Man on the Moon

Forty years have passed since that historic event. Made me think of this song by R.E.M. Had never really paid attention to the rest of the lyrics. All that got registered was this line:

"if you believe, they put a man on the moon"

I had only heard the song at pubs and discos. The radio perhaps.

So today I decided to listen to it properly on Youtube. I found this video which aptly has clips of man first setting foot on the moon.

I also read up the lyrics but honestly failed to understand it. I just get this line and think it's a lovely line. However, I read about the song on wikipedia and chanced upon some interesting facts about what the song really means. You too can read about it here.

Meanwhile, enjoy the song!

"ABVP + let off" on google search

It's alarming, how ABVP, the student wing of the BJP go on carrying out criminal offenses and then get let off, free of charge.

I wanted to specifically read about the latest case in which 6 ABVP students were "let off" free of charge, 3 years after they were caught on camera, beating up this old man. i was surprised to come across a whole page of news items in which ABVP activists were "later let off".

The nation saw what happened on TV with regard to the murder of this Professor. But like Varun Gandhi's recent hate speech, that video too might have been doctored. However these expert video-doctors were not able to 'doctor' some evidence to be able to have these students punished.

Sure they were let off. But that does not change the truth. The truth is well known to the judge who said "the prosecution failed miserably". The truth is not hidden from the general public worldwide.

I hope the BJP soon realises that 'divisive politics' is an outdated concept. They will just have to bring about a change in their DNA if they want to save themselves from extinction. But most importantly, they need to learn to respect the mobile phone camera. Manipulation of the truth is no longer child's play. Case in point: Varun Gandhi's hate speech. People in Pilibhit were mighty impressed. So far so good. But what they didn't see coming was how the whole nation (and the whole world) stood gasping at his and the BJPs audacity. That is something new and they were totally ill-prepared to handle it.

The death of Vellupillai Prabhakaran

Is the fall of the LTTE leader a triumph of Sinhalas over Tamils?

Or is it the triumph of a nation over terrorism?

I know that the world over and in many parts of Sri Lanka, it is viewed as the former.

However, I personally like to see it as the latter.

As I see it there was one issue:

Issue number 1 - subjugation of Tamils in Sri Lanka

26 years ago, Prabhakaran stepped up and offered to sort out the issue but only ended up creating an additional issue making things worse.

Issue number 2 - terrorism converting the Serendib into an island of horror to foreigners

So now, we had 2 issues.

It was like giving cancer to a man complaining of a toothache, believing that the cancer would eventually cure the toothache.

Today, the government has after 26 years sorted out the second issue.

Now, it's up to the government and people of Sri Lanka, Tamils included, to rebuild on a foundation of equality and holistic patriotism rather than a Sinhala patriotism or a Tamil patriotism.

Hopefully, they will work towards the progress of the country which is only possible if the interests of every citizen is taken equal care of.

The government seems to have taken this route, what with the president delivering his speech in Tamil as well.

On Velupillai Prabhakaran:

Late Mr. Vellupilai Prabhakran's biggest mistake was to allow himself to get influenced by Marxist thinking. He saw virtue in resorting to violence.

He had a single minded strategy.

Scare them so much that they will listen to anything you want.

Rather simplistic don't you think? When he saw people failed to respond the way he expected, he steadily took the acts of terror up by few notches. That's all he did these last 26 years.

It never occurred to him to think of a different strategy.

Tamil children, boys and girls were snatched from their families to be taught to use weapons and to give up their lives to the cause of mass killings. Naturally, to get a person to agree to do something like this they would need to be brainwashed into a trance. They are denied the freedom to think otherwise. Needless to say, they were denied access to free information. (It would screw everything if you chanced upon the works of Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King or developed personal ambitions right?)

No one dared to think of an alternate strategy. What about peaceful demonstrations? What about giving up on a 'separate eelam' and focus on 'equal rights, opportunity and prosperity of the Tamils'?

No. The LTTE raised 3 decades of Tamils on propaganda. Many Tamils the world over swallowed the justification for all the brutalities. They still do! Its alarming because nothing really justifies violence. And we are talking about downright brutalities here.

I am happy to be in Sri Lanka, witnessing one of its most historic events. Winning over terrorism that is.

