Saturday, November 28, 2009

Fighting with candles!

One year since Mumbai was hit by Pakistani terrorists showed us a lot of things. Mainly it became clear that we live in very strange times. Every time is " showtime". So you have half of bollywood singing and mouthing meaningless dialouges from india gate .
Well meaning and decent People got together with a candle in hand at several places . The setting sun casts an interesting shadow during such ceremonies and the glow from the flame certainly makes for a pretty picture. Moreover it is easy to do , it can get you a fleeting moment of fame on the evening news and will certainly wipe any sense of guilt that you may feel for not having done anything substantial. So all you good citizens ; a lit candle can stop terrorist from striking again! Right?
Wrong ! absolutely Wrong ! In fact such shallow demonstrations only make the terror planners stronger since they see their strikes as powerful enough to leave us bewildered , confused and deeply hurt. This kind of impotent chest beating only emboldens them to make another strike since it is very cost effective for them . Look at the stats for this one in their favor. Their 9 for our 180 plus a bonus of one billion people stunned into inaction. 26/11 is not the first . Even if you take just Mumbai alone you can not forget the coordinated serial blasts a couple of years ago. If you remember, similar candle vigils were undertaken then ; similar posters and banners had appeared then too . We all shouted same kind of slogans. Our leaders told us that India will not tolerate terrorism anymore. We all heard the same standard statements about the undying spirit of the city and how nobody can break our unity. I will not go into everything that has happened since then Events that have given all that a lie; but you know 26/11 happened still . it is not my imagination or interpretation of events; it has happened!
One thing we should have learned years ago is that candles actually do not work as an anti terrorism device. We should have realized by now that making vain , stupid and stereotyped bollywood movies in which we try to sympathize with the terrorist ; will not change a single terrorist's heart. We should know that media apologists justifying terrorism on TV as a result of communal violence in India is not entirely correct. We should have realized that bringing Sharukh Khan in the media to teach people about Allah's Islam vs. Mullah's Islam is only good copy writing . His reading patriotic dialogue from a sheet on India Gate lawns is not going to cut it . Specially with the kind of forces that spawn Islamic terrorism. It does nothing and I repeat nothing to help people stop the terrorist menace except give them a colorful star studded evening and give them a false sense of well being .
Do you think terrorists in their Muridke camps are shaking in their boots with fear now that you held your rallies or do you think they are laughing their guts out at our sissy response ? This is nothing but the worst kind of sucidal tokenism. Who are we trying to fool here if not ourselves? Are we going to defend ourselves with burning candles , lighting incense sticks in front of the pictures of our innocent dead and singing songs from India gate?
When evidence has been piling upon evidence for years on end we should have learnt that closing our eyes to the problem will not solve it. We have to crush them with force in their home or be prepared for another bloody nose.
How hard is that ? Or is it really beyond us?
Actually there is a very good use for a burning candle ; but only after you capture a terrorist alive.
I am afraid historically we have fallen over each other to feed them biryani instead !!!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Sachin's cheeky single!


Sachin Tendulkar; argubly the best ever batsman in all forms of the game is not known for taking risky singles. Usually he likes to dispatch even the best ball of a world class bowler to the mid wicket fence with his really heavy bat. Honestly even a Pakistani umpire will not be able to give a lbw decision in your favour if you bowl the kind of loose delivery Bala Sahib bowled.
I have no idea why he decided to lock horns with Sachin. Incidentally his loose delivery was hit for a six by Sachin . It just seemed like a single to Bala Sahib because Sachin basically danced half way down the pitch and lofted his delivery straight out of the Park. I do not have to agree with Bala sahib's politics to recognise that he has spent a lifetime struggling for what he believes in. I am afraid though this was not one of his best moments . Sachin is absolutely correct in believing that being proud of your Maratha heritage means being proud of being Indian First.
There is a saying that when your shoe fits your son treat him as an equal. There is nothing demeaning in learning from your children; specially when they are right. So hopefully this was a friendly match and scores will not enter record books but let it be known that the cheeky single was a thumping "sixer".
Over a Billion Indians say so.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

What's Pakistan's problem?

Pakistan's problems are not all that different from that of India's or Bangladesh's ;
or for that matter from any other developing country. It is facing similar issues relating to development, mass poverty, lack of education and health facilities. Regionalism, political corruption and institutional failure has a similar ring throughout the Indian sub-continent. Even insurgency is a factor throughout the subcontinent . Tamil's fought a pitched war for decades in Sri Lanka. Maoist fought and won in Nepal. Afghanistan looks like a sieve and has been bleeding all over for over two decades. India had to contend with several of them. From Naga rebellion through Punjab disturbances to Kashmiri Muslim's terrorism . From ISI 's periodic blasts to Maoist armed action, she has faced them all . However at no time does it look like that the Indian state is going to fold up. Nor does it look like Nepal or Sri Lanka will ever cease to exist because of their domestic troubles. Even Bangladesh with her coups , BDR revolts and catfights between the begums feels stable.

Pakistan however is a different case altogether. Since the carving out a separate country in 1947 they have steered their nation with one hand positively on the self - destruct button. It is not a surprise that commentators and analysts have continuously tagged it a failed state for the 40 odd years. It is not because these people have any animosity with Pakistan neither is it a part of the grand design to muzzle an Islamic nation. The fact is that it is Pakistan herself that has regularly emitted these distress signals. Pakistan has been on the death bed for so long , it is a surprise to some that it exists at all. Pakistan must realize that the main cause of their instability is their confused national identity. They do not know if they are Muslims or they are Pakistani's. Believe me these are mutually exclusive things. One is personal other is cultural. You can be both but not at the same time.

They have taken most of their decisions as Muslims and that has been the cause of their troubles. From making kashmir an issue and a permanant anti- India stance to their creating Taliban for achieving strategic depth . All the 'muslim' policies have boomeranged on them. So not surprisingly they are continuously facing strategic death!
Isn't it funny that their ' theory of Pakistan ' strategists and analysts are actually pepping them up by telling Pakistani's that they are son's of Arab invaders and they should be proud of this. Wow ! in any other nation; Muslim or not, this would constitute an extreme insult to the people and result in instant lynching of the theorists. Not in Pakistan though. In their befuddled state of mind it does not register as derogatory. Try saying this kind of thing to an Iranian or a Turk or an Indonesian for that matter !! All muslim states. Indonesia has made Ram's story into a traditional opera that they love to show off. It has not made them any less muslim.

Can Lahore do it?

A Lahore Muslim can not feel proud of the fact that Lahore is named after Luv the son of Lord Rama. Pakistani citizens are not supposed to have any feelings for Katasraj because it is Pre Islamic. Guru Nanak was born in Pakistan , his teachings and wisdom finds no place in public consciousness. His birthplace is only used once a year to score browine points and flog the dead khalistani horse. How Sad but true. Just for comparison see how India proudly markets Taj Mahal as an "Indian" brand. The fact that it was built by a muslim ruler does not come into consideration.

So the question is how have they survived ? Well it is under severe pressure of Islamists but they still wear orange and fly kites on Basant, do'nt they? It is very pre - islamic and just a Pakistani tardition. Call me simplistic but as long as they continue to recognize and follow the "Pakistani" traditions they will chug along. The continuation of their nation however demands that they immediately all the Muslim causes from Palestine to Iraq and straightaway strive to find answer to one thing and one thing only - Who am I ?