Where is my Kashmir?

I know many don’t understand when I keep raising this issue. Why is it so important?

It’s important to me because thousands of my countrymen have died for those lines. It’s our nations boundaries. Please respect it.

I can understand if foreigners can’t accept it but what about Indians?

Look at the cover of this book, Reintegrating India with the World Economy,  by T. N. Srinivasan and Suresh D. Tendulkar.

Well done guys, give it way. I guess it’s just rocks and sand for you.

 

The New Detectives – CPM

Listen to this – “US caused the Nandigram killings”, “CIA running a media-syndicate in Kerala”. Stop smiling .. its serious.. its the latest intelligence report from CPM(ya its our own communist party).

US intelligence agency sponsoring a “media syndicate” in God’s Own Country to drive wedges into the Left, and destroy the VS Achuthanandan government in the state.“If what our intelligence reports say on such activity is found serious enough, the Central Government would be informed,” VS Achuthanandan.[Indian Express Report]

What does he mean by our intelligence reports?Is it KGB? May be, but this time it could be Kerala Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti and not Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti. Stop blaming and try to so something useful for the Nation. Let the Intelligence work be done by RAW. We didnt elect you to do make baseless comments like this.

VS also added that he would “neither deny nor confirm”

Well watch out they might even come out with the news that MI6 cause India’s exit from the Wordcup so that England has a chance.

The Reports – Economic Times News – CPM blames US for Nandigram(you would require an IndiaTimes ID to view the news)

Indian Express News – God’s Own Country fights ‘CIA demon’

(cross posted here)

 

To be Deployed Overseas

Discovery Channel and National Geographic Channel are among my favorite and I’m like glued to these channels for hours. Lately i was watching the show where they show the construction and other details of this M6A1 Tank of the U.S. Armed Forces.

I was totally glued to the program and i enjoyed the program about these mean machine.

Towards the end there was this statement that totally got me off guard. It was the concluding line of the program and it went like this – “.. and Its ready to be deployed over-seas!!!” .. what the hell.

Aren’t these things meant to protect once own home land or is it to destroy someone else’s overseas. Now i’m thinking twice of watching these programs. If its meant to display the arsenal and military strength of some country run by stupid politicos who fool their people when wrecking the peace at some distant place, No Way, i got better use with my time.

 

And you thought t’was coz WE dint play well…!!

 

Now you know!!!

Any ideas which newspaper this is from??

 

CSI Jamaica

I must admit, I’m a big fan of CSI Miami and CSI Las Vegas. The death of Pakistan Coach Bob Woolmer is the ideal time to launch CSI Jamaica.

I think India should send a CSI team lead by two Malayalee CIDs of the Tamil Nadu police who have proved themselves before in America. CID Sub Inspector Dasan and CID Constable Vijayan.

We at the Mutiny have learned that they are carrying dummies of Bob and the Pakistanis to do a drop test.

 

India to be part of a trilateral security arrangement in Asia

That India is an emerging power has never been as evident as it is now! The powers that be are eager to invite India to be part of a new security arrangement.
Quoting from the Australian

The Japanese Government and US Vice-President Dick Cheney are keen to include the growing economic and military power of India in the already enhanced “trilateral” security arrangements, locking together the three most powerful democracies of the Asia-Pacific region.

The common enemy? China ofcourse:

India’s military power, economic growth and geographic position would significantly offset China’s emerging power, which is of concern to many in the Bush administration.

Apparently, the US and Japan are really pushing for this new alignment. And now that a historic security declaration between Japan and Australia has been signed, security, intelligence and military relations are at the highest level they have been since World War II! But still, this is not enough for the world powers. They want India.

But if nations are eager to gang up against China, it’s China’s own fault. Speaking from India point of view…well, India knows she has to join this gang, and quickly. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if India herself has been quietly working to persuade the US to push for this. So what is China doing that is a cause for worry for India?

Remember that visit of Chinese premier in April 2005? Then, and more recently in late 2006, China said that it did not accept Arunachal Pradesh as Indian Territory. You can also read what the Wiki has to say about this issue.
Also, China does not support India’s claims on Kashmir and nor on Sikkim.
China continues to supply missiles to Pakistan. China ofcourse denies this vehemently but the Americans say that they have the proof.
Pakistan is not the only country China is cosying up to. It has defence agreements with
Nepal, Myanmar, and Bangladesh as well.

