Welcome to another episode.

This blog has a lot of posts about sporting heroes. Actually, no, this blog has very few posts, a lot of which are about sporting heroes. In this post too I shall talk of Sporting heroes, before which we shall touch upon some very recent events gone by.
Security forces of Pakistan were indeed unaware about the little party that the US Navy Seals had in their premises, sort of the opposite of asian students in the USA having parties that the landlord doesn't know off. Of course, in the student parties, kegs of beer get murdered along with any veils of decency that people from countries of "rich heritage, richer than youvar country" put up when abroad; and in Abbottabad the keg of beer was the most wanted man of the last two decades, and the veils of decency were the several facades put up by both US dipplomats and Pak officials, that our illustrious neighbours were doing everything they can to curtail terror. The largest sufferers of this botched, ill-fated alliance of money and dimwits, are the people of Pak. Whom, apart from already facing terror threats day in and day out, are at higher risk now, since the head has been taken off, and they sit to be, easy targets. While Mr. Obama pats himself on the back, and the world heralds the beginning of more peaceful times, I just hope they aren't just talking about the 'developed' world.
In a shocking incident that should make the entire Yoga teacher community rise as one (breathe in sloooo-wlyyy) and metaphysically stone (Yoga helps achieve non-violence) this jerk (breathe out slowlyyy) , a yoga teacher in Thalaghattapura horrifyingly butchered his long time girlfriend turned mistress, and froze her body in his own house, all with his wife in the next room. I don't understand why we haven't yet implemented chemical castration punishments. murderers of women should be chemically castrated. And considering our government regulates so much already, women must now get all relationships approved by a neutral (run by eunuchs) Government body. I say this for the good of men and mankind. clearly more women make mistakes in judgements and as long as it's only emotional cacophony, there's nothing wrong with it. But surely an already depleted sex ratio being further more in danger because of things like this, it's time we act. But seriously, condolensces with the bereaved. What a terrible way to lose a loved one.
These last few months, years even, have done the Kaliyuga no good service, justifying its title to mean The age of "strife, discord, quarrel, or contention". From billion dollar scams to human tragedy in natural calamities to treachery of the worst kinds, the country, and indeed the world has seen it all. Enough and more has been said about the 2G scam, and this blog is late in reacting to the same. But with Kanimozhi saying prophectically the she is "prepared for the worst", I wonder what the nation has to hope for. The most gruesome of all tragedies of most, that the world has seen was the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that hit the busybody Land of the Rising Sun one afternoon in March this year. While the direct damage of the earthquake and the Tsunami is numerically smaller than couple of other seismic events of similar order of the recent past, the consequences of this one are without doubt the epitome of what KaliYuga is supposed to be. We are yet to know what the true extent of Chernobyl's damage to the world is; the wiki page has a very disturbing picture of a mutated pup that was born near the site; and so it will be another half a century before we know the true extent of the Fukushima Accident. And while most people who will read this, being dead around that time, we may not have much to fear for ourselves, as MJ says "What about sunrise? What about rain? What about all the things, that you said we were to gain?"
On a definitely happier note, India won the World Cup, Cricket, of course. The captain, MS Dhoni very generously credited the ascent of Indian Cricket over the last decade and a half, to the Fab 5 that we grew up with. (Dhoni missed out on Laxman, without doubt that is a name that should be in that elite set. Some would argue Javagal Srinath deserves mention too). Even more honest on Dhoni's part to mention other sports where India has been doing very well recently (he left out boxing I think, Mary Kom and Vijender Singh deserve mention and acclaim). However with the victory came the jingoism. The ugly face of the Indian fan. People will castigate me for saying this, but somehow the sheen of the Cup was tarnished with the biker jerk who almost crashed into my car screaming "Pakistan Murdabad". In hindsight, I should run over the idiot. All of them. It seems I have some rage issues.
I blame the marketing frenzy of the Cup that seemed to take vile pleasure in inciting the common public to side with their country with brainwashing images of the tricolour brandished on every conceivable patch of skin that can be shown. And then there was Poonam Pandey. Oh God.
In the wake of the World Cup came the IPL, and I was pleasantly surprised by an ad about how the IPL was not about countries and borders anymore, just people playing cricket and more people cheering. Refreshing thought, if only it wasn't because the teams got reshuffled this year and they needed some way to make people like the tourney. In any case, as much as the pommie journos would like to believe otherwise, while the ratings are a bit low this time around, this IPL has actually had some nice contests. It is especially refreshing to watch the veterans going about their business in this brisk format with so much more ease than their younger colleagues. That being said, Shane Warne announcing today that this is his last IPL was very painful. As it is, we the fans, are deprived of Kumble, respectfully so, Murali appears to be fading (maybe it's a phase, there is next year after all), there is the impending retirement of the remaining trio of the original fab 5 from the Indian test team, the IPL was a good way to wean ourselves from being so in love with these icons. So today, when Warne's telling us "It's not you, it's me", and "we'll still be friends"; we know all too well, it may never be the same again.
By a bittersweet coincidence I will be able to watch Warne in action on his 'home'ground very soon. But too bad Liz Hurley has already returned to pursue her own busy life of fashion and photoshoots.

