Thursday, April 30, 2009

Media has turned into a bimbo

This is what happens when a bunch of losers and crooks take up journalism as a career option. Media has overtaken politics as the dirtiest profession.
The Pioneer > Online Edition : >> Media evades real issues
Has the obsession of pseudo-secular parties to grab the largest chunk of Muslim votes pushed issues of national interest to the background? Why isn’t the media even trying to get the reaction of the leaders of the Muslim community to the rise of the Taliban in Pakistan? This indeed is a sad phase for our democracy.

Fwd: Hackers: the China Syndrome

internet has been synonymous with democracy and free speech. the chinese government's botched attempt at regulating internet has resulted in feeding the underground activities. i wonder why this rebellion against government oppression is being equated with nationalism.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Girish

 
A 2005 Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences survey equates hackers and rock stars, with nearly 43 percent of elementary-school students saying they "adore" China's hackers. One third say they want to be one. This culture thrives on a viral, Internet-driven nationalism.

By 1940, India was a drain on Britain

Economics was the primary reason Britain left India. Gandhi, you said?
Losing Hope, Glory and Assets - WSJ.com
Still, it is not wrong for Mr. Clarke to assign the blame for imperial collapse to wartime commitments. And money had a great deal to do with it. The war, Mr. Clarke notes, "left India a creditor on a vast scale, with Britain owing it huge sums in the form of the sterling balances." This fact meant that London actually owed New Delhi some £1.3 billion pounds (or $5.2 billion in 1945 dollars). The empire had conferred many benefits on Britain, but by the 1940s its administration and defense were a net drain on London.

CBCNN presents swine of the week sponsored by Chindu.

To the readers, if you find any quote by a politician, media personality or other in the Chindu which is idiotic or annoying or whiny please post it as a comment. Weekly we'll gather it an select the worst of the lot as the swine of the week.

This week's Winner: Mr. Vayalar Ravi Union minister for Overseas Indian Affairs. when asked about giving NRI's the right to vote,
It’s not possible.What electoral control can there be?...the task of collecting ballots of such a magnitude is daunting.


Mr. Ravi if you cannot provide this basic service to NRI's then why the heck are you a Minister? Why are the tax payers wasting their money paying this ignorant dumbass who cannot even find out how other countries are providing similar services for their non resident citizens?

Honorable mention:Bachchan family when asked whom they voted for?

Mera Bharat Mahan.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Truth becomes a victim of sycophancy

The PTI report filed on chindu website reports a complete shutdown.
The Hindu News Update Service
Khannabal (J&K) (PTI) A complete shutdown was observed in Anantnag and Pulwama districts of Kashmir on Monday in protest against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's election rallies there in support of party ally National Conference's candidate from Anantnag parliamentary constituency.

Shops and business establishments, educational institutions and some of the government offices remained closed in the two south Kashmir districts in response to the call given by Chairman of hardline faction of Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

Public and private transport also remained off the roads in the districts where tight security was in place in view of Mr. Gandhi's visit.
The mandatory report eulogizing Rahul Gandhi says the call for bandh was a total failure.
The Hindu : National : Rahul reaches out to Kashmiri youth
People in general ignored the strike called by hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani to protest against Mr. Gandhi’s visit. Though in some areas shops were closed, normal life was largely unaffected with vehicles plying on the roads, and shops and business establishments remaining open.

We, who have been following chindu for long enough, know which report to trust.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Chindu reports world wide swine flu epidemic

Chindu reports that the swine flu epidemic has spread world wide. The solution:
The best way to keep the disease from spreading, health officials said, is by taking everyday precautions such as frequent hand washing, covering up coughs and sneezes, and staying away from work or school if not feeling well.

I'm sure lots of school kids would want to follow the last part judiciously.
Chindu's investigative reporting found airports using scanners like this one,

In an related incident, Chindu found the perpetrator of the Swine Flu:

No more words need be said.
In other news, Lic fave hotshot, Brinda Karat breaking a vow of silence, predicted that a dumbass will be chosen as PM,
This time round the people will prefer a more democratic fashion, when the non-Congress, non-BJP parties comprising the Third Front will decide in a democratic way who the Prime Minister should be

Really why doesn't the Third Front nominate a single be the face of the campaign if its so confident about victory?
Why are the Mufti's being branded communal? Mehbooba Mufti's answer:
It is very unfortunate to see us through this prism. When any leader in Jammu and Kashmir talks about keeping in mind the aspirations of people, they are branded in the manner you describe.

How I wish the Government did not release those terrorists to save this b1t(h's sister's life. (Correction: Thanks to a reader's sharp observation)
If Kashmiris wan't self determination, they should first repay the people of India the money they've swallowed in the last 60 years plus interest. Then we should talk about self determination.
Final word:
Election commission has wizened up to the act of the Communists. They are sending 220 companies of Central forces for this elections.
I would love to see some Communist a-holes shot doing booth capturing this time around.

What else can one say?

They never learn!

Monday, April 27, 2009

In today's news - DMK farce, Mayawati's charge and others

In what has become a real farce(or fast?) the DMK's opportunistic support to the Tamil cause after months of fighting which coincides with the elections reached a pinnacle with the CM Mr. Karunanidhi conducting a hunger fast after breakfast. And called it off just before lunch. All this came and went when the Sri Lankan Govt. had already given signs that it was going to call a ceasefire.
Look at the photo below, Mu Ka surrounded by his wives, confidants, security, Air Conditioned comfort and servants and medical staff.
I'm sure Gandhi did not have the same idea when he started doing his Satyagrahas. BTW where was this action hero Mu Ka when thousands of civilians were brutally killed in a genocide by the Sinhalese army?


In other news Mayawati rightly complains that the Congress has unfairly looted the country for 61 years. According to her,
the Congress responsible for poverty and unemployment in the country and said if the BSP is voted to power at the Centre it would focus on the welfare of the “sarv samaj.

Yup, she and her BSP goons would redistribute the wealth from Congress pockets to her purse. Thanks Maya memsaab.

And in a search for Mummies in Egypt the tomb diggers found some... tombs!
Dr. Zahi Hawass pre-eminent archeologist in his usual style said,
there is someone important buried in the temple.

Which means it could be anyone from Cleopatra to her maid servant to her cat. Importance is quite relative and in the ever moving desert that is Egypt no one really knows.

The Christian church in Kerala has thrown its weight behind the communists by starting labour forums for all workers. Not sure if the leaders of these churches know that one of communism's primary goals is the abolition of religion.

