"Our courts are starved of cases. The lawyers and the judges have no work and are itching for some case/work so that they do some justice to the law courses that they have studied and the government which is paying them good salaries and showering them with goodies."
How I wish this were to be true.
A non-bailable warrant has been slapped against cine-actor Aamir Khan for allegedly "dis-respecting" the national flag. Cases should be filed against the people who file such un-wanted cases at the first place. If they are really worried, let them do something for the people of the country which the flag represents. One can do some charity work with the money spent in the court for such stupid cases.
That's the real respect to the flag.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
ODIs , T20 and racism
Finally I watched a T20 game. India-Australia in Mumbai. And it was interesting. But nowhere equivalent to Test cricket. Or for that matter ODIs. Indians do play well in patches. And they seem to play well in 20 overs - as seen in the ODIs against Australia as well. They picked up early wickets and put Australian team under pressure, only to let the Aussies loose in the last 10. They batted well to post decently good totals in the first 20 overs, but by then used to lose 4-5 wickets. This seems to make them fit to be called T20 cricket champions.
However, the ODIs continue to be the best shorter version of the game for me. It is certainly not predictive in nature as claimed by some idiots. Along with the Indo-Australia ODI series, 5 match England-SriLanka ODI series was also played out in Srilanka. First match of this series was won easily by SriLanka, thereby allowing these "experts" to dismiss the ODI format as repetitive and predictable. Let the "experts" say whatever they want to - England won the series 3-2 against everyone's expectations. If this is not the proof enough of uncertanities of ODIs, whatelse is ?
There is another aspect which made quite a news during the Future cup matches between India and Australia - "racism" against Andrew Symonds. I dont really understand why a big fuss was made out of it. Symonds certainly is one of the most gifted cricketers of all time. Apart from cricketing skills, he is gifted also in using his vocabulary skills against the opposite team members. He is one of the most vocal players anybody would find in a cricket playground who makes no hesitation is abusing his competitors. This certainly attracts the attention of the crowd in India who like to give it back as good as they percieve it ought to be done. The monkey chants of Mumbai crowd must be taken as it is and not to be seen with racist angle. Even as saying this, I am not in anyway defending the section of the crowd behaviour which was not good by any standards. I was quite shocked to read an article which read that Symonds who is of Carribean roots, was smashing the Indian bowlers thereby rendering the crowd to do mischief. If one were to go by this argument, Indians should have jeered at many of the SriLankan cricketers. Sanath Jayasuriya, quite dark as far as the colour of his skin goes, is one of the greatest ODI players ever and has hit the Indian bowlers possibly like no other player has ever done. Yet he is a respected cricketer in India. His on-field behaviour is something that the likes of Symonds should try to emulate and then see if Indian crowds still make monkey chants at him or racist remarks ( like his teammate Darren Lehmann ??). There is a limit to double standards.
However, the ODIs continue to be the best shorter version of the game for me. It is certainly not predictive in nature as claimed by some idiots. Along with the Indo-Australia ODI series, 5 match England-SriLanka ODI series was also played out in Srilanka. First match of this series was won easily by SriLanka, thereby allowing these "experts" to dismiss the ODI format as repetitive and predictable. Let the "experts" say whatever they want to - England won the series 3-2 against everyone's expectations. If this is not the proof enough of uncertanities of ODIs, whatelse is ?
