shrewd lawyer in Kapil Sibbal to make all calculation in gambit of law. They have a puppet PM in Manmohan Singh to turn a blind eye to anything wrong and then they have Yuvraj and Sonia Madam to signal them green for any shameless trick.

God help this country.

By the time I am finished with this piece Baba’s fast has finished and the whole media is hell bent on turning this into a mockery. A frail, tired man in Baba must be wondering why he did all this. It all looks a very thankless job. But I just wish the common man’s trust in him keeps him going. Because in people like Baba rests the hopes of a nation which is getting tired of being duped and cheated but also a nation which is looking for a Hero ,a Leader to take the battle to it’s logical end. An agent of change is needed and in given circumstances looks we will need some more Babas.

       

     Please feel free to comment on the above if you feel doing so.

       Love,

       Saket

      

    

Happy Makar Sankranti

Happy Makar Sankaranti. I would like to put something new on my blog in a new year (English or Modern Calendar) by writing about probably the first major festival which comes in new year. I have just collated information from various sources including mails which I get from the HR in my organization. The idea is just to put forward the significance of this lovely festival. I am sorry for writing this a day late but the idea stuck to me only when I saw the festivities around.

People Taking a dip on the holy day in Ganga at Gangasagar.

Makar Sankranti is one of the most auspicious day for the Hindus, and is celebrated in almost all parts of the country in myriad cultural forms, with great devotion, fervor & gaiety. Lakhs of people take a dip in places like Ganga Sagar & Prayag and pray to Lord Sun.

It is celebrated with pomp in southern parts of the country as Pongal, and in Punjab is celebrated as Lohri & Maghi. Gujarati’s not only look reverentially up to the sun, but also offer thousands of their colorful oblations in the form of beautiful kites all over the skyline…It is a day for which Bhishma Pitamah kept waiting to leave his mortal coil.

Makar Sankranti is the day when the glorious Sun-God of Hindus begins its ascendancy and entry into the Northern Hemisphere. Sun for the Hindus stands for Pratyaksha-Brahman – the manifest God, who symbolizes, the one, non-dual, self-effulgent, glorious divinity blessing one & all tirelessly.

Sun is the one who transcends time and also the one who rotates the proverbial Wheel of Time. The famous Gayatri Mantra, which is chanted everyday by every faithful Hindu, is directed to Sun God to bless them with intelligence & wisdom. Sun not only represents God but also stands for an embodiment of knowledge & wisdom. …

Of all the cosmic bodies Sun is the most glorious & important, thus every sun-centric cosmic event became very important spiritual, religious & cultural events. On Makar Sankranti day the Sun begins its ascendancy and journey into the Northern Hemisphere…

For the religious and astrological significance of “Makar Sankranti”, read on:

Astrological Significance:

Makar means Capricorn and Sankranti is transition. There is a sankranti every month when the sun passes from one sign of the zodiac to the next. There are twelve signs of the zodiac, and thus there are twelve sankranti’s as well. Each of these sankranti’s has its own relative importance but two of these are more important – the Mesh (Aries) Sankranti and the most important, the Makar (Capricorn) Sankranti.

Transition of the Sun from Sagittarius to Capricorn, during the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere is known as Makar Sankranti. From this day begins the six-month long Uttarayana, considered very auspicious for attaining higher worlds hereafter.

While the traditional Indian Calendar is basically based on lunar positions, but sankranti is a solar event, so while dates of all festivals keep changing, the english calendar date of Makar Sankranti is always same, 14th January. Makar Sankranti is celebrated in the Hindu Calendar month of Magha. There is another significance of this day, after this day the days start becoming longer & warmer, and thus the chill of winter in on decline.

Religious Significance:

1. The Puranas say that on this day Sun visits the house of his son Shani, who is the swami of Makar Rashi. These father & son do not ordinarily get along nicely, but inspite of any difference between each other Lord Sun makes it a point to meet each other on this day. Father in fact himself comes to his son’s house, for a month. This day symbolized the importance of special relationship of father & son. It is the son who has the responsibility to carry forward his fathers dream and the continuity of the family.

2. From Uttarayana starts the “day” of Devatas, while dakshinayana is said to be the “night” of devatas, so most of the auspicious things are done during this time. Uttarayana is also called as Devayana, and the next half is called Pitrayana.

3.It was on this day when Lord Vishnu ended the ever increasing terrorism of the Asuras by finishing them off and burying their heads under the Mandar Parvat. So this occasion also represents the end of negativities and beginning of an era of righteous living.

4. The great savior of his ancestors, Maharaj Bhagirath, did great Tapasya to bring Gangaji down on the earth for the redemption of 60,000 sons of Maharaj Sagar, who were burnt to ashes at the Kapil Muni Ashram, near the present day Ganga Sagar. It was on this day that Bhagirath finally did tarpan with the Ganges water for his unfortunate ancestors and thereby liberated them from the curse. After visiting the Patala for the redemption of the curse of Bhagirath’s ancestors Gangaji finally merged in the Sagar. Even today a very big Ganga Sagar Mela is organized every year on this day at the confluence of River Ganges and the Bay of Bengal. Lakhs take dip in the water and do tarpan for their ancestors.

