WHERE PARADOXES RULE

A successful lunar expedition, a mind boggling nuclear deal, genesis of a nation oozing with confidence and enthusiasm---our India. A nation without proper toilets, no clean drinking water or food, a nation of illiterates, superstitions, famine and foeticide---our Bharat. Yes, India has been split wide open. We have India, we have Bharat, with both sides pretending the other does not exist.

While with Chandrayaan-1, India attempts to kiss the moon, Bharat is held back by the gravitational pulls of some of its past it should have shed by now but alas it is reluctant to do so. India talks of globalisation and e-commerce. Highly advanced arms and ammunitions, nuclear power resources, state of art roadways and railways. Bharat pleads for drinking water and minimum wages that can keep its millions above the poverty line. India boasts of dollar billionaires and shining technology talent that developed nations are so keen to lure away, while Bharat is still struggling to give its children a minimum basic education and healthcare to ensure that they do not die from malaria or malnutrition.

While Indian women win beauty pageants against the brightest and most glamorous in the world, the women of Bharat never see the light of the day thanks to rampant female foeticide. India brags about its immense talent pool of doctors, engineers, artists and Bharat is booed down by its greedy, selfish politicians.

What is worse than the divide is the fact that it grows every day. Even as more and more Indians buy cars, laptops, cellular phones, luxurious items, the people of Bharat are finding it increasingly difficult to find themselves even the humblest jobs. They are ready to build roads or clean public toilets but even these jobs are difficult to get. It is a miracle that the two nations co-exist within the same geographical boundaries without a civil war.

But the truth is that India cannot exist without Bharat. Bharat provides India its lifeline, its workforce. If you hurt Bharat, India dies!

Anything said in defence of Bharat angers India. We live in the same country and yet refuse to see each other's point of view. India complains about inadequate parking space. Bharat does not even have pavements to walk on. For India, hawkers are a nuisance. For Bharat it is just another means of livelihood. The same words mean different things to Bharat and India.

It is not easy to bridge the two cultures. Bharat will pursue its own agonising destiny. India will continue to grow and flourish and prosper, despite its callousness. It will continue to hire cheap labour from Bharat to slog for them and provide them essential services. Yet it will bitch about growing slums and increasing crime, not realising that they are as responsible for them. But the truth is India, despite its enormous wealth, can never realise its true potential unless it involves Bharat in its future.

Bharat must give up its rancour. It must look at the future with hope, not look back in anger. India must learn to realise that it cannot wish away Bharat and hope to survive on its arrogance and riches. In their coming together lies the future of this great country.

And a day would come with no Bharat, no India, just ONE united, gigantic, prosperous, beautiful nation. Our nation, our motherland.

Waiting for that day…..

SEVEN GOLDEN RULES FOR CORRUPTION.

One of the most fascinating things about India is the durability of its corrupt. Cats with their nine lives would look modest in front of Sukh Ram or J Jayalalitha or George Fernandes. Why are the corrupts so durable? How does corruption function as a rule game? What does it say about morality?

The tehelka tapes, the bofors scandal, the hawala scam or the fodder scam and many such cons to con the common man. Yet each time these politicians slip and make the judicial system dance to their tunes. When a scam surfaces these politicians vanish into thin air, some boldly refute the allegations yet they all come back to ‘lead’ our nation towards progress and prosperity(sic!)

You can be on the take but don’t challenge the normative nature of system. Be a crook but don’t question goodness. You become a villain when you do both. Rules of corruption need to be understood:-
RULE ONE: Even if you are bad, do show some signs of goodness. Appeal to values. Value-based politics like value-based education can hide a lot of things. Hint that you fought corruption 90 per cent of the time. That is good enough to get you elected 100 per cent of the time. Sukh Ram understood it. So what if the goose feathers in his pillow were genuine currency notes. He returned to power on an anticorruption plank.

