IS IT NOT HIGHTIME, ARMED FORCES TAKE OVER INDIA ?

We have the Russian bear, the Chinese dragon and the Asian tigers. But there is one country that's not a tiger, not even an elephant, but a big fat sitting duck. This is one of the favourite places of terrorists where thay are free to take pot shots at the people whenever they like. That's why when a terrorist wants to become trigger happy, out of boredom, the first choice is India, a siiting duck. It is a great place for target practice.

India lays out the red carpet for terrorists. It's almost like they joke, " Want to try some of your bombs, why don't you pick up Jaipur ? Is Jaipur too dusty, why don't you give Bangalore a try ? Or do you prefer the national capital ? " India really welcomes foreigners into theit midst. Our borders with Bangladesh are so porous that you now have more Bangladeshis in Mumbai than people from West Bengal. Indian intelligence, would not know that terrorists are going to hit them, even if terrorists send them the information in advance to come and see the fireworks. Our pot-bellied cops would not be able to spot a terrorist even if he walked about under their noses wearing T-shirts that said " T " for " Terrorist ". Best of all, our police is armed with weapons they probably used in World War- 1.

Our leaders are Chief Sitting Ducks, who hold the world record for ineptitude. It takes them 12 long hours to get their crack commandos in place for assault. That's a blessing for terrorists, so that they can go around killing a lot of people while they find out where they have misplaced their sharp shooters. No wonder these terrorists are hitting once a month now, like going for a holiday !

In Kashmir, govt. is too scared to send the people from the plains to settle in the valley, which would have solved the Kashmir issue the way Chinese solved their Tibetian problem. On the other hand they are too scared to give the Kashmiris independence. In the north east of the country even a rag-tag outfit like the ULFA can strike terror at will.

What makes me laugh, is the notion these guys in Siting Duck Land have, that they are about to become a Superpower. What can be more ridiculous that a country which cant even ensure security for its people having these dreams of glory ?

Are we secured in the hands of these " Jokers ? " When 60% of the police is kept for these public servants for their VVIP security, which is paid by taxpayers, how do you expect security for a common man like us ? I want these jokers out of the system, out of the govt. and they can be reemployed, if they have some kind of degree. Let them knock at the doors of head hunters for new jobs.

Now let's talk brasstacks. Today India is a fit case to be taken over by the Armed forces to bring some discipline and to make feel, an ordinary citizen like me, " I am secured in the hands of military ". Let NSG do to politicians what NSG did to terrorists.

WHY DON'T WE LEARN FROM HONGKONG ? ANTI CORRUPTION DRIVE !

International business executives rank Hong Kong as one of least corrupt cities in the world. That reputation has become one of the secrets of its economic success. But some 40 years ago, the city suffered from endemic corruption.


Vendors in this Hong Kong wet market call out to shoppers to buy fresh fish, meat and vegetables. Business is brisk.


But some 40 years ago, gangs - known as triads - their police protectors and corrupt government officials terrorized markets like these, extorting money from hawkers in exchange for letting their stalls stay open.


Hong Kong people call it the "bad old days," when blatant bribery took place in nearly all aspects of life in the then-British colony - in getting driver's licenses, school placement, public housing and even medical help.


"The triads harassed hawkers especially during the Chinese New Year when vendors want to have a better location for their stalls. So they have to pay a few dollars," she recalled.


Professor King Tsao, a corruption expert at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, witnessed blatant police corruption.

Professor King Tsao"I remember when I was a kid and I went to the wet market with my mom and I remember vividly there were some policemen - just passed by to patrol - and they collected cash, $10, from each hawker," he said. "They were not worried that someone would witness it, report it. They thought that was part of their life, part of their jobs to do everyday to collect money."


Yet the police department was supposed to investigate corruption and the public seemingly had no recourse. But that changed when mass protests erupted in 1973 after a police superintendent, then under a graft investigation, escaped from Hong Kong.

The British colonial government was forced to take radical steps, enacting strong anti-bribery laws, and creating an independent anti-corruption body, the ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption).

Today, Hong Kong is a clean and prosperous city. Many here credit this success to the ICAC.

Armed with unprecedented police-like powers to investigate, arrest suspects and seize assets, the ICAC quickly broke up police protection rackets and pursued corrupt government officials.

By the late 1970s, the ICAC says reports of corruption dropped by more than half.

Rebecca LiRebecca Li, the assistant director for operations of the ICAC, explains the commission's strategy.

"The ICAC from the outset adopted a comprehensive strategy in combating corruption through the three-pronged approach - strict law enforcement, corruption prevention and community education," she said. "The government has been giving the ICAC sufficient resources to enable us to carry out our work effectively. We also have the necessary legal muscle in place."

She adds that public support has also been key in stamping out corruption.

"I think it's very clear that what made Hong Kong transform is the strong desire of the community to finally do something about the problem of corruption," she added. "Corruption is a highly secretive crime. Without the support and cooperation of the public in reporting corruption, then the ICAC wouldn't have been successful."

Initially, people were wary to report corruption to the ICAC but today, about three fourth of complaints are no longer anonymous.

The commission airs commercials like these regularly to keep public vigilance.

"And corruption won't vanish on its own. Report corruption to the ICAC and together we can build a fairer, better world."

