Stay Strong Ukraine!!

Vladimir Putin claims, "The purpose of this operation is to protect people who, for eight years now, have been facing humiliation and genocide perpetrated by the Kyiv regime.” 

As an Indian who can barely keep up with politics in India, I had never even heard of Volodymyr Zelenskyy until the war broke out. I knew Putin's reputation of being a hard task master. I had also seen how the Russians patronise him when I travelled to Russia in 2019. Yet, I can barely believe this statement. Ask me why? 

I do not believe this statement because I see on TV, civilians fighting, mounting Russian tanks and standing defiantly unarmed in front of trained and armed forces. I see people leaving behind their homes and families, children, not to take shelter but to pick up arms. I see pictures of a 79-year old lady learning to fire a gun. I see pictures of a very young girl with perfectly manicured nails in 5 different shades of neon holding the gun, ready to fight. That's not a sign of suppressed and tortured citizens. That's a sign of proud patriotic citizens, who had dreams and lives, which they have put on hold to defend their country from a maniac.

The trolls may tout Zelenskyy as a comedian or a TV President, but his one call has made these citizens pick up arms and fight to defend their country in a war where they are severely outnumbered and heading towards a certain defeat. They did that because he refused to quit on them and stood with them in the middle of the war. They did that because he declined the offer of evacuation for him and his family with his now famous words, "I need ammunition, not a ride." He is letting people send their loved ones across borders in camps, but chose to stay back with his family and children. If that's not the sign of a leader, I don't know what is. 

Take a bow Volodymyr Zelenskyy! Take a bow Ukraine! Take a bow all the braveheart citizens of this proud country! You have managed to keep the Russians at bay so long and you continue to persevere. Stay strong! Stay proud!! Stay invincible!!!

#respect

#staystrongukrain

#8daysandstillholdingon

Images source: Google search

Farm Laws and the Farmers

I am not a blind follower of any political ideology. I have vocally supported Narendra Modi as Prime Minister in 2014 as his agenda was development. And on exactly those lines, I had supported implementation of GST and digitalisation of money. But I have also criticised Modi and his government for his silence on Hindu hard-line statements and their stand on CAA.

Image source: Firstpost

When the farmers started protesting, I started reading the new farm laws to understand what was wrong with them… Three new laws, passed hastily and in open defiance of parliamentary norms, were bound to spark off agitation. I realized that there were many aspects of the bills which would increase difficulty of the farmers. I believed that land lease provisions might result in loss of autonomy for farmers and their right to grow different crops (which might be corporate controlled); Minimum Support Price (MSP) should be expressly mentioned as it is a very important aspect in getting farmer’s their rightful price; putting the onus of grain storage solely on the farmer or the corporate (private hands) might lead to excess hoarding and malpractices; and corporate and MNCs being purely business models, with no care for ecological balance, soil fertility concerns, water paucity and fauna in agricultural ecosystems, might encourage agricultural malpractices such as monoculture agriculture resulting in poor gene pool and loss of vigorous, loss of pest resistance which lead us to famine like conditions. These were my concerns with the new bill and therefore I stood by the farmers.

I truly admired the peaceful and calm protests by the farmers and their grit and resilience as they stood out there in the biting cold and chill in the midst of rains, hailstorms et al; and I would every morning say a little prayer for them as the agitating farmers showed no signs of fading away. Angry cultivators have been camped on the doorstep of Delhi for weeks now through north India's bitingly cold winter, in tents and camps far away from their homes in a battle for their rights. 

Having said that, I have to admit that the government was more forthcoming than I expected them to be (especially considering the recent examples of CAA and student protests). They were open to negotiations - which I initially thought was just a perfunctory gesture of trying to resolve a situation out of their hands and a movement gaining widespread support. The government looked rattled and did concede to some of the concerns of the farmers. That was something I had not expected, not from Modi government with their image of no-nonsense dictatorship style of implementation of laws. And yet the farmers unrelentingly continued to protest, now stuck on the demand of repealing the entire laws. 

Personally, I do believe that the old laws are archaic and farm reforms are required. They may not entirely be the same as the new farm laws but barring few provisions, some progressive outlook on this highly ignored aspect of the economy is required. The farmers, however, want a total and immediate repeal of the laws passed last year. The farmers camped out near Delhi, however, are campaigning against a whole slew of reform measures, both real and imagined. For example, they want the government to guarantee that the current system of state-run procurement of rice and wheat will continue indefinitely - even though it hasn't even been threatened yet. The farmers recognize they have got the government playing defence. There are cracks even within the ruling establishment. After all, the ruling party's parent organization, the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has never been sold on the whole "market economy" idea. The farmers are now using the voice of dissent both inside and outside the government to further their agenda. 

Still, it's remarkably disappointing that the government seems willing to roll back some of its most substantial reforms to date because of the vocal opposition of the country's most heavily subsidized and richest agricultural producers. I do feel they should have held a firm ground on a few things they capitulated on. I am starting to feel that the government has gone a bit overboard to bring the farmers to their side. It has, for example, agreed to protect farmers' access to free electricity. This is not just unaffordable; it also holds back the modernization of India's power sector and thus the growth of renewable energy. The government has also promised to not go after the farmers who burn agricultural waste - a major contributor to air pollution across India's northern plains, home to almost all of the world's most unhealthy cities. 

Coming now to what happened yesterday, the Modi detractors might say that media is selectively showing footage but the truth is that whatever has been shown on the TV is shameful and scary and even if it is merely 10% of what happened, then too it is condemnable. A religious flag was hoisted yesterday at the Red Fort and even if the mast was empty at that time, it goes against the principles of Secularism. It is ironically disheartening that this was done on the Republic Day, a day that celebrates the sacred Constitution of India which promotes Secularity. A Heritage Property was ravaged; public property was damaged; service and armed forces were attacked; and moreover, the children and civilians who participated in the Republic Day celebrations were stranded in the cold without food and amenities for 7 long hours - all of this in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. The 'foodgods' of India had put their country to shame on a day when the entire world was watching us.

I am still with the farmers as long as they listen to the sound of reason. Modi government had in 2015 too attempted to strengthen the government's powers to acquire farmland but eventually had to roll back the same, following noisy objections led by the political opposition. Objectively, those land-acquisition laws were as regressive as the new agricultural reforms are progressive. Hence, in my opinion, these farm laws should not be dismissed without giving them a due consideration. Just like the farmers weed out the weeds and invasive species from their land and retain what is productive, the same needs to be done with these laws. 

Disclaimer: These are my personal views which I was compelled to write down after the condemnable Red Fort episode and the ensuing violence yesterday. I am aware that the popular view might differ. I choose not to debate and will not respond to any comments. Anyone who tends to have a problem with my views may please feel free to unfollow me.

Earth Day 2020 - Let the Earth heal!

Image source: Google Image Search

One thing is certain... The nature heals itself. A few weeks of lockdown and the earth is returning back to its old glory light-speed. People have seen and they are posting pics of clear blue skies during the day and sparkling stars during the night. A few nights ago, I and my teenage daughters stood outside watching constellations in the sky. She confessed that she was seeing the Orion, the most easily spotted constellation for the first time in her life... FOR THE FIRST TIME... It struck me because it was a very common passtime for us as kids to stand on the terrace and watch constellations and joke how an Orion could even be imagined as a hunter. But a teenager today was able to spot it for the first time. She had never seen the pole star so bright, something we couldn't even dismiss as a kid.

And why just the sky? We are receiving beautiful pics of clean rivers like Ganga and Yamuna; of clean Venice Canals; of Dolphins visible near Italian beeches; of beautiful clean waters near Goan beeches. We see all kinds of birds chirping in our gardens now, thriving among empty parks and open spaces. And today it has been just one month of closure of factories. The air quality had jumped 4 levels on the index within the first week itself, from "Very Unhealthy" (scale 5 out of 6 levels) to "Moderate" (scale 2 out of 6 levels). One can feel the difference when they breathe out in the open already.

The truth is that no matter how many environment friendly policies we make; how many vehicle emission standards we draft; we will never be able to fully heal the environment unless we give up our selfish economic motifs. The governments of the nations are drafting "Sustainable Development Goals" - which includes goals around climate and environment among others - with a deadline of year 2030 which, going by the current progress, most countries are likely to miss or achieve only on papers; led by some of the most developed nations. And yet we now know that we may not even need the governments to draft special policies to save the environment, to clean the rivers or reduce pollution. We just need to leave the environment alone for a few weeks at a stretch and halt our economic activities during this time to help it revive.

But then I am reminded of the movement carried out by Greta Thunberg who rightly claims that the selfish economic gains of humans are killing the environment. And the leaders are only supporting them with their policies. Today, on "Earth Day", I wonder whether the world leaders will ever have the guts to decide that every year for few weeks, we will chuck all economic and financial motifs and move into complete lockdown, not to counter some virus, but rather to let earth rest, heal and revive. Maybe not, but if only!

