Mangalore Pub Assault

Horrific. Lost for words.

The unheard Shri Ram Sena assaulted women in a pub because they were apparently behaving indecently. Such high standards of decency. I really wonder how these guys would really react if something that is indecent, if there is anything as such, occurs. Smacks of hypocrisy. These guys would be the first with roving eyeballs.

The visuals are disturbing. Absolutely revolting. Some of the attacked have been admitted to a hospital just ascertains the severity. Was it their fault that they were having a good time.
Or are they supposed to have a good time in accordance with whims and fancies of certain asinine folks.

A society is governed by a certain set of norms that evolve over a period of time. These do so because they are acceptable to the responsible majority. Stress on the word 'responsible'. A VIP who thinks that poor commoners wait along the side while his motorcade passes through does fall in the category. Every 3rd month a new group comes into existence imposing their own set of fixed values. I thought it was only here that the Shiv Sena suddenly woke up from its slumber and deciding bashing students for giving roses was a momentous achievement.

I simply dont get the motive of these people. Do they like wake up one day and realize that they owe their share to the society however unwanted it is. Or they hurt their head and their brains desecend down to their butts where they start thinking upside down. Or is a pathology of some other kind. Or they have been really hoodwinked to think they are supermen of some kind, knighted to protect poor us. Hitting women...some kind of supermen these sure are. Had it not for these brave people so benevolent with their violent hearts, working selflessly to protect me from being corrupted I could have never visualised our country achieving the great heights Taliban has.

Such brave people. Too bad Sandeep Unnikrishnan and Hemant Karkare thought laying their lives was the highest way to serve the society. Apparently not. Ironically the Ashok Chakra too have been announced this week. Stupid people with even a stupider sense of what moral standards are deserve to be paid back in the same coin.

What is worrisome is some twisted organizer of the whole act comes out defending the actions of his organization. Inspite of 40 odd involved only 3 people have been arrested. What's worse is Congress immediately would point out how the BJP misrule has brought this on the state. While BJP would surely find some stupid reason to blame the Congress for it. The perpetrators go scott-free.

It is the responsibility of these very parties to ensure that citizens are safe in every walk of their life especially women. We have a constitution that guides us. It ensures us certain rights with duties. As long as I take care of my duties I am free to enjoy my rights. We masquerade as liberals with aspirations to be the next super-power. We want our country to transcend economic boundaries and attain status comparable with the affluent west. Inspite of our aspiration we still have not been able to get rid of our cows from our streets. Wonder which keep us back- cows on the street or the men who still live in caves pretending to be savvy let loose on the same streets. Actually caves might get take an offence to house such people. Never been harmed by the harmless cows yet

As far as my society is concerned. It will take care of itself. It has till now without the valuable input of savages. It will further. Please spare me the agony. I am very happy with my own miserable society howsoever corrupted it is or will be. Better me merry in hell than sulk in heaven. Come to think of it..my heaven is where i get to do my own thing and let everybody do theirs without stepping on each other toes in the process.

Shri Ram must be squirming though. His name being used by the organization. And to think he waged the war for Sita. Even Ravana never inflicted bodily harm on her. Talk about moral standards... shameful..

IMPERSONAL

A pretty girl at an evening party was bantering a genial bachelor on his reasons for remaining single.

"No−oo. I never was exactly disappointed in love," he said. "I was what you might call discouraged. You see,when I was very young I became very much enamored of a young lady of my acquaintance. I was mortally afraid to tell her of my feeling, but at length I screwed up my courage to the proposing point.

I said, 'Let's get married,' And she said, 'Why, who'd have us?'"

Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister

It was debated quite a bit when Narendra Modi won the last Gujarat election, whether he'd be able to replicate the same model for the country. Some water has flown under the bridge and Anil Ambani and Sunil Mittal do think that the guy is ready to lead the nation

What happened back then was wrong, yes it might have been some time back, but scars that wounds leave always bear testimony to fact that the event did take place and no amount of restructuring on anyone's part can take the pain away. The memories stay.

