june 30th, 2006
please support this effort for tibet. their demise is one of the great tragic cultural annihilations india has shut its eyes to wilfully.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Friends of Tibet <support@friendsoftibet.org>
Date: Jun 24, 2006 7:13 PM
Subject: 'Bloggers for World Tibet Day'
To: undisclosed-recipients
Dear Friend,
Please join us to blog about Tibet on July 6, 2006 - 'World Tibet Day' which is
the birthday of HH the Dalai Lama. We urge the blogging world to declare it as
"Bloggers for World Tibet Day". Please spread the word and blog about Tibet on
July 6th. Let us create a momentum for freedom of Tibet as never before. If
you don't have a blog please visit us to know more about the struggles of
Tibetans and see if you can help in any other ways.
We have set up a blog at http://voiceofambition.com/Tibet to track all the
information and provide one stop for all blogging activity about Tibet. We also
want to provide authentic information about various Tibet organizations. Please
join us. If you can help us maintain the blog please contact us at
blog.friendsoftibet[AT]gmail.com . You can write articles to be published at
this blog. If you don't have time you can send us links to good articles about
Tibet and provide us any information that can further the cause of freedom of
Tibet. Thank You and Regards,
Voice Of Ambition Team
http://voiceofambition.com
Friday, June 30, 2006
Thursday, June 29, 2006
ancient amazonian observatory in peru
june 28th, 2006
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/06/28/perustonehenge_arc.html?category=archaeology&guid=20060628103030&dcitc=w19-502-ak-0000
the roots of astronomical knowledge go way back. for instance, our ancestors (possibly predicted), observed and noted a peculiar celestial configuration in 3102 bce, to mark the beginning of the kali yuga.
there were possible voyages between india and south america. for instance, the mayan and inca pyramids are apparently built on principles that make complete sense to indian stapathis, as they are aligned astronomically.
of course christist whites do not give any credit to anything that didnt come out of europe in the 19th century, and grudgingly these days, to things that the chinese government forcefully asserts. the chinese are *so good* at "truth by repeated assertion" that they must have been christists in a previous incarnation. the differences in propaganda techniques between marxists and christists is vanishingly small.
one of my dreams, incidentally, is to go to macchu picchu in the peruvian andes. one of these days... i have so far crossed hampi and angkor wat off my list of 'must-see' places. some day i'll post my hampi and angkor wat/cambodia photos on flickr. other places i wish to see include manasarovar in tibet, ayers rock in australia, and gangotri in uttaranchal.
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/06/28/perustonehenge_arc.html?category=archaeology&guid=20060628103030&dcitc=w19-502-ak-0000
the roots of astronomical knowledge go way back. for instance, our ancestors (possibly predicted), observed and noted a peculiar celestial configuration in 3102 bce, to mark the beginning of the kali yuga.
there were possible voyages between india and south america. for instance, the mayan and inca pyramids are apparently built on principles that make complete sense to indian stapathis, as they are aligned astronomically.
of course christist whites do not give any credit to anything that didnt come out of europe in the 19th century, and grudgingly these days, to things that the chinese government forcefully asserts. the chinese are *so good* at "truth by repeated assertion" that they must have been christists in a previous incarnation. the differences in propaganda techniques between marxists and christists is vanishingly small.
one of my dreams, incidentally, is to go to macchu picchu in the peruvian andes. one of these days... i have so far crossed hampi and angkor wat off my list of 'must-see' places. some day i'll post my hampi and angkor wat/cambodia photos on flickr. other places i wish to see include manasarovar in tibet, ayers rock in australia, and gangotri in uttaranchal.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
me on rediff on greater india
june 28th, 2006
hadn't noticed this was posted as some kind of slide show rather than a column.
serves me right to have sent them some photos of angkor wat.
which, by the way, is absolutely awesome.
http://specials.rediff.com/news/2006/jun/26sld1.htm
hadn't noticed this was posted as some kind of slide show rather than a column.
serves me right to have sent them some photos of angkor wat.
which, by the way, is absolutely awesome.
http://specials.rediff.com/news/2006/jun/26sld1.htm
more on arcelor-mittal: racist dolle out on his ass; russians cry prejudice!
june 27th, 2006
the entertainment never stops.
now the russians claim they are being insulted by guy dolle and co.
aditya birla (good for him) hints that the darn europeans had better behave. i dont think the mittals have forgotten or forgiven guy dolle's assertions about 'monkey money'.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/06/26/business/steel.php
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/business/worldbusiness/27fear.html?_r=1&dlbk&oref=slogin
the good news: this is the first giant takeover by someone with indian origins. it is seen, correctly, as a metaphor for the white atlanticists' decline. maybe this will embolden other indian MNCs to go out and make audacious takeovers.
the entertainment never stops.
now the russians claim they are being insulted by guy dolle and co.
aditya birla (good for him) hints that the darn europeans had better behave. i dont think the mittals have forgotten or forgiven guy dolle's assertions about 'monkey money'.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/06/26/business/steel.php
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/business/worldbusiness/27fear.html?_r=1&dlbk&oref=slogin
the good news: this is the first giant takeover by someone with indian origins. it is seen, correctly, as a metaphor for the white atlanticists' decline. maybe this will embolden other indian MNCs to go out and make audacious takeovers.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Escaping 'Hindu uncongenial India' to discover Hinduism in Britain
june 27th, 2006
sad but true. in india the 'secular' 'progressives' have made it a crime to be a hindu.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Aum
http://www.hinduvoice.co.uk/Issues/6/Escape.htm
Escaping 'Hindu uncongenial India' to discover Hinduism in Britain
Rudra Chatterjee
sad but true. in india the 'secular' 'progressives' have made it a crime to be a hindu.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Aum
http://www.hinduvoice.co.uk/Issues/6/Escape.htm
Escaping 'Hindu uncongenial India' to discover Hinduism in Britain
Rudra Chatterjee
nytimes on londonistan
june 26, 2006
there will be a mohammedan republic in londonistan pretty soon. and that, i think, would be quite a cosmic joke: the imperialists par excellence colonized and dhimmified.
i skimmed the article; but noted that they have 'awarded' deoband to pakistan. amazing, isn't it, that one of the hardest-line schools of mohammedanism is in deoband, india?
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/25/magazine/25london.html?_r=1&ei=5087%0A&en=61630a148c167257&ex=1151553600&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all
there will be a mohammedan republic in londonistan pretty soon. and that, i think, would be quite a cosmic joke: the imperialists par excellence colonized and dhimmified.
i skimmed the article; but noted that they have 'awarded' deoband to pakistan. amazing, isn't it, that one of the hardest-line schools of mohammedanism is in deoband, india?
