of predictions and reductions

By no means am I an economic expert, nor do I understand whats happening right now
And neither do I claim that the dip in oil prices is a creation of the US presidential election....

but what I do know is that I did predict a situation where the oil prices may reduce big time, around the US pres election time ( after a sharp rise a few months before that) - I had based it purely on my experience in 2004.

See my post http://drisyadrisya.blogspot.com/2008/04/tip-of-iceberg-or-end-of-it.html

Whatever be the real reason, it seems to be heading the same way in 2008 too with just weeks left for the US election
----------------------------------------------

Meantime, here is a video that has been circulating and in which the speaker makes some predictions about the US economy, and more importantly tries to put things in a common mans language... he is a columnist in rediff, and the video is uploaded feb 10, 2008

black cat or white cat ?

Tata says "tata" to Singur and West Bengal - I am utterly confused as to whom should I laugh at

* At Mamta Banerjee who is day dreaming that she can capture the erstwhile communist votes by doing what they used to do a few years ago ?

* or At the "ruling" CPM themselves, who responded to the pull out with their dogs-tail-never-gets-straightened strike call - Tata must be releieved

As ET reports that "Gujarat and Karnataka has emerged as the two top contenders" for alternate location, the situation is even more irritating for the CPM in Kerala. On the issue of SEZs in Kerala, in its slow but steady progress towards realizing "I don't care if it's a white cat or a black cat. It's a good cat so long as it catches mice" , the CPM faces its biggest roadblock from its supposedly less radical ideological counterpart - the CPI

It must the the great "revolutionary" training that our comrades receive that helps them have not even a pin prick on their conscience while practising the highest hypocrisy . Here are some samples

* While criticizing the central govt, the CPM govt in Kerala has recently hiked water price, milk price, auto/taxi price - God knows what not. In fact two years when I came to India, the minimum charge on bus was Rs 1.75, and now ist Rs 4/- in just 2 years ( not that it maked the Central govt any better, but right now we are just talking about the commie hypocrisy )

* The same commies who are now pained that the Central govt is making India lose its right to test nuke weapons, were the ones who oppossed it so much when India tested in 1998

* And guess from whom the Kerala CM is facing oppossition while he tries to oust the realtors who built resorts on encroached govt lands ? None other than the district CPM committee

Recently "Surya TV" apparently launched a Malayalam channel exclusively for comedy - but one has to subscribe to some Sun-Direct to get the channel. methinks that its a bad business move - who will ever pay money to watch comedy, when the commies have free shows running everyday

i am back

That I now have some one else in my life shall explain the long gap, I hope.. For reasons known to some of us - those who know her name and know Malayalam and Hindi, she shall be mentioned as "U2" on this blog

So, among our travels the week after marriage, was a trip from Shimla to Kalka on the toy train ( ask google mama for the curious ones) ... 2.20 pm from shimla was the passenger train, supposed to reach Kalka at 8.15 pm, more than enuf time left for our Kalka-Delhi train supposed to leave Kalka station at 11.55 pm

The narrow guage train had a few general compartments , two reserved second class, and a reserved first class- well the first class had one section with 3 seats and another with 5 .. Seeing the general full, I got our general ticket changed to first class ( which is the only place where the seats were left) - for the first time I was travelling Indian Railways on a class greater that II SL ... - may be thats why I was destined not to complete the journey


The route was scenic, the enthusiasm dampened only by the incessant rains that had been pouring for over 20 hours by then ( a record of sorts say the locals) - and thats the excuse I shall give for not getting nice pictures.....

Come 5.30 ( half way into the journey) , a big boulder fell onto the compartment right behind us with a big sound - to one of the II reserved ... Thankfully it fell onto the door, so none got injured ( the stone was big enuf to kill 1 or 2 ) ... 2 hrs they tried breaking the stone and letting the train move, but hearing that there were further landslides ahead on the route, the railway - yes the railway arranged for taxis for the first class passengers upto Kalka ... as we were leaving I heard them say "Let the first class people go first - we will take care of the rest after that". Leave it to u for ur own comments and conslusions abt IR :-)

Here are coupld of snaps I took of the stone - but with all the rain and the darkness by then, I could not do much justice ...