We salute such a great devotee & benefactor of his ancestors. One who can express such gratitude to his ancestors, work with tireless resolve to redeem the pride, pledges & resolves of his forefathers, alone possess a personality, which the history reveals to be a true benefactor of the world too. A person who has severed his own roots gets soon rooted out in the flow of time. Moral of the story is to see to it that the roots of the tree of “our” life are not only intact but nourished well, thereafter alone the tree blooms & flourishes.

There is another spiritually symbolic aspect of this story. The 60,000 cursed son of Maharaj Sagar represent our thoughts, who become dull & dead-like because of uncultured & blind ambition. Redemption of such people is only by the waters of Gangaji, brought down “to” & later “from” the Himalayas with great tapasya. This represents dedicated hard work to get the redeeming Brahma-Vidya, which alone enlightens, enthuses & enlivens the life of anyone.

5. Another well-known reference of this day came when the great grandsire of Mahabharata fame, Bhishma, declared his intent to leave his mortal coil on this day. He had the boon of Ichha-Mrityu from his father, so he kept lying on the bed of arrows till this day and then left his mortal coil on Makar Sankranti day. It is believed that the person, who dies during the period of Uttarayana, becomes free from transmigration. So this day was seen as a sure-shot Good Luck day to start your journey or endeavors to the higher realms beyond.

Culture & Festivities:

This festival is celebrated differently in different parts of the country.

Uttar Pradesh:

In Uttar Pradesh, Sankrant is called “Khichiri”. Taking a dip in the holy rivers on this day is regarded as most auspicious. A big one-month long “Magha-Mela” fair begins at Prayag (Allahabad) on this occasion. Apart from Triveni, ritual bathing also takes place at many places like Haridvar and Garh Mukteshwar in Uttar Pradesh, and Patna in Bihar.





Colourful kites being sold in a Shop iColourful kites being sold in a Shop in [Lucknow]


Bengal:

In Bengal every year a very big Mela is held at Ganga Sagar where the river Ganga is believed to have dived into the nether region and vivified the ashes of the sixty thousand ancestors of King Bhagirath. This mela is attended by a large number of pilgrims from all over the country.

Tamil Nadu:

In Tamil Nadu Sankrant is known by the name of “Pongal”, which takes its name from the surging of rice boiled in a pot of milk, and this festival has more significance than even Diwali. It is very popular particularly amongst farmers. Rice and pulses cooked together in ghee and milk is offered to the family deity after the ritual worship. In essence in the South this Sankrant is a “Puja” (worship) for the Sun God.

Andhra Pradesh:

In Andhra Pradesh, it is celebrated as a three-day harvest festival Pongal. It is a big event for the people of Andhra Pradesh. The Telugus like to call it ‘Pedda Panduga’ meaning big festival. The whole event lasts for four days, the first day Bhogi, the second day Sankranti, the third day Kanuma and the fourth day, Mukkanuma.

Karnataka:

In Karnataka, the festival is marked by visiting one’s friends and relatives to exchange greetings, and by the preparation of a dish called Ellu (made with sesame seeds, coconuts, sugar blocks, etc). A common custom found across Karnataka is the exchange of sugarcane pieces and Ellu with one’s neighbors, friends and relatives. In Karnataka, Pongal is known as ‘Sankranti’, and cows and bullocks are gaily decorated and fed ‘Pongal’- a sweet preparation of rice. Special prayers are offered. In the evening, the cattle are led out in procession to the beat of drums and music. In the night a bonfire is lit and the animals are made to jump over the fire.

Makar Sankranti is marked by men, women and children wearing colorful clothing; visiting near and dear ones; and exchanging pieces of sugarcane, a mixture of fried til, molasses, pieces of dry coconut, peanuts and fried gram. On this auspicious day, people in Karnataka distribute Yellu and bella (Sesame seeds and Jaggery) and greet with the words “Ellu bella thindu, Olle Maathu Aadu (Eat sesame seeds and speak only good). The significance of this exchange is that sweetness should prevail in all the dealings.

Maharashtra:

In Maharashtra on the Sankranti day people exchange multi-colored tilguds made from til (sesame seeds) and sugar and til-laddus made from til and jaggery. Til-polis are offered for lunch. While exchanging tilguls as tokens of goodwill people greet each other saying: “til-gul ghya, god god bola” meaning “accept these tilguls and speak sweet words”. The under-lying thought in the exchange of tilguls is to forget the past ill-feelings and hostilities and resolve to speak sweetly and remain friends.

This is a special day for the women in Maharashtra when married women are invited for a get-together called �Haldi-Kumkum� and given gifts of any utensil, which the woman of the house purchases on that day.

Gujarat:

In Gujarat Sankrant is observed more or less in the same manner as in Maharashtra but with a difference that in Gujarat there is a custom of giving gifts to relatives. The elders in the family give gifts to the younger members of the family. The Gujarati Pundits on this auspicious day grant scholarships to students for higher studies in astrology and philosophy. This festival thus helps the maintenance of social relationships within the family, caste and community.

Kite flying has been associated with this festival in a big way. It has become an internationally well-known event.

Punjab:

In Punjab where December and January are the coldest months of the year, huge bonfires are lit on the eve of Sankrant and which is celebrated as “LOHARI”. Sweets, sugarcane and rice are thrown in the bonfires, around which friends and relatives gather together. The following day, which is Sankrant, is celebrated as MAGHI. The Punjabi’s dance their famous Bhangra dance till they get exhausted. Then they sit down and eat the sumptuous food that is specially prepared for the occasion.