As for what happens next, I choose to be optimistic for this beautiful island and ALL its lovely people.

PS: Just my opinion - I am a total 3rd party that happens to currently be in the country. Thats all.

Miss India 2009 was an unwanted girl-child

The Miss India pageant this year refreshingly does more that just present oomphy women to movie directors looking for fresh talent.

This year, they live up to their history of upholding the 'woman of substance' once again.

Hurray!

Pantaloons Femina Miss India 2009, Pooja Chopra's mother Neera Chopra was forced to leave her home when Pooja was born. Her crime? Giving birth to a girl child for the second time in a row.

An infant in one hand, a toddler in the other, Neera arrived penniless in Mumbai. She was determined to provide for her babies, though it was hard to see how.

You can read their inspirational story here.

Today, Neera's older daughter has completed her BBA and is happily married. Her younger daughter, unwanted by her father and fathers family, has proven to the world that they and everybody else who have killed or abandoned their daughter made a BIG mistake.

Every child is special.

Inculcating intolerance in schools

The RSS run schools in India publish things such as the following in their textbooks:

“Delhi’s Qutb Minar is even today famous in his (Qutbuddin Aibak’s) name. This had not been built by him. He could not have been able to build it. It was actually built by emperor Samudragupta. Its real name was Vishnu Stambha…. This Sultan actually got some parts of it demolished and its name was changed.”

Little, innocent minds are thus being sentenced to a life rife with the feeling of resentment and intolerance. (for no fault of theirs!!!)

Lets be careful which school we put our kids in. Unless you want your children to grow up into hate mongers.

I don't know how any parent would willingly allow such a thing to happen to their kid. Its a different matter if you have no choice.

I for one am sure I want my children to grow up to be compassionate, loving and happy and not hateful and restless with a readiness to partake in crime. (as long as it is directed to those from a different religious community)

You can read the whole article that appears in The Hindu here

PS: The RSS or the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is a Hindu fundamentalist organization in India that are accused of harbouring fascist ideologies.

PPS: Thanks to KPJ for the link.

The toughest facebook quiz

You would know if you are a facebook user. You can find out anything about yourself on Facebook.

From "which philosopher are you?" to "what colour is your aura?" to "what are you born to do?" to "which country is most suited for you?" to "what shoe are you?"

You can stop looking for a spello in that one. I wasn't exaggerating before - you can find out ANYTHING about yourself.

From time to time, I take a quiz for fun. More like a source of amusement. A stress-reliever.

I decided to check out "what kind of writer i was" even though knowing that you write like someone would reflect on a lack of originality. But, since i don't write for a profession(yet), I had nothing to worry about.

Or so I thought. Check out question number 1: (it almost made me quit writing altogether)

1.Which style of transmission do you prefer?

The poem

Short story

Manifold creative media

The play

The ripping yarn

The epic

The alienating

A novel in the moment

I wanted to throw my hand up in the air and plead "please spare me...i promise to never again dare to think I could answer questions about 'what kind of writer i am'.. forgive me for thinking its an easy thing to do."

So lost was I that I picked up the phone and dialled my husband's number hoping to get some help. We both began to laugh as I read out the question and the options to him. He said "why don't just write instead of taking silly quizzes about writing?"

Good question. I had no answer so I politely hung up. Post some careful pondering I stumbled through the quiz somehow. The result said "Shakespeare - the one and only". They never disappoint you - these facebook quizzes.

PS: No I did not choose "the play"

Prime Minister Who?

A while ago I had written this post expressing my views against Narendra Modi as PM. You can read it and the debate that ensued here.

As a post script to that post I had mentioned that while I was shooting NM down, I wasn't sure who else to nominate because I don't know enough. But that we should at least NOT pick someone with a track record of spurring riots.

Yesterday I came across a blog post that helps me out with that one.

Amith Prabhu's post Why Manmohan Singh is the Man makes perfect sense to me.

I am so impressed with all his posts that I have included his blog on my rather exclusive blog roll. :)

PS: People are protesting that Tytler got a free chit. Well, that's all that Tytler got right? There are others who got chief ministership and possible prime ministership post similar apathy towards communal disharmony.