A Strange sense of Irony - Sardar Patel amar rahe

Isn't it ironic, that the day after we celebrate the birthday of a man who gave the concept of "India" a tangible identity, we celebrate the formation of atleast 2 separate states?

The man I am referring to is none other than Sardar Vallabhai Patel, India's "iron man", and I use that epithet quite respectfully. The states I refer to are Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, which celerbate their formation day (amongst other states).

My admiration for Sardar, stems from his two great achievements (unification of India and the creation of the AIS), and the fact that he, not Nehru should have been India's first PM. As many Indians know, at the time of independence, India existed, only in terms of geography. There was no "tangible" country called India. It existed as a geographical region encompassing 565 states (which co-incidentally, is the number of seats in the Lok Sabha - people's house today). Sardar was given the daunting task of integrating as many of these as possible within the Indian Union. To his credit, 563 states were integrated into the Union, without a single shot being fired. Only in the cases of Hyderabad State and J&K was military action taken (Note that in the case of Hyderabad, it was police action against extremist terrorists led by the Razakars, rather than military action).

In this regard, I find that his comparison to Chancellor Bismarck of Germany, who also undertook a similar task as Sardar to be very much overstated . In the case of the latter, he only had to deal with 12 states, and took them all by force. However, as can be seen in the case of India, 563/565 were taken without any force at all, leading Kruschev on his visit to India to comment "You have liquidated the princely states, without liquidating the princes". Obviously the creation of the privy purse (Article 291 of the Indian constitution, repealed in 1971) helped to a certain extent. Indeed, before the starting of this work, Gandhi remarked to Sardar "The task of dealing with the princes was truly formidable, but I am convinced that the Sardar was the only person who could have coped with it." Furthermore, Sardar in his true style as the Iron Man of India, did not take kindly to words from Chruchill who remarked in the case of Hyderabad "an old and faithful ally of the Empire". Patel's reply was simple "It is only in goodwill spirit and not on the malice and venom of Mr Churchill's tongue that an enduring relationship can be built between India and Britain and other members of the Commonwealth."

The other aspect of his work was the creation of the All India Services, his trust in the espirit-de-corps of the AIS. M V Kamath, at the time of Independence had remarked that the Indian Civil Service "had neither been Indian nor Civil nor Service". In this situation, Patel, the seasoned politician, advocated the retention of ICS and IP and proposed the constitution of two new All-India Services; IAS, and IPS. It is no wonder that Indians refer to the IAS as the "steel frame of India" and AIS officers regard Patel as the "patron saint of the civil services". In a speech, which must be reckoned as historic in the arena of public administration in India, Patel said: "In point of patriotism, in point of sincerity and in point of ability, you cannot have a substitute... As a man of experience, I tell you, do not quarrel with the instruments with which you want to work. It is a bad workman who quarrels with his instruments"

Not only was he a great freedom fighter, but also a champion of property rights and free enterprise, both of which are severely limited in India today. Notwithstanding the progress India has made with Liberalization, it still takes 89 days to start a business in India, and unlike many other democratic nations in the world, one does not have the physical right to property in the world's largest democracy. Is it any wonder that we have problems such as Singur and Nandigram?

Right now when things in India are falling apart and the Union is tottering, the national leadership ought to take a leaf from Patel's book and show the same constructive vision and iron will which he showed at a critical juncture of our history.

(Inspired by the Daily Pioneer op-ed by Mr.Jagmohan on Oct 31 2007. Some parts of this are also taken from that article)

Chak De India!!!

A Report by Special Correspondent for UniSA Mawson Lakes, Prasanna Kovalam

Picture this. A large picturesque oval, crowd frolicking in the sun, a team scoring 100+ in 25 overs, and then successfully defending the score to win. No this is not a match report of the latest Australian cricket team victory over a side, but one of inspiration, confidence, and the catchphrase that was “Chak De India”.

On Friday 12th October, as Indians all over the world celebrated the start of Dussera, and the culmination of the month of Ramzan, a group of students from the University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes played a version of cricket that can be best described as a fun-filled yet intensely competitive encounter. A group of Indians, known as the Indian XI, led by their captain Prasanna Kovalam, took on the Rest Of The World XI (ROTW XI), led by Partha Saha. While the Indian XI, were made up of local and international students from India, the ROTW XI had members from countries such as Lebanon and Malaysia, countries where cricket is at best a passing reference. In addition, keeping with the Australian culture, a Barbeque was organised by UniSA’s Bachelor of Electrical Engineering Social Team (BEEST), and was supported and sponsored by the UniSA Students Association, UniSA Learning Connection and The Rotary Club.

