Happy Earth Day!

Today is Earth Day. On the occassion, I'd like to share an interesting video I came across - How to be Green at work. We all know its good to recycle paper, not use plastic cups etc, but it has some other interesting pointers too. Its cute so do spend two minutes watching it :)

Rain

The crappy weather continues! Its been raining/cold non-stop for two weeks now, with a couple of sunny days in between. Doesn't bother my too too much as I'm usually indoors, either at work or home studying. But the weather has been re-confirming my suspicions that it does have a lot to do with people's humour. To cheer up the grey days, here is a humorous attempt by the Spanish basketball team (awesome team btw!) that eventually turned out sour with the Left brigade jumping on them, for being "politically incorrect":

The Spanish basketball team doing the "chinky" at last summer's Chinese Olympics

The Left Mentality - The Ant and Grasshopper

CLASSIC VERSION...

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house, gathering and laying down supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks he's a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODERN VERSION... The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house gathering and laying down supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks he's a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving. BBC, CNN, NDTV show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. The world is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this poor grasshopper be left to suffer so? Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house. Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticize the Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the grasshopper. The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support for the grasshopper. Opposition MP's stage a walkout. Left parties call for "Bharat Bandh" in West Bengal and Kerala demanding a Judicial Enquiry. Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act [POTAGA], with effect from the beginning of the winter. The ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government and handed over to the grasshopper in a ceremony covered by the BBC, CNN and NDTV. Arundhati Roy calls it "a triumph of justice." Abridged from http://arundhatiroy.rediffblogs.com/

Flamenco Class...

Chicas, compañeras de clase...y compañero... ¡aquí colgo los videos que grabé el otro día! Stepping aside from my blogging exercise, I'm putting up my Flamenco class recorded the other day in order to practice at home, as I missed a couple of sessions while travelling. Due to popular demand from my classmates, here are two of the videos which feature my Flamenco teacher, María. María is an excellent, brilliant, charismatic dancer, apart from being a wonderful person. Her moves are powerful, graceful and strong, and she drives the technique home, until you get it. The first video is filmed while she's giving class, with the students behind. And the second one is a final performance at the end of class (the angle is a bit messed up). Yours Truly does not feature here as she is recording! Enjoy!

The "Gypsy" Trail...

Some years ago (sometime between 1999-2001), when I discovered Flamenco, I became quite intrigued with "Gypsies" and carried out a year-long research on the Roma, their origins, their trail, and their status and lives in the countries they inhabit today.

The Roma, commonly referred to as Gypsies, Gitanos (here in Spain), Tzigane, Sinti, Dom, Manush (man in Sanskrit and Romani), Kale (black in Sanskrit and Romani; name they called each other as a reference to their skin colour, perhaps) and many other names, are today united as Roma and like to be known by their collective identity - Romani. We know that they left India as a group of nomads around 900 AD, reached Persia in 950, and were in Egypt by 1230. Their arrival into Europe began in the mid 14th century. Today there are about 12 million Roma, and mainly inhabit Eastern and Western Europe, with some minor populations said to have migrated to the Americas. It is important to note that in the Second WW, along with 6 million Jews, 1.5 million Roma or Gypsies were killed in concentration camps (a fact that remains largely unspoken and somewhat taboo). Migrant Romani populations have usually adopted the dominant religion of their country of residence, while often preserving aspects of older belief systems and forms of worship (such as Goddess /Saint Kali Sara's worship in France). The Romani language is a verbally transmitted language which traces its roots back to Sanskrit. As a Hindi speaker, when I watched the movie "Black Cat, White Cat," years ago, majority in Romani (filmed in in Eastern Europe), I was able to trace several words that sounded familiar to my ears, pronounced differently. Modern day Spanish is rich with several words, expressions and connotations from Caló, the Romani language of Spain. Caló blends native Romani vocabulary with Spanish grammar, as Spanish Romanies lost the full use of their ancestral language. Gitanos used Caló to communicate discreetely in their internal dealings. When I read a sampling of Caló, I'm often amused by the several words I do understand. The Romani flag, which is blue and green with a red coloured Ashoka Chakra in the center, denoting their common roots in the Indian subcontinent, united in its largest form under Ashoka the Great. Their slogan is "Opre Roma!" meaning Rise Roma.

"Linguistic and genetic evidence indicates the Romanies originated from the Indian subcontinent, emigrating from India towards the northwest no earlier than the 11th century. The Romani are generally believed to have originated in central India, possibly in the modern Indian state of Rajasthan, migrating to northwest India (the Punjab region) around 250 B.C. In the centuries spent here, there may have been close interaction with such established groups as the Rajputs and the Jats. Their subsequent westward migration, possibly in waves, is believed to have occurred between 500 A.D. and 1000 A.D. Contemporary populations sometimes suggested as sharing a close relationship to the Romani are the Dom people of Central Asia and the Banjara of India." From Wikipedia

I was travelling in Italy in Dec 2004 during my Masters. While riding on a train from Naples to Rome I witnessed an incident that remains etched in my memory. A Gypsy lady entered the train and sat down next to an already seated person. That lady who was sitting there immediately got up and moved to another nearby seat. I wanted to give her a hug, as I saw her fighting back tears. I wish I had. I think I was too shocked to react as it was my first time ever witnessing such flagrant racism.

While the Romani people have remained marginalized and discriminated against for centuries, they have 

established a name for themselves in the Arts and Music. Last weekend I went to see one such Gitano in concert, who's carved a name for himself in Flamenco Fusion dance. His name is Joaquín Cortés. I personally do not much appreciate his style as I'm a fan of pure Flamenco. But the concert itself was worth seeing. His current tour "Calé" (meaning black or Gypsy) is a resumé of his previous works, now that he has reached 40 and may not continue dancing for very much longer. It was sprinkled with Gitano references, and at the end he made a little speech saying, "20 years ago, Gypsies did not identify themselves as such; but I always said I was one. Today, we Gitanos are proud to say we are Gitanos." And there was a standing ovation and cheering.