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/25/magazine/25london.html?_r=1&ei=5087%0A&en=61630a148c167257&ex=1151553600&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all
mittal wins
jun 26, 2006
finally, arcelor gives in.
did mittal end up overpaying? was that the whole point of the gambit? will the alleged synergies materialize?
we shall see.
http://www.economist.com/agenda/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7106110&fsrc=nwl
also, warren buffet joins the bill gates foundation. total assets = $30 billion from bill gates, another $35 billion from buffet. this makes the foundation about the same size as the economy of pakistan.
finally, arcelor gives in.
did mittal end up overpaying? was that the whole point of the gambit? will the alleged synergies materialize?
we shall see.
http://www.economist.com/agenda/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7106110&fsrc=nwl
also, warren buffet joins the bill gates foundation. total assets = $30 billion from bill gates, another $35 billion from buffet. this makes the foundation about the same size as the economy of pakistan.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Death throes of Aryan Invasion theory?
jun 26, 2006
what, ICHR says 'aryan' invasion theory is bunkum?
generally the ICHR is the mouthpiece of the 'eminent historians'. or is that the indian history congress, whose star speaker a couple of years ago was (drum roll) amartya sen, who has no qualification whatsoever in history?
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Swami
Date: Jun 26, 2006 1:10 AM
Subject: Death throes of Aryan Invasion theory?
To: Undisclosed-Recipient
what, ICHR says 'aryan' invasion theory is bunkum?
generally the ICHR is the mouthpiece of the 'eminent historians'. or is that the indian history congress, whose star speaker a couple of years ago was (drum roll) amartya sen, who has no qualification whatsoever in history?
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Swami
Date: Jun 26, 2006 1:10 AM
Subject: Death throes of Aryan Invasion theory?
To: Undisclosed-Recipient
mohammedan complains about christist genocides
jun 26, 2006
a mohammedan convert (steven *malik*) possibly black, complaining about christist genocide.
this is entertaining, considering the *mohammedan* practice of casual and continuous genocide wherever they go.
pot calling the kettle black kind of deal.
yet another way in which there is absolutely no difference in practice between christist and mohammedan ways. birds of a feather. violent desert ideas.
i find the whole idea of black mohammedans in the us quite amusing, because they are complaining that christists are mean to them and therefore they wish to leave christism. they never stop to think that it was arab mohammedan slave-traders who originally went to african villages and rounded up their ancestors like cattle and frog-marched them to the white slavers' ships killing quite a few in the process. (sort of like arabs are doing in darfur these days -- they are not exactly bothered about blacks' human rights, *even if* said blacks are mohammedans.)
this mediamonitors site is a mohammedan apologist site, so far as i can tell.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Rick
http://usa.mediamonitors.net/headlines/american_genocide
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com
a mohammedan convert (steven *malik*) possibly black, complaining about christist genocide.
this is entertaining, considering the *mohammedan* practice of casual and continuous genocide wherever they go.
pot calling the kettle black kind of deal.
yet another way in which there is absolutely no difference in practice between christist and mohammedan ways. birds of a feather. violent desert ideas.
i find the whole idea of black mohammedans in the us quite amusing, because they are complaining that christists are mean to them and therefore they wish to leave christism. they never stop to think that it was arab mohammedan slave-traders who originally went to african villages and rounded up their ancestors like cattle and frog-marched them to the white slavers' ships killing quite a few in the process. (sort of like arabs are doing in darfur these days -- they are not exactly bothered about blacks' human rights, *even if* said blacks are mohammedans.)
this mediamonitors site is a mohammedan apologist site, so far as i can tell.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Rick
http://usa.mediamonitors.net/headlines/american_genocide
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com
Petition against reservation benefits to Christian SC/ST
jun 26th, 2006
since christism is so 'egalitarian', why on earth do dalit converts need any privileges? surely the church is treating them with great 'egalitarianism'.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Vijay
G.Vijayalakshmi
since christism is so 'egalitarian', why on earth do dalit converts need any privileges? surely the church is treating them with great 'egalitarianism'.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Vijay
Dear Friends,
I have just read and signed the online petition:
"Petition against reservation benefits to Christian SC/ST"
hosted on the web by PetitionOnline.com, the free online petition
service, at:
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/sandhyaj/
I personally agree with what this petition says, and I think you might
agree, too. If you can spare a moment, please take a look, and consider
signing yourself.
Best wishes,
I have just read and signed the online petition:
"Petition against reservation benefits to Christian SC/ST"
hosted on the web by PetitionOnline.com, the free online petition
service, at:
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/sandhyaj/
I personally agree with what this petition says, and I think you might
agree, too. If you can spare a moment, please take a look, and consider
signing yourself.
Best wishes,
G.Vijayalakshmi
convert Pastor, son convicted of cybercrime
jun 26th, 2006
this is an intriguing story.
it shows that
a) these absurd christists are out there converting hindus in droves in kerala
b) the christists then probably mistreat them in their so-called churches, which are really war-rooms meant for conquest
c) i liked the idea of this godman abraham's nude photos being circulated on the net. but i am at a loss as to who would be interested in them: the guy's probably an ugly mother
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ram
Date: Jun 22, 2006 8:30 AM
Subject: Pastor, son first convicts
To:
this is an intriguing story.
it shows that
a) these absurd christists are out there converting hindus in droves in kerala
b) the christists then probably mistreat them in their so-called churches, which are really war-rooms meant for conquest
c) i liked the idea of this godman abraham's nude photos being circulated on the net. but i am at a loss as to who would be interested in them: the guy's probably an ugly mother
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ram
Date: Jun 22, 2006 8:30 AM
Subject: Pastor, son first convicts
To:
shashi tharoor
26th june 2006
of course, i support shashi tharoor's candidacy for the un secretary general's post because he's
a) indian
b) malayali
c) an acquaintance. his sister and brother-in-law are friends of mine and i have met him at their house; and he has quoted yours truly in one of his books. i also interviewed him on rediff some years ago. (rediff incidentally republishes that interview after carefully removing my name from it: one of the 'secularists' on their staff at work, no doubt).
anyway, this is my personal opinion that i support shashi's candidacy.
but on the other hand, i have seen several commentators being less than enthusiastic.
what do you guys think? is this a good thing for india? what are shashi's chances?
btw, i have heard that women have a soft corner for him, as they consider him good-looking.
of course, i support shashi tharoor's candidacy for the un secretary general's post because he's
a) indian
b) malayali
c) an acquaintance. his sister and brother-in-law are friends of mine and i have met him at their house; and he has quoted yours truly in one of his books. i also interviewed him on rediff some years ago. (rediff incidentally republishes that interview after carefully removing my name from it: one of the 'secularists' on their staff at work, no doubt).
anyway, this is my personal opinion that i support shashi's candidacy.
but on the other hand, i have seen several commentators being less than enthusiastic.
what do you guys think? is this a good thing for india? what are shashi's chances?
btw, i have heard that women have a soft corner for him, as they consider him good-looking.
women as baby factories
jun 26th, 2006
interesting comparison.
but it's quite logical if you see if from the mohammedan point of view which is that a woman is a baby factory.
a mohammedan woman is a factory for lots of little future mohammedans, who will be useful in the various jihads. thus there is an urgent need to increase the number of mohammedan woman by coercion, conversion, etc. especially if the woman in question is about 15 years old or so, then she will produce babies for the next 20 years.
i conjecture that there is no great rush to convert non-fertile/old women unless there is publicity value (as in the case of that inane kamala das suraiyya). mohammedans, sensibly, only want to convert fertile women (unless of course they bring money and visibility).
on the other hand, losing a mohammedan woman to any other religion means one less baby factory is available. so this has to be prevented by any means.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: arun s m <drisya@gmail.com>
Date: Jun 24, 2006 5:27 AM
Subject: compare and contrast !