Kerala:

The 40 days anushthana by the devotees of Ayyappa ends on this day in Sabarimala with a big festival.

Bundelkhand:

In Bundelkhand and Madhya Pradesh this festival of Sankrant is known by the name “Sakarat” and is celebrated with great pomp & merriment accompanied by lot of sweets.

Tribals of Orissa:

Many tribals in our country start their New Year from the day of Sankrant by lighting bonfires, dancing and eating their particular dishes sitting together. The Bhuya tribals of Orissa have their Maghyatra in which small home-made articles are put for sale.

Assam:

In Assam, the festival is celebrated as Bhogali Bihu.

Coastal Region:

In the coastal regions, it is a harvest festival dedicated to Indra.

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How to Celebrate:

1. Get up early in the morning, before sunrise, have bath and be ready with water & flowers for the sunrise. Worship the rising Sun, by offering water, flowers with both the hands & then pray with folded hands by chanting the Gayatri Mantra and pray for knowledge, wisdom and enlightenment to rise in the similar way to greater & greater heights. Pray for blessings to live a dynamic, inspired & righteous life.

2. Do tarpan for your ancestors. Offer water to the ancestors while praying for their blessings. Resolve to redeem the pledges & pride of your forefathers. Live life in such a way that wherever your forefathers may be their head is held high by the life & deeds of their children.

3. Have a special session of Meditation, wherein you bring about the awareness of the self-effulgent subjective divinity. Affirm the greatest importance of your spiritual goal very clearly, and pray to God to bless you with the capacity to constantly revel in your true self. May the graph of your rise like the Uttarayana Sun. May there be greater ‘Love & Light’ in your life & the world.

4. Prepare laddus or other sweets of Til & Gur and offer them to your friends & relatives. See to it that your “Well-being Prayer for all” gets manifested in action & deeds.

5. Have the lunch of Khichiri. This stands for inculcating simplicity in your life & habits.

6. Give some Daan on this day to someone who truly deserves.

7. *Visit your son at his place and give presents to the son and the daughter-in-law. If it is not possible to visit, then organize to send presents to them to express your love & affection to them. Work to properly cultivate the generation, which has to carry forward all the best you cherish & value


* I would modify this to suggest, visit your children (not only your son).


Love,

Saket.

One more Bomb Blast! So what.....

Am not sure of how many of you have been to Varanasi but if you haven’t been , please take my advice and do visit the place atleast once in this lifetime. The peace which one encounters amidst so much commotion in this town is unparallel. With a temple almost at every 100m one moves, holy chants will meet you anywhere you go. No am not writing this piece to glorify Varanasi. A bomb blast which took play around 10 days back in this holy city has forced me to do so. I know many of you won’t even remember that there was a blast which took place. As I have mentioned in one of my previous posts please excuse me for being so unimaginative so as to always put my analysis in points as below but then I am a Software Engineer and the community was never known for it’s imaginary skills. Please find below some of my thoughts on this and I am already asking for pardon if you find these a bit vitriolic as I am writing this in anguish.

1. Mr. Prime Minister own this or get lost: Well we have the most able and efficient PM. He has always condemned the blasts just within 24 hours. More than enough has been propagated and written about our respectable PM, his honesty, his integrity, his impeccable academics and what not. I am sorry but to me and to many other Indians all this bandied about him is just trash. Amidst all scams we have seen his honesty and integrity well enough. But I have a request to him atleast show some spine in matters related to Internal Security. We have lost count of number of blasts which has happened in last 6.5 years of your rule. And what have you done apart from giving state honor to Afzal and Kasab. A very basic rule I know is if you don’t punish an errant child for his wrong doing he will get encouraged and will keep repeating the mistakes. What has your Government done to instill fear in terrorist organizations? And did I ask you that while your government was so prompt in taking action against small and inconsequential Hindu organizations and arresting Pragya Thakur and ilk, why so much inaction in taking action where it mattered? Mr. PM you have failed miserably in almost all forms of administration. The least I expect from you is that you own the responsibility and do something concrete before the post is given to the Yuvaraj.


2. Home Minister, may I ask the color of this terror? :  P.Chidambaram only claim to fame is his foot in mouth disease. Very infamously he warned the country of incoming consequences of ‘Saffron Terror’. The despicable home minister has not bothered to tell the nation what has happened to investigations of various blasts which have happened in last so many years of UPA. Is this because all these blasts were not saffron in color. Or because the organization which was largely responsible for these blasts had a ‘Green’ color attached to it. It is surprising that when Indian Mujahideen has always claimed that they are the ones responsible for these blasts, the administration has always looked at other side and in a motivated move keeps harping about Saffron terror. And while I am writing this Yuvaraj has claimed to US ambassador that dangers that Saffron brigade poses to Indian state are far more than even LET poses. This is future PM to us. Rahul Baba these people know much more about India than you do. They don’t need your expert advice. But then we deserve it. It is we Indians who have been so blindly taken whatever the Gandhi Nehru clan gave to us which most of the time was not good for us, not good for state not good for anyone except the family.


