Ideals or Idol of RAAM??

The greatest fear of a man is FEAR. The biggest enemy of a person is HIMSELF... Somewhere down the line we might find the above two statements to be true. When we do we find that this world has nothing to do with what we are and what we become.

Personifying India as a individual we find the above two statements aptly applicable. It is our own faults and our own fears that have been capping the vast potential that this country harbors.

This post comes a day before the Ayodhya verdict and I have this insatiable urge to give my opinions on it, after all the verdict is being pronounced from my home city, though this is one issue that no one can claim to have a definitive solution too. And it is one reason why the country waits for the D-day, to see what the judiciary has in its quiver.

Religion is a matter of faith. And Judiciary works on evidence. These two poles meet in the Ayodhya Case.

While we may question the justification of the whole scenario there are certain things to be kept in mind.
           -The demolition of the original Ram Mandir at Ayodhya by Babar should be seen as as historical mistake or should be addressed as a conjuncture to the 1992 demolition?

History is full of evidences where civilizations were destroyed by the victors, and it included the cultural and RELIGIOUS ethos. The reason why we suffix Alexander of Macedonia, Ashoka, Muhammad Zalaluddin Akbar as great is not because they were great conquerers but because they integrated by acceptance.

Ayodhya (Hindi: literary a city without war), on the banks of saryu river hasn't lived up to its name. If the waters of Saryu could speak we would be hearing the greatest story ever. A story that has the waves of goodness, starting from the RAAM RAJYA, the greatest times on this planet, to the modern day times where it witnesses the massacre of the message the the ideology of Raam, to place the idol of Raam.

The great messiahs of every nations have urged for inner enrichment than outer opulence. We are at war for an temple of Raam when he abdicated his throne for his father's wish, went to exile giving up all opulence of the palace for life of austerity. Raam, a person whose principles or Maryada found a place greater than his love.

Whilst I can write the whole day about him, I wouldn't ever understand him. The point is it is best to have Raam IN you.

I am not good at soliciting and am as excited about the verdict here is something that might help the judges.

HAGIA SOPHIA: a church in the eastern Roman Empire (modern day Turkey), was converted to a mosque by the Sultan when he seized the city of Constantinople (Istanbul) from the Byzantine Empire. In the modern times there was a divide with people wanting to retain the mosque, and some wanting to revert it to a church. The founder of modern turkey, Ataturk, declared it a MUSEUM ending all argument.

You got my point!!!

wOrD pLAy...

This has nothing to do with the word games on the facebook or any other such analogy. As mentioned this is pertinent with our respected parliamentarians playing with words in the parliament, stakes: Millions of lives.

Whenever I talk about the proceedings of the parliament the first image that comes to the mind are a bunch of white clad people shouting, jumping, (sometimes throwing stuff) and approaching the chair the minute the speaker says ‘Settle down’. So it is hard to imagine them playing with words when they play with voices.

I will get to the heart of the matter in a moment. As an engineer there are certain areas that have an inherent alluring: one of them being the NUCLEAR DEAL, and some areas abhorrent: politics. However this was a case when the two of them met and what I found was that politics is not a dirty game; it is precipitous, clandestine and involves using a lot of grey matter. It is the execution that makes it dirty or not.

My inherent alluring to the Nuclear deal stemmed form the fact that India’s energy security, which for now seems bad will turn worse and eventually destitute in a couple of decades. The fossil fuels are ending and no matter what we do, we cannot protract the time when the drilling machines will hit rock bottom of an oil well and: Its Over, Its dry.

Moreover I as an engineer (budding i.e.) understand the need for energy resources not just for advancement but for mere existence in the form we are. I have lived in the energy crisis era of Uttar Pradesh where even in the capital city the cutoff for power supply was eight hours, that too in the scorching summers.

For me the Nuclear Deal for a country like India, a non-signatory to NPT or CTBT, a nuclear test few years back, building a stockpile of nuclear warheads (thanks to the border issues) it was a landmark. A remarkable achievement of the government, technical and diplomatic advisory to walk with such a deal right under the nose of the world as it was sniffing for weapons in IRAQ and destroying similar power plants in IRAN!!

But that time and euphoria has passed.

Now we came to the drafting part, which was important because not only had the rules be made such that they attract foreign investors, but also safeguard the people of the Republic of India.

But the onus for the genesis of this stringent took a back seat and the people perturbed as the government played its word games. Though the incumbent government is similar as the previous one, a paradigm shift of policies and work is starkly visible.

Purporting the liability bill was also of paramount importance as we still have pretensions for justice in Bhopal Gas tragedy. And the government made a conundrum out of it.

It began with the insertion of the word ‘and’ between the clauses 17(a) and (b) which was pointed out by THE HINDU. While there is absolutely no margin of error when you are drafting the possible fates of millions of people, but we can give this one to the government.

But another irretrievable event was the insertion of the word intent in the bill. While safeguarding the manufacturer from any lawful or vindictive suit from the sufferer, i.e. the people, it made it mandatory for the operator (Indian Agencies in this case) to prove an intent before filing of any suit.

To prove intent is proving the existence of God, just a lot more difficult. How can anyone in their right minds assume that intent of an action can be proven? Had it been that easy to prove intent the judiciary would have dispensed some quickest verdicts. Even in simple life we find ourselves hurting people without intending to. And sometimes good comes calling from our darkest intents and viscious plans.

