'System'atically 'Common'ed!

Finally, Done with the Exams!!
13 days, 7 exams - 2 MBA entrance and 5 Engineering Semester End !! Quite some challenge!! Hell ya!
Now, Back to Business!

Well, I have started writing this blog pretty late; late by nearly 2/3 hours. When I first logged in, I had a few comments awaiting me. Livin' Free has finally got the much awaited criticism! After 8 months of appreciation and strong support from the Truth Team, a person named Mar Dezie has shot a salvo at me via 2 comments on the blog Irom, Iron and Ironic. Please do go through them and my reply and let me know your thoughts.

As of today, I am sure all of you have heard by now (Thanks to Wikileaks) the charming prince speaking of a bigger threat to the nation in form of Hindutva, the very culture of this nation, as compared to the LeT! My focus is not on that as I have impressed upon this hocum time and again. My focus is on what Prince charming said 2 days back. He touched that beautiful, dynamic and the most common phrase on every 2 faced thief's lips - 'Common Man or the Aam Aadmi'.

Not doing Nothing....

I am in one of the most hectic Decembers of my life with MBA entrance and Engineering Semester end exams moving on parallel tracks. It is quite a challenge and I nearly messed up big time in my last paper yesterday; if not for God's intervention in pricking me to check my answer sheets I might never have realised my blunders and undertaken corrective measures. When is such a prick going to hurt our 'home grown' terrorists I wonder.

A Freedom Tribute....

A barrage of scams and scandals hitting on ha! May it be the Adarsh, the 2G, CWG or the news about Bangalore being the most corrupt city, we just have our news full with it during the regular dinners. The news channels are doing a pretty good dissection; now let us see whether they can channel that power into ensuring conviction in any of the corruption cases. (Talking of conviction, has anybody noticed that SPS Rathore has walked scot free in the Ruchika case? There was great hullabaloo in the media when he was jailed, what about following up the injustice to Ruchika's family and the insult to the nation's pride? )

Colonial India : From West to East....

Hold your horses (Actually your thoughts) before you ask yourself why I have posted "India" and not Bhaarat. You will find that explanation in the subsequent paragraphs.

Digging into our history books, in our primary and secondary school days we had those lessons about how the East India Company arrived with an excuse of trading and went on to capture the entire Indian sub-continent by pitting the locals against each other in the game of one-upmanship. Things have not changed if colonialism is to be studied. It was West first; East now.

To be or Not To be....

Long time back, April-May 2010, I was at Nashik for the prep leave and I attended a 5 day lecture series titled Arya Chanakya which was organised on the occasion of Maharashtra Diwas. The lectures were delivered by Mr. Vivek Ghalsasi, the editor of Tarun Bharat and a fantastic orator. With the thoughts that were already brewing in my mind this lecture series acted as a catalyst leading to me starting Livin' Free on 14th May 2010. The complete story of Chanakya as a scholar, an economist, a teacher, a strategist; and above all, the ultimate patriot inspired me to start pouring out my thoughts and share what I learn from such great men; to build up a mass movement of knowledge and freedom. Well, I am back home for Sem 7 prep leave and I was listening to the recordings of this lecture series and my memory was stirred a bit and there is 1 story from this lecture series which I will share in this blog.

Irom, Iron and Ironic....

Firstly, Happy Diwali to all of you my friends.

May this Diwali, God bolster your strength and give you courage and freedom to survive against all odds and fight against all challenges and grow better and better!

Since the past 2 days a 38 yr old lady from Manipur named Irom Sharmila Chanu, dubbed "The Iron Lady" by our dear media, is in the spotlight as far as the news reports are concerned. She has been on a 10 year hunger strike against the AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) in Manipur after an incident on 2nd Nov 2000 in which 10 Manipuri citizens were killed by the Indian Army while retaliating against a militant attack at Malom the same day. Now nearly every news report from different channels/papers is singing the praises of this woman. They have criticized the Indian Army and are drawing attention to this lady and how much she has suffered. Has the media or the activist wing ever wondered how much the Army goes through?

Missing Dagger, Twisted Intent....

Ever since I got hold of Shivaji Maharaj's photo tearing the guts of Afzal Khan (posted under the caption 'Eliminating Terrorism' on my blog) I have been planning to post on the subject. The beauty of the search for that photo was that it led me to a very interesting website. At first sight, it amazed me that this website carried the said photo but then upon closer look it spoke of the same ignorance and fanatic hatred with which we are well acquainted of from our 'dear' north western neighbours.

"Secular India : Anti-Muslim Shivaji statue to guard Bombay shores" this was the title of the article which I am referring to. We used to have those spot the difference games in our childhood. Friends, please spot the difference in the following images :

Hapless Sheep or Bold Tigers?

Being back home has its own merits. One of the few demerits includes tolerating those family dramas on TV while having lunch/dinner - be it Hindi or Marathi. For a change though I am glad I was in front of the TV watching these serials today as the Marathi serial 'Lajja' gave me a topic for the blog. It is indeed difficult what is required of us in today's times but none the less, fighting against injustice has an immense satisfaction hidden deep within if the individual decides to persevere till then. Take this following example of 'Lajja' and the disappointment in its portrayal.

Corrupting Corruption....

Corruption has many definitions. We in this nation believe it to be an act of accepting bribes only or rather anything to do with illicit money. It is a very limited view we are observing here. A recent article by Mr. M.V. Kamath titled “India : A Nation under siege” speaks at length on corruption from the perspective of the common man and poses a few interesting questions. The author has cited examples of corruption based on statistics.

