New crusaders at work ! Don’t disturb

Again – masses under influence of Buddhism are getting enlightened. How lucky they are to be liberated from their slumber and the culture. Centuries ago another religion did it under the influence of sword, other uses the latest techniques to compile the data , do targeted thoughts bombing by implying how they are inferior and not getting the benefits and how changing the garb will get them to the promised land.  All the conservatives need not go far to think how people get “sanction” to execute x things based on certain book, it is present right inside their town looking for next target.  Only now it is more sophisticated compared to the spanish work of god in americas. 

The state machinery in Andhra pradesh is moving ahead to help the ministeries.

On other hand we have pseudo-secularists gunning for Varun.  English channels/newspapers/liberal jnu alumni have lost the pulse of people on field. Agreed Varun was pre-pestarous, but how do the politicians apathetic to the bread and butter causes – bypass all that and raise something more raw. It is easier. Look at what Raj Thackrey gets – he was struggling to get candidates to fight from his party.  That is how democracy works.  If Varun was ignored – he would not have become phenomenon that he has. His 15 mins are more of us vs them (family matter) as he thinks he is the real inheritor of fire-brand father and dictator grand mother.  Unfortunately now even Mayavati is afraid of the swing in that whole area. 

Look up for your joe plumber guys, shh he does not reside in apartment with swimming pool, backup generator and does not have four wheeler of choice. He is the one who knows black and white, he might have suffered corruption, nepotism but hates the uncertainity of terrorism and cares for safety of family.

Mumbai 26/11 – 29/11 – aftermath – vultures are back – wounded country needs saviour

As usual after the tragedy, vultures of all kind are back.

Modi like Amar singh had audacity to “offer” 1 crore for the policemen who died in Mumbai’s event. Hemant Karakare’s family rejected just like Mohan Chand Sharma.

BJP at that time needed apology from Amar singh, (a vulture proposes, another disposes)

“BJP strongly condemns the highly irresponsible, shameful and unfortunate statement of Amar Singh. For his highly deplorable conduct Amar Singh must apologies to the nation,” party spokesperson Ravi Shanker Prasad said in New Delhi on Tuesday.”

Irony amongst all this is just few days back BJP had questioned his credentials when he picked up trail of Malegaon (involvement of hindu religious leaders, army person etc). He was praised earlier when he “solved” other blasts by same party.

Congress on other hand has blessed us with Shivraj patil who is leader of lame dodos rather than people and does not provide shade of confidence. He also does not have shame enough to work on his shortcomings and counts on the “blessings” of Janpath. I still have hope in Manmohan singh. But the cotiere around Adavani/Sonia is the one to look out for.

Where are Raj thackrey and his MNS, Amar singh, Lallu prasad, Mulayam singh, Nitish  and the ltte lovers – Karunanidhi/Vaiko’s ? They are all painted of the same hue and hate baiters of highest order .

The Arundhati Roys, Teesta sestlavads, Javed Akhtars, Shabana aazmis, mj akbars, historians from left/jnu  had managed to push the psyche of Hindu fringe groups with help of biased media where they eugolized the mughal period and its contribution and belittled everything Hindu. On top of it – the continued spate of bombings went unanswered due to criminal apathy of the political  class.

This system works and continues as politicians could pick and choose the voter banks and milk it. The Malegaon and other happenings were in all likelihood as admitted on national tv – ms. savarkar – a response.  Now this is horrible but one can’t go ahead and take it and paint the response as “liberals/leftists” have tendency to do. No it is not as bad the Nazi time where folks were persecuted by common man. But crying wolf has  become a favourite past time without a co-ordinated unbiased resolution.

One of the most important attribute which the apologists for the “root cause analysis”/attackers need to realize is that they need to get the particular community out of ghetto and “perceived persecuted” mentality. They can’t keep blaming everybody else for everything wrong with them and justify the maiming of people with unseen rewards of heaven/religion. They need longer and deeper introspection or else they are on verge of being forgotton/failed folks.

The other challenge is for the media/generic folks/political intelligentsia to give equal importance to happenings in the  for other locations  where these kind of events happen every 3rd day. Are smaller cities/towns/north east places are forgotten because they are far away? Or is south Mumbai so cocooned that they need it to awaken?

Why is NSG deployed for leeches like Mayavati, Mulayam singhs, Amar singhs, Shahabuddin, Munde, Antulay, Pawar? Who in right mind would like to join it to serve these folks?