Some thoughts on Pulwama

I was in Prague when Pulwama happened. I was in whole day long workshops and was generally cut-off from all contacts except during short coffee breaks between sessions when I would get to check my phone. It was a sudden spurge of WhatsApp messages on our soldiers that actually made me sit up; with my heart beating faster wondering what had happened in India. In the middle of one of the sessions, totally unable to pay any attention, I did a frantic google search on the day's news when I read about the dastardly attack and the 42 brave lives lost. The news felt like someone had punched me in the gut and I couldn't share it with anyone as all my colleagues in the workshops were Europeans, Russians, Americans and South-East Asians. Nobody would understand.

Brave lives lost (Image source: Google image search)

I mentioned it to my team while on dinner table and they just looked somberly at me and asked, "Oh, someone related to you was also involved?" How do I tell them that they were all related to me... Maybe not by blood or even by acquaintance; but by their love and their sacrifice for our country. They did not understand the weight of being obliged by care and security shown by a stranger. Because then they are not strangers anymore. They are related to you. Yeah, they did not understand. All of the people involved were related to me. Their families were related to me.

Another thing that dawned on me was that the citizens of these countries will never understand the pride of devoting one's life to their motherland. None of their countries had a "voluntary army" i.e. being in army was not a profession. Everyone had to mandatorily serve in the army for 1 or 2 years. That was what their army was comprised of. It was comprised of people fulfilling their compulsion. It was not comprised of people driven by passion and "jazba" to serve their motherland. It was not comprised of people who choose army as a way of life because they love their country. These people will never understand.

They discussed about the futility of war. It was a normal dinner table discussion for them. They told me that they were aware how "India and Pakistan were at war". They wondered why people chose war. But then they don't understand that we did not choose this war. And I hope we never choose a war, no matter how much anger we see around in people. I hope we choose to understand that war and terrorism are two different things and war is no solution to the problem of terrorism.

I do stand in solidarity with the soldiers and their families and I participate in the grief. I am also angry like most Indians but I do not support the call for going to war. Let's leave it to the people who know best and who are impacted the most too.

The Padmaavat debate is going in the wrong direction

I haven’t seen the movie Padmaavat yet, but after what I have heard and read in reviews I am confused whether I should even go and watch it, especially since even my 11 year old daughter is interested in it. I don't have a problem with the war scenes and I think I can explain to her the scenes showing a ruthless Alauddin Khilji. What I do have a problem with is the romanticization of Jauhar. Apparently, all they discuss related to Jauhar and why Rani Padmavati chose to do it is about her faithfulness to her husband (she asks his permission to commit Jauhar) and the Rajputi pride, honour and ‘usool’. There is no mention at all of the brutal consequences that Rani Padmavati would have faced if she would have been captured alive by Khilji.

There are a few debates going around this movie. The first one and the more well-known one involves Karni Sena. Honestly, I am lost here because I do not even understand what problem they have with the movie. From what I understand, the movie is solely about the grandeur and opulence of the Rajput kingdoms and about their valour, honour and pride. Now, my question is that does Karni Sena, which claims to protect and hail exactly the same, does not want the country and the world to witness their culture, heritage and everything else? I really do not understand why else would they protest against this movie. And so I will not venture into this further. I will also not comment on what is the real history because, in my personal opinion, it is but a documentation of legends that had fallen down from various generations. Some incidents may have different interpretations as communicated by different people to further generations. Everything should be accepted, yet with a pinch of salt.

The painting of Maharani Padmavati 

performing Jauhar as displayed in the

Maharana Pratap Memorial in Udaipur

(Source: Google search)

Then there are some thoughts shared by Swara Bhaskar in an amazingly worded open letter to Sanjay Leela Bhansali. One of my friends, Radhika, expressed similar thoughts on her blog. Though I agree to every word of what they said, I will refrain from commenting whether Rani Padmavati was right in committing Jauhar or not. What Swara and Radhika say are pertinent and true for the current age and times. But Rani Padmavati lived in a different age and a different era. The customs, sentiments and principles of that age were different. Human race evolves over time. New sentiments and new principles evolve and are accepted and it should be so. Jauhar and Sati were regressive and sexist practices and have been rightly done away so. What is important is that it should have been made clear in the movie that they were old age archaic practices and have been rightly done away with. The movie instead glorifies Jauhar and that is where I have an issue. When you showcase a part of history on the screen, at least put the right facts there. Those ladies did not commit Jauhar because they wanted to prove their valour. They did not commit Jauhar because they were too proud to face defeat for their community. And they definitely did not commit Jauhar because they did not want to live without their husbands. They committed Jauhar because they did not want to face what they knew were a determined fate in the face of their army’s loss – rape, torture and the brutality of Khilji and his army.

I don't understand why people are even discussing rape here. It's not about rape; and yes I do believe that rape is not the end of the world for a woman and life is much more precious. The discussion here should be more about sex slavery vs. death. To set the record straight, I am also not saying that it was better to choose death over sex slavery. I am saying that there is a difference between rape and sex slavery. I am saying that the Rajput women including Rani Padmavati made a choice and chose death over sex slavery. But that choice aspect and the other option if not death, should have been brought out clearly in the movie, which I have heard has not been done. The fact is that Padmavati's Jauhar did take place and she chose death. Obviously when you are presenting a historical fact (irrespective of creative liberties), you will not present that Rani Padmavati chose life or chose to fight (which some debaters allege that she should have done). But her decision should have been presented in the right perspective - that she chose death over sex slavery or inclusion into Khilji's harem. It shouldn't have been presented as something that she did out of love for her husband or because she was a brave 'pativrata stree'.

In reality, Padmavati's Jauhar has more deep rooted relevance than just honour and pride. It’s more to do with war plunder and how the ruthless winning armies take to brutalizing women in a show of power. The women captured were raped, enslaved and brutally treated as a mark of humiliation and for gross display of power and conquests. For some reason, devastation of cities and loot of wealth is never enough for the wining armies to show their dominance over the losing side. They make the humiliation more personal by ravaging their women and making them sex slaves. This is the deepest mark of patriarchy where they demonstrate their dominance over the women. After all, they want to prove to the men over whom they won that now we control what you have controlled all this while… your subjectives (read women). It’s like saying, “You were their ‘protectors’ once but now see what we will do to them.” And it's not just true for history. It's happening right now too in various parts of the world. It had happened in India-Pakistan during Partition, in the World Wars, in Vietnam, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and loads of other wars… every war. Even today, ISIS is a real example. I have read horrifying stories of Yazidi women who have escaped the clutches of ISIS. Girls as young as 9 years old are raped and sexually abused by multiple partners. They are tortured and sold like cattle. The details are horrific beyond imagination. True, they did not commit Jauhar and probably they did not even have a choice to do so even when they feel like giving up. True, that they have hope against hope that someday they will escape the clutches of their captors. Some have been lucky too. But, no one would deny that it is a horrific state to be in. And your fault? As Swara and Radhika would put it… They have a Vagina.

If only Sanjay Leela Bhansali would have had the guts to bring this out instead of trying to appease the Rajputs and the Karni Sena with his glorious representation of Rajput pride.

When will this highest and hardest glass ceiling shatter?

I have been meaning to write this for about two weeks now; basically ever since Donald Trump got elected to be the next President of the United States. Even after all these days, it is yet to sink in. I could never in my wildest dreams have imagined that the Americans would actually select a misogynist, racist, hate - monger as their President. And what is more bemusing is that they selected him over a strong, confident and independent woman. Is gender bias really that strong in the world? People, even women, went ahead and voted for a totally inexperienced man who is a known sexist with the appalling view about women as apparent as when he said on camera that they ought to "grab them by the p***y"; over an established lawyer, senator and basically absolutely qualified for the role woman. Wow! It totally baffles me. It does.

I am not an American Citizen and I do not even live there. In fact, I haven't set foot in the US ever and I am totally uninterested in their Politics. I have not read much about either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton and though I have not heard many nice things about Clinton, I had definitely read and heard what Donald Trump would keep throwing at the people through his statements and tweets. They were far more disturbing than humorous. Inciting people based on race and religion; demeaning your opponent based on her gender; advocating sexual assault as a sign of one's masculinity and 'stardom'; and then dismissing it as "locker-room talks" - these are definitely not qualities one would like in a man holding the most powerful position in the world.

Most of our politicians in India are not exactly role models either, but here is one guy who is openly and brazenly chauvinist / supremacist and proud of it. And despite that more than half of about 325 million people put their own and their country-people's as well as the whole world's future in his hands.

Hillary Clinton had her flaws but she still had more leadership qualities than her opponent. She had the grace and confidence and even presence of mind to lead the US and indirectly impact the whole world. But then in one of the most developed country in the world, being a woman is more of a drawback than being inexperienced, brash, sexist and racist. True! It is the highest and hardest glass ceiling and it has not yet been shattered.

Now, I can only soothe my hurt feelings by appreciating and adhering to the words Clinton spoke in her concession speech, "never stop believing that fighting for what's right is worth it." Having said that, it was never really important to actually have a woman as a President. That would have only been symbolic in establishing and proving the fact that a woman can be anything a man can be. In our own country, and much before the US, we had one of our most effective Prime Minister who happened to be a woman. Despite my ideological difference with the Indian National Congress Party and my utter dislike for the Gandhi dynasty, I would not deny that Indira Gandhi was one of our most respected and able Prime Ministers. But like I said, it is only symbolic because despite having shattered the glass ceiling in India long back, it's not like our society is very accommodating for women here. It's not.

