Truth shall prevail

The noose is ever so slowly tightening.

Under arrest:
1. DSP K G Erda

On the Run
1. Inspector V S Gohil

Anticipatory Bail
1. Gujarat Education Minister Mayaben Kodnani
2. Former Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Jaideep Patel

It is time that Mr. Modi becomes answerable to a few pertinent questions.

1. Does he believe in the Indian constitution and consequently the judiciary? (Y/N)
2. If NO, does he have the mandated authority to occupy the high office of Gujarat Chief Ministership that he has for so long adorned, and adorned rather fabulously well.
3. If YES, what is his reply to the findings of the Gujarat High Court which has ruled that the Godhra incident, which killed 59, was not an act of terror.

The court on Thursday, Feb 12, 2009, upheld the POTA review committee's findings, which concluded there was no planned conspiracy in Godhra and that the incident was the result of the sudden provocation between passengers and vendors.

The court has categorically stated that it finds "the incident falling short of an act of terror."

_______________________________________________

Apr 28, 2009

http://avkoshy.blogspot.com/2009/04/godhra-on-eve-of-elections.html

_______________________________________________

Feb 27, 2011

http://avkoshy.blogspot.com/2011/02/godhra-potboiler.html

_______________________________________________

Apr 22, 2011

1. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article1718407.ece?homepage=true

2. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/what-did-modi-say-at-the-feb-27-2002-meet/149944-3.html

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"Maryada Thekedars"

I strongly oppose the morality brigade that is out to keep a check on the moral code of people who live in independent, democratic, republic of India and petition the Government of Karnataka to take the strictest action action against these hooligans.

India has always been a pluralistic state that has welcomed everybody with open arms. The Jews, the Christians, the Muslims, the Zoroastrians, the Parsis, the Baha'is, they all have been welcomed and they have shown their gratitude by seamlessly integrating themselves in the pluralistic fabric of India in the best manner possible.

Of course, it has not been a complete assimilation. However, that has only proved to be a thing of beauty than otherwise.

The government of the day is voted in to pursue and implement political policies that do good to the populace. They have a legal framework and an executive to ensure that the laws that they frame are honoured by the population. Nobody, absolutely nobody, has the right to take law into his own hands and dispense justice as s/he feels fit.

The Mangalore incident is an absolutely abhorrent act that I condemn in the strongest manner possible. I, as a citizen of this country, hereby requests the courts to take suo moto action against these moronic hooligans and not to let them go to jail. Instead they should be asked to work on any socially relevant cause and the proceeds of the same should be disbursed to the ladies who had to go through that horrific incidents.

If the perpetrators of the crime are made to go to jail, it will only add to their sense of pseudo-causeism. Instead they should be made to pay for their misdemeanours in a manner that thrusts into their meagre brains the fact that their conduct was not only foolish but also at a great cost to themselves.

In addition to the litany of charges that can be filed against them, I also propose the following:
1. Complete debarment of holding any public office.
2. Complete and comprehensive withholding / revoking of driving license.
3. 1 year compulsory duty at an old-age home.

Splitting hairs on Slumdog millionaire

Imagine! SM sullying the image of Brand India!! What could be more nonsensical than that!

Are the detractors of the movie trying ot state that the Brand India that we have was created in some obscure cinema set in Mumbai? If it was not created there, how can it be wrecked there?

Though I fully understand that imaging as a "brand enhancer" is a valid concept, it only works when the underlying product is good. Conversely, if India is a soaring country, no amount of bad mouthing (which SM indeed does not) will do it any worse!

And still, if there are people who are going to perceive India through the cinematic eyes of SM, I can only tell them to have a life. They dont mean anything either to me or to Brand India!

As an Indian, I have substantial stake in Brand India. But I also have the wisdom to understand and differentiate between cinematic excellence and economic fundamentals. And I care precisely three hoots for those who cant care about the difference!

Antulay - actually, WHY we need an apology

It is unfortunate that we as a country are becoming an extremely intolerant society. While it is true that the three officers who were part of the ATS were actually killed by the terrorists, what Mr. Antulay is asking needs to be heard out. If he had alleged that the officers were NOT killed by the terrorists who came from the sea, I think he should have been unequivocally and IMMEDIATELY sacked from all posts that he was holding on Govt pleasure. On the other hand, if he asked for a probe into the three officers who were killed, it may not need to be sanctioned, but also it gives nobody a right to ask for his scalp.

It cannot be denied that the three officers who were killed were the same officers who were probing the Malegaon blasts. It certainly was unfortunate that all the three officers had to be killed by the terrorists? Cant a Central minister ask for a probe in such a situation?

In all the news items that I have scanned, I have only heard him say that the reason why they were going towards Cama Hospital needs to be investigated.

If Mr. Antulay needs to offer an unconditional apology, it should be for casting aspersions on the entire police force of Mumbai regarding the death of Karkare, by his stupid and insensitive rant, not for actually asking the question.

There does not seem to be a reason for this rabid mongering except the fact that he is a minister, a Muslim, and part of the UPA establishment. Which really is a pity.

Democracy as a victim

It is unfortunate that we as a country are becoming an extremely intolerant society. While it is true that the three officers who were part of the ATS were actually killed by the terrorists, what Mr. Antulay is asking needs to be heard out. If he is alleging that the officers were NOT killed by the terrorists who came from the sea, I think he needs to be unequivocally and IMMEDIATELY be sacked from all posts that he is currently holding on Govt pleasure. On the other hand, if he is asking as to why these three officers were going towards the Cama Hospital, where there were relatively less "happening" than at Taj, Oberoi or the Nariman House, then I think he needs to be listened to.