There is another aspect which made quite a news during the Future cup matches between India and Australia - "racism" against Andrew Symonds. I dont really understand why a big fuss was made out of it. Symonds certainly is one of the most gifted cricketers of all time. Apart from cricketing skills, he is gifted also in using his vocabulary skills against the opposite team members. He is one of the most vocal players anybody would find in a cricket playground who makes no hesitation is abusing his competitors. This certainly attracts the attention of the crowd in India who like to give it back as good as they percieve it ought to be done. The monkey chants of Mumbai crowd must be taken as it is and not to be seen with racist angle. Even as saying this, I am not in anyway defending the section of the crowd behaviour which was not good by any standards. I was quite shocked to read an article which read that Symonds who is of Carribean roots, was smashing the Indian bowlers thereby rendering the crowd to do mischief. If one were to go by this argument, Indians should have jeered at many of the SriLankan cricketers. Sanath Jayasuriya, quite dark as far as the colour of his skin goes, is one of the greatest ODI players ever and has hit the Indian bowlers possibly like no other player has ever done. Yet he is a respected cricketer in India. His on-field behaviour is something that the likes of Symonds should try to emulate and then see if Indian crowds still make monkey chants at him or racist remarks ( like his teammate Darren Lehmann ??). There is a limit to double standards.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Keep "left"
After a much pulling and pushing between Cong. & the "Communists", it is the Cong led Govt of India which has finally gave in to the "Left" by putting the nuclear agreement with US on cold storage. The agreement, also termed as a "deal" by the communists( as if its an under the table kick-back of sorts), was contentious in any case and was it really beneficial for India is something that I didnot understand. Comprehending the words in 123 Agreement & Hyde Act was beyond my capacity. However, I did take our honourable, nice Mr.PM who is now left as a nice PM ,(just nice) at face value and therefore thought of the agreement as being beneficial to us.
It causes immense pain for me to see the moronic communists lead the Government of India without taking any responsibilities. If they want to have India's foreign policy to be decided as per their beliefs, they must join the Government and am sure Cong would be more than willing to accommodate them in the Cabinet. However, all they do want to see is the country going back to medieval ages and the Congress getting all the flak for the same.
It causes immense pain for me to see the moronic communists lead the Government of India without taking any responsibilities. If they want to have India's foreign policy to be decided as per their beliefs, they must join the Government and am sure Cong would be more than willing to accommodate them in the Cabinet. However, all they do want to see is the country going back to medieval ages and the Congress getting all the flak for the same.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Sprinters or druggists ?
Ben Johnson, Konstantenis Kantaris , Thanaou, Linford Christie, Marion Jones..... its an endless list(I deliberately didnot add Indians in this list). All those "speedsters" are nothing but druggists. And it is these very people who are supposed to have raised the spirits of their respective nation, making them proud (?).
When Jones won 5 medals(inclusive of being known as the fastest woman in the world) in 2000 olympics, she was a person of reverence for me. Also 2000 was a tough year - I was in look for inspiration & I took inspiration from whoever did achieve extraordinary success against all odds/difficulties.
Today Asfa Powell can run 100 mts in 9.77 seconds - but it hardly inspires me. I have no doubt whatsoever in my mind that its impossible for a normal human to run 100 mts in such blinding speeds. And to me its clear that the likes of Carl Lewis were cheats.
I have stopped watching athletics - its a show of drug cheats. There are much better games where steroids donot enhance the performance.
When Jones won 5 medals(inclusive of being known as the fastest woman in the world) in 2000 olympics, she was a person of reverence for me. Also 2000 was a tough year - I was in look for inspiration & I took inspiration from whoever did achieve extraordinary success against all odds/difficulties.
Today Asfa Powell can run 100 mts in 9.77 seconds - but it hardly inspires me. I have no doubt whatsoever in my mind that its impossible for a normal human to run 100 mts in such blinding speeds. And to me its clear that the likes of Carl Lewis were cheats.
I have stopped watching athletics - its a show of drug cheats. There are much better games where steroids donot enhance the performance.
Friday, October 5, 2007
flag and the hypocrite(2)
Just as if to prove the point, a case has been filed against Indian cricket team in a local court for "disrespecting" the tricolour.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Communists & double standards
Indian communists always insisted on having the "moral high ground" in the politics and vowed to fight "communalism" & "imperialism". By imperialism, they only mean US. Even as China is fast growing and are exploiting the resources in Africa by promising grants to the governments there, Indian communists are simply blind. To them, China is an ideal, model government which is there to safeguard the world from "imperialist" regimes like US.
It was baffling and ( & ironically ridiculing themselves) to see Prakash Karat saying Bush doesnot have a big mandate even in US. This grub, the infernal Karat has never had the courage to face the electorate, nor his party has any base outside Bengal, Kerala & Tripura. Even more ridiculous it is when the people who say so belong to RSP, USP( Unwitting Socialist Party), BCP( Blind Communist Party) , CPI( Marxist Leninist Stalinist Maoist Deng XiaoPingist Zhou Enlaist faction) etc etc...