The final form of the bill has dissents but is much more acceptable to us. But all through the process the nuclear deal has been one rollercoaster ride for India. With the trials for the ride over, with their portion of hitches, its time for the real time execution.

But having secured our Energy needs fifty years from now, we need to ponder on the remaining forty years, to reach 2050.

A word before signing off,

Amitabh Bachchan in Namak Halal said, “English is a very funny language.”

So it turned out to be!!

The Worst Deal or a BLOCKBUSTER!!

What would you say if I spent lacks of corers of rupees to buy myself disgrace and shame?? You would call me a moron, fool with many adjectives to follow and go away laughing, morphing the story to suit your humorous self. But wait… you are also one of me. I am talking about the CWG, the coup d’etat of corruption as our national motto.

I agree that many of you are not taxpayers, but your parents are and looking around any college campus I think I will have a ubiquitous agreement that that money could have been better spent than digging out holes in our already bumpy-roaded country. With days to go and the whole of the games and India’s pride along with it stands on a knife’s edge, with the participating countries pondering over their participation.

I know my writing the blog is not helping the games in any way. Being a B.tech engineer who has cleared all the previous semesters at the last moment studies I have a visceral feeling (with a lot of hope) that the games will be spectacular.

But I will get to my point here. This article is a reply to one which I read in recent past in the Times of India. I know the writer has a huge fan, especially youth, following but he forgot the basic law: With Great power, comes great responsibility.

Criticism of the CWG has been the only standardized quality about it. But the writer takes a step (nay leap) further, after all he has a huge fan following. Having proved in his article the futility of the Games, he calls for a mass boycott of the games.

I DISrespectfully disagree with him. Back in 2003 when India was awarded with the hosting we were filled with a sense of elation and pride and the successful hosting of the 1982 Asiad firmed our belief in a bigger extra bonanza: after all this was an era of 8% GDP India. That time the games were our pride, our show of strength and marked the arrival of India of the International Arena, to quote some archives.

Now as the ship seems to be caught in rough winds the rats are the first to abandon it, questioning its journey. Rang de basanti said: Either change or suffer, quietly. Thanks to the media, the latter part is a bit too loud but still not one cares about the change.

I have no idea what Mr. Bestselling author wanted when he suggested the boycott but as his previous reader (not fan) I was deeply offended when he offered such non-sensible advice which bears no fruitfulness whatsoever, that to when he was proving the futility of the games. If games are futile, this advice was abhorrent (on a similar scale).

I will sound very sanguine when if I say that I still believe that the games will be great, but then boycotting them will do them no good. Premchand in his story ‘bade ghar ki beti’ writes whatever be done the outsiders must never get a laugh at your misery. We can order a probe, find out culprits and all loop holes in the OC but boycott is a thwarting and weak call which delivers another SHAME, a even bigger one!

When the people of India are themselves not supportive of the games how do you generate the confidence of other countries?  This might be one of the Eureka ideas but it was quoted in The New York Times to disparage India and the Games.

Talking what is pertinent here, like a bollywood movie we are all anticipating what the result of the games will be and no one can say for sure. (Interestingly so many yogis in India who accurately foretell the result of every movie even the general elections are silent as dead).

But let us not forget that the people who come here (if they do) will be taking back human interaction and hospitality with them. The furnished stadium, fast DMRC rails, beautified city will find a place amongst their albums but the human interaction, love and hospitality will be etched in their memories. They will not remember the fact that their journey was reduced in time by the DMRC but the fact that an Indian smiled at them or helped them. The tarmac roads will not be counted if we the Indians are there to support them, share a laugh with them and make them feel comfortable. This can only be done by an enthusiastic support to the games, especially by the youth, by us. If there is a glimmer of hope let us convert it in to a opportunity, and the opportunity into a successful endeavor.

What is better an empty Bird’s Nest or a jam packed Jawahar lal Nehru stadium with people cheering their teams?

The choice is your, and it is difficult. But as father said the right choices are difficult but their paths easy. The writer chose what he fell was right, I am giving you what I think is right. The support will not be towards corruptions or the scandals but our little incentive of making this Game a memorable one.

It is the people that make a nation and for this once lets say WE THE PEOPLE….

Journey begins: The first step

Hello Readers,

I am not a person who opens up easily and frankly I have no idea what I am doing here writing a blog in the middle of the night writing a blog when I have a large syllabi of movies to cover. But over all the superlatives we bear over our personality the truth is that we share. And it is these sharing that brings us closer. I even believe that humans as a race became civilized because thousands years ago we shared. And so I am here: To share.

In this blog i would just like to introduce to myself and what this blog will be all about. For those who know me i hope i am a 'somebody' and for those who don't i am a no one, or just another xyz with a laptop and a modem who wishes that someone somewhere should spend some precious moments of his/her life reading about me and my problems. But every 'somebody' began out as a 'nobody'.

I often say to my friends that life is short and time is less. But both can be protracted. There are a number of things that goes through minds of anyone and it is his reflections upon it that can change the continuum of time and space.

Life is full of secrets. And this is what makes life interesting, worth living.

But the greatest secret of life is ONESELF...

It might feel that I am going a bit philosophical but this is one thing i truly believe in. The degree to which a human can surprise or amaze himself knows no bounds.

I wrote the title as a beginning and will therefore keep it short. I cannot pin point what i am going to write here but i hope some of you will find it worth a read!!

-Shubhang (Traveler)