It is a good article and there is certain bit which I find the need to explore and present. The article speaks about the CVC (Central Vigilance Committee) study which states that a third of us are utterly corrupt while another 50% are on the borderline, so effectively, nearly 85% of us happen to be enemies of this nation according to the report. I will not deny these statistics as they reflect a similar picture of us if not accurate.

Now, are 85% of us accepting bribes to be classified as corrupt? I don’t think so and hence the definition of corruption must be understood better and on the broader scale.

Inextinguishable Love....

Love, Hope, Faith .... few of the most beautiful words ever....

We are aware of the flash floods 2 months back which swept Leh. These flash floods have left a lot behind in their wake including not only the crumpled remains of structures but also sorrow and despair. In this sorrow and despair there is some glimmer of hope and trust not only among the humans but also for a canine, a golden-brown Labrador who lost his family in these flash floods.

The Education Arms Race....

Obama warns of education arms race with India and China was one of the headlines of today. The President of the USA spoke a few very important lines at the Rose Garden - "Cutting back on education will amount to unilateral disarmament" and "It's about who we are as people" are the two lines which I liked the most.

There is a hell lot of difference between education and graduation - the 2 words which are confused with each other often. Graduation signifies a written document/certificate the world today asks for from every individual while education is the core understanding, knowledge and the desire of excellence in every individual. They definitely imply the same in case of many individuals but it does not necessarily mean that a graduate is educated. The future of the nation is going to be decided by the quality of education imparted today to all of us.

The Mind Virus....

I read a letter recently by Dr. Robert Anthony which spoke about The Mind Virus -- The Negative influence of the media. He goes on to explain his solution to the issue or ways to prevent being infected by the mind virus. I found a few take aways but also found some part which I believe is a negative approach which is a contradiction in itself to what the author states. The letter is as follows --

CWG : Not a Joke, but a Lesson....

Q: How many contractors are required to change a light bulb in Delhi CWG stadium? 
A: 1 Million -- 1 to change the bulb and rest 999,999 to hold the ceiling !!


This was a very recent "joke" I had received via email. There had been 14 odd more such points which were there but according to me, this one concerns us the most. It is a sad picture which has been reflected from the CWG site but that is not the only aspect which has to be given importance.


I find some deep wisdom hidden in the so-called "joke" mentioned above. We laugh at these related jokes and criticize instead of discussing the possible solutions within our circles. Even if the latter does occur it is a rarity.

The Twist of Fate (part II) ....

Well, after the story of Kunjal, I am onto part II explaining it from the point of view of Pixie....

Before I go into the details I would request the reader to read my earlier blog, The Twist of Fate (part I) ...., before going to part II as that would put him/her in a much better position to synchronize with the parallel happenings regarding the 2 lead characters.

The Twist of Fate (part I) ....

Finally, I am blessed with the full functionality of my laptop but now there is some heat dissipation problem as I type!! I have found a temporary solution for it by inclining and exposing the whole underside of the laptop to fresh air!

Before I narrate the story I would mention all those who were directly involved and lent me support through all this. This list can go on and on if the indirect help is counted in to the numbering phase but I will keep it short and mention that their contribution has been valuable as well. They are -

Nikhil Bhan and Saurabh Saxena (BE IT); Mahesh Sohoni and Rama Gaikwad (BE Comp); Gauri Kapileshwar, Chaitrali Latkar and Rucha Desai (BE Mech); Anuja Gadgil (BE EnTC); Madhura Barve (TE IT); Omkar Umrani and Mahipal Mahara (TE Mech); Neha More and Sonal Kadam (PVG’s Science College) and Sujay Bhise.

As most of you will know that I live on campus of PVG college in Pune. We share our campus with Muktangan School and Jr. College. The story begins with the unfortunate attack on Friday, the 17^th of September on a 8 yr old girl named Kunjal by a few stray dogs.

Livin' Free Rearmed....

Long time it has been since I have posted at Livin’ Free. I am (hopefully was) in the worst electronic phase of my life since late July when it started with the loss of my cell and worsened with the complete blackout of my fine weapon of change i.e. my dear laptop in the first week of September. With this loss, I have been deprived of my nosy research activity over the vast realms of the internet and was forced into a temporary disarmament treaty with fate which has kept me isolated from Livin’ Free!

I am typing using an on-screen keyboard which makes me feel like a handicap. Thanks to an incomplete job by the hardware engineer and the on going back to back holidays my traumatic experience would continue at least till Monday I suppose. Though, I will count myself lucky that I can use the laptop now even if that access is limited.

There certainly would be a few incidences to share with you my fellow fighters but that will happen when my trusted weapon is fully functional. Many events are going on around us; may it be the Ram Janmabhoomi - Babri Masjid verdict anticipation or the AFSPA dilution dispute or China’s strengthening of its string of pearls by setting up a 111 km railway route from its territory to Chittagong in Bangladesh and more such buildups....

These past few days, life was teaching me from up close. It has shown me a dark side and made me a part of a story of valour, courage, tolerance, pain and anguish. With a few Bhaaratiyas by my side, life has taken me on a twisted path of destiny & knowledge with two lives entwined along this way. I have a story to tell, a story to learn from and to grow much better from as a person. I am sure there will be value addition along this way for you and me.