Hiatus

Breaks are good. They are good. or so I am told.

I had given up hope of ever competitively writing or posting online again. No one follows my blogs, and sort of seemed ostentatious to write into thin air. But what the hell, lets see.

Three factors contributed to my return to the Blagosphere, (XKCD spellings)

Someone shared with me this delightful Tumblr page: Local Tea Party (Particularly, this post and this post). This led to me starting my own Tumblr page, Aiyoo Devre!

Then, I happened to read this candid blog, Pri's World, And it shamed me that my own blogposts were last dated in 2008 and 2009.

The final spark came from Chamko Rani who incidentally also rekindled her interest in posting online again.

All in all, how long I can sustain this, {insert cliche about sustaining long term plans in life, and perseverence}

Cheers!

Blame the monkey.

Amongst the several breaking news items that have sporadically hit TV screens and newspaper fronts in the last 10 days, a recurring one has been the tragic death of Abhishek, a young boy who got washed under into a drain in heavy rains. Much has been said about how it is another reminder of how our big cities lack the most basic of civic amenities, like safe drainage.

In events that followed, Mr. Vivek Menon, a Lead India finalist/nominee (no clue what it was, I wasn't in the country, and I don't see any person who's changed anything in society after winning Lead India, yes, your presumption is right, I don't attach any credibility to the contest) apparently said that Abhishek’s death had failed to draw any sympathy or support from the BBMP. He called for the resignation of BBMP commissioner. He also allegedly said that a criminal case must be filed against the commissioner. I say apparently, and allegedly because I have googled for the last 10 minutes (and I am a very, very good googler) and found no direct article that states Mr. Menon said so. The only article that seems to have a reference to the same is one in the Bangalore Mirror (well, the next time I want hypothesised news, I know where to go) and this article in the New Indian Express about BBMP officials coming out with a sign of unity (really?) against the statement. That they were reacting to a statement that I find no verifiable record off is amusingly irritating for it was a waste of valuable work hours.

Let us assume for this single paragraph and the next that he did say all those alleged comments. This is a major reason why the Lead India thing never really appealed to me. It wasn't that it was piloted by what I feel is the most deceptively marketed tabloid in modern print media history. Or that it was trying to find someone with Indian roots by asking them questions in english. The very aura I got from the contest was a very elitist, groupist kind of setup where the judges apparently seemed to be 100% aware of what it takes to lead India. The fact that something that was supposedly of that much of a grass roots level idea, is now so very forgotten, and continues on the internet (accessible to 2% of India) takes away even more credibility. (Anyway, I'll stop now lamenting about reality shows and the like, getting back to what I was saying) A person of Mr. Menon's alleged intelligence (actually, I've met him, he seems to be quite intelligent, albeit disappointingly yuppie at times) should know better than to call for the resignation of the chief of an organisation that has a crisis in hand. How does a resignation solve anything?! The boy's still dead, the drains are still a mess, and you're not Prime Minister Mr. Menon.