Professor Tsao and other experts say Hong Kong's clean reputation has been one of the secrets of its economic success.

"Businessmen have the certainty to invest," he explained. "They know that their money will not go into the pockets of the government officials, just like some other Asian countries."

Tsao says other countries in the region facing endemic corruption could learn from Hong Kong. He, however, notes that having the legal muscle, government and public support are not enough. He says Hong Kong also improved vital social services such as public housing and free education - something so scarce in the 1960s that people had to resort to bribery to get them.

Despite the city's success, Hong Kong authorities forge on with their battle against corruption. A recent challenge comes from rising complaints of private sector corruption and transnational crime.

Still, many here say they remain confident in the ICAC.'s ability to crackdown on new sources of corruption and to safeguard Hong Kong's hard-earned economic success

THE ATS FLIP FLOP- SADHVI CASE

Due to wedding season and guests over, i could not compile up my experience at FRNV. I shall be witing about it shortly.

Today media ( both print and electronic ) is full of half-truth and half-lies. Stories are being planted by vested interest groups to malign impeccable people like Lt. Col. Purohit. As you are aware that he has won many gallantary medals in the army and was regarded a no nonsense and a straight officer.

During the Media Session in the FRNV summit also, the eminent speakers from the media admitted, that they have to work under lot of constraints. Coverage and preference is given to the people who put up regular and big advertisements in the media. The media barons give diktats, what to write and what not to write. If i start opening the house of worms, you shall be shocked to learn, how these media houses operate. If the truth comes out, who actually controls big media houses, it will be the biggest scandal of all times. So it is better, not to touch this topic. All, i can say is that the " actual " ownership of big media houses both in print and electronic is not in safe hands today and the truth behind many of the planted stories, mostly never comes out. All of us take the media on face value and consider it as full truth, whereas the the story is entirely in contrast. We are informed, what media choses to inform us. A leading magazine has come out with a report, which i would like to share with you. You may have read this article, which i am reproducing.

Its probably a textbook case into how not to conduct an investigation. Seeking to link the arrested army officer, Lt. Col. Srikant Purohit, to not just the Malegaon bombing which killed 6 people, but the feb. 2007 Samjhauta train bombings that killed 68 persons, The Maharashtra public prosecutor told the Nasik court that Purohit may have pilferred nearly 60 kg of RDX from a military depot to use in the train blast. Purohit gave a portion of the explosives to one of the suspects and threw the rest into Jhelum rive, the prosecutor said. A day later, the ATS retracted the statement.

For the army which tracks even a spent cartridge during practice firing sessions, even the thought that the accused officer could have obtained such an absurdly vast quantity of explosives is simply unthinkable. For starters, the army does not use RDX but plastic explosive Kirkee or PEK. Besides, there is no way so much explosive could have gone missing, without triggering off an enquiry, says the army. " We are shocked at the conduct of the investigaions. ", says a senior army official. Even a cursory reading of the tragic train bombing would have told the ATS that firebombs were with gasoline, and not RDX, was used in the blasts.

The damage had already been done. In trying to link the accused to other blasts, The ATS may have ended up contradicting the Intelligence Bureau assessments that the Samjhauta bombings were planned and executed by Pakistani nationals. In March last year, India also handed over A suspect's photo to Pakistani Authorities. The question is whether the ATS has enough evidence against the Abhinav Bharat group accused of planting the bomb in Malegaon or is simply buying time by linking them up with the other blasts.

Do you expect the " Real " story to come out ? I have my doubts.

FOUNDATION FOR RESTORATION OF NATIONAL VALUES

I would request you to please check the website http://www.valuefoundation.in/ to check the details of the summit. Please open the above website. Go to" Events" section on the Home Page and click for " National Summit " to know the complete details of the 2 day summit. It will demonstrate the full programme in detail with the name of the eminent speakers, who spoke in the summit. The summit consisted of 10 sessions with a different Chairman and different set of eminent panelists, which you will find on the above website.

If i start writing it in by blog the full details, it will become a kind of a book. So i thought it prudent to put the name of the website, where all the details are available, so that you can go thru it easily.

Tomorrow i shall be writing about my personal experience of the summit, in detail.

A NEW BEGINNING, FOUNDATION FOR RESTORATION OF NATIONAL VALUES

While India's economic growth is appreciated the world over, the country is trailing behind as the 85th amongst 180 world countries, in the Corruption Index ( CPI ). From the 72nd position 2 years ago, we have now fallen to the 85th. Should not the plight afflict and activate every citizen of India with greater concern and nationalism ?

At the same time, when we look at our cultural history, it tells us in unmistakable terms how righteous and devout we were in character, values and behavioural elegance. As late as 1835 Lord Macaulay told the British Parliament that throughout his extensive travel in India, he had not found a thief or a beggar.

Now, everywhere value decline is being talked about. The crisis has admittedly become a widespread epidemic. It is for every citizen to feel greatly concerned about the plight and strive to do something, so that at least from now on and for the coming generations, there will be a better society, with more sound way of life and administration, saving individual and national downfall.

Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha, founder of Narayanashrama Tapovan happened to discuss the value decline in the country last November. He was clear that what we need is to restore the Nation's time-tested values, and not seek to instill anything new. In so restoring, everyone will find greater persuasion, hope and confidence.