The law of assumptions

Using a different yardstick to judge the BJP and the Congress.

Devil's Advocate: Arun Shourie on black money issue
Arun Shourie to Karan Thapar: Which book of logic do you get this new phrase called the ‘law of assumption’ which you will apply only to Mr Advani 's phrases and not to your phrases.


Sunday, April 26, 2009

London Mayor on Labor govt.'s extravagance

Boris Johnson might be writing this about the "moribund" UK govt., but he might as well be speaking presciently about what's to befall us post-May 16. Perhaps the opposition should ask Gandhi's kook how her fairy dust is going to recover economy in 100 days. The thousands of crores thrown down the NREG gutter and other such dubious schemes will finally have to be dredged by aam aadmi, while Sonia and her mediaocre merryband play fiddle with public funds.

It was the sensational mismanagement of the Labour government, watercannoning good money down the drain in times of plenty and failing to put anything by for the downturn.

It believed its own demented propaganda about ending boom and bust, and using hundreds of taxpayers' billions in a ruthless and concerted attempt to expand the state sector – to the point where it amounts to about 70 per cent of the economy in a place such as Newcastle upon Tyne – and thereby to build up a huge and unbudgeable mass of people whose livelihoods depend upon the government and who are therefore more likely to vote Labour.

This government's colossal deficit is the result of Gordon Brown's decision to abandon prudence and to use the public purse to buy election victory.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Chindu hammers Hindu superstitions

In a brutal section called Spiritual supermarket Chindu rolls out not one but three articles:


Apparently one K.S. Shaji, associate professor with the Department of Psychiatry in the Thrissur Government Medical College says,
People often ask why fake godmen thrive in Kerala, a highly literate State. Linguistic and numerical literacy has little to do with mental maturity and emotional intelligence. People’s insecurity breeds charlatans, impostors and cheats who quote the scripture for their purpose. People rush to godmen when they face crises, material or existential. It could be a problem your friend or a family member can help you handle, but you trust the quizzical smile of a business-savvy monk more


To which I say, why don't you start first by asking the question to the Pastors and Priests in Churches and Ulemas of Mosques for running fictional religions?
There are a lot of con artists robbing the public blind. But that is not in one religion alone. Targeting the Hindu religion unfairly focuses the blame when all other religions are guilty of the same. Where is the accountability of the holy waters of the Churches or the various mosques where miracles are a daily affair?
Some fairness in journalistic investigation and lack of bias would serve this newspaper well.

Flawed democracy

Secular appeasement has been the norm ever since the time of the First Prime Minister(TM). Chindu maintains stoic silence when it encounters secular terrorism but quickly gets into delusional rants when it sniffs any hindu resistance. All its ranting does little to change the ground reality or people's perceptions.
The Pioneer > Online Edition : >> There is nothing called a dull election
In 2004 Muslims voted with passion and unity for either the Congress or its allies. In this election, their vote is splintering, with the candidate rather than the party being the principal draw. In Varanasi, they have voted for Mukhtar Ansari, a man who they have not seen, for the good reason that he is in prison. Ansari is considered a criminal, but he has the right name. Elsewhere, the vote has gone to Mulayam Singh Yadav or to new parties that are unafraid to say that they will represent only the Muslim interest.

View this along with Manmohan's "first right to muslims" statement and we have a terribly flawed democracy in our country.

Friday, April 24, 2009

One week is a long time in politics

16th April: The Hindu : Front Page : CPI(M) rules out alliance with Congress
there is no question of having any understanding or alliance with the Congress party,” CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat told reporters here.
25th April: The Hindu : Front Page : “Left may ally with Congress after polls”
West Bengal Chief Minister and senior CPI(M) leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has not ruled out the possibility of the Left parties working with the Congress again if the situation warrants after the Lok Sabha polls.


The new kid on the block

The Hindu : Front Page : Communalism in coastal Karnataka
The same evening when over one lakh frenzied people turned up for the Hindu Samajothsava on March 15 at Mangalore,
On the evening when Govind D. Belgaumkar saw one lakh frenzied Hindus intent on hurting the minorities, the Catholic church heard this message:
On March 15, Surendra Kumar Jain, an official of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (world Hindu council), urged Hindu youths to unite to build a strong nation. Addressing a Hindu gathering in Mangalore, he said the country is under attack from religious conversion, terrorism and anti-Hindu activities.
Govind works at the Infantry Road office and can be reached at +91-80-22864240. He might have a few interesting stories to say about Hindutva mobs, although he is not in the same league as Arundhati Roy.

And in today's news

Chindu agrees that there are not only Hindu bigots, but now Christian and Islamic fundamentalists have joined the fray in Karnataka.

President Patil in her money wasting tour stopped by Poland and empathized with their loss of lives, I mean life(one Polish engineer was killed) by the Taliban in Pakistan,
Pointing out that India had been suffering terrorism “from across the border” for more than two decades, she condoled with the gruesome murder of a Polish engineer by the Taliban in Pakistan in February 2009.


Condoled with the gruesome murder, I know one condoles a gruesome murder, how does one with the murder? One condoles with a person or family or community. Hmm Chindu's language skills are diminishing.

In what appears to be a calculated move the Taliban fighters decided to withdraw after the mighty Pak army leader Gen. Kayani flexed his muscles saying,
“determined to root out the menace of terrorism from society” with people’s support. “Victory against terror and militancy will be achieved at all cost,”

after getting approval to say so from Mullah Omar.

Elsewhere Praveen Swami discusses Pakistan and the Taliban’s stateless power
As usual he copies someone else's ideas (and in this case Jakub Grygiel's who had written an essay in The Policy Review) and tries to pass it off as his own.
Pakistan’s elites have proved adroit at transforming the apocalyptic fears raised by the prospect of a jihadist coup into hard cash. Between 2002 and 2008, the U.S. spent $11.2 billion to help Pakistan combat terrorism and enhance security. But the cash has, quite evidently, done little to persuade Islamabad to abandon its march into the abyss. It is becoming clear that the war against jihadist terrorism cannot be won without first finding ways to transform the worldview and institutional interests of Pakistan’s army.

Really Mr.Swami how did you manage to expose the fact that the Pakistani army and ISI are actually terrorists wearing military garb? You Sir are the premier investigative journalist of this generation. Let me ask President Patil to present you with the Padma Gadha award when she comes back from her tours.

