Crap

Indians, when overcome by irrational and momentous hate against Pakistan, tend to lash-out and warn about how India is militarily (and otherwise) superior to Pakistan and could nuke it out of existence, and that Pakistan should not dare trouble India, if it knows what’s best for itself.

There are so many things wrong with that statement ..I won’t care to elaborate, purely out of lack of time\intent. Primarily, Pakistan as a nation may prove to be a thorn for India, but it’s peoples do not deserve the hate that is so-often showered upon them. So let’s not threaten the entire peoples of the country. It makes us (Indians) look like gloated muscular buffoons who want to pointlessly (and selfishly) throw our weight around on people much too nice to warrant such show of force (in short, it makes us look like a certain Mayawati).

Here goes –

10 years have passed since the Kargil War came to an end.

Being a citizen of India, and having been subjected to Indian propaganda for all of my years, i ought to classify today as the decade-anniversary of India’s victory in Kargil. Forgive me for not doing so, for, this blog-post is not about winning and losing. Rather, it’s about a virtue that often lies forgotten – generously evaluating how we’re living.

As as all these years passed, we continually witnessed Pakistan deteriorate – in action, and also, in being. The recent turmoil in the country has been visible to everyone. Additionally, when Bombay was attacked on November 26, 2008 (better known as 26\11 to most), several Indians – me too, for an impetuous moment – could be heard making calls for war. After all, there could be no time better than this to finish Pakistan off, no? Pakistan was weak and dis-co-ordinated. The army, the ISI, the government, the peoples, the militia, and every other piece of soceital machinery seemed out-of-place. Pakistan itself was convinced that it was going to come under fire (figuratively, and more). India (i suspect) did carry-out contingency plans for the same too. It would be foolish to think the opposite. I remember writing this down, during the days following the ordeal:

Nothing [sic] can justify War. The imminent loss of lives, the economic impact, the crumbling of international decorum; all weigh down upon a state while it contemplates violent aggression against an enemy state. Let’s focus down to the current context; India-Pakistan. [December 23, 2008]

And so i sat down to chart out (my-own) reasons for whether we(\India) should attack Pakistan or not. I’m basically just converting the points i listed down (back then) into sentences, for the sake of making it worth reading through.

Read the rest of this entry »

On poor journalism, pathetic politics, shoddy Indian attitudes, and well, bull-shit.

53 passengers go without food, water in Paris airport; allege racial discrimination.

Exquisite hospitality (wtf?) was apparently meted out to Indian passengers on an Air France flight, a few days ago. The Indian Express carried a report on the same, and so did several other newspapers. And i can provide no better take on it, than this [:D] – Overrated Outcast.

And then, along-came-sicko : the Mumbai Mirror. Read the rest of this entry »

Today,

India seems to be weathering the financial melt-down, more admirably than several other nations-of-note. She has stood her ground when faced with terrorist attacks, not letting her principles fall prey to the lust of revenge. She maintains her peaceful image, and has not been implicated in any mismanagement of nuclear resources. She successfully houses a potpourri of diverse cultures as the world’s largest Democracy. Not-withstanding obstacles that may line her path, India stands poised to face Her future head-on.
Hence-with, enigmatic as She is, my India enthrals me.

But should a Symbol for India’s national Currency depict all all-of-this?
Maybe Yes, and well, No.

The symbol ought to profess the stability of the nation’s fiscal scenario, but, not with regards to the present state of the world. For, time will pass, and scenarios will change, but the symbol ought to stay on, unfettered by the world surrounding it. Not irrelevant; instead, unperturbed. The current situations, thus, are not what i have let myself remain confined to, while working on my design.

Also, the symbol should seek to represent India’s historical and cultural ethos, as widely accepted. However,
Instead of attempting to please every single faction (sect-, religion-, or other-wise) in the country, the symbol may find a recourse that remains aside from such individual demands, and instead, bears an identity of its own. For, tomorrow, a new government may rule, a new faction may rise – The symbol, only when derived from media and roots that are independent from each of these limiting factors, is one that shall be accepted more readily, no matter who the deciding/governing body is.

Even so, the symbol must prove to be the front-runner of Brand India, and convey her stability, financial- or other-wise. Sturdiness and a subtle sense of authority, would tag along with these features, knitted into the story that goes into the making of the symbol, for every individual to relate to.

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Above: My introduction page write-up for the competition-submission to design a symbol for the Indian Rupee.

PS. The designs proposed by IndiaTimes – they all SUCK. Big time.

PS2. IndiaTimes has a dearth of decent designers. That basically is good news, no?
Note to self, send an Internship application to them. Sure to be accepted [:P]

The penalties are just not high enough. Is that why people blatantly go about doing their corrupt activities with little worry?

When there is no chance of danger, men don’t care. But throw-in a little danger, or blend-in a little risk, and men actually enjoy doing something that goes against the rules. I mean, we wouldn’t care to shatter a window on an empty shack, no? But throw a mallet-weilding old hag into the scene, who will surely come kareening out – and there’ll be a line of boys willing to dirty their hands with the prank.

