Red Rose !

The dreaded day is coming for all those who are single(by choice or by compulsion).The newspapers ,especially TOI & HT, pile on the agony of singles as they are filled with suggestions about how to make it a memorable day.For those who are not engaged ,for whatever reason,it is a day to reflect on the past and plan ahead(hopefully,for a better future).The grass always seems greener on the other side is a common refrain but it may not be so in reality.
My first and so far the only brush with V-day was in class 11.In fact,till class 10(summerof 1997) i dont think i had even heard of St.Valentine(and i m sure, he of me) and his exploits.Anyway,14th feb 1998 was business as usual for me.Woke up and got ready for catching the school bus,oblivious of what was about to happen.Myself and few of my friends used to occupy the long rear seat in the bus and the bus journey used to be lot of fun.So, on that day also i got on the bus and for some reason (unrelated to Vday,i presume)the attendance in the bus was quite thin.When the bus stopped for its penultimate stop before reaching the school,two sisters(also in class 11 but from different sections)entered the bus.I knew both of them reasonably well(one of them had somewhat fiery temper and the other one was more easygoing)but at that moment not well enough.The fiery one(sis1) came and out of the blue thrust a rose in front of not me but my very good friend(DM)and this caused everybody to raise their eyebrow (including yours truly)as the two concerned people were as different as chalk and cheese.In the meantime,while everybody`s attention was focused on DM and sister1,the other sister gave me a rose and wished me happy V-day.Fortunately for me,nobody seemed to notice and i quickly dropped the rose into my bag.To be honest ,all along i knew that this is some kind of joke being played on my dear friend DM and i was but a character artist in the scheme of things.
All the same,that day we had very few classes and DM and Sis1 were seen walking around the school discussing something or the other.Well,everybody was envious of DM,though everybody thought deep down that he was being taken for a ride..but what a ride !
Finally,classes got over and i reached back home.On coming back i took out the rose(colour is immaterial,but it was red)from my bag and threw it away(actually,under my bed)....Well that was supposed to be the end of it ,but later that evening some of my friends came over to my place.....and quite unknown to me some had actually witnessed the rose giving ceremony ....they wanted to see it for themselves,i told them that i had thrown it (technically a true statement) but one of them looked under the bed and i had to face some music ....but then everybody knew that it was nothing but a friendship rose(unfortunately!).....
P.S.-the person from whom i received the rose is now happily married(to somebody else,ofcourse!)and same is true for her sister also.DM is also engaged to someone.

The unmaking of Iraq ...

Iraq,before the US led invasion, was under a dictatorial regime headed by Saddam Hussein but there was peace.He was a dictator and ruled with a iron hand but the Iraqis had access to healthcare and education.Saddam was also secular and under him Iraq was one of the more progressive nations of West Asia.Now ,after US meddling we have a Islamic Republic of Iraq which for all purpose is embroiled in a civil war among the majority Shias and the Sunni insurgents.Iraq has an explosive mix of 60% Shias,20% Sunnis and 20% Kurds and for Saddam(a sunni)to rule over this diverse population required the use of strong arm tactics.
A person who lives by the sword also dies by it is an oft repeated saying and came true in Saddam`s case.He was executed for the massacre of about 160 Shias of Dujail who were suspected of an assassination attempt on his life.If the same token is applied to George Bush,he would have to be hanged umpteen times for the death of nearly 650,000+ Iraqis so far.Not a single day passes without a bomb exploding in some part of Iraq.Saddam was no saint and he had his fair share of sins but the manner of his execution and the farcical trial has made him into a martyr.The ghost of Saddam will keep haunting US and its allies.A dead Saddam may turn out to be more of a threat to Americans worlwide as it is going to alienate muslims all over the world and strengthen the feeling of being wronged by the West.
The situation in Iraq is now so bad that even a complete and immediate withdrawal of US led coalition forces offers no guarantee that peace will return to Iraq any time soon.But the withdrawal of US led forces would be the first step towards peace.The minority sunnis would need to be given proprtional stake in governance of Iraq to wean them away from insurgency.Ultimately,the Iraqis would have to choose for themselves between co-existence and co-destruction ....

Bounty Hunters !!!!

The recent expose of the murder of innocent civilians by some rogue police and army officials in Jammu & Kashmir points to a bigger malaise.Power without accountability almost always leads to corruption.Few rotten elements in J&K Police and the Rashtriya Rifles connived to kill innocent civilians just to get out of turn promotions and cash rewards.This incident has put a serious question mark over the government`s policy of rewarding officials for killing militants.Fake encounters are not something new and have been reported from all over the country at some point of time or the other.Mumbai Police being a master of the game and an inspiration to many bollywood flicks.While in states where there is relative peace it is somewhat difficult to indulge in fake encounters and cover them up because of vigilant media and civil society groups.But in places like J&K and the north-east where counter-insurgency operations are going on full throttle, it is apparently not so.
The police establishment as well as the army top brass would do well to bring the guilty officials to justice and be transparent about their modus-operandi as far as rewards and other benefits given for killing militants are concerned.

No Mercy !