On the road trip too ( the taxi), at one stage there was a big tree fallen on the road and blocking traffic - the driver was smart enough that instead of waiting for the Army ( !!) to come and clear it which could have taken 2-3 hrs , he took us through an alternate route , and safely got us at Kalka an hour and half before midnite ... quite a trip that was !!

Mission Kashmir ?

Bangalore and now Ahmedabad - the latter on the Kargil (Victory) Day (July 26) . Allah and a few of his "slaves"(footnote-1) alone know how many more to come soon !!

Off late the target has been BJP ruled states, perhaps either to prove that " BJP and even Modi can't stop us" or to put a fear in people's mind not to elect BJP in their states and may be even in the Center ... ( By the way Advani claims that BJP governments in Rajasthan and Gujarat has been waiting for years now for a clearance from the Center on a tougher terror law) ...

Lets not talk about the whole p-sec crowd that are going to come up with their usual nonsense - time for India lovers to ignore them completely, and focus on action ahead ... Time to make Hindus more aware of the dangers of Islam - just make them read the Qoran in the least, any sensible Hindu will be able to correlate the blasts to the book !! And then, for every blast in future, we should have atleast 10,000 Muslims in India leave Islam and embrace their ancestral religion . Sure enought that will provoke the Islamists to have even more blasts, and that should make 20,000 leave Islam - like it or not, thats the ONLY solution to prevent India from becoming like Kashmir in the near future

footnote1 - The root word for Islam is “al-Silm,” which means “submission” or “surrender.”
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post script: from rediff

Following is a chronology of some recent major bomb blasts in the country:

May 13, 2008: Eight blasts rock Jaipur in a span of 12 minutes leaving 65 dead and over 150 injured.

January 2008: Terrorist attack on Central Reserve Police Force camp in Rampur kills eight.

October 2007: 2 killed in a blast inside Ajmer Sharif shrine during Ramadan, in Rajasthan.

August 2007: 32 dead, 35 hurt in Hyderabad 'terror' strike.

May 2007: A bomb at Mecca mosque in Hyderabad kills 11 people.

February 19, 2007: Two bombs explode aboard a train bound from India to Pakistan

September 2006: 30 dead and 100 hurt in twin blasts at a mosque in Malegaon, Maharashtra.

July 2006: Seven bombs on Mumbai's trains kill over 200 and injure 700 others.

March 2006: Twin bombings at a train station and a temple in Varanasi kill 20 people.

October 2005: Three bombs placed in busy New Delhi markets a day before Diwali kill 62 people and injure hundreds.

after the circus......

Cartoon courtesy: keralakaumudi . Caption in Mallu says something to the effect of the arc of Manomoha .. and Manmohan is saying, in Mallu :-) , what in French is the famous Apres moi, le deluge - after me, the deluge

So what did the whole excercise achieve ?

* Divert the attention from all of government's failures - price rise, a weak response to terrorism, Ram Sethu issue, Amarnath issue etc etc - quite a master stroke Mr PM

* Now, the govt will try to show off some "reforms" and say that "we could not do all these because of the left"... oh yeah .... what a realization after completing more than 80% of its term

* Open talk by politicians about money.. its like the public have gotten so used to it, that nobody is shocked when money of the order of 25-30 crores are offered to vote one way or the other - and MPs who openly admit they know nothing about the N-deal ... They know only about the M-deal. Who exactly is funding such huge amounts of money ? Atleast 10 MPs were bought to vote for the deal or abstain - so that 250 crores minimum ...

* In comparison to open admissions of horse trading, statements like "My only interest is the development of my party" made by this JD-S "Member of Parliament a.k.a servant of the Nation" , can be pardoned

Congratulations Mr MMS and the lady MMS ( Madam Maino Sonia ) - together you have achieved so many things with just one deal

How my articles have been edited by Deccan Herald

July 08 - what finally came -
http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Jul132008/sundayherald2008071278408.asp

Nov 2007 - what finally came - http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Nov42007/sundayherald2007110233776.asp
( They did put a picture of the Diwali mela poster in the print edition)

Now given below are each of what I actually submitted - in both cases upon request from "Sunday Herald" and according to their guidelines on the number of words - not a word extra. For ur convenience, I have highlighted in red the portions in red that got edited out .. Upto u readers to draw any conclusions if u wish ... !!!

