Monday, November 23, 2009

Taliban eyes Gandhara art!


Gandhara art on Taliban crosshairs(Read full story here...)

Passing through the same cross-road traveled sometime ago...Taliban is endangering the very essence of Buddhist existence - again! The Big Daddy of terrorism(read Taliban) in its infamous homeland - Af-Pak(Afghanistan-Pakistan), happen to exemplify their appreciation for their fanatic ways of Islam by doing away with un-Islamic ideologies. If they have it their way they would like the entire world to implement Sharia law, stop girl education, suppress women rights and banish idol worship to name a few. They've time & again proven their reckless attitude towards any non-Islamic way of life especially in Af-Pak.


Be it the blowing up of centuries old Bamiyan Buddha statue or going after the Gandhara art now. Buddhist(in Af-Pak) were bound to face the heat of the Taliban. Reason being, one Buddhism is unIslamic and two Taxila(is located in Pakistan coupled with the demon named Taliban gaining new inroads locally) where to be targets sooner or later. It was not a question of IF but WHEN? These kind of actions will(and are) alienate not only themselves(Taliban & its allies) but also their other cousins(who believe in moderate facets of Islam).

It is a known fact that Islam like any other faith is not evil; evil are its followers - the likes of Taliban & its supporters(to be precise).

All said and done, unfortunately this time the losers are going to be followers of Buddhism.


Amen!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Bal Thackeray takes on Sachin Tendulkar!

Bal Thackeray slams Sachin (Read full story here...)


The Thackeray clan are surely etching a name for themselves in the world of politics...all for the wrong reasons of course; having mastered the art of playing to the media & misguiding the local masses(Marathi Manoos) by their ill-logical and senseless fiery speeches/statements.


Here is the original champion(pun intended) of Marathi Manoos - Bal Thackeray, a self-crowned leader (and later accepted by the local Marathi populous...don't know how they were hoodwinked to accept it...but that's another topic all together). The Sena Supremo couldn't take(read digest) a decent comment from an real champion(no pun intended)...or should I say an Indian hero - cricketer Sachin Tendulkar!


Reiterating a well known fact to my readers here, the entire nation knows how good of a person Sachin has(and continues to be)been in real life(both on & off the field). Top that with the very basis of Sachin being an Marathi, who is very well aware of the fact that these politicians(the kinds that Sena & MNS is made of) are in business only to wreck havoc to the very fabric of communal harmony. These champions are known to and interested in stooping low to any level for the sake of vote-bank politics.


Sr. Thackeray(now there are more than one Thackeray in the fray vying for attention in the circus called politics) could only shut up the sensibilities as mentioned by sane people like Tendulkar. These sound bytes(by Sachin) might have been like splinter to the Sena's vision for Marathi Manoos!

For these champions have contributed substantially by:
1) Organizing Bandhs and vandalizing movie theaters (since a movie referred Mumbai as Bombay).
2) Threatening local business owners for not displaying their business names in local language.
3) Bashing up non-Marathi interviewees/examinees appearing for the Railway recruitment program.
4) Destroying gift article shops on events like Valentine's Day & Mother's Day.
5) Issuing notices to housing associations asking reservation for Marathi people.


These are just a few but very important & burning issues which might have had a big ramification on the lives of the Marathi populous!


Puleeezz give me a break! Don't undermine, erode & destroy the Marathi self-confidence by begging for reservations in housing associations, we(Marathas) certainly deserve more & better treatment from a fellow Maratha(if you think you are one - Mr. Thackeray)!


We pride ourselves for being natives of Maharashtra. We take pride in(to name a few), the land of the likes of Shivaji - who epitomizes valor, Maratha Regiment - decorated numerous time for their valor and for Mumbai - India's financial capital where millions of fellow Indians live in harmony irrespective of their state, language or origins.
Never in our history has an Maratha known to have begged/threaten fellow Indian to etch an name for themselves! We were revered to be a class of our own, but these so-called champions of Marathi Manoos have stooped low to levels unknown & unheard of and dragged the great Maratha fame along with it.


Pained with the current state of affairs, I appeal to all my fellow Marathi friends & readers to be wary and see through this dirty, evil design(of these selfish politicians), voice their concern and be vocal of their discontent to safe-guard our Marathi pride.


Let the TRUE Marathi Manoos speak!