RULE TWO: Don’t be arrogant; don’t talk down to people. Jayalalitha does that. She is a solo performance. Watch Laloo Yadav now. His corruption is like a joke he shares. It implicates everyone – the listerners, the media, the police and sometimes even Laloo himself. Laloo’s corruption is a collective joke. It is populism at its best. With Laloo one feels, corruption is a possibility all of us share – like loot. We end up thinking none of us is all that bad. Jaya Jaitley thinks she is the prima donna. She does not know there is no ivy league of corruption.

RULE THREE: Share, always share your loot. Even if it is 80:20. Don’t hog all 100 per cent. That is what Jayalalitha did, while Karunanidhi survives offering a theory of sustainable corruption. Corruption , like distributive justice, is all about sharing.

RULE FOUR: Remember corruption is a sport and a competitive one. Remember it should never be a zero-sum game. When one is punished and wiped out, the sense of sport, the possibility of eternal return is gone. In corruption like in Hindi cinema, one must always allow for a second chance. A R Antulay understood it like other politicians. It is not a shortness of memory, it is the necessity of forgetting as the only way of forgiving. In corruption as in Hinduism no one is totally good or bad.

RULE FIVE: Allow for the rule of law. Nothing protects the corrupt like due process. It helps the innocent but saves the guilty. Start a court case and it can stretch longer than an Ekta Kapoor serial.

RULE SIX: Love democracy. It treats everyone alike. Everyone is a citizen as a voter. You can get elected even from jail. Shibu Soren would indeed be the right person to tell this in details. Yes!only Indian jails stimulate so much electoral activity.

RULE SEVEN: Be bold and honest in rebutting the allegations made against you. Claim valiantly that the company or the contract is fictitious….a la George Fernandes. Assert that the tapes or photographs or conversations are all maligned by the opposition. Assure everyone that you have fought corruption, MNCs and are a true patriot. Your political skills on display!

Wow….seven lovely rules. Remember it and be corrupt as you like. Buy Harrier jets, Bofors guns and forget your taxes. But do send a little something to the local police stations; even they need to survive this big game of corruption...

MANY MORE 'BOMB'AYS TO EXPLODE.

The recent terror attacks in Mumbai, the daily killings in Kashmir, the naxal attacks, the infiltration of terrorists through the seas, a failing intelligence service and the frantic calls for the government to act, point to nothing strange or novel. If anything, all these underline a state of affairs which has existed right from the ’93 blasts to the 26 November 2008 terror attacks and perhaps might continue…

The people of India are weary. India is crying for peace. We yearn for freedom. Everybody out there has a formula for peace and prosperity but nobody seems to be able to transcend these talks and statements. This war against India is a fruit of politics which was seeded in 1947, when mother India was split and divided on religious norm. The deadly game of politics played then, has given birth to the likes of LeT, Al Badr, Hizbul Mujahideen and others. These Islamic groups have waged their ‘holy’ war against India and its citizens. Their objective is to merge J&K with Pakistan. They view Kashmir as the gateway to our country for rescuing Muslims here. They have now successfully moved out of Kashmir and spread their wings across India. Militant Islam is actually a dangerous and scary political force that is using Islam as a convenient ploy to extend its tentacles of fear worldwide

Terrorists for us, jehadis for some – yet humans in the end!!! Times and now I have tried to think from their point of view, understand their psychology, their thought processes. Tried to find an answer….why this war? These young, little ‘terrorists’ are brain washed, are taken advantage of their weakness. Some are lured in by cash like the case of Mohammad Aamir Kasab, the only terrorist caught alive in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Some join in influenced by lunatics. Money, religion, family are all such reasons why these young men become scapegoats. Well a bigger reason could possibly be - a lack of identity.

The Muslims in India, particularly in Kashmir and in POK have continued their struggle for the right to self determination for more than five decades, despite the brutality and suppression inflicted on them by Indian Occupation forces. The Pakistanis have seen defeat at the hands of Indian forces in 1965, 1971 and 1999. Their blood boiled when they lost East Bengal (Bangladesh) and always blamed it on our lack of ‘love for Islam’. Pakistanis fight for an identity. A nation of their own, not as a part of something.