Oh, and China is helping Pakistan with Gwadar port as a base for its navy, although now there seem to be some disagreements over the finances. China is doing something similar in Sri Lanka as well! It has concluded an initial agreement worth US$360 million for the construction of the Hambantota harbour in southern Sri Lanka.

Then there are also those who firmly believe that China clandestinely supports secessionist movements in the north-east of India, although no hard proof has been found.

Is it any wonder then that China has increased it’s defence budget this year by 18 percent? It needs plenty of moolah to support all these activities. Activities which are a threat to India. Its staring at us in the face. China has already surrounded India.

The Chinese are doing what they feel is best for their country. They want to be supreme in Asia and India is a strong contender to the position. Besides this, there are other little pinpricks. China hates it that India is giving refuge to the Dalai Lama and therefore to Tibet.

The United States is as worried about China as India is. No, much more. China is getting powerful, not just militarily but also economically. Goldman Sachs has predicted that China will overtake the United States economically by 2039. A pretty scary prospect for the US huh? And for us too. We are surrounded on three sides by hostile countries. Pakistan, China and Bangladesh. We need friends – friends like Australia and Japan.

(Photo sourced from the bbc)

 

China is talking tough on corruption but what about India?

China is making headlines around the world today and it’s not because of its growing economic clout but because of its growing intolerance towards corruption. Yeah, one should not compare India and China, because the main difference between the two countries is in it’s governance. We are a democratic nation and right now have a coalition government with partners that need to be pleased. China on the other hand can do whatever she wants, but still I cannot help comparing because corruption is a subject close to my heart.

China has actually sacked almost 100,000 members of the Communist Party for corruption! Whew. A hundred thousand! Here sacking even one person raises such a storm!
A quote from a Business Week article:

Gan Yisheng, vice secretary of the party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, told a news conference that 97,260 members of Communist Party were punished, and that more than 80 percent of them took bribes and violated the party’s financial and economic rules…the cases include China’s former top statistician Qiu Xiaohua, who is accused of taking bribes and having more than one wife. Besides Qiu, the other high-profile case that stunned Chinese political circles was the arrest last year of Shanghai’s former Communist Party chief Chen Liangyu, detained in a pension fund scandal that has ensnared more than a dozen officials and business executives.

Well, our approach in India appears quite lame compared to this. An approach I guess in tune with a democracy?? We have committees and panels and thats how it all begins. In fact, just a few days ago a part of the report of the government appointed Reforms Commission headed by Congress leader Veerappa Moily was released.  Moily has been busy trying to spearhead all kinds of reforms in the Government and this includes Ethics in governance. A quote:

In a slew of recommendations aimed at introducing a generous dose of ethics in governance, the Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) has pushed for constitutional amendments to bar mid-stream realignment of parties in a coalition, let the President decide on defections and empower citizens to file cases to recover loss of public money due to corruption.
It has also made out a case against the “peculiar” practice of the judiciary playing a singularly important role in appointing judges and backed the demand for a National Judicial Council with powers to appoint and remove judges

Sound really good doesn’t it? But are these recommendations going to see the light of day? We know how easily recommendations that don’t suit the government are set aside, like the recommendations of the National Knowledge Commission on the Reservation Policy. And as the news report goes on to say:

This is the Commission’s fourth report to the government; there has been no official word on the fate of the previous three. The reports, commissioned by the department of administrative reforms, have been sent to the ministries concerned for their comments. Monday’s report will have to go through this process too.

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry!

 

War and Peace …

Walking past the bodies of Iraqi soldiers, a member of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team asks quitely, “Why do we do these things to one another?”

2004 – Pulitzer Prize – Breaking News Photography

2005 – Pulitzer Prize – Breaking News Photography

 

2002 – Pulitzer Prize – Breaking News Photography

 

 

I was quite overwhelmed by the magnitude of these photos, I just couldnt write anything. Visit the links for a description on each of the photos

Pic Courtesy – The Pulitzer Prizes

More Photos at – [jerry@Freedom:~]#

 

Youngest CEO wants to move base to India

People can’t stop talking about the phenomenal success of Suhas Gopinath, the world’s youngest CEO. This twenty year old runs Globals Inc which is based in Silicon Valley and has offices in 11 countries. Well, few know that this youngster wants to move base to India even though he has had some bad experiences here.

As a boy of 14 when he was refused permission to register his company by the government of India because he was too young. That was why he had to go to California…and soon came to known as the world’s youngest CEO. 