All politicians do make mistakes, and maybe grow and learn from them. However there is a price to pay for every mistake whatever walk of life one may been. Fortunately for Mr. Modi I assume he has not been dealt with his dues. I am not privy to any of his personal details...so wont know if he indeed does regret what he did.

The price in my eyes that he would pay that inspite of being quite capable in his vision and a fantastic administrator and a leader in the sense of the word...he'd never lead the nation, which I am sure is an ambition he harbours.

The reasons are manifold. The way the laws of nature work are beyond my understanding, however they alone are not the only reason what would stop Modi from attaining his pedestal.

Let there be no doubt that L.K. Advani is still in the midst and whatever maybe the calls from the aisles, if the BJP come to power this time round it will be L.K. Advani who rules the roost and no other. Advani has waited too long in the shadows to see it being taken away right under his nose. Now he'd go an extra yard to cut Modi to size.

Another important factor is the way Modi could work his magic was to reach out to the masses and unify himself with them in Gujarart. People started identifying with what Modi said and that was an important factor.The language barrier would hinder him to quite a large extent. One can evoke emotions when one can speak the people's mind. Outside Gujarat Modi might be able to motivate the masses in the Hindi heartland to unify with him. Beyond which he might influence Maharashtra, though very doubtful since too many factor queer his pitch. Don't see the south of India voting for Modi just by way his persona. Neither the east nor the North. He'd have to run an incredibly polarised campaign to hoodwink one and all.

Considering he wont be able to work his magic in the rest of the hinterland, his allies become important. Its the NDA and not BJP alone that contests. With his autocratic style of running the show and ruthlessness, which needs to admired in measures, he wont have allies falling over themselves to supplicate themselves upto him as the clan of a section of industry.

Wherein lie my fears. If at all Modi does prove me wrong and indeed does rise to be the top dog I'd be more worried than ever. He is absolutely brilliant in running his campaigns and administrating effectively. However that is not enough to be a successful leader. A modest amount of humility in him would have helped him a lot. The lack of such -atleast that's the impression i get i maybe wrong but he has done nothing to repel the image- will eventually not hold him in good stead

It absolutely baffles when people start bending over their backs in the most brazen fashion to please him. Either it was a very calculated move on Modi's part to entice Ambani/ Mittal to mouth the words or the other way round. The sycophancy thus evident is no degrees worse than the one surrounding 10 Janpath. Ironic his campaigned centred itself the corridors of 10 Janpath while he himself is in the process of building his house in similar ways.

When someone like an Anil Ambani can do it, commoners following the trend is hardly surprising. However when a leader rises from the echelons of leadership and instills devotion into the minds of his people he runs a steady risk of being drunk on the power that it confers. When people start equating one with God they lose the ability to question his misdemeanours and overlook his errors, which is precisely i fear might happen.

If however Modi does prove me wrong and does rise to his ambitions and is able to lead my country to a new dawn minus his fallings, I'd be the happiest. Whatever i have seen leads me to believe otherwise. When someone with the blood of innocents rises upto Godliness condoned by the top honchos of the country it makes me squirm. Wonder if NaMo is close to God what pedestal does ADolf HiTler befriend. He did score a lot more than Modi ever would.

Lasantha Wickramatunga

Lasantha Wickramatunge former editor-in-chief of the Sri Lankan newspaper " The Sunday Leader" was assasinated on 8th of january this year on his way to work. He was known for his principled stand against the violence perpetrated by the Sri Lankan Government against the ethnic Tamils. The LTTE brigade is one of the most violent organisation in the recent past. Some of their antics strking fear into the minds of the most resolute. The response of the Government however has been one to alienate the ethnic population. Wickramatunge dared to raise his voice against the Government for which he allegedly had to pay with his life. The Paper carried a posthumous editorial on Sunday the 11th of January... It is a strking article....excerpts from the same.