It was baffling and ( & ironically ridiculing themselves) to see Prakash Karat saying Bush doesnot have a big mandate even in US. This grub, the infernal Karat has never had the courage to face the electorate, nor his party has any base outside Bengal, Kerala & Tripura. Even more ridiculous it is when the people who say so belong to RSP, USP( Unwitting Socialist Party), BCP( Blind Communist Party) , CPI( Marxist Leninist Stalinist Maoist Deng XiaoPingist Zhou Enlaist faction) etc etc...
Bastards around
Once, I was sitting and chatting with a group of friends. A friend, addressing the whole group, said, in our country there are three classes of professional bastards. He asked us to do the guess work. First was easy : ruling politician class(Indian politicians). Second was a bit difficult, but we managed it: Film stars. Third & the final one? You can guess : Cricketers.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
20-20(2)
Even as I continue to be a critic of 20-20 format, its heartening nevertheless to see the Indian Cricket team win the T20 worldcup.
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
20-20
With the inauguration of the new 20-20 cricket world cup, the ICC wants to get more advertisement for cricket and promote cricket globally. Its a good ploy to bring in more countries, more people and thereby more money into the game. However, for traditional cricket lovers like me who loves the 5 day version, 20-20 is a sham. Cricket in my opinion is a game that gives equal opportunities for both batsmen and bowlers and this is true only in a 5 day match with a true cricketing pitch. 20-20, however, is tailor made to suit the batsmen. I am afraid cricket might lose some good quality players - bowlers and batsmen inclusive, with special emphasis on bowlers. Good bowlers might even become an extinct species.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
6th anniversary of 11th Sept attack on US
With so many terror attacks taking place in India on an almost daily basis, one would wonder as to why I am blogging on the terror attack in US 6 years back. Well, terror attacks are terror attacks, and people suffer and die wherever they take place. However, there is something special in 11th Sept attack. First, it was the first time in history that someone had dared to attack the US homeland. And second, it has completely changed the perspective with which terror attacks are viewed around the world since then. And it is about this "someone who dared" that I am blogging.
When the attack took place, US detective and security agencies blamed it on Osama Bin Laden. What was shocking to see was the reluctance of many people to accept that it was Bin Laden and his Al-Qeada network that commited this dastardly act. Al-Qaeda in the beginning was mum - and did not take the responsibility of the attack. And around the world( inclusive of India), mullahas and many Muslims blamed the US for "falsely" implicating a "true Muslim" like Bin Laden. Possibly there never has been a more cunning terrorist than Bin Laden till now. All that he wants is the sympathy of Muslim population around the world and a clash between Muslims & the West.With time fades the memory of the people and with time, Bin Laden has come clean. He now totally accepts the 11th sept attacks. Wonder where those mullahs are - why there is no condemnation now ? It nevertheless shows the way Muslims see Bin Laden. He is not seen as one who is going out of the teachings of peace & brotherhood of Quran. Worse, he is viewed as a Muslim brother who has gone a bit astray.
It would be a great service rendered by the Mullahs to the Muslim community if Bin Laden is castigated out of the Muslim society.
Or is it that Quran never teaches peace, I wonder ? If Bin Laden is to be believed, it only asks all Muslims to go all out(& kill,murder...) against those who are not Islamic followers. And if the so called moderates do not have counter-argument, then one is forced to accept what Bin Laden says vis-a-vis what Quran says( or rather his take on it).
When the attack took place, US detective and security agencies blamed it on Osama Bin Laden. What was shocking to see was the reluctance of many people to accept that it was Bin Laden and his Al-Qeada network that commited this dastardly act. Al-Qaeda in the beginning was mum - and did not take the responsibility of the attack. And around the world( inclusive of India), mullahas and many Muslims blamed the US for "falsely" implicating a "true Muslim" like Bin Laden. Possibly there never has been a more cunning terrorist than Bin Laden till now. All that he wants is the sympathy of Muslim population around the world and a clash between Muslims & the West.With time fades the memory of the people and with time, Bin Laden has come clean. He now totally accepts the 11th sept attacks. Wonder where those mullahs are - why there is no condemnation now ? It nevertheless shows the way Muslims see Bin Laden. He is not seen as one who is going out of the teachings of peace & brotherhood of Quran. Worse, he is viewed as a Muslim brother who has gone a bit astray.
