GuestSpeak: When the world can live without fear

"Terrorism" comes from the French word terrorisme

Terrorism is the biggest threat to today’s world and not a single nation has been able to put an end to terrorism. Every day it is the biggest problem for global political leaders, every day innocent live are lost. Who should the people blame? Are the Government and the intelligence agencies lagging behind in their attempt to control terror activity? People who  are attracted to terrorism because of money are killing themselves as suicide bombers because they are not even bothered about their own life and family and to think this is all because of the lure of money.

People who subscribe to terror should get proper education and if it’s poverty then, global political leaders should think about providing opportunities, so when they have proper education people will not enroll themselves to terror and this could be one way we can remove the steady stream of terror recruits.

Recently, France suffered from terror strikes, where large number of people were killed when terrorists rained bullets on innocent people. 100s of beautiful lives and their dreams were killed. Their ambitions snuffed. Who should people blame for last week’s terror attack? Was it the intelligence that failed? Was it that they were not aware of the information? People have become scared to go out of their houses. Breadwinners fear to step out because they may never return alive..

This is not just France. Every major country has faced terror attack in the last 15 years. The Government should take serious steps to control terror activity so that innocent life can be saved and we can live without fear.

This is a guest post by a good friend and fellow writer Vasu Hebasur. 

Opinions expressed here are personal and solely of the author's and we may not subscribe to it. 

While I was gone... Part 3/3 [April 2013]

The human mind is a wonderful tool! 
There are some who use it to do wonderful things and then there are others who don't know what to do with it.
But there's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't sell it for the right price. Shakuntala Devi, the 'human computer' and 'fortune teller of movie stars, kings and presidents' passed away the past fortnight.

While I won't doubt her genius, what used to bother me is how she would put out kitschy ads in the local newspapers offering to reveal your future with a prior appointment. The tiny advt used to have a photograph of her younger days. Much younger days. The advt would compel prospective fortune seekers to hurry because she would be here 'only for a few days'. 
I remember thinking 'Where is she always rushing to?'
She was always a child prodigy but all she really did was write a few books and read palms for a living. What a utter waste of such genius!

So while we are still mourning over the dead math genius/astrologer, Americans rolled their sleeves up for another dig at Michael Jackson. With billions at stake, this could be the 'trial of the year'. OJ Simpson, take notes.

Pooja Bhatt confirmed our most salacious suspicions - She is indeed responsible for Sunny Leone's foray into Bollywood. Speaking along the lines of how aghast she is with the way her countryman are raping women and young toddlers, she vented out her fury. Well, I believe when politicians and shallow people in the movie industry start paying lip service, and when we take them seriously, we sink to a new low. 

  And so Sunny seems to be flavor of young India and this blog because she has been replacing 'mainstream' actress faster than some of her 'moves'.

An anonymous Indian cow had to suffer the ignominy of being gang-raped and stabbed. I can only imagine the agony she went through in her last moments. The agony of being tied down in a compromising position with two men humping it. 
Peta! Where art thou? 
And this had to happen in a country that worships the ground cows walk/sit/idle/feed/poop/pee on! 

How did the cops decide Rs 2000 was just the right amount to buy the victim's silence? Ofcourse the cops have denied any attempts of hush-ups. Did any of you actually think they would say 'Yes, we are guilty of bribing'? 
But then there are cops with itchy palms and trigger-happy fingers, with a propensity to slap the shit out of unruly protestors. Must we suspend those cops or expect ourselves to behave in a way that befits us?  Watching the footage, which looped in an endless montage, I am reminded how Gandhi's brand of nonviolence no longer exists. 

Do you really think these protesters care about the 5 year old?
These protesters are there for their 15 minutes of fame. And she surely got her pound of flesh too.
They will go back to their jobs/colleges in a day or two. They will add this to their CVs when they apply to universities abroad. And that will be the last we will hear of these protesters.
The victims will go back to their homes and their families, struggle with poor health and low self-esteem for the rest of their natural lives. That is if they don't die/kill themselves already. The very society that 'fought' for them will shun them. No amount of dowry will convince a future groom to take a wife that has been 'dirtied'. Corporates will never hire them because of their 'baggage'. Eventually they will all die a silent shameful death.

In the meanwhile, we will 'honor' our victims with names like Nirbhaya and Gudiya. But none of this can mask our collective hatred against women. Right from the time we know its a girl until its time to 'sell her off'.

If you thought your daughter was safe attending her friend's birthday, think again!
If you thought sending your daughter to a school will help, how naive are you!
If you think your nightmare is over, maybe its just started. Your predator would have just filmed you for future reference.
In the past 2 weeks, half a dozen other toddlers got raped and one of them even had her throat slit.
I am beginning to wonder if it is some kind of a disease that is making our men rape women. While I've said it earlier how I think it is the deluge of violent porn that is available for free that could be 'giving ideas' to our young virile men, I doubt if this is the only reason. 
We shouldn't ban porn. Infact porn is healthy when consumed in the right measure. Would you ban Bollywood for the sheer amount of skin? That is like saying watching Rocky is going to make us take up boxing.

How can we fix the responsibility of the evils of our unpreparedness on showbiz?
But ofcourse you will need to ban Aishwarya for her highly questionable acting skills.

Occasional headlines like 'Man held for sexual assualt...' humors me.
Where was he held? I ask myself.
How long before the court acquits him because the cops refused to file a case or botched up the FIR/investigation?
Will the court suggest that he marry his victim? 