Assam is burning and the fire ,as always, has been lit by ULFA.There was a time when this outfit had some lofty ideals and enjoyed mass support from the Assamese people.But with time the outfit has compromised on its ideology and at present it works under the command of its ISI masters and Bangladesh.It has no option but to toe the line of Bangladesh military as its existence dependes upon their overt and covert suport.All the top leaders of ULFA (Paresh Baruah,Anoop Chetia) are safely ensconced in Bangladesh and running successful business there.
The act of killing hindi-speaking Bihari labourers in cold-blood reflects the poverty of ideology in ULFA.There is not a murmur of protest from ULFA on the issue of illigal immigration from Bangladesh which is an immediate threat to the state and its people.The demography of most districts in Assam barring upper Assam has undergone a dramatic change and has made the indigenous people a minority in their own backyard.The time is not far when Assam will become a muslim majority state if the illegal immigration from across the border continues unabated.The formation of Assam United Democratic Front ,a political outfit, for all purpose representing Bangladeshi immigrants and the fact that they were able to win ten seats in the assembly elections is a disturbing development and would have serious repercussions in future for the state as well as the country.In fact, the targeting of Biharis(mostly labourers eking out a living away from their home) is part of a sinister ploy to replace them with Bangladeshi immigrants.
The demands of ULFA relating to the sovereignty of Assam is foolhardy because what the people of Assam need is development and that can only come about in a climate of peace.Moreover,an independent Assam would always be at the mercy of countries like China and Bangladesh.An independent Assam is simply not viable politically ,geographically and economically and also not in the best interest of Assamese people who are as much Indians as anybody else in any other part of India.ULFA cannot also claim to represent all the sections of Assamese society.The violence unleashed by ULFA is the biggest stumbling block for Assam and its pecae-loving people.There is a groundswell of anger against ULFA and its violent activities this time around.The government must not let this opportunity go by to crush ULFA and crush it for good.

Yet Another Republic Day !

Today ,we are celebrating 58th year of our republic.For all purpose,we are at crossroads at this point in time,as a nation we have achieved much in certain areas but still a lot remains to be done, especially in areas like universalisation of primary education and access to health care for all.
Going abroad has become a fashion for youth and most people ,given a chance, would like to settle in US or some western european country.While no one can fault them for exercising their right to emigrate to a place of their liking , but a question does arise that why people want to leave India.India is registering impressive GDP growth rate but the growth is by no means inclusive.India`s success story in the economic front has bypassed a large majority of its population.Agricultural sector which employs the most people is in absolute distress.This makes India ripe with potential for all kinds of social tension which does erupt regularly in the form of riots etc.
In recent times the menace of terrorism has ben rearing its ugly head with an uncanny regularity.While ,till a few years back terrorism was restricted to J&k and NortEast ,but now the whole of India is on their radar.Infact ,the lax attitude of government while dealing with these localised problems for long has allowed terrorists to spread their web far and wide.
The terrorists have succeded in creating a fear psychosis among the general public with help from tv news channel who are always on the look out for a story and conveniently make one where there is none.Every major occasion like Republic Day,Independence Day or any religious festival sends the security establishment in a state of tizzy lest something untoward happens.I,myself,felt a sense of relief after the republic day celebrations passed off peacefully and i do think that many of us share the same apprehensions whenever a big occasion is round the corner.
One only hopes that we become a republic in the true sense of the term ,where everybody irrespective of their background would have equality of opportunity and there will not be any need for resorting to violence.Each one of us will have to share the responsibility as it is very easy to criticise politicians ,but how many of us even vote ,i m 25 and have not voted even once and i know that i am in a majority of educated people who criticise but dont vote.Come next elections ,i am changing my status from a non-participant observer...

KBC & SRK

KBC-3 is back and with a bang.If anyone could have filled up the big boots of Amitabh and hoped to match his charisma,not many names come to mind other than Shahrukh Khan.While Amitabh was always polite and humble to a fault,Shahrukh has been cheeky to say the least.He surely made people laugh with his antics and is sure to attract the youngsters to the show.While comparisons are almost always unfair and subjective ,here Shahrukh may just trump the Big B with his spontaniety and youthful energy.
KBC has been largely responsible for making general knowledge and quizzing popular with the masses.Siddhartha Basu`s Mastermind India , Derek 'o' Brien`s Bournvita Quiz contest and a very popular quiz show hosted by a sikh gentleman on Doordarshan long time back(can't remember the name ) remain some of the most memorable quiz shows.

Racism

The alleged racial remarks on Shilpa Shetty by her fellow contestants has for all purpose triggered a hornet`s nest.The electronic media has ,as always, gone overboard in its coverage of the issue.The issue has been blown so much out of proportion that everybody who is anybody has commented on the issue.One can appreciate the ridiculousness of the situation even more when one sees Britain`s Chancellor of the Exchequer,Gordon Brown and India`s Finance Minister P.C.Chidambaram being forced to comment on the non-event.
It is a fact that racial prejudice runs deep and wide ,not just in Britain but also in India.Not saying it overtly does not mean that racial prejudices do not exist.Look at any of the matrimonial advertisements and one will come across the 'fairness fixation'in Indian society.Prejudices cannot be removed solely through legislation or use of force.It can be done by breaking the stereotypes and promoting people to people contact belonging to diverse groups.
Coming back to Shilpa Shetty issue,she should have ignored the barbs or given those abusing her a taste of their own medicine.Taking offence at being called 'the Indian' beats me ,does she not consider herself Indian or what and moreover she could have called them by their nationality.
Finally ,Reality TV has got to show reality ,however unpleasant it may be .We may not like to admit it but all of us are prejudiced one way or the other !