I have been in the business of journalism a good long time. Indeed, 2009 will be The Sunday Leader's 15th year. Many things have changed in Sri Lanka during that time, and it does not need me to tell you that the greater part of that change has been for the worse.Indeed, murder has become the primary tool whereby the state seeks to control the organs of liberty. Today it is the journalists, tomorrow it will be the judges. For neither group have the risks ever been higher or the stakes lower.

Why then do we do it? I often wonder that. After all, I too am a husband, and the father of three wonderful children. I too have responsibilities and obligations that transcend my profession, be it the law or journalism. Is it worth the risk? Many people tell me it is not.

But there is a calling that is yet above high office, fame, lucre and security. It is the call of conscience.

Every newspaper has its angle, and we do not hide the fact that we have ours. Our commitment is to see Sri Lanka as a transparent, secular, liberal democracy. ... well, if you need me to explain why that is important, you'd best stop buying this paper

Neither should our distaste for the war be interpreted to mean that we support the Tigers. The LTTE are among the most ruthless and bloodthirsty organisations ever to have infested the planet. There is no gainsaying that it must be eradicated. But to do so by violating the rights of Tamil citizens, bombing and shooting them mercilessly, is not only wrong but shames the Sinhalese, whose claim to be custodians of the dhamma is forever called into question by this savagery, much of which is unknown to the public because of censorship.

It is well known that I was on two occasions brutally assaulted, while on another my house was sprayed with machine-gun fire. Despite the government's sanctimonious assurances, there was never a serious police inquiry into the perpetrators of these attacks, and the attackers were never apprehended. In all these cases, I have reason to believe the attacks were inspired by the government. When finally I am killed, it will be the government that kills me

The irony in this is that, unknown to most of the public, Mahinda and I have been friends for more than a quarter century. Indeed, I suspect that I am one of the few people remaining who routinely addresses him by his first name and uses the familiar Sinhala address oya when talking to him.

Mahinda, when you finally fought your way to the SLFP presidential nomination in 2005, nowhere were you welcomed more warmly than in this column.You have told me yourself that you were not greedy for the presidency. You did not have to hanker after it: it fell into your lap. You have told me that your sons are your greatest joy, and that you love spending time with them, leaving your brothers to operate the machinery of state. Now, it is clear to all who will see that that machinery has operated so well that my sons and daughter do not themselves have a father.

As for me, I have the satisfaction of knowing that I walked tall and bowed to no man. And I have not travelled this journey alone. Others walk in the shadow of death that your Presidency has cast on the freedoms for which you once fought so hard. You will never be allowed to forget that my death took place under your watch.

As for the readers of The Sunday Leader, what can I say but Thank You for supporting our mission. We have espoused unpopular causes, stood up for those too feeble to stand up for themselves, locked horns with the high and mighty so swollen with power that they have forgotten their roots, exposed corruption and the waste of your hard-earned tax rupees, and made sure that whatever the propaganda of the day, you were allowed to hear a contrary view. For this I - and my family - have now paid the price that I have long known I will one day have to pay. I am - and have always been - ready for that. I have done nothing to prevent this outcome: no security, no precautions. I want my murderer to know that I am not a coward like he is, hiding behind human shields while condemning thousands of innocents to death. What am I among so many? It has long been written that my life would be taken, and by whom. All that remains to be written is when.

People often ask me why I take such risks and tell me it is a matter of time before I am bumped off. Of course I know that: it is inevitable. But if we do not speak out now, there will be no one left to speak for those who cannot, whether they be ethnic minorities, the disadvantaged or the persecuted. An example that has inspired me throughout my career in journalism has been that of the German theologian, Martin Niem”ller. In his youth he was an anti-Semite and an admirer of Hitler. As Nazism took hold in Germany, however, he saw Nazism for what it was: it was not just the Jews Hitler sought to extirpate, it was just about anyone with an alternate point of view. Niem”ller spoke out, and for his trouble was incarcerated in the Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps from 1937 to 1945, and very nearly executed. While incarcerated, Niem”ller wrote a poem that, from the first time I read it in my teenage years, stuck hauntingly in my mind:

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

If you remember nothing else, remember this: The Leader is there for you, be you Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim, low-caste, homosexual, dissident or disabled. Its staff will fight on, unbowed and unafraid, with the courage to which you have become accustomed. Do not take that commitment for granted. Let there be no doubt that whatever sacrifices we journalists make, they are not made for our own glory or enrichment: they are made for you. Whether you deserve their sacrifice is another matter. As for me, God knows I tried.