Who send these officers there? I remember that on the day this carnage occurred, there were some dimwits who suspected these three officers of playing to the gallery by posing for photographers in their bullet proof vests before joining the hunt for these terrorists. They had obviously already received news of the attack. The question that Mr. Antulay is asking is, "Why Cama Hospital"

I am absolutely sure that there could be a perfectly reasonable answer for the same.

But does that mean that the minister cannot phrase a question that begs asking, at least as of today, without having the "mobocracy" descend on him asking for his scalp?

There does not seem to be a reason for this rabid mongering except the fact that he is a minister, a Muslim, and part of the UPA establishment. Which is a pity.

Lest we forget Mumbai - Series. Vol1 Iss1

The first in the series of work commemorating the life and events at Mumbai during the 26/11 carnage.

Heroes At The Taj

Michael Pollack 12.01.08, 7:40 PM ET

My story begins innocuously, with a dinner reservation in a world-class hotel. It ends 12 hours later after the Indian army freed us.

My point is not to sensationalize events. It is to express my gratitude and pay tribute to the staff of the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, who sacrificed their lives so that we could survive. They, along with the Indian army, are the true heroes that emerged from this tragedy.

My wife, Anjali, and I were married in the Taj's Crystal Ballroom. Her parents were married there, too, and so were Shiv and Reshma, the couple with whom we had dinner plans. In fact, my wife and Reshma, both Bombay girls, grew up hanging out and partying the night away there and at the Oberoi Hotel, another terrorist target.

The four of us arrived at the Taj around 9:30 p.m. for dinner at the Golden Dragon, one of the better Chinese restaurants in Mumbai. We were a little early, and our table wasn't ready. So we walked next door to the Harbor Bar and had barely begun to enjoy our beers when the host told us our table was ready. We decided to stay and finish our drinks.

Thirty seconds later, we heard what sounded like a heavy tray smashing to the ground. This was followed by 20 or 30 similar sounds and then absolute silence. We crouched behind a table just feet away from what we now knew were gunmen. Terrorists had stormed the lobby and were firing indiscriminately.

We tried to break the glass window in front of us with a chair, but it wouldn't budge. The Harbour Bar's hostess, who had remained at her post, motioned to us that it was safe to make a run for the stairwell. She mentioned, in passing, that there was a dead body right outside in the corridor. We believe this courageous woman was murdered after we ran away.

(We later learned that minutes after we climbed the stairs, terrorists came into the Harbour Bar, shot everyone who was there and executed those next door at the Golden Dragon. The staff there was equally brave, locking their patrons into a basement wine cellar to protect them. But the terrorists managed to break through and lob in grenades that killed everyone in the basement.)

We took refuge in the small office of the kitchen of another restaurant, Wasabi, on the second floor. Its chef and staff served the four of us food and drink and even apologized for the inconvenience we were suffering.

Through text messaging, e-mail on BlackBerrys and a small TV in the office, we realized the full extent of the terrorist attack on Mumbai. We figured we were in a secure place for the moment. There was also no way out.

At around 11:30 p.m., the kitchen went silent. We took a massive wooden table and pushed it up against the door, turned off all the lights and hid. All of the kitchen workers remained outside; not one staff member had run.

The terrorists repeatedly slammed against our door. We heard them ask the chef in Hindi if anyone was inside the office. He responded calmly: "No one is in there. It's empty." That is the second time the Taj staff saved our lives.

After about 20 minutes, other staff members escorted us down a corridor to an area called The Chambers, a members-only area of the hotel. There were about 250 people in six rooms. Inside, the staff was serving sandwiches and alcohol. People were nervous, but cautiously optimistic. We were told The Chambers was the safest place we could be because the army was now guarding its two entrances and the streets were still dangerous. There had been attacks at a major railway station and a hospital.

But then, a member of parliament phoned into a live newscast and let the world know that hundreds of people--including CEOs, foreigners and members of parliament--were "secure and safe in The Chambers together." Adding to the escalating tension and chaos was the fact that, via text and cellphone, we knew that the dome of the Taj was on fire and that it could move downward.

At around 2 a.m., the staff attempted an evacuation. We all lined up to head down a dark fire escape exit. But after five minutes, grenade blasts and automatic weapon fire pierced the air. A mad stampede ensued to get out of the stairwell and take cover back inside The Chambers.

After that near-miss, my wife and I decided we should hide in different rooms. While we hoped to be together at the end, our primary obligation was to our children. We wanted to keep one parent alive. Because I am American and my wife is Indian, and news reports said the terrorists were targeting U.S. and U.K. nationals, I believed I would further endanger her life if we were together in a hostage situation.

So when we ran back to The Chambers I hid in a toilet stall with a floor-to-ceiling door and my wife stayed with our friends, who fled to a large room across the hall.

For the next seven hours, I lay in the fetal position, keeping in touch with Anjali via BlackBerry. I was joined in the stall by Joe, a Nigerian national with a U.S. green card. I managed to get in touch with the FBI, and several agents gave me status updates throughout the night.