Malayalam film industry faces red terror

When it is communists wrecking havoc with their outdated policies, chindu comes up with innocuous-sounding euphemisms to suppress any communist stench. Trade unions suddenly become "fraternal organisations".
The Hindu : National : Top Malayalam producers plan to shift base to Chennai
Major players of the Malayalam film industry are seriously contemplating to shift their operations to Chennai considering the labour unrest and the raging differences of opinion among fraternal organisations.
Sindh Today explains the conflict between CPI and CPM backed trade unions. Read it here if you are interested.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Talk about a lameduck President wasting public money

Maybe its me, but I for one have never understood the concept of having too many Constitutional authorities taking up real estate in Delhi and burning through the tax payers money without contributing anything significantly. The President being one of the biggest.
Even Abdul Kalam who was popular and his advice sought after was pretty much a poster boy without significant contributions. Now with the elections going on, global economy in a serious rut, the terrible Maoist insurgency affecting half the country and 2 neighbors Pakistan and Sri Lanka in desperate civil wars, is it the right time for President Patil to waste public money and go to visit Spain and Poland? Its not like she's Obama trying to rebuild alliances in the Middle East and other parts.
Can't the Europeans wait for a month or two?
I am seriously considering starting a petition or filing a case in the Supreme Court to abolish the post of President and Vice President as they are a burden on the tax payers!!
Here are some pictures of her trip from the enterprising Chindu which gives coverage to her every move.
This is her shaking hands with some European dude.


This is her trying to do some aarti in Poland.



Interesting tidbit about NGOs as the Taliban captures Pakistan

Being familiar with the shrill rhetoric of NGOs, this bit came as a surprise:

The staff members of local nongovernmental organizations have been ordered to leave, and their offices have been looted, they said. Pakistani television news channels showed Taliban fighters triumphantly carrying office equipment out of the offices of the organizations.

Where are the brave NGO fighters who want to be human shields when facing imperial forces? NGOs cut and run as usual. Sshh...

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Who really is CEC Navin Chawla?

Chindu appears to give Navin Chawla real undue coverage. Why is that?

Wikipedia has a succinct summary on Navin Chawla
Some odd highlights include,
At the time of Indian Emergency (1975 - 77) he was secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. Shah Commission which inquired into the excesses during the Emergency, indicted Mr Chawla for having been 'authoritarian and callous' and for gross misuse of power "in cynical disregard of the welfare of citizens". Further, it declared that he was "unfit to hold any public office which demands an attitude of fair play and consideration for others"

Or how about the Gandhi family connection?
He has been considered close to the Gandhi family. Apart from his documented proximity to Sanjay, his mother was the gynaecologist who supervised Priyanka Gandhi's delivery. Priyanka and Rahul are reported to be "very fond of him."

Or running private trusts on behalf of the Congress,
Election Commissioner and his wife Rupika ran the Jaipur-based Lala Chaman Lal Education Trust which had secured MPLADS funds from Congress MPs — A.A. Khan, R.P. Goenka, Ambika Soni, Dr Karan Singh and Mr A.R. Kidwai. Exclusive: Chawla accepted funds for private trusts. The trust was allotted 6 acres (24,000 m2) of land by the Congress government in Rajasthan when Mr Ashok Gehlot was the Chief Minister.

And the icing on the cake,
The CEC alleged that Chawla had discharged his duties as Election Commissioner in a partisan manner, seeking to further the interests of "one party." The CEC report contended that Chawla would take breaks during crucial meetings to and secretly talk to functionaries of the Congress party and leak confidential details of the election commission.

Really some interesting character this Chawla is. Probably not since Seshan have had some bureaucrat getting this much media coverage.
And he's made poor Juhi the second most well known Chawla.
What do you think is the link between Chindu and Chawla?

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

In today's news

Karunanidhi's insane ranting continues,
I insist that the Prime Minister, the UPA chairperson and the EAM to give an ultimatum to the Sri Lankan government for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Sri Lanka and save the lakhs of Tamils in Sri Lanka.

How is an ultimatum going to solve the issue? Lanka could easily call the bluff and ask India not to intervene in its internal matters. Then India has one of well several options,
  • Shut up and sit down silently
  • Complain to the UN
  • Send a peacekeeping force against the Lankan army (like 1971)
  • Covertly supply the Tamil rebels arms
Wonder if Chindu will call Mu Ka's bluff on this one?

Navin Chawla takes over as CEC who cares?

Left leaders (morons) Karat and Raja complain that Advani's remarks on the illegal funds retrieval were copied.
Really why don't you give some original idea or talk some new issue for a change?

"Congress star campaigner" Priyanka
makes claims,
ndia as a nation could not forgive LTTE chief V. Prabakaran for the assassination of the former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, though personally she and her family harboured no “hatred or anger” against the killers.

Really so would you stand in court and ask the judge not give him the death penalty?

In today's news LiC stabs Mu Ka (in writing of course)

As many of you might've read my blog post about Mu Ka's senile claims that Prabhakaran was not a terrorist, this news might come as a shocker.
In today's scathing editorial LiC basically echoes my statements in 'Who then is a terrorist?'  His ground work is pretty solid for once putting the DMK and Congress on the stand on this issue. He sides with the AIADMK and the people stating that they are on the side of the Lankan tamilian people and not the terrorists. But the last nail on Mu Ka's coffin from LiC was:
As for Chief Minister Karunanidhi’s differentiation between the idealistic freedom-fighter Prabakaran, the LTTE’s unchallenged supremo, and the “terrorism [that] crept into the outfit,” it is like saying that Osama bin Laden is an idealistic Islamist and not a terrorist — but the al-Qaeda is!

Well said LiC, well said. Now please expect your effigies to be burnt and police in your office shortly courtesy of Mu Ka the ever living mummy!


Sunday, April 19, 2009

Sainath on Intellectual bankruptcy in media

Good article.
The Hindu : Opinion / Leader Page Articles : No issues: a recession of the intellect
There is little in the media that informs our audiences that we are part of the greatest economic crisis the world has seen in 80 years, the worst since the Great Depression.


Senility attacks Karunanidhi claims LTTE is like Red Cross

In what is one of the most atrocious statements this year, the CM of Tamil Nadu when asked whether Prabakaran was a terrorist said,
“Naan appadi paarkkalai (I don’t see that way).”
“Those in Prabakaran’s group have taken to terrorism. But that is not his [Prabakaran’s] fault.”