The purpose is not just to appoint a woman to the highest office. The purpose is to identify and prove by example that in our country, and our world, there is place for all genders and all races and all religions and that none is superior to the other. It's all about your capability and not where you come from. It's about what you are made of and not who you are. That is exactly what we want people to learn, and remember. You need to prove your worth irrespective of your gender. So, again to quote Clinton, I would like to highlight that "all the little girls... never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams."

Maybe it is time we start appreciating the likes of Justin Trudeau with his forward thinking and equalist and humanist agenda. Take a bow, people of Canada - you did far better than the Americans.

Is going to war with Pakistan the solution to infiltration?

Gurdaspur, Pathankot, and now Uri: Yet another Indian Army Base was ambushed again. And yet again, for over two days since the heavily armed militants stormed a battalion headquarters of the Indian Army in north Kashmir's Uri, killing at least 17 soldiers and injuring 10 other personnel, all Indians including some attention seeking politicians are baying for Pakistan's blood.

The Hindustan Times highlights that the incident was the single deadliest attack on the Indian Army in at least 26 years. As expected, given the proximity of the attack to the Line of Control (LoC), the line demarcating India-administered and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and the sophistication of the fidayeen (suicide squad) attackers, Indian leaders were swift in blaming Pakistan. Basis a primary research, the Indian authorities believe that Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), the same group responsible for the strike earlier this year on the Pathankot Air Force base in Punjab, carried out the Uri strike. The Pathankot attack, along with the July 2015 attack on a police station in Gurdaspur in Punjab, highlights a growing frequency of high-profile fidayeen attacks against hard targets. All three attacks have come in relatively quick succession after a relative lull in alleged Pakistan-sponsored attacks in India after the 2008 Mumbai attack, which, by contrast, involved a large-scale coordinated strike against softer civilian targets. It is also believed that the time and place of the Uri attack is of special significance since the Indian Army is already facing criticism for its heavy-handed tactics in suppressing protesters in Kashmir following the killing of Burhan Wani, a Hizbul Mujahideen militant, earlier this summer. It is said that this attack is timed by Pakistan to move the international focus to the Kashmir-issue.

But, all this is for political analysts to probe. What I am appalled by is the fact that the entire nation is screaming for a war. So much so that you cannot not tell anyone that this issue should be looked at more objectively. There was this article in the Hindustan Times which mentioned which state three of our slain soldiers belonged to. While most of the people commenting on the story were asking India to open a war against Pakistan and take not just Kashmir back but also Pakistan over, I had simply commented that mentioning the regions or religions plays to divide people and that what is important is that all the soldiers who lost their lives were brave and courageous. I did not mention "war" or "Pakistan" and was therefore called out as a "bloody liberal Hindu". I think it is insane - the whole reaction to the situation is insane.

I want to understand how waging a war against Pakistan will solve our internal problem of failure of our national intelligence services to identify a security breach. Because that is exactly what this was - a security breach and a mega failure to identify the same. Be it Gurdaspur or Pathankot or Uri, in all cases a bunch of fidayeens not only cross border but enter heavily armed and supposedly secure areas and kill our very well trained soldiers. And what's more abominable is that every successive attack in this series has been deadlier and more ghastly than the previous one. This only means that they are not only growing more confident by the day but they also realise that the Indian Intelligence system is probably not equipped even now to identify the contravention. This is what we need to counter; this is what we need to work out; and this is what we need to tackle right now before the next big lapse and loss of our brave lives. No Sirs and Ma'ams, we don't need a war against Pakistan. We need a drastic and expeditious improvement in our intelligence networks. Let's put our time, effort, money and focus at the right place - at the root cause. The war against Pakistan would only lead to more problems, political, social and financial. Even if we assume we go ahead and accomplish what all Indians are shouting, we take Kashmir back and even add Pakistan to our territory; we would only be bringing in terrorists from across the borders to within are own and that's not a very smart thing to do seriously.

The Kashmir debate!

Disclaimer: This post is as non-political as it could be. It is neither an analysis of the situation in Kashmir, nor an on opinion on who is correct and who isn't. And this post definitely does not propagate, cultivate or promote any solution to the current situation. This is simply my own opinion on the debate around Kashmir that is going on. Read at your own risk!

Everybody knows the situation in Kashmir today where the locals are clashing with the Indian Army post the killing of Burhan Wani, the commander of Kashmiri militant group Hizbul Mujahideen whose social media campaign had an outreach among a section of Kashmiri Muslim youth. He was killed in an encounter with the Indian security forces on 8 July 2016. He is being claimed as a martyr by the radical Muslim groups and their supporters now.

I have a very clear viewpoint about the Kashmir situation. I support the rights of Kashmiri Pandits and I do feel that they deserve their homes back. I am also against Article 370 and I feel that Kashmir (at least the part under the Indian Control) is part of India and should have the same laws of the land, and same rights as well, as the rest of India. But looking at the current situation where people of Kashmir are supporting the neighbouring country and openly supporting the terror groups, I think there is no option but to run it the way it has been running for last many years.

However, recent events are really sad. The way people have come out in protest over killing of a terrorist is shocking. News channels, social media and even people here are sympathising with Wani. And for me this is somewhat unfathomable. I fail to understand how someone can support a terrorist. Would you support someone who tries to divide your home into two? Would you support someone who drives you or your family out of your house? Would you support someone who tries to kill your family members? And in such a scenario would you not do anything, and by all means anything to protect yourself and your family, even if it means seriously hurting or killing the perpetrator? I would. You would too.

Anyway, Kashmir is a very sensitive topic and I generally not talk about it openly; not because I'm scared but because I don't want to hurt the sentiments of some of my friends who feel opposite of what I feel albeit just as strongly if not more. It's almost like commenting on your family or home. I am a proud Indian and most of the times I cannot tolerate anybody showing my country in poor light. (I'm the kind that when everybody hailed Slumdog Millionaire, I on the contrary felt offended by such a mean and depressive generalisation of my country when there's so much more to it than the slums of Dharavi.) So, I can understand what Kashmiris feel about Kashmir.

But having said that, my opinion about Burhan Wani and all so called "freedom warriors" as well as the media and people supporting them is exactly how Arnab Goswami had put in words on his TV show recently.

As I said I restrain on commenting or arguing on posts supporting Kashmir militancy. But one of these days, I could not restrain myself. All over Facebook I saw posts dedicated to Aamir Nazir, a young gentleman killed in police firing to dispel the protestors. (Well, kindly ignore the word gentleman as I myself have my doubts about his gentleness really). So in one of the posts that implied that he was an innocent person killed by the armed forces, I happened to point out that there were army personnel and even their families which were being attacked as well and they are just as human as Aamir Nazir, if we even for the sake of the argument assume that he was just an innocent bystander. (In the police version, Aamir had pelted stones on the armed personnel but the people supporting Aamir claim that the Government of a India is forcing media to publish this "fabricated story"). Guess what happened, I was trolled and even called out using abusive language despite the fact that I had even very politely mentioned that I had no intention to argue and that I respect the other person's viewpoint. Yes, that happens to normal people like me too and not just celebrities.

Then today I saw these videos where the images which the media doesn't show were highlighted. Videos which shows how the so called innocents are pelting stones, sticks and torches on the armed forces. The soldiers of the Indian Army who have no personal interest and are doing all this for the country and for us are bearing the brunt of the "misguided people". I hope these people some day understand what is good for them and choose peace and choose their own country. Till then and forever, I proudly stand by the Indian Army.

Watch the video here.

Pro-BJP or Anti-BJP: Why should I even choose sides?

I have been thinking this for a while now, more so since last night. We have reached a strange state of politics in India. A state where if you show even a little bit interest in politics, you are forced to take sides. You can either be Pro-BJP or Anti-BJP. You just cannot not choose sides. People on Facebook, twitter and media in general will label you if you yourself don’t choose side. There really isn't a choice you have.

If you praise PM Modi or any of his policies, work, etc. – You are Pro-BJP. If you speak in favour of AAP (or Congress for that matter but I haven’t seen anyone do that in the last one or two years) – You are Anti-BJP. If you express an opinion that ‘India is not intolerant’ – You are Pro-BJP (that is BJP’s stand, remember?) If you support ‘Odd-even Formula’ – You are Anti-BJP (that is an AAP initiative and not BJP’s). Even vice-versa is true. You are a BJP supporter – You must hate all Muslims and oppose allowance of marital rape or of scrapping of Section 377. You are not a BJP supporter – You must agree that there is no freedom of speech in India and must stand by Kanhaiyya Kumar even in his anti-national ranting.