July 08

American View of India and Indians

In 1911, the LA Times published a headline "A Hindu apple for modern Eve: The cult of Yogis lures women to destruction". In 2001, Time magazine did a cover story on Yoga, with an opening paragraph that read "Stars do it. Sports do it. Judges in the highest courts do it. Let us do it – that yoga thing. A path to enlightenment that winds back 5,000 years in its native India, yoga has suddenly become so hot, so cool, so very this minute"

Perceptions change with time, people and events. For two Nations vast and diverse, it is difficult to summarize the "American perception of India" in a short article – this is at best a collection of thoughts and experiences on the topic. In general Americans treat its foreign population including Indians, with warmth and my experience has not been much different. Not to deny occasional cases of racial abuses, like against Sikhs perhaps mistaking them for Talibans due to their turban and beard, but such incidents do not make the general rule. Perhaps Indians are able to fetch greater respect than many of their Asian counterparts because of their relatively better communication skills, hard work, and most importantly the cultural values they have brought with them. It is not uncommon to see a good number of Americans – some out of curiosity, but some who have made it part of their lives – in Hindu temples, festivals and indeed Indian restaurants

So what are certain factors that might be shaping the American opinion on India and Indians? As the adage goes "Strength recognizes strength", India's advances in the economic field in general and IT field in particular, has definitely contributed positively. How can one not take notice when say Tata Motors buys the prestigious Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford Motors for 2.3$B? Outsourcing and call centers in India will only add to the list of recognizing India's strengths, and even though there has been critics both in media and among the policymakers, overall the American public has not yet shown an animosity and "You people are taking our jobs" attitude towards Indians.

The contribution of second generation Indian-American is no less – Dr Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief health correspondent for example, is quite a household name in the US. Talking of events, even though subject of major criticism from American policy makers at the time it happened, the 1998 Pokhran tests have for sure, made America take a fresh look at India and redefine its foreign policy. Among people, a big factor will be missing if mention is not made of the contributions of Hindu spiritual leaders like Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Mata Amritanandamayi, Sri Sri Ravishankar, and so on who regularly visit US and conduct Satsanghs.

In a country where 4 out of 10 marriages on an average are believed to end in divorce, I have felt that Indian family values is another factor that evokes respect from a good number of Americans. In fact during a friendly talk with an American cop near my house, he asked me if I was married. Hearing a no, he said "I am telling you, marry a girl from India, not from here. My wife is Indian and she values family so much" It has to be mentioned however that most Americans find it hard to appreciate arranged marriages. I do not believe bollywood has much of an influence on American public due to the language factor, though English movies about India like "Indiana Jones and the temple of doom" could result in a good number of Americans get the wrong impression about India

American public's general knowledge about India leaves much to be desired. Here are some samples questions and statements that have been thrown at me or my friends on various occasions- "So do you speak Hindu or Indian or Arabic ?". "So where in India ? Bangladesh ?". "In 1947 Pakistan won Independence from India". " I know Mahatma Gandhi and her daughter " - the last one, a reference to Indira Gandhi !! Interestingly it was not an American but a Chinese colleague of mine who once asked me "Do kids go to school in India on elephants?"

Even though Indian Americans have started making a mark in politics, time alone will tell if the influence is positive or negative or neutral. Academics unfortunately is a field where some vested interests – unfortunately many of whom are Indians – are hell-bent on tarnishing India, may be in quest of money and promotions. Then there are some Indians who consider it their duty to talk about only the negatives of India, for reasons best known to them. Even in media sometimes– I stopped buying Washington Post because the India correspondent had only trash to write about India , perhaps thinking that will "please the boss".

I am not averse to criticism, indeed positive criticism helps progress, but unfortunately some of these misrepresentations deserve the kind of remark that Gandhiji made about Catherine Mayo's book 'Mother India' - "If Miss. Mayo had confessed that she had gone to India merely to open out and examine the drains of India, there would perhaps be little to complain about her compilation. But she says in effect with a certain amount of triumph that the drains are India". Every Indian is an Ambassador whose duty it is to correct such mistakes.

