50 Days - ACT NOW!

50 Days.

50 days have passed since 26/11, a blatant violation of a sovereign India and the ideas she stands for.
Increasingly it is clear, that Pakistan has been equivocating all the time and terror is a key instrument of their state polity and policy. All we have been witnessing is stalling, fudging and denials using semantics, and Oscar Worthy performances of injured innocence from a pathetic cast of cardboard crew.

Pakistan shall do as is its wont.

The pertinent question before India and Indians is: What do we, as a nation do now ?

Let us admit that we have carried our vain Nehruvian follies too far, and also acknowledge the fact that Pakistan is a hostile neighbour that is at war with us even if by unconventional means.

The state policies in Pakistan are unlikely to change towards any known benchmarks of civilization any time soon. It is a long way off from economic or socio-political stability and needs an external threat to string together its notion of nationhood and if that can weave in Islam too, so much the better since they then have a connect with Jinnah and his rationale for their nationhood. Kashmir or any issue handy would do very well, thank you.

What would a country do when at war with another?

Cease all exchanges, diplomatic, trade, cultural and raise its defences.

The defences that we need to build up in this kind of conflict would need to be built around predicting, preventing and also remedying terror. This means a completely different level of sensing, equipping, training of forces and military and political leadership.

Let us also recognize that the Taliban and Al-Qaeda stand just 450 Kilometres from Srinagar (NOT the border or LOC ) and that is a very small distance from an unconventional and toxic enemy that has the ability to recruit, arm, support and propel fighting units into our territory in any guise.
The talk of any let up in Kashmir is plain stupidity on our part.

This malignant force is fully capable of displacing civil administration in Pakistan with active collusion of state forces in any part of Pakistan and is not bound by any conventional limitations.

Let us also not discount their willing accessories in Pakistan and India in the form of the underworld and the other anti national forces operating on the principle of enemy's enemy being a friend.

Let us also recognize another key force multiplier readily available to this enemy.

The Indian underworld with is epicentre in Mumbai is an ardent facilitator of no ordinary means, that makes things possible for them. It enjoys a very high level of political patronage in India, which is obvious from the fact that we have been utterly unsuccessful in extraditing or taking out Dawood and his henchmen who remain safely ensconced in the same neighbourhood as Mr.Zardari and his gang in Karachi.

Not only that, they still manage to control a crew in Mumbai, what should essentially be hostile territory for them. It is plain common sense that these desperadoes are able to do so only because they are secure in the knowledge that they have an umbrella over them.

Isn't it ludicrous that Indian intelligence and security forces are unable to drive mortal fear into these operatives when they can easily do so for other citizens of this country? The identities of these key operatives are well known to the law enforcers who in other cases can be a law unto themselves.

Contrast this with the retrieval of Nazi war criminals by Israel from all corners in the world when it counted and subjecting them to trials in Israel.

The focus of common citizens of this country needs to be decriminalizing the politics of our country and getting rid of these hyenas who protect these desperadoes, through the ballot. This is going to be the acid test for us as ordinary Indians this coming poll.

The media needs to play a very important role in asking the right questions without fear or favour to help the public identify these treacherous individuals in the guise of politicians and public servants, who for their vested interest have been nurturing these criminals.

This is the clear and present danger.

No longer can we abdicate our responsibility and expect the rest of the system to deliver what they have been encouraging either by omission or commission for all these years.

As for dealing with Pakistan, let us not allow it to occupy undeserved mind space and
Just deal with it as we would with an enemy until it shows any serious intent of following a policy of mutual respect and accepts internationally accepted norms for responsible nations as the benchmark for its conduct.

Supporting civil movements in uncivil countries in no ones obligation and cannot be demanded as a divine right. Let them do the right things before acting righteous.

Let us also deliver a brief but mighty reminder that we shall support our intentions with actions and deliver justice to them at their doorstep if forces inimical to peace choose to engage us or our anywhere in the world through violence.
Justice too needs a calling card when the other party is deaf and delinquent.