India faces a similar problem. There is a risk involved, but it is of just the right size – so the corrupt guys experience the thrill of toeing the line. At most times, they can go really far and never even get caught, since the penalties are often doled out without any real conviction. Or, in several cases, the law turns against the very person who tried to catch the crook.

…They arrested me when I sought the information (under the RTI act). If I pursue it, something worse will happen…

We desperately need an iron fist, don’t we?

Incited by : Gandhi’s monkeys 1 & 2

I came across this post a few days ago, titled, “Indians Burning the Holy Quran”.

Hate against Muslims in India is spreading like wildfire.

…Indian Government’s support…hate crimes against minorities…no control on Hindu Extremists…

…In this photograph [as shown on that post] you can see clearly how Hind Extremists openly  practice their hate campaign…

A sikh spectator…part of this or is he standing there trying to be closer to the Hindu mob for his own bleak survival…

It’s not really much, but the author made an attempt to stir up some specific emotions. I did leave a comment for him, however, Pique just forwarded me an email that might help me provide a better reply.

Here’s a pic (from among many) from the email. I have a feeling that many people would have received this email; it seemed to have been forwarded several times in a matter of hours, before it landed up with me.

kashmir: Seperatists burning the Indian Tri-Colour

Now,

I needn’t really say a lot, no…When extremists within India can openly burn the Indian National Flag itself…what is it that can NOT happen? Assaults on Bar-Girls? Naah, that happens. “Breaking” News coverage for snakes that enter homes? That happens too. Awards ceremonies where a Ashutosh Gowarikar fights with Sajid Khan? That too.

And as Pique’s mail went on to elaborate, this event was going-on while a particular news channel was reporting how a cat was stranded on the parapet of a building, and finally jumped off the spot to save herself, seeing how people wouldn’t be able to help her [apparently, the fire-engine was unable to reach there in time, because the number of news-vans that had already turned up there had blocked all entry-routes, for miles]

I will never support someone burning the Quran, or the Indian Tri-colour. No one will [except, ofcourse, the people in the pictures on either blog: 1, 2 ]. I know not how such acts can go so blatantly unpunished – I may have cared to blur the face of the Seperatist leader who was burning the flag, but, surely, the police would have seen better images than the one here?

–

In other things, the touring Sri Lankan cricket team was shot at in Lahore yesterday (March 3). Besides saluting the slain personnel and hoping for the safety of the injured (personnel/players),  and, besides feeling sorry for the general Pakistani public (for, this is a battle that they have no part in, yet, no matter what the outcome, they shall always be on the losing side), there is nothing to say.

–

Woho! Super-charged updates:

[1] Someone in Pakistan swiftly blames India for the attack on the touring cricketers.

[2] The protests in Kashmir [flag burning, et al.] might have their own causes rooted in a much larger episode, of dissent against army activities in the region. Not read much along this, but this link is what gave me this tid-bit. //Even so, the point i try to convey via this post remains unaltered.

[3] The previous link (like many others in the page) direct to a blog, which i’m liking less every moment. Really don’t want people to subscribe to its views.

They elected One. From among 300 million people.

We have to elect a few more. No, a lot more. From among a billion.

Sure our elections will cost more. It doesn’t take n in-depth study to understand that. O wait, that’s exactly what it took.

A survey conducted by Centre for Media Studies (CMS) back home pegs the estimated amount to be spent on the Lok Sabha elections at about Rs 10,000 crore (about $2 billion).

This does not include the cost of holding Assembly polls in States like Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.

While the cost of US election was spread over a year, India would see the massive spending in a matter of months.

The estimated Rs 10,000 crore cost for the Lok Sabha elections includes about one-fourth or Rs 2,500 crore being spent through “unofficial money” or the cash to be paid to voters by the candidates, the CMS survey says.

To think of the furore that the INR 60,000 crore relief package had created, and now, to stare at this latest number. This is what P.Chidambaram, then the Finance Minister of India, had said when declaring the package.

…according to estimates, three crore marginal and small farmers would benefit from the government’s amnesty…

Sure, the elections aim to serve over 1000 crore people, from all possible walks of our society. Surely INR 10,000 crore is justified? Or is it?

For 5 years the UPA has ruled the nation. For 5 years the NDA have opposed them blindly. These are parties/alliances that have a nationwide prescence. In the constituencies under their rule, they ought to have done sufficient good, had they been responsible rulers. And people would have gauged whether to elect them or not. Why must they only now awaken to the plight of the people? Why is only election-time the period when they come down to the common man and speak of 5 ensuing years of bliss?