The "Great" in Britain

I just returned from a lovely weekend in the mountain-country of Andorra, a large ski-resort in reality, tucked away between the Pyrenees in Northern Spain. On the way back, for logistical reasons, we stopped in a town on the Costa Brava for half an hour. This town, like many towns on the North-Eastern Catalan coast (Costa Brava) is a popular summer destination for many English, Dutch and other Northern European tourists for its offering of sun, sand and nightlife. However, in the month of March, when outside daytime temperature is still in the early teens (today about 15º), we saw a bunch of men walking on the sidewalk, wearing half-sleeved shirts and shorts. C and I, watched them for a few seconds, and then at once, instinctively said "pobres" or poor people. I thought about it on the drive back. Just two hours away, we were in snow-covered mountains in 0º to 5º weather. Two - three hours South and you see these men in summer clothes trying to immitate warmth and coastal calmness. Truth be told. They probably come from a poor neighbourhood (possibly live in Govt funded housing) in one of the working towns of England. They probably cannot afford the exhorbitant summer hotel and airfares in Spain. They probably were using up some of their summer vacation to make an early, off-season visit out to good old Sunny Spain, and whether or not it is sunny here doesn't really matter. Mentally these guys are in their summer, or atleast in the sunniest region of Europe. If they don't make the most of it, or they fail to tell themselves that they are enjoying a sunny country (even though they may be in one of the most obnoxious, touristy towns on the Girona coastline on a deathly chilly morning) while what they really are doing is wander about a ghost-town (business and many restaurants are closed half the year) telling themselves how awesome it all is... We really pitied them then and talked about their mental state. While any warm-blooded human feels cold in 15º weather, these guys were braving the cold winds in their shorts and t-shirts, just to go back to their dingy little island thinking they had a great time in a warm country. How pathetic and sad. So, while Britain has called itself "Great" over the centuries - while it looted, plundered and massacred half the world, and funded its own industrial revolution at the expense of other sovereign nations - India’s share of world GDP went from roughly 25% in the mid 1700's to 2% in a century, and Britain’s went from 1% to 18% — see Angus Maddison’s The World Economy: A Millennial Perspective; India, the richest country in the world for a millennium and a half (per Maddison’s data from 0 CE to 1500 CE), was systematically plundered (of some $10 trillion in today’s money) and reduced to penury - its days, it is now quite clear, have ended. Britain today is reduced its bunch of little grey cold islands; the former "Empire" is now plagued with high unemployment, a crashed housing market, low employee morale, falling currency (the GBP currently equal to the Euro), an "immigration" problem - due to the dozens of countries it conveniently left below subsistence levels, topped with an unparalleled economic recession and has recently even lost its freedom of speech - as it goes to its benefactors, the Saudis with a begging bowl. Its only potential saviour is the "brand image" it has managed to create globally, but frankly, it is not even worth my tourism buck anymore - as there is so much more my Euro buys me (from Greece and Cyprus to Montenegro, Malta and more), than a visit to the over-rated Big Ben.

Murder of a Saint: A Plot to Murder a Civilization By Dr Indulata Das

A mere audience of a Sannyasi is the fulfiller of all desires, says the Padmapurana (Sadhunam darsanam loke sarvasiddhikaram param—Padma Purana 1.79). The Bhagavata goes much ahead and says that the Sannyasis visit the pilgrimages not to purify themselves but the pilgrimages are purified by the visit of the SAannyasis (Prayena tirthabhigamapadeshaih swayam hi tirthani punanti santah- Bhagavata 1.21.8).

On Indian soil it is regarded as a great fortune to touch the feet of a Sannyasi. Smearing the dust of his feet on one’s forehead is a rarest opportunity that even great monarchs aspire to do. What to speak of the mortals even gods aspire for a holy darshan of a Sannyasi. Not only an audience or a blessing, even receiving a wrath of the Sannyasi is considered as a boon. Lord Vishnu, the God of gods considered it a great fortune to receive a kick from a Sannyasi (Bhrigu) on His chest and eternally bore the mark of the assault with great gratitude. The civilisation of India was designed by great Sannyasis like Manu, Yajnavalkya, Vyasa, Valmiki, Parasara and Shankaracharya etc. India has never been denuded of Sannyasis through the ages. In every era there have been great souls, great Sannyasis on the soil of India to enlighten the society and to show the right path. The great centres of learning in India had been the hermitages of Sannyasis. Sannyasis have been the real pathfinders and real torch-bearers of the society. The sublime culture, the high value system and the grand traditions of India have been surviving because of the advent of great Sannyasis from time to time. And in return the land has been showing tremendous reverence to the Sannyasis which is only a small gesture of gratitude.

In continuation of the great tradition of dedicated Sannyasis the twentieth century saw a Sannyasi, a great Sannyasi having unmatched dedication for the protection of the country’s culture and tradition. The great monk is no other than the legendary figure, the incarnation of dedication Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati. He was a person whose property consisted of a pair of saffron linens and a stick but he was in fact a monarch. Yes, he was the monarch of thousands of grateful loving hearts of the country in general and of the people of tribal districts of Orissa in particular. At the prime of his youth Swami Laxmanananda left behind the boundaries of his home and transformed the whole world to his abode. He parted with his young wife and his toddler son only to embrace the whole humanity as his family. He renounced the worldly bondages at the age of twenty five only to be dedicated to the service of the human race. He lived a secluded spiritual life for quite a few years in the peaceful milieu of Rishikesh completely dedicated to the exploration of spiritual wisdom of the scriptures. But it was not what he was divinely deputed to do. He was ordained to do something more to the motherland.