While the chorus to 'Hang the Bastards' have reached a crescendo, I wish all of us would just take a moment, sit down and think like matured adults and not with our entrails. I've said this once before and I'll say this again - Violence (verbal and physical) against women is bad. Equally bad is violence against men. That said, when a woman is violated, it degrades her. More than you and I can possibly imagine. Historically, women have always been placed several pedestals lower than men. Mothers ingrain the belief in their daughters that they are supposed to be nothing more than baby vending machines. Men- Sex machines.
When we hear about how a lady was raped, we take it lightly. We talk about it at forums where free lunch will be served, tea parties, office pantries and at dining rooms. A rape scene used to bring in the audience until a few movies ago.
In our self-righteous eagerness to inflict swift justice upon men who don't conform to our ideals, we want to hang the men who wander off unwritten lines of social propriety. We are right in wanting change. But let's not let the blood rush to our heads. Especially when we know how mob justice and public sentiment have sent the wrong people to the gallows. A classic example of how the wrong people were convicted is the gruesome rape and murder of Debbie Sue Carter. Let's allow the law and science to do what is right atleast now. Arm-twisting has never worked.

All this rhetoric is but empty noise when we choose to drive by an accident victim lying in a pool of blood as it happened in Jaipur. Our hypocrisy underlines how we have absolutely no humanity left in us.


Sushil Shinde, comic relief and overall foot-in-mouth politician delivered yet another gem - We cannot and should not expect our cops to take responsibility and resign.  
No, No, Sushil saab, why on earth would we want to expect anything from you?
Why we haven't prosecuted these SOBs yet boggles me.

Ambani became the butt of a million jokes when the government decided to provide Z plus security to the industrialist. Never-mind that the cops are not able to stop (or prosecute) the men from raping women and toddlers, never-mind we don't take terrorist threats against the country, we have to protect our billionaires. Sure, he could be paying for them, but then he could have got himself a private army if he really wanted to. Isn't that what 'normal' billionaires do?

In India, breast implants have always been a surreptitious cottage industry. Unlike our South Asian counterparts, our women are well endowed. Yet some of our flat-chested women are victims of sniggers and 'mosquito-bite' jokes. So when boob jobs go bust (no pun intended), it can truly be traumatic. 

In a race to catch the culprits or hang the ones they can lay their hands on, Bangalore cops arrested three individuals they suspect planned and executed the attack. This could be the start of a long and emotional trial that won't deter future attackers.

In the meanwhile, our sister from the other side of the pond managed to nab not only the suspects of the attack but also the body of a missing Indian who was the victim of overzealous armchair activists. For all those who complain how we are unprepared, the speed and efficiency at which the Boston police acted is amazing and something we need to learn from. The FBI wasn't unprepared. They did receive credible information about the suspects years before the attack. The brothers were put under surveillance and when nothing was found, the case was shelved. Yet when the attack did happen, Obama spoke what he meant and meant what he spoke. The way citizens and the law enforcement came together to 'hunt' down the suspects will surely make the next radical/loony fanatic think twice before they blow anything up. This is what we need. We need action. Definitive action. 

Descendents of the Arakkal family, erstwhile rulers of the Malabar coast, laid a joint claim for Rs 5000 crores from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. That's a lot of coconut oil and Malabar fish fry, if you know what I mean.

 
If a picture speaks a thousand words, a billboard our army put up spoke many more. Armies around the world have never been known to be friendly to its civilians. Our army has been notorious of raping and killing innocent women and to think such an army would like you to join them just so that you may have a girl who may grow up to be a struggling Bollywood starlet, is not just preposterous but an insult to the victims and their families. But wait a minute, wasn't Gul Panag molested by a dozen men herself?!

And yes, after many years of selling cheap goods and cheaper labor, the Chinese finally invaded us. Our PM gulped. China has stationed her well-oiled fighting machine and we are sitting ducks. And what do we do? We hold flag meetings and send our foot-in-mouth foreign minister for a vacation there. We are very soft people, you see.

We can't win a war with China, won't fight with Pakistan, will sneak a vote against Sri Lanka , threaten the Mauritians and throw out the Bangladeshis. So that leaves us with the Nepalese and the Tibetans. Quite a coalition, I must say! 
I bet the Chinese know how our posturing will amount to naught. All they need to do is wait for our politicians to do the job.  Infact give the Congress/UPA another term in office and they will ensure their ministers cut India into 'fun-size' chunks for themselves.

Uncle Sam says Syria used chemical weapons. He wants to punish Syria. Really?! So what did the coalition use in the first Gulf War? Anyone who would have seen the scale of destruction that the first 'War made for the Networks' unleashed would have testified at the massacre their 'smart-bombs' and 'advanced weaponry' caused. Gulf War Syndrome, anybody?
So now when the Middle East is cautious about letting the Americans attack Syria, it is with much reason. Successive American governments have nurtured regimes when it suited them and cut them down to size when it didn't.

And in news from Pakistan, Sarabjit Singh, who has been lingering in their jails, was brutally attacked and left for dead. 

Our PM has condemned the attack.
If it is any consolation, Sarabjit's family has been able to see his final moments on earth. If it is any consolation, Pakistan has provided an entire ICU that has been guarded by a contingent of police. If it is any consolation, Pakistan has arrested the prisoners who did this to Sarabjit. If it is any consolation, this attack happened in the one place where he was supposed to be safe . The sad part is none of this can be any consolation to a country who spent a couple of crores feting and then hanging Kasab. Sarabjit may be brain dead but will it matter any more to Pakistan?
The culprits are already in prison. This is just double jeopardy.
India wants Pakistan to 'seriously' consider his immediate release. Right! Like they are going to shudder in their kurtas and give in to our 'demands'. Not happening!