Really whats next Hon. Mu Ka, you are going to proclaim that Hitler, Mussolini, Pol Pot, Stalin, Saddam Hussein and Idi Amin were all gentle souls who did not commit genocide?

Nice to see the senile Karunanidhi trying to upstage the remarks of Mr. Vaiko who claimed there would be rivers of blood if LTTE was defeated or something similar. On the flip side former PM Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by the agents of LTTE. The Jain Commission found complicity of DMK in that process. Now Congress lead by Sonia Gandhi widow of Rajiv Gandhi is still holding on to an alliance with DMK and Mu Ka who were party to her husband's death.
What a shameful culture where one(party) gets into bed (politically) with one's husband's murderers just for political mileage.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Is Khare the stupidest of the lot

With so much discussion about Manmohan being the weakest PM ever, Khare decides it is time he joins the debate. In the very first paragraph, he dismisses the claim by calling it BJP's sales pitch. No reasons given. In the rest of the article, he freely indulges in BJP-bashing, at one point comparing discussions with separatists and negotations with terrorists.
The Hindu : Opinion / News Analysis : Standards of a strong leader
Both the BJP and the Congress have been engaged in a daily war of words over L.K. Advani’s contention that Manmohan Singh has been a “weak Prime Minister.” The charge is made, evaluated and replied to in the context of the BJP’s own sales pitch of “majboot neta, ni rnayak sarkar” (a strong leader, a decisive government).
The contrast in evaluation reports cannot be more glaring when you read this article from Daily Pioneer.
The Pioneer > Online Edition : >> Can he hide from himself
His party, his coalition and his political sponsors have made a laughing stock of him. After the election, he fears he will be dumped as expendable.

There is no point criticising Mr Singh. He deserves a sentiment far more devastating: pity.

This is Khare-ism for you. It also raises the question: Is Khare the stupidest of the chindu lot?

Friday, April 17, 2009

Should India intervene in Afghanistan?

In a matter of national security and position in world matters, helping prop up Afghanistan's new Government is in any strong nation's interest.
For anyone interested in solving a complex problem with so many differing interests this offers a real challenge.
 After all Afghanistan is a country which is in the epicenter of the world's terrorism woes. Chinmaya R. Gharekhan for a change provides some deep insight into the problem and clearly portrays the interests of all the parties involved here. The key points he makes are:
  • America has subtly accepted defeat in the war against Afghanistan by negotiating with "moderate" Taliban for power sharing.
  • India is handcuffed to performing a limited role given the US-Pak relation which relegates India to a passive spectator role.
  • Can India perform a viable role? What will be the new government's role?
  • India settles for minor platitudes from the International diplomats and is not assertive in protecting its interests.
  • India can involve other countries like Iran, China, Russia to prop up a Government more sympathetic to its needs.
I agree with most of his points, yes this is a logical piece. However what I disagree with is the fact that the writer assumes that India plays the same style of diplomacy. India should be more aggressive in matters involving national security. The dynamics of world politics have changed since 9/11. Relying on archaic bodies like the UN and old world alliances have made little sense. How are other countries handling Islamic terror?
  • Russia - handles Chechnya with an iron fist. They have made the remaining world shut up and control the media when it comes to covert operations.
  • China - tried the negotiations like India used to, but then quickly realized that the Uighurs like the Chechnyans are violent savages who need to be put down and they did the same.
  • Iran - The Shia regime while supporting other Shia militant regimes like Hamas and Iraqi terror groups, have not been sympathetic towards Sunni groups other than some public statements against the West.
India's attitude so far has been one of pussy footing, dilly dallying and flip flopping when it comes to a key threat to national security. Being a democracy with so many parties and interests with so little concern to national security, there needs to be some urgency in ensuring that some control is restored to Afghanistan.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Changes to the blog layout

As you might have noticed there are couple of changes to the blog layout which we've made.
  • The Subscribe to section which allows you to use various tools to subscribe to this blog's posts and comments.
  • Followers section which lists the supporters of this blog, you could use any of the major ID's Google, Yahoo, Open ID or AIM to show your support to the blog. All at no cost to you!! Well other than a couple of seconds of your time.
What we do need from you is your feedback and what would make your reading experience better?

Thanks again for your support to this blog and your feedback is always welcome.

Christian communist terrorists aka Maoists attack 5 states on Election day

In what appears to be a coordinated attack which killed at least 18 people the Maoist terrorists or Christian communist terrorists have attacked 5 states in India, Orissa, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Chattisgarh and Bihar.
There are multiple reports confirming the same. Here's one from Rediff and another from Indian Express.
Chindu as usual censors the violence limiting it to one or two individual states.
More on this soon.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Was the action against Somali pirates disproportionate?

Three pirates were killed to free one American. A fourth was arrested. Navy Seals had trained snipers on a destroyer targeting pirates with automatic weapons on a lifeboat. Was it a kill or overkill? Pirate Abdullah Lami sounded devastated, and vowed vengeance on America. The Pirate Street in  zara dheere (?) is up in arms and asking for quick action against the imperialists. 

On hindsight, was Obama's order of action against the pirates "disproportionate?" Will it not create more pirates?  

Scanning of news sources reveals that the pirates were disgruntled fishermen acting against multinational trawlers fishing in their territory. Apparently, some of the vigilante-types started conducting 'social audits' on high seas and ended up being pirates, to deliver 'social justice' mind well. As the pirates flourished, pirate booty was spent on building magnificent houses--one is reminded of the ramping of sq. footage of Teesta's house post post-Godhra.

Rather than gathering plaudits for a successful social revolution, at least three got bullets piercing their skulls. Neither Padmasri nor Sean McBride prize. Not even an editorial. 


Whimper of a lion

The mighty (yes sarcasm intended) lion Mr. Zardari signed in the controversial Sharia law into the Swat region and other nearby areas. This might be a precursor to what is inevitable in Pakistan.
As per a cleric,
Pakistan’s imposition of Islamic law to blunt a gathering Taliban rebellion will protect militants accused of brutal killings from prosecution, a hardline cleric who mediated the peace plan said on Tuesday.

When asked about the effects of the law a cleric pointed to Afghanistan and said,
If the law is quickly implemented, “the world will see how much peace and prosperity comes to this region,” said Muslim Khan.