This story would be divided in 2 parts. Both parts will speak of the respective perceptions and will be viewed one at a time from the side of the 2 living beings involved or rather the 2 beings affected the most....

I bring to you my next 2 blogs shortly at Livin’ Free,

The Twist of Fate (pt I & pt II)....

Till then my comrades,

Keep Fighting....

Live Free....

Jai Hind!

Romancing the Separatists....

Saffron or Black? Which colour does the centre associate with the word terrorism? Firstly, our witty home minister goes on record to warn against so called 'Saffron Terrorism' and then the cover up act sees a statement that terrorism is black. Wow! How do these guys interpret colours or rather are you colour blind Mr. Chidambaram? Terrorism is Terrorism and speaking your language, it is painted Green in and Green out as far as the reality is concerned.

Cant you see the green Pakistani flags flying in Kashmir? Cant you see the red blood which our martyrs sacrificed? Cant you see the tricolour being burnt on its streets? Do you even remember the lives lost in tragic anti-national attacks over the years? Maybe the air conditioned cabin insulates you from the pain felt by the nation!

Check out your colours Mr. Chidambaram for you are getting this whole issue wrong. Oh, I am sorry I should not say wrong. You are a highly qualified individual with complete understanding of the issue. The problem is you lack the courage and will and the true love needed to fight these challenges. Rather than fighting the true threat of terrorism you are painting an image of falsehood and sowing the seeds of divide by coining the term saffron terrorism!

Besting Desperation....

10 days does seem as a very long time to be down and out. I really admire the subtle reminders of nature not to get too carried away with the notion that humans are above all. I was grounded by very high fever and severe weakness for the past week and I have been itching to write about the 300% increment in the MPs’ salaries!

There has been certain amount of negative sentiment flowing regarding the issue and I suppose it will be great to address it and ponder on this recent development. Checking out the pro’s and con’s, obviously our dear representatives would earn a lot more. They will earn a decent amount of white money to run their houses!

At War for Hindustaan....

Well, it is 11:55 pm right now when I type the first words of this blog and 5 minutes later we will see a 63 year old free nation. Is it free?

"It is nice to appreciate what has been done but much more important it is to see what remains to be done."
Bill Gates

I returned home at 930 pm today having attended a fantastic lecture, organized by the RSS pertaining to the topic of partition of the nation and vision for Akhanda Bhaarat delivered by Mr. Nitin Apte, an energised and passionate orator and Swatantryaveer Savarkar "Bhakta". I salute this patriot for what he is!
He gave a beautiful simile; he said, "A dead body on the pyre makes a small sound which we associate with burning even if it is dead. We like the living dead, refuse to protest and act against injustice. Not even the slightest of sounds are uttered by us. How ironic it is?!!"

Reloading Renaissance....

Sensing anguish and frustration among some of my countrymen around me and many more in Bhaarat over the Caste Census and related reservation issues I felt it probably might be the right time to express my views and invite your comments on it.

Some of our Truth Team members are on the cusp of their college life and as if the fiasco surrounding the FYJC admissions was not enough to tick them off, the reservation issue has denied them a chance to acquire knowledge from the colleges of their choice. The 19^th century years when a social revolution took place against caste discrimination when equality was the mantra and the days today where the mask of equality is donned to hide the ugly face of caste preferences, what a stark contrast!

Just yesterday I attended a fantastic lecture by noted historian Mr. Mohan Shete on the topic “Akhanda Bhaarat” organized by Ignited Minds Movement and the division of Bhaarat along communal and caste lines was a significant part of this lecture.

The Rise and Rise of Gujarat....

“It is ironic that to be a true patriot one has to be the enemy of the rest of mankind”

Voltaire

It really is ironic that the CBI (read Congress' Bureau of Investigation) is going after persons/organizations which are the real flag bearers of development and national patriotism.

Development in progress!! Red Alert!!

Prevent at all costs!!

That is maybe the warning signal and call for action within the Congress!

Instead of hunting and defeating anti-nationals they support it in the name of growth of the minority classes. Thus instead of benefiting these classes and helping them grow they are further weakening them. I feel sad that my countrymen, labelled the minorities are fooled by these tactics which are nothing but self centered in nature. This division is in place as we tend to classify each person socially. Why not all of us be Bhaaratiyas?

Playing Games from the Common's Wealth....

Chaotic, that is the word which comes to my mind after reading those reports about the CWG over the past few days. The management is in disarray. Infrastructure is lagging, the preparation is too. Whether the games are going to be conducted if this haphazardness continues is still an important question. It is the quick buck which matters irrespective whether it comes at a heavy price of the nation losing face in front of the international sports community.

Shoddy and doctored deals and reports with the cash transactions indicating a highly inflated purchasing price and then the chairman of the organizing committee fakes a few emails and does a crude cut-paste in his defence of this unethical dealing and lo, behold, we have a new scam to enjoy during the morning tea and talk about during those ever important group discussions in colleges, at work or elsewhere!

I suppose Mani Shankar Aiyar’s wish of the games being unsuccessful is on its way to fulfillment.

The 12 year old Patriot....

Early morning on 28th July after trying a few 'remedies' on my dead cell phone I came to the conclusion that my cell phone was beyond repair. Yet in an attempt to salvage it I trudged over in the rain to a nearby Nokia care at 9am. It is situated on the 2nd floor of the building which has darkened staircases with no real ventilation and exposure to sunlight and high step rise. After climbing over 2 floors I was in front of the Nokia Care to read the sign - timings 10am to 7pm. Darn I thought, an hour early. While I imagined what I would be doing for an hour with a dead cellphone in hand an incident occurred which made my 1 hour early arrival meaningful after all!