India has been called the Asian Superpower. The only superpower that we have is the ability to plunder, rape and procreate.

Earlier this month, the earth shook and people died. This time however, our buildings fell apart by themselves. I bet none of those who visited the hospital in Bhopal would have thought they would die but that's the way things worked.
In Bangladesh, hundreds of workers at a factory that made cheap clothes for our western cousins died when the building collapsed like a house of cards. As I am writing this post, the building owner was arrested as he was trying to flee to India. Really?! Of all the places in this earth, to think he believed India could provide refuge to a Bangladeshi?

In other disasters, Sivakasi had their annual fire accident and a dozen people died. People started talking about worker safety. For a country that can't protect its children, how can we protect workers any better?
Fire broke out at a missile test range lab in Northern India. As I read the headline, I had visions of the chaos at Skynet ala Terminator.

In other inane news of the fortnight, Akhilesh refused to address Harvard to protest how one of his ministers were given the SRK treatment at the Logan International Airport. Seriously, Akhilesh refusing to speak at Harvard is like Rakhi Sawant refusing to attend the Oscars. Does it really matter?

Sonam Kapoor, daughter of Anil Kapoor and whose only claim to fame is her obscene collection of handbags, flashed much skin at one of those dime-a-dozen fashion shows. As the brand ambassador of LO'Real Paris, she showed off in minimal makeup and even less clothes.

Auto maker Bajaj, became the target of much ridicule and contempt when it announced its quadricycle project. Curiously, Tata was most vocal. Why not? After creating the world's cheapest car, competition is not something they want.

Adlabs Imagica, dubbed India's answer to Disneyland opened its doors to a nation that has every thing else.
 
Former American president Bush Jr inaugurated his library. So what kind of books would one of the dumbest American president have in his library?

Stating the obvious, our scientists finally concluded that God does play a role in restoring sanity to the mind. Its like one of those MasterCard advertisements-
Cost of hiring scientists that had nothing better to do - $ 500,000.
Cost of experiments to find out what can cure insanity - $ 6 million.
Realization that God does heal the body and mind - Priceless!

A fifteen year old study declared that the bra is a false necessity. Male scientists who had nothing better to do but to find a legitimate way to stare at breasts arrived at the conclusion that 'the breasts do not benefit from being deprived of gravity... and breasts would gain more tone and support themselves if no bra was used'. You don't say!

Age seems to have caught up with Facebook. With the declining numbers of people logging in or signing up, Facebook is going through an awkward puberty.

The world celebrated 20 years of the Internet (aka 'free porn') and here's a peep at the world's first website!

We'll have a proper monsoon, sayeth the weatherman. So this is supposed to be good news for farmers, atleast the ones that didn't kill themselves over the past many years. And it looks like even nature is happy that India is going to vote. Both Congress and the BJP will claim that the country got a good monsoon because of them.

IT/BT barons threw their weight behind 14 candidates in India's silicon valley. While I haven't decided who I'll vote for, I was surprised they didn't decide to support a friend who is in the fray - Sridhar Pabbishetty. I've worked with him for several years as part of an NGO and he is perhaps one who has my vote eyes shut. I'd let his actions and his past talk for him and I've always wished we had more people like him in active politics.
So when I read about the National Institute of Political Excellence, a school for Politicians, I am optimistic.

In other good news, cops threw the book at the father of the nine year old that stunned the world, who he drove his dad's million dollar Ferrari. Judging by the State Police's love for money and the fact that they have weak road transport laws, this dad would've weaseled his way out of this case by the time you've read this post.

Sheila of Delhi (not a jawani by any stretch of imagination) accepted protest letters signed by 10 lakh Delhiites against inflated bills and faulty meters. Well, what did you expect when our meters are 'Made in China'?

And in another ingenious way to rip us off, the government decided to take our money and give it back. I would love to meet the wizards who churn out these ideas!
While our national capital has been ripping off her citizens, we do have something to gloat about - we will be creating the largest, most heaviest machine in the planet.

LaLa Land - West Bengal - notched up another headline for the month. Didi found the drama surrounding the Saradha group chit fund too lukewarm for her liking. Solution: She is going to tax you so that she can pay you back. I hear the Nobel committee is considering her for  next year's Economics prize.

Such are the wonderful times that we live in!

While I was gone... Part 2/3 [April 2013]

Violence in prison is not a bedtime story. While there is no honor among thieves, prisoners live by an unspoken code of conduct. Politicians and Bollywood bad boys enjoy the premium cuts, rapists and mass murderers fall at the very bottom of the food chain here.

The past week saw another Delhi-16 rapist/animal experience the hospitality at Tihar. Fellow prisoners broke the arm of the bastard who starred in the most publicized gang rape in modern India. While I'll elect to send this bastard back to his misery, Indian women aren't celebrating yet. Any surprise why?
Men continued to abduct, rape and torture. Not necessarily in that order. Age no bar. Mental condition no bar. Bar no bar. Our women continued to be gang raped and depending on how many parts of their body needed to sewn up, our rapists would have raped atleast 2 children and 10 women by the time you've finished reading this post.

When we heard the gory details of December 16, we cringed. Misogynous men and certain women claimed it was because of the dress the women wear and the way they tempt. They theorized it is physically impossible to rape if the girl does not cooperate. Not so! We said. Technically, it would have made sense. But how can a girl keep her chastity safe when she is being spread apart by men with a singular mission to 'cover the face, f*ck the base and forget the case'. And so we cringe every time we read a lady is abducted and gang raped. 
But how do you explain when men rape children as young as 4 years old? What is the pleasure that these mother f*ckers get when they penetrate and destroy a defenseless child? 
How did that child tempt you?
Who do you trust your children with anymore?
More importantly, can the victims ever live a healthy life ever again?