For all the preparations made, there was one critical factor many had overlooked, which threatened to derail the entire proceedings. Around 9AM on the day of the game, there was rain on the pitch for half an hour, and players from both teams, being the engineering students that they were, spent the entire time peering at their computer screens, and predicting the pattern of showers, from the Bureau of Meterology website. As predicted, the rains eased, and by 10AM, the sun was shining again, on what was to be a windy day.

The game was a T25 (Twentyfive25) and the rules were very similar to the T20 and the ODI format of cricket, except that no powerplays existed, and the LBW rule was taken completely out of play, unless a shot wasn't offered. In addition, a ball had to be VERY wide, to be given. With the rules set, the game began on schedule at 12PM, with India XI winning the toss and deciding to bat. The batting display was one of poise, efficiency, and a masterclass in itself. Jagesh and Dharmin, put on a scintillating display, before Dharmin finally fell, caught off the bowling of Nathan Ewers. India XI, did never once look like collapsing, despite some horrendous batting by the captain. It appears that Prasanna’s stance resembled that of an octopus on piles, and the only way he made his three runs was because the ROTW XI was too busy laughing at the pathetic batting effort. Helped by Jagesh’s 28 and Chitresh Mukherjee’s 31, India XI posted a competitive total of 9/105 in 25 overs. The pick of the bowlers in the ROTW team were Dr. Bruce Wedding, Nathan Ewers, and the vice-captain, Vira Thach with 2 wickets a piece.

With the asking rate of over 4 an over, both teams needed to be on their guard, but with the pitch drying up, India XI could scent victory. Anoop Rathod provided the perfect start, by taking 2 wickets within the first two overs. He was ably supported by the other fast bowler Ravi Ganesh, who donned the wicket-keeping gloves after bowling his overs out. These two were ably supported by Roshan Nair and Kinjal Patel. Again Prasanna’s incompetency at playing cricket showed through his bowling, although he did a fine job of captaining the side. He moved his bowlers around, as well as speeding the over-rates and gave India XI motivational support by wearing the India ODI T-Shirt during the game. That being said, his bowling was utterly pathetic and the only sane explanation for his two wickets were that the batting team played their shots in the air, and India XI’s fielders were brilliant in the field. The ROTW batsmen never looked like being in the game and despite starts by Virah (12), Chris (11), Aaron Mohtar (8) and Dr. Bruce Wedding (8), it was only a matter of time before the inevitable occurred.

In the end, the supremacy of the Indian XI, in all aspects of the shone through and India XI won comfortably by 22 runs and lifted up the BEEST cup for the second year in a row, to the sounds of “Rang De Basanti” and “Chak De India” blaring out of the sound system, managed by DJ Ullash Tiwari.

Photos of the event


Hammad Ahmad Khan looking for a run-out chance



Apurva Mishra (India), whacks the ball straight past the umpire's (and the photographer's) heads.



Dr. Bruce Wedding (ROTW) bowling left-arm spin




The shrewd captain of India XI, Prasanna Kovalam, asking if the bowler wants a wicket keeper

Come on Left, India dares you

I was reading today's issue of The Indian Express and saw this headline. I think it's time the UPA, and by extension, the people of India, called the Left's bluff. Infact, India's otherwise incompetent cabinet has also questioned Left's ideology here As written here in the Telegraph and talked about here in Amit Varma's blog India Uncut, the Left's position of "damaging to national security" is at best a joke and at worst, dishonest. Amit also writes here about the folly of believing in a communist ideology. Last but not the least, take a look at Nitin Pai's piece here.

All I have to say to the left is, come on, get out of the UPA. I dare you! I double-dare you!!

Cowardly act of terrorism

I express my deepest condolences and sympathies to the familes who have lost loved ones in the barbaric and dastardly terrorist attacks in the city of Pearls, Hyderabad. I pray to God Almighty to give solace as the families grieve, and I hope both the State and Central government will nab these cowards.