To:
interesting comparison.
but it's quite logical if you see if from the mohammedan point of view which is that a woman is a baby factory.
a mohammedan woman is a factory for lots of little future mohammedans, who will be useful in the various jihads. thus there is an urgent need to increase the number of mohammedan woman by coercion, conversion, etc. especially if the woman in question is about 15 years old or so, then she will produce babies for the next 20 years.
i conjecture that there is no great rush to convert non-fertile/old women unless there is publicity value (as in the case of that inane kamala das suraiyya). mohammedans, sensibly, only want to convert fertile women (unless of course they bring money and visibility).
on the other hand, losing a mohammedan woman to any other religion means one less baby factory is available. so this has to be prevented by any means.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: arun s m <drisya@gmail.com>
Date: Jun 24, 2006 5:27 AM
Subject: compare and contrast !
To:
Saturday, June 24, 2006
solar energy news
jun 23, 2006
great news. the oil price rise has had this encouraging fallout: increased interest in alternatives.
in the long run, i believe solar is going to win for the small scale, household, non-intensive customer.
investing 'world cup' : motley fool
jun 23rd 2006
now for something completely different. investors looking at individual indian stocks and the region as a whole.
Friday, June 23, 2006
China's new links and capabilities
jun 22nd
read this and weep. we're being wiped out by the inscrutable chinese.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Brahma Chellaney
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Brahma Chellaney
The Hindustan Times, June 22, 2006
China is building new regional links and capabilities antithetical to Indian interests
Dragon designs
By BRAHMA CHELLANEY
For long, Beijing has called for trade with India through the strategic Chumbi Valley, located at the junction of Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet. To that end, it has offered incremental concessions on Sikkim after, in 2003, making India unequivocally recognize as "part of the territory of the People's Republic of China" the area it calls the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). China's bit-by-bit concessions have not reached the point where it is willing to declare that it fully recognizes Sikkim's status as an integral part of India.
Despite presenting an official map showing Sikkim in the same colour as the rest of India and signing a joint statement that carried a reference to Sikkim being in India, Beijing has been loath to surrender its Sikkim card the way India relinquished its Tibet card. China's admission that Sikkim is presently under Indian control — a self-evident reality — does not mean that it now recognizes Sikkim to be part of India. Indeed, Beijing's acknowledgement of Indian control over Sikkim is plainly limited to the purpose of facilitating trade through Chumbi's Nathu-la Pass, the scene of bloody artillery duels in September 1967 when Indian troops beat back attacking Chinese forces. No Chinese official till date has conceded any change in Beijing's stance on Sikkim.
Yet Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has succeeded in getting what he sought during his 2005 India visit — trade through Chumbi "at an early date". Unlike the inconsequential trade through the opening of the passes at Shipki-la (Himachal Pradesh) and Lipulekh (Uttarachal) between 1992 and 1993, the scheduled reopening of the Nathu-la Pass from July 6 could help pave the way to the gradual revival of the ancient Lhasa-Kalimpong and Lhasa-Kolkata trade routes that were Tibet's economic lifeline. Beijing's interests, however, are more than commercial.
With its new wealth, China has been inventively building trade and transportation links to further its larger interests. Such links around India's periphery are already bringing this country under strategic pressure on three separate flanks. China is fashioning two north-south strategic corridors on either side of India — the Trans-Karakoram Corridor stretching right up to Gwadar, at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz; and the Irrawaddy Corridor involving road, river and rail links from Yunnan right up to the Burmese ports. In addition, it is shoring up an east-west strategic corridor in Tibet across India's northern frontiers.
The $6.2-billion China-Tibet railway from Gormu to Lhasa is designed not only to aid the mineral exploitation of the Tibetan plateau but also to strengthen China's hold on Tibet. When ready shortly, it will significantly augment China's offensive military capability against India while making more vulnerable the fragile ecology of Tibet — the starting point of all the great Asian rivers. The railway passes through wildlife habitat, endangering Tibet's famed black-neck cranes, yellow ducks, musk deer and chiru antelopes.
A southward rail spur under construction from Lhasa to Xigatse — seat of the Panchen Lama's Tashilhumpu monastery — will further bolster China's military-transport and reinforcement capabilities against India. At short notice, China will be able to intensify military pressure on India by rapidly mobilizing up to 12 divisions. A string of new Chinese military airfields along the India frontier have also come up, even as China builds up its missile strength on the Tibetan plateau. The new railroad facilitates the easy transport of intermediate-range missiles and allows China to rail-base in Tibet some of its intercontinental ballistic missiles. China indeed has designed its latest ICBM, the DF-31A, as a rail-mobile weapon.
Just as the southbound roads China built in the 1950s were later used for aggression against India, the new Tibetan railway indubitably carries significant strategic ramifications for India. And just as the newer highways into Tibet have helped dramatically increase Han migration, the railway to Lhasa and Xigatse will further accelerate Tibet's Sinicization and the economic marginalization of its native people.
This strategic corridor arms China with multiple benefits: enhanced power-projection force capability; the option to step up direct military pressure against India; superior transport links with states that are part of the Indian security system (Nepal and Bhutan); improved potential to meddle in India's restive northeast; and the ability to dump goods in the Indian market via Chumbi and Nepal. China would like to extend the Tibetan railway to Kathmandu even as it presently expands its road links with Nepal.
Ever since the elimination of Tibet as the outer buffer, India has regarded Nepal and Bhutan as its inner security buffers. Chinese efforts to make strategic inroads into those inner buffers thus challenge Indian security. During 2005-06, Beijing signed contracts to sell Nepal arms worth several million dollars. Emerging transportation capabilities up to the Himalayas will endow China with influence over Nepal and Bhutan, which Mao Zedong had once described as two of the fingers of the Tibetan palm — the others being the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh (which Beijing still shows as Chinese territory), Jammu and Kashmir (one-fifth of which China occupies) and Sikkim.
With the Irrawaddy Corridor stretching up to the Bay of Bengal, Chinese security agencies have positioned personnel at several Burmese coastal points, including the Chinese-built harbours at Kyaukypu and Thilawa. These agencies already operate electronic-intelligence and maritime-reconnaissance facilities on the two Coco Islands — transferred by India in the 1950s to Burma, which then leased them to Beijing in 1994.
Beijing is reinforcing the strategic significance of the naval base-cum-port it is completing at Gwadar, Pakistan, by linking it up with the Karakoram Highway to western China through the Chinese-aided Gwadar-Dalbandin railway, which extends up to Rawalpindi. In addition, the Chinese-supported Makran coastal highway is to link Gwadar with Karachi. Gwadar, already home to a Chinese electronic-listening post, is a critical link in the emerging chain of Chinese forward-operating facilities that stretch from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal and then to the Gulf of Siam.
Protected by cliffs from three sides, Gwadar will not only arm Pakistan with critical strategic depth against a 1971-style Indian attempt to bottle up its navy, but it will also open the way to the arrival of Chinese submarines in India's backyard. Beijing admits that Gwadar's strategic significance is equivalent to the Karakoram Highway, which since opening in 1969 has helped underpin the Sino-Pakistan nexus and served as the route for covert Chinese nuclear and missile transfers. A Karakoram Highway-Gwadar link-up is bound to create a strategic-multiplier effect.