He learned of the dangerous drive of the Christian missionaries to create a ‘Christ-stan’ on the land of Orissa by coercive and forcible conversion of the gullible tribals. He came to know about their ugly measures to divide the peaceful Vanavasi (tribal) populace and create tension on the land by breaching the existent fraternity in the communities. He came to know about their nasty move to eliminate Indian culture by money pumped from outside. He, with an iron will, entered the woodlands of Kandhamal to fight all odds single handed. He fought against the lavishly affluent missionaries penniless and faced murderous threats of life defenceless. He strived tirelessly for the over all upliftment of the local tribals. He established educational institutions, promoted women’s education, provided health care and means of lively hood for the poor and downtrodden. He was not the type of Saint to sit on high pedestals and receive obeisance and gifts from devotees from a respectable distance. He became one with the tribals. He lived a life similar to the downtrodden and ate their humble eatables. As a result he secured a place in the innermost region of their hearts. He remained a cohabitant of the tribals for four decades till the last breath of his life which ended at the age of 81. Among his miscellaneous drives to save the culture and the people from the clutches of the Christian missionaries his most powerful and fruitful measure was the ‘return-home’ movement among the tribals.

People who were coerced to leave their faith and culture by the missionaries were educated how they are falling prey to the traps of the churches and moving away from their own traditions, how the missionaries are dividing people and creating tension in the community, how they are converting blood brothers into blood-thirsty foes by alluring a chunk from the community to change their faith and making them stand against the rest. Having understood the reality and the ulterior motives of the missionaries thousands of converts came back to their original faith. Swamiji’s activities put a rein on the otherwise unobstructed activities of the church and their plan to convert the woodland of Orissa to Christ-land. The pastors turned furious. As many as nine murderous attacks were attempted on the life of Swamiji. He escaped all the attacks miraculously. On December 24, 2007 it was the ninth attack. Swamiji was physically assaulted by a group of two to three hundred people but escaped due to some timely action of some of his follower fellow travellers. Hardly after eight months there was the final assault. A letter of threat was sent to the Ashram which was received by the Swami on August 22, 2008. He immediately lodged an FIR and requested the administration to protect his life. But no. He was not saved. The police did not feel the Saint’s life was worthy enough to be protected. Not a single extra police personnel was deployed to save the great soul. Even the personal security which used to accompany the Saint remained mysteriously absent on the fateful day. Within twenty six hours of his request for security the Saint confronted the unthinkably barbaric death. The holy land of Bharat, where washing the feet of a Sannyasi is considered to be a great fortune, was actually washed by the blood of a Sannyasi. In the evening of Janmastami a group of twenty five killers armed with modern weapons like AK-47s pumped bullets to the revered Saint’s frail body which killed him along with four other Sannyasis and Sannyasins of the Ashram. The whole state of Orissa was traumatized at the brutal slaughter of the beloved Swamiji. Thousands of people with tears streaming from their eyes stormed to see the Mahatma for the last time. As many as thirty thousand people assembled at the cremation of the Sannyasi. The next day the state observed a voluntary bandh (curfew), a unique bandh which nobody had seen before. The whole state came to a standstill. Then the anger erupted. And there was widespread agitation. In the whole episode two roles were really unique. One is the role of the police and the second is the role of a section of the media (refer to my previous post). With the very news of Swamiji’s gruesome murder every body could understand who committed it “except the police” which suffered from the syndrome of “deliberate ignorance”. Before arriving at the crime-location, and before beginning any investigation the police attributed the murder to the Naxals. But the public was not as ignorant as the police thought it to be. This misleading statement was accepted not even by a child of Orissa State and it received fuming criticism from the public and the regional media unanimously. The police lost its credibility. And then the protecting role of the police was also unique. The police which did not find it necessary to provide a single extra staff to save the life of the great Saint, deployed hundreds of police personnel to protect every small and big church in the area after the death of the Swami. The killer was protected by the police, not the victim. And then the role of a section of the media (refer to my previous post).

While the print and electronic media of Orissa were overcrowded by the news of the murder of the Swami, all the national electronic media were conspicuous by their dead silence. The very channels who had untiringly telecast the death incident of Graham Stains round the clock did not utter a single word when the whole of Orissa was crying at the slaughter of Swami Laxmanananda. The media did not even report the unbelievable self-imposed bandh which Orissa observed for one full day. The same media which dedicates hours in telecasting even a suicide case of unknown citizens in the country was ghastly silent at the unbelievably brutal murder of the great Saint and the social reformer. The silence of the media spoke volumes for them. The blatant anti-Hindu and unpatriotic character of the electronic media got a shameless exposure again. Graham Stains who was a foreigner and was dividing the people inside their community and ruining the culture of the country had received unthinkable propagation through the media and had become a super hero posthumously. But Swami Laxmanananda, the supreme devotee of the Motherland who dedicated every breath of his life in protecting the culture of his country failed to find a few seconds of telecast in the national media of the country. And the brutal killing of the Saint was very indirectly, lightly and indignantly reported as the murder of “an office bearer of the VHP.” But the story did not end here. The silence of the electronic media was not a silence but a preparation for a pounce. It was like the tiger’s preparation to jump on the prey. The channels were eagerly waiting for the aggrieved Hindus to retaliate so that they would wake up to catch their throats. After all, the passive Hindus are their most favorite prey. And their waiting came to an end with the first news of so called arson in a Christian orphanage. The eager media did not waste a moment in preparing a special report of half an hour on it. All the slumbering channels suddenly woke up not to telecast the inhuman slaughter of the Swamiji but the “plight of the Christians in the hands of the Hindus”. Not only the media, but the “great leaders” of the country jumped to action because the minority vote bank had ripened now and had to be harvested without delay. Then started the series of statements, visits and other related favorite activities of the politicians. For the anti-Hindu and anti-Indian units (Congress Party, Communist Party, Samajwadi Party) there was not a better chance than this. The pseudo human rightists came out of their hibernation to protect the “human rights of the Christians”. And the Pope conveyed his concern. It was a not a concern when the Christians killed the Mahatma, but it was a concern when the Christians were attacked in retaliation.