But in propounding the values, Swamiji was particular that these should not have any religious bearing overtone. India's national values, based on human mind and intelligence, are universal and eternal. Under the right inspiration and empowerment by these values, our people can become faithful to the nation and be imbued with sufficient strength and cohesion, bringing the country back to its characteral and cultural magnifence.

True to this heritage, FOUNDATION FOR RESTORATION OF NATIONAL VALUES ( FRNV ) was registered. It functions under the close guidance and inspiraton of Poojya Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha, who has been disseminating the spiritual wisdom and lasting values of the nation for the past 5 decades.

FRNV intends to bring in some seminal or germinal changes, whereby the abysmal decline of value will be arrested, and the citizens will feel the impulsion to desist from doing anything detrimental to the country and its progress.

With prudence, application and earnestness, what is there not possible in this field ? We hope thinkers, opinion makers and loyal citizens of the country wll find appeal in what FRNV aims at, and come forward with readiness to participate in the much needed National endevour.

India is poised to become a global power. Dynamism and energy are pronounced in all spheres of our economy. But any such economic growth is bound to be shallow, even destrutive, unless anchored to a stable foundation on inner values, ensyring the welfare of all beings as well as our planet.

FRNV has embarked upon a value inculcation movement in an effort to rekindle the love and respect in the people for their country by awakening them to their National and Cultural Values.

Established as an independent society with Dr. E. Sreedharan as the President, FRNV has an advisory board constituted by Delhi Metro Managing Director, Dr. E. Sreedharan, Tata Group Chairman, Sri Ratan Tata, former Chief Justice Of India, Sri MN Venkatachaliah, former Central Vigilance Commissioner, Sri Vittal, Former Chairperson for Women and Education Consulatant, Smt. Vibha Parthasarathi, and Former Chief Election Commissioner, Sri TS Krisnamurthy.

FRNV's first step was to stimulate a discussion on National Values with 2 day Summit, on 18 and 19 November, 2008 in New Delhi. Participation in the summit by invitation only. Distinguished Leaders and thinkers from various branches of National Life articulated their observations on the subject and the measures to be effected forthwith.
The objective was to have a " National thinking and Perception " on Value Decline And Redressal to be pursued by FRNV. Further steps will be determined subsequent to the Summit.

Tomorrow i would be writing about the aims of the Foundation, eminent speakers, who spoke and a wonderful experience i had at the Summit.

INDIA'S FUTURE AT STAKE ?

It's fashionable to say that India's evolving democracy has emerged out of its chaos and thrives on it as well. May be so, but the fissures pulling at our faultlines these days go well beyond benign confusion. But for now, there is a simmering anger just beneath the surface that could crack us open. If we don't watch it, India could implode.

Today the Samajwadi Party ( SP ) has announced Rs. 10 lakh for providing legal assistance to the Delhi terror accused. SP general secretary made this announcement at a meeting of the Jamia Old Boys Association. Mohammed Shakeel, a 2nd year MA student, and Zia-Ur-Rehman, a 3rd year BA student, of Jamia Milia University were arrested for New Delhi blasts on Sept, 21.

We are being told, that a sadhvi collaborated with a serving Army Officer and possibly a Mahant from Jammu, to set off serial blasts in Maharashtra. Not just that, the police now say that they may have had a role to play in the bombs that went off on the Samjhauta Express and killed 66 indians and pakistanis on the Lahore-bound train. In 2007, when the peace train was attacked, security analysts had blamed Lashkar-e-Tayyeba.

Perhaps more disturbing is the implication of a soldier in the case. We can beleive that the Army is capable of excesses, even brutality and violations, especially while serving in conflict zones. But never before has there even been a hint of shadow on its innate secularism. The word itself--secularism--may have become disputed, politicised, ambiguos and impossible to define. But in its most common sense and simple application, the fauj is secular. It's the reason why when communal clashes go out of control, India often turns to the Army to restore sanity. The charges against Lt. Col. Purohit go against the very grain of what the Army stands for. So, if the Army beleives he is innocent, it should be aggressive and unbashed in his defence.

In this case, it's tough to understand the Army's silence and it's unwillingness to go beyond public assurances of cooperating with the investigations. While privately seething, if the Army has a point of view, it needs to express it without fear or favour. Or is it, that political interference is too much on the Army to speak out the truth ? The question arises, that why did the Army handover its own serving officer to the police, when it has it's own mechanisms at place to investigate things of such magnitude ? Was it because of too much political pressure ?
Knowing very well that the integrity of our police has always been under question, the truth will never come out !
Throwing an impeccable serving officer in the sea, full of sharks, is one question, which all of us want to know.
The police's integrity is at its lowest ebb. They are the humble servants of their masters ( politicians ) and do what their masters ask them to do.

It's time to rethink if democracy is fit for India. Democracy in India means, just vote bank politics, nothing else. On the name of democracy, politicians are dividing people on the basis of religion, caste and region.

A big school called " India " now needs a new strict Principal with a baton in his hand to bring some kind of sanity and discipline which is badly required today. Otherwise the " students " e.g. these politicians will sell India in the open market.

SPEECH OF BRYAN DYSON ( CEO OF COCA COLA )

"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them - work, family, health, Friends and spirit and you're keeping all of these in the Air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four Balls - Family, Health, Friends and Spirit - are made of glass. If you drop one of these; they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for it.