While some may be apprehensive of venturing out to public places for some time, I am of the opinion, that terrorists seek to create a sense of fear within us all. They want us to watch our step, whenever we are having fun, or whenever we are doing the most mundane things of our lives, like shopping. If we start letting go of what we hold dear, we have effectively lost. Those who seek to create fear win, if we let fear creep into our hearts. If we show courage, resilience, and a sense of brotherhood, the terrorists shall never succeed. Therefore, I say this: I shall visit Gokul Chat, the very next day I arrive in India. That is a promise I make to myself.

I hope all leaders of the world unanimously condemn this incident, and I pray that Hyderabad, returns to its usual Hyderabadi attitude very soon.

Jai Hind

60th Anniversary of Indian Independence

Namaste,

On this the 60th anniversary of Indian Independence, please accept my warmest greetings.

On 12 March 1930, at the Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat, 79 men went for a walk. For 23 days they marched, covering four districts, 48 villages, and 400 kilometres. On the way they picked up thousands of other ordinary people, animated by a cause so much bigger than themselves. Then, on 6 April, by the sea at the coastal village of Dandi, a thin, bald elderly figure picked up a handful of salty earth and said, "With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire." That man, was M.K.Gandhi, attorney-at-law.

The empire shook alright. The purpose of Gandhi's march was to protest the oppressive and unfair salt tax, and across the country people joined the battle. They made their own salt. They bought illegal salt. That year, 60,000 Indians were arrested during these protests. The Salt Law was not repealed. And yet, "the first stage in ... the final struggle of freedom," as Gandhi described it, had made an impact.

The effect of this impact was made clear on August 15th 1947, when Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, stood on top of India's symbolism of freedom, the Red Fort and uttered those immortal lines "At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India shall awake to a life and freedom".

The story of our freedom struggle is not just encompassed by a Gandhi or a Nehru. It consists of millions of people like, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Ramprasad Bismil, Sukhdev, Rajguru, Chandrashekhar Azad, Sarojini Naidu, Kasturbha Gandhi. We as children have continuously been told tales, on the great achievements of our freedom fighters, tales that literally send shivers down our spine. Many a time I ask myself, what would force these people to give up their comforts, and enter into police records as terrorists, as they were known in their time. Well the answer is they fought, because they wanted to be the masters of their own destiny. They wanted to be the architects of India's rise. They wanted to bask in its successes, and accept responsibilities for the nation's failures. To that end, we are eternally indebted to them.

Let us ask ourselves, where have we come in the past 60 years? If we were travel back in time, and pick up a few freedom fighters, bring them back to the present, what would they think? Would they be proud of what they fought for? Or, would they go off on another walk?

India, and we as Indians have made tremendous leaps, over the past 60 years. Some of those leaps have been into the future, and sadly some have been backwards. Per-capita, we produce more millionaires than anywhere else in the world. However, we are also home to the largest slum in Asia. Our institutions of excellence, the IITs, IIMs, BITS are now more than just colleges, they are brand names. On the other hand, we have the world largest number of illiterates. Our economic boom in the recent 17 years is there for everyone to see. We are the fastest growing democratic nation on earth. However, we are consistently ranked in the lower half of the UN Development Index.

For far too long now, we have been stripped of our economic freedom, and our personal freedoms, yet we have barely resisted. In some parts of the country, we treat our own brethren worse than the British Raj. Yet inspite of this, we routinely do not protest. We just blame the government, as if they descended from the sky. Remember, we voted these governments to power, and we are just as much to blame for it. In our 60 years, we have achieved a lot, yet we have made many mistakes. Indeed some may say we are playing catch-up. I agree. 43 years of misguided economic policy cannot be fixed in 17 years of relative economic freedom. Likewise, decades of draconian limits on freedom of expression, cannot be fixed in a short term. Long term solutions are needed. A vibrant leadership is needed. Swami Vivekananda once said "Give me 100 young men and I will change the face of this nation". For the sake of reality let's put that figure to 10 million in current terms. Can we find 10 million such men? Are we willing to sacrifice, if the we once again want to be the masters of our own destiny? Can we fight for a cause so much bigger than ourselves? These questions must be answered by our own minds and hearts, and then we must do what we must, to paraphrase Qui Gon Jinn from Star Wars episode 1

In finishing, India stands on the verge of a rare moment in history. As we begin our 61st year of independence, let us remind ourselves that we have around 250-300 million people between the ages of 15-35. That includes, many of you as well. This population is more than ten times the entire population of Australia and comparable with the population of the United States. Which power on earth can stop us if we all decide to achieve to the best of our abilities? Why can't we as Gurukanth Desai says "Reach the top"? We can get rid of the tag of "developing nation" and replace it with the words of "developed superpower".