The rise of militancy in Kashmir was never well tackled either by India or Pakistan. The blame game continues and has resulted in people, in both countries, loosing their - lives, families, a sense of trust on their respective governments. If the security route was the right course to follow in Kashmir, India’s problems would have been long solved. But the problem as every sane man or woman in India realizes, goes deeper. It touches the sullenness of an entire population. What is India’s answer to this deep rooted alienation? More battalions to the Indian army? Harsher measures against the local population of Kashmir? Beating louder drums of cross border terrorism? All these have not worked before. Are they likely to bring any miracles now?

Terrorism must be tackled and weeded out from its roots itself. Let us admit that these roots are the young Muslim men and women who have heard stories about their forefathers being driven out of their country, who have witnessed the brutal killings of their fellows, who are tired of telling people that they are INDIANS, who live as strangers in their country, who are continuously being judged by their names and religion, who are fighting for a nation of their own, who demand an identity, an individuality of their own. Our failure to understand them, their needs, their feelings have all while proved us costly. A sense of belonging to their motherland and respect, love and tolerance towards other countries needs to be developed and nurtured within them. If countries across the globe fail to understand this very point and treat these ‘budding’ terrorists as outsiders or Satan’s agents, many more ‘Kasabs’ and ‘Ismail khans’ are waiting to explode many more bombays.

THE BUSINESS OF GURUDOM.

Guru, acharya, teacher, master, professor, the pir-e-murshid, mua’llim. Different words, same ideology. The semantics hardly matter. Every civilization has recognized and bowed before the salience of this institution. The idea of guru cannot be defined, for the world of definitions seems too small. In India, guru is Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the very manifestation of divinity and the Supreme Truth, Para Brahma. In popular perception, however, the guru often tends to be an awesome and severe figure, now asking for Eklavya’s thumb, another moment denying Karna the right to learn. On the contrary, Krishna is the supreme embodiment of the guru, patiently removing Arjuna’s doubts and gently leading him to enlightenment-nirvana.

The west has borrowed the concept of guru and distorted it beyond recognition. The confusion about guru, yogi, mahatma and sanyasi has gone a long way in penetrating myths that would require a superhuman effort to rectify. Worse still, a guru has become a generic name for all categories of religious teachers. The western world has a rather interesting word on the whole business of gurudom: for them guru is someone who uses modern psycho-therapeutic techniques…who has a lot of group encounters…uses hydrotherapy…some primal scream and does strange things. The original idea is far removed from what is being perceived and conceived right now.

A true guru draws out and sets free the characteristic qualities of the taught. Consequently, a guru need not be a religious leader alone – though a quest for truth and search for ultimate reality permeates all aspects of Indian life. The West, instead, has transformed the role of the guru into one of an agony aunt or uncle, trickster and magician all rolled into one. The Indian ideal is opposed to the modern practice of making everything easy for the pupil. Manu clearly set out the role of a guru: “As a man who digs with a spade obtains water, even so an obedient pupil obtains the knowledge which lies in his teacher.”

A true guru does not intimidate. He encourages. He does not tell the student how to live his life. He merely sets out an ideal. He does not bind his pupil in a miasma of theory and ritual. Instead, he leads by suggestion and example. He does not blind by the brilliance of his own personality, but opens the eye of the pupil to truth, beauty, love and wisdom. The guru is full of gravitas. He is not frivolous. The Sanskrit word guru literally means ‘heavy’. He knows himself and at all times tries to be himself. He breaks rules and conventions, but does so gently. He is persuasive, but not aggressive. He makes an impact on those who seek a meaning for existence. In his own ways he helps us to recognise that life is a precious opportunity. He fears no one and is feared by none.

AND THAT's WHY WE LOVE CRICKET...