I cannot even begin to explain the level of adrenaline running through my system at this point. It was this hyper-aware state where every sound, every smell, every piece of information was ultra-acute, analyzed and processed so that we could make the best decisions and maximize the odds of survival.

Was the fire above us life-threatening? What floor was it on? Were the commandos near us, or were they terrorists? Why is it so quiet? Did the commandos survive? If the terrorists come into the bathroom and to the door, when they fire in, how can I make my body as small as possible? If Joe gets killed before me in this situation, how can I throw his body on mine to barricade the door? If the Indian commandos liberate the rest in the other room, how will they know where I am? Do the terrorists have suicide vests? Will the roof stand? How can I make sure the FBI knows where Anjali and I are? When is it safe to stand up and attempt to urinate?

Meanwhile, Anjali and the others were across the corridor in a mass of people lying on the floor and clinging to each other. People barely moved for seven hours, and for the last three hours they felt it was too unsafe to even text. While I was tucked behind a couple walls of marble and granite in my toilet stall, she was feet from bullets flying back and forth. After our failed evacuation, most of the people in the fire escape stairwell and many staff members who attempted to protect the guests were shot and killed.

The 10 minutes around 2:30 a.m. were the most frightening. Rather than the back-and-forth of gunfire, we just heard single, punctuated shots. We later learned that the terrorists went along a different corridor of The Chambers, room by room, and systematically executed everyone: women, elderly, Muslims, Hindus, foreigners. A group huddled next to Anjali was devout Bori Muslims who would have been slaughtered just like everyone else, had the terrorists gone into their room. Everyone was in deep prayer and most, Anjali included, had accepted that their lives were likely over. It was terrorism in its purest form. No one was spared.

The next five hours were filled with the sounds of an intense grenade/gun battle between the Indian commandos and the terrorists. It was fought in darkness; each side was trying to outflank the other.

By the time dawn broke, the commandos had successfully secured our corridor. A young commando led out the people packed into Anjali's room. When one woman asked whether it was safe to leave, the commando replied: "Don't worry, you have nothing to fear. The first bullets have to go through me."

The corridor was laced with broken glass and bullet casings. Every table was turned over or destroyed. The ceilings and walls were littered with hundreds of bullet holes. Blood stains were everywhere, though, fortunately, there were no dead bodies to be seen.

A few minutes after Anjali had vacated, Joe and I peeked out of our stall. We saw multiple commandos and smiled widely. I had lost my right shoe while sprinting to the toilet so I grabbed a sheet from the floor, wrapped it around my foot and proceeded to walk over the debris to the hotel lobby.

Anjali and I embraced for the first time in seven hours in the Taj's ground floor entrance. I didn't know whether she was dead or injured because we hadn't been able to text for the past three hours.

I wanted to take a picture of us on my BlackBerry, but Anjali wanted us to get out of there before doing anything.

She was right--our ordeal wasn't completely over. A large bus pulled up in front of the Taj to collect us and, just about as it was fully loaded, gunfire erupted again. The terrorists were still alive and firing automatic weapons at the bus. Anjali was the last to get on the bus, and she eventually escaped in our friend's car. I ducked under some concrete barriers for cover and wound up the subject of photos that were later splashed across the media. Shortly thereafter, an ambulance came and drove a few of us to safety. An hour later, Anjali and I were again reunited at her parents' home. Our Thanksgiving had just gained a lot more meaning.

Some may say our survival was due to random luck, others might credit divine intervention. But 72 hours removed from these events, I can assure you only one thing: Far fewer people would have survived if it weren't for the extreme selflessness shown by the Taj staff, who organized us, catered to us and then, in the end, literally died for us.

They complemented the extreme bravery and courage of the Indian commandos, who, in a pitch-black setting and unfamiliar, tightly packed terrain, valiantly held the terrorists at bay.

It is also amazing that, out of our entire group, not one person screamed or panicked. There was an eerie but quiet calm that pervaded--one more thing that got us all out alive. Even people in adjacent rooms, who were being executed, kept silent.

It is much easier to destroy than to build, yet somehow humanity has managed to build far more than it has ever destroyed. Likewise, in a period of crisis, it is much easier to find faults and failings rather than to celebrate the good deeds. It is now time to commemorate our heroes.

Michael Pollack is a general partner of Glenhill Capital, a firm he co-founded in 2001.

Pakistan needs to look within

Pakistan has a twisted history, (which is again a misnomer, because what kind of a national history can 61 years produce?). That is a prime reason for the utter turmoil that ravages in its conscience.

When we studied history, we studied about the Indus Valley Civilization, the Harappan culture, the Golden period of the Guptas, the slave dynasty, the Mughals and then the British.

AND we can identify with the same even today.

Try being in a Pakistani teacher's shoes.

All these terms are equally applicable to their history too. And continuing in the vein, it would be natural for the curious-minded to find out what created Pakistan. To know that Pakistan exists only because of its religious identity would be too shallow a platform to build a nation (Well, yes. THAT is another misnomer) It is here that the deviousness kicks in. The anti-India rhetoric gets sown in the schools only a measure to prop Pakistan as a credible nation vis-a-vis India. After all India is the raison d'etre that a "Pak"istan had to emerge to counter the "Hindu"stan.

Anybody questioning such birth would be classified as a traitor, I believe. Add to this, the dismal financial condition and the vicious grip of the ISI and the army on the body polity of Pakistan, the menu for a terror harping neighbour is ready.