It would be a great service rendered by the Mullahs to the Muslim community if Bin Laden is castigated out of the Muslim society.
Or is it that Quran never teaches peace, I wonder ? If Bin Laden is to be believed, it only asks all Muslims to go all out(& kill,murder...) against those who are not Islamic followers. And if the so called moderates do not have counter-argument, then one is forced to accept what Bin Laden says vis-a-vis what Quran says( or rather his take on it).
Friday, August 31, 2007
60th year of independence and Hall of shame
On the eve of 60th year of Indian independence, it is the Parliament House that stands tall as the Hall of Shame for the country. And it is the shame for the country because of the people it houses ( indian lawmakers)
When I was in my primary school, we used to make a lot of noise in the class when our teacher was not around. She would then come back and say, "Stop this noise! This is not a fish-market". Probably "Parliament" suits better as of today!
Mob and the terror
A thief snatches a jewel from a lady's neck and tries to escape, but is caught by the people. Soon a mob gathers and gives instant justice - hammers the thief black and blue. While the prevailing judicial system in India is too slow and inefficient, its quite natural that the citizens take it upon themselves to give the fastest justice possible. And therefore, this, in my opinion is not at all reprehensible. However, one does has to acknowledge the fact the mobocracy can sometimes be "crazy" and can be dangerous. One never knows how a mob can chage opinions and might indulge in meting out "injustice" what it otherwise believes to be just. The solution to get rid of mobocracy is to improve the police and the judicial system, thereby earning the trust of the citizens.
A lot has been written and debated about the Hyderabad bomb blasts. Very soon the life in the old city is going to be normal ( "How brave they are ! They have defeated the terrorists' motives" ) and all is forgotten until the next couple of bombs explode. It is in no way an indication of bravery - rather, a sad pointer to our indifferent attitude - not to care about people. The terrorists are very often not caught at all.(Worse, not even traced !). Many administrators have been asking for an explicit Anti-Terror Law to fight these maggots whose only intention is to take the country to 6th century. And the erstwhile NDA Govt, did introduce POTA(after joint session) which was widely criticised as "Draconion". The problem was never in the POTA itself - it was with the administrators who were invoking it on mob violence. The requirement is to have the law (Dismissing it as "Draconion" ( I dont know who was Draco ) only gives fillip to grubs) and change our attitude. Once again it comes back to have a better police , better political and judicial system.
A lot has been written and debated about the Hyderabad bomb blasts. Very soon the life in the old city is going to be normal ( "How brave they are ! They have defeated the terrorists' motives" ) and all is forgotten until the next couple of bombs explode. It is in no way an indication of bravery - rather, a sad pointer to our indifferent attitude - not to care about people. The terrorists are very often not caught at all.(Worse, not even traced !). Many administrators have been asking for an explicit Anti-Terror Law to fight these maggots whose only intention is to take the country to 6th century. And the erstwhile NDA Govt, did introduce POTA(after joint session) which was widely criticised as "Draconion". The problem was never in the POTA itself - it was with the administrators who were invoking it on mob violence. The requirement is to have the law (Dismissing it as "Draconion" ( I dont know who was Draco ) only gives fillip to grubs) and change our attitude. Once again it comes back to have a better police , better political and judicial system.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Hoo ( or Ooo?) eat ease ?
I was listening to the Morning "Breakfast" show in the FM channel "Radio City" yesterday. Radio City have a new RJ( that's relatively new, possibly a few months) named A-ViVahh ( As she pronunces it). Unfortunatlely, to spoil the morning, she was substituting for Vasanthi(who likes to shout "Goood Morning Bangalore - this is Vasantheeee with you" with her pleasant voice).This Aviva girl is possibly the crappiest RJ around in Bangalore. There are more than 6 FM channels now and it sucks to hear to this A-ViVahh. Her voice sounds more like sheep ( aaahhh- aaah) and to add to that fakes accent. And a competition going in the morning show "Who it is" is rather cried out by her as "Hoo( may be Ooo) eat ease". I actually began wondering if I have forgotten English when I heard it.