President John F Kennedy once remarked "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country". That is precisely what I intend to do.

Jai Hind!!

An introspective question

Around about 5:30 this evening, I was accosted by a colleague and as we were chatting, I asked him if he was going to an event on Friday night here in Adelaide, known as Dum Maro Dum, a party event. My friend said no (and many other things but I shall not post them here), and told me of another event, along the same lines as Dum Maro Dum, which in his words, was supposedly better. After telling him politely, that I wouldn't attend, my colleague somehow insinuated that one of the reasons for my non-attendance, is that I would not be allowed to attend.

This set me thinking. Is this how my peers think of me not attending a nightclubbing event? As a 21 year old, am I obligated to routinely go out and party? Must I genuinely stay out late at night? Are these rules codified somewhere, whereby I can refer to what I must do at a particular age? While thinking, I realised, if I am indeed not following 'the trend', then I am in effect, rebelling. Thus, by not following a trend that youth follow, I am subconsciously following Rule No.1 in the teenagers' handbook "Be a Rebel". However, I don't know if this actually applicable. I think not, however it did sound like a good point at the time.

Rather than now bore myself, with philosophical arguments of my actions being rebellion against rebellion itself, I boarded the bus home for a quiet journey. However, I could not get the question/insinuation out of my head. I felt that this needed to be answered in more ways than one. Moreover, I needed to make this answer public, as this would affect how my peers perceive me. If they honestly thought that I do not go out because my parents do not allow me, then their perception is wrong, and I must correct this immediately.

Firstly, I have never been banned from going out to a nightclub. It is a subject I do not often broach about to my parents, and even when I do, I have always been given what my colleague calls "permission". Therefore my parents' permission or the alleged lack thereof is not even a factor in me not attending DMD and similar programs.

Let's pursue another track. Rather than establishing why I do not need to go nightclubbing, it would be better if I looked at the purposes served by nightclubbing and then analysing if these purposes can be served by not nightclubbing, and whether I need these purposes to be served in the first place.

When I asked several of my friends why they went clubbing, some answers were:
1. To have fun.
2. To get drunk.
3. To intimately interact with people (of the opposite sex).

I do not believe that in order to have fun, I must visit a club. As a 21 year old, I have my own ways of deriving happiness, a by-product of having fun. I am involved in many associations, clubs and societies and organising functions, as well as participating in such functions, give me immense happiness. I do not feel that partying in a night club will allow me to have as much fun as I would have when I would be pursuing other activities. If that is the case, I have no need to go clubbing on a regular basis, and therefore I don't.

My response to reasons 2 and 3 are going to be the same and hence I have grouped them together. The response of this comes from my value set, and since this is a question about why I
do not go out, I believe that my reliance on my set of values is more pertinent here than above. I do not drink, due to a combination of my own choices and my religious beliefs. My choices and religious beliefs are my private opinions and as far as I know, I have never let these beliefs be imposed on others. Furthermore, I do not believe in that drinking will allow me to get ahead, or positively influence my career in anyway. Thus, from a practical and a personal level, I do not drink, and I do not want to drink, and thus, I do not want to go clubbing for this purpose.

I will use a similar (and shorter) response to reason 3. Once again, my values, and religious beliefs combine to mean that I do not wish to intimately interact with people of the opposite sex. If this somehow implies that I am gay, then I cannot change others' opinions just as they cannot change mine. Moreover, if reason 3 is directly linked to reason 2, I believe that is a betrayal of trust when people are intimate with those who are not in their senses. Thus, based on this reason alone, I do not believe I need to go clubbing.

Finally, I'll take your indulgence about one more reason. In my previous lines above, I had used an objective method, into why I didn't go into a nightclub. I shall now propose a subjective reason. The way I view myself, i.e. in my self-perception I do not want to go out clubbing. And in the end, I think that is all that matters.

I think that's enough introspection for one night

PS: Sorry for the word length.

An interesting co-incidence?