My thought is that there can be no peace in the region, until Pakistan comes to terms with its past. Not an easy thing to do since it can ignite seccesionist tendencies. :-(

Sanjay Dutt commented on the "Mumbai Carnage"

In the last three days, when our city was held hostage yet again by a bunch of terrorists, there were countless moments when I was reminded about the '93 serial blasts. And the serial train bombings of 2006.

After this massacre, the city will never be the same again. The drama that unfolded at the Taj Mahal [Images] Palace and Towers where innocent families were burnt to death and staffers shot by terrorists brought tears to my eyes. My colleague Ashish Chowdhry lost his sister and brother-in-law during the gun battle at the Oberoi Trident, and so did many others. But where is the solution? Can our government assure us our safety? I don't think so. The disasters come and go but the approach of our government stays the same.

Every day when I drive to Film City at Goregaon East to shoot for my films, I have this strange feeling. The car next to mine could be driven by some terrorists who can spray bullets at me. I don't mind admitting that I am scared. What kind of a democracy is this where Z-category security is given to VIPs and there are no attempts to safeguard the life and homes of common folks?

For how long will they let innocent people be persecuted for no fault of their own? There has been a blood-bath in the city. When will our VIPs understand that? Government officials should sit up and act now. We cannot continue to have such a haphazard approach to terrorism.

We haven't seen any heinous acts of terrorism being repeated in the US after the 9/11 attacks. Like them, why can't we take precautions to be safe rather than sorry? This episode was really the final nail on the coffin.

As responsible citizens we pay huge amounts of taxes every year, but our infrastructure and security systems show no signs of improvement yet. If this is how it's going to be, we should stop paying taxes.

My father Sunil Dutt was a member of the parliament and he couldn't achieve anything because he was the lone fighter when it came to improving the quality of life of people in this city. Now the government and citizens will have to unite in waging a war against terrorism.

As long as we are going to be threatened by some cold-blooded terrorists, we need to invest in equipping our cops with modern warfare training, equipments and ammunitions. We need to back our brave police officers and other security agencies. The heroism they have displayed during the last three days shows that they can match the best forces anywhere in the world.

Our brave-hearts from various security agencies have dealt with a bunch of killers who had rowed their way into the city. But now we have to deal with people who seek our votes.

As told to PEOPLE magazine's Sandipan Dalal

For Sanjay Dutt to be commenting is indeed brave! And commendable. As a revered priest of the Church once commented, "the difference betweena thief and I is that the thief was caught."

We all have times in our lives that we seek answers in rebellion to established authority. We are seeing such an act right now. There is understandable and sometimes even right reasons for such response. But when the time lapses, the wise sit down and formulate their future strategy so that the lessons learnt in a tragedy do not need to learned again.

There were reasons for Sanjay Dutt to have taken up arms, as heinous as the reasons were. He was caught. But the honourable court in its wisdom has seen it fit to leave Mr. Dutt with a mild sentence. Though I do not approve of the sentence, I would not rant against the court's judgement. But considering Mr. Dutt's post-Mumbai-riots behaviour, I am happy that the courts did as they did.

And the comments above are further evidence that Mr. Dutt does not contemplate taking law into his own hands, under trying circumstances.

It is a lesson to a lot among us to tighten our moral and ethical fabric so that we do not stumble or go wayward in our search for justice.

Propaganda, RSS and BJP style...

There is a concerted effort these days to hijack the thinking space on the cyberspace and Goebbelise certain "truths". Basically, there is a set pattern. (Now these are my assumptions, but very painstakingly probed)

The Hindu pseudo-nationalists (to make it more charitable, I could call them ultra-nationalists) are a bunch of elderly guys (assumable age 45-60) who are RSS fed and are presumably paid to write and doctrinate the readers of these fora into believing certain creeds:

1. Gandhi was the greatest error that happened to India. He basically tore Hindustan (prefer not to use India) into two-three pieces.
2. Taj Mahal is actually Tejo Mahal, an erstwhile Hindu temple which has been converted into a graveyard.
3. Nathuram Godse is actually a patriot.
4. All terrorists are Muslims, but all Muslims are not terrorists. (Not that they are very pleased about the fact. They would want it interchangeable for their agenda)
5. The secret agenda of Sonia Gandhi, the Italian, is to convert the whole of India to Christianity, under the yoke of Rome.
6. Congress is anti-national.
7. All ills of this country are the sole handiwork of Congress' misrule during the last 60 years.
8. BJP is the better of the political parties that can effectively lead the country, but Modi is the best.
9. Modi's brand of politics is the one that can leapfrog India to greatness.
10. Conversion in India can and is only happening through lure of money.

The points are many, and they are armed with statistics and data. Some of these data is pure drivel. For egs... one goes like this:

Indian Mujahideen, which has claimed responsibility for the bomb blasts in Bangalore,
Ahmedabad, Surat and Jaipur, has issued a manifesto in which it states that it is
"raising the illustrious banner of Jihad against the Hindus and all those who fight
and resist us, and have begun our revenge with the help and permission of
Allah—a terrifying revenge of our blood, our lives and our honour that will,
Insha Allah, terminate your (Hindu) survival on this land".
The manifesto also calls on the Hindus "to realize that the falsehood of
your 33 crore dirty and idols and the blasphemy of your deaf, dumb,
mute and naked idols of Ram, Krishna and Hanuman (words spelt in lower case)
are not all going to save your necks from being slaughtered by our hands."
Additionally the manifesto demands that Hindus change their attitudes lest
"another Ghauri shakes your foundations and lest another Ghaznavi massacre you,
proving your blood to be the cheapest of all mankind".