Our politicians have the uncanny talent of churning out scams and scandals so fast that rapes and atrocities against women and children are mere commercial breaks before the next billion dollar scam. Indians in India might be forgiven for letting them off the hook but not our foreign minister. 

And in related rape news, Dharampal who raped and then mercilessly killed the victim and her family while on parole will be hanged. Way to go, Prez!
Another tourist was raped and killed. Thankfully, not by a lecherous, sex-starved, repressed Indian male but by another tourist who was caught fleeing. That's fodder for another episode of Banged Up Abroad!

And if you wondered why victims haven't been reporting crimes as often as they should, the ordeal a 10 year old faced when she approached the cops must convince you why we have such dismal numbers. 
Self defense doesn't work either. 

So while we are grappling with the sudden media spurt of gang rapes in India, in the good ol United States of America, girls as young as 12 will have access to 'morning-after' pills. Well, if they can't beat it, might as well celebrate it. While women's groups are hailing this landmark judgement, I can't fathom why young girls must be expected/allowed to have sex and why young boys/men must be expected/allowed to impregnate girls this young.
A recent survey revealed 60% of 8 - 12 year olds in the US have STDs. I am sure their parents are a proud lot.

An ex-Thomson Reuters employee sued his former employer over alleged discriminatory practices. Having worked in the company myself, I'd say this is not the only instance of discrimination that I've seen within. Corporate bullying, unethical managerial practices and undue favoritism are just some of the regular sins but I've said enough already. 

Tax evasion by major companies saw the Income Tax department breathing down their collars.

Death is all around us and strangely the DoT (Department of Telecom) just woke up to the realization that they should not be installing high-powered cell phone towers near residential areas. While this can be rude awakening to the risks it poses, I don't see anything changing. The DoT will continue to allow mobile operators with deep pockets to install towers in and around densely populated cities and town in India. Who cares?

It was a fortnight of famous deaths too. The Iron Lady passed away and United Kingdom was not so united after all. 
Robert Edwards, pioneer of IVF died after a long illness. Besides providing a way to procreate, he also made it possible for millions of Vicky donors around the world.

Savitha's inquest dug up a whole lot of muck and religious goo. At the end of it, I doubt if Ireland will change their laws for the sake of one dead pregnant Asian.

From car-chases, it appears that Americans have suddenly acquired a taste for guns.
In Georgia and Boston.

The United Axis of Evil delayed a missile test to avoid pushing the North Koreans over the edge. Gee! And they just realized that now?!
Thankfully, China - America's moneylender - has promised to talk to the lil Kim on a peaceful solution. Why the Americans didn't restrain themselves in the first place baffles me.

America is a funny nation.
They are neck deep in debt. Nine out of ten families live hand to mouth, millions don't have jobs or houses, nearly all of them live their entire lives on credit cards and yet they will spend trillions of dollars in military and financial aid. To add sauce to our kachori, they even increased the amount of aid they will provide to Pakistan. Yet inspite of all this, Pakistan will still remain one of the poorest countries in the planet.  Just incredible, I say!
So while your relative/friend is working their capitalist butt off in the US, you can be sure his/her tax dollars will end up fattening the next Pakistani ruler's wallet.

Talking about Pakistan, Mush came like a knight in shining armor, only to get stuck, caught and strung! The man clearly has the combined IQ of a hair comb.

Some unexpected money for Malya Senior, as he won a settlement of Rs 1.5 crore. For a man as wealthy as he is, this loose change would be enough to fuel his exotic car collection but not enough to restart his sick airline.

Hairy Baba cast his vote for the BJP. With the deluge of support for the BJP, the coming elections are looking more lopsided than any in recent history. While I don't support the countless good PR that Modi has been getting on facebook and else, if Modi is half as good as the millions say he is, then we are all in for the ride of our lives.

Some welcome news when our Pradan Mantri proposed to scrap the rule where judges get to pick their successors. Long overdue, this change I'll say. Because the recent plethora of inane and silly laws did point to a rot at its roots. 

A member of the SEAL team that captured and killed Osama was allowed to testify why he sent confidential documents to Wikileaks. His motive was simple- To expose the American military's "bloodlust" and disregard for human life in Iraq and Afghanistan. And I thought that fact was adequately established. How naive of me!

In the past many weeks and in many parts of India, thousands of people have lost their homes. No, its not because they defaulted on loans, but because the government knows it is more convenient to displace them than to disappoint construction moguls in search of prime land. Spare a few minutes and sign the petition.

No Sunny, no. We don't want vulgarity in our songs. We just want to see you gyrate and moan in absolute ecstasy. And so we were promised that there is nothing in any of her songs. Good! 

Didi came, she walked, she whimpered back. I've said this many times before and I'll say it again. She is the political equivalent of Rakhi Sawant - loud and uncouth. Maybe she should change track and take some lessons from Nitish.
It looks like the former CJI Katju forgot his medication, again. This time he wants the Prez to pardon Bhullar. Why the senile old man won't give up baffles millions. I have one word for you - Bengay!

Sreeshanth: Cry baby.
..and a baby who will make you cry.

I have friends and relatives working in Infosys. Until a couple of years ago, a job there would have meant you've arrived in your career. Settled. Time to get married, buy a house, sell your stocks and retire in peace.
Not any longer. Infosys's fall from glory is a lesson in corporate money management. Infosys lost much of its shine and so did Gold.