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November 07

Diwali ( Deepavali) at Maryland

Being so far away from home, many times it is festivals like Diwali which connects you back with your roots and creates the home away from home atmosphere out here in the US. My experience being part of various Diwali programs in Maryland in the last few years have been no different - I cherish those wonderful memories.

As a University student you would experience that the entire festive season starts pretty much with the onset of Fall semester - typically around end of August or early september. Some Universities have an Indian Independence day celebration, and for the freshers - well, those who are in US by then- that becomes the first social event. Ganesh Chaturtis, may or may not celebrated in Universities, the latter scenario partly because most student organizations like the Hindu students council would have just regrouped after the summer holidays and still in the process of planning their events. I do know of certain Universities like the NCSU where Ganeshotsav is a major event http://video.aol.com/video-detail/hsc-ncsu-ganesh-chaturthi-2006-celebration/1528814293 . At Maryland, most years, I have had to be satisfied with the events in the temple, or organize a little bhajan and dinner session with friends or even better get invited to some one's house - typically that of some Marathi families or friends

The festive excitement on campuses kind of peaks around the Navatri times. Garba-Dandiyas , typically organized by the Hindu Students Council (HSC) or various Indian Students groups are common in almost every campus with a good Indian popuation. In fact the University of Maryland Garba organized by HSC pulls close to 1000 people. It must be mentioned that most of the participants in these are American born Hindu youth, and many times you can see them teach the dance to their Indian counterparts who just came to the US. Being from south India, I myself was totally new to Garba and some I did try to learn a bit from my friends (who were born and raised in US) with partial success . ( Some pictures can be found at http://sitekreator.com/hscumd/garba_pics05.html ) It is also common practice that part of the money raised ( through a small entry fee of about 7$) is donated to some NGO, like the ekal vidyalaya ( http://www.ekal.org )

Diwali is sort of the culmination of this Fall festive season. The fact that it starts getting cold by November and that the homework and exam pressure would have mounted, only slightly reduces the Diwali festive mood.In fact at University of Maryland, both the HSC and the SCI (Student Council of India - organisation for the grad students who mainly come from India) have their Diwali celebrations ( A few years before both the groups came together and had a single big event) . Both the groups events are typcially on a weekday evening, either ON Diwali or one day before or after. HSC event usually has a rather elaborate Puja and decorations followed by a dinner, where as the SCI event has a Puja, dinner and some cultural programs. ( see some pictures at http://sitekreator.com/hscumd/diwali06.html )

These events also become an opportunity for you to explain a thing or other about Hinduism and Indian culture to a curious non-Indian. In fact these at these events you would typically find many non-Indians, some may be fascinated by Hindu-festivals, some simply love the Indian food. In addition to the weekday event on campus, many friends circles hold their own get togethers and Pujas in some ones apartments. In addition to these, there are also various community and temple events. In fact a noteworthy event in Maryland is the Diwali Mela organized by the United Hindu Jain temples of Washington DC area, which attracts anywhere between 5000 to 10000 peple every year ( see the website http://www.dcunitedtemples.org/ )

All these efforts, have made Diwali a rather famous festival amongst Americans also -from your colleagues at to the US Congress. I remember reading an old article on how President Bush ignored the Diwali celebrations in 2004 ( http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/920984.cms ) and there was some requesting going on in 2005 for him to attend .. ( http://us.rediff.com/news/2005/oct/22diwali.htm ) when Diwali was, I believe celebrated for the first time at an "official level" . I also happened to come across this resolution that was introduced in the US Congress on 14 March 2007 ( http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=hr110-245 ) "Recognizing the religious and historical significance of the festival of Diwali" , and I may be curious to know what happens this year at the US governmental level.......