LIVE FOR TODAY

Some of us may think that we have no bad habits because we do not smoke or drink. We may think that we do everything perfectly right. But we all have a secret mental addiction. That addiction leads us into doing all kinds of things. In fact, it prevents us from doing many things.

We are addicted to postponing every action. We have acquired the taste of postponing every task. We have created a mindset which allows us to put off everything. Yes, that is our secret addiction.

There are many things which we say, we shall do that tomorrow. Tomorrow becomes another tomorrow, continues to grow. Today never comes.

The present moment is not a reality to many of us. The speculative future seems to be our reality.

This addiction has a simple cure. Live this moment now. Live in the here and now. Our future is in the present moment. What we can not do now, we shall never be able to do anytime.

10 POINTS TO MAINTAIN FRIENDSHIP

1. FOCUS ON WHAT YOU CAN GIVE TO A FRIEND, NOT WHAT YOU CAN GET OUT OF A FRIENDSHIP.- If being happy is your only motive for wanting someone to be your friend, then you are not being a real friend. Don't get caught up in keeping tabs on who has given most in the friendship. Give to your friends regardless of how much they give to you

2. ENCOURAGE YOUR FRIEND. - Real friends inspire and push each other to be the best that they can be, rather than drag each other down. They are happy when other people achieve their goals.

3. BE WILLING TO FORGIVE.- Don't let hurt turn to grudge. This is one sure way to destroy a friendship. Forgive your friend and move on.

4. TACTFULLY POINT OUT THEIR MISTAKES.- This is one way to show concern for others. If you really care, you will tactfully point out a specific example for his own good. But once you've brought the problem to your friend's attention, don't harp on it all the time. Don't walk away from a friendship when you see some of your friend's faults. Be patient with a friend as he or she tries to change. Realize that nobody is perfect.

5. BE RELIABLE.- When you say you are going to be there, be there.

6. DON'T TRY TO CONTROL YOUR FRIENDS. - Real friendship does not mean you always have to be together. It may be tempting to have a fun person all to yourself, and feel threatened when your friend spends time with others. If you are afraid to let your friends out of your sight, you are probably afraid of losing them. Good friendship will endure time spent apart. You and your friends may learn to appreciate each other even more.

7. BE THERE FOR THE GOOD AND THE BAD TIMES. - Celebrate with them if your friends are excited about something. But don't be there just for the good times. When your friend is upset about something, give them your full attention. Most of the time, what friends really need is a sympathetic ear, someone who understand their feelings.

8. LEARN TO ACCEPT PERSONALITY DIFFERENCES IN YOUR FRIENDS. - Be careful not to evaluate other people by how you react in a particular situation. Do not automatically take your friends' behaviour personally.

9. DON'T BE A BLABBERMOUTH. - Learn and be willing to keep each other's secrets.

10 .DON'T LET ARGUMENTS DESTROY YOUR FRIENDSHIP. - Suppose you're having a discussion with a friend and after you've said what you think is true, they still disagree. Don't keep arguing until you get mad with each other. Just drop it. Your desire to win the argument may ruin your friendship.

SADHVI ARREST-- VOTE BANK POLITICS OF CONGRESS

Unbashed admirers of the Congress are jumping in glee, certain that the party has turned the corner on its " soft-on-terror " problem. They beleive that the alleged involvement of a Hindu outfit, a sadhvi with links to the Sangh Parivar and an army official in the recent revenge attacks is enough to put all those who have been attacking the Manmohan Singh govt's inability to handle islamic terrorists on the defensive.

The propagandists on the Left-liberal brigade have done a masterful job in creating the perception that the threat from the Hindu groups and people like Lt. Col Srikant Purohit are graver than the threat from radical islamic groups with their yearning and hero-worshipping of Osama Bin Laden. They are feverishly capitalising on every word from the Maharashtra ATS about Purohit and his friends. It's another matter that statements from the very same ATS officials were treated as xenophobic reflexes of an oppressive state machinery when jehadi groups were the objects of their scrutiny.

The Congress and the UPA think that the latest revealations by the ATS are deliciously ripe for the kind of politics that they play. Its leaders are focussing all their attention on the issues in the belief that if they carp often and loudly enough about " Hindu Terror " their critics will not be in a position to seek answers on the govt's handling of islamic terrorism. They are not off the mark as terror outrages by jehadis do not even find small mention in newspaper columns these days.

The perception that aggressive steps against jehadi terror would lead to Muslim alienation has been prompting the govt. not to recognise the enemy. The political ambience created by Digvijay Singh's, Lalu Yadav's and Ram Vilas Paswan's--- this much celebrated of politicians are known for not uttering a clear word against jehadi terror.

The political parties so singularly driven by votebank politics that they seem to be incapable of recognising the dangers posed by this propoganda. The police-loathing crowd's backing for the Maharastra ATS is not borne out of conviction. In Batla House, Azamgarh and Malegaon itself, the same mob did everything to undercut police, it's morale and mission.

In conclusion, the Congress and its allies are playing a dangerous game of alienating Hindus from the mainstream. The sympathy of hindus is at all time high for Sadhvi and Lt. Col. Purohit. By playing a dangerous game, Congress is dividing Hindus and Muslims like never before. Govt. must not forget, that it should never play with the emotions of the majority community as it leads to more destruction and backlash.