Shabarimala- Makara Villaku

All bedtime stories, atleast for a mallu are incomplete without the story of Lord Ayyapa. The story is a fascinating tale of the Lord's journey from his abode to the earthly premises. It makes for a brilliant hearing and is so deeply entrenched atleast with me that I still am fascinated by it. The veracity of the story is something that i cannot ascertain.

Today is the day when the 'Makara Villaku' or the celestial star appears in the hills. If the story of Lord Ayyapa is fascinating the Makara Villaku is even more interesting. At a preordained time -6.30ish i think- on the day of Makara Sankranti a divine light appears in the summit of a hill opposite the temple lights up thrice. It has been happening for ages and continues to this day. Huge crowds to the tune of a million people gather to watch the celestial show. Television channels beam it across the world.

If the Lord Ayyapa story is debatable the truth of 'Makara Villaku' has been debated intensely by the rationalists and the likes. Reports of Devasvom Boards and the Electricity Board conspiring to ensure the light makes an appearanc are heard all the time. Its funny that even the 'atheist' CPM government has steadfastedly refused an investigation into the affair. Quite prudent of them.

My views too somehow concur with the government. Let it be. I do not believe that the light that exists has divine origins, neither do i not believe that it does not. . I am blissfully unaware of the reality of the situation and want to remain so. Faith is a very personal issue. There is the 'villakku' and for a day the lives of more than a million revolve around it. Maybe it is irrational. So be it. The truth is a mystery to the greater public. I aint no one to determine whether the truth needs be examined. Neither do i see any one around who would claim the moral right to do so. Hence let it be.

What i guess matters more is that the temple throws its open its doors to one and all. However the womenfolk between the ages of 10 and 50 are not allowed. And like a sheep i concur to that too. Yes it is very debatable. Both sides would have relevant points to make. Discriminating on the basis of sex maybe wrong, even worse in a temple that is so liberal. I would hope the wisdom of wiser people let decide what the outcome be. I simply concur because I am unaware of the rights and wrong of the situation, leave it without adding my bit...
"John 8: 7-8
...when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. "

.....and would rather think about the Lord. Relegion is not a bar to enter the temple. All of us for a period of 40 days become Swami's.

My name my age my creed my work.. irrelevant.. I am known as a Swami and so do the scores of other people on their sojourn.The significance of being called a Swami is apparent when one realises that Lord himself is called Swami. Swami Ayyapa. For the period i realise my oneness with the Lord that i am called as such by one and all. Not only me but i realise that everyone around too is a Swami.. a part of the larger celestial being and all of us in unity by small measures bring about the celestial being into existence.

The fact is more higlighted when one reaches the temple and reads the the inscribed words.....Tat Tvam Asi---- 'That Thou Art'

Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United

So eventually Cristiano Ronaldo does bag the FIfa world player of the award. Does he deserve it. For sure. The season he had last years was incredible. Some purists may argue that Lionel Messi maybe more outstanding a candidate. I think that time shall tell what both players achieve. On the basis of last season however Ronaldo dwarfed every single competitor he had and there was no dispute if any that he'd be named the top dog for the last year.

However Ronaldo did himself no favours by the whole Real Madrid saga. Fergie was absolutely positive about not letting him go and Ronaldo behaved like a petulant child. Inspite of his heroics last year the drama that followed wil alienate him to the Old Trafford faithful. He maybe back.. he might score crucial goals.. he might indeed win himself and United scores of trophies but he'd never be the legend Roy Keane and Eric Cantona were or Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes are.