There was no urge among the people to talk about the great selfless philanthropist and the great humanist Swami Laxmanananda who sacrificed his life in protecting the culture and civilisation of the Motherland. His killers and conspirators were left scot-free. And the police chased the aggrieved Hindus. What a paradigm of justice! Had this unique system of justice been prevalent in the Tretaya, Shri Ram and Hanuman would have been hanged and Ravana would have been felicitated. What has happened to this great sacred land? On the holy soil of India monsters played Holi with the blood of a Mahatma and were prized with concern and sympathy! Murder of Swami Laxmanananda proved not to be a murder of a Sannyasi only. It exposed that the value system of the land has been murdered. It revealed that the culture of the soil has been murdered. It said that the civilization, the greatest civilization of the world has already been murdered.

Reproduced in entirety, Dr Indulata Das [emphasis mine].

This post is dedicated to a certain French colleague of mine, who like a parrot, never fails to bring up issues like the Caste System, Orissa violence, etc. each time India is mentioned. You are addressing a man-made malaise in human nature when you decide to focus on one negative characteristic of an overall great value system. This is also dedicated to the nosy French president Sarkozy who dared to question PM Manmohan Singh on the Orrisa violence. Mind your own damn business Sarkozy. There are enough cops in France killing innocent Africans to keep you busy.

Why We Should Boycott NDTV (Updated)

As many already know, NDTV, a popular Indian news channel is funded by Gospels of Charity in Spain which actively supports Communism. As ex-Pakistani President Musharraf allowed only this channel to be aired in Pakistan, NDTV gradually took on a pro-Pakistan stand (Pakistan being the greatest enemy of India withstanding). NDTV CEO Prannov Roy is brother-in-law of Prakash Karat, General Secretary of the Communist party of India. His wife and Brinda Karat – Communist Party of India - are sisters. And last but not least, India's Verbal Terrorist and Paper Tiger, Arundhati Susan Roy is Prannov Roy's niece. As is obvious, the family is deeply Anti-Indian and Negationist. In fact, this troop of "newsmakers" leads the media's Negationist Movement. They really must believe that Indian are dumb. Too bad for them, they are dead wrong. So, even without knowing these details, someone who turns on NDTV for the first time, as I did online during 26/11, will doubt their objectivity with regard to their (persistent anti BJP and pro minority) commentary – but when you learn of their fund-sources and management profile, along with their political affiliations, you are left with no doubt about the reason for the highly evident subjectivity in their pattern of news coverage and skewed comments. For instance, NDTV, just like its brother-in-crime Tehelka (Tarun Tejpal of Tehelka regularly gets flat checks from Arab countries to target BJP and Hindus only) and CNN-IBN (100% funded by the ultra-orthodox Southern Baptist church and allocating 800 million USD annually for promotion of its "interests" in India), did not highlight the burning and brutal killing of Hindu Kar Sevaks prior to the outburst in Godhra. Neither do they talk about the derogatory and provocative literature distributed by the over zealous Christian missionaries (more on this in another post) in Karnataka, or the background of the murder of Hindu Saint Swami Sri Laxmanananda prior to the Orissa carnage. Notice how these channels fail to raise an issue over the controversial painter MF Hussein who depicted Hindu Gods in the nude in the name of art. Notice also how these channels selectively chose to ignore the beating up of the courageous Bangladeshi Activist Taslima Nasreen in a press conference in Hydrabad by Muslim mobs – her crime? Highlighting the brutality of Muslims against the Hindus in Bangladesh in her book, and ill-treatment of women in Bangladesh, due to Islamic practices. Do you still believe that their “news” is free of hidden agenda? Watch this video.

CONSIDER IT CRASHED: Why do I love India?:)

I just had to link to this beautiful post by Indyeah.

CONSIDER IT CRASHED: Why do I love India?:)

The Two Faces of Media

Lately, I've been pretty appalled by the two-faced nature of media (print, television, even radio) not just in India, but around the world. You hear the media's version of the story, which is often far, far from the factual sequence of actions. Take the pink chaddi campaign for instance. There are two sides to the coin, but the completely pseudo-secular Indian media took its own 180º take on it.

So, my sources for news used to be (notice the past tense) mainly:

• Times of India
• The Hindu
• The New York Times
• Wall Street Journal
• CNN
• BBC
  

I'd stopped reading the BBC website a long time ago, because most of the information on there is unreliable. You see, a couple of years ago, I didn't know any better. I assumed, like most people, that the media is credible, and that its the best source of correct information.

I have come to know better. These days, I may click on the above websites a total of a couple of times a month, if at all. There are in fact, several factually correct, reliable and informative sources online, which I am happily discovering. Some of them are blogs (long live blogging!) and others are non-mainstream websites.

When a newspaper can give expensive valuable word count to radicalized elements like Arundhati Roy, who not only do not project a mainstream Indian view, but actually defend terrorist activities on Indian soil and after each incident, find ways to justify terrorism and loose treatment to terrorists/murders, then I lose all respect for that news source, and that newspaper quickly loses my business.

Lately, I've been engrossed in a whole new genre of blogs which I've been discovering one by one (links to the right), with a wealth of information. For example, Indians who are really interested in knowing about the security situation of India should read ex-RAW Chief Vikram Sood's Perspectives or ex-Indian Police Officer KPS Gill's website SATP.org (instead of listening to the lunatic Barkha Dutts on NDTV).

Barkha Dutt deserves a whole post dedicated to her non-existent professionalism, and shoddy journalism, which resulted in the loss of a woman's life in the 26/11 Massacre. But several more knowledgeable bloggers have already ripped her journalistic incapabilities to pieces - so I will leave her alone for now.