Right we are, Duty we must!

One can never get the true hang on certain aspects of Life unless these aspects are seen up close. Not that I had never noticed the jam packed public transport, it is just that I keep forgetting the ever expanding population of this nation!

It is a great resource though very tough to manage and organize. The point worth sharing is an incidence which occurred during my recent bus travel across Pune city. I was carrying 2 loaded bags waiting for the bus near my college to visit a relative’s place. I somehow managed to struggle into the overcrowded bus inviting curses along the way as my bag hit a fellow passenger for no fault of mine for which I felt sorry!

I acquired a seat after some tussle and immediately within 2 minutes a thin formals clad teenage girl (probably a management student) tapped me on the shoulder and asked me to get up.

Nature : The One Colossal Classroom....

I struck gold dust @ 9:40 pm today. This is not about the physical glow and the lustre and the riches I am talking about but its wisdom. We as humans consider ourselves quite superior to nature never understanding the full glory of nature and its laws. Nature hints us in many ways to obey and abide by them lest calamity befall us. Throughout history we have regularly belittled nature as something insignificant, never realizing the true expanse of nature and disrespected it even when we experienced floods, earthquakes, forest fires, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. Nature sent out wisdom calmly through its realms using everything around as a media for the same and we kept ignoring it; we do so even now.

"Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better"
Albert Einstein

Nature today sent me a great message and I jumped at the opportunity to post it on the blog. Out of its many laws, there is the law of the wild which says not to kill when the self is not hungry. I will put forward my opinions and inferences from the following but before that take a look.


Photographer Michel Denis-Huot, who captured these amazing pictures on safari in Kenya 's Masai Mara in  October last year, said he was astounded by what he saw:


"These 3 brothers (cheetahs) have been living together since they left their mother when they were about 18 months old" he said. "On the morning we saw them, they seemed not to be hungry, walking quickly but stopping sometimes to  play together. At one point, they met a group of impalas who ran away. But one youngster was not quick enough and the brothers caught it easily."

These extraordinary scenes followed.......

Past the Realms of Money.....

It was downright hilarious to read the comparisons set up between Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni after the latter signed the Rs. 200 Cr deal with Rhiti sports thus bagging the highest package (bettering Sachin's Rs. 180 Cr with Iconix). Dhoni has "beaten"/"overwhelmed" The Little Master and such statements do not anger me but I am amused by the levels of foolishness the media drops to at decent amount of times. The simple fact that they can measure the contributions of men like Sachin and Dhoni in money shows the mediocre thought processes of these minds!
Both the cricketers firstly employ completely out of phase styles while batting and hence there can be no comparison at all. Sachin is about an impeccable technique and Dhoni

On the Tight Rope called System....

I have in my blogs talked against the US policy regarding Bhaarat and how the government is licking at their feet and allowing US to rule us. But I believe that there is no absolute evil nor absolute good . Good and bad both are a part in every entity of the universe. I found a part noticeable in the US system which is worth acknowledging and incorporating. Besides the fantastic infrastructure set up by the US I also appreciate the system they have installed to fight terrorism. Every system does have its deficiencies but the best part is that the US government has empowered its external and internal security forces to go hard at the enemies of the US and I salute that. I hope we can learn this from them and implement it in the near future.

While viewing their system there is an urgent need to address ours especially when our security forces are discouraged by the government in tackling terrorism. The US judiciary, legislature and executives work in tandem, as a unit against fighting the threat of terrorism but the Indian Government gives a very confused and disorganized look.

Rising One more Time....

I remember a story of intense passion and belief my father had once told me. Whenever I am down and out it is this story which reignites the desire to be better and stand back up.

There were 2 boxers, Axe and Ranko who always faced each other in every tournament final of their time just as it was the case of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in international tennis. Both had debuted around the same time and in 24 hours was the final of the world championship to which both of them had qualified. They had around same number of wins against the other in all international bouts and this final was to be the last game of their respective careers. Naturally, being the toughest of competitors, both Axe and Ranko were training very hard for this mega final and each wanted to sign of his respective career with a win over the other.

Hydranean Problem, Herculean Answer....

The Lernaean Hydra was an ancient multiple headed Greek monster. With many heads, even the courageous of heroes feared the Hydra due to the astounding advantage it had, every time one of its head was cut off 2 would emerge at its place.

The Kashmir issue has the same attributes as Hydra. It has become so deep rooted and messy that finding a solution might be the next thing to impossible, but still very much possible and every time 2 more problems grow in the place of the earlier one were it to be solved. Since partition took place there has been a lot of enmity in the minds of both sides. Partition was a big failure for which we are paying a price even today and I suppose it will continue for a long time. I see it basically as a compromise accepted to get the “first prime minister” title for Nehru, mainly being the favourite of Gandhi. The lust of power of the politicians then of acquiring the ‘gaddi’ led to the division of Hindustaan. Elections were not conducted and a land for Muslims was carved out from our motherland. Had that issue been handled with great understanding we might have had “Akhanda Bhaarat” as a reality and not a dream. Keeping aside this first mistake and rather than launch a tirade against those who have left us a lot of pain to bear I will prefer moving on to the situation as of now. The politicians then are a part of history and what we have on our hands is a tough battle for Kashmir and Hindustaan.