3. Indian Media and their agenda : This is where I am most hurt. Politicians are meant to be wicked and they are doing what almost all Indians expect them to do.But media which is the watch dog of any country has let the Indians down so badly. Nira radia tapes have shown very clearly how so reputed and famous journalists well known for their guts to speak truth, to comment impartially, were hand in glove with the criminals. Ms Burqa Dutt has always known to be soft and partial to Congress, you see her on her on shows like ‘We the People’ on discussions related to terrorism and after discussions she would always make me feel as if Hinduism is the root cause of all terror in India. Quite commendable Ms Burqa Dutt. Anyways it is fashionable to be secular in India. And secular in India means majority bashing and minority appeasing.
The whole of media categorized this as a low intensity blast which killed just one.So it can be forgotten and put in a dustbin. Just 3 days later (the blast happened on 7th Dec) I could not see the blast or any news related on any channel. NDTV under the able guidance of Ms Burqa Dutt didn’t have the balls to even name Indian Mujahidden. And believe you me if this blast would have taken at even a small mosque then whole of media would have just taken the Hindu organizations to task without even slight evidence. Shows after shows would have run on TV with symbols such as OM and Trishul(Trident) as background. Now that I want a Crescent or green color for this news but which problem can be cured without identifying the root cause. Just because India is currently run by pseudo-secular people amply helped by a paid media which sees the other way, truth that India is plagued by terror from fanatic Islamic organizations won’t change. And our denial of this truth is the primary reason that we still are having blasts every other day. India has to first identify and then admit that there is a problem before curing it. Western world did that and not a single incident of even a small magnitude has happened in US since 9/11.

During 26/11 strike senior Hindustan Times columnist Mukul Keshavan opposed the campaign by Hindu operatives against Hindu Terrorism hoax by saying that “because malegaon is a low magnitude attack, it can not be treated as some low magnitude sin”.Totally agree, but Mr. Mukul could not or did not display his guts in case of a criticism on Islamic Terrorism. Any condemn-article from his side was not found even in twitter micro bog. So this is the reality of the courageous journo.But this time without waiting for confirmation our national level journo had indirectly tried to somehow drag the Hindus. Mr. Arnav Goswami of Times Now stated in a discussion forum just after an hour that the attackers claiming themselves Indian Mujahideen may not be authentic. The statement was sugar coated by saying that they meant to say that they wanted to verify whether this group is alive or not. But his only aim was to drag Hindu possibility when he said “in the letter nowhere mentioned something wrong about majorities’ misdeeds.” Bulshittttttttttttttttt


4. Can someone ask Digvijay Singh to shut up? : Without sounding jingoistic and emotional this guy should be killed or put to death as soon as possible. Just t o regain his lost place in political circle he is uttering absolute trash day in day out and sadly no one is taming him.He used Karkare’s death to appease minority.And got rightly rebuked by his widow. But this shameless guy shows no remorse. He goes to Azamgarh and sympathises with terrorists and their families instead of doing so with the policemen who lost their lives in Batla House case. His misgivings are endless and are making the atmosphere so vitriolic that if he is allowed to do so for some more time situation in India will be very dangerous. And this time while the Blasts took place and should have got all attention from media and government should have been cornered, this guy comes in, speak some trash and diverts all attention. Smart move for the party and the government.


5. We the People, need to come out of deep slumber: Whatever I have mentioned above doesn’t absolve us the populace of India of it’s share of blame. Indians to me are the most selfish, self-centred people in the world. We care the least for anything which doesn’t concern us directly. The urban India is too busy in pursuing its dreams and rural India is too busy in making its ends meet. The Educated middle class has an opinion but it never votes. We get fooled by leaders sorry politicians like Rahul Gandhi who has mastered the art of hibernating. He will come out in public, give some Kodak moments, go to some remote village,
take a ride in a Mumbai local etc. All very good for image building Mr PM in making. But what about real issues? You didn’t utter a single word on CWG and 2G Scam. I want to know if the scams of these magnitudes cannot force you to come out and speak then what will? So we all know your acting and theatrical skills now. But what about the junta who still goes mad at the mere mention of Rahul baba. Agreed we want a young leader with some fresh ideas to take the nation to greater heights but why it has to be him? In his own party there are several young bright leaders who are not given any media attention just because all media coverage is concentrated on Rahul Baba. We as a nation should be extremely careful in making choices as to who will lead us. We should be more vocal, more aware, and more participative in the process of governance. We should question, discuss, blog, tweet, do whatever is convenient to put pressure on government. We should be reading lot of history to know about our culture.
All in all we should be good citizens who are not to be fooled anymore. All these last years especially with this government majority religion has been portrayed so very badly. In last 1000 years or so the Hindus have been so tolerant (or coward) that they embraces everyone who came, who attacked, who pondered. And when someone raises his voice he is called a Right Wing activist or a terrorist these days. I will request all you readers to be not carried away by the agenda followed by some self serving politicians and be aware and proud of the culture and legacy they have.

I think it has already become too long and preachy. I again ask for pardon but will request you to read and ponder over this. Am not taking any sides here. These are musings of a guy who thinks a lot about the nation. Please comment on the post if you feel you have a point to make.


Love,
Saket.

Rewind to the Childhood Days

Around Christmas time every year I usually go to Mumbai as my nephew’s birthday falls on 31st Dec and he being the first kid in the family enjoys the privilege of most loved child. But since last 2 years I was forced to break the ritual (someone from nana nani family had to be there).Instead the kids along with parents have visited us and we have celebrated the last week of the year together. So since the last week is just around and the kids have sounded so excited (as always) about being with their Mama, I thought to go shopping to gift the kids to make celebrations a bit more merrier. So here I was in Landmark to search for some suitable things for the kids. The new age kids put forward before you such a complex dilemma when you want to give them a game, toy etc.