Friday, August 24, 2007
flag and the hypocrite
In India, we are too much ill-fashioned about our national flag, making one wonder at times, as to what is the flag meant to be after all ?? True, we had to make great sacrifices just to get the right to hoist our flag. But does that mean we cannot hoist it wherever one feels like ? Taking it to sport stadiums is showing disrespect to it ? And wearing a flag-shirt is the pinnacleo of anti-nationalism!
Indians only seem to love their flag( which is only but a symbol) and not the country that the flag symbolises.
Streets of our major cities are too polluted. If one is go around the city, his/her clothes are sure to turn black due to the soot/carbon. If it rains, its sure to stink and the cloth becomes weak/crumble in a few days due to the exposure to acid rain.
And therefore I won't be too surprised if these flag-hypocrites cry against hoisting of the tri-colour atop the buildings located in city-centres. The flag might lose its sheen or get soaked in acid after all !!
Indians only seem to love their flag( which is only but a symbol) and not the country that the flag symbolises.
Streets of our major cities are too polluted. If one is go around the city, his/her clothes are sure to turn black due to the soot/carbon. If it rains, its sure to stink and the cloth becomes weak/crumble in a few days due to the exposure to acid rain.
And therefore I won't be too surprised if these flag-hypocrites cry against hoisting of the tri-colour atop the buildings located in city-centres. The flag might lose its sheen or get soaked in acid after all !!
Monday, August 20, 2007
Hi again, blog
Actually I am logging in to the blogger after quite a long time. Will blog periodically from now on.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Indian lawmakers
Indian lawmakers - the so called "honourable" Member of Parliament and Member of Legislative Assemblies and Councils - are they really honourable ? Some of them are convicts, convicted for criminal offences like murder, kidnapping and rape. Some others, are invovled in cases no less serious cases like human trafficking. And some others for "inciting fundamental religious hatred" among the people.
How to get rid of criminal elements from entering the legislature ? We are asked to believe in the constitution and the law made by the law makers of the land, and stand in elections and fight the candidates of calibre mentioned above, follow the laws made by these law-makers and then change the law for the good!! What a top-class solution !
How to get rid of criminal elements from entering the legislature ? We are asked to believe in the constitution and the law made by the law makers of the land, and stand in elections and fight the candidates of calibre mentioned above, follow the laws made by these law-makers and then change the law for the good!! What a top-class solution !
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Neutral umpires in international cricket
The concept of "neutral umpires" is something that the ICC has been following religiously since a few years. Ofcourse, the need for such "neutral umpires" who didnot belong to any of the 2 nations whose teams were playing cricket, was seen as a necessity some years ago when the touring teams kept re-iterating that the "home umpires" are partial towards their respective home teams while taking the decisions. Such a need was particularly felt by most cricketing teams which visited Pakistan. And consistent call for better umpiring for cricket matches played in Pakistan led the then Pakistani cricket captain, the legendary Imran Khan to suggest this wonderful idea of "neutral umpires" somewhere in the 1980s ( if I were to remember properly)which was welcomed by the cricketing faternity and the supporters. It ensured that cricket matches were played fairly and with right "cricketing spirits", even though one cannot ever rule out the human errors which can come even with the neutral umpires.
However, with the recent bungling that followed by the umpires in the just concluded ICC cricket worldcup 2007 has led to some players to asking for the best umpires to stand in the cricket matches rather than having the neutral umpires. Today the technology has improved by leaps and bounds than it was in 1980s and the umpires also face the pressure of performing - not just the players ! Therefore, such a call in my opinion needs to be given some thought by the ICC - and should be experimented with - but not completely giving up its presently held policy of neutral umpires which evolved out of necessities.
However, with the recent bungling that followed by the umpires in the just concluded ICC cricket worldcup 2007 has led to some players to asking for the best umpires to stand in the cricket matches rather than having the neutral umpires. Today the technology has improved by leaps and bounds than it was in 1980s and the umpires also face the pressure of performing - not just the players ! Therefore, such a call in my opinion needs to be given some thought by the ICC - and should be experimented with - but not completely giving up its presently held policy of neutral umpires which evolved out of necessities.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Secularism in India - as I think it is
Constitution of India(its preamble) declares the State of India as a sovereign socialist secular democratic republic. The words "socialist secular"were added later by virtue of an amendment - these were not originally present in the earliest form of the Indian Constitution. Its another story altogether as to why these words were added - I am not going to write about it here , but instead going to express my understanding of the word "secular".