DON'T QUIT !

I have gone through lots of ups and downs, while writing the blog, but i persisted. When i started initially, friends use to laugh at me, telling me, i am wasting my time. Now the same people, call me up to ask, what are you going to write today ? They have been sending me lot of inputs and material, without which, i could not have been writing today. But you come across, small section of friends, who instead of lauding the effort one puts, start behaving differently, the reason of which, I have not been able to understand. I think, it is human nature, when you cant do anything, you try to pull down the other.

I am very grateful to the defence personnel ( retd. ) who have the biggest contribution to carry this blog further. The inputs, I receive from them are commendable. That is why, i am sitting on a chair and writing with full spirits.

A seeking aspirant would, in the enthused progress towards his chosen objective, also obtain nature's support for coping with, and even bypassing, various impediments and discouraging factors from within and without. He could also obtain the needed strength and guidance, where necessary, from great pieces of writings and literature, depending upon his own mental make up and requirements.

Even with the best of efforts and intentions, the aspirant is bound to feel that his progress has been stonewalled. He could, in such a situation, do well to remember that in pursuit of all forms of excellence, a plateau is often reached and that the needed changes and progress could be taking place within, for all these to flower forth at the appropriate time. He could then take heart from Swami Krishna Prem's message that it's only when we climb upwards that the " strain begins to tell on us, when the breath comes short ". One who finds things easy could merely be drifting " just freewheeling easily along a level road ", making no real progress to the top.

Indeed, these concluding lines of the poem Don't Quit are also highly relevant, " And you can never tell how close you are / it may be near when it seems afar / so stick to the fight when you are hardest hit / it's when things seem worst that you musn't quit "

The concept of Bhagwat Gita on work without motive would thus naturally be translated into practice, by the true seeker, who would find that the very work and attempt are a kind of fun, rewarding by themselves. He would simply be amused by apparent impediments, in the spirit of these lines of Ella Wheeler Wilcox " It is easy enough to be pleasant / when life flows along like a song / But the man worthwhile is the one who will smile / When everything goes dead wrong ".

This, therefore, is the process od perseverance, persistence and patience ( the 3 P's necessary for all progress ), done with a willing, truly joyful smile, as if inspired by HW Longfellow's lines " Let us, then, be up and doing - with a heart for any fate / still achieving, still pursuing / learn to labour and to wait ".

Never intimadated or strooping to conform or compromise, the audacious adventurer would naturally have translated these lines of this great poet also into real practice : " In the world's broad field of battle / in the bivouac of life / be not like dumb, driven cattle / Be a hero in a strife ".

NARENDRA MODI FOR PRIME MINISTER

Since 2002, when the Gujarat riots broke out, a lot of things have happened. Modi was a villain in my eyes as well at that time. But over the years, pragmatism and realism has taken over.


I have had this firm realization now that words like Secularism and Communalism have NO meaning. They are bastardized words which people simply use for their self interest.. nothing more.


Here is why:

The Massacres

In Gujarat riots the break up of the killed was: Muslims - 790; Hindus: 254. 2548 people were injured and 223 are missing. This is as per figures given by the Union Minister of State for Home Shriprakash Jaiswal (Congress Party) in Parliament on 11 May 2005. Some NGOs put the figure close to 2000 but I have as much faith in Indian activist NGOs as I have in the used car salesman in my city.


The figures in Delhi massacres in 1984 were: Sikhs: 2733 killed in Delhi alone. as per Ahuja Committee, which submitted the report in August 1987.


The barbarity that one saw in both the areas was the same in the ways people killed each other. So, I am taking a common factor to understand the scale and spread of the madness.


It is quite obvious, that the 1984 killings were the biggest in scale and intensity that one has seen in a long time. Mind you, the numbers given were ONLY from Delhi!

Dr. Manmohan Singh who found a new whipping boy in LK Advani in his last speech to Indian parliament, had installed JD Tytler, one of the masterminds of the Delhi massacre, as a Cabinet Minister. It finally took protests after Nanavati Commission had pointed fingers at him to ease him out of the Government.

Of course there is Nandigram, where Muslims and lower caste people were specifically targetted and killed in a genocide as well. There is no number of how many were killed but the killings continue in trickles EVEN today!

Questions

So, obviously one wants to ask a few questions - How do you define "Religious Fundamentalism" and Secularism?

Is religious genocide when any ONE section of the society is targetted? Or is it when ONLY minorities are targetted?

Or is it when ONLY one minority is targetted? Or is it when THAT ONE minority is targetted by ONLY one party??

When does violence enter the realm of a religious fundamentalism??

These are important questions. But they have been rendered useless. The very Congress which targets BJP was the culprit in the worst killings of any minority! The CPM which points fingers at any one they can find in the 20 mile radius have been even worse at Nandigram!! So, WHO should throw the stones? And WHY?

When Best Bakery case victims change their statements its a BIG deal. At the SAME time when the 1984 victims change their statements in Delhi, no one even cares for them!

When Rajiv Gandhi justifies the Sikh killings (Jab bada per girta hai.. ), that is a person laden with sorrow and a case of miscommunication. But when anyone who is remotely related to a particular party talks about the Godhra incident ALONG with the Gujarat killings, he is termed a saffronite and a fundamentalist!