Terror and 2009

Our neighbors on each border espouse varying degree of hostility to us a s a nation.
The change in dispensation augurs well for a resolution on the east.
While we may talk about this being aided and abetted by forces that have a rabid anti India posture we need to examine and calibrate our approach to relationships with each of these nations with whom we were in step not so long ago and understand why they should now be indifferent if not insidious to our security concerns
Is there something about us that threatens them or are there other reasons for us to take a good long look in the mirror?
Is there something that makes them see us unlike we perceive ourselves, a liberal, peaceful, fun loving, compassionate and accommodating people whose leadership is often willing to do foolhardy acts of charity in the hope of being seen as statesmen.
It does sound a bit cowardly to raise such issues at a time when we should have been pounding targets in Pakistan that are the cradle to a vicious lunatics who are threatened by peoples' ability to make their own choices.
Nevertheless we would also have to examine these aspects of the problem simultaneously and if we in our rise to a greater global impact and sidestep the kind of moronic mistakes that the US seems to have a penchant for.
Most of what we are fighting today is the fruit of these two naieve approaches.
What are the principles that must govern our foreign policy and indeed our domestic choices in the way we govern ourselves?
The results of mistaking tactic and strategy for principles are there for all of us to see.
The certainity that is obvious is that change is urgently needed.
Let us ask ourselves these questions singularly and collectively.
The answers are too important to put off for tomorrow.

What is right with our world - why do we shy from talking about it?

It is clear that the only real weapon against terror is liberalism.
Nothing embodies liberalism better than our proud nation.
Eight thriving religions, that co-exist, mostly with respect for each other.

Mutual respect is the prescription that lets a thousand flowers bloom and sorely missing in today’s world.
The fact is that the Indian muslim population represents a significant number of the global muslim population.
Also that side from perhaps Turkey, the only muslims that have experienced life in a liberal democracy.

This is a model that needs to be seen heard and experienced by the rest of the muslim world.
Often people living in closed environments cannot envision another paradigm, since they know no other than their own.
The best bet perhaps is for the world to hear from Indian muslims about the fundamental freedoms that they enjoy under the Indian constitution.
No matter how flawed they may look, it is more than any of the others have know or believed possible.
Let us not forget to talk about what we have done right , there are anyway enough people who wont let you forget what went wrong.
As they say nothing can stop an idea.
Its time has come.

What do we do now?

Here is what I think are our best options:

01.Cease all diplomatic and any kind of relations with Pakistan NOW.
02.Let the Pakistani people sort out their internal problems one way or another - it isn't our divine duty to help those who can't help themselves, Even god doesn't.Fortify ourselves and address our security issues immediately , while treating Pakistan as a hostile nation who has declared war on us.We could learn lessons on this from the US and others who have successfully precluded these since 9/11
03.Make sure that we eradicate the underworld threat in India which will deprive such fractricidal forces from a fertile playground. Choke their money flows and the drug trade by going for its jugular.
04.Call Pakistan's bluff by letting US deal with the Terror camps - let us not be distraction and also allay our friend's Nuclear trepidations