The general meaning for the word "secularism" that is held world-wide is in the sense of freedom of religion and that the government( or the state) is independent of matters of the religion. Public decisions and activities should be based on proper evidence, fact and scientific reasoning. Whereas in private life, one is free to follow whatever "way of life" one chooses to live. Religious considerations should never be made in public education. Nor should the public/governmental money be spent on any kind of religious promotions - whether directly or indirectly. As applied to individuals, I firmly believe "Secularism" means a way of life free from religious influence in all public spheres and hence would consider myself a true secular.
In India, however, "Secularism" is mainly understood as "Respect for all religions - religious tolerance" - a perverted view that has been propogated by the so called "secular" Indian politicians over the years - public platforms have been used( rather mis-used) for this purpose in a deliberate propogandist manner by the self-styled "secularists" of the Indian polity who have ruled the country right from its inception. Public Broadcasting boards(Ofcourse fully Govt. controlled) have aired this meaning in their channels from the time they have been instituted. This is the meaning that has been consistently taught in the schools all over the country.No doubt these politicians cry hoarse when any attempt is made to change this - Not to be thought that I supported all the changes attempted by a previous Indian government which tried to change the syallabus taught in schools by hurriedly introducing books which were claimed by several respected educationalists as of sub-standard quality and presenting a distorted view.
Indian politicians and the the Govt. officials not only visit religious meetings and places in official capacity, but also regularly grant the tax-payers' money for religious promotions. Special concessions are given to citizens travelling to religious shrines. A uniform common law is not applicable for all the citizens of the country - even though - the constitution clearly says all citizens are to be treated equally and no consideration is to be given to religion/caste/creed to which one belongs. This particular feature of the constitution has been violated right from the day the constitution was adapted. The failure of the govt to put in place a uniform civil code clearly displays the failure of independent India to produce firm & strong leadership.Very often the govt budges under the pressure of religious fundamentalists and has been treating the country more as a federation of religious groups than as a federation of states. Probably the best opportunity to put in place a truly secular federation of states in the country was when it gained independence - but unfortunately for the country, at helm was a weak and feeble leader-PrimeMinister J.Nehru. His family members have since then held power for decades. Possibly his daughter Indira was the strongest and most firm leader that modern India has seen so far. But she too lost the opportunity to take the country towards true secularism - only an amedment in the constitution is of no use.
The general meaning for the word "secularism" that is held world-wide is in the sense of freedom of religion and that the government( or the state) is independent of matters of the religion. Public decisions and activities should be based on proper evidence, fact and scientific reasoning. Whereas in private life, one is free to follow whatever "way of life" one chooses to live. Religious considerations should never be made in public education. Nor should the public/governmental money be spent on any kind of religious promotions - whether directly or indirectly. As applied to individuals, I firmly believe "Secularism" means a way of life free from religious influence in all public spheres and hence would consider myself a true secular.
In India, however, "Secularism" is mainly understood as "Respect for all religions - religious tolerance" - a perverted view that has been propogated by the so called "secular" Indian politicians over the years - public platforms have been used( rather mis-used) for this purpose in a deliberate propogandist manner by the self-styled "secularists" of the Indian polity who have ruled the country right from its inception. Public Broadcasting boards(Ofcourse fully Govt. controlled) have aired this meaning in their channels from the time they have been instituted. This is the meaning that has been consistently taught in the schools all over the country.No doubt these politicians cry hoarse when any attempt is made to change this - Not to be thought that I supported all the changes attempted by a previous Indian government which tried to change the syallabus taught in schools by hurriedly introducing books which were claimed by several respected educationalists as of sub-standard quality and presenting a distorted view.