I have no doubt that false-news reporting media are close to extinction. But we need to accelerate the process and put them out of their misery sooner rather than later.

Long live the bloggers of the world!

Progression?

Its soon going to be two years since I've been in Barcelona. Strange how time flies, and strange how life progresses. I was reading over this blog, when it was in its early stages. It was a strange feeling. I know I wrote that stuff (early 2007 posts, especially while I was travelling) but it seems as though someone else wrote it. It seems like a little girl speaking. Those writings almost seem childish to me now, similar to a little child opening wrapped gifts and explaining all that she got. Yet, it was me just two years ago.

Now I feel more aware, and possibly less capable to just let go the way I used to. They say that the more you know, the harder life is, or that 'ignorance is bliss.' I'm starting to wonder whether there is any truth to the saying. Because, its true, I do feel more aware. I've also become very sporadic writing here, and when I do, its something or the other that I have to vent about.

The economic crisis is at its peak. Spain has more lay-offs than any other EU country. Those of us still working are being told we're lucky to have our jobs. I'm started to wonder though if I've been sucked into the grind. Why do I feel so insignificant? As though I'm really not contributing one useful thing to the world?

I hope whatever it is, it passes. The winter has already been going on for too long.

The Blame Game

I’ve been caught up in life’s struggles, and haven’t been able to dedicate time to the Bodeguita for a while. Today, I’d like to link to François Gautier’s Cry O My Beloved India (Chapter II), written about five to six years ago, but still holds as true today, as it did then. Here he rightly points out that each time a bomb explodes in India, we are quick to point a finger at Pakistan. Each time a natural calamity occurs, the NGO’s cry about not having adequate prevention mechanisms and blame everyone. Each time a politician ignores, belittles and humiliates the majority masses and creates special laws and quotas for the “minorities,” we blame the politician. Each time we blame someone, who in turn blames someone else, and the chain goes on. That has become our national past-time. But the truth is friends, that we ourselves are to blame. We, the majority of Indian citizens sit back and allow a pocketful of Nehruvian Marxists to hijack and rewrite our ten thousand year long recorded history - Romila Thaper, leading the pack of these fraudulent so-called historians – along with Satish Chandra, K.M. Shrimali, K.M.Pannikar, R.S. Sharma, D. N. Jha, Gyanendra Pandey, and Irfan Habib – who have blatantly lied to the nation, making us mimickers, and chasers of the West, and ashamed of our own greatness. We, who allow the press and the 24/7 news channels to dish out grossly misinformed stories, and we sit at home and watch the manipulated, agenda-ridden lies thrown at us. As François Gautier rightly says below, India’s greatest enemy is the passivity of the 850 million Hindu majority, one billion worldwide, inheritors of the most ancient civilization still alive on this planet, holders of the last true spirituality on this earth. Read the full article here. 

Evolution

Some people who read this blog may have noticed that lately I have become focused on India-related topics. I think this is just natural evolution. I've always found that the further I live from India, the more Indian I am, and the more I love my country. I've also become sensitive to what are constant and regular attacks on India, from its long-time, 1000 year old enemy. I'm taking a stance that few take. But I've decided to speak out, rationally, about the great danger that looms above the Hindu Motherland. I hope to be able to influence younger Indians to be proud of their homeland and to be ready to vote, and by voting have your say in the political and economic development of your nation. I recommend Indians to watch Rang de Basanti and learn from it. To take inspiration from Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Jhansi Ki Rani, Sardar Patel, Chandrashekhar Azad and other freedom fighters, to believe in ideals and live them. To take responsibility for your actions, and for the power that you hold in the form of your vote. Your vote is your single most powerful tool that enables you to take a direct stance in the future growth of India.

I want to educate Indians about the crime that the Left-Wing is guilty of: that of whitewashing our history. They are guilty of following the Nehru style Marxist philosophy that creates an illusional curtain of mystical co-existence of Islam in India over the last 1000 years. That is pure myth and a great lie, although your CBSE history books tell you otherwise. People like Romila Thaper and her gang of so-called historians should be tried in international courts, for having mis-represented to a nation of a billion people a manipulated version of history, for having manipulated facts, evidence and for utterly lying to Indians. We must know that a Hindu Holocaust was systematically carried out by Islamic invadors. We must read true Indian history, (widely available online) because unless we do that, we are not going to be able to confront and determine the real identity of the threat we face today: it is in fact, the unfinished business of the Moghuls.

I also want to direct this blog towards building bridges with the West, namely the US, which can learn a lot from the sad situation where India finds herself today by being politically correct and appeasing war-mongers. They can also learn from their mistake of siding with two-faced Pakistan, giving it $10 billion of aid since 9/11, and making it an ally on the "war on terror." The world now knows that while it takes US aid from one hand, the other hand passes it on to the Jihadists fighting the holy war against Indian infidels.

Again, this is a plea to young Indians everywhere. Take responsibility, visit sites such as Faith Freedom, Negationism in India, World Monitor, and articles such as this, this, and this, and inform yourselves and those around you. We have this tendency to forget the past, to just go on the way we are, to forgive, and forget... and our politicians have abused this quality of the Indian people to the max. Its time we wake up and take our destinies in our own hands.

MOST IMPORTANTLY - GO OUT THERE ON ELECTION DAY, AND VOTE!

Welcome 2009!

Last month, a flood of memories came back as I went to Atlanta for my cousin's wedding. It was so lovely to catch up with that side of my family. Shoutout to S, a beautiful, intelligent, courageous young woman, as she embarks on a new life. 