Having a room mate from Jammu & Kashmir does help me to know more about the actual state of affairs in Kashmir. Throughout my discussion I have tried to raise a few solutions and he always manages to put to light another loop hole of this heavily entangled problem.

After gathering information from him and reading posts, blogs and articles some of which I have linked with this blog, I have formulated my opinion and stated the solution to this affair and I would await counter questions from all of you.

Kill Switch Engaged!

Never in my life have I been so happy to hear Asif Ali Zardari speak something. I felt satisfied when he said that the 26/11 masterminds won't be handed over to India. Thank you Mr. Zardari, you just saved us crores of rupees and in the process publicly accepted that you have identified the culprits and shuttling their cases till the time world forgets about them.

The world might forget it, but we won't. I am rather glad that Pakistan will keep them safe so that WE will hunt them down one day. It is really an altogether different joy to destroy the target in its den. Moving over to where this statement was actually said, I hear the dog is once again snivelling at the feet of its masters in Beijing begging for a few Nuclear reactors and some stupid rail link both with the purpose of entrenching the curse of Extremism in this nation. Keep it going!

Speaking of Bejing, I really admire the methodical plans they set up and implement. Leaving aside their anti Bhaarat policies till the end of this sentence, all of us should really salute their world tactics and take a leaf out of their books. Ok! That's it, back to the topic!

China has got the US by its throat. Are you wondering how? Well, here it goes......

Dissection of Hindustaan....

Liberal, what does it really mean? The dictionary says its “tolerance” or “generous”. Most of us would agree with that. But even in manufacturing there are set tolerances and beyond them the product is rejected or thrown in scrap. If that is the case in manufacturing why is it still not a reality when it comes to the national interest?

English historian Arnold Toynbee had once said, “Hindus are liberal at their own fault”. The perfect example of this statement, the shameful truth which should make all of us ashamed of is Nicha Gobindapur village of South Dinajpur district, West Bengal on the Indo-Bangladeshi border.

In this village and the adjoining areas along the Indo-Bangladeshi border there is a Muslim minority but a mass oppression of the Hindu community in the name of religion. We continue to be divided on communal lines. The arrogance of this minority is well backed by the centre and state government. Hindu women are not allowed to put “sindur” on their foreheads. They are not allowed to wear the traditional Bengali white bangles made out of the conch shell. Cows are sacrificed in public. Temples are razed and worshipping any Hindu deity is like inviting death! Girls, when they reach the age of 12/13 are kidnapped my Muslim youth in the name of love and are raped and tortured. The ruling party has continued their formulae of minority appeasement. It has happened since 1947, it is happening even now. It happens as there is no firm organized resistance from the majority Hindus in these regions. Fear has gripped their hearts and hence the tyrants continue to rule.

The ruling parties announce high sanctions, hefty waivers and tolerate crimes just to have their support – Vote Bank Politics! Many madrasas have been set up to dispense the supposed education. Oh yes, we know what is taught in these places. A chain of 955 mosques and 445 madrasas on our side along the West Bengal-Bangladesh border and 976 mosques and 156 madrasas on the Bangladeshi side are currently in place to brainwash the children about ideals and values and turn them against the nation. This is no more about the religion damn it! This is about “OUR” Nation!

How an anti national movement is functioning using this well set up network is a story worth reading and understanding. The following description is from a local by the name Anup Ratan Mahanta of South Dinajpur district.

"Kathewadial" Kamaal !!

Small things can make a big difference. At times many things happen around us and we are quite casual in our approach towards it and might never realize the incidence carried some wisdom. After I came by this article I got to know another dimension altogether.
I want to buy groceries and stuff from a general store. I walk in, shop what I need and after paying for it at the counter and collecting my change from the shopkeeper I walk out with my purchase. Now this is what happens normally in our cities and lives. But then great things don’t happen when normality is seen. Great changes are those which deviate positively from normality and affect the lives of millions, bettering them like never before. Here I would share another great change.

In the sequence of events I have mentioned above there is a deviation from normality when it comes to a place, rather a village named Kathewadi, Nanded District, Maharashtra.

Kathewadi is an approximately 700 strength village. The villagers have a single shopping place which houses general usage goods and the entire village buys its daily requirements from this store. The amazing part of this is that the store has no shopkeeper and no human vigil at all! This store is open to all. Any person who wishes to buy from the store goes in and collects his purchase. He calculates his bill and deposits the cash at the cash counter and collects his change if any and leaves!!

Elixir to Governance Paralysis....

A paralyzed government is maybe the worse curse on the country. Any Tom, Dick and Harry today dictates terms to the governing body thus affecting every policy. May it be the Nuclear Deal, may it be the economic policies of the government, some or the other small party always has its vested interests on the line and want the nation to stay under developed because of their selfish motives.
Never does the nation be the top priority! One threat by the coalition and bang goes the developmental idea. We actually don't know, but there are good people too in the government who wish to do some genuine growth promoting tasks and help the nation be better in their capacity. This bane of coalition politics douses the burning passion within such policy makers and they take a place with the next scoundrel.

My frustration actually reached a very interesting plane of thought a few days back and an idea struck me. It would be quite interesting to know what all of you have to say over it.

How would it be had the government formation at the centre been with the single largest majority party? Cutting out the unnecessary leeches which suck the life and blood out of governance, how would that sound?