But, why? I have not had any political party allegiance since many ages. In my late teenage and all through my twenties, I was absolutely indifferent towards political parties. It was only during the 2014 elections with the emergence of Mr. Modi on the national scene did my interest divert back to politics. I am very appreciative of his pro-development agenda. Similarly, I do appreciate the awesome work being done by his cabinet members Sushma Swaraj and Suresh Prabhu and I admire the orator-ship and persona of Smriti Irani. But I still am not a supporter of the BJP party or all BJP members despite the fact that I am widely referred to as one or made out to be one on social media. Actually, sometimes, I think in contradictions which might be confusing for others. For example, I cannot stand the hard-line Hindu nationalists and detest people who use any kind of religious connotations to make a point. How dare I do so because I am a Pro-BJP, remember? Didn't I support Modi in the first place. So now it doesn't really matter that I am upset why Mr. Modi doesn't shut these people up.

I prefer to call myself secular and not secular as in pro-Muslims, again the way the word is used in Indian political scenario. I mean secular as in ‘The Free Dictionary’ definition: worldly rather than spiritual; not relating to religion or to a religious body; and having no particular religious affinities. I believe in one supreme power called God and believe Ram, Durga, Allah, Waheguru, Jesus to be just a few of it’s names or forms that may be used to spread messages of love and ethical living. It’s good and easy to have names and stories to get the messages across and they all serve that purpose. But how can I think like that? BJP is not secular and they hurl a saffron flag. Saffron stands for Hindus and hence I must be against Muslims because their colour is not saffron, it is green. How does it matter that green is one of my favourite colours too as it connects me to nature. I am a Pro-BJP and I just cannot be secular. It is contradictory. Also, I must assume that all our government is doing is only for Hindus. How dare I disagree with that and rationally say that all their policies are for the nation and not towards people for any religion, or caste. Nowhere it is mentioned so. But I am appreciative of a few BJP members and their work (which they do for all and not just for Hindus), so it should be assumed that I am Pro-BJP and I will definitely also agree with all the stupid BJP agendas like beef-ban, ‘saffronization of education’ (as it is referred), etc. How can I voice any such disagreement, would I not become Anti-BJP then? And if I do, then I should not any more support Mr. Modi and instead support stupid policy decisions or morons like CM Kejriwal like his “odd-even rule” and “2000 advertisements per day” and “waiver of electricity bills for 1st anniversary of AAP govt.”. That is what a good Anti-BJP person must support; not initiatives like “Swachchh Bharat”, “Beti padhao, beti badhao”, “Make in India”. Uff? Is your head going in circles now? You know what I mean? How confusing it is?

Let us also give a thought to the most popular topic nowadays in light of this debate – the ‘intolerance’ debate. I am Pro-BJP (because I am a Mr. Modi supporter, of course), so I have to say that I believe India to be tolerant. Good enough, I have already said that because honestly, that is exactly what I believe. (For the record, I believe we have just too many examples of people belonging to various religions living together, working together and helping together and just because media chooses to highlight the few instances where they don’t do that, does not make my country as a whole intolerant.) Well, by saying that India is “tolerant”, I have proven my Pro-BJP tag. Now, I should not support likes of Rohit Vemulla and Kanhaiyya Kumar. Well enough. I do not support them. Good. That is exactly what Pro-BJP people should do. After all, these people are Anti-BJP. But hey… That’s not why I do not support them. I do not support them because their actions have been Anti-India and not Anti-BJP. Confused? Let me explain. No matter how tragic and sad Rohit’s suicide is, the fact is that he was a Yakub Memon supporter – the very Yakub Memon who conspired against my country and helped kill many of my fellow citizens. Rohit, and Kanhaiyya Kumar for that matter, were pleading mercy for Yakub or condemning Afzal Guru's hanging, respectively, and shouting slogans about India’s doom. That is why I do not support them. Anyway, whatever my reasons, that still makes me Pro-BJP. Then, as a corollary, I do not support Kanhaiyya Kumar also proves that I do not support ‘Freedom of speech’? Hello! That’s not what I said. Oh c'mon, only Anti-BJP people support ‘Freedom of speech’ and I am Pro-BJP. How can I support ‘Freedom of speech’ and still think people like Kanhaiyya Kumar are a serious waste of space? Because: they perpetually feed on national subsidies, call themselves messiah of the poor, and then enjoy privileges like air travel, iPhones, luxury cars which they have not earned and for which they have not contributed a paisa to the nation, neither in the form of an active employment nor in the form of taxes. I do firmly believe in ‘Freedom of speech’. The fact that anybody – I mean literally anybody: a student union member, journalist, writer, actor, sports-person, entrepreneur – can rise up and speak about “no freedom of speech in India” and “India being intolerant” speaks volumes of how free speech in India is and how tolerant my country is. And I don’t need to be Pro-BJP to say that.

The point that I am really trying to make amid all this confusion is, why do I have to be Pro-BJP or Anti-BJP? Why can I, as an individual, not have an independent opinion about things and issues? Why should I choose sides depending on whether BJP as a party or even a few BJP members individually have or not have the same opinion? Am I not an educated, thinking and rational human being able to analyse any issue for myself and take a stand. I do not need a political party to tell me what is right and what is wrong. More importantly, no political party can ever be all right and all wrong for the simple fact that it is composed of humans, each of which, like myself can choose differently.

Odd-even Formula is good for Delhi: 'For the motion' and 'Against the motion'

Just as Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s ambitious "odd-even" formula, aimed at reducing pollution and traffic congestion in Delhi, began its second run on the 15th of April, a friend reached out to me to help her daughter write a 3-minute long debate piece on "Odd-even Formula is good for Delhi". Interestingly, she first prepared her speech for the motion. Later, when she made it to the next round, she was asked to prepare her speech against the motion.

Since I helped her with both and since odd-even formula is up and running again, I thought why not share both the debate pieces here. So here we go:

*****

Debate piece 'for the motion':

The heart of India, Delhi, is reaching new heights - this time, however, it is breaking all records in increasing pollution levels and decreasing air quality. According to a WHO survey of 1600 cities, Delhi has the worst air quality of all major cities of the world. Actually, you don't even need to look at surveys to gauge the deteriorating condition. Just step out on the busy roads of Delhi and you can easily feel first-hand what that means. There are no two views about the fact that we need really urgent and drastic steps to control the situation.

The Delhi government introduced one such measure to immediately counter the Delhi Pollution - the now famous odd-even formula. What this means is that one is only allowed to drive cars with odd registration numbers on odd dates of the month and even registration numbers on even dates of the month.The whole idea was to cut down the number of cars on Delhi Roads by almost half at any given point of time. The intention was two folds:

     (1) Cut down on fuel emissions of cars; and

     (2) De-congest Delhi roads.

The odd-even formula that was implemented in January achieved stupendous success on both counts. Of course, there were reservations. You are already hearing the words of my dear friend who is putting his/her  heart and soul in trying to convince you that the formula is useless. But even they would have to admit that they saw near empty roads in Delhi probably first time in their life. Can you even imagine reaching our school all the way from Gurgaon in 25 minutes flat? Yes, my friends, my mom actually achieved that feat during the odd-even formula. As to air quality during the formula days, all surveys proved that ambient air pollution came down. You will at least believe the numbers?

Also, you will definitely agree with me that there were scores of other benefits achieved during the formula days. People went all out to use public transports, car pools, share cabs. They made friends, interacted more with others and in general fostered friendships and happiness. Moreover, people showed amazing discipline and patience. Now aren't these qualities we would like to encourage more and more? They also learnt the importance of environment friendly travelling like using the metro, opting for CNG cars instead of Petrol and Diesel, etc.

As for arguments of inconvenience and security of women, I think that the government itself had included all necessary provisions of exemptions to need any further discussion on the same.

Honestly friends, I am now looking forward to the next round of odd-even formula in April so as to again be able to breathe freely and relax. I am sure you all must be just as eager as me.

*****

Debate piece 'against the motion':

The heart of India, Delhi, is reaching new heights - this time, however, it is breaking all records in increasing pollution levels and decreasing air quality. It is true that pollution is at its peak in Delhi. According to a WHO survey of 1600 cities, Delhi has the worst air quality of all major cities of the world. It's high time we all did something about it before the situation gets out of control.

The Delhi government introduced an extreme measure to tackle the pollution, namely, the odd-even formula, where one is only allowed to drive cars with odd registration numbers on odd dates of the month and even registration numbers on even dates of the month. No matter how noble the intentions of the Delhi government and no matter how much my dear friend tries to convince you, the fact is that the plan was an absolute failure. All the analysis show that the air pollution levels, instead of improving, worsened during the 15 days. The web-portal 'IndiaSpend' shows that the air pollution levels had reached "severe" on 11 out of 15 days and were on the level "very poor" on remaining 4 days.

The reasons were simple: There were exceptions granted to two-wheelers which are the biggest source of pollution in Delhi. Moreover, women drivers too were allowed to drive all vehicles on all days which diluted the purpose. And, to top it all, they supplemented the shoddy public transport system with old and school buses which anyway were affecting pollution levels negatively. And they cannot shut down schools every time naturally.