Chindu in response has maintained a sphinx like silence, probably wishing to avoid any comment given that it will elicit an angry response from the minorities. Had a Hindu or a Buddhist government signed in such a proclamation in any corner of the world, Chindu would've raised hell from the rooftops. But seeing this done in a nearby country one LiC simply quietly sitting down in his desk without the least emotions of how democracy and tolerance have been struck down in one fell stroke.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Editorial censorship and more

Recently there were a couple of major articles on Chindu pointed out by our readers kuttychathan and Gandaragolaka. While these 2 articles have nothing in common, just that the newspaper stops short of doing what its supposed to do. Let me clarify here, both these stories give ample opportunity for the newspaper to do some investigative journalism. But some powers be it conservative editors or lack of investigative journalistic spirit or secular filters prevent these articles from going the full distance.
The articles are: Kashmir Jigsaw by Sevanti Ninan
and Exorcising 1984.
Do take a look and let us know of your thoughts.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Chindu's readers respond on the article on Taliban.

Chindu published an editorial Taliban: a response to modernity where it for a change complained about the medieval practices of the Taliban and the horrors faced by the civilian population.
While it complains about the sins of radical Islam whose blind practice have lead to this abhorable state in Pakistan and Afghanistan, it also lays the blame surprisingly on colonialism as a key contributing cause.
Reading some of Chindu's "authentic" readers whose opinions were published in Letters to the Editor made for some unintentional humor and also exposes a vital flaw in the response i.e. a sense of apology towards the criminals.
For example, Mr. Muthi-ur-Rahman Siddiqui states,
The video showing the flogging of a 17-year-old girl in Afghanistan has given the Islamophobes a chance to indulge in Islam-bashing. They equate Islamic jurisprudence with barbarism and cruelty. To them, the Islamic justice system means punishment and execution without trial — a system where the accused has no chance to be heard. It is time to change this notion.

WTF! Did this doofus read the article in the first place? Why is he barking up the wrong tree here?
Another reader B.C. Veeraraj Urs states,
The idea of the Taliban as a response to the patently inequitable modernity would have surely been romantic had it allowed the people to voluntarily follow its ways. Just as modernity leaves no choice for the people, the Taliban, by resorting to patent barbarity, does not give the people any option.

The idea of the Taliban being romantic? This is the first time I've heard such an opinion from a reader not living the caves of Tora Bora. Modernity does give a choice for people to live their lives in whatever way they want under the law of the land. Taliban will kill you if you do not follow the rigid principles of radical Islam.
Another reader(idiot)Saheer Karimbayil claims,
The Taliban is not anti-modern, but anti-U.S. The article is pegged to the flogging incident — punishment in a society that follows the Sharia — and does not deal with what led to the making of the Taliban. Why does the Taliban find support in Pakistan, where the vast majority is for democracy and a modern way of life? If Pakistan wants a peaceful Swat valley, it should explore ways to reassure all the sections that its sovereignty will not be mortgaged to any external force.

Really how do you do that with a broken economy, impotent military and utterly failed democracy?
And lastly Mr. Thehseen Zakir finishes off with the usual trite by Islamic apologists about Islam,
The western world, by failing to acknowledge the significant scientific, social, and political contributions of Islam, has promoted a worldview that anything Islamic is anathema to modernity. The Taliban applies this in the reverse by defining anything anti-modern as Islamic. This is a gross misinterpretation of all that Islam stands for. Young impressionable Muslim minds repulsed by the excesses of imperialism need not think that Talibanisation is their only option. Islam encourages freethinking. We must understand that the demonisation of all things Islamic is a trap that the Taliban would love the civilised world to wander into. The only way to overcome extremist tendencies is to give voice to the truth and recognise Islam in its purity as a benign influence.

Really how is that possible when most countries where Islam is the state religion is either a dictatorship or a failed democracy with severe human rights problems?

Congress' McCain moment

Of the two non-uncertainties in life, death is widely known to be one, besides taxes. Ageing is that irreversible process that takes us, and always will, towards this certainty, sometimes in a flash, at other times with an excruciating delay. However you may like it, and most don't, there's no known escape. 

Mortals have always resigned to the inescapable fact that death presents. Movement and ideologies, on the contrary, have chosen to pretend otherwise. There's no movement or interest group, especially political ones with short term goals, that hasn't faced the existential dilemma that success, or failure, presents. Having subsisted on the lucre that political patronage invariably brings to its protagonists, shuttering down becomes highly unpalatable. 

It is in this context that we must see the kerkuffle over Congress' relevance kickstarted by Modi's shrewd statement. And an equally shrewd, but insincere, diversion by Congress by trying to make it an issue about aged. How else do you explain the hysterical response of a party that gladly laps up any description of itself as the Grand Old Party (GOP), a label that American Republican party is widely known by, but throws a fit when called 'budhiya.' Why is it that what sounds grand in English becomes execrable when spoken in the vernacular?

Budhiya, in colloquial Hindi, means an old woman. It can be used perfectly respectably while mentioning one. But, in a country this young, being on the wrong side of age-gap isn't always pleasant. Budhiya also implicity carries the notion of being weak, helpless, and needy. Drawing attention to the weakness of current Prime Minister and the Congress party that props him has been a persistent theme of the opposition, BJP's campaign. While utilizing the relative young age of the dynasty's scion has been Congress'. What Modi achieved through his statement was to keep with his party's message, while scoring a bonus run on his opponent's turf. That's quite canny.

Age is usually an asset in politics, what with its conflation with experience and that proverbial old hand. During the US presidential election the GOP nominee, Sen. John McCain, tried to present himself as tried and tested on account of his long political experience. But in country full of young and middle-aged increasingly worried about their present and future, he was easily outmanuevered by a young and suave opponent in Obama. Besides McCain never had the charisma of one of his party predecessor, Ronald Reagan, who wittily brushed off concerns about his age in a debate with Jimmy Carter. 

It seems that the ersatz GOP of India, otherwise presented as the default ruling party by a pliant media, too, is void of any Ronald Regan. Through some clumsy handling it just underwent its very own McCain moment.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

The Oracle of craziness- Mulayam Singh Yadav

There are politicians who play to agendas, politicians who are plain ignorant of ground realities. Both are agreeable in certain ways. But what scares me are politicians who are out in the zone. One particular example is Mulayam Singh Yadav. His statements borders often on the edge of insanity by normal human standards. But Mr. Atiq Khan of Chindu portrays him as the new Lincoln or Lenin of India.
Releasing the manifesto, SP president Mulayam Singh said regional imbalance — whether at the national or international level — gave birth to terrorism.

