No more hamara Bajaj!

Bajaj calls it a day(Read full story here...)

It is finally end of road for Bajaj. OK that was being a bit over-the-top ;). Bajaj recently made an statement effecting the shutdown of their scooter development department. Bajaj has had a smooth ride in the scooter segment and was the market leader in India in the late 80s and early 90s. I'm sure their "Hamara Bajaj" slogan is etched in many of our hearts. This news certainly evokes a bit of surprise and sadness for many, since they(scooters) were(and I'm sure are) associated with those warm and nostalgic growing-up-years memories.

With this decision, Bajaj is now to do away with their scooter venture and focus their energies in being the market leaders in the bike segment.

Looking forward to some good(in terms of mileage & performance) and innovative(like electric or alternate fuel powered vehicles) products from your future lineup.

All the Best Bajaj.

Disclaimer: This article is in no way an marketing/endorsement for Bajaj.

Amen!

IWAS...not there!!!

Bangalore undone!(Read full story here...)

Paralympics Committee of India(PCI) is hosting IWAS (International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports)  2009 in Bangalore, wherein elite international disabled athletes representing more than 43 countries are converging to participate in this international meet. Being an international meet, the competing athletes are bound to expect(if not good) at least decent level of planning, infrastructure & management.

But being true to their stature, the powers to be (read PCI in tune with their political masterminds) have gone ahead and messed up this entire event. It seems not enough thought process went into the preparation for this sports event. Basic planing like that of infrastructure seems to be out of place! A blatant & shameful pointer of this was evident when the Deputy President of IWAS was unable to get on the VIP dais due to absence of an ramp! Being an event for the disabled(wheelchair bound & amputee), the planners couldn't factor in this simple provision. How dumb could they get!!! This reflects poorly for Indians and is another brickbat for their image globally.

India the very nation which is hauled as one of the economic superpowers of today should be more careful, dedicated & sincere in planning global events like this(and others to come). We don't want to falter at a time when the entire world is watching us...do we? Occasions like these go a long way to project ourselves as a nation which truly want to make a mark(and eventually dominate) the global scene.

With India playing host for Commonwealth Games 2010 (in Delhi), it waits to be seen what lessons we learn from our mistakes.

Come on India, buckle up and prove your mettle. Cheers India!

Amen!

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!

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!

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!

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!