False and Falls....

To,
The Concerned "False Reporting" Media,
India
      
              I am a citizen of this nation. I love my country and hence I want to see it as a super power and help it get there. I have read 2 contrasting news reports. One which says that Maoists chopped off limbs of the injured CRPF men while the other says that Maoists did not mutilate their bodies. Two contrasting reports over the same news, can you explain why this is happening?
              Being so far away we don't know what exactly happens in such situations. We trust you to tell us what is happening in the country. I am sure that not only evil many good things also take place. Don't you care whether this country grows or not? Is it only about good reviews, high viewer or reader base and nothing about the nation? Why don't we get the absolute truth in whichever news article we read or listen or hear about? Why is it that some part of the media feeds the citizens incorrect news? If one report quotes the CRPF as denying mutilation why does the other be opposite to that? It is not important to me as which paper/channel is right. The question is- whoever is wrong why are you doing it? Is it to fuel an already burning fire or is it to continue breeding of ignorance?

Loss by Chance, Win by Choice....

I came by an interesting story worth sharing and drawing inferences from. It goes as...

In an academic class of 100 students, the professor once announced that there would not be the conventional grading system henceforth. The tests will be conducted as per normal rules but the marking system will be different. He said that all students will have the same grade irrespective of his/her personal score. After the results are calculated, the scores will be averaged and the average score will be the score of each and every student. So, there might be a few 90% scores while a few 30% scores but both these classes will have the same grade and marks according to the new system.

Naturally, the high scoring and hard working students were disappointed while the low scoring students were elated. Of course, it is assumed here that the high scoring students are nowhere connected to the state education board!!

In the calendar year there were 4 tests. In the 1^st test, the average score was 60%. Every student above 60% was dejected at his score and those below partied hard and enjoyed this unprecedented success. The 2^nd test had the average score of 50%, then 40% for the 3^rd and finally 30%, i.e. all failed for the last test.

Understanding the psychology of the students,

Ceasing by Cyanide : The Elusive Truth

"Whenever evil wins, it is by default. It is the moral failure of those who fail to understand that basic principles and ethics can't be compromised"
Ayn Rand

I thought I should start with one of my favourite quotes as it has a significant relevance in today's blog and life as well.
December 2/3 1984 was a fateful night for countless citizens of this country and for the generations to follow. The effects of the gas leak are seen even today. These effects go far beyond the bodily torture of those affected. It is the emotional and psychological pain which is the greater problem. There had been, was and will be an outcry and public demand for justice. But apprehending the people within the company is only a very small part of the actual solution. The problem is far greater than this. This is where comes the relevance of the first few lines of this blog. Warren Anderson and the others culprits escaped because WE LET THEM. The "few " politicians and beaurocrats involved did not understand Ayn Rand's quote. Warren Anderson is guilty, no doubt about it, but are we not too? There would not have been an incidence where a criminal, with a crime of such tremendous proportions, escapes the country had there been a proper system in place. But still, it happened. Why? Read on...

Fueling Growth by Fueling Prices....

Economic and Political Sense prevails!
I appreciate the decision of the Union Government to decontrol petrol prices and hiking other fuel prices. I have read and heard many comments and remarks against this story and hence felt the need to share and discuss it with all of you on the blog.
I do not know whether this decision was selfish or selfless, whatever it was it is in the best interests of the nation.
There is a dialogue by Amitabh Bachchan in the movie Sarkar, "One should be able to foresee a future loss before the present day gains." This situation is similar.
Are we aware of what the Government goes through to provide fuels at subsidised rates? Are we aware that state run Oil Manufacturing Companies are running into severe losses because of the suppression of fuel prices till date? How many of us know that Reliance Industries and Essar had to shut down their retailing stores due to the huge differences in prices between their stores and state run retails? Take a scenario where we are vada pav vendors under government control. The total cost incurred to procure raw materials, cook and serve 1 vada pav is say Rs. 5/- and then the government issues directives where the max selling price be less than Rs. 5/-. So, we are in loss and would eventually shut it down, the only logical option then. How would we feel then? Would not there be resent in our hearts?
How many of us know that the gas supplied to us for cooking is nearly charged 50% (approximately Rs. 300/- which is subject to location and other factors) of its actual price (i.e nearly Rs 600/-)?

Crab Attack on Excellence....

Should all of us just go and congratulate the HRD Ministry on its splendid decision. Wow!
This class is really brilliant! They really know how to destroy the education system and corrupt it!
This piece of news was right there in the newspapers but it does deserve a think over from all of us. There is a new recomendation from a HRD ministry panel to have 70% weightage to class XII marks and remaining 30% to an aptitude test to decide the top 40,000 students eligible to appear for the IIT-JEE.
Its just getting too much by the day. They tried to pull down the CBSE a year back to the level of the mediocre state board education system instead of striving to excel the State Board and now this.
I can just imagine the conversations going on between these officials-

Not for Christ....

My casual search on the net for good articles to read has led me to another national issue which I believe deserves utmost priority. It reaffirms the fact of division among us and how the rift is widening.
The Catholic Church's interference and influence is growing in our country. After Nagaland and Mizoram, Manipur is the the new offering at the feet of Jesus Christ. Christian Missionaries are out to convert people of the country, especially from the 7 sister states to Christianity. Put a cross around the neck and that's it you are a Christian and that is how the conversion takes place. The Church is only interested in numbers and they do not care for core values and ideals nor do they care about the people. Huge amount of money and gifts are transported across the seas; the poor locals in the 7 sister states are provided with food, clothes and other goods and in return are asked to convert to Christianity by feeding them with the thought that Christ cares for them unlike any other God. It looks as human service externally but what of the crooked intentions within?