I will talk about this some day later but while scouting something for them I happened to pick a game which instantly made me nostalgic and brought upon so many memories. The name of the game will do the same to all of you who read this. The game was Snakes and Ladders and this is when I thought of writing this.

I had an inkling about the fact that the game had it’s origins in India but not to much detail. This clue I got from a note present in the game. Here is the first clue I got :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snakes_and_ladders#cite_ref-Mathematical_Gazette_1-1

Some excerpts from the above mentioned link are here :

Snakes and Ladders originated in India as a game based on morality called Vaikuntapaali (stairs to Vaikuntha) or Paramapada Sopanam (the ladder to salvation). This game made its way to England, and was eventually introduced in the United States of America by game pioneer Milton Bradley in 1943.

“…The game was played widely in ancient India by the name of Moksha Patamu, the earliest known Jain version Gyanbazi dating back to 16th century. The game was called “Leela” – and reflected the Hinduism consciousness around everyday life. Impressed by the ideals behind the game, a newer version was introduced in Victorian England in 1892, possibly by John Jacques of Jacques of London.

Moksha Patamu was perhaps invented by Hindu spiritual teachers to teach children about the effects of good deeds as opposed to bad deeds. The ladders represented virtues such as generosity, faith, humility, etc., and the snakes represented vices such as lust, anger, murder, theft, etc. The moral of the game was that a person can attain salvation (Moksha) through performing good deeds whereas by doing evil one takes rebirth in lower forms of life (Patamu). The number of ladders was less than the number of snakes as a reminder that treading the path of good is very difficult compared to committing sins. Presumably the number “100″ represented Moksha (Salvation). In Andhra Pradesh, snakes and ladders is played in the name of Vaikuntapali.. “

Some more research gave me an idea about a book written on this game and the idea behind the game. This book by Harish Johari titled : “The Yoga of Snakes and Arrows” gives an insight on the meta-physicality attached to the game. As almost everything in ancient India was, this game too has an intriguing spiritual aspect. Some excerpts from the book are mentioned below:

“Four things are necessary for one or more to play Leela: the Leela book and game board, a die (of karma) and a significant object that belongs to the player, such as a ring, to serve as the player’s symbol during the game. Each of the seventy-two squares on the board of Leela represents a virtue or vice, an aspect of human consciousness or a plane of being. The players’ progress is dictated by the fall of a die corresponding to the forces of karma. The seven planes through which the player must pass before he reaches the eighth plane – the plane beyond all planes – are the seven chakras. Leela is not merely an entertainment but a serious method of understanding the phenomenal world of Maya (Illusion), and the spiritual nature of our individual self that leads us to the journey towards liberation.

The saints who invented this game used the game-board to recognize the present state of their own being. By playing the game time and again they consciously observed which snake brought them down and which arrows took them up. Observing their own inner self, they could tell whether they had understood what it is to be not involved. The uniqueness of Leela – the game of self-knowledge – is that it is a study of scriptures and discovery of the self at the same time”

Some more information about the game related to the spiritual aspects of the game :

“The ladders represented virtues and snakes vices. In the original game square 12 was faith, 51 was Reliability, 57 was Generosity, 76 was Knowledge, and 78 was Asceticism. These were the squares were the ladder was found.

Square 41 was for Disobedience, 44 for Arrogance, 49 for Vulgarity, 52 for Theft, 58 for Lying, 62 for Drunkenness, 69 for Debt, 84 for Anger, 92 for Greed, 95 for Pride, 73 for Murder and 99 for Lust. These were the squares were the snake was found.

The Square 100 represented Nirvana or Moksha.”

And please find below a picture of the game board as it was in ancient times.

I am not sure about you all but atleast I had no idea that the game which we were so much indulged in as kids had so much aura attached to it.

And did I tell you that I walked out of the store with just one game and yes it is Snakes and Ladders.

Please do comment on how you found this post.

Love,
Saket

R.I.P Hamara Bajaj

Last Friday when I was pillion riding with my colleague Sarath on his Pulsar to reach a restaurant for a treat from another colleague , it so happened that we stopped at a signal and I happened to see a Bajaj scooter among the vast plethora of vehicles on the road. And that was the moment I decided to write this as my tribute to one of the signpost of the India’s journey towards growth modernization and liberalization.

Bajaj scooters, one of the aspirations of the Indian middle class for decades, will soon be part of history. Bajaj Auto announced on Wednesday that it is exiting the scooter segment altogether, bringing the curtains down on its iconic product line. The company had stopped making the Chetak, once the world’s largest selling scooter, almost three years ago, and according to its MD Rajeev Bajaj, it will stop production of its non-starter Kristal series by end of the current fiscal. Rajiv Bajaj, great-grandson of a man who founded his industrial empire making light bulbs, announced the decision to stop producing scooters at the same time China said its people were buying a million cars a month. Indians bought 133,687 cars in November. With China opening its lead over the US as the world’s biggest market, the centre of gravity in the automobile industry has decidedly moved to Asia. The scooter is an unfortunate casualty of this shift. It is no coincidence that the largest manufacturers of scooters — and bicycles — have at different points in time been Indian companies. The rest of the world had simply stopped using them on a grand scale.