But, fact of the matter is that beyond a point, these things do not matter to me, or in general to any Indian or Hindu in the US in as far as the pride and joy they have in celebrating Diwali, with all its cultural significance and symbolism

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Tailpiece: For the november article, I may been better of highlighting in green what came rather than what got edited out :-) .... May be they wanted it too specific to Diwali.. arrey, then why don't u tell me that my "first draft" is off the target ?! .. anyway compared to november07, the july08 is percentage wise better !! So may be a third time..... if at all ha ha

The victims of Islam

Apparently the Muslims of India are unhappy - unhappy even with the parties that have made it their single point agenda to appease them .... So, what is that ? A case of pampered child continuing to demand more of what he is used to ?

Consider this - in Kerala Muslim "minority" schools ( meaning salary for teachers paid by government, and the private management has the right to choose the students and appoint teachers, many times taking a "donation") has certain specials rules... They can start the school at 10.30 am , after all the brainstorming in the mosque is over . They have holiday on fridays and work on Saturday instead. And during the month of Ramzan, which falls in different months every year, the school goes on vacation, and that is made up later - exams are conducted specially for these schools

Think about how it is taking a month long break right in the middle of the academic year - that too different months different years - for years this has been continuing, and finally........ recently some Parent Teacher Associations are realizing that this is adding to the backwardness of their kids... ---> and have been demanding that the schools be converted into "normal ones"..... Well, not quite, normal only in terms of the Ramzan classes, but the Friday holiday and the late opening should remain ! Well, whatever, like the Ramzan moonsighting, atleast some bit of light ...... though quite late...

So yet another example proving that statement that my friend often quotes "Muslims are the biggest victims of Islam" !

The "Maya" of Manmohan

The "Congress may be bad, but we trust Manmohan" fellows can continue to defend the PM, but over the years it is quite clear to me that either the PM has been enough "Congressised" or that the real Manmohan was always hiding behind his thaadi ,... i mean a mask ( yes, "mukhauta" ) ........ or both

So why exactly is there a possibility or at least a "hear it loud announcement" that Indian PM may resign if impasse over nuclear deal persists . That step, the PM perhaps is hoping, will achieve him a few things -

a) Sympathy esp from the anti-left crowd b) The cause of his resignation ( and even possibility of the govt falling) would much more be "remembered" as failure of the nuke-deal, than issues like inflation, failure to tackle terrorism etc etc ... c) If indeed the general elections are to be ahead of time, and done together with the state elections in MP and Rajasthan, Congress may be hoping that atleast in those states, the state anti incumbency ( against BJP) will be more than the one against the center d) Indications are that inflation is likely to keep rising in the near future also, so holding on to power may just do more damage to congress

Meanwhile India inflation rate rises to 11% and qouting another source "The RBI website, which gives average monthly inflation figures with the base of 1993\94, tells that the last time inflation was in double digit was in April-May 1995 when it ruled above 11 per cent. The mid 1990s saw a very high inflation and for 12 months in a row from June 1994 till May 1995, the rate of inflation was in double digits"

Guess who ruled India at that time ? And guess who was Finance Minister at that time !!!!!! and yet " Congress ka haath gareebon ke saath" ( "The Congress' hand is with the poor" is their election slogan) , and Manmohan Singh is considered an "efficient" FM .... lol may be its his Cambridge and Oxford University degrees as oppossed to say, a "locally educated", Indian Administrative Services Yashwant Sinha ... ( after all Sinha titled his book "Confessions of a Swadeshi reformer" which would not have gone well with the Indian- English- Media )

Meanwhile looks like Mayawati has jumped out of what she perhaps sees as a sinking boat .. the months ahead will be interesting to watch for those interested in Indian politics .. and I strongly tend to believe that the outcome of the next general election will indeed decide whether the 2020 vision will go anywhere or not ....

Fishing in troubled waters

861 females for 1000 males, and "ye to ho na hi thaa" ( this was bound to happen) - that guys in Haryana ( and some othe states in India too) have started finding it hard to find suitable girls...

http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&&issueid=57&id=9359&Itemid=1&page=in&latn=2

"If you are poor, without job and have small land holding then you get no girls to marry," says Ranu Bai.

But unfortunately, instead of solving the issue some guys are busy exploiting the situation ....

Like other areas where demand outstrips supply, illegal rackets start flourishing, with devastating consequences, as was the case with Sukhdev.....