I got to spend a good bit of time with my other family too, my UGA Family. One day we even drove to Athens for old times' sake and visited our campus buildings, strolled all over, took pictures everywhere, especially at the GA Arch and Sanford Stadium (many a tickets had been scalped there lol). We visited all the North Campus buildings, the business school, the Tate student center, the library I used to work at... We lay in the grass like we used to, watching the squirrels. We ate at our fave place The Grit. Such a flood of memories. I do believe that through my years in college, I may or may not recall much of what I learned in the classroom, but for sure I made myself a family out there. I miss you guys already N, N, A, D, A, C :(

As we go into 2009 in a crisis, economic recession in many countries, higher cost of living, an upturned state of events in the world, lets not forget to be grateful for everything and everyone we have in our lives, near and far, and for everything good that is yet to come. 

Happy New Year everyone!

Tuesday Thoughts

I just walked into the door of my flat. After work I stopped by one of the vegetable and fruit shops in the neighborhood to buy some veggies. I mentioned earlier on the blog that there is a sizable Pakistani population here in Barcelona. A couple of young Pakistani boys work at the vegetable and fruit shop where I generally go. They should be about 20-22 years old, pretty young really.

Today when I stepped into the shop, there were tons of people and a long line at the counter. There was an old Hindi song playing in the background, I think from the movie Aashiqui, many many years ago. The song goes like this: tu (uuuuuu) meri zindagi hai....... tuuuuuuu meri har khushi hai.......

As I was picking tomatoes, I don't know what happened. The song was playing in the background, and I saw those guys, my eyes filled with tears. I looked at them working, carrying crates here and there, working hard. And then I thought that if I had a little brother he would probably resemble them. These people are the same as me. We're made of the same soil. We are brothers and sisters at the end of the day.

I wanted to talk to them, ask them where they're from, how long since they've been here. I think I have asked one of them that in the past. Since then, he recognizes me and greets me when I enter. But since the Bombay attacks, something has stopped me from going into the Pakistani shops around here. I avoid going there, and on the one occassion when I have, I haven't been able to look them in the eye. Is it because they never really say "we're sorry that so and so happened" ? Is it because in the small talk I've often expressed solitude with them when the earthquake happened in Quetta, or when the Marriot bombings happened in Islamabad, but during the eight major terrorist incidents in India in 2008, they have not so much as condemned one? Am I over-reacting? I know they have nothing to do with it. But then why is there so much hate between the two nations?

We are not superior to them, we don't want to impose ourselves on them. We wish the Pakistanis progress and prosperity. I sincerely believe thats true. As a country, India hasn't done any harm to them. Their main grevience is Kashmir, but why can't we let that issue aside and just focus on ourselves, on building a bright future for the coming generations? Why why why is there so much tension and hatred?

I want to believe that it is a political matter, that politicians and generals in Pakistan have hijacked the people's psyches, that they make them believe that Pakistan's progress lies in India's destruction? I want to believe that its not the people, atleast those I see around me.

Who Did It?

26 November, 2008. Mumbai. Blown up. So far 80 dead, 300 wounded. The Taj Palace, 105 year old landmark symbol of Mumbai in flames.

The question - who did it?

The Buddhists.

Nope, wasn't them.

Surely the Hindus?

No.

The Sikhs?

Nope.

Jains surely then?

Don't think so...

Those empowered Jews then?

No?

Then it must have been those Parsis.

Ah no?

Hmm...lets see. Catholics then for sure.

Wrong again.

How about the Protestants?

No?

The Methodists?

The Baptists?

The Seventh Day Adventists???

The Shintos?

The Taoists???

No. Who is it then?

Couldn't be the Religion of Peace. No, can't be them. Just remember, and Manmohan "Puppet" Singh will remind us soon - Terrorism has no religion.

Toros de Fuego / Bulls of Fire - an Old “Tradition”

I'm on the mailing list for an organization called Animanaturalis that strives for animal rights. Today I opened my mailbox and saw this image, and as curiosity led me to reading a bit more, I'm going to talk about it in this post. I can’t help but bring out this revolting “festival” that is “celebrated” in Soria and Castilla y Leon. As much as I love Spain, it is ALARMING that such activities continue to be allowed in the so called “developed world.” In this post, I am going to translate what exactly the “Toro de Medinaceli” consists of.

Read the original Spanish version here.

Description:
In this "festival," the bulls' horns are installed with metallic artefacts that are screwed on to the ends of the bull’s horns. These artefacts contain inflammable liquid balls so that the bulls horns (and consequently the bull himself) burn like torches for hours on end.

Consequences:
Apart from being completely antinatural, the fire causes panic and horror to all animals, as it is instinctively identified as a sign of danger. Therefore, the bull tries desperately to put off this fire that he carries on his horns. The inflammable liquid that has been applied, ensures that the fire cannot be put off.

Naturally, the consequences of this practice are terrible for the bulls. In first place, logically, the bull is burnt. Although those (retards, psychopaths, insert profanity here ___) who defend this practice argue that this is not true [I’d like to stick a pair of horns on each one of their heads and set fire to them - ooh that would be REAL fun to watch, and to make it even more fun, maybe even tie their hands and legs and watch them try to wriggle around trying to put off the fire - after all, they're not going to get burnt] the bull receives sparks that fly off and burn his head, his face and his eyes. Also, the bull’s horns are a very sensitive area which cause immense pain when burnt.

The bulls (to these retards’ entertainment) try desperately to put off the fire, and find it impossible to do so. While fighting to put the fire off, the bulls can dislocate their necks or even kill themselves due to the violent movements caused by the panic and desperation. The “Toros de Fuego” especially suffer psychological damage, and it is known in some cases for bulls to have committed suicide, throwing themselves against an object or a wall.

Ok, lets talk about Spain for a moment. Yes, there does exist an excellent public health care system. There is excellent infrastructure and Spain is unmatched in terms of Art, Music, and general liveliness. The buzz in the Spanish streets isn't found anywhere else. The street festivals, and local artists, painters, musicians, and even economists and scientists, not to mention sporting personalities.... the list just goes on.