A Boeing 737 overshot the runway and landed at sea. Human error or equipment failure, what is appalling is how most of the passengers didn't remember how to deploy the life jackets during emergency. So much for those safety lessons after boarding.

So it's proven that we love lists. In the past fortnight, we had Mila Kunis top the list of the '10 most f*ckable celebrities'. But honestly, why would we need to know that?! Are any of those who voted going to get a chance at it? You wish!
And while Hollywood would love such tags, our desi actresses who gyrate half-naked wonder aloud why the sexy tag has stuck. 

Another politician got his ugly over-sized feet in his mouth. He repented. Welcome to the club!
After Katju helpfully pointed out how we vote like much cattle, Jairam Ramesh, added substance to what we've been suspecting for a long time - We don't choose our leaders for their intellect. Gee! You really think so!

Online, there was much excitement and argument.
Psy released his second video - Gentleman. It sounds (and looks) like a sequel that pokes fun at his country(wo)men. By the time, you've read this post, the video would've got another 100,000 likes. Personally, I think this video lacks the punch its predecessor had but hey! those pelvic thrusts are way easier to copy and spoof.

A video that did cause a lot of uproar was of a pair of (under-aged) Keralite kids whose over indulgent parents allowed to take their million dollar Ferrari and Land Rover Vogue out for a quick spin.
While you can clearly hear how the kids have made their parents mighty proud by their driving skills, I wonder why the cops have not made an example by arresting the kids and their wealthy parents. Obviously, they might have 'bought off' every minister and cop in a 100 km radius but it is parents like these that result in a nation where children don't know the difference between what is right and what is wrong. I shudder to think how many times and what else these parents have allowed their children to do what is wrong from any angle and every culture.

Natural disasters turned many parts of the world into a pile of rubble - Iran, China.

In all that has been happening in India over the past several months, this is clear - What nature left untouched, we succeeded in destroying. As news of how in-laws of a bride destroyed a two month old fetus because she didn't bring in enough dowry, the officials sprung into action. We all like to say how dowry is evil publicly, but behind closed doors the girl is sold pound for fair-skinned pound. 
About 2 years ago, when I was about to marry my then girlfriend, my mom and relatives lectured me on how it is suitable for me to expect and demand dowry from my 'to be' in-laws. On our engagement, I was again 'counseled' by my mom first and several of my 'aunts' on how dowry is necessary so that the girl's family will be held in high prestige because they gave a sizable dowry. Not that my family needed the money. I was appalled. I refused.
This is quite the predicament for any Indian man when he refuses to accept dowry for the right reasons.
You could be a political prisoner or a prisoner of your principles. Our human rights record is not something we can be proud of either.

The Sanjay Dutt mega serial continued. Why must we even negotiate anymore? Can't we see that Munnabhai actually has no intention of going without a fight? If you ask me, the Court should've just picked him up and thrown him into prison 3 weeks ago. What we got instead is 4 more weeks of this drama. Argh!

About a year ago, Samsung lost a high profile patent case in the US, it is back in the news again. For all the wrong reasons, apparently. Clearly, business ethics were given the smack-down.

Bangalore went Bang Galore!
When an IED exploded near the local office of the BJP, everybody ran like headless chicken. Foot-in-mouth politicians had their own colorful theories and we all had a good chuckle. Even as I write this post, there hasn't been a single arrest though there has been plenty of clues.
Boston -1. Bangalore - 0

And that's the way the cookie crumbles!

All about Malala [290/365]

Last week, the EU got the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts in stabilizing the world economy by bailing out the lazy south.
In the meanwhile, a young 14 year old girl in Swat, Pakistan got shot in the head and neck working for the cause of girl children in her country.
So what is wrong with this picture here?

While the Nobel Foundation have been in the spotlight in the past couple of years for their choices of awardees, their choice for the peace prize this year will definitely be the most controversial. Malala Yousafzai, a political activist and educational rights activist, had been writing a blog for BBC under a pseudonym. At a time when the Taliban imposed their radical version of conservative Islam and ordered that girls should not be educated, Malala's blogs were bone-chilling. They spoke of the first-hand terror and fear that women and young girls go through every moment.

Her activism is the stuff of Bollywood blockbusters and mythical warrior princesses. Inspite of open threats, Malala encouraged by her dad, Ziauddin Yousafzai, trudged on. She inspired hundreds of girls to fight for their right to education and eventually paid for it when Taliban gunmen shot her in her school bus. 

What followed was worldwide outrage, and surprisingly most of it from within Pakistan. While the government spoke in veiled tones, Muslim clerics and ordinary Pakistanis were outraged. The Taliban were mighty proud that they shot the young defenseless girl but with support and encouragement that this incident has caused, I doubt if they really achieved their goal. On the contrary, they may have alienated clerics who would have otherwise helped them turn Pakistan into the dark-ages.

Ironically, we have been really silent over this. I haven't seen any candle light vigils or solidarity marches for our stricken neighbor. But that could be because we have our hands full committing heinous crimes against our own women. Our men are one blowjob short of an orgasm and going by the rate that we have been raping our women, with female infanticide and mortality being what it is, with dowry deaths increasing and our strange penchant for the male child, I estimate that we will run out of fresh women to rape in about five - ten years. Rapists please note. 

Malala, I hear is slowly recovering but I wonder how this will change her life for ever. Will she be a vegetable for the rest of her life or will she have to live in fear until she dies? Whatever the outcome, I hope the fear that she has experienced, the forces that she fought and the pain that she will go through will open the eyes of ruthless tyrants everywhere. I hope the effort that she put finally bears fruit.

We're sorry we didn't think you deserved the Nobel Peace Prize.

Hang that bastard [242/365]

Kasab got the noose. Finally!