The Red Warning....

I happened to get this piece of news from a Chinese news channel, do check out the link whose catchphrase I have posted below and we can go further. (Xinhua Report of Firing at RS Pura)

In the news article, it does not surprise me that there has been a firing incidence. Well, that is what the Pakistani Army always does for 3 reasons according to me.

1)     Covering Fire is provided for insurgents to get into our nation.

2)     “Khaaz” in Marathi. They have been brought up in a mindset that we are their enemies.

3)     They must be testing Uncle Sam’s bullets and weapons!!

Had even 10% of the funds they receive from the US been used for their nation’s growth we would have seen a better neighbour, a better nation. No wonder the country is imploding like it is now with a 24.38% inflation rate seeing as all their money has been used against us rather than developing their nation.

Blazing at 92....

A very interesting and inspiring experience I had a few months back which I recollect "now" thanks to my mediocre memory!
I live on my college campus. I have been accommodated in the Old Age home of our college's founding institute as there had been a vacancy there.
The incidence goes as-

RTI: Power of Truth

RTI, Right to Information, the formidable tool in the hands of the people of Bhaarat is catching momentum nowadays.
RTI empowers the citizens to question, check and counter any action of a government offical in government offices and the related ones.
Please friends, visit the link whose catchphrase I have posted and do check it out.It will surely help you to get acquainted with the RTI and its use. (the link catchphrase is "RTI FAQ")
The article is self explanatory and illuminates the mind to a great extent about the RTI.
Its an important weapon in the war for truth I believe and all of us should at least be aware of the power we possess as we can't tell when we will need to use it for this great fight we are in!
I have observed that Raj Thackeray makes great use of this act to prove his point time and again. This should act as an inspiration to all of us, and this is hardly Rs. 10/- for it, easily we can sacrifice a cold coffee if times demand!
I would like to put up another good news, not related to the RTI but very well important for all of us to know and be proud off.

Learning What is Not Taught

There are many bad stories doing the rounds currently and hence when I read a piece of good news it brightened me up.
I'll be posting the link where I happened to read it later but basically its an inspiration story derived from the 3 Idiots.
Many of us have watched the movie. Unfortunately for the nation, when asked what we liked the most about the movies some common answers have been Chatur's Speech, The last reunion scene, Rancho's Parody of the director, the scene where Pia is drunk in Rancho's room and many more. We enjoyed the hilarious movie which is at times said to be comedy. But is that movie only a comedy movie or we can take away something from it? Something of great substance and implement it in our lives?

Insensitivity on Display....

I was at Indore today morning and the following image was clicked by me. Check it out carefully and we'll talk about it.



Now if you observe the image closely, there is this board covered with a poster regarding some political organisation, yatra and stuff which is absolutely of no interest to us. What intrigues me is the fact that the poster has been put up on a board which shows directions to various locations in Indore!
If observed carefully, a green coloured background can just be visible beyond the outer edges of the poster and particularly on the left side. This part even shows the tip of 2 arrowheads which point towards certain places! Believe me there were at least 10/15 instances where this was observed by me as we passed through the city. I clicked 1 for a souvenir and

Israeli Inspiration....

We witnessed an international outcry after the Israeli attack on the Gaza bound Turkish Freedom Flotilla. Most of the significant countries opposed to the act. Protests in Egypt, Syria, Jordan among many other nations along with Pakistan condemned the act terming it to be human rights violation and an encroachment upon the fundamental right to freedom and justice. It was extremely funny and ironic to watch Pakistanis protest and use english words like justice, right to freedom, respect, which they don’t fully understand nor implement!

Traveling way back in history to understand the Israeli cause and why the situation is what it is today -

Is this Justice?

News Flash !!
"SPS Rathore sentenced to 1 1/2 years for molesting Ruchika in 1990"
Comments: Triumph of Justice, Historic Order, Satisfied, Rathore deserved this blah blah blah....
one and a half years?? A girl committed suicide here, a 15 yr old girl, and just one and a half years? That is all we can dish out to him?
With all those excuses and "recent heart problems" its again a matter of how he walks off and in the worst case scenario he will stay the 18 months behind bars with TV, refrigerator, AC, 5 star food as if on a sweet vacation.
Spare a thought for the Girhotra family. The loss of their daughter, the torture after that to keep mum and what else only they know and fully understand. I am pretty much sure that they will be displeased; rather anyone in their position will be if you lose your daughter, sister, mother.
Its a failure to see such a light sentence for such a heinous crime. Its a battle won but the war is still to be.

From Dr. Kalam's Kalam....

Friends, I am posting a letter from Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to all of us, I was fortunate to read it and was inspired by the great man and I hope you will too. So, here it goes...


"Why is the media here so negative?
Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements?
We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?
We are the first in milk production.
We are number one in Remote sensing satellites.
We are the second largest producer of wheat.
We are the second largest producer of rice.

The 3rd Side....