Malodorous Cocktail

The bestselling sleaze cocktail that was concocted and perfected in the bar that is Maharashtra Politics by a rogues gallery of chief ministers between crime, business and politics has now spilled across the tableau of India. It has also gone malodorous and is choking the nostrils of the political masters in Delhi who turned a blind eye for their own ends.
Just like criminalization of politics marginalized he politicians themselves in India, the politicians in Pakistan now stand marginalized by their terror proteges.
The harvest season is here.
The tragedy is that the bill is always footed by the average citizen of these nations who is artless to the ways of these rapacious rascals.
If there are any sane or well intentioned leaders around and indeed capable of action the time for a purge is now.
If there are none, as i fear, god save this country.
While the people will eventually triumph, as good always trumps evil, in good measure if not completely, the transition is neither painless nor self propelled.
The time that this transformation will take is indeed going to be proportionate to the price that we are willing to pay in terms of personal and social change.
Now is the time for deep introspection and getting out of the victim mentality and resolute action.
Are we still going to sit on the sidelines and wait for an angel in white to appear while we curse the cussed?
Or are we going to decide to sully our hands and pick up the shovel and go to work?
Are we going to ask righteous and intelligent questions and pump up the rhetoric or speak to the conscience and fight the good fight?
Are we going to retire or inspire?
Loving is a lot of work, more so when you love a country and not just an individual.
Let us consign to the dustbin or history these un-worthies that are hectoring us about their righteousness from their pulpits in New Delhi that have Z+ security rings, shielded by our brightest and best sons and daughters, while their own are busy gracing the Page-3 circuits secure in their pompous pedigree.
The toil is going to be long and hard, tears will flow sometimes in agony and other times in joy.
Self doubt will gnaw at us when we pause for rest and look behind on the distance we have covered but we must claw on forward.
Betrayals may happen again but then, but descend into the garbage heap round the corner we shall not.
We're made of sterner stuff.We are Indians.

Parents - Points to Ponder

The Outrage felt by Mr.Unnikrishnan and Mrs.Kavita Karkare is eminently justified and mirrored in our hearts.
Here is a pertinent question that we should be asking ourselves:
Karmbir Kang the Valiant GM at the Taj, Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Gajendra Singh , Hemant Karkare, Salaskar, Ashok Kamte et all.
We admire these people and thier extraordinary sense of purpose.
What do you think their parents inculcated in them for values?
Are we as parents consciously incubating the same ?
Wouldn't that be fitting homage to these awesome Indians?
What is your converstaion most often like? Are we indeed even in syncronicity with our children ?
That which we sow today, we shall harvest tommorrow.
The parents of these heroes surely understood this and how.
Step Back. Think.

Yes,we can

We now know from the Deshmukhs'
what it means when an Indian Politician says those three magic words

"Yes,we can"

Obama doesn't blink when he says them, Neither does the Indian Politico.
The Indian politico winks, "yes we can ;-)"

Isn't it time we threw these thugs out!
Pray - why must a minister in India also be an MP?
surely it isn't about caliber!
Redundant, time to change that.
Just like it is time to vote the head of government by direct voting, not by the parliamentarians.
Strip them of their power to swerve and empower them to serve.

The rape of a nation and its will

यह ५४२ ज़मींदार
जनादेश जिनके लिए वैश्या से अधिक कुछ नहीं
और संसद जिनका हरम है
बाहुबली जिनकी महफिल के साजिन्दे और पनवाडी हैं
जहाँ जनमत की अस्मत रोज़ फरोख्त होती है
कभी बाहर से और कभी भीतर के संबल के लिए
जहाँ सत्ता रोज़ अपने आशिक बदलती है
ग्राहक और दलाल रोज भूमिका बदलते हैं
इस अबला की इज्ज़त अगर बचानी है
तो इसका तिरस्कार रोकना होगा
चुनाव के नाम पर यह वेश्यागमन अगर रोकना है
तो सरकार का कर्ता सीधे और दो-टूक चुना जाना होगा
कुर्सी को द्रौपदी बनाने वालों के पाखंड का चीर हरना होगा
उन्नी के पिता ने राह पर कदम भरा है
पगड़ी पत्नी ने करकरे की बचाई है
भारत मां को इन व्याभिचारिओं के शोषण से बचाना है
तो संसद का स्वरुप ही बदलना होगा
दरिद्र को फिर से नारायण बनाना होगा

Wake up and smell the coffee!

A letter outlining a roadmap sent out by a business assciate and a friend and above all a concerned Indian: Manish Dhanuka

Dear All,

If Indian government really cares for the Indians and if it has any pride left, then this is the time to react. If USA can react and bomb Afghanistan and Pak borders in retaliation to the terror strikes in their country, India should immediately send a sortie of 50 Jet fighters and bomb all training camps of LeT and Jaish e Mohd, in PoK. I am confident that International community will understand the situation right now.