Post-independence era for India started with cycles thronging the road alongwith Ambassadors for the VIP movement. People who have seen the decades of 70’s and mid 80’s will have abiding memories of a family perched precariously on a scooter and that scooter would been 9 out of 10 times a Bajaj. There was a time when Chetak commanded premium in the market and after booking, people used to wait for months to get the scooter. Infact many elders have told me that the Bajaj Scooter was one of those things which had to be a part of dowry in those days. People had amazing trust on the Bajaj brand.In the mid 90’s Bajaj came up with an ad campaign titled ‘Hamara Bajaj’ which eventually became a kind of anthem and the sale of Bajaj Scooters roared. In 1995 Bajaj sold close to 1 million scooters.

 
Earlier logo of Bajaj

 As a mode of transportation, shopkeepers, SME owners ferried and marketed their goods on Bajaj scooter. Bikes are incapable to perform such onerous tasks of carrying goods. Bajaj ruled the roost with the carriages and boxes can be piled on any side of this scooter, front, back, side, between the legs. At times, the driver would be seen driving with his leg dangling in the air, folded and piled on top of the box, stretching the leg on top of the boxes with the little space to apply brakes on the right side. It was a truly Indian scooter designed for use for an Indian family unlike Vespa or Lambretta. Bajaj had a carriage in the front, storage side on the left rear, a stepny on the back for holding the family onto the scooter.

If I may say so, I have witnesses the most interesting time period in lifecycle of Bajaj scooters. While I was growing up, all the kids with cycles always looked for a chance to get their first hang of how a automobile work. I am quite sure that many of us have learnt to ride two wheelers on Bajaj. Getting to ride
the scooter was the elevation every kid with cycle was looking for. All those boys who had got the promotion from cycle to scooter were the ‘Guys’ whom girls will pay attention( though scant I must say, school girls were still very shy in those days). And guys like me who were still on their Hero Ranger cycles
will be just left fuming. I am pretty sure that many of us would have gone through these scenes.There was a time, when your scooter becomes a car. You don’t even remember how many times only you or two had taken ride on it. At least three or at times four. You approach your first love with Bajaj scooter by your side. Standing at the other end of the narrow bylane of the girl’s house and waiting for the girl you wish to propose or your girlfriend, only Bajaj scooter was the partner in so many’s tryst of destiny.


Besides making love stories successful, Bajaj helped and contributed immensely towards building homes. It helped people move across their daily needs on this scooter. Carrying and dropping their loved ones from one part to other part of the city. Driving Bajaj was fun and everybody who owned a scooter had a smile on his/her face.



Riding with the family on scooter. Man, wife and their two/three kids.


Cut to 1991 Indian economy opens it’s door to liberalization and urban India started witnessing a more robust and a flashy two wheeler ‘Motorbike’ on it’s roads. Within a couple of years the Hero Hondas, the Kawasaki, the TVSs started pushing the scooters to a corner. It didn’t help that the Bajaj never paid attention to product development. For instance Kinetic came up with a gearless and a self start model primararily focused on female drivers. Similarly Vespa ventured into scooter market with some smarter designs. So now if a boy was still chasing a girl on his Bajaj Super or Chetak he was labeled as BTG (Bhaiyya Types Guy). What a transformation I must say. Scooter was still the preferred choice but only for Uncles ( Even I am one now courtesy all kids in my apt block). Their grown up sons wanted to ride only bikes. They will prefer to walk over riding an old fashioned scooter.

Time to move on. A new generation is at helm in Bajaj to look after the affairs of the company. And this new generation certainly thinks that manufacturing scooters is not to look forward. Bajaj has seen a turnaround in it’s fortunes with Pulsar brand. Yesterday’s people mover is bowing out when tomorrow’s mass carrier is rolling out of Tata plants. And the difference is not merely about purchasing power. The Nano is a product created for the Indian reality in the same way that Bajaj scooter was in the past. Even Bajaj’s logo has gone for complete overhaul with the younger generation taking charge of the company and the market.
It’s time for a new Sun to rise as as the Hamara Bajaj is riding into sunset.
The new logo.

Please feel free to put your comments here on how did you liked what I have written.

Love,
Saket.

Let’s Remember our Real Heroes

Captain Vikram Batra, Major Saravanan, Captain Manoj Pandey ,Sqn. Ldr Ajay Ahuja, Captain Kieshing Nongrum, Lt. Saurabh Kalia, Lt. Col. Vishwanathan, Sepoy Lal Singh, Sepoy Rakesh Kumar, Sepoy Rakesh Kumar, Sepoy Raswinder Singh, Sepoy Bir Singh……..

Do these names ring a bell? I am sure not.
These names don’t mean anything to this Facebook, MTV, Orkut Crazy generation.
Ask them to name the reckless, useless winner of a reckless, useless show in MTV Roadies and you will get a prompt answer.

Well these were among the thousands brave hearts who fended off evil Pakistani army goons who had infiltrated our side of LOC in the guise of mujahideen. Ten years after India fought the most televised battle in the history of warfare in the subcontinent, Indians seemed to have moved on.

At 11.30 past night I messaged some friends ‘Happy Vijay Divas’ and ‘Kargil Forgotten’.
Some of these friends were happily and heavily drunk at a reataurant called ‘It’s Greek to Me’ and the text perhaps seemed all too Latin to them.

A Google Search cleared the haze next morning in .17 secs.