Great posts -

(Mohalla)

(azdak)

(Via – bhadas -excellent question

हम एक बार फिर से ज़ंग जीत गए

लेकीन एक बड़ा प्रश्न के साथ

आख़िर हम कब तक अपनी ही जमीं पे जंग लड़ेगे

कारगिल, संसद और अब मुंबई)

We won another war, but with big question, till what time shall we win on our own soil?

Kargil/Parliament and now Mumbai.

Actually the entry which touched me and had resonance was this. In the same vein kataksh follows.

Slighly xtreme truth on slightly different topic dealing with the reality of vidarbh’s suicides. This is more sad in view of the gms/chrysler/citibanks/goldman sachs/aigs and others getting “rescued” but a poor subsistence farmer is not credit worthy or his dependence on rain and resources beyond his control not considered. He is put on the notice board and his belongings and house everything is up for sale and under Bank’s control.  What capitalism – very similar to private bus owners running only between profitable routes and leaving “connecting” and getting people from remote places to government. Or similar to telecom firms riding on the new “tech” and reaching the metros where margins/growth is better and leaving the poor regions to the bsnl. This is insensitive application of adam smith and keyne’s theories on unsuspecting folks without shared responsibilities. Shareholder responsibility does not give freedom from ethics and moral values.

VP Singh is dead – he was hero till he became part of the system -  – he was flawed like all of us.

The church and its work.

Another good entry.

Following is the link from earlier times – but I am not intelligent enough to comment on the nuances so it had to get flushed -Why garlic from china needs to go.

A very important piece around why Raj Thackrey gets certain kind of support in certain section of youth. http://www.tehelkahindi.com/indinon/national/166.html. There is genuine injustice done over years. One has seen this in the government where certain set of people are in more numbers. Unfortunately some folks still want to join the government. As usual Raj thackrey got this whole thing of injustice as fuel to put into his political “homa”. Just as Lallu/Paswan/Nitish/Mulayam/Mayavati/Advani/Modi/Pawar he wanted to get ahead in creating & sustaining a vote bank. This was the way to channelize the anger of this section of youth who could not get jobs anywhere. Now this is something most of the folks do not understand. The successive ministers have ensured a certain majority enters the department, thus disenfranchising other set of people.

“राजनीतिक विश्लेषक और पूर्व पत्रकार सुरेंद्र किशोर बिहारियों पर हो रहे हमले के लिए नीतिश कुमार और लालू यादव को ही पूरी तरह से जिम्मेदार ठहराते हैं. ‘तीन बिहारी रेलमंत्रियों ने बिहारी लोगों को रेलवे में नौकरियां पाने में सहायता की. वोटबैंक की इस राजनीति ने महाराष्ट्र के लोगों के हितों को चोट पहुंचाई जिसके नतीजे में हालिया उग्र प्रतिक्रिया हुई है.’

किशोर के मुताबिक 2003 में सेंट्रल रेलवे की नौकरियों में जहां 48 फीसदी बिहारियों को चुना गया था वहीं इनमें महाराष्ट्र से केवल चार फीसदी लोग ही शामिल थे. किशोर बताते हैं, ‘बिहारी एलआईसी और बैंकों में इतनी नौकरियों पाने में सफल नहीं हुए लेकिन राजनीतिक समर्थन के एवज में उन्हें सरकारी नौकरियां बड़ी आसानी से मिलती रहीं. बिहार के नेता ही बिहारियों पर हो रहे हमलों की मूल वजह हैं.’

Now does this justify RR Patil’s outburst and Rahul’s death – in no uncertain terms BIG NO. That was injustice. period. Guilty should be brought to the book and attempts made from both sides to understand each other’s point of view and bridge the gap before the flow of hate becomes too massive.  This will prevent likes of Raj thackrey from coming in politics.

[update 30 nov] – Our amazing politician and chief minister – Mr. Deshmukh organizes a tour of the Taj for his son and Ram gopal verma. RR Patil trivilizes the issue just like Rahul Bose who said some thing similar – a city a like mumbai with millions of people an incident or two can happen (this is what mr patil spake) and we should be ready/expect more of them (these were the additional golden words of Rahul).  Rahul went on to point out why he does not want this incident to be used by government to draft draconian laws. His intention was right but choice of words was bad.

[update - 30 No] – IB did give information about suspicious talk on sat phone and sea route being used to Taj, government, Navy etc. None of them acted.

[update - 30 Nov] – Ironical – Film personalities sitting on Barakha Dutt’s show criticize visit of ram gopal verma to Taj. Bloody south Mumbaikars.