[Check the messageboard at http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/nov/07nanded-blast-accused-spill-the-truth.htm. (Rough message # 170 - 180)]

Some others are not so hair-raising. Sample this:

Hindus, as a minority community, cannot celebrate Durga Puja in southern Tripura, Meghalaya and
other Christian majority states of the east. Does the Constitution define minorities as only non-Hindus?
The savage islamic communalists riot, rape and rob at the most trivial pretext or context such as:
** hanging of Saddam Hussain in far away Iraq;
** cartoons drawn in distant Denmark;
** foul remarks of a xtn called Rev. Jerry Falwell;
** Satanic verses by frustrated muslim
** A piece of Land given to Hindu pilgrims for facilities by the govt in their own land
** when police arrest terrorists involved in crule acts of murder
** Riot over Durgapuja processions in Adilabad in AP causing death and destructions of property.
** Riots in Dhule, Maharashtra causing death and destructions of property
** Riots during ganesha processions in Bangalore.
** sixty Hindu pilgrims were burnt alive in the train by Mus ims of Godhra.
** Attack on BODO tribals and stealing their cattle.
** Kashmiri Pandits have been driven out from their own homeland.

[Check the messageboard at http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/nov/07nanded-blast-accused-spill-the-truth.htm. (Rough message # 170 - 180)]

Well, pardon the English. The idea, is seems is to generally confuse using the muddled language too. ;-D

Other sports are losing out to Cricket

Ever heard of Dhyan Chand, Leander Paes, Milkha Singh, Kunjurani Devi, Vishwanathan Anand, P T Usha, Michael Ferrera, Zafar Iqbal, Merwyn D'Souza, Shiny Abraham etc.

Give them and others one tenth of the support that cricket gets, they will give back stupendous returns.

Cricket thrives because as a nation we get a rallying point to beat our neighbours. It is played as a nation. It is always India vs. Pakistan or India vs. Australia. Football could not thrive simply because Pakistan never had a football team. But hockey had. And hockey lost out because of giant idiots at the helm of its affairs who thought they could revive hockey through mouth-to-mouth resuscitation while what the team wanted was full scale nutrition.

And is it not curious that we never did well in squash while Pakistan had World champions.

India, on the other hand, did "relatively" well in athletics, but unfortunately athletics does not stir our "patriotic" , or to be more accurate "jingoistic" zeal. After all, eight athletes in eight different lanes is hardly a "war". Win or lose, how does it matter. Oh, polite clapping will always be there. Remember the reception V Anand - received after he became the World Champion. contrast that with the welcome the Indian T20 got after their World Cup win.

Truly, we do not know how to respect our valiant achievers. Whether it be in sports or in war. Simple.

What right, brother, do you have to tell me not to say that Jesus is the only way?

Hi Dheeraj,

But of course Jesus is the only way. And I, though I am no "evangelist" will continue to say it. You are fully free not to hear it or to ascribe me and and my supposed rantings as that of a mad man.

But the beauty of living in this absolutely wonderful, great and free country is that I can propagate what I believe in.

But were I to go around offering inducements to my fellow citizens, to convert to my religion for a "fee", you could cheerfully kick the shit out me and I wouldn't complain.

All monotheistic religions are built on that fundamental pillar. Dont ask them to stop believing it. Conversely, you have all the right in the world to continue in your religion or to convert to one that you choose. Is not that what democracy is all about?

When you pontificate that "one should not say Jesus is the only way, only God and so on..." you are no better than the one you are preaching to?

To preach from a moral high ground, you need to create one.

Points to Ponder for the Leftists sympathizers

Nandigram has turned into the Godhra of West Bengal. But the die-hard communist cringes at the equation. A few posers for the left sympathizers.

1. West Bengal is ruled by CPI(M).
2. It is the constitutional duty of the government to safeguard the honour, life and property of ALL its citizens.
3. From the 3rd of January 2007, when an unholy nexus of Maoists/Naxalites under the banner of TC took control of Nandigram, what was the administration doing?
4. If the administration failed, why was the army not called?
5. Why was this "alleged fact" not mentioned in the press? What does this say about the freedom and impartiality of the press in your state?
6. Since when has the gun-toting party members (goons, to be precise) become the official law-and-order machinery of a state?
7. Why does murder and loot and rape have to be the "official" weapons of the "state"?
8. The state response has been nothing but barbaric. It is against this "state barbarism" as opposed to "unholy nexus of M-Ns under the banner of TC" that the so-called intellectuals cried hoarse. While barbarism, per se, cannot be accepted, when it is sponsored by the State, it can and should NEVER be condoned. That is the ONLY reasons why Gujarat is still a national debate.
9. What does the 11 months of refugee-status in one's own state say about the law-and-order situation in West Bengal?
10. What do you have to say about the Left's assertion that Nandigram is a state subject while they had no qualms about discussing Godhra absolutely threadbare?

