ISI Strikes again at those who can't fight back!!!

ISI has struck again, this time it is against a civilian and that too a woman. Sunanda Pushkar wife of Congress minister Shashi Tharoor was found dead in a hotel room in New Delhi yesterday morning. As described in media reports, the death has taken place under "Mysterious circumstances" and all fingers are pointing at the husband Shashi Tharoor who, it seems has not had luck with matrimony. Pushkar was his third wife per media reports.


According to media reports, it seems like Tharoor had already had enough with the third wife and is actively pursuing a fourth - this time he is allegedly sleeping with the enemy. Reports are rife that Tharoor has an active liaison with a particular Pakistani Journalist. It is important to note that the late Pushkar had accused the Pakistani media person to be an ISI agent and the reason she was with Tharoor was to get inside info to supply to her bosses. Now not long after the accusation Pushkar has been killed.

The sudden turn of events, make it seem quite obvious that there is a foreign hand, particularly ISI agents and/ or other Pakistan affiliated terrorists. Pakistan is known to use covert and below the belt techniques to attack its arch enemy - India. This is just another way to further infiltrate the already compromised Central government of India.

It is unfortunate that most media outlets don't see it this way. Of course the ruling Congress government doesn't want to even think about this death or the ramifications it has on the future of our country. They are busy in creating a drama about their chosen prime ministerial candidate.

Pantless commuters hit Mexico City subways

While I am in India, Mexico City commuters are going New York style - commuting the subway without pants. It is kinda hilarious think if this were to repeat in India... particularly in conservative regions. Some people would hail this as a step towards greater freedom, others would say it is just plain foolish. Conservatives would seethe and gnash their teeth in anger at the amount of westernization that has taken over this ancient society. Alas... only problem is that, it is not gonna happen anytime soon here in India.       

Pantless commuters hit Mexico City subways | Watch the video - Screen India http://in.screen.yahoo.com/pantless-commuters-hit-mexico-city-180502333.html Watch the video Pantless commuters hit Mexico City subways on Yahoo Screen. Intrepid Metro passengers in Mexico City took to the rails sans pants for the ubiquitous "No Pants Subway Ride." Elly Park reports. Read the full story

 

             

Happy Diwali 2013

Diwali is almost over but hey... good things and good deeds can be done anytime. This image is courtesy of JK YOG, I just removed the name of their organization digitally and published it on my blog. No copyright infringement is intended.

If I were in India it would have been one pig fest eating till my stomach busts, sweets, savories, etc. But then I am in America and don't even know any Indian families that celebrate these festivals well enough that I get invited to their place. Anyway festivals or not life goes on...

Beliefs and Convictions - different strokes....

I saw this advertisement in the local papers. It is interesting how people like Jim and his group featured in the advertisement take pride in eroding the religious practices and cultural beliefs of community and create rifts in the nation in the name of god. Religion and god was never meant to create unrest, and conflict in a society, but modern religion, especially when it gets highly professionally organized seems to be doing exactly that.

India is already a disturbed place with almost 20% of the world's population in less than 5% of the world's land area the country is reeling under several problems. Converting people and creating new religious orders only lead to conflicts. I wonder when people will understand that one doesn't ascend to heaven by creating conflicts in nations.

One of my friends who had lived in Texas earlier had remarked to me that "Texas is like the buckle of the bible belt" and having lived here for over five years I would say I have been poked and pierced by the buckle several times.

5 Foods Americans Eat that Are Banned Around the World - Yahoo News

Growing up in India I recall the huge furore about BVO or Brominated Vegetable Oil being used in soft drinks, chocolate, etc. Consumer groups hounded these corporations and the government to ban products using BVO and the campaign was quite successful back then in the 1980s. Now I hope the ban continues. I am shocked to know that American corporations continue to spew out products with BVO quite regularly and not to mention growth hormones which makes the children and adults here grow to gigantic proportions. Wonder how it would be in India with so many multinational brands fighting for their share of the billion plus market.

5 Foods Americans Eat that Are Banned Around the World | Shine Food - Yahoo Shine http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/5-foods-americans-eat-banned-around-world-161800329.html These common foods in America include ingredients that other countries ban Read the full story

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Indians losing identity - or have we already lost it???