It is not just the Indian government who was doubtful of his capabilities. Indian companies too had little faith  in him.  Says Gopinath:

At 14, when I opened my first portal and started offering IT services. I sent emails to various companies to offer my services. Indian companies didn’t show much interest, but a US based company sent visa and tickets for me. They offered me a job. It was a tempting offer for a middle class boy like me. But I never wanted to settle down in the US and become an NRI. I told them I wanted to be an independent entrepreneur. I opened my own company here with their back up and took help of a friend in the US. Now my company does the same work for them that they wanted me to do,” says Mr CEO who names Michael Dell and Bill Gates as his idols.

And this year Gopinath is doing something that has again caused a disapproving eyebrow to be raised in India – he is all set on opening a branch in Lahore, Pakistan, by September this year. He has already held discussions with the Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. Apparently Indian companies are not allowed to set up shop in Pakistan…but then Global Inc is not an Indian company…at least not yet. 

Oddly enough, Gopinath holds no grudges against the Indian government or India for giving him a hard time. He recounts an humiliating experience he had once with humour…when a security guard in India refused to let him enter a conference where he was supposed to address the top CEO’s of Bangalore. 

Actually we shouldn’t be too suprised at this patriot’s intentions to shift to India. Inspite of setting up a successful company at such a tender age, he remains an idealist at heart. This was the same kid who turned down an offer from a Fortune 500 company which had offered him a $ 2000 weekly pay cheque, a chauffer-driven car and an apartment!

I sincerely wish that all those who left India give her another chance. Come back with a forgiving attitude. India is going to open up a whole new world of opportunities in the coming years and there is a lot of work to be done. India needs people like you. Those who have seen how the world works.  

 

Were the sub-continent’s political princesses like Hillary?

It was interesting to read this in an online US newspaper called Sp Times. Talking about Hillary Rodham Clinton as a future President the paper noted: 

But in this area at least, the United States is behind the times. Britain, Pakistan and many other countries have had female presidents or prime ministers.

I am sure that there are others in the United States who are thinking along these lines. I know that in India some people think this way. After all, this is one aspect where we in India are miles ahead of America. We may have a poor record where womens’ rights are concerned, but if a woman is capable and strong then she can rise to great heights, at least in politics! In American politics, even if the woman is capable, she hits a glass ceiling…finally. Becoming President in America has been a pipe dream for women…until now. 
Now, that is not my view…just a brief account of the conversation I overheard today as we sat in a restaurant. While I too would just love to pat my own country on the back, I know I can’t. The truth is too glaring for me to ignore. 
Let us see who these women leaders from India and her neighbouring countries really are and how they got there:

India: We all know who our Indira was. The daughter of Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister. And Sonia Gandhi, from India’s ‘first family’ almost became a Prime Minister too! She would indeed have become one if she had not been an Italian Indian. Nehru’s grand-daughter-in-law lost her chance because of her ethnicity.
Sri Lanka: The world’s first woman Prime Minister, Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike, also happened to be the wife of an ex-Sri Lankan Prime Minister (Solomon Bandaranaike) and the mom of Sri Lanka’s third President Chandrika Kumaratunga.
Bangladesh: The late dictator of this country Zia ur Rahman left behind a widow called Khaleda Zia and she got her chance to rule the country. And Hasina Wajed? She became the Prime Minister of Bangladesh because she was the daughter of Mujibur Rahman, the first president of the country.
Pakistan: Benazir Bhutto was the daughter of the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Not an exhaustive list by any means. I can think of more home-grown women like Laloo’s wife who governed Bihar after her husband and MGR’s (ex-Chief Minister) protege Jayalalitha…but well, I just wanted to make a point. Which is that these women didn’t get to where they were on their own. Sure, they might be highly capable women, in fact I am quite sure they were, but would they have got to these positions unless they came from a family where their husbands and fathers were political leaders? The truth is that they never had to try and break the glass ceiling. They were already above it. It is possible to argue that men too benefit from a political pedigree (like Rajiv Gandhi did) but there are certainly more men who have become political leaders without their wives and mothers being so.

The question is: Even if we talk of just the political arena, how many women in India who are not political princesses can even hope to becoming the Prime Minister? Ironically, when it comes to Hillary, we can ask ourselves: Would she have got to where she was if it wasn’t for Bill Clinton? I feel she may not have…but Margaret Thatcher of the UK got to where she was entirely on her own…so I guess Britian has something to be proud of.