This will clearly give a message to the terror organisations also. We are willing to sacrifice more lives and we are willing to take more terror strikes but not without retaliation. This is a war like situation and the government must act. I suggest the following immediate measures to be taken by the government.

1. Air strikes on all the training camps, destroy them completely.

2. Use the technology, keep a close surveillance on the suspect locations in Pakistan through satellite surveillance.

3. Immediately incorporate an (Anti terror Security Organisation controlled by the Central Govt.) to be headed by the chosen officers from the Army, Navy and Air force. This organisation to have few hundred commandos ready at all times in all 25 major cities of India. This group to have power to order any state police officer including the commissioner of police. All CISF personnel guarding the security of Air Ports to be under the control of this organisation. The officers of this organization to be deployed in plain clothes at all key locations in major cities.

4. All Police stations in the country to have computerized central data storage mechanism, just like the ports. All intelligence data on the FIRs and reports to be easily accessible to the security forces.

Regards,

Manish Dhanuka

क्या जीतोगे तुम?

क्या जीतोगे तुम हमसे?
कैसे जीतोगे तुम उस राष्ट्र से
जिस मां की बेटियाँ जनती हैं
सलस्कर, कामते, करकरे
गजेन्द्र, संदीप, करमबीर
और वे जो उत्सर्ग करते हैं अनाम ही
और गिने भी नहीं जाते
जो अपने और पराये का भी नहीं करते भेद
तुम क्या उजाडोगे उस मां की कोख
तुम दशानन सही
कैसे लडोगे सत्व को पूजने वाली सभ्यता से
यह नहीं है धर्म की लड़ाई
जिसका तुम ढोल बजाते रहते हो
तुम बस थक गए हो और तुममे नहीं है आग वो
जो भीख से ले जाए तुम्हे श्री की ओर
कटोरों पे बसर करने वाले हो तुम कर्म से अजनबी
वासना और वांछा को पूजने वालों
तुम्हारा कोई राष्ट्र नहीं,कोई समाज नहीं हो सकता
न तुम किसी समाज को कुछ दे सकते हो
कहाँ है शक्ति तुममे कुछ देने या पाने की

Mumbai,Mayhem,

कनक कनक ते मादकता अधिकाय....
जो अब भी तुमहरा खून नहीं खौलता तो वो पानी है
थक नहीं जाते तुम औरों के उत्सर्ग की फसल काटके अपने वंश का खलिहान भरते भरते ?
कैसे हो तुम रहनुमा कि मां तुम्हारी लजा गयी
जब वोह रंग गया उसकी छाती
अतिथिओं और बंधुओं के खून से
कन्दाहर से मुंबई की राह वो तै कर गए
और तुम बस शब्दों के जाल उधेड़ते बुनते रहे
शरणागत की रक्षा में प्राणों का सहर्ष तज जाते थे तुम्हारे ही अपने
पर बीज तुम्हारे स्वार्थ के अक्षय पात्र में रख छोडे हैं तुमने
भूल गए तुम कि राम भी यहीं जन्मा था और राजधर्म की भेंट सर्वस्व कर गया
तुम वहीँ हर ऋतू में नए मित्र ढूँढ लेते हो
धर्म और भद्रता का यह कैसा पाखंड है कि
अंतहीन है तुम्हारे मूल्यों की करवटें
और तुम अपने सपूतों के बलिदान को रुपयों में तोल देते हो हर बार
मुआयनों में जीवन का मुआवजा बाँट जाते हो
यह कैसी है तुम्हारी आत्मा
बोझ नहीं जिस पर भाई के रक्त की नदी में स्नान से भी होता
शर्म आती है मुझे की हमारी जननी एक है
भूख तुम्हारी अबूझ है मुझे ,कि संतान की चिता पर भी सेक लेते हो तुम अपनी रोटियां
कैसा है भोला मेरा भाई जो तुम्हे सौंप देता है अपना मुस्तकबिल हर बार
कैसें हैं वोह सपूत जो रामायण पढ़े हैं
और फ़र्ज़ जान कर तुम्हारी शिखंडियों को अपना अतिथि स्वीकार लेते हैं
याचक नहीं समझ लेना जो उसने
श्रद्धा के फूल रख दिए तुम्हारे दामन में
यह बस एक मौका है
जान अपनी तुम्हारे ईमान के हवाले कर के वो जो तुम्हे दे गये
अब न माँगना अपने भाई से उसके सब्र का इम्तिहान
या उसकी सादा दिली का सबूत
अब कुछ है नहीं खो देने या पा जाने को उसके पास
स्वाभिमान और सम्मान ही का है मूल उसका
आजादियों और सरहदों का छलावा अब नहीं निगलेंगे यह लोग
और उतना नहीं है ओज तुझमे
सत्व कि परीक्षा जो इस मासूम की ले सके
आँख मिलाएगा, तो जल जाएगा तू
मां के दूध का क़र्ज़ अब अदा कर
बहुत हो गया चूहे बिल्ली का खेल अब
अब और जब्त की उम्मीद न कर
क्योंकि तेरी न सही निर्लज्ज,
यह मेरी मां का दामन है जो आज भीग गया