Actually the motivation of the terrorists is rooted in an idiosyncratic interpretation of the Quran and other Islamic tenets of faith.
How is cross border terror solved? Mulayam's answer-
On tackling cross-border terrorism, the SP chief said that as long as physical barriers divided India from Pakistan and Bangladesh, terrorism would flourish.

How would Mulayam handle phenomenon of globalization and technological advances? His answer, head back to the stone age,
Accusing the previous governments of promoting forward trading, share market and the mall and multiplex culture in the country, Mr. Singh said the SP-supported government at the Centre would either reverse the trend or impose a ban on it. Importance would be given to human labour and workers would not be enslaved by computers and machines. He drew a parallel between harvesters and computers and said both would render the poor jobless.

To think that a stupid country hick like Mulayam could be PM in a few months is really scary. His remarks about open borders are a strong reminder to Indians all around that many of our enemies often live within our borders. Our media should take a strong stand in questioning the logic of such statements and not give him a free pass because he loves minorities and claims to be secular.

Friday, April 10, 2009

The biased coverage of the Palestinian issue

There are few issues where LIC and his comrades will not publish the opposite viewpoints like:
  • Tibet - China Issue - Tibetian viewpoints are almost absent
  • CPM's absolute leadership in Indian politics - no explanation needed
  • Palestinian-Israel issue - Israel's views do not merit mention
  • Why Hinduism does not deserve to exist - Ironic isn't it, cHindu does not support the rights of Hindus.
  • US and Western imperialism

In that vein chindu publishes an article,"Palestinians need a partner for peace"  another Palestinian activist Manuel Hassassian blames Israel for all of Palestine's current ills.
Mr. Netanyahu’s slogan of an “economic peace” is no substitute for a just and lasting peace. Ending Israel’s occupation is not on his agenda; trying to normalise the occupation is. Instead of an independent state, he is offering Palestinians nothing more than a cluster of cantons with limited self-rule.

This article is nothing more than propaganda by a PLO politician. Any principled newspaper would give the opposite side, in this case the Israeli side a chance to express its viewpoint. This issue is one of the most convoluted issue with its long and checkered history. Presenting one biased side of the events is stooping down to yellow journalism levels. But what more can we expect from the LiC?

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Awkard logic

It takes some talent to beat the stalwarts in Chindu. Deepa Kurup, who has earlier argued for free, open source software (link) , is upset that BJP is supporting this cause.

The Hindu : Opinion / News Analysis : The BJP’s awkward embrace of Free Software
Left parties have for long backed the Free Software movement politically. It is surprising that the BJP, with its strong pro-corporate and pro-patent leanings, should back this cause.

She straight-jackets BJP as pro-corporate and raises an objection. What exactly is the objection, Deepa?
As for their new stance on “digital standards” — that is, proprietary claims on algorithms and software programmes — the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government, notably, was the first to amend the Patent Act in March 1999 and in June 2002 as part of the WTO agreement under Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

"Corporates such as IT majors Infosys and TCS have long lobbied for patents" and "digital standards" is in favour of corporates.
a senior spokesperson from Microsoft, a company that will be hit hardest by an OS regime, told The Hindu that the company is “encouraged by the focus on IT by political parties,” describing the policy of the Government of India as one of “technology neutrality.”

And Microsoft finds the BJP initiative encouraging.

So, I have to ask the question again: what is your objection, Deepa?

The BJP’s discovery of the virtues of OS would appear to sit uncomfortably with its slogan “Let a hundred Bangalores bloom.”

With nothing in the article to support how BJP's strategy is in conflict with its vision, it is obvious that Deepa is getting delusional.
There is a need to strike balance between open-source and commercial software. Exclusive open-source initiatives can leave the students irrelevant in corporate world. Even while pushing for open-source, it is important to protect the intellectual property rights of commercial vendors as they are driven by the same cause as open-source. Deepa is obviously mixing up issues, thus demonstrating that she has no understanding of the economics and motivations of the players within the industry. As is the hallmark of any writer on chindu, her article is driven by a blind hatred towards and opposition to BJP. She is left in a tricky situation here because BJP and Left are on the same side on this issue. She has to oppose out of ideological compulsions (anti-BJP) but cannot do so to the extent of hurting the communists (pro-Left).

Photo of the day

Thanks to an anonymous user, this is the photo of the day and added comments of the implicit thoughts :)

China and India should work together for the interests of developing countries on the global financial and economic stage, including cooperation on such issues as a new world reserve currency, according to Zhang Yan, China’s Ambassador to India.

Really Mr. Yan? I believe Mao and Chou said the said the same thing before the war of 1962.

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

The importance of detecting and battling cancer

In today's editorial titled Battling cervical cancer in the Chindu, it tackles the importance of screening and detection in battling this dreaded disease in women.
While there was no significant reduction in the death rate in the VIA as well as the pap smear groups compared with the control group, a significant decline was seen in the rate of advanced cervical cancer and associated deaths in the group that took the DNA test during the eight-year study period.

It is truly heartening to see some effort being shown in Chindu in educating its readers about these diseases and the tests needed to tackle it.
But more needs to be done to tackle this and other diseases in India which are rapidly reaching epidemic levels.

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Village idiot Praveen Swami complains again

There are arm chair critics like Praveen Swami who cannot be placated at any level. He will complain against the Government for not having a policy which supports his views, complain against the Government for inaction during the Mumbai attacks and rarely offer constructive opinions. Now he complains that the Mumbai police has purchased weapons without conducting tests that he would have liked. In an article, "Mumbai Police modernisation generates controversy" he claims,
Ill-planned efforts to upgrade the counter-terrorism capabilities of the Mumbai Police may have led to the acquisition of outdated and inappropriate weapons, highly placed government sources told The Hindu.

So what did the Government actually purchase?
- Colt M4 5.56-millimetre carbine A real awesome modern Carbine used by NATO for its operations. It can kick the shit out of an AK-47. Hello Mr.Terrorist say hello meet my little friends.
- Brügger & Thomet sub-compact MP9 Real compact weapon which can fire hundreds of rounds in close range with little recoil and high accuracy.
The other two, he Smith & Wesson Military and Police 9-millimetre pistol as a personal sidearm and the M107 50-calibre Special Application Rifle are nothing to be sneezed at.
Our policemen and women had antique rifles, handguns to tackle the terrorists. Now Praveen Swami would have them use those antique weapons than getting some state of the art weapons to kick the terrorist butts. He goes on to make statements without proper evidence like,
Notably, the committee did not hold consultations with the Maharashtra Police and the NSG, which have primary responsibility for counter-terrorism roles in Mumbai.