Next I want to talk of the media's hounding the BBMP too about it. I just tuned into the normally very sweet sounding Vasanthi Hariprakash bellowing on NDTV how this whole episode wreaks of civic negligence, and wondering very loudly whether civil governing bodies in India will ever wake up to the tragedies of day to day life in India (one thing is clear: if it wasn't for civic negligence, Abhishek might have been alive today. ). Maybe the BBMP deserves every bit of flak they're getting. Over the last 5 or 6 years, the work efficiency has visibly dropped (Couldn't we have the BATF back please?! Pretty Please!!). On my street also resides the local BJP MLA, and the drains that were opened for desilting (very conveniently) coinciding with the onset of the Lok Sabha Elections still remain opened. That's how many ever days from much before April 23rd, to today, June 10th. A couple of years back, a friend of mine fell into a gushing open manhole, and survived very narrowly (He held on very tightly to the rim of the manhole, enduring heavy rain, as his then girlfriend used the might of woman-power to pull him out.). But there is an urgent need for perspective here. Why are intelligentsia joining in, in unintelligent bashing of the administration, when EVERYONE are to blame? If Mr. Menon truly had a grass roots view of India, he'd know that our drains are in that bad a shape because we keep them that way. Every plastic cover that someone oh so "cool"ly throws away on the street contributes to it's many clogs. Would our drains really need so much desilting, if people stopped the very disgusting habit of keeping a pile of construction sand right in the street, and making sure it was fully exposed in the rainy season? Why is it our divine right to divert every flowing liquid from our houses into a stream in front of our houses, when actually the drains are there only to carry water off the street. But no, instead of very efficiently harvesting the rain water from our roofs, we push it into the storm drains, and push along with it scraps and leaves from the streets, including the nice big coconut branch that just fell, and the 6 finished packs of chips that our fat obese unhealthy kids just threw away. The BBMP is elected by us, they are, in a very cliched way first among equals, supposed to be doing in an organised way what the citizens need. It is a mark of how immature we are, that they seem so clueless. Instead of citizens and the authorities standing shoulder to shoulder in the quest for progress, here, the BBMP needs to be a teacher in a nursery class (very crude language coming up) with kids crapping in their pants before they come to school, and the parents then taking the teacher to task for rashes on their kids' butts, amongst other things. Why have we become so selfish? So unwilling to take up responsibility, unwilling to face the consequences of our very horrendous actions.

The truth is that we, the people of Bangalore killed Abhishek. With every bit of plastic thrown away, we dug a watery grave for a small child. There are small children around us, and I don't see them learning not to litter, so we're probably going to see this for long.

I do not think Mr. Vivek Menon said what he supposedly did (I hope not. Hope he could clarify.). If he did, then it only unfortunately validates my very pessimistic understanding of, if things are going to change. But no reason why we shouldn't hope that they do. For the BBMP to not go on strike, to be very strict with litterers, for people to do their bit to keep the drains, amongst other things, functional. It gets very lonely, not to mention frightful to try and tell a stranger not to litter. I've been laughed at for picking up after some idiot who dropped a plastic bag into a drain, yelled at, for telling him not to. And, very cinematically, spit at for saying that he didn't belong to a city he littered. I'm not a Gandhi. A leader who could instill in the minds of millions, what he believed they should think and do. Well, not yet atleast. So until I become one, could my friends please help me out?

The New Generation Gap

It's been a thought of mine for quite sometime now. I'm almost certain about it though. I too am at the opposite end of a generation gap now. No longer the youngest in any of the standard demographics, I too am now guilty of being at complete odds with young people (well, younger than me) doing things I didn't imagine would happen so soon.

Back in high school, my english teacher, Mrs. Radha Murali had said when one refers to a generation the time span they're referring to is 30 years. 3 decades. If this numeric interpretation of the word "generation" is purely linguistic, then we probably are coming to a time where it has to be redefined. Now 24, (well, 25 in a few months) I've been feeling like there's a whole new generation out there that's come in just a few years after me. A louder, more talkative, a more thrifty, consumerist, set of people that seems so inclined to leaving the country for good, sometime in their mid-20's.