They showed Gurcharan Singh, Sukhdev's brotherin-law who had come to finalise the marriage on his behalf, the prospective bride, Guddi. She looked too good to be true. Gurcharan immediately agreed to the marriage proposal and paid some token money.

That's when the racket unveiled itself. Kartaro and Charno demanded Rs 35,000.
"They said the girl's family was very poor and needed monetary help to perform the marriage rites," says Ranu Bai.

Sukhdev's family, who earn barely Rs 5,000 a month, could not meet the demand but relatives and other villagers pitched in. "We all gave whatever we could, after all it was the question of Sukhdev's life," says his neighbour Mukhiyaro.

Kartaro and Charno were paid in two installments. The marriage was fixed for May 28 at Dabwali. When the baraat reached the venue, it wore a deserted look. On being confronted, Kartaro and Charno produced Rani, a middle-aged widow with two grown up children. She was not the girl Gurcharan had seen.

Its heartbreaking to see such things happening ! If this business is allowed to flouish, it will only aggrevate the issue !

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister himself is playing politics with the issue . In a recent conference on "Save the gil child", PM hits out at Punjab, Gujarat, Delhi for poor sex ratio ... . Note two things - Punjab and Gujarat are ruled by Congress' opponents. Not only does the PM base his accusations on the census 7 years ago, he quotes confusing figures ( if the above report is to be believed) .

The census figures illustrate that it is some of the richer states of the country where the problem is most acute and these states include Punjab which had only 798 girls (per 1,000 boys), Haryana 819, Delhi 868 and Gujarat 883 girls per 1,000 boys in the 2001 Census.

If this map is to be believed - http://www.mapsofindia.com/census2001/sexratio/sexratio-india.htm - J & K , UP , Haryana and Sikkim have a much moe serious issue than Gujarat. http://www.iloveindia.com/population-of-india/sex-ratio.html quotes Gujarat's sex ratio as 921:1000 . May be the "girl: boy" ratio is different from "female:male" .. even then, the PM conveniently forgets that "In the decade of 1991-2001, the sex ratio of Gujarat has reduced significantly from 934 to 921" ( source: http://www.mediaware-infotech.com/newsletter/Gujarati/demograph.htm ) . A good chunk of that period was ruled by the Congress at the center and in the state.... Modi took over in 2001

And as per http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in/index.php?issueid=5&id=1437&option=com_content&task=view&sectionid=24

With Beti Bachao Andolan—a term coined by Chief Minister Narendra Modi—gaining momentum, social mindset is changing in Gujarat, a state which had one of the poorest sex ratios in the country. From 802 in 2001 and 822 in 2002, the sex ratio has climbed to over 870 in 2007 in the state, against a national average of 933.

No doubt the statistics is more confusing than what the PM quoted ( strengthens my feeling that there is a mix up of girl and female sex ratio ) - but one thing is clear.. Modi has initiated steps unlike most other states . In fact in one of his speeches he says ( slightly in a lighter mood) something along the lines of "The situation was so bad that if it continued then 20 in 100 guys will end up like me" , and then he details the step that were taken by his government

Indeed, statistics are many times not perfect, but if the Man Mohan Singh's intention is indeed to use his economics brain power to quote the statistics as he wants and play politics with it, he is proving himself to be no better than the fake bride racket !

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Related posts:
1) http://drisyadrisya.blogspot.com/2006/01/why-am-i-not-surprised.html

2) http://drisyadrisya.blogspot.com/2008/04/revisiting-question-of-dowry.html

3) http://drisyadrisya.blogspot.com/2007/09/woman-and-last-rites-scriptural.html

3 years 200 posts

May 18, 2005 was the first post on this blog

http://drisyadrisya.blogspot.com/2005/05/hinduism-and-physics-merge-in-god.html

May 18, 2008 - this is my 200th post on this blog

I would not deny that I kind of timed it so that these two coincide :) ... So far this year, I have maintained a steady 4 posts per month routine ... at times I go a bit crazy about maintaining some number patterns ..... Like in the other blog http//9006jokes.blogspot.com , it was an arithmetic progression of posts in 3 years ... 40 in 2005 , 30 in 2006 , 20 in 2007 .... want to do 10 more posts this year to make it 100 :-) ...