Islamabad and Beijing are currently exploring the building of an energy pipeline from Gwadar to western China as a way to reduce the time and distance for transporting oil to China from the Gulf region. Built in parallel to the road-and-rail link to connect Gwadar to China, a similar second pipeline could potentially carry Iranian gas to western China. With its planned petroleum and naval facilities, Gwadar will be a key base in China's strategy to secure greater Gulf energy resources.
Once the Gwadar project is complete, the Chinese navy, with its access in Burma, will be able to operate on both Indian flanks. In addition, Beijing's broad-based military-cooperation agreement with Dhaka — Bangladesh's first such accord with any country — has four apparent objectives: to bring that country into the Chinese strategic orbit; gain naval and commercial access to Chittagong; connect Bangladesh with Burma; and secure a doorway to India's northeast. Trade through Chumbi anyway will help China to gain influence in the vulnerable northeast.
With China's accumulating power becoming the single biggest instigator of qualitative change in the geopolitical landscape, India faces a mounting strategic challenge. Despite New Delhi's accent on cooperation, Beijing will not shy away from ploughing more and more of its resources into activities and capabilities antithetical to Indian interests and security.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
interesting dialog on mohammedanism
jun 21st 2006
http://www.economist.com/agenda/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7079112&fsrc=nwl
ashok row kavi on the jesus fairytale and 'da vinci code'
june 21st, 2006
the amount of bullshit that went on in india to mask the pathetic exercise in censorship indulged in by samuel reddy and other congressis is just amazing. so there is no 'freedom of expression' when it comes to semitics: no ELM maven opposed the ban on the movie 'da vinci code'.
i haven't seen 'da vinci code'. maybe i'll go see it, if as ashok row kavi says, it has a whole lot about the suppression of women that is one of christism's hallmarks.
it is crystal clear that jesus was a figment of paul's fertile imagination.
and oh yes, that helena! she 'divined' in a dream the spot where jesus (existence be upon him) was 'crucified'. there happened to be a temple to athena on the spot, which was promptly demolished, just as all old roman temples were after constantine got the 'holy spirit'.
not to mention thomas with the two skeletons (the one as a young man, and the other as an old man -- sweet jesus, a miracle!). and the 12 or 13 foreskins of jesus worshipped all over the place. yes, 13! very prolific, did it just keep growing back? one was even presented as a 'wedding ring' to one 'saint catherine'! i guess if you're making up things, might as well go whole hog! like the 72 virgins (or white raisins, as the case maybe) and the 28 young boys, in a slightly different context.
this is all best explained by tertullian, an early church type: credo quia absurdum. i believe because it is absurd. the full statement made by him was:
Natus est Dei Filius; non pudet, quia pudendum est: et mortuus est Dei Filius; prorsus credible est, quia ineptum est: et sepultus resurrexit; certum est, quia impossibile
the amount of bullshit that went on in india to mask the pathetic exercise in censorship indulged in by samuel reddy and other congressis is just amazing. so there is no 'freedom of expression' when it comes to semitics: no ELM maven opposed the ban on the movie 'da vinci code'.
i haven't seen 'da vinci code'. maybe i'll go see it, if as ashok row kavi says, it has a whole lot about the suppression of women that is one of christism's hallmarks.
it is crystal clear that jesus was a figment of paul's fertile imagination.
and oh yes, that helena! she 'divined' in a dream the spot where jesus (existence be upon him) was 'crucified'. there happened to be a temple to athena on the spot, which was promptly demolished, just as all old roman temples were after constantine got the 'holy spirit'.
not to mention thomas with the two skeletons (the one as a young man, and the other as an old man -- sweet jesus, a miracle!). and the 12 or 13 foreskins of jesus worshipped all over the place. yes, 13! very prolific, did it just keep growing back? one was even presented as a 'wedding ring' to one 'saint catherine'! i guess if you're making up things, might as well go whole hog! like the 72 virgins (or white raisins, as the case maybe) and the 28 young boys, in a slightly different context.
this is all best explained by tertullian, an early church type: credo quia absurdum. i believe because it is absurd. the full statement made by him was:
Natus est Dei Filius; non pudet, quia pudendum est: et mortuus est Dei Filius; prorsus credible est, quia ineptum est: et sepultus resurrexit; certum est, quia impossibile
(Translation: "The Son of God was born: there is no shame, because it is shameful. And the Son of God died: it is wholly credible, because it is innapropriate. And, buried, He rose again: it is certain, because impossible")
Da Vinci is Da Truth?-Ringside view
Ashok Row Kavi
happy summer solstice; and sabarimala
jun 21st, summer solstice
longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. end of uttarayanam.
i am in kerala. swami saranam, i went to sabarimala (yes, bearded and after observing the vratam, though only for 12 days, not quite the 41 days prescribed). i was hoping it would be raining, but it wasn't, it was quite warm. the pamba was full of deliciously cool water though, so it is raining in the western ghats.
had excellent darshanam at sabarimala. the crowd was small, so no hassle at all. drove from trivandrum with some other people. although i have to say the hill is a bit daunting. there were moments when i wondered if i'd make it up the 4km stretch of three heart-break hills in a row. they have paved over some of the roughest parts, and i was cowardly: i wore sandals, so i didnt have to suffer the 'stones and thorns' on the path.
the old shrine was once a shiva shrine, where buddhists also worshipped the bodhisattva avalokitesvara padmapani. later it became a buddhist shrine that the intrepid traveler hsiuen xang visited and noted. he mentioned, according to historian lokesh chandra, that the place was called 'potala', an old tamil word meaning 'bright flame' -- a clear reference to the makara jyoti, the light that appears in the forest on makara sankranti day. later the bodhisattva appears to have become the Lord Ayyappan, He who is the son of hari and hara.
recall also that the potala is the dalai lama's palace in lhasa. and that the dalai lama is a reincarnation of the same avalokitesvara. thus there are ancient connections between kerala and tibet -- reinforcing once again the astonishing cultural continuity of indic civilization from north to south; and reinforcing once again that tibet has nothing to do with china.
this sort of coexistence/transition is fairly common in hindu-buddhist circles. for instance, at angkor wat, the eight-armed vishnu who once was the central deity of the temple is now worshipped as the buddha by the locals. and in java's old temples including prambanan, there is no clear demarcation between siva/isvara and the buddha.
so how did buddhism disappear from india? the 'secularists' claim hindus did it in. no, on the contrary, the mohammedans destroyed all the buddha viharas and beheaded all the monks, thus erasing buddhism in india. the few monks who escaped the massacre in nalanda ran away with a few texts to tibet, and that's how tibetan buddhism got its start. but the 'eminent historians' do not want to accept this, so they make up fantasies.
longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. end of uttarayanam.
i am in kerala. swami saranam, i went to sabarimala (yes, bearded and after observing the vratam, though only for 12 days, not quite the 41 days prescribed). i was hoping it would be raining, but it wasn't, it was quite warm. the pamba was full of deliciously cool water though, so it is raining in the western ghats.