However, in my humble opinion, I still feel that the Spanish Prime Minister is/was giving himself too much credit for considering that the lack of invitation to the G-20 block meeting, where world leaders will hold talks to bring about financial reform, could be due to animosity from Bush's side for Zapatero's withdrawl of Spanish troops from Iraq. Instead, the plain and simple truth is that Spain still has a lot of cleaning up to do in order to really become part of the developed world. There is enough 'black money' here, that could rescue the entire banking system from the liquidity shortage - if only it were declared. Enterprise-wise, good jobs tend to go to those that are "enchufados" or have vaasta or the right contacts. Culturally, too many "festivals" tend to embody the worst torture that one would hope never to see in their living lives.

So my humble message to Mr. Zapatero is, "the problem is not outside Señor Presidente del Gobierno, a lot of the mess lies in your own back-yard."

If you'd like to participate in the manifestation against this festival, here is the contact email informacion@pacma.es and telephone number: 685726737. Buses leave from Barcelona and other major cities.

Thank you PACMA, Animanaturalis, and other organizations who are working so hard, round the clock to help give a voice to these poor animals that don't have a voice in this cruel world.

Elections '08 - a No Brainer

So here we are exactly one week before the US Presidential elections. Next week same time, we will know who the resident of the White House will be for the next four years. I guess seeing the way I see it, the election result should be a no-brainer, an easy win for Obama.

But back in the States, its a tumultuous road to November 4th. On one hand, you have an old man, with archaic ideas, guaranteed to carry on the Bush legacy - and quite popular among the "real America." Real America- what is that? The towns and villages in the heart of the country, with hard-working Christian white folk that listen to country music and go hunting and fishin' on weekends? Is that the "real" America? It may well be. But America is much, much more. America is all-encompassing, the greatest democracy on Earth (I am not American, and I recognize this) where each person has a chance to succeed, they be black, white, yellow, brown or whatever other race, color, or creed. That is what the REAL America is.

My message to all Americans today is: Please vote with your head, your brain. Vote for the best candidate. Don’t allow party affiliation to sway your judgement; at the end of the day each party wishes the best for its members, and McCain is all but best for America. I can already see the disaster that is to come if McCain is elected President. If the world is not already tired and losing respect for the United States, McCain will ensure that it does. I will let this opinion on an article in LJ World (a conservative newspaper) answer his favourite question, reversed: Who is John McCain? Quote:

“More disturbing, exactly which McCain do they (Republicans, those still for McCain) want to elect? The “maverick” who voted with Bush 90 percent of the time? The “deregulator” responsible for virtually no oversight on Wall Street, and charter member of the Keating 5? Or perhaps it is his presidential “judgment” when he picked “Sara Palin, soccer mom” as the only person in the world qualified for president after him. Then again, it could be the old warrior who sings, “bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.” Senator McCain changes positions on so many issues his behavior would make a chameleon envious.

In the past few desperate weeks, McCain has been erratic, all over the place. McCain believes attacking his opponent, belittling and discrediting him, and name-calling in an unprecedented, odious smear campaign as an excellent reason for Americans to elect him president.”

Those who know me, know that I'm no die-hard liberal either. I am moderate politically, but the whole Iraq invasion was uncalled for, something McCain supported 100%.

Come on Americans; you can’t make the same mistake over and over again. It happened once in 2000. A huge huge let-down (and there are many who still believe that the Bush family had a hand in the exemption of many thousands of discarded votes in primarily Democratic regions in central Florida). The second term Bush re-election was another grave mistake. Now, 2008 is when you have a candidate like no other. Barack Obama is what America needs, and in some ways, what the entire world needs. Only Obama can restore America its glory that has been lost over the last 8 years of more than disastrous Bush leadership. Only he can UNITE the country, rather than divide it on partisan lines (something the McCain-Palin camp have expertise in).

Do you want four more years of continuing Dumb and Dumber policies under McCain – Palin, sure to give America nothing new; instead continuing fear, distress and hate that Bush has implanted? Even Al Qaeda knows that Obama as leader of the US will mean a new direction to its foreign policies, building bridges instead of chopping them. They know the United States will not be hated, as it will be under McCain, and that will lower considerably the number of recruits to their cause. Do Americans want that the Al Qaeda grow stronger? If they don’t then they must open their eyes and see that that is bound to happen under McCain – Palin.

Several prominent Republicans have endorsed Obama openly (many have had to face consequences for their actions, but doing the right thing is priceless): Colin Powell, Joel Haugen, Scott McClellan, William Weld, Arne Carlson, Jim Leach, Lincoln Chafee, Rita Hauser, Ken Adelman, Charles Fried, and thousands of others who’re allowing their conscience to be heard in the election booth. Republicans for Obama.

I left the United States six years ago (2002). After September 11th, Bush’s policies took the wrong course. I lost faith in the US. I now have a reason to believe again. And the reason is Obama. When I step on American soil on November 8th, I want to be in a country that has a President that gives hope to the world.

Come on Americans, listen to the voice inside you. You know whats right. Now, more than ever, it is important for you to DO what is RIGHT. Your country is counting on it. And the world is counting on it. Obama/Biden ‘08

Indecent exposure: The breach on the beach

The crisis, unstable market, lack of investment, low morale, low liquidity- all of it only to get worse in 2009- here in Europe, directly affects the market I’m working in (M&A). All of this is now causing me to rethink how much longer will I be able to survive here (cos that’s what I’m doing – surviving, on a minimal pay check that just covers my expenses, and leaves me with no saving at month end), as opposed to moving back home (is my Spain dream coming to an end?)