Political Currency - Self Interest

So, I am sick and tired of this utter hypocrisy. I find anyone mouthing words like Secularism and Communalism a Hypocrite and a Scoundrel!

So, let's get these useless terms like Secularism, Communalism, Fundamentalism, Tolerance OUT OF THE WAY! Politics only works on Self Interest and I want to treat that as the only major currency of political interaction. Those who want to pretend otherwise, I dont want to join them in their "wonderland"... they are more than welcome to dance away the rest of their lives with Alice and her friends!

NOW, knowing there is only self interest - what would be the best way to choose the bad among the worse?

Terrorism and Economy

I believe those who at the very least take care of their administrative duties in the best possible manner, should be pushed up.

Today, India's biggest threat is Terrorism. Even bigger than the economy! And no, I am not a mere "Nationalist". I am more interested in economic development than anything else. But if anyone has cared to look, the terrorists have made it their goal to target India's economy and science & Technology strength!

If you remember the December 2005 attack in Indian Institute of Science - where in a failed attack, one died and 4 got injured. It was an attack callibrated against the scientific establishment of India.

In the current attacks, techies were used very effectively. These techies not only distributed the material and helped planned, but also used the computer of a US employee of a MNC to hack and then send emails through it to the Indian agencies!!

Hence, even if economy is one's PRIMARY concern, it will be torn by terrorists. So, to preserve the economy, taking care of terrorism is the first task!

Gujarat Case

In the last two years many bomb blasts have occured in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Jaipur. None of the cases were solved. Why? because there was NO political will to do so. The Chief Ministers were either busy in horse trading or filling up their coffers. They were not concerned of their state.

The only case that was solved is that of Gujarat. Why? Because Modi and his establishment took it up as a major endeavor and a challenge. They made sure no riots occured, and even if they would have, the order to the 11 or so investigation teams was to ignore it and keep working. He gave to the investigating teams complete authority and full support - they had money, resources, people and also a chartered plane to pursue whatever they wanted.
For almost 3 weeks the team members did not sleep. They worked round the clock to get to the bottom of the case.

More than 11 teams were formed within the first few hours of the blasts. One team was asked to handle the investigations into the material used in the bombs. Another team was asked to investigate the use of bicycles. Another team was formed to thoroughly check all the phone calls made in Ahmedabad from certain areas just before and after the blasts. Another team was set up to reach out to all the police informers and gather their opinions on and information of the blasts. One team followed the cyber crime aspect of the case. The overall investigation of the case was assigned to the crime branch of Ahmedabad where more than 100 people started following whatever little leads that were available, from the midnight of July 26

What has happened and what was uncovered is nothing short of amazing given those three weeks.

Yes, the administration failed the residents in not preventing the attacks, but thankfully this administration did not wallow and start finger-pointing in its aftermath. It went into action from get go. Also, and importantly, it prevented any reactions and went about their work professionally.

My Vote

In my view, this is what I expect from my country's administration!

Leaving the hypocrisy of such lofty words and "principles" as secularism and communalism aside and not indulging in make-believe.. let me state what I would NOT have some years back. My candidate for the Prime Minister of India would be Narendra Singh Modi.

There are many people in India who say with an air of self constructed self-righteousness that "I am ashamed" of Modi.

Well, I am at a point where I am ashamed of the shamelessness of those have made a career in being ashamed!!

And its not that they are any better than these politicians - they THEMSELVES function ONLY on self interest!

A NATIONAL SHAME !

With the arrest of Lt.Col.Srikant Purohit a new chapter has started in the history of India.A serving military intelligence officer is being treated in the same way and rather more harshly in his own country as he would have been treated in the enemy states of China, Pakistan or Bangaldesh. I am sorry to say that our
media is now being controlled by vested political interest groups and they have a story to tell, which is planted thru them by these vested political interest groups only to corrupt the minds of common people.

The fundamental issues of intelligence and national security is being compromised by the anti-national politicians. Finally,we have in this country what was overdue for long, branding peace loving nationals as terrorists.

Torturing, killing, or jailing innocent nationals was not an uncommon act before,or neither punishing them for the crime which has been actually perpetrated on them.

We have witnessed numerous of such instances,from Bangladesh to Kashmir.But, the difference between the recent arrest of Sadhvi Pragya,the retired and serving army officers and the continuous battering and persecution of nationals that goes on in the minute level of cities and villages mainly in the states ruled by the so-called secularist forces, is that , the anti-national forces, politicians,corrupt police and buearacrats for the first time have shown the audacity to stigmatize the nationals, with terrorism and thus completely compromise and destroy the last nationalistic force that is protecting our security interests inside and outside the country ,even in her enemy states.

May be that the king of the first devastating bomb blasts of 1993 Mumbai, his Excellency Dawood Ibrahim, is sitting 400 miles from Delhi and planning everyday to smuggle in more RDX and Jehadis, may be all the taxpayers money in the last two decades have not been enough to even bring back a clear photograph of him, although he moves around the world attending marriages,throwing parties on the dead bodies of thousands of people.

The Indian intelligence agencies which have been almost completely destroyed by the anti-national Indian politicians in the last two, three decades has remained good for only one work,collecting body parts of people after bomb blasts perpetrated by the islamic terrorists born and bred in this country.