After spending much of our tax payer Rupees, 53 crore to be exact, we can be proud that we are hanging our most favorite and only Pakistani scapegoat. While the world (read Pakistan) wont say we abused him while in custody, today's ruling looked like some of those promotions that happen in the corporate world. It was decided a long while ago.

Why we spent all those crores on him when we were going to hang him anyway is beyond me. Surely we wanted to prove that we are different from our trigger-happy cousins in the West, but there is some wisdom in their insanity too. Case in point, Saddam and Osama.
While Bush did the foolish thing of allowing Saddam to be tried, his death brought about unnecessary rumors. Lesson learned, Osama was tetra packed to the sea floor with no fuss or drama. See, India could've have done the same too, but our politicians are too vainglorious to miss on their one chance to strut.

So then, by parading Kasab like a prized Himalayan bear, we showed that we could set aside our urge to strangle him and give him a taste of our legendary Indian hospitality.

I would love to get inside the head of Kasab. I would love to know what he is thinking- of his motherland, who did wrote him off and of India, who fed him Biriyani and protected him round the clock.  Kasab, please don't mind the wild celebrations we had when we heard you are going to be hung.

Just one question, Kasab: Why didn't you walk into the Ecuadorian embassy? Blah!

Letters from the other side [232/365]

The past couple of weeks have been the hardest on Indian minorities.
First the carnage in Assam and now the North eastern community in Karnataka.

My previous post on what I thought about this carnage got me a lot of responses via email. Most of them were angry at what was happening, but nearly all of them agreed that this was possible only because we are a society that is too weak to punish.

Today, as our newspapers declared how the hateful messages and videos originated at Pakistan. I thought 'How convenient!'
Why should we believe the politicians when they say the material is from Pakistan?
Could it not have originated from any of our other neighbor(s)?

Politicians, on either side, have always prodded us to fight each-other. Like a bloodied pair of fighting cocks, we have always been told to fight each-other to death.

I would like the government to release irrefutable proof that the material originated in Pakistan. And then I would like our country to demand our neighbor to extradite them or else. But knowing how our netas are a bunch of lily-levered oldies, I doubt if the perpetrators will feel the Indian noose.
On the other hand, let's assume that the material didn't originate from Pakistan. Where else could it come from? Assuming how China has been fighting for our land and knowing how good they are with copying stuff, I wouldn't be surprised if they had a role in this.

But then, it would not have been extraterrestrial at all. We have enough scumbags available locally with know-how to copy and morph a bunch of videos.
Blaming the Pakistanis has become far too easy now.

Brotha' from da same motha' [230/365]

Taliban terrorists stormed a Pakistani airbase that houses nukes and fighter planes. Great! Just what we need. 

Nearly every country in the world today thinks Pakistanis and Indians are a difficult bunch to handle. While our western neighbor battles the Taliban, we have our own brand of home grown terrorists and corrupt politicians to worry about.

We really are a bunch of funny people.

Living abroad, I've had many Pakistani friends. Most of them were like Gujarati Muslims-  very social, friendly and great hosts. I remember this particular friend of mine who lived in a moderately large villa with his large extended family. They made the most incredible food.

Back in the subcontinent, there is some kind of a hostility that creeps inside you against your neighbor. I don't think it is the people who are bad in either of our countries. I believe most of the hatred and enmity that surrounds us just because of some really effective political propaganda. Which is the only way I can explain how we get along like a house on fire when we are outside the subcontinent.

Growing up, I had a lot of sibling rivalry with my sister. I hated her with all my life. The rivalry reached such proportions that nearly everyone in our families knew our conflicts. But as I reached adulthood, I passed the phase where I couldn't stand my sister and I began to yearn for her. I'd realized how much I really missed my sister and of all the years I wasted fighting.

We bonded again.
It is unfortunate how much we are loosing out on each others love just because we refuse to talk to each other. It is unfortunate how we are letting our enemies bleed us just because we refuse to work with each other. If only we could set aside our differences, we would be a formidable force that can help each other. After all, we do have the same problems, the same language and  the same strengths. We are truly twins from the same mother.

For decades, we sat on our moral high horse shaking our heads with disgust at how Pakistan is ruled by terrorists and looted by tyrants. Surprise, Surprise! We are not any better off, actually.

The sooner we get back with each other, the better for us.

66 years is just too long to nurse a grudge. 

Game Over [220/365]

Not your typical terrorist..

A deranged ex-armyman shoots and kills 20 in a Gurudwara in Wisconsin, USA.

Wade Michael Page was killed in a shootout that killed innocent people as well as a responding police officer. Wade is fondly described as a 'soft nice person' by his mom. His girlfriend could be arrested on felony charges. In the latest of a series of hate crimes this one has shocked the deeply religious Sikh community who are described as a 'peace loving community'

But why did this happen? What did it achieve?
Are we inadvertently breeding remorseless killers?

Home to about 7 lakh Sikhs, the US needs to do more to reassure this and other minority communities of their safety. While it's easy to point out this is yet another reason why the US needs stricter gun control, I think the nation needs to learn to practice what it preaches too. For a nation that sells missiles and weapons to the rest of the world, this could be an unwelcome after-affect. While I'd still advocate tougher laws governing gun ownership, I don't think everyone who carries a gun is going to shoot people.

One Sikh gentleman said: “Nobody's angry here. We're just confused. Was this a random act? Was this directed at us because of the way we look?”
I find this statement disturbing. Ofcourse, it is right to be angry here. There is no reason to be confused. And no, this was not a random act nor was it because of the way they look.

Will the real Saeed please stand up? [95/365]

Oh Shit! 