An attempt at answering pertinent questions

Based on the news item that appeared on Rediff, dchech asked the following questions:

1)Bible, is there name bible in bible?
Ans) No. Why should it be there? The word Bible means "the Book". The contents of the Bible or the Scripture have an origin and a purpose. As is said in 2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

2)is original bible available now? why there is different version in bibile? 76th version available in Protestant bible and for Catholic it is 66th version. here both are mismatching, why?
Ans) The Bible is a compilation. No one man wrote it. As I said in the previous answer, men of God wrote, under the influence of the Holy Spirit. There are two testaments of the Bible. Testament, as you may be aware, means Law. The old testament talks of the "Old Law" which is governed primarily by the "Ten commandments". The "New Law" talks of the Law of Love, forgiveness and grace. The basic tenets of the "New Law" were laid by Jesus Christ and were chronicled by his contemporaries and disciples, namely Mathew Mark, Luke and John and together they are called the Gospels. Paul, another contemporary through his letter (epistles) to the fledgling yet growing church of Asia, delineates the "rules" under the "New Law". However, the actual compilation as one complete holistic book took almost 3 centuries after the life of Christ, when under Emperor Constantinople, the Roman empire took Christianity as the official religion of Rome. The earliest writings of the Current Bible that we have are the Greek translations and historians have been able to certify their authenticity beyond reproach. The nearest and the most authentic English translation of the Greek version is the King James version. I am neither a Catholic nor a Protestant. Therefore I cannot either certify or repudiate your claims of the versions that you talk of. However I do know that while the Catholic Church records 73 books to the Bible, the non-Catholic arm of the Christian religion only has 66 books to their Bible. And they do not mismatch. The Catholic Church has only "additional" 7 books.

And I assume that you are not really interested in the versions of the Bible as much as in the fact that there is not ONE bible that everybody agrees upon. Giving rise to the spectre that if one were to read one version , there is another group vehemently opposing it saying that theirs is the "true" version and vice versa. True Enough!

However, one must understand that the very basic tenets, the testaments, the Law is the same. If there were ten commandments in the Old Testament, the new one contains only two, viz. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind" AND "Love your neighbour as thyself".

3) some christians belive Jesus is god, some belive, jesus is son of god, some belive in trinity why?
Ans) I am assuming that when you say "some", you are actually meaning "some Christians". And I probably have not understood your question at all. Personally, I believe Jesus is God. I also believe Jesus is the Son of God. And I further believe in the triune unity of God the Father, God the son and God the spirit. I also believe in ONE God, not in three gods.

Where does your error in understanding occur? Is it in the fact that according to you,while some people ONLY believe in Jesus being God, others totally reject that view. The ONLY view of the second group of Christians is that Jesus is the son of God and not the God himself. There is a third group that does not believe either of the two positions but ONLY believes in the triune God. I guess you need to rephrase that question before I can answer that.

4)what happens to the people who lived before Jesus came (go to heaven or hell); why do some very righteous people automatically go to hell just because they don't believe in Jesus (we thought about Gandhi); on the other hand, why do some pretty horrible people (like my friend's abusive father) get rewarded with heaven just because they're Christian;
Ans) I guess this is one question I would love to ask God when I meet him in paradise. :-)
Anyway, your question is relevant even today. What about those people who have never heard about Jesus? there are millions of them even today in this "internet" age!

John 10:16 says, "I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd." Now, obviously, this implies that Jesus' shepherdhood extends not only to his own flock but others flocks too. The very obvious corollary is, "Why then do Christian missionaries go around trying to convert people to Christianity if people of other religions are also part of the "Christians God's" plan? :-)

That is because of the commission that Jesus gave the disciples after he resurrected from death. Acts 1:8 says "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Guess India comes under the definition of "...and to the ends of the earth".

The fundamental idea is to be "His witness". Conversion is only a natural corollary. Unfortunately, that step has been reversed in the preceding centuries. I guess they could not help it. "Witnessing Jesus" is dashed difficult. What with "showing the other cheek" and "forgiving the enemy", I guess they realised that THAT path was not profitable. So they jumped a step and started the conversion process. They probably assumed and a large number are still assuming that shortcutting to the second step is OK with God. Personally I am convinced that THAT kind of shortcutting is a short cut to perdition.

And this wholesome assumption that all Christians are assured of heaven is rather misplaced. The Jews had VERY similar views in Jesus' time. To make them understand, Jesus told them The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector which you can read here. So, though I wont stick out my neck and commit that we will see Gandhi in heaven, I can very assuredly state that being a Christian is no guarantee for entering heaven.

5)why does a loving and merciful God require a blood sacrifice (Jesus) to forgive people's sins; why are we guilty of Adam's original sin; why does the Word of God (Bible) disagree with scientific facts;
Ans) Since two of the questions are theological questions, they need theological answers. God is loving and merciful. There need be no doubt of that! Here is where the testaments (Old and New) come into being. The purpose why God created man was for adoration. However, humans, created in the image of God, disobeyed Him. The redemption , in the old testament, could only be effected by the blood of bulls and goats. But it was amply clear to God that THAT redemption was partial and had to be repeated year after year. By the time of the New testament, God sends his only begotten Son to be sacrificed ONCE on the cross. The new testament states, "FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE." This redemption was complete and therefore there is no need for any further sacrifices. I guess that answers your two questions. And as regards third, I guess you need to be more specific about which scientific law does the Bible turn on its head.