The only positive effect was de-congestion of roads, which albeit was a temporary phenomenon. In case, odd-even formula becomes permanent or even frequent, this effect will diminish as people will adjust their behaviours accordingly. For example, they will buy second-hand old cars instead of new cars because they will then get to choose the registration numbers - if you already have even, buy odd and vice-versa. Older cars tend to pollute more. Then again, who knows there comes a thriving black market of CNG stickers. Also, it is a drain on public money. The government spends crores on advertisements and arranges traffic personnel and 'volunteers'.

There are many examples of odd-even formula being implemented in countries like China, Cuba, Mexico, etc. But, it may have shown results temporarily but nowhere has it been successful in the long run.

What Delhi needs are concrete permanent measures like dedicated green areas, special encouragement to battery and electric modes of transport, better public transport, etc. and not some mathematical formula that adds and multiplies woes for its citizens rather than reducing pollution.

*****

Which view do you agree to? Would you like to add to the arguments?

The role of media in the intolerance debate and the Aamir controversy

Last couple of days saw Aamir Khan being drawn into an unnecessary controversy where one of his statements surfaced in media stating that his wife doesn't feel very safe in the country and has even talked about leaving the country. While memes started floating abound making us laugh on the issue, what was surprising was how the Hindu rightwing hardliners reacted to the issue. Soon messages were being circulated branding Aamir as a traitor; asking him to leave the country (some even choosing a destination for him - the ever popular neighbouring country Pakistan); encouraging people to uninstall the Snapdeal app because Aamir promotes the online retailer; and asking people not to watch 'Dangal', his upcoming movie.

Now, I'm not a fan of Aamir Khan and have even criticized him off and on on various issues especially for his 'Satyamev Jayate' episode on doctors; but I, for once, have no doubts about his patriotism. Moreover, I find the extreme reactions ridiculous. Snapdeal doesn't subscribe to his personal views just because he is their brand ambassador. 'Dangal' is not just an Aamir Khan film, there are thousands more people associated with it - people who do not hold the same viewpoint and whose bread and butter also depend on the movie. And what to say about the statements of the so called Hindu propagandists, with the latest being Shiv Sena which has announced a Rs. 1 Lac award for anyone who slaps Aamir Khan? Really? How can one stoop down to such a level?

I personally think that he or Shahrukh Khan or anybody for that matter, has a right to say whatever they want. Isn't that what tolerance is all about? By punishing them for what they say, we are actually proving them right. By banning their movies and endorsements etc., we are actually demonstrating that we are indeed intolerant. Let's be big hearted enough to ignore what they say and carry on as usual. Let's really be tolerant in the real sense.

But, more importantly, the issue is much more than just that. It is not just about whether Aamir had the freedom to express his views. It is actually about what role is media playing in this episode. Aamir gave a 30 min. interview and he spoke about a lot of things. In fact, he added right after that very sentence that he doesn't agree with the viewpoint. But our very "free" press snipped out 30 seconds from the 30 minute interview and created a controversy and a furore. It is not any more about Aamir's freedom of speech or the common man's freedom of speech. It is more about a common man's right to know the complete truth and the bigger picture.

All through the intolerance debate and ever since it started, I have a feeling that the media is unnecessarily creating controversies and chaos where there shouldn't be any. They are purposefully highlighting religious tones in any statement, any incident whatsoever, no matter how stray the incident is or how weak the connection is (sometimes even using just snippets for their wilful purpose as in Aamir's case). All this simply because controversy sells.

It's high time we all start using our minds and stop believing everything that media projects.

The intolerance debate!!

After BJP lost in Bihar, a friend of mine summarized on Facebook the situation for BJP as follows: "I hope at least now the BJP realise that they came to power after the 2014 General Elections, not because of their core saffron constituency - but because a large number of Indians who are free minded, fair and desirous of economic growth have given them a chance to implement their development agenda. If they do not rein in the foot-in-mouth ban-at-sight brigade, they will simply not be able to deliver growth, jobs, infrastructure and development, and will end up getting severely chastised by the Indian voter."

This is exactly what was going on in my mind.

I'll be honest. I had lost all interest in politics until Mr. Narendra Modi hopped on to the national scene. My family has been a big-time BJP supporter for years but I personally had not found one leader in BJP - not even in any other party - who could inspire me after Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee retired. My attitude, much like most of the youth around, was that of indifference towards Indian Politics. But then Mr. Modi came forward. He had an impressive track record in Gujarat. I did understand even then that he thrives a lot on publicity but honestly, I did not find anything objectionable in that. I still don't. After all we in corporate world do understand that selling your work is just as important as doing good work. But, this works only if you do have some base of work and results to showcase.

Add to it that his entire agenda for the General Elections was based on "Development". His mission statement looked realistic. Many of the promises had a timeline of 10 years or more unlike the promises of 7 days / 30 days / 100 days as promoted by a certain new emerging popular rival fighting it out on an anti-corruption agenda. Mr. Modi got a clear mandate and since then he has worked on a lot of issues. He has been criticised as well as praised for everything he has done, or done away with. He has taken both in his stride and ignored what got into is way.

I'm neither a political expert, nor an economic analyst. But, as a layman whatever steps he took seemed beneficial in the long run. He was a pro in getting his messages across through various mediums. For instance, he introduced the "Beti bachao, Beti padhao" campaign and ensured that the females were in fore-front in the Republic Day Parade. He has been travelling across the world promoting "Make in India" and ensuring FDI deals for India. But it would be foolish to assume that all that FDI will enter India on the next day at one go. It would be foolish to assume "Achche Din" will come in one year. They both will take their own sweet time and will flow in slowly in their own comfortable speed.

Anyway, the point is that even though I still have all the trust in Mr. Modi's policies and strategy, I'm losing faith again in BJP. At this point, I sincerely believe that BJP might not be in power to see another term and further Mr. Modi's agenda; or reap its fruits just as well. And all this is not new to BJP even. They never make it another term in a row. But they don't learn either. The moment they get power, their tongues start wagging and they start waving their highly irresponsible saffron-coated flags. This time due to a full majority, they've gone full swing into beef-banning, Muslim bashing, RSS orthodox moral policing, etc. So much so that the entire country is debating on intolerance.

More than all this, what irks me is that Mr. Modi, the famed authoritarian, is absolutely quiet on that. Does he not understand that he needs to be on the PM chair at least two terms to fulfil what he has set out to do? Does he not understand from the Delhi and Bihar verdicts that such irresponsible behaviour from his party and their "associates" will not lead him to a second term in office? What exactly is keeping him from reigning in the motor-mouths and the obnoxious orthodoxes? Isn't it high time, he stops being so smug in his position and so confident in his work that he totally ignores the periphery? Isn't it time he salvages his reputation of a pro-development and anti-orthodox leader?

The ongoing Jasleen Kaur and Sarvjeet Singh Debate

For those active on the social media in India, Jasleen Kaur and Sarvjeet Singh debate doesn't need any introduction. For the uninitiated though, the issue is as follows: Jasleen Kaur, a supposed activist of the AAP Youth wing, posted on Facebook the picture of a person – who later turned out to be a normal Delhi citizen Sarvjeet Singh – along with a text calling him a ‘pervert’ and saying that he misbehaved with her and bad-mouthed her at a traffic light. The post went viral and many people – including me and Sonakshi Sinha (without implying that we both stand in the same league) – shared it across. The person was hailed as a ‘molester’ and even a potential rapist. Two days later, the guy was traced and arrested by police on the basis of the Facebook post. Allegedly, he ended up not only spending a couple of nights behind bars but also losing his job. Out on bail, he shared an emotional reply on Jasleen’s post stating that he had not misbehaved with her and on the contrary Jasleen had misbehaved with him and bad-mouthed him. All of a sudden, a couple of witnesses also surfaced supporting Sarvjeet’s claim and suddenly Jasleen’s affiliation to AAP being highlighted by the media turned all of this into a so-called political publicity stunt for her. Meanwhile, AAP supremo and Delhi CM had even announced an award of Rs. 5,000/- for Jasleen for her so called ‘act of bravery’ and for showing the courage to report an incident of molestation and ‘crime against women’.

These are the facts which I have tried my best to state without taking any sides. In fact, I have decided not to take any sides in this matter even though I had first made the mistake of sharing Jasleen’s post initially. But, I have since removed that post from my Facebook; and all such subsequent posts as well after realizing my mistake. Let me be expressly clear on what I mean when I say ‘my mistake’. I refer it to mean me sharing Jasleen’s post without any idea or proof of it being true and without any corroboration. I do not refer it to mean me sharing Jasleen’s post which eventually turned out to be a false claim. I want to be very clear and maintain that I do not know who is saying the truth and who is not and I do not even have the means to find out, so, I remain neutral until the truth comes out.

Now, having clarified my stand, I would like to note down a few questions and concerns that have been going on in my head from the incident.