Source: pakistankakhudahafiz.com

The FBI recently announced a bounty on the head of Hafiz Saeed, founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). A $10 million bounty. That's a lot of rupees, you see.

Predictably, the Pakis have already issued their standard issue rebuttal and expressed their indignation at being told that a terrorist is living on their soils. How dare the western infidels think we are harboring terrorists? Funny people, don't you say?!

But the timing of such an announcement is simply perfect. Coming just a few days before the Pakistani Prez visits India, it's arch enemy and bitter sweet neighbor, this was the best way the US could have stepped up the pressure. (Read the non funny story here)
Seeing as how the rivalry between the neighbors have been counter-productive, Pakistan needs the peace with India more than ever before. With an announcement that put a bounty on a guy who India has got within her cross-hairs for a long time, it is a fool's guess what is going to be the topic of heated discussion on Sunday.

Besides the timing, an announcement like this corners Pakistan, who does not seem to have much credibility especially after OBL was found right under the nose hairs of the Pakistani military. The US and Pakistanis have never been great allies and probably never will.
But they need each other more than they would like to admit it.
The Americans need the Pakistanis mainly because of the strategic reach that the country has with radicals.
And the Pakistanis need Uncle Sam to fund its economy. And to buy Chinese nukes.
In the midst of all this, Indians are having a big chuckle.

Of course, now that Saeed is officially one among the most wanted men in the world, it should be easy to catch him, right?
Wrong!  

Because here is how things will go-

• Pakistan will vehemently protest the insinuation that Saeed (or any terrorist scum) is in Pakistani soil. Growling.
• The Americans will barely let a sigh out.
• The Indians will say 'Ha, see we told you that the Pakistanis are hiding all the scum in this world'. Feeling vindicated.
• The Pakistanis will ask for evidence (aka dossiers) that Saeed is in their country.
• Uncle Sam: "Thought you'll never ask". Here you go.
• Pakistanis get satellite photos and all kinds of incriminating evidence including the postal zip code of the Mr S.  Damn!
• By now, you're thinking the Pakistanis will give up? Heck no. Pakistanis: "Not enough evidence". Whimpering.
• Wikileaks steps in. (And you know how that'll go)
• Indians will stand cowering and posturing by the side, sniggering. With a smug smile.
• Tired, the Americans will send in their drones with a 'care package' for Mr S.

End of Story.

Repeat above cycle until Pakistan is clean of all of the scum of the world or until the end of the world, whichever comes early.

NCTC [54/365]

We love acronyms!
We love to shorten the names of our movies, our government agencies and myriad departments and mundane programmes.
Why we even 'acronym'ize our college faculties. I've had HVD, who taught me Statistics; DYR who taught me English poetry and DNV, who taught me Maths. Come to think of it, I've never really found out the 'real' names behind the acronyms.
So while the real world has agencies like NREGA and programmes like JnNURM and such tongue twisting terms, every so often if you are fortunate you'll hear of a new acronym.

The Dope

Congratulations! Today is your lucky day. In today's lesson, you'll hear of NCTC (aka National Counter Terrorism Center). While developed and supposedly secure nations like the US already have the NCTC in place, India hit a road-block called Democracy. (Read about the exciting new blunder here)

Okay, now what is the NCTC?
Put simply and in the words of it's creator Home Minister P Chidambaram: "As the name suggests, the goal is to counter terrorism. Obviously, this will include preventing a terrorist attack, containing a terrorist attack should one take place, and responding to a terrorist attack by inflicting pain upon the perpetrators."
Noble

So why is this bad for us?
While I am for greater security and a nation where we won't have to worry about getting killed by terrorists, I think having a committee like this is infringing on our freedom and privacy as a citizen and inhabitant, I believe we need to start customizing our security plans so that we win a consensus while still being effective in deterring any more attacks. While many of our States have rightly opposed the Bill, some politicians are simply stonewalling any attempt at progress.
Leaders like Mamata B appear to be rather starched against any Bill that the Center would like to bring in.

Our leaders pretend to be governing for our benefit, protecting us and shielding us from the unfortunate controversy that the beleaguered Home Minister has served. But this is not surprising considering how the national government has made all it's decisions in secrecy and with an innate sense of arrogance. But given the clout that many regional parties and the media hold, it is highly unlikely that the government or any of it's puppet masters will get away with laws that suit themselves more than anyone else.

All said, the NCTC may be the last Bill that a weakened party which is barely holding on to its dynasty reins will like to have during its last few months in power.

Recommmended Read: WikiLeaks!

when Sh!t hits the fan

Not a pretty picture.

But 24 hours after Mumbai 'rocked' again, our great nation is going through a regular cycle of blame game.

After all, its so easy to blame rather than to be the change.

Our News channels have got the fodder for the next couple of weeks. Nay, days. Because there is going to be a multi-billion dollar scam next week. And no, I dont have any insider knowledge but just the sickening feeling of deja vu.

Our politicians will visit the sites/hospitals/cities. The opposition will blame the ruling party for the nth fucking time for all the bullshit. The PM will blame the CM. Someone will quit. The Home Minister will announce rewards and declare to bring the guilty to book. Investigations will be launched with much sober fanfare. The government will shamelessly promise (and we will be definitely believe) that this will be the last time we are attacked. Theories will arise. And in the meanwhile, Kasab will continue to live in relative luxury and safety. Any wonder why the Americans shot Bin Laden and dumped him in the ocean?

And We, will hold candle light vigils, marches and strikes. We will raise signature campaigns and generally make some noise for the next few weeks. Nay days. We will also blame the government for not taking care of us, for not catching the crooks, for not babysitting us. In the meanwhile, we will remain mute spectators to murders that happen right infront of our fucking eyes.