had excellent darshanam at sabarimala. the crowd was small, so no hassle at all. drove from trivandrum with some other people. although i have to say the hill is a bit daunting. there were moments when i wondered if i'd make it up the 4km stretch of three heart-break hills in a row. they have paved over some of the roughest parts, and i was cowardly: i wore sandals, so i didnt have to suffer the 'stones and thorns' on the path.
the old shrine was once a shiva shrine, where buddhists also worshipped the bodhisattva avalokitesvara padmapani. later it became a buddhist shrine that the intrepid traveler hsiuen xang visited and noted. he mentioned, according to historian lokesh chandra, that the place was called 'potala', an old tamil word meaning 'bright flame' -- a clear reference to the makara jyoti, the light that appears in the forest on makara sankranti day. later the bodhisattva appears to have become the Lord Ayyappan, He who is the son of hari and hara.
recall also that the potala is the dalai lama's palace in lhasa. and that the dalai lama is a reincarnation of the same avalokitesvara. thus there are ancient connections between kerala and tibet -- reinforcing once again the astonishing cultural continuity of indic civilization from north to south; and reinforcing once again that tibet has nothing to do with china.
this sort of coexistence/transition is fairly common in hindu-buddhist circles. for instance, at angkor wat, the eight-armed vishnu who once was the central deity of the temple is now worshipped as the buddha by the locals. and in java's old temples including prambanan, there is no clear demarcation between siva/isvara and the buddha.
so how did buddhism disappear from india? the 'secularists' claim hindus did it in. no, on the contrary, the mohammedans destroyed all the buddha viharas and beheaded all the monks, thus erasing buddhism in india. the few monks who escaped the massacre in nalanda ran away with a few texts to tibet, and that's how tibetan buddhism got its start. but the 'eminent historians' do not want to accept this, so they make up fantasies.
the world in 2020: economist intelligence unit
jun 21st 2006
thought this might be of interest to some of you.
india can better these somewhat rosy estimates, but if only the congress and marxists are out of the picture. otherwise in 2020 india will be a colony of, take your pick:
a) china
b) saudi arabia
c) godman ratzinger
http://www.eiu.com/site_info.asp?info_name=eiu_Cisco_Foresight_2020
thought this might be of interest to some of you.
india can better these somewhat rosy estimates, but if only the congress and marxists are out of the picture. otherwise in 2020 india will be a colony of, take your pick:
a) china
b) saudi arabia
c) godman ratzinger
http://www.eiu.com/site_info.asp?info_name=eiu_Cisco_Foresight_2020
Saturday, June 17, 2006
How the British created the dowry system
jun 17th
veena talwar (oldenberg, i thought -- married to philip oldenberg who's an india scholar and also a bit of 'secularist') has written this fascinating book that i have ready many reviews of.
thanks to reader jyotishi
---------- Forwarded message ----------
'Dowry Murder: Imperial Origins of a Cultural Crime'
by Veena Talwar.
http://esamskriti.com/html/new_inside.asp?cat_name=why&cid=1030&sid=168
veena talwar (oldenberg, i thought -- married to philip oldenberg who's an india scholar and also a bit of 'secularist') has written this fascinating book that i have ready many reviews of.
thanks to reader jyotishi
---------- Forwarded message ----------
'Dowry Murder: Imperial Origins of a Cultural Crime'
by Veena Talwar.
http://esamskriti.com/html/new_inside.asp?cat_name=why&cid=1030&sid=168
it's official for father's day: men are significantly the weaker sex
jun 17th
happy father's day to all. you guys should read this and weep.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/17/opinion/17legato.html?ex=1150689600&en=09e26751401d1686&ei=5087%0A
on a personal note, this year, father's day, june 18th, is the star-date of my own father's death. he died on the 21st of june, the longest day, summer solstice, according to the western calendar. the day uttarayanam ends; the last auspicious day of the year -- although of course, in the indian calendar there is an offset of 14 days (due to the precession of the axis).
you recall how bhishma chose to lie in state on the bed of arrows till the end of dakshinayanam, till the winter solstice, or in our calendar, makara sankranti.
speaking of the 'sara-sayya' there is an incredible panel about the kurukshetra war at angkor wat; there is a very clear representation of bhishma on the bed of arrows. i have a grainy photo somewhere.
happy father's day to all. you guys should read this and weep.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/17/opinion/17legato.html?ex=1150689600&en=09e26751401d1686&ei=5087%0A
on a personal note, this year, father's day, june 18th, is the star-date of my own father's death. he died on the 21st of june, the longest day, summer solstice, according to the western calendar. the day uttarayanam ends; the last auspicious day of the year -- although of course, in the indian calendar there is an offset of 14 days (due to the precession of the axis).
you recall how bhishma chose to lie in state on the bed of arrows till the end of dakshinayanam, till the winter solstice, or in our calendar, makara sankranti.
speaking of the 'sara-sayya' there is an incredible panel about the kurukshetra war at angkor wat; there is a very clear representation of bhishma on the bed of arrows. i have a grainy photo somewhere.
bill gates quits (well, will quit next year)
jun 17th
is steve ballmer also going to follow suit? this could mean either a major crisis at microsoft, or else it may re-invent itself as a kinder, gentler company
is steve ballmer also going to follow suit? this could mean either a major crisis at microsoft, or else it may re-invent itself as a kinder, gentler company
what happened to the sensex?
jun 17th
On 6/16/06, Rajeev Srinivasan wrote:
jun 16th
what has happened to the sensex? why the gyrations? the good finance professor attempts to make sense of all that.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Vaidyanathan R
Date: Jun 15, 2006 12:05 PM
Subject: Stock Markets
To: Vaidyanathan RMarkets panic when politics dominates Economics
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/06/15/stories/2006061500291000.htm
R.Vaidyanathan
____________________________
R.Vaidyanathan
Professor of Finance & Control
Indian Institute of Management
Bannerghatta Road
Bangalore--560076
India
inequality grows in america
jun 16th
and who will they blame? foreigners, of course! although not that many service jobs are actually moving to india, they feel many are indeed moving.
btw, india's gini coefficient is far better than america's: it has been in the .30 range for a long time. marxists should note, china's has consistently been greater than india's: that is, there is much more inequality in the worker's paradise than in india. of course, the other side of it is that it implies that there has been no incentive for indians to create wealth, either.
http://www.economist.com/world/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7055911
and who will they blame? foreigners, of course! although not that many service jobs are actually moving to india, they feel many are indeed moving.
btw, india's gini coefficient is far better than america's: it has been in the .30 range for a long time. marxists should note, china's has consistently been greater than india's: that is, there is much more inequality in the worker's paradise than in india. of course, the other side of it is that it implies that there has been no incentive for indians to create wealth, either.
http://www.economist.com/world/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7055911
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Dowry practice plagues Christian community
jun 15
oh-ho, it is becoming a problem now, "emulating hindus"! that is bullshit. christists in kerala have for at least the last fifty years insisted on huge dowries. the idea is that a christist female has no rights in her parents' home after her marriage and the dowry is her full inheritance. isn't this what mary roy, famous mother of arundhati roy, went to the supreme court to contest?
but christist women, on the other hand, do dominate their husbands in kerala.
Dowry practice plagues Christian community
NDTV.com
Gilvester
Sunday, November 28, 2004
Tiruvanantapuram - The practice of dowry, normally
prevalent among the Hindus, is now making its presence
in the Christian community as well.