I have never been an overtly ambitious person. But my one burning desire in life is to be amidst a crowd of roaring, cheering Indians in the stands of the Lord’s for an India vs Pakistan cricket match – preferably while the Sachin’s and Afridi’s are still around. I am sure almost all cricket crazy Indians (read: over half the population) share this dream of mine.

Yet there are some souls who detest even the mention of the word cricket (GOD help them!!!). To such near and dear ones, why we love cricket and swear by it...

1.The men in blue
There I said it. Guyz and gals are all crazy about them. The gals drool over these cricketing hunks and the guyz ape them for their looks and attitude. Special mention must be made of Sachin Tendulkar, the Adonis of Indian cricket. Dhoni too has been endowed with admirable attributes other than his once long hair and sweaty forehead. Sreeshant and Bhajji are a class apart. Their on and off- field antics has escalated them to various highs and lows of their public image. And of course there’s Rahul Dravid – always the gentleman with his unmistaken smile and cute dimples.

2. The emotions
It is fun watching grown men fall over each other in ecstasy in cricket. From Yuvraj’s air punches and Sourav’s shirt swirling to Bhajji’s monkey tricks and Sreeshant’s cries and tears; the theatre of cricket has orchestrated some of the most dramatic performances in cricket history. The entire nation heaved a huge sigh of relief as Sreeshant held on to Misbah’s catch at the T-20 finals. India chocked with emotions, was crest broken when we made an early exit from 2007 world cup. The nation indeed danced to the tunes of cricket mania.
"Cricket is my favourite soap opera of sports."

3. The grand sport of cricket
It’s the undisputed Grand-Daddy of sports. While soccer, tennis is equally exciting, there is something intrinsically sacred about cricket. Or may be I am just partial, like the scores of people across the globe, to this game of life – CRICKET.

THE GLOBAL WAR'N'ING.

Mahatma Gandhi once famously said: “the Earth has enough resources to meet the needs of people, but will never have enough to serve their greed”. The human gluttony has now put us in a situation where we are being confronted by Mother Nature. Rapid climate change, global warming, rising sea levels; the tipping point to disaster is fast approaching and the time to act is now. Or it would be too late.

Wondering how can you contribute to the greening of India and the world?

Here’s a guide to tackle climate change:

My Green Valley
The childhood thought taught in school: forests are the lungs of a city. Yes indeed, they are. Do your bit, plant a tree in your garden or somewhere in your locale.

Electrifying Idea
Wanna buy a new car? Wanna keep the air clean? Wanna escape the rising petrol and diesel prices? Well this is it! The chance to hit bull’s eye in one shot. Buy an electric car. With the savings in the fuel, you can easily recover the cost of the car along with some mental satisfaction.

A better idea: Catch the bus…and the train…
The principle option for reducing energy use in our cities is to ensure that mass transportation is efficient, comfortable and reasonable (hello! Is the government readying this???) more in the bus, will ensure fewer people using cars or other transports.

Yet another one: Walk, don’t drive
With petrol prices galloping, it’s time to abandon those leisurely and romantic long drives. Walking a Km or more would not only save you money but also help you cut the flab around the waist….why not plan for a hour long walk with you loved one??

In a New Light
If you haven’t yet switched to compact fluorescent lamps(CFLs) that use one third of the power than conventional bulbs, you are living in environmental darkness.

Bore Well?
Not really. Borewells that form a major source of india’s water supply are now beginning to run dry. The dig for them is getting even deeper and costlier. There is a need for mandated water harvesting and recharge zones in urban areas.

Green Shopping
Companies making electrical appliances have been asked to stick energy efficiency labels to help discerning customers. Be on the look for green label when you go shopping next – it could mean plenty of saving for you.

Home Audits
So you thought you had green home? Best to get a home energy audit done by experts who tell you just where you can save power, how efficient you electrical appliances are. Internet sites offer to guide for free of charge in case you don’t want to fork out money.

Lungi is in
In a bid to save on air conditioning, Japanese executives no longer wear ties and suits to formal meetings. With india’s climate being described as hot, hotter and hottest, it’s probably time to ban western wear for men. One option for south Indian men is the traditional lungi that our own finance minister adorns.