1. Amidst all the chaos that happened over the issue one thing which got pretty clear was that after the incident, people have started doubting the legitimacy of eve-teasing cases, especially the ones that go viral on social media. Even I can’t help think now in each and every case that this is a one-sided story and I don’t know what the other side has to say. It is not a very positive shift in mentality because as such very few cases of eve-teasing and sexual harassment are filed by girls. Now, even fewer people will come out in support of the girls who have suffered molestation on city streets. Will this not strengthen the already existing social stigma against reporting crime against women?
2. What is it with the Delhi government awarding her with a cash prize of Rs. 5,000/-? No, I’m not commenting on the amount. Any cash prize has relative importance depending on what it was awarded for and how much value the recipient attaches to it. My concern is with respect to the intent of the award. Jasleen had not taken a legal route yet. She had posted the incident details on Facebook alright. But even if we assume for a minute that her claims are right and genuine, I personally do not think that it counts as courage to report the incident. In fact, as per me, it does not even count as reporting the incident as reporting the incident would have been had she lodged an FIR against the alleged molester, which she never did. What courage then?
3. Also, that brings me to the legal system and the police functioning in India. In Delhi (and so I assume that in India althogether), a domestic violence case or a dowry harassment case cannot legally be lodged in the Police Station directly. It has to be routed through the Crime against Women’s Cell where they ‘counsel’ you and the alleged wrong-doers for at least 3 months (of course there’s no upper limit to the timeline). An FIR usually is filed only after the CAWC sends a report to the DCP saying that it is a fit case for an FIR and the DCP approves filing of the FIR. Which mean that it could be months and even years before a domestic violence or a dowry harassment case even reaches a police station. But, it took the police just two days to arrest an alleged eve teaser on the basis of a viral Facebook post and they did not even wait for an official police complaint to be filed. What an irony? Why is it that our police functions only when something gets highlighted in the public either via social media or via print and TV media?
4. When it comes to the common man, everyone is sympathetic as seen in the given case of Jasleen Kaur where everyone supported her initially. However, as soon as the news of her political association with AAP came into knowledge, people’s entire perspective changed. All of a sudden, everyone started claiming that she is doing this to establish her political agenda, especially in the light of upcoming DUSU elections. People even said that this is a ploy by AAP to establish her as a face on women empowerment within their student followers. Does this not show how much do we trust the system and how gullible people are? 
5. One interesting thing that happened was the rise of eye-witnesses immediately after Sarvjeet’s arrest. They all supported and supposedly corroborated Sarvjeet’s version of the story. Also suddenly CCTV footage also surfaced trying to prove Jasleen a liar by showing her monitoring traffic. How long was the footage? A few seconds and it did not even show the war of words between Jasleen and Sarvjeet. They all were simply trying to prove that Jasleen was lying. Maybe she was and maybe she wasn’t, I don’t know. But, I often wonder why do we never have such eye-witnesses and CCTV footages in real genuine cases. Why did none of the people who saw Nirbhaya and her friend lying stripped and wounded on the road for 45 minutes ever show up to give witness? Why did nobody spoke for the girl who was stripped naked by a bunch of boys in full public view in Kolkata and her video was shot and uploaded on the internet? Why did nobody in the crowd come out when a mob simply went crazy on a new year’s night and stripped naked a girl simply out of new year frenzy in Mumbai? Why is it that when it is time to support a girl against a wrong nobody speaks up and people come forward to support a guy when he is allegedly the wronged party?
6. I was actually surprised how quickly the tides turned in favour of Sarvjeet what with everyone suddenly becoming concerned that the girls are using social media to malign just about any innocent guy. He was immediately declared innocent without even the matter going to the court. I admit Jasleen’s modus operandi was wrong even if she does genuinely believe herself to be a wronged party. But, are we the people not doing the same mistake again by openly now supporting Sarvjeet against Jasleen? If we did not corroborate Jasleen’s claims, have we corroborated Sarvjeet’s claims before openly supporting him? Also, if Sarvjeet’s claims are true and he has all those witnesses and CCTV footages, why is he asking for sympathy and support from the social media? Why doesn’t he simply file a defamation case against Jasleen? Why are the people not questioning him on that? For all I know, unless the court decides who was right and who actually misbehaved basis all evidences, we cannot ourselves pass any judgements basis rudimentary evidences available on the internet. Are we even qualified to form conclusions from that?
7. And, finally, the one thing that pinched me the most in this episode was how people not only bullied Jasleen after the tide turned but also all the people, mostly ladies, who had supported Jasleen and shared her post. Sonakshi Sinha came out with a public apology after being booed on Facebook and Twitter, mostly just to put an end to the tirade. And I can understand that since I went through the same. A few ‘friends’ of mine on Facebook started tagging me to every story supporting Sarvjeet and condemning Jasleen. I usually do not entertain tags, even on photos where I am actually there. But I still accommodated and accepted the tags and let them show on my timeline just so that the friend who tagged me appreciates that I have accepted my mistake and am open to his views. But these were then also accompanied with comments directly aimed at me ‘always’ supporting women and never speaking in favour of men. Personally, I always try to be fair though I do often tend to speak for the women but I have always maintained that I am not against all men but only those who do consider women as second-grade human beings and which are maybe quite a few in number. But how many times do you explain this to someone who is just not ready to understand? So, just as the comments continued, so did the tagging. After the first, and then the second and then the third, it actually started getting on my nerves. And I started rejecting tags and even deleted all articles I had previously allowed on my timeline along with the comments. Good that the taggers took the hint but seriously, for had this continued for a day more, I had already made up my mind to ‘unfriend’ and even ‘block’ the people who consider it their right to bully others on social media just because they have a different opinion and point of view than theirs.

The rape victim was 71 years old but why does it matter

I am getting increasingly irked by all the coverage of the Nun's rape. Fail to understand why so much focus is on the age of the Nun. A rape is a rape, be it an assault on a 71 year old or a 21 year old. Why the unnecessary hype on the age?

Everywhere - in the news, or even on social media - in the coverage that the incident is getting; there is excessive emphasis on the age of the nun who faced the sexual assault. And I ask myself whether the fact that the nun was well beyond her prime and probably the age of the assailants' grandmother makes the crime any more horrible than the other rapes that have happened in the past or keep happening every day in India? Was Suzette Jordan's rape any different from 'Nirbhaya' (thanks to BBC, we even know Nirbhaya's real name now - Jyoti Singh) incident just because she was the mother of teenage daughters? Even Aruna Shanbaug's case is a radical reminder that every rape, be it on a teenager or a women in her twenties, thirties, forties or even seventies as brutal as that of the nun, if not more.

Why then the unnecessary focus on the Nun's age?

I do understand when a child faces sexual assault, the age of the child becomes a highlight of the gruesome incident for two primary reasons: 1) the child does not even understand what he or she has been subjected to; and 2) his / her body is not even physically developed to handle what it has been inflicted to. Highlighting the young age of the victim in such cases is also only necessary to understand the psychological impact on the child victim which is very different from the psychological impact on an adult victim. But, again, even in such cases, the focus still remains on the criminal's alarming psychological need to overpower and dominate the other person, usually the female who is often highlighted in all these incidents as the weaker sex.

But, in any case, the age of the victim does not even matter in the rape. It is a brutal and barbaric crime no matter what.

P.S. For that matter, it is even irrelevant that the victim was a Nun. She was a 'women' who bore the brunt of savage male mentality.

When Humanity died...

Yes, you guessed it right. This post is about the barbaric attack on a school in Peshawar by Taliban. And I have no words to even condemn it. I had tears in my eyes when I read the newspaper this morning. My emotions brim out when I read people condemning it on social media. No, there are no words that can say in exact terms how so very cowardly and condemnable the attack is.

Yesterday in the middle of a day long training, I opened Facebook on my phone for a breather and saw updates from people condemning the Taliban attack on a school in Peshawar. I instantly felt nauseated. But, then I did not have the luxury to dwell upon it yesterday. Then, in the evening there were messages from concerned mother's of my daughter's school mates questioning whether they should talk to the school authorities to brace up security to tackle such insane attacks. I was surprised. I could understand that they were also affected by the news, but what my mind could not understand - can never understand - is how can one be prepared for such an attack. How can one even imagine such barbarianism from anyone?

Children are the most innocent souls in the world. Does that make them easy targets? Probably yes. And these religious fanatics? Does their religion tell them to kill children? If for one instance, I even believe that all their 'Jihad' is the word of God, or their Prophet, and they should kill all 'Kafirs', I still don't understand how children could be branded as 'Kafirs'.

I am deeply disturbed. It matters not whether they were Pakistani, or Muslims, or Mujahids, or kids of the same army personnel who have fought against my own country. What matters is that they were kids. They didn't know any better. They didn't even understand your war. They deserved to know more, to grow up, to see the world, to see life, to bring smiles to their parents, to make them proud, to... well, I can go on. But, the words that ring in my mind are that they will never come back to their parents now. And their grades won't matter, and their little mischiefs would be deeply missed, and their loud noises will never be required to be suppressed, and their shrieks of laughter will never break the silence of their homes, and everything will go on in the world and Talibans war will continue but the lives of their parents would be forever incomplete.

It's true when they say: "The smallest coffins are the HEAVIEST!"

Are Indians truly Secular?

Having just brushed past the election season, one of the most common words one must have heard recently is "secular" or "secularism". It's the favorite word of the politicians in India, especially the ones that do not belong to the BJP. They all claim to be truly "secular" while insinuating BJP to be not.