Yes, I know what you are thinking.What was the BJP doing when it was in power? They did nothing , as they never spoke a word when the perpetrator of the largest financial stamp paper scam in India's history ABDUL KARIM TELGI took the name of leading politician in the narco-anallysis test. The only way to confuse the public is to frame these nationals with these bombs ,attack the Heartland and with them, add some patriotic army officers ,the only nationalistic ,uncorrupted force left in the country.

Mumbai Police now coming with the special feather for their record illegal cash collection from lorries amounting to Rs. 100 crores a year (Guiness book due) went through a major change in the last few years. All the shiny officers, Daya Nayak, Pradeep Sharma and others who stood up against Dawood and cleared Mumbai of the dirty days of gang wars and parallel tax collection system of Dawood, stronger than Govt. of India , have been sacked or removed by the Dawoods scumbug, politicians.A new group of pro- dawood police officers have come up, ready to do anything to earn a few crores of cheap bucks in a short time and ready to go to any extent for that.

Even if it means for Hemant Karkare the ATS chief to tell lies left and right against the sadhvi . Like in 2006 Malegaon blasts ATS said SIMI is responsible for the blast. In 2008 Malegaon blasts this same ATS takes a 180 degree turn and feels a few small cultural nationalistic groups responsible . In the beginning ATS said traces of RDX have been found in the Malegaon blasts, then they came up with, that this RDX have come from Kanpur ordinance, then suddenly they went a 1000 kms down and arrested the principal of Bhosla army school from Nasik for allegedly holding a meeting in his school premises with Sadhvi Pragya and then released him without saying sorry.

Though It has been established already that Sunil Joshi to whom Sadhvi Pragya have sold her bike have been killed by SIMI in Devas last year. Well the ATS have to do something very special to own the license of undaunted love for these, so called secular politicians and they gifted them by illegaly detaining and then arresting a serving Army Intelligence core officer Lt. Col. Srikant Purohit.

Almost all the nationalistic leaders of Congress have been eliminated –sorry they all died of accidents or brain strokes, Madhav Rao Scindhia died of Plane crash, Rajesh Pilot died of lorry accident, Pranab almost came back from his heavenly abode made on West Bengal. It was almost a bulls eye. Now we have Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi on ventilator almost ready to go up with almost no chance of returning..

Sadhvi Pragya went through the lie detector test and brain mapping, narco analysis test and all the physical and psychological investigation system possible in universe and the ATS could find nothing. What we want is, that these so called secular politicians should go thru the following: .

1.Their role in the stamp paper scam should be investigated, after ABDUL KARIM TELGI taking their names in Narco annalysis how could they escape a fair probe and their connections with Dawood Ibrahim should be examined. Why shouldn't they face the Lie Detector,Brain Mapping and Narco Annalysis tests too.


2.Dawood should be brought back immediately to India and his and ISI links with the Indian politicians should be examined.

3.With the stories of leading political family’s infamous common tactics of eliminating political opponents by accidents, still rumbling in the air, will it be very unjust to demand that the sudden deaths of a legion of nationalistic Congress leaders and the accidents should be again re-investigated thoroughly?

INDIA'S OBAMA ! WHERE ARE YOU ?

Barack Obama's victory is truly a victory of hope over experience. The question for us in India is if and when, we will produce our own Obama. This Article has been inspired and reproduced by me from a leading newspaper.

It is natural for people to point to Mayawati, in this context. Natural, but wrong, entirely. They are similar, Obama and Mayawati, in that both bear the identity of the subaltern, of the oppressed, in their respective societies. And Mayawati also has a reasonable chance of becoming India's prime minister, even if only for a truncated term. But there the similarity ends.

However, Obama's electoral victory inspires hope in a way Mayawati's rise does not. And this is because of the promise of change and redemption that Obama stands for, a promise that most Americans have bought into, as have the majority of Europeans, too, it would appear. Mayawati does not hold out any such promise. Hers is the grudged victory of realpolitik in a fractured polity. Americans have chosen Omama in an act of positive endoresement, Mayawati's rise to office rests on assorted groups negative preference for the lesser evil and opportunistic coalition building in the pursuit of power and pelf.

Mayawati has forged ties, some time or the other, with all major political parties in her part of the country. Her politics is no different from that of other parties, in that patronage is its active principle. A part of her identity as a dalit, there is little to differentiate her brand of politics from that of her opponents, all of whom pursue power to enrich themselves by looting the exchequer and preying on the public.

Obama's victory, is the victory of Americans over their own weakness, a step forward in mankind's slow march to that distant state of grace in which humans see, amongst the multitude of humans who come in different shapes, sizes and shades, sameness rather than difference. This is a source of hope.

An indian Obama, too, would stand for change, for the collective and for its oppressed segments. We do not know what name India's Obama would bear !

As we see around us, I dont find any politician even 1% closer to Obama. Yes, if Narendra Modi sheds his image of anti-muslim stance, ( the calmness which he showed during Ahmedabad bomb blasts ), he is quite close a candidate for being another Obama of India. But only time will answer it.