As a proud Indian citizen I continue to get frustrated by people who make the common mistake of using my ethnic-national identity label on others who are not even remotely connected to my country or ethnicity. It makes me wonder if there is even one individual out of the billion plus Indians who feel the same way about this issue.

Every so often things come up in the media that frustrate me to no end. One of the biggest that makes my skin crawl and blood boil is the issue of ethnic identity. Few million "Native Americans" in compliance with few million more Europeans and Africans continuously assault our identity. The first group have the audacity to continue to refer to themselves as "Indians" even though they know that they are not and for that matter never were the owners of the identity label. The second and third groups continue to foment the myth of Indian identity label for Native Americans. What is worse is the fact that over a million real Indians in the United States and a billion plus in the rest of the world are blissfully accepting this labeling without as much as a squeak of protest.

Recently I listened to a radio program on NPR presented by of course the famous Lourdess Garcia-Navarro, International correspondent based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which was inappropriately titled "Brazil's Indians Reclaim Land Citing Promises, Using Force". Of course she is writing about the indigenous people of Brazil. In her biography page on NPR it is claimed that "Garcia-Navarro captured history in the making with stunning insight, courage and humanity." I wonder where this insight vanished when she is referring to Native Americans or whatever tribal nation they belong to as Indians. This reporter has been feted multiple times in various forums for excellence in reporting.

The reporting excellence seems to vanish when it comes to reporting the truth about Indians - of course the real ones from India and not those who are piggybacking on the label just because of a mistake made by Spaniard Christopher Columbus.

Boston Bombers - Captured or Killed

The two sick Islamist terrorists who are allegedly the perpetrators of the Boston Marathon Bombings are now in the custody of the law enforcement. Swift work and great job by the American law enforcement officials. That shows not only the hard working nature of the police officers here but also the political will and corruption free atmosphere the people here enjoy. When it comes to anti-American activities there is simply no pardon, everything is set aside and people work together as one nation. To say that I am impressed would be an understatement. I definitely salute the law enforcement and politicians who gave them unfettered power to go after the culprits and bring them in.

The Scenario in Bengaluru which also experienced serious blasts is quite the opposite, politicians are playing the blame game, people are back in their routines, media has forgotten the incident and now it occupies the inside pages of the newspapers. Police probably are just adding pages to the case and doing some paper pushing. Terrorists are probably laughing and partying away and planning their next attack. That is the pathetic state of affairs in the world's most populous democracy.

If I was in India reading this very post, I would be enraged and say what does the writer know, he is living in the comfort of America. One thing those in India must understand, we maybe far away from the country but we still love India and feel frustrated when such events take place and people just sit around and twiddle their thumbs. I want to see those involved in the recent Terrorist attacks in Bengaluru brought in front of the law and killed like the Mumbai terrorist. Same goes with every single anti-India person who wants to commit treason. This can only happen when the common people in India take action and do something - voting for the right candidate would be a good start. Getting actively involved in the community/ social well being by setting aside narrow political, caste wars aside would be even better. This will defeat the anti-National forces easily.

Losing our legacy!

A recent conversation at work made me extremely sad. Few days ago during lunch break one of my colleagues was talking about her family weekend outing to a Christian retreat in rural Texas. She was describing how peaceful and serene the locale was and revealed that every morning the retreat conducted prayers and Yoga. I was silently listening and others in the room chipped in their conversation about how beneficial Yoga was and how they all like to learn and perform the exercises and meditate during.

One of them was even saying how great "Christian Yoga" was for the mind, body and spirit. Another colleague turned to me and asked "Do you know about Yoga? I know Yoga is an Eastern practice...." I responded suitably and the conversation went on.

The reason I am sharing it here is because I am so depressed by the fact that we Indians have lost everything in the eyes of the west. We lost our independence and freedom when the Muslims started invading us. Then we lost all our wealth thanks to the marauding mobs of Muslims. We lost our identity sometime in 1400s when Christopher Columbus landed here and branded the tribal people "Indians". Then we lost our economy, and got enslaved by the British.