Well these very dear friends of mine actually reflects the times we are living in,that tells me that an ungrateful nation had forgotten to salute a famous victory against Pakistan.

A victory in achieving which 562 soldiers had bravely, selflessly, unquestioningly laid down their lives for their country and countrymen, i.e. us, in the cold heights of Kargil.The present generation takes lot of pride in calling themselves as ‘Liberal’ and broad minded. But even for a "liberal" nation with an equally ‘liberal’ generation which has scarcely any militaristic sentiments, it seemed too obvious an event to miss, especially given the rap the nation had received for their disgraceful send off to Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw in June.But the Sunday papers provided little proof that old habits die hard. It again reminded me that we as a nation are hardly proud of our history, culture and legacy.

The largest selling newspaper in the world ‘The Times of India’ didn’t think that Vijay Divas demanded any special mention. After all there are other important strategic issues to be covered such as Gay rights etc.

But I must say that Electronic Media proved me wrong. Almost all the prominent news channels covered it extensively. A lot of them stressed upon the history involved, reasons behind the war and aftermath.
Highly appreciated.

Ten years have passed by. But have we learnt our lessons. I regret that the answer is no.
I am not going into why Kargil happened and what could have been done 10years ago
As there is no point in crying over spilt milk. But every war teaches a lesson to the countries involved. The lessons can be categorized in some broad categories :
Political,Social,Militarily,Intelligence and Strategic.

I again regret that we have hardly learnt any lesson.

Political lessons are to be taken by the most worthless citizens in our country, the politicians. I was mad with anger over how they are scrambling to make a political issue out of this too. Congress govt not showing much enthusiasm in celebrating Vijay Divas
as according to some of them the victory came under NDA.

Those who cover the defence beat say the Kargil victory is now viewed as "an NDA/BJP victory" with which the UPA/Congress wants to have no part. "The Congress has its 1971, the BJP has its 1999," says one award-winning reporter.(That the Congress which does not want to remember 1999 could not even remember the hero of the 1971 victory(to Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw )properly tells its own story.But if true, how pathetic as a people can we be getting, that we view the triumph of the nation, the sacrifice of our soldiers, not through a wide, collective prism, but through a narrow, constricted aperture of the government of the day?Certainly, critics, skeptics and cynics in the military, media and polity have plenty of questions over how the Kargil victory was achieved: The intelligence and strategic failures, the antiquated techniques in capturing Tiger Hill (the site of most of the casualties), etc.Plus, there is the coffin scam over which the Congress walked out of the House each time then defense minister George Fernandes got up to speak.Much as those questions may be important and need to be answered, how do they take the gloss away from a great victory? And how do they make a meaningful observance meaningless?What kind of signal is such peevishness sending to the jawan in the field, and to potential recruits? What kind of impact does it have on their morale and motivation to be reminded that they are not fighting for the nation at large but for the coalition in power?Is this something over which our parties should try to score silly points?Is this how we show how much we value the armed forces?This is not to suggest that the President and prime minister and defense minister and Congress president must drop everything and break out into a bhangra every July 26 for the benefit of the television cameras. But what do they lose by gracefully acknowledging Kargil's place in our contemporary history?

This was for political class.

There are some lessons to be learned after every war which are very Militarist in nature.
Just a day before I read a report which reports that ‘CAG’ has termed the Gorshkov defense deal as totally useless. Almost all the defense deals happening are shady.
Army is equipped with sub standard weapons. Are we ready for another Kargil?

There are still so many families who have not got their due from governments.The government and the system continues to treat them shabbily. My heart goes out for them.

And now the baiton passes to us. Are we as a citizen even aware of our Army and the great role it plays in safeguarding our interests. Aren’t we so engrossed with our own busy lives and selfish dreams that we don’t even know that there is a Vijay Divas today and it needs to be celebrated.
I wish the Media plays a more proactive role in guiding the citizens towards this. e.g instead of beaming useless Reality TV programmes as ‘Rakhi Ka Swanyvar’ why not
beam a programme on War Heroes.Take some creative liberty to make it sellable. Add some fiction to the real life stories and present it to audience. Well it’s just a small idea.

I am actually quite anguished and emotional today as I write this and I might sound over the top in what I have written but am not apologetic for the same. And as I am writing this I have just watched news on TV which says that Defense Minister and Prime Minister have stayed away from the celebrations. There must be reasons for this.
And I remember a famous Urdu couplet written for freedom fighters.

शहीदो क़ी य़ाद मे लगेंगे हर बरस मेले
वतन पे मिटने वालों का बाकी यही ऩिशान होगा

Times have changed and the poor martyrs won’t know that there won’t be any ‘Mela’
for their remembrance now. The nation has forgotten them.



I will close this post with a request to have a glance at the below mentioned links.
They carry some info of my favorite heroes from Kargil War,
Captain Vikram Batra and Captain Manoj Pandey.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vikram_Batra
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manoj_Pandey
http://captainmanojpandey.tripod.com/


Also try to watch a movie called ‘1971’.One of the rare hindi movies made on POWs
(Prisoner of Wars).

And with a request to observe a silence for a minute in memory of these brave men.
That’s the least we could do.


Jai Hind.

Love,
Saket.