Getting weapons is often an activity played close to the chest. It is not a beauty contest or a car buying spree to list out all the specifics to the public. As usual "unnamed sources" (Harry Potter and Hari Puttar) are used to spill the beans, one of whom states,
"It is our job to act as a facilitator of modernisation and not to sit in judgment on what equipment best meets the needs of a particular state. While we may have our concerns, we do not wish to be cast as spoilers,” a senior official said.

A tip, if you are reading this Praveen, stop being an annoying whiny bitch and start offering something constructive for a change.

Lalu forced to recant his own statements

As pointed out in this blog yesterday, Lalu tried to amp up his base i.e. the minorities by trashing Varun Gandhi where he said,
Had I been the country’s Home Minister, I would have crushed Mr. Gandhi under the roller and destroyed him without caring for the consequences for his hate speech against Muslims

Now the Election Commission is coming hard at Lalu for making such irresponsible statements and that too from a Union minister however unqualified he might be.
Lalu in response tried to change his statements saying,
he only said he would have crushed BJP’s Pilibhit candidate Varun Gandhi under “the roller of law.”

Now let us see the paragon of secularism Chindu's reponse to these statements.
Will it take it out in an editorial as it rightly should given Lalu being an experienced politician as well as a minister should not be ranting? Or will it just ignore it and pander to minorities?

Monday, April 06, 2009

Fwd: Capital gains for CPM

to go along with this is the number of people they pushed into poverty. the makings of a communist paradise.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Girish

 

The CPM's fortunes seem to have kept pace with the rise in its political graph that touched an all-time high in the 2004 elections. Its net worth on March 31, 2006, was Rs 77.27 crore — not too bad a capital for a communist party.

Communists do not figure in this secular agenda

But chindu will continue with the boot-licking.

Notice the term "state terrorism" below.

The Pioneer > Online Edition : >> Muslims must elect Muslims
Wherever an Ulema Council candidate is contesting, he should be supported. Such support will send a message: Muslims are not wiling to keep quiet on state terrorism. Mr Badruddin Ajmal’s UDF must be backed to provide real Muslims with bargaining capacity. At the national level, only the Congress is capable of challenging the BJP. Hence, wherever a Congress candidate is in a sound position, Muslims should vote for him. In Uttar Pradesh they must prefer Samajwadi Party candidates over those of the BSP because the track record of Ms Mayawati is not very encouraging for Muslims. She publicly supported Mr Narendra Modi.


The secular chill pill for any threat to India's security

The Hindu : Opinion / Leader Page Articles : Combating the peddlers of hatred
Malini Parthasarathy wanders from one topic to another in this article that it is hard to identify the central idea. Mumbai terror attacks were horrible and people are frustrated with the political system. Suddenly, she says: "But remarkably, there was no attempt this time to find scapegoats, or to take out their frustration on minority groups." as if she was expecting us to go and attack minorities every time there is a terrorist attack. This is a ritual that is religiously(?) followed by the blood-thirsty people of India as is attested by the backlash after each of those numerous terror attacks.

More about the failure of the political system as a whole. And then she throws in Afzal Guru. Then she makes a switch from national security to public interest. Now it is time to pick up the favourite topic of Godhra riots. The blame game begins.

Before it gets into another full-length article on Godhra riots, she moves on to secularism and democracy.
...the conceptual linkage between secularism and democracy. In the original conception of the Constitution, secularism was viewed as a cornerstone that along with democracy would provide the framework...
India is a flawed democracy and secularism is a sham in India. Ironic that a leftist fundamentalist like Malini should lecture us on democracy.  And obviously, she does not care for secularism or she would have called for Uniform Civil Code. She calls for "the principle of equality before the law, equal protection of the laws and equal rights for every Indian citizen regardless of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth" in the context of catering to Muslim sensibilities!
Until this confusion over the real meaning of secularism as a governing doctrine is sorted out, it will be impossible to ensure that the national discourse prioritises the issues of real concern such as development and governance.

She is done with democracy. It is left to just secularism now. In case you forgot by now, she started off with national security.
Unfortunately for Malini, she is not the first one to link development and governance to secularism. UPA did that with the Sachar committee.
The rise of a deadly form of Islamist terrorism in the subcontinent that has a narrative deliberately woven around the suffering of the Indian Muslims particularly after the ascendancy of Hindu majoritarian nationalism, is a challenge that severely tests the political capacities of the Indian state, as the terror attacks in Mumbai last year showed.

I think this is the point she wantd to make. The rest is just a facade. So secularism will end all threats to national security - internal and external. And what of the failed political system? Never mind.
She moves on to Varun Gandhi, communalism, democracy, secularism, democracy. But at this point, I give up.

If they could talk back...

Media is chock full of soundbite remarks by politicians and 'secular' types talking down to "unwashed masses." Sometimes it is aimed at their opponents, overall it's about silly posturing, meaningless platitudes, or something to get the spotlight and show themselves as cute idiots. But what if their subjects could talk back? Some of the comebacks we can imagine:


I would have crushed Lalu under a dump truck: Varun


CPM's image of W. Bengal is an illusion, says Pranab


I invite Mallika for an open dance session: yours truly (No, we're not confusing her with mademoiselle Sherawat)


We understand jihad: Court

This list can be endless. Readers' suggestions are welcome.

Green drive in China - media sponsor? Chindu

Thanks to an anonymous reader for forwarding this interesting titbit from yesterday's news. Chindu in its practice of blindly publishing news from Chin-hua trots out another useless article with some Commie leaders planting trees in Beijing. As per the UN, 17 of the 20 most polluted cities are in China. Now the Chinese want to repair that or have been trying to do so.

According to a decision by the National People’s Congress on voluntary tree planting issued in 1981, Chinese citizens aged from 11 to 55 should plant three to five trees every year as a way to increase China’s forest coverage.

Hmm then can some one explain this sight of Beijing's clean air and skyline?


Do your research Chindu before publishing news from Chinhua by rote!