So, what does "secular" mean? According to the Oxford Dictionary, "secular" means "not connected with religious or spiritual matters". Then, the dictionary also explains the meaning of the word when used in the context of Christianity, Astronomy and Economics. (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/secular)

Too bad that it does not explain the meaning of the word as used in the Indian context; to be more precise, in the context of Indian politics. For in this context, it does not mean "not connected with religious or spiritual matters" but rather it means "embracing, practicing and loving Muslims".

Ideally, when a person, organization or nation is secular, he/she/it should have no particular religious affinities. A secular person should not judge people or form impressions about them because of the religion practiced by them. He/she should treat all persons equally even if they practice a religion different from them. Similarly, a secular organization or a secular nation should not discriminate any of its people based on their religious or spiritual choices. It should provide equal opportunities, services and benefits to all and should allow them to pursue any religion they choose without interfering in their choices.

But, that doesn't happen in India. In India, a person to appear secular should actually leave behind his or her own religion and start embracing the other religion, read Islam, to appear secular. If he doesn't do that, he is classified as a Hindu nationalist or worse a Hindu fascist / Hindu hardliner. And the irony is that all this is only targeted towards people who are religiously inclined to Hinduism.

So, if a Narendra Modi chooses to do a "Ganga aarti" instead of, say, putting a "chaadar" on any "mazaar", the entire media goes berserk and he is termed as a Hindu nationalist and an nonsecular person. But, if a Hamid Ansari refuses to take the "aarti thaal" in his hand and participate in the official "aarti" and "puja" at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, no one questions it. Because only Hindus are expected to be secular in India and not Muslims. And to be clear, I am a very secular person and I personally wouldn't expect Mr. Ansari to do the "puja" just as much as I wouldn't expect Mr. Modi to offer a "namaaz".

According to me, being truly secular means letting each person practice whatever religion, belief and school of thought he/she believes in. So, if as a person, Mr. Modi believes in Hinduism, he has the right to perform as many "aartis", visit as many temples, and observe as many religious rituals of Hindus as he wants as long as his government does not discriminate against non-Hindus; as long as his governance policies do not promote Hindus over non-Hindus in providing the fruits and benefits of any schemes they launch or any policies they draft for the betterment of the citizens of the country. Similarly, Hamid Ansari is free to offer his "namaaz" as long as he is fulfilling his duties diligently. Neither Mr. Modi should be forced to don a skull cap, nor Mr. Ansari should be made to perform any "puja" to prove that they are secular in their thoughts and actions. If Congress (Mr. Ansari's ex-Party) is a secular party, they shouldn't provide quotas to Muslims or any other religious sect for that matter. Secular people should be anti-religious-quota all together. And yet, every party talks about quotas, with Congress going a step ahead in its desperation and promise to introduce quotas in the private sector jobs too. Quotas for Muslims, quotas for Jains, quotas for backward classes, whatever. And they try to justify these vote bank politics as secularism. A truly secular nation can't have notion of special perks for anyone because then it defies the spirit of "equality for all." (Image courtesy: Dr. Subramanian Swamy on Facebook)

Today, when Mr. Modi announced his cabinet, I could see a number of Muslims on Facebook questioning why Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Shahnawaz Hussain were not included in the cabinet to have representation from Muslims in the cabinet. Now, I want to ask all of them, why is representation from any particular religion needed over there. Is the cabinet's only task to draft religious laws for which you need people from all religions to kind of give a perspective to the laws? On the contrary, the Cabinet will work for India and irrespective of whatever religion the Indians follow, the laws should be equally applicable to all.

When France declared that no religious symbols are allowed in schools and all Muslim, Christian and Sikh students were forced to abandon their "hijaabs", "crosses" and "turbans", it was true practice of secularism - they can practice whatever religion they want but they need not wear it on their sleeve. Can anyone imagine that happening in India? The day that does happen, I would say India has become truly secular. Indians should learn tolerance and accept a person's beliefs as merely a part of his/her personality. To each his own. Equality for all.

Just some thoughts...

Off late, there have been quite a few incidents in the news, which have invoked me to think. Although I haven't been able to express my views about all of them through individual posts, I want to collect some of them here.
The first thing that comes to my mind is the Guwahati incident where a teenage girl was publicly molested and stripped down by a mob for about 30 to 45 minutes before she got any help. Needless to say that the incident is horrific and it's hard to even imagine what the poor girl would have gone through. Now, I don't know what might have instigated the mob and probably nobody would ever know the real chronology of events but I think nothing gives those men the right to act like that. Also, the episode happened in front of a camera and the whole thing was filmed. I don't know who did it, whether Mr. Neog, the journalist who filmed it actually instigated the mob or not, and irrespective of the fact that inadvertently it brought the incident to light and may even help in bringing the culprits to justice but I just simply cannot imagine that the person filming it had such angelic intentions. The first task should have been to help the girl or call for help assuming that the people around might not have intervened themselves in light of the Mumbai killings in a similar incident last year. What also aggravated my disgust and anguish at the incident is some of the remarks made by certain people about the whole episode in their attempt to decrease the severity of the heinous and barbaric act committed by those animals. Mr. Tarun Gogoi, the CM himself, for example, said that the pub is frequented by prostitutes. I would like to ask him whether this gives those immoral people the right to publicly molest any girl who happened to be there. To hell, EVEN PROSTITUTES HAVE A RIGHT TO SAY "NO". I really am at a loss to put my disgust and anguish in words. And my heart aches for the poor girl when I see those pictures on TV or net. I pray to God to give her strength and courage to overcome this all and lead a normal life. The least we can do anything for her is to bring the culprits to justice real soon and not embroil her in the typical Indian beaurocracy. And please for God's sake don't raise questions on her character.
The second incident is about the mob who went berserk in the Maruti plant in Manesar. Again, what gave them the right to take law in their own hands and kill people. If they have a complaint, there are better ways to address them. There is no argument that cannot be sorted out by talking. Vandalism is unacceptable and what is even more unacceptable is injuring and killing fellow humans.
And all this happened while the talks were on. In one fit of madness, or probably an orchestrated act of violence, the labour union mob barged into the board room, assaulted senior executives and burnt the building down. Avanish Kumar Dev, a senior HR executive was assaulted with iron rods, both his legs were badly fractured and he was left there to be burnt alive. The mob not only brought an innocent life to an abrupt end but ruined a family, killed a 17 year old child's youth by taking away from him his father's love and care. This is absolutely unjustified and unfair. The labour union cannot justify this by citing perpetration.
Another incident in another part of the world got media (and my) attention. Google's executive, Marissa Mayer got the high profile job of Yahoo's CEO, leaving behind the biggest contender, the acting CEO, Ross Levinsohn. She joins the wafer thin list of female senior executives in the silicon valley. But that is not what is really interesting. The really interesting bit is around Marissa being all of 37 and currently pregnant. I can bet that no management in India would have hired her for the top position. Especially when you have a once-on-top-now-struggling company to turn around and that too very quickly. And what's more, she is one of the highest paid honchos in the world. Marissa's story fills me with hope and she certainly makes all working and professional women proud.
In the end, I would just like to make a small prayer for two superstars of their respective leagues, Mr. Dara Singh and Mr. Rajesh Khanna. In their death, I was reminded how glorious their past was and how captivating their aura. May their souls rest in peace.

A daring letter by an IIT'an to Rahul Gandhi

A REPLY LETTER WRITTEN BY:

NITIN GUPTA (RIVALDO)
B. Tech, IIT Bombay

ON Rahul Gandhi: "I feel ashamed to call myself an INDIAN after seeing what has happened here in UP".