After independence we lost our sense of thinking what is right for our civilization, nation and society. Unfortunately we have become so selfish that we only think of what is right for me and my family, even if it means compromising our identity, culture, tradition and legacy.

I wonder what we will lose next! Maybe our history!

18 percent Americans don't have enough for food!!!

America continues to dominate the world militarily, economically, and politically, but a significant percentage of its citizens are finding it difficult to afford two square meals a day. On one hand there are super rich multi-billion dollar wealthy Americans and then there are those who work(ed) for these people who are literally living a hand-to-mouth existence. When I was in India, all that was mentioned about America was that everyone in this country was rich and there was hardly any poverty. Since I moved to the US in 2007 I have seen with my own eyes the state of this country. Yes there is a lot of riches in this country, there are extremely rich people and even the poorer people own cars. The overall level of comfort these people enjoy is far superior to most lower-middle-class folk elsewhere in the developing world. There is the weak underbelly of America which fades under the glaring brightness of its wealth. This is a small but growing population of people who are finding it difficult to make ends meet, not just that... they are finding it difficult to put food on the table. Reference: Yahoo News

Happy Republic Day 2012

Image by Akshay Shah via Flickr

Today's is India's Republic Day - the day when India became a sovereign republic day with its own distinct constitution. India's Republic Day Parade is one of the most famous events that takes place in the Capital. I have never attended one in person but I have watched the live telecast on TV several times in my life when I was in India.

Next time I am in India I hope it is during this time so I can go to Delhi and watch the parade with my own eyes.

Confederate Hellcat: Motorcycle Inspired by The Mahabharata

Image Courtesy Wall Street Journal

It is rare that one comes across someone saying that they have been inspired by the Hindu Epic Mahabharata. Specially in the day when ridiculing everything that is connected to Hinduism, Hindu spirituality or Hindu Epics is a fashion. This morning I read an article in Wall Street Journal about a master motorcycle designer Ed Jacobs and was heartened to note that he derives his inspiration from "Arjuna the silver-bright and unconquerable charioteer (should have been warrior) in the Mahabharata" among others.

Ed Jacobs is the chief designer at Confederate Motorcycles a boutique that manufactures custom, aesthetically designed, two wheeled beauties. I read the entire article and was awe struck by the attention to detail that makes this motorcycle the beauty that it is. Confederate's X132 Hellcat is their latest offering which is priced at $45,000 is one beauty on two wheels that will make every bike lover go weak in their knees.

According to the article Ed Jacobs got his inspiration to design motorcycles after he visited India and rode the Enfield Bullet to the Himalayas. He decided to work and build beautiful motorcycles that are aesthetic, functional and unique. I am glad that at least this individual has acknowledged that he derived inspiration from the Hindu Epic Mahabharata.

I wonder how many Indian designers of any kind - be it motorcycle or software or car would even think of the Mahabharata as a source of inspiration and even if they did how many would acknowledge the fact. Because if they did, there is every likelihood that the Indian media would brand them "right wing Hindutva fascists."

In my next blog post on the same topic I will discuss how motorcycles made in India could get a more intimate feel by simply renaming the models. It goes around to make a statement that we are aware of our heritage and are rooted in our culture, which unfortunately I think India is fast loosing.

Happy Karnataka Rajyothsava

Image via Wikipedia

November 1 is the day when my home state of Karnataka was born, i.e. formed by amalgamating all the Kannada speaking regions of India. Today I am in Dallas, Texas, United States and pretty much not in touch with the language of Karnataka. Back home in Bengaluru there will be official and unofficial celebrations galore but in the US it is hard to get to know of these events and harder to attend one. For myself I have tried to remember the language by watching a Kannada movie on Youtube.

Wishing all Kannadigas worldwide a very very Happy Karnataka Rajyotsava 2011.

Happy Diwali 2011

Image by Jayesh Bheda via Flickr
Wishing all my readers, friends and family a very very happy Diwali 2011. May the year bring only light and no darkness in your life and if at all there is anything that is bothering you may the god bless you with enough joy that everything you touch becomes gold.