Indian politicians and the the Govt. officials not only visit religious meetings and places in official capacity, but also regularly grant the tax-payers' money for religious promotions. Special concessions are given to citizens travelling to religious shrines. A uniform common law is not applicable for all the citizens of the country - even though - the constitution clearly says all citizens are to be treated equally and no consideration is to be given to religion/caste/creed to which one belongs. This particular feature of the constitution has been violated right from the day the constitution was adapted. The failure of the govt to put in place a uniform civil code clearly displays the failure of independent India to produce firm & strong leadership.Very often the govt budges under the pressure of religious fundamentalists and has been treating the country more as a federation of religious groups than as a federation of states. Probably the best opportunity to put in place a truly secular federation of states in the country was when it gained independence - but unfortunately for the country, at helm was a weak and feeble leader-PrimeMinister J.Nehru. His family members have since then held power for decades. Possibly his daughter Indira was the strongest and most firm leader that modern India has seen so far. But she too lost the opportunity to take the country towards true secularism - only an amedment in the constitution is of no use.
About Me - KSK
I am a rational ( or rather try to be one,as being a perfect rational is a near impossibility!) secular( Please read my blog on "Secularism") humanist and define "religion" as " a way of life". I think that the practical existence of such an entity called "GOD" is highly improbable, so much improbable that it is not worth considering that such an entity exists in practice. And accordingly, my religion is "agnosticism". Probably it won't be wrong to call me a free-thinker either. Writings and thinkings of the likes of Bertrand Russel and Robert Ingersoll resemble highly with my own thinkings and am influenced by the thinkings of these rational people.
I have always believed in the following,but quote Russel's exact wordings here-"We ought to stand up and look the world frankly in the face. We ought to make the best we can of the world, and if it is not so good as we wish, after all it will still be better than what these others have made of it in all these ages. A good world needs knowledge, kindliness, and courage; it does not need a regretful hankering after the past or a fettering of the free intelligence by the words uttered long ago by ignorant men. It needs a fearless outlook and a free intelligence. It needs hope for the future, not looking back all the time toward a past that is dead, which we trust will be far surpassed by the future that our intelligence can create."
I would try to express my viewpoints on certain issues of the day in this blog in a very straight forward manner. A person who reads this blog is free to put his/her comments - please put it as frankly as possible - it is very unlikely that I get offended. I am a very firm believer in freedom of thought and expression. Every person should be free to express one's thoughts - the checkpoints should be kept to bare minimum - whether it is criticising a policy taken by the Government or a judgement of a court or an opinion on some religious/ritualistic faith - freedom of speech and expression should never be curtailed.
It is perfectly possible that some viewpoint that I have published presently changes over time in future - the reason being that, it is not possible to be an ideal rationalist everytime. At a later point of time, it is possible that one realises one's belief/thinking not being rational enough and change accordingly - hence would like to emphasise that I am open to comments/criticisms.
I have always believed in the following,but quote Russel's exact wordings here-"We ought to stand up and look the world frankly in the face. We ought to make the best we can of the world, and if it is not so good as we wish, after all it will still be better than what these others have made of it in all these ages. A good world needs knowledge, kindliness, and courage; it does not need a regretful hankering after the past or a fettering of the free intelligence by the words uttered long ago by ignorant men. It needs a fearless outlook and a free intelligence. It needs hope for the future, not looking back all the time toward a past that is dead, which we trust will be far surpassed by the future that our intelligence can create."
I would try to express my viewpoints on certain issues of the day in this blog in a very straight forward manner. A person who reads this blog is free to put his/her comments - please put it as frankly as possible - it is very unlikely that I get offended. I am a very firm believer in freedom of thought and expression. Every person should be free to express one's thoughts - the checkpoints should be kept to bare minimum - whether it is criticising a policy taken by the Government or a judgement of a court or an opinion on some religious/ritualistic faith - freedom of speech and expression should never be curtailed.
It is perfectly possible that some viewpoint that I have published presently changes over time in future - the reason being that, it is not possible to be an ideal rationalist everytime. At a later point of time, it is possible that one realises one's belief/thinking not being rational enough and change accordingly - hence would like to emphasise that I am open to comments/criticisms.
Human life/rights is more important
Bangalore in recent times has been observing with great horror the sights of stray dogs attacking the general public. Oflate, it has become too common with almost a new incident of stray dogs' attack reported in newspapers nearly every week.