When the first year's joined college that year, the usual stream of events that follow the occurrence ensued. Amongst the ones who had just gotten a rung higher into the second year, most guys were sieving the herd to spot all the pretty girls, a lot of the newly "seniored" looking for which of the silent lambs they could push around for a joke or two, the oldest in college, the final years couldn't come to terms with just how naiv- I mean, young the first years looked, and the in-betweens, the third years... myself included, couldn't get over how different things had been just two years earlier.

It was around the time, maybe 6 months or so into it, that cellphone rates had fallen across the country. "Hutch" had already made an incredible impact with it's "Hi" ads, and become incredibly popular thanks to a son of a bitch. Compact, cheap, durable cellphones were a norm rather than exceptions. And for some reason, almost as if responsive to the overdose of electronics in campuses, cash registers everywhere were ringing with splurging teens visiting multiplexes to clubs to the newly popular malls. ("They're soon going to be everywhere", we were told). I was almost dumbstruck. Almost, because there's almost Nothing that will make me speechless (except maybe people telling that they're getting married, and this seems to be happening with an astonishing regularity these days, but more on that in the other blog maybe)

Here's the part where I feel old. Almost no one in a college of 3600 students, had a cellphone when I just joined. In a little over two and a half years, almost none was without one. But the difference it made seemed glaring to me. We didn't walk around with a phone worth 3 or 4 thousand in our pocket, we did so with bus charge for the day, and a few extra one rupee coins for the one rupee coin booths on campus. (And, they had to be the correct kind of coins, others wouldn't work). Parents didn't hound us on the phone at half past 4 in the evening trying to get us to come home. Friends (that word really meant a lot) kept appointments, and didn't call last minute to cancel. And when we sat in class, as the lecturer or professor taught us, we daydreamed and chatted amongst ourselves like decent students. Not hide a phone and message people in weird languages (w r u, I m 4 nt 2 der da cnt b dis easy- does anyone really understand that?!)

And let me not even start on our culinary expenditures. In the second year of Pre-university college, I spent 200 rupees on treating my friends on my birthday. A couple of years later, in engineering, I spent almost the same amount. We had filter coffee. It should almost be expected how shocking and unbelievable it was, that somehow, another two years from then, people were quite comfortable with spending about ten times that much (-at least, at least 10 times). Yes, salaries had gotten better over those two years, but a lot had gotten cheaper too. Computers were priced at half the rates for twice the better configurations (thereby being 4 times cheaper!). We had emailed each other, and downloaded scores of mp3's (at least 3 a day) on superfast 56Kbps dial-up internet (I used to get a pristine 4KBps download speed sometimes you know). At only around 800-1200 rupees a month (depending on how long you stayed online of course) we got to use Napster for the then not-illegal downloads, Hotmail and Yahoo were by far the most popular email options of course. We were still fascinated by how fast this new "Google" search was. Soon it transpired that spending 1000 rupees for that ridiculously low amount of data transfer was outrageous, and even more outrageous were single digit KBps download speeds. The same hotels stayed with hardly any change in the prices (Inflation was low back then.. Different governments you see.. hehe) From 5 rupees per minute (damn, that's cheap) for an outgoing call to talking for 20 minutes with the same amount, everything had suddenly gotten cheaper in a matter of months. So why were people spending so much more than ever before?!

I should clarify that I am by no means referring to a single age group of people, the changes I talk off, I see in people of all ages.