The stakes are higher this Year with United having to defend the billing of being champions of England and Champions of Europe.. The World Club Championship was a Mickey Mouse kinda game type of joke.. We have not started well but are known to finish well and the signs look ominous...

Before last week we were 7 points off the Liverpool and 2 games in hand and now 5 points behind them with 2 games still in hand. The clash with the scousers at home. Systematic dismantling of Chelsea achieved.. How i wish jose was around. Would be wonderful the hear him talk.. And befor Liverpool play another game we play two and and can rightfully head the table..with the advantage of knowing that the return clash is back home. Beware Liverpool, the Champions are coming for you... and yeah congratulations Cristiano Ronaldo...

Call The Band

My interest in the music Call plays was awakened recently. Call have not been unheard of on the Indian music scene. The first of their songs i have heard was 'Laree chooti' from the movie ' Ek Chaalis Ki Last Local'. ( which in my view was a decent movie and with a tighter script and some pruning would have done wonderfully well). Their next song was " sab bhula ke" which occupied decent airtime on the erstwhile Indian music channels. I was always under the impression that call was a bangladeshi band.

The other day listening to the radio- which i dont do much- the song Mahi Ve caught my attention. Try hard as i much i could not figure out the movie that this song came from. Internet as always came to my rescue. It actually is a song by pakistani artiste Fakhir...pretty cool song too.. However while exploring the pakistani music scene apart from the popular bands like Jal, Strings etc Call somehow caught my attention with their brand of music which maybe has a rock touch to it. I was also plesantly surprised to find one of their songs on the sound track of "Luck by Chance" a mainstream bollywood film. Though i like the remix version of ' Yeh pal' better.. One of their songs amongst quite a few notworthy.. The video below is of a song 'bichar ke bhi'

SATYAM FRAUD

At a time when corporate governance atleast vis-a-vis Satyam was at its lowest, the quitting of its chairman in the wake of the fraud is an absolutely crashing blow. The Satyam shares have been tanking since the times news has come out almost crashing to 80% of its value. A fraud to the tune of 7100 crore would shake up the trust factor in the market which showed some signs of rallying back. After the disclosure BSE index have tanked almost 600 points. The impact it has on the further role the FII's and FDI's could be disastrous

In a letter addressed to the board members, Raju admitted his wrongdoings absolving everyone apart from the MD of any part in the fraudulent ways. It however seems very improbable that without the help of atleast certain quarters the whole fiasco could have been carried out.

Seemingly a 3% operating margin was inflated to almost 24 %. There also are reported bank balances with 5000 crores of cash that never exists. The balance sheet almost show no cash. Even worrisome could be the loss of clients and the payments assoviated with the work already done

What however seems a bit odd is that Satyam being one of the leaders in the IT league were operating at a mere 3% profit.Satyam if anything was the 4th biggest IT firm in India. If thats the margin the the 4th largest IT company operated at serious doubts can be raised regarding the profitability of IT ventures. Then again in the facade that Raju has pulled through the operating margins too could be cooked up. A thorough audit into the Satyam books would reveal the truths.

The role played by the auditors in this case is quite baffling. Either they were hoodwinked in a beautiful manner or they were complicit in the whole affair. How they missed 5000 crore cash that quite never existed is quite bizzare.

On a short-term basis the stakeholders, especially the smaller ones, would have taken quite a hit. There seems to be no way for them to recover their money. Suspending trading on the stock wont be the right way to go considering there still might be investors who want out of the stock. The 50000 strong workforce of Satyam would be worried and rightly so. Their futures are in a limbo for sometime to come.

One hopes the SEBI and the other concerned authorities take the stringest possible action to avoid the occurance of such a scandal again and restoring the confidence of the investors in the market. Is this the end of the road for Satyam..only time shall tell..

RTI in "larger public interest"

Now with the Chief Information Commissioner(CIC) ruling that 'larger public interest' is not a ground for denying information under the Right to Information Act, it would be interesting to note what loopholes would authorities try and seek refuge to deny information.