Saturday, April 04, 2009

Discussing polygyny in Islam

The topic of polygyny in Islam has been a topic of heated discussion over the years between the followers of Islam and other groups as well. Most organized religions do not have clearly defined rules pertaining to how many wives a man can have. But in modern society it has become the norm.
However followers of Islam have misused this rule till date often claiming minority victimisation if this issue were to be removed.
In a recent article in Chindu Why hedonistic polygyny is against Islam by A. Faizur Rahman tackles the same topic.
As most readers of this blog know, Chindu treads lightly when tackling topics involving reform of minorities and religions like Christianity and Islam. But this article is well written and provides historical details about the inception of the rule,
Even a simple reading of verses 4: 2, 3 and 127 will show that it was under such circumstances that the Quran allowed conditional polygyny, mainly to protect orphans and their mothers from an exploitative society.

But the author so cleverly blames women for their current plight without really blaming the religion and its structure of power which has resisted reform for centuries.
It is sad that Muslim women have allowed themselves to be subliminally brainwashed into becoming objects of sexual gratification for men, which has resulted in scores of them suffering in silence. It is time they broke free from the shackles that hold them hostage to the whims of a few patriarchal ulema who have stalled the progress of the Muslim community through their misinterpretation of Islam.

Its easy to tell the oppressed that they should break through the shackles as much as its easy to be an armchair critic.
However I will give credit to the writer for attempting to tackle a topic with some pragmatism which might kick off reform in Islam. Though I wonder if he would have the courage to speak out loud in a mosque.

Friday, April 03, 2009

Black money

The Pioneer > Online Edition : >> Blind about black money
The Swiss Government reportedly has placed India on top of a list of five countries, in terms of the magnitude of holdings. The total amount held by Indians is said to be $1,456 billion, about eight times more than the Indian national Budget.
So far, only the BJP and JD(U) have spoken on the need to get our wealth back to the country. Congress is hiding behind technicalities. The communists are barely to be heard on this subject apart from the mandatory press release. N.Ram and his team have no further opinions/analysis to offer on this subject.

Ram Narayan provides interesting information on the Vatican Bank
If the Indian citizen who has stashed money abroad is a Roman Catholic by religion and holds a valid baptismal certificate issued by a parish priest, his or her pay-backs and black money is likely to be hidden in the Vatican Bank (called The Institute for Works of Religion or IOR). Vatican City in the center of Rome is a internationally recognized independent city-state, and Italian government revenue officials are not able to enter its 100 acre area without permission from Vatican City's Secretary of State. The Vatican Bank within the Vatican's walls has a notorious reputation for secrecy and its connection to the Italian mafia. For many years in the 1980s, the bank's archbishop director could not enter Rome for fear of arrest. Neither India nor any other country looking for money kept by its citizens in this bank, will be able to access the accounts held in this infamous Roman Catholic financial institution.


Fwd: Yahoo! News Story - China blocks YouTube, again

the chinese are realising that the tibetan uprising is getting beyond control. while using extraordinary force to quell the uprising, it is planting articles in international media describing its adventurism in tibet as social emancipation. the tibetans are demonstrating the power of social media in countering the establishment.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: arun
Subject: Yahoo! News Story - China blocks YouTube, again

A report released Wednesday finds the Chinese Internet to be the least free of 15 countries studied, tying for bottom place with Cuba.

China blocks YouTube, again

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/oecensor

YouTube
 has been inaccessible for most of the past week, since Tibetan exiles posted a film showing Chinese militarized policemen savagely beating Tibetan monks and civilians.

Thursday, April 02, 2009

Another Congress mass murderer escapes justice

Someone said the guiding principle of the Indian penal system was that a thousand guilty can escape but one innocent should not suffer. I'm not sure given the rampant corruption running through the socio-economic-political system that this should be the corner stone. Probably few who are the grey area should be punished to warn people observing as well as for future generations to learn.
One such example is the case of the 1984 Sikh riots where thousands of innocent Sikhs were murdered by rampaging mobs urged by the Congress after the death of Indira Gandhi. The same Congress whose leader termed the massacres as
the Earth shakes when a big tree (Indira Gandhi) falls

Here's one of the accused who escaped from the clutches of justice, probably because his party is in power and managed to control the wheels of the law from moving.

Mr. Jagdish Tytler along with his party colleague Mr. Sajjan Kumar are among the main accused of planning and leading the mobs to kill a few thousand Sikhs in New Delhi. Now the CBI after doing an investigation of decades comes back with this enlightening conclusion
that it did not have sufficient evidence to prosecute the former Union Minister, Jagdish Tytler, in a 1984 anti-Sikh riot case.

If Hitler was tried in the Indian judicial system, probably he could've escaped any blame for the Holocaust.

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

The radical religious fundamentalist

Chindu makes Davender Ghai look like a religious fundamentalist who is pursuing a divisive agenda. When a Hindu asks for his rights, it raises alarm bells in Chindu's ivory tower. This article has a sensational title that is hardly justified by the content. And the article begins by demonizing Davender Ghai.
The Hindu : Opinion / News Analysis : Mainstream Hindus frown upon open-air pyre campaign
When Davender Ghai, a rights activist with a penchant for headline-grabbing controversies, moved the High Court in London last week demanding an end to the ban on open-air cremations in Britain as it interfered with his religious beliefs he claimed that his campaign had the backing of “90 per cent” of the country’s Hindu community and a significant section of Sikhs.

How exactly Mr. Ghai arrived at that inflated assessment is not clear. The visions of a “silent” majority quietly cheering him? Assurances from self-styled community “leaders?” An assumption that all Hindus not only think alike but think like him?


BBC provides a more balanced view on the issue.

Timesonline, inspite of the majority Protestant bias, acknowledges Davender's position and the support he has got within the community:

Davender Kumar Ghai, the devout Hindu at the centre of the case, fits no one’s idea of a radical minority-rights activist.
He has lived in Britain since 1958, is the founding president of the Anglo-Asian Friendship Society and the holder of a Unesco Peace Gold Medal and an Amnesty International lifetime achievement award.
...
The National Council for Hindu Priests, in common with most British Hindu organisations, supports the man’s claim, viewing it as “the single most significant campaign to promote Hindu religious freedom in British history”.


Say no to Cut and Run

An interview on TimesNow that's worth your time, especially if you're going to vote. 



As regards the IPL issue, a counterargument is being made that we should accept the reality that the security situation is not good in the country. And hence moving the games is justified instead of false idealism. Well, this is a little too facile. There's no perfect system as such and we have to fight with the sources we have, not with the sources we want. We've tried poverty alleviation, women's equality and countless other initiatives which have arguably not succeeded. Should we then make cut and run our official policy, since reality says that these worthy causes are false ideals?

India might do well with such cynicism, but the aam aadmi of Bharat desperately needs the optimism that says surrender is not an option.