Amen!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

MNS ups its ante...with cheap tactics


MNS attacks Abu Azmi (Read full story here...)

Staying true to their word(of taking action against any legislator member who planed to take their oath in non-Marathi language) MNS has lived to their formidable reputation of being a party run by mindless party workers and leaders alike. The suspension of the 4 MNS legislators (more details here) is some welcome news to say the least.This act has painted a grim picture of Mumbai a city known for its co-existence of Marathi and (a varied mix of) non-Marathi speaking populous. 

With these kind of cheap tactics to gain political mileage it is clear indication that the party is not at all committed to the larger interest of the Marathi Manoos. Rather they are here to make money in the name of being the torch bearers of the Marathi Manoos and it is the aam junta @ Marathi Manoos who will pay dearly for this foolish adventure! If this act is any reflection of a Marathi Manoos's mentality, then it is just a matter of time for Mumbai is heading into the dark ages of ignorance & self-centered existence which is going to be their biggest undoing.

It would only be right for the 4 MNS legislators(involved in this incident) to be awarded with expulsion and bar them for life from politics. The MNS party and its leadership should on their part be held accountable for this ruckus and penalized heavily to set an example(for future law violators). No person or party going forward should take law in their own hands and try to tinker around with the said constitution and laws of the land. It waits to be seen what kind of action is taken to really address this issue and nip these trouble makers at the bud.

Amen!

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Fatwa against living in harmony!

Fatwa against 'Vande Mataram' (Read full story here...)

So one of the Muslim board is back to it again...issuing Fatwas! Don't these people have anything better to talk about or do than(quoting Islamic sentiments) issue Fatwas which hit at the very heart of their peaceful co-existence in India! Be it about singing the national anthem or mixing it with their religion, they never fail to amuse me. All Islam has empowered them to do is to issue such Fatwas but not eliminate the religious misunderstanding which plagues its image both in India and world-wide. A sizable chunk of the Muslim youth are being systematically brain-washed and used towards mindless terrorism in the name of Jihad. Shouldn't the board, clerics and the Imams look into these kind of serious issues plaguing this religion rather than issue these mindless Fatwas?

Now here is something for the Imams(and Muslim board) to chew on!

Amen!

Marathi Manoos - MNS's con job agenda

Marathi only diktat to MLAs from MNS chief!(Read full news here...)

Here comes another salvo from the so-called
champion of Marathi Manoos - MNS chief Raj Thackeray. Raj has time-and-again worked up the agenda of dividing the masses of Maharashtra on the lines of Marathi and non-Marathi locals. In doing so he has also ensured that Mumbai's (along with rest of Maharashtra) reputation of a cosmopolitan city takes a sound beating. What does he gain out of Mumbai's ordeal? Power. By feeding these lame ideas to the masses, playing(these kind of) dirty vote bank politics and ultimately gaining power Raj truly has evolved from being a decent Mumbaikar to a pukka politician. He has proclaimed himself as the new champion of Marathi Manoos, a fact underscored by Mumbaikars who elected him to power thereby ushering more dark and difficult times for Mumbai(post-Sena dominance).

I being born & bought up in Mumbai can very well see the
transformation(read degeneration) of Maaji Mumbai(My Mumbai). These poisonous thoughts have now taken shape in the very form of my good(Marathi) friends talking so passionately about this new found purpose and direction. They go about being flag bearers of this very sick ideology by echoing and ultimately advocating the very thoughts! I took pride calling myself a Mumbaikar, but today my pain knows no bounds caused by these mindless political stunts and the very acceptance by the masses! I abhor the very idea of Mumbai belonging only to the Marathi Manoos thereby alienating non-Marathi populous! The very essence of Mumbai is in its diversity of its dwellers.

MNS chief's recent statement is a blatant disregard to the constitution of our country and can only be seen as a direct challenge to the law enforcers. Strict action should be taken against the party, specially against the MSN chief for making such
threatening statements(which undermines the law of the land) to set an example so that other(would be) violators don't imitate these kind of actions. MNS to establish itself doesn't have to go down the Sena line - who used pressure tactics(read goonda tactics) and provoked these kind of local sentiments to bring themselves to power. MNS should rather learn from Sena's mistakes or shortcomings, implement policy changes(rather than beating the dead goat practice @ Marathi Manoos) to address the larger masses, ensure a sense of belonging to all, and keep true the promises made during election campaign. This is the only way it can establish itself as Mumbaikars' true champion and a good unbiased political party.