The 10,000 crore is not money spent in mobilising propoganda, to get elected. Instead, this is money spent to create ruckus – ruckus that drowns the failures and the sloppiness of the past 5 years, and to temporarily drown the spirit of the common man. To befuddle him. Throw so much money around, that a modest and well-meaning person gets crushed under the weight of his own limitations. And, crestfallen, he turns around and searches for hope in the ruckus all-around him. And then he latches onto whatever little promise the leaders scrap around, and falls prey for yet another 5 year period.

This is 10,000 crore spent to dupe us all over again. This is 10,000 crore, spent by those very men who intend to misuse, abuse and thoroughly rape us for another 5 years. And crush us if-and-when we try and stand up against them.

Bloggers, Journalists, and all the others of our kind will think, write, scream, and rant all-we-want, and believe that we’re making a difference. Believe that we’re helping awaken a sleeping nation. Believe that finally India will awaken, and demand from it’s leaders some shred of righteousness.

That belief is hollow.

For, these blogs are read only by others like us. There’re far too few, out there in the country, who even read the newspapers. And those who do, are too overburdened by their worries, inflicted upon them by poor governence, to even spare a moment and think about the Zeroes behind the ‘1′.

To the common man, it’s just a whole lot of Zeroes. Zeroes, that he shall never hold. Zeroes, that are earned, spent and minted by a bunch of men we are compelled to vote for, out of want for better choice. For, if we stand up against their might, we shall be blown away. And if we silently bear their rule, we shall survive, albeit as beggars.

But we shall survive. Survive. That’s all the Indian poor hope for. And amazingly, our rulers provide that exceptionally well.

They allow survival. But no more. Sometimes, less. But NO MORE.

Here’s to our elections. here’s to a nation of 1 billion, whose biggest, and probably only success, is the size of it’s vote-bank. On all other accounts – be it sexual equality, religious freedom, feminism, wealth distribution, law, agricultural growth or per capita income – it has been a runaway tale of mediocricy. Mediocricy, that has been so meticulously embedded into our very psyche, that we can hardly bother. We ape the West, and look up to it; but back here, we only frown, look down, and walk around.

I won’t blame the leaders. When i see IITians around me – incapable of using dust-bins, incapable of treating women as something other than sex-objects, incapable of seeing beyond thier own selfish futures – what can i hope to expect from the remaining destitute in my nation?

I won’t blame those leaders.

For, atleast they stood up and tried to manage us. Unlike so many of us, who speak and demand better governance, but, if asked to stand up and be counted, scorn and hide their fear behind well-crafted words. What the learned are unwilling to do, the sly and the crooked have taken up. And if they make a shoddy job of it, what right do we have to complain?

What right do we have? Except wonder, “How many Zeroes?”

Am i the only one losing sleep over the Pakistan issue? I mean, Pakistan’s our neighbour. And to think that we are so powerless… We have the fire-power, but can’t bomb Pakistan off the map. It’ll only throw it further into the grip of anarchy. We can motivate international propoganda, but it’ll be of no use. We can try securing our borders, but that’s futile too. What, i wonder, can anyone do?

150 km from Islamabad. And the Swat Valley has completely fallen to the Taliban. Girls can’t attend schools. Policemen get killed for serving their nation. People aren’t free to speak or do what they’d like. And as if to crown all-that, ‘unknown’ people murdered a news Reporter, barely a few days after a ceasefire was announced. I may stand waaay off the humanity and compassion scales of measure, but the murder of a journalist is not a palatable event – for me even.

When journalists begin to get killed – that’s when you realise that, for civil freedoms in the country, the death knell has been sounded. It’s obvious that Pakistan can’t do much to prevent what’s surely going to follow. [I'll be getting ahead of myself if i were to speculate what will happen.] I wonder, what can the world do?

And then, the same country that can’t ensure such freedoms, goes ahead and asks India to hand-over Kasab. Apparently, they say, India should have no trouble handing over Kasab to Pakistan, since he’s a Pakistani citizen, and would be tried by pakistani Law.

This, from a country, who first refused to admit that these terrorists were it’s citizens, put a blockade on Kasab’s hometown, refused to co-operate, did stupid things like put the conspirators on house arrest (when, infact, it was protecting the conspirators from the outside world by performing such an act), and even pretended that India did all this to frame Pakistan.

Yeah right, sires, we have no other job in life, than go around throwing muck on your face. Get a life, there’s too much muck there already. And we still haven’t forgotten about Dawood Ibrahim. Don’t come and ask us to hand over Kasab.

In closing – I really don’t hate Pakistan. Least so it’s citizens. I’ve interacted with a few, and found that they were much the same. And frankly, the problem of terrorism that they face in their country – well, India faces much the same – only, they’re called XYZ Sena (xyz=multiple options – all will be correct) and VHP and all-that. I really do hope that the civilians don’t have to bear for the errors committed by forces that are beyond civil control. I do.

I’m an atheist. But, for once, i won’t mind Praying. To God, even. If that’s what it takes to help solve this. Unfortunately, it’ll take a lot more. A LOT…