Travelogue of a journey from India to Bharat

The journey was truly from India to Bharat. The occasion was Wedding Ceremony
of a friend and colleague. The Wedding was to be held at Jhansi. The name Jhansi
evokes such a great sense of history as we all have grown up on great patriotic stories
of Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi. Now we all know how hazardous it is to apply for leave
in these troublesome times but a mandatory week off forced by client on our team allowed us to go for the wedding. Now since the trip was planned on a very short notice affordability of air tickets went beyond our finance. So we all planned to take the service of Indian Railways to travel. But even here we could manage a Sleeper Tier ticket that too not all of us got confirmed seats.
Travelling in Sleeper class to north India in mid July will give scare to anyone who has faced the fury of summers in that part of India. That I have been in Bangalore for last 5 years in the most beautiful weather has made me even more skeptic about travelling.But the feeling of going to land where you have been brought up and where your roots lie will overcome all these apprehensions.
The train leaves Bangalore at 19:35.Now Bangalore railway station is not the perfect example of how a Railway station of a leading metropolitan should be but it is just enough clean and tidy enough that if your train is late you can comfortably wait at
the platform.
Indian Railways sleeper class coaches can be perfect classrooms for the course in
Hospitality management. All the leading institutes around the globe should make it sure that the students enrolling in this course should be given a trip in the sleeper class and it will be even better if the trip involves travelling across any north Indian town.Anyone who boards the train at any station boards the train with an assurance that irrespective of whether he has a reservation or not, he is entitled to sit or sleep at any seat he wish to. The boarder enters the compartment and if he has the seat he will take the seat quite assertively and if he doesn’t have a seat he will ask the already seated people to just push a bit so that he too can have a seat. The one who has the seat reserved is expected to be hospitable enough to accommodate any no of people who comes through. Will you get a better example of sense of hospitality anywhere else !.
This is Indian Railways for you.
There are huge distances to be covered. So there are various means of passing time.
People make friends, they discuss politics,cricket. These days they carry laptops too
so have the luxury of watching movies, listening music. And then we have the ubiquitous ‘Chai wala’ without whose ‘Chai’ no journey is any Indian train is complete.
So one ends up gulping 10-15 tea cups during the journey.
In my compartment I was accompanied by 4 engineering graduates who are pursuing
engineering in Bangalore and were retuning home to Lucknow via Jhansi after finishing their semesters.As usual they had just one seat between them and I readily became a
‘bhaiya’ for them. Now the term ‘bhaiya’ if used in Maharashtra evoke such a fear
in north Indians(courtesy Mr Raj Thakeray) but when used in Trains,such a perfect platform for forging relationships. In the same compartment another student studying Pharma was travelling to his home in Rajasthan.He readily became another bhai for the eng. Grads. So at 11 pm me and the pharma student were sharing the berth so that we all can sleep tight in night.

The next day was spent with these guys narrating how enjoyable their first 2 years have been far away from watchful eyes of parents. They will narrate their dare devil acts and one fellow in our compartment who must be in late 30’s had it enough and sarcastically asks them ‘Are they right in doing all this? Was this the reason their parents have sent them here? Moments ago this man was being offered wafers, soft drinks and what not by these guys but now he was an Uncle. I tell you, this generation hates being preached.

The day passed by. The night too. The train reaches Jhansi at 3.30 A.M. The train reached at the right time. We got down. And what was to be seen was a huge sea of humanity sleeping on the floor as if we have reached some Military dormitory just that the amount of dirt and filth lying around the area the people were sleeping would shoo away all notions of this being a Military camp. Welcome to Bharat.

62 years of freedom from Gora Sahib’s rule but when our Railways Minister talked of
Creating 50 'World Class Railways stations' and 375 ‘Adarsh Railway Stations’ Mr Lalu Prasad says that is not feasible.Now these ‘Adarsh Railway Stations’ will have all basic amenities like clean water,waiting rooms, clean platforms etc etc. This is ‘Adarsh Railway Station’ for you. 62 years and we are still struggling to have ‘bijli, paani’ and having these will make a station ‘Adarsh’.These are basic amenities in other world though.
.
We got out from the Railway station. It appeared that we are in some Red Country.
Walls, floors ,streets almost everything seems red. Red by expectoration from Pan chewing people, from Gutka eating people , from people eating Pan Masala etc.
Communists from China would have been so happy to know that in remote corner of UP a town is so dedicated to their dying theory .The Red Revolution.

The wedding went fine. It was such fun attending the marriage in old traditional fashion
again though I restricted myself to just helping myself with unlimited variety of delicacies. How badly I love the Shadi ka khana.

After the wedding I thought of visting my Parents in Lucknow as Lucknow is not very far off from Jhansi. And Indian railways has made sure that there is a train from everywhere
To everywhere. So here I was again in a Inter City Express between Jhansi and Lucknow.
The train pass through the town of Kanpur and as the train left the station what one sees
is a such a huge conglomerate of slums that one will be forced to think that are we passing through Dharavi?. No problem I said to myself.Let the train get past another town and the same visual will repeat.I wonder is there some term called ‘Fourth World Country’? If not then why not coin it and get it patented .This is Bharat. I left India the moment the train went past Bengaluru.

The train reached Lucknow in another hour and a half. Same visuals repeating themselves but who cares now.The smell of your own land taking over all your feelings.
Maa has cooked Kadhi at home and I can smell that from light year apart.

I call for a auto and this ends the travelogue.Please feel free to comment on this.

Arey Auto wale Bhaiya , chaloge.

Love,
Saket.