6)how can Jesus be God; how can One God be 3 different things trinity?
Ans) Er, Why cant he be?
God is not three different things. Let me put it this way. H₂O is ice. H₂O is water. H₂O is vapour. Ice, water and vapour may be different "things", but aren't they essentially the same? I admit that the comparison is a little too simplistic. In which case, I honestly ask you to ask these questions to the one who can answer them. God himself. In His wisdom, He will reveal what you seek. But, if you posted them simply to ask "embarrassing" questions, well...., dont bother. You will never get the answer.

Myopic miasma

Reading the "interview" and the aftermath that it caused in the Parliament, I am amazed at the clarity of description that Ronen Sen has of his politicians back in India. Though one can easily assume that Mr. Sen was actually referring to the Indian politicians as "headless chicken", their behaviour in Parliament was absolutely like that of "headless chicken". Even after being told that "Parliament is in the position to take action if it found anyone showing disrespect to MPs and casting an aspersion on their freedom of expression", they did not abate. How could they? After all, they were just playing out their role. That of a "headless chicken".

And Karat's assertion is truly thick. He accuses Mr. Sen of being a US ambassador rather than an Indian one. Famous! And whose strategic interests are you safeguarding Mr. Karat? China's or Pakistan's?

I am not all in favour of signing the nuke deal. The idea of aligning ones foreign policy, defence policy and trade policy in tune with another sovereign nation who is an established superior power than us, does give the distinct impression that of kow-tow. But, to oppose for the sake of opposing, given that the alignment does not go against our stated objectives in these fields is not acceptable.

Mr. Karat does say that we have moved away from aligning with Iran and the Palestinians and towards US and Israel. If that is so, all I can say is why did we have the distance in the first place? The US as a hegemony could have steamrolled us. But Israel too? For a founder of Non-aligned movement that is a famous stand to take. And now, when the opportunity opens up wherein we can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best of the best in the comity of nations, trust these myopic flounderers to grass the deal.

A miasma does envelop the political horizon. The tragedy is that the nobody has the foresight to look far. The entire spectrum of lawmakers, including the ruling coalition is afflicted with the paralysis of short-sightedness. Alas, when will my country awake from this myopic miasma.

More on Godhra

All that you said is correct. Muslims need to change their attitude and behaviour etc... It is all correct. I fully support you. But, having said that, do you think what the Gujarat government and the "middle class" did was correct?

Before you fly off into a "pseudo-secular" prejudice, please take time out, think and respond, was what the government and the middle class did, right?

If you were a minority member, muslim, dalit, christian, parsee, how would you have responded to the state's response? I write to you because I feel you thought out your response and thought deep enough to put down your thoughts to words on this forum.

And that is what Yagnik is talking about. And that is what Modi is NOT talking about. My country is beloved to me. And I used to consider my countrymen as one of the bravest in the whole wide world. But the Gujarat state's response to Godhra has shaken my belief in that. As an ostrich that hides its head in the sand, reams and reams is being written about how the reprisal to Muslim appeasement was long overdue and all such matters. These are real issues, no doubt and only some self-serving politician of any hue will deny them. That still is no reason why the state government acted the way it did. In a society there are ways to teach and ways to learn. Pogrom is not one of them. And until Gujarat learns to stand up and say that as a society they failed during those days, no amount of swabhimani rhetoric will erase that guilt. Modi is a fair enough leader, as "leaders" go. Nobody can deny the effectiveness of a leader who is capable of raising investment climate in his/her state. But, it is also undeniable, that while leading the response to the Godhra tragedy, he willy nilly engineered the social ostracisation of his fellow statesmen, caused the murder of a large number of his people, for whom he had constitutional duty to protect. There is no denying the fact that he is a murderer. And as long as the civil society at large do not own to the reality of this charge, there will not be an awakening in Gujarat.

And Viral, Gujarat will progress. But at what cost? How long will you progress by hiding from the reality of the pogrom. Godhra was an incident, calculated or otherwise, depending upon the colour of your vote. But the state response was shameful. And the earlier we own up to that fact, the better for this country.

And certainly better for the whole of India, if muslims learnt to change their attitude and got assimilated into the pluralistic fabric called India. But that topic has been so widely circulated, that it would be a blind muslim who does not see the duality in his/her culture / religion and his life in secular India.

Reply to a fanatic

Dear Chaitanya,

Just for the record, I am a Christian. I appreciate your voice standing up to the rights of Hindus. And I think it was rather deplorable that nobody spoke the "other" side of the Gujarat story, and I think the press (at least the English press) was unnecessarily biased.

I would have preferred to write to you personally, but that seems kind of difficult. Anyways, in your writings, you seem to give the impression that India stands as a country, because Hindus, in general, (and since they are the majority) are a tolerant society that will take a lot of abuse just so that the country will not split. I know I am oversimplifying, but only a wee bit. Also that Hindus have always been preached to and so have become pliant.

Was it always so? I am not a know-all and would love to be genuinely answered. The Indian tradition / civilisation dates back to many centuries. Did the Hindu religious culture get anywhere in history, to be a spent force? History would seem to say no. And if so, does it say anything about the Hindu religion/culture? I hope you will read me out patiently.

The vedic culture is supposed to be one of the most powerful incentives of goodly/godly living. And history is witness that wherever and whenever the vedic culture was prevalent, there was peace and prosperity in the land. Why is it not propogated, at least among the Hindus now?