It's cliched of course to say how much easier it is to keep contact these days, what with messages, and with 3G, video conferencing. It's even more cliched to say, that as easy as it has become, it's become rarer that people actually do keep in contact. Even when random accidental meetings happen, the very environment that has made everything so much easier, seems to take over conversations. Maybe I'm being an absolute surd (irrational) about this whole issue, change is after all a good thing. In the last three weeks I have witnessed four weddings, two engagements, and two divorces. Have we perhaps changed so fast that we don't deal with it ourselves? Don't get me wrong, I had; a PC-XT (40MB Hard-disk, 256KB RAM, don't even ask me what the supposed processor speed was), above said dial-up connection, and 2 rupees in my pocket that, if spent, would be seriously frowned upon; as a teenager. So I'm glad as anyone else for all the high speed stuff we have today, along with my many favourite restaurants (expensive). But as the purist in me occasionally surfaces to Tssk Tssk at the state of affairs today, it angers me to no end to see people spend 300 rupees on crassly commercial movies in overpriced and pretentious multiplexes. Even with 200 bucks worth of flowers ordered online, endless messages exchanged over the phone and on various instant messaging modules, it pains me to see people unable to conduct full fledged conversations in person, without being intoxicated with one thing or the other.

Again, I should say, maybe this is just paranoia, a culture shock of a very weird kind. But somewhere I'd like to believe that the times haven't changed the fact that other people should be more important to us, than the amenities that help us keep in touch. I can't help but be saddened when losing a cellphone is the reason (maybe even an excuse?) someone's just completely gone out of touch with me for a year... What? There weren't friends in the world before cellphones and the internet? With such disdain shown about personal relationships, it's hardly unexpected that very few people have any sort of connection with the bigger things in life. Caring about a country's future. The fight for the environment. Humanity and kindness in the face of adversity. Why would you care for a stranger you've only just met if you stopped caring for a friend because you lost your cellphone?

Like I said, this seems to be the case with people across different ages. Is the New generation gap more to do with the availability of resources than how old we are? Hope this gap doesn't turn from being one between generations to one between humanity itself...

Same ol' same ol'

I've gotten stuck in a vicious cycle of posting once in six months (or more actually) Hmmm, We'll try to get out of that one.

Ironic though, that I am posting now. Simply because I'm being pushed over the edge to express what I feel right now, and I'm doing it almost discretely, as if to express myself with noone watching or listening. Or reading.

We've just finished another marathon set of Elections in India. The results are out, and everyone, including those who have won, have been taken by surprise. To say the least, I wish things had been different. To begin with, well, there is now a party in power for the second term running, when their first time in office itself was of questionable existence. But the results of the elections are the combined opinion of a mandate and a respectful citizen of a democracy needs to respect that. So I will not crib.

Respect and democracy... These words seem to be at such odds today, it appears people participating in a democracy deserve no respect. I'm being cryptic, I know so I'm getting to it soon.

I hate neither the Congress nor the UPA. Back when Sitaram Kesari was the Congress president, and Sonia was getting into the party fold, I even had a crush on her (I like powerful women). When the results of the 2004 elections were announced, I was disappointed quite a lot then, because in the centre whom I felt had been one of India's best Prime Ministers had lost, and in the state whom I believed to be one of the best Chief Ministers the country had seen had also lost. But, still there was a sliver of optimism in that Manmohan had become PM, he seemed like a respectable man (he still most definitely is). I've been brought up in what is called a "BJP area" (funny how this is called a BJP area, there's only been two BJP MP's here in the last 60 years, the first shifted to the Congress 4 years into office, the second one who's JUST been voted into power, was in the Congress for 25 years.) But irrespective of what my community around me stood for; I was born in the year India's most decisive PM was assasinated, and was awakened to politics when India's youngest PM was assasinated; this and a host of other reasons have made me have the deepest respect for the democratic process, and a very well rounded admiration of the various players of our political leagues. I welcomed with much surprise the Vajpayee government (the second time around) because of the very fact that after 40 years we were going to have 5 years of governance from someone other than those who had glued themselves to the chair. Before that, I cheered with amusement when an ambling DeveGowda held his heart with power (Sir, 32 crores of population is going to be covered under the PDS. Is this the sin that I have committed? The charge is that this Prime Minister has not taken care of poverty alleviation programme. Touch your heart and then you vote against the Confidence Motion. Touch your heart and then take a decision. Well, this was when he lost power, but you get the point). And even before Gowda's drowsy meetings, I looked up to Rajiv Gandhi as someone that could be emulated. Such is the beauty of democracy, there is freedom for the voter to admire whomsoever he or she pleases.