Dear Rahul,
YOU REALLY WANT TO FEEL ASHAMED???????
But don't be disappointed, I would give you ample reasons to feel ashamed... You really want to feel Ashamed..?
* First Ask Pranav Mukherjee, Why isn't he giving the details of the account holders in the Swiss Banks.
* Ask your Mother, Who is impeding the Investigation against Hasan Ali?
* Ask her, Who got 60% Kickbacks in the 2G Scam ?
* Kalamadi is accused of a Few hundred Crores, Who Pocketed the Rest in the Common Wealth Games?
* Ask Praful Patel what he did to the Indian Airlines? Why did Air India let go of the Profitable Routes ?
* Why should the Tax Payer pay for the Air India losses, when you intend to eventually DIVEST IT ANYWAY!!!
* Also, You People can't run an Airline Properly. How can we expect you to run the Nation?
* Ask Manmohan Singh. Why/What kept him quiet for so long?
* Are Kalmadi and A Raja are Scapegoats to save Big Names like Harshad Mehta was in the 1992 Stock Market Scandal ?
* Who let the BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY Accused go Scot Free? (20,000 People died in that Tragedy)
* Who ordered the State Sponsored Massacre of SIKHS in 84?
* Please read more about, How Indira Gandhi pushed the Nation under Emergency in 76-77, after the HC declared her election to Lok Sabha Void!
* WHY ONLY HIGHLIGHT THIS ARREST?
Dear Rahul, to refresh your memory, you were arrested/detained by the FBI the BOSTON Airport in September 2001.
You were carrying with you $ 1,60,000 in Cash. You couldn't explain why you were carrying so much Cash.
(Incidentally He was with his Columbian girlfriend Veronique Cartelli, ALLEGEDLY, the Daughter of Drug Mafia. 9 HOURS he was kept at the Airport. Later then freed on the intervention of the then Prime Minister Mr. Vajpayee.. FBI filed an equivalent of an FIR in US and released him. When FBI was asked to divulge the information, by Right/Freedom to Information Activists about the reasons Rahul was arrested ... FBI asked for a NO OBJECTION CERTIFICATE from Rahul Gandhi. So Subramaniyam Swami wrote a Letter to Rahul Gandhi, " If you have NOTHING to HIDE, Give us the Permission" HE NEVER REPLIED!)
Why did that arrest not make Headlines Rahul? You could have gone to the Media and told, "I am ashamed to call myself an INDIAN?".
Or is it that, you only do like to highlight Symbolic Arrests (like in UP) and not Actual Arrests (In BOSTON)
Kindly Clarify.....In any case, you want to feel ashamed, Read Along...
YOUR MOTHER'S SO CALLED SACRIFICE OF GIVING UP PRIME MINISTERSHIP in 2004.
According to a Provision in the Citizenship Act, A Foreign National who becomes a Citizen of India, is bounded by the same restrictions, which an Indian would face, If he/she were to become a Citizen of Italy. (Condition based on principle of reciprocity)
Now Since you can't become a PM in Italy, Unless you are born there.
Likewise an Italian Citizen can't become Indian PM, unless He/She is not born here!
Dr. SUBRAMANIYAM SWAMI (The Man who Exposed the 2G Scam) sent a letter to the PRESIDENT OF INDIA bringing the same to his Notice.
PRESIDENT OF INDIA sent a letter to Sonia Gandhi to this effect, 3:30 PM, May 17th, 2004. Swearing Ceremony was scheduled for 5 PM the same Day. Manmohan Singh was brought in the Picture at the last moment to Save Face!!
Rest of the SACRIFICE DRAMA which she choreographed was an EYE WASH!!!
In fact Sonia Gandhi had sent, 340 letters, each signed by different MP to the PRESIDENT KALAM, supporting her candidacy for PM.
One of those letters read, "I Sonia Gandhi, elected Member from Rai Bareli, hereby propose Sonia Gandhi as Prime Minister."
So SHE was Pretty INTERESTED! Until She came to know the Facts! She didn't make any Sacrifice, It so happens that SONIA GANDHI couldn't have become the PM of INDIA that time.
You could be Ashamed about that Dear Rahul!! One Credential Sonia G had, even that was a HOAX!
THINK ABOUT YOURSELF.
You go to Harvard on Donation Quota. ( Hindujas Gave HARVARD 11 million dollars the same year, when Rajiv Gandhi was in Power)
Then you are expelled in 3 Months/ You Dropped out in 3 Months....
(Sadly Manmohan Singh wasn't the Dean of Harvard that time, else you might have had a chance... Too Bad, there is only one Manmohan Singh!)
Then Why did you go about lying about being Masters in Economics from Harvard .. before finally taking it off your Resume upon questioning by Dr. SUBRAMANIYAM SWAMI (The Gentlemen who exposed the 2G Scam)
At St. Stephens.. You Fail the Hindi Exam. Hindi Exam!!!
And you are representing the Biggest Hindi Speaking State of the Country?
SONIA GANDHI's EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Sonia G gave a sworn affidavit as a Candidate that She Studied English at University of Cambridge
According to Cambridge University, there is no such Student EVER! Upon a Case by Dr. Subramaniyam Swami filed against her, She subsequently dropped the CAMBRIDGE CREDENTIAL from her Affidavit.
Sonia Gandhi didn't even pass High School. She is just 5th class Pass!
In this sense, She shares a common Educational Background with her 2G Partner In Crime, Karunanidhi.
You Fake your Educational Degree, Your Mother Fakes her Educational Degree. And then you go out saying, " We want Educated Youth into Politics!"
WHY LIE ABOUT EDUCATIONAL CREDENTIALS?
Not that Education is a Prerequisite for being a great Leader, but then you shouldn't have lied about your qualifications!
You could feel a little ashamed about Lying about your Educational Qualifications. You had your reasons I know, Because in India, WE RESPECT EDUCATION!
But who cares about Education, When you are a Youth Icon!!
YOUTH ICON
You traveled in the Local Train for the first time at the Age of 38.
You went to some Villages as a part of Election Campaign. And You won a Youth Icon!! ... That's why You are my Youth Icon.
For 25 Million People travel by Train Every day. You are the First Person to win a Youth Icon for boarding a Train.
Thousands of Postmen go to remotest of Villages. None of them have yet gotten a Youth Icon. You were neither YOUNG Nor ICONIC!
Still You became a Youth Icon beating Iconic and Younger Contenders like RAHUL DRAVID.
SURNAME
Shakespeare said, What's in a Name?
Little did he knew, It's all in the Name, Especially the Surname!
Speaking of Surname, Sir DO YOU REALLY RESPECT GANDHI, OR IS IT JUST TO CASH IN ON THE GOODWILL OF MAHATMA?
Because the Name on your Passport is RAUL VINCI. Not RAHUL GANDHI..
May be if you wrote your Surname as Gandhi, you would have experienced, what Gandhi feels like, LITERALLY ( Pun Intended)
You People don't seem to use Gandhi much, except when you are fighting Elections. ( There it makes complete sense).
Imagine fighting elections by the Name Raul Vinci...
You use the name GANDHI at will and then say, " Mujhe yeh YUVRAJ shabd Insulting lagta hai! Kyonki aaj Hindustan mein Democracy hai, aur is shabd ka koi matlab nahin hai! YUVRAJ, Itna hi Insulting lagta hai, to lad lo RAUL VINCI ke Naam se!!! Jin Kisano ke saath photo khinchate ho woh bhi isliye entertain karte hain ki GANDHI ho.. RAUL VINCI bol ke Jao... Ghar mein nahin ghusaenge!!!
You could feel ashamed for your Double Standards.
YOUTH INTO POLITICS.
Now You want Youth to Join Politics.
I say First you Join Politics. Because you haven't Joined Politics. You have Joined a Family Business.
First you Join Politics. Win an Election fighting as RAUL VINCI and Not Rahul Gandhi, then come and ask the youth and the Educated Brass for more involvement in Politics.
Also till then, Please don't give me examples of Sachin Pilot and Milind Deora and Naveen Jindal as youth who have joined Politics. They are not Politicians. They Just happen to be Politicians.
Much Like Abhishek Bachchan and other Star Sons are not Actors. They just happen to be Actors (For Obvious Reasons)
So, We would appreciate if you stop requesting the Youth to Join Politics till you establish your credentials...
WHY WE CAN'T JOIN POLITICS!
Rahul Baba, Please understand, Your Father had a lot of money in your Family account ( in Swiss Bank) when he died.
Ordinary Youth has to WORK FOR A LIVING. YOUR FAMILY just needs to NETWORK FOR A LIVING.
If our Father had left thousands of Crores with us, We might consider doing the same. But we have to Work. Not just for ourselves. But also for you. So that we can pay 30% of our Income to the Govt. which can then be channelized to the Swiss Banks and your Personal Accounts under some Pseudo Names.
So Rahul, Please don't mind If the Youth doesn't Join Politics. We are doing our best to fund your Election Campaigns and your Chopper Trips to the Villages.
Somebody has to Earn the Money that Politicians Feed On.
NO WONDER YOU ARE NOT GANDHIs. YOU ARE SO CALLED GANDHIs!!
Air India, KG Gas Division, 2G, CWG, SWISS BANK Account Details... Hasan Ali, KGB., FBI Arrest..
You want to feel ashamed..?
Feel Ashamed for what the First Family of Politics has been reduced to... A Money Laundering Enterprise.
NO WONDER YOU ARE NOT GANDHI'S BY BLOOD. GANDHI is an adopted Name. For Indira didn't marry Mahatma Gandhi's Son.
For even if you had one GENE OF GANDHI JI in your DNA. YOU WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN PLAGUED BY SUCH 'POVERTY OF AMBITION' (Ambition of only EARNING MONEY)
You really want to feel Ashamed?
Feel Ashamed for what you ' SO CALLED GANDHI'S' have done to MAHATMA'S Legacy..
I so wish GANDHI JI had Copyrighted his Name!
Meanwhile, I would request Sonia Gandhi to change her name to $ONIA GANDHI, and you could replace the 'R' in RAHUL/RAUL by the New Rupee Symbol!!!
RAUL VINCI : I am ashamed to call myself an Indian.
Even we are ashamed to call you so!

P.S: Popular Media is either bought or blackmailed, controlled to manufacture Consent! My Guess is Social Media is still a Democratic Platform.
(Now they are trying to put legislations to censor that too!!).
Meanwhile, Let's ask these questions, for we deserve some Answers.

YOURS SINCERELY
NITIN GUPTA ( RIVALDO)
B. Tech, IIT Bombay