Our cowardice can no longer be sugar coated and called resilience.
Most people in the south are less concerned about and perhaps not worried about terrorist attacks. Which is probably why most people that I know are not bothered. Many rather worry about their fitness and their cities' infrastructure. Terrorism has not struck Bangalore the way it has gripped Mumbai. Tamil Nadu has not been bothered with terrorism since the last assasination. Kerala? Well, half of them don't stay there anymore. So who cares. Andhra is more bothered about dividing itself like a asexual microorganism than anything else.

Dear Mr Faceless/Heartless Terrorist,

Why are you ignoring us in the South?
Don't you like us? Don't you hate us?

Please try to bomb at-least one of the busy cities in the South so that fear really grips the nation totally and completely.
We have busy malls and busier roads.
We have airports that are not secured at all.
Infact, our temples are more secure than our businesses.
We have politicians who are impotent, er incompetent.
We have big big MNC companies who generate India's wealth and keep all of us too busy to bother about fighting you.

Please, please don't ignore us. Please come to our cities and bomb us too.
Sincerely,
Yours Truely
Signed..
A concerned but not so worried South Indian

Fuck resilience. The need of the hour (and probably every single hour of every single day of every single year) is prudence and vigilance. We need to do whatever it takes to clean the shit all over.

Kaboom!

Yesterday, India was still fawning over the Cabinet reshuffle that failed to impress, our sick athletes, the billions that we lost to enterprising ticks, the many railway accidents  and about the fucked up deep shit that we are in.
Yesterday, we were still complacent that we have a task force that should have found and stopped all those terrorist scum that want to kill the people of the most previous nation on earth- We.
Yesterday, we had just wrapped up our sober celebration and rested in the firm belief that we are finally safe.
Yesterday, our corrupt politicians were still praying that the heat be off them.
Yesterday, 21 people dreamt of owning a home, living a long and respectable life with their loved ones.
Yesterday, 100 people were all healthy and looking forward to a great tomorrow.
Yesterday, over a billion people were still reeling from the memories of yesteryear's scars.

But today was another day.
In the life of those who hate freedom.
In the hearts of who want to kill.
In the minds of the wicked.

While people are getting more active and social online, offline it is a an entirely different scenario.
Twitter, FB and G+ are blistering with the first reactions and counter-points.
Our politicians are giving us the usual crap about bringing the guilty to book. Fat Fucking Chance, Mr Politician.
For the rest of the sane among us, this is the reality that we are destined to live with.
Maybe we really need to shut down all those News channels. They are the real culprits. They 'break the news' in a pun that is almost cruel as the crime.
We need to kill sensationalistic journalism*. Like parasites that feed on carrion, our media channels give 'our' Terrorists their 24+ hours of fame.

Enough talk. Enough keyboard activism.
We need action

For more juice on Sensationalistic Journalism, please visit:
Baapho's coverage on the Media coverage of Mumbai attack
Buzzle's articles on Media Sensationalism

Oil: You gotta have it!

Part 2

Second of a 4 part series about events that are changing our world


While Japan struggles to grapple with Nature's arm, a couple of clicks away Libya is in a power struggle.

With US as the friendly neighborhood Super-Cop, you can be sure that help is only a revolution away. And it helps if you are in the Middle East, because that's where Uncle Sam refuels.

With half of the ME on the home team, is it any wonder why Bin Laden and his radical bunch of cronies flourish.
Why must the West intervene and almost always decide that War is the only way?


Lucrative weapons sales and Oil aside, the West must realise that they've done business with the very dictators that they are hunting down now. This brings to my mind a line in the George Clooney movie 'The Peacemaker' : 'Are you surprised that the worlds greatest terrorists - the US administration -educated half the world's terrorists ?'
The scriptwriters might have inadvertently stumbled on the single most honest truth in the history of mankind.

The West (read: US) first sell you the weapons, then the training. Then they sell it to the 'rebels' (read: 'New' Clients). They'll put in a fighter jet or two as a bonus Add-on.
The Middle East are a bunch of unruly brats. Correction: Rich unruly brats. However, left to their own short squabbles and longer bonhomie, I believe they can truly mind their own business. They have neither invaded (barring Iraq and Israel) another country or send their troops on guard duty to invade / help invade another country.

The West should leave the Middle east for good. Any intervention only muddles the next problem up so bad that they'd wish they had minded their own business.

Why can't they 'fix' China? Well, that because if China shuts down then Americans might as well fall dead.
Why can't they fix repressive regimes like Sri Lanka or the North Korea?
Apart from the fact that neither of these regimes are major producers of Oil, meddling in these countries would not always guarantee that you'd get the military contracts that keep the governments running. They are careful spenders and choose their 'Vendors' carefully.

They couldn't get to Iran. Well not yet. Hence US in a carefully choreographed move is making sure that all the other dysfunctional countries around is either on the home team or has been blown to smithereens before they arm twist Iran into submission.

The UN sanctions are but a joke. As a rubber stamp for the West, the line between the UN and the US is a blurry one at that.

The US must understand that all the war posturing isn't going to do them any good because someday, they have to get out of all that protective cover they are in. And that's when being an American will begin to suck. (Or has it already?!)

Power is a lousy seductress. She can get you anything at a price. Anything but peace.


The World has slowly but surely become a ticking time bomb. The US with its despotic yet selective urge to control Oil. Good Luck, Rest of the World!


I pray He comes soon.

Jump to the other parts here:
Apocalypse, Freedom, Evil