Diwali is the festival of joy, light, and the victory of good over evil. Every year it is one celebration that most Hindus don't miss. Now it has become so ubiquitous in India and the World at large that many non-Hindus have made it part of their culture to celebrate this festival of lights. The American Congress celebrates this festival as a official event. There are numerous Diwali parties that are happening across America in which several non-Indians, non-Hindus participate with full fervor.

Times of joy are to be shared and the happiness doubles for both the giver and the receiver. Let us promise ourselves that we will give out only joy to others from this day on. That would be the true spirit of Diwali 2011.

India on the verge of losing the Taj Mahal

Image courtesy DOTW News

I read a lot of news and those that really touch my heart I blog about it. Here is a news report about two things I feel passionately about: India and its heritage monuments. I read this news report titled The Taj Mahal in danger of collapse on the online DOTW News portal. I am definitely sad but I am not surprised at all. India is one nation with a large population and a relatively small landmass. Coupled with the fact that India is full of heritage monuments, almost every small village in the country has historical temples and structures that need to be preserved.

Now given the small land mass of country, our ancestors should not have been so magnanimous to give away large tracts of territory to create smaller nations of Pakistan and Bangladesh. As if adding insult to injury the our people have ceded a third of land in Jammu & Kashmir to Pakistan to create Pak Occupied Kashmir and some more land to China in the contiguous Ak-Siachen region. Then there is the dispute with China over Arunachal Pradesh, then the Narasimha Rao government as recently as during the 1990s ceded some part of the Tin Bigha corridor to Bangladesh which has now been completely leased (read given away) to Bangladesh recently. Now with so little land left for such a huge population there is simply not enough resources in Mother India to feed, clothe and house the teeming billions.

Then we have our self-serving politicians and businessmen and the so-called societal leaders who are more interested in stripping the country of its riches and filling their own coffers. The net result natural resources of the country are ravaged, antiquities are sold. The Taj Mahal being in this kind of precarious condition is the result of this kind of the rapacity of the country.

There is a saying in Sanskrit "Yatha Raja, thatha Praja" meaning "How the king is, that is how the citizens will be". With the country being ruled by corrupt, self-serving politicians, the nations populous is equally corrupt if not more. Nobody is concerned about anything that belongs to the society, everyone is bothered only about his/ her self, immediate family, bank accounts, property. So who cares about the Taj? The media which should play the role of a promoter of national interest is doing the exact opposite. They make heroes out of terrorists and villains of the soldiers and police.

The net result is drying up of rivers, damage to our heritage and monuments like Taj will collapse. I am sure the bureaucrats and politicians who are talking about protecting the monument are more interested in the pickings they can get out of the contracts they will award to engineers, architects and builders rather than really restoring and protecting the Taj.

Happy Navrathri 2011

Image via WikipediaNavrathri or Dushera or Dasara is one of the most important festivals of more than a fifth of the world's population. I mean there are over a billion Hindus worldwide and all these people celebrate this festival which commemorates the victory of god over demons, light over darkness, good over evil, etc. This is one f the most widely celebrated festivals among the Indian diaspora in the US. When I say Indian I mean the Hindus from India, not the native American tribals and their half-bred white descendants who so ardently cling on to this ethnic identity label and refuse to let go and take pride in their own national identity.

The highlight of Dasara or Navrathri in my home state in India is the celebrations in Mysore. The way these celebrations are carried out is simply mind-blowing and people from across the world come to view the grandeur of this event.

Anyway this post is about the celebration of Navrathri and I sure wish everyone across the world irrespective of their religion, nationality, ethnic identity, or culture a very happy festival season.

Three Different Birds - one common location

We say India is a land where unity in diversity exists, but I think this concept is borrowed from nature. Once I heard someone say that "According to Charles Darwin it is survival of the fittest and competition in nature. I believe there is cooperation also in nature." Of course that person was talking about mixed agriculture/ cultivation of fruit trees of different species alongside each other. In this post I'd like to present three pictures shot at Santa Cruz Beach in California. The first one is of sea gulls that fly in and out of the ocean hunting for fish and live on the rocks and hills close to the beach. The next one is of pigeons which I am sure were introduced to this place by someone, these thrive on handouts from benevolent people who come and drop off corn, rice and other grains for them to feast on. Then there are the crows and ravens which thrive off the garbage, they are the scavengers of nature. Without crows it would be difficult for 100% natural degradation of wastes. Anyway I thought it was interesting that these three species live in the same space they don't compete with each other for food and sustenance. They all live in harmony without fighting... I wish we humans learned to live like that.