Cricket-What after winning in Australia?

Now that we have won a watershed victory in Australia and unequivocally announced our arrival as a Cricket Playing Nation and also a Cricket Paying Nation, it is time to ask some important questions off ourselves.

Australia in Cricket, and the US in other areas of endeavor have sufficiently demonstrated what rampaging, irresponsible victors can do to their professions and themselves.

No question that India is on the ascendant in Cricket and its administration and so shall we tread the same path or shall we strive make things better?

Humility in victory and in power could do a world of good to the sport and to each one of us who either play or enjoy cricket.

That Cricket is funded by India for the most part globally, could either be wielded as a sword or an opportunity to serve.

Those who live by the sword die by the sword, or shall I say sledge.

Leadership of the cricket playing fraternity is now ours, and so let us exercise it with great care and self discipline.

We therefore need to discern what we covet more, the sport or the power of running or ruining it.

Let us not therefore grind old axes lying in the shed of history but go beyond and look at enhancing the game and restore sportsmanship to it. Leading by example is the only way to lead in the true sense and servant leadership its highest form.

That said, we must also realize that we have as a tendency to be too thin skinned and react emotionally to issues and often lose out on issues when encountered with the least bit of frustration. We could begin by accepting that principles, Strategy and tactics are three individual concepts and don’t always appear to work coherently in the short run. Eventually principled approaches win. It is important to be right, but seldom wise to be righteous when dealing with others. Let us not be preachy and yet let us strive to reach principled goals by carrying others with us whatever strategy and tactics may need us to do to achieve these ends.

Clearly it would need acuity and pragmatism and not just crusading zeal to persevere over the vested interests of the current power centers in the sport. So strategy, tactics and timing would play an important role. And yes we can’t stop sledging and start losing matches to uncivil teams in the short run, not until we have created a climate where sledging is looked down upon. Much like what happened with smoking, going from being perceived as Macho to just plain silly. Not smoking is now a viable option. Just the same as we cant start sledging teams that usually don’t sledge just because we have learnt a new art and need to perfect it.

Where do we begin? It might be a great start to involve more cricketers in the administration. Let us realize that professionalism and sporting abilities are not mutually exclusive and familiarity with the trade only enhances professionalism. We today have a spectacle in our cricketing administration that completely ignores walking-the-talk and it suffices to just talk-the-talk. Should the current crop of administrators really love the game as much as they beat their breasts about it they would not hesitate to co-opt cricketers with wise heads into the management of the sport.

Do steer clear of the inane, weathercock, news channel experts that we are faced with night after night.

To sum up, discretion is the better part of valor. Always has been and always will be.