Yeah the old Math-lover shows up every now and then

Are you sleeping well Mr Prime Minister ?

Usually I tend to post something, write something on May 11 ....

http://drisyadrisya.blogspot.com/2007/05/may-11-thoughts.html

http://drisyadrisya.blogspot.com/2006/05/as-another-may-11-approaches.html

and so on.... This year being the 10th anniversary of Pokhran tests, I somehow felt like waiting till May 13 ( the date when the second set was detonated ) ... I wanted to write about "Pokhran not big for UPA, no celebrations planned" and "At DRDO meet, PM leaves out Pokhran-II from speech " - so characteristic of a spineless government ... I also wanted to write about how the former President still continued not to dissappoint when he said Pokhran tests strengthened India and Vajpayee displayed courage in giving nod to Pokhran II: Kalam

Well well, all that has to wait... for looks like more than the spineless, lifeless UPA government, the Islamists seem to remember the date.. as they tried turning the pink city red . Hopefully, at last the esteemed "Prime Minister" of India is able to get some sleep for having added yet another feather to his cap !!! For those who don't know what I am talking about, read

http://offstumped.nationalinterest.in/2007/07/23/the-help-manmohan-sleep-campaign

http://offstumped.nationalinterest.in/2008/02/09/sonia-gandhi-manmohan-singh-anti-terrorism-record

http://atlantean.wordpress.com/2007/07/22/the-sensitivities-and-feelings-of-the-muslims-are-more-important-than-saving-innocent-civilians

Well Manmohan may just be the tip of the iceberg, for the control of the UPA government is elsewhere .. And the PM has already earned the nickname Man-Woman Singh ... But I would not call the PM by that.. for Ardhanaareeshwara is an image of strength in Hinduism... He does not even deserve the word used by Krishna in Gita .. 2.3 "klaibyam ma sma gama ..... "

Like Father Like Son

5 years ago, I happened to hear a speech by Goutam Chopra, son of Deepak Chopra. Apart from being the son of a "famous" father, I am not aware of any other tails associated with
Gautam which made him eligible to speak to a crowd of a few thousand, but never mind .....

And in his speech, Gautam said something along the lines of .. "It is sad that religions are fighting with each other everywhere. Hindus and Muslims are killing each other in Kashmir, Hindus and Buddhists are killing each other in Sri Lanka .... " . Shocked at the utter ignorance of this chap, I took refuge in thinking myself .. "Puvar Deepak Chopda ... his son became a typical case of the son getting it all wrong .. like they mix up " so your religion is hindi and language indian ?"

Now after reading the Father Chopra's interview in rediff, I have sympathies for Gautam. I am surprised the fellow did not abuse his parent religion as much as he could have, like his Father does Here is from Deepak Chopra's interview

1) http://specials.rediff.com/news/2008/apr/25sld7.htm

Do you consider yourself a Hindu at this stage of your life?

No. I think if spirituality has to survive, it has to become secular

2) http://specials.rediff.com/news/2008/apr/25sld6.htm

Look what they are doing to the artist M F Husain. This shows the primitive, tribal nature of our Hindu fanatics. Unfortunately, they are becoming very popular in India. They are militant and have done so much harm. Hindu fundamentalists are as violent as other fundamentalists; the only difference is that they are vegetarian. After seeing the film, they will be worse.

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Praise the Lord, for I am not a vegetarian, and so escaped part of Chopda's abuses.... and mind you, in his interview, here and there he attacks the vegetarians.. Boy waaaattt crime did the puvar old can't-meet-his-ends priest do by not going against his beliefs ? What did the tens of thousands of even-though-not-born-Brahmin-but-vegetarian-by-choice Hindus do by deciding to spare the life of a chicken or a fish ?