Why is it that after a function organised by the telugu community, most of the members attending the function, are seen in the Hindu temple the next day?

Is it just a co-incidence, or is it a case of "Father, forgive us for we have sinned" type of visit?

Freedom in India. An illusion?

Refer to this news here and here.

What ever happened to the freedom of speech?? Oh wait, our beloved constitution imposes very strict controls on it. Article 19(1) guarantees the fundamental freedoms, while 19(2) slowly erodes these freedoms by placing subjective tests on them such as "morality", "decency" etc. Also remember, our antiquated IPC has Section 295, which means that giving offense, in word or deed, is a crime. However, I believe this does not go far enough. Include "thought". IPC 295 must be interpreted in a way such that even thinking of giving offense is a crime. Only that way, will we be truly "free".....wait, I think I've contradicted myself. That's not a crime, is it?

Old times are back again

It is no secret that the INC (Indian National Congress) used the post of President of India as a method of paying back long time supporters of the party.

However, with APJ Abdul Kalam, as the out-going president, many hoped that the party would have gone with someone of the same calibre.

Pratibha Patil is tipped to be the incumbent President. At the outset, I had thought that this was a good sign, symbolically speaking, with India's 60th anniversary of Independence fast approaching.

However, articles in the Indian Express, here and here have led me to withdraw my support for Pratibha Patil (not that it matters since I'm not leading a political party in India or anything). From what I infer, she is being repayed for being a friend of the INC for so many years.

Amit Varma has an article on this here

In other news, Mayawati's assets are said to be at 52 crore. Read about it here.( Note: ToI article)

75 years, and still going strong

Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to Test Cricket in India,
Happy birthday to you!!!

HIP HIP HOORAY!!!!!

Entertaining a niche audience over the years, the pure connoisseurs!!!

The thoughts of an NRI

Taken from here. I have chopped and changed a bit


Most of us left the Indian shores to come here.
We have bid our farewells with teary eyes to our mothers.
We hugged our fathers and left without turning back.


We all came here, some long time back and some recently.
We all were alone in the beginning.
We missed our mothers cooking.
We missed the idli chaats on the road side.
We missed those days when we gathered with friends at a tea stall and ordered tea with samosas.

We missed that girl, whom we used to see daily in the bus, who may have smiled at us, who may even have talked to us in that angelic voice, if only we had the courage to talk.

Most of us grew out of it over here. We all made new friends.
We all clung to each other. We watched countless movies.
We even learnt to cook and throw pot luck parties where we always played Antakshari.
We confess that we even smiled at those beautiful girls across the street.
We all took trips to India; some annually, some less frequently.
We all tracked the "sale" events at Sears and KMart.
We all went to Indian Grocery Stores, and bought Rice and Rotis.

Most of us got married. We, went back home, searching for the love of a good woman-some found it in the old acquaintances from across the bus-stands, some found it in their parent's choice. Some of us took a gamble and married the one looking closest to Aishwarya Rai.

Now what do we do? We all work in software, We go to the community event to socialise, we attend movie screenings, and argue countless times that Honda Accord is better than Toyota Camry or vice versa. At times, late night before falling asleep we switch on the stereo and listen to that old Hindi melody which makes us remember the land that was ours. We recall the green grass, the muddy roads, the wet monsoons, the pretty girls that we never talked to.

We hear the words speaking to us from across the oceans:

A Mother who gave sour medicine to her son, because she wanted him to recover soon, who let her son move miles apart though the thought was tearing her apart, she let him go as she wanted him to be happy and successful, who hides her agony in telling others that her son is abroad.

A Father who understands his son's ambitions and the limitation and frustration he has to overcome of in India, who would not let his voice reveal that says I'll miss you son !, I love you but am unable to express the feeling.

A brother who would miss the brotherhood, though it had often been fights and not talking terms, who can deny the fact that a brother is still a brother, a friend, Who expected you to understand him as his, and when you didn't it upset but moving miles in distances has overlooked all minute failures.

A sister who would not have her adoring one to escort her to help her out of troublesome situations, who knows she has a brother she have spent her life,who wishes he would turn up for her wedding, if not atleast to fondle her baby that longs for an uncle's love & affection.