These changes are bound to usher a new era of reforms for Mumbai(and Maharashtra), making Mumbaikar's feel more connected, comfortable and confident about themselves and their city. MNS activists as well as Mumbaikars have to go through a sea change in terms of mindset towards non-Marathi locals. It should aim towards painting the city with the
varied colors of the rainbow as opposed to the monotonous theme as is the case with most other Indian cities.

Amen!

Monday, November 2, 2009

Hilliary talks sense with Pakistan!

"I find it hard to believe that nobody in your government knows where they(Al-Qaida & Bin Laden) are and couldn’t get them if they really wanted to." - Hillary Clinton (Read full story here...)

US couldn't bottle the pent up emotions anymore and an outburst was waiting to happen, as was evident here by the Secretary of State (SoS). This should have woken up the masses of Pakistan from their deep slumber to recognize the fact that there is nothing called free lunch anymore with US anymore. This outburst brings out in the open - the uneasy & messy affair between these strange bed-partners (US & Pakistan). US has been pouring billions of dollars into Pakistan, who on their part claimed to be their so-called ally in WOT (War on Terrorism). It is an open secret that the FOT(Factories of Terror) are very much based and operated from in the soils of Pakistan which was (and is) time-and-time-again published in reams of various US security reports! Pakistan has systematically fooled US into funneling huge sums of funding as part of its aid against WOT program. But I fail to understand, how do you explain the foolish act of countless US congressmen overlooking this basis principle that money can't buy an rogue's allegiance and neither can it revive an fallen state like Pakistan! It is an open secret that money cannot buy peace, especially while dealing with these kind of fanatics who make-up the very essence of Al-Qaida and its allies.

I totally agree with the outburst of the SoS as its time for US to ask the right questions and make Pakistan accountable for the billions of US tax dollars paid to them in terms of military & civilian aids. Pakistan can't expect to live on this aid and continue its double crossed agenda of siding with the fanatic elements of the likes of Al-Qaida. Pakistan as a country has no decent revenue generation mechanism (apart from fight against terrorism aid - FATA) since all/most of its industries are almost non-existent. It is time they create job prospects for their citizens and ensure eduction, employment and good standards of living for them. These kind of pro-active measures are the only viable and long lasting solutions that can set in a new wave of reforms they need thereby controlling their growing dependence on Terror for aids!

I wish US acknowledges the basic fact that to bring peace & stability in the South-Asia region it can and should rely on India as its ally. Also with (Af-Pak) Pakistan & Afghanistan being no more than rogue states and
the new wave of trade treaties & pacts being signed up between US & India; it is only sensible for US to side with India and forge an alliance thereby ensuring stability, peace and prosperity in this region for the years to come.

Amen!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Law doesn't mean a thing!

Wrong turn? Police jeep injures horse(Read full story here...)


It seems Humans have forgotten the most important lesson of their very existence - which is that they are animals too! This is true in almost all developing/under-developed countries around the globe.


Here is a good example of this close home. A quick look at the pictures says it all. Here the vehicle driver was not only human(assumed to be of normal health and sane state of mind) but also an law enforcer. How can someone be so careless and above all stupid?


Where are the animal rights activists now? Isn't this something they need to take up and ensure these kind of mistakes are not repeated again! As a measure at least book the errant driver or fine him along with the traffic constable who was party to this crime for allowing this illegal turn. Animal rights activist should not ignore this incident but should have by initiating some kind of action set an precedent for future animal welfare violators (like the one under discussion). But that is wishful thinking...


As of the last update, there was no mention of any case being booked against the driver. Reason? Simple enough, cases such as these are never filed against people with power (read politicians, bureaucrats, law-enforcers) and I repeat never.


If only humans could realize the ultimate truth that they are just part of this ecosystem and by ignoring and not abiding by its rule book will cost them dearly. The laws of nature are real and govern all irrespective how humans feel about themselves and other beings!
Hope we(humans) respect the environment, all other beings and ourselves in equal measure.


Amen!

Am I growing wiser with age?

Many Moons ago I resolved to grow wiser as I aged. A year older and wiser or so goes the age-old adage. An odd grey-hair juts out signals me...