I do believe that being non-vegetarian does not one maketh any less Hindu - as Swami Vivekananda, himself not a vegetarian would say, one should accept the food habits that suit one's nature and temperament - but at the same time, I respect vegetarians , especially the "by choice" ones.... May be I am not as brilliant as Chopda. for I fail to understand the dude's going gaga over vegetarians.. May be some day he landed up in some vegetarian Indian restaurant and got kicked out for saying " I am Deepak Chopra, the man who can do anything he wants, so I want my Turkey well cooked " ( Interesting Chopra never played around with the "RoP" -Islam.... he he may be he knows it is indeed the "Religion of (make u into) Pieces"

Our man speaks as though he is the only one who knows about "real Hinduism". He accuses Hindus of not having sense of humor while looking at pictures of his Goddesses painted in the nude.. Saaar, Mr Chopra "guru", let me tell you a small story. When I was five, an interesting incident brought Mother Saraswati to my life, and ever since She is my Guru . And I have a small black and white picture of her, since then till present, wherever I am. I must have been 10 or so, when I first heard about Husain paintings - I could not stop myself from crying that day ... Saaarry Saaar, I now understand that by birth, I lacked that sense of humour, for as per you as a true Hindu - never mind I was 10 - I should have laughed and shouted that news out from my rooftops ..... Saarry Saar . I am trying to improve. As a starting point, I shall hang up a picture of yours in my room, Saar, for looking at it I am reminded of cow dung, and I end up laughing .........

And now, here is the strange logic, or the lack of it. He tells us what Hinduism is, should be blah blah, takes pride in his sense of humor ... sells all he could out of Hinduism and make money and fame ( even though I bet he can't even quote a verse properly from Upanishads or Gita) and finally at the end of the day, he says he is not a Hindu .... And laments that the elements he doesn't like are becoming more and more popular in Hinduism... Now saaar, if popular and "moderate" and perfect people like you are not calling yourself Hindus, don't you think it is natural that only those who are proud to be Hindus and willing to defend it against all odds ( whom unfortunately you hate ) will make up Hinduism .... Saaar, please advise , waaaatt shall we do ? You are our "guru" saaaar, sar sar saaaar , ammmmaaaaaaaaa

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Post Script 1:

http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/10005/92/

Criticism of upcoming Hollywood movie "The Love Guru" for its purported slandering of Hindu practices is stretching across various religions, professions, and age groups.

Reverend John J. Auer, Pastor of First United Methodist Church in Reno; Andrea Forman, Founder of Shanti Shanti, only Sanskrit rock band in the world; Swami Pooja Saraswati, a well respected spiritual leader; Hindu Jana Jagruti Samiti and Sanatan Sanstha, through their spokesperson Bhavna Shinde; Alison Pratte, a yoga leader; Father Charles T. Durante, a Catholic priest well respected in northern Nevada for his various community outreach efforts; Rabbi Jonathan B. Freirich, a well known Jewish leader in parts of California and Nevada; Right Reverend Gene Savoy Jr., Head Bishop of International Community of Christ; Reverend William Bartlett, a well known Buddhist priest and Interfaith Chaplain; Lonnie L. Feemster, civil rights activist and Religious Affairs Chair of Reno-Sparks National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; Vidya Chaitanya, Director of the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center in Los Angeles; Paradheya Das of Sri Krishna Vedic Cultural Association in Sacramento (California); Rakesh Nagpal, General Secretary of Ramayan Pracharini Sabha; Lila D. Sharma, President of India Heritage Panel; and Dharam Loonaa, Executive Director of the Universal Society of Hinduism; have already issued statements in support of this cause espoused by Rajan Zed.

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Post Script 2:

Going to where I started, Guatam Chopra. I would like Gautam to present a single case of Hindu killing Muslim in Kashmir ( and then indeed I can show facts of thousands of Hindus killed by Muslims ). Indeed the Indian Army kills Islamic terrorists in Kashmir, but if you call that Hindus killing Kashmir, you need treatment at NIMHANS .. may be your Father too

Coming to Sri Lanka, LTTE being mistakenly called a "Hindu" group is not the first time... so I pardon you on that. Atleast some people know that the former spokesperson and strategist for LTTE was "Anton Balasingham" ( his mother was Christian, and he took a Christian first name... the tail Balasingham is simply because his father was Hindu, not Anton ) . But not many knows that their military chief who got killed recently was Shanmughanathan alias Charles , and even the chief Prabhakarans son's name is Charles Anthony .... so much for thei Hinduness

life is not fair....