[update - 30 nov] – Nor surprising – NSG does not have aeroplane they have requested for their use. But Mayavati/Mulayam/Reddy/Deshmukh got the planes for personal use on taxpayer’s money.

Loss of religious freedom- Hindu literature taught in state public schools

Tabloid headline like that would have caught lot of attention and people would have thought about the state of gujarat as obvious perpetrator of this heinous act. But this time around – it is the state of Texas pushing for “compulsory” bible study in Texas public schools. This is neat.

Bush and friends have asked for religious freedom in China umpteen times. This request/pressure is applied under arrogant presumption that chinease people need to be freed and enlightened from their animalistic, anhilisitic godless religions (taoism, buddism, confucious liberal thinking). The same activity is also applied with technological advances of internet/tv/mobiles/literature to the masses in India across the spectrum. Big hurdle is here to first denounce the local religion/label the local practices as uncivillized-inhuman and present the alternative in form of money/ticket to heaven and personal closeness to God/bribe in form of job-immigration etc etc. These are very similar tactis used in more brutal way by another Middle eastern religion where again proselytizing and opposing the non-believers is God given right. Which eliminates any moral hangups and frees the brain from extra thinking.

This ties back to the backlash which the local folks are seeing in Orissa. Now if this was middle ages the foreign religions would have dominated simply becuase of the docile nature of the local folks and use of raw power. Although a great coverup is done to hide the hideaous past of the proselytizing crusading religions with good backup story – but the south americas, east asia are witness to the washing down of the local customs, beliefs and eventual tieup to foreign location and foreign customs as more sacred and more close. As is evident in the wahhabbi/deobandi cult – even the dress culture, focus on arabic language and strict cutoff from the local other religions results in alienation and ghettoisation.

If militant/alienated way is one is going to push for particular religion – one better be prepared for some sort of backlash. Have you heard of Hindu/Buddhist places of worship in same city as Mecca/Vatican? Challenge with most of these religions including Sikhism/Jainism/Hindu/Buddhist/local adaptation for meaning of god across the tribal is that they are  non proselytizing and depend more on individual freedom and usually are without one privileged seat of religion.  This provides a green area of growth for the newer religions and thus forming a significant alien loyalties (you wonder how many times muslims can easily connect across the world for the perceived – attack ) compared to others.

Now conversion would all be justified and great if there was a guaranteed manna and heaven.  Which we all know is hogwash when you see the massive wars inflicted by particular majority for long time. Practically two brothers will fight to death if there is dispute over land. Religion comes in little later. So this corruption of path becomes rampant and invites backlash.And the blinded missionaries and the thinking behind it needs to change.

The license of God’s true knowledge was not showered on one religion. If we agree that these are different paths and respect them, in between somebody wants to change the path, good for him/her – but this change of path should not be enforced/given/initiated and bribed into. Everybody should be free from forced “initiatives”.

There is tolerance and respect for the older catholic folks who focused on education but lately one sees the money flowing in from Saudi and Vatican/US props to address the business of conversion.  Tolerance and acceptance of the paths will always not be one way street.  God has not given exclusive license of achieving oneness with god to one religion. Don’t chance it by spreading rumors, spinning it all in different ways across the media/internet.

Just to prevent the other form of backlash – verbal diarrhoea – No one religion has all the hooligans, ruffians, thugs, murderers and perpetrators of inhuman crime under one umbrella. We all share them , they get chance when there is misinterpretation.

Language, culture, Religion

Control of the language also is tied to the religion in many ways and thus one see the pointless fights in India where religion is nearly the same but the culture, language traditions are very different across the region. It is offcourse sad to see the movies released with little or no regard for the languages and using the lowest common denominator and most of the time making fun of local tradtions. How many time one sees the use of proper Hindi (forget sanskrit) by comedian(again mostly having no regards for the local language) for creating laugh viz vs use of urdu for songs or even other stuff (becuase screenplays were written by non hindi/local language folks). It is simply made unfashionable and laughable (compare this to the spelling bee contest or use of proper language in other parts of the world). Me Fanatical – no no yet – just annoyed – see even now I have apologetic tone. why that need should be? )

Have time ?

Read a great piece of writing by Arun Shourie. The attempts of missionaries to dump everybody else as animalistic and need to be “saved”. If the paths are different – let them be. But don’t come in to “tout” the horn and save others. They will be saved, who are you to save anyone?