A friend, who is left with mundane tasks, unable to exchange the chirpy jokes & comments, discuss various thoughts from family, friends, politics, & economics, who visits your home because he still remembers you not only on a day but everyday. Who would jump with joy on receiving a mail, who tries to keep himself free for all the days when his friend is coming back on a holiday.

The girl at the bus-stop, who smiled at you and suddenly finds you no longer there, who changes her route only to avoid the void which seems to be there at the same bus-stop she had been once smiling.

The girl you are married to, unable to understand why she is being sent to a far off land, waiting for her man to send VISA papers, bearing the nagging question of neighbours and relatives asking when are you leaving India.

The girl you got engaged to, and is waiting for you to come back and tie the wedding knot, a social and emotional security, who anxiously waits for his telephone calls and greeting cards to reassure her that you will be back as her man.

Whatever our roles, it is only to say that we still love and care for you, wherever you are, you are still dear to us. We don't know what you have to go through, we only know we have love & wishes to give for you. You might have learnt or the circumstances might have taught you to handle emotions and that time and work are more important than feelings and their expressions but we are still in India and are still the same, waiting and wishing for those who moved away from India,

Mile Sur Mera Tumhara

Many of you might have heard of the Mile Sur Mera Tumhara song on Doordarshan. This was when Cable TV was still a rarity, in India, and our "beloved" DD, ran this many times a day, to highlight national integration. Well, in light of recent events, where people are looking for an excuse to loot, pillage and even kill each other, I thought it might be a good idea, to put this up.

I have put three videos up. The first is the original Mile Sur Mera Tumhara video, as shown by Prasar Bharati. The second is the MIT version of the video, and the final is a MNC employees version of the video (shot in Hyderabad)

Version 1 : Prasar Bharati



Version 2: MIT



Version 3: MNC employees

100 years of 1857.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well here's one more bit of evidence to show the truth in the saying. Very poignant picture, in my opinion. The background and the foreground couldn't be more similar, or more contrasted at the same time. I am eagerly awaiting your comments on this.

Taken from 10 May issue of Deccan Chronicle

My favourite scene in Chatrapathi

My most favourite scene in Chatrapathi....ahh wish I could be like that!!!

India Poised

In my opinion, I do not want to criticise anything, without saying to myself "I can fix it" or "I can play my part in fixing it". After two heavy posts criticising India, or more specifically its laws which seem to contradict with its ideals of freedom of speech, I thought to myself "What can I do to fix this?"

My answer is this. India Poised. It's old, but it is something I take up and notice. We are a nation in our 60th year of Independence. Japan was obliterated during WWII and now it is a forefront nation in the developed world. We are but two years "younger" than Japan, but we always seem to be, in PK Varma's words, a "developing nation". The question we need to ask is why. I believe India Poised has an answer to this question.

I reproduce the anthem as follows:

There are two Indias in this country.

One India is straining at the leash, eager to spring forth and live up to all the expectations the world has been showering recently upon us.

The other India is the leash.

One India says, give me chance, and I'll prove myself. The other India says, prove yourself first, and maybe then you'll have a chance

One India lies in the optimism of our hearts. The other India lurks in the skepticism of our minds.

One India wants. The other India hopes.
One India leads. The other India follows.

But conversions are on the rise. With each passing day more and more people from the other India have been coming to this side. And quietly, while the world is not looking, a pulsating, dynamic new India is emerging.

An India who's faith in success is far greater than its fear of failure. An India that no longer boycotts foreign made goods, but buys out the companies that make them instead.

History they say, is a bad motorist. It rarely ever signals its intentions when it is taking a turn

This is a rarely ever moment. History is turning a page.

For more than half a century, our nation has sprung, stumbled, run, fallen, rolled over, got up, dusted herself and cantered, sometimes lurched on. But today as we begin our 60th year as a free nation, the ride has brought us to the edge of time's great precipice.

And one India - the tiny little voice at the back of the head - is looking down and hesitating.

The other India is looking up into the sky and saying, it's time to fly.