But your statement that India is a tolerant country, (Who, BTW, is being tolerated and why?) because of Hindus and for that fabric to be maintained, the Muslims and the Westerners (I hope that is your euphimism for Christians) need to be watched and careful "reactions" engineered, I am afraid, is laughable, but not funny. Ah, that is what the real Hindu religion/culture is all about, eh? Suffer everything and then when things seem to be getting out of hand, REACT. Hello, at least I react whenever it pains me, and not be tolerant of the pain and react when things have gone beyond a point. That is called hypocrisy. And I refuse to believe that this great country was steeped in that, as you would have me believe. This country has produced some of the most outstanding persons throughout history. Right from vedic periods down to the modern day, this country has been blessed with an abundance of spirit that has manifested itself in varied triumphs in myriad disciplines. Sure the country has gone bonkers, less often than not, but to blame it, oh-so-easily on Muslims and Westerners is, to take a dim view of the intelligence of your readers.

It is so easy to talk of minority bashing when you are in the majority mob. I will appreciate even your ham-handed attempts at "saving" the Hindu religion/culture the moment you appreciate the courage of living as a minority in a country where the likes of you espouse the need to use "engineered reactions".

Hinduism will survive, not because of you, but in spite of you.

Jai Hind!

Godhra - Wither goes thou?

There was a tragedy. A complete compartment got burned. People died. OR

There was a conspiracy. A bogie was meticulously burned and its passengers killed.

Be it either ways. What should a government do? Try and get the situation under control, immediately, using all the available resources. Using all available resources, find the cause of the incident. If it is a tragedy, provide succor to the bereaved. If it was a conspiracy, hunt down the accused and put them on trial.

What did actually happen? And therein lies the tragedy. All your short-sighted comments about Hindu vs Muslim, population control, nazism, pseudo-secularism and what nots look eerily like a well oiled plan to not discuss the real issue at all.

You can fool some people all the time, all the people some time but not all the people all the time.

The truth must come out and fortunately, it will. Inspite of false figures, inspite of SIMI, inspite of pseudo secularists, inspite of RSS, "inspite of" all the machinery available to the authorities to find the truth, inspite of NGOs, inspite of everything.

Why credit cards

I dont understand the concept of having a credit card. To get a credit card, I need to pay something like Rs.750/- (average) annually. In return I get a credit card that allows me to buy goods from the market on credit (ranging from a day to 45 days). If perchance I am unable to pay the due "sufficiently" before the due date, I am slapped with a late fee. (This again ranges from Rs.100/- to Rs.250/-)

Where do I pay the due from? From the money that is there in the bank. Obviously, white money. Cant, of course, pay be cash. So, perchance I had black money, that cant be laundered.

So, to use my own hard earned money, I pay the credit card companies Rs.750/- every year. If that doesn't raise anybody's eyebrows, I can only suspect your intelligence quotient.

In most of our financial transactions, we are extremely prudent of the interest that we have to pay. However, here with credit cards, it is but natural to pay some thing as ghastly as 48% on credit items. Where does your prudent thinking go in such cases??

The sorry state of subscribers who paid only their minimum balance is so widespread that I only need to state it here as a point. Their plight is only too well documented in various media.

Yet, after all this, still the hankering after credit cards can only mean that the Indian mindset is still captivated by the western culture and the absolutely idiotic notion that whatever they do is best. Hoo Boy, when will you guys learn?????

Change is ever constant

Today, my daughter started to cycle. I could sense in her the joy of mastering a new activity. As long as she struggled, it was a pain for both her and I. Then when she came to grips with it, the joy surged through her and she wanted to go full throttle through the colony lanes! But of course, she had not mastered it. She was only still learning!!

That is how it is with all activities. The initial times are very discouraging. Our spirit screams out, "Do we really need to do this? Can't we skip this?" The typical response to change is to maintain the status quo. Then when the new idea percolates down to the epidermal layer of our brain, the receptacle of our senses opens up. Their is more openness and when we fully master it, there is abounding joy at having mastered the subject.

Fringe Benefit Tax

The logic behind FBT is all very fine. The problem begins when FM insists that loss making companies and companies with less than 5-10 emploess also have to pay it. I dont understand the logic there.

Travel expenses are genuine expenses. If there are enterprieses who are "resourceful" enough to pump up such expenses in their balance sheet, I think the way to deal with it should be to penalise those enterprises rather than blanket bomb the entire populace with the FBT. If you are unable to catch the robber, it is hardly justified that you brand the one you caught as the burglar!

An enterprise, a new one at that, thrives on its ability to reach out to more and more clients and thus make its brand known. But if you are going to tax me for travelling, I will certainly think twice. Probably I would still end up travelling and even paying the FBT. But I would be one heck of an unhappy taxpayer. And unhappy taxpayers dont forget easily.

Moreso, when there exists avenues wherein the FM could have taxed and did not do it. But then it is so dashed easy to milk the already lactating cow (damn the fact that it is a skinny one), than hunt for another cow to milk. Too much work!!

In the end, the FM gets a deluge of curses, the govt gets booted out for bad governance (oh yes, that is exactly what it is), the employer is unhappy, the employee is morose. The Tax Dept can sit on another pile. Gandhiji's talisman can go climb the nearest commode and get flushed out.

FBT should be implemented, but only as long as they are "benefits" AND they are "fringe". And if the finance ministry cannot figure out how to define them, go learn English or get out of governing. You are a burden on others.