Finally, I am posting about the latest Naxal attack. I needed the time to think and find out before I comment on it. I have thought of few points to think upon and keep up the crystallization of our thoughts, my friends.
“Massacre”, “Butchery”, “Cold - Blooded” these adjectives have been used to describe this act. Without getting too judgmental I think all of us need to take a look at all that can happen or all that can be possible. Most of us, with just the media to let us know about anything that happens around the world, accept it to be true. But there have been many cases where there have been false implications regarding the matter.
There is a statement in the Bhagavad Geeta which goes as follows-
“The opposite of plain truth is false while that of profound truth can be another profound truth. Not all pro’s & con’s are presented always, there might be a hidden 3rd side.”
I am sure we surge with anger whenever our countrymen are killed, but I believe we must take a calm approach and address this Naxal issue. Remember, there is no action without a reason. The reason might be trivial, but it is always there.

Playing for Pride....

Remember Kabir Khan scratching at his Silver Medal in Chak de India, what does that symbolize?
Well, I am in front of my TV and watching Chak de India and suddenly few things struck me which I feel I should share on this blog.
After a few minutes into the movie, we see how Kabir Khan is shunted from the society, from life itself. People labelled him “Gaddar”, a traitor who has no pride in representing and winning for his country. Now let us revisit the statement “Playing for Pride”..
Our Sportsmen lose, we say they have no pride while playing for the country. Do we really believe what we say to be true? Do we realize what it means? Do we realize that this statement is an example of hypocrisy to an extent?
What does it mean “Playing for Pride”?

The Greater Thieves....

Now what should we call this?
The great NASA space trick or thievery?
A latest development friends, which shows the jealousy of the west on the growing strength of our dear Bhaarat. You all are aware of the Chandrayaan's discovery of water on the moon which many a nation had failed to achieve for so many years. NASA is now claiming all the credit for the same and there is just no mention of our intelligent scientists at ISRO who did the job.
In a shocking tale, which really angers me, the ISRO made MIP (Moon Impact Probe), brainchild of former President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam,

Defeating the Swine...

Before I sign off for today, there is 1 more thing I have to share with you, my fellow countrymen and women!
Our wonderful media does not seem to consider this as important as the Lalit Modi - BCCI face off, if not more.
The SII, Serum Institute of India, Pune has developed the vaccine for the H1N1. It is a nasal spray with minor side effects of runny nose and sneezing, surely preferable as compared to death!
It has cleared the safety tests and would be licensed shortly for use. Interestingly this comes exactly after 1 year when the first swine flu case was detected in the country, i.e. 15th May 2009.
My heartiest congratulations to Dr. Rajeev Dhere, the Project Director and his team for this feat.
This once again tells us that we have the talent, we know where we can be. I hope such efforts 1 day make the world say, "We want to live in Bhaarat".
May we see more such success stories to boost our morale!

Jai Hind!

Dragon's Readying to Breathe Fire....

When will we face the truth?
Even after so many warnings we just refuse to pay heed to the Growing Danger of the Chinese Dragon.
In a recent survey, it was observed that only 2.2% of the Chinese Population consider Bhaarat to be of no harm to them!!!
What do we say about them? A startling

Another Terrorist...

Well, 1 more terrorist was ousted today. Ajmal Kasab was served the death sentence but what about Ketan Desai ??
For those who are unaware, he was the head of Medical Council of India which has been just dissolved.
Now why do I call him a terrorist?
Well, he has been responsible for corruption of the council with his "net turnover" being hell lot of crores. He has been responsible for letting bogus, crook medical schools being set up in return of handsome bribes. This directly results into fraud medical graduates who practice later on in their so called "dukaan" and thus gamble with the patients' lives.
Now who is the bigger terrorist? The 160 odd killer Kasab or the national plague Ketan Desai?

Jai Hind!

Pepsi & Coke..An Interesting Tale..

I read an interesting story a few days back which somewhat underlines the power of youth awakening, advocated strongly by Swami Vivekananda during his lifetime.
The story is about the 2 cola giants- Pepsi and Coca Cola.
Many years ago, Pepsi ruled the roost in the cola market. Due to certain complacent decisions and Coke's Strong charge, Pepsi within 2 years lost a chunk of their customers, thus nose diving to an insignificant level of market share.
Pepsi went into hibernation for the next 10 years and Coke was the King. After 10 years, Pepsi started recapturing the Cola Market out of nowhere. A company believed to be finished was coming back. Coke, in desperation put on a few spies to learn what was happening.

Their Analysis-

A Fightback.....

A Terrific Fightback by the Aussies....
Not for nothing they are the best team since the last decade....
All of us have nice things to learn from this T20 WC Semi...
Their perseverance paid off in the end....
The will to fight, fight hard, till the very end no matter what the difficulties are....
Even we can do it...
While I am on the subject of cricket, Mr. Amitabh Bachchan today came out in full support of MS Dhoni. I agree.
I always believe, the self always knows, deep down of where he has gone wrong. Its about supporting them when its most needed like we support our loved ones in their difficult times. On such a grand stage, national pride is too big a thing to gamble with. I believe in the Men in Blue, Common Guys, fight back to your sizzling bests!

A Journey Begins......

Started a blog, well tryin' something new.

That is the ticket in anything, tryin' something new in life. Be it as small as this or be it as huge as seeing a dream and executing it eventually, not when I am asleep but when I am awake as said by APJ Abdul Kalam,

"Dream is not what you see in your sleep, but it is that which does not let you sleep"

Tough tasks lying ahead for me, my country, my people......

Lets be Livin' free friends....