The case in this regard was a student asking for details of the Medical Entrance exam held in the Benaras university, where the university took advantage of the previous CIC's order in which AIIMS question papers and keys were denied under the garb of 'larger public interest'.
It is difficult to understand what larger public interest is served in denying information about an examination or a students performance in the same. Lack of transperency at the highest quarters is something that is a frustrating.

Being part of a few entrance exams one does hear about answer papers being marked in pencils and student answers being corrected durin the course of being checked. Corruption regards filling of seats is something that occurs routinely, every single person who appears for the entrances knows how the system works. Sale of a seat is worse than what happens at a flea-market. Knowing the right people can tilt the scales and being related to anyone in the hierarchy would be God-sent. If lacking both it is amazing how many new relatives money can make. Chances of anything changing is absolutely impossible considerin the doyens of most universities are powerful politicians. It is done in such a brilliant manner that no ambiguity can be found later-on. Merit list being prepared before conducting an exam, however corroborating the results at the end of the exam. The system being manipulated bloody brilliantly.

It would be interesting to note what the AIIMS does about this order considering they have steadfastedly refused to let out information earlier, denying students even their ranks. Not to say that shady things happen in the upper echelons or maybe they do.. one always hears things.. but a little more transperency would be nice.

GAZA- Misfiring Hamas and Inhuman Israel

I am too young to realize the full history of the Israeli- Gaza conflict, however whatever little I have read makes me believe that Gaza is ruled by pathetic fools who would rather scarifice their kids than let prudence prevail and work out with Israel for a solution. And across the Border Israel are led by even bigger fools who would oblige Hamas by retaliating.

The reason for aggression this time round has been firing of 60 rockets into the Israeli territory by Hamas activists which resulted in zero casualties. Praise be to the lord for zero casualties.. but what exactly was Hamas trying.. I mean surely they have better people incharge of these rockets.. or are they fired by nincompoops... who for their lives cant hit a target right..
It is absolutely crazy when they have fighters who aim for the gut and take one of their partners out, talk about destroying Israel.. For God's sake open your eyes. 60 bloody rockets and not one target. Maybe next summer Hamas can bring out their new bestseller " How not to hit a target in 6o tries" ... and ruin one's country in the process... Maybe Al-qaeda would turn to the book for to seek gyaan of the kind

As if fools and incompetent idiots in Gaza were not enough we have Israel retaliating.... with
F-16's and apache copters... apparently to take out Hamas infrastructure

Make no mistake i sympathise with Israel completely -long have- on account of the terrorist attacks it has faced...and am a rabid fan of Mossad for its ways..but this was just too much...

When an air-strike strikes none of the intended targets and kills three school going kids, playing, unaware, it is inhuman. Even more is inhuman is the blockade. As if stupid Hamas folk would realize something is amiss and start firing right. The losers in the equation are the people of the land. In the shadown of war, where every sun rises with the rays of a conflict, where UN distributed food feeds 80% of the population, where something like water to drink is to hanker over. To worry where one's next meal comes is one of the worst fears to have even worse is the when one does not know how to feed one's kids.I think Israel went too far. Sure they have a populace to keep happy back home but at what cost..

The USA for all the considerable influence it wields vetoed a ceasefire. I am dumbfounded to be honest.. still am tryin to comprehend how the US views the present crisis. Maybe G.B. Bush does like all the gifts that get thrown at him and is pining for more... Wake-up USA.. people lose lives everyday the conflict continues. Innocent women and children bystanders in the whole issue continue to get killed while US still figures ways to derail a peace process..

Surely good sense has to prevail. If the ground invasion intensifies it just will realise in more losses and alienating the palestine people such that a meaningful resolution to the conflict would be far from possible.

Tho i am not sure how long with their exemplary rocket-firing capabilities would Hamas last... somebody please train them... the next we'd know is the Hamas terrorists hitting their own homes in lieu of the war