Tele-commuting
Instead of burning gallons of fuel either driving a car or flying a plane, companies are increasingly encouraging their employees to use the phone to transact business. With web-conferencing, things have become all the simpler.

Computers off
Most people think that allowing your computer to hibernate or go into screensaver mode means they are saving energy. But you would be surprised to know it does consume power and also increase carbon emissions. It is best to switch it off if you do not plan to use it for few hours.

Save paper, Use G-mail
Ok –ok …no pun (un)intended! Instead of penning down your thoughts and letters on paper made from killing trees, try G (green) mail instead. People all over the world even in corporate offices are cutting down on printing or faxing messages and instead using e-mail.

Ban the Bag
Well with the regularity with which we use plastic bags, after say 3000 years if the ruins we leave behind are excavated, chances are only plastic bags would be dug up. Sounds like an exaggeration? Take precautions so that it remains an exaggeration. Don’t choke up Mother Nature. Be kind to her and the next time you go shopping for groceries, remember to carry your cloth bag.

Our & D
Technology today holds the key to combating climate changes. The search is on for breakthrough technology in all sectors that cause major emissions. The scientists and technologists should come up with their own innovative solutions to save our planet Earth.

OH 'MY' GOD!

Faith in God and religion are like the two sides of the same coin. However, what a group of people show off is an unequivocal display of Blind Faith in both. Their stereotypical thoughts and views portray God as a radical fanatic, raging against reason and compassion. For them, He is the one who would divide and reign, kill and kidnap and would never stop arguing with history, which He thinks is the lost baggage of lies. A manufactured God, who has been composed, created and assembled to stimulate fear, instigate terror, ransack the world and shatter the hopes of million. He, a weapon of mass destruction, must be feared!

Every time I read or hear about the Amarnath shrine, Babri Masjid, Ram Mandir or Ram Sethu, I am gripped with a sense of helplessness and religious dissent. A feeling shared by many men and women of this country. India’s secular credentials and its innate capacity of tolerance have been badly shaken by what happened in Gujrat, Ayodhya and Mumbai 15 years ago and the anti-Sikh riots in Delhi and elsewhere in 1984. These ugly eruptions have been the handiwork of disgruntled politicians, anti-social elements, criminals and hypocrites. Their reasons for these misdeeds- uncertain ‘true’ facts (sic!). What these lunatics fail to understand is the relevance such facts hold today. What these fanatics pass off as religion is very often pure ritualism which is closer to superstition that belief in Almighty. They, under the pretence of religion, tweak around certain rituals and empower these rituals to propagate fear, terror and superior might in young and old minds. They lack religious tolerance and hence are unable to understand the true underlying principles of their own religion.

An unassailable thought flows through Rig Veda: “truth is one- the learned may describe it variously”. Every religion teaches us love, compassion, tolerance, the omnipresence and omnipotence of God. One sees, feels and hears God everywhere; in birds, animals, trees, running brooks, a cherubic child, the wrinkled face of an old woman, a dilapidated mosque, in the remains of a temple, in the collapse of WTC in New York, in the feat of a swimmer who has redefined human limitations, in all triumphs and tragedies and every birth and death. If this is so, why all this fuss and mess in the name of religion?

Religion and belief in Almighty, which were once a personal affair, have now become a global revolution. The world is being turned into a religious society. Religion, in recent times has become the italicised word in politics and in India it is the most blatant political con. It is mythological pretension for some and minority ghettos for others. This concoction of religion and politics has turned into a lethal weapon aimed at demolishing the secular, democratic and cultural roots of India. In this connection, distinguishing between belief in God and in religious rituals is necessary. The option of choosing a religion or following one’s religion should be left as an open choice in its truest sense and not just in terms of a constitutional statement. Religion should never be made a part of a political manifesto. The earlier this is understood and done, the better it is for our motherland, lest she’ll be a witness to her own division and annihilation once again!!!