Surviving against all odds

I captured this picture in 2005 near Devanahalli town. It was located close to the highway, which at that time was undergoing expansion to accommodate the increased to the new international airport. Now that the airport is complete I don't think this tree would have been spared the development axe. Looking at the tree one would think that it is so crooked that it would fall dead anytime, but no it was thriving and would have lived for several more years.... This shows that any life form will not give up so easily. It will fight against anything and everything to stay alive and continue life. This tree though crooked beyond proportions has survived in the face of rain, sun, winds, and of course humans.

A Long Walk Home....

I shot this picture when I was trekking in a rural locale about 60 km from Bangalore. The picture was obviously shot from atop a hill. This image shows how this villager has to struggle to lead her life. She is ok with the risk of walking along the railway tracks for long distances to collect firewood from the forest. Life is so easy for us in the city and yet we still complain that government is not doing enough. Here is this lady who has to walk long distances over uneven ground just to survive... It is time we appreciate the good things we have...

Happy Ganesha Chaturthi

Wish you all a very Happy Gowri-Ganesha Festival!

Image via Wikipedia

Most of my readers from India would have celebrated the festival with devotion. Here in the US I am pretty sure only a minority of the Hindus would have celebrated the festival at home. Most would have gone to the temple, some would be scheduled to celebrate over the weekend. Whatever your plans are, I wish you a very Happy Gowri-Ganesha Festival.

Wildfires ravage homes and wilderness areas in Texas

News reporting is mostly about scams, crimes, and other negative aspects of the human society. When I hear about political scams, businesses exploiting workers, etc I just nod and go on with myself. It is only when I listen to news about gruesome crimes and harm to the environment that I get deeply affected. Since the past couple of days I have been listening to the news about wildfires that are burning several pristine wilderness areas in the State of Texas, US.

Nature, wilderness, forests, wildlife, and birds have so little left after what we humans have consumed, and now even their shrinking habitats are being threatened. The first threat is from the ever-greedy human being and then the next threat is mother nature herself, who rears up as floods, hurricanes, thunderstorms and sometimes as wildfires.

Every year during summer bush fires are common in rural Texas but this year it has been extremely severe. Texas has been suffering from drought which has limited water resources drastically. As a result the vegetation and forests have become extremely dry and susceptible to fire. This summer has been extremely severe thanks to the drought, temperatures have been constantly over a 100 deg F. I remember three years ago when I came here new if summer temperatures rose only to about 102 or 103 and that too only for a day or two. Unfortunately this year has not been so, triple digit temperatures have burned down for the past month or so.

Earlier this year in April 2011 Possum Kingdom State Park was consumed in a wildfire that devastated several thousand acres of pristine forests. Now in August, 2011 it is a repeat incident in which 6500 acres of wilderness areas have been consumed and the fire is spreading. Hundreds of firefighters are working hard, day and night to combat and contain the fire but in vain. Several residences close to the fire have been evacuated and now the residents are not sure whether their homes will be safe when they return.

What caused the fire? It is the dry wood from dead trees, twigs, and dry grass in the forest that easily catch fire in the heat of the sun. In countries like India where there are several hundred poor people who live by collecting firewood for cooking and sometimes to sell to others, the forest wastes are effectively used. In America there are no such abjectly poor people. Even the poorest of the poor drives a car and lives in a home with central air conditioning and heating, so nobody collects or uses the dead wood in the forests.

Moreover the state parks officials consistently maintain the park very well in such a way that insects and pests that eat dead wood and compost it can't thrive in state parks. This adds to the problem of dead wood and fire-susceptible state parks. The result is wildfires summer after summer.

I feel sad for the people affected and sadder for the animals and plants in the park that are now homeless, and perhaps lifeless too. Anyway I hope this fire doesn't happen ever again anywhere in the world and we can Save our forests for the future.