(Taken from here)

The inspirational effect is multiplied by a big factor, when the booming baritone voice of Amitabh Bahchan recites it. Watch it below:



(Video taken from here)

Freedom Redefined

Until 22nd April 2007:

Until my 21st birthday, my opinion on the Indian National flag, were relatively mainstream. I strongly believed that "Flag Code of India – 2002" was correct and its punitive actions necessity. I argued, how could it be that those who were born under this very flag, can get away with showing disrespect. Furthermore, I was also proud of the Flag Code of India - 2002, as it allowed me a privilege which I wouldn't have been allowed under the previous "The Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950". Improper use of the National Emblem was (and is) an offence under the "THE PREVENTION OF INSULTS TO NATIONAL HONOUR ACT, 1971", and is punishable by a prison term of not more than a year. A similar law exists for the National Anthem. As the act says :

Whoever intentionally prevents the singing of the Indian National Anthem or causes disturbances to any assembly engaged in such singing shall be punished with
imprisonment for a term, which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both

I thought this was quite right. After all, these are the most potent symbols of nationalism, and if one isn't considerate enough to respect, nay, deify the flag and the anthem they were born under, they should be taught a lesson. In fact many a time I felt immensely pleased when I read/heard about articles in which ordinary Indian Citizens chided their fellow Indian citizens as they had shown scant respect for the flag.

On April 22 2007:

I celebrated my 21st birthday. Among the presents I got, were two books. One was "Bad President", written by RD Rosen, Harry Prichett and Rob Battles. The other was "The Argumentative Indian" written by Nobel Laureate, Amartya Sen. I got to reading the former book, and Pages 98 and 99 really pricked my conscience. I produce a snippet as follows:

In Summer 2003, President Bush endorsed amending the First Amendment to make desecrating the flag, unconstitutional.

I thought to myself, well GWB may be dumb-ish, but he's sort of on a good track here. Then i read this:

...We do not consecrate the flag by punishing its desecration, for in doing so we dilute the freedom that this cherised emblem represents....

This was a quote by Justice William J Brennan Reading this quote, I decided to let my brain ponder over it while I got some sleep.

April 23 2007 till present:

The next day, I read Amartya Sen's book, and I paid particular attention to his 5th Essay, entitled "Tagore and His India". In that essay, he mentions Tagore's extreme dislike of fervent nationalism. It mentions his novel The Home and the World where the protagonist Nikhil, says:

I am willing to serve my country; but my wirship I server for Right which is far greater than my country. To worship my country as a god is to bring a curse upon it.

My conscicence truly pricked, I went through the Wikipedia to find more information on the cases and other related cases. The information I gathered is here in 1, 2, 3, and 4 . Thus, I have realised one truth. I was wrong. In my opinion, punishing Indians for not standing up for the national anthem or for desecrating the flag, is as Justice Brennan said, diluting the freedom that the emblem represents. I am proud of my country, and of its national symbols, and I shall strive to give utmost respect it deserves. But to force my expression onto others is denying their right to expression, and that certainly is unconstitutional.

Thus I conclude, in apologising to anyone I have forced to respect the Flag of India. I am sorry

Rest In Peace

I pray that souls of Prof. G.V. Loganathan and Ms.Minal Panchal Rest In Peace.

They shall be remembered.

Lest we forget.

Wake up India!!!

Couple of days ago, I was watching the movie Krantiveer. For those who may not have seen it, allow me to give you a brief update. Nana Patekar, plays a man called Pratap, who has no aim or ambition in life. However, he is a good man at heart, and his observations, are acerbic, honest, and brutally truthful. The movie details incidents, which make Pratap from a man of no vision to a man with a mission and vision statement (if I may use that term). The movie isn't a master piece, but Nana Patekar's fiery acting, is just breathtaking. The observances he makes, are stark and without any sugarcoating. Of particular note is the outburst when a woman is screaming for male help as two male thugs try forcing her into prostitution. The other, and IMO by far a more powerful speech is at the end, delivered at Kranti Maidan, when he rightly points out our inherent deficiences. Although some parts of the monologue are heavily jignositic, it must not take away from the more poignant moments of the scene. It is simply brilliant.

Anyway, after watching Krantiveer, I sat back and I thought to myself, we as Indians haven't changed a bit. We boast about our culture, our family values, our "morality", our this and that, yet we are second in the world with AIDS, have largest amount of illiterates in the world, is home to a conflict that has taken over 60 years, yet shows no sign of resolution and much more. We are world leaders in many areas, but not all of them are ones to be proud of. For every Narayana Murthy, we have a Phoolan Devi, for every Ambani, Tata, Birla, we have a Laloo Prasad Yadav, Jagdish Tytler, Shibu Soren. Is this something I look at and say, I am proud to be Indian??