In the last decade or so, across the world it's a become a matter of character who a person admires, identifies with or voted for. I myself have taken very happily to ridiculing people who vote republican in the USA (with which I have no connection whatsoever, so why should I say anything?! I'm kidding, really, people should vote for whomsoever they want) , but I've always convinced myself that voting is a right and a freedom. A choice, a personal choice, one that should not be critiqued or questioned. This is the greatness of democracy I thought. And yet around me things have rapidly changed. When Sonia Gandhi was announced to be the Prime Ministerial candidate for the Congress, years ago, people who voted for "the foreigner" were considered unpatriotic, anti-nationalist, and were said to be hung-over drunks from the raj.

A lot of things changed from then, Sonia is now acceptably Indian; has wielded more power than most dictators do; has also added, amongst other things, critiquing the work of a PM to the list of unpatriotic acts. Secularism has taken a new form, 90% reservation may soon be a reality, Afzal may never be hanged, Kasab may even walk free, under the delightfully liberal policies of the UPA.
A lot of people cheer the losses of the Left, and as this young lady notes that isn't exactly a good thing. And while the winner-of-the-second-term-in-running threatens to be completely unabashedly moderate on terror, but extremist on it's opposition, the opposition itself isn't anything remotely admirable. The two most infamous and inexcusable domestic events of the last year have made me disgusted at the workings of the NDA. For one, I believe that neither the Ram Sene nor Varun Gandhi seem to work on the directives of the BJP. But they do work inside the jurisdiction of the BJP leadership. Instead of rising to the levels of Nationalism, the BJP slid to what will forever be perceived as communalism. Instead of sending a message to the fundamentalists with strict action, they let both offenders off with almost nothing.
And now again, after the elections this happens. Firstly, violence in any form against anyone is disgusting. River water, kidnappings, election victories, election losses, even as a retort to violence itself, violence is not a solution. My condolences to the affected parties.
But secondly, and now I get to what made me blog this time around. The content of that report is the presented in the most unobjective manner possible by a journalist. Infact, it is quite judgemental, quite clearly, the reporter seems to have convicted whomsoever (s)he perceives as the guilty. But you know what, it's a free country! So while I don't like it, I cannot oppose judgemental journalism. So this rampant judgemental behaviour our media indulges in, has started dividing those who follow it. And this has been this election's greatest tragedy. The disgusting people who acted in insanity in the most recent incidents proclaim they will rape any woman who comes out, and because of this, a very close friend of mine proclaims with much authority "those who voted for the BJP in Karnataka should be ashamed of themselves". Really?

Whom I voted for is immaterial to this thought, simply because it is my fundamental right to choose whom I vote for. That I voted for a party that has been ineffective in dealing with insurgent fundamentalists, instead of voting for one that excuses people who attack, instill terror in my countrymen, somehow compels me to be ashamed of myself? Honestly speaking, I don't disrespect or detest people who vote because they get 1300 rupees for their vote, or because the candidate is their caste, creed, height, weight or any other particulars of identification. In a country like India, every person has his or her own understanding of priorities and what is important for them. Is it so wrong to expect the same when I think we've had to choose between fresh cow dung and dried cow dung in these elections (Don't ask me who is what)?

Decades after the British have left, divide and rule is still the success formula in India. My friend, I request you to be gracious in victory as I am in defeat. What was your candidate and your party before the elections, is now OUR government. Please, don't push me away, by ridiculing my fundamental right to franchise. Instead, let us join hands to take the country to further greatness and pinnacles of democracy. And depending on the workings of this government, maybe one of us will switch "sides" next time around.

P.S. After reading speculations of the composition of the next cabinet to be mostly young guns, including Scindia Jr., Pilot Jr., Deora Jr., I am optmistic of what this government might do. I'll wait and watch.

Sarfaroshi...