A NEW AMERICA

Obama's victory creates the prospect of a new "real" America. We can't possibly know its contours yet, although I suspect the headline is that it is no longer homogeneous. It is no longer a "white" country, even though whites remain the majority. It is a place where the primacy of racial identity — and this includes the old, Jesse Jackson version of black racial identity — has been replaced by the celebration of pluralism, of cross-racial synergy. After eight years of misgovernance, it has lost some of its global swagger ... but also some of its arrogance. It may no longer be as dominant, economically or diplomatically, as it once was. But it is younger, more optimistic, less cynical. It is a country that retains its ability to startle the world — and in a good way, with new freedom. It is a place, finally, where the content of President's character is more important than the color of his skin.

HEALTH AT HIGH ALTITUDE- BABU'S

Ever wondered why India achieves so little after spending so much on social sector programmes ? Here's a clue. Any project needs a review, sometime after it begins to be implemented. What if the review exercise becomes a fiscally onerous one ? The tendency becomes pronounced when a programme is funded by external agency. Reviews of mundane health programmes takes place in 5 star resorts in Shimla or some northeast hill station. And don't be in a hurry to blame it on foreign experts, who fly into India to review programmes and don't mind mixing business with pleasure.

India's own joint secretaries are no less keen on as elevated a view as possible of the health programmes under their charge---the higher the hill resort, the happier they are to attend the review. So what if the expenditure on their 5 star luxury comes from the same funds intended to fight poverty, ignorance, and disease at the bottom of the social hierarchy !

Jai Hind to our Indian bureacrats ! They really work very hard on govt's social programmes.

BECOME A TERROR-IST TO KILL A TERRORIST ! PART-2

In the pioneering case of pseudo-operations in Kenya (1954), unconventional tactics were adopted to locate terrorists due to the fact that the intelligence units assigned to gather terrorism-related information could only provide strategic intelligence. Real time contact information needed by the military units to pinpoint the location of terrorist cadres was hard to obtain. The gap between strategic intelligence and contact information was effectively bridged by using pseudo-gangs. They would infiltrate an area that strategic intelligence had identified as live, operating there until they touched base with real terrorists. The key to the whole endeavour, however, was having a fairly detailed strategic intelligence picture in the first place. Thus the term " cats " originated.

Within the spectrum of counter-terrorist concepts, the ‘cat’ system falls squarely in the range of activities covered by the term ‘pseudo-terrorist operations’. Pseudo-terrorist operations essentially involve dispatching security force (SF) personnel masquerading as terrorists into areas of high terrorist activity, to make contact with real terrorist cadres. The SF personnel need to be schooled in terrorist terminology and armed with terrorist weaponry in order to masquerade convincingly as terrorists and so learn the latter’s whereabouts from their supporters in the local population. Once the real terrorists are situated accurately in terms of time and space, they can be surgically neutralized with minimal disruption to the local populace; this would not be possible if large, indiscriminate sweeps were used to locate them. Such pseudo-terrorist gangs would ideally include former terrorists who, upon capture, have been turned against their colleagues by a combined offer of reward and escape from punishment, should they co-operate. These ‘turned terrorists’ are different from those who are turned while still within a terrorist group, and who thus become clandestinely recruited informers-in-place.

The pseudo-gang’s turned terrorists mainly help the masquerading SF personnel bluff their way into making contact with the real terrorists. They function not as informers, since they no longer occupy a place in their original gang’s ranks from which they can secretly feed information, but as established members of the pseudo-gangs. Priority was given to individuals with a strong knowledge of the workings of the local underworld. These individuals were instructed to activate sources in the common link – the mafia, and collect information, which would allow the Police to apprehend the main leaders. By 1987, the experiment had been replicated across Punjab with considerable success. The authorities thus acquired a means to challenge the terrorists’ monopoly over the underworld as an operational logistics and recruitment arm. In late 1986, the term ‘cat’ made its appearance in reference to Police undercover operations intended to identify and neutralize hardcore terrorists.


Conceptually, the decision to infiltrate terrorist gangs through criminal connections already known to the Police was sound and methodical


In a bid to correct deviant behaviour, the Police introduced a screening programme for potential ‘cats’. Remuneration scales were also increased so as to establish a better control over their activities and ‘internalize’ pseudo-operations. It became increasingly clear that these operations were too essential

Money power was the key to turning terrorists, especially as their motives grew more mercenary over the years. The ‘cat’ system was only as effective as its capability to purchase loyalty and to punish lethargy. The strengths and weaknesses of the system lay in the freedom of initiative it accorded to Police operational officers on the ground, who would actually be handling the ‘cats’. Generally, those ‘cats’, who were heavily compromised by involvement in murders and threatened into co-operating rather than being simply bought off, seem to have been the most reliable. This might have been because the handling officer could always brandish the stick of punishment for past activity if the ‘cat’ faltered, and offered carrots in the form of bonuses only sparingly. The more desperate the ‘cat’ to buy his peace with the Police, the more he could be pressured to run risks while gathering information.
It is the context, the success of the ‘cat’ system was due to the strength of the pseudo-terrorist concept. The comprehensive use of ‘cats’ played an important, if not decisive, role in controlling and ultimately defeating the terrorist movement in Punjab. Punjab goes to show that more, not less pseudo-terrorist operations are necessary to rapidly build on transient tactical advantages, so that success may flow from success.

I fail to understand, why the above methodology is not being adopted by the central govt. to defeat the menace of terrorism, throughout the country.

Does anyone has any answers ?