Mosques of India (Hindustan ki masjiden) (via Maulana Hakim Sayed Abdul Hai ‘s translation) , guess what were they built on or using what materials were they built? Yeah apologist secularists of the infamous kind will come around to talk about fratericide and duels between Chalukyas and others or native rulers. Point is most of them rebuilt grander temples but not replaced it with another foreign religion icon. Puhlease leave to your favourite middle east destination or the evangelical land now to get salvation or freedom you crave for. Sad thing to see was that this was all known and documented but susbstituted in English edition of the book.

For all the apologetic secularists and hideous communists this comment from AS should suffice

“Or M.F. Husain. He is a kindly man, and a prodigiously productive artist. There is no warrant at all for disrupting all his exhibitions. I am on the point of sensibilities. His depictions of Hindu goddesses have been in the news: he has painted them in less than skimpy attire. I particularly remember one in which Sita is riding Hanuman’s stiffened tail — of course, she is scarcely clad, but that is the least of it: you need no imagination at all to see what she is rubbing up against that stiffened tail. Well, in the case of an artist, that is just inspiration, say the secularists. OK. The question that arises then is: How come in the seventy-five years Husain has been painting, he has not once felt inspired, not once, to paint the face of the Prophet? It doesn’t have to be in the style in which he has painted the Hindu goddesses. Why not the most beautiful, the most radiant and luminous face that he can imagine? How come he has never felt inspired to paint women revered in Islam, or in his own family, in the same style as the one that propelled his inspiration in regard to Hindu goddesses?”

Offcourse the few european  countries allow the expression of freedom where Gods(of either kind) were painted on the undergarments or burnt or dealt in any other way so as to destabilize, shock the majority of believers. Rememeber the head gear controversy, use of madonna, Ganesha or other gods on undergarments/toilet seats etc.  The challenge is in the world where the faith is part of everything in place like India. Europe still does not like “its” religious icons destabilized or the latest controversy about the dutch film on Islam. But this will continue…

Languages – Urdu – Hindi relatioship, Urdu – language of pakistan,

While working on some work, I got distracted enough by need of “urdu-Hindi” – names translation. In the process I met important pointers @ (via sepiamutiny)

1. Robert King’s paper describing the relationship between Urdu and Hindi. Although I do not have credentials of Bob, I vehemently oppose the views of the paper after cursory reading of the paper as his conclusions if are based on lonely planet list of words/sounds and his first paper interpretation of Urdu as “graceful” and Hindi as “chunky”. What is graceful to you is gibberish to others. The claim of scholarship ends due to futile generalization. (brutal – yeah – no need for newer classification “dental” when most of these things have existed for long” ) .

2. Removing illusions about urdu being the “uniting” factor of Pakistan and reconforming Punjabi being the main language.

3. Role of Syed (founder of aligarh university?)

4. Miserable English language and its inadequacies – directly from source of language log.

Digression

Pakistan’s need to improve the education and channeling growth, democracy to every strata(same as any other democracy). Mohajir’s view of percieved reason of failed state.

Resolutions of Televangelists for 2008 (funny)

Malyasian government backing down from demand of “saying only god is allah and should be referred to as such“. Well believe/pray as you want but do’t force others dude.

China government imposing strict quality checks on re-incarnation of tibetan budhist monks in an attempt to place their own rubber stamp.

Extreme secularism – No Ram, no Jesus, no Mohammed, No Budha, No culture symbols

I did not know even British were following the French tomfoolery of enforcing extreme secularism code.  This is dumb and the reason given to suspend a person desire much to be discussed. In place like India this will not be enforceable, even the smallest government office carries the imagery of God of various forms.

I remember Saudi’s and the related countries do not allow any form of worship or imagery other than one “supposedly” “right” religion for strange reason. Commercial firms (all worthy of good capitalistic tag) of all hues and national origin seem to work without problem.  This points to simple fact, everything is negotiable to either side. The negotiation need to happen at right time.

Forced to post :) – “God delusion” == “No God Delusion”

Dawkin’s book is good discussion subject which enrages either side. The challenge with this book is that it dismisses everything else and says it is right which is as good/bad as the confirmed religious right nutheads do. If you do not believe – good for you. If you believe – good for you. Move on. Don’t take yourself and beliefs so seriously. It does not matter in the end in face of death. Let each have his opium and find his/her own conclusion.

YABA needs some mojo , so the post.

<afterthought>

Their will always a challenge with straight jacketed religion with dos and donts with one authority in form of center/harbinger of goodness/books. But religion is not the only problem with this world.  Bigotry of any kind is dangerous.  True religion or lack of it or thoughts related to it will always have to be understood personally. To say having atheism or having religion will solve the challenges and just opposing for the sake of it either view is dumb. </afterthought>