60 years ago, on August 15th 1947, Shri Jawaharlal Nehru said those immortal words in the Constituent Assembly "Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially ... The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity, to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future". Our freedom, as Amit Varma so often notices, can sometimes be very superficial. See this for more details. It is sad to note that while India's Constitution in Article 19(1) provides Fundamental Rights, it applies various restrictions in 19(2), with vague sounding definitions as "morality", "decency" etc. Contrast this to the American Bill of Rights, namely the First Amendment, stating "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances". Thats it. Nothing about morality, decency, public good, no Kantian ideals there. Just a simple rule. Is it any wonder why the call America the free country?

However, let us not rush into blame the Constitution for everything bad that has happened to India, neither should we blame the politicians. The Preamble of the Indian Constitution reads "We the People of the Sovreign ... Republic of India". Then why, when some scandal breaks, when we see riots, when violence breaks out, when India loses the cricket, why oh why do we friggin blame other people. Sure, those in power abuse their responsibility more often then not, so why the hell do we not say, "ENOUGH!!" We keep on voting the same or similar jackass to power, and then sit back and say "Politics has ruined our nation". I ask you this, has politics ruined USA? Australia? UK? New Zealand? If these countries are "untainted" by politics, on what basis of evidence can we say politics has ruined India. We are a nation of one billion people. Yes it is hard to represent them, as the demographics of US, Australia etc, are vastly different from the demographics of India. However, we Indians are used to slavery. As Pratap says in Krantiveer, we enjoyed firstly being enslaved by Kings, then the British, and now we love being enslaved by politicians. We revel in our ability to bend and evade rules, we bask in the glory of being able to pay off a cop, although we may have committed a serious traffic offence. Heck, if middle class and upper-middle class elitists like us, don't give a royal damn about the country, why on God's green earth should those, who don't even know if they are going to get two square meals a day do so? We blame poverty for all our ills, but what have we done to uproot the causes? The best way of eradicating poverty is by redistribution of wealth, and embrace of market reforms. However, we are lazy to implement that, but are active at crying ourselves hoarse.

One may argue, that all countries fight have their own fair share of problems. I concur. However, I am yet to see a country, so laid-back about its problems, that rather than facing them head on, we'd rather go to another country, and settle there for a "better future". All I say is, well with that attitude, we might as well invite a foreign ruler back. Or rather, should we be like the UNSC, and get the one of the P5 members to rule over us for a period of time before handing it over to the next member?

About Cows and Milk

This is funny stuff!!

Joke: Emerging 'isms' of the new economy

INFOSYSism
You have a 1000 poor cows. You put them on a nice campus, & send them one at a time to the US for milking.

PATNIism
You have 10 cows. You make them work so that they give milk of 100 cows.

WIPROism
GE has a cow. You take 49% of the milk.

DELLism
Intel has a Goat. Samsung has a Camel. Buy milk from both & sell it as Cow's milk.

IBMism
You have old stubborn cows. You sell them as pet dogs to innocent small businessmen.

MICROSOFTism
You have a cow. Force the world to buy milk from you. Spend a million dollars to feed poorer cows.

SUNism
You have a bull. It doesn't give milk. You hate Microsoft.

ORACLEism
You have a cow. You don't know which side to milk, so you sell tools to help milk cows.

SAPism
You don't have a cow You sell milking solutions for cows implemented by milking consultants.

APPLEism
You have a cow. You sell iMilk.

SONYism
You have a cow. You spend $50 mn to develop the world's thinnest milk.

CITIBANKism
Welcome to Citibank. If you have a cow, press 1. If you have a bull, press 2...stay on line if you'd like our customer care to milk it for you.

HPism
You don't know if what you have is a cow. You sell complete milking solutions through authorised resellers only.

GEism
You have a donkey. People think you have a 100-year old cow. If someone finds out, that's his imagination at work.

RELIANCEism
You don't yet have a cow. You sell empty cans to people for Rs. 501, because Dhirubhai wanted everyone to have milk.

TATAism
You have a very old cow. You re-brand it as TATA Indicow.

Apologies

Dear All,

My apologies for having neglected this blog. I will once again be back to blogging very soon.

Apologies once again :-D

Regards,
Prasanna