Interestingly, along with thoughts of home, come thoughts of what I left behind (the good - family, friends, samosas, dosas, shisha, limon bin na na, hot weather, disposable income!!......and also the not so good). One of the not so good things is discrimination and lower pay for equal work, something typical of the Middle East. To that effect, here is an article by Bikram Vohra, that comments on the new-rich feeling that many-a-westerner develops - in my words, how they "lose the plot," once they arrive to the region. How many have seen this happen? Oh, and do enjoy the article (I look forward to reading much more stuff by the author, who I believe is the Managing Editor of the Bahrain Tribune.
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Indecent exposure: The breach on the beach
Bikram Vohra

The global brouhaha over the Dubai police catching two British citizens inflagrant delicto on a beach seems grossly out of proportion to other burning issues of the day. However, now that the British tabloids have picked up this story and destroyed two lives there seems to be no confidentiality or restraint in using these two for everyone else’s cathartic satisfaction. Gee, we are so clever, we don’t get caught. Not that we don’t behave badly, we are heap smarter.

Contrary to the prevalent belief, it is actually the westerners who suffer from culture shock when they come to these parts. The leap from a council house in Hounslow (does it really exist?) Stratham and Slough to villas and houseboys, housemaids, gardeners, 4 wheel drives and the pretensions to Country Club tally ho imitations with a few nightspots and caviar and blinis and smoked salmon replacing bangers and mash and a bit of bitter pink bubbly thrown in for the bit of bitter gives them the feeling of racist superiority. Add to this hubris the sudden financial liquidity and it is easy to see how they go off the tracks. The fact that Asians, by and large, render space to Caeser with graceless ease because they feel that, like them, their bosses also tend to look up to white people more than they do to coloureds adds to the arrogance.

The residual dregs of imperialism still survive. The system allows for this sort of genial racism and naturally, it occasionally goes sour. White nationalities continue to snuffle at the colonial trough and get more money for the same work and a better lifestyle. Asians and others may resent it and respond with equally vicious racism in reverse but they let it be. So an Indian can be pushed aside by a fellow native attendant at a supermarket in preference to a westerner standing behind, a club can refuse entry to non-white people on flimsy excuses, politeness can trip just a bit in the same divide and upper class Asians don’t make it any easier by slavishly aping western customs and habits. Service staff will be politer to those from the west because a report or complaint from one of them tends to cause heavier ripples than one from Asians.

Ergo, you are so not the better man, Gunga Din.
So, when Michelle Palmer and Vince Accors did the naughty they actually believed in a corner of their minds that they were exempt from the laws. If not that, at least they had the social standing to expect leniency. Sense, if you will, the sentiment behind the words to the policeman: I will sue you.

No Asian would even dream of saying that. Not because he is weak or feeble but because he does not feel that sense of superiority. I remember when I was the editor of a newspaper in the UAE a young cheeky English reporter came to me and said, “Do you know my houseboy and you are from the same country, fancy that.” The public school insolence so nurtured and loved in Britain was palpable.

Nothing changes. Being snide is the replacement for poor education and an absence of grammar. Native English speakers may speak it but they couldn’t for the most part write their way out of a paper bag.

Those apologies after the incident by the foolish twosome only conceals the contempt and derision in which such people hold those who are not of their ilk.

If the British community has rallied round these two it is because most of them are a decent lot, living their lives with grace and dignity and not being snotty about who they are because it is not relevant anymore. And, as is their tradition they are going for the underdog. The spate of letters reflect all points of view but paramount is the fact that this incident should be seen as a symptom of a deeper malaise where young western people are flaunting rules and abusing hospitality of foreign nations where they are guests.

In this case, the company ITP issues letters marking out the rules of social conduct and gives it to each newcomer, so what part of it did they not understand? It is getting a little awkward.
A drunk westerner falls off an uptown skyscraper. Another gets smashed and picks up a fight on his way to Heathrow. Gets arrested. A third is caught with his pants down. All in a week. Pub fights become more common. Being decanted into cabs at night is regular activity and the hedonistic self indulgence might get a brake on it for a while after this show all but will it stop the shenanigans?

I quite doubt it. Don’t take tolerance for weakness. The weakness lies in you, chaps.

Shocker!!!

I recycle. Everyday. I carry four trash bags everytime I take the trash out, like hundreds of thousands of people in Spain. The glass into a seperate container, the metal, plastic, tetrabricks, aluminium into another, paper and carton into another and finally organic and other non-recyclable waste into a fourth bin. Needless to say, those of us who recycle are trying to do what we can to put in our little grain of sand towards the betterment of our mother, our planet.

But when the result is this (read article below), I am left completely flabbergasted and wondering where the waste I generate goes? Does it go to another country? Do little children in a far away land play around stinking heaps of my garbage?

Then it brings me to the larger picture. Is recycling really good? Should I re-think about continuing to recycle? How am I assured that my garbage in Spain is not exported to India, Brazil or Cambodia? Is it fair for one country to go "green" at the expense of another? At the end of the day, the garbage still remains on the planet. Things to ponder over...

What remains clear is that the Government of India has proved its incompetence once again, the Govt of Tamil Nadu too; along with the companies involved in this dirty and careless activity, who are importing what is surely toxic waste with complete disregard for any kind of moral or social responsibility. How does the Govt of Britain justify this?

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LONDON/NEW DELHI: Garbage is literally flying and hitting the roof thousands of kilometres away. A TV report about household waste collected weekly across Britain for recycling being shipped and dumped in India has the green brigade up in arms.

As part of Britain's efforts to go green and improve the environment, UK councils ask households to carefully separate waste into different categories: plastics, metal, paper and glass so that they can be recycled.

But, according to an investigation by a British TV channel, these bags are shipped to India on the waste black market, which is cheaper. It costs up to £148 (Rs 12,000) to recycle a tonne of rubbish once it is separated but only £40 (Rs 2,800) to ship it to India.

The investigation found that a receipt put into a paper recycling bin in Essex turned up at the top of a stinking rubbish mound in Tamil Nadu. It was traced to Walton-on-the-Naze home of Geoff Moore. His receipt for CDs was found by investigators at a sprawling rubbish heap in Tamil Nadu. They also found juice cartons, British newspapers, Walkers crisp packets, UK school reports and plastic bags.

Read the rest of the article here.