Now,who is responisble for this ? The concerned city municipal authorities are most certainly responsible for negligence on their part, also are the general public who fail to keep the environment around them clean. However, responsible also for this are the so called "Animal Rights groups" who want stray dogs moving around within the city boundaries. They keep insisting( with advertisments in leading newspapers) that dogs are man's best friends - ofcourse they are, no denying the fact - but not the stray dogs ! Their basic argument - that stray dogs prevent other dogs from entering the locality is, in my opinion a farcial argument. Dogs will not stay at any place if there isn't anything for them to eat at that particular place ! These groups want the "Animal Birth Control(ABC)" programmes to be implemented throughout the city instead of elimination of the stray dogs. They themselves claim lack of funds to implement such programmes and often blame the civic bodies for not giving sufficient funds. They have no regard for human life - a fact to be noted here is that most victims of stray dog attack are very often small kids less than the age of 10 who will bear the scars( both physical and mental) for the rest of their lives if they don't die out of wounds. And if it so happens that if a kid lost the life - it affects not only the parents, but also if their were any siblings of the deceased kid, it will be a like a pschylogical trauma to them.
Increasing number of stray dog attack incidents clearly indicate the failure of "ABC programme". Even if it were to be successful, it will reduce the multiplication of dogs - not any guarantee that growing number of attacks on children by strays will come down to a nought.It would be the best in the interests of the city to eliminate these beasts. While saying this, let me say that I am not against the rights of animals - we need to adore life - but not if they are a threat to the human society itself ! If we keep arguing about the "right to live" - then there is no reason why hardcore terrorists should be eliminated - they also have a right to live!
We need to make a clean, safe and fearless environment for children to grow up to become first-class citizens who are the future of this world. They have a right for it.
There won't be any stray dogs if the locality is maintained clean and tidy - this is a duty on the part of the general public and the concerned authorities. Strays entering the city limits will be forced to move to some other place if they can't sustain themselves.The groups/NGOs arguing for the rights of dogs can do their part in educating the general public on the need and the benefits of a clean and safe environment - they can for sure use their limited resources to this effect than spending it for ads in newspapers for the rights of dogs !
Now,who is responisble for this ? The concerned city municipal authorities are most certainly responsible for negligence on their part, also are the general public who fail to keep the environment around them clean. However, responsible also for this are the so called "Animal Rights groups" who want stray dogs moving around within the city boundaries. They keep insisting( with advertisments in leading newspapers) that dogs are man's best friends - ofcourse they are, no denying the fact - but not the stray dogs ! Their basic argument - that stray dogs prevent other dogs from entering the locality is, in my opinion a farcial argument. Dogs will not stay at any place if there isn't anything for them to eat at that particular place ! These groups want the "Animal Birth Control(ABC)" programmes to be implemented throughout the city instead of elimination of the stray dogs. They themselves claim lack of funds to implement such programmes and often blame the civic bodies for not giving sufficient funds. They have no regard for human life - a fact to be noted here is that most victims of stray dog attack are very often small kids less than the age of 10 who will bear the scars( both physical and mental) for the rest of their lives if they don't die out of wounds. And if it so happens that if a kid lost the life - it affects not only the parents, but also if their were any siblings of the deceased kid, it will be a like a pschylogical trauma to them.
Increasing number of stray dog attack incidents clearly indicate the failure of "ABC programme". Even if it were to be successful, it will reduce the multiplication of dogs - not any guarantee that growing number of attacks on children by strays will come down to a nought.It would be the best in the interests of the city to eliminate these beasts. While saying this, let me say that I am not against the rights of animals - we need to adore life - but not if they are a threat to the human society itself ! If we keep arguing about the "right to live" - then there is no reason why hardcore terrorists should be eliminated - they also have a right to live!
We need to make a clean, safe and fearless environment for children to grow up to become first-class citizens who are the future of this world. They have a right for it.
There won't be any stray dogs if the locality is maintained clean and tidy - this is a duty on the part of the general public and the concerned authorities. Strays entering the city limits will be forced to move to some other place if they can't sustain themselves.The groups/NGOs arguing for the rights of dogs can do their part in educating the general public on the need and the benefits of a clean and safe environment - they can for sure use their limited resources to this effect than spending it for ads in newspapers for the rights of dogs !
Monday, April 30, 2007
Rational writings of Robert Ingersoll
Ingersoll says - "Intelligence is the only moral guide" - Nothing is more true.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)