I write this, After two nights of what seems to be another chapter in our never-ending story of being weathered by terrorism. Much has been said about the war on Terror, and frankly, it seems like our bravado ends with words. Every time our country faces another round of sodomy at the hands of these cowards, cowards who don't fight with their chests held high, and flags posted, everytime we have the same sense of rage, of disgust. The citizens yell at the politicians asking them why we are not safe. Celebrity speakers like Ms. De, talk in horrendously contradicting words on why they are upset. Politicians, most of them, maintain a couple of days of Diplomacy before settling into their usual duties. The right-wingers harp an anti-Pakistan rhetoric. The Prime Minister assures, with no words spared, how they will retaliate. Half the country muddles up who they're angry with. Add to the equation opportunist "leaders" and we're heading towards nothing less than a full scale civil war. Some would say there's already one on now.

That we have to do something about the situation, is so much the truth, that anyone who says it out aloud now should perhaps be treated with the same disdain as people saying anything redundant. Yes Of course something has to be done. But what? How?

On paper, a year or two, under a military rule will set things right. With respect to internal security atleast. Obviously, everything that is happening is because of our democratic structure. Freedom of speech. But of course, with Military rule will come economic slowdown. Men will be sodomized, women raped. How do we value if one is better than the other?

So we're falling back on Democracy to be the saviour. To restore our trust in humanity. Humanity. It feels so strange to use the word. While our foremost concern and efforts will need to go into making our Government work for us, our own hearts and minds need to take care, of humanity. Again, to call for being secular and tolerant is stupid. We are far beyond that point. Secularism means nothing when society is prejudiced not by religions, and faiths, but by appearances and actions. I appeal to every Indian, to continue to be loving in these troubled times. Put yourself in the shoes of the individual victims, and their loved ones. Would you really be happier if someone came and preached to you about how terrible one community or country is? My guess would be that all you would want is a hug, and your hand held.

I have randomly gone through some articles in the foreign press. From the New York Times, to The Telegraph. Honestly, it disgusts me. Every statement that has been issued from the Indian government and officials, has been suffixed or prefixed with "claim" "trying to blame". Make no mistake, our country is alone. In a harsh world of opportunistic capitalists, it's every colour for itself. And well, we're a colour minority. This calls for decision the subcontinent has to make. It is true, that so far, the state of Pakistan has actively supported this blasphemy. A major decision lies with them. If they continue this as a national policy, Millions of innocent Pakistans, will perish to the rage of people harrassed. Next the onus lies with every politician and citizen of India. This is not a battle that can be fought, as Hindus, Muslims, Christians, or even as Indians. This is an "attack on humanity" and to preserve that we must unite, under a single motive of trust and love. If we let ourselves be manipulated with words of "them" and "us", there will be no end to carnage. Terrorists will continue to find funding in stupid governments and unions, victims will continue to find no obvious answers to their trauma.

For India, For humanity, spread the love.

Condoling the victims of Insanity, 26/11/2008

What a year.

A year and 19 days after I last typed into this window, and I sit back trying to recollect all the moments gone by. First non-coalition government in Karnataka in what, two terms? (I think just one term, and we had three chief ministers!) The infamy of the Australia cricket tour. And Oh my god, the ignominy of the Hockey team not making it to the Olympics for the first time ever?! The short-lived media frenzy over the priceless feats of Abhinav Bindra, Vijender Kumar and Sushil Kumar. And what an Olympics it was... I salute you China. (Mind you, Arunachal Pradesh is INDIA. Free Tibet. And DON'T YOU DARE legalize Tiger farming). The IPL happened somewhere in the middle as well. Bah, whatever. Kumble got 600, and I had more tears in my eyes. Akhil Kumar, good match man, good match. Rajvardhan... Try again, please, try again. Sania? Fitness darling, fitness... Saina, tough luck. (Actually everyone else in the Olympics contingents, never give up). The bomb blasts - (in purely chronological order, due respects to the ones lost and affected) Jaipur, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Delhi. How much more can one speak of the insanity, that is fundamentalism. The church attacks, secessionists in Kashmir, (what is wrong with you people?), separatists everywhere else. Insipid governments. Recession. Insipid governance. Bracing up for the biggest fall in economies in modern history. More insipidity. well, you get the picture.