...deleted
http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=Dowry+practice+plagues+Christian+community&id=64293
oh-ho, it is becoming a problem now, "emulating hindus"! that is bullshit. christists in kerala have for at least the last fifty years insisted on huge dowries. the idea is that a christist female has no rights in her parents' home after her marriage and the dowry is her full inheritance. isn't this what mary roy, famous mother of arundhati roy, went to the supreme court to contest?
but christist women, on the other hand, do dominate their husbands in kerala.
Dowry practice plagues Christian community
NDTV.com
Gilvester
Sunday, November 28, 2004
Tiruvanantapuram - The practice of dowry, normally
prevalent among the Hindus, is now making its presence
in the Christian community as well.
...deleted
http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=Dowry+practice+plagues+Christian+community&id=64293
women's plight in Europe
jun 15th
so much for "superior" treatment of women in christist or mohammedan cultures.
is this actress related to jean-louis trintignant who played the judge in 'z'?
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/2004/03/09/stories/2004030903231400.htm
so much for "superior" treatment of women in christist or mohammedan cultures.
is this actress related to jean-louis trintignant who played the judge in 'z'?
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/2004/03/09/stories/2004030903231400.htm
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
this is the very definition of 'entertainment'
june 9th
http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7041189
buddhist/atheist japanese getting married to the trappings of a white christist ceremony!
this is what christism is best at: elaborate and meaningless spectacles, as in the made-up rituals regarding the royalty in britain (these, contrary to myth, are not ancient, and date back only a century or two to the height of their empire).
there is no more 'beef' to it.
this is sweet ironic revenge for those 'abhasa' spectacles we see of kathakali and traditional balinese dance and kabuki being watered down for white tourists!
http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7041189
buddhist/atheist japanese getting married to the trappings of a white christist ceremony!
this is what christism is best at: elaborate and meaningless spectacles, as in the made-up rituals regarding the royalty in britain (these, contrary to myth, are not ancient, and date back only a century or two to the height of their empire).
there is no more 'beef' to it.
this is sweet ironic revenge for those 'abhasa' spectacles we see of kathakali and traditional balinese dance and kabuki being watered down for white tourists!
Monday, June 12, 2006
The Chinese Checkmate
jun 12
in the meantime, the chinese are single-mindedly advancing their interests.
of course, the marxists and the UPA are helping china's interests by hobbling india.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
in the meantime, the chinese are single-mindedly advancing their interests.
of course, the marxists and the UPA are helping china's interests by hobbling india.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
CYNICAL NERD'S THE INDIAN NATIONAL INTEREST
Posted on 06.07.06 by Jaffna @ 6:50 am
Observe calmly; secure our position; cope with affairs calmly; hide our capacities and bide our time; be good at maintaining a low profile; and never claim leadership
- Deng Xioping
..... deleted
arun's blog: let the voices be heard
jun 11
i dont necessarily agree with what arun says, but it is an interesing perspective.
although there is a lot to be said about 'merit' and reservations, i think it's a diversionary tactic. and i have other things to do, since i am very busy right now, so i am not going to respond in detail to you, darkstorm, now.
although what the UPA/arjun singh is doing to higher education is no laughing matter. it is consigning india to another 50 years of the nehruvian penalty. this at a time when the stars are finally aligned and india can indeed march ahead as the BRIC report suggests. but if you have read the BRIC report, there is a big caveat: the assumption that education in india will improve. the marxists and the congress are assiduously trying to ensure that education will be ruined: after all, that is the only way an illiterate population can be controlled and seduced by their stupid slogans about social justice and other chimeras.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: arun s m <drisya@gmail.com>
Date: Jun 9, 2006 7:59 PM
Subject: let the voices be heard
To:
i dont necessarily agree with what arun says, but it is an interesing perspective.
although there is a lot to be said about 'merit' and reservations, i think it's a diversionary tactic. and i have other things to do, since i am very busy right now, so i am not going to respond in detail to you, darkstorm, now.
although what the UPA/arjun singh is doing to higher education is no laughing matter. it is consigning india to another 50 years of the nehruvian penalty. this at a time when the stars are finally aligned and india can indeed march ahead as the BRIC report suggests. but if you have read the BRIC report, there is a big caveat: the assumption that education in india will improve. the marxists and the congress are assiduously trying to ensure that education will be ruined: after all, that is the only way an illiterate population can be controlled and seduced by their stupid slogans about social justice and other chimeras.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: arun s m <drisya@gmail.com>
Date: Jun 9, 2006 7:59 PM
Subject: let the voices be heard
To:
Comments welcome at http://drisyadrisya.blogspot.com/2006/06/let-voices-be-heard-decimation-part-3.html
---------------------------------------------------
Friday, June 09, 2006
pakistanis emulate chinese as usual -- this time in piracy
june 8th
fat lot of respect for intellectual property.
http://www.economist.com/markets/indicators/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7039860
fat lot of respect for intellectual property.
http://www.economist.com/markets/indicators/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7039860
'the equals of men" -- nanditha krishna
june 8th
more on hinduism's treatment of women -- not as chattel, but as intelligent human beings. gargi, for instance, leaps to mind as a symbol of woman power.
all this changed with the mohammedan invasion, of course. it got even worse with the christist invasion and victorian prudishness.
http://www.newindpress.com/sunday/colItems.asp?ID=SEC20030803031539
more on hinduism's treatment of women -- not as chattel, but as intelligent human beings. gargi, for instance, leaps to mind as a symbol of woman power.
all this changed with the mohammedan invasion, of course. it got even worse with the christist invasion and victorian prudishness.
http://www.newindpress.com/sunday/colItems.asp?ID=SEC20030803031539
I was recently researching the women of ancient India when I came across a startling piece of information. Seventeen of the seers to whom the hymns of the Rig Veda were revealed were women - rishikas and brahmavadinis. They were Romasa, Lopamudra, Apata, Kadru, Vishvavara, Ghosha, Juhu, Vagambhrini, Paulomi, Jarita, Shraddha-Kamayani, Urvashi, Sharnga, Yami, Indrani, Savitri and Devayani. The Sama Veda mentions another four: Nodha (or Purvarchchika), Akrishtabhasha, Shikatanivavari (or Utararchchika) and Ganpayana. This intrigued me so much that I had to learn more about them, but I drew a blank. Who were these wonderful women who were on par with their men and produced the greatest and longest living literature of the world?
...Thursday, June 08, 2006
india's northeast: another east timor in the making
june 8th
scary stuff, indeed. secession is not far off.
siachen, assam, the northeast -- soon the US state dept's maps of india which show none of kashmir or the northeast will become the self-fulfilling prophesy they are meant to be.
Christian Conversions and Terrorism in North-East India
http://www.christianaggression.org/item_display.php?id=1141970933&type=articles
scary stuff, indeed. secession is not far off.
siachen, assam, the northeast -- soon the US state dept's maps of india which show none of kashmir or the northeast will become the self-fulfilling prophesy they are meant to be.
Christian Conversions and Terrorism in North-East India
http://www.christianaggression.org/item_display.php?id=1141970933&type=articles
Teaching Johnny About Islam
jun 7th
thanks to reader shah.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Shah
Date: May 25, 2006 10:39 PM
Subject: Fwd: Teaching Johnny About Islam
To: Rajeev Srinivasan
thanks to reader shah.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Shah
Date: May 25, 2006 10:39 PM
Subject: Fwd: Teaching Johnny About Islam
To: Rajeev Srinivasan
Why aren't the Indians teaching Hinduism in their schools to muslim kids?
Issues & Insights
Teaching Johnny About Islam
Posted 5/19/2006Education: In our brave new schools, Johnny can't say the pledge, but he can recite the Quran. Yup, the same court that found the phrase "under God" unconstitutional now endorses Islamic catechism in public school....
women in hinduism
jun 7th
relatively exalted position of women in hinduism, esp as compared to semitics.
http://tinyurl.com/mqgew
omission in the first para, the heroine of the silappathikaram is kannagi.
relatively exalted position of women in hinduism, esp as compared to semitics.
http://tinyurl.com/mqgew
omission in the first para, the heroine of the silappathikaram is kannagi.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
the true meaning of 'secularism'
june 7th
this is hilarious. talk of the kettle and the pot congratulating each other for outdoing blackness.
so it is once again clear what arjun singh and the saudis mean by the word 'secularism'. they mean (the promotion of) mohammedanism.
the saudis wouldn't recognize true secularism if it were presented to them on a plate with watercress around it, even if it leaped up and bit them on their noses. the saudis simply cannot conceive of equal treatment of all religions or the separation of church and state.
http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=68561
i also read another news article that said the saudis are giving $30 billion (yes, billion) to the jamia millia islamia college in delhi. i wonder how much of that will go into various 'secular' pockets.
this is hilarious. talk of the kettle and the pot congratulating each other for outdoing blackness.
so it is once again clear what arjun singh and the saudis mean by the word 'secularism'. they mean (the promotion of) mohammedanism.
the saudis wouldn't recognize true secularism if it were presented to them on a plate with watercress around it, even if it leaped up and bit them on their noses. the saudis simply cannot conceive of equal treatment of all religions or the separation of church and state.
http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=68561
i also read another news article that said the saudis are giving $30 billion (yes, billion) to the jamia millia islamia college in delhi. i wonder how much of that will go into various 'secular' pockets.
apple pulls service operation, not R&D
jun 6
sorry, i had slightly incorrect information.
there has been an apple sales presence in bangalore for at least ten years, and they even have an apple store at the forum mall in bangalore. i thought they already had an engineering center there as well. this report seems to be talking about a BPO/call center which they had planned in india, or something along those lines.
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/business/columnists/gmsv/14752231.htm
sorry, i had slightly incorrect information.
there has been an apple sales presence in bangalore for at least ten years, and they even have an apple store at the forum mall in bangalore. i thought they already had an engineering center there as well. this report seems to be talking about a BPO/call center which they had planned in india, or something along those lines.
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/business/columnists/gmsv/14752231.htm
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
economist on indian business
jun 6
alas, mostly premium content, and i haven't read it all yet, but simon long seems almost benign in the first couple of articles.
btw, apple just announced, bizarrely, that it is closing its R&D operation in india and moving it to a third country. say what?
http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6969740
alas, mostly premium content, and i haven't read it all yet, but simon long seems almost benign in the first couple of articles.
btw, apple just announced, bizarrely, that it is closing its R&D operation in india and moving it to a third country. say what?
http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6969740
danish editor on why he published the mohammed cartoons
5th june
'competitive victimhood' is something we see a lot of in india.
interesting article, worth reading.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/31/world/europe/31spiegel.html?_r=2&oref=slog&oref=slogin
'competitive victimhood' is something we see a lot of in india.
interesting article, worth reading.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/31/world/europe/31spiegel.html?_r=2&oref=slog&oref=slogin
May 31, 2006, New York Times....
Opinion
Why I Published the Muhammad Cartoons
By Flemming Rose
European political correctness allows Muslims to resist integration, argues
the culture editor of Jyllands-Posten. Instead, Muslims should be treated
just like all Europeans -- including being subject to satire. He argues that
publishing the caricatures was an act of "inclusion, not exclusion."
The worldwide furor unleashed by the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed that I
published last September in Jyllands-Posten, the Danish newspaper where I
work, was both a surprise and a tragedy, especially for those directly
affected by it. Lives were lost, buildings were torched and people were
driven into hiding.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
memories of the emergency, piravi, rajan pillai
jun 4th
the mahajan affair reminds me of miscarriages of justice both during the emergency and at other times.
of course, the emergency is symbolized most vividly by the rajan case and prof eachara warrier's lonely fight for justice.
but then there is also the story of rajan pillai, the 'biscuit king'. he was a wealthy industrialist who controlled britannia biscuit at one time. but he was jailed, some say as part of a vendetta by a prominent bombay tycoon whom i shall not name. in jail in an ordinary cell, rajan pillai was denied medical treatment for his chronic illness. all of rajan pillai's high-society and high-powered friends whom he had entertained lavishly abandoned him. rajan pillai died in a filthy jail cell, choking to death on his own coughed-up blood. this happened to a magnate, a big man. of course we never hear of what happens to all of the little people, people like us.
and back to the rajan case and the magnificent and heart-rending film 'piravi'. it is raining in kerala now -- the monsoon arrives on june 1 -- just like in the movie, where the rain is a major character: anticipation for the rain mirrors the old man's anticipation for his son's arrival, although of course the son will never come, as he has been murdered. the brilliant rainscapes in the film have never been bettered: it is a visually stunning film that has captured kerala in the rain like no other film ever has. and it is magical.
and the scene that broke my heart: the old man who is in his 80s, on the verge of a nervous breakdown, gets off the ferry (itself symbolic of the ferry that goes between life and death, and which his son has already crossed, as the viewer knows). in the rain, old man slips and falls on the soft mud. the ferryman (played by c v sreeraman, a brilliant short-story writer whose stories were made into, among others, another of my favorite films of all time, aravindan's 'chidambaram', a meditation on crime, punishment and forgiveness) is in a dilemma. if he runs to help the old man, his ferryboat will drift away and that is the end of his livelihood. but on the other hand, common decency requires that he help the old man. his dharma requires that. in the end, after visibly hesitating, he rushes to the side of the old man, the old father who is son-less.
what would you have done? that simple decency is all we can offer when in the presence of great malevolence.
and you have to think: who will help your old father when he slips and falls?
who will help you when you slip and fall?
are we heading towards another emergency? what would you do if we were?
the mahajan affair reminds me of miscarriages of justice both during the emergency and at other times.
of course, the emergency is symbolized most vividly by the rajan case and prof eachara warrier's lonely fight for justice.
but then there is also the story of rajan pillai, the 'biscuit king'. he was a wealthy industrialist who controlled britannia biscuit at one time. but he was jailed, some say as part of a vendetta by a prominent bombay tycoon whom i shall not name. in jail in an ordinary cell, rajan pillai was denied medical treatment for his chronic illness. all of rajan pillai's high-society and high-powered friends whom he had entertained lavishly abandoned him. rajan pillai died in a filthy jail cell, choking to death on his own coughed-up blood. this happened to a magnate, a big man. of course we never hear of what happens to all of the little people, people like us.
and back to the rajan case and the magnificent and heart-rending film 'piravi'. it is raining in kerala now -- the monsoon arrives on june 1 -- just like in the movie, where the rain is a major character: anticipation for the rain mirrors the old man's anticipation for his son's arrival, although of course the son will never come, as he has been murdered. the brilliant rainscapes in the film have never been bettered: it is a visually stunning film that has captured kerala in the rain like no other film ever has. and it is magical.
and the scene that broke my heart: the old man who is in his 80s, on the verge of a nervous breakdown, gets off the ferry (itself symbolic of the ferry that goes between life and death, and which his son has already crossed, as the viewer knows). in the rain, old man slips and falls on the soft mud. the ferryman (played by c v sreeraman, a brilliant short-story writer whose stories were made into, among others, another of my favorite films of all time, aravindan's 'chidambaram', a meditation on crime, punishment and forgiveness) is in a dilemma. if he runs to help the old man, his ferryboat will drift away and that is the end of his livelihood. but on the other hand, common decency requires that he help the old man. his dharma requires that. in the end, after visibly hesitating, he rushes to the side of the old man, the old father who is son-less.
what would you have done? that simple decency is all we can offer when in the presence of great malevolence.
and you have to think: who will help your old father when he slips and falls?
who will help you when you slip and fall?
are we heading towards another emergency? what would you do if we were?
the mahajan affair
jun 3
this could well be a political assassination, followed by an elimination of all those who have some inside information.
check out the fabulous costa-gavras movie 'Z' -- widely considered the best political film of all time -- for a similar story about the assassination of a promising politician and a cover-up by the authorities. chilling similarities. in 'z', the witnesses started dying mysteriously: one "leapt to his death from the 7th floor of police headquarters"; another "was killed in a car crash" (actually several were killed in car crashes, and other accidents like drowning). the investigating judge, played brilliantly by jean-louis trintignant, later became the real-life president of greece. he started finding too many coincidences, especially when several suspects described the act of someone attacking the politician using the exact same words: "leapt on him lithely like a tiger".
yes, 'z' was based on a real-life event in greece. the authorities became so unhappy with the trial which came uncomfortably close to the truth that there was a military coup to protect the instigators of the crime. the journalist who did the investigative work in the film was either jailed or killed. they ended up banning "rock music, long hair, ... and the letter 'z', because in greek the letter 'z' means 'he is alive'."
is it possible for indians to say 'he is alive'? no, probably not, because we have other pressing concerns now, result of the various diversionary tactics.
but we live in dangerous times, when political opponents are ruthlessly liquidated.
also the modus operandi in the mahajan incident reminds me strongly of what happened to nepal's king birendra and family. net result of that? nepal is now just one step away from being a chinese colony. i would not be surprised if this was hatched in the fertile minds of the marxists, with a little help from their handlers in peking. after all, the decline of the bjp suits the chinese quite well. also note how their bete noire george fernandes has recently been sidelined by his own party.
at the end of the day, the question to ask is: "who benefits from all this?"
there you have your answer as to who did this.
this could well be a political assassination, followed by an elimination of all those who have some inside information.
check out the fabulous costa-gavras movie 'Z' -- widely considered the best political film of all time -- for a similar story about the assassination of a promising politician and a cover-up by the authorities. chilling similarities. in 'z', the witnesses started dying mysteriously: one "leapt to his death from the 7th floor of police headquarters"; another "was killed in a car crash" (actually several were killed in car crashes, and other accidents like drowning). the investigating judge, played brilliantly by jean-louis trintignant, later became the real-life president of greece. he started finding too many coincidences, especially when several suspects described the act of someone attacking the politician using the exact same words: "leapt on him lithely like a tiger".
yes, 'z' was based on a real-life event in greece. the authorities became so unhappy with the trial which came uncomfortably close to the truth that there was a military coup to protect the instigators of the crime. the journalist who did the investigative work in the film was either jailed or killed. they ended up banning "rock music, long hair, ... and the letter 'z', because in greek the letter 'z' means 'he is alive'."
is it possible for indians to say 'he is alive'? no, probably not, because we have other pressing concerns now, result of the various diversionary tactics.
but we live in dangerous times, when political opponents are ruthlessly liquidated.
also the modus operandi in the mahajan incident reminds me strongly of what happened to nepal's king birendra and family. net result of that? nepal is now just one step away from being a chinese colony. i would not be surprised if this was hatched in the fertile minds of the marxists, with a little help from their handlers in peking. after all, the decline of the bjp suits the chinese quite well. also note how their bete noire george fernandes has recently been sidelined by his own party.
at the end of the day, the question to ask is: "who benefits from all this?"
there you have your answer as to who did this.
Friday, June 02, 2006
apropos of quotas
jun 1
this pointless issue is taking up the nation's attention. classic diversionary tactic, while the UPA prepares to give up siachen and to give up the nuclear option.
interesting articles:
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1029272
http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=68500
this pointless issue is taking up the nation's attention. classic diversionary tactic, while the UPA prepares to give up siachen and to give up the nuclear option.
interesting articles:
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1029272
http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=68500
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Fwd: Encouraging Entrepreneurship rather than Reservation--
may 31
from a professor at iim bangalore.
i have been following the 'merit' argument, and i think there is no more 'merit' among the forward castes than there is among the backward castes. it's the inevitable bell curve in action.
i believe there should be caste-based reservation, but it should apply across the board to all educational institutions. christists and mohammedans should not get a free ride. you cannot have equality in some areas and massive subsidies in others. otherwise, there will need to be separate everything, for instance, there should be a price for toothpaste for christists and mohammedans: that will be 20% over the price for hindus.
reservation is the discriminatory 'pricing' for the fact that lower caste people still face glass ceilings and so forth.
reservation levels can be kept as they are -- people are used to it -- and slowly reduced over time so that we can avoid the 'competitive backwardness' we see today.
but the real answer is to increase opportunities, get the stifling dirigiste nehruvian state out of the picture, and allow people to flourish, as they did in places like singapore, taiwan, thailand etc. the good professor has a point.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Vaidyanathan R
from a professor at iim bangalore.
i have been following the 'merit' argument, and i think there is no more 'merit' among the forward castes than there is among the backward castes. it's the inevitable bell curve in action.
i believe there should be caste-based reservation, but it should apply across the board to all educational institutions. christists and mohammedans should not get a free ride. you cannot have equality in some areas and massive subsidies in others. otherwise, there will need to be separate everything, for instance, there should be a price for toothpaste for christists and mohammedans: that will be 20% over the price for hindus.
reservation is the discriminatory 'pricing' for the fact that lower caste people still face glass ceilings and so forth.
reservation levels can be kept as they are -- people are used to it -- and slowly reduced over time so that we can avoid the 'competitive backwardness' we see today.
but the real answer is to increase opportunities, get the stifling dirigiste nehruvian state out of the picture, and allow people to flourish, as they did in places like singapore, taiwan, thailand etc. the good professor has a point.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Vaidyanathan R
You may find this topical--
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/06/01/stories/2006060100081000.htm
R.Vaidyanathan
____________________________
R.Vaidyanathan